1. DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Rajinikanth after he has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2019.

About:

• Dadasaheb Phalke award is India's highest award in cinema.
• It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).
• The award prize consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of ₹10 lakh and a shawl.
• The award is given to people for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema".
• It was first presented in 1969. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, “the first lady of Indian cinema.”

Who is Dadasaheb Phalke?

Dadasaheb Phalke (1870–1944), was an Indian film-maker who directed India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913).

He is regarded as "the father of Indian cinema."

Source : The Hindu

2. LIGHT WEIGHT BULLET PROOF JACKET

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO and DMSRDE Kanpur for developing a Light Weight Bullet Proof Jacket.

About:

• Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur, a DRDO laboratory has developed a Light Weight Bullet Proof Jacket weighing 9 kg meeting the qualitative requirements of Indian Army.
• The Front Hard Armour Panel jacket was tested successfully at TBRL Chandigarh and met relevant BIS standards.

Source : All India Radio

3. KARGIL ZANSKAR ROAD

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways has approved a 780 Crore rupees project for upgradation of Kargil Zanskar road.

About:

• The 2 lane Kargil Zanskar NH 301 road is sanctioned under Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.
• Zanskar- Kargil road was declared National Highway in 2017 by the Centre.
• This road from Zanskar valley, also connects Suru valley, Sankoo valley of Kargil Ladakh with the Highway.
• The road will be a key for economic development of the remote region of Ladakh.

Source : All India Radio

4. HARYANA’S AMENDED RULES OF PROCEDURE, CONDUCT OF BUSINESS OF LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Haryana has amended several provisions under its Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Legislative Assembly of the state.

About:

• Several new provisions have also been added in order to maintain the decorum of the House and to ensure that prompt action is taken on recommendations made by the committees constituted by the Speaker.
• In Rule 76, a new provision has been added, according to which during every sitting of the House, presence of at least two ministers is a must, which was not maintained at times during discussion on certain Calling Attention Motions or other Business of the House.
• To maintain decorum of the House, another new provision has been added, according to which the members “shall not tear off documents in the House in protest”.
• The new Sub-Rule 46(11) reads: “The question shall not contain more than 150 words in any case either typed or handwritten on one side of the page.” Officials say it has been done to have better clarity for the Ministers to give a specific reply to the query raised by the Member.
• As per the new definition, Leader of Opposition means Leader of a Legislative Party having the largest number of members other than the party/parties that has formed the government and having the strength at least equal to the strength of the quorum of the House.

Source : Indian Express

5. BAIKAL-GVD

Russian scientists launched one of the world’s biggest underwater neutrino telescopes called the Baikal-GVD (Gigaton Volume Detector) in the waters of Lake Baikail, the world’s deepest lake situated in Siberia.

About:

• The construction of this telescope, which started in 2016, is motivated by the mission to study in detail the elusive fundamental particles called neutrinos and to possibly determine their sources.
• The Baikal-GVD is one of the three largest neutrino detectors in the world along with the IceCube at the South Pole and ANTARES in the Mediterranean Sea.

Lake Baikal

• Lake Baikal is a rift lake located in southern Siberia, Russia.
• Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing 22 to 23% of the world's fresh surface water.
• With a maximum depth of 1,642 m (5,387 ft), Baikal is the world's deepest lake.
• It is the world's oldest lake at 25–30 million years.
• It is the seventh-largest lake in the world by surface area.
• Lake Baikal formed as an ancient rift valley and has a long, crescent shape.
• The region to the east of Lake Baikal is referred to as Transbaikalia or as the Transbaikal, and the loosely defined region around the lake itself is sometimes known as Baikalia.
• UNESCO declared Lake Baikal a World Heritage Site in 1996.

Source : Indian Express

6. MyNEP2020

Union Education Minister launched the “MyNEP2020” Platform of NCTE Web Portal.

