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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Bank of Baroda unveils co-branded debit card under Tamil Nadu govt Pudhumai Penn scheme for girl students

• Public sector Bank of Baroda (BoB) has partnered with the Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) to offer co-branded RuPay Platinum Debit Card in TN offering customised solutions to its users.
• BoB has launched the debit card that would be offered to the beneficiaries of the state government’s ‘Pudhumai Penn’ scheme.
• The card offers personal accident insurance coverage up to Rs 2 lakh per annum and the joining and annual fees for the first year has been waived off.
• The card was inaugurated at an event in Chennai, TN by T Udhayachandran, principal secretary of the TN government’s special implementation department, and A Saravanakumar, general manager and zonal head of BoB.

About ‘Pudhumai Penn’ scheme : 

• The Pudhumai Penn scheme by the government aims to enhance the enrolment ratio of the girls from government schools to higher educational institutions.
• Through this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month would be provided to every girl till the completion of their degree course.

About BoB :

• Founded : 20 July 1908
• Headquarters : Vadodara, Gujarat
• Non-Executive Chairman : Dr. Hasmukh Adhia
• MD & CEO : Shri Sanjiv Chadha
• Tagline : India’s International Bank

RCB ropes in Equitas Small Finance Bank as banking partner for 2023 season of T20                      

• Equitas Small Finance Bank has partnered T20 cricket team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the 2023 season of the T20 league.
• The RCB team will don the Equitas Small Finance Bank logo on the lead trousers as part of the team’s jersey.

Aim : 

• To communicate that Equitas has been playing a progressive role in transforming the lives of individuals through their lending and social responsibilities of ‘beyond banking’

About Equitas Small Finance Bank : 

• Founded : 2007
• Headquarters : Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
• MD & CEO : Vasudevan P N
• At present, Equitas has 10 branches across Bengaluru serving over 1.7 lakh customers with 170 employees.

India & World Bank signed loan agreement for construction of Green National Highway Corridors Project in 4 States

• Road and Highways Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari revealed in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the Government of India (GoI) and the World Bank have signed a contract for the construction of the Green National Highway Corridors Project (GNHCP) with a total length of 781 km in 4 states such as Himachal Pradesh (HP), Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• It will be done using a loan of $500 million from the World Bank, with a total project cost of US$1288.24 million (7,662.47 crores).

Objective :

• To demonstrate safe and green highways keeping in view climate resilience and use of green technologies by incorporating the provisions of conservation of natural resources using cement treated sub base/reclaimed asphalt pavement, use of local/ marginal material such as lime, fly ash, waste plastic, bio-engineering measures for slope protection such as hydroseeding, coco/jute fibre etc., which will enhance the ability of Ministry to bring Green technologies into the mainstream.

About Ministry of Road Transport & Highways : 

• Cabinet Minister : Nitin Gadkari
• Minister of State : General V. K. Singh

About World Bank : 

• Established : December 1944
• Headquarters : Washington, D.C., U.S
• President : David Malpass
• The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Union Minister Narender Singh Tomar inaugurates “AgriUnifest” in Bengaluru

• AgriUnifest has been inaugurated by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar in Bengaluru.
• AgriUnifest is a 5-day cultural program organized by Bangalore Agricultural University in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• Over 2500 talented students have taken part, showcasing their skills in 18 events under 5 disciplines.
• These disciplines are Music, Dance, Literature, Theatre and Fine Arts.
• ICAR conceptualized and initiated the All India Inter Agricultural University Youth Festival during 1999-2000.
• Shri Tomar said that through events like “AgriUnifest” at different places, hidden talents emerge in various fields.

India’s Milk Production Rises 5% To 221.06 Million Tonne In FY22

• Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Parshottam Rupala released an annual publication ‘Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2022’.
• In 2021-22, India’s milk production registered an annual growth rate of 5.29 %.
• The total milk production was 221.06 million tonnes in FY22.
• Rajasthan (15.05 %), Uttar Pradesh (14.93 %), Madhya Pradesh (8.06 %), Gujarat (7.56 %) and Andhra Pradesh (6.97 %) are the top five major milk-producing states.
• The per-capita availability of milk was 444 gram/day during 2021-22.
• The total egg production stood at 129.60 billion in 2021-22.
• It has increased by 6.19 % as compared to the previous year.
• Andhra Pradesh (20.41 %), Tamil Nadu (16.08 %), Telangana (12.86 %), West Bengal (8.84 %) and Karnataka (6.38 %) are the top five major egg-producing states in India.
• In 2021-22, the per-capita availability of eggs was 95 nos per annum.
• In 2021-22, the total meat production in India stood at 9.29 million tonnes.
• It has registered an annual growth of 5.62 %.
• Maharashtra (12.25 %), Uttar Pradesh (12.14 %), West Bengal (11.63 %), Andhra Pradesh (11.04 %), and Telangana (10.82 %) are the top meat-producing states in India.
• In 2021-22, the per-capita availability of meat was 6.82 kg/annum.
• During 2021-22, the total wool production was 33.13 thousand tonnes.
• It has declined by 10.30% as compared to the previous year.

