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Current Affairs Study PDF – March 2022

Current Affairs for Competitive Exam
Table of Contents
NATIONAL AFFAIRS ............................................................................................................................ 6
CABINET APPROVALS ..................................................................................................................... 6
PARLIAMENT NEWS ...................................................................................................................... 13
LAUNCHES & INAUGURATION ..................................................................................................... 14
FESTIVALS....................................................................................................................................... 26
OTHER NEWS.................................................................................................................................. 27
STATE NEWS....................................................................................................................................... 56
GOVT SCHEMES .................................................................................................................................. 84
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ............................................................................................................... 88
VISITS .................................................................................................................................................. 93
INDIAN ............................................................................................................................................. 93
BANKING & FINANCE NEWS ............................................................................................................ 95
BANKING NEWS ............................................................................................................................. 95
RBI IN NEWS ................................................................................................................................... 95
LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS........................................................................................................... 106
AGREEMENTS & MoUs SIGNED ................................................................................................. 107
OTHER BANK NEWS .................................................................................................................... 113
FINANCE NEWS............................................................................................................................. 128
ECONOMY & BUSINESS NEWS........................................................................................................ 142
MoU’s & AGREEMENTS ................................................................................................................... 148
COMMITTEES & MEETINGS............................................................................................................ 168
SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE.............................................................................................. 169
INDEX ................................................................................................................................................. 178
RANKING ....................................................................................................................................... 178
REPORTS ....................................................................................................................................... 193
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS ........................................................................................................... 206
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS .............................................................................................. 227
ACQUISITION & MERGERS ............................................................................................................. 247
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 254
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DEFENCE............................................................................................................................................ 266
EXERCISE ....................................................................................................................................... 266
TESTING ........................................................................................................................................ 270
DEALS & MoU’s ............................................................................................................................. 272
OTHER DEFENCE NEWS .............................................................................................................. 275
SPORTS .............................................................................................................................................. 279
OBITUARY ......................................................................................................................................... 294
BOOKS & AUTHORS ......................................................................................................................... 299
IMPORTANT DAYS ........................................................................................................................... 311
APPS & WEB PORTAL ..................................................................................................................... 350
ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................................ 352
5
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
CABINET APPROVALS
Cabinet approval on Feb 26, 2022
On February 26, 2022, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister (PM)
of India Narendra Modi has approved the following proposals:
i.Offering of coal via common e-auction window
ii.Implementation of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission with a budget of Rs 1,600 crore for 5 years
CCEA approves offering of coal via common e-auction window
CCEA has approved the offering of coal (dry fuel) by coal companies via a common e-auction window
of CIL (Coal India Limited)/Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) which will replace the sector
specific auctions.
• This approval will cater to all the sectors viz. Power Sector and Non Regulated Sector (NRS)
including traders, along with employment generation potential.
• Clubbing of the e-auction windows will not involve any additional cost to the coal companies.
Key Points:
i.Transportation– Coal offered through the e-auction will have a default option of transportation
through Rail mode. However, coal may be lifted by the consumers through other modes too depending
upon their choice without paying any additional charges or discount to the coal companies.
ii.Long term Coal allotment– Long term allotment of coal by CIL/SCCL to their own gasification plants is
allowed at prices by the coal company. This allotment is subject to the condition that it should not affect
the supplies against existing coal linkages.
• The taxes, duties, royalty etc will be paid by the coal companies on the notified prices of coal for
the power sector.
Benefits of e-auction window for coal offering:
i.Single rate for all the consumers i.e. one rate (one grade, one rate).
ii.Elimination of discretion by coal companies of allocating coal to different sectors.
• This will attract more consumers towards domestic coal.
iii.Enable coal companies to establish coal gasification plants by availing coal from their own mines.
• It will help in developing clean coal technology in the country, and mitigate the adverse
environmental impacts of coal usage.
• In the coal block allocation mechanism, coal gasification is being encouraged through incentives
like rebates in the revenue share.
iv.Reduction in coal import– CIL aims at producing 1 BT (Billion Tonne) coal by 2023-24. This will
result in better availability of domestic coal at better price, resulting in a decrease in coal import, and
demand of domestic coal is expected to increase.
Need behind this e-auction:
The coal market is segmented and regulated resulting in many different market-discovered rates for the
same grade of coal in each segment of the market. Now, with the e-auction window, coal of any particular
grade will be sold in the market at one rate. This will also surpass conventional coal use with clean coal
technologies.
CCEA approves national roll-out of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission with Rs 1,600 crore for 5
years
CCEA also approved the national roll-out of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) which was launched
by the PM Narendra Modi in September 2021. It is the mission of the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare (MoH&FW) with a budget of Rs 1600 crore for five years.
• It will be implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA).
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• ABDM is on the lines of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) trinity and other digital initiatives of
the Indian Government.
About ABDM:
Under this, citizens can create their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) numbers to which their
digital health records can be linked. This means, it is an online platform of healthcare ecosystem by
collating a wide-range of data, information and infrastructure services etc. This will also improve clinical
decision making by healthcare providers.
• Click here to read more about ABDM.
• The pilot of the ABDM was completed in the six Union Territories (UTs) of Ladakh, Chandigarh,
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and
Lakshadweep. Its technology platform is developed by the NHA.
• As on February 24, 2022, 17,33,69,087 ABHA have been created and 10,114 doctors and 17,319
health facilities have been registered in the ABDM.
Recent Related News:
i.The Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Rural Development for continuation of Pradhan
Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) beyond March 2021 till March 2024 as per the existing norms.
Under this extension the target is to complete the remaining 155.75 lakh houses from the cumulative
target of 2.95 crore houses in rural areas.
ii.The cabinet has approved an incentive scheme with an estimated financial outlay of Rs 1,300 crore (for 1
year i.e. FY22) to promote RuPayDebit cards and low-value (up to Rs 2,000) BHIM-UPI (Bharat Interface
for Money – Unified Payments Interface) transactions (Person-to-Merchant (P2M)) in India.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW):
Union Minister– Mansukh Mandaviya (Rajya Sabha Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS)- Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar (Dindori, Maharashtra)
Cabinet Approvals on March 9, 2022

On March 9, 2022, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi has
approved the following proposals:
• MoU signed between ICMR, India and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V. (DFG), Germany
• MoU signed between ICMR, and US’ NIAID and NIH
• MoU signed between ICMR & the Oxford University, UK
• WHO GCTM: Approves establishment of World’s 1st & Only Global Outposted Centre for
traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat
• Setting up of NLMC as SPV for Undertaking Surplus Land Monetization
• Amendment of the Second Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation)
Act, 1957
Cabinet approves MoU signed between ICMR, India and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V.
(DFG), Germany
The Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian
Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V. (DFG), Germany signed in
December 2021, and in accordance with Rule 7(d)(i) of the Second Schedule of Government of India
(Transaction of Business) rules 1961.
• The MoU envisages cooperation in scientific research and technological development.
What is in the MoU?
i.It include cooperation in the field of medical sciences and research in areas including toxicology,
neglected (tropical) disease, rare diseases and any other areas of mutual interest.
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ii.It also includes the joint funding of scientific research projects as well as the exchange of researchers,
funding of joint seminars, symposia and workshops which would be of high scientific standard and
beneficial to the advancement of science.
About Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR):
It is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.
Director General– Prof. Balram Bhargava
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
About Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V. (DFG):
President– Prof Dr. Katja Becker
Headquarters– Bonn, Germany
Cabinet approves MoU signed between ICMR, and US’ NIAID and NIH
The Union Cabinet also approved the MoU signed between ICMR, and the United States’ (US) National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and National Institute of Health (NIH) of
Department of Health and Human Services, Maryland in September 2021 and in accordance with Rule
7(d)(i) of Second Schedule of Government of India (Transaction of Business) rules 1961.
• This MoU envisages cooperation in the scientific area which will be undertaken primarily in
Chennai, India at the National Institute for Research on Tuberculosis (NIRT) of ICMR.
Areas included under MoU:
i.Basic, translational and applied innovative research, epidemiology, medicine, molecular biology, medical
entomology, parasitology, immunology, medicine, microbiology and virology, with a focus on techniques
for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tropical infectious and allergic diseases.
ii.The collaboration also focus on tuberculosis, parasitic infections, HIV/AIDS, Allergic diseases, immune
system diseases, other emerging and re-emerging pathogens, and other diseases of shared scientific
interest.
Key Points:
i.The MoU provide opportunity for the employment of Indian scientists/researchers/students on
contractual/project mode, as per applicable rules, under collaborative research projects through
International Center for Excellence in Research (ICER) program.
• This will help them in learning various techniques/skill development and capacity building in the
area of TB and other diseases.
ii.The US Government and the Government of India (GoI) will support funding for activities under this MoU
along with the additional funding and active participation from governmental, non-governmental, private
sector, foundation, and other sources.
iii.All activities under this MoU will be conducted in accordance with applicable laws, regulations,
procedures, policies, and guidelines prevailing in the countries of respective Parties
Background:
The Indo-US joint statement was signed in 2003 for the establishment of an International ICER in Chennai.
It has been extended in 2008 and again renewed in 2017 and now renewed as MOU. The ICER is located in
Chennai and is a partnership between NIAID and NIRT.
Cabinet approves MoU signed between ICMR & the Oxford University, UK
The Union Cabinet approved the MoU signed between ICMR and the Oxford University, the UK in
November 2021 and in accordance with Rule 7(d)(i) of the Second Schedule of the Government of India
(Transaction of Business) rules 1961.
What is in the MoU?
i.It aims towards capacity building for Indian scientists and researchers, Collection of data compliant with
international standards and regulatory requirements, Development of India towards becoming a regional
hub for capacity development using its own funds.
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ii.Both entities will jointly raise and pool funds with time-bound hosting of IDDO (Infectious Diseases Data
Observatory) secretariat towards achieving the outcomes at ICMR.
iii.Both the parties have agreed to exchange and share ideas on three vector-borne diseases in the
elimination phase viz. malaria, visceral leishmaniasis, filariasis.
iv.The Parties will bear their own costs in relation to the collaboration envisaged by this MOU.
WHO GCTM: Cabinet approves establishment of World’s 1st & Only Global Outposted Centre for
traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat
In accordance with the Cabinet approval, a Host Country agreement was signed between the Government
of India and the World Health Organization (WHO) under which the WHO Global Centre for Traditional
Medicine (WHO GCTM) will be set up in Jamnagar, Gujarat under the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga
and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy).
• Notably, this will be the first and only global outposted Centre (office) for traditional medicine
across the globe.
What will WHO GCTM do?
i.WHO GCTM not only positions AYUSH systems globally but also act as global leader on health matters
pertaining to traditional medicine.
ii.It will ensure quality, safety and efficacy, accessibility and rational use of traditional medicine by
developing relevant norms.
iii.It also envisages creation of WHO TM Informatics centre by collaborating withthe existing TM Data
banks, virtual libraries, and academic and research institutes.
iv.It will develop specific capacity building and training programmes in campus, residential, or web-based,
and through partnerships with the WHO Academy and other strategic partners.
Background:
On the occasion of 5th Ayurveda Day on November 13, 2020, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghbereyesus, Director
General, WHO announced the establishment of WHO GCTM in India. In this regard, a Joint Task Force (JTF)
is constituted for coordination, execution and monitoring of activities for the establishment of this Centre.
• An interim office is also established at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA),
Jamnagar, Gujarat to execute the identified technical activities and planning of fully functional
WHO GCTM.
Other Collaborations between Ministry of AYUSH and WHO include:
i.Developing benchmarks documents on training and practice of Ayurveda and Unani System
ii.Introducing a second module in the Traditional Medicine Chapter of the International classification of
Diseases-11
iii.Developing apps like M-yoga, supporting the work of International Pharmacopeia of Herbal Medicine
(IPHM) and other research studies
About Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy):
Union Minister– Sarbananda Sonowal (Constituency- Assam)
Minister of State (MoS)– Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai- (Constituency- Surendranagar, Gujarat)
Cabinet approves setting up of NLMC as SPV for Undertaking Surplus Land Monetization
On the lines of the Budget Announcement for 2021-22, the Union Cabinet approved the setting up National
Land Monetization Corporation (NLMC) as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to undertake monetization of
surplus land and building assets of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and other government
agencies.
About NLMC:
It has been set up as a government-owned company with an initial authorized share capital of Rs 5000
crore and paid-up share capital of Rs 150 crore. Its Board of Directors (BoD) will comprise senior central
government officers and eminent experts.
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• The Department of Public Enterprise (DPE) under the ministry of finance will set up the
company and act as its administrative ministry.
• NLMC is also expected to own, hold, manage and monetize surplus land and building assets of
CPSEs under closure and the surplus non-core land assets of Government owned CPSEs under
strategic disinvestment.
Need for NLMC:
Currently, CPSEs hold surplus, unused and under used non-core assets in the form of land and
buildings. For CPSEs undergoing strategic disinvestment or closure, monetization of these surplus land
and non-core assets is important to unlock their value. NLMC will support and undertake monetization of
these assets for their further productive utilization.
Cabinet approves Amendment of the Second Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and
Regulation) Act, 1957
The Union Cabinet approved the amendment of the Second Schedule to the Mines and Minerals
(Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 for specifying the rate of royalty in respect of certain
minerals viz. Glauconite, Potash, Emerald, Platinum Group of Metals (PGM), Andalusite, Sillimanite and
Molybdenum.
Key Points:
i.The approval will ensure auction of mineral blocks in respect of notified minerals thereby reducing
import of these minerals, generating empowerment opportunity in the mining sector as well as
manufacturing sector.
ii.The rate of royalty for Andalusite, Sillimanite and Kyanite which are mineral polymorphs are kept at the
same level.
iii.This Act was amended in 2015, then to give further impetus to the mineral sector, the Act has been
further amended in 2021.
i.The Union Cabinet approved the signing of MoU between India and Turkmenistan on cooperation in
disaster management including preparedness, response and capacity building.
ii.The Union Cabinet has approved the sanction of remaining Rs 973.74 crore (*over and above Rs 5,500
crore) under ‘Scheme for grant of ex-gratia payment of difference between compound interest and simple
interest for six months to borrowers in specified loan accounts (1.3.2020 to 31.8.2020)’ to State Bank of
India (SBI).
Union Cabinet Approves Continuation of National AIDS and STD Control Programme Till
2026
Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its
approval for the continuation of National AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) and Sexually
Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Control Programme (NACP) for 5 years from 1 April, 2021 to 31 March,
2026 with an outlay of Rs. 15,471.94 crore by approving phase-V of the programme.
• The Phase-IV (Extension) of National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP) was concluded
on 31 March, 2021.
• The NACP Phase-V will work towards the attainment of United Nations’ Sustainable Development
Goals 3.3 of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 through a
comprehensive package of prevention, detection and treatment services.
About National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP):
i.It is a Central sector scheme which is completely funded by the Government of India.
ii.The national AIDS response was initiated by the Indian government in 1992 with the launch of the first
phase of the NACP.
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iii.Progress of NACP:
• India recorded annual new HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infections declined in cases by
48% against the global average of 31 % (the baseline year of 2010).
• Annual AIDS-related deaths have declined by 82 % against the global average of 42 %(the
baseline year of 2010).
• HIV prevalence in India continues to be low with an adult HIV prevalence of 0.22%.
What is HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) ?
It is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. The untreated HIV can lead to AIDS (Acquired Immuno
Deficiency syndrome).
About Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs):
These diseases are passed from one person to another through sexual contact.Examples-Gonorrhea,
HIV/AIDS, Syphilis.
Cabinet Approval on March 22, 2022

On March 22, 2022, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the
following proposals:
• Extension of New Investment Policy-2012 for three units of HURL
• Increase in the MSP of raw jute by Rs 250 to Rs 4,750 per quintal for the 2022-23 season
• Bill to merge three Delhi municipal corporations into unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi
CCEA approves extension of New Investment Policy-2012 for three units of HURL
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved the extension
of applicability of the New Investment Policy (NIP)-2012 for three upcoming units of Hindustan Urvarak &
Rasayan Limited (HURL) at Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni. This approval has been made on the proposal
of the Department of Fertilizers for the same.
About NIP-2012:
The government had announced NIP-2012 in January, 2013 and its amendment in October, 2014 to make
India self-sufficient in the urea sector by facilitating fresh investments. The policy lays down guidelines to
fix gas prices and also other roadmaps to attract investments in this sector.
About HURL:
Initiated in 2016, it is a Joint Venture (JV) by Coal India Limited (CIL), NTPC Limited (NTPC) and Indian Oil
Corporation Limited(IOCL). It is reviving the erstwhile Gorakhpur and Sindri Units of FCIL (Fertilizer
Corporation Of India Ltd.) and Barauni Unit of GFCL by setting up new gas based Urea Plants with the
installed capacity of 12.7 Lakh Metric Ton Per Annum each (ILMTPA).
• The cost of these three HURL urea projects is Rs 25,120 crore, while GAIL (Gas Authority of India
Limited) will supply natural gas to these three units.
• The commissioning of these units will add 38.1 LMTPA indigenous urea production in India and
will meet the demand for urea in 7 states viz. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,
Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha.
It should be noted that HURL-Gorakhpur unit has India’s first Air Operated Bulled Proof Rubber
Dam of 65 mtrs length and 2 mtrs height.
CCEA approves MSP of Raw Jute for 2022-23
The CCEA also approved an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of raw jute by Rs 250 to Rs
4,750 per quintal for the 2022-23 season to ensure a return of 60.53% over all India weighted average
cost of production.
Key Points:
i.The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, and also
on the lines of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times all India weighted average cost of production as
announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19. This assures a minimum of 50% as margin of profit.
11
ii.Jute Corporation of India (JCI) will continue as central government nodal agency to undertake price
support operations. The losses in such operations will be fully reimbursed by the Central Government.
Union Cabinet gives nod to bill to merge three Delhi municipal corporations
The Union Cabinet gave its nod to the Bill for ‘Delhi Municipal Corporation Amendment Act
2022’ which seeks the merger of three municipal corporations in Delhi into a single unified Municipal
Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
• The Bill for the same will be introduced in the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament.
• Some more amendments have also been cleared in the principal Act of 1957 to ensure a more
robust delivery architecture for greater transparency, improved governance and efficient delivery
of civic services for the people of Delhi.
Point to be noted:
In 2011, the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was trifurcated into three municipal
corporations – South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC),
and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) through the Delhi Municipal Corporation Amendment Act,
1911.
Benefit behind Unification of Municipal Corporations of Delhi:
It will be a well-equipped entity for optimum utilization of financial resources. It will reduce mounting
liabilities, expenditure on the functioning of the three municipal corporations and improve the civic
services in Delhi.
i.In January 2022, CCEA approved the scheme on Green Energy Corridor (GEC) Phase-II for Intra-State
Transmission System (InSTS). This approval will add approximately 10,750 circuit kilometres (ckm) of
transmission lines and approx. 27,500 MegaVolt-Amperes (MVA) transformation capacity of substations.
ii.The Cabinet has extended the tenure of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NSCK) by three
years up to March 31, 2025 w.e.f. April 1, 2022.
About Jute Corporation of India (JCI):
Parent Ministry– Ministry of Textiles
Managing Director– Cmde. Ajay Kumar Jolly
Headquarters– Kolkata, West Bengal
Union Cabinet nods extension of PM-GKAY till September 2022

On March 26, 2022, the Union Cabinet has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan
Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) for another six months till September, 2022, with an outlay of Rs 80,000 crore.
• Government has spent approximately Rs. 2.60 Lakh Crore so far and with above addition of
80,000 crores the total expenditure under the scheme is said be nearly Rs.3.4 lakh crore which
includes all six phases.
i.The Union Government under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) had so far allocated
1,003 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) of free food grains, which includes 759 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) till Phase
v and another 244 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) for Phase vi.
ii.The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) will cover nearly 80 crore beneficiaries
across India which includes 75 percent of the rural population and 50 percent of the urban population,
making it the largest food security program in the world.
iii.Under the extended Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) each beneficiary will get
an additional 5 kg free ration per person per month in addition to his normal quota of foodgrains under the
National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013.
iv.The benefits can be availed through portability by any migrant labour or beneficiary under One Nation
One Ration Card (ONORC) plan from nearly 5 Lakh ration shops across the country. So far, over 61 crore
portability transactions have taken place under the scheme.
12
About Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY):

i.Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) is a welfare scheme announced by the government
as a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat in March 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ii.PMGKAY is operated by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer
Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.This program is a part of the existing Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan
Yojana welfare initiative.
ii.It envisages fulfilling the food requirement of the needy by providing food grains through the public
distribution system devised to reach all the priority households (ration cardholders) and Antyodaya Anna
Yojana.
About National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013:
i.The National Food Security Act, 2013 aims to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle
approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a
life with dignity.
ii.The National Food Security Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50%
of the urban population for receiving subsidised foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System
(TPDS).
iii.The eligible persons will be entitled to receive 5 Kgs of foodgrains per person per month at subsidised
prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains respectively.
iv.The existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, will
continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month.
PARLIAMENT NEWS
Lok Sabha Speaker Addressed Valedictory Function of the 3rd National Youth Parliament
Festival -2022
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla addressed the valedictory function of the 3rd edition of National Youth
Parliament Festival(NYPF) –2022, held from 10th March to 11th March 2022, at the Central Hall of
Parliament, New Delhi, Delhi. He also felicitated the 3 final winners at the National level of the 3rd NYPF.
• The NYPF is organised to hear the voice of the youth, who will join various careers in the coming
years, including public services. The 1st edition was held in 2019 and the 2nd edition was held in
2020.
• The theme of the 3rd NYPF is “be the voice of New India and find solutions and contribute to
Policy’
Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur and Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports,
Nisith Pramanik were also present during the event.
MoCA Amends Rules on Limited Liability Partnership 2009

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MoCA) amended the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Rules 2009
effective 4th March 2022 to address the concerns of entities facing bankruptcy proceedings.
• Hereon LLP Rules 2009 will be called as Limited Liability Partnership (Second Amendment)
Rules 2022
• It primarily deals with solvency statements and certificates of truthfulness, which are part of the
annual returns.
About the amendment:
i.LLP’s statement of solvency, which must be signed by a designated partner in charge of compliance, can
now be signed by a resolution professional in case of a bankruptcy.
ii.The new rules also cover the requirement of filing a certificate endorsing the truthfulness and
correctness of annual returns of LLPs with sales of up to Rs.5 crore, or partner contribution of up to Rs.50
lakh.
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• In case of small LLPs facing bankruptcy, the certificate could be signed by a resolution
professional or administrator.
Click here to read more about the amendments
About Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MoCA):
Union Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman (Rajya Sabha Karnataka)
Minister of state – Rao Inderjit Singh (Constituency – Gurugram, Haryana)
LAUNCHES & INAUGURATION

GoI Has Launched “Operation Ganga” To Rescue Indian Citizens From War Prolonged
Ukraine
The Government of India (GoI) has launched ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate Indian citizens from Ukraine,
due to Ukraine’s war against Russia. The GoI has planned to help nearly 15,000 Indians to reach India with
the help of Air India flights.
• There were nearly 20,000 Indians of
which 5,000 Indians had already
reached India before the
commencement of the war.
To The Border Nations:
i.With the help of International Committee of
Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, the GoI have
guided the Indian citizens towards the border of
Ukraine.
ii.Due to the closing of Ukrainian airspace, the
Indian evacuation flights are operating out of Romanian capital Bucharest and Hungarian capital Budapest.
• Indian teams have also been placed in Krakowiec as well as Shehyni-Medyka land border points
in Poland, Vysne Nemecke in the Slovak Republic.
iii.India is evacuating stranded Indians from Ukraine through its land border crossings with Romania,
Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
iv.Boeing 787 plane is the airline under operation, better known as Dreamliner, from countries including
Romania and Hungary.
v.The GoI will bear all the travel cost of the flights for the Indian citizens.
• The cost for operating a two-way evacuation flight will be more than Rs 1.10 crore and the
amount will rise, depending on the duration of the flights.
Assignment To The Ministries:
The Prime Minister of India has decided to send 4 Union Ministers to Poland and Romania to oversee the
evacuation.
i.Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Petroleum and Natural Gas – Hardeep Singh Puri
ii.Minister for Law and Justice – Kiren Rijiju
iii.Civil Aviation Minister – Jyotiraditya Scindia
iv.Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation – General V K Singh
• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also announced a Twitter handle ‘OpGanga Helpline’ to
assist Indian evacuation.
v.The first Air India flight carrying 219 Indian evacuees from Ukraine had landed in the Mumbai airport
from Bucharest.
About Ukraine:
President – Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Capital & Currency– Kyiv & Ukrainian hryvnia
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Monsoon Mission III to be launched soon by MoES

According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), India set to launch the third phase of the Monsoon
Mission (III).
• Monsoon Mission was first launched in 2012 (2012-2017) and a flagship project undertaken by
the MoES.
• The second phase was launched in 2017 (2017-2020).
Objective– To Improve Prediction Skill of Monsoon Weather and Climate.
i.By improving Seasonal and Intra-seasonal Monsoon Forecast and Medium Range Forecast.
Key points:
i.The launch was announced in the International Monsoons Project Office (IMPO). It was jointly hosted
by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO).
ii.The project will facilitate the international community to work together towards improving
understanding of the monsoons at global level.
iii.The IMPO and World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) will collaborate with global monsoon
experts and undertake collaborative research on monsoon affecting the Asian, African, American and
Oceania countries.
About Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES):
Minister of State (Independent charge)-Dr. Jitendra Singh (Udhampur,J&K)
Secretary of MoES-M Ravichandran,
Headquarters- New delhi
Field assessment of Swachh Survekshan 2022 launched by MoHUA

On March 1, 2022, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the 7th consecutive
edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2022, the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. It coincides with
the celebrations of the 75th year of India’s independence thus SS 2022 will focus on the theme
of Azadi@75 spirit.
• It is designed with ‘People First’ as its driving philosophy.
About SS2022:
i.The survey has been initiated with around 3,000 assessors of Ipsos Research Pvt. Ltd., an Assessment
Agency headquartered in Paris France. In India, it is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The assessors will go on the field to assess the performance of cities.
ii.Its scope has been expanded to cover 100% wards for sampling, as compared to 40% in previous years.
iii.It will look into the initiatives of cities for the overall welfare and well-being of frontline sanitation
workers.
iv.SS2022 will also give priority to the feedback from senior citizens as a part of paying tribute to the
wisdom of the elderly.
• It will also reach out to young adults, who are considered as the leaders of Swachhata movement
iv.Cities have been regularly filling in their data, updating their progress in the Swachhata Portal MIS
(Management Information System) along with running several citizen centric campaigns in preparation of
SS 2022.
New indicators added in SS2022:
i.To commemorate the 75 years of progressive India, ULB’s (Urban Local Bodies) joined hands with
citizens to identify at least one Chauraha/Roundabout in their respective cities that can be thematically
decorated to showcase the spirit of the glorious 75 years of India’s independence.
ii.Another new indicator ‘Swachh Technology Challenge‘, launched by MoHUA on December 6, 2021, has
been added in SS 2022.
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• As part of this challenge, individuals/organizations and start-ups submitted innovative solutions

under four thematic categories, viz. social inclusion; zero dump (solid waste management);
plastic waste management; and transparency through digital enablement, across all ULBs.
iii.For smaller cities, it introduces two population categories under 15K and between 15-25K.
iv.District rankings have also been introduced for the first time.
About Swachh Survekshan:
Launched in 2016 by MoHUA as a competitive framework, it encourages cities to improve the status of
urban sanitation with large scale citizen participation. It creates healthy competition among cities and
towns of India.
• The survey was initiated with 73 cities which has grown to 4,320 cities in SS 2021, including 62
Cantonment Boards.
On December 2, 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) extended the timeline for the
implementation of the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) for all 100 participating cities to June 2023 due to the
COVID-19 induced slowdown and other factors. The Mission was launched in the year FY2015-16 & set a
target of five years i.e.FY2019-20.
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA):
Union Minister– Hardeep Singh Puri (Constituency– Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Kaushal Kishore (Constituency– Mohanlalganj, Uttar Pradesh)
President of India Ram Nath Kovind Launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Campaign
2022; Presented 3rd NWA 2020
On 29th March 2022, Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the
Rain (JSA: CTR) campaign – 2022 during the event organised by the National Water Mission, Department
of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti at Vigyan Bhawan,
New Delhi.
For the year 2022, The Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Campaign 2022 will focus on springshed
development, catchment area augmentation, and gender mainstreaming.
• President Ram Nath Kovind also felicitated the1st Prize winners of the 3rd National Water
Awards(NWA) 2020.
• 7th edition of India’s International Water Resources Event India Water Week(IWW) -2022
planned to be organized from 1-5 November, 2022 at India Expo Centre, Grater Noida, Uttar
Pradesh(UP).
• The theme of the 7th India Water Week (IWW)-2022 is “Water Security for Sustainable
Development with Equity”.
Key People:
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State(MoS) for Jal
Shakti and Bishweswar Tudu MoS of Jal Shakti participated in the event.
• Union Minister for Jal Shakti felicitated the 2nd & 3rd Prize winners of 3rd NWA 2020.
Background:
i.On the occasion of World Water Day 2021(March 22), Prime Minister(PM) of India, Narendra Modi,
launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ (JSA: CTR) campaign, which was taken up in all
districts in rural and urban areas of India during the pre-monsoon and monsoon period (i.e., from March
2021 up to 30th November 2021).
ii.The theme of JSA: CTR was “Catch the rain, Where it Falls When it Falls”
Efforts of GoI towards conservation of Water:
i.The government of India (GoI) has taken several initiatives to reduce the effects of climate change and
ensure water security through efficient use of water, conservation of water sources, minimizing pollution
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and ensuring sanitation.

ii.In 2019, GoI launched the “Jal Shakti Abhiyan” to make water everyone’s business and to make the Jal
Andolan a Jan Andolan-a mass movement and the “Jal Jeevan Mission” with the aim of providing
“Functional Household Tap Connections” (FHTC) to every rural household in the country by 2024.
3rd National Water Awards 2020:
i.In January 2022, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Announced the winners of the 3rd NWA
2020.
ii.Uttar Pradesh (UP) has been awarded first prize in the Best State category, followed by Rajasthan and
Tamil Nadu (TN).
Click here to know more
About Ministry of Jal Shakti:
Union Minister– Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Constituency – Jodhpur, Rajasthan)
Minister of State– Prahlad Singh Patel (Constituency – Damoh, Madhya Pradesh), Bishweswar Tudu
(Constituency – Mayurbhanj, Odisha)
Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy Launches Digital platform, E-Marketplace

Union Minister of Tourism G. Kishan Reddy launched the E-Marketplace, a Digital platform at an event
organised at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management(IITTM), Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
About E-Marketplace:
i.The E-Marketplace was launched as a part of a digital tourism solution for Incredible India Tourist
Facilitators (IITFs) or Incredible India Tourist Guides (IITGs), to provide Web and Mobile App based
interaction mechanisms, which is to be used by tourists and certified tourist facilitators or tourists guides.
ii.The E-Marketplace platform will support IITFs/IITGs to get business opportunities and will connect the
customer and the service provider.
Other Highlights:
i.A Coffee table book on the theme of Temple Iconography titled “Temple Heritage of India” was also
released during the event.
• The book covers 75 plates on Indian Temples at 75 years of India’s Independence.
ii.A Letter of Intent(LoI) was awarded to Bird Academy for collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism
(MoT) for soft skill training, for IITF Certification(IITFC) program participants.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Launches Sujlam 2.0 Campaign for greywater management in
New Delhi
On the Occasion World Water Day 2022, The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
launches Sujalam 2.0 campaign for greywater management in a virtual summit hosted by the Department
of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) in New Delhi.
i.The objective of the campaign is to manage greywater through people’s participation by mobilising
communities, institutions like panchayats, schools, anganwadi to undertake greywater management.
ii.The Sujlam 2.0 Campaign saw a Joint Advisory signed by nine Ministries namely the Ministry of Jal
Shakti, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Education,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of Panchayati Raj on how greywater
management will be taken up at their level based on convergence model.
iii.Greywater refers to domestic wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams
without fecal contamination, i.e., all streams except for the wastewater from toilets. Sources of greywater
include sinks, showers, baths, washing machines or dishwashers.
About World Water Day 2022:
i.The United Nations World Water Day is annually observed across the world by 22nd March to celebrate
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water and focus on the importance of freshwater.

ii.Theme of World Water Day 2022 is – ‘Groundwater: making the invisible visible’.
About Ministry of Jal Shakti:
Minister of Jal Shakti – Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Loksabha MP, Constituency – Jodhpur (Rajasthan))
Minister of State for Jal Shakti – Bishweswar Tudu (Loksabha MP, Constituency – Mayurbhanj (Odisha))
WCD Minister Smriti Irani Announces Rs 5 lakh Insurance for OSC Workers & Launched
‘Stree Manoraksha Project’
As a part of nationwide celebrations of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the Ministry of Women and Child
Development (MoWCD) is celebrating the International Women’s Day week from 1st to 8th March, 2022
which was inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, MoWCD at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi,
Delhi on March 1, 2022.
• The inaugural event of the week was organised by the MoWCD in collaboration with Bureau of
Police Research and Development (BPR&D) to raise awareness on safety and security of
women.
• During the event, an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh was announced for the workers of One Stop
Centres (OSC), established in 2015 under Nirbhaya fund to provide mental, legal and medical aid
to distressed women.
Key Highlights:
i.Interactive sessions were held by BPR&D and National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child
Development (NIPCCD).
ii.The event highlighted the current developments in the country and the initiatives that have been
implemented through MWCD for the safety, security and enhancing psychological wellbeing of women.
Launch of Stree Manoraksha Project
MoWCD launched the ‘Stree Manoraksha Project’ in collaboration with National Institute of Mental
Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru, Karnataka with an aim to improve the mental
health of women in India. The project will focus on building on capacity building of 6000 OSC functionaries
on the tools and techniques as to how to handle the cases of women approaching the OSCs, particularly the
women who have suffered violence and distress with due sensitivity and care.
• In this regard, Minister, WCD launched the advance certificate course for OSC Councilors and
also released the resource material for capacity building of OSC Staff.
• The Training module is carved out by NIMHANS.
MoWCD Collaborated with NALSA
A consultative conclave on capacity building of OSCs was organized in collaboration with NALSA (National
Legal Services Authority). During this, a collaboration of MoWCD with NALSA is announced which build on
capacity and training of OSC functionaries across the country about the legal provisions under law for
safety and security of women, awareness about pro-bono legal assistance to women through NALSA and
the Victim Compensation Scheme, among others.
• The Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 provides for free and competent legal services to
the weaker sections of the society including women and children.
Legal Services provided by Government
i.MoWCD is looking forward for a pilot on ‘Naari Adalat’ with the help of NALSA so that women victims
can get speedy justice.
ii.Nyaya Bandhu (Pro-bono Legal Services) is a programme to link the persons eligible to avail free legal
aid under Section 12 of LSA Act, 1987 with lawyers.
iii.Tele-law programme, provides legal advice to public including persons entitled for free legal aid under
Section 12 of LSA Act, 1987, at pre-litigation stage by the Panel Lawyers through 75,000 Common Service
Centre (CSC) at the Panchayats.
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MoWCD Collaborated with BPR&D

On this occasion, it has been decided that MoWCD in collaboration with BPR&D will build on capacity
building and training of OSC functionaries to deal with the cases of crimes against women.
• Further, MWCD in collaboration with BPR&D will also initiate self defense training programmes
through NIPCCD.
On the recommendations of MoWCD, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra
Modi has given its nod for proposal to bring uniformity in the marriageable age of men and women,
thereby, increasing the legal age of marriage of women from 18 to 21 years.
About Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD):
Union Minister– Smriti Zubin Irani(Constituency- Amethi, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai (Constituency- Surendranagar, Gujarat)
India’s First 100 % Women-Owned Industrial Park Inaugurated in Hyderabad

On 9th March 2022 India’s first 100 percent women-owned ‘FLO (FICCI Ladies Organisation)
Industrial Park (FIP)’ in Hyderabad, Telangana powered by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce
& Industry (FICCI) Ladies Organisation (FLO) in partnership with Telangana government was
inaugurated with the commencement of operations by 25 women-owned and operated units represent 16
diverse Green Category Industries at the Park.
• It is the flagship project at a national level with participation open to Chapter Members, and the
national members of FLO.
• Objective – To propagate and encourage sustainable development and growth
About FIP:
i.FIP in Hyderabad, Telangana is around 50 acres and was established by FLO in association with
Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) with an investment of Rs.250 crore. The FIP
began operations with 25 Green Projects in Hyderabad.
ii.The FIP includes amenities from the electronic sector to packaging, medical services, wellness,
engineering and food processing to demonstrate the power of women entrepreneurs.
• The park will also offer a home environment for women entrepreneurs
including crèches and playschools.
Key Points:
i.During the inauguration ceremony of the industrial park, Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban
Development, Industries & Commerce, and Information Technology of Telangana K T Rama Rao has also
promised another 100 acres for the expansion of the FLO women industrial park and offered an
additional 10 percent subsidy for women entrepreneurs.
• This paves way for female entrepreneurs to run and operate their business from this park.
About FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO):
Establishment – 1983 (a division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and industry
(FICCI))
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
President – Ujjwala Singhania
Karnataka Launches India’s 1st ever Digital Water Databank ‘AQVERIUM’

The Information Technology (IT) Minister of Karnataka, Chikkakalya Narayanappa (CN) Ashwath Narayan
launched India’s first ever digital water databank ‘AQVERIUM’ in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• AQVERIUM is an initiative of the Bengaluru-headquartered Digital Startup – AquaKraft Digital
Ventures Pvt Ltd, a newly formed subsidiary of AquaKraft Projects Private Limited , the flagship
company of AquaKraft Group Ventures.
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Key points:
i.The Digital water data bank contains a list of water data from all institutions and sources, which will help
in the effective management of water & will help to tackle some common development challenges.
ii.The bank also provides insights and evidence from research and reliable information for tackling water
pollution.
iii.AquaKraft Group Ventures is offering a unique social franchising model to create ‘water entrepreneurs’
with an objective to make India ‘Water Positive’ by 2030.
Additional Info – It has been predicted that 60% of districts in India are likely to reach the critical level of
groundwater depletion over the next 20 years.Availability of water per person has fallen from 4,000 cubic
meters in 1950 to around 1,000 cubic meters in 2019.
About AquaKraft Group Ventures:
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founder Chairman and CEO– Dr Subramanya Kusnur
India’s first-of-its kind Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park launched in
Bengaluru
India’s first Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK) for creating a better world
through an inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Robotics revolution has been inaugurated at Indian
Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, Karnataka.
It was launched by the Government of Karnataka’s
Minister for Information, Biotechnology, and
Science and Technology, Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan.
It is a joint initiative of IISc Bengaluru and AI
Foundry, Bengaluru in a public-private
collaborative model to promote technology
innovations in the field of AI & Robotics.
• ARTPARK is a one-of-its kind, not-for-
profit foundation with a total seed
capital of 230 crores, which is funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry
of Science and Technology, Government of India with Rs. 170 crores and the Government of
Karnataka with Rs. 60 crores to create cutting-edge innovations in terms of new technologies,
standards, products, services and intellectual properties outside of India.
• As the field of AI is expected to reach USD 15.7 trillion by 2030, the launch of this novel initiative
is a step toward adapting to future technologies such as 5G, AI, and Robotics, which will help to
create jobs and contribute to the economy.
About Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK):
i.Presently ARTPARK is indulged in projects such as Project Eklavya, XraySetu, Avtaar Robotics, DataSetu
and Autonomous Mobility.
ii.CEO – Umakant Soni
Union MoS Jitendra Singh Releases India’s Arctic Policy in Delhi

Union Minister of State (MoS) for Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh released India’s Arctic policy
titled ‘India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development’ in New Delhi. India is
one of 13 nations holding Observer status in the Arctic Council.
• It is available on the website of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
at https://www.moes.gov.in.
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• Thirteen Non-arctic States have been approved as Observers to the Arctic Council.They are
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, China, Poland, India, Republic of Korea, Spain,
Switzerland, United Kingdom, Singapore.
Objective:
i.To promote the agenda of strengthening national capabilities and competencies in science and
environmental protection, maritime and economic cooperation with the Arctic region.
ii.To enhance understanding of the impact of climate change in the Arctic and deepen India’s participation
in climate, economic, and energy security related issues. It studies linkages between polar regions and the
Himalayas.
India’s Arctic Policy is based on six pillars:
• Strengthening India’s scientific research and cooperation,
• Climate and environmental protection,
• Economic and human development,
• Transportation and connectivity,
• Governance and international cooperation,
• National capacity building in the Arctic region.
Key points:
i.India began its engagement with the Arctic region when it signed the Svalbard Treaty (originally the
Spitsbergen Treaty) in 1920 in Paris, France.
• In 2007, India began its Arctic Research Program which focuses on climate change.
• India also set up a research station ‘Himadri’(2008) in the international Arctic research base at
Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway.
ii.India is actively participating in studies and research development related to the Arctic oceanography,
atmosphere, pollution and microbiology.
• India established IndArc which is the first multi-sensor moored observatory in Kongsfjorden in
2014 and the northernmost Gruvebadet Atmospheric Laboratory in Ny Alesund in 2016 were
launched in the Arctic region.
• The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa under the MoES, is the
nodal institution for India’s Polar research programme, which includes Arctic studies.
About Arctic Council:
Founded– 1996
Headquarters- Tromso, Norway
Council members (8)– eight Arctic states; Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia
and the U.S
Observer states (13)-France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, China, Poland, India, Republic of
Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Singapore
Toyota Mirai: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launches India’s 1st Green Hydrogen-based
FCEV in New Delhi
On March 16, 2022, the world’s most advanced Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) powered by Hydrogen,
Toyota Mirai, was launched in India by the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways (MoRTH) in New Delhi, Delhi. It runs on fully hydrogen generated electricity.
• This launch is a pilot project taking place in Delhi by Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd (TKM)
and International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT) to study and evaluate this FCEV
on Indian roads and climatic conditions.
• This is also a first of its kind project in India aiming to create a Green Hydrogen based
ecosystem by raising awareness about the utility of Green Hydrogen and FCEV technology.
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About Toyota Mirai:

Powered by a hydrogen fuel cell battery pack, it is capable of providing a range up to 650 km in a single
charge, with a refuelling time of five minutes. The powertrain breaks the hydrogen into water and oxygen
to generate energy from it. In Japanese, the word ‘Mirai’ means ‘future’.
• Toyota Mirai was launched in 2014 and was one of the world’s first hydrogen fuel EV.
• Now, this new launch in India is second generation (introduced globally in 2020), with
a 30% increase in range, better handling and sharper styling. Its iteration will be built in TKM’s
plant in Karnataka.
Key Points:
i.The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) will be supplying Hydrogen for this vehicle.
ii.The launch of the EV, and adoption of green hydrogen technology will cater to India’s initiative of
becoming ‘Energy Self-reliant’ by 2047 as it will promote clean energy, affordable energy and
environmental protection by reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
• FCEV is one of the best Zero Emission solutions.
• It is completely environment friendly with no tailpipe emissions other than water.
ii.Green Hydrogen can be generated from renewable energy and abundantly available biomass.
Other Participants:
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG); Union Minister Raj
Kumar Singh, Ministry of Power (MoP); Union Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey, Ministry of Heavy
Industries (MHI); Masakazu Yoshimura, Managing Director, TKM, among others.
BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre Launched by Union Health Minister

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, launched the BRICS Vaccine
Research & Development (R&D) Center and Workshop on Vaccine Cooperation through a video-
conference in New Delhi, Delhi.
• India plans to offer its robust vaccine manufacturing industry for developing vaccines
for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries and also the world.
• India supplies vaccines to more than 150 countries and is home to one of the world’s largest
vaccine manufacturing industries. It also fulfils 65-70% vaccine requirements of the World
Health Organization (WHO). It has so far administered more than 1.81 billion vaccination doses.
Background:
• A BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre was proposed to be established in the 2018 Johannesburg
Declaration.
• During the XIII BRICS Summit: New Delhi Declaration, 2021, the leaders reaffirmed their
commitment to the early launch of the BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre.
Highlights:
i.The Government of India (GoI) would pool the BRICS countries’ complementary strengths in vaccine
research and development, bolstering their capacity to prevent and control infectious diseases, and
providing timely assistance to other developing countries in need.
ii. It demands the BRICS countries to collaborate and support initiatives such as ACT-A, COVAX, CEPI, and
others in order to meet the WHO’s target of vaccinating 70% of the world’s population with COVID-19
vaccines by mid-2022.
iii.So far, India has approved nine COVID-19 emergency vaccinations, five of which are indigenous. This
included the world’s first-of-its-kind m-RNA vaccine, Gennova, which was developed indigenously and
manufactured outside of the WHO transfer technology programme.
iv.Since the vaccine industry in India functions in a dual mode—De-novo product development, i.e.,
within the country and technology transfer through local-global partnerships, it calls for stakeholders’
collaboration.
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About BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa):

i.It is an informal group of states comprising the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the
Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa.
ii.The creation of BRICS was first proposed by Russia.
Dr. Jitendra Singh Launches Data-Driven Research to Eradicate TB- “Dare2eraD TB”
On the occasion of World Tuberculosis(TB) Day(24th March 2022), Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of
State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, launched the Data-Driven Research to Eradicate TB-
“Dare2eraD TB” by the Department of Biotechnology(DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology(MoS&T)
• The program was launched during the “STEP Up to End TB 2022” Summit organised on the
occasion of World TB Day 2022.
Note: India aims to reach the goal of a TB Mukt Bharat (TB-free India) by 2025, 5 years ahead of the target
for TB set by Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
About Dare2eraD TB:
i.The Dare2eraD TB programme will be based on Indian data, and the formation of a Genome Sequencing
Consortium for Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) TB surveillance.
ii.Dare2eraD TB will be the umbrella TB program of DBT comprising the key initiatives like,
• InTGS – Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance Consortium;
• InTBK Hub- Indian TB Knowledge Hub- Webinar Series;
• Host Directed therapies against TB and developing an evidence-based regimen for treating extra-
pulmonary Tuberculosis.
STEP Up to End TB 2022 Summit:
On the occasion of World TB Day 2022, Anandiben Patel, Governor of Uttar Pradesh(UP), virtually
inaugurated the “Step Up to End TB- World TB Day Summit” at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
Other highlights of the summit:
i.Several reports and new interventions were released during the summit which includes,
India TB report 2022 and National TB Prevalence Survey Report showed the TB status in India.
ii.Report on C-TB (new skin test for TB infection diagnosis), Standard Treatment Workflows for
Management for Extra-pulmonary TB & Paediatric TB (book & Mobile Application) were also released.
iii.Indian TB Genomic Surveillance Consortium (InTGS) was announced during the summit.
iv.The 21-day campaign through Ayushman Bharat- Health & Wellness Centres to kindle a Jan Andolan,
and culminating on 14th April 2022 was also launched.
Union Minister Narayan Rane launched MSME Innovative Scheme & MSME Idea Hackathon
2022
On March 10, 2022, Union Minister Narayan Tatu Rane, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
(M/o MSME) launched the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design and IPR) along with the MSME
Idea Hackathon 2022 from Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi (Delhi).
• It will act as a hub for innovation activities which will facilitate ideas into businesses thus
benefiting society.
About MSME Innovative Scheme:
It is a combination of three existing sub-schemes viz. incubation, design intervention, and Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) for MSMEs. However, these three schemes will also continue to operate as individual
programs. These sub-schemes are explained as below:
i.Incubation: It promotes adoption of latest technologies in MSMEs that seek the validation of their ideas
at the proof-of-concept level.
• Financial Assistance: Up to Rs 15 lakh per idea and up to Rs 1 crore for relevant plant and
machines
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ii.Design: Its objective is to bring Indian manufacturing sector and Design fraternity on to a common
platform. It provides expert advice and cost-effective solution on real time design problems for new
product development,
• Financial Assistance: Up to Rs 40 Lakh for design project and up to Rs 2.5 lakh for student
project
iii.IPR (Intellectual Property Rights): Its objective is to improve the IP culture in India by raising
awareness regarding IPRs amongst the MSMEs. It envisages effective utilization of IPR tools through IP
Facilitation Centre. It takes suitable measures for the protection of ideas, technological, innovation and
business strategies developed by the MSMEs for their commercialization
• Financial Assistance: Rs 5 lakh 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.
About MSME Idea Hackathon 2022:
The M/o MSME launched MSME Idea Hackathon to invite ideas from MSMEs, innovators and students
through host institutes from March 10 to March 24, 2022. This Hackathon is a part of MSME Innovative
Scheme. Click Here to Register
• Financial assistance up-to maximum of Rs. 15 lakh per approved idea will be provided to Host
Institute (HI) for developing the idea into prototype.
On 24th January 2022, Hitachi Payment Services partnered with Indipaisa to develop a new Fintech
platform for India’s 63 million Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It offer high-quality digital
platform for fintech services at affordable prices for the Indian
MSME market.
About Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (M/o MSME):
Union Minister– Narayan Tatu Rane (Constituency- Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)– Bhanu Pratap Verma (Constituency- Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh)
India’s Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Centre in Manesar, Haryana inaugurated by Union
Minister RK Singh
As a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Programme, Union Minister Raj Kumar Singh, Ministry of New &
Renewable Energy (MNRE), and Minister of State (MoS) Krishan Pal Gurjar, Ministry of Power (MOP)
virtually launched the India’s Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Center (Virtual SGKC) and Innovation Park.
• The Virtual SGKC is located within the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited
(PGCIL)/POWERGRID centre in Manesar (Haryana).
Developers:
i.It has been conceptualized and developed by the POWERGRID with support from the MOP, and National
Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) for demonstration and advancement of frontier smart grid technologies.
ii.The technical assistance is provided by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID).
Key Points:
i.The Virtual SGKC, which will be one of the leading Centers of Excellence globally, has been developed to
foster innovation, entrepreneurship and research in smart grid technologies of power distribution sector.
ii.The platform presently hosts more than 50 solutions from over 30 technology partners across 8 thematic
areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, blockchain, etc.
iii.The solutions which are physically present at SGKC premises at Manesar are also hosted on this
platform.
• This includes Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), smart homes, microgrids, Outage
Management System (OMS), etc.
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What is a Smart Grid?

