23rd March, 2023

1. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) in a virtual mode.
2. The ‘City Finance Rankings 2022’ portal (www.cityfinance.in/rankings) has been launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
3. IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company (IndiaFirst) has received final approval from SEBI to launch its initial public offering (IPO).
4. NTPC REL has signed an MoU with Indian Army for setting up Green Hydrogen Projects in its establishments on Build, Own, and Operate (BOO) model.
5. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has launched the first series of Lesson Plans under Learning Science via Standards.
6. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Vedic Heritage portal for helping researchers in deeper understanding of the Vedic knowledge tradition and help the common people to have a general understanding of the ancient scriptures.
7. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is likely to launch its Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, by the middle of 2023.
8. The two-day G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Conference will begin in Dibrugarh, Assam.
9. Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) has been inaugurated at the Devasthal Observatory of ARIES in Devasthal, Uttarakhand.
10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘Call Before u Dig’ (CBuD) app, an initiative of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications.
11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision Document and launched the 6G research and development test bed.
12. Tamil Nadu has presented the state budget for 2023-24.
13. Umagine Chennai 2023, Asia’s largest summit on technology and innovation, will happen in Chennai from March 23 to 25.
14. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Vriksh Sampada Yojana’, a mega scheme aimed at encouraging commercial plantation.
15. Murugappa Group-owned Carborundum Universal Limited (CUMI) has signed a licensing agreement for transfer of technology (LAToT) with DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) laboratory to manufacture ‘Ceramic Radomes (GELCAST Process) Technology’ used in missile systems.
16. ‘INS Androth’, the second of 08 x ASW Shallow Watercraft (SWC) Project, being built by M/s GRSE for Indian Navy was launched.
17. The second edition of the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX- 2023) between India and 23 nations of the African continent commenced at Foreign Training Node, Aundh, Pune.
18. INS Sujata, a ship based at Southern Naval Command, Kochi, visited Port Maputo, Mozambique as a part of Overseas Deployment from March 19-21.
19. Indian Navy, in association with the Navy Welfare and Wellness Association (NWWA), is organizing the “SAM NO VARUNAH,” a maritime awareness coastal motor car expedition that will cover the entire Indian coastline in March 2023.
20. The Africa India Economic Foundation (AIEF) and African Union (AU) have signed an MOU to collaborate on promoting business and trade relations between the MSMEs, private and public sectors of African countries and India.
21. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to extend its support to Millets’ initiatives.
22. Samunnati has signed an MOU with the Madhya Pradesh government, facilitated by Heartfulness Institute, Hyderabad.
23. Himachal Pradesh has signed an MOU with French Development Agency AFD to improve drinking water and sanitation services in five towns of the state.
24. Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022 has been released.
25. NTPC Green Energy (NGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, signed a Joint Venture Agreement with Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) for setting up of renewable energy projects to meet Round the Clock power requirement of IOCL Refineries.
26. Ministry of Finance has released the “Monthly Economic Review- February 2023”.
27. Axis Bank has signed a co-lending agreement with Autotrac Finance through YubiCo.Lend platform to offer new tractor loans for agricultural and allied activities in rural segments of the country.
28. March 20 – UN French Language Day
29. March 20 – Pakhala Dibasa (Odisha)
30. World Down Syndrome Day
31. World Poetry Day; Theme – Always a Poet, Even in Prose
32. World Puppetry Day; Theme – The Call of the Forest
33. International Nowruz Day (Parsi’s New Year)
34. March 22 – World Water Day; Theme – Accelerating Change
35. March 23 – World Meteorological Day; Theme – The Future of Weather, Climate and Water across Generations
36. Music Academy Awards 2023 –
37. Argentinian American Luis Caffarelli (professor at the University of Texas) has won the Abel Prize for Mathematics for his “seminal contributions to regularity theory for nonlinear partial differential equations”.
38. Asia Cup Archery 2023 was held in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
39. ATK Mohun Bagan has won the Hero Indian Super League 2022-23 by defeating Bengaluru FC.
40. ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup 2023 was held in Bhopal.
41. IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship 2023 is being held at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in Delhi.
42. Shrimant Kokate (Marathi author and historian) has launched his 1st book in English titled “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj” (illustrated).
43. “A Matter of the Heart: Education in India” book has been authored by Anurag Behar (CEO of Azim Premji Foundation and founding Vice-Chancellor of Azim Premji University).
44. Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath MVC was an Indian Air Force officer. He was the first of the six officers to have been decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra, India’s second highest war time military decoration, twice.

National News

1. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) in a virtual mode.
   • The foundation stone for the construction of this pipeline was laid by both Prime Ministers in September 2018.
   • Numaligarh Refinery Limited has been supplying petroleum products to Bangladesh since 2015. This is the second cross-border energy pipeline between India and its neighbours.
   • IBFP is the first cross border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh with a capacity to transport 1 million Metric Ton Per Annum (MMTPA) of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) to Bangladesh.
2. The ‘City Finance Rankings 2022’ portal (www.cityfinance.in/rankings) has been launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
   • The Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country can now participate in the Rankings through an entirely digital, 100% paperless, process.
   • The ‘City Finance Rankings 2022’ have been launched with the objective of evaluating, recognizing and rewarding municipal bodies across the country based on the quality of their current financial health and improvement over time in financial performance.

3. IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company (IndiaFirst) has received final approval from SEBI to launch its initial public offering (IPO).
   • Bank of Baroda promoted and Mumbai-based IndiaFirst is life insurance company is a private life insurer, which had filed its draft papers in October 2021.
4. NTPC REL has signed an MoU with Indian Army for setting up Green Hydrogen Projects in its establishments on Build, Own, and Operate (BOO) model.
   • NTPC REL will also design, develop, and install renewable energy projects (solar, wind, etc.) for the Indian Army.
5. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has launched the first series of Lesson Plans under Learning Science via Standards.
   • This initiative aims to show the use of scientific concepts, principles and laws to help students understand their practical applications in manufacturing, functioning and testing of quality characteristics of different products.
6. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Vedic Heritage portal for helping researchers in deeper understanding of the Vedic knowledge tradition and help the common people to have a general understanding of the ancient scriptures.
   • The portal hosted by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts will be launched during the week-long IGNCA Foundation Day celebrations.
   • The IGNCA was launched on 19th November 1985 by the late Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi.
   • IGNCA is also working on a project “Vrihattar Bharat” wherein the cultural linkages of India with 40 other countries are being compiled.
7. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is likely to launch its Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, by the middle of 2023.
8. The two-day G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Conference will begin in Dibrugarh, Assam.
9. Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) has been inaugurated at the Devasthal Observatory of ARIES in Devasthal, Uttarakhand.
   • Uttarakhand governor Lt. Gen Gurmeet Singh (Retd) and Union science & technology and space minister Jitendra Singh were present during the inauguration.
   • ILMT is the first liquid mirror telescope designed exclusively for astronomical observations and this is the largest aperture telescope available in the country at present and is also the first optical survey telescope in India.
   • India collaborated with institutes from Belgium, Poland, Uzbekistan, and various universities from Canada for the ILMT.
10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘Call Before u Dig’ (CBuD) app, an initiative of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications.
    • Purpose – to prevent losses of about Rs 3,000 crore ($400 million) every year due to damage to underlying assets like optical fibre cables
11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision Document and launched the 6G research and development test bed.
    • 6G test bed would create an enabling environment for innovation, capacity building, and faster technology adoption in the country.

State News

1. Tamil Nadu has presented the state budget for 2023-24.
   • The schemes highlighted in the budget are –
   • Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Schemes – to procure machineries for SC/ST entrepreneurs
   • Iyothee Thass Pandithar Habitation Development scheme – to ensure basic amenities in Adi Dravidar habitations in both urban and rural areas
   • Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme – launched in 2022
   • Umagine Chennai 2023, Asia’s largest summit on technology and innovation, will happen in Chennai from March 23 to 25.
   • Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Vriksh Sampada Yojana’, a mega scheme aimed at encouraging commercial plantation.
     • Objective – to increase farmer’s income and to promote commercial plantation on their lands with their consent
     • Chhattisgarh government will provide full subsidy for tree plantation on up to 5 acres of land.
     • For those who wish to plant trees on more than 5 acres of land, the government will provide a 50% financial subsidy.

Defence News

1. Murugappa Group-owned Carborundum Universal Limited (CUMI) has signed a licensing agreement for transfer of technology (LAToT) with DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) laboratory to manufacture ‘Ceramic Radomes (GELCAST Process) Technology’ used in missile systems.
   • The ceramic radome technology is considered state-of-the-art missile technology around the world.
2. ‘INS Androth’, the second of 08 x ASW Shallow Watercraft (SWC) Project, being built by M/s GRSE for Indian Navy was launched.
3. The second edition of the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX- 2023) between India and 23 nations of the African continent commenced at Foreign Training Node, Aundh, Pune.
   • The participants were addressed by Lt Gen Rakesh Kapoor, Corps Commander, Desert Corps.
   • The joint exercise commenced in 2008 through the India-Africa Summit and has been thereafter held in 2015 and 2019.
   • The theme of the exercise is focused on Humanitarian Mine Action and Peace Keeping Operations.
4. INS Sujata, a ship based at Southern Naval Command, Kochi, visited Port Maputo, Mozambique as a part of Overseas Deployment from March 19-21.
   • INS Sujata, along with Mozambique Navy undertook maiden joint Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance off the Mozambique coast from March 21 to 23.
5. Indian Navy, in association with the Navy Welfare and Wellness Association (NWWA), is organizing the “SAM NO VARUNAH,” a maritime awareness coastal motor car expedition that will cover the entire Indian coastline in March 2023.
   • Purpose – to create awareness about the role played by Indian Navy

Memorandum of Understand

1. The Africa India Economic Foundation (AIEF) and African Union (AU) have signed an MOU to collaborate on promoting business and trade relations between the MSMEs, private and public sectors of African countries and India.
   • The MOU was signed at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by G Rathinavelu, Chairman & Co-Founder of AIEF, and Ambassador Albert Muchanga, Commissioner, African Union Commission, the Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM) Department.
   • AIEF was also the first private Indian business organisation to be expressly recognised by the African Union in 2020.

2. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to extend its support to Millets’ initiatives.
   • Under the collaboration, NAFED has started extending marketing linkage to Millets-centric Startups, setting up a Millet Corner in NAFED Bazaar Retail Stores, installation of Millet Vending Machines across Delhi-NCR.
   • NAFED is also in the process to establish a Millets Experience Centre at Delhi Haat, INA.
   • India aims to become the “Global Hub for Millets”.

3. Samunnati has signed an MOU with the Madhya Pradesh government, facilitated by Heartfulness Institute, Hyderabad.
   • Purpose – to strengthen the Chief Minister’s Community Leadership Development Programme (CMCLDP) of Madhya Pradesh, by redesigning the course curriculum pertaining to agriculture and rural economic empowerment, enhancing the web portal and learning app to promote sustainable practices
   • Samunnati is India’s largest agri-enterprise that aims to unlock the trillion-dollar-plus potential of Indian agriculture with smallholder farmers at the centre of it.
4. Himachal Pradesh has signed an MOU with French Development Agency AFD to improve drinking water and sanitation services in five towns of the state.

Reports And Indices

1. Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022 has been released.

Banking and Economy

1. NTPC Green Energy (NGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, signed a Joint Venture Agreement with Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) for setting up of renewable energy projects to meet Round the Clock power requirement of IOCL Refineries.
   • NTPC, through its wholly owned subsidiary, NGEL, has set an ambitious target of building a renewable generation portfolio of 60 GW over the next decade.
2. Ministry of Finance has released the “Monthly Economic Review- February 2023”.
   • India’s Real GDP growth in 2022-23 is projected at 7% by NSO, MoSPI in its 2nd Advance Estimates (AE), the same as in the 1st AE.
   • The overall foodgrain production in 2022-23 is estimated to be 2.5% higher.

3. Axis Bank has signed a co-lending agreement with Autotrac Finance through Lend platform to offer new tractor loans for agricultural and allied activities in rural segments of the country.

Important Days

1. March 20 – UN French Language Day
   • There are six official languages of the UN. These are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
   • Important days –
     • Arabic Language Day (18 December)
     • Chinese Language Day (20 April)
     • English Language Day (23 April)
     • French Language Day (20 March)
     • Russian Language Day (6 June)
     • Spanish Language Day (23 April)
2. March 20 – Pakhala Dibasa (Odisha)
3. March 21 –
   • World Down Syndrome Day
   • World Poetry Day; Theme – Always a Poet, Even in Prose
   • World Puppetry Day; Theme – The Call of the Forest
   • International Nowruz Day (Parsi’s New Year)
4. March 22 – World Water Day; Theme – Accelerating Change
   • UN 2023 Water Conference was held in New York, USA from March 22-24.
   • 2018–2028 – International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development
   • United Nations World Water Development Report 2023 has been released.
     • According to the latest figures from 2020, 26% of the world’s population (2 billion people) did not have access to safely managed drinking water services (Target 6.1 of SDG 6), and an estimated 46% (3.6 billion) lacked access to safely managed sanitation (Target 6.2 SDG 6).
     • Approximately 60% of the world’s reported water bodies were categorized as having ‘good’ ambient water quality (Target 6.3). However, the poorest 20 countries are under-represented.
     • Globally, water use efficiency (Target 6.4) rose by 9% from 2015 to 2018 (from 17.3 to 18.9 US$/m³).
     • Official development assistance (ODA) for ‘water’ was estimated at $8.7 billion globally in 2020, up from US$2.7 billion in 2002.
   • SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation
5. March 23 – World Meteorological Day; Theme – The Future of Weather, Climate and Water across Generations

Awards

1. Music Academy Awards 2023 –

2. Argentinian American Luis Caffarelli (professor at the University of Texas) has won the Abel Prize for Mathematics for his “seminal contributions to regularity theory for nonlinear partial differential equations”.
   • Named after the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802-1829), the award offers a prize of 7.5-million-kroner ($710,000) prize.

Sports

1. Asia Cup Archery 2023 was held in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
   • India won a total of 10 awards (five gold medals, four silver and one bronze medal).

2. ATK Mohun Bagan has won the Hero Indian Super League 2022-23 by defeating Bengaluru FC.
3. ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup 2023 was held in Bhopal.

4. IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship 2023 is being held at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in Delhi.

Miscellaneous

1. Shrimant Kokate (Marathi author and historian) has launched his 1st book in English titled “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj” (illustrated).
2. “A Matter of the Heart: Education in India” book has been authored by Anurag Behar (CEO of Azim Premji Foundation and founding Vice-Chancellor of Azim Premji University).
3. Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath MVC was an Indian Air Force officer. He was the first of the six officers to have been decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra, India’s second highest war time military decoration, twice.

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