Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I September 2020

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|March 2021

Table of Contents

Awards and Honors ...... 3 Mergers and Events ...... 9 Days and Events ...... 11 MoU and Agreements ...... 18 Appointment ...... 27 Obituaries ...... 35 International Affairs ...... 39 Person in News ...... 47 Govt. Policies and Schemes ...... 53 Science and Tech ...... 58 Business and Economy ...... 62 Sports ...... 71 Defence ...... 79 Books and Authors...... 85 National Affairs ...... 86

Committees and Recommendations ...... 95

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|March 2021 Awards and Honors Dehradun Smart City Limited awarded  For its work under the e-Health project, Dehradun Smart City Limited (DSCL) has been awarded the Smart City award 2021 by the Central Ministry of Urban Development.  All the 100 smart cities had participated in the competition.  The award has been given for the work done through integrated control and command centre. Mahinder Giri wins International Ranger Award  Mahinder Giri becomes the only ranger from Asia to win the prestigious International Ranger Award for his contribution towards conservation.  He is deployed as a Range Officer at Motichur range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand.  The award has been announced for 10 professionals across the world by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and World Commission on Protected Areas. IIT Kharagpur team wins CoreNet Challenge 6.0  A team of four undergraduate students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur have emerged as winners at the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 6.0.  CoreNet Global is a non-profit association, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (US).  This is the first time a squad from India has emerged as winners in the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge since the inception of it in 2015. Prof. Sharad to be conferred with Vyas Samman  Well known Hindi writer Prof. Sharad Pagare will be conferred with the prestigious Vyas Samman - 2020 for his novel 'Patliputru Ki Samragi.'  The Vyas Samman started in 1991, is given by KK Birla Foundation for an outstanding literary work in Hindi authored by an Indian citizen published during the last 10 years.  It carries an award of four lakh rupees along with a citation and plaque. Bhushan Award 2020  Legendary singer will be honoured with the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan Award for the year 2020.  Along with two National Awards in 1981 and 1986, she was also honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000.  Maharashtra Bhushan Award was started in 1996.  late writer Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was the first recipient of the honour. Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020  The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 will be conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  Rahman was the first President of Bangladesh.  Rahman is known as the "Father of the Nation" or simply "Mujib" in Bangladesh.  Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by the Government in1995 and carries an amount of Rs 1 cr, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft.

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|March 2021 67th National Film Awards - 2019  The 67th National Film Awards for the year 2019 were announced on 22 March 2021.  Malayalam movie Marakkar Arabikkadilinte Simham will be awarded the Best Feature Film Award.  Kangana Ranaut will get the Best Actress award for her movies Manikarnika -The Queen of Jhansi and Panga.  Manoj Bajpayee and Dhanush will be awarded the Best Actor award for the movie Bhonsle and Asuran respectively. Gandhi Peace Prize for year 2019  The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman.  The award has been given in recognition of his outstanding contributions for social, economic and political transformation through Gandhian methods.  The Jury for the Prize is chaired by PM Modi and comprises of two ex-officio members and the Leader of Opposition Party in . NTPC conferred ‘Role Model’ award  NTPC Ltd, a PSU under the Ministry of Power has been conferred the ‘Role Model’ Award at the 11th CII National HR Excellence Award 2020-21.  The award was presented in the virtual conference “Learn from the Achievers” held on 18 March 2021.  This award is the highest level of recognition in the field of Human Resources by the Confederation of Indian Industry. Anne Lacaton wins 2021 Pritzker Prize  French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal have won the 2021 Pritzker Prize for architecture, considered to be the profession’s highest honour.  The two are known to create sustainable buildings by using pre-existing structures in their work.  Lacaton and Vassal’s most recent work is the transformation of the Palais de Tokyo (Paris, 2012). ‘Manny’ bags 4 awards at Miami Film fest  Sonal Sehgal’s Indo-Latvian science-fiction thriller “Manny” has bagged 4 awards at the Miami International Science Fiction Film festival.  It has been directed by Latvian filmmaker Dace Puce.  It won the award for the Best Sci-Fi Picture Runner Up as well as the Best Cinematography.  The Best Background Score was won by Naresh Kamath and the Best Supporting Actor was won by Tony Hawkins. Sonu Gandhi presented SERB award  Dr Sonu Gandhi has been awarded the prestigious SERB Women Excellence Award.  He is a scientist at the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad and has recently developed a smart nanodevice for the detection of Rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, etc.  The award was instituted by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Dept of

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|March 2021 Science and Technology. Michael Holding awarded 'Best pundit'  Former West Indies cricketer Michael Holding, who came out in support of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, has been named the 'Best Pundit' at the SJA British Sports Journalism Award 2020.  Holding had delivered a powerful message against racism during last year's England-West Indies series, saying that blacks have been dehumanised.  The awards were hosted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 1st transgender man to star on TIME cover  Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page will become the first transgender man to star on the front cover of TIME magazine.  Elliot Page was nominated for various awards for Oscar-winning 2007 independent film Juno and plays a leading role in the Netflix hit The Umbrella Academy.  American actress Laverne Cox had become the first trans woman to appear on the cover of TIME in 2014. TRB bags Kalinga Safety Excellence Award  TRB Iron Ore Mines of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) in Tensa of Sundergarh district of Orissa has been honoured with the Kalinga Safety Excellence Award-2019.  It has been awarded in the Gold category for exemplary efforts in maintaining best safety practices.  The award was conferred at the Odisha State Safety Conclave-2020 held in Bhubaneswar.  TRB won it for the 3rd consecutive year. Gowsalya Shankar nominated for an award  The U.S. Consulate has honoured Gowsalya Shankar with a nomination for the International Woman of Courage (IWOC) Award.  She is a Tamil Nadu-based anti-caste activist and human rights defender.  The IWOC Award Certificate of Nomination was handed over to her by U.S. Consul General in Chennai at an event ‘Courageous Women Inspire a Better World’ in March 2021. Sahitya Akademi Awards 2020  Politician-writer M Veerappa Moily, poet Arundhathi Subramaniam are among 20 writers who will be bestowed with the Sahitya Akademi Award 2020.  The national academy announced the names on 12 March 2021.  The list includes seven books of poetry, four novels, five short stories, two plays, and one each of memoirs and epic poetry in 20 Indian languages. 63rd Grammy Awards- I  At the 63rd Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles, on 14 March 2021, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish won the top prizes.  Taylor Swift was awarded 'album of the year' for her lockdown album 'Folklore', while Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted” won 'record of the year'.  Swift is the first female artist ever to win an album of the year three times.  She won the award previously in 2010 and 2016.

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|March 2021 63rd Grammy Awards- II  Beyonce became the most awarded female artist in Grammy history with her 28th win.  She was honored for 'Savage' and 'Black Parade'.  Beyoncé and her nine-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter won the best music video award for "Brown Skin Girl" making Carter one of the youngest Grammy winners in history.  British singer Dua Lipa won best pop vocal album for “Future Nostalgia.” Afghanistan's Rashid Khan sets new record  Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan broke Australian spin legend Shane Warne’s mega record on 14 Mar 2021 as he bowled the most number of overs in a single Test in the 21st century.  Warne had bowled 98 overs in a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town in 2002.  The 22-yr-old Afghan spinner achieved this feat in ongoing 2nd Test against Zimbabwe at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Mithali Raj creates another huge record  Indian Women's ODI team captain Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer in history to score 7,000 ODI runs.  She achieved this landmark in her 213th ODI on 15 March 2021.  This feat comes after Mithali Raj, on 12 March 2021, became the first Indian woman cricketer and only the second overall to score 10000 international runs. Telangana Governor presented with an award  Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has been conferred with the Top-20 Global Women of Excellence-2021 award.  The award was presented to the Governor as part of the 9th Annual Congressional International Women’s Day Gala at Naperville, Illinois, Chicago.  She accepted the prestigious award from Puducherry Raj Nivas. King Bhumibol World Soil Day - 2020 Award  Ambassador of India to Thailand Suchitra Durai received the prestigious King Bhumibol World Soil Day - 2020 Award of the Food and Agriculture Organization on the behalf of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research on 10 March 2021.  This award is recognition of ICAR’s excellent contributions in “Soil Health Awareness” on the theme “Stop soil erosion, save our future” during the year- 2020. Amitabh Bachchan to be presented FIAF Award  Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with an award by the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).  The veteran actor will be the first Indian cinema personality to be bestowed with the FIAF Award for his dedication and contribution to the preservation of the world’s film heritage.  He will be presented the award during a virtual showcase scheduled to take place on March 19, 2021. Koneru Humpy wins BBC ISWOTY for 2020  Chess player Koneru Humpy from Andhra Pradesh has won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award (ISWOTY) for 2020, following a public vote.  Humpy is the World Rapid Chess champion having won the title in December 2019.

 She received the Arjuna Award, one of India's top sporting honors, in 2003, and India's

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|March 2021 fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri, in 2007. Baton of Honour presented to Kiran Bedi  President Ram Nath Kovind on 8 March 2021 presented a Baton of Honour and a letter of appreciation to former Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi at Rashtrapati Bhavan.  Kiran Bedi was removed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry on February 16, 2021, by the President of India and Tamilisai Soundararajan took additional charge as the Lieutenant Governor on February 18, 2021. Niger’s Presi wins African Leadership award  Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou has won the 2020 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.  Issoufou is the sixth recipient of the Ibrahim Prize, which is awarded on criteria of good governance, democratic election and respect of terms limits.  Issoufou was the Prime Minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994 and President of the National Assembly from 1995 to 1996. Bangladesh to confer Independence Award  Bangladesh has announced the names of 9 individuals and 1 organization for conferring the Independence Award, the highest civilian award of Bangladesh for the year 2021.  Four individuals have been selected posthumously for the award.  The award is being given since 1977.  The recipients of the award get a gold medal and a cash reward of Taka 5 lakh. DMA honours Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan  Delhi Medical Association (DMA) honored Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, for his contribution to the medical fraternity and outstanding service during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  He was honored during DMA's 62nd Annual Delhi State Medical Conference.  He informed that the Indian vaccines have shown some of the lowest Adverse Events Following Immunization, AEFI anywhere in the world. The Hindu: Champion Publisher of the Year 2020  The Hindu Group won two golds and two silvers at WAN IFRA’s South Asian Digital Media Awards, culminating in being named ‘Champion Publisher of the Year 2020'.  Sportstar’s website of The Hindu Group won a gold in ‘Best in Lifestyle, Sports, Entertainment Website or Mobile Services’.  The Hindu’s website (thehindu.com) won silver in ‘Best Paid Content Strategy’. 40 scholars recommended for award of ISRF 2021  Forty scholars from six countries have been recommended for the award of India Science and Research Fellowship 2021.  The government had launched India Science and Research Fellowship Programme for Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand researchers.  It has been implemented since 2015.  No award was given in 2020 due to the pandemic.

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|March 2021 PM Narendra Modi receives CERAWeek award  Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award on 5 March 2021.  He also delivered a keynote address at the Cambridge Energy Research Associates Week- 2021 via video conferencing.  CERAWeek was founded in 1983 by Dr. Daniel Yergin.  CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award was instituted in 2016. Mohankrishna Bohara to be awarded  The 30th Bihari Puraskar for 2020 will be given to Mohankrishna Bohara for his Hindi book of criticism, titled Taslima: Sangharsh aur Sahitya.  The book was published in 2016.  Bihari Puraskar carries award money of two lakh 50 thousand rupees, a citation and a plaque.  The award is one of the three literary awards instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991. Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship launched  The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under its Waste to Wealth Mission has launched the Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship.  The Fellowship was launched to recognize the students, community workers or Self-Help Groups and municipal or sanitary workers who are engaged in tackling the challenge of waste management, scientifically and sustainably. 78th edition of Golden Globe Awards- I  The 78th Golden Globes Awards ceremony was held on March 1, 2021.  Emma Corin has won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Drama) category.  John Boyega won the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series.  Netflix's The Queen's Gambit is the Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television. 78th edition of Golden Globe Awards- II  Nomadland won the Best Motion Picture (Drama).  Andra Day won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama).  Sacha Baron Cohen won the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) category.  Rosamund Pike won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).  Schitt's Creek won the Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy).

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|March 2021 Mergers and Acquisition Amazon acquires retail tech start-up Perpule  Amazon Technologies, a part of e-commerce major Amazon.com Inc, has acquired Bengaluru-based retail tech start-up Perpule for about Rs 107.6 cr.  The acquisition will allow Amazon to offer Perpule's 'UltraPoS' and other new technology products to its Kirana partners.  Amazon is also likely to pay additional remuneration to Perpule's employees, which will take the deal value to about Rs 150 cr. Niyo partners with Equitas Small Finance Bank  Niyo, in partnership with Equitas Small Finance Bank, has announced the launch of NiyoX.  It will help millennials to manage their savings and wealth by offering a 2-in-1 account in the form of a digital savings account and a wealth management suite.  It aims to onboard 2 million users by the end of 2021.  Niyo is India's leading digital banking fintech startup. Khatabook acquires Biz Analyst for $10 mn  Fintech start-up Khatabook has acquired Biz Analyst, a SaaS business management application in a deal worth $10 million as a mix of cash and equity.  With this deal, Khatabook will offer its customer base of over 10 mn monthly active merchants an opportunity to scale up businesses.  Biz Analyst is a cash flow positive business firm providing solutions to SMEs using Tally accounting software. Allana Group picks up 1% stake in LT Foods  Allana Group has announced an investment of Rs 20 crore for a 1% stake in LT Foods.  The two companies plan to work together to expand LT Food's consumer products business to focus on value-added as well as impulse food products.  Allana Group distributes brands such as London Dairy Ice Cream, Sunny Oil, and Pristine Bakery.  LT Foods sells its packaged rice brands such as Daawat, Royal, etc. Tech Mahindra acquires Perigord Asset Holdings  Tech Mahindra Ltd has acquired a 70% stake in Perigord Asset Holdings Ltd.  The acquisition will help Tech Mahindra boost expertise in the global pharmaceutical, healthcare, and life science (HLS) sectors.  The acquisition underlines Tech Mahindra’s focus on digital growth, under the NXT.NOW framework, which focuses on leveraging next-generation technologies to solve evolving customer needs. IndoSpace acquires 55 acres in  IndoSpace and Model Economic Township Ltd (METL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), have jointly acquired 55 acres at Farukhnagar, in Haryana, to develop a warehousing facility.  The land parcel has a development potential of 1.28 million sq ft.  With this, IndoSpace has expanded its footprint in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) to

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|March 2021 over 480 acres across eight industrial parks. IndiGrid InvIT to acquire a project  India Grid Trust, an infrastructure investment trust has inked an agreement to acquire a power transmission project in the northeast for ₹4,625 cr from Sterlite Power.  The investment manager of IndiGrid, sponsored by Sterlite Power Grid Ventures Ltd, is majority-owned by KKR.  The 830 circuit-km long NER-II Transmission Ltd project is spread across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

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|March 2021 Days and Events Rajasthan Day: 30 March  Rajasthan Day is celebrated every year on March 30 to commemorate the day on which the state came into existence.  Rajasthan earlier known as Rajputana came into existence on 30 March 1949.  The state mostly comprises lands of Rajputs including the erstwhile nineteen princely states.  It is the largest state of India in terms of the area and also shares borders with Pakistan's Punjab province. Bangladesh celebrates 50 years of independence  Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of its independence on 26 March 2021.  It was 50 years ago on the night of March 25, 1971, that Pakistan's military launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka, then part of East Pakistan.  Early on March 26, 1971, the Bengali nationalist politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared independence for Bangladesh. World Theatre Day: 27 March  World Theatre Day is celebrated annually on 27 March.  It was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI).  One of the most important events organised on this day is the circulation of the World Theatre Day Message through which at the invitation of ITI, a figure of world stature shares his or her reflections on the theme of Theatre and a Culture of Peace. 186th Raising Day of Assam Rifles  March 23 is marked as the 186th Raising Day of Assam Rifles.  The Assam Rifles is the oldest paramilitary force in India, it was raised in 1845 under the British Raj, under the name Cachar Levy.  The present name which is ‘Assam Rifles’ has been used since 1917.  It plays an important role in maintaining the law and order in the tribal parts of Arunachal Pradesh. Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery  The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed every year on 25 March.  The day aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice.  In order to more permanently honour the victims, a memorial has been erected at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia's birth anniversary  March 23 marks the birth anniversary of freedom fighter and socialist leader Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia.  Lohia was born on 23 March 1910.  He was an activist in the Indian independence movement and a socialist political leader.  During the last phase of British rule in India, he worked with Congress Radio which was broadcast secretly from various places in Bombay until 1942.

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|March 2021 Birth anniversary of Muthuswami Dikshitar  March 24 marks the birth anniversary of the great Carnatic Musician Muthuswami Dikshitar.  Dikshitar was the legendary composer of Indian classical Carnatic music.  Dikshitar, Shyama Sastri, and Tyāgayya formed the musical trinity of Carnatic music.  His compositions are mostly in Sanskrit.  He also composed some of his Kritis in Manipravalam, a combination of the Sanskrit and Tamil languages. World Tuberculosis Day: 24 March  Each year, World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is celebrated on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB.  On this day in 1882, Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.  The theme of World TB Day 2021 is ‘The Clock is Ticking’. Martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh: 23 March  The nation paid tributes to freedom fighters - Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev - on their martyrdom day on 23 March 2021.  On this day in 1931, British rulers had executed them in Lahore for their revolutionary activities against the empire.  They were hanged a day before the scheduled date of execution.  A number of programmes have been organized across the country to mark the day. World Meteorological Day: 23 March  World Meteorological Day takes place every year on 23 March.  It commemorates the coming into force on 23 March 1950 of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization.  World Meteorological Day in 2021 is devoted to the theme “the ocean, our climate and weather.”  In 1961, the World Meteorological Organization designated March 23rd as the UN World Meteorological Day. 22 March: Bihar Divas  Bihar is celebrating its 109th foundation day on 22 March 2021.  The theme for the event of the year 2021 is 'Jal Jivan Haryali'.  The state was carved out from the Bengal presidency on this day in 1912.  The Day is a public holiday in Bihar.  Due to the pandamic situation, the Bihar government has decided to celebrate the event on a small-scale. 21 March: International Day of Forests  21 March is celebrated as International Day of Forests.  The day was founded by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations in 2012.  The theme of the International Day of Forests for 2021 is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”.  It is aimed at raising public awareness among diverse communities about the values of the

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|March 2021 forests to balance the life cycle. 22 March: World Water Day  World Water Day is observed on 22 March around the world.  ‘Valuing Water’ is the theme for 2021's 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.  The objective of the day is to raise awareness of the global water crisis and to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal. Shehnai festival starts at BHU  As a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a 3-day Shehnai festival started at Banaras Hindu University campus Varanasi on 21 March 2021.  The Sangeet Natak Academy and the music and performing arts faculty of BHU have come together to organize this music festival.  This musical evening is organized to remember the shehnai Maestro Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan on his birth anniversary. India participates in Nowruz celebrations  India participated in the Nowruz festivities at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing on 19 March 2021.  The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is celebrating 2021 as the ‘Year of Culture’.  Nowruz is the Persian New Year and symbol of onset of spring in the northern hemisphere.  21 March was officially recognized in 2010 as International Nowruz Day by the UN.  In 2021, it falls on March 20. World Sparrow Day: 20 March  World Sparrow Day is observed on 20 March every year to raise awareness about the bird.  The initiative was started by Nature Forever Society (NFS) of India, founded by Mohammed Dilawar, an Indian conservationist.  The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 in different parts of the world.  The number of sparrows has declined sharply in the past few years. International Day of Happiness: 20 March  March 20 is observed as the International Day of Happiness.  Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.  The resolution to adopt it was initiated by Bhutan, a country that recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s. Global Recycling Day: 18 March  Global Recycling Day is observed every year on March 18 to create awareness among the masses about the rapid pace at which our natural resources are being used.  The day promotes the concept and practice of recycling. Every year, events are organised by environmentalist and activists to promote the cause.  In 2021, the theme of Global Recycling Day is “Recycling Heroes”. National Immunisation Day: 16 March

 National Immunisation Day is celebrated every year on March 16.

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|March 2021  Also called National Vaccination Day, it is observed to convey the importance of vaccination.  It was on this day on March 16, 1995, that the first dose of the Oral Polio vaccine was given in India.  India had also launched its first vaccine Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) over 50 years ago to combat Tuberculosis. Chinar Day observed in Jammu and Kashmir  In Jammu and Kashmir, the Urban Forest Division Srinagar on 15 March 2021. organized a programme to observe Chinar Day at Shuhama Campus of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST).  Chinar saplings were planted within the premises.  The department currently is planting about 2000 Chinar saplings International Day of Action for Rivers: 14 Mar  International Day of Action for Rivers is marked on March 14 across the world.  It aims to bring people across borders, together to discuss issues pertaining to river management, river pollution, river conservation etc at a global level.  The theme for the 24th International Day of Action for Rivers was the ‘Rights of Rivers’.  The day was implemented in 1997 in Curitiba, Brazil. Pi Day: 14 March  Every year on March 14, the world celebrates Pi Day to recognise the mathematical constant, Pi.  Pi is defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter and its value is 3.14.  The day was recognised in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw.  In 2019, Unesco’s 40th General Conference decided to observe Pi Day as the International Day of Mathematics. World Consumer Rights Day: 15 March  World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on the 15th of March every year to raise global awareness about consumer rights and needs.  The day was inspired by US President John F Kennedy’s special message to the US Congress on March 15, 1962.  The day is being observed since 1983.  The theme of the World Consumer Rights Day 2021 is ‘tackle plastic pollution'. Ayya Vaikunda Swamikal's birth anniversary  PM Modi paid tributes to Ayya Vaikunda Swamikal, a great thinker and social reformer of the 19th century, on his birth anniversary in March 2021.  Ayya Vaikundar also known as Siva Narayana or Vaikunda Swami is the first and the foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran.  Vaikundar was born to Narayana and his consort Lekhsmi at the Sea of Tiruchendur on the 20th of Masi, 1008 of Kollam Calender. NCRB celebrates its 36th Inception Day  National Crime Records Bureau, NCRB celebrated its 36th Inception Day on 11 March 2021.  Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla presided over the function.