Smart Grid is an Electrical Grid with Automation, Communication and IT (Information Technology)
systems that can monitor power flows from points of generation to points of consumption. It can control
the power flow or curtail the load to match generation in real time.
‘India Water Pitch-Pilot-Scale Start-up Challenge’ launched under AMRUT 2.0

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, has launched the ‘India Water Pitch-
Pilot-Scale Start-up Challenge’ on the MyGov platform, to address challenges in the urban water sector,
under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 at the India Water Pitch-
Pilot-Scale Start-up Conclave, held in New Delhi, Delhi.
• The event is a mega initiative to push startups in the water sector to identify 100 potential
entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to empower new businesses. The Champions who are
chosen will receive funding support of Rs. 20 lakhs in three installments of Rs. 5 lakhs, Rs. 7 lakhs
and Rs. 8 lakhs respectively.
• The Cabinet has approved a Technology Sub-Mission under AMRUT 2.0 to involve startups as
‘Technology Partner’. This promising initiative will help resolve urban water problems in India.
Note – Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri is also a cabinet minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
About India Water Pitch-Pilot-Scale Start-up Challenge:
i.The conclave provides a novel networking platform to the startups, young innovators, industry partners,
incubators and States/cities.
ii. As the number of Unicorns (a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion) in India has
shown rapid growth, start-ups have become the much sought-after solution for sustainable economic
growth.
iii. The Technology Sub-Mission encourages start-ups in the water and used-water sectors to grow through
innovative ideas, cutting-edge technologies, and design, thus contributing to the economy and generating
employment opportunities.
About Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0:
i.AMRUT 2.0 is a scheme under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), launched on October 1,
2021 by the Prime Minister of India with a huge outlay of over Rs. 2.77 lakh crore.
ii.It is introduced as a step towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) by making the cities’ water
secure and providing functional water tap connections to all households.
iii. The scheme will ensure water security, reduce transportation costs and groundwater contamination,
and increase water utilization capacity in India.
Defence Minister inaugurates DRDO’s Flight Control System Integration complex in

Bengaluru
The Union Defence minister, Rajnath Singh inaugurated a new Flight Control System (FCS) integration
complex at the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru Karnataka.
• The seven storey FCS Integration building was constructed by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) with the help of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in an area of 1.3
lakh square feet with the record of 45 days in Bengaluru,Karnataka.
• It will be used as the research and development (R&D) activities to develop the avionics for
fighter aircraft and FCS for the fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
What is Avionics?
A category of electronic systems and equipment specifically designed for use in aviation.
Key points:
i.The in-house developed hybrid technology used by DRDO for the construction of FCS Complex at the ADE.
• Hybrid technology consisted of conventional, pre-engineered and precast methodology
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ii.The foundation stone for the project was laid on 22 November ,2021, and the construction began on 1
February , 2022.
iii.It was built as per the standard national building code, the technical support was provided by teams
from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Madras & IIT Roorkee.
Related information:
India and France are planning to sign a deal for the joint development of a 125 KN engine for the
indigenous fifth generation AMCA project.
• The collaboration is between DRDO and French engine maker Safran.
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
Headquarters-New Delhi
Founded-1958
Chairman– Dr G Satheesh Reddy
FESTIVALS
Herath Festival Celebrated in Kashmir – 28th February 2022
Herath or the ‘Night of Hara(Shiva)’, generally known as Maha Shivratri, is the main festival celebrated
by the Kashmiri Pandits across Jammu and Kashmir(J&K). The festival marks the marriage anniversary of
Lord Shiva and Goddess Uma(Parvathi).
2022 Herath Festival was celebrated on 28th February 2022.
• Herath Festival is celebrated on “Trayodashi” or the 13th day of the dark half of the month
of Phalguna (Hindu calendar), between February and March. The rest of the nation celebrates
the Maha Shivratri on Chaturdashi or the 14th of Phalguna.
The Kashmiri Pandits celebrate the festival by distributing walnuts as a mark of respect to the Hindu
deities.
West Bengal Celebrates ‘Dol Utsav’ Welcoming Spring Season

On 18 March 2022, West Bengal celebrated the ‘Dol Utsav’ or ‘Dol Jatra’, the festival of colors, marking the
onset of spring season.
• The festival is dedicated to Lord Krishna
and Radha and celebrated on the full moon
day.
• It also marks the last festival of the year as
per the Bengali calendar.
Key Points:
i.The majestic festival is celebrated by throwing
‘gulaal’ or ‘aabir’ on others and by singing and
dancing in cultural programs.
ii.In Eastern region of India, the festival of spring is celebrated as Dol Jatra, Dol Purnima, Dol Utsav and
Basanta Utsav.
Popular spring festival of India:
• Rongali Bihu – the spring festival of Assam,It signifies the onset of the Assamese New Year.
• Sarhul – the spring festival of Jharkhand
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OTHER NEWS
PM addresses post-budget webinar on vision of ‘GatiShakti’ organised by DPIIT
On February 28, 2022, the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi addressed a webinar on the vision
of GatiShakti and its convergence with Union Budget 2022. It was organized by the Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI).
• It was a platform for dignitaries, academicians and industry stakeholders to discuss the plans for
improving India’s logistics sector.
• This is sixth webinar in the series of post budget webinars addressed by the Prime Minister.
Key Points:
i.GatiShakti National Master Plan portal has been developed by the Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space
Application Geo-informatics, which will provide real-time inputs to stakeholders through a dynamic
Geographic Information System interface
ii.The PM GatiShakti National Master Plan is an integrated plan, which will address the missing gaps to
ensure seamless movement of people, goods and services.
iii.The capital expenditure by the central government has increased from Rs. 1.75 Lakh Crore in 2013-14
to Rs. 7.5 Lakh Crore in 2022-23 as government has increased investment across infrastructure sectors
such as National Highways, Railways, Civil Aviation, Waterways, Optical Fiber, Gas Grid and Renewable
Energy.
• State governments have been given Rs. 1 Lakh Crore in 2022-23 for infrastructure development
under PM GatiShakti.
iv.There is a need to reduce the logistics cost from the current levels of 13 – 14% of GDP.
National logistics portal to be integrated with ULIP
The Central Government announced that the National Logistics Portal (NLP) will be integrated with Unified
Logistics Interface Platform- ULIP to formalize the methods and speed up the processes related to the
overall trade.
• Private sector will also be roped in ULIP.
• About 24 Digital Systems of 6 Ministries are getting combined through ULIP.
Additional Info- The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal stated that with concerted efforts and the best possible use of the PM
GatiShakti National Master Plan, it was possible to lower our logistics cost to 7-8% of GDP, one of the
lowest in the world.
UNESCO Includes Meghalaya’s Natural Root Bridges On Tentative List Of World Heritage
Sites
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) includes Meghalaya’s
“Living Root Bridges or Jingkieng Jri” on a tentative
list of World heritage sites. At present there are about
100 living root bridges around 70 villages of
Meghalaya’s subtropical terrain region.
i.Villagers, (especially Khasi and Jaintia tribal
communities) build and maintain these bridges from
the past for more than 600 years.
Purpose Of The Root Bridge:
Villagers of Meghalaya grow these living root bridges to cross the water bodies, they do it by training the
Indian rubber fig tree (ficus elastica) on both sides of water bodies over a period of about 10 to 15 years
where the roots form the bridge.
Uses Of The Root Bridge:
i.These roots also prevent soil erosion, landslides and stabilise the soil.
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ii.These roots not only provide bridges but also absorb carbon dioxide prevailing in the atmosphere.
iii.In 2021, a National Convention on the root-bridges was held to find unique species of orchids,
amphibians, and mammals on the root-bridges.
iv.The elasticity of the bridge makes the structure strong, so that it can withstand upto a capacity of 50
people.
2022 Tentative list of UNESCO:
The Geoglyphs of Konkan region of Maharashra, Sri Veerabhadra Temple and Monolithic Bull (Nandi) at
Lepakshi of Andhra Pradesh have made it to the Tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites in 2022.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
Director General – Audrey Azoulay
Established – 1945
Headquarters – Paris, France
Telangana tops country in terms of Per Capita Net State Domestic Product at Current Prices
Telangana became the top performing state in India with a population over one crore in terms of growth
rate of Per Capita Net State Domestic Product at Current Prices by Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI).
• It succeeded other states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Highlights:
i.The Gross State Domestic Price (GSDP) of Telangana increased from Rs 359434 crores in 2011-12 to Rs
1,154,860 crores in 2021-22.
• It recorded GSDP growth by 31.12 per cent from 2011-12. It is one of the highest growth rates for
any state in the country.
ii.In terms of the percentage growth in GSDP, Telangana has shown the most rapid increase in its growth
rate by around 17% from 2020 to the present.
iii.Telangana provided more impetus to policies to transform the agricultural sector and simultaneously
boost the growth for the IT (Information Technology) and the pharma sectors.
• Major projects including Rythu Bandhu scheme for farmers, world’s largest lift
irrigation Kaleshwaram project to provide water to the fields and Arogya Laxmi
scheme for pregnant and lactating women.
About Telangana:
Chief Minister- K Chandrashekar Rao
Rivers- Bhima River, Tungabhadra river
India’s 1st Indigenous TCAS ‘Kavach’ to avoid Rail Accidents successfully tested by Indian
Railways
On March 4, 2022, The indigenously-developed India’s first Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS),
“Kavach” was successfully tested by Indian Railways. The test was conducted between Gullaguda-Chitgidda
Railway stations on Lingampalli-Vikarabad section in Secunderabad Division of South Central Railway
while onboard the locomotive, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Railways; and Vinay Kumar
Tripathi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Railway Board .
• This system will help the Railways achieve the goal of ‘zero accidents’ as it enables the trains to
stop on their own if the digital system notices any manual error like jumping of the red signal or
any other malfunction.
How Trial was conducted?
i.During the trial, Head-on-collision situation was created as both the locomotives were moving towards
each other. The ‘Kavach’ system initiated the automatic braking system and halted the locomotives 380
metres apart.
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ii.The speed restriction of 30 Kmph was also tested when the locomotive was run on loop line.
• Kavach automatically reduced the speed to 30 Kmph from 60 Kmph as the locomotive entered the
loop line.
About KAVACH:
i.Announced in the 2022 Union Budget as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, it is an indigenously
developed ATP (Automatic Train Protection) system by Research Design and Standards Organisation
(RDSO) in collaboration with Indian industry.
• Its trials are facilitated by South Central Railway.
ii.Automatic braking system: It is an electronic system of Safety Integrity Level – 4 standards (SIL-4).
It provides protection by preventing trains to Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) and avoiding collision as it
activates the train braking system automatically if the driver fails to control the train as per the speed
restrictions.
iii.Cheapest SIL-4 Tech: It is one of the cheapest, Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4) certified technologies
with the probability of error is 1 in 10,000 years.
• Once implemented, it will cost approximately Rs 40 lakh per kilometre to operate compared to
about Rs 2.5 crore worldwide.
iv.It provides Continuous update of Movement Authority with display of signal aspects in Driver Machine
Interface (DMI) / Loco Pilot operation cum Indication Panel (LPOCIP), along with SoS Messages during
emergency situations and Centralized live monitoring of Train movements through Network Monitor
System.
How will Kavach be deployed?
As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km of network will be brought under Kavach for safety and capacity
augmentation in 2022-23. Around 34,000 Kms of network will be brought under Kavach.It is set for
countrywide implementation by taking up 4,000-5,000 km each year.
96% of railway Traffic is carried on Indian Railway High Density Network and Highly Used Network
routes. To transport this traffic safely, KAVACH works are being taken up in a focused manner as per
following priority set by the Railway Board.
First Priority: High Density Routes and New Delhi (Delhi)- Mumbai (Maharashtra) & New Delhi – Howrah
(West Bengal) Sections for 160 Kmph with Automatic Block Signaling & Centralized Traffic Control.
Second Priority: On the Highly Used Networks with Automatic Block Signaling & Centralized Traffic
Control.
Third Priority: On other Passenger High Density Routes with Automatic Block Signaling.
Fourth Priority: All other routes.
The Indian Railways launched a new ‘Operation Mission Amanat’ initiative to track lost luggage of the
passengers. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Western Railway will help in getting back the lost
luggage. It will ensure more safety and security of luggage and belongings of the passengers.
About Indian Railways:
Indian Railways was nationalized in 1951. It is the largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second-
largest under one management.
Headquarters-New Delhi, Delhi
Surat in Gujarat gets the India’s First ‘Steel Road’

The Diamond City of India, Surat in Gujarat became India’s first city to get a road that is made out of steel
waste (1st ever ‘steel slag ’road) at Hazira, Surat .
• The road was constructed by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India with CSIR India (Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research) & CRRI (Central Road Research Institute) New Delhi along
with the support of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.
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• The project will be constructed under the initiative of the Waste to Wealth and Clean India
Campaign.
Highlights:
i.Laid in the Hazira Industrial Area, the road
consists of 100% processed steel slag. ii.The 6-
lane 1-kilometer long road is an experimental
project, which is constructed to solve the waste
material issue.
• The thickness of the road has been
reduced by 30%.
iii.The processed steel slag has the great potential for sustainable products and works as a replacement
for natural construction material.
What is steel slag?
i.Steel slag is a type of waste from the Iron & Steel Industry but it has shown potential for use as a raw mix
component up to 5-10% in the construction products.
ii.The Ministry of Steel has also constituted a Task Force for promotion and utilization of Iron and Steel
Slag.
Home Minister Amit Shah Addressed 37th Foundation day Celebration of NCRB
On 11th March 2022, Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs addressed the 37th Foundation
Day(Raising Day) celebrations of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) as the chief guest in New
Delhi, Delhi. He is the first Union Home Minister to attend a Foundation Day function of the NCRB.
• He also inaugurated the 3rd Crime and Criminal Tracking & Network System (CCTNS) Hackathon
& Cyber Challenge 2022 during the event.
• In 2020 the 35th Foundation day was observed on 12th March 2020.
• In 2021 the 36th Foundation day was observed on 11th March 2021.
History of NCRB:
i.NCRB was set up in 1986 based on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee, National Police
Commission (1977-1981) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)’s Task force (1985).
ii.NCRB was established through MHA Resolution dated 11th March 1986.
iii.It was established to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals, which would assist
the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
Key Points:
i.Union Home Minister stated that NCRB plays a major role in handling the internal security of the country,
especially the law and order situation.
ii.He also stated that the target of the second phase of the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) has
been set by the Government of India, with an expenditure of about Rs. 3,500 crore by the year 2026.
iii.Following its completion, it should be made increasingly useful by using Artificial Intelligence,
BlockChain, analytical tools and fingerprint systems.
iv.NCRB has a big role in handling the internal security of the country, especially the law and order
situation
v.Data is required to make conferences and meetings held on the subject of crime, result-oriented and
NCRB’s data is very useful for such efforts.
• It contributes in large measure to efforts in controlling the law and order situation in border
districts
vi.Home Minister highlighted the three aspects which are important while dealing with data,
1. Data should be accessible.
2. Registration should be in a good format.
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3. Tools should also be created for its use.

Dividing work into these 3 parts will increase the utility of data by 20% in the next 5 years.
About National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):
Director– Vivek Gogia
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi.
Mumbai Becomes 1st South Asian City to Detail Net-Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050
Mumbai, Maharashtra announced its detailed framework to ‘zero out carbon emissions by 2050’ and
became the first city in South Asia to set such a target.
• Mumbai’s target is 20 years ahead of India’s target to reach net zero emissions by 2070.
• Targets also include a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 and 44
per cent reduction by 2040.
Highlights:
i.Mumbai set several short-term goals for decarbonisation measures such as electrifying public transport,
it plans to adopt 2,100 electric buses by 2023 at a cost of 130 billion rupees (USD $1.7 billion).
• In 2019, Mumbai emitted an estimated 23.42 million tons of greenhouse gas or 1.8 tons per
capita.
• Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has devised the Mumbai Climate Action Plan
(MCAP) as a part of its commitment towards building a climate-resilient city.
ii.The framework includes amendments in sustainable management of energy, water, air and transport
for its 19 million residents.
• The energy sector management is given utmost importance, which currently accounts for 72% of
total emissions in Mumbai.
• It raises funds through the government of Maharashtra and also through sovereign green bonds
announced by the central government.
iii.Mumbai is also targeting to improve flood-resistant drainage and water conservation to make it more
climate resilient.
iv.Mumbai’s plan to make changes in 6 domains-Investments in housing, Electrifying public
transport, More walkable roads, flood-resistant drainage, Water conservation apart from adding open
spaces, Investing in clean water and sanitation, and Rooftop solar capacities.
About Maharashtra:
Chief Minister- Uddhav Thackeray
Heritage site- Ajanta Caves (1983), Elephanta Caves (1987)
Bird sanctuary- Karnala Bird Sanctuary, Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary
GoI Introduced 18 Platforms Led By Industry For Design And Development In Defence
Sector
The Government of India (GoI) has introduced 18 major platforms led by industry for design and
development in the defence sector. The project focuses on ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.
i.GoI has allocated 25 per cent of the union budget 2022-23 for Defence Research and
Development (R&D).
ii.These 18 platforms have been classified into the following categories:
• Make-I category
• Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) Model category
• Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)
• Make-II category
Aim:
i.The project aims to display the designing capabilities of the domestic defence industry.
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ii.It also sets the standard of India as a design leader with the technologies.
Platforms Under Make-I Category:
• Hypersonic glide vehicle.
• Directed energy weapons (300 KW and more) [high powered electromagnetic devices and high
powered laser devices].
• Naval shipborne unmanned aerial system (NSUAS).
• Lightweight tank.
• Self-healing minefields.
• Unmanned autonomous AI-based land robot.
• 127 mm naval gun.
• 127 mm guided projectile.
• Electric propulsion (engines) for ships.
• Standoff airborne jammer.
• Li-ion cells/li-sulphur cells [portable high capacity energy systems replacing the conventional
hydrocarbons].
• Communication system (AFNET system switches, routers, encryptors and VOIP phones).
• Electro-optical (EO) pod (with subsequent upgrade to EO/IR) with high-resolution sensing.
• ‘Plug and Play’ housing/infrastructure for soldiers posted at extreme altitudes.
Platforms Under Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) Model Category:
• Long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) [high altitude long endurance (HALE)].
• Indian multi-role helicopter (IMRH).
Platform Under Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX):
• Low orbit pseudo satellites.
Platform Under Make-2:
• Anti-jamming systems for multiple platforms.
Classification Of Projects:
Under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, with the participation of Indian Industries ‘Make’
category aims to achieve self-reliance.
i.In the projects under Make-I category, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will provide financial support up to
70 per cent of total cost of prototype development.
• And the Make-I category consists of 14 platforms.
ii.Under SPV model, private industry is encouraged to take up the design and development of military
platforms and equipment in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and other organizations.
• SPV consists of 2 platforms.
iii.Projects involving high-end innovation such as startups, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) etc. Will be carried under the iDEX category.
• iDEX consists of 1 platform.
iv.Projects under Make-II is funded by industry with assured procurement.
• Make-II consists of 1 platform.
Note:
4 Out of 18 major platforms has been grant, Approval-In-Principle (AIP) under the Make-I category are as
follows:
• Communication system (AFNET system switches, routers, encryptors and VOIP phones).
• EO pod (with subsequent upgrade to EO/IR) with high-resolution sensing.
• Standoff airborne jammer.
• Light weight tanks.
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Recently Related News:

MoD Approves Project Under Make-I and Make-II Categories of Defence Acquisition Procedure
2020
Ministry of Defence (MoD) approves for in-principle projects under Make-I and Make-II categories of
Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. The project is to boost ‘Atma Nirbharta’.
i.The project aims to develop the design capabilities of Indian defence Industry and position India as a
design leader in these technologies.
About Ministry of Defence:
Union Minister – Raj Nath Singh (Constituency – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State – Ajay Bhatt (Constituency -Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
Bihar’s Bodh Gaya to get India’s Largest Buddha Statue in Sleeping Posture
India’s largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha is being constructed in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. The 100 feet long
and 30 feet high statue depicts Lord Buddha in a sleeping posture. The statue is being built by Buddha
International Welfare Mission.
• The sculptors from Kolkata are building the statue with fibreglass.
• The construction of the statue was started in 2019 and it will be open for devotees from February
2023.
Bodh Gaya is an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhism and is visited by devotees from all over the
world.
AVB To Establish India’s 1st ‘World Peace Center’ in Gurugram, Haryana

Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti (AVB) organization will establish India’s first World Peace Center in Gurugram,
Haryana. The Center will work for the establishment of peace and harmony in the world.
Key points:
i.The land for the construction of the World Peace Center (WPC) was allocated by the Haryana Government
to the organization.The Construction work of about 25000 square feet will be completed in two years.
ii.The Organization will conduct programs of Peace Education, prepared with the coordination of ancient
knowledge and modern science for students, teachers, youth, women, doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc.
• Programmes based on Personality Development of Youth, Empowerment of Women and Sanskar
Development in Children through Meditation, Yoga, Indian Culture and Jain lifestyle will also be
conducted.
About Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti (AVB) organization:
Founder – Dr. Lokesh Muni (He was honored by the United Nations with Ambassador of Peace Award in
2014)
RIL Opens India’s 1st-of-a-kind Largest Global Destination ‘Jio World Centre’ in Mumbai
On 4th March 2022, Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) opened the Jio World Centre, ‘first of its
kind’ India’s largest and most prestigious multi-faceted destination in Bandra Kurla Complex(BKC),
Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Jio World Centre also features India’s largest Convention Centre “Jio World
Convention Centre” enabled by the 5G network.
• The centre was envisioned by Nita Ambani, Director of Reliance Industries and Founder-
Chairperson of Reliance Foundation.
• Jio World Centre, spread over 18.5 acres, is a multifaceted development where people will get
together, to appreciate art, exchange ideas, celebrate culture, and soak in the heritage and
vibrancy of Mumbai.
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Facilities of the Jio World Centre:

• Jio World Centre includes the state-of-the-art convention facility (Jio World Convention Centre), a
musical fountain, a cultural centre, an upscale retail experience, a curated selection of cafés and
fine dining restaurants, serviced apartments and offices.
• The Jio World Centre will have a phase-wise opening throughout the current and the next year.
Jio World Convention Centre:
The Jio World Convention Centre, India’s largest Convention Centre has ‘hybrid and digital
experiences’ enabled by the 5G network.
• The centre has three exhibition halls spanning over an area of more than 1.61 lakh square feet
and two convention halls of 1.07 lakh square feet.
• The total area of the centre is over 1.39 lakh square feet of pre-function concourse across all the
levels.
• The Convention centre has India’s largest on-site parking with a capacity of 5,000 cars.
Dhirubhai Ambani Square & Fountain of Joy:
RIL also dedicated Dhirubhai Ambani Square and lotus inspired ‘Fountain of Joy’ to the city of Mumbai at
the Jio World Convention Centre.
• The Dhirubhai Ambani Square is centered around the Fountain of Joy.
• The fountain features 8 fire shooters, 392 water jets, and over 600 LED lights.
RSBVL & Sanmina to set up JV for Electronics Manufacturing Hub in India; RSBVL to Invest Rs 1670
crore
Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited (RSBVL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries
Limited (RIL) and Sanmina Corporation (Sanmina Corp), an Integrated manufacturing solutions provider
have entered into a joint venture(JV) to create an electronic manufacturing hub in India.
• Sanmina Corp produces 4G and 5G telecom network equipment for local and overseas markets.
• The JV will create a state-of-the-art ‘Manufacturing Technology Center of Excellence’ that will
serve as an incubation centre to support the product development and hardware start-up
ecosystem in India, as well as promote research and innovation of leading-edge technologies.
RSBVL investment:
The joint venture has been created through an investment in Sanmina’s existing Indian entity Sanmina SCI
India Private Ltd (SIPL) and the day-to-day business will continue to be managed by Sanmina’s existing
management team in Chennai.
• RSBVL will hold 50.1% equity stake in the joint venture entity with Sanmina owning the
remaining 49.9%.
• RSBVL will achieve this ownership primarily through an investment of upto Rs 1,670 crore in
new shares in SIPL, Sanmina’s existing Indian entity.
Note: SIPL manufactures gear for data centres and cloud infrastructure, among others.
i.Following the investment, the JV will be capitalized with over USD 200 million of cash to fund growth.
ii.The transaction is expected to close by September 2022.
On 5th January 2022, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) launched a mega bond sale as it desired to raise USD 3
to 5 billion from offshore investors.
The sale is claimed as the largest-ever foreign currency bond issuance from India and 2022’s first
fundraising by an Indian company.
About Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL):
CMD– Mukesh Ambani
Headquarters-Mumbai, Maharashtra
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1st of its Kind: IHCL & UNESCO Partners to Preserve the Intangible Cultural Heritage of
India
Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has partnered with The United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization(UNESCO) to help preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage of India, as
part of an initiative which aims to transform the travel landscape in the post pandemic world.
• IHCL & UNESCO Partnership is the Industry’s first collaboration to work towards preserving
India’s intangible cultural heritage.
• IHCL and UNESCO will offer experiential tours for travellers at various IHCL hotels and enable
them to experience better the living heritage of India.
• 1st phase: Visits to local communities practicing art forms like Patachitra – a traditional scroll
painting technique in West Bengal, Ganga Aarti – the prayer ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat
at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Kalbelia performances, Blue Pottery making, Bagru Hand
Block printing, and the Terracotta art of Molela. The visitors will also experience the tribal life of
the Bishnoi village in Rajasthan, or Mysuru Dasara and Janapada Loka in Karnataka.
TPL Becomes the World’s First LAB Manufacturing company with BIS Certification
Tamilnadu Petroproducts Ltd. (TPL) became World’s first linear alkylbenzene (LAB) manufacturing
company to receive the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification from the Department of Chemicals &
Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
• The certificate is in line with the requirements of the Linear Alkyl Benzene (Quality Control)
Order, 2021.
• With the BIS certification (BIS 12795:2020), TPL became the only authorized seller of LAB in the
Indian market.
Highlights:
i.The TPL is India’s largest manufacturer of LAB and the only producer in South India.
ii.LAB has application in the production of biodegradable detergent, making it a sustainable alternative to
current detergent compositions.
• Its ‘Superlab’ brand is among the most trusted LAB brands in the country today.
• TPL is a part of the petrochemicals division of Singapore-based AM International
About Tamilnadu Petroproducts Ltd. (TPL):
Tamilnadu Petroproducts Limited (TPL), a part of the Singapore-based AM International, is a leading
manufacturer of industrial intermediate chemicals.
Chairman- S. Krishnan
Founded -1984
Headquarters- Chennai, Tamilnadu
ISRO will select 150 students for its YUVIKA Programme

A special programme for school students “YUva VIgyani KAryakram” (YUVIKA) or “Young Scientist
Programme” is organized by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It will provide basic
knowledge related to space technology, space science and space applications to young students, especially
rural areas students.
Objective-
To create awareness about the emerging trends in science and technology amongst the young minds.
Highlights:
i.Under the YUVIKA-2022 residential programme, 150 students who are studying in Class IX as on March 1,
2022 will get selected across India from different schools. ISRO outlined the programme to “catch them
young”.
ii.It will start from May 16 2022 to May 28 2022 (two weeks) and the program include talks, experience-
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sharing by eminent scientists, experimental demonstration, facility and lab visits etc.
iii.It will also encourage more students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) based research /career.
The programme will be held at five ISRO centres —
• Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram
• U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru
• Space Application Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad
• National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad
• North-East Space Application Centre (NE-SAC), Shillong. PTI RS HDA HDA
About Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):
Headquarters-Bengaluru, Karnataka
Founded- 1969
Chairman- S. Somanath
FSSAI To Start ‘Health Star Rating System’ for Packaged Foods

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is set to introduce a new star rating system,
the “Health Star Rating System”, for packaged foods. Under this, the packaged foods will display the
number of stars on the Front Of Pack Label (FOPL), which indicates how healthy or unhealthy they are
depending upon the amount of salt, sugar, and fat they have.
• The Health Star Rating rates the overall nutritional profile of packaged food and assigns it a rating
from ½ a star to 5 stars.5 Star means the food is healthy & the least( ½ ) star means the food is
unhealthy.
• The Health Star rating system is one of five types of labels that were considered, including
Nutriscore, Warning Label, Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL) and Monochrome GDA.
• This regulation is based on the report from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Ahmedabad
& Dexter Consultancy Pvt. Limited which conducted a study on the impact of front-of-the-pack
labelling for packaged and processed foods in India.
• This system will be similar to the one that is being used by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency for
assessing the energy efficiency in electrical devices.
Appscale Academy: Google & MeitY Partners to Help 100 Indian Startups to Build High-
quality Global Apps & Games
Google and MeitY Startup Hub an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY) have announced to form a group of 100 Indian early to mid-stage startups to support these
startups to build high-quality global apps and games as part of the Appscale Academy.
• Appscale Academy identifies and supports promising Indian startups and helps them grow into
successful global businesses.
• As part of the 6-month program, 100 startups will be trained through a customised curriculum
designed to help them drive high-quality apps for a global market.
Objective:
To empower early to mid-stage startups with the right knowledge and mentorship to drive app and game
innovations for the world.
About the cohort:
i.The main sectors of the cohort include education, health, finance, social, e-commerce, and gaming.
ii.This also includes the startups supporting core communities in India through creative apps across
agriculture, Business-to-Business (B2B), parenting, and more.
iii.Around 35% of the cohort are from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities like Surat, Vadodara, Kanpur, Lucknow,
Meerut, Morbi and 58% of the cohort have women in leadership roles.
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Appscale Academy class of 2022

Key Points:
i.As a part of the 6-month program, the startups will be trained through a customised curriculum designed
which will support them to drive high-quality apps for a global market.
ii.The program will cover 6 topics: App Quality, App Design, Growth, Go Global, Google Play Policy and Data
Safety Best Practices.
iii.This includes sessions on UX design, business model and monetization strategies, international
expansion best practices, and data safety and security practices.
iv.Under this programme, the startups will get access to virtual instructor-led webinars, self-learning
material, and mentorship sessions with leading local and global industry professionals.
Appscale Academy:
Appscale Academy is a growth and development program by the MeitY Startup Hub and Google Play to
help startups across India build high-quality apps for the world.
Goal: To identify and support promising Indian startups, and help them grow into successful global
businesses.
About MeitY Startup Hub:
CEO– Jeet Vijay
Govt. approved continuation of 7 sub-schemes under ‘Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants

and Repatriates’ from 2021-22 to 2025-26
The Government of India approved the proposal for continuation of the seven existing sub schemes under
the Umbrella Scheme “Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates” for the period 2021-22 to
2025-26 with a total outlay of Rs.1,452 crore.
Key points:
i.The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) launched these seven schemes at different points of time.
ii.The scheme will aid and assist the migrants and repatriates to earn a reasonable income and promote
their inclusion in economic activities.
The assistance provided for 7 schemes are –
• Relief and Rehabilitation of displaced families of Pakistan Occupied Areas of Jammu and Kashmir
and Chhamb,
• Relief assistance to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees,
• Relief assistance to Brus lodged in relief camps in Tripura,
• Enhanced relief to 1984 Anti-Sikh Riot Victims,
• Financial Assistance and other facilities to the families of affected civilian victims of terrorist
violence including militancy, insurgency, communal/ Left Wing Extremism violence and cross
border firing and victims of mine/IED blasts on Indian Territory,
• Grants-in-aid to Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC),
• Grants in Aid to Government of West Bengal for infrastructure development in 51 erstwhile
Bangladeshi enclaves in Cooch Behar and resettlement of 922 returnees from erstwhile Indian
enclaves in Bangladesh.
About Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA):
Union Minister– Amit Shah(Constituency- Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat)
Minister of State– Ajay Kumar Mishra, Nisith Pramanik,Nityanand Rai
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GoI Approves Modernisation Plan-IV for CAPFs with a financial outlay of Rs 1,523 crore
The Government of India (GoI) has approved ‘Modernisation Plan-IV for Central Armed Police Forces
(CAPFs)’ scheme to improve the overall operational efficiency and preparedness of the CAPFs with a
financial outlay of Rs 1,523 crore.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs under guidance of Union Home Minister, Amit Shah will
implement the scheme from 1st February 2022 to 31st March 2026.
• This approval was made as a continuation of ‘Modernisation Plan-III for CAPFs’.
About the Scheme:
i.CAPFs will be equipped with modern state-of-the-art weapons and equipment according to their
operational requirement and deployment pattern in different theatres.
• Upgraded Information Technology (IT) solutions will also be provided to CAPFs.
ii.The scheme boosts the government to address the challenges faced on the International Border, Line of
Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC) and also in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism, Union
Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and insurgency affected North Eastern States.
About Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA):
Union Minister – Amit Shah (Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat)
Minister of state – Nityanand Rai (Ujiarpur, Bihar); Ajay Kumar Mishra (Kheri, Uttar Pradesh) ; Nisith
Pramanik (Coochbehar, West Bengal)
NHforEV Constructs India’s first Green Charging Station in the Pipeline

National Highway for Electric Vehicle (NHforEV), an organisation for promoting electrification of India’s
transportation systems is constructing first of its kind ‘green charging hub’ along the Jaipur-Delhi-Agra
E-highway.
• The new initiative is unique in a way of using green construction techniques for such Electric
Vehicle (EV) stations with net zero carbon infrastructure.
• Aim – To reduce carbon footprint to zero or move towards net-positive and also replaces petrol
pumps in the future
About the charging station:
i.The charging station will have a restaurant, coffee lounge, a bank, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), a
showroom and other amenities for the customers to use while their vehicle is charging.
ii.The area will be incorporated with solar panels to provide renewable energy and the green patches will
be accessible to the people as green terraces or playing fields.
Keynote:
i.In 2022, two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations were inaugurated in Gurugram, Haryana.
• The two charging stations, one in Sector 52, and the other in Sector 86, can charge more
than 1,500 cars in one day.
ii.30 more e-highway charging stations will be constructed in 90 days from their date of allocation to
Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) or private entities.
About National Highways for Electric Vehicle (NHforEV):
Program director – Abhijeet Sinha
Union Minister of Fisheries, Parshottam Rupala Initiated ‘Sagar Parikrama’ at Gujarat

On 5th March 2022, the Union Ministry for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying , Parshottam Rupala
inaugurated the ‘Sagar Parikrama’, an initiative to solve the concerns of the fishermen community in
Gujarat.
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i.Sagar Parikrama was flagged from the freedom fighter Shyamiji Krishna Varma Memorial at Mandvi,
Gujarat, on the first day it reached Okha in Devbhumi Dwarka district, Gujarat and the first leg of Sagar
Parikrama will end at Porbandar, Gujarat.
ii.Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Hovercraft is on board for the Parikrama.
Aim:
i. The Parikrama aims to understand challenges, experiences and aspirations of the fishermen community
and to solve the concerns of the fishermen.
ii.The initiative looks at the scope of seafood exports as the Country has a coastline of 8118 kms.
iii.It covers 9 maritime States/4UTs and provides livelihood support to millions of coastal fisher folk as a
part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava’.
About Sagar Parikrama:
i.The Parikrama was organised by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry
and Dairying (MoFAHD), Government of India and National Fisheries Development Board along with
Department of Fisheries, Government of Gujarat, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India, Gujarat
Maritime Board and fishermen representatives.
ii.Gujarat marks as the first state as part of Parikrama initiative.
iii.The proposed sea route will be Gujarat, Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.
iv.It provides the arena for development issues such as livelihoods, climate change, commerce, and
security.
Schemes From Sagar Parikrama:
i.Kisan credit card (KCC) will also be made available for fisherfolks and people involved in animal
husbandry.
ii.The certificates /sanctions related to Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampadha scheme (PMMSY) and state
scheme such as Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development fund (FIDF) has been awarded to
the progressive fishermen, coastal fishermen, fishers and fish farmers, young fishery entrepreneurs
Govt launches 2nd edition of Animal Husbandry Startup Grand Challenge
On December 13, 2021, the 2nd edition of ‘Animal Husbandry Startup Grand Challenge’ or ‘Animal
Husbandry Startup Grand Challenge 2.0’ was launched by the Department of Animal Husbandry and
Dairying (DAHD), in partnership with Startup India.
• It was launched by Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry &
Dairying (MoFAHD) during an event celebrating ‘National Milk Day’ in Anand, Gujarat to
commemorate the birth centenary of Dr. Varghese Kurien.
About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying:
Union Minister – Parshottam Rupala (Constituency – Gujarat)
Minister of State – Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, L. Murugan
AIM: NITI Aayog Partners with Snap Inc to Drive AR Skilling amongst Indian Youth
On 8th March 2022, during International Women’s Day National Institution for Transforming India (NITI)
Aayog’s, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), partnered with Snap Inc. to drive Augmented
Reality (AR) skilling among the Indian youth along with the launch of a nationwide Lensathon (AR making
hackathon), throughout the month of March.
• The hackathon will be focused on increasing participation of girls and young women over 13
interested in AR.
• Snap Inc also announced its partnership with the Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) to support the
Indian start-up ecosystem with AR advertising bootcamps, Ad credits and other opportunities.
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Key Highlights:
i.Over a two-year timeframe, Snap Inc is expected to train over 12,000 teachers affiliated with the Atal
Tinkering Labs (ATL) on AR, that could reach up to millions of students affiliated with ATL’s network of
schools.
• Snap Inc. is a global camera company that plays a transformative role in the experience of how
people see the world around them.
ii.As a part of the Lensathon, Snap will be hosting special workshops for participants at the age of 13
years aimed to introduce young women in India to AR and skills that will be necessary to navigate the
digital economy of the future.
• Workshops will be hosted by Women Lens Creators, at 16 all-women and 5 co-ed educational
institutes across India
What is Augmented Reality (AR)?
AR is an enhanced version of the real physical world that is achieved through the use of digital visual
elements, sound, or other senses delivered via digital technology.
About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
AIM was launched to promote innovation and entrepreneurship through digital platforms under the aegis
of NITI Aayog.
Mission Director – Dr Chintan Vaishnav
Centre Constitutes National Dam Safety Authority for dam-related safety, disasters, resolve
inter-state issues
National Dam Safety Authority, has been constituted that seeks to maintain standards related to dam
safety, prevent dam-related disasters and resolve inter-state issues related to dams.
• The Centre also constituted a 22-member National Committee on Dam Safety which is headed by
the Chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC)(Present Chairman – R.K. Sinha) under the
Ministry of Jal Shakti.
About National Dam Safety Authority:
i.The Dam Safety Act has been passed by the Parliament in December 2021 which states that National
Dam Safety Authority will work closely with state-level dam safety organisations and owners of dams for
standardising safety-related data and practices.
ii.Under the Act, the National Dam Safety Authority has been constituted on 18th February, 2022 which
will be headed by a chairman and assisted by 5 members to lead its 5 wings – policy and research,
technical, regulation, disaster & resilience and administration & finance.
iii.The Authority will be headquartered in the National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi and will be supported
by 4 regional offices.
Functions:
i.The authority resolves any issue between the State Dam Safety Organisations of states or between a State
Dam Safety Organisation and any owner of a specified dam in that state.
ii.The Dam Safety Act also provides an institutional architecture for dam safety in India.
Note – According to the National Register of Large Dams, there are 5,264 completed large dams in the
country, while 437 were under construction.
About Ministry of Jal Shakthi:
Union Minister – Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Constituency – Jodhpur, Rajasthan)
Minister of state – Prahlad Singh Patel (Constituency – Damoh, Madhya Pradesh) ; Bishweswar Tudu
(Constituency – Mayurbhanj, Odisha)
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Govt Creates Policy Advocacy Arm for Power and Allied Sectors
The government has set up a society, the Power Foundation, that is registered under the Societies Act,
under the Power Ministry that will act as the top policy advocacy arm for the power and allied sectors
which will assist states and businesses with cutting edge research along with developing ideas and
solutions for India’s energy transition journey.
• The society will be chaired by the Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh and
the former Power Secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai has been appointed as the Director
General by a search-cum-selection committee.
About the society:
The society is set up by Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) such as NTPC (formerly known as
National Thermal Power Corporation Limited), Powergrid, REC limited (formerly Rural Electrification
Corporation Limited), PFC, NHPC limited (erstwhile National Hydroelectric Power Corporation),
THDC (Formerly Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited), NEEPCO limited (north eastern electric
power corporation limited) and SJVN Limited (Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd).
India’s energy transition:
i.India is estimated to have an aggregate potential of more than 1,636 gigawatts (GW) renewable energy
(including large hydro).
ii.The power generation through various renewable energy (RE) sources has increased from 203,925.77
million units (MU) in FY17 to 297,547.03 MU in FY21.
• India has recorded low RE tariffs of Rs.1.99 per Kilowatt hour (KWh) for solar power
and Rs.2.43 per KWh for wind power.
India towards clean energy sources:
i.India acquires one of the world’s largest RE programmes, with a target of 175 gigawatts (GW) of installed
RE capacity by 2022. India’s target is to increase RE capacity to 500 GW by 2030.
ii.India has a target to become carbon neutral by 2070 and is the world’s 2nd largest power consumer.
Thus it has pledged to increase the contribution of REsources in power generation to more than 50 percent
by the end of this decade.
Recent related news:
According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) , out of $7.27 billion foreign direct
investment (FDI), $797.21 million was received during 2020-21. As per REN21 Renewables 2020
Global status Report, during 2014 -2019 renewable energy programmes and projects in India attracted
an investment of $64.4 billion ($11.2 billion has been invested in 2019 alone).
About Ministry of Power:
Union Minister – Raj Kumar Singh (Arrah, Bihar)
Minister of state – Krishan Pal (Faridabad, Haryana)
Indian Railways’ 1st GCT commissioned in Asansol Division of Eastern Railway

