Current Affairs in Short: 29 January 2021

Rajasthan becomes 5th State to complete Urban Local Bodies reforms

•Rajasthan has become the fifth state in the nation to complete Urban Local Bodies (ULB) reforms, which were stipulated by Expenditure Department under the Finance Ministry. 
•The state has also become eligible for additional reform linked to borrowing. Accordingly, the State has been granted permission by the Department of Expenditure to mobilise additional financial resources of Rs2,731 crore through Open Market Borrowings.
•With this, the state has joined four other states including Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which have completed Urban Local Bodies reforms. 
•These five states have now been granted total additional borrowing permission of Rs.10,212 crore. 

Maharashtra allows public to travel in local trains from February 1

•Maharashtra government has allowed the general public to travel in local trains in Mumbai from February 1 in fixed time slots during non-peak hours.
•This decision has been taken keeping in view crowd management in the wake of the COVID-19 situation.
•The decision was taken after a review meeting by Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray's review meeting on the issue of resumption of suburban train services, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai.
•The general public will be allowed to travel during non-peak hours from the start of services for the day to 7 am, between 12 noon and 4 pm and then again from 9 pm to the closure of the services for the day.
•Currently, only some categories of commuters such as women and those providing essential services are allowed to travel by local trains in Mumbai. 
•The suburban train services were suspended for the public in March-end last year due to the pandemic and gradually resumed from June 2020.

India, World Bank sign USD 500 million programme to improve school education in India

•The Indian Government and the World Bank on January 29, 2021 signed a USD 500-million Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Programme (STARS) to improve the quality of school education in India. 
•The programme will be implemented in six Indian states including Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan. 
•The programme is expected to benefit around 250 million students (between the age of six and 17) in 1.5 million schools and over 10 million teachers.
•The STARS programme will build on the long partnership between India and the World Bank for strengthening public school education in India. 

India lights up Qutub Minar as sign of Unity to combat Neglected Tropical Diseases

•India has joined the world to light up the Qutub Minar as a sign of unity to combat the Neglected Tropical Diseases. 
•The second annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day will be observed on January 30, 2021. The day highlights the global community’s commitment to end the NTD. 
•The Neglected Tropical Diseases cause immeasurable suffering among the world’s most marginalized communities.
•Over 50 landmarks representing 25 nations across the world will be lit up on January 30, 2021 to celebrate how far we have come together in beating the Neglected Tropical Diseases.
•Currently, one in five people around the world is affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Low-intensity blast near Israel Embassy in Delhi, no injuries reported

•A low-intensity explosion took place near Israel Embassy in Delhi on January 29, 2021. No injuries have been reported so far.
•The windscreens of several cars, which were parked in the vicinity of the embassy, got damaged because of the impact of the blast. 
•The explosion took place not far from Vijay Chowk, where the 'Beating Retreat' ceremony was happening. The ceremony was attended by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.