Tuesday 23 March 2021
GK Update of twenty first and twenty second March 2021 masking the next information headlines: World Water Day, World Happiness Report 2021, International Day of Forests, World Down Syndrome Day, World Poetry Day.
National News
- GoI launched “Gram Ujala Scheme” for Rural Areas
- The authorities of India has launched the “Gram Ujala Scheme” to offer the most cost effective LED bulbs in rural areas. The scheme was launched by the Union energy and new and renewable power minister, Raj Kumar Singh.
- In the primary part, the scheme was launched from Arrah district in Bihar. In this part, round 15 million LED bulbs shall be distributed within the villages of Arrah (Bihar), Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), and western Gujarat.
- The Gram Ujala Scheme is an formidable scheme that gives the world’s least expensive LED bulbs in rural areas. This is the primary such scheme in India. It offers the LED Bulbs in these areas at a mere ₹10.
- This scheme additionally furthers its local weather change technique and strengthen the self-reliance credentials. The scheme doesn’t include the federal government’s help or subsidy.
State News
2. Maharashtra farmers begin recent fruit cake ‘movement’
- Fruit growers in rural Maharashtra have began an revolutionary ‘movement’ to advertise recent fruit muffins as a more healthy choice, as an alternative of the normal bakery-made muffins.
- According to farmers and agrarian specialists, the intention of this ‘spontaneous’ motion is to encourage farmers and their households to extend the consumption of fruits of their food regimen and to discover a new method of promoting their produce in occasions of the pandemic.
- As a part of the motion, farmers, their households and varied organisations of cultivators are encouraging muffins made regionally utilizing fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, grapes, orange, pineapple and banana whereas celebrating particular occasions.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
- Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai.
- Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray.
3. Jharkhand launches ‘SAAMAR’ marketing campaign to battle malnutrition
- The state authorities of Jharkhand has launched a marketing campaign referred to as SAAMAR to sort out malnutrition within the state.
- SAAMAR stands for Strategic Action for Alleviation of Malnutrition and Anemia Reduction. The marketing campaign has been launched with a 1000 days goal, the place annual surveys shall be carried out to trace the progress.
- The marketing campaign will deliver collectively varied departments to establish anaemic girls and malnourished youngsters to successfully take care of the issue in a state the place malnutrition has been a significant drawback.
- Most importantly, the marketing campaign, as per the be aware, additionally tries to focus on Primarily Vulnerable Tribal Groups. Stating that there is no such thing as a research-based info out there on their meals and dietary habits, it encourages analysis and proposes fellowships on the dietary behaviour of those teams for efficient implementation.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Chief Minister of Jharkhand: Hemant Soren; Governor: Shrimati Droupadi Murmu.
4. Bihar turns into the primary state to have its personal ethanol coverage
- Bihar Cabinet has authorised the Ethanol Production Promotion Policy, 2021, changing into the first Indian State to have an ethanol promotion coverage.
- The coverage permits the extraction of ethanol, which was restricted to sugarcane, from surplus portions of maize as effectively. The new coverage would allow ethanol manufacturing in Bihar from all feedstocks permitted by National Policy on Biofuels, 2018, and subsequently by the National Biofuel Coordination Committee
- The Ethanol Production Promotion Policy, 2021, of Bihar promotes new standalone ethanol manufacturing items by offering them extra capital subsidy at 15% of the price of plant and equipment as much as a most of ₹5 crores.
- The new coverage additionally offers a further subsidy for particular class buyers like SCs, STs, EBCs, girls, differently-abled, warfare widows, acid assault victims and third gender entrepreneurs.
- In their case, the capital subsidy shall be 15.75% of the price of plant and equipment as much as a most of Rs. 5.25 crore. The coverage lays important emphasis on issuing licences and clearances in a timebound method for brand new standalone ethanol items.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar; Governor: Phagu Chauhan.
Defence News
5. Indian Navy undertakes train PASSEX with Royal Bahrain Naval Force
- Indian Navy on 18th March undertook Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Bahrain Naval Force Corvette Al Muharraq within the Persian Gulf beneath Operation Sankalp. PASSEXs are carried out usually by the Indian Navy with items of pleasant international navies,
- while visiting one another’s ports or throughout a rendezvous at sea.
- The workouts are geared toward fostering interoperability and reflecting the commitments of each, India and Bahrain, to construct cooperative partnerships in assembly emergent maritime challenges.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- King of Bahrain: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
- Bahrain Capital: Manama.
- Bahrain Currency: Bahraini dinar.
6. Defence Ministry take care of BDL to accumulate 4,690 anti-tank guided missiles
- The Defence Ministry has sealed a take care of the general public sector enterprise Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to accumulate 4,960 MILAN-2T anti-tank guided missiles at a value of ₹ 1,188 crores for the Indian Army.
- The missiles, having a spread of 1,850 metres, are being produced by BDL beneath license from French defence main MBDA Missile Systems. These missiles will be fired from the bottom in addition to vehicle-based launchers and will be deployed within the anti-tank function for each offensive and defensive duties.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Minister of Defence: Raj Nath Singh.
- Bharat Dynamics Limited Founded: 1970, Hyderabad.
- Bharat Dynamics Limited Chairman & MD: Siddharth Mishra.
