Current Affairs March 2020

NATIONAL

Central Consumer Protection Authority to be established in 2020 April

• Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan announced that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will be set up by the first week of April 2020.
• The CCPA will be established under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.

• The authority will address issues related to consumer rights, unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements. CCPA will be empowered to impose penalties for selling spurious and adulterated products.
• Also, an investigative wing will be formed under the aegis of the authority. It will deal with inquiries that are related to unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements.

India joins Indian Ocean Commission as the fifth Observer

• On March 6, 2020, India joined the Indian Ocean Commission as the fifth observer.

• The other four observers in the grouping are Malta, China, European Union and OIF (International Organization of La Francophonie).

• It is important for India to join as an observer at the Commission because, it will help India in expanding its plans in Western Indian Ocean.

• The Western Indian Ocean strategically connects South Eastern Coast of Africa. However, this move is not connected with the Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean.

• The Indian Ocean Commission was created in 1982 at Port Louis, Mauritius. It comprises of 5 African Indian Ocean Nationsnamely Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros, Reunion (France) and Seychelles.

Centre approved for the construction of Delhi-Baghpat highway

• Centre approved the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to construct the first phase of a new highway at a distance of almost 170km. The highway will connect east Delhi's Akshardham to Uttarakhand's Dehradun.

• The proposed new highway is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi and Dehradun by at least two-and-a-half hours. The estimated time for the project is five years.

• The first phase will connect Akshardham with west Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat by a six-lane highway. It will cover a distance of 32km, out of which 14.7km in Delhi and another 17.5km under the jurisdiction of Uttar Pradesh. It will connect important locations like Loni, Saharanpur, Mohand, and Ganeshpur.

India ranked second as the better-performing countries in the API list

• The international animal welfare charity, World Animal Protection, released the global Animal Protection Index 2020.India has ranked second as the better-performing countries in the Animal Protection Index (API).

• The aim of API is to showcase where countries are doing well, where they fall short on animal welfare policy and legislation, in order to take steps to improve. The index ranks countries from A, being the highest score, to G, being the weakest score.

• India secured a 'C' ranking in the index, along with countries like Spain, New Zealand, Mexico, and France.India has strong laws on the protection of animals, and the welfare of dairy animals is yet to part of any such law. This index highlighted the work that still needs to done to protect every animal.

Parliament passed the Vivad Se Vishwas Bill for settlement of Direct Tax disputes

• Parliament passed the Vivad Se Vishwas Bill for settlement of Direct Tax disputes on 13 March 2020.

• The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha (the lower house) by the Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on 5 February 2020. Lok Sabha passed it on 4 March 2020.

• The Bill aims to extend the scope to cover litigation pending in various debt recovery tribunals (DRTs).

• It will provide an opportunity to settle direct tax disputes within the current financial year by waiving interest and penalty on their pending taxes.

• The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill provides a method for the resolution of pending tax disputes that are related to income tax and corporation tax that involve Rs.9.32 lakh crore.

World Consumer Rights day is observed on 15 March

• The consumer movement marks 15 March with World Consumer Rights Day every year. The day aims to raise global awareness about consumer rights and needs.

• The day aims to demand that the rights of all consumers are respected and protected, and to protest against market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights.

• The observation World Consumer Rights Day was inspired by President John F Kennedy. He sent a special message to the US Congress on 15 March 1962, where he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights.

• He was the first world leader to do so. The consumer movement was first marked in 1983. The day aims to mobilize action on important issues and campaigns.

UNCTAD: India among 15 countries economically affected due to Corona Virus

• The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development recently released a report on the effect of COVID-19 on global economy. According to the report, India was ranked 10th.

• The report says that the slow down in manufacturing sector of China due to the virus, will affect 50 billion USD trade all over the world hitting global value chains greatly.

• Though India will receive 10th largest economic blow in the world due to the virus, its economic slow-down will be low as compared to the other economies.

• In India, the chemical sector is to receive heavy blow followed by textiles, automotive sector, electrical machinery, leather products and metal products.

International Energy Agency: India the third largest producer of Electricity

• On March 19, 2020, the Ministry of Power quoted International Energy Agency ranking in the Parliament.

