APRIL 2021 CONTENTS COVER STORY - India – China dispute – Why does the Kailash Range matter? 1. ECONOMY 1.1 RBI says banks reluctant to lend to big business 1.2 Rising polymer raw material prices hit MSME plastic units 1.3 Inflation target 1.4 Delhi’s per capita income dips by 5.9% 1.5 Govt. asks refiners to diversify oil imports after OPEC+ move 1.6 MSME Credit Health Index 1.7 PLI Scheme for Telecom Sector 1.8 Stock of Government Share Sales 1.9 Retail Inflation 1.10 No back-door pact for defaulting promoters 1.11 Development Finance Institution (DFI) 1.12 Compendium on Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers 1.13 Inflation Targeting 1.14 What is Demand for Grants? 1.15 RBI panel to screen new bank licences 2. INDIA AND WORLD 2.1 India and Japan back in new Sri Lanka port project 2.2 Delhi reaches out to Dhaka for ties beyond ‘strategic partnership’ 2.3 China gives green light for first downstream dams on Brahmaputra 2.4 ‘Trust deficit’ hampering seamless movement of goods between India, Bangladesh: World Bank 2.5 Push for Chabahar Port in INSTC Corridor IAS GOOGLE – MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOKLET 1 APRIL 2021 2.6 Exercise Dustlik-2 2.7 Vaccine Passports 2.8 King Bhumibol World Soil Day 2020 Award 2.9 India’s second biggest oil supplier is US 2.10 Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS) 2.11 US India Artificial Intelligence (USIAI) Initiative 2.12 Indian OMCs planning to cut oil imports from Saudi Arabia 2.13 Mizoram’s bond with people fleeing Myanmar 2.14 Pabbi Anti-terror 2021 2.15 India slams Oxfam Inequality Index 2.16 India has world’s fourth strongest armed forces 2.17 India-US to re-establish Homeland Security Dialogue 2.18 UN Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) 2.19 India’s stand on Sri Lanka at United Nations 2.20 First Training Squadron’s (1TS) Overseas Deployment 2.21 Indo-Korean Friendship Park 2.22 Exercise Desert Flag 2.23 Permanent Indus Commission 3. INTERNATIONAL 3.1 Why scientists want ‘Australia’s worst female serial killer’ to be pardoned based on genetics 3.2 Russia kept India out, US brings Delhi to talk stable for Afghan peace plan 3.3 Uighur Muslims 3.4 France launched First Military Exercise in Space 3.5 India’s arms imports down by 33%: SIPRI Report 3.6 Dead Sea 3.7 United Kingdom’s Turing Scheme 3.8 Border Dispute between Kenya and Somalia 3.9 Global Wage Report 2020-21 3.10 China-Taiwan Clash on Pineapple IAS GOOGLE – MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOKLET 2 APRIL 2021 3.11 Sanctions on China over Uighurs 3.12 Suez Canal blocked by traffic jam 3.13 World Development Report 2021 4. NATIONAL 4.1 PM calls for water conservation drive 4.2 The third edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav begins with great enthusiasm at Murshidabad 4.3 Engineering research policy launched 4.4 Field trials for Census-NPR to begin soon 4.5 OTT platforms will not have to register: Centre 4.6 Content needs to be checked, says SC 4.7 IISc in top 100 list in natural sciences category 4.8 Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. 4.9 What the new rule on airbags means for passengers and carmakers 4.10 Delhi HC seeks response on petition against new IT Rules 4.11 Rights of the Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) 4.12 CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award 4.13 Janaushadhi Diwas 4.14 INS Karanj 4.15 Bamiyan Buddhas 4.16 Inner-Line Permit (ILP) in Niti and Nelang Valleys 4.17 Amendment to Licensing Conditions for Telecom Sector 4.18 India’s Biggest Floating Solar Power Plant 4.19 INS Talwar 4.20 Atmanirbhar Niveshak Mitra Portal 4.21 Ayya Vaikunda Swamikal 4.22 Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav 4.23 Bhadar Dam 4.24 Development of Rakhigarhi IAS GOOGLE – MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOKLET 3 APRIL 2021 4.25 Baralacha La Pass 4.26 The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2021 4.27 MILAN Anti-Tank Guided Missiles 4.28 Anangpal Tomar II 4.29 Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility (LCU) L58 4.30 Vehicle Scrapping Policy 4.31 Stone from Sita Eliya 4.32 Importance of Jaapi, Xorai and Gamosa in Assam 4.33 CPWD to Lay Three Roads on the China Border in Ladakh 4.34 Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 4.35 Khelo India Scheme 4.36 Gandhi Peace Prize 4.37 Operation Thiruvallur 4.38 Ken-Betwa Link Project 4.39 PRANIT: E-Tendering Portal 4.40 Appointment of Chief Justice of India 4.41 National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill 2021 4.42 Ad-Hoc Judges in High Court 5. POLITICAL ISSUES, HUMAN RIGHTS AND GOVERNANCE 5.1 MoRTH releases Rating mechanism for National Highways 5.2 U.S. thinktank report classifies India as ‘partly free’ 5.3 