March 2021 National Affairs

• States can pass resolutions against Central laws: Supreme Court
  The Supreme Court prima facie found no harm in State Legislative Assemblies, such as those in Kerala and West Bengal, passing resolutions against Central laws like the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act or the new agriculture laws.
  
  A Bench, led by Chief Justice said these resolutions are merely “opinions” of the majority members of a Legislative Assembly and do not have the force of law.
  
  The court was hearing a PIL filed by a Rajasthan-based NGO that said State Assemblies, such as of Rajasthan, Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal, have no business passing resolutions against Central laws that come under the Union List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
  
  NGO asked the Supreme Court to quash the resolutions and declare them void.
  
  The hearing mostly focused on the resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly on December 31, 2019, criticising CAA as a law violating the right to equality. The Assembly had called upon the Centre to abrogate the CAA.
  
  Since they (State Assemblies) cannot make laws on the subjects in the Union List, they cannot also have a casual opinion on them.
  
  Kerala Assembly should not be having an opinion whether the law is “good, bad or indifferent”.
  
  Kerala Assembly procedure is clear in mandating that the House should not pass a resolution in matters which do not concern the State.
  
  It is the opinion of the majority in the Kerala Assembly. They have not told people to disobey the law, they have only told Parliament to abrogate the law.
  
  It is only an opinion and does not have the force of law. Kerala Assembly have the right to express an opinion
  
  Resolution was made even as about 60 petitions were pending in the Supreme Court against the CAA.
  
  
• Lok Sabha passes bill to amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act
  The Lok Sabha passed a Bill to amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) through a voice vote, with Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi stating that the amendments will create jobs and allow private players with enhanced technology into the mining sector.
  
  The reform in the mining sector would generate 55 lakh direct and indirect jobs.
  
  To enhance mining activity, government will allow the private sector with enhanced technology in mineral exploration.
  
  India produces 95 minerals and has same potential like South Africa and Australia but the mining sector was under-explored and India still had to import minerals like gold and coal.
  
  The Minister said the mining sector right now contributes 1.75% to the country’s GDP but the proposed reforms will raise the contribution to 2.5% as it seeks to make a large number of mines available for auctions by resolving legacy issues.
  
  The Bill removes the distinction between captive and non-captive mines and seeks to introduce an index-based mechanism by developing a National Mineral Index (NMI) for statutory payments.
  
  The National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET), to see the functioning of the sector, will be made an autonomous body.
  
  Opposition member asked why the Mines and Minerals Bill was being amended every year and said either the officials of the Ministry were incompetent or some lobby was at work.
  
  The member asked the government asked to exclude tribal areas under the Sixth Schedule.
  
  Opposition member suggested that a joint committee that included tribal members of Parliament, those from mining areas, besides oficials from the ministries of Tribal Affairs ministry, Environment and Forest ministry and Mines Ministry should be formed.
  
  Extending his support to the Bill, BijuJanata Dal MP, PinakiMisra said the Mines Ministry and the Environment Ministry should work in synergy to promote the growth of the sector.
  
  
• New IT rules unfairly target digital news producers, says plea
  The Delhi High Court asked the Centre to respond to a petition challenging the new Information Technology rules which seek to regulate digital news media.
  
  A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh asked the Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology and Information and Broadcasting to submit their responses on the plea by next date of hearing.
  
  The petition filed by Quint Digital Media Ltd. has been tagged with a similar petition filed earlier by the Foundation for Independent Journalism and The Wire news portal.
  
  The latest petition has challenged the constitutional validity of the IT Rules under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
  
  The present petition challenges the IT Rules, 2021 only in so far as they affect digital news portals, and is not with reference to ‘publishers of online curated content’, that it, OTT media platforms or any other entities sought to be regulated by the impugned Rules.
  
  It said the new rules purport to apply to “publishers of news and current affairs content” as part of digital media, and consequently regulate these entities under the Rules by imposing government oversight and a Code of Ethics which stipulates such vague conditions as “good taste”, “decency” and prohibition of “half-truths”.
  
  Creating a differential classification by way of subordinate legislation, when not contemplated by the parent IT Act, is an overreach by itself and this has been done to specifically target digital news portals, by subjecting them to an unprecedented regulatory burden and state interference, which no other form of news publication is subject to,
  
  The petitioners said they bring out a wholly digital news and current affairs publication called The Quint and are directly impacted by the new IT Rules, which is also an overreach by subordinate legislation.
  
  
• Lok Sabha passes bill to place seven castes under DevendrakulaVellalars in Tamil Nadu
  The Lok Sabha passed The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that seeks to put seven castes under one nomenclature of “DevendrakulaVellalars” with some exceptions for some of the castes in certain districts of Tamil Nadu.
  
  The castes include Devendrakulathan, Kadaiyan, Kalladi, Kudumban, Pallan, Pannadi and Vathiriyan. Not a single MP from Tamil Nadu was present in the LokSabha when the Bill was debated and passed.
  
  The State government had earlier accepted a recommendation of a committee to reclassify the seven sub sects under the generic name ‘DevendrakulaVelalar’ and forwarded it to the Centre.
  
  Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot said the change in nomenclature was a long pending demand of the community and did not involve either the deletion or addition of any community in its ambit.
  
  He also said the reason why a whole new addition was not made to the Scheduled Castes list and specific caste names previously given to these seven castes were being mentioned in the bracket was to ensure that old caste certificates issued to these communities under the old name not be rejected.
  
  
• Centre Asks Delhi HC to Stop Implementation of WhatsApp’s New Privacy Policy
  The Centre asked the Delhi High Court to restrain WhatsApp from implementing its new privacy policy, which is likely to take effect on May 15.
  
  The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in an affidavit, said the policy was not in tune with the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2011.
  
  The rules require a body corporate who collects, stores or otherwise deals with data to issue a privacy policy providing for certain safeguards, in addition to imposing various other obligations. The impugned privacy policy violates the 2011 Rules.
  
  The Ministry said WhatsApp’s policy “fails to specify types of sensitive personal data being collected”.
  
  Crucially, there is no distinction between personal data or sensitive personal data which is being collected.
  
  It added that WhatsApp also failed to notify users on details of collection of sensitive personal information.
  
  The privacy policy mentions the involvement of third-party service providers who may have access to the data. However, the names of these service providers and other associated details have not been provided.
  
  This is also the case for other Facebook companies, who are allowed to receive and share information about the user from and with WhatsApp.
  
  The new privacy policy fails to provide an option to withdraw consent retrospectively.
  
  
• Made In India Landing Craft Utility Ship Commissioned Into Indian Navy
  Port Blair commissioned an indigenously manufactured Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility L58.
  
  The Landing Craft Utility (LCU) L58 is the 8th and last ship of the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mark IV class.
  
  The Landing Craft Utility (LCU) L58 ship was indigenously designed and built by GRSE in Kolkata.
  
  Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 58 is an amphibious ship that can carry 160 soldiers in addition to its crew.
  
  The ship has a capacity of 900 tons and can carry various types of combat vehicles, such as Main Battle Tanks (MBT), BMP, Armored vehicles, trucks, etc.
  
  The ship is 63 meters long and is equipped with two MTA 4,000 series engines that can propel the ship at a maximum speed of 15 knots (28 kmph).
  
  The Landing Craft Utility (LCU) L58 ship is equipped with an advanced Electronic Support Measure (ESM) suite to intercept enemy radar transmissions, an advanced Integrated Bridge System (IBS) and a complex Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), so that the ship’s navigation can be ordered Station monitoring and mechanical equipment.
  
  The main equipment of the ship includes two indigenously manufactured 30mm CRN 91 guns, controlled by a StabilisedOptronic Pedestal (SOP), which is a day and night electronic front sight produced by Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL).
  
  In addition, the ship is also equipped with six Machine Gun Posts to eliminate air, surface and unconventional threats.
  
  
• Demand of grant of national project status to East Rajasthan Canal Project
  The Chief Minister of Rajasthan has requested the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) to have national project status.
  
  The main advantage of a project that has obtained the status of a national project is that 90% of the funding for the project will be provided by the central government. The estimated cost of ERCP is approximately Rs. 40 billion.
  
  Its purpose is to harvest excess water from rivers such as the Chambal River and its tributaries (including Kunnu, Parvati, and Kalishinde) in southern Rajasthan during the rainy season and use it for the southeastern part of the state, where water is scarce for drinking and irrigation.
  
  ERCP plans to meet the demand for drinking water and industrial water for humans and livestock industries in southern and southeastern Rajasthan by 2051.
  
  It is proposed to provide drinking water to 13 districts in Rajasthan through 26 different large and medium-sized projects and to provide irrigation water for 280,000 hectares of land.
  
  Kota, Baran, Tonk, Jaipur, Bundi, SawaiMadhopur, Ajmer, Jhalawar, Karauli, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa and Dholpur are the 13 districts.
  
  
• All about New Vehicle Scrappage Policy!
  The Minister of Road Transport and Highways issued a Suo Moto Statement in Parliament on the proposal for a “Vehicle Scrapping Policy ".
  
  In order to protect the environment and the safety of drivers and pedestrians, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is introducing a Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Program or “Vehicle Scrapping Policy" to establish an ecosystem that eliminates substandard and polluting vehicles. .
  
  The objectives of the policy are:
  Reduce the number of old and defective vehicles.
  
  Reduce car air pollutants to fulfill India’s climate commitments.
  
  Improve road and vehicle safety.
  
  Improve fuel efficiency.
  
  Formalize the current informal scrapped automobile industry.
  
  Increase the supply of low-cost raw materials in the automotive, steel and electronics industries.
  
  The ecosystem is expected to attract additional investment of approximately Rs. 10,000 Crore and 35,000 job opportunities.
  
  
• Global Hunger Index report’s methodology questioned in Rajya Sabha
  Union Minister of State for Agriculture in the Rajya Sabha questioned the methodology and data accuracy of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report, which has placed India at 94th among107 countries in 2020.
  
  Union Minister claimed that children considered healthy were also counted to determine the ranking.
  
  The Minister said the government had written to the NGO, Welthungerhilfe, which compiles the report, expressing concerns about their methodology, data accuracy and sample size and was yet to hear from them.
  
  Minister’s written reply showed that India’s ranking had improved from 102 in 2019 to 94 in 2020.
  
  India was ranked below countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar, when it was among top 10 food-producing countries in the world.
  
  Some NGO in the world has done the survey. We have asked them on what basis have you reached this conclusion? They have not replied yet, said the Minister.
  
  As far as these surveys are concerned, even healthy and strong children are counted- there should be awareness in society.
  
  In a written reply, the Ministry stated that according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4, the percentage of wasted, stunted and malnourished children in 2015-16 stood at 21, 38.4 and 35.7, respectively.
  
  It said that compared to NFHS-4 data, the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) of 2017-18 showed an improvement of 4%, 3.7% and 2.3% in wasted, stunted and malnourished children respectively.
  
  The first-ever CNNS was commissioned by the government in 2016 and was conducted from 2016-18, led by the Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with the UNICEF.
  
  The findings were published in 2019. CNNS includes only nutrition data, whereas NFHS encompasses overall health indicators.
  
  Women and Child Development Minister SmritiIrani informed the RajyaSabha that 10 lakh children were malnourished in the country.
  
  According to the GHI website, the data for the indicators come from the United Nations and other multilateral agencies, including the World Health Organization and the World Bank.
  
  GHI is a peer-reviewed annual report, jointly published by Concern Worldwide, an Ireland-based humanitarian group, and Welthungerhilfe, a Germany-based NGO, designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels.
  
  It says the aim of publishing the report is to trigger action to reduce hunger around the world.
  
  
• UNESCO teams up with Toonz Media, USO India for water conservation programme
  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has joined USO India and Toonz Media Group to develop a water-saving awareness program for students.
  For the water saving plan, the students made an animated video, which will be unveiled on the occasion of World Water Day on March 22, 2021. -"Water wise plan" for students. The program is organized in cooperation with the National Clean Ganges Regiment, Water Digest Magazine, United Schools Organization of India (India) (USU) and Toonz Media Group.
  
  H2Ooooh! --Water wise plan: The water saving plan was initiated by UNESCO New Delhi in September 2020. The program was initiated for school children in India. The program encourages school children aged 6-14 to submit story ideas and cartoons in response to India’s growing water crisis.
  
  The plan is divided into three phases. It aims to increase the creativity of students and raise their awareness of water conservation and sustainable use. Since the program was launched, approximately 17,000 students from 43 schools across India have participated in the program.
  
  The first stage: In the first phase of the mission, the school screened 24 animated videos in English and Hindi. These videos are made for the different water use problems of students from I to VIII. These videos were originally developed by UNESCO Venice. Later, It was translated into Hindi by the UNESCO New Delhi Office.
  
  Second stage: The second phase will be implemented in December 2020. At this stage, the school launched a competition to select the best ideas. A total of 2,000 students participated in the qualifiers, of which Toonz Media selected 93 students for training.
  
  
• All about GRAM UJALA Programme!
  The GRAM UJALA project has been launched. The scheme aims to provide LED bulbs in rural areas at a price of Rs 10 each without any government support or subsidies.
  As part of the first phase of the Gram Ujala program launched by Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Ltd., approximately 15 million LED bulbs will be sold in rural areas at a cost of Rs 10.
  
  The first phase will cover Bihar, UP, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and some villages in western Gujarat.
  
  The bulb has a three-year warranty, and the bulb will be provided to rural consumers in case they work with incandescent bulbs.
  
  Consumers can replace up to five bulbs.
  
  Rural households participating in the plan will also install meters in their houses to illustrate usage.
  
  In addition, the carbon letter of credit documents will be sent to a validator recognized by the United Nations for inclusion in the Shine Program.
  
  According to the needs of carbon credit purchasers, carbon credits will be prepared according to the “Shine Program” and can be verified according to the “Voluntary Carbon Standard ".
  
  Based on preliminary discussions with the market, buyers of carbon credits will also be sought through an open process.
  
  The security deposit that balances the cost and the LED cost will be compensated by the carbon credits obtained.
  
  Gram Ujala will not only lay the foundation for our efforts to combat climate change by improving energy efficiency, but will also bring higher living standards, financial savings and higher safety.
  
  
• Lok Sabha passes Bill that seeks to clarify that 'Govt.' in Delhi means 'L-G'
  The Lo kSabha passed a Bill that defines that the word “government” in Delhi means the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) and makes it mandatory for the elected government in the national capital territory to take the opinion of the L-G before any executive action.
  
  Amid strong protests from Opposition parties, including the Congress and the AamAadmi Party (AAP), the Bill was passed by a voice vote.
  
  Union Minister of State for Home said the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill (GNCTD), 2021, was necessary to remove ambiguities and make governance in Delhi more accountable and efficient.
  
  Opposition members accused the government of ‘usurping’ the power of the elected government in the national capital and trying to rule Delhi through the Lieutenant-Governor by making his office a ‘super Chief Minister’.
  
  The lone AAP Member of Parliament accused the BJP of being a ‘poor loser’ and alleged that the Centre had become a specialist in taking away rights of the States.
  
  Opposition members also wondered why Assembly elections in Delhi should be held if all the powers were to be given to the L-G.
  
  They also asked if the Centre plans to turn the national capital into a Union Territory like Jammu and Kashmir where there is an Assembly but is non-functional.
  
  Another opposition member said the legislation was ‘unconstitutional and mala fide’ that sought to take away the representative character of Delhi’s government.
  
  Article 239AA of the Constitution of India granted Special Status to Delhi among Union Territories (UTs) in the year 1991 through 69th constitutional amendment by the Parliament, thereby providing Legislative Assembly and a Council of Ministers responsible to such Assembly with appropriate powers to deal with matters of concerns to common man. That’s when Delhi was named as National Capital Region (NCT) of Delhi.
  
  As per Article 239AA – Public Order, Police & Land in NCT of Delhi fall within the domain and control of Central Government which shall have the power to make laws on these matters.
  
  For remaining matters of State List or Concurrent List, in so far as any such matter is applicable to UTs, the Legislative Assembly shall have power to make laws for NCT of Delhi.
  
  Further, for Offences against laws, Jurisdiction & powers of Courts (except SC) and Fees (except court fees) so far as they relate to Public Order, Police & Land in NCT of Delhi. Central Government would have power to make laws.
  
  Further, the Council of Ministers (i.e. CM and his Ministers) are elected to aid and advise the LG in the exercise of his functions in relation to matters with respect to which the Legislative assembly has power to make law.
  
  Therefore, in respect of Public Order, Police & Land – LG would not need aid and advise from the Council of Ministers. For other matters enumerated in the State List, this arrangement would work.
  
  In a verdict on the power tussle between the Delhi government and the Centre, the Supreme Court has said that Lieutenant Governor does not have independent decision making powers, and is bound to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
  
  The Court said that all decisions of the Council of Ministers, who are elected representatives of the people of Delhi, must be communicated to the LG but that does not mean his concurrence is required.
  
  There is no room for absolutism and there is no room for anarchism also,” the court ruled.
  
  The top court further said the LG should not act in a mechanical manner and stall the decisions of the Council of Ministers.
  
  
• Rajasthan brings private medical colleges within RTI Act’s purview
  The private medical colleges in Rajasthan have been brought within the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, following an order of the State Information Commission, which has imposed a fine of Rs.25,000 on the principal of Geetanjali Medical College in Udaipur for flouting the transparency law and refusing to provide information.
  
  Allowing an appeal against the medical college, the Information Commission held in its recent order that the State government had allotted land to the institution at concessional rates and the college was established under a law passed by the State Legislature.
  
  Based on these facts, the college falls within the purview of the RTI Act.
  
  The college is governed by the rules and regulations framed by the State government,” Information Commissioner said.
  
  The Commission’s first-of-its-kind order has paved the way for citizens to seek information under the RTI Act from the educational institutions which have obtained land for their buildings and campuses at concessional rates from the State government.
  
  The appellant had filed his plea with the Commission, pointing out that Geetanjali Medical College had not attached any importance to his RTI application filed on August 7, 2019, seeking information on his nephew’s admission.
  
  Despite the Commission issuing notices three times with the warning of action under the RTI Act, the college did not respond.
  
