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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members:
- Every year, on 25th March the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed by the United Nations.
- This day is observed by the UN with the aim of demanding justice, mobilizing action, and strengthening the resolve to protect the peacekeepers and personnel of the UN, as well as people who are working in the non-governmental sector and people who are associated with the press.
- The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is marked each year on the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when he was abducted by armed gunman in
- His body was finally found in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in 2009.
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade:
- Every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system.
- This Year Theme: Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism.
- The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today.
- International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is a United Nations international observance designated in 2007 to be marked on 25 March every year.
- It was first observed in 2008 with the theme Breaking the Silence, Lest We Forget.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS
Government set the target to create 220 new airports by 2025:
- Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Government has set a target of creating 220 new airports by 2025.
- India had forged ahead in domestic and international travel during the Covid Pandemic.
- Cargo flights for perishable food items will be increased to 30 percent with 133 new flights in the coming years.
- The Government plans to create 33 new domestic cargo terminals, set up 15 new Flight Training Schools for pilots, creation of more jobs, increased focus on the drone sector.
- House that 82 lakh passengers per day undertook air travel in the last seven days.
- The Ministry is targeting to triple the passenger throughput from 34.5 crore in 2018-19 to 40 crore in 2023-24.
- 90 flights sent to five countries evacuated students in Ukraine and 15 percent of total pilot strength in the country are women.
LG Manoj Sinha addresses Gulf Countries Investment Summit in Srinagar:
- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha addressed the Gulf Countries Investment Summit in Srinagar and highlighted the scope to make the paradise on earth as the most beautiful investment destination in the world.
- In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, a 36-member delegation from the Gulf countries is presently in Srinagar to strengthen ties and look at the investment opportunities in the region.
- Earlier, the Lieutenant Governor hosted a dinner for the entrepreneurs and CEOs from Gulf countries who are on a four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to explore business opportunities in the union territory.
- The visit of the delegation is a follow-up to the Dubai-Expo which was held in January this year in which Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had signed at least six MoUs in potential sectors like Real Estate, Infrastructure, Tourism and Healthcare to generate investments for the Industrial growth of Jammu and Kashmir.
Centre for Digital Transformation at IIM Ahmedabad sets up Retail Tech Consortium with industry partners:
- The Centre for Digital Transformation at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), a premier global management institute, has recently set up a Retail Tech Consortium and plans to collaborate with several retail and technology organisations in India.
- The consortium will work towards sharing deep knowledge, research, and setting up industry best practices for better collaboration amongst retail tech players in the country.
- Flipkart, India based e-commerce marketplace has joined as a principal partner for the inaugural year of the consortium, bringing its industry knowledge and experience and consumer insights in the internet ecosystem to contribute to this effort.
- In the past two years of the pandemic, the retail sector has undergone massive adaptation.
- Digitalization of retail has happened at a fast pace and has impacted both online and traditional retailers.
- This consortium will largely bring to the fore unbiased voices of customers on the digitalization of retail in the country which will help retailers understand their consumers better.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS
Kerala tourism launches 24/7 WhatsApp chatbot Maya
- Kerala Tourism launched its 24×7 WhatsApp chatbot Maya to enable tourists to access all information and updates about the tourism ecosystem in Kerala.
- To enable this, tourists just send a Hi to the WhatsApp no 7510512345, or by scanning the QR code to access the service.
About Maya :
- Maya shares all information on destinations, experiences, stay, travel and a whole lot of details that will keep them updated about the places they travel through or stay, in any part of Kerala.
- It will serve as a virtual travel assistant for tourists to ask and get complete information they need for a hassle-free travel experience in the state.
- It also assists tourists to know about the experience-oriented locations, never-miss spots, historical places, ecotourism, arts and culture hubs, festivals, local food, visa information, Covid protocol, weather updates and provides links to the official Kerala Tourism social media pages.
Note :
- Tourism Minister of Kerala : PA Mohamed Riyas
About Kerala :
- Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
- Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
- Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Bihar becomes first state to implement dynamic map to track land ownerships
- Bihar has become the first state in the country to introduce the concept of a dynamic map for villages which will get updated every time land ownership changes hands.
Objective : To reduce legal disputes.
- According to the Bihar government, since February 2021, the state has seen almost 37,000 cases of some land dispute or the other.
- The state Assembly has recently passed the Bihar Land Mutation Amendment Bill, 2021 that made the mutation of maps mandatory.
