March 28th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS Academy
UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING:
India delivered on its promise of 2,00,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the
United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) worldwide, sending a shipment bound
for Copenhagen.
UN Peacekeeping:
UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to
help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.
Principles: UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:
Consent of the parties;
Impartiality;
Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
Role of Security Council: The United Nations Charter gives the United Nations
Security Council the responsibility to maintain international peace. For this
reason, the international community usually looks to the Security Council to
authorize peacekeeping operations through Chapter VII authorizations.
Present status: There are currently 12 UN peacekeeping operations deployed.
For its services, UN Peacekeeping has also received the Nobel Peace Prize.
UN peacekeepers are often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of
their light blue berets or helmets.
Source : The Hindu
International
HYPNEA INDICA; HYPNEA BULLATA:
Two new species of seaweed have been discovered by a group of marine biologists
from Central University of Punjab, Bathinda.
About:
Named Hypnea indica (after India) and Hypnea bullata (because of the
blisterlike marks on its body – bullate), the seaweeds are part of the genus
Hypnea or red seaweeds.
While Hypnea indica was discovered Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Somnath
Pathan and Sivrajpur in Gujarat, Hypnea bullata was discovered from Kanyakumari
and Diu island of Daman and Diu.
They grow in the intertidal regions of the coast, namely the area that is
submerged during the high tide and exposed during low tides.
The genus Hypnea consists of calcareous, erect, branched red seaweeds. There
are 61 species of which 10 were reported in India. With our two new species,
the total number of species now would be 63.
Source : The Hindu
Environment
CHINA, IRAN SIGN 25-YEAR ‘STRATEGIC PACT’:
China and Iran signed what was described as a 25-year “strategic cooperation
pact”.
About:
While details of the new 25-year pact were not immediately available, it
includes “political, strategic and economic” components.
This document can be very effective in deepening relations and would establish
a blueprint for “reciprocal investments in the fields of transport, ports,
energy, industry and services”.
Background: Nuclear Deal and Sanctions
The agreement comes amid a major push from China to back Iran, which counts on
Beijing, its largest trading partner, as it deals with the continuing weight of
sanctions re-instated following then U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to
withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal.
Earlier this week, China and Russia called for the U.S. to “unconditionally
return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as soon as possible
and revoke the unilateral sanctions against Iran”.
In this context, they proposed “the establishment of a regional security
dialogue platform to converge a new consensus on resolving the security
concerns of countries in the region”.
Important Info :
China and West Asia
This was signed during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s ongoing six-nation
tour to West Asia. Mr. Wang is visiting Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the UAE,
Bahrain and Oman.
Five-point initiative: In Riyadh, Mr. Wang proposed “a five-point initiative on
achieving security and stability in the Middle East” advocating “mutual
respect, upholding equity and justice, achieving non-proliferation, jointly
fostering collective security, and accelerating development cooperation.”
Source : The Hindu
International
March 28th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS Academy
MOITREE:
On the occasion of the birth centenary of the founding father of Bangladesh
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, renowned vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty has composed a
new Raag named ‘Moitree’ as a tribute to the Bangabandhu.
About:
The new Raag is dedicated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with elements of
‘maitree’ or India Bangladesh friendship.
It is a newly composed Raag incorporating the classical rules for the
composition of Raag.
Three compositions will be presented which are written in Sanskrit, Hindi and
Bengali languages.
Source : All India Radio
Culture
INDIA-BANGLADESH RELATIONS:
India and Bangladesh signed 5 MoUs in the fields of Disaster Management, trade,
NCC, ICT and setting up of sports facilities during the official visit of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh.
About:
Foundation stone was laid for infrastructure development for power evacuation
facilities from the Rooppur Nuclear power plant.
The Bangladesh leg of the Banagabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition was inaugurated
by the two Prime Ministers. It will be taken to other parts of the world
including the UN.
Both the leaders also unveiled the foundation stone for the construction of a
memorial at Ashuganj honoring the martyrs of Indian armed forces in the 1971
Liberation War of Bangladesh.
India gifted 109 life support ambulances to Bangladesh and also 1.2 million
doses of the Covishield vaccine.
Three border haats were also opened along the India-Bangladesh border.
During the visit a number of announcements were made.
A direct passenger train named ‘Mitali Express’ will run between Dhaka and New
Jalpaiguri.
Prime Minister Modi invited 50 young entrepreneurs from Bangladesh to connect
with India’s start up ecosystem.
1000 Subarno Jayanti Scholarships were announced for the Bangladeshi students
to study in India at the Undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
A Bangabandhu Chair will be established at Delhi University to facilitate
Bangladesh studies.
