Current Affairs 22 March 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 22 March 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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Top 20 Current Affairs of 22 March 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

New draft defence procurement Procedure 2020 unveiled, aims to boost indigenization; introduced ‘leasing’ category

On March 20, 2020, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has proposed a new “Draft Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2020” featured promotion of indigenous manufacturing, during a meet in New Delhi. The proposed DPP 2020 will come into effect from 1st April 2020 by replacing DPP 2016 and would remain in force till 31 March 2025. Its draft has been finalized by a high-level committee headed by Apurva Chandra, Director General (DG) Acquisition, Ministry of Defence that was set up in August 2019.

• A total of 47 amendments carried out as part of Business Process Reengineering to draft DPP 2020….Click here to Read More

PM Modi announces to observe “Janata Curfew” from 7 am to 9 pm on March 22, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared ‘Janata Curfew’ or ‘Citizen Curfew’ on Sunday i.e. on March 22, 2020 in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in India. In this regard, Indian Nationals must stay at home from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm on Sunday.
Key Points:
-The reason behind this curfew is to halt the expansion of coronavirus as there is no cure for this. So, in order to remain healthy, avoiding crowds and social distancing is necessary.
-People working in emergency and essential services such as police, medical services, media, home delivery, firefighting and serving the nation etc. are excluded from the Janata Curfew.
-It should be noted that coronavirus has affected more countries than World War I and II.

TRIFED launches ‘Tech For Tribals’ program to bring technology to tribal entrepreneurs

On March 19, 2020, A 30- days long capacity-building program called “Tech for Tribal” has been launched by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED),which works under Ministry of Tribal Affairs in association with IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Roorkee, IIM Indore, Kalinga Institute of Social Science, Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) and SRIJAN, Jaipur (Rajasthan)  to provide entrepreneurship skills to the tribal people.
Key Points:
i.More than 3 lakhs Tribal people will be benefitted by this program that comprising 120 sessions.
ii.The program has been supported by the Ministry of MSME & it will be linked with Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK).It has established 1,200 VDVK & One VDVK consists of 15 Self Help Groups (SHG), 20 Tribal gatherers. The person who enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) can participate and they will get to know how to market their products through all available distribution channels.

About Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY): Launched in 2018, it aims to boost tribal producer companies. TRIFED is the nodal agency implementing the scheme.
About Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED):
Headquarters– New Delhi
About Ministry of Tribal Affairs:
Headquarters- New Delhi
Union minister– Arjun Munda

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India Ranks 144th, Finland tops: UN’s World Happiness Report 2020

On March 21, 2020 the United Nations (UN) released the 8th World Happiness Report 2020 to measure the happiness of people of 156 countries where India(3.573) ranks in 144th position &  Finland(7.809) tops the 3rd time.
Key Points:
i.The survey ranks the countries using Gallup World Poll, GDP levels, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom &  corruption income.
ii.This year’s report mainly focuses on happiness in the environment especially in social, urban, rural &  natural areas and also links happiness & sustainable development….Click here to Read More

BANKING & FINANCE

Star health unveils ‘Star novel coronavirus policy’ for corona victims

On March 20, 2020, Star Health and Allied Insurance Co Ltd, a company specializes in providing health insurance at low-cost rates to its customers, has launched ‘Star Novel Coronavirus Insurance Policy’ that provides coverage for hospitalized patients who test positive for the current pandemic COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus).
Key Points:
i.The company has set a premium of Rs 459 plus GST(Goods and Services Tax) for a sum insured of Rs. 21,000 and a premium of Rs 918 plus GST for a sum insured of Rs 42,000.
ii.Anyone aged 18-65 years can avail this policy online at www.starhealth.in or through the company’s network of insurance agents.
However, this coverage does not apply to those who have traveled overseas.
iii.No prior medical examinations are required for this policy & the company also confirmed that all regular health policies will cover Covid19 treatment.
About Star Health and Allied Insurance Co Ltd:
Headquarters– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Managing Director(MD)- Anand Roy

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Crisil lowers FY21 growth to 5.2% from 5.7%

On March 19, 2020, Crisil downgraded India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for FY 2021 to 5.2% from 5.7% due to the coronavirus pandemic.