- Every time a mutation takes place now, it will entail three changes, including
- A change in the text
- A change in the land parcel
- A modification of the survey map
About Bihar Land Mutation Amendment Bill 2021 :
- Bihar Land Mutation Amendment Bill 2021 was passed in the state assembly in Dec 2021.
About Bihar :
- Chief minister: Nitish Kumar
- Governor: Phagu Chauhan
- Capital: Patna
CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE
First wildlife bond issued by World Bank to save Africa’s black rhino
- The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) priced the Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB) in support of South Africa’s efforts to conserve endangered species of Black Rhino.
About WCB :
- WCB is also known as Rhino Bond.
- It is a five-year $150 million Sustainable Development Bond.
- It includes a potential performance payment from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
- The Bond is a first-of-its-kind, outcome-based, financial instrument that channels investments to achieve conservation outcomes measured in this case by an increase in black rhino populations.
- It will contribute to protecting and increasing black rhino populations in two protected areas in South Africa namely the Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) and the Great Fish River Nature Reserve (GFRNR).
About AENP :
- AENP is managed by the South African National Parks (SANParks) and GFRNR is managed by Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA).
About World Bank :
- Founded: July 1944
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
- President: David Malpass
- MD : Anshula Kant
- Motto: Working for a World Free of Poverty
OECD retains India’s GDP for FY23 at 8.1% and for FY24 at 5.5%
- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has retained the outlook for India ‘s real gross domestic product (GDP) at 5.5% in FY24, lower than 8.1% in 2022-23.
- The GDP was released in the Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India of OECD.
- China’s economy is seen growing 5.1% in both 2022 and 2023.
- The GDP of emerging Asia – China, India and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)- is projected to grow 5.8% this year, following a 7.4% expansion in 2021 and a 0.8% contraction in 2020.
About OECD :
- Founded: 30 September 1961
- Headquarters: Paris, France
- Secretary General : Mathias Cormann
ICICI Bank partners with Chennai Super Kings, launches co-branded credit card
- ICICI Bank has launched a co-branded credit card in partnership with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), one of the most successful cricket teams in India, called Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card.
- The card has been specially designed with a range of exclusive privileges for millions of cricket fans of the iconic team.
- Four years ago, ICICI Bank launched a co-branded credit card with Manchester United, a professional football club of England.
How to apply :
- Customers can apply for the Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card by sending an SMS KING to 5676766.
About ICICI Bank :
- Founded : 5 January 1994
- Chairperson : Girish Chandra Chaturvedi
- MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
- Headquarters: Vadodara
About Chennai Super Kings :
- Founded : 2008
- CEO : KS Viswanathan
EbixCash Partners with Axis Securities to Offer Integrated trading services to its Customers
- EbixCash Limited, a technology enabled provider of digital products and services in the B2C, B2B and financial technology arena, through an integrated business model, today announced a strategic agreement with Axis Securities, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Axis Bank, to provide end-to-end trading services to customers of EbixCash.
- The association offers a 3-in-1 account to the customers of EbixCash, allowing them to integrate savings, demat and trading accounts.
- With this partnership, EbixCash customers now have access to the seamless online platform of Axis Securities, empowering them to buy and sell stocks and other investment products.
- The customers can also opt for various investment instruments, including mutual funds, SIPs, investment advisory, portfolio management services, along with the option of opening a trading or demat account.
About EbixCash :
- Founded : 2006
- Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Chairman : Robin Raina
About Axis Direct :
- Axis Direct is the flagship brand under Axis Securities Limited, a subsidiary of Axis Bank in India.
- Founded : 2011
- Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- MD & CEO : B. Gopkumar
ICICI Lombard ties up with Airtel Payments Bank to offer smartphone insurance
- Airtel Payments Bank partnered with ICICI General Insurance Company to provide smartphone insurance that offers device financial protection from damages caused by accidents, liquid spillage, or more.
- The customers can get insured for a sum equal to the purchase price of their smartphone which can be priced anywhere between the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,00,000.
- By paying a monthly premium of Rs 1,299, customers also have the facility to get this insurance on their own within 10 days of making the purchase.
- As part of this smartphone insurance, customers can file up to two claims during the policy period, and it also includes free pickup & delivery, making it a unique offering in the market.
Note :
- As Per a 2020 report published by RedSeer, the Indian smartphone insurance segment could potentially become a $500 million market by 2025, with an expected CAGR of 29 percent per annum.
