Daily Current Affairs: March 30, 2021

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National News

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan addressed the 7^th annual summit of ‘NATHEALTH 2021’

• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan virtually addressed the 7^th annual summit of NATHEALTH 2021 focusing on the theme of ‘Indian health system expansion in the post-COVID era’.
• The Union Government launched the National Health Policy in 2017. The primary vision behind the policy-framework has been to attain the highest possible level of health and well-being for all, across all age groups.

President Ram Nath Kovind approved a Bill to set up a national bank for financing infrastructure and development

• President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to an invoice to arrange the Nationwide Financial Institution for Financing Infrastructure and Improvement (NaBFID) to fund infrastructure tasks in India.
• The Bill seeks to establish the NaBFID to support the development of long-term non-recourse infrastructure financing in India including the development of the bonds and derivatives markets necessary for infrastructure financing and to carry on the business of financing infrastructure and for matters connected therewith.
• The DFI (Development Finance Institution), called the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID), will be answerable to the Parliament.

The new version of Exam Warriors released by Prime Minister

• The new version of Exam Warriors written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the students stress-free before examinations was released. The Exam Warriors module is also available on the NaMo App. The book was first published in 2018.

International News

Union Minister Jaishankar attended the 9^th Ministerial Conference of ‘Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process on Afghanistan’ in Tajikistan

• Union External Affairs Minister Jaishankar attended the 9^th Ministerial Conference of ‘Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process on Afghanistan’ in Tajikistan and had discussions with his Tajikistan counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin covering all aspects of the bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
• The conference is part of the Istanbul Process – a regional initiative on security and cooperation for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan and was launched on 2 November 2011in Turkey. The conference was aimed towards strengthening a regional and international consensus for Afghan peace.

Tajikistan

• Capital: Dushanbe
• Currency: Tajikistani somoni
• President: Emomali Rahmon 

India and the United States agreed to refurbish Strategic Energy Partnership to promote clean energy

• India and the United States had agreed to revamp the strategic energy partnership to reflect the new priorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden with a focus on promoting clean energy with low-carbon pathways and accelerating green energy cooperation.
• Both countries agreed to prioritise greater collaboration in the cleaner energy sector and joint R&D through partnership to advance clean energy research, among other initiatives.

United States

• Capital: Washington DC
• Currency: US Dollar
• President: Joe Biden

India participated in France-led naval drill La Perouse for the first time

• French Navy’s Helicopter carrier Tonnerre and surcouf frigate had arrived in Kochi to lead the naval exercise ‘La Perouse’ with Quad members (USA, Japan, Australia and India).
• Australia, Japan and the US participated in La Perouse, but India’s first-ever participation was seen as a significant step. After La Perouse, another important naval exercise, the India-French Varuna exercise will also take place.

France

• Capital: Paris
• Currency: Euro
• President: Emmanuel Macron
• Prime Minister: Jean Castex

Science and Technology

Cochin Shipyard delivered MV ‘Sindhu’, passengers cum cargo vessel for Andaman & Nicobar

• Cochin Shipyard Limited delivered MV ‘Sindhu’, a 500 pax passengers cum 150 MT Cargo Vessel built indigenously for Andaman and Nicobar. The protocol signing & handing over ceremony was held onboard the vessel.
• The basic design of the vessel was developed using world-renowned naval architects Knud E Hansen of Denmark collaborating with M/s Smart Engineering and Design Solution, Kochi with the detailed production engineering design of CSL bringing international technology under ‘Make in India’.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands  

• Capital: Port Blair
• Lt. Governor: Devendra Kumar Joshi

ISRO strikes partnership with IIST to advance space research

• ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is embarking on a mission of a different kind by taking the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) to a much higher, futuristic research orbit similar to NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) Caltech model.
• JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) is federally funded by US space agency NASA and managed by Caltech (California Institute of Technology) to coordinate joint research activities between ISRO centres and IIST, akin to the Caltech-JPL model, a dedicated framework has now been put into place, with a capacity building programme office (CBPO) located at ISRO headquarters.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
• Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan

Appointments

Biocon Biologics appointed Susheel Umesh as a Chief Commercial Officer for emerging markets

• Biocon Biologics Limited, a subsidiary of Biocon Limited announced that Susheel Umesh has joined Biocon Biologics as the Chief Commercial Officer – Emerging Markets (CCO-EMs).
• He has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceuticals industry, having worked in India, France, and Sub-Saharan Africa for leading global pharma companies.

