Current Affairs in English – March 25, 26 2023

March 25-26, 2023

National Events:

Sports university:

• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced the government will set up a sports university in the Kumaun region’s Haldwani town.
• Dhami, who made the announcement on the occasion of completion of one year of the formation of his government, said there had been longstanding demands from several sports associations for such a university.

Rs 10 crore penalty:

• The Kerala government has been fined Rs 10 crore by the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for their inability to prevent the uncontrolled pollution of the designated Ramsar sites.
• The order by NGT was made in lines with a petition alleging failure of statutory and administrative authorities in taking remedial action for protection of the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes hit by illegal waste dumping.

PMUY:

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has announced an extension of the subsidy of Rs 200 per LPG cylinder under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for one year.
• The PMUY was launched in May 2016 by the Central government to provide deposit-free LPG connections to adult women of poor households and make LPG accessible to rural and impoverished households.
• The government credits the subsidy directly to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries.

MSP:

• For the upcoming 2023-24 season, the Indian government has increased the minimum support price (MSP) for raw jute by Rs 300 to Rs 5,050 per quintal.
• The decision was taken during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and was based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• The MSP of Raw Jute (TD-3 equivalent to earlier TD-5 grade) has been fixed at Rs 5,050 per quintal for the upcoming season.

U20:

• The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) has partnered with the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Union to organize the first-ever Urban Climate Film Festival as part of the CITIIS program under U20 engagement events.
• The festival will feature a carefully selected collection of 11 films from 9 countries to increase public awareness of the effects of climate change on urban life and encourage discussion on sustainable urban development.
• On the 24th of March 2023, the M.L. Bhartia Auditorium at Alliance Française in Lodhi Estate, New Delhi, will host the inauguration of the Urban Climate Film Festival.

84th Raising Day:

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the 84th Raising Day event of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Chhattisgarh on 25 March 2023.
• He also paid tribute to CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur. Founded in 2006, CRPF is a federal police organisation in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India.

AFSPA:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs on 25 March 2023, extended the Armed Forces Special Powers (AFSPA) Act 1958 in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland for 6 months.
• The AFSPA empowers security forces to arrest a person without a warrant, or search premises without a warrant. In 2022, Union government had declared Changlang, Tirap and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh as ‘disturbed areas’.

SGrBs:

• HDFC Mutual Fund, on 24 March 2023 filed for India’s first Target Maturity Funds tracking Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs).
• They are HDFC Nifty India Sovereign Green Bond Jan 2028 Index Fund & HDFC Nifty India SGrBs Jan 2033 Index Fund. SGRBs are bonds issued by the Government of India, whose proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects which help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy.

NPS:

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 24 announced the constitution of a committee to propose changes to the National Pension System (NPS).
• It will be chaired by the finance secretary which will look into this issue of pension and evolve an approach that addresses the need of employees. NPS has been made available to every Indian citizen from May 1, 2009, on a voluntary basis.

DGCA:

• According to a report released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 24 March 2023, 15% of the pilots in the country are women.
• As per the DGCA, it is three times the global average of 5%. However, there is no special program to encourage pilot training for women, SC, and ST communities. In 1989, Nivedita Bhasin became the youngest commercial airline captain in the world.

NCDC:

• The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health, launched the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) for the prevention and control of Rabies in March 2023.
• The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has also requested the concerned authorities to take appropriate action and to effectively implement the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023 to control the dog population.

Tiger Reserve:

• One tigress each will be released to Kota’s Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve and Bundi’s Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.
• This decision was taken in a meeting attended by Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Loksabha speaker Om Birla in New Delhi on 24 March 2023. Gaurs and wild dogs and some other wild animals will also be released in the reserve area.

Rahul Gandhi:

• Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Wayanad, Kerala, Rahul Gandhi, on 24 March 2023, was disqualified from Lok Sabha.
• He was convicted by a Surat court in the criminal defamation case on March 23 over his ‘Modi surname’ remark. The court of chief judicial magistrate HH Varma held Rahul Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500.

