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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE
Central banks of Israel, Norway and Sweden model hub for digital currency payments
- Project Icebreaker, a joint initiative from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the central banks of Israel, Norway, and Sweden, has successfully concluded a study on the potential benefits and challenges of using retail central bank digital currencies (CBDC) in international payments.
- The project tested the technical feasibility of conducting cross-border and cross-currency transactions in a hub-and-spoke model between different experimental retail CBDC systems.
Key Highlights :
- Project Icebreaker sets out to explore a specific way to interlink domestic systems (a so-called hub-and-spoke solution).
- A cross-border transaction is broken down into two domestic payments, facilitated by a foreign exchange provider active in both domestic systems.
- In most existing cross-border payment systems, the payer has no choice regarding the exchange rate, as it has no control on who the/ provider of foreign exchange conversion is.
- In the model developed by the Icebreaker project, many foreign exchange providers can submit quotes to the system’s hub, which automatically selects the cheaper one for the end user.
- An rCBDC therefore never leaves its own domestic system.
- This is because foreign exchange (FX) providers buy one currency in one system and sell the other currency in the other system.
About BIS :
- Founded: 20 January 1930
- Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland
- General Manager : Agustín Carstens.
- Membership : 63 central banks
- The BIS is an international financial institution owned by central banks that “fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks”.
SIDBI And ShowReel Come Together For Developing End To End Platform To Promote Start Up Entrepreneurships
- Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the principal financial institution engaged in the promotion, financing and development of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ShowReel for developing an online digital platform
Aim :
- To provide handholding support to aspiring innovators with practical-based hand holding demonstration and equity funding to channelise ideas offering solutions to a multitude of problems.
- The new virtual ecosystem is completely digital and is designed to provide citizens of India with a platform to think, analyse and create enterprising ideas to solve real-world development problems.
- The platform will be a one-stop-shop for ideators and innovators, providing access to training videos, market analysis, and mentorship, in addition to a virtual incubation program.
- It will also offer practical solutions to real-world problems by providing video-based solutions that will help entrepreneurs in their respective fields.
About SIDBI :
- Founded: 2 April 1990
- Headquarters: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Chairman & MD : Sivasubramanian Ramann
- SIDBI is the apex regulatory body for overall licensing and regulation of MSME finance companies in India.
- It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance(MoF), Government of India (GoI).
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS
PM Modi & his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese inaugurate the friendship hall of fame in Ahmedabad
- PM Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese inaugurated the friendship hall of fame in Ahmedabad.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Antony Albanese inaugurated the friendship hall of fame at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
- It shows the history of India-Australia Cricket Contests.
- Both leaders also handed over test caps to their respective test captains and cheered the players.
- This event has been organized to mark the 75 years of cricket Friendship between India and Australia.
- Australian counterpart Antony Albanese is on an official visit to India from 8-11 March.
- Since May 2022, the Australian Prime Minister and Narendra Modi have met four times.
- Antony Albanese announced that Australia and India had finalised the Australia-India Education Qualification Recognition Mechanism.
- He also announced that Australia’s Deakin University would set up an international campus at GIFT City in Gandhinagar.
- He also announced the launch of a new scholarship named ‘Maitri’ for Indian students to study in Australia for four years.
Central Government launches High Price Day Ahead Market and Surplus Power Portal (PUShP)
- A High Price Day Ahead Market and Surplus Power Portal (PUShP) has been launched by the central government.
- It is an initiative to ensure greater availability of power during the peak demand season.
- The portal was launched by the Union Power Minister Shri R.K. Singh at a virtual function in New Delhi.
- The portal was launched in presence of over 200 stakeholders from state governments and the power sector.
- Union Minister said the portal will ensure better utilization of capacity at a reasonable rate.
- Last year, the Ministry of Power directed Ce ntral Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to put a price cap of Rs 12 on the prices in the electricity exchange.
- A separate segment has been created for those generation systems where the cost of generating power may cross Rs 12.
- This separate segment is known as HP DAM.
