28 march-03 april, 2021

28 March-03 April, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)

28 March-03 April, 2021


NATIONAL NEWS

1.Holi being celebrated throughout the Country

Holi, the festival of colours is being celebrated throughout the country with

great pomp and enthusiasm. The festival is celebrated in the month of

March which not only brings cheers to the people but also brings new lease

of life to plants and animals.

Holi marks the onset of spring season. Holi begins with Holika Dahan, a

day prior to Holi. As per Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu, to save his

devotee Prahlad from demon Hiranyakashipu, burnt the sister of

Hiranyakashipu, Holika. Like any other Hindu festival, Holi also marks the

victory of good over evil.

Vaishnavites believe that Lord Krishna and Radha played Holi on this

occasion and the festival is also marked as a festival of love. Holi gives the

message of equality and fraternity as all the sections of society irrespective

of caste, creed, colour, age, and sex celebrate it with great enthusiasm.

Holi is celebrated in different places with different hues and colours. It is

normally played with liquid colours and also dry gulaal. But, in Braj and

sorrounding areas, along with colours, people play Lathmaar Holi by mildly

patting with sticks. Also, in some places of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, people

play Kapda Phaad Holi with tearing of the dresses they wore on the

occasion of Holi celebration.

2.Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu launched ‘Dekho Apna Pradesh’

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched ‘Dekho Apna

Pradesh’, a brainchild of Khandu conceptualized in line with Prime Minister

Narendra Modi’s ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign, is an attempt to promote

tourism within the state to heal the damage caused to the sector by the

COVID 19 pandemic

He flagged off the ‘Dekho Apna Pradesh’ campaign in presence of Deputy

Chief Minister Chowna Mein and Tourism Minister Nakap Nalo here from

the D K Convention Centre.

As Arunachal Pradesh is geographically a big state, Khandu claimed that

not many of its residents must have visited places other than their workplace

or residency.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS

1.Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Yamuna International Airport sign

LoA for civil aviation security

A Letter of Agreement (LoA) was signed between the Bureau of Civil

Aviation Security (BCAS) and Yamuna International Airport Private

Limited (YIAPL) in New Delhi. The LoA defines provisions for civil

aviation security responsibilities and functions at the upcoming international

airport at Jewar, Noida. The agreement letter was signed by Shri Ankit

Garg, Deputy Director General, BCAS, and Shri Christoph Schnellmann,

CEO, YIAPL. Shri Jaideep Prasad, DG, BCAS, and Ms. Kiranjeet Kaur

Jain, COO of YIAPL were also present on the occasion.

The Letter of Agreement stipulates the civil aviation security

responsibilities and functions and implements the tasks relating to civil

aviation security, defined, and allocated for implementation of various

aspects of the National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP) at

Noida International Airport.

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.

2.2020 was Best Year for Wind Industry: Global Wind Report 2021

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2020 was the best year in history

for the global wind industry as this sector installed 93GW of new capacity

in 2020, according to a new report titled ‘Global Wind Report 2021,

released by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC- Headquarters

location: Brussels, Belgium).

This is the 16th annual flagship report, released by GWEC on March 25,

2021.

The 93GW represents a 53% year-on-year increase.

As per the report, the global wind power market increased four times in size

over the past decade but the record growth was seen in 2020.

This increase was driven by a surge of installations in China and the US

alone

Together, the US and China installed 75% of new installations in 2020 and

account for over half of the world’s total wind power capacity.

3.Rajnath Singh, South Korean Defence Minister inaugurated Indo-Korean

bilateral friendship park


An Indo-Korean friendship park was jointly inaugurated by Defence

Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of National Defence of South Korea

Suh Wook at Delhi cantonment.

The park has been built to commemorate the contribution of Indian

peacekeeping force during the Korean war of 1950-53.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General M M

Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Air Chief Marshal R K

S Bhadauria were present on the occasion.

The South Korean minister arrived in India on a three-day visit with a focus

on boosting bilateral defence and military cooperation.

South Korea has been a major supplier of weapons and military equipment

to India.

In 2019, the two countries finalised a roadmap for cooperation in the joint

production of various land and naval systems.

4.Japan to provide loans and grant of 233 billion yen for infra projects in

India

Japan finalised loans and a grant totalling around 233 billion yen ($2.11

billion) for several key infrastructure projects, including for the fourth phase

of the Delhi Metro.

