CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS
World Poetry Day-21 MARCH
- World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
- World Poetry Day is celebrated every year to recognise the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.
- The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted this day during UNESCO’s 30th session in Paris in 1999.
- Some countries also celebrate World Poetry Day on October 15 to mark the birthday of Virgil, a Roman poet who is famous for his epic Aeneid.
World Down Syndrome Day 2022:
- World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is observed annually on March 21.
- It is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012.
- The theme of World Down Syndrome Day this year is “Inclusion Means”.
- The 21st day of the third month of the Gregorian Calendar, March, was selected as the date for World Down Syndrome Day to signify the uniqueness of the triplication of the 21st human chromosome, which causes Down syndrome.
- The first World Down Syndrome Day was observed in 2006.
- Then the Brazilian Federation of Associations of Down Syndrome worked with Down Syndrome International and its members to launch an extensive campaign to generate international support.
- In November 2011, the General Assembly adopted a resolution by consensus to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day every year.
- The next month it declared March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day.
World Water Day- 22nd March:
- World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day held on 22 March that highlights the importance of fresh water.
- The World Water Day theme 2022 is “Groundwater, Making the Invisible Visible”.
- The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
- This 2022, the focus is groundwater, an invisible resource with an impact visible everywhere.
- Relevant issues include water scarcity, water pollution, inadequate water supply, lack of sanitation, and the impacts of climate change that are looked upon on this day.
- The idea for this international day goes back to 1992, the year in which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro took place.
- That same year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS
IIT Madras establishes AquaMAP Water Management and Policy Centre:
- To solve water problems in India, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras establishes a new inter-disciplinary water management and policy centre known as ‘AquaMAP’.
- The centre will offer smart solutions for water problems by designing scalable models using innovative technologies.
- These models will be implemented at various chosen locations across the country as proof of the concept.
- AquaMAP will collaborate with other IIT Madras water research centers such as Sutram, International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW) – IIT Madras, and PCoE on Water and Sustainability, and other partners as well.
- This initiative has been supported by IIT Madras Alumni – Dr. Parasuram Balasubramanian, CEO, Theme Work Analytics, and Mr. Krishnan Narayanan, President, itihaasa Research and Digital by providing a seed grant of Rs 3 crore for two years and also helping in crafting the five-year plan.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS
Haryana Govt inaugurates the 35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela
- Governor of Haryana Shri Bandaru Dattatraya and Chief Minister of Haryana Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated the 35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Surajkund in Faridabad district of Haryana.
- It is jointly hosted by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with the Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture, External Affairs and Government of Haryana
- The Mela is open from 19th March to 4th April, 2022, daily from 12.30 pm-9.30 pm.
Purpose :
- It provides an opportunity for the artisans from all over India to showcase their talent and the richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms, and the cultural heritage of India.
- Jammu & Kashmir is the ‘Theme State’ of the 35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2022 & Uzbekistan will participate as the partner nation for this year’s Mela.
- The Mela was first organized in 1987.
About Surajkund :
- Surajkund, the site of the popular Surajkund International Crafts Mela is located at a distance of 8 km from South Delhi in
- Surajkund derives from the ancient amphitheatre, meaning ‘lake of the sun’ constructed here in the 10th century by Raja SurajPal, one of the Tomar chieftains.
- ‘Suraj’ means ‘Sun’ and ‘Kund’ means ‘pool/lake or reservoir’.
About Haryana :
- Capital: Chandigarh
About Ministry of Tourism :
- Cabinet Minister : G. Kishan Reddy
- Minister of State : Shripad Naik, Ajay Bhatt
CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE
Centre extends timeline for converting debt investment into equity to 10 years
- According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the government has increased the timeline for startups to convert debt investments (convertible note) made in the company into equity shares up to ten years.
- Earlier the option of changing convertible notes into equity shares was allowed for up to five years from the day when initial convertible note was issued.
- An investor can invest in a startup through convertible notes, which is a kind of debt/loan instrument.
- In this investment, the investor is given the option that if the startup performs well or achieves some performance milestones in future, the investor can ask the startup to issue equity shares of the company against the money that they had initially invested as loan/debt.
About DPIIT :
- The DPIIT is a central government department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in India.
- It is responsible for formulation and implementation of promotional and developmental measures for growth of the industrial sector, keeping in view the national priorities and socio-economic objectives.
- Responsible minister : Piyush Goyal
HDFC Bank to give a digital push to small business loans
- To give a digital push to small business loans, HDFC Bank has decided to create a dedicated app for mom-and-pop stores to push merchant loans.
- The SmartHub Vyapar programme for merchants will be launched soon & now in its pilot phase.
About SmartHub Vyapar programme :
- It is an app that bundles all payment platforms – cards, UPI, QR code, tap pay and SMS-based payments.
