TLR 7/8

The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), a Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) lab helped in the development of key molecule for Covaxin, the indigenous vaccine developed by the city-based Bharat Biotech International Limited.

About:

• The vaccine is a highly purified, whole virion, inactivated SARS-Cov-2.
• The vaccine has been formulated with ‘Algel-IMDG’, which contains chemically absorbed TLR7/8 as an agonist or an adjuvant onto aluminium hydroxide gel to generate the requisite type of immune responses without damaging the body.
• The firm had approached the IICT to develop the synthetic route for the adjuvant molecule TLR 7/8 with indigenous chemicals at an affordable price and with highest purity.
• This indigenously developed molecule aided Bharat Biotech to scale up the production of the adjuvant.

KHUJLI GHAR

Some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive a traditional form of punishment that seeks to check crime with an itch in time.

About:

• Social offenders or violators of Naga customary laws have over the ages dreaded a cramped, triangular cage made from the logs of Masang-fung, a local tree that people avoid because of the irritation it causes.
• The dread is more of humiliation or loss of face within the community or clan than of spending at least a day scratching furiously without any space to move.
• Such itchy cages are referred to as khujli ghar in Nagamese — a pidgin lingua franca — but each Naga community has its own name. The Aos, one of the major tribes of Nagaland, call it Shi-ki that means flesh-house.
• The cage is usually placed at a central spot in the village, usually in front of the morung, or bachelor’s dormitory, for the inmate to be in full public view.

SURYAKIRAN AEROBATIC TEAM (SKAT)

The Suryakiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) will perform at an airshow at the Galle Face in Colombo from March 3 to 5 as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF).

About:

• This will be the first performance for the SKAT team outside India since it was resurrected in 2015 with the Hawk advanced jet trainers.
• Earlier, the SKAT team had toured Sri Lanka during the 50th anniversary of the SLAF in 2001.
• The SKAT team, also known as 52 Squadron or The Sharks, is based in Bidar.
• The team was formed in 1996 with Kiran Mk-II aircraft and had enthralled spectators across the country till 2011. It was revived in 2015 with Hawk trainers initially with four aircraft and grew to the nine-aircraft formation.
• Since its inception, the SKAT team has carried out over 600 displays all around the country. It has also represented India across southeast Asia including China.

TUNI

The Metropolitan Magistrate Court (Railway Court) has served summons on 40 persons reportedly involved in the arson at the Tuni railway station in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh in January 2016.

About:

• Tuni is a town in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. It is known for mango export, with nearly 250 varieties. It is also famous for betel leaves and jute bags.
• Kapu leader and present Tuni MLA Dadisetti Ramalingeswara Rao (Raja) and many other leaders organised Kapu Gharjana Sabha in the town on January 31, 2016, demanding reservation for the Kapu community under the Backward Class (BC) category.
• The agitators suddenly squatted on the tracks, stopped the Ratnachal Express between Tuni and Hamsavaram stations and threw stones at the train. When the panicked passengers alighted from the train, the mob climbed on it and set some coaches on fire.
• The Government Railway Police and RPF personnel registered cases against the accused.

GLOBAL ASSOCIATION FOR PHYSICIANS OF INDIAN ORIGIN (GAPIO)

Union Minister for Health addressed the Global Indian Physicians Congress, organized by the Global Association for Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO), through video conference.

About:

• GAPIO is a non-profit organization established in 2011.
• Padma Vibhushan, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group is the Founder President of GAPIO along with Dr. Sanku Rao – Past President of AAPI, USA and Dr. Ramesh Mehta – President of BAPIO, UK.
• The aim of the organization is to bring together 1.4 million physicians of Indian origin in the world on one professional platform.
• GAPIO has held 10 annual conferences in India and has held 9 midyear conferences overseas since 2011.

COMMON SURNAME

A section of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has signalled its opposition to changing a law that forces married couples to have the same surname.

About:

• In the recent past, Japan has witnessed heated debates over the century-old law, with women’s rights activists pitted against conservative figures.
• Under Japan’s civil code, married couples are required to share the same surname, thus making the country the only industrialised nation where having different surnames for married spouses is illegal.
• The requirement was first introduced in 1896 during the Meiji era (1868-1912), when it was common for women in the country to leave their families and become a part of the husband’s family.
• While the law makes having one surname compulsory, it does not specify which name a couple should adopt. However, in an overwhelming number of cases, couples choose to adopt the husband’s surname at birth. Currently, 96 per cent of women drop their maiden name in Japan, reflecting the country’s male-dominated society.
• The law even forbids in-between options, such as hyphenating last names, keeping one’s family name as a middle name, or combining the two surnames into a new one.

Important Info :

• Japan often faces criticism for its poor performance when it comes to gender equality.
• In the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2020, Japan was ranked 121st out of 153 countries (India was at 112).

PIXXEL INDIA’S ANAND SATELLITE

PSLV-C51 mission was supposed to carry a satellite from Pixxel India, one of the several new start-ups. But eventually the satellite could not be part of the launch.

About:

• Pixxel India is a Bengaluru-based start-up that completed two years of existence recently.
• It is planning to place a vast constellation of earth-imaging satellites for continuous monitoring of every part of the globe, and beam high-resolution imagery and other data that can be utilized for a variety of applications in climate change, agriculture and urban planning.
• The first of its satellites, called Anand, was supposed to be on this PSLV-C51 rocket that took off from the Sriharikota launching range this morning.
• But less than a week before the launch, the company announced that due to “certain software issues” during testing, it would not go ahead with the launch of the satellite at this time.

LATERAL ENTRY

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued an advertisement seeking applications “from talented and motivated Indian nationals willing to contribute towards nation building” for three posts of Joint Secretary and 27 of Director in central government Departments.

About:

• These individuals, who would make a “lateral entry” into the government secretariat, would be contracted for three to five years. These posts were “unreserved”, meaning were no quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs.
• NITI Aayog, in its three-year Action Agenda, and the Sectoral Group of Secretaries (SGoS) on Governance in its report submitted in February 2017, recommended the induction of personnel at middle and senior management levels in the central government. These ‘lateral entrants’ would be part of the central secretariat which in the normal course has only career bureaucrats from the All India Services/ Central Civil Services.
• Lateral recruitment is aimed at achieving the twin objectives of bringing in fresh talent as well as augment the availability of manpower.

MARITIME INDIA SUMMIT 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate ‘Maritime India Summit 2021’ on 2nd March via video conferencing.

About:

• The Maritime India Summit 2021 is being organized by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on a virtual platform www.maritimeindiasummit.in from 2nd March to 4th March 2021.
• Denmark is the partner country for the three-day summit.
• The Summit will visualize a roadmap for India’s Maritime sector for next decade and will work to propel India to the forefront of the Global Maritime Sector.
• Eminent speakers from several countries are expected to attend the Summit and explore the potential business opportunities and investments in Indian Maritime domain.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN GAMING

Government has decided to form Centre of Excellence in gaming and other related areas in collaboration with IIT Bombay.

About:

• The Centre is at an advanced stage of preparation and will come into effect as the new session of IIT begins in 2021.
• This was announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar while addressing the virtual exhibition and prize announcement of “Khel Khel Mein”, a Pan Maharashtra toy/game project design competition.

FARMER PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS (FPOs)

Union Ministers for Agriculture celebrated the first anniversary of the Central Sector Scheme on “Formation & Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)”.

About:

• The scheme was launched by Prime Minister on 29.02.2020 at Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh) with a budgetary provision of Rs 6865 crore.
• FPOs will make farming more viable by aggregating land.
• More than 2200 FPOs produce clusters have been allocated for the formation of FPOs in the current year, of which 100 FPOs for specialized Organic produce, 100 FPOs from Oilseeds & 50 commodity-specific FPOs with value chain development will be formed.
• Implementing Agencies (IAs) are engaging Cluster-Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) to aggregate, register & provide professional handholding support to each FPO for a period of 5 years.
• CBBOs will be the platform for an end to end knowledge for all issues related to FPO promotion.
• FPOs will be provided financial assistance up to Rs 18.00 lakh per FPO for a period of 03 years.

CHIEF OF INTEGRATED DEFENCE STAFF TO CHAIRMAN CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE (CISC)

Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain took over as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) on 02 Mar 2021.

About:

• Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) is the head of the Integrated Defence Staff which acted as the point organisation for jointmanship in the Ministry of Defence.
• The CISC is a Three-star rank officer from the three Services in rotation.
• The CISC reports to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman COSC) in New Delhi.
• He is assisted by the following five Principal Staff Officers (all three-star appointments) who headed the various branches within the IDS.

LAND PORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA (LPAI)

The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) celebrated its 9th Foundation Day today at its Headquarter in New Delhi.

About:

• Type: It is a statutory body (created through the Land Ports Authority of India Act, 2010).
• Founded in: 2012.
• Parent ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Mandate: It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing border infrastructure in India. It manages several Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) all across Borders of India.

NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT (NFSA), 2013

The NITI Aayog recently circulated a discussion paper on a proposed revision in the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

About:

• The NFSA provides a legal right to persons belonging to “eligible households” to receive food grains at subsidised price– rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg and coarse grain at Rs 1/kg — under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• These are called central issue prices (CIPs).
• Under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Act, the term “eligible households” comprises two categories — “priority households”, and families covered by the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).
  • Priority households are entitled to receive 5 kg of food grains per person per month.
  • AAY households are entitled to 35 kg per month at the same prices.

What has the NITI Aayog proposed?

• The national rural and urban coverage ratio be reduced from the existing 75-50 to 60-40. if this reduction happens, the number of beneficiaries under the NFSA will drop to 71.62 crore (on the basis of the projected population in 2020).
• To make these changes in the law, the government will have to amend sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the NFSA. For this, it will require parliamentary approval.
• If the national coverage ratio is revised downward, the Centre can save up to Rs 47,229 crore (as estimated by the NITI Aayog paper). However, the move may be opposed by some of the states.

MOBILE TRAIN RADIO COMMUNICATION (MTRC)

Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) System has been commissioned in Western Railway Trains in Mumbai.

About:

• The Mobile Train Radio Communication system is an effective and a technologically advanced communication system which can play an intrinsic role in preventing train accidents and reducing delays through effective communication.
• MRTC acts in a similar way to that of Air traffic control (ARC) for aircrafts. The system will monitor, track and aid in communication between the trains and the control room thereby ensuring smooth movement of rakes as well as help in preventing adverse events.
• This is the first time that MTRC is commissioned in Indian Railways. It is a historic move of the Indian Railways.
• The new system has already been installed in 90 out of 100 rakes running between Churchgate and Virar.

SUGAMYA BHARAT APP

Union Minister for Social justice and Empowerment will virtually launch “Sugamya Bharat App”

About:

• The App has been developed by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Sugamya Bharat APP — a Crowdsourcing Mobile Application is a means for sensitising and enhancing accessibility in the 3 pillars of the Accessible India Campaign i.e. built environment, transportation sector and ICT ecosystem in India.
• The app provides for five main features, 4 of which are directly related to enhancing accessibility, while the fifth is a special feature meant only for Divyangjan for COVID related issues.
• The accessibility related features are: the registration of complaints of inaccessibility across the 3 broad pillars of the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan; positive feedback of examples and best practices worth emulating being shared by people as jan-bhagidhari; Departmental updates; and guidelines and circulars related to accessibility.

SWACHHTA SAARTHI FELLOWSHIP

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under its “Waste to Wealth” Mission launched the “Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship”

About:

• Aim of the fellowship to recognize students, community workers/self-help groups, and municipal/sanitary workers who are engaged in tackling the enormous challenge of waste management, scientifically and sustainably.
• The Waste to Wealth Mission is one of the nine national missions of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).
• The three categories of awards under the fellowships are as below:
  • Category-A – Open to School students from 9th to 12th standards engaged in waste management community work
  • Category-B – Open to College students (UG, PG, Research students) engaged in waste management community work
  • Category-C – Open to Citizens working in the community and through SHGs, municipal or sanitary workers working beyond specifications of their job requirement/descriptions
• The last date for applying to the fellowship is March 19th, 2021. Up to 500 fellows will be recognised under the fellowship.

POMPEII

Archaeologists working at Pompeii have announced the discovery of a large ceremonial chariot, found with four wheels, its iron components, bronze and tin decorations, mineralised wood remains, and imprints of organic materials.

About:

• It is likely that the chariot was used as a transport vehicle by Roman elites during various ceremonies.
• This is an exceptional discovery, because it represents a unique find – which has no parallel in Italy thus far – in an excellent state of preservation.
• Pompeii was a Roman town in Southern Italy’s Campania region situated along the Bay of Naples. The town was completely buried by volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, over 2,000 years ago.

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU (PIB)

Jaideep Bhatnagar has taken over today as Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau.

About:

• It is one of the media units working under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
• It is the nodal agency for public communication and media relations for the entire Union Government of India
• It is based in National Media Centre, New Delhi.
• It was established in 1919 as a small cell under Home Ministry under the British government.
• In 2019, the PIB set up a fact-checking unit to check government related news.

GEORGE’S ORTHODOX CHURCH

The centuries-old St. George’s Orthodox Church at Cheppad in Kerala faced demolition for widening of National Highway 66, but is now set to become a Centrally-protected monument of national importance with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recognition.

About:

• The church is one of the rarest in Kerala, having traditional Kerala church architectural pattern with rare and beautiful mural paintings on the walls of the altar.
• The church is thought to date back to AD 950, but some experts say it was built in AD 1050. Though rebuilt in 1952, the old apse at the eastern end preserves the murals.
• There are 47 murals and the paintings are of St. Paul with a sword, the birth of Jesus Christ, resurrection of Lazarus, the kiss of Judas, the Last Supper, Christ bearing the cross, Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, and Noah’s Ark.
• These paintings, blending Persian and Kerala mural art styles, draw enthusiasts from far and wide.

CENTRAL REVENUES CONTROL LABORATORY (CRCL)

Central Revenues Control Laboratory (CRCL), New Delhi was recognized as a Regional Customs Laboratory (RCL) of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) for Asia-Pacific Region.

About:

• Central Revenues Control Laboratory (CRCL), New Delhi is under the administrative control of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs.
• Established in 1939, CRCL is the headquarters of 14 Revenue Laboratories, including 2 laboratories working at Government Opium & Alkaloid Works, Ghazipur & Neemuch.
• With its recognition as RCL, CRCL joins a select group of Customs Laboratories in the region like those in Japan & Korea.

• The World Customs Organization (WCO), established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.
• It is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

EXERCISE DESERT FLAG VI

The Indian Air Force is participating for the first time in Exercise Desert Flag along with air forces of United Arab Emirates, United States of America, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Bahrain.

About:

• Exercise Desert Flag is an annual multi-national large force employment warfare exercise hosted by the United Arab Emirates Air Force.
• Exercise Desert Flag VI is scheduled from 03 Mar 21 to 27 Mar 21 at Al-Dhafra airbase, UAE.
• The IAF is participating with six Su-30 MKI, two C-17 and one IL-78 tanker aircraft.
• The aim of the exercise is to provide operational exposure to the participating forces while training them to undertake simulated air combat operations in a controlled environment.

UDAIPUR SCIENCE CENTRE

The Udaipur Science Centre, at Udaipur, Tripura was dedicated to the people by the Governor of Tripura.

About:

• Udaipur Science Centre is the 22nd Science Centre which has been developed by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) and handed over to the State Governments under the Ministry of Culture’s Scheme for Promotion of Culture of Science.
• This Science Centre has been developed at a cost of Rs 6 crore funded jointly by Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India and Dept. of Science, Technology & Environment, Government of Tripura.
• With this; NCSM has now set-up science centres in all the north eastern states.

Important Info :

• Udaipur, formerly known as Rangamati, is the third biggest city in Tripura.
• The city was a former capital of the state during the reign of the Maharajas. This city is famous for the Tripura Sundari temple also known as Tripureswari temple

REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE ACT, 1951

Registration of political parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

About:

• A party seeking registration under the said section with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation as per guidelines prescribed by the Commission in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 324 of the Constitution of India and Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• As per existing guidelines, the applicant association is, inter-alia, asked to publish proposed Name of party in two national daily newspapers and two local daily newspapers, on two days for submitting objections, if any, with regard to the proposed registration of the party before the Commission within 30 days from such publication.

Important Info :

Recent development:

• The Commission has announced the General Elections for the Legislative Assemblies of West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry on 26.02.2021.
• The Election Commission has given a relaxation and has reduced the notice period from 30 days to 7 days for the parties who have published their public notice on or before 26.02.2021.

MARITIME INDIA SUMMIT 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the ‘Maritime India Summit 2021’.

Key highlights of the summit:

• He informed that capacity of major ports have increased from 870 million tonnes in 2014 to 1550 million tonnes now.
• Mega ports with world class infrastructure are being developed in Vadhavan, Paradip and Deendayal Port in Kandla.
• India aims to operationalise 23 waterways by 2030.
• India has as many as 189 lighthouses across its vast coastline and has drawn up a programme for developing tourism in the land adjacent to 78 lighthouses.
• Steps are also being taken to introduce urban water transport systems in key states and cities such as Kochi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Goa.
• To encourage domestic shipbuilding, approval has been given to the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Policy for Indian Shipyards.
• The Ministry of Port Shipping and Waterways has created a list of 400 investable These projects have an investment potential of $ 31 billion or Rs 2.25 lakh crores.
• The Maritime India Vision 2030 outlines the priorities of the Government.
• The Sagar-Manthan: Mercantile Marine Domain Awareness Centre has been launched. It is an information system for enhancing maritime safety, search and rescue capabilities, security and marine environment protection.
• Government is in the process of installing solar and wind-based power systems at all the major ports across the country and aims to increase usage of renewable energy to more than 60% of total energy by 2030 in three phases across Indian ports.

BETTER THAN CASH ALLIANCE

The Government of India, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and UN-based Better Than Cash Alliance hosted Merchant Digitization Summit 2021: Towards AatmaNirbhar (Self Reliance) Bharat with special focus on Himalayan Regions, North East Regions and Aspirational Districts of India.

About:

• Based at the United Nations, the Better Than Cash Alliance is a partnership of governments, companies and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to responsible digital payments.
• The Alliance has 75 members which are committed to digitizing payments.
• The Alliance Secretariat works with members on their journey to digitize payments by:
  • Providing advisory services based on their priorities.
  • Sharing action-oriented research and fostering peer learning on responsible practices.
  • Conducting advocacy at national, regional and global level.
• It was created in 2012. It was launched by the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the United States Agency for International Development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Citigroup, the Ford Foundation, the Omidyar Network, and Visa Inc.

NAG RIVER

The Nag River Pollution Abatement Project has been approved at a cost of Rs. 2,117.54 crores.

About:

• This was announced by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari after chairing a meeting of World Bank officials, DG NMCG and Nagpur Municipal commissioner.
• The project , approved under the National River Conservation Plan, will be implemented by the National River Conservation Directorate, NRCD.
• It will reduce the pollution level in terms of untreated sewage, flowing solid waste and other impurities flowing into the Nag river and its tributaries.

• The Nag River is a river flowing through the city of Nagpur in Maharashtra. Nagpur city derives its name from the Nag river.
• Forming a part of the Kanhan-Pench river system, the Nag River originates in Lava hills near wadi.

PRASHAD SCHEME

Union Minister for Tourism virtually laid the Foundation Stone for the project “Development of Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple, Dongargarh, Chhattisgarh” approved under PRASHAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.

About:

• The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) is a Central Sector Scheme fully financed by the Government of India.
• It was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15 with the objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations.
• The scheme aimed at infrastructure development such as entry points (Road, Rail and Water Transport), last mile connectivity, ATM/ Money exchange, area Lighting and illumination with renewable sources, waiting rooms, first aid centers, craft bazars etc.
• Till now, 13 projects have been successfully completed under PRASHAD Scheme to promote spiritual tourism. The completed projects include two projects each at Somnath, Mathura, Tamil Nadu and Bihar and one project each at Varanasi, Guruvayur and Amaravati (Guntoor), Kamakhya and Amritsar.

CAFE REGULATIONS

Union Minister for Road Transport looked into request by carmakers from the Society of India Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to postpone implementation of BS 6 CAFÉ Phase II regulations to April 1st 2024, on the grounds that the industry is still recovering from the impact of COVID.

About:

• CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency) regulations are similar norms to BS6 but with a different approach towards reducing the carbon footprint in the exhaust gasses of the vehicle.
• CAFE majorly focuses on COx emissions. BS6, on the other hand, focuses on overall emissions which include NOx (Nitrogen Oxides), SOx (Sulphur Oxides).
• The CAFE regulations aim to reduce the overall COx (Carbon Oxides) from the exhaust of the vehicle. The reduced carbon footprint leads to increased fuel economy.
• These regulations were first implemented in India on 1st April 2017 with the introduction of BS4 exhaust emission norms.

FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2021: DEMOCRACY UNDER SIEGE

Freedoms in India have reduced, according to a report from a U.S. thinktank, Freedom House, resulting in India being classified as ‘partly free’.

About:

• India’s score was 67, a drop from 71/100 from last year (reflecting 2019 data) downgrading it from the free category last year (based on 2020 data).
• According to the report “Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy under Siege”, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its State-level allies continued to crack down on critics during the year.
• The ruling Hindu nationalist movement also encouraged the scapegoating of Muslims, who were disproportionately blamed for the spread of the virus.
• The U.S. dropped three points over one year, down to 83/100.
• China, classified as ‘not free’, dropped a point from last year going down to 9/100.

SEBI CALLS FOR MECHANISM TO PREVENT MARKET ABUSE

SEBI asked stock exchanges, clearing corporations and depositories to put in place a code of conduct and institutional mechanism to prevent fraud or market abuse by them and their designated persons.

About:

• Under this, the managing director (MD) or chief executive officer (CEO) of market infrastructure institutions (MIIs) will be obligated to frame a code of conduct and put in place an institutional mechanism.
• Further, the board of directors needs to ensure compliance by the MD/CEO in this regard.
• MIIs will have to formulate a code of conduct to regulate, monitor and report trading by their designated persons and immediate relative of designated persons towards achieving compliance with the prohibition of insider trading regulations.

WORLD HEARING DAY

WHO is celebrating the world hearing day.

About:

• World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world.
• Theme for 2021: Hearing Care for ALL! Screen, Rehabilitate, Communicate.
• World Hearing Day 2021 will mark the launch of the first-ever World Report on Hearing (WRH).
• The Report has been developed in response to the World Health Assembly resolution (WHA70.13), adopted in 2017 as a means of providing guidance for Member States to integrate ear and hearing care into their national health plans.
• The report proposes a set of key H.E.A.R.I.N.G. interventions that must be delivered through a strengthened health system to realize the vision of ‘Integrated people-centered ear and hearing care’ (IPC-EHC).

Indian scenario

• According to a 2018 WHO report, 2% of India’s population, mainly children, suffer from the condition of Otitis Media.
• The disabling hearing loss affected 2.9% of the population and was noted to effect communication, education and work.
• The prevalence of total hearing loss, unilateral &bilateral was found to be as high as 9.93%.
• National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness will target over 6% of India’s population with Disabling Hearing Loss. The program was launched in 2006.

HURUN GLOBAL RICH LIST 2021

The world added 607 new billionaires, or more than three billionaires in two days, while India added 55 new billionaires, or more than one billionaire every week, in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, as per the 10th edition of Hurun Global Rich List 2021.

About:

• Tesla’s Elon Musk added $151 billion to become the richest man in the world for the first time with a net worth of $197 billion, followed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos ($189 billion).
• Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who emerged as the richest man in India with a net worth of $83 billion, came in at number eight.
• India retained the third spot in the number of billionaires from a country with a total of 177 billionaires living in the country.
• In the list of Indian billionaires, Mr. Ambani was followed by Adani Group’s Gautam Adani and family with his wealth almost doubling to $32 billion.

NEGEV LIGHT MACHINE GUNS (LMGs)

The Army will begin inducting the first lot of 6,000 new Light Machine Guns (LMG) from Israel, with frontline troops on the borders set to receive them later this month.

About:

• These are part of the 16,497 Negev LMGs contracted from Israeli Weapons Industry (IWI) in March 2020 under fast track procurement to meet the immediate requirement. The remaining guns in the order will be delivered by March 2022.
• The contracted Negev 7.62X51 mm LMG is a combat proven weapon and currently used by several countries around the globe.
• This LMG will greatly enhance the lethality and range of a soldier vis-a-vis the presently used weapon.

SANSAD TV

After nearly two years of work, the merger of the Lok Sabha TV (LSTV) and the Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) has been finalised and will be replaced by Sansad TV.

About:

• Retired IAS officer Ravi Capoor was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sansad TV. Mr. Capoor’s mandate is also to work out the nitty-gritty of the merger, including the integration of the assets and manpower.
• In November 2019, a committee headed by former Prasar Bharati Chairman Surya Prakash was set up. It submitted a report in February 2020.
• The Surya Prakash panel held a meeting with Members of Parliament from different political parties and they strongly recommended the continuation of the live telecast.
• Under the banner of Sansad TV, the LSTV would continue to telecast live the House proceedings and the RSTV that of the Upper House.
• During the inter-session period and beyond the working hours of Parliament, both will telecast common content to a large extent. The LSTV platform would telecast programmes in Hindi, while RSTV would do so in English.

HIMALAYAN SEROW

Himalayan serow was spotted in the Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam. It was spotted close to the border with Bhutan in Manas’s Bansbari-Mathanguri forest.

About:

• The Himalayan serow is a subspecies of the mainland serow native to the Himalayas.
• Common name: Himalayan Serow
• Scientific name: Capricornis sumatraensi thar.
• Local name: Jingal, Yemu.
• Description: An appearance of a goat with long, donkey like ears, and a habit of standing with forelegs astraddle, make the Serow an ungainly goat antelope. Its coarse coat(long hair length than the Goral) varies from black to red.
• IUCN status: Near threatened.
• It is listed in CITES Appendix I.

KARNATAKA’S ENGINEERING RESEARCH POLICY

Karnataka launched the country’s maiden Engineering Research & Development (ER&D) Policy to raise its contribution to the sector in the country to 45% in the next five year.

About:

• The State government anticipates the policy has the potential to create over 50,000 jobs in the ER&D space in five years.
• According to industry apex body Nasscom, ER&D has the potential to become a $100-billion industry in the country in the next five years.
• The ER&D sector in the country is the fastest growing industry with a CAGR of 12.8%. Meanwhile, the global engineering research and development industry is expected to reach a spend of $2 trillion by 2025.
• The new policy has identified five key focus sectors such as aerospace and defence; auto, auto components and EV; biotechnology, pharma and medical devices; semiconductors, telecom, ESDM; and software products.

SPECTRUM AUCTION

The telecom spectrum auctions concluded after bidding for a day and a half, with the Centre garnering ₹77,814.8 crore in revenues.

About:

• The amount exceeded the expectations of the government as well as analysts, as telcos focused on renewing expiring spectrum and consolidating holdings in select bands.
• The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio was the biggest bidder, acquiring 488.35 MHz of spectrum for ₹57,122.65 crore, followed by Bharti Airtel, which bid for 355.45 MHz of spectrum for ₹18,698.75 crore. Vodafone Idea bid for only 11.8 MHz of airwaves for ₹1,993.4 crore.
• The spectrum will be assigned to bidders for a period of 20 years.
• In the auction — the first in nearly five years and among the shortest, with participation from only three players — a total of 2308.80 MHz of spectrum across seven bands and worth about ₹3.92 lakh crore was put up for sale.
• Bids were received for 855.60 MHz, or 37%, of the spectrum. No bids were received for the premium 700 MHz and 2500 MHz bands. The 700 MHz band remained unsold during the 2016 auctions as well due to the high prices.
• Reliance Jio acquired spectrum in all 22 telecom circles, across 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz bands, and its owned spectrum footprint had increased by 55% to 1,717 MHz.

SRI LANKA’S WEST CONTAINER TERMINAL (WCT) PROJECT

Sri Lanka said it will develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at the Colombo Port, along with India and Japan.

About:

• The decision comes a month after the Rajapaksa government ejected the two partners from a 2019 tripartite agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal (ECT), citing resistance to “foreign involvement”.
• While the High Commission of India had “approved” Adani Ports, which was to invest in the ECT project earlier, Japan is yet to name an investor.
• In the ECT project agreed upon earlier, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) was to hold majority 51%, but in the WCT proposal, India and Japan will be accorded 85% stake, as is the case in the nearby Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), where China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited holds 85%.
• The WCT is adjacent to the China-run CICT and just a couple of kilometres away from the China-backed Port City being built on reclaimed land, making it a strategically desirable spot for India, whose concerns over China’s presence in Sri Lanka are well known.

QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2021

As many as 25 courses by Indian universities have figured in the top 100 globally, according to QS World University Rankings by Subject.

• Three Indian Institutes of Technology have entered the top 100 engineering institutes with IIT-Bombay grabbing the best-ever 49th position in the engineering and technology category followed by IIT Delhi (54) and IIT Madras (94). MIT, USA has retained its top position.
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore — that secured number one position in the NIRF 2020 — is placed at the 92nd spot for natural sciences, followed by IIT Bombay (114), IIT Madras (187), and IIT Delhi (210).
• Similarly, IIT-Madras is at number 30 for its petroleum engineering programme, IIT-Bombay and IIT-Kharagpur have grabbed 41 and 44 positions, respectively, in the subject ranking for mineral and mining engineering.
• In the life sciences and medicine category, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) bagged 248th spot.
• Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been ranked 159th for arts and humanities, followed by the University of Delhi (252).
• Also, Delhi University bagged 208th spot worldwide in the social sciences and management category.

