20th March, 2023

1. The First Senior Officials Meeting of the SAI20 Engagement Group under India’s G20 Presidency was organized in Guwahati.
2. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal with Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell organized India-Australia 18th Joint Ministerial Commission in New Delhi.
3. A high-level delegation from the Saudi Space Commission, led by CEO Dr Mohammed Saud Al-Tamimi, visited India to hold discussions on space cooperation.
4. The Central Govt has approved the additional central assistance of over Rs 1,816 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to five states which were affected by the floods, landslides, and cloud bursts in 2022.
5. The two-day international conference of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on “Shared Buddhist Heritage” was inaugurated at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, with focus on India’s civilizational connect with the SCO nations.
6. A three-day event named ‘Yoga Mahotsav 2023’ has been inaugurated by Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal in Delhi to commemorate 100 days countdown to International Day of Yoga (June 21).
7. Rs 3.61 lakh loan has been given to MSME under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme.
8. The Central Government has decided to set up a Committee of Secretaries to meet at frequent intervals to fast-track the pending projects.
9. The Central Government has introduced the Inter-Services Organizations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha to strengthen tri-services commanders’ power.
10. The meeting of the Business 20 Summit will be organized in Gangtok, Sikkim under India’s G20 presidency.
11. Wildlife Institute of India has released the “Lion@2047: A Vision for Amrut Kaal” report.
12. The 3rd Divya Kala Mela was organized at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
13. Uttarakhand has given approval to the 10% horizontal reservation to the statehood activists in the state government job.
14. Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation has said that India will be contributing 33% of the world’s total milk production by 2033-34. India’s milk production will reach 330 million metric tonnes per annum.
15. INS Sahyadri (Indian Navy’s indigenously built guided missile frigate) participated in the Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French Navy in the Arabian Sea.
16. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
17. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, has accorded Acceptance of Necessity for capital acquisition amounting to over Rs 70,500 crore under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)}.
18. Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Rural Development signed an MoU to collaborate in developing skilled personnel by imparting training for the Ayush healthcare system.
19. Iran has reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia.
20. UK, USA, and Australia have met at San Diego, California to finalise the AUKUS deal.
21. Signature Bank was closed by New York state financial regulators as the fallout from last week’s closure of SVB Financial Group’s Silicon Valley Bank spreads to other lenders.
22. United States recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary between China and Arunachal Pradesh.
23. Taiwan unveiled its first portable attack drone, an unmanned aerial vehicle like a U.S. model used in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, as China steps up military pressure on the island.
24. ‘Exercise Sea Dragon 23’, a coordinated multi-lateral Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise for Long Range MR ASW aircraft, was organized at Guam, USA.
25. According to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), retail inflation in India was 6.44% over the RBI’s 6% upper tolerance band for the second straight month in February 2023.
26. The finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the digital or e-rupee worth over Rs 130 crore is in circulation on a pilot basis as of February 28.
27. RBI has permitted banks from 18 countries to open Special Vostro Rupee Accounts (SVRAs) to settle payments in rupees.
28. OmniCard has launched UPI services without the need to link a Bank Account for its users, in collaboration with NPCI.
29. Bank of Baroda has partnered with the Tamil Nadu government to offer co-branded RuPay Platinum Debit Card for the beneficiaries of the state government’s ‘Pudhumai Penn’ scheme.
30. Crisil Ratings forecasted a 6% growth rate for India for 2024.
31. K Krithivasan has been appointed as the new CEO of Tata Consultancy Group.
32. Gianni Infantino (from Switzerland) has been appointed as the President of FIFA (HQ – Zürich, Switzerland) for a third time.
33. March 6 – National Pharmacy Education Day (birth anniversary of Professor Mahadeva Lal Schroff, who established pharmacy education in India)
34. March 15 – International Day to Combat Islamophobia (1st edition)
35. March 17 – World Sleep Day (16th edition); Theme – Sleep is Essential for Health
36. Tamil writer Perumal Murugan’s novel ‘Pookkuzhi’, translated as ‘Pyre’ in English by Anirudh Vasudevan, has become the first Tamil novel to be nominated for the International Booker Prize 2023.
37. 13th edition of Aegis Graham Bell Awards has been announced.
38. FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League 2022-23 has been won by India by defeating Germany.
39. RoundGlass Punjab FC has won the first edition of the Hero I-League.
40. 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship for Men and Women is being held in Baksa district of Assam. The event will conclude on the 23rd of March.
41. Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2023 – Men’s singles: Li Shifeng (China); Women’s Singles: An Se-young (South Korea)
42. Bangladesh defeated England by 16 runs in the third T20 international cricket match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium at Mirpur, Dhaka.
43. Team ‘Rest of India’ has defeated Madhya Pradesh to win the Irani Cup 2022/23.
44. “Bipin: The Man behind the Uniform” book has been authored by Rachna Bisht Rawat (a journalist and writer).
45. American high jumper Richard Douglas Fosbury (aka Dick Fosbury) has passed away. He was an Olympic gold medalist.
46. Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi.

