Current Affairs 5 March 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 5 March 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 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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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Released Report of ICMR-AIIMS & DGHS-PGIMER’s Pictorial Guidebook on ‘Prevent Hearing Loss’On 3rd March 2021, as a part of the World Hearing Day, Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, released the the report related to hearing loss prepared by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) ICMR-AIIMS. 
He also released the Pictorial guidebook on ‘Prevent Hearing Loss’ prepared by Directorate General of Health Services(DGHS)- Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research(PGIMER).
Key People:
Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFA); Mangal Pandey, Health Minister, Bihar, Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, MoHFW, Dr. Kanwar Sen, Additional DGHS, Dr. Alok Thakkar, HOD (ENT) AIIMS and Dr Arun Kumar Agarwal, former Dean Maulana Azad Medical College were present at the event.
Inauguration of 6 Outreach Service Centres for Communication Disorders:
As a part of the 2021 world hearing Day, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan virtually inaugurated the six new Outreach Service Centres for Communication Disorders by the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru, Karnataka.
The centres have been set up in Bihar (1), Odisha (1), and Karnataka (4).

• Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science, Patna, Bihar
• Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences, Bidar, Karnataka
• Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences, Belagavi, Karnataka
• Karnataka Institute of Medical Science, Hubli, Karnataka
• AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
• Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Kolar, Karnataka

Aim of the centers:
To reach out to the underserved and unserved areas in India and provide the needs of the people with communication disorders.
About All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH):
Director– M. Pushpavathi
Headquarters– Mysuru, Karnataka

2nd edition of Global Bio-India 2021 held Virtually; Inaugurated by Dr Harsh Vardhani.A 3-day long 2nd edition of Global Bio-India 2021 was held virtually from New Delhi on March 1-3, 2021 which was inaugurated by Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Ministry of Science & Technology. The theme of the event was ‘Transforming lives’ with the tag line ‘Biosciences to Bio-economy’.
ii.Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance addressed the inaugural session as a special guest.
iii.Country Partners: Switzerland and The Netherlands State Partners: Karnataka and Odisha.
iv.It is being co-organized by the Department of Biotechnology(DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India along with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) and Invest India.
About Department of Biotechnology (DBT):
Secretary– Dr. Renu Swarup
Headquarter– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Cabinet Approvals on March 3, 2021On March 3, 2021, The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi approved the following Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs).

• MoU between India & France in the field of Renewable Energy cooperation
• MoU between India & Fiji for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors.

Cabinet Approval for MoU between India & France
In January 2021, India & French Republic signed an MoU in the field of Renewable Energy cooperation.
Objective

•  To establish a platform for promotion of bilateral cooperation in the field of new and renewable energy on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity. It covers renewable energy technologies relating to Solar, Wind, Hydrogen & Biomass energy.

Cabinet Approval for MoU between India & Fiji
The Union Cabinet also approved the signing of a MoU between the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, India & Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Fiji for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors.

• The MoU will come into effect on the data of its signing and the time period of the agreement is 5 years.
• A Joint Working Group (JWG) is to be constituted for laying down procedures & plans for achieving the aims through Executing agencies of the two countries.
• JWG will hold meetings alternately in India & Fiji once in every 2 years.

About France
President –  Emmanuel Macron
Capital – Paris
Currency – Euro,CFP franc

About Fiji
Prime Minister – Frank Bainimarama
Capital – Suva
Currency – Fijian Dollar (FJD)

<<Read Full News>>

India to fund NPR 246 Million for Restoration of 3 Cultural Heritage Projects in NepalA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) & Contract Agreement for restoration of 3 more Cultural heritage sites in Nepal were signed between India & Nepal. India will fund NPR 246 Million (~ INR 15.498 Crore) under the Government of India reconstruction grant for the 3 Restoration Projects, the projects are

Key Points

• All 3 Buildings were damaged during the 2015 earthquake.
• India is undertaking reconstruction of 28 cultural sector projects at a cost of USD 50 Million (NPR 5800 Million) under the Indian reconstruction grant of which 6 contracts have already been awarded & reconstructed.

About Nepal:
President – Bidya Devi Bhandari
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency – Nepalese Rupee (NPR)
<<Read Full News>>

India to replace TEQIP with MERITE project to improve Technical EducationThe Government of India is planning to replace the World Bank Assisted ‘Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP)’ with a new programme called ‘Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education (MERITE)’ project for improving the Technical Education system in India.

