Daily Current Affairs April 01 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Backup Day 2022: 31 March

• Every year World Backup Day 2022 is celebrated on 31 March.
• This is a yearly reminder for us to back up our files safely to avoid any data loss.
• It is a day for people to learn about the increasing role of data in our lives and the importance of regular backups.
• World Backup Day originally began as World Backup Month, started by a hard drive company by the name of Maxtor which was later acquired by Seagate Technology.
• There are over 1,500 national days.

Transgender Day of Visibility – March 31

• The Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is an international awareness day is observed on March 31, honouring transgender and gender nonconforming people’s achievements and resilience.
• Its goal is to raise awareness about the work that has to be done to establish equity and justice for third-gender people.
• The Transgender Day of Visibility is a day to celebrate transgender identity, accomplishments, and community.
• Rachel Crandall of Michigan, United States, a transgender activist, launched the day in 2009 as a response to transgender people’s poor recognition and acceptance.
• Another important cause was her dissatisfaction with the fact that the only well-known transgender-centred day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which commemorated transgender persons who had been murdered but did not honour or celebrate surviving transgender people.

International Day of Drug Checking- 31st March:

• The International Day of Drug Checking is celebrated on 31st March every year since 2017.
• The main objective of this day is to ensure people are educated on drugs and aware of their effects.
• Along with it, it also marks promoting harm reduction actions of drugs and reduce drug-related risks.
• Their goal on the 31st of March is to raise public awareness of the availability of drug checking services and companies from across the planet.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Centre approves over Rs 433 crores Legacy Waste Remediation proposal of Maharashtra:

• Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved over 433 crore rupees for 28 Urban Local bodies in Maharashtra to effectively managing the Solid Waste Management. Garbage Dumpsites have become a massive problem for most urban cities, Maharashtra’s Greater Mumbai holds the maximum amount of legacy waste in the state.
• The greater Mumbai aims to remediate 2.6 crore metric tonnes of legacy waste to transform its urban landscape by reclaiming approximately 355 acres of valuable land.
• States and cities across the country have recognized the rising need for eliminating hazardous legacy dumpsites.
• Strengthening the vision of Garbage Free Cities, various cities have come forward seeking help from the central government.
• Centre has approved the proposal of nearly five hundred cities for legacy waste remediation across States like Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.

Cabinet approves over Rs 6062 crore, World Bank assisted programme on Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance:

• The Union Cabinet has approved 808 million dollars or over Six thousand 62 crore rupees, World Bank assisted programme on Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance RAMP.
• It is a new scheme and will commence in Financial Year 2022-23.
• Around 500 million dollars will be a loan from the World Bank and the remaining 308 million dollars would be funded by the Government of India.
• RAMP is a World Bank assisted Central Sector Scheme, supporting various COVID Resilience and Recovery Interventions of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• The RAMP program will also seek to scale up implementation capacity and MSME coverage in States.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs CCEA has approved the time extension three years to identified 10 Provisional Mega certified projects for furnishing the final Mega Certificates to the Tax authorities.

Cabinet Committee on Security approves procurement of 15 Light Combat Helicopters Limited Series from HAL for Indian Air Force:

• The Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS has approved procurement of 15 Light Combat Helicopter Limited Series Production at the cost of three thousand 887 crore rupees.
• The CCS met under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
• Light Combat Helicopter Limited Series Production is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state of the art modern combat helicopter.
• This helicopter is equipped with requisite agility, maneuverability, extended range, high altitude performance and round-the-clock, all-weather combat capability to perform roles of Combat Search and Rescue, Destruction of Enemy Air Defence and Counter-Insurgency operations.
• This will also support to ground forces and will be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force and Indian Army.
• The manufacturing of Light Combat Helicopter by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will give a further push to Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and boost the indigenisation of defence production and the defence industry in the country.

Govt approves release of additional installment of 3% of DA to Central Govt employees, DR to pensioner from 1 January 2022:

• Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the release of an additional instalment of three Percent of dearness allowance, DA to Central Government employees and dearness relief to pensioners from the first of January 2022.
• This will be over the existing rate of 31 percent of the basic pay or Pensionto compensate for the price rise.
• The combined impact on the exchequer in this regard will be 9,544.50 crore rupees per annum and this will benefit 47.68 lakh central government employees and 68.62 lakh pensioners.

