DAILY GK: 16,17 MAR 2021
1.INDIA’S
1ST CENTRALIZED AC TERMINAL
• ‘Sir
M Visvesvaraya Terminal’ – India’s 1st Centralized Air-Conditioned Railway
Terminal at Baiyappanahalli in Bengaluru, Karnataka is set to become
operational soon.
• It
is being developed by the Indian Railways at a cost INR 314 Crore and has been
named after one of India’s 1st Civil Engineers, Bharat Ratna Sir M
Visvesvaraya.
2.INDIA’S
1ST DEDICATED EXPRESS CARGO TERMINAL
• India’s
1st dedicated Express Cargo Terminal, exclusively for export and import of
international couriers was inaugurated in Kempegowda International Airport,
Bangalore.
• The
2,00,000 sq.ft Export Cargo Terminal will also accommodate international
courier organisations like DHL Express & FedEx Express, under the
Common-User Express Terminal that will be operated by Express Industry Council
of India (EICI).
3.
‘KALANAMAK RICE FESTIVAL’
• Uttar
Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath launched a three-day-long ‘Kalanamak rice festival’
in Siddharth Nagar under one district – one product scheme of the state
government.
• It
is one of the finest varieties of aromatic rice that are grown in India,
Kalanamak is also called Buddha Rice.
• Earlier
Uttar Pradesh government was the first state of India to launch the concept of
ODOP in 2018
4.WOMEN
OFFICERS ON WARSHIP AFTER 23 YEARS
• International
Women’s Day, For the first time in 23 years since 1998, the Indian Navy has
deployed 4 women officers onboard its warships.
• 2
of the 4 officers were posted on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and the
other 2 were deployed on the tanker ship INS Shakti.
5.
SWEDISH DEMOCRACY REPORT 2021
• According
to the ‘Autocratization Turns Viral: Democracy Report 2021’ released by
Swedish-based V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute states that India’s
regime type has turned into ‘Electoral Autocracy’ in 2020 from ‘Electoral
Democracy’ in 2010.
• Hungary
& Turkey have also been demoted as ‘Electoral Autocracy’.
• India
has registered a 23%-point drop on the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI) scale
marking one of the most dramatic shifts among all countries in the world over
the past 10 years.
• Based
on the LDI Index, the top 3 democratic countries in the world are Denmark,
Sweden & Norway.
6.JLL
HPI INDEX
• According
to JLL’s (Jones Lang LaSalle)’s Human Performance Indicator (HPI) Index, India
ranked highest in workplace satisfaction at 98 percent followed by China at 97
percent.
• Technology
workers (53%) and young professionals aged 25 to 34 (37%) make up the majority
of High Performers.
•
As much as High Performers were champions of flexible work, they felt that the
office was a critical factor to performance.
7.US
BECOMES INDIA’S 2ND BIGGEST OIL SUPPLIER
• According
to trade data released by Reuters, the United States surpassed Saudi Arabia as
India’s 2nd Biggest Oil Supply in February, 2021.
•
Iraq continues to be India’s Largest supplier despite a 23% decline in
purchases to a five-month low of 867, 500 BPD (Barrels Per Day).
• India’s
imports from America increased to 48% to a record 545, 300 BPD in February,
2021 accounting for 14% of India’s overall imports last month
• India
is World’s Third Largest Oil Importer & Consumer (after USA, China)
Position Country
1 Iraq
2 USA
3 Nigeria
8.INDIA
SURPASSED RUSSIA’S FOREX RESERVE
• As
per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, India’s Foreign exchange (Forex)
reserves to become the world’s fourth-largest by surpassing Russia.
• India’s
foreign currency holdings fell by $4.3 billion to $580.3 billion and Russia’s
forex holdings were $580.1 billion.
• As
of March 2021, International Monetary Fund(IMF)table, China has the largest
reserves, followed by Japan, Switzerland, India, and Russia.