The financial assistance included a grant of 4.01 billion yen for a project for

the improvement of power supply in strategically located Andaman and

Nicobar Islands, according to the Japanese Embassy here.

The loans and the grant were exchanged between CS Mohapatra, additional

secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry,

and Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki.

The grant of 4.01 billion yen is Japan's first ever official development

assistance (ODA) to a project in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

5.New Zealand passed miscarriage bereavement leave law

New Zealand's parliament has passed legislation giving mothers and their

partners the right to paid leave following a miscarriage or stillbirth,

becoming only the second country in the world to do so.

The bereavement allowance, passed unanimously in parliament late on 26th

March gives employees three days' leave when a pregnancy ends with a

stillbirth without having to tap into sick leave.

The leave provisions apply to mothers, their partners as well as parents

planning to have a child through adoption or surrogacy.

6.US President Joe Biden invited PM Modi to Global Summit on Climate

US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime

Minister Narendra Modi, China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin,

to a virtual climate summit he is hosting in April.


The world leaders have been asked to attend the two-day virtual meeting

meant to mark Washington’s return to the front lines of the fight against

man-made climate change after former US President Donald Trump

disengaged from the process.

The start of the summit on April 22 coincides with Earth Day and will come

ahead of a major UN meeting on climate change scheduled for November in

Glasgow, Scotland. “It will be a key milestone on the road to the United

Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.

7.Dr. Harsh Vardhan addressed 7th annual summit of NATHEALTH 2021

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare

addressed the 7th annual summit of NATHEALTH focusing on ‘Indian

Health system expansion in post-COVID era’ through a video conference.

The 2-day virtual summit was held on 25 and 26 March 2021.

The theme of the Summit was ‘Indian Health system expansion in post-

COVID era’

The Summit was organised by NATHEALTH-Healthcare Federation of

India, to bring the healthcare industry together to engage, collaborate and

deliberate, to unveil a path together and emerge resilient in the aftermath of

the COVID-19 pandemic.

The senior Government representatives, top industry leaders and sectorial

experts from both private and public sector in India participated in the vent.

8.India and Bangladesh signed five MoUs to further enhance bilateral ties

India and Bangladesh on 27th

March signed five MoUs covering a number

of areas of bilateral cooperation to further enhance ties during Prime

Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka.

External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India attaches the

highest priority to Bangladesh under its Neighbourhood First Policy.


PM Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina discussed the

progress achieved in areas of health, trade, connectivity, energy,

developmental cooperation, and many more.

9.Brazil’s Armed Forces Chiefs resigned abruptly amid cabinet shake-up

The three commanders of Brazil’s armed forces resigned jointly on 30th

March, a day after President Jair Bolsonaro fired his defense minister as part

of a big cabinet shake-up.

The departures of the military leaders, which followed the unexpected

replacement of five other cabinet members, fueled rampant speculation in

the capital about a breakdown in the relationship between the president and

the country’s military, which has played a central role in the Bolsonaro

administration.

The political turbulence in Brasília comes as the government faces

withering criticism, including calls for Mr. Bolsonaro’s impeachment, for

its cavalier and chaotic handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has

killed more than 313,000 Brazilians. A surge in infections has overwhelmed

hospitals across the country, leaving patients to die waiting for a hospital

bed.

NEW APPOINTMENTS AND PERSON IN NEWS.

1.SAIL Chairman Soma Mondal elected as New Chairman of SCOPE

The Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Soma Mondal

has been elected as the new Chairman of the Standing Conference of Public

Enterprises (SCOPE).

Mondal has been elected for a term of two years (2021-23), with effect from

April 01, 2021.

She would succeed Mr. Rakesh Kumar of NLC India Limited (NLCIL).

Apart from this, Shri Pradip Kumar Das, CMD, IREDA has been elected as

Vice Chairman, SCOPE.

SCOPE is an apex professional employers’ organization in India

representing the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).

2.Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal inaugurated 'Anandam: The

Center for Happiness' at IIM Jammu

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on 30th March inaugurated

"Anandam: The Center for Happiness" at the Indian Institute of

Management (IIM), Jammu virtually and said incorporating happiness in the

academic curriculum is crucial towards empowering our nation.


Centre will be divided into 5 categories: counselling, holistic wellness,

elective courses on happiness development, Research-Leadership and

faculty development

Centre will have advisory board of experts from academics, research, and

industry

It acquires its name from Indian wisdom tradition where it means pure

consciousness

3.Rajinikanth to be honoured with 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Superstar Rajinikanth has been conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb

Phalke Award this year. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced the

same on, April 1.

