1.Government Schemes
Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) scheme to be launched
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during the Union Budget 2021 that the government has proposed a MITRA scheme.
The MITRA scheme will enable the textile industry to become globally competitive & attract large investments and generate employment.
MITRA scheme will be launched in addition to the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI)
2.National Affairs
‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ Mission launched in Punjab
The Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh has launched the ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ Mission virtually.
The mission is part of the government’s campaign to achieve a 100 percent potable water supply in all rural households by March 2022.
The scheme is being funded by the World Bank, Jal Jeewan Mission of GoI, NABARD, and State Budget.
3.Science and Technology
SpaceX announces First All-Civilian Mission to Space
CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk recently announced to launch its first all civilian mission to space.
The mission named ‘Inspiration4’ will be launched on Falcon 9.
The mission will be launched from the Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Quick Fact: SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk.
4.International Affairs
State of emergency announced in Myanmar
A one-year state of emergency has been announced in Myanmar and the military has taken control of the country.
State counselor Aung San Suu Kyi along with President Win Myint and other members of the ruling party were detained by the military.
The state emergency was announced because the November Elections 2020 were postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic & the government failed in tackling the situation.
Quick Fact: The capital city of Myanmar is Naypyidaw
5.International Affairs
Indian-American Bhavya Lala appointed Acting Chief of Staff of NASA
Indian American Bhavya Lala was appointed by NASA as the Acting Chief of Staff of the US Space Agency.
Bhavya served as a member of the Biden Presidential Transition Agency review team.
Lal brings extensive experience in engineering and space technology serving as a member of the research staff at STPI from 2009 to 2020.
Quick Fact: NASA was founded on 1 October 1958.
6.Sports
Tamil Nadu beat Baroda to claim Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy
Tamil Nadu beat Baroda in the final to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2020-21.
The tournament was the 12th edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was played at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Tamil Nadu team led by Dinesh Karthik won the trophy for the second time after 13 years since their first victory.
7.Person in News
Pioneering US actress Cicely Tyson passes away
US actress Cicely Tyson breathed her last at the age of 88.
She gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in ‘Sounder’ & won a Tony award in 2013.
She touched TV viewers’ hearts in ‘The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman’ & won two Emmys for playing the 110-year-old farmer slave.
8.Environment
Uttarakhand sets up Botanical garden to conserve trees of Shivalik Range
Uttarakhand has set up the first of its kind botanical garden named ‘Shivalik Arboretum’ in Nainital.
The arboretum inaugurated by noted environmentalist Ajay Singh Rawat will conserve over 210 species of trees found in the Shivalik range of the Himalayas.
It is the biggest Arboretum in Uttarakhand housing trees like Kafal, Buransh, Tejpat, and Sanjeevani.