• The TEQIP programme is slated to come to an end by March, 2021.

TEQIP Programme
It is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Department (now Ministry of Education), Government of India assisted by the World Bank. It was launched in December 2002 to improve the quality of education in the technical institutions of India.

• Funding for TEQIP is from the International Development Association (IDA) – World Bank’s concessionary lending arm.

MERITE Project

• Similar to TEQIP, MERITE Project also aims to improve technical education in India.
• It is still in conceptual stage & has not yet received Cabinet approval.
• It will be implemented in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommendations.

About World Bank:
World Bank Group consists of 5 Organizations (5 Institutions, One Group).

• They are International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) & International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
• IBRD & IDA together make up the World Bank.

<<Read Full News>>

PM  Modi  inaugurated Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at IIT Kharagpur 

Prime Minister(PM) Shri Narendra Modi has addressed the 66th Convocation of IIT Kharagpur through a video conference and also inaugurated Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at IIT Kharagpur

• Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research is a super specialty hospital that has been set up by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur with support from the Minister of Education.

India’s first dolphin research centre to start soon in Patna

India’s and Asia’s first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come up on the bank of the Ganges in the premises of Patna University in Bihar. 50% of the world’s river dolphin population are in Bihar, Dolphin a highly endangered species under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and declared the National Aquatic Animal in 2009.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India signs Pact with Philippines for Sale of Defence Equipmenti.On March 2, 2021, Philippines has signed a implementing arrangement for ‘procurement of defence material and equipment’ with India during a pact’s signing ceremony at the Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
ii.The agreement involves the procurement of defence equipment by the Philippines from India.
iii.It was signed by India’s Ambassador to the Philippines Shambu S. Kumaran and Philippines Defence Undersecretary Raymundo Elefante in the presence of Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
About Phillipines:
Capital– Manila
Currency– Philippine peso
<<Read Full News>>

UNGA adopts India’s Resolution to mark 2023 as ‘International Year of Millets’On March 3, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution sponsored by India to mark 2023 as ‘International Year of Millets’. The resolution was initiated by India along with Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia & Senegal.

• The resolution titled ‘International Year of Millets 2023’ was supported by over 70 nations.
• Objective – To raise awareness about health benefits of the grain & suitability for cultivation under changing climatic conditions.
• Implementing Agency – The resolution called for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to implement the International Year of Millets in 2023.

Benefits of International Year of Millets

• The adoption of resolution will invite enhanced investments in Research and development & extension services related to millets.
• It is also expected to create awareness about millet production which will contribute to Food security, nutrition, ensure livelihoods & incomes of farmers, poverty eradication.
• It will help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in regions which are drought prone or threatened by climate change.
• It will promote millets as one of main components of the food basket.

Fact 
India celebrated 2018 as the National Year of Millets
About United Nations General Assembly (UNGA):
President – Volkan Bozkir
Headquarters – New York, USA
<<Read Full News>>

IAF to participate in Multinational Air Exercise ‘Desert Flag VI’ in UAE for the 1st timeFor the First Time, Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in the Annual Multinational Large force employment warfare exercise ‘Desert Flag VI’ held at the Al-Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.  The exercise is hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force from March 3-27, 2021.

• It is the 1st time that IAF is participating in a multilateral exercise in the Gulf Region.
• Participating Countries –  Bahrain, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and USA.
• Observers – Greece, Jordan, Kuwait & Egypt.

Objective of the Exercise

• To provide operational exposure to Participating forces
• Training the forces to undertake Simulated Air Combat operations in a controlled environment.

About Indian Air Force (IAF):
Chief of the Air Staff – Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

World’s 1st Platypus Sanctuary to come up at Australia 

Australia is building the World’s 1st Sanctuary for ‘Platypus’, an egg laying mammal is a semi-aquatic creature that generally lives in small streams & slow-moving rivers at cool temperature. Platypus is considered to be a protected species in Australia, whose population was severely affected in 2019-20 Australia bushfires. The sanctuary is built to promote its breeding & rehabilitation, consisting of mostly ponds & burrows housing up to 65 platypuses is planned to be built by 2022.