Under the Prime Minister’s GatiShakti initiative,and the Ministry of Railways policy on ‘Gati Shakti Multi-
Modal Cargo Terminal’ (GCT) , the Asansol
Division of Eastern Railway commissioned private
siding of Maithan Power at Thaparnagar,
Jharkhand.
• This is the first such GCT commissioned
by Indian Railways since publication of
GCT policy in December 2021.
Highlights:
i.In 2009 the Maithan Power Project was started in
Jharkhand and the power generation was started in 2011.
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• Till now the requirement of coal to the power project was being made through a road which is
expected to convert into 120 inward coal rakes per month.
ii.The new power project will increase the earnings of Indian Railways upto Rs 11 crore per month.
About Prime Minister’s GatiShakti:
i.Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi launched the GatiShakti initiative in 2021.
ii.It is Rs. 100 lakh crore ‘National Master Plan for Multi-Modal Connectivity’ project.
iii.Gati Shakti is a digital platform collaborating 16 Central Ministries and Departments to implement
infrastructure connectivity projects.
About Ministry of Railways:
Union Minister– Ashwini Vaishnaw (Rajya Sabha- Odisha)
Minister of State- Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve(Constituency- Jalna, Maharashtra) & Darshana
Jardosh(Constituency- Surat, Gujarat)
AIM, NITI Aayog & KidEx Partners to Leverage IKIGAI to Host AIM’s flagship Programs
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), an initiative under NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming
India), has partnered with KidEx Venture Private Limited(KidEx) to leverage KidEx’s IKIGAI, a technology
platform to host AIM’s flagship programs like “Tinkerpreneur”, “ATL Marathon” and other similar Atal
Tinkering Labs (ATL) related challenges.
The programs will be available to more than 1 Crore school students on the AIM network across India.
• The technology platform of KidEx, has been evaluated over the last 1 year, during which more
than 1 lakh students from around 1500 schools have used the platform and found it convenient &
engaging resulting in a Net Promoter Score of more than 85%.
Note: KidEx is a Startup India recognized company, started by alumni of Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Kharagpur & Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Calcutta.
Features of the Partnership:
i.Under this partnership, AIM and KidEx will outreach more than 10 lakhs young learners and enable them
to get exposure to the AIM proprietary programs on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in a timeframe of 2
years.
ii.Under this partnership, KidEx will provide an enhanced experience for our innovators, teachers and
mentors.
iii.The smart and intuitive technology solutions of KidEx will augment the innovation experience for ATLs.
iv.KidEx will be adopting 100 schools under the ATL initiative and provide free licenses for KidEx’s
flagship products for implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• The flagship products of KidEx, launched in 2020, aims to enable the holistic development of
children through experiential learning of age-appropriate activities and the discovery of the
innate potential of children.
Events under the partnership:
i.The first engagement of the partnership will be held on 1st May 2022, with AIM Bootcamp, ATL
Tinkerpreneur for students of more than 9600 schools.
ii.The 9-week virtual Bootcamp will equip students with 21st century digital and entrepreneurship skills.
iii.The event is available for free for students of ATL network schools in classes 6 to 12.
NW2 & NW1 Connected via IBP Route: India Completes 1st Voyage, MV Lal Bahadur Shastri
with Foodgrains from Patna docks at Pandu
On 6th March 2022, Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Himanta
Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister(CM) of Assam received the self-propelled vessel MV Lal Bahadur Shastri,
carrying a total of 200 MT of foodgrains for the Food Corporation of India (FCI), which completed the
maiden pilot run from Patna to Pandu via Bangladesh, in Guwahati, Assam.
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Route of the maiden voyage: The MV Lal Bahadur Shastri set sail from Patna on National Waterway-
1(NW1) (river Ganga) and passed through Bhagalpur, Manihari, Sahibganj, Farakka, Tribeni, Kolkata,
Haldia, Hemnagar; Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route through Khulna, Narayanganj, Sirajganj, Chilmari
and National Waterway-2(NW2) (river Brahmaputra) through Dhubri, and Jogighopa covering a distance
of 2350 km.
Key Points:
i.Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is planning to run a fixed schedule sailing between NW1 and
NW2, heralding a new age of inland water transport for Assam and Northeast India.
ii.The Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) signed between India and Bangladesh enables
the transportation of cargo service through Bangladesh’s waterways.
iii.The development of Sirajganj-Daikhowa and Ashuganj-Zakiganj, the two stretches of the IPB route, is
expected to provide seamless navigation to the North Eastern Region (NER) via the IBP route.
Additional info:
i.The contracts for dredging on the two stretches for providing and maintaining the requisite depth for a
period of 7 years, from 2019 to 2026, are underway.
ii.IBP route no.5 & 6 i.e. Rajshahi-Godagari- Dhulian from Maia near Farakka in India to Aricha in
Bangladesh, will reduce the IWT distance connecting NW1 to NW2 by around 1000 km.
iii.The Government of India (GoI) has undertaken the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) with an investment of
about Rs. 4600 crore for the capacity augmentation of NW1 for the safe and sustainable movement of
vessels upto 2000 tonnes.
Other Cargo Vessels Carrying Foodgrains & TMT bars for 1st time:
• On 17th February 2022, MV Ram Prasad Bismil which set sail from Haldia, West Bengal, with
two barges Kalpana Chawla and APJ Abdul Kalam is on the way to Pandu. The vessel carrying
1800MT Tata steel has already reached Bangladesh Border at Dhubri.
• The Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC) of 252 MT of Numaligarh Bio-refinery reached Silghat in
Assam on 15th February 2022 from Haldia through Inland water transport (IWT) via IBP route.
• Another ODC 250MT consignment is also on the way to Silghat,Assam.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways(MoPSW) has sanctioned Rs 24.53 crore for dredging
Gomati, a transboundary river between India and Bangladesh, and setting up 10 jetties for a waterway
project to Boost Indo-Bangla Waterway Project.
About Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI):
IWAI under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, was established in the year 1986.
Chairman– Sanjay Bandopadhyaya
Headquarters– Noida,Uttar Pradesh
Mission Indradhanush: Odisha tops in full immunization with 90.5% coverage

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5, Odisha became top state in the list of full
immunisation in India with 90.5 per cent coverage under Mission Indradhanush.
Highlights:
i.Intensified Mission Indradhanush 4.0 (IMI) was rolled out on 7 March 2022, in Odisha to provide
preventive health care for mothers and children and for boosting full immunization coverage.
ii.20 districts of Odisha were found above 90 percent in full immunization and remaining 10 districts
were less than 90 percent.
• Districts such as Ganjam, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Keonjhar, Malkangiri,
Khurda, Sambalpur, Mayurbhanj, and Sundargarh districts were selected for inclusion under IMI.
iii.The diseases included in full immunization are tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, jaundice, tetanus,
whooping cough, brain fever, HIV, measles, pneumonia, diarrhoea, rubella, Japanese fever, and others.
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About Mission Indradhanush:

i.It is a healthcare initiative of Government of India, launched on December 25, 2014.
• It is the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) which seeks to achieve 90 percent full
immunization coverage in India by 2022.
ii.IMI 4.0 was launched by the Ministry of Health to provide Routine Immunization (RI) services to
unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children ( also children upto 2 years) and pregnant women.
Govt extends Rs 20,000-cr CGSSD for MSMEs till March 2023

On the basis of the requests received from the stakeholders, the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises (M/o MSME) has extended ‘Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt (CGSSD)’ worth
Rs 20,000 crore for stressed MSMEs for 1 year till March 31, 2023.
• Initially the scheme was up to March 31, 2021. The government later extended this scheme up to
March 31, 2022.
About CGSSD:
The ‘Distressed Assets Fund- Subordinate Debt for Stressed MSMEs’ was created on May 13, 2020
under the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’ economic package.
The CGSS was approved by the Government on June 1, 2020 and the scheme was launched on June 24,
2020 to provide credit facility through lending institutions to the promoters of stressed MSMEs viz. SMA
(Special Mention Account)-2 and Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) accounts, who are eligible for
restructuring.
• SMA-2 accounts have payments overdue for 61-90 days.
• SMAs indicate incipient stress in the business that can result in defaults in debt servicing by the
promoter. While SMA-0 are accounts with payments partially or wholly overdue for 1-30 days,
SMA-1 accounts have payments overdue for 31-60 days.
Notably, About 1,623 MSMEs closed during April, 2020 to October, 2021.
Nagendra Nath Sinha Chairs Webinar Promoting 1st of its Kind Initiative “Captive
Employer”
Union Rural Development Secretary Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha Promoted the first of its kind initiative
‘Captive Employer’ during the webinar on Captive Employment Policy under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) which was chaired by him.The initiative provides employment
support to rural youth.
• The Captive Employer initiative is financed by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
Highlights:
i.In the webinar more than 16 Sector Skill Councils and 180 stakeholders had participated.
ii.As per the DDU-GKY Capital Employment guidelines, the training courses will be provided as per their
requirement to train the candidates with a minimum of 576 hours and a maximum of 2304 hours of
skilling.
• State Skill Development Mission or State Rural Livelihood Mission which is in charge of DDU-GKY
implementation in states is responsible for providing the necessary implementation support.
What is Captive Employment?
Objective:
To build a demand-based skilling ecosystem for requirements of industries and ensuring sustainable
placements for rural youth.
Key points:
i.It is a first of its kind Initiative and provides impetus to the DDU-GKY programme, assuring post-training
placement of candidates for a minimum of six months with a minimum CTC of Rs 10,000/-.
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ii,It will allow the industry to source trainees as per their requirement with active support from States and
train them as per the requirements.
• It will also allow employers to select rural youth and skills & deploy them in one of their
establishments/subsidiaries.
• State Rural Livelihood Mission or State Skill Development Mission leading DDU-GKY
implementation in states shall provide the required implementation support and oversee
implementation of the captive employment projects.
About Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY):
DDU-GKY is a part National Rural Livelihood Mission uniquely aimed at rural poor youth between 15 and
35 years of age,with the purpose to create income diversity in poor families and help rural youth realize
their career aspirations.
i.It is a nationwide placement-linked skill training program funded by the Ministry of Rural Development
(MoRD).
ii.The programme is being implemented in 27 states and 3 UTs for rural poor youth with an emphasis on
placements.
More than 871 Project Implementation Agencies (PIAs) are training rural poor youth in close to 611- job
roles through more than 2381 training centers.
• Cumulatively 11.44 lakh youth have been trained and 7.15 lakh youth have been placed till 31st
January 2022.
Launched date– 25th September, 2014
MV Ram Prasad Bismil, Longest Vessel Ever to Sail On Brahmaputra, Accomplished Pilot
Run
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways has attained a landmark achievement by sailing the Motor
Vessel (MV) Ram Prasad Bismil, the longest vessel ever to sail on the river Brahmaputra. The pilot run
of this 90-meter-long heavy cargo movement, which started off from Haldia Dock, Kolkata, West
Bengal, has reached Pandu Port, Guwahati, Assam, upon successful completion.
• The vessel was flagged off by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (PSW), Sarbananda
Sonowal, along with two barges – Dumb Barge (DB) Kalpana Chawla and Dumb Barge (DB) APJ
Abdul Kalam -from the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Haldia on February 16, 2022.
• This pilot run embarks on the commencement of barging operations from Kolkata to Guwahati
via the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) and makes possible the much-awaited
connection for the business of the Northeast through the marine network with the rest of the
world.
Significance:
i.The successful completion of this consignment, which carried 1,793 metric tonnes (MT) of steel rods from
Tata Steel in Jamshedpur and required a draft of 2.0 meters, at critical stretches like Sirajganj – Daikowa
stretch of IBPR.
ii.The Government of India and the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh made this possible
by funding, in the ratio 80:20 respectively, for dredging of the key stretches of the Brahmaputra, resulting
in seamless navigation.
iii. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport
Authority (BIWTA) have jointly put efforts into visualizing this historic cargo movement.
Note:
Recently, two other cargo ships have successfully completed their pilot movements on the river
Brahmaputra.
i.MV Lal Bahadur Shastri carried a consignment of 200 MT food grains for Food Corporation of India (FCI)
from Patna to Pandu, successfully completing the Pilot Movement cargo between Ganga, the National
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Waterway 1 (NW1), and Brahmaputra, the National Waterway 2 (NW2).

ii.An Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC) for Numaligarh Refinery was also transported via IBPR further onto
NW2.
Note: Ram Prasad Bismil was a prominent freedom fighter and a revolutionary associated with Manipuri
Conspiracy – 1918 & Kakori Conspiracy – 1925.
About Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW):
Union Minister – Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Ministry of Ayush
(Rajya Sabha – Assam)
Subordinate/ Attached offices:
• Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai
• Andaman & Lakshadweep Harbour Works, Port Blair
• Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships
Indian Railways prepared National Rail Plan (NRP) for India– 2030
For the development of a futuristic railway system by 2030, the Indian Railways has come up with
‘National Rail Plan (NRP) for India-2030’. The information for the same was provided by Union
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Railways in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.
Objectives behind NRP:
i.To formulate strategies based on both operational capacities and commercial policy initiatives to increase
modal share of the Railways in freight to 45%.
ii.To create capacity ahead of demand, which in turn would also cater to future growth in demand right up
to 2050.
For the achievement of objectives, all financial models including Public Private Partnership (PPP) will be
considered.
Key Features of NRP:
i.Vision 2024: It is a of NRP, Vision 2024 has been launched funder which implementation of certain
critical projects by 2024 will be accelerated such as 100% electrification, multi-tracking of congested
routes, upgradation of speed to 160 kmph on Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes, upgradation of
speed to 130kmph on all other Golden Quadrilateral-Golden Diagonal (GQ/GD) routes; and elimination of
all Level Crossings on all GQ/GD route.
• Projects to be completed by 2024: 58 Supercritical Projects of a total length of 3,750 km
costing Rs 39,663 Crore; and 68 Critical Projects of a total length of 6913 km costing Rs 75,736
crore.
ii.Increasing average speed of freight trains to 50Kmph for reducing the freight transit time.
iii.Identify new Dedicated Freight Corridors.
iv.Identify new High Speed Rail Corridors.
v.Assess Locomotive requirement to meet twin objectives of 100% electrification (Green Energy) and
increasing freight modal share.
vi.Assess the total investment in capital required along with a periodical break up.
vii.Involvement of the Private Sector in areas like operations and ownership of rolling stock, development
of freight and passenger terminals, development/operations of track infrastructure etc.
Click Here for Official Link
The Ministry of Railways approved the renaming of the Kevadiya railway station under the Vadodara
division of Narmada district (Gujarat) as the Ekta Nagar railway station. The new station code of Ekta
Nagar railway station will use the station code EKNR and the numerical code of the station will be
08224620.
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About Indian Railways:

It was nationalized in 1951
Chairman and CEO of Railway Board- V K Tripathi
Union Minister– Ashwini Vaishnaw (Rajya Sabha Odisha)
Ministers of State– Danve Raosaheb Dadarao (Constituency- Jalna, Maharashtra), Darshana Vikram
Jardosh (Constituency- Surat, Gujarat)
Visakhapatnam Railway Station Becomes 1st Station in East Coast to Implement ‘One
Nation, One Product’
Visakhapatnam Railway Station, Andhra Pradesh(AP) is set to implement the ‘One Nation, One
Product’ concept of the Government of India on a pilot basis for 15 days. This will become the first railway
station in the East Coast railway to implement ‘One Nation, One Product’.
Background:
The Railway Board of the Indian Railways has identified one station in every zone for implementing the
pilot project for a period of 15 days.
One Station One product:
i.‘One station One product’ concept, based on the successful ‘One District, One Product’ scheme, was
announced by the government of India while presenting the budget for 2022-23.
ii.Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to popularise the ‘One Station One Product’
concept for the Railways to support the local businesses and supply chains using Railways.
Key Points:
i.The Etikoppaka toys and handicraft products (Lacquer ware Toys) traditionally known as Etikoppaka
Bommalu, from the Etikoppaka village will be sold at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station.
ii.The Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Etikoppaka toys is given to Andhra Pradesh in the year 2017 by
the Geographical Indication Registry under the Department of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade,
Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Additional info:
i.Tirupati Railway Station will be the first station under the purview of South Central Railway to implement
the ‘One Nation, One Product’ concept.
ii.The artisans involved in Kalamkari textiles and arts, and woodcraft, which are considered local to
Tirupati were invited to sell their products in the station.
MCL Becomes India’s Largest Coal Producing Company

Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), has become India’s largest
coal-producing company by producing more than 157 million tonnes of coal in the financial year 2021-
22. On 12th March 2022, MCL has produced 7.62 lakh tonnes of dry fuel, the highest production in a day
during the current financial year (2021-22).
• MCL has despatched more than 166 MT dry fuel to the consumers, registering 22% growth over
the previous financial year (2020-21) and it has also removed 195 Million cubic meters(MCuM)
of overburden registering 19% growth over the last financial year (2020-21).
Progressive Reduction of MMR in India: Kerala Outperforms India’s Achievement in

Reducing MMR
The Registrar General of India has released a Sample Registration System (SRS) special bulletin
on Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) for 2017–2019. India’s MMR has reduced to 103, a decrease of 10
points, when compared to the previous data of 113 in 2016–2018, a decline of about 8.8%.
i.Since India is showing a persistent decline in MMR from 130 in 2014–2016, 122 in 2015–17, 113 in
2016–18, and 103 in 2017–19, it will soon achieve below
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• National Health Policy (NHP) target for MMR of 100/lakh live births by 2020.
• United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target for MMR of 70/lakh live births
by 2030.
ii.Kerala had recorded the lowest MMR of 30/lakh live births when compared to India’s MMR of 103,
putting it far ahead of the nation.
Key Highlights of the report:
i.Seven states have achieved SDG’s MMR target (70/lakh live births by 2030): Kerala (30), Maharashtra
(38), Telangana (56), Tamil Nadu (58), Andhra Pradesh (58), Jharkhand (61), and Gujarat (70).
ii.Nine states have achieved NHP’s MMR target (100/lakh live births by 2020): the above seven and the
states of Karnataka (83) and Haryana (96).
iii. Five states have MMR in between 100-150: Uttarakhand (101), West Bengal (109), Punjab (114), Bihar
(130), Odisha (136) and Rajasthan (141).
iv.Four states have MMR above 150: Chhattisgarh (160), Madhya Pradesh (163), Uttar Pradesh (167), also
showed an encouraging decline of 30 points and Assam (205).
Decline & Increase Ratio Status
• Three states such as Kerala, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have shown a remarkable decline of
more than 15% in their MMR.
• Six states namely, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have
shown a decline between 10-15% in their MMR.
• Besides, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and Karnataka showcased a decline between 5-10% in
their MMR.
• Four states namely West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh have shown an increase
in MMR.
Some of the remarkable Government intervention to improve MMR:
Below are some of of the initiative/scheme launched for Pregnant women:-
• Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) launched in 2016 for pregnant women.
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) from 2017- a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
scheme under which cash benefits are provided to pregnant women.
• Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative (LaQshya) in 2017 , Surakshit Matratva Ashwasan
(SUMAN) from 2019 and Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) are launched in the motive of preventing
Maternal Mortality Rate.
• Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), free and cashless services including normal deliveries
and caesarean operations and sick new born(up to 30 days after birth).
• Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) introduced in 2018 to reduce anemia prevalence.
HAL,Safran to set up Helicopter Engines MRO Facility in Goa

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) and Safran Helicopter Engines(Safran) are set to establish a new
facility of Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Limited (HE-MRO), a Joint Venture of HAL and Safran at Sattari,
North Goa, Goa.
HE-MRO Facility:
i.HE-MRO will be operational by the end of 2023 with a capacity to repair 50 engines a year and the full-
capacity goal of 150 engines in upcoming years.
ii.The facility has an expansion capacity for other engines in the future.
iii.The world-class MRO Centre of HE-MRO will provide MRO services for Safran TM333 and HAL Shakti
engines installed on HAL-built helicopters to increase the operational readiness of the Indian Armed
Forces.
iv.This centre will play a major role in building customer satisfaction and supporting the Government of
India’s vision for aerospace MRO in India.
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HAL & Safran signed MoU:

HAL and Safran have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) to extend their cooperation
and explore opportunities for new helicopter engines in civil and military markets.
Signatories:
The MoU was signed by Florent Chauvancy, Executive Vice-President, OEM Sales & Marketing of Safran
and Amitabh Bhatt, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HAL.
About the MoU:
i.The MoU is in line with the commitment of the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision towards
achieving self-reliance in defence technologies and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul).
ii.The MoU will also focus to strengthen the partnership between Safran and HAL directly or through such
joint venture on future helicopter engine technologies and platforms.
Additional info:
i.Shakti, the Indian variant of the Safran Ardiden 1H1 co-developed with HAL, is installed on HAL’s Dhruv
and Rudra.
ii.It has also been selected to power the HAL-designed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
iii.The Ardiden 1U variant powers the new Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), a three-ton single-engine aircraft
iv.The engine was certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) (India) on 26th July 2021.
Note:
Indian armed forces are one of the largest operators of Safran designed helicopter engines, with more than
1000 engines, including 250 TM333 and over 500 Shakti.
About Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL):
CMD– R Madhavan
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
NCRTC Unveils India’s First RRTS Train Along the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Corridor
The National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has recently brought to light India’s first
rapid rail along the Delhi to Meerut corridor. This train will be the first on a regional corridor in the
country to have a business or “premium” coach.
• This Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) train is the first-of-its-kind system in which trains,
with a design speed of 180 km per hour, will be available every 5 – 10 minutes and cover the
distance between Delhi and Meerut in 55 minutes with 14 stoppages.
• The entire 82 km (approx.) Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS route, will have 25 stations in total,
including two depots at Duhai and Modipuram of Uttar Pradesh and one stabling yard at
Jangpura, New Delhi.
Significance:
i The train’s first phase of production began in 2021 and is presently nearing the testing and trial phase,
which will be completed by the end of 2022.
ii.The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is expected to save over 2,50,000 tonnes of CO2 per year,
making it the most energy efficient transport system in the world. After the implementation of Kawach
technology and the new Vande Bharat trains in India, this step appears to be even more significant.
iii.By March 2023, the train is planned to cover five stations between Sahibabad, Ghaziabad District, and
Duhai, both in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Narasingapettai Nagaswaram a Music Instrument of Tamil Nadu gets GI tag

The Narasingapettai Nagaswaram, a classical wind music instrument, hand crafted in Narasingapettai
Village in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu(TN) got the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag under the category of
musical instruments of class 15 from Geographical Indications Registry.
i.On behalf of Thanjavur Musical Instruments Workers Co-operative Cottage Industrial Society Limited, the
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application for receiving the GI tag for Narasingapettai Nagaswaram Dating back to the 13th century was
filed by Tamil Nadu’s Nodal Officer.
Narasingapettai Nagaswaram instrument:
i.Narasingapettai Nagaswaram is a classical wind instrument.It has a length of 2.5 feet.
• A major portion of the ‘Narasingapettai Nagaswaram’ is made from the Water Resistance
Tree aacha (Hardwickia binata).Wood used to craft the Nagaswaram is atleast 100 year old.
• Reeds are made from the leaves of the locally grown plant called ‘Naanal’.
• The instrument has a cylindrical body that flares out into a bell shape at the bottom. It is this form
that provides the Nagaswaram with its characteristic volume and captivating tone.
• It is a double-reed wind instrument with a large flaring bell.
ii.The nagaswaram is being used by artists is called ‘pari nagaswaram’, which is longer than the ‘thimiri.
iii.The artisan of Narasinganpettai village inherited the skill of making the instruments from their
forefathers, and are making them through a process requiring specialized skills.
Popular GI Tags of Tamil Nadu:
• Dindigul Locks
• Kandangi Saree
• Srivilliputtur Palkova
• Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai
Kerala Becomes First State To Introduce Carbon-Neutral Farming

Kerala became the first state in India to introduce carbon-neutral agricultural practices in select
locations for better soil health.
i.The Kerala Government in its Budget 2022-23, allocated ₹6 crore for introducing Carbon-neutral
farming methods in the state.
ii.In the first phase, the Agriculture Department
will implement the carbon-neutral farming in 13
farms including in tribal areas and steps were also
taken to convert the State Seed Farm at Aluva to a
carbon-neutral farm.
iii.In the second phase, model carbon-neutral
farms will be developed in all the 140 Assembly
constituencies.
About Carbon-Neutral Farming:
Carbon-neutral farming is the technique of decreasing carbon emissions and aid carbon storage in the soil,
through techniques such as Integrated farming methods, Crop rotation, Fertigation, Precision Farming
methods, Shifting how the soil is irrigated, and restricting the haphazard use of Fertiliser application.
About Kerala:
Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
India’s First 50KW Green Hydrogen Microgrid Project At NTPC-Simhadri

India will launch its first 50 Kilowatt (KW) green hydrogen microgrid- based energy storage project using
electrolyser at National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Simhadri plant near Vishakapatnam,Andhra
Pradesh. The Standalone Fuel-Cell based project produces hydrogen using electrolyser to Bloom Energy
India Private Limited-Bengaluru at NTPC Simhadri.
i.The hydrogen would be produced using advanced 240kW of solid oxide electrolyser by taking input
power from the nearby floating solar project.
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Step Towards Green And Clean Fuel:

i.The system works in a standalone mode.
ii.The hydrogen produced during sunshine hours would be stored at high pressure and would be
electrified using a 50kW solid oxide fuel cell which leads to the creation of green and clean fuel.
iii.As there are no power grids the project plans to be implemented in terrain areas such as Ladakh,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, etc.
Projects Of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC):
i.NTPC has the total installed capacity of 68,567 Megawatt (MW), having 23-coal based, 7 gas-based, 1
hydro, 19 renewable energy projects.
ii.Joint Venture (JV): Under the JV, NTPC has 9 coal-based, 4 gas-based, 8 hydro and 5 renewable energy
projects.
Requirement Of Coal:
i.NTPC Ltd has the requirement for about 10 lakh tons of overseas coal and NTPC-Simhadri unit to get 2
lakh tons of overseas coal from Indonesia.
ii.NTPC Simhadri unit requires 35,000 tonnes of coal per day
• The plant seeks for 100 percent utilisation of ash.
• The plant aims for 100 percent FGD (Flue-gas desulfurization) in all units for SO2 (sulphur
dioxide) reduction and combustion modification for Nox (nitrogen oxide) reduction.
National Thermal Power Corporation – Simhadri (NTPC) Rail Neer Plant project:
The NTPC’s Rail Neer bottling Plant project is the first of its kind between Indian Railway Catering and
Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and NTPC Simhadri, it aims at producing 120 tons of demineralised water
from seawater per-day.
About National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC):
Chairman & MD – Gurdeep Singh
Established – 7 November 1975
Headquarters – New Delhi, India
Defence Ministry approves military acquisitions worth Rs 8,357 crore

On March 22, 2022, The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath singh,
accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals of armed forces worth INR 8,357
crore. This will enhance the operational preparedness of the Armed forces.
i.All the AoN have been approved under ‘Buy (Indian IDDM [Indigenously Designed, Developed and
Manufacture])’ category in order to encourage AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
Key Highlights:
i.The approved proposals includes procurement of night sight (image intensifier), light vehicles GS 4X4, air
defence fire control radar (light) and GSAT-7B satellite.
ii.The GSAT-7B satellite for the Army, in turn, will cost around Rs 4,600 crore. In November last year, the
DAC had also given the initial nod to a Rs 2,236 crore proposal to launch the GSAT-7C satellite for IAF,
which already has the GSAT-7A operational. The Navy, in turn, has had the GSAT-7 or Rukmini Satellite.
iii.The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in order to encourage innovation, accorded the sum of Rs 380.43
crore of the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurements to the iDEX startups and MSMEs.
iv.Also a simplified iDEX Procurement has been introduced:
• Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to procurement timelines have been reduced from 2+ years to 5
months.
• The procurement cycle will be around 22 weeks as per the new procedure
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v.The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved ‘effecting’ the following policy initiatives in
the Defence Acquisition Procedure -2020:
• All modernisation requirements of defence forces to be indigenously sourced and import to be
resorted to only as exceptions.
• To reduce financial burden on defence industry, requirement of the Integrity Pact Bank
Guarantee (IPBG) is to be dispensed with.
• Also Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) to be introduced as bid security and Pre-Contract Integrity
Pact (PCIP) cover upto contract stage.
Note: EMD will be applicable only for proposals of Rs 100 Cr and above and MSMEs & Startups will be
exempted from EMD.
About Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative:
i.The iDEX initiative was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in April 2018, aims to achieve self –
reliance and foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace.
ii.Under iDEX initiative, startups, MSMEs,individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia are engaged
and funded by the Defence Ministry.
About Ministry of Defence
Union Minister – Rajnath Singh (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Lucknow, Uttarpradesh )
Minister of State – Ajay Bhatt ( Lok Sabha MP Constituency – Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand )
Nagaland Became First State to go Paperless assembly proceeding under NeVA

The North Eastern state of Nagaland became the first legislative state assembly in India to
implement paperless proceedings under National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA).
i.The NeVA initiative encourages paperless operations and reflects the government’s commitment
towards Ashta Lakshmi.
ii.The Nagaland Assembly Secretariat has attached a tablet or e-book for all the 60 members of the State
Assembly.
iii.The NeVA is used to handle diverse House Business smartly by enumerating details regarding member
contact details, rules of procedure, list of business, notices, bulletins, bills, starred/unstarred questions and
answers, papers laid, committee reports etc. in their handheld devices/ tablets.
About National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA):
i.National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) Is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by Ministry of Parliamentary
Affairs with the funding ratio of 90 : 10 by Centre and State respectively
ii.NeVA is a neutral, member-centric application deployed on NIC Cloud, MeghRaj which also called as “GI
Cloud”.
iii.This application is spearheading the principle of ‘One Nation- One Application’ with the objective of
‘Cloud First and Mobile First to serve Members’.
iv.To adopt National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) have been
signed with 18 States viz Punjab, Odisha, Bihar {both Houses}, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Gujarat,
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Puducherry, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim,
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh{both Houses}, Jharkhand.
Achievements:
i.Bihar Legislative Council became the first House in the country to transit to NeVA platform completely
on 25 Nov, 2021 and conducted Winter Session, 2021on the NeVA platform in paperless mode.
ii.Odisha Assembly also presented their 1.5 Lakh Crore budget 2020-21 in paperless mode using NeVA.
About Nagaland:
Capital- Kohima
Governor- Jagdish Mukhi
Chief minister- Neiphiu Rio
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J&K starts GI Registry for hand-knotted Kashmiri Carpets with QR code

The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government has finally started a Geographical Indication (GI) registry for
the hand-knotted Kashmiri carpet with a quick response (QR) code which will certify the genuineness of
hand-knotted carpets with info on the manufacturer, weaver, raw material.
• The GI Registry of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade(DPIIT), Ministry
of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), granted the GI tag to Kashmiri carpets in June 2016.
• The registered carpets were certified starting from 2022.
Bihar became first state to implement dynamic map for villages to track land ownership
Bihar as a part of its land reforms initiative, has introduced the concept of dynamic map for villages,
which will get updated every time land ownership changes hands. The move is mainly aimed to curb the
legal disputes regarding land.
i.According to the Bihar government,the state has seen almost 37,000 cases of some land dispute since
Febraury 2021.
ii.The initiative is also in line with the mandate of Bihar Land Mutation Amendment Bill, 2021 which
makes mutation of maps mandatory.
iii.The mutation process will now pass through three stages – first, a change in the text; second, a change in
the land parcel; and third, a modification of the survey map.
About Bihar
Governor: Phagu Chauhan
Capital: Patna
Chief minister: Nitish Kumar
Central Govt extends Timeline for Converting Debt into Equity Shares for Startups to 10
years
The Central Government has extended the timeline for startups to 10 years from 5 years to convert debt
investment in a company into equity shares, from the day when initial convertible note was issued.
• This amendment was made during the review of the extent of FDI policy in India by the
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) where the entity announced
various amendments.
• DPIIT works under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
What conversion of debt investment into equity shares in startups?
An investor can invest in a startup using convertible notes viz. debt or loan instruments. These are
repayable by the startup at the option of the investor or can be converted into equity shares after the
company has achieved some milestone. Now, the period for this conversion is set for 10 years.
• This extension will secure the startups till further fundings, and from the impact of COVID-19 and
liquidity issues.
India’s first-ever SAI NCOE for MTB and BMX to be set up in Shimla, HP
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with Department of Youth Services and Sports of
Government of Himachal Pradesh, sets up India’s first-ever Sports Authority of India (SAI) National
Centre of Excellence (NCOE) to train athletes in Mountain Terrain Biking (MTB) and Bicycle Motocross
(BMX) in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
i.The National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) is set up with an aim to provide world-class training facilities to
Indian cyclists to compete for the 18 Olympic medals in the disciplines of MTB and BMX.
ii.The SAI-NCOE is a high altitude (2000 feet above sea level) world-class infrastructure to train 200
cyclists with a state-of-art sports science high performance centre, 1 Cross-country Olympics (XCO)-level
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track, 1 BMX track, 1 state-of-the-art indoor gymnasium, an indoor setup with virtual trainers and coaches
of international repute.
About Sports Authority of India
SAI is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Director General- Sandip Pradhan, Indian Revenue Service (IRS).
About Himachal Pradesh
Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
Chief minister – Jai Ram Thakur.
AIM, NITI Aayog & GIZ Project Her&Now Collaborates to Aid Indian Women Entrepreneurs
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog has announced a collaboration with the Indo-German
Development Cooperation Project “Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Start-ups by
Women (Her & Now),” which is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development (BMZ).
• It is jointly carried out by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
of Germany & the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE), Government
of India.
• The aim of this partnership is to help women become more active in the economy as
entrepreneurs, eliminating the gender-based obstacles that women entrepreneurs face all over
India.
Key Points:
i.To adopt a gender-focused approach, the ‘WINcubate Training Programme’ will be given to the AIM
Incubators & Innovation Centres as a part of AIM’s collaboration with Her&Now.
• It will help the participants to design and implement women centric incubation programmes.
ii.The WINcubate Training Program was created by Her&Now in association with Dhriiti–the Courage
Within, an Indian NGO, and is based on best practices of women entrepreneurship assistance programmes
that have been implemented in India since 2019.
• It is aimed at creating a level playing field for women entrepreneurs in India.
• The incubators will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and methods for holistic
programming to integrate gender-sensitive approaches into general incubation programming and
processes through live lectures, offline modules, exercises, and film screenings.
About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
i.It is a flagship initiative set up by NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog, a premier
policy think tank of GoI.
ii.It is established to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Indian schools, colleges and
across society.
Mission Director – Dr. Chintan Vaishnav
Establishment – 2016
NTPC Commissions Additional Capacity at Ramagundam Floating Solar Project

NTPC Limited, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, has made commercially
operational an additional 42.5 MW of power generation capacity at Ramagundam floating solar
project (largest floating solar plant in the country in a single location) in Telangana.
• With the successful commissioning of the 3rd part capacity of the Ramagundam project (100 MW
capacity), the total capacity of the project has reached 80 MW.
• Previously NTPC had commissioned 17.5 MW (Part-I) and 20 MW (Part-II) of the project.
• The total installed capacity of NTPC is 68,609.68 MW.
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India plans to start building 10 Nuclear Power Plant in ‘Fleet Mode’

India is set to put in motion construction of 10 ‘fleet mode’ nuclear reactors over the next three
years.The First Pour of Concrete (FPC) for a 700 MegaWatts (MW) Kaiga Atomic Power Plant, Karnataka
units 5 & 6 are scheduled by 2023.
i.The centre had approved the construction of 10 indigenously developed Pressurised Heavy-Water
Reactors (PHWRs) of 700 MegaWatts (MW) each in June 2017 with a total cost of Rs 1.05 Lakh crore.
ii.Also by 2024, The FPC for Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Praiyonjan units 3 & 4 and the Mahi Banswara
Rajasthan Atomic Power Projects units 1 to 4 were planned to begin construction.
iii.And the FPC for the Chutka Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Project units 1 & 2 are expected by 2025.
iv.The FPC signals the beginning of construction of nuclear power reactors from the pre-project stage
which includes excavation activities at the project site.
v.The Karnataka’s Kaiga Atomic Power Plant units 5 & 6 and Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Praiyonjan
units 3 & 4 were agreed to be built under Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Model.
vi.Currently, India operates 22 reactors with a total capacity of 6780 MegaWatt (MW), among which one
700 MW reactor at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat was connected to the grid in January 2021.
About Indian Pressurised Heavy-Water Reactor – 700:
i.Indian Pressurised Heavy-Water Reactor is designed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
ii.It is a Generation III reactor developed from the earlier CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium-
Pressurised Heavy-Water Reactor) based 220 MW and 540 MW designs.
iii.The Indian Pressurised Heavy-Water Reactor has been upgraded to generate electricity capacity of 700
MW.
iv.India’s first pair of PHWRs of 220 MW each were set up at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan in the 1960s with
Canadian support (Canada Deuterium Uranium-Pressurised Heavy-Water Reactor).
Fuel – Natural Uranium
Moderator – Heavy Water
GoI Sets an Ambitious Target of Creating 220 New Airports by 2025

Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Union Civil Aviation Minister, announced that the Government of India (GoI)
planned to develop as many as 220 new airports by 2025, citing the aviation industry as a major
component of India’s economy.
India has progressed in both domestic and international travel since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In the following years, cargo flights for perishable food items will be boosted by 30%, with 133
new flights.
• The government also intends to build 33 new domestic cargo terminals, 15 new pilot training
schools, more jobs, and a greater focus on the drone sector.
Highlights:
i.As a step toward expanding the civil aviation sector, the pilot’s licence will be simplified in the coming
days using cutting-edge technologies.
ii. Around 90 flights sent to five countries evacuated students from Ukraine. The Indian force conducted 14
sorties and operated four C17 Globe Masters during the evacuation.
iii.India has a women pilot strength of 15%, which is significantly higher than in other parts of the world,
with only 5% of pilots being female
iv.Brownfield and Greenfield Airports
• The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the private sector will invest Rs 1 lakh crore in the
next 2-3 years to develop aviation infrastructure.
• AAI plans to create three new greenfield airports in the country: Hollongi, Hirasar, and Dholera,
as well as 42 brownfield airports.
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• In the greenfield area, the private sector will invest Rs 30,664 crore. At Mopa, Navi Mumbai,
Jewar, and Bhogapuram, four private-sector airports will be created.
• Brownfield airports would get a total investment of Rs 34,000 crore, with seven new airports
being built on brownfield in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mangalore, Guwahati, and
Ahmedabad.
Note: Greenfield airports are those that are specifically built on an undeveloped location, whereas
brownfield airports are those that have an existing structure or are being remodelled for a new airport.
Home Minister Amit Shah Attended CRPF’s 83rd Raising Day Parade in Jammu
Amit Shah, Union Minister for Home Affairs attended the 83rd Raising Day parade of the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) held at Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) as Chief Guest.
• The 83rd CRPF Raising Day was observed on 27th July 2021.
• This is the first time that CRPF Raising Day celebrations is conducted outside Delhi.
• CRPF is the largest armed force in India which consists of 246 battalions and 3.25 lakh soldiers.
SpiceJet, Boeing, CSIR-IIP Partners for Eco-friendly Aviation Fuel

SpiceJet, Boeing and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP)
are working together to explore opportunities for the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the Indian
aviation industry.
• The coordination is part of their commitment to support reducing carbon emissions to achieve
environmental goals.
• They will work to leverage SAF supply from CSIR-IIP and its production partners and licensees to
help SpiceJet decarbonise its fleet.
SAF can reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 65% over the life-cycle of fuel with the potential to reach
100% in the future.
In 2021, Boeing had committed to delivering commercial aeroplanes, capable and certified to fly on 100%
SAF by 2030.
STATE NEWS
Maharashtra CM appoints Manu Kumar Shrivastava as its new Chief Secretary
On 28 February 2022, Manu Kumar Srivastava, IAS officer of 1986 batch was appointed as
the new Chief Secretary of Maharashtra. The appointment was approved by Uddhav Thackeray, Chief
Minister (CM) of Maharashtra.
• He succeeded Debashish Chakrabarty who retired on 28 February 2022.
i.Manu Kumar Srivastava is the most senior IAS officer of Maharashtra and likely to get a tenure of over a
year before retiring in April 2023.
ii.Prior to this appointment, He was serving as the Additional Chief Secretary (Home)of Maharashtra.
About Maharashtra:
Governor- Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Tiger reserve- Bor Tiger Reserve,Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reserve
Airport- Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Airport ,Akola Airport, Aurangabad Airport
TN CM MK Stalin Launches ‘Naan Muthalvan’- Skill Development Scheme for Students