- According to the Union Minister, only those which have power producing costs of more than Rs 12 per unit would be allowed to operate in HP-DAM.
- In case the cost of production is less than Rs 12, the generators will offer power in Power Exchange’s Integrated Day Ahead Market (I-DAM) only with a ceiling price of Rs 12.
- Union Minister asked the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and Grid Controller of India to make sure that prices are reasonable in the HP-DAM.
Shri Hardeep Puri launches 3-week women-led swachhata campaign
- Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri launched a three-week long women-led cleanliness campaign ‘Swachhotsav’.
- The campaign is recognizing and celebrating women-led sanitation, moving beyond women’s participation in sanitation under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.
- A series of programs and activities will be organized in cities to shown leadership of women in making the mission of Garbage Free Cities (GFCs) a success.
- The Women Icons Leading Sanitation and Waste Management (WINS) Challenge-2023 was also announced during the launch of Swachhotsav.
- The WINS Challenge-2023 will recognize women entrepreneurs or women-led enterprises working towards achieving cleanliness in cities.
- The WINS Awards nominations for 2023 started on March 8.
- The Swachhata Yatra started on March 10, which will end on March 30, which has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day of Zero Waste.
- Representatives of 34 States/UTs will visit 24 States/UTs as part of this visit.
- It will encourage members of Area Level Federations (ALFs) or Self Help Groups (SHGs) to travel to selected cities as ‘Swachhata Doots’.
- On 30 March, the Swachh Mashal March will be organized for ‘Women-led Swachhotsav’.
Power Min mandates 40% renewable purchase obligation for thermal plants
- The Ministry of Power has mandated new coal or lignite-based thermal plants to either set up renewable energy capacity equivalent to at least 40 per cent of the thermal plant’s capacity or procure that much supply of green energy under renewable purchase obligation.
- Earlier this month the power ministry amended the Tariff Policy 2016 under Electricity Act 2003 to impose the renewable purchase obligation of 40 per cent for the new coal or lignite-based thermal power plants to be set up from April 1, 2023.
- A coal/lignite-based thermal generating station and having the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the project on or after April 1, 2023 shall be required to establish renewable energy generating capacity (in MW) i.e. Renewable Generation Obligation (RGO) of a minimum of 40 per cent of the capacity of the thermal generating station or procure and supply renewable energy equivalent to such capacity.
- A coal/lignite based thermal generating station with COD of the project between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2025 shall be required to comply with RGO of 40 per cent by April 1, 2025.
- This assumes significance in view of India’s ambitious target of having 500 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Inaugurates Keeladi Museum In Sivaganga
- The Keeladi museum was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Shri M.K. Stalin in the Sivaganga district, TN.
Aim :
- To showcase the history of Tamils, their heritage and culture and the exhibits kept in the facility include earthenware and brick structures
About Keeladi Museum :
- Keeladi museum is located 12 km southeast of Madurai city, in Sivaganga district.
- The museum is built on 2 acres at Keeladi at a cost of Rs. 18.43 crore.
- The museum has 6 blocks and is built in the Chettinad style of architecture.
- The museum is adorned with over 15,000 unique artefacts unearthed between the 4th and 8th phases of excavations since 2018.
- The information on every piece on display will be available in 2 languages, and accompanied by a catalogue in Braille.
- The museum is equipped with multimedia content, QR codes and holograms.
- It houses a replica of the excavation trench and a play area.
About TN :
- Governor: R. N. Ravi
- CM: M. K. Stalin
- Capital: Chennai
- Dance : Bharatnatyam, Karagattam
- National Park : Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park, Guindy National Park, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
- Wildlife Sanctuaries : Kalakkad Wildlife sanctuary, Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
- Tiger Reserve : Anamalai Tiger Reserve
- Biosphere Reserve : Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve
2 tigers ‘reintroduced’ in Madhya Pradesh’s Madhav National Park after 27 years
- A tiger and tigress were reintroduced in the Madhav National Park (MNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s (MP) Shivpuri district in a bid to revive the big cat population in the area.