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|March 2021  NCRB is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code and Special and Local Laws.  It is headquartered in New Delhi and was set up in the year 1986. World Kidney Day: 11 March  World Kidney Day is celebrated every year on the second Thursday of March.  In 2021, the day was celebrated on 11 March with the theme “Living Well with Kidney Disease”.  It aims to raise awareness of the importance of kidneys and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. CISF Raising Day 2021  CISF Raising Day is observed every year on March 10.  It was set up under an act of the Parliament of India on March 1969 with a strength of around 2,200 personnel.  CISF stands for Central Industrial Security Force, which is a Central Armed Police Force in India.  It is governed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and its headquarters is in New Delhi. Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2021  Jan Aushadhi Divas or Generic Medicine Day is celebrated on 7 March every year in India.  In 2021, the entire week from March 1 to March 7 was celebrated as ‘Jan Aushadhi Week’ with different themes for each day.  March 7 was celebrated with the theme of ‘Seva bhi, Rozgar bhi’.  The day was first celebrated in the year 2019 making it the third-celebration in 2021. 8 March: International Women's Day  International Women's Day is being observed on 8 March.  The theme for the day in 2021 is "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world".  The day is celebrated to help forge a gender-equal world, celebrate women's achievements and their increasing visibility in every sphere of life.  It also highlights the extraordinary roles played by women in almost every walk of life. Odisha pays tribute to Biju Patnaik  On 6 March 2021, the Odisha government paid rich tributes to legendary leader Biju Patnaik on his 105th birth anniversary.  Biju Patnaik was the Chief Minister of Odisha twice in the mid-60s and the first half of the 90s.  The state government also observed the day as "Panchayati Raj Day" as Biju Patnaik was instrumental in decentralizing power to the grassroots level. 2023: International Year of Millets  The United Nations has unanimously declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.  A resolution to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets was introduced by India and supported by over 70 nations in the UN General Assembly.  This aims to raise awareness about the health benefits of the grain and their suitability for cultivation under changing climatic conditions.

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|March 2021 India commemorates 'Chabahar Day' on March 4  India will commemorate Chabahar Day on the margins of the Maritime India Summit-2021 on the 4th of March.  In the virtually held event, Ministers from Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan are participating.  The Chabahar Port is a key pillar of India's Indo-Pacific vision to connect Eurasia with the Indian Ocean Region. National Safety Day: 4 March  National Safety Day is observed on March 4 every year to commemorate the foundation of the National Safety Council (NSC).  NSC aims to raise awareness about safety measures that need to be undertaken to prevent accidents and mishaps.  National Safety Day was observed for the first time in 1972, on the foundation day of the National Safety Council. World Wildlife Day: 3 March  World Wildlife Day is observed annually on March 3 to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's flora and fauna.  On December 20, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 March as the UN World Wildlife Day.  The theme for World Wildlife Day 2021 is "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet". LPAI celebrates its 9th Foundation Day  The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) celebrated its 9th Foundation Day at its headquarters in New Delhi on 1 March 2021.  The organization was formed in 2012.  The event concluded with a virtual panel discussion on the subject “Facilitating Regional Trade and Connectivity through Land Route” which was attended by eminent scholars and persons from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. World Hearing Day: 3 March  World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and to promote ear and hearing care across the world.  The theme for World Hearing Day 2021 is “Hearing care for all!”.  Also, in 2021, World Hearing Day will be marked by the launch of the first-ever World Report on Hearing. 1 March: 45th Civil Accounts Day  The 45th Civil Accounts Day was celebrated in New Delhi on 1 March 2021.  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was the Chief Guest of the event.  This annual event was celebrated for the first time by virtual mode and was enthusiastically attended by Indian Civil Accounts Service ICAS officers and staff of the Civil Accounts Organisation. Zero Discrimination Day: 1 March

 Zero Discrimination Day is celebrated every year on 1 March. The symbol is a butterfly.

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|March 2021  It aims at highlighting the urgent need to take action to end the inequalities surrounding income, sex, age, health status, occupation, disability, sexual orientation, drug use, gender identity, race, class, ethnicity and religion that are prevalent around the world.

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|March 2021 MoU and Agreements FB signs deals with 3 Australian publishers  Facebook has announced preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers.  Letters of intent had been signed with independent news organizations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media.  These agreements will bring a new slate of premium journalism, including some previously paywalled content, to Facebook. SpiceJet ties up with Avenue Capital  Homegrown carrier SpiceJet has signed an MoU with New York-based Avenue Capital Group for financing, acquisition, sale, and lease-back of 50 new planes.  This alliance will ensure a seamless induction of the planes in the fleet.  Besides this, SpiceJet will add 66 new flights, including additional services on certain routes in its domestic network at the end of March 2021. Fourth batch of three Rafale to reach Gujarat  The 4th batch of three Rafale combat aircraft will reach Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat from France on 31 Mar'21.  The 1st batch of 5 Rafale jets arrived in India on 29 July'20.  India had signed an agreement with France to procure 36 Rafale aircraft.  The Rafale jets are India’s 1st major acquisition of fighter planes in the last 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. Bharat Biotech, CSIR collaborate  Bharat Biotech has tied up with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to work on technologies and platforms for novel vaccines, drugs, and even raw materials.  Bharat Biotech International, Biovet, and Sapigen Biologix have signed a joint Master Collaborative Agreement (MCA) with CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR- IICT). Puma signs deal with RC  Global sports brand Puma has signed a three-year partnership with the (IPL) team franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.  Puma will be the official kit partner of the team from the upcoming 14th edition of the tournament, scheduled to start from 9 April 2021.  It also makes Puma the only global sports brand to be associated with IPL 2021. J&J, African Union ink deal for Covid vaccine  Johnson & Johnson will supply the African Union (AU) with up to 400 mn doses of its Covid- 19 vaccines.  J&J unit Janssen Pharmaceutica NV has entered into a deal with the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) to deliver 220 mn doses of its single-dose shot.  AVAT could order an additional 180 mn doses by 2022.  Almost 121,000 people across Africa have died from COVID-19 till March 2021. Iran and China to sign 25-yr cooperation pact  Iran and China signed a 25-year cooperation agreement on 27 March 2021.

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|March 2021  The agreement was signed between Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.  China, Iran's largest trading partner and a long-standing ally, agreed in 2016 to boost bilateral trade by more than 10 times to $600 billion over a decade. Adani entered into a pact with Essel Infra  Power transmission & retail distribution major Adani Transmission Limited has signed definitive agreements with Essel Infraprojects Limited.  The pact is signed for the acquisition of Warora-Kurnool Transmission Limited (WKTL) for an enterprise value of Rs 3,370 cr.  WKTL will develop, operate & maintain a transmission sys aggregating to 1,750 ckt km in Maharashtra, Telangana & Andhra Pradesh. Ford & HP partners to reuse 3D printing waste  Ford Motor has teamed up with tech company HP to innovatively reuse spent 3D printing waste by turning them into injection molded automotive parts.  Auto parts such as injection molded fuel-line clips made from 3D printing waste have already been installed first on Ford's Super Duty F-250 trucks.  These injection molded parts are environment-friendly, durable and of high quality standard. India, Bangladesh ink five MoUs  Bangladesh and India on 27 March 2021 signed 5 MoUs to enhance cooperation in various sectors, including disaster management, resilience, and mitigation, trade, ICT, and sports.  During the meet, both leaders agreed to run a direct passenger train named ‘Mitali Express’ will run between Dhaka & New Jalpaiguri.  India gifted 109 ambulances to Bangladesh and also 1.2 mn Covidvaccine doses. Hungama Music partners with Dolby Laboratories  Hungama Music has partnered with Dolby Laboratories, enabling users with Dolby-enabled mobile devices to listen to music in Dolby format.  It has tied up for its surround sound technology called Dolby Atmos that offers more clarity and depth to music.  Dolby Laboratories is a San Francisco-based company that enhances sight and sound experiences in movies, television, music, sports and gaming. Tata Cleantech signs agreement with JICA  Tata Cleantech Capital, a non-banking financial company, has secured a 10-billion-yen loan agreement from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).  It has been signed for offering loans to Indian firms focussing on clean energy projects.  The loan would be provided through a private sector investment finance scheme of JICA and co-financed with the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. JNPT signs Rs 100 crore pact with CNB Logitech  Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has signed an MoU with CNB Logitech of Rs 100 crore per annum to monitor, track and optimise the movement of 50 lakh containers in EXIM trade.  the signing of MoU will help to achieve India's maritime vision of 2030 by enhancing efficiencies.

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|March 2021  With this MoU with JNPT, CNB will be able to monitor over 50 per cent of India's container movement in EXIM trade. SAIC Motor and Haier to develop smart cars  Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor Corp. and appliance maker Haier Group Corp. have signed a preliminary agreement to jointly develop intelligent transportation systems and smart homes.  The duo will cooperate in areas including autonomous driving and lightweight-material development.  The agreement involves Haier investing in a SAIC unit that will be set up to develop autonomous driving technology. ASCI partners with Futurebrands  The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has partnered with brand consultancy Futurebrands India to launch the first study into gender depiction in advertising.  The study titled, GenderNext, aims to provide actionable insights that can shape gender narratives, especially around the portrayal of women in advertising positively.  The report is set to be released in September 2021. TPDDL ties up with SUN Mobility  Tata Power joint venture firm Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) has announced its partnership with SUN Mobility to set up a network of 'Battery Swap Points' across north and north-west Delhi.  SUN Mobility is a leading provider of an energy infrastructure platform.  In collaboration with TPDDL, SUN Mobility has launched the first Swap Point with two Quick Interchange Stations. Jal Shakti Ministry ties up with UN  The Jal Shakti Ministry has entered a partnership with the United Nations Office for Project Services and the government of Denmark.  It will help bring tap water connections to 11 water-scarce districts in Uttar Pradesh’s water- starved Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions under the Jal Jeevan mission.  The project will include capacity-building support, with the creation of village action plans. ICM and IOM in a collaboration  The India Centre for Migration (ICM), a research think tank of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have entered into a collaboration.  They will do a joint study on strengthening data-informed and migrant-centred migration management frameworks in India.  The project was launched by Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Secretary of ICM on 23 Mar'21. RDIF, Virchow Biotech ink deal  The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Hyderabad-based Virchow Biotech Private Limited have inked an agreement to produce up to 200 million doses per year of Sputnik V vaccine in India.  The technology transfer is expected to be completed in the 2nd quarter of 2021.  Sputnik V has been registered in 54 countries globally with a total population of over 1.4

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|March 2021 billion people. FICCI and IFSCA sign MoU  FICCI (The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and IFSCA (International Financial Services Centres Authority) have signed an MoU.  They will establish a framework for collaboration for the development of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) IFSC as a world-class FinTech hub.  FICCI will also assist IFSCA in the development of FinTech Accelerator programmes. JKTPO and TPCI sign MoU  Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO) has signed an MoU with the Trade Promotion Corporation of India (TPCI).  It has been signed for the Agro and Food Processing sector and Film Tourism sector.  The MoU was signed during the inauguration of the J&K Pavilion at South Asia’s largest Integrated FB Trade Show – Indus-food 2021, held at India Exposition Mart, New Delhi. Glenmark joins hands with Bausch  Drug firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has entered into a pact with Bausch to commercialise its nasal spray Ryaltris in Canada.  The company's subsidiary, Glenmark Specialty SA in Switzerland and an affiliate of Bausch Health Companies Inc have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement.  Glenmark will be responsible for regulatory approvals and the supply of Ryaltris for the Canadian market. IISc, Applied Materials India ink R&D pact  Applied Materials India, the local subsidiary of Applied Materials Inc., has signed a research and development (R&D) pact with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.  As part of the Industry Affiliate Program of the Centre for Nanoscience and Engineering (CeNSE), both will work closely with CeNSE to explore new applications and solutions in the field of advanced materials. India, Japan agree for cooperation  India and Japan have agreed to recognize each other’s offices to act mutually as competent International Searching and International Preliminary Examining Authority (ISA/IPEA) for any international patent application filed with them.  The agreement was arrived at during the 4th review meeting between both in March 2021 under a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on industrial property. Thermax arm signs pact with Germany's SBE  Thermax Babcock and Wilcox Energy Solutions (TBWES) has signed a Know-How Transfer and License agreement with Steinmüller Babcock Environment GmbH (SBE), Germany for Waste to Energy technology.  As a part of it, TBWES will design, engineer, manufacture, and sell Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) fired waste to energy solutions incorporating SBE’s well-established grate and boiler technology. Mindtree inks deal with Knauf  Mindtree Ltd has signed a multi-year agreement with Knauf, a global manufacturer of building materials and construction systems.

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|March 2021  As per it, Mindtree will help accelerate the company’s IT transformation initiatives.  Mindtree will provide application development services, help to digitize their infrastructure, transforming their supply chain systems, and further develop digital platforms. Sevilla, FC Bengaluru announce collaboration  Spanish football club Sevilla FC and FC Bengaluru United have announced a five-year collaboration.  Through this partnership, Sevilla FC will look to strengthen their presence in the Indian football ecosystem.  As part of the agreement, fans will be able to see FC Bengaluru United as well as their academy players in Sevilla FC’s traditional white and red colours from the 2021-2022 season. Labour Bureau signs agreement with BECIL  Labour Bureau has signed a service level agreement with Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited, BECIL.  It will all India surveys on Migrant Workers and All India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey.  These surveys will be useful in providing the government with crucial data on migrant workers and the employment situation in formal and informal establishments. Govt signs ₹1,188 crores deal with BDL  The Union Defence Ministry has signed a ₹1,188 crore deal with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the supply of 4,960 Milan-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) to the Indian Army.  It is a ‘Repeat Order’ of contract, which was signed with BDL on March 8, 2016.  The missile is a Tandem Warhead ATGM with a range of 1,850 meters, produced by BDL under license from MBDA Missile Systems, France. Indian Oil Corp enters into JV with Phinergy  Indian Oil Corporation has entered into a collaboration with Phinergy, an Israeli company specialising in hybrid lithium-ion and aluminium-air/zinc-air battery systems, to form IOC Phinergy Private Limited.  The joint venture will manufacture Aluminum-Air systems in India to boost India's flagship programme - "Make in India" and recycle used Aluminum to strengthen India's energy security. Gland Pharma inks deal with RDIF  Gland Pharma Ltd has entered into an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for the supply of 252 million doses of Sputnik V (Russian-made) vaccine against COVID-19.  The agreement will see Gland Pharma utilizing its Drug Substance and Drug Product facilities at its sites in Hyderabad.  The production is expected to commence from the third quarter of 2021. FIFA collaborates with United Nations  FIFA has announced its collaboration with the United Nations on Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to launch the Global Integrity Programme.  It is a comprehensive international programme aimed at providing all 211 member

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|March 2021 associations with enhanced knowledge and tools to fight and prevent match manipulation.  The first edition of the programme started with the first module on March 4, 2021. Cabinet approves MoU between India, Maldives  The Union Cabinet has approved an MoU signed between the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment of the Maldives for cooperation in Sports and Youth Affairs.  The MoU was signed in November 2020.  Bilateral exchange programmes in the field of sports between India and Maldives will help in expanding knowledge in the area of sports. JSW Sports collaborates with Odisha government  JSW Sports in collaboration with the Sports and Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha has announced the launch of a comprehensive Grassroot Program.  It is scheduled to commence on 1 April'21.  It will be rolled out in eight locations - Bhubaneshwar, Sambalpur, Balangir, Boudh, Sonepur, Angul, Ganjam, and Mayurbhanj under the umbrella of the Odisha Government's pact with JSW Sports. Nokia partners with Microsoft, Amazon, Google  Nokia has partnered with Microsoft, Amazon web services and Google to develop new cloud-based 5G radio solutions with its radio access network (RNA) technology.  The goal of the partnerships is to develop new business cases.  It will develop new and innovative high value 5G use cases that will equip customers with the tools they need for digital transformation. Agreement signed for Sewage Treatment Plants  A tripartite concession agreement has been signed between the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), UP Jal Nigam, and GA Infra Private Limited-Lahoti Buildcon Limited for the development of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for Moradabad.  The contract was awarded at a total cost of Rs 99.68 cr.  It is aimed at eliminating the flow of untreated sewage from Moradabad city into the River Ganga. Sony Pictures Networks signs multi-year deal  Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has signed a multi-year television and digital broadcast deal with Ultimate Kho Kho.  The league is expected to be telecast in the prime time slot (7-9 pm) in English and Hindi and will also be streamed on SonyLIV.  Ultimate Kho Kho was founded by Dabur's Amit Burman who had acquired long-term commercial rights from the Kho Kho Federation of India in 2019. Cholamandalam, Karur Vysya Bank join hands  Cholamandalam Investment and Finance company has inked a partnership with Karur Vysya Bank for co-lending business, eyeing to garner a larger market share across segments.  It would significantly help Cholamandalam and Karur Vysya Bank to expand the reach to new customer segments across the country.  It will allow both the companies to use an effective composite risk management framework.

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|March 2021 Aquaconnect partners with Bank of Baroda  Aquaconnect has partnered with Bank of Baroda, India’s leading public sector bank, to pave the way for access to formal credit for 1.6 million aquaculture farmers.  Under this partnership, Bank of Baroda has extended loan for up to 10 lacs under KCC scheme and fisheries loan.  Higher credit limits can also be availed under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). ONGC acquires 5% stake in Indian Gas Exchange  Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) signed a Share Purchase and Shareholders Agreement (SPSHA) with the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) and the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) on March 10, 2021.  As per the agreement ONGC has acquired 5 per cent equity in IGX.  ONGC is aligned to the government’s vision of increasing the share of gas in the energy mix to 15% by 2030. Educate Girls signs MoU with Rajasthan  Educate Girls, an NGO, has announced an MoU with the Government of Rajasthan's Directorate of Women Empowerment at Jaipur.  As per the MoU, Educate Girls will develop a collaborative framework to strengthen the planning and implementation of the state's women and adolescent girls' initiatives and reform processes.  It will set up a state-level Project Management and Implementation Unit. Vi partners with Disney+ Hotstar  Telecommunications company Vi has partnered with video streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar to provide a year of free content to its users.  This will include live sports such as the IPL (Indian Premier League).  For Vi prepaid users, it is launching three new unlimited recharge plans and a new data-only plan that will offer the one-year Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscription as a bundled benefit. Govt Polytechnic College signs MoU with GCET  In the Jammu and Kashmir, Government Polytechnic College, Jammu inked an MoU with Government College of Engineering & Technology (GCET), Jammu on 9 March 2021.  It has been signed for upskilling and enhancing employability of engineering students to the latest technologies at Center for Invention, Innovation, Incubation, and Training (CIIIT), Jammu established at Government Polytechnic Jammu. Russia, China sign MoU to build space station  Russia and China signed an MoU on 9 March 2021 for the joint construction of a lunar space station.  The lunar station will be designed as a "complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the Moon".  The collaboration will promote international cooperation on the project and offer equal access to any nation that wants to take part. IOCL, IDCO sign MoU for Paradip Plastic Park

 The state-run Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) and Indian

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|March 2021 Oil Corporation Limited signed an MoU on 9 March 2021, to develop a Plastic Park in Paradip.  IOCL announced a special strategic incentive scheme to attract investments in downstream polymer industries at Paradip Plastic Park.  With a project cost of Rs 107 cr, the park is spread over 120 acres of land. , Suryadipta Projects ink an MoU  The Indian Navy has signed a contract with Suryadipta Projects to construct 11 ammunition- cum-torpedo-cum-missile (ACTCM) .  The contract was concluded on March 5, 2021.  Delivery of barges is scheduled to commence from 22 May 2021.  The ACTCM barges will be inducted in Indian Navy to undertake the mission needs for embarking or disembarking ammunition, torpedo, missile, etc. Chingari inks deal with BandEdge  Short video app Chingari has announced a partnership with BandEdge, a music, and talent agency, to promote budding singers, backstage music bands, dancers, among others.  BandEdge artistes work and perform across multiple Indian languages.  Chingari has also partnered with Bengali streaming service Hoichoi for short-video clips and dialogue from shows and movies on the platform. LeapFrog in a partnership with Temasek  Global impact investor LeapFrog Investments has signed a strategic partnership with Singapore's state investor Temasek.  Temasek will commit $500 million as an anchor investor across multiple funds of LeapFrog.  Temasek will also take a minority stake in LeapFrog and provide growth capital to support the expansion of the LeapFrog team and investment capabilities across Asia and Africa. Philippines Vaccine Head to visit India  Chief Implementer of the Philippines' National Policy Against COVID, Carlito Galvez Jr will visit India to finalize agreements with several vaccine manufacturers.  He will visit India from March 9 to 12, 2021 to sign supply agreements and negotiate earlier deliveries of vaccines.  The Philippines is among the last countries in Southeast Asia to start its COVID-19 vaccine rollout. WCD Ministry sign agreement with Invest India  Union Ministry of Women and Child Development signed an MoU with Invest India in New Delhi on 8 March'21.  The aim of the MoU is to enhance co-operation in the thematic areas of nutrition, child protection and development, women empowerment and convergent capacity building in mission mode.  It was signed by Joint Secretary in the Ministry Aditi Das Raut and VP of Invest India, Hindol Sengupta. Textiles Ministry and Agri Ministry sign MoU  Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Agriculture signed an MoU on 7 March 2021 to amplify sericulture activities in the country in the presence of Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and

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|March 2021 Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala.  The MoU will focus on establishing tree based agro-forestry models in sericulture and exploring possibilities of activities through Krishi Vigyan Kendras.