Pakistan to remain in FATF’s ‘greylist’ till June, 2021

Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering & terrorist financing watchdog (headquarters in Paris, France) has retained Pakistan on its ‘grey list’ (also called as ‘Increased monitoring group’) till June, 2021 as Pakistan had failed to implement the 27-point action plan mandated by FATF.  It means that Pakistan will have difficulties getting financial aid from International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) & European Union.

BANKING & FINANCE

Government amends Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017 ‘Insurance Ombudsman (Amendment) Rules, 2021i.On March 2, 2021, the Central Government amended Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017 by exercising the powers conferred under section 24 of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999. The amended rules are called as ‘Insurance Ombudsman (Amendment) Rules, 2021‘.
ii.It should be noted that the Ombudsman mechanism was administered by the Executive Council of Insurers, which has been renamed as the Council for Insurance Ombudsmen.
About Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI):
Establishment– 2000 (As Statutory Body)
Chairman– Subhash Chandra Khuntia
Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana
<<Read Full News>>

Exim Bank Signed a USD 10.40 Million Soft Loan Deal with Eswatini i.On 3rd March 2021, on behalf of the government of India, the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) signed a soft loan deal of 10.40 million USD (around Rs.75.99 crore) with Eswatini (former Swaziland).
ii.Exim Bank has extended the Line of Credit(LoC) of 10.40 million USD to the government of Eswatini for the construction of a disaster recovery site.
iii.The loan covers the Eswatini projects in various sectors like information technology, disaster management and agriculture.
iv.With this LoC to Eswatini, Exim bank has extended 3 LoC’s of total value 68.30 million USD to Eswatini.
About Exim Bank:
MD– David Rasquinha
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Regulated By– Reserve Bank of India
Establishment– 1982
About Eswatini:
Formerly known as Swaziland
Capitals– Mbabane & Lobamba
Currency– Swazi lilangeni
<<Read Full News>>

KVGB Signed A MoU With Our Food Pvt Ltd For Arranging Processing Units to Farmers Through Bank Loani.On 3rd March 2021, Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Our Food Private Limited, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh for arranging cost effective food processing units to farmers through bank loan.
ii.Our Food will assist the farmers to set up processing units and will also procure the processed products and sell them to bulk buyers.
iii.Under this MoU, the vendor will ensure the supply, delivery and installation of high quality, standardised and branded equipment as the needs of the farmers.
About Our Food Pvt Ltd:
Our Food is a tech based agribusiness platform based in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
MD– Bala Reddy
Head Office– Hyderabad, Telangana
About Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB):
Chairman– P Gopi Krishna
Headquartered– Dharwad, Karnataka
<<Read Full News>>

Axis Securities launched 1^st of its kind direct access platform ‘YIELD’ to debt instruments for retail investorsOn March 3, 2021, Axis Securities launched ‘YIELD’, an online platform to buy and sell bonds as well as debentures in the secondary market. It is a first-of-its-kind initiative that allows retail investors direct access to the debt instruments. Earlier, this online access was available only to the large corporations, family offices, or HNIs (high net worth individual).
How this tool will be beneficial?
i.Free of Hassle: It will remove the hassle of filling up physical forms or the need for separate KYC with the bond institutions.
ii.Security: It facilitate transactions only in secure options as it aggregates only ‘AAA’ to ‘A’ rated quality debt instruments available for investment.

• Debt instruments are assets that require a fixed payment to the holder, usually with interest.

The settlement of transactions will be reported on the BSE NDS (new debt segment) platform. Notably, investment in bonds offers safety during market volatility due to fixed coupon rates.
About Axis Securities:
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer– B Gopkumar
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra

SEBI cancels Sahara India Financial Corp’s registration as sub-broker

On March  3, 2021,According to a  designated authority’s report, Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) cancelled the certificate of registration of Sahara India Financial Corporation Ltd as a sub-broker citing its failure to fulfill the “fit and proper” criteria in terms of Intermediaries Regulations. Subrata Roy is a substantial shareholder in the company. In 2018, a designated authority was appointed  by SEBI to enquire whether Sahara India Financial violated provisions of Intermediaries Regulations.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Tabreed, IFC to invest USD 400 Million in India & Southeast AsiaUnited Arab Emirates’ (UAE) National Central Cooling Company or Tabreed & International Finance Corporation (IFC) are set to invest USD 400 Million(~Rs.2900 Crore) in Capital deployment in India & South-East Asian countries for building cooling service infrastructure.