Important Info :

• QS World University Rankings by subject calculate performance based on four parameters — academic reputation, employer reputation, research impact (citations per paper) and the productivity of an institution’s research faculty.
• The QS rankings offer independent data on the performance of 253 programmes at 52 Indian higher education institutions, across 51 academic disciplines

SIMLIPAL BIOSPHERE RESERVE

The Simlipal forest reserve area frequently witnesses forest fires during dry weather conditions. A fire which started in the biosphere reserve area in February and has been raging for nearly a week now, was finally brought under control.

About:

Similipal, which derives its name from ‘Simul’ (silk cotton) tree, is a national park and a tiger reserve situated in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.

Similipal and the adjoining areas, comprising 5,569 sq km, was declared a biosphere reserve by the Government of India on June 22, 1994, and lies in the eastern end of the eastern ghat.

This protected area is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2009.

MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCE INDEX (MPI) 2020

Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs announced the release of the final rankings of Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020.

About:

• In the Million+ category, Indore has emerged as the highest ranked municipality, followed by Surat and Bhopal.
• In the Less than Million category, New Delhi Municipal Council has emerged as the leader, followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar.
• The MPI examined the sectoral performance of 111 municipalities (with Delhi being assessed separately for NDMC, and the three Municipal Corporations) across five verticals which comprise of 20 sectors and 100 indicators in all totality.
• The five verticals under MPI are Services, Finance, Policy, Technology and Governance.

EASE OF LIVING INDEX (EoLI) 2020

Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs announced the release of the final rankings of Ease of Living Index (EoLI) 2020.

About:

• The EoLI aims to measure the well-being of Indian citizens in 111 cities, across the pillars of Quality of Life, Economic-ability, and Sustainability, with 49 indicators under 13 categories.
• The EoLI 2020 strengthens its scope by consolidating the framework with the addition of a Citizen Perception Survey in the index, holding a weightage of 30%.
• The rankings under Ease of Living Index 2020 were announced for cities with a population of more than a million, and cities with less than a million people.
• Bengaluru emerged as the top performer in the Million+ category.
• In the Less than Million category, Shimla was ranked the highest in ease of living.

CSIR FLORICULTURE MISSION

Recently, CSIR Floriculture Mission has been approved for implementation in 21 States/UTs wherein available knowledgebase in CSIR Institutes will be utilized and leveraged to help Indian farmers and industry re-position itself to meet the import requirements.

About:

• Floriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry.
• This Mission is being implemented in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Directorate of Floriculture; KVIC; APEDA, TRIFED; Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), Kannauj, Ministry of MSME and Universities.
• Despite the fact that India has diverse agro-climatic and edaphic conditions, and rich plant diversity, it shares only 0.6 % of global floriculture market.
• At least 1200 million USD worth of floriculture products are being imported by India every year from different countries”.

CSIR’s Societal Portal?

• Harsh Vardhan also launched CSIR’s Societal Portal along with the Android App. This portal has been developed by CSIR Team with the help of MyGov Team. The Portal is to facilitate the public to submit the societal problems that can be resolved using S&T interventions.

NH – 248BB

The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways reviewed the progress of India’s First Grade Separated Urban Expressway, Dwarka Expressway (NH – 248BB).

About:

• The Minister expressed hope that the 29-kilometre long Expressway, being constructed under the Bharatmala Project and with a cost of Rs.8,662 crore, would be completed before the Independence Day next year.
• Being built in four packages, total length of the Expressway is 29 kilometres out of which 18.9 kilometre length falls in Haryana while remaining 10.1 kilometre length is in Delhi. It starts from Shiv-Murti on National Highway-8 and ends near KherkiDaula Toll Plaza.
• Delhi-Gurugram section of National Highway-8, a part of Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai arm of Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), is presently carrying traffic of over three lakh Passenger Car Units (PCUs). With the construction of the present project, 50 to 60 per cent traffic on National Highway-8 will be reduced.

Key highlights:

• It will be the first-ever elevated Urban Expressway in India and will immensely help reducing the air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
• The Dwarka Expressway would also be the first instance of a project where Tree Plantation of approximately 12,000 trees has been undertaken, keeping protection of the environment in view.
• This will have longest (3.6 kilometre) and widest (8 lane) Urban Road Tunnel in India.
• It will also comprise India’s first 9-kilometre long 8-lane flyover (34-metre wide) on single pier with 6-lane service roads.
• The entire project will be equipped with Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).

KENDRIYA VIDYALAYAS

Union Education Minister announced opening of two new Kendriya Vidyalayas, one each in the state of Karnataka and Punjab.

About:

• KV Sadalaga, Belagavi, Karnataka and KV IIT Ropar, Punjab will be two new addition to the family of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.
• With this the total number of KVs across the Country will raise to 1247.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan

• The Scheme of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVS) (Central Schools) was approved in 1962 to provide uninterrupted education to the wards of transferrable central government employees.
• The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan was registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act in 1965 to manage the Kendriya Vidyalayas located all over India and abroad. The Government of India wholly finances the Sangathan.

BAO-DHAAN

In a major boost to India’s rice exports potential, the first consignment of ‘red rice’ was flagged off to the USA.

About:

• Iron rich ‘red rice’ is grown in Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer.
• The rice variety is referred as ‘Bao-dhaan’, which is an integral part of the Assamese food.
• As the exports of ‘red rice’ grow, it would bring enhance incomes of farming families of the Brahmaputra flood plains.

Important Info :

• APEDA has promoting rice exports through collaborations with various stakeholders in the value chains. The government had set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF), under the aegis of the APEDA.

CERAWeek

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award at the Cambridge Energy Research Associates Week (CERAWeek) 2021 on 5th March via video conferencing.

About CERAWeek

• CERAWeek was founded in 1983 by Dr. Daniel Yergin.
• It has been organized in Houston in March every year since 1983 and is considered the world’s premier annual energy platform.
• CERAWeek 2021 is being convened virtually from 1st March to 5th March, 2021.

About the Award

• CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award was instituted in 2016.
• It recognizes the commitment of leadership on the future of global energy & environment and for offering solutions and policies for energy access, affordability & environmental stewardship.

SHRAVAN

Department of ENT, Command Hospital, Southern Command, Pune celebrated the World Hearing Week from 24 February 2021 to 03 March 2021 to commemorate the World Hearing Day at ‘SHRAVAN’

About:

• ‘SHRAVAN’ is the only Centre for “Early Intervention & Rehabilitation of Hearing Loss” for entire Southern Command Zone of Indian Army.
• ‘SHRAVAN’ is being run as a centre of excellence for providing seamless, organized and effective intervention for the hearing impaired.
• The centre has rehabilitated over 280 children till date and presently 90 children are undergoing auditory verbal therapy at the centre.

BLACK-BROWED BABBLER

Long-Lost Babbler Bird Documented in Borneo for the First Time in Over 170 Years. The Bird was last recorded between 1843 and 1848, when a scientist collected the first and only museum specimen.

About:

• The black-browed babbler (Malacocincla perspicillata) is a songbird species in the family Pellorneidae.
• The species is endemic to Borneo.
• Its IUCN conservation status is Data Deficient. Formerly, it was classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
• Only a single specimen, collected in the nineteenth century was known, until the bird was rediscovered in Indonesia during 2020.

Borneo?

• Borneo is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia.
• The island is politically divided among three countries: Malaysia and Brunei in the north, and Indonesia to the south.

TEA GARDEN WORKERS IN ASSAM

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited tea gardens in Assam. One of the five promises Priyanka announced if Congress comes to power was increasing the per day wage of tea garden workers to Rs 365.

About:

• Assam accounts for over half of India’s total tea production.
• Tea garden workers were brought by the British from states like Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal afterwards of 1860.
• Till today it is marked by exploitation, economic backwardness, poor health conditions and low literacy rates.
• The tea tribe community — comprising 17 per cent of the state’s population — is a deciding factor in almost 40 Assam assembly seats out of the 126.
• Last month, the Assam government increased the wages of tea garden workers from Rs 167 to Rs 217. Tea gardens workers’ bodies have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the hike, which they consider inadequate.

INCOME TAX RETURNS

The latest government data shows a 6.6 per cent contraction in the number of income tax returns (ITRs) filed by individuals earning up to Rs 50 lakh in financial year 2019-20.

About:

• The latest data on ITRs showed a 9.8 per cent contraction in filings of ITR-1 offline and 4.5 per cent contraction in filings of ITR-1 online for FY20.
• ITR-1 Sahaj can be filed by a resident individual, who is not included in the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), having an income of up to Rs 50 lakh.
• Total income includes income from salary or pension, income from one house property, income from other sources such as interest from a bank account (excluding winnings from lottery and income from racehorses, income taxable under section 115BBDA, or income of nature referred to in section 115BBE) and where agricultural income is up to Rs 5,000.

QAnon

Some of former US President Donald Trump’s followers, who believe in the QAnon conspiracy, thought that he will return to power on March 4. Last year, the FBI said fringe political conspiracy theories including QAnon are a domestic threat.

About:

• QAnon is a pro-Trump conspiracy theory that took shape around 2017 when an anonymous user called “Q” or “Q Clearance Patriot” started posting conspiracy theories. “Q” refers to a security clearance given by the US Department of Energy for access to top-secret information.
• The followers of this movement believe that the world is being run by a cabal of paedophiles who worship Satan and that one of Trump’s aims as US President is to unmask the cabal and punish them. According to the conspiracy theorists, Trump is secretly preparing for a day of reckoning, “The Storm”, when members of the “deep state” will be executed.
• The conspiracy theorists believe that Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Hollywood actors Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey, are part of a global child sex-trafficking ring.

HARYANA’S QUOTA LAW

Haryana government notified a new law that requires 75% of private sector jobs in the state, up to a specified salary slab, reserved for local candidate.

About:

• The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Bill, 2020 requires private companies to set aside for domiciles 75% of jobs up to a monthly salary of Rs 50,000 or as may be notified by the government from time to time.
• The law is applicable to all the companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms, partnership firms and any person employing 10 or more persons and an entity, as may be notified by the government from time to time shall come under the ambit of this Act.
• While constitutional guarantees for reservation has been limited to public employment, attempts to extend it to private sector are not new either. In July 2019, the Andhra Pradesh government had passed a similar law, which was challenged in court.

Legal issues in such laws

• First, the question of domicile reservation in jobs. While domicile quotas in education are fairly common, courts have been reluctant in expanding this to public employment.
• Last year, the Madhya Pradesh government decided to reserve all government jobs for “children of the state”, raising questions relating to the fundamental right to equality of citizens.
• The second question, which is more contentious, is the issue of forcing the private sector to comply with reservations in employment.

GAIRSAIN

A year after announcing Gairsain in Chamoli district as the summer capital of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister declared in the state assembly the town as a new administrative division of the state, a third commissionerate after Kumaon and Garhwal.

About:

• Gairsain division would be comprised of four hill districts, including Almora and Bageshwar (both in Kumaon) and Rudrapyarag and Chamoli (in Garhwal). A commissioner and a DIG will be deployed in Gairsain.
• On March 4 last year, CM had announced in the Budget Session of the Assembly held in Gairsain that the town will become summer capital of the state. Three months later, Governor had given her assent for declaration of Bhararisen (Gairsain) as the summer capital.
• Gairsain, a tehsil in Chamoli district, is located nearly 270-km from the existing temporary capital of Dehradun.
• Even when Uttarakhand was carved out as a separate state from Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000, statehood activists had contended that Gairsain was best suited to be the capital of the mountainous state since it was between both Kumaon and Garhwal regions.
• But it was Dehradun in the plains that was named the temporary capital.

FIRST STRATEGIC, COUNTER-TERRORISM DIALOGUE BETWEEN INDIA-NIGERIA

The National Security Adviser (NSA) of Nigeria visited New Delhi for the First Strategic and Counter-Terrorism Dialogue between India and Nigeria at the level of NSA.

About:

• Within the framework of the close and strategic partnership between India and Nigeria, the National Security Advisors held in-depth discussions on the threats and challenges faced by democratic societies from terrorism, extremism, and radicalization.
• The two sides identified specific areas of cooperation to enhance their fight against all forms of terrorism, reaffirming their firm belief that there can be no justification for terrorism in any form or manifestation.

Important Info :

• Nigeria is a country in West Africa bordering Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west. Its southern coast is on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean.
• It’s capital is Abuja.

INDIAN MEDICINES PHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATION LIMITED (IMPCL)

Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited (IMPCL) has entered into a tie up with the Government e-Market (GeM) portal for selling its products online.

About:

• The deal between IMPCL and GeM was finalised on 03.03.2021, when GeM created 31 categories covering 311 medicines, which are live in the marketplace and IMPCL can now upload these medicines on GeM Portal.
• With this decision of GeM, the Ayurvedic and Unani medicines of IMPCL will figure on the GeM portal to hundreds of government sector buyers, at prices finalised by Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure.

Important Info :

• IMPCL is the public sector manufacturing unit of the Ministry of AYUSH.
• IMPCL is the only CPSE under Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and its prices are vetted and finalised by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure) for their Ayurvedic & Unani Medicines.

NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO COMMEMORATE 75 YEARS OF INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE

The Government has constituted a National Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence.

About:

• The committee has 259 members and includes dignitaries and eminent citizens from all walks of life.
• It will provide policy direction and guidelines for formulation of programs for the commemoration of 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, at the national and international levels.
• The Government intends to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence in a befitting manner at national and international level in the form of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

Important Info :

12^th March

• The 75 years of India’s Independence falls on 15th August next year and celebrations are proposed to be launched 75 weeks prior to this date on 12th March this year.
• 12th March is the 91st anniversary of the historic Salt Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi.

INDIA – SWEDEN VIRTUAL SUMMIT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Sweden H.E. Stefan Löfven held a Virtual Summit where they discussed bilateral issues and other regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

About:

• The Prime Minister Modi recalled his 2018 visit to Sweden for the first India-Nordic Summit, and the India visit of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden in December, 2019.
• The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the implementation of the Joint Action Plan and Joint Innovation Partnership agreed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Sweden in 2018.
• Prime Minister Modi welcomed Sweden’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
• The leaders also noted the growing member-ship of the India-Sweden joint initiative – the Leadership Group on Indus-try Transition (LeadIT) that was launched during the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 in New York.

SHADOWPAD

On March 3, Maharashtra Power Minister announced that a State Cyber Cell probe had found 14 Trojan horses in the servers of the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company. These malwares had the potential to disrupt power distribution in the State.

About:                                                                             

• The announcement came in the wake of a report from Recorded Future, a U.S.-based cybersecurity firm, stating that a group linked to the Chinese government, which it called ‘Red Echo’, had targeted 10 vital nodes in India’s power distribution system and two seaports.
• Recorded Future found a large number of IP addresses linked to critical Indian systems communicating for months with AXIOMATICASYMPTOTE servers connected to Red Echo.
• AXIOMATICASYMPTOTE servers act as command-and-control centres for a malware known as ShadowPad.

What is ShadowPad?

• ShadowPad is a backdoor Trojan malware, which means it opens a secret path from its target system to its command-and-control servers.
• Information can be extracted or more malicious code delivered via this path.
• ShadowPad is built to target supply-chain infrastructure in sectors like transportation, telecommunication, energy and more. It was first identified in 2017.

UR

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, spiritual leader of most of the world’s Shia Muslims, told Pope Francis in a historic meeting in Iraq that the country’s Christians should live in “peace”.

About:

• The meeting, on the second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, marked a landmark moment in modern religious history and a milestone in the Pope’s efforts to deepen interfaith dialogue.
• Pope Francis later addressed the rich spectrum of Iraq’s religious communities at Ur, the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, a central figure in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, where he made an impassioned plea for “unity” after conflict.
• Ur was an important Sumerian city-state in ancient Mesopotamia, located at the site of modern Tell el-Muqayyar in south Iraq’s Dhi Qar Governorate. The city is located on the south bank of the Euphrates River.

GAHIRMATHA MARINE SANCTUARY

A three-member panel constituted by the Orissa High Court made a field trip to the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary here and assessed the measures taken for the conservation of endangered olive ridley sea turtles.

About:

• The action followed a February 4 report on an online environment magazine which said 800 olive ridley turtles have died since January due to negligence of the States Forest and Fisheries department.
• The olive ridley turtles turn up in millions for mass nesting along the Odisha coast every year.
• Gahirmatha beach off Bay of Bengal coast in Kendrapara district, Odisha is acclaimed as the world’s largest nesting ground of these turtles.

OVERSEAS CITIZENS OF INDIA (OCI)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has reiterated through a gazette notification that OCI cardholders can lay claim to “only NRI (Non Resident Indian) quota seats” in educational institutions based on all-India entrance tests such as NEET, JEE (Mains), JEE (Advanced) or other such all-India professional tests.

About:

• The notification also said that OCIs are not entitled to undertake any “missionary, mountaineering, journalism and tabligh activities” without prior permission of the Government of India.
• OCI citizens are of Indian origin but they are foreign passport holders and are not citizens of India. India does not allow dual citizenship but provides certain benefits under Section 7B(I) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 to the OCIs.
• The fresh notification replaces three previous notifications which did not specify the special permission required for “missionary, Tabligh, mountaineering or journalistic activities” and were merely part of the November 2019 guidelines.

N S LAKSHMINARAYANA BHATTA

Noted Kannada poet, critic and translator N S Lakshminarayana Bhatta died at the age of 84.

About:

• Popularly known as ‘NSL’ in Kannada literary world, Bhatta has been a household name through his bhavageete (lyrical poems) and is known for his contribution to modern Kannada poetry, critical works and translations.
• He had translated about 50 of William Shakespeare’s sonnets, the poetry of T S Elliot in Kannada.
• He served as Professor at Bengaluru university.
• A recipient of the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi award and Kannada Rajyotsava Award among others, his popular work include “Thaye ninna Padilla.”
• His effort related to popularizing the works of the Shishunala Sharif led to a renaissance in the Kannada Bhavageetha movement, earning Dr. Bhatta the moniker of “Sharif Bhatta”.

TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY DESK, CYBERABAD

In what is claimed to be the first-of-its-kind gender inclusive community policing initiative in the country, the Cyberabad police inaugurated a ‘Transgender Community Desk’ at Gachibowli Police Station in Rangareddy district, Telangana.

About:

• The desk will be managed by a police liaison officer and a transgender person who is designated as community coordinator.
• It will be the focal point for all grievance redressal among the transgender community in the Cyberabad Commissionerate. The desk will provide support to file cases in offences related to violence or discrimination against any transgender person
• Among other services, the desk will also provide counselling, legal aid, life skills, soft skills training, job placements, and referral linkages to welfare schemes in partnership with the Department of Women and Child Welfare, and District Legal Services Authority.

NATIONAL SCHOOL OF DRAMA (NSD)

The government is actively considering giving the Institute of National Importance tag to the National School of Drama (NSD), as well as re-developing its campus in Delhi, NSD Society chairman and actor Paresh Rawal said.

About:

• The former BJP MP was appointed to the post in September 2020
• He said that the status of Institute of National Importance would strengthen NSD, allowing it to award degrees, start new courses and set up new centres.
• The NSD, which has four regional centres in Varanasi, Bengaluru, Agartala and Gangtok, had received a request from Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor for setting up a centre in J&K.

Do you know?

• National School of Drama (or NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi.
• It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an independent school in 1975.

ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES (EVMs)

The use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in some booths of the Paravur Assembly constituency in Ernakulam, Kerala is etched in the electoral history as they were introduced in the constituency in the 1982 polling, a first in the country.

About:

• The EVMs were introduced in 50 polling stations in the election in which the late A.C. Jose of the Congress and the late N. Sivan Pillai of the Communist Party of India were locked in a tight contest. The Congress candidate was defeated by a razor-thin margin of 123.
• Jose challenged the election of Sivan Pillai in the Kerala High Court, arguing that the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 did not empower the Election Commission to use EVMs. The High Court refused his plea.
• But on an appeal by Jose, the Supreme Court in 1984 ordered a re-poll in the 50 polling stations using conventional ballot papers. Jose won the seat.
• In 1992, Parliament inserted Section 61A in the Act and rules validating the use of the EVM and paving way for their use in elections.
• The EC started using EVMs widely since 1998. The new generation of EVMs has Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), which prints a small slip of paper that carries the name, symbol and the serial number of the candidate.
• The plea for abolishing EVMs has been repeatedly rejected by the top court. The top court has issued directives for using VVPAT to ensure accuracy and fairness in the EVM practice in 2013.

DRAFT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN (CZMP)

The draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) prepared by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai has met with criticism in Goa from locals, environmentalists and political parties.

About:

• The CRZ notification 2011 by Union Ministry of Environment declared that the coastal stretches and territorial waters of India, excluding Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands, as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).
• This restricted the setting up and expansion of any industry, operations or processes and manufacture or handling or storage or disposal of hazardous substances there.
• The respective state governments and UTs were then directed to prepare Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMP) by identifying and classifying the CRZ areas.

Important Info :

Goa scenario

• The Goa state department of environment handed over the responsibility of preparing the CZMP to the NCSCM in 2014.
• The NCSCM’s draft report made public earlier this year states that the primary purpose of a CZMP is to describe proposed actions to be implemented by public authorities and potentially by the private sector to address priority management issues in the coastal zone over a defined implementation period.
• Discontent has been brewing over a number of issues, including the duration to respond to the draft, re-zoning of beach areas and accommodating allegedly illegal

INDIA SCIENCE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (ISRF)

Forty scholars from six countries have been awarded with the opportunity to carry out their research in Indian Institutes and Universities using state of the art facilities in these places.

About:

• These scholars have been selected based on research proposal, experience, academic merit and publication record and recommended for the award of India Science and Research Fellowship (ISRF) 2021.
• As a part of India’s initiatives to engage with neighbouring countries to develop S&T partnerships, the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India has launched ISRF Programme for Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand researchers to work in Indian Universities and Research Institutions.
• It has been implemented since 2015.

CHINESE DAM ON BRAHMAPUTRA 

A draft of China’s new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which is set to be formally approved on March 11, 2021, has given the green light for the first dams to be built on the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet before it flows into India. 

About: 

• The draft outline of the new Five-Year Plan (FYP) for 2025 and “long range objectives through the year 2035” specifically mentions the building of hydropower bases on the lower reaches of the river as among the priority energy projects to be undertaken in the next five years.
   
• The lower reaches refer to the sections of the river in Tibet before it flows into India.
   
• The inclusion of the projects in the draft plan suggests the authorities have given the go-ahead to begin tapping the lower reaches for the first time, which marks a new chapter in the hydropower exploitation of the river.
   
• Other major projects include the construction of coastal nuclear power plants and power transmission channels.
   
• The project is also listed along with the Sichuan-Tibet railway and the national water network.
   

Important Info : 

• In 2015 China operationalised its first hydropower project at Zangmu in Tibet, while three other dams at Dagu, Jiexu and Jiacha are being developed, all on the upper and middle reaches of the river. 

M.T. SWARNA KRISHNA 

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has flagged off an all-woman crew onboard Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) vessel m.t. Swarna Krishna, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said. 

About: 

• It is the first time in maritime history that a ship is being sailed by only women officers
   
• T. SWARNA KRISHNA is a Oil Products Tanker that was built in 2010 and is being operated by Shipping Corporation of India (SCI).
   

SANAʽA 

A Saudi-led military coalition mounted air strikes on Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sana’a after it intercepted 10 drones launched by the Iran-backed rebels. 

About: 

• Sanaa also spelled Sanaʽa or Sana, is the largest city in Yemen.
   
• Under the Yemeni constitution, Sanaʽa is the capital of the country, although the seat of the Yemeni government moved to Aden, the former capital of South Yemen in the aftermath of the Houthi occupation.
   
• Aden was declared as the temporary capital by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in March 2015.
   
• It is located next to the Sarawat Mountains of Jabal An-Nabi Shu’ayb and Jabal Tiyal, considered to be the highest mountains in the country and amongst the highest in the region.
   
• The Old City of Sanaʽa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a distinctive architectural character, most notably expressed in its multi-storey buildings decorated with geometric patterns. 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 

International Women’s Day 2021 is being celebrated on 8th of March with theme #ChooseToChallenge. It indicates that a “challenged world is an alert world, and from challenge comes change”. 

About: 

• Date: International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year.
   
• History: 

• IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
   
• Prior to this the Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and further groups campaigned for women’s equality.
   

• Organized by: IWD is not country, group or organization specific. IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere.
   
• Objective: It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. 

AIRBAGS 

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a Gazette notification regarding mandatory provision of an airbag for passengers seated on the front seat of a vehicle, next to the driver. 

About: 

• The Ministry has mandated that “Vehicles manufactured on and after the April 1, 2021, in the case of new models, and August 31, 2021, in the case of existing models, shall be fitted with airbags for the person occupying the front seat, other than the driver.”
   
• This has been mandated as an important safety feature and is also based on suggestions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety.”
   
• The latest mandate is for all existing models in the M1 category — passenger motor vehicles having not more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s.
   

What are airbags? 

• An airbag pops up as a protective cushion between the passenger and the car’s dashboard during a collision.
   
• In moderate to severe frontal crashes, front airbags are designed to inflate in order to prevent a person’s head and chest from contacting hard structures in the vehicle. 

Implications of this decision 

• India accounts for 10% of all road crash victims in the world, as per a recent World Bank report. 
• In a country where 415 people die in road accidents every day, an airbag can literally be a lifesaver. 

Some of the other safety features in automobiles are: 

• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) 
• Speed Alert System 
• Reverse Parking Sensors 
• Driver and passenger seat belt reminder 
• Manual override for central locking system 

ALI BOUMENDJEL 

In a move aimed at improving its relations with former colony Algeria, France has admitted that its soldiers tortured and killed the Algerian lawyer and freedom fighter Ali Boumendjel, whose death in 1957 had until now been covered up as a suicide. 

About: 

• 37 years old at the time of his death, Boumendjel was an Algerian nationalist and independence activist when the North African country was under French colonial rule.
   
• In 1957, French troops detained and placed him under solitary confinement during the Battle of Algiers, a part of the eight-year-long Algerian War of Independence. To pass off his death as suicide, Boumendjel was thrown from the sixth floor of a building after he was killed.
   
• The conflict lasted until 1962, and ended with it 132 years of French domination.
   
• Significance of the admission: Algeria, which celebrates sixty years of independence from France next year, welcomed the admission.
   

Important Info : 

Algeria? 

• Algeria is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. 
• Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia, to the east by Libya, to the southeast by Niger, to the southwest by Mali, Mauritania, and the Western Saharan territory, to the west by Morocco, and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. 
• Algeria is the largest country by area in the African Union and the Arab world. 
• The capital is Algiers, located on the Mediterranean coast. 

STUDENTS ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF INDIA (SIMI) 

Over 19 years after they were arrested, the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Surat has acquitted all 127 persons accused of “promoting a banned organisation”, the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in 2001. 

About: 

• The Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) is a banned terrorist organisation that was formed in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh in April 1977.The stated mission of SIMI is the ‘liberation of India’ by converting it to an Islamic land. It has declared Jihad against India, the aim of which is to establish Dar-ul-Islam (land of Islam) by either forcefully converting everyone to Islam or by violence.The Indian government describes it as a terrorist organisation, and banned it in 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks. In February 2019, the Government of India extended ban on SIMI for a period of five more years starting February 1, 2019 under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
   

CALM2 

In Australia, Leading scientists and medical experts are calling for the pardon of convicted child killer Kathleen Folbigg after a recent study showed that her victims — four of her children — may have died of natural causes. 

About: 

• Medical experts have argued that her children died due to a rare genetic defect. They inherited a genetic mutation from their mother called CALM2.
   
• CALM-2 mutations are known to cause sudden death due to cardiac arrest.
   
• Calmodulin 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CALM2 gene. Mutations in CALM2 are associated to cardiac arrhythmias. 

SINGORGARH FORT 

The President of India Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for the conservation works of Singorgarh Fort in Madhya Pradesh. The President also inaugurated the newly carved Jabalpur Circle of Archaeological Survey of India. 

About: 

• Singorgarh Fort is located in Singrampur village of Damoh district in Madhya Pradesh.
   
• It is a hill-fort of Gondwana Kingdom, spread over the hills of a forested area.
   
• Before coming in hand of Gond rulers, Singorgarh fort was under Chandel rulers in 1308. It was Gond ruler Sangram shah who conquered the Singorgarh fort in early period of 16th century.
   
• It is presently in a ruined condition with no caretaker.
   

AGROFORESTRY IN THE SILK SECTOR 

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare signed a MoU with the Central Silk Board on a convergence model for the implementation of Agroforestry in the silk sector under the ongoing Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme. 

About: 

• This initiative in sericulture sector is especially targeted for augmentation of sericulture host plants e.g. Mulberry, Asan, Arjuna, Som, Soalu, Kesseru, BadaKesseru, Phanat, etc. to be cultivated both as block plantations and border or peripheral plantations on farmlands. 
• The Central Silk Board (CSB) is a Statutory Body, established during 1948. It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles, having head quarter at Bengaluru. 

Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) 

• The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC & FW) has been implementing the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) since 2016-17 as part of the recommendation of the National Agroforestry Policy 2014. 
• India was the first country to have such a comprehensive policy which was launched at the World Agroforestry Congress held in Delhi in February 2014. 
• At present, the scheme is being implemented in 20 States and 2 UTs. 
• SMAF aims to encourage farmers to plant multi-purpose trees together with the agriculture crops for climate resilience and an additional source of income to the farmers, as well as enhanced feedstock to inter alia wood-based and herbal industry. 

50% CAP ON QUOTA 

The Supreme Court decided to examine whether its nearly three-decade-old judgment which fixed reservation for the marginalised and the poor in government jobs and educational institutions at 50% needs a relook. 

About: 

• 
• In the Indira Sawhney verdict of 1992, a nine-judge Bench of the court had drawn the “Lakshman rekha” for reservation in jobs and education at 50%, except in “extraordinary circumstances”.
   

• However, over the years, several States, such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, have crossed the Rubicon and passed laws which allow reservation shooting over 60%. 

Maratha quota law 

• A five-judge Bench, led by Justice Ashok Bhushan, set up to hear the challenge to the Maratha quota law, decided not to confine the question of reservation spilling over the 50% limit to just Maharashtra. 
• The Bench expanded the ambit of the case by making other States party and inviting them to make their stand clear on the question of whether reservation should continue to remain within the 50% boundary or not.
   

DRINKING WATER 

According to information provided to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, Only half of government schools and anganwadis have tap water supply, despite a 100-day campaign for 100% coverage being launched by the Jal Shakti Ministry in October 2020. 

About: 

• 
• Less than 8% of schools in Uttar Pradesh and 11% in West Bengal have it, while it is available in only 2-6% of anganwadis in Assam, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Bengal. 
• The campaign to provide potable piped water supply for drinking and cooking purposes and tap water for washing hands and in toilets in every school, anganwadi and ashramshala or residential tribal school was launched on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti. 
• The 100-day period should have ended on January 10, 2021. However, as of February 15, only 48.5% of anganwadis and 53.3% of schools had tap water supply, the Ministry told the Parliamentary panel. 

• Seven States — Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Punjab — achieved 100% coverage.
   

DEVARA KAADU 

A boy was killed in a tiger attack at Belluru village in Ponnampet taluk of Kodagu (Coorg) district, Karnataka. the Forest Department team has tracked the animal to a sacred grove or devara kaadu. 

About: 

• Devara Kaadu (Sacred Forest) is a small forest like grove marked as the adobe of the local deities.Coorg has many hundred such sacred groves scattered all over the region.Some of them are sprawling mini forests with many hundred acres of span, while the rest are of smaller scales anything from an acre upwards. 

• As these areas are considered sacred, the groves are left un touched. The trees and never pruned, no paths are cut into the groves, not even the fallen trees, leaves or twigs are cleared.
   
• Inside the Devara Kaadu there are shrines dedicated to various deities. 

SCHEMES OF WCD MINISTRY 

For effective implementation of various schemes and programmes of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, all major schemes of the Ministry have been classified under 3 umbrella schemes viz. Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti. 

Schemes included under the Umbrella Scheme are as follows: 

1. Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0: Umbrella ICDS – Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyan, Scheme for Adolescent Girls, National Creche Scheme.
2. Mission VATSALYA: Child Protection Services and Child Welfare Services.
3. Mission Shakti (Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women): 

• SAMBAL (One Stop Centre, Mahila Police Volunteer, Women’s Helpline/Swadhar/Ujjawala/Widow Homes etc.)

• SAMARTHYA (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Creche, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Gender Budgeting/Research) 

• Mission Shakti will run in convergence with the other Missions/ Umbrella Schemes of M/o WCD [viz. Mission POSHAN 2.0; Mission VATSALYA; & Mission SAKSHAM-ANGANWADI (including-common-knowledge-cum-admin-backbone-from-national-to-panchayat-level). 

AZADI KA AMRUT MAHOTSAV 

The Prime Minister Modi led National Committee to commemorate 75 years of independence, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav held its first meeting. 

About: 

• The Prime Minister informed that 5 pillars have been decided for the celebration of the 75 years.
   
• These are Freedom Struggle, Ideas at 75, Achievements at 75, Actions at 75 and Resolve at 75.
   
• Various members of the National Committee attended the meeting including Governors, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, political leaders, scientists, officials, media personalities, spiritual Leaders and eminent persons from other walks of life.
   

PROGRAMMES TO PROMOTE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

Following below are the Programmes launched by Government to promote women entrepreneurship across the country. 

About: 

• The Ministry of Skill Development is implementing Pradhan Mantri YUVA (PM YUVA) Yojana, a pilot scheme, for creating an enabling ecosystem through entrepreneurship education, training, advocacy and easy access to entrepreneurship network. 
• Ministry of Skill Development is implementing the pilot project, ‘Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Startups by Women’ in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Germany. 
• Ministry of MSME is implementing the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which has the target to generate self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro enterprises for non-farm sector. 
• Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Skill development program through Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) enabling a trainee to take Bank credit and start his/her own Micro-enterprise. 
• Ministry of Rural Development is also implementing Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) which aims at eliminating rural poverty through promotion of multiple livelihoods for each rural poor household. 
• Under the Sub-scheme i.e. Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) covered under DAY-NRLM, a total of 194,144 enterprises have been set-up ( up to 31st January, 2021). 

HELPLINE 139 

Indian Railway announced integrated Rail Madad Helpline number “139” for all type of queries/complaints/assistance during travel. 

About: 

• To overcome the inconvenience over multiple helpline numbers for grievances and enquiry during railway travel, Indian Railway has integrated all railway helplines into single number 139 (Rail Madad Helpline) for quick grievance redressal and enquiry during the journey. 
• As the new helpline number 139 will take over all the existing helpline numbers, it will be easy for the passengers to remember this number and connect with Railways for all their needs during the travel. 
• The Helpline 139 will be available in twelve languages. 
• There is no need of a smart phone to call on 139, thus, providing easy access to all mobile users. 
• Ministry of Railways has also launched Social Media campaign #OneRailOneHelpline139 to inform and educate the passengers.
   

SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TOWARDS AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION (SATAT) SCHEME 

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas informed Lok Sabha about SATAT scheme. 

About: 

• SATAT scheme was launched on October 01, 2018 wherein Oil and Gas Marketing Companies (OGMCs) are inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) from potential entrepreneur to procure Compressed Bio Gas (CBG). 
• Under this scheme few of the enablers like assured price for offtake of CBG with long term agreements by OGMCs; inclusion of bio manures produced from CBG plants as Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) under Fertilizer Control Order 1985; inclusion of CBG projects under Priority Sector Lending by RBI have been provided. 
• So far 9 CBG plants have been commissioned and started supply of CBG under SATAT scheme. These plants are located in Andhra Pradesh (1 No.), Gujarat (3 No.), Haryana (1 No.), Maharashtra (3 No.) and Tamil Nadu (1 No.). 
• These plants are set up by entrepreneurs and private companies who have raised financial resources to develop these plants on the basis of LoIs issued by OGMCs.
   

WORLD HERITAGE SITES 

Union Minister of Culture and Tourism informed Lok Sabha about the Declaration Of World Heritage Sites By UNESCO. 

About: 

• At present, India has 38 World Heritage Properties. All the sites under the Ministry are conserved as per ASI’s Conservation Policy. 
• At present, India has 42 sites listed under Tentative List which is a pre-requisite condition for inscription as World Heritage Site. 

• ‘Dholavira: A Harappan City’ has been submitted for nomination of World Heritage Site in 2019-2020. 
• Nomination dossiers of ‘Santiniketan, India’ and ‘Sacred Ensemble of Hoysalas’ have been submitted to UNESCO for the year 2021-22 cycle.
   

• Augmentation of sites on the World Heritage List/Tentative List is a continuous process and sites are selected on the basis of their potential for fulfilling criteria under Operational Guidelines and demonstration of Outstanding Universal Value.
   

TRISHUL MILITARY AIRBASE 

Minister of Civil Aviation flagged off the first flight from Delhi to the newly upgraded Trishul Military Airbase, Bareilly Airport, Uttar Pradesh. 

About: 

• The Bareilly airport has been upgraded for commercial flight operations under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) of the Government of India. 
• Trishul Military Airbase, Bareilly belongs to the Indian Air Force and the land was handed over to the Airport Authority of India for construction of the interim civil aviation operations. The upgradation was undertaken by the AAI with a cost of Rs. 65 crores. 
• Alliance Air was awarded the Delhi – Bareilly route under the UDAN-4 bidding process last year. 

MAITRI SETU

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh.

About:

• The bridge ‘Maitri Setu’ has been built over Feni river which flows between Indian boundary in Tripura State and Bangladesh.
• The 1.9 Km long bridge joins Sabroom (in Tripura) with Ramgarh (in Bangladesh).
• The name ‘Maitri Setu’ symbolises growing bilateral relations and friendly ties between India and Bangladesh.
• The construction was taken up by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd at a project cost of Rs 133 crore.
• With this bridge, Tripura is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is just 80 km from Sabroom.
• PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for setting up an Integrated Check Post at Sabroom.

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENT REGULATOR

The Supreme Court asked the government to explain why it had not set up an “independent environment regulator” to oversee green clearances.

About:

• The top court had ordered the setting up of a national environment regulatory body to ensure independent oversight of green clearances way back in July 2011 in Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Limited v. Union of India, commonly known as the ‘Lafarge mining case’.
• In 2011, the court had asked the Centre to appoint a national regulator for appraising projects, enforcing environmental conditions for approvals and to impose penalties on polluters.
• The court had made it clear that till such mechanism was put in place, the Environment Ministry (MoEF) “should prepare a panel of accredited institutions from which alone the project proponent should obtain the Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and, that too, on the Terms of Reference to be formulated by the MoEF”.

‘DESHBHAKTI’ BUDGET

Finance Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday presented a ₹69,000 crore ‘Deshbhakti Budget’ for the 2021-22 fiscal, replete with provisions seeking to inspire patriotism in the run-up to the 75th Independence Day, free COVID-19 vaccination, and a vision for “India at 2047”.

About:

• The theme of the Delhi government’s 2021-22 budget is ‘deshbhakti’ or patriotism.
• This will entail placing 500 national flags across the city, like the one in Connaught Place. Rs 45 crore have been set aside for this head.
• Additionally, Rs 10 crore each have been set aside for programmes and events on the lives and contribution of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar.
• Following Initiatives have also been clubbed under this particular head
  • Starting a youth mentorship programme for underprivileged students,
  • arranging free Yoga camps for small groups of people,
  • starting a Delhi armed forces academy to prepare children for recruitment in the armed forces, and
  • giving Rs 1 crore to families of police officials and defence personnel who die in the line of duty
• Last year Delhi government also announced the deskbhakti curriculum.
• He also announced that the Delhi government aims to bid for hosting the 2048 Olympic Games.

AGRICULTURE VOLTAGE TECHNOLOGY

Union Minister of Agriculture informed Lok Sabha about the Agriculture Voltage Technology.

About:

• Agri-voltaic system of 105 KW capacity was developed by ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur.
• This technology can increase the income of farmers by generation of electricity and growing of cash crops simultaneously on the same piece of land.
• Under component-I of KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme, there is a provision for installation of agri-voltaic system in farmers’ fields with a capacity ranging from 500 KW to 2 MW.
• Moreover, National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) has also documented 13 operational agri-voltaic systems in the country managed by different solar PV functionaries and public Institutes.

AMMUNITION CUM TORPEDO CUM MISSILE (ACTCM)

A contract for construction & delivery of Eleven Ammunition Cum Torpedo Cum Missile (ACTCM) Barges has been concluded with M/s Suryadipta Projects Private Limited, Thane, an MSME on 05 March 2021.

About:

• The Ammunition Cum Torpedo Cum Missile Barges will be inducted in Indian Navy to undertake the mission needs for embarking/ disembarking Ammunition, Torpedo & Missile etc.
• These barges will be built under the Classification Rules of Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).
• Delivery of Barges is scheduled to commence from May 22.
• The project adds another milestone to the Atmanirbhar Bharat & Make in India initiative of the Government of India.

FUEL CELL BASED AIR INDEPENDENT PROPULSION (AIP) SYSTEM

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved an important milestone in the development of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) System by proving the land-based prototype on 8 March 2021.

About:

• The system is being developed by Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) of DRDO.
• AIP has a force multiplier effect on lethality of a diesel electric submarine as it enhances the submerged endurance of the boat, several folds. Fuel cell-based AIP has merits in performance compared to other technologies.
• While there are different types of AIP systems being pursued internationally, fuel cell-based AIP of NMRL is unique as the hydrogen is generated onboard.
• The technology has been successfully developed with the support of industry partners L&T and Thermax. It has now reached the stage of maturity for fitment into target vessels.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy and Industry for the achievement.

MOBILISING ELECTRIC VEHICLE FINANCING IN INDIA

NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) India released a new report ‘Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India’.

About:

• It highlights the role of finance in the India’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and analyses that the transition will require a cumulative capital investment of USD 266 billion (Rs 19.7 lakh crore) in EVs, charging infrastructure, and batteries over the next decade.
• The report also identifies a market size of USD 50 billion (Rs 3.7 lakh crore) for the financing of EVs in 2030—about 80% of the current size of India’s retail vehicle finance industry, worth USD 60 billion (Rs 4.5 lakh crore) today.
• End-users currently face several challenges, such as high interest rates, high insurance rates, and low loan-to-value ratios.
• To address these challenges, NITI Aayog and RMI have identified a toolkit of 10 solutions that financial institutions such as banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), as well as the industry and government can adopt in catalysing the required capital.

UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES PREVENTION ACT

There has been over 72% increase in the number of persons arrested under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act) in 2019 compared to year 2015, data provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Lok Sabha show.

About:

• As many as 1,948 persons were arrested under the UAPA in 1,226 cases registered across the country in 2019. From 2015 till 2018, the cases registered under the Act annually stood at 897, 922, 901 and 1,182 respectively, while the number of arrests was 1,128, 999, 1,554 and 1,421.
• In 2019, the highest number of such cases were registered in Manipur (306), followed by Tamil Nadu (270), Jammu & Kashmir (255), Jharkhand (105) and Assam (87) cases.
• The highest number of arrests in the same year were made in Uttar Pradesh (498), followed by Manipur (386), Tamil Nadu (308), Jammu & Kashmir (227) and Jharkhand (202).
• The government had declared 42 organisations as terrorist organisations and listed their names in the First Schedule of the UAPA
• Only 2.2 % of cases registered under the UAPA between 2016-2019 ended in convictions by court.

Important Info :

• Cases under the UAPA are investigated by the State police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
• Under the UAPA, getting bail is rare and the investigating agency has up to 180 days to file a charge sheet.

NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (NSAP)

The Centre must increase the “meagre” pensions provided for poor senior citizens, widows and disabled people, said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development in its report submitted to the Lok Sabha.

About:

• The Committee observed that under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), meagre amount of assistance ranging from ₹200 to ₹500 per month is provided under the different components of this Scheme.
• The panel had previously urged the increase of these miniscule pensions in its reports on the Department of Rural Development’s (DoRD) demand for grants in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Important Info :

• The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Government of India that provides financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities in the form of social pensions.
• The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.
• The National Assistance Program consists of five sub-schemes:
  • Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)
  • Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)
  • Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS)
  • National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS)
  • Annapurna Scheme

UDUPI RAMACHANDRA RAO

Google is celebrating the 89th birthday of renowned Indian professor and scientist Udupi Ramachandra Rao, remembered by many as “India’s Satellite Man.” The doodle features a sketch of Professor Rao with a background of the Earth and shooting stars.

About:

• Udupi Ramachandra Rao (1932 – 2017) was an Indian space scientist and chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
• He supervised the 1975 launch of India’s first satellite –“Aryabhata”-one of over 20 satellites he developed that transformed much of rural India by advancing communication and meteorological services.
• He developed rocket technology such as the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which has launched over 250 satellites.
• He was also the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad and Nehru Planetarium at Bengaluru and chancellor of the Indian Institute for Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Thiruvananthapuram.

Awards:

• Rao was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1976, and Padma Vibhushan in 2017.
• He was inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame, Washington in 2013. With this he became the first Indian to be inducted.
• He was also to be inducted in International Astronautics Federation (IAF) in 2016. He was also the first Indian again to achieve such a feat.

IT (INTERMEDIARY GUIDELINES AND DIGITAL MEDIA ETHICS CODE) RULES, 2021

The Kerala High Court restrained the Centre from taking coercive action against Live Law Media Private Ltd., which owns a legal news portal, for not complying with Part III of the new IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

Arguments by Petition:

• The court issued notice to the Centre on a petition filed by the firm challenging the rules regulating digital news media, curated content (OTT platforms), and social media intermediaries.
• The petition said Part III of the rules imposed an unconstitutional three-tier complaints and adjudication structure on publishers.
• The creation of a grievance redressal mechanism, through a governmental oversight body (an inter-departmental committee constituted under Rule 14) amounted to excessive regulation.
• Rule 4(2), which makes it mandatory for every social media intermediary to enable tracing of originators of information on its platform, purportedly in furtherance of Section 69 of the IT Act, violated Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression).
• It also deprived the intermediaries of their “safe-harbour protections” under Section 79 of the IT Act.
• The rules obligating messaging intermediaries to alter their infrastructure to “fingerprint” each message on a mass scale for every user to trace the first originator was violative of the fundamental right to privacy of Internet users.

ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

The Parliament gave its nod to the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 with Rajya Sabha passing it. The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill last month.

About:

• The legislation seeks to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The Act contains provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration and defines the law for conducting conciliation proceedings.
• The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 provides for the following:
  • to grant unconditional stay of enforcement of arbitral awards, where the underlying arbitration agreement, contracts or arbitral award is induced by fraud or corruption;
  • to omit Eighth Schedule of the Act which laid down the qualifications, experience and norms for accreditation of arbitrators; and
  • to specify by regulations the qualifications, experience and norms for accreditation of arbitrators and the said amendment is consequential in nature.

NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI LAWS (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) SECOND (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

The Parliament has passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2021 with Lok Sabha approving it. Rajya Sabha had already passed the bill last month.

About:

• The legislation aims to amend the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011. The 2011 Act was valid till 31st December last year. The Bill seeks to extend this deadline to till the end of December 2023.
• The 2011 Act provided for the regularisation of unauthorised colonies in the National Capital which existed as on 31st March , 2002, and where construction took place till 1st June, 2014.
• The Bill amends this to provide that unauthorised colonies will be identified for regularisation as per the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Act, 2019, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Regulations, 2019.
• The legislation provides that the unauthorised colonies which existed as on 1st June 2014, and have 50 per cent development as on 1st January, 2015, will be eligible for regularisation.

FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANT, RAMAGUNDAM

The country’s biggest floating solar power plant till date, by generation capacity, which is being developed by the NTPC in the reservoir of its thermal plant at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district, Telangana, is set to be commissioned by May-June next.

About:

• Work on this 100 megawatt floating solar power plant at Ramagundam is in the final stages of completion.
• This will be one of the renewable (solar) energy plants being developed by the NTPC with an installed capacity of 447 MW in the southern region and the entire capacity will be commissioned by March 2023.
• Except for the 230 MW ground-mounted solar power plant at Ettayapuram in Tamil Nadu, the remaining 217 MW capacity was to be commissioned by May-June this year.

MSME

Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises inaugurated two technology centres at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, three extension centres of big technological centres and seven mobile Udyam Express.

About:

• The Ministry of MSME has rolled out the Technology Centres Systems Programme to develop the competitiveness ecosystems of MSME in  the country.
• These Technology Centres will train more than 16 thousand students annually and have infrastructure for training and production.
• The minister also launched the 7 Udyan Express Mobile Vans with a view to provide assistance to MSME in remote areas and also make aware the youth of rural areas about government’s schemes.

DUSTLIK

The India – Uzbekistan joint military exercise “DUSTLIK II” commenced in Foreign Training Node Chaubatia, Ranikhet (Uttarakhand). It will continue till 19th March 2021.

About:

• 45 Soldiers each from Uzbekistan and Indian Army are participating in the exercise.
• Both contingents will be sharing their expertise and skills in the field of counter terrorist operations in mountainous/rural/urban scenario under UN mandate.
• This is the Second Edition of annual bilateral joint exercise of both armies.
• The first edition of the exercise was held at Uzbekistan in Nov 2019.

INS KARANJ

Indian Navy’s third stealth Scorpene class Submarine INS Karanj has been commissioned at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai through a formal commissioning ceremony.

About:

• Six Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
• INS Karanj would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet.
• The Scorpene Submarines are one of the most advanced conventional submarines in the world.
• These platforms are equipped with the latest technologies in the world. More deadly and stealthier than their predecessors, these submarines are equipped with potent weapons and sensors to neutralise any threat above or below the sea surface.

KING BHUMIBOL WORLD SOIL DAY – 2020 AWARD

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) received the prestigious “King Bhumibol World Soil Day – 2020 Award” of FAO.

About:

• The international recognition was announced by the FAO, Rome on the eve of World Soil Day – 2020 in view of the ICAR’s excellent contributions in “Soil Health Awareness” on the theme “Stop soil erosion, save our future” during the last year.
• Launched in 2018, the King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award acknowledges individuals or institutions that raise public awareness of soils by organising successful and influential World Soil Day celebrations.
• The award, sponsored by the Kingdom of Thailand, is named after King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand for his lifelong commitment to raising awareness of the importance of sustainable soil management and rehabilitation for food security, poverty alleviation and more.
• Formers winners of the King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award include Practical Action in Bangladesh in 2018 and the Costa Rican Soil Science Society (AACS) in 2019.

PRADHAN MANTRI SWASTHYA SURAKSHA NIDHI (PMSSN)

The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN) as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for share of Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess levied under Section 136-b of Finance Act, 2007.

Salient features of the PMSSN

• A non-lapsable reserve fund for Health in the Public Account;
• Proceeds of share of health in the Health and Education Cess will be credited into PMSSN;
• Accruals into the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare namely,
  • Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
  • Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs)
  • National Health Mission
  • Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)
  • Emergency & disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies
  • Any future programme/scheme that targets to achieve progress towards SDGs and the targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.

• Administration and maintenance of the PMSSN is entrusted to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; and
• In any financial year, the expenditure on such schemes of the MoHFW would be initially incurred from the PMSSN and thereafter, from Gross Budgetary Support (GBS).

• Benefits: The major benefit will be: enhanced access to universal & affordable health care through availability of earmarked resources, while ensuring that the amount does not lapse at the end of financial year.
• Background: In the budget speech 2018, the Finance Minister while announcing Ayushman Bharat Scheme, also announced replacement of existing 3% Education Cess by 4% Health and Education Cess.

HERATH FESTIVAL

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion of Herath festival.

About:

• Herath festival is one of the biggest festivals of Kashmiri Pandits.
• The festival is marked by a night of praying followed by a day of feasting.
• Some say Herath means the night of the Lord Shiva.

QUAD

PM Modi will attend the first Quad Summit on March 12, 2021.

About:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join U.S. President Joseph Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga for a virtual summit of the Quadrilateral Framework (Quad)— the first time leaders of the Indo-Pacific grouping are meeting.
• Access to COVID-19 vaccines, cooperation on technology, and climate change are on the top of the agenda in the summit.
• The Quad meeting, that China has referred to as an “Indo-Pacific NATO”, will be watched most closely for signals on how the grouping will deal with the challenge from Beijing’s recent moves in the Pacific as well as at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.
• India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines, that has already shipped out more than 48 million doses worldwide, is expected to request Quad investment to scale up its outreach further.

INDIA – JAPAN SPACE TIES

Indian and Japanese space agencies reviewed cooperation in earth observation, lunar cooperation and satellite navigation, and also agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in “space situational awareness and professional exchange programme”.

About:

• This was agreed during a bilateral meeting between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held virtually.
• Both agencies signed an Implementing Arrangement for collaborative activities on rice crop area and air quality monitoring using satellite data.
• India and Japan are already working on a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission and the two space agencies have been working on the mission that aims to send a lander and rover to the Moon’s south pole around 2024.

Space collaboration with other countries

• Early this month, India and Italy decided to explore opportunities in earth observation, space science and robotic and human exploration.
• Last month, India and Australia signed an amendment to the MoU which will build on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Both countries are also in discussions for Australia to host vital tracking infrastructure to support the Gaganyaan manned space flight mission.

SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Kindle version of Swami Chidbhavanandaji’s Bhagavad Gita.

About:

• Swami Chidbhavananda (1898 – 1985) was the founder of Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam Ashram at Thirupparaithurai, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu.
• He authored 186 books and all genres of literary composition.
• His scholarly work on the Gita is one of the most extensive books on the subject. Tamil version of the Gita with his commentaries was published in 1951, followed by the English in 1965. Its translations into Telugu, Oriya, German and Japanese were undertaken by devotees.

BAMIYAN BUDDHAS

Twenty years after being blasted out of Afghanistan’s rugged central highlands, one of the country’s famed Buddha statues made a brief virtual return as a three-dimensional projection filled the alcove that hosted the statue for centuries.

About:

• In March 2001, the Taliban began blowing up two monumental Buddha statues in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley.
• Now, two decades later, on the anniversary of the annihilation, the Bamiyan Buddhas have been brought back to life in the form of 3D projections in an event called “A Night With Buddha”.

The legacy of the Bamiyan Buddhas:

• In their Roman draperies and with two different mudras, the Bamiyan Buddhas were great examples of a confluence of Gupta, Sassanian and Hellenistic artistic styles.
• They are said to date back to the 5th century AD and were once the tallest standing Buddhas in the world.
• Salsal and Shamama, as they were called by the locals, rose to heights of 55 and 38 metres respectively, and were said to be male and female. Salsal means “light shines through the universe”; Shamama is “Queen Mother”.
• The statues were set in niches on either ends of a cliff side and hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs.
• Following the fall of the Bamiyan Buddhas, UNESCO included the remains in its list of world heritage sites in 2003, with subsequent efforts made to restore and reconstruct the Buddhas in their niches with the pieces available.

The significance of Bamiyan:

• Bamiyan is situated in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush in the central highlands of Afghanistan.
• The valley, which is set along the line of the Bamiyan River, was once integral to the early days of the Silk Roads, providing passage for not just merchants, but also culture, religion and language.

MENSTRUATION TABOO

In a public interest litigation, the Gujarat High Court passed an order proposing nine guidelines that the state should follow to end menstruation taboo and discriminatory practices pertaining to it.

About:

• The guidelines call for Prohibiting social exclusion of women on the basis of their menstrual status at all places, be it private or public, religious or educational.
• It also list the state government’s role in raising awareness, including the topic in school curriculum and sensitisation drives.

Judgements in the recent past pertaining to menstruation

• The Sabarimala temple entry judgment of the Supreme Court in 2019: Regarding menstruation as polluting or impure, and imposing exclusionary disabilities on the basis of menstrual status, is against the dignity of women which is guaranteed by the Constitution.
• The Delhi High Court in November 2020 had asked government authorities to treat a PIL seeking direction to grant paid period leave to all women employees for four days each month and payment of overtime allowance in case the women opt to work during the menstruation period.

GENOME MAPPING IN INDIAN OCEAN

Scientists from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Panaji onboard its research vessel Sindhu Sadhana will spend the next three months traversing the course of over 10,000 nautical miles in the Indian Ocean on a research project to reveal the internal working of the body of the ocean at a cellular level.

About:

• The first-of-its-kind research project in the country is aimed at understanding the biochemistry and the response of the ocean to climate change, nutrient stress and increasing pollution.
• The research project will take three years to complete.
• Researchers will travel the Indian Ocean from India’s east coast, all the way to Australia, then onward towards Port Louis in Mauritius and up to the border of Pakistan, off India’s west coast, gathering samples for genome mapping of microorganisms in the Indian Ocean.
• The researchers will collect samples from various stretches of the ocean at an average depth of about 5 km.
• Just like gene mapping is carried out on blood samples collected from humans, the scientists will map these in the bacteria, microbes found in the ocean. This will help scientists understand the internal working of the ecosystem of the Indian Ocean.
• At various stages and stretches, samples will be collected by lowering a Kevlar cable of up to 8 km with a set of 24 teflon coated bottles to collect samples.

TRUSTED TELECOM RULES

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has amended the licensing conditions for telecom companies to include defence and national security as parameters when purchasing ‘trusted telecom products’ and sourcing equipment from ‘trusted telecom equipment sources’.

About:

• Including defence and national security as parameters means the designated authority can, at any time, citing these two aspects, ask telecom companies not to use products which it has deemed unsafe.
• The new norms will kick in from June 15, following which telecom companies will not be able to use any products that do not appear on the trusted telecom equipment source list or the trusted telecom product list.
• If a telecom company wishes to expand its network by using any equipment that does not come from a trusted source or is not on the list of trusted telecom products, it will have to take prior permission from the designated authority, which is the National Cyber Security Coordinator.

Background:

• In December last year, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security approved the setting up of a new National Security Directive on telecommunication sector with an intent to classify telecom products and their sources under the ‘trusted’ and ‘non-trusted’ categories.
• The list of products telecom companies will be allowed to use in their network would be approved by the National Cyber Security Coordinator, which in turn will make its decision based on the approval of a committee headed by the deputy National Security Advisor (NSA).
• The expert committee will also have members from other departments and ministries, independent experts as well as two industry members.