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|March 2021 Appointment New Chief Growth Officer of GameStop  GameStop Corp. has appointed Elliott Wilke to the role of Chief Growth Officer as it plans to transform its business to e-commerce.  Elliott Wilke will start his term on April 5, 2021.  At GameStop, Mr. Wilke will oversee growth strategies and marketing, with a focus on increasing customer loyalty and growing the reach of PowerUp Rewards and Game Informer. First female referee appointed for EFL match  Rebecca Welch has become the first female referee to be appointed to an English Football League match.  Welch is the first woman to get an official appointment and is set to officiate the League Two game between Harrogate and Port Vale on 5 April 2021.  Welch has previously officiated men's matches in the National League as well as elite women's matches such as the FA Cup final in 2017. Soma Mondal: New Chairman of SCOPE  Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)'s Chairman Soma Mondal has been elected as the new Chairman of Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE).  Mondal has been elected for a term of two years, with effect from 1 Apr'21.  She had assumed the charge of Chairman of SAIL on 1 Jan'21.  SCOPE is an apex professional organisation representing the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs). Deutsche Bank's new Investment Banking head  Deutsche Bank has appointed Fabrizio Campelli as the head of its Investment Banking and the Corporate Banking unit.  Campelli, who joined the bank in 2004 from McKinsey, has been a member of the executive board since November 2019.  Previously, Campelli was working as a Chief Transformation Officer of Deutsche Bank. New Andhra Election Commissioner  Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney has been appointed as the new State Election Commissioner (SEC).  She will replace the Andhra Election Commissioner Ramesh Kumar.  She was the first woman Chief Secretary of the state.  The former IAS officer is working as the Principal Advisor of Chief Minister, as of 27 March 2021. Mahindra appoints Anish Shah as the MD, CEO  Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd has announced the appointment of Anish Shah, as the Managing Director and Chief Executive, effective from April 2, 2021.  Shah will oversee operations of all Mahindra Group companies and will take over from Pawan Goenka.  He is currently serving as the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of

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|March 2021 Mahindra. Saurabh Garg appointed UIDAI CEO  Senior bureaucrat Saurbah Garg has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).  He is a 1991 batch IAS officer.  Sanjeev Kumar, a 1991 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).  Atish Chandra will be Chairman and Managing Director, Food Corporation of India. Chitra Nayak: Independent Director of Infosys  IT services major Infosys on 24 March 2021 announced the appointment of former Salesforce Executive Chitra Nayak as an Independent Director.  She will assume the charge on March 25, 2021.  The appointment is for a period of three years.  Previously she was the Chief Operating Officer at Funding Circle, an online SMB lending marketplace. ECI transfers Coimbatore DC and Commissioner  The Election Commission of India (ECI) has transferred Coimbatore District Collector Rajamani and the city commissioner of police Sumit Sharan to non-election posts.  ECI also directed the state government to appoint IAS officer S Nagarajan as the new District Collector.  S Davidson Devasirvatham has been appointed as the Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore. Ralf Speth: TVS Motor's Chairman in 2023  TVS Motor Company on 24 March 2021 announced the appointment of global automotive industry icon Sir Ralf Speth to its board of directors.  He will be succeeding Venu Srinivasan as the chairman in 2023.  TVS Motor further announced the appointment of Kuok Meng Xiong as an independent director.  Ralf had previously worked with BMW and he was the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover for over 11 years. Justice Ramana to be next CJI  Chief Justice of India SA Bobde has recommended the name of Justice NV Ramana as his successor.  Chief Justice Bobde is set to retire on 23rd April 2021.  Justice Bobde was sworn in as the 47th CJI in November 2019.  Once cleared for an appointment, Justice Ramana is expected to take over as the next CJI on April 24, 2021, and will retire on Aug 26, 2022. EC suspends observer of West Bengal  Election Commission has ordered the suspension of an Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer Narendra Prasad Pandey who was deployed as an Observer for West Bengal assembly polls.  He was suspended due to his alleged misconduct with district officials and misuse of his official position.

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|March 2021  He was appointed as General Observer in the Kashipur assembly constituency of West Bengal. President appoints two judges to HC  President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Rajendra Badamikar and Sushree Khazi Jayabunnisa Mohiuddin as Additional Judges of Karnataka High Court for 2 yrs.  Rajendra Badamikar is presently working as Registrar General at the High Court of Karnataka, Bengaluru.  Sushree Khazi Jayabunnisa Mohiuddin is presently working as Registrar (Vigilance) at the High Court of Karnataka, Bengaluru. Dr Vivek Murthy to be Biden's Surgeon General  US Senate has voted to confirm Indian-American Dr. Vivek Murthy to be President Biden's Surgeon General.  Dr. Murthy served as the Surgeon General under the Obama administration from 2014 to 2017.  He is a distinguished Physician and former Vice Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Cipla reappoints Umang Vohra as MD for 5 years  Cipla has approved the re-appointment of Umang Vohra as the Managing Director and Global Chief Executive Officer of the company for a further period of five years.  The appointment is effective from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2026.  Vohra had joined Cipla in 2015.  Vohra earlier worked with Eicher Motors, PepsiCo, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. New General Secretary of RSS  Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha of RSS has elected Dattatreya Hosabale as its Sarkaryavah or General Secretary for a period of three years.  He replaces Bhaiyyaji Joshi.  Dattatreya Hosabale was Sah Sarkaryavah of RSS since 2009.  He hails from the Shivamogga district in Karnataka joined RSS in 1968. Arindam Bagchi appointed MEA spokesperson  Arindam Bagchi has been appointed as the new MEA spokesperson.  The outgoing spokesperson Anurag Srivastava will now be a Joint Secretary (north).  Bagchi is a 1995-batch Indian Foreign Service officer who had earlier served as Ambassador to Croatia and Deputy High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, besides having served as a Director in the Prime Minister’s Office. Marc Llistosella won’t join Tata Motors  Marc Llistosella won’t be joining as the next Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Motors as previously announced on 12 February 2021.  Guenter Butschek will continue as the company’s CEO and Managing Director until June 30, 2021.  Llistosella was most recently the President and CEO of Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation and Head of Daimler Trucks in Asia.

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|March 2021 Samia Suluhu: 1st female President of Tanzania  Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on 19 Mar'21 as Tanzania's first female President after the sudden death of John Magufuli.  Hassan will serve the remainder of Magufuli's second five-year term, which does not expire until 2025.  She is the only other current serving female head of state in Africa alongside Ethiopia's President Sahle-Work Zewde, whose role is mainly ceremonial. Aparna Chennapragada: Robinhood's 1st CPO  American stock trading platform Robinhood has appointed Indian-origin Aparna Chennapragada as its first Chief Product Officer.  She has worked on various product roles at Google for 12 yrs and has over 20 yrs of experience in product development, design, and strategy including stints at companies like Akamai and Oracle.  She is also currently a board member at financial giant Capital One. Pinduoduo founder steps down as Chairman  Colin Huang, the founder of fast-growing Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, has resigned as Chairman.  Chen Lei, who replaced Huang as Pinduoduo’s CEO in July 2020, will now also serve as the company’s Chairman.  Pinduoduo was founded in 2015, and just after three years it was listed on the technology- focused Nasdaq stock exchange in New York in July 2018. H. Nagrale: New Mumbai Police Commissioner  Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Hemant Nagrale on 17 March 2021 assumed charge as the new Mumbai Police Commissioner.  He replaced the former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.  Singh has been transferred to the Home Guard department. New Chairman of Stop TB Partnership Board  Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan has been appointed as the Chairman of the international body Stop TB Partnership Board.  He was appointed in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the movement to eradicate Tuberculosis from India by 2025.  Dr Harsh Vardhan will serve a three-year term, commencing from July 2021. MA Ganapathy appointed NSG Chief  Senior IPS officers M A Ganapathy and Kuldiep Singh were appointed Director General of the National Security Guard and the Central Reserve Police Force, respectively on 16 Mar'21.  Ganapathy, a 1986 batch IPS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, is currently DG, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.  Singh, a 1986 batch IPS officer of the West Bengal cadre, is presently the Special DG, CRPF. Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior  US Senate has confirmed Deb Haaland as the Secretary of the Interior.  She becomes the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency and securing a central role in President Joe Biden’s plans to fight climate change.

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|March 2021  She became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress in 2018.  She will oversee policies guiding the use of 500 million acres of federal and tribal land. Gyanwant Singh: New Director Security of WB  The West Bengal government on 15 March 2021 appointed IPS officer Gyanwant Singh as the new Director Security.  Previously, he was working as Additional Director General (Security).  He replaced Vivek Sahay.  Election Commission of India (ECI) removed Vivek Sahay over the incident in Nandigram in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was injured. Kapil Dev inducted as PGTI board member  Kapil Dev has been inducted as one of the board members of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).  Meanwhile, the Delhi-NCR Open Golf Championship 2021, to be jointly organized by the TATA Steel PGTI and Prometheus School, Noida, will begin at the scenic Golden Greens Golf Club in Gurugram on 16 March 2021.  The tournament carries a prize purse of Rs 30 lakh. Deepak Mishra: ICRIER Chief Executive  World Bank economist Deepak Mishra has been appointed as the next Director and Chief Executive of leading think-tank Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).  He is currently a Practice Manager in the World Bank's macroeconomics, trade and investment global practice.  Before joining the World Bank, he worked at Tata Motors and Federal Reserve Board. Hardeep Singh Brar: Head in Kia Motors  Kia Motors India Ltd has announced the appointment of Hardeep Singh Brar as the national Head of Sales and Marketing with immediate effect.  He will join Kia Motors from the Chinese company Great Wall Motors, where he served as the Director of sales and marketing.  He has held senior leadership positions across sales functions at Maruti Suzuki, Volkswagen, General Motors, and Nissan. ECI transfers Morigaon DC, ADC in Assam  The Assam govt has replaced Morigaon Deputy Commissioner Leena Das and Additional Deputy Commissioner Debajani Choudhury on the recommendations of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 14, 2021.  Home Secretary Seema Rekha Bhuyan has been appointed as the new Morigaon DC.  Skill Employment and Entrepreneurship dept secy Hanif Noorani has been transferred as the ADC of Morigaon. Prof AK Singh: New VC of PRSU, Prayagraj  Prof Akhilesh Kumar Singh has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Prof Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) University Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.  He has been appointed by the Chancellor of the university and UP Governor Anandiben Patel for a term of three years.

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|March 2021  Prof Akhilesh Kumar Singh took charge on 13 March 2021. ATC appoints Sanjay Goel as President  Telecom infrastructure provider American Tower Corp (ATC) has appointed Sanjay Goel as the President, Asia Pacific.  Goel will take charge from 16 March 2021 and will succeed Amit Sharma, who has been the Chief of Asia Pacific since the start of India operations.  ATC’s wholly-owned subsidiary ATC India started operations in 2007 and has about 76,000 towers installed across the country. Uttarakhand CM inducts 11 ministers  Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat expanded his Council of Ministers on 12 March 2021.  Governor Baby Rani Maurya administered the oath of office to 11 ministers at Raj Bhavan.  Banshidhar Bhagat, Bishan Singh Chufal, Ganesh Joshi, and Swami Yatishwaranand are the new faces of Tirath Singh Rawat's team, who took the oath.  MLA from Gadarpur Arvind Pandey took the oath in Sanskrit. China's Ant Group CEO resigns  China's Ant Group Chief Executive Officer Simon Hu has stepped down from his role on 12 March 2021.  Hu will be replaced by company veteran and Executive Chairman Eric Jing.  China's Ant Group, as the fintech giant, is pushed by regulators to revamp operations after its failed $37 billion initial public offerings (IPO). Thomas Bach re-elected as IOC president  Thomas Bach was re-elected as president of the International Olympic Committee on 10 March 2021 for a final four-year term.  The German lawyer was unopposed and won the vote 93-1.  He also signed future Olympic hosts Paris and Los Angeles, while Brisbane is now being fast- tracked for 2032.  Bach first presided over the 2014 Sochi Games. Pierre Bruno: Wipro's CEO for Europe business  IT services firm Wipro appointed Pierre Bruno as Chief Executive Officer of its European operations on 10 March 2021.  Bruno joined Wipro from DXC Technology, where he was Vice President and Managing Director of Southern Europe.  Bruno will lead Wipro's business in six distinct regions across Europe. Anurag Thakur: Captain in Territorial Army  Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur was promoted as Captain in the Territorial Army as a regular commissioned officer on 10 March 2021.  He has become the first serving Union Minister to be promoted as Captain in the Indian Territorial Army.  Thakur has been promoted to the rank of Captain at 124 Infantry Battalion Territorial Army (Sikh).

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|March 2021 Maju Varghese appointed as WHMO Director  Indian-American Maju Varghese on March 9, 2021, was formally appointed as Director of the White House Military Office.  As the WHMO Director, Varghese will oversee all military operations aboard Air Force One on Presidential missions worldwide.  He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Biden campaign during the 2020 presidential election. G P Samanta: Chief Statistician of India  The Indian government has appointed Dr. G P Samanta as the new Chief Statistician of India (CSI).  Dr. Samanta was currently deputed as an advisor in the RBI's Department of Statistics and Information Management.  He will replace 1986-batch IAS officer Dr. Kshatrapati Shivaji who was holding the additional charge of the post since September 2020. OZiva signs Deepika Padukone as endorser  Plant-based nutrition brand OZiva has announced the appointment of actor Deepika Padukone as its brand ambassador.  Recently, OZiva became the first nutrition brand in India to be certified clean and received the Purity Award and Pesticide Free certificate from the US-based Clean Label Project.  OZiva provides everyday fitness, skin, and hair nutrition products. Tirath Singh Rawat: New CM of Uttarakhand  Tirath Singh Rawat will be the new CM of Uttarakhand.  He is a Member of Parliament from Pauri Garhwal.  He was the first Education Minister after the formation of the Uttarakhand state in 2000.  He has headed the state unit of the BJP in the past and has been a state legislator.  Trivendra Singh Rawat stepped down from the post of Chief Minister on 9 March 2021. New Chairman of UN Panel of External Auditors  The Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu has been again appointed as the Chairman of the Panel of External Auditors of the United Nations for 2021.  The CAG was elected as Chairman of the Panel in 2020 as well.  As of March 2021, CAG is also the External Auditor of the WHO, Geneva and Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome and Inter-Parliamentary Union. EC orders removal of West Bengal DGP  Election Commission ordered the removal of West Bengal Director-General of Police, Virendra with immediate effect on 9 March 2021.  P Nirajnayan has been appointed as Director-General of Police (DG) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) in place of Virendra.  The decision has been taken by the commission after reviewing the poll preparedness in the state. Arcil appoints Pallav Mohapatra as MD and CEO  Asset reconstruction company Arcil has appointed Pallav Mohapatra as the new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.

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|March 2021  Prior to this, Mahapatra was the MD and CEO of the Central Bank of India.  He has also served as the Deputy Managing Director in charge of the stressed assets management group at the State Bank of India. Biswajit Daimary takes oath as Rajya Sabha MP  BJP's Biswajit Daimary on 8 march 2021, took oath as the Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha.  Earlier, in February 2021, Daimary was elected unopposed to the upper house of Parliament.  Dineshchandra Jemalbhai and Rambhai Mokariya from Gujarat also took oath as Rajya Sabha MPs.  Chairman M.Venkaiah Naidu administered the oath to the new members. Glenmark signs Rohit Sharma as ambassador  Glenmark Pharma has signed cricketer Rohit Sharma as brand ambassador for its product Candid Powder.  Sharma has officially signed on to represent Glenmark's Candid Powder, a legacy brand of the company's consumer care division.  Glenmark's Candid Dusting Powder is used to treat four key skin problems of redness, irritation, sweat rash, and fungal infections. Kotak: Ashok Gulati as additional Director  Kotak Mahindra Bank has appointed agricultural economist Ashok Gulati as an additional independent Director on its board.  The term of Gulati, who has also been appointed by the Supreme Court to a four-member panel, is for five years starting from 6 March 2021.  He is currently the Infosys Chair Professor for Agriculture at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations. Naureen Hassan: 1st VP, COO of New York Fed  Indian-American Naureen Hassan has been named as the first Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  She has been appointed by the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, effective from 15 March 2021. She was, most recently, the Chief Digital Officer for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (MSWM). Joe Biden appoints 2 more Indian-Americans  US President Joe Biden has appointed two more Indian-Americans in key administrative positions.  Chiraag Bains has been appointed as Special Assistant to the President for Criminal Justice and Pronita Gupta has been named Special Assistant to the President for Labour and Workers.  From 2010 to 2017, Chiraag served in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Drew Vollero: First CFO of Reddit  Reddit has appointed Drew Vollero as its first Chief Financial Officer. Formerly, he worked as a Chief Financial Officer in Snapchat-parent Snap.  Vollero, who has also worked at toymaker Mattel Inc, will lead Reddit's finance team starting at the end of March 2021.

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|March 2021 Obituaries Former BSP MLA Virendra Singh passes away  Former BSP MLA Virendra Singh passed away on 30 March 2021 following a prolonged illness.  He was elected as BSP MLA from Bareilly Cantonment seat in 2007 and Bithri Chainpur seat in 2012.  Singh had been suffering from serious health problems since 2018. Surendra Sirsat passes away  Former Speaker of Goa Assembly Surendra Sirsat passed away in March 2021.  Sirsat served as the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLA for three terms - 1977, 1989 and 1994.  He served as the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly between 1990-91. Anil Dharker passes away  Noted journalist and author Anil Dharker passed away in March 2021.  He was the founder and director of the Mumbai International Literary Festival.  Dharker had been the editor of a variety of publications, starting with ‘Debonair’, ‘Mid-Day’; ‘The Independent’ and ‘The Illustrated Weekly of India’.  He had also worked as a TV show producer and anchor. K C Chakrabarty passes away  Former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank K C Chakrabarty passed away in March 2021.  After his stint at Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, and Punjab National Bank, Chakrabarty had joined the RBI as a DG in 2009 and resigned in 2014, three months before his term ended.  Chakrabarty had taught at the Banaras Hindu University before entering commercial banking. Veteran filmmaker Sagar Sarhadi passes away  Veteran filmmaker Sagar Sarhadi passed away in March 2021.  He was known for his work in movies such as Bazaar and Lorie, which he directed, and Kabhi Kabhi, Chandni, and Faasle, for which he penned the dialogues.  Before he ventured into cinema, Sarhadi was an Urdu writer.  He received his first break with Patni (1970). Former SEBI Chairman Ramakrishna passes away  G.V. Ramakrishna, who was the 1st chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India after it became a statutorily empowered markets regulator, passed away in March 2021.  Ramakrishna was appointed in 1990 as the second chairman of the then two-year-old Securities and Exchange Board.  Starting his career as a biochemist doing research in haematology, Ramakrishna joined the IAS in 1952. Ritika Phogat passes away  Ritika Phogat, the cousin sister of champion wrestlers Geeta and Babita Phogat, died by suicide after she allegedly lost a wrestling tournament final in Bharatpur, in March 2021.  She had participated in a state-level wrestling tournament at Bharatpur between 12 and 14

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|March 2021 March 2021.  Ritika had trained under Dronacharya award-winning wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat. Tanzania's President John Magufuli passes away  Tanzania's President John Magufuli passed away in Dar es Salaam on 17 March 2021.  The President died of a heart ailment that he has battled for over 10 years.  According to Tanzania's constitution, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan will be sworn in as the new President to serve the remainder of Magufuli's five-year term.  Hassan will be Tanzania's first female President. Ram Swaroop Sharma passes away  BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Ram Swaroop Sharma passed away in March 2021.  He was found hanging in his room.  Sharma was first elected to Lok Sabha in 2014.  He was re-elected from Mandi in the 2019 general elections.  He also served in the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs. Former Union Minister Dilip Gandhi passes away  Former Union Minister and BJP leader Dilip Gandhi passed away in March 2021.  He had also tested positive for corona.  He has represented the Ahmednagar South constituency three times as an MP.  From 1985 to 1999, he was the Deputy Chairman of Ahmednagar Municipality.  He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the second time in 2009 and for the third time in 2014. Marvin Hagler passes away  Former undisputed middleweight world champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler passed away in March 2021.  The American dominated the middleweight division from 1979 until his controversial defeat by Sugar Ray Leonard in April 1987.  Hagler fought 67 times during his 14-year professional career, winning 62.  He made 12 successful title defenses. Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair passes away  Kathakali legend Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair passed away in March 2021.  He won accolades Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi (KSNA) fellowship in 1999 and Padma Shri in 2017.  Amid a lifetime of undevoted attention to Kathakali, he started the famed Bharatheeya Nritha Kalalayam.  Actor Vineeth is among his most popular disciples. Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini dies  King Goodwill Zwelithini, the traditional leader of South Africa's Zulu nation, passed away in March 2021.  Zwelithini, the eighth Zulu king, reigned for more than 50 years, making him the longest- serving Zulu monarch.  The Ingonyama Trust controlled by the king owns 29% of the land of the KwaZulu-Natal province, about 28,000 square kilometres, or 10,811 square miles.

