Current Affairs 03rd March 2021| Current Affairs News

Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Read Current Affairs Today here and stay updated with current news. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this and try the Current Affairs Quiz to test your knowledge level.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DAYS

3rd Jan Aushadhi Diwas celebrations began Mar 01

• The Third Jan Aushadhi Diwas celebrations began Mar 01.
• The week-long celebrations will go on till 7th of March.
• Jan Aushadhi Kendras conducted Health Check-up Camps across the country.
• The health check-up activities include Blood Pressure check-up, Sugar level check-up, free doctor consultation and free medicine distribution.
• General public who visited these health camps were informed and educated about the price, benefits and quality of the medicines being sold at Jan Aushadhi Kendras.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) Celebrates its 9th Foundation Day

• The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) celebrated its 9th Foundation Day on 01 March 2021.
• The event also included special addresses through virtual conferences by the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, Shri Vikram Kumar Doraiswami and other senior officers from the Government of India and the Asian Development Bank.
• The LPAI website, Newsletter and News Journal were also launched during the Foundation Day event. 
• The event concluded with a virtual panel discussion on the subject “Facilitating Regional Trade and Connectivity through Land Route”, which was attended by various eminent scholars and persons from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

About LPAI :

• Founded : 1 March 2012
• Comes Under Ministry of Home Affairs
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• The Land Ports Authority of India or LPAI is a statutory body working under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing border infrastructure in India.
• It manages several Integrated Check Posts all across Borders of India.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal take the chair 3rd GCM of BIS                                                   

• Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal virtually presided the Third Governing Council Meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
• He reviewed the process of making Indian Standards and their implementation with BIS officials, senior officials from different Ministries or Regulators.
• Mr Goyal said, there is a need to change the approach of the country towards standardization.
• He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the three Mantras for faster economic development SPEED, SKILL and SCALE.
• Mr Goyal said, now it is time to add the fourth dimension of STANDARD into this.
• The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Raosaheb Patil Danve, MP Rajya Sabha Mahesh Poddar, Secretary, Consumer Affairs Leena Nandan, DG, BIS P.K. Tiwari, Chairman of Quality Council of India Adil Zainulbhai and other senior officials of the Ministry and Bureau of Indian Standards.

Real-Time Monitoring System of Toll Plazas launched by Union minister Nitin Gadkari 

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the Real-Time Monitoring System of Toll Plazas at a function in New Delhi.
• Speaking on the occasion, Mr Gadkari said that implementation of FASTag at toll plazas has improved electronic toll collections and facilitated ease of doing business.
• He said it also saves time and fuel.
• The government has made FASTag mandatory from the 15th February midnight and any vehicle not fitted with it will be charged double the toll at electronic toll plazas across the country.
• Mr Gadkari said the government is also working on ways to reduce the number of road accidents in the country by half up to 2025.
• Mr Gadkari said, over eleven thousand kilometres of National Highways were constructed in the 11 months of this financial year and the per day road construction has reached 33 kilometres.

Field assessment of Swachh Survekshan -2021 launched by Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry 

• Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched the field assessment of Swachh Survekshan -2021 at a web event in New Delhi.
• This will be the sixth edition of the annual cleanliness survey.
• Swachh Survekshan was introduced in 2016 as a competitive framework to encourage cities to improve the status of urban sanitation while encouraging large scale citizen participation.
• Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry Durga Shankar Mishra said, the survey has led to a spirit of healthy competition among cities and towns.
• The journey that started in 2016 with only 73 cities with a million plus population has grown manifold, with 434 cities in 2017, 4,203 cities in 2018, 4,237 cities in 2019 and 4,242 cities in 2020.
• Cities have been regularly filling in their data, updating their progress in the MIS along with running several citizen centric campaigns in preparation of Swachh Survekshan-2021.

Sugamya Bharat App & handbook entitled “Access – The Photo Digest” launched by Union minister Thaawarchand Gehlot 

• Minister for Social justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot will virtually launch “Sugamya Bharat App” and a handbook entitled “Access – The Photo Digest”.
• Sugamya Bharat App is a means for sensitising and enhancing accessibility.
• It provides for five main features of which four are directly related to enhancing accessibility.
• They include registration of complaints of inaccessibility across the broad pillars of built environment, transportation sector and  Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ecosystem,  positive feedback of examples and best practices worth emulating being shared by people as jan-bhagidhari; Departmental updates; and guidelines and circulars related to accessibility.
• The fifth feature is a special feature meant only for Divyangjan for COVID related issues.