On 1st March 2022, Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (M. K.
Stalin) launched a skill development scheme for the students named “Naan Muthalvan- Ulagai Vellum
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Ilaiya Tamilagam” which means ‘I am the first – the youngest Tamil Nadu to conquer the world, at the
Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The word ‘Muthalvan’ also translates to the term “Chief Minister”.
Aim:
• To improve the educational skills, knowledge, talent, and efficiency of 10 lakh young people
annually.
• To make all students and youth stand out in the spheres of education, research, thought, action
and talent
About Naan Muthalvan:
i.The scheme is designed to bridge the talent gap in the employment market.
ii.The scheme will hone the skills of a particular individual in a selected sector and will also include
training students on their choice of subjects/area, languages, technical knowhow and others.
ii.Under this scheme the students will be given modern-day coding and robotics classes while experts will
mentor them on aspects related to physical health and behaviour.
iii.The Guidance centres will be set up in schools while there would be a separate syllabus aimed at Classes
9 to 12
About Tamil Nadu(TN):
Governor– R. N. Ravi
UNESCO heritage site– Great Living Chola Temples; Mountain Railways of India(Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu)
Birds Sanctuary– Kanjirankulam Birds Sanctuary; Chitrangudi Birds Sanctuary; Koonthankulam-
Kadankulam Birds Sanctuary
Delhi: Govt Develops Science Innovation Hub in City School; Delhi Police Launches 3 New
Digital Initiatives
The Delhi Government will come up with a ‘Science Innovation Hub’ at a school run by Delhi government
at a cost of over Rs 5 crore in the next two-and-a-half years.
• The Directorate of Education of the Delhi government has assigned the task of construction and
development of the Hub to the DTTDC on a 30,000-square metre land in Kautilya Sarvodaya Co-
education School at Chirag Enclave, Delhi.
• Aim – To promote a scientific culture and inculcate a scientific temper for nurturing talent in
science and technology.
Features:
i.The hub will have an auditorium, a library, a planetarium, a museum with science and technology objects,
art and model experiential galleries of latest innovations and trends, instruments, collectibles, equipment,
simulation systems and contents.
ii.The hub is open for research purposes in scientific disciplines for conversion of science into technology
and augmenting science and technology as a vehicle of change in overall development.
iii.It will also serve as world-class science experiential infrastructure for exhibitions and museums that
supports the potential of modern communication technologies for the welfare of the society.
–Delhi police launches new digital initiatives- Anubhuti, e-Chittha
Delhi police launched 3 new digital initiatives that includes Anubhuti, a QR code-based feedback system,
a refurbished Delhi Police website and e-Chittha portal.
• The initiatives were launched by the Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana.
• Aim – To improve the service delivery system and to ensure the safety and security of the people
by the Delhi police.
About the initiatives:
i.Anubhuti – This initiative is a QR code based paperless feedback management system that will
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establish a two-way communication between the public and people, by which the citizens visiting the
police station need to scan the QR code of the police station and mark their feedback response.
• The feedback response received will be analysed for improving the functioning of the
department.
ii.The refurbished user-friendly website – This website of the Delhi Police is loaded with more
information for citizens to know about the department and its services in one click.
iii.e-Chittha – The initiative is the backbone of duty deployment and is active in all 178 territorial police
stations in Delhi.
• It ensures 8 hour work shifts in the police department, with optimal use of manpower that will
increase the efficiency and transparency of the personnel.
• With this initiative, the personnels will get sufficient time to spend with their family and personal
wellness.
About Delhi:
Lieutenant Governor – Anil Baijal
Stadium – Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (National Stadium), Dr. Ambedkar Stadium
UNESCO (heritage site) – Humayun’s Tomb, Qutb Minar and its Monuments
Finance Minister Of Jharkhand Presented A Budget Of Rs 1.01 Lakh Crore For The FY 2022-
23
Finance Minister of Jharkhand Shri Rameshwar Oraon presented the budget of Rs 1.01 lakh crore for the
Financial Year (FY) 2022-23. The proposal of the budget is to increase the capital expenditure by 59
percent ie.Rs 24,827.70 crore.
i.The expected growth rate for the current fiscal year – 2022 is 8.8 percent.
ii.The budget aims to spend high on sectors like health and infrastructure.
iii.The budget presented for the FY 2021-22 was Rs 91,277 crore.
Budget Spendings: Revenues and Deficit:
i.The budget spending will be met through the state’s
• Tax revenue of Rs 24,850-crore
• Non-tax revenue of Rs 13,762.84-crore
• Central assistance of Rs 17,405.74-crore
• Share in central taxes of Rs 27,006.58-crore
• Public debt of Rs 18,000-crore
ii.Revenue expenditure is expected at Rs 76,273.30 crore.
iii.A fiscal deficit of Rs 11,286.47 crore, is estimated to be 2.81 per cent of the Gross State Domestic
Product (GSDP) of the next fiscal.
Proposals Of The Budget for the FY 2022-23:
i.The Guruji Credit Card Scheme will be launched to the Jharkhand students in higher education.
ii.100 units of electricity per month to be given to poors and farmers households at free of cost.
iii.Rs 50,000 per house will be available for the construction of an additional room from the state fund.
iv.Rs 600 crore allotted under the state scheme as the honorarium to assistant teachers.
v.The government has proposed a budget of Rs 4,091.37 crore in the agriculture and allied sector.
vi.The Finance Minister said that so far 836 crores have been transferred to the accounts of 2,11,530
farmers under the farm loan waiver scheme.
vii.Under the Go-Dhan Nyay Yojana, cow dung will be procured at reasonable prices to increase the income
of cattle owners and farmers. This will also be used to produce biogas as well as organic manure.
viii.A corpus of Rs 25 crore has been proposed in the fund to compensate for the economic losses in
agricultural production.
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ix.The budget proposed creation of 12.5 crore man-days in the next fiscal under the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren has launched Sports Action toward Harnessing Aspiration of
Youth (SAHAY) scheme aimed at nurturing young sporting talents in Maoist-hit districts of the state.
About Jharkhand:
Governor – Ramesh Bais
Chief Minister – Hemant Soren
NSE Partners with Telangana Government to Fuel Growth of MSMEs

On 4th March 2022 National Stock Exchange(NSE) of India Limited, a leading stock exchange collaborated
with the Telangana government to encourage and support the MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises) of the state for listing.
• Listing facilitates better access to capital for their future growth story, enhances credibility and
visibility at national level and supports unlocking valuation.
About the collaboration:
i.NSE with the support of the Telangana government will conduct awareness drives through seminars,
camps, knowledge sessions, road shows and workshops to guide corporates in fundraising on NSE Emerge
platform.
• On its part, the state government (Telangana) will facilitate MSMEs to get listed on NSE Emerge
by considering ways to reimburse certain expenses incurred on fund raising with a predefined
upper limit.
• The state will also set up a government-sponsored equity participation fund to invest in the
fast-growing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on the exchange platform.
Telangana’s effort towards ease of doing business:
i.The Government of Telangana has been a forerunner in providing ease of business for MSMEs.
• It has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NSE to enable SMEs to list on the
NSE Emerge platform to raise capital and scale up their business globally.
ii.At present, 241 companies from various sectors are listed on SME Emerge with over Rs 3,683 crore total
funds raised on the platform.
• The platform has 10 companies from Telangana.
About Telangana:
Governor – Tamilisai Soundararajan
Lakes – Himayat sagar, Durgam Cheruvu
Dams – Dindi Reservoir, Kaddam Narayana Reddy reservoir
Blue Cross of India & Four Paw Launched India’s 1st mobile Ambulance for Street Animals
in Chennai, TN
The Blue Cross of India, a Chennai-based animal welfare charity, has launched a “first-of-its-kind” mobile
ambulance for street animals in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with the international animal
welfare organisation Four Paw.
• The Stray Animal Care programme, the ‘hospital on wheels’ with a veterinarian, for the street
animals was launched by Justice Dr Anitha Sumanth of the Madras High Court(HC).
Key Points:
i.The hospital on wheels will provide on-site treatment for sick and injured street animals and only the
animals that cannot be treated on-site will be transported to the hospitals.
ii.The initiative will be supported by the charity’s rescue-call service.
iii.The ambulance will also have a para-veterinary-worker-cum-driver.
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Features of the ambulance:

i.The ambulance will have a treatment table, an inverter, two fans, a fridge and drawers to keep bandages
and sterile products and it will also have the provision for administering IV (intravenous) fluids and
oxygen.
ii.It will also have a washbasin, an anti-skid shock-absorbing mat, a retractable doctor’s seat, a stretcher
trolley, a retractable tarpaulin, two movable cages for holding dogs, dog-catching equipment and overhead
cupboards.
About Blue Cross of India:
Chairman Emeritus– Dr S. Chinny Krishna
Chairman– Shantilal Pandya
Established in 1959
Headquarters– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Dudhala village in Gujarat will become the first completely solarized village by a
Foundation
Goldi Solar, EPC services provider & Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF) jointly laid the
foundation stone for the solarization of the village of Dudhala in Gujarat.
• Once the project gets complete, it
will become the first village to be
completely powered with solar panels by
a foundation.
Key points:
i.The collaboration will set up a 450 KW solar
rooftop project that will be used to supply power
around 350 houses and public areas such as
anganwadis, gram panchayat and other areas.
ii.The project is undertaken under Shri Govindbhai Dholakia’s Mentorship.
iii.The SRKKF is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Shree Ramkrishna Exports, a diamond
company. The foundation is providing free wi-fi services, healthcare, medical infrastructure and service to
Dudhala.
Kerala’s Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is the first airport in the world that would be running
fully on solar power. The airport officially commissioned a 12 MW solar project in 2015.
About Goldi Solar:
Founder & Managing Director-Ishver Dholakiya
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia Inaugurated Delhi Teachers University

On 5th March 2022, Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister(CM) and Education Minister of Delhi
inaugurated the Delhi Teachers University at Outram Lane in Mukherjee Nagar, North West Delhi, Delhi.
It is Delhi’s first of its kind university.
The University was established with an aim to prepare well-trained and highly qualified teachers.
Vice Chancellor:
Prof. Dhananjay Joshi has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the newly formed Delhi Teachers
University
Background:
i.In January 2022, the Delhi Assembly passed a Bill for setting up a world-class teachers’ training university
which would offer programmes like B.Ed, M.Ed, Phd and certificate programmes.
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ii.The bill was introduced in the House by Manish Sisodia.

Delhi Teachers University:
i.The Delhi Teachers’ University, spread over 12 acres of land in Bakkarwala village, Delhi, will have
lecture halls, digital labs and a library with world-class facilities for 5000 students.
ii.The Delhi Teachers University will ensure that teacher-trainees in the university spend 30-50% of their
time in schools and get hands-on learning experience from the very first month of their course.
iii.The university will partner with the schools to provide hands on experience for the teacher trainees.
iv.The university will focus on preparing school teachers and teachers of higher education institutes.
About Delhi:
Chief Minister(CM)– Arvind Kejriwal
Rivers- Ganges; Yamuna
Forts- Red fort; Tughlaqabad Fort
BSE Partners with Tamil Nadu’s M-TIPB to Promote Listing of MSMEs

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has collaborated with Tamil Nadu’s (TNs) Micro Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSME) -Trade and Investment Promotion Bureau (M-TIPB) government to promote
awareness among MSME of the TN about the benefits of listing.
• Through the collaboration, TN small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will get an opportunity to
raise funds through Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) by listing in the BSE SME platform.
• An IPO refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new
stock issuance which raises capital from public investors.
i.As part of the collaboration, BSE will provide capacity building and soft support to SMEs in TN for
fulfilling listing requirements.
• The BSE will appoint a nodal person as single point contact for providing end-to-end solutions
and facilitating SMEs with respect to registration/ listing on the platform.
ii.M-TIPB will offer support in mobilising the SME representatives through district industries centres and
will also help in mobilising state or regional associations to encourage their SME members to attend
capacity building programmes
Note – The BSE was the 1st stock exchange in India to launch the SME platform, which was established in
March 2012.
About Tamil Nadu (TN):
Governor – Ravindra Narayana Ravi
Bird Sanctuary – Vellode Birds Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Birds Sanctuary, Udayamarthandapuram Bird
Sanctuary
Festivals – Puthandu(Tamil New Year), Chithirai Thiruvizha, Karthigai Deepam
Himachal CM presents ~Rs 51,365 crore Budget for 2022-23; MLALAD fund raised to Rs 2cr
The Chief Minister (CM) of Himachal Pradesh (HP), Jai Ram Thakur who also holds the state’s finance
portfolio, tabled ~Rs 51,365 crore State Budget 2022-23 in the state Assembly, HP. It was his 5th and last
budget for the fiscal 2021-22 of the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government.
• FY23 budget focuses more on the poor and social security.
• No new tax has been proposed in the Budget.
State Growth:
An 8.3% growth rate for HP is forecasted in FY22 after contracting in 2020-21 and registering a negative
growth of 6.2%.
• In real terms, the increase in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) pre-COVID-19 and post-
COVID-19 (2019-20 to 2021-22) is 2.7%.
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• The per capita income at current prices is estimated at Rs 2,01,854, which is more than the
estimated national per capita income for 2020-21 by Rs 51,528. The growth in per capita income
during 2021-22 is estimated at 10.1%.
Increase in MLALAD fund to Rs 2cr:
i.An increase in the Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development (MLALAD) fund from the
existing Rs 1.80 crore to Rs 2 crore is proposed in the budget. This has been increased by Rs 20 lakh.
• Notably, a total increase of Rs 90 lakh had been made in the MLALAD fund during Jai Ram
Thakur’s government.
ii.An increase is also proposed in the discretionary grant for MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly)
from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh for FY23.
Increase in Old Age and Women Pensions:
Rs 1,300 crore are budgeted for providing social security pension to 7.50 lakh eligible persons.
i.Monthly old-age pension amount increased from Rs 1,001 to Rs 1,500.
• For availing such pensions, the age limit also decreased from 70 years to 60 years.
ii.For individuals between 60 years and 79 years, the pension is increased from Rs 850 to Rs 1,100; and
for above 70 years and disabled, it is hiked from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,700.
iii.There is also a hike in pension for destitute women from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,150;
Other Key Proposals:
i.The debt burden on the state rose to Rs 63,200 crore from Rs 55,737 crore in 2021. In this regard, HP
government will use over Rs 10,786 crore on loan repayment and interest payment out of the total Rs
51,365-crore Budget in 2022-23.
• Rs 11 would be spent on loan repayment and Rs 10 on interest payment out of every hundred
rupees to be spent by the state government in 2022-23.
ii.Out of every 100 rupees expenditure, Rs 26 will be spent on salaries, Rs 15 on pension, Rs 10 on interest
payment, Rs 11 on loan repayment, Rs 9 for grants for autonomous bodies; while the remaining Rs 29 will
be spent on other activities, including capital works.
iii.In 2021-22, taxes saw an increase of Rs 2,234 crore from Rs 49,131 crore.
iv.Cow cess on liquor will be increased by Rs 1 per bottle.
v.There is also a hike in the grant given for widow remarriage from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000.
vi.Rs 5 crore will be spent for creating livelihood for urban youth.
• A Bill will be tabled in the Assembly for fixing eligibility criterion for the same.
vii.On the health sector, there will be creation of 500 new posts for doctors in the state.
• The Himcare Card for availing free health services for various ailments now will be required to
be renewed after three years instead of every year.
• Medical device park will be created.
viii.Honorarium for Mayor, Deputy Mayor and councillors in municipal corporations has been increased
from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000, from Rs 8,500 to Rs 10,000 and from Rs 5,050 to Rs 6,050 per month,
respectively,
ix.Rs 8,412 crore has been allocated for education.
• Sardar Patel University in the Mandi district would start functioning from April 2022.
• Four flying schools will be set up for imparting training to fly drones in HP.
• 1000 new Anganwadi Bhawans will be constructed in the state.
x.Also, the current government got approval of 826 plans from NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development) worth Rs 3,452 crore.
xi.Minimum daily wage will be increased to Rs 350. The wages of outsourced employees will increase by a
minimum of Rs 4200 per month.
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i.Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi presided over the 2nd groundbreaking ceremony of the Himachal
Pradesh Global Investors’ Meet in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh(HP). He also inaugurated and laid the
foundation stone of the hydropower projects worth ~Rs 11000 crore in Mandi, HP.
ii.The world’s highest Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station was inaugurated at 500 feet in Kaza, in the
Spiti Valley, Lahaul and Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh (HP). The charging station will support all EV
Scooters and cars.
About Himachal Pradesh (HP):
Governor– Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Wildlife Sanctuary– Kanwar Wildlife Sanctuary; Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary
Airports– Kullu Manali Airport; Shimla Airport; Kangra Airport
Finance Minister Of Telangana Proposed Budget For The Year 2022-23

The Finance Minister (FM) of Telangana Harish Rao presented the budget of Rs 2.56 lakh crore for the
financial year 2022-23. The budget focused on infrastructural development of the state, healthcare,
security and agriculture.
i.The budget includes revenue expenditure of Rs 1,89,274.82 crore and capital expenditure of Rs 29,728.44
crore.
ii.FM described the budget as `KCR Mark Budget’.
Flagship Programmes Of The Budget:
i.The budget introduced new flagship Dalit Bandhu scheme of Rs 17,700 crore.
• For the welfare of STs, BCs, Brahmins, the government allotted a budget of Rs. 12,565 crores, Rs.
5698 crores, Rs. 177 crores respectively.
ii.Agriculture has been allocated with Rs 24,254 crore, Rs 22,675 crore has been allocated for irrigation.
• Agricultural loans of farmers up to Rs 50,000 will be waived before the end of March 2022. while
loans up to Rs 75,000 will be waived during the next FY-23.
iii..Rs 1000 crore will be spent to strengthen the public health infrastructure, medical education and
government medical colleges.
Proposals Of The Budget For The Financial Year 2022-23:
i.Infrastructure:
• Rs 3,330 crore allocated to Palle Pragathi, or transformation of villages and Rs 1,394 crore
allocated to Pattana Pragathi or development of towns.
• Rs 7,289 crore allocated to Mana Ooru, Mana Badi programme to strengthen infrastructure in
schools and for rural areas, Rs 3,497 crore allocated to 9,123 schools.
• The government has decided to finance the construction of houses for the poor at Rs 3 lakh per
beneficiary.
ii.Agriculture:
• The total cultivated area in Telangana has been increased from 1.31 crore acres in 2014-15 to
2.09 crore acres in 2020-21 with the help of Mission Kakatiya, irrigation projects and Rythu
Bandhu with the total of Rs 50,448 crore.
• Rs 3,000 crore will be spent through Telangana Urban Finance Infrastructure Development
Corporation Limited (TUFIDC) for the construction of Vaikunta Dhamams in all villages with an
outlay of Rs 1,547 crore, Rs 276 crore will be spent on Bio mining Programme.
• Rs 1,000 crore allocated for the promotion of oil palm cultivation during 2022-23.
Other Schemes:
i.Reduction in the age limit for social security (Aasara) pensions from 65 years to 57 years.
ii.Rs 2,750 crore allocated to Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes.
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iii.Irrespective of the pandemic situation, the Information Technology (IT) exports from Telangana valued
at Rs 1,45,522 crore in 2021 with a growth rate of 12.98%.
iv.Providing KCR Nutrition Kits to 1.25 lakh malnourished/under-nourished pregnant women and
lactating mothers every year in Adilabad, Kumram Bheem, Bhadradri, Bhupalapally, Kamareddy,
Vikarabad, Mulugu, Gadwal in Kurnool districts.
Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) And Per Capita Income:
i.The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for the year 2021-22 shows a growth rate of 19.1% at Rs
11,54,860 crore against Gross domestic product (GDP) (national) growth rate of 8.9%.
ii.With the outlay of Rs 24,254 crore for the year 2022-23, the agriculture sector has contributed over 20%
to GSDP.
iii.Per capita income of Telangana was Rs 2,78,833 in 2021-22 with an 18.8% growth rate against the
national average of ₹1,49,848, which has 18.1% growth.
i.India’s first Coal-to-Methanol plant launched at BHEL, Hyderabad
• The Union Minister for the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Mahendra Nath Pandey dedicated
India’s first ‘Coal to Methanol’ (CTM) pilot plant in the Hyderabad unit of Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited (BHEL).
• It is the first-of-its-kind technology demonstration in India, which converts high-ash contain
Indian coal to methanol through the gasification route.
ii.Dr Jitendra Singh Inaugurates India’s First ‘Open Rock Museum’ at Hyderabad
• On 6th January 2022, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Dr
Jitendra Singh inaugurated India’s first & unique ‘Open Rock Museum’ at the campus of Council of
Scientific & Industrial Research – National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI),
Hyderabad, Telangana & later addressed the Hyderabad Scientists at CSIR-NGRI.
About Telangana:
Chief Minister – K. Chandrashekar Rao
Formation Of Telangana – The 29th State of India, formed in June 2014.
Rajasthan Govt. comes up with a new policy to promote cattle rearing

The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot has announced the launch of ‘Camel Protection and
Development Policy’ in the Budget 2022-23.
• Ever since the State Govt. of Rajasthan had declared Camel (Camelus dromedarius) as its State
Animal in 2014, there had been a steady decline in its population.
• To address this issue, a new policy for rearing, protection, and overall development of the state
animal is proposed with a budget of Rs 10 crore in the next financial year by the CM of Rajasthan.
Some Statistics on Camels in India:
i.About 85% of the country’s camels are found in Rajasthan followed by Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
ii.The total Camel population in the country is 2.5 Lakhs in 2019, decreased by 37.1% (reduction of 1.5
lakhs) over previous Census of about 4 lakhs in 2012.
iii. According to the 2019 animal census, the number of camels in Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand,
Meghalaya and Nagaland officially fell to zero, while in 2012, these states had 45, 03, 07 and 92 camels
respectively.
iv.According to the information given in the Parliament, the number of camels in Rajasthan in 2012 was
3,25,713 which reduced to 2,12,739 marking a reduction of about 1,12,974 (i.e.,34.69% decrease).
Steps taken by Rajasthan Govt. to protect its Camels:
Besides making it the state animal, it has also made
i.Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Prohibition of Temporary Migration or Export
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Regulations) Act to stop its slaughter and prohibit its temporary migration out of the state.
ii.A dedicated National Research Centre on Camel (NRCC), Jorbeer, Bikaner, Rajasthan.
About Rajasthan:
Governor – Kalraj Mishra
Tourism Tagline – The ‘Incredible State of India ‘
UNESCO World Heritage Site:
• Jaipur City, Rajasthan (2019)
• Hill Forts of Rajasthan – six majestic forts – Chittorgarh; Kumbhalgarh; Sawai Madhopur;
Jhalawar; Jaipur & Jaisalmer (2013)
Chhattisgarh CM launches ‘Kaushalya Matritva Yojana’ for safe Motherhood

On 7 March 2022, the Chief Minister (CM) of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur launched
the ‘Kaushalya Matritva Yojana’ by handing cheques of Rs 5,000 each to five women beneficiaries for the
safe motherhood practices.
Note- International Women’s Day is observed on 8 March.
Key points:
i.It aims to help women financially for the nutrition of themselves and their child after pregnancy. It will
also prevent female foeticide.
ii.Under this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 5000 will be provided to women for bringing up
their second girl child.
• The entire expenditure of this scheme will be borne by the Chhattisgarh government .
iii.In the event the CM also released the books- ‘Kanya Vivah Yojana’ Coffee Table Book, Sakhi One Stop
Center Telephone Directory, and brochures of schemes related to women empowerment.
About Chhattisgarh:
Governor- Anusuiya Uikey
Capital– Raipur
Dance- Saila Dance,Karma, Sua Nacha
Microsoft to Set up its Datacentre in the Region in Hyderabad, Telangana; 4th Data centre
in India
Microsoft Corporation(Microsoft) announced its intent to establish its latest datacenter region in
Hyderabad, Telangana. This will be Microsoft’s largest datacenter investment in India. The Hyderabad
datacenter region, the 4th datacentre in India, will be an addition to the existing network of three regions
in India across Pune, Mumbai, and Chennai.
• This investment is in line with Microsoft’s commitment to supporting customers thrive in a cloud
and Artificial intelligence (AI) -enabled digital economy and become part of the world’s largest
cloud infrastructure.
• This will also be one of the largest foreign direct investments (FDIs), that the state of Telangana
has attracted.
About the Hyderabad Datacentre:
i.The new data centre region in Hyderabad will spread across three sites: Chandanvelly, Ellikatta, and
Kottur.
ii.Over the next 15 years, Microsoft will spend over Rs 15,000 crore on the project.
iii.A data centre region essentially means a set of data centres spread across a wide expanse of land.
iv.The datacentre will deliver advanced data security and cloud solutions that will help enterprises, start-
ups, developers, education, and government institutions.
v.This will offer the entire Microsoft portfolio across the cloud, data solutions, AI, productivity tools, and
customer relationship management (CRM) with advanced data security, for enterprises, start-ups,
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developers, education, and government institutions.

Key Points:
i.This is in line with Microsoft’s commitment to strengthen India’s economic resurgence and evolution as
an important innovation hub.
ii.This will also be one of the largest foreign direct investments (FDIs) the state has attracted.
Note: Hyderabad hosts one of the largest Microsoft offices in the world.
About Microsoft Corporation(Microsoft):
Chairman& CEO– Satya Nadella
Headquarters– Redmond, Washington, United States of America
The Chief Minister Of TN Inaugurated India’s Largest Floating solar power project At
Thoothukudi
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. K. Stalin inaugurated India’s largest floating solar power plant
constructed at a cost of Rs 150.4 crore. The floating plant is established in Southern Petrochemicals
Industries Corporation Limited (SPIC) factory at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu to provide clean energy.
Aim:
It aims to provide environmentally sustainable power generation and to reduce carbon footprint.
i.The floating power plant has the capacity to produce 42 million units of electricity per annum.
ii.The solar power plant is owned by Greenam Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AM International.
iii.It is the SPIC’s part of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) progress, to produce renewable
energy.
Note: TN Chief Minister MK Stalin also laid the foundation stone for India’s first international furniture
park spread over 1,156 acres at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.
About The Floating Power Plant:
i.SPIC worked with France-based floating solar power specialists and global leader Ceil & Terre for the
constructions and designs.
ii.The 48-acre floating solar power plant has been set up on a large water reservoir that spans 62-acres.
The solar arrays are placed on floating structures on a water body.
iii.The plant provides the energy to the SPIC and Greenstar fertilisers factories.
iv.The 25.3 MegaWatt Direct Current / 22 MegaWatt Alternate Current floating solar power plant project
aligns with their strategy to implement new-age green and sustainable technology.
v.The solar panels on the water reduces the evaporation upto 60 percent.
About AM International:
Founder & Chairman – Ashwin Muthiah
Headquarters – Singapore
Karnataka Govt. Introduces W@W Programme to Integrate Women into Workforce

The Government of Karnataka launched Women@Work (W@W) Programme, as an attempt to create an
equitable, inclusive and equal world for women in workplaces at an even organized jointly by
the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), KTECH and the Karnataka Skill Development
Corporation.
• The programme was launched by Dr. C. N. Ashwathnarayan, Karnataka’s Minister of Higher
Education; Minister of Electronics, Information & Biotechnology and S&T; Minister of Skill
Development – marking International Women’s Day celebrations.
Highlights of the programme:
W@W Programme aims at bridging the skill development gap for women by facilitating them to
actively participate and join the workforce through industry upskilling & reskilling programme,
mentorship, institutional and organizational networking.
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i.W@W programme intends to provide 5 lakh job opportunities to women with necessary employable
skill within 2026.
ii.Under this programme, free certificate courses will be conducted for women to train them in technical
aspects in various disciplines.
iii. This programme targets the women workforce strength to be 50%, from its present strength of about
35% of the workforce.
Notable Dignitaries at the event:
• Ashwin D Gowda, MD, Karnataka State Skills Development Corporation
• B V Naidu, Chairman, KDEM
• Sanjeev Gupta, CEO, KDEM
• Ramkumar Narayanan, MD, VMware
About Karnataka:
Chief Minister – Basavaraj Bommai
Governor – Thawar Chand Gehlot
Tourism Tagline – One State. Many Worlds.
Haryana’s Chief Minister Khattar Presented Rs 1.77 Lakh Crore Budget For The FY 2022-23
The Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar presented the budget of Rs 1,77,255.99 crore for the
Financial Year (FY) 2022-23. The budget focuses on agriculture, rural development, women
empowerment, health and education by increasing allocation.
i.The Budget comprises Rs 61,057.36 crore as capital expenditure and Rs 1,16,198.36 crore as revenue
expenditure.
Implementation Of Awards:
i.A new award will be started in the name of late Darshan Lal Jain, environmentalist of Haryana.
The ‘Darshan Lal Jain Environment Award’ will be presented by recognising excellence in efforts
towards environment conservation and promotion.
• The award money will be Rs 3Lakh.
ii.Khattar also announced the ‘Sushma Swaraj Award’ for women, named after the late Sushma Swaraj,
Former Minister of External Affairs of India, for their significant contribution or achievements in different
walks of life in national and international spheres.
• The Sushma Swaraj Award will carry a commendation with an award money of Rs 5 lakh.
Vision To Development:
Through ‘Vajra Model’ the budget envisions five development force:
• Economic growth and human development.
• Ease of living for citizens.
• Lifting the poor and disadvantaged from all socio-economic groups.
• Leveraging productivity through increased adoption of technology accompanied by employment.
• Entrepreneurship.
Budget Spendings: Revenues And Deficits:
The Budget Estimates (BE) for 2022-23
• Debt burden of Rs 2,43,779 crore
• Revenue Receipts of Rs 1,06,425 crore
• Revenue Expenditure of Rs 1,16,199 crore
• Revenue deficit of Rs 9,774 crore
• Fiscal deficit of Rs 29,618 crore
Allocation Of New Funds:
The budget has allocated three dedicated funds namely,
i.Climate & Sustainable Development Fund to achieve green development objectives.
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ii.Research & Innovation Fund.

iii.Venture Capital Fund to promote entrepreneurship.
Implementations Of The Schemes:
i.Matrushakti Udyamita Scheme to provide support to women entrepreneurs with the help of verified
data of ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’.
• The loan extent of 3 lakh will be provided with the interest of 7% for 3 years of which Haryana
Women Development Corporation will subvent 7% interest.
ii.Through the Sahbhagita scheme, the government is providing affordable houses in Faridabad, Gurugram
and Panchkula in 2022-23 for the women who face insecurities. Houses were built on land belonging to the
government.
iii.Target of training 1 lakh persons, 25,000 Gurus and 75,000 disciples under ‘Guru-Shishya Yojana’.
iv.Providing ‘Ayushman Bharat Yojana’ to families with annual income up to Rs 1.80 lakh.
• Free health check-up facility once in 2 years.
v.Construction of 20,000 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
Other Implementations:
i.Establishment of three new government women’s colleges at Kudal and Chhapar in Bhiwani and
Gannnaur in Sonipat.
ii.The state government plans to establish and support 10,000 self-help groups (SHGs) in 2022-23.
iii.Environment:
• The government proposed to identify ‘hot spots’ prone to air pollution in every district and make
necessary interventions to convert them into ‘green spots’.
• 100 air quality monitoring stations across the state will be installed in addition to 29 existing
monitoring stations, to monitor the air quality.
• The tree census will be started in 2022-23 to count each and every tree and geo-tag it.
iv.Establishment of Haryana State Sports Institute at Panchkula on the lines of National Institute of Sports.
v.Haryanvi Ek’ will resonate as“Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”.
i.Docprime Health Locker: India’s 1st ABDM integrated health locker launched by Docprime
Technologies
Gurugram (Haryana)-based Docprime Technologies Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of PB
Fintech has launched, free of cost, India’s first Health Locker integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital
Mission (ABDM) namely ‘Docprime Health Locker’.
ii.NHEV Inaugurates India’s largest EV charging station in Gurgaon, Haryana
National Highway for Electric Vehicle(NHEV) inaugurated India’s largest Electric Vehicle (EV) charging
station in Sector 52 of Gurgaon, Haryana, which has 100 charging points for four-wheelers. The station has
been installed and operated by Alektrify Private Limited.
About Haryana:
Governor – Shri Bandaru Dattatraya
National Parks – Sultanpur National Park, Kalesar National Park
Festivals – Lohri, Basant Panchami
Finance Minister Of Madhya Pradesh Presented The Budget of Rs 2.79 Lakh crore For FY
2022-23
Finance Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Jagdish Devda presented the budget of Rs 2,79,237 crore for the
financial year (FY) 2022-23. The budget focused on child welfare, education, infrastructure and health
sectors.
i.With the budget, the state aimed at building an ‘Atma Nirbhar (self-reliant) Madhya Pradesh‘.
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ii.The fiscal deficit is estimated to be Rs 52,511 crore, which is 4.56 per cent of the Gross State Domestic
Product (GSDP).
Allocation of Budget (2022-23) For The Development:
i.Rs 42,128 crore allocated for the infrastructure sector covering power, roads and water, among other
segments.
ii.Rs 41,038 crore allocated for urban and rural development (including Panchayat department).
iii.Rs 32,843 crore allocated for education.
iv.Rs 20,027 crore allocated for the agriculture sector.
v.Rs 19,405 crore allocated for health.
Flagship Schemes Of The Budget 2022-23:
i.Child Budget:
• For the first time, the state government presented a ‘child budget‘ as part of the annual financial
plan.
• Rs 17,792 crore has been allotted for the ‘Child budget’.
ii.Ladli Laxmi Scheme:
• The Ladli Laxmi Scheme is expanded to cover higher education too.
• Previously (2006) the scheme laid the firm foundation for the future of girls, by improving their
educational and economic status.
iii.Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana:
• Implementation of “Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana”, a teerth yatra to the old people of the
state who cannot go themselves due to financial crisis.
iv.Provision of Rs 6,300 crore has been proposed for the Rural and Urban Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Other Schemes Of The Budget Of FY 2022-23:
i.22 new medical colleges to be set up in Sheopur, Rajgarh, Neemuch and in other districts.
ii.31 lakh beneficiaries to get the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, ‘providing affordable houses
to the urban poor’.
iii.Education:
• Rs 3,908 crore allotted for “Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan”
• ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ Provides quality education and enhances learning outcomes of
students, bridging social and gender gaps in school education, ensuring equity at all levels.
• Rs 1,157 crore allocated for the Chief Minister (CM) RISE scheme under which 360 schools have
been selected in the first phase.
iv.Establishing solar plants in three districts – Sagar, Shajapur andUjjain.
v.A total of 217 electronic vehicle charging stations will be set up in just three districts of MP – Bhopal,
Indore and Jabalpur. These stations will be based on the Public-Private Partnership model.
vi.Constructing 1,200-km-long roads under the Prime Minister Rural Road Scheme.
Government of India (GoI) approved Ken-Betwa Interlinking of Rivers Project:
GoI approved the funding and implementation of Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers project with an outlay
of Rs 44,605 crore at 2020-21 price levels. It is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for
interlinking of rivers. It will cover the states of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Madhya Pradesh (MP).
About Madhya Pradesh:
Governor – Mangubhai Patel
Festival – Ujjain Kumbh Mela, Malwa Utsav
Dance Form – Jawar, Tertali
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Tripura Govt. Announces Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa for Tea Workers
As a step towards bringing the 7000 tea garden workers of Tripura under social security net, the Tripura
Government has announced a special scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa’, allotting Rs.
85 crores for its implementation.
• About 75% of the 7000 tea garden workers are women and they produce nearly 90 lakh
kilograms of tea through 54 tea estates & 21 tea processing factories across the state. The tea
production is mainly distributed in North Tripura, Sepahijala, Unakoti and West Tripura districts.
• This special scheme would ensure housing, rations and financial support to the tea garden
workers by integrating the facilities that are entitled to them, by the state government and the
central government.
Key Components of the Scheme:
i.Provides land or home to the farmers; allot land of defunct tea garden on lease basis through
Cooperatives
ii.Provides basic amenities like drinking water, electricity, shelter, education and healthcare to each and
every family.
iii. Provide priority group ration cards; social pension to eligible families; maternal and child health care
assistance & health insurance.
iv.Provide an eco-friendly environment.
v.Provide supportive appliances for handicapped persons.
vi.To be brought under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
Note: The Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Amit Shah had recently inaugurated the year 2022
Women Empowerment Campaign and Chief Minister Shramik Kalyan Prakalp scheme for the women
Tripura on the occasion of International Women’s Day & has also laid the foundation stone for National
Forensic Sciences University in Agartala, capital of Tripura.
About Tripura:
Chief Minister – Biplab Kumar Deb
Governor – Satyadeo Narain Arya
Tourism tagline – Tripura: Where Culture Meets Nature
U.T. of Puducherry gets first-of-its kind Digital School Health Platform

Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan has launched a Digital School Health
Platform for the students of the Union Territory (UT) of Puducherry.
• This platform is a joint collaboration of the Department of Health, Puducherry and Axis Bank.
Key Points:
i.The UT has started its digitization of the health records of students starting from Classes I to XII,
counting to 2. 4 lakh children.
ii.Under this project, the Health Department will feed the personal details of all government school
students into a portal to maintain their health records.
iii. The health care workers will upload the health details of the students into the password-driven portal
after visiting schools for medical screening. The health details could be accessed by doctors, teachers and
parents of students.
Note: An MoU was also signed between the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate
Institute, Puducherry & Zaara Tech, Chennai, to digitize the medical records available with the hospital.
About Union Territory of Puducherry:
Lieutenant Governor – Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana; Lieutenant Governor of
Puducherry.
Chief Minister – N. Rangasamy
Tourism Tagline – ‘Give time a break’
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Justice Vipin Sanghi named Acting Chief Justice of Delhi HC

The President of India has appointed Justice Vipin Sanghi, the senior-most Judge of the Delhi High
Court (HC) as its Acting Chief Justice according to Article 223 of the Constitution of India.The
Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) issued a notification about his appointment on
March 11, 2022.
• The incumbent Chief Justice of Delhi HC, Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel retires on his 62nd
birthday i.e March 12, 2022.
• Justice Vipin Sanghi will perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court
with effect from March 13, 2022.
• He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on May 29, 2006 and was
confirmed as a Permanent Judge on February 11, 2008.
Note: Article 223 of the Indian Constitution: “Appointment of Acting Chief Justice”
• When the office of Chief Justice of a High Court is vacant or when any such Chief Justice is, by
reason of absence or otherwise, unable to perform the duties of his office, the duties of the office
shall be performed by such one of the other Judges of the Court as the President may appoint for
the purpose.
About Appointment of Chief Justices of High Courts:
i.The Chief Justices of High Courts, other than the High Court of Delhi are appointed by the President of
India, as provided under Article 217 of the Constitution, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India and
the Governor of the State.
ii.The Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi is appointed by the President of India, in consultation with
the Chief Justice of India.
iii.The retirement age of High Court (HC) Judges is 62 years, whereas the retirement age of Supreme Court
(SC) Judges is 65 years in India.
AP’s FM Buggana Rajendranath Presented Rs 2.56 lakh cr State Budget for 2022-23
On March 11, 2022, the Finance Minister (FM) of Andhra Pradesh (AP), Buggana Rajendranath, presented
AP’s Budget for 2022-23 with a proposed expenditure of Rs 2.56 lakh crore and a projected revenue deficit
of Rs 17,036 crore.
• After that, Kurasala Kannababu, AP’s Agriculture Minister presented the State’s Agriculture
Budget for 2022-23 with an outlay of Rs 43,052.78 crore.
Financial Parameters:
i.The projected revenue deficit is Rs 17,036 crore i.e. 1.27% of GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product)
ii.The fiscal deficit in FY23 is expected to be Rs 48,724 crore i.e. 3.64% of the GSDP.
iii.The total public debt of the state is projected to increase up to Rs 4,39,394.35 crore in 2022-23.
iv.A sum of Rs 21,805 crore has been earmarked for debt servicing in FY23.
Highlights:
i.Welfare and Education: Top priority was given to welfare with an allocation of Rs 45,955 crores; and Rs
30,077 crore earmarked for education.
• School education is allocated Rs 27,706.66 crore, which is 12.52 per cent higher than the previous
year’s.
• Amma Vodi, a financial incentive scheme for mothers sending their children to schools, was
allocated Rs 6,500 crore.
• Rs 3,500 crore is allocated for Mana Badi Nadu Nedu, the school infrastructure improvement
programme.
ii.Economical & Social Services: Rs 69,306.74 crore for economical services which are 27.05% of the
total outlay of the budget, while Rs 1,13,340.20 crore is for social services which is 44.23% of the entire
budget.
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• The rest for general services.

iii.Children and Gender Budget: This section was allocated Rs 4,322.86 crore
• Rs 18,518 crore is given for the SC sub-plan, Rs 6,145 crore for ST sub-plan, Rs 29,143 crore for
BC sub-plan, Rs 3,661 crore for welfare of minorities and Rs 3,537 crore for Kapu community
welfare.
iv.The government has proposed creation of Rs 350 crore Special Development Package Fund, placing
Rs 2 crore at the disposal of each MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly).
• The Fund is for implementing socio-economic development programmes at the constituency level
to maximise welfare in line with the local needs and preferences.
Other Key Allocations:
-Health: Rs 15,384.26 crore.
-Pedalandariki Illu (housing for all): Rs 4,791.69 crore
-DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) Schemes: Rs 48,802.71 crores
-Urban development: Rs 8,796 crore
-Social Security: Rs 4,331.85 crore
Amma Vodi scheme: Rs 6,500 crore
-Incentives for Industrial Promotion for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs): Rs 450 crore
-Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)/National Rural Drinking Water Mission: Rs 1,149.93 Crore
-Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Gramin: Rs 500 Crore
-Power subsidy- Rs 5,000 crore
-Linking MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) to agriculture: Rs
8,328 crore
An agreement on Technical Cooperation Project has been inked by AP Government with the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN-FAO) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to help
the state farmers in adopting a sustainable agriculture food system.
About Andhra Pradesh (AP):
Chief Minister (CM)– Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy
Tiger Reserve– Nagarjuna Sagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve
Zoological Parks– Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park.
Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal Presented State budget 2022-23

The Finance Minister of Kerala, Kalanjoor Narayana Panicker Balagopal, presented the Kerala state budget
2022-23 which provided a big boost to the Information Technology (IT), Industries & Infrastructure
Sector. It is Kerala’s first paperless budget.
Key Allocations:
i.IT: Rs 1,000 crore proposed for acquiring land for the development of various IT parks. Another Rs
1,000 crore has been earmarked for setting up four science parks in the state.
• Four new IT corridors will come up parallel to NH66 and new IT parks in Kannur and Kollam are
other highlights. Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for basic infrastructure development in the IT
sector.
• Rs 2,000 crore earmarked to arrest price rise and ensure food security in the state.
ii.Higher education: A total of Rs 200 crore has been earmarked through the Kerala Infrastructure
Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) to provide assistance of Rs 20 crore each to 10 universities.
• Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the development of 1,500 hostel rooms adjacent to
universities, another Rs 20 crore will be provided to the varsities to start new courses.
• An allocation of Rs 350 crore for setting up skill parks in all districts.
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iii.Agriculture: With a total outlay of Rs 881.96 crore, the agriculture sector has also received major
support in the budget. Rs 500 crore will be set apart for rubber subsidy.
• Agri-tech facilities will be set up in all districts at a cost of Rs 175 crore.
iv.Railway: Silverline semi high-speed rail project will get Rs 2,000 crore. The amount will be used for
land acquisition for the project.
v.Roads: Rs 1,500 crore has been allocated for the development of MC Road and Kollam-Shencotta road.
• The proposed outer ring road project in Thiruvananthapuram will receive Rs 1,000 crore for land
acquisition.
vi.Tourism: It received an increased allocation of Rs.362.15 Crore.
vii.Health: It allocated Rs.2629.33 Crore.
Other Proposals:
i.Rs 12,903 crore for Local Self-governments
ii.Rs 1871.82 Crore for Housing projects under Life Mission
iii.Rs 1600 crore for various works under Rebuild Kerala Initiative.
iv.Special cell in Norka department to assist students who returned from war-torn Ukraine.
v.Milk and egg to be provided to children twice a week in Anganwadis.
vi.Five-year plan for waste management in the state.
Tax Proposals:
i.Green tax on old vehicles increased by 50%.
ii.Tax on motorcycles, priced below Rs two lakh, increased by 1%.
iii.Tax slashed for caravans used for tourism purposes.
iv.Land tax to be revised by implementing new slabs.
v.Fair price of land increased by 10%.
Click Here for Official Links
Kochi (Kerala) has become India’s first city to have a Water Metro Project after the launch of its first boat
in December 2021, namely ‘Muziris,’ among the 23 battery-powered electric boats being manufactured by
Cochin Shipyard Limited. This project is operated by Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML) while it’s boats are
called Water Metros.
About Kerala:
Governor– Arif Mohammad Khan
Airport– Kannur International Airport, Calicut International Airport;
Ramsar Sites– Vembanad-Kol Wetland, Sasthamkotta Lake
Finance Minister Of West Bengal Presented A Budget of Rs 3.21-lakh crore For FY 2022-23
Finance Minister of West Bengal, Chandrima Bhattacharya presented a budget of Rs 3.21-lakh crore for
the Financial Year (FY) 2022-23. The budget focused on the social sector schemes such as exemption in
registration fees and road tax for two years, for battery operated electric vehicles and Compressed Natural
Gas (CNG) vehicles for both two and four-wheelers to reduce carbon footprints.
i.Revenue receipts are pegged at Rs 1,98,047 crore.
ii.Capital expenditure is estimated to be Rs 33,144 crore, and revenue expenditure is expected to be Rs
2,26,326 crore.
Proposals Of 2022-23 Budget:
i.The budget proposed to add 8 lakh new applicants under widow pension scheme which increases the
total beneficiaries to 21 lakh with a provision of Rs.960 crore in this 2022-23 budget.
ii.Exempting rural employment cess under the West Bengal Rural Employment and Production Act 1976
and waiving agricultural income tax for the year 2022-23 for small scale tea industry.
iii.The government (Govt) has also provided social pensions to more than 70 lakh beneficiaries with an
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annual outlay of Rs 9,000 crore.