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|March 2021 Brahma Kumaris’ Chief passes away  Brahma Kumaris' Chief Administrator Dadi Hriday Mohini passed away on 11 March 2021.  Dadi Mohini was appointed as the Chief Administrator of the organization after the death of its former Chief Dadi Janki a year ago (in March 2020).  The Brahma Kumaris is a spiritual organization that teaches a form of meditation that focuses on identity as souls, as opposed to bodies. Lou Ottens, inventor of cassette, passes away  Lou Ottens, the Dutch engineer who invented the audio cassette tape, passed away on 7 March 2021.  He also engineered the concept of magnetic tape players and computer discs (CDs).  Ottens founded the cassettes in1960s when he was employed with tech giant Philips. PM of Ivory Coast Hamed Bakayoko passes away  Prime Minister of Ivory Coast, Hamed Bakayoko, passed away in March 2021.  He was appointed Prime Minister in July 2020, following the sudden death of his predecessor Amadou Gon Coulibaly.  A former media executive who turned to politics, he played a prominent mediation role in Ivory Coast's civil war during the first decade of the century. Former Rajasthan Governor passes away  Former Rajasthan Governor Anshuman Singh passed away in March 2021.  Anshuman Singh was a retired Justice who served as the Governor of Rajasthan from January 1999 till 2003.  He was born in 1935 in Allahabad and pursued arts and law.  He was also appointed as the Governor of Gujarat state in 1998. Poet NS Lakshminarayana Bhatta passes away  Renowned Kannada poet, eminent academic, and critic Prof N S Lakshminarayana Bhatta passed away on 6 March 2021 in Bengaluru.  He was also known as 'NSL' in the literary circles and Kannada music world.  Prof Bhatta was a Sahitya Akademi winner and had translated 50 of William Shakespeare sonnets into Kannada. Marathi actor Shrikant Moghe passes away  Veteran Marathi actor Shrikant Moghe passed away on 6 March 2021.  Moghe was popular for his work in both Marathi and Hindi languages, in films and theatre.  He was famous for his roles in Marathi films like Madhuchandra, Sinhaasan, Gammat Jammat, Umbaratha and Vasudev Balwant Phadke and Marathi stage plays Varyavarchi Varaat, Tuze Aahe Tujapashi and Lekure Udand Jali. Chairman of Muthoot Group passes away  M G George Muthoot, the Chairman of the Muthoot Group, passed away on 5 March 2021.  He was instrumental in making Muthoot Finance Ltd, the largest gold financing company in India and the first-ever NBFC to join the ‘Rs 1,000-cr net profit club’.  He was ranked India’s 26th richest person with a net worth of $4.8 bn by Forbes magazine in 2020.

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|March 2021 BJP MP Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan passes away  BJP MP from , Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan passed away in March 2021.  He had tested positive for COVID-19 on 11 Jan 2021 and was undergoing treatment in Delhi.  Nandkumar Singh Chauhan represented the Khandwa constituency of .  The leader started his political career in 1978 from the Shahpur Municipal Council and was later elected as a member of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

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|March 2021 International Affairs Brazil's Armed Forces Chiefs resign abruptly  The Chiefs of all 3 branches of Brazil’s armed forces jointly resigned following President Jair Bolsonaro’s replacement of the defense minister.  The announcement came after the heads of the army, navy & air force met with the new defense minister, Gen. Walter Souza Braga Netto on 30 Mar'21.  The political turbulence in Brazil comes as the gov faces criticism for handling pandemic situations. China approves Hong Kong electoral reforms  The National People's Congress of China on 30 March 2021 unanimously approved the changes to be introduced to the Hong Kong Constitution.  These electoral reforms reduce the number of directly elected legislators in Hong Kong.  The number of directly elected representatives to Hong Kong’s legislature will fall from 35 to 20, while the size of the legislature would increase from 70 to 90 seats. New York: 15th state to legalize marijuana  New York lawmakers on 30 March 2021 passed a bill to legalize adult use of marijuana.  This will make New York, the 15th state in the United States to allow recreational use of the drug.  If the bill is signed, legalization of the plant would be effective immediately but legal recreational sales would not be expected to begin for one or two years. Slovak PM Igor Matovic steps down  Slovakia’s Prime Minister Igor Matovic and his government have resigned to ease a political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.  This is the first European gov to collapse due to its handling of the pandemic.  The political crisis erupted when a secret deal came to light in Mar'21 involving Slovakia’s agreement to acquire two mn doses of Sputnik V. Icelandic volcano's first eruption in 900 yrs  In March 2021, Iceland witnessed the awakening of a volcano near its capital Reykjavik, for the first time in 900 years.  Streams of red lava flowed out of a fissure in a valley in Geldingadalur, close to Mount Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland.  The eruption occurred on 19 March 2021.  The last eruption lasted about 30 years, from 1210 to 1240. J&J to deliver Covid vaccine to Europe  Johnson & Johnson will start delivering its single-shot Covid vaccine to Europe on April 19, 2021.  The jab was approved by European Union regulators in mid-March, 2021 following approval of vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.  The 27-nation EU has signed a firm order for 200 million J&J doses and an option for 200 million more.

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|March 2021 Canada pauses AstraZeneca vaccine for under 55  Canada has suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under age 55 following concerns it might be linked to rare blood clots.  The National Advisory Committee on Immunization had recommended the pause for safety reasons.  The risk of blood clots is now potentially as high as one in 1,00,000, much higher than the one in one million risks believed before. Volvo Cars gives six-month paid parental leave  Volvo Cars will give its 40,000 employees worldwide the right to six-month paid parental leave in a bid to increase gender equality.  As of 1 April 2021, employees who have worked for the carmaker for at least one year will be entitled to the benefit at 80 percent of their salary.  Employees can take leaves whenever they like during the first three years after the birth of their child. Digital artwork by a robot sold at $688,888  Humanoid robot Sophia, which was created by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, has sold a self-portrait of itself for $688,888.  The artwork was sold via crypto art platform Nifty Gateway and is the first instance of NFT (non-fungible tokens) art created by artificial intelligence (AI) being sold.  The artwork is titled Sophia Instantiation. US suspends all trade engagement with Myanmar  The United States has suspended all engagement with Myanmar under a 2013 trade and investment agreement until the return of a democratically elected government.  This was informed by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on 29 March 2021.  27 March 2021 was the bloodiest day of protests in Myanmar since the February 1 military coup. Wildfire in Nepal  Wildfire in the national forest area Nepal has adversely affected the ecosystem.  Due to wildfire in more than 54 districts, the quality of air has deteriorated sharply for the past few days, with thick smog blanketing most of the country.  The Air Quality Index of the Himalayan nation remains hazardous since 26 March 2021. WHO to release report on origins of COVID-19  A report on the origins of COVID-19 is set to be released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 30 March 2021.  The report will cover the causes of the pandemic as well as the cause of animal-to-human transmission of the virus.  A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario. Venezuela offers 'Oil for vaccines'  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on 29 March 2021 offered "oil for vaccines" as the country is under economic sanctions affecting the oil sector, faces a second wave of coronavirus.

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|March 2021  Venezuela has received vaccine doses from allies Russia and China.  The country has so far only authorized the use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and the one produced by Chinese company Sinopharm. Bhutan begins biggest vaccination drive  Bhutan has launched its biggest inoculation drive against COVID-19 with the AstraZeneca shots provided by India.  Ninda Dema, a 30-year-old bureaucrat became the country’s first to receive the shot at a school-turned vaccination centre in the capital Thimphu.  Bhutan has received 150,000 doses of the vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India in January 2021. North Korea fires two ballistic missiles  North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on 25 March 2021.  Japan, however, said, no debris has fallen within its territorial waters.  Meanwhile, UN Security Council resolutions have already banned North Korea from testing ballistic missiles which are considered threatening weapons.  North Korea had earlier also fired two non-ballistic missiles into the Yellow Sea. World's first ship tunnel  An engineering project billed as the world's first ship tunnel is slated for construction in Norway.  The tunnel will run underneath the mountains in Norway's Stadhavet peninsula.  It will measure 1,700 metres long, 37 metres high and 26.5 metres wide when complete.  Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2022 and be complete by 2025 or 2026. Brazil: 2nd nation to top 3 L Covid deaths  Brazil has reached 3,00,000 confirmed Covid-19 deaths and become the 2nd nation to top that figure.  The United States hit the same milestone on December 14,2020.  Brazil added 1 Lakh coronavirus deaths to its tally in only 75 days.  As per health experts, higher mortality rate is due to lack of political coordination, spread of new variants and disregard for health protocols in the country. IMF approves $500 mn disbursement to Pakistan  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a half-billion disbursement for Pakistan to help the country's economy.  The assistance is given after the IMF Executive Board completed delayed reviews of Pakistan's $2 billion loan program.  This payment brought total disbursements under the Extended Fund Facility to $2 billion since the program was first approved in July 2019. Turkey withdraws from Istanbul Convention  Turkey withdrew from a European treaty on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention that was signed in 2011.  Turkey was the first country to ratify the Council of Europe convention adopted in Istanbul.

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|March 2021 AstraZeneca vaccine 79% effective in US trial  The coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca was 79% effective at preventing symptomatic illness, in a large US trial.  It was 100% effective against severe or critical disease and hospitalization.  The U.K. drugmaker published the first data from a study of more than 30,000 volunteers on 22 March 2021. Bangladesh to open more border-haats  Bangladesh has taken the initiative to open more border haats along the border with Mizoram.  There was a big demand for Bangladeshi items like ready-made garments in Mizoram while it can supply items like bamboo, timber, ginger, sugar, and stone to Bangladesh.  Mizoram has also expressed interest in using the Chattogram port. Spain MPs pass law legalising euthanasia  Spain's parliament has voted through a law legalising euthanasia, allowing terminally-ill or gravely-injured patients to end their own suffering.  This makes Spain the fourth European nation to decriminalise assisted suicide, alongside the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.  The Spanish legislation will permit euthanasia in which medical staff intentionally end a life to relieve suffering. WB to provide USD 500 mn to Bangladesh  The World Bank has approved USD 500 million financing to help Bangladesh vaccinate 54 million people against COVID 19.  It will help the Bangladesh government in achieving the target of vaccinating 40 per cent of the population against COVID 19 in the first phase.  The project will also help in providing training and capacity building for vaccination in the country. First high-level U.S-China meeting begins  The first high-level U.S.-China meeting began on 18 March 2021 in Alaska.  The two-day talks concluded on 19 March 2021.  In the meeting, both sides outlined their interests and priorities.  Beijing differs with the US on many issues including trade tariffs, human rights issues and its relations with countries in the larger Indo Pacific region. G7 to not recognise Russia's Crimea takeover  The G7 group of leading economic powers would not accept Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.  It has denounced Russia's temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol.  It has been seven years since its takeover.  The G7 is a group that includes the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan. Cuba approves second homegrown covid vaccine  Cuba's drug regulatory authority has approved a second COVID-19 vaccine candidate for late-stage clinical trials.

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|March 2021  In March 2021, Cuba started late-phase trials of its most advanced experimental vaccine, named Soberana (Sovereignty) 2.  Abdala, the new vaccine, named after a poem by 19th century Cuban independence hero Jose Marti, targets the spike protein of the novel coronavirus. Taiwan gives approval to AstraZeneca vaccine  Taiwan has given regulatory approval to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine and might start giving the first inoculation as early as 22 March 2021.  Taiwan is prioritizing health workers in the first wave of its vaccination programme and about 60,000 people are in line to get the first vaccinations. Amar Ekushey book fair in Dhaka  Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Amar Ekushey book fair in Dhaka on 18 March 2021.  She also released the book ‘New China 1952’ which is the English translation of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib’s book ‘Amar Dekha Naya Chin’.  The theme of the book fair is the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of independence. Burglars to be fitted with GPS tags in UK  Burglars, thieves, and robbers released from prison will be made to wear GPS tags to track their movements in a world-first scheme to crack down on neighborhood criminals.  This was announced by the UK government on 17 March 2021.  Under the new rules, such offenders who have served a prison sentence of a year or more will be automatically fitted with a tag on release. Floating solar farm in Singapore  In a bid to tackle climate change, Singapore is building one of the world’s largest floating solar farms.  It has resorted to setting up these energy plants off its coasts and on reservoirs.  The country aims at increasing solar energy use four-fold to around two percent of the nation's power needs by 2025, and to three percent by 2030, enough for 350,000 households per year. IATA travel pass successfully trialled  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the arrival at London's Heathrow Airport of the first traveller using the IATA travel pass app to manage their travel health credentials.  Passengers on Singapore Airlines flights from Singapore to London during the trial could use IATA travel pass to create a secure digital version of their passport on their mobile device. World Bank to provide $200 mn to Bangladesh  The World Bank has approved $200 mn to help Bangladesh to provide support and services to the low-income urban youths impacted by COVID 19 pandemic and the migrants who had to return involuntarily.  The Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment (RAISE) project will benefit about 1.75 lakh poor urban youth through training.  It will also help about 2 lakh migrants.

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|March 2021 Italy signs International Solar Alliance  Italy signed the International Solar Alliance under the amended International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement on 17 March 2021.  The Framework Agreement was signed by Italy's Ambassador, Vincenzo De Luca.  The amendments to the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance entered into force, opening its membership to all Member States of the United Nation. Tanzania's President John Magufuli passes away  Tanzania's President John Magufuli passed away in Dar es Salaam on 17 March 2021.  The President died of a heart ailment that he has battled for over 10 years.  According to Tanzania's constitution, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan will be sworn in as the new President to serve the remainder of Magufuli's five-year term.  Hassan will be Tanzania's first female President. The Indian Ocean border dispute  Kenya won't take part in proceedings of the International Court of Justice over its maritime border dispute with neighbouring Somalia.  The main point of disagreement between the two neighbours is the direction in which their maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean should extend.  According to Somalia, the sea border should be an extension of the same direction in which their land border runs. Bolivia ex-President Anez behind bars  Bolivia's former interim President Jeanine Anez landed behind bars in March 2021 after the new government arrested her on claims she participated in a 2019 coup to seize power.  Anez and a raft of ministers and security officials face charges of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy over an alleged coup against Morales.  Anez led Bolivia for less than a year. Bangladesh renames Ministry of Information  The government of Bangladesh has decided to rename the Ministry of Information as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.  During the Mujibnagar govt, prior to the liberation of Bangladesh, the ministry was named the ‘Ministry of Information and Betar’ which was renamed to ‘Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’.  However, in 1982, the name was changed to ‘Ministry of Information. France enters third wave of Corona pandemic  French Prime Minister Jean Castex has informed that France has entered a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.  The seven-day average of new cases rose above 25,000 for the first time since Nov 2020.  French health authorities reported 29,975 new cases on 16 March 2021.  France has the sixth-highest case count in the world and it has the world's seventh-highest death toll at 91,170 fatalities. China approves fourth Covid-19 vaccine  China has approved a new COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

 The vaccine was developed jointly by Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and

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|March 2021 the Chinese Academy of Sciences.  A protein subunit vaccine is the fifth coronavirus vaccine approved in China and the fourth to be given emergency use approval.  All vaccines were developed by Chinese companies. Netherlands suspends use of AstraZeneca  The Netherlands has suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine over concerns about possible side effects.  The move is precautionary and will be in force till 29 March 2021.  Ireland has also made a similar decision over reports of blood clotting in adults in Norway.  Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, Iceland, and Thailand have already halted their use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Japanese producing hydrogen from brown coal  A Japanese-Australian venture has begun producing hydrogen from brown coal in a A$500 million ($387 million) test project.  Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries is running the pilot project with government financial support from both Japan and Australia in the state of Victoria.  Brown coal is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low energy content. Sri Lanka announces burqa ban  Sri Lanka will soon ban the burqa or face veil.  Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara informed that authorities would henceforth use the controversial Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) law to deal with religious extremism.  Over 1,000 madrasas would also be shut. China industrial output rises 35.1% in Jan-Feb  China's industrial output grew 35.1% in January-February 2021 from a year ago, faster than the 7.3% gain in December 2020.  Retail sales increased 33.8% from a year earlier in the first two months, compared with a rise of 32% tipped by analysts.  Fixed asset investment increased 35% in the first two months from the same period a year earlier, slower than a forecast 40.0% jump. Rawalpindi's KRL stadium renamed  The KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi has been renamed after former Pakistan's fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.  Shoaib Akhtar is renowned as 'The Rawalpindi Express'.  He has featured in 47 Tests, 163 ODIS and 15 T20Is for Pakistan during his illustrious career.  He has a record of a total 444 international wickets under his name. Brazil ranks 2nd in terms of COVID-19 cases  Brazil comes second in terms of the number of confirmed coronavirus cases.  In Brazil, the total number of corona cases has reached 11,363,389 and the death toll from COVID-19 in the country has surpassed 275,000 people, as of 13 March 2021.  India, which previously came second, has recorded 11,308,846 coronavirus cases. China aims to vaccinate 70-80% of population

 China is aiming to vaccinate 70-80% of its population by the end of this year or mid-2022.

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|March 2021  With four approved vaccines, China will vaccinate 900 million to 1 billion people.  China has approved four domestically made vaccines: two from Sinopharm, one from Sinovac, and another from CanSino.  None of the four vaccines has publicly released their final stage trial data. WHO approves Johnson & Johnson's Covid vaccine  The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.  It is a one-shot dose to be used as part of the United Nation's international vaccine distribution effort.  It is the third coronavirus vaccine after the two-shot regimens of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca were approved by WHO. US blocks Turkey's helicopter sale to Pakistan  The United States has prevented Turkey from supplying 30 locally made attack helicopters to Pakistan.  The ATAK-12 is a twin-engine, tandem seat, multi-role, all-weather attack helicopter based on the Agusta A129 Mangusta platform and is equipped with American engines.  Turkey and Pakistan had signed a USD 1.5 billion deal for the Turkish-made helicopter gunships in July 2018. US President signs 1.9 trillion dollar package  US President Joe Biden has signed the 1.9 trillion dollar coronavirus rescue package into law.  He characterized the measure as historic legislation aimed at rebuilding the backbone of the country.  The passage of the bill marked the first major legislative achievement of the new administration and a Congress that is now under full Democratic control. UK: 5th country to cross 125k Covid-19 deaths  On 11 March 2021, the UK became the fifth country to reach 125,000 number of Covid-19 deaths and 125,403 Covid-19 cases.  The UK has one of the highest death rates per capita in the world, with 188.33 per 100,000 residents.  The UK has become the 5th country following the United States, Brazil, Mexico and India.  India has reported the fourth highest death toll of 125,168 deaths from Covid-19.

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|March 2021 Person in News Facebook's Chief Revenue Officer to exit firm  Facebook's Chief Revenue Officer David Fischer has announced that he will be leaving the firm toward the end of 2021.  He had served as Google's Vice President of global online sales and operations before joining Facebook in 2010.  Before going into the tech industry, Fischer was Deputy Chief of Staff at the US Treasury Department. First female officer to be part of encounter  Sub-Inspector Priyanka became the first woman personnel of Delhi Police to be a part of an encounter in central Delhi.  She was the part of the encounter which took place at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi and led to the arrest of an alleged gangster and his associate.  SI Priyanka was the first woman personnel of the force to be a part of an encounter. The Great Khali in the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame  The Great Khali has been announced as the latest inductee into the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame.  Khali will receive his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6, 2021.  So far, the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame class includes Eric Bischoff, The Great Khali, and Molly Holly.  Khali is an India-born former WWE Superstar who worked for Vince McMahon's company from 2006 to 2014. Chitra Nayak: Independent Director of Infosys  IT services major Infosys on 24 March 2021 announced the appointment of former Salesforce Executive Chitra Nayak as an Independent Director.  She will assume the charge on March 25, 2021.  The appointment is for a period of three years.  Previously she was the Chief Operating Officer at Funding Circle, an online SMB lending marketplace. Ralf Speth: TVS Motor's Chairman in 2023  TVS Motor Company on 24 March 2021 announced the appointment of global automotive industry icon Sir Ralf Speth to its board of directors.  He will be succeeding Venu Srinivasan as the chairman in 2023.  TVS Motor further announced the appointment of Kuok Meng Xiong as an independent director.  Ralf had previously worked with BMW and he was the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover for over 11 years. EC suspends observer of West Bengal  Election Commission has ordered the suspension of an Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer Narendra Prasad Pandey who was deployed as an Observer for West Bengal assembly polls.