PM Modi initiate Maritime India Summit-2021

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Maritime India Summit-2021 through video conferencing.
• The three-day Summit will be held till 4th of March.
• The three-day Maritime India Summit -2021 is being organized by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on a virtual platform maritime india summit.in.
• The Summit will visualize a roadmap for India’s Maritime sector for next decade and will work to propel India to the forefront of the Global Maritime Sector.
• Eminent speakers from several countries are expected to attend the Summit and explore the potential business opportunities and investments in Indian Maritime domain.
• Denmark is the partner country for the three-day summit.

PM Modi salutes all those working towards wildlife protection- World Wildlife Day

• On World Wildlife Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has saluted all those working towards wildlife protection.
• He said, be it lions, tigers and leopards, India is seeing a steady rise in the population of various animals.
• Mr Modi added that people should do everything possible to ensure protection of the country’s forests and safe habitats for animals.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

PM Jan Aushadhi Kendra inaugurated at District Hospital, Kargil

• In Ladakh, Councillor (Town) LAHDC, Kargil Haji Mohammad Abass Adulpa inaugurated a Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra at District Hospital, Kargil to celebrate the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Diwas-2021.
• Haji Abass purchased medicine from the centre in which all types of Generic Medicines will be available at lesser price.
• Haji Abass said that considerable progress has been made, but a lot more needs to be done for improving facilities for patients in government hospitals.
• He said that these stores would have a great impact on the lives of people by providing them quality medicines at affordable prices.
• RMO Dr Shabir Hussain briefed about the importance for the Scheme and urged the people to take maximum benefits from the Jan Aushadhi Store.
• A free Medical Check-up Camp was also organised at this juncture.

Ladakh villages: Merak and Khakted get mobile connectivity

• In the eastern Ladakh region, zero border villages are now getting better connectivity by all means.
• Opposite to much discussed finger four, Merak and Khakted villages on the southern side of Pangong Tso got mobile connectivity.
• As things are easing, under operation Sadbhavana, the Army laid OFC cable to fulfill the decades dream of the villagers to have mobile connectivity.
• As BSNL provided the equipment and Chuchul Councillor Konchok Stanzin provided solar power systems to the project. 
• Konchok Stanzin said army and border villagers are symbiotic and complement each other in need.
• Moreover as the situation is easing with disengagement at Line of Actual Control and with vaccination program on covid pandemic front, the stalled developmental activities are expected to take off this season in Chuchul and Changthang regions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Fino Payments Bank is now a scheduled bank

• RBI has announced through a notification issued dated 22 February 2021 that Fino Payments Bank has been included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• The scheduled commercial bank (also called as scheduled bank) status allows Fino Payments Bank to enhance its banking position in the treasury and participation in LAF (Liquidity Facility) window as per the RBI. It also helps the bank strengthen its business proposition on liabilities generation.
• As a scheduled commercial bank, Fino Payments Bank will be better positioned to explore and manage government businesses. Mandates pertaining to pensions, provident funds and various welfare schemes under direct benefit transfer (DBT) will help enhance Fino’s foot print in the financial inclusion space. Also, increased visibility on the government websites strengthens the customers’ bond with the bank.
• Scheduled Commercial Banks in India are categorised into five groups based on their ownership/nature of operation. These bank groups are:
• State Bank of India and its Associates
• Nationalised Banks
• Regional Rural Banks
• Foreign Banks
• Other Indian Scheduled Commercial Banks (in the private sector)

About Fino Payments Bank :

• CEO : Rishi Gupta
• Founded : 2006
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra

Bank of India organises cricket tourney in Guntur

• Bank of India organised a cricket tournament for AMO Guntur, Zonal Office Vijayawada and AMO Tirupati at Pichukulagunta Grounds in Guntur. 
• Bank of India Vijayawada Zonal Manager V Somasekhar was the chief guest at the event. Deputy Zonal Manager D Ram Prasad supervised the conduct of the programme.
• While Tirupati AMO team won the first prize, Guntur AMO team won the second prize.
• Srikalahasti branch manager N Jogireddy has been declared as Man of the Series. Officials of 50 branches in the State participated in the tournament.

