Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav launched Aravalli Green Wall ProjectOn 25th March 2023, Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, launched the Aravalli Green Wall Project, a major initiative to green the 5 km buffer area around the Aravalli Hill Range in four states(Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi) where the Aravalli hills span over 6 million hectares of land.
- The initiative was launched during the event organised to celebrate the International Day of Forests (21st March) at Tikli Village in Gurugram, Haryana.
- This project is in line with the government of India’s commitment to achieving the national goal of creating an additional 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon sink by 2030.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEF&CC):
Union Minister– Bhupender Yadav(Rajya Sabha- Rajasthan)
Minister of State(MoS)– Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Constituency- Buxar, Bihar)
India’s 1st quantum computing-based telecom network link is now operationalIndia’s 1st quantum computing-based telecom network link is now operational between Sanchar Bhawan and the National Informatics Centre(NIC) office located in Central Government Offices (CGO) Complex in New Delhi, Delhi.
- This was announced by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communication(MoC), while addressing the 1st International Quantum Enclave held in New Delhi, Delhi.
Key Points:
i.Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also announced a hackathon, a challenge round, for ethical hackers.
- Rs 10 lakh prize money will be awarded to the ethical hackers who can break the encryption of the system developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), Department of Telecommunications, MoC.
ii.Union Minister also inaugurated an exhibition of quantum computing firms and invited those firms to run pilot projects for communication networks and Indian Railways.
About Ministry of Communication(MoC):
Union Minister– Ashwini Vaishnaw(Rajya Sabha- Odisha)
Minister of State(MoS)- Devusinh Chauhan(Constituency- Kheda, Gujarat)
NALCO & BARC Releases India’s 1st Bauxite CRM ‘BARC B1201’On 24th March 2023, The National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), the Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE), under the Ministry of Mines and India’s leading manufacturer and exporter of alumina and aluminium, has released the Bauxite Certified Reference Material (CRM) – BARC B1201 the 1st of its kind CRM in India and 5th in the World, in NALCO Research & Technology Centre, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
BARC B1201 was jointly developed by NALCO in collaboration with the National Centre for Compositional Characterization of Materials(NCCCM), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(BARC), Hyderabad(Telangana).
- It was formally launched by M.P Mishra, Director (Projects & Technical) of NALCO and Dr A.C. Sahayam, Head of Division of NCCCM
This will act as an import substitution for use by Industries, Research Laboratories and Academic Institutions as a calibration standard in evaluating analytical methods, the performance of Instruments, and data quality control in routine analysis of bauxite.
MoD signs Rs 3,000 crore Contract with BEL for Procurement of 2 Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems ‘Project Himshakti’On 24th March 2023, the Ministry of Defence(MoD) signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hyderabad, Telangana, for procurement of 2 Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems ‘Project Himshakti’ at an overall cost of approximately Rs 3,000 crore.
The project is under the Buy [Indian – IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)] category comprising contemporary and niche technologies.
- “Project Himshakti” will encourage the participation of Indian Electronics and associated industries, including the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which are sub-vendors of BEL.
According to the government’s Make-in-India initiative, the project represents a significant advancement in developing indigenous capabilities and turning India into “Aatmanirbhar.”
WB approves USD108mn to improve Assam’s Flood, Disaster Preparedness through AIRBMPi.On March 24, 2023, the World Bank’s (WB) Executive Board of Directors has approved USD 108 million loan (Rs 8,896,517,496) for ‘Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project (AIRBMP)’ to improve disaster preparedness and enhance flood forecasting in Assam.
ii.This funding will be disbursed by the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), administered by WB, and has a maturity of 11.5 years with grace period of 4 years.
iii.It is a part of a larger USD 500 million (Rs 40,890,925,000) investment programme for Assam.
About World Bank (WB):
President– David Malpass
Headquarters– Washington, DC, United States
Member Countries– 189
ICICI Lombard Becomes the First to Offer “Anywhere Cashless” Feature ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd (ICICI Lombard) has introduced an industry-first programme for its health insurance policyholders called the “Anywhere Cashless” feature, which enable customers to use cashless facilities at any hospital, even if it is not currently a part of ICICI Lombard’s hospital network.
- The service, which was initially made available as a pilot programme, is now available to customers across India via the “IL TakeCare” application, with no out-of-pocket expenses involved.
ICICI Lombard is one of India’s leading private general insurance providers.
Key Points:
i.The ‘Anywhere Cashless’ feature ensures a hassle-free experience from admission to discharge in a hospital.
ii.Customers can also choose a nearby or renowned hospital and focus on the wellbeing of their family rather than stressing over insurance issues at the time of treatment.
iii.The ultimate objective is to expand network partners in order to increase insurance coverage in Tier II and Tier III cities.
iv.In addition, it plans to actively look for and provide customers better solutions even as the number of cases continues to expand.
v.As of March 31, 2022, ICICI Lombard had issued over 29.3 million policies, resolved 2.3 million claims, and had a gross written premium (GWP) of Rs. 18,562 crore for the year ended March 31, 2022.
About ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Lombard):
MD & CEO – Bhargav Dasgupta
Founded – 2001
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
“Economic Outlook Asia-Pacific Q2 2023” by S&P Global Ratings: India’s Economic Growth Forecast for FY24 Kept Unchanged at 6%In its quarterly economic update for Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, ‘Economic Outlook Asia-Pacific Q2 2023’, S&P Global Ratings retained its projection for India’s economic growth at 6% in fiscal year 2023-24 (FY24), before increasing to 6.9% in FY25.
- According to the agency, the inflation rate would fall to 5% in FY24 from 6.8% in the current fiscal year (FY23).
S&P Global Ratings is a credit rating agency that is the world’s leading source of independent credit ratings.
- It keeps the projection for the APAC region, excluding China, to slow down to 3.8% from 4.7% in 2022.
Key Projections:
i.According to S&P Global Ratings, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would rise by 7% in the current fiscal year FY23 [ending March 31 (2022-23)], before dropping to 6% in FY24.
ii.India is in the lead with average growth of 7% between 2024 and 2026.
iii.India’s GDP is projected to rise to 6.9% over the following two fiscal years—2024-25 (FY25) and 2025-26 (FY26)—and 7.1% in 2026-27 (FY27).
Real GDP forecast of India:
- As a result, India’s year-on-year GDP growth slowed to 4.4% in the fourth quarter (October-December 2022).
v.While the agency forecasts upside risks, notably from weather-related factors, India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation could moderate to 5% in FY24 (ending March 2024).
vi.According to the agency, the current account balances of APAC energy-importing nations have deteriorated and the external deficit of India has reached about 3-3.5% of GDP in 2022.
vii.The agency forecasts that growth in the United States (US) and the Eurozone would decrease significantly in 2023, with only 0.7% and 0.3% growth respectively.
viii.It forecasts a GDP growth forecast of 5.5% for China in 2023, up from 4.8% in November 2022.
- This is higher than the target of around 5% which was stated at the National People’s Congress (NPC) meetings in China in March 2023.
General Manoj Pande Presents ‘President’s Standards’ to 4 Armoured RegimentsOn 25th March 2023, General Manoj Pande, the Chief of Army Staff, presented the prestigious ‘President’s Standards’ (Nishan) to 4 Armoured Regiments: 49 Armoured Regiment, 51 Armoured Regiment, 53 Armoured Regiment, and 54 Armoured Regiment, of the Indian Army during the Standards Presentation Parade held at Suratgarh Military Station in Rajasthan.
Note: The event witnessed a mounted parade by the four Armoured Regiments along with tanks.
Indian Army Armoured Corps:
i. The Armoured Corps is one of the Indian Army’s top combat units.
ii. Following the formation of the 1st regiment in 1776, the present corps was formed in 1947 from two-thirds of the personnel and assets of the Indian Armoured Corps of the British Indian Army.
iii. Currently, Armoured Corps consists of 67 armoured regiments, including the President’s Bodyguards.
About the President’s Standard:
i. The President’s Standard is the highest honour given to a military unit by the Supreme Commander in recognition of the service contributed to India.
ii. The President’s Standard, which is given to a comparatively smaller military structure or unit, is the same honour as the President’s Colours.
2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List: India Ranks 3rd In Terms of Self-Made BillionairesAccording to the ‘2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List,’ India is ranked 3rd in terms of the number of self-made billionaires, with a total of 105 on the list. These 105 self-made billionaires have a cumulative wealth of USD 381 billion.
- With 187 billionaires and 16 newcomers, India remains the world’s 3rd largest billionaire producing country. However, it is 28 less than that in 2022, which had 215 billionaires.
- If Indian-origin billionaires are included, the number goes up to 217.
According to the “2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List,” 24 Indian cities or towns have “produced” 187 billionaires, placing Mumbai (Maharashtra), New Delhi (Delhi), and Bengaluru (Karnataka) among the top 25 global cities producing the most billionaires.
- India is ranked 6th in the world in terms of the number of cities from which billionaires originate.
About Hurun Report Inc. (Hurun Report):
MD & Chief Researcher of Hurun India – Anas Rahman Junaid
Establishment of Hurun India – 2012
Indian Hockey Player Salima Tete appointed AHF Athletes AmbassadorSalima Tete, an Indian Women’s Hockey team midfielder, was appointed the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Athletes Ambassador from India for a term of 2 years, with effect from 25th March 2023. She accepted the certificate and the position during the AHF Congress held on 23rd March 2023, in Mungyeong, South Korea.