- Through this app merchants will have access to the quantum of loan eligibility.
- The bank now clocks at least ₹1,000 crore in merchant loans every month and is looking to triple the run rate.
- The Bank will launch an application ‘AutoFirst’ that will offer fully automated auto loans.
- The bank will launch a dedicated platform for vehicle loan customers.
- Also the bank has set up a digital customer hub that aims to give an omnichannel experience & this hub would offer customised services and responses to customer queries and complaints.
About HDFC Bank :
- Founded: August 1994
- Chairman : Atanu Chakraborty
- CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- It is the third largest company by market capitalisation & fifteenth largest employer in India.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Serdar Berdimuhamedow sworn in as President of Turkmenistan
- On March 19, 2022, Serdar Berdimuhamedow was sworn in as the President of Turkmenistan.
- He succeeds his father and former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
- Berdimuhamedow won the presidential election with nearly 73 percent of the votes.
Note :
- Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov became president of Turkmenistan from 2006 and served till 2022.
- Presidential elections in Turkmenistan are held every seven years.
About Serdar Berdymukhamedov :
- Serdar Berdimuhamedow was born on 22 September 1981 in Ashgabat.
- In 2001, he worked in the Directorate for Foreign Economic Relations of the Food Processing Association, followed by two years of mandatory military service.
- In 2013, he served as head of the European Department of the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- From 2013 to 2016 he was deputy director of the State Agency for Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources.
- From 2016 to 2017 he was chairman of the Department of International Information of the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- He is often styled as “the son of the nation” by state media in Turkmenistan.
- He has served as deputy chairman in the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan since 2021.
About Turkmenistan :
- President: Serdar Berdimuhamedow
- Capital: Ashgabat
- Currency: Turkmenistani manat
Asian Cricket Council extends Jay Shah’s tenure as ACC President till 2024
- BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s tenure as president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was unanimously extended till the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM).
- The decision was taken at the ACC AGM in Colombo on March 19.
- First, Shah was appointed as the President of ACC in January 2021, replacing Nazmul Hassan, the President of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
- Pankaj Khimji was appointed as the Vice President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Mahinda Vallipuram was appointed as Chairman of the Development Committee.
About Jay Shah :
- Jay Amitbhai Shah is an Indian businessman and cricket administrator.
- He is the son of Amit Shah, India’s Minister of Home Affairs.
- He became the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary in 2019.
About ACC :
- Established : 19 September 1983
- Headquarters : Colombo, Sri Lanka
- The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is a cricket organisation to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia.
- Subordinate to the International Cricket Council, the council is the continent’s regional administrative body, and currently consists of 24 member associations.
BJP leader N Biren Singh takes oath as Manipur chief minister for second term
- BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Manipur Nongthombam (N). Biren Singh took oath as the Chief Minister of the state for the second time.
- BJP party contested all 60 seats in Manipur Assembly election in 2022 and won 32 seats while NPF won 5, NPP won 7, JD (U) won 6 and the Congress won 5 seats.
- The swearing-in ceremony was held at Raj Bhawan in Imphal and Manipur Governor La Ganesan administered the oath to Mr Biren Singh.
- Five other MLAs also took oath as Cabinet Minister including Nemcha Kipgen, Biswajit Singh, Y. Khemchand Singh, Govindas Konthoujam and Awangbou Newmai.
About N. Biren Singh :
- Biren Singh is an Indian politician, former footballer and journalist.
About Manipur :
- Capital: Imphal
Indian Economist Jayati Ghosh Appointed In UN Advisory Board On Multilateralism
- The United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh as a member of the UN’s newly established Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism.
- The 12-member high-level advisory board on effective multilateralism will be co-chaired by former Liberian president and Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven.
About Jayati Ghosh :
- Jayati Ghosh, 66, is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
- Previously, She was professor of economics and chairperson of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
- She is also a member of the UN’s high-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs.
Additional Info :
- The new advisory board will be asked to build on the ideas in ‘Our Common Agenda – including the centrality of women and girls, and the need to take into account the interests of young people and future generations – to make concrete suggestions for more effective multilateral arrangements across a range of key global issues.
- Their non-binding recommendations would inform deliberations by member states at the proposed Summit of the Future.
About UN :
- Establishment : 1945
- Headquarters : New York, USA
- Secretary General : António Guterres
TCS re-appoints Rajesh Gopinathan as MD & CEO for 5 years
- IT major Tata Consultancy Services has re-appointed Rajesh Gopinathan as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for five years, from February 21, 2022 to February 20, 2027.
- The company has also re-appointed N Ganapathy Subramaniam as the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director from February 21, 2022, to May 19, 2024, as per the retirement age policy of the Company.
About Rajesh Gopinathan :
- Rajesh Gopinathan Born in 1971, Thrissur, Kerala,
- Since February 2017, Rajesh Gopinathan has been the CEO and MD of TCS.
