Daily Current Affairs March 11 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

No Smoking Day- 9^th March:

• “No Smoking Day” is celebrated annually on the second Wednesday of March to raise awareness about the ill effects of smoking.
• This year, it is celebrated on the 9th of March, 2022.
• This year, the theme for the “No Smoking Day” is “quitting smoking doesn’t have to be stressful.”
• The first “No Smoking Day” was celebrated in 1984 on Ash Wednesday.
• Since then, a year after it, the day has been celebrated every second Wednesday in March.
• The day mainly strives to spread awareness on the hazards of tobacco consumption through smoking and similar variability.

World Kidney Day: 10^th March

• World Kidney Day is an annual event observed every second Thursday in the month of March.
• This year World Kidney Day will be observed on March 10, 2022.
• The World Kidney Day 2022 theme is “Kidney Health for All”.
• The day aims to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.
• The observance of this day was started by the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations.
• World Kidney Day was first celebrated in

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Kailash Choudhary inaugurates Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2022:

• Union Minister of State Kailash Choudhary inaugurated Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2022 in New Delhi.
• The three-day Krishi Mela is being organized by the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) under the guidance of the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar. Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) presided over the function.
• On this occasion, Shri Choudhary dedicated “Pusa Agri Krishi Haat Complex” developed in two acres.
• Farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations will be able to do direct marketing of their products in the ‘Pusa Agri Krishi Haat Complex’.

Narayan Rane launches MSME Innovative Scheme & MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022:

• Union Minister for MSME Narayan Rane has launched the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design and IPR) along with the MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022.
• MSME Innovation “Scheme will promote and support untapped creativity of MSME sector.
• The primary objective of the scheme is to promote and support untapped creativity and to promote adoption of latest technologies in MSMEs that seek the validation of their ideas at the proof-of-concept level.
• Financial assistance up to 15 lakh per idea and up to Rs. 1.00 crore for relevant plant and machines will be provided.
• Financial assistance up to Rs. 40 lakh for design project and up to Rs. 2.5 lakh for student project will be provided.
• Financial assistance upto 5 lakhs for Foreign Patent, Rs. 1.00 lakh Domestic Patent, Rs. 2.00 lakh for GI Registration, Rs. 15,000/- for Design Registration, Rs.10,000/- for Trademark in the form of reimbursement.

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates 19 National Highway projects worth Rs 1407 crore in Haryana and Rajasthan:

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated 19 National Highway projects worth Rs 1407 crore in Haryana and Rajasthan.
• With the construction of these projects, tourism, agriculture, industry and trade will increase along with increase in employment in the states.
• With the construction of various major and minor bridges on NH-48, the adjoining areas will get rid of water logging and the travel of the people will be smooth.
• Dharuhera city will get rid of jam due to the construction of Dharuhera-Bhiwadi link road.
• Also, with these projects, the travel between Delhi – Jaipur will reduce.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UN Environment Assembly ends with 14 resolutions                                                    

• The 5^th UN Environment Assembly concluded in Nairobi with 14 resolutions to strengthen international action for climate, nature and a pollution-free planet to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
• The UNEA-5 was held in a hybrid format in Nairobi from 28 February to 02 March 2022.
• Theme: “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.
• The Assembly is made up of the 193 UN Member States and convenes every two years to advance global environmental governance.

14 resolutions :

1. Resolution to End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument
2. Resolution on an Enhancing Circular Economy as a contribution to achieving sustainable consumption and production
3. Resolution on Sustainable Lake Management
4. Resolution on Nature-based Solutions for Supporting Sustainable Development
5. Resolution on the environmental dimension of a sustainable, resilient and inclusive post COVID-19 recovery
6. Resolution on Biodiversity and Health
7. Resolution-Animal Welfare – Environment – Sustainable Development Nexus
8. Resolution on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
9. Resolution on Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure
10. Resolution on the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste
11. Resolution for a Science-Policy Panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution
12. Resolution text on environmental aspects of minerals and metals management
13. Resolution on the Future of the Global Environment Outlook
14. Resolution due regard to the principle of equitable geographical distribution, in accordance with paragraph 3 of article 101 of the Charter of the UN

