21th MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. International Day of Happiness: 20 March

The International Day of Happiness is celebrated worldwide every March 20.

• It was conceptualized and founded by philanthropist, activist, statesman, and prominent United Nations special advisor Jayme Illien to inspire, mobilize, and advance the global happiness movement.
• The theme of International Day of Happiness 2018 is “Share Happiness”.

2. International Day of Forests: 21 March

The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012.

• Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations.
• The theme of the International Day of Forests in 2018 is "Forests and Sustainable Cities".

3. Naval ships exercise to boost UAE-India ties

Naval ships of the UAE and India will hold a first-ever joint exercise - 'Gulf Star 1' - giving a further boost to bilateral ties.

• Two Indian Navy ships INS Gomati and INS Kolkata arrived at Port Zayed for the 'Harbour Phase' of the exercise and will participate with UAE Navy ships for the 'Sea Phase'.
• The joint exercise is part of the comprehensive strategic partnership and aims to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation.

4. G20 ministerial meeting opens in Buenos Aires

The first G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors began in Buenos Aires, with the presence of 57 delegations from different countries and institutions.

• This is the first of five such meetings to be held before Argentina hosts the G20 Summit on November 30 to December 1.

5. Government approves Plastic Park to be set up in Deoghar

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananthkumar announced that the Government of India has approved the setting up of a Plastic Park in Deoghar District, Jharkhand.

• The project would be set up at a cost of Rs. 120 crores in an area of 150 acres and a range of polymer products including woven sacks, moulded furniture, water tanks, bottles, pipes mosquito nets, etc would be manufactured.
• It has great potential for attracting investment for setting up an ecosystem for plastic industry and generate employment opportunities for the local populace, the Minister informed.

6. NCAA becomes the World’s First Trusted Digital Repository

National Cultural Audiovisual Archives (NCAA) project of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, implemented by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been certified as the world’s first Trusted Digital Repository as per ISO 16363:2012 standard, granted by Primary Trustworthy Digital Repository Authorisation Body Ltd. (PTAB), United Kingdom.

• Leveraging this historic achievement, the plan for the next phase is to integrate about three lakh hours of audiovisuals materials, a corpus estimated based on a scoping survey conducted in 25 cities across the country, on this platform over the next five years.

7. Nitin Gadkari inaugurates Inland Ferry Services in Goa

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated the Inland ferry services in the port city of Vasco in Goa.

• The Minister said that while addressing the needs of the poor, environment and ecosystem must be given its due priority.  
• To achieve this, all the stakeholders need to make a concerted decision and action.

8. SBI, IMGC sign MoU

India’s largest lender SBI and India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) today signed a pact to offer mortgage guarantee scheme for prospective non-salaried and self-employed home loan customers.

• The offering will help increase home loan eligibility up to 15 per cent within the regulatory norms, the State Bank of India (SBI) said in a statement.
• IMGC is a joint venture between National Housing Bank, Genworth Inc International Finance Corporation and Asian Development Bank.
• It is providing mortgage default guarantee to the lending Institutions in India.

9. Bihar Governor gets additional charge of Odisha

President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik to additionally hold the office of the Governor of Odisha.

• Mr Malik will hold the additional charge till regular arrangements are made for the office of the Governor of Odisha which fell vacant upon the completion of the tenure of incumbent S C Jamir.

10. Atul M. Gotsurve Appointed Ambassador of India to Korea

Shri Atul M. Gotsurve (IFS: 2004) has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

• He is expected to take up his assignment shortly. He is currently Director in the Ministry of External Affairs.

11. Indian Army Releases Book on Paramveer Chakra Awardees : Paramveer Parwane

General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff released a book on Paramveer Chakra Awardees - ‘Paramveer Parwane’ on 20 March 2018.

• The book illustrates the bravery of Paramveer Chakra Awardees from 1947 to 1965 and is written by Dr Prabhakiran Jain published by Medha Books.
• The book has eleven short stories, poems, and songs highlighting the history of the battles in which the brave soldiers sacrificed their lives.