NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. 5th Poshan Pakhwada celebrations begins: The Ministry of Women and Child Development has organized
the fifth Poshan Pakhwada from 20th March to 3rd April
2023 with various activities nationwide. Theme 2023: "Nutrition
for All: Together Towards a Healthy India" Aim: To raise awareness about
the importance of nutrition and promote healthy eating habits through Jan
Andolan and Jan Bhagidari Poshan Abhiyaan was launched by PM Narendra
Modi on 8th March 2018 to improve nutritional outcomes in a
holistic manner.
2. ISRO to conduct young scientist programme in Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research
Organisation is organizing a young scientist program named Yuva
VIgyani Karyakram (YUVIKA).
Aim: To
impart basic knowledge on space technology, space science, and space
applications to students of Class IX. Registration for the program has been
started on March 20, 2023. The YUVIKA program will be conducted between May 15
and 26 at seven centers. Interested students studying in Class
9 as on 1 January 2023 within India are eligible to apply.
3. LG Manoj Sinha laid foundation stone for a ₹250-crore
mall in Srinagar: J&K LG, Manoj Sinha
laid the foundation stone for a ₹250-crore mega shopping mall at
Srinagar’s Sempora area. This shopping mall will be constructed by Dubai-based
Emaar Group. It is the first “foreign direct investment” in the Union
territory. It will be constructed over an area of 10 lakh sq. ft. and is
expected to be completed by 2026. Later, he also participated in the
India-UAE investor meet at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre.
4. Government to develop mega textile parks in 7 states
under PM MITRA scheme: The Central Government has announced
plans to set up mega textile parks in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The PM Mega
Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks for the Textile
Industry are a step towards realizing the vision of making India a global hub
for textile manufacturing and exports. The step is inspired by the 5F vision of
the Prime Minister, which includes, Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to
Foreign. It is expected that these parks will enhance the competitiveness of
the textile industry by helping it achieve economies of scale and attract
global players to manufacture in India. The mega parks would “provide
state-of-the-art infrastructure for the textiles sector, attract investment of
crores and create lakhs of jobs. The parks will receive financial assistance
from the Ministry of Textiles in the form of development capital support up to
Rs 500 crore (per park). Further, to encourage prompt implementation, entities
in PM MITRA Park will also receive Competitive Incentive Support (CIS) up to Rs
300 crore per park.
5. 18 March – Ordinance Factories’ Day: Ordnance Factory Day is observed
on March 18, annually in India. It is the day on which the first
Ordnance factory was set up by the British at Cossipore, Kolkata in 1801,
during colonial rule. The day is celebrated by the Ministry of Defence. Theme
2023 – Vinashaya Dushkritam The day is celebrated by displaying the rifles,
guns, artillery, ammunition etc in exhibitions all over India. The celebrations
start with a parade and the exhibition will also display the photographs of
various mountaineering expeditions. Director-General & & Chairman of
Ordnance Factories – C S Vishwakarma Headquarters of Ordnance Factory Board –
Kolkata, West Bengal.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Africa-India field training exercise, AFINDEX-23 to be
held in Pune, India: The 10-day Africa-India Field Training
Exercise (AFINDEX 2023) will be organized in Pune, India from
March 21-30, 2023 to strengthen the military ties between the countries. The India-Africa
Army Chiefs Conclave will be held in Pune from March 28-29, 2023. The
exercise will promote the idea of Africa-India Militaries for Regional
Unity (AMRUT). A comprehensive validation exercise on the theme
“Humanitarian Mine Actions and Peace Keeping Operations”.
2. International Day of Happiness 2023: 20 March: The International Day of Happiness
(World Happiness Day) is celebrated every year on March 20 to
create a kinder and happier world by urging people to adopt simple, daily
practices to be happy. Theme 2023: Be Mindful. Be Grateful. Be Kind On 12th
July 2012, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed March 20 as
the International Day of Happiness in its resolution 66/281. This day was first
celebrates in 2013.
3. India on track to achieve energy independence by 2047: According to the US Department of Energy's
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, India can achieve energy
independence by its 100th year of independence in 2047. Study title: Pathways
to Atmanirbhar Bharat It has been suggested that achieving this goal
would result in significant economic, environmental, and energy benefits
for India, including USD 2.5 trillion in consumer savings by 2047. It
also reduces fossil fuel import expenditure by 90% ($240 billion)
annually.
4. World Oral Health Day 2023: 20th March: World Oral Health Day is observed
globally on March 20 every year with the primary aim of creating
awareness about the importance of oral health.
The theme
for 2023 is 'Be Proud of Your Mouth,' which is the same theme used for the
past three years. World Oral Health Day was celebrated first on September
12, 2007, by the World Dental Federation (FDI). It is the birth date
of Dr. Charles Godon (founder of FDI).