About ICICI Lombard :
- Founded : 2001
- Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- MD : Bhargav Dasgupta
About Airtel Payments Bank :
- Founded: January 2017
- Headquarters: New Delhi, De;hi, India
- CEO: Anubrata Biswas
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS
GeM attains annual procurement of INR 1 Lakh crore in FY 2021-22:
- Government e-Marketplace, GeM has attained an annual procurement of one lakh crore rupees within 2021-22.
- This represents a 160 percent growth compared to last Financial Year.
- Whereas, the Gross Merchandise Value of GeM in the current Financial Year surpassed one lakh crore rupees in less than a year.
- The portal had transformed public procurement in India by driving its three pillars – inclusion, usability and transparency and efficiency and cost-saving.
- The number of orders has also surpassed 31.5 Lakh in the current financial year with growth at the rate of 22 percent.
- In a short span of five years, GeM has become one of the biggest government e-procurement platforms in the world.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Pushkar Singh Dhami takes oath as Uttarakhand CM
- Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for his second consecutive term at Parade Ground in Dehradun.
- Along with Dhami, eight newly-elected MLAs were administered the oath of office by Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh.
- Cabinet Ministers who took oath along with Dhami are:
- Dr Dhan Singh Rawat
- Ganesh Joshi
- Rekha Arya
- Subodh Uniyal
- Saurav Bahuguna
- Premchand Agarwal
- Chandan Ram Das
- Satpal Maharaj
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda also participated in the event.
About Pushkar Singh Dhami :
- Pushkar Singh Dhami born on 16 September 1975, in Tundi village of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand.
- He is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and son of an ex-serviceman.
- He was elected as MLA in Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha from Khatima in 2012 and 2017.
- He was appointed Chief Minister for the first time in 2021.
About Uttarakhand :
- Governor: Gurmit Singh
CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
India Successfully Test-fires BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile From Andaman & Nicobar islands.
- India successfully test fired the extended range version of a surface-to-surface BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a launch pad in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- The BrahMos missile, which has been developed by the joint venture between Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
About BrahMos supersonic cruise missile :
- BrahMos missile is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface- and sea-based targets
- These missiles fly at three times the speed of sound i.e. 2.8 Mach (Mach number is the ratio of an object’s speed in a given medium to the speed of sound in that medium).
- It can also dodge the radar.
- Earlier its range was 290 km, which was increased to 350-400 km.
Note :
- The first air launch of BrahMos was successfully carried out from a Su-30MKI fighter aircraft in 2017.
About NPO Mashinostroyeniya :
- Founded : 1944
- Headquarters : Reutov, Russia
- India is Mashinostroyeniya’s second largest customer after the Russian Federation for sale of P-70 Ametist, BrahMos, BrahMos-II and P-800 Oniks.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX
NITI Aayog Releases Second Edition of Export Preparedness Index 2021 : Gujarat Tops
- NITI Aayog, in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness, released the Second Edition of Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2021.
- The index was released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar, in the presence of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Department of Commerce Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, and other dignitaries.
Top 10 in Export Preparedness Index 2021 :
1.Gujarat
- Maharashtra
3.Karnataka
4.Tamil Nadu
5.Haryana
6.Uttar Pradesh
7.Madhya Pradesh
8.Punjab
9.Andhra Pradesh
10.Telangana
- Across the Union Territories, Delhi has performed the best, followed by Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and
- Among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur were at the top respectively.
The EPI ranks states and UTs on 4 main pillars:
- Policy: A comprehensive trade policy provides a strategic direction for exports and imports.
- Business Ecosystem: An efficient business ecosystem can help attract investments and create an enabling infrastructure for businesses to grow.
- Export Ecosystem: This pillar aims to assess the business environment, which is specific to exports.
- Export Performance: This is the only output-based pillar and examines the reach of export footprints of states and union territories.
11 sub-pillars :
- Export Promotion Policy
- Institutional Framework
- Business Environment
- Infrastructure
- Transport Connectivity
- Access to Finance
- Export Infrastructure
- Trade Support
- R&D Infrastructure
- Export Diversification
- Growth Orientation.
About Export Preparedness Index :
- The Export Preparedness Index is a data-driven endeavour to identify the fundamental areas critical for subnational export promotion.
- The Index assesses the readiness of the states and union territories, in terms of their export potential and performance.
- EPI 2021 brings out three major challenges to India’s export promotion.
- Intra- and inter-regional differences in export infrastructure
- Weak trade support and growth orientation across states
- Lack of R&D infrastructure to promote complex and unique exports.
