Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 31 March 2021

::NATIONAL::

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' inaugurated the Center for Happiness at IIM, Jammu

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Tuesday inaugurated "Anandam: The Center for Happiness" at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Jammu virtually and said incorporating happiness in the academic curriculum is crucial towards empowering our nation.
Speaking on the occasion Pokhriyal congratulated IIM Jammu for the new venture and defined the need for "Anandam: The Center for Happiness", and said that incorporating happiness in the academic curriculum of students is a very crucial step towards empowering our nation.
He explained how Anandam: The Center for happiness aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 that aims to transform India's education system by 2021. He concluded his speech by encouraging other institutions of the country to have their own centre for happiness, to help students live a stress-free life.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan Inaugurates Alignment and Awareness Event for Publicity of DSIR-PRISM Scheme

Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan toady virtually inaugurated Alignment and Awareness Event for Publicity of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research - Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Startups and MSMEs (DSIR-PRISM) scheme at IIT Delhi here.
Union Minister of State for Education, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Sanjay Dhotre was the Guest of Honour on this occasion.
Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “‘PRISM’ scheme of the DSIR has been instrumental in supporting individual innovators enabling inclusive development of India. It is interesting to note that PRISM extends its support to any citizen of the country through direct benefit transfer in the core technology areas such as Affordable Healthcare, Water, Sewage Management, Green Technology, Clean Energy, Industrially Utilizable Smart Materials, Waste to Wealth aligned with our National objectives. It is also appreciable that the Intellectual Property (IP) belongs to the innovators. The innovation movement by DSIR-PRISM making synergy with three National Initiatives like Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, Smart India Hackathon and Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) is unique”.
The minister added, “It has been noticed that many innovators have graduated as successful entrepreneurs through this scheme and many of them have made extreme socio-economic or techno commercial impact. I am hopeful the concept of alignment of PRISM with three major national initiatives will give a concrete direction for DSIR-PRISM to make way-forward towards the dream of Hon’ble PM i.e. Unnat Bharat and AatmaNirbhar Bharat.”
Speaking on this occasion, Shri Sanjay Dhotre said, “Knowledge Sharing, Participatory Approach and Convergence are ethos of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. There is a network of 2778 Participating Institutes with 14000+ villages being adopted till date, 35 states/UTs covered.189 Technological Interventions have been made by the Participating Institutions till now and many more are in line. For generation of rural livelihood and development, MoUs have been signed between Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, CSIR, TRIFED, VIBHA and NECTAR. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan has also collaborated with other schemes like RuTAG, PradhanMantriAdarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) etc to generate rural livelihood and socio-economic benefit.”

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::International::

India, Bangladesh to aid South Asia's 'historical growth' by 2022: World Bank

Returning to a high growth path will be the easy part for South Asian economies led by India, which confront much harder challenges in the form of increased inequalities and reduced access to education in the wake of the pandemic, according to the World Bank.
The region is expected to grow by 7.2% this year after contracting an estimated 5.4% in 2020, the development lender said in a report Wednesday. That expansion will be powered by India and Bangladesh, helping South Asia regain its historical growth rate by 2022, it said.
The success of South Asian nations in containing virus caseloads through lockdowns and other curbs and a combination of fiscal and monetary policy support helped improve the economic outlook for the region. But the recovery remains fragile and masks long-terms risks, the World Bank warned.

::Economy::

Centre approves issuance of 16th tranche of electoral bonds

Amid the ongoing Assembly elections in four states and a Union territory, the Ministry of Finance has informed that the issuance of the 16th tranche of electoral bonds will be open for sale from April 1 to 10.
Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency in political funding.
Only the political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act and which secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last General Election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State will be eligible to receive the electoral bonds.

World Bank projects a range for India growth—between 7.5% and 12.5%

In a sign of all-around uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Bank has, in a rare development, opted to project India’s economic growth in 2021-2022 fiscal as a broad range from 7.5% to 12.5% and not one number as it does normally.
It might be slightly above 10, a top World Bank official told reporters when pressed to guess a figure at a briefing Tuesday.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected India’s economy will grow by 11.5% over 2021 and 6.8% over 2022, painting a rosier picture.
“Given the significant uncertainty pertaining to both epidemiological and policy developments, real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth for FY21/22 can range from 7.5 to 12.5 percent, depending on how the ongoing vaccination campaign proceeds.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

NAL rolls out 2-seater trainer aircraft HANSA-NG

CSIR’s Bengaluru based research lab National Aerospace Laboratories rolled out a two seater trainer aircraft HANSA-NG that is developed by it.
HANSA-New Generation swadeshi trainer aircraft is retro-modified with a glass cockpit, bubble canopy design, IFR compliant avionics with smart multi-functional displays, efficient digitally controlled Rotax 912 ISC engine that gives the aircraft superior performance, range and endurance.
A MOU was signed today between NAL and Indira Gandhi RashtriyaUran Academy to purchase five HANSA NG aircraft on this occasion.
The Director of NAL Jitendra J Jadhav informed that they have received Letter of Intent from various flying schools across the country to purchase 30 HANSA- NG trainer aircraft.

::Sports::

India move to 7th position on ICC WC Super League standings

India moved up to seventh position on the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Men's Cricket World Cup Super League standings after their seven-run win over England in the third ODI. The victory helped India seal a 2-1 win over England in the series.
Despite the loss, England remain the top-ranked team in the standings with 40 points. England have played nine matches in the league out of which they have won four and lost five. India, on the other hand, have played six matches, winning three and losing as many. While England are on 40 points, India are on 29.
The Super League started on July 30, 2020 with England's three-match series against Ireland. It includes the 12 full members of the ICC along with the Netherlands, who won the 2015-17 ICC World Cricket League Championship to qualify for the competition.