Title Daily Current Affairs Capsule 17th January 2021

Daily CurrentTitle
              Affairs Capsule
             Title 2021
      17th January

United States maintains terrorist designation of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba

The United States has reviewed and maintained the terrorist designations of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba
(LeT) and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ), along with ISIL Sinai Peninsula (ISIL-SP) and several other organisations.

      The US Department of State said that it has amended the terrorist designations of LJ and ISIL Sinai
       Peninsula (ISIL-SP) to include additional aliases.
      LeT, which carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, was designated as a terrorist organisation by the
       United States in December 2001.
      Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of the largest Islamist terrorist organizations in Pakistan.
      Leader: Hafiz Saeed

Google Doodle honours Basketball inventor Dr James Naismith

Google Doodle honoured the illustrious legacy of Dr James Naismith, the inventor of the game of Basketball.

      The Canadian-American Dr James Naismith was indulged in many professions at the same time. He was
       a professor, sports coach, a doctor, a physical educator and a Christian Chaplain as well.
      130 years ago, in 1891, Dr Naismith invented the game of Basketball and wrote its original 13 rules in the
       pages of a Springfield College newspaper, ‘The Triangle’.

   The game was introduced on December 21, 1891.
      In 1959, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was introduced in Springfield, Massachusetts,
       in his honor, and he was an inaugural inductee.

At 18 million, India has largest diaspora in the world: UN

The Indian diaspora is the largest in the world, with 18 million people from the country living outside their
homeland in 2020.

      The United Arab Emirates, the US and Saudi Arabia host the largest numbers of migrants from India.
      Other countries with a large diaspora included Mexico and Russia (11 million each), China (10 million)
       and Syria (8 million).
      India’s large diaspora is distributed across a number of major countries of destination, with the UAE (3.5
       million), the US (2.7 million) and Saudi Arabia (2.5 million) hosting the largest numbers of migrants from
       India.
      Other countries hosting large numbers of migrants from India included Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Oman,
       Pakistan, Qatar and the UK.

PM Modi flag off eight trains connecting different regions of country to Statue of Unity in Kevadiya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off eight trains connecting different regions of the country to Kevadiya.

   These trains will facilitate seamless connectivity to the Statue of Unity.
      The Ahmedabad-Kevadiya Jan Shatabdi Express has been provided with the new-age Vista-dome tourist
       coach which will offer a panoramic view of the skyline.
      Situated near Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district, the 'Statue of Unity' is the world's tallest statue and
       monumental tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India's first home minister as well as deputy
       Prime Minister.
      The statue was inaugurated in October 2018 by Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of Patel's 143rd birth
       anniversary.

PM announces Startup India Seed Fund Scheme of Rs 1000 cr for startups

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Rs 1,000-crore ‘Startup India Seed Fund’ on 16 January 2021, while
addressing the ‘Prarambh: Startup India International Summit’ 2021.

      This will help in setting up new startups and promote their growth.
      The summit marked the fifth anniversary of the Startup India initiative launched by Modi on this day in
       2016.

Home Minister lays foundation stone for 97th battalion of RAF

Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the 97th battalion of Rapid Action Force in Bullapur near
Bhadravathi in Shimoga district of Karnataka.

      To be built on 50 acres of land, the campus will have a training centre, administrative block, stadium and
       a Kendriya Vidyalaya.
      The Rapid Action Force is a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force of India to deal with
       riot and crowd control situations.
      Founded: 11 December 1991
      Governing body: Ministry of Home Affairs (India)

Petroleum & Natural Gas Ministry launches SAKSHAM campaign to spread awareness about green
energy

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry launched a month-long mass awareness campaign 'SAKSHAM' to
spread awareness about green and clean energy.

      The pan-India campaign will focus on adoption of cleaner fuels.
      The campaign will spread awareness about seven key drivers that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
       recently mentioned.
      They include moving towards a gas-based economy, cleaner use of fossil fuels, greater reliance on
       domestic sources to drive bio-fuels and increased use of electric vehicles.

ICICI Bank ties up with fintech Niyo to issue prepaid cards to MSMEs

ICICI Bank, a leading Indian private sector bank, and Niyo, a new age fintech company announced a tie-up to
issue prepaid cards to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) workers.

      MSMEs will now be able to get ‘ICICI Bank Niyo Bharat Payroll Card’ powered by Visa, for their blue-
       collar workers.
      With this, MSMEs can upload the salaries of their workers on the card, which the workers can then utilise
       as per their need seamlessly.
      The ‘ICICI Bank Niyo Bharat Payroll Card’ allows an individual to receive funds up to Rs 1 lakh into the
       card account.
      It offers convenience and safety of digital banking to the blue-collar workforce while providing a state-
       of-the-art salary disbursement solution to the employers.

YES Bank launches wellness themed credit card

Yes Bank has announced its partnership with Aditya Birla Wellness Private Limited to launch the ‘YES BANK
Wellness’ and ‘YES BANK Wellness Plus’ Credit Cards – aimed at the holistic health, self-care and wellness of
consumers.

      This is an innovative step to encourage and promote self-care, mental and physical well-being.
      Consumers can now enjoy the bouquet of complementary health benefits by simply registering on the
       Aditya Birla Multiply App.
      Benefits include reward points, diet plans, consultations etc

UN Rights Body elects Fiji in First Ever Presidential Vote

The UN Human Rights Council elected Fiji’s ambassador as its 2021 president in an unprecedented secret ballot
after a diplomatic stand-off blocked the usual consensus decision.

      Fiji’s ambassador in Geneva, Nazhat Shameem Khan, who served as the council’s vice president in 2020
       and is considered a rights champion, won with 29 out of 47 votes.
      She ran against two other candidates from the UN’s Asia-Pacific regional group of countries: Bahrain’s
       ambassador Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri and his counterpart from Uzbekistan, Ulugbek Lapasov, who
       received 14 and four votes respectively.
      Fiji Capital: Suva
      Currency: Fijian dollar