Monthly Current Affairs 1 February – 8 March 2021 With Video Lecture

SECTION A – PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS Haryana Govt. Passes Bill Allowing 75% Reservation for Locals in Private Jobs Every employer shall employ 75% of the local candidates with respect to such...

Hemanth Kasturi
March 8, 2021
5,475
1

SECTION A – PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS

Haryana Govt. Passes Bill Allowing 75% Reservation for Locals in Private Jobs

Every employer shall employ 75% of the local candidates with respect to such posts where the gross monthly salary or wages are not more than Rs. 50,000 or as notified by the government, from time to time.
Provided that the local candidates may be from any district of the State, but the employer may, at his option, restrict the employment of local candidates from any district to 10% of the total number of local candidates.
A designated portal shall be made on which local candidates and the employer will have to register and local candidates shall not be eligible to avail the benefit unless they register themselves on the designated portal.
Once it becomes law, it will apply to companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms, partnership firms, etc. located across the state.
It has been criticised for not being in the best interest of the industries as it will affect the competitiveness of the industries and will lead to loss of investments in Haryana.

Major Port Authorities Bill 2020

The Bill seeks to provide greater autonomy in decision-making to 12 major ports in the country and professionalize their governance by setting up boards.
It also seeks to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.
India has 12 major ports – Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia).
The Bill provides for the creation of a Board of Major Port Authority for each major port. These Boards will replace the existing Port Trusts.
Provision has been made for inclusion of representatives of State Government in which the Major Port is situated, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and Customs, Department of Revenue as Members in the Board.
It will also include a Govt. Nominee Member and a Member representing employees of Major Port Authority.
The Bill allows the Board to use its property, assets and funds as deemed fit for the development of the major port.
It will also have the powers to fix reference tariffs for various port services.
An Adjudicatory Board will be created to carry out the residual function of the erstwhile TAMP (Tariff Authority for Major Ports), to look into disputes between ports and PPP concessionaires.

Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill Introduced in MP Assembly

The new bill has replaced the ordinance which the government cleared in December 2020 and promulgated in January 2021. The bill comprises of the provisions of 10 years imprisonment for some cases and fine for violators. The bill was presented by the Home Minister, Narottam Mishra.

Amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 approved

The Union Cabinet has approved the amendments to the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act, 2015 on February 17, 2021. After this amendment, the Child Protection Unit of districts will function under the District Magistrate (DMs). Now, the DMs can independently evaluate Child Welfare Committee, and the Specialised Juvenile Police Unit.

Cabinet approves President’s Rule in Puducherry

This proposal was approved days after the Congress-led government in the union territory lost power after a vote of confidence.
This decision was taken because no party had claimed to form a government in Puducherry after the chief minister resigned.
Following the resignation, Lieutenant Governor recommended President’s Rule which was approved by the Union Cabinet.
The model code of conduct will also come into effect after the Election Commission announced the dates for elections.

Rajasthan Government Presents First Paperless Budget

The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, led Congress government presented its third state budget and the first paperless budget on February 24, 2021 in the state assembly. The Chief minister holds the finance portfolio, and he finalised the budget on February 23, 2021.
The state budget is laid down before the house of houses of legislatures in the state in accordance with Article 202 of the Constitution.

India Liberalized the Regulation on Geospatial Data

The new policy has allowed to share the data for various applications ranging from the logistics and transport to road safety and e-commerce.
Further, the geospatial data generating from government agencies like Survey of India and Indian Space Research Organisation will be made available to public and private companies.
It also restricts the terrestrial mapping and survey to public and private Indian entities.

Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2021

The Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha on February 4, 2021. The provisions of the bill were, however, already into force through an ordinance that was promulgated on November 4th, 2020.
The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2021 deal with the domestic and international arbitration.
It also defines the law to conduct the conciliation proceedings. This act regulates the domestic arbitration in India. India wants to be an excellent hub for the arbitration.

SECTION B – INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS & AGREEMENTS

India-Sweden: PMs held Virtual Summit on Bilateral Issues and Affairs

Narendra Modi held the virtual summit with his Swedish counterpart, Stefan Lofven on March 5, 2021. The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted that, this was the 5th interaction between two leaders starting from the 1st interaction held in 2015.

