Daily Current Affairs 25th January, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 25 January 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Finance Ministry Allocates Rs 660 Crore Additional Funds to MP for Citizen-centric Reforms
Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to get additional funds for capital projects for successfully carrying out reforms in various citizen-centric areas.The finance ministry said it has allocated an additional Rs 660 crore to Madhya Pradesh for capital expenditure to undertake citizen-centric reforms. 

• The ministry has allocated this additional funds to the state for capital expenditure for undertaking the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ reforms, Ease of Doing Business reforms, and urban local bodies reforms. The state has also completed part of the fourth reform the power sector reforms.

MP signs MoUs with Kerala to replicate responsible tourism
Madhya Pradesh signed a memorandum of understanding(MoU) with Kerala for replicating the latter’s pioneering Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative.

• The States signed a joint declaration under which Kerala will extend a series of services under a 16-point programme.
• With the help of RT Mission of Kerala, the rustic beauty, life and heritage of Madhya Pradesh could be highlighted on the world tourism map.

First bird fest at Mahananda sanctuary from Feb 20 
In a first, a bird festival is being organised at the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary in West Bengal to provide an opportunity to enthusiasts to explore the forest and watch different birds.

• The Darjeeling Wildlife Division will be organising the 1st Mahananda Bird Festival from February 20 to 23.
• The participants will be taken to the popular birding spots such as Rongdong and Latpanchor, besides other birding trails within the forests. Visitors will be able to witness the diverse landscapes of rivers, plains, forests and hills during the festival.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

NSE remains world’s largest derivatives exchange for 2nd consecutive year
The National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) remained the world’s largest derivatives exchange for the second consecutive year in 2020 in terms of number of contracts traded, according to the Futures Industry Association (FIA).

• In addition, the bourse has been ranked fourth in the world in cash equities by number of trades by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) for calendar year 2020.
• The number of new investor registrations witnessed substantial growth in 2020, with 70 lakh new registrations, the highest in a calendar year and 2.3 times the number of registrations in 2019.

APPOINTMENTS

Mongolian prime minister submits resignation
Mongolia’s Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa submitted his resignation to parliament after protests in the capital Ulaanbaatar over the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• The protests triggered the dismissal of senior health officials. Mongolia’s deputy prime minister and health minister also tendered their resignations.
• The incident came amid growing public dissatisfaction with Mongolia’s economic situation and a lack of job opportunities.

Justice Gita Mittal appointed new chairperson of BCCC
Broadcasters industry body Indian Broadcasting Foundation has appointed former Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court Justice Gita Mittal as the new Chairperson of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC).

• Mittal succeeds former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Vikramajit Sen, whose tenure as BCCC Chairperson has ended.
• She served as the first woman Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court and is also the first woman Chairperson of BCCC.

AWARDS

Federal Bank’s Shyam Srinivasan is Business Standard Banker of the Year
Shyam Srinivasan, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Federal Bank, is the Business Standard Banker of the Year for 2019-20.

• The award was given for his bank’s consistent healthy performance at a time when most of its peers witnessed large stress on asset quality, registered losses, or even invited regulatory actions.
• The unanimous decision was taken by a high-profile jury of five, chaired by former RBI deputy governor S S Mundra.

Bilkis dadi and Harsh Mander conferred with Quaide Milleth Award
Bilkis Bano, Bilkis Dadi, the octogenarian woman who emerged as the face of Shaheen Bagh protest movement, and prominent civil rights activist Harsh Mander have been conferred with Quaide Millleth award for year 2020.

• Bano and Mander were presented the award at an event held at India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi.
• The duo was given a cheque of Rs 2.5 lakh each as award money, a shawl and a memento presented by Navaid Hamid, president of All India Majlis Mushawrat

OBITUARIES

Phil Spector, famed music producer and murderer, passes away
Phil Spector, the eccentric and revolutionary music producer who transformed rock music with his “Wall of Sound” method and who later was convicted of murder, has died. He was 81.

• Clarkson, star of Barbarian Queen and other B-movies, was convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 at his castle-like mansion on the edge of Los Angeles. After a trial in 2009, he was sentenced to 19 years to life.

Bureaucrat, poet and historian Narendra Luther passes away
Well-known poet, historian, author and retired bureaucrat Narendra Luther passed away at a private hospital. He was 88.

• A 1955 batch IAS officer, Luther was closely associated with the history and culture of erstwhile Hyderabad state and its rulers. He had served in various positions before retiring as the chief secretary of the undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1991.
• He wrote the monogram on Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah and other books on poetry, Deccan rocks, Secunderabad Cantonment, the lives of the Nizam followed. He has penned a number of books on the history, heritage and architecture of Hyderabad.

Popular Talk Show Host Larry King Passes Away
The iconic American radio and television host, and paid spokesman, Larry King, has passed away. He was 87.

• He rose to fame in 1978 as a radio host of The Larry King Show and then hosted Larry King Live on CNN for about 25 years from 1985 to 2010.
• King is said to have conducted around 50,000 on air interviews. Across world leaders, movie stars, musical legends, sports personalities he had done it all.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book titled F”lying Blind: India’s Quest For Global Leadership” by Mohamed Zeeshan
A new book by foreign affairs consultant Mohamed Zeeshan has been released recently. The title ”Flying Blind” alludes to the absence of a coherent strategy in making full use of these advantages.

• In this book Zeeshan argues that India needs a more coherent strategy for its relations with the outside world in order to fulfil its domestic development needs and global leadership aspirations.

Book titled “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World” by Fareed Zakaria
The book titled “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World” has been authored by a Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria. 

• The book is written in the format of 10 lessons in a variety of subjects, and contemplates the long-term effects of the COVID pandemic. The discussion, which was held through Zoom in a webinar format and hosted by Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, began with specific questions about the book from Gendler, before audience members asked questions anonymously.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Girl Child Day
National Girl Child Day in India is celebrated on January 24 every year. This day provides support, new opportunities to the girls in the country.

• National Girl Child day 2021 is being celebrated across the country with the objective of raising awareness on the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).
• The celebrations will also mark the anniversary of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme.

National Voters Day
National Voters’ Day is observed annually on 25 January in order to encourage more young voters to take part in the polling process.

• The main objective of the day is to educate and encourage young voters to vote during elections.
• The  day has been observed on January 25 every year since 2011 to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India.
• This year, the Election Commission of India is observing the 11th National Voters’ Day with the theme ‘Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed.’

International Day of Education
International Day of Education is an annual international observance day held on January 24 to promote the role of education and thus the International Day of Education came into existence.

• Every year, International Education Day is celebrated with a unique theme. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s theme for International Education Day is “Recover and Revitalize Education for the COVID-19 Generation.”

Himachal Pradesh celebrated its golden jubilee statehood day
Himachal Pradesh is celebrating its golden jubilee statehood day across the state on January 25.

• It was on this day in 1971 Himachal Pradesh became the 18th state of India.
• The golden jubilee function was held at historic Ridge ground in Shimla. Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur took part in the event.

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