  The appellant submitted the documents pertaining to allotment of land to the college and the legislation having been passed by the State Assembly.
  
  Appellant also cited a judgment of the Supreme Court in the D.A.V. College case, holding that the institutions like schools, colleges and hospitals which received “substantial aid” from the government in the form of land at discounted rate were bound to give information to the citizens under the RTI Act.
  
  The Information Commission accepted the appellant’s contention that the non-government organisations receiving financing from the government were a public authority under the provisions of the RTI Act.
  
  While imposing penalty on the principal, the Commission directed the college to provide information on its decision and action taken on six points raised by the RTI applicant within the stipulated time frame.
  
  
• UP, MP sign agreement with Centre for Ken-Betwa river interlinking project
  The governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have signed an agreement that nudges forward a long-stalled multi-crore, controversial project to link the Ken and the Betwa rivers and irrigate the water-deficient Bundelkhand region, spread over both States, and provide electricity.Several obstacles have dogged the project.
  
  For one, the project will partly submerge the Panna Tiger Reserve in M.P. and affect the habitat of vultures and jackals.
  
  After years of protests, however, it was finally cleared by the apex wildlife regulator, the National Board for Wildlife, in 2016.
  
  Then, the States were unable to come to an agreemment on how water would be shared, particularly in the non-monsoon months.
  
  The project involves transferring surplus water from the Ken river in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa in Uttar Pradesh and irrigating 3.64 lakh hectares in the Bundelkhand region of both States.
  
  The project involves building a 77-metre-tall and a 2-km-wide Dhaudhan dam and a 230-km canal.
  
  The original project was conceived in two distinct phases but now they are learnt to be combined.
  
  This influences how the entire scheme is funded. The Centre was originally to fund 90% of the cost (Rs.37,611crore in 2018) but a final decision is still outstanding.
  
  However U.P., it is learnt, wanted a greater share of the water which Madhya Pradesh was unwilling. This prevented the signing of an agreement on water sharing that was ready in 2018.
  
  The agreement was signed by both Chief Ministers. This is a historic moment that is much more than the mere signing on paper,” Prime Minister said in his address.
  
  The Ken Betwa interlinking of rivers (ILR) project was touted as the first river inter-link project under the revised national scheme.
  
  It was given the Union Cabinet’s approval in July 2014 but was stalled because of protests from environmentalists and wildlife conservationists.
  
  It is a project proposed to transfer excess water from the River Ken to the Betwa basin through the use of a concrete canal. The project aims to provide irrigation to the Bundelkhand region, which is one of the worst drought-affected areas in India.
  
  The beneficiary states are Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
  
  It will meet the irrigation purposes, drinking water, and electricity needs of 6 districts in both the states.
  
  The proposed concrete canal would be 221 km long. It will pass through Jhansi, Banda, and Mahoba districts of UP and Chhatarpur, Panna, and Tikamgarh districts of MP.
  
  A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Centre and the governments of UP and MP for the project.
  
  
• Why should welfare be dependent on caste quota benefits alone, asks SC judge
  Justice Ravindra Bhat, one of the judges on the Constitution Bench hearing the question of 50% ceiling limit on reservation, asked why welfare should be dependent on caste quota benefits alone.
  
  “Why stop at reservation? Why can’t other things also be done? Why not promote education, establish more institutes?
  
  Somewhere this matrix has to move beyond reservation. Affirmative action is not just reservation. There has to be something more.
  
  The court was hearing submissions by senior advocate KapilSibal, appearing for Jharkhand, on the circumstances which led to the 50% limit in the Indira Sawhney judgment of 1992.
  
  Mr. Sibal said the 1992 judgment was “a balancing act” done during a tumultuous time in the nation.
  
  On March 8, the Bench had framed several questions of law, including whether the Indira Sawhney verdict needed to be re-looked by a larger Bench of more than nine judges.
  
  The court is primarily examining whether the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act of 2018, which provides 12% to 13% quota benefits for the Maratha community, and thus, taking the reservation percentage in the State across the 50% mark, was enacted under “extraordinary circumstances”.
  
  Over the years, several States like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have crossed the Rubicon and passed laws which allow reservation to over 60%.
  
  
• Parliament passes Insurance Amendment Bill, 2021 to increase FDI limit from 49% to 74%
  Rajya Sabha passed the 2021 Insurance Amendment Bill. This bill amends the Insurance Act of 1938. Increase the maximum foreign investment allowed by insurance companies from 49% to 74%.
  
  The Act provides a framework for the operation of insurance business and regulates the relationship between the insurer, its policyholders, its shareholders and the regulator (India Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority).
  
  The Act allows foreign investors to hold up to 49% of the capital in an Indian insurance company, which must be owned and controlled by an Indian entity.
  
  The bill also removes restrictions on control and ownership.
  
  Foreign investment may be subject to additional conditions set by the central government.
  
  The Act requires insurance companies to make a minimum investment in assets, which is sufficient to liquidate their insurance claims liabilities.
  
  If the insurer is incorporated or registered outside India, such assets must be held in India in trust and owned by a trustee who must be a resident of India.
  
  
• Bharat Dynamics signs Rs1188.12cr Milan-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles contract
  The Department of Procurement of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) and the National Defense Public Undertaking (DPSU) Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) signed a contract to provide the Indian Army with MILAN-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM)
  
  Milan-2T is a 1,850-meter Tandem Warhead ATGM produced by BDL under the license of the French MBDA missile system.
  
  These missiles can be launched from the ground and vehicle launchers
  
  These can also be deployed in Anti-Tank roles for offensive and defensive missions.
  
  Introduction of these missiles will further enhance the armed forces’ operational preparedness, which will be completed within three years.
  
  This is a step towards achieving the goal of the Defense Department "Atmanirbhar Bharat".
  
  
• Supreme Court Stays All Proceedings on Pleas to Regulate OTT Platforms Pending in HCs
  Supreme Court stayed the proceedings in High Courts in cases seeking regulation of content shown on over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
  
  The hearing was based on a plea by the Centre to transfer the cases in the High Courts to the Supreme Court.
  
  The Bench was informed by Solicitor General that despite the apex court’s earlier order issuing notice on the transfer plea filed by the Centre to club all such petitions filed in various High Courts, the Punjab and Haryana High Court is still proceeding in the matter pending there.
  
  A counter-affidavit filed by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in another case said Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules of 2021 provides a “comprehensive” mechanism to check content on OTT platforms.
  
  The Ministry said the Rules was based on a globally recognised model and keeps a fine balance, considering the major audience these OTT platforms had while at the same time providing a healthy classification of content based on age groups.
  
  Another Supreme Court Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan had criticised the 2021 Rules as lacking teeth to punish violators or to screen offensive content.
  
  In that case, Mr. Mehta, speaking on behalf of the Centre, had agreed to consider drafting new regulations or even legislation to address the concern raised by the court about OTT platforms.
  
  The court had recorded in its order that the new Rules notified days back were “more in the nature of guidelines” and there was “no effective mechanism for screening or to take appropriate action” against violators.
  
  
• NITI Aayog working on a national policy to regulate civil society organisations
  NITI Aayog is working on a national policy to regulate civil society organisations following directions from the Prime Minister’s Office.
  
  Constituted in September last year, the Working Group for Formulation of New National Policy for Voluntary Sector, chaired by Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar, has begun receiving recommendations, including those from the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau under the Finance Ministry’s Department of Revenue.
  
  The working group includes Joint Secretaries of the Financial Action Task Force division of Department of Economic Affairs as well as the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation Division/Combating of Funding of Terrorist Cell in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
  
  There is no regulatory mechanism at the national level to regulate the functioning of the civil society.
  
  This is one of the initiatives of the Niti Aayog because no ministry focuses on it.
  
  NITI Aayog plans to come up with a national-level framework to self-regulate or regulate civil society organisations who violate the government mandate and to bring some standard among them.
  
  There are more than 32 lakh civil society organisations registered under different Acts but the actual contributors to societal development are very few. Maybe some 4,000 have any impact on the ground.
  
  Although a 2007 policy by the erstwhile Planning Commission is in place, the official said several violations of the new regulatory additions, including to the Foreign Contribution Regulation (FCRA), led to this call for a revamped policy.
  
  Niti Aayog launched a portal – DARPAN – in 2016 at the PM’s recommendation for mandatory registration of civil society organisations. To receive tax exemptions, organisations must make a Unique ID on this portal.
  
  The portal, with a little over 1 lakh registrations, collects data about funding through CSR, central ministries, state governments and FCRA.
  
  
• All about Poshan Abhiyan for Senior Citizens
  The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment aims to launch a Poshan Abhiyan for the Elderly, to provide nutrition support to the indigent elders, who are not staying in the Old Age Homes and are victims of severe malnutrition, by focusing on procuring locally available healthy food material and serving hot-cooked mid-day meals.
  
  The Gram Panchayats and Urban Municipalities are the implementing agencies of the Scheme.
  
  The funding for the Scheme is from the Senior Citizens Welfare Fund.
  
  According to the ‘Report of Government of India’s Technical Group on Population Projection for India and States’ brought out in July, 2020, till the year 2036, population of senior citizens would be 22.74 crore (14.9%).
  
  To ensure dignified ageing, Government of India has been implementing schemes and programmes under ‘National Action Plan for Senior Citizens’, an Umbrella Scheme for Senior Citizens, which inter aliaincludes financial security, healthcare and nutrition, shelter and welfare, protection of life and property, active and productive ageing and awareness generation
  
  
• Govt revises dosage interval between Covishield jabs to 4-8 weeks
  The government has decided to extend the interval between the first and second dose of Covishield to 8 weeks in the ongoing vaccination campaign against Covid-19.
  
  Covishield is AZD1222 produced by the Serum Institute of India, which is a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in cooperation with Oxford University.
  
  Some data from the AZD122 global trial show that extending the duration between two doses to 12 weeks can greatly improve its efficacy.
  
  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare made a decision based on the recommendations of two expert groups-the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC).
  
  After studying the available scientific evidence for vaccine clinical trials, the team concluded that if the second dose of vaccine is injected within 6 to 8 weeks, the protection against Covid-19 will be "enhanced."
  
  
• GRAM UJALA programme launched in Varanasi
  Gram Ujala scheme offers world’s cheapest LED bulbs across rural areas at rupees 10. This scheme is financed on the basis of carbon credits. It will claim carbon credits under “United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)”.
  
  Carbon credits will contribute to rupees 60 per piece while rupees 10 will be paid by rural consumer Under the scheme, incandescent and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs will be taken back from the rural customers.
  
  Scheme will boost rural employment as well as local economies. It will also uplift villages of India and will contribute in climate change mitigation.
  
  Use of LED Bulbs will help in saving energy because a 12-watt LED bulb provides light equivalent to 100-watt incandescent bulb. It will result in to savings of 2025 million kWH per year and reduce the CO2 emission by 1.65 million tonne CO2 per year. The scheme will enable better illumination at the affordable price.
  
  First phase of this scheme was launched from Arrah district in Bihar. It does not come with any government support or subsidy. Under this phase, 15 million LED bulbs will be distributed across villages of Arrah (Bihar), Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra) and western Gujarat. Under phase 1, around one crore 50 lakh LED bulbs will be distributed.
  
  
• Andhra Pradesh Govt to launch India's first govt run ambulance network for animals
  The state government of Andhra Pradesh has decided to establish "the first government-operated ambulance network in India" for animals. This decision was made to further promote the state’s livestock and veterinary departments.
  
  The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, made this ambulance network one of its main tasks to help rescue animals in trouble and provide them with proper animal care.
  
  Instruct the animal husbandry department to establish a mobile ambulance veterinary clinic in each assembly constituency.
  
  A total of 175 mobile ambulance (veterinary) clinics will be selected as assembly constituencies among 108 service departments to provide veterinary services at the door. These mobile ambulances should provide veterinary emergency services as well as on-site diagnosis and emergency handling.
  
  One of the main facilities is the hydraulic lift facility that can lift animals and transfer them to the nearest government veterinary facility in an emergency. Each ambulance will be assigned a veterinarian and a deputy veterinarian. Ambulances will have a 24/7 toll-free call center.
  
  The Ministry of Animal Husbandry informed CM that approximately 1,576 veterinary pharmacies have been established throughout the state and approximately 1,376 veterinary doctors have been recruited. The Chief Minister said that more veterinarians need better functions and better treatment.
  
  
• Supreme Court flags concerns over misuse of electoral bonds
  The Supreme Court flagged its concern that political parties could misuse crores of rupees received as donations through electoral bonds to bankroll violent protests or even terror.
  
  The court asked the government whether there was any “control” over how these donations were used by the political parties.
  
  An application was filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, to stay the sale of electoral bonds scheduled between April 1 and April 10, prior to the crucial Assembly elections in five States, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
  
  Electoral bonds scheme introduces anonymity in political donations. The sale of bonds in April should be stopped,” petitioner urged.
  
  A political party which wants to buy electoral bonds can use the money to finance a protest.
  
  There is no control of the government on how the money is put to use.
  
  There is no guarantee that a political party will use the entire funds for political purpose alone and not for terrorism or other activities.
  
  Parties can use the funds for activities outside their political agenda. Along with election expenditure, a party can also start a violent protest.
  
  Mr. Venugopal, appearing for the government, said only parties registered under the Representation of the People Act could receive donations through electoral bonds, and that they should not have secured less than 1% of the votes polled in the previous elections.
  
  Mr. Venugopal said the sale was announced after getting permission from the Election Commission of India.
  
  The Election Commission is supporting electoral bonds or we will go back to the pre-existing situation of donations coming in by cash.
  
  Chief Justice Bobde then asked whether the purchasers of electoral bonds disclosed whether the money paid was black or white. When a businessman goes and buys bonds, does he have to disclose whether he purchases them with white or black money? Does he have to pay tax?
  
  Government said the buyers have to use white money. The purchase is through bank drafts, cheques or electronic transfer.
  
  Petitioner intervened to submit that though the original purchase of bonds could be done using white money, somebody could anonymously re-purchase the bonds from the original buyer and drop it at a political party office with anyone none the wiser.
  
  Nobody will know who purchased the bonds from the original buyer. The scheme facilitates kickbacks.
  
  
• Parliament panel calls for clear-cut definition of unfair trade practice for e-commerce
  Parliamentary panel has recommended that the government should offer a more clear-cut definition of what constitutes ‘unfair’ trade practice as well as spell out a practical legal remedy to tackle the issue, warning that there was a risk that predatory pricing by e-commerce firms may result in competition being wiped out and prove detrimental to consumers in the long run.
  
  The panel has also recommended fixing a cap on delivery charges levied by e-commerce firms, as well as providing for penal provisions for violation of rules related to misinformation.
  
  The committee noted that while e-commerce enterprises offer many benefits, the development of the segment has rendered consumers vulnerable to new forms of unfair trade practices, violation of privacy and issues of unattended grievances.
  
  Predatory pricing as a short-term strategy, adopted by some of the market giants with deep pockets to sustain short-term losses and reduce the prices of their products below the average variable costs may lead to wiping out competition from the market and could be detrimental to the consumers in the long run.
  
  Predatory pricing is a pricing strategy, using the method of undercutting on a larger scale, where a dominant firm in an industry will deliberately reduce its prices of a product or service to loss-making levels in the short-term.
  
  It, however, added that from a legal standpoint it was very hard to substantiate allegations of predatory pricing, since the impact of such practice on the competition in the market would be very difficult to prove.
  
  The Committee, therefore, recommends that there should be a more clear-cut definition of what constitutes Unfair Trade Practice and practical legal remedy to tackle such circumventing practices by e-commerce entities specifically multinational companies and kirana small vendors.
  
  The panel also suggested that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution should issue broad guidelines for the fixation of delivery charges charged by the marketplace entities along with a cap on the highest limits of the delivery charges in peak hours of service.
  
  The Ministry should clearly distinguish in the rules itself the cases of misinformation, no information and the information which is otherwise correct but creates a false impression and provide for penal provision for each case in the rules itself,” it said.
  
  The Ministry should also clearly define ‘drip pricing’ wherein the final cost of the product goes up due to additional charges, and provide for protecting consumers against this by including penal provisions for violation.
  
  
• WhatsApp's new privacy policy 'exploitative and exclusionary': CCI orders detailed probe
  The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has launched an investigation into WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, which was already under judicial scrutiny.
  
  The antitrust body has taken a prima facie view that Facebook-owned WhatsApp’s new policy is in contravention of India’s Competition Act “through its exploitative and exclusionary conduct…in the garb of policy update”.
  
  It has also asked the director general to launch an anti-trust investigation under Section 26 (1) of the Competition Act and submit a report within 60 days.
  
  The probe into the instant messaging platform’s policies follows not only the increasing scrutiny of the messaging platform’s updated terms but also a series of regulatory measures by Indian authorities against Big Tech companies.
  
  Recently in January, WhatsApp’s updated policy terms were first announced via an in-app notification to users, asking them to agree to the new terms by February 8 or lose access to their accounts.
  
  As both users and privacy activists raised the alarm, WhatsApp clarified that the changes were necessary to help businesses through WhatsApp Business. The deadline was later extended till May 15.
  
  The CCI then decided to take suo moto cognisance of the potential impact of the policy and terms for WhatsApp’s users and the market.
  
  WhatsApp India, which has 53 crore users in the country, said it remained committed to “protecting people’s personal communications with end-to-end encryption”.
  
  The users will mandatorily need to accept the new terms including the terms with respect to sharing of their data across all the information categories with other Facebook companies, in order to be able to use WhatsApp.
  
  CCI said that the Commission is of prima facie opinion that the ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ nature of privacy policy and terms of service of WhatsApp and the information sharing stipulations mentioned therein, merit a detailed investigation in view of the market position and market power enjoyed by WhatsApp”.
  
  According to the CCI order, WhatsApp submitted that the policy update did not expand its ability to share data with Facebook and that the said update intended to “provide users with further transparency about how WhatsApp collects, uses and shares data”.
  
  The CCI said that the veracity of such claims would also be examined during the probe.
  
  The CCI has pinpointed several other concerns with the new privacy policy including aspects such as the “opacity, vagueness, open-endedness and incomplete disclosures” hiding the actual data cost that a user incurs for availing WhatsApp services.
  