•  The focus areas of Investment will be district cooling, trigeneration & cooling as a service offering.
• The 400 Million investment will help in installation of energy-efficient end- to-end cooling as a service offering for real estate developments, new urban master plans & ongoing redevelopments across target cities.
• Tabreed & IFC (member of the World Bank Group) have formed a Joint Venture (JV) for establishing a district energy investment platform in Singapore.

Government of India’s Action Plan

• The Government of India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) estimates an eight-fold increase in Cooling service demand through to 2038.
• The commercial real estate sector alone is estimated to add 100 Million refrigeration tons in capacity during the same period.

At present, cooling as a service market is at a starting stage in India. It has significant potential to grow as a big sector in India.
About Tabreed:
Chairman of the Board – Khaled Abdulla Al Qubaisi
Headquarters – Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
About International Finance Corporation (IFC):
MD, Executive Vice President – Makhtar Diop
Headquarters – Washington D.C., USA
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Mary Kom Appointed as Chairperson of AIBA Champion & Veterans CommitteeOn 1st March 2021, the International Boxing Association(AIBA) has appointed 6-time Boxing World Champion Mary Kom (37 years old) as the new chairperson of the AIBA Champion and Veterans Committee. She was elected by the mail vote of the Board Member of AIBA.
Olympic medalist Michael Philip Carruth of Ireland was appointed as the Vice Chairperson of the committee by the board of directors.

• The AIBA Champion and Veterans Committee was formed in December 2020.
• It consists of boxing veterans across the globe and champions who have achieved significant results.

Chair & Vice Chair of the other 6 Committees of AIBA are,

• Competitions Committee: Chair – Mr. Michael Müller (Germany); Vice-Chair, Mrs. Zsuzsanna Tóth (Hungary).
• R&J Committee: Chair – Mr. Christopher Mark Roberts (Scotland) ; Vice-Chair- Mr. Wayne John Rose (Australia).
• Coaches Committee: Chair- Ervin Kade (Estonia); Vice-Chair, William Thomas Walsh (USA).
• Women’s Committee: Chair- Mrs. Amanda Jane Coulson (England), Vice-Chair- Mrs. Magda Mohamed Esmail Sobhi (Egypt).
• Medical & Anti-Doping Committee: Chair- Dr. Ioannis Filippatos (Monaco), Vice-Chair- Dr. Barbarito Gutierrez Cabrera (Cuba).
• Marketing Committee: Chair- Mr. Cezary Jedliński (Poland); Vice-Chair- Mr. Dian Gomes (Sri Lanka).

About Mary Kom:
i.Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte (Mary Kom) became the first Indian Female athlete to win the gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth games and 2014 Asian Games.
ii.She won the Bronze medal at the London Olympic Games held in 2012.
From 2001 to 2019, she has won 6 gold, silver and bronze medals at the 8 AIBA World Boxing championships.
iii.She was the only female pugilist (professional boxer) to become the world champion for 6 times and to win a medal in each of the 7 world championships.
Honours:
i.In 2016, the President of India (Pranab Mukherjee) nominated Mary Kom as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament.
ii.The government of Manipur honoured her with the title “Meethoi Leima”. 
About AIBA:
President– Umar Kremlev
Headquarters– Lausanne, Switzerland

Tarun Bajaj given additional charge of revenue secretary

The appointments committee of Cabinet notified that Department of economic affairs secretary Tarun Bajaj has been given the additional charge of the post of secretary, department of revenue under the Ministry of Finance, He succeeds Ajay Bhushan Pandey who retires from February 28 2021.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

Government of India to Sell 16% Stake in IRCON Through OFS to Raise Rs.662 CroreThe Government of India planned to sell 16% stake or 7.52 crore shares in IRCON International Limited, a government of India undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, through an Offer For Sale(OFS) on 3rd March 2021 and 4th March 2021 to raise around Rs.662 crore. 
The floor price of the offer is fixed at Rs.88 per share, which is 10% less than the closing price of 2nd March 2021(Rs.97.85).
Sale of IRCON stakes:

• The retail investors can subscribe to the OFS on 4th March 2021 whereas the non-retail investors have to put their bids on 3rd March 2021.
• The base offer is for 10% share sale and the green shoes offer is 6%.
• The government holds 89.18% stakes in IRCON.
• With 94% of IRCONS order book in the Railways, it’s order book to sales ratio is at 7 times.