- The tiger was transferred from Satpura Tiger Reserve, and the tigress was shifted from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in MP.
- The 2 tigers were released in the park by Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia.
- A 3rd tiger from Panna Tiger Reserve is expected to arrive at the park in 2-3 days.
- The translocation of the two big cats took place to mark the birth anniversary of former Union Minister Shri Madhavrao Scindia, the father of Jyotiraditya Scindia.
- The CM will also interact with tiger mitras and Ladli Bahna.
- He will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 270 crore.
- Recently, the Cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa were brought to Kuno National Park in Sheopur.
About MP :
- Governor : Mangubhai C. Patel
- Chief Minister : Shivraj Singh Chouhan
- Capital : Bhopal
- National Park : Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park, Pench National Park
- Tiger Reserve : Satpura Tiger Reserve
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS
Mudra loans log a record 30% growth in H1 FY23
- Mudra loans disbursal is likely to create an all-time record in the current financial year.
- Mudra loans disbursal in the current financial year has surpassed total disbursements of last year.
- According to the latest data, loans worth ₹56-lakh crore have been sanctioned.
- Out of this, loans worth ₹48- lakh crore have been disbursed as of March 3, 2023.
- In the last financial year (FY22), the loans worth ₹39 lakh crore were sanctioned and loans worth ₹3.31 lakh crore were disbursed.
Mudra loans are given in three categories.
- These categories are Shishu (up to ₹50,000), Kishor (above ₹50,000 and up to ₹5 lakh) and Tarun (above ₹5 lakh and up to ₹10 lakh).
- In absolute number, the amount disbursed has grown in 2022-23 as against 2021-22.
About Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana:
- Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana was launched in April 2015.
- It was launched for providing loans to non-corporate and non-farm small/micro enterprises.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS
Gyan Chaturvedi to be awarded Vyas Samman 2022 for ‘Pagalkhana’
- Noted Hindi writer Dr Gyan Chaturvedi’s 2018 satirical novel, Pagalkhana, has been selected for the 32nd Vyas Samman, 2022.
- Instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991, the annual Vyas Samman is given to an outstanding Hindi literary work by an Indian citizen published during the last 10 years.
- It carries an award money of ₹4 lakh.
- After considering the works published during 2012-2021, a selection committee headed by eminent litterateur Prof Ramji Tiwari picked Dr Chaturvedi’s Pagalkhana (mental asylum) for the prestigious Vyas Samman.
- Having started his writing career in 1970s, Dr Chaturvedi received India’s fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri in 2015.
- He has also won the Madhya Pradesh government’s Sharad Joshi Samman for outstanding achievement in the field of satire and essay, besides the Delhi Academy Award and the Indu Sharma International Katha Samman.
- Born in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district on August 2, 1952, Dr Chaturvedi is a well-known cardiovascular disease expert in Madhya Pradesh.
- He recently retired as the head of a BHEL-empanelled hospital after working there for over three decades.
- Besides the Vyas Samman, the KK Birla Foundation has also instituted Saraswati Samman and Bihari Puraskar.
- While the Saraswati Samman, which carries an amount of ₹15 lakh, is given to an outstanding literary work of an Indian citizen in any of the languages included in Schedule VIII to the Constitution of India and published during a period of 10 years, the Bihari Puraskar with an amount of ₹5 lakh is meant for Hindi/Rajasthani writers of Rajasthan.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT
India, US sign pact on semiconductor supply chain, innovation partnership
- India and the US have signed a pact on establishing semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership seeking to put in place a collaborative mechanism on semiconductor supply chain resiliency and diversification in view of the US’s CHIPS and Science Act and India’s Semiconductor Mission.
- The India-US Commercial Dialogue was re-launched on by Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and visiting US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to discuss cooperation for unlocking new trade and investm ent opportunities between the two countries.
- India-US Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum held in Delhi.
- It was organized to discuss cooperation between India and the US in various sectors.
- This dialogue has opened up new avenues of trade and investment possibilities between the two countries.
