1) National Vaccination Day: 16th March
Highlights
•On 27 March 2014, India was certified as a polio-free country along with 11 other countries of the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organisation (WHO). These countries were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Thailand. In India, the last case of polio patients was reported on 13 January 2011.
What is Vaccination?
•Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing highly infectious diseases. Extensive immunity due to vaccination is mostly responsible for the worldwide eradication of smallpox and the restraint of diseases such as polio, measles, and tetanus from a large amount of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) informs that licensed vaccines are currently available to prevent or add to the prevention and control of twenty-five preventable infections.
2) Cabinet hiked dearness allowance by 4% for central government employees
•This decision will be beneficial for 48 lakh employees and 65 lakh pensioners; this will benefit 1.13 crore families. Since the decision will be effective from January 1, 2020, central staff will be getting arrears for three months. The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. Apart from central government employees, even central government pensioners and those receiving family pension from the central government will be benefited from this decision.
What is Dearness Allowance?
•Dearness allowance is usually received by government employees to compensate for rising inflation. Dearness Allowance is calculated as a percentage of an basic salary to mitigate the impact of inflation on people.
3) Traditional “Phool Dei” festival begins in Uttarakhand
•Phool Dei is celebrated on the first day of Chaitra or in mid-March (according to Gregorian calendar). On this day young girls carry out most of the rituals and they are the most eager participants. On this traditional festival young girls pluck the first flowers of the season to decorate their houses with flowers and the term ‘Dei’ refers to ceremonial pudding which is the key food in the festival that is made from jaggery, Whiteflour & curd, are offered to everyone.
4) Manipur CM announces scheme’s to encourage athletes & artists
‘Chief Minister’s Akhannaba Sanaroising gi Tengbang (CMAST)’
•Under the CMAST Scheme, suitable employment in government services is going to be provided to sportspersons, who have won medals in notified disciplines in selected International Sports events. The scheme would also support the sportspersons on purchasing of costly sports items. Also, cash awards for Olympic participants are enhanced to 1 crore, 75 lakh, 50 lakh and 10 lakh rupees for various categories. Sportsperson who have represented in National and International tournaments and are unemployed would tend lifetime pension.
‘Chief Minister Artist Sing gi Tengbang (CMAT)’
•In the scheme for artists, CMAT is designed with a view to encouraging the artists in different fields and targeted to cover 4000 artistes in a year. The pension will be extended to around 1000 artistes who are 60 years and above. Pensioners include awardees, gurus and non-awardees who have contributed to preserving the tradition, culture and art forms of Manipur. Financial assistance would also be provided for artiste, groups and institutions for participating in international and national festivals.
•The CMAT scheme would also extend monetary support to cultural groups or institutions for training and productions in various fields such as theatre, Shumang Leela, dance, music and visual arts. The scheme would provide financial assistance to award winners in National competitions and festivals. Padma awardees, National Akademi awardees such as Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya Akademi and Lalit Kala Akademi awardees, State Kala Akademi awardees including young awardees will be extended one-time financial support for pursuing their dreams and vision towards preservation and promotion of Manipuri culture successfully.
5) Niue declared world’s first ‘Dark Sky nation’
•Niue to be the first country to become a dark sky nation was a massive accomplishment for a small Pacific nation with a population of just over 1600 people. Niue now has dark-sky status from the southern edge of Mutalau Village to the northern edge of Hakupu Village.
What is Dark Sky Place?
•International Dark Sky Places are spaces recognised for responsible lighting policies that keep the night-time environment naturally dark. There are over 130 of these accredited dark sites across the world, including parks, reserves, and local communities, but never before has the honour been bestowed on an entire country like this.
6) India ranked 12th globally in ‘Women On Board 2020’ study
7) Prashant Kumar becomes new MD & CEO of YES Bank
•Mahesh Krishnamurthy will serve as a non-executive director of the bank, while Atul Bheda as a non-executive director. The investor bank, State Bank of India, will nominate two officers as directors.
8) GoI nominated Debasish Panda as director on RBI central board
9) Microsoft launches website to track COVID-19
•The web portal displays the information by aggregating data from sources like the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
