Current Affairs - March 21, 2020 Current Affairs

SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) to start Swavlamban Express train on June 5 for entrepreneurs.

The former world champion boxer and trainer, Roger Mayweather passed away on 18th March 2020 at the age of 58 due to health-related illness. Roger Mayweather won the world champion boxer title in two weight classes.

Uttarakhand government cancelled reservation in promotion for state government employees. It issued orders relating to the departmental promotion committee (DPC).

Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) announced that the initiative Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) is successfully implemented in the past two years for the professional development of higher education faculty. ARPIT program was launched in 2018 to fulfill the government's commitment to quality education.

Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp launched the "WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub" globally, in partnership with WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). WhatsApp also donated $1 million dollars to Poynter Institute's International Fast-Checking Network (IFCN) in order to avoid fake information about the disease.

Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal informed that Indian Railway (IR) Ministry plans to electrify all broad gauge(BG) routes by December 2023.

The Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Union Territory (UT) administration has sanctioned J&K Health Scheme to provide free cost of Universal Health Coverage of Rs 5 lakh as health insurance to all the residents of UT in convergence with Ayushman Bharat- PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana). The decision was taken by the administrative council under the chairmanship of J&K Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu.

The government has changed the premium subsidy sharing pattern between Centre and the North Eastern States from 50:50 to 90:10 for PM- Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS).

Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani has proposed a pilot shopping festival at Bengaluru. The fest will be organized in 2020-21. It will be organized in other cities. The festival will focus on various sectors, including gems & jewellery, textiles, handicrafts, and Yoga and Ayurvedic products.

World Sparrow Day is observed on 20th March. It is observed every year. The day aims to raise awareness about the importance of sparrows in the ecosystem. It also conveys the message of conservation of sparrows that are disappearing faster than other common birds. Theme: The theme for the 2020 World Sparrow Day is 'I Love Sparrow.'

International Day of Happiness is celebrated on 20 March. The day aims to inspire and advance the global happiness movement. The campaign theme for the year 2020 is 'Happiness For All, Together.' The campaign is a global celebration to mark the United Nations International Day of Happiness.

In Tamil Nadu, Sanitary personnel employed by urban and rural civic bodies to be called 'cleanliness workers'.

SpaceX has announced that it is to launch its first manned flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in May 2020. The announcement comes despite the COVID-19 epidemic. SpaceX' Falcon 9 rocket is to launch the Crew Dragon. It will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to space from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Greece hands over Olympic flame to Tokyo 2020 organizers at the Panathenaic stadium in Athens.

Janani Narayanan from Tamil Nadu (TN) and Vrinda Rathi from Mumbai were named in the International Panel of ICC (International Cricket Council) Development Umpires. After the inclusion of Janani and Vrinda, the count of females from India in ICC panel becomes 3 after the appointment of GS Lakshmi as the International Panel of Match Referees.

15th Finance Commission sets up 8-member panel headed by its Chairman N. K. Singh to review fiscal consolidation road map of the both state and central governments.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the validity of Authorization to Vakrangee Limited till March 31, 2021 to set up, own and operates the White Label ATMs (WLA) Business in India. In this regard, Renewal of Authorization has been granted to Vakrangee Limited.

French Language Day is observed on 20th March. The day explores the influences of the language as a culture, its history, and its achievements. The day celebrates multilingualism and cultural diversity. The French language day is celebrated annually in order to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity and to promote equal use of all six official working languages throughout the organization.

Defence Ministry signs contract to procure 16,479 light machine guns (LMGs) from Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) for Rs 880 crore.

The World Energy Statistics published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2019 states that India is the 3rd largest producer of electricity in the world. India was ranked 106th in terms of per capita consumption in 2017.