INNER-LINE PERMIT (ILP) SYSTEM

The Uttarakhand government, in a recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, had sought withdrawal of “inner-line permit” (ILP) system in Niti Valley of Chamoli district and Nelang Valley of Uttarkashi district for better border management and expansion of tourism in villages located there.

About:

• The ILP system restricts movement in areas close to the border for everyone other than those with a formal permission.
• In Uttarakhand, tourists have to obtain ILP for locations near China border, at least in the three districts of Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh and Chamoli.
• Pithoragarh is strategically more sensitive as it shares boundaries with both China and Nepal.
• Nelong Valley, Uttarkashi: Nelong valley is an inner line area (India-China border) opened to domestic tourists only during the day. It is approximately 100 km from Uttarkashi headquarters.
• Niti village, Chamoli: Located at an altitude of around 3600 metres, Niti village in Joshimath in Chamoli district is the last populated village before China border.

TIRATH SINGH RAWAT

Tirath Singh Rawat has been sworn in as the new Uttarakhand chief minister. The 56-year-old MP from Pauri replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat who stepped down from the post.

Key constitutional provisions for CMs:

• Article 163(1): There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except in so far as he is by or under the Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion.
• Article 164(1): The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed on the advice of the Chief Minister.
• Article 164(2): The Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State.

SHRAMIK KALYAN PORTAL

Indian Railways ensures 100% compliance of payment of minimum wages to contract workers through e-application Shramik Kalyan Portal.

About:

• Indian Railway Shramik Kalyan e-application has been developed and launched on 1st October, 2018.
• E-Application ensures the compliance of provisions of Minimum Wages Act and also ensures that contractual workers working in Indian Railways get their rightful due by enforcing the contractors to regularly upload wage payment data into e-application.
• This helps Railways as Principal Employer, in keep vigil over wages disbursed by contractors to contract workers.
• All PSUs working under Ministry of Railways are also using this e-application.

GANDHI’S DANDI MARCH

On the 91st anniversary of the historic salt march led by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a symbolic 386-kilometre ‘Dandi march’, following the same route.

About:

• The 24-day march from March 12 to April 5, 1930 was a tax resistance campaign against the British salt monopoly.
• The march marked the inauguration of the civil disobedience movement.
• Gandhi reached Dandi on April 5. The following day, early morning he proceeded along with the other marchers to the sea, where he picked up lumps of natural salt lying in a small pit.
• The following month Gandhi proceeded to Dharasana salt works from where he was arrested and taken to the Yerawada Central Jail.

Why did Gandhi call for the Dandi March?

• The 1882 Salt Act gave the British a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt.
• Even though salt was freely available on the coasts of India, Indians were forced to buy it from the colonisers.
• Gandhi decided that if there was any one product through which the civil disobedience could be inaugurated, then it was salt.
  

STATE ELECTION COMMISSIONERS

The Supreme Court held that independent persons and not bureaucrats should be appointed State Election Commissioners.

About:

• It said that giving government employees the additional charge of State Election Commissioners is a “mockery of the Constitution”.
• The top court directed that the States should appoint independent persons as Election Commissioners all along the length and breadth of the country.
• The judgment criticised the Goa government for giving its Law Secretary the additional charge of State Election Commissioner.

Article 243K?

• Article 243K deals with the Elections to the Panchayats.
• It states that The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to the Panchayats shall be vested in a State Election Commission.
• It shall consist of a State Election Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor.
• Subject to the provisions of any law made by the State Legislature, the conditions of service and tenure of office of the State Election Commissioner shall be such as the Governor may by rule determine. However,
  • The State Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner and on the like ground as a Judge of a High Court.
  • The conditions of service of the State Election Commissioner shall not be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.

MERA RATION MOBILE APP

Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution launched Mera Ration Mobile App for the benefit of those ration card holders who move to new places in search of livelihood.

About:

• At present 32 States and Union Territories are covered under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) and integration of remaining four States and UTs is expected to be completed in next few months.
• At present, the system covers nearly 69 Crore National Food Security Act- NFSA beneficiaries in the country.
• The ONORC scheme is being implemented by the Department of Food & Public Distribution under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution for the nation-wide portability of ration cards under National Food Security Act (NFSA).

AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV (INDIA@75)

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the ‘Padyatra’ (Freedom March) from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad and inaugurated the curtain raiser activities of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ (India@75).

About:

• The launch of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ 75 weeks before 15 August 2022 will continue till 15 August, 2023.
• The Prime Minister reiterated five pillars i.e. Freedom Struggle, Ideas at 75, Achievements at 75, Actions at 75 and Resolves at 75 as guiding force for moving forward keeping dreams and duties as inspiration.
• The Prime Minister launched the website of India@75 on the occasion.
• He also launched the ‘Atmanirbhar Incubator’ programme of Ministry of Culture in partnership with Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust to preserve the skills and arts of artisans/crafts persons on the verge of extinction.
• A Charkha has been installed near Magan Niwas at Sabarmati Ashram. It will rotate full circle with each Tweet related to Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

LGBTIQ FREEDOM ZONE

In a resolution adopted, the European Parliament symbolically declared European Union, the entire 27-member bloc as an “LGBTIQ Freedom Zone” – the acronym meaning lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, intersex and queer.

About:

• The resolution reads, ‘‘LGBTIQ persons everywhere in the EU should enjoy the freedom to live and publicly show their sexual orientation and gender identity without fear of intolerance, discrimination or persecution.
• The move comes as a response against member state Poland’s controversial move to create more than 100 ‘‘LGBTIQ ideology-free zones” around the country since 2019, and more generally against the backsliding of LGBTIQ rights in some EU countries, particularly in Poland and Hungary.
• A majority of countries in the EU (23/27) recognises same-sex unions, with 16 of them legally recognising same-sex marriage.
• Poland is part of the small minority that does not acknowledge such relationships.
• Like Poland, Hungary has also been pushing forward a conservative Catholic social agenda. In November 2020, the town of Nagykáta adopted a resolution banning the ‘‘dissemination and promotion of LGBTIQ propaganda’’.

2001 FO32

On March 21, the largest asteroid predicted to pass by Earth in 2021 will be at its closest. It is called 2001 FO32.

About:

• It is a near-Earth asteroid classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group.
• With an estimated diameter of 440–680 m (1,400–2,200 ft), it was discovered by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research at Socorro, New Mexico on 23 March 2001.
• The asteroid will safely pass by Earth on 21 March 2021.
• It won’t come closer than 2 million km to Earth, but still, that distance is close in astronomical terms, which is why 2001 FO32 has been designated a “potentially hazardous asteroid”.

High Speed:

• During this approach, 2001 FO32 will pass by at about 124,000 kph – faster than the speed at which most asteroids encounter Earth.
• The reason for the asteroid’s unusually speedy close approach is its highly eccentric orbit around the Sun, an orbit that is tilted 39° to Earth’s orbital plane. This orbit takes the asteroid closer to the Sun than Mercury, and twice as far from the Sun as Mars.

MOBILE INTEGRATED NETWORK TERMINAL (MINT) SYSTEMS

The Indian Army is in the process of procuring Mobile Integrated Network Terminal (MINT) systems under Make II Category of DAP 2020.

About:

• The system is envisaged as a lightweight, portable, state of art integrated communication solution with satellite backhaul and wireless access system to support voice, video and data.
• Post evaluation of response submitted by the Indian Industry, a total of 11 (eleven) firms have been issued with the Project Sanction Order on 12 March 2021 for development of prototype.
• The Contract will subsequently be placed with one of the firms on successful development of prototype as per provisions of Buy (Indian-IDDM) of DAP 2020.
• Development of MINT systems will enhance the operational communication capability of the field army.

BRICS CONTACT GROUP ON ECONOMIC AND TRADE ISSUES (CGETI)

The BRICS Contact Group on Economic and Trade Issues (CGETI) leads held their first meeting under India’s Chairship from 9-11 March 2021.

About:

• The theme of BRICS this year is -“BRICS@15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus”.
• India, under its Chairship in 2021, presented the calendar of events for BRICS CGETI 2021.
• The deliverables proposed are on (i) BRICS Cooperation on Multilateral Trading system including cooperation for the TRIPS Waiver proposal at WTO; (ii) Framework for Consumer Protection in E-Commerce; (iii) Non-Tariff Measures (NTM) Resolution Mechanism; (iv) Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) etc.

Important Info :

• BRICS is the acronym coined to associate five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
• Originally the first four were grouped as “BRIC” (or “the BRICs”) before the induction of South Africa in 2010.
• The term “BRIC” is believed to be coined by Goldman Sachs.

AYYA VAIKUNDA SWAMIKAL

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his respects to Ayya Vaikunda Swamikal – a great thinker and social reformer of the 19th century – on his birth anniversary.

About:

• He was the pioneer of the social revolutionaries of south India and Kerala.
• Research scholars regard Vaikundar as a teacher, healer and also a miracle worker.
• His teachings also effected many social changes in southern India, resulting in the emergence of a series of social and self-respect movements such as Upper cloth agitation, Temple entry agitation and other movements including those of Narayana Guru, Chattampi Swamikal, Vallalar and Ayyankali.

MENINGITIS

World Health Assembly endorses the 1st ever resolution on meningitis prevention and control.

About:

• Meningitis is a serious infection of the meninges, the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
• The disease can be caused by many different pathogens including bacteria, fungi or viruses, but the highest global burden is seen with bacterial meningitis.
• Several different bacteria can cause meningitis. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis are the most frequent ones. N. meningitidis, causing meningococcal meningitis, is the one with the potential to produce large epidemics.
• The bacteria that cause meningitis are transmitted from person-to-person through droplets of respiratory or throat secretions from carriers.
• Despite successful efforts to control meningitis in several regions of the world, meningitis continues to be a major global public health issue causing up to 5 million cases each year.
• The meningitis belt in Africa is the most vulnerable to recurrent outbreaks, but meningitis kills people of all ages in all countries.
• The Defeating Meningitis Roadmap addresses all types of meningitis, regardless of the cause, but particularly targets the main causes of acute bacterial meningitis (meningococcus, pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, and group B streptococcus).

Sri Lanka will soon ban the burkha or face veil, a Cabinet Minister said, as he announced the Rajapaksa administration’s latest policy decision impacting the minority Muslim community.

About:

• The authorities would henceforth use the Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) law — that human rights defenders have termed “draconian” — to deal with religious extremism, with wide-ranging powers to detain suspects for up to two years, to “deradicalize” them.
• According to the minister, the burkha affects their national security as it is a symbol of their religious extremism. This dress came into Sri Lanka only recently.
• While the Minister had signed documents outlawing the burkha, the move awaits Cabinet approval. Over 1,000 madrasas would be shut.
• Following the Islamic State-inspired Easter terror bombings in Sri Lanka in April 2019, attributed to a local Islamist radical network, the government temporarily banned the face veil using emergency laws.

Burial rights

• The announcement on the burkha ban comes after a year-long controversy over the government’s policy of mandatory cremation of COVID-19 victims, based on unsubstantiated claims that the bodies would contaminate ground water.
• The government reversed its decision recently, amid persistent calls for burial rights from Muslims, who make up about 10% of the 21-million population, as well as international bodies including the U.N.

BAMBOOSA BAMBOS

The “gregarious flowering of bamboo” inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) may pose a threat to wildlife in the Nilgiri biosphere, a major tiger and elephant habitat.

About:

• Bamboosa bambos is a monocarpic (flowering only once) plant belonging to the Poaceae family (grass family), and its flowering cycle varies from 40 to 60 years.
• Bamboosa bambos is also known as the giant thorny bamboo, Indian thorny bamboo, spiny bamboo, or thorny bamboo.
• It is a species of clumping bamboo native to southern Asia.
• It is a tall, bright-green coloured spiny bamboo species, which grows in thickets consisting of a large number of heavily branched, closely growing culms.

Recent development

• The bamboo groves in the Wayanad forest are the mainstay of herbivores in the Nilgiri biosphere during summer.
• With the advent of the season, migration of wild animals starts from the adjacent sanctuaries in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to Wayanad due to shortage of fodder and water.
• The gregarious flowering may adversely affect migration, especially by elephants, wild gaur, and other lower herbivores owing to the mass destruction of bamboo groves after the flowering.

Important Info :

• The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala, India.

PLACES OF WORSHIP (SPECIAL PROVISION) ACT, 1991

The CPI(M) Polit Bureau called the Supreme Court notice to the government seeking a response on the PIL petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provision) Act, 1991, “unfortunate”.

About:

• The Act mandates that the character of all religious places of worship should be maintained as it was on August 15, 1947, and no suit or proceedings shall lie in a court of law with respect to the character of places of worship.
• This effectively barred courts from entertaining cases which raise disputes over places of worship that existed as of August 15, 1947.
• While invoking this exemption, the Supreme Court in the 2019 Ayodhya verdict reaffirmed that similar such cases cannot be entertained with respect to other sites in view of this Act.

HONG KONG

The National People’s Congress (NPC) of China, the ceremonial legislature in Beijing, on March 11 approved what it called “a decision on improving Hong Kong’s electoral system”.

How does the new NPC amendment change Hong Kong’s political system?

• This paves the way for sweeping changes in how Hong Kong, the Special Administrative Region (SAR) that has been ruled under the “one country, two systems” model since its return to China in 1997, chooses its leaders.
• The NPC amendment essentially gives Beijing-appointed politicians greater power in running the HKSAR’s politics.
• Now, the size of the Legislative Council will be expanded to 90, with the additional 20 members joining the 35 others who are nominated, thus reducing the share of directly elected representatives.
• The amendment also bestows greater power on a newly expanded Election Committee of 1,500 nominated members, up from 1,200 previously.
• The most controversial change is the setting up of a new “candidate qualification review committee”, which “shall be responsible for reviewing and confirming” the qualifications of candidates for Election Committee members, the Chief Executive, and Legislative Council members.

MARTIAN BLUEBERRIES

According to a recent research paper, Martian ‘blueberries’ find a parallel on Earth.

About:

• In 2004, NASA’s Mars exploration rover ‘Opportunity’ found several small spheres on the planet, informally named Martian blueberries.
• Opportunity’s spectrometers studied the mineralogy and noted they were made of iron oxide compounds called haematites.
• This caused excitement, as the presence of haematites suggests that there was water present on Mars. Haematite is known to form in oxidising environments.

Recent development

• A recent paper by a scientist from the Planetary Sciences Division of Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad which studied haematite concretions in Kutch notes that the ‘blueberries’ in India and Mars share similar characteristics.
• The team has been studying the Jhuran formation in Gujarat which is between 145 and 201 million years old. Detailed investigations of the haematite concretions in this area revealed that they resemble the ones on Mars.

WATER QUALITY TESTING FRAMEWORK

Citizens can now get the water quality in their taps tested at reasonable rates, as part of a monitoring framework rolled out by the Centre’s flagship Jal Jeevan Mission.

About:

• The “drinking water quality testing, monitoring and surveillance framework and guidelines” released mandate a network of National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited labs to be set up in every State, district and block over the next year.
• At the panchayat level, teams of women in the village water and sanitation committees will be given field testing kits.
• State governments can include private players as part of the network, but the Centre has capped tariffs to ensure that they remain within the reach of the common man.
• A package for all the 16 water quality parameters would cost ₹600. Turnaround time for chemical tests should not be more than 24 hours, while testing for the biological contaminants will produce results within 48 hours.
• All results of testing will be fed into the Water Quality Information Management System (WQMIS), a portal developed with the support of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

ZO PEOPLE

A Mizoram-based group representing the Zo indigenous people of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar has petitioned President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to impose sanctions on military-ruled Myanmar.

About:

• The Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) comprising the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi group of people has also asked the Centre not to turn away the Myanmar nationals who crossed over to escape the military regime and provide them shelter on humanitarian grounds.
• These four States – Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram – share a 1,643 km border with Myanmar and people on either side are ethnically related.
• The Mizo people of Mizoram and the Kuki-Zomi communities in Manipur have a strong kinship with the Chins across the border.

Important Info :

• The Zo people are an ethnic group of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• Various names have been used for the Zo peoples, but the individual groups generally acknowledge descent from ancestral Zo. Among the more prominent names given to this group are “Chin” and “Zomi “generally in Myanmar, and “Mizo” ,”Zomi “and “Kuki”, generally in India.
• In north-eastern India, they are present in: Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Assam.

AT1 BONDS

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has slapped restrictions on mutual fund (MF) investments in additional tier-1 (AT1) bonds.

What are AT1 bonds?

• AT1 Bonds stand for additional tier-1 bonds.
• These are unsecured bonds which have perpetual tenure. In other words, the bonds have no maturity date.
• They have call option, which can be used by the banks to buy these bonds back from investors.
• These bonds are typically used by banks to bolster their core or tier-1 capital.
• AT1 bonds are subordinate to all other debt and only senior to common equity.
• Mutual funds (MFs) are among the largest investors in perpetual debt instruments, and hold over Rs 35,000 crore of the outstanding additional tier-I bond issuances of Rs 90,000 crore.

What action has been taken by the Sebi recently?

• In a recent circular, the Sebi told mutual funds to value these perpetual bonds as a 100-year instrument. This essentially means MFs have to make the assumption that these bonds would be redeemed in 100 years.

GLOBAL CENTRE FOR TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

The World Health Organisation announced that it will set up a Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India.

About:

• This new centre will support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023 which aims to support countries in developing policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to universal health coverage

• The regulator also asked MFs to limit the ownership of the bonds at 10 per cent of the assets of a scheme.

Reason for SEBI action

• According to the Sebi, these instruments could be riskier than other debt instruments.
• The Sebi has probably made this decision after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed a write-off of Rs 8,400 crore on AT1 bonds issued by Yes Bank Ltd after it was rescued by State Bank of India (SBI).

AEG12

A mosquito protein, called AEG12, strongly inhibits the family of viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Zika, and also weakly inhibits coronaviruses, according to scientists at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators.

About:

• The researchers found that AEG12 works by destabilising the viral envelope, breaking its protective covering. The protein does not affect viruses that do not have an envelope.
• At the molecular level, AEG12 rips out the lipids (the fat-like portions of the membrane that hold the virus together).
• The findings, however, could lead to therapeutics against viruses that affect millions of people around the world.
• While the researchers demonstrated that AEG12 was most effective against flaviviruses — the family of viruses to which Zika, West Nile, and others belong — they felt it is possible AEG12 could be effective against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
• But, it will take years of bioengineering to make AEG12 a viable therapy for Covid-19.

UK’S TURING SCHEME FOR STUDENTS

Having left the European Union’s flagship Erasmus scholarship programme after Brexit, the UK launched its own replacement called the Turing scheme to enable UK students to study abroad.

About:

• Named after the celebrated English mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing, the scheme will enable schools, colleges and universities in the UK to apply for government funding to allow students to study and work across the globe, including in India.
• The scheme, for which the British government has allocated 110 million pounds for the first year, starts in 2021/22, and would enable up to 35,000 students from across the country to study or work across the world from September this year.
• Under the programme, after schools and universities successfully apply for funding for exchanges, university study and work placements, they can invite their students to apply for individual funding’s.
• The scheme would be a global programme in which every country in the world will be able to partner with UK institutions. This is in contrast with the Erasmus+ programme, which only included European countries.

INDEX MONITORING CELL (IMC)

Pointing out that the right to dissent should be the central focus of press freedom, independent journalist P. Sainath struck a dissenting note in the report submitted by the Index Monitoring Cell (IMC).

About:

• The Index Monitoring Cell (IMC) was set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry with stakeholders to improve India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index and to evolve objective yardstick to gauge media freedom.
• The 15-member committee, which had four meetings between May and December last year, has four journalists and government functionaries.
• Chaired by Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia, Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau, the committee has 10 government employees.

Recommendations of report

• Among the key recommendations is the decriminalising of defamation. India is one of the few countries in the world to criminalise defamation.
• The panel has also recommended that consent of the Press Council of India is a prerequisite before filing an FIR against the media or a publication.

View of P Sainath

• Sainath pointed out that the report failed in its objective to analyse the World Press Freedom Index (of Paris-based Reporters Without Borders or RSF), and India’s performance in it with a view to identify areas of strengths and concern related to press freedom in India.

COMMISSION FOR AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Center has dissolved the Commission for Air Quality Management.

About:

• The commission was headed by M.M. Kutty, a former Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• The dissolution happened despite the nodal Union Environment Ministry submitting the paper work to the Union Cabinet Secretariat, required to give legal backing to the commission.
• The body came into being in last October on the back of an ordinance — a temporary measure — and the law requires that a formal Bill be presented to Parliament within six weeks of it reconvening — in this case — January 29 when the Budget Session began. Before a Bill is tabled in Parliament it needs to be approved by the Union Cabinet.
• However in spite of several Cabinet meetings since January, it wasn’t taken up for discussion due to which, the tenure of the body expired, without ever making it to Parliament. It is still technically possible to revive the body during the ongoing Parliament session.

PANEL ON MYTHICAL SARASVATI RIVER

The Centre has reconstituted an advisory committee to chalk out a plan for studying the mythical Sarasvati river for the next two years, after the earlier panel’s term ended in 2019.

About:

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on March 10 issued a notification for “reconstitution of the Advisory Committee for the Multidisciplinary Study of the River Sarasvati”.
• The ASI had first set up the committee on December 28, 2017 for a period of two years.
• The committee would continue to be chaired by the Culture Minister.
• It would include officials from the Culture, Tourism, Water Resources, Environment and Forest, Housing and Urban Affairs Ministries; representatives of the Indian Space Research Organisation; officials from the governments of Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan; and an ASI official.
• The committee would review the work done by the previous panel and then formulate a plan. The committee would advise the Government Departments conducting research.

NewSpace India Limited

The NewSpace India Limited, a subsidiary company under the Department of Space will own and operate capital intensive space assets of ISRO as part of the space reforms process initiated in June last year.

About:

• NewSpace India Limited is in advance stage of discussion with the Department of Space to take ownership of two new communication satellites for commercial purpose.
• The transponders on these satellites will be leased to the private companies with DTH and Broadband services.

Key facts

• NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is a Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) of Government of India and commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• It was established in 2019 under the administrative control of Department of Space (DoS) and the Company Act 2013. The main objective of NSIL is to scale up industry participation in Indian space programmes.
• Headquarters: Bengaluru.

COMOROS

Indian Navy Ship Jalashwa arrived at port of Anjouan in Comoros with one thousand metric tonnes of rice. This highlights the exemplary ties between India and Comoros within the framework of PM Modi’s vision of SAGAR ( Security and Growth for all in the Indian Ocean Region).

About:

• The Comoros is an island country in the Indian Ocean.
• The Comoros is formed by Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli) and Ndzuani (Anjouan), three major islands in the Comoros Archipelago, as well as many minor islets.
• The archipelago is situated in the Indian Ocean, in the Mozambique Channel, between the African coast (nearest to Mozambique and Tanzania) and Madagascar, with no land borders.
• Its capital and largest city is Moroni.
• As a member of the Arab League, it is the only country in the Arab world which is entirely in the Southern Hemisphere.
• It is also a member state of the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Indian Ocean Commission.

ALL INDIA TOURIST VEHICLES AUTHORIZATION AND PERMIT RULES, 2021

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced a new scheme, under which any tourist vehicle operator may apply for an “All India Tourist Authorization/Permit” through online mode.

About:

• It will be issued, after relevant documents are submitted and fees deposited, within 30 days of submission of such applications.
• The new set of rules, to be known as, “All India Tourist Vehicles Authorization and Permit Rules, 2021” will be applicable from 01 April 2021.
• The new rules for permits are expected to go a long way in promoting tourism across the States in our country, while simultaneously, growing the revenue of state Governments.
• The rules come even as the Ministry is in the pursuit of providing seamless movement to tourist passenger vehicles, after the success of goods carriage vehicles under National Permit Regime.

LACHIT BORPHUKAN

Opposition parties in poll-bound Assam slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for referring to 17th century Ahom general Lachit Borphukan as a freedom fighter

About:

• Lachit Borphukan (1622 – 1672) was a commander and Borphukan (Phu-Kon-Lung) in the Ahom kingdom, located in present-day Assam.
• He is known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that thwarted a drawn-out attempt by Mughal forces under the command of Ramsingh I to take over Ahom kingdom.
• On 24 November each year Lachit Divas (Lachit Day) is celebrated state-wide in Assam to commemorate the heroism of Lachit Borphukan and the victory of the Assamese army at the Battle of Saraighat.
• The best passing out cadet of National Defence Academy is conferred the Lachit Borphukan gold medal every year from 1999.

Criticism by opposition parties of Modi:

• He died in April 1672, almost two centuries before the freedom movement began.
• Assam was a sovereign region for more than 600 years from 1228-1826.

OTPRMS CERTIFICATES

Union Education Minister announced that in order to ensure hassle free access to verified Online Teacher Pupil Registration Management System (OTPRMS) Certificates, the Ministry of Education has decided to link the certificates with DigiLocker.

About:

• The issued certificates will automatically be transferred to DigiLocker and the same may be traced at the website of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
• The registration fee of Rs. 200/-, payable for obtaining OTPRMS Certificates, issued by NCTE has been waived off. This will enable all stakeholders across India to be digitally empowered facilitating ease of doing business.

OVER 60% OBC, SC POSTS VACANT IN IIMS

More than half of the faculty positions reserved for the OBCs in Central institutions of higher education are vacant while about 40% of those reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes also remain unfilled, Education Minister told the Lok Sabha.

About:

• The situation is particularly acute in the elite Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), where more than 60% of SC and OBC reserved positions are vacant, while almost 80% of positions reserved for the STs have not been filled.
• This means that out of 24 positions reserved for the STs, only five have been filled.
• For the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), data has only been provided for non-faculty positions.
• Both the IITs and the IIMs have been lobbying for exemption from such faculty quota requirements.
• Within the Central Universities, vacancies were higher at the level of professors. Less than 1% of the 1,062 professors in Central universities are from the ST communities.
• Despite the high levels of vacancies, Education Minister claimed that, “After implementation of ‘The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019’, the OBC reservation has been implemented at all levels.”

GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) moved a Bill in the Lok Sabha in which it proposed that the “government” in the National Capital Territory of Delhi meant the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi.

About:

• The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 proposes to amend Sections 21, 24, 33 and 44 of the 1991 Act.
• Section 44 of the 1991 Act says that all executive actions of the L-G, whether taken on the advice of his Ministers or otherwise, shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the L-G.
• The Bill gives discretionary powers to the L-G even in matters where the Legislative Assembly of Delhi is empowered to make laws.
• The proposed legislation also seeks to ensure that the L-G is “necessarily granted an opportunity” to give her or his opinion before any decision taken by the Council of Ministers (or the Delhi Cabinet) is implemented.

Do you know?

• Delhi is a Union Territory with a legislature and it came into being in 1991 under Article 239AA of the Constitution inserted by the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991.
• As per the existing Act, the Legislative Assembly has the power to make laws in all matters except public order, police and land.

GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD

The Supreme Court intervened on behalf of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustards over the birds falling dead after colliding with power lines running through their dwindling natural habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

About:

• Scientific Name: Ardeotis nigriceps.
• Physical description: Black crown on the forehead contrasting with the pale neck and head. The body is brownish and the wings are marked with black, brown and grey.
• Diet: They feed on grass seeds, insects like grasshoppers and beetles, and sometimes even small rodents and reptiles.
• Distribution:
  • India, effectively the only home of the bustards, now harbours less than 150 individuals in five States.
  • Today, its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small population also occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
  • It is the State bird of Rajasthan.
• Habitat:
  • Bustards generally favour flat open landscapes with minimal visual obstruction and disturbance, therefore adapt well in grasslands.
  • They avoid grasses taller than themselves and dense scrub like thickets.
• Conservation status:
  • Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972,
  • Listed in Appendix I of CITES,
  • Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Recent development:

• A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde will examine on a priority basis whether overhead power cables can be replaced with underground ones to save one of the heaviest flying birds on the planet.
• The court found further that an alternative mechanism — to install flight bird divertors — to guide the birds away from the power lines would be expensive.

NOTA

The Supreme Court asked the Centre and the Election Commission of India to respond to a plea that fresh elections should be conducted in constituencies where the highest number of votes polled are NOTA (None Of The Above).

About:

• The petition said candidates ‘rejected’ by voters should not be fielded again in the fresh polls.
• Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde expressed doubts initially about the feasibility of the petition to arm the electorate with the “right to reject” and nudge political parties to present voters with a better choice of candidates to pick from.
• Chief Justice Bobde said if voters kept rejecting candidates, Parliament/Assembly seats would continue to remain vacant, affecting legislative functioning.
• But the petition argued that “if voters are given the power to reject, political parties will take care to field worthy candidates in the first place.”

None of the Above (NOTA)?

• Supreme Court, in the PUCL v Union of India (2013) directed the ECI to introduce NOTA in direct elections to allow voters to register their protest if none of the candidates is acceptable to them.
• NOTA has only symbolic value in a direct election. Regardless of NOTA numbers, candidate polling most votes is elected.
• However, it is a step towards encouraging political parties to field candidates with integrity.

