Current Affairs 30 March 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 30 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

India & US Navies conduct ‘PASSEX’ in Bay of BengalThe navies of India & United States conducted a 2-day Passage Exercise ‘PASSEX’ in Bay of Bengal (Eastern Indian Ocean Region) from March 28-29, 2021. For the 1st time, Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters also took part in the exercise.

• Indian Navy deployed its warship ‘Shivalik’ & Long-range maritime patrol aircraft P8I in the ‘PASSEX’ exercise. The US navy was represented by USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.
• The participation of Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters in the exercise, gave IAF an opportunity to practice air interception & air defence with the US Navy.

Indian Navy to participate in French Naval Exercise for 1st time

• Indian Navy is set to be part of the French Naval Exercise ‘La Perouse’ scheduled to take place in April, 2021 at Bay of Bengal. It is the 1st time that Indian Navy will be participating in the French naval exercise.
• Other participating countries include Australia, Japan and the USA (which are QUAD member countries).

About Indian Navy:
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy)– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Supreme Court refuses to stay sale of New Set of ‘Electoral Bonds’On March 26, 2021, A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde refused to stay the sale of a new set of electoral bonds, the new set of electoral bonds are scheduled to come out for sale between April 1-10, 2021.

• NGO Association for Democratic Reforms had filed a petition seeking ‘Stay’ on the new set of Electoral Bonds due to upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Pondicherry & West Bengal.
• The voting for State elections begin on March 27 & counting of votes will be held on May 2.
• The Electoral Bonds Scheme began in 2018 and continued in 2019 & 2020.

Electoral Bonds Scheme
It was introduced with the Finance Bill (2017) and notified in 2018 as the ‘Electoral Bond Scheme 2018’.

• It is a financial instrument for making donations to political parties.
• Range of Bonds – INR 1, 000 – INR 1 crore (no maximum limit). The bonds can be purchased either digitally or through cheque.
• State Bank of India (SBI) is the only bank which is authorized to issue & encash these bonds.
• Validity – The bonds donated to political parties must be encashed within 15 days through the party’s verified account.
• Eligibility for receiving bonds – Any party registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 and has secured at least 1% of the votes polled in recent General/Assembly elections are eligible to receive electoral bonds.

About Election Commission of India (ECI):
Chief Election Commissioner – Sunil Arora
Election Commissioner – Sushil Chandra, Rajiv Kumar
Head Office – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

President Ram Nath Kovind gives Assent to 3 Major BillsPresident Ram Nath Kovind gave his Assent to 3 Major Bills passed by the Indian Parliament. They are National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) Bill, 2021, The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021.
National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) Bill, 2021
It aims to establish the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID) as the principal Development Financial Institution (DFI) for Infrastructure financing in India.

• To be set up as a corporate body with authorised share capital of One Lakh Crore Rupees & INR 20, 000 crores as equity & INR 5,000 crore as grant.
• It will provide grants worth INR 5, 000 Crore to NBFID by the end of the first financial year.
• The Central Government will own 100% shares of Institution which will subsequently be reduced up to 26%.

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021
It amends the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991.

• The Bill provides that the term ‘Government’ referred to in any law made by the Legislative Assembly will imply Lieutenant Governor (LG).
• It gives power to the LG to make rules in matters which fall outside the purview of the elected government in Delhi.

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021
It amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (which regulates the mining sector in India).
Objective – To Reform the Mining sector in India.

• The act provides for removal of distinction between captive and merchant mines.
• It empowers the Central Government to issue directions regarding composition & utilization of funds maintained by the District Mineral Foundation.

