JANUARY 2021 CA KAMARAJ IAS ACADEMY P a g e | 1 JANUARY 1 – 31, 2021 CURRENT AFFAIRS 5.World’s largest Vaccination Programme 6. AstroSat helps to spot UV Radiation INDEX A. POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND F. Swami Vivekananda’s thought is as relevant INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS to India’s future as it was in its past 1. Science Policy Draft 2. Disclosure of interest under RTI G. PRELIMS TIT BITS 3. Iran steps up Uranium Enrichment 1. Prabuddha Bharata 4. India @ UNSC 5. H1B Visas 2. India’s First Leather Park 6. Gulf leaders deal 7. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 3.National Marine Turtle Action Plan (2021- 8. India to get UN Tag of International 2026) Disaster Response for NDFR 4.Ratle Hydro Electric (He) Project 9. World Food Price Index 10. India’s Vaccine Diplomacy 5. Exercise Kavach 11. Russia’s exit from Open Skies Treaty 6. National Girl Child Week B. ECONOMY 7. Wipro – MP’s Knowledge Partner 1. Project for Affordable Housing 8. Ayushman CAPF Health Scheme 2. RBI’s 4 tier structure for NBFC 3. RCS-UDAN Scheme 9. Ek Paudha Suposhit Beti Ke Naam 4. UNCTAD: India’s FDI 10. India’s First Indigenous 9mm Machine 5. K-Shaped Economic Recovery Pistol: 6. GST Collection hit record high 11.Exercise Sea Vigil 7. Toycathon 2021. 12. India-Japan MOC C. ENVIRONMENT 13.Ex Desert Knight-21 1. Modified Scheme for Ethanol Distillation 14. India And Uzbekistan MOU 2. Green house gas emissions and regional 15.India And UAE MOU impact 3. Community fishing banned in Assam’s 16. National Youth Day Ramsar Site 4. Best Performers among Protected Area 17. ‘Prarambh’ Startup India International Summit 5. India’s e-waste Collection 6. Why forest fires are common in 18. Cherry Blossom Mao Festival Himachal Pradesh 19. World Braille Day D. SOCIAL ISSUES 20. India And ADB 1. Corruption Perception Index 2.Special Marriage Act 21. Mukundapur Meteoroid 3. India Innovation Index 22. Parakaram Diwas E. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 23. Mahavir Chakra 1. ISRO to adopt 100 ATL’s 24. Padma Awards 2. Why lightning kills so many Indians th 3. FSSAI and Transfat 25. Joe Biden As 46 US President 4. Bird Flu AP - 127, AF block, 6 th street, 11th Main Rd, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600040 JANUARY 2021 CA KAMARAJ IAS ACADEMY P a g e | 2 26.India Justice Report 2020 27. Henley Passport Index 28. Satyameva Jayate Programme 29. Bharat Parv 30. Pradhan Mantri Kausal Vikas Yojana 3.0 31. Kala Utsav 2020 32. Smart Classes For Rural Schools 33. Oldest Cave Art 34. Drone Swarm 35. International Domain Name – Nixi 36. India’s Rice Exports To Vietnam 37. Hygiene Hypothesis 38. Axiom Mission 1 39. 1st PPP Research Reactor For Production Of Nuclear Medicines 40. Indian Star Tortoise 41. Spintronics 42. PM 2.5 And Increased Anaemia Risk 43. Ayu Samvad Campaign 44. Treaty On Prohibition Of Nuclear Weapons 45. Quantum Computing Applications Lab 46. INSACOG 47. Pulse Polio 2021 48. Startup Council 49. Vulnerable Hourbara Bird AP - 127, AF block, 6 th street, 11th Main Rd, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600040 JANUARY 2021 CA KAMARAJ IAS ACADEMY P a g e | 3 A. POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND Technology Archive of Research INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (INDSTA). 2. It also proposes to establish education 1. Science policy draft research centres (ERCs) and collaborative What’s in News? research centres (CRCs) to provide research inputs to policymakers and bring The draft of the 5th National Science Technology stakeholders together. and Innovation Policy has been released recently 3. Research and Innovation Excellence by the Department of Science and Technology Frameworks (RIEF) will be developed to (DST) improve the quality of research and to Draft Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, promote engagements with the relevant 2020: stakeholders. 4. It also aims to create an accountable ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ policy: research ecosystem, promoting 1. The government has proposed to buy bulk translational as well as foundational subscriptions of all important scientific research in the country in alignment with journals across the world, and provide global standards. everyone in India free access to them. STI Development Bank: 2. ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ is proposed as part of a new Open Science The policy also envisages the formation of an STI Framework that will ensure free access to Development Bank for direct investments on scientific data for all. various long and medium-term projects in select strategic areas, commercial ventures, start-ups, Science, Technology and Innovation Observatory: technology diffusion and licensing. 