India-Norway: To Conduct Marine Spatial Planning

The Earth Science Ministry highlighted that the first project steering committee meeting with representatives of both the counties was held successfully. This is a part of the Indo-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding which was signed between them in the year 2019. This will be implemented for India through the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

G20 Central Bank Governors’ Meet

The Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, attended the G20 Central Bank Governors’ meeting on February 26, 2021. This was the first ever G20 Central Bank Governors’ meeting that was held under the Italian Presidency.
She highlighted regarding the India’s policy response with respect to COVID-19 pandemic and the world’s largest inoculation drive.
The meeting also held discussions on the policy actions for the transformative and equitable recovery.

11^th India-EU Macroeconomic dialogue held virtually

The dialogue held discussions on 19 Feb 2021 on all the dimensions of mutual interest including the political, economic, environmental, research & innovation, trade & investment and security.
The Indian Delegation was led by the Secretary of Economic Affairs, Tarun Bajaj. Director-General of Economic and Financial Affairs, European Commission led the European Union delegation.

PM Narendra Modi addresses India-Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE)

The India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon was launched by the NITI Aayog Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). This hackathon was launched in association with the commonwealth scientific and industrial research organisation (CSIRO) of Australia. It focuses on identification and development of the innovative technology solutions provided by students, MSMEs and start-ups from both the countries.

India-Ireland: Held Consultations on UNSC issues

Both the countries congratulated each other for their election to United Nation Security Council (UNSC).
They also held discussions and briefed each regarding the UNSC priorities.
They further held discussions on several issues on UNSC agenda and they agreed to work closely during their terms at the UNSC in 2021-2021.

India begins BRICS Chairmanship

India has started its BRICS Chairmanship with the inaugural three-day-long Sherpas’ meeting on February 25, 2021.
Earlier, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had launched India’s BRICS 2021 website at Secretariat of BRICS at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan.
President of China, Xi Jinping, might also visit India later for the BRICS summit.

BioAsia 2021 Event Highlights

The 18th edition of BioAsia event was held in between February 22, 2021 to February 23, 2021. It was organised under the theme: ‘Move the Needle’.
The event provided a platform to discuss on topics of importance for the life sciences industry. One of the sessions of the event focused on the prospects of Medical Technologies that are becoming the next big opportunity for India.

India-Afghanistan deal for Shahtoot Dam

It is a proposed dam in the Kabul river basin.
Construction of the dam will provide drinking, irrigation and Environmental water in the Kabul province of Afghanistan.
The dam will be completed at the cost of about US$120 to $305 million.
This dam will be constructed by India.
Following the deal, the PM of India called for a ceasefire in Afghanistan in order to end a spike in violence.

World Sustainable Development Summit 2021

The year will mark the 20th edition of summit.
It will be held in between 10th to 12th February 2021.
This summit is organised by the Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI).
Theme- ‘Redefining Our Common Future: Safe and Secure Environment for All’.
The summit is organised in accordance with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

SECTION C – INDIAN SCHEMES & PROGRAMMES

Floriculture Mission to be implemented in 21 states

The Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, has asked the scientists of CSIR laboratories in India to develop land available at each laboratory to set up as a model under the “CSIR Floriculture Mission”. The mission will focus on the commercial crops for honeybee rearing such as Gladiolus, Carnation, Canna, Marigold, Rose etc.
This mission is significant because the Indian Farmers have little knowledge regarding the floriculture which have the potential to give 5 times more return than the traditional crops.

16^th FICCI Higher Education Summit

The summit is being organised in New Delhi from February 25, 2021 to February 27, 2021. The policy allows the students to be more creative in their respective fields since it focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation and skill development.
It will also confer IoE status to 25 select private institutions.

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

The FICCI was established in the year 1927. It is the largest and oldest apex business organisation of India. It is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation which acts as the voice of business and industry in India. The organisation is involved in the engaging with policy makers & civil society and encouraging debate. The organisation serves as the members from the Indian private & public corporate sectors. The organisation also provides the platform for networking and consensus building across sectors. It is the first port of call for the Indian industry, international business community and policy makers.

NASSCOM launches program to accelerate AI-led innovation in India

National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) is all set to launch its ‘AI Game Changers’ program in India. The NASSCOM and Microsoft will work in collaboration to develop and promote the AI Gamechangers program. It was launched under the “AI for India” Mission. It was built with the shared commitment of adopting the Artificial Intelligence across all the key sectors.

