DAILY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS: 21 - 22 MARCH 2021
.12.2018 NATIONAL US Defence Secy Lloyd .2018J Austin meets NSA Ajit Doval – United States and India defense partnership
US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. .11.2018 Austin mentioned, the breadth of collaboration between the United States and India reflects the significance of major defense partnership. He added that both the countries are working together to address the most pressing challenges faced by Indo-Pacific region. Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga has started Yoga Volunteer Training Programme The Ministry of AYUSH through its autonomous body- Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, New Delhi has started a Yoga Volunteer Training Programme on Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) from 1st of February this year. The program divides the Yoga Protocol into short modules like appreciation, introduction and volunteer program allowing persons of varying capabilities to gradually learn and adopt Yoga. It is a monthly training module and would be repeated every month till month of June. Govt says 373 Kisan Rail services operated on 43 routes Government has said that around 373 Kisan Rail services have operated on 43 routes till date, transporting more than one lakh 20 thousand tonnes of commodities. Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal said this in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. Kisan Rail has been a game changer in ensuring fast transportation of agriculture produce across the nation. It provides a seamless supply chain of perishable produce. Indian Army: Defence Ministry signs contract with BDL to supply 4,960 Anti-Tank Guided Missiles to Army On March 19, 2021, The Defence Ministry sealed a deal with state-run Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) to acquire 4,960 anti-tank guided missiles at a cost of Rs.1,188 crore for the Indian Army. The missiles, having a range of 1,850 metres. It can be fired from ground as well as vehicle-based launchers and their induction is planned to be completed in three years. The missiles are being produced by BDL under license from French defence major MBDA Missile Systems.
BANKING AND ECONOMIC Govt receive Rs 747 cr from GAIL share buy back Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Tuhin Kanta Pandey has said that GAIL buyback of shares have been fully subscribed. Mr Pandey said, Government received 747 crore rupees out of the total buyback size of one thousand 46 crore rupees. The DIPAM Secretary said the Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) continues to be a Government company with 51.45 per cent shareholding. Over 44,000 Startups recognized by DPIIT: Som Parkash Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash informed the Rajya Sabha that over 44 thousand Startups have been recognized by the Department for promotion of Industry and Internal trade since the launch of the initiative. The Minister informed the House in a written reply that Maharashtra has the highest number of recognized start-ups under the initiative with over eight thousand start-ups. It is followed by Karnataka with nearly six thousand start-ups and Delhi with over five thousand five hundred startups. MSME book grows 30% to cross Rs.2-lakh cr in HDFC Lender disburses 23,000 crore under ECLG scheme.
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DAILY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS: 21 - 22 MARCH 2021
HDFC Bank‟s MSME.12.2018 book grew 30 per cent year-on-year to cross the 2-lakh-crore-mark as of December-end, mainly.2018 boosted by the pandemic-induced ECLG scheme under which it disbursed over Rs.23,000 crore. The growth is also driven by a renewed push towards customers in semi-urban and rural .11.2018 areas, the bank said. PNB sets-up subsidiary to manage credit card business Punjab National Bank (PNB) has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary namely “PNB Cards & Services Ltd” to manage its credit card business. The PNB Cards & Services Ltd has been incorporated on March 16, 2021, by the Registrar of Companies, Delhi. The new subsidiary will undertake the non-financial support services related to the credit card business of the bank. The authorised capital of the company is Rs 25 crore and the paid-up capital is Rs 15 crore.
STATE GOVT NEWS Tourist arrival in J&K touches 16 year high in 2021 Government has set a target to make India the number one tourist destination and focusing on doubling the number of international tourists coming to India by 2024. Replying to discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the working of his Ministry, Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said, several steps have been taken to revive the tourism sector which was deeply affected due to Covid-19 pandemic. He said, all aspects of tourism including wellness, adventure, yoga, are being promoted to attract more tourists to India. He said, the tourist footfall in Jammu and Kashmir this year has broken the record of the last 16 years. DAY AND DATES International Day of Happiness – Observed on Mar 20 The International Day of Happiness is celebrated throughout the world on the 20th of March. The theme of International Day of Happinessfor 2021 is “Happiness For All, Forever” which implies the significance of happiness for people all over the world. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 June 2012. Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated this day to recognize the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. World Sparrow Day: Observed on Mar 20 World Sparrow Dayis celebrated every year on March 20 to raise awareness about the House Sparrow and other common birds to urban environments, and of threats to their populations. Theme of 2021 World Sparrow Day “I LOVE Sparrows” World Oral Health Day: Observed on Mar 20 The World Oral Health Day is marked every year on March 20. The theme for the next three years, 2021-2023 is: Be Proud Of Your Mouth. This day is observed annually on March 20 to spread awareness about oral disease and hygiene and on how to keep your teeth healthy.
