Current Affairs Today 24th March 2021 -Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 24th March 2021

NEWS AT A GLANCE

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Tuberculosis (TB) Day – Observed on Mar 24

• World Tuberculosis Day, observed on 24 March each year, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease.
• The Theme for World TB Day 2021 is ‘The Clock is Ticking’ which conveys the sense that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments to end the deadly disease, made by global leaders.
• In 2018, 10 million people fell ill with TB, and 5 million died from the disease, mostly in low and middle-income countries.

International Day for Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims: Observed on Mar 24

• Every year March 24 is observed as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, to say no to all forms of violence, injustice and oppression against humanity.
• The day aims to pay tribute to those who have devoted their lives to, and lost their lives in, the struggle to promote and protect human rights for all
• The day proclaimed by the United Nations in December 2010.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

INS Jalashwa with 1000 MT rice, one lakh Hydroxychloroquine tablets Reached Madagascar’s Port Ehoala

• As part of Mission Sagar – IV, Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa arrived at Port Ehoala, Madagascar to deliver a consignment of one thousand Metric Tonne of rice and one lakh Hydroxychloroquine tablets in response to an appeal made by Madagascar for assistance to deal with natural calamities.
• An official ceremony for handing over the aid from the Government of India to the Government of Madagascar was held.
• The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister of Madagascar Christian Ntsay while the Indian side was represented by Mr Abhay Kumar, Ambassador of India to Madagascar and Captain Pankaj Chauhan, Commanding Officer INS Jalashwa.
• The Ministry of Defence in a statement said that this is the second visit of an Indian Navy ship to the island country within a span of one year.
• Earlier, as part of Mission Sagar-I, In May-June 2020, the Indian Navy had delivered essential medicines to the nation.

India appreciate initiative announced by Saudi Arabia – fostering peace in Yemen

• India has welcomed the initiative announced by Saudi Arabia for fostering peace in Yemen.
• In response to a question on the announcement of peace initiative by Saudi Arabia for Yemen, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchisaid that India has noted that the initiative inter alia proposes a comprehensive ceasefire across Yemen under the supervision of the United Nations as well as consultations between the Yemeni parties to reach a political resolution under the auspices of the UN.
• He said, India supports all efforts to find a political solution to the Yemeni crisis.
• India has hoped that all parties in Yemen would be able to come together to the negotiating table soon to end the conflict.

Indian Railways: massive drive against smoking and carriage of inflammable launched

• Indian Railways have launched a massive drive against smoking and carriage of inflammable material through Railways in the view of incidents of fire resulting in loss of property and danger to life in various Zonal Railways.
• The drive has been launched with legal action from 31st of this month.
• It may be continued till 30th April.
• The drive is aimed to educate all the stakeholders about precautions to be taken against fire incidents like enforcing “No Smoking”, and preventing carriage of inflammable material through rail.
• The message is being imparted through direct interaction, distribution of leaflets, pamphlets, pasting of stickers, conducting Nukkad Nataks, announcement through PA system at stations, and advertisement in print, electronic and social media.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US Senate confirms Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy as Prez Biden’s Surgeon General

• The US Senate has voted to confirm Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy to be President Biden’s Surgeon General, handing the administration one of its top public health officials amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• The Senators voted 57-43 to confirm the Indian American as Biden’s surgeon general.
• Dr Murthy mentioned he is deeply grateful to be confirmed by the Senate to serve once again as the Surgeon General.
• 1977 born Dr Murthy served as the Surgeon General under the Obama administration from 2014 to 2017.
• He is a distinguished Physician and former Vice Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Jal Jeevan Mission: Andaman & Nicobar achieved 100% Functional Household Tap Connection coverage

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands Governor Admiral D K Joshi declared that the UT achieved 100 percent Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) coverage in Islands.
• He said that in a function at Raj Niwas in Port Blair on World water day.
• With this, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands becomes the third state/UT in the country to achieve the target after Goa and Telangana under Jal Jeevan Mission.
• The connections were provided at 266 villages located in 9 blocks in all the three districts.
• All the schools, Anganwadi centers and sub-centers have also been covered under this.
• The Chief Secretary Jitendra Narain said that this achievement is the result of contribution and co-ordination of various departments of A&N Administration working under the mission.
• He also informed that administration is also planning to transform Jal Shakti Mission into a People’s Mission.
• Under the mission, the administration is planning to have a pond with a fish at every household in the islands besides water harvesting.