About UNEP :

• Founded: 5 June 1972
• Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya
• Executive Director : Inger Anderson

Russia Surpasses Iran To Become World’s Most Sanctioned Country           

• According to the AI dashboard, Russia became the world’s most sanctioned country in the world surpassing Iran, Syria and North Korea, as its invasion of Ukraine.
• Since February 22, 2022, Russia has faced 2,778 new sanctions led by the US and European nations, bringing the total to 5,530.
• Before Feb. 22, Russia faced 2,754 sanctions making it the second-most sanctioned country in the world behind Iran.

Note :

• Before this Iran, has faced 3,616 sanctions against it over the last decade, mostly for its nuclear program and support of terrorism.
• Syria and North Korea have 2,608 and 2,077 sanctions,

About Russia :

• President: Vladimir Putin
• Prime minister: Mikhail Mishustin
• Currency: Russian ruble
• Capital: Moscow

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

ToneTag tie up with NSDL Payments Bank launches VoiceSe UPI digital payments for feature phone users

• ToneTag in partnership with NSDL Payments Bank and NPCI has recently rolled out its VoiceSe UPI digital payments for feature phone users under the guidance of RBI.
• This comes after the Reserve Bank of India has launched the UPI 123Pay facility that enables UPI payments for feature phone users.
• ToneTag, in association with NSDL Payments Bank, has launched its IVR ‘6366 200 200’ to bridge a considerable gap in accessibility of digital payments, especially in rural India.
• Users can call ‘6366 200 200’ where an Interactive voice response (IVR) guides the desired financial transaction.

About ToneTag :

• Founded : September 2013
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka
• CEO : Kumar Abhishek
• ToneTag is a company which uses encrypted sound waves to make offline, proximity-based contactless payments on any device.

About NSDL Payments Bank :

• Commenced Operations : October, 2018
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Abhijit Kamalapurkar
• Non Executive Director : Ms. Padmaja Chunduru

About NPCI :

• Founded : 2008
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Non-Exe Chairman : Biswamohan Mahapatra
• MD & CEO : Dilip Asbe

SEBI Increases Public Debt Investment Limit Through UPI To ₹ 5 Lakhs for retail investors

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) increased the investment limit for payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mechanism for retail investors buying debt securities in public issues to ₹ 5 lakh from ₹ 2 lakh.
• It will open on or after May 1, 2022.
• On Dec 09, 2021, NPCI had increased the per transaction limit in UPI from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh for UPI-based Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) Initial Public Offer(IPO).

Highlights :

• Under the new guidelines, the investor may utilize the UPI mechanism to block the funds for application value up to ₹5 lakh per application.
• The increased limit will be applicable on issue and listing of Non-convertible Securities, Securitised Debt Instruments, Security Receipts, Municipal Debt Securities and Commercial Paper.
• Investors can also block their limit to Rs5 lakh on App-based/ web interface applications with UPI mode.
• Further, a Sponsor Bank of a respective issue registered with SEBI shall modify the said changes.

About SEBI :

• Established : 12 April 1988 (Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.)
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman : Madhabi Puri Buch

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Singapore’s T Raja Kumar appointed president of FATF

• Singapore’s T Raja Kumar has been appointed as the president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• He replaced Dr. Marcus Pleyer.
• Mr. Raja will assume office on 1 July 2022 for a fixed two-year term.
• Singapore has been a member of the FATF since 1992, and this will be the first time Singapore is taking on the Presidency.

About T Raja Kumar :

• Raja who is the current Head of Singapore’s delegation to the FATF and has served in this capacity since 1 January 2015.
• He has also been a member of the Steering Group, which provides advice to the FATF President, since July 2018.
• He has served as Co-chairman of the National Interagency Committee on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) since January 2015.

