Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to continue the MoRTH Professorial Chair focusing on research and development.
The Chair focusses on teaching and training in the field of Development of Highway Infrastructure. The Ministry aims to develop indigenous technologies to lower cost of construction and reduce construction period of transport projects.

Notes:
A resolution titled “Promoting a culture of peace and tolerance to safeguard religious sites” has been adopted in the United Nations General Assembly recently.
The resolution calls for efforts to promote a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels. It also invites the Secretary General to convene a global conference to advance the UN’s “Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites”.

Notes:
The state Government of Gujarat has entered into an MoU with Adani Ports and SEZ Limited. The MoU aims to establish India’s biggest multi-model logistics park at Virochan Nagar, near Sanand in Ahmedabad.
The park would be constructed at 1,450 acres and would have an investment of Rs.50,000 crore. It is expected to provide direct and indirect employment to 25,000.

Notes:
January 24 is observed as ‘International Education Day’ globally to highlight the role of education for peace and development.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution co-authored by Nigeria and 58 other member states in 2018, which sought for political will to support inclusive and quality education for all. This year, the day was observed on the theme ‘Recover and revitalise education for the COVID-19 generation’.

Notes:
Reigning Olympic champion, Carolina Marin from Spain and former World Champion Viktor Axelsen from Denmark recently claimed their second Thailand Open badminton men’s and women’s singles titles respectively.
The 27-year-old Carolina Marin went into the final without losing a single game across both tournaments. The Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals will be contested by the top eight of each discipline.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Road transport and highways has approved a proposal to impose green tax on some category of vehicles that are old and causes pollution.
This move is seen as a means to phase out old and pollution causing vehicles from the country. The ministry has also approved a policy for deregistration and scrapping of vehicles owned by government departments which are more than 15 years old.

Notes:
The United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order, which would impose rules on government procurement practices.
Dubbed as the ‘Buy American’ order, it aims to strengthen domestic manufacturing and ensure better access to small and midsize businesses. This is a part of the ‘Build Back Better recovery plan’ proposed by Joe Biden.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for milling copra and ball copra.
As per M S Swaminathan recommendations, the increase in MSP has been approved. The MSP of copra was raised by Rs 375 from the previous year, 2020 to Rs 10,335 per quintal. Farmers of 12 coastal states are likely to impact by the price hike.

Notes:
START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is a bilateral agreement signed in 2010 between the United States and Russia.
The treaty, which emphasised on the reduction and limitation of strategic nuclear arms by the two countries, is set to expire next week. Russia’s lower house of parliament approved the extension of the treaty.

Notes:
India is set to despatch 500,000 doses of Covishield vaccines to Sri Lanka as grant assistance under its “Vaccine Maitri” initiative.
Under the initiative, India has already delivered nearly five million doses to seven countries in the neighbourhood including Maldives, Nepal, Mauritius among others. The Vaccine Maitri (Vaccine Friendship) initiative was launched on January 20.