08th-09th March, 2023

1. Indian Railways has introduced the Bharat Gaurav Deluxe Tourist Train in the North-East region, which is set to depart from the New Delhi Safdarjung railway station.
2. India developed the world’s first bamboo-made crash barrier (200 metre) and installed it on the Vani-Warora Highway in Vidarbh, Maharashtra.
3. The second meeting of Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) under G20 India Presidency was held in Hyderabad.
4. Election Commission of India will host the 3rd International Conference on the theme of ‘Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity’ in the virtual format.
5. Central Bureau of Communication, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Kolhapur Municipal Corporation together with Zilla Parishad Kolhapur have organized a “Multimedia Exhibition” on the theme of ‘Women Empowerment’.
6. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived on a two-day visit to Gujarat.
7. The first-of-its-kind ‘SCO B2B Conference and Expo on Traditional Medicine’ was organized at Guwahati, Assam.
8. Ministry of Jal Shakti has organized the “Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023”, to honour the women champions of the rural water and sanitation sector.
9. Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh, has launched the South Asia Distribution Utility Network (SADUN) to modernise distribution of utilities in South Asia via knowledge sharing among the region’s discoms.
10. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw released a unique cover of the Department of Posts, ‘Go Green, Go Organic’ for the world’s first organic state e., Sikkim.
11. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has conducted Rail Track Rocket Sled deployment tests of the Gaganyaan Pilot and Apex Cover Separation parachutes.
12. Indian School of Business (ISB) is collaborating with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), as a knowledge partner for the G-20 Education Working Group (EWG).
13. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published ‘IS 18149:2023 – Transportation of Dangerous Goods — Guidelines’ for enhancing safety in the transportation of dangerous goods.
14. Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman visited Gurudongmar lake at the Mangan district of Sikkim.
15. Food and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that all the states should implement the SMART-PDS, which is a technological driven initiative.
16. Competition Commission of India (CCI) is holding its 8th annual National Conference on Economics of Competition Law in New Delhi.
17. India and Australia have launched the Australia India Research Students Fellowship (AIRS Fellowship) program to support emerging researchers from India and Australia to undertake short-term research exchanges
18. Assam’s pyramid-like structures known as moidams or maidams have met all the technical requirements of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.
19. Hyderabad is hosting ‘India & The Global South: A Vision for a Shared Future’ meeting on the theme of Knowledge and experience exchange Programme for the emerging economies of the global south during 4th-6th March.
20. Odisha government approved 25 industrial projects worth Rs 5,827.27 crore, which will create employment for 25,000 people.
21. Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin inaugurated the Keeladi museum, a testimony to the regal life lived by ancient Tamils during the Sangam Age, in Sivaganga district.
22. The Economic Survey of Maharashtra for the year 2022-23 projected that the state economy is expected to grow by 8%.
23. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik unveiled the Dakota DC-3 aircraft for public viewing at the Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar to mark the 107th birth anniversary of the former chief minister.
24. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and National Consumers Cooperative Federation of India Limited (NCCF) have been directed to intervene in the market and immediately start procurement of red onion directly from farmers.
25. Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Pashupati Kumar Paras inaugurated Bhojpur’s Millet Festival in Bihar.
26. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, inaugurated the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela, organized by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Pusa, New Delhi.
27. The first edition of the Naval Commanders’ Conference of 2023 will commence. India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant was onboarded on this conference.
28. Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise TROPEX for the year 2023, has concluded this week in the Arabian Sea.
29. Indian Air Force (IAF) will receive three S-400 Triumf ‘SA-21Growler’ long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems from Russia by 2023.
30. Indian warship INS Trikand has arrived at Mina Salman seaport in Bahrain to participate in the International Maritime Exercise/Cutlass Express 2023 (IMX/CE-23), organized by the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (a 34-nation naval group), for the first time.
31. India has ordered two ACH160 helicopters from Airbus, first sale of any helicopter in the H160 range in the region.
32. Indian Army and French Army will conduct its first Joint Military Exercise named FRINJEX-23 at Pangode Military Station in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.
33. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for a new variant of the Hindustan 228-201 LW aircraft.
34. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Brahma Kumaris, Mount Abu have signed an MOU at Dr. B.R Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi to promote Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
35. India and Mexico have signed an MOU to promote research, technology and innovation collaborations.
