Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 March 2021

Topic: International News

1. UN General Assembly adopted 2023 as ‘International Year of Millets’.

• The UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.  
• The resolution of ‘International Year of Millets 2023’ was started by India and was supported by over 70 nations.
• It has been adopted to raise awareness about the benefits and adaptive capacity of Millet. Millet can be produced in many UN member countries.
• On 1 April 2016, the UN General Assembly had adopted the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition from 2016 to 2025.
• Millets are one of the important crops in Asian and African countries. Millets are a rich source of protein, micronutrients and fiber.
• List of UN International Years:

Topic: Important Days

2. National Security Day: 4 March

• National Security Day is commemorated every year on 4 March in India.
• It is dedicated to all security forces of India for their contribution to maintaining peace and security.
• It is observed to honour the sacrifice of all security forces, including policemen, para-military forces, commandos, guards, army, etc.   
• National Security Council:
  • It was established in 1998.
  • It is an apex body for the national security management system in India.
  • The National Security Advisor is the senior official on the National Security Council of India. Ajit Doval is the current National Security Advisor.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

3. Virtual summit between PM Modi and Swedish PM Stefan Löfven to be held today.

• A virtual summit between PM Modi and Swedish PM Stefan Löfven will be held today.
• This virtual summit is 5^th interaction between PM Modi and Swedish PM since 2015. 
• During the virtual summit, two leaders will discuss bilateral relations and regional and global issues.
• Sweden:
  • Sweden is a Scandinavian nation with thousands of coastal islands and inland lakes, as well as vast boreal forests and snowy mountains.
  • Its capital is Stockholm and the currency is Swedish Krona. Stefan Löfven is its PM. Riksdag is the name of its legislature.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

4. Twelve Indian Institutions get a rank in top 100 in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.

• Twelve Indian Institutions have secured a rank in the top 100 in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.
• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank congratulated all these institutions. The names of institutions are given below.

• While IIT Madras is ranked at 30^th for Petroleum Engineering, IIT Bombay is ranked at 41^st.
• IIT Kharagpur is ranked at 44^th for Minerals and Mining Engineering. University of Delhi is ranked at 50th for Development Studies.
• IISC is ranked in top 100 in the natural sciences category. JNU’s anthropology programme and O.P. Jindal Global University’s law programme have newly entered into top 100.
• O.P. Jindal Global University is the only private institution on the list of top 100. Last year, five IIT’s were on the list of top 100. Only three are present in the top 100 this year.
• IIIT Kharagpur and Kanpur are out of the top 100 list. IITs of Bombay, Delhi and Madras are still present in the list. However, their ranking has dropped.
• India is ranked fifth in the world in terms of the number of research papers published on Covid-19 pandemic.
• QS in QS World University Rankings stands for Quacquarelli Symonds. QS World University Rankings ranks institutions as per 5 broad categories and in 51 specific subjects.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

5. Final rankings of Ease of Living Index 2020 and Municipal Performance Index 2020 issued by government.

• Final rankings of Ease of Living Index 2020 and Municipal Performance Index 2020 have been issued by the government.
• Government announced rankings under Ease of Living Index 2020 for million-plus cities and for cities having a population of less than a million.
• Ranking exercise for Ease of Living Index 2020 was carried out last year and a total of 111 cities participated in the assessment exercise for ranking.
• In the Million Plus category of Ease of Living Index 2020, the top three cities are Bengaluru (first), Pune (second) and Ahmedabad (third).
• In the cities with Less than a Million population category of  Ease of Living Index 2020, top three cities are Shimla (first), Bhubaneshwar (second) and Silvassa (Third).
• For the assessment of Municipal Performance Index 2020, municipalities were classified into the categories of Million plus and less than Million Population.
• In the Million Plus category of Municipal Performance Index 2020, Indore (first), Surat (second) and Bhopal (third) are the top three municipalities.
• In the municipalities with Less than Million population category of Municipal Performance Index 2020, New Delhi Municipal Council (first), Tirupati (second) and Gandhinagar (third) are the top three municipalities.
• Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said that nearly 31% of India’s population resides in urban areas as per Census 2011.
• 40% or 60 crores of India’s population will reside in urban areas by 2030 and by 2050, this would increase to 50% or 80 crore people.
• Municipal Performance Index examined the sectoral performance of municipalities across five verticals. They comprise of 20 sectors and 100 indicators.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Uttarakhand

6. “Gharoki Paachan, Chelik Naam” programme and development scheme launched by Uttarakhand CM.

• “Gharoki Paachan, Chelik Naam” programme and development scheme has been launched by Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat during a programme organized at TRC Dhartaal.
• The programme is worth Rs 42 crore. “Gharoki Paachan, Chelik Naam” means daughter’s name is a home’s identity.
• As of now, the programme is launched in Nainital only. It will be extended to the whole of Uttarakhand.
• He also spoke about revitalizing and beautification of Sukhataal Lake.
• Uttarakhand:
  • Uttarakhand was carved out of northern Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000 as the 27^th state of India.
  • The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand is Trivendra Singh Rawat and Governor is Baby Rani Maurya. 
  • Its winter capital is Dehradun and its summer capital is Gairsain.

Topic: State News/Jharkhand

7. Outcome-based budget presented by Jharkhand government for the first time. 

• Outcome-based budget has been presented by the Jharkhand government for the first time.
• In this budget, the state government has given specific targets and responsibilities to the eleven departments.
• Finance Minister Rameshwar Oroan tabled Rs. 91, 277 crore budget for 2021-22.
• The budget also announced a “Universal Pension” scheme for all old age, widows, disabled and orphaned.
• As per the announcement made in Budget, a “cremation ground for cows” will be developed in each division of Jharkhand.
• The budget further announced that extra Rs 1200 crore would be allocated for a farm loan waiver scheme in Jharkhand.
• In the budget, the government announced that a State Disaster Response Force would be created in state and public kitchens - Guruji Kitchens would be started in Jharkhand.
• Jharkhand:
  • It is a state of eastern India. It came into existence on 15 November 2000 as the 28^th state of the Union.
  • The capital of Jharkhand is Ranchi. The Governor of Jharkhand is Draupadi Murmu and Chief Minister is Hemant Soren.

Topic: State News/ Odisha

8. Odisha government will conduct a survey on Social, Educational conditions of Backward Classes.

• Odisha government will start a survey on the social and educational conditions of people from backward classes.
• Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes (OSCBC) will conduct the survey from May 1 to May 20 and final data will be released on 11 June.
• Odisha has 209 communities under the socially and educationally backward classes. It comprises around 54 percent population of the state.
• National Commission for Backward Classes is a constitutional body. It is responsible for the protection and welfare of socially and educationally backward classes. NCBC got constitutional status in 2018 by the 102^nd Constitutional amendment.
• Raghunath Biswal is the current chairman of the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes.
• Odisha:
  • It is a state on the Bay of Bengal in the east of India.
  • Odia language is one of the Classical Languages of India.
  • It is famous for the Lingaraja Temple and Jagannath Temple.
  • The Chief Minister is Naveen Patnaik and Governor is Ganeshi Lal.

Topic: National News

9. Western Railway zone introduced a mobile train radio communication (MTRC) system for communication.

• The Western Railway zone of the Indian Railways has introduced the Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) system on 1 March 2021.
• It will facilitate a better communication system between the train crew and the control centre and the station master. It is an effective and advanced method for communication.
• The MTRC system has been incorporated into Indian Railways for the first time. It has been started between Churchgate to Virar section.
• It takes 300 milliseconds to connect a call. It will also provide real-time information about trains through GPS.
• It will help in preventing train accidents and reducing delays through effective communication.
• In this system, a train number or cab number code can be used for communication with Driver and Guard.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Agriculture

10. First consignments of ‘red rice’ flagged off from Assam to the USA.

• The first consignment of ‘red rice’ has been flagged off from Assam to the USA to promote the export of rice.
• Iron rich ‘red rice’ is mainly produced in the area of Brahmaputra valley in Assam. It is produced without using any chemical fertilizer.
• It is known as ‘Bao-dhaan’ in Assam. The export of ‘red rice’ will increase the income of farmers in Assam.
• The government has set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF) to promote the export of rice. It works under the APEDA.
• APEDA: It is a government organization established in 1985. It is responsible for the promotion of the export of agro products.
• India also exports Basmati rice to Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, UK, the USA, etc. India produces 70% of the world’s basmati rice.
• Rice is mainly grown in tropical and subtropical regions. It requires alluvial clayey soil. It is a Kharif crop.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Reports and Indices/ Rankings

11. According to the Food Waste Index Report 2021, more than 930 million tonnes of food get wasted every year.

• As per the Food Waste Index Report 2021, more than 930 million tons of food are thrown away in the dustbin every year.
• According to this UN report, in 2019, around 17% of all food available to consumers was thrown away in waste bins.
• The study reveals that about 11 percent of food gets discarded at the consumption stage of the supply chain and around 2-5 percent of food gets wasted in retail outlets.
• According to this report, food wastage creates environmental, social and economic impacts in the world.
• Reducing food wastage can limit greenhouse gas emissions, enhance food availability, reduce hunger and save money.
• The Food Waste Index Report has been prepared by the UN Environment Programme in association with the organization WRAP.
• Sustainable Development Goals 12.3: It aims to reduce food wastage at retail and consumer levels and minimize food losses along production and supply chains. 

Topic: Awards and Prizes

12. Mohankrishna Bohara will receive Bihari Puraskar 2020.

• Mohankrishna Bohara will receive the Bihari Puraskar for 2020. He will be conferred this award for his book titled ‘Taslima: Sangharsh aur Sahitya’.
• Bihari Puraskar is named after a famous Hindi poet Bihari Lal Chaube. It was instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991.
• It is given every year to a Rajasthani writer for outstanding literary work in Hindi or Rajasthani.
• ‘Rachnakar ka Sankat’ and ‘Samkaleen Kahanikar: Naya Vitan’ are some other famous books of Mohankrishna Bohara.
• The first Bihari Puraskar was awarded to Dr. Jaisingh Neeraj in 1991.