- The Indo-US Commercial Dialogue is a cooperative venture that includes private sector meetings as well as regular government-to-government meetings.
- It aims to facilitate trade and maximize investment opportunities in a wide range of economic sectors.
- The last India-US commercial dialogue was held in February 2019.
- After this, it could not be organized due to Corona epidemic and other reasons.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Mr Ram Chandra Poudel elected as 3rd President of Nepal
- Nepali Congress senior leader, Mr Ram Chandra Poudel has been elected as the 3rd President of Nepal.
- He will replace Ms Bidya Devi Bhandari, whose tenture end on March 12, 2023.
- In the election, Mr Poudel defeated Mr Subash Chandra Nembang.
- Poudel received 33,802 votes & Subash Chandra Nembang got 15,518 votes.
About Presidential election 2023 :
- The term of the President of Nepal is 5 years form the date of the election.
- A person can be elected to the post for only 2 terms.
- This was the third (3rd) Presidential election in Nepal since it became a republic in 2008.
- The total number of voters for the election of the President is 882, consisting of 332 Members of the Parliament and 550 members of the provincial assemblies of the seven provinces.
- 518 provincial assembly members and 313 members of parliament cast their votes in the presidential election.
- In Nepal, an Electoral College elects the President.
- The Electoral College consists of the members of the Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and the National Assembly) and the Provincial Assembly.
About Ram Chandra Poudel :
- Poudel is a common candidate of the -party alliance which included Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center).
- He joined politics at the age of 16 and became a founding central member of Nepal Students’ Union, the student wing of Nepali Congress, in 1970.
- He was elected to the House of Representatives from Tanhu district for the first time in 1991.
- He served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home and Minister for Information and Communication from 1999 to 2002.
- He was elected Parliamentary Party leader of Nepali Congress and leader of the main Opposition in Parliament from 2008 to 2013
- He has authored over a dozen books on democracy, socialism, and agriculture
Awards & Honors :
- He was honoured with the ‘Order of the Rising Sun’ award from the Government of Japan in 2020.
About Nepal :
- Prime Minister : Pushpa Kamal Dahal
- Capital : Kathmandu
- Currency : Nepalese rupee
Indian Army’s Col Geeta Rana Becomes 1st Woman Officer To Command EME Unit In Ladakh
- The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) Colonel Geeta Rana became the 1st female commander to assume control of a stand-alone field workshop in the Eastern Ladakh sector with China.
- She is the first woman officer who is a non medical officer to command a unit in the army.
- For women officers to assume leadership of the independent units, the Army filled 108 positions.
- These are the Corps of Engineers, EME, Ordnance, and other branches of the army.
- Earlier In January,2023 the Indian Army for the first time deployed a woman officer, Captain Shiva Chouhan, at Siachen, the world’s highest and coldest battleground.
- It also deployed its largest contingent of 27 women peacekeepers in Sudan’s disputed region of Abyei, where they are performing security-related tasks in a challenging mission as part of the United Nations Interim Security Force (UNISFA).
About Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) :
- The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) is an arms and service branch of the Indian Army.
- The Corps has varying responsibilities related to the design, development, trial, inspection and refit of weapon systems and equipment.
- They also provide technical advice to units and conduct recovery operations in peace and war.
Mr Xi Jinping elected as China’s president for 3rd term
- China’s Mr Xi Jinping sworn in for his third term as the country’s head of state.
- He leads the ruling Communist Party, has become China’s longest-serving head of state since the Communist victory in 1949.
- He received a unanimous 2,952 votes followed by a standing ovation.
- China’s 3,000-member rubber-stamp legislature has formally appointed him as President for another 5 years during a ceremonial vote in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, China.
- There was no other candidate in the election.
- Xi has also been elected for a third term as chairman of China’s Central Military Commission.
- Mr Han Zheng and Mr Zhao Lejie were both elected by the Chinese parliament to serve as speakers and vice speakers, respectively.
- Both were in Xi’s previous team of party leaders on the Politburo Standing Committee.
About Mr Xi Jinping :
- Mr Xi Jinping was born in Beijing, China on 15 June 1953.