Nagaland Health Minister launches ‘i-Learn’

• Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangnyu Phom launched i-Learn, a capacity building and performance tracking application for Community Health Officers, CHOs in the state at his office chamber in
• The state government launched an i-Learn application in partnership with USAID-NISHTHA/Jgpiego which will cater across the 189 Health & Wellness centers in the state.
• i-Learn is a learning management system for CHOs with self facilitated learning for improving and learning new skills in clinical and non clinical areas.
• The Health Minister said, like any other states in the country, Nagaland has been impacted with COVID.
• He however said the state is committed to defeat the pandemic and as such it has rolled out several interventions including digital technology like the Naga Tele health services.

Himachal Pradesh CM inaugurates multiple services: e-Office, e-Heli Service, e-Aagman, e-Lahaul for Lahaul-Spiti district

• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur virtually launched e-Office, e-Heli Service, e-Aagman and e-Lahaul for Lahaul-Spiti district from Shimla.
• Chief Minister said that all these services would go a long way in providing people friendly services to the people of Lahaul-Spiti district on click of button.
• He said that these initiatives were the best examples of optimum use of Information Technology for good governance.
• Information Technology Minister Ram Lal Markanda noted that Lahaul-Spiti would become the first district of the State in effective adopting of e-office in the State.
• It may be recalled that district administration Lahaul & Spiti with the help of Department of Information Technology has been working on many IT initiatives to provide citizen services digitally to the people  of tribal  district.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Fitch Ratings estimates India’s growth to 12.8% for next fiscal

• American credit rating agency Fitch has revised India’s GDP growth estimate to 8% for next fiscal from the previous 11% on the back of a stronger carryover effect, a looser fiscal stance, and better virus containment.
• The ratings agency, in its latest Global Economic Outlook GEO, anticipates the level of the country’s GDP to remain well below its pre-pandemic forecast trajectory.
• Fitch also expects GDP growth to ease to 8% in Fiscal Year 2023.
• In a report it said, India’s recovery from the depths of the lockdown-induced recession in the second quarter of 2020 has been swifter than expected.
• GDP surpassed its pre-pandemic level in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal.
• It also added that High-frequency indicators point to a strong start to 2021.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari reports Bamboo industry in India will be worth Rs. 25 to 30 thousand crore

• MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed hope that with integrated efforts from all stakeholders, bamboo industry in India will be worth 25 to 30 thousand crore rupees.
• He was addressing a virtual exhibition on Bamboo Technology, Products and Services through video conferencing.
• Gadkari called for multiple uses of Bamboo to increase its demand and plantation.
• The minister said that use of jute and coir mattresses is soon going to be made mandatory for all NHAI roads.
• He said that bamboo can also be used to make bio-CNG and charcoal and IITs can be roped in to conduct further research on this with help of special grants from Bamboo Mission.
• The Minister assured all assistance from the Ministry of MSME for any scheme related to promotion of bamboo.
• The Minister said that there is need more research, more appropriate approach for product development and market support.
• He also said that he is trying to get a 50 per cent subsidy from Railways for bamboo and bamboo sticks.

Central PSU Power Grid Corporation of India Limited launched e-Tendering Portal-PRANIT

• Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, a central PSU, has established an e-Tendering Portal-PRANIT.
• This will lead to less paperwork, ease of operation and make the tendering process more transparent.
• Power Ministry has said that with this, POWERGRID is now the only organization in India to have an eProcurement solution on SAP Supplier Relationship Management, complying with all applicable requirements relating to security and transparency.