About FATF :

• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Membership : 39
• President : Marcus Pleyer
• The FATF is the global money laundering and terrorism financing watchdog.
• It is an inter-governmental body established by G7 in 1989 that sets international standards to prevent and combat money laundering, terrorism and proliferation financing.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS

President Ram Nath Kovind confers Nari Shakti Puraskars on 29 women for 2020 and 2021

• On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 08, 2022, The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar- 2020 and 2021, at a special ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
• The award was conferred on 29 outstanding and exceptional women achievers for the years 2020 and
• 28 awards (14 each for the Year 2020 and 2021)- were presented to 29 women in recognition of their exceptional work towards empowerment of women, especially the vulnerable and marginalized.

List of Winners in Nari Shakti Puraskar 2020:

S.No	Name & Place	Description
1.	Anita Gupta (Bhojpur, Bihar)	Anita Gupta is a social entrepreneur.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is presented to her for outstanding contribution forempowering rural and underprivileged women.
2.	Arti Rana (Kheri, Uttar Pradesh)	Arti Rana, a handloom weaver and a teacher, is President of ‘Tharu Hath Karga Gharelu Udyog’, which was honored by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in 2016.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded in recognition of her exceptional work for underprivileged and tribal women.
3.	Dr. Ela Lodh (West Tripura, Tripura) (Posthumous)	Dr. Ela Lodh, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, served as Administrative Director of the  Tripura Health Service from 1990 until 2000.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded posthumously for her outstanding contribution towards women’s health particularly for the marginalised and underprivileged.
4.	Jaya Muthu and Tejamma (Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu)	Jaya Muthu and Tejamma are artisans, who make shawls and garments with intricate Toda embroidery, an art work of Toda pastoral people of Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to them for their extraordinary contribution for preserving and promoting the age-old intricate Toda Embroidery of Nilgiris.
5.	Jodhaiya Bai Baiga (Umaria, Madhya Pradesh)	Jodhaiya Bai Baiga, a Tribal Baiga Art Painter.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for resilience and brilliance in promoting the Tribal Baiga Art at the global level. By doing so, she is helping the art from becoming extinct.
6.	Meera Thakur (S.A.S Nagar, Punjab)	Meera Thakur is a Sikki Grass Artist, who established the ‘Folk Art Handicraft Training  Centre’, aided by the Ministry of Human Resource Development,GoI.     The Nari Shakti Puraskar is being awarded to her for promoting the unique Sikki Grass Art and empowering the underprivileged women in Punjab.
7.	Nasira Akhter (Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir)	Nasira Akhter is a grassroot innovator.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is being awarded to her for exemplary grassroots innovation for environmental conservation.
8.	Nivruti Rai (Bengaluru Urban, Karnataka)	Nivruti Rai is Country Head of Intel India.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for excellence in the field of technology, truly representing the 21st Century Women and empowering students to build Artifical Intelligence enabled Hi-Tech future for India.
9.	Padma Yangchan (Leh, Ladakh)	Padma Yangchan is an owner of a designer studio and a café, who revived the lost cuisine & clothing of Ladak.     The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for preserving and reviving the lost cuisine and hand weaving techniques of Ladakh and promoting it at International Level.
10.	Sandhya Dhar (Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir)	Sandhya Dhar is a divyang social worker who has been associated with Divyangjan Bill Rights.     The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to recognise her exceptional contribution and indomitable spirit & dedication towards divyangjan rights.
11.	Saylee Nandkishor Agavane (Pune, Maharashtra)	Saylee is a Kathak dancer.     The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her in recognition of her excellence in promoting Indian Classical Dance internationally despite facing hardship.
12.	Tiffany Brar (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)	Tiffany Brar founded the Jyothirgamaya Foundation that works for empowering blind people, particularly blind women.     Nari Shakti Puraskar is being awarded to her for exemplary work done for visually impaired rural women and motivating the masses despite being visually challenged.
13.	Ushaben Dineshbhai Vasava (Narmada, Gujarat)	Ushaben Dineshbhai Vasava is an organic farmer and tribal activist who ensured land entitlements to over 500 women.   She is the Chairperson of District ATMA Project.     Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for outstanding contribution in organic farming and assisting and educating the women farmers at ground level.
14.	Vanita Jagdeo Borade (Buldhana, Maharashtra)	Vanita Jagdeo Borade is the “First Women Snake Rescuer” who founded “SoyreVanchare Multipurpose Foundation” for nature and wildlife protection and for promoting pollution-free environment. Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded in recognition of her exemplary efforts in wildlife conservation particularly by rescuing Snakes and creating awareness on the subject

