Daily Current Affairs and GK | 4 March 2021
Main Headlines:
- 1. Anindya Dutta wrote a book titled ‘Advantage India: The Story of Indian Tennis’.
- 2. Chabahar Day to be virtually commemorated by India today on sidelines of Maritime India Summit-2021.
- 3. Combined Commanders’ Conference started today at Kevadiya in Gujarat.
- 4. AIBA’s Board of Directors elects Mary Kom as Chairperson of its champions and veterans committee.
- 5. WHO releases first World Report on Hearing.
- 6. First ever United Arab Emirates ambassador officially received by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
- 7. India and Norway agreed to jointly work for marine spatial planning in Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
- 8. Kotdwar-Delhi -Kotdwar Siddhabali Jan Shatabdi Spl train has been flagged off by Railways Minister.
- 9. CSMT becomes first railway station to receive IGBC Gold Certification in Maharashtra.
- 10. First air cargo services of Nagaland started from Dimapur airport.
- 11. Cabinet nods to an MoU between India and Fiji for cooperation in the field of the agriculture sector.
- 12. Union Cabinet approves a pact between India and France for cooperation on Renewable Energy.
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Topic: Books and Authors
1. Anindya Dutta wrote a book titled ‘Advantage India: The Story of Indian Tennis’.
- Anindya Dutta has penned a book titled ‘Advantage India: The Story of Indian Tennis’. He has written about the history of Indian tennis in this book.
- In his book, he describes the evolution of tennis in India. He has written about the Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan achievements in the 1970s-80s.
- He also wrote about how Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won the country its first Grand Slam titles.
- He also discussed the current Indian tennis star like Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza's achievements.
Topic: Miscellaneous
2. Chabahar Day to be virtually commemorated by India today on sidelines of Maritime India Summit-2021.
- Chabahar Day will be virtually commemorated by India today on the sidelines of Maritime India Summit-2021.
- Ministers from Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan will participate in the event.
- The ministerial Level opening session will be addressed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
- A keynote address will be delivered by Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya.
- Chabahar Port:
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings
3. Combined Commanders’ Conference started today at Kevadiya in Gujarat.
- Combined Commanders’ Conference has started today at Kevadiya in Gujarat.
- It is a three-day-long annual event. Focus areas of the conference will be theaterisation of armed forces and self-reliance in defence sector.
- Establishment of new air defence command and maritime command is likely to be discussed during the conference.
- The formation of theatre command will bring synergy among the three forces. Newly created Department of Military Affairs is working for the creation of theatre command.
- The Department is also working towards the creation of joint military commands.
- Department of Military Affairs:
- Department of Military Affairs comes within Ministry of Defence. Chief of Defence Staff heads it.
- Chief of Defence Staff is ex-officio secretary. It was formed in January 2020.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: Appointments
4. AIBA’s Board of Directors elects Mary Kom as Chairperson of its champions and veterans committee.
- AIBA’s Board of Directors has elected Mary Kom as Chairperson of its champions and veterans committee.
- She has been appointed as Chairperson of the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) champions and veterans committee. The committee was formed last year.
- Mary Kom is a six-time world champion and 2012 Olympic bronze-medalist.
- International Boxing Association (AIBA) is headquartered in Switzerland. Umar Kremlev is the President of AIBA. It was formed in 1946.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings
5. WHO releases first World Report on Hearing.
- On 2 March, WHO released the first World Report on Hearing and it says that nearly one in four people will be living with hearing loss by 2050.
- As per the report, nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide will be living with hearing loss and at least 700 million out of them will need access to ear and hearing care.
- Presently one in five people all over the world have a hearing problem. WHO has released the report ahead of World Hearing Day on 3rd March.
- “Hearing care for ALL! Screen. Rehabilitate. Communicate” is the theme for World Hearing Day 2021.
- World Hearing Day is observed by the World Health Organization on 3 March every year. The purpose of this day is to spread awareness for ear protection.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: International News
6. First ever United Arab Emirates ambassador officially received by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
- First ever United Arab Emirates ambassador has been officially received by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
- Mohamed Al Khaja is the name of the ambassador. He is the first Emirati ambassador to the State of Israel.
- Last year, UAE became the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel under Abraham Accord. Israel had opened its embassy in UAE in January.
Country |
Israel |
United Arab Emirates (UAE) |
Location |
Middle East (on Mediterranean Sea) |
Western Asia (at the northeast end of the Arabian Peninsula) |
Capital |
Jerusalem |
Abu Dhabi |
Currency |
Israeli shekel |
United Arab Emirates Dirham |
Prime Minister |
Benjamin Netanyahu |
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
President |
Reuven Rivlin |
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
Topic: International News
7. India and Norway agreed to jointly work for marine spatial planning in Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
- India and Norway have agreed to cooperate in the field of marine spatial planning for the next five years.
