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Important Current Affairs Of March 2023

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Current Affairs Of March 2023

National Current Affairs

  • The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the Women and Men in India 2022 report on March 16, 2023. The report revealed that India’s sex ratio, or the number of females per 1,000 males, is expected to improve from 943 in 2011 to 952 by 2036.
  • The fifth World Air Quality Report by IQAir shows that India is still facing a severe air pollution crisis. The report revealed that 39 Indian cities were among the world’s 50 most polluted cities based on PM2.5 levels in the air. Delhi was ranked fourth on the list of the world’s most polluted cities, and it was also the most polluted metropolitan city in the world. Bhiwadi in Rajasthan was the most polluted city in India and the third most polluted city in the world. Out of 131 countries, India ranked eighth with a population-weighted average PM2.5 level of 53.3 μg/m3 in 2022.
  • Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh recently highlighted the newly created ‘herSTART’ platform, which aims to support women-led startups and encourage women entrepreneurs.
  • A major feat has been achieved towards India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative with the installation of the world’s first 200-meter-long Bamboo Crash Barrier, named “Bahu Balli,” on the Vani-Warora Highway in Vidarbha, Maharashtra. It has also been accredited by the Indian Road Congress and provides an eco-friendly alternative to steel barriers with higher recycling value.
  • The Indian government recently announced the establishment of seven PM MITRA Parks in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. These parks are inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 5F vision, which aims to boost the Indian textile industry from Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign markets.
  • The Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium, a society promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of the Indian government, has launched a special marketing campaign called Millets Giveaway. The campaign is aimed at promoting direct purchases from small and marginal farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to support their livelihoods.
  • Heal in India is an initiative of the Indian Government aimed at promoting medical tourism in the country. This initiative is being led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Ayush.
  • India’s first quantum computing-based telecom network link has been made operational between Sanchar Bhawan and National Informatics Centre office in New Delhi.
  • Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah unveiled the statues of Lord Basaveshwara ji and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda ji at the State Assembly premises in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
  • Prime Minister Modi has recently launched an app called “Call Before You Dig” to prevent uncoordinated digging that can cause damage to underground utility assets, such as optical fibre cables.
  • The Agriculture Minister of India, Narendra Singh Tomar, has introduced a new platform called ‘DigiClaim’ on the national crop insurance portal.
  • Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, launched the Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard of MoPSW, known as ‘Sagar Manthan’.
  • The ‘Catch the Rain 2023’ campaign was introduced by President Droupadi Murmu with idea of sustainability of drinking water sources.

State Current Affairs

  • The state government of Kerala is planning to establish a Pattaya Mission by the end of April to tackle land record issues in the state. Under the leadership of MLAs in each district, the mission will work towards providing title deeds for all individuals.
  • The preliminary surveys conducted by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) found the presence of lithium reserves in the Madhya district of Karnataka. They indicate the presence of some 1,600 tonnes of the resource in pegmatite rocks.
  • The Bhojpur’s Millet Festival was organized from February 28 to March 1 in Bihar. Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Pashupati Kumar Paras inaugurated this event. It is part of the many Millet-related events conducted in 2023, which has been declared by the UN as the International Year of Millets.
  • The Keeladi museum was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in the Sivaganga district. This museum showcases the life of ancient Tamils during the Sangam Age. 
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated World`s longest railway platform of 1.5 kilometres at Sri Siddhaaroodha railway station in Hubballi in the state of Karnataka.
Current Affairs of March

International Current Affairs

  • On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the alleged war crimes.
  • China’s recent announcement of the Saudi-Iran détente in West Asia has been viewed as a strategic move aimed at securing long-term economic interests and establishing political influence in the region. This deal is set to rival the traditional role played by the United States in the area and has far-reaching implications for global politics.
  • Rwanda has taken a significant step forward in its fight against infectious diseases by becoming the first African country to house a facility for manufacturing messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.
  • Den­m­­ark inaugurated a project to store carbon dioxide 1,800 metres beneath the North Sea, becoming the first country in the world to bury CO2 imported from abroad.
  • Egypt has become a member of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB).
  • Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first submarine base of Bangladesh ‘BNS Sheikh Hasina’ at Pekua in Cox’s Bazar.
  • The US recognized McMahon Line as the international border.
  • Bhutan successfully met the least development countries (LDCs) graduation criteria in two United Nations triennial reviews of 2015 and 2018 and is set to graduate from the group of LDCs in 2023.
  • The annual World Happiness Report, published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, has just been released, and it reveals that Finland remains the happiest country in the world for the sixth consecutive year. India’s position in the World Happiness Report has improved from 136 to 126, although it is still behind its neighboring countries such as Nepal, China, and Bangladesh.
  • Saudi Arabia has become the dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Economy Current Affairs

  • India and Tanzania have received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to utilize their respective national currencies in bilateral trade settlements.
  • The Governor of the RBI, Shaktikanta Das, initiated the establishment of a “Greenfield Data Centre” and an “Enterprise Computing & Cybersecurity Training Institute” in Bhubaneswar.
  • On March 17th, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger of HDFC Ltd and HDFC Bank, which is considered to be the largest merger in the history of corporate India.
  • Canara Bank in collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched the Rupay Credit Card through UPI using the BHIM app.
  • RBI on March 15 said that it has signed an MoU with the Central Bank of United Arab Emirates for promoting innovation in financial product and services.
  • IDFC FIRST Bank, a private sector bank in India, has become the official banking partner of the Mumbai Indians.
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted banks from 18 countries to open Special Vostro Rupee Accounts (SVRAs) to settle payments in rupees.
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted an ‘Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC)’ status to Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA). It was earlier classified as an ‘Investment and Credit Company (ICC)’.
  • Starting from April 1, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has implemented interchange fees of up to 1.1 percent for prepaid payment instruments used in merchant UPI transactions.
  • YES Bank has collaborated with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) to issue its first electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG).