About President of India:
Constituting Instrument – Article 52 of the Indian Constitution
<<Read Full News>>

India Initiates 3rd phase of Indian Beamline Project in JapanOn March 23, 2021 the third phase of the Indian beamline project was initiated in Japan with special focus on research based on Industrial Applications. In this phase Indian researchers will be trained with Advanced X-ray techniques used in Material research.
i.Indian Beamline is a multipurpose beamline that facilitates various categories of experiments based on X-ray sources located in Japan.
About Department of Science & Technology (DST):
Secretary – Ashutosh Sharma
Established – 1971
Headquarters – New Delhi
About Japan: 
Emperor of Japan – Naruhito
Prime Minister – Yoshihide Suga
Capital – Tokyo
Currency – Yen
<<Read Full News>>

Overview of Minister of National Defence, South Korea, Suh Wook’s 3-day visit to IndiaSouth Korea’s (officially known as Republic of Korea) Minister of National Defence, Suh Wook visited India from March 25-27, 2021. The main objective of the visit is to boost Bilateral Defence and Military Cooperation.

• During the visit, Suh Wook held meetings with Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh; National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval.
• Suh Wook & Rajnath Singh jointly inaugurated India’s First Indo-Korean Friendship Park at Delhi Cantonment.

Inauguration of Indo-Korean Friendship Park
India’s 1st Indo-Korean Friendship Park was jointly Inaugurated by South Korea’s Suh Wook & Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Delhi Cantonment. It was built to commemorate India’s contributions in Korean War of 1950-53.
India, South Korea agree for Joint Production, Export of Military Hardware
India & South Korea agreed to go for Joint Production and export of military hardware, enhance intelligence sharing & boost cooperation in Cyber and space domains as part of overall expansion of defence and security ties.
Suh Wook witnesses exercise by Indian Army’s Paratroopers in Agra
Suh Wook witnessed exercise performed by the Indian Army’s Paratroopers in Agra.
About South Korea:
President – Moon Jae-in
Capital – Seoul
Currency – Korean Republic Won (KRW)
<<Read Full News>>

Harsh Vardhan addresses 7th Annual Summit of ‘NATHEALTH’ 2021Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan virtually addressed the 7th Annual Summit of ‘NATHEALTH’ organized by NATHEALTH – Healthcare Federation of India which was held between March 25-26, 2021 in a virtual format.

• Theme of 2021 Annual Summit – ‘Indian Health System Expansion in Post-COVID Era’.
• Objective -To discussions for realizing the potential of Indian healthcare sector to attract investments for building a modern 21st Century Universal Healthcare delivery mode.

Key points from the Address

• Health sector was identified in Budget 2021-22 as one of the 6 main pillars to drive growth.
• It was allocated INR 2, 23, 846 Crore in the 2021-22 Budget, an increase of 137% over the previous year.
• Government is taking steps to increase health expenditure as a percentage of GDP to 2.5% by 2025.

About Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister– Harsh Vardhan (Constituency- Chandni Chowk, New Delhi)
Minister of State (MoS)– Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Buxar, Bihar)
<<Read Full News>>

CBSE announces Competency based Assessment Framework for Classes 6 to 10Union Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, launched a new assessment framework for Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students of Class 6 to 10. This framework assesses students based on their competencies to solve day-to-day problems.

• The Framework was designed by British Council along with AlphaPlus as the UK knowledge partner as per the recommendations in the National Education Policy – 2020.
• It aims to replace the existing rote learning model with a competency-based framework as directed in the NEP 2020 over the next 2-3 years.

Focus Subjects – English, Science & Maths

Key Points:
i.This will benefit 20 million students, 1,32,000 teachers across 25,000 CBSE schools including 2,000 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV’s) by 2024.
ii.The programme will be implemented in a phased manner by 2024.
First Phase beneficiaries –  Selected Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, UT Chandigarh and private schools across the country

• Previously, to transform Indian Education system, CBSE has collaborated with British Council & 3UK agencies – Cambridge, NARIC and Alphaplus.

About Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE):
Chairperson – Manoj Ahuja
Formed – 1962
Headquarters – New Delhi

JKTPO Signed MoU with TPCI for Agro & food Processing Sector and Film Tourism Sectori.On 20th March 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Trade Promotion Corporation of India (TPCI) for the Agro & Food Processing Sector and Film Tourism Sector.
ii.The MoU was signed by Ankita Kar, Managing Director(MD) of JKTPO and Mohit Singla, Chairman of TPCI.
iii.The MoU was signed during the inauguration of J&K Pavilion at South Asia’s largest Integrated FB Trade Show – “Indus-food 2021” held at Indian Exposition Mart, New Delhi.
About Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO):
JKTPO is registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013.
It is a joint venture of the Government of J&K, Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC).
Managing Director– Ankita Kar
Headquarters– Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir
<<Read Full News>>

UP government organises ‘banana festival’

The Uttar Pradesh(UP)  government has organized a ‘Banana Festival’ at Buddha Park in  Kushinagar from March 22 to 25, 2021. The main goal of organizing this festival is to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan for a self-reliant India.

• Banana made products from Kushinagar are included in One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.

BANKING & FINANCE

Restrictions on PMC Bank was Extended till 30 June 2021 by RBIOn March 26, 2021, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the restrictions on withdrawals and deposits in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC)Bank till 30 June 2021 due to the delay in finalizing a prospective investor for the bank.

• PMC is a multi-state cooperative bank in which they are regulated and supervised by the Central Registrar of Co-operative Societies (CRCS) and RBI.

Background:

• RBI had imposed restrictions and curbed all activities such as limiting withdrawals from customers’ accounts of PMC Bank in September 2019 after finding financial irregularities, failure of internal control and system and underreporting of exposures.
• As of September 2019, around 73% of the bank’s total loan book size which is around ₹8,880 crores was exposed to real estate firm Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).
• RBI appointed an administrator for six months after September 2019 and the restrictions were set to expire on 31 March 2021.
• Initially, the RBI had allowed depositors to withdraw ₹1,000 which was later raised to ₹1 lakh per account to mitigate their difficulties.

Restrictions’ extension:

• RBI and PMC Bank are currently engaging with prospective investors to secure the depositors and other stakeholders but with the financial condition of PMC Bank, the process is taking some more time.
• Hence, due to the delay in finalizing a prospective investor for the bank, the restrictions were now extended till 30 June 2021.

About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Establishment – 1 April 1935
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Deputy Governors – 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, and M Rajeswar Rao)

RBI issued Guidelines on Merger/Amalgamation for Urban Cooperative BanksOn March 23, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) issued RBI (Amalgamation of Urban Cooperative Banks) Directions, 2020, guidelines for merger/amalgamation to all Primary/Urban Co-operative Banks(UCBs) to place them in the public domain.
Objective: To provide an avenue for the non-disruptive weak UCB sector by consolidating them with the strong one in that sector.
Three circumstances under the Directions:
As per the ‘Amalgamation of Urban Cooperative Banks, Directions, 2020’, the proposals for merger and amalgamation among UCBs will be considered under three circumstances
1.when the net worth of the amalgamated bank is positive, and the amalgamating bank assures to protect the entire deposits of all depositors of the amalgamated bank.
2.when the net worth of an amalgamated bank is negative and the amalgamating bank on its own assures to protect deposits of the depositors of the amalgamated bank.
3.when the net worth of the amalgamated bank is negative, and the amalgamating bank assures to protect the deposits of all depositors of the amalgamated bank, with the financial support from the State government, extended upfront as part of the process of merger.
About Co-operative Banks:
Co-operative banks in India are registered under the States Cooperative Societies Act and they are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and governed by

• Banking Regulations Act 1949 and,
• Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1955.

<<Read Full News>>

Union Bank of India along with HPCL launched ‘UNI-CARBON CARD’ On March 26,2021 Union Bank of India launched first of its kind ‘UNI-CARBON CARD’, a credit card that is co-branded by HPCL along with the Rupay platform of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to create an opportunity to create value for the Bank’s customers.
Features of the card ’UNI-CARBON CARD’:

• This card is a contactless “Tap & Go” card and National Common Mobility Card(NCMC).
• While using this card at HPCL retail outlets, the cardholder will get Cashback/Rewards along with the waiver of fuel surcharge provided by the Bank.
• It offers a card limit of about 20% of gross annual income with a minimum limit of Rs 50,000 and no upper limit.

