Current Affairs in English – March 1, 3 2023

March 1-3, 2023

National Events:

Rajeev Chandrasekhar:

• IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar launched a grievance appellate panel mechanism, that will look into appeals by users against decisions of social media platforms.
• The announcement came in the presence of representatives of Big Tech internet companies like Meta, Snap, Google and others.

PM Narendra Modi:

• The eighth edition of the annual Raisina Dialogue, the flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-strategy, begins in New Delhi. The annual Raisina Dialogue will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The Foreign Ministry is organizing the event in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation from 2nd March to 4th March 2023. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be the chief guest and keynote speaker at its inaugural session.

B2B Global Conference & Expo on Traditional Medicine:

• Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the first B2B Global Conference & Expo on Traditional Medicine under Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at Guwahati.
• The Union Minister informed that India has made the best use of available natural resources through Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine to provide healthcare to people as well as towards achieving the goal of Universal Health Coverage.
• The Global Center for Traditional Medicine of the World Health Organization (WHO-GCTM) being set up at Jamnagar with the support of India will help member countries to take enabling steps in their respective countries to strengthen education and practices of Traditional Medicine.

Supreme Court:

• The Supreme Court ordered an experts committee to be set up, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, AM Sapre, after a batch of PILs was filed on the recent Adani Group shares crash triggered by the US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research’s allegations of fraud.
• Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also told the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to finish the probe into the Adani Group-Hindenburg saga within a period of two months.

GSMA:

• Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) has conferred Government Leadership Award 2023 to India for implementing best practices in telecom policy and regulation.
• GSMA, which represents more than 750 mobile operators and 400 companies in the telecom ecosystem, recognizes one country every year. India was declared winner in the ceremony held at Mobile World Congress Barcelona.

Sashidhar Jagdishan:

• Sashidhar Jagdishan, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of HDFC Bank, has been chosen as the Business Standard Banker of the Year 2022.
• This award is given to him for his successful navigation of technology-related challenges while maintaining the bank’s strong performance.

Godrej Group:

• Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, announced that its business Godrej Tooling has partnered with Renmakch, to collaborate on Machinery & Plant (M&P) projects for Railways and Metro Rail, offering world-class equipment that is ‘Made in India’.
• With this alliance, Godrej & Boyce will now be able to offer a complete value chain ranging from design to build for the Railways and also bid on larger projects. The Company has been a trusted partner of the Indian Railways for over 15 years.

Ministry of Defence:

• The Ministry of Defence received a proposal from the Indian Army to buy 310 Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS) for deployment along the borders with China and Pakistan, marking a significant step towards ‘Make-in-India’ in the defense sector.
• The Indian Army has submitted a proposal worth more than USD 1 billion, which is currently being discussed.

70 HTT-40:

• The Union Cabinet approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The approval was given to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The procurement would cost around Rs 6,828 crore.
• The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years. The aircraft is expected to meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of the IAF required for training newly inducted pilots.
• The aircraft, being an indigenous solution, is configurable for upgrades to incorporate the futuristic requirements of the IAF. The procurement will include associated equipment, training aids and simulators.

SSB:

• Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Rashmi Shukla has been appointed as the Director-General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). SSB is the border-guarding force deployed along Nepal and Bhutan border. Rashmi Shukla, a 1988 batch IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, was posted with the Central Reserve Police (CRPF).
• She was heading the State Intelligence Department in Maharashtra Police when the phones of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Nationalist Congress Party leader Eknath Khadse were allegedly tapped in 2019.

First women candidates:

• Salhoutuonuo Kruse and Hekani Jakhalu, both from the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, made history by becoming the first women candidates to be elected in the state assembly election.
• In a significant milestone, people in Nagaland have elected two women candidates after 60 years since it attained statehood. Kruse won from Western Angami AC and Jakhalu clinched Dimapur-III constituencies.

Cryogenic engine:

• The CE-20 cryogenic engine, which will power the nation’s rocket for the third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, had a flight acceptance hot test that was successfully completed, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• A cryogenic engine is a rocket engine that runs on a cryogenic fuel and oxidizer, both of which are liquefied gases that are maintained at very low temperatures.

