Current Affairs in Short 19 March 2021

Stone from Sri Lanka's Sita Eliya to be used for construction of Ram Temple

•A stone from Sita Eliya in Sri Lanka will be used for the construction of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. 
•Sita Eliya is the place in Sri Lanka where Goddess Sita is believed to have been held as a captive. The place has a temple dedicated to Goddess Sita. 
•The stone is expected to be brought to India by Sri Lankan High Commissioner-designate to India Milinda Moragoda.
•PM Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya in August 2020. 

Northern Railway to operate 18 pairs of new special trains during Holi

•Northern Railway has announced that it will operate 18 pairs of new special trains for the convenience of passengers during Holi.
•All the trains have got proper fire safety equipment. The first special train will run on March 21st, while the last will run on March 31st. 
•In total, there will be 130 trains for certain routes this month. 
•The northern railways will also be monitoring the waiting list and if the waiting list increases enormously, new trains will be introduced if required.

Manipal Institute declared containment zone 

•The Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) campus, located in Karnataka's Udupi district was declared as a containment zone on March 17, 2021. 
•This came after 52 COVID-19 cases were reported in the campus in the last two days. 
•All areas under the MIT campus have been cordoned off. The movement of students in hostels, and others residing in the campus, has been restricted for two weeks.
•This will be followed by a fresh round of COVID-19 tests on students in the campus.
•Karnataka has witnessed a spike in COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks. The state reported 1,275 new infections on March 17. 
•The Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa denied speculation around a fresh lockdown in the state after a meeting with PM Narendra Modi. 

Ministry planning to send Indian contingent to Tokyo Olympics early: Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju

•Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju informed on March 19, 2021 that the ministry is planning to send the Indian Olympic contingent in advance for the Tokyo Olympic Games so that the athletes get time to acclimatise to the climate conditions.
•The Minister said that the move aims to help the athletes during the competition. He noted that only three months are left for the Olympic Games and the athletes are giving their best to secure their positions in the tournament. 
•The Ministry is currently making arrangements for the athletes and their technical teams and they will be put up in different locations across Japan. 

Madhya Pradesh bans movement of passenger buses to and from Maharashtra

•The Madhya Pradesh government on March 18 announced a ban on the movement of passenger buses to and from Maharashtra from March 20, 2021.
•The ban comes in the wake of an alarming rise in COVID cases in Maharashtra. The decision was taken by MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in the state with municipal commissioners and district collectors.
•The Madhya Pradesh state government has already advised officials in border districts to place the passengers arriving from Maharashtra in week-long quarantine.