  Users have not been provided with appropriate granular choice, neither upfront nor in the fine prints, to object to or opt-out of specific data sharing terms, which prima facie appear to be unfair and unreasonable for the WhatsApp users.
  
  In February this year, a three judge-bench headed by the Chief Justice of India agreed to hear a plea challenging the latest privacy policy update announced by the platform.
  
  During the hearing of the case, the CJI-led Bench had observed that WhatsApp “may be $2-3 trillion companies”, but people valued their privacy more than money and it was the court’s duty to protect privacy.
  
  Separately, a plea has also been filed in the Delhi High Court, which seeks to restrain WhatsApp from rolling out the new policy update.
  
  The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had in its affidavit to the court, citing five counts of violation of the 2011 IT Rules, agreed with the position and asked court to restrain WhatsApp from coming out with the latest update in privacy policy.
  
  Last year the CCI had ordered a probe into Google’s payments app for allegedly abusing its dominant position to force app developers to use its billing system for in-app purchases, and for bundling Google Pay with Android smartphones sold in India.
  
  
• CBSE launches Competency Based Assessment Framework
  Assessment framework was launched for classes 6-10 for three subjects namely, English (reading), Science, and Maths. This framework is a part of “CBSE Competency Based Education Project” which was launched to replace existing “rote learning model” in accordance with the new National Education Policy (NEP) in next 2-3 years.
  
  CBSE had collaboration with British Council and three agencies from UK namely Cambridge, NARIC and Alphaplus. These agencies are helping CBSC to the objectives envisaged under the plan.
  
  This Assessment Framework is the basis for larger project exercise which is underway. Under the exercise, 40 assessment designers, 180 test item writers and 360 master trainer mentors are being trained to use assessment framework. It will help in create model question bank and several ideal lesson plans.
  
  Under this phase, KendriyaVidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and private schools across India will participate in the programme. The programme will be rolled out to all 25,000 CBSE schools across India by 2024.
  
  
• Rajya Sabha passes GNCTD amendment Bill
  Rajya Sabha passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 on March 24, 2021. It amends the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 which provides for certain provisions regarding functioning of Legislative Assembly and government of Delhi.
  
  The bill was passed amid uproar by opposition and walkout by MPs of several parties. It was passed in Rajya Sabha by a voice vote. However, opposition asked for division when the government moved bill for consideration. 83 members voted favour while 45 members opposed it. Just before the passage of the bill, Congress party too walked out. Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on 22 March, 2021.
  
  The Bill amends certain powers and responsibilities of Legislative Assembly and Lieutenant Governor. According to the Bill, “government” in Delhi means Lieutenant Governor (LG).
  
  Bill provides that Rules related to procedure and conduct of the business in assembly must be consistent with Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. It prohibits Legislative Assembly from making any rule to enable itself or its Committees to consider matters of day-to-day administration of Delhi or conduct any inquiry into administrative decisions.
  
  Bill makes all such rules made before its enactment void. Bill also provides that, LG’s opinion must be obtained before taking any executive action on the decisions of Minister or Council of Ministers. It also requires for LG to reserve those bills for President which cover any matter outside the purview of powers of Legislative Assembly.
  
  
• India tuberculosis registrations fall 24% in 2020 due covid-led disruptions
  Amid the covid-19 pandemic-led disruptions and lockdowns, an estimated 18.05 lakh TB cases were registered in India. Report also found that, between January and February 2020, registrations of TB increased by 6% on year. Later, National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme had closed gap on missing TB cases.
  
  Thus, by December 11% more cases were reported as compared to April. Report further highlights, 24.04 lakh cases were reported in 2019, among which treatment success rate was 82% while mortality rate was 4%. According to report, 4% of patients were lost in follow ups while treatment failure & regimen change accounts for about 3%.
  
  Government of India is undertaking several schemes to tackle the challenge of TB:
  
  Nikshay Ecosystem: It is a National TB information system which acts as one-stop solution to manage the information of patients and monitor program activity & performance across the country.
  
  NikshayPoshan Yojana (NPY): NYP scheme was launched with the aim of providing financial support to TB patients for their nutrition.
  
  TB HaregaDeshJeetega Campaign: This campaign was launched in September 2019 with highest level of commitment to eliminate TB.
  
  Saksham Project: This project was launched by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to provide psychosocial counselling to Drug resistant-TB patients.
  
  
• Supreme Court asks govt. to clarify on 55 Collegium recommendations for judicial postings
  The Supreme Court asked the government to clarify on the status of 55 recommendations made by the Collegium for judicial appointments to High Courts six months to nearly a year-and-a-half ago.
  
  Of the pending recommendations, 44 were made to fill vacancies in the Calcutta, Madhya Pradesh, Gauhati, Rajasthan and Punjab High Courts.
  
  These recommendations have been pending with the government for over seven months to a year.
  
  The remaining 10 names have been pending with the government despite their reiteration by the Collegium.
  
  They include five for the Calcutta High Court pending for one year and seven months. The recommendations of four names made by the Collegium to the Delhi High Court have been pending for seven months.
  
  This is a matter of grave concern. When do you propose to take a decision?” a Special Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, asked Attorney General K.K. Venugopal.
  
  The total sanctioned strength in the 25 High Courts is 1,080. However, the present working strength is 661 with 419 vacancies as on March 1.
  
  The court asked Mr. Venugopal to enquire with the Union Ministry of Law and Justice and make a statement on April 8 about their status.
  
  The Bench handed over to Mr. Venugopal a chart containing the details of the 55 recommendations.
  
  Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said on the 10 recommendations, some of which date back to a year-and-a-half, that “neither have they been appointed nor have you (government) given us a response”.
  
  Justice Kaul, who was accompanying the Chief Justice and Justice Surya Kant, said the “thought process” of both the government and the Collegium should be modulated.
  
  He said a time frame needed to be fixed for both the Collegium and the Ministry to complete the appointment process.
  
  Senior advocate and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Vikas Singh said there was a need to institutionalise a process for considering advocates practising in the top courts to judgeships in the High Courts.
  
  The Supreme Court has been repeatedly conveying to the government its growing alarm at the judicial vacancies in High Courts.
  
  
• AYUSH Ministry set up interdisciplinary team to explore potential of Yoga
  Yoga, it is widely accepted, is a boon to the individual who seeks health, wellbeing and personal growth.
  
  Can this rewarding pursuit be deployed as a productivity boosting tool at the workplace?
  
  Can its wider adoption have positive implications on the systematic growth and development of the economy, and hence the nation
  
  These questions and other related aspects of the Productivity dimension of Yoga will be explored by a high level interdisciplinary committee set up by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, whose inception meeting was held through video-conferencing yesterday (24th March 2021).
  
  The committee is chaired by Dr. H. R Nagendra, Chancellor, SVYASA and its members include representatives from AIIMS New Delhi, IIM Bangalore, IIT Bombay, various leading Yoga institutions, the corporate sector and the AYUSH Ministry.
  
  In the inception meeting held, the committee recognised that there has been an unprecedented surge in the popularity of Yoga in the past five years, globally.
  
  The spiritual connectedness and health benefits of Yoga have been widely embraced by its practitioners.
  
  But the productivity dimension of Yoga — its role at the workplace in offering benefits to employees to perform better – remains unexplored to a large extent.
  
  This dimension becomes especially important given the increasing physical and mental pressures faced by employees, exacerbated by the current pandemic, even as employersgrapple with the situation and try to improve workplace wellness.
  
  Some of the members highlighted that Yoga for productivity is a critically important aspect in the present context when India’s growth aspirations are at perhaps its highest.
  
  One of the primary tasks of the committee, it was recognised, was to review evidence that linked Yoga to productivity and analyse the same.
  
  The various possible directions of the productivity dimension could then be identified systematically, and along these directions, protocols could be developed.
  
  The committee resolved that it would adopt an approach based on science and evidence in finalising its recommendations.
  
  Existing evidence bases, including data collected on the impact of Yoga as a wellness intervention, and the subsequent impact at workplace given that the way forward for determining the effectiveness and universalisation of any intervention is through scientific evidence, would be collated.
  
  Various organizations, industries and corporate houses are already hiring yoga instructors to impart workplace yoga for their staff.
  
  They believe Yoga would help reduce workplace stress, improve interpersonal relationships, reduce conflicts, reduce sickness absenteeism and thereby improve productivity.
  
  Increasing productivity may mean different things in different contexts, such as increasing profitability, lowering operational costs, optimising resources, seizing opportunity for growth, increasing competitiveness, reducing burnout and increasing employee wellbeing.
  
  Hence the work of the committee would involve multiple variables and consequent complexities.
  
  Various institutions from the private and public sector are expected to associate with this study, including universities, hospitals from both modern medicine and Ayush systems, corporate houses and yoga institutions.
  
  The National Productivity Council, New Delhi is also supporting the study. The committee will submit its preliminary recommendations by May 2021.
  
  
• UP govt to launch affordable rental housing scheme for students, urban migrants
  Uttar Pradesh government has announced on March 26, 2021 to start an affordable rental housing scheme for students, urban migrants and poor people living in cities.
  
  Uttar Pradesh cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposed for Affordable Rental Housing and Complexes (ARHC) scheme.
  
  Under state government’s ARHC scheme; beneficiaries include poor migrants, students, urban migrants, low-income groups including factory workers, people from economically weaker section (EWS) and people associated with hospitality.
  
  Preference will be given to people from widows, working women & minorities, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. Preference will be subject to provisions made by state government.
  
  This scheme will be implemented under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) to promote participation of private and public institutions to construct, operate and maintain rental housing complexes for the beneficiaries.
  
  ARHC scheme will be implemented in two models. First model will convert vacant houses funded by central or state government into an Affordable Rental Housing and Complexes through an agreement. While, under the second model, public or private entities will build, operate and maintain the ARHC on their available vacant land.
  
  All projects under this scheme will be used as rental accommodation for a minimum of 25 years. If it is used for any purpose action will be taken against the concerned agency by competent authority.
  
  
• Bengaluru airport launches India’s first dedicated express cargo terminal
  The Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru now has India’s first dedicated Express Cargo Terminal exclusively for export and import of international couriers.
  
  It has a dedicated space for customs offices with direct access to both Landside and Airside wing of the airport.
  
  The exclusive Terminal for express couriers at south India’s busiest Cargo Airport in Bengaluru will enable ease of doing business and reduce transaction time and cost for the shipper.
  
  The new facility will enable Bengaluru Airport to process 150,000 Metric Tonnes annually, taking the Airport’s overall annual cargo capacity to 720,000 MT, from the existing 570,000 MT.
  
  
• India’s biggest floating solar plant to be commissioned in next three months
  India’s largest national power company (NTPC) is developing India’s largest floating solar power plant in terms of power generation (100MW) in Ramagundam in the Peddapalli district of Telangana.
  
  The project is in line with India's commitment to achieve the goal of achieving 175 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2022, including 100 GW of installed solar capacity.
  
  Floating solar power plants refer to the deployment of photovoltaic panels on the surface of water bodies. They are a viable alternative to terrestrial solar arrays used in India.
  
  There are a large number of large reservoirs in the southern region, which provides a huge opportunity for using floating solar energy to obtain renewable energy.
  
  The thermal power plant in Ramakundan will be one of the renewable (solar) power plants developed by NTPC, with an installed capacity of 447MW in its southern region, and its full capacity will be put into use in March 2023. National Thermal Power Co., Ltd:
  
  NTPC Ltd. is a central public sector enterprise (PSU) under the Ministry of Electric Power. It is the largest energy group in India, and its roots can be traced back to 1975. It was established to accelerate the development of electricity in India.
  
  It aims to provide reliable power supply and related solutions in an economical, efficient and environmentally friendly manner through innovation and agility. It became Maharatna Corporation in May 2010. It is located in New Delhi.
  
  
• When is the Pi Day observed?
  Pi Day is celebrated on March 14, commemorating Pi (the Greek letter p). This idea originated in the United States. In the United States, it is agreed to write the date in a format that represents March 14th as 3/14.
  
  These three numbers match the value of pi to up to two decimal places, which is 3.14.
  
  Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter of the circle. Pi is also the area of the circle divided by the square of its radius. The ratio is always constant.
  
  Pi is an irrational number, represented by the symbol "p".
  
  Pi is used in geometry, trigonometry, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. It appears in various formulas. Several important formulas are:
  
  The area of the circle is pr2.
  
  The volume of the cylinder is pr2h.
  
  The surface area of the ball is 4pr2.
  
  The volume of the sphere is 4/3 (pr3).
  
  The volume of the cone is 1/3 (pr2h).
  
  
• Centre likely to allow residents to fill their NPR details online
  The Centre will allow residents to fill the National Population Register (NPR) form on their own, through the online mode, a month before the door-to-door enumeration by Census officials starts.
  
  After filling the form online, residents will get a reference code that they can mention to the field enumerator at the time of her or his visit.
  
  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on February 1 that 3,768 crore had been allocated for the Census in the financial year 2021-22.
  
  Though no separate budget for the NPR has been allocated in this fiscal, 3,941.35 crore was approved for updating the NPR in 2019-20.
  
  The first phase of the decennial Census exercise — the House-listing and Housing Census along with updating the NPR was scheduled to be held from April 1, 2020.
  
  It was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is unlikely to be held this year.
  
  The second and main phase of Census — the population enumeration — was to be concluded by March 5 this year.
  
  On January 21, 2020, residents were to be given an option to self-enumerate only in the second phase.
  
  As per an annual report of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the option will now be made available for updating the NPR also.
  
  The NPR earlier collated in 2010 and 2015 has an electronic database of more than 119 crore residents.
  
  
• Government to shed AAI stake in Delhi, Mumbai airports
  on an ambitious asset monetisation drive to raise additional resources, and hoping to raise Rs 20,000 crore through sale of assets under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2021-22, the Government is looking to divest the remaining equity stake held by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.
  
  The Ministry would obtain requisite approvals for the divestment of equity stake of AAI in the joint ventures for the Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.
  
  Once approval comes through, the Government is likely to sell the remaining shareholding of AAI in these four key airports.
  
  Currently, AAI holds 26 per cent stake each in the Delhi and Mumbai airports, 13 per cent in Hyderabad and 13 per cent in the Bengaluru facility. The GMR Group owns 54 per cent stake in the Delhi airport, while Adani Group hold 74 per cent in the Mumbai airport.
  
  In addition to these four airports, AAI holds 49 per cent stake in Nagpur, 7.47 per cent in Kannur, and 51 per cent in Chandigarh.
  
  The stake sale will lift the Government’s asset monetisationprogramme to drive development projects and boost economic activity.
  
  But AAI’s equity presence is also important because it ensures crucial oversight, especially in terms of keeping user costs within reasonable limits.
  
  Last year, the Government had privatised six airports — Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangalore, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiuvananthapuram — and the AAI Board approved leasing of at least six more for undertaking operations, management and development through PPP.
  
  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that as part of its asset monetisationprogramme, the Government plans to privatise AAI-owned airports in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
  
  Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola had said that AAI was exploring a new model wherein a profitable airport and a non-profitable airport will be clubbed together before being brought to the table.
  
  The Government has set an ambitious target of around Rs 2.5 lakh crore through asset monetisation in 2021-22, comprising various asset classes across eight ministries.
  
  Sources confirmed that the Ministry of Railways has a target of over Rs 90,000 crore for the year FY’22, Department of Telecom Rs 40,000 crore, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Rs 30,000 crore and Ministry of Power Rs 27,000 crore.
  
  The Ministries of Civil Aviation, and Youth Affairs and Sports, have targets of Rs 20,000 crore each for FY’22.
  
  
• All about 2020 Sahitya Akademi Awards
  The National Academy of Letters announced the name of the "2020 SahitayaAkademi Award" on March 12, 2021. These names were announced during the opening of the annual "Literature Festival" event.
  
  The award will be awarded to politician writer M VeerappaMoily, poet Arundhathi Subramaniam and 20 other writers. Subramaniam's collection of poems "When God is a Traveler" won the grand prize in English. VeerappaMoily was named Kannada for his epic poems, named "Sri Bahubali Ahimsa Digvijayam". This list includes seven poems, five short stories, four novels, two plays, one memoir, and one epic, including 20 Indian languages.
  
  The awards for Nepali, Malayalam, Odiya and Rajasthani languages will be announced later.
  
  In the "Poetry Category", the award was organized by Harish Menaksi (Gujarati), RS Bhaskar (Konkani), Anamika (Hindi), IrungbamDeven (Manipuri), Nikhileshwar (Thailand). Lugu) and RupchandHansda (Santali) awarded.
  
  In the "novelty category", Imaiyam (Tamil), Nanda Khare (Marathi), Mahesh Chandra Sharma Gautam (Sanskrit) and Sri Hussain-ul-Haque were named the winners. Apurba Kumar Saikia (Assamese), HidayKoul Bharti (Kashmiri), DharanidharOwari (Bodo), Gurdev Singh Rupana (Punjabi) and Kamakant Jha (Maithili) won the short story award.
  
  These books were selected based on the recommendations of a three-member jury in the relevant language. They made the final decision based on the procedures established for this purpose. According to the resolution, the Executive Board will announce the award based on the unanimous selection of the jurors or the selection of the majority vote.
  
  The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in our country India. It was awarded by Sahitya Akademi, the National Writing Institute of India. The award is given to the most outstanding literary achievement books, which are published in any of the 24 major Indian languages, including Hindi, English and the other 22 languages of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. The award includes a casket, which consists of an engraved bronze plaque and a shawl, in the amount of 1,00,000 rupees.
  
  
• Over 60% OBC, SC positions vacant in IIMs
  More than half of the faculty positions reserved for the OBCs in Central institutions of higher education are vacant while about 40% of those reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes also remain unfilled.
  
  The situation is particularly acute in the elite Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), where more than 60% of SC and OBC reserved positions are vacant, while almost 80% of positions reserved for the STs have not been filled.
  
  This means that out of 24 positions reserved for the STs, only five have been filled. For the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), data has only been provided for non-faculty positions.
  
  Both the IITs and the IIMs have been lobbying for exemption from such faculty quota requirements.
  
  Within the Central Universities, vacancies were higher at the level of professors.
  