Centre launches auction of 122 Coal and Lignite mines:

• Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi has launched an auction of 122 Coal and Lignite Mines including 18 New Mines.
• Addressing the fifth tranche of auction launch in New Delhi, Mr Joshi, that 42 coal mines have already been auctioned successfully.
• Along with ensuring energy security of the nation this will provide employment opportunities to more than one lakh 17 thousand.
• The success of these auctions indicate that right steps are being taken by the Government to provide further momentum to the growth of Coal sector.
• The Ministry of Coal is on the journey to reform the sector and unlock its potential.
• The recent reforms initiated in the coal sector will further strengthen the vision of Aatmnirbhar Bharat.

Home Ministry’s High-Level Committee approves additional Central assistance of over Rs 1,887 crores to 5 States:

• The High-Level Committee under the Chairmanship of Home Minister Amit Shah has approved additional Central assistance of over one thousand 887 crore rupees to five States under the National Disaster Response Fund.
• These states are Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Sikkim and West Bengal.
• Home Ministry, more than one thousand crore rupees has been approved for Bihar, over 292 crore rupees for Rajasthan, more than 475 crore rupees for West Bengal, over 59 crore rupees for Sikkim and over 21 crore rupees for Himachal Pradesh.
• This additional assistance is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the States in the State Disaster Response Fund.
• Central Government had deputed Inter-Ministerial Central Teams to these States immediately after the calamities without waiting for the receipt of the Memorandum from them.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Maharashtra launches scheme to offer personal loans for prisoners

• The Maharashtra government launched a scheme to provide personal loans for prisoners .
• The Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank will give loans under the scheme up to Rs 50,000 at an interest rate of 7 per cent.
• The scheme will be implemented on a pilot basis at Yerawada Central Jail, Pune.

Aim :

• To improve the living standard of the families of the inmates.
• The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Home Minister Patil at Sahyadri Guest House and also a Government Resolution (GR) was issued.
• It will also be the first innovative loan scheme in the country to get a loan based on the income earned while working in a prison.
• With this, a welfare scheme can come in concrete form and approximately 1,055 prisoners can benefit from the scheme.
• Under the scheme, the loan facility will be decided on the basis of the prisoner, prisoner’s loan limit, duration of punishment, possible relief from it, age, estimated annual working day and minimum daily income.
• In addition, 1 percent of the amount recovered by the bank from loan repayment will be given annually to the Prisoners’ Welfare Fund.

About Maharashtra :

• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Google Pay ties up with Pine Labs to Launch ‘Tap To Pay’ Feature For UPI

• Google Pay has partnered with Pine Labs to launch Tap to Pay for UPI – a functionality that aims to bring the seamless convenience of Tap to Pay to UPI.
• So far, Tap to Pay was only available for cards.
• To complete a payment, a user will just need to tap his/ her phone on the POS (point of sale) terminal and then authenticate the payment from the phone with a UPI pin making the process virtually instantaneous, as compared to scanning a QR code, or entering the UPI-linked mobile number.
• This will make the whole payment process much easier than scanning a QR code or entering the UPI-linked mobile number to make a payment.
• The ‘Tap to Pay’ feature will be available for any UPI user who wants to use his Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled Android smartphone to make transactions using any Pine Labs Android POS terminal across the country.
• This feature was piloted with Reliance Retail and will now be available at large merchants such as Future Retail and

About  Pine Labs :

• Founded: 1998
• Headquarters: Noida, UP
• Executive chairman : Lokvir Kapoor
• CEO : B.Amrish Rau
• Pine Labs is an Indian merchant platform company that provides financing and last-mile retail transaction technology.

Central Bank of India partners Kwik.ID to ​digitize customer onboarding

• State-owned Central Bank of India has selected ID to implement digital know your customer (KYC), video KYC and eKYC for its network across India.

Aim :

• To bring better onboarding and digitisation practices to the customers across India.

About the Partnership :

• The partnership will support the bank in driving its digital transformation agenda and supporting digital finance initiatives championed by the government.
• With Kwik.ID CBI aims to digitize 10 million customers’ onboarding annually and streamline their end-to-end processes.

About Kwik.ID :

• ID is India’s fastest and first ever AI-based fully compliant Video KYC solution
• It is a flagship product by ai, a full-stack AI firm that has conducted over 1.5 million such sessions for some of India’s biggest digitization, customer onboarding and KYC practices for Bank of Baroda, RBL Bank, Bajaj Finserv and Spice Money, among others.

About Central Bank of India :

• Founded: 21 December 1911
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Non Executive Chairman : Tapan Ray
• MD & CEO : Matam Venkata Rao

HDFC ERGO Launches VAULT, an Industry-first Digitally-enabled Rewards Program

• HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. has launched a digital customer engagement and rewards programme – VAULT an industry-first digital customer engagement and rewards program.
• The Company has taken advantage of the Regulatory Sandbox by IRDAI, in the form of VAULT, an experiment to test a new idea.