SBI-sponsored RRBs launched video-KYC facility

• Telangana Grameena Bank, Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank becomes first RRBs in the country to adopt this tech that offers zero contact onboarding of customers, at par with commercial banks.
• The Digital Insta Savings Account mobile app of Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) and Telangana Grameena Bank (TGB) was launched recently by State Bank of India chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara.
• The app will be at the heart of the Digital Insta Savings Account (DISA) launched by the two regional rural banks.
• The benefits of DISA include zero balance account; can be opened within 10 minutes and activation of mobile banking and SMS alerts immediately.
• Rupay debit cards will be issued and the account holders need to successfully complete e-KYC at home branch or video-KYC within one year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Board approves sale of its 61.65 % stake 

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Board has approved sale of its 61.65 percent stake in Numaligarh Refinery for 9,875 crore rupees. 
• Oil India Limited, Engineers India Ltd and Assam Government will be picking up the stake.
• Government has also received Multiple Expressions of Interest for privatisation of Shipping Corporation of India Limited.
• The transaction will now move to the second stage.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Suryakirans, Sarang and Tejas to take part in Lanka Air Force’s 70th anniversary celebrations

• Suryakirans, Sarang and Light Combat Aircraft Tejas will participate in an air show in Colombo from March 3 to 5 as part of the 70th-anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lankan Air Force.
• The IAF’s aerobatic display teams, the fixed wing ‘Suryakirans’ and rotary wing ‘Sarang’, along with Tejas arrived at Colombo
• The IAF and SLAF have seen active exchanges and interactions for a number of years in diverse fields like training, operational exchanges and professional military education courses.
• IAFs participation in the 70th-anniversary celebration of SLAF is a further manifestation of the strong professional bonds that the two air forces share.
• The IAF Suryakiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) had earlier toured Sri Lanka in 2001 for the 50th-anniversary celebrations of SLAF.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO successfully launches Brazil’s Amazonia 1 satellite, along with 18 other passenger satellites

• In the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) first mission of the year, the country’s polar rocket successfully launched Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 and 18 other satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.
• The 18 co-passenger satellites placed in the orbit include four from ISRO’s Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (three UNITY Sats from consortium of three Indian academic institutes and the SD-SAT from SKI) and 14 from NSIL.
• After four stages of separation, the rocket launched  Brazil’s 637 kilogram Amazonia 1 satellite, its primary passenger.
• Amazonia-1 is the optical earth observation satellite of National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

About ISRO :

• Director : K. Sivan
• Founder : Vikram Sarabhai
• Founded: 15 August 1969

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ARTS & CULTURE

The third edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav begins 

• The third and final edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2021 in West Bengal organized by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India began on 27th February 2021 at Murshidabad, West Bengal. 
• Directors of all the zonal cultural centres of the Ministry of Culture were present during the inauguration of the Mahotsav and lit the ceremonial lamp .
• The Mahotsav in Murshidabad will run for two days, 27–28 February 2021.
• The Mahotsav started with colourful performances by the local artists, which included ‘Baul Gaan’, ‘Alkup Gaan’, ‘Leto gaan’, ‘Jhumuriya’ and Ranpa folk dances. 
• Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, the flagship festival of Culture Ministry has been organized since 2015 with the active participation of Seven Zonal Culture Centres and has been playing a pivotal role to take the vibrant culture of India out to the masses instead of confining it to auditoria and galleries.
• It has been instrumental in showcasing folk and tribal art, dance, music, cuisines & culture of one state in other states reinforcing the cherished goal of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” and at the same time providing an effective platform to the artists and artisans to support their livelihood.
• Earlier Rashtriya Sanskritik Mahotsavs have been held till date since November, 2015 in various states and cities such as Delhi, Varanasi, Bengaluru, Tawang, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tehri and Madhya Pradesh.

