The Hindu Editorial Analysis | 9th March ’21

Table of Contents

$ 200 billion
Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)
Iraq
Barham Salih

Q.) The National School of Drama is seeking a tag/certificate from Centre, one that would allow the institution to award degrees, start new course and set up new centres. Name the tag/certificate.

Deemed University
Institute of Excellence
Institute of Eminence
Institute of National Importance

Q.) Name the currency of Venezuela

Bolivar
Boliviano
Peso
Venezuelan Dollar

Q.) Name the current military chief of Myanmar

Than Shwe
Soe Win
Min Aung Hlaing
Tin Maung Win

Q.) In recently vote of confidence in Pakistan’s National Assembly, how many votes did PM Imran Khan secured?

Q.) Recorded Future, a U.S.-based cybersecurity firm, stating that a group linked to the Chinese government, which it called _______, had targeted 10 vital nodes in India’s power distribution system and two seaports.

Red Echo
R-Net
ShadowPad
Red Sun

Add Port Capacity As Demand Evolves | ET

PM Modi invited foreign investors to take part in massive projected investment of $82 billion in the Sagarmala programme.
Ports, port connectivity, port-led industrial development and coastal community development.
The prime minister said India’s major port capacity had already expanded from 870 million tonnes in 2014 to 1,550 million tonnes today.
Neither exports nor imports are booming.
Merchandise exports in 2013-14 were $312.5 billion, and in 2019-20, were still just $ 314.3 billion
Imports were $450 billion in 2013-14 but had hardly risen to $467 billion in 2019-20.
If port capacity has almost doubled at a time of tepid trade growth Sagarmala should prioritise the non-port bits of its project pipeline.
India aims to greatly increase domestic coal production and minimise coal imports.
Iron ore mining and exports have been hobbled by the courts.
Progress on the drive to raise manufacturing output under Aatmanirbhar schemes and other trade trends must be reassessed, and port capacity tailored accordingly.

Primacy for Quad | Tribune

Back in 2018, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said about QUAD that it is a ‘headline-grabbing idea that would dissipate like sea foam’
The first overseas trip by US Defence Secretary Austin Lloyd will be to Asia and not the NATO headquarters.
The foundation was laid with a Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting initiated by the month-and-a-half-old US administration.

The India-Russia summit was called off last year ostensibly due to the pandemic, but US Secretaries of State and Defence travelled to Delhi to keep the momentum going.
The Quad Foreign Ministers, too, had touched base in Tokyo while the pandemic raged.
Beijing is making big bets on emerging technologies
Despite lending its military shoulder to the US-Japan-Australia troika in the South China Sea, India has found little comfort from Washington and Tokyo in its strategic journey to acquire or develop cutting-edge technologies.
The forthcoming Quad summit should set the stage for partnership not just in physical but in all aspects of security, including technological.

Syrian quagmire | Pioneer

The Syrian Civil War started as a non-violent uprising in the middle of March 2011.
Today it is a full-fledged war which involves several nations and world’s prominent jehadi outfits.
President Bashar al-Assad has survived a decade in power despite military challenges from all corners of the country.
Death toll in the war was between 3,87,000 and 5,93,000
The UN reports that more than 5.6 million have already fled the country
Over 6 million have been internally displaced so far
In Syria, in the month of March, 15 schoolchildren were arrested and tortured for writing graffiti which was rightly inspired by the Arab Spring.
One of the boys was killed as well.
The arrest of these schoolchildren sparked outrage across Syria.
The Assad regime responded by killing many protesters and this led to the demand for his resignation by the demonstrators.
But at its heart, the conflict highlights the tragic Shia-Sunni divide among the Muslims in the entire region.
The failure of the UN-led efforts to bring the warring parties to the negotiation table last month in Geneva.
The latest American strike in Syria has signalled President Joe Biden’s new war game in West Asia.
The Assad administration was quick to remind Biden that the American attacks were a cowardly act and urged Biden not to follow the law of the jungle.
It’s really ironic that Biden and Harris, the duo is repeating what once Trump simply did.
Precisely, nothing has changed in Washington, except the man giving orders.
Only with the collective efforts of the US, Russia, Iran and Turkey, peace can be brought to war-torn Syria.