36. AIIMS-Delhi signed an MOU with the PSC Mauritius to conduct examinations for Medical and Health Officers, Senior Medical Officers, Dental Surgeons and Senior Dental Surgeons to join the Public Service in the Republic of Mauritius.
37. India’s top explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp has signed an MOU with French major TotalEnergies for exploration of deep-water blocks.
38. Union Home Ministry has approved the signing of an MOU between India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.
39. European Union has set up a humanitarian air bridge to deliver aid to Goma in the conflict-hit eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
40. 48th edition of the Middle East Energy 2023 was organized at Dubai World Trade Centre to showcase over 800 exhibitors from 170 countries as well as 20,000 energy professionals and utilities decision-makers.
41. Colombia has opened military service to women for the first time in 25 years. A cohort of 1,296 women have been enlisted in Colombia’s Army last month, February.
42. UN member countries have adopted the ‘High Seas Treaty’ to preserve the marine biodiversity in international waters.
43. UNICEF has released the “Undernourished and Overlooked: A Global Nutrition Crisis in Adolescent Girls and Women” report.
44. International Energy Agency (HQ – Paris) has released the “Methane Global Tracker” report.
45. Global Public Policy Institute has released the “Academic Freedom Index 2023” report.
46. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and UN Women India launched ‘FinEMPOWER’ programme at the BSE.
47. Adani Power has amalgamated its six subsidiaries, including Adani Power (Mundra), with itself.
48. RBI setup a “3-day Trade Fair” for the benefit of small entrepreneurs at Shilparamam, Madhapur, Hyderabad under the G20 Presidency of India.
49. The Central Government has clarified that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 will apply to trade in cryptocurrencies and/or virtual assets.
50. SEBI has asked investors to link PAN card to Aadhar.
51. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has tied up with Max Life Insurance Company to offer life insurance products to its customers.
52. Paytm has signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to drive initiatives in financial inclusion, public health, cyber security.
53. City Union Bank (CUB) announced rolling out of its first-ever credit card, the Dhi CUB Visa Signature Credit Card.
54. RBI launched the Mission ‘Har Payment Digital’ during the Digital Payments Awareness Week (DPAW) 2023, which is observed from March 6 to 12.
55. GST Council has launched e-invoice registration through various private Invoice Registration Portals.
56. Google announced the completion of the first cohort of its startup’s accelerator programme for female founders in India.
57. Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company has launched a digital campaign called ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’ to promote digital literacy among the women.
58. Dr Manik Saha has been sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Tripura.
59. Salhoutuonuo Kruse has become Nagaland’s first woman minister to be elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
60. Indian-American Arun Subramaniam has been confirmed as first South Asian District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
61. SS Dubey took charge as the 28th Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance.
62. Group Captain Shaliza Dhami has become the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force to command a front-line combat unit.
63. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has been appointed as the Prime Minister of Qatar.
64. March 8 – International Women’s Day; Theme – DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality
65. ACI World’s annual ASQ Awards have been announced for the year 2022.
66. Sir David Alan Chipperfield CH (from England) has won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2023.
67. Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan presented the 8th National Photography Awards in New Delhi.
68. India Philanthropy Report 2023 was released by non-profit Dasra and consulting firm Bain & Company.
69. Karnataka has defeated Meghalaya to win the Santosh Trophy National Football Championship.
70. Daniil Medvedev (Russia) defeated his Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev to win the Dubai Tennis Championships (ATP Tennis Tournament).
71. Hockey India launched a new and ambitious grassroots development programme to tap the talent and improve the strength of the national senior and junior teams for men and women.
72. Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 has been won by Max Verstappen (Dutch motorsports racing driver).
73. Ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has won BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year (ISWOTY) award 2022 for the second consecutive year.
74. Prof B Dharmalingam has authored “Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya: Dispersions of Thoughts” and “Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya: Integral Humanism” books.
75. Dr Kanak Rele, a world-renowned dancer and Mohiniyattam exponent, has passed away.
76. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya released the ‘India’s Vaccine Growth Story – From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri’ book authored by Shri Sajjan Singh Yadav, Additional Secretary, at the World Book fair 2023, at Pragati Maidan.
77. “As Good as My Word A Memoir” book has been written by Indian bureaucrat M. Chandrasekhar.
78. Bakhmut is a city in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. It is located on the Bakhmutka River.
79. Olive Ridley turtles are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to the increasing threat to their habitats.