About the Program :

• Under the program, the insurer will incentivize its Optima Restore health insurance customers by way of reward points for performing certain activities like staying insured under the policy for more than two years, holding two active HDFC ERGO retail policies, interacting digitally, using the cashless network of healthcare providers, etc.
• These reward points, equivalent to cash, can be redeemed against a wide range of wellness offers like pharmacy vouchers, doctor consultations, etc.

About HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company :

1. Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
2. MD : Mr. Ritesh Kumar
3. HDFC ERGO is a 51:49 joint venture firm between HDFC and ERGO International AG, one of the insurance entities of the Munich Re Group in Germany operating in the insurance field under the BFSI sector.
4. It is one of India’s largest non-life insurance companies in the private sector.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Payments Council of India re-elects Vishwas Patel as chairman

• Payments Council of India (PCI), a payments ecosystem industry body and a part of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has re-elected Vishwas Patel as the chairman of PCI for the second term in 2022.
• Previously he was elected as chairman of PCI in 2018.
• Praveena Rai, COO, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and MN Srinivasu, Co-founder and Director at BillDesk have been appointed as co-chairs of its seven committees.

About Vishwas Patel :

• Patel is the executive director of Infibeam Avenues which operates e-billing payment gateway CCAvenue.
• In 2013 he served as the Co chairman of PCI.

About PCI :

• PCI is an apex non-governmental body representing companies in payments and settlement systems.
• It works to promote the growth of the Indian payment industry and promote a cashless economy in the country.
• Formed : 2013

IFS officer Renu Singh appointed Forest Research Institute (FRI) director

• On 28th March, 2022 the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, New Delhi appointed Renu Singh as Director of the premier Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• She will be the FRI’s second woman director & first being Savita.
• She joined as FRI director after AS Rawat, director-general, ICFRE.

About Dr. Renu Singh :

• Renu Singh holds M.Sc. Degree in Botany and Forestry as well as M. Phil in Botany from Meerut University, Meerut.
• She is an officer of Indian Forest Service of 1990 batch belonging to Madhya Pradesh cadre.
• She has extensive experience in Forest Policy, Forest Management and Research Issues.
• She has special interest in gender and development, climate change adaptation and mitigation issues in the forestry sector.
• She has participated and represented various biodiversity, forest and climate change related issues in international conventions like United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
• Prior to becoming Director of FRI, she was Additional Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Forest Development Corporation at Bhopal.

About FRI :

• Established : 1906
• It is a premier institution under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).
• It is an institution in the field of forestry research in India for Indian Forest Service cadres and all State Forest Service cadres.

NATO extends Stoltenberg’s term as Secretary-General by one year 2023

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) extended the term of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg by a year until September 30, 2023.
• His term was to expire in September 2021 & It is the second time that his term of office has been extended.

About Jens Stoltenberg :

• Jens Stoltenberg is a Norwegian politician who has served as the 13th secretary general of NATO since 2014.
• He started his career in government as a State Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment in 1990.
• He served as Minister of Industry and Energy from 1993 to 1996 and Minister of Finance from 1996 to 1997.
• Previously, he served as the 34th prime minister of Norway from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 until 2013.

About NATO :

• Founded: 4 April 1949
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
• Members : 30 states

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS

Chief of Army staff presents President’s colours to Dogra Regiment

• General MM Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff presented the prestigious ‘President’s Colours’ to two battalions of the Dogra Regiment, namely 20 DOGRA and 21 DOGRA during an impressive Colour Presentation Parade held at the Dogra Regimental Centre, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.
• The regiment was raised in 1922 by the British government.
• The Colour Presentation Parade was also attended by General NC Vij (retd) former COAS & Honorary Colonel of The Dogra Regiment, Army Commanders of Southern Command & Central Command alongwith a large number of serving and retired personnel.

About President’s Colour Award :

• The President’s Colour Award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon any military unit of India.
• It is also known as ′Nishaan′ which is an emblem that will be worn by all unit officers on the left-hand sleeve of their uniform.
• The presentation of the award or standards by the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of India (President of India) is an acknowledgement of the unit’s meritorious service.