JLR inaugurates its first all-electric SUV

• The I-PACE is a Jaguar vehicle above all else—a true driver’s car.
• Its electric motors and near-perfect weight distribution deliver 512 lb-ft of instant torque and sports car agility.
• Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) launched its first electric car in India—the Jaguar I-PACE—at a starting price of Rs 1.6 crore.
• The launch took place a month after JLR, which is owned by the Tata Group, had announced that all Jaguar models and 60 per cent of Land Rovers sold will be zero-emissions vehicles by 2030.
• The I-PACE is powered by a 90 kWh lithium-ion battery delivering 294 kW power and 696 Nm torque, allowing the electric car to accelerate from 0-100 km/hour in just 4.8 seconds.
• As for the driving range, the I-Pace claims a rage of 470 km/full charge.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

ICICI Bank initiates instant EMI facility on net banking for high value transactions

• Private sector lender ICICI Bankhas launched an instant EMI facility on its internet banking platform.
• Called ‘EMI @ Internet Banking’, the facility would allow pre-approved customers to convert high-value transactions up to Rs.5 lakh into easy monthly instalments (EMIs).
• ICICI Bank in the present day introduced the launch of an instant EMI (Equated Monthly Instalments) facility on its web banking platform.
• The ‘EMI @ Internet Banking’ facility aims to supply elevated affordability to hundreds of thousands of pre-approved customers, because it allows them to convert their high-value transactions up to Rs 5 lakh into simple month-to-month instalments.
• The financial institution claims, this facility will herald enhanced buyer expertise as customers will get the good thing about EMIs immediately and in a totally digital method.
• With the EMI facility, customers will probably be in a position to buy gadgets or pay for his or her insurance coverage premium or college charges in simple EMIs from their financial savings account utilizing the web banking platform.

RBI to examine a  proposal to merge two or more Urban Cooperative Banks

• As per the ‘Amalgamation of Urban Cooperative Banks, Directions, 2020’, issued by the RBI, it may consider proposals for merger and amalgamation among UCBs under three circumstances, including when the net worth of the amalgamated bank is positive, and the amalgamating bank assures to protect entire deposits.

RBI set up a panel to examine applications for banks, SFBs

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a five-member Standing External Advisory Committee for the purpose of evaluating applications for Universal Banks as well as Small Finance Banks.
• The panel will be headed by former RBI Deputy Governor Shyamala Gopinath and the other members are: Revathy Iyer, Director, Central Board, Reserve Bank of India; B Mahapatra, former executive director, RBI and presently chairman of National Payments Corporation of India; TN Manoharan, former chairman, Canara Bank; and Hemant G Contractor, former MD, State Bank of India and former chairman, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.
• The tenure of this SEAC will be for three years.
• In November 2020, the RBI made public a working group report that recommended that well-run large non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), with an asset size of Rs 50,000 crore and above, including those which are owned by a corporate house, should be considered for conversion into banks.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS

SEBI appointed forensic auditor to Suzlon Energy

• Suzlon Energy said market regulator Sebi has appointed forensic auditor to carry out forensic audit of its financial statements.
• “The company is in receipt of a letter from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) dated March 22, 2021, informing the company that it (Sebi) has appointed the forensic auditor to carry out forensic audit with respect to the financial statements of the company,” it said in a regulatory filing.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS and HONOURS

Esaf Small Finance Bank  bags ‘Great Place to Work’ Award

• Esaf Small Finance Bankhas been awarded ‘Great Place to Work’ certification by the Great Place to Work Institute.
• ESAF started its operations as an NGO in 1992 as Evangelical Social Action Forum.
• Before becoming a bank, ESAF was a non-banking finance company and microfinance institution (NBFC-MFI), licensed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and headquartered in Thrissur city of Kerala.
• Paul Thomas the Founder of ESAF.
• In 1995, he launched Micro Enterprises Development (MED) services and it resulted in the formation of ESAF Microfinance and Investments Pvt. Ltd., in 2008, giving importance to the financial component in holistic economic development of the poor and marginalized.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s

Cabinet gave nod to sign MoC between India & Japan in Water Resources field

• The Union Cabinet was apprised of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation of  Ministry of Jal Shakti and Water and Disaster Management Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan in the field of Water Resources.
• This MoC was signed for development of a long-term cooperation in the field of Water and Delta management, and Water technology in order to increase the exchange of information, knowledge, technology and scientific allied experience, as well as implementation of joint projects between the two countries.
• This MoC will help achieving water security, improved irrigation facility and sustainability in water resources development.