  Of 709 assistant professor positions reserved for the STs at the 42 universities, more than 500 have been filled.
  
  However, when it comes to professors, only nine have been filled of the 137 reserved for the ST candidates.
  
  This means that 93% of these posts remain unfilled. Less than 1% of the 1,062 professors in Central universities are from the ST communities.
  
  Similarly, 64% of the 2,206 assistant professor positions reserved for the OBCs have been filled in the Central Universities.
  
  However, less than 5% of the 378 professor positions reserved for the OBCs have been filled.
  
  “Now, after implementation of ‘The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019’, the OBC reservation has been implemented at all levels.
  
  Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission continuously monitor vacancies, but put the final blame on universities themselves.
  
  However, the onus of filling up the teaching posts lies on Central Universities, which are autonomous bodies created under Acts of Parliament.
  
  In fact, in June 2019, University Grants Commission had written to all Universities, giving them a six month deadline to fill up their vacancies, and warning that grants would be withheld if its directions were violated.
  
  According to the data presented in the Lok Sabha on Monday, there are now 6,074 vacant positions at the 42 universities, of which 75% are in reserved categories.
  
  
• Bill to define Delhi L-G’s powers moved in Lok Sabha
  The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) moved a Bill in the Lok Sabha recently in which it proposed that the “government” in the National Capital Territory of Delhi meant the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi.
  
  The Bill gives discretionary powers to the L-G even in matters where the Legislative Assembly of Delhi is empowered to make laws.
  
  The proposed legislation also seeks to ensure that the L-G is “necessarily granted an opportunity” to give heror his opinion before any decision taken by the Council of Ministers (or the Delhi Cabinet) is implemented.
  
  Delhi is a Union Territory with a legislature and it came into being in 1991 under Article 239AA of the Constitution inserted by the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991.
  
  As per the existing Act, the Legislative Assembly has the power to make laws in all matters except public order, police and land.
  
  The AamAadmi Party-led Delhi government has on many occasions challenged the BJP-ruled Centre regarding administrative matters in the National Capital.
  
  The Bill proposes to amend Sections 21, 24, 33 and 44 of the 1991 Act.
  
  The MHA’s statement on “objects and reasons” of the Bill stated that Section 44 of the 1991 Act deals with conduct of business and there is no structural mechanism for effective time-bound implementation of the said section.
  
  Further, there is no clarity as to what proposal or matters are required to be submitted to Lieutenant-Governor before issuing order thereon.
  
  Section 44 of the 1991 Act says that all executive actions of the L-G, whether taken on the advice of his Ministers or otherwise, shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the L-G.
  
  
• Fence with bees coming up to prevent elephant-human conflict
  Pitting the largest animal on land against a minute insect.
  
  That is how the authorities intend to mitigate human-elephant conflict that seems to continue unabated in Kodagu and other parts of the south Karnataka region.
  
  A pilot project launched in Kodagu entails installing bee boxes along the periphery of the forest and the villages with the belief that the elephants will not venture anywhere close to the bees and thus avoid transgressing into human landscape.
  
  This idea stems from the elephants’ proven fear of the bees.
  
  An initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees) intends to create “bee fences” to thwart elephant attacks in human habitations using honeybees.
  
  The pilot project was launched at four locations around Chelur village in Kodagu district.
  
  These spots are located on the periphery of the Nagarahole National Park and Tiger Reserve, known conflict zone.
  
  The total cost of the project is ?15 lakh and Project RE-HAB is a sub-mission of the KVIC’s National Honey Mission.
  
  The KVIC has set up 15 to 20 interspersed bee boxes at each of the four locations.
  
  The bee boxes are set up in the passage ways of human-elephant conflict zones to block the entrance of elephants to human habitations.
  
  The boxes are connected with a string so that when elephants attempt to pass through, a tug causes the bees to swarm the elephant herds and dissuade them from progressing further.
  
  Bee boxes have been placed on the ground as well as hung from the trees.
  
  High resolution, night vision cameras have been installed at strategic points to record the impact of bees on elephants and their behaviour.
  
  The biggest advantage of Project RE-HAB is that it dissuades elephants without causing any harm to them.
  
  It is extremely cost-effective as compared to various other measures such as digging trenches or erecting fences.
  
  Between 2015 and 2020, nearly 2,500 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks across India, of which 170 human fatalities have been reported in Karnataka alone, says the KVIC.
  
  The KVIC has roped in the College of Forestry under the University of Agriculture and Horticultural Sciences, Ponnampet, for impact assessment of the project.
  
  
• SC asks Centre, EC to respond to plea for fresh polls if most votes are NOTA
  The Supreme Court recently asked the Centre and the Election Commission of India to respond to a plea that fresh elections should be conducted in constituencies where the highest number of votes polled are NOTA (None Of The Above).
  
  The petition said candidates ‘rejected’ by voters should not be fielded again in the fresh polls.
  
  During the hearing, Chief Justice of India expressed doubts initially about the feasibility of the petition to arm the electorate with the “right to reject” and nudge political parties to present voters with a better choice of candidates to pick from.
  
  Chief Justice said if voters kept rejecting candidates, Parliament/Assembly seats would continue to remain vacant, affecting legislative functioning.
  
  It is a constitutional problem. If your argument is accepted and there is a certain number of NOTAs, then the constituency will go unrepresented in the Parliament. How will the Parliament function then?” Chief Justice asked.
  
  Petioner replied that “if voters are given the power to reject, political parties will take care to field worthy candidates in the first place”
  
  The petition noted how parties spent crores of rupees on the candidates.
  
  The CJI also flagged during the hearing the issue whether a political party could influence voters to not vote in a particular constituency.
  
  Petioner's argument prevailed, which led the court to agree to examine the issue raised in the petition.
  
  Political parties choose contesting candidates in a very undemocratic manner without consulting electors. That is why many times people are totally discontented with candidates presented before them.
  
  This problem can be solved by holding a fresh election if maximum votes are polled in favour of NOTA.
  
  
• Government reconstitutes panel for studying Sarasvati river
  The center has reorganized an advisory committee to develop a plan to study the fabulous Sarasvati River in the next two years after the earlier panel of experts ended in 2019.
  
  ASI established the committee for the first time on December 28, 2017, for a period of two years.
  
  Saraswati river originated in Kapaltirith in Himalayas in the western part of Kailash, flows south to Mansarovar, and then turns west.
  
  The river flows through Haryana, Rajasthan and North Gujarat.
  
  It also flows through Pakistan, and then merges with the West Sea through the Rann of Kutch.
  
  This river has two branches: west and east. Satluj, in the Himalayas, flows through the current Ghaggar-Patialiwali creek, representing the western branch of the ancient river.
  
  On the other hand, Markanda and Sarsuti represent the western branch of Saraswati, namely Tons-Yamuna.
  
  The confluence of the branches is near Shatrana, 25 kilometers south of Patiala. Suddenly, it flows past dessert (Rann of Kutch) and meets the bay of the West Sea.
  
  
• Ramesh Pokhriyal announces linking of OTPRMS certificates with DigiLocker
  The Union Education Minister announced that the OTPRMS certificate will be linked with DigiLocker, and registration fees will be completely waived.
  
  Ministry of Education (MoE) has decided to link the Online Teacher Pupil Registration Management System (OTPRMS) Certificate with DigiLocker to ensure worry-free access.
  
  The issued certificate will be automatically transferred to DigiLocker and that can be found on the website of the National Council for Teacher Education.
  
  The registration fee Rs. 200/- for obtaining the OTPRMS certificate issued by NCTE has been waived.
  
  This will enable all stakeholders in India to obtain digital authorization, thereby simplifying business.
  
  
• New Scheme Announced for Tourist Vehicle Operators
  Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has announced a new scheme under which any tourist vehicle operator can apply for an “All India Travel Authorization/Permit” online.
  
  After submitting the relevant documents and paying the fee, the permit will be issued within 30 days after submitting such an application.
  
  The new regulations are called "All Indian Tourist Vehicle Authorization and Licensing Rules for 2021" and will be applied in April 2021.
  
  The scheme will also integrate a central database and all such authorization/permit fees, which may give visitors a sense of movement, improve and promote tourism.
  
  
• NCT Bill revives power tussle in Delhi, Kejriwal says Centre wants to curtail his powers
  Three decades after it was enacted, significant amendments have been proposed to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, bringing contradictions between the Central and Delhi governments to the fore once again.
  
  Some experts were of the opinion that the new Bill will seek to render the office of the Chief Minister a vestigial organ in the name of simplifying administration.
  
  Others argued that the amendments will iron out “needless” issues arising out of politics in a city where the Lieutenant-Governor had “always been the government”.
  
  Senior advocate at the Supreme Court Rebecca John said the Bill would snatch away from the residents of Delhi the accountability and answerability they sought from the elected representatives and hand them to a nominated official.
  
  It would be a tragedy since Delhi has long sought statehood; that the longstanding wish of the city’s residents should fructify in this way is contrary to the spirit of the Constitution. The will of the people cannot be thwarted in this way.
  
  Professor Pradip Kumar Datta, an independent academic formerly associated with JNU, said the Bill seemed to go against the federal principles and was a setback for popular representation.
  
  Centralisation has been increasing in both formal and informal ways after this government came to power at the Centre. This [Bill] will seemingly just speed up the pace of centralisation of power.
  
  Senior advocate at the Supreme Court Sanjay Hegde said the Bill would set in motion a reversal of the clock on statehood for Delhi, which was the BJP’s own demand in the past.
  
  The Bill seems to negate whatever small gains had accrued to the Delhi government after its tussle with the Centre reached the judiciary.
  
  Manisha Priyam, political analyst and researcher, said the Bill may seek to clarify who or what the term “government” meant in the city, but residents may not take kindly to the exercise.
  
  
• Rajya Sabha passes the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill
  The Rajya Sabha passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that increases the time period within which an abortion may be carried out.
  
  Opposition MPs said the Bill still did not give women the freedom to decide, since they would need a nod from a medical board in the case of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks.
  
  The Opposition’s demand to send the Bill to a parliamentary Select Committee for detailed scrutiny was defeated by a voice vote.
  
  Currently, abortion requires the opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of conception, and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks.
  
  The Bill allows abortion to be done on the advice of one doctor up to 20 weeks, and two doctors in the case of certain categories of women, between 20 and 24 weeks.
  
  For a pregnancy to be terminated after 24 weeks in case of substantial foetal abnormalities, the opinion of the State-level medical board is essential.
  
  The Bill was passed in March last year in the Lok Sabha. The original Bill was framed in 1971.
  
  Union Health Minister said the amendments in the Bill had been made after studying global practices and wide consultation within the country.
  
  The amendments, he said, had been made pursuant to the rising number of pleas in the court.
  
  There are 23 petitions in front of the Supreme Court and many hundreds in the High Courts.
  
  During the debate, however, many of the Opposition members, while welcoming the Bill, pointed out the severe lacunae and problems with its approach.
  
  An opposition member, who opened the debate, said the medical board had to have specialists but government data itself showed a grave shortage in availability of doctors.
  
  Should the State intervene when the pregnant woman is worried about her own life, about the well-being of the foetus, and also about the stigma involved?”
  
  Another member said it was wrong to say the Bill was based on a “right-based” approach. Instead, it had a “need-based” approach.
  
  
• Cabinet clears Bill on setting up DFI with capital infusion of Rs 20,000 crore
  The Union Cabinet approved a Bill to set up a Development Finance Institution, Finance Minister announced.
  
  The Minister said the government had mentioned in the Budget that it would be setting up a national bank for funding infrastructure and development activity.
  
  As of December 2019, she said, there were over 6,000 brownfield and greenfield projects requiring funding.
  
  Even as the Budget session is still on, the Cabinet has already cleared the setting up of a Development Finance Institution.
  
  The Budget provided for an initial amount of 20,000 crore for the institution.
  
  
• NREGA wages see highest jump in Meghalaya, nil in Kerala, Lakshadweep
  wages — a jump of Rs 23 from Rs 203 in 2020-21 to Rs 226 — for 2021-2022, while there has been no increase in Kerala and Lakshadweep, according to the “state-wise wage rate for unskilled manual workers” notified by the Ministry of Rural Development.
  
  According to the notification issued on March 15, Rajasthan saw a hike of Rs 1, while Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand registered an increase of Rs 3.
  
  All states and Union territories, except Meghalaya, have registered a lower hike in MGNREGS wages for 2021-2022 as compared to the increase announced for 2020-2021. The new rates will be effective from April 1.
  
  Meghalaya is followed by poll-bound Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, which have seen a hike of Rs 17 — from Rs 256 in 2020-21 to Rs 273. The rate has been increased by Rs 9 — from Rs 204 to Rs 213 — in West Bengal.
  
  The lower hike in wage rates comes at a time when the rural job guarantee scheme has emerged as a safety net for migrant workers, who returned to their villages in view of the pandemic.
  
  As on March 16, 7.42 crore households (10.92 crore individuals) have already availed the job guarantee scheme. So far, over 367 crore person-days have been generated under the scheme in the current financial year.
  
  
• Imports down by 33%, India still second largest arms importer
  According to a report by the Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India’s arms imports fell by 33% between 2011-15 and 2016-20.
  
  Despite the decline in imports, India is still the second largest importer of weapons after Saudi Arabia.
  
  The decline in weapons imports between 2011-15 and 2016-20 appears to be mainly due to its complicated and lengthy procurement process and its attempts to reduce dependence on Russian weapons by diversifying its network of weapons suppliers.
  
  During these two periods, Russia was the largest supplier of weapons.
  
  Between these two periods, Russia’s deliveries fell by 53%, and its share of India’s arms imports fell from 70% to 49%.
  
  The United States was India’s second largest supplier of weapons in the 2011-15, but in the 2016-20, India’s imports of weapons from the United States decreased by 46% compared to the previous five years, making the United States India’s fourth largest weapon supply country in 2016–20.
  
  France and Israel are the second and third largest arms suppliers in 2016-20. India’s plans over the next 5 years
  
  As India is aware of the growing threat from Pakistan and China, and its ambitious plan to produce its own main weapons has been greatly delayed, it is planning a large-scale arms import program.
  
  Based on the excellent delivery of its fighter jets, air defense systems, ships and submarines, India’s weapons imports are expected to increase in the next 5 years.
  
  
• When is the National Vaccination Day observed?
  March 16th is celebrated as National Vaccination Day.
  
  National Vaccination Day is also called as National Immunization Day. A celebration is held on March 16th every year to convey the importance of vaccination to the entire country.
  
  This date was first observed in 1995 (the year that India launched the "Pulse Polio" program).
  
  The theme of 2021 is both the eradication of polio and the current threat of COVID-19.
  
  In the process, the individual's immune system is strengthened to resist external harmful factors. The vaccine trains a person's immune system to produce antibodies.
  
  
• Cancellation of 3 crore ration cards too serious: SC
  The Supreme Court said it was a “very serious” matter if the Centre had really cancelled around three crore ration cards, even those of tribal people and the poor, solely because they could not be biometrically linked with Aadhaar.
  
  A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, asked the Centre to respond to the allegation made in a petition by Koili Devi, represented by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, that such cancellations had led to starvation deaths across the country.
  
  The insistence on Aadhaar and biometric authentication had led to the cancellation of nearly four crore ration cards in the country, according to the Union of India.
  
  The Union of India casually gives an explanation that these cancelled cards were bogus.
  
  The real reason is that the technological system based on iris identification, thumb prints, non-possession of Aadhaar, non-functioning of the Internet in rural and remote areas, etc., led to largescale cancellation of ration cards, without notice to the family concerned.
  
  The “petition is based on reports that an estimated two to four crore ration cards have been cancelled in the country without prior notice to the beneficiaries.
  
  Right to food, which the ration card symbolised, cannot be curbed or cancelled because of lack of Aadhaar.
  
  Ms. Koili Devi’s 11-year-old daughter, Santhoshi Kumari, was allegedly a victim of hunger death in Jharkhand in 2017.
  
  She said the family’s ration card was cancelled due to non-linkage with Aadhaar.
  
  She sought an independent investigation into the starvation deaths, restoration of the cancelled ration cards and compensation for the death of her daughter.
  
  All the States have mechanically granted additional designations to existing officers.
  
  In many cases, the officers given additional designations are from the Food Supply Department, and they are the main persons responsible for corruption in the food distribution system.
  
  It referred to the directions imposed by the Supreme Court in the Swaraj Abhiyan cases on the implementation of the Food Security Act, which included social audits, framing of rules and setting up vigilance committees.
  
  The Hunger Watch Report of the Right to Food Campaign in 2020 characterised the hunger situation in India as “grave”.
  
  India ranks 94 out of 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2020 and is in the ‘Serious Hunger Category’.
  
  
• Lok Sabha nod to J&K Appropriation Bill, Puducherry Appropriation Bill
  The Lok Sabha cleared the Appropriation Bill, allowing the Central government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its operational requirements and implementation of various programmes.
  
  An appropriation bill, also known as supply bill or spending bill, is a proposed law that authorizes the expenditure of government funds. It is a bill that sets money aside for specific spending. In most democracies, approval of the legislature is necessary for the government to spend money.
  
  In legislative parlance, to “guillotine” means to bunch together and fast-track the passage of financial business. It is a common procedural exercise in Lok Sabha during the Budget Session.
  
  The Bill was passed after Speaker put it through guillotine, a legislative mechanism to approve the fast-tracking of the passage of outstanding demands for grants without discussion.
  
  Over the past few days, the Lok Sabha discussed the demands for grants for Railway, Education and Health Ministries.
  
  26 members of the House participated in a debate on the Demand for Grants under the Health Ministry.
  
  In his reply to the debate, Union Health Minister listed the steps taken by the Narendra Modi-led government to improve the healthcare infrastructure, emphasising on the initiatives to contain the pandemic.
  
  Union Health Minister said if the government ensured safe drinking water, sanitation and made arrangements for nutrition to children, it would take care of a majority of health issues.
  
  During the pandemic, the Union Minister said, the country achieved self-reliance in the production of PPTs, N-95 masks, diagnostic kits, ventilators and allied articles.
  