Schemes:
i.Under Credit Card scheme nearly 20,000 students have been extended the benefit. Through this scheme
students studying in class 10th or above can take a loan up to Rs 10 lakh for higher studies.
ii.Under the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ cash transfer scheme, with the annual financial outlay of Rs 10,000
crore, the monthly income benefit for women has increased to 1.53 crore.
iii.under “Jal Swapno” scheme the govt committed to provide tap water connection in each household by
2024.
iv.Implemented “Samannay Portal” to monitor the progress of all schemes/projects.
v.The “Krishak Bandhu”scheme is improved and launched as “Krishak Bandhu (Natun)” for doubling the
financial assistance to the farmers.
• The enrolled farmer gets financial assistance of Rs. 10,000 per annum for one acre or more of
cultivable land.
• Under “Krishak Bandhu Death Benefit” component of the scheme, in case of death of a farmer
between the age of 18 to 60 years, the State Government provides one time lump sum grant of Rs.
2 lakh to the family of the deceased to ensure social security to the bereaved family.
About West Bengal:
Governor – Jagdeep Dhankhar
Wildlife Sanctuary – Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuary, Bibhutibhushan Wildlife Sanctuary
Airport – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Bagdogra International Airport
Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar Presented State’s Budget 2022-23, Rs 1,15,215cr Proposed

for Panchasutri Programme
The Deputy (Dy) Chief Minister (CM) of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio
presented the Maharashtra state budget for 2022-23 reflecting state’s aspirations to become 1st Indian
state to have a $1-trillion economy.
• Maharashtra also has become the 1st state in the country to formulate an agricultural export
policy.
• The state budget proposed an outlay of Rs 1,15,215 crore for Panchasutri (Five-Point
Programme) i.e. 5 focus areas viz. Agriculture, Health, Human Resource, Transport and Industry
for a sustainable & prosperous Maharashtra. These sectors will get Rs 4 lakh crore in the next
three years.
• The Maharashtra government also reduces VAT (Value Added Tax) on CNG (Compressed Natural
Gas) from 13.5% to 3%.
Maharashtra’s Financial Indicators for 2022-23:
Revenue Receipts- Rs 4,03,427.12 crore
Revenue Expenditure- Rs 4,27,780.12 crore
Revenue Deficit- 24,353.89 crore
Key Allocations:
i.An outlay of Rs 23,888 crore is proposed for agriculture and allied sectors,
ii.Rs 5,244 crore budgeted for the health sector. State plans to spend Rs 11,000 crore on health services in
the next three years.
• Rs 2,061 crore budgeted for medical education department. Admission capacity for medical
postgraduate education will be increased.
• Rs 20 crore proposed for upgrading the cataract surgeries in the state
iii.Rs 3,183 crore outlay for the Public Health and Family Welfare Department.
iv.Rs 46,667 crore proposed for Human Development and Human Resources; Rs 28,605 crore for
transportation infrastructure; and Rs 10,111 crore for the development of the Industry and Energy Sectors
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India’s first Indrayani Medicity will be set up in Pune Rural Area

The state government will set up a India’s first high-tech ‘Indrayani Medicity’ on 300 acres in the Pune
district’s (Khed taluka) rural area. The state government will attract investment worth more than Rs
10,000 crore for the project.
• It will be set up by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) through a
public-private partnership (PPP).
• The Medicity will have about 24 separate hospital buildings, each housing one department.
• The entire facility is likely to have over 10,000 to 15,000 beds.
This city will have hospitals, medical research, pharmaceutical manufacturing, wellness and
physiotherapy, means, it will not only provide medical education and research facilities, but also all kinds
of specialty treatment under one roof.
i.First class trauma care unit will be set up at Satara and other centres in the state. Each centre will have a
capacity of 50 beds
ii.Women’s hospital to be set up at Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Kolhapur and each centre will have a capacity of
100 beds
iii.The government introduced an incentive grant of Rs 50,000 to 20 lakh farmers who repay their loans
regularly. The estimated expenditure on this scheme is Rs 10,000 crore.
iv.Rs 1000 crore will be provided in 3 years for a special action plan for soyabean and cotton crops.
v.Rs 100 crore is set aside for start-ups.
vi.Rs 100 crore will be allocated for Music University that will be established inside Kalina University in
the name of late Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar.
vii.There is also a provision of Rs 7500 crore for 10,000 km roads under Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak
Yojana Phase-II and 6550 km road improvement under Prime Minister’s Village Road Scheme Phase-3.
viii.The government proposes to create nearly 1 lakh employment opportunities through 30,000 self-
employment projects under Chief Minister Employment Generation Programme.
ix.Maharashtra government has decided to issue ID cards and ration cards to all transgenders in the state.
x.The Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj bravery award is also proposed from 2022.
xi.The budget has made provision for works of Shirdi, Ratnagiri, Amravati and Kolhapur Airport, and a new
airport at Gadchiroli under consideration.
xii.Announced a loan waiver of the Land Development Bank of ₹964 crores for 34,788 farmers.
xiii.Pawar has introduced a first-ever amnesty scheme 2022 for the Goods & Sales Tax Department which
will be applicable from April 1-September 30, 2022.
Click Here for Official Link
On 21st December 2021 Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray launched
Chalo mobile application (app) and Chalo smart cards to facilitate digital and advance purchase of
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus tickets.
About Maharashtra:
Governor– Bhagat Singh Koshyari
UNESCO Heritage Sites – Ellora Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) ,
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai
Bird Sanctuary – Karnala Bird Sanctuary, Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, Mayani Bird Sanctuary
FM Nirmala Sitharaman presents ~Rs 1.42 Lakh Crore J&K Budget in Lok Sabha;
7.5% GSDP Growth Projected
On March 14, 2022, the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance presented Rs
14215009.87 crore(~1.42 Lakh Crore) Budget for the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
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in Lok Sabha, New Delhi (Delhi). She also presented supplementary Demands for Grants, and Demands for
Excess Grants totaling Rs 18,860.32 crore for J&K.
• The budget projected 7.5% Growth in GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) of J&K.
Financial Status of J&K:
J&K government will be spending Rs 112950 crore in fiscal 2022-23 i.e. Revenue Expenditure: Rs 71615
crore, and Capital Expenditure: Rs 41335 crore (22 % of GSDP).
• Revenue Receipts: Rs 102322 crore
• Capital Receipts: Rs 10628 crore
i.Rs 32495 crore (29% of the overall expenditure) would go to salaries, Rs 9780 crore (9 %) on pensions,
Rs 7427 crore (6%) on interest payment on debts, Rs 5000 crore on power purchases, Rs 4287 crore on
the grant in aid, Rs 3319 crore to central sponsored schemes, among others.
ii.On the income side, Rs 68206 crore (34%) will come from the central government as grants, Rs 10600
crore is the GST (Goods and Service Tax), among others.
Key Highlights:
i.Rs 150 crore are provisioned for development of New Industrial Estates in 2022-23
ii.8.93 Lakh farmers to be benefitted by distribution of High Yielding Varieties/Hybrid seed with an
investment of Rs 23.97 crore.
iii.There will be construction of 2 Cocoon Auction Markets for creation of marketing facilities with a
provision of Rs 86.13 lakh.
iv.Annual milk production is expected to increase from current 2505 Thousand Metric Ton to 2800
Thousand Metric Ton during 2022-23.
v.Under Integrated Sheep Development Scheme (ISDS) around 1200 sheep/goat units to be established
with creation of employment opportunities for around 2400 people.
vi.Fish production to be enhanced from current 24,000 Metric Ton to 33,000 Metric Ton along with
doubling of the trout production from 1400 Metric Ton to 2800 Metric Ton during 2022-23.
vii.Subsidized air freight to be provided under PARVAZ scheme to push trout exports to various cities and
Middle East countries
viii.Under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), 426 lakh persondays
to be generated.
ix.Under Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), Capacity building and refresher training to be
imparted to 112000 participants in phased manner.
x.Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) 54000 houses to be constructed during 2022-
23.
xi.Under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), 21194 Self Help Groups (SHG) to be formed during
2022-23, 20000 revolving fund and 18000 bank linkage to be covered
1589 Water Supply Schemes are targeted to be completed during 2022-23.
xii.500 Kindergartens to be established in government schools
xiii.200 Vocational laboratories to be established and 40 schools having vocational labs will act as hubs for
imparting vocational/skill trainings
xiv.There will be Establishment of Centers for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIIT) at
Jammu and Srinagar in collaboration with Tata Technologies during 2022-23 for skill development of
students.
xv.For road connectivity, 543 new projects at an estimated cost of Rs 2237 crore to be sanctioned with
NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) funding will be taken up for execution
during 2022-23.
xvi.There will be Establishment of 14 Milk villages in 2022-23.
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Power Sector:
The J&K is all set to double the Hydropower Generation Capacity in next 3 years from existing capacity of
3500 MW. In this direction, 5 Mega Hydro-power projects viz Ratle (824 MW), Kirthai-II (930 MW)
Sawalakote (1856 MW), Dulhasti-Stage II (258 MW) and Uri-I Stage-II (240 MW) having total capacity
of 4134 MW have been taken-up for execution in collaboration with NHPC Limited.
• The likely investment in these projects is Rs 34882 crore and on completion will make J&K
power surplus.
Click here for Official Site
The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
University College Birmingham (UCB) at India Global Forum, held in Taj Dubai, United Arab Emirates
(UAE) to achieve skill development of students.
About Jammu & Kashmir (J&K):
Lieutenant Governor– Manoj Sinha
Wildlife Sanctuary-Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary, Limber Wildlife Sanctuary, Nandini Wildlife Sanctuary.
Airport – Srinagar International Airport, Jammu airport (Satwari Airport),
Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog Presented State Budget for FY 2022-23
On March 16, 2022, the First Women Finance Minister of Assam Ajanta Neog presented Assam’s Rs 600.36
crore deficit budget for 2022-23 at the Assam Legislative Assembly.
• Reduction of 1 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for aircraft.
• The budget has proposed to levy Green Tax on the use of old vehicles.
Key Proposals:
• It is proposed to build 500 km of all-weather roads over river embankments with an approximate
outlay of Rs 1107.78 crore.
• The budget relaxed tax on green leaves of tea for a period of 3 years from 1st January
2022 besides extension of incentives for the production of orthodox varieties of tea is extended
by a year.
• 4 new schemes for construction of the road has been announced that include Path Nobikaran
Achani, Unnoti Pakipath Nirman Achani, Pakipath Nirman Achani, and Mothauri Pokikaran
Achani.
• The rivers of Subansiri at Dhunaguri and Luit will have 2 major bridges under the Indian
Government and AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank).
• New airports to be proposed in Silchar and Karbi Anglong along with 3 new heliports at Geleki,
Haflong and Nagaon.
• The Jorhat Jail to be developed as the Memorial Park of North East Freedom Fighter.
• Mission Zero Drop-Out will be launched for the identification and mapping of vulnerable girl
children and customized plans to provide child-specific interventions.
• 832 hectare land acquisition for Kaziranga National Park is proposed.
• Mission Basundhara 2.0 has been introduced to offer next-generation land-related services.
• Youth Commission to be set up under Mukhya Mantri Vikas aru Niyog Asoni. Candidates will be
enrolled in intensive coaching for employment in all India/State/ Civil services /SSC/ Banking/
Insurance sectors/ PSUs/ Central Armed Police Forces.
• Amrit Guwahati Integrated Global City (Amrit GiG City) to be developed as a new-age, world-class
integrated business city. Spread across 1,000 acres, it will have a world-class infrastructure for
next-generation industries.
• In order to promote investment and accelerate industrial development, the state government
rolled out the new Industrial and Investment Policy 2022.
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• There will be customised and special incentives like tax sops, capital subsidy, production linked
incentives (PLI) amongst others will be provided to the mega industries with an investment of Rs
100 crore or more.
On 7th January 2022 Assam Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National
Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for holistic dairy development to set up Joint venture (JV) worth
Rs.2000 Crore which aims at processing 10 Lakh litres of milk through 6 new milk processing units in 7
years.
About Assam:
Governor – Jagdish Mukhi
Dam– Karbi Langpi Dam, Umrong Dam
Forts – Badarpur Fort, Cachari Fort
Finance Minister Of Tamil Nadu Palanivel Thiaga Rajan Presented The Budget For FY 2022-
23
The Finance Minister (FM) of Tamil Nadu (TN), Palanivel Thiaga Rajan presented the budget for Financial
Year (FY) 2022-23. The state slashed the revenue deficit by over Rs 7,000 crore in 2022-2023 and the
fiscal deficit will decline from 4.61 per cent to 3.80 per cent.
i.The budget focused on education and agricultural sectors.
Debts, Revenue Expenditure and Receipts:
i.The projected total outstanding debt of the government as of March 31, 2023 is set to be Rs 6,53,348.73
crore (within the limits set by the 15th Central Finance Commission).
ii.Total revenue expenditure in the revised estimates (RE) 2021-22 has been estimated at Rs 2,59,150.97
crore as against budget estimates (BE) of Rs 2,61,188.57 crore.
iii.The total revenue receipts including the central transfers, are estimated to be Rs 231,407.28 crore in
budget 2022-23.
iv.The state’s Own Tax Revenue (SOTR) is estimated to be Rs 142,799.93 crore for 2022-23.
v.The revenue growth of the value added tax (VAT) has not been achieved since the implementation of the
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act.
Schemes And Implementations:
i.The Government has allocated Rs 5,157.56 crore to provide free electricity to all farmers across the
state.
ii.With the allocation of Rs 698 crore, the government provides a monthly incentive of Rs 1000 for college
education of girl students who studied classes from 6 to 12 in government schools.
iii. ‘Thalikku Thangam’ scheme, which provided gold and financial assistance for women’s marriages, has
been reshaped into a Higher Education Assurance Scheme.
iv.Rs 7,000 crore will be used to modernise government schools over five years.
Other Schemes:
i.With a budget of Rs 15.32 crore with Union and State Government fund, Sustainable Cotton Cultivation
Mission is implemented to enhance the Cotton yield during the year 2022-23.
ii.The government has allocated Rs 33,007.68 crore to the Agriculture department for the year 2022-23.
iii.Measures to increase soybean cultivation in Tanjore, Salem, Tiruvallur, Nellai and Villupuram districts of
the state.
iv.The government will also allocate Rs 5 crore as additional 20 percent of subsidy to Scheduled Caste (SC)
and Scheduled Tribes (ST) farmers.
About Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister – Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin
Finance Minister – Palanivel Thiaga Rajan
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CM Of Chhattisgarh Presented The Budget For The Financial Year 2022-23

The Chief Minister (CM) of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel presented the budget of Rs 1,12,603 crore for
the Financial Year (FY) 2022-23. The budget focused on the welfare of farmers, tribals, youth, women and
labourers.
i.Chhattisgarh made Appropriation Bill, 2022 amounting to Rs 1,12,603 crore.
ii.The government works with the spirit of ‘Sarvajan Hitay- Sarvajan Sukhay’ (for welfare of all, for
happiness of all).
Note:
The Appropriation Bill gives power to the government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of
India for meeting the expenditure during the financial year.
Receipts And Expenditure:
i.The Net expenditure is Rs 1,04,000 crore,
• The revenue expenditure and capital expenditure comes around Rs 88,371 crore and Rs 15,241
crore respectively.
ii.The total receipts are Rs 1,04,000 crore in which
• The revenue receipts and capital receipts come around Rs 89,073 crore and Rs 14,927 crore
respectively.
iii.The gross fiscal deficit is Rs 14,600 crore and total revenue surplus is Rs 702 crore in the year 2022-23.
Budget’s Provision:
i.The budget presented the provision of 33 percent for the Scheduled Tribes, 12 percent for the Scheduled
Castes, 37 percent for the social sector and 40 percent for the economic sector
ii.Rs 20,405 crore of provisions has been made for the agriculture sector.
Flagship Schemes Of The Budget:
i.under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Bhumiheen Krishi Mazdoor Nyay Yojana,
• The state government will provide an assistance of Rs 7000 per year to the landless agricultural
labourers, which is more than the Centre’s Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.
• Tribals such as Manjhi, Baiga, Gunia and Pujari benefitted from the scheme.
ii.The area development fund of the members of the Legislative Assembly is being increased from Rs 2
crore to Rs 4 crore.
• The honorarium of district Presidents from Rs 6000 to Rs 10000.
• Vice-president will be increased from Rs 4000 to Rs 6000 and members will be increased from Rs
1500 to Rs 5000 per month.
iii.Rs 1 crore allocated for Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti Memorial, Police Memorial Tower in Raipur.
iv.Under ‘Mukhyamantri Poshan Abhiyan’ malnutrition has been reduced to 8.7 percent for the last three
years.
v.Rs 1000 crore has been allocated for Jal Jeevan Mission to provide clean drinking water to 48.60 lakh
families of the state.
Other Schemes:
i.The budget provided local youth an exemption of fees in the examinations of PSC (Public Service
Commission) and (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal) Vyapam.
ii.National Pension System (NPS) to be replaced by the old pension scheme.
iii.Rs 50 crore has been allotted for the construction of 106 buildings of hostel ashrams run for the
scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students.
iv.Rs 300 crore has been provided to treat 1950 streams under the ‘Narva’ scheme.
• The scheme aims to revive depleting groundwater resources in forests.
v.Crops such as Kodo, Kutki and ragi will get the subsidy of Rs 10 thousand per acre under Rajiv Gandhi
Kisan Nyay Yojana.
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vi.11,664 Rajiv Yuva Mitan Clubs will be formed in rural areas and 1605 in urban areas to harness youth
power for the development.
vii. Rs 150 crore allocated for “Mukhyamantri Sugam Sadak Yojana”
• Construction of all-weather condition roads.
The 11th Technical Committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has approved the
proposal of the government of Chhattisgarh to declare the combined areas of the Tamor Pingla Wildlife
Sanctuary and the Guru Ghasidas National Park as the 4th Tiger reserve of Chhattisgarh.
About Chhattisgarh:
Governor – Anusuiya Uikey
Festival – Koriya Mela, Goncha Festival
Airport – OP Jindal Airport, Raigarh Airport
Kerala Tourism Dept. Launches 24/7 WhatsApp Chatbot ‘Maya’

The Tourism Minister of Kerala, P A Mohamed Riyas launched ‘Maya’, a 24×7 working WhatsApp chatbot
to provide information and updates related to the tourism ecosystem in Kerala.
• Billed as the first such service in the country, Maya shares all information on destinations,
experiences, stay, travel and a whole lot of details that will keep them updated about the places
they travel through or stay in the State.
• To enable the chatbot, tourists have to send a ‘Hi’ to the WhatsApp no: 7510512345 or by
scanning the QR code to access the service.
Highlights:
i.The chatbot Maya will work as a virtual travel assistant for tourists and provide complete information for
hassle-free travel experience.
ii.It will assist tourists to also know about experience-oriented locations, important spots, historical places,
eco-tourism, arts and culture hubs, festivals, local food, visa information, Covid-19 protocol, weather
update, etc.
About Kerala:
Chief Minister- Pinarayi Vijayan
Airport-Kannur International Airport, Calicut International Airport
Ramsar Sites – Vembanad-Kol Wetland, Sasthamkotta Lake
Chief Minister Of Nagaland Presented The Deficit Budget Of Rs 2212.74 crore For The FY
2022-23
The Chief Minister (CM) of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, who also holds the Finance portfolio of Nagaland has
presented the deficit budget of Rs 2212.74 crore for the Financial Year (FY) 2022-23. The budget focused
on the livelihood of people, farmers, infrastructure and also to promote the field of arts, sports, etc.
i.Because of the negative opening balance of Rs 2,363.04 crore and a deficit of Rs 2,212.74 crore, a positive
transaction of Rs 150.30 crore has been projected for FY-23.
Receipts And Expenditure:
i.The gross receipts and gross expenditure of the budget is estimated to be Rs 24,389.80 crore and Rs
24,239.50 crore respectively for FY 2022-23.
ii.Because of the growth of the state’s economy, the State’s share of Central taxes was increased by the
estimates of the Union Budget by Rs 547.10 crore.
• The amount of Rs 276 crore has been allocated for state share to centrally sponsored
schemes (CSS) to provide access to central funds.
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Flagship Schemes Of The Budget 2022-23:

i.Chief Minister’s Micro Finance Initiative:
• The scheme provides credit to farmers, Self Help Groups (SHG), Farmer producer organisations
in the form of subsidy for the activities in the agri sector.
ii.Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme:
• This scheme provides health coverage upto Rs 5 lakh per annum per family of the state
irrespective of their income.
• The scheme provides cashless service coverage in both government and private hospitals.
iii.Target Champion Scheme (TACS):
• This scheme spots talented athletes and provides them with scholarships for training and
development to become champions.
iv.Infrastructure:
• Proposal for 21 Megawatt (MW) hydro power project at Hakchang village in Tuensang district
and 27 MW thermal project at Tuli.
• Setting up of a 5 MW solar power plant under the Department of New and Renewable energy.
Other Implementations:
i.Infrastructure:
• With the total amount of Rs 45 crore for Public Works Department (PWD)
• Rs 25 crore has been allocated for the Special Road Development Programme.
• Rs 10 crore to improve the quality of roads.
• Rs 4 crore provided to the Mechanical Engineering Wing under PWD.
• Rs 4 crore has been allocated for the purchase of new buses.
• Rs 2.50 crore has been allocated for the construction of Regional Transport Office (RTO).
ii.Arts:
• Construction of a new Centre of Excellence for music and arts in Kohima to promote art,
innovation and creativity.
iii.Welfare:
• Allocation of Rs 23 crore for the Department of Under Developed Areas (DUDA) with the
objective to bring about socio-economic and infrastructural progress in the backward areas of
Nagaland.
iv.Information Technology:
• The government has provided Rs 4.17 crore for the Department of Information Technology and
Communication.
• It has created a database for its employees called the Personnel Information Management
System (PIMS), which helps to ensure the collection of real-time data of all categories of
employees, including personal data like date of entry into service and date of retirement.
Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio & MoS Tourism Ajay Bhatt Inaugurated 9th International Tourism Mart
for the North East Region at Kohima
Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister(CM) of Nagaland, Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State(MoS) for Tourism inaugurated
the three-day long 9th International Tourism Mart for the NorthEast Region at Kohima, Nagaland.
• International Tourism Marts are organised in the North Eastern States on a rotation basis.
• Nagaland is hosting this Mart for the first time.
About Nagaland:
Governor – Jagdish Mukhi
Festivals – Ngada Festival, Hega Festival
Dance Forms – War Dance, Zeliang Dance
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Deputy Chief Minister Of Delhi Presented The Budget Of Rs Rs 75,800 Crore For FY 2022-23
The Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio of Delhi has
presented the budget of Rs 75,800 crore for the Financial Year (FY) 2022-23. The budget focused on
employment, education, health sector and farmers.
i.The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has been increased from Rs 6,16,085 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 9,
23,967 crore during 2021-22 which said to be grew by 50 % in five years.
ii.According to the Economic Survey of Delhi 2021-22, Delhi ranks third in per capita income with Rs
4,01,982 in fiscal 2021-22 behind Sikkim and Goa.
About The Budget 2022-23:
i.The budget is also known as ‘Rozgar budget‘, which means ‘employment’.
ii.The size of the 2022-23 budget is 9.86 percent higher than the budget of previous year 2021-22 of Rs
69,000 crore and that was called the ‘Deshbhakti‘ (patriotism) budget.
iii.The government’s tax revenue (Goods and Service Tax, Value Added Tax) is expected at Rs 47,700 crore.
iv.673 seats have been reserved for students who excelled in ‘Business Blasters’ programme
Developments From The Budget 2022-23:
i.Employment
• Rs 4,500 crore has been allocated by the government to generate 20 lakh jobs in the next 5 years
and Rs 800 crore will be set aside for the 2022-23 budget.
• Introducing mobile application “Rozgar Bazaar 2.0” which aims to provide one lakh jobs every
year to the youngsters particularly women.
• Providing employment to 3 lakh people through virtual ‘Delhi Bazar portal’.
ii.Health
• Rs 9,669 crore has been allotted for the health sector.
• Where Rs 1,900 crore has been proposed to upgrade the state-run hospitals and Rs 475 crore has
been allocated for the set-up of “Mohalla Clinics” and polyclinics for diagnostic services and
essential medicines at free of cost
iv.Infrastructure:
• Increasing the drinking water by 10 percent and also cleaning the Yamuna river by 2025.
• Smart urban farming will be promoted and combined with the Pusa Institute, to develop skill
and entrepreneurship.
• Setting-up of an electronic city at Baprola to create 80,000 jobs by attracting Information
Technology (IT) companies.
v.Power Generation
• The government plans to add 25,000 e-autos and install rooftop solar plants to increase the
capacity by 2,500-megawatt.
• Delhi has the cheapest electricity rates in the country and that 91.4 per cent of households availed
power subsidy in 2020-21.
MeitY organised ‘Digital Payment Utsav’ in New Delhi; Yes Bank launched RuPay-branded Credit
Card on Payment Platform
On December 5, 2021, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) organised ‘Digital
Payment Utsav’ at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, Delhi as a part of the week-long ‘Azadi Ka Digital
Mahotsav’ (November 29 – December 5, 2021). It was attended by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw,
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY); and MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MeitY,
among others.
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About Delhi:
Governor – Anil Baijal
Heritage Site – Red Fort Complex
Zoological Park – National Zoological Park
Maharashtra Launches Scheme to Offer Personal Loans for Prisoners

The Maharashtra government has introduced a scheme that allows prisoners to obtain personal loans
from banks of up to Rs. 50,000 to help their families improve their living conditions and meet expenses
related to their legal matters. It will be a first of its kind initiative in our country.
• The Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank would provide loans up to 50,000 under the scheme at
a 7% interest rate. The scheme would be implemented in Yerawada Central Jail in Pune,
Maharashtra, on a pilot basis.
The decision was taken in a meeting presided over by Dilip Walse Patil, Home Minister of Maharashtra and
a Government Resolution (GR) was also issued.
Highlights:
i.It is the first innovative scheme in India that offers prisoners a loan based on the income earned while
working in a prison. It needs no guarantor and will be disbursed on a personal bond.
ii.This type of loan is called a “khavti” loan, and benefits approximately 1,055 prisoners.
iii. The loan facility will be determined by the bank based on the prisoner’s loan limit, duration of
punishment, the possibility of relief, the prisoner’s age, the estimated annual working day, and the
minimum daily income.
iv.The lending bank will be fully responsible for ensuring that the loan amount is used to serve the needs of
the family concerned or to pay the fees of their lawyers or for other legal matters.
v.In addition, 1% of the amount collected by the bank from loan repayment will be donated to the
Prisoners’ Welfare Fund on an annual basis.
About Maharashtra:
Chief Minister – Uddhav Thackeray
Governor – Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Festivals – Gudhi Padwa (Harvest Festival of Maharashtra); Narali Pournima (marks the end of the
monsoon)
Tamil Nadu to Get Rs. 3,500 Crores Investment from UAE Based Lulu Group
The Tamil Nadu government has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the LuLu Group of
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi to implement three major projects worth Rs. 3,500 crores in
Tamil Nadu.
• The investment is to set up shopping malls, hypermarkets and a food-logistic park in Tamil Nadu.
• Tamil Nadu signed various MoUs with investors to attract ₹6,100 crore investment during the
five-day visit to the UAE.
The MoU was signed by Pooja Kulkarni, Managing Director and CEO of Tamil Nadu Industrial Guidance &
Export Promotion Bureau and Ashraf Ali MA, Executive Director of Lulu Group in the presence of Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin and Lulu Group Chairman & Managing Director MA Yusuff Ali.
Highlights:
i.According to the MoU, the first shopping mall will be opened in Chennai by 2024, and the first
hypermarket will be opened in the Laxmi Mills compound in Coimbatore by the end of 2022.
ii.Two malls worth a total investment of Rs. 2,500 crores and a food processing project worth Rs. 1,000
crores are to be implemented.
iii. Lulu Group will also set up food processing and logistics centres for procuring and processing
agricultural-produce for exports to middle eastern countries.
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iv.Lulu group will also explore investment opportunities in tier two cities of Tamil Nadu such as
Coimbatore, Salem, Madurai, Trichy and aims to provide more than 15,000 direct and indirect job
opportunities to the youth of Tamil Nadu in the next 3 years.
v.The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu invited Mubadala Investment Company (UAE) to work with the Tamil
Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation and come up with proposals towards implementing
green energy, road infrastructure, industrial parks, and data centres.
• He has also invited companies in the UAE to invest in food processing, food parks, cold-storage
facilities, cargo and related services and other sectors in Tamil Nadu.
Investments by Lulu Group in India:
i.In India, Lulu Group already has four operational shopping malls in Kochi, Thrissur, Trivandrum and
Bengaluru.
ii.It has announced an investment of Rs. 2,000 crores near Ahmedabad (Gujarat) to set up a modern
shopping mall.
iii. It will also invest Rs. 400 crores to set up a food park in Kerala.
GOVT SCHEMES
Govt Launches Doorstep Crop Insurance Distribution Drive ‘Meri Policy, Mere Hath’ under
PMFBY; PMFBY Enters 7th year
Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the central government’s ‘Meri Policy, Mere
Hath’, a doorstep crop insurance policies distribution drive under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima
Yojana (PMFBY) in Sanwer tehsil of Indore district, Madhya Pradesh, to deliver crop insurance policies to
farmers. The PMFBY enters the 7th year of implementation with the upcoming Kharif season.
• Aim – To ensure all farmers are well aware and equipped with all information on their policies,
land records, the process of claim and grievance redressal under the PMFBY.
• The drive under PMFBY will be launched in all implementing States.
About PMFBY:
i.PMFBY was launched on 18th February 2016 with an aim to provide financial support to farmers
suffering crop loss or damage arising out of natural calamities.
ii.According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), over 36 crore farmer
applications have been insured under the PMFBY, with over Rs 1,07,059 crores of claims have already been
paid under the scheme as of 4th February 2022.
iii.The farmer can report crop loss within 72 hours of the occurrence of any event through the Crop
Insurance App, Common Service Centre (CSC) or the nearest agriculture officer.
• The claim benefits will be transferred electronically into the bank accounts of the eligible farmer.
• Around 85 percent of the farmers enrolled with the scheme are small and marginal farmers.
iv.Integration of land records with the PMFBY’s National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP), Crop Insurance
mobile app for easy enrollment of farmers, remittance of farmer premium through NCIP are some of
the key features of PMFBY.
Note – In Budget 2022-2023 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the use of drones for crop
insurance.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW):
Union Minister – Narendra Singh Tomar (Constituency – Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of state – Shobha Karandlaje (Constituency – Udupi Chikmagalur, Karnataka) ;Kailash Choudhary
(Constituency – Barmer, Rajasthan)
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MoMA Extends The Deadline of Qaumi Waqf Boards Taraqqiati Scheme

The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) has extended the deadline for the Qaumi Waqf Boards Taraqqiati
Scheme(QWBTS) (Former Scheme of Computerization of Records & Strengthening of State Waqf Boards)
(geotagging the Waqf properties) from March 2022 to November 2023. The Central Waqf Council, New
Delhi is the Nodal Agency for implementation of the Scheme.
Aim of Qaumi Waqf Boards Taraqqiati Scheme (QWBTS):
i.To map the immovable assets under the Waqf boards, to ensure its proper utilisation and monetisation.
ii.It also aims to ensure that the properties are not lost to encroachments and other counter ownership
claims.
Geotagging of Waqf properties:
i.Out of six lakh Waqf properties, 2 lakh properties have been geotagged in the past 5 years.
ii.To speed up the survey nearly 29 agencies were formed to carry out the Geographic Information Systems
(GIS)/ Global Positioning Systems (GPS) survey.
iii.The agencies include IITs in Hyderabad, Jodhpur, and Kanpur as also the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.
Delayal In The Geotagging:
i.The estimation was to geotag at least 50 percent of the properties by March 2020, But by February 2021,
the exercise had been undertaken only for 96,000 properties, as per the standing committee report.
ii.Over 6 Lakh Waqf registered properties, survey showed nearly 2 lakh properties were newly registered.
iii.Chhattisgarh alone has reported 36,000 new properties, which needs to be verified.
Note
Geotagging is the process of appending geographic coordinates to media based on the location of a mobile
device.
About Central Waqf Council:
Chairman – Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (Current Union Minister of Minority Affairs)
Labour Ministry launches ‘Donate-a-Pension’ initiative under PM-SYM

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoL&E), has launched ‘Donate-a-
Pension’ programme under Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-SYM) for people to
contribute to the pension fund to their support staff.
• This initiative is one of the events planned by MoL&E, for the ‘Iconic Week’ celebration observed
from 7th to 13th March 2022, which is a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’– an initiative of the
Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the
glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.
About Donate-a-Pension initiative:
• An initiative under the PM-SYM pension scheme that encourages people to donate the premium
contribution of their immediate support staff such as domestic workers, drivers, helpers, care
givers, nurses, in their household or establishment or any other eligible unorganized workers.
i.The donor can pay one year’s initial contribution in one time or for more than a one-year period.
ii.The donation amount for a year is minimum Rs. 660 and maximum up to Rs. 2400 depending on the age
of the beneficiary.
iii. The minimum donation period is one year. The donor can donate on https://maandhan.in/ or visit
their nearest Common Service Centre.
About Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-SYM):
• A voluntary and contributory pension scheme launched in 2019, to ensure protection for
unorganized workers, whose monthly income is below Rs. 15,000, age group of 18 – 40 years.
• They should not be engaged in Organized Sector (member of EPFO/NPS/ESIC) or an income tax
payer
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Features of PM-SYM: Each subscriber under PM-SYM shall receive,

i.A Minimum Assured Pension of Rs. 3,000 per month after attaining the age of 60 years.
ii.If a subscriber dies during the receipt of the pension, the spouse of the beneficiary shall be entitled to
receive 50% of the pension as Family Pension.
About Ministry of Labour & Employment:
• Union Minister: Bhupender Yadav (M.P in Rajya Sabha representing Rajasthan)
• Minister of State (MoS): Rameswar Teli (Dibrugarh constituency, Assam)
Sikkim Govt. to launch Aama Yojna & Bahini Scheme

Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang has announced that the State Government will soon
implement ‘Aama Yojna’, a scheme for helping non-working mothers & ‘Bahini Scheme’ benefitting girl
students of the state.
About Aama Yojna:
i.The scheme aims to inculcate the habit of saving among non-working mothers in the state and hence the
Govt. will provide them Rs. 20,000 each in their bank accounts annually. The Sikkim government has
sanctioned Rs 32 crore for the scheme this year.
ii.The scheme covers only those whose names are enrolled in the electoral roll of the state and a sum of
Rs.100 crores has been allocated for it in the budget.
About Bahini Scheme:
The aim of this scheme is to reduce the dropout rate of girl students due to lack of accessibility/availability
of Sanitary Napkins & also to ensure menstrual health and hygiene.
i.Under this scheme, over 18,000 girl students who study in class 9 and above are provided with free
sanitary napkins in the state.
ii.The State Govt. also has plans to set-up sanitary napkin vending machines in schools and also increase
awareness and sensitization programmes about menstrual health & hygiene.
About Sikkim:
• Governor: Ganga Prasad
• Mountain passes in Sikkim: Nathu La, Jelep La
• Lakes in Sikkim: Gurudongmar Lake, Khecheopalri Lake, Tsongmo Lake
Central Govt approved continuation of Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana till FY26
On March 7, 2022, the Central Government has approved the continuation of Swatantrata Sainik
Samman Yojana (SSSY) for Financial Years 2021-22 to 2025-26. The total outlay SSSY is Rs 3,274.87
crore.
• Under SSSY freedom fighters and their eligible dependents are given pension and other financial
benefits, till 2025-26.
Key Points:
i.The proposal for continuation of the SSSY was received from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under
Union Minister Amit Shah.
ii.The Central government is committed to remember the sacrifices of freedom fighters during the year of
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
iii.Presently, there are 23,566 SSSY beneficiaries across India. The amount of pension has been revised
from time to time and Dearness Relief (DR) is also given since August 15, 2016.
DoP, MoC&F releases Norms for Strengthening of Pharma Industry Scheme

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (MoC&F) has
released the guidelines for ‘Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry (SPI)’ scheme with a total financial
outlay of Rs 500 Crore for the period of 5 years(i.e. from FY 21-22 to FY 25-26).
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What is in the scheme?

i.The scheme will support and strengthen the existing Pharma clusters and MSMEs (Micro, Small &
Medium Enterprises) in India to improve their productivity, quality and sustainability, and to make India a
global leader in the Pharma Sector.
ii.For the upgradation of the production facilities of SMEs and MSMEs at par with national and
international regulatory standards (WHO-GMP or Schedule-M), interest subvention or capital subsidy on
their capital loans will be provided.
• WHO-GMP is acronym for World Health Organization-Good Manufacturing Practice
Three components of scheme:
i.Assistance to Pharmaceutical Industry for Common Facilities (APICF):
It is to strengthen the existing pharmaceutical clusters’ capacity by creating common facilities with the
focus on R&D (Research & Development) Labs, Testing Laboratories, Effluent Treatment Plants, Logistic
Centres and Training Centres.
• Outlay– Rs 178.40 Cr for a period of 5 years.
ii.Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (PTUAS):
It will facilitate MSMEs of proven track record to meet national and international regulatory standards.
Under this support to SME Industries is proposed, either through up to maximum of 5% per annum (6% in
case of units owned and managed by SC/STs) of interest subvention or through Credit linked Capital
subsidy of 10%.
• In both the cases, the loan supported under this is to a limit of 10 Crores.
• Outlay- Rs 300.10 Cr for period of five years.
iii.Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Promotion and Development Scheme (PMPDS) It facilitate
growth and development of Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Sectors through study/survey reports,
awareness programs, creation of database, and promotion of industry.
• Outlay- Rs 21.50 Cr for a period of five years.
Click here for Official Link
Scheme Steering Committee (SSC)
DoP will provide overall policy, coordination and management support for the implementation of the
Scheme. The proposals under the scheme will be considered for approval by the Scheme Steering
Committee (SSC). Its chairperson will be Secretary, DoP (Currently- Ms. S. Aparna)
Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, along with Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar,
Minister of State(MoS) for Health & Family Welfare and Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for
Communications has released the Commemorative Postal Stamp on completion of one year of the world’s
largest COVID-19 vaccination program, which was launched on 16th January 2021.
About Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (MoC&F):
Union Minister- Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya (Constituency- Gujarat)
Minister of State- Bhagawanth Khuba (Constituency – Bidar, Karnataka)
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
UNEA-5.2 held in hybrid form in Nairobi, Kenya; Special Session UNEP@50 attended by
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav
The Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) was held in hybrid form on
February 28 – March 2, 2022 on the theme ‘Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals’. It was held in Nairobi, Kenya.
UNEA-5.2 was followed by a Special Session of the UNEA, UNEP@50, commemorating the 50th anniversary
of the creation of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) in 1972. It was also held online and in
person in Nairobi on March 3-4, 2022 under the overall theme of ‘Strengthening UNEP for the
implementation of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’.
Highlights of UNEA 5.2:
i.The President of UNEA-5 is Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s Minister for Climate and the Environment.
ii.It was attended by more than 3,400 in-person and 1,500 online participants from 175 UN Member
States, including 79 ministers and 17 high-level officials.
iii.It concludes with 14 resolutions to curb pollution, protect and restore nature worldwide to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are the 14 resolutions and one decision adopted by the UN
Environment Assembly:
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
175 nations sign mandate to curb use of plastic by developing a legally binding agreement
Heads of State, Ministers of environment and other representatives from 175 nations endorsed a historic
resolution titled ‘End Plastic Pollution: Towards an internationally legally binding instrument’ to end
plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024.
• The resolution addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal,
and the need for enhanced international collaboration to facilitate access to technology, capacity
building and scientific and technical cooperation.
• Under this, an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) will begin its work in 2022 for
completing a draft global legally binding agreement.
It should be noted that this resolution to curb plastic use is proposed by merging the three initial draft
resolutions from various nations viz.
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i.Framework for addressing plastic product pollution including single-use plastic product pollution
| Proposed by India on 28 January 2022
ii.Internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution | Proposed by Rwanda and Peru | Co-
sponsored by 54 Member States and the EU
iii.International legally binding instrument on marine plastic pollution | Proposed by Japan | Co-sponsored
by 4 Member States
The two draft resolutions of Peru, Rwanda and Japan were based on the principle of a legally binding
target, while the Indian one was based on the principle of immediate collective voluntary action by
countries.
Need for this Resolution:
i.Plastic production increased from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 348 million tonnes in 2017, becoming a
global industry valued at US$522.6 billion, and it is expected to double in capacity by 2040.
ii.The impacts of plastic production and pollution effects climate change, nature loss and pollution
iii.Exposure to plastics can harm human health, potentially affecting fertility, hormonal, metabolic and
neurological activity, and open burning of plastics contributes to air pollution.
iv.By 2050 greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions associated with plastic production, use and disposal would
account for 15% of allowed emissions, under the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C (34.7°F).
v.More than 800 marine and coastal species are affected by this pollution through ingestion, entanglement,
and other dangers.
vi.Some 11 million tonnes of plastic waste flow annually into oceans. This may triple by 2040.
How will this resolution be beneficial?
This resolution envisages a shift to a circular economy which can reduce the volume of plastics entering
oceans by over 80% by 2040; reduce virgin plastic production by 55%; save governments US$70
billion by 2040; reduce GHGs by 25%; and create 700,000 additional jobs – mainly in the global south.
UNEP celebrates 50th Anniversary
In the ‘UNEP@50’, India was represented by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) who visited Nairobi, Kenya for the same.
• Leena Nandan, Secretary, MoEF&CC presented the national statement of India stating India is
committed to addressing plastic pollution to reduce its adverse impact on terrestrial, aquatic
ecosystems, and human well-being.
Key Points:
i.The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, was the first-
ever UN conference with the word “environment” in its title. This conference spurred the formation of
environment ministries and agencies around the world and led to the formation of UNEP.
ii.To mark UNEP’s 50th anniversary, a year-long series of activities and outreach events are taking place
under the UNEP@50 banner. These recognize the significant progress made on global environmental
matters.
i.UNEP with support from the European Commission launched the International Methane Emissions
Observatory (IMEO) at the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit 2021.
ii.Beating the Heat: Sustainable Urban Cooling Handbook report by UNEP indicates that cities will be the
hotspots, if global warming continues. The temperature increases due to the urban heat island effect by an
average of 4 degree celsius by 2100.
About UN Environment Programme (UNEP):
Executive Director– Inger Andersen
Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya
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Canada Becomes 1st Country to Approve the use of Covifenz, world 1st Plant-Based COVID-
19 Vaccine
Health Canada, the department of the government of Canada responsible for national health policy, has
approved the use of Covifenz, the world’s first plant-based COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged 18 to 64.
Canada has become the first country to approve the use of the plant-based COVID-19 vaccine.
• Covifenz was jointly developed by Medicago Inc., a biopharma company owned by Mitsubishi
Chemical and Philip Morris, situated in Quebec City, and GlaxoSmithKline Plc.
• Covifenz is 71% effective at preventing COVID-19 (before the emergence of the Omicron variant).
It was 75% effective against the delta variant and nearly 89% effective against the gamma
variant(Brazil).
SWISS to Become World’s First Airlines to Use Solar Aviation fuel

Swiss International Air Lines AG (SWISS or Swiss Air Lines), a part of the Lufthansa Group, has signed a
new strategic collaboration with Switzerland based solar fuels start-up, Synhelion SA (Synhelion) to use
their solar aviation fuel.
• SWISS is set to become the world’s first
airline to use Solar Aviation fuel (“sun-
to-liquid” fuel).
Solar Fuel Facility:
Synhelion is set to build the world’s first facility to
industrially produce solar fuel in Jülich, Germany.
The plant will become operational from 2022
onwards.
SWISS will become the first customer of solar
kerosene in 2023.
• As per the agreement, SWISS and Lufthansa will also support the commercial fuel production
facility of Synhelion in Spain.
Solar Aviation fuel:
i.SWISS and the Lufthansa Group have concluded a strategic collaboration with Synhelion, Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) spinoff, to bring solar aviation fuel to market.
ii.Synhelion has developed a key technology for manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from
renewable energy sources.
• The process uses concentrated solar heat to manufacture syngas which can then be synthesized
into carbon-neutral kerosene using standard industrial processes.
• This sun to liquid fuel will only produce as much as carbon dioxide as used in to its manufacture.
• This fuel will contribute to effectively decarbonizing air transport.
About Swiss International Air Lines AG(SWISS):
SWISS is Switzerland’s largest airline which is operating one of Europe’s youngest and most fuel-efficient
aircraft fleets.
Chairman– Reto Francioni
CEO– Dieter Vranckx
It operates a global flight network from Zurich and Geneva (Switzerland).
MWC 22: Inaugurated In Spain, Focuses on 5G And Economic Recovery

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has organised the 2022 Mobile World
Congress (MWC), which took place in Barcelona, Spain from 28 February to 3 March. The MWC-22 focused
on increasing the global connectivity of the 5G network and economic recovery.
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i.Global Mobile Economy Report expects 5G connections globally to reach 1 billion in 2022 by 5G adoption.
ii.Increase in the 5G network connection will increase the global GDP by 5% up to $5 trillion in 2025.
Global Recovery:
i.The GSMA is the organiser for the session of MWC, which emphasised ‘the global recovery’ to focus the
growth of the global economy because of the ongoing pandemic and war situation between Russia and
Ukraine.
ii.Global telecom industry to invest $600 billion till 2025 in the global mobile industry’s capital
expenditure (CAPEX) and 85% of it will be spent on 5G.
Role of Standard Tessellation Language (STL), Virtual Machine Software (VMware) and ASOCS:
The STL, VMware and ASOCS, collaborated to unveil an end-to-end 5G Enterprise solution at MWC for the
growing demand for private 5G connectivity.
i.It demonstrated 5G enterprises like Garuda, STL’s O-RAN 5G indoor/outdoor small cells, CYRUS, Open
Distributed Unit and Centralised Unit from ASOCS and VMware Edge Compute Stack as the virtualization
layer and cloud management.
ii.5G Enterprise networks are set to have a market value of US$ 14 billion by 2028.
Aim
i.The aim is to provide customers the next-gen experiences by open-source and converged architectures
helping telcos, cloud companies, citizen networks, and large enterprises.
ii.STL partners with service providers globally for achieving a green and sustainable digital future in
alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG).
About Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA):
Chairperson – Mr. Álvarez-Pallete
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom
MEA Unveils Special Logo to Mark 75 Years of Indo-Netherlands Diplomatic Relation

