Current Affairs in English – March 4 2023

March 4, 2023

National Events:

GST:

• Odisha has recorded a growth of 40 percent in GST collection during the month of February 2023 against the collection of February 2022. It has collected more than 1,712 crore rupees GST in Feb 2023.
• The State has also recorded a growth of more than 10 % in Gross GST with a collection of more than 4519 Crore rupees during February 2023, the second-highest Gross collection of all time.

Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023:

• President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023 in New Delhi on 4 March 2023. It will be given under various categories of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen, Jal Jeevan Mission and National Water Mission.
• The President will also launch the Jal Shakti Abhiyan-Catch the Rain 2023 campaign with the theme ‘source sustainability for drinking water.’

NADA & NCERT:

• National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on 3 March 2023, signed an MoU to strengthen the value based sport education amongst school children and teachers.
• The MoU will help in developing e-content in an accessible format on sports values and ethics. The MoU will also help in creating awareness at the grassroots.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah:

• The Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, on 3 March 2023, inaugurated the first phase of the Bangalore Safe City Project in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The project is envisaged under Nirbhaya Scheme to ensure the safety of women in Bengaluru city. Under the project, audio-visual systems, drones, CCTVs, and emergency call boxes are installed in various parts of the city.

PMBJP:

• Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) train on 3 March 2023 in New Delhi.
• It is named Chhattisgarh Samparkranti Express and has been wrapped with the branding of the Jan Aushadhi scheme to spread awareness about generic medicines available at Jan Aushadhi centers.

MSME’s Industrial Exhibition and Fair:

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Narayan Rane inaugurated the MSME’s Industrial Exhibition and Fair at Kota in Rajasthan on 4 March 2023.
• The three-day fair is being organised by the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. More than 300 MSME’s entrepreneurs from across the country are participating in the fair.

RBI & Amazon Pay(India):

• Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of Rs 3,06,66,000 rupees on Amazon Pay (India) Private Limited.
• It has been fined for non-compliance of certain directions related to Prepaid Payment Instruments and Know Your Customer. Amazon Pay is an online payments processing service owned by Amazon.

First bamboo barrier:

• India installs world’s first bamboo barrier. World’s first 200-meter-long Bamboo Crash Barrier has been installed on the Vani-Warora Highway,Vidarbh, Maharashtra. It has been christened Bahu Balli.
• The recycling value of the bamboo barrier is 50-70%.The bamboo species used in the making of this barrier is Bambusa Balcoa, which has been treated with creosote oil and coated with recycled High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE).

Dharma Dhamma Conference 2023:

• President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the 7th International Dharma Dhamma Conference 2023 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Over 15 countries will participate in the three-day conference.
• The 7th edition of the conference has a theme of “Eastern Humanism for the New Era” and has been planned in collaboration with Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies, whose vice chancellor Dr Neerja Gupta also joined President Murmu.
• The conference aims to bring together religious, political and thought leaders from Dharma Dhamma traditions to ponder over building a philosophical framework for the emerging new world order.

NYPF:

• National Youth Parliament Festival Fourth Edition was held in the Parliament of India in the national Capital, New Delhi.
• On the first day of the National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) finals in the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi, Minister of State for Youth and Sports Affairs Shri Nisith Pramanik gave a speech. During the first day, a continuation of the competitive session was planned.

SWAYATT:

• The government e-Marketplace (GeM) held a celebration to celebrate “SWAYATT,” a programme to support start-ups, women, and youth advantage through e-Transactions on GeM, which has been a major success.
• SWAYATT is a programme that seeks to increase the benefits of e-Transactions on government e-Marketplaces (GeM) for startups, women, and young people.

Old pension scheme:

• In a major move, a select group of central government employees have been given a one-time option to opt for old pension scheme, according to a Personnel Ministry order.
• The employees who joined the central government services against posts advertised or notified before December 22, 2003, the day National Pension System (NPS) was notified, are eligible to join the old pension scheme under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 (now 2021), said the order.
• This option may be exercised by the government servants concerned latest by August 31, 2023. The move came following various representations/references and court decisions in this regard, it said.