Sci-Tech Current Affairs

  • Baidu, the Chinese search giant, introduced its new chatbot, Ernie Bot. This came as competition to the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT and other similar chatbots.
  • Influenza sub-type H3N2, commonly called Hong Kong Flu, is causing a surge in hospitalizations due to respiratory illness across India. H3N2 is responsible for at least 92 per cent of all severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and outpatient influenza-like illnesses.
  • On March 8, Relativity Space, a startup company based in California, made history with the launch of Terran 1, the world’s first 3D-printed rocket. The launch is part of the “Good Luck, Have Fun” (GLHF) mission.
  • For the first time in Indian history, the Shree Krishna temple in Kerala introduced a mechanical elephant. The mechanical elephant will perform temple rituals here. It was presented by PETA India. The name of the elephant was Raman. It weighed 800 kg in weight and can carry 4 people.
  • For the first time, Oxygen-18 was detected in Earth’s mesosphere and lower thermosphere using the data collected by the GREAT instrument on NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). This is the first time that heavy oxygen has been detected outside a laboratory. Heavy oxygen has 10 neutrons compared to the 8 neutrons present in the more common isotope that we breathe. Unlike the inner core and outer core, this new fifth layer is solid.
  • Background radiation refers to the radiation emitted from natural sources such as rocks or mountains. A recent study conducted by scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) found that certain areas in Kerala are experiencing nearly three times more background radiation than previously assumed. The study is significant, as it sheds light on the natural radiation levels in India, which has important implications for the country’s nuclear energy plans.
  • Ozempic, a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, is facing global shortages due to its popularity on social media platforms and its potential for weight loss. This injectable drug was developed by the Danish pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk.

Person In NEWS Current Affairs

  • Shaktikanta Das, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has been named “Governor of the Year” for 2023 by Central Banking, an international economic research journal.
  • Ram Chandra Poudel, a veteran Nepali Congress leader and former Deputy Prime Minister, was elected as the new President of Nepal.
  • Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav becomes Nepal’s third Vice President.
  • The Indian government has appointed Deepak Mohanty as the new chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
  • Lalit Kumar Gupta has been approved as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI).
  • S.S. Dubey took charge as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
  • Rajesh Malhotra has been appointed as the principal director general of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

Sports Current Affairs

  • The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced that the 2023 edition of the SAFF Championship, South Asia’s most prestigious international football tournament, will be held in Bengaluru from June 21 to July 3.
  • The Carabao cup is also called the EFL cup. In 2023, the trophy was won by Manchester United.
  • 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.
  • Rohan Bopanna, a 43-year-old Indian tennis player, and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden have become the oldest duo to win an ATP Masters 1000 title.
  • Tim Paine, the former captain of the Australian test cricket team, has announced his retirement from cricket.
  • Team Rest of India won Irani Cup 2022/23 after defeating Madhya Pradesh in the final.
  • Gianni Infantino was re-elected as FIFA president until 2027.
  • Karnataka won Santosh trophy national football championship after defeating Meghalaya in the final.
  • Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh has been honoured with the Player-of-the-Year award by the Asian Chess Federation (ACF).
  • 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.
  • Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the popular Indian doubles badminton pair, secured their first doubles title of 2023 by winning the Swiss Open Super 300 finals.

Awards Current Affairs

  • Naveen Jindal has been awarded a lifetime achievement award by the University of Texas at Dallas for his accomplishments in industry, politics, and education. Jindal, who graduated from the University.
  • Tapoban, an NGO based in Pathsala, Assam, which focuses on supporting children with special needs and autism, has been honored with the prestigious Children’s Champion Award 2023.
  • Kashmir’s Aliya Mir honoured with Wildlife Conservation Award 2023.
  • Luis Caffarelli has won the 2023 Abel Prize.
  • Porter Prize 2023 was conferred recently to the Indian Government’s Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The award recognized the achievements of the ministry in the health sector, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Perumal Murugan’s novel ‘Pookkuzhi’, also known as ‘Pyre’ in English, has been nominated for the International Booker Prize 2023 longlist.
  • Aasif Sheikh, a wicketkeeper from Nepal, has been awarded the 2022 Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket Award.
  • The Music Academy has announced that the Sangita Kalanidhi award for 2023 will be presented to Bombay Jayashri.
  • India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, inaugurated the “Geoffrey Bawa: It is Essential To Be There” exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi.
  • Ratan Tata has been named an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) for his outstanding contributions to the Australia-India bilateral relationship.
  • The KK Birla Foundation has announced that Tamil writer Sivasankari will be the recipient of the prestigious Saraswati Samman award for the year 2022, for her 2019 memoir, Surya Vamsam.
  • Pagalkhana, a 2018 satirical novel by renowned Hindi author Dr. Gyan Chaturvedi, has been chosen for the 32nd Vyas Samman.
  • Sir David Alan Chipperfield has been selected as the 2023 Laureate of The Pritzker Architecture Prize.
  • Tokyo Olympic Games silver-medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has bagged the 2022 ’BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year’ award after a public vote.
  • Vinod Kumar Shukla has won the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature for lifetime achievement in literature.
  • 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.
  • The India Today Tourism Survey has chosen Jammu & Kashmir Tourism for best adventure tourism award.
  • The captain of the Argentina football team Lionel Messi recently won the Best FIFA Men’s player award.
  • Oscars Awards 2023
    • Best Picture: Everything Everywhere All At Once
    • Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh  (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
    • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser  (The Whale)
    • Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
    • Best Film Editing: Everything Everywhere All at Once
    • Best Original Song: “Naatu Naatu” (RRR)
    • Best Documentary Short Film: ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga

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