Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi launched the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) in 2015.
The two programmes are being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power. Under the schemes, EESL distributed LED bulbs and LED street lights across the country, to save energy.

Notes:
Australia’s Claire Polosak became the first woman to officiate at a men’s Test match, when she served as the fourth umpire during the test match between India and Australia in Sydney.
Australia’s new edition of the National anthem was also sung during the match. She was also the first woman to officiate on-field in a men’s one-day international and the first woman umpire to stand in an Australian men’s domestic fixture.

Notes:
Karshaka Vidyapeedam, a farmers’ university headquartered in Kasaragod, has launched a meliponiculture project in Champeri.
A four-month training course on meliponiculture, which means stingless honeybee farming, was also launched. ‘Indigenous beehives’ designed by the research forum of the University will also be provided in the course along with follow-up assistance.

Notes:
Basavanna also called as ‘Basaveshwara’ was a 12th-century statesman, Lingayat saint during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. He is considered a famous icon of the Lingayat community in Karnataka.
Recently, the Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa laid the foundation stone for the Rs 500-crore project ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’ in Basavakalyan. It is considered as the place where the philosopher lived.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh announces several welfare schemes for the state.
He also dedicated the January month to girl child through ‘Dheeiyan Di Lohri’ programme. He also announced to provide free sanitary pads for girl students of high schools and colleges. ‘BASERA’ scheme was also announced for slum dwellers.

Notes:
The President of India has promulgated an an ordinance to amend J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, to merge the Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS, IPS and IFS officers with that of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT).
This step will allow the officers posted in these states and UTs to work in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir and vice versa.

Notes:
United Service Institution of India (USI) is a security and defence service think tank based in New Delhi.
As per the recent study of the think tank, over half of Indian Army personnel are under severe stress. It also revealed that the Army has been losing more personnel due to suicides, fratricides and other incidents than in situations of enemy or terrorist activities.

Notes:
Veteran IPS Officer Subodh Kumar Jaiswal took charge as the new Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The 58-year-old officer was serving as the DGP heading the Maharashtra Police since 2019. He had earlier served with the Special Protection Group (SPG) of the country, securing the Prime Minister.

Notes:
The first National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) was organised in February 2019 at District, State and National levels.
The second edition of the festival was launched in the month of December 2020. After District and State-level events, the final event was held recently Central Hall of Parliament. Youth between 18 to 25 years will speak before the National jury and out of them, three will be declared winners.

Notes:
The Storm Filomena hit Spain and has brought one of the heaviest snowfall in decades, across the central regions of Spain killing four people.
The Government is to send COVID-19 vaccine and food supplies to the areas cut off by the storm. As the temperatures are expected to fall to up to minus 10 degree Celsius, more dangerous situations are forecasted.