Loans worth over Rs 30,000 crore sanctioned to women entrepreneurs since 2016

• Under the Stand-Up India scheme, 1.75 lakh loans amounting to Rs 39,517 crore as of February has been sanctioned since the launch in April 2016.
• A total of 1.40 lakh loans amounting to Rs 32,161 crore were sanctioned to women entrepreneurs.
• The data was shared by the minister of state in the finance ministry Bhagwat Karad in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
• Launched in April 2016, the scheme facilitates loans from SCBs between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and one woman borrower per bank branch.
• The purpose of granting the loan is for setting up of greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services or trading sector.
• This was implemented through more than 8,000 Hand Holding Agencies (HHAs) on-boarded on the Stand-Up Mitra Portal for providing handholding to the aspiring entrepreneurs in areas like application filing, project report preparation, skilling, financial training etc.

Dr. Jitendra Singh says, an amount of Rs. 2177 crore is allocated for implementation of O-SMART scheme

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that Rs 2,177 crore is allocated for implementation of O-SMART scheme from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• In November 2021, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the continuation of the umbrella scheme ‘Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)’ for the 2021-26 period at a cost of Rs 2,177 crore.
• The scheme on O-SMART aims at providing ocean information services, exploration and survey of oceans and resources, developing technologies for sustainable utilisation of ocean resources (both living and non-living), and promoting front ranking research on ocean sciences.
• O-SMART is being implemented by autonomous/attached institutes of the ministry.
• They are:

1. National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai
2. Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad

• National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa

1. Center for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi
2. National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai as well as involving other national institutes.

• The present decade has been declared as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development by the United Nations (UN) and the scheme would strengthen the stand in the global oceanographic research and technology development.
• This scheme would contribute significantly towards national policy on blue economy for effective and efficient use of the vast ocean resources in a sustainable way.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Uttarakhand govt approves 10 % horizontal reservation for statehood activists in state government jobs

• The government of Uttarakhand has given approval to the 10% horizontal reservation to the statehood activists in the state government job.
• This decision has been taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami in Bharadisain.

Key Highlights : 

• The decision on reservation for people agitating for the formation of a separate state is significant because earlier the governor had rejected the bill, giving 10% reservation to the people agitating for the formation of the state.
• For the last 12 years, the workers agitating for the formation of the state are not getting the benefit of reservation in government jobs.
• The cabinet approved the new solar policy and the proposal to increase the MLA Local Area Development Fund from Rs 3 crore 75 lakh to Rs 5 crore per year.
• Also, the cabinet approved enhancement of financial assistance to Mahila Mangal Dal from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 40 lakh and grant for beautification of temples from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

About Uttarakhand : 

• Governor: Gurmit Singh
• Chief Minister : Pushkar Singh Dhami
• National Park : Corbett National Park (the first national park of India), Valley of Flowers National Park, Nanda Devi National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary :Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary

G20 themed flower festival begins in New Delhi

• The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is organising a two-day Group-20 (G20)-themed flower festival at Central Park, Connaught Place, in the national capital, New Delhi, Delhi, India
• The flower festival, themed ‘Colour and Vibrancy’, was inaugurated by Union Minister of Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav.

Aim : 

• To showcase the vibrancy and colourful display of G20 members and guest countries
• The 4 G20 countries – China, Japan, Singapore and the Netherlands are participating in the NDMC G20 Flower Festival.
• The flower plants and any other plants of the guest countries may showcase various varieties of potted plants either locally produced or of their home country.

About NDMC : 

• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairperson : Amit Yadav
• Vice-Chairperson : Satish Upadhyay

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Wholesale inflation eases to 3.85% in February

• Wholesale price-based inflation declined for the ninth consecutive month.
• WPI inflation declined to 25-month low of 3.85% in February 2023.
• WPI-based inflation rate was 4.73% in January 2023.
• It was 13.43% in February 2022.
• Inflation in food articles increased to 3.81% in February 2023.
• This was 2.38% in January 2023.