Australian universities:

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that two Australian universities Wollongong and Deakin are set to establish campuses in Gujarat’s ‘GIFT City’.
• The two universities will sign an agreement on setting up their campuses during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s maiden visit to India next week.

Rajesh Malhotra:

• Senior Indian Information Service officer Rajesh Malhotra has assumed the charge of Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau. He takes over after the superannuation of Satyendra Prakash yesterday.
• A 1989 batch officer, Mr. Malhotra was earlier working in the Ministry of Finance. He was associated with the Election Commission as in-charge of media and communication for 21 years.

Clean electricity transition:

• Karnataka and Gujarat have made maximum progress towards clean electricity transition. Whereas, states like West Bengal, Bihar and UP are lagging far behind in the field, according to a joint report published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
• The report analyses 16 Indian states, which together account for 90% of the country’s annual power requirement.

MV Suchindra Kumar:

• Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar has assumed the appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff on 1 March 2023.
• He has taken over the appointment from Lieutenant General BS Raju who has taken over the reins of Jaipur based Sapta Shakti Command. Prior to this, he was tenanting the appointment of Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) at Army HQ.

Madhya Pradesh government:

• Madhya Pradesh government presented a green budget of Rs 3,14,025 cr. This is the last budget of the current tenure of the government. There is no provision for any new tax in the budget and stamp duty has also been cut in many categories.
• A provision of Rs 1,02,976 cr has been made for the welfare of women. The Government has announced to start of Mukhyamantri Balika Scooty Yojana for the meritorious girls.

GDP:

• India’s GDP registered a growth of 4.4% in the October-December third quarter of the current fiscal (FY2023). GDP in the third quarter of 2022-23 is estimated at Rs 40.19 lakh crore, as against Rs 38.51 lakh crore in third quarter of 2021-22.
• For the 2022-23 fiscal, the real GDP is estimated to grow at 7 percent as compared to 9.1 percent in 2021-22.

MV Ganga Vilas:

• World’s longest river cruise MV Ganga Vilas successfully completed its maiden journey at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, on 28 Feb 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually flagged off the cruise on 13th January 2023 from Varanasi.
• During the 50 days journey, the river cruise travelled 3200 km through 27 river systems in 5 states and Bangladesh and visited 50 major tourist sites.

CCI:

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is organising the 8th edition of the National Conference on Economics of Competition Law on 3 March 2023. The Conference is being organised every year since 2016 by the CCI.
• The Conference has a plenary session and two technical sessions. The Plenary at this year’s Conference is on the topic ‘ANTITRUST AND REGULATION: INTERFACES AND SYNERGIES’.

Cycle race:

• Asia’s longest ever cycle race flagged off from Srinagar in J & K. The race, after covering a distance of more than three thousand kilometres, will culminate at Kanyakumari. 29 cyclists including one woman set off for the first of its kind 3651-kilometre event.
• The race has been accorded the status of Asian Ultra-cycling Championship by the world Ultracycling Association. Only 1000 km races were held till date in India.

BEC:

• India hosted the first meeting of the Governing Board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) on 27th February, 2023 at Shangi-La Hotel, Bengaluru. India’s “Neighbourhood first” and “Act East” Policies were highlighted during the meeting.
• BEC will be housed in the premises of the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru.

NTPC:

• NTPC has commissioned India’s first Air cooled condenser at North Karanpura Super Critical plant in Jharkhand. This project has been envisaged with Air Cooled Condenser which has almost 1/3rd water footprint as compared to a conventional Water Cooled Condenser.
• The North Karanpura plant will have a total capacity of 1980 MW, 3 Units of 660 MW each.

Cadet Training Ships:

• The Government has approved the signing of a contract with Larsen and Toubro Limited for the acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships.
• The delivery of these indigenously designed, developed and constructed ships is scheduled to commence in the year 2026. These ships will cater to the training of officer cadets at sea. Project will generate employment of 22.5 lakh man-days.

Shinyuu Maitri:

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in Exercise Shinyuu Maitri with the Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) from 1-2 March 2023. The exercise is being organised on the side-lines of the Indo-Japan Joint Army Exercise, Dharma Guardian.
• Dharma Guardian is being conducted from 13 February to 2 March at Komatsu, Japan. IAF is participating with one C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.