9.DEEPAK
MISHRA APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ICRIER
• Deepak
Mishra the lead Economist and Practice Manager at the World Bank was appointed
as the new Director and Chief Executive of the Indian Council for Research on
International Economic Relations(ICRIER), the economic think Tank of India.
10.ADVISORY
COMMITTEE FOR STUDYING SARASVATI RIVER
• The
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) released a notification stating that it
has reconstituted an Advisory Committee for Multidisciplinary Study of the River
Sarasvati (also known as Ghaggar-Hakra River).
11.
SUPERCOMPUTER “FUGAKU” BY JAPAN, NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL
• “Fugaku”
the Japanese supercomputer that topped the Top500 list for 2 consecutive years
is now fully operational.
• The
supercomputer that was developed for 6 years by Japanese scientific research
institute RIKEN and Fujitsu was used in projects to combat COVID-19 pandemic.
• Japan’s
Research Organization for Information Science and Technology (RIST) has
selected 74 projects that will use the supercomputer in FY2021.
• This
will work towards the Japanese government’s vision of an ultra-smart Society
5.0.
12.WORLD
FIRST PCS WITH PLASTIC WASTE IN OCEAN
• HP(Hewlett-Packard)
has made the World’s first PC using plastic waste from the ocean.
• To
build on HP’s sustainability commitment, The HP Pavilion line-up (HP Pavilion
13, HP Pavilion 14, and HP Pavilion 15 laptops) uses the post-consumer recycled
and plastic waste in Ocean in the construction of speaker housing.
• The
Pavilion series is set to keep around 92000 plastic bottles out of the ocean
and landfills.
13.1ST
INDIAN FENCER TO QUALIFY FOR OLYMPICS
• Bhavani
Devi who hails from Tamil Nadu became the 1st ever Indian Fencer to qualify for
an Olympics.
• She
was assured of qualification for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after Hungary lost to
South Korea in the Quarter-finals of Team event of 2021 Fencing Sabre World Cup
being held at Budapest, Hungary.
14.INTERNATIONAL
DAY OF MATHEMATICS
• International
Day of Mathematics (IDM) is annually observed across the globe on 14th March to
celebrate the beauty and importance of mathematics and its essential role in
everyone’s life.
• The
day also marks the birth anniversary of renowned mathematician and physicist
Albert Einstein and death anniversary of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
• The
theme of the International Day of Mathematics 2021 is “Mathematics for a Better
World”.
15.INTERNATIONAL
DAY OF ACTION FOR RIVERS
• The
International Day of Action for Rivers which was formerly known as
“International Day against Dams, for Rivers, Water, and Life” is annually
observed across the globe on 14th March to create awareness about the
importance of rivers.
• The
theme of International Day of Action for Rivers 2021 is “Rights of Rivers”.
16.WORLD
CONSUMER RIGHTS DAY 2021
• World
Consumer Rights Day is annually celebrated across the globe on 15th March to
highlight the power of consumers and their rights for a fair, safe and
sustainable marketplace for everyone.
• The
theme of World Consumer Rights Day 2021 is “Tackling Plastic Pollution”.
17.MIZORAM
PAIRED WITH BIHAR THROUGH EK BHARAT SHRESTHA BHARAT CAMPAIGN
• A
country wide Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat campaign, which highlights the age-old
tradition of our country – unity in diversity.
• Exchange
of different languages, food habits, and similarly paying respect to others’
culture, music, dances and customs are in fact the mantra of Ek Bharat Shrestha
Bharat.
• Under
this Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat campaign, each state is paired with another
state and highlights the milieu of mutual exchange of cultures.
• Mizoram
is paired with Bihar on Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat campaign.
18.MISSION
SAGAR-IV
• Indian
Naval Ship(INS) Jalashwa, the largest amphibious ship of Indian Navy reached
Port Anjouan, Comoros to deliver 1,000 Metric Tonnes of rice as part of Mission
Sagar-IV.