Rajinikanth made his debut in 1975 with K Balachander's Apoorva

Ragangal and has completed over 45 years in Kollywood.

4.Central Government declares 14th April, birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as

public holiday for all its offices

The Central government has declared 14th April, the birthday of Dr. B.R.

Ambedkar, as a public holiday for all its offices.

Informing the decision through an official order, the Ministry of Personnel,

Public Grievances & Pensions said that in addition to the Central

government offices, the Industrial Establishments throughout the country

will also remain closed on the 14th of April.

5.Shri Mukhmeet S. Bhatia takes over the charge of Director General of

ESIC

Shri Mukhmeet S. Bhatia, IAS took over the charge of Director General of

Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under Ministry of Labour

& Employment.

Shri Bhatia is an IAS Officer of 1990 batch of Jharkhand cadre. Earlier, he

has worked as the Additional Secretary in the Dept. of Economic Affairs,

Ministry of Finance and Government of India. He has got vast experience of

governance and management of District & State level Organisations. He has

also served as the Principal Secretary in the Dept. of Labour & Employment

and Women & Child Development in the Government of Jharkhand.

Shri Bhatia holds an M.Phil in Defence & Strategic Studies from the

Madras University, Masters Degree in Business Administration from

Faculty of Mgmt. Studies, University of Delhi and a Masters in

International Development from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. He

is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College,

Chandigarh. He has various research papers on Governance and Social

Protection to his credit.


6.Subhash Kumar took over as Acting Chairman of ONGC

Subhash Kumar, director (finance) of flagship explorer Oil and Natural Gas

Corporation, on 1st April assumed additional charge of the company’s CMD

upon the retirement of incumbent Shashi Shanker.

Kumar has over 36 years of experience across the exploration and

production value chain. He first joined ONGC in 1985 and has had stints in

ONGC Videsh, the overseas acquisition arm, and India’s largest LNG

importer Petronet LNG.

A fellow member of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India and

Associate Member of ICSI, Kumar is a gold medalist of Punjab University,

Chandigarh.

BANKING

1.World Bank releases “World Development Report 2021: Data for Better

Lives”

The “World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives” was released

by the World Bank on March 24, 2021.

The World Development Report focuses on how data can improve the lives

of poor people and advance development objectives, to ensure no one is left

behind.

It highlights the tremendous potential of the changing data landscape to

improve the lives of poor people, at the same time acknowledging its

potential to open back doors that can harm individuals, businesses, and

societies.

Through this report, World Bank aims to support its client countries by

identifying where public and private sector investments are the most critical,

defining a rich program for policy reform and technical assistance, and

highlighting areas in which global initiatives can help to convene and

facilitate cross-border cooperation.

2.RBI extends restrictions on PMC Bank till June 30

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the restrictions on Punjab

and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank till June 30, 2021. The decision

has been taken in the backdrop of financial condition of the bank which is

likely to make the reconstruction process complex and time-consuming, the

central bank said in a notification on Friday.

This restriction was first placed in September 2019, and since then has been

consecutively extended.

The previous restriction was set to expire on March 31, 2021.

3.HDFC Bank named India's best SME bank by Asiamoney


HDFC Bank was adjudged the India's best bank for SMEs at the Asiamoney

Best Bank Awards 2021. In its evaluation the magazine said on its website

HDFC Bank's transformation of its micro, small and medium-sized

enterprise (MSME) business over the past few years makes it a worthy

winner of this award.

The Annual Best Banks survey of the financial magazine based in Hong-

Kong, aims to identify which banks in each market have excelled across a

range of core banking activities over the past 12 months.

Asiamoney's award decisions were made by a team comprising senior

journalists after receiving detailed submissions from market participants and

in conjunction with research into the banking and capital markets by

editorial committee. The team also visited each country or territory to meet

leading bankers and gather client and competitor feedback.

4.IIFL Securities to offer trading services to Karnataka Bank customers

Karnataka Bank NSE -1.71 % entered into an agreement with IIFL

Securities NSE -0.22 % to provide its customers demat and trading account

facilities with IIFL Securities. Customers of the lender will be able to

directly open an account with IIFL Securities under KBL Smart Trade

arrangement.

The KBL Smart Trade arrangement will boost user additions at IIFL

Securities, which stands to add 10 million of Karnataka Bank’s users on its

platform.

