Nitin Gadkari to launch “Khadi Prakritik Paint” developed by KVIC

1. Nitin Gadkari to launch “Khadi Prakritik Paint” developed by KVIC

• Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will be launching an innovative new paint developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
• The eco-friendly, non-toxic paint, called “Khadi Prakritik Paint” is a first-of-its-kind product, with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties.
• Based on cow dung as its main ingredient, the paint is cost-effective and odourless and has been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
• Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms – distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint.
• Production of Khadi Prakritik Paint is aligned with Prime Minister’s vision of increasing farmers’ income.

2. ICRA Projects India’s real GDP to expand by 10.1% in FY22

• Domestic rating agency ICRA Ratings expects the real gross domestic product (GDP) of India to grow by 10.1% in the financial year 2021-22 (FY2022).
• The rating agency ICRA had earlier projected a contraction of 7.8% for the ongoing fiscal 2020-21.
• The seemingly-sharp expansion will be led by the continued normalisation in economic activities as the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines gathers traction and the low base.

3. RS Sharma to head empowered panel for Covid-19 vaccine

• The Union government has appointed RS Sharma, former Trai chief, as the chairperson of an empowered committee for the administration of Covid-19 vaccine. A ten-member team has been constituted to be headed by Sharma.
• This has come days ahead of the mega vaccination drive is to start in India. He has also been included as a member of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration of Covid-19 that was formed in August 2020.
• RS Sharma was the first person to officially initiate a discussion on vaccination delivery in the government in the summer of 2020 when Covid-19 cases peaked.
• The top health ministry and UIDAI officials are part of the empowered committee.
• The panel can invite eminent persons as and when required to ensure delivery of the vaccine through the Co-Win technology platform.

4. Coastal defence exercise “Sea Vigil 21” kicks off

• A major exercise to test military readiness at sea along the coastline of the country starts. This is the second edition of the biennial pan-India coastal defence exercise “Sea Vigil-21” will be conducted on January 12 and 13.
• The two-day exercise involving all stakeholders, states and Central government agencies will set the tempo of operations, including “transition from peace to conflict”.
• The exercise, inaugural edition of which was conducted in January 2019, will be undertaken along the entire 7,516-km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India.
• It will involve all 13 coastal states and Union Territories along with other maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.
• Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-21’ is expected to provide a realistic assessment of our strengths and weaknesses and thus will help in further strengthening maritime and national security. The exercise is being coordinated by the Indian Navy.
• The entire coastal security set up was re-organised after the 26/11 terror attack at Mumbai which was launched using the sea route.
• Assets of the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Customs and other maritime agencies will participate in the exercise.

5. Dhaka Marathon 2021: Jigmet Dolma from Ladakh wins 4th position

• Jigmet Dolma from India secured the fourth position in the Dhaka Marathon 2021. Jigmet Dolma is an SPO of Ladakh police. In the marathon, Hicham Lakohi of Morocco came first in the elite competition of the marathon in men’s category while Angela Jim Asunde from Kenya won the women’s category in the same event.
• In the full marathon, among the SAARC and local runners, Bahadur Singh of India became the champion in the men’s category and Pushpa Bhandari of Nepal became the champion in the women’s category.
• The marathon was organized to commemorate the return of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Pakistan jail to Bangladesh in 1972.

6. Bangladesh declared as ‘Country in Focus’ for 51st IFFI

• Bangladesh has been chosen as the ‘Country in Focus’ for the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
• The festival will be held at Goa from January 16 to January 24, 2021. The Country in Focus is a special segment that recognizes the cinematic excellence and contributions of the country.
• This section at the 51st IFFI will showcase four films from Bangladesh.
• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), is being held annually since 1952, in Goa.
• The event is organised jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the state Government of Goa.

7. Oldest living Olympic champion Agnes Keleti turns 100

• The oldest surviving Olympic champion, Ágnes Keleti, celebrates her 100th birthday. She is one of her country’s most successful Olympians, having won 10 medals for Hungary in gymnastics, at the Olympic Games Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956.
• Her haul included five golds. Keleti won the floor event in Finland before producing an astonishing display in Australia, winning four golds – in the uneven bars, balance beam, floor, and team event. At 35, she became the oldest female gymnast to win an Olympic title.