5. India, WFP sign MoU during Global Millet Conference: The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Ministry has signed an MoU with the World Food Programme
(WFP) during the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference. The MoU between
WFP and the Government of India for cooperation between 2023-2027 was
signed in the presence of Agriculture Minister Tomar. The WFP is working
towards promoting food self-sufficiency and supporting
governmental and global efforts to ensure long-term solutions to
the challenge of hunger.
6. Indira Gandhi Airport ranked best airport in South
Asia for 5th time: Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International
Airport has received the award for the Best Airport in India and
South Asia by International air transport rating organisation Skytrax. Singapore’s
Changi Airport is named the World’s Best Airport of 2023 followed by Doha Hamad
airport. In 2022, Singapore ranked at No 3 while Doha Hamad had bagged the No 1
position. The Skytrax World Airport Awards are based on annual global airport
customer satisfaction survey, which was done during the period from August 2022
to February 2023. As per the release by Skytrax, Delhi airport is the only
Indian airport to feature on top 50 airports across the world. In the list of
World’s Top 100 Airports 2023, Delhi airport is placed on 36th and moved up
from 37th position in 2022.
7. India & Sri Lanka inaugurate exhibition ‘Geoffrey
Bawa’ in New Delhi: The National Gallery of Modern Art and the High
Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi have inaugurated the exhibition
‘Geoffrey Bawa: It is Essential to be There’. The exhibition is scheduled till
the 7th of May this year from 11 AM to 6.30 PM, except on Mondays. Commemorating
the 75th Anniversary of Indo-Lanka Diplomatic Relations, the event will
celebrate the Cultural Exchange Programme between both countries. Over 120
documents from the Bawa archives will be on view, including a section on
unbuilt work and Bawa’s own photographs from his travels.
8. 18 March – Global Recycling Day: Global Recycling Day is observed every year on 18 March. Objective
– To raise awareness about recycling and encourage individuals and
organizations to reduce waste and protect the environment. Theme 2023
– Creative Innovation. The first Global Recycling Day was celebrated in
2018 and has grown in popularity since then, with events and activities being
held around the world. Every year recyclables saves over 700 million tonnes in
CO2 emissions, which projected to increase to 1 billion tons by 2030. Recycling
is an essential tool in reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills
and oceans, and in conserving natural resources.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Virat Kohli named Luxor's brand ambassador: Luxor Writing Instruments Private Limited has signed cricketer
Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador. He will represent Luxor’s stationery
products and help the company increase its appeal among young writers. He will
also help to enhance the market position in the country. Luxor International
Private Limited is a well-known Indian stationery manufacturer. Managing
Director of Luxor: Pooja Jain Gupta
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance launches ‘ICICI Pru
Gold': ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has
launched ICICI Pru Gold. It is an innovative long-term savings product
designed to enable customers to create an additional income stream to meet
their diverse income requirements.
Besides
receiving guaranteed lifelong income, the life cover component in the product
provides financial security to the family. This product is available
in three variants i.e. Immediate Income, Immediate Income with
Booster, and Deferred Income.
2. NCLT approved HDFC, HDFC Bank merger:
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved
the merger of HDFC & HDFC Bank. HDFC Ltd has already received
approvals from the Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI), PFRDA and Competition Commission of India (CCI) as well as from
India’s stock exchanges – BSE and NSE The HDFC-HDFC Bank merger is expected to
be completed by the second or third quarter of FY24. NCLT has also given
approval for holding a shareholders’ meeting for obtaining approval for the
proposed merger. In April 2022, HDFC Bank announced that parent HDFC will merge
with the bank to enable seamless delivery of home loans and leverage on the
large base of over 68 million customers of HDFC Bank and inter alia improve the
pace of credit growth in the economy. The merger is expected to be completed by
end of FY24.
3. Indian economy likely to grow 6% in
FY24: Crisil: According to the credit rating agency CRISIL
report, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated to grow at 6% in
2023-24, slower than the 7% estimated for 2022-23. CRISIL said consumer
inflation is expected to moderate to 5 percent on average in fiscal 2024 from
6.8 percent in fiscal 2023, owing to high-base effect and some softening of
crude and commodity prices. A good rabi harvest would help cool food inflation,
while the slowing economy should moderate core inflation. Retail inflation will
average 5% over 2023-24, lower than the 6.8% (averaged in 2022-23).
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Bengaluru received ‘Healthy City’ award for smoking law: Bengaluru won the ‘Partnership for Healthy Cities’ award and a cash prize of $ 150,000 for effectively enforcing smoke-free laws at a summit held in London. The focused effort from smoke-free Bengaluru resulted in a reduction of public-place smoking from 18.2% (2017) to 13.3% (2021). The display of ‘no-smoking’ signs in the city also increased from 23.1% (2017) to 75%. The global summit brought together officials from over 50 cities to discuss public health concerns.
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