5.Tata Motors signs MOU with SBI for financing light commercial vehicles

Tata Motors on Friday signed a three-year MoU (Memorandum of

Understanding) with the State Bank of India, to offer financial assistance for

the purchase of the company's range of small and light commercial vehicles.

The collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI) will allow Tata Motors'

commercial vehicle (CV) customers to avail of loans in a hassle-free

manner as well as access SBI's unique technology-laden offerings, the

company said in a statement.


It will also introduce easy loan structured schemes which will help mitigate

the cost difference between the BS-IV and the BS-VI vehicles for both,

down payment as well as the EMI of the vehicle

6.Only 11% low-income countries make their data open: World Bank report

Most countries have shied away from an open-data policy — more so

countries with developing economies, according to a recent World Bank

report.

Only 11 percent low-income countries consistently made available with a

license classifiable as ’open’, the report flagged. The comparable rate for

lower-middle-income countries was 19 per cent, for upper-middle-income

countries 22 percent and high-income countries 44 percent.

Public intent data should be safeguarded as a global public good and

resource to achieve equitable and sustainable development.

7.Government announces Rs. 14,500 crore capital infusion in 4 PSBs

The government has announced an infusion of Rs. 14,500 crore into Central

Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India and UCO Bank by

issuing non-interest bearing bonds to them despite reservations raised by the

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) over the use of this instrument.

The recapitalisation bonds would be issued with six different maturities and

would be at par for the amount, in line with the application made by the

eligible banks. The special securities would be repayable at par on the date

of maturity.

No interest would be payable on issue of these securities, said the

notification. This is a shift from the past when the government issued

interest-bearing bonds to public sector banks.

8.Government extended Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme to June

30

The government has extended the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee

Scheme (ECLGS) by another three months, and widened its scope to issue

additional funding up to 40 percent of outstanding loans as on Feb 29, 2020

as against 20 percent earlier.

The scheme, dubbed as ECLGS 3.0, has been extended until June 30, or

until Rs 3 trillion is disbursed, due to continuing adverse impact of Covid-

19 pandemic on certain services sector, Ministry of Finance said in a

statement.

9.Government pegs market borrowing at Rs. 7.24 lakh crore in first half of

FY-22


The government has decided to borrow Rs. 7.24 lakh crore in the first half

of 2021-22 fiscal (FY-22) to meet resources to revive the economy hit by

coronavirus pandemic.

This borrowing is 60.06 percent of the estimated gross issuances for the

fiscal 2021-22.

According to the Budget 2021-22, the estimated gross borrowing is pegged

at Rs. 12.05 lakh crore in the financial year beginning April 01, 2021.

The government raises money from the market to fund its fiscal deficit

through dated securities and treasury bills.

10.RBI extended deadline for processing auto-debit payments by 6 months till

September 30, 2021

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the timeline for processing

recurring online transactions by 6 months to September 30, 2021.

Earlier in December 2020, RBI had directed all banks including RRBs,

NBFCs, and payment gateways that the processing of recurring transactions

(domestic or cross-border) using cards or Prepaid Payment Instruments

(PPIs) or Unified Payments Interface (UPI) would not be continued beyond

March 31, 2021 if they do not comply with Additional Factor of

Authentication (AFA).

This means that with effect from April 30, 2021, there were supposed to be

no automatic recurring payment for various services, including recharge and

utility bill, under arrangements/practices not compliant with AFA.

However, banks and payment gateways had sought additional time to

comply with the RBI directive on automatic recurring payment. Taking it

into consideration, RBI decided to further extend the timeline.

11.SBI raises $1 billion loan with Japan Bank for International Cooperation

India's biggest lender SBI has signed a loan agreement of $1 billion with

Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), taking the total facility to

$2 billion, including $1 billion which was signed last year in October 2020.

The loan is in the form of refinance against the funding support provided to

the manufacturers, suppliers and dealers of Japanese automobiles in India,

whose business activities are recovering from reduced sales of automobiles

due to the COVID-19.

The financing will assist in Government of India’s ‘Make in India’

initiative, SBI said, adding the loan is intended to promote smooth flow of

funds for the whole range of business operations of Japanese automobile

manufacturers in India.

JBIC is a policy-based financial institution, wholly owned by the Japanese

government, with the objective of contributing to the sound development of

Japan, the international economy and society.


