IBS Quest << 1 >> | IBS QUEST | APRIL, 2021 IBS Quest CONTENTS 1. National News .............................................. 3 2. International News ...................................... 8 3. Important Dates and Events ...................... 16 4. Sports News ............................................... 19 5. Awards & Recognitions ............................. 22 6. Defence News ............................................. 25 7. Science & Technology ............................... 30 8. Government Initiatives .............................. 35 9. Ranking ..................................................... 40 10. States News ............................................... 45 11. Important MCQ for Competitive Exams ...... 50 << 2 >> | IBS QUEST | APRIL, 2021 IBS Quest CURRENT AFFAIRS MARCH 2021 NATIONAL NEWS JEWAR AIRPORT TO BE THE ASIA’S INTENSIFIED MISSION INDRADHANUSH 3.0 BIGGEST AIRPORT- LAUNCHED- Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government plans to develop Jewar Airport as Asia’s biggest airport with six runways. The state government has to set aside 2,000 crore rupees for Jewar Airport in its budget for 2021-22 presented in the Assembly. The under-construction airport in Ayodhya will be named as Maryada Purushottam Sriram Airport. Ayodhya airport will also be subsequently made an international airport. Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0 was Uttar Pradesh conducted in two rounds from February 22 and Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath March 22 across 250 districts/urban areas Governor: Anandiben Patel identified in 29 States/Union Territories. Capital: Lucknow. IMI 3.0 is an initiative by the government to provide immunization free of cost to pregnant TOURISM MINISTER TO INAUGURATE women and children in India. INCREDIBLE INDIA MEGA HOMESTAY The scheme this seeks to drive towards 90% full DEVELOPMENT- immunisation coverage of India and sustain the Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel same by year 2020. will inaugurate the three-day Incredible India Mission Indradhanush Mega Homestay Development and Training Launch Year: 2014 Workshop in Darjeeling. Launched by (Prime Minister): Narendra Modi A total of 450 homestay owners will be trained in Ministry: Ministry of health and Family Welfare, the workshop where IIAS School of Management Government of India will train them free of cost in different spheres of Hospitality. NATIONAL URBAN DIGITAL MISSION The aim of this robust hospitality training LAUNCHED BY CENTRE- workshop is to upgrade the hospitality skills of Union Housing and Urban Affairs local community stakeholders by capacity Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of building. Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the National Urban Digital << 3 >> | IBS QUEST | APRIL, 2021 IBS Quest Mission (NUDM) at a virtual event, to create a The aim is to transform the iconic heritage, digital infrastructure for cities in India. spiritual and cultural places as ‘Swachh Tourist The NUDM has been launched jointly by Destinations’ in India. the Ministry of Housing and Urban To achieve a distinctly higher level of Affairs along with the Ministry of Electronics Sanitation/Cleanliness at these places. and Information Technology. 1. Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra The mission aims to put in place a “citizen- 2. Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh centric” and “ecosystem-driven” approach to 3. Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan ‘urban governance and service delivery in cities 4. Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan by 2022, and across all cities and towns by 2024. 5. Ramdevra, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan The mission has three pillars – people, process, 6. Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, Telangana and platform. 7. Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha 8. Rock Garden, Chandigarh DAL LAKE, AGRA FORT, AJANTA CAVES 9. Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir AMONG 12 ICONIC SITES UNDER ‘SWACHH 10. Banke Bihari Temple, Mathura, Uttar TOURIST DESTINATIONS’. Pradesh 12 iconic sites under Phase IV of Swachh Iconic 11. Agra Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh Places (SIP) were announced. 12. Kalighat Temple, West Bengal The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti in association LPG TO BE TRANSPORTED THROUGH with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs INLAND WATERWAYS! IWAI SIGNS MOU (MoHUA), Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of WITH WORLD’S LARGEST GAS CARRIER Culture and the concerned State/UT governments COMPANY, MOL- gave the update. Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) It is an initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission For transportation of Liquified Natural Gas (LPG) Grameen (SBM-G). through barges on National Waterways-1 and National Waterways-2, an MoU has been signed << 4 >> | IBS QUEST | APRIL, 2021 IBS Quest between Inland Waterways Authority of India This new platform will continue to live telecast (IWAI) and MOL (Asia Oceania) Pte. Ltd. the house proceedings, pack news and the current According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and affairs programme in Hindi as well as in English Waterways, IWAI offered support for handling of languages. LPG cargo on IWAI and multimodal terminals at Sahibganj, Haldia as well as Varanasi as per notified provisions and rates on MOL’s request, facilitating with adequate fairway, and providing information on Lease Available Depth (LAD) on monthly/fortnightly basis. Inland Waterways Authority of India Founded: 27 October 1986 Sector: Inland navigation Headquarters: Noida The Rajya Sabha TV establishment is run from Agency executive: Jalaj Shrivastava the rented public property near the Talkatora (Chairperson) stadium. Now this establishment is merged with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines the infrastructure of Lok Sabha TV in order to CEO: Junichiro Ikeda (23 Jun 2015–) create a new entity. Headquarters: Minato City, Tokyo, Japan Founded: 1884 The former textiles secretary, Ravi Kapoor, has been appointed as the CEO of the Sansad Tv on a INDIA BEGAN PHASE-2 OF THE contract basis for a period of one year. VACCINATION DRIVE- The proposal for the merger of two entities was India began its nationwide second phase of put forward in 2019 by an expert committee vaccination drive on March 1, 2021. headed by Prasar Bharati CEO Surya Prakash. This drive covered the senior citizens and those above 45 years of age with co-morbidities. The MOBILE TRAIN RADIO COMMUNICATION registrations were opened at www.cowin.gov.in (MTRC) SYSTEM COMMISSIONED IN WESTERN RAILWAY TRAINS; FIRST TIME IN The second phase of the vaccination drive will be INDIAN RAILWAYS- undertaken at over 20,000 private and 10,000 General Manager, Western Railway, Shri Alok government vaccination centers. Kansal inaugurated the newly commissioned Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) LOK SABHA TV AND RAJYA SABHA TV system at Divisional Railway Manager's Office in MERGED INTO “SANSAD TV”- Mumbai on 1st March, 2021. The Parliament of India have merged two of the The Mobile Train Radio Communication TV channels namely, Lok Sabha TV and Rajya system is an effective and a technologically Sabha TV into an integrated channel “Sansad advanced communication system which can play TV”. << 5 >> | IBS QUEST | APRIL, 2021 IBS Quest an intrinsic role in preventing train accidents and enable policyholders to track the status of their reducing delays through effective communication. complaints online. Further, the ombudsman may It facilitates an instant and constant interaction of use videoconferencing for hearings train crew with the Control Centre and the Station Insurance Regulatory and Development Master. Authority Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) Founded: 1999 MRTC acts in a similar way to that of Air Sector: Insurance traffic control (ARC) for aircrafts. Headquarters: Hyderabad The system will monitor, track and aid in Type: Statutory corporation communication between the trains and the Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia control room thereby ensuring smooth movement of rakes as well as help in INDIA'S 75TH INDEPENDENCE DAY: CENTRE preventing adverse events. FORMS 259-MEMBER COMMITTEE HEADED Indian Railways BY PM MODI- Founded: 16 April 1853, India Headquarters: New Delhi INSURANCE OMBUDSMAN RULES AMENDED FOR BETTER POLICYHOLDER COMPLAINT RESOLUTION- The government on 2nd March notified comprehensive amendments to the Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017, to improve the working of the insurance ombudsman mechanism and to facilitate the resolution of complaints regarding The Centre has formed a 259-member committee deficiencies in insurance services in a timely, headed by PM Narendra Modi to commemorate cost-effective and impartial manner. India’s 75th Independence Day. It has also renamed the Executive Council of The first meeting of the committee took place on Insurers, which administers the ombudsman March 8. mechanism, as the Council for Insurance The committee provided policy direction and Ombudsmen. guidelines for the formulation of programmes for Insurance brokers have been brought within the the commemoration of the 75th anniversary at the ambit of the ombudsman mechanism national and international levels. Under the amended rules, the timeliness and cost- The government planned to launch celebrations effectiveness of the mechanism have been 75 weeks prior to August 15, 2022, on March 12, substantially strengthened. 2021, which is the 91st anniversary of the historic Policyholders will now be enabled for making Salt Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi. complaints electronically to the ombudsman and a The members of the panel include former complaints management system will be created to president Pratibha Patil, Chief Justice of India <<