On 2nd March 2022, Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) and Marten
van den Berg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India released a joint “Special logo” to
mark 75 years of Indo-Netherlands Diplomatic Relation.
• 2022 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and
the Netherlands.
• The Netherlands was one of the first European countries to have bilateral relations with India.
The official relations between India and the Netherlands were established in 1947.
About the logo:
i.The logo features a lotus and a tulip, the national flowers of India and the Netherlands respectively.
ii.The logo has a Chakra in the middle which depicts the bond of friendship between both countries.
iii.The flag colours of both the countries in the logo enhance the existing connections between the people
of India and the people of the Netherlands.
Additional info:
i.As a part of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary, several events and activities are planned in a wide
range of areas of cooperation including water, agriculture, innovation, energy, climate and culture.
ii.As a part of the celebration of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Netherlands presented 3000 fresh tulips
to India, as a symbol of friendship. The tulips were planted in the gardens of the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan,
headquarters office building of the MEA.
About The Netherlands:
Prime Minister– Mark Rutte
Capital– Amsterdam
Currency– Euro
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Pakistan continues to remain on FATF’s grey list

The global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF),
retained Pakistan in the grey list and asked the country to work on money laundering investigations and
prosecutions.
• The decision has been taken after the conclusion of the four-day FATF Plenary from March 1-4,
2022.The event took place in hybrid mode from Paris, France.
• FATF also added the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to its grey watchlist.
Key Points:
i.Pakistan has been on the grey list of FATF since June 2018 for failing to check money laundering, and
terror financing. It was given a plan of action to complete it by October 2019 but it fails to comply with the
FATF mandates.
ii.Pakistan is now targeting the full completion of the 2021 action plan on anti-money laundering and
combating terror financing by the end of January 2023.
About Financial Action Task Force (FATF):
President (2020-2022)– Dr. Marcus Pleyer (Germany)
Headquarters– Paris, France
Members– 39 nations along with 9 FATF-Style Regional Bodies (FSRBs)
UNGA Proclaims 15th March of Every Year as ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia’
On 15th March 2022, The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the
resolution A/RES/76/254 and proclaimed the 15th March of every year as the ‘International Day to
Combat Islamophobia’.
• The resolution also urges all countries to organise and support “high-visibility events” to increase
awareness about Islamophobia.
• Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims.
About the Resolution:
i.The resolution was introduced by the Pakistan envoy, Munir Akram (Pakistan’s ambassador), on behalf of
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) under the agenda item Culture of peace.
ii.The resolution, introduced by the OIC, was co-sponsored by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt,
Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and
Yemen.
Why March 15?
15th March marks the day when a gunman entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51
people and injuring 40 others on 15th March 2019.
UNEP Joins One Health Alliance to Advance Humans, Ecosystem and Animals Health
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under the Executive Directorship of Inger Andersen,
has signed the Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the tripartite partnership for One Health,
bringing together the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health
Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), formally the Quadripartite
partnership at its annual executive meeting held on 18 March 2022 at Nairobi, Kenya.
Key Highlights:-
i.The UNEP will offer the expertise required to tackle the ecological dimension of human and animal
health.
ii.The Quadripartite alliance will now focus on a One Health Joint Plan of Action, which includes six
action tracks: They are
1. Enhancing countries’ capacity to strengthen health systems under a One Health approach.
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2. Reducing the risks from emerging or resurfacing zoonotic epidemics and pandemics.
3. Controlling and eliminating endemic – zoonotic diseases, neglected tropical diseases and vector-
borne diseases.
4. Strengthening the assessment, management and communication of food safety risks.
5. Curbing the silent pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
6. Better integrating the environment into the One Health approach.
About One Health:
i.The One Health approach aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people,
animals, ecosystems and the wider environment.
ii.It mobilises multiple sectors, disciplines and communities to work together to foster well-being and
tackle threats to health and ecosystems.
iii.It also addresses the collective need for clean energy, water and air, safe and nutritious food, action on
climate change, and contributing to sustainable development.
About United Nation Environment Program (UNEP):
The United Nation Environment Program was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after
the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm on 5th June 1972.
Headquarters location- Nairobi, Kenya
Executive Director- Inger Andersen (Danish)
VISITS
INDIAN
PM Narendra Modi visits Pune, Maharashtra to Inaugurate various Projects
On March 6, 2022, the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi visited Pune, Maharashtra for the
inauguration of the following developmental projects.
Unveiling of statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj:
Firstly, he unveiled the grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
• The seated statue made of gun metal is 9.5 feet tall and weight 1.85 tons (1850 Kg).
Pune Metro Inaugurated:
The PM inaugurated 12 km stretch of the total 33.1 km Pune Metro Rail Project. The remaining ~21 km
will become operational by March 2023. After the inauguration following stretches were opened today:
• Vanaz- Garware College (5 km elevated stretch with 5 stations)
• PCMC- Phugewadi stretch (7 km elevated stretch with 5 stations)
The first ticket was bought by the PM from Garware station to Anand Nagar.
Pune Metro is the first project in the country having Aluminum body coaches, indigenously manufactured
under Make in India policy of GoI thus becoming the Lightest Metro Coaches in India.
Corridors of Pune Metro Rail Project:
i.North-South Corridor from PCMC to Swargate (Purple Line): This Corridor passes through the
industrial area of Pimpri-Chinchwad and further into old Peth areas of the Pune city.
• The Length of this corridor is 17.4 km with 14 stations.
• Due to extremely congested Shivaji Nagar and Old Peth areas with very narrow roads in most of
the areas, 6 Km section from Range Hills to Swargate is underground (UG). This UG section will be
developed though NATM (New Austrian Tunneling Method) Technology.
ii.East-West Corridor from Vanaz to Ramwadi (Aqua Line): It is fully elevated Corridor from Vanaz
Depot in east and passes through the densely populated residential areas of Pune city.
• There are total 16 nos. of Metro Stations and total length of this corridor is 15.7 Kms.
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About Pune Metro Rail Project:

It was sanctioned by Government of India in 2016 and its Foundation Stone was laid by the PM on
December 26, 2016. It focuses on improving urban mobility in Pune Metropolitan area. It is being
implemented by Maharashta Metro Rail Corporation (MAHA-METRO) a 50:50 JV (Joint Venture) of GoI
(Government of India) and GoM (Government of Maharshtra). Project completion cost of Rs 11,420
Crore is being funded by:
• GoI & GoM- Equity and Subordinate debt (50:50) – Rs 1,954.00 Crore each
• Grant from GoM Entities– Rs 28.50 Crore
• GoM Grant for land and taxes– Rs 302.20 Crore
• Loan from European Investment Bank (EIB), Luxembourg – Rs 4,140.71 Crore (Euro 600 million)
• Loan from AFD (Agence française de développement), France – Rs 1,690.79 Crore (Euro 245
million)
• SD for Land including R&R and State Taxes from ULB (Urban Local Bodies)– Rs 1,210.80 Crore
• IDC to be borne by GOM & ULBs – Rs 139.00 Crore
Key Features:
i.Maha Metro has designed Open loop chip based Contactless Smart Card named ‘EK PUNE” card in
compliance with the NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) mandate of GoI.
• It would result in One card for Metro, Buses, Feeders, Parking, Utility and other Retail payment.
ii.Pune Metro has made provision for installation of 11.19 MWp (Mega-Watt Peak) Solar power generation
on rooftop of the elevated stations and Depots. The energy generated will be used in stations and in
traction power for running of trains.
• This will result in energy cost savings of Rs 20 crores per annum.
• Also, approx. 25,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions will be prevented.
iii.Maha Metro also signed MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with DRDO (Defence Research and
Development Organisation) for installation of Anaerobic Biodigester Technology for 100 % Wastewater
Management.
• This will result in Zero discharge in Municipal sewerage system for all stations of Pune Metro.
iv.Maha-Metro, through international competitive bidding awarded contract for supply of 102 modern
aluminum bodied metro coaches for Pune Metro project to M/s. Titagarh Firema, an Italian subsidiary of
M/s Titagarh, a Kolkata based Indian company in the field of railway coaches and wagons.
• This is the first time that new generation Aluminum body coaches, that are lighter, more energy
efficient and have better aesthetic than steel coaches will be manufactured in the country.
• Apart from 33.1 KM being implemented by Maha Metro, another elevated line of 23.3 km with 23
stations from Shivaji Nagar to Hinjewadi is currently being implemented by Pune Metropolitan
Region Development Authority on PPP basis. The concessionaire contract for the same has been
awarded to Tata-Siemens JV and work for the same has started in January 2022.
Mula-Mutha River Rejuvenation Project:
The PM also laid the foundation stone of Rejuvenation And Pollution Abatement of Mula-Mutha River
projects under the ambitious National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) set up by the Central Government.
It is being funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
• The Project will be implemented on the concept of “One City One Operator” at a cost of over Rs
1470 crore, which includes the construction cost and operation and maintenance for 15 years
period.
• It is likely to be completed in approximately 3 years.
Key Points:
i.Rejuvenation of Mula-Mutha river will be done along 9 Km stretch of the river. The projects involve works
such as river edge protection, interceptor sewage network, public amenities, boating activity etc.
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ii.A total of 11 sewage treatment plants will be constructed under the project, with a combined capacity of
around 400 MLD (million litres per day) with a 55 km long Sewage carrier pipeline. The capacity of each
sewage treatment plant is 396 million MLD.
iii.PMC will also implement River Front Development project on the lines of Sabarmati River front
development carried out in Ahmedabad.
Other Inaugurations:
i.PM Modi dedicated a fleet of 150 Electric Buses in Pune to boost green urban mobility.
ii.An Electric Bus Depot, equipped with charging station at Baner was also inaugurated.
iii.PM also e- inaugurated the R K Laxman Art Gallery Museum located at Balewadi in Pune. The Gallery
showcases cartoons drawn by the legendary cartoonist R K Laxman.
• The main attraction is a miniature model based on the village of Malgudi of the ‘Malgudi Days’
fame.
iv.The PM participated in the Golden Jubilee celebration of Symbiosis Institutions and inaugurated the
integrated health complex ‘Symbiosis Arogya Dham’.
• It is spread over 70 acres of land at the Symbiosis International (Deemed University) Campus at
Lavale, Pune consisting of the Symbiosis Medical College for Women which is the first fully
residential medical college for girls in the state of Maharashtra.
• The 900 bedded Symbiosis University Hospital & Research Centre (SUHRC) is attached to this
medical college.
It should be noted that Symbiosis has adopted 23 villages around the University Campus to provide quality
healthcare through the ‘Mobile Medical Van’ and digital literacy through the Symbiosis Rural Digital
Literacy Lab’. Symbiosis was established by Dr. S B Mujumdar.
i.On December 4, 2021, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated 7 projects worth Rs 2,573 crore and laid the
foundation stone of 11 projects worth Rs 15,728 crore in Dehradun, Uttarakhand (Cumulatively the
projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore).
ii.In December 2021, PM Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated a thought leadership forum on FinTech,
‘InFinity Forum’. The event was hosted by International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA),
under the aegis of the Government of India in collaboration with GIFT City and Bloomberg on December 3
and 4, 2021.
About Maharashtra:
Capital– Mumbai (Financial capital of India)
Chief Minister– Uddhav Thackeray
Airports – Shirdi Airport, Kolhapur Airport , Gandhinagar Airport
BANKING & FINANCE NEWS

BANKING NEWS
RBI IN NEWS
RBI invited RFP to Assess Impact of its Financial Literacy Campaigns
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to assess the impact of its multi-media awareness
campaigns that promote financial literacy and safe banking practices. In this regard, it has invited
the Request for Proposal (RFP) from certain shortlisted entities, which will be required to undertake
outcome and impact assessment of its multilingual, pan-India public awareness campaigns.
• RBI runs the ‘RBI Kehta Hai’ campaign to educate and empower the public about banking
regulations.
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Key Points:
i.The RBI campaigns are in 14 languages viz. Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada,
Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu with more focus on regional languages.
ii.These are multi-lingual campaign using SMSes, print, television channels, radio, hoardings, websites and
social media.
iii.Campaigns conducted during the year preceding the assessment and during the term of the assessment
will be a part of the scope.
What will selected entities do?
As per RBI, the selected entity will be required to customise the tools for study, pre-testing of the tools and
incorporate changes if required, to modify a questionnaire, focussed group discussion (FGDs) guideline,
depth interview schedules when needed, to conduct training of data collectors/surveyors, to carry out
survey and share monthly progress report, to analyse results and prepare draft and final report.
• Key areas that need to be in the questionnaire include the ‘ability to recall the campaigns’, media
on which the campaigns were viewed, ‘whether the campaigns added information that was not
known earlier’, and ‘whether any action was taken based on the information from the campaigns’.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
i.The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935, in accordance with the provisions of the
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
ii.The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Calcutta but was permanently moved
to Mumbai in 1937.
iii.Though originally privately owned, since nationalization in 1949, the Reserve Bank is fully owned by the
Government of India.
RBI updates Payment and Settlement Systems Regulations, 2008;RBI Cautions Against
sRide App
In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) read with clauses (b) to (f) of subsection (2)
of Section 38 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (51 of 2007), the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) updated the Payment and Settlement Systems Regulations, 2008.
• These allow companies to run payment businesses to seek licenses from the regulator.
This Regulation specifies the following:
i.Authorisation of Payment Systems
• Submission of application for authorisation for commencing or carrying on a payment system
• Grant of authorisation certificate
ii.Payment Instructions and Determination of Standards
iii.Furnishing of Returns, Documents and Other Information
• Submission of returns, documents etc
• Furnishing of accounts and balance sheets
Key Points:
i.Every person desirous of commencing or carrying on a payment system will submit an application under
sub-section (1) of Section 5 of the Act to the Bank for grant of authorisation under sub-section (1) of
section 7 of the Act.
ii.The licensing application should include process flow of the operator, technology platform to be used,
security features and inter-operability with other payment system operators.
iii.The operators are required to furnish all information and documents desired from the RBI from time to
time.
• They also have to submit its annual accounts to the regulator three months after account closing
along with a copy of its audited balance sheet.
Click here for Official notification
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RBI cautions against car pooling app sRide

RBI cautioned public against car pooling app sRide, which is operating a semi-closed pre-paid instrument
without authorization from the central bank under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems
Act, 2007.
• The app is operated by sRide Tech Private Limited which has its registered office at Gurugram,
Haryana.
• RBI stated that Persons dealing with sRide Tech are at their own risk.
About sRide:
sRide is a carpooling mobile application to connect people within the community to share rides. This will
help users share the cost of travel, reduce travel time, increase mobility and build communities.
On December 23, 2021, RBI extended the card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation deadline by 6 months i.e. to June
30, 2022. Earlier the deadline was fixed till December 31, 2021.
Establishment– April 1, 1935
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors– Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
RBI cancels the license of Sarjeraodada Naik Shirala Sahakari Bank Limited, Maharashtra
On 2 March 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) canceled the license of Sarjeraodada Naik Shirala
Sahakari Bank Ltd of Shirala, Sangli (Maharashtra) due to compliance failure with the regulation under
Section 11(1) ,Section 22 (3) (d) and Section 56 Banking Regulation Act 1949.
• The bank is found to lack adequate capital and earning prospects under section 11(1) and section
22(3) (d) read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Highlights:
i.The Bank is debarred to carry its banking business and operation with effect from 2 March 2022.
ii.The bank is unable to carry acceptance of deposits and repayment of deposits as defined in Section 5(b)
and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
iii.The order for winding up the entity and appointment of a liquidator will be passed by the Registrar of
Cooperative Societies of Maharashtra.
iv.According to the provision of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Act 1961,
every depositor entitled to receive deposit insurance claims an amount of deposits up to a monetary
ceiling of Rs. 5,00,000 on liquidation.
• More than 99 % of the depositors of Sarjeraodada Naik Shirala Sahakari Bank are entitled to
receive the full amount of their deposits from DICGC.
In February 2022, the RBI also canceled the license of Independence Co-operative Bank, Nashik
(Maharashtra) as it does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. The bank failed to comply with
the requirements of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
About Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC):
i.DICGC is one of the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Reserve bank of India (RBI).
ii.It was established under Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act, 1961.
Founded- 15 July 1978
Chairman– Dr M D Patra
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RBI exempts UCBs’ investment in Umbrella Organisation from non-SLR holding limits
On March 3, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has exempted the investments made in Umbrella
Organization (UO) by Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) from non-Statutory Liquidity Ratio
(non-SLR) holding limits prescribed in Paragraphs 2(i) and 2(iii)(b) of the RBI’s circular ‘Investments in
Non-SLR securities by Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks‘ dated 30th January, 2009.
What are the limits?
i.Paragraph 2(i)- Non-SLR investments should be limited to 10% of a bank’s total deposits as on March 31
of the previous year.
ii.Paragraph 2(iii)(b)- Investments in unlisted securities should not exceed 10% of the total non-SLR
investments at any time.
Now with the latest revision in the above-mentioned circular by RBI, these limits will not be imposed on
the investments in Non-SLR securities by primary UCBs.
Key Points:
i.The move is expected to encourage UCBs to subscribe to the capital of UO and acquire its membership.
• The UO is a non-banking finance company (NBFC) with strong financial parameters.
• It provides cross liquidity and capital support to the UCBs when needed.
ii.Non-SLR securities include debentures/bonds, preference shares, equity shares, mutual fund units,
commercial paper, and investment in securities issued by a securitisation/reconstruction company.
iii.RBI had accorded regulatory approval to the National Federation of Urban Co-operative Banks and
Credit Societies Ltd. (NAFCUB) in June 2019 for the formation of a UO for the UCB sector.
• The approval permits UCBs to subscribe to the capital of the UO on a voluntary basis.
• As at March-end 2021, there were 1,534 UCBs in the country, according to the RBI.
On 3rd January 2022, RBI issued a framework for facilitating small-value digital payments in offline mode
using cards, wallets, mobile devices, etc, to push digital transactions in rural and semi-urban areas. The
upper limit of an offline payment transaction was fixed at Rs 200, with a total limit on a payment
instrument being at Rs 2,000 at any point in time.
RBI selects Intellect Design Arena for Cloud Native Intellect Quantum Core Banking
solution
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has chosen Intellect Design Arena Limited, a fintech firm to implement the
upgraded version of the ‘Cloud-Native Intellect Quantum Core Banking solution’ to power the next
stage of their digital transformation agenda.
• Intellect continues to be the trusted partner for the Central Banking Transformation at RBI.
Highlights:
The entire central banking operation of RBI is currently being supported by Intellect’s Quantum Central
Banking Solution, popularly known as e-Kuber in RBI, Government of India & in the Indian Financial
Systems.
• It supports over 100 million transactions, over 250 commercial banks, 35 state government and
union territories along with a number of Central Government ministries.
About Intellect Quantum solution:
The next generation Intellect Quantum solution is built on cutting edge API first, cloud-native and cloud-
agnostic microservices architecture supported by a rich set of packaged business components.
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About Intellect Design Arena Limited:

Intellect Design Arena, a specialist in applying true digital technologies, is a full spectrum banking and
insurance technology products company, across global consumer banking, central banking, global
transaction banking (iGTB), risk, treasury and markets, and insurance.
Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Chairman & Managing Director (MD) – Arun Jain
RBI Launches UPI for feature phones ‘UPI123Pay’ and 24*7 helpline ‘DigiSaathi’
On 8th march 2022 the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Payment Corporation of
India (NPCI) launched two landmark initiatives UPI123Pay and DigiSaathi.
• With the new facility, both smartphone and feature phone holders can now easily transact
digitally.
Key points:
i.UPI123PAY for feature phones will have all of the necessary smartphone features. This initiative will
improve digital payments to a higher level, paving the way for a cashless economy.
ii.DigiSaathi will help customers address queries in the digital payments umbrella including cards in two
languages – english and hindi and also working towards all vernacular languages.
About UPI123PAY:
UPI123Pay includes four distinct options as below:
App-based Functionality: An app would be installed on the feature phone through which several UPI
functions, available on smartphones, will also be available on feature phones.
Missed Call: This will allow feature phone users to access their bank account and perform routine
transactions such as receiving, transferring funds, regular purchases, bill payments, etc., by giving a missed
call on the number displayed at the merchant outlet. The customer will receive an incoming call to
authenticate the transaction by entering UPI PIN.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR): UPI payment through pre-defined IVR numbers would require users to
initiate a secured call from their feature phones to a predetermined number and complete UPI on-boarding
formalities to be able to start making financial transactions without internet connection.
Proximity Sound-based Payments: This uses sound waves to enable contactless, offline, and proximity data
communication on any device.
Need for UPI123Pay:
Earlier UPI can be accessed through NUUP (National Unified USSD Platform) using the short code of
*99#.But this option is cumbersome and not popular. Considering that there are more than 40 crore
feature phone mobile subscribers in the country, UPI123pay will materially improve the options for such
users to access UPI.
About DigiSaathi:
i.DigiSaathi is a 24/7 information Helpline for providing information on digital payment products and
services available in 2 languages – English and Hindi that is managed, and maintained by NPCI on behalf
of few payment system operators and members (banks and non-banks) with a purpose to assist the Indian
funds trade flourish.
ii.Various payment trade members (banks and non-banks) have joined to create the
www.digisaathi.information website, chatbot, IVR, or any cell and/or internet software (collectively, the
“Platform”) for finish clients to acquire details about digital payment services.
• The backend of the platform is managed by a man-made intelligence (AI) bot to enhance
accuracy, in line with Digisaathi website.
Features:
i.The buyer can submit questions on digital payment services, and probably the most related and
acceptable info shall be delivered to the User as quickly as possible.
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ii.The queries/questions requested shall be examined regularly with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs),
in line with the Digisaathi website.
DigiSaathi contact particulars:
Toll-Free Number (IVR): 14431 or 1800 891 3333
Website: digisaathi.info + Chatbot.
In September 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
set up a linkage project under which their respective fast payment systems viz. Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) and PayNow will be linked by July 2022, in order to ease cross-border payments between India and
Singapore.
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, T. Rabi Sankar, M. Rajeshwar Rao.
RBI releases booklet ‘BE(A)WARE’ on modus operandi of Financial Frauds

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a booklet titled “BE(A)WARE”. It provides information on the
common modus operandi used by fraudsters and precautions to be taken while carrying out various
financial transactions.
i.The booklet will enhance public awareness about financial frauds perpetrated on innocent customers.
ii.It also provides safeguards against commonly used fraudulent techniques like SIM swaps,
vishing/phishing links, lottery, fake loan websites and digital apps etc.
iii.According to the Ombudsman Offices & Consumer Education and Protection Cells (CEPCs) of
RBI, sharing of confidential information by the customers, knowingly or unknowingly is one of the major
causes leading to the financial frauds in India.
Founded- 1 April 1935
Governor-Shaktikanta Das
RBI issues Guidelines for Extended Interest Equalisation Scheme for Export Credit
On March 8, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued modified norms on ‘Interest Equalisation
Scheme (IES) on Pre and Post Shipment Rupee Export Credit-Extension’ after the extension of the
scheme till March 31, 2024 by the Central Government w.e.f. October 1, 2021.
• The extended scheme will not be applicable to the ones availing benefit under any Production
Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme of the Central Government.
Key Modifications:
i.The telecom instrument sector having six HS (Harmonised System) lines will not be included, except
for MSME (Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) manufacturer exporters.
ii.Revised interest equalisation rates under the scheme will now be 3% for MSME manufacturer exporters
exporting under any HS lines and 2% for manufacturer exporters and merchant exporters exporting under
410 HS lines (after excluding 6 HS lines of the telecom sector).
iii.To ensure transparency, banks while issuing approval to the exporter will furnish the prevailing interest
rate. The interest subvention is being provided and the net rate being charged to each exporter.
iv.From October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, banks will identify the eligible exporters as per the scheme,
credit their accounts with the eligible amount of interest equalisation and submit a sector-wise
consolidated reimbursement claim to the RBI by April 30, 2022.
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v.With effect from April 1, 2022, banks will reduce the interest rate charged to the eligible exporters as per
the guidelines and submit the claims in original within 15 days from the end of the respective month, with
the bank’s seal, and signed by the authorised person, in the prescribed format.
What is Interest Equalisation Scheme (IES)?
Implemented on April 1, 2015, IES (earlier called Interest Subvention Scheme) provides pre and post-
shipment export credit to exporters in rupees. Exporters were facing increasing credit costs in their export
cycles due to the stagnation of global demand and extended credit periods. Now this scheme enables
exporters to correct their pricing and improve the competitiveness of their products.
• Under the IES, the government identifies eligible exporters and passes on the interest
equalisation amount they are entitled to directly to them.
• It was originally implemented for five years.
NaBFID to be Regulated as All India Financial Institution under RBI Act

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and
Development (NaBFID) will be regulated and supervised as an All India Financial Institution (AIFI) by it
under the Sections 45L and 45N of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934.
• NaBFID has been set up as a Development Financial Institution (DFI) to support the development
of long-term infrastructure financing in India
• It shall be the 5th AIFI after Export Import (EXIM) Bank, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD), National Housing Bank (NHB) and Small Industries Development Bank
of India (SIDBI).
• Note – Veteran Banker KV Kamath is the chairman of NaBFID.
Background:
The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) Act, 2021, received the assent
of the President on March 28, 2021 and came into force with effect from April 19, 2021.
Key points:
i.The Bill seeks to establish NaBFID as the principal development financial institution (DFIs) for
infrastructure financing.
• DFIs are set up for providing long-term finance for commercial banks that are beyond the
acceptable limits of commercial banks and other ordinary financial institutions.
ii.Unlike banks, DFIs do not accept deposits from people and source funds from the market, government,
as well as multilateral institutions, and are often supported through government guarantees.
About NaBFID:
i.NaBFID is being set up as a corporate body with authorised share capital of one lakh crore rupees.
ii.Shares of NaBFID is held by central government, multilateral institutions, sovereign wealth funds,
pension funds, insurers, financial institutions, banks, and any other institution prescribed by the central
government.
• Initially, the central government will own 100% shares of the institution which may
subsequently be reduced up to 26%.
Objectives of NaBFID:
i.Financial objectives – This will directly or indirectly lend, invest, or attract investments for
infrastructure projects located entirely or partly in India.
ii.Developmental objectives – This includes the development of the market for bonds, loans, and
derivatives for infrastructure financing.
Functions:
NaBFID extends loans and advances for infrastructure projects, refinances existing loans, attracts
investment from private sector investors and institutional investors for infrastructure projects, organises
and facilitates foreign participation in infrastructure projects, facilitates negotiations with various
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government authorities for dispute resolution in the field of infrastructure financing, and provides
consultancy services in infrastructure financing.
Governance:
NaBFID will be governed by a Board of Directors and members that includes,
i.Chairperson appointed by the central government in consultation with RBI(Present Chairman – KV
Kamath)
ii.Managing Director (MD) along with 3 Deputy Managing Directors.
• A body constituted by the central government will recommend candidates for the post of the
Managing Director and Deputy Managing Directors.
iii.Two directors nominated by the central government with up to three directors elected by shareholders
and also few independent directors (as specified).
• The Board will appoint independent directors based on the recommendation of an internal
committee.
Note – RBI may grant a licence for DFI in consultation with the central government and will also prescribe
regulations.
In August 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced the ‘Financial Inclusion Index’ (FI-Index) to
measure the extent of financial inclusion across India that will be published annually in July month (for
the financial year (FY) ending previous March). The annual FI-Index for the FY21 (period ending March
2021) is 53.9 as against 43.4 of FY17.
About Reserve bank of India (RBI):
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, and M Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
LivQuik becomes 1st PPI issuer to Achieve RBI’s PPI Interoperability Guidelines
LivQuik becomes the first Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuer to have achieved full interoperability
as mandated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for their PPIs.
• RBI, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 18 read with Section 10(2) of the
Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act) mandated all PPI Issuers to facilitate
interoperability for full-KYC (Know Your Customers) wallets by March 31, 2022.
Key Points:
i.The interoperability provides choice to customers for optimizing their payments and spending across
wallets by attaching a card on Visa and RuPay networks and can also enable UPI (Unified Payments
Interface).
ii.PPIs are instruments that facilitate purchase of goods and services, conduct of financial services, enable
remittance facilities, etc., against the value stored therein. These are of two types- Small PPIs, and Full-KYC
PPIs
iii.LivQuik has partnered with Chennai (Tamil Nadu) headquartered M2P Fintech to enable UPI on PPI.
About LivQuik:
Founded in 2012, LivQuik is a RBI authorised Prepaid Payment Instrument Issuer and Full-Fledged Money
Changer (FFMC).
Co-Founder & CEO– Mohit Lalvani (Other Co-Founder- Yudhajit Nag Sen)
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RBI bars Paytm Payments Bank from Onboarding New Customers

On March 11, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in exercise of its powers under section 35A of the
Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949 bars Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) from onboarding new
customers with immediate effect due to material supervisory concerns.
• PPBL was also directed by the apex bank to appoint an IT audit firm to conduct a comprehensive
audit of its IT (Information Technology) system.
Key Points:
i.PPBL will be allowed to make new customers subject to specific permission from the RBI after reviewing
the IT auditor’s report.
ii.In 2021, PPBL received RBI’s approval to function as a scheduled payments bank.
About Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL):
Establishment- 2017
Chairman- Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Headquarters- Noida, Uttar Pradesh (UP)
Regulatory Framework for (Microfinance Loans) Directions, 2022: RBI unveils Framework
for Microfinance Lenders
On March 14, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued ‘RBI (Regulatory Framework for Microfinance
Loans) Directions, 2022’ which will be effective from April 01, 2022. These directions are issued by the
apex bank by exercising its powers conferred by Section 21, Section 35A and Section 56 of the Banking
Regulation (BR) Act, 1949; Chapter IIIB of the RBI Act, 1934; and Sections 30A and Section 32 of the
National Housing Bank (NHB) Act, 1987.
• RBI asked the Regulated Entities (REs) to ensure that loans are collateral-free and not linked with
a lien on the borrower’s deposit account, repayment obligations are capped, interest rates are not
usurious, and there is no pre-payment penalty.
REs under the ambit of Provisions of these Directions:
i.All Commercial Banks (including Small Finance Banks, Local Area Banks, and Regional Rural Banks)
excluding Payments Banks
ii.All Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks/ State Co-operative Banks/ District Central Co-operative Banks
iii.All Non-Banking Financial Companies (including Microfinance Institutions and Housing Finance
Companies)
What is Microfinance Loan?
It is defined as a collateral-free loan given to a household having annual household income up to Rs
3,00,000, where household means an individual family unit, i.e., husband, wife and their unmarried
children.
Key Provisions under directions:
i.All collateral-free loans, irrespective of end use and mode of application/ processing/ disbursal (either
through physical or digital channels), provided to households having annual income up to Rs 3 lakh is to be
considered microfinance loans.
ii.Limit on Loan Repayment Obligations of a Household: Each RE should have a board-approved policy
regarding the limit on the outflows on account of repayment of monthly loan obligations of a household.
• This is subject to a limit of maximum 50% of the monthly household income.
iii.The margin caps (not exceeding 10% for large MFIs (Microfinance institutions) with loan portfolios
exceeding Rs 100 crore and 12% for the others) are no longer applicable to NBFC (Non-Banking Financial
Company)-MFIs.
• The maximum limit on microfinance loans for such NBFCs (i.e., NBFCs other than NBFC-MFIs)
now stands revised to 25 per cent of the total assets.
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• Under the earlier qualifying assets criteria1, a Non-banking Financial Company -Microfinance
Institution (NBFC-MFI) is required to have minimum 85 per cent of its net assets2 as ‘qualifying
assets’.The minimum requirement of microfinance loans for NBFC-MFIs also stands revised to 75
per cent of the total assets.
iv.Each RE should disclose pricing related information to a prospective borrower in a standardised
simplified factsheet, and should prominently display the minimum, maximum and average interest rates
charged on microfinance loans in all its offices, in the literature (information booklets/ pamphlets) and
details on its website.
v.Cap on loan repayment: The guidelines prescribe a limit on loan repayment obligations of a household.
The outflows, capped at 50% of the monthly household income, should include repayments (including both
principal as well as interest component).
vi.Each RE has to provide a loan card to the borrower incorporating all relevant information, regarding
loan.
vii.Loan recovery: The recovery should be made at a designated/ centrally designated place decided
mutually by the borrower and the RE.
• However, field staff can make recovery at the place of residence or work of the borrower if the
borrower fails to appear at the designated place.
• The computation of loan repayment obligations shall take into account all outstanding loans
(collateral-free microfinance loans as well as any other type of collateralized loans) of the
household. The outflows capped at 50 per cent of the monthly household income shall include
repayments (including both principal as well as interest component) towards all existing loans as
well as the loan under consideration.
Click Here for Official Notification
In December 2021, RBI has mandated the companies to quote the 20-digit Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) for
cross-border transactions for capital or current account transactions of Rs 50 crore and above, from
October 1 2022.
i.The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935, in accordance with the provisions of the
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
ii.The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Calcutta but was permanently moved
to Mumbai in 1937.
iii.Though originally privately owned, since nationalization in 1949, the Reserve Bank is fully owned by the
RBI revokes license of People’s Co-operative Bank Ltd, Kanpur, UP

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the license of People’s Co-operative Bank Limited,
Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) as the bank failed to adhere to the requirements of Sections 22(3) (a), 22 (3) (b),
22(3)(c), 22(3) (d) and 22(3)(e) – under Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
The bank is found to lack adequate capital and earning prospects under the provisions of Section 11(1) and
Section 22 (3) (d) – under Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 – ‘Act to apply to co-operative
societies subject to modifications’.
Key points:
i.The bank is prohibited from continuing its ‘banking’ business such as acceptance of deposits and
repayment of deposits as defined in Section 5(b) as mentioned in Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act,
1949 with effect from the close of business on March 21, 2022.
ii.The RBI has requested the Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Uttar
Pradesh to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the lender.
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iii. Upon liquidation, every depositor would be entitled to a deposit insurance claim amount of his or her
deposits from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), subject to a monetary
ceiling of Rs 5 lakh.
iv.As per the data submitted by the bank, more than 99 per cent of the depositors are entitled to receive
the full amount of their deposits from DICGC.
v.The DICGC has sanctioned Rs. 6.97 crore of the total insured deposits under the provisions of Section 18A
of the DICGC Act,1961 based on the willingness received from the concerned depositors of the bank as on
February 14, 2022.
About Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC):
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), established under an act of Parliament, The
Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act, 1961 (DICGC Act).
Chairman – Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra, Deputy Governor of RBI
Establishment – 15 July 1978
RBI Lifted all Curbs on HDFC Bank’s New Digital Launches

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has lifted all the restrictions placed on HDFC Bank regarding its business-
generating activities under the HDFC Bank’s Digital 2.0 programme.
• In December 2020, the RBI had restricted HDFC Bank from launching any new digital products or
services and issuing new credit cards till the lender resolved recurring tech issues.
• In September 2021, RBI had lifted restrictions on HDFC Bank on issuing new credit cards.
RBIH launched in Bengaluru, Karnataka; Kris Gopalakrishnan is 1st Chairman of RBIH

On March 24, 2022, the Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das, inaugurated the Reserve
Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It has been set up as a Section 8 company under
Companies Act, 2013, with an initial capital contribution of Rs 100 crore; and wholly owned subsidiary of
the RBI.
• Senapathy (Kris) Gopalakrishnan, co-founder and former co-Chairman, Infosys, was earlier
appointed as RBIH 1st Chairman.
• It will encourage financial innovation through an institutional set-up.The hub aims to promote
innovation across the financial sector by leveraging technology
Key Points:
i.The RBIH will be guided and managed by a Governing Council (GC) led by a Chairman. There will be 9
other eminent persons from industry and academia as its members. Click Here to Read
ii.It promotes access to financial services and products for the low-income population in the country.
RBI releases framework for Geotagging Payment System Touchpoints

On March 25, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a framework for Geo-tagging of Payment
System Touch Points/acceptance infrastructure under Section 10 (2) read with Section 18 of Payment and
Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007).
• This system will be deployed by banks / non-bank Payment System Operators (PSOs) to ensure
proper monitoring of the availability of payment acceptance infrastructure.
• The framework was issued on the lines of the Monetary Policy Statement 2020-21 of October
08, 2021.
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Need behind this Framework:

To capture the accurate location of existing payment system touch points in order to make them accessible
at all times.
RBI’s Key Definitions:
i.Geo-tagging: It captures the geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) of payment touchpoints
deployed by merchants to receive payments from their customers.
ii.Infrastructure: It is digital payment transactions carried out by customers using payment touch points.
It uses two broad categories of physical infrastructure:
• Banking infrastructure: It comprises bank branches, offices, extension counters, Automated
Teller Machines (ATMs) / Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs), Cash Recycler Machines (CRMs), micro-
ATMs used by Business Correspondents (BCs), etc.
• Payment acceptance infrastructure: It comprises Points of Sale (PoS) terminals, Quick
Response (QR) codes deployed by banks / non-bank Payment System Operators (PSOs), etc.
Key Features of Framework:
i.All banks / Non-bank PSOs will maintain a registry with accurate location of all payment touch points
across the country, including Merchant-related information and Payment acceptance infrastructure
details.
ii.Geo-tagging information in respect to PoS terminals and Paper-based/Soft QR (Quick Response) Codes
should be submitted to the Reserve Bank.
iii.All banks / Non-bank PSOs should report information on payment touch points to the RBI through its’
Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) in .txt / CSV file format.
Click here for official notification
On January 04, 2022, to provide liquidity in the secondary market, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
introduced the market-making scheme to promote retail participation in Government Securities (G-Secs)
by providing prices/quotes to Retail Direct Gilt Account Holders (RDGAHs) enabling them to buy/sell
securities under the RBI Retail Direct (RBI-RD) Scheme.
LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS

IOB extends Rs 1,000cr Loan to JKIDFC
The Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has sanctioned a loan of Rs 1,000 crore to Jammu and Kashmir
Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Ltd (JKIDFC) under an agreement signed by both
entities. Rs 500 crore has already been disbursed by the bank.
• This funding by the bank is a part of its business plan to widen credit growth and funding
infrastructure development across the nation.
Key Points:
i.IOB is one of the first public sector banks to lend to JKIDFC.
ii.Through this funding, implementing departments now speed up the pace of projects which are under
execution at various levels of completion.
iii.Formed in 2018, JKIDFC speeds-up the pending, unfunded or languishing infrastructure development
projects in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). It can raise loans upto Rs 8000 crore.
• It is incorporated to complete various projects belonging to the various departments like
Agriculture Production, Animal Husbandry, Housing & Urban Development, Industries &
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Commerce Department, Jal Shakti Department, Public Works Department, School Education
Department, etc.
About Indian Overseas Bank (IOB):
MD & CEO– Partha Pratim Sengupta
Headquarter– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Tagline– Good people to grow with
AGREEMENTS & MoUs SIGNED

Union Bank of India Partners with Ambit Finvest for Co-lending to MSMEs
On 1st March 2022 Ambit Finvest private limited signed a co-lending agreement with Union Bank of
India (UBI) for lending to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) customers which enables
creditworthiness of MSMEs in 11 states that are currently covered by Ambit Finvest.
• Aim – To facilitate fast disbursal of credit across different geographies.
About the Partnership:
i.Through this partnership, MSMEs that face higher interest rates or those that are excluded from other
banking services, will enjoy lower interest rates and translating into lower cost of funds which would
help MSMEs with increased capital deployment in business.
ii.This initiative is also part of UBI’s commitment to support the MSMEs by providing tailor-made
financial solutions and accelerating the growth of MSMEs to contribute to the economic development.
iii.This alliance will ensure underwriting for originations, positively impacting the creditworthiness of
MSMEs, in 11 states.
About Ambit Finvest private limited:
Ambit Finvest is the non-deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) of the Ambit Group.
CEO – Sanjay Agarwal
About Union Bank of India (UBI):
Establishment – 11 November 1919
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Rajkiran Rai G.
Mahagram Tie Up With Bank of Maharashtra To Launch ‘Bank Sakhi Project’ in Odisha
Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has tied up with Mahagram to power up the ‘Bank Sakhi’ project in Odisha.
Mahagram provides financial technology and infrastructure support to augment rural financial inclusion.
Aim-This partnership will provide access to the doorstep and hassle-free banking services to the people of
Odisha.
Highlights:
i.Mahagram has boarded more than 11,000 bank sakhis (women) on the BharatATM platform for availing
basic banking services to rural citizens at their doorstep or the next door Kirana stores.
ii.At present, it services 15,000 PIN Codes and provides basic banking, e-governance and other BFSI
services through over 7 lakh retail partners.
About Mahagram:
Establishment – June 2015
Founder & CEO – Ram Shriram
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About Bank of Maharashtra (BoM):

Establishment – 16 September 1935
Headquarters – Pune,Maharashtra
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – A S Rajeev
Tagline – Ek Parivaar, Ek Bank (One Family One Bank)
Axis Bank Commits USD 150 million Loan Towards Healthcare Sector; Signed MoU With IPE
Global
On 3rd March 2022 Axis Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IPE Global limited
for the SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Finance Facility with finance of up to USD 150
million (approximately Rs 1,140 crore) to support health enterprises and innovators.
Note: ‘SAMRIDH – Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare’
• Under this partnership, Axis Bank will provide affordable finance of up to $150 million through
SAMRIDH, to support health enterprises and innovators who would otherwise not have access to
affordable debt financing.
• With COVID- 19 variants developing, the loan access will help in providing advanced health
solutions to address COVID-19, especially across the vulnerable communities of India from tier 2
and 3 cities.
About SAMRIDH:
i.SAMRIDH is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Indian
Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D), in technical collaboration with Principal Scientific Advisor to the
Government of India, the National Health Authority and NATHEALTH.
• SAMRIDH can thereby scale up market solutions and innovations in the healthcare value chain.
ii.It will also help the manufacturing and distribution of pharmaceuticals, facility expansion of public and
private hospitals, nursing homes, small clinics, laboratories, and warehouses.
About IPE Global Limited:
IPE Global Limited is an international development consultancy group providing expert technical
assistance in developing countries.
Founder & Managing Director (MD) – Ashwajit Singh
IBBI Signs MoU with IBA for Collaborating Capacity Building

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), an insolvency regulator signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Indian Banks Association (IBA) to collaborate on capacity building for
financial creditors on topics related to insolvency, bankruptcy and related subjects.
• The MoU was signed during the workshop on ‘Committee of Creditors: An Institution of Public
Faith’ organised jointly by IBBI, SBI(State Bank of India) and IBA at New Delhi.
• The timely resolution of insolvency cases can be undertaken by the Committee of Creditors (CoC)
and Resolution Professionals / Interim Resolution Professionals (IRPs).
• Signatories – The MOU was signed by Mr. Amit Pradhan (Executive Director, IBBI) and Mr. Sunil
Mehta (Chief Executive, IBA).
About CoC:
i.The CoC, formed under the regulation 21 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC),2016 is the
supreme decision-making body in the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP), that affects the
resolution of insolvency of the corporate debtor.
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Resolution Professional / IRP:

The resolution professional is appointed by the COC on the commencement date of insolvency and is
responsible to conduct the proceedings of CIRP.
• Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) is a person who is temporarily appointed until a resolution
professional is appointed.
About Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC):
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC),2016 came into force on 28th may 2016, which is also known
as “Code” with an objective to maximise the value of assets of a corporate person and to minimise the
financial risk of the company which thereby increases ease of doing business.
About Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI):
Establishment – 1st October, 2016 (under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016)
Chairperson – Ravi Mital
Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance & Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai) signs a
Bancassurance Agreement
Aim combining synergies to enhance the reach of life insurance products
Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI), the life insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited
(ABCL), and Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai) Ltd. signed a bancassurance partnership agreement.
i.The agreement will provide life insurance support to more than 5 lakh customers of the bank.
Under the partnership, ABSLI can directly reach out to customers through Bharat Co-operative Bank’s
(Mumbai) 103 branches and fulfill their life insurance and investment planning needs.
• It will provide benefits to customers across the urban and semi-urban areas of Maharashtra,
Karnataka, and Gujarat.
About Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI):
MD and CEO-Kamlesh Rao
About Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai) Ltd. :
MD&CEO – Vidyanand S. Karkera
Founded- 21st August 1978
Karnataka Bank Signs MoU with SELCO Solar to Provide Energy Access
Karnataka Bank Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SELCO Solar Light
Private Limited to provide energy access to the underserved population.
About the MoU:
i.Karnataka Bank will provide financial support through loans with a competitive interest rate for
installing SELCO Solar energy products for both household and commercial use.
• It provides financial support to individuals/Hindu Undivided Family (HUF)/Farmers, Traders,
Businessmen, Proprietorship concerns, Professionals, Salaried Persons, Institutions etc,. to
purchase the solar energy products of SELCO Solar Light in India.
ii.The partnership also promotes the use of renewable energy (RE) products which in turn increases the
usage of solar energy by reducing carbon emissions.
About Karnataka Bank Limited:
Headquarters – Mangalore, Karnataka
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Mahabaleshwara MS
About SELCO Solar Light Private Limited:
SELCO Solar Light has been engaged in the business of designing, assembling, selling and servicing of solar
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energy products for the last 27 years with the main objective of providing energy access to the
underserved population.
Headquarters – Bangalore, Karnataka
CEO – Mohan Bhaskar Hegde
Odisha govt. & Nabard signed a pact to increase fish production