ARMS IMPORTS

Arms imports decreased by 33% between 2011–15 and 2016–20 while India continues to remain the second largest arms importer after Saudi Arabia, according to a report from Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

India arms imports

• The overall drop in arms imports between 2011–15 and 2016–20 was due to complex and lengthy procurement processes, combined with attempts to reduce its dependence on Russian arms by diversifying its network of arms suppliers.
• Russia was the largest arms supplier in both years. However, Russia’s deliveries dropped by 53% between the two periods and its share of Indian arms imports fell from 70 to 49%.
• France and Israel were the second and third largest arms suppliers in 2016–20. India’s arms imports from France increased by 709% while those from Israel rose by 82%.
• The U.S. was the fourth largest supplier in 2016–20.
• Combat aircraft and associated missiles made up more than 50% of arms imports.

Pakistan imports?

• Arms imports by Pakistan between 2011–15 and 2016–20 decreased by 23%.
• China accounted for 61% of its imports in 2011–15 and for 74% in 2016–20.

PROJECT RE-HAB

A pilot project launched in Kodagu, Karnataka entails installing bee boxes along the periphery of the forest and the villages with the belief that the elephants will not venture anywhere close to the bees and thus avoid transgressing into human landscape. This idea stems from the elephants’ proven fear of the bees.

About:

• An initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees) intends to create “bee fences” to thwart elephant attacks in human habitations using honeybees.
• The pilot project was launched at four locations around Chelur village in Kodagu district by KVIC. These spots are located on the periphery of the Nagarahole National Park and Tiger Reserve, known conflict zone.
• Project RE-HAB is a sub-mission of the KVIC’s National Honey Mission.
• Between 2015 and 2020, nearly 2,500 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks across India, of which 170 human fatalities have been reported in Karnataka alone, says the KVIC.

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MANAGEMENT BILL, 2019

The Rajya Sabha passed the National Institutes of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019.

About:

• The Bill declares certain institutes of food technology, entrepreneurship, and management as institutions of national importance.
• These institutes are the
  • National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Kundli, in Haryana
  • Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.
• The Bill declares these institutes as National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management.

BARALACHA

For the first time ever, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has started work on reopening the crucial Baralacha Pass in Himachal Pradesh much before schedule to restore connectivity to Leh in Ladakh.

About:

• Bara-lacha la also known as Bara-lacha Pass is a high mountain pass in Zanskar range, connecting Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh, situated along the Leh–Manali Highway.
• The pass also acts as a water-divide between the Bhaga river and the Yunam river.
• The Bhaga river, a tributary of the Chenab river, originates from Surya taal lake, which is situated a few of kilometers from the pass towards Manali.

BHAONA

The Congress in Assam has tweaked Bhaona for a political statement against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens.

About:

• Bhaona is a traditional form of entertainment, with religious messages, prevalent is Assam.
• It is a creation of Sankardeva, written in the early sixteenth century.
• The plays of bhaona are popularly known as Ankiya Nats and their staging is known as bhaona.
• The bhaonas are written in the Assamese and Brajavali languages.

KUNHIRAMAN NAIR

Guru Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, a recipient of Padma Shri, died at the age of 104.

About:

• Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, also known as Guru Chemancheri (1916 – 2021) was a noted Indian Kathakali actor. Kathakali is a major form of classical Indian dance from Kerala.
• He also played a significant role in making Bharatanatyam popular in north Kerala.
• He established an institution named Bharateeya Natya Kalalayam at Kannur in 1945. Later, he established another school, Cheliya Kathakali Vidyalayam, in 1983, in Cheliya.

Awards and honors

• 1999 Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Fellowship of the Academy
• 2017 Padma Shri awarded by the Government of India
• Sangeet Natak Academi Tagore Award for contributions to Kathakali

AIR POLLUTION

A report on Global air pollution was released from IQ Air, a Swiss air quality technology company specialising in protection against airborne pollutants, and developing air quality monitoring and air cleaning products.

Key findings:

• Delhi remained the most polluted capital city in the world but India, on the whole, had improved its average annual PM2.5 (particulate matter) levels in 2020 than in 2019,
• India is the third most polluted country in 2020, unlike in 2019, when its air was the fifth most noxious.
• Bangladesh and Pakistan were the countries in 2020 with worse average PM2.5 levels than India.
• China ranked 11th in the latest report, a deterioration from the 14th in the previous edition of the report.
• When ranked by cities, Hotan in China was the most polluted, with an average concentration of 110.2 μg/m³, followed by Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh at 106. Of the 15 most polluted cities, 13 were in India.
• In the 2020 report, 106 countries were evaluated. The pollution levels are weighted averages, meaning that the population of a country influences the pollution values reported.
• In 2020, 84% of all monitored countries observed air quality improvements.
• However, of the 106 monitored countries, only 24 met the World Health Organization annual guidelines for PM 2.5.

RULE CURVE

The Supreme Court said the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary will be “personally responsible” and “appropriate action” will be taken on failure to give information on the ‘rule curve’ for the Mullaperiyar dam to the Supreme Court-appointed Supervisory Committee.

About:

• The ‘rule curve’ in a dam decides the fluctuating storage levels in a reservoir.
• The gate opening schedule of a dam is based on the ‘rule curve’.
• It is part of the “core safety” mechanism in a dam.

Mullaperiyar Dam?

• Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam built at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar rivers.
• The dam is located in Kerala but is operated and maintained by the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
• It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick and also reached in an agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (present-day Tamil Nadu).

WORLD ENERGY TRANSITIONS OUTLOOK: 1.5°C PATHWAY

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released the World Energy Transitions Outlook report.

Key highlights of the report:

• Previewed at the virtual Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, which began on March 16, 2021, the report proposes energy transition solutions for the narrow pathway available to contain the rise of temperature to 1.5 degree Celsius.
• The COVID-19 crisis offers an unexpected opportunity for countries to decouple their economies from fossil fuels and accelerate the shift to renewable energy sources,
• It estimated that by 2050, 90% of total electricity needs would be supplied by renewables, followed by 6% from natural gas and the remaining from nuclear.
• The agency has identified 30 innovations for the integration of wind and solar PV in power systems.

Important Info :

• The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation mandated to facilitate cooperation and promote the adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy.
• It was founded in 2009 and its statute entered into force in 2010.
• The agency is headquartered in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.
• IRENA is an official United Nations observer.

DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INSTITUTION (DFI)

The Union Cabinet has cleared a Bill to set up a government-owned development finance institution (DFI) with initial paid-up capital of Rs 20,000 crore.

About:

• By setting it up, Government can leverage around Rs 3 trillion from the markets in a few years to provide long-term funds to infrastructure projects as well as for development needs of the country.
• Besides, the government will give Rs 5,000 crore as grant to the institution. The grant has been provided as tax-saving bonds.
• The amount will provide for the hedging cost if the DFI borrows from multilateral or bilateral institutions and it will subsidise the guarantee fee.
• The DFI will be fully government-owned initially and the promoter’s stake will be brought down to 26 per cent in the next few years. At all times, the government will continue to hold 26 per cent in the entity.
• The government will provide a 10-year tax exemption to funds invested in the DFI to attract long-term players such as insurance and pension funds.

CENSUS

The provisional data for the latest Census and National Population Register (NPR) will be available before the Lok Sabha election in 2024, according to information provided by the Union Home Ministry to a parliamentary committee.

About:

• The previous Census was conducted in 2011 and the NPR, which has a database of 119 crore residents, was last updated in 2015.
• The first phase of Census House-listing and Housing Census that was to be conducted along with the NPR from April 1, 2020, was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Provisional Census results will be released in the financial year 2023-24 and the primary Census abstracts (PCA) will provide village-level data on important indicators.
• A mobile application has been developed for collecting the Census details and NPR and residents can also self-enumerate. The mobile app through which Census will be conducted will be available in 16 languages.

Aadhaar

• NPR database had been created by collecting family-wise data and it can be strengthened by linking Aadhaar to each member.
• “Consolidated details of a family” are not available through Aadhaar and based on it “a family structure” cannot be created without visiting each household and collecting information such as relationship among family members.

MEDICAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020

The Rajya Sabha passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that increases the time period within which an abortion may be carried out. The Bill was passed in March last year in the Lok Sabha.

About:

• Currently, abortion requires the opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of conception, and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks.
• The Bill allows abortion to be done on the advice of one doctor up to 20 weeks, and two doctors in the case of certain categories of women, between 20 and 24 weeks.
• For a pregnancy to be terminated after 24 weeks in case of substantial foetal abnormalities, the opinion of the State-level medical board is essential.
• Opposition MPs said the Bill still did not give women the freedom to decide, since they would need a nod from a medical board in the case of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks.
• The original Bill was framed in 1971.

ORUNUDOI SCHEME

The Orunudoi scheme, with women as its primary target group, is perhaps the most popular one announced by BJP ahead of the Assam Assembly elections.

About:

• In December 2020, when the scheme was launched, Assam Chief Minister described it as the “largest DBT scheme in the history of Assam which will empower women and serve the needy”.
• Through Orunodoi — announced in the 2020-21 Budget — a monthly assistance of Rs 830 is transferred to women members of marginalised families of Assam.
• On account of being a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, the money is credited directly to the bank account of the woman head of a family because they are “primary caretakers of the household”.

Who is eligible?

• The applicant, a woman, has to be a permanent resident of Assam, whose composite household income should be less than Rs 2 lakh per annum.
• Families without any women members, MPs, MLAs (former and current), members of Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies, government officials and employees of cooperative societies are excluded from the scheme.
• Families owning four-wheelers, mechanised boats, tractors or refrigerators, ACs and washing machines, or more than 15 bighas of agricultural land, are not eligible either.

THE JHARKHAND STATE EMPLOYMENT OF LOCAL CANDIDATES BILL, 2021

The Jharkhand government announced 75% reservation in private sector jobs with a salary of up to Rs 30,000 for locals.

About:

• The bill will treat shops, establishments, mines, enterprises, industries, companies, societies, trusts, Limited Liability Partnership firms and any person employing ten or more persons as the private sector and an entity.
• Every employer needs to register employees on a designated portal who are receiving gross monthly salary or wages not more than Rs 30, 000 — or as notified by the government from time to time — within three months of this bill (after turning into an Act) coming into force.
• No local candidate will be eligible to avail 75 per cent benefit without registering herself in the designated portal.
• The bill defines a local candidate as a person who belongs to Jharkhand and is registered on the designated portal.
• the employer may claim exemption where an adequate number of local candidates of the desired skill qualification or proficiency are not available.

RCE OF COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME FOR STRENGTHENING OF TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH AND SIKKIM

The Union Cabinet has approved the Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) of Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission & Distribution in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim at an estimated cost of Rs. 9129 crore.

About:

• The scheme is being implemented through POWERGRID, a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under Ministry of Power in association with Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The scheme was initially approved in December, 2014 as a Central Sector Plan Scheme of Ministry of Power and the entire cost of the scheme will be borne by the Government of India through the Plan Scheme of Ministry of Power.
• It is targeted to be commissioned in phased manner by December 2021. After commissioning, the created transmission and distribution system will be owned and maintained by the respective State Utilities.
• It is a major step towards economic development of the States of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim through strengthening of Intra – State Transmission and Distribution systems.

HANDICRAFTS AND HANDLOOMS EXPORT CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED (HHEC)

The Union Cabinet has approved the closure of Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation of India Limited (HHEC), a Government of India undertaking under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles.

About:

• The Corporation has been continuously incurring losses since financial year 2015-16 and not earning sufficient income to meet its running expenses.
• There is little scope for its revival, necessitating closure of the Company.
• The approval will benefit the Government exchequer in reducing recurring expenditure on salary/wages of sick CPSE which is not in operation and earning no income.
• All the permanent employees and Management Trainees serving in the Corporation will be given an opportunity to avail the benefit of a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) as per norms laid down by the Department of Public Enterprises.

STOP TB PARTNERSHIP BOARD

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has been appointed Chairman of the Stop TB Partnership Board.

About:

• The Union Health Minister will serve a three year term, commencing July 2021, as the Chair of the Board of Stop TB Partnership.
• Established in the year 2000, the ‘Stop TB Partnership’ is mandated to eliminate Tuberculosis as a public health problem.
• The organization was conceived following the meeting of the First Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Tuberculosis Epidemic held in London in March 1998.
• In its inaugural year itself, the Stop TB Partnership through the Amsterdam Declaration gave a call for collaborative action from ministerial delegations from 20 countries that bear the highest burden of TB.
• It has 1500 partner organizations which include international, non-governmental and governmental organizations and patient groups.
• The Secretariat is based at Geneva, Switzerland.

Important Info :

• Harsh Vardhan addressing the 33rd Board Meeting of Stop TB, November, 2020, India has committed to eliminating TB in the country by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline of 2030.

AMICI CURIAE

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made a strong appeal to the Supreme Court to frame guidelines to rein in lawyers appointed as the court’s amici curiae in various cases, especially sensitive ones.

About:

• An amicus curiae (literally, “friend of the court”; plural: amici curiae) is someone who is not a party to a case who assists a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case.
• The decision on whether to consider an amicus brief lies within the discretion of the court.
• The amicus curiae figure originates in Roman law. Starting in the 9th century, it was incorporated into English law, and it was later extended to most common law systems.

APPROPRIATION BILL

The Lok Sabha cleared the Appropriation Bill 2021-22, allowing the Central government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its operational requirements and implementation of various programmes.

About

• Under Article 114(3) of the Constitution, no amount can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund without the enactment of such a law by Parliament.
• After the Demands for Grants are voted by the Lok Sabha, Parliament’s approval to the withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of the amounts so voted and of the amount required to meet the expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund is sought through the Appropriation Bill.

Guillotine

• The Bill was passed after Speaker Om Birla put it through guillotine, a legislative mechanism to approve the fast-tracking of the passage of outstanding demands for grants without discussion.
• While guillotine literally is a large, weighted blade used for executing a condemned person, in legislative parlance, to ”guillotine” means to bunch together and fast-track the passage of financial business.
• It is a fairly common procedural exercise in Lok Sabha during the Budget Session.

Important Info :

Finance Bill

• The Lok Sabha will now discuss the Finance Bill, which essentially contains the government’s tax proposals. Once the Finance Bill is passed, the budget exercise is complete.
• Both appropriation and finance bills are classified as money bills which do not require the explicit consent of the Rajya Sabha. The upper house only discusses them and returns the bills.
• After passing the Finance Bill, it enters the statute as the Finance Act. Thus, the final Budget gets approved.

DE-NOTIFIED TRIBES (DNT)

Minister of for Social Justice and Empowerment informed Rajya Sabha about initiatives for development of Nomadic Tribes.

About:

• To promote the socio-economic development of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities, the Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNCs) has been constituted on 21.02.2019 for a period of three years extendable up to 5 years.
• In addition, the following schemes are being implemented by the Central Government through State Government/UT Administrations for the DNTs:-
  • Ambedkar Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for DNT Boys and Girls.
  • Nanaji Deshmukh Scheme of Construction of Hostels for DNT Boys and Girls.
• As per the Cabinet decision, a Committee under the Chairmanship of Vice Chairman NITI Aayog is in place, which has taken up the task of identification of DNT communities which are yet to be formally classified.
• NITI Aayog has assigned the task of ethnographic survey of 62 tribes to the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) to conduct the studies of these communities in different parts of the country.

ILO REPORT ON INDIAN WORKERS

The ILO report titled ‘Global Wage Report 2020-21: Wages and minimum wages in the time of COVID-19’ was recently released.

About:

• The Report inter-alia, comments on various issues including on Indian workers having low average wages, longer hours as well as that the workers in Asia and the Pacific enjoyed the highest real wage growth among all regions over the period 2006–19.
• Further, while comparing average wage, the report has taken into account the National Floor Level Minimum Wage which is Rs.176/- per day. However, actual wages are far higher.
• If the median of the minimum wages in different states is drawn, it would be Rs.269/- per day in the country.

Important Info :

Code on Wages, 2019

• The Code on Wages, 2019 which has been notified on 8th August, 2019 universalises and creates a statutory right of minimum wages for all workers whether in organized or unorganised sector.
• A new concept of statutory floor wage has also been introduced in the Code on Wages.
• The Code also provides that the minimum wages are to be ordinarily reviewed and revised by the appropriate Governments in intervals not exceeding five years.

INTER-STATE MIGRANT WORKERS

Minister for Labour & Employment informed Rajya Sabha about initiatives for Safety of Inter-State Migrant Workers.

About:

• To safeguard the interest of the migrant workers, the Central Government had enacted the Inter-state Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979.
  • This Act has now been subsumed in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code has been notified on 29.09.2020.
  • This Code, provides for decent working conditions, minimum wages, grievances redressal mechanisms, protection from abuse and exploitation, enhancement of the skills and social security to all category of workers including Migrant workers.
• The Ministry of Labour and employment proposes to develop National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW), which will be a comprehensive data base of the Unorganised Workers including the Building and other Construction Workers and Migrant workers, seeded with Aadhaar.
• Schemes/programme implemented by Government for welfare of migrant labourers includes: Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri SVANIDHI Scheme, Aatm Nirbhar Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, One Nation One Ration Card, financial assistance to Building and Other Construction workers etc.
• Labour Bureau, an attached office of the Ministry of Labour& Employment, has been entrusted with the task of conducting the All India Survey on Migrant Workers.
• An Expert Group has been constituted by the Government of India on 9th September, 2020 to examine and finalize the schedules, sampling design and other technical details of the aforesaid survey being conducted by the Labour Bureau.

TELEMEDICINE

Govt. of India’s National Telemedicine Service – eSanjeevani has crossed another milestone by completing 3 million (30 lakh) consultations.

About:

• Currently, the National Telemedicine Service is operational in 31 States/Union Territories and daily over 35,000 patients across the country are using this innovative digital medium – eSanjeevani, to seek health services.
• The National Telemedicine Service, set up by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare comprises of two variants of eSanjeevani namely –
  • doctor to doctor (eSanjeevani AB-HWC) telemedicine platform that is based on hub and spoke model and
  • patient to doctor telemedicine platform (eSanjeevani OPD) which provides outpatient services to the citizens in the confines of their homes.

• eSanjeevani AB-HWC is being implemented at Health & Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat Scheme, and by December 2022 it will be made operational at 1,55,000 Health & Wellness Centres across India.
• It was rolled out in November 2019 and Andhra Pradesh was the first State to roll out eSanjeevani AB-HWC services.
• eSanjeevani OPD was rolled out on 13th of April 2020 during the first lockdown in the country when all the OPDs were closed. So far, over 21,00,000 patients have been served through eSanjeevani OPD.

KASHMIRI PANDITS

Ministry for Home Affairs informed Rajya Sabha about the Return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir Valley.

About:

• As per the report of Relief Office setup in 1990 by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, 44,167 Kashmiri Migrant families are registered who had to move from the valley since 1990 due to security concerns. Out of these, the count of registered Hindu Migrant families is 39,782.
• The Government has devised policies for Return and Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants, under the Prime Minister’s Packages in 2008 and 2015 for Return and Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants to Kashmir Valley.
• Various components of these policies are: Housing; Cash assistance; Employment and Construction of Transit Accommodation.
• A total of nearly 3800 migrant candidates have returned to Kashmir in the last few years to take up the PM package jobs.
• Post abrogation of Article 370, as many as 520 migrant candidates have returned to Kashmir for taking up the jobs that have been provided to them under the rehabilitation package.

FIRST VIRTUAL TRADE FAIR (VTF) BY APEDA

First Virtual Trade Fair (VTF) organised by APEDA to boost exports potential of India’s agricultural and processed food products during COVID19 pandemic drew huge response from participants, exporters and buyers from countries.

About:

• The VTF was organised during March 10-12, 2021.
• The fair with a theme ‘India Rice and Agro Commodity’, focussed on showcasing the exports potential of various agricultural commodities.
• Because of COVID19 related restrictions on physical travel and trade, APEDA has initiated the concept of VTF for sustaining India’s agricultural and processed food products exports and also exploring new markets for expanding export footprints.

Important Info :

Do you know?

• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is an Apex-Export Trade Promotion Active government body set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• It was formed in 1986 under the Agriculture and Processed Food products Export Development Authority Act, 1985.

BALANCE SHEETS OF POLITICAL PARTIES

According to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), BJP tops in declared assets.

About:

• Over 54% of the assets declared by seven national parties for 2018-2019 belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party, while the Congress accounted for 58% of all liabilities reported by the parties.
• The ADR’s analysis of the balance sheets of the national parties at that time — the BJP, the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the All-India Trinamool Congress — showed assets of ₹5,349.25 crore.
• Forty-one regional parties declared assets of ₹2,023.71 crore that year. Of the national parties, the BJP declared assets of ₹2,904.18 crore or 54.29% of the total assets of the national parties.

BIHAR LOKAYUKTA (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

The Bihar Assembly passed the Bihar Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that proposes to punish people filing false cases before the anti- corruption ombudsman body to prevent any waste of time or misuse of the institution.

Background:

• Lokayukta carries out expeditious investigation and prosecution relating to allegations involving corruption against public servants of all grades.
• The proposed legislation has been brought keeping in view the misuse of the Lokayukta institution in false cases.
• It was proposed by the Lokayukta itself that there should be a provision for punishing people filing false cases before it. The Lokayukta acts of other States have the provision of punitive action against such erring persons.

Salient features:

• The Bill proposes that a case against a person filing a false case can be filed in the district court.
• If the person is found guilty of it or for giving false testimony or filed wrong affidavit, he/she will be sentenced to a jail term of upto three years besides a provision for fine.

Important Info :

Criticism:

• It will dissuade people from approaching the Lokayukta and will work against whistle blowers who expose corruption.

JOHN MAGUFULI

Tanzania was in mourning over the sudden death of President John Magufuli, an authoritarian leader and COVID-19 sceptic.

About:

• John Pombe Joseph Magufuli (1959 – 2021) was a Tanzanian politician who served as the fifth President of Tanzania from 2015 until his death in 2021.
• Magufuli was known for promoting misinformation about COVID-19 during his leadership over the pandemic in Tanzania.
• His death on 17 March 2021 was attributed to a long-standing heart issue by the government.

Important Info :

Tanzania?

• Tanzania is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region.
• It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
• Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is located in Tanzania.
• Dodoma is the capital of the country.

PRITZKER ARCHITECTURE PRIZE

Social housing architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, founders of French studio Lacaton & Vassal, have been named the 2021 winners of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

About:

• French architects Lacaton and Vassal were named the winners of the award for their body of work that “reflects architecture’s democratic spirit” and their “commitment to a restorative architecture”.
• Their recognition marks the first time a French female architect has won the prize, with Lacaton becoming the sixth woman to receive the award since it was established in 1979.

Important Info :

Pritzker Architecture Prize:

• The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually to honor a living architect
• Founded in 1979 by Jay A. Pritzker and his wife Cindy, the award is funded by the Pritzker family and sponsored by the Hyatt Foundation.
• It is considered to be one of the world’s premier architecture prizes, and is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture.

TEACHERS CONTESTING ELECTIONS

The Supreme Court stayed a Kerala High Court decision barring aided school teachers and non-teaching staff from contesting Assembly elections or engaging in political activities.

About:

• It issued notice to the Kerala government while staying the High Court verdict in February.
• The High Court had declared Section 2 (IV) of the Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualifications) Act of 1951, which allowed aided school teachers to become legislators, as unconstitutional.
• Petitioners in the High Court had challenged the 1951 law, saying their participation in politics would affect the quality of education.
• They had argued in the HC that since Kerala Government Servants Conduct Rules prohibits government school teachers from taking part in political activities, the rule should extend to school teachers also.
• The government had however contended in the High Court that as per a government order issued in 1967, the teachers of aided schools had political rights. There were no rules or Act prohibiting them from participating in political activities or contesting polls.

TEACHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (TEIs)

Azim Premji University released the First volume on teachers & teacher education. It explore the landscape of Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in the country, corruption in private TEIs, the support system needed for teachers and the problem of those who are on contract.

Key findings of report:

• With as many as nine million teachers in around 1.5 million schools in India, the quality of education imparted to aspiring teachers is equally important.
• Of the 17,503 TEIs in India, more than 90% are privately owned, stand-alone institutions, offering single programmes localised in certain geographies. Four States, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, account for 54% of all TEIs in the country. Only 12 States/UTs have at least one TEI in each district.
• Equally worrying is the level of corruption. There are many substandard, dysfunctional TEIs functioning as ‘commercial shops’.
• TEIs deliberately neglected basic curricular requirements. Classes are neither conducted seriously nor taken seriously by students. Almost all private TEIs allowed students with shortage of attendance to appear for examinations.
• There is increasing prevalence of contract teachers, who are recruited for short periods on inadequate salaries with little or no benefits. This had caused long-term damage to not just the teaching profession, but has also affected student learning.

SUPPLEMENTARY DEMAND FOR GRANTS

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the supplementary demand for grants (second batch for 2020-21).

What happens if the government needs to spend additional money during the year?

• During the year, if the government needs to spend any money which has not been approved by Parliament or needs to incur additional expenditure, it can introduce Supplementary Demands for Grants.
• Typically, Supplementary Demands for Grants are passed in every Parliament session.
• Article 115 of the constitution provides for Supplementary, additional or excess grants.
• Note that, unlike the Demands for Grants presented with the budget, these supplementary demands have never been scrutinised by Standing Committees.

THE INSURANCE (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

The Rajya Sabha passed the Insurance Amendment Bill, 2021 which increases the maximum foreign investment allowed in an insurance company from 49% to 74%.

About:

• The Bill amends the Insurance Act, 1938 to increase the maximum foreign investment allowed in an Indian insurance company.
• The Act provides the framework for functioning of insurance businesses and regulates the relationship between an insurer, its policyholders, its shareholders, and the regulator (the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India).

Foreign investment: 

• The Act allows foreign investors to hold up to 49% of the capital in an Indian insurance company, which must be owned and controlled by an Indian entity.
• The Bill increases the limit on foreign investment in an Indian insurance company from 49% to 74%, and removes restrictions on ownership and control.
• However, such foreign investment may be subject to additional conditions as prescribed by the central government.

Investment of assets:

• The Act requires insurers to hold a minimum investment in assets which would be sufficient to clear their insurance claim liabilities.
• If the insurer is incorporated or domiciled outside India, such assets must be held in India in a trust and vested with trustees who must be residents of India.
• The Act specifies in an explanation that this will also apply to an insurer incorporated in India, in which at least: (i) 33% capital is owned by investors domiciled outside India, or (ii) 33% of the members of the governing body are domiciled outside India.
• The Bill removes this explanation.

ROAD TRANSPORT

India will implement a GPS-based toll collection system and do away with all toll booths within a year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha.

GPS-based toll collection system:

• It means that toll collection will happen via GPS. The money will be collected based on GPS imaging of vehicles.
• He said 93% of the vehicles were paying toll using FASTag — a system that facilitates electronic payment of fee at toll plazas seamlessly — but the remaining 7% had still not adopted it despite paying double the toll.

Vehicle Scrapping Policy:

• He also shared details of the vehicle scrapping policy, first announced in the Union Budget for 2021-22, according to which the automobile industry in India will see a jump in turnover to ₹10 lakh crore from ₹4.5 lakh crore.
• The new policy provides for fitness tests after the completion of 20 years in the case of privately owned vehicles and 15 years in the case of commercial vehicles.
• Any vehicle that fails the fitness test or does not manage renewal of its registration certificate may be declared as an End of Life Vehicle.
• The policy will kick in for government vehicles from April 1, 2022. Mandatory fitness testing for heavy commercial vehicles will start from April 1, 2023, and for all other categories of vehicles, including personal vehicles, it will start in phases from June 1, 2024.

ELECTORAL BONDS

Chief Justice of India agreed to urgently hear a plea by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms to stay the sale of a new set of electoral bonds on April 1, before the Assembly elections in crucial States such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Arguments by petition:

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Election Commission had both said that the sale of electoral bonds had become an avenue for shell corporations and entities to park illicit money and even proceeds of bribes with political parties.
• Data obtained through RTI has shown that illegal sale windows have been opened in the past to benefit certain political parties.
• There is a serious apprehension that any further sale of electoral bonds before the upcoming State elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam would further increase illegal and illicit funding of political parties through shell companies.
• The scheme had “opened doors to unlimited political donations, even from foreign companies, thereby legitimising electoral corruption at a huge scale, while at the same time ensuring complete non-transparency in political funding”.

Important Info :

Arguments by Government:

• The government notified the scheme on January 2, 2018.
• It defended the scheme in court, saying it allowed anonymity to political donors to protect them from “political victimisation”.
• The Ministry of Finance had dismissed the Election Commission’s version that the invisibility afforded to benefactors was a “retrograde step” and would wreck transparency in political funding.
• It said the earlier system of cash donations had raised a “concern among the donors that, with their identity revealed, there would be competitive pressure from different political parties receiving donation”.

SAAMAR CAMPAIGN

The Jharkhand government announced the launch of SAAMAR (Strategic Action for Alleviation of Malnutrition and Anemia Reduction) campaign to tackle malnutrition in the state.

About:

• The campaign aims to identify anaemic women and malnourished children and converge various departments to effectively deal with the problem in a state where malnutrition has been a major problem.
• AAMAR has been launched with a 1000 days target, under which annual surveys will be conducted to track the progress.
• To tackle severe acute malnutrition children, every Anganwadi Centres will be engaged to identify these children and subsequently will be treated at the Malnutrition Treatment Centres.
• In the same process the anaemic women will also be listed and will be referred to health centres in serious cases.
• All of these will be done through measuring Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) of women and children through MUAC tapes and Edema levels, swelling in a small area or the entire body—malnutrition is one of the reasons attributed to this disease.
• Angawadi’s Sahayia and Sevika will take them to the nearest Health Centre where they will be checked again and then registered on the portal of State Nutrition Mission.

