NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Pramod Sawant takes oath as Chief
Minister of Goa for 2nd term: Pramod Sawant took oath as the Chief
Minister of Goa on March 28, 2022, for the second straight five-year term.
Sawant led the BJP in the recently concluded 2022 Goa Assembly elections and
won 20 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly. Mr Sawant was administered the oath
by Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai at the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee stadium near
Panaji. Mr Sawant is an Ayurveda Medical practitioner by profession. He was
sworn in as Chief Minister in March 2019 after the death of the sitting chief
minister Manohar Parrikar. Mr Sawant represents the Sanquelim constituency.
2. Yamunotsav held at ITO Yamuna
Ghat, organised by NMCG: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) conducted
Yamunotsav at ASITA East River Front, ITO Bridge, as part of Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav celebrations, in collaboration with a number of NGOs, to celebrate the
splendour of Yamuna with a “pledge to keep it clean.”
Key Points:
a)
While
under the Namami Gange Program, the focus was on the main stem of the Ganga
Basin, and the positive results are now showing, Shri Kumar said.
b)
The
target now is to clean River Yamuna and ensure that three large STPs being
constructed are completed by December 2022 with the support of stakeholders,
preventing all the major drains and dirty water from falling into Yamuna.
c)
He
went on to say that by next year, the Yamuna should be significantly cleaner
for Delhi residents.
d)
The
NMCG is investing roughly Rs. 2300 crore in the construction of sewerage
infrastructure for the River Yamuna.
3. Shashi Sinha named as new
Chairman of Broadcast Audience Research Council India: The board of
Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has elected IPG Mediabrands
India CEO Shashi Sinha as the new chairman. He will take over from Punit
Goenka, who served as chairman of the TV viewership measurement agency for the
last three years. Sinha, who also represents the Advertising Agencies
Association of India as its board member, has played a key role in the
formation of BARC.
Note: Broadcast Audience Research Council
Founded: 2010; Broadcast Audience Research Council Headquarters: Mumbai;
Broadcast Audience Research Council CEO: Nakul Chopra.
4. India’s Namit Malhotra on Oscars
win for Dune: This
year’s Oscars was named to Dune as the Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya starrer
sci-fi thriller bagged six wins. Dune was nominated in 10 categories and it won
in 6 of them. This win was a proud moment for India as Namit Malhotra, the CEO
and Chairman of Double Negative (DNEG), the studio that did the VFX for the
film, brought home this honour.
DNEG won the Academy Award for Best Visual
Effects, beating Free Guy, Shang-Chi, Spider-Man: No Way Home and No Time to
Die. Interestingly, this is DNEG’s seventh win at the Academy Awards, with the
studio winning big for Inception (2011), Ex Machina (2016), First Man (2019),
Tenet (2021), Interstellar (2015) and Blade Runner 2049 (2018).
Note: DNEG Headquarters: London, United
Kingdom; DNEG Founded: 1998, London, United Kingdom.
5. A book titled ‘Spoorthi Pradatha
Sri Somayya’ authored by K Syam Prasad: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, released a
book titled ‘Spoorthi Pradatha Sri Somayya’ authored by Syam Prasad. The book
is based on the life story of late Shri Somepalli Somaiah, a social worker from
Andhra Pradesh. He inspired youth to dedicate their lives to social welfare.
Somepalli Somaiah was born in 1927 in the
“Parlamili” village of Prakasham district. He dedicated his life to reform and
the betterment of society for 50 years. He participated in the Satyagraha of
1948 and was against the ban on RSS (Rashtriya Seva Sangh) and was jailed for
the same.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Maltese PM Robert Abela sworn in
after landslide election win: The Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela
has been sworn in for a second term after his ruling Labour Party won the 2022
general election in a landslide victory. He was administered the oath of office
by President George Vella. Abela was first sworn in as prime minister in
January 2020 after the former Labour Party leader and Prime Minister Joseph
Muscat resigned.
It was the first electoral test for Abela,
a 44-year-old lawyer since he took the helm of the tiny Mediterranean island
nation in January 2020 following a Labour party vote. Labour secured a majority
of almost 40,000 votes over its Nationalist Party rivals — a huge margin in the
tiny EU state which has just 355,000 registered voters.
Note: Malta Capital: Valletta; Currency:
Euro
2. Gilbert Houngbo named next
Director-General of International Labour Organization: Gilbert Houngbo
from Togo will be the next Director-General of the International Labour
Organization (ILO). Houngbo was elected by the UN agency’s governing body,
comprising representatives of governments, workers and employers during their
meeting in Geneva. Houngbo, former Prime Minister of Togo, will be the 11th
head of the agency and the first African to hold the post. His five-year term
will begin on October 1, 2022. The current Director-General, Guy Ryder, from
the United Kingdom, has held office since 2012.
Note: International Labour Organisation
Founded: 1919; International Labour Organisation Headquarters: Geneva,
Switzerland.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. The men’s and women’s team has
won gold in the National Cross Country Championship: In Kohima, Darshan
Singh of the Services and Varsha Devi of the Railways finally defended their
men’s and women’s titles in the National Cross Country Championships by winning
their 10 Km events on the picturesque but difficult course, which was made more
difficult by 60 per cent humidity and wind gusts.