Cabinet approved to signing of MoU between UPSC, Afghanistan’s IARCSC

• The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), India and Independent Administrative Reforms and Civil Services Commission (IARCSC), Afghanistan.
• The MoU will strengthen the relationship between IARCSC and UPSC.
• It will facilitate sharing of experience and expertise of both the institutions in the area of recruitment.
• The MoU includes exchange of information and expertise including books, manuals and other documents which are not of a confidential nature and sharing of expertise in the use of Information Technology (IT) for the preparation of written examinations and holding of Computer Based Recruitment Tests and Online Examinations.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Defence Ministry signs Rs 1,056 crore contract with Mahindra Defence Systems to supply 1,300 Light Specialist Vehicles to Indian Army

• On March 22, 2021, The defence ministry finalised a contract with Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd (MDSL) to procure 1,300 light combat vehicles for the Indian Army at a cost of Rs 1,056 crore.
• The induction of the vehicles into the army should be completed in four years.
• The vehicle is indigenously designed and developed by MDSL.
• The vehicles are extremely agile with all-round protection against small arms fire and they will assist small independent detachments.
• It is a modern fighting vehicle and will be authorised to various fighting units for carriage of medium machine guns, automatic grenade launchers as well as anti-tank guided missiles
• This is a flagship project showcasing the indigenous manufacturing capabilities of the defence industry and will add another milestone to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’ and ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government.

About Indian Army :

• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind
• Founded: 1 April 1895, India
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chief Defence Staff : Bipin Rawat
• Chief of the Army Staff : Manoj Mukund Naravane
• Vice Chief of the Army Staff : Chandi Prasad Mohanty

About Ministry of Defence :

• Minister : Rajnath Singh
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Founded: 15 August 1947

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Government exits from TCL, nets Rs 8,846 crore

• On March 22, 2021, The government has fully exited Tata Communications Ltd by selling its 12% stake and has netted Rs 8,846 crore in the process, the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM).
• Disinvestment of government holding completed of 12% in TCL through OFS at Rs 5,457 crore and 10% to strategic partner at OFS discovered price for Rs 3,389 crore.
• Public sector company VSNL was privatised in 2002 by disinvesting 25 percent shareholding along with transfer of management control to Panatone Finvest Ltd, the strategic partner. Subsequent to the strategic disinvestment, the name of the company was renamed to TCL.
• The revised disinvestment target for this financial year has been set at Rs 32,000 crore, substantially lower than the budgeted Rs 2.10 lakh crore.

About TCL :

• CEO: Amur Swaminathan Lakshminarayanan
• Headquarters: Mumbai

About DIPAM :

• Secretary : Tuhin Kanta
• Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) deals with all matters relating to management of Central Government investments in equity including disinvestment of equity in Central Public Sector Undertakings.
• DIPAM is working as one of the Departments under the Ministry of Finance.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & SERVICES

POWERGRID Launches Certified E-Tendering Portal “PRANIT”

• A central PSU under Ministry of Power, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), has established an e-Tendering Portal-PRANIT which will lead to less paperwork and ease of operation, making the tendering process more transparent.
• The Portal has been certified by Standardisation, Testing and Quality Certification Directorate (STQC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.

About POWERGRID :

• POWERGRID is now the only organization in India to have an eProcurement solution on SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), complying with all applicable requirements relating to security and transparency as stipulated by STQC.
• POWERGRID in pursuit of digitalisation has been undertaking a number of innovative enhancements within SAP SRM framework

About STQC :

• Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate is an attached office of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, provides quality assurance services in the area of Electronics and IT through a countrywide network of laboratories and centres.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

In strongest armed forces India Ranks Fourth & China Tops ; Military Direct Study

• China has the strongest military force in the world while India stands at number four, according to a study titled “ultimate military strength index”released by defence website Military Direct.
• China has the strongest military in the world, scoring 82 out of 100 points in the index.

