Current Affairs 17th March 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Chemicals & Fertilizer Minister to inaugurate 11th edition of India Chem-2021

• Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister Sadananda Gowda will inaugurate the 11th edition of India Chem-2021. 
• The theme is – “India: Global Manufacturing Hub for Chemicals and Petrochemicals”. 
• Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, in association with FICCI, is organizing the 3 day India Chem in New Delhi.
• Events such as Global CEOs Round Table, and Conclave on Global Chemical Industry will be organised during India Chem.
• This event will highlight the investment potential in Indian Chemicals and Petrochemicals Industry.

About India Chem-2021:

• “India Chem is one of the largest composite events of the chemical and petrochemical sector in the Asia-Pacific Region.
• Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, in association with FICCI, is organizing the 11th edition of India Chem- 2021 during March 17-19th in New Delhi,” read a release by the ministry.

CCEA approves Revised Cost Estimate of Scheme for Distribution of power in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Revised Cost Estimate of Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission and Distribution of power in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
• It has been approved at an estimated cost of  over  9 thousand 129  crore rupees.

Main objective of the scheme:

• The Government commitment for the total economic development of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and to strengthen the Intra-State Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure in the states by providing grid connectivity to remote distant locations.
• The scheme is being implemented through POWERGRID, a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under Ministry of Power in association with Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is targeted to be commissioned in phased manner by December 2021.

Cabinet approves bill to set up Development Finance Institution (DFI) with initial capital of Rs 20 thousand crore

• The Union Cabinet has approved a bill to set up Development Finance Institution (DFI) with an initial capital infusion of 20 thousand crore rupees.
• The bill will be tabled in Parliament during the current Budget Session.
• DFI is expected to raise long-term funds for infrastructure development projects in the country.
• Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the initial grant to the DFI will be  5 thousand crore rupees and additional increments of grants will be made within the limit of 5 thousand crore rupees.

About Development Finance Institution:

• A Development Financial institution (DFi) is defined as “an institution endorsed or supported by Government of India primarily to provide development/Project finance to one or more sectors or sub-sectors of the economy.
• These DFis are also known as Development banks.

Development financial institutions are:

• National Development Banks such as IDBI, SIDBI, ICICI, IFCI, IRBI, and IDFC.
• Sector-specific financial institutions such as TFCI, EXIM Bank, NABARD, HDFC, and NHB.
• Investment Institutions such as LIC, GIC and UTI.
• State-level institutions such as State Finance Corporations and SIDCs.

Cabinet passes bill – outer limit of 24 weeks for Medical Termination of Pregnancy

• Parliament has passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 with the Rajya Sabha approving.
• The Lok Sabha had passed the bill in March last year.
• The Bill provides for an outer limit of 24 weeks for medical termination of pregnancy.
• The limit is in sync with the advancements in medical technology that allows for the removal of fetuses at a relatively advanced stage of pregnancy.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy:

• Medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) or medical abortionis the use of abortion pills for terminating a pregnancy.
• MTP is feasible only up to 9 weeks of pregnancy, and after that surgical termination takes over.
• MTP is one of the safest methods of terminating an unwanted pregnancy.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971:

• The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
• An Act to provide for the termination of certain pregnancies by registered Medical Practitioners and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

National Telemedicine Service – eSanjeevani make huge consultation

• National Telemedicine Service – eSanjeevani has completed 30 lakh consultations.
• Over 35,000 patients are using this service daily to seek health services.
• Currently, the National Telemedicine Service is operational in 31 States and Union Territories.  
• Leading 10 States in terms of number of consultations are Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
• Female patients have outnumbered male patients on eSanjeevani OPD.
• As per Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Telemedicine Service is plugging the digital health divide that exists in urban and rural India.
• It is also addressing the shortage of doctors and specialists at ground level while reducing the burden on secondary and tertiary level hospitals.
• In line with the National Digital Health Mission eSanjeevani is also boosting the digital health ecosystem in the country.
• The National Telemedicine Service comprises two variants of eSanjeevani namely – doctor to doctor telemedicine platform, and patient to doctor telemedicine platform which provides outpatient services to the citizens in the confines of their homes.

PM Modi initiate the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be speaking at the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. 
• Modi noted that this is an important conference which will deliberate on a subject that is of great concern for the entire humanity.

