Weekly Current Affairs Highlights – 29th Mar to 3rd Apr

On this page, you can read all the major news/Current Affairs of the week. On a daily basis, we are covering all relevant Current Affairs under our various initiatives. For further reading, you can refer to our following initiatives:

1. 9 PM: Daily Current Affairs Summaries For UPSC 
2. Daily Editorials: Daily Current Affairs Editorials For UPSC 
3. Factly: Daily Current Affairs For Prelims

Updates on Bills, Acts, etc

Bills like The NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, The Medical Termination of Pregnancy(Amendment) Bill, Places of Worship Act were in news repeatedly. Few important articles that covered these aspects are,

• Why the Places of Worship Act, 1991 has been challenged?
• Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill, 2020 – Associated Issues
• The NCT of Delhi Act, 2021 Enhances Cooperative Federalism

The issue of Human Rights in India

This week the US State Department released the “2020 Human Rights Report”. The report severely criticised the state of Human Rights in India. The important articles that covered these topics are,

• US “2020 Human Rights Report” flags curbs on Indian media
• State of Human Rights in India -Explained, Pointwise

Other topics on Social Issues

This week there are few updates on Social issues such as the construction of only 5.4% of houses under PMAY-G, the Refugee problem etc. The important articles covered in this aspect are,

• Only 5.4% of houses under “PM Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G)” completed this year
• Refugee Problem in India – Explained, Pointwise
• Critical Analysis of 15th Finance Commission Recommendations for Local Bodies
• Health Ministry Releases “National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021”

Development in India-US relations

This week India-US relations took the spotlight after the US President removes the Visa Ban and joint military exercise Vajra Prahar takes place. The important articles that covered these developments are,

• US President to Remove the Ban on “H-1B Visa”
• India and US Agrees to Resolve key Trade Issues
• Indo-US Joint Military “Exercise Vajra Prahar” conducted
• Appointment of Ambassadors – in US and India

BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting

This week BIMSTEC held its 17th ministerial meeting. There are few important articles that appeared in news. The important ones are,

• “BIMSTEC” 17th Ministerial Meeting
• Relevance of BIMSTEC in the Present Scenario-Explained, Pointwise

Other Important updates in International Relations

This week the important updates in International relations include the heart of the Asia summit, conduction of Exercise Vajra Prahar, Pakistan resuming trade with India, etc. The important articles covered by us include,

• Foreign Minister attends “Heart of Asia” Ministerial Conference
• Indian Army will participate in Exercise “Shantir Ogroshena-2021”
• India contributes $300,000 to “UN Women”
• The Issues of UNHRC Resolution against Sri Lanka and India’s Stand – Explained, Pointwise
• “India-Pakistan Relations” – Pakistan to Resume Trade with India
• Afghan Peace Process and India’s stake in it
• Pending Issues in India Bangladesh relations

Report and Indices

There were many important reports and indices released this week. Few of them created many debates in India like Global Wind Report, Global Gender Gap report and others. The important ones are;

• Global Wind Report 2021
• NITI Aayog Releases “Investment Opportunities in India’s Healthcare Sector” report
• WEF released “Global Gender Gap Report 2021”
•  “Maternal mortality” rose during pandemic: Lancet Report

Important updates on Economy

This week the government retained the inflation targeting at 4%. Further, there are other few updates as well. There are other few updates as well. The important articles on this are,

• Record 11 Crore Worked Under “MGNREGS” in 2020-21
• Center to Retain the “Inflation Targeting” at 4% for MPC
• Suggestions for Inclusive Growth in India
• Importance of Land Record Modernisation
• The New EPF Tax Rules Should be Re-examined

Important updates on education

This week there were many news articles covered the education sector. Further, the government also introduced the Ānandam: The Center for Happiness in IIM Jammu. The important articles in this field includes,

• Education Minister inaugurates “Ānandam” – The Center for Happiness in IIM Jammu
• Higher Education in India – Significance of Quality Faculties
• Issues with UGC’s New Undergraduate History Curriculum
• Issues of Vacancies in IIMs For Reserved Faculty Positions
• Governance Issues facing Private Education Institutions

Updates on Agriculture and Agri-allied sectors

This week there were few news articles that covered the White revolution, New Production Linked Incentive Scheme for the FPI sector, etc. The important articles covered by our team in this regard are,

• White Revolution in India and Women Empowerment
• Sustainable Agriculture demands Optimum Water Management
• Union Cabinet approves PLI Scheme for Food Processing Industry

Important updates in Science and Technology

This week there few important updates in the field of science and technology such as Martial blueberries, Genome mapping projects in the Indian Ocean, Candida Auris Superbug, etc. The important articles covered in this field include,

• “NISAR Satellite” for Observing Earth’s Surface
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launches “Tribal TB Initiative”
• CDS operationalizes the third “Joint Logistics Node”(JLN) in Mumbai
• Union Minister inaugurates Event for “DSIR-PRISM Scheme”
• NITI Aayog launches “AIM-PRIME” to support science-based startups

Important updates on Environment

This week there were certain important updates on the Environment like 27 Migratory Birds died in the Pong Dam wildlife sanctuary, the inclusion of new butterfly species in JOTT, etc. The important articles that covered these topics are,

• “Pong Dam wildlife sanctuary” – 27 Migratory Birds Found Dead
• Government congratulated “International Ranger Award” winner from India
• “Nacaduba Sinhala” – the new butterfly species
• What is “Earth Hour”?
• “African Forest Elephants” declared Critically Endangered

The debate of Net Zero emission targets

Globally the idea of net-zero emissions by 2050 gaining momentum. In the next 30 years, they all aim to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other GHGs. There are requests from the global forums that India also needs to adopt a net-zero emissions target. The important articles that covered these topics are,

• Net Zero Emissions Target for India – Explained, Pointwise
• Carbon neutrality is against the interest of Developing countries