1.National Forensic Sciences University bill introduced in Lok Sabha

• A bill seeking to establish a National Forensic Sciences University as an institution of national importance by upgrading the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University in Gandhinagar was introduced in Lok Sabha.
• The National Forensic Sciences University Bill, 2020 was introduced by Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy.
• Forensic sciences, criminology and applied behavioural sciences play a critical role in criminal investigations and prevention of crimes.
• The proposed National Forensic Sciences University will promote studies and research in forensic science in conjunction with applied behavioural science studies, law, criminology and other allied areas for strengthening the criminal justice system in the country.

Foot notes:
About Lok Sabha:
Founded: 17 April 1952
Leader: Narendra Modi
2. Satyarup Siddhanta becomes first Indian to complete volcanic Seven Summit, enters 'Limca Book of Records'

• An Indian mountaineer, Satyarup Siddhanta has been nominated for the coveted Limca Book of World Records for his extraordinary achievement to be the first Indian to climb the highest volcanoes of each of the 7 continents.
• After Guinness Book of World Records, the Bengaluru-based 37-years-old techie mountaineer is now shining on the prestigious index of 'Limca Book of records'. 
• It is to be noted that he achieved this feat last year in Jan 2019 but received the official acknowledgement and certificate recently.He climbed the highest volcano of Antarctica - Mt Sidley to complete his 7 summits and Volcanic 7 summits.
• Satyarup holds a world record for being the youngest in the world to summit the highest mountains (7 Summits) of each continent, including the Mt Everest in Nepal, and highest Volcanoes (Volcanic 7 summits) of each continent.

3. Punjab become 1st State to impose curfew amid Lockdown 

• The Punjab government imposed a curfew to stop the spread of coronavirus, making it the first state to take the drastic measure.
• Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced the curfew as people were defying the lockdown imposed in the state. Curfew was imposed as people were still coming out in large numbers. So the curfew is imposed to keep them inside.

4. IOC becomes 1st company to begin supply of BS-VI fuel across country

• Indian Oil Corp, the nation's biggest oil firm, has begun the supply of the world's cleanest petrol and diesel across the country with all its 28,000 petrol pumps dispensing ultra-low sulphur fuel a good two weeks before the April 1 deadline.
• Other fuel retailers, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), are also progressively supplying BS-VI grade fuel and the entire country will switch to the cleanest fuel within this week.
• The government had set April 1 as the deadline for starting supply of Euro-VI emission compliant fuels. 
• With this India joins the select league of nations using petrol and diesel containing just 10 parts per million of sulphur.

Foot notes:
About IOC(Indian oil Corporation):
Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairperson: Sanjiv Singh
Founded on: 30 June 1959
5. Former footballer Abdul Latif passes away

• Former India midfielder Abdul Latif, who was also a key member of bronze medal winning team at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games died in Guwahati on Monday.
• He was also represented India in Asia Cup Qualifier in 1968 in Myanmar and Merdeka Cup in 1969 in Kuala Lumpur

6. India’s first dedicated COVID-19 Centre set up by Reliance in Mumbai, Maharashtra; to produce 1,00,000 face-masks per day

• As a measure to curb deadly coronavirus (COVID-19), Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has set up India’s first 100 bedded centre at Seven Hills Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra for positive COVID 19 patients.
• The Centre fully funded by Reliance Foundation includes a negative pressure room that helps in preventing cross contamination and helps control infection, among necessary infrastructure and bio-medical equipment.
• Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has also built a fully-equipped isolation facility in Lodhivali, Maharashtra and handed it over to the district authorities.

Foot Notes:
About Maharashtra
Capital: Mumbai
Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
7. Author Ruchika Tomar wins PEN/Hemingway Award 2020 for debut novel

• Indian-origin American author Ruchika Tomar is named as the winner of the annual PEN/Hemingway Award 2020 for her 1st novel (debut) ”A Prayer for Travelers”. She hails from California & is currently working as a lecturer at Stanford University.
• The award includes a prize of USD 25,000 & also a 1 month residency fellowship  (includes all finalists & runner up) at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, worth USD 10,000.
• The 2 runner-ups of the award are Madeline ffitch for her novel Stay and Fight & Regina Porter for her novel The Travelers.

8. Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021

• Japan's Prime Minister and the head of the International Olympic Committee Shinzo Abe today agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games by a year in an extraordinary move, unprecedented in peacetime, as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic.
• The move would be a devastating blow for the city of Tokyo, which had won widespread praise for its organization, with venues finished well ahead of time and tickets massively oversubscribed.
• The Olympics, which has experienced boycotts, terrorist attacks and protests, but has been held every four years since 1948, would be the highest-profile event affected by the virus that has killed thousands and closed sports competitions worldwide.
• The IOC has come under increasing pressure in recent days to postpone the Games, scheduled to start on July 24, with 1.7 billion people across the planet in lockdown to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

Foot notes:
About Japan:
Capital: Tokyo
Currency: Japanese yen
Prime Minister: Shinzo Abe
About IOC: 
President: Thomas Bach Trending
Director-General: Christophe De Kepper
Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
Founded: 23 June 1894, Paris, France
9. US successfully tested its first nuclear-capable hypersonic missile

• In a major development, the United States (US) Navy and Army has successfully tested its common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB), a first unarmed prototype of a hypersonic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The test was carried out at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii and was monitored by Missile Defense Agency (MDA) of US Department of Defence i.e. The Pentagon. C-HGB flew at five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5 to a designated impact point.
• In December 2019, Russia became the first country to have an operable surface-to–surface hypersonic weapon named “Avangard hypersonic missile” which can reach speeds of up to Mach 27, roughly 20,500 miles (33,000 kilometers) per hour.
• China also has hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) namely DF-ZF/WU-14 with a speed between Mach 5 and Mach 10.

Foot notes:
About U.S.A:
Capital: Washington, D.C.
President: Donald Trump
Currency: United States dollar
About hypersonic missile:
Hypersonic weapons can travel much faster than current nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles at low altitudes. Also, hypersonic weapons can switch direction in flight making them harder to track and intercept.

10. ECI defers Rajya Sabha elections due to coronavirus pandemic

• The Election Commission of India has deferred the Rajya Sabha elections amid rising risk of rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic. 
• Elections to 18 seats of Rajya Sabha were scheduled to be held on 26 March 2020. Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

Foot Notes:
Chief Election Commissioner: Sunil Arora.
Chairman of Rajya Sabha: M. Venkaiah Naidu.

Read More :

Current Affairs 24 March 2020

Current Affairs 23 March 2020

Current Affairs 21 & 22 March 2020