Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
Union Home Minster Amit Shah launched Ayushman CAPF scheme, which will benefit around 10 lakh personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and their family members.
The scheme is a joint initiative of National Health Authority (NHA) with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Cashless and paperless medical treatment will be given to the beneficiaries at 24,000 hospitals in the country.

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 Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has recently launched a mobile app named ‘Udyam Sarathi’ for seeking employment, as a part of the 3-day event marking UP DIWAS.
The state also announced the proposal to launch ‘Abhyudaya’ coaching centres, which would benefit the students who are preparing for various competitive examinations.

Notes:
As per a recent publication of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) named “Birds of the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve”, the region is home to 428 species of birds.
The Indian Sunderbans one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, also comprises of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Some birds like Masked Finfoot and Buffy fish owl are found only in the Sunderbans.

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:
The DRDO’s Integrated weapons system design centre has been inaugurated by the Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex – Hyderabad.
This centre would set an all-new platform for enhanced design – development for surface to air missile (SAM) systems and ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems.

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 International Customs Day is celebrated every year on January 26 across the world, led by the World Customs Organization (WCO). It is headquartered at Brussels, Belgium.
It was earlier called as the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC). The Day has been celebrated since 1983. This year the theme is ‘Customs bolstering Recovery, Renewal and Resilience for a sustainable supply chain’

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:
The Budget Session of Parliament recently began with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.
During the address, the President mentioned that the ‘Amrut Mahotsav’ will be observed in the country from this year, to mark commencement of the celebrations towards the 75th year of India’s Independence.