About West Bengal :

• Governor : Jagdeep Dhankhar
• Capital : Kolkata

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurates second edition of Global-Bio India 2021

• The Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the second edition of Global Bio-India-2021 in New Delhi through virtual mode.
• The 3-day event will showcase the strength and opportunities of the India’s biotechnology sector at national level and to the global community.
• The three day event being held from 1st to 3rd March 2021 has been organized on a digital platform.
• The theme for this year is “Transforming lives” with the tagline “Biosciences to Bio-economy”.
• Being one of the largest biotechnology stakeholder conglomerates, this event is being co-organised by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India along with its Public Sector Undertaking, and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in partnership with industry association Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) and Invest India.
• The Biotechnology sector has emerged as an integral part of the Indian economy over the past few decades, and the Government of India is playing a transformative and catalytic role in building a USD 150 billion bio-economy by 2025. 
• The sector is recognized as one of the key drivers for India to achieve its USD 5 trillion target.

CURRENT Affairs : Books & Authors

Book Titled ‘Advantage India: The Story of Indian Tennis’ by Anindya Dutta

• Anindya Dutta has written the book titled “Advantage India: The Story of Indian Tennis”.
• The book highlights the history of Indian tennis.
• Westland Sport publishes the book.

About the Book :

• The book provides an extensive history of Indian tennis on both men’s and women’s sides
• The book is the result of the detailed research of Anindya Dutta on the data from the archives of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and British newspapers from the past 200 years.
• The book covers pre-independence players such as Mohammed Sleem, the Fyzee brothers, S.M. Jacob and Ghaus Mohammed and tennis icons Dilip Bose, Sumant Misra, Naresh Kumar and Ramanathan Krishnan.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT NEWS

Jaideep Bhatnagar takes charge as Principal DG, PIB

• Jaideep Bhatnagar has taken over as Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau.
• Bhatnagar is an Officer of the Indian Information Service belonging to the 1986 Batch.
• He has earlier served in Doordarshan as Head of the Commercial, Sales and Marketing Division.
• He also served as Prasar Bharati Special Correspondent in West Asia.
• He later went on to head the News Services Division of All India Radio.
• Bhatnagar takes over from Mr Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia who has superannuated.

Manpreet Vohra appointed India’s High Commissioner to Australia

• Manpreet Vohra, presently the Ambassador of India to Mexico, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner to Australia, the Ministry of External Affairs (EAM)
• Vohra is a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.
• “Manpreet Vohra (IFS:1988), presently Ambassador of India to Mexico, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Australia.
• He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” MEA said in a statement.

Tom Moody appointed as Director of Cricket, Sri Lanka  

• Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed the appointment of former Australia all-rounder, Tom Moody, as the new Director of Cricket.
• Moody’s appointment came after recommendations made by the Technical Advisory Committee of the SLC to revamp Sri Lanka’s Cricket operations.
• “Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Tom Moody as the ‘Director of Cricket,’ effective from March 1, 2021.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONOURS

PM Narendra Modi to receive CERAWeek global energy and environment leadership award

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award this week in recognition of his commitment to sustainability in the energy and the environment.
• Theme: The New Map: Energy, Climate, and Charting the Future
• CERAWeek by IHS Markit  the world’s preeminent energy conference  will be held virtually March 1-5.
• The year 2021 marks the 39th edition of the conference and is the first time that it will be an all-virtual event.
• Modi will participate in a special plenary with Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit and conference chair, on March 5.
• He will receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award in recognition of his commitment to sustainability in the energy and the environment.
• CERAWeek by IHS Markit is an annual international gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities, as well as energy technology innovators.

 Golden Globes 2021: Complete list of winners

• The Golden Globes 2021 ceremony was held March 1.
• Purpose : To recognise excellence in film, both American and international, and American television.
• This was the 78th edition of the annual event, which honored the best in American television, as well as film in 2020 and early 2021, as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
• American TV series “The Crown” won the most awards for the ceremony with four awards.