National News

1. Indian Railways has introduced the Bharat Gaurav Deluxe Tourist Train in the North-East region, which is set to depart from the New Delhi Safdarjung railway station.
   • The train will complete the ‘North-East Discovery: Beyond Guwahati’, a North-East Circuit covering Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya for 15 days.
2. India developed the world’s first bamboo-made crash barrier (200 metre) and installed it on the Vani-Warora Highway in Vidarbh, Maharashtra.
   • Developer – National Highway Authority of India
   • The barrier has been named as ‘Bahu Balli’.
3. The second meeting of Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) under G20 India Presidency was held in
   • A Symposium on Digital Innovations in Payments and Remittances was also organised on the sidelines of the GPFI meeting for both G20 and non-G20 countries.
4. Election Commission of India will host the 3rd International Conference on the theme of ‘Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity’ in the virtual format.
   • ECI is leading the Cohort on Elections Integrity which was established as a follow-up to the ‘Summit for Democracy’ held in 2021.
   • The first international conference of the Cohort was organized in November 2022 in New Delhi on the theme of ‘Role, Framework and Capacity of Election Management Bodies’.
   • The 2nd Conference on the theme of ‘Use of Technology and Elections Integrity’ was organised by the Election Commission in January 2023.
5. Central Bureau of Communication, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Kolhapur Municipal Corporation together with Zilla Parishad Kolhapur have organized a “Multimedia Exhibition” on the theme of ‘Women Empowerment’.
   • In the inaugural session, a financial and digital literacy workshop was conducted by Aparna Sawant, Program Director, Mann Deshi Foundation.
6. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived on a two-day visit to Gujarat.
7. The first-of-its-kind ‘SCO B2B Conference and Expo on Traditional Medicine’ was organized at Guwahati, Assam.
   • India is hosting SCO Summit 2023 in Goa.
8. Ministry of Jal Shakti has organized the “Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023”, to honour the women champions of the rural water and sanitation sector.
   • Jal Shakti Abhiyan – Catch the Rain 2023 was also launched at the award ceremony.
   • 36 women WASH (Water, sanitation and health) Champions were conferred with the ‘Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023’.
   • They were awarded for their exceptional contribution in the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM-G), Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA-CTR).

Jal Shakti Abhiyan – Catch the Rain 2023 –

• Purpose – to conserve rainwater
• Theme 2023 – Source Sustainability for Drinking Water.
• Tag line: Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls.
• Catch the Rain is a Jan Andolan campaign to encourage all stakeholders to create rainwater harvesting structures.
• The campaign is implemented by the National Water Mission (NWM), Ministry of Jal Shakti.

9. Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh, has launched the South Asia Distribution Utility Network (SADUN) to modernise distribution of utilities in South Asia via knowledge sharing among the region’s discoms.
   • SADUN is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Power, USAID and Power Finance Corporation.
   • All the member nations would benefit from the synergy, exchange of experiences and the sharing of vision-enabled by the network.
   • USAID had conceptualised SADUN in January 2020. The initiative aims at sharing knowledge among discoms and enhancing focus on distribution issues at the regional-level, the network aims to enable utility-to-utility (U2U) connect to reap the benefits of aggregation.
10. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw released a unique cover of the Department of Posts, ‘Go Green, Go Organic’ for the world’s first organic state e., Sikkim.
11. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has conducted Rail Track Rocket Sled deployment tests of the Gaganyaan Pilot and Apex Cover Separation parachutes.
    • The Gaganyaan parachute system development has been a joint effort by VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram, and Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra.
12. Indian School of Business (ISB) is collaborating with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), as a knowledge partner for the G-20 Education Working Group (EWG).
13. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published ‘IS 18149:2023 – Transportation of Dangerous Goods — Guidelines’ for enhancing safety in the transportation of dangerous goods.
14. Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman visited Gurudongmar lake at the Mangan district of Sikkim.
15. Food and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that all the states should implement the SMART-PDS, which is a technological driven initiative.
    • SMART-PDS is a system where smart ration cards are issued to beneficiaries of public distribution system, and ration is given through fair price shops on production of the smart ration card by any member of the beneficiary family.
    • The Scheme for Modernization and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System (SMART-PDS) was proposed by the Department of Food and Public Distribution.

16. Competition Commission of India (CCI) is holding its 8th annual National Conference on Economics of Competition Law in New Delhi.
17. India and Australia have launched the Australia India Research Students Fellowship (AIRS Fellowship) program to support emerging researchers from India and Australia to undertake short-term research exchanges
    • Fellowships of up to AUD $10,000 have been awarded to 63 research students and post-doctoral scholars (early-career researchers): 35 Indians and 28 Australians.
    • The 2023 Fellows will undertake a research project during an exchange of 4 to 8 weeks, to be completed by mid-October 2023.