About ICDRI:

• The International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI 2021) is an interactive virtual conference which follows International Workshops on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (IWDRI) held in 2018 and 2019. 
• ICDRI is the annual international conference of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in partnership with member countries, organizations and institutions to strengthen the global discourse on disaster and climate resilient infrastructure.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

First shipment of food product from Bangladesh to India through Inland Waterways begun

• The first shipment of food products exported from Bangladesh to India using the inland waterways left the Pran Industrial Park from Palash in Narsingdi. 
• Minister of State for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury flagged off the ship M V Alif Lam Mim which will cover a distance of about 710 kilometers to Kolkata in 8 days.
• Shipping Minister Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said that the government has taken several steps to export goods directly to India using the inland waterways on protocol routes.
• He said the government is increasing the fleet of dredgers to ensure navigability of rivers for easier transportation through inland waterway routes.
• Earlier these items were being sent through trucks which resulted in higher cost and wastage of the products on the way.

Sixth IBSA Women’s Forum meeting confined

• The Sixth India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Women’s Forum meeting was held virtually.
• During the consultation, the Forum discussed key issues that contribute towards the transformation of women’s lives.
• The India-Brazil-South Africa Trilateral Cooperation Forum is a unique platform which brings together India, Brazil and South Africa, three large democracies and major economies from three different continents.
• The meeting was led by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. 
• During the meeting, the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment towards addressing gender gap and women-centric issues through mutual cooperation.
• The participating countries also lauded the efforts of Government of India in helping out other countries to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic by way of providing vaccines, masks, sanitizers and PPE Kits.
• At the end of the conference, a joint declaration was also issued highlighting the shared IBSA goals and commitments for achieving gender equality in all spheres of life.

Uber offers UK drivers minimum wage, pension, holiday pay

• Cab aggregator Uber has said that it will give its UK drivers a guaranteed minimum wage, holiday pay and pensions, following a recent court ruling that said they should be classified as workers and entitled to such benefits.
• The announcement comes after it lost an appeal last month at the UK Supreme Court following a year-long court battle.
• Uber said it’s extending the benefits immediately to its more than seventy thousand drivers in the UK.

Bangladesh: Ministry of Information renamed as Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

• The government of Bangladesh has decided to rename the Ministry of Information to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Information Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud told media persons in Dhaka that the change in name is needed as the ministry is also doing broadcasting related work.
• He said that the gazette notification for the change in name has been issued after getting the approval from the President.
• Giving the historical background of the Ministry, Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that during the Mujibnagar government prior to the liberation of Bangladesh the ministry was named as the ‘Ministry of Information and Betar’ which was renamed to ‘Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’.
• However in 1982, the name was changed to ‘Ministry of Information’.He said that the change in the name was not appropriate as it created confusion.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Magma HDI General Insurance gave nod to capital raise of up to Rs.250 crore 

• Magma HDI General Insurance Company Ltd, the insurance JV of Magma Fincorp Ltd, has approved capital raise of up to Rs.250 crore by way of preferential issue to third party investors. 
• Pursuant to the above preferential allotment, the shareholding of the company will get reduced from the current 29.3 per cent to 24.2 per cent.
• The fund-raising plan would be subject to requisite statutory and regulatory approvals.

Magma insurance:

• Magma HDI General Insurance Co Ltd. is a joint venture between Magma Fincorp Ltd, Kolkata and HDI Global SE Germany.
• Vision is to be the most preferred, vibrant, and responsible general insurance company, fulfilling the aspirations of all its stakeholders.

US to become India’s second biggest oil supplier

• The United States has surpasses Saudi Arabiaas India’s second biggest oil supplier.
• The overall import of India from the United States rose 48 percent to a record 545,300 barrels per day (bpd) in February 2021 compared to January 2021.
• In contrast, the imports from Saudi Arabia in February 2021 fell by 42 percent compared to January 2021, to a decade-low of 445,200 bpd.
• Saudi Arabia has consistently been one of India’s top two suppliers, but unfortunately slipped to 4 positionfor the first time since at least January 2006.
• Iraq continued to be the top oil supplier to India despite a 23 percent decline in purchases to a five-month low of 867,500 bpd.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

