Current Affairs in English – March 22, 23 2023

March 22-23, 2023

National Events:

Manmeet K Nanda:

Manmeet K Nanda has been appointed as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Invest India, a prestigious organization.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has released a statement announcing the approval of Nanda’s appointment by Invest India’s board, following Deepak Bagla’s decision to step down.
Nanda was previously serving as the Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Bagla resigned from his post last week, leading to the need for a new MD and CEO at Invest India.

Arnab Banerjee:

CEAT, the tyre manufacturer, has named Arnab Banerjee as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) following the resignation of Anant Goenka.
Banerjee’s term as MD and CEO will commence from April 1, 2023 and last for two years, according to the company’s corporate filing.
Anant Goenka will step down from his position as MD and CEO at the end of business hours on March 31, 2023, and will take on the role of non-executive non-independent director and Vice Chairman of the company, subject to approval from members and other relevant authorities.

L & T:

Larsen & Toubro (L&T), an Indian multinational that specializes in EPC projects, hi-tech manufacturing, and services, has signed a binding agreement with McPhy Energy, a leading electrolyzer technology and manufacturing company based in France.
The agreement establishes a long-term partnership between the two companies to explore opportunities in the emerging green hydrogen market.
Specifically, L&T and McPhy Energy will collaborate on electrolyzer manufacturing, which is a key technology for the production of green hydrogen.

Merlin Group:

Merlin Group has partnered with the World Trade Centers Association to develop a World Trade Center in Kolkata that will cover an area of 3.5 million square feet.
The project’s License Agreement was signed by Scott Wang, Vice President of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) Asia Pacific region, and Merlin Group’s Chairman, Sushil Mohta, and Managing Director, Saket Mohta.
The project, which is being built in Salt Lake, West Bengal, is estimated to require an investment of approximately Rs 1,500 crore.

4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope:

Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, inaugurated Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope at Devasthal, Uttarakhand, in the presence of Lt. Gen (Retd.) Gurmeet Singh, the Governor of Uttarakhand.
The Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) has declared that the 4-meter International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) is operational and can now be used to observe the deep celestial sky.
The telescope recorded its first light in the second week of May 2022 and is located on the Devasthal Observatory campus of ARIES in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. ARIES is an independent institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of the Indian Government, situated at an altitude of 2450 meters.

LiFE:

Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, inaugurated the ‘Mission Lifestyle for Environment’ (LiFE) in the state, which is a global mass movement led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sarma stated that the initiative aims to encourage an environmentally conscious lifestyle, with a focus on utilizing resources rather than engaging in wasteful consumption.

Shaheed Diwas or Martyrs’ Day:

Shaheed Diwas or Martyrs’ Day is observed in India on 23rd March every year to pay homage to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of India.
This day marks the anniversary of the execution of three Indian freedom fighters- Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru in 1931.
Martyrs’ Day is also observed in India on January 30 to pay respect to Mahatma Gandhi ji. On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse in the compound of Birla House.

Actor Ranveer Singh:

According to a report by Kroll, a corporate investigation and risk consulting firm, actor Ranveer Singh has been named India’s most valuable celebrity of 2022, surpassing cricketer Virat Kohli who held the top spot for five years.
The report titled “Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022: Beyond the Mainstream” reveals that Singh’s brand value is $181.7 million.

Health Bill:

Rajasthan becomes first State to pass Right to Health Bill. Rajasthan Assembly on 21 March 2023 passed the Right to Health Bill.
It has a provision for mandatory free – of – cost emergency treatment for every resident of the State at both the government hospitals and the privately – run institutions.
With this, Rajasthan has become the first and the only State in the country to legislate the right to health.

M3M Hurun Global Rich List:

According to the 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List, India is ranked third in terms of the number of billionaires. However, China has almost five times more billionaires than India. The list shows that India has 105 self-made billionaires, ranking third in this category.
The combined wealth of these billionaires is $381 billion, according to the Hurun list. India’s proportion of the world’s billionaires has been consistently rising over the past five years, and it now accounts for 8% of the total global billionaire population, compared to 4.9% five years ago. Among these billionaires, 57% are self-made.