National News

1. The First Senior Officials Meeting of the SAI20 Engagement Group under India’s G20 Presidency was organized in Guwahati.
   • The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Shri Girish Chandra Murmu, has been appointed as the Chair of the Supreme Audit Institutions-20 (SAI20) Engagement Group.
   • The priority areas of SAI20 are “Blue Economy” and “Responsible Artificial Intelligence”.
   • SAI India’s International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (ICED), located in Jaipur, has been established as a Centre of Excellence for the Blue Economy and the first national training programme will be rolled out at the end of April.
2. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal with Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell organized India-Australia 18th Joint Ministerial Commission in New Delhi.
   • They discussed negotiations for a full-scale free trade pact and steps to spur investment flows into both countries.
3. A high-level delegation from the Saudi Space Commission, led by CEO Dr Mohammed Saud Al-Tamimi, visited India to hold discussions on space cooperation.
   • The delegation also visited the Indian Institute of Space Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, and a technical team separately visited the National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad.
   • Saudi Arabia will host the Space Economy Forum at the end of this year.
4. The Central Govt has approved the additional central assistance of over Rs 1,816 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to five states which were affected by the floods, landslides, and cloud bursts in 2022.
   • These States are Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
   • The assistance was approved by a High-Level Committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
5. The two-day international conference of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on “Shared Buddhist Heritage” was inaugurated at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, with focus on India’s civilizational connect with the SCO nations.
   • The two-day programme is being organized by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of External Affairs and the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC-as a grantee body of the Ministry of Culture).
6. A three-day event named ‘Yoga Mahotsav 2023’ has been inaugurated by Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal in Delhi to commemorate 100 days countdown to International Day of Yoga (June 21).
   • 100 Cities and 100 Organizations will participate in the 100 days countdown to promote Yoga.
7. Rs 3.61 lakh loan has been given to MSME under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme.
   • The scheme was launched in 2020 as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to support eligible MSMEs and business enterprises to restart their businesses in the context of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
8. The Central Government has decided to set up a Committee of Secretaries to meet at frequent intervals to fast-track the pending projects.
9. The Central Government has introduced the Inter-Services Organizations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha to strengthen tri-services commanders’ power.
   • The Bill seeks to empower the Commander-in-Chief or the Officer-in Command of Inter-Services Organisations in respect of service personnel for the maintenance of discipline and proper discharge of their duties.
   • These commanders are covered under the Air Force Act, 1950, the Army Act, 1950 and the Navy Act, 1957.
10. The meeting of the Business 20 Summit will be organized in Gangtok, Sikkim under India’s G20 presidency.
    • The Summit will be held in Delhi under the theme of A.I.S.E. (Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable and Equitable Businesses).
11. Wildlife Institute of India has released the “Lion@2047: A Vision for Amrut Kaal” report.
    • As per the report, Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat has been identified as a suitable location for re-locating 40 adults and sub-adult Asiatic lions from the Gir National Park.

