Current Affairs in English – March 18, 19 2023

March 18-19, 2023

National Events:

BRO:

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on 16 March opened the strategic Zojila Pass for vehicle movement.
• Zojila Pass is located on the Greater Himalayan Range at an altitude of 11,650 feet which acts as a gateway between the Union Territories of Ladakh, and Jammu & Kashmir.
• It remained closed for only 68 days in 2023 as compared to 73 days in 2022.

LTTD:

• The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in March 2023 announced to set up of an emission-free Desalination plant in Lakshadweep.
• Currently, the desalination plants, each of which provides at least 100,000 liters of potable water every day, are powered by diesel generator sets. The NIOT will use Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) technology.

CISF:

• The Union home ministry has announced a 10 per cent reservation for former Agniveers in vacancies in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), just after taking a similar initiative for jobs for them in the BSF.
• Government also amended the rules of the Border Security Force (BSF) and brought in similar changes. As per the notification, the upper age limit for candidates of the first batch of Agniveers shall be relaxed by up to five years, whereas the other batches shall get age relaxation by up to three years.
• The scheme aims to induct youth between 17-and-a-half years of age and 21 years of age on a four-year short-term contractual basis. It has been designed to ensure a youthful profile of the Armed Forces.

Ministry of Steel:

• The Ministry of Steel has signed 57 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with 27 companies for specialty steel production under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme.
• The government has allocated Rs. 6322 crores to boost the steel sector and generate an investment of about Rs. 30,000 crores, creating an additional capacity of approximately 25 million tonnes of specialty steel over the next five years.
• This move is expected to create numerous direct and indirect job opportunities while helping India achieve its goal of becoming the world’s third-largest economy by 2030-31.

Ordnance Factory Day:

• In India, Ordnance Factory Day is celebrated annually on March 18th, marking the establishment of the first Ordnance factory by the British in Cossipore, Kolkata, in 1801 during colonial rule.
• The Ministry of Defence celebrates this day by raising the Indian flag, singing the national anthem, and showcasing various artillery and military equipment used by the Indian Armed Forces to the public.
• Ordnance Factories are a government branch responsible for researching, developing, testing, producing, and marketing weapons for the military.

Svaya Robotics:

• Svaya Robotics, a Hyderabad-based company, has partnered with two DRDO labs, the Research and Development Establishment in Pune (R&DE) and Defence Bio-engineering & Electro Medical Laboratory in Bengaluru (DEBEL), to create India’s first quadruped robot and wearable exo-skeleton.
• The company has designed both robots to serve multiple purposes in industries and healthcare, and they are dual-use robots.

Kavilmadam Ramasamy Parvati:

• India’s Kavilmadam Ramasamy Parvati has been appointed as the United Nations Coordinator for Tajikistan by UN Secretary General Qatar.
• She was previously a member of the UN. She played an important role in the World Food Program in countries like Turkey and Afghanistan.

Rajasthan:

• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Khelat announced the creation of 19 new districts, including a new one following the reorganization of the existing Jaipur and Jodhpur districts.
• With 50 districts, Rajasthan now has the third highest number of districts in the country after Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In terms of population, the state ranks seventh. 19 new districts have been declared now.

BPCL:

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) on 17 Mar’23 appointed G. Krishnakumar as its new Chairman & Managing Director.
• He is currently serving as the Executive Director of the company. Krishnakumar has been associated with BPCL for 36 years, leading the organization’s customer-centric ventures into convenience retailing, premium fuels, and new tech & digital initiatives in the company.

HDFC & HDFC Bank:

• The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on 17 Mar 2023, approved the merger of HDFC & HDFC Bank. HDFC Ltd has already received approvals from the Reserve Bank of India, and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• NCLT has also given approval for holding a shareholders’ meeting for obtaining approval for the proposed merger. The merger is expected to be completed by end of FY24.

India Post & Shiprocket:

• India Post signed an MoU with Shiprocket to enhance its last-mile delivery services for various E-commerce products.
• The MoU will provide shipping and last-mile delivery services to Shiprocket’s three lakh strong seller base which includes Startups and a large number of small and medium businesses. It would also enable automated shipping and faster delivery for merchants.

