NEWS 21/03/2021. NEWS FOR 22nd-MAR (Monday) 1. India's defence imports have come down by 33 % as campared with the previous five-year period. Russia makes up 49 % of all Indian imports followed by france and Israel with 18% to 13%. respectively, Data released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). 2. India's defence export have increased by 228 % with 52% of the defence export to Myanmar, 24%, to sri lanka and 13% to Maldives. 3. The World's highest Bridge called the "Chenab Bridge" in Jammu & Kashmir has completed a major milestone after the engineers completed the arch bottom of the bridge on 14 March 2021. 4. Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in the multinational exercise, named as 'Desert Flag', which will be held in United Arab Emirates (UAE). 125 Personnel, 6 Sukhoi Fighter jets (Su-30 MKI) and 2 C-17 Globemaster-III aircraft will be a part of Indian contingent, which will attend the exercise. 5.India- US - Japan- Australia Quadrilateral initiative, or Quad, at its maiden summit has decided to build a first-of-its-kind joint vaccine supply chain to address the current and any future pandemic situations in the Indo-Pacific region. 6. Quad leaders PM Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, and PMs Scott Morrison of Australian and Yoshihide Suga of Japan adopted a positive agenda and vision focusing on contemporary issues like : Vaccine , Climate change ,Emerging technology 7. Indian Navy's third Scorpene class stealth submarine INS Karanj has been commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Mumbai based Naval Dockyard. The submarine would be a part of a base situated near Navi Mumbai named Uran and will operate under Western Naval Command's fleet. 8. In the run-up to the celebration marking 50 years of the brith Of Bangladesh, PM Narendra Modi and Bangladesh counter part Sheikh Hasina inaugurated on 9 th March, the 1.9 km long Maitri Setu, a border bridge connnecting Tripura and Other State in NE to port of Chattogram. 9. Recently F. M. Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to amend the Insurance Act 1938 to increase the permissible FDI limit from 49 % to 74% in insurance company and allow foreign ownership and control with safeguard. Raising the FDI in Insurance sector is expected to improve capital availability and faster competition in the sectors. 10. US Defence Secretary lloyd J. Austin will visit India on March 19. During the visit he is expected to meet Defence Minister of India. Both sides are expected to discuss way to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and exchange view on the regional security challenges and common interest in maintaining a free ,open and inclusive India-Pacific region and how both countries could consolidate military to military cooperation and defence trade. 11. China and Russia said they will build a lunar Research Station Possibily on the Moon's Surface marking the start of a new era in space cooperation between two countries. 12. BIMSTEC Virtual meeting of foreign ministers is going to be held on 1st April. < < Back