ICOLD Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams & River Basins inaugurated

The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams & River Basins was inaugurated by the Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on February 24, 2021 and ended on February 27, 2021.
It was organized in association with the Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP), Central Water Commission (CWC) and National Hydrology Project (NHP).

Task force on river-linking approves Mahanadi-Godavari link

The linking project was approved by ensuring the utilisation of allocated Godavari waters by the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The decision was taken at the 13th meeting of the task force on interlinking of rivers which was held in New Delhi.
National Water Development Agency (NWDA) is a Registered Society working under the Ministry of Irrigation which is now called as Ministry of Water Resources.

National Urban Digital Mission Launched

It was launched by the Union Housing & Urban Affairs Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of Electronics, Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Initiatives like Smart-Code, India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), Smart Cities 2.0 website, and Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) were also launched at this virtual event.
This mission will help in creating a shared digital infrastructure which in turn can be used to consolidate and cross-leverage the several digital initiatives.

Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship Programme

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship rolled out this programme.
Fellows under this will acquire the academic expertise and technical competency.
MGNF is a two-year fellowship programme. It was launched with the objective of boosting the skill development at the district level. It has been designed under the SANKALP scheme. The scheme was launched with the aim of addressing the challenge of non-availability of personnel in order to implement the programmes at district, state and national levels.

Financial Literacy Week 2021 – Highlights

It is organised by the central bank since 2016 and this year, it started from February 8 and concluded on February 12, 2021.
This year, the week focused on ‘Developing the credit discipline and encouraging availing of the credit from the formal financial institutions as it is required’.
In the year 2020, the FLW focussed on the ‘Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’.

2^nd edition of Khelo India Winter Games at J&K

The Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Kiren Rijiju, reached Srinagar to attend the event.
It officially kick-started in the Ski resort of Gulmarg in Baramulla district of north Kashmir.
It was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister.
The event included the sports activities such as ice-skating, shoe race, skiing, ice-hockey, Nordic ski, snowboarding, ice stock and ski mountaineering.

Karnataka to host Khelo India University Games 2021

Games will be held in the Jain University (in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities) and other venues of the state.
It is organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and Sports Authority of India (SAI) in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities, Indian Olympic Association and National Sports Federation.
Yogasana and Mallakhamb have also been added to list of games.

First-ever National Toy Fair from Feb 27 to March 02

The toy fair is being organised in a virtual format by the Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
During the event, the Centre for Creative Learning (CCL), which is based in IIT Gandhinagar, will showcase its 75 toy creations in the fair.
The CCL helps in developing the scientific temperament in the students and teachers by developing various scientific and educational toys.

SECTION D – GENERAL INDIAN PANORAMA

Simlipal Forest Fire

The Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha underwent the massive fires recently. The wildfires broke in the biosphere reserve situated in the Mayurbhanj district.
The reserve is home to 94 species of orchids and around 3,000 species of plants. The species of fauna include 29 species of reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, 42 species of mammals and 264 species of birds.

Mary Kom becomes new Chairperson of AIBA’s Champions & Veterans Committee

Mary Kom, an Indian boxer has been chosen to this top post in International Boxing Association. She is the only female boxer who have become the “World Boxing Champion” for a record of six times.
She is also a current Member of the Indian Parliament. She has been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in the year 2020.

Mobile Train Radio Communication system Introduced by Western Railway Zone

This system provides for an instant and constant interaction of train crew with the station master as well as the Control Centre. This system can connect the calls in 300 milliseconds which is the lowest time used by any other system. This system has been introduced for the first time in India. MRTC also acts in a similar way for the Air traffic control (ATC) for aircrafts. It has been installed in the 105 rakes of the western railways.

Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV merged into “Sansad TV”

This new platform will continue to live telecast the house proceedings, pack news and the current affairs programme in Hindi as well as in English languages. The former textiles secretary, Ravi Kapoor, has been appointed as the CEO of the Sansad TV.
The two entities have been merged into an integrated channel with the aim of cutting the costs, to streamline the management of the channel and to organise the content in order to make it more attractive for the viewers and advertisers.

Manika Batra wins 82^nd National Table Tennis Title

She is an Indian table tennis player. She is the top-ranked female table tennis player as of November 2020. She ranked 63rd in world. The player specializes in playing the long-pimples on her backhand. It is not often played by top players. In 2020, she also received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
In 2018 she was the only Indian who received “The Breakthrough Star Award” by ITTF.

