Important Days
World Consumer Rights Day 2021
World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on March 15 every year to raise global awareness about consumer rights and needs, and protect consumers across the globe against market abuses.
The theme for World Consumer Rights Day 2021 is “Tackling Plastic Pollution.”. The day highlights the power of consumers and their rights for a fair, safe and sustainable marketplace for everyone.
National Vaccination Day: March 16
The National Vaccination Day, (also called the National Immunization Day), is celebrated every year on March 16 in India, to convey the importance of vaccination to the entire nation.
The prime purpose behind the celebration of National Vaccination Day is to make all people aware of arming against polio and eradicating it completely from the world. In 2021, the National Vaccination Day is important as the country has started its biggest Covid-19 immunization programme.
The day was first observed in the year 1995. It was in 1995 that India started the Pulse Polio Programme and the first dose of Oral Polio Vaccine was given.
According to the World Health Organization, immunization is a process through which an individual’s immune system becomes fortified against foreign harm causing agent.
National News
Supreme Court seeks govt.’s response on plea against Places of Worship Act
The Supreme Court has asked the government to respond to a plea challenging the Places of Worship Act enacted in 1991.
A notice is issued by a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde to the Union Ministries of Home, Law and Culture on a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay against various provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991.
The petition said Sections of the Act that dealt with the bar on legal claims were against the principles of secularism.
The religious character of a place of worship shall continue to be the same as it was on 15 August 1947.
No person shall convert any sort of place of worship of any religious denomination into one of a different denomination or section.
Govt announces new scheme for tourist vehicle operators
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced a new scheme for tourist vehicle operators, under which any tourist vehicle operator may apply for an “All India tourist authorization and permit” through online mode.
The new set of rules will be known as “All India Tourist Vehicles Authorization and Permit Rules, 2021”. This will come into effect from April 01, 2021.
The new rules for permits are aimed at promoting tourism across the states in our country, while simultaneously, helping to grow the revenue of state Governments.
The permits will be issued, after relevant documents are submitted and fees deposited, within 30 days of submission of such applications.
The authorization/permit will be granted, for a period of three months or its multiples thereof, not exceeding three years at a time.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Minister of Road Transport and Highways: Nitin Gadkari.
Banking News
India’s Forex Reserves Surpass Russia’s to become World’s 4th Biggest
India’s foreign-exchange reserves surpassed Russia’s to become the world’s fourth-largest reserve.
The foreign currency holdings of India stood at $580.3 billion as of March 5, as per the data by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The reserve of Russia was $580.1 billion. Overall, China has the largest reserves, followed by Japan and Switzerland, as on the International Monetary Fund table.
Reserves for both countries have mostly flattened out this year after months of rapid increase. India pulled ahead as Russian holdings declined at a faster rate in recent weeks. India’s reserves, enough to cover roughly 18 months of imports, have been bolstered by a rare current-account surplus, rising inflows into the local stock market and foreign direct investment.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.
Business News
NPCI launches UPI-Help on BHIM app for Grievance Redressal
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella entity for digital payments in India, has launched a new application named “UPI-Help” on BHIM UPI, which will act as a grievance redressal mechanism for the users of the BHIM application.
Initially, UPI-Help has been made live on the BHIM app for the customers of State Bank of India, AXIS Bank, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank. Users of other banks participating in UPI will also be added to UPI-Help soon.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- National Payments Corporation of India MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe.
- National Payments Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai.
- National Payments Corporation of India Founded: 2008.
Appointments News
World Bank economist Deepak Mishra appointed as director of ICRIER
Deepak Mishra, Practice Manager in the World Bank’s Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment Global Practice, has been appointed as the next director and chief executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
He will take the charge of Rajat Kathuria who has been the director and chief executive of ICRIER since 1st September 2012.
Mishra has held various positions at the World Bank, including co-director of the World Development Report 2016 (Digital Dividends), country economist for Ethiopia, Pakistan, Sudan, and Vietnam.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- ICRIER Established: August 1981.
- ICRIER Headquaters: New Delhi.
Awards News
Grammy Awards 2021 Announced: Check the list of Winners
The 63rd edition of the annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. The 2021 Grammy awards recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, between September 1, 2019, to August 31, 2020.
The award is presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the American music industry. Beyonce received the most nominations with nine, as well as the most awards with four.
Here is the list of winners of Grammy Awards 2021:
| Sl. No. | Category | Winner |
| 1. | Album Of The Year | “Folklore” by Taylor Swift |
| 2. | Record Of The Year | “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish |
| 3. | Best New Artist | Megan Thee Stallion |
| 4. | Best Rap Album | “King’s Disease” by Nas |
| 5. | Best R&B Album Winner | “Bigger Love” by John Legend |
| 6. | Best Rap Song | “Savage” by Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany |
| 7. | Best Country Album | “Wildcard” — Miranda Lambert |
| 8. | Song Of The Year | “I Can’t Breathe” by Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas |
| 9. | Best Rock Album | “The New Abnormal” by The Strokes |
| 10. | Best Rock Song | “Stay High” by Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard) |
| 11. | Best Dance/Electronic Album | Bubba by Kaytranada |
| 12. | Producer of the Year, Classical | David Frost |
| 13. | Best Music Video | Brown Skin Girl by Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & WizKid |
| 14. | Best Country Song | Crowded Table by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby & Lori McKenna |
| 15. | Best Folk Album | All the Good Times |
| 16. | Best Comedy Album | Black Mitzvah by Tiffany Haddish |
Gowsalya Shankar honoured with International Woman of Courage 2021
The U.S. Consulate honoured Tamil Nadu-based anti-caste activist and human rights defender Gowsalya Shankar with a nomination for the International Woman of Courage (IWOC) Award.
