21st and 22nd March 2021 Daily GK Update: Read Daily GK, Current Affairs for Bank Exam

Here is the Daily GK Update of 21st and 22nd March 2021 covering the following news headlines: World Water Day, World Happiness Report 2021, International Day of Forests, World Down Syndrome Day, World Poetry Day.

Daily GK updates are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily GK Update is the complete bag of the important news that held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update of 21st and 22nd March 2021 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.

National News

1. GoI launched “Gram Ujala Scheme” for Rural Areas
   

• The government of India has launched the “Gram Ujala Scheme” to provide the cheapest LED bulbs in rural areas. The scheme was launched by the Union power and new and renewable energy minister, Raj Kumar Singh.
• In the first phase, the scheme was launched from Arrah district in Bihar. In this phase, around 15 million LED bulbs will be distributed in the villages of Arrah (Bihar), Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), and western Gujarat.
• The Gram Ujala Scheme is an ambitious scheme that offers the world’s cheapest LED bulbs in rural areas. This is the first such scheme in India. It provides the LED Bulbs in these areas at a mere ₹10.
• This scheme also furthers its climate change strategy and strengthen the self-reliance credentials. The scheme does not come with the government’s support or subsidy.

State News

2. Maharashtra farmers start fresh fruit cake ‘movement’

• Fruit growers in rural Maharashtra have started an innovative ‘movement’ to promote fresh fruit cakes as a healthier option, instead of the traditional bakery-made cakes.
• According to farmers and agrarian experts, the aim of this ‘spontaneous’ movement is to encourage farmers and their families to increase the intake of fruits in their diet and to find a new way of selling their produce in times of the pandemic.
• As part of the movement, farmers, their families and various organisations of cultivators are encouraging cakes made locally using fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, grapes, orange, pineapple and banana while celebrating special events.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
• Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai.
• Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray.

3. Jharkhand launches ‘SAAMAR’ campaign to fight malnutrition

• The state government of Jharkhand has launched a campaign called SAAMAR to tackle malnutrition in the state.
• SAAMAR stands for Strategic Action for Alleviation of Malnutrition and Anemia Reduction. The campaign has been launched with a 1000 days target, where annual surveys will be conducted to track the progress.
• The campaign will bring together various departments to identify anaemic women and malnourished children to effectively deal with the problem in a state where malnutrition has been a major problem.
• Most importantly, the campaign, as per the note, also tries to target Primarily Vulnerable Tribal Groups. Stating that there is no research-based information available on their food and nutritional habits, it encourages research and proposes fellowships on the nutritional behaviour of these groups for effective implementation.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Jharkhand: Hemant Soren; Governor: Shrimati Droupadi Murmu.

4. Bihar becomes the first state to have its own ethanol policy

• Bihar Cabinet has approved the Ethanol Production Promotion Policy, 2021, becoming the 1st Indian State to have an ethanol promotion policy.
• The policy allows the extraction of ethanol, which was restricted to sugarcane, from surplus quantities of maize as well. The new policy would permit ethanol production in Bihar from all feedstocks permitted by National Policy on Biofuels, 2018, and subsequently by the National Biofuel Coordination Committee
• The Ethanol Production Promotion Policy, 2021, of Bihar promotes new standalone ethanol manufacturing units by providing them additional capital subsidy at 15% of the cost of plant and machinery up to a maximum of ₹5 crores.
• The new policy also provides an additional subsidy for special class investors like SCs, STs, EBCs, women, differently-abled, war widows, acid attack victims and third gender entrepreneurs.
• In their case, the capital subsidy will be 15.75% of the cost of plant and machinery up to a maximum of Rs. 5.25 crore. The policy lays significant emphasis on issuing licences and clearances in a timebound manner for new standalone ethanol units.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar; Governor: Phagu Chauhan.

Defence News

5. Indian Navy undertakes exercise PASSEX with Royal Bahrain Naval Force

• Indian Navy on 18th March undertook Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Bahrain Naval Force Corvette Al Muharraq in the Persian Gulf under Operation Sankalp. PASSEXs are conducted regularly by the Indian Navy with units of friendly foreign navies,
• whilst visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.
• The exercises are aimed at fostering interoperability and reflecting the commitments of both, India and Bahrain, to build cooperative partnerships in meeting emergent maritime challenges.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• King of Bahrain: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
• Bahrain Capital: Manama.
• Bahrain Currency: Bahraini dinar.