Gold deposits:

• Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallik has informed the state Assembly that Gold deposits have been found at different locations in three districts of Odisha, including Deogarh, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj.
• The Minister informed that the State Directorate of Mines and geology and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) conducted a preliminary survey and found the presence of gold deposits in the Adas area of Deogarh, Gopur, Gazipur, Kusakala, Adal, Saleikana, Dimirimunda, and Karadanga area of Keonjhar.

National Safety Day:

• National Safety Day is observed on March 4 annually with an in aim to promote safe working environment and ensure safety of people in all aspects. National Safety Day 2023 is marked to raise awareness about safety measures and protocols so that any kind of untoward incident can be averted.
• The campaign is comprehensive, general and flexible with an appeal to the participating organisations to develop specific activities as per their safety requirements. This year will mark the onset of the 52nd National Safety Day.

National Security Day:

• India celebrates National Security Day on March 4 every year. Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas is another name for it, and it is a holiday honouring the Indian Security Forces.
• The purpose of the National Security Day is to express gratitude to our nation’s security forces, which include the police, paramilitary units, guards, commandos, army officers, and other units involved in preserving the safety and security of our citizens.
• They spread awareness about numerous tragedies and issues that Indian leaders and individuals need to be informed about. They hope to educate people about many topics during the week-long event and try to improve the lives of their inhabitants.

 ‘The Wealth Report 2023’:

• Mumbai’s jumped to rank 37 from 92 in a global list of movement in prices of luxury homes as the city saw a gain of 6.4 percent during the 2022 calendar year. Property consultant Knight Frank virtually released ‘The Wealth Report 2023’ in which Mumbai has ranked 37th.
• Knight Frank Report states that the value of the Prime International Residential Index (PIRI 100) which tracks the movement in luxury house prices across the world increased by 5.2 percent YoY (year-on-year) in 2022.

ICMR:

• The Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) is developing a research policy and governance cell. It will be responsible for designing and implementing policies and strategies to support research activity.
• It will work under the direct control of director general, ICMR Dr Rajiv Bhal. ICMR is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world.

Yuva Utsava -India@2047:

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur launched the Yuva Utsava -India@2047 on 4 March from IIT Ropar in Punjab. He also launched the Dashboard of Yuva Utsava.
• In the first phase by 31st March 2023, Yuva Utsava will be held in 150 Districts across the country to celebrate the youth power.

International Events:

World Obesity Day:

• World Obesity Day is observed on March 4 every year to promote practical solutions and help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight while undertaking proper treatment. Obesity is a global problem that affects everyone.
• Around the world, approximately 800 million people are living with the disease while millions are at risk to get affected. The World Obesity Day highlights one of the biggest health crises faced by about 1 billion people across the planet, today.
• That number is expected to climb to 1.9 billion people, by 2035. Obesity in children is expected to jump by 100 per cent between 2020 and 2035. One in every four people may be obese by 2035.

Women, Business and the Law Report 2023:

• Economic growth and strength are boosted by gender equality, according to the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law Report 2023. It increases labour force participation and results in a more effective allocation of resources.
• Women may engage more fully in the economy and realise their full potential when they have equal access to economic opportunities, which boosts productivity and growth.

World Bank and India:

• The World Bank and India have signed two complementary loans of $500 mn each to support and enhance the country’s healthcare infrastructure.
• Through this combined financing of USD 1 billion (about 8,200 crore), the bank will support India’s flagship Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). One of the loans will prioritize health service delivery in 7 states.

10 years in prison:

• Ales Bialiatski, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Belarus in March 2023.
• He is a co-founder of the Viasna human rights group and has been at the center of protests after the re-election of Alexander Lukashenko as President in 2020.
• Viasna took a leading role in providing legal assistance to those imprisoned during the protests.

Sports Events:

Craig Fulton:

• Hockey India has appointed South African Craig Fulton as new chief coach of the Indian men’s hockey team. Craig Fulton will succeed Graham Reid who resigned after India’s poor outing at the World Cup in January 2023.
• Craig Fulton has nearly 25 years of coaching experience and earned 195 caps over a span of 10 years for South Africa. He also played Atlanta and Athens Olympic Games.

WPL:

• Five-team Women’s Premier League(WPL 2023) began in Navi Mumbai on 4 March 2023. The five teams taking part in the inaugural edition of WPL are Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), UP Warriorz (UPW) and Gujarat Giants (GG).
• India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been named as MI captain while opener Smriti Mandhana will lead RCB’s women’s team.