Sandes – India’s new instant messaging platform

It is launched by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
This instant messaging platform is like WhatsApp. It can be used for any type of communications by anyone. It requires a mobile number or an email id to get registered with the app.
The app can be used by central and state government officials for intra-organizational and inter-organizational communication.

Delhi to switch all its hired vehicles to EVs in 6 months

The Delhi government has over 2,000 cars in use.
The Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, is of the view that this decision will inspire other cities in the country as well as world which is a key decision to tackle the issues like pollution and climate change.
This announcement was made after the government launched ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign.

About Switch Delhi Campaign:

Switch Delhi Campaign was launched in order to encourage the private vehicle owners to shift to the electric vehicles and install a charging point in their premises within three years.
It is an eight-week mass awareness campaign.
This campaign seeks to sensitize each and every Delhiite regarding the benefits of switching to EVs.

Mumbai’s Undersea Tunnel

Two tunnels will be built under the Mumbai Coastal Road Project.
The tunnel will have the length of 2.07 km out of which 1 kilometre portion will be under the sea.
It is the first undersea road tunnel in India.
It will pass through Arabian Sea near Girgaon Chowpatty.
The tunnel will start from the Priyadarshani Park and will terminate at the Netaji Subhash Road in Marine Drive.

Hoshangabad City to be renamed as Narmadapuram

The CM of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has announced this.
Hoshangabad city was named after an attacker Hoshang Shah who was the first ruler of Malwa.
This district was the part of Nerbudda (Narmada) Division and Berar.
Hoshangabad is famous for its beautiful ghats along the river Narmada river. The major attraction is the Sethani ghat.
Narmada river is the 5th largest river across India.

Theodore Baskaran won Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020

He was chosen for the award in the light of his dedication to the wildlife conservation. He won the award for his writing prowess in English and Tamil contributing towards the conservation discourse. The award was instituted by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation.

Vijayanagara – 31^st district of Karnataka

Vijayanagara is in Hyderabad-Karnataka region. The district has its HQ at Hosapete. The district also be the home to UNESCO World Heritage sites namely the Hampi and Virupaksha Temple. The district will comprise of six taluks namely the Hosapete, kotturu, Kampli, Hagaribommanahalli, Harapanahalli and Hoovina Hadagali.

Ladakh to get India’s first Geothermal Power Project

It will be established at Puga village of eastern Ladakh & will be completed in 4 phases. This geothermal project is known as Geothermal Field Development Project. It will be commission by the end of 2022.

First Thunderstorm Research Testbed of India

It will be established in Balasore, Odisha with the objective to minimalize the human fatalities and loss of property because of the lightning strikes.
This announcement was made by the DG of IMD Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
He also announced that a Monsoon Testbed will also be set up near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. The monsoon testbed would also be first-of-its-kind.

SECTION E – GENERAL WORLD PANORAMA

UNGA declares 2023 as “International Year of Millets”

The resolution to declare the year was sponsored by India. The resolution was adopted by consensus and the support of over 70 nations out of 193.
The UN General Assembly has proclaimed the “UN Decade of action on Nutrition from 2016 to 2025” in the month of April 2016. This proclamation recognises the need of eradicating hunger and preventing all the forms of malnutrition from the world.

PM Narendra Modi awarded Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award

Prime minister also delivered the keynote address at the CERAWeek Conference-2021 which was held virtually from March 1 to 5, 2021.
The conference was organised by IHS Markit.
It is an annual international conference that brings together the energy industry leaders, experts, Policy makers, Government officials, leaders from the technology, energy technology innovators and financial & industrial communities.

ISA to Launch World Solar Bank

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) have planned to launch the World Solar Bank (WSB) at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow that is scheduled for November 2021. The development of the World Solar Bank will support India’s attempt to secure its leadership in the climate arena.
The development of the bank is significance because the green finance will be one of the priority themes at the climate meet called COP-26.

About International Solar Alliance:

The ISA was co-founded by India. It was founded at 2015 climate change conference in Paris. It is the first treaty-based international government organization which is headquartered in India. It is the nodal agency to implement the global electricity grid plan of India called “One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG)”.

