Current Affairs Update – 21st March, 2015

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the current affairs for 21st March, 2015.

• The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on 19 March 2015 with an outlay of 1500 crore rupees. The programme aims to impart skill training to youth with focus on first time entrants to the labour market and class 10 and class 12 drop outs.

• The programme aims to impart skill training to youth with focus on first time entrants to the labour market and class 10 and class 12 drop outs.
• The scheme will cover 24 lakh persons and skill training would be based on the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and industry led standards.
• The programme will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) training partners.
• In addition, Central and State Government affiliated training providers would also be used for training purposes.
• Skill training would be on the basis of skill gap studies conducted by the NSDC for the period 2013-17.
• Focus of the training would be on improved curricula, better pedagogy and better trained instructors.
• Training would include soft skills, personal grooming, behavioral change for cleanliness, good work ethics.
• A monetary reward will be given to trainees on assessment and certification by third party assessment bodies. The average monetary reward would be around 8000 rupees per trainee.

• Out of the total outlay of 1120 crore rupees to be spent on skill training of 14 lakh youths, 220 crore rupees has been allocated for recognition of prior learning.
• 67 crore rupees has been allocated for awareness building and mobilization efforts. Mobilization would be done through skill melas organized at the local level with participation of the State Governments, Municipal Bodies, Pachayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and community based organizations.

• Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on 13 March 2015 was roped in as the brand ambassador for Union Government’s campaign against Hepatitis B, a critical public problem in India.
• Bachchan was roped in as the brand ambassador for India’s fight against Hepatitis B after his successful stint as UNICEF’s goodwill brand ambassador of pulse polio campaign in India.
• The campaign against Hepatitis B will be launched in April 2015. The campaign is a part of the Union Government’s ambitious child immunization programme named Mission Indradhanush, against seven vaccine-preventable diseases.

• The Union Cabinet on 20 March 2015 approved 33 percent reservation for women in police forces of all Union territories (UTs) including Delhi police, through direct recruitment in non-gazetted posts like constables to sub-inspectors.
• The aim of the decision is to make police more gender-sensitive and increase representation of women in Police. 
• The reservation will also cover reserved categories like SCs, STs and OBCs. The reservation would apply to all existing vacancies in police forces of the UTs and any vacancy arising later.

• Legendary Singer Lata Mangeshkar on 20 March 2015 was presented with the Laadli Voice of the Century award. She was awarded at the sixth edition of the National Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity held at Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was the chief guest at the awards ceremony.

• Laadli Voice of the Century award – Lata Mangeshkar
• Best movie award – Queen
• Laadli Grand Prix award – advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather for its advertisement, Titan Raga — tum nahi badle
• Laadli extraordinaire award – Charu Khurana, she won a landmark judgment in the Supreme Court regarding Bollywood’s bias against women make-up artistes

• Rajendra Singh, an eminent environment activist, has been conferred the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize this year for his innovative water restoration efforts and extraordinary courage to empower communities in Indian villages.
• Singh, who is widely popular as the 'Water Man', was named the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for improving water security in rural India, and for showing extraordinary courage and determination in his quest to improve the living conditions for those most in need, a statement said.
• Born in 1959, Rajasthan-based Singh for several decades have dedicated himself to defeating drought and empowering communities.
• Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, Patron of the Stockholm Water Prize, will present the prize to Singh at a Royal Award Ceremony during 2015 World Water Week here on August 26, it added.

• World Water Day is marked on 22 March every year. It’s a day to celebrate water. It’s a day to make a difference for the members of the global population who suffer from water related issues. It’s a day to prepare for how we manage water in the future.
• In 2015, the theme for World Water Day is 'Water and Sustainable Development'. It’s about how water links to all areas we need to consider to create the future we want.  Each year, UN-Water provides resources to inspire celebrations for World Water Day. 

• International Day of Forests was observed on 21 March 2015 with the theme Forests and Climate Change. The theme highlights forest-based solutions to address climate change mitigation and adaptation, and more broadly forests and sustainable development.
• The day provides a platform to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests. The day is also used to communicate the vital role forests play in poverty eradication, environmental sustainability and food security.

• The World Sparrow Day was observed globally on 20 March 2015 with the theme I Love Sparrows. The theme has been inspired by the hope that more and more of us will celebrate the relationship between People and Sparrows.
• The day is designated to raise awareness of the house sparrow and other common birds to urban environments, and of threats to their populations.
• The day is observed in almost 50 nations and involves leading ornithology institutions and bird organisations.

• Martin Guptill, the batsman of New Zealand cricket team, on 21 March 2015 scored the highest-ever score of 237 not out in Cricket World Cup history.
• He achieved the feat in 2015 World Cup quarter-final match against West Indies played at WestpacTrust Stadium, Wellington.
• He scored 237 off 163 balls. His 200 came off just 152 deliveries that included 21 fours and eight sixes.
• Guptill’s double century helped New Zealand to set a target of 393 for 6 wickets for West Indies. In reply the West Indies could only manage 250 in 30.3 over.
• He also became the second cricketer after Chris Gayle of West Indies to score a double century in Cricket World Cup history. Chris Gayle had scored 215 off 147-balls against Zimbabwe on 24 February 2015.

• The 1st Counter-Terrorism Conference 2015 was held in Jaipur for three days from 19 March 2015 to 21 March 2015. It was organised by India Foundation in association with the Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur at Jaipur in Rajasthan.
• The central theme of the Conference is Integrated Approach to Counter-Terrorism
• The focus of the deliberations was on exploring the contours of 21st century terrorism and sharing the Counter-Terrorism expertise. Some of the sub-themes on which the conference focused include 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack, Talibanisation of Af-Pak region, New Caliphate in West Asia, Maritime Terrorism and Piracy, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism and Cyber and Space terrorism.

• Marathi folk legend Shahir Krishnarao Sable died on 20 March 2015 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 92.
• Shahir Sable was an accomplished singer, writer, playwright, performer, Loknatya (Folk Theater) producer-director.
• He was the person who brought Maharashtra’s folk singing and theatre traditions to the centre stage and his songs enriched Maharashtra’s culture. He also made ballads such as Garja Maharashtra Majha and Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha popular.

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