Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
32 children across the county have been recently awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2021.
Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India has been giving away this award to children with outstanding abilities and accomplishments in the fields of innovation, scholastics, sports, arts & culture, social service and bravery.

Notes:
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in India.
President has approved conferment of 119 Padma awards comprising 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri awards. Former Chief minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi and former union minister Ram Vilas Paswan have been awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Notes:
Rajasthan state has launched the new M-Sand Policy-2020 recently. The state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the state government aims to meet the quantity of sand needed for construction work in the state.
This would encourage the production of manufactured sand or M-sand and reduce the dependence on traditional sand.

Notes:
The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted the maiden launch of Akash-NG (New Generation) Missile. It is a New Generation Surface to Air Missile designed to be used in Indian Air Force.
It has the capacity to intercept high maneuvering low RCS aerial threats. The test was carried out at the Integrated Test Range off the coast of Odisha.

Notes:
The U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order which allows all qualified Americans to serve in the country’s military.
Former President Barack Obama allowed transgender people to serve in the Military while the previous President Donald Trump banned the process. Now, this new order would repeal the ban while also providing the necessary medical care to the persons.

Notes:
The United States Senate confirmed veteran economist Janet Yellen as first woman Treasury Secretary of the country.
The 74-year-old eminent economist is also the Former chairperson of the Federal Reserve during the Global Financial Crisis. She is the third cabinet member of the Biden Administration to be confirmed by the Senate.

Notes:
Freedom fighter and late former Union home minister Govind Ballabh Pant’s statue was relocated from the Parliament complex, as the construction for the new building commenced.
The statue was later unveiled in New Delhi’s Pandit Pant Marg. He was also the first Chief Minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, from 1950 to 1954. He was also awarded with the highest honour of India, the Bharat Ratna.

Notes:
The United Kingdom (UK) has launched a New Variant Assessment Platform, which will be used to identify new variants COVID-19 viruses.
It uses genomics expertise possessed by UK and has been dedicated for use by countries which does not have sufficient resources for identifying the new Covid virus strains.

Notes:
The Davos Dialogue of the World Economic Forum (WEF) which generally takes place at Davos of Switzerland, was conducted this year in an “all virtual” format.
During the virtual meet, Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi appreciated India’s efforts to fight against the COVID pandemic. Also, he shared India’s efforts and endeavours in four pillars of Industry 4.0.

Notes:
India has recently signed the “Framework for Strategic Partnership” – an MoU with International Energy Agency (IEA). This agreement aims to strengthen India’s cooperation in global energy security, stability and sustainability.
This partnership would result in exchange of knowledge between India and IEA member countries. This is seen as a step by India towards becoming a full time IEA member.