France approved the Anti-Radicalism Bill

The bill was passed in the backdrop of fighting extremism in the country which gained momentum after a teacher was beheaded in October 2020.
The bill seeks to strengthen the government oversight of mosques and religious schools.
It will also take strong actions against the polygamy and forced marriage.
The bill provides for measures with the aim of rooting out the Islamic radicalism.
It is a part of the broader French efforts that it initiated with the aim of fighting extremism.
It will also promote respect for French values.

Preeti Sinha to lead UNCDF

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has appointed her as the Executive Secretary. She is an Indian-origin investment and development banker.
The UNCDF was established in the year 1966 by the United Nations General Assembly to promote the economic development across the world. It is headquartered in New York. The organisation helps in providing the micro-finance access to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Hyderabad – 2020 Tree City of the World

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Arbor Day Foundation have recently recognized Hyderabad as a 2020 Tree City of World.
This recognition was a testament for city’s sustained and institutional efforts of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees.
It also marks the development of the urban and peri-urban forestry actions, projects besides the strategic planning & commitment of building healthy city.

Japan Appoints Loneliness Minister

Japan has appointed the loneliness minister on the line of United Kingdom which became the first country in world to create a similar position in the country in 2018.
Tetsushi Sakamoto, who oversees combating Japan’s falling birth rate and revitalizing regional economies, was also appointed as the Loneliness minister.
Japanese government has also created an “isolation or loneliness countermeasures office on February 19, 2021 within its cabinet.

Saudi Arabia opens Armed Forces for Women

Women will now be recruited as soldiers, lance corporals, corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants.
The government has also added some additional criteria for female applicants.
This move aims to increase the rights of women in the country.
The plan to allow women in the armed forces was first announced in the year 2019.

Ngozi Okonjo Iweala: First Woman to lead WTO

Being a Nigerian economist, she has also become the first African to hold this charge amid rising protectionism and her appointment came into effect from March 1, 2021.
WTO deals with the regulation of international trade between the nations. It was established in January 1995 in accordance with the Marrakesh Agreement (signed in Marrakesh, Morocco) that replaced General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Russia Launched Cargo Ship to ISS

The space agency of Russia, Roscosmos, launched the Progress MS-16 cargo ship. It is also called Progress 77. It was launched using the Soyuz rocket from Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
It includes 1,400 kg of research and crew supplies such as food and clothing.
It also carries a supply of fresh water, nitrogen gas and propellant for the Zvezda service module propulsion system of the ISS.

Climate Change: Italy gets Green Super Ministry

The Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Draghi, has put the climate change at the centre of his plans to run Italy. He has created a super ministry to ensure a transition to green energy drives recovery in the country. The super ministry has been established with the objective of making full use of European Union funds with respect to the climate change.

Denmark to construct World’s First Energy Island

The energy island will be constructed in the North Sea. The project will cost around 210 billion Danish crowns.
It will be constructed 80 kms off the west coast of Denmark.
The energy island will be surrounded by the wind turbines and it will have an initial capacity of 3 gigawatts which would be operational by 2033.
It will be used to supply green hydrogen to use in heavy transport, shipping, aviation and industry.

SECTION F – ECONOMICS, INDICES & REPORTS

Ease of Living Index 2020 – Highlights

In the list of Indian cities having population of more than a million, “Bengaluru” was emerged as the best city on “ease of living” index parameters in all the 49 million-plus cities in the year.
Bengaluru have pushed the city of Pune to second position in the index.
Ahmedabad was ranked third among 111 cities.
The index shows that, ease of living was lowest in Dhanbad, Bareilly, and Srinagar.
In the list of cities with population of less than a million, Shimla has been ranked the highest. It is followed by Bhubaneswar.
In this category, the Muzaffarpur city in Bihar was ranked at the lowest.
The centre also published the Municipal Performance Index (MPI). In this index, Indore was ranked first in the category of Million-plus cities. It is followed by Surat and Bhopal.
While in the ‘less than million category’, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been ranked first and is followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar.

Centre for Science and Environment’s State of Environment Report – Highlights

As far as sustainable development is concerned, India ranked 117 among 192 nations. India’s air, water and land have become more polluted in between the year 2009 and 2018.
The Central Pollution Control Board highlighted that, out of 88 major industrial clusters in the country, 35 went through environmental degradation, 33 went through worsening air quality, 45 clusters comprised of polluted water and while 17 clusters had land pollution
Tarapur in Maharashtra was the most polluted cluster.