About:

• The platform seeks to invite suggestions from the stakeholders for preparing draft for development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM).
• The “MyNEP2020” platform will be operational from 1st April 2021 to 15th May 2021.
• For preparing the documents on above two major recommendations of NEP 2020, NCTE will work in close consultation with individuals/organizations.
• Expert committee will extensively review the inputs collected during the consultation period and will finally formulate the Drafts for public review. Comments by the reviewers from the stakeholders will then be used to prepare a final Draft for notification.
• National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) is a statutory body of Indian government set up under the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 in 1995 to formally oversee standards, procedures and processes in the Indian education system.
• Source : PIB

7. JOINT LOGISTICS NODE (JLN)

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat operationalised and dedicated to the Armed forces the 3rd Joint Logistics Node (JLN) in Mumbai.

About:

• These JLNs will provide integrated logistics cover to the Armed Forces for their small arms ammunition, rations, fuel, general stores, civil hired transport, aviation clothing, spares and also engineering support in an effort to synergise their operational efforts.
• Establishment and operationalisation of JLNs is a very important first step in the direction of logistics integration of our three Services. The JLN would enhance joint inter-operability between the Services.
• The Joint Operations Division (JOD) under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (Hq IDS) enabled establishment of the JLNs
• Government Sanction Letter for establishment of JLNs in Mumbai, Guwahati and Port Blair was signed on October 12, 2020.
• The JLNs in Guwahati and Tri-Services, Andaman and Nicobar Command, Port Blair were operationalised on January 01, 2021.

Source : PIB

8. EXERCISE SHANTIR OGROSHENA 2021

Multinational Military Exercise SHANTIR OGROSHENA 2021 (Front Runner of the Peace) will be held at Bangladesh to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh ‘Father of the Nation’ Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and mark 50 years of liberation.

About:

• Indian Army contingent comprising of 30 personnel including Officers, JCOs and Jawans of a Battalion from The DOGRA Regiment will participate in the exercise along with contingent of Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army and Bangladesh Army from 04 Apr to 12 Apr 2021.
• The theme of the exercise is “Robust Peace Keeping Operations”.
• Military observers from USA, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise.

Source : All India Radio

9. UTKAL DIWAS

In Odisha, a number of programmes have been organised to mark the 86th statehood day today. Celebrated as Utkal Diwas, the day commemorates the coming into being of Odisha as a state in 1936.

Modern History of Odisha:

• The British had occupied the Northern Circars, comprising the southern coast of Odisha, as a result of the Second Carnatic War by 1760, and incorporated them into the Madras Presidency gradually.
• In 1803, the British ousted the Marathas from the Puri-Cuttack region of Odisha during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The northern and western districts of Odisha were incorporated into the Bengal Presidency.
• In 1903, the Utkal Sammilani organisation was founded to demand the unification of Odia-speaking regions into one state.
• On 1 April 1912, the Bihar and Orissa Province was formed.
• On 1 April 1936, Bihar and Orissa were split into separate provinces.
• The new province of Orissa came into existence on a linguistic basis during the British rule in India, with Sir John Austen Hubback as the first governor.
• Following India's independence, on 15 August 1947, 27 princely states signed the document to join Orissa.

Source : All India Radio

10. SHIVAKUMARA SWAMIGALU

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has bowed to Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu on his Jayanti.

About:

• Shivakumara Swamigalu (1907 – 2019) was an Indian spiritual leader. He was a Lingayat religious figure and head of the Siddaganga Matha in Karnataka. He was described as the most esteemed adherent of Lingayatism.
• Educationist: He founded the Sri Siddaganga Education Society. He founded over 100 institutions for education and training, that range from nursery to colleges for engineering, science, arts and management as well as vocational training.

Awards and Honours:

• In 2007, the Government of Karnataka awarded him the Karnataka Ratna award, the highest civilian award of the state.
• In 2015 the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan.
• He was also referred to as Nadedaaduva Devaru (walking God) in the state of Karnataka.
• The Lingayats is a numerically and politically strong community of Karnataka.
• They are followers of Basaveshwara, a 12th century Kannada philosopher during the reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka who founded the Lingayats sect.

Source: PIB