• NCMC is conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA) and launched with the tagline of ‘One Nation One Card’ on 4 March 2019 and enabled through the RuPay card mechanism

About Union Bank of India:
Establishment – November 11, 1919
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – Shri Rajkiran Rai G.
<<Read Full News>>

FICCI and IFSCA Signed an MoU to develop GIFT City as a world-class FinTech HubFederation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) and International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for collaboration and co-operation for the development of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (‘GIFT’) IFSC.
The MoU will lead to future collaborations and cooperation between IFSCA and FICCI for the development of a world-class FinTech Hub in GIFT IFSC.

• FICCI will also assist IFSCA in the development of FinTech Accelerator programmes in GIFT IFSC among the other cooperation areas.

Indian Fintech ecosystem:

• According to the Fintech Report 2020 by MEDICI India has around 2174 FinTech startups as of December 2020 in which Bengaluru and Mumbai lead and represent 42% of the startup headquarters.
• The top five FinTech destinations include Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Gurugram, and Hyderabad

About International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) 

Establishment – April 27, 2020, under the International Financial Services Centres Authority Act, 2019.
Headquarters – GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Chairman – Injeti Srinivas
<<Read Full News>>

RBI imposes ₹15-lakh penalty on Fedfina

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹15 lakh on Fedbank Financial Services Ltd (Fedfina), Mumbai, for non-compliance with certain provisions of the central bank’s directions on monitoring of frauds. This penalty has been imposed by RBI under the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
Fedfina, the Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) is a subsidiary of the Kerala-based private sector lender Federal Bank, The Federal bank has 74 per cent stake in Fedfina.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS    

Mahinder Giri, Range Officer of RTR Became the Only Asian to Win International Ranger Awardi.Ranger Mahindra Giri of Rajaji Tiger Reserve(RTR) became the only ranger from Asia to win the prestigious New International Ranger Award for his efforts towards reducing the human-wildlife conflict in and around the RTR and his role in trigger translocation exercise from Corbett Tiger Reserve to RTR.
ii.The award was announced for 10 professionals across the globe by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
iii.The International Ranger Award was created by IUCN and WCPA in collaboration with International Ranger FEderation, Global Wildlife Conservation and Conservation allies in 2020.
About International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):
Director General– Dr Bruno Oberle
Headquarter– Gland, Switzerland
<<Read Full News>>    

NTPC got the ‘Role Model’ Award at the 11th CII National HR Excellence Award 2020-21

On March 18, 2021, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited(NTPC), a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Power has been conferred with the ‘Role Model’ Award at the 11th Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) National HR Excellence Award 2020-21.
i.NTPC is the only PSU to have received this prestigious award. The award was presented at the virtual conference “Learn from the Achievers”. It is the highest level of recognition in the field of Human Resources by CII. This is the second time when the award of Role Model has been conferred to any organization.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Soma Mondal Chairman of SAIL Elected as New Chairman of SCOPEOn 26th March 2021, Soma Mondal, Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) was elected as the new Chairman of Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE). She has been elected for a 2 year term with effect from 1st April 2021. 

• Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) has been elected as the Vice Chairman of SCOPE.
• The election results were announced by Atul Sobti, Director General of SCOPE and Returning Officer for the elections.

About Soma Mondal:
i.Soma Mondal has been the Chairperson of SAIL since 1st January 2021, she was the first woman chairperson of SAIL.
ii.She was also the first woman functional director of SAIL.
iii.She is a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) -National Committee on Steel and Chairperson of the CII sub-committee on ‘Safeguard for Tariff and Non-Tariff Barrier”.
Other elected personnels of the executive board:

• R.K. Sinha, Director, Personnel, CWC,
• Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Director, HR, IOCL,
• Amitabh Banerjee, CMD, IRFC
• Alok Verma, Director HR, HAL

About  Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE):
SCOPE is an apex professional organisation representing the Central Public Sector Enterprises(CPSEs).
Headquarters– New Delhi

Dr. Vivek Murthy, Indian American Physician sworn in as US Surgeon General

Indian American Physician, Dr. Vivek Murthy,(43 years old) sworn in as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States of America. This is his 2nd time as Surgeon General of the US. Previously In 2013, nominated by Former President Obama he held the position as the 19th Surgeon General. He was the youngest ever to hold the office at the age of 37.

