National:
'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain' campaign
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ campaign on World Water Day i.e. on 22nd March 2021 via video conferencing. The campaign is being implemented in the period from March 30, 2021 to November 30, 2021.
The Campaign is being undertaken across the country, in both rural and urban areas. The theme of the campaign is- “catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls”.
It is launched as a Jan Andolan to take water conservation at grassroots level through people’s participation.
MoU for Ken Betwa Link Project
- A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project in the presence of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 22 March 2021.
This is the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers.
This project involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project.
The project will provide irrigation facilities in 10.62 lakh hectares of agricultural area every year, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.
First prototype LHB AC three-tier economy class coach of Indian Railways
Indian Railways Production Unit, Railway Coach Factory, Kapurthala has recently rolled out the first prototype Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) AC three-tier economy class coach of Indian Railways (IR). These coaches are having passenger capacity of 83 berths.
Appropriation Bill 2021-22
- The Lok Sabha on 17 March 2021 passed the Appropriation Bill 2021-22.
The Bill will authorise the government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its working as well as implementation of its programmes and schemes. This completes two-thirds of the exercise for approval of the Budget for 2021-22.
Both appropriation and finance bills are classified as money bills which do not require the explicit consent of the Rajya Sabha.
Internationally Important Day:
World Water Day 2021
- World Water Day held on 22 March every year since 1993. It is focuses on the importance of freshwater.
The theme for the World Water Day 2021 was “Valuing Water”.
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2021
- World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is celebrated each year on March 24, to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.
The theme of World TB Day 2021 was ‘The Clock is Ticking’.
India TB Summit:
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare delivered the keynote address at the India TB Summit through video-conference.
The summit was organized to highlight the global and national prevalence of Tuberculosis in the run up to World TB Day celebrations on 24th March, 2021.
Death:
- Tanzania’s President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli died in Dar es Salaam due to heart failure, on 17 March 2021. He was 61 years old. He was the fifth president of Tanzania, & he served from 2015 to until his death in 2021.
Tanzania’s New President:
After the death of Tanzania’s President, Samia Suluhu Hassan was succeeded as the new President of Tanzania. She was sworn as the sixth president of Tanzania.
- Former Union Minister and BJP leader Dilip Gandhi has passed away on 17 March 2021 in Delhi. He was 69. Gandhi has represented the Ahmednagar South constituency three times as an MP. He was first elected in 1999 & re-elected in 2009 & 2014.