Daily GK Updates – 21st Jan, 2021

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. GoI decides to celebrate January 23 as Parakram Diwas: The birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, on January 23, as ‘Parakram Diwas’ every year, the Ministry of Culture announced. The day is celebrated to honour and remember Netaji’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Culture held a high-level committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a befitting manner. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit West Bengal on January 23 to attend Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary celebrations at the Victorial Memorial in Kolkata. The PM is also likely to visit National Library located in Belvedere Estate, Alipore.

 

2. PM Modi appointed chairman of Somnath Temple Trust: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was appointed the new chairman of the trust which manages the world-famous Somnath Temple at Prabhas Patan town in Gujarat’s Gir-Somnath district, becoming the second PM to hold the post. After former PM Morarji Desai, Narendra Modi is the second Prime Minister who has been appointed the chairman of the temple trust. As per trust records, PM Modi has become the eighth chairman of the trust. As per the records, Desai had served as the chairman between 1967 and 1995. The post of the Somnath Trust’s chairman fell vacant after the death of the incumbent, former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, in October last year. Patel had served as the chairman for 16 years (2004-2020). Other trustees include BJP leader LK Advani, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat-based scholar JD Parmar and businessman Harshvardhan Neotia.

 

3. India’s 1st Labour Movement Museum to be set up in Kerala: The first-of-its-kind Labour Movement Museum, in India, would be launched in Alappuzha in Kerala, to showcase the history of the world labour movement. The museum will portray the growth of the world labour movement and the history of Kerala’s labour movement, through pictures, documents and other exhibits. Alappuzha is famous as the global houseboat tourism hub. The New Model Cooperative Society Limited, previously run by the Bombay Company, has been converted into the Labour Movement Museum. It will portray, through pictures, documents and other exhibits, the growth of the world labour movement and the history of Keralas labour movement.

Note: Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan; Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.

 

4. Bhawana Kanth to become 1st woman fighter pilot at R-Day parade: Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth will become the 1st woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day parade. She will be a part of the Indian Air Force’s tableau in the 2021 Republic Day Parade that will showcase mock-ups of the light combat helicopter, light combat aircraft, and the Sukhoi-30 fighter plane.

About Bhawana Kanth: At present, Bhawana is posted in Rajasthan and flies the MiG-21 Bison fighter plane. Bhawana is also one of the first women fighter pilots to be inducted into the Indian Air Force in the year 2016. She was inducted into IAF in 2016 along with Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi. Since then 10 women have been commissioned as fighter pilots in IAF. Induction of Bhawana and other two women fighters was an experimental scheme of induction of women in IAF’s combat stream introduced in the year 2015.

2021 Republic Day Parade: The newly inducted Rafale fighter aircraft will also be featured in the 2021 Republic Day parade. The aircraft will culminate the flypast by forming the ‘Vertical Charlie’ formation. 38 IAF aircraft and 4 Indian Army planes will participate in the flypast of 26th January. The flypast will be divided into two blocks. 5 Rafale fighter jets were inducted into the IAF in September 2020.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Joe Biden takes oath as 46th US President: Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States. He swore the oath of office moments after Kamala Harris, who became America’s first woman vice president, turning the page on Donald Trump’s tumultuous four years.  At 78, Biden is the oldest president in US history and only the second Roman Catholic president. Biden, who was vice president under Barack Obama and first ran for president in 1987, plans to kick off his tenure with a flurry of 17 orders. Biden will immediately rejoin the Paris climate accord and stop the US exit from the World Health Organization and set new paths on immigration, the environment, Covid-19 and the economy.

Important points of the inauguration: Biden, who is the oldest president in American history, took the oath by placing his left hand on his 127-year-old family Bible, which was held by his wife, Jill Biden. He used the same Bible during his swearing-in as vice president and seven times as senator from Delaware. Lady Gaga, in a poofy dress that was Valentine red, sang the national anthem and Tom Hanks prepared for a televised evening appearance with the new president. Jennifer Lopez sang a pop rendition of “This Land is Your Land,” often considered the unofficial US national anthem, ending it by exclaiming the words of the pledge of allegiance — a nation that promises “liberty and justice for all” in Spanish.

 

2. Yoweri Museveni wins sixth term as Uganda’s President: Uganda’s incumbent President Yoweri Museveni has been declared as the winner of the country’s presidential election for 2021. Museveni secured 58.64 per cent of the total votes cast, to win the sixth term as the President. The 76-year-old leader is serving as the President of the Republic of Uganda since 1986 and is one of Africa’s longest-serving presidents.