• He was sworn in by Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Service.
• As the surgeon general he will be advising President Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s leading voice on public health.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

EIYP acquired 74% stake in Engie Group’s solar assets in India On 25th March 2021, under a strategic partnership the Edelweiss Infrastructure Yield Plus (EIYP), a fund managed by Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors Ltd (EAAA), acquired the controlling stake in French Utility major Engie Group’s solar energy assets in India.

• EIYP along with Sekura Energy Limited (Sekura Energy),investee company, has completed the first stage of acquisition of 74% stake in Engie Group, with 813 megawatts-peak (MWp) of operating capacity of solar assets in India.

Objective:
To create a solar platform of substantial scale with an aim to add 2GW solar assets in India over a couple of years.
About the strategic partnership:
i.According to the agreed terms, these assets will be developed by Engie and acquired by EIYP post commissioning.
ii.The partnership also provides EIYP with access to a 2 GW pipeline of quality assets which will be developed and constructed by Engie Group.
Benefits:
The acquisition of operating infrastructure assets will support the developers to gain access to capital and de-lever, which enables them to get larger opportunities.
Key Points:
With assets under management (AUM) of over Rs.30500 crores, EAAA focuses on providing long term growth capital to companies and projects.
This investment is in line with EIYP’s strategy to generate a regular yield and create value for its investors by taking controlling stake in operating infrastructure with cash flow.
About Edelweiss Group:
Edelweiss Infrastructure Yield Plus (EIYP) is a Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) registered Category I AIF(Alternative Investment Funds). It has the country’s largest alternatives platform and the fastest growing mutual fund business.
Chairman- Rashesh Shah
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

ENVIRONMENT

Two New Red Seaweed species discovered along India’s Coastline A Group of marine botanists led by Researcher Felix Bast from the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) have discovered 2 New red algal seaweed species – ‘Hypnea Indica’ (after India) & ‘Hypnea Bullata’ (Presence of blister like marks on its body) along the coasts of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu & in Gujarat and Daman & Diu. It is the 1st time that red algal species of seaweeds have been discovered along Indian coasts.

• Hypnea Indica was discovered along coasts of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Somnath Pathan and Sivrajpur in Gujarat; Hypnea Bullata was discovered from Kanyakumari and Diu island of Daman and Diu.
• They grow in intertidal regions of the coast (areas submerged during high tide and exposed during low tides).
• The discovery was recorded in the Journal Botanica Marina.
• The new discoveries are economically important because the Hypnea species is known to contain Carrageenan, an important biomolecule (a dietary fiber) used extensively in food industry.

SPORTS

India beats England in 3-match ODI series; Kohli 3rd captain to lead India in 200 International MatchesIn the recently concluded 3-match One Day International (ODI) Series between India & England which was hosted by India, Indian Cricket team under the captaincy of Virat Kohli won the series in a thrilling 2-1 lead.

• England opener Jonny Bairstow was awarded the Player of the Series.
• India-England series sets world record for most sixes hit 63 in a 3-match ODI series. The record was previously held by New Zealand and Sri Lanka as both teams had hit a combined of 57 sixes.

Note- India also won the 5-match T20 International Series with England in the same tour with a 3-2 victory.
i.In this match, Virat Kohli became the 3rd Indian Captain to lead Indian side in 200 International matches. [MS Dhoni in 332 matches & Mohammad Azharuddin in 221 matches]
ii.Virat Kohli became India’s captain in all-formats in January 2017.
International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 Batsman – Rankings:

• Virat Kohli – 4th position
• Lokesh Rohul – 5^th Position
• Rohit Sharma – 14th position

About International Cricket Council (ICC):
Chairman – Greg Barclay
CEO – Manu Sawhney
Headquarters – Dubai, UAE