Proactive tracking will ‘make suspects out of people’: Petitioner of 66A SC judgment 5.4 GoM suggests steps to stem ‘negative narrative’ 5.5 Industry: Haryana quota law will slow recovery, cut jobs, bring inspector raj 5.6 SC seeks States’ views on 50% cap on quota 5.7 ‘Only half of govt. schools, anganwadis have tap water’ 5.8 V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 5.9 Mera Ration Mobile App 5.10 Serving Bureaucrats cannot be State Election Commissioners: Supreme Court 5.11 Privilege Motion IAS GOOGLE – MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOKLET 4 APRIL 2021 5.12 Centre vs State in Delhi 5.13 National Ayush Mission (NAM) 5.14 Orunodoi Scheme 5.15 Mullaperiyar Dam Issue 5.16 Development of Nomadic Tribes 5.17 GRAM UJALA Programme 5.18 Lokayukta 5.19 Jal Shakti Abhiyaan-Catch the Rain (JSA-CTR) 5.20 Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021 5.21 Mission Gramodaya 5.22 SAAMAR Campaign 5.23 Right to Counsel in Custody 5.24 Borphukan 5.25 National Aquifer Mapping and Management program (NAQUIM) 5.26 Election Commission’s new rules for polling agents 6. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 6.1 ISRO puts Brazil’s Amazonia-1, 18 other satellites into orbit 6.2 CSIR lab helped develop key molecule for Covaxin 6.3 Chinese cyber attack foiled: Power Ministry 6.4 Interconnected sectors raise need for robust cyber defence strategy 6.5 14 Trojans found in servers, says Minister 6.6 Will handle national security projects: ISRO 6.7 Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Technology 6.8 Equine Herpes Virus Outbreak in Europe 6.9 Most Distant Quasar P172+18 6.10 Novel Coronavirus and its Key Variants 6.11 Mapping Genomes in the Indian Ocean 6.12 Mobile Integrated Network Terminal (MINT) 6.13 Asteroid 2001 FO32 6.14 Diatom Test IAS GOOGLE – MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOKLET 5 APRIL 2021 6.15 Stop TB Partnership Board 6.16 Refrigeration System Pusa-FSF 6.17 International Pulsar Timing Array 6.18 Superbug Candida Auris 6.19 Parosmia: Odor distortion associated with COVID-19 6.20 Cats & Dogs infected by UK Variant of Coronavirus 6.21 NISAR: Earth-Observing mission of NASA and ISRO 6.22 Double Mutant Covid-19 Variant 6.23 Asteroid Apophis 7. SOCIAL ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENT 7.1 Rural engg. colleges to lose 1,200 teachers 7.2 Phase 2 of Swachh Bharat Mission to focus on waste segregation at source 7.3 Closure of schools due to Covid impacted 247 mn children in India: UNICEF 7.4 Ease of Living Index 2020 and Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020 7.5 All-women crew of MT Swarna Krishna makes history 7.6 Cyber volunteer programme rolled out, MHA informs LS 7.7 Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN) 7.8 Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary 7.9 Transgenders to National Cadet Corps (NCC) 7.10 VISHWAS Project 7.11 National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) 8. ENVIRONMENT 8.1 IIT-Delhi researchers develop technology to recycle e-waste 8.2 Himalayan serow spotted in Assam 8.3 Similipal Biosphere Reserve. 8.4 Whale Shark 8.5 Palamau Tiger Reserve 8.6 Sangay Volcano 8.7 Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant – Human Attacks using Bees) 8.8 Supreme Court bats for Great Indian Bustard IAS GOOGLE – MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOKLET 6 APRIL 2021 8.9 National Non-Ferrous Metal Scrap Recycling Framework, 2020 8.10 World Air Quality Report 2020 8.11 Seabuckthorn Plantations in Himachal Pradesh 8.12 Gregarious Bamboo Flowering in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) 8.13 Applications to predict Weather Phenomena 8.14 India prepares to welcome cheetahs from Africa 8.15 Eagle Shark 8.16 World Water Day 8.17 Failure of first inter-state tiger relocation project 8.18 National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) 8.19 African Elephant IAS GOOGLE – MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOKLET 7 APRIL 2021 INDIA – CHINA DISPUTE – WHY DOES THE KAILASH RANGE MATTER? It was in early October 1962 that Chairman Mao Zedong decided to launch a large- scale invasion to severely punish India. While the main offensive was to be in the Eastern Sector, coordinated operations in the Western Sector were to be undertaken to capture areas up to the 1960 Claim Line in eastern Ladakh, which entailed elimination of 43 Indian posts.Gaining control over entire Aksai Chin was essential to guarantee security of the Western Highway, linking Kashgarh in Xinjiang to Lhasa in Tibet. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) offensive began on 20 October 1962, simultaneously in the Eastern and Western Sectors. The operations in Aksai Chin were executed in two phases.