State of School Feeding Worldwide Report

The United Nations World Food Programmes (WFP) has released it on 24 Feb 2021. The report highlights that, one in two school children that would count as around 388 million children worldwide received the school meals when the pandemic was at its peak. This accounts for the highest number in history.
The report highlighted that, the lockdown threw spotlight on the critical role that school plays in feeding vulnerable children and protecting their futures.

SECTION G – FLORA & FAUNA DISCOVERIES

Five new shrub Frogs’ species found in Western Ghats

The five species of the frogs belong to Old World tree frog of family called Rhacophoridae. These species were discovered by researchers from Kerala Forest Research Institute, University of Delhi and University of Minnesota.
The research was carried out for the period of 10 years. The new species were identified and were distinct based on several criteria including the external morphology of frog, calling pattern, DNA, and behaviour.

No.	Frog Species	Common name	Location where species were found
1.	Raorchestes Drutaahu	Shrub Frog	Kadhalar in Idukki district and Siruvani in Palakkad district in the state of Kerala
2.	Raorchestes Kakkayamensis	Kakkayam Shrub Frog	Kakkayam dam
3.	Raorchestes Keirasabinae	Keira’s Shrub Frog	Agasthyamalai and Anamalai hills in western ghats
4.	Raorchestes Sanjappai	Green shrub frog	Wayanad region of northern Kerala
5.	Raorchestes Vallikkannan	Silver-eyed Shrub Frog	Siruvani hills and areas surrounding Silent Valley National Park

Himalayan Serow Spotted in Assam

It looks like somewhere between a goat and an antelope. It was spotted in the Manas Tiger Reserve (a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site) which is having the area of 950-sq. km on December 3, 2020. This animal is a high-altitude dweller which is usually found around 2000 to 4000 metres above the sea level. Its scientific name is Capricornis sumatraensis. The serow is a native to China, Himalayas and Southeast Asia.

New Alpine Plant Species Discovered in Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh

The new species of plant belongs to the family of Himalayan sunflower.
It has been named as Cremanthodium indicum.
This species of plant generally flowers from July to August.
It is endemic to the Penga-Teng Tso Lake of Tawang district.
As per the IUCN Guideline, this alpine plant species has been listed as critically endangered.

Mandarin Duck spotted after 118 years in Assam

The Mandarin duck was spotted by the team of avian specialists in the Maguri-Motapung Beel of Tinsukia district in eastern Assam.
Mandarin duck is the habitat of eastern China and southern Japan. It landed in Assam too by accident.
The duck does not come regularly to India. But some of the ducks may join other migratory birds and follow their migration path. Last time, it was spotted in 1902.

Srivilliputhur–Megamalai – 5^th Tiger Reserve in TN

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has approved the creation of the fifth tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu. It will surround the Meghamalai and the Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuaries within it.
The tiger reserve will spread to 1.48 lakh hectares of land comprising of the Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary and Tirunelveli Wildlife Sanctuary.

SECTION H – IMPORTANT DAYS

No.	Date	Day Observed	Theme
1.	04 Feb 21	International Day of Human Fraternity	No Time for Global Inaction; Unite, Fund, and Act to End Female Genital Mutilation
2.	06 Feb 21	International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation	A Pathway to the Future
3.	10 Feb 21	World Pulses Day	Love Pulses for a Healthy Diet
4.	11 Feb 21	International Day of Women and Girls in Science	Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19
5.	13 Feb 21	World Radio Day	New World, New Radio
6.	20 Feb 21	World Day of Social Justice	A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy
7.	21 Feb 21	International Mother Language Day	Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society
8.	01 Mar 21	Zero Discrimination Day	End Inequalities (Theme by UNAIDS)
9.	03 Mar 21	World Wildlife Day	Forests & Livelihoods: Sustaining People & Planet
10.	08 Mar 21	International Women’s Day	Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world

REVIEW QUESTIONS

Which state government has passed a Bill allowing 75% reservation for locals in private jobs?
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Tamil Nadu
Mizoram

ANSWER: A

The Union Cabinet has approved the amendments to the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act, 2015 on 17 Feb 21. Under this, the Child Protection Unit of districts will function under the
District Collector
District Magistrate
Sarpanch
Superintendent of Police

ANSWER: B

Union Cabinet had recently approved President’s Rule in which Union Territory?
New Delhi
Daman & Diu
Puducherry
None of the above