- Other AHF Athletes Ambassadors are: Lee Jong Jun (South Korea); Abdul Hannan Shahid (Pakistan) and Asai Yu (Japan)
- As AHF Athlete Ambassador, Salima Tete will play a leadership role in the international representation, development, and advocacy of athletes.
- She will also be working towards promoting awareness about athletes’ rights and welfare from the region.
On 24th March 2023, Salima Tete received the AHF Emerging Player of the Year(Women’s) Award for her phenomenal performance in 2022.
President Droupadi Murmu approved Appointment of CJ of 3 High CourtsDroupadi Murmu, President of India, has approved the appointment of the Chief Justices (CJ) to 3 High Courts(HC) namely, Allahabad High Court, Chhattisgarh High Court and Patna High Court.
- The Chief Justice and Judges of the High Courts are to be appointed by the President under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution.
Details of the Appointments:
LVM3-M3 OneWeb India-2 Mission: ISRO Successfully Launches 36 OneWeb Gen-1 Satellites from SDSC, APOn March 26, 2023, the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) successfully launched ‘LVM3-M3 OneWeb India-2 Mission’ from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) Sriharikota Range (SHAR) in Andhra Pradesh (AP).
- Under this, ISRO launched its heaviest rocket, LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark Three) carrying 36 OneWeb Gen-1 satellites with a total payload of 5,805 kg. These satellites belong to London, United Kingdom (UK)-based OneWeb Group.
- OneWeb Gen-1 is a 150 kg class satellite.
- LVM3 placed these satellites in their intended 450 km circular orbit with an inclination of 87.4 degrees.
About LVM3-M3 Mission:
This is the 2nd dedicated commercial satellite mission being undertaken by the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, for its customer M/s. Network Access Associates Ltd (M/s. OneWeb Group), UK to launch its 72 satellites into Low-Earth orbits (LEO). The satellites after being placed in LEO would be divided among 12 planes at an altitude of about 1,200 km from Earth’s surface. Each plane was separated at an altitude of 4 km to prevent inter-plane collision.
- The first set of 36 satellites of OneWeb Group Company was launched on October 23, 2022 by ISRO.
- One Web Group envisages implementing the constellation of low earth satellites to enable connectivity for governments and businesses.
Key Points:
i.This launch was the 18th for OneWeb Group company, 3rd in 2023, and brought its total satellite’s fleet to 618.
ii.For ISRO, it was the second mission in 2023 after the successful launch of SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle)/D2-EOS07 mission in February, 2023
iii.This is the sixth flight of LVM3.
iv.LVM3 was earlier known as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MkIII (GSLVMkIII) with a cryogenic upper stage.
- It can launch satellites weighing up to 10 tons.
- It weighs 643-ton, and 43.5 metre tall
v.Bharti Enterprises is a major investor in OneWeb group.
About NewSpace India Limited (NSIL):
Chairman and Managing Director– Radhakrishnan Durairaj
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
Sípàapuni, Sacred Hopi site in Arizona, awarded ICOMOS ISC Water & Heritage ShieldOn 25th March 2023, International Committee On Monuments and Sites International Science Committee (ICOMOS ISC) recognised the Sípàapuni, a site located in Arizona, United States of America (USA) and sacred to the Hopi Native American Nation, as an important cultural place and award it the “ICOMOS ISC Water and Heritage Shield”. The Shield was awarded to the Black Mesa Trust (BMT), a Hopi grassroots organisation, over a virtual ceremony.
- The Sípàapu is a rocky dome made of limestone as well as a spring located on the Little Colorado river, a tributary of Colorado.
- Sípàapu will be the 1st in the world to be awarded the ICOMOS ISC Water and Heritage Shield.
Purpose of the Shield: To create public awareness about the significance of water and indigenous sacred sites all over the world and the right to cultural and historical memory.
ICOMOS ISC is a non-governmental international organisation dedicated to the conservation of the world’s monuments and sites that helps the United Nations to recognise heritage globally.
India bagged 4 Gold at 13th World Women’s Boxing Championship in New Delhii.From March 15-26, 2023, the 13th edition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023 was hosted by India at K.D. Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.India secured 1st rank in the tournament by grabbing 4 gold medals. It was followed by China with 3 Gold, and Russia with 1 Gold medal.
iii.Nitu Ghanghas grabbed gold medal in Minimumweight (48Kg) event by defeating Mongolia’s Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg. She became the 6th Indian boxer, male or female, to become a world champion.
iv.This event was boycotted by 17 countries due to participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus.