Rajasthan Assembly:

The Rajasthan Assembly has passed the Advocates’ Protection Bill, making Rajasthan the first state in India to pass a Advocates’ Protection Bill.
The Rajasthan Assembly has passed the Advocates Protection Bill, making Rajasthan the first state in India to pass the Advocates Protection Bill.

Global warming:

According the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ), an UN-backed body of world’s leading climate scientists , the world is on track to breach the 1.5 degree Celsius global warming limit by the 2030s.
Earth has already warmed an average of 1.1 degrees Celsius since the industrial age while humans have been responsible for virtually all global heating over the last 200 years.

Maha Metro Nagpur:

Maha Metro Nagpur was honoured with the prestigious Asia Book of Records certification for three different categories , in March 2023.
Two of the categories are ‘Longest Length of Metro Rail Corridor Construction in Shortest Time, ‘First Solar PV System in a Metro Rail Project for Integrated Consumption’. It has been also awarded Guinness World Records and two Asia Book of Records earlier.

Bihar Day : 22 March:

Bihar Day ( Bihar Diwas ) is observed every year on March 22, marking the formation of the state of Bihar. It was on this day when the British carved out the state from Bengal in 1912. The day is a public holiday in Bihar.
The official observance of Bihar Diwas annually began in 2010 under the initiative of Nitish Kumar.

‘Call Before u Dig”:

PM Narendra Modi on 22 March 2023 launched an app called ‘Call Before u Dig”. It will help prevent uncoordinated digging that results in damage to underground utility assets like optical fibre cables, costing the government thousands of crores every year.
It has been developed by the department of telecommunications and the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics.

GreenCo Silver:

Hindustan Zinc has bagged the GreenCo Silver rating by CII for its sustainable mining operations. The GreenCo Rating is a holistic framework that evaluates businesses on the environmental friendliness of their activities.
Recently, it has also earned a spot in the S & P Global Sustainability Yearbook for the 6th time by being ranked amongst the top 5 % ESG Score in the metals & mining sector.

IIT Bombay:

IIT Bombay has been ranked first in India and 47th globally in Engineering and Technology in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject for 2023.
The institute scored 80.4 out of 100. Overall, the institute improved upon its 2022 performance by 18 places. In overall QS World University rankings, IIT Bombay ranks 172nd globally.

‘ AIS for Taxpayer ‘:

The Income Tax department has launched the ‘ AIS for Taxpayer ‘ mobile app. It will give taxpayers a comprehensive view of their information related to TDS / TCS, interest, dividends and share transactions and an option to provide feedback.
The taxpayer also has the option and the facility to provide feedback on the information displayed in the app.

AIM:

Atal Innovation Mission ( AIM ) launched the ‘ Stories of Change ‘ a series of captivating journeys of 15 change – makers from grassroots. These stories of impact creators from across India are aimed at inspiring entrepreneurs.
AIM will be bringing such stories in future as well to give a platform to community innovators and will also provide support to every grassroots innovators.

AFD:

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu signed an MoU of Rs 817 crore project with the French development agency Agence Francaise de Development ( AFD ) to improve drinking water and sanitation services in the state.
The MoU aims to provide better sewerage facilities in Manali , Bilaspur , Palampur , Nahan , and Karsog to improve drinking water supply in Manali and Palampur towns.

