NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India
host SCO-National Security Advisors meeting in New Delhi: The current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO), India hosted a meeting of National Security Advisors
(NSA) and top officials in New Delhi on March 29. National Security
Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval addressed the meeting. Pakistan and China attended the
SCO-NSA meeting virtually.
About
SCO: It is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001. Members: India,
China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
2. Union
Minister Giriraj Singh initiates ‘Captive Employment’ initiative: Union Minister for Rural Development, Giriraj Singh has onboarded
19 Captive Employers under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana
(DDU-GKY). Captive employers will train Rural Poor
Youth and employ trained youth in their company or subsidiary. MoRD
and the Captive Employers also signed MoU towards this aim. DDU-GKY
is a placement-linked skilling program of the Ministry of Rural
Development under the aegis of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
3. Centre
approves Rs 800 crore to set up 7432 public EV charging stations: The Union government has sanctioned 800 crore
rupees under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric
Vehicles (FAME) Scheme Phase -2 for setting up 7432 public
fast charging stations across the country. At present, there are about 6,586
charging stations across the country. This move will boost the electric vehicle
ecosystem in India and encourage more people to switch to cleaner modes of
transportation. The government has formulated FAME India Scheme in 2015.
4. Education
Ministry shortlisted around 9,000 schools for PM SHRI: The Ministry of Education has shortlisted around 9,000 schools
across the country for its flagship Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising
India (PM SHRI). The institutions were selected based on six broad
parameters including curriculum, access and infrastructure, human
resources, and gender equity were assessed.
About
PM SHRI:
· PM Modi announced this scheme on 5th September 2022.
· It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
Aim:
To upgrade and develop around 14,500 schools
5. Task
force to make India a 'product developer and manufacturing nation': The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY) has constituted a nine-member task force to make India a
‘product developer and manufacturing nation’. It will be chaired by the additional
secretary (MeitY), Bhuvnesh Kumar with the joint secretary (electronics),
Amitesh Kumar Sinha as the member convenor. This is an effort to position
itself as an alternative to the likes of China and Vietnam.
6. NDTV
appoints former SEBI Chairman UK Sinha as Independent Director: NDTV has appointed U.K. Sinha and Dipali Goenka as
the Independent Directors of NDTV for two years effective March
27, 2023. U.K. Sinha has also been designated as the Non-Executive Chairperson
of NDTV. U.K. Sinha served as the Chairman of SEBI between 2011 and
2017 and also served as the Chairman of UTI Asset Management for 6 years. Dipali
Goenka is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD)
of Welspun India Limited.
7. Agriculture
sector employs highest female workers: Labour Ministry: According to the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Report
2021-22, the agriculture sector has the highest estimated percentage
distribution of female workers. Nearly 63% of workers are female in the agriculture sector
at the pan-India level, followed by 11.2% in the manufacturing sector. The
government has incorporated several protective provisions in the labor laws for
equal opportunity and a congenial work environment for women workers.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Dalai
Lama names US-born Mongolian boy third highest leader in Buddhism: The 14th Dalai Lama has named an 8-year-old Mongolian
boy as the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche - the third
highest rank in Tibetan Buddhism. The ceremony was organized in Dharamsala,
where the Dalai Lama (87) lives in exile. The eight-year-old boy is
the son of a university professor and has a twin brother. In
1995, the Dalai Lama named a new Panchen Lama, the second
most important figure in the faith. The boy was arrested by Chinese
authorities.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Haldwani to get a sports university: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced the
government will set up a sports university in the Kumaun region’s Haldwani
town. The international stadium of Haldwani will be upgraded into a sports
university. He also informed that Uttarakhand will hold several national-level
sports events in the coming year.
BANKING AND FINANCE
2. SEBI
imposed penalties totaling ₹36 crore on PNB Finance and other entities: SEBI has imposed penalties totaling ₹35.67 crore on PNB
Finance and Industries Ltd, Camac Commercial Company Ltd, and various other
entities. It includes promoters Samir Jain and Meera Jain who have
also been barred from the securities market. Reason: Comply with the
minimum public shareholding requirement under Sebi norms Listed companies are
required to have at least 25% public shareholding. SEBI imposed a fine
of Rs 12 crore on PNBFIL.
3. NPCI
recommends up to 1.1% interchange fee on UPI transactions: National Payments Corporation of India has recommended
an interchange fee of up to 1.1% on merchant UPI
transactions done using prepaid payment instruments
(PPIs)–wallets/cards–with effect from April 1, 2023. The charges will be levied
on UPI payments of over ₹2,000 made to online merchants, large
merchants, and small offline merchants. However, on certain merchant
categories, a lower interchange starting from 0.5%, might be levied as per
applicable caps.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman honoured with literary award:
The Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature
(FOSWAL) conferred Special Literary Award
2023 to Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman in its 63rd Literature Festival. He was awarded for his
trilogy- The Unfinished Memoirs, The Prison Diaries, and New China 1952.
In a
citation issued by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature, he is
compared to Mahatma Gandhi. SAARC Literary Award is an annual award conferred
by the FOSWAL since 2001
2. Kashmir’s
Aliya Mir honoured with Wildlife Conservation Award 2023: Alia Mir, a woman from J&K has been honoured with
the Wildlife Conservation Award by the administration for her
conservation efforts in the region. J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj
Sinha facilitated her with the wildlife honour award. She is also
the first woman from Kashmir who works for the charity Wildlife SOS
organization which is part of the Wildlife Rescue Team. She was awarded
for her achievements in bear rescue in Kashmir, rescue, and release of wild
animals.
OBITUARIES
1. Veteran artist Vivan Sundaram passes away: Renowned contemporary Indian artist Vivan Sundaram passed away in Delhi at the age of 79. His work has been showcased in museums and exhibitions across the world. He worked with different media – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation, and video art. He was a founding member of the Kasauli Art Center, the Journal of Arts & Ideas, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT), and a managing trustee of the Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation.
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