- Under his leadership, TCS had strengthened its position with the revenues increasing from $17.6 billion in the financial year ended March 31, 2017, to $22.2 billion in the financial year ended March 31, 2021.
- Rajesh is one of the youngest CEOs in the Tata Group.
Awards & Honors :
- 2021 – India’s Best CEO in the category of Super large companies by Business Today (India)
- 2020 – Outstanding Business Leader of the Year – CNBC TV18 India Business Leader Awards’ (IBLA)
About TCS :
- Founded : 1968
- Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- Chairman : Natarajan Chandrasekaran
- TCS is the second largest Indian company by market capitalization.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS
9th India-Seychelles Joint Military Exercise LAMITIYE-2022’
- The 9th Joint Military Exercise LAMITIYE-2022 between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) is being conducted at Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Seychelles from 22 March to 31 March 2022.
- The Indian Army contingent comprises troops from the 2/3 GORKHA RIFLES group (PIRKANTHI Battalion).
- The 10 days long joint exercise will include field training exercises, combat discussions, lectures, demonstrations and culminate with a two days validation exercise.
Objective :
- To build and promote bilateral military relations, sharing experiences gained during various operations; exchanging skills and good practices between both the armies.
Participaties :
- An Infantry Platoon strength each from both the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) along with Company Headquarters.
About Exercise LAMITIYE :
- Exercise LAMITIYE-2022 is a biennial training event which has been conducted in Seychelles since 2001.
- Exercise LAMITIYE with Seychelles is crucial and significant in terms of security challenges faced by both the Nations in the backdrop of current global situation and growing security concerns in the Indian Ocean Region.
About Ministry of Defence :
- Defence Minister : Rajnath Singh
- Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt
- Defence Secretary : Dr. Ajay Kumar
CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
“Relativistic Klystron Amplifier”: Laser weapon capable of destroying satellites developed by China
- Researchers in China have developed a microwave machine “Relativistic Klystron Amplifier (RKA)”, that could jam or destroy satellites in space.
- The device can generate a wave burst measuring 5-megawatts in the Ka-band, a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum increasingly used for both civil and military purposes.
- RKA can be mounted onto satellites, which could then be used to attack enemy assets in space by burning out their sensitive electronics.
- Although China denies the RKA is a Directed Energy Weapon (DEW), if the system were built at scale, it could send beams strong enough to rip through metallic materials moving at speed.
About DEW :
- Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) are systems that use concentrated electromagnetic energy rather than kinetic energy to damage or destroy enemy equipment and/or personnel in a physical conflict.
About China :
- Capital: Beijing
- President: Xi Jinping
- Currency: Renminbi
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS
Neeraj Chopra wins Sportsman of the Year award: Sportstar Aces 2022:
- Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra claimed the coveted ‘Sportstar of the Year (Male)’ award at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards held at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
- Neeraj created history by becoming the first Indian to win an athletics gold medal at the Olympics by winning the men’s javelin throw at Tokyo 2020 with a best throw of 87.58m.
- Neeraj is only the second Indian ever to win an individual gold — shooter Abhinav Bindra finished on top of the podium in 2008.
- Neeraj is also the first Indian since independence to win an athletics medal at the Olympics.
Suresh Raina felicitated with ‘Sports Icon’ award by Maldives government:
- Former India cricketer Suresh Raina was felicitated with the prestigious ‘Sports Icon’ award at the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 by the Maldives government.
- He was nominated alongside 16 international sportspersons, including former Real Madrid player Roberto Carlos, Jamaican Sprinter Asafa Powell, former Sri Lankan captain and cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya and Dutch football legend Edgar Davids.
- The event was chaired by the President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Sports Ministers, world-renowned athletes and Maldivian athletes.
- Spearheaded by the minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof, the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 was aimed at restructuring the historical awards ceremony as a national endeavour.
BNP Paribas Open 2022:
- The world’s best players will compete at the BNP Paribas Open for the 45th edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event, held in Indian Wells.
- New World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and three-time 2022 titlist Rafael Nadal will lead the way at the first Masters 1000 of the season.
- The 2022 BNP Paribas Open will be held from 10-20 March.
- The hard-court tournament, established in 1976, will take place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California.
- The tournament director is former World No. 2 Tommy Haas.
- The BNP Paribas Open will feature all of the Top 20 players in the ATP Rankings, led by Daniil Medvedev, with reigning champion Cameron Norrie returning.