RBI imposes Rs.2 crore penalty to SBI

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of 2 crore on State Bank of India (SBI) for contravention of certain provisions of Section 10 of the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949 and the central bank’s specific directions issued to the bank on payment of remuneration to employees in the form of commission.
• This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested with RBI under the provisions of BR Act, it added.
• RBI said the statutory inspection of the bank with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2017 and March 31, 2018 and the Risk Assessment Reports (RARs) pertaining thereto, and examination of the correspondence with the bank regarding payment of remuneration to its employees in the form of commission, revealed, inter alia, contravention of the provisions of the Act and aforesaid specific directions issued by RBI.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s

India signs MoU with Maldives on Cooperation in Sports & Youth Affairs

• The Union Cabinet  was approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Union  Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment of  Maldives  for cooperation in Sports and Youth Affairs.
• The MoU was signed in November last year.
• Bilateral exchange programmes in the field of sports and youth affairs between India and Maldives will help in expanding knowledge and expertise in the area of sports science, sports medicine, coaching techniques, participation in youth festivals and camps.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Army Decommissions two longest serving Artillery Systems 

• On March 16, 2021, Indian Army de-commissioned two of its longest serving Artillery systems.
• The two Artillery systems are :

1. 130mm M-46 Catapult self-propelled guns 
2. 160mm Tampella mortars.

• The decommissioning ceremony was held at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in north-western Rajasthan.
• These weapon systems, having been in the inventory of the Indian Army for close to 60 years, have been decommissioned to make way for newer equipment employing the latest technologies.

About 130mm M-46 Catapult :

• The 130mm Catapult has a range of more than 27 km.
• It was a successful merger of two existing weapon systems: Vijayanta tanks and 130mm M-46 guns.
• The guns were inducted in 1981 

About 160mm Tampella mortars :

• The 160mm Tampella mortars have a range of 9.6km.
• It was inducted after the 1962 war with China to fulfill the need for a weapon system to clear high crests of the Northern borders.
• Originally an import from the Israeli Defence Forces,
• In addition to that this mortar was successfully deployed on the Line of Control in the Leepa valley and the Hajipir Bowl and played a crucial part in maintaining the sanctity of the Line of Control.
• The mortars also played a significant part in the 1999 Kargil war.

About Indian Army :

• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind
• Founded: 1 April 1895, India
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• It comes Under Ministry of Defence
• Chief of Defence Staff : Bipin Rawat
• Chief of the Army Staff : Manoj Mukund Naravane
• Vice Chief of the Army Staff : Chandi Prasad Mohanty

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

Kiren Rijiju meets IPU President Duarte Pacheco for holds meeting in New Delhi

• On March 16, 2021, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju met the President of Inter Parliamentary Union, (IPU) Duarte Pacheco.
• Mr Duarte Pacheco to discuss cooperation among the international parliamentarians, especially in the field of Youth Affairs and Sports in New Delhi.

About the meeting :

• Discussed about India’s Fit India Movement, Yoga and also discussed  how to start certain sports-related activities in the country in a controlled manner despite COVID 19.
• To arrange a World Youth Parliamentarian meeting where the younger Parliamentarians can come together and promote some fitness activities during the youth exchange of different countries.
• Secretary , Sports Shri Ravi Mittal and Secretary, Youth Affairs Ms. Usha Sharma was also present during the meeting.

About Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) :

• President: Duarte Pacheco
• Headquarters location: Geneva, Switzerland
• Founded: 1889
• Secretary General: Martin Chungong
• Founders: Randal Cremer, Frédéric Passy

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS & AUTHORS

Maharashtra Governor  releases e-book titled Dawn Under The Dome

• On March 15, 2021 , The Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari released a digital e-book titled Dawn Under The Dome.
• The digital book depicts the history of Mumbai General Post Office building.
• It has been authored by Post Master General of Mumbai Swati Pandey in collaboration with Orchida Mukherjee.
• The book says that three types of Indian stones were used in the construction of the building: the grey basalt with buff trachyte and the yellowstone from Mumbai’s Kurla and Malad respectively and the white stone from Dharandhra.

