Daily news will speed up the preparation for the Civil Services Examination and it also plays a crucial role to grasp the current affairs topic comprehensively. Here we have covered most of the topics related to various categories including National, International, Sports, Science and Technology, and so on.
1. 51st International Film Festival of India
– The 51st Edition of Asia’s oldest and India’s biggest festival, The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which is to be held in Goa from 16th January to 24th January 2021, has announced a line-up of programmes that will be showcased on the OTT platform during the festival.
– Taking into account the ongoing Pandemic, International Film Festival of India is holding its first-ever ‘hybrid’ Film festival. This year IFFI will organize a few of its events on the OTT platform for its audience.
– The Country in Focus for the 51st IFFI is Bangladesh.
– The Country in Focus is a special segment that recognizes the cinematic excellence and contributions of the country. This section at the 51st IFFI will showcase four films namely,
- Jibondhuli by TanvirMokammel
- Meghmallar by Zahidur Rahim Anjan
- Under Construction by Rubaiyat Hossain
- Sincerely Yours, Dhaka
About IFFI:
– The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia.
– Held annually, currently, in the state of Goa, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art; contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos, and promoting friendship and cooperation among people of the world.
– The festival is conducted jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the state Government of Goa.
UPSC 2021 Online Coaching Classes | Bilingual GS Foundation Batch
2. COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
– The Centre has been proactively carrying activities towards preparing for the nationwide roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine in close collaboration with States/UTs and all stakeholders.
– The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) today held a VC with administrators from States and UTs on the CoWIN software which forms the backbone of the last-mile vaccine administration.
– The meeting was chaired by Shri Ram Sewak Sharma, Chairman of Empowered Group on Technology and Data Management to combat COVID-19 and member, National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration of COVID-19.
– The meeting was attended by the State Principal Secretaries, NHM Mission Directors, and State Immunisation officers and senior officers of the Health Ministry.
– During the meeting the feedback of the States/UTs on the Co-WIN software and its operational use, emanating from the dry runs, was discussed in detail.
Daily Gist of ‘The Hindu’, ‘PIB’, ‘Indian Express’ and Other Newspapers: 9 January, 2021
3. MoRTH notifies rules for facilitating the renewal of an International driving licence while travelling abroad
– The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notification on 7th Jan 2021 to facilitate the issuance of International Driving Permit (IDP) for Indian citizens whose IDP has expired while they are abroad.
– There was no mechanism for its renewal while citizens were abroad and their IDP had expired.
– Now, with this amendment, it is proposed that Indian citizens can apply for renewal through the Indian Embassies / Missions abroad, from where these applications would move to the VAHAN portal in India, to be considered by the respective RTOs. IDP would be couriered to the citizen at his/her address abroad by the respective RTOs.
– This notification also removes the conditions of a Medical Certificate and a valid visa at the time of making the request for the IDP in India.
– The idea is that a citizen who has a valid driving licence should not have a requirement for another medical certificate.
– Further, there are countries where the Visa is issued on arrival or Visa is issued at the last moment: in such cases, VISA is not available when applying for the IDP in India before travel. Hence, IDP application can be made without VISA now.
Daily Gist of ‘The Hindu’, ‘PIB’, ‘Indian Express’ and Other Newspapers: 8 January, 2021
4. India-Mongolia Relations
– Recently, India and Mongolia have reviewed bilateral cooperation in hydrocarbons and steel sectors.
– India reiterated its commitment to timely completion of the Mongol Refinery Project, the country’s 1st oil refinery.
– The greenfield Mongol Refinery Project is being built under a Line of Credit from the Government of India. It is expected to cut some of Mongolia’s fuel import dependence.
– The Project came in the backdrop of Mongolia, which has large uranium deposits signing an agreement for civil nuclear cooperation with India in 2009 and China unfolding its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
– India is opposed to the BRI, which seeks to invest about USD 8 trillion in infrastructure projects across Asia, Europe and Africa, as it says the initiative lures countries into debt traps and does not respect sovereignty or address environmental concerns.
– India welcomed the keenness of Mongolian companies in supplying coking coal to the Indian steel industry. According to a recent report, India will overtake China as the largest importer of coking coal by 2025.
– India expressed its willingness to further share its expertise in the oil and gas sector including capacity building in accordance with the developmental priorities of Mongolia.
Daily Gist of ‘The Hindu’, ‘PIB’, ‘Indian Express’ and Other Newspapers: 7 January, 2021
5. Bird Flu in the several States of India
– New Bird flu (avian influenza) cases have been confirmed in Gujarat recently, in addition to Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana where the disease has already been confirmed.
– Several states, which have been reporting deaths of birds, including crows and migratory species, are scrambling to have samples tested for the virus.
– Bird flu or avian influenza is the name used to describe a viral infection that is reported mostly in birds, but has the potential to affect humans and other animals.
– More than a dozen types of bird flu have been identified, including the two strains that have most recently infected humans namely H5N1 and H7N9. When bird flu does strike humans, it can be deadly.
– Outbreaks of bird flu have occurred in Asia, Africa, North America and parts of Europe. The virus was first reported in geese in China in 1996.
– Bird flu occurs naturally in wild waterfowl and can spread into domestic poultry, such as chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese.
– The H5N1 virus can jump species and infect humans from the infected bird.
Daily Gist of ‘The Hindu’, ‘PIB’, ‘Indian Express’ and Other Newspapers: 5 January, 2021
6. NCAVES India Forum 2021
– Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of the Ecosystem Services (NCAVES) India Forum-2021 is being organised by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
– India is one of the five countries taking part in this project – the other countries being Brazil, China, South Africa and Mexico.
About the NCAVES Project
– The Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (NCAVES) project seeks to advance the theory and practice of environmental and ecosystem accounting in Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.
– The project has been jointly implemented by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).
– It aims to assist the five participating partner countries, to advance the knowledge agenda on environmental-economic accounting, in particular ecosystem accounting.
– The project will have a duration until the end of 2021.
Aiming for UPSC CSE 2021? Get the best test series for sure selection: Click Here
7. Demand For Autonomy in Assam
– There has been a demand for implementation of Article 244A for the creation of an autonomous state within Assam.
– The appeal to the Centre has been for the creation of an autonomous State for the Karbi Anglong region. This has been a demand since 1986.
– The districts are currently governed by two autonomous councils Karbi Anglong and North Cachar hills.
- China holds third South Asia multilateral meet
– China has held its third multilateral dialogue with countries from South Asia to take forward closer cooperation on fighting COVID-19.
– It also strives to coordinate their economic agendas, reflecting a new approach in Beijing’s outreach to the region.
– The third dialogue, held virtually on January 6, brought together every country in the region barring India, Bhutan and the Maldives. It was aimed at “anti-epidemic cooperation and poverty reduction cooperation”.
About South Asia multilateral meet
– All three dialogues have been attended by Pakistan and Nepal, which are emerging as two lynchpins in China’s regional strategy.
– The 1stt such meeting was convened by China in July, and was attended by Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan.
– The 2nd meet was held in November by a five-member grouping attended by China, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
– The 3rd and recent January 6 meeting was attended by all five countries that have taken part in these dialogues namely Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
IAS Prelims Mock-Test 2021 – Set 87, 9 January
Join UPSC & State PSC Channel ? Click Here
