CURRENT AFFAIRS 

1.The sun has reached into a state of ‘solar minimum’.

• It has been more than 100 days since the sun has shown zero sunspots.The sun is to enter into the deepest period of ‘sunshine recession’.

• The cycle of the sun lasts for 11 years. This is called Solar Cycle.
• Solar minimum does not mean that sun becomes dull or its activity reduces.
• It simply means that the sun is changing forms.
• The sun spots fade away every 11 years.

2.Indian Railways operationalized the first 12,000 HP electric locomotive.

• The locomotive was built by the French Alstom Company under the Make in India initiative.

• The locomotive was manufactured as a joint venture between the Indian and French shareholding of 74% and 26%.
• India has become the sixth country in the world to produce high horsepower locomotives.
• The locomotive was manufactured at the Madhepura Electric Locomotive in Bihar.
• It is capable of hauling 6000 tonnes at a top speed of 120 km/hr.

3.India provided 2 million USD relief aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to help in welfare of Palestine refugees.

• The aid is to be used in core programmes including education and health for the refugees.

• In 2019, India increased its annual contribution to UNRWA from 1.25 million USD in 2016 to 5 million USD in 2019.
• In 2020, India made an additional contribution of 5 million USD.
• India is also preparing medical supplies for the Palestinians in order to help them fight against COVID-19.

4.The COVID-19 Vaccine by a US based firm Moderna has become the first to show positive results.

• The vaccine is considered a huge success because it is the first vaccine which has generated antibodies against the virus.

• The LNP-encapsulated mRNA-1273 vaccine functions on the concept of mRNA (messenger RNA).
• The vaccine injects messenger RNA in order to generate immunity against the virus.

5.The Indian Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria announced that it will shelve three main projects worth Rs 8,000 crores.

• This is because the Central Government is pushing for Make in India.Currently, the Government of India is to focus on indigenization.
• Prime Minister Modi recently announced Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan under which the GoI has brought upon several reforms.
• This includes indigenization of defence produce as well.
• In order to achieve this, the government is to ban imports of certain products as well.

CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ 

1.Central government has announced to raise the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in defence manufacturing under automatic route from 49% to _______%.

ANS:74

2.Name the programme which was launched for online education (1 to 12) announced under “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan”.

ANS:PM e-Vidhya

3.In which state the first of its kind of initiative, Charan Paduka campaign started to provide shoes or slippers for the migrant labourers passing through the state?

ANS: Madhya Pradesh

4.Name the state which has launched the first cyber security accelerator for start-ups in India.

ANS: Karnataka

5.The Gujarat government has made digital payment mandatory in which city?

ANS:Ahmedabad

STATIC AFFAIRS 

1.The Indian Institute of Petroleum, established in 1960 is located in ______

ANS: Uttarakhand

2.The Gobi Desert is a large desert or brushland region in ____

ANS: Asia

3.Which of the following cities is known as ‘Sun City of India.’

ANS:Jodhpur

4.Which  river is known as the “Lifeline of Madhya Pradesh”?

ANS: Narmada

5.Darlipali Super Thermal Power Station is located in _____

ANS:Odisha

Source: The Hindu, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, Press Information Bureau website