About General Post Office building :

• The GPO, which covers an area of 1,20,000 sq ft and is the biggest post office in the country, was built on the lines of Gol Gumbaz of Bijapur in Karnataka.
• The building was designed by a Scottish architect named John Begg with the help of his protégé George Wittet.
• The building’s construction began on 1 September, 1904 and was completed on 31 March, 1913. The entire construction cost Rs 18,09,000, as mentioned in a commemorative plaque.

About Maharashtra :

• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray

 Indra nooyi publish her memoir titled My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future 

• Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has published her memoir titled My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future.
• It will be published on September 28, Portfolio Books .

About Indra nooyi :

• She has consistently ranked among the world’s 100 most powerful women
• In 2017, she was ranked the 2nd most powerful woman once more on the Forbes list of The 19 Most Powerful Women in Business.
• Indra Nooyi  worked at PepsiCo for 24 years, 12 of them as CEO, before stepping down in 2018.
• She served as the CEO & Chairman of Pepsico from 2006 to 2018 for 12 years.
• She serves on the boards of Amazon and the International Cricket Council.
• Philips has proposed that Nooyi join their board in May 2021
• In 2018, Nooyi was named one of the “Best CEOs In The World” by the CEOWORLD magazine
• She was honoured Padma Bhushan Award in 2007 for trade and Industry.

About the Book :

• It will trace her life from her childhood in India to her experiences as an immigrant at Yale University’s business school to her many achievements as the rare woman and person of color in the upper echelons of the corporate world.
• In addition to that , it will cover The mother of two children, she also spoke candidly while at PepsiCo of the difficulties in balancing commitments.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

UAE’s Mohammad Naveed, Shaiman Anwar banned from all crickets for 8 years

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed an eight years ban on former UAE Cricketers Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar from all cricket, for trying to fix matches during the T20 World Cup qualifiers in 2019.
• This mainly for its Anti-Corruption Tribunal body found them guilty of breaching the corruption code in January of 2021.
• The bans are effective from 16 October 2019.

About the Cricketers :

• Naveed was the captain and leading wicket-taker.
• Anwar was the opening bat. 
• Both had long international careers and were well versed in the threat from match-fixers.
• Both have been charged with two breaches each, the first of which is Article 2.2.1, which stands for ‘contriving, or being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of matches in the upcoming ICC World T20 Qualifiers 2019.’

About ICC :

• Chairperson: Greg Barclay
• CEO: Manu Sawhney
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Founded: 15 June 1909

India To Host Asian Boxing Championships 2021 From May 21 To 31

• On March 15, 2021, International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced that Asian Boxing Championships 2021 will be hosted by New Delhi, India from May 21-31. 
• It will be the first boxing tournament in Asia to be held in 2021.
• Asian Elite Men & Women Boxing Championships will be the first boxing tournament of Asia to be held in 2021.

Note :

• The 2019 edition of the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships set a new record with 304 boxers participating from 34 countries.
• In 2019, for the first time in the tournament history both men & women fought in the same championship and that was held in Bangkok, Thailand.

About AIBA :

• Headquarters location: Lausanne, Switzerland
• President: Umar Kremlyov
• Founded: 1946

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Former Union Minister and BJP leader Dilip Gandhi passes away

• Former Union Minister and BJP leader Dilip Gandhi has passed away.
• He was 69.

About Dilip Gandhi :

• He served as the Union Minister of State, Ministry of Shipping from 29 January 2003 to 15 March 2004.
• He assumed the post of President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, City President of Bharatiya Janata Party Ahmednagar.
• From 1985 to 1999, he was the Deputy Chairman of Ahmednagar Municipality.
• He had won the Lok Sabha elections three times since 1999 from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra.
• He won the first Lok Sabha election in 1999.
• He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the second time in 2009 and for the third time in 2014.
• In addition to that he was a member of the Rural Development Committee from 2000 to 2004 and the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Finance from 2000 to 2003.