Winners in Film category

• Best Film – Drama: Nomadland
• Best Film – Musical/Comedy: Borat Subsequent Movie Film
• Best Director: Chloe Zhao for Nomadland
• Best Actress – Drama: Andra Day for The United States vs. Billie Holiday
• Best Actor – Drama: Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Best Actress – Musical/Comedy: Rosamund Pike for I Care A Lot
• Best Actor – Musical/Comedy: Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat Subsequent Movie Film
• Best Supporting Actress: Jodie Foster for The Mauritanian
• Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya for Judas And The Black Messiah
• Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin for The Trial of the Chicago 7
• Best Foreign Language Film: Minari
• Best Animated Feature: Soul
• Best Original Score: Soul
• Best Original Song: ‘Io Si (Seen)’ from The Life Ahead

Winners in Television category

• Best TV Series – Drama: The Crown
• Best TV Series – Musical/Comedy: Schitt’s Creek
• Best Limited Series, Anthology or TV Film: The Queen’s Gambit
• Best Actress – Drama: Emma Corrin for The Crown
• Best Actor – Drama: Josh O’Connor for The Crown
• Best Actress – Musical/Comedy: Catherine O’Hara for Schitt’s Creek
• Best Actor – Musical/Comedy: Jason Sudeikis for Ted Lasso
• Best Supporting Actress: Gillian Anderson for The Crown
• Best Supporting Actor: John Boyega for Small Axe
• Best Actress (Limited Series, Anthology or TV Film): Anya Taylor-Joy for The Queen’s Gambit
• Best Actor (Limited Series, Anthology or TV Film): Mark Ruffalo for I Know This Much Is True

Sreekumaran Thampi bags Arjunan Master Award 

• The first M K Arjunan Master award was conferred on lyricist Sreekumaran Thampi.
• The event was organised by M K Arjunan Master Foundation in association with Medical Trust Hospital.
• Sreekumaran Thampi said, “This award ignites a lot of emotions in me”.
• Since 1968, Arjunan Master has been a strong presence when my film songs found acclaim.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Vinesh Phogat beats Vanesa Kaladzinskaya to win gold in Ukraine wrestling event

• India’s star wrestler Vinesh Phogat defeated 2017 world champion V Kaladzinskay to win the gold medal at the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament.
• Haryana’s Bhiwani-based Vinesh won in the 53kg bout with a 10-8 lead.
• She is the only Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics Games in the 53 kg category

Odisha to host Indian Women’s League this year

• The All India Football Federation confirmed Odisha as the venue for the 2020-21 edition of the Indian Women’s League.
• This is the fifth edition of the IWL, which began in 2016 and was held in Delhi. The current champions of the tournament are Gokulam Kerala FC, beating Kryphsa FC 3-2 in the final on February 14, 2020 in Bengaluru.
• The inaugural edition of the tournament was also held in Odisha at Cuttack in 2016.

About All India Football Federation :

• President : Praful Patel
• Vice-President: Subrata Dutta
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Founded: 23 June 1937

Daily CA On March 02 :

• The Zero Discrimination Day is held every year on 1 March.Zero Discrimination Day is an annual day celebrated by the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations.
• The 45th Civil Accounts Day was celebrated in New Delhi.
• The City Innovation Exchange (CiX) platform was launched by Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at an online event.
• Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has announced the selection of twelve iconic sites under Phase IV of Swachh Iconic Places.
• Khadi and Village Industry Commission’s e-Market Portal has registered a gross turnover of over one crore 10 lakh rupees in just eight months of its launch.
• Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan highlighted how science technology and innovation (STI) would impact our future in education, skills and functioning in the post-pandemic world.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that there is a lot of contribution of the power of science in the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Campaign’.
• Government has said that monitoring and predictive analysis of prices of essential commodities has taken a giant step forward in India Mobile App for price monitoring of 22 essential commodities. 
• Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the first academic session of MBBS students at Government Medical College, Doda in Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir for the 2020-21 batch.
• Russia has successfully launched its first satellite to monitor the Arctic’s climate and environment.
• Global money laundering watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep Pakistan on its terrorism financing “grey list”.
• External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has congratulated Foreign Minister of Brazil Ernesto Araújo for successful launch of Amazonia-1 on ISRO’s PSLVC51 Mission.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha who is also the Chancellor of Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology Kashmir (SKUAST-Kashmir) inaugurated a 2-day long 6th Technology Exhibition cum Seed Sale Mela on the theme “Shaping the Future Farming for Better Returns” at Shalimar campus of the University in Srinagar.
• The Union Minister of Health Harsh Vardhan arrived in Manipur.
• Federal Bankis set to launch credit cards in coming months and remains bullish about growth opportunities on the retail portfolio.
• Digital financial services firm Paytm said it achieved over 2 billion monthly transactions on its platform, driven by growth in offline payments and financial services.
• SBI General Insuranceand Indian Overseas Bank have signed a bancassurance agreement for distribution of non-life offerings.
• Announcing the fellowships, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan said, India is a diverse cultural wonder with our practices and lifestyle being confronted by many environmental challenges.
• United Nations Secretary-General António Guterreshas announced the appointment of Ligia Noronha of India as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme.
• Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs Tarun Bajaj has been given additional charge of Department of Revenue.
• Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar took charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-In-Chief of Western Naval Command. 
• Public-sector lender Canara Bank said its Executive Director Matam Venkata Rao has been appointed as the new MD & CEO of Central Bank of India.
• KPMG in India appoints Anindya Basu as National Managing Partner.
• Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has virtually addressed the Global Indian Physicians Congress, organised by the Global Association for Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO), through video conference.
• Late American actor Chadwick Bosemanhas been awarded the prestigious Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek global energy and environment leadership award during an annual international energy conference next week.
• As part of the Maritime India Summit 2021, Cochin Port Trust has signed three MoU’s for developing a Free Trade Warehousing Zone, Cryogenic Warehous and Aviation Fuel Terminal.
• The Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) has signed MoUs worth about Rs 30,000 crore with port-led industries and government agencies ahead of the Maritime India Summit 2021, which will be held in virtual mode from March 2.
• The Indian trio of Mairaj Ahmed Khan, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa and Gurjoat Khangura won the bronze medal in men’s skeet team event at the International Shooting Sport Federation tournament (ISSF) Shotgun World Cup in Cairo.

