21st March 2021 Current affairs

1. State-run EESL arm Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL) launched the Gram Ujala programme under which high quality energy efficient LED bulbs will be given for Rs 10 per piece in certain villages of five states in the first phase.
2. Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and Amazon Web Services announced new initiatives to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in India.
3. India has been ranked 139 out of 149 countries in the list of UN World Happiness Report 2021 released which is topped by Finland. In 2019, India was ranked 140th. 138th – Sierra Leone. 139th – Burundi. People in war-torn Afghanistan are most unhappy with their lives, followed by Zimbabwe (148), Rwanda (147), Botswana (146) and Lesotho (145).
4. India needs to grow at 10.5-11 per cent in real terms in the next fiscal and sustain that to overcome massive ill-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said.
5. India’s economy, estimated to contract by 6.9 per cent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, is forecast to record a “stronger recovery” in 2021 and grow by 5 per cent, according to a UN report.
The report, ‘Out of the frying pan into the fire?’ as an update to the Trade and Development Report 2020 by UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said the global economy is set to grow by 4.7 per cent this year
6. Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility (LCU) L58 was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This is the eighth and last ship of the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mark IV Class.
7. The largest floating solar farm of the world is being built in Singapore. The country has resorted to set up the energy plants off the coasts and reservoirs across it.
8. The Indian athlete Avinash Sable set a new national record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase event in the ongoing Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships in Patiala, with timing of 8:20.20.