Top 5 Countries In the ultimate military strength index :

Rank	Score	Country
1	82	China
2	74	USA
3	69	Russia
4	61	India
5	58	France

• The world’s biggest military spender with a budget of $732 billion per year is the USA, it noted, adding that China comes second with $261 billion, followed by India at $71 billion.

About ultimate military strength index :

• The USA, despite their enormous military budgets, comes in 2nd place with 74 points, followed by Russia with 69, India at 61 and then France with 58.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

For ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 ‘Girl Gang’ announced official song

• Girl Gang, a track by New Zealand singer Gin Wigmore, has been announced as the official song of the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup.
• The tournament is set to be hosted in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3, 2022.
• OriginallyIt was scheduled to be held from February 6 to March 7, 2021, the World Cup was postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) made the announcement in an event at Mt Maunganui Beach

Essence of the Song :

• To celebrate women coming together to “fight against a society that so often pits us against each other and tears us down”.

About ICC :

• Chairperson: Greg Barclay
• Deputy Chairman: Imran Khwaja
• CEO: Manu Sawhney (Jul 2019–)
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Founded: 15 June 1909

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Egyptian author and women’s rights icon Nawal El Saadawi Passes away

• World-renowned Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi, an outspoken champion of women’s rights in the Arab world, has Passed away.
• He was 89.

About Nawal El Saadawi :

• Born in the village of Kafir Tahla in 1931, El Saadawi rose to prominence in 1972 with her taboo-breaking book, Women and Sex.
• El Saadawi had an outspoken brand of feminism. She wrote on controversial topics including polygamy and female circumcision – among others – which gained her as many critics as admirers in the region.
• In 2005, El Saadawi was awarded the Inana International Prize in Belgium, a year after she received the North-South prize from the Council of Europe.
• In 2020, Time Magazine named her on their 100 Women of the Year list.
• She was the founder and head of the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association.
• She was also a Co-founder of the Arab Association for Human Rights.

Daily CA On Mar 23 :

• World Meteorological Day is observed every year on March 23 to highlight the importance of the role that people and their behaviour play in protecting Earth’s atmosphere.
• The Government of India has launched an ambitious scheme called “Gram Ujala”under which high quality energy efficient LED bulbs will be given for just Rs 10 per piece in rural areas.
• Department of Posts is organizing Universal Postal Union 2021 International Letter Writing Competition for Young People in all States of the country through the  Postal Circle Offices.
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Mohammed Haneef Atmar arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit to discuss, among other things, the ongoing peace process in the war-torn country.
• Biharhas become the first state of the country to have its own ethanol policy called Ethanol Production Promotion Policy, 2021.
• India supplied two Mobile Harbour Cranes (MHCs) each weighing 100 tons to Iran.
• Government has said that more than 57 thousand lakh rupees have been disbursed under Atal Pension Yojana till February this year.
• Government has said that more than 23 lakh loans have been sanctioned to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors, Atma Nirbhar Nidhi Scheme – PM SVANidhi.
• State-owned telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL)can launch 4G services, a key requirement for its revival, with an investment of about 1,000 crore against the estimated Rs.9,000 crore it would require as per the new tender.
• Manu Kumar Jain, Managing Director of Mi India, is giving out one-time hardship bonus to 1,200 of its corporate employees for roughing out a very tough, pandemic-struck year, 2020.
• WADIA-family owned GoAir is heading into a key management change after Jeh Wadia resigned from the post of managing director after serving in the role for three years.
• Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has made two key Cabinet changes, a move condemned as “unacceptable” by his powerful governing partner, Abdullah Abdullah, at a time when the US is ratcheting up the pressure to reach a peace agreement with the Taliban.
• The winner of 67th National Film Awards was announced on 22 March 2021 in New Delhi to honour the best of Indian cinema in 2019.
• HCL Technologies  announced its support for RISE with SAP, an offering by SAP that helps clients take their business-critical elements into the cloud, thereby accelerating their digital transformation and the value realization of their investments on their journey to becoming an “intelligent enterprise.”
• On March 17, 2021, Indian Navy undertook Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Bahrain Naval Force Corvette Al Muharraq in the Persian Gulf under Operation Sankalp.
• India has gone down13 spots to rank at 56th place in the latest global home price index 2020 released by property consultant Knight Frank.
• On 20th March 2021, Hon’ble Vice President of India, Sri M. Venkaiah Naidu launched the The Book “Bringing Governments and People Closer” A development practitioner’s prescription was launched through virtual mode.
• The Sports Ministry has decided to extend the Khelo India scheme for a period of five years, from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• On March 21, 2021, India Legends defeated Sri Lanka Legends by 14 runs in the final of Road Safety World Series to clinch the title.
• In badminton,Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia has won the All England Badminton Championships men’s title as he defeated Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the summit clash.
• On March 22, 2021, Veteran Bollywood writer and director Sagar Sarhadi passed away