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|March 2021  He was suspended due to his alleged misconduct with district officials and misuse of his official position.  He was appointed as General Observer in the Kashipur assembly constituency of West Bengal. Jeh Wadia steps down as MD of GoAir  Jeh Wadia has stepped down as the Managing Director of GoAir.  The airline has also announced the appointment of Ben Baldanza, the former CEO of Spirit Airlines, as the Vice-Chairman.  Baldanza, as Vice-Chairman, will work directly with CEO Kaushik Khona and Pankaj Chaturvedi, the Chief Financial Officer.  Khona had joined the airline in August 2020, replacing Vinay Dube. Gandhi Peace Prize for year 2019  The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman.  The award has been given in recognition of his outstanding contributions for social, economic and political transformation through Gandhian methods.  The Jury for the Prize is chaired by PM Modi and comprises of two ex-officio members and the Leader of Opposition Party in Lok Sabha. Google Vice President Caesar Sengupta resigns  Google Vice President Caesar Sengupta is stepping down after a 15-year stint at the company.  His last day will be April 30, 2021.  He has played a key role in starting, building, and leading initiatives such as ChromeOS, Next Billion Users and Google Pay.  Sengupta had spearheaded the launch of Google Pay in 2015, which has emerged as the second most used UPI app in the country after PhonePe. IIM-Calcutta director resigns  IIM Calcutta Director Anju Seth has resigned after months-long differences with the institution's board of governors and faculty members.  IIM Calcutta joins the league of IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Bangalore that saw the premature departure of their directors hired from abroad.  Seth was the Pamplin professor of management at Virginia Tech in the US before joining IIM Calcutta. 7-year-old boy scales Mount Kilimanjaro  A 7-year-old boy from Hyderabad Virat Chandra has become one of the youngest in the world to scale Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet.  Virat Chandra achieved the rare feat on March 6, 2021.  Earlier in March 2021, a nine-year-old girl from Andhra Pradesh became the youngest girl in Asia to have conquered Mount Kilimanjaro. Dutch election: PM Mark Rutte claims victory  Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's party has won the most seats in parliamentary elections.  The victory hands Mr. Rutte a mandate to form a new coalition government led by his

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|March 2021 center-right VVD party, with a fourth term as Prime Minister.  His last government resigned in January 2021 over a child welfare fraud scandal. Riz Ahmed: 1st Muslim nominated for Oscar  British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed made history as he is the first Muslim to be nominated for an Academy Award in the lead actor category.  The actor has been nominated for his performance in Sound of Metal.  The nomination also makes Ahmed the first actor of Pakistani descent to grab a nomination in a category for actors at the Oscars. Tanzania's President John Magufuli passes away  Tanzania's President John Magufuli passed away in Dar es Salaam on 17 March 2021.  The President died of a heart ailment that he has battled for over 10 years.  According to Tanzania's constitution, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan will be sworn in as the new President to serve the remainder of Magufuli's five-year term.  Hassan will be Tanzania's first female President. Principal Advisor to PM Modi resigns  A year and a half after he was appointed Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister, retired IAS officer P.K. Sinha has resigned from the PMO.  Before joining the PMO, Sinha, a 1977-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, was the only one in the history of the IAS to get three extensions as cabinet secretary, the top cadre post of the service. 1st transgender man to star on TIME cover  Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page will become the first transgender man to star on the front cover of TIME magazine.  Elliot Page was nominated for various awards for Oscar-winning 2007 independent film Juno and plays a leading role in the Netflix hit The Umbrella Academy.  American actress Laverne Cox had become the first trans woman to appear on the cover of TIME in 2014. Gyanwant Singh: New Director Security of WB  The West Bengal government on 15 March 2021 appointed IPS officer Gyanwant Singh as the new Director Security.  Previously, he was working as Additional Director General (Security).  He replaced Vivek Sahay.  Election Commission of India (ECI) removed Vivek Sahay over the incident in Nandigram in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was injured. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan sets new record  Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan broke Australian spin legend Shane Warne’s mega record on 14 Mar 2021 as he bowled the most number of overs in a single Test in the 21st century.  Warne had bowled 98 overs in a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town in 2002.  The 22-yr-old Afghan spinner achieved this feat in ongoing 2nd Test against Zimbabwe at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Mithali Raj creates another huge record

 Indian Women's ODI team captain Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer in history to

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|March 2021 score 7,000 ODI runs.  She achieved this landmark in her 213th ODI on 15 March 2021.  This feat comes after Mithali Raj, on 12 March 2021, became the first Indian woman cricketer and only the second overall to score 10000 international runs. Rawalpindi's KRL stadium renamed  The KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi has been renamed after former Pakistan's fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.  Shoaib Akhtar is renowned as 'The Rawalpindi Express'.  He has featured in 47 Tests, 163 ODIS and 15 T20Is for Pakistan during his illustrious career.  He has a record of a total 444 international wickets under his name. Jordan Health Minister steps down  Jordan’s Health Minister Nathir Obeidat stepped down on 13 March 2021 after at least six patients in a hospital COVID-19 patient ward died due to a shortage of oxygen supplies.  Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh has ordered an investigation into the deaths.  The Middle Eastern kingdom had reported over 465,000 cases and more than 5,200 deaths during the pandemic. PepsiCo’s Dilen Gandhi steps down  Dilen Gandhi, Senior Director and Category Head for Foods at PepsiCo India has stepped down from the role.  Anshul Khanna, who has been with PepsiCo for close to two decades, is set to take over Gandhi's role.  Gandhi has worked across large fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies including Procter & Gamble.  He moved to PepsiCo India in 2016. Pierre Bruno: Wipro's CEO for Europe business  IT services firm Wipro appointed Pierre Bruno as Chief Executive Officer of its European operations on 10 March 2021.  Bruno joined Wipro from DXC Technology, where he was Vice President and Managing Director of Southern Europe.  Bruno will lead Wipro's business in six distinct regions across Europe. Maju Varghese appointed as WHMO Director  Indian-American Maju Varghese on March 9, 2021, was formally appointed as Director of the White House Military Office.  As the WHMO Director, Varghese will oversee all military operations aboard Air Force One on Presidential missions worldwide.  He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Biden campaign during the 2020 presidential election. Ravichandran Ashwin: Player of the month  Ravichandran Ashwin has been named the ICC men's Player of the Month for February 2021 for his stellar show against England in a four-match Test series which India won to qualify for the World Test Championship final.  England's Tammy Beaumont was adjudged the women's Player of the Month.

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|March 2021  Ashwin who played in three Tests in the four-match series scored a 106 in the second innings. New Chairman of UN Panel of External Auditors  The Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu has been again appointed as the Chairman of the Panel of External Auditors of the United Nations for 2021.  The CAG was elected as Chairman of the Panel in 2020 as well.  As of March 2021, CAG is also the External Auditor of the WHO, Geneva and Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome and Inter-Parliamentary Union. EC orders removal of West Bengal DGP  Election Commission ordered the removal of West Bengal Director-General of Police, Virendra with immediate effect on 9 March 2021.  P Nirajnayan has been appointed as Director-General of Police (DG) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) in place of Virendra.  The decision has been taken by the commission after reviewing the poll preparedness in the state. Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat resigns  Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat on 9 March 2021, submitted his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya just days before his government's fourth anniversary on 17 March 2021.  He served as the 8th CM of Uttarakhand.  Rawat was named the chief ministerial candidate by the BJP in 2017, winning 57 of 70 seats in the state assembly.  He was appointed as the CM on 18 March 2017. VS Parthasarathy resigns from Mahindra Group  VS Parthasarathy, the President of Mahindra & Mahindra's Mobility Services Sector and Member of the Group Executive Board, has decided to leave the group effective close of April 1, 2021.  Parthasarathy joined the Mahindra group in 2000 and began with an HR stint.  Anish Shah, who is the Deputy MD and Group CFO of M&M, will take additional charge of overseeing the Mobility Services Sector. Joan wins Barcelona Presidential Election  Joan Laporta has become Barcelona's new President.  Laporta earlier held the post from 2003 to 2010.  An exit poll conducted by Catalan television station TV3 projected Laporta to succeed with 58.3 percent of the vote over Victor Font (31.3) and Antoni Freixa (9.3).  In total, there were 51,983 valid votes. Bajrang Punia clinches gold in Rome  In wrestling, Bajrang Punia has clinched a gold medal by defeating Tumur Ochir of Mongolia in the Matteo Pallicone World Ranking Series event in Rome.  Bajrang defeated Ochir 2-2 by criteria in the final of the 65kg freestyle.  This is Bajrang's second consecutive gold medal at the Matteo Pellicone event as he had finished on the top of the series in January 2020 as well.

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|March 2021 Kieron Pollard: 3rd to hit 6 sixes in an over  West Indies captain Kieron Pollard has become just the third batsman in international cricket to hit 6 sixes in an over.  Kieron Pollard hit 6 sixes in over against Sri Lanka's Akila Dananjaya in Antigua T20I on 4 March 2021.  Pollard is only 2nd batsman after Yuvraj Singh to achieve the feat in T20Is. Bangladesh’s first transgender newsreader  A private news channel has appointed Bangladesh’s first transgender news presenter.  'Tashnuva Anan Shishir' will start presenting news for Boishakhi TV from the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021.  The TV channel has appointed another transgender 'Nusrat Mau' as one of the main characters for the regular drama section of the TV channel's entertainment wing. SoftBank Strategy Chief plans exit  Chief Strategy Officer of SoftBank, Katsunori Sago will resign on 31 March 2021.  He is working with SoftBank since June 2018.  Prior to joining SoftBank, Sago spent more than 2 decades at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., rising to become Vice-Chairman of its operations in Japan. Chairman of Muthoot Group passes away  M G George Muthoot, the Chairman of the Muthoot Group, passed away on 5 March 2021.  He was instrumental in making Muthoot Finance Ltd, the largest gold financing company in India and the first-ever NBFC to join the ‘Rs 1,000-cr net profit club’.  He was ranked India’s 26th richest person with a net worth of $4.8 bn by Forbes magazine in 2020. Karnataka's Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi resigns  In Karnataka, the Major and Medium Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has resigned after he was allegedly caught up in a sex scandal CD released on 2 March 2021.  The CD was released by a social activist Dinesh Kallahalli and a complaint was filed with the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.  He has sent his resignation letter to the Chief Minister on moral grounds. Maharashtra’s Forest Minister resigns  Maharashtra’s Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod has submitted his resignation to CM Uddhav Thackeray.  He submitted his resignation after the opposition BJP had linked him to a 23-year-old woman's alleged death by suicide in Pune.  He is a Shiv Sena politician from Yavatmal district, Maharashtra.  He was appointed as Minister of Forest, Disaster Management, Relief, and Rehabilitation in 2019.

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|March 2021 Govt. Policies and Schemes Centre extends PLI scheme  The Union Cabinet on 31 March 2021 approved an extension of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to the food processing sector.  Investment of Rs 10,900 crore has also approved as incentives for domestic manufacturing in the sector.  The allocation was made for the next six years and is expected to see employment generation of more than 2.5 lakh across the country. 22 routes inaugurated under UDAN scheme  A total of 22 new flights under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN has been started in the last week of Mar 2021.  As of Mar 2021, 57 unserved and underserved airports, including five heliports and two water aerodromes, with 347 routes have been made operational under UDAN across the length and breadth of India.  Scheme UDAN aims to make air travel affordable & available across the nation. Govt proposes up to 25% tax concession  Centre has proposed up to 25% tax concession on the purchase of new vehicles on submission of scrappage certificate.  Road, Transport and Highways Ministry on 30 Mar'21, published the draft rules regarding concession in motor vehicle tax against scrapped vehicles.  In case of personal vehicles, tax concessions will be available upto 8 yrs while for commercial vehicles, it will be up to 15 yrs. Jal Jeevan Mission achieves new milestone  Jal Jeevan Mission has achieved a new milestone of providing over 4 Crore rural households with tap water supply.  Jal Jeevan Mission was announced by PM Modi on 15th August 2019.  The mission aims to provide tap water supply to every rural home by 2024.  Goa has become the first state in the country to provide 100 percent tap water supply followed by Telangana and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. ''Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat'' program  Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat program was announced by the PM Modi on 31 Oct 2015 on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.  The aim of the campaign is to enhance interaction & promote mutual understanding between people of diff states/UTs.  Maharashtra & Odisha together made efforts to tie both states in the area of tourism, literature translation, sports etc. Haryana approves project worth Rs 139 crore  The Haryana government has approved a scheme to strengthen cooperative agricultural societies and help them build godowns and processing units, buy transport vehicles and create other agri-infrastructure.  The scheme worth Rs 139 crore would initially help over 7,200 primarily agricultural societies

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|March 2021 in six districts of Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Sonipat, Gurgaon and Mewat. UP government to launch rental housing scheme  The Uttar Pradesh government will start an affordable rental housing scheme for the students, poor people living in cities and the urban migrants.  A proposal for the Affordable Rental Housing and Complexes (ARHC) scheme was approved by the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on 26 March 2021.  Preference will be given to people belonging to SC/STs, OBCs, widows, working women and minorities. Delhi govt: Implementation of ration scheme  The Delhi Cabinet has decided to implement its doorstep ration delivery scheme without a name after the Centre objected to 'Mukhya Mantri' in the name.  The AAP gov was scheduled to launch the 'Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana' that promises doorstep delivery of ration to 100 households in Delhi's Seemapuri area on Mar 25.  The proposal of the scheme has been sent to Centre for approval. Gram Ujala scheme to offer LED bulbs for Rs 10  Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL) has launched the Gram Ujala programme.  Under this, high-quality energy-efficient LED bulbs will be given for Rs 10 per piece in certain villages of five states in the first phase.  In the first phase of this programme, 15 million LED bulbs will be distributed across villages of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and western Gujarat. Government plans scheme for agri entrepreneurs  The Centre will soon roll out a ₹5,000-crore scheme to promote entrepreneurship in the animal husbandry sector, with the twin objective of increasing productivity and reducing input costs.  The scheme will initially run for five years.  It seeks to create a chain of entrepreneurs who will breed quality farm animals (such as cows, buffaloes, goats, and pigs) and sell them to farmers. VSP will create 3.7 crore job opportunities  Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari informed that more than 3.7 crore job opportunities will be created in the country with the implementation of the Vehicle Scrapping Policy.  Additional GST revenue of 30 to 40 thousand crore rupees will be generated through this move.  The policy is aimed at creating an eco-system for phasing out unfit and polluting vehicles. Revised cost estimate of comprehensive scheme  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the revised cost estimate of a comprehensive scheme for strengthening transmission and distribution of power in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.  It has been approved at an estimated cost of over 9,129 crore rupees.  The scheme is being implemented through POWERGRID.  It is targeted to be commissioned in a phased manner by December 2021. Interest-free loan for PMAY-U beneficiaries

 Jammu and Kashmir govt has approved a proposal to provide interest-free loan up to Rs. 2

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|March 2021 lakh for beneficiaries of PMAY-U.  The loan will be provided to the urban homeless economically weaker section beneficiaries under the Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) component of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban.  The tenure of this loan has been fixed at 10 yrs, at instalment of ₹2,500 per month. Plantation scheme to come up in J&K  The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council has approved the implementation of a high-density plantation scheme in the horticulture sector.  It will be launched with the support of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.  It will be implemented for apple, walnut, almond, cherry, litchi, and olive among others over an estimated area of 5500 hectares for 6 yrs. PLI scheme approved  Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry has accorded approval for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical key starting materials, drug intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients under Production Linked Incentive scheme.  Earlier the Union Cabinet had approved it for Pharmaceuticals over a period of Financial Year 2020-21 to 2028-29.  The Scheme will benefit domestic manufacturers. ESI and Ayushman Bharat schemes converged  Union Minister for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar launched the convergence of Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Scheme with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, PM-JAY, on 10 Mar'21.  Initially, the convergence will be effective in 113 districts of Chhatisgarh, Karnataka, MP and Maharashtra.  The convergence ensures ESI beneficiaries to avail cashless medical services. Delhi govt to launch 'Saheli Samanvay Kendra'  Delhi government has announced to launch a new scheme "Saheli Samanvay Kendra" to empower women.  Under the new scheme, 500 anganwadi hubs will be set up for incubating individual start- ups and to promote self-help groups.  The Delhi government has set aside ₹4,750 crores for the Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development and welfare of SC/ST/OBC. J&K Govt launches super-75 scholarship scheme  J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha announced the launch of Super-75 scholarship scheme on 8 March'21.  The scheme aims to support the education of meritorious girls from poor families, so that they can excel in streams like medicine, engineering and humanity.  Governor also announced a new scheme 'Tejaswini' under Mission Youth to provide financial assistance to the girls to start their business. Schemes of WCD Min. classified under 3 schemes  For effective implementation of various schemes and programmes of the Ministry of Women

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|March 2021 and Child Development, all major schemes have been classified under 3 umbrella schemes viz. Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti.  To strengthen nutritional content, the government is merging the Supplementary Nutrition Programme and Poshan Abhiyan to launch Mission POSHAN 2.0. Tripura government launches 'Jagrut Tripura'  The Tripura government has come up with a digital platform 'Jagrut Tripura' to help people get benefits from various schemes of the Centre and the state government.  At least 102 schemes of various departments of both the governments are available on the platform.  The project was developed by EasyGov, a Jio Group company, and it will be available to all the residents of Tripura. Odisha to set up new department to boost SHGs  Odisha government has set up a new department, namely the Dept of Mission Shakti for self-help groups (SHGs) in the state.  A proposal to this effect has received the nod in the state cabinet on 6 March'21.  The new department will work towards strengthening the 'SHG' initiatives already taken by departments & agencies by bringing them all under one platform to ensure greater focus & synergy. Uttarakhand CM launches a scheme  Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on 6 March 2021 launched 'Gharoki Paachan, Chelik Naam' (daughter's name is a home's identity) programme and development schemes worth Rs 42 crore in Nainital.  This scheme has been launched in Nainital and will be extended to the entire Uttarakhand in the coming weeks. Delhi to have its own school education board  Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has announced that like other states, the national capital will also have its own school education board.  In the academic session 2021-22, around 20-25 schools will be included in the education board.  This means that the CBSE affiliation of the schools will be scrapped after which the schools will be affiliated to the Delhi board of school education. Front airbags in cars mandatory from April 1  Airbags for front-seat passengers in all cars will be mandatory for new vehicles.  The government plans to implement this norm for all new models of cars which are manufactured from April 1, 2021, onwards.  Previously, the government had made having an airbag mandatory for the driver's seat in all cars.  This had come into effect on July 1, 2019. Karnataka govt launches Engineering R&D policy  The Karnataka government has launched the Engineering Research and Development (ER&D) policy-2021.  It will create about 50,000 new jobs and also help the state to contribute about 45% to

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|March 2021 India's Engineering R&D during the policy tenure.  The sectors that have been prioritized in the policy include aerospace and defense, auto components and EV, biotechnology, pharma, and medical devices, etc. J&K: 22,000 treatments provided under PMJAY  In J&K, more than 22,000 free and cashless treatments have been provided to eligible beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY) SEHAT scheme in the first two months.  Since the launch of the scheme, more than 30 lakh residents of the UT have already registered.  The scheme aims to provide Universal Health Insurance Coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family.

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|March 2021 Science and Tech World’s First All-Civilian Mission to space  The world’s 1st all-civilian mission to space has announced final 2 members of the 4-person crew that will undertake a historic voyage to the stars at the end of 2021.  Christopher Sembroski and Dr. Sian Proctor 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 in 2021. NASA releases picture of frosty sand dunes  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared an image of frosty sand dunes of Mars.  The field of sand dunes occupies a crater that stretches for 5 km, found in the high-latitudes of Mars northern plains.  The stripes & other features in the images are due to the sublimated ice that comes with the ‘seasonal thaw’.  The picture has been captured by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. ISRO revises launch schedule of GISAT-1  ISRO has revised the launch schedule of geo imaging satellite GISAT-1 on board the GSLV- F10 rocket following a minor issue with the spacecraft.  It was earlier looking to launch the satellite on March 28, 2021.  Weighing about 2,268kg, GISAT-1 is the first state-of-the-art agile earth observation satellite that will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10. Fossil of shark with wing-like fins found  Scientists announced the discovery of a nearly complete fossil of the shark called Aquilolamna milarcae that lived during the Cretaceous Period at a time when dinosaurs ruled the land.  A bizarre plankton-eating shark has elongated wing-like fins that rendered its body wider than it was long.  The fossil was unearthed in Mexico's state of Nuevo Leon. Modality for diagnosing Cushing’s disease  PGIMER's Endocrinology Department, in collaboration with the Department of Nuclear Medicine, have developed Ga 68 CRH PET-CT.  It is a novel imaging modality for the diagnosis of Cushing’s disease.  The technique has been developed for the first time in the world and PGIMER has already applied for its patent.  Cushing’s syndrome is a hormonal disorder that results in weight gain. Ultrasound can damage novel coronaviruses  Coronavirus may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations, within the frequencies used in medical diagnostic imaging, according to a study.  The researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology modelled the mechanical response of the coronaviruses to vibrations across a range of ultrasound frequencies.  They found that vibrations between 25 and 100 megahertz triggered the virus' shell.

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|March 2021 ISRO launches sounding rocket RH-560  The Indian Space Research Organisation has launched the sounding rocket (RH-560) to study attitudinal variations in the neutral winds and plasma dynamics.  The rocket was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) Sriharikota Range on 12 March 2021.  Sounding rockets are one or two-stage solid propellant rockets used for probing the upper atmospheric regions and for space research. Turkish lake may hold clues of ancient life  Scientists have found that the data gathered by NASA’s rover Perseverance during exploring the surface of Mars is much closer to home at Salda lake located in Turkey.  The minerals and rock deposits at Salda are the nearest match on earth to those around the Jezero Crater.  The Information would help the scientists to search for fossilised traces of microbial life preserved in sediment. Russia, China sign MoU to build space station  Russia and China signed an MoU on 9 March 2021 for the joint construction of a lunar space station.  The lunar station will be designed as a "complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the Moon".  The collaboration will promote international cooperation on the project and offer equal access to any nation that wants to take part. Scientists develop a high-resolution platform  Scientists from the Raman Research Institute have developed a platform to detect the effect of prolonged alcohol exposure on red blood cells through high-resolution measurements of their size.  The high-resolution platform that shows the reduction in size of RBCs on alcohol exposure can be tuned for a point-of-care screening of multiple conditions that alter count of RBCs in the blood. Space hurricane detected over North Pole  For the first time, scientists have discovered a "space hurricane" that swirled over the North Pole, in Earth's upper atmosphere, for eight hours.  These hurricanes, which "rained" electrons, are known to occur in Earth's lower atmosphere.  The space hurricane was detected on August 20, 2014.  The findings were published in Nature Communications in February 2021. Application for reading CoV-2 test results  Researchers have reported the development of a smartphone application that combines smartphone camera imaging with machine learning to interpret SARS-CoV-2 serological rapid diagnostic test (RDT) results, the visual interpretation of which can be highly subjective.  The application yielded only 18 false negatives and 5 false positives out of 3,344 samples tested using 11 RDTs.

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|March 2021 DRDO conducts test of SFDR technology  DRDO on 5 March 2021 successfully conducted a flight test of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology in Odisha.  The test was carried out from the integrated test range (ITR) launch platform at Chandipur.  The successful demonstration of the SFDR technology will enable DRDO to develop long- range air to air missiles.  During the test, all subsystems performed as expected. A lost bird found in Indonesia  Some time between 1843-1848, a small brown-grey songbird with a distinctive black eye- stripe had been found.  It wasn't spotted for more than 170 years after that reporting.  However, on October 5, 2020, a solitary black-browed babbler (Malacocincla perspicillata) was spotted in Indonesia.  The finding was reported on 25 Feb'21 in Birding ASIA, the biannual bulletin of the Oriental Bird Club. Indian scientists design optical spectrograph  Indian scientists have designed and developed a low-cost optical spectrograph.  This spectrograph can locate sources of faint light from distant quasars and galaxies.  It is one of the largest astronomical spectrographs in the country.  It has been successfully commissioned on the 3.6-Metre Devasthal Optical Telescope near Nainital, Uttarakhand. IIT-KGP researchers develop a technology  Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed a soil-mapping technology to bring efficiency in the use of fertilisers in farmland.  The differential global positioning system-enabled technology will facilitate cultivators to use nitrogen, phosphorus and potash (NPK) efficiently for automated soil nutrition management.  It would be able to reduce 30 percent of fertilisers used in manual methods. Researchers discover "giant luminous shark"  Scientists studying sharks off New Zealand have discovered the three deep-sea species which glows in the dark.  This is the first time that bioluminescence sharks have been documented.  One of them is now the largest-known luminous vertebrate.  Bioluminescence is the production of visible light through a chemical reaction by living organisms which is a widespread phenomenon among marine life. DRDO deploys satellite 'Sindhu Netra'  ISRO launched the 'Sindhu Netra' satellite using PSLV-C51 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 28 February 2021.  The Sindhu Netra satellite has been developed by the young scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).  It is capable of automatically identifying the warships and merchant ships operating in the Indian Ocean region.