List of Winners in Nari Shakti Puruskar 2021:

Sl. No	Name and Place	Description
1.	Anshul Malhotra (Mandi, Himachal Pradesh)	Anshul Malhotra is founder of Krishna Wools. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her in recognition of her outstanding contribution for skilling the underprivileged rural women in learning handloom weaving and also for preserving and promoting Himachal Handloom.
2.	Batool Begam (Jaipur, Rajasthan)	Batool Begum, a Maand and Bhajan Folk Singer specialises in Rajasthani folk tunes. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for her outstanding contribution in promoting Indian folk music internationally and also being a source of inspiration for others.
3.	Kamal Kumbhar (Osamanabad, Maharashtra)	Kamal Kumbhar, an accomplished entrepreneur in the field of animal husbandry; founded ‘Kamal Poultry &EktaSakhi Producer Company’ in 1998.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for contribution in promoting women’s entrepreneurship in the field of animal husbandry
4.	Madhulika Ramteke (Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh)	Madhulika Ramteke is a social worker who works for the wellbeing of domestically abused women. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for remarkable efforts for upliftment of women and their economic empowerment.
5.	Neena Gupta (Kolkata, West Bengal)	Neena Gupta is a mathematician, researcher and professor at Statistics and Mathematics Unit of Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for her excellence in the field of Mathematics
6.	Neerja Madhav (Uttar Pradesh)	Neerja Madhav is a Hindi Author who promoted world peace, rights & reservation for Eunuchs & Tibetan refugees.   The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her in recognition of her work for marginalised people through Hindi Sahitya.
7.	Niranjanaben Mukulbhai, (Kalarthi, Surat, Gujarat)	Niranjanaben is an author and educator, who contributed immensely to Gujarati literature. The Nari Shakti Puruskar is awarded to her for promoting Gujarati language and to promote the education of underprivileged tribal girls.
8.	Pooja Sharma (Gurugram, Haryana)	Pooja Sharma, a farmer and entrepreneur hails from Gurugram, Haryana. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for her outstanding contribution in the field of skill development and empowerment of women and entrepreneurship.
9.	Radhika Menon (Dharwad, Karnataka)	Radhika Menon, the first Indian Woman Captain of Merchant Navy, hails from Thrissur, Kerala. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for excellence in Indian Merchant Navy & exemplary courage.
10.	Sathupati Prasanna Sree (Visakhapatanam, Andhra Pradesh)	Sathupati Prasanna Sree, Professor & Chairperson of the Board of Studies, Andhra University. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded for her exceptional contribution for preserving minority tribal languages.
11.	Shobha Gasti (Belagavi, Karnataka)	Shobha Gasti started Mahilla Abhivrudhi Mattu Samrakshana Samasthe (MASS).. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for remarkable efforts & exemplary contribution for the cause of empowerment of women and girls.
12.	Sruti Mohapatra (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)	Sruti Mohapatra, a disability rights activist is a former Chairperson of the Odisha State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and a current Member of the National Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She is known as the ‘Crusader in  Wheelchair. The Nari Shakti Puruskar is awarded for her indomitable spirit and for outstanding contribution towards the upliftment and empowerment of Divyangjan.
13.	Tage Rita Takhe (Subansiri, Arunachal Pradesh)	Tage Rita Takhe is an entrepreneur who produces ‘Naara Aaba’, India’s first organic kiwi wine. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is given to her for excellence in promoting women entrepreneurship and local product internationally.
14.	Thara Rangaswamy (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)	She is the co-founder and Vice Chairperson of Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) in Chennai. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is awarded to her for her innovative and relentless efforts to create awareness about and cure for mental disorders.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

Tripartite MoU signed between Ministry of Ayush, CSIR, and ICAR

• Ministry of Ayush has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for Inter-Ministerial co-operation for the promotion and facilitation of research and development, validation, and deployment of agri-technologies related to medicinal plants and their value-added products of benefit to humans, plants and animals.
• The MoU was signed by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General, ICAR and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, Director General, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR in New Delhi.