The government of Odisha and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
signed an agreement for the creation of fisheries infrastructure to boost fish production.
Signatories:
The agreement was signed between Principal Secretary, Finance, Vishal Dev and NABARD chief general
manager C Udayabhaskar.
Key points:
i.The Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) will help in creation of
infrastructure facilities in marine and inland sectors of Odisha.
• For the development in the sector around Rs 119.8 crore initially approved.
ii.The FIDF has the targets to achieve a sustainable growth of 8-9 % to boost the fish production capacity
of India to around 20 million tonnes by 2022-23.
About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
NABARD was established on the recommendations of the B.Sivaraman Committee (by Act 61, 1981 of
Parliament) to implement the NABARD Act 1981. Establishment – 12 July 1982
Chairman – Govinda Rajulu Chintala
IIT-M Incubation Cell & RBI Innovation Hub Inks MoU On Fintech Startups
India’s prominent deep-tech startup hub pioneered by Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Incubation Cell (IITMIC) and RBI Innovation Hub (RBIH), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of
India, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to contribute and work together in developing
the necessary ecosystem to support and scale FinTech (Financial Technology) Startups in India.
Aim: To empower the startup ecosystem in India, which makes a significant contribution to the economic
prosperity of the nation with swift improvement and hence deploy technological innovations to transform
India’s FinTech outlook.
Highlights:
i.This strategic collaboration enables the two organizations to provide incubation support, nurture early-
stage startups with innovative and disruptive solutions and accelerate their scale-up journey.
ii.The IITMIC incubates selected startups which are considered timely for co-incubation by RBIH to receive
strategic and operational guidance, training, and mentoring sessions. The RBI leadership also provides
them with domain experts, market access, and connects them to a larger ecosystem of startups, vendors,
investors, and other key resources.
iii. IITM Incubation Cell and RBIH may also indulge in projects including policy whitepapers, research
papers under this partnership.
About Indian Institute of Technology Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC):
A not-for-profit umbrella body for nurturing and overseeing innovation and entrepreneurship at IIT
Madras.
Chairman – Dr. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Professor of Electrical Engineering & Director of IIT Madras
Situated – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
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About RBI Innovation Hub (RBIH):

A wholly owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) set up to promote and facilitate an environment
that accelerates innovation across the financial sector.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Rajesh Bansal
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Kotak Mahindra Bank becomes 1st Indian Bank to sign MoU with Business France
On 16 March, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd (KMBL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with Business France, a French National agency involved in exports and international investments in
France, to provide support to companies in the Indo-French corridor.
• The KMBL became the first Indian bank to sign a MoU with Business France.
• The agreement ceremony held in France was chaired by Eric Fajole, Regional Director, French
Embassy in India and Sudha Balakrishnan, Business Head, MNC Banking Group, Kotak Mahindra
Bank.
Key Points:
i.The MoU will promote business and start-up ecosystems in India and France.
ii.It will also identify the business and investment opportunities in both the countries.
ii.KMBL will be amongst Business France’s privileged Indian banking partners for French companies.
iii.Business France will accompany KMBL’s Indian clients in their entry in France to boost investment.
iv.This tie-up will also boost relationships between India and France by interconnecting the ecosystems of
both countries and increase business opportunities.
v.The MoU collaborates for knowledge roundtables organised by Business France and also provides sector
expertise through speaker representation and/or knowledge publications such as whitepapers,
presentations etc.
About Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL):
CEO– Uday Kotak
Established:2003
SIDBI Inks MoU with Meghalaya to Develop MSME Ecosystem; Also Acquires Stake in ONDC
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with Meghalaya Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation Limited (MiDFC),
Government of Meghalaya.
Under the MoU, SIDBI and the Government of Meghalaya will work in tandem to facilitate the development
of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem in Meghalaya.
Objectives under the MoU:
i.SIDBI will assist Meghalaya in advancing its entrepreneurial development.
ii.It will contribute to the expansion of MSME clusters.
iii. It will assist Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), development organizations, and MSMEs in
developing their capabilities.
• MSMEs’ capacity will be built through online platforms such as PSB 59, Mitra portals, GeMS, and
TReDS, as well as the establishment of business information and counselling centres for micro
enterprises.
iv.The MoU also calls for boosting digital solutions for MSMEs in the state, as well as mapping state-specific
livelihood potential through professional consultants and extending SIDBI’s promotion and development
programmes in the state.
v.SIDBI also encourages the Government of Meghalaya to make use of the low-cost financing available for
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the development of the MSME infrastructure in the state under the SIDBI Cluster Development
Fund (SCDF).
SIDBI acquires stake in ONDC
SIDBI has acquired 7.84% stake in Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an open public digital
infrastructure framework entity, through an investment of Rs.10 crore.
• The investment in ONDC will help in developing digital infrastructure that works with the aim of
democratizing digital commerce in India.
About Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC):
i.The ONDC is a first-of-its-kind initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
(DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 2021.
ii.It is launched with the objective of creating an open public digital infrastructure to develop and
transform the Indian digital commerce ecosystem for both goods and services.
About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI):
It is the principal financial institution for the promotion, financing, and development of MSMEs in India.
Chairman & Managing Director – Sivasubramanian Ramann
Establishment – 2nd April 1990
Headquarters – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
DBS Bank India & EaseMyTrip Partnered to Launch Green Debit Card
DBS Bank India signed a partnership agreement with EaseMyTrip to launch an environment-friendly
international debit card or green debit card, made up of 99% recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material.
This is the first-ever 99% recycled PVC debit card.
Objective- Through this collaboration, EaseMyTrip aims to promote sustainability and incentivise
sustainable tourism.
Highlights:
i.The digibank (digital bank) EaseMyTrip Green Debit Card provides exclusive travel-related offers to
customers and rewards them for adopting eco-friendly practices. This move will reduce carbon footprint.
ii.The green card will offer attractive deals on bookings made through the EaseMyTrip website and mobile
app.
• It will offer a 10% discount up to Rs.2000 on flight ticket bookings and up to 17% discount on
stays at selected eco-friendly hotels.
iii.The card allows withdrawal up to Rs.1,50,000 per day from any bank’s ATM in India and overseas and
allows purchases worth up to Rs.1,50,000 in India and up to Rs.1,00,000 across merchant outlets globally.
What is polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material?
It is a strong synthetic plastic polymer. It is prefered for being lightweight, sturdy and abrasion-resistant
material.It offers great tensile strength and is rigid by nature.
About DBS Bank India Limited:
MD & CEO- Surojit Shome
Central Bank of India Ties up with Kwik.ID to Digitize Customer Onboarding

Central Bank of India (CBI) partnered with Kwik.ID to implement digital Know Your Customer (KYC),
video KYC and eKYC for its network across India.
Objective:
To bring seamless onboarding and provide efficient digital facilities to the customers across India.
Highlights:
i.The partnership will support the implementation of its digital transformation agenda and also help in
digital finance initiatives.
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ii.Kwik.ID is India’s fastest and first ever AI-based fully compliant Video KYC solution and a flagship
product by Think360.ai. It has the target to digitize 10 million customers’ onboarding annually and
streamline their end-to-end processes.
• Earlier, it collaborated with Bank of Baroda, RBL Bank, Bajaj Finserv and Spice Money, among
others.
What is the Know Your Customer (KYC) process in banks?
It is the process of verifying the identity of customer. The objective of KYC guidelines is to prevent banks
from being used by criminal elements for money laundering activities.
About Central Bank of India (CBI):
Founded-1911
MD & CEO- M. V. Rao
OTHER BANK NEWS

First Wildlife Bond Issued by World Bank to Save Africa’s Black Rhino
The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) has created the world’s
first kind of Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB), also known as the “Rhino Bond,” in support of South
Africa’s efforts to protect the endangered species.
• It is a five-year, USD 150 million Sustainable Development Bond, matures in 2027, that includes
a potential performance payment from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
• It will contribute to protecting and increasing black rhino populations in two protected areas in
South Africa: The Addo Elephant National Park (AENP), managed by the South African National
Parks (SANParks) and The Great Fish River Nature Reserve (GFRNR), managed by Eastern
Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA).
The WCB is a first-of-its-kind, outcome-based financial instrument that directs investments toward
conservation goals. Based on the success of this program,this could be expanded to protect black rhino
populations in Kenya as well as other wildlife species such as lions, tigers, gorillas, and orangutans.
Why Rhinos?
i.Rhinos are considered an umbrella species that plays a crucial role in shaping entire ecosystems on which
countless other species depend.
ii.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis) as
Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
iii. Through the WCB, investors support and finance the activities that help to protect and grow a critically
endangered species with clear conservation targets.
About Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB) or the Rhino Bond:
i.It was issued by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) at 94.84 percent of
the nominal aggregate amount, with a maximum Conservation Success Payment of US $13.76 million.
ii.Credit Suisse Group AG structured the bond and acted as joint bookrunner with Citibank.
iii. Conservation Alpha has been tasked with determining the success of the programme and its payments.
The verification agent is the Zoological Society of London(ZSL).
SEBI raises Public Debt Investment limit via UPI to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 2 Lakh
On March 9, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) increased the limit for investment
through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mechanism to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 2 Lakh for the investors
applying in public issues of debt securities, which will open on or after May 1, 2022.
• The move comes following NPCI’s (National Payments Corporation of India) decision in
December 2021, to enhance 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).
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Key Points:
i.The new guidelines enables the investor to utilize the UPI mechanism to block the funds for application
value up to Rs 5 lakh per application.
• Investors can also block their limit on App-based/ web interface applications with UPI mode.
ii.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.
iii.A Sponsor Bank of a respective issue registered with SEBI will modify the said changes.
• A sponsor bank or a banker is appointed by the Issuer to act as a conduit between the stock
exchanges and the NPCI to push the mandate collect requests or payment instructions of the
investors into the UPI.
iv.UPI is an instant payment system developed by NPCI.
About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
Chairperson– Madhabi Puri Buch
NSE, IBJA partner to set up 1st Domestic Bullion Spot Exchange under SEBI
National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) and India Bullion and Jewellers Association Ltd (IBJA) have
joined hands to launch the Domestic Bullion Spot Exchange in line with SEBI (Securities and Exchange
Board of India) guidelines. This will be for the first time that a domestic bullion spot exchange is being set
up under the aegis of SEBI.
• The shareholders will include NSE, IBJA and industry participants (including refiners, bullion
dealers, jewellers, banks and overseas suppliers).
• This exchange is conceptualized taking into consideration the industry requirements and shall
integrate transactions of bullion dealers, jewelers, retailers and consumers on one single
platform.
• Note – India is the second-largest consumer of gold.
Key Points:
i.It will offer industry players to conduct spot market bullion transactions by ensuring transparency, and
also cater to B2B (Business to Business segments) of the industry.
ii.It will also provide an opportunity to investors and consumers to directly participate on the exchange.
About National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE):
Establishment– 1992
Managing Director & CEO– Vikram Limaye
SEBI amends Rules for Category III Alternative Investment Funds

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has amended the rules regarding investment aspects of
Category III of alternative investment funds (AIFs). The new norms will be called as ‘SEBI’s AIF
Regulations, 2022’ w.e.f. March 16, 2022.
• Category III AIFs* trade with a view to make short term returns. These are open ended, and no
specific incentives are given by the government or any other Regulator. These include hedge
funds, PIPE (private investment in public equity) Funds, etc.
What are the amendments?
i.Category III AIFs cannot invest more than 10% of the investable funds in an investee company, directly or
through investment in units of other AIFs.
ii.The large value funds for accredited investors of Category III AIFs can invest up to 20% of the
investable funds in an investee company, directly or through investment in units of other AIFs.
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• This investment limit can be calculated of either the investable funds or the net asset value of the
scheme.
iii.For investment in listed equity of an investee company, Category III AIFs may calculate the investment
limit of 10% of either the investable funds or the net asset value of the scheme.
What are AIFs?
AIFs are defined in Regulation 2(1) (b) of SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012.
These are privately pooled investment vehicles which collect funds from investors whether Indian or
foreign for investing these funds in India.
These are of 3 types:
Category I: Mainly invests in startups, SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) or any other sector which
Govt. considers economically and socially viable.
Category II: These include AIFs such as private equity funds or debt funds for which no specific incentives
or concessions are given by the government or any other Regulator
Category III : Mentioned above*
Chairperson – Madhabi Puri Buch
NABARD Allocates Rs. 4,013 Crore Financial Assistance to Odisha

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a financial
assistance of Rs. 4,013 crores to Odisha under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for
the financial year 2021-2022, and Odisha has got a major share of NABARD’s infrastructure funds, the
highest in India.
• With this the total sanction has crossed Rs 32,100 crore for Odisha since the inception of the
RIDF.
• The RIDF is classified under three broad categories: Agriculture and related sector; Social
sector; and Rural connectivity.
Highlights:
i.Out of the total fund allocated under the RIDF, about Rs 2,568 crore is allotted for construction of rural
roads and bridges.
• It involves the creation or upgrading of roads for 2000 km and bridges for a length of 17.13 km,
which would benefit around 10 lakh people.
ii.The implementation of nine mega piped water supply projects worth Rs. 840 crores will bring clean,
treated, and safe drinking water to almost 17 lakh rural inhabitants in Odisha.
iii. A total of Rs 605 crore has been allocated for the development of infrastructure in the agriculture,
related, and irrigation sectors. It includes the Kusumi irrigation project; livestock vaccine production
unit, cluster lift irrigation and flood protection projects.
About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
It was established under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act (NABARD Act),
1981 and is fully owned by the Government of India (GoI).
Chairman – Govinda Rajulu Chintala
Establishment – 12 July 1982
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Japan and India Renews Bilateral Swap Arrangement of up to USD 75 billion

Japan and India have renewed the Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA) under which the 2 countries can
swap their local currencies in exchange for the US Dollar of up to USD 75 billion with effect from 28th
february 2022.
• Signatories – The Bank of Japan which is acting as agent for the Minister of Finance of Japan,
and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on behalf of Government of India (GoI) signed the
Amendment and Restatement Agreement of the BSA.
About BSA:
i.Aim – To strengthen financial safety nets and further deepen financial cooperation between the two
countries including contribution to regional and global financial stability.
ii.BSA is a two-way arrangement where both sides can swap their local currencies in exchange for the US
Dollar which means India can acquire dollars from Japan in exchange for rupees and vice versa.
• Benefits – With BSA, the repayment will be done at the exchange rate which will be fixed at the
time of borrowing that eliminates the risk caused due to fluctuations in the foreign exchange rate
(also known as FOREX).
iii.Background – The BSA was negotiated between India and Japan in 2018 and the swap arrangement
was signed to the tune of USD 75 billion in October 2020.
About Japan:
Capital – Tokyo
Currency – Japanese Yen
Prime Minister – Fumio Kishida
IDBI Bank launches C-LMS & G-LMS for institutional clients

IDBI Bank launched Corporate Liquidity Management Solution (C-LMS) and Government Liquidity
Management Solution (G-LMS) to meet the liquidity management needs of institutional customers.
• LMS helps in consolidating funds and managing the liquidity seamlessly within the organisation.
Highlights:
i.LMS and G-LMS provide real-time, web-based and formula driven liquidity management solutions to the
customers of the bank.
ii.The solutions provide tools such as forecasts of cash position in the bank, automate the transfer of funds,
online formula based liquidity management solution and others.
iii.They will also help the corporate customers in efficient management of liquidity and also provide a
boost to working capital management in the economy.
About IDBI Bank:
MD & CEO- Rakesh Sharma
UCO Bank Partners with Fisdom to Offer Fintech services to Customers

UCO Bank Partners with Fisdom to offer fintech services including demat account, stockbroking services,
pension funds and tax filing to its customers. UCO Bank will now offer its customers a robust 3-in-1
personal banking experience with the extended product & service suite.
• The extension suite will be offered through UCO Bank’s mobile banking application UCO
mBanking Plus and will gradually be accessible through its internet banking platform as well.
Highlights:
i.This new initiative helps UCO bank to provide new age digital wealth products to customers online and
also helps in any financial needs.
ii.After this partnership, the customers of UCO Bank will now be able to learn about, invest in, track the
performance of and redeem from a variety of instruments.
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About UCO Bank:

Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Soma Sankara Prasad
Tagline – Honours your Trust
About Fisdom:
Co-founder and CEO – Subramanya SV
Indian Oil Partners with Kotak Mahindra Bank for Co-branded Credit Card
On 4th March 2022 Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Limited
launched the Indian Oil Kotak co-branded fuel credit card that will offer more value to customers in the
form of an enhanced rewards programme.
• The program gives customers value on fuel spends and on special non-fuel & frequent-spend
categories, such as fuel, dining and groceries.
About the partnership:
This partnership will help IOC and KMBL to further strengthen their brand reach and deepen customer
engagement.
• More than 98% of the Indian Oil’s over 33,000 fuel stations accept credit card, debit card and
wallet payments.
About Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL):
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Uday Kotak
Tagline – Let’s Make Money Simple
About Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Limited:
Chairman – Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
Bharti Airtel Partners with Axis Bank to Issue Co-branded Credit Card
Bharti Airtel partnered with Axis Bank Limited to launch ‘Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card’, a co-branded
credit card that will offer benefits such as cashbacks, special discounts, digital vouchers and
complimentary services to Airtel’s more than 34 crore customers.
• This partnership will also cover future collaboration on cyber security, data and cloud centres.
About the Partnership:
i.The partnership helps in penetrating into tier-2 and tier-3 markets by enabling higher adoption of
digitised payments for financial offerings..
• Financial offerings will include co-branded credit cards, pre-approved instant loans and buy now
pay later offerings among others.
ii.Through this telco-bank partnership, Airtel customers will get access to Axis Bank’s financial services
while Axis Bank will benefit from Airtel’s strong digital capabilities and deep distribution reach.
About Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card:
i.The credit card will be available for eligible Airtel customers via the Airtel Thanks app.
ii.The rewards will be provided for the users of Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card which includes 25 percent
cashback on Airtel Mobile/DTH recharges, Airtel Black and Airtel Xstream Fibre payments, 10 percent
cashback on electricity/gas/water bill payments via Airtel Thanks app and 10 percent cashback on spends
with preferred merchants like BigBasket, Swiggy, Zomato, etc.
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About Axis Bank Limited:

Establishment – 1993(Commenced Operation- 1994)
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Amitabh Chaudhry
Tagline – Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi
Axis Bank Rolls out ‘HouseWorkIsWork’ Initiative to Bring Educated Women to Workforce
Axis Bank Limited has started the ‘HouseWorkIsWork’ initiative that provides opportunities to those
women who want to rejoin the professional space as the urban educated women’s participation in the
workforce is still not at desired levels.
• Aim – To give confidence to women about their employment and also about the skills they
possess that could fit in various job roles in a bank.
Key Highlights:
i.There are many women who are willing to extend to all formats of work not only GIG-A, including women
who want to come and work in branches.
• GIG-A-Opportunities is Axis Bank’s new platform for alternative work models to attract the
finest talent, with a promise of growth with flexibility, diversity and inclusivity.
ii.Axis Bank pays a suitable salary package as per their suitability to the job, skill-set and experience.
About Axis Bank Limited:
Establishment – 1993(Commenced Operation-1994)
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Amitabh Chaudhry
Tagline – Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi
Zeta partner Mastercard to Power Next-Gen Credit Processing for Banks, Fintechs
Zeta, a banking tech unicorn and provider of next-gen credit card processing to banks and fintechs, and
Mastercard announced a 5-year global partnership. In addition, MasterCard has invested $30 million in the
banking tech unicorn Zeta, along with other investors, at a valuation of $1.5 billion. This funding is a
follow-on round to the company’s Series C funding led by Tokyo, Japan based SoftBank in May 2021.
• As part of the agreement, the firms will jointly launch credit cards with issuers worldwide on
Zeta’s modern, cloud-native, and fully API (Application Programming Interface)-ready credit
processing stack.
Key Points:
i.With Mastercard’s support and the integration of its capabilities in digital issuance, fraud and risk, loyalty
solutions and more, Zeta aims to make the credit card processing industry at par with new systems and
standards for banks and fintechs.
ii.This partnership will fast forward the card launches, provide flexibility in design, along with highly
customizable card programs.
iii.The two companies’ collaboration began in 2018 in Asia Pacific when Zeta joined Start Path,
Mastercard’s global start-up engagement program.
• It also recently joined the Mastercard Developers Partner Network — Engage.
• Through Engage, Zeta will gain access to the Mastercard network to pre-integrate or bundle
products and services, including Mastercard’s Digital 2 First and Fintech Express programs.
About Zeta:
Co-founder & CEO– Bhavin Turakhia
Co-Founder– Ramki Gaddipati
Headquarter– Bengaluru, Karnataka
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ToneTag Partners with NSDL to Introduce VoiceSe UPI Digital Payment Solutions for
Feature Phones
ToneTag, a sound-based proximity communication and payments service provider in partnership
with NSDL Payments Bank and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has recently introduced
its VoiceSe UPI digital payments for feature phone users.
• ToneTag has launched its Interactive voice response (IVR) 6366 200 200 (toll-free number) to
bridge the gap in accessibility of digital payments, especially in rural India and without internet
connectivity
Key highlights:
i.Users can call a toll-free number 6366 200 200 where an IVR guides the desired financial transaction
with UPI PIN without internet connectivity or a smartphone for any digital payments.
ii.This payment service will not only allow fund transfer but also helps in utility bills, balance enquiry,
recharging their DTH, pre-paid mobile network service, or FASTag – by the power of their voice.
Note – The announcement comes in-line with the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBIs) UPI 123Pay facility that
enables UPI payments for feature phone users.
About ToneTag:
Founder & CEO – Kumar Abhishek
About NSDL Payments Bank:
Establishment – October 2018
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Abhijit Kamalapurkar
BFSL Partners with CreditAI to Launch Unnati Co-Branded Credit Card for Farmers
Bank of Baroda(BoB) Financial Solutions Limited (BFSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of
Baroda (BoB) partnered with CreditAI Fintech Pvt Ltd (CAI), a Singapore and Bengaluru based farmer
digitisation and credit scoring company to launch Unnati- contactless co-branded credit card on the Visa
network platform exclusively for farmers.
• The Unnati Credit Card, which was 1st launched in Karnataka and later scaled across
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and other states in India.
About Unnati Credit Card:
i.CreditAI’s proprietary mobile app and inputs shop management system will ensure that the end use of
credit is primarily for purchase of inputs at FPO owned input sales shops.
ii.The Card will empower Farmers to avail agricultural inputs at any-time on rotation basis during the
cultivation cycle that will work in a ‘closed-loop system’ with an ‘end-use monitoring’ feature.
• Initially, a base credit limit will be provided and later improves once the farmer’s credit profile
improves with more transactions and repayments.
About CreditAI Fintech Pvt Ltd (CAI):
Location – Bangalore, Karnataka & Singapore
Founder & CEO – Sangram Nayaka
About Bank of Baroda(BoB) Financial Solutions Limited (BFSL):
MD & CEO – Shailendra Singh
Headquarter – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Ujjivan SFB launches Industry’s first Digital based Onboarding

On 14 March 2022 the Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (USFB) launched Industry’s first digital onboarding
facility for its micro banking customers through its ‘Ujjivan SFB Assisted’ app.
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Highlights:
i.The Ujjivan SFB Assisted app provides the facility to update mobile numbers for individual banking
transactions through paperless and secured manner.
ii.It is an OTP and biometric authentication based process.
iii.Customers can update their mobile number once every six months through the platform and at any
point in time by visiting any branch of the small finance bank.
In 2021, the board of Ujjivan Financial Services approved the amalgamation of the company with its
subsidiary, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (USFB).
• This decision was taken to meet the public shareholding norms of SEBI (Securities and Exchange
Board of India).
About Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (USFB):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & MD- Ittira Davis
Tagline- Build a Better Life
Headquarter-Bengaluru, Karnataka
ICICI Bank Launches Co-Branded Credit Cards with Emirates Skywards

ICICI Bank has announced a tie-up with Emirates Skywards, a loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai,
to launch a range of co-branded credit cards named “Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Credit Card”, an
exclusive card for avid travellers that gives them access to unmatched luxury and comfort.
• The cards will enable customers to earn reward points, called Skywards Miles, on travel, lifestyle
and everyday spending. For every Rs. 100 spent, it awards up to 2.5 Skywards Miles.
• ICICI bank is the first Indian bank to partner with Emirates Skywards, to offer an exclusive range
of credit cards in India.
About Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Credit Card:
The co-branded credit cards are powered by Visa as the network partner and available in three
variants:
i.Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card
ii.Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card and
iii.Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Rubyx Credit Card’.
• Depending upon the card variant, numerous benefits are provided, which include bonus
Skywards Miles, complimentary Emirates Skywards Silver status, dining offers through ICICI
Bank Culinary Treats Programme, as well as entertainment offers through BookMyShow.
• Customers can spend Skywards Miles on rewards, including flight tickets on partner airlines,
flight upgrades, hospitality at sporting and cultural events, and much more.
Note:
India is home to the fifth largest membership base of the Emirates Skywards loyalty programme with more
than 2 million members.
About Emirates:
It is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group which is owned by the government of Dubai’s Investment
Corporation of Dubai.
Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group – Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
First Flight Operation – 25 October 1985
About ICICI Bank:
It is formerly known as Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India.
MD & CEO – Sandeep Bakhshi
Tagline – Khayaal Aapka
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Bob and BNP Paribas Asset Management Asia (BNPP AM) To Form Mutual Fund JV
Baroda Asset Management India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Baroda (BoB) and BNP Paribas
Asset Management India, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas Asset Management Asia (BNPP AM), have entered
into a strategic partnership by merging their mutual fund businesses to form a joint venture (JV)
called “Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund”.
• This merger involves no cash consideration and post-merger BoB will hold 50.1% stake in the
merged Asset Management Company (AMC) and the rest will be held by BNPP AM.
• Suresh Soni has been appointed as the CEO of Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund.
About Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund:
i.Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund will offer 28 schemes across equity, hybrid, debt and overseas fund of
fund categories. The AMC concentrates on specifically designed products for retail and institutional clients
and aims to cater to the fast-evolving needs of Indian investors.
ii.The joint venture (JV) AMC will also provide offshore advisory services and has combined Assets Under
Management (AUM) and advisory of Rs. 22,522 crores.
iii. It is expected to serve over 1 million investor folios and more than 10,000 distributors as it has touch
points in 90 towns and cities across India.
About BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM)
BNP Paribas Asset Management is the investment management arm of BNP Paribas, one of the world’s
major financial institutions, based in Europe.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Sandro Pierri
Headquarters – Paris, France.
About Bank of Baroda (BoB):
MD & CEO – Sanjiv Chadha
Headquarters – Vadodara, Gujarat
Tagline – India’s International Bank
SBI to set up Innovation, Incubation and Acceleration Centre at Hyderabad, Telangana

The State Bank of India (SBI) will set up an Innovation, Incubation and Acceleration Centre (IIAC) at
Hyderabad, Telangana which will be operational in six to nine months of on-boarding a consultant.
• This Centre will be the bank’s in-house capability to enhance its current performance and drive
higher top-line growth through innovation.
Features of IIAC:
i.It will help the bank to develop a set of technologies, knowledge, and skills for the introduction of new
products and services.
ii.It will act as a central body to govern and drive fin-tech partnerships and implement change across the
bank.
iii.It will explore emerging innovations, market shifts or technologies that could impact the bank’s status
quo; pursue large-scale initiatives, will redefine the existing business or create a new business unit or
division for the bank; and transfer innovation from prototype to project/product that can be monetised by
the bank.
About State Bank of India (SBI):
Chairman – Dinesh Kumar Khara
Establishment – 1st July 1955
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Suchitra K Ella Became the Chairperson of CII Southern Region for 2022-23
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-southern region appointed Suchitra K Ella as its Chairperson
for the year 2022-23.
• CII also appointed Kamal Bali as its deputy Chairman.
About Suchitra K Ella:
i.She is a co-founder and joint Managing Director of Bharat Biotech International Ltd.
ii.Prior to this appointment, she was serving as deputy Chairperson of CII for the year 2021-22 and she
was the past chairperson of CII Andhra Pradesh in 2012-13.
iii.She was also founding chairperson of the CII Indian Women Network (southern region) in 2015-18.
About Kamal Bali:
i.He is the President and Managing Director of Volvo Group India.
ii.He also served CII-Karnataka as chairman in 2017-18 and was the chairman of the sub-committee
(manufacturing) of CII (southern region) during 2020-21.
About Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):
The CII is a non-profit and non-governmental organization. It was created to achieve a sustainable growth
of Industries in India.
President– T V Narendran
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Founded-1895
SBI to Grant USD 1 Billion Credit Line to Sri Lanka to Recover from Economic Crisis
In light of the country’s deteriorating economic circumstances, India announced a USD 1 billion Line of
Credit (LOC) to Sri Lanka as part of its financial assistance to deal with its economic crisis.
• An agreement extending the LOC was signed between SBI and Government of Sri Lanka for the
procurement of food, medicine, and other essential items.
• Previously, the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) had extended an LOC of USD 500
million to Sri Lanka, which is in the midst of a financial crisis, to finance the purchase of
petroleum goods.
Background:
Hambantota Port Development Project was a combined initiative of the previous government of Sri Lanka
led by Mahinda Rajapaksa and China, which eventually turned out to be a failure and Sri Lanka struggled to
make payments on the debt and under heavy pressure and after months of negotiations with the Chinese,
Sri Lanka handed over the port and 15,000 acres of land around it for 99 years to China.
Highlights:
i.The timely help of India to Sri Lanka also laid foundations for improving relationships with its immediate
neighbours within the SAARC community.
ii.In addition to the USD 1 billion LOC, India has also offered a series of economic package announcements
like a currency swap arrangement of USD 400 million and a debt deferral of USD 515 million for two
months to Sri Lanka to wipe away its immediate problems.
Note: Sri Lanka has invited the Indian Prime Minister to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit, which is to be held in Colombo (Sri Lanka), to
engage in substantive bilateral talks.
About Sri Lanka:
President – Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Administrative Capital – Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte
Commercial Capital – Colombo
Official Languages – Sinhala, Tamil and English
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DBS Bank India Launches Green Deposits Programme

DBS Bank India has announced the launch of Green Deposit Programme for corporate clients which will
provide a simple way for the companies to support environmentally friendly projects or avenues. This is in
line with the focus on DBS Bank India on responsible banking.
• Under the bank’s sustainability programme, Green Deposits will fund green industries and
initiatives such as green building sustainable water initiatives that include wastewater
management, renewable energy and clean transportation.
SBI Card & Nature’s Basket jointly launch the International Gourmet Card
SBI Card, India’s pure-play credit card issuer and second largest credit card provider, has teamed up
with Nature’s Basket, India’s premier multi-channel gourmet retailer, to launch the ‘Nature’s Basket SBI
Card’, a first-of-its-kind credit card.
This credit card will be a welcome addition to SBI Card’s existing impressive premium portfolio, as it will
cater to the cardholder’s specific lifestyle spending demands, such as groceries and gourmet foods.
• The card is to be introduced in two variants: ‘Nature’s Basket SBI Card’ and ‘Nature’s Basket
SBI Card Elite’ and will be available from the first fortnight of April 2022.
Significance: This will allow cardholders to get the most out of their money spent at Nature’s Basket as
well as other essential spending categories like international travel, dining, and entertainment.
• The annual membership fee of Nature’s Basket SBI Card and its Elite version will be Rs 1499 and
Rs 4,999 respectively. It will be launched on Visa platform.
About SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited:
Managing Director & CEO – Rama Mohan Rao Amara
Headquarters – Gurugram, Haryana
ICICI Bank collaborates with CSK & launches co-branded credit card: “Chennai Super Kings
ICICI Bank Credit Card”
ICCI Bank has teamed up with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise,
to develop a co-branded credit card called the “Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card”, which is
designed with a range of exclusive privileges for millions of cricket fans of the iconic team and distinct
banking benefits from ICICI Bank.
• Customers can apply for the ‘Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card’ by sending an SMS
‘KING’ to 5676766.
The launch of this credit card adds another addition to an exclusive set of co-branded credit cards offered
by ICICI Bank, as it had earlier launched a co-branded credit card in 2018 with Manchester United,
a professional football club in England.
• These exclusive credit cards enable sports enthusiasts to connect with their favourite teams as
well as avail the benefits of a credit card.
About Chennai Super Kings (CSK):
A cricket franchise in India run by Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited.
CEO – K. S. Viswanathan
Founded – 2008
Parent Organization – India Cements
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About ICICI Bank:

It is formerly known as Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India.
MD & CEO – Sandeep Bakhshi
Tagline – Hum Hai Na Khaayal Aapka
HDFC to Boost Small Business with Digital Loans

HDFC Bank has announced a dedicated app for small, family-owned, or independent businesses (mom-
and-pop stores) to push merchant loans.
• The bank also has the application “AutoFirst” in the pipeline, which exclusively offers fully
automated auto loans.
• It is also working on the SmartHub Vyapar programme for merchants. It is an application that
combines all payment platforms such as cards, UPI, QR code, tap pay, and SMS-based payments.
HDFC Bank is providing a minimum of at least Rs. 1,000 crores in loans to merchants every month and is
now looking forward to tripling the run rate.
Highlights:
i.The small business loan digital application will have access to the quantum of loan eligibility.
• The merchant can avail of working capital or short-term loans, a business card or loan on the
business card.
ii.The bank also will launch a dedicated platform for vehicle loan customers.
iii. In order to provide customized services and responses to customer queries and complaints, the bank
has also set up a digital customer hub that aims at giving an omnichannel experience.
iv.Among the newly enlisted merchants more than half of them operate solely through the app platform.
v.The bank also has its own mobile and other apps like Payzapp and Smartbuy platforms and will soon
launch a digital credit card.
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently lifted all the restrictions on HDFC Bank’s digital
business, which was prohibited from issuing new cards until it had sorted out its tech problems in
December 2020.
About HDFC Bank:
MD & CEO – Sashidhar Jagdishan
Tagline – We Understand Your World
Central Govt sets Rs 1-trillion Infrastructure Lending Target for NaBFID

The Central Government has set a target of Rs 1-trillion for the new Development Finance Institution (DFI)
namely ‘National Bank for Financial Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID)’ for sanctioning loans
to the infrastructure sector in FY23. It will start its operations in Q1FY23.
• The information for the same was provided by the officials from Department of Financial Services
(DFS), Ministry of Finance to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.
Key Points:
i.NaBFID will get a 10-year tax concession so that it can provide long-term funds at an affordable cost to
the infrastructure sector.
ii.It will also get government guarantees at a concessional rate of up to 0.1% for borrowing from
multilateral institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and other such foreign institutions.
About NaBFID:
The setting up of NaBFID was announced in the FY22 Union Budget and it came into force on April 19,
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2021. The Central government has infused Rs 20,000 crore in NaBFID, and an additional Rs 5,000
crore has been given as grants. Government had sought an additional outgo of Rs 13,050 crore for
transferring Rs 20,000 crore in the supplementary demand for grants.
• In October 2021, the government had appointed Kundapur Vaman Kamath as the chairman of
NaBFID.
• Along with investing in infrastructure projects, it will issue debt securities and
promote securitization of loan portfolios of companies engaged in development and financing of
infrastructure.
• Click Here to Read More about NaBFID
About Ministry of Finance:
Union Minister– Nirmala Sitharaman (Constituency – RajyaSabha, Karnataka)
Ministers of State– Pankaj Chaudhary (Constituency – Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh); Dr. Bhagwat
Kishanrao Karad (Constituency – Rajya sabha Maharashtra)
SBI Signs Co-Lending Pact with 5 HFCs for Affordable Housing

State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest lender, has entered into a co-lending partnership
with five Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) to provide affordable housing loans to the underserved and
unserved sections of society as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.
• The five HFCs are: PNB Housing Finance, IIFL Home Finance, Shriram Housing Finance, Edelweiss
Housing Finance, and Capri Global Housing Finance.
This tie-up will help to accelerate effective and affordable credit to economically weaker
sections (EWS) and the informal sector & contribute to the Government of India’s vision of ‘Housing for
All by 2024’.
Key Points:
i.This partnership will assist SBI in expanding its distribution network in order to reach more working-
class, unserved, and underserved consumers for house loans and make funds available to borrowers at an
affordable cost.
ii.The bank’s overall home loan portfolio is estimated to be around Rs. 5.5 trillion, with a goal of reaching
Rs. 7 trillion by 2024.
iii. Shriram Housing Finance and SBI will jointly service housing loan customers as per the 20:80 co-
lending model (CLM) of the RBI.
Co-Lending Model (CLM)
CLM is built on mutual understanding between banks and NBFCs. It is expected to benefit borrowers by
utilizing the reduced funding costs of banks and the wider reach of the NBFCs. It also lowers the cost of
financing for last-mile borrowers and is the future of priority sector lending (PSL).
• CLM requires HFCs and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to keep a minimum of 20% of
individual loans on their books, with the remainder held by banks.
• PSL accounts for around 40% of the loan portfolio.
About State Bank of India (SBI):
It is an Indian Multinational, Public Sector Banking and Financial services statutory body.
Chairman – Dinesh Kumar Khara
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Federal Bank, Bank of Baroda, Avanti Finance & Axis Bank partnered with RBIH to Advance
Digital Financial Inclusion for Women
The Federal Bank, Bank of Baroda & Axis Bank, Avanti Finance teamed up with Reserve Bank
Innovation Hub (RBIH), a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to promote financial inclusion of
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women through technology. They will work as scale up partners for the 2nd phase of Swanari TechSprint
programme.
• Swanari is ‘Swanirbhar Nari’ meaning ‘Self Reliant Lady’.
Objective:
The programme aimed at advancing digital financial inclusion for women and to create digital solutions for
bridging the gender gap in India.
About Swanari TechSprint programme:
i.RBIH will host the ‘Swanari TechSprint’ programme for women.
from 18 -22 April 2022 along with core program partners AIR – the Alliance for Innovative Regulation,
CIIE.CO, and MSC (MicroSave Consulting) .
ii.It will provide smart, creative, and sustainable solutions supporting women’s advancement in financial
growth and independence for women-owned enterprises.
iii.The programme will specifically connect fintechs, financial service providers, innovators, and subject
matter experts to collaborate at one place.
• The programme will impact the lives of more than 331 million adult women, including 13 million
women-led enterprises and 7.45 million self-help groups (SFGs) in India.
SIDBI Accredits Odisha with Rs. 837 Crore for MSME Clusters
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has approved a Rs. 837 crore grant to
the Government of Odisha under its SIDBI Cluster Development Fund (SCDF) to promote and develop 18
micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) infrastructure projects in Odisha.
• The projects include the development of five new MSME parks, the construction of 11 worker’s
hostels and two projects to support MSME infrastructure and will be implemented by the Odisha
Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO).
It has also inked an agreement with the state to set up Project Management Unit (PMU) to design
schemes and programmes that strengthens the MSME ecosystem. So far, SIDBI has signed Memorandum of
Understandings (MoUs) with around 15 states to set up PMUs.
Note:
• The SCDF scheme offers the state governments low-interest loans to upgrade existing MSME
clusters and build new industrial infrastructure.
• The UK Sinha committee on MSME was constituted by the Reserve Bank of India in 2019. Based
on its report, SIDBI offers support to various state governments.
Highlights:
i.The bank has also launched a pilot programme in the Bargarh-Handloom Cluster through its grant
support.
ii.SIDBI has trained 342 artisans and bankers, and 229 units have been grounded as part of the ongoing EU
Switch Asia Bamboo project in the five districts of Odisha: Balangir, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, and
Angul, which aims to generate an alternative source of livelihood and promote an alternative to timber.
iii. It has also launched the “Village Adoption” initiative to facilitate enterprise development in Odisha and
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set up the Swavalamban Connect Kendras, the handholding and counselling centres for extending guidance
and support to the young aspirants of the State.
iv.Recently, SIDBI’s wholly-owned subsidiary MUDRA has approved a Rs 200 crore loan to Annapurna
Microfinance, an Odisha-based Non-Banking Financial Company-Microfinance Institution (NBFC-MFI).
Similar Initiatives by SIDBI:
i.It had collaborated with state governments of Tamil Nadu and Assam to provide financial support under
SCDF for cluster development in 2021.
ii.It runs the EU Switch Asia programme in nine states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, etc., aimed at promoting bamboo-based enterprises and generating green
jobs.
About Odisha:
Chief Minister – Naveen Patnaik
Governor – Ganeshi Lal
Tiger reserves – Similipal Tiger Reserve; Satkosia Tiger Reserve
Equitas SFB Launches Limited Edition ‘Equitas Bank CSK Debit Card’
Equitas Small Finance Bank (SFB) Limited has announced the launch of a limited edition Chennai Super
Kings (CSK) branded debit card that can be availed along with an experience at ‘Equiverse’ virtual world.
• It is the first bank to introduce the Equitas Bank CSK Debit Card in the Equiverse, a special
edition debit card for Chennai Super King (CSK) fans who shared space with the team’s avatars in
this virtual experience at www.equiverse.in.
Equitas has partnered with CSK and other teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the fourth time in
2022. The bank had their logo with the CSK team in IPL 2021, portraying themselves as the
“BankBehindEveryChampion.”
Key Points:
i.The bank has concentrated on advertising its savings account, which pays up to 7% interest to retail
customers.
ii.Any new account applicant can choose the CSK debit card and open an account online from anywhere.
iii. With the recent rate modifications for savings and RTDs, the bank hopes to empower its customers by
offering better interest rates on their savings accounts, fixed deposits, and recurring deposits.
About Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited:
MD & CEO – Vasudevan Pathangi Narasimhan
Establishment – September 5, 2016
HDFC ERGO Launches VAULT, an Industry’s First Digitally-enabled Rewards based Program
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company launched its VAULT program. It is India’s first industry
based digital customer engagement and rewards program.
• This program is an experiment to test a new idea under the Regulatory Sandbox of IRDAI
(Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India )
• The testing period will be till 14th May 2022 and further continuance of the product beyond the
testing period will be subject to IRDAI approval.
What is the VAULT program?
i.It is a customer engagement-based membership program.
ii.Under the program, eligible customers will be incentivized by way of reward points on meeting the
specified criteria or actions
• Various criteria such as staying insured under the policy for more than two years, holding two
active HDFC ERGO retail policies etc.
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iii.The reward points will be equivalent to cash and can be redeemed against wellness offers such
as pharmacy vouchers, doctor consultations, etc.
• No new customers will be enrolled after 14th May 2022. More points can be earned and
redeemed by enrolled customers up to14th May 2023.
iv.Maximum customer enrolments under this program will be 10,000. This reward program will
cover Optima Restore health insurance customers.
About Regulatory Sandbox:
It is created by the IRDAI that allows the insurance company to conduct field tests to collect evidence on
the benefits and risks of new products and services.
FINANCE NEWS
Union Cabinet Approves FDI of up to 20% in LIC under Automatic Route
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of
up to 20 percent under the ‘automatic route’ in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India, ahead of the
mega initial public offering (IPO) of the LIC of India, the largest insurer in India is expected to be held in
March 2022.
• It is aimed at attracting long-term foreign investors to the issue and facilitating disinvestment.
• IPO – An IPO is the selling of securities (shares of the company) to the public in the primary
market (usually to institutional investors and retail investors).
FDI Policy:
i.The current FDI policy which permits 74 percent foreign investment under the automatic route in
the insurance sector does not apply for the LIC, as it is established and governed under the LIC Act, 1956,
and the law did not have any specific provision for foreign investment in the insurer.
• Note – The current FDI policy allows FDI in the insurance sector but as LIC being a statutory
corporation, is not covered under either “Insurance Company” or “Intermediaries or Insurance
Intermediaries”.
ii.Thus the cabinet has made an amendment to the FDI Policy in facilitating investment in LIC upto 20
percent through automatic route which already permits 20 percent of FDI inflows for public sector banks
in government approval route.
Stake Mobilisation:
i.LIC filed the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) in which the government offered to sell a 5 percent
stake in LIC that could fetch it around Rs 70,000-80,000 crore.
ii.As per industry estimates, the government expects to mobilise Rs 63,000-66,000 crore from the
proposed share sale to meet its disinvestment target of Rs 78,000 crore for FY22.
Share Reservation by LIC:
i.According to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), LIC has reserved 50 percent of the net
offer (after excluding the reservation for policyholders and employees) for qualified institutional buyers
(QIB), 15 percent for non-institutional bidders and 35 percent for retail individual bidders.
• Foreign institutional investors (FII) fall under the QIB category that includes domestic
institutional investors from which foreign investors could later buy LIC shares from the
secondary market.
Note – FDI inflows into India stood at USD 45.15 billion in 2014-2015 and have increased to USD 81.97
billion in 2020-21, from USD 74.39 billion in 2019-20.
Additional Info:
i.The LIC public issue is expected to be the biggest IPO of the Indian stock market.
ii.So far, the amount mobilised from the IPO of Paytm in 2021 was the largest ever at Rs 18,300 crore,
followed by Coal India (2010) at nearly Rs 15,500 crore and Reliance Power (2008) at Rs 11,700 crore.
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In accordance with the report by Crisil, LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India), India’s largest IPO
(Initial Public offering)-bound national insurer and 3rd strongest insurance brand globally, LIC (Life
Insurance Corporation of India), offers the highest Return on Equity (RoE) at 82% amongst all its global
peers.
About Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India:
Chairperson – M R Kumar
Edelweiss Housing Finance & StanChart will offer loan against Property at low Interest
rates
Edelweiss Housing Finance Limited (EHFL) and Standard Chartered Bank signed a strategic co-lending
agreement for extending property loans to Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
i.Under the partnership, EHFL will originate, process, service the loans and retain 20% of the loan on its
books and remaining 80 % will be on the books of Standard Chartered Bank.
ii.The customers will get the benefit of cost-effective interest rates property loans and seamless credit
assurance will be provided under the extended portfolio.
About Standard Chartered Bank:
It is an indirect subsidiary of Standard Chartered PLC
Headquarters- London, United Kingdom(UK)
Chief Executive- Bill Winters, CBE(Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered PLC)
Edelweiss Housing Finance Limited (EHFL):
MD & CEO-Rajat Avasthi
Paytm Partners with IRCTC to Offer Digital Ticketing Services Through ATVM
Paytm owned by One97 Communications Limited (OCL) expanded its partnership with Indian Railway
Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to offer digital ticketing services to consumers through
Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM) installed at railway stations across India.
• This is the first time that Indian Railways is offering the option to pay for ticketing services
digitally via Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on ATVMs to promote cashless commuting among
railway passengers.
• This is in line with Paytm’s efforts to promote cashless transactions and digital payments across
India.
Key Points:
i.Under this partnership between Paytm and IRCTC, the Paytm Quick Response(QR) solution at ATVM, will
allow the passengers to enable complete cashless commutes.
ii.With the use of New QR code-based digital payment solutions has been implemented across all ATVMs at
the railway stations in India.
iii.Paytm also offers the passengers the flexibility of paying various payment options like Paytm UPI, Paytm
Wallet, Paytm Postpaid (Buy Now, Pay Later), Net Banking, Credit Card and Debit Card.
ATVMs:
i.The ATVMs are touch-screen based ticketing kiosks that allow the railway passengers to pay digitally and
enable them to purchase unreserved train journey tickets, platform tickets, renew their seasonal tickets
and recharge smart cards by scanning QR codes generated on the screens.
ii.Paytm’s latest digital payment solution for ATVM is in addition to its other railway-related services such
as e-catering payments and reserved train ticket booking through its app.
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About Paytm:
MD & CEO– Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Headquarters– Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
NPCI partners with Yatra.com, & SBI Card to launch Co-branded ‘Yatra SBI Card’
On 2nd march 2022 National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) partnered with Yatra.com and SBI
Cards and Payment Services Private Limited (SBICPSL) to launch a co-branded ‘Yatra SBI Card’ on the
RuPay network, especially for travel enthusiasts.
• This card is a holiday-cum-shopping credit card which also comes with travel benefits on
booking flights and hotels that are applicable for 6 times a year.
Benefits:
i.As a welcome onboarding gift, users of this card are entitled to Yatra.com vouchers worth Rs
8,250 which can be used to book flight tickets, hotel reservations and others from Yatra.com.
• The travellers will also get 6 reward points per Rs 100 spent on departmental stores, grocery,
dining, movies, entertainment, and international travel.
ii.The card comes with a complimentary air accident cover of Rs 50 lakh.
iii.There is also an additional feature of an annual fee waiver for spending over Rs 1 lakh in a year by the
customers using this card and also offers 1 percent fuel surcharge waiver to the customers.
Note – In February 2022 NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the international arm of NPCI,
joined hands with Gateway Payments Service (GPS) and Manam Infotech to provide the services
in Nepal by which it became the 1st country to adopt India’s UPI system.
About SBI Cards and Payment Services Private Limited (SBICPSL):
SBI Card was launched by the State Bank of India (SBI) and GE Capital which was incorporated as SBI
Cards and Payment Services Private Limited (SBICPSL).
Establishment – October 1998
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Rama Mohan Rao Amara
About yatra.com:
Co-Founder & CEO – Dhruv Shringi
LoanTap Partners with Arka and MAS Financial Services for New Digital Lending Models
LoanTap, a leading fintech digital lending platform, aims to close Financial Year 2022 by announcing
business collaborations with Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) – Arka Fincap Limited (Arka) and
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) registered NBFC MAS Financial Services Limited. (MAS) in a co-lending
model for the salaried and MSME segment.
• The collaboration will allow LoanTap to utilise its technology and quick processes to tap into a
larger customer base and enable loan disbursals through these partnerships.
• Through the collaboration, LoanTap will have 6 co-lending partnerships along with its own NBFC
platform.
Key highlights:
i.LoanTap’s technology platform ‘LT-Flow’ will help entities to start digital Know Your Customer (KYC),
National Automated Clearing House (NACH) and agreement, along with Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered
credit decision making, to easily operate end to end digital lending.
• It also enables lenders to source, share risk (co-lend), underwrite, plug-in capital, and manage
loans.
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ii.LoanTap recently launched the Limitless Credit Card and also caters to loans for millennials and young
working professionals.
About LoanTap:
Headquarters – Pune, Maharashtra
Co-founder & CEO – Satyam Kumar
About Arka Fincap Limited:
Executive Vice Chairman & CEO – Vimal Bhandari
About MAS Financial Services Limited:
Headquarters – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Chairman & Managing director (MD) – Kamlesh Gandhi
LICHFL Partners with CSC to Provide Loans through over 4 Lakh VLEs
LIC Housing Finance Limited (LICHFL) and Common Service Centre e-Governance Services India
Limited (CSC) have entered into a strategic partnership to provide loans to citizens through CSC’s
network of over 4 lakh Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs).
i.Through the partnership, VLEs can avail home loans; loans for serving or retired employees who are
entitled to pension; residential plot loan; Griha Suvidha for private sector workers or self-employed; and
loan against property and top-up loan.
ii.CSC will help LIC Housing to overcome last mile connectivity issues and build structured financial
information for various loan products in rural areas.
Documents required to avail loans:
To avail these loans, customers can approach their nearest CSC office with Know Your Customer (KYC)
documents like Permanent Account Number (PAN) card, Aadhaar or driving licence, passport, and proof of
residence; income documents like salary slip, IT returns and bank statements; and property documents
like proof of ownership, tax receipts.
About LIC Housing Finance Limited (LICHFL):
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Y Viswanatha Gowd
IIFL Finance Partners with NIRA to Offer Personal Loans