Both countries agreed to start a new area of cooperation in the Civil nuclear
and space sectors.
Important Info :
Places visited
Prime Minister also visited the birthplace of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
at Tungipara and placed a wreath at his mausoleum to pay tribute to the father
of the nation of Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Modi visited the Jeshoreshwari temple in Satkhira. He announced
that a cyclone shelter cum community hall will be built at the temple for use
by the people.
He also visited Orakandi where he was given a community reception. He paid
respect at Harimandir in Orakandi and addressed the representatives of the
Matua community.
Source : All India Radio
International
March 28th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS Academy
RESOLUTION 46/L1:
India abstained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) that makes a wide-ranging and damaging commentary on the human
rights situation in Sri Lanka.
About:
Resolution 46/L1 has decided, among other things, to “strengthen” the Office of
the High Commissioner on Human Rights to collect evidence and develop possible
strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human
rights in Sri Lanka.
It refers to “persistent” lack of accountability for rights abuses committed
through the years by “all parties” in Sri Lanka, including the LTTE.
Most seriously, it expresses a lack of confidence in the ability of the present
government in Colombo to address the shortcomings.
Among the 14 countries that abstained were Japan, Indonesia, Bahrain and Nepal.
Among the 11 that voted against were China, Cuba, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia,
and Venezuela.
Important Info :
Comment
This is the eighth resolution on Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council since
the end of the war against the LTTE in 2009.
India’s record of voting on these resolutions shows the ups and downs of New
Delhi-Colombo relations, the pressures on coalitions in India, the influence of
politics and parties in Tamil Nadu, and the ebb and flow of regional and
international geopolitics.
Source : Indian Express
International
CRYPTOCURRENCY:
The corporate affairs ministry has announced companies will have to disclose
any holding or dealings in cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies in their
financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).
About:
All companies will now have to disclose in their statutory financial filings to
the RoC
any profit or loss on transactions involving cryptocurrency,
the amount of cryptocurrency held on the reporting date, and
any deposits or advances received from anyone for the purpose of investing in
cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies.
Some experts have said these disclosure requirements indicated the government
is open to regulating cryptocurrencies instead of banning them.
Important Info :
View of Government on Cryptocurrency
The government’s new bill – Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital
Currency Bill, 2021 — aims to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies while
setting the stage to roll out the legal framework for an “official digital
currency”.
However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the Centre will
take a calibrated approach to cryptocurrencies and will not close the window on
experimentation with cryptocurrencies.
Source : Indian Express
Economy
BIHAR SPECIAL ARMED POLICE BILL, 2021:
The Opposition in Bihar has called a statewide bandh on March 26 to protest the
passed of the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 by the Bihar Assembly.
About:
The bill aims to develop the Bihar Military Police into a well-trained and
fully equipped armed police force with multi-domain expertise to cater to the
development needs and the larger interest of the state.
At present, the Bihar Military Police is entrusted with the security of the
Mahabodhi Temple in Gaya, the Darbhanga airport, and other industrial and
commercial establishments.
The new Bill renames the Bihar Military Police as the Bihar Special Armed
Police, and gives the force more teeth, on the lines of the Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF), so it can better secure the commercial and industrial
assets of the state.
Mandate of the force will be the “maintenance of public order, combating
extremism, ensuring the better protection and security of specified
establishments in such manner as may be notified and perform such other duties,
as may be notified.”
It empowers Special Armed Police officers to carry out searches and arrests
without warrant, and courts being able to take congnizance of certain offences
by the officers only after government sanction.
The mahagathbandhan in Bihar has called the Bill “draconian”.
Source : Indian Express
Defence & Security
INDIAN RHINOCEROS:
With the BJP frequently invoking Assam’s
world-famous one-horned rhino to connect with the people of the state, the
animal has now become a part of poll rhetoric, with promises to save “the pride
of Assam”.
About:
The projection of rhino as the pride of Assam began during the
Assam Movement (1979-85).
Rhino started emerging as a player in the political narrative of
Assam as “its poaching was linked to the control of indigenous people over
land, resources and influx of immigrants”.
According to the rhino census of 2018, there are 2,413 rhinos in
Kaziranga alone.
It is common for every party contesting in Bokakhat and Kaliabor,
the two constituencies that cover most of Kaziranga (the park spreads over
six constituencies), to say that they will protect the rhino.
Important Info :
•The
Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is also called the Indian rhino,
greater one-horned rhinoceros or great Indian rhinoceros.
It is a
rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent.
Subject: Environment
March 28th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS Academy