Daily CA On Mar 24 :

• World Tuberculosis Day, observed on 24 March each year, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease. The Theme for World TB Day 2021 is ‘The Clock is Ticking’
• Every year March 24 is observed as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, to say no to all forms of violence, injustice and oppression against humanity.
• As part of Mission Sagar – IV, Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa arrived at Port Ehoala, Madagascar to deliver a consignment of one thousand Metric Tonne of rice and one lakh Hydroxychloroquine tablets in response to an appeal made by Madagascar for assistance to deal with natural calamities.
• India has welcomed the initiative announced by Saudi Arabia for fostering peace in Yemen.
• Indian Railways have launched a massive drive against smoking and carriage of inflammable material through Railways in the view of incidents of fire resulting in loss of property and danger to life in various Zonal Railways.
• The US Senate has voted to confirm Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy to be President Biden’s Surgeon General, handing the administration one of its top public health officials amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands Governor Admiral D K Joshi declared that the UT achieved 100 percent Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) coverage in Islands.
• Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangnyu Phom launched i-Learn, a capacity building and performance tracking application for Community Health Officers, CHOs in the state at his office chamber in
• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur virtually launched e-Office, e-Heli Service, e-Aagman and e-Lahaul for Lahaul-Spiti district from Shimla.
• American credit rating agency Fitch has revised India’s GDP growth estimate to 8% for next fiscal from the previous 11% on the back of a stronger carryover effect, a looser fiscal stance, and better virus containment.
• MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed hope that with integrated efforts from all stakeholders, bamboo industry in India will be worth 25 to 30 thousand crore rupees.
• Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, a central PSU, has established an e-Tendering Portal-PRANIT.
• The I-PACE is a Jaguar vehicle above all else a true driver’s car.
• Private sector lender ICICI Bankhas launched an instant EMI facility on its internet banking platform.
• As per the ‘Amalgamation of Urban Cooperative Banks, Directions, 2020’, issued by the RBI, it may consider proposals for merger and amalgamation among UCBs under three circumstances, including when the net worth of the amalgamated bank is positive, and the amalgamating bank assures to protect entire deposits.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a five-member Standing External Advisory Committee for the purpose of evaluating applications for Universal Banks as well as Small Finance Banks.
• Suzlon Energy said market regulator Sebi has appointed forensic auditor to carry out forensic audit of its financial statements.
• Esaf Small Finance Bankhas been awarded ‘Great Place to Work’ certification by the Great Place to Work Institute.
• The Union Cabinet was apprised of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation of  Ministry of Jal Shakti and Water and Disaster Management Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan in the field of Water Resources.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), India and Independent Administrative Reforms and Civil Services Commission (IARCSC), Afghanistan.
• On March 22, 2021, The defence ministry finalised a contract with Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd (MDSL) to procure 1,300 light combat vehicles for the Indian Army at a cost of Rs 1,056 crore.
• On March 22, 2021, The government has fully exited Tata Communications Ltd by selling its 12% stake and has netted Rs 8,846 crore in the process, the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM).
• A central PSU under Ministry of Power, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), has established an e-Tendering Portal-PRANIT which will lead to less paperwork and ease of operation, making the tendering process more transparent.
• China has the strongest military force in the world while India stands at number four, according to a study titled “ultimate military strength index”released by defence website Military Direct.
• Girl Gang, a track by New Zealand singer Gin Wigmore, has been announced as the official song of the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup.
• World-renowned Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi, an outspoken champion of women’s rights in the Arab world, has Passed away.

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