• Also, it is spreading rapidly in India causing adverse effects on domestic consumption, investment, and production and slowing the financial markets.
• As per Crisil, if the COVID 19 if not tackled by April-June 2020 globally then it may lead to a severe slowdown

About Crisil:
Former Name– Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited
Establishment– 1987
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman– John Berisford

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath resigns

On March 20, 2020, Madhya Pradesh (MP) Chief Minister (CM) Kamal Nath submitted his resignation letter to MP Governor Lalji Tandon at Raj Bhawan, Bhopal, MP, ahead of the scheduled floor test ordered by the Supreme Court (SC) in the State Assembly.
Key Points:
i.The Governor accepted the resignation of INC (Indian National Congress) Government led by Kamal Nath.
ii.Kamal Nath will continue as the caretaker of the state till the new CM takes charge.
iii.After the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia and his associated 22 MLA’s (Member of Legislative Assembly) from Congress party. Kamal Nath was unable to prove the majority.
iv.The Legislative Assembly of MP has 230 MLAs, of which 24 seats are vacant. A majority of House of 206 MLAs will require the support of 104 MLAs.
v.About MP State assembly: The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has 107 MLAs, and the Congress 92. The Congress has the support of the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and Independent MLAs, which totals up to 99.
About Madhya Pradesh (MP):
Capital- Bhopal
State Tree- Banyan tree
State Fruit- Mango

IRDAI sets up 16-member panel on governance at insurers headed by Pravin Kutumbe

On March 20, 2020, Insurance Regulation and Development Authority (IRDAI) instituted a 16-member committee headed by Pravin Kutumbe to further strengthen its guidelines on corporate governance & will find ways to improve key functions such as risk management and internal audits independent of each other. The committee consists of a head, six members from the insurance regulator besides members from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) along with other industry participants. The committee has to submit report to IRDAI in three months.
About IRDAI
Establishment– 1999
Chairman– Subhash C. Khuntia
Headquarters- Hyderabad, Telangana

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA’s CNEOS detects 4 asteroids approaching the earth

On March 20, 2020 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) identifies 4 asteroids namely, 2020 FK, 2020 FS, 2020 DP4 & 2020 FF1 approaching the earth which follows Earth-intersecting orbits.
Key Points:
i.The 2020 FK asteroid is the smallest of the four, with a diameter of 43 feet
ii.The 2020 DP4 asteroid is the largest of the four, and is large enough to hit nearly 12 limousines with a diameter of 180 feet
iii.The 2020 FF1 asteroid is 48 feet in diameter.
iv.The 2020 FS asteroid is 56 feet in diameter.
About NASA:
Headquarters– Washington, United States
Administrator– James Frederick “Jim” Bridenstine

ENVIRONMENT

UK scientists discover fossil of the world’s oldest known modern bird, call it ‘Wonderchicken’

On March 18, 2020, Scientists at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom (UK) have discovered a fossil of the world’s oldest known modern bird skull dating to about 66.8m – 66.7m years ago- means the birds lived alongside dinosaurs for around a million years before the latter died out.
Scientists dubbed the creature as ‘Wonderchicken‘, which is thought to be a common ancestor of modern chickens and ducks.
Key Points:
i.Scientists found the fossil in the Romontbos Quarry near fort Eben-Emael in Liège, on the Belgium-Netherlands border.
ii.CT (computed tomography) scanning the fossil helped the scientists discover that the Wonderchicken was a small-bodied, likely ground-dwelling bird which fed along land near the seashore.
iii.The scientific name of the bird is Asteriornis maastrichtensis, a reference to the place,where it was found & in recognition of the ancient Greek goddess of falling stars, Asteria.
iv.The findings were published in the journal Nature & lead author of the study was Dr. Daniel Field from Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences.

Fins of prehistoric fish “Elpistostege watsoni” revealed origins of the human hand

A study led by paleontologist Richard Cloutier of Universite du Quebec a Rimouski in Canada has revealed the origins of the human hand after examining the 380-million-year-old complete fossil of an ancient fish called Elpistostege watsoni which had finger bones in its front fins. The team has examined the specimen using the high-energy computed tomography. The study is published in the journal Nature.

• This marks the first time such traits have been found in a fish rather than in the earliest amphibians – the first land vertebrates – that later evolved from fish with sturdy fins like Elpistostege. It had two explicit digits and three other apparent digits.
• As per the study, the human hands originated from the fins of this 5.1-foot-long (1.6 meters) fish because the fossil has revealed the presence of a humerus (arm), radius and ulna (forearm), rows of the carpus (wrist) and phalanges organized in digits (fingers).
• The fossil has been discovered in Miguasha National Park in Quebec, Canada.