- Both countries agreed to jointly work for sustainable use of ocean resources and social development in coastal areas.
- The Marine Spatial Planning initiative will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences through the National Centre for Coastal Research for India.
- This initiative is part of the Indo-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative under an MoU signed that was signed between both countries in 2019. Lakshadweep and Puducherry are selected as pilot sites for this Project.
- A marine spatial planning framework will be developed for Lakshadweep and Puducherry by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).
- Recently, India and Norway have agreed to co-operation in the field of marine pollution.
- Norway is located in Northern Europe. Oslo is its capital and largest city. Erna Solberg is its Prime Minister. The Norwegian krone is its currency.
Topic: Infrastructure and Energy
8. Kotdwar-Delhi -Kotdwar Siddhabali Jan Shatabdi Spl train has been flagged off by Railways Minister.
- Railways Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off Kotdwar-Delhi -Kotdwar Siddhabali Jan Shatabdi Spl train on 4 March 2021.
- The train will run between Kotdwar and New Delhi. It will provide better connectivity for the Siddhabali temple.
- Minister has also informed about the status of the Kotdwar-Delhi route electrification project.
- Recently, Kotdwar town has been renamed as Kanva Nagri Kotdwar.
- Kotdwar:
- It is a town in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.
- It is famous for Sidhbali Temple.
- It is located on the bank of the Khoh River.
- Kotdwar railway station is one of the oldest railway stations in India.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: National News
9. CSMT becomes first railway station to receive IGBC Gold Certification in Maharashtra.
- Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus becomes the first railway station to get IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Gold Certification in Maharashtra.
- It has also become the first railway station of the western division to get IGBC Gold Certification.
- CSMT implemented various green and passenger-friendly initiatives, including the installation of solar panels, plantation of trees, Smart-tech amenities for passengers, Divyangjan and senior citizen-friendly building, etc.
- Indian Green Building Council:
- It was formed as part of the Confederation of Indian Industry in 2001.
- It is a premier body for green building certification and related services.
- It gives rating to green buildings on the basis of energy efficiency, water conservation, handling of waste measures, etc.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: State News/ Nagaland
10. First air cargo services of Nagaland started from Dimapur airport.
- Nagaland’s first air cargo service has been started from Dimapur airport. It has been launched by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on 2 March 2021.
- It has been launched by the Horticulture department of Nagaland in partnership with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
- Cargo service will help in the transportation of organic fruits and vegetables from the state.
- The Airport Authority of India will also construct a cargo service terminal at Dimapur.
- Airports Authority of India (AAI): It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It is responsible for the construction, upgrade, maintenance and management of civil aviation infrastructure.
- Nagaland:
- It is a mountainous state in northeast India.
- It was formed as a separate state in 1963.
- Dimapur Airport is the only domestic airport in Nagaland.
- Its current Chief Minister is Neiphiu Rio and the Governor is RN Ravi.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: MoUs/Agreements
11. Cabinet nods to an MoU between India and Fiji for cooperation in the field of the agriculture sector.
- Cabinet has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Fiji for co-operation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of India and the Ministry of Agriculture of Fiji have signed this MoU.
- A Joint Working Group (JWG) will be also formed by the executing agencies of both countries. It will create a road map for cooperation in the field of Agriculture.
- The MoU has been signed for cooperation in the following areas:
- Development of infrastructure for agriculture development
- Promotion of investment in marketing and value addition/downstream processing of agricultural commodities
- Joint planning and development of research proposals and execution of research projects and programmes
- Development of human resources through training of officers and farmers by conducting seminars and workshops
- Fiji:
- It is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. Most of the islands are made from volcanic activity.
- It is one of the most developed economies in the Pacific.
- Its currency is Fijian dollar and Suva is the capital of Fiji.
- Jioji Konrote is the President and Frank Bainimarama is the current Prime Minister of Fiji.
Topic: MoUs/Agreements
12. Union Cabinet approves a pact between India and France for cooperation on Renewable Energy.
- The Union Cabinet has approved an MoU between India and France for cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy.
- The MoU was signed in January 2021. It aims to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of new and renewable energy.
- All the technologies relating to solar, wind, hydrogen and biomass energy will be covered under this MoU.
- It will help India in achieving the renewable energy target of 450 GW by 2030.
- Both countries have agreed on cooperation in the following areas:
- Exchange and training of scientific and technical personnel
- Development of joint research and technological projects
- Exchange of scientific and technological information and data
- France:
- It is located in Western Europe and its capital is Paris.
- The President of France is Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister is Jean Castex.
- The currency of France is Euro.
- It is one of the five permanent members of the UNSC.
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