DIATOM TEST

The Maharashtra (ATS) relied on a forensic test known as diatom tests for leads in the alleged murder case of Mansukh Hiran.

About:

• Diagnosis of death by drowning is deemed as a difficult task in forensic pathology.
• A number of tests have been developed to confirm the cause of such deaths with the diatom test emerging as one of the most important tests.
• The test entails findings if there are diatoms in the body being tested. Diatoms are photosynthesizing algae which are found in almost every aquatic environment including fresh and marine waters, soils, in fact, almost anywhere moist.

Important Info :

Science behind the diatom test

• A body recovered from a water body does not necessarily imply that the death was due to drowning.
• If the person is alive when he enters the water, the diatoms will enter the lungs when the person inhales water while drowning. These diatoms then get carried to various parts of the body, including the brain, kidneys, lungs and bone marrow by blood circulation.
• If a person is dead when is thrown in the water, then there is no circulation and there is no transport of diatom cells to various organs.

ALUMINIUM-AIR BATTERY

State-owned Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. has entered into a joint venture with Israel-based battery technology startup Phinergy to develop aluminium-air technology based battery systems for electric vehicles and stationary storage, as well as hydrogen storage solutions.

About:

• Top automakers, including Maruti Suzuki and Ashok Leyland, have already signed letters of intent with the newly formed joint venture to commercially deploy the battery solutions produced by IOC Phinergy.
• Aluminium-air batteries are said to be a lower cost and more energy-dense alternative to lithium-ion batteries which are currently in widespread use for electric vehicles in India.
• Aluminium-air batteries utilise oxygen in the air which reacts with an aluminium hydroxide solution to oxidise the aluminium and produce electricity.

Benefits

• Aluminium-air battery-based electric vehicles are expected to offer much greater range of 400 km or more per battery compared to lithium-ion batteries which currently offer a range of 150-200 kilometres per full charge.
• The aluminium plate in an aluminium-air battery is converted into aluminium trihydroxide over time and that aluminium can be reclaimed from aluminium trihydroxide or even traded directly for industrial uses.
• Aluminium-air based batteries are also expected to be significantly cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, thereby reducing the cost of electric vehicle.

Important Info :

Concerns

• One of the key downsides of aluminium-air batteries is that they cannot be recharged like lithium-ion batteries.
• Therefore, large scale use of aluminium-air battery based vehicles would require the wide availability of battery swapping stations.

IMPACT OF COVID ON POVERTY

India’s middle class may have shrunk by a third due to 2020’s pandemic-driven recession, while the number of poor people — earning less than ₹150 per day — more than doubled, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.

About:

• In comparison, Chinese incomes remained relatively unshaken, with just a 2% drop in the middle class population, it found.
• The report uses World Bank projections of economic growth to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on Indian incomes. The lockdown triggered by the pandemic resulted in shut businesses, lost jobs and falling incomes, plunging the Indian economy into a deep recession.
• The middle class in India is estimated to have shrunk by 3.2 crore in 2020 as a consequence of the downturn, compared with the number it may have reached absent the pandemic, defining the middle class as people with incomes of approximately ₹700-1,500 or $10-20 per day.
• Meanwhile, the number of people who are poor in India (with incomes of $2 or less a day) is estimated to have increased by 7.5 crore because of the COVID-19 recession. This accounts for nearly 60% of the global increase in poverty
• It also noted the record spike in MGNREGA participants as proof that the poor were struggling to find work.

GĀYATRĪ MANTRA

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has funded a clinical trial at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, to determine if the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra, a religious hymn, and performing the Yoga practice of pranayama, can aid the quality of recovery as well as cure COVID-19 quicker in a subset of patients.

About:

• The latest study, however, will not test the effect of the intervention on severely ill patients. It will evaluate whether there are differences in the groups on the time taken to test negative, and the length of hospital stay.
• They will also be evaluated on whether they have reduced fatigue and anxiety disorder.

Important Info :

Gāyatrī Mantra?

• The Gāyatrī Mantra is also known as the Sāvitri Mantra.
• It is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda, dedicated to Savitr also known as Vedmata.
• Maharshi Vishvamitra had created the Gayatri mantra.
• The mantra is an important part of the upanayana ceremony for young males in Hinduism, and has long been recited by dvija men as part of their daily rituals.
• Modern Hindu reform movements spread the practice of the mantra to include women and all castes and its use is now very widespread.

TIGER

Six tigers — four adults and two sub-adults — have been unaccounted for since March 2020 in the Ranthambore tiger sanctuary, Rajasthan. However, State forest officials are not willing to label them “missing” and denied reports that they may have been poached.

About:

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority, a wing of the Union Environment Ministry, has constituted a committee to ascertain the disappearance of the tigers.
• The Ranthambore Reserve is the only source of tigers in the territory with about 53 tigers constituting over 90% of the population in this block, as per the latest census made public last year.
• India has 2,967 tigers, a third more than in 2014, according to results of a census made public on July 29 last year. Ranthambore, according to this exercise, had 55 tigers.
• Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).
• Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw an increase.

GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX

Union Minister for Agriculture questioned in the Rajya Sabha the methodology and data accuracy of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report, which has placed India at 94th among 107 countries in 2020.

About:

• The Minister said the government had written to the NGO, Welthungerhilfe, which compiles the report, expressing concerns about their methodology, data accuracy and sample size.
• India’s ranking had improved from 102 in 2019 to 94 in 2020. But still, India was ranked below countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

NFHS-4 vs CNNS of 2017-18

• According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4, the percentage of wasted, stunted and malnourished children in 2015-16 stood at 21, 38.4 and 35.7, respectively.
• Compared to NFHS-4 data, the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) of 2017-18 showed an improvement of 4%, 3.7% and 2.3% in wasted, stunted and malnourished children respectively.
• The first-ever CNNS was commissioned by the government in 2016 and was conducted from 2016-18, led by the Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with the UNICEF. The findings were published in 2019.
• CNNS includes only nutrition data, whereas NFHS encompasses overall health indicators.

MMDR AMENDMENT BILL

Lok Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021 to streamline the renewal of the auction process for minerals and coal mining rights.

About:

• The amendment proposes to allow captive miners of both coal and other minerals to sell up to 50 per cent of their production after meeting the requirements of the end-use plant and on paying additional royalty to the state government.
• Operators are currently only allowed to use coal and minerals extracted from captive mines for their own industrial use. This increased flexibility would allow miners to maximise output from captive mines as they would be able to sell output in excess of their own requirements.
• The amendment also proposes to fix additional royalty payments to states for the extension of mining leases for central public sector enterprises.
• The Bill also proposes to empower the central government to conduct auctions or re-auction processes for the grant of a mining lease if a state government fails to complete the auction process in a specified period, decided after consultations between the Centre and state.

THE CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED CASTES) ORDER (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

The Lok Sabha passed The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that seeks to put seven castes under one nomenclature of “Devendrakula Vellalars” with some exceptions for some of the castes in certain districts of Tamil Nadu.

About:

• The castes include Devendrakulathan, Kadaiyan, Kalladi, Kudumban, Pallan, Pannadi and Vathiriyan.
• The State government had earlier accepted a recommendation of a committee to reclassify the seven sub sects under the generic name ‘Devendrakula Velalar’ and forwarded it to the Centre.
• The change in nomenclature was a long pending demand of the community and did not involve either the deletion or addition of any community in its ambit.
• The reason why a whole new addition was not made to the Scheduled Castes list was to ensure that old caste certificates issued to these communities under the old name not be rejected.

GREAT NICOBAR ISLAND

More than 150 sq. km. of land is being made available for Phase I of a NITI Aayog-piloted ‘holistic’ and ‘sustainable’ vision for Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost in the Andaman and Nicobar group.

About:

• This amounts to nearly 18% of the 910 sq. km. island, and will cover nearly a quarter of its coastline. The overall plan envisages the use of about 244 sq. km. — a major portion being pristine forest and coastal systems.
• Projects to be executed in Phase I include a 22 sq. km. airport complex, a transshipment port (TSP) at South Bay at an estimated cost of ₹12,000 crore, a parallel-to-the-coast mass rapid transport system and a free trade zone and warehousing complex on the south western coast.
• In mid-2020 the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) was designated as the nodal agency for the process.
• In January, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) denotified the entire Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to allow for the port there.
• Nicobar megapode is the globally endangered bird unique to the Nicobars.
• Threat to Shompen community: The proposed project areas are important foraging grounds for this hunter-gatherer nomadic community.

HELIUM

India imports helium for its needs, and with the U.S. appearing set to cut off exports of helium since 2021, Indian industry stands to lose out heavily.

About:

• Helium is colourless, odourless, tasteless, inert and a noble gas.
• Yet, it finds many applications, mainly in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, in rockets and in nuclear reactors.
• Dutch physicist Kamerlingh Onnes liquefied Helium by cooling the gas to -270 degrees Celsius.
• India’s Rajmahal volcanic basin in Jharkhand is the store house of helium trapped for billions years. At present, India is mapping the Rajmahal basin extensively for future exploration and harnessing of helium.

U.S. and Helium

• From the oil drilling operation in Dexter, Kansas, in the U.S., chemists Hamilton Cady and David McFarland discovered the presence of helium in natural gas. They further went on to discover that despite its overall rarity, helium was concentrated in large quantities under the American Great Plains.
• The U.S. became the most important exporter of helium across the world. It was soon realised that U.S. was also the biggest store house of helium.
• The U.S., now, is planning to switch off export of helium from 2021. Qatar is a possible exporter but acute political and diplomatic wrangles have made Qatar unreliable.

JAAPI, XORAI AND GAMOSA

As the polling date draws closer, decorative jaapis (field hats), hand-woven gamosas and bell-metal xorais are making frequent appearances in Assam.

About:

• Jaapi: The jaapi is a conical hat made of bamboo and covered with dried tokou (a palm tree found in rainforests of Upper Assam) leaves. Today, the bulk of Assam’s jaapis are made by artisans based in a cluster of villages in Nalbari district.
• Gamosa: The Gamosa, which literally translates to a cloth to wipe one’s body, is omnipresent in Assam, with wide-ranging uses. It can be used at home as a towel (uka gamosa) or in public functions (phulam/floral gamosa) to felicitate dignitaries or celebrities.
• Xorai: Made of bell-metal, the xorai — essentially a tray with a stand at the bottom, with or without a cover — can be found in every Assamese household.

ANANGPAL II

The government has recently formed a committee to popularise the legacy of 11th-century Tomar king, Anangpal II.

About:

• Anangpal II, popularly known as Anangpal Tomar, belonged to the Tomar dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Delhi and Haryana between the 8th and 12th centuries.
• Anangpal II is credited to have established and populated Delhi during his reign in the 11th century. Anangpal II was instrumental in populating Indraprastha and giving it its present name, Delhi. It was he who built Lal Kot fort and Anangtal Baoli.
• Anangpal Tomar II was succeeded by his grandson Prithviraj Chauhan, who was defeated by the Ghurid forces in the Battle of Tarain (present-day Haryana) after which the Delhi Sultanate was established in 1192.

Important Info :

Maharaja Anangpal II Memorial Committee

• The aim of the Committee, headed by BJP MP from UP’s Gonda, Brij Bhushan Singh, is to establish Anangpal II as the founder of Delhi.
• Its proposals include building a statue of Anangpal II at the Delhi airport and building a museum dedicated to his legacy in Delhi.
• There is also a proposal to make Lal Kot an ASI-protected monument.

KHADI MUJIB JACKETS

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has supplied 100 custom-designed “Mujib Jackets” that will be the attire of dignitaries during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh on March 26 & 27.

About:

• “Mujib Jacket” is famed as the signature garment worn by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is called Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation.
• As Bangladesh celebrates “Mujib Borsho”, the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, had placed an order for 100 Mujib Jackets, ahead of the PM’s visit.
• The specially designed Mujib Jackets have been made of high quality handcrafted Poly Khadi fabric. These jackets will be carried in specially designed plastic-mixed handmade paper carry bags made at KVIC’s Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI) in Jaipur.

MEDICINE PRICE CONTROL

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the price of 81 medicines, including off-patent anti-diabetic drugs, helping to pass on the benefits of patent expiry to patients.

About:

• NPPA has fixed the retail price of ‘insulin human injection, 200IU/ml’ and ‘70% isophane insulin human suspension + 30% insulin human injection 200IU/ml’ produced by Wockhardt Ltd at ₹106.65 per ml each (excluding GST) and Prasugrel Hydrochloride 10 mg + Aspirin 75 mg capsule by Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd at ₹20.16 per capsule (excluding GST).
• The decision was taken because the five-year price exemption given to these medicines on account of indigenous R&D got over recently.
• Revision in existing ceiling prices of scheduled formulations based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was also approved by the Authority. The revised prices will be effective from April, 2021.
• It also decided to retain the revised ceiling price of Heparin injection up to September this year. Last year, the NPPA had hiked the price of the essential blood thinner on account of rising raw material costs from China. The ceiling price was fixed till March 31 this year.

Important Info :

• The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is a government regulatory agency that controls the prices of pharmaceutical drugs in India.
• It was constituted in 1997 as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

INAS 310

Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 310, The Cobras, a maritime reconnaissance squadron of the Indian Navy based at Goa is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee on 21 March 2021.

About:

• Commissioned at Hyéres, France on 21 Mar 61, the squadron holds the distinction of being the most decorated unit of the Indian Navy.
• INAS 310 continues to carry out daily surveillance operations over the coastline.
• The squadron operated the carrier borne Alize aircraft until 1991 and subsequently migrated to the shore based Dornier-228 aircraft.
• In the last one year, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the aircraft of the squadron have delivered critical medical supplies, COVID test kits and transported medical teams and samples, clocking close to 1000 sorties.

GRAM UJALA

Union Minister of Power launched the GRAM UJALA programme in Arrah, Bihar.

About:

• Under the programme, 7 watt and 12-Watt LED bulbs with 3 years warranty will be given to rural consumers against submission of working Incandescent bulbs.
• LEDs will be available for only Rs 10 each for each household, in exchange for working condition old incandescent lamps. Each household will get up to 5 LEDs.
• In the first phase of this programme, 15 million (1.5 crore) LED bulbs will be distributed across villages of Aarah (Bihar), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), and village in western Gujarat.
• The Gram Ujala programme will be implemented in villages of the 5 districts only.
• These rural households will also have metres installed in their houses to account for usage.

Carbon Credit

• Gram Ujala programme will be financed entirely through carbon credits and will be the first such programme in India.
• carbon credit documentation will be sent to UN accredited validators for inclusion into the Shine Program of activities.
• Carbon credits will be prepared under the Shine Program of Activities with an option for verifying under the Voluntary Carbon Standard, depending on the needs of buyers.
• Carbon Credit Buyers will also be sought through an open process based on initial discussions with the market. The balance cost and margin on the LED cost will be recouped through the carbon credits earned.

Significance

• The GRAM UJALA programme will have a significant impact on India’s climate change action.
• If all 300 million lights in India were replaced, the total energy savings would be 40,743 million kWh/year, avoided peak demand of 22,743MW/year and CO2 reductions of 37 million tons per year.

LABOUR SURVEYS

The Labour Bureau and Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) signed a service level agreement for providing technical and manpower support to Labour Bureau in the conduct of All India Surveys on Migrant Workers & All India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey (AQEES).

About:

• ​The signing of the agreement marks the beginning of a new era in the field of IT-enabled surveys.
• The Ministry in order to implement the newly introduced category of ‘Fixed Term Employment’ (FTE) has decided that the manpower engaged through the IT partner for supporting these surveys will be offered Fixed Term Employment.
• The Fixed Term Employment is a historic provision in the recent labour codes which will bestow various benefits on the workers engaged for a fixed term by treating them at par with permanent workers.
• This year Bureau will launch and complete five All India Surveys on Migrant workers, Domestic workers, AQEES, employment generated by professionals and employment generated in transport sector.
• The Labour Bureau is an attached office of the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
• Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) is a Government of India enterprise under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

MILAN-2T

Acquisition Wing of Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for supply of 4,960 MILAN-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) to Indian Army at a cost of Rs 1,188 crore.

About:

• The Milan-2T is a Tandem Warhead ATGM with the range of 1,850 metres, produced by BDL under license from MBDA Missile Systems, France.
• These missiles can be fired from ground as well as vehicle-based launchers and can be deployed in Anti-Tank Role for both offensive & defensive tasks.
• Induction of these missiles will further enhance the operational preparedness of the Armed Forces. Induction is planned to be completed in three years.
• This project is a big opportunity for the defence industry to showcase its capability and will be a step in the direction of achieving the goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in the defence sector.

NATIONAL AGRI-FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE (NABI)

Union Minister of Science & technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the new Advanced High Resolution Microscopy Facility at National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI).

About:

• He also Unveiled the 4 Star GRIHA Certification of Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB) Lab and Admin Building at Mohali in Punjab.
• Both NABI & CIAB are autonomous institutes under Dept. of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology.
• National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) is the first Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, established in India on 18th February 2010. It is located in Mohali, Punjab.

USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN

The birth anniversary of world-famous shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan was observed on March 21, 2021.

About:

• Khan’s contributions in taking Shehnai to a global stage is unparalleled.
• Bismillah Khan’s first big break came with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938.
• It was Ustad ‘Bismillah” Khan Who also played the Shehnai at the first Republic Day celebration in 1950.
• Bismillah Khan was the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America.
• He was conferred upon national awards like the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan for his immense contribution to the field of music. In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan was awarded India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna.

WORLD SPARROW DAY

World Sparrow Day was observed on March 20.

About:

• Every year March 20 is observed as World Sparrow Day to raise awareness about the bird.
• The need for marking this day was felt due to the tremendous decrease in its population. The house sparrow is on the verge of extinction.
• The initiative was started by Nature Forever Society (NFS) of India, founded by Mohammed Dilawar, an Indian conservationist.
  • He started his work helping the house sparrow in Nashik.
  • He was also named one of the Heroes of the Environment for 2008 by Time magazine for his efforts.

NATIONAL BANK FOR FINANCING INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT BILL, 2021

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha.

About:

• The bill seeks to establish the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development.
• Its objective is to support the development of long-term non-recourse infrastructure financing in India including development of the bonds and derivatives markets necessary for infrastructure financing and to carry on the business of financing infrastructure.

NEW NAGAR VAN SCHEME

Union Environment Minister has said that the new Nagar Van Scheme will help in creation of Urban forests in the cities.

About:

• The scheme will also fill the gap between the cities and villages in terms of having their own forest cover. He cited India’s age old tradition of developing and caring for village forests in the vicinity of almost every rural patch.
• Under the Nagar Van Scheme , Urban forests will be developed in 200 cities in its first phase.

WHITSUN REEF

The Philippines government has claimed that around 220 Chinese boats have been spotted at a reef in the South China Sea waters controlled by Manila.

About:

• It urged China to recall the boats saying the presence of the vessels violated Manila’s maritime rights by encroaching into the Philippines’ sovereign territory.
• The boats are believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel. The boats were spotted on March 7 at the Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS

The United Nations observes March 21 as the International Day of Forests, commemorating the green cover around the world and reiterating its importance.

About:

• The theme of the International Day of Forests for 2021 is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”.
• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012.
• The Day is celebrated by the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organisations in the field.

WORLD WATER DAY

Valuing Water’ is the theme for 2021’s World Water Day.

About:

• World Water Day is an annual UN observance day (22 March) that highlights the importance of fresh water.
• The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
• The theme of each day focuses on topics relevant to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), which is in line with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
• The UN World Water Development Report (WWDR) is released each year around World Water Day.
• UN-Water is the convener for World Water Day.
• The idea for a World Water Day was put forward in 1992, at the Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

Ken Betwa Link Project

Memorandum of Agreement between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers, will take place on 22nd March 2021.

About:

• This project involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project.
• It will provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh ha, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.
• The Project will be of immense benefit to the water starved region of Bundelkhand, especially to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain’ campaign on World Water Day i.e. on 22nd March 2021.

About:

• The Campaign will be undertaken across the country, in both rural and urban areas, with the theme “catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls”.
• It will be implemented from 22nd March 2021 to 30th November, 2021 – the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country.
• It will be launched as a Jan Andolan to take water conservation at grass-root level through people’s participation.
• It is intended to nudge all stakeholders to create rainwater harvesting structures suitable to the climatic conditions and subsoil strata, to ensure proper storage of rainwater.
• After the event, Gram Sabhas will be held in all Gram Panchayats of each district (except in the poll bound states) to discuss issues related to water and water conservation. Gram Sabhas will also take ‘Jal Shapath’ for water conservation.

COVISHIELD

The government has decided to increase the interval between the first and second doses of Covishield to up to eight weeks in its ongoing vaccination drive against Covid-19.

About:

• Covishield is Serum Institute of India’s version of AZD1222, the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford.
• Some data from global trials of AZD122 suggests that extending the duration between doses to 12 weeks increased its efficacy much more.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare took the decision on the recommendation of two expert groups – the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC).
• The groups, after looking into available scientific evidence from clinical trials of the vaccine, concluded that the protection that it provides against Covid-19 is “enhanced” if the second dose is administered between 6-8 weeks.

NATIONAL FILM AWARDS

The Jury for the 67th National Film Awards announced the winners for the year 2019. The announcement of the awards was delayed by almost a year because of the pandemic.

About:

• Priyadarshan’s Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham was chosen as the best feature film and Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan won the best director award for Hindi film Bahattar Hoorain at the 67th National Film Awards.
• Headlined by Mohanlal, Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham, or the Lion of Arabian Sea, is a period action drama about a 16th century Malayali naval chieftain who fought the Portuguese invasion.
• Manoj Bajpayee and Dhanush shared the best actor award. While Manoj was awarded for his measured performance as a retired police constable in Bhonsle, Dhanush won it for depicting a range of emotions in Vetrimaaran’s multi-layered revenge drama Asuran.
• Kangana Ranaut won the best actress award for her varied performances in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi and Panga.
• Sikkim has bagged the award for being Most Film Friendly State.

Important Info :

• Established in 1954, National Film Awards has been administered by the Indian government’s Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.

GANDHI PEACE PRIZE

Gandhi Peace Prize for the Year 2019 and 2020 were announced.

About:

• The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on (Late) His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman.
• The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 is being conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Important Info :

• Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by Government of India since 1995, the 125th Birth Anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex.
• The Jury for Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister, Sh Narendra Modi ,and comprises of two ex-officio members, namely the Chief Justice of India and  Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha.
• Two eminent members are also part of the Jury, namely Shri Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Shri Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.
• The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/ handloom item.

DRAFT PLAN FOR DISTRICT-WISE EXPORT PROMOTION

The government has readied a draft district-wise export promotion plan for 451 districts in the country after identifying products and services with export potential in 725 districts, Commerce Secretary said.

About:

• Aiming for double-digit export growth from 500 districts over 3-5 years, the Commerce Ministry has asked States to prepare an annual ‘export ranking index’ of districts on export competitiveness with the assistance of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
• While foreign trade constitutes 45% of India’s GDP, most export promotion efforts are driven by the Centre.
• The district-specific approach, that involves the States in identifying potential export sectors and the logistics bottlenecks to be fixed, was taken up after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed for each district to aim to be an export hub during his Independence Day address in 2019.
• In the initial phase, products and services with export potential in each district have been identified and an institutional mechanism of State and District Export Promotion Committees (SEPC) are being created, with an action plan to grow exports from each district.
• District Export Promotion Committees have been notified in the districts of all the States except West Bengal.

GANGA QUEST

Ganga Quest 2021, an online competitive quiz was launched.

About:

• Ganga Quest is an international bilingual (Hindi and English) online quiz on Ganga.
• It is being organized by
  • National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), an authority under Government of India which implements the ‘Namami Gange’ programme and
  • TREE Craze Foundation (TCF), a not for profit organization committed to Ganga, Rivers, and Environment.

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR PROJECT SERVICES (UNOPS)

United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) entered into a partnership with the Government of Denmark to support the Union Government’s flagship programme, Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttar Pradesh.

About:

• The purpose of partnership between the Government of Denmark and UNOPS is to provide strategic technical support to Jal Jeevan Mission (Water program).
• UNOPS shall be focussing on instituting scalable delivery models in focused 11 water-scare districts of Uttar Pradesh in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions.
• The Jal JeevanMission aims to provide functional household tap connection to every rural household by 2024. This coincides with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal-6.

Important Info :

United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)?

• The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, dedicated to implementing projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partners around the world.
• The organization’s global headquarters is located on the UN City campus in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• UNOPS was established in 1973 as part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It became an independent, self-financing organization in 1995.

‘BULDHANA PATTERN’ FOR WATER CONSERVATION

Minister for Jal Shakti informed Rajya Sabha about the ‘Buldhana Pattern’ for water conservation.

About:

• NITI Aayog has prepared draft guidelines for convergence of the activities of (i) sourcing earth for improvement/construction of national highways, state roads and railways and (ii) water conservation works through desiltation/ deepening of water bodies.
• This two-fold activity has already been successfully implemented as a pilot project in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra state.

BILL NELSON

US President Joe Biden has nominated former Senator Bill Nelson to serve as the 14th NASA Administrator.

About:

• Nelson will serve as NASA’s chief executive officer and will be directly accountable to President Biden.
• In this role, he will articulate the space agency’s vision, will set its programmatic and budget priorities, internal policies and assess the agency’s performance.
• A one-time astronaut, Nelson flew aboard the space shuttle Columbia as a payload specialist on the STS-61C mission in 1986.

Important Info :

Bhavya Lal?

• Last month, NASA appointed Indian-American Bhavya Lal as the agency’s acting chief of staff.
• Lal had previously served as a member of the Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for the agency and oversaw the agency’s transition under the administration of President Joe Biden.

WORLD SUMMIT ON INFORMATION SOCIETY FORUM 2021

Telecom Minister Sanjay Dhotre represented India at the World Summit on Information Society Forum 2021.

About:

• The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2021 represents one of the world’s largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community.
• It is co-organized by International Telecommunications Union (ITU), UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD.

Indian scenario:

• The telecom minister mentioned that under the flagship program BharatNet, nearly 6,00,000 villages are being connected through laying of more than 4,00,000 Km length of optical fiber cable and use of satellite communication services.
• Through submarine cable networks small and remote islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep and other inaccessible areas are being connected with funding from Government.
• Establishment of ITU Area office and Innovation Centre in India with involvement of SMEs, Academia and Startups in the region will go a long way in development of technologies, standards and solutions best suited for rural and remote areas of developing nations.

BAN ON BIKE RALLIES

The Election Commission ordered a ban on bike rallies 72 hours before polling and on the day of voting itself in the Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal Assembly elections, citing instances of “anti-social elements” on bikes intimidating voters.

About:

• The EC wrote to the Chief Electoral Officers of the four States and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
• The EC decided that bike rallies would not be allowed at any place 72 hours before the date of poll and on the poll day in all constituencies where elections are being held.
• The complaints came up particularly during the EC’s meetings with parties in Kolkata, adding that the ban had been in place during the previous elections as well.

UNHRC VOTE ON SRI LANKA

India abstained from a crucial vote on Sri Lanka’s rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

About:

• The resolution on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ was, however, adopted after 22 states of the 47-member Council voted in its favour.
• Sri Lanka, which had earlier deemed the resolution “politically motivated”, was quick to reject the UN move to collect and preserve evidence of war crimes in the country, committed by the armed forces and the LTTE.
• The Sri Lanka resolution was the first to be voted on using the extraordinary e-voting procedures established for the UNHRC 46th Session, which has been held virtually.

Important Info :

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL (UNHRC)?

• What is it? The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system.
• Location: It meets at the UN Office at Geneva.
• Establishment: It was founded in 2006. It replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) that had been strongly criticised for allowing countries with poor human rights records to be members.
• Functions: It investigates allegations of breaches of human rights in UN member states.
• Membership:
  • The Council is made of 47 Member States, which are elected by the UN General Assembly. The Council’s Membership is based on equitable geographical distribution.
  • Members of the Council serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
  • India has been elected to the UNHRC for a period of three years beginning January 1, 2019. India had previously been elected to the UNHRC for the 2011-2014 and 2014-2017 terms.

PERMANENT INDUS COMMISSION

After a gap of more than two and half years Indian and Pakistani delegations began the 116th Meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission.

About:

• The Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) is a bilateral commission consisting of officials from India and Pakistan.
• It was created to implement and manage the goals and objectives and outlines of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) which was signed in September 1960 with World Bank standing guarantee for any dispute resolution.
• The last meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission was held on August 29, 2018.

Recent meeting:

• The meeting which coincided with the National Day of Pakistan is being viewed as part of the broader process of normalisation of bilateral ties between the two neighbours.
• The two-day meeting of the Commission is being led on the Indian side by Indus Water Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Saxena. The Pakistani delegation is led by Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Mohammad Mehr Ali Shah.

Important Info :

National Day of Pakistan?

• It commemorates the March 23, 1940 Lahore Resolution which paved the way for the creation of Pakistan.

SIXTH SCHEDULE

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha that “presently, there is no proposal to implement panchayat system in Sixth Schedule areas of Assam”.