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|March 2021 Russia launches space satellite Arktika-M  Russia launched its space satellite Arktika-M on 28 Feb 2021 to monitor the climate and environment in the Arctic region.  The Soyuz spacecraft with the Arktika-M satellite was launched from the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.  The Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average over the last 3 decades and Russia is seeking to develop the energy-rich region.

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|March 2021 Business and Economy RBI tightens its norms for payment firms  With increasing cybersecurity violations, the Reserve Bank of India has tightened its supervision requirements for payment firms that store consumer data.  The RBI wants all authorized payment system operators to send comprehensive compliance certificates to it twice a year.  The RBI has recommended that these certificates be submitted on April 30 and October 31 every year. Amazon acquires retail tech start-up Perpule  Amazon Technologies, a part of e-commerce major Amazon.com Inc, has acquired Bengaluru-based retail tech start-up Perpule for about Rs 107.6 cr.  The acquisition will allow Amazon to offer Perpule's 'UltraPoS' and other new technology products to its Kirana partners.  Amazon is also likely to pay additional remuneration to Perpule's employees, which will take the deal value to about Rs 150 cr. PayPal allows payment through cryptocurrency  Global payment giant PayPal Inc on 30 March 2021 announced a new feature ‘Checkout with Crypto’.  ‘Checkout with Crypto’ will allow users to instantly transact via cryptocurrencies on its platform.  The users holding Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin will be able to instantly convert their cryptocurrencies into US dollars at checkouts to make purchases. India's inflation 'uncomfortably high'  As per Moody's Analytics, India's inflation is at "uncomfortably high" level.  It said that the retail inflation rose to 5% in Feb'21 from 4.1% in Jan'21.  While Core inflation (which excludes food, fuel and light) was up 5.6% in Feb'21, from 5.3% in Jan'21.  As per the report, higher fuel prices will keep upward pressure on retail inflation and keep the RBI from offering further rate cuts. Centre releases GST compensation of 30k crore  Centre has released GST compensation of 30,000 crore rupees to states as part compensation admissible for 2020-2021.  The total amount of compensation released so far for the year 2020-21 is 70,000 crore rupees.  As per the decision of GST Council, back to back loan of one lakh 10 thousand 208 crore rupees has also been released in lieu of shortfall in release of GST Compensation for 2020- 21. BHEL bags Rs 400 crore order from IOC  BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) has bagged an order worth Rs 400 crore for setting up a sulphur recovery unit at Indian Oil's Paradip Refinery in Odisha.  With this order, BHEL has made an entry into the oil and gas process package business.

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|March 2021  The package envisages setting up a 525 TPD (tonne per day) sulphur recovery unit at IOCL's Paradip Refinery in Odisha. Ripple to take 40% stake in Tranglo  Crypto firm Ripple Labs Inc. is planning to take a 40% stake in Asian cross-border payments specialist Tranglo.  The tie-up will help meet the demand for the use of Ripple's affiliated token XRP in transactions.  Tranglo is based in Malaysia and has processed over 20 million transactions totalling $4 billion in value since its inception. Adani Transmission hits ₹1 trln in market cap  Adani Transmission Ltd on 30 March 2021, hit ₹1 trillion in market capitalization.  Shares of Adani Transmission touched an all-time high of Rs 924 apiece on the BSE, with a market cap of ₹1.01 trillion.  Adani Transmission is the fifth Adani group company to touch ₹1 trillion in market cap, behind Adani Enterprises Ltd, Adani Green Energy Ltd, Adani Total Gas Ltd, and Adani Ports. Cognizant launches a programme  Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp has launched a 12-week paid 'Returnship Programme’ for technology professionals looking to restart their careers after a break.  The programme is focused on providing returners with a supportive environment and access to training, upskilling, mentorship, and other resources.  These professionals will work with cutting-edge technology through the programme. Government receives multiple EoI  The government has received multiple expressions of interest (EoI) for the privatization of Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL).  Earlier, the government had invited bids to privatize NINL seeking to divest 93.7 percent stake held by four central public sector enterprises including Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation Limited and two Odisha government PSUs. Visa Inc to expand cryptocurrency usage  Visa Inc will allow the use of the cryptocurrency USD Coin to settle transactions on its payment network.  Visa Inc has launched the pilot program with payment and crypto platform Crypto.com and plans to offer the option to more partners in late 2021.  The USD Coin (USDC) is a stable coin cryptocurrency whose value is pegged directly to the U.S. dollar. Actis to set up 2 green firms with USD 850 mn  Private equity firm Actis Llp is about to invest $850 million in India to build two green energy platforms.  The first platform will focus on setting up grid-connected solar and wind power parks with an equity investment of around $600 million.  while the second will cater to the growing commercial and industrial (C&I) segment may see an equity investment of around $250 million.

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|March 2021 Coinbase to set up office in Hyderabad  The U.S. based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is planning to establish its business presence in India and intends to open an office in Hyderabad.  This move comes despite great uncertainty over the future of cryptocurrency in India, as government planning to introduce a bill that could see it banned outright. IDBI Bank approves ₹8 k cr for bond borrowing  The Board of IDBI Bank on 26 March 2021 approved the Rupee Bond Borrowing limit of Rs. 8000 crore for FY 2021-22.  It is to be borrowed in one or more tranches comprising of Additional Tier I (AT-1) Bonds up to ₹3000 crores and Senior/Infrastructure Bonds up to ₹1000 crores by way of private placement during FY 2021-22. India's smartphone market hits record 45%  online smartphone market reached its highest-ever share at 45 per cent in 2020.  Flipkart remained the top online platform with 48 per cent share, followed by Amazon which captured 44 per cent share.  Amazon grew 34 per cent (on-year) and was the fastest growing online platform, as per Counterpoint research.  Realme remained the top smartphone brand on Flipkart in 2020. JSW Steel plans to achieve 45 MTPA capacity  JSW Steel plans to achieve 45 million tonnes per annum capacity well before its target of 2030 as it marks its foray into the eastern region of the country with the acquisition of Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd (BPSL).  JSW Steel has acquired Bhushan Power and Steel under the provisions of Insolvency Bankruptcy Code, 2016. WeWork to go public with $9 billion valuation  WeWork plans to enter public markets through a merger transaction raising $1.3 billion.  WeWork aims for the deal to be closed by the third quarter.  The move of merging with a "special purpose acquisition company" or SPAC, follows a recent trend that streamlines the process of a public listing. Honda to sell British car plant to Panattoni  Honda has agreed to sell its only British car plant at Swindon in southern England to logistics giant Panattoni.  The Japanese automaker, which builds about a tenth of the 1.5 million car output in Britain, made the decision two years after it announced its intention in 2019 to cease production at its Swindon plant.  The plant closure is expected to lead to 3,500 job losses. IndiGrid completes acquisition of a project  India Grid Trust (IndiGrid) has completed the acquisition of an 830 circuit km power transmission project in the Northeast, at an enterprise value of ₹4,625 crore from Sterlite Power.  The NER-II Transmission Ltd project is spread across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

 Post the deal completion, the project will up IndiGrid’s assets under management to $2.8

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|March 2021 billion. Xiaomi to make electric vehicles  China's Xiaomi Corp plans to make electric vehicles (EVs) using Great Wall Motor Co Ltd's factory.  Xiaomi, one of the world's biggest smartphone makers, is in talks to use one of the Great Wall's plants in China to make EVs under its own brand.  Xiaomi will aim its EVs at the mass market, in line with the broader positioning of its electronics products. JM Financial's PE fund invests in Canpac  JM Financial Private Equity has invested ₹60 crores in Canpac Trends Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, a Gujarat-based folding carton and packaging solutions company.  This is the seventh investment by JM Financial India Fund II.  Founded in 2010, Canpac is a manufacturer of packaging materials like folding cartons, corrugated boxes, paper bags, flexible laminates, and luxury boxes. M&E sector shrinks 24% in 2020  India’s media and entertainment (M&E) sector shrank 24% to Rs 1.38 trillion in 2020.  According to a joint report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and consulting firm EY, the sector is expected to expand 25% to touch Rs 1.73 trillion in 2021, and grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 13.7% to Rs 2.23 trillion by 2023. RBI announces special measures  The RBI has announced special measures for the annual closing of government accounts for the current financial year.  A special clearing will be conducted for the collection of government cheques on 31st March 2021.  RBI has instructed all agency banks to keep their designated branches open for over-the- counter transactions related to government transactions up to the normal working hours. PAG Group invests Rs 2,366 crore in Edelweiss  PAG Group, one of the largest private investment firms in Asia, has invested Rs 2,366 crore in Edelweiss Wealth Management (EWM),  The amount pumped into EWM by PAG Group includes primary and secondary investment.  Pursuant to these transactions, PAG Group and EFSL (Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd) will be the shareholders in EWM, of which PAG will hold a controlling stake. SEBI bars two officials from securities market  Securities and Exchange Board of India on 24 March 2021 restrained the officials of Falcon Tyres Ltd and Dunlop India Ltd from accessing the securities market for violating market norms.  Falcon Executive Chairman Pawan Kumar Ruia has been barred from the securities market for 2 yrs.  Besides, former Directors of Dunlop are restrained from accessing the securities market for 6 months.

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|March 2021 Govt to sell 15% stake in Rail Vikas Nigam  The government will dilute a 15 per cent stake in Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd via an offer for sale to raise nearly Rs 750 crore.  The issue opened on 24 March'21 for non-retail investors and on 25 March'21 for retail investors.  RVNL was incorporated as a 100 per cent owned PSU of the Ministry of Railways in January 2003.  The floor price of a single share of RVNL has been fixed at Rs 27.50. Tata Safari to be the partner for IPL 2021  Tata Motors will be the official partner for Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.  This marks the continuation of Tata Motors with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the fourth consecutive year.  The tournament will start on 9 April 2021 in Chennai and the finals will be played in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. HDFC Bank: 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.  It was recognised for this award for the transformation of its micro, small and medium-sized enterprise business over the past few years.  The Annual Best Banks survey of the financial magazine aims to identify which banks in each market have excelled across a range of banking activities. HPCL-Mittal to buy Guyanese crude Liza  HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd has bought 1 million-barrel of Guyana's Liza light sweet crude.  It is a joint venture between state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp and steel tycoon L.N. Mittal.  The cargo of Guyana's Liza light sweet crude will arrive around 8 April 2021, at Mundra port.  HPCL-Mittal Energy is the first Indian company to buy Guyanese crude Liza. CCIs probe into WhatsApp's privacy policy  The Competition Commission of India on 24 March 2021 ordered a probe into the new privacy policy of WhatsApp.  As per CCI, the firm has contravened competition law provisions through its “exploitative and exclusionary conduct”.  Under its privacy policy, WhatsApp has violated the provisions of Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2000. Adani Green to buy Telangana solar project  Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) will buy 75 megawatts (MW) operating solar projects in Telangana from Sterling & Wilson Private Ltd for ₹446 crores.  With this acquisition, AGEL will have an operating renewable capacity of 3,470 MW with a total renewable portfolio of 15,240 MW.  AGEL has also announced a buyout plan for 50 MW solar project in Telangana from Toronto-headquartered SkyPower Global.

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|March 2021 UiPath acquires Cloud Elements  Enterprise automation software company UiPath has acquired Cloud Elements, an application programming interface (API) integration platform, to expand its API-based automation capabilities.  UiPath’s market is categorized into five geographies, including the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, Asia Pacific, and India.  UiPath is in a “hyper-growth" mode in India. ICICI Bank launches instant EMI facility  ICICI Bank has announced the launch of an instant EMI (Equated Monthly Instalments) facility on its internet banking platform.  It is the first in the industry to do so.  Called ‘EMI @ Internet Banking’, the facility aims to offer increased affordability to pre- approved customers, as it enables them to convert their high-value transactions up to ₹5 lakh into easy monthly installments. Rockstud Capital invests in Instoried  Instoried, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based content intelligence platform, has raised an undisclosed amount from Rockstud Capital.  Instoried helps enterprises and individuals create emotionally engaging content thereby improving return on investment.  The funds will be used to reach out to newer geographies for their existing tool as well as the recently launched tool for individuals. TCS Connected Consumer Home solution launched  Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd has launched the TCS Connected Consumer Home solution based on the open-source software platform RDK.  It has been launched to help media and communication service providers offer intuitive and connected consumer experiences.  The communication and media vertical contributes nearly 7% to the company’s total revenues and grew 5.5% during the Dec'20 quarter. ChrysCapital invests $50 mn in Safex Chemicals  Private equity firm ChrysCapital is investing $50 million in Safex Chemicals India Ltd, an agrochemical company, for a significant minority stake.  The transaction involves a combination of secondary sale by an existing PE investor, BanyanTree Growth Capital, along with a primary raise by the company for growth initiatives.  Founded in 1991, Safex manufactures and sells branded agrochemicals. Abu Dhabi state fund invests in Telegram app  Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala Investment Co and Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners, part- owned by Mubadala has invested a combined $150 million in messaging app Telegram.  Mubadala invested $75 million in five-year, pre-initial public offering (IPO) bonds of Telegram.  Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners invested a further $75 million.  Launched in 2013, Telegram has 500 million monthly users.

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|March 2021 IDBI Bank revises fixed deposit rates  IDBI Bank has revised interest rates on fixed deposits (FD) with effect from 18 March 2021.  After the latest revision, FD interest rates in IDBI Bank range from 2.9 to 5.1% for FDs maturing in 7 days to 20 years.  Current IDBI Bank FD rates for senior citizens range from 3.4% to 5.6%.  For deposits maturing in one year to 10 years, IDBI Bank will give 5.1%. Adani Green Energy hits ₹2 tn in market cap  Adani Green Energy Ltd hit Rs 2 trillion in market capitalisation after its shares touched a record high.  Having soared nearly 870% in last one year, the stock is now the most valued in Adani Group.  Adani Green's total renewable capacity stands at 15165 MW, of which 3395 MW is operational and 11770 MW under implementation. Allana Group picks up 1% stake in LT Foods  Allana Group has announced an investment of Rs 20 crore for a 1% stake in LT Foods.  The two companies plan to work together to expand LT Food's consumer products business to focus on value-added as well as impulse food products.  Allana Group distributes brands such as London Dairy Ice Cream, Sunny Oil, and Pristine Bakery.  LT Foods sells its packaged rice brands such as Daawat, Royal, etc. Adani Ports to acquire Gangavaram Port  Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd will acquire a 58.1% stake held by DVS Raju in Gangavaram Port Ltd.  The acquisition is valued at ₹3,604 cr and subject to regulatory approvals.  Earlier in March 2021, Adani Ports had announced the acquisition of Warburg Pincus’s 31.5% stake in Gangavaram, and with the latest acquisition, it will own a total 89.6% stake in the port in Andhra Pradesh. IRDAI increases max cover under Arogya policy  The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has hiked the maximum cover under the standard health insurance plan Arogya Sanjeevani Policy, from Rs 5 lakh earlier to Rs 10 lakh.  It has made it mandatory for insurers to offer a sum insured between Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh.  Arogya Sanjeevani is a standardized health insurance product that was launched in March 2020. Airtel dilutes 0.664% stake to Lion Meadow  Bharti Airtel has allotted around 36.47 million preferential shares to a Warburg Pincus affiliate, Lion Meadow, at Rs 600 per share in addition to some cash.  It has been allotted for buying out the fund house's 20% stake in its DTH arm, Bharti Telemedia.  Post the transaction, Lion Meadow Investment, an affiliate of Warburg Pincus, will hold 0.664% in Airtel.

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|March 2021 Indian engineering goods see a surge in demand  China, Singapore, Germany, Thailand and Italy were among the nine countries that saw high double-digit growth in demand for Indian engineering goods in February 2021.  This was stated in a release issued by the Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC).  Exports to China, India’s second-largest export destination recorded positive growth in both monthly as well as cumulative terms. India's crude oil throughput hits 4-month low  India's crude oil processing fell to its lowest in four months in February 2021.  Crude oil throughput in February dropped 8.8% year-on-year to 4.87 million barrels per day (18.62 million tonnes), provisional government data showed on 19 March 2021.  On a monthly basis, throughput fell 5.6%.  There is a variation in percentage change as February 2020 had 29 days. S. Aramco to prioritise China's energy supply  Saudi Aramco will ensure China's energy security remains its highest priority for the next 50 years and beyond.  Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, retained its position as China's top supplier in the first two months of 2021, with volumes up 2.1% to 1.86 million barrels per day (bpd), China customs data showed on 20 March 2021. Axis Bank revises fixed deposit interest rates  Axis Bank has revised interest rates on fixed deposits (FDs) with effect from 18 March 2021.  After the latest revision, Axis Bank is offering an interest rate of 2.50% on FDs with maturity between 7 days and 29 days, 3% for FDs maturing between 30 days and less than 3 months, and 3.5% for FDs between 3 months and less than 6 months.  Fir 1 year 5 days to less than 18 months, it is 5.10%. World's first ever volcano bonds  A bond sponsored by the Danish Red Cross is the first to offer dedicated insurance against volcanic eruptions.  Initial investors include Schroder Investment Management and Plenum Investments, a firm specializing in insurance-linked securities.  The bond will cover 10 volcanoes, including Mexico’s Popocatepetl and Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia. Govt purchases over 684 LMT of paddy so far  In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS), the government has procured 13.51 percent more paddy so far in comparison to the corresponding period in 2020.  It has purchased over 684 Lakh Metric Tonnes of paddy till 19 March 2021 against the corresponding purchase of over 602 Lakh Metric Tonnes in 2020.  Out of the total purchase, Punjab alone has contributed around 203 Lakh Metric Tonnes. Taxpayers can use ITC to discharge GST dues  Finance Ministry has informed that taxpayers are free to utilize Input Tax Credit available in their credit ledger as permissible by law to discharge their GST due for March 2021.

 Certain sections of media reported that some GST officers are using unauthorized

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|March 2021 communication means such as phone calls asking taxpayers to discharge 'maximum tax liability in 'cash'.

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|March 2021 Sports Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix  Lewis Hamilton won his eighth world title by winning the Bahrain Grand Prix on 28 March 2021.  He defeated Max Verstappen.  Hamilton represented Mercedes while Verstappen represented Red Bull. Puma signs deal with RC Bangalore  Global sports brand Puma has signed a three-year partnership with the Indian Premier League (IPL) team franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.  Puma will be the official kit partner of the team from the upcoming 14th edition of the tournament, scheduled to start from 9 April 2021.  It also makes Puma the only global sports brand to be associated with IPL 2021. India moves to 7th position in ICC standings  India moved up to the seventh position on the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Men's Cricket World Cup Super League standings after their seven-run win over England in the third ODI.  The victory helped India seal a 2-1 win over England in the series.  Despite the loss, England remains the top-ranked team in the standings with 40 points.  India has 29 points. Sam Curran equals world record  England all-rounder Sam Curran on 28 March 2021 equalled the world record for smashing the highest score by a number eight batsman in ODI cricket history.  The 22-year-old scored an unbeaten 95 off 83 deliveries, including 9 fours and 3 sixes.  Curran equalled the record of his England teammate Chris Woakes, who had scored 95 off 83 balls while batting against Sri Lanka in 2016. Residential Hockey centre of excellence  A centre of excellence in hockey will be soon set up in the Uttar Pradesh capital, Lucknow.  This would be the first advanced excellence centre for hockey in the state  100-bed hostel for boys and girls, modern sports medicine and physiotherapy centres as well as top coaches would be part of the centre.  It will be run by the Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate. 1st Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics  Tamil Nadu's Bhavani Devi, the 1st Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics, was felicitated by Indian Fencing Association.  She is a 27-yr-old fencer qualified for the Tokyo Olympics through Adjusted Official Ranking method.  In March'21 ending, Bhavani storms into semifinals of the Women's sabre individual competition in the 31st Senior National Fencing Championships at Delhi Public School. IPL 2021: Cornitos joins Delhi Capitals  Delhi Capitals, an Indian Premier League (IPL) team franchise, has announced that nachos brand Cornitos has come onboard as one of its official partners for the upcoming edition of

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|March 2021 IPL.  The Cornitos logo will be displayed on the team's official playing and training jerseys.  Manufactured by Greendot Health Foods Pvt. Ltd, Cornitos brand portfolio includes nacho crisps, roasted nuts, etc. Indian team wins gold in 50 meter rifle event  In shooting, Indian trio of Niraj Kumar, Swapnil Kusale and Chain Singh won the gold medal in the 50-meter rifle 3 positions Men’s Team event at the ISSF World Cup in Delhi on 26 March 2021.  The Indian team defeated the Unites States 47-25 in the final.  This was India’s 12th gold of the competition at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022  The D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad's TransStadia and the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will host the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022.  This was confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 Local Organising Committee (LOC).  The event will be held from January 20 to February 6, 2022. ICC T20 Rankings: Virat Kohli at 4th position  India captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma are among the India batsmen to progress in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings.  Kohli has moved up one place to fourth position and is now the highest-ranked from the country ahead of KL Rahul.  Rohit moved up three places to 14th.  Shreyas Iyer has moved up five places to a career-best 26th position. Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay starts  The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay kicked off in Fukushima, Japan on 25 March 2021.  It will travel through all of Japan's 47 districts over the next 121 days.  The torch will arrive in Tokyo for the Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 23, 2021.  Japanese footballer lwashimizu Azusa was the first receiver at the start of the Olympic Torch Relay. India wins gold in women's 25m pistol event  India won gold in the women's 25m pistol team event on 25 March 2021 at the ISSF World Cup in Delhi.  It beat Poland in the final to win the country's 10th gold.  The Indian women's team of Rahi Sarnobat, Chinki Yadav and Manu Bhaker beat Poland's Joanna Iwona Wawrzonowska, Julita Borek and Agnieszka Korejwo 17-7 in the match.  India is dominating with 21 medals, including 10 gold medals. The Great Khali in the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame  The Great Khali has been announced as the latest inductee into the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame.  Khali will receive his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6, 2021.  So far, the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame class includes Eric Bischoff, The Great Khali, and Molly Holly.