Note: Uganda Capital: Kampala; Currency: Ugandan shilling.

 

3. India and Japan inks MoC to promote movement of skilled workers: India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) a Basic Framework for Partnership for Proper Operation of the System Pertaining to Specified Skilled Worker (SSW), to promote the movement of skilled workers from India to Japan. The MoC was signed between Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Ambassador of Japan to India Suzuki Satoshi.

About MoC: The MoC covers 14 categories of specified skills. The skilled workers from India who meet these skills requirement and Japanese language tests would be eligible for employment in Japan on a contractual basis. These workers would be granted the status of Specified Skilled Worker by Japan. The 14 specified industry fields include nursing care, building cleaning, material processing, industrial machinery manufacturing, electric and electronic information, construction, shipbuilding and ship-related industry, automobile maintenance, aviation, lodging, agriculture, fisheries, food and beverages manufacturing and food services industry.

Note: Japan Capital: Tokyo; Japan Currency: Japanese yen; Japan Prime minister: Yoshihide Suga.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Vishwavir Ahuja re-appointed as RBL Bank chief: The board of directors of RBL Bank has approved the re-appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as the Managing Director and CEO of the bank for three years. The re-appointment is with effect from June 30, 2021, to June 29, 2024, and the same is being recommended to the Reserve Bank of India and shall be subject to their approval, the bank said in a regulatory filing. He has been MD & CEO of RBL Bank since June 30, 2010. Prior to joining RBL Bank, he was the MD & CEO of Bank of America, India, from 2001 to 2009. As per the regulatory filing, under Ahuja’s leadership, the deposits of the bank have grown almost 40 times, while advances have grown more than 45 times since 2011.

Note: RBL Bank Ltd Incorporated: 1943, under the Indian Companies Act, 1913; RBL Bank Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; RBL Bank Ltd Tagline: Apno Ka Bank.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Infosys receives Google Cloud Partner Status: Infosys has recently announced that it has been accredited with the Google Cloud Partner Specialization in the data and analytics space. Infosys is among the top global system integrators which have been accredited with this specialization.

Important points: Infosys has received this recognition as the company has successfully demonstrating end-to-end capabilities on Google Cloud including warehousing on the cloud and data ingestion. Infosys has showcased robust methodology, strong industry expertise, technical proficiency, success in specialized data and analytics solutions, and service areas. These data and analytics offerings are a part of Infosys Cobalt. Along with AI capabilities, these data and analytics offerings help in optimizing costs paving the way for AI and cloud-native digital transformation for enterprises, migrating workloads to Google Cloud, and modernize data landscapes.

Note: Infosys Founded: 7 July 1981; Infosys CEO: Salil Parekh; Infosys Headquarters: Bengaluru.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. DRDO hands over Motor Bike Ambulance Rakshita to CRPF: Defence Research and Development Organisation has handed over Motor Bike Ambulance Rakshita to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The bike ambulance will help in overcoming the problems faced by Indian security forces and emergency health care providers. The bike ambulances will provide life-saving aid for the evacuation of injured patients from low-intensity conflict areas.

About Rakshita: Rakshita is fitted with a customized reclining Casualty Evacuation Seat (CES), which can be fitted in and taken out as per requirement. Other major features are the head immobilizer, safety harness jacket, hand and foot straps for safety, adjustable footrest, physiological parameter measuring equipment with wireless monitoring capability and auto warning system for the driver. The bike ambulance will help in overcoming the problems faced by Indian security forces and emergency health care providers. The bike ambulances will provide life-saving aid for the evacuation of injured patients from low-intensity conflict areas.

Note: Director-General of CRPF: Dr A P Maheshwari.

Secretary Department of Defence Research and Development & Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy; DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi; DRDO Established: 1958.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Padma Award winning Renowned Oncologist Dr V Shanta passes away: Padma Award winning renowned oncologist Dr V Shanta has passed away. She was the chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai, which she joined in 1954. The institute is known for providing state-of-the-art healthcare to all patients. Dr V Shanta was a recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri (1986) and Padma Bhushan (2006) for her efforts for making quality and affordable cancer treatment accessible to everyone. She was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan and the Ramon Magsaysay awards.