Additional info:
i.IRCON expects to get new orders of Rs.1000 crore from Bangladesh and also expects orders from Sri Lanka and Maldives for a network of roads.
ii.The government of India is exploring possibilities to raise Rs.2.10 lakh crore through disinvestment in the fiscal year 2021 with Rs.1.20 lakh crore from Central Public Sector Enterprise(CPSE) stake sale.
iii.It also expects to raise Rs.90000 crore from the sales of Government stake in Financial institutions.
About IRCON International Limited:
CMD– S.K Chaudhary
Headquarters– New Delhi

BPCL to Sell its 61.65% Stake in Numaligarh Refinery Ltd for Rs 9875.96 Crore

On 1nd March 2021, the board of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) approved to sell its 61.65% stake in Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) to a consortium of Oil India, Engineers India Ltd (EIL) and Government of Assam for Rs. 9875.96 crore.

• The proceeds from the stake sale will be used to buy out 36.62% Oman Oil Stakes in Bina refinery for Rs. 2,399.26 crore, pay capital gains tax and pay a special dividend to shareholders.
• BPCL is set to get the approval of the Shareholders at the meeting on 25th March 2021 and plans to sign the sale agreement and conclude the transaction before the end of March.
• The Government is set to sell its entire stake (52.98%) in BPCL.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO’s SEED program to help Indian space tech startups use agency’s resources, facilities

Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) is on formulating an exclusive space startup programme “Space Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development (SEED)” to take startups in the space sector to a higher orbit with a string of initiatives to help them realise their business potential.

• • SEED is conceived as a competitive early stage encouragement programme to startups and MSMEs (Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises) keen on developing products/services in focus areas of interest to ISRO with the space agency helping them to use its facilities

ENVIRONMENT

Researchers Discover 5 new Species of Shrub Frogs in Western GhatsResearchers from India’s University of Delhi and Kerala Forest Research Institute along with University of Minnesota, USA have discovered 5 new species of Shrub Frogs (genus Raorchestes) in Western Ghats. Their findings were published in ‘PeerJ’ journal, the findings came as an outcome of a long comprehensive study on the Shrub frogs that was conducted in Western Ghats over a period of 10 years.
5 New Species:

• Raorchestes kakkayamensis (Kakkayam Shrub Frog)
• Raorchestes drutaahu (Fast-calling Shrub Frog)
• Raorchestes keirasabinae (Keira’s Shrub Frog)
• Raorchestes sanjappai (Sanjappa’s Shrub Frog)
• Raorchestes vellikkannan (Silver-eyed Shrub Frog)

Note- The scientific name of Frog is “Anura”
Key Findings:
i.Mating calls of 48 species of Male Shrub frogs were studied for the 1st time.
ii.80% of the world’s Shrub frog species is found in Western Ghats.
iii.These Shrub frogs with Unique eye colors & patterns are vulnerable to sudden population decline. And a study is proposed to identify the cause of their population decline and possible solutions to overcome.

SPORTS

Indian shuttlers Varun Kapur & Malvika Bansod wins 2021 Uganda International titlesOn 28th February 2021, Indian Shuttlers Varun Kapur & Malvika Bansod won the 2021’s Uganda International Badminton’s Men’s & Women’s Singles Titles that was held from 25th to 28th of February, 2021, at Lugogo Indoor Stadium, Kampala, Uganda.
i.The 4-day long tournament was scheduled in February with a prize amount of USD 10,000.
ii.In Finals of the Men’s Singles Category, Varun Kapur defeated Sankar Muthusamy.In finals of Women’s Singles category, Malvika Bansod defeated Anupama Upadhyaya.
About Badminton Association of India:
President – Himanta Biswa Sarma
Founded – 1940
About Badminton World Federation (BWF):
It’s the Governing body of Badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Founded – 1934
Headquarters – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
President – Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen
<<Read Full News>>

Pollard becomes third batsman to hit six 6s in an over in international cricket

West Indies limited-overs format skipper Kieron Pollard  became the third batsman in the history of international cricket after Herschelle Gibbs(South Africa) and Yuvraj Singh(India) to hit six 6s in an over. He achieved the feat in the first T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka here at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

STATE NEWS

Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel presents State Budget 2021-22 with an outlay of INR 2.27 Lakh CroreOn March 3, 2021, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Nitin Patel who holds the Finance Portfolio presented the State Budget 2021-22 with a Budget Outlay of INR 2, 27, 029 Crore which is an increase of INR 9, 742 Crore than the budget presented in 2020-21.

