IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Launched “Chunauti”

• Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched next-generation startup Challenge contest “Chunauti” to encourage startups and software products with special focus on Tier-II towns.
• This contest is a part of Rs. 95 crore program, spanning over 3 years, will hunt for around 300 startups working in identified areas and to provide them seed funds of up to Rs 25 lakh and other support from government through the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).
• Startups who are in the ideation stage can be selected under the pre-incubation program will be mentored for up to 6months and each intern would be paid Rs 10,000 per month for this period.
• The minister also laid the foundation stone of the digital training and skilling center of the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) at Muzaffarpur in Bihar which will be developed by the Ministry at a cost of Rs 9.17 crore.The government of Bihar has allocated one acre of land for this institution.

 Department of Economic Affairs & UNDP India => Sustainable Finance Collaborative to Promote Sustainable Finance in India

• Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) India launched the Sustainable Finance Collaborative (SFC).
• Notably, before COVID, it was estimated that India needs over USD 2.6 trillion to meet the SDG targets by 2030.

Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Addresses Inaugural session of World Urdu Session

• Union Minister for Education (formerly known as Human Resource Development, HRD Ministry), Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ addressed the inaugural session of the two-days World Urdu Conference organized by National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL)
• The NCPUL is organizing a two-day World Urdu Webinar titled as ‘Responsibilities of Urdu Writers in the age of Electronic & Social media’.
• An Announcement was made by the Education Minister, to honor the Urdu writers and literature with awards and honors in the name of important personalities of Urdu to encourage Urdu writers for literary and creative services by the Urdu Council from next year.

 UP Govt launches => ‘Major Dhyan Chand Vijaypath Yojana’ to Build Roads to 19 International Player’s houses

• Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya launched ‘Major Dhyan Chand Vijaypath Yojana’ scheme under which 19 International Players will get road connectivity to their homes.
• The initial list includes 19 International Players from the state, and later on more players are expected to be added to the list.
• The list includes Indian Cricketers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Piyush Chawla and Mohammad Kaif.
• About UP
  • Capital – Lucknow
  • CM – Yogi Adityanath
  • Governor – Anandiben Patel

Kerala to set up India’s First International Women’s Trade Centre

• Kerala will set up India’s First International Women Trade Centre (IWTC) in accord with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN at Angamaly, Kochi, Kerala.
• This announcement was made during the webinar on “Scaling up Opportunities for MSME women Entrepreneurs in Kerala” organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Kerala State Council.
• To accelerate women entrepreneurship and secure gender parity while providing them a safe place to start new businesses, set up or expand, and get their products marketed globally.
• graameen.in, a venture of Eram Group was the Supporting Partner for the event.
• About Kerala
  • Capital – Thiruvananthapuram
  • CM – Pinarayi Vijayan
  • Governor – Arif Mohd Khan

Indian Cricket Coach Gurcharan Singh Co-authored his Memoir “Pitching It Straight” with MS Unnikrishnan

• Indian Cricket Coach Gurcharan Singh penned his memoir titled “Pitching It Straight” which is co-authored by sports journalist MS Unnikrishnan and published by Vitasta.
• The book portrays the personal and professional life of Gurcharan Singh, who trained numerous young talents
• He was honored with Dronacharya Award in 1987.

CISF launched ‘Pensioners Corner’ Mobile App for its Pensioners

• The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has created & launched an in-house mobile Application (app), ‘Pensioners Corner’ to get in touch with the pensioners and to bring them to the digital platform as a one stop solution.
• It will also cater to the needs of its pensioners. It is a part of its ‘e-karyalay’ , an electronic office app launched in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Through Pensioners Corner app, the pensioners will be connected to the CISF units across the country.
• The app will have an SMS (Short Message Service) invitation system, which will notify the pensioners on important events happening at their nearest CISF unit.
• It will have an inbuilt grievance redressal mechanism. All the important circulars like job opportunities and benefits relating to pensioners can also be accessed by the app.

India granted 4^th Tranche of US$5mn to Myanmar for India-Myanmar Border Area Development

• India granted the 4th tranche of $5 million to Myanmar for the development of the India-Myanmar Border Area. In this regard, the Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Saurabh Kumar handed over the ceremonial cheque to Lt-Gen Ye Aung, Minister for Border Affairs, Myanmar.
• This funding is on the lines of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by ex-Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2012 according to which India would grant a total of $25 million to Myanmar, divided into five tranches of $5 million each annually, starting 2017, for projects on India-Myanmar border.
• The Myanmar-India Border Area Development Programs include providing infrastructure and socio-economic development in Chin State and Naga Self-Administered Region.
• About Myanmar
  • Capital – Naypyitaw
  • Currency – Burmese kyat
  • President – Win Myint

ARIES discovered the Accelerated Formation of the Stars of Dwarf Galaxies

• ARIES astronomers Dr. Amitesh Omar and Dr. Sumit Jaiswal from the Department of Science and Technology of Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital discovered the aberration in the formations of the stars in dwarf galaxies while studying several such galaxies.
• This will provide an understanding about the formation of stars and evolution of less massive galaxies in the Universe.
• Amitesh Omar and Dr Sumit Jaiswal used two telescopes to study the galaxies.
• Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT)(based near Nainital).
• Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT).
• About ARIES
  • It is an autonomous Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
  • Director – Dr. Dipankar Banerjee
  • Location – Nainital, Uttarakhand.