About NITI Aayog :
- Established : 1 January 2015
- Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
- Chairperson : Narendra Modi
- CEO : Amitabh Kant
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS
Someswara Rao Ramudri, Mohit bags gold medals at World Para Athletics Grand Prix:
- Long jumper Someswara Rao Ramudri and javelin thrower Mohit bagged Gold medals in their individual events at the Dubai 2022 World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
- Overall, the Indian contingent won six medals on the day and set two Asian records.
- Paralympian Dharambir claimed his second silver medal in the Championships, this time in men’s wheelchair discus final F51 where he attained a distance of 10.93 metre for the silver.
- Algeria’s Mohamed Berrahal took the gold, as Dharambir’s fellow thrower Ajitkumar Amrutla Panchal claimed the bronze in the F52 category.
- In women’s track events, Jayanti Behera claimed the silver medal in 200 metre women final T46/47.
- Ishwari Nishad also took second place in 400 metre women’s final T11.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES
Creator of the GIF format, Stephen Wilhite has passed away:
- Stephen E. Wilhite, one of the lead inventors behind the GIF file format, passed away March 14th, from COVID-19 at age 74.
- Wilhite was working at CompuServe when he came up with the idea for GIFs.
- In the late 1980s, the internet was accessed via phone modems.
- This meant that being on a phone call via a landline, and online at the same time, simply wasn’t possible.
- Wilhite devised the Graphics Interchange Format, or GIF, in 1987 while working at Compuserve.
- The Oxford American Dictionary named GIF the word of the year in 2012.
- He was honoured with a Webby Lifetime Achievement award in 2013.
Former Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti passed away:
- Former Chief Justice of India Ramesh Chandra Lahoti died at a hospital.
- He was 81 years old.
- Justice Lahoti was appointed as the 35th chief justice of India on June 1, 2004.
- He retired on November 1, 2005.
- Born on November 1, 1940, he joined the Bar in Guna district in 1960 and enrolled as an advocate in 1962.
- He was recruited directly to the bench in April 1977, from the Bar to the State Higher Judicial Service and was appointed as a district and sessions judge.
- He was appointed an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on May 3, 1988, and made a permanent judge on August 4 the next year.
- He was transferred to Delhi High Court on February 7, 1994, and later appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court on December 9, 1998.
Daily CA On Mar 26:
- Every year, on 25th March the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed by the United Nations.
- Every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system.
- Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Government has set a target of creating 220 new airports by 2025.
- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha addressed the Gulf Countries Investment Summit in Srinagar and highlighted the scope to make the paradise on earth as the most beautiful investment destination in the world.
- The Centre for Digital Transformation at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), a premier global management institute, has recently set up a Retail Tech Consortium and plans to collaborate with several retail and technology organisations in India.
- Kerala Tourism launched its 24×7 WhatsApp chatbot Maya to enable tourists to access all information and updates about the tourism ecosystem in Kerala.
- Bihar has become the first state in the country to introduce the concept of a dynamic map for villages which will get updated every time land ownership changes hands.
- The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) priced the Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB) in support of South Africas efforts to conserve endangered species of Black Rhino.
- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has retained the outlook for India ‘s real gross domestic product (GDP) at 5.5% in FY24, lower than 8.1% in 2022-23.
- ICICI Bank has launched a co-branded credit card in partnership with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), one of the most successful cricket teams in India, called Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card.
- EbixCash Limited, a technology enabled provider of digital products and services in the B2C, B2B and financial technology arena, through an integrated business model, today announced a strategic agreement with Axis Securities, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Axis Bank, to provide end-to-end trading services to customers of EbixCash.
- Airtel Payments Bank partnered with ICICI General Insurance Company to provide smartphone insurance that offers device financial protection from damages caused by accidents, liquid spillage, or more.
- Government e-Marketplace, GeM has attained an annual procurement of one lakh crore rupees within 2021-22.
- Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for his second consecutive term at Parade Ground in Dehradun.
- India successfully test fired the extended range version of a surface-to-surface BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a launch pad in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- NITI Aayog, in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness, released the Second Edition of Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2021.
- Long jumper Someswara Rao Ramudri and javelin thrower Mohit bagged Gold medals in their individual events at the Dubai 2022 World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
- Stephen E. Wilhite, one of the lead inventors behind the GIF file format, passed away March 14th, from COVID-19 at age 74.
- Former Chief Justice of India Ramesh Chandra Lahoti died at a hospital.