Daily GK Update: 12th January 2021

Important Dates

National Youth Day is being observed in India every year on 12 January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda
2021 is the 158th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand
It was first celebrated on January 12, 1985.
Theme 2021: ‘Channelizing Youth Power for Nation Building’
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Lok Sabha Secretariat has launched National Youth Parliament 2021 as a part of National Youth Festival, which is held from 12 to 16 January

Defense

Second edition of the biennial pan-India two day coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil-21’ has been commenced today
It was conducted for the 1st time in January 2019
It will undertake entire 7516 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India
It will involve all the 13 coastal States and UT along with other stakeholders like fishing and coastal communities
It is a build up towards TROPEX [Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise] which Indian Navy conducts every 2 years

National & International Appointments

Jay Shah has been named as the official representative of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board meetings.
Currently, he is the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
He will succeed BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who was currently representing India at ICC Board and has suffered a heart condition recently
International Cricket Council Headquarters: Dubai, UAE
ICC Chairman: Greg Barclay

National Affairs

MoRTH Nitin Gadkari is all set to launch an innovative new paint termed as ‘Khadi Prakritik Paint’ developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
It is an eco-friendly, non-toxic paint, and is a first-of-its-kind product, with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties.
Main Ingredient: cow dung
It is cost-effective and odourless, and has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards.
It is available in two forms: distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint.

Science & Technology

ISRO is all set to adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs across the country to promote education in the field of Space Education and Space Technology among school students.
The move will help in promoting innovation and the spirit of experiential learning among the school kids compared to traditional learning.
Atal Tinkering Lab provides a makerspace where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands and learn innovation skills.
ISRO Chairman: K. Sivan

Arts & Culture

Bangladesh has been chosen as ‘Country in Focus’ for 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
IFFI will be held at Goa from January 16 to 24, 2021.
‘Country in Focus’: Special segment that recognizes the cinematic excellence and contributions of the country. It will showcase four films from Bangladesh.
IFFI is held annually since 1952 in Goa. It is organised jointly by Directorate of Film Festivals, under Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Goa Govt.

Books & Authors

PM Modi’s Foreign Tours chronicle book titled as ‘Modi India Calling – 2021’ has been released on 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) by Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta.
It is 450-page book, which is filled with over hundreds of photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his 107 overseas and bilateral visits
The book has been conceptualized by senior BJP leader Vijay Jolly.
It has been published by Maneesh Media.

Banking & Finance

ICRA Ratings has estimated the real gross domestic product (GDP) of India to grow by 10.1% in the financial year 2021-22 (FY2022)
ICRA had earlier projected a contraction of 7.8% for the ongoing fiscal 2020-21.
As per ICRA, CPI inflation to decline to 4.6 per cent in FY2022 from 6.4 per cent in FY2021
ICRA Limited (formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited) was set up in 1991.
MD & Group CEO of ICRA: N. Sivaraman

National Affairs

Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated Coastal Research Vessel ‘Sagar Avneshika’ for National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai
About ‘Sagar Avneshika’
- Developed by: Titagarh Marine, Kolkata
- Help scientists to launch deep ocean mission for ocean exploration.
- Can accommodate about 15-20 scientists
- Advanced navigation systems with well-equipped labs with research and exploration apparatus
It will boost multi-disciplinary research on oceanography along the Indian coast

Honours & Awards

Ministry of Power, along with Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has organised 30th National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) function
The award was conferred to various sectors under different categories
During the event, Standards and Labelling Programme for Air Compressors and Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV was also launched
SAATHEE (State-wise Actions on Annual Targets and Headways on Energy Efficiency) portal for state level activities was also launched.

National Affairs

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries in India.
Currently, India has a network of 903 Protected Areas covering about 5% of the total geographic area.
MME shows that India is home to 70% of global tiger population, 705 of Asiatic lions and more than 60% of leopard’s population in India is a certificate of India's thriving biodiversity.