Objective :

• To take cognisance of the traditional agricultural practices of India, and undertake joint research and development (R&D) activities for validating and deploying these interventions for facilitating socio-economic growth.

About Ministry of Ayush :

1. Cabinet Minister : Sarbananda Sonowal
2. Minister of State : Mahendra Munjapara

About CSIR :

• Established : 26 September 1942
• Located at : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• President : Prime Minister of India
• Director General : Shekhar C. Mande

About ICAR :

• Established : 16 July 1929
• Located at : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Director : Trilochan Mohapatra
• Motto : Agrisearch with a human touch

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

Freedom of the World 2022 report – India ranked ‘partially free’ for second consecutive year

• According to the annual report titled Freedom in the World 2022 – The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule” by Freedom House, for the second consecutive year, India has been termed as a ‘partly free’ country in terms of democracy and free society.

India’s status in Freedom in the World 2022 :

• India scored 66 out of 100 in 2022 same as Malawi and Bolivia.
• India was assigned a score of 33 out of 40 on the criterion of ‘Political Rights’, and 33 out of 60 on that of ‘Civil Liberties’.

Note :

• In Freedom in the World 2022 report, 85 countries were termed as free, 56 as partly free and 69 as not free.
• India was a free country till 2020 when its score was 71.

About Freedom in the World :

• Freedom in the World is a yearly survey that measures the degree of civil liberties and political rights in every nation and significant related and disputed territories around the world.
• The report was launched in 1973 by Raymond Gastil.
• The Freedom in the World 2022 evaluated the state of freedom in a total of 210 (195 countries and 15 territories) during calendar year 2021.
• The report used 25 indicators, grouped into the categories of political rights and civil liberties to determine whether the country or territory has an overall status of Free, Partly Free, or Not Free.

About Freedom House :

• Founded : October 1941
• Headquarters : Washington, D.C.United States
• Chair : Michael Chertoff
• President : Michael J. Abramowitz
• Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Iran’s military successfully launches second military satellite Noor-2 into orbit

• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully launched a second military satellite, Noor-2, into orbit with the name meaning light in Persian language, into orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers (311 miles) from earth.

About Noor-2 :

• The three-stage Qased, or “Messenger,” carrier launched the Noor 2, from the Shahroud space port.
• The same type of rockets, which use a combination of liquid and solid fuels, carried the first military satellite

Additional Info :

• The first military satellite, launched by the Islamic Republic in April 2020, placed the Noor, at an orbit of 425km (265 miles) above the earth’s surface.

About Iran :

• President: Ebrahim Raisi
• Capital: Tehran
• Currency: Iranian rial

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITION AND MERGERS

CCI approves acquisition of Prione Business Services by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources:

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of Prione Business Services Private Limited by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited
• The proposed combination pertains to the proposed acquisition of Seventy-Six percent of the equity shares of Prione Business Services Private Limited (Target) by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited (Acquirer).
• Acquirer is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (ACI). ACI is the ultimate parent entity of the Amazon group.
• The Acquirer does not undertake any business activity in India.
• However, ACI, the ultimate parent company of the Acquirer, has certain indirect subsidiaries either registered in India or having business operations in India.

CCI approves acquisition of 100% share capital of L&T Investment Management by HSBC Asset Management:

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of 100% share capital of L&T Investment Management Limited by HSBC Asset Management (India) Private Limited.
• The proposed combination relates to acquisition of 100% equity share capital of L&T AMC by HSBC AMC from L&T Finance Holdings Limited and its nominees.
• The acquisition of equity shares of the Target falls under Section 5(a) of the Competition Act, 2002.

About HSBC:

• HSBC AMC is the asset management entity for operating the day-to-day functioning of HSBC Mutual Fund schemes (HSBC MF).
• It is responsible for managing investments of money pooled-in through investments in HSBC MF.
• HSBC AMC is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBC Group) and belongs to the HSBC Group of companies.