6. Defence Ministry deal with BDL to acquire 4,690 anti-tank guided missiles

• The Defence Ministry has sealed a deal with the public sector undertaking Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to acquire 4,960 MILAN-2T anti-tank guided missiles at a cost of ₹ 1,188 crores for the Indian Army.
• The missiles, having a range of 1,850 metres, are being produced by BDL under license from French defence major MBDA Missile Systems. These missiles can be fired from the ground as well as vehicle-based launchers and can be deployed in the anti-tank role for both offensive and defensive tasks.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Minister of Defence: Raj Nath Singh.
• Bharat Dynamics Limited Founded: 1970, Hyderabad.
• Bharat Dynamics Limited Chairman & MD: Siddharth Mishra.

Ranks and Reports News

7. India ranks 139th in World Happiness Report 2021

• India has been placed at 139th position out of 149 countries in the UN World Happiness Report 2021 released. In 2019, India was ranked 140th. The World Happiness Report 2021 has been topped by Finland, for the fourth consecutive year.
• The 2021 report is the ninth World Happiness Report and focuses on the effects of COVID-19 and how people all over the world have fared.
• Finland is followed by Iceland, Denmark, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Norway, New Zealand and Austria.
• People in Afghanistan (149) are the most unhappy with their lives, followed by Zimbabwe (148), Rwanda (147), Botswana (146) and Lesotho (145).
• The World Happiness Report is issued by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, to rank countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be.
• The countries of the world are ranked on the basis of questions from the Gallup World Poll. The results are then correlated with other factors, like gross domestic product per person, healthy life expectancy and the opinions of residents.

Sports News

9. ISSF WC: Yashaswini wins first gold for India

• Yashaswini Deswal bagged the first gold medal for India in the Women’s 10M Air Pistol final of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun.
• Deswal accumulated 238.8 points to lead in her category. Another Indian shooter Manu Bhaker won a silver medal with 236.7 points. World number one shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar clinched the bronze medal in 10m Air Rifle (men’s category) and opened India’s medal account in the competition.

Important Days

10. World Water Day observed globally on 22 March

11. International Day of Forests: 21 March

• The International Day of Forests (also known as World Forestry Day) is celebrated every year on March 21.
• The day is to celebrate to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations as well as to increase the public awareness among communities about the values, significance and contributions of the forests to balance the life cycle on the earth.
• The theme for International Day of Forests 2020 is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”. This year’s theme fits into the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world.

12. World Down Syndrome Day: 21 March

• The World Down Syndrome Day is observed globally on 21 March each year, to raise public awareness for the rights, inclusion and well being of people with Down syndrome.
• This year, the theme for World Down Syndrome Day is “We Decide.” This day was first observed in the United Nation in the year 2012. The 21st day of March (the 3rd month of the year) has been selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.
• Down Syndrome is a condition in which the child is born with an extra 21st chromosome. It comes in the category of a genetic disorder, and it also causes developmental disabilities. The child born with this condition is likely to suffer thyroid or heart-related problems.

13. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

• The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March to remind people about the negative consequences of racial discrimination.
• This year theme is “Youth standing up against racism”. It engages the public through #FightRacism, which aims to foster a global culture of tolerance, equality and anti-discrimination and calls on each and every one of us to stand up against racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes.
• The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in 1960.

14. World Poetry Day: 21 March

• World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March every year to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world.
• The Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practised throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.
• UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
• UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.
• UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945.

Obituaries News

15. Former Sebi chairman GV Ramakrishna passes away

• Former Sebi chairman GV Ramakrishna passed away. He was appointed as the chairman of markets regulator Sebi in 1990 when it lacked legal status.
• He headed that body till 1994 and then became the first chairman of the Disinvestment Commission in 1996.

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21-22th March 2021 Current Affairs | Current Affairs Today | Daily Current Affairs 2021

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