Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 and 11 January 2021

Topic: Committees/Commissions/Taskforces

1. Government set up a High-level committee to celebrate 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

• The Government has formed a High-Level Committee, led by Prime Minister, to celebrate the 125^th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
• The committee will decide the plan and programmes for the year-long celebration.
• The committee consists of citizens, historians, authors, experts, family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and members associated with Azad Hind Fauj.
• The celebration of the 125^th anniversary will begin on 23 January 2021.
• Subhas Chandra Bose:
  • He was born on 23 January 1897.
  • He was made the President of the Indian National Congress in 1938.
  • He established Forward Block in 1939.
  • He had given the slogan “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazdi dunga”.
  • He was the leader of Azad Hind Fauj.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. ICAR’s initiative “Mera Gaon, Mera Gaurav” is helping villages in disposing of garbage.

• ICAR- Central Coastal Agricultural Research has observed Swachhta Pakhwada from 16-31 December.  
• Under this initiative, villagers have been trained for biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste disposal. Scientists are also helping farmers in producing compost from waste.
• Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav:
  • It was launched in 2015.
  • It has been launched to promote the direct contact of scientists with the farmers.
  • Its main objective is to provide information to farmers by adopting villages.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR):
  • It is the apex body for coordinating, guiding, and managing research and education in agriculture.
  • It works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  • It is the largest network of agricultural research and education institutes in the world.
  • Its headquarters is in New Delhi.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Indian Economy

3. National Employment Policy (NEP) likely to be made by December 2021.

• National Employment Policy (NEP) is likely to be made by December 2021.
• NEP is likely to be developed after the implementation of four labour codes and the completion of four major surveys.
• Three labour codes on Industrial Relations, Social Security and Occupational Health Safety & Working Conditions (OSH) were passed by Parliament last year.
• Code on Wages was passed in 2019. All four codes are likely to be implemented from April 1, 2021.
• Four all India surveys on migrant workers, domestic workers, employment generated by professionals and transport sector are to be conducted by Labour Bureau.
• Field work for four all India surveys is expected to begin by March and results are expected to be out by the end of October 2021.
• ‘All India Quarterly Survey’ on Employment of Enterprises (employment in organized and unorganized sectors) will be launched soon by Labour Bureau.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. Government launched ‘Single Window Clearance System’ for coal mines.

• Union Home Minister has launched the ‘Single Window Clearance System’.
• It will be an online platform to obtain clearances for smooth operationalization of coal mines.
• India has set a target to produce 700 million tonnes of coal in FY 2021.
• Currently, India produces 72 % of its electricity from coal.
• Coal India Ltd produces around 82% of the total coal production in India. It is the largest coal-producing company in the world and a Maharatna public sector undertaking.
• Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana are the main coal-producing states of India.
• India is the second-largest trader and consumer of coal.
• Ministry of Coal is responsible for the production, supply, distribution, and price of coal in the country. Pralhad Joshi is the current Coal Minister.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National news

5. Education Ministry issued guidelines for education of migrant children.

• The Union Education Minister has notified guidelines for the identification, admission, and continuing education of the migrant children.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for the education of migrant children across all States and Union Territories.
• The main features for guidelines are:
  • Training for identification of out of school children through volunteers, local teachers and community
  • Door to door survey for identification of out of school children
  • Creating awareness for enrollment and attendance of children
  • Preparation of an action plan for enrollment
• Ministry of Education:
  • It was formerly known as the Ministry of Human Resources Development.
  • It is responsible for the planning, access to education and improving the quality of the educational institutions throughout the country.
  • Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank is the current Education Minister.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Miscellaneous

6. Government notified rules for renewal of International Driving License while travelling abroad.

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued guidelines to facilitate the issuance of International Driving Permit (IDP) for Indian citizens whose IDP has expired while they are abroad.
• According to new guidelines, an Indian citizen can now renew their International Driving Permit through Embassies and Missions of India. The applications will then go to India’s VAHAN portal, which will be considered by the concerned RTOs.
• The issued International Driving Permit will be sent to the address of citizens abroad by the respective RTOs.
• The Guidelines has removed the condition of the medical certificate and valid visa for the issuing of an International Driving License in India.
• Nitin Gadkari is the current Road Transport and Highways Minister.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

7. World Hindi Day: 10 January

• It is celebrated every year on 10 January to mark the anniversary of the first World Hindi Conference organized in Nagpur on 10 January 1975.
• It is being celebrated every year since 2006.
• Its main aim is to promote the Hindi language across the world.
• Hindi is the third most-spoken language in the world.
• In India, Hindi Diwas is observed every year on 14^th September.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

8. Indian Railways achieved a speed of 130km per hour on the Golden Quadrilateral route- Golden Diagonal route.

• Indian Railways has achieved a maximum speed of 130 kilometers per hour on the 1,280 km length of the Golden Quadrilateral route- Golden Diagonal route.
• This speed has been achieved by strengthening of track and removing bottlenecks of the route.
• Indian Railways has already achieved a speed of 130 kmph along the Secunderabad – Kazipet route.
• The golden quadrilateral /golden diagonal (GQ /GD) routes are –
  • New Delhi - Mumbai via Mathura and Vadodara
  • New Delhi- Chennai via Nagpur, and Vijayawada
  • New Delhi-Howrah via Kanpur and Dhanbad
  • Howrah- Chennai via Visakhapatnam
  • Mumbai- Chennai
  • Mumbai-Howrah via Nagpur
• Indian Railways:
  • Indian railways network is fourth-largest in the world by size.
  • The first train was started between Bombay and Thane on 16^th April 1853.
  • It is divided into 18 zones and 70 divisions, with South Coast Railway Zone being the newest zone.
  • Suneet Sharma is the current Chairman of the Railway Board.

Topic: Sports

9. Jigmet Dolma stood 4^th in Dhaka Marathon 2021.

• Jigmet Dolma, an SPO of Ladakh police, has secured the fourth position in Dhaka Marathon 2021 among South Asian countries.
• This marathon has been organized to celebrate the return of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Pakistan jail to Bangladesh in 1972.
• Morocco’s Hicham Laqouahi became the champion in the men’s category while Kenya’s Angela Jemesunde became the champion in the women’s category.
• Among the runners from SAARC nations, India’s Bahadur Singh became the men’s champion and Nepal’s Pushpa Bhandari became champion in the women’s category.
• In the half marathon, Kenya’s Edwin Kiprop became the men’s champion and Naom Jebet became the women’s champion.
• Sheikh Mujibur Rahman:
  • Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the first President of Bangladesh and also served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
  • He is also known as the “Father of the Nation” in Bangladesh.
  • He had played an important role in the Independence of Bangladesh and he got the title of “Bangabandhu” from the people of Bangladesh.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Miscellaneous

10. Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump’s account.

• Twitter has permanently suspended the account of Donald Trump. This step has been taken due to the risk of further incitement of violence in Washington.
• Twitter blamed that US President Donald Trump has used accounts to incite violence.
• Facebook and Instagram have also banned Donald Trump ‘Indefinitely’ for inciting US Capitol Violence.
• Twitter:
  • It is a social networking platform.
  • Jack Dorsey is the CEO of Twitter.
  • Its headquarters is located in San Francisco, USA.

(Source: News on AIR)