State News

1. Assam’s pyramid-like structures known as moidams or maidams have met all the technical requirements of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.
   • Charaideo in eastern Assam has more than 90 moidams, the mound-burial system of the Ahoms who ruled large swathes of the present-day State and beyond for some 600 years until the advent of the British in the 1820s.
2. Hyderabad is hosting ‘India & The Global South: A Vision for a Shared Future’ meeting on the theme of Knowledge and experience exchange Programme for the emerging economies of the global south during 4th-6th March.
   • It will provide a platform to discuss ways to accelerate development in the Global South.
   • The event was addressed by G20 India Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla in Hyderabad.
3. Odisha government approved 25 industrial projects worth Rs 5,827.27 crore, which will create employment for 25,000 people.
4. Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin inaugurated the Keeladi museum, a testimony to the regal life lived by ancient Tamils during the Sangam Age, in Sivaganga district.
5. The Economic Survey of Maharashtra for the year 2022-23 projected that the state economy is expected to grow by 8%.
   • The highest growth of 2% was projected in agricultural and allied sector.
6. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik unveiled the Dakota DC-3 aircraft for public viewing at the Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar to mark the 107th birth anniversary of the former chief minister.

Agriculture And Rural Development

1. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and National Consumers Cooperative Federation of India Limited (NCCF) have been directed to intervene in the market and immediately start procurement of red onion directly from farmers.
   • Reason – fall in onion prices
2. Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Pashupati Kumar Paras inaugurated Bhojpur’s Millet Festival in Bihar.
   • It is part of the many Millet-related events conducted in 2023 as part of International Year of Millets.
3. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, inaugurated the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela, organized by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Pusa, New Delhi.
   • Theme – “Nutrition, Food and Environmental Protection with Shree Anna (millets)”

Defence News

1. The first edition of the Naval Commanders’ Conference of 2023 will commence. India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant was onboarded on this conference.
2. Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise TROPEX for the year 2023, has concluded this week in the Arabian Sea.
   • The exercise was conducted across the expanse of Indian Ocean Region over a duration of four months from Nov 22 – Mar 23.
   • The overall exercise construct included Coastal Defence exercise Sea Vigil and the Amphibious Exercise AMPHEX.
3. Indian Air Force (IAF) will receive three S-400 Triumf ‘SA-21Growler’ long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems from Russia by 2023.
   • It is the 3rd squadron of the S-400.
4. Indian warship INS Trikand has arrived at Mina Salman seaport in Bahrain to participate in the International Maritime Exercise/Cutlass Express 2023 (IMX/CE-23), organized by the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (a 34-nation naval group), for the first time.
   • IMX/CE-23 is one of the world’s largest multinational maritime exercises.
5. India has ordered two ACH160 helicopters from Airbus, first sale of any helicopter in the H160 range in the region.
6. Indian Army and French Army will conduct its first Joint Military Exercise named FRINJEX-23 at Pangode Military Station in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.
7. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for a new variant of the Hindustan 228-201 LW aircraft.
   • It is a modified form of Dornier-228 which the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard use for short-range maritime patrolling and surveillance.

Memorandum of Understand

1. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Brahma Kumaris, Mount Abu have signed an MOU at Dr. B.R Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi to promote Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
   • The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) has been implementing National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR).
   • This is an umbrella scheme under which financial assistance is provided to State Governments/Union Territory (UT) Administrations for Preventive Education and Awareness Generation, Capacity Building, Skill development, vocational training and livelihood support of ex-drug addicts, Programme for Drug Demand Reduction.
   • The Ministry has initiated ambitious Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) currently operational in 372 districts of the country.
2. India and Mexico have signed an MOU to promote research, technology and innovation collaborations.
3. AIIMS-Delhi signed an MOU with the PSC Mauritius to conduct examinations for Medical and Health Officers, Senior Medical Officers, Dental Surgeons and Senior Dental Surgeons to join the Public Service in the Republic of Mauritius.
4. India’s top explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp has signed an MOU with French major TotalEnergies for exploration of deep-water blocks.
5. Union Home Ministry has approved the signing of an MOU between India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.

