21 March 2016 Current Affairs
PM Lays Foundation Stone For Ambedkar Memorial
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21 March laid the foundation stone of a state of the art memorial of Doctor B R Ambedkar in New Delhi, which would mainly house his relics and cover all important aspects of his life and work.
5th National Photography Awards Presented
“The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Arun Jailey on 21 March presented 5th National Photography Awards in New Delhi. The annual awards are meant to honour and recognize those creative professionals who defined moments in history through their creative pictorial mastery. In addition to the Life Time Achievement Award, a total of 12 awards were presented on this occasion to various amateur and professional photographers. Recipients of major awards* Bhawan Singh – Life Time Achievement Award* Javed Ahmed Dar – Professional Photographer Award* Himanshu Thakur – Amateur Photographer”
Indian Coast Guard Ship Arnvesh Commissioned
“The fast patrol vessel (FPV) of the Indian Coast Guard ICGS Arnvesh was commissioned on 21 March at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The ship is primarily intended to undertake coastal patrol, surveillance at sea, anti-smuggling, anti-piracy operations and search and rescue operations. The vessel among the 20 FPVs indigenously built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). It is capable of carrying a crew of five officers and 34 men on board. The ship is 50-metre long, 300-tonne vessel. The vessel is propelled by triple Rolls Royce Kamewa water jets. It can achieve a maximum speed of 33 knots. It has been fitted with the state-of-the-art communication and navigational equipment including night vision capabilities. Its main armament comprise 40/60 Bofors guns. At present, the Indian Coast Guard has 120 ships, 63 aircraft and 10,000 men, spread across its 42 Coast Guard Stations, 10 Coast Guard Air Enclaves and 5 air stations.”
Health Ministry Launched new anti TB drug Bedaquilin
The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has launched new anti-TB (Tuberculosis) drug Bedaquiline. It was launched by the Union Health Minister J P Nadda on 21 March as part of the TB national programme Initially the drug will be made available in six public hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Guwahati and Ahmedabad. Later it will be introduced in 104 districts across five States. Bedaquiline is a new anti-TB drug for treatment of Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. It specifically targets Mycobacterial ATP synthase, an enzyme which is essential for the supply of energy to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and most other mycobacteria.
Pakistan Ratifies Nuclear Material Protection Pact
Pakistan on 21 March ratified an amendment to a legally-binding international instrument on the safety of nuclear material that expands its scope to cover atomic facilities and material in peaceful use, storage and international as well as domestic transportation. Pakistan has ratified the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM). The Instrument of Ratification was signed by President Mamnoon Hussain on the advice of the Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif).
China, Nepal Signed 10 Agreements
Nepal and China signed 10 agreements on 21 March including one aimed at easing transit and transport between the two neighbours. The agreements were signed in Beijing following a meeting between visiting Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. The other agreements relate to free trade, installation of solar grids in 32,000 houses, soft loan for projects, loan for constructing an international airport at Pokhara, exploration of gas and petroleum in Nepal and construction of a bridge on the river Hilsa. China will also construct a bridge in far west of Nepal in Hilsa that will connect Nepal and Tibet. Hilsa was a traditional trade route.
Former Intel Chairman and CEO Andrew Grove Died
Andrew Grove, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Intel, passed away on 21 March 2016. He was 79. He was present at the Intel’s founding in 1968. Later in 1979, he became its president in and CEO in 1987. He served as chairman of the board from 1997 to 2005. Andrew Stephen Grove, also known as Andy, was a Hungarian-born American businessman, engineer, and author. He was also referred to as the ‘guy who drove the growth phase’ of Silicon Valley.