Key Points:
a)
After
playing crucial roles in their respective teams’ successes, they were ecstatic
to win the South Asian crowns at the second SAFF Cross Country Championships,
which were held concurrently.
b)
They
tasted international victory right away, despite missing out on the 2020
competition in Sri Lanka, which was first postponed and then relocated here.
c)
Darshan
Singh was grouped at the front with his Services teammates Rajendra Nath,
Deepak Singh Rawat, Dipak Suhaug, reigning champion Parasappa Madevappa
Hajilol, and Railways Narendra Pratap Singh even before the runners had
completed the first loop of 2 kilometres. He never lost his beat or his place.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Shaktikanta Das lays Foundation
Stone of Learning and Development Centre of BRBNMPL in Mysuru: Governor of Reserve
Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das has laid the foundation stone for the
establishment of a Learning and Development Centre (LDC) of the Bharatiya Reserve
Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL) in Mysuru, Karnataka. Bharatiya
Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of RBI.
About the Learning and Development
Centre:
LDC is being established with active collaboration from Security Printing and
Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) and Bank Note Paper Mill India
Private Limited (BNPMIPL). LDC will act as a forum for robust knowledge
dissemination, thus ensuring that the best practices, experiences, and innovations
are shared efficiently in a congenial environment to ensure uniformity in
banknote production, quality and supply.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. Former SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar
joins Dun & Bradstreet: The Former Chairman of the State Bank of
India Rajnish Kumar has joined the International Strategic Advisory Board of
data and analytics behemoth Dun & Bradstreet. Dun & Bradstreet has been
a trusted brand in business decision-making data, analytics, and ratings for
almost 180 years.
About Rajnish Kumar: In October 2020,
Kumar stepped down as Chairman of SBI. He formerly worked for HSBC’s Asia
division in Hong Kong as a non-executive director, as a senior adviser for
Baring Private Equity Asia, and as a consultant for Kotak Investment Advisors.
Rajnish Kumar serves on the boards of HSBC Asia Pacific, L&T Infotech, Hero
MotoCorp, and BharatPe.
2. Ola to acquire neo bank Avail
Finance: Ola,
an Indian ride-hailing startup, has agreed to acquire neo-banking platform
Avail Finance in order to expand its financial services offering.
The financial terms of the agreement were
not disclosed by Ola, which owns a 9% share in Avail Finance. Ola intends to
use Avail Finance’s product portfolio to enhance its lending operations and
further its neo-banking expansion goals. The acquisition is a critical step in
Ola’s bigger drive into the fintech market as it strives to develop a
mobility-focused financial services business under Ola Financial. Ola Financial
Services will expand its position in the credit underserved areas that include
blue-collar employees, such as Ola’s driver-partner ecosystem, with this
purchase.
3. Uday Kotak resigns as the
Chairman of IL& FS: Uday Kotak has announced to step down as the Chairman
of the board of the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services
(IL&FS), after his term ends on April 2, 2022. CS Rajan, Managing Director,
IL&FS has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director for six months
with effect from April 3 by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Crisis-hit Infrastructure Leasing &
Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) has resolved nearly 55% of the group’s
outstanding debt over the last three-and-a-half years, managing director C.S.
Rajan said on Tuesday. Among others, the company sold its iconic headquarters
at Bandra Kurla Complex for ₹1,080 crore to reduce debt.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Actress Deepika Padukone named in
inaugural TIME100 Impact Award: Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has been
named as one of the awardees of the TIME100 Impact Awards 2022. The actress has
got featured on the inaugural TIME100 Impact Awards list for her work in mental
health struggles and raising awareness, through her LiveLoveLaugh Foundation.
The award recognizes global leaders who have gone above and beyond to move
their industries and the world forward. Apart from Deepika, six other global
leaders have also been honoured with the award. The awards were presented at
the Museum of the Future in Dubai.
DEFENCE
1. DRDO successfully test-fire
Indian Army “MRSAM” Missile: The Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) has conducted two successful flight tests of the Indian
Army version of Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) against high-speed
aerial targets at Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The
first test launch was to intercept a medium-altitude long-range target and the
second launch was for a low altitude short-range target. The Indian Army
version of MRSAM is a Surface-to-Air Missile. It has been developed jointly by
DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel.
About the Missile: This MRSAM
version is a Surface-to-Air Missile developed jointly by DRDO and Israel
Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel for use by the Indian Army. The MRSAM Army
weapon system comprises multi-function radar, mobile launcher system and other
vehicles. The flight tests were carried out with the weapon system in
deliverable configuration.
Note: Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy;
DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi; DRDO Established: 1958.
2. IAF unveils ‘Fleet Card-Fuel on
Move’ new initiative for refuelling: The Indian Air Force has unveiled a new
initiative with the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. Under it, IAF’s convoys will be
refuelled at fuel stations of the state-run energy major. As per the Defence
Ministry, ‘Fleet Card-Fuel on Move’ has been rolled out to facilitate the
refuelling of convoys belonging to the Indian Air Force. Under the existing
system, the Indian Air Force procures fuel from various agencies and then
distributes it within the Air Force establishment.
With the advent of the Fleet Cards, the IAF
will be able to utilise the vast network of retail fuel distributors across the
country to refuel its vehicles on the move. The availability of Fleet Card will
permit the convoy to refuel at any IOCL fuel station, thus increasing the pace
of movement and reducing the lead time for readiness at operational locations
across the nation.
Note: Indian Airforce founded: 08th October 1932; Indian Airforce Headquarters: New Delhi; Indian Airforce Chief of Air Staff: Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
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