About L&T:

• L&T AMC is the asset management entity for operating the day-to-day functioning of L&T Mutual Fund schemes (L&T MF).
• It is responsible for managing investment of money pooled-in through investments made in L&T MF.
• L&T AMC is a wholly owned subsidiary of L&T Sponsor.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Mondo Duplantis sets pole vault world record of 6.19m in Belgrade:

• Sweden’s Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis etched his name in the record books yet again as he broke his own Pole vault world record during the World Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Belgrade.
• The arena will be playing host to the World Athletics Indoor Championships in the following week.
• Mondo Duplantis broke the record he had set in Glasgow in February 2020.
• In September of that year, he cleared 6.15m at the Rome Diamond League meeting to eclipse Sergey Bubka’s outdoor pole vault world best of 6.14m set in Sestriere in July 1994.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

Bhupendra Yadav releases Book titled ‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’:

• Union Minister for Labour and Employment & Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav released a book titled ‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’, on 9th March, 2022 at New Delhi.
• The Book contains 12 articles written by eminent academicians and practitioners on the contribution of labour in India’s development journey.
• As a part of the ‘Iconic Week of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, celebrating 75th year of India’s Independence, the V V Giri National Labour Institute has published this book.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Former Pakistani President Rafiq Tarar dies at 92:

• Rafiq Tarar, a veteran Pakistani politician and former Supreme Court judge who served as the country’s President from 1997 to 2001, passed away due to prolonged illness.
• He was 92.
• Tarar had served as Pakistan President between 1997 and 2001 after being nominated by the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
• Prior to his foray into politics with the PML-N, Tarar had served as a Supreme Court judge from 1991 to 1994.
• He also served as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from March 6, 1989 to October 31, 1991.
• After Sharif’s ouster by General Pervez Musharraf in 1999, Tarar was allowed to continue as president until 2001.

Daily CA On Mar 11:

• “No Smoking Day” is celebrated annually on the second Wednesday of March to raise awareness about the ill effects of smoking.
• World Kidney Day is an annual event observed every second Thursday in the month of March.
• Union Minister of State Kailash Choudhary inaugurated Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2022 in New Delhi.
• Union Minister for MSME Narayan Rane has launched the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design and IPR) along with the MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated 19 National Highway projects worth Rs 1407 crore in Haryana and Rajasthan.
• The 5^th UN Environment Assembly concluded in Nairobi with 14 resolutions to strengthen international action for climate, nature and a pollution-free planet to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals & with the Theme: “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.

• According to the Castellum.AI dashboard, Russia became the world’s most sanctioned country in the world surpassing Iran, Syria and North Korea, as its invasion of Ukraine.
• ToneTag in partnership with NSDL Payments Bank and NPCI has recently rolled out its VoiceSe UPI digital payments for feature phone users under the guidance of RBI.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) increased the investment limit for payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mechanism for retail investors buying debt securities in public issues to ₹ 5 lakh from ₹ 2 lakh.
• Singapore’s T Raja Kumar has been appointed as the president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) & he replaced Dr. Marcus Pleyer.
• On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 08, 2022, The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred the  Nari Shakti Puraskar’ – 2020 and 2021, at a special ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
• Ministry of Ayush has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for Inter-Ministerial co-operation for the promotion and facilitation of research and development, validation, and deployment of agri-technologies related to medicinal plants and their value-added products of benefit to humans, plants and animals.
• According to the annual report titled “Freedom in the World 2022 – The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule” by Freedom House,  for the second consecutive year, India has been termed as a ‘partly free’ country in terms of democracy and free society.
• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully launched a second military satellite, Noor-2, into orbit with the name meaning light in Persian language, into orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers (311 miles) from earth.

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of Prione Business Services Private Limited by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of 100% share capital of L&T Investment Management Limited by HSBC Asset Management (India) Private Limited.
• Sweden’s Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis etched his name in the record books yet again as he broke his own Pole vault world record during the World Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Belgrade.
• Union Minister for Labour and Employment & Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav released a book titled ‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’, on 9th March, 2022 at New Delhi.
• Rafiq Tarar, a veteran Pakistani politician and former Supreme Court judge who served as the country’s President from 1997 to 2001, passed away due to prolonged illness.