• Mission
Sagar was India’s initiative to deliver Covid-19 related assistance to the
countries in the Indian Ocean region, which was launched on 10 May 2020.
19.INDIA’S
IMPORT OF ARMS DECREASED BY 33%
• According
to a report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),
India’s import of arms decreased by 33% between 2011-15 and 2016-20 due to its
increased push for ‘Make-in-India’ initiative and other measures to boost the
domestic defence industry.
• The
most affected countries due to decline in India’s imports were Russia &
USA.
• India’s
Top 3 Arms suppliers during 2016-20 were Russia (49% imports), France (18%) &
Israel (13%).
20.RBI
INSISTED ALL BANKS IMPLEMENT THE IMAGE-BASED CTS
• Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) the apex monetary institution asked all the banks in India
to implement the image-based Cheque Truncation System (CTS) under respective
grids in all its branches by September 30, 2021, to faster the settlement of
cheques resulting in better customer service.
• About
18,000 bank branches are still outside any formal clearing arrangement hence,
it is proposed to bring all such branches under the CTS image-based clearing
mechanism by September 2021.
21.63RD
ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS (2020)
• The
2021 GRAMMY Awards officially known as the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Award (2020) was
presented over the hybrid ceremony.
•
The award recognised the recordings released between 1st September 2019 and
31st August 2020.
• American
Singer and Songwriter Taylor Swift won the award for the Best Album of the year
for her album “Folklore”.
• American
pop star, Billie Eilish O’Connell won the record of the year award for her song
“Everything I Wanted”.
• Beyonce
won 4 awards and broke the record of most ever Grammy wins by female artists
with 28 Grammys.
22.HIGH-LEVEL
TEAM TO REVIEW MEDICAL CARE AT KUMBH MELA
• A
3-member high-level team led by Dr S K Singh, Director of National Centre for
Disease Control (NCDC) has been appointed by the Government of India to review
the Medical care and public health arrangements for the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar,
Uttarakhand which will start on 1st April 2021.
23.INDIA
TO HOST 2021’S ASIAN BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP
• International
Boxing Association (AIBA) announced that 2021’s Edition of Asian Boxing
Championship will be held between May 21-31 at New Delhi, India.
• This
will be the 1st boxing tournament in Asia in 2021, acting towards evaluating
boxers’ readiness for the Olympic games.
24.INDRA
NOOYI’S MEMOIR TITLED “MY LIFE IN FULL: WORK, FAMILY AND OUR FUTURE”
• Padma
Bhushan awardee Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo is set to publish her
memoir titled “My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future”.
• The
book is set to be published by Portfolio books on September 28.
• The
book will feature both the personal and professional life of Indra Nooyi.
25.NATIONAL
VACCINATION DAY 2021
• The
National Vaccination Day, also known as National Immunisation Day, is annually
observed across India on 16th March to create awareness about the importance of
vaccination.
• The
government of India aims to raise awareness about the vaccination against
poliovirus and other deadly viruses.
• The
National Vaccination day 2020 aims to eradicate both polio and the COVID-19.
26.NMCG,
UPJN & GA INFRA PRIVATE LIMITED SIGN TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT
OF STPS IN MORADABAD, UP
• National
Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (UPJN) & GA Infra
Private Limited-Lahoti Buildcon Limited have signed an Tripartite Agreement for
development of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.
• Aim
– To eliminate flow of untreated sewage from Moradabad city into River Ganga.
• Total
Cost of the project – INR 99.68 Crore rupees.
• Lending
for these projects will be provided by SBI Capital.
• NMCG
also approved other projects for addressing Sewage Problems in Moradabad.
River
Ramganga
• NMCG
also approved the project for ‘Pollution Abatement Works for River Ram ganga at
Bareilly’ for construction of STP of 65 MLD which are now under tender
evaluation stage.
• River
Ramganga is a critical polluting tributary of river Ganga.
About
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):
·
Director General –
Rajiv Ranjan Mishra
·
Headquarters – New
Delhi
