06th-07th March, 2023

1. Ministry of Tourism, in association with Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management (IITTM), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI), has organised the 3rd Regional Workshop on Development of Sustainable and Responsible Tourist Destinations at Hyderabad.
2. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the NITI Aayog hosted ‘LIFEathon’, a hybrid hackathon, for young people from across the world.
3. The Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Crown Princess, Mary Elizabeth were on a five-day visit to India from February 26 – March 02, 2023.
4. Government of India and the World Bank have signed two complimentary loans worth $1 billion to support and enhance India’s healthcare infrastructure.
5. A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice KM Joseph, has unanimously ruled that a high-power committee consisting of the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India must appoint the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs).
6. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is developing a research policy and governance cell, which will work under the direct control of director general, ICMR Dr Rajiv Bhal.
7. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur launched Yuva Utsava – India@2047 from Ropar in Punjab.
8. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a loan agreement with the Government of India to provide Japanese ODA loan amounting to JPY 9,918 million (approximately Rs 560 crore) for the development of a 164-bed Super-Specialty Cancer and Research Centre in Mizoram.
9. Indian Farmer Fertiliser Cooperative Organization (IFFCO) has launched the nano DAP fertiliser in the market.
10. Tata Steel has signed an MOU with Gail India to reduce carbon footprint in its operations, and for the supply of natural gas to its Ferro Alloys Plant at Athgarh in Odisha’s Cuttack district.
11. Ministry of Rural Development has extended its MOU with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to provide design support for the products made by Self Help Groups of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
12. South Korean and U.S. militaries will hold their biggest joint field exercises in five years later this month.
13. Belarus has sentenced its Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski to 10 years in prison.
14. ILO and UNICEF have released their second joint report on social protection for children titled as “More than a billion reasons: The urgent need to build universal social protection for children”.
15. V-Dem Institute (based in Sweden) has released the Democracy Report 2023.
16. World Bank has released the “Women, Business and the Law 2023” report.
17. State Bank of India has completed its first non-dollar transaction in Sri Lankan Rupees.
18. ICICI Bank has launched ICICI STACK for Capital Markets & Custody to offer digital services to capital market investors.
19. RBI launched two key surveys – Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH) and Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) – for the month of March 2023.
20. New India Assurance has become the 2nd domestic insurance company to offer the surety insurance bonds.
21. Reliance Industries has announced to invest in a 10-gigawatt renewable solar energy project in Andhra Pradesh at the Andhra Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 in
22. Technology giant Apple has partnered with an environmental NGO, Frank Water, to develop data and analytics-driven solutions to strengthen water management and conservation in India.
23. RBI has imposed a penalty of over ₹3.06 crore on Amazon Pay (India) Private Limited for non-compliance with certain provisions related to Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) and Know Your Customer (KYC) direction.
24. Apple’s contract manufacturer Foxconn will reportedly invest up to $1 Bn to set up a manufacturing facility on the outskirts of
25. Pramerica Life Insurance Limited has appointed Pankaj Gupta as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
26. Senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla has been appointed as the Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
27. Bola Tinubu has won the Presidential elections of Nigeria.
28. Jishnu Barua has become the new chairperson of power regulator Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).
29. Conrad K. Sangma has been elected as the 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya. It is his second term.
30. Neiphiu Rio has been elected as the Chief Minister of Nagaland for 5th term.
31. Hockey India has appointed South African Craig Fulton as new Chief Coach of Indian men’s hockey team.
32. March 3 – World Hearing Day; Theme – Ear and hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality
33. World Obesity Day; Theme – ‘Changing Perspectives: Let’s Talk About Obesity’
34. Sashidhar Jagdishan (MD and CEO of HDFC Bank) has won the Business Standard Banker of the Year 2022.
35. NTPC Limited, has been honoured with the CBIP Award 2022 for ‘Outstanding Contribution in Power Generation’, attributed to its Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station, the largest power station in the country for its efficiency and high level of generation.
36. The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is being conducted at the DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
37. Former Chief Justice of India Aziz MushaAziz Mushabber Ahmadiber Ahmadi passed away
38. Former union minister and the West Bengal BJP’s ex-president Satyabrata Mookherjee has passed away.

