30th March 2021 Current affairs

1. Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle has been selected for the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan Award. The decision to honour the 87- year old was taken during a meeting of the award selection committee, which was presided over by Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on March 25, 2021. Maharashtra Bhushan Award is the state’s highest honour.
2. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reportedly instructed senior officials in the State Health Department and COVID-19 task force to prepare for a lockdown as people continue to violate COVID-19 protocols despite a sudden spike in coronavirus cases in the state. The Chief Minister said during a recent meeting that people are not taking the COVID guidelines seriously and that is why serious steps, similar to a lockdown, need to be considered.
3. The Ever Given container ship, which was blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week, was finally freed on March 29, 2021. It took almost six days to finally free the 400-meter long vessel, which is slightly larger than the Empire State Building in New York. The task was completed using a combination of dredgers and dozens of tug boats and high tides. The massive vessel was stuck in the Suez Canal since March 23rd, halting crucial trade.
4. Paraguay on March 29, 2021 received a shipment consisting of 1, 00,000 doses of India’s indigenously developed Covaxin vaccine. The Paraguay Health Ministry thanked India for its support. Under its vaccine Maitri initiative, India has been supplying coronavirus vaccines to countries around the world. So far, India has provided vaccines to 75 countries.
5. Brazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo has resigned after rising criticism over a diplomatic failure to secure coronavirus vaccines as the country is grappling with supply shortages. The minister had reportedly notified his staff about the decision and sent a letter of resignation to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
6. India and the United States agreed to revamp the strategic energy partnership on March 29, 2021 to reflect the new priorities of PM Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden with a focus on promoting clean energy with low-carbon pathways and accelerating green energy cooperation.
7. Eritrea has agreed to withdraw its troops from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region along their mutual border, said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on March 26, 2021. He added that Ethiopia’s military would take over guarding the border area.
8. The sixth round of the India-Australia Dialogue on Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Export Control was held virtually on March 30, 2021. During the talks, the two sides discussed contemporary issues of mutual interest.