About:

• The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution protects tribal populations and provides autonomy to the communities through creation of autonomous development councils that can frame laws on land, public health, agriculture and others.
• As of now, 10 autonomous councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• The specified tribal areas are the North Cachar Hills, Karbi Anglong and the Bodoland Territorial Area in Assam, Khasi Hills, Jaintiya Hills and Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Tribal Areas in Tripura, and Chakma, Mara and Lai districts in Mizoram.

Important Info :

Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019?

• On January 23, 2019, the Union Cabinet approved amendments to increase the financial and executive powers of the autonomous councils.
• The Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019, was subsequently introduced in the Rajya Sabha on February 6, 2019, that provides for elected village municipal councils.
• The Bill that is still active proposes that the State Election Commissions would hold elections to the autonomous councils, village and municipal councils.
• The Bill was introduced in the Upper House so that the legislation remains active even as the House was adjourned sine die before the 2019 general election.

HYDERABAD SISTERS

Eminent Carnatic vocalist and guru Lalitha died due to cardiac arrest. She was 70.

About:

• Lalitha, along with her sister Haripriya, was an indomitable force on the classical music scene. The duo, known as Hyderabad Sisters, was known to draw houseful audiences to their concerts.
• Known for their ‘manodharma’ — the extempore rendition of ragas and sticking to pure traditional style — the sisters often enlightened the audience by presenting rare ragas and kritis.
• Both sisters have performed in all the leading sabhas of the country and abroad.

#FreedomPineapple CAMPAIGN

Ties between China and Taiwan, which have historically been rocky over issues such as sovereignty, foreign relations and military build-up, are now being tested by pineapples.

About:

• On March 1, China banned the import of pineapples from Taiwan, alleging there was a risk of “harmful creatures” that could threaten its own agriculture.
• Since then, an angry Taiwan has refuted China’s claims of pests being found in imported pineapples, and has gone on to insist that the move is aimed at increasing political pressure on Taiwan, which China considers its own province.
• Following this, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen kicked off a “pineapple challenge” on social media to attract more Taiwanese consumers to buy the fruit and counter China’s move.
• Taiwan’s foreign minister also urged “like-minded friends around the globe to stand with #Taiwan & rally behind the #FreedomPineapple”.

Important Info :

The larger dispute between Taiwan and China

• Under its “One China” policy, Beijing considers Taiwan a province of China, even though Taiwan is a democratic, self-ruled country.
• Although the two participate separately in international events, China repeatedly insists that Taiwan should be called “Chinese Taipei”, in efforts to prevent international recognition of Taiwan as a country.
• Towards the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and before the post-war treaties were to be signed, members of the Kuomintang party (KMT) were driven out of the mainland by the Communists, who would later establish the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
• The KMT retreated to Taiwan, becoming a government in exile. For some time, Taiwan was internationally recognised as the government of the Republic of China (RoC), and still officially calls itself so.

PAROSMIA

Some people may experience parosmia as a symptom of COVID-19.

About:

• Parosmia is a medical term used to describe a condition in which affected individuals experience “distortions of the sense of smell”.
• A person with parosmia can detect certain odours, but they might experience the smell of certain things as different and often unpleasant. For instance, to someone with parosmia, coffee may smell like burnt toast.
• Parosmia is a temporary condition and is not harmful.

Important Info :

Causes:

• This abnormality is typically experienced by those people who are recovering their sense of smell following loss from a virus or an injury.
• Some common triggers of parosmia include roasted, toasted or grilled foods, coffee, onions, chocolate, garlic and eggs.
• It is likely that parosmia manifests itself due to the damage caused to the olfactory neurons when “the delicate and complex structure in the nose is attacked by a virus.”

PRANIT

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), a central PSU under Ministry of Power has established an e-Tendering Portal-PRANIT.

About:

• It will lead to less paperwork and ease of operation, making the tendering process more transparent.
• It has been certified by Standardisation, Testing and Quality Certification Directorate (STQC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.
• With this, POWERGRID is now the only organization in India to have an eProcurement solution on SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), complying with all applicable requirements relating to security and transparency as stipulated by STQC.

NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION (NHM)

The Union Cabinet was apprised on the progress under National Health Mission (NHM) during FY 2019-20.

The Cabinet noted that NHM has envisaged new Initiatives in 2019-20 as:

• Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS) initiative was launched to accelerate action to reduce deaths due to childhood pneumonia.
• Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) initiative was launched to provide assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services and all existing Schemes for maternal and neonatal health have been brought under one umbrella.
• Midwifery Services Initiative aims to create a cadre of Nurse Practitioners in Midwifery who are skilled in accordance to competencies prescribed by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and are knowledgeable and capable of providing compassionate women-centered, reproductive, maternal and new-born health care services.
• School Health and Wellness Ambassadors Initiative has been launched under the AB-HWCs Programme in partnership with Ministry of Education to promote health and well-being through an active lifestyle amongst school children.

Important Info :

Targets under it:

• Reduce MMR to 1/1000 live births
• Reduce IMR to 25/1000 live births
• Reduce TFR to 2.1
• Reduce prevalence of Leprosy to < 1 /10000 population and incidence to zero in all districts
• Annual Malaria Incidence to be <I/1000
• Ending the TB epidemic by 2025 from the country.

WORLD TUBERCULOSIS DAY

World Tuberculosis Day is being observed on 24th March, 2021 to raise public awareness about TB.

About:

• World Tuberculosis Day, which is observed every year on March 24.
• On this day in the year 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacteria that causes TB. It paved the way for diagnosis and cure of this deadly disease.
• The theme of World TB Day 2021 – ‘The Clock is Ticking’ –conveys the sense that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments to end TB made by global leaders.

Important Info :

• India has committed to end TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global targets.

UIGHURS

In a coordinated move, the European Union, the US, Britain, and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and entities, for human rights abuses against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province. The sanctions from EU, UK and Canada include travel bans and freezing of assets.

Significance:

• This is the first time the EU has imposed sanctions on China since an arms embargo after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. That embargo is still in place.
• Although the EU sanctions are not very damaging, they show a hardening of stance against its largest trading partner. Also significant is that the Western powers moved together.
• China retaliated with sanctions of its own. It has consistently denied all reports of atrocities against Uighurs, maintaining it is only “deradicalizing” elements of its population in the interests of security.

Important Info :

Background:

• Xinjiang has a large number of Uighurs, Muslims of Turkic descent.
• Over the past few decades, more and more Han Chinese have settled in Xinjinag, which saw violent clashes between them and the Uighurs.
• China is now accused of putting over a million people in internment camps to “de-Muslimise” them and make them integrate better in the Communist country.
• Survivors and human rights organisations have alleged physical, psychological and sexual torture.
• People can be sent to the camps for showing any signs of “extremism” — sporting beards, fasting during Ramzan, dressing differently from the majority, sending Eid greetings, praying “too often” etc.

CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA (CJI)

Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde has recommended Justice N.V. Ramana, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as the next top judge.

About:

• Justice Ramana is now set to take over as the 48th Chief Justice of India from April 24.
• The Centre had recently asked Chief Justice Bobde, who is retiring on April 23, to initiate the transition process to the top judicial office.
• Justice Ramana will be the CJI till August 26, 2022.

Appointment of CJI:

• Article 124 of the Constitution of India provides for the manner of appointing judges to the Supreme Court (SC). But there is no specific provision in the Constitution for appointing the Chief Justice.
• CJI should be the senior most judge of the Supreme Court (SC). Law Minister has to seek recommendation of the outgoing CJI for appointment of new CJI at an appropriate time.
• In case of doubt about the fitness of the senior-most Judge to hold office of CJI consultation with other Judges under Article 124(2) to be made.
• Law Minister then puts up recommendation to Prime Minister (PM) who will advise the President on appointment.
• Seniority at the apex court is determined not by age, but by the date a judge was appointed to the SC.
• If two judges are elevated to the Supreme Court on the same day, (1) the one who was sworn in first as a judge would trump another; (2) if both were sworn in as judges on the same day, the one with more years of high court service would ‘win’ in the seniority stakes; (3) an appointment from the bench would ‘trump’ in seniority an appointee from the bar.
• Tenure:
  • Once appointed, the Chief Justice remains in office until the age of 65 years.
  • Article 124(4) of Constitution of India provides that a SC Judge including CJI can be moved only through a process of impeachment by Parliament

‘DOUBLE MUTANT’ CORONAVIRUS VARIANT

A unique “double mutant” coronavirus variant — with a combination of mutations not seen anywhere else in the world — has been found in India, the Union Health Ministry said.

About:

• However, it is still to be established if this has any role to play in increased infectivity or in making COVID-19 more severe.
• Genome sequencing of a section of virus samples by a consortium of 10 laboratories across the country, called the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), revealed the presence of two mutations, E484Q and L452R together, in at least 200 virus samples.
• Mutations in the virus per se are not surprising but specific mutations that help the virus evolve to thwart vaccines or the immune system or are linked to a spike in cases or in disease severity are causes of concern.
• While the two mutations have been individually identified in other variants of SARS-CoV-2 globally and have been associated with a reduction in vaccine efficacy, their combined effect and biological implications have not yet been understood.
• In the days ahead, the INSACOG will submit details of this variant to a global repository called GISAID and, if it merits, classify it as a “variant of concern” (VOC).
• So far, only three global VOCs have been identified: the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7), the South African (B.1.351) and the Brazilian (P.1) lineage.
• After the new double variant has been submitted to GISAID, it will be categorised under a formal lineage, and will have its own name.

ZABARWAN RANGE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked everyone to visit tulip garden, located at the foothills of Zabarwan range in Jammu and Kashmir.

About:

• The tulip garden will be thrown open to public on March 25, 2021.
• The garden will see over 15 lakh flowers of more than 64 varieties in bloom.
• The Zabarwan Range is a short sub-mountain range between Pir Panjal and Great Himalayan Range in the central part of the Kashmir Valley in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India.

NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR ALLIED AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS BILL, 2021

The Lok Sabha cleared the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professionals Bill, 2021. The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha last week.

About:

• The Bill seeks to regulate and standardise the education and practice of allied and healthcare professionals.
• The Bill defines ‘allied health professional’ as an associate, technician, or technologist trained to support the diagnosis and treatment of any illness, disease, injury, or impairment. Such a professional should have obtained a diploma or degree under this Bill.
• A ‘healthcare professional’ includes a scientist, therapist, or any other professional who studies, advises, research, supervises, or provides preventive, curative, rehabilitative, therapeutic, or promotional health services. Such a professional should have obtained a degree under this Bill.
• The Bill specifies certain categories of allied and healthcare professions as recognised categories. These include life science professionals, trauma and burn care professionals, surgical and anaesthesia related technology professionals, physiotherapists, and nutrition science professionals.
• The Bill sets up the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions. It will
  • frame policies and standards for regulating education and practice,
  • create and maintain an online Central Register of all registered professionals, and
  • providing for a uniform entrance and exit examination, among others.
• The Commission will constitute a Professional Council for every recognised category of allied and healthcare professions.
• Within six months from the passage of the Bill, state governments will constitute State Allied and Healthcare Councils.

CBSE ROLLS OUT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

The Central Board of Secondary Education has rolled out a new assessment framework for Classes 6-10 in English, Maths and Science in collaboration with the British Council.

About:

• Under the new system, teachers will be trained to create question papers and other assessment methods that test the actual competency of students in these subjects, rather than their ability to memorise chunks of text.
• The new framework was launched by Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
• It is aligned with the National Education Policy’s vision of achieving a global standard in assessments.

Timeline:

• In the first phase, the framework will be implemented in select Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, CBSE schools in Chandigarh, and a few private schools.
• By 2024, it will be rolled out to 25,000 CBSE schools across the country, with 1.32 lakh teachers and two crore students.

INDIA TB REPORT

In 2020, there were 18.05 tuberculosis notifications, which was a fall of 24% from 2019 due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic, according to the India TB report released by the Health Ministry.

About:

• Between January and February 2020, the notifications were on an upward trajectory, with 6% more cases reported in the same period in 2019.
• As a result of the lockdown, notifications in the public sector fell by 38% and 44% in the private sector in April and May.
• Of the reported 24.04 lakh TB cases in 2019, treatment success was 82%, mortality rate was 4%, 4% patients were lost to follow up and treatment failure and regimen change after initiation of treatment was about 3%.
• The approved budgets toward the programme have increased substantially, from ₹640 crore in 2016-17 to ₹3,333 crores in 2019-20, however, there was a fall in budget to ₹3,110 crore in 2020-21.
• Over 95% of all cases reported were initiated on treatment in 2020 and the treatment success rate for patients reported in 2019 was 82% (83% among patients in the public sector and 79% in the private).
• The report said 20,892 (42%) of patients were initiated on a shorter MDR-TB regimen at the time of diagnosis. This is a significant decline from 2019.

SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION COMPANIES (SPACs)

Earlier this month, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an investor alert, which was the first warning of sorts, when it came to or special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs).

About:

• A SPAC, or a blank-cheque company, is an entity specifically set up with the objective of acquiring a firm in a particular sector.
• The aim of this SPAC is to raise money in an initial public offering (IPO), and at this point in time, it does not have any operations or revenues.
• Once the money is raised from the public, it is kept in an escrow account, which can be accessed while making the acquisition. If the acquisition is not made within two years of the IPO, the SPAC is delisted, and the money is returned to the investors.
• Certain market participants believe that, through a SPAC transaction, a private company can become a publicly-traded company “with more certainty as to pricing and control over deal terms as compared to traditional IPOs.

Important Info :

Indian scenario:

• In India, renewable energy producer ReNew Power last month announced an agreement to merge with RMG Acquisition Corp II, a blank-cheque company, in what became the first involving an Indian company during the latest boom in SPAC deals.

SUEZ CANAL

The Suez Canal, a critical shipping artery that connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas through Egypt, has been blocked after a large cargo ship ran aground while passing through it, bringing traffic on the busy trade route to a halt.

About:

• A human-made waterway, the Suez Canal is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes, carrying over 12% of world trade by volume.
• Built in 1869, it provides a major shortcut for ships moving between Europe and Asia, who before its construction had to sail around Africa to complete the same journey.
• The 150-year-old canal was controlled by British and French interests in its initial years but was nationalised in 1956 by Egypt’s then leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Over the years, the canal has been widened and deepened.
• In 2015, Egypt announced plans to further expand the Suez Canal, aiming to reduce waiting times and double the number of ships that can use the canal daily by 2023.

Important Info :

Why is the Suez Canal blocked?

• The vessel blocking Suez is the Ever Given – a Panama-registered container ship that is on its way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China. The 2018-built vessel, which is 400-m long and 59-m wide, got stuck here due to a mishap caused by bad weather.
• Egypt, which heavily depends on revenues from the canal, is now diverting ships to an older channel to minimise disruption to global trade.

SHIGMO

With a rise in Covid-19 cases in Goa, questions are being raised over the scale of celebrations for the annual Shigmotsav.

About:

• While the Goa Carnival was held with all the pomp in February, ‘Shigmo’ as it is called in Konkani, is another vibrant celebration full of colour, song and dance rooted in Goan culture and traditions.
• Shigmo is the celebration of a ‘rich, golden harvest of paddy’ by the tribal communities of Goa.
• Agricultural communities including the Kunbis, Gawdas and Velips celebrate the festival that also marks the onset of spring. Shigmo celebrations last over a fortnight in the months of Phalgun-Chaitra months of the Hindu calendar that correspond with March-April every year.
• Folk dances like Ghodemodini (a dance of equestrian warriors), Gopha and Phugadi are among the many dances performed by the participating communities.

TIGER RELOCATION PROJECT

Recently, Sundari — a tigress shifted as part of India’s first inter-state translocation project in 2018 from Madhya Pradesh to Odisha — returned home.

About:

• The five-year-old tigress spent 28 months in captivity in Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Odisha as the two states lingered on the process for her relocation.
• The tiger relocation project was initiated in 2018 wherein two big cats, a male (Mahavir) from Kanha Tiger Reserve and a female (Sundari) from Bandhavgarh from Madhya Pradesh were relocated to Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha, to shore up the tiger population in the state.
• The project was started under the project of “augmentation and recovery of tiger population in Satkosia tiger reserve”. Six tigers (three pairs) from different reserves of Madhya Pradesh were to be sent to Odisha under the project.
• The project ran into trouble within weeks of initiation. Subsequently, the project was suspended by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

JUDICIAL VACANCIES

The Supreme Court asked the government to clarify on the status of 55 recommendations made by the Collegium for judicial appointments to High Courts six months to nearly a year-and-a-half ago.

About:

• Of the pending recommendations, 44 were made to fill vacancies in the Calcutta, Madhya Pradesh, Gauhati, Rajasthan and Punjab High Courts. These recommendations have been pending with the government for over seven months to a year.
• The total sanctioned strength in the 25 High Courts is 1,080. However, the present working strength is 661 with 419 vacancies as on March 1.
• The Supreme Court has been repeatedly conveying to the government its growing alarm at the judicial vacancies in High Courts.

Important Info :

Appointment of Judges

• Article 124(2) says that the President of India Shall appoint the judges after consultation with such number of Judges of the SC/HC as he deems necessary. For appointment of any Judge of SC (other than CJI), the CJI must be consulted.
• The three Judges case of 1981, 1993 & 1998 has formalised the collegium system for the purpose of consultation.
  • The collegium for appointing SC judge consists of the CJI and 4 senior-most judges of SC.
  • Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) was set up after the Third Judge Case of 1998 to provide the process of how the Collegium would recommend names to the Executive.
• The President of India can either accept the recommendation or send it back for reconsideration. The reconsidered advice must be accepted by the President.

WOMEN IN ARMED FORCES

The Supreme Court held that the Army’s “selective” evaluation process discriminates against and disproportionately affects women short service commission officers seeking permanent commission.

About:

• The evaluation pattern of women officers has caused them economic and psychological harm, the court said.
• The court ordered that the cases of women officers who have applied for permanent commission should be reconsidered in a month and the decision on them should be given in two months.
• They would be considered for permanent commission subject to disciplinary and vigilance clearance. The court said physical standards should be kept at a premium during selection.

Important Info :

Supreme court judgement of February 2020

• The Supreme Court declared that Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers are eligible for permanent commission and command posts in the Army irrespective of their years of service.
• The Supreme Court dismissed the Union government’s submissions that women are physiologically weaker than men as a “sex stereotype.”
• The court struck down a part of the government’s 2019 circular that had proposed Permanent Commission to women officers if they had not completed 14 years in service. It commented that there was a “fundamental fallacy” in the centre’s policy of considering only women with less than 14 years for Permanent Commission.
• The verdict came on a nearly 10-year-old appeal filed by the government against a 2010 decision of the Delhi High Court to grant SSC women officer’s permanent commission.

INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM TO EXPLORE POTENTIAL OF YOGA

AYUSH Ministry has set up an interdisciplinary team of experts to explore the potential of Yoga as a productivity enhancing tool for the population.

About:

• The committee is chaired by Dr. H. R Nagendra, Chancellor, SVYASA and its members include representatives from AIIMS New Delhi, IIM Bangalore, IIT Bombay, various leading Yoga institutions, the corporate sector and the AYUSH Ministry.
• One of the primary tasks of the committee was to review evidence that linked Yoga to productivity and analyse the same. The various possible directions of the productivity dimension could then be identified systematically, and along these directions, protocols could be developed.
• The committee will submit its preliminary recommendations by May 2021.

‘MICE ROADSHOW – MEET IN INDIA’; CHHATRASAL CONVENTION CENTRE

Union Minister for Tourism and Culture and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh will inaugurate the ‘Chhatrasal Convention Centre at Khajuraho developed under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism.

About:

• The Ministry of Tourism has framed ‘Development of Iconic Tourist Destinations Scheme’ a Central Sector Scheme for development of nineteen identified iconic destinations in the country following a holistic approach.
• They will also launch “MICE Roadshow – Meet in India” Brand and Roadmap for the Promotion of India as MICE Destination (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.

100+ CURRICULUM BASED COMIC BOOKS

Union Minister of Education launched 100+ comic books created by teachers and students of CBSE schools and curated by NCERT on 24th March 2021.

About:

• Department of School Education and Literacy, in its endeavour to provide holistic learning to students and to usher in vision envisaged in New Education Policy 2020 has launched comic books aligned to chapters of NCERT textbooks across grades 3-12.
• This innovative initiative will help in increasing the cultural and social sensitivity in our children while imparting knowledge.
• These comics can be accessed online on DIKSHA web portal (diksha.gov.in) or via the DIKSHA app on any android Smartphone.
• The comics can also be accessed through a new WhatsApp powered Chatbot. The chatbot presents a unique opportunity to expand the scope of digital learning.

CENTRAL SCRUTINY CENTRE (CSC); IEPFA MOBILE APP

Union Minister for Corporate Affairs launched Central Scrutiny Centre (CSC) and Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority’s (IEPFA) Mobile App — two tech-enabled initiatives by Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).

Central Scrutiny Centre (CSC)

• MCA being one of the key primary sources of corporate data, is required to ensure that the data quality is uncompromised and free from flaws.
• With this objective in mind, the MCA has established a Central Scrutiny Centre
• The Central Scrutiny Centre will scrutinize certain Straight Through Process (STP) Forms filed by the corporates on the MCA21 registry and flag the companies for more in-depth scrutiny.

Important Info :

Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority’s (IEPFA) Mobile App

• The IEPFA Mobile App aims at achieving the goal of financial literacy, spreading investors’ awareness, education, and protection among investors.
• The IEPFA App will have the facility of tracking the status and progress of the IEPF claim refund process. Moreover, it also provides a mechanism for investors and common citizens to report on the suspected fraudulent schemes.

2nd TRANCHE OF COMMERCIAL COAL MINING

India launched its 2nd Tranche of auction for commercial coal mining offering 67 mines for sale of coal. Union Coal Minister launched the auction process.

About:

• This is the highest number of mines on offer in a particular tranche of auction after commencement of the auction regime since 2014.
• Out of the total 67 mines offered by the Ministry of Coal, 23 mines are under CM(SP) Act and 44 under MMDR Act.
• The coal mines on offer are spread across 6 States Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Important Info :

Rolling auction?

• Government of India is moving towards adopting a ‘Rolling Auction’ mechanism for conducting future auctions.
• Coal is the first mineral resource where Rolling Auction mechanism is being implemented in which a pool of coal blocks will always remain available for auctions.

CLIMATE DATA SERVICE PORTAL

India Meteorological Department celebrated World Meteorological Day on 23rd March, 2021. Dr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Science inaugurated Climate Data Services Portal of IMD on this occasion.

About:

• Climate Data Services Portal has been developed by IMD, Pune with user-friendly platforms for climate data management and supply to the users.
• The Web Portal will be available through IMD Website (http://www.mausam.imd.gov.in/) and IMD Pune website (http://www.imdpune.gov.in/).
• It complements fully automated climate data management process from real-time data acquisition to expeditious data dissemination.
• The major components of the portal are listed below:
  • Real-Time monitoring of weather observations recorded by IMD Observatories.
  • Encapsulated IMD Metadata Portal, other reports and dashboards
  • Online access to meteorological data through Data Supply Portal.
  • Free download facility for Gridded Temperature and Rainfall Data of India.
  • Climatological Tables, Extremes and Normal.
  • Information on Monsoon Rainfall and Cyclone frequencies.
  • Data analytics and info graphics.

YAMUNA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Yamuna International Airport sign LoA for civil aviation security.

About:

• A Letter of Agreement (LoA) was signed between the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL).
• The LoA defines provisions for civil aviation security responsibilities and functions at the upcoming international airport at Jewar, Noida.
• The contract of construction of the airport has been awarded to YIAPL, which is a joint venture of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Zurich international airport.

UNITAR

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed gratitude to UN Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR). UNITAR has commended India’s remarkable progress in reducing the premature mortality from Non-Communicable Diseases.

About:

• What is it? The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations system.
• Mandate: UNITAR provides training and capacity development activities to assist mainly developing countries with special attention to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other groups and communities who are most vulnerable.
• History: UNITAR was founded in 1963, following the recommendation of the UN Economic and Social Council to the General Assembly.
• Governance: Operated as an autonomous body within the United Nations system, UNITAR is headed by an Executive Director. Present executive director is Nikhil Seth from India who was appointed in 2015.
• Funding: UNITAR is a project-based organization and does not receive any funds from the regular United Nations budget. The institute is financed entirely from voluntary contributions.
• Headquarters are based in Geneva (Switzerland).

RTI REJECTIONS

The Centre has only rejected 4.3% of all Right to Information (RTI) requests in 2019-20, the lowest ever rate, according to the Central Information Commission’s annual report.

About:

• However, almost 40% of these rejections did not include any valid reason, as they did not invoke one of the permissible exemption clauses in the RTI Act, according to an analysis of report data by RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak.
• This includes 90% of rejections by the Prime Minister’s Office.
• Public authorities under the Central government received 13.7 lakh RTI requests in 2019-20, out of which 58,634 were rejected for various reasons.
• Rejection rates have fallen since the 13.9% rate in 2005-06 and have been steadily trending downwards since the 8.4% spike in 2014-15. In 2019-20, they hit their lowest level so far.
• The Home Ministry had the highest rate of rejections, as it rejected 20% of all RTIs received. The Agriculture Ministry’s rejection rate doubled from 2% in 2018-19 to 4% in 2019-20.
• The Delhi Police and the Army also saw increases in rejection rates.

Important Info :

• The RTI Act allows public authorities to reject RTI requests on a number of grounds, ranging from information which would endanger life and safety to that which involves irrelevant personal information, Cabinet papers, foreign governments, copyrights, or sovereignty, security and intelligence matters.
• Public authorities are expected to cite the relevant clause of the Act to invoke the exemption.

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

With $200 billion of India’s trade flows with Europe, North America and South America at risk due to the blockage of the Suez Canal, the Department of Commerce is planning re-routing shipments through the Cape of Good Hope.

About:

• The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
• A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa. Contemporary geographic knowledge instead states the southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas.
• When following the western side of the African coastline from the equator, however, the Cape of Good Hope marks the point where a ship begins to travel more eastward than southward.

Cape Agulhas

• Cape Agulhas is a rocky headland in Western Cape, South Africa.
• It is the geographic southern tip of the African continent and the beginning of the dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

NISAR

NASA and ISRO are collaborating on developing a satellite called NISAR, which will detect movements of the planet’s surface as small as 0.4 inches over areas about half the size of a tennis court.

About:

• NISAR is an SUV-sized satellite that is being jointly developed by the space agencies of the US and India.
• The name NISAR is short for NASA-ISRO-SAR. SAR here refers to the synthetic aperture radar that NASA will use to measure changes in the surface of the Earth.
  • Essentially, SAR refers to a technique for producing high-resolution images.
  • Because of the precision, the radar can penetrate clouds and darkness, which means that it can collect data day and night in any weather.
• The partnership agreement was signed between NASA and ISRO in 2014.
  • NASA will provide one of the radars for the satellite, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers and a payload data subsystem.
  • ISRO, on the other hand, will provide the spacecraft bus, the second type of radar (called the S-band radar), the launch vehicle and associated launch services.

• The satellite will be launched in 2022 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, into a near-polar orbit.
• It will scan the globe every 12 days over the course of its three-year mission of imaging the Earth’s land, ice sheets and sea ice to give an “unprecedented” view of the planet.

TIGRAY

Eritrea will pull its troops out of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, said. It is a potential breakthrough in a drawn-out conflict that has seen atrocities carried out against civilians.

About:

• The Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine regions (kililat) of Ethiopia.
• Tigray is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples.
• Tigray is also known as Region 1 according to the federal constitution.
• Its capital and largest city is Mekelle.
• Tigray is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Amhara Region to the south and the Afar Region to the east and south east.

Recent conflict:

• The Tigray War is an ongoing armed conflict that began in November 2020 in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.
• It is fought between the by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)-controlled Tigray Regional Government, and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF).
• The conflict escalated in September, when Tigray held local elections in insubordination of the Ethiopian federal government. these elections were considered “illegal” by the federal government, further leading to conflict with Tigray authorities.

MAHARASHTRA BHUSHAN AWARD

Legendary singer Asha Bhosle will be presented the Maharashtra Bhushan award for the year 2020, the State government’s highest honour.

About:

• A committee headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting earlier today in this regard.
• The award, instituted in 1996 by the State government to recognise distinguished work and achievements of eminent persons from the State, representing different walks of life, carries a cash prize of ₹10 lakh and a citation.
• Born on September 8, 1933, in Maharashtra’s Sangli district, Ms. Bhosle was initiated into music by her father, the renowned Marathi stage actor-singer Dinanath Mangeshkar.
• Bhosle received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2000.

Important Info :

• The first Maharashtra Bhushan awardee was Marathi writer P.L. Deshpande and the last winner of this award was historian Babasaheb Purandare who got it for the year 2015.
• Her sister Lata Mangeshkar won the award for 1997.

INDIAN BEAMLINE PROJECT

The third phase of the Indian beamline project, a facility for materials research set up under India-Japan Scientific and Technological Cooperation, was initiated on March 23, 2021, with special focus on industrial application research.

