National:
Light House Projects:
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs) under Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)- at six sites across six States on January 1, 2021.
These six sites across six States are:
Indore, Madhya Pradesh; Rajkot, Gujarat; Chennai, Tamil Nadu; Ranchi, Jharkhand; Agartala, Tripura; and Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
The LHPs comprise about 1000 houses at each location along with allied infrastructure facilities.
Appointment:
- Surgeon Vice Admiral Rajat Datta assumed the charge of Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services on 01 January 2021.
Chief Justices of the High Courts:
- The President of India appointed the following Judges as Chief Justices of the High Courts on December 31, 2020:
- Justice Dr. S. Muralidhar has been appointed as Chief Justice of Orissa High Court.
- Justice Ms. Hima Kohli has been appointed as Chief Justice of Telangana High Court.
- Justice Shri Sanjib Banerjee has been appointed as Chief Justice of Madras High Court.
- Justice Shri Pankaj Mithal has been appointed as Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh High Court.
Laser Dazzlers:
- Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed a contract with Indian Navy for initially supply 20 Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation Dazlers (Laser Dazzlers) in New Delhi on December 31, 2020. These will be manufactured by BEL, Pune plant.
Laser Dazeler is used as a non-lethal system to warn and prevent suspicious vehicles / boats / airplanes / UAVs / pirates etc. entering safe areas during both day and night.
Sports:
- The tennis players, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have been re-elected to the ATP Players Council, whose term is until June 2022.
Death:
- Bollywood cinematographer Ishwar Bidri died in Belagavi on December 27, 2020. He was 87. He was best known for his work in 1990s movies like ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ and ‘Border’.
- Eminent dance scholar and critic Sunil Kothari died due to cardiac arrest at a Hospital in Delhi on December 27, 2020. He was 87.
He was conferred with Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001. He received many awards for his contribution to Indian dance forms, which includes Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, & the Life Time Achievement Award of the Dance Critics Association, New York, USA in 2011.
He authored more than 20 books on the subject of Indian dance forms including “Bharata Natyam: Indian Classical Dance Art”, “Kathak: Indian Classical Dance Art”, “Sattriya Dances of Assam”, “New Directions in Indian Dance” etc.