Important Dates
1. World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day: 30 January
- 30th January 2021 marked the second annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day.
- An annual day designed to raise awareness and engage the general public in the urgent effort to Beat the NTDs.
- India joins the world to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases.
- On this day the Qutub Minar will be lit up along with other landmarks across the world.
- NTDs are a group of debilitating infectious diseases that affect over 1.7 billion people around the world.
Defense
2. Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (IN FAC) T-81 was decommissioned
- Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (IN FAC) T-81 of the Super Dvora MK II class, was decommissioned at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai after having served the nation successfully for more than 20 years.
- The 25 meters long vessel with 60 tonnes displacement was built at Goa Shipyard Ltd.
- She was commissioned into the Navy on 05 Jun 1999.
- It was specially designed for shallow waters.
- It has the capability of day or night surveillance and reconnaissance.
Banking & Finance
3. NSO released the 1st Revised Estimates of Economic Growth
- NSO released the First Revised Est of GDP of for FY 2019-20 and 2nd Revised Estimates for FY 2018-19 & 3rd Revised Estimates for 2017-18. (Base Year 2011-12).
- Nominal GDP for FY 2019-20 is estimated at ₹203.51 lakh crore as against ₹188.87 lakh crore for the year 2018-19, showing a growth of 7.8 per cent during 2019-20 as compared to 10.5% during 2018-19.
- Real GDP for FY 2019-20 and 2018-19 stands at ₹145.69 lakh crore and ₹140.03 lakh crore, respectively,
National Affairs
4. India ranks 10th in Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index
- The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released the 'Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index'.
- India ranked 10th out of 11 Asia Pacific countries.
- Singapore ranked first in the index followed by Taiwan (2nd), Japan (3rd) and Australia (4th).
- Indonesia ranked 11th in the index.
- It measures performance against 27 different indicators of personalised health across four categories called 'Vital Signs'.
Schemes
5. GoI launches ‘Start-up India Seed Fund Scheme’
- The GoI has approved the ‘Startup India Seed Fund Scheme' to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization.
- SISFS shall provide financial assistance to startups via a corpus of Rs. 945 cr that will be disbursed through selected incubators across India in 2021-25.
- A startup, recognized by DPIIT, incorporated not more than 2 years ago at the time of application is eligible for SFS.
State Affairs
6. Maharashtra ranks first in the second edition of the India Justice Report (
- Maharashtra ranks first in the second edition of the India Justice Report (IJR) 2020.
- That judges states on delivery of justice to people.
- Tamil Nadu is in second place which improved its ranking from its previous third position in 2019 and Telangana ranked third.
- The report was released by Tata Trusts with the support of the Center for Social Justice and others.
- Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshiyari
National Affairs
7. . India ranked third in scientific publications after China and US
- As per the data released by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India ranked third globally after China and the US in scientific publications.
- Of the 13,045 patents in 2017-18, as many as 1,937 were by Indians.
- Out of 15,550 patents filed by Indians at Indian Patent Office during the period, 65 per cent were filed from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
- Union Minister of Science and Tech – Dr Harsh Vardhan (MP from Chandani Chowk, Delhi)
Obituaries
8. Noted economist Shaibal Gupta passes away
- Noted economist Shaibal Gupta (67) passed away after a prolonged illness.
- He was the founder of the Asia Development Research Institute (ADRI).
- Gupta was doing research in the field of economics and industrial economics for the last two decades.
- He was also the director of the Centre for Economic Policy and Public Finance (CEPPF), which has been set-up in ADRI by the Bihar government as a dedicated centre for research on public finance.
Books & Authors
9. Olympian Andre De Grass pens picture book for kids
- Canadian Olympian sprinter Andre De Grasse is writing a picture book for children aged 6-10 years.
- Titled 'Race With Me!', the motivational book is expected to be out in July 2021.
- In the book, he shares how he overcomes adversity and stays motivated.
- The picture book is co-authored by De Grasse and Robert Budd, and it is illustrated by Joseph Osei Bonsu.
Banking & Finance
10. HDFC Bank EMI collection service to business correspondents
- HDFC Bank has joined hands with CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd to provide EMI Collection Services for CSC-HDFC Bank’s Business Correspondents across the country.
- CSC is a Special Purpose Vehicle under MeitY.
- The bank's new initiative is aimed at making payments convenient for customers, who can now visit their nearest CSC, to deposit overdue.
- With EMI Collection facility, customers need not visit bank branches.
- They can deposit EMI through CSC.
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