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|March 2021  Khali is an India-born former WWE Superstar who worked for Vince McMahon's company from 2006 to 2014. ISSF WC: Chinky Yadav wins gold  Chinki Yadav won the gold medal in the women's 25m Pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi on 24 March 2021.  Chinki outgunned the experienced Rahi Sarnobat in a shoot-off to clinch the top spot.  Manu Bhaker secured the bronze medal in the same match.  Earlier, India's Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar won the gold medal in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event. ISWA gets government recognition  The Indian Style Wrestling Association of India (ISWAI) has officially been recognised as a National Sports Federation (NSF) by the Sports Ministry.  It is now eligible to receive fund and support from the government.  The ISWAI was formed in 1958 and has been in existence for about 60 years.  Indian Style Wrestling is a traditional indigenous sport that is played on mud. Khelo India scheme to be extended  The Sports Ministry has decided to extend the Khelo India scheme from 2021-22 to 2025-26.  The Ministry has furnished an Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) memorandum to the Ministry of Finance for extension/continuation of the Khelo India Scheme from 2021-22 to 2025- 26.  An amount of Rs 8,750 crore has been estimated as a financial implication of the new Khelo India Scheme. Grandmaster Iniyan wins silver in chess  The 1st FIDE World University online chess saw India's Grandmaster P Iniyan win silver in the open section.  Armenian Haik Martirosyan won gold while Russia Mikhail Antipov bagged bronze.  The event concluded on 18 March 2021.  The event saw 960 student players from 84 countries featuring in it.  The women's section of the tournament was won by Armenia's Anna Sargsyan. India wins Road Safety World Series T-20  In cricket, India Legends defeated Sri Lanka Legends by 14 runs in the final of the Road Safety World Series to clinch the title at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on 21 March 2021.  , captain of the India Legends, finished the tournament as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament.  He scored 234 runs. ISSF WC: Gold medal in 10m air rifle  India's Divyansh Singh Panwar and Elavenil Valarivan won the gold medal on 22 March 2021 in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team.  The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup is being held in Delhi.  The Indian duo put on a brilliant display of shooting to beat the Hungarian team of Istvan Peni and Eszter Denes 16-10 to win the top prize.

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|March 2021 Two gold and a silver for India at ISSF Cup  In shooting, India won two gold and a silver medal on the third day of the ISSF World Cup being held in New Delhi on 21 March 2021.  While the Indian women and men's teams won gold medals in the 10m air pistol events, a trio of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Deepak Kumar, and Pankaj Kumar won silver in the men’s team air rifle event. India's Singhraj wins gold in Para Shooting  Indian para-athlete Singhraj won a gold medal in the 2021 Para Shooting World Cup at Al Ain in the UAE on 21 March 2021.  He defeated Uzbekistan's Server Ibragimov to get the top honor in the P1 - Men's 10m Air Pistol SH1 final.  Turkey's former Paralympic champion Muharrem Korhan Yamaç took the bronze with 214.4 points.  With this, India has moved to third place in the medals table. Lee Zii Jia wins All England Badminton C’ships  Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia has won the All England Badminton Championships men's title.  He defeated Axelsen 30-29, 20-22, 21-9 in the summit clash.  Lee Chong Wei had last won the All England Open for Malaysia in 2017.  Japan's Nozomi Okuhara won the women's title as she defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-16 in the finals. ISSF WC: India's Yashaswini Deswal wins gold  Yashaswini Deswal bagged the first gold medal for India in the Women's 10 Meter Air Pistol final of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup on 20 March 2021 at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting range.  Deswal accumulated 238.8 points to lead in her category.  Another Indian shooter Manu Bhaker won a silver medal with 236.7 points. India beat England in 5th T20, win series 3-2  In Cricket, India beat England by 36 run in the fifth and final T20 International at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 20 March 2021.  With this win, India have clinched the five-match series 3-2.  Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took 2 wickets for 15 runs in 4 overs, was adjudged Player of the Match while Virat Kohli was adjudged Player of the Series. Rohit: 2nd Indian to reach 9000 T20 runs  India opener Rohit Sharma became the second Indian and ninth player overall to reach 9000 T20 runs during the fourth T20I of the five-match series against England in Ahmedabad on 18 March 2021.  He also became the first player from the country to complete 50 T20I sixes at home.  Virat Kohli (9650 runs) is the only other Indian cricketer with 9000-plus runs in the shortest format. Haryana wins 11th Hockey Women National C'ship  Haryana defeated Jharkhand 4-3 in a shootout to clinch the 11th Hockey India sub-junior women National Championship 2021 title after the final ended 0-0 on 18 March 2021.

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|March 2021  The first half ended goalless in a closely contested final between two high-scoring sides.  Earlier on the same day, UP Hockey finished 3rd in the championship after edging out Hockey Odisha 3-1. PhonePe announces six IPL 2021 sponsorships  Digital payments platform PhonePe has signed up six sponsorship deals for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.  Apart from the co-presenting sponsorship with official broadcaster Star India, it is also an associate sponsor with Disney+Hotstar.  PhonePe is also sponsoring four IPL franchises - Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals. ISSF Shooting World Cup 2021 begins  The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Cup 2021 began on 18 March 2021 at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Ranges in Delhi.  More than 300 shooters from as many as 43 countries are expected to participate in the season’s first World Cup being held in all three disciplines - shotgun, rifle, and pistol.  The event will end on March 29, 2021. BSF-BGB Maitree Football Match series begin  BSF-BGB Maitree Football Match series began from Belonia in the South Tripura District on 18 March 2021.  Border Security Force, BSF is organizing the friendly football match series in all six Frontiers of Eastern Command BSF to mark the celebration of 50 years of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.  The final would take place at Dhubri under the Guwahati frontier on May 1, 2021. ICC bans Naveed and Shaiman for eight years  The ICC has slapped 8-year bans on UAE cricketers Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar Butt for their alleged role in trying to fix matches in the T20 World Cup qualifier in 2019.  The bans are backdated to Oct 16, 2019, when they were provisionally suspended for attempting to corrupt matches and found guilty of breaching Anti-Corruption Code.  Naveed has played 39 ODIs for his country. Upstox as official partner for IPL 2021  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced online brokerage firm Upstox as its official partner for IPL 2021.  This will be a multi-year partnership.  The upcoming season of the tournament is slated to begin on April 9, and the final is scheduled for May 30, 2021.  Upstox, backed by Tiger Global and industrialist , has more than 2.8 mn customers. Sports Minister meets President of IPU  Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju met the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Duarte Pacheco in New Delhi on 16 Mar 2021.  He proposed the World Youth Parliament to promote fitness activities.

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|March 2021  They also discussed about India's Fit India Movement and how India has been able to start certain sports-related activities in the country in a controlled manner despite COVID-19. India to host Asian Boxing Championships 2021  International Boxing Association (AIBA) has announced that the Asian Boxing Championships 2021 will be hosted by New Delhi, India from May 21-31, 2021.  It will be the first boxing tournament in Asia to be held in 2021.  The Championships, earlier scheduled to take place in 2020, were postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. Bhavani Devi: 1st to qualify for Olympics  Tamil Nadu's Chadalavada Anandha Bhavani Devi has become the first-ever fencer from India to qualify for Olympic Games.  Bhavani secured a spot for the Tokyo Olympics at the World Cup in Hungary.  She qualified through the Adjusted Official Ranking (AOR) method.  The eight-time national champion had failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics. Prithvi Shaw: 1st player to score 800 runs  Prithvi Shaw has become the 1st player to breach the 800-run mark in a single edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.  He achieved the feat during his 73-run knock against UP in the ongoing final of Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, in March 2021.  A few days back he broke MS Dhoni and Virat's record of the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in a List A chase. Virat: 1st to score 3,000 runs in T-20  Virat Kohli has become the first-ever batsman to score 3,000 runs in T-20 International.  Kohli achieved the milestone during the second T20-International against England at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 14 March 2021.  He now has 3,001 runs from 87 T20I matches.  New Zealand's Martin Guptill is second on the list of T20I cricket, having scored 2,839 runs in 99 matches. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan sets new record  Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan broke Australian spin legend Shane Warne’s mega record on 14 Mar 2021 as he bowled the most number of overs in a single Test in the 21st century.  Warne had bowled 98 overs in a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town in 2002.  The 22-yr-old Afghan spinner achieved this feat in ongoing 2nd Test against Zimbabwe at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Mithali Raj creates another huge record  Indian Women's ODI team captain Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer in history to score 7,000 ODI runs.  She achieved this landmark in her 213th ODI on 15 March 2021.  This feat comes after Mithali Raj, on 12 March 2021, became the first Indian woman cricketer and only the second overall to score 10000 international runs. Rawalpindi's KRL stadium renamed

 The KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi has been renamed after former Pakistan's fast

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|March 2021 bowler Shoaib Akhtar.  Shoaib Akhtar is renowned as 'The Rawalpindi Express'.  He has featured in 47 Tests, 163 ODIS and 15 T20Is for Pakistan during his illustrious career.  He has a record of a total 444 international wickets under his name. Mithali: 1st woman to score 10,000 runs  Captain of the India women’s team, Mithali Raj on 12 March 2021 became the first woman cricketer from the country and only the second overall to score 10,000 international runs.  Mithali Raj, playing her 212th ODI for India, achieved the landmark during the third match of the bilateral series against South Africa. Jharkhand’s Simdega to host 2 hockey events  For the first time, Jharkhand's Simdega is hosting two back-to-back national events that started on 10 Mar'21.  Hockey India sub-junior women’s national championship-2021 is being held at Simdega AstroTurf Hockey Stadium during March 10-18, while the junior national women’s championship will take place during April 3-12, 2021 at the same venue.  There will be 26 teams in each of those events. Goa to host AFC Champions League matches  side FC Goa will host the Group E matches of the AFC Champions League (ACL) at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao.  The Asian Football Confederation on 11 March 2021 confirmed the venues for the ACL 2021 group stage matches.  FC Goa had become the first Indian club to directly qualify for the group stage of the ACL. Thomas Bach re-elected as IOC president  Thomas Bach was re-elected as president of the International Olympic Committee on 10 March 2021 for a final four-year term.  The German lawyer was unopposed and won the vote 93-1.  He also signed future Olympic hosts Paris and Los Angeles, while Brisbane is now being fast- tracked for 2032.  Bach first presided over the 2014 Sochi Games. Southampton to host World Test final  The final of the ICC World Test Championship between India and New Zealand will be played in a bio-secure bubble at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton.  The decision, taken by the ICC Board, follows discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).  India qualified for the final after beating England 3-1 in the recently-concluded Test series. Ravichandran Ashwin: Player of the month  Ravichandran Ashwin has been named the ICC men's Player of the Month for February 2021 for his stellar show against England in a four-match Test series which India won to qualify for the World Test Championship final.  England's Tammy Beaumont was adjudged the women's Player of the Month.  Ashwin who played in three Tests in the four-match series scored a 106 in the second innings.

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|March 2021 Kiren Rijiju flags off Fit India Walkathon  To commemorate International Women's Day, the Fit India Movement in association with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) organized an All Women Fit India Walkathon at Delhi's Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium.  The 2km event, was flagged off by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju.  Similar walkathons were organized in 1000 venues across India. Vinesh Phogat wins her 2nd gold medal  Vinesh Phogat won her second gold medal in the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event and reclaimed the top rank in her category in Rome.  She defeated Canada's Diana Mary Helen Weicker 4-0 in the 53kg title clash.  She is the only Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Tokyo Games.  Vinesh had also won a gold medal in Kiev a few days back. BCCI announces schedule for IPL 2021  The Board of Control for Cricket in India, BCCI has announced the schedule for the 14th edition Indian Premier League 2021 to be held in India.  It will be held from April 9, 2021, with the first match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.  The world’s largest cricket stadium - Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the final on 30th May 2021. PV Sindhu wins silver medal in BWF Swiss Open  PV Sindhu settled for a silver medal in the BWF Swiss Open Super 300 at Basel, in the final of the women's singles event on 7 March 2021.  She defeated World No. 3 Carolina Marin 12-21, 5-21.  She had entered the semifinal stage of a BWF tournament after 19 months.  In her first semifinal after 13 tournaments, Sindhu had defeated Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt 22- 20, 21-10. Manish Kaushik clinches gold medal  In Boxing, Manish Kaushik clinched a gold medal at the Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain.  The 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Kaushik, beat Denmark’s Nikolai Terteryan with a split 3-2 decision in the men’s 63kg summit bout.  In the women’s category, Jasmine settled for a silver in the 57kg after going down 0-5 in the final.

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|March 2021 Defence Fourth batch of three Rafale to reach Gujarat  The 4th batch of three Rafale combat aircraft will reach Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat from France on 31 Mar'21.  The 1st batch of 5 Rafale jets arrived in India on 29 July'20.  India had signed an agreement with France to procure 36 Rafale aircraft.  The Rafale jets are India’s 1st major acquisition of fighter planes in the last 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. India, South Korea agree on joint production  India and South Korea have agreed to go for joint production and export of military hardware, enhance intelligence sharing and boost cooperation in cyber and space domains.  This move is a part of overall expansion of defence and security ties.  The decisions were taken on 26 Mar'21 during delegation-level talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his South Korean counterpart Suh Wook. India, US begin naval exercise 'PASSEX'  India and the US on 28 March 2021 started a two-day naval exercise in the eastern Indian Ocean Region.  The Indian Navy deployed its warship Shivalik and long-range maritime patrol aircraft P8I in the 'PASSEX' exercise while the US Navy was represented by the USS Theodore Rosevelt carrier strike group.  The exercise will conclude on 29 March 2021. Pak successfully tests Shaheen-1A missile  Pakistan on 26 Mar'21 successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-1A with a range of 900 kilometres.  Shaheen 1-A with its sophisticated and advanced guidance system is a highly accurate missile system.  In Feb 2021, Pakistan successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic Ghaznavi missile. Indian Navy to participate in La Perouse  The Indian Navy will be part of a French naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal.  It will be held from 5-7 April 2021.  The participating nations also include the other Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) member countries- Australia, Japan and the United States of America (USA).  This is the first time that the Indian Navy will be part of the France-led war game ‘La Perouse’. Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Vajra’ commissioned  Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Vajra’, the sixth offshore patrol vessel to enhance coastal security, was formally commissioned into service in Chennai on 24 March 2021.  The ship was indigenously designed and built by Larsen and Toubro Shipbuilding Limited.  Sixth in the series of seven offshore patrol vessels, Vajra is fitted with highly sophisticated navigation and communication systems.

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|March 2021 Extension of Naval Jetty Phase-II inaugurated  A major Naval project of ‘Extension of Jetty’ at the Naval Wharf was inaugurated by Vice Admiral SR Sarma, Chief of Materiel of Indian Navy, on 22 March 2021.  The 230-meter long jetty is one of the largest marine infrastructure projects being undertaken at Andaman and Nicobar Command both in terms of magnitude and technical complexity.  The project was completed in 3 years. Assam Rifles Commanders’ Conference  The two-day Annual Assam Rifles Commanders’ Conference started on 23 March 2021.  It aimed at seeking solutions to the challenges faced in maintaining the internal peace and security of the North Eastern States, as also issues related to security along the Indo Myanmar Border.  The event is being organized to commemorate Assam Rifles 186th Raising Day. Defence Ministry inks contract with MDSL  The Defence Ministry on 22 March 2021, signed a contract with Mahindra Defence Systems Limited for supply of 1,300 Light Specialist Vehicles to the Indian Army at a cost of ₹1056 crores.  The induction of vehicles is planned to be completed in 4 yrs.  The Vehicles will be authorized to various fighting units for carriage of Medium Machine Guns, Automatic Grenade Launchers and Guided Missiles. Memorial of Captain Manoj Pandey  Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane has dedicated to the people the memorial of Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain Manoj Pandey at his native village Rura in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh.  Captain Pandey had laid down his life in the 1999 Kargil war.  The memorial was constructed under the aegis of Surya Command. Indo-Uzbekistan Training Exercise culminates  The second edition of Indo-Uzbekistan Joint Field Training Exercise, EXERCISE DUSTLIK-II culminated on 19 March 2021 after 10 days of mutual learning.  The training was focused on Counter Insurgency, Counter-Terrorism operations in urban scenario as well as sharing of expertise on Skills at Arms.  The joint exercise began on 10 March 2021 in Uttarakhand. Landing Craft Utility Ship commissioned  The Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility (LCU) L58 was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 18 March 2021.  It is the eighth and last ship of the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mark IV Class,  It has been indigenously designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata. KRAS rolls out 1st batch of MRSAM missile kits  Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS) has rolled out its first batch of Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) kits for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.

 These missile sections will then be ‘forwarded’ to Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for further

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|March 2021 and future integration.  KRAS is a joint venture between India’s Kalyani Group and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel. Indian Navy undertakes Passage Exercise  Indian Navy on 17 Mar'21 undertook Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Bahrain Naval Force Al Muharraq in the Persian Gulf under Operation Sankalp.  These are conducted regularly by the Indian Navy with units of friendly foreign navies.  The exercises are aimed at fostering interoperability and reflecting the commitments of both, India and Bahrain, to build cooperative partnerships. India to commission INS Dhruv soon  India is all set to commission the INS Dhruv ship.  It is capable of tracking nuclear missiles and satellites from a distance, into the Navy.  This ocean surveillance ship is also equipped with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars that can help India collect accurate data not about an enemy nation’s missile range and capabilities. BSF-BGB Maitree Football Match series begin  BSF-BGB Maitree Football Match series began from Belonia in the South Tripura District on 18 March 2021.  Border Security Force, BSF is organizing the friendly football match series in all six Frontiers of Eastern Command BSF to mark the celebration of 50 years of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.  The final would take place at Dhubri under the Guwahati frontier on May 1, 2021. Indian Army decommissions 2 artillery systems  The Indian Army has decommissioned two of the longest-serving artillery systems from service.  The 130mm Self Propelled M-46 Catapult Guns and the 160mm Tampella Mortars were decommissioned on 16 March 2021 at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges.  The Catapult, with a range of more than 27 kilometers, was a successful merger of two existing weapon systems - Vijayanta tanks and 130mm M-46 guns. CRPF organizes free Medical Camp in J&K  53 Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) organized a free Medical Camp on 16 March 2021 to continue its drive for the welfare of the Kashmiri people.  The camp was organized in the north Kashmir's Baramulla district of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.  Free medicines, sanitiser, face masks and soaps etc. were distributed among the people at Zehampora village in J&K. INS Jalashwa arrives in Comoros  Indian Navy Ship Jalashwa arrived at the port of Anjouan in Comoros with 1000 metric tonnes of rice on 14 March'21.  The consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice will be received by the Foreign Minister of Comoros Dhoihir Dhoulkamal in a ceremony on Mar 15.  The VP Venkaiah Naidu had promised to send the consignment of 1k mt tonnes as food

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|March 2021 assistance, during his visit to Comoros in Oct 2019. INS Jalashwa reaches Antsiranana Port  INS Jalashwa reached the port of Antsiranana, Madagascar on 12 March 2021 with an Indian Naval training team on-board.  The Indian Naval training team will be deployed in Madagascar for capacity building and training of the Malagasy Special Forces for two weeks.  INS Jalashwa will leave for Comoros to deliver 1000 metric tonnes of rice and then will head to the Port of Ehoala in Madagascar. Indian Navy's assistance to stranded vessel  The Indian Navy deployed INS Talwar on 12 Mar'21 to provide technical assistance to a stranded merchant cargo ship MV Nayan.  The cargo ship, on transit from Oman to Iraq, was drifting at a sea since March 9 owing to failure of its propulsion, power generation machinery and navigational equipment.  Naval teams worked onboard MV Nayan to operationalize its equipment and made it seaworthy again. Indian and Uzbekistan's joint exercise  The armies of Indian and Uzbekistan are carrying out a joint exercise from March 9 and 21, 2021 in Chaubatia near Ranikhet in Uttarakhand.  The second edition of exercise Dustlik is aimed at carrying out joint counter-terror operations in a mountainous rural and urban scenario.  The Indian Army is being represented by 13 Kumaon known as the Rezang La battalion. Navy deploys women officers on warships  On International Women's Day, the Indian Navy deployed four women officers onboard its warships after over three decades.  Two of them are posted on the INS Vikramaditya while two are deployed onboard the Indian naval tanker ship INS Shakti.  The last time women officers were posted on warships was in 1998. New Air Independent Propulsion system tested  DRDO crossed an important milestone on 8 March 2021, when it demonstrated an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system that will allow Indian Navy to operate for up to two weeks without having to surface to recharge their batteries.  The system has been developed by Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) of DRDO.  Six Project-75I submarines will be powered by AIP systems. Indian Navy commissions INS Karanj  The Indian Navy commissioned Scorpene-class INS Karanj on March 10, 2021.  This is the third submarine of its class.  It was under trials for more than 100 days before being commissioned.  INS Karanj has a length of over 65 metres and was constructed by public sector shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Ltd. (MDL) in collaboration with French company Direction des Constructions Navales (DCNS). Indian Navy, Suryadipta Projects ink an MoU

 The Indian Navy has signed a contract with Suryadipta Projects to construct 11 ammunition-

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|March 2021 cum-torpedo-cum-missile (ACTCM) barges.  The contract was concluded on March 5, 2021.  Delivery of barges is scheduled to commence from 22 May 2021.  The ACTCM barges will be inducted in Indian Navy to undertake the mission needs for embarking or disembarking ammunition, torpedo, missile, etc. ITBP hands over SCME to Himachal P. Police  Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has handed over more than 60 sets of various categories of Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment (SCME) to Himachal Pradesh Police personnel deployed on Atal Tunnel Security.  These will be used by HP police personnel in extreme cold conditions.  Atal Tunnel is located at altitudes of more than 10000 feet where winter temperature remains sub-zero. Combined Commanders' Conference concludes  PM Narendra Modi addressed the valedictory session of the Combined Commanders’ conference at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat on 6 March 2021.  Since 2014, this conference has been taking place in different locations of the country other than Delhi.  The last edition of the conference was held in 2018 at the Air Force Station in Jodhpur. 'Combat free fall' training by Indian Army  The Indian Army's Special Forces Training School commenced training of Turkmenistan Special Forces in ''combat free fall'' on 4 March 2021.  In ''combat free fall'', paratroopers fall from a plane from a height of up to 30,000 feet and stealthily glide to the target.  Training of paratroopers will assist in the capability enhancement of Turkmenistan Special Forces. 'Radio Chinar 90.4, Har Dil Ki Dhadkan'  The 1st of its kind in North Kashmir, a community radio station with the tagline “Radio Chinar 90.4, Har Dil Ki Dhadkan” was inaugurated on 4 March 2021 by the Indian Army.  This radio station has been started with an aim to revitalize the connection within different segments of the community.  The reach of the radio station will be Sopore, Bandipora & Baramulla Districts. Air Force Chief arrives in Colombo  Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria arrived in Colombo on 3 March 2021 on an invitation from Commander of Sri Lanka Air Force Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana.  The Sri Lanka Air Force celebrated its 70th anniversary on 2 March 2021.  On 5 March 2021, there will be a presentation of the President's Colours to two Units of the Sri Lanka Air Force. Defence Min. receives interim dividend cheque  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has received an interim dividend cheque of Rs. 92.56 crore from Defence Public Sector Undertaking, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited MDL in New Delhi.  CMD of MDL Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad (Retd) handed over the cheque to him.

