Current Affairs in Short: 8 January 2021

Superfast special train between Mumbai-Delhi to speed up from January 9, 2021

• The Indian railways announced on January 7, 2021, that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus- Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Superfast train will be speeding up. It will also have an additional halt at Gwalior from January 9, 2021, onwards.

• The passengers who will be traveling by Rajdhani Superfast train will be able to reach their destination faster than before. The halt at Gwalior and revised timings will enhance passenger convenience.

• The Train will leave from Mumbai on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at four in the evening. It will reach Delhi at 9.55 am the next day.

• As per the ministry, only passengers with confirmed tickets will be permitted to board these special trains run by the government.

Organic substitute for gypsum chalks created by kids of government school

• Two students from Hyderabad’s government school have given an organic substitute for gypsum chalks.

• K Rudra and Harshit Verma informed that they came up with the idea after seeing the harmful effects of chalks made from gypsum powder. The dust from these chalks can also cause serious health problems.

• The organic chalks are made from natural ingredients such as natural clay, rice flour, and essential oils. In the making of these chalks, lemon oil, neem oil, camphor, and various other natural substances have also been used.

• Gypsum chalks are used by educational institutions across the country to write on blackboards. They lead to irritation in the eyes and lungs of teachers and students.

Government to begin 3- day nationwide polio immunisation from January 17, 2021

• A 3- day national polio immunisation drive is all set to start from January 17, 2021, for maintaining the overall immunity level particularly pertaining to Polio.

• While talking about the vaccination for COVID-19, the Health Minister informed me that it should start in the next few days. He also requested the NGOs who have been working in the field of health to contribute to the smooth rollout of the process.

• The Health Minister also informed that the government has ensured that every detail regarding the COVID-19 vaccination reaches people from the national to grassroot level.

Arrest warrant issued against Masood Azhar by Pakistan court for terror financing

• Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court on January 7, 2021, issued an arrest warrant against Chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Masood Azhar. The warrant has been issued on the charges of terror financing.

• This move by the Pakistani court comes ahead of the meetings of Financial Action Task Force- FATF in January and February 2021. These meetings will consider the ‘greylist’ status of Pakistan.

• JeM led by Azhar is known for carrying out many terrorist attacks in India. In the year 2019, he was also added by the UN to UN 1267 ISIL and al-Qaeda Sanctions List.

• The Government of India had also listed Azhar under the new anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 1967.

Central Government merges Jammu & Kashmir cadre officers with AGMUT

• The central government, through an ordinance, has merged the Jammu & Kashmir cadre for all India Services, that is, IPS, IAS, and IFS officers with that of AGMUT- Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territory.

• This move by the government will allow the officers posted in these UTs and states to work in Jammu & Kashmir and vice versa.

• In a notification, the government stated that the President of India has announced an ordinance for the amendment of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, and makes existing all India Services Cadre a part of AGMUT Cadre.

• The step by the government will help in tackling the shortage of officers of All India Services in Jammu & Kashmir.