Daily CA On Mar 16 :

• The National Vaccination Day, also called the National Immunization Day, is celebrated every year on March 16to convey the importance of vaccination to the entire nation.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development organized a seminar with District Officers from Aspirational Districts and Districts with high rates of crime against women and children.
• The Government said that Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has not been privatized.
• The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
• Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
• Inter Parliamentary Union President Mr. Duarte Pacheco called on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and witnessed the proceedings of the Upper House.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a Virtual Summit with Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin.
• A tripartite Concession Agreement has been signed between the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam and GA Infra Private Limited-Lahoti Buildcon Limited for development of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for Moradabad. 
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Agriculture Department organized a day-long Kisan Mela at the Agriculture Complex in Kupwara district.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Urban Forest Division Srinagar organized a programme to observe Chinar Day at Shuhama Campus of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) where the Chinar saplings were planted within the premises.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, a day-long “Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan” programme was held at
• The wholesale price-based inflation rose to 4.17 percent to hit 27 month high in February this year.
• Government has decided to sell 16.12 per cent stake in Tata Communications Limited TCL through an Offer for Sale, OFS. 
• The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to implement the image-based Cheque Truncation System (CTS) in all branches by September 30 this year.
• AU Small Finance Bankon announced that it has completed the allotment of equity shares under its Qualified Institutions Placement and has raised Rs.5 crore through the issuance of 50 lakh equity shares at an issue price of Rs.1,251 per share.
• “ReNew Powerhas been named to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Lighthouse Network, which recognises companies using new technologies to achieve environmentally sustainable, community supportive, profitable growth,” the company said in a statement.
• The Institute of Company Secretaries of India has signeda memorandum of understanding with the Cochin University of Science and Technology for academic collaboration
• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella entity for digital payments in India, has launched  UPI-Help on BHIM UPI.
• On March 14, 2021 Indian Naval Ship (INS) Jalashwa reached Port Anjouan in Comoros to deliver 1,000 tonnes of rice as part of the Mission Sagar-IV.
• HP made its first ever consumer PC using plastic waste in the ocean, a move that builds on the company’s sustainability commitment.
• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched a new online certificate course on 5G technology.
• Tamil Nadu’s Chadalavada Anandha Bhavani Devi became the first-ever fencer from India to qualify for the Olympic Games. 
• The Government announced the Rajya Sabha would soon set up a world class winter sports academy in Gulmarg.
• On March 14, 2021, Renowned artist & painter from Goa and Padma Bhushan awardee Laxman Pai passed away in Goa.
• Veteran Kathakali exponent Guru Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, has passed away.

Daily CA On March 17 :

• Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister Sadananda Gowda will inaugurate the 11th edition of India Chem-2021. 
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Revised Cost Estimate of Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission and Distribution of power in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
• The Union Cabinet has approved a bill to set up Development Finance Institution (DFI) with an initial capital infusion of 20 thousand crore rupees.
• Parliament has passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 with the Rajya Sabha approving.
• National Telemedicine Service – eSanjeevani has completed 30 lakh consultations.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be speaking at the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. 
• The first shipment of food products exported from Bangladesh to India using the inland waterways left the Pran Industrial Park from Palash in Narsingdi. 
• The Sixth India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Women’s Forum meeting was held virtually.
• Cab aggregator Uber has said that it will give its UK drivers a guaranteed minimum wage, holiday pay and pensions, following a recent court ruling that said they should be classified as workers and entitled to such benefits.
• The government of Bangladesh has decided to rename the Ministry of Information to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Magma HDI General Insurance Company Ltd, the insurance JV of Magma Fincorp Ltd, has approved capital raise of up to Rs.250 crore by way of preferential issue to third party investors. 
• The United States has surpasses Saudi Arabiaas India’s second biggest oil supplier.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of 2 crore on State Bank of India (SBI) for contravention of certain provisions of Section 10 of the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949 and the central bank’s specific directions issued to the bank on payment of remuneration to employees in the form of commission.
• The Union Cabinet  was approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Union  Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment of  Maldives  for cooperation in Sports and Youth Affairs.
• On March 16, 2021, Indian Army de-commissioned two of its longest serving Artillery systems.
• On March 16, 2021, Indian Army de-commissioned two of its longest serving Artillery systems.
• On March 15, 2021 , The Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari released a digital e-book titled Dawn Under The Dome.
• Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has published her memoir titled My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed an eight years ban on former UAE Cricketers Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar from all cricket, for trying to fix matches during the T20 World Cup qualifiers in 2019.
• On March 15, 2021, International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced that Asian Boxing Championships 2021 will be hosted by New Delhi, India from May 21-31. 
• Former Union Minister and BJP leader Dilip Gandhi has passed away.