INTERNATIONAL Embassy of India, Seoul inaugurates the ‘Festival of Independence’ India@75 Embassy of India, Seoul launched the „Festival of Independence‟ India@75 – the 75 Weeks Celebrations. During the ceremony, a Video Message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was screened which was delivered at the inauguration of the curtain raiser activities of the “India@75” at Sabarmati, Gujarat (India) on March 12 at the inauguration of „Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav‟ – the festival of Independence.
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Singapore: World’s Biggest.12.2018 Solar Farms To Fight Climate Change Singaporeis building.2018 the largest floating solar farm of the world, in a bid to tackle climate change. The 60 megawatt-peak floating solar systemis being built at Tengeh Reservoir by Sembcorp .11.2018 Industries in collaboration with Singapore Public Utilities Board. The system comes with a digital monitoring platform that allows staff to keep an eye remotely. UNCTAD projects India’s GDP to grow 5% in 2021 The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has projected India‟s economy to contract by 6.9 per cent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, is forecast to record a “stronger recovery” in 2021 and grow by 5 per cent. Further, the UNCTAD estimates the global economy to grow by 4.7 per cent in 2021. The report noted that the deeper than expected downturn in 2020 explains in part the stronger recovery now projected for 2021 for India. According to a UN report which said the country‟s current fiscal year budget points to a shift towards the demand-side stimulus, with an uptick in public investment. India’s economy projected to grow at 12% in CY 2021: Moody’s Moody‟s Analytics has projected the Indian economy to grow by 12 per cent in the Calendar Year 2021. For the Calendar year 2020, the real GDP was projected to contract 7.1 per cent by Moody‟s. It must be noted that Moody‟s Analytics makes calendar year projections, while its sister organization Moody‟s Investors Service provides fiscal year estimates. This forecast is equivalent to real GDP, in level terms, growing by 4.4 per cent above pre- COVID-19 levels (as of March 2020) by the end of 2021, or equivalently, by 5.7 per cent above the GDP level in December 2020 by the end of 2021.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS Avinash Sable Sets New National Record In Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Steeplechaser Avinash Sable was one of the first Indian track and field athletes to make the cut for the Olympics for the fifth time during the ongoing Federation Cup in Patiala. He set a new national record in the men‟s 3000m steeplechase after clocking 8:20.20. In 2019, he clocked 8 minutes and 21.37 seconds at the Doha World Championships.
APPOINTMENT NEWS NeoGrowth appoints Ajinkya Rahane as brand ambassador NeoGrowth Credit Pvt. Ltd, a lender to small businesses, has announced the appointment of cricketer Ajinkya Rahane as its brand ambassador. The agreement is for a year which can be extended further. Rahane will feature in a campaign slated to be released in the first week of April, which will talk about the ease of procuring loans through NeoGrowth for small businesses. The campaign “Keeping it simple” will show the day-to-day struggles of small businesses while scaling up and how NeoGrowth can help them overcome them.
ONE LINER US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin will arrive in India. During the visit, he will meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and other senior dignitaries of the government to discuss deepening the India US Major Defense Partnership. The Rajya Sabha has passed the Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and Amazon Web Services announced new initiatives to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in India. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Amar Ekushey book fair in Dhaka.
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Legendary Jamaican.12.2018 and West Indies Cricketer Chris Gayle has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, people.2018 and government of India for the gift of Made In India vaccines to Jamaica.
The World Bank has approved USD 200 million to help Bangladesh to provide support and services to the low.11.2018-income urban youths impacted by COVID 19 pandemic and the migrants who had to return involuntarily. In Madhya Pradesh, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have launched the Mission Gramodaya in the state. The golden jubilee celebrations of the 1971 war across the nation continue with the Victory flame reaching the Akashvani Bhawan in Kolkata. Punjab Government has decided to create a robust and integrated technology solution to implement and review the progress of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes in the state to ensure accountability, transparency, and responsiveness. In Kargil the department of Technical Education and Skill development is organizing Kaushal Mela as part of the skill development programme of the government of India. Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said, due to better planning under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country‟s economy is witnessing a „V‟ shaped recovery. India has supplied a second batch of 20 thousand litres of Malathion 95 percent ULV pesticide to Iran under a Government-to-Government Locust Control Programme. In order to boost rural innovation and entrepreneurship in the agri-businesses, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) launched Rural Business Incubation Centre (RBIC) in Gujarat. The total number of basic bank accounts under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has reached 42 crore. WE HUB, an exclusive incubator for women-led startups, has signed an agreement with the University of Bolton, based in the UK. The Textile Ministry has put its weight behind an early limited Free Trade Deal between India and the UK which, it says, must include tariff reduction for textile and clothing items, resulting in possible gains for the sector, officials have said. Tanzania‟s President John Magufuli has passed away at a hospital in Dar es Salaam. He was 61. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte led his People‟s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) to a fourth victory in a row.
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