Kerala Puraskarngal:

Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan has presented the maiden ‘ Kerala Puraskarngal , the state awards to eminent personalities on 22 March 2023 .
The awards were given in three categories namely “Kerala Jyothi”, “Kerala Prabha” and ” Kerala Shri “. Kerala’s highest civilian honor ” Kerala Jyothi ” was awarded to writer M T Vasudevan Nair.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Agriculture Budget:

The Agriculture Budget 2023-2024 was tabled in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Minister MRK Panneerselvam presented the Agriculture Budget.
Special Features: Introduction of E-Agriculture Scheme, Special Scheme for Oilseeds, Rs.20 Crore Allocation for Coconut Development, Rs.2337 Crores for Crop Insurance Subsidy, One Agronomist for the District, Farmer Officer Communication Scheme 2.0, Coimbatore Collection in Coimbatore, Special for Sugarcane Incentives, Natural Fertilizer from Waste, Madurai Jasmine and Jackfruit, Chilli Drive, Subsidy for Cultivation of Winter Vegetables, Fund for Micro Irrigation, Training for Farmers in Foreign Countries, Separate Package Scheme for Cashew Cultivation and Banana, Palm Development Scheme, Award in the Name of Nammalwar, Small Food Restaurant, Rs. .14,000 crore in crop loans etc.

International Events:

Bomb cyclone:

A bomb cyclone slammed into Northern California, USA on 22 March 2023. California has been hammered by a series of storms known as atmospheric rivers since December 2022, bringing flooding rains and record snowfalls across the Sierra Nevada and other mountains.
A bomb cyclone is a fast – developing storm that occurs when atmospheric pressure drops at least 24 millibars over a 24 hour period.

Ghode Jatra:

Ghode Jatra , also known as the festival of horses, was observed in Nepal’s Lalitpur on 21 March 2022. The Ghode Jatra festival was observed by the Malla regime ( 13th to 18th Century ).
It is observed annually following the belief that its observation started as a celebration of the victory over a demon named Gurumapa ( also called Tundi ) in ancient times.

US President Joe Biden:

US President Joe Biden has signed a bipartisan bill that directs the federal government to declassify intelligence about the origins of Covid – 19.
The legislation was passed by both the House and Senate and cites potential links between the research that was done in the Wuhan lab and the outbreak of Covid – 19. World Health Organisation ( WHO ) declared Covid – 19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Weeknd:

The Weeknd was named the most popular artist in the world according to Guinness World Records on 22 Marc 2023. The organization awarded the title to the pop star after analyzing the popular streaming platform data of some of the biggest names in the music industry.
Guinness World Records is a reference book published annually, listing world records of the extremes of the natural world.

Abel Prize:

The Abel Prize for mathematics has been awarded to Argentine – American Luis Caffarelli, an expert in “partial differential equations” which can explain phenomena ranging from how water flows to population growth.
He is professor at the University of Texas. This type of equation models how several variables change with respect to each other, and play a prominent role in many disciplines.

Japan’s trade status:

South Korea to restore Japan’s trade status to improve ties South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government will take steps to restore Japan’s preferential trade status.
South Korea and Japan have deep economic and cultural ties and are both key U.S. allies that together host about 80,000 U.S. troops.
But their relations have often fluctuated mainly due to issues stemming from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

China & Russia:

China’s President Xi Jinping is on an enormously significant three – day visit to Russia. Both leaders discussed a Chinese proposal for a de – escalation and eventual ceasefire.
Former Soviet Union and China had a history of both cooperation and violent clashes during the Cold War. Russia is China’s largest neighbour, a major source of military technology.

Earth’s twin:

A new analysis of archival radar images taken around 3 decades ago has found direct geological evidence of recent volcanic activity on the surface of Venus, also known as Earth’s twin, for the first time.
Researchers have observed a volcanic vent changing its shape and getting bigger in size. Earlier, scientists have known that numerous volcanoes cover Venus but there wasn’t any evidence.

Thailand’s parliament:

Thailand’s parliament was dissolved on 21st March 2023 ahead of elections tentatively slated for May. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan – Ocha seeks to extend nearly a decade of his military – backed rule.
Prayuth’s government will act in caretaker capacity. Under the rules, the Election Commission must confirm the date of the election in a separate notification within 5 days.