International News

1. European Union has set up a humanitarian air bridge to deliver aid to Goma in the conflict-hit eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
   • Goma is the capital of North Kivu province, where fighting with the rebel group M23 has displaced more than six lakh people.
2. 48th edition of the Middle East Energy 2023 was organized at Dubai World Trade Centre to showcase over 800 exhibitors from 170 countries as well as 20,000 energy professionals and utilities decision-makers.
   • India’s pavilion was organized by the Engineering Export Promotion Council of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry on to reduce carbon footprint and enhance the power utilization efficiency of renewables.
   • India pavilion was inaugurated by Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India at Dubai.

3. Colombia has opened military service to women for the first time in 25 years. A cohort of 1,296 women have been enlisted in Colombia’s Army last month, February.
4. UN member countries have adopted the ‘High Seas Treaty’ to preserve the marine biodiversity in international waters.
   • The treaty would provide the legal framework for would placing 30% of the world’s oceans into protected areas.
   • The treaty is vital for achieving ocean-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
   • The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework refers to the so-called ‘30×30’ pledge to protect a third of the world’s biodiversity – on land and sea – by The Framework was adopted at the UN conference in Montreal in December 2022.

Reports and Indices

1. UNICEF has released the “Undernourished and Overlooked: A Global Nutrition Crisis in Adolescent Girls and Women” report.
   • Highlights of the report –
     • The gender gap in food insecurity has more than doubled between 2019 (49 million) and 2021 (126 million).
     • Girls and women across the world found themselves disproportionately hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on livelihoods, income and access to nutritious food.
     • In the 12 hardest-hit countries, the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women and adolescent girls suffering from acute malnutrition has increased from 5.5 million to 6.9 million – or 25% – since 2020.
2. International Energy Agency (HQ – Paris) has released the “Methane Global Tracker” report.
   • 120 million metric tonnes of methane were released into the atmosphere in 2022.
   • 40% of the methane emissions are from the energy sector.
3. Global Public Policy Institute has released the “Academic Freedom Index 2023” report.
   • Total – 179 countries
   • Top – Czech Republic, followed by Estonia and Belgium

• India’s rank – score: 0.38

• Parameters –
  • Freedom to research and teach
  • Freedom of academic exchange and dissemination,
  • Institutional autonomy of universities
  • Campus integrity
  • The freedom of academic and cultural expression.
• Score Scale – 0 (low) to 1 (high)

Banking and Economy

1. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and UN Women India launched ‘FinEMPOWER’ programme at the BSE.
   • It is a year-long joint capacity-building programme between BSE and UN Women to empower women towards financial security.
   • The initiative aims to increase investment in women-led enterprises.
   • To increase investment in female leaders and entrepreneurs at BSE, BSE and UN Women India together organized the “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality ceremony” on the International Women’s Day.
2. Adani Power has amalgamated its six subsidiaries, including Adani Power (Mundra), with itself.
   • Subsidiaries are Adani Power Maharashtra Ltd (APML); Adani Power Rajasthan Ltd (APRL); Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL); Raipur Energen Ltd (REL); Raigarh Energy Generation Ltd (REGL) and Adani Power (Mundra) Ltd (APMuL).
3. RBI setup a “3-day Trade Fair” for the benefit of small entrepreneurs at Shilparamam, Madhapur, Hyderabad under the G20 Presidency of India.
   • The fair will help in nourishing the entrepreneurship by encouraging small entrepreneurs.
   • In addition to this, RBI organised a “Workshop on Consumer Protection” under the leadership of Shri. Chinmoy Kumar, Ombudsman of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Chief General Manager, Reserve Bank of India.
4. The Central Government has clarified that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 will apply to trade in cryptocurrencies and/or virtual assets.
5. SEBI has asked investors to link PAN card to Aadhar.
   • The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued a circular in March 2022, whereby the PAN allotted to a person would become inoperative if it is not linked with Aadhaar by March 31, 2023.
6. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has tied up with Max Life Insurance Company to offer life insurance products to its customers.
7. Paytm has signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to drive initiatives in financial inclusion, public health, cyber security.
   • The agreement was signed during the Andhra Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023.
   • Under the pact, Paytm plans to empower merchants, street vendors and street hawkers in Andhra Pradesh to accept digital payments and provide them access to loans through its lending partners.
8. City Union Bank (CUB) announced rolling out of its first-ever credit card, the Dhi CUB Visa Signature Credit Card.
   • It is launched in partnership with credit cards-as-a-service provider 42 Card Solutions Pvt Ltd (42 CS), as part of its portfolio offerings for its customers.
   • 42 CS would manage the end-to-end credit card processing services for CUB by leveraging an all-in-one cloud-native card management system from Brazilian technology company, Pismo.
   • MD and CEO of CUB – N Kamakodi
9. RBI launched the Mission ‘Har Payment Digital’ during the Digital Payments Awareness Week (DPAW) 2023, which is observed from March 6 to 12.
   • This is part of RBI’s endeavour to make every person in India a user of digital payments.
   • The campaign’s theme is “Digital Payment Apnao, Auron ko bhi Sikhao” (Adopt digital payments and, also teach others).
   • RBI will initiate a ‘75 Digital Villages’ programme in observance of 75 years of Independence. Under this programme, Payment System Operators (PSOs) will adopt 75 villages across the country and convert them into digital payment enabled villages.
10. GST Council has launched e-invoice registration through various private Invoice Registration Portals.
11. Google announced the completion of the first cohort of its startup’s accelerator programme for female founders in India.
    • The three-month programme included curriculum and engagement opportunities addressing areas like access to networks, capital, hiring challenges and mentorship.
12. Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company has launched a digital campaign called ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’ to promote digital literacy among the women.
    • The digital campaign showcases Kotak group’s women employees sharing their stories about supporting and empowering other women in their lives by imparting them the knowledge of digital literacy.