Jan Aushadhi Jan Chetna Abhiyaan:

• Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya flagged off the Jan Aushadhi Rath in New Delhi to commence celebrations of Jan Aushadhi Jan Chetna Abhiyaan.
• Government has set a target to increase the number of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan aushadhi Kendras to 10,000. Medicines available at Jan Aushadhi Kendra are priced 50 to 90 per cent less than the prices of branded medicines.

HAL:

• The Union Cabinet has approved procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force.
• It will cost Rs 6,828.36 crore. The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years. The HTT-40 contains approx. 56% indigenous content which will progressively increase to over 60%.

Tata Steel Mining Limited:

• In order to reduce carbon footprint in its operations, Tata Steel Mining Limited has signed an MoU with GAIL (India) Limited. It has been signed for supply of natural gas to its Ferro Alloys Plant at Athgarh in Odisha’s Cuttack district.
• According to the MOU, GAIL will supply the agreed quantity of natural gas through its pipeline from Gujarat to Athgarh.

Gov games:

• The fourth edition of Gov games, which is being hosted at Dubai Design District began on 2 March 2023. The games will go on till March 5th and will feature several challenges. The Indian team from BITS Pilani – Dubai Campus is participating in the ‘Battle of Cities’.
• In 2018, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai had launched the games.

CERC:

• Jishnu Barua has become the new Chairperson of power regulator Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). Post-retirement, Barua held the charge of chairperson of Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd.
• The CERC has been established by the government of India under the provisions of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998.

Chief Election Commissioner and Elections Commissioners:

• Supreme Court ruled that appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Elections Commissioners will be done by the President on the advice of a committee comprising the PM, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.
• A constitution bench headed by Justice K.M. Joseph said, this panel will be enforced until a law in this regard is made by Parliament.

Porter Prize:

• The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has received the Porter Prize 2023. It recognised the Government’s strategy in managing COVID-19, also the approach, and involvement of various stakeholders, especially the involvement of ASHA workers to create PPE Kits.
• The prize was announced by Institute for Competitiveness and US Asia Technology Management Centre at Stanford University.

Five-member expert committee:

• Supreme Court formed a five-member expert committee headed by former apex court judge, Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre. It will investigate the causal factors and existence, if any, of regulatory failure which led to investors losing crores.
• Committee includes former chairman of SBI O.P. Bhatt, retired judge J.P. Devadhar, banker K.V. Kamath, Nandan Nilekani and lawyer Somasekhar Sundaresan.

International Dharma Dhamma Conference:

• On 3rd March 2023, President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the 7th International Dharma Dhamma Conference in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• The Conference is being organised by the India Foundation in collaboration with Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies. The three-day conference, will have theme ‘Eastern Humanism for the New Era’.

Tamil Nadu Events:

IIT, Madras:

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras has announced a collaboration with Industry and Academia in Denmark on 1st March 2023. Four projects were disclosed in the presence of the Crown Prince of Denmark, Lars Aagaard.
• Three out of these four projects were announced to enable energy transition towards a low-carbon future as envisioned by IIT Madras Energy Consortium.

Tamil Nadu government & UNEP:

• The Tamil Nadu government has signed a MoU with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for implementing Urban Cooling Programme in the State. It will help meet the objectives under the Tamil Nadu State Action Plan on Climate Change.
• It will also enhance South-South co-operation through training and awareness raising to other States in India.

International Events:

Vo Van Thuong:

• Vietnam’s National Assembly has been elected Vo Van Thuong as the country’s new President. Thuong’s election follows the sudden resignation of his predecessor Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
• Thuong is the youngest member of the Party’s Politburo, the country’s top decision-making body.

India and Australia:

• India and Australia signed a Framework Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Qualifications that will help ease the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries.
• The agreement was signed following a bilateral meeting in New Delhi between India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the Australian Education Minister Mr. Jason Clare.

Emirates airline:

• Dubai based Emirates airline emerged as the largest foreign airline for outbound and inbound international traffic to and from India, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India.
• Emirates is also the third-largest carrier for international traffic when all domestic carriers in India are taken into account. It was followed by Singapore and Thailand.