Tamil Nadu Events:

18th wildlife sanctuary:

• The government of Tamil Nadu has decided to declare Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary as the 18th wildlife sanctuary in the state.
• This sanctuary covers an area of 80,567 hectares in the forest regions of Anthiyur and Gobichettipalayam taluks in Erode district, and includes reserve forest areas in Anthiyur, Bargur, Thattakarai, and Chennampatti.
• It is home to a variety of wild animals such as tigers, elephants, leopards, wild boars, gaurs, and deer.
• This wildlife sanctuary is located in close proximity to other sanctuaries such as Malai Mahadeshwara wildlife sanctuary, BRT Wildlife Sanctuary, Cauvery wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka, and it serves as a connecting point between Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary. This announcement was made during the state budget.

Floating restaurant:

• Tourism Secretary Chandramohan said that for the first time in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department will set up a floating restaurant in the lake in Muttukkadu area of Chengalpattu district next to Chennai.
• This restaurant, which is estimated at Rs. 5 crores, is functioning with the contribution of private companies. This boat, which will be built with two decks, will be air-conditioned throughout the restaurant.

State Disaster Management Policy and Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Plan:

• State Disaster Management Policy and Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Plan – 2023 was released by CM Stalin.
• This State Disaster Management Plan provides information on precautionary measures and capacity building exercises to deal with various types of disasters like floods, tsunamis, cyclones, droughts, heat waves, landslides, earthquakes, accidents at chemical plants and nuclear power plants.

International Events:

Coronal hole:

• NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has discovered a massive coronal hole on the Sun, which is about 30 times the size of Earth. Coronal holes are imaginary holes that do not exist on the surface of the Sun.
• They appear dark on the solar surface and shine less brightly than their surroundings because they are cooler. Coronal holes enable a greater flow of the solar wind.

IBN:

• The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) on 23 March 2023, permitted National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited to carry out a study of the 450 MW Seti River-6 Hydropower Project.
• The proposed project will be constructed in Doti and Achham districts. As per the agreement, Nepal will also get 21.9 percent free energy from the Seti Hydropower Project.

International Day of Solidarity:

• The United Nations observes the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members on March 25 every year to honor the memory of Alec Collett, a journalist who died while on a UN mission after being kidnapped.
• The purpose of this day is to acknowledge the contributions of UN personnel and the risks they take to carry out humanitarian work, as well as to remember those who have lost their lives in service to the UN.

Earth Hour:

• Every year, people from all around the world participate in a global event known as “Earth Hour,” which aims to raise awareness about the challenges of climate change and promote energy conservation.
• During this event, organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), participants turn off all lights and electrical appliances in their homes and offices for an hour. The WWF hopes to mobilize as many people as possible to “Give an Hour for Earth” and create the largest hour of support and solidarity for the cause.
• Earth Hour is an annual event that takes place on the last Saturday of March. This year, on March 25 at 8.30 pm local time, individuals, communities, and businesses around the world are being encouraged to turn off their lights for one hour and engage in activities that benefit the environment.

North Korea:

• North Korea tested a new underwater nuclear-capable attack drone on 24 March 2023. The North Korean military deployed and tested-fired the new weapons system during a military drill directed by Kim Jong Un.
• The drone was placed in the ocean near South Hamgyong province as part of the experiment, and it drifted there for 59 hours and 12 minutes.

International Day of Unborn Child: 25 March:

• The International Day of the Unborn Child is observed annually on 25 March to commemorate the opposition to abortion.
• The day is associated with the late Pope John Paul II who opposed the medical procedure of abortion. The theme of International Day of the Unborn Child 2023 is “the dignity and value of children yet-to-be-born”.

Sports Events:

Salima Tete:

• National women’s hockey team midfielder Salima Tete has appointed the AHF Athletes Ambassador from India for a term of two years. Tete accepted the certificate and the position during the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Congress in Mungyeong, Korea.
• Tete, who led the Indian women’s junior hockey team to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 FIH Women’s Junior World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa, is among four players from Asia to be appointed for the position.

Best Organiser Award:

• Hockey India on 24 March 2023, was awarded the Best Organiser Award by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) for successfully hosting the Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023.
• The award was received by Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh during the AHF Congress held in Mungyeong, Korea. Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela is the largest-seated hockey stadium in the world.