India’s retail inflation eases to 6.44% in February

• Retail inflation declined marginally to 6.44% in February 2023.
• It has declined mainly on account of easing in prices of food and fuel items.
• Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation rate was 6.52% in January 2023 and 6.07% in February 2022.
• Rate of inflation for the food basket was 5.95% in February 2023.
• Retail inflation has stayed above the RBI’s upper tolerance range of 6% since January 2022, with the exception of November and December 2022.
• RBI is required to make sure that retail inflation remains at 4% with a range of 2% on either side.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

US, Australia and Britain to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines

• The US, Australia and Britain have announced an agreement to provide Australia with nuclear attack submarines.
• This decision is an important step towards countering China’s growing activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
• US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the AUKUS project agreement at the US Naval Base in San Diego, California.
• Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines and the construction of indigenous warships is the biggest ever defense investment in his country’s history.
• Mr Albanese said that under this deal Australia would buy five US-built nuclear-powered submarines and later work on building a new model with British and American technology as part of an ambitious plan.
• The submarines will be modeled after the United Kingdom’s next-generation nuclear submarine design and will incorporate up-to-date American technology.
• The submarines will be known as “SSN-AUKUS” and will be built and used by both the UK and Australia.
• Britain will receive delivery of its first SSN-AUKUS submarine in the late 2030s, and Australia will take delivery of its first in the early 2040s.
• The ships will be manufactured by Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems.
• The trilateral security partnership named “AUKUS” was signed between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in September 2021.

Jaguar Land Rover partners with Tata Technologies

• Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will partner with Tata Technologies to accelerate the digital transformation of its industrial strategy.
• The company said the first phase will include UK core production facilities with solutions subsequently deployed to other global locations.
• Tata Technologies will deliver end-to-end integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to transform the company’s manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, finance, and purchasing modules by bringing data and knowledge from multiple departments into one single source.
• Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company of Jaguar Land Rover Limited, also known as JLR, and is a British multinational automobile manufacturer owned by Tata Motors which produces luxury vehicles and sport utility vehicles.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

Singapore Changi Airport Named World’s Best Airport 2023 By Skytrax

• One of the busiest passenger hubs for South East Asia, Singapore Changi Airport has topped the list of the World’s Best Airports for 2023.
• This beauty has maintained its rank for eight consecutive years.
• On March 16, 2023, the UK consultancy firm Skytrax adjudged Changi Airport as the Best in Annual Ranking.
• The Airport Awards were held at the Passenger Terminal EXPO in Amsterdam where Singapore’s airport won the accolade of being the top choice for excursionists.
• Skytrax is a leading UK-based airline and airport site that releases reviews and rankings every year.
• For the 12th time, Changi Airport has been honoured for its unique scenic sights that fill the hearts of travellers with delight.
• While Doha Hamad International Airport missed the spot this year which was the 2021 and 2022 Airport of the Year.
• It acquired second position and also won recognition for being the best airport in Shopping, in the Middle East along with the Cleanest one in the Middle East categories.
• It was followed by Tokyo Haneda Airport which occupied the third spot.
• Apart from this, it also won awards at the World’s Cleanest Airport, the World’s Best Domestic Airport and the Best Airport PRM and Accessible Facilities.
• As per the World Airport Survey, customers around the globe rated, ranked and voted for the various top-notch airports. Here is the complete list of Top 10 Airports of the World released by the UK-based global guide Skytrax.
• Singapore Changi Airport , Doha Hamad International Airport, Tokya Haneda International Airport , Seoul Incheon International Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Istanbul Airport, Munich Airport, Zurich Airport.
• Tokyo Narita Airport, Madrid Barajas Airport

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Mr Gianni Infantino re-elected as FIFA President for the 3rd time

• 52-year-old Swiss-Italian lawyer Mr Gianni Infantino has been re-elected as the president of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) until 2027.
• He secured a third term in office by acclamation after running unopposed at the FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda.
• Earlier, FIFA had approved the expansion of the men’s World Cup with 40 more matches, starting with the 2026 edition hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.

