Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Government of India has decided to form a committee to protect the language, culture and land of Ladakh.
The Committee will be headed by the Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy. It will also include elected representatives from Ladakh, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, central government, and the Ladakh administration.

Notes:
As per the Experts of the NITI Aayog, China is the biggest gainer in the post-pandemic economic situation globally.
The experts also opined that the economic recovery for India is likely to be slow. They told the standing committee of finance that several manufacturing units should move out of China and shift to India in the upcoming years.

Notes:
A one-member commission was created under the Labour Ministry’s Central Advisory Contract Labour Board (CACLB), to prepare an action plan for the welfare and development of guest and contract workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Veteran IAS officer C V Ananda Bose, who was in-charge of the commission, has recommended payment of a basic living wage in the event of employment loss. He also sought to establish Labour Authority of India as a nodal body.

Notes:
The country’s first Solar Electric RORO service will be introduced during the year 2021-2022, the Kerala Governor announced in the Assembly.
He also announced that the state’s first amphibious water bus will also be launched. The state has planned to launch barge Service for cargo movement and high-speed tourist services.

Notes:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a portal for the online sale of items falling under AFD-I category, through the Canteen Stores Department (CSD).
Against Firm Demand (AFD-I) category has expensive items including washing machines, microwave ovens, refrigerators, air-conditioners, mobile phones among others. Through this portal, lakhs of armed forces personnel and ex-servicemen can purchase the items from home.

Notes:
The India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation was recently held via video conference. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan represented India.
During the meeting, he has confirmed the commitment of India on completion of the Mongol Refinery Project. Both the countries also reviewed the bilateral cooperation in hydrocarbons and steel sector.

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over its ‘Landing gear systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)’ to the Indian Navy.
The retractable landing gear systems for the TAPAS UAV and landing gear system to the SWiFT UAV have been indigenously built by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Avadi, a unit of the DRDO.

Notes:
The Annual Cherry Blossom Festival event was organised at Mao of Manipur recently. The event was held in a virtual format.
The entire Mao town was adorned with cherry blossom flowers and it was streamed live on Face book, YouTube, Instagram etc. Traditional folk dances and Special ballet named Cherri Nachom was also a part of the event.

Notes:
The Zoological Survey of India has started tagging endangered olive ridley turtles in the Rushikulya beach, one of the largest mass-nesting sites for the turtles.
Six turtles floating in the deep water of the Bay of Bengal were attached with tags and released them back. This will enable them to track the migration path of the turtles. The ZSI is also set to tag 30,000 turtles.

Notes:
As per a recent study, ‘Huntsman spiders’ present in Madagascar eat tiny tree frogs. The Scientists predict that the spiders catch prey, by weaving traps made of leaves.
Earlier, a spider was spotted by the Scientists which preyed on Tree frog trapped on a pocket on the tree with spider silk sealing the edges. The frogs think these as a shady place to protect themselves from the sun.