NFR:

• The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) announced that Meghalaya has got the electric train for the first time in March 2023. NFR has completed the electrification of Dudhnai – Mendipathar line section and Abhayapuri Pancharatna double line section on 15th March, 2023.
• Mendipathar is the only railway station in the northeastern state of Meghalaya which is in operation since 2014.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Mega textile parks:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that mega textile parks will be set up in 7 states including Tamil Nadu. Textile parks will be set up in the states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• These mega textile parks help in strengthening the textile sector. He also said that it will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for the textile industry.

Navratna:

• Chief Minister M.K.Stalin announced the Navratna announcements to the women guards during the golden jubilee function of the women constables held at Nehru Indoor Stadium.
• They are the awarding of kalaignar police trophy to women policemen, improvement of police children’s shelter, holding a national conference on women in police force in Tamil Nadu, changing the police squad class from 7am to 8am, setting up hostels for women policemen in Chennai and Madurai.
• The chief minister has announced that the shooting competition will be held separately and awards will be given, a separate rest room will be set up for female constables in all police stations, an advisory committee will be formed in the DGP office, leave and job transfer will be given according to their family environment.

International Events:

Ram Sakaya Prasad Yadav:

• Ram Sakaya Prasad Yadav from Madhes region was elected as the third Vice President of Nepal. He belongs to Samajwadi Party.
• In this election, Ram Sakaya Prasad Yadav got a total of 30,328 votes from 184 Members of Parliament and 329 Provincial Assembly Members. Followed this he was chosen as the new Vice President.

Terror-hit countries:

• India was among the 25 worst terror-hit countries, according to the 10th edition of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2023.
• The report said deaths globally from terrorism fell by 9% to 6,701 in 2022. Afghanistan remained the country most impacted by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year. Pakistan remained among the 10 countries most affected by terrorism in 2022.

ICC:

• The International Criminal Court (ICC) on 17 March 2023 issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• The court alleges he is responsible for war crimes and has focused its claims on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, is also wanted by the ICC for the same crimes.

First North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member:

• Poland’ President Andrzej Duda announced to send four Soviet-era Mig-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming days.
• The transfer would make Poland the first North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member to have delivered the fighter jets. Slovakia has also announced that it would send 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

First cross-border energy pipeline:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first cross-border energy pipeline through a video presentation. The first cross-border energy pipeline has been constructed at a cost of ₹377 crores.
• Capable of transporting one million metric tons of high-speed diesel per year, the pipeline will supply high-speed diesel to seven districts in Bangladesh. It will enhance the existing energy cooperation between the two countries and further boost the development of the agricultural sector in Bangladesh.

World Sleep Day:

• World Sleep Day 2023 is an annual event observed on the Friday before the Spring Vernal Equinox to raise awareness about the significance of sleep. This year, it falls on March 17, 2023. The day aims to reduce the burden of sleep disorders on society by promoting better prevention and management.
• The World Sleep Committee of the World Sleep Society, founded by World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) and World Sleep Federation (WSF), organizes this day. Just as exercising and consuming healthy food is essential for the body, sleep is also crucial for maintaining good health. While we sleep, our brains recharge and our bodies heal. Recognizing the importance of sleep can help address the issue of sleep disorders.

Global Recycling Day:

• Every year on March 18th, Global Recycling Day is celebrated to increase people’s comprehension about the harmful effects of plastic on the environment.
• This day also promotes recycling as a crucial concept and encourages people to organize events throughout the year to spread awareness about this cause.

World’s Greatest Places:

• 2 Indian places grabs spot in list of World’s Greatest Places of 2023.
• India’s Mayurbhanj and Ladakh, which have been chosen for their endangered tigers and historic temples, as well as their adventures and cuisine, respectively, are two of the 50 locations which are featured in the TIME Magazine’s list of World’s Greatest Places in 2023.

Sports Events:

Irani Cup:

• In the final of the Irani Cup 2022/23, Team Rest of India secured their 30th title win in the Indian domestic tournament, continuing their dominant performance.
• They defeated Madhya Pradesh by 238 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who showcased brilliant batting skills across both innings, was adjudged the Player of the Match. He smashed a double century and a century in the two innings, contributing significantly to ROI’s victory.
• The Irani Cup, named after the late Z. R. Irani, was introduced in 1959-60 and is a traditional five-day match played between the Ranji Trophy winners and a Rest of India team. It is considered one of the most prestigious domestic cricket tournaments in India.