• • • At INR 2.27 Lakh Crore it is Gujarat’s Largest budget so far.
    • It was a INR 587.88 Crore Surplus budget.
    • The state government has not imposed any increase or offered any relief in Gujarat’s existing tax structure.
    • Gujarat’s Public Debt is set to increase to INR 3.78 Trillion by end of FY 2021-22 from INR 2.67 Trillion as on March 31, 2020.

Major Announcements

• • • Announcement of the start of 2nd Edition of ‘Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana’ for the Tribal population with an allocation of INR 1 Lakh Crore over 5 years.
    • INR 1, 500 Crore rupees allocated for Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train Project
    • INR 652 Crore has been allocated for the Statue of Unity area development.
    • Announcement of a new scheme ‘MASIHA’ under which houses will be constructed for labourers at concessional rate on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis.
    • Promotion of ‘Whale Shark Tourism’ for providing employment in rural areas.

‘Gujarat Budget’ – Mobile app

• • • In February 2021, Nitin Patel launched ‘Gujarat Budget’ mobile application through all information regarding budget, access to Budget documents will be provided to the lawmakers & general public.

Click here to read the full budget
About Gujarat:
Folk Dances – Garba, Dandiya Raas, Tippani
<<Read Full News>>

Jharkhand FM presented Rs 91,277 crore State budget for 2021-22i.On March 3, 2021, the Finance Minister of Jharkhand, Dr Rameshwar Oraon, presented the state budget worth Rs 91,277 crore for FY2021-22 in the State Assembly at Ranchi. The budget saw an increase over Rs 7,100 crore (almost 11%) as compared to FY21.
ii.The focus of the budget is to provide employment opportunities in rural areas.
Key Figures:

• • • Revenue expenditure- Rs 75755.01cr
    • Capital Expenditure- Rs 15521.99cr
    • Fiscal deficit- Rs 10,210.87cr which is 2.83% of GSDP (gross state domestic product).

About Jharkhand:
Governor– Draupadi Murmu
Chief Minister– Hemant Soren
Capital– Ranchi
<<Read Full News>>

Odisha Govt Partners with ICRISAT to Support the PVTGs in 12 Districtsi.On 2nd March 2021, the Government of Odisha signed an agreement with International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to strengthen the management of natural resources that benefits the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups(PVTGs) in 12 districts of the State.
ii.The collaboration is a part of the PVTGs Empowerment and Livelihoods Improvement Programme of Odisha, which is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) in India.
iii.ICRISAT will undertake the capacity building initiatives for the tribal groups (PVTGs) who are dependent on agriculture.
About ICRISAT:
Director General– Jacqueline d’ Arros Hughes
Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana
<<Read Full News>>

Tripura Govt. launches ‘Jagrut Tripura’ Digital platform to boost e-GovernanceOn 2nd March, 2021 Biplab Kumar Deb, Chief Minister of Tripura, launched the Digital Platform “Jagrut Tripura” to provide access to various Central & State government schemes. Currently, the platform is integrated with 35 state departments of the State providing over 135 services.
Platform Developed by – ‘EasyGov’, a subsidiary of Jio Group of Companies.
i.“Jagrut Tripura” empowers the people with Information Technology (IT) related services, and integrates all services availed to act as a porgessive model having ‘One data one source’.
ii.Tripura is the 3rd state in India (only after Bihar & Karnataka) to implement such a platform and the 1st in North Eastern India.
iii.This initiative of the state govt is aimed at establishing a technology led innovation ecosystem, to make Tripura Self-reliant (Atma Nirbhar).
About EasyGov:
Founded – 2015
Founder & CEO – Amit Shukla
About Tripura:
Tripura is a landlocked state that shares geographical boundary with Bangladesh, Assam & Mizoram.
Zoological Park – Sepahijala Zoological Park
Airport – Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport (Agartala Airport)

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