NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAMME (NCAP) & MORE ( CURRENT AFFAIRS 27 MARCH 2021 )

 NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAMME (NCAP)

In the presence of Union Minister of Environment the MoU was signed by representatives of State Pollution Control Boards, Urban Local Bodies and Institutes of Repute for 132 identified cities for implementation of city specific action plans under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

About:

• The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
  
  
• It targets to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2024 (with 2017 as base year).
  
  
• A National Knowledge Network comprising leading air quality specialists has also been constituted as a technical advisory group to support activities under NCAP and guide local Institutes of Repute (IoRs) in conducting air quality researches.

INDO-KOREAN FRIENDSHIP PARK

India’s First Indo-Korean Friendship Park was jointly inaugurated by Mr Suh Wook, Minister of National Defence, Republic of Korea and Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri, at Delhi Cantonment on 26 March 2021.

About:

• It is in Delhi Cantonment.
  
  
• The park's significance is not only because of it being a symbol of strong India-South Korea friendly relations, but also as a monument to India’s contributions as part of 21 countries which participated in Korean war 1950-53, under the aegis of the United Nations.
  
  
• The park has been developed in joint consultation with Ministry of Defence, Government of India, Indian Army, Delhi Cantonment Board, Embassy of Korea and Korean War Veterans Association of India.
  
  
• One of the pillars in the park encompasses Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s narration of Korea as “The Lamp of the East” which was published in Korean daily “Dong-A-llbo” in 1929.

EXIT POLL

Election Commission of India, in exercise of the powers under sub-section(1) of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 has notified the period between 7:00A.M on 27th March, 2021 (Saturday) and 7.30 PM on 29thApril, 2021 (Thursday), as the period during which exit polls are banned.

About:

• During this period, conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicizing the result of exit poll by means of the print or electronic media or in any other manner shall be prohibited in the ongoing General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal & Puducherry.
  
  
• Further, under Section 126(1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,displaying any election matter including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media, would be prohibited during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll.

JUDICIAL VACANCIES

The Supreme Court asked the government to clarify on the status of 55 recommendations made by the Collegium for judicial appointments to High Courts six months to nearly a year-and-a-half ago.

About:

• Of the pending recommendations, 44 were made to fill vacancies in the Calcutta, Madhya Pradesh, Gauhati, Rajasthan and Punjab High Courts. These recommendations have been pending with the government for over seven months to a year.
  
  
• The total sanctioned strength in the 25 High Courts is 1,080. However, the present working strength is 661 with 419 vacancies as on March 1.
  
  
• The Supreme Court has been repeatedly conveying to the government its growing alarm at the judicial vacancies in High Courts.

WOMEN IN ARMED FORCES

The Supreme Court held that the Army’s “selective” evaluation process discriminates against and disproportionately affects women short service commission officers seeking permanent commission.

About:

• The evaluation pattern of women officers has caused them economic and psychological harm, the court said.
  
  
• The court ordered that the cases of women officers who have applied for permanent commission should be reconsidered in a month and the decision on them should be given in two months.
  
  
• They would be considered for permanent commission subject to disciplinary and vigilance clearance. The court said physical standards should be kept at a premium during selection.

INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM TO EXPLORE POTENTIAL OF YOGA

AYUSH Ministry has set up an interdisciplinary team of experts to explore the potential of Yoga as a productivity enhancing tool for the population.

About:

• The committee is chaired by Dr. H. R Nagendra, Chancellor, SVYASA and its members include representatives from AIIMS New Delhi, IIM Bangalore, IIT Bombay, various leading Yoga institutions, the corporate sector and the AYUSH Ministry.
  
  
• One of the primary tasks of the committee was to review evidence that linked Yoga to productivity and analyse the same. The various possible directions of the productivity dimension could then be identified systematically, and along these directions, protocols could be developed.
  
  
• The committee will submit its preliminary recommendations by May 2021.

‘MICE ROADSHOW - MEET IN INDIA'; CHHATRASAL CONVENTION CENTRE

Union Minister for Tourism and Culture and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh will inaugurate the ‘Chhatrasal Convention Centre at Khajuraho developed under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism.

About:

• The Ministry of Tourism has framed ‘Development of Iconic Tourist Destinations Scheme’ a Central Sector Scheme for development of nineteen identified iconic destinations in the country following a holistic approach.
  