 India co-sponsors UNSC Resolution for Greater Participation of Women in Peacekeeping Forces

• India co-sponsored United National Security Council Resolution for Greater Participation of women in peacekeeping forces. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution called on full, effective and meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping operations.
• The resolution was tabled by Indonesia has been seconded by India, which is the fifth largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. The resolution has been passed by a consensus.
• According to 2019 data, only six percent of UN peacekeepers are women. In total, there are 86, 687 peacekeepers in the UN of which 5, 243 are female.
• India made history in 2007 by deploying the first all-women Police Unit in the UN mission in Liberia.
• In May 2020, Indian Women Peacekeeper Major Suman Gawani won the UN Military Gender Advocate award. She served as a peacekeeper with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

 Noor Inayat Khan, Britain’s World War II Spy Became the 1st  Indian-origin woman to honored with a Memorial Blue Plaque

• Noor Inayat Khan (Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan or Nora Baker), Britain’s World War II spy, who served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) became the 1st Indian-origin woman to be honored with a memorial Blue Plaque at her former family home in London, UK.
• She is 1st Muslim War heroine of Britain and 1st female wireless operator sent from the UK into Nazi-occupied France to aid the French Resistance during World War II. She was born in Moscow, Russia.
• Blue Plaque
  • London’s Blue Plaque scheme was founded in 1866 and has inspired many similar schemes in the UK and around the world.
  • It is run by the English Heritage charity and honors notable people and organizations of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked.
• About Noor Inayat Khan
  • She was awarded (posthumously) the George Cross for her service in the SOE, the highest civilian decoration in the UK.
  • Shrabani Basu wrote a book on Noor Inayat Khan titled, ‘Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan and the founder-chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust (NIKMT)’, which has installed a sculpture of Noor in nearby Gordon Square in 2012.
• Indian Figures to be honoured with Blue Plaques in London Includes, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and BR Ambedkar. 

Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance + Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank => Entered into a Strategic Partnership through VC to Offer Life Insurance

• Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) Life Insurance Company Limited(Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance)and Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank (APGB) have entered into a strategic tie up virtually. The distribution tie up is to sell life insurance, health and pension products at all the branches of APGB. It is the 1st virtual launch of Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance tie up with APGB.
• About Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance Company Limited
  • MD & CEO – Anuj Mathur
  • Head Office – Gurugram, Haryana
• About Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank
  • Head Office – Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh
  • Chairman – Sri A Venkata Reddy

India => 72^nd on Global List with Average Monthly Wage of Rs. 32,800 => Switzerland Tops => Picodi.com

• In accordance with the global ranking of average wages prepared by Picodi.com, India ranked 72^nd among 106 countries with an average monthly wage of Rs. 32,800 (USD 437).
• com is an international e-commerce platform, headquartered in Poland, provides discount coupons.
• The ranking has been topped by Switzerland, where the average wage converted into rupees amounts to Rs. 4,49,000 (USD 5,989).
• On the other hand the average monthly wage of Cuba is the lowest at Rs. 2,700 (USD 36). 

SBI => Will get Human Capital Management Excellence Award 2020 for its HR initiative, ”Nayi Disha”

• SBI will receive Brandon Human Capital Management(HCM) Excellence Award (also known as the Academy Awards of Learning & Development) 2020, a global recognition for its HR initiative, ”Nayi Disha”.
• The award winners will be honored at Brandon Hall Group’s annual HCM Excellence Conference, January 26-28, 2021 at the Hilton West Palm Beach, Florida.
• SBI has won the award in The HCM Spring Program under ‘Excellence in Learning and Development’ in 3 categories namely, Best Learning Program supporting a Change Transformation Business Strategy, Best Use of Blended Learning and Best Unique or Innovative Learning and Development Program for its HR initiative.

Brandon Hall Excellence Awards

• The awards recognize the best organizations that have successfully developed and deployed programs, strategies, modalities, processes, systems, and tools that have achieved measurable results.
• The award features 2 annual program namely, The HCM Spring Program and The Technology Fall Program

About Nayi Disha

• Nayi Disha was launched in 2019, i.e., has been over 1.5 years and has made over 2.40 lakh employees to remain highly motivated and ready to take on future challenges.
• The program focuses on work–life balance of the employees.
• It ensures the involvement of the employees’ immediate family members. It allows the family members to inform the Bank if an employee is unable to leave home, for work, on time.

About SBI

• Headquarter – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman – Rajnish Kumar
• Tagline – The Banker to every nation; The Nation banks on us; Pure Banking Nothing Else; A bank of the common Man; With you all the way.