Weekly Current Affairs 1st March- 8th March 2021

FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI gives 3-month extension to Rupee Cooperative Bank
  • RBI has granted a further three-month extension of its banking licence to the Rupee Cooperative Bank (RCB), Pune, till May 31, 2021.

• NSE joins hands with SIDBI for debt capital platform for MSMEs
  • The National Stock Exchange (NSE) recently has entered into a pact with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to explore the feasibility of a debt capital platform for the MSMEs.

• MCX signs MoUs with NSE, India INX, NSDL and CDSL
  • Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), India INX International Exchange (IFSC) (India INX), National Securities Depository (NSDL) and Central Depository Services (India) (CDSL) for setting up Market Infrastructure Institutions comprising of International Bullion Exchange, Clearing Corporation and Depository at Gujarat International Financial Tec-City (GIFT).

ECONOMY

• IFSCA issues norms for banking units to facilitate bullion trade
  • To facilitate development of the bullion market in India, International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) recently issued enabling framework for banking units in IFSC.

• Exim Bank inks $10.40 million soft loan pact with Eswatini
  • Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) recently has inked a USD 10.40 million (Rs 75.99 crore) loan deal with Eswatini (Swaziland) on behalf of the Indian government.

• West Bengal regains spot as the largest state in terms of microfinance loan outstanding
  • West Bengal has regained its spot as the largest state in terms of microfinance loan outstanding, replacing Tamil Nadu while Bihar remained in the third position.

NATIONAL

• Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha TV Merged To Create SANSAD TV
  • Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV will be merged into a single entity, SANSAD TV, which will soon move to seek requisite government license.

• EAM Dr. Jaishankar inaugurates new Cultural Centre of High Commission of India in Dhaka
  • A new cultural center of the High Commission of India was inaugurated by the External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar in Dhaka.

• 6th edition Swachh Survekshan 2021 launched
  • Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Housing Affairs (MoHUA) launched the field assessment of Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2021, the sixth edition of the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Government of India.

INTERNATIONAL

• UAE's First-Ever Ambassador to Israel Arrives In Jerusalem
  • Israel's president Reuven Rivlin formally received the first-ever ambassador from the United Arab Emirates Mohamed Al Khaja, following last year's historic agreement between the countries to normalise ties.

• Australia is building world's first platypus sanctuary
  • The Taronga Conservation Society Australia and the New South Wales State government would build the specialist facility at a zoo 391 km from Sydney, by 2022, which could house up to 65 platypuses.

• Ghana becomes first nation in world to receive COVAX vaccines
  • Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India.

STATES

• Indian Railways CSMT becomes first station in Maharashtra to get IGBC Gold Certification
  • As per Confederation of Indian Industry’s IGBC ratings, Indian Railways’ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) becomes the first railway station in the state of Maharashtra to be awarded with Gold certification.

• Uttrakhand CM launches ''Gharoki Pechan, Chelik Naam'' scheme
  • Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched "Gharoki Paachan, Chelik Naam" (daughter''s name is a home''s identity) programme and development schemes worth Rs 42 crore in Nainital.

• Digital platform 'Jagrut Tripura' launched to boost e-governance
  • The Tripura government has come up with a digital platform 'Jagrut Tripura' to help people get benefits from various schemes of the Centre and the state government.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• Food Waste Index Report 2021
  • UNEP & partner organisation WRAP has released the Food Waste Index Report 2021.
  • An estimated 931 million tonnes of food were wasted globally in 2019, enough to circle the Earth seven times, according to a UN report which said that household food waste in India is about 68.7 million tonnes a year.

• State of India’s Environment report 2021
  • The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has published 2021 State of India’s Environment report.

• 10th Edition of Hurun Global Rich List 2021
  • The 10th Edition of Hurun Global Rich List 2021 was released, which ranked 3228 billionaires from 2,402 companies and 68 countries.
  • Tesla chief Elon Musk bagged the top spot on the Hurun Global Rich List for the first time after adding a massive $151 billion during the year 2020 to take his net worth to $197 billion.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Aries-Devasthal Faint Object Spectrograph & Camera designed for Uttarakhand telescope
  • A team of scientists from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of observational sciences (ARIES), Nainital, with help from the Indian Space Research Organisation, have designed and developed a spectrograph, an instrument that separates incoming light by its wavelength or frequency and records the resulting spectrum.

• SpaceX successfully tests Starship SN10 rocket
  • SpaceX successfully tested its Starship SN10 prototype rocket after two recent failed attempts.
  • The rocket prototype was launched to an altitude of 10,000 kilometers and then landed back on the ground. However, the rocket exploded about six minutes after landing.

• Russia launches first Arctic-monitoring satellite to track climate changes
  • Russia has successfully launched its first satellite to monitor the Arctic's climate and environment.
  • A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the "Arktika-M" satellite on board blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Saudi Arabia’s Salic to step up India agri investments
  • Saudi Arabia’s Salic, which has 29% minority stake in LT Foods subsidiary Daawat Foods, will step up investments in the Indian agricultural ecosystem.

• Agri Ministry Signs MoU with Central Silk Board & Textile Ministry
  • The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Silk Board under the Ministry of Textiles on a convergence model for the implementation of Agroforestry in the silk sector under the ongoing Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme.

DEFENCE

• DRDO successfully tests SFDR technology
  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested a flight demonstration based on Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha's Chandipur.

• Exercise Desert Flag VI
  • Indian Air Force fighter jets will be participating in Exercise Desert Flag-VI in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
  • The three week long drill starting from March 3- 27 at Al-Dhafra air base, will have air forces of the USA, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Bahrain and the host country UAE.

• NAVDEX 2021 and IDEX 2021
  • Indian Naval ship Pralaya arrived at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The vessel participated in the NAVDEX 2021 and IDEX 2021 which took place from February 20-25.

EVENTS

• International Yoga Festival
  • The seven-day International Yoga Festival was inaugurated in Rishikesh.
  • The festival is being jointly organised by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN).

• New Delhi World Book Fair 2021
  • Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated the New Delhi World Book Fair 2021 - Virtual Edition.
  • ‘National Education Policy-2020’ is the theme of the book fair.

• India Telecom 2021
  • TEPC (Telecom Equipment Export Promotion Council) has organized India Telecom 2021 - an Exclusive International Business Expo being held virtually on March 3 & 4, 2021 under Market Access Initiative Scheme (MAI) of Department of Commerce with support of Department of Telecommunications & Ministry of External Affairs.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• 30th Bihari Puraskar
  • Mohankrishna Bohara will be awarded the 30th Bihari Puraskar Award for his critical work ‘Taslima: Sangharsh aur Sahitya’.

• Golden Globe Awards 2021
  • The 78th Golden Globe Awards honored the best in American television of 2020, as well as film in 2020 as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

• Genome Valley Excellence award 2021
  • Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has been awarded this year’s Genome Valley Excellence Award.
  • The International Advisory Board of BioAsia selected Bharat Biotech for the award for its breakthrough, pioneering research, development and commercialisation of vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin.

SPORTS

• Mary Kom appointed as Chairperson of AIBA's champions & veterans committee
  • Six-time world champion pugilist Mary Kom has been appointed as the Chairperson of the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) champions and veterans committee.

• 2nd Khelo India National Winter Games: J&K tops medals tally
  • Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir topped the medals tally in the second edition of Khelo India Winter National Games. J&K won 11 gold, 18 silver and 5 bronze medals.

• XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial
  • Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, world No. 3, has won the gold medal in the women's 53-kg category at XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial in Kyiv, Ukraine.