- He has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, since 2012.
- He was first elected president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 2013 & was reappointed as president for the 2nd term in 2018.
- In 2018, himself removed the two-term limit on the presidency, which means he can rule China until he retires, dies or is removed from office.
- In October 2022, he was re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party for a record third five-year term.
About China :
- Capital : Beijing
- Currency : Renminbi
CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS
Indian Navy’s TROPEX 2023 exercise culminated in the Arabian Sea
- Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise TROPEX – 2023, conducted across the expanse of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) over a duration of 4 months from November 2022 to March 2023, culminated in the Arabian Sea.
- The exercise concluded with the participation of approximately 70 Indian Navy ships, 6 submarines and over 75 aircraft.
- The overall exercise constructs included the coastal defence exercise “Sea Vigil” 2022 and the amphibious exercise 2023 “AMPHEX”.
About TROPEX :
- TROPEX is the Navy’s major operational level exercise.
- Indian Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) participated in these exercises.
- The theatre of operations for TROPEX 2023 covered an area of over 21 million square nautical miles.
- The theatre of operations stretched approximately 4,300 nm from North to South, up to 35 degrees South Latitude and 5,000 nm from the Persian Gulf in the West to the North Australia coast in the East.
- In the final Joint Phase of the exercise, Defence Minister Mr Rajnath Singh spent a day at sea, on board India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1), INSVikrant.
Colombia opens military service to women for 1st time in 25 years
- Colombia has allowed women to join the military for the first time in 25 years.
- A cohort of 1,296 women have been enlisted in Colombia’s Army, February, 2023.
- It is part of an effort to increase the share of women in the military.
Key Highlights :
- Colombia has long had compulsory military service for males aged 18 to 24.
- The army deploys these youths to man military bases, infrastructure security and administrative tasks while its professional soldiers take on drug-trafficking gangs and insurgent groups.
- The authorities have allowed women in the same age group to voluntarily join the army.
- There are about 2 lakhs soldiers in the Colombian army, of which about 1% are women.
- They have so far been joining it from military universities or after applying for administrative jobs.
- In the South American country of Colombia, about 50,000 men are drafted into the armed forces every year for 12 months of compulsory military service.
- The new push to allow females to enlist comes as Colombia’s congress debates a bill that would eliminate compulsory military service and enable young men to replace it with internships in educational programs, environmental projects or human rights initiatives.
About Colombia :
- President : Gustavo Petro
- Capital : Bogotá
- Currency : Colombian peso
Wildlife Board approves IAF mountain radar in Ladakh
- The National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) cleared all ways for Indian Air Force (IAF) to set up mountain radars in Ladakh by giving approval for their induction.
Key Highlights :
- The radar will be situated just off the proposed new IAF base, which will come up across 500 hectares of land Changsheng sanctuary & this was given the green signal in 2022.
- The induction of the mountain radar is part of the larger defence plan too ensure that there is a watch on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which already has strong radar coverage from the Chinese side of the border.
- In November, 2022, the Centre had indicated that it was looking to deploy Rs 10,000 crore worth of radars, most of which are made in India, along the LAC in view of the rising tensions with China.
- At a meeting of the NBWL, chaired by Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav, cleared the way for the transfer of 31.6 hectares of land from the Changthang wildlife sanctuary in Ladakh for the IAF’s new mountain radar.
- China on the other hand has already built a road into the Doklam plateau with a road to Gyemochen at the lower end of the trijunction.
About IAF :
- Founded : 1932
- Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi
- Chief of Defence Staff : General Anil Chauhan
- Chief of the Air Staff : Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
NASA hands over NISAR satellite to ISRO
- The US Space Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has handed over the Earth observation satellite, NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- SAR stands for ‘Synthetic Aperture Radar’ technique, responsible for producing high-resolution images from a resolution-limited radar system that NASA has used to measure changes in Earth’s surface.
What is NISAR?
- NISAR is an earth observation satellite.
- It is jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
- It was envisioned by NASA and ISRO in 2014 for the powerful demonstration of the capability of radar as a science tool.