About Mr Gianni Infantino : 

• Mr Infantino was born on 23 March 1970 in Brig, Switzerland.
• He became Deputy General Secretary of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in 2007 and Secretary General of UEFA in October 2009.
• He oversaw the expansion of UEFA Euro 2016 to 24 teams & played a role in the conception of the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Euro 2020, which took place in then 13 (now 11) European nations.
• He was first elected as the president of FIFA in February 2016, & was re-elected in June 2019.
• In January 2020, he was also elected a member of the International Olympic Committee

About FIFA : 

• Founded : 21 May 1904
• Headquarters : Zürich, Switzerland
• Membership : 211 national associations
• The FIFA  is the international governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal.

FSIB recommends Mr Ashwani Kumar as Managing Director of UCO Bank

• The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has recommended the name of Indian Bank executive director Mr Ashwani Kumar for the position of Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Director (CEO) in UCO Bank.
• The incumbent, Mr Soma Sankara Prasad, will complete his tenure on May 31, 2023.
• Prior to joining Indian Bank, Mr Kumar was serving as chief general manager of Mumbai Zone of Punjab National Bank (PNB).

About FSIB : 

• FSIB is headed by former secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Bhanu Pratap Sharma.
• The final decision on the FSIB recommendation would be taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

About UCO Bank : 

• Established : 6 January 1943
• Headquarters : Kolkata, West Bengal, India
• UCO Bank, formerly United Commercial Bank, is a central public sector bank under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

TCS CEO Mr Rajesh Gopinathan quits & Mr K Krithivasan appointed as CEO designate

• The Board of Directors of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has appointed Mr K Krithivasan as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) designate.
• He succeeded Mr Rajesh Gopinathan, who decided to step down to pursue other interests.
• Mr Rajesh Gopinathan will continue with the company till September 15, 2023 to provide transition and support to his successor.

About Mr K Krithivasan : 

• Mr Krithivasan has been part of the global technology sector for over 34 years.
• He joined TCS in 1989.
• He is a member of the Board of Directors of TCS Iberoamerica, TCS Ireland, and the supervisory board of TCS Technology Solutions AG.
• Currently, Mr Krithivasan is the President and Global Head of the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) Business Group at TCS.

About TCS : 

• Founded : 1968
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman : Natarajan Chandrasekaran
• TCS is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company.
• It is a part of the Tata Group.

Climate Entrepreneur Shreya Ghodawat Appointed as the India’s Ambassador of She Changes Climate

• Climate entrepreneur, Shreya Ghodawat has been appointed as the India Ambassador of She Changes Climate.
• A special initiative for International Women’s Day was launched by Global non-profit organisation ‘She Changes Climate’.
• It was titled ‘Embrace Equity’ & its aim is to raise the voices of women around the impacts of climate change.
• Shreya Ghodawat hosted an event at One8 Commune, Pune.
• As part of the event, a special film was screened on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
• The SHE Changes Climate film was nominated for awards from The Earth Future Festivals.
• The film was created by She Changes Climate in partnership with Visionary Pictures.

Mr Anup Bagchi to take over as MD & CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance

• The Board of Directors of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has approved the appointment of Mr Anup Bagchi as the Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company for a period of 5 consecutive years with effect from June 19, 2023.
• He will replace Mr NS Kannan, who will superannuate from the services of the company on the completion of tenure of his appointment on June 18, 2023.
• Also, to ensure a seamless transition, Mr Bagchi has been appointed Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from May 1, 2023.

About Mr Anup Bagchi : 

• Mr Bagchi had joined the ICICI Group in 1992 & has worked in retail banking, corporate banking, and treasury.
• He was a RBI’s expert committee on ‘Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ (MSME) and of SEBI’s Committee on ‘Financial and Regulatory Technologies’ (CFRT).
• He was in the Executive Committee of National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), Advisory Committee of BSE and was Co-Chairman of FICCI’s Capital Markets Committee.
• He was also a member of SEBI’s Secondary Markets Advisory Committee (SMAC), Fair Market Conduct Committee and Committee on Financial and Regulatory Technologies and Risk Management Review Committee.
• He has been Executive Director of ICICI Bank since February 2017 and Non-Executive Director of ICICI Prudential Life since October 2018.

About ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited : 

• Founded : 2000
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra,India
• It is established as a joint venture (JV) between ICICI Bank Limited and Prudential Corporation Holdings Limited.
• ICICI Prudential Life is engaged in life insurance and asset management business.

Mr Ravi Chaudhary becomes the 1st Indian-American to be the new Assistant Secretary of US Air Force

• The United States (US) Senate announced that Indian-American Mr Ravi Chaudhary has been appointed as the Assistant Secretary of US Air Force for Energy, Installations, and the Environment.
• The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and the Environment is responsible for the Air Force’s sustainability and operational readiness, including installations and basing strategy, as well as ensuring the quality of military housing.
• Mr Chaudhary will be the first Indian-American to serve as an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force.
• He won the mandate by a vote of 65-29.