12.Union Cabinet approved Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food

Processing Industry worth Rs. 10,900 crore

The Union Cabinet has approved the Central Sector Scheme called

“Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry

(PLISFPI)” with an outlay of Rs.10900 crore.

Scheme will be implemented over a six year period from 2021-22 to 2026-

27.

The Project Management Agency (PMA) shall implement the scheme. PMA

will be responsible for appraisal of applications/ proposals, verification of

eligibility for support, scrutiny of claims eligible for disbursement of

incentive.

The PLI scheme will support creation of global food manufacturing

champions and support Indian brands of food products in the international

markets.

13.Interest Rates on Small Savings Schemes for Q1 of FY 2021-22 (April-

June) will remain unchanged

The rate of interest on Small Savings Schemes for the first quarter (April-

June) of 2021-22 will remain unchanged as the last quarter (January-March)

of 2020-2021.

Earlier on March 31, 2021, the Government had announced a cut in interest

rates on various small savings schemes sharply by 40-110 basis points.

However, the orders issued were withdrawn by the government on April 01,

2021.

This marks the fourth consecutive quarter that the government has

maintained the rates on such schemes that are effective from April 1 and

remain in effect till June 30, 2021.

14.PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline extended to June 30, 2021

The government extended the deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar yet again.

The income tax department on its official Twitter handle announced that the

deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar has been extended by three months to

June 30, 2021, from the previous deadline of March 31, 2021.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, last year the government had

extended the deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar to March 31, 2021, from

the previous deadline of June 30, 2020. This extension will come as a relief

for those who still have not linked their PAN with their Aadhaar.

The income tax department in its tweet said: Central government extends

the last date for linking of Aadhaar number with PAN from 31st

March 2021

to 30th

June 2021 in view of the difficulties arising out of the covid-19

pandemic.

15.India ranked 140th

among 156 nations in WEF’s gender gap index 2021


India has slipped 28 places to rank 140th among 156 countries in the World

Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021, becoming the third-

worst performer in South Asia.

India has closed 62.5 percent of its gender gap till date.

Most of the decline occurred on the political empowerment sub-index,

where India regressed 13.5 percentage points, with a significant decline in

the number of women ministers (from 23.1 percent in 2019 to 9.1 percent in

2021).

SCIENCE TECH & DEFENCE

1.Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable ballistic missile Shaheen-1A

Pakistan successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic

missile with a range of 900 kilometres.

The test of Shaheen-1A surface to surface ballistic missile, was aimed at re-

validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system

including advanced navigation system, the media wing of the Pakistani

army - the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.

The Army’s media wing said that the missile has a range of 900 kilometers.

Shaheen 1-A with its sophisticated and advanced guidance system is a

highly accurate missile system.

2.Ramesh Pokhriyal launched CBSE Assessment Framework for science,

maths and English classes with British Council

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal launched the CBSE Assessment

Framework for science, maths and English classes along as part of the

British Council-CBSE Competency Based Education Project.

This is a suggested competency-based assessment framework to strengthen

the existing school education system for secondary level (classes 6-10).

It is a part of the CBSE Competency-Based Education Project to replace the

existing rote learning model with a competency-based framework as

directed in the NEP 2020 over the next 2-3 years.

3.Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Signed ₹100 Crore agreement with CNB

Logitech

The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) recently signed a memorandum of

understanding (MoU) with CNB Logitech worth ₹100 crore per annum for

monitoring, tracking, and optimise the movement of as many as 50 lakh

containers in foreign trade. According to Invest India, around 95 percent of

the country's merchandise trade is handled by the maritime transport. The

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust situated in Maharashtra is the country's largest

port and it handles 55 percent of the country's cargo across all major ports.


The ₹100 crore agreement signed between the two companies will facilitate

the country's foreign trade policy through a more efficient movement of

containers. Additionally, CNB Logitech is a firm that utilizes machine

learning, artificial intelligence technologies, and network-based processes in

order to automate the container terminals, as well as port operations.

4.New bacteria Methylobacterium indicum found on International Space

Station named after indian scientist Ajamal Khan

The Discovery of a novel bacterial strain aboard the International Space

Station (ISS) suggests the possibility of astronauts growing their own

vegetables while in space, says a new study by researchers based at the

University of Hyderabad (UoH) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

(JPL), among other institutions.