OBITUARY

Country music icon & 3 times grammy winner Kenny Rogers passed away at 81

On March 20, 2020 Kenneth Ray Rogers, longtime star of country music, passed away at the age of 81 in Colbert, Georgia, US (United States). He was born on August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas, US.
Key Points:
i.About Kenny Rogers: He was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, for his “distinctive & husky voice”.
ii.Awards: Kenneth Rogers was a six-times Country Music Awards (CMA) winner and 3 times Grammy award winner.
iii.He is well-known for his hits like ‘Lady’, ‘The Gambler’, ‘Islands in the Stream’, ‘Lucile’, ‘She Believes in Me’ and ‘Through the years’ and has 24 number-one hits, throughout his career.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Poetry Day 2020: March 21

On March 21, 2020, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) observes World Poetry Day to encourage people to read, write, teach, publish poetry & also to recognize poetry’s unique ability which captures the creative spirit of the human mind.It is observed every year on March 21.

Key Points
i.It aims to support linguistic diversity by poetic expression & increase the chance for endangered languages to be heard.
ii.This occasion encourages interaction between poetry & other arts like drama, dance, music and painting & also enhances the visibility of poetry in the media.
iii.This day was designated by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in its 30th General Conference held at Paris, 1999.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2020: March 21

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21 to raise awareness about the negative consequences of racial discrimination declared by the UN.
Key Points:
i.The day remembers the Sharpeville massacre on 21^st March 1960, which involved killing of 69 people by police, at a peaceful demonstration against the Apartheid regime (a regime which embraced racial discrimination) in Sharpeville, South Africa.
ii.The UN (United Nations) General Assembly proclaimed the day as a UN Day of observance in 1966.
iii.The year marks the midterm review of the “International Decade for People of African Descent” (2015 to 2024), undertaken by the Human Rights Council in Geneva as part of its 43^rd session with the theme “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development.”

International Day of Forests 2020: March 21

The International Day of Forests (IDF) is observed annually on March 21 to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests.
Theme of the year 2020: “Forests and Biodiversity”.
Key Points:
i.The UN (United Nations) General Assembly proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012 and the day has been observed since 2013.
ii.The IDF was organized by the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in association with Governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organizations in the field.
iii.On this day, the countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities such as tree planting campaigns, symposiums, wildlife education.

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) observed on March 21, 2020

On March 21, 2020, World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) has been observed based on the theme ‘We Decide’ by the UN.The day aims to raise awareness and provide support to the patients suffering from Down syndrome, a congenital disorder caused by having an extra 21^st chromosome.

Key Points:
i.The theme for this year has been inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) that supports better participation as a core human right.
ii.The day was first recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 1, 2007 then from 2012 onwards, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day by passing the resolution A/RES/66/149.
iii.The day is observed on the 21^st day of the 3^rd month as it signifies the speciality of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21^st chromosome which causes Down syndrome, which causes several changes in the person including developmental changes, physical features.
iv.As per the UN, the estimated incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births in the whole world. About 3,000 to 5,000 children are born with this disorder every year.

World puppetry day celebrated on March 21, 2020

On March 21, 2020, World Puppetry Day has been celebrated across the world with the aim to raise interest and encourage the kids and youngsters towards the comic-art-entertainment form.
i.The idea of ​​celebrating this day came in the mind of its founder, Iran’s puppet theater Artist Javad Zolfaghari and he conceived the idea at the 18^th  Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA) conference in Magdeburg, Germany in 2000 which was accepted in 2002 with pleasure and it has been celebrated every year since 2003.
About Puppetry:
It is a form of theatre/performance that involves the manipulation of puppets–inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer.

International Day of Nowruz 2020: March 21

The International Day of Nowruz was celebrated on March 21, 2020. The word Nowruz (new day)  is the name of the Iranian new year or Persian new year which is celebrated worldwide by various ethnolinguistic groups. The UN (United Nations) general assembly recognized March 21 as International Day of Nowruz in 2010.
Key Points:
i.Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox, and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern hemisphere and it marks the first day of the first month (Farvardin) of the Iranian and Afghanistan calendars.
ii.The Nowraz festival has also roots in Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic religion which originated in ancient Iran.

STATE NEWS

Jammu & Kashmir administrative council to implement the dairy cooperative scheme 

On March 20, 2020 Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) administrative council approved the implementation of the Dairy cooperative scheme for dairy cooperative society with the support & sponsorship of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). The administrative council is headed by Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu.
Key Points:
i.The scheme aims to increase the milk production in J&K by empowering dairy cooperatives with easy financial support for production, processing, marketing & crate infrastructure for milk processing.
ii.The government will provide 50% of the loan & 20% of the share capital to the beneficiaries of cooperative societies and 25% of subsidy & owners contribution will be 5%.
iii.It will facilitate the establishment of integrated dairy programs with the provision for technical inputs for farmer’s organizations, mobile veterinary care & artificial insemination.
iv.Apex level monitoring committee is also established for smooth implementation of the scheme, the committee is headed by the Registrar Cooperative Societies J&K.
About NCDC:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Ministry– Ministry Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

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