India
ISRO develops radar for joint earth observation satellite mission with NASA
ISRO has completed development of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capable of producing extremely high-resolution images for a joint earth observation satellite mission with the US space agency NASA. NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a joint collaboration for a dual-frequency L and S-band SAR for earth observation. NASA and ISRO signed a partnership on September 30, 2014 to collaborate on and launch NISAR. The mission is targeted to launch in early 2022 from ISRO Sriharikota spaceport.
PM inaugurates 1.8 km “Maitri Setu” between India and Bangladesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 9, 2021 inaugurated the “Maitri Setu” between India and Bangladesh with Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina. The “Maitri Setu” has been built over the Feni river, which flows between the Indian boundary in Tripura and Bangladesh. The 1.9-km-long bridge joins Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh. PM also laid the foundation stone for setting up an Integrated Check Post at Sabroom.
PM releases manuscript with commentaries on shlokas of Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a Manuscript with commentaries by 21 scholars on slokas of Srimad Bhagavadgita in New Delhi on March 9, 2021. The Manuscript has been published by Dharmarth Trust, Jammu and Kashmir.
PMs of India, Japan discuss Myanmar, Quad; South China Sea situation
The PMs of India and Japan on March 9, 2021 discussed the Myanmar situation besides situation in East and South China Sea, China’s Coast Guard Law and the situation in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga shared the view to steadily advance both Japan-India bilateral cooperation and Japan-Australia-India-U.S. quadrilateral cooperation.
BJP’s Trivendra Singh Rawat resigns as Uttarakhand CM
Trivendra Singh Rawat on March 8, 2021 resigned as the chief minister of Uttarakhand, a year before the hill state is scheduled to go to polls. Rawat, who became the CM after the BJP swept the assembly elections in early 2017, tendered his resignation after meeting Governor Baby Rani Maurya.
Delhi government to open special women mohalla clinics
The Delhi government on March 9, 2021 announced that special women mohalla clinics will be opened across the city in the next financial year to offer free gynaecological and other medical care services to them within walking distance from their homes. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio, made the announcement while presenting the government’s annual budget for year 2021-22.
Seamless Indo-Bangladesh connectivity to increase national incomes: World Bank
Seamless transport connectivity between India and Bangladesh has the potential to increase national income by as much as 17 percent in Bangladesh and 8 percent in India, according to a new World Bank report. Titled “Connecting to Thrive: Challenges and Opportunities of Transport Integration in Eastern South Asia”, the report analyses the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA); compares it with international best practices; and identifies its strengths as well as gaps for seamless regional connectivity.
Economy & Corporate
DoT launches online certification course on 5G Technology for Government Officers
Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Anshu Prakash on March 9, 2021 inaugurated an online certification course on 5G Technology for Government Officers through Video Conferencing. National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT), the premier training institute of (DoT), is conducting the first of its kind 36-hour (12 week) online 5G Certification Course to train and certify Government Officers. To start with, this 36-hour certificate course on 5G has been made available to Officers.
NITI Aayog and RMI release report ‘Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India’
NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) India released a new report ‘Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India’, which highlights the role of finance in the India’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and analyses that the transition will require a cumulative capital investment of USD 266 billion (Rs 19.7 lakh crore) in EVs, charging infrastructure, and batteries over the next decade. The report also identifies a market size of USD 50 billion (Rs 3.7 lakh crore) for the financing of EVs in 2030—about 80% of the current size of India’s retail vehicle finance industry, worth USD 60 billion (Rs 4.5 lakh crore) today.
NITI Aayog, DEA organise national-level virtual workshop on asset monetization
NITI Aayog, along with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), organized a national-level virtual workshop on asset monetization on March 9, 2021. Chaired by the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, the workshop engaged with the Chief Secretaries of States and Administrators of Union Territories. The workshop elaborated on the strategic context of core and non-core asset monetization, along with detailed discussions on the need for and modality of such monetization.
Pallav Mohapatra appointed Chief of Asset Reconstruction Co India Ltd (ARCIL)
Former Central Bank of India CEO Pallav Mohapatra has been appointed as chief of Asset Reconstruction Co India Ltd (ARCIL) with effect from March 8. Founded in 2002, ARCIL is India’s oldest asset reconstruction company. It currently manages assets of Rs. 12,000 crores. Its total employees are 230. Its shareholders include Avenue Capital, SBI, IDBI, ICICI, PNB and also GIC Singapore.
CAG G. C. Murmu appointed Chairman of panel of external auditors of UN
Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu has been again appointed as the chairman of the panel of external auditors of the United Nations for 2021. Besides India, the panel consists of 12 countries, namely Germany, Chile, China, United Kingdom, France, Philippines, Switzerland, Italy, Ghana, Indonesia, Canada and Russia. As the Chairman, the CAG plays a key role in achieving the panel’s objective of greater degree of collaboration and coordination and exchange of information on audit methods and findings among the panel members.
World
Pregnancy could get women fired in 38 nations: World Bank Chief Economist
There are still almost 40 countries where women can be fired from their jobs simply for getting pregnant, World Bank Chief Economist Carmen Reinhart said in a discussion on how the pandemic is making it even harder for women to escape poverty. Speaking on Bloomberg Television, Reinhart said the economic fallout from Covid-19 had been “very regressive,” hitting the most vulnerable hardest, including women.
Sports
Koneru Humpy wins BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award for 2020
Chess player Koneru Humpy has won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award (ISWOTY) for 2020, following a public vote. Former long jumper Anju Bobby George was given the Lifetime Achievement award for her contribution to Indian sport. Emerging Player of the Year award was won by with Manu Bhaker.