Daily CA On Mar 03 :

• The Third Jan Aushadhi Diwas celebrations began Mar 01. The week-long celebrations will go on till 7th of March.
• The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) celebrated its 9th Foundation Day on 01 March 2021.
• Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal virtually presided the Third Governing Council Meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the Real-Time Monitoring System of Toll Plazas at a function in New Delhi.
• Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched the field assessment of Swachh Survekshan -2021 at a web event in New Delhi.
• Minister for Social justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot will virtually launch “Sugamya Bharat App” and a handbook entitled “Access – The Photo Digest”.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Maritime India Summit-2021 through video conferencing.
• On World Wildlife Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has saluted all those working towards wildlife protection.
• In Ladakh, Councillor (Town) LAHDC, Kargil Haji Mohammad Abass Adulpa inaugurated a Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra at District Hospital, Kargil to celebrate the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Diwas-2021.
• In the eastern Ladakh region, zero border villages are now getting better connectivity by all means.
• RBI has announced through a notification issued dated 22 February 2021 that Fino Payments Bank has been included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• Bank of India organised a cricket tournament for AMO Guntur, Zonal Office Vijayawada and AMO Tirupati at Pichukulagunta Grounds in Guntur. 
• Telangana Grameena Bank, Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank becomes first RRBs in the country to adopt this tech that offers zero contact onboarding of customers, at par with commercial banks.
• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Board has approved sale of its 61.65 percent stake in Numaligarh Refinery for 9,875 crore rupees. 
• Suryakirans, Sarang and Light Combat Aircraft Tejas will participate in an air show in Colombo from March 3 to 5 as part of the 70th-anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lankan Air Force.
• In the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) first mission of the year, the country’s polar rocket successfully launched Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 and 18 other satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.
• The third and final edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2021 in West Bengal organized by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India began on 27th February 2021 at Murshidabad, West Bengal. 
• The Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the second edition of Global Bio-India-2021 in New Delhi through virtual mode.
• Anindya Dutta has written the book titled “Advantage India: The Story of Indian Tennis”.
• Jaideep Bhatnagar has taken over as Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau.
• Manpreet Vohra, presently the Ambassador of India to Mexico, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner to Australia, the Ministry of External Affairs (EAM)
• Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed the appointment of former Australia all-rounder, Tom Moody, as the new Director of Cricket.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award this week in recognition of his commitment to sustainability in the energy and the environment.
• The Golden Globes 2021 ceremony was held March 1.
• The first M K Arjunan Master award was conferred on lyricist Sreekumaran Thampi.
• India’s star wrestler Vinesh Phogat defeated 2017 world champion V Kaladzinskay to win the gold medal at the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament.
• The All India Football Federation confirmed Odisha as the venue for the 2020-21 edition of the Indian Women’s League.