  On the criticism about slow pace of inoculation, Minister said the day India had recorded three million vaccinations, eight million were vaccinated in the entire world. India’s share was about 36%.
  
  
• Enact law to make Facebook, Google pay for news
  India should take a cue from Australia and enact a law to make tech giants such as Facebook and Google pay local publishers of news content, an MP demanded in the Rajya Sabha.
  
  Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention, the MP said, “The government must make Google, Facebook and YouTube pay print and news channels for the news content they are using freely.”
  
  MP urged the Government of India that the way they have notified Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code to regulate social media and OTT platforms, they should enact a law on the pattern of Australian Code so that we can compel Google to share its revenue with traditional media.
  
  The print and news broadcast media, whose content is freely available on platforms run by the tech giants, were passing through their worst phase in recent history as advertisements have shifted to tech platforms.
  
  The traditional news media make heavy investments employing anchors, journalists and reporters who gather information, verify it and deliver credible news.
  
  But advertisement, which is their main source of revenue, has in the past few years shifted away from them.
  
  Advertising earnings are going to these tech giants (and) because of this print media, news channels are passing through a financial crisis.”
  
  
• Statue of Unity achieves another feat! World’s tallest statue crosses landmark of 50 lakh visitors
  Since the inauguration in 2018, Kevadia's "Statue of Unity" in the Narmada region of Gujarat has exceeded 5 million visitors.
  
  India’s first seaplane service from Gujarat began on October 31, 2020. This route connects the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad with the Statue of Unity in Kaivadia.
  
  The Unity Statue was built to commemorate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Sardar Patel owned 560 princely states in India before independence, so the name of the statue was dubbed the "statue of unity". It opened on October 31, 2018 to commemorate the 143rd birthday of Sardar Patel.
  
  The Unity statue is the tallest statue in the world. Its height is 182 meters, which is 23 meters taller than the Buddha Statue in the Spring Temple in China and almost twice the statue of Liberty (93 meters high) in the United States.
  
  In January 2020, it was added to the "Eight Wonders" of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
  
  It is located on the island of Sadhu Bet which is in the Narmada river, which flows between the Satpura and Vindhya mountains.
  
  The statue of Unity was designed by Padma Bhushan’s sculptor Ram V Sutar, and the intricate bronze siding work was done by the Chinese foundry Jiangxi Toqin Company (JTQ).
  
  
• Come out with rule curve for Mullaperiyar: SC
  The Supreme Court (SC) has issued a warning to Tamil Nadu (Mullaperiyar case).
  
  The chief secretary of Tamil Nadu will be "personally responsible" and will take "appropriate action" for failing to provide information about the Mullaperiyar dam "rule curve" to the supervisory committee appointed by the Supreme Court.
  
  The supervisory committee should issue instructions or take steps to address the three core safety issues-monitoring and performance of dam instruments, finalizing the "rule curve" and determining the gate operation schedule-and submit a compliance report within four weeks.
  
  The Kerala government accused Tamil Nadu of adopting an "outdated" gate operation schedule dating back to 1939. It also expressed concern about the lack of proper supervision of the water levels of the dams along the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
  
  The Mullaperiyar dam is located at the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers in the Idukki region of Kerala.
  
  The Mullaperiyar dam is operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu (TN) to meet the drinking water and irrigation requirements of its five southern regions.
  
  According to the 999-year lease agreement signed during the British rule, the management rights have been transferred to Tamil Nadu.
  
  The dam intends to transfer the water from the Periyar River flowing west to the arid rain shadow area of Tamil Nadu to the east.
  
  
• Rajya Sabha passes National Institute of Food Technology Bill 2019
  Rajya Sabha passed the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) Bill in 2019.
  
  The bill declares that food technology, entrepreneurship and management agencies as institutions of national importance.
  
  The institutes are - (1) National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (Kundli, Haryana); (2) Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu).
  
  The bill declares these institutions as the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management.
  
  
• All about Natural Farming System
  In India, Natural agriculture is promoted as the BharatiyaPrakritik Krishi PaddhatiProgramme (BPKP).
  
  BPKP is a sub-scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY).
  
  The convention was introduced in 2020-21 to promote traditional indigenous practices including natural agriculture.
  
  The scheme mainly emphasizes the exclusion of all synthetic chemical raw materials and promotes:
  
  Recycling of biomass in the farm, mainly covering biomass
  
  Use of cow dung urine formula
  
  Plant-based preparations
  
  Irregularly carry out soil aeration treatment
  
  Under the BPKP program, financial assistance of 12,200 rupees/ha will be provided for a period of 3 years for cluster formation, capacity building and continuous handholding of trained personnel, certification and residue analysis.
  
  BPKP aims to promote traditional indigenous practices and reduce external purchases.
  
  Benefits of the scheme: Natural agriculture will reduce dependence on purchased inputs and help reduce the credit burden on small farmers.
  
  
• When is the Ordnance Factory Day observed?
  March 18, 2021 is the anniversary of the establishment of the 220th Ordnance Factory. India regards March 18th as Ordnance Factory Day every year.
  
  The first ordnance factory was established in Kolkata in 1801. There are 41 ordnance factories in the country. History:
  
  The history of the ordnance factory is directly related to the British rule in India. In 1775, the Ordnance Factory Committee was established in Williamsburg, Calcutta, which still governs the country's ordnance factories.
  
  Before India's independence, there were 18 ordnance factories. The Board of Directors of the Ordnance Factory was established in 1979.
  
  The Ordnance Factory Committee operates under the Ministry of Defense. It is the largest and oldest government-run defense organization. The board of directors has always been called the fourth branch of national defense. It is the 37th largest weapons manufacturer in the world.
  
  The committee is responsible for the manufacture of small arms, missiles, rocket launchers, chemicals, explosives, landmines, grenades, anti-tank warfare, etc.
  
  The board of directors representing the Indian government generated US$2 billion in revenue in 2017-18.
  
  
• Supreme Court to hear on March 24 plea against sale of electoral bonds
  Chief Justice of India agreed with advocate Prashant Bhushan to urgently hear a plea by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms to stay the sale of a new set of electoral bonds on April 1, before the Assembly elections in crucial States such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
  
  Responding to an urgent mentioning made by Mr. Bhushan via videoconference, Chief Justice Bobde said the matter would require a detailed hearing
  
  Mr. Bhushan said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Election Commission had both said that the sale of electoral bonds had become an avenue for shell corporations and entities to park illicit money and even proceeds of bribes with political parties.
  
  Mr. Bhushan said every time there is an election, the sale is opened. Every time this happens, we have moved the Supreme Court to stay it.
  
  “But hasn’t stay been refused earlier?” Chief Justice Bobde asked.
  
  “Not so, but parties had been asked to submit records in sealed cover. But a proper stay has to be considered.
  
  There are two documents from the RBI and the Election Commission that say the electoral bonds scheme is detrimental to democracy,” Mr. Bhushan replied.
  
  Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta informed the Chief Justice that Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal would be appearing in the case.
  
  His submissions in the Maratha quota case will start today [March 18] and he may finish it by Wednesday [March 24],” Mr. Mehta said. “Surely, he will find time in a matter like this!” Chief Justice retorted.
  
  The NGO, also represented by advocate Neha Rathi, voiced serious apprehensions about the sale of electoral bonds before elections.
  
  Data obtained through RTI has shown that illegal sale windows have been opened in the past to benefit certain political parties.
  
  There is a serious apprehension that any further sale of electoral bonds before the upcoming State elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam would further increase illegal and illicit funding of political parties through shell companies,” the NGO submitted.
  
  It said the scheme had “opened doors to unlimited political donations, even from foreign companies, thereby legitimising electoral corruption at a huge scale, while at the same time ensuring complete non-transparency in political funding”.
  
  The application reminded the court that both the central bank and the poll panel had objected to the electoral bond scheme.
  
  The government notified the scheme on January 2, 2018. It defended the scheme in court, saying it allowed anonymity to political donors to protect them from “political victimisation”.
  
  The Ministry of Finance’s affidavit in the top court had dismissed the Election Commission’s version that the invisibility afforded to benefactors was a “retrograde step” and would wreck transparency in political funding.
  
  The government affidavit had said the shroud of secrecy was a product of “well thought-out policy considerations”.
  
  It said the earlier system of cash donations had raised a “concern among the donors that, with their identity revealed, there would be competitive pressure from different political parties receiving donation”.
  
  
• Justice Ramana outlines ways to reverse pendency
  Supreme Court judge, Justice N.V. Ramana, has outlined a three-pronged approach, with special focus on alternative dispute resolution, to reverse the nearly 4 crore pendency in courts across the country.
  
  Justice Ramana, who is next in line to be the Chief Justice of India as per the seniority norm, was speaking at the First Justice J.S. Verma Memorial ADR and Client Counselling Competition, organised by the Department of Law of the Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management Studies (MAIMS) of IP University in association with National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
  
  The senior SC judge said improving judicial infrastructure through use of e-platforms and setting up of more courts, settling disputes at pre-litigation stage through counselling, strengthening the existing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism would go a long way in clearing the huge pendency of cases in courts.
  
  Justice Ramana said delays in litigation should be mended by referring disputes to ADR for settlement.
  
  ADR, he said, would provide succour to millions and would prove to be an effective counter to reduce pendency.
  
  
• Bihar Assembly passes Lokayukta Amendment Bill
  The Bihar Assembly passed the Bihar Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that proposes to punish people filing false cases before the anti- corruption ombudsman body to prevent any waste of time or misuse of the institution.
  
  Four other Bills passed by the Assembly during the day are the Bihar Municipality (Amendment) Bill, Bihar Taxation Disputes Resolution Bill, Bihar Civil Court Bill and Bihar Appropriation Excess Expenditure (1984-85) Bill.
  
  The proposed legislation has been brought keeping in view the misuse of the Lokayukta institution in false cases.
  
  Lokayukta carries out expeditious investigation and prosecution relating to allegations involving corruption against public servants of all grades.
  
  It was proposed by the Lokayuktaitelf that there should be a provision for punishing people filing false cases before it.
  
  The Lokayukta acts of other States have the provision of punitive action against such erring persons.
  
  The Bill proposes that a case against a person filing a false case can be filed in the district court.
  
  If the person is found guilty of it or for giving false testimony or filed wrong affidavit, he/she will be sentenced to a jail term of upto three years besides a provision for fine.
  
  Several members who moved amendments to the Bill were of the view that it will dissuade people from approaching the Lokayukta and will work against whistle blowers who expose corruption.
  
  The Bihar Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was tabled by Urban Development and Housing Minister Tarkishore Prasad who said that it proposes recruitment of grade C employees of municipalities at the State-level.
  
  It also proposes to introduce Rs.20,000 fine for permanent encroachment and Rs.5,000 for temporary encroachment in municipal areas of the state.
  
  Bihar Taxation Disputes Resolution Bill, 2021, was tabled for one time tax settlement scheme ‘Samadhan’ in respect of disputes arising out of non clearance of tax dues and penalty imposed prior to July 1, 2017 when Goods and Services Tax was implemented in the country.
  
  The State government had brought the scheme thrice in 2015, 2016 and 2019 and 31,177 applications were received for resolution of tax dues amounting to ?1127.55 crore under Samadhan scheme in 2019.
  
  
• Govt must look into scheme for those who lost jobs amid lockdown: Report
  The Delhi government should consider launching a scheme guaranteeing jobs at a fixed minimum daily wage to tackle the alarming surge in the city’s unemployment rate during the pandemic-induced lockdown.
  
  The unemployment rate in Delhi rose from 11.1% in January-February 2020 to 28.5% in October-November, according to a Delhi government-commissioned survey.
  
  It also found that women have been hit particularly hard in terms of job losses.
  
  The survey, prepared jointly by the Delhi Directorate of Economics and Statistics and the Centre for Market Research and Social Development, also includes separate sections listing a series of recommendations and “potential policy responses” to address unemployment challenges.
  
  The proposal on the jobs guarantee scheme finds mention as a recommendation as well as in the segment on the “potential policy responses” section, where the report touches upon the steps taken or being considered by the government to tackle the issue.
  
  It says the government is planning to launch a scheme to provide guaranteed jobs for a few months in a year at minimum wages of Rs 569 per day to one adult member of a household in Delhi.
  
  Delhi government’s plan to implement the guaranteed jobs scheme to help those facing difficulty in finding work must be introduced immediately since majority of the respondents have shown their interest to get job under this scheme.
  
  This will definitely benefit unemployed persons of Delhi who lost employment during Covid-19 pandemic,” the report states.
  
  It adds that such jobs would not be permanent in nature or entitle the beneficiaries to any pension.
  
  To be sure, the Delhi government has not made any allocation for this proposed scheme in its Rs 69,000 crore annual budget for the year 2021-22 presented last week.
  
  Economist Jean Dreze, one of the architects of the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, had last September proposed that an urban jobs guarantee scheme should be considered to help people tide over the widespread lockdown-induced distress.
  
  The survey, which had a sample size of 44,226 of which 32,052 people were aged 15 and above, also sought to gauge the potential demand for such a scheme among the people and found there are many takers for it.
  
  The sample size had representations from all the 11 districts of the national capital. It found that 73% unemployed people were keen to register under the proposed scheme.
  
  Asked about the type of job they would like to sign up for, most preferred among men was construction work and plantation, while in the case of women, most picked provisioning of care for children and construction work.
  
  The preferred choices of jobs are in line with another crucial finding of the survey that “the unemployment rate increased more among the illiterates and less educated both in males and females compared to the more educated males and females”.
  
  Apart from construction work (31%) and child care (13%), there’s demand for openings in the areas of driving, teaching, electrician, beautician, tailoring, cooking (20%) as well, the report notes.
  
  It stresses that the implementation of the proposed scheme is “very much needed to revive the economy of Delhi which was deeply affected by corona”.
  
  
• Aligning a missile deal with destination Manila
  India and the Philippines signed an "implementation arrangement" for the "arrangement for procurement of defense materials and equipment." The agreement lays the foundation for the sale of defense systems through the government-to-government route. The Philippines is seeking to purchase BrahMos cruise missiles from India.
  
  BrahMos cruise missiles are manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace Limited, a joint venture between India and Russia.
  
  This is the first supersonic cruise missile to be put into service.
  
  BrahMos cruise missiles can reach a speed of Mach 2.8 (almost three times the speed of sound), and its range is at least 290 kilometers (the new version can reach 400 kilometers).
  
  The high speed will make it difficult for air defense systems using surface-to-air missiles to intercept BrahMos, while making it easier for BrahMos to target and even neutralize advanced fighter jets.
  
  Efforts are being made to increase the speed and range of the missile in the next iteration. The goal is to reach supersonic speed (at or exceed Mach 5) with a maximum range of 1,500 kilometers.
  
  
• Ease of Living Index (EoLI) 2020
  Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs announced the final rankings of Ease of Living Index (EoLI) 2020 and the Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020.
  
  The rankings were announced for cities with a population of more than a million, and cities with less than a million people.
  
  111 cities participated in the assessment.
  
  Bengaluru emerged as the top performer in the Million+ category, followed by Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Coimbatore, Vadodara, Indore, and Greater Mumbai.
  
  In the Less than Million category, Shimla was ranked the highest in ease of living, followed by Bhubaneshwar, Silvassa, Kakinada, Salem, Vellore, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Davangere, and Tiruchirappalli.
  
  The assessment framework has classified municipalities based on their population- Million+ (municipalities having over a million population) and Less than Million Population.
  
  In the Million+ category, Indore has emerged as the highest ranked municipality, followed by Surat and Bhopal.
  
  In the Less than Million category, New Delhi Municipal Council has emerged as the leader, followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar.
  
  The MPI examined the sectoral performance of 111 municipalities (with Delhi being assessed separately for NDMC) across five verticals which comprise of 20 sectors and 100 indicators in all totality.
  
  The five verticals under MPI are Services, Finance, Policy, Technology and Governance.
  
  
• World food price index rises in February for 9th month running: FAO
  world food prices rose for the 9th consecutive month. This increase is the highest level since July 2014.
  
  According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, food prices have risen due to rising sugar and vegetable oil prices. The food price index measures the monthly changes in a basket containing grains, dairy products, oils, meat and sugar.
  
  The index averaged 116.0 points in February 2021, compared to 113.3 points in January. FAO also emphasized this point; the world’s cereal harvest remains at a normal level in order to set an annual record in 2020.
  
  The grain price index provided by FAO increased to 1.2% in February 2021. The price of sorghum rose the most, at 17.4% and 82.1%. The increase in the sorghum price index is mainly due to the increase in demand in China.
  
  Corn and rice prices have also risen, while wheat export prices have remained stable. The price of sugar rose to 6.4% on a month-to-month basis. In addition, due to the decline in production in major producing countries and strong demand in Asia, people are concerned about the supply in 2021.
  
  The vegetable oil price index also rose by 6.2%, while palm oil prices rose for the 9th consecutive month. The price of dairy products rose by 1.7%, while the meat index rose by 0.6%.
  
  The Food and Agriculture Organization has increased its forecast for the 2020 cereal season to 2.761 billion tons. It was previously estimated at 2.744 billion. Compared with February, the forecast of global rice production in March 2021 has also increased by 2.6 million tons.
  
  The food price index is issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization. It measures the monthly changes in the international price of a basket of food commodities.
  
  
• First consignment of 'red rice' from Assam flagged off to US
  The first batch of "Red Rice" cargo will disembark to the United States on March 4, 2021. This increases the export potential of Indian rice. The rice is purchased by the leading rice exporter "LT Foods".
  
  APEDA Chairman Dr. M. Angamuthu held a flag-off ceremony for export goods in Haryana. With the help of several stakeholders in the value chain, APEDA participated in activities to promote rice exports.
  
  The government has also established the "Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF)" under the authority of the Asia Pacific Agricultural Development Foundation (APEDA).
  
  Red rice is rich in iron and grows in the YarlungZangbo Valley in Assam. It grows without using any chemical fertilizers. This kind of rice is called "Baoji" and is an indispensable part of Assam food.
  
  According to the Ministry of Commerce of India, India’s non-basmati rice exports have increased to Rs 26,058 crore in the two months from April to January 2020-21, while the export value for the same period in fiscal year 2019 was Rs 11,543 crore- 2020.
  