The list of winners:
| Category | Winner |
| Women’s singles | Iga Świątek (Poland) |
| Men’s Singles | Taylor Fritz (United States) |
| Women’s Doubles | Xu Yifan / Yang Zhaoxuan |
| Men’s Doubles | John Isner / Jack Sock |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR
A New Book titled “More than Just Surgery: Life Lessons Beyond the OT” by Dr Tehemton Erach Udwadia:
- Tehemton Erach Udwadia, a Padma Awardee, has published a new book called “More than Just Surgery: Life Lessons Beyond the OT,” which is a personal narrative of people, occurrences, mentors, failures, and follies set against the backdrop of surgery.
- As a way of imparting the lessons he learned, the book follows Tehemton Erach Udwadia from his student years through residency, research, surgical practice, and surgical teaching.
About Tehemton Erach Udwadia:
- Dr Tehemton Erach Udwadia, who hails from Mumbai, is a general and gastrointestinal surgeon.
- He was the first surgeon in India to introduce laparoscopy in surgery in 1972 and he was the first to perform laparoscopic surgery in the developing world in 1990.
- He is widely known as the ‘Father of laparoscopy in India’.
- The government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2006 for Medicine and Padma Bhushan in 2017 for Medicine.
- He also received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II in 2006.
Autobiography of former cricketer G.R. Viswanath titled “Wrist Assured: An Autobiography”:
- The autobiography of former Indian cricketer Gundappa Ranganatha Viswanath, titled ‘Wrist Assured: An Autobiography’ was released on March 17, 2022
- The book has been co-authored by senior journalist and cricket writer R. Kaushik.
- Rupa Publications India is the publisher of the book.
- The book traces the cricketing journey of Gundappa Vishwanath who played Test Cricket for India between 1969 and 1986, making 91 appearances and scoring more than 6000 runs.
- Former Indian cricketers Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar released the book at the ceremony held on the first day of the 2nd day/night Test between India and Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
‘Road to 1000′ book released at Sportstar Aces Awards 2022:
- Sportstar and The Hindu group released a coffee-table book, ‘Road to 1000’, at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
- ‘Road to 1000’ was released by former India cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Syed Kirmani, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Chandrakant Pandit and Nilesh Kulkarni.
- On February 6, India played its 1,000th ODI against the West Indies in Ahmedabad, becoming the first team to record the feat.
- Mirabai Chanu wins Sportstar of the Year (Female) Award at Sportstar Aces 2022
- Neeraj Chopra wins Sportsman of the Year (Track and Field) award at Sportstar Aces 2022
- India’s World Cup triumphs in 1983 and 2011, under Kapil Dev and M. S. Dhoni respectively, remain the major highlights in Indian ODI history.
- The Sportstar reporters and photographers travelled the world to cover the Indian cricket team in the 1980s and 1990s.
- This is the best tribute to Indian cricket.
Daily CA On March 23 :
- World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
- World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is observed annually on March 21.
- World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day held on 22 March that highlights the importance of fresh water.
- To solve water problems in India, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras establishes a new inter-disciplinary water management and policy centre known as ‘AquaMAP’.
- Governor of Haryana Shri Bandaru Dattatraya and Chief Minister of Haryana Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated the 35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Surajkund in Faridabad district of Haryana.
- According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the government has increased the timeline for startups to convert debt investments (convertible note) made in the company into equity shares up to ten years.
- To give a digital push to small business loans, HDFC Bank has decided to create a dedicated app for mom-and-pop stores to push merchant loans.
- On March 19, 2022, Serdar Berdimuhamedow was sworn in as the President of Turkmenistan & he succeeds his father and former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
- BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s tenure as president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was unanimously extended till the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM).
- BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Manipur Nongthombam (N). Biren Singh took oath as the Chief Minister of the state for the second time.
- The United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh as a member of the UN’s newly established Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism.
- IT major Tata Consultancy Services has re-appointed Rajesh Gopinathan as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for five years, from February 21, 2022 to February 20, 2027.
- The 9th Joint Military Exercise LAMITIYE-2022 between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) is being conducted at Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Seychelles from 22 March to 31 March 2022.
- Researchers in China have developed a microwave machine “Relativistic Klystron Amplifier (RKA)”, that could jam or destroy satellites in space.
- Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra claimed the coveted ‘Sportstar of the Year (Male)’ award at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards held at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
- Former India cricketer Suresh Raina was felicitated with the prestigious ‘Sports Icon’ award at the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 by the Maldives government.
- The world’s best players will compete at the BNP Paribas Open for the 45th edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event, held in Indian Wells.
- Tehemton Erach Udwadia, a Padma Awardee, has published a new book called “More than Just Surgery: Life Lessons Beyond the OT,” which is a personal narrative of people, occurrences, mentors, failures, and follies set against the backdrop of surgery.
- The autobiography of former Indian cricketer Gundappa Ranganatha Viswanath, titled ‘Wrist Assured: An Autobiography’ was released on March 17, 2022
- Sportstar and The Hindu group released a coffee-table book, ‘Road to 1000’, at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
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