The IWOC Award Certificate of Nomination was handed over to her by U.S. Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin at an event ‘Courageous Women Inspire a Better World’ held in the city.
Ms Gowsalya was U.S. Mission India’s nominee for the 2021 U.S. Secretary of State’s IWOC Award, which honours women who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in acting to improve the lives of others.
Science and Technology
Odisha Farmer’s Solar Car Gets Thumbs-Up Online
Sushil Aggarwal from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district had built a four-wheeler powered by an 850 Watts motor and 100 Ah/54 Volts of battery.
After fully charged the vehicle can travel up to 300 km. He told that he had built this car inside a workshop at his home during the COVID-19 lockdown.
All the work on his vehicle including motor winding, electrical fitting and chassis work were done in my workshop with the help of two other mechanics and a friend who advised me on electric works.
They are powered by electricity through the use of solar energy. Sun’s energy is directly converted into electrical energy by the photovoltaic (PV) cells.
First project Genome Mapping in Indian Ocean will be launched
In the Indian Ocean, the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) will launch the first-of-its-kind project of Genome Mapping. The Indian Ocean covers about 20% of the Earths’s water surface and so is the third largest water body in the world.
Its objective is to bather samples of genome mapping of microorganisms in the Indian Ocean. It is also necessary to understand the biochemistry and the response of the Ocean to climate change, nutrient stress and increasing pollution.
The cost of the project and the duration is Rs 25 crore and will take around three years to complete.
ISRO launches sounding rocket RH-560 to study attitudinal variations
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the sounding rocket (RH-560) to study attitudinal variations in the neutral winds and plasma dynamics, at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota Range (SHAR).
ISRO has developed a series of sounding rockets called Rohini series, important among them being RH-200, RH-300 and RH-560, number in the name indicating the diameter of the rocket in mm, according to the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency.
Sounding rockets are one or two-stage solid propellant rockets used for probing the upper atmospheric regions and for space research. They also serve as easily affordable platforms to test or prove prototypes of new components or subsystems intended for use in launch vehicles and satellites.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- ISRO Chairman: K.Sivan.
- ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- ISRO established: 15 August 1969.
Sports News
Mumbai City FC beat ATK Mohun Bagan to win their maiden ISL title
Mumbai City FC has defeated ATK Mohun Bagan 2-1 in the ISL 2020-21 final to lift yet another trophy this year. Mumbai had earlier secured the ISL Shield along with a spot in the AFC Champions League group stage by finishing first in the standings in the regular season.
Related Awards
- Golden Ball Award (Best Player of ISL 2020-21): ATK Mohun Bagan forward Roy Krishna.
- Emerging Indian Player of the Year: NorthEast United midfielder Lalengmawia.
- Golden Boot Award (Top goal-scorer): FC Goa striker Igor Angulo for 14 goals.
- Golden Glove Award (Best Goalkeeper): ATK Mohun Bagan custodian Arindam Bhattacharya for ten clean sheets.
Bhavani Devi becomes the first ever Indian fencer to qualify for Olympics
Bhavani Devi became the first-ever Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics. The sabre fencer secured an Olympic sport due to events in the ongoing Fencing World Cup. Hosts Hungary lost in the quarterfinals of the team event, allowing Korea to progress to the semis.
Therefore, Bhavani Devi qualifies through the Adjusted Official Ranking (AOR) Method. Currently, she is ranked 45th in the world. In 2017 She won India’s 1st international gold medal in fencing.
Obituary
Former Boxing Champion “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler Passes Away
The former undisputed middleweight boxing legend “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler has passed away.
Hagler, the American legend, ruled as the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to 1987. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.
Renowned Padma Bhushan winning painter Laxman Pai passes away
Renowned Indian artist and painter Laxman Pai has passed away. The Goa-based painter was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour.
The former principal of the Goa College of Art had several laurels under his name including Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Nehru Award, and Lalit Kala Akademi Award.
Noted Kathakali Dancer Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair passes away
Veteran Kathakali artist Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair has passed away in Kozhikode, Kerala. He was 105-year old. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2017 for his contributions to the dance form of Kathakali.
Besides this, Chemencheri was also the recipient of several other awards like the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Award in 1979, the Kerala Kalamandalam award in 2001, Kalaratnam award in 2009, Mayilpeeli award and Sangeet Natak Academi Tagore award.