Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 February 2021

Topic: Appointment

1. Air Marshal GS Bedi appointed as Director General (Inspection & Safety) at Air Head Quarters.

• Air Marshal GS Bedi has taken charge as Director General (Inspection & Safety) at Air Head Quarters. He was appointed on 1 February 2021.
• Air Marshal GS Bedi has served in various key positions in Indian Air force. He has also served as the Air Adviser at the High Commission of India, London.
• He has experience in flying fighters and trainer aircraft.
• He has received Vishisht Seva Medal in 2010 and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2020.
• Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria is the current Chief of the Air Staff. Airforce headquarter is located in New Delhi.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Sports

2. Ashok Dinda announces retirement from all forms of cricket.

• Ashok Dinda, a fast bowler, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
• He had made his international debut in 2009 against Sri Lanka.
• He has taken 420 first-class wickets and 12 wickets in 13 International ODIs. He has also taken 17 wickets in 9 T20 matches.
• He had played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League. He was part of Bengal Cricket team.
• Indian Cricketers that announced retirement in 2020 are: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Wasim Jaffer, Sudeep Tyagi, Pragyan Ojha, Parthiv Patel, Tanmay Srivastava.

Topic: Indian Polity

3. Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 introduced in Rajya Sabha.

• Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 has been introduced in Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy.
• Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Ordinance of 2021 will be replaced through Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
• Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Ordinance was promulgated by President last month to merge the J & K cadre of Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Forest Service with AGMUT cadre.
• AGMUT means Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territory.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: International News

4. UN Security Council asks for immediate release of Myanmar’s President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and others.

• UN Security Council has asked for the immediate release of Myanmar’s President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and others.
• UN Security Council members have also expressed deep concern over the imposition of emergency in Myanmar.
• On 1 February, Military (Tatmadaw) imposed an emergency in Myanmar and detained many leaders, including President Win Myint and first State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
• 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, National League for Democracy, had won Myanmar’s general election in November 2020. First session of Myanmar Parliament was scheduled to start on 1 February.
• Myanmar:
  • It is a Southeast Asian country that shares its border with China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos.
  • It shares a 1600 km long boundary with India’s Four North-Eastern States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
  • Its capital is Naypyidaw and the currency is Burmese Kyat. Sittwe Port is located in Myanmar.
  • The Parliament of Myanmar has two Hluttaw (assemblies): upper house and lower house. Official name of the Armed forces of Myanmar is Tatmadaw.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

5. Work on Banihal-Qazigund tunnel to be completed soon.

• Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Jitendra Singh, has said that work on the Banihal-Qazigund tunnel will be completed soon.
• Specifically, the work on the double tube of Banihal-Qazigund tunnel will be completed soon. It would probably open for traffic in March. 
• Banihal-Qazigund tunnel would decrease the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km. Banihal lies in Jammu province and Qazigund lies in South Kashmir.
• Banihal-Qazigund tunnel is 8.5-kilometre long. It is along Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44).
• It is at an elevation of 1,790 meters and it is only a four-lane twin-tube tunnel in UT of J&K. Its construction was started in 2011.
• Banihal-Qazigund tunnel will bypass Jawahar Tunnel and Shaitan Nalla. Jawahar Tunnel is also known as Banihal Tunnel. It also lies between Banihal and Qazigund.
• In October 2020, world’s longest road tunnel, Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh, was inaugurated and the foundation stone of Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh was laid.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Assam

6. First heliport of Assam in Majuli district inaugurated.

• First heliport of Assam in Majuli district has been inaugurated by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
• The heliport has a facility for simultaneous landing of three helicopters. Assam CM said that aim of building a heliport is to boost tourism in Majuli.
• Majuli:
  • Majuli is the world’s largest river island. It is also the first island which was made a district in India. It lies in the Brahmaputra River.
  • It is located on the east of Guwahati. It is considered the world’s oldest and largest inhabited riverine island.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. HAL signed a pact with MIDHANI for development and manufacturing of raw materials.

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed an MoU with Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) for the development and production of composite raw materials. It has been signed during the Aero India 2021.
• It is the first time that an MoU has been signed for composite raw materials. The composite materials will be used as the raw material for aircraft manufacturing.
• At present, India imports the Composites raw materials, but this step will reduce India’s dependency on foreign manufacturers.
• A composite material is a material that is produced from two or more constituent materials. It is widely used in the Aircraft Industry. Its light-weight and high-temperature resistant properties help in the development of highly efficient aircraft.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. Government had launched ‘KAPILA’ program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness.

• Union Education Minister has launched the Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness (KAPILA) campaign on 15 October 2020.
• Its main objective is to raise awareness about the importance of patenting and inventions.
• Under this program, students and faculties of higher educational institutions will get information about the process of patenting their inventions.
• Patent in India:
  • In India, Patent is governed by the Patents Act of 1970.
  • The main aim of the patent is to encourage innovation and research and development.
  • In India, the patent is granted for 20 years.
  • The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks administers the Indian law of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks.

Topic: National News

9. Government inked a pact with Zomato under PM SVANidhi Scheme.

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has signed an MoU with Zomato under the PM SVANidhi Scheme.
• It will provide thousands of consumers to street vendors, which will help them to grow their businesses.
• MoHUA has also launched a Mobile application under PMSVANidhi se Samriddhi for Socio-economic profiling of PM SVANidhi beneficiaries. It will help in door to door data collection of PM SVANidhi beneficiaries and their families in 125 cities.
• Earlier, MoHUA had also signed a similar type of pact with Swiggy on October 5, 2020.
• PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANIDHI):
  • It was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 1 June 2020.
  • It will provide affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods during the COVID-19 lockdown.
  • It will provide a capital loan of up to ₹10,000, which must be repaid in monthly installments in one year.

Topic: Appointments

10. SN Subrahmanyan appointed as Chairman of National Safety Council.

• SN Subrahmanyan has been appointed as Chairman of the National Safety Council for three years.
• At present, he is CEO and Managing Director of L&T Ltd.
• His appointment has been approved by the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
• Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is an Indian company. It is headquartered in Mumbai. It is one of the largest construction companies in India.
• National Safety Council:
  • It was established under the Ministry of Labour and Employment in 1965.
  • It was established to generate, develop and sustain a voluntary movement on Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) at the national level.
  • It is registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950.
  • It is headquartered in Mumbai.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakram is an important scheme for the development and empowerment of youth.

• It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
• Its main objective is to develop leadership and personality development qualities in youth.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has merged some schemes in the Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakaram (RYSK). It is also running the National Service Scheme (NSS) and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) for the youths of the country.
• Rs. 486.48 Crores is allocated for the RYSK scheme in the year 2020-21.
• Kiren Rijiju is the current Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports.
• The scheme merged in the Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakram (RYSK) are