About Dogra Regiment :

• Regimental Centre : Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh
• Nickname : Gentlemen Warriors
• Motto : Kartavyam Anvatma (Duty Before Death)
• Mascot : Tiger
• The Dogra Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army.
• The regiment traces its roots directly from the 17th Dogra Regiment of the British Indian Army.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

UAE-based Lulu Group to invest Rs 3,500 cr in Tamil Nadu                                                  

• Multinational conglomerate LuLu Group International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government to invest Rs 3,500 crore in Tamil Nadu to build two shopping malls and set up an export-oriented food processing unit.
• The MoU was signed by Pooja Kulkarni, MD and CEO of Tamil Nadu Industrial Guidance & Export Promotion Bureau, and Ashraf Ali MA, executive director of LuLu Group, in the presence of state chief minister MK Stalin, industry minister Thangam Thenarasu, LuLu Group chairman Yusuff Ali MA.
• The TN CM -led delegation inked several MoUs with investors to draw Rs 6,100 crore investment during the five-day visit to the UAE.
• As per the MoU, the first shopping mall will come up in Chennai by 2024, while the first hypermarket is expected to open in Coimbatore by the end of 2022.
• Lulu Group will also set up food processing and logistics centres for procuring and processing agri-produce for exports to middle eastern countries.
• It explores bigger investment opportunities not only in Chennai but also in tier two cities such as Coimbatore, Salem, Madurai, Trichy.

Aim :

• To provide more than 15,000 direct and indirect job opportunities to Tamil youth in the next 3 years

About Lulu Group International :

• Founded : 2000
• Founder & MD : Yusuff Ali M.A
• Headquarters : Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Lulu Group currently operates more than 225 hypermarkets and shopping malls in the Middle East, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and India.
• It has announced an investment of Rs 2,000 crore near Ahmedabad to set up a modern shopping mall.
• It has committed an investment of Rs 500 crore to set up a food processing plant in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
• In India, Lulu Group already has four operational shopping malls in Kochi, Thrissur, Trivandrum and Bengaluru.

Assam & Meghalaya sign agreement to resolve five-decade-old border dispute in 6 locations

• The chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya Himanta Biswa Sarma & Conrad Sangma signed an agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resolve part of their five-decade-old inter-state border dispute in six of the 12 locations along the 9 km border.
• Amit Shah stated that it is a historic day for the Northeast.
• In 2021, both state governments identified six of the 12 areas under dispute Hahim, Gizang, Tarabari, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pilingkata, Ratacherra for resolution in the first phase.
• According to the joint final set of recommendations made by the committees, out of79 sq km of the disputed area taken up for settlement in the first phase, Assam will get full control of 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya 18.28 sq km.

When did the dispute began :

• Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972 but the new state had challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to disputes in 12 locations in the border areas.

About Assam :

• Capital: Dispur
• Chief minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor : Jagdish Mukhi

About Meghalaya :

• Capital: Shillong
• Governor: Satya Pal Malik
• Chief minister: Conrad Sangma

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

20th India-France Bilateral Naval Exercise ‘VARUNA -2022 begins in Arabian Sea

• The 20th edition of the Bilateral Naval Exercise between Indian and French Navies – ‘VARUNA’ is being conducted in the Arabian Sea from March 30 to April 03, 2022.
• The Bilateral Naval Exercises between the two Navies were initiated in 1993.
• The exercise was christened as ‘VARUNA’ in 2001 and has become a vital part of India – France strategic bilateral relationship.
• Various units including ships, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, fighter aircraft and helicopters of the two navies are participating in the exercise.
• The exercise has been a principal driver for operational level interactions between the two navies and has underscored the shared commitment of both nations to security, safety and freedom of the global maritime commons

About France :

• Capital: Paris
• Currency : Euro, CFP franc
• President: Emmanuel Macron
• PM : Jean Castex

About Ministry of Defence :

• Defence Minister : Rajnath Singh
• Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt

IONS Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX 22) ends in Goa and Arabian Sea

• The maiden edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) was conducted at Goa and in Arabian Sea from 26 – 30 March 2022.

Aim :

• To enhance interoperability in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations among member navies.
• The exercise witnessed participation of 15 out of the 25 member nations of IONS.

About IMEX – 22 :

• IMEX – 22 comprised a Harbour Phase at Marmugao port, Goa from 26 to 27 March 22 followed by a Sea Phase in the Arabian Sea from 28 to 30 March 22.
• The participation included warships, Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters from the Navies of Bangladesh, France, India and Iran.
• 22 Observers from 15 IONS member navies, namely Australia, Bangladesh, France, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE and UK also participated in the exercise.