Dhanalakshmi dethrones Dutee Chand to win 100m title at Fed Cup

Dhanalakshmi from Tamil Nadu has beaten Dutee chand and Hima Das to won the 100 metre women’s final at Federation Cup Athletics 2021 in Patiala, Punjab. She took 11:39seconds to clinch the gold metal while Dutee Chand was second with 11.58 seconds. Hima Das was disqualified for a false start.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

New Book Titled “Wild and Wilful: Tale of 15 Iconic Indian Species” authored by Neha Sinha“Wild and Wilful: Tale of 15 Iconic Indian Species” the new book authored by wildlife conservationist Neha Sinha is an evocative collection of insights from various disciplines that describes human -animal coexistence.  The book is published by HarperCollins. 
The book is a collection of 15 essays each focused on an Indian species.
About the book:
i.Through this book Neha Sinha highlights the indicators of developed India can affect various ecologies and displaced wildlife even result in their extinction.
ii.Some of the indian species focused on the book includes,  the Great Indian Bustard, the White-bellied Heron, Amur Falcon, leopards, among others.
About Neha Sinha:
i.Neha Sinha, an award winning wildlife conservationist, is currently working with Bombay Natural History Society.
ii.She has won the Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award in 2017.

Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’ won the NBCC award for fictionIrish-British novelist, Maggie O’Farrell‘s novel ‘Hamnet’, an imagined take on the death of Shakespeare’s son from the bubonic plague, has won the National Book Critics Circle(NBCC)’s award 2020 for the fiction category.
Every year at March National Book Critics Circle awards are given to honour literature published in the United States in six categories—autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

• About ‘Hamnet’ – This novel explores the impact of Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet’s illness and death on his family
• The novel has also won the United Kingdom’s Women’s Prize for Fiction

 NBCC Awards 2020 for Other categories’:

• Non-fiction – Tom Zoellner’s “Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire”
• Biography – Amy Stanley’s “Stranger in the Shogun’s City: A Japanese Woman and Her World”
• Autobiography – Cathy Park Hong’s “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning”
• Poetry – Francine j. Harris’s “Here Is the Sweet Hand”
• Criticism – Nicole R. Fleetwood’s “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration”

About National Book Critics Circle(NBCC):
Establishment – April 1974
Organization Location -New York, United States
President – David Varno

IMPORTANT DAYS

Earth Hour 2021 – 27th Marchi.Earth Hour is annually observed across the globe on the last Saturday of March as an symbolic gesture towards the commitment to preserve the Earth and to support actions against Climate Change. Earth Hour is one of the world largest grassroot movements for the environment. The first Earth Hour was held in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.
ii.The Earth Hour 2021 is observed on 27th March 2021.
iii.The theme of Earth Hour 2021 is “Climate Change to Save Earth”. 
iv.The Earth Hour was started by the World Wide Fund of Nature(WWF), formerly World Wildlife Fund and partners as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007.
About World Wide Fund of Nature(WWF)
Director General- Marco Lambertini
Established in- 1961
Headquarters- Gland, Switzerland.
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

Odisha celebrates 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Visit to Cuttack 

Odisha state celebrates the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to the state with a Commemorative postage stamp. Mahatma Gandhi made his 1st visit to Odisha, at Swaraj ashram in Cuttack on 23rd March 1921.
i.The Odisha Cabinet also passed a resolution to include the word “Ahimsa” into the preamble of the Constitution of India.
ii.A 5-day long photo exhibition was organised in Cuttack by the Regional Outreach Bureau of Bhubaneshwar, as a part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ launched by Govt. of India to mark the 75th Independence day.

Ladakh LG launches 1st Solar Lift Irrigation Scheme of KREDA at Latoo Village

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur inaugurated the 1st Solar Lift Irrigation Scheme of Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) at Latoo Village, Kargil. It is the last Village on Line of Control (LoC).KREDA has successfully installed and commissioned a 41 Horsepower Submersible Pump backed with 50 Kw Solar Photovoltaic Plant, making it the 1st Prototype of the Solar Lift Irrigation System in Ladakh built in collaboration with the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC).

• The project comes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of solarizing Ladakh fully and making it a Carbon Neutral Region.

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