Weekly CA Quiz: March 2021 1st week

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.

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”.

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C51 (PSLV-C51) rocket loaded with 19 satellites from Brazil, USA and India lifted off from the rocket port at Sriharikota successfully. After four stages of separation, the rocket launched Brazil’s 637 kilogram Amazonia 1 satellite, its primary passenger.
Later after a gap of more than an hour it launched the remaining 18 passenger satellites. This is the first commercial mission of New space India limited.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has won the gold medal in the women’s 53-kg category at XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The Sports Ministry has restored the recognition of the faction-ridden Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) after 10 years, taking into records Sudhir Mittal’s election as president in the polls held in November 2019. The recognition has been granted for the period till 31st December 2021.

Reserve Bank of India notified that it has included Fino Payments Bank in the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

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.

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.

Government has decided to form Centre of Excellence in gaming and other related areas in collaboration with IIT Bombay.

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.

Minister for Social justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot virtually launch “Sugamya Bharat App” and a handbook entitled “Access – The Photo Digest”.
It provides for five main features of which four are directly related to enhancing accessibility.

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

Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina inaugurated Bhabhatron-II, an advanced digital cobalt therapy machine at the Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona Hospital (HJRA) in Antananarivo in the presence of Public Health Professor Jean Louis Hanitrala Rakotovao and Indian Ambassador Abhay Kumar.

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.

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.

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’.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has come out with a standard personal accident cover which will allow all general and health insurers to offer covers up to a sum assured of Rs 1 crore.
The standardized product set to go live from April 1 has been named “Saral Suraksha Bima.” The minimum sum assured has been set as Rs 2.5 lakh.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced four public welfare schemes during a state-level programme organised on the occasion of the 644th birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas at his Chandigarh residence.
Under the Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Parivar Utthan Yojana, one lakh poorest families of the state would be targeted.
Khattar announced that the financial assistance of Rs 50,000 being given under the Dr BR Ambedkar Awas Navinikarn Yojana for the repair of the house to Scheduled Caste families living below the poverty line was increased to Rs 80,000.
An amount of Rs 11 crore has been allocated under the Sant Mahapurush Vichar Samman and Prasaar Yojana.

The Karnataka government launched Engineering Research & Development (Engineering R&D) Policy to raise its contribution to the sector to 45% in the upcoming five years.

At the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, 2021 was declared the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development.
Indonesia was the main sponsor of the proposal, which was presented by a global grouping of countries, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines and Thailand.

Nine banks including the State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Bank of Baroda (BoB) and two non-bank lenders are likely to put in Rs 7,000 crore jointly as initial capital in the proposed bad bank that aims to help extract funds stuck in non-performing loans.
The entities include PSBs like State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Bank of India. Other than these, private sector lenders ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IDBI bank are also a part of the combine
Meanwhile, the non-bank entities include state-owned financiers of power projects- Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).

The book titled ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power’ written by Rajiv Malhotra has been released recently.

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.

Madhya Pradesh has ranked first in the country once again this year for the Land Records Service Index in the ranking given by the National Council for Applied Economic Research.

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.

National Payments Corporation of India, the umbrella entity for digital payments in India, and SBI Payments have joined hands to launch “RuPay SoftPoS”, for millions of Indian merchants.

HDFC ERGO General Insurance, India’s leading non-life insurance company in the private sector, announced the launch of Business Kisht Suraksha, a unique cover aimed at protecting the balance sheet of MFIs, financial institutions and banks in the event of a catastrophe or natural disaster.

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.

The Central Board of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization has recommended 8.5 per cent annual rate of interest for the financial year 2020-21.

The 30th Bihari Puraskar for 2020 will be given to Mohankrishna Bohara for his Hindi book of Criticism, titled Taslima: Sangharsh aur Sahitya. The K.K. Birla Foundation announced this in New Delhi. The book was published in 2016.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Vadodra.
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.

National Safety Day is observed on March 4 every year to commemorate the foundation of the National Safety Council, which aims to raise awareness about safety measures that need to be undertaken to prevent accidents and mishaps.
This year’s theme if National Safety Day 2021 is ‘Sadak Suraksha (Road Safety).’

Indian Scientists at Aryabhatta Research Institute of observational sciences (ARIES), Nainital, have indigenously designed and developed a low-cost optical Spectrograph named as Aries-Devasthal Faint Object Spectrograph & Camera (ADFOSC).
It has been commissioned on the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), in Nainital district of Uttarakhand. It is the largest reflecting telescope in India, as well as in Asia.

MapmyIndia 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.

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.

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

The entire rail network in the country will be fully electrified by 2023 while all rail networks will run on renewable energy by 2030. This was stated by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal while addressing the Maritime India Summit-2021.

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

World Hearing Day is observed on March 3 each year to raise awareness of how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and to promote ear and hearing care across the world.
The theme for this year is ‘Hearing Care for All: Screen, Rehabilitate, Communicate’.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) celebrated World Wildlife Day on March 3 every year to raise awareness about global wildlife and plants.
The theme of World Wildlife Day 2021 is “Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet”.

The Lok Sabha TV and the Rajya Sabha TV channels have been officially merged into one single entity called Sansad TV.
Retired Indian Administrative Service officer Ravi Capoor was appointed the chief executive officer of the channel for one year on March 1.

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.

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