Test: March 2021 Weekly Current Affair - 1 - UPSC MCQ

India received the highest ever Foreign Direct Investments of over USD 67 billion for the first nine months of a financial year, last year.

An estimated 931 million tonnes of food were wasted globally in 2019, enough to circle the Earth seven times, according to a UN report which said that household food waste in India is about 68.7 million tonnes a year.

Russia has successfully launched its first satellite to monitor the Arctic’s climate and environment, the country’s space corporation Roscosmos.
A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the “Arktika-M” satellite on board blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Rare Disease Day (RDD) has been held annually on the last day of February (28 Feb 2021) to spread awareness about rare diseases, and the need for us to act now to recognise these diseases sooner . The theme of this year’s Rare Disease Day is telehealth.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the virtual India Toy Fair 2021 via video conference. Participants from Bihar have come up with traditional doll making art like Kaniya-Putri which is an important part of folk-culture in the state.

India’s and Asia’s first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come up on the bank of the Ganges in the premises of Patna University.

The All India Football Federation confirmed Odisha as the venue for the 2020-21 edition of the Indian Women’s League. The dates of the tournament will be announced soon.

Australian conservationists unveiled plans to build the world’s first refuge for the platypus, to promote breeding and rehabilitation as the duck-billed mammal faces extinction due to climate change.

Mr. Jaideep Bhatnagar has taken over as Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau. He takes over from Mr Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia who has superannuated.

Bengaluru topped the list of 111 cities in the government’s ‘Ease of Living Index’, followed by Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Coimbatore and Vadodara.
Shimla was ranked top in the category of cities with ‘population less than million’.
New Delhi Municipal Council topped the ‘Municipal Performance Index’ list in the ‘less than million population’ category.
Indore was ranked top on the ‘Municipal Performance Index’ list in the million-plus population category.

According to the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject, as many as 25 courses offered by Indian universities have been featured in the top 100 globally while 12 Indian institutions have made it to the top 100.
12 institutions which made to the top 12 include IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IISC Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, JNU, Anna University, University of Delhi, and OP Jindal University.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA have retained its position as number 1.

Map my India has integrated with India’s official vaccination registration website, cowin.gov.in. The second phase of Covid-19 vaccine started and registrations are now open via the Aarogya Setu app and the official website.

China regained its position as India’s top trade partner in 2020, as New Delhi’s reliance on imported machines outweighed its efforts to curb commerce with Beijing after a bloody border conflict.

Six-time world champion pugilist Mary Kom has been appointed as the Chairperson of the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) champions and veterans committee.

Telangana Grameena Bank (TGB) and Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) have become the first among RRBs in the country who have launched digital savings account opening facility through Video-Know Your Customer (KYC).

The World Bank plans to introduce a $100-million credit guarantee scheme to boost India’s rooftop solar programme, which has not gained enough traction.
The World Bank scheme, along with State Bank of India (SBI) and the MSME ministry to accelerate adoption of rooftop solar units, will help MSMEs access credit of around $1 billion.

National Science Day is celebrated every year on February 28. This day recalls the notable invention “Raman Effect” by India’s greatest scientist C V Raman.
The theme for National Science Day 2021 is “Future of STI: Impacts on Education, Skills, and Work”.

The World Customs Organisation recognised Central Revenues Control Laboratory CRCL, New Delhi as a regional customs laboratory for Asia Pacific. The CRCL is working under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, CBIC.

Aditya Birla Insurance has launched a health policy offering up to 100 per cent return of the premium if the customer did not make a claim in earlier years.
The offering is a new version of its existing Activ Health policy that provides a comprehensive health protection with extensive wellness benefits.

Unified Payments Interface or UPI has registered 2.29 billion transactions worth over 4 lakh 25 thousand crore rupees in the last month.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated a programme in Nainital district under which nameplates of homes will feature the names of daughters in the family.
While the programme in Pauri Garhwal was called ‘Ghaur ki pachyan, Nauni ku Nau’, the one launched in Nainital is named ‘Gharaiki Pehchand Chelik Naam’. Both mean ‘Identity of the house, in the name of the daughter’.

Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate for the first time in Exercise Desert Flag which is beginning in Al-Dhafra airbase in UAE.

The U.N. General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution sponsored by India and supported by over 70 nations declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets, aimed at raising awareness about the health benefits of the grain and their suitability for cultivation under changing climatic conditions.

World Civil Defence Day is observed on March 1 annually, across the world. The theme of World Civil Defence Day 2021-Civil Defence and the first aider in every home.

India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has upgraded its FY21 credit growth estimates to 6.9 per cent from 1.8 per cent, given the improved economic environment in 2H FY21 and the government’s focus on higher — spending especially on infrastructure.