About IONS :

• The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), established in 2007, is a premier forum for cooperation and collaboration among navies of littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.
• It provides a forum to increase maritime security cooperation,discuss regional maritime issues, and promote friendly relationships among the member states.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Virat Kohli tops in Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2021:

• Virat Kohli has emerged as the most valued celebrity in India for the fifth year in a row, topping the Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2021 despite seeing a dip in his brand value to $185.7 million last year from a high of $237.7 million in 2020.
• The annual report explained that brand Kohli faced a decline following the cricketer’s resignation from the ODI (One Day International) and T20 captaincy and “associated exchanges” with the Board of Control for Cricket in India and recent on-field outcomes.
• However, we believe that with the reduced workload after stepping down from captaincy, Kohli can focus now on what he is known for — his batting – and continue his journey on becoming the world’s best batsmen.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Miguel Van Damme dead: Belgian footballer passes away:

• Belgian footballer Miguel Van Damme passed away at the age of 28 following a lengthy battle with Leukaemia.
• He spent his eight-year professional career at Cercle Brugge but his battle with cancer limited him to less than 50 appearances for the club.
• Van Damme was diagnosed with leukaemia during a routine medical check-up in 2016.
• He recovered from his first bout of the disease to play five more games over the course of the next four years, before suffering a relapse in January 2020.
• He said in September 2020 that treatment would no longer have any effect.

Daily CA on April 01 :

• Every year World Backup Day 2022 is celebrated on 31 March.
• The Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is an international awareness day is observed on March 31, honouring transgender and gender nonconforming people’s achievements and resilience.
• The International Day of Drug Checking is celebrated on 31st March every year since 2017.
• Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved over 433 crore rupees for 28 Urban Local bodies in Maharashtra to effectively managing the Solid Waste Management. Garbage Dumpsites have become a massive problem for most urban cities, Maharashtra’s Greater Mumbai holds the maximum amount of legacy waste in the state.
• The Union Cabinet has approved 808 million dollars or over Six thousand 62 crore rupees, World Bank assisted programme on Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance RAMP.
• The Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS has approved procurement of 15 Light Combat Helicopter Limited Series Production at the cost of three thousand 887 crore rupees.
• Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the release of an additional instalment of three Percent of dearness allowance, DA to Central Government employees and dearness relief to pensioners from the first of January 2022.
• Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi has launched an auction of 122 Coal and Lignite Mines including 18 New Mines.
• The High-Level Committee under the Chairmanship of Home Minister Amit Shah has approved additional Central assistance of over one thousand 887 crore rupees to five States under the National Disaster Response Fund.

• The Maharashtra government launched a scheme to provide personal loans for prisoners & the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank will give loans under the scheme up to Rs 50,000 at an interest rate of 7 per cent.
• Google Pay has partnered with Pine Labs to launch Tap to Pay for UPI – a functionality that aims to bring the seamless convenience of Tap to Pay to UPI.
• State-owned Central Bank of India has selected Kwik.ID to implement digital know your customer (KYC), video KYC and eKYC for its network across India.
• HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. has launched a digital customer engagement and rewards programme – VAULT an industry-first digital customer engagement and rewards program.
• Payments Council of India (PCI), a payments ecosystem industry body and a part of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has re-elected Vishwas Patel as the chairman of PCI for the second term in 2022.
• On 28th March, 2022 the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, New Delhi appointed Dr. Renu Singh as Director of the premier Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) extended the term of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg by a year until September 30, 2023.
• General MM Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff presented the prestigious ‘President’s Colours’ to two battalions of the Dogra Regiment, namely 20 DOGRA and 21 DOGRA during an impressive Colour Presentation Parade held at the Dogra Regimental Centre, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.
• Multinational conglomerate LuLu Group International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government to invest Rs 3,500 crore in Tamil Nadu to build two shopping malls and set up an export-oriented food processing unit.
• The chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya Himanta Biswa Sarma  & Conrad Sangma signed an agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resolve part of their five-decade-old inter-state border dispute in six of the 12 locations along the 884.9 km border.
• The 20th edition of the Bilateral Naval Exercise between Indian and French Navies – ‘VARUNA’ is being conducted in the Arabian Sea from March 30 to April 03, 2022.
• The maiden edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) was conducted at Goa and in Arabian Sea from 26 – 30 March 2022.

• Virat Kohli has emerged as the most valued celebrity in India for the fifth year in a row, topping the Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2021 despite seeing a dip in his brand value to $185.7 million last year from a high of $237.7 million in 2020.
• Belgian footballer Miguel Van Damme passed away at the age of 28 following a lengthy battle with Leukaemia.