Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
India’s think tank “NITI Aayog” has recently released a book on “faecal sludge and septage management in urban areas”. This has been jointly developed by National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) Alliance.
The book is in the form of a report, that enlists 27 case studies on implementation of faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM) initiatives.

Notes:
The United States of America (USA) has rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change. The new President Joe Biden reversed his predecessor Donald Trump’s order to exit the agreement.
The Paris Agreement on climate change is an international treaty under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), that came into effect in 2015

Notes:
Tesla Chief Executive Officer the world’s richest person at present, Elon Musk announced that he has decided to give away USD 100 million as prize for the best carbon capture technology.
Carbon dioxide, released in electricity generation and industrial processes can be captured using various methods including post-combustion, pre-combustion and oxyfuel. The International Energy Agency also stated about the role of carbon capture technology in net-zero emissions recently.

Notes:
The Jammu and Kashmir administration approved the adoption of a new policy named ‘Land Allotment Policy 2021-30’.
The policy aims to lay down a framework to regulate zoning of industrial areas. It will also cover land allotment for health institutions and educational institutions. The policy aims to promote fair industrial growth in the UT.

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:
India’s economist Jayati Ghosh has been chosen to be a part of UN high-level advisory board on socio-economic challenges in post-COVID-19 world. The board would make recommendations to U.N. Secretary-General for making response to the future, especially after the post COVID era.
Ms. Ghosh is presently a professor of economics at University of Massachusetts.

Notes:
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) questioned 1.2 million people in 50 countries, conducting the biggest ever opinion poll on climate change.
As per the survey’s findings, two-thirds of the total people polled see a “global climate emergency”. The survey also revealed that in nations with fossil fuels as a major source of emissions, people strongly supported renewable energy.

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.

Notes:
A recent research by University of Sao Paulo has revealed that Melatonin hormone secreted in the lungs of human beings act as an effective barrier against Covid-19 infection.
It has been identified that the hormone secretion inhibits the expression of genes that are entry points for the virus.

Notes:
Republic of Chad, a land locked country in North – Central Africa, has requested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for debt restructuring, under the new common framework. Chad’s request makes it the first country to seek debt restructuring from IMF.
Chad has been struggling with high debt burden against a backdrop of the coronavirus crisis.