  APEDA is the Apex-Export Trade Promotion Active government agency. The agency was established by the "Ministry of Commerce and Industry". It was established under the APEDA Act. The decree was passed in December 1985. After that, the supreme body was established and became effective in February 1986.
  
  Rice Export Promotion Forum: REPF was established by the Indian government to promote rice exports. The forum takes collaborative steps to identify and record detailed information.
  
  It also touches stakeholders in the entire production or supply chain of rice exports. In this way, it increases exports to the global market. In this way, it increases exports to the global market.
  
  REPF consists of representatives of exporters, APEDA, rice industry, officials from the Ministry of Commerce and major rice producing countries (such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Telangana, Haryana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Austria). Rissa)’s composition of agricultural directors and Chhattisgarh.
  
  
• Tourism in MP gets a boost! Now enjoy night safaris in three national parks
  Madhya Pradesh has introduced night safari tours in three national parks in Madhya Pradesh on March 4, 2021.
  
  With the introduction of night safaris in the three national parks of Madhya Pradesh, wildlife lovers can now experience majestic animals at night.
  
  The three parks include Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park and Pench National Park.
  
  Usually, day trips are carried out during the day, because tourists feel safer during the day. But because of the day trip, tourists missed the opportunity to witness nocturnal animals in their natural habitat.
  
  Therefore, the state now hopes to organize hunting activities in a controlled manner. Under the safari park, the route will be determined by the state. They will ensure that neither animals nor tourists are harmed.
  
  Reservation for Night Safari can be booked on the Wildlife Safari Reservation portal. The portal is operated by the State Forestry Department.
  
  Bandhavgarh National Park: This national park located in the Umaria district (Madhya Pradesh). The park covers an area of 105 square kilometers. The Bandhavgarh park was declared a national park in 1968.
  
  It was designated as a tiger reserve in 1993. Currently, the core area covers 716 square kilometers. The tiger population density in Bandhavgarh is 8 tigers per square kilometer, which is the highest known population density. The park is also known as Panch National Park
  
  Pench National Park: This national park was established in Madhya Pradesh in 1975. The area is 257.26 square kilometers. The name of the park is taken from Pench River. The park was designated as a refuge in 1965, a national park in 1975, and a tiger reserve in 1992. The park will conduct night hunting between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm. Visitors can spot animals such as jack wolves, wild boars and nocturnal birds.
  
  Kanha National Park: In this park, safari activities will take place between 7:30 and 10:30 in the evening. The park is the seat of Barasingha (Barasingha) and visitors can discover it during night tours. This park is also known as Kanha–Kisli National Park and it is the largest national park in Madhya Pradesh.
  
  
• India has become third largest education system in the world, says President
  President Ramnath Kovind has said that India’s higher education system has expanded to reach out to serve the rural and marginalised sections of the society. Addressing the 16th annual convocation of Thiruvalluvar University at Vellore today, the President said that India has become the third largest education system in the world but still has to aspire for greater heights. Applauding the great works of Poet Thiruvalluvar, he said that it was necessary to imbibe his noble teachings.
  
  Recalling the Vellore Sepoy uprising of 1806 was one of the precursors to our Independence movement President Kovind described that imparting quality education to students, many of whom are from economically and educationally backward regions was a noble cause.
  
  He listed out the engineering marvel of Grand Anicut and the achievements of great mathematicians and scientists like S. Ramanujan, the Nobel Laureates C.V. Raman and S. Chandrashekhar the only Indian Governor General, C. Rajgopalachari and two of his illustrious predecessors R. Venkataraman and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who are great sons of this soil.
  
  The President expressed his happiness that 65 percent of the students in the university were women. He told that when the women of our country are educated, it not only secures their own future but also of the entire country.
  
  The President who is on a three day visit is visiting the Golden temple at Srikulam, Vellore. He will return to Chennai and stay at Raj Bhavan. The President will attend the 41st annual convocation at the Anna University and return to Delhi tomorrow.
  
  
• PM Modi to launch Kindle version of Swami Chidbhavananda’s Bhagavad Gita
  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Kindle version of Swami Chidbhavananda’s Bhagavad Gita and also address the occasion today through virtual mode. The event has been organised to commemorate the sale of over five lakh copies of the Swami Chidbhavananda's Bhagavad Gita.
  
  Swami Chidbhavananda is the founder of Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam Ashram at Thirupparaaythuray situated near Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu.
  
  Swami Chidbhavananda, a man of letters, has authored 186 books. His scholarly work on the Gita is one of the most extensive books on the subject.
  
  Tamil version of the Gita with his commentary was published in 1951 and became an instant hit. It was translated into English in 1965.
  
  The translations of the epic literary work into Telugu, Odia, German and Japanese were undertaken by the devotees of Swami Chidbhavananda.
  
  
• Rajya Sabha passes Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021
  The Parliament gave its nod to the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 with Rajya Sabha.
  
  The Upper House cleared the bill amid protest by Opposition parties including Congress, DMK and NCP over the issue of farm laws.
  
  The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill last month.
  
  The legislation seeks to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
  
  The Act contains provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration and defines the law for conducting conciliation proceedings.
  
  The Bill replaces an Ordinance with the same provisions promulgated on 4th November, 2020.
  
  It contains provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration.
  
  Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that India wants to be an excellent hub for the arbitration and the Narendra Modi government will make India a big hub for domestic and international arbitration.
  
  He said, freedom must be given to the domestic and international arbitrators to make the process easier so that the country can move towards the path of economic development.
  
  He asserted that India respects the honest process and the government is committed to bring transparent mechanisms in every sphere of governance.
  
  Mr. Prasad said, the legislation seeks to ensure that all stakeholders get an opportunity to seek an unconditional stay on enforcement of arbitral awards where the arbitration agreement or contract is induced by fraud or corruption.
  
  He said, the bill also aims at giving greater flexibility to the Arbitration Council of India and helping in promotion of institutional arbitration.
  
  
• Labour Minister launches convergence of ESI Scheme with Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY
  Union Minister for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar launched the convergence of ESI Scheme with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, PM-JAY in 113 districts of Chhatisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
  
  It was launched on the culmination day of Employees' State Insurance Corporation, ESIC, Special Services Fortnight at New Delhi.
  
  The convergence will ensure that 1.35 crore ESI beneficiaries in such districts avail cashless medical services through empanelled hospitals of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY without any need of referral.
  
  To avail the medical care, the Insured Worker or the beneficiary need to carry ESIC e-pehchan card or Health Passbook and Aadhar Card with them.
  
  The list of districts and empaneled hospitals are available at www.esic.nic.in/ab-pm-jay .
  
  Similarly, the beneficiaries of PM-JAY can also avail cashless treatment at 15 underutilized ESIC hospitals or Medical Colleges in Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
  
  Mr Gangwar lauded the efforts of ESIC Hospitals or Medical Colleges and ESIS Hospitals in providing medical care during the period of Covid-19 pandemic not only to the workers but also to the general public.
  
  During the event, the minister also felicitated such ESIC Hospitals or Medical and Directorate Insurance Medical Services of State Governments who have performed exceptionally well during pandemic period.
  
  
• President Ram Nath Kovind to be on 3-day visit to Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh
  President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a three-day visit to Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh. During his visit, he will participate in many programmes in Sonbhadra and Mirzapur districts. Elaborate security arrangements have been made in and around the programme venues.
  
  President Ramnath Kovind will pay obeisance and perform Pujan at the Baba Vishwanath Temple . In the evening, he will witness the world famous Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamegh Ghat on the banks of the river Maa Ganges. Tomorrow, The president will attend the BanavasiSamagam program at Chhapki of Sonbhadra district and dedicate the newly constructed building of Seva Kunj Ashram there.
  
  The President is also scheduled to visit the Mirzapur district tomorrow afternoon and pay obeisance to Maa Vindhyavasini Devi. On Monday, the third day of his visit the President will attend the inaugural session of the program on 'Ganga, Environment and Indian Culture' organized by the Media House Jagran Forum.
  
  
• Jal Shakti Minister to chair Conference of Ministers of States, UTs on Jal Jeevan Mission
  Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will be chairing a Conference of States and UTs Ministers on Jal Jeevan Mission tomorrow and review the progress made under the Mission.
  
  The conference is being organized to discuss planning, implementation and progress made so far as well as the way forward so that the remaining households in villages get tap water connections at the earliest.
  
  The Mission is a flagship programme of the Centre for providing tap water connection in every rural household by 2024. Since announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on 15th August 2019, significant progress has been made across the country. So far, more than 3.79 crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections.
  
  
• Mera Ration Mobile App for migratory ration card holders launched
  Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has launched Mera Ration Mobile App for the benefit of those ration card holders who move to new places in search of livelihood.
  
  Addressing media in New Delhi Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said that at present 32 States and Union Territories are covered under One Nation One Ration Card- ONORC and integration of remaining four States and UTs is expected to be completed in next few months.
  
  He also informed that at present, the system covers nearly 69 Crore National Food Security Act- NFSA beneficiaries in the country. Mr. Pandey informed that the ONORC has proved to be a tremendous value-added service to each NFSA beneficiary during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly migrants, which allowed them to avail the benefit of subsidised foodgrains.
  
  
• INS Karanj, Third Scorpene-Class Submarine Commissioned Into Indian Navy
  INS Karanj, India's third stealth Scorpene-class submarine, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Mumbai on Wednesday. The diesel electric submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Mumbai in presence of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh and Admiral (Retired) VS Shekhawat.
  
  Speaking at the launch event, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh said, "Indian Navy has been a strong proponent of indigenization and self-reliance in defence over past seven decades. At present, out of 42 ships and submarines on order, 40 are being constructed in Indian shipyards."
  
  "The impetuous to atmanirbharta or indigenization is a fundamental tenet of Indian Navy's growth story and future trajectory," he added.
  
  
• India’s fintech sector valuation to touch $150-160 billion by 2025: Report
  India is strongly poised to realise a fintech sector valuation of USD 150-160 billion by 2025, translating to an incremental value-creation potential of about USD 100 billion, a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Ficci said.
  
  The report, titled ‘India FinTech: A USD 100 Bn opportunity’, noted that over the past five years, Indian fintech companies have raised about USD 10 billion from investors all over the world, catapulting the sector’s total valuation to an estimated USD 50-60 billion.
  
  “India is strongly poised to realise a fintech sector valuation of USD 150-160 billion by 2025, translating to an incremental value-creation potential of approximately USD 100 billion.
  
  “Further, it is estimated that to meet this ambition, India’s fintech sector will need investments of USD 20-25 billion over the next five years,” it added.
  
  India has seen a sharp rise in the number of financial technology (fintech) firms. Of the over 2,100 fintech firms existing in India currently, 67 per cent have been set up in the past five years.
  
  While Indian fintechs have cumulatively raised more than USD 10 billion since 2016, eight fintech companies have reached the ‘billion-dollar-valuation’ milestone (unicorns) and an additional 44 are valued at over USD 100 million as of date, it added.
  
  The report said COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of digitisation across categories. While certain fintech segments (for example, lending) may see a blip in the near term, there is a large sustainable behaviour change towards digital offerings in financial services.
  
  Between March 2020 and January 2021, UPI payments (by value) have risen to 3x of their pre-pandemic value, while other payment modes have declined. Similar acceleration has also been seen in online broking, where the share of active clients with fintech discount brokers (Zerodha, Upstox, 5paisa) grew from 43 per cent to 57 per cent in the same timeframe.
  
  
• All about Saras Aajeevika Mela 2021
  Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Food Processing inaugurated SarasAajeevika Mela 2021 at Noida Haat.
  
  Ministry of Rural Development is working to include more women in Self Help Groups (SHGs).
  
  He said these SHGs played a vital role in increasing family income and improving quality of life.
  
  Atmanirbharta can't be achieved only by Government's schemes and efforts. People's participation is a must and SHGs can play a major role to achieve this goal.
  
  Empowered SHGs should come forward and help other SHGs to become Atmanirbhar.
  
  SHGs played a crucial role during COVID times for employing rural women.
  
  Our SHGs have the potential to produce export quality material and with the help of these SHGs, the country can achieve the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
  
  SHGs and craftsmen should understand consumer's demand to improve the products.
  
  Ministry will give publicity to the Mela through advertisement and SMS marketing so that all participants will get a chance to showcase their products to a large number of audience.
  
  The SarasAajeevika Mela 2021 is being organized from 26th February to 14th March 2021 by the Ministry of Rural Development.
  
  More than 300 rural self-help groups and craftsman from 27 states are participating in the Mela.
  
  Around 150 stalls and 15 food stalls serving regional cuisines have been set up and more than 60 cultural performances will be performed.
  
  During the Mela, workshops on product packaging and design, communication skills, social media publicity and Business 2 Business marketing will be organised to educate the rural self-help groups and craftsman.
  
  The Mela will remain open from 11 AM to 8 PM daily.
  
  
• NCDRC launches E-Daakhil portal
  E-Daakhil portal was launched by National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC) on 7th September, 2020, for online redressal of consumer grievances now operational in 15 States/UTs.
  
  E-Daakhil portal for Consumer grievance redressal is now operational in 15 States/UTs.
  
  Department of Consumer Affairs is now proactively following up with the states to launch e-filing portal at their ends.
  
  The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which has come into force from 20th July, 2020, has provision for e-filing of consumer complaints in the Consumer Commissions and online payment of the fees for filing a complaint.
  
  This digital software for filing consumer complaints has the many features like e-Notice, case document download link & VC hearing link, filing written response by opposite party, fling rejoinder by complainant and alerts via SMS/Email.
  
  The e-daakhil portal empowers the consumer and their advocates to file the consumer complaints along with payment of requisite fees online from anywhere for the redressal of their complaints.
  
  It also facilitates the consumer commissions to scrutinize the complaints online to accept, reject or forward the complaint to the concerned commission for further processing.
  
  To facilitate the rural consumers for e-filing, it has been decided to integrate the Common Service Centres (CSC) with the e-daakhil portal.
  
  As many consumers at Gram Panchayat level may either not have access to electronic modes of communication or unable to use the tools, they may avail the services of CSCs in filing their complaints in the Consumer Commission.
  
  The work for integration of this portal with CSC is in under process.
  
  E-filing was launched by National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC) on 7th September, 2020.
  
  Delhi was the first state to implement it on 8th September, 2020.
  
  Later Maharashtra, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka & Haryana implemented facility of e-filling in their respective States/UTs.
  
  Department of Consumer Affairs had been proactively following up with the States/UTs to launch e-filing.
  
  Total 444 locations are covered including NCDRC, State Commissions and District Commissions.
  
  
• Delhi govt to switch its fleet of cars for electric vehicles within 6 months
  Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that all branches of the Delhi government will now only use electric vehicles. The transition to electric vehicles will be completed within 6 months.
  
  The Delhi government has used more than 2,000 cars.
  
  The minister believes that this decision will inspire the country and other cities in the world. It is a key decision to solve problems such as pollution and climate change.
  
  This announcement was made after the government launched the "Switch Delhi" campaign.
  
  The transition from diesel or gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles will be monitored by the Delhi Ministry of Transport.
  
  In addition, government departments need to generate action reports on the transition of electric vehicles to node departments every month.
  
  
• Dal Lake, Ajanta Caves among 12 sites chosen for ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations' initiative
  The Ministry of Jal Shakti announced the selection of 12 sites, which will be transformed into " Swachh tourist Destinations " in the Phase-IV.
  
  The Swachch Iconic Places initiative under the Swachch Bharat mission is a special cleanup initiative that focuses on specific iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places in the country.
  
  This initiative is jointly coordinated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the Ministry of Urban Development, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, and the relevant state governments.
  
  The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has now selected another 12 sites to be included in the SIP programe (phase IV).
  The 12 sites are
  Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra
  Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh
  Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan
  Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan
  Ramdevra, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
  Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, Telangana
  Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha
  Rock Garden, Chandigarh
  Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
  Banke Bihari Temple, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
  Agra Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
  Kalighat Temple, West Bengal
  
  The initiative aims to improve the experience of domestic and foreign tourists by improving the sanitation and cleanliness standards of the site and its surroundings.
  
  
• Ancient Buddhist monastery found in Jharkhand
  The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered a Buddhist monastery believed to be at least 900 years old in a village near JuljulPahar in Sitagarhi Hills, Jharkhand.
  
  It was buried in a Under the mound. Earlier, an ancient Buddhist shrine buried under a similar mound was discovered near the site.
  
  Unearthed Articrafts: Four statues of god Tara in Varad Mudra (showing the gesture of allocating ballon hands).
  
  Nagri text on the statue of Tara: Nagri is an early version of Devnagri text, and its word represents Buddhist belief.
  
  The six Buddha statues in the Bhumisparsha Mudra (the gesture of the hand shows the five fingers of the right hand to the earth, symbolizing the Buddha's understanding).
  
  The sculpture appears to be a statue of Shaivite deity Maheswari - with a crown and chakras coiled around-representing the cultural assimilation of the region.
  
  Since the monastery is located on the old route to Varanasi, and Varanasi is only 10 kilometers away from Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, this discovery is of great significance.
  
  The existence of the statue of Tara indicates that the Vajrayana form of Buddhism in this area may spread.
  
  The Vajrayana language means "Thunderbolt Che" and is also known as Tantric Buddhism. This Buddhist school developed in India around 900 AD. Compared with other Buddhist schools, its foundation is esoteric elements and a very complicated set of rituals.
  
  
• Inscription on Vijayanagar king's death discovered
  In Honnenahalli in the Tumakuru region of Karnataka, the first demographic reference (inscription) of the date of the death of Vijayanagar King Krishnadevaraya was discovered.
  
  Normally, the death of the king is not recorded in the inscription, which is one of those rare records.
  
  According to the inscription, Krishnadevaraya was one of India's greatest emperors, ruled from the south, and died on October 17, 1529 (Sunday).
  
  By the way, this day is marked by a lunar eclipse. The inscription is carved on a plate on the north side of Gopalakrishna Temple in Honnenahalli, Tumakuru District.
  
  The inscription founded also records the gifts in the village of Honnenahalli in Tumakuru to worship the god VeeraprasannaHanumantha in Tumakuru. The inscription is written in Kannada.
  