• According to the ranking, India is the third largest producer of electricity in the world.Also, it is ranked 106th in terms of per capital consumption.

• India has now become power surplus from power deficit. Therefore, it is currently focusing on supply of quality power to consumers.

• Though India has surplus power, the country lacks adequate infrastructure. Still around 136 million Indians use traditional fuels such as agricultural waste, firewood, dry animal dung fuel for cooking and heating needs.

• This affects their health badly. According to WHO, more than 300,000 to 400,000 people in India die due to indoor air pollution.

India, first in the world to start antibody tests for Corona Virus

• India is all set to begin antibody tests to confirm if a person was previously infected with the virus.This will help understand the epidemiology of Covid-19.

• The methodology adopted by India is first in the world. It is a serological test that looks for antibodies in the blood.The test is different from the current methodologies that use nasal or throat swabs to determine active infection.

• The test determines if the person had viral infections based on the presence of antibodies in their blood. The antibody test is not a confirmatory test. However, it is a test for the purpose of surveillance.

• So far, ICMR has conducted tests on random samples and no community transmission has begun in India. However, experts believe that there are possibilities for India to enter into community transmission stage.

India-Japan sign Rs 15,295 crores rail project

• On March 27, 2020, the JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency), a funding agency of the Japanese Government signed an agreement with GoI for 3 mega rail infrastructure projects. The project cost has been estimated as Rs 15,295 crores.

• According to the agreements, Rs 8,553 crores have been granted by the JICA for phase I of the Dedicated Freight Corridors to be constructed in India.

• Also, JICA has granted Rs 4,262 crores for the Mumbai-Trans Harbour link project. Around Rs 2,480 crores have been granted for the Mumbai Metro Line Project.

INTERNATIONAL

Luxembourg: The First Country in the World to provide Free Public Transport

• Luxembourg in Europe has become the first country to make all forms of public transport free. It is the second smallest country in the European Union.

• Around 0.2 million passengers travel to Luxembourg from its neighbouring countries such as Belgium, France and Germany for work. Also, it has the highest car density in European Union.

• According to European Commission Statistical Wing, Luxembourg had 670 cars per 1000 people.

• The capital of the country also called Luxembourg was the 53rd most congested city in the world according to 2020 Traffic Index. People in the city lost 163 useful hours to traffic. It will also help reduce pollution to great extent.

New Hanta Virus Emerges in China after COVID-19

• A man in Yunnan Province of China has tested positive for Hanta Virus.

• He died shortly after he was tested positive for the virus on March 23, 2020. The symptoms of Hanta Virus are similar to that of the Corona Virus.

• The Hanta Virus, also called the Orthohanta virus spreads through rats. It causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome according to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

• It transits through urine, droppings, saliva of rodents. The virus enters humans through their nose, mouth or eyes.

Saudi Arabia to provide uninterrupted LPG supply to India

• The Union Minister of Oil Dharmendra Pradhan said that Saudi Arabia has announced to provide uninterrupted liquid petroleum gas (LPG) supplies to India.

• On 29 March, he discussed global oil market developments with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Aramco's Chief Executive Amin Nasser.

• Saudi Arabia the LPG supplies to support the domestic requirement in India. On 27 March, two Indian refiners were declared force majeure on crude purchases from the Middle East as the fuel demand dived due to the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

STATES IN NEWS

Maharashtra approved renaming Mumbai Central Terminus station as Nana Shankarseth Terminus Station

• The Maharashtra state cabinet government approved the renaming Mumbai Central Terminus station as Nana Shankarseth Terminus Station or Jagannath Sunkersett.

• The proposal will be sent to the Ministry of Railways for its approval. The proposal was initiated by the transport ministry headed by Anil Parab.

• Jagannath Sunkersett was born on 10 February 1803 in Mumbai. He was a very reliable businessman.

• He was one of the first directors of India's first railway company. Along with Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, Sunkersett founded the Indian Railway Association in 1845.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as CM of Madhya Pradesh

• BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on 23 March for a fourth term.

• The oath office was administered by the Governor of Madhya Pradesh Lalji Tandon. He was nominated by the outgoing leader of opposition Gopal Bhargava and supported by former minister Narottam Mishra, Meena Singh of the State.

• The outgoing CM Kamal Nath resigned on 20 March after 22 Congress MLAs resigned and joined the BJP.It pushed his government into a minority. The cabinet expansion will happen after voting for the Rajya Sabha elections.

• Shivraj Chouhan is the 32nd Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Chouhan represents Budhni constituency in Sehore district. In 1990, he was first elected to the State Assembly from Budhni Constituency.

SPORTS

Mexican Open 2020

• Rafael Nadal won the Mexican Open 2020 championship at Acapulco. He defeated Taylor Fritz to claim the title. With this win, he defeated the World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the ATP Rankings.

• 2020 Mexican Open is the 27th edition of the men's Mexican Open and 20th for the women.

• The tournament is a part of the 2020 ATP Tour. The championship was held at Princess Mundo Imperial from 22-29 February 2020.

• Men's Singles: Rafael Nadal (Spain),Women's Singles: Heather Watson (Britain) Men's Doubles: Marcelo Melo (Brazil), Łukasz Kubot (Poland),Women's Doubles: Giuliana Olmos (Mexico), Desirae Krawczyk (US).

Mumbai to host 2023 IOC session

• Mumbai will be hosting the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) session in 2023. The announcement was passed by IOC president Thomas Bach.

• The committee chose India to encourage and support the National Olympic Committee of India and all the National Federations to promote and strengthen Olympic sport in the country. The decision by IOC committee is yet to be ratified at the 136th IOC session in Tokyo in July 2020

• Also, the year 2023 will be a significant year for India as it coincides with the 75th anniversary of Indian independence. India last hosted an IOC session in 1983 in New Delhi.

Australia wins India by 85 runs at Women’s Twenty20 World Cup

• On the eve of Women’s Day, the final match of T20 (Twenty 20) was held at Melbourne, Australia. India lost the T20 world cup to Australia.

• The T20 was first introduced in 2003 in England. A T20 match is completed in 90 minutes.The break between the innings is 10 minutes. The T20 is conducted by ICC (International Cricket Council) once in 2 years.The International Cricket Council is the governing body cricket matches. It was founded in 1909.

• The Council organizes events such as ICC T20 world cup, Women’s cricket world cup, ICC Champions Trophy, Under-19 Cricket World Cup, etc.

Sunil Chhetri, Indian Football team Captain named for FIFA’s COVID-19 Campaign

• Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has been picked among 28 players for the world governing body FIFA's campaign to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

• He has been selected along with Lionel Messi, Philip Lahm, Iker Casillas, and Carles Puyol.

• FIFA and the World Health Organization (WHO) have partnered to combat the coronavirus and launched 'Pass the message to kick out coronavirus', a new awareness campaign, led by world-renowned footballers.

• The campaign urges people to follow five key steps to stop the spread of the disease.The five key steps as per the WHO guidance, is hand washing, coughing etiquette, not touching your face, physical distance and staying home if feeling unwell.

SCIENCE

Astronomers discovered 17 new planets

• Columbia researchers have discovered 17 new planets by combing through data gathered by NASA's Kepler space telescope.

• The planets include a potentially habitable Earth-sized world. The researchers looked for planets, especially those lying in the potentially habitable "Goldilocks Zone" of their stars, where liquid water could exist on a rocky planet's surface.

• Over 16 new planets were discovered. The smallest is only two- thirds the size of the Earth one of the smallest planets to be found with Kepler data so far. The remaining planets range in size up to eight times the size of the Earth.

• The current findings include a rare planet named KIC-7340288 b. The planet is located about a thousand light-years away.

Chandrayaan-III mission to be launched in first half of 2021

• The Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that ISRO's Chandrayaan-III would be launched in the first half of 2021. A slight delay might happen in the launching of the third moon mission.

• Chandrayaan-III mission was configured based on the lessons learnt from Chandrayaan-

II. The revised configuration is expected to take care of the robustness in design, capacity enhancement for mission flexibility.

• It retains the heritage of Chandrayaan-II. In 2019, Chandrayaan-II spacecraft hard-landed on the lunar surface. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had then resolved to launch the project.

UAHS develops Sahyadri Megha, a new red variety of paddy

• The University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences (UAHS) of Shivamogga developed 'Sahyadri Megha,' a new red variety of paddy, as a part of its initiative to prevent a decline in the area under paddy cultivation. The new red variety of paddy is resistant to blast disease and is rich in nutrients.

• Sahyadri Megha variety of paddy is developed under the hybridization breeding method by crossing Jyothi variety with Akkalu, a native disease-resistant, and protein-rich paddy variety.

• The research work for the development of high-level resistance to blast disease was commenced in 2009.The new variety of paddy was approved by the State-level Seed Sub-Committee. The new variety will be made available for farmers from the coming Kharif season.

• The aroma and taste of the new variety paddy was verified and found satisfying.The new variety of paddy will be notified under the Indian Seed Act 1966, and it will become a part of the seed chain.

INST Scientists develops calcium-modified carboxymethyl-starch to stop rapid blood loss

• Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) have developed a starch-based 'hemostat' material, named calcium-modified carboxymethyl-starch, that can stop life-threatening bleeding after a serious injury.

• The Hemostat material is a biodegradable microparticles. It concentrates the natural clotting factors in blood by physically absorbing excess fluid.

• The microparticles were prepared by modifying some of the chemical hydroxyl groups on starch to carboxymethyl groups and incorporating the beneficial calcium ions.

• This combination increases the aggregation of red blood cells (RBCs) and platelets and speeds up the activation to generate the fibrin protein network that forms a stable blood clot.

GoI develops new biofortified high protein wheat variety

• The scientists of Agharkar Research Institute (Pune), operating under Department of Science and Technology (DST) have developed biofortified high quality wheat. The new variety is MACS 4028.

• The new wheat variety has 14.7% better nutritional quality, 40.3 ppm of iron content and high milling quality.

• The new variety is semi-dwarf and matures in 102 days. Also, it has high yielding ability of 19.3 quintals per hectare.

• The MACS 4028 was supported by UNICEF funds to alleviate malnutrition in India. Now the new wheat variety will help boost Vision 2022 of India which is, “Kuposhan Mukt Bharat” (National Nutrition Strategy).

ARMY

Indian Army launched Operation Namaste

• Indian Army has launched an initiative christened 'Operation Namaste' to extend all possible assistance to the government in containing the spread of coronavirus.

• The operation was launched by Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on 27 March.

• Under the operation, the Indian Army has issued several directives to all its bases to insulate the force from the coronavirus.The army has set up a command-wise helpline as part of measures to deal with any possible eventualities arising out of the pandemic.

• The army has set up 28 service hospitals to deal with coronavirus cases including civilian patients.Isolation wards are being established at hospitals in formations along the border areas besides launching communication campaigns for the soldiers and officials.

AWARDS

Assam CM awarded 2020 Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee award

• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was conferred the Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee award 2020 for Politics on 28 February.

• The award was conferred by the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Speaker of People's Majlis of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed at the 6th India Ideas Conclave in Gujarat.

• He was awarded for his work in integrating the nation and to take Mukherjee's vision and philosophy forward.

• Syama Prasad Mukherjee was born on 6 July 1901. He served as the youngest ever Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University. He is the first Minister of Industry and Supply in independent India. In 1946, he demanded the partition of Bengal to prevent the inclusion of its Hindu-majority areas in a Muslim-dominated East Pakistan.

President Ram Nath Kovind conferred 2019 Nari Shakti Puraskar

• President Ram Nath Kovind presented Nari Shakti Puraskar or Woman Power Award for the year 2019 on International Women's Day, which is March 8, at a special ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

• 15 eminent women were awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2019. The award recognized the significant efforts of the women who rendered distinguished services towards the emancipation of women, especially vulnerable and marginalized women.

• The winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2019 are from various areas, including agriculture, sports, handicrafts, afforestation and wildlife conservation, Armed Forces, and education.

• The awardees are Padala Bhudevi, Bina Devi, Arifa Jan, Chami Murmu, Nilza Wangmo, Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Sardarni Mann Kaur, Kalavati Devi, Tashi, and Nungshi Malik, Kaushiki Chakroborty, Bhageerathi Amma, Karthyayini Amma, Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawna Kanth, Mohana Singh.

PV Sindhu was awarded the 2019 BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year

• Top Indian shuttler PV Sindhu won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2019.

• The award ceremony was hosted by BBC Director-General Tony Hall. Also, Veteran athlete PT Usha was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. She was awarded for her contribution to Indian sports and for inspiring generations of players.

• PV Sindhu became the first Indian to win the BWF World Championships in the year 2019. She has secured five world championship medals. She is the first Indian singles badminton player to win an Olympic silver medal.

• She competed with four other strong nominees, namely Mary Kom (boxing), Vinesh Phogat (wrestling), Dutee Chand (athletics), and Manasi Joshi (para-badminton).

APPOINTMENTS

Bimal Julka was sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner on 5 March

• The former Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Secretary Bimal Julka was sworn in as the next Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) on 5 March.

• The oath of office was administered by President Ram Nath Kovind. Bimal Julka was chosen by a high-level selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• Bimal Julka is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who served as an Information Commissioner. He will fill the vacancy created by incumbent Sudhir Bhargava, who retired earlier 2020.

• Central Information Commission was formed on 12 October 2005. CIC was constituted under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It has jurisdiction over all central public authorities.

Lt Gen KJS Dhillon to assume charge as Director General of DIA

• Lt Gen KJS Dhillon is appointed as the Director-General Defence Intelligence Agency (DG DIA) and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Intelligence) (DCIDS) on 9 March.

• The department functions under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in the newly created Department of Military Affairs. He will assume the charge soon.

• Lt Gen Dhillon is 57-year-old age. He is from the 1983 batch of the Indian Military Academy. He served at the strategic XV Corps of Army in 2019 and handed over the charge of XV Corps to Lt Gen BS Raju.

• Upon the recommendations of a Group of Ministers, which looked into lapses leading to the Kargil intrusion in 1999, DIA was established in 2002.

Eric Horvitz appointed as CSO of Microsoft

• Microsoft has appointed Eric Horvitz as its first-ever Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

• He will provide cross-company leadership on advances and trends on scientific matters and on issues and opportunities arising at the intersection of technology people and society.

• The team under Horvitz will advise the company on its scientific directions and capabilities, including standing up new initiatives, providing guidance on company priorities, and assessing important areas for investment in science and technology.

• Horvitz who joined Microsoft in 1993. He was a Technical Fellow and Director at Microsoft's Research Labs. He has co-chaired the company's Artificial Intelligence and Ethics in Engineering and Research (AETHER) Committee.

Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha

• Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha on 19 March 2020.

• He was nominated by President Ram Nath Kovind. His nomination to the upper house was made against the vacancy created due to the retirement of senior lawyer KTS Tulsi.

• Ranjan Gogoi was retired on 17 November 2019. He is the first person from the northeast region to reach the top of the judiciary. He served as the Judge of Gauhati High Court from 28 February 2001 to 8 September 2010.

• He then served as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court on 12 February 2011. In 2012, he served as the Judge of the Supreme Court of India. On 3 October 2018, he replaced Justice Dipak Misra as CJI.

Google appointed Karan Bajwa as MD of Google Cloud in India

• Google appointed Karan Bajwa as Managing Director (MD) of Google Cloud in India.

• He will advise Google Cloud's work with the local developer ecosystem and India-based Global System Integrators (GSIs). Google Cloud's field sales, partner, and customer engineering organizations in India will report to Bajwa.

• He will be responsible for driving all revenue and go-to-market operations for Google Cloud's extensive solution portfolio that includes Google Cloud Platform and G Suite in the country.

• Karan Bajwa is a senior leader with over three decades of leadership experience. He recently served as MD for India and South Asia for IBM.

IMPORTANT DATES

World Defence Day is celebrated on 1 March

• World Defence Day is celebrated on 1 March 2020. The day is observed to raise awareness of public protection from natural and technogenic disasters and rescue service work.

• World Civil Defense Day was instituted by the International Civil Defense Organization (ICDO) General Assembly in 1990.

• It commemorates the day when the ICDO Constitution came into force as an intergovernmental organization in 1972.

• ICDO was established by French Surgeon-General George Saint-Paul in 1931 in Paris. It was recognized by the French Parliament in June 1935 and in 1972 it achieved the status of an intergovernmental organization.

World Wildlife Day is observed on 3 March

• World Wildlife Day is observed on 3 March. The day aims to celebrate beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora. It raises awareness to conserve wildlife.

• The theme of 2020 World Wildlife Day is "Sustaining all life on Earth". The theme encompasses all wild animal and plant species as a component of biodiversity and the livelihoods of people.
• The observation aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 12, 14 and 15. It focuses to ensure sustainable use of resources, and on conserving life both on land and below water to stop biodiversity loss.

• The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP16) held in Bangkok passed a resolution and designated 3 March as the World Wildlife Day
• National Security Day is observed on 4 March

• National Security Day or Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas is observed on 4 March every year in India.

• The day aims to appreciate the work of security forces as they play a major role in maintaining the peace and security of the people in the country. On this day, the leaders, officials, and people pay homage to the soldiers who died while saving the country.

• The day promotes the security forces that continuously work for the nation. It aims to remind the people about the personal duties of the security forces towards the country.

• National Security Day is observed on 4th March as the day marks the day of establishment of the National Security Council (NSC) of India.

• The day aims to spread the Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE) movement to various parts of the country.
• March 7: Jan Aushadhi Diwas

• On January 7, 2020, Jan Aushadi Diwas is to be celebrated. The day is being celebrated to commemorate the achievements of Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadi Pariyojana.

• PM Modi is to interact with seven Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Pariyojana Kendras as a part of celebration of the day.The Prime Minister is to interact with seven Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Pariyojana Kendras through video conferencing.

• The Kendras are the biggest retail pharma chain in the world. They are spread across 700 districts.There are more than 6,200 such Kendras in India.

• The basic aim of the scheme is to create awareness about Generic medicines. Generic Medicines are unbranded medicines that are equally safe.They are much cheaper than the branded ones.

International Women Day 2020 observed on March 8th

• International Women’s Day is observed every year on March 8 to celebrate the women’s movement and struggle for equality.Theme:I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights.

• To bring together people of every gender, age, ethnicity, race, religion, and country in a bid to drive actions that will lead to a gender-equal world we all deserve.

• Women still refused to primary education and healthcare. They receive less pay for equal work. Men and boys, on the other hand, are victims of oppressive masculinity and are made to feel entitled to decide for the women in their life.

• The women’s day will be celebrated in the wake of the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is termed by the UN Women as the most visionary agenda for women’s rights and empowerment everywhere.

World Kidney Day is observed on 12 March

• World Kidney Day is observed on 12 March. It is celebrated on the second Thursday of March every year.

• The day aims to create awareness and educate people about the importance of kidneys to overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and associated health problems worldwide. As a part of the 2020 campaign, the #MyGr8Rule challenge was launched on 8 February.

• The theme of the 2020 World Kidney day is "Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere– from Prevention to Detection and Equitable Access to Care."

• The theme stresses the need to strive for kidney health for everyone everywhere. The theme also highlights to focus on the importance of preventive interventions to avert the onset and progression of kidney disease.

• The day highlights that diabetes and high blood pressure are key risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD). It encourages the systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD.

International Pi Day is observed on 14 March

• International Pi (π) day is observed on 14 March. The day was chosen as 3, 1, and 4, which are the first three significant digits of π.

• Pi is one of the most well-known mathematical constants. It is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

• It is represented by the lower-case Greek letter π. For any circle, the distance around the edge is a little more than three times the distance across. The irrational number is most often approximated with the decimal 3.14 or the fraction 22/7.

• Pi has been known for almost 4000 years. Mathematicians started to use the Greek letter π in the 1700s. It was introduced by William Jones in 1706. The use of the symbol was popularized by Leonhard Euler, who adopted it in 1737.

President nominated former CJI Ranjan Gogoi to Rajya Sabha

• Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi was nominated to Rajya Sabha on 16 March 2020.

• He was nominated by President Ram Nath Kovind. His nomination to the upper house was made against the vacancy created due to the retirement of senior lawyer KTS Tulsi. There are 11 other nominated members in the Rajya Sabha.

• Ranjan Gogoi was retired on 17 November 2019. He is the first person from the northeast region to reach the top of the judiciary.

• He served as the Judge of Gauhati High Court from 28 February 2001 to 8 September 2010. In September 2010, he was appointed as the Judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Ordnance Factory Day was observed on 18 March

• The Ordnance Factory Day is observed on the 18 March. The Ordnance Factories are observing their 219th foundation day this year.

• The day marks the establishment of the first Ordnance Factory on 18 March 1801. The first factory is known as the 'Gun and Shell Factory' at Cossipore in Kolkata.

• The Ordnance Factories are a conglomerate of 41 ordnance factories. It functions under the aegis of its corporate headquarters Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), in Kolkata.

• In 1712, the Dutch Ostend Company's Gun Powder Factory at Ichhapur was established. It came with a new effect on 2 April 1979. It is headquartered at Kolkata, West Bengal.

• The Indian Ordnance Factories organization is a family of 41 Ordnance Factories. It possesses 200 years of experience in defence production.

World Sparrow Day is observed on 20 March

• 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.

• The theme for the 2020 World Sparrow Day is 'I Love Sparrow.' The day aims to teach the public about the threat of polluted urban environments and non-caring humans to the house sparrow population and to other common bird species.
• The World Sparrow Day was initiated by the founder of The Nature Forever Society, Mohammed Dilawar. He also started many projects, including the BiodiverCity Photo Competition, the annual Sparrow Awards, Project Save Our Sparrows, and the Common Bird Monitoring of India program.

International Day of Forests observed on 21 March

• United Nations celebrates International Day of Forest on March 21. The Day is celebrated since 2012. To increase awareness and importance of forests.

• Theme: Forests and Biodiversity.

• March 21 has chosen to mark the international day of forests as it is the Vernal Equinox in the northern hemisphere and autumnal equinox.

• The organizers are the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with Governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organizations in the field.

March 22: World Water Day

• Every year since 1993, World Water Day is being celebrated on March 22.It is being celebrated to spread the importance of fresh water.

• The day is celebrated by United Nations as well along with various other organizations all over the world.

• The main purpose of World Water Day is to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6. This includes Water and Sanitation for all by 2030.

• By 2050, more than 5.7 billion people are to live in areas where is to go scarce. The water demand all over the world is to increase by 50% by 2040. Therefore, it is important to mark more such events that aims at conserving water.

Shaheedi Diwas was observed in India on 23 March

• Shaheedi Diwas (Martyrs' Day) was observed in India on 23 March.

• The day is observed every year. On this day, the martyrs who laid out their lives for the country and its Independence are remembered. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to the Martyrs on this day.

• Shaheedi Diwas pays tribute to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru, who died on 23 March 23 in 1931.

• Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru mistook John Saunder for British police superintendent James Scott and assassinated John Saunders, a British police officer in 1928.

World Tuberculosis Day is observed on 24 March

• World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed on 24 March.

• The aim is to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social, and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

• The theme of the 2020 World Tuberculosis Day is "It's time."

• The theme aims to scale up access to prevention and treatment, build accountability, ensure sufficient and sustainable financing including for research, promote an end to stigma and discrimination, and promote an equitable, rights-based, and people-centered TB response.

PERSON IN NEWS

Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as the 8th PM of Malaysia

• Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia.
• He emerged as a frontrunner for the top job at the end of February. But Mahathir Mohamad claimed he was the one with enough support to form a government and would prove it with a vote in Parliament.
• Muhyiddin Yassin was the Minister of Home Affairs under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
• He unexpectedly resigned from the job. His resignation caused a plunged Malaysia into a political crisis. Muhyiddin served as the deputy prime minister under Najib Razak.