State News

1. The 3rd Divya Kala Mela was organized at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
   • Madhya Pradesh Governor – Mangubhai Patel
   • Madhya Pradesh CM – Shivraj Singh Chouhan
2. Uttarakhand has given approval to the 10% horizontal reservation to the statehood activists in the state government job.
   • The Cabinet also given approval to new solar policy and to the proposal of increasing MLA Local Area Development Fund from Rs 3.75 crore to Rs 5 crore per year.

Agriculture And Rural Development

1. Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation has said that India will be contributing 33% of the world’s total milk production by 2033-34. India’s milk production will reach 330 million metric tonnes per annum.
   • At present, India’s milk processing capacity is about 126 million litres per day, which is the highest in the world.
   • Shah was speaking at the final day of the 49th Dairy Industry Conference organized by the Indian Dairy Association (IDA) on the theme of ‘India dairy to the world: Opportunities & Challenges’.
   • India’s dairy sector has grown by 6.6% annually in the past decade.
   • The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), along with the Animal Husbandry Department, will jointly work to set up gramin dairies in the 2 lakh panchayats of the country to increase the growth rate of dairy sector from 6.6% to 13.80%.

Defence News

1. INS Sahyadri (Indian Navy’s indigenously built guided missile frigate) participated in the Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French Navy in the Arabian Sea.
2. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
3. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, has accorded Acceptance of Necessity for capital acquisition amounting to over Rs 70,500 crore under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)}.
   • Out of the total proposals, Indian Navy proposals constitute more than Rs 56,000 crore, which largely includes indigenous BrahMos missiles, Shakti Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, Utility Helicopters-Maritime etc.

Memorandum of Understand

1. Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Rural Development signed an MoU to collaborate in developing skilled personnel by imparting training for the Ayush healthcare system.
   • The course will also include training of rural youth as panchakarma technicians, which will be started on a pilot basis.
   • The proposed training will be imparted under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), which is the Ministry of Rural Development’s flagship program.
   • 22,000 rural poor youth will be trained in National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)-compliant courses such as Panchakarma Technician, Panchkarma Assistant, Ayurvedic Masseur, Kshara Karma Technician, Cupping Therapy Assistant, etc.

International News

1. Iran has reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia.
2. UK, USA, and Australia have met at San Diego, California to finalise the AUKUS deal.
   • Under the AUKUS pact, Australia is to get its first nuclear-powered submarines – at least three – from the US.
3. Signature Bank was closed by New York state financial regulators as the fallout from last week’s closure of SVB Financial Group’s Silicon Valley Bank spreads to other lenders.
4. United States recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary between China and Arunachal Pradesh.
5. Taiwan unveiled its first portable attack drone, an unmanned aerial vehicle like a U.S. model used in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, as China steps up military pressure on the island.
6. ‘Exercise Sea Dragon 23’, a coordinated multi-lateral Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise for Long Range MR ASW aircraft, was organized at Guam, USA.
   • India’s P8I aircraft participated in this exercise.
   • Other Participating Nations – USA, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Canada
   • Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean.

