NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. SJE Dept signs MoU with Sant Nirankari Mandal: The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (SJE) signed
an MoU with the Sant Nirankari Mandal for spreading the message
of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan among the youth, women, and students. Aim: To
create awareness about the ill effects of substance abuse among the youth, with
a focus on higher education institutes, and university campuses. It was signed
in the presence of Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra
Kumar and MoS, SJE Pratima Bhoumik.
2. Himanta Biswa Sarma launches Mission Lifestyle for
Environment in Assam: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the Mission Lifestyle for
Environment' (LiFE) in the state. It is a global mass movement under the
leadership of PM Modi. Aim: To promote an environmentally conscious
lifestyle, focusing on utilization instead of wasteful consumption Under this
initiative, week-long activities will be carried out across all
districts, addressing seven identified categories including saving energy and
water and reducing plastic and e-waste.
3. Ranveer Singh named India’s most valuable celebrity of
2022: According to a report by Kroll, a corporate
investigation and risk consulting firm, actor Ranveer Singh has been named
India’s most valuable celebrity of 2022 with a brand value of $181.7
million. He surpassed cricketer Virat Kohli, who occupied the top spot for five
years. Kohli fell to second spot with a brand value of $176.9 million. Actor
Akshay Kumar remained in third position with a brand value of $153.6 million.
With a valuation of $102.9 million, actress Alia Bhatt also retained the fourth
spot and the title of the most valued female celebrity. Deepika Padukone’s
brand valuation of $82.9 million earned her the fifth spot. Amitabh Bachchan,
Hritik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan were other big names from the film industry
that made it to the top 10 list of most valued celebrities. Former cricketer MS
Dhoni occupied sixth spot on the list with a brand value of over $80 million.
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar entered the top-10
club in 2022, ranking eighth with a brand value of $73.6 million.
4. PM Modi inaugurated new ITU Area Office and Innovation
Center in New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the new International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) field office and innovation center in India in
New Delhi. Modi also unveiled Bharat 6G Vision Document and launched the 6G Research
and Development Test Bed and Call Before U dig App.
India
had signed an agreement with ITU in March 2022 for setting up the Area Office. It
will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan
and Iran. It will enhance coordination among nations and foster mutually
beneficial economic cooperation in the region.
5. GRSE launched the ‘Most Silent Ship’ INS Androth: Indian Navy launched INS Androth,
the second in a series of eight indigenous ships built by Garden Reach
Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) at a Kidderpore yard, Kolkata. It is an
Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASWSWC). It is a 77.6-meter-long and
10.5-meter-wide vessel, propelled by three diesel-driven water jets that will
pack a punch. The ship is capable of a maximum 25 knots speed and will carry
lightweight torpedoes, ASW rockets, and mines.
6. 23 March – Shaheed Diwas: Martyrs’ Day or Shaheed Diwas is
observed on March 23 to commemorate the martyrdom of Bhagat
Singh, Shivram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar who were hanged to death by the
Britishers. Indian remembering the sacrifice of these three brave men today
(i.e.) March 23, 2023 which is the 92nd death anniversary. In India, there are
six days declared as Martyrs’ Day and the two most important are 30 January
& 23 March. Other Martyrs’ Day celebrated in India include 19 May, 13 July,
17 November, and 19 November.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. QS World subject rankings 2023: 44 Indian programmes
feature in top 100: According to the QS World University
Rankings by Subject 2023, a total of 44 programs from various
campuses have been featured in the global top 100 list. In 2022, only 35 Indian
programs were featured in the list. Five broader areas of University
ranking: Engineering and Technology, Arts and Humanities, Life Sciences
and Medicine, Natural Science and Social Sciences and Management. IIT Delhi’s
Electrical engineering ranked 49 and IIT Bombay's mathematics ranked 92.
2. Hurun Global Rich List 2023 released: According to the 2023 M3M Hurun Global
Rich List, released by Hurun India and M3M India, the Chairman of
Reliance, Mukesh Ambani is the only Indian in the world's top 10 billionaires
list (rank 9). The list is topped by Elon Musk, followed by Jeff Bezos,
Bernard Arnault, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Sergey Brin. Indian
billionaires list: Gautam Adani and family (Rank 23) Cyrus S Poonawalla (Rank
46) Shiv Nadar and family (Rank 50) Lakshmi N Mittal (Rank 76)
3. World Meteorological Day 2023: 23rd March: World Meteorological Day is observed
on March 23 every year to celebrate the formation of the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1950. This day was designated to
raise awareness about various weather-related issues and to encourage people to
take action to address them. 2023 theme: The future of weather, climate, and
water across generations The theme highlights the changes in weather and
climatic conditions and their effects on Earth.
4. Asia’s largest 4-metre liquid mirror telescope
inaugurated in Uttarakhand: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra
Singh has inaugurated Asia’s largest 4-meter International Liquid
Mirror Telescope (ILMT) at Devasthal in Uttarakhand. It is situated at an
altitude of 2450 meters at the observatory, which lies at the campus of
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences. It is the first liquid
mirror telescope designed exclusively for astronomical observations and this is
the largest aperture telescope available in the country at present and is also
the first optical survey telescope in India. The ILMT employs a
4-meter-diameter rotating mirror, which was made up of a thin layer of liquid
mercury, to collect and focus light.