The new bacterial strains discovered from different locations aboard the ISS

flights may help in creating the "fuel" to help plants withstand such stressful

situations. The findings of the study were published in a recent issue of the

journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

Genetic analyses revealed them to be closely related to Methylobacterium

indicum.

5.Women-led startup develops a product for low-cost internet in rural areas

Astrome, a women-led startup, has developed an innovative wireless

product that gives fibre-like bandwidth at fraction of the cost of fibre to help

telecom operators deliver reliable low-cost internet services to suburban and

rural areas.

Providing internet access at remote places in countries such as India is

difficult because laying fibre is too expensive. There is a need for wireless

backhaul products that can deliver low-cost, high data capacity, and wide

reach. Currently available wireless backhaul products either do not provide

sufficient data speeds or the required range or are very expensive to deploy.

6.VVPAT machines to be installed in all polling stations in Tamil Nadu


Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo has said that VVPAT

machines will be installed in all polling stations.

In Chennai, 1,55,102 Electronic Voting Machines 1,14,205 Control Units

and 1,20,807 VVPATS will be installed in the state. 89,195 government

employees on poll duty will be exercising their franchise through postal

ballots. He said that the flying squads had seized Rs. 319 crore worth cash,

gold and silver without documents. Mr. Sahoo told that ex-servicemen and

retired policemen will be employed on toll duty.

7.Final Crew Members named for World’s First All-Civilian mission to Space

Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to space, announced the

final two members of the four-person crew that will undertake a historic

voyage to the stars later this year. Christopher Sembroski of Everett, WA

and Dr. Sian Proctor of Tempe, AZ will join previously announced crew

member Hayley Arceneaux under the command of Jared Isaacman.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft

later this year.

The full crew will be introduced publicly today for the first time from

historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

8.Indian Navy to take part in French Naval Exercise in Bay of Bengal along

with other QUAD member Countries

India is to participate in France-led naval drill La Perouse for the first time

in the Bay of Bengal next month. Australia, Japan and the US will also

participate in La Perouse, but India’s first-ever participation is seen as a

significant step.

The exercise is scheduled between April 5 and 7. After La Perouse, another

important naval exercise, the India-French Varuna exercise, will also take

place. This time, it will also include the United Arab Emirates.

9.AYUSH Ministry in collaboration with Vinoba Seva Pratishthan organizes

‘Ayurveda Parav’

The 3-days event was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Dr. Raghunath

Mohapatra, Hon’ble Member of Rajya Sabha along with Shri Naba Kishore

Das, Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Odisha and

Shri Trilochan Majhi, Director of AYUSH, Govt. of Odisha and was

attended by with other dignitaries.

This unique initiative aims to not only ensure greater acceptance of

Ayurveda among the masses but also to popularize Ayurveda as the main

line of treatment for the current lifestyle diseases. The Ministry of AYUSH

provided full-fledged support to this programme.


10.Facebook and Google are planning to build new cables under the sea

called 'Echo' and 'Bifrost'

Facebook and Google are planning to build new subsea cables from the US

to Singapore and Indonesia.

Facebook has partnered with leading regional and global partners to build

two new subsea cables -- Echo and Bifrost -- that will provide vital new

connections between the Asia-Pacific region and North America.

While Google is only investing in Echo, Facebook is investing in both

cables.

While these projects are still subject to regulatory approvals, when

completed, these cables are expected deliver much-needed Internet capacity,

redundancy, and reliability.

11.Indian Army to participate in Multinational Military Exercise ‘Shantir

Ogroshena -2021’ in Bangladesh

Indian Army will participate in Multinational Military Exercise

namely "SHANTIR OGROSHENA -2021" in Bangladesh. The nine days

exercise will start on the 4th

of this month to commemorate the birth

centenary of Bangladesh Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman and mark glorious 50 years of liberation.

Indian Army contingent comprising 30 personnel from the Dogra Regiment

will participate in the exercise along with contingents of Bhutan, Sri Lankan

and Bangladesh Armies. The theme of the exercise is Robust Peace Keeping

Operations. Military observers from the USA, UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia,

Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise.

BOOKS AND AWARDS

1.Prakash Javadekar congratulated Mahinder Giri for winning International

Ranger Award

Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar

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.

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 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.


2.HarperCollins India to publish Vinod Kapri's true account of the migrant

exodus- 1232 km: The Long Journey Home

As the nation marks the first anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic-induced

lockdown, HarperCollins India is proud to announce the upcoming

publication of journalist turned filmmaker, Vinod Kapri's compelling book,

1232 km: A Long Journey Home, a true account of human grief, grit, and

gumption, which will release in May 2021.

