Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 10 January 2021

::NATIONAL::

Covid-19 shadow on 72nd Republic Day: No foreign guest after UK PM called off

India has decided to go ahead with a truncated parade to mark Republic Day without a chief guest, people familiar with the matter said. The decision not to invite a foreign leader for the event was taken after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s last-minute decision to cancel his visit due to the spread of mutant Covid-19 virus in the UK.
This will be the first time in over five decades that the Republic Day celebrations, seen as a high point in India’s diplomatic calendar, would not have a foreign dignitary as the chief guest. The last time the parade did not have a chief guest was In 1966 when Indira Gandhi was sworn in as prime minister on January 24 after the demise of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on January 11. There were two other years when the parade did not have a chief guest: 1952 and 1953.
One official said the decision was taken on account of multiple reasons. After PM Boris Johnson publicly accepted India’s invitation, Downing Street had indicated his inability to attend the annual event to mark the adoption of the Indian Constitution due to the rapid rise in Covid situation.

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::International::

President-Elect Joe Biden Pushes for $2,000 'Stimulus Check' for Americans

US President-elect Joe Biden has called for a USD 2,000 "stimulus checks" to his fellow Americans, arguing that the current USD 6,00 coronavirus relief payment is not enough to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table. Biden has called the current USD 600 round of cash a "down payment," and early last week he said USD 2,000 checks would go out "immediately" if his party took control of both houses of Congress.
With the Democrats now having a majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, and Biden set to be sworn in as the 46thPresident of the US on January 20, the former vice president is likely to push for a new stimulus package later this month.
"USD 600 is simply not enough when you have to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table. We need USD 2,000 stimulus checks," Biden said on Sunday. Outgoing US President Donald Trump has also pitched for a USD 2,000 check. In December, the House of Representatives also passed a bill. However, the move was blocked by the Republicans who then had a majority in the Upper Chambers. Two Indian-American lawmakers, Congressman Ro Khanna, and Pramila Jayapal, have also demanded USD 2,000 stimulus checks for Americans.

::Economy::

CBIC introduces liberalised Authorised Economic Operator package for MSMEs

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) it has introduced liberalised Authorised Economic Operator package for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for swift customs clearances.
In order to attract MSMEs to become Authorised Economic Operators (AEOs) and avail various benefits, the CBIC has relaxed the compliance criteria provided the MSMEs have a valid certificate from their line-ministry.
The relaxed requirements allow MSMEs who have filed minimum 10 customs clearance documents in one year and who have a clean compliance record over 2 years to apply for the scheme, the CBIC said in a statement.
"The documentary requirements have also been appreciably simplified. Another feature is that the CBIC commits to take a decision on an application for grant of AEO status within only 15 days from electronic submission of complete documents for AEO Tier 1. Additional benefits, like further reduction in Bank Guarantee requirements, have been introduced for MSMEs, and will be expanded subsequently," it said.
CBIC's flagship 'Liberalised MSME AEO Package' scheme is a voluntary compliance programme which enables swifter Customs clearance for accredited stakeholders in the global supply chain namely importers, exporters, logistic service providers, custodians etc, it said.
The approved AEOs derive various benefits including the facility of Direct Port Delivery (DPD) of imported containers, Direct Port Entry (DPE) of their Export Containers, high level of facilitation in customs clearance of their consignments thereby ensuring shorter cargo release time, exemption from bank guarantees, as well as a Client Relationship Manager at the customs port as a single point of interaction.

Union Education Minister inaugurates two-day Virtual International Akhand Conference ‘EDUCON-2020’

Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ today inaugurated the two-day Virtual International Akhand Conference ‘EDUCON 2020’ through video conferencing.
This two-day International Conference is being organized by Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) in collaboration with the Global Educational Research Association (GERA) under the patronage of Prof. (Dr.) Raghavendra P. Tiwari, Vice Chancellor, CUPB & Padma Shri Dr. MahendraSodha (Patron, GERA). The focal theme of EDUCON-2020 is Envisioning Education for Transforming Youth to Restore Global Peace.
Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ appreciated CUPB for choosing the appropriate and relevant theme for the conference.
He stated that this two-day Akhand Conference will pass on the message to the researchers and students across the globe that the research is a 24X7 exercise and requires strong perseverance.
He opined that this international conference will help the prospective teachers to become familiar with different technologies and their functioning to bring transformational change in the field of education.
He expressed hope that deliberations made during EDUCON2020 by internationally-acclaimed speakers & young researchers will certainly prove to be significant in preparing a roadmap for effective implementation of NEP-2020 and developing necessary skill-set among youngsters to enable them to contribute towards building an AtmaNirbhar Bharat.

::SPORTS::

Set poor example with my use of language, admits Australia captain Tim Paine

Tim Paine, who was heard on the stump mic going on a rant against Ravichandran Ashwin during Day 5 of the SCG Test, said that he had let himself down with his use of language during the Test.
Speaking after the SCG Test, which was a draw after a 259-ball block-athon by Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin the Australian captain said, “I probably set a pretty poor example with my use of language. Certainly disappointed with myself… I know the stump ‘mics’ are on and there’s a lot of kids watching and I need to set a better example.”
Paine was heard saying from behind the stumps as Ashwin and Vihari frustrated the hosts: “Even your teammates think you’re a goose. Don’t they? Every one of them. How many IPL teams wanted you, when you asked every single one of them to have you?”