National News

1. Ministry of Tourism, in association with Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management (IITTM), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI), has organised the 3rd Regional Workshop on Development of Sustainable and Responsible Tourist Destinations at Hyderabad.
2. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the NITI Aayog hosted ‘LIFEathon’, a hybrid hackathon, for young people from across the world.
   • Purpose – to contribute ideas and innovations to promote sustainable living and climate positive behaviour – as part of the Government of India’s Mission LiFE

3. The Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Crown Princess, Mary Elizabeth were on a five-day visit to India from February 26 – March 02, 2023.
   • His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince had last visited India in 2003.
   • Highlights –

4. Government of India and the World Bank have signed two complimentary loans worth $1 billion to support and enhance India’s healthcare infrastructure.
   • Project 1 – The $500-million Public Health Systems for Pandemic Preparedness Program (PHSPP) will support efforts to prepare India’s surveillance system to detect and report epidemics of concern.
   • Project 2 – Another $500 million Enhanced Health Service Delivery Program (EHSDP) will support government’s efforts to strengthen service delivery through a redesigned primary healthcare model.
5. A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice KM Joseph, has unanimously ruled that a high-power committee consisting of the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India must appoint the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs).
   • Article 324 of the Constitution deals with the mandate of the Election Commission and appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners.
   • In 2015, a public interest litigation was filed by Anoop Baranwal challenging the constitutional validity of the practice of the Centre appointing members of the Election Commission.
6. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is developing a research policy and governance cell, which will work under the direct control of director general, ICMR Dr Rajiv Bhal.
   • The cell will be responsible for designing and implementing policies and strategies to support research activity.
7. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur launched Yuva Utsava – India@2047 from Ropar in Punjab.
   • Dashboard of Yuva Utsav was also launched.
   • In the first phase, the Yuva Utsav is being organised in 150 districts across the country to promote youth power till the 31st of March 2023.
   • In the first phase, programmes are being conducted by schools and colleges of the districts.
   • This all-India celebration of youth power will be held on three levels. Yuva Utsav will begin with a one-day district-level programme. The first phase of the programme is planned to be held in 150 districts from the 4th to 31st of March 2023.

State News

1. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a loan agreement with the Government of India to provide Japanese ODA loan amounting to JPY 9,918 million (approximately Rs 560 crore) for the development of a 164-bed Super-Specialty Cancer and Research Centre in Mizoram.

Agriculture And Rural Development

1. Indian Farmer Fertiliser Cooperative Organization (IFFCO) has launched the nano DAP fertiliser in the market.
   • IFFCO MD – U S Awasthi

Memorandum of Understand

1. Tata Steel has signed an MOU with Gail India to reduce carbon footprint in its operations, and for the supply of natural gas to its Ferro Alloys Plant at Athgarh in Odisha’s Cuttack district.
2. Ministry of Rural Development has extended its MOU with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to provide design support for the products made by Self Help Groups of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
3. National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) have signed an MoU to strengthen value-based sports education amongst school children and teachers.
   • The UNESCO Value-Based Sports Education toolkit will also be promoted in every classroom under the MoU.

International News

1. South Korean and S. militaries will hold their biggest joint field exercises in five years later this month.
   • South Korea and USA will conduct the Freedom Shield exercise, a computer-simulated command post training, from March 13 to 23 to strengthen their defense and response capabilities.
   • They will also conduct separate large-scale joint field training exercises called Warrior Shield FTX.
2. Belarus has sentenced its Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski to 10 years in prison.
   • Ales Bialiatski won Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, along with Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties.

Reports and Indices

1. ILO and UNICEF have released their second joint report on social protection for children titled as “More than a billion reasons: The urgent need to build universal social protection for children”.
   • The report appraises India’s PM-Cares for Children scheme among other countries and their welfare schemes.
   • As per the report, the PM-Cares for Children scheme has been launched by 31 Indian States and UT. Introduced in March 2020, it aims to support orphan children.
   • So far, 4,302 children have received support from the scheme (as per Supreme Court of India’s data, 2021).
   • Benefits given under PM-Cares for Children –
     • Income support to 18-23 years old – Rs 1 million (US$12,635) corpus
     • Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance scheme coverage for children – Rs 5,00,000 (US$6,153) to orphaned children
     • An annual scholarship of 20,000 rupees (US$246) for each school-age child (from primary to upper secondary school)
   • Eligibility – Children who have lost one or both parents due to Covid-19
2. V-Dem Institute (based in Sweden) has released the Democracy Report 2023.
   • Total – 202 countries
   • Sub-Indices –
     • Liberal Democracy Index
     • Electoral Democracy Index
     • Liberal Component Index
     • Egalitarian Component Index
     • Participatory Component Index
     • Deliberative Component Index
   • India has been classified as an “Electoral Autocracy”.