About:

• The phase would increase the number of young researchers from India to be trained in advanced X-ray techniques of material research.
• Besides, steps will be taken to allocate more beamtime so that more researchers can get access to it. At present, only 50 % of Indian researchers who apply receive beamtime.
• The Indian beamline has been constructed and maintained by Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), Kolkata and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore; in Japanese synchrotron light source Photon Factory (PF) of High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), with support from Nano Mission, Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• This India-Japan Scientific and Technological Cooperation project was initiated between the DST and the KEK on 24 July 2007.
• In the first phase (2009-2015) of this project, an X-ray beamline (BL18B) was constructed by SINP in PF. In the second phase (2016-2021), JNCASR and SINP jointly developed the beamline further to cater to the need of various users from India.

TRIBAL TB INITIATIVE

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched ‘Tribal TB Initiative’ in pursuit of TB Mukt Bharat.

About:

• A Guidance Note on Joint Action Plan for Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination, a Special Edition of Tribal Ministry’s Publication ‘ALEKH’ on TB, and a document on Tribal Tuberculosis (TB) Initiative was also released.
• Over 104 million tribal population lives in India, across 705 tribes, accounting for 8.6 % of the country’s population.
• 177 tribal districts were identified as high priority districts where physical remoteness, malnutrition, poor living conditions and lack of awareness contribute to the vulnerability of the tribal population to TB.
• Initially, the activities of the joint plan will be focusing on 161 districts across 18 identified States. This would involve periodic TB active case finding drives and provision of TB Preventive Therapy (IPT) to identified vulnerable population and develop long term mechanisms for vulnerability reduction.

1. the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and district of Badgam in Jammu and Kashmir have been declared TB Free on World TB Day this year.
2. The government has already increased the Budget allocation for TB in India a four-fold in the last 5 years.

NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAMME (NCAP)

In the presence of Union Minister of Environment the MoU was signed by representatives of State Pollution Control Boards, Urban Local Bodies and Institutes of Repute for 132 identified cities for implementation of city specific action plans under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

About:

• The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
• It targets to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2024 (with 2017 as base year).
• A National Knowledge Network comprising leading air quality specialists has also been constituted as a technical advisory group to support activities under NCAP and guide local Institutes of Repute (IoRs) in conducting air quality researches.

INDO-KOREAN FRIENDSHIP PARK

India’s First Indo-Korean Friendship Park was jointly inaugurated by Mr Suh Wook, Minister of National Defence, Republic of Korea and Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri, at Delhi Cantonment on 26 March 2021.

About:

• It is in Delhi Cantonment.
• The park’s significance is not only because of it being a symbol of strong India-South Korea friendly relations, but also as a monument to India’s contributions as part of 21 countries which participated in Korean war 1950-53, under the aegis of the United Nations.
• The park has been developed in joint consultation with Ministry of Defence, Government of India, Indian Army, Delhi Cantonment Board, Embassy of Korea and Korean War Veterans Association of India.
• One of the pillars in the park encompasses Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s narration of Korea as “The Lamp of the East” which was published in Korean daily “Dong-A-llbo” in 1929.

INDO-KOREAN FRIENDSHIP PARK

India’s First Indo-Korean Friendship Park was jointly inaugurated by Mr Suh Wook, Minister of National Defence, Republic of Korea and Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri, at Delhi Cantonment on 26 March 2021.

About:

• It is in Delhi Cantonment.
• The park’s significance is not only because of it being a symbol of strong India-South Korea friendly relations, but also as a monument to India’s contributions as part of 21 countries which participated in Korean war 1950-53, under the aegis of the United Nations.
• The park has been developed in joint consultation with Ministry of Defence, Government of India, Indian Army, Delhi Cantonment Board, Embassy of Korea and Korean War Veterans Association of India.
• One of the pillars in the park encompasses Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s narration of Korea as “The Lamp of the East” which was published in Korean daily “Dong-A-llbo” in 1929.

EXIT POLL

Election Commission of India, in exercise of the powers under sub-section(1) of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 has notified the period between 7:00A.M on 27th March, 2021 (Saturday) and 7.30 PM on 29thApril, 2021 (Thursday), as the period during which exit polls are banned.

About:

• During this period, conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicizing the result of exit poll by means of the print or electronic media or in any other manner shall be prohibited in the ongoing General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal & Puducherry.
• Further, under Section 126(1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,displaying any election matter including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media, would be prohibited during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll.

Important Info :

• In multi-phase elections it is prohibited to conduct exit polls from the 1st phase till the last phase of elections to prevent influencing voters’ behaviour. After last phase one can conduct an exit poll and publish result.
• This was done by bringing amending the Representation of the People Act, 1951 in 2009 which inserted Section 126A was inserted into the RPA.
• Contravention of Section 126A has been made punishable under Section 126A(3) with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both.
• Additionally, Section 126B has also been inserted to the RP Act, 1951 for punishment to companies who commit any offence under Section 126A.

UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING

India delivered on its promise of 2,00,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) worldwide, sending a shipment bound for Copenhagen.

UN Peacekeeping:

• UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.
• Principles: UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:
  • Consent of the parties;
  • Impartiality;
  • Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.

• Role of Security Council: The United Nations Charter gives the United Nations Security Council the responsibility to maintain international peace. For this reason, the international community usually looks to the Security Council to authorize peacekeeping operations through Chapter VII authorizations.
• Present status: There are currently 12 UN peacekeeping operations deployed.
• For its services, UN Peacekeeping has also received the Nobel Peace Prize.
• UN peacekeepers are often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their light blue berets or helmets.

HYPNEA INDICA; HYPNEA BULLATA

Two new species of seaweed have been discovered by a group of marine biologists from Central University of Punjab, Bathinda.

About:

• Named Hypnea indica (after India) and Hypnea bullata (because of the blisterlike marks on its body – bullate), the seaweeds are part of the genus Hypnea or red seaweeds.
• While Hypnea indica was discovered Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Somnath Pathan and Sivrajpur in Gujarat, Hypnea bullata was discovered from Kanyakumari and Diu island of Daman and Diu.
• They grow in the intertidal regions of the coast, namely the area that is submerged during the high tide and exposed during low tides.
• The genus Hypnea consists of calcareous, erect, branched red seaweeds. There are 61 species of which 10 were reported in India. With our two new species, the total number of species now would be 63.

CHINA, IRAN SIGN 25-YEAR ‘STRATEGIC PACT’

China and Iran signed what was described as a 25-year “strategic cooperation pact”.

About:

• While details of the new 25-year pact were not immediately available, it includes “political, strategic and economic” components.
• This document can be very effective in deepening relations and would establish a blueprint for “reciprocal investments in the fields of transport, ports, energy, industry and services”.

Background: Nuclear Deal and Sanctions

• The agreement comes amid a major push from China to back Iran, which counts on Beijing, its largest trading partner, as it deals with the continuing weight of sanctions re-instated following then U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal.
• Earlier this week, China and Russia called for the U.S. to “unconditionally return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as soon as possible and revoke the unilateral sanctions against Iran”.
• In this context, they proposed “the establishment of a regional security dialogue platform to converge a new consensus on resolving the security concerns of countries in the region”.

Important Info :

China and West Asia

• This was signed during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s ongoing six-nation tour to West Asia. Mr. Wang is visiting Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman.
• Five-point initiative: In Riyadh, Mr. Wang proposed “a five-point initiative on achieving security and stability in the Middle East” advocating “mutual respect, upholding equity and justice, achieving non-proliferation, jointly fostering collective security, and accelerating development cooperation.”

MOITREE

On the occasion of the birth centenary of the founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, renowned vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty has composed a new Raag named ‘Moitree’ as a tribute to the Bangabandhu.

About:

• The new Raag is dedicated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with elements of ‘maitree’ or India Bangladesh friendship.
• It is a newly composed Raag incorporating the classical rules for the composition of Raag.
• Three compositions will be presented which are written in Sanskrit, Hindi and Bengali languages.

INDIA-BANGLADESH RELATIONS

India and Bangladesh signed 5 MoUs in the fields of Disaster Management, trade, NCC, ICT and setting up of sports facilities during the official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh.

About:

• Foundation stone was laid for infrastructure development for power evacuation facilities from the Rooppur Nuclear power plant.
• The Bangladesh leg of the Banagabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition was inaugurated by the two Prime Ministers. It will be taken to other parts of the world including the UN.
• Both the leaders also unveiled the foundation stone for the construction of a memorial at Ashuganj honoring the martyrs of Indian armed forces in the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh.
• India gifted 109 life support ambulances to Bangladesh and also 1.2 million doses of the Covishield vaccine.
• Three border haats were also opened along the India-Bangladesh border.

During the visit a number of announcements were made.

• A direct passenger train named ‘Mitali Express’ will run between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri.
• Prime Minister Modi invited 50 young entrepreneurs from Bangladesh to connect with India’s start up ecosystem.
• 1000 Subarno Jayanti Scholarships were announced for the Bangladeshi students to study in India at the Undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• A Bangabandhu Chair will be established at Delhi University to facilitate Bangladesh studies.
• Both countries agreed to start a new area of cooperation in the Civil nuclear and space sectors.

Important Info :

Places visited

• Prime Minister also visited the birthplace of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara and placed a wreath at his mausoleum to pay tribute to the father of the nation of Bangladesh.
• Prime Minister Modi visited the Jeshoreshwari temple in Satkhira. He announced that a cyclone shelter cum community hall will be built at the temple for use by the people.
• He also visited Orakandi where he was given a community reception. He paid respect at Harimandir in Orakandi and addressed the representatives of the Matua community.

RESOLUTION 46/L1

India abstained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that makes a wide-ranging and damaging commentary on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

About:

• Resolution 46/L1 has decided, among other things, to “strengthen” the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights to collect evidence and develop possible strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human rights in Sri Lanka.
• It refers to “persistent” lack of accountability for rights abuses committed through the years by “all parties” in Sri Lanka, including the LTTE.
• Most seriously, it expresses a lack of confidence in the ability of the present government in Colombo to address the shortcomings.
• Among the 14 countries that abstained were Japan, Indonesia, Bahrain and Nepal. Among the 11 that voted against were China, Cuba, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, and Venezuela.

Important Info :

Comment

• This is the eighth resolution on Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council since the end of the war against the LTTE in 2009.
• India’s record of voting on these resolutions shows the ups and downs of New Delhi-Colombo relations, the pressures on coalitions in India, the influence of politics and parties in Tamil Nadu, and the ebb and flow of regional and international geopolitics.

CRYPTOCURRENCY

The corporate affairs ministry has announced companies will have to disclose any holding or dealings in cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies in their financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).

About:

• All companies will now have to disclose in their statutory financial filings to the RoC
  • any profit or loss on transactions involving cryptocurrency,
  • the amount of cryptocurrency held on the reporting date, and
  • any deposits or advances received from anyone for the purpose of investing in cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies.

• Some experts have said these disclosure requirements indicated the government is open to regulating cryptocurrencies instead of banning them.

Important Info :

View of Government on Cryptocurrency

• The government’s new bill – Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021 — aims to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies while setting the stage to roll out the legal framework for an “official digital currency”.
• However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the Centre will take a calibrated approach to cryptocurrencies and will not close the window on experimentation with cryptocurrencies.

BIHAR SPECIAL ARMED POLICE BILL, 2021

The Opposition in Bihar has called a statewide bandh on March 26 to protest the passed of the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 by the Bihar Assembly.

About:

• The bill aims to develop the Bihar Military Police into a well-trained and fully equipped armed police force with multi-domain expertise to cater to the development needs and the larger interest of the state.
• At present, the Bihar Military Police is entrusted with the security of the Mahabodhi Temple in Gaya, the Darbhanga airport, and other industrial and commercial establishments.
• The new Bill renames the Bihar Military Police as the Bihar Special Armed Police, and gives the force more teeth, on the lines of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), so it can better secure the commercial and industrial assets of the state.
• Mandate of the force will be the “maintenance of public order, combating extremism, ensuring the better protection and security of specified establishments in such manner as may be notified and perform such other duties, as may be notified.”
• It empowers Special Armed Police officers to carry out searches and arrests without warrant, and courts being able to take congnizance of certain offences by the officers only after government sanction.
• The mahagathbandhan in Bihar has called the Bill “draconian”.

PRODUCTION-LINKED INCENTIVE (PLI) SCHEME FOR MANUFACTURING OF MOBILE PHONES

The Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) has written letters to the NITI Aayog to consider declaring 2020-21 as zero year for production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for manufacturing of mobile phones.

About:

• PLI schemes for all sectors that have been announced since April last year envisage incentives on achievement of a minimum threshold of cumulative incremental investment and incremental sales of manufactured goods net of taxes.
• Since the government notified the PLI for mobile manufacturing on April 1 last year, FY21 was considered as the base year for the calculation of incremental investments and sales, and therefore the incentives to be given to companies.

Important Info :

How does 2020-21 being considered as zero year help cellphone makers?

• For the purposes of calculation of incremental investment, incremental sales of manufactured goods net of taxes and therefore the incentives, cellphone companies have urged the government that the current financial year be considered as zero year.
• In essence, they say that for the purposes of calculation of the incentives to be given to under the PLI scheme, the government should consider the incremental investments they will make and sales of products that they achieve from next financial year.
• The most common claim is that the lockdown in the first three months of this fiscal left them with very little time to get started with the building of or expansion of old units.

INDIAN RHINOCEROS

With the BJP frequently invoking Assam’s world-famous one-horned rhino to connect with the people of the state, the animal has now become a part of poll rhetoric, with promises to save “the pride of Assam”.

About:

• The projection of rhino as the pride of Assam began during the Assam Movement (1979-85).
• Rhino started emerging as a player in the political narrative of Assam as “its poaching was linked to the control of indigenous people over land, resources and influx of immigrants”.
• According to the rhino census of 2018, there are 2,413 rhinos in Kaziranga alone.
• It is common for every party contesting in Bokakhat and Kaliabor, the two constituencies that cover most of Kaziranga (the park spreads over six constituencies), to say that they will protect the rhino.

Important Info :

• The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is also called the Indian rhino, greater one-horned rhinoceros or great Indian rhinoceros.
• It is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent.
• It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
• Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam has the highest density of Indian rhinos in the world.

JUDICIAL REVIEW

A public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court by Wasim Rizvi seeking declaration of 26 verses of the Quran as unconstitutional, non-effective and non- functional on the ground that these promote extremism and terrorism.

Power of judicial review:

• Under Indian law, only a “law” can be challenged as unconstitutional.
• Article 13(3) defines law, which includes any ordinance, order, by-law, rule, regulations, notification, custom or usage having in the territory the force of law.
• “Laws in force” on the commencement of the Constitution include laws enacted by a legislature or other competent authority.
• This definition certain does not cover any religious scripture including the Quran. Similarly, neither the Vedas nor the Gita, nor the Bible, nor the Guru Granth Sahib can be said to be “law” under Article 13 and thus challenged in a court of law.
• The divine books can be sources of law but not law in themselves. Thus, Quran in itself is not “law” for the purposes of Article 13.
• It is the paramount source of Islamic law and Muslim jurists extract laws from it through interpretation and also taking into account other sources of law such as Hadees (Prophet’s sayings), Ijma (juristic consensus), Qiyas (analogical deductions), Urf ( customs), Istihsan (juristic preference) and Istisilah (public interest).

Important Info :

Reaction to the petition

• The petition has led to protests among Muslims, and several clerics have issued fatwas against the petitioner.
• In Vishwa Lochan Madan (2014), the Supreme Court has already observed that such fatwas have no validity.

POLLING AGENTS

The Election Commission’s recent decision to change the rules for appointing polling agents has sparked off a debate in West Bengal.

Who is a polling agent?

• A polling agent is a person appointed as a representative of a political party as it is not possible for a candidate to be physically present at every polling booth on the day of the elections.
• Therefore, the Election Commission allows a candidate to appoint a polling agent who keeps an eye on the voting process.

What is the role of a polling agent?

• As per the Election Commission’s rules, a polling agent should be familiar with the rules and procedures to conduct elections using EVMs and VVPATs, and with the working of these machines.
• Towards this end, a polling agent attends the demonstrations arranged by the Returning Officer, where the functioning and operation of these machines are explained.

Important Info :

New regulations:

• As per the new regulations, a political party can now nominate a polling agent for any booth within the assembly segment he/she is a voter from.
• Earlier, the polling agent had to be a voter of the booth or an adjoining booth that he/she is working at.
• The Trinamool has been opposing the change in rules, calling it “arbitrary, motivated and biased” and has also written to the Election Commission seeking withdrawal of the order.

UNIFORM CIVIL CODE (UCC)

Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde lauded Goa’s Uniform Civil Code, and encouraged “intellectuals” indulging in “academic talk” to visit the state to learn more about it. Earlier in September 2019, the Supreme Court had described Goa as a “shining example” with a Uniform Civil Code.

About:

• A Uniform Civil Code is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.
• Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.

Directive Principles of State Policy

• Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy.
• These, as defined in Article 37, are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.
• While Article 44 uses the words “state shall endeavour”, other Articles in the ‘Directive Principles’ chapter use words such as “in particular strive”; “shall in particular direct its policy”; “shall be obligation of the state” etc.

Important Info :

Does India not already have a uniform code in civil matters?

• Indian laws do follow a uniform code in most civil matters — Indian Contract Act, Civil Procedure Code, Sale of Goods Act, Transfer of Property Act, Partnership Act, Evidence Act, etc.
• States, however, have made hundreds of amendments and, therefore, in certain matters, there is diversity even under these secular civil laws. Recently, several states refused to be governed by the uniform Motor Vehicles Act, 2019.

HEART OF ASIA – ISTANBUL PROCESS (HoA-IP)

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar reached Dushanbe on a three-day visit to Tajikistan. He will attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process on Afghanistan.

About:

• The Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) is an initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey, which was officially launched at a conference hosted by Turkey in Istanbul on 2 November 2011.
• Since then, Afghanistan supported by fourteen Participating Countries of the Heart of Asia Region and 16 Supporting Countries beyond the region as well as 12 Regional and International Organizations is leading and coordinating this Process.
• It is a platform for promoting regional security, economic and political cooperation centred on Afghanistan through dialogue and a set of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).
• The Directorate General for Regional Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan is acting as the de facto Secretariat of the Process.
• The Heart of Asia Region: The geographical area covering the 15 Participating Countries of the HoA-IP is defined as the Heart of Asia Region. It is one of the biggest regions in the world with a collective geographical area of more than 40 million km2 covering around 27% of the land area of the Earth.

Important Info :

Recent conference

• As the lead country for Trade, Commerce and Investment Confidence Building Measure under Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process, India has made concerted efforts for strengthening regional connectivity for the greater economic integration of Afghanistan with the region.
• A dedicated Air Freight Corridor between cities of India and Afghanistan and operationalisation of Chabahar Port in Iran are steps in that direction.
• After arriving in Dushanbe today, Dr Jaishankar visited the Dushanbe-Chortut Highway Project He lauded the Good work being done by Border Roads Organisation BRO under Indian grant assistance. The 8-lane highway will decongest Dushanbe.

ROLE OF MICRO FORESTS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined the role of micro forests in minimising the havoc caused by cyclones in coastal areas.

About:

• Through his Mann ki Baat program, the Prime Minister, commended two odia activists- one, Mr. Vijay Kumar Kabi of Kendrapara and the other Mr. Amaresh Samanta of Paradeep, for their individual efforts in raising micro forests to fend coastal villages from the wrath of high tides.
• Prime Minister’s emphasis on creating micro forests in coastal villages assumes greater significance for a state like Odisha, which has been witnessing cyclones almost on a regular basis, be it Phailin in 2013, Hudhud in 2014 down to Titli 2018, Fani 2019 or for that matter, Amphan only last year.

INTERNATIONAL RANGER AWARD

Union Minister for Environment has congratulated Mahinder Giri, range officer of Rajaji Tiger Reserve for being the only ranger from Asia to win the prestigious International Ranger Award for his contribution towards conservation.

About:

• The award has been announced for 10 professionals across the world by the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN and World Commission on Protected Areas WCPA.
• Developed through a collaboration between the IUCN WCPA, the International Ranger Federation, Global Wildlife Conservation, and Conservation Allies, these awards, created in 2020, aim to highlight and felicitate the extraordinary work that rangers do in protected and conserved areas worldwide.

PROROGATION

President Ram Nath Kovind has prorogued the fifth session of 17th Lok Sabha. The session had commenced on 29th January. President also prorogued the Rajya Sabha. The House was adjourned sine die on 25th of this month.

About:

• Termination of a session of the House by an order made by the President under article 85(2) is called ‘prorogation’.
• The President in exercising the power to prorogue the House acts on the advice of the Prime Minister.
• Usually, prorogation follows the adjournment of the sitting of the House sine die.
• The time-lag between the adjournment of a House sine die and its prorogation is generally two to four days, although there are instances when a House was prorogued on the same day on which it was adjourned sine die.
• It is not necessary that both the Houses should be prorogued simultaneously.

Important Info :

Effects of prorogation on different categories of business pending before the House

• Article 107(3) of the Constitution of India expressly provides that a Bill pending in Parliament shall not lapse by reason of the prorogation of the House. This also covers Bills pending before a Select or Joint Committee of the House(s).
• Notices of intention to move for leave to introduce Bills also do not lapse on prorogation and no fresh notice is necessary in the next session for that purpose except where any sanction or recommendation granted under the Constitution in respect of a Bill has ceased to be operative.
• On the prorogation, all pending notices of Motions and Resolutions except those relating to introduction of Bills as mentioned above, lapse and fresh notices must be given for the next session.
• Any business pending before a committee shall not lapse by reason only of the prorogation of the House and the committee shall continue to function notwithstanding such prorogation.
• On prorogation of either House of Parliament, the President has the power to issue Ordinances under article 123.

EXAM WARRIORS

PM Modi unveils new version of ‘Exam Warriors’ to make them stress free before examinations.

About:

• The new version of Exam Warriors written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now available with many new mantras for students as well as parents.
• It is available at retail stores as well as online. The Exam Warriors module is also available on the NaMo App.
• The new edition of the book has been enriched with valuable inputs from students, parents and teachers. Substantive new parts have been added that would especially interest the parents and teachers.

SABARMATI RIVER FRONT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, in its draft budget for 2021-22, has set aside Rs 1,050 crore for the Sabarmati River Front Development phase 2, work on which is to begin soon.

About:

• Sabarmati Riverfront is a waterfront being developed along the banks of Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad.
• Proposed in the 1960s, the construction began in 2005.
• The major objectives of project are environment improvement, social infrastructure and sustainable development.
• By channelling the river to a constant width of 263 m along the part that passes Ahmedabad city, 204 hectares have been reclaimed along the 11-km stretch of the Sabarmati Riverfront in the first phase of the project, on both the banks.

Important Info :

Sabarmati river?

• The Sabarmati river is one of the major west-flowing rivers in India.
• It originates in the Aravalli Range of the Udaipur District of Rajasthan and meets the Gulf of Khambhat of Arabian Sea after travelling 371 km in a south-westerly direction across Rajasthan and Gujarat.

NACADUBA SINHALA RAMASWAMII SADASIVAN

A group of lepidopterists have found a new butterfly species in India.

About:

• The discovery of the species Nacaduba sinhala ramaswamii Sadasivan, 2021 in the Agasthyamalais in the Western Ghats a decade ago has now found place in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
• The new taxon of Lycaenid butterflies belongs to the Nacaduba genus.
• Line Blues are small butterflies belonging to the subfamily Lycaenidae and their distribution ranges from India and Sri Lanka to the whole of south-eastern Asia, Australia and Samoa.
• It is the first time that a butterfly species was discovered by an all-Indian research team from the Western Ghats.

Important Info :

• Lepidopterology is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies.
• Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian.

CULEX MOSQUITOES

With the change in season and rise in temperature, culex or common house mosquitoes have made a reappearance across Delhi.

About:

• Warmer temperatures are the main reason for the appearance of these mosquitoes.
• Their presence is especially felt more in areas around floodplains in East and South Delhi as it is an ideal condition of breeding.
• Culex mosquitoes are known carriers of Japanese encephalitis, a potentially life-threatening but rare viral disease that causes “acute inflammation” of the brain. They breed in dirty, stagnant water.
• They can fly up to a distance of 1-1.5 km.
• Unlike Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which spread dengue and chikungunya and breed in clean water, culex mosquitoes breed in unclean stagnant water.

DUST WINDS

Dust-laden winds swept Delhi on Tuesday, pushing the air quality into the poor category and increasing the concentration of coarse particles in the air.

About:

• According to forecasts, strong winds that are carrying dust to Delhi from Rajasthan are expected to continue until Thursday.
• The concentration of particulate matter of 10 micrometres (PM10) — coarse particles suspended in the air — was 341 micrograms per cubic metre air (µg/m3) as of 5pm, against the 24-hour acceptable limit of 100 µg/m3.
• The concentration of PM2.5 — particles that are smaller in size and are released from combustion activities — was about 105 µg/m3, a little higher than the 24-hour acceptable limit of 60 µg/m3.
• The spike in PM10 concentration shows the impact of dust-laden winds on air quality, which, according to the Centre’s Early Warning System for Delhi, is expected to largely remain in poor category for the next five days.

Reason for Dust Winds in Delhi

• Weather and environmental experts said a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan and high temperatures over the past few days in northwest India is contributing to this phenomenon.
• Delhi witnesses long-range transport of dust nearly every year from Rajasthan, and even from Afghanistan, during summer months.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN INDIA’S HEALTHCARE SECTOR

NITI Aayog Releases Report ‘Investment Opportunities in India’s Healthcare Sector’.

About:

• The report outlines the range of investment opportunities in various segments of India’s healthcare sector, including hospitals, medical devices and equipment, health insurance, telemedicine, home healthcare and medical value travel.
• India’s healthcare industry has been growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of around 22% since 2016. At this rate, it is expected to reach USD 372 billion in 2022.
• In the hospital segment, the expansion of private players to tier-2 and tier-3 locations, beyond metropolitan cities, offers an attractive investment opportunity.

DIGHA & KANKARBAGH SEWAGE PROJECTS

Financing agreements for developing STPs and Sewerage network for Digha and Kankarbagh zones of Patna were signed between DK Sewage Project Pvt Ltd (a subsidiary of VA Tech Wahagh) and PFS.

About:

• The scope of the project includes development of Sewage Treatment Plants of 150 MLD capacity along with sewerage network of over 453 km in the Digha and Kankarbagh zones of Patna, one of the most populous cities on the banks of the river Ganga.
• This is the first of its kind project which comprises of a mix of Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (‘DBOT’) scope and Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) scope.
• With the implementation of Digha and Kankarbagh sewerage projects all the sewage zones of Patna city will be covered with sewerage network and sewage treatment capacity to achieve the objective of the Namami Gange program of preventing any untreated waste water entering the river Ganga.

WORLD IMMUNISATION AND LOGISTICS SUMMIT

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare digitally participated in a panel discussion on vaccine production and distribution across Asia at the “World Immunisation and Logistics Summit”.

About:

• The HOPE Consortium’s World Immunisation & Logistics Summit opened on March 30, 2021 to enhance collaboration in the world’s approach to tackle COVID-19 and ensure a healthier future for all.
• The two-day virtual Summit, hosted in by Abu Dhabi, kicked off under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, with the participation of acclaimed global healthcare and philanthropic leaders, decision-makers, experts and senior government officials, to explore a unified global approach to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

HOPE Consortium?

• Spearheaded by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, who has led the formation of the emirate-wide consortium, the HOPE Consortium brings together leading brands to deliver an end-to-end solution to distribute COVID-19 vaccines globally.

ĀNANDAM: THE CENTER FOR HAPPINESS

Union Education Minister inaugurates Ānandam: The Center for Happiness in IIM Jammu, to help students live a stress-free life.

About:

• Incorporating happiness in the academic curriculum of students is a very crucial step towards empowering our nation. This step will take our education system to newer heights, similar to the times of ancient Indian universities like Nalanda and Takshashila.
• Anandam: The Center for happiness aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 that aims to transform India’s education system by 2021.
• Prime activities envisaged under the concept of ‘Ānandam: The Center for Happiness’ will be divided into five broad categories, namely, Counselling, Holistic wellness, Elective courses on Happiness Development, Research and Leadership & Faculty Development.
• The Center for Happiness acquires its name ‘Ānandam’ from the Indian wisdom tradition where the pure consciousness is being as “anandam”. “Ānandam” doesn’t aim for only happiness but knowing the truth, doing good and enjoying the beauty around.
• The tagline for “Ānandam” further reinforces its ideology that it will work for the well-being of all. The tagline “Sarvabhūtahiteratāḥ” stands for being always engaged for the well-being of all.

VAJRA PRAHAR 2021

The 11th edition of Indo-US Joint Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR was conducted at Special Forces Training School located at Bakloh, HP in March 2021.

About:

• The joint exercise by the Special Forces of both the countries is conducted alternatively between India and the United States.
• Objective is to share the best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics as also to improve interoperability between the Special Forces of both nations.

PHALTAN-PUNE DEMU TRAIN

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar flagged off DEMU train from Phaltan to Pune via Lonand on 30.3.2021 through video conferencing.

About:

• Phaltan is a town, a taluka and a municipal council in Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The town is about 59 kilometres northeast of the city of Satara and about 110 km from Pune.
• Introduction of trains between Phaltan and Pune via Lonand will help the people of this region in general and agriculturists to reach new markets, students to reach educational institutions of their choice & workers to seek more green pastures in particular.

Important Info :

DEMU trains?

• A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines.
• Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU.