Daily Current Affairs MCQ - March 22, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain' campaign on World Water Day i.e. on 22nd March 2021.

• The Campaign will be undertaken across the country, in both rural and urban areas, with the theme "catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls".

• It will be implemented from 22nd March 2021 to 30th November, 2021 - the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country.

• It will be launched as a Jan Andolan to take water conservation at grass-root level through people's participation.

• It is intended to nudge all stakeholders to create rainwater harvesting structures suitable to the climatic conditions and subsoil strata, to ensure proper storage of rainwater.

• After the event, Gram Sabhas will be held in all Gram Panchayats of each district (except in the poll bound states) to discuss issues related to water and water conservation. Gram Sabhas will also take 'Jal Shapath' for water conservation.

Memorandum of Agreement between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first Project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers, will take place on 22nd March 2021.

• This Project involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project.

• It will provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh ha, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.

• The Project will be of immense benefit to the water starved region of Bundelkhand, especially to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.

'Valuing Water' is the theme for 2021's World Water Day.

• World Water Day is an annual UN observance day (22 March) that highlights the importance of fresh water.

• The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

• The theme of each day focuses on topics relevant to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), which is in line with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6.

• The UN World Water Development Report (WWDR) is released each year around World Water Day.

• UN-Water is the convener for World Water Day.

• The idea for a World Water Day was put forward in 1992, at the Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

The United Nations observes March 21 as the International Day of Forests, commemorating the green cover around the world and reiterating its importance.

• The theme of the International Day of Forests for 2021 is "Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being".

• The theme of the International Day of Forests for 2021 is "Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being".

• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012.

• The Day is celebrated by 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 organisations in the field.

The Philippines government has claimed that around 220 Chinese boats have been spotted at a reef in the South China Sea waters controlled by Manila.

• It urged China to recall the boats saying the presence of the vessels violated Manila's maritime rights by encroaching into the Philippines' sovereign territory.

• The boats are believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel. The boats were spotted on March 7 at the Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef

Union Environment Minister has said that the new Nagar Van Scheme will help in creation of Urban forests in the cities.

• The scheme will also fill the gap between the cities and villages in terms of having their own forest cover. He cited India's age old tradition of developing and caring for village forests in the vicinity of almost every rural patch.

• Under the Nagar Van Scheme , Urban forests will be developed in 200 cities in its first phase.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha.

• The bill seeks to establish the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development.

• Its objective is to support the development of long-term non-recourse infrastructure financing in India including development of the bonds and derivatives markets necessary for infrastructure financing and to carry on the business of financing infrastructure.

1. World Sparrow Day was observed on March 20. Every year March 20 is observed as World Sparrow Day to raise awareness about the bird.

2. The need for marking this day was felt due to the tremendous decrease in its population. The house sparrow is on the verge of extinction.

3. The initiative was started by Nature Forever Society (NFS) of India, founded by Mohammed Dilawar, an Indian conservationist.

   • He started his work helping the house sparrow in Nashik.

   • He was also named one of the Heroes of the Environment for 2008 by Time magazine for his efforts.

4. The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 in different parts of the world.

The birth anniversary of world-famous shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan was observed on March 21, 2021.

• Khan's contributions in taking Shehnai to a global stage is unparalleled.

• Bismillah Khan's first big break came with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938.

• It was Ustad 'Bismillah" Khan Who also played the Shehnai at the first Republic Day celebration in 1950.

• Bismillah Khan was the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America.

• He was conferred upon national awards like the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan for his immense contribution to the field of music. In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan was awarded India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna.

Union Minister of Science & technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the new Advanced High Resolution Microscopy Facility at National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI).

• He also Unveiled the 4 Star GRIHA Certification of Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB) Lab and Admin Building at Mohali in Punjab.

• Both NABI & CIAB are autonomous institutes under Dept. of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology.

• National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) is the first Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, established in India on 18th February 2010. It is located in Mohali, Punjab