  Krishnadevaraya was the ruler of the Vijayanagar Empire (1509-29 AD) of the Tuluva Dynasty. His rule is characterized by expansion and consolidation.
  
  He is famous for building some exquisite temples and adding impressive fish purses to many important South Indian temples. He also followed his mother to establish a suburban town called Nagalapuram near Vijayanagar.
  
  He wrote a work on national policy in Telugu (Amuktamalyada). Vijayanagar: Vijayanagara or "Victory City" is both the name of the city and the empire. The empire was established in the 14th century (1336 AD) by Harihara and Bukka of the Sangama dynasty.
  
  They made Hampi the capital. In 1986, Hampi was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It stretches from the Krishna River in the north to the southernmost tip of the peninsula.
  
  The Vijayanagar Empire was ruled by four important dynasties, namely: Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, Aravidu.
  
  
• PM Modi calls for 100-day water conservation campaign
  Prime Minister said there was a need to start conserving water right away and that the Jal Shakti Ministry would be launching a 100-day “catch the rain” campaign soon.
  
  PM said there was a need to have collective responsibility on water conservation.
  
  In most parts of India, rainfall begins in May-June. In a few days from now, Jal Shakti Abhiyan 100 days ‘catch the rain’ is being initiated by the Jal Shakti Ministry for the sake of cleaning up the water sources around us and conserving rainwater.
  
  When we talk of science, many a time people restrict it to physics, chemistry or labs, but the spread of science is much more than that.
  
  And there is a lot of contribution of the power of science to the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign.
  
  PM said we have to move science forward with the mantra of ‘Lab to Land’.
  
  For making India more self-reliant, it was not just “bigger things”, such as missiles, aircraft, tanks and Metro trains, that would achieve the goal. PM cited the example of a farmer in Uttar Pradesh who has started growing chia seeds.
  
  Chia seeds has been in the news for some time now. People connected to health awareness give a lot of importance to Chia seeds and it has a lot of demand too in the world.
  
  In India, it is mostly sourced from abroad, but now people are taking up the challenge to be self-reliant in chia seeds, too.
  
  Similarly, a farmer in Uttar Pradesh has begun farming of chia seeds. Cultivation of chia seeds will also increase his income and will help in the self-reliant India campaign too.
  
  
• 1,200 faculty in rural engineering colleges will lose jobs by month-end
  A World Bank-funded project to take graduates from elite institutions to rural and remote engineering colleges in poorer States is coming to an end in March, leaving more than 1,200 assistant professors out of a job and some rural colleges bereft of half their faculty.
  
  The Centre is preparing its own MERITE project with some similar objectives to improve technical education, but that may be too late for the faculty employed under the current project.
  
  Tanmay Rath holds a Ph.D. in polymer chemistry from IIT, Kharagpur, with post-doctoral experience in nanomaterials research in eastern Asia.
  
  However, for the past three years, he has been engaged in a project teaching chemistry to undergraduate engineering students in Motihari, a small town in East Champaran district of Bihar.
  
  Tanmay was hired under the TEQIP [Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme] project along with other NIT and IIT graduates and recruited to teach in some of the poorest and most remote areas.
  
  In Motihari Engineering College, there are 52 faculty but 20 are from TEQIP.
  
  Students have transformed the teaching system here. There were no practical lab classes being conducted at all until students under TEQIP came and now they don’t know how they will manage to teach the classes once our contract ends on March 31.
  
  In the Chemistry Department, the only other faculty is also retiring at the end of the month.
  
  STudents have been appealing to the State and Central governments, but no one is willing to take the responsibility for the fate of these faculty or the students.
  
  Three phases of the 3,600-crore TEQIP project have been completed since it was launched in December 2002.
  
  The third phase focused on improving quality and equity in engineering institutions in seven low-income, eight northeastern and three hilly States.
  
  Among the initiatives was a bid to recruit more than 1,500 faculty from top institutions and send them to colleges that could never have afforded them. T
  
  hey were paid salaries in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission. Now, neither the States nor the Centre is willing to commit to funding.
  
  What is the government talking about a new National Education Policy when it cannot even sustain the gains of an existing project,” asked a computer science faculty hired under TEQIP at the University College of Engineering and Technology in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
  
  About 300 faculty have already quit TEQIP for other jobs, but 250 of those remaining have filed cases in the Delhi High Court. The next hearing is on March 15.
  
  
• When is the Zero Discrimination Day observed?
  On March 1, 2021, the 2021 Zero Discrimination Day will be celebrated globally to challenge the discrimination and inequality faced by women and girls.
  
  The purpose of the day is to raise awareness and take action in gatherings to protect women’s rights, abolish discriminatory norms, and promote women’s empowerment and gender equality.
  
  After the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched the "Zero Discrimination Campaign" on World AIDS Day in December 2013, the United Nations celebrated the "Zero Discrimination Day" for the first time on March 1, 2014.
  
  The Zero Discrimination Day aims to celebrate everyone's right to a full and productive life with proper dignity. The purpose of this day is to build global solidarity to end all forms of discrimination. According to UNAIDS, eliminating discrimination against women is important to combat HIV/AIDS.
  
  
• When is the Rare Diseases Day observed?
  Generally, February 28 or 29 designated as day of rare diseases. In 2021, February 28 is observed as Rare Diseases Day.
  
  A rare disease which is also called orphan disease is any disease that affects a small part of the population. Even if the symptoms of disease do not appear immediately, most rare diseases are inherited diseases that might run through a person's life.
  
  The most common rare diseases recorded in India are hemophilia, thalassemia, sickle cell anemia and primary immunodeficiency in children, autoimmune diseases, lysosomal storage diseases, such as Pompe disease, big hidden Sporidiosis, Gaucher's disease, cystic fibrosis, hemangioma and some forms of muscular dystrophy.
  
  Although there is no universally accepted definition of rare diseases, countries usually make their own descriptions based on the prevalence, severity, and the existence of other treatment options.
  
  For example, in the United States, a rare disease is defined as a disease that affects less than 200,000 people. The National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD) uses the same definition.
  
  
• When is the National Science Day observed?
  The National Science Day (NSD) is designated on February 28 every year to commemorate the discovery of the "Raman effect". The 1st NSD was celebrated on February 28, 1987.
  
  Celebrating the NSD commemorating the discovery of the "Raman effect", which led to Sir C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize.
  
  Future of STI: Impacts on Education, Skills, and Work - Theme of NSD
  
  Node organization supporting the celebration: National Science and Technology Exchange Committee (NCSTC) of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
  
  The Raman effect is a spectral phenomenon discovered in 1928 by the famous physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman.
  
  In 1930, he won the Nobel Prize for this extraordinary discovery, which was India's first Nobel Prize in the field of science.
  
  The change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules is said to be Raman Effect. When the beam passes through a dust-free, transparent compound sample, a small part of the beam will exit in a direction other than the incident (incoming) beam.
  
  Most of this scattered light has a constant wavelength. However, a small part of the wavelength is different from the wavelength of the incident light. Its existence is the result of the Raman effect.
  
  
• Chinese cyber attack foiled: Power Ministry
  “State-sponsored” Chinese hacker groups targeted various Indian power centres, the Union Power Ministry said, but added that these groups have been thwarted after government cyber agencies warned it about their activities.
  
  While the government refused to confirm or deny The New York Times report, based on a U.S. cybersecurity firm’s claim that the Mumbai power outage in October 2020 was part of a coordinated cyberattack by China, it said it has suffered “no data breach”.
  
  There is no impact on any of the functionalities carried out by the Power Sector Operations Corporation (POSOCO) due to the referred threat.
  
  No data breach/data loss has been detected due to these incidents.
  
  There was no direct mention of the Mumbai power outage on October 12, 2020, that lasted several hours.
  
  Prompt actions are being taken by the Chief Information Security Officers at all these control centres under operation by POSOCO for any incident/advisory received from various agencies.
  
  U.S. company Recorded Future’s report blames Chinese group “Red Echo” for the Mumbai outage.
  
  Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY’s) Cyber Emergency Response Team (India) (CERT-in) alerted about the threat from malware called “ShadowPad” in November 2020.
  
  NTRO’s National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) in February 2021 had alerted of the threats, weeks before the Recorded Future report was released.
  
  NCIIPC informed [Power Ministry] through a mail dated 12th February, 2021 about the threat by Red Echo through a malware called Shadow Pad.
  
  It stated that Chinese state-sponsored threat Actor group known as Red Echo is targeting Indian Power sector’s Regional Load Dispatch Centres (RLDCs) along with State Load Dispatch Centres (SLDCs).
  
  The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is an office within the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Government of India. It is the nodal agency to deal with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing. It strengthens security-related defence of the Indian Internet domain.
  
  National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) is an organisation of the Government of India created under Sec 70A [1] of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (amended 2008),[2] through a gazette notification on 16 January 2014. Based in New Delhi, India, it is designated as the National Nodal Agency in respect of Critical Information Infrastructure Protection. It is a unit of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).
  
  
• Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 to focus on waste management
  The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), which is currently awaiting Cabinet approval for financial proposals for the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) recently launched the sixth edition of the annual Swachh Survekshan.
  
  The second phase of the SBM, announced in the Union Budget, will be responsible for sewage management in all cities that have less than 1 lakh population.
  
  Highly-placed government officials said that a major focus will be the segregation of waste at the source.
  
  We are not even letting the urban local bodies bring in segregation waste technology. It is a regressive step. We need to segregate at the home-level. It will also reduce the cost
  
  However, sources said the Centre will not be contributing funds for the sewage system component of this phase.
  
  The other mandates of the second phase of SBM will target legacy landfills, single-use plastic, and construction and demolition waste.
  
  As for the Swachh Survekshan, the survey assesses waste segregation, wet waste processing capacity, dry waste recycling, construction and demolition waste processing, and landfill waste.
  
  Over 2,000 surveyors organised by the Quality Council of India will randomly visit 4,321 cities across the country throughout March to assess them according to sanitation parameters.
  
  For its state rankings, the survey will weigh which cities are Open Defecation Free (ODF), ODF+ (when the toilets are maintained), ODF++ (when sewage systems operate) as well as their garbage-free rating.
  
  They will also be given PrerakDauur Samman awards of divya (platinum), anupam (gold), ujjwal (silver), udit (bronze), and aarohi (copper / aspiring).
  
  For the first time, districts (subsuming municipal corporations, municipalities, and town areas) will also be assessed on the basis of their underlying urban local bodies.
  
  The Mission is working around election dates to ensure their survey does not have any violations. Mission is planning on creating uniforms “like policemen” for “safaimitras”, adding that “they played an important role in Covid-19.”
  
  Mysuru won the first Swachh Survekshan while Indore has won the last three, as the survey expanded from 73 cities in 2016 to 4,242 cities in 2020. The 2020 winner will be announced soon.
  
  The Mission is currently framing the guidelines for Swachh Survekhshan 2022, which will be more “citizen centric” and have more importance on technological solutions.
  
  
• MoRTH releases ratings for 18,668 kms of completed four & six-lane NH
  The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released the ratings for 18,668 km of completed 4/6 lane NH stretches covering 343 toll plazas.
  
  This has been done by NHAI under MoRTH, which has taken initiative to improve its accountability towards road users, who pay user fee for use of developed National Highways.
  
  This initiative has been taken as per vision of improving the quality of public services.
  
  The fundamental objective of highway rating is “Minimum time with maximum safety in stress free environment” from highway users’ perspective.
  
  Each toll plaza of highway is judged based on three major criteria viz. Efficiency, Safety and and User Services.
  
  These criteria are further divided into a total of 39 parameters which include average speed, road condition, facility for public like VUP/ PUP/ FOB, service road, delay at toll plaza, accidents, incident response time, wayside amenities, general cleanliness, etc.
  
  These criteria were framed after detailed studies held in NHAI &MoRTH before its final approval by MoRTH/ GOI.
  
  No such criteria has been developed across the Globe in the past which evaluates the performance of highway from the users’ perspective.
  
  The Ministry has also begun real-time monitoring of toll plazas across the country.
  
  It is a simple help to improve traffic congestion problem at toll plazas/ city roads/highways by using central monitoring system along with bundle of analytics and quick decision-making outputs.
  
  This is eventually likely to facilitate saving the Commute Time, Improve Customer Experience, Save Fuel Wastage Cost and Reduce Carbon Footprint.
  
  It uses several technologies like Satellite Imagery, GIS, Remote Sensing along with a proprietary algorithm to remotely monitor the congestion status of the roads.
  
  The frequency sample of data can be as low as even 1-5min depending upon the requirements.
  
  The Ministry informed that 11,035 km of NH have been constructed during theis year, which represents a rate of 35 kms per day.
  
  The Ministry reiterated resolve to achieve the rate of 40 km per day within the balance months of this financial year.
  
  
• Suryakiran, Sarang teams to perform at Colombo air show
  The Suryakiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT), Sarang Helicopter Display Team and Light Fighter Aircraft (LCA) will hold an air show at Galle Face in Colombo from March 3 to 5, 2021, marking the 70th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF).
  
  About the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team:
  The team was formed with the Kiran Mk-II aircraft in 1996 and has attracted audiences from all over the country until 2011.
  
  By 2015, Hawk trainers used 4 aircraft to restore it and developed it to 9 aircraft.
  
  The SKAT team, also known as 52 Squadron or Sharks, is based in Bidar (Karnataka).
  
  Since its establishment, the SKAT team has conducted more than 600 exhibitions across the country, and represented India in the entire Southeast Asia region including China.
  
  Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971, the SKAT team started from Kanyakumari in the south and flew different formations over landmarks across the country.
  
  About Sarang Helicopter Display Team:
  The Sarang team evolved from the ALH Evaluation Flight (AEF), which was established in Bangalore in 2003 to evaluate indigenous helicopters before they are formally evaluated.
  
  The Sarang (Peacock) of the Indian Air Force aerobatic team includes four Dhruv helicopters made in India (an advanced light helicopter-ALH, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore).
  
  
• ALL about 'Sugamya Bharat' App and handbook 'Access - The Photo Digest'
  The Union Minister for Social justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot will launch the "Sugamya Bharat App" in virtual mode on March 2, 2021.
  
  The Minister will also release a handbook called "Access-The Photo Digest".
  
  About Sugamya Bharat App: It is a crowdsourced mobile application developed to improve accessibility in the 3 pillars of the Accessible India Campgin (i.e. the transportation sector, the built environment and India’s ICT ecosystem).
  
  Features of the App: This mobile application contains five main functions. Among these functions, 4 are directly related to enhanced accessibility, and one function is a special function for Divyangjan's COVID-19 related issues.
  
  The accessibility-related function of the app is-register complaints about the inaccessibility of the 3 main pillars of Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan. It also includes various user-friendly features such as simple drop-down menus, Hindi and English videos, sign language translation, and complaint uploading with photos.
  
  Registration on the App: The mobile application is simple to use because it is easy to register. Registration only requires 3 required fields, namely name, mobile phone number and email ID. After users register in the app, they will ask questions about accessibility.
  
  
• Karnataka launched Engineering research policy launched
  Karnataka launched the country’s maiden Engineering Research & Development (ER&D) Policy recently to raise its contribution to the sector in the country to 45% in the next five years.
  
  The State government anticipates the policy has the potential to create over 50,000 jobs in the ER&D space in five years.
  
  According to industry apex body Nasscom, ER&D has the potential to become a $100-billion industry in the country in the next five years.
  
  Unveiling the policy, Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the IT/Biotechnology and Science and Technology portfolios, said, “The ER&D sector in the country is the fastest growing industry with a CAGR of 12.8%.
  
  Meanwhile, the global engineering research and development industry is expected to reach a spend of $2 trillion by 2025.
  
  Considering this scenario, this policy aims to prepare the State to make use of the future opportunities emanating from this sector.
  
  Karnataka is already the leading contributor to the country’s ER&D industry revenue and is home to over 400 R&D centres, global capability centres and engineering service providers.
  
  Through this policy, Karnataka is aiming to grow our contribution, develop more intellectual properties (IPs), and make the state a skilled knowledge capital.
  
  The government would invest in skilling, improve academia and industry collaboration, and also encourage IP creation locally in a big way.
  
  The new policy, drafted jointly by the Department of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society, and Nasscom in consultation with industry stakeholders, has identified five key focus sectors such as aerospace and defence; auto, auto components and EV; biotechnology, pharma and medical devices; semiconductors, telecom, ESDM; and software products.
  
  The new ER&D policy heralds a new chapter in the State’s position as a hub of innovation and transformation.
  
  
• Lok Sabha TV & Rajya Sabha TV merged into one single entity, Sansad TV
  Lok Shaba TV and Rajya Shaba TV – Sansad TV The Indian Parliament has merged two TV channels, Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV into one integrated channel "Sansad TV".
  
  This new platform will continue to broadcast live TV shows in Hindi and English, including news and current affairs programs. Rajya Sabha TV station is operated from leased public property near Talkatora Stadium.
  
  Now, this agency will merge with Lok Sabha TV’s infrastructure to create a new entity. Former textile minister Ravi Kapoor (Ravi Kapoor) was appointed as the chief executive officer of Sansad Television, with a one-year contract.
  
  A committee of experts led by Prasar Bharati CEO Surya Prakash put forward a proposal to merge the two entities in 2019.
  
  Sansad TV will be composed of two platforms or channels, which will ensure the smooth live broadcast of the two hospitals. During the adjournment of the parliament, the channel will be given two options, namely to run the current affairs channel in English and Hindi, or to close one channel and run the program on the other channel. The new channel will set up an office in a small bungalow on Mahadev Road.
  
  The consolidation of entities will be a major cost-saving activity. Through the merger, Rajya Sabha Television Company will pay 10-12 crore rent for offices and studios on Talkatora Road.
  
  
• India is ‘partly free’, says U.S. thinktank
  Freedoms in India have reduced, according to a report from a U.S. thinktank, Freedom House, resulting in India being classified as ‘partly free’.
  
  India’s score was 67, a drop from 71/100 from last year (reflecting 2019 data) downgrading it from the free category last year (based on 2020 data).
  
  The government in India and its State-level allies continued to crack down on critics during the year.
  