1. The draft policy has proposed to set up a Funds: Science, Technology and Innovation Observatory that will serve as the central 1. Each state will earmark a percentage of the repository of all kinds of data generated state allocation for STI-related activities from scientific research in the country. under a separate budget head. 2. From this Observatory, all data and 2. Foreign Multi National Companies information related to publicly-funded (MNCs) will collaborate with domestic research would be made freely accessible private and public sector entities on to everyone under “FAIR (Fair, projects aligned to national needs and Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) priorities. terms 3. It also proposes that hybrid funding 3. The draft policy also proposes “proactive models with enhanced participation from steps” to improve the quality of Indian public and private sectors will be created journals, and “concentrated efforts” to through the Advanced Missions in prevent the publication of fake journals. Innovative Research Ecosystem 4. Further, libraries of all publicly-funded (ADMIRE) initiative institutions are proposed to be made Gender Initiatives: accessible to the general public, “subject only to reasonable security protocols”. 1. For age-related cut-offs in matters relating to selection, promotion, awards or grants, Research: the “academic age” and not the biological 1. A dedicated portal to provide access to the age would be considered. outputs of publicly-funded research will be 2. It proposes that at least 30 per cent created through the Indian Science and representation be ensured for women in all AP - 127, AF block, 6 th street, 11th Main Rd, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600040 JANUARY 2021 CA KAMARAJ IAS ACADEMY P a g e | 4 decision-making bodies, as well as achieve the highest level of global “spousal benefits” be provided to partners recognitions and awards in the coming of scientists belonging to the LGBTQ+ decade. community. 5. The new policy, STIP, revolves around the 3. Among the proposals in the policy is core principles of being decentralized, removal of bars on married couples being evidence-informed, bottom-up, experts- employed in the same department or driven, and inclusive. laboratory. 6. Also, it aims to bring in the concept of 4. As of now, married couples are not posted ‘dynamic policy’ with a robust policy in the same department, leading to cases of governance mechanism incorporating loss of employment or forced transfers features such as implementation strategy, when colleagues decide to get married. periodic review, policy evaluation, 5. Child-care benefits are proposed to be feedback, and adaptation, and most made gender-neutral, and flexible work importantly, a timely exit strategy for timings and adequate parental leave are to various policy instruments. be offered to cater to maternity, childbirth 2. Disclosure of interest under RTI necessary to and child care. establish applicant’s bonafide 6. All publicly-funded research institutions and universities will be asked to provide What’s in News? day-care centre for children of employees, and also have a provision for elderly care The Delhi High Court, in a ruling, has observed that the disclosure of interest regarding the Objectives and Vision of the New Policy: information being sought by an applicant under the Right to Information (RTI) Law would be 1. The STIP will be guided by its broad necessary to establish their bonafides. vision of achieving technological self- reliance and position India among the top News Summary: three scientific superpowers in the decade to come 1. Delhi High Court is of the opinion that 2. It aims to foster, develop, and nurture a whenever information is sought under the robust system for evidence and RTI Act, disclosure of an interest in the stakeholder-driven STI planning, information sought would be necessary to information, evaluation, and policy establish the bonafides of the applicant. research in India. 2. It held that an RTI applicant seeking 3. The objective of the policy is to identify information should disclose his/her interest and address strengths and weaknesses of in it to prevent a "roving and fishing the Indian STI ecosystem to catalyse enquiry". socio-economic development of the 3. Roving and Fishing Enquiry – It is asked country and also make the Indian STI with the intention of harassing the ecosystem globally competitive. authority or someone else (or) it may be 4. To attract, nurture, strengthen and retain asked in the sense where one person in not critical human capital through a ‘people certain of what he is looking for but just centric’ science, technology and enquiring to gain any relevant information innovation (STI) ecosystem, to double the which he may use to expose someone or number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) for utilisation of a undisclosed intention . researchers, Gross Domestic Expenditure 4. The non-disclosure of the interest could on R&D (GERD) and private sector result in injustice to several other affected contribution to the GERD every 5 years persons whose information is sought. and to build individual and institutional 5. The court made the observation while excellence in STI with the aspiration to dealing with a petition seeking information AP - 127, AF block, 6 th street, 11th Main Rd, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600040 JANUARY 2021 CA KAMARAJ IAS ACADEMY P a g e | 5 with regard to appointments made for the substantially financed by the Central Multi-tasking Staff of the Presidential Government or a State Government also Estate, Rashtrapati Bhawan.