RAK:

• The government of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, has announced plans to establish RAK Digital Assets Oasis. It will be the world’s first free zone dedicated to digital and virtual asset companies.
• The announcement was made at the Blockchain Life 2023 conference. RAK Digital Assets Oasis will open for applications in the second quarter of 2023.

Bola Tinubu:

• Bola Tinubu was declared the winner and sworn in as President of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, in March 2023. He is a former governor of Lagos state.
• Tinubu received 8.79 million votes, surpassing Atiku Abubakar, the leading competitor, who received 6.98 million. President Muhammadu Buhari is stepping down after two terms in office.

World Civil Defence Day:

• World Civil Defence Day is observed on 1st March to raise awareness about the importance of civil defence measures in protecting people and their property from natural disasters, accidents, and other emergencies. The day honours the work of several civil defence organisations.
• The day also recognises the efforts put in by the organisations in protecting communities and saving lives. The day also recognises the contribution of civil defence personnel, who work tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of their communities.

World Seagrass Day:

• World Seagrass Day is celebrated annually on 1st March  to raise awareness about seagrass and its important functions in the marine ecosystem. The seagrasses are grass-like plants that live close to the sea.
• They are the only flowering plant to grow in the marine environment. There are more than 60 seagrass species in the world. They act as the best carbon sink and provide food for marine life.

Zero Discrimination Day:

• On Zero Discrimination Day, 1 March, we celebrate the right of everyone to live a full and productive life and live it with dignity.
• Zero Discrimination Day highlights how people can become informed about and promote inclusion, compassion, peace and, above all, a movement for change. Zero Discrimination Day is helping to create a global movement of solidarity to end all forms of discrimination.

Civil Accounts Day:

• The Civil Accounts Day was celebrated on 1st March to mark the 47th foundation day of Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS).
• The Indian Civil Accounts Service was constituted in 1976, after the the maintenance of Accounts of the Union government was separated from that of Audit.
• Consequently, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India was divested with this responsibility.

UN World Wildlife Day:

• Every 3rd of March, wildlife is celebrated all over the world for the UN World Wildlife Day. This global event is marked annually to celebrate and promote awareness of the planet’s wild fauna and flora.
• The date also marks the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973.
• CITES aims to prevent international trade from threatening species’ survival. World Wildlife Day will be celebrated in 2023 under the theme “Partnerships for wildlife conservation”, honoring the people who are making a difference.

Richest person:

• Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, once again overtook the position of richest person in the world on February 28, according to a Bloomberg Billionaires Index report.
• The second-placed French business tycoon Bernard Arnault has a net worth of $185 billion, trailing Tesla CEO Elon Musk by $187 billion.

Crew-6:

• SpaceX launched NASA’s Crew-6 mission to orbit en route to the International Space Station, with a Russian cosmonaut and United Arab Emirates astronaut joining two NASA crewmates for the flight.
• The SpaceX launch vehicle, consisting of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavour, lifted off at 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 GMT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Sports Events:

Player-of-the-Year award:

• Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh has been honoured with Player-of-the-Year award by the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) for clinching the gold medal with a record-breaking score of 9/11 in the 44th Chess Olympiad at Mahabalipuram.
• Gukesh became only the sixth Indian to break the 2700 Elo-rating mark, and the youngest Grandmaster from the country to be rated above 2700.

Aishwarya Babu:

• India’s top triple-jumper Aishwarya Babu has been banned by the National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) disciplinary panel for four years for using a prohibited anabolic steroid. Aishwarya Babu, 25 years old, was dropped from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, along with sprinter S Dhanalakshmi after testing positive for the steroid, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list.
• Aishwarya has been given time till 6th March 2023 to file an appeal against the ban after receiving the ban notice from NADA’s Appeal Panel on 13th February 2023.

Jeswin Aldrin:

• Tamil Nadu’s Jeswin Aldrin broke the national record in the men’s long jump in the second AFI National Jumps Competition.
• Aldrin previously won silver at the Asian Indoor Championships in Astana last month with a 7.97-meter jump and made the most of being in a competitive frame to break the national record.

Sachin Tendulkar:

• A decade after his retirement, there is news about plans to install a life-size statue of Sachin Tendulkar inside the iconic Wankhede stadium where he played his last game for India.
• The statue will be unveiled on April 23. It will be the legend’s 50th birthday.