Friends in deed | Ind Exp

During his recent visit to Dhaka, MEA said Bangladesh is important for India
- a “key partner” South Asia
- Delhi’s Look East policy
- in the wider Indo-Pacific region
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on March 26, for the centenary celebrations of Father of the Nation, Mujibur Rehman.
This year also marks two other anniversaries — the 50th year of Bangladesh’s liberation from Pakistan in which India played a crucial part, and 50 years of India-Bangladesh diplomatic relations.
An enormous reserve of goodwill for India exists in Bangladesh for these historical reasons, as well as the strong cross border linguistic and cultural links.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla’s Dhaka visit last year, and the participation of a Bangladesh Army contingent in the Republic Day parade this year.
India also sent 2 million vaccine doses to Bangladesh, the largest consignment sent to any country abroad.
Jaishankar pointed to “practical progress on the ground” — a trial run of container cargo through Bangladesh’s Chattogram (Chittagong) port to Agartala; two new protocol routes to inland waterways connecting Tripura to Bangladesh national waterways, handing over 10 broad gauge locomotives, commencing movement of container and parcel trains and forming a joint venture in the energy sector.
The two sides, he said, were “working so hard to expand our relationship to whole dimensions, ranging from security, trade, transport and connectivity, culture, people to people ties ensuring development of our shared resources”.
Sharing these waters with Bangladesh has been a long-pending promise by Delhi to Dhaka.
Social welfare indicators are better on some counts than India’s.
The road to improving relations with Bangladesh does not lie through the commerce or water resources department alone.

FINANCIAL NEWS

Banks lower home loan rates to a ten year low
- In good news for home buyers, the interest rates on home loans have hit a decadal low as several leading banks slashed their lending rates in the past few days.
- Nationalized banks like State Bank of India, HDFC, ICICI and Kotak Mahindra Bank have reduced their rates to a 10-year low level.
- ICICI has slashed its interest rates to 6.7 per cent on Friday in line with the SBI’s March 1 move offering the starting rate of 6.7 per cent.
- The lenders are also offering a waiver on home loan processing fees.
- Interestingly, borrowers having a good credit score and repayment history will be benefitting the most from the move.
India Inc’s business confidence highest in decade: FICCI Survey
- The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has said that India Inc’s business confidence is at the highest level of the past decade.
- The industry yesterday said that its Overall Business Confidence Index has witnessed a decadal high of 74.2 on account of improvement in present business conditions.
- The Index had stood at 70.9 in 2020 and 59 in 2019.
- The FICCI’s survey revealed that the recovery of demand conditions, improved capacity utilization and a promising outlook on key operational parameters have boosted the business confidence.
- The demand situation has improved on the back of the release of the pent-up demand build-up during the lockdown.
Textiles Ministry & Agriculture Ministry sign MoU to amplify sericulture activities in the country
- Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Agriculture today signed an MoU to amplify sericulture activities in the country in the presence of Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala.
- The MoU will focus on establishing tree based agro-forestry models in sericulture and exploring possibilities of activities through Krishi Vigyan Kendras.
- Ms Irani said, it will enhance training, boost technology and create sustainable livelihood for silk farmers or rearers.
- On the eve of International Women’s Day today, Ms Irani distributed Buniyaad Reeling Machines to women silk reelers with an aim to eradicate unhygienic and obsolete Thigh Reeling practice.
Iran slips record volume of oil into China, taps Asian clients
- Iran moved about 17.8 million tonnes of crude into China during the past 14 months, with volumes reaching record levels in January and February, while India’s state refiners have added Iranian oil to their annual import plans on the assumption that U.S. sanctions on the supplier will soon ease, according to industry sources and Refinitiv data.
- U.S. President Joe Biden has sought to revive talks with Iran on a nuclear deal abandoned by former President Donald Trump in 2018, although harsh economic measures remain in place.
- The sanctions caused a drop in Iran’s exports to China, India, Japan and South Korea. Those measures, and output cuts by fellow OPEC+ producers, have led to tight supplies of West Asian sour crude in Asia.
‘Banks wrote off ₹1.2 lakh cr. in 9 months’
- Banks have written off bad loans to the tune of ₹1.15 lakh crore during the first three quarters of the current fiscal (FY21), the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
- “As per RBI data, scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) have written off loans of ₹2,36,265 crore, ₹2,34,170 crore and ₹1,15,038 crore during FY2018-19, FY2019-20 and the first three-quarters of FY2020-21, respectively,” Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

NEWS

PM Modi says, glory of Sanatan Bharat, glow of modern India should mark celebrations of 75 years of India’s Independence
PM lists five pillars – freedom, ideas, actions, achievements and resolve to celebrate 75 years of Independence
Both Houses of Parliament witness multiple adjournments amid uproar over fuel price hike
International Women’s Day being celebrated today; Prez, Vice Prez & PM greet women on the occasion
All Helpline numbers of Railways merged into single number 139 for queries, complaints & assistance
Home Ministry hands over probe of explosives-laden car found near Mukesh Ambani’s residence to NIA
Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank congratulates students who succeeded in JEE (Main) 2021 Exam
Union Minister V Muraleedharan unveils two of Passport Seva Kendras to be transformed as All Women PSKs
Women’s Day: Free entry for women visitors to all centrally protected monuments
Court has highest respect for womenhood as an institution, says CJI SA Bobde
Bangladesh-India hold Commerce Secretary level meeting in Dhaka
Bangladesh: Two Indian Naval ships arrive in port city Mongla
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls for urgent action in Afghanistan to prevent ‘spring offensive’ by Taliban
Made in India COVID vaccines reached Mozambique, Nicaragua