Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2021

Notes:
Banks Board Bureau, which started operating from 1 April 2016, recommends selection of heads of public sector banks and financial institutions.
Recently, a set of 14 general managers and chief general managers have been appointed as executive directors (ED) in 10 public sector banks. The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) had recommended names of 13 candidates, in September last year.

Notes:
The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) of Uttarakhand has signed an MoU with IBM to improve the education standards among the female children of the state.
The MOU for ‘IBM STEM for Girls’ program, is proposed to be introduced in 130 secondary and higher secondary schools across five districts in the state.

Notes:
The Labour ministry is to come up with an establishment-based job survey for the organised sector in August. The survey will capture the first quarter of the fiscal year 2021-22.
The Ministry will also undertake surveys in the unorganised sector during April to December, starting from April 2022. It will also conduct four surveys on migrants, domestic workers, the transport sector, and professionals.

Notes:
The Government of India’s “Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region” headed by M.M. Kutty has been dissolved within five months of its constitution.
The commission was set up vide an ordinance in October 2020 and the ordinance has lapsed recently. Hence. It failed to become an act.

Notes:
The poetry collection titled “When God is a Traveller” has been written by this year’s Sahitya Akademi Award winner Poet Arundhathi Subramaniam.
She is among the 20 writers to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2020. The list of awards included seven books of poetry, four novels, five short stories, two plays, and one each of memoirs and epic poetry in 20 Indian languages.

Notes:
The highest honours in the music industry – Grammy awards were announced recently and presented to the winners. The function was hosted by South African comedian, television host and producer Trevor Noah.
Taylor Swift’s music album “Folklore” was adjudged the Grammys Album of the Year Award.

Notes:
The United States of America has become India’s second largest supplier of oil after Iraq. The USA has overtaken Saudi Arabia as the second largest oil supplier to India.
USA is the world’s top producer of oil and imports from the USA currently stands at 545,300 barrels per day, which is 48% more in February 2021 as compared to January 2021. Trade war between USA-China and the production cuts by Saudi Arabia- OPEC countries are the major reasons for increased oil imports from the USA.

Notes:
Renowned painter Lakshman Pai of Goa, passed away at his residence recently at the age of 95.
He was one of the most eminent artists in India and has been awarded with several prestigious awards, including Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Nehru Award and Lalit Kala Akademi Award

Notes:
Under the Project TraceBioMe, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO) – Goa has initiated to map the genetic diversity of organisms in the Indian Ocean.
The project involves large scale sampling of water, sediments, planktons and various organisms in different location of the ocean to arrive at the genetic map.

Notes:
The lower house of the French parliament, voted in favour of amending the country’s constitution to include climate and biodiversity protection.
The vote on the climate bill marks the first step towards a referendum on the constitutional amendment. In December, French President Emmanuel Macron announced to hold a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments regarding the fight against climate change.