NATIONAL UPDATES:
G Krishnakumar takes over as the chairman of Bharat
Petroleum Corporation: G Krishnakumar has taken over as
the new chairman and managing director (MD) of Bharat Petroleum
Corporation Ltd (BPCL). He succeeded Arun Kumar Singh, who retired as
chairman in October 2022. He will hold the position of chairman and MD till
April 2025 or until any further notice, whichever is earlier BPCL is
an Indian central public sector (CPS) undertaking under the ownership
of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and operates refineries in Bina,
Kochi, Mumbai.
GAIL signs MoU with Shell Energy India on ethane sourcing: GAIL (India) has signed MoU
with Shell Energy India Private Ltd to explore prospects of importing
and handling of ethane and other hydrocarbons. It is primarily used as
petrochemical feedstock and is separated from the other components of natural
gas in most well-developed gas fields. It will be transported further through 14,830
km of natural gas pipelines to different demand centres. Ethane is
mainly used to produce ethylene, which is used for other products.
Inter-Services Organization (Command, Control and
Discipline) Bill, 2023: Inter-Services Organization (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill,
2023 has been introduced in Lok Sabha to empower designated military
commanders to take charge of soldiers and enforce discipline, regardless of the
service they belong to. It came ahead of the impending move to establish integrated
or joint commands, where all the manpower and assets will be under the
operational control of a single three-star general of the Indian Army, Navy and
IAF.
Government announced the sites for setting up of 7 PM
MITRA Parks: Government has announced the
sites for setting up of 7 PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel
(PM MITRA) Parks for the Textile industry in Tamil Nadu, Telangana,
Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. PM MITRA
will offer the opportunity to create an Integrated Textiles Value Chain right
from spinning, weaving, processing/dyeing and printing to garment manufacturing
etc. at one location and will reduce logistics cost of the Industry.
V V Giri National Labour Institute and ASSOCHAM sign MoU
for labour reforms: V.V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) signs MoU
with Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India
(ASSOCHAM) to promote professional and organizational development in
labour and employment-related areas by jointly identifying and executing
developmental initiatives that benefit stakeholders in the sector. It includes
policy advocacy, with the organizations working together to advocate for
policies.
Punjab govt cancels 813 gun licenses in state: Punjab government has cancelled 813-gun
licenses in the state to clamp down on the gun culture, along with a review of
all licenses issued within 3 months The new rule will also bar the issuance of
new licenses for the next 3 months, except in extraordinary circumstances. The
ban is on carrying and displaying weapons in public functions, religious
places, marriage ceremonies, or any other events in Punjab.
Sampanna Ramesh becomes fastest Indian to swim across
Palk Strait: Pune based swimmer, Sampanna Ramesh
Shelar has become the fastest Indian in under 21 group to swim across
the Palk Strait from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Dhanuskodi in Tamil Nadu.
He created this record by completing the distance of 29 Kms in 5 hours and 30
minutes. The previous record was 8 hours and 26 minutes. With this achievement,
Mr. Shelar is planning to do solo swims across the English & Catalina
Channels soon, to eventually complete swimming across the seven oceans
popularly known as the Oceans Seven Challenge.
Rajasthan CM announced 19 new districts and three new
divisions: Rajasthan Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot announced the decision to carve out 19 new districts in
the state. The decision to carve out new districts and three new divisions
comes months ahead of the high-stakes Assembly polls. With the formation of 19
new districts, the state now has a total of 50 districts.
The
new districts are- Anupgarh, Balotra, Beawar, Deeg, Didwana-Kuchaman City,
Dudu, Gangapur City, Jaipur North, Jaipur South, Jodhpur East, Jodhpur West, Kekri,
Kotputli, Khairthal, Neemkathana, Phalodi, Salumbar, Sanchore, Shahpura
(Bhilwara). Banswara, Pali, and Sikar were named as new divisions, taking the
total number of divisions in the state to 10
Uttarakhand government approved 10 % reservation for statehood
activists: Uttarakhand
government has given approval to the 10 percent horizontal
reservation to the statehood activists in the government job. The decision on
the reservation to Statehood activists assumes significance since the governor
had returned the bill granting 10 percent reservation to the statehood
activists in the past. The statehood activists are not getting the benefit of
reservation in government jobs for the past 12 years. The Cabinet also given
approval to new solar policy and to the proposal of increasing MLA Local Area
Development Fund from 3 crore 75 lakh to 5 crore per year. The other major
decisions taken by the Cabinet include increase in the financial assistance
given to Mahila Mangal Dal from 25 lakh rupees to 40 lakh rupees and increase
in grant given for the beautification of temples from 25 lakh rupees to 50 lakh
rupees. The Cabinet also gave approval to the new solar policy and to the
proposal of increasing MLA Local Area Development Fund from 3.75 crores to 5
crores per year.