Ranks and Reports News
7. India ranks 139th in World Happiness Report 2021
- India has been positioned at 139th place out of 149 international locations within the UN World Happiness Report 2021 launched. In 2019, India was ranked a hundred and fortieth. The World Happiness Report 2021 has been topped by Finland, for the fourth consecutive yr.
- The 2021 report is the ninth World Happiness Report and focuses on the results of COVID-19 and the way folks everywhere in the world have fared.
- Finland is adopted by Iceland, Denmark, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Norway, New Zealand and Austria.
- People in Afghanistan (149) are essentially the most sad with their lives, adopted by Zimbabwe (148), Rwanda (147), Botswana (146) and Lesotho (145).
- The World Happiness Report is issued by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, to rank international locations by how completely satisfied their residents understand themselves to be.
- The international locations of the world are ranked on the idea of questions from the Gallup World Poll. The outcomes are then correlated with different elements, like gross home product per particular person, wholesome life expectancy and the opinions of residents.
8. India slips to 56th rank in Global Home Price Index
- India has moved down 13 spots within the newest world residence worth index to complete final at 56th rank within the quarter ending December 2020. Against its forty third rank a yr in the past, India noticed a decline of 3.6% year-on-year (YoY) in residence costs, resulting in the drop in world place, confirmed Knight Frank’s Global House Price Index.
- India was the weakest-performing nation in the course of the fourth quarter of 2020, with a decline of three.6% in residence costs, adopted by Morocco with a drop of three.3%. According to the report, markets like New Zealand (19%), Russia (14%), the US (10%), Canada and UK (each 9%) have recorded accelerated development in rankings within the final three months attributable to a development in housing demand.
Sports News
9. ISSF WC: Yashaswini wins first gold for India
- Yashaswini Deswal bagged the primary gold medal for India within the Women’s 10M Air Pistol ultimate of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun.
- Deswal accrued 238.8 factors to steer in her class. Another Indian shooter Manu Bhaker gained a silver medal with 236.7 factors. World primary shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar clinched the bronze medal in 10m Air Rifle (males’s class) and opened India’s medal account within the competitors.
Important Days
10. World Water Day noticed globally on 22 March
- World Water Day is noticed globally on twenty second March yearly. World Water Day celebrates water and raises consciousness of the 2.2 billion folks dwelling with out entry to secure water. It is about taking motion to sort out the worldwide water disaster.
- A core focus of World Water Day is to help the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
- The theme of World Water Day 2021 is “Valuing water”. The worth of water is far more than its financial worth – water has huge and complicated worth for our households, meals, tradition, well being, schooling, economics and the integrity of our pure surroundings.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.
- The United Nations formally got here into existence on 24 October 1945.
11. International Day of Forests: 21 March
- The International Day of Forests (also called World Forestry Day) is well known yearly on March 21.
- The day is to rejoice to lift consciousness of the significance of all kinds of forests, and timber outdoors forests, for the good thing about present and future generations in addition to to extend the general public consciousness amongst communities concerning the values, significance and contributions of the forests to stability the life cycle on the earth.
- The theme for International Day of Forests 2020 is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”. This yr’s theme suits into the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a name for the safety and revival of ecosystems world wide.
12. World Down Syndrome Day: 21 March
- The World Down Syndrome Day is noticed globally on 21 March annually, to lift public consciousness for the rights, inclusion and effectively being of individuals with Down syndrome.
- This yr, the theme for World Down Syndrome Day is “We Decide.” This day was first noticed within the United Nation within the yr 2012. The twenty first day of March (the third month of the yr) has been chosen to suggest the distinctiveness of the triplication (trisomy) of the twenty first chromosome which causes Down syndrome.
- Down Syndrome is a situation by which the kid is born with an additional twenty first chromosome. It comes within the class of a genetic dysfunction, and it additionally causes developmental disabilities. The little one born with this situation is prone to undergo thyroid or heart-related issues.
13. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is noticed yearly on 21 March to remind folks concerning the unfavourable penalties of racial discrimination.
- This yr theme is “Youth standing up against racism”. It engages the general public by means of #FightRacism, which goals to foster a worldwide tradition of tolerance, equality and anti-discrimination and calls on each certainly one of us to face up towards racial prejudice and illiberal attitudes.
- The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is noticed yearly on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened hearth and killed 69 folks at a peaceable demonstration towards apartheid “pass laws” in 1960.
14. World Poetry Day: 21 March
- World Poetry Day is well known on 21 March yearly to advertise the studying, writing, publishing and instructing of poetry all through the world.
- The Day celebrates certainly one of humanity’s most treasured types of cultural and linguistic expression and id. Practised all through historical past – in each tradition and on each continent – poetry speaks to our widespread humanity and our shared values, remodeling the only of poems into a robust catalyst for dialogue and peace.
- UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day throughout its thirtieth General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the intention of supporting linguistic range by means of poetic expression and rising the chance for endangered languages to be heard.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
- UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.
- UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945.
Obituaries News
15. Former Sebi chairman GV Ramakrishna passes away
- Former Sebi chairman GV Ramakrishna handed away. He was appointed because the chairman of markets regulator Sebi in 1990 when it lacked authorized standing.
- He headed that physique until 1994 after which grew to become the primary chairman of the Disinvestment Commission in 1996.