Appointment

1. Dr Manik Saha has been sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Tripura.
2. Salhoutuonuo Kruse has become Nagaland’s first woman minister to be elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
3. Indian-American Arun Subramaniam has been confirmed as first South Asian District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
4. SS Dubey took charge as the 28th Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance.

5. Group Captain Shaliza Dhami has become the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force to command a front-line combat unit.
6. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has been appointed as the Prime Minister of Qatar.

Important Days

1. March 8 – International Women’s Day; Theme – DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality
   • Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri launched Swachhotsav, 3-week women-led swachhata campaign, under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.
   • The campaign aims to recognize and celebrate the transition from women in sanitation to women-led sanitation.
   • The first edition of Women Icons leading Sanitation & Waste Management (WINS) Challenge-2023 was launched to recognize high-impact women entrepreneurs working to achieve urban swachhata.
   • The nominations for the WINS Awards-2023 will begin 8th March onwards.
   • Swachhata Yatra will kick-off on 10th March and will conclude on 30th March, which has been declared as International Day of Zero Waste by the United Nations General Assembly.

Awards

1. ACI World’s annual ASQ Awards have been announced for the year 2022.
   • Cleanest Airports (Asia-Pacific) –
     • Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
     • Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia
     • Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China
   • Best Airports by Size and Region from India –

2. Sir David Alan Chipperfield CH (from England) has won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2023.

3. Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan presented the 8th National Photography Awards in New Delhi.
   • A total of 13 awards were presented.

4. India Philanthropy Report 2023 was released by non-profit Dasra and consulting firm Bain & Company.
   • India’s social sector spending as a percentage of GDP grew from 8.6% in FY 2021 to 6% in FY 2022 due to 35% growth in public spending.

Sports

1. Karnataka has defeated Meghalaya to win the Santosh Trophy National Football Championship.
2. Daniil Medvedev (Russia) defeated his Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev to win the Dubai Tennis Championships (ATP Tennis Tournament).
3. Hockey India launched a new and ambitious grassroots development programme to tap the talent and improve the strength of the national senior and junior teams for men and women.
   • Under the initiative, HI will hold zonal championships at the sub-junior (U-16) and junior (U-19) levels to unearth talent from the four zones – north, south, east and west.
4. Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 has been won by Max Verstappen (Dutch motorsports racing driver).
5. Ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has won BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year (ISWOTY) award 2022 for the second consecutive year.

Miscellaneous

1. Prof B Dharmalingam has authored “Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya: Dispersions of Thoughts” and “Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya: Integral Humanism”
   • The books have been launched by Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi.
2. Dr Kanak Rele, a world-renowned dancer and Mohiniyattam exponent, has passed away.
   • Dr Rele established the Nalanda Dance Research Centre and the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, which pioneered dance research.

3. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya released the ‘India’s Vaccine Growth Story – From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri’ book authored by Shri Sajjan Singh Yadav, Additional Secretary, at the World Book fair 2023, at Pragati Maidan.
4. “As Good as My Word A Memoir” book has been written by Indian bureaucrat M. Chandrasekhar.
5. Bakhmut is a city in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. It is located on the Bakhmutka River.
6. Olive Ridley turtles are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to the increasing threat to their habitats.
   • Its synchronized nesting behaviour is known as Arribadas.
   • This endangered species is primarily found in the warm and tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

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