ANSWER: C

Which State Government has presented the first Paperless Budget in its Legislative Assembly?
Delhi
Telangana
Andhra Pradesh
Rajasthan

ANSWER: D

G20 Central Bank Governors’ Meet was held under the presidency of which nation?
Denmark
Italy
Greece
France

ANSWER: B

India Australia Circular Economy Hackathon was launched by the
NITI Aayog Atal Innovation Mission
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
E-Courts of India
Ministry of External Affairs

ANSWER: A

Which country has assumed the BRICS Chairmanship for 2021 and is set to hold this year’s summit?
Brazil
Russia
India
China

ANSWER: C

BioAsia 2021 theme:
Combating Covid – 19
Move the Needle
Get Vaccinated
Mask on – Protection on

ANSWER: B

Shahtoot Dam is in
Tajikistan
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Afghanistan

ANSWER: D

16^th FICCI Higher Education Summit held at
Hyderabad
Chennai
New Delhi
Bengaluru

ANSWER: C

Which organization will launch ‘AI Game Changers’ program in India?
National Association of Software and Service Companies
Securities and Exchange Board of India
Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
Defence Research and Development Organization

ANSWER: A

Mahanadi-Godavari linking project was approved by ensuring the utilisation of allocated Godavari waters by the states of
Telangana and Karnataka
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

ANSWER: B

Which among these is not an initiative under National Urban Digital Mission?
Smart-Code
India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX)
Smart Cities 2.0
None of the above

ANSWER: D

Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship Programme is launched by which ministry?
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Ministry of Home Affairs
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

ANSWER: D

2^nd edition of Khelo India Winter Games were held at
Gulmarg, J&K
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Kufri, Himachal Pradesh
Jogimatti, Karnataka

ANSWER: A

Which state will host Khelo India University Games 2021?
Tamil Nadu
Kerala
Haryana
Karnataka

ANSWER: D

First-ever National Toy Fair from Feb 27 to March 02 is organized by:
Ministry of Textiles
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
All the above

ANSWER: D

Simlipal Tiger Reserve is in
Odisha
Jharkhand
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh

ANSWER: A

Which Indian boxer has been appointed as the new Chairperson of International Boxing Association’s Champions & Veterans Committee?
Lovlina Borgohain
Laishram Sarita Devi
Mary Kom
Jamuna Boro

ANSWER: C

Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV merged into
Sansad TV
Parliament TV
Lok Tantra TV
Democracy TV

ANSWER: A

India’s new instant messaging platform launched by National Informatics Centre (NIC):
Chidiya
Sandes
Bharat Bol
Vidya

ANSWER: B

How many underwater tunnels will be built under the Mumbai Coastal Road Project?
Two
Three
Four
Five

ANSWER: A

Which city is going to be renamed as Narmadapuram?
Satna
Alirajpur
Hoshangabad
Chitrakoot

ANSWER: C

Who has won Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020?
Theodore Baskaran
Sunita Narain
Sunderlal Bahuguna
Maneka Gandhi

ANSWER: A

Newly incorporated 31st district of Karnataka:
Vijayanagara
Halebidu
Vidyaranya
Chandragiri

ANSWER: A

Which UT is going to get India’s first Geothermal Power Project?
Ladakh
Pondicherry
Lakshadweep islands
Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli

ANSWER: A

UNGA declared which year as “International Year of Millets”?
2021
2022
2023
2024

ANSWER: C

Who has been awarded Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award?
Emmanuel Macron
Narendra Modi
Joe Biden
Kamala Harris

ANSWER: B

Which nation has recently approved the Anti-Radicalism Bill that deals with Muslims?
Ethiopia
Italy
France
United Kingdom

ANSWER: C

2020 Tree City of the World:
Oxford
Ottawa
Hyderabad
Tokyo

ANSWER: C

Which female Indian-origin investment and development banker will lead United Nations Capital Development Fund?
Preeti Sinha
Sonal Verma
Devaki Jain
Usha Thorat

ANSWER: A

First Woman to lead WTO
Susan Schwab
Arancha González Laya
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala
Valentine Rugwabiza

ANSWER: C

Which nation is going to construct World’s First Energy Island?
Finland
Ireland
Denmark
Morocco

ANSWER: C

Which city was ranked first in the category of Million-plus cities in the Municipal Performance Index (MPI) published in the Ease of Living Index report?
Hyderabad
Chennai
Visakhapatnam
Indore

ANSWER: D