The 2020 nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 left millions

of migrant labourers without job, food and home. Desperate and helpless,

most took to the road, embarking on a long, often fatal journey home.

1232 km is about one such journey that seven migrants from Bihar-Ritesh,

Ashish, Ram Babu, Sonu, Krishna, Sandeep and Mukesh-undertook on their

bicycles that lasted for seven days and seven nights. Accompanying them

was National Award-winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri.

3.Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’ wins book critics award for fiction

Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, an imagined take on the death of

Shakespeare’s son from the bubonic plague, has won the National Book

Critics Circle prize for fiction.

Hamnet, an unfortunately well-timed story for the current pandemic,

explores the impact of the boy’s illness and death on his family. He was

Shakespeare’s only son, and scholars have long speculated about his

influence — if any — on “Hamlet,” which Shakespeare worked on in the

years following Hamnet’s death.

Tom Zoellner’s Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the

British Empire won for nonfiction, and Amy Stanley’s Stranger in the

Shogun’s City: A Japanese Woman and Her World was the winner in

biography.

The autobiography award went to Cathy Park Hong for Minor Feelings: An

Asian American Reckoning.

4.Noted Marathi writer Dr. Sharankumar Limbale to receive Saraswati

Samman 2020

Noted Marathi writer Dr. Sharankumar Limbale will receive Saraswati

Samman, 2020 for his book Sanatan. The award carries fifteen lakh rupees,

a citation and a plaque. Saraswati Samman, instituted by K.K. Birla

Foundation in 1991, is recognised as the most prestigious and highest

literary award in the country.

Dr. Limbale's Sanatan has been published in 2018. Sanatan is an important

social and historical document of dalit struggle. Speaking first to All India

Radio, Dr. Limbale was overjoyed with emotion as he started his career

with the public broadcaster.


SPORTS

1.Gokulam Kerala script incredible comeback to win maiden title

Gokulam Kerala FC clinched their maiden I-League title in spectacular

fashion as they came back from a goal down to beat TRAU 4-1 in the final

match of the season. Bidyashagar Singh's 23rd minute strike did little to

stop the Gokulam juggernaut as goals by Sharif Mohamed (69th), Emil

Benny (74th), Dennis Antwi (77th) and Mohammad Rashid (90+6) handed

them the trophy.

With Churchill Brothers winning 3-2 against Punjab FC in the day's other

match held simultaneously at another venue here, Gokulam shared points

(29) with the Goan side but were crowned champions on head-to-head

record.

2.Odisha to Co-Host AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022

Odisha has been selected to co-host AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022

along with the Indian National Football Team & All India Football

Federation (AIFF) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Local Organising Committee

(LOC) confirmed the three host cities and stadiums for the competition.

The D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad’s TransStadia and the

Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar have been selected as the three stadiums

and host cities that will provide the ultimate backdrop for some of the finest

players in Asian and world women’s football

3.Thisara Perera became first Sri Lankan to hit Six sixes in an over

All-rounder Thisara Perera has become the first Sri Lankan cricketer to hit

six sixes off one over during a domestic match in Colombo. The 31-year-

old, playing for the Sri Lanka army team, cleared the ropes a total of eight

times in his whirlwind unbeaten 52 off 13 balls against the Bloomfield

Cricket and Athletic Club at the weekend.

Perera is the second player to achieve the feat in 2021 and coincidentally

was on the field when it happened earlier this month as Kieron Pollard hit

six sixes off Sri Lanka's Akila Dananjaya in a Twenty20 international in

Antigua.

Perera scored only one that day but now joins an exclusive club of nine

batsmen to score 36 off an over in professional cricket alongside Garfield

Sobers, Ravi Shastri, Herschelle Gibbs, Yuvraj Singh, Ross Whiteley,

Hazratullah Zazai, Leo Carter and Pollard.

4.PUMA signs multi-year deal with IPL franchise RCB


Global sports brand PUMA has signed a strategic long-term partnership

with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers

Bangalore (RCB). With this, PUMA has become the only global sports

brand to currently be associated with an IPL franchise.

Under the terms of the deal, PUMA will be the official kit partner of the

team from the upcoming IPL 2021 season. The partnership marks the

coming together of two of the biggest names in the world of cricket in India.