About Mr Ravi Chaudhary : 

• Mr Chaudhary served as an active duty Air Force pilot between 1993 and 2015, conducting numerous combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
• He has served as a Senior Executive at the US Department of Transportation, where he was Director of Advanced Programs and Innovation, Office of Commercial Space at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Navy’s P8I participates in 3rd edition of ASW ‘Exercise Sea Dragon 23’ at USA

• Indian Navy is participating in the third edition of the coordinated multi-lateral anti submarine warfare (ASW) exercise SEA DRAGON 23 exercise in waters off Guam, USA which has been scheduled from 15-30 March 2023.
• The annual exercise launched in 2014.

About SEA DRAGON 23 exercise : 

• The Sea Dragon is an annual, multinational ASW exercise conducted by the United States Navy.

Participating Countries: 

• India, USA, Japan, Canada and South Korea.
• The Exercise would witness representation by an Indian Navy P8I, along with P8A of the US Navy, P1 from the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, CP 140 from the Royal Canadian Air Force and P3C from the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN).

Aim : 

• To achieve high levels of synergy and coordination between the friendly navies, which is based on their shared values and commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific.

Other Exercises between India and USA:

• Malabar Exercise
• Vajra Prahar
• Yudh Abhyas

IAF inducting ‘Vayulink’ system to identify friendly forces in combat

• The Indian armed forces are all set to introduce an indigenously developed Vayulink (‘Airlink’) system on the country’s north-eastern borders to identify friendly forces in war zones.
• It is expected to help in better coordination of military movement in complex war situations.

About Vayulink System : 

• The system was developed by Wing Commander Vishal Mishra, an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter pilot.
• It was unveiled by the IAF at the Aero India 2023 show in Bengaluru, Karnataka in Feb 2023.
• It would help increase transparency in the war zone by identifying friendly forces through secure jammer-proof communication, which would provide accurate weather information to pilots before take-off.

About IAF : 

• Established : 1932
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chief of the Air Staff :  Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
• Motto : Touch the sky with Glory

DRDO successfully conducts flight test of indigenous Power Take off Shaft on LCA Tejas in Bengaluru

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a maiden flight-test of Power Take off (PTO) Shaft on Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) Limited Series Production (LSP) – 3 aircraft in Bengaluru, Karnataka, in a major boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
• The PTO shaft is indigenously designed and developed by Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE), Chennai of DRDO.
• The PTO shaft technology has already been transferred to Godrej & Boyce, Mumbai and Lakshmi Technology and Engineering, Coimbatore.

About PTO Shaft : 

• The PTO shaft is an important part of the aircraft, which will be helpful for the requirement and design of future fighter aircraft.
• The PTO shaft is designed and manufactured with the unique innovation Patented ‘Frequency Spanning Technique’, which enables a variety of operating engine speeds.
• It is the lightest, smallest and tailless multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft in its class.
• This aircraft is designed to carry a range of air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided, weapons.
• The maximum payload capacity of Tejas is 4000 kg.
• The PTO shaft, which is a critical component in the aircraft, will support the requirements of future fighter aircraft and their variants and offers competitive cost and reduced time of availability.
• Speed: Mach 1.8.

About DRDO : 

• Established : 1958
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman : Dr Sameer V Kamath
• The DRDO is the premier agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Government of India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Olympic gold medallist and American high jump pioneer Dick Fosbury Passed away

• An American high jumper & Olympic gold medalist Richard Douglas Fosbury passed away at the age of 76 in Utah, United States (US).

About Dick Fosbury : 

• Dick Fosbury was born in Portland, Oregon,USA
• He is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field.
• He won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, revolutionising the high jump event with a “back-first” technique now known as the Fosbury flop.
• Fosbury was the first athlete to jump “back first,” shifting his centre of gravity and revolutionising a discipline that had been largely unchanged in 50 years as athletes maintained the forward-facing straddle technique.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Oral Health Day: March 20

• World Oral Health Day 2023 is observed on the 20th of March
• It focuses on highlighting the benefits of good oral health, spreads awareness about oral diseases, and promotes the maintenance of oral hygiene.
• This year, World Dental Federation (FDI) unveiled the three-year theme (2021 – 2023),” Be Proud of Your Mouth” for World Oral Health Day (WOHD).
• The theme aims at motivating people to value and take care of their mouths and protect their general health and well-being by doing so.
• WOHD was first declared and originally celebrated on September 12, 2007, however, the campaign came into action in 2013.
• The day March 20 is marked to celebrate the event to avoid conflicts with FDI World Dental Congress that took place in September.
• The date was also chosen to reflect the importance of oral hygiene and care as the children must have 20 baby teeth and the senior citizens must be left with 20 teeth at the end of their life.
• Healthy adults must have 32 teeth with 0 dental cavities.

