1) Indian Army Day: 15 January
•The Army Day in India is celebrated on 15 January every year, to salute the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country and its citizens. This year marks the 73rd Indian Army Day. The Army Day is celebrated at all Army Command headquarters to honour our country’s soldiers who set the greatest example of selfless service and brotherhood, and above all, love for the country.
2) DRDO develops India’s first Indigenously-Developed 9mm Machine Pistol
•India’s first indigenous 9mm Machine Pistol has been jointly developed by DRDO and Indian Army. Infantry School, Mhow and DRDO’s Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune have designed and developed this weapon using their respective expertise in the complementary areas. The weapon has been developed in a record time of four months. The weapon is aptly named “Asmi” meaning “Pride”, “Self-Respect” & “Hard Work”.
About the Machine Pistol:
•The Machine Pistol fires the in-service 9mm ammunition and sports an upper receiver made from aircraft-grade Aluminium and lower receiver from carbon fibre.
•The 3D Printing process has been used in designing and prototyping of various parts including trigger components made by metal 3D printing.
•The weapon has huge potential in Armed forces as a personal weapon for heavy weapon detachments, commanders, tank and aircraft crews, drivers/dispatch riders, radio/radar operators, Closed Quarter Battle, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations etc.
•This is also likely to find huge employability with the central and state police organizations as well as VIP protection duties and Policing.
•The Machine Pistol is likely to have a production cost under rupees 50000 each and has potential for exports.
3) Indian Army inks $20 mn contract to buy SWITCH drones
•The Indian Army has recently signed a contract with Mumbai-based drone manufacturing company, ideaForge, to procure high-altitude variant of SWITCH unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The total cost of the deal is approximately USD 20 million. However, the quantity of UAVs to be procured is not disclosed. These UAVs will be delivered to the Indian Army over a period of one year.
4) Dushyant Dave resigns as SC Bar Association (SCBA) President
•Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president, Dushyant Dave has resigned from his post with immediate effect, he has forfeited his right to continue. Acting SCBA Secretary Rohit Panday confirmed the development that the senior advocate has resigned with immediate effect.
5) Donald Trump becomes first U.S. President to be impeached twice
•President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time on January 13, charged with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office. He was first impeached in 2019 over his Ukraine dealings.
•The House voted 232-197 to impeach Mr Trump. The proceedings moved at lightning speed, with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Mr. Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, urged on by the President’s calls for them to “fight like hell” against the election results.
6) Fitch Ratings Projects GDP of India at -9.4% in FY21
•The Fitch Ratings expect the gross domestic product (GDP) of India to contract by 9.4 per cent in FY21 (April 2020 to March 2021). Fitch further projects the GDP to expand by 11 per cent in FY22 (April 2021 to March 2022).
7) IFFI 2021 to celebrate the work of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray
•The 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be celebrating the work of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray by screening five of his classics. As part of the tribute, the festival will showcase Ray’s acclaimed “Pather Panchali”, the first film of his The Apu Trilogy, 1964 romantic drama “Charulata”, “Sonar Kella”, his 1977 Hindi directorial debut “Shatranj Ke Khilari” and “Ghare Baire” (1984). 12 films for Festival Kaleidoscope & 50 films for World Panorama section were unveiled too.
8) Kerala becomes 8th State to complete ease of doing business reforms
•Kerala has become the 8th State in the country to successfully undertake “Ease of Doing Business” reform stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. Kerala has become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of Rs.2,373 crore through Open Market Borrowings. Permission for the same was issued by the Department of Expenditure on 12th January 2021.
•Kerala has now joined the seven other States namely, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, who have completed this reform. On completion of reforms facilitating ease of doing business, these eight States have been granted additional borrowing permission of Rs.23,149 crore.
9) Intel appoints Pat Gelsinger as new CEO
•Intel has appointed Pat Gelsinger as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective Feb. 15, 2021. Gelsinger will also join the Intel board of directors upon assuming the role. He will succeed Bob Swan, who will remain CEO until Feb. 15.
10) FSS and IPPB join hands to promote financial inclusion
•Financial Software and Systems (FSS), a leading payment processor and provider of integrated payment products, has partnered with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to promote financial inclusion among underserved and unbanked segments.
As part of the collaboration:
•IPPB will use FSS’ Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) to deliver interoperable and affordable doorstep banking services to customers across India.
•Customers of any bank can access their Aadhaar-linked bank account by simply using their fingerprint for cash withdrawal, balance enquiry and transfer of funds into an operating IPPB account, right at their doorstep.
•This strategic partnership offers significant opportunities to bring millions of unbanked customers into the financial mainstream. Currently, there are nearly 410 million Jan Dhan accounts in India.
