CRRENT AFFAIRS OF 10 MARCH 2021

 1, MODI INAUGURATES 'MAITRI SETU’ BETWEEN INDIA AND BANGLADESH 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 

Tuesday virtually inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge (Maitri Setu) over the Feniriverat _ Sabroom in South Tripura. 

1.The bridge 'Maitri Setu’ has been built over the 

Feni River which flows between the Indian boundary in Tripura State and Bangladesh. 

-The construction was taken up by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited at a project cost of rupees 133 crore. 

The 1.9 km long bridge joins Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh. 

The bridge, which was first mooted A decade ago, would immensely benefit Northeast India in trade matters as the same would connect the Chittagong Sea port just 100km from Agartala. 

With the inauguration of the bridge, Tripura is set to become the ‘gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong port of Bangladesh, which is just 80kms from Sabroom. 

2. SIKH FIGHTER PILOT MEMORIAL IN U.K. TO HONOUR INDIANS WHO FOUGHT IN WORLD WARS

Recently, England has approved the design for sculpture of an early 20" century Sikh fighter pilot “Hardit Singh Malik” for a new memorial to erected in the port city of Southampton. The memorial is built in memory of all Indians who fought in the World Wars. 

*The memorial will be created by English sculptor Luke Perry. About Hardit Singh Malik: *Birth: . «He was born into a Sikh family on 23*? November 1894 in Rawalpindi in West Punjab, pre-partitioned India. «Carrer: «Hardit Singh Malik first arrived in the UK in 1908 as a 14year-old to Balliol College at the University of Oxford. 

He became a member of the the royal flying corps during World War 1 (1914-1918). 

*As the first Indian and turbaned pilot with the specialised

Death: He died in New Delhi on 315t October 1985. World War I , also known as the Great War, lasted from July 1914 to November 1918. World War I fought between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers. 

Allied Powers: France, Russia, and Britain. The United States also fought on the side of the allies after 1917. 

Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.“India made a huge contribution to Britain’s war effort. 

“As high as 100 million British Pounds was given by India to Britain to fund their war anticipating dominion status and home rule in return

*The British raised man and money from India, as well as large supplies of food, cash and ammunition, collected by British taxation policies. In return, the British promised to award self rule to India at the end of the war which eventually was not delivered. It sent staggering numbers of volunteers to fight and die on behalf of the allied forces. *Almost 1.5 million Muslim, Sikh and Hindu men from regions such as the Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, | Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar volunteered in the Indian Expeditionary Force, which fought on the Western front, in East Africa, Mesopotamia , Egypt and Gallipoli.

3. CHINA GIVES GREEN LIGHT FOR FIRST DOWNSTREAM DAMS ON BRAHMAPUTRA 

“A draft of China’s new Five-year Plan (20212025), which is Set to be formally approved on March 11, has given the green light for the first Dam To be built on the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet, before it flows into India. 

China’s dam building overdrive is a concern because there are no bilateral or multilateral treaties onthe water. China believes Dam building on the Brahmaputra helps it assert claim over Arunachal Pradesh. 

India believes China’s projects in the Tibetan plateau threaten to reduce river flows into India. Dams, Canals, irrigation systems can turn water into a political weapon to be wielded in war, or during peace to signal annoyance with a coriparian state. 

Denial of Hydrological data becomes critical when the flow in the river is very high. 

Diversion of tge Brahmaputra is an idea China does not discuss in public, because it implies devastating India’s northeastern plains and Bangladesh, either with floods or reduced water flow. 

Significance of Brahma : utra river for India: The Brahmaputra flows for over 3000km through Tibet, India and Bangladesh. 

1. Itis crucial for India too as its basin is a critical.water source for Arunachal Pradesh,Assam,Meghalaya, Sikkim, Nagaland and west Bengal.

2. -The Brahmaputra valley supports the lives of several indigenous communities 

4. INDIA WILL BE FULLY ATMNIRBHAR IN SILK PRODUCTION IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS: SMRITI IRANI 

InternationalWomen’s DayAbout: it is celebrated annually on 8" March. 

It Includes: Celebration of women’s achievements, «Raising awareness about women’s equality slobbying for accelerated gender parity «Fundraising for female-focused charities,etc. international Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations in 1975. 

#2021 theme: The UN has decided to keep the theme as “women in leadership:achieving an equal future ina covid-19 world”. 

Speaking on the occasion, Smt, Smriti Zubin Irani said that India will be fully Atmnirbhar in Silk production in the next two years. 

She said that raw Silk production in the country has increased 35% in the last six years. The Minister informed that more than 90 lakh people have got employment in Raw Silk production. 

Addressing the ‘National Level Programme on Convergence of Agro-Sericulture and eradication of Thigh reeling’ where the MoU was signed, Smt Irani informed that 8000 women thigh reelers were identified for providing buniyad machines and 5000 women have already been supported under silk samagra Phase I. She said that for remaining 3000 thigh reelers, fund provision has beenmade in order to eradicate unhygienic and obsolete . Thigh reeling practice from the country. 

The Government of India has allocated Rs 2161 .68 crore for three years i.e. 2017-2020 to its Central Sector Scheme “silk Samagra” for the development of the sericulture in the country. The scheme is being implemented by the central silk board (CSB). It focuses on improving the quality and productivity of domestic silk thereby reducing the ' country’s dependence on imported silk. 

*Silk Production in India 

There are five major types of silk of commercial importance, obtained from different species of silkworms. These are mulberry, Oak Tasar and Tropical Tasar, muga and Eri. 

*Th ntral Silk Boar “It is a Statutory Body established in the year 1948 by an act of parliament. it is working under the administrative control of © Ministry of textiles, Government of India. 

«Its headquarter is located in Bangalore. It is mandated with:Promoting the development of silk industry by such * measures as it thinks fit. 

«Undertaking, assisting or encouraging scientific, technological and economic research. 

5. AT LEAST 20 KILLED IN HUGE BLASTS AT BARRACKS IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA 

At least 20 people have been killed and more than 600 wounded ina huge series of explosions atah military barracks in equatorial guinea, state television has reported. 

*More than a dozen people have been killed and hundreds wounded in a series of powerful explosions at a military base in equatorial Guinea’s . largest city of Bata, according to officials.

«International Women’s Day

About: it is celebrated annually on 8'* March. It Includes: Celebration of women’s achievements, «Raising awareness about women’s equality *lobbying for accelerated gender parity Fundraising for female-focused charity 

International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations in 1975. «2021 theme: The UN has decided to keep the theme as “women in leadership:achieving an equal future ina covid-19 world”.