About International Boxing Association (IBA):
President– Umar Kremlev
Headquarters– Lausanne, Switzerland
Mumbai Indian beats Delhi Capital to Become Inaugural Champions of TATA WPL 2023Mumbai Indians(MI) team captained by Harmanpreet Kaur(India) defeated the Delhi Capitals(DC) Meghann(Meg) Lanning (Australia) to win the inaugural TATA Women’s Premier League(WPL) 2023 championship. MI defeated DC by 7 wickets in the finals held in Brabourne Stadium at Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharastra on 26th March 2023.
- Tata Women’s Premier League 2023 held from 4th to 26th March 2023 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
About TATA WPL 2023:
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is a women’s Twenty20 cricket franchise league in India.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) is the body responsible for the operation of the WPL.
Venues of TATA WPL 2023:
The Brabourne Stadium at Churchgate and the DY Patil Stadium at Nerul in Navi Mumbai are the designated venues.
- All 22 matches of the tournament took place in Mumbai.
2023 Swiss Open Super 300: India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty wins doubles title in BaselSatwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, world no. 6 Men’s doubles badminton players, won Men’s doubles title defeating China’s Ren Xiang Yu and Tan Qiang, World’s No 21 doubles pair, at Yonex Swiss Open 2023.
- This marks their 1st Badminton World Federation(BWF) title of the 2023 season and 5th World Tour Title in their career.
The Yonex Swiss Open 2023, a BWF World Tour Super 300, was held from 21st to 26th March 2023 in St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland.
About Swiss Open 2023:
i.Swiss Open is officially known as Yonex Swiss Open 2023 as per sponsorship reasons.
ii.This will be the 8th tournament in the 2023 BWF World Tour calendar and the 3rd Super 300 event held in 2023.
iii.The tournament is organised by Yonex with sanctions from the BWF.The total prize money of Swiss Open 2023 is USD 210000.
Other Highlights:
i.Japan’s Watanabe Koki (world No. 37) defeated World’s no. 6 Chou Tien-Chen(Chinese Taipei) to win the Men’s singles title at the Swiss Open 2023.
ii.Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand won the Women’s Singles title by defeating Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt.
iii.Japanese duo Miyaura Rena and Sakuramoto Ayako, won the Women’s doubles title defeating compatriots Fukushima Yuki and Hirota Sayaka.
- Sakuramoto is now the only player in the BWF World Tour era to contest 2 Swiss Open finals as an unseeded player. She won the 2018 women’s doubles title along with Takahata Yukiko.
iv.Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China won the Mixed doubles title defeating Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie of Malaysia.
Winners of YONEX Swiss Open 2023:
Veteran Actor and Former MP Innocent Vareed Thekkethala Passed AwayOn 26th March 2023, Innocent Vareed Thekkethala, an Indian actor and Politician, passed away in Kochi, Kerala, at the age of 75. He was born on 4th March 1948 in Thrissur, Kerala.
About Innocent Vareed Thekkethala:
Innocent Vareed Thekkethala, popularly known as Innocent, has acted in about 500 Malayalam films. He was a producer, author and former Member of Parliament (MP) Lok Sabha.
Film Industry:
i. Innocent made his acting debut with the Malayalam film “Nrithasala” in 1972. He has worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi movies
ii. He was known for playing comedy roles in various Malayalam films like Ramji Rao Speaking (1989), Kilukkam (1991), and Devasuram (1993).
Politics:
i. Innocent joined the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), which appointed him the Thrissur District Secretary in the 1970s.
ii. He was elected to serve as an Irinjalakuda Municipal Councillor in 1979 and held the position till 1982.
iii. In 2014, he won the Lok Sabha elections from Chalakudy Lok Sabha constituency, Kerala as a Left Democratic Front (LDF)-backed independent candidate.
iv. He also served as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) from 2003 to 2018. He held the post for 4 consecutive terms.
Books:
Innocent has authored 5 books namely, Njan Innocent(2008), Mazha Kannadi (collection of Short Stories)(2011), Chirriku Pinnil (autobiography)(2011), Cancer Wardile Chiri(2017), and Irinjalakudakku Chuttum (memoirs)(2017).
World Theatre Day 2023 – Mar 27World Theatre Day is annually observed across the globe on March 27 to create awareness about the importance of theatre arts and to promote art forms across the world.
- The day is annually celebrated at around 90 International Theatre Institute (ITI) centres across the globe and in the International Theatre Community.
27th March 2023 marks the 61st anniversary of World Theatre Day.
The theme of World Theatre Day 2023 is “Theatre and a Culture of Peace”.
Background:
i. World Theatre Day was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the world organisation for the performing arts.
ii. The 1st ever World Theatre Day was celebrated on 27th March 1962.
About the International Theatre Institute(ITI):
ITI was created on the initiative of Sir Julian Huxley, the 1st Director of UNESCO and JB Priestly, the playwright and novelist.
President- Mohamed Saif Al-Afkham
Vice-President- Hamadu Mandé
Headquarters- Shanghai, China
Establishment- 1948
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