Sapan Gupta elevated as the global legal head of ArcelorMittal

• Sapan Gupta, the general counsel of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India and Vice-President was elevated as the global legal head of ArcelorMittal. The appointment is effective from 1 June 2021.
• He joined ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) on 1 April 2020, as general counsel with responsibility for legal affairs, compliance, and company secretarial affairs.

Soma Mondal elected as new Chairman of Standing Conference of Public Enterprises

• Soma Mondal, the Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) was elected as the new Chairman of the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE). She had been elected for a term of two years.
• SCOPE is an apex professional organization representing the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs). It is promoting excellence in organizations where public investment is involved, to enable them to be globally competitive.

Awards and recognitions

Mahinder Giri was selected for the International Ranger Award

• Mahinder Giri, range officer of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve (Uttarakhand) is the only ranger from Asia to win the prestigious International Ranger Award for his contribution towards conservation.
• The award was announced for 10 professionals across the world by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).

Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’ won the 2020 National Book Critics Circle Prize for Fiction

• Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’ won the National Book Critics Circle Prize for Fiction. The book is her imagined take on the death of Shakespeare’s only son from the bubonic plague.
• The autobiography award went to American poet Cathy Park Hong for “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning”.
• The book critics circle was founded in 1974 and has hundreds of members around the US.
• Tom Zoellner’s ‘Island on Fire: The Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire’ won for nonfiction.
• Amy Stanley’s ‘Stranger in the Shogun’s City: A Japanese Woman and Her World’ was the winner in the biography.

‘MoBus’ operator CRUT won the ‘Smart Cities India Awards 2021’

• The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) that runs the ‘MoBus’ service, won the 6^th Smart Cities India Awards 2021 in the ‘Smart SPV/Municipal Corporation’ category.
• The award recognises projects from the designated special purpose vehicle (selected under Smart City Mission) that are promoting sustainable development in urban areas in India.
• The event is organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the nodal agency of the Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Exhibitions India Group.

Obituary

Popular children’s book author Beverly Cleary passed away at 104

• American children’s book author Beverly Cleary, who responded to a young reader’s plea for realistic characters by bringing rare insight and humor to the lives of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and the other children who populated her more than 40 books, has died at age 104.
• She was named a Living Legend in 2000 by the Library of Congress. In 2003, she was chosen as one of the winners of the National Medal of Arts.

Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo ‘Wag’ Pinto passed away at 97

• Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo ‘Wag’ Pinto, former General Officer in the Indian Army passed away. Pinto was popularly known as the ‘Victor of Basantar’.
• He had led the 54^th Infantry Division on the western front in the Indo-Pak War of 1971, for which he was awarded the prestigious Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM).

Sports News

India topped the medals tally with 15 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze in the ISSF Shooting World Cup

• India finished at the top of the table in the ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) World Cup 2021 held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. India secured 30 medals which included 15 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze.
• The US and Italy finished with a total of eight and four medals, respectively.

International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)

• Headquarters: Munich, Germany
• President: Vladimir Lisin
• Founded: 1907

India beat England in the final ODI to clinch the series 2-1

• India beat England by seven runs in the third and final ODI in Pune to clinch the three-match series (2-1). Sam Curran was declared Player of the match. England batsman Jonny Bairstow was awarded the Player of the Series as the opener amassed 219 runs in the ODI series.
• Virat Kohli-led side has now won all the series in this England’s tour of India. India claimed the Test series (3-1) and then won the five-match T20I (3-2) series.
• Virat Kohli has become the third captain to lead India in 200 international matches after MS Dhoni (332) and Mohammad Azharuddin (221).

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