PUMA's on-going association with RCB skipper, Virat Kohli and the

success of PUMA one8 makes this partnership a natural progression for the

brand.

5.Indian Skipper Virat Kohli retained top spot in ICC ODI rankings

Team India Captain Virat Kohli has retained his top spot in the

ICC rankings for ODI batsman released today. Kohli has 870 points in his

kitty. Rohit Sharma has been ranked third, behind Pakistan's Babar Azam. K

L Rahul has moved up from 31st to 27th spot. Hardik Pandya has achieved

a career-best 42nd position while Rishabh Pant has entered the top 100.

In the bowler's list, Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has slipped a place to

fourth. He has 690 points. Another pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has gained

nine slots to reach the 11th position.

In the Test rankings, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retained his second spot

behind Australia's Pat Cummins.

OBITUARIES

1.Former RBI Deputy Governor KC Chakrabarty passed away at 68.

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor Kamalesh Chandra

Chakrabarty passed away in Mumbai on 26th March following a heart

attack.

Chakrabarty, 68 years old, was the Deputy Governor of the central bank

between June 15, 2009, and April 25, 2014. He left office three months

before his tenure ended. He also served as the Chairman and Managing

Director of Punjab National Bank (2007-2009) and CMD of Indian Bank

(2005-2007).

Chakrabarty was candid in his views on various issues related to the

banking sector and often differed from the official stance of the central

bank. He was highly critical of the unethical practices and poor risk

management systems in Indian banks. He was in the RBI during the

governorship of D Subbarao and Raghuram Rajan.

2.Beloved children's author Beverly Cleary passed away at 104


Beverly Cleary, the celebrated children's author whose memories of her

Oregon childhood were shared with millions through the likes of Ramona

and Beezus Quimby and Henry Huggins, has died. She was 104.

Cleary's publisher HarperCollins announced that the author died in Carmel

Valley, California, where she had lived since the 1960s.

Trained as a librarian, Cleary didn't start writing books until her early 30s

when she wrote "Henry Huggins," published in 1950. Children worldwide

came to love the adventures of Huggins and neighbors Ellen Tebbits, Otis

Spofford, Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby and her younger sister, Ramona. They

inhabit a down-home, wholesome setting on Klickitat Street - a real street in

Portland, Oregon, the city where Cleary spent much of her youth.

IMPORTANT DAYS

1.International Transgender Day of Visibility 2021 : 31 March

Founded by US-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall, International

Transgender Day of Visibility is marked on March 31 every year, with the

aim to celebrate transgender individuals’ contributions to society. The day

also calls upon us to counter the homophobic, biphobic and transphobic

social attitudes that inflict incredible harm on the lives of LGBTQ+

individuals across the globe.

The transgender community is an important part of cultures, but awareness

of trans issues is inadequate. Sadly, trans individuals are seen as a threat to

cultural values by some people. The latter often try to rationalise

discrimination against trans people as a means to protect their beliefs in the

name of tradition and culture.

What is even more shocking is that this hatred is often codified into legal

statutes that prevent trans people from exercising their basic human rights.

Regardless of how diverse the beliefs, values and opinions of people are,

tradition and culture cannot be used as a licence to discriminate against

anyone.

2.Odisha celebrated 86th foundation day on 1st April, 2021

Odisha Day, also Utkala Dibasa, is celebrated on 1 April in the state of

Odisha in memory of the formation of the state as a separate state out of

Bihar and Orissa Province with addition of Koraput and Ganjam from the

Madras Presidency on 1 April 1936.

Utkala Dibasha is celebrated on April 1 every year to remember the

formation of the Odisha state after a struggle to be recognised as an

independent state.

Under British rule, Odisha was part of the Bengal presidency, which

consisted of the present-day Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha.


The entire state indulges in merrymaking on Utkal Diwas with decorated

shops, competitions arranged by local politicians, and cultural programs

arranged by various families.

3.International Children’s Book Day 2021: 02 April

International Children’s Book Day is an annual celebration of the birthday

of Danish author and poet, Hans Christian Andersen every 2nd

day of April.

On this day, many bookstores and libraries hold storytelling workshops and

book reading events related to children’s book authors. The purpose of the

day is to recognize the power of reading and the role of books in the

development and education of children. The day also aims to inspire the

love of reading among children.

IBBY United States is the sponsor for International Children’s Book Day

2021.

Theme 2021: “The Music of Words.”

28 march-03 april, 2021

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