China, Solomon Islands sign landmark security pact

• The two sides signed an inter-governmental framework agreement on security cooperation.
• Under the agreement, the two sides “will conduct cooperation in such areas as maintenance of social order, protection of the safety of people’s lives and property, humanitarian assistance and natural disaster response, in an effort to help Solomon Islands strengthen capacity building in safeguarding its own security.”
• Amid concern from Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., the Solomon Islands said there was no agreement for a Chinese military base.
• Solomon Islands is a sovereign country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu.
• Its capital, Honiara, is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal.

Supreme Court replaces chief of expert panel for Delhi-Dehradun expressway

• The court made it clear that the replacement of the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary with C.P. Goyal should not be seen as an expression of lack of confidence in the senior bureaucrat.
• The Bench also brought in Anil Prakash Joshi, founder of Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation, and environmentalist Vijay Dhasmana as members of the panel.
• The order was based on a plea by an NGO, Citizens for Green Doon, against a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order.
• The NGT had appointed the 12-member expert committee to be headed by Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand, with nominees of Wildlife Institute of India, Central Pollution Control Board, Uttarakhand State Pollution Control Board and others.
• The tribunal had allowed the expressway project and formed the committee to prevent environmental damage by unscientific muck dumping or obstruction of animal corridor on the Ganeshpur-Dehradun Road (NH-72A) stretch.

UGC rules for tie-ups between Indian and foreign universities

• The UGC decided that an Indian higher education institution that has a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading of 3.01 or above, or is among the top 1,000 QS World University or Times Higher Education rankings, or is among the top 100 universities under National Institution Ranking Framework, will be able to tie-up with a foreign education institution which too features among the top 1,000 QS or Times Higher Education rankings.
• The previous regulations, known as the University Grants Commission (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards of Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2016, which will now stand repealed, required two institutions to tie up with each other after obtaining the UGC’s approval.
• Under the new regulations to be made public soon, universities and colleges will no longer be required to seek its permission to do so, if they met the ranking criteria.

PM Modi inaugurates new dairy complex, potato processing plant in Gujarat’s Banaskantha

• The Prime Minister also dedicated the Banas Community Radio Station to the nation.
• This Community Radio Station has been established to provide farmers key scientific information related to agriculture and animal husbandry. It is expected that the radio station will connect with over 5 lakh farmers of about 1700 villages.
• The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the expanded facilities for the production of cheese products and whey powder at the Banas dairy plant in Palanpur.
• Also, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation, Organic Manure and Biogas plant established at Dama, Gujarat.
• The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of four gobar gas plants of 100 tonnes capacity to be established at Khimana, Ratanpura – Bhildi, Radhanpur and Thawar.
• Banas Dairy is a division of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation which is under the ownership of Ministry of Cooperation, Government of Gujarat based in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat and is Asia''s largest milk producer.
• It was founded in 1969, in accordance with the 1961 rule of the National Dairy Development Board under Operation Flood.

Prime Minister lays foundation stone of WHO Global Center for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, Gujarat

• Groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister of Mauritius Shri Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO).
• The Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO) is establishing world’s first and only Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
• WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India at Jamnagar, Gujarat, will have its interim office at the Institute of Training and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in Gujarat. This Centre will be supported by an investment of about USD 250 million from the Government of India.
• The primary objective of WHO GCTM is to harness the potential of traditional medicine from across the world through modern science and technology and improve overall health of the communities’ world over.
• The Centre will highlight the potential of traditional medicine and utilize technological advancements to promote its safe and effective use.
• India’s traditional medicine system is not limited only to treatment. It is a holistic science of life.

SBI raises MCLR

• SBI raised the MCLR by 10 basis points (bps) across tenures to 7.1% (from 7% earlier); it is now slightly lower than the 7.25% at HDFC Bank, Punjab National Bank, and ICICI Bank.
• MCLR, which RBI instituted with effect from April 1, 2016, is the lowest interest rate that a bank or lender can offer. It is applicable to fresh corporate loans and floating rate loans taken before October 2019.
• RBI then switched to the external benchmark linked lending rate (EBLR) system where lending rate is linked to benchmark rates like repo or Treasury Bill rates.
• As a result of the increase in MCLR, borrowers who have taken home, vehicle, and personal loans will find their equated monthly instalments (EMIs) rising in the coming months.

Vice President visits birthplace of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju

• Alluri Sitarama Raju (1897 – 1924) was an Indian revolutionary who waged an armed campaign against British colonial rule in India.
• Born in present-day Andhra Pradesh, he became involved in anti-British activities in response to the 1882 Madras Forest Act, which effectively restricted the free movement of Adivasis (tribal communities) in their forest habitats and prevented them from practicing a traditional form of agriculture known as podu.
• Rising discontent towards the British led to the Rampa Rebellion of 1922, in which he played a major part as a leader.
• He was nicknamed "Manyam Veerudu" (Hero of the Jungle) by local villagers for his heroic exploits.

Defence Secretary inaugurates two-day National Level Pollution Response Exercise of Indian Coast Guard off Mormugao harbour

• The objective of NATPOLREX-VIII is to enhance the preparedness and response capability of all the stakeholders in combating marine spills.
• It aims at validating the procedures and guidelines as contained in the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) at the national and regional levels under the aegis of SACEP MoU to which India is a member state.
• The event is being attended by more than 85 participants from 50 agencies, including 29 observers from 22 friendly foreign countries & International Organisations and two Coast Guard ships from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Minimum 25% pre-cast concrete elements usage made mandatory in road construction

• The minimum mandatory usage should be 25% of total concrete volume other than the foundations & sub-structures of Bridges/Viaduct/RoB.
• Industrialised Pre-cast Concrete has the benefits of all-weather and fast construction, reliable quality & enhanced performance durability, aesthetics due to uniformity in appearance and reduced carbon emission/reduced noise & air pollution due to reduced construction activities at site, etc.
• To add to that, it will also play an integral role in accelerating the growth of the MSME sector.

India''s NIA organises Colombo Security Conclave on investigation of terrorism cases

• Panellists and participants from India, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh participated in the virtual conference.
• The Colombo Security Conclave is a grouping of India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mauritius.
• The fifth meeting of national security advisers of the Colombo Security Conclave was held in the Maldives on March 9 and 10, 2022.