Daily Current Affairs 19th January, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 19 January 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

NHAI signs MoU with IRTE & IDC to promote road safety, traffic management
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute for Road Traffic Education (IRTE), and Institute for Development and Communication, Chandigarh (IDC), to promote road safety and collaborate in the areas of traffic management.

• Titled as ‘Capacity building of Road Safety Management through the Safe Systems Approach Programme,’ this arrangement will be effective for two years.
• Under the partnership, IRTE will support NHAI to improve the functional aspects of road geometrics and ensure that the traffic control devices conform to the IRC standards for efficient, free, and rapid traffic flow.

India’s first air taxi service launched in Chandigarh
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has inaugurated India’s first air taxi services from Chandigarh to Hisar under the UDAN scheme of the Central Government.

• The air services would also start from Hisar to Dehradun in the second phase, while in the third phase two more routes will be added.
• As per update, these air taxis will be four-seaters and have a speed limit of 250 km/hour. Besides the pilot, three passengers will be able to travel in these air taxis. Fares of these air taxis are also not that costly.
• From Chandigarh to Hisar, the normal fare for a person in the Volvo bus is Rs 700. Here, a passenger will have to spend Rs 1,755 for two ways

Nepal’s foreign minister visits India
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali arrived in India on a three-day visit during which he attended the 6th meeting of Nepal-India Joint Commission and discussed the entire gamut of relations, including COVID-19 cooperation and border disputes, with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.

• The visit comes in the backdrop of last year’s border row between the two nations when Nepal published a new political map that showed the three Indian territories — Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh as part of Nepal.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

SPMCIL pays Rs 215.48 cr dividend to government 
State-owned Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) paid a final dividend of Rs 215.48 crore to the Government of India for 2019-20

• The dividend is 5 per cent of net worth of the company as on March 31, 2020, or 41 per cent of profit for 2019-20, in compliance with guidelines of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).

SPORTS

Carolina Marin wins Yonex Thailand Open badminton tournament 2021
Reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin beat top seed Tai Tzu-ying to claim the Thailand Open title in Bangkok.

• Fourth seed Viktor Axelsen battled a cold and eighth seed Angus Long to claim the men’s title.
• In the women’s doubles final, Indonesia’s Greysia Polii and Apriyni Rahayu beat home pair Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 21-15, 21-12, a record fourth title in Thailand for Polii.
• In the mixed doubles final, top-seeds Thais Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai beat Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti  21-3, 20-22, 21-18.
• In the men’s doubles, Taiwan’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin beat Malaysia’s Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong 16-21, 23-21, 19-21.

APPOINTMENTS

PM Modi named Somnath Temple trust chairman
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unanimously chosen as 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, Modi is the second Prime Minister who has been appointed the chairman of the temple trust. As per trust records, Mr. Modi has become the eighth chairman of the trust.
• The post of the Somnath Trust’s chairman fell vacant after the death of Patel in October last year. Patel had served as the chairman for 16 years (2004-2020).

Vishwavir Ahuja re-appointed as RBL Bank chief
Private sector lender, RBL Bank said its Board of Directors has approved the re-appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the bank for a period of three years, with effect from June 30, 2021 to June 29, 2024.

• This is based on the recommendation of the nomination and remuneration committee, the bank said in a notification to exchanges.

Uganda’s Museveni wins sixth term as President
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has scored a decisive election victory to win a sixth term, the country’s election commission said.

• The 76-year-old Museveni, in power since 1986 and one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
• Museveni secured 58.64 per cent of the total votes cast and his main rival Bobi Wine had 3.48 million votes.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

DRDO hands over Motor Bike Ambulance Rakshita to CRPF
Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi-based DRDO laboratory, handed over Rakshita, a bike-based casualty transport emergency vehicle to CRPF in a ceremony held at CRPF Head Office in New Delhi.

• 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 evacuation of injured patients from low intensity conflict areas.

BOOKS & AUTHORS 

“The Commonwealth of Cricket” book by Ramachandra Guha
Historian and cricket “fan” Ramachandra Guha launched his new book titled “The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind” 

• In this book, Guha offers both a brilliantly charming memoir and a charter of the life of cricket in India. He traces the game across every level at which it is played: school, college, club, state and country. He offers vivid portraits of local heroes, provincial icons and international stars.

IMPORTANT DAYS

16th National Disaster Response Force Raising Day
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day is celebrated on January 19 to mark its formation. This year, the NDRF observed its 16th NDRF Raising Day.

• The specialised task force has been constituted for “special response to a threatening disaster situation or a disaster.” National Disaster Management Authority is the parent body of the NDRF. Located at 12 different locations in the country, there are 12 NDRF battalions. There are as many as 13,000 NDRF personnel who work to build a safer country.

Government announces 23rd January to be celebrated as “PARAKRAM DIWAS’ every year
Government of India has decided to celebrate the 125th Birth Anniversary year of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a befitting manner at national and international level, beginning from 23rd January 2021.

• A High Level Committee, headed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has been constituted for deciding the programs, and to supervise and guide the commemoration.
• In order to honour and remember Netaji’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation, Government of India has decided to celebrate his birthday on the 23rd day of January every year as “PARAKRAM DIWAS” to inspire people of the country, especially the youth, to act with fortitude in the face of adversity as Netaji did, and to infuse in them a spirit of patriotic fervour.

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