Banking and Economy

1. According to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), retail inflation in India was 44% over the RBI’s 6% upper tolerance band for the second straight month in February 2023.
   • Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) moderated to a two-year low of 85% in February from 4.73% in January.
2. The finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the digital or e-rupee worth over Rs 130 crore is in circulation on a pilot basis as of February 28.
   • The RBI had launched pilots in digital rupee in the wholesale segment on November 1, 2022, and in the retail segment on December 1, 2022.
   • Nine banks -State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, IDFC First Bank and HSBC -have been participating in the digital rupee wholesale pilot.
3. RBI has permitted banks from 18 countries to open Special Vostro Rupee Accounts (SVRAs) to settle payments in
   • These 18 nations include Botswana, Fiji, Germany, Guyana, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda and the United Kingdom.
   • A vostro account is an account that domestic banks hold for foreign banks in the former’s domestic currency, in this case, the rupee.
4. OmniCard has launched UPI services without the need to link a Bank Account for its users, in collaboration with NPCI.
   • OmniCard ensures highest safety features for its users by offering a bank-independent UPI facility with its own UPI handle @OMNI.
   • Users can now pay to any UPI QR code or any UPI ID using their OmniCard wallet balance without exposing their bank accounts.
   • OmniCard is an RBI-licensed PPI offering India’s 1st Omnichannel spending platform with UPI services for individuals as well as businesses.
5. Bank of Baroda has partnered with the Tamil Nadu government to offer co-branded RuPay Platinum Debit Card for the beneficiaries of the state government’s ‘Pudhumai Penn’ scheme.
   • The card offers personal accident insurance coverage up to Rs 2 lakh per annum and the joining and annual fees for the first year has been waived.
   • The ‘Pudhumai Penn’ scheme of the government aims to enhance the enrolment ratio of girls from government schools to higher educational institutions.
   • The scheme provides the financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month to ever girl till the completion of their degree course.

GDP Forecasts

1. Crisil Ratings forecasted a 6% growth rate for India for 2024.
   • This growth rate is lower than the Reserve Bank of India’s forecast of 6.4% growth and the Economic Survey’s projection of 6.5%.
   • Over the next five fiscal years the economy is expected to grow at 6.8% annually, driven by capital and productivity increases.
   • Infrastructure spending will drive 12-16% growth in overall capex next fiscal.

Appointment

1. K Krithivasan has been appointed as the new CEO of Tata Consultancy Group.
2. Gianni Infantino (from Switzerland) has been appointed as the President of FIFA (HQ – Zürich, Switzerland) for a third time.

Important Days

1. March 6 – National Pharmacy Education Day (birth anniversary of Professor Mahadeva Lal Schroff, who established pharmacy education in India)

2. March 15 – International Day to Combat Islamophobia (1st edition)
3. March 17 – World Sleep Day (16th edition); Theme – Sleep is Essential for Health
   • Slogan – Heard around the World

Awards

1. Tamil writer Perumal Murugan’s novel ‘Pookkuzhi’, translated as ‘Pyre’ in English by Anirudh Vasudevan, has become the first Tamil novel to be nominated for the International Booker Prize 2023.
2. 13th edition of Aegis Graham Bell Awards has been announced.
   • These awards are an initiative of Aegis School of Data Science, supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; NITI Aayog and Skill India to develop a culture of innovations in the country.
   • The event was tech powered by leading ed-tech firm mUni Campus, Swissnex as the country partner and various other incubation centers from IIT Madras to Villgro and investor ecosystem partners like Indian Angel Network to IVCA and others.

Note: Only the important ones are mentioned here, as per my opinion. You can read the entire list of awardees here – https://bellaward.com/13th-winners-and-finalists/

Sports

1. FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League 2022-23 has been won by India by defeating Germany.
2. RoundGlass Punjab FC has won the first edition of the Hero I-League.
   • Sreenidi Deccan finished second and Gokulam Kerala finished third.
3. 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship for Men and Women is being held in Baksa district of Assam. The event will conclude on the 23rd of March.
4. Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2023 – Men’s singles: Li Shifeng (China); Women’s Singles: An Se-young (South Korea)
5. Bangladesh defeated England by 16 runs in the third T20 international cricket match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium at Mirpur, Dhaka.
6. Team ‘Rest of India’ has defeated Madhya Pradesh to win the Irani Cup 2022/23.
   • The Irani Cup, named after the late R. Irani, is being played since 1959-60 by the Ranji Trophy winners and a Rest of India team. It is a traditional five-day domestic cricket tournament.

Miscellaneous

1. “Bipin: The Man behind the Uniform” book has been authored by Rachna Bisht Rawat (a journalist and writer).
   • The book presents an account of the former CDS’s personal life.
2. American high jumper Richard Douglas Fosbury (aka Dick Fosbury) has passed away. He was an Olympic gold medalist.
3. Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi.

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