‘Bing Image Creator’:

In the latest preview of Bing and Edge, Microsoft has added a new functionality called ‘Bing Image Creator’, which enables users to generate an image based on their written description by utilizing an enhanced version of Open AI’s DALL-E model.
Microsoft has announced the deployment of Bing Image Creator to Bing preview users via Bing chat, as well as the availability of the feature in Microsoft Edge for both desktop and mobile users worldwide in English.

United States State Department:

In an annual report on human rights practices in India, the United States State Department has highlighted challenges to freedom of expression, cases of arbitrary arrests and detentions, extrajudicial killings, the confiscation and destruction of property without due process, discrimination against minority groups and infringement on the freedom of association, among other issues, in 2022.
Released by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the annual human rights reports of the State Department is a mandatory requirement of the US Congress giving details of human rights status in countries across the world.

World Meteorological Day:

Every year on March 23, World Meteorological Day is celebrated to mark the official formation of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in 1950.
The day recognizes the crucial role of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) in ensuring the safety and welfare of society.
The theme for World Meteorological Day 2023 is ” The Future of Weather, Climate, and Water Across Generations“.
The theme emphasizes the need to address the challenges posed by climate change and to develop strategies to ensure sustainable water and weather-related practices for future generations.

World Water Day:

World Water Day is observed on March 22 each year to emphasize the significance of water and to create awareness about the global water crisis.
The primary purpose of celebrating this day is to promote the achievement of SDG 6, which aims to provide access to clean water and sanitation for everyone by 2030.
The day is dedicated to raising awareness about water-related issues, such as water pollution, water scarcity, insufficient water supply, and inadequate sanitation. The objective is to inspire individuals to manage freshwater resources sustainably and take necessary actions to address these issues.

AFINDEX-2023:

The Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX-2023) has begun with the participation of 100 participants from 23 African countries, including Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia, among others.
The exercise aims to improve interoperability and operational readiness for UN peacekeeping missions, and focuses on Humanitarian Mine Action and Peace Keeping Operations. The joint exercise is divided into four phases, including training of trainers, a Humanitarian Mine Action and Peace Keeping Operations Phase, and a validation exercise to assess the results of the training.
The exercise seeks to enhance peace and security, exchange ideas, and promote a collaborative approach in capacity enhancement of African armies. Tactical drills, procedures, and the ability to operate jointly with seamless interoperability are the primary focus of the joint exercise.

Sports Events:

Pankaj Advani:

Pankaj Advani, the Indian cue sports champion, has retained his Asian Billiards title in the 100-up format after defeating his compatriot Brijesh Damani 5-1 in the final held at Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation (QBSF) Academy.
Advani, who has won the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) world championship 25 times, won the match with a scoreline of 100(51)-18, 100(88)-9, 86(54)-101(75), 100-26, 100(66)-2, 101(64)-59.

Rani Rampal:

Rani Rampal, a prominent player on the Indian hockey team, has achieved a significant milestone as the first woman in the sport to have a stadium named after her.
The MCF Rae Bareli has renamed the hockey stadium to ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf’ in her honor.

Sergio Perez:

At the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix of the 2023 Formula One season, Sergio Perez displayed a dominant performance and earned his first win. His teammate at Red Bull, Max Verstappen, secured the second position after starting from the 15th spot.
Although Verstappen retained his lead in the championship standings with his fastest lap, Fernando Alonso was the focus of the battle for the final podium spot, finishing in third place.

Makers Hive and Vilay Sports:

Makers Hive and Vilay Sports have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), which was witnessed by Dr Deepa Malik, the current president of PCI, para-athlete Shri Devendra Jhajharia, and others.
The MOU signing marks a significant collaboration between the three organizations. Vilay Sports is a sports management company that aims to establish and maintain partnerships across various sports domains.
The company provides comprehensive services and advanced solutions to its clients to facilitate their achievements.
Vilay Sports is excited to collaborate with Makers Hive, an inventive assistive technology firm in India, and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), which is the country’s official governing body for parasports, to establish a sustainable lifestyle for individuals with disabilities.