  Freedoms in India have reduced, according to a report from a U.S. thinktank, Freedom House, resulting in India being classified as ‘partly free’.
  
  The ruling Hindu nationalist movement also encouraged the scapegoating of Muslims, who were disproportionately blamed for the spread of the virus.
  
  Rather than serving as a champion of democratic practice and a counterweight to authoritarian influence from countries such as China, Indian government is tragically driving India itself toward authoritarianism.
  
  The private media are vigorous and diverse, and investigations and scrutiny of politicians do occur. However, attacks on press freedom have escalated dramatically under the current government.
  
  Reporting has become significantly less ambitious in recent years, citing the use of security, defamation, sedition and contempt of court laws to quiet critical media voices.
  
  Separately, revelations of close relationships between politicians, business executives and lobbyists on one hand and leading media personalities and owners of media outlets, on the other, have dented public confidence in the press.
  
  On the U.S., the Freedom House said the risky state of American democracy was on display during the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
  
  It listed what it called the Trump presidency’s “unprecedented attacks” on American democracy (examples included were dismissing inspectors general to sowing mistrust over the electoral system). The U.S. dropped three points over one year, down to 83/100.
  
  The United States will need to work vigorously to strengthen its institutional safeguards, restore its civic norms and uphold the promise of its core principles for all segments of society if it is to protect its venerable democracy and regain global credibility.
  
  China, classified as ‘not free’, dropped a point from last year going down to 9/100.
  
  The malign influence of the regime in China, the world’s most populous dictatorship, was especially profound in 2020,” citing Beijing’s disinformation and censorship campaign following the outbreak of COVID-19.
  
  
• Field trials for Census-NPR to begin soon
  The Registrar-General of India (RGI) is preparing to conduct field trials of the first phase of the Census and the National Population Register (NPR) using a mobile application in all the States and Union Territories.
  
  The first phase involving house listing and housing census, along with updating the NPR, was scheduled from April 1 last year, but was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic.
  
  It is unlikely that the exercise will be conducted this year as the vaccination drive is still at an early stage.
  
  The officials are planning to conduct pre-tests or field trials through the app in one block each of every district, which is expected to cover 50 to 60 households.
  
  The app will contain questionnaires on house listing and housing census and the NPR.
  
  The dates for conducting the Census exercise have not been finalized yet. But the enumerators will have to be trained in using the app.
  
  Many enumerators are young schoolteachers who are expected to use the app instead of the paper schedule [form]. There will be incentives for the electronic form.
  
  The second phase of the Census is population enumeration.
  
  The RGI, on January 9, 2020, notified the 31 columns for which the enumerators will seek response for the house listing and housing census.
  
  The questions include whether the respondent has access to LPG or piped natural gas connection; owns a radio, transistor, television, laptop, computer, telephone, mobile phone or smartphone; and has access to the Internet.
  
  The questions for the NPR have not been made public yet, but the pre-test conducted in 2019 included additional questions such as the date and place of birth of father and mother, last place of residence and mother tongue, Aadhaar (optional), voter ID card, mobile phone and driving licence numbers.
  
  The Opposition-ruled States have expressed apprehensions over the additional questions.
  
  In 2010 and 2015, the NPR collected details on 14 parameters only. It already has an electronic database of more than 119 crore residents.
  
  The app will have the NPR schedule also. Before it is rolled out, the app has to be tested for glitches, and field trials are to be conducted.
  
  Recently, Union Minister of State for Home informed the Rajya Sabha that “an app for the collection of data and a Census portal for the management and monitoring of various Census-related activities has been developed”.
  
  Instruction manuals for enumerators and other Census functionaries have been prepared.
  
  A pre-test of the Census was undertaken from August 12, 2019 to September 30, 2019 in selected areas of all the States and Unions Territories to test the Census questionnaire and methodology.
  
  
• 14 Trojans found in servers
  Maharashtra Home Minister submitted a report prepared by the State’s cyber cell on a possible cyberattack that caused the October 12 power outage in Mumbai and parts of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR),
  
  Power Minister of Maharashtra recently said the report found 14 Trojan programs that had entered the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company (MahaTransco) servers.
  
  According to observations in the report, the firewalls of the information technology [IT] and operational technology [OT] servers, which are essential for power transmission, were affected by these Trojan horses.
  
  Suspicious codes and software programs that can affect the cybersecurity ecosystem at the State Load Dispatch Center [SLDC] at Kalva had found its way into the system.
  
  Similar Trojan programs were part of bigger cyberattacks in the past.
  
  Three alarms were sounded in a span of less than a minute, but were not given attention to show the possibility of a cyberattack.
  
  Repeated attempts were made from blacklisted and suspicious IP addresses to log in to the SLDC server, and to hack and disrupt the system.
  
  Credit rating agencies have certified these IP addresses as suspicious and disruptive. An attempt was made to either insert or remove around 8 GB of data from the server using the IP addresses.
  
  The report recommended a separation of the IT and OT infrastructure and an updation, password management, enhancement of the web application security and a strengthening of the cyber system of the SLDC.
  
  In addition to the probe conducted by the State cyber cell, a technical committee, which included experts from IIT-Bombay, VNIT- Nagpur, VJTI-Mumbai and senior officials from the Power Department, was formed.
  
  
• Closure of schools due to COVID-19 impacted 247 million children in India: UNICEF
  As many as 1.5 million schools remained shut during 2020 due to the pandemic and lockdowns, impacting 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in India, according to data released by UNICEF.
  
  Online education is not an option for all as only one in four children has access to digital devices and Internet connectivity.
  
  Pre-Covid, only a quarter of households (24 per cent) in India had access to the Internet and there is a large rural-urban and gender divide.
  
  It raised concerns on a higher dropout rate in schools once classes recommence.
  
  The data released by UNICEF notes that more than 888 million children worldwide continue to face disruptions to their education due to full and partial school closures.
  
  The analysis of school closure reports notes that 14 countries worldwide have remained largely closed since March 2020 to February 2021.
  
  Two-thirds of those countries are in Latin America and the Caribbean, affecting nearly 98 million schoolchildren.
  
  UNICEF has said that even before the Covid-19 crisis began, over six million girls and boys were already out of school in the country.
  
  
• Who has been appointed as Chairperson of AIBA's champions & veterans committee?
  Indian boxer Mary Kom was appointed as the Chairman of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Champion and Veterans Committee on March 3, 2021.
  
  AIBA Chairman Umar Kremlev said that he believes Mary Kom will make a significant contribution to the success of the committee with his wealth of knowledge and experience.
  
  The committee was established in December 2020. It is made up of the most respected boxing veterans and champions from all over the world who have achieved some important goals and are ready to share their experiences.
  
  
• Chabahar Day Commemorated on March 4 by India
  India will commemorate the "Chabahar Day" on March 4, 2021, before the 2021 Indian Maritime Summit to be held in Delhi from March 2 to March 4.
  
  The virtual event will witness the participation of ministers from various countries which includes Afghanistan, Iran, Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
  
  During the event; Minister of Foreign Affairs S Jaishankar will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony at the ministerial level, while Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways will deliver a keynote speech.
  
  After the ministerial opening meeting, two webinars will be held, namely "Promoting Business Development through Trade Promotion and Regional Connectivity" and "Development of Port Infrastructure: Unleashing Opportunities".
  
  Chabahar Port is a sea port in Chabahar, located in the Gulf of Oman in southeastern Iran. The port is the only maritime port in Iran. The port consists of two independent ports, namely Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari. The port was first proposed by the last king of Iran in 1973. The first phase was opened during the 1983 Iran-Iraq War.
  
  
• OTT platforms will not have to register: Centre
  The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has clarified that over-the-top (OTT) platforms will not have to register with the government, and no government nominee will be present in the self-regulatory body.
  
  The Centre had notified new rules and guidelines for OTT platforms and digitial news media.
  
  The I&B Ministry said it merely requires them to disclose information and that there is no requirement of registration of any kind with the Ministry.
  
  The rules focus on self classification of content instead of any form of censorship. The platforms were expected to develop a grievance redressal mechanism to tackle complaints about content.
  
  Dispelling rumours, the Ministry clarified that in the self-regulating body, no member will be appointed by the government.
  
  The government would create an inter-departmental committee to look at complaints that remain unresolved at the self-regulatory level.
  
  The Ministry reasserted that the code of ethics had been brought in following representations from various cinema and TV bodies, stating that while there were regulations for them, none existed for the OTT industry.
  
  The government would come out with progressive institutional mechanism for OTT players and develop a level-playing field with the idea of self-regulation.
  
  
• IISc among top 100 natural sciences universities in world
  The Indian Institute of Science broke into the top 100 in the natural sciences category of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021, which were released recently.
  
  With regard to subject rankings, there are two new entrants in the top 100 list: JNU’s anthropology programme and O.P. Jindal Global University’s law programme, which is also the only private institution in the list.
  
  In the other two broad categories, the University of Delhi was the highest ranked Indian institution in social sciences and management, but fell 48 places to drop out of the top 200.
  
  The All India Institute of Medical Sciences remained the only institution in the top 300 in life sciences and medicine, but also dropped more than 10 places.
  
  Overall, 25 Indian programmes from 12 institutions made it to the top 100 in their specific subject areas, two fewer than in 2020.
  
  Two programmes from the IIT Bombay and one each from the Madras and Kharagpur IITs slipped out of the list.
  
  Only two of the IoE programmes in the top 100 subject-specific list improved their rankings this year.
  
  The top-ranked Indian programme globally is the IIT Madras petroleum engineering programme which dropped one place to the 30th rank, followed by mineral and mining engineering at Bombay and Kharagpur IITs, which are ranked at 41st and 44th place in their field.
  
  The University of Delhi’s development studies programme is the only other one in the top 50, sliding in at the 50th rank.
  
  QS Head of Evaluation Leigh Kamolins noted that India had a good performance in COVID-19 research, ranking fifth in the world in terms of the number of published research papers on the pandemic.
  
  
• Group of Ministers suggests steps to stem ‘negative narrative’ on government
  In an effort to “neutralise” what it calls a “negative narrative”, a Group of Ministers (GoM), formed to fine-tune “government communication”, has come out with suggestions to track “50 negative and 50 positive influencers” on social media, “neutralise the people who are writing against the government without facts and set[ting] false narratives/spread[ing] fake news” and take other steps.
  
  It emerges that the decisions on capping FDI (foreign direct investment) at 26% for digital news media and the new IT rules that have a separate section dealing with code of ethics for Over the Top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix were a result of the GoM’s deliberations.
  
  The FDI cap was essential, the GoM felt, to constrict the “foreign influence” on Indian media.
  
  A list of media personnel and prominent persons, who are pro our line of thought — both nationally and globally, should be prepared.
  
  Few eminent academicians, Vice Chancellors, retired Indian Foreign Service officers etc, should be identified who can write our achievements and project our viewpoint.
  
  Direct action against those writing against the government. India should have a strategy to neutralise the people who are writing against the government without facts and set[ting] false narratives / spread[ing] fake news.
  
  The action points recommended by the GoM include enlarging the Prasar Bharati News Service into a “mainline news agency”.
  
  The agreed long-term strategies include “coordination with schools of journalism as present students are the future journalists”.
  
  The journalists who were supportive of the government, even if unemployed now, should be roped in. The report says this suggestion would be acted upon.
  
  The GoM’s report was published by sections of the media. There is so far no official word on its contents.
  
  
• Haryana quota law will slow recovery, cut jobs, bring inspector raj
  Industry representatives have told that the move by the Haryana government requiring that locals born in the state or living there for five years — account for 75% of all hiring by companies in jobs with gross salary under Rs 50,000 per month will potentially slow the post-Covid economic recovery, increase compliance burden and usher in an “inspector raj.
  
  Recently, the state administration notified the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act 2020, which requires all companies, LLPs, trusts, societies and partnership firms with more than 10 employees to follow these local employment requirements and specifically empower the district administrations to enforce the new regulations through inspections with a 24-hour notice.
  
  The legislation, the government argued, is aimed at boosting local employment particularly for the youth in unskilled jobs.
  
  The Andhra Pradesh assembly in 2019 passed a similar law, which has subsequently been challenged in courts.
  
  Industry players, however, were unanimous in calling the move “regressive” and pointed to how the lack of a sufficiently large qualified domestic workforce in Haryana made the implementation of the new act “impractical”.
  
  The economic recovery (post-Covid) will definitely be affected by these restrictions. The move would hinder investments coming into Haryana.
  
  Industry was in talks with the Haryana government seeking a relook at the legislation. The move could further affect the competitiveness of Haryana.
  
  Under the regulations, firms and companies would also have to register all of their employees receiving a gross salary of Rs 50,000 or less on a government portal and update it at regular intervals.
  
  Industry sources noted that employees with salaries under Rs 50,000 accounted for about 60-70% of the workforce of major industries in Haryana.
  
  Reservation affects productivity and Industry competitiveness. This is like giving encouragement to inspector raj.
  
  The provision in the law requires a firm to seek exemption from the district administration if it cannot find enough qualified workers. This brings in an element of bureaucratic discretion in the entire process.
  
  It is not possible for so many skilled and semi-skilled local workers to become available so quickly.
  
  The legislation would damage small firms and halt expansion plans. This will lead to job destruction instead of job creation for locals as nobody will expand operations in the state and foreign investors will not even consider investing here.
  
  
• Delhi reaches out to Dhaka for ties beyond ‘strategic partnership’
  Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a strong outreach to Dhaka on his bilateral visit, describing the country as a “key neighbour” and a “valued partner” not only “in South Asia but also in the broader Indo-Pacific region”.
  
  Minister said India’s ties with Bangladesh “transcend even our strategic partnership”.
  
  The visits have been timed with celebrations to mark 50 years of the 1971 liberation war that led to the birth of Bangladesh.
  
  Minister framed Bangladesh’s importance as being central to India’s “neighbourhood first” policy and its growing relevance in the “Act East” policy.
  
  Minister said “Our comfort levels are now so high that we have shown that there is no issue that we cannot discuss and resolve through amicable dialogue.”
  
  Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told him that there might be problems among neighbouring countries but it should be resolved through discussions and negotiations.
  
  India and Bangladesh had a Virtual Summit in December last year, a Joint Consultative Commission between the two Foreign Ministers last September, meetings of Foreign Secretaries, Power Secretaries, Home Secretaries, Police chiefs, BSF and BGB, and defence visits.
  
  Minister also praised the Bangladesh PM, and described the country’s socio-economic progress as a “reflection of the statesmanship and leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina”.
  
  A year after the CAA-NRC issue strained the robust ties between the two countries, quiet diplomacy appears to have worked.
  
  The Prime Minister's visit later this month is timed with the celebrations to mark 50 years of Bangladesh.
  
  The Minister said every outcome and achievement in our relationship resonates through this region. It is no secret that we cite it to others as an example for emulation.
  
  Both the nations have focused on possible ways to materialise commitments and how to prioritise and accommodate each other’s priorities in a mutually beneficial manner, outlining Covidcooperation, connectivity, trade, water, security, border and lines of credit as some of the areas of discussion.
  
  Minister too outlined Delhi’s priorities. Both the nations are working so hard to expand relationship in all dimensions, ranging from security, trade, transport and connectivity, culture, people-to-people ties, energy, joint development of our shared resources and defence.
  
  On the issue of vaccines, Minsiter said Bangladesh is the largest recipient of Made-in-India vaccines.
  
  Recent activities go beyond consultations and gestures. There is “practical progress on the ground” — conducting a trial run of container cargo through Chattogram port to Agartala, adding two new Protocol routes to inland waterways connecting Tripura to Bangladesh national waterways, handing over 10 broad gauge locomotives, commencing movement of container and parcel trains and forming a joint venture in the energy sector.
  
  
• PM Modi conferred with CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award
  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environmental Leadership Award.
  
  The CERAWeek Global Energy and Environmental Leadership Award was established in 2016 to recognize leaders’ commitment to the future of global energy and the environment and to provide solutions and policies for energy access, affordability and environmental management.
  
  Cambridge Energy Research Associates Week
  
  CERAWeek was founded in 1983 by Dr. Daniel Yergin.
  
  Since 1983, it has been held in Houston every March and is considered the most important annual energy platform in the world.
  
  
• Andhra Pradesh shuts down against privatisation of VSP
  The state-wide bandh call given by various trade unions in protest against the proposed privatisation of Visakhapatnam steel plant (VSP) on Friday
  
  The bandh was total and normal life was hit as all political parties backed it.
  
  Apart from the BJP, the bandh call given by the VSP workers’ unions saw CPI, CPI (M), YSR Congress, Telugu Desam Party and Congress in attendance.
  
  The bandh saw overwhelming support in Vijayawada nd the Godavari districts with state government offices, commercial establishments, cinema theatres, educational institutions and universities remaining shut.
  
  
• AP to distribute free sanitary napkins to girl students
  The Andhra Pradesh government will distribute sanitary napkins free of cost to girls studying in government educational institutions. The scheme would be launched on March 8, marking International Women's Day.
  
  Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on girls’ health and education at the CM Camp Office at Tadepalli on Friday. He announced that the government will distribute 10 sanitary napkins to girl students per month and 120 napkins per annum. An amount of Rs 41.4 crore would be set apart for the scheme per year.
  
  The CM advised officials to distribute quality, branded sanitary napkins to the girl students from Classes VII to XII in government educational institutions for free. officials must lay more focus on the health and hygiene of the girls and added that the state government would launch the scheme on March 8.
  
  Branded sanitary napkins will also be made available at Cheyutha grocery shops at affordable prices.
  
  
• AP fact-check portal to control spread of misinformation
  In a novel initiative, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the official fact-check portal of Andhra Pradesh government, https://factcheck.ap.gov.in/ here on Friday.
  
  Fact Check AP aims to curb spread of misinformation. Jagan launched the website and twitter account at an event held in the CM Camp office.
  
  The main objective behind brining this AP Fact Check platform is to stop spread of fake and malicious propaganda on social media.
  
  The Govt condemns this false propaganda as an AP fact check platform with evidence, by clearly showcasing how the false campaign was started and revalng the facts to the public.

Published date : 20 Mar 2021 01:38PM