National:
New Chairman of the Somnath Temple Trust:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on 18 January 2021 appointed as the new chairman of the Somnath Temple Trust.
The world famous Somnath Temple is located at Prabhas Patan town in Gujarat’s Gir-Somnath district.
After former PM Morarji Desai, Narendra Modi is the second Prime Minister to hold the post. PM Modi has become the eighth chairman of the trust.
Award by the Hindi Writers Guild, Canada:
- Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ”Nishank” was conferred with the “Sahitya Gaurav Samman” in the presence of the Uttarakhand’s Governor Baby Rani Maurya through a virtual programme at Raj Bhawan. He was honoured by the Hindi Writers Guild, Canada for his literary work on 16 January 2021.
Vice-chairman and MD of the APSRTC:
- Senior IPS officer of 1986 batch R P Thakur assumed office as vice-chairman and managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) in Vijayawada on 18 January 2021.
Motor Bike Ambulance ‘Rakshita’:
- Rakshita is a bike-based casualty transport emergency vehicle. It has been handed over by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi based DRDO laboratory to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in a ceremony held at CRPF HQ in New Delhi on 18 January 2021.
The bike ambulance will help in overcoming the problems faced by Indian security forces and emergency healthcare providers.
International:
Rail Connectivity between India & Nepal:
- Jayanagar-Kurtha 34.90 km long rail section is a part of Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas rail (68.72 km) project which is fully funded by Government of India. Under the first phase of this project, the rail line from Jayanagar in Madhubani district of Bihar has been connected to Kurtha in Nepal. By March 2021, it will be extended to Bijalpura.
The Government of India has spent about Rs 550 crore on the construction of the rail section up to Bijalpura, 17 km ahead of Kurtha.
After getting the land for the project from the Government of Nepal, a new line will be constructed from Bijalpura to Bardibas.
Sports:
Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2020-21:
- The twelfth edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2020-21 began on 10 January 2021. It was organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The final match of the tournament was held on 31 January 2021 at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. The final match was held between Tamil Nadu and Baroda.
Tamil Nadu won the final match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy by 7 wickets. This was Tamil Nadu’s second title.
New President of the Asian Cricket Council:
- BCCI secretary Jay Shah has been appointed as the President of the Asian Cricket Council on 30 January 2021.