International Day of Happiness: March 20

• International Day of Happiness 2023 is observed on the 20th March
• The International Day of Happiness Theme for the current year 2023 is, Keep Calm, Stay Wise, Be Kind.
• International Day of Happiness 2023 aims to celebrate happiness all over the world, inspiring people to spread positivity, whether big or small, with others and encouraging each nation to prioritize the happiness of its citizens
• Back in 2011, the idea was introduced to the United Nations by the advisor Jayme Illien.
• Illien also founded the United Nations New Economic Paradigm project and ‘happytalism’, which aim to change the way nations approach economic growth by focusing on ‘happytalism’ over capitalism.
• The General Assembly of the United Nations agreed with the proposal and officially founded the International Day of Happiness in July of 2012, with the occasion first being observed in 2013.

Daily CA One- Liner: March 19 & 20

• AgriUnifest has been inaugurated by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar in Bengaluru
• Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Parshottam Rupala released an annual publication ‘Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2022’
• Under the Stand-Up India scheme, 1.75 lakh loans amounting to Rs 39,517 crore as of February has been sanctioned since the launch in April 2016
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that Rs 2,177 crore is allocated for implementation of O-SMART scheme from 2021-22 to 2025-26
• Wholesale price-based inflation declined for the ninth consecutive month
• Retail inflation declined marginally to 6.44% in February 2023
• The US, Australia and Britain have announced an agreement to provide Australia with nuclear attack submarines
• Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will partner with Tata Technologies to accelerate the digital transformation of its industrial strategy
• One of the busiest passenger hubs for South East Asia, Singapore Changi Airport has topped the list of the World’s Best Airports for 2023
• World Oral Health Day 2023 is observed on the 20th of March
• International Day of Happiness 2023 is observed on the 20th March 2023
• Public sector Bank of Baroda (BoB) has partnered with the Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) to offer co-branded RuPay Platinum Debit Card in TN offering customised solutions to its users.
• Equitas Small Finance Bank has partnered T20 cricket team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the 2023 season of the T20 league.
• Road and Highways Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari revealed in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the Government of India (GoI) and the World Bank have signed a contract for the construction of the Green National Highway Corridors Project (GNHCP) with a total length of 781 km in 4 states such as Himachal Pradesh (HP), Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• The government of Uttarakhand has given approval to the 10% horizontal reservation to the statehood activists in the state government job.
• The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is organising a two-day Group-20 (G20)-themed flower festival at Central Park, Connaught Place, in the national capital, New Delhi, Delhi, India
• 52-year-old Swiss-Italian lawyer Mr Gianni Infantino has been re-elected as the president of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) until 2027.
• The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has recommended the name of Indian Bank executive director Mr Ashwani Kumar for the position of Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Director (CEO) in UCO Bank.
• The Board of Directors of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has appointed Mr K Krithivasan as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) designate.
• Climate entrepreneur, Shreya Ghodawat has been appointed as the India Ambassador of She Changes Climate.
• The Board of Directors of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has approved the appointment of Mr Anup Bagchi as the Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company for a period of 5 consecutive years with effect from June 19, 2023.
• The United States (US) Senate announced that Indian-American Mr Ravi Chaudhary has been appointed as the Assistant Secretary of US Air Force for Energy, Installations, and the Environment.
• Indian Navy is participating in the third edition of the coordinated multi-lateral anti submarine warfare (ASW) exercise SEA DRAGON 23 exercise in waters off Guam, USA which has been scheduled from 15-30 March 2023.
• The Indian armed forces are all set to introduce an indigenously developed Vayulink (‘Airlink’) system on the country’s north-eastern borders to identify friendly forces in war zones.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a maiden flight-test of Power Take off (PTO) Shaft on Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) Limited Series Production (LSP) – 3 aircraft in Bengaluru, Karnataka, in a major boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
• An American high jumper & Olympic gold medalist Richard Douglas Fosbury passed away at the age of 76 in Utah, United States (US).