3. World Bank has released the “Women, Business and the Law 2023” report.
   • Indian working women’s pay, and pension do not provide for equality with Indian men, dragging India’s score in a World Bank index on the life cycle of a working woman down to 74.4 out of a possible 100.
   • India scored higher than the 63.7 average for the South Asian region, though lower than Nepal which had the region’s highest score of 80.6.
   • Out of the 190 economies covered in the index, only 14 scored a perfect 100: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxemburg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
   • India needs to improve laws regarding equal pay for same work. India should consider reforms to improve legal equality for women.
   • To improve on the Pay indicator, India may wish to consider mandating equal remuneration for work of equal value, allowing women to work at night in the same way as men, and allowing women to work in an industrial job in the same way as men.

Banking and Economy

1. State Bank of India has completed its first non-dollar transaction in Sri Lankan Rupees.
   • Reason – Sri Lanka’s forex reserves have reduced to just $2.1 billion as of end-January, leading to worsening of the economic crisis of the island nation.
2. ICICI Bank has launched ICICI STACK for Capital Markets & Custody to offer digital services to capital market investors.
   • 3-in-1 account for stockbrokers and clients; digital account opening for PMS (Portfolio Management Service) clients; self-service portal; value-added services for AIFs; digital payment solutions are some of the offerings in this stack.

3. RBI launched two key surveys – Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH) and Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) – for the month of March 2023.
   • The results of these surveys provide “useful inputs” for the central bank’s bi-monthly monetary policy.
   • The IESH aims at capturing subjective assessments on price movements and inflation, based on their individual consumption baskets, across 19 cities.
     • The survey seeks qualitative responses from households on price changes (general prices as well as prices of specific product groups) in the 3 months ahead as well as in the 1 year ahead period and quantitative responses on current, three months ahead and one year ahead inflation rates.
   • The Consumer Confidence Survey will also be conducted in 19 cities.
4. New India Assurance has become the 2nd domestic insurance company to offer the surety insurance bonds.
   • In December 2022, Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari had launched the country’s first surety bond insurance for infrastructure projects by Bajaj Allianz.
5. Reliance Industries has announced to invest in a 10-gigawatt renewable solar energy project in Andhra Pradesh at the Andhra Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 in
6. Technology giant Apple has partnered with an environmental NGO, Frank Water, to develop data and analytics-driven solutions to strengthen water management and conservation in India.
   • Both entities have initiated surveying households and analysing multiple data sources in Benglauru to map how water is used in the area.
7. RBI has imposed a penalty of over ₹3.06 crore on Amazon Pay (India) Private Limited for non-compliance with certain provisions related to Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) and Know Your Customer (KYC) direction.
8. Apple’s contract manufacturer Foxconn will reportedly invest up to $1 Bn to set up a manufacturing facility on the outskirts of

Appointment

1. Pramerica Life Insurance Limited has appointed Pankaj Gupta as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
2. Senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla has been appointed as the Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
   • She is currently the Additional DG of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
3. Bola Tinubu has won the Presidential elections of Nigeria.
4. Jishnu Barua has become the new chairperson of power regulator Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).
5. Conrad K. Sangma has been elected as the 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya. It is his second term.
6. Neiphiu Rio has been elected as the Chief Minister of Nagaland for 5th term.
7. Hockey India has appointed South African Craig Fulton as new Chief Coach of Indian men’s hockey team.

Important Days

1. March 3 – World Hearing Day; Theme – Ear and hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality
   • WHO India puts Kerala’s girl Rizwana’s photo on its World Hearing Day’s poster. Rizwana is a final year MBBS student.

2. March 4 –
   • World Obesity Day; Theme – ‘Changing Perspectives: Let’s Talk About Obesity’
   • World Day to Fight Against Sexual Exploitation
   • National Safety Day (52nd edition); Theme – Out Aim-Zero Harm
     • March 4-10 – National Safety Week (52nd edition); Theme – Out Aim-Zero Harm
   • National Security Day (Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas)

Awards

1. Sashidhar Jagdishan (MD and CEO of HDFC Bank) has won the Business Standard Banker of the Year 2022.
2. NTPC Limited, has been honoured with the CBIP Award 2022 for ‘Outstanding Contribution in Power Generation’, attributed to its Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station, the largest power station in the country for its efficiency and high level of generation.

Sports

1. The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is being conducted at the DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Miscellaneous

1. Former Chief Justice of India Aziz MushaAziz Mushabber Ahmadiber Ahmadi passed away
   • Ahmadi served as the Chief Justice of India from 25 October 1994 – 24 March 1997.
   • Justice Ahmadi became the third Muslim ever to serve as CJI. He was the 26^th CJI.
2. Former union minister and the West Bengal BJP’s ex-president Satyabrata Mookherjee has passed away.

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