5. 22 March – World Water Day: World Water day is celebrated
on March 22 every year. Objective – To spread awareness about the water
crisis all over the world. Theme 2023 –Accelerating the change to solve the
water and sanitation crisis The history of World Water Day can be traced back
to the year 1992. Officially, this day was first adopted as a resolution by the
United General Assembly Conference on Environment and Development, in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. From 1993, the United Nations General Assembly decided to
celebrate this day as “World Water Day” to increase awareness about the need
and conservation of water. In 2015, the world was committed to Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 6 as part of the 2030 agenda.A promise to provide safely
managed water and sanitation by 2030.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. India’s Sarabjot Singh wins gold in 10m air pistol at
ISSF World Cup: India's pistol shooter, Sarabjot
Singh has clinched the gold medal in the men's 10m Air
Pistol event at the ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup 2023 held in Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh. While Varun Tomar secured bronze in the same event. In
the women’s 10m Air Pistol event, Li Xue from China won the
gold and Germany’s Doreen Vennekamp settled for silver. China’s Qian Wei
completed the podium with a bronze medal finish.
2. Stadium named after Indian hockey star Rani Rampal: Indian team’s star hockey player Rani
Rampal has become the first woman in the sport to have a stadium named after
her, in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. The MCF Rae Bareli has renamed the
hockey stadium as ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf'. Earlier this year, She made a
successful comeback to the Indian hockey team during the tour of South Africa,
where she was selected as one of the 22 players in the squad.
3. Hima Das, Ancy Sojan win gold in 200m and long jump in
IGP: Star sprinter Hima Das won the 200m race quite comfortably in
23.79 seconds while long jumper Ancy Sojan shared the limelight
with a best effort of 6.49m in the Indian Grand Prix-1 athletics event. Assam’s
Hima beat Aishwarya Kailash Mishra (24.81) of Maharashtra and VK Vismaya
(24.82) of Kerala to take the women’s 200m gold. Sojan with a best effort of
6.49m, just past the 6.45m mark laid down as the Asian Games qualifying
standard.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Income tax dept launches mobile app AIS for Taxpayers:
The Income Tax Department has launched a
free-of-cost Mobile app namely AIS for taxpayers. Aim: To facilitate
the taxpayers to view their information as available in the Annual Information
Statement (AIS) and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) In the app, taxpayers
can view various information related to TDS, interest, share transactions,
tax payments, Income Tax refunds, and GST Data among others. It will also have
the option and the facility to provide feedback.
2. Amazon Pay ties up with NPCI’s Bharat BillPay for loan
repayments: Amazon Pay has
collaborated with Bharat BillPay to strengthen its loan
repayment facility. Bharat BillPay is a biller platform of the National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Loan repayment is one of the top
categories in terms of bill payment, amongst other options such as electricity
and municipal tax payments. The category facilitates loan repayment options for
customers who avail of their loans through banks, microfinance institutions,
and NBFCs.
3. RBI to set up Data Centre & Cybersecurity Training
Institute in Bhubaneswar: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has laid the foundation stone for the
establishment of a “Greenfield Data Centre’ and ‘Enterprise Computing &
Cybersecurity Training Institute’ in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The
Governor also highlighted the need for augmenting the existing computing
infrastructure of the RBI supported by cutting-edge facilities for research and
capacity building. It will cater to the emerging requirements of the RBI
and the financial sector.
4. Indian economy to grow at 7%; inflation set to
moderate: FM: According to the Finance Ministry
report, Indian economy is expected to grow at 7
percent in FY23 despite global headwinds while retail inflation
would moderate in line with wholesale inflation which fell to a 25-month low in
January. It will be supported by the gains from high services exports, the
moderation in oil prices, and the recent fall in import-intensive consumption
demand. The current account deficit (CAD) of India is estimated to fall in FY23
and FY24.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Changi Airport named the World’s Best Airport 2023: Singapore Changi Airport has been voted the World’s Best
Airport at the Skytrax World Airport Awards. This is the 12th time Changi
Airport has been awarded this prestigious accolade, a record number since the
award was first given out in 1999. In addition to the World’s Best Airport
award, Singapore Changi Airport also garnered awards for the World’s Best
Airport Dining, Best Airport for Leisure Amenities, and Best Airport in Asia. Hamad
International Airport in Doha, Qatar, and Haneda Airt in Tokyo, Japan, ranked
second and third, respectively. While no Indian airport made it to the top 20
rankings globally, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport received the
award as the Best Airport in India and South Asia.
2. Indian-American Mindy Kaling awarded the National
Humanities Medals: US President Joe Biden has presented the prestigious 2021
National Humanities Medal to Indian-American actress and producer
Mindy Kaling in recognition of her giving voice to a new generation of
storytellers, at a White House ceremony. The National Medal of Arts is the
highest award, given to artists, arts patrons, and groups by the US government.
It honours exemplary individuals and organizations that have advanced the arts
in America and inspired others through their distinguished achievement,
support, or patronage. Other notable recipients: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bruce
Springsteen, Vera Wang, Gladys Knight, Judith Francisca Baca.
OBITUARIES
1. Shravanabelagola Jain mutt seer passes away: Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Swamy of Jain mutt at Shravanabelgola, a
popular Jain pilgrimage centre in Karnataka, passed away at 73 due to
health-related issues. The seer was a scholar in Sanskrit and Prakrit. During
his tenure as head of the mutt, he conducted mahamastakabhisheka, the
grand anointment of the 57-foot tall Gomateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola
four times (1981, 1993, 2006, and 2018). The ceremony is organized once in
12 years.
2. Air Force veteran Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath passes away: The Indian Air Force veteran, Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath (retd), who flew numerous reconnaissance sorties over Tibet and Pakistan in his Canberra aircraft in the 1962 and 1965 wars, passed away. He was honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra, for gathering information during his missions which proved vital to Indian air efforts during the wars. Wing Commander Nath retired in 1970 and later joined Air India as a commercial pilot.
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