Indian Railways to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030: Union Railway Minister Ashwini
Vaishnav recently said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha
that the Indian Railways is working on a mission mode to become the
largest green railway in the world and towards becoming a “net zero carbon
emitter” by 2030. Indian Railways has taken several initiatives to reduce
carbon emissions which include the use of energy-efficient technologies. Indian
Railways is starting production of three phase electric locomotives with
regenerative features, use of Head on Generation (HOG) technology, use of LED
lights in buildings and coaches, use of star-rated equipment. Indian Railways
has adopted an integrated approach to green transport to increase the total
share of Indian Railways in land based freight traffic from the present 36
percent to 45 percent by 2030.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
International SME Convention, 2023 to be held in New
Delhi: The 3rd annual edition of International SME
Convention 2023 (ISC) is to be organized from 19th to 21st March 2023 in
New Delhi. It is jointly organized by Ministry of MSME & Ministry of
External Affairs, India SME Forum, along with Govt. of Madhya
Pradesh as a Key State Partner and Govt. of Uttar Pradesh as Associate
State Partner. International partner: International Network for
SMEs and World Union of Small and Medium Enterprises Insurance
partner: TATA AIA.
Global Recycling Day: 18th March: Global Recycling Day is observed every year
on 18th March to help recognise, and celebrate, the importance
recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the
future of our planet. It is a day for the world to come together and put the
planet first and was created in 2018. Theme of 2023: Creative Innovation.
Every
year recyclables saves over 700 million tonnes in CO2 emissions, which
projected to increase to 1 billion tons by 2030. Brazilian researchers find terrifying plastic rocks on
remote island: Scientists have discovered
rocks made from plastic debris in Trindade Island which is a remote
turtle refuge is sparking alarm. Melted plastic has become intertwined with
rocks on the island, located 1,140 km (708 miles) from the southeastern state
of Espirito Santo and are made of a mixture of sedimentary granules The
pollution on this island comes from fishing nets, which are very common debris
on Trinidad Island’s beaches.
PM Modi inaugurated the Global Millets Conference: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Global
Millets Conference in New Delhi. The two-day global conference will have
sessions on the promotion and awareness of millets among producers, consumers,
and other stakeholders. Based on India’s proposal, the year 2023 was declared
the International Year of Millets (IYM) by the United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA).
Global Terrorism Index – India ranked 13th, topped by
Afghanistan: Afghanistan remains the
country most impacted by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year,
despite attacks and deaths falling by 75 percent and 58 percent, respectively,
the tenth Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report. India ranked 13th on the index,
marking only a marginal decrease from the previous year. In spite of being
among the 25 worst-hit nations on the index, Indian respondents desisted from
selecting war and terrorism as the biggest threat to their daily safety. As per
the GTI, Afghanistan recorded 633 fatalities in 2022, despite terrorism-related
deaths declining by 866 in 2022. Globally, deaths from terrorism fell by nine percent
to 6,701 deaths, marking a 38 percent decrease from its peak in 2015. Pakistan
saw a significant increase in terror-related deaths, logging a 120 percent
increase from the previous year. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain amongst the
ten countries most affected by terrorism in 2022, with deaths in Pakistan
rising significantly to 643, a 120 percent increase from 292 deaths in 2021. The
deadliest terrorist groups in the world in 2022 were Islamic State (IS) and its
affiliates, followed by al-Shabaab, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and
Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM)”.
OTHER UPDATES:
BANKING AND FINANCE
RBI imposes Rs 5,00,000 fine on HDFC over transfer of
deposits: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
imposed Rs 5 lakh monetary penalty on mortgage financier HDFC Ltd for
failing to transfer matured deposits of certain depositors to designated bank
accounts of such depositors during 2019-20. As per RBI, HDFC was found to be
non-compliant with certain provisions of Housing Finance Companies (NHB)
Directions, 2010. CEO of HDFC Bank: Sashidhar Jagdishan. Headquarters of
HDFC Bank: Mumbai.
FSIB recommends Ashwani Kumar as MD and CEO of UCO Bank: FSIB (The headhunter for directors of state-owned banks and financial institutions) has recommended the name of Indian Bank executive director Ashwani Kumar for the post of managing director of UCO Bank. Prior to joining Indian Bank, Kumar was serving as chief general manager of Mumbai Zone of Punjab National Bank (PNB). FSIB is headed by ex-secretary, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Bhanu Pratap Sharma.
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