1. India begins 2-year term as a non-permanent UNSC member
- India began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on January 1, 2021. This is the eight-time that the nation will have a seat in the powerful organ of the United Nations.
•Four other nations – Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway have also begun their 2-year terms at the UNSC, joining other non-permanent members Niger, Estonia, Vietnam, Tunisia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the five permanent members Russia, France, China and the US and UK.
•India will be the UNSC President in August 2021 and again for a month in 2022. The presidency of the council is rotated among each of the members for one month according to alphabetical order.
•India has been at the forefront of calls to initiate reforms in the UN Security Council to further expand to make it more representative of the world’s interests.
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Odisha sanctions 12 new projects for agricultural sector
- The Odisha state government on December 31, 2020 sanctioned 12 new projects worth Rs 7,295.25 lakh in an effort toward achieving sustainable agriculture and doubling of farmers’ income.
•The projects have been launched under the Remunerative Approach for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation. •They were sanctioned during a state-level sanctioning committee meeting, which was held virtually under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy.
•The 12 projects will be financed by the centre and state governments on a 60:40 sharing basis. The major ones include managing all armyworm and insects on crops, promotion of soil less nursery in tribal regions, e-paste surveillance and management and e-paste surveillance and management, planting material support for flower cultivation, the supply of mixed fruit plants for backyard plantation and supply of mix fruit plants for backyard plantation.
3. Chhattisgarh’s tableau selected for Republic Day parade 2021
- Chhattisgarh’s tableau has been chosen for the Republic Day parade for the second time in a row, leaving behind tableaus from major states including Odisham Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Rajasthan and Bihar.
•The state tableau was selected for the parade on January 26, 2020 after going through five rounds of a tough selection process.
•The tableau will display folk instruments used in tribal areas of Chhattisgarh with its cultural surroundings. The tableau was selected by a special committee of the Defence Ministry after going through a 3D model design.
4. Indian Embassy suspends all consular services in UK till Jan 8
- Indian Embassy has suspended all consular services in the United Kingdom till January 8, 2021 amid COVID-19 restrictions. The consular services include passport, passport surrender, OCI, visa and attestation.
•The decision was taken due to restrictions in the United Kingdom due to the discovery of the new strain of coronavirus in the country, which has caused a stir in the world.
•The new strain of the virus is reported to be more transmissible than other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
5. China’s Zhong Shanshan overtakes Mukesh Ambani to become Asia’s richest person
- Chinese tycoon Zhong Shanshan has overtaken Mukesh Ambani to become Asia’s richest person. Zhong’s net worth had increased by USD 70.9 billion this year to USD77.8 billion. This makes him the 11th-richest person on the earth.
•Shanshan had taken over vaccine maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise public in April. A few months later, he took over Nongfu Spring, a maker of bottled water, which became one of Hong Kong’s hottest listings.
•The 66-year-old isn’t involved in politics and he’s known locally as the “Lone Wolf”, as his business interests aren’t entwined with other rich families in the nation.
