DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 08 JANUARY 2021
1. CCI approves acquisition of 100% shareholding of the Columbia Asia Hospitals Private Limited by Manipal Health Enterprises Private Limited
- Its focus is to develop an affordable, high-quality healthcare framework through its multi-speciality and tertiary care delivery spectrum and further extend it to homecare.
- HELP is not engaged in any business activity outside India, except in Malaysia.
- Columbia Asia Hospitals Private Limited (Target/CAHPL) is a private healthcare company providing high quality, affordable, accessible health care and began its operations in India in 2005.
- CAHPL operates a chain of eleven multi-speciality hospitals and one teleradiology business. CAHPL is not engaged in any business activities outside India.
- But it is a part of International Columbia US LLC, an international healthcare group, which operates a chain of modern hospitals.
2. IREDA to Support NHPC in Green Energy projects for 5 years
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA), under the administrative control of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NHPC Ltd., the PSU under Ministry of Power, for providing its technical expertise in developing renewable energy projects.
- IREDA will provide assistance to NHPC in developing an action plan to create and acquire Renewable Energy projects for the next 5 years.
- The MoU highlights IREDA’s continuous efforts for the development of the Renewable Energy sector in line with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
- The MoU was signed through virtual mode by Shri Pradip Kumar Das, CMD, IREDA and Shri Abhay Kumar Singh, CMD, NHPC Ltd. Shri Chintan Shah, Director (Technical), IREDA, Shri Y. K. Choubey, Director (Technical), Sh. R P Goyal, Director(Finance) and Shri Biswajit Basu, Director (Projects), Shri V K Maini, Executive Director (Business Development), NHPC.
3. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan interacts with Ministers of Mongolia Reviews Bilateral cooperation in hydrocarbons and steel sectors
- Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, through video conference, today interacted with H.E Mr L. Oyun-Erdene, MP, Minister and Chief Cabinet Secretary of Mongolia and Co-Chair of the India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation and H.E Mr G.Yondon, Minister of Mines and Heavy Industry.
- He conveyed his gratitude to Mongolian companies in supplying coking coal to the Indian steel industry and agreed to advance cooperation for mutual benefit.
- The Minister, on behalf of Government of India, reiterated India’s commitment to timely completion of the Mongol Refinery Project, the country’s 1st oil refinery.
- He expressed willingness to further share India’s expertise in the oil and gas sector including capacity building in accordance with the developmental priorities of Mongolia.
TNPSC GROUP 2/2A PRELIMINARY TEST BATCH FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM
TNPSC GROUP 2/2A PRELIMINARY TEST BATCH FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM THIS BATCH IS EXCLUSIVELY FOR BEGINNERS AND WORKING PROFESSIONALS 😍😍 IMPORTANT POINTS TOTALLY 52…
4. Mr Emmanuel Bonne is on a visit to India for the India-France Strategic Dialogue, held on January 7, 2021.
- Mr Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the French President H.E. Emmanuel Macron called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
- The Prime Minister was happy on the progress both countries have made on key aspects of the India-France Strategic Partnership, including counter-terrorism, cyber-security, defence and strategic cooperation, etc.
- Mr Bonne also briefed the Prime Minister on India-France cooperation on various regional and global issues, including maritime and multilateral cooperation.
5. Japan’s Official Development Assistance for the COVID-19 crisis response support loan for social protection
- The Government of Japan has committed Official Development Assistance loan of an amount of JPY 30 billion (approx. Rs. 2,113 crore) for a programme loan to support India’s efforts at providing social assistance to the poor and vulnerable households, severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Loan Agreement for this programme loan was signed between Dr Mohapatra and Mr Katsuo Matsumoto, Chief Representative, JICA, New Delhi.
- This programme loan aimed at supporting India’s efforts to provide coordinated and adequate social protection to the poor and vulnerable across the country against the severe impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.
- India and Japan have had a long and fruitful history of bilateral development cooperation since 1958.
- In the last few years, the economic cooperation between India and Japan has strengthened and grown into a strategic partnership. This further consolidates and strengthens the Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan.
6. NTPC’s oldest unit at Singrauli records highest PLF so far in current fiscal
- NTPC Ltd’s very first unit, which was commissioned 38 years ago at Singrauli in Uttar Pradesh, has achieved the highest Plant Load Factor (PLF) of 100.24% among all thermal units in the country between April 2020 to December 2020, data published by Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
- The 200 MW unit was commissioned in 1982 and the robust PLF signifies the exceptional operational and maintenance efficiency at India’s largest power generation company.
- Six flagship power plants of NTPC i.e. NTPC Korba (2600 MW) & NTPC Sipat (2980 MW) in Chhattisgarh, NTPC Rihand (3000 MW) in Uttar Pradesh, NTPC Vindhyachal (4760 MW) in Madhya Pradesh, NTPC Talcher Thermal (460 MW) and NTPC Talcher Kaniha (3000 MW) in Odisha have also featured among the top 10 performing thermal plants in the country.
7. Shri Prakash Javadekar launches Digital Calendar and Diary of Government of India
- The Digital Calendar of Government of India is in line with Prime Minister’s vision of “Digital India” and can be accessed at the click of a button on any smartphone. The App is available for download on both Google Play Store and iOS App Store.
- The app has been designed and developed by Bureau of Outreach and Communication, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC). The application is currently available in Hindi and English language and will be soon made available in 11 other Indian regional languages.
- He further added “each month will carry a theme and an accompanying message and will feature one famous Indian personality.
- The app will also inform people about the timeline of the launch of various government programmes.