  
• They will also launch “MICE Roadshow – Meet in India” Brand and Roadmap for the Promotion of India as MICE Destination (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.

100+ CURRICULUM BASED COMIC BOOKS

Union Minister of Education launched 100+ comic books created by teachers and students of CBSE schools and curated by NCERT on 24th March 2021.

About:

• Department of School Education and Literacy, in its endeavour to provide holistic learning to students and to usher in vision envisaged in New Education Policy 2020 has launched comic books aligned to chapters of NCERT textbooks across grades 3-12.
  
  
• This innovative initiative will help in increasing the cultural and social sensitivity in our children while imparting knowledge.
  
  
• These comics can be accessed online on DIKSHA web portal (diksha.gov.in) or via the DIKSHA app on any android Smartphone.
  
  
• The comics can also be accessed through a new WhatsApp powered Chatbot. The chatbot presents a unique opportunity to expand the scope of digital learning

CENTRAL SCRUTINY CENTRE (CSC); IEPFA MOBILE APP

Union Minister for Corporate Affairs launched Central Scrutiny Centre (CSC) and Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority’s (IEPFA) Mobile App — two tech-enabled initiatives by Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).

Central Scrutiny Centre (CSC)

• MCA being one of the key primary sources of corporate data, is required to ensure that the data quality is uncompromised and free from flaws.
  
  
• With this objective in mind, the MCA has established a Central Scrutiny Centre
  
  
• The Central Scrutiny Centre will scrutinize certain Straight Through Process (STP) Forms filed by the corporates on the MCA21 registry and flag the companies for more in-depth scrutiny.

2nd TRANCHE OF COMMERCIAL COAL MINING

India launched its 2nd Tranche of auction for commercial coal mining offering 67 mines for sale of coal. Union Coal Minister launched the auction process.

About:

• This is the highest number of mines on offer in a particular tranche of auction after commencement of the auction regime since 2014.
  
  
• Out of the total 67 mines offered by the Ministry of Coal, 23 mines are under CM(SP) Act and 44 under MMDR Act.
  
  
• The coal mines on offer are spread across 6 States Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

CLIMATE DATA SERVICE PORTAL

India Meteorological Department celebrated World Meteorological Day on 23rd March, 2021. Dr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Science inaugurated Climate Data Services Portal of IMD on this occasion.

About:

• Climate Data Services Portal has been developed by IMD, Pune with user-friendly platforms for climate data management and supply to the users.
  
  
• The Web Portal will be available through IMD Website (http://www.mausam.imd.gov.in/) and IMD Pune website (http://www.imdpune.gov.in/).
  
  
• It complements fully automated climate data management process from real-time data acquisition to expeditious data dissemination.
  
  
• The major components of the portal are listed below:
• Real-Time monitoring of weather observations recorded by IMD Observatories.
  
  
• Encapsulated IMD Metadata Portal, other reports and dashboards
  
  
• Online access to meteorological data through Data Supply Portal.
  
  
• Free download facility for Gridded Temperature and Rainfall Data of India.
  
  
• Climatological Tables, Extremes and Normal.
  
  
• Information on Monsoon Rainfall and Cyclone frequencies.
  
  
• Data analytics and info graphics.

YAMUNA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Yamuna International Airport sign LoA for civil aviation security.

About:

• A Letter of Agreement (LoA) was signed between the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL).
  
  
• The LoA defines provisions for civil aviation security responsibilities and functions at the upcoming international airport at Jewar, Noida.
  
  
• The contract of construction of the airport has been awarded to YIAPL, which is a joint venture of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Zurich international airport.
  

UNITAR

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed gratitude to UN Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR). UNITAR has commended India's remarkable progress in reducing the premature mortality from Non-Communicable Diseases.

About:

• What is it? The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations system.
  
  
• Mandate: UNITAR provides training and capacity development activities to assist mainly developing countries with special attention to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other groups and communities who are most vulnerable.
  
  
• History: UNITAR was founded in 1963, following the recommendation of the UN Economic and Social Council to the General Assembly.
  
  
• Governance: Operated as an autonomous body within the United Nations system, UNITAR is headed by an Executive Director. Present executive director is Nikhil Seth from India who was appointed in 2015.
  
  
• Funding: UNITAR is a project-based organization and does not receive any funds from the regular United Nations budget. The institute is financed entirely from voluntary contributions.
  
  
• Headquarters are based in Geneva (Switzerland).