- The 2,800 kilograms satellite consists of two different radar frequencies L-band and S-band SAR instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.
- It will be launched in January 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Andhra Pradesh(AP).
- It will be the first radar of its kind in space to systematically map Earth.
- A US Air Force C-17 aircraft carrying the NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar (NISAR) has landed in Bengaluru.
Key Highlights :
- It will be used for a variety of purposes including agricultural mapping, and landslide-prone areas.
- NISAR will provide data and information to manage natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
- It will also provide data for infrastructure monitoring and management such as monitoring of oil spills and urbanization.
- It will help to monitor and understand the impacts of climate change on the Earth’s land surface, including melting glaciers, sea-level rise, and changes in carbon storage.
About NASA :
- Established : July 29, 1958
- Headquarters : Washington, D.C, United States
- Administrator : Bill Nelson
About ISRO :
- Established : 15 August 1969
- Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
- Chairman : Sreedhara Somanath
CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES
Veteran actor & director Satish Kaushik passed away
- Veteran Bollywood actor-writer-director Satish Kaushik passed away at the age of 67.
About Satish Kaushik :
- Kaushik was born in Mahendragarh, Haryana on 13 April 1956.
- He acted in more than 100 films.
- He started his career in Bollywood with the film Masoom in 1983.
- He was known for his role as Calendar in the 1987 superhit film, Mr. India
- He was also known for his role as Pappu Pager in Deewana Mastana.
- His first film as a director was Sridevi’s Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993)
Awards & Honors :
- He also won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award in 1990 for Ram Lakhan and for Saajan Chale Sasural in 1997.
Daily CA One- Liner: Mar 12 & 13
- PM Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese inaugurated the friendship hall of fame in Ahmedabad
- A High Price Day Ahead Market and Surplus Power Portal (PUShP) has been launched by the central government
- Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri launched a three-week long women-led cleanliness campaign ‘Swachhotsav’.
- The Ministry of Power has mandated new coal or lignite-based thermal plants to either set up renewable energy capacity equivalent to at least 40 per cent of the thermal plant’s capacity or procure that much supply of green energy under renewable purchase obligation
- Mudra loans disbursal is likely to create an all-time record in the current financial year
- Noted Hindi writer Dr Gyan Chaturvedi’s 2018 satirical novel, Pagalkhana, has been selected for the 32nd Vyas Samman, 2022
- India and the US have signed a pact on establishing semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership seeking to put in place a collaborative mechanism on semiconductor supply chain resiliency and diversification in view of the US’s CHIPS and Science Act and India’s Semiconductor Mission
- Project Icebreaker, a joint initiative from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the central banks of Israel, Norway, and Sweden, has successfully concluded a study on the potential benefits and challenges of using retail central bank digital currencies (CBDC) in international payments.
- Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the principal financial institution engaged in the promotion, financing and development of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ShowReel for developing an online digital platform
- The Keeladi museum was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Shri M.K. Stalin in the Sivaganga district, TN.
- A tiger and tigress were reintroduced in the Madhav National Park (MNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s (MP) Shivpuri district in a bid to revive the big cat population in the area.
- Nepali Congress senior leader, Mr Ram Chandra Poudel has been elected as the 3rd President of Nepal & he will replace Ms Bidya Devi Bhandari
- The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) Colonel Geeta Rana became the 1st female commander to assume control of a stand-alone field workshop in the Eastern Ladakh sector with China.
- China’s Mr Xi Jinping sworn in for his third term as the country’s head of state.
- Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise TROPEX – 2023, conducted across the expanse of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) over a duration of 4 months from November 2022 to March 2023, culminated in the Arabian Sea.
- Colombia has allowed women to join the military for the first time in 25 years.
- The National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) cleared all ways for Indian Air Force (IAF) to set up mountain radars in Ladakh by giving approval for their induction.
- The US Space Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has handed over the Earth observation satellite, NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- Veteran Bollywood actor-writer-director Satish Kaushik passed away at the age of 67.