Daily Current Affairs for Bihar State Exams: 04.01.2021

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs) under the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) at six sites across six States. The programme seeks to build over 1,000 houses each in six cities in 12 months.
The LHPs are being constructed at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
He also released a certification course on innovative construction technologies named NAVARITIH (New, Affordable, Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing).

The Uttarakhand forest department dedicated the newly built Pollinator Park to the public, claiming it to be the country’s first such park, spread over 4 acres in Haldwani in Nainital district.
The park has more than 40 pollinator species with displays on the mechanism of pollination of plant species by various species of butterflies, honeybees, birds, insects, moths, beetles, wasps, and small mammals.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai develops eye cancer therapy in the form of the first indigenous Ruthenium 106 Plaque for treatment of Ocular Tumours.
The handling of plaque is very convenient for the Surgeon and it has been acknowledged to be at par with the international standards.
Note: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is developing Bullet Proof Jackets for security personnel and in the Agricultural sector, radiation techniques to extend shelf life of vegetable and food products are being applied.

India begins its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on January 1, 2021

In 2021, India, Norway, Kenya, Ireland and Mexico join non-permanent members Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam and the five permanent members China, France, Russia, UK and the US in the Council.
It will be India’s 8^th
India will be UNSC President in August 2021 and will preside over the Council again for a month in 2022.

Covishield and Covaxin are the first two Covid-19 vaccines to be approved in India

Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) has given approval for restricted use in emergency situations of vaccines- Covishield from Serum Institute of India (SII) based on the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech.
The decision of the DGCI came after the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) recommended their emergency use.

ISRO chairman K Sivan gets one-year extension as Department of Space secretary

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of tenure of K Sivan, secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission, for a period of one-year beyond January 14, 2021, that is up to January 14, 2022.

Madhya Pradesh recently hosted Tansen Music Festival in the city of Gwalior. In the inaugural ceremony renowned santoor player Pt. Satish Vyas was conferred upon the prestigious Tansen Samman.
Bhopal-based institution Abhinav Kala Parishad was honoured with Raja Mansingh Tomar award.
Tansen Samaroh is organized jointly by Ustad Alauddin Khan Kala Evam Sangeet Academy and Department of Culture, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.

World Braille Day is celebrated every year on January 4 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Louis Braille who was the inventor of Braille for persons with visual disabilities.
Braille is a code which represents letters that can be recognised by visually impaired individuals by their sense of touch.
Note: The first World Braille Day was celebrated on January 4 in 2019 after it got approval from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) via a proclamation in November 2018.

Singh, a senior Congress leader, served as Lok Sabha MP for eight terms from the Jalore constituency in Rajasthan. He also served as the governor of Bihar.