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|March 2021  With this, MDL has paid a total dividend of 138.73 crore rupees to the Government of India during Financial Year 2020-21. Combined Commanders' Conference begins  A three-day Combined Commanders' Conference began on 4 March 2021 at Kevadia in Gujarat.  Theaterisation of armed forces, self-reliance in the defense sector, and evolving threats in the region will be the focus areas during the three-day annual event.  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address the top commanders of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force on 5 March 2021. IAF to take part in a multinational exercise  6 Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30-MKI fighters will take off for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 3 March 2021 to participate in the multinational exercise 'Desert Flag'.  10 countries including the US, France and Saudi Arabia are scheduled to take part in the exercise.  IAF's two C-17s will join the Indian team for the exercise. R Hari Kumar: Chief of Western Naval Command  Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Western Naval Command on 28 Feb 2021 at Mumbai.  He succeeded Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar, who retired after forty years of service.  Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar was Vice Chief of Defence Staff at Headquarters Integrated Defense Staff (HQIDS) prior to taking over as FOC-in-C of Western Naval Command.

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|March 2021 Books and Authors Anindya Dutta comes up with a new book  A banker by profession, Anindya Dutta is coming up with his latest book, called Advantage India: The Story of Indian Tennis.  The book is about pre-Independence tennis and its early players.  The book has been published by Westland publications.  It provides an extensive history of Indian tennis on both men’s and women’s side.

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|March 2021 National Affairs Centre extends PLI scheme  The Union Cabinet on 31 March 2021 approved an extension of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to the food processing sector.  Investment of Rs 10,900 crore has also approved as incentives for domestic manufacturing in the sector.  The allocation was made for the next six years and is expected to see employment generation of more than 2.5 lakh across the country. NAL rolls out trainer aircraft HANSA-NG  National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) lab, on 31 March 2021 announced the rollout of HANSA-NG.  HANSA is the new generation two-seater aircraft, expected to start its flight tests at the end of 2021.  HANSA-NG is an upgraded version of HANSA, which saw the first flight in 1993, and was certified in 2000. Training course for rural women starts in J&K  A six-month Knitting, Cutting and Tailoring and Embroidery Training course for rural women started on 30 Mar'21 at District Industries Centre, J&K.  The course was inaugurated by General Manager, DIC Jammu Subah Mehta with a batch of 20 trainees.  After successful completion of training, the Dept will provide loan under Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme to make them self-reliant. Centre releases GST compensation of 30k crore  Centre has released GST compensation of 30,000 crore rupees to states as part compensation admissible for 2020-2021.  The total amount of compensation released so far for the year 2020-21 is 70,000 crore rupees.  As per the decision of GST Council, back to back loan of one lakh 10 thousand 208 crore rupees has also been released in lieu of shortfall in release of GST Compensation for 2020- 21. Govt proposes up to 25% tax concession  Centre has proposed up to 25% tax concession on the purchase of new vehicles on submission of scrappage certificate.  Road, Transport and Highways Ministry on 30 Mar'21, published the draft rules regarding concession in motor vehicle tax against scrapped vehicles.  In case of personal vehicles, tax concessions will be available upto 8 yrs while for commercial vehicles, it will be up to 15 yrs. RT-PCR test mandatory to visit Uttarakhand  Visitors will now be required to produce a negative Covid test report before they enter Uttarakhand.  It is mandatory to take the RT-PCR test within 72 hours before arriving in the state from April

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|March 2021 1, 2021.  Travellers from Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab. Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, MP, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, UP, Delhi Rajasthan will have to carry a negative RT-PCR upon arrival to U'khand. Healthcare sector to reach $372 bn in 2022  The report, titled 'Investment Opportunities in India's Healthcare Sector' released by Niti Aayog on 30 March 2021.  As per report, India’s healthcare industry is expected to become a billion dollar industry, as its set to reach $372 billion in 2022.  As per estimates by the National Skill Development Corporation, healthcare can generate 27 lakh additional jobs in India between 2017-22. Tata Power bags orders to develop a project  Tata Power has bagged an order to develop a 60 MW solar project for Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam.  The company has received a letter of award from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) on March 26, 2021, to develop a 60 MW solar project in Gujarat.  The energy will be supplied to GUVNL under a power purchase agreement (PPA), valid for a period of 25 years. OCI card holders to not carry passports  People of Indian origin and the Indian diaspora having Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards are now not required to carry their old, expired passports for travel to India, as required earlier, according to a government notification.  The OCI card is issued to people of Indian origin globally which gives them almost all the privileges of an Indian national except for the right to vote, etc. Cognizant launches a programme  Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp has launched a 12-week paid 'Returnship Programme’ for technology professionals looking to restart their careers after a break.  The programme is focused on providing returners with a supportive environment and access to training, upskilling, mentorship, and other resources.  These professionals will work with cutting-edge technology through the programme. DAMU organizes an awareness programme  In Kashmir, the District Agro-Met Unit (DAMU), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kupwara organized an awareness programme for the farmers under Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva (GKMS) on 29 March 2021.  It was on the role of weather and climate in farm production.  On the occasion, 130 farmers from different blocks of the district were registered on the farmers portal for receiving SMS on Agromet Advisory. 19 posts to be created in J&KWRRA  In Jammu and Kashmir, the administrative council has approved the proposal of the Jal Shakti Department to create 19 posts in the J&K Water Resources Regulatory Authority (J&KWRRA) to enhance its efficacy.  J&KWRRA is responsible for regulating water resources within the territorial jurisdiction of

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|March 2021 J&K, ensuring sustainable management of these resources, and fixing the rates for use of water. VVPAT machines to be installed in Tamil Nadu  VVPAT machines will be installed in all polling stations in Tamil Nadu.  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.  A report would also be submitted to the Election Commission. Training in disaster response under NDMA  In Jammu and Kashmir, district administration Ramban is taking measures for training of Aapda Mitras in the district.  This is being done in order to impart training to the community volunteers in disaster response under National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).  Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Ramban has been notified as a training institute under Aapda Mitra Scheme. 50 L beneficiaries of vaccination: Maharashtra  Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to cross the milestone of 50 lakh beneficiaries in Covid 19 vaccination.  As per COWIN portals data to date, 52 lakh 35 thousand 646 beneficiaries were vaccinated in the state.  Around 7 lakh 21 thousand beneficiaries have taken the second dose of vaccine taking the total number of doses to more than 59.5 lakh. Jal Jeevan Mission achieves new milestone  Jal Jeevan Mission has achieved a new milestone of providing over 4 Crore rural households with tap water supply.  Jal Jeevan Mission was announced by PM Modi on 15th August 2019.  The mission aims to provide tap water supply to every rural home by 2024.  Goa has become the first state in the country to provide 100 percent tap water supply followed by Telangana and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. PM unveils new version of 'Exam Warriors'  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 29 March 2021 launched the updated edition of Exam Warriors.  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.  The book also aims at the importance of stress-free examinations by prioritizing knowledge rather than focusing on marks. India’s Covid-19 tally tops 12 million  The Covid-19 count reached 12,039,644 in India on 29 March 2021 after 68,020 new cases were recorded on the same day.  The 8 states and UTs have been leading the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country.

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|March 2021  Among them, the Maharashtra is worst-hit state.  On 28 Mar'21, Maharashtra reported 40,414 fresh coronavirus cases, the highest rise so far in a single day, taking its tally beyond 27Lakhs. ''Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat'' program  Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat program was announced by the PM Modi on 31 Oct 2015 on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.  The aim of the campaign is to enhance interaction & promote mutual understanding between people of diff states/UTs.  Maharashtra & Odisha together made efforts to tie both states in the area of tourism, literature translation, sports etc. President's assent to NCT of Delhi Bill,2021  President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021.  The Act provides that the term “government” referred to in any law made by the Legislative Assembly will imply Lieutenant Governor.  In March 2021, President Kovind also gave his assent to the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development Act, 2021. ‘Two Mobile Medical Vans’ dedicated to nation  Public Health Department, Maharashtra, and National Health Mission, gov of India on 28 March 2021 dedicated ‘Two air-conditioned Mobile Medical Vans’ to the nation in Jalna district of Maharashtra.  The program was inaugurated by State Health Minister Rajesh Tope.  Rs. 20 lakh cost van will be used to provide health facilities and state-of-the-art clinics in remote areas of the district. 100% privatisation of Air India  Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on 27 March 2021 announced the complete disinvestment of Air India.  Air India is a first-rate asset but has an accumulated debt of Rs 60,000 Crore.  The government has started the process to sell its entire 100 per cent stake in Air India that has been in losses since it merged with Indian Airlines in 2007. IIT Delhi to build atmospheric observatory  IIT Delhi will build an atmospheric observatory on its Sonipat campus.  The observatory will help researchers find sustainable solutions to air pollution & extreme weather events associated with climate change.  It will be open for researchers across the country as well as for international collaborators.  It will have equipment such as meteorological tower, wind profilers & radars for cloud. Jal Shakti Minister approves Incentive fund  Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat has approved Rs. 465 crore as Performance Incentive fund for seven states under Jal Jeevan Mission.  These states are Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.  For performance incentive grant, the criteria includes physical and financial progress under

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|March 2021 Jal Jeevan Mission. DD Free Dish crosses 40 million subscribers  DD Free Dish, a multi-channel Free-To-Air Direct to Home service of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, has crossed an estimated 40 mn subscribers.  As per to FICCI-EY Media Entertainment Annual Report for 2021, DD Free Dish has an estimated base of more than 40 mn households.  Presently DD Free Dish hosts 161 TV channels including 91 Doordarshan channels, 70 private & 48 radio channels. 6 crore doses of Corona vaccine administered  The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 5 crores on 27 March 2021.  India is one of the fastest countries in the world to achieve the 6 crore mark in a short span of only 71 days.  The nation commenced the largest vaccination drive in the world on 16th January 2021 with vaccination of healthcare workers. Gorakhpur-Lucknow flight to be flagged off  UP CM Yogi Adityanath will flag off a flight service from Gorakhpur to Lucknow on 28 March 2021.  With this new flight service from Gorakhpur, the number of flights to seven major cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Prayagraj will increase to 12.  He will also lay the foundation stone for the expansion of the Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath Airport terminal building. Projects being implemented in J&K  In J&K, around 54 developmental projects are being implemented at a cost of Rs 58,627 cr.  These include major projects relating to road, power, health, education, tourism, agriculture, rehabilitation schemes for Kashmiri migrants, skill development sectors etc.  Under Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation, 800 projects worth Rs.997.27 cr have already been completed. MP imposes Sunday lockdown in 5 more cities  The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to impose Sunday lockdown in the cities of Vidisha, Ujjain, Gwalior, Narsinghpur and Saunsar.  The Sunday lockdown is already in force in Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Betul, Chhindwara, Ratlam and Khargone.  Madhya Pradesh on 26 March 2021 reported 2,091 fresh positive cases.  Covid cases have doubled in the state in the past few days. GHMC flags off Swacch Auto Tipper Vehicles  Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on 25 March 2021 flagged off 300 Swacchh Auto Tipper Vehicles in Hyderabad for waste collection.  Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao launched the vehicles.  These new autos have a separate box attached to the vehicle for domestic hazardous

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|March 2021 waste. Goa CM inaugurates 28th Hunar Haat in Panaji  The 28th Hunar Haat of indigenous products of artisans and craftsmen was organized at Kala Academy, Panaji in Goa on 26 Mar'21.  Goa CM Dr Pramod Sawant formally inaugurated this event.  Minority Affairs Ministry is organising the Hunar Haat in Goa with the theme of vocal for local where more than 500 artisans and craftsmen from more than 30 states and union territories are participating. Swarna Jayanti scholarship  PM Modi on 26 March 2021 announced the Swarna Jayanti scholarship for youths of Bangladesh.  The Swarna Jayanti Fellowship is a research fellowship awarded annually by the Department of Science and Technology of India.  It is given for the notable and outstanding research by young scientists, in the field of biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, maths, medicine and physics. Health Minister launches Tribal TB Initiative  Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on 26 Mar'21 launched 'Tribal TB Initiative' in pursuit of TB Mukt Bharat.  As many as 177 tribal districts were identified as high priority districts where physical remoteness, and lack of awareness contribute to the vulnerability of tribals to the TB.  Initially, the activities of the joint plan will be focusing on 161 districts across 18 identified states. Indo-Korean friendship park inaugurated  An Indo-Korean friendship park was jointly inaugurated on 26 March 2021 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 the Indian peacekeeping force during the Korean war of 1950-53.  The South Korean minister arrived in India on 25 March 2021 on a three-day visit. Haryana approves project worth Rs 139 crore  The Haryana government has approved a scheme to strengthen cooperative agricultural societies and help them build godowns and processing units, buy transport vehicles and create other agri-infrastructure.  The scheme worth Rs 139 crore would initially help over 7,200 primarily agricultural societies in six districts of Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Sonipat, Gurgaon and Mewat. Kanpur to be made police commissionerate  The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has given its nod to change two more cities – Kanpur and Varanasi – into police commissionerate.  The police commissionerate system was introduced earlier in Lucknow and Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) districts.  The system gives more powers, including magisterial powers, to police officers and is aimed at better and effective policing.

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|March 2021 Chhatrasal Convention Centre launched  , Minister of State for Tourism and Culture and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, MP CM, inaugurated the ‘Chhatrasal Convention Centre at Khajuraho on 26 March 2021.  It has been developed under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.  They also launched the “MICE Roadshow Meet in India” and roadmap for the promotion of India as a MICE destination in Khajuraho, MP. 100 flats to be given to Tata Memorial Centre  A total of 100 MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) flats will be handed over to the Tata Memorial Centre for people to stay while their family member is treated for cancer at the facility.  Each flat has an area of 300 square feet.  The agreement between TMC and MHADA formalizing the transfer of the flats would be inked soon. BSNL, MTNL to get 5G spectrum without auction  The govt will allocate spectrum to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) on an administrative basis, or without an auction, for 5G wireless service.  As part of the Rs69,000 crore revival plan of MTNL and BSNL, the govt will bear the cost of spectrum for the latter’s 4G roll out, among other measures aimed at turning around the two money-losing firms. Darbhanga Airport in Bihar to be expanded  Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has informed that the Darbhanga Airport in Bihar is being expanded under the UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme.  The city was connected to other cities of the country by air on Nov 8, 2020, under the regional connectivity scheme.  The Darbhanga civil enclave built by the Airports Authority of India is poised to become the busiest RCS airport. 10 crore Ayushman cards issued  Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has registered a landmark achievement with the issuing of a 10th crore card to a resident of Bihar.  This landmark achievement is a result of the Aapke Dwar Ayushman campaign which was launched to spread awareness among the beneficiaries.  Under the scheme, any family can avail of free medical benefits up to 5 lakh rupees per year. Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship  Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in association with 9 IIMs has invited applications for Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship till 27 March 2021.  The fellowship is a two-year blended program consisting of classroom sessions at IIMs and a unique opportunity to promote skill planning and development in district economies.  It has been rolled out in more than 660 districts. 68,33,000 people receive maternity benefits

 More than 68 lakh 33 thousand beneficiaries were provided maternity benefits in 2020 under

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|March 2021 the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, PMMVY.  This was informed by Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani.  Under the scheme, the government also provides a cash incentive to improve health-seeking behavior amongst pregnant women and lactating mothers. Companies need to disclose crypto investments  Corporate Affairs Ministry has made it mandatory for companies to disclose profit or loss incurred on crypto transactions and the amount of cryptos they hold in their balance sheets.  The ministry announced the amendments made in schedule III of the Companies Act with effect from 1 April'21.  The govt has also asked companies to disclose deposits from any person in the form of cryptocurrency. Auction for commercial coal mining launched  India has launched its 2nd tranche of the auction for commercial coal mining offering 67 coal mines for sale.  This is the highest number of mines on offer in a particular tranche of auction after the commencement of the auction regime since 2014.  Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the auction process on 25 March 2021.  These mines are spread across six states in the country. Finance Minister launches mobile App  Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 25 Mar'21 launched Central Scrutiny Centre and Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority, IEPFA mobile App.  Mobile App aims at achieving the goal of financial literacy, spreading investors’ awareness, education and protection among investors.  The centre will scrutinize Straight Through Process Forms filed by the corporates. Education Minister launches comic books  Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has launched more than one hundred comic books created by teachers and students of CBSE schools and curated by NCERT.  The comics are aligned with topics of NCERT textbooks and have specific storyline and characters.  These comics can be accessed online on DIKSHA web portal and DIKSHA app. NHAI to develop over 600 wayside amenities  The NHAI will develop more than 600 world-class wayside amenities for commuters along national highways in the next five years.  These amenities will be developed every 30-50 km on current and upcoming highways and expressways.  NHAI will develop these wayside amenities in a combined area of over 3000 hectares. Lakshadweep, district Budgam declared TB free  Lakshadweep and Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district are the first in the country to be declared TB-free.  India has 30 per cent of the world's TB cases and gov's highest priority has been accorded to end tuberculosis by 2025.  TB has been made an essential part of Comprehensive Primary Health Care and is now

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|March 2021 integrated with Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres. 'Dekho Apna Pradesh’ campaign launched  The Arunachal Pradesh government on 22 March 2021 launched a campaign to encourage the people of the state to visit tourist places within it.  The campaign is launched to heal the damage caused to the tourism sector by the Covid-19 pandemic.  "Dekho Apna Pradesh" has been conceptualized in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi''s "Dekho Apna Desh" campaign.

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|March 2021 Committees and Recommendations AYUSH Ministry set up interdisciplinary team  The Ministry of AYUSH has set up an interdisciplinary team of experts to explore the potential of Yoga as a productivity-enhancing tool.  The committee is chaired by H. R Nagendra, Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana.  The committee will submit its preliminary recommendations by May 2021.  In the past 5 years, there has been a global surge in the popularity of Yoga. RBI panel to examine applications for banks  The RBI has set up a five-member Standing External Advisory Committee.  It has been set up for the purpose of evaluating applications for Universal Banks as well as Small Finance Banks.  The panel will be headed by former RBI Deputy Governor Shyamala Gopinath and the other members are Revathy Iyer, Director, Central Board, RBI; B Mahapatra, former executive director, RBI, etc. Government to constitute a committee  The central government has decided to constitute a committee for manufacturing in high technology areas.  The 10-member committee will be headed by the Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.  The committee will consider investment or project proposals in high technology areas, take action to facilitate investments, etc. Over 80 medicines under price regulation  National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has brought 80 plus medicines under Price Regulation.  NPPA has fixed the price of 81 medicines including off-patent anti-diabetic drugs allowing due benefits of patent expiry to the patients.  NPPA has decided to regulate the price of these formulations as per provisions of the Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO), 2013. Govt. reconstitutes panel for studying a 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.  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 Cultural Minister Prahlad Singh Patel and will have a panel of 27 members. NGT sets up 12-member Oversight Committee  The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set up a 12-member Oversight Committee.  It will oversee the prevention of unscientific and unregulated mining, restoring the environment, rehabilitating the victims, and handling illegally mined coal in Meghalaya.  The NGT bench is headed by its chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel.  The order came while observing that illegal mining is still continuing.

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|March 2021 Tourism Ministry forms a committee  The Ministry of Tourism has formed a committee of stakeholders for promoting tourism in the north-east region of the country.  The Ministry under its different schemes such as Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD provides financial assistance to the North-East States for the development of tourist infrastructure, promotion of fairs/ festivals, tourism-related events in the region, etc. Odisha govt constitutes high-level task force  The Odisha govt has constituted a high-level task force to manage forest fires with more focus.  The task force headed by a former Principal Chief Conservator of Forest will review the ongoing fire incidents, causes, and containment, etc.  The state forest department has engaged about 1200 persons along with around 300 fire extinguishers and 40 fire fighting vehicles to control the fire. Government constitutes National Committee  The govt has constituted a National Committee headed by PM Narendra Modi to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence.  The committee has 259 members and includes dignitaries and eminent citizens from all walks of life.  It will provide policy direction and guidelines for the formulation of programs for the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence.

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