On 3rd March 2022 IIFL Finance Limited, non-banking financial company collaborated with fintech NIRA
to strengthen its digital footprint by providing personal loans.
• Aim – To provide credit to largely unbanked and underbanked borrowers and small
entrepreneurs.
i.Through this partnership, salaried customers can avail a personal loan of up to Rs. 1 lakh from IIFL
Finance by downloading the NIRA app from Google’s Play store.
ii.This will enable NIRA to continue scaling up its business and help IIFL build its unsecured lending book.
• It will also boast a small-ticket short-term digital lending portfolio.
About NIRA:
NIRA is a consumer finance business platform operating pan-India offers loans to borrowers starting at
incomes as low as Rs. 10,000 per month.
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Co-founder & CEO – Rohit sen
About IIFL Finance Limited:
Chairman – Nirmal Jain
PayU and VTEX Partners to Offer Merchants Multiple Local Payment Methods
PayU has collaborated with VTEX, one of the largest global digital commerce platforms, to offer multiple
payment solutions to VTEX merchants.
• Through this collaboration, PayU platform will be available for VTEX’s merchants that includes
global players operating in different industries in India and provides seamless access to PayU’s
payment solutions.
• Aim – To simplify payment methods for the merchants using VTEX platform.
i.Using PayU, VTEX merchants can offer customised bank-based offers on debit & credit cards to
consumers, making purchases more affordable and improving business.
• The integration will give direct access to multiple local payment methods in India including
credit cards, debit cards, UPI, wallets, net banking, etc.,.
ii.Additionally, merchants can monitor business performance, initiate refunds, access transaction data,
view trends and reports of transactions from the VTEX dashboard, without switching applications.
iii.This allows international brands to enter the Indian market and reduces the go-live time because of
quicker payment methods.
About VTEX:
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom
Co-founder & Co-CEO – Mariano Gomide de Faria, Geraldo Thomaz
Future Generali India Insurance Launches ‘FG Dog Health Cover’ Insurance; unveils ‘Oh My
Dog!’ Campaign
Future Generali India Insurance Company (FGII) Limited launched FG Dog Health Cover, a
comprehensive health insurance for pet dogs, along with industry-first ‘Emergency Pet Minding’
cover as an add-on if parents are hospitalised.
• The FGII also focuses on a digital campaign named ‘Oh My Dog!’ with an aim to create awareness
on purchasing dog health insurance cover and also targets on social media like Instagram and
twitter.
About FG Dog Health Cover:
i.With FG Dog Health Cover, pet parents will be able to choose their veterinarian, budget their pet care
costs, and avoid the dip into emergency funds with easy documentation.
• This comprehensive cover will cover dogs’ surgery and hospitalisation, terminal illness,
mortality, and funeral expenses.
Eligibility of insurance cover:
i.The FG dog health covers pet dogs aged between 6 months and 4 years for giant breeds and 7 years for
small, medium, and large breeds.
ii.The exit age is 10 years for small, medium, and large breeds and 6 years for giant breeds.
Payment for the cover:
i.Policy costs start at Rs. 323 per month that includes terminal illness, surgery and hospitalisation, and
mortality
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ii.Pet Minding Rider covers Daily allowance towards engaging a pet minder/caretaker in case of
hospitalisation of parent or other family members
Key Benefits:
Cover Policy: Funeral Cost Cover; Terminal Illness Cover; Surgery and Hospitalisation Cover; Death Cover.
Riders Policy: Third party liability Cover; Lost and stolen Cover; Emergency pet minding Cover;
Veterinary consultant and doctor on call Cover
About Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited:
Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between Future Group and Generali.
Incorporated – September 2007
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Anup Rau
Star Health Introduces Women-Centric Medical Insurance Policy

On 8th March 2022 Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited, a health insurance company
launched ‘Star Women Care Insurance Policy’, a woman-centric comprehensive health cover specially
designed to protect the health-care needs of women at every stage of their lives.
• Policy can be purchased through premiums that can be paid in quarterly or half-yearly
instalments, and this policy can also be taken for 1 year, 2 year or 3-year terms.
Key features:
i.The Star Women Care Insurance Policy is available as both an individual policy and a floater policy
• Individual Sum – Insured only for females aged between18 years and 75 years.
• Floater Sum Insured – Adult 18 years to 75 years with at least one female in the family along
with the spouse and dependent children.
• Dependent Children: 91 days to 25 years for all children.Daughter Can Continue as a dependent
child if Un-married and/or Un-employed beyond 25 yrs and max up to 30 yrs, and beyond 30 yrs
she will be treated as an Adult.
ii.It covers in-patient hospitalisation, Delivery, Day Care treatment, Road Ambulance, Air Ambulance,
Organ Donor Expenses, and Pre & Post hospitalisation expenses.
• Additional benefits include AYUSH Treatment, Rehabilitation and pain management , Ante-Natal
Care (Pregnancy Care), In Utero Fetal Surgery/Repair, Bariatric Surgery, Optional Cover (Lump
sum on diagnosis of Cancer), Coverage for modern treatments, Medical and Tele-Health
consultations.
iii.The policy also provides health cover for new-born child / children of up to 25% of the sum insured
from day 1 and 100% of sum insured from the next subsequent year onward.
• It includes room rent of the insured mother if the insured child is less than 12 years old and is
hospitalised in the ICU.
iv.Insured can avail 5% discount while buying the policy online at www.starhealth.in. This discount is
available for the first purchase and on subsequent online renewals of the policy, as per the press release.
About Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited:
Wholetime Director & CEO – V. Jagannathan
HDFC MF launches LaxmiForLaxmi financial empowerment initiative for women.

On 7 March 2022, HDFC Mutual Fund (HDFC MF) launched an exclusive women led financial
empowerment initiative #LaxmiForLaxmi. It will connect women investors to a woman financial expert
through a unique missed call service.
Objective:
To support women investors in the journey to become financially independent while making mutual fund
investments accessible to them.
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Key points:
i.The woman financial expert will provide guidance and resolve queries to women investors.
ii.It is an extension of HDFC Mutual Fund’s Investor Education campaign #BarniSeAzadi which was
launched in 2021.
iii.The initiative will financially empower and provide support to women, by women.
About HDFC Mutual Fund:
MD & CEO-Navneet Munot
BSE inks pact with BSS & JJA to Promote Commodity Derivatives, EGRs
The BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Bhartiya Swarnkar Sangh (BSS) and Jamshedpur Jewellers Association (JJA) for the strengthening
of commodities derivatives trade and proposed Electronic Gold Receipt (EGR) markets in India.
• EGRs are issued on the basis of a deposit of physical gold. They are regarded as ‘securities’ under
the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act 1956.
Key Points:
i.This pact with BSE will help members of both entities to mitigate price risks of gold in both domestic
and international zones.
• This will further help members to procure gold of highest quality thus making the industry more
competitive in the local markets.
ii.The troika of this MoU will educate the community about the benefits of commodity and derivatives
markets through seminars and various other programs.
iii.They will also work together in order to design newer products on commodity contracts.
iv.This pact will also encourage commodity stakeholders to hedge on exchanges.
• Through gold hedging the interests of small jewellers and gold traders can be safeguarded as
There will be no negative effect of fluctuations in the price of gold on the stakeholders.
v.These partnerships will focus on growing and developing value chain participants to face competition
and manage price risk better.
EPFO Sets Its Interest Rates on PF for 2021-22 At The Lowest Level
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has set the interest rate on Provident Fund
Deposits for 2021-22 at 8.1%, up from 8.5% in the previous fiscal year 2020-21.
This decision was taken by the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the apex decision-making body of the
EPFO, and will be sent to the Ministry of Finance for consensus.
The EPFO provides the rate of interest only after it has been ratified by the government through the
Finance Ministry.
• The EPF interest rate stood at 8 per cent in 1977-78, and this 8.1% is the lowest it has been in
more than four decades. This interest rate was set by the retirement fund body for its
approximately 50 million subscribers for the current fiscal year ending March 31.
• The possible reason behind this decision is the low earnings of EPFO due to the COVID-19
pandemic. It delayed its payments for 2019–20 and paid the interest in two instalments, deriving
from two sources of its investments—8.15% from debt investments and 0.35% from the equity
portfolio.
Note:
• In March 2020, EPFO had lowered the interest rate on provident fund deposits to a seven-year
low of 8.5 per cent for 2019-20, from 8.65 per cent provided for 2018-19.
• The EPF rate for 2017–18 was 8.55%.
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• Provident fund savings are mandatory under the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous
Provisions Act, 1952.
• Central Board of Trustees (CBT) is a tripartite body involving government, workers and
employers’ representatives and its decision is binding on EPFO.
About Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO):
It is India’s largest social security organization, mainly encouraging people to save for retirement, among
others. EPFO comes under the purview of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
• The Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC) is the Chief Executive Officer of EPFO and is
the ex-officio Member Secretary of the Central Board.
CEO of EPFO – Ms. Neelam Shami Rao
Head Office – New Delhi
IIFL Securities launches India’s 1st Primary Markets Investment Platform, OneUp
On March 11, 2022, the IIFL Securities Limited (Formerly India Infoline Limited) launched India’s first
primary markets investment platform, ‘OneUp’ for investing in initial public offerings (IPOs), non-
convertible debentures (NCDs) and sovereign gold bonds (SGBs), among others.
• It enables buyers to analyse, transact and handle new investment alternatives, all on one single
platform.
• The benefits of the platforms can be utilized by IIFL Securities and non-IIFL Securities clients with
none signup necessities.
What is in the platform?
i.The IPO functions are accepted 24×7 and as much as three days earlier than the IPO bidding opens.
ii.It permits buyers to position bids for others like associates or members of the family, enhance
possibilities of allotment.
iii.The online orders are not limited to Rs 2 lakh only.
iv.Real-time online IPO bidding for an amount greater than Rs 2 lakh can be executed. v.Users can view live
subscription of IPO, application status and payment status of bidding.
IIFCL raises Rs 1500 cr via debt to fund infra projects
India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) has raised Rs 1,500 crore in debt to promote long term
infrastructure finance in India. It raised the funds through private placement of Non-Convertible Debt
Securities for Rs 500 crore and it has a greenshoe option of Rs 1,000 crore. The issue was
oversubscribed 6 times (i.e. IIFCL raises Rs 6,000 crore via debt to fund infra projects).
• The 10-year bond has a coupon of 7.17 per cent.
• The funds from the same will be utilized to provide long term debt to infrastructure projects, both
greenfield and brownfield, developed under various initiatives of the government viz., National
Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) and Gati Shakti.
SGX selected TCS to power NSE IFSC-SGX Connect in GIFT City

On March 16, 2022, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd’s (TCS) BaNCS, a financial solution, grabbed a 5-year
contract from Singapore Exchange (SGX) to power the NSE IFSC-SGX Connect (Gift Connect) in special
economic zone Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).
• NSE IFSC, an acronym for National Stock Exchange International Financial Service Centre, is a
fully owned subsidiary of NSE.
What is NSE IFSC-SGX Connect (GIFT Connect)?
It aims to bring together the trading of Nifty products in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT)
in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on behalf of its members in Singapore and globally.
• It allows the SGX members to place orders on NSE IFSC through the TCS BaNCS dealing terminal.
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• NSE IFSC-SGX Phase 1 will be operationalized in April 2022. The full program will go live in
about 3-4 months.
What will TCS BaNCS offer in contract?
i.TCS BaNCS will facilitate Nifty trading between India and Singapore along with offering end-to-end
solutions regarding trading, clearing, settlement and risk management operations.
ii.It will also offer a risk management module, which SGX and SGX brokers can use to define risk rules and
profiles, monitor and control trading activities.
iii.There will also be a learning and settlement module to interact with the clearing arms of NSE IFSC and
SGX for position and limits management.
Point to be noted:
SGX has set up SGX India Connect IFSC Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle at GIFT City to enable
international access to Indian capital markets and create a larger liquidity pool of international and
domestic participants.
About National Stock Exchange (NSE):
Managing Director & CEO– Vikram Limaye
Mahila Money, Visa and Transcorp Jointly Launch Prepaid Card for Women Entrepreneurs
The digital payments networks Mahila Money, Visa and Transcorp Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI)
have partnered in launching Mahila Money Prepaid Card, an exclusive product to help women
entrepreneurs use digital payments more effectively.
Significance: The prepaid card is designed in such a way that it caters to the needs of digital
entrepreneurs, small business owners, and women. It serves those community members who prefer a bank
account with combined features of flexibility, safety, and convenience.
Salient features and benefits of the Mahila Money Prepaid Card:
i.The card makes it simple for women entrepreneurs to accept payments for their enterprises digitally and
helps them enhance their working capital as loans can be transferred directly into the card.
ii.The Mahila Money ecosystem of partners provides offers to its users with incentives, rewards, and
cashback.
iii. Women entrepreneurs can use this card for their business digital transactions, even if they do not
actively operate their bank accounts.
NOTE:
i.Despite the fact that 80.7% of women in rural areas and 81% in urban areas have bank accounts, the
latest survey by the All-India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS) indicates that 55% of women still don’t
actively use their bank accounts.
ii.Visa has been supporting women entrepreneurs through the iFundWomen.
About Transcorp International Limited:
It is a 27-year-old RBI (Reserve Bank of India) regulated entity and is also India’s first non-bank entity to
offer co-branded prepaid cards on the Visa network and holds a Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI)
license issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Managing Director – Mr. Gopal Sharma
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About Mahila Money:

Mahila Money is a full-stack financial products and services platform for women in India, offering loans,
community, and learning resources to women.
Founder – Sairee Chahal
Smart Guaranteed Pension Plan Launched by Max Life Insurance

The Max Life Insurance Company Limited has announced the launch of the “Max Life Smart Guaranteed
Pension Plan”, a non-linked, non-participating single premium individual or group general annuity plan,
guaranteeing a regular income and ensuring the future financial security of the annuitant.
Highlights:
i.Corporates and public-sector enterprises can purchase this plan directly as a group annuity product to
meet the retirement needs of their employees.
It offers attractive annuity rates and unique benefits, which enable National Pension
System (NPS) subscribers to be eligible buyers of this product.
iii. Additionally, the product will be available through the direct channel of the company to direct
customers in the business-to-consumer (B2C) segment.
iv.It ensures lifelong financial protection through an additional income stream by integrating financial
protection, assured pension, and reliability into a single solution, allowing customers to realize their life
goals post-retirement.
v.Its key features include Guaranteed Annuity, Death Benefit, Surrender Option, Top-up Option, Advance
Annuity Option and Tax benefits.
About Max Life Insurance Company Limited:
i.A life insurance company in India engaged in securing the financial future of its customers.
ii.It is a Joint Venture (JV) of Max Financial Services Limited and Axis Bank Limited.
iii. It was recently authorized by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) to set
up a subsidiary for Pension Fund Management.
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer – Prashant Tripathy
NPCI to launch ‘On-Device Wallet-UPI Lite for Small Value Transactions’ in Offline Mode
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will launch On-Device Wallet i.e. ‘UPI Lite’ for UPI
users which will enable small value transactions in an offline mode. UPI stands for (Unified Payments
Interface).
• This functionality enables transactions without additional factor authentication (AFA) or a UPI
PIN (Personal Identification Number).
• Designed by NPCI, it will be launched as a pilot with multiple banks and app providers in the
next 10 days.
Limits in UPI Lite:
Upper Limit of payment transaction- Rs 200
Total limit of balance for an On-Device Wallet- Rs 2,000 at any point of time
Reasons behind this launch:
As per various studies, about half the UPI transactions have a transaction value of up to Rs 200, and about
75% of the total volume of retail transactions (including cash) in India are below Rs 100. Also, in January
2022, Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) notified a framework for facilitating small value digital payments in
offline mode. So, catering to both scenarios, this development has been made.
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Key Points:
i.In the first phase, UPI Lite will process transactions in near offline mode that is debit offline and credit
online and after that both transactions will be processed offline.
ii.When all parameters in the pilots will be successfully achieved then its full-scale commercial launch will
be declared.
iii.It should be noted that the replenishment of funds i.e. funds allocation from user’s bank account to UPI
Lite, will be allowed only in online mode with AFA or using UPI AutoPay.
• NPCI has set a target of 1 billion UPI transactions daily in the next 3-5 years.
Click Here for Official Notification by NPCI
On January 27, 2022, the NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), international arm of NPCI, signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TerraPay, the Netherlands- based global payments
infrastructure company. This partnership will allow Indians with an active UPI (Unified Payments
Interface) ID to receive real-time, international payments into their bank accounts via TerraPay’s fully
regulated, secure, scalable and efficient channel.
About National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI):
CEO & MD– Dilip Asbe
Products– RuPay, Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), National Automated Clearing House (NACH),
Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB) System, Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS), National Financial
Switch (NFS), UPI, Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), and National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC)
BPCL Launches Voice-Based LPG Booking, 1st To Offer Digital Payment to Non-Internet
Users
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has partnered with UltraCash Technologies Private
Limited to become the first Indian company to offer digital payment to non-internet users for its
BharatGas consumers to book their LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) cylinders.
• This facility will enable its customers who do not have smartphones or the internet to book their
cylinders and make the payment through “UPI 123PAY”. Around 4 crore consumers of BharatGas
in rural India will benefit from this feature.
• It allows customers to use feature phones for almost all transactions except scanning and paying,
and it doesn’t need an internet connection for transactions. Customers have to link their bank
accounts with feature phones to use this facility.
How It Works:
i.The tie-up of BPCL’s BharatGas with UltraCash Technologies Pvt. Ltd.’s UltraCash enables consumers to
call a common number, 080 4516 3554, from a non-internet phone.
ii.UltraCash is a mobile payment application developed by UltraCash Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and is also
authorized by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).
iii. With the Indian government encouraging the use of LPG through programmes like the Ujjwala Yojana,
this facility will aid in the penetration of rural markets.
About Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL):
A Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the Indian Government, holding Maharatna status, BPCL is the
second-largest Indian oil marketing company and one of India’s leading integrated energy corporations,
engaged in crude oil refining and petroleum product marketing.
Chairman & Managing Director – Arun Kumar Singh
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USAID & Mastercard Partners to Promote Digital Empowerment of Women under Project
Kirana
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Mastercard have partnered to promote digital
empowerment of women in India through ‘Project Kirana’, a digital financial literacy programme for
women entrepreneurs in India.
Objective:
To increase the revenue of the women-owned-and-operated kirana shops and also expand their financial
inclusion and enable them to adopt digital tools like digital payments etc.
About Project Kirana:
i.Project Kirana is a two year programme implemented by DAI and ACCESS Development Services started
in November 2020.
ii.It is working in some selected cities like Kanpur, Lucknow and Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh.
iii.It provides assistance to women to prepare basic business management skills such as sales, accounting,
budget management, and insurance to become successful kirana entrepreneurs.
• It witnessed the participation of more than 2,100 women in the project.
Key points:
i.USAID and Mastercard will support women participants to build financial and digital literacy skills.
ii.The customized training on business and financial management,and leadership development will be
provided to the beneficiaries.
iii.Mastercard and USAID will also address the gender gaps that limit the ability for women-owned
businesses to flourish.
About United States Agency for International Development (USAID):
Established- 3 November 1961
Founder- John F. Kennedy
Headquarters- Washington, DC, United States
Administrator– Samantha Power
About Mastercard:
CEO- Michael Miebach
Headquarters- New York, United States
Founded- 1966
PPSL launches ‘Payment Analytic‘ for Paytm Merchants to make Data Driven Decisions
The Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of One97 Communications has
launched first-of-its-kind ‘Payment Analytics’ which is designed by Paytm Payment Gateway.
• It is a data analysis feature available to all Paytm merchants i.e. online and offline, at no extra
cost. This will be helpful for the merchants of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Key Points:
i.This launch is on the lines of PPSL’s vision of helping merchant partners and entrepreneurs by simplifying
their businesses.
ii.It offers three services viz. Payment source analytics, Customer Analytics, and Payment flow analytics.
iii.It will also provide ready-made reports about payment sources, payment flows, user retention,
customer behaviour, payment success rates and reasons for payment failures.
iv.This will enable merchants to ascertain their Gross Merchandise Value and find out the total number of
transactions on a day-to-day or monthly basis.
About Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL):
CEO– Praveen Sharma
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Rupeek, NAPS Partners to Launch of ‘Rupeek Academy’ to Build Gold Appraisers

Rupeek (Rupeek Fintech Pvt Ltd.), India’s leading asset-backed digital lending platform announced the
launch of ‘Rupeek Academy’ in collaboration with the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme
(NAPS), an initiative by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). This aims to attract young talent
who are looking for a career opportunity in the gold loan industry of India.
• The Rupeek Academy programme developed with NSDC is a first of its kind upskilling
programme in the industry.
• 1-year comprehensive programme aims to create a centre for excellence in developing and
managing talent for gold appraisers, to balance the demand against the availability of talent
issues.
• India has USD 2 trillion worth of gold assets and the programme aims to monetize them by
employing gold appraisers.
Airtel Payments Bank Partners with ICICI Lombard For Smartphone Insurance
Airtel Payments Bank signed an agreement with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company(ICICI
Lombard) to provide smartphone insurance which offers financial protection against damages. It will
boost the mobile insurance industry in India.
About the Agreement:
i.Under the agreement, the mobile insurance amount equal to the purchase price of the smartphones will
be provided.
• The smartphone price under the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,00,000 will be considered.
ii.The customers have to pay a monthly premium of Rs 1,299 through the Airtel Thanks App and they will
get the insurance on their own within 10 days of making the purchase.
iii.There is a provision for making two claims during the policy period, and it also includes free pickup &
delivery, making it a unique offering in the market.
Smartphones industry in India-
According to a report published by RedSeer in 2020, the Indian smartphone insurance segment could
potentially become a $500 million market by 2025, with an expected Compound Annual Growth Rate
(CAGR) of 29% per annum.
About Airtel Payments Bank:
Managing Director & CEO-Anubrata Biswas
EbixCash Partners with Axis Securities to Provide End-To-End Trading Services

EbixCash Limited, a technology-based provider of digital products and services in the B2C (Business to
Consumer), B2B (Business to Business) and financial technology arenas, announced a strategic agreement
with Axis Securities, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Axis Bank.
• The partnership will provide end-to-end trading services to customers of EbixCash through an
integrated business model.
• As a result, customers of EbixCash will be able to access a 3-in-1 account that combines
their savings, demat, and trading accounts.
Highlights:
i.With this tie-up, EbixCash customers will have access to the seamless online platform of Axis Securities
and favours them to buy and sell stocks and other investment products.
ii.Customers can also choose from a variety of investment options such as mutual funds, Systematic
Investment Plans (SIPs), investment advisory, and portfolio management services, as well as open a
trading or demat account.
iii. With a “phygital” strategy that combines over 650,000 physical agent distribution outlets throughout
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India and Southeast Asia, EbixCash holds dominant positions in key businesses in which it operates.
About EbixCash Limited:
A leading financial services provider in India.
Chairman – Robin Raina
About Axis Securities:
A subsidiary of Axis Bank which is India’s 3rd largest private sector bank.
MD & CEO – B Gopkumar
Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd Partners with PhonePe To launch ‘Max Life Smart Secure Plus
Plan’ for Consumers
Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd Partners with PhonePe to launch its ‘Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan’ for its
customers. It is a non-linked non-participating individual pure risk premium life insurance plan on the
PhonePe app to enhance financial protection for digitally-savvy customers.
• The license for direct broking was granted to PhonePe by Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (IRDAI). It allows the selling of insurance on the respective apps.
Highlights:
i.The customers of PhonePe can avail comprehensive financial coverage for their families with premiums
starting from ₹4,426 annually. The term plan can be purchased on the PhonePe app in a seamless manner.
• Customers can also choose a sum assured up to ₹10 crore and facility to policies renewal on the
PhonePe app.
ii.Under the life insurance category, Max Life will provide PhonePe customers several helpful options such
as inbuilt terminal illness benefit, special exit etc.
About Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd:
Max Life Insurance Company Limited is a Joint Venture between Max Financial Services Limited and Axis
Bank Limited.
CEO & MD– Prashant Tripathy
Founded-2001
Headquarters- Gurugram, Haryana
HDFC Mutual Fund to launch HDFC Defence Fund, India’s first Defence Fund
HDFC Mutual Fund has filed a scheme information document (SID) with the Securities and Exchange Board
of India(SEBI) to launch HDFC Defence Fund, India’s first Defence Fund.
This open-ended equity scheme will be investing in defence & allied sector companies (aerospace,
explosives, shipbuilding, industries /stocks present on the SIDM (Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers)
list).
• This will offer Units for Sale / Switch-in and Redemption / Switch-out on every Business Day at
NAV based prices when the Scheme re-opens for ongoing transactions (after the NFO).
• This fund will be benchmarked to the recently introduced Nifty India Defence Index TRI (Total
Returns Index).
Google Pay & Pine Labs collaborates to launch Tap to Pay for UPI
Google Pay, payment platform of Google, has partnered with Pine Labs to launch Tap to Pay for
UPI (Unified Payments Interface) – a functionality that aims to bring the seamless convenience of Tap to
Pay to UPI.
• With this new feature, users can just tap their phones on the Point of Sales (POS) terminal and
authenticate transactions on their phones using their UPI PIN.
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Pine Labs is a merchant commerce platform that offers merchants payment solutions, and the Tap to Pay
for UPI feature will only be available when transacting with a merchant that uses a Pine Labs Android POS
terminal.
Key Points:
i.Reliance Retail was the first to test this new feature, and it is now available at other significant retailers
such as Future Retail and Starbucks.
ii.Until now, the Tap to Pay facility was only available for cards. With the invention of Tap to Pay for UPI,
users can authenticate payments from their phone using their UPI PIN, making the process virtually
instantaneous as compared to scanning a QR code or entering the UPI-linked mobile number.
About Pine Labs:
Pine Labs offers a merchant platform that includes technology and financial solutions for merchants.
CEO – Amrish Rau
Headquarters – Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Founded – 1998
ECONOMY & BUSINESS NEWS

India Q3 GDP by NSO: Growth momentum slows to 5.4% in Q3FY22
In accordance with the Second Advance Estimates (SAE) of National Income, 2021-22 & Quarterly
Estimates of GDP for the 3rd quarter(Q3) (October-December), 2021-22 by the National Statistical Office
(NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the Indian economy grew by
5.4% year-on-year in the Q3FY22.
• This is the 5th consecutive positive growth. However, this is slower than the Q2FY22 and Q1FY22
amid rising risks from higher prices of crude oil and commodities due to Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine.
• In absolute terms, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased to Rs 38,22,159 crore whereas
it was Rs 36,26,220 crore in the Q3FY21.
• NSO’s second advance estimate projected India’s FY22 expansion at 8.9% over a contraction of
6.6%(-6.6%) in 2020-21.
• NSO‘s second advance estimate for national income projected the nominal GDP growth for 2021-
22 at 19.4 per cent.
Key Points:
i.India’s GDP had grown by 8.4% in the Q2FY22.
ii.Gross Value Added (GVA) grew by 4.7% year-on-year (YoY). In the Q2FY22 previous quarter, it had
increased by 19.3%.
iii.Across most sectors, including manufacturing, construction and services, Q3FY22 was statistically
dismal compared to the previous quarter.
iv.Economists in a Reuters poll had forecasted India’s GDP to grow 6% YoY in the Q3FY22, compared with
an upwardly revised 20.3% in the Q1FY22 and 8.5% in Q2FY22.
India Ranks 5th in Terms of Market Cap, Enters World’s Top 5 Club for the 1st Time
As per Bloomberg’s recent data on Market capitalization, for the 1st time, India‘s equities market has
entered the world’s top 5 in terms of market capitalization. India is ranked 5th with an overall market
capitalization of USD 3.21 trillion.
The US tops the ranking with an overall market cap of USD 47.32 trillion, followed by China (USD 11.52
trillion), Japan (USD 6 trillion) and Hong Kong (USD 5.55 trillion). The total world market cap stands at
USD 109.22 trillion.
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• India has climbed two positions, despite a 7.4% drop in its market cap.
• India’s market cap has surpassed the United Kingdom (UK) ranked 6th with M-Cap of USD 3.19
trillion, Saudi Arabia ranked 7th with M-Cap of USD 3.18 trillion, Canada ranked 8th with M-Cap
of USD 3.18 trillion, France ranked 9th with M-Cap of USD 2.89 trillion and Germany ranked 10th
with M-Cap of USD 2.29 trillion.
Moody’s Lowers India’s Growth Projection for 2022 to 9.1%, 2023 to 5.4%
As per the Global Macro Outlook 2022-23 report of Moody’s Investors Service, it has lowered India’s GDP
(Gross Domestic Product) growth forecast for 2022 by 0.4 percent to 9.1 percent from its earlier
projection of 9.5 percent.
• The growth forecast for 2023 was also lowered to 5.4 percent from the prior estimation of 5.5
percent.
Key Points:
i.The year-end inflation for India has been projected at 6.6 percent in 2022.
ii.The Indian economy grew 8.2 percent in 2021, after a contraction of 6.7 percent in 2020.
iii.G20 Economies’ Growth: Moody’s has also lowered G20 economies’ growth forecast to 3.6 percent in
2022 compared to an earlier estimation of 4.3 percent (in February) and the growth forecast for 2023 is
projected at 3 percent.
iv.Moody’s ratings for India is currently Baa3 Stable.
Cause for lowering the growth projection:
i.Due to increased fuel and fertiliser imports, which could limit the Indian government’s capital
expenditure.
ii.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has modified the global economic backdrop, creates risks of
damagingly high input costs and consumer inflation over a period due to increasing commodity prices
driven by existing and expected supply shortages.
iii.The financial and business disruptions and rise in economic costs due to increased security and
geopolitical risks.
About Moody’s Corporation:
Headquarters – New York, United States
President & CEO – Rob Fauber
India’s Merchandise Exports Touched New Peak of $400 Billion in FY22

The merchandise exports sector of India successfully met the $400 billion target which was set for 2021-
22 (FY22), nine days ahead of schedule, which translated into a 37% increase over exports worth $292
billion in FY21.
Highlights:
i.The exports in India contracted almost 7% in FY21 from a year before to $292 billion, due to Covid
outbreak. Later with the drastic increase in demand and advanced economies the export sector recovered
itself.
ii.The highest merchandise export of $330 billion was achieved in FY19. It witnessed the
fluctuations between $250 billion and $330 billion a year since FY11.
iii.The services exports are also estimated to exceed the target of $250 billion.
• The target for Services exports was to achieve $206 billion in FY21 and $225 billion for FY22.
iv.The significant increase is witnessed in the various sectors such as engineering goods, petroleum
products, garments and textiles, and chemicals.
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CRISIL Retains India’s GDP Growth at 7.8% in FY23

CRISIL Ratings Limited, a domestic rating agency and a subsidiary of CRISIL Limited has reiterated its
december 2021 forecast of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 7.8% for FY23 despite the Russia-
Ukraine war.
Highlights:
i.The war is pushing the oil and commodity prices upwards which affects global growth and also India’s
growth. The Brent crude has been traded as high as USD 139 per barrel and as low as USD 105 per barrel
recently.
ii.CRISIL also highlighted that the average Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation will be at 5.4% in
FY23 if the price of crude oil averages USD 85-90per barrel.
iii.The higher price of crude oil will widen India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) to 2.2 % in FY23 (i.e.) $10
increase in prices of crude oil increases the CAD to GDP ratio by about 40 basis points.
Additional Info- Morgan Stanley has lowered its GDP growth forecast for India by 50 basis points to 7.9
per cent for FY23 and has raised the CPI inflation forecast to 6 per cent.
About CRISIL ratings Limited:
Managing Director (MD) – Gurpreet Chhatwal
OECD retains India’s FY24 GDP growth at 5.5%

On March 23, 2022, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its ‘Economic
Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India (Volume 2022 Issue I)‘ retained India’s real Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) at 5.5% in FY24, lower than 8.1% in 2022-23.
• The key obstacle to bond-market development in India is limited investor base; and insufficient
liquidity in the secondary market.
Key Points:
i.China’s economy will grow 5.1% in both 2022 and 2023.
ii.The GDP of emerging Asia – China, India and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) is projected to grow 5.8% in 2022, following a 7.4% expansion in 2021 and a 0.8%
contraction in 2020.
iii.There are inflationary and supply chain risks amid the Ukraine-Russia war.
Click Here for Official Publication
About Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India:
It is a regular publication on regional economic growth and development in Emerging Asia. It focuses on
the economic conditions of ASEAN members: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, as well as China and India.
About Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD):
Secretary General– Mathias Cormann
ICRA cuts India’s FY23 GDP growth forecast to 7.2%

On March 29, 2022, the rating agency ICRA Limited (formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating
Agency of India Limited) reduced its forecast of the year-on-year (YoY) growth of the India’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP at constant 2011-12 prices) by 0.8% in FY23 to 7.2% from 8%. The K-shaped
recovery is likely to continue.
• The GDP expansion in FY22 is projected at 8.5% which is lower than the National Statistical
Office’s (NSO’s) second advance estimate of 8.9%.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) expects FY23 GDP growth rate at 7.8%.
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Key Points:
i.The decrease in GDP is due to the elevated commodity prices and also fresh supply chain issues arising
from the Ukraine-Russia war. This will constrain the demand revival in FY23.
ii.Real GDP growth is likely to moderate to 3-4% in Q4FY22 from 5.4% in Q3FY22.
iii.ICRA expects gradual rise in capacity utilization to ~74-75% in Q3FY23 from ~71-72% in Q4FY22.
What is K- Shaped recovery?
A K-shaped recovery is when different communities experience different rates of recovery after a
recession. It is named so because, when plotted on a graph, the performance of different parts of the
economy diverges like the arms of the letter “K.”
India’s economic recovery is two-speed, also called K-shaped by many economists.
Fitch declines India’s Growth Forecast for FY23 to 8.5% from 10.3%
On March 22, 2022, Rating agency Fitch in its ‘Global economic Outlook-March 2022’ declined India’s
growth forecast for FY23 (2022-2023) by 1.8 percentage points (pp) to 8.5% from 10.3% due to high
energy prices amid Russia-Ukraine war.
• On the other hand, for FY22, the agency has increased the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth
by 0.6 pp to 8.7% from 8.1%.
• For 2023-24, it is estimated at 7 per cent.
Global Scenario:
i.For FY22, the agency declined the world GDP growth forecast by 0.7 pp to 3.5% from 4.2%.
ii.For FY23, it also revised down world growth by 0.2pp to 2.8% from 3%.
Key Points:
i.Russia supplies around 10% of the world’s energy, including 17% of its natural gas and 12% of oil.
Therefore, the rise in oil and gas prices will add to industry costs and reduce consumers’ real incomes.
ii.Inflation will rise further peaking above 7% in the December quarter of 2022 (Q3FY23), before gradually
easing. It is expected to remain elevated at 6.1% annual average in 2021 and 5% in 2022.
Adani Green’s unit gets Letter of Award to install 150 MW Solar Power Project
Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) announced that its subsidiary Adani Renewable Energy Holding Fifteen
Limited has received the Letter of Award (LOA) to set-up a 150 MW Solar Power Project with a fixed
tariff of Rs. 2.34/kWh for a span of 25 years for this project capacity.
About the Solar Power Project:
i.In a tender issued by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited for procurement of 250 MW Solar
Power from ground mounted grid connected solar PV power plants, the Adani unit is now awarded the
contract to install the 150 MW Solar Power Project.
ii.Adani Green now has a total renewable energy project portfolio of 20.434 MWac capacity, out of
which 5.410 MWac projects are operational, 11.591 MWac projects are under construction and 3.433
MWac projects are near construction.
About Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL):
AGEL is one of the largest Renewable Energy (RE) companies in India and is a part of India’s fastest
growing corporate Adani Group.
• MD & CEO of AGEL: Vneet S. Jaain
• Headquarters: Ahmedabad, Gujarat
• Chairman of Adani Group: Gautam Adani
• MD of Adani Group: Rajesh Adani
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Union Minister Jitendra Singh Launched AI Readiness Program, Developed by DST & Intel
India
On the occasion of National Science Day 2022 (28th February 2022), Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of
State(MoS) (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science and Technology(MoST), launched the Artificial
intelligence (AI) Readiness Program – “Building AI Readiness among Young Innovators”, developed by
Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry Of Science And Technology (MoST) in
partnership with Intel India.
• He also launched INSPIRE Mobile App and INSPIRE MANAK.
• He also gave away the National Awards for Science and Technology Communication for the
year 2021. Click here to know more
Building AI Readiness among Young Innovators:
Building AI Readiness among Young Innovators is a part of the series of efforts made to skill the next
generation of India with a digital-first mindset.
Aim:
The AI Readiness Program aims to build digital readiness among the students from classes 6 to 10,
enrolled under DST’s ‘Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) -Awards MANAK
(Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge) scheme.
Features:
i.Under the AI Readiness program, students will be introduced to the basics of AI and its multiple domains
– computer vision, natural language processing, statistical data, etc.
ii.The students will explore domain-specific concepts and python programming through extensive hands-
on learning sessions.
iii.Students will be provided access to relevant content, learning resources, with adequate hand-holding,
and mentoring
Key Points:
The AI Readiness program will be launched in three different phases across India.
Phase 1: A certificate of participation will be given to students upon completion of virtual orientation
sessions in the 1st phase.
Phase 2: the participant’s ideas for their AI-based solutions out of which the top 200 entries will be
shortlisted.
• The shortlisted participants will attend a boot camp to deep dive into AI with Intel AI for Youth
coaches and domain experts.
• The students will create AI-based projects and submit their final projects.
Phase 3: the Top 50 projects will be shortlisted by an independent committee of experts for the 3rd
phase.
Google Cloud & Flipkart Enters Strategic Alliance to Advance Innovation in a Digital-first
Future
Flipkart, a leading digital commerce entity has entered into a multi-year strategic partnership with Google
Cloud to accelerate Flipkart’s innovation and cloud strategy by Digital-first future Strategy.
This will drive Flipkart into its next phase of growth and advance its vision of onboarding India’s next 200
million shoppers and lakhs of sellers.
Features of the partnership:
Under this partnership, Google Cloud will support Flipkart in,
i.Scale on Google Cloud’s infrastructure to reach more Flipkart customers
• Using the secure and scalable global infrastructure and advanced networking technologies of
Google Clouds, Flipkart will deliver robust app access and performance during peach purchase
season with increased traffic.
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ii.Accelerate data-led innovation to unlock customer insights

• Flipkart will enhance its data platform more efficient by deploying Google Cloud’s advanced data
analytics and machine learning technologies.
iii.Advancing productivity and collaboration globally with Google Workspace.
• Flipkart will expand its use of the flexible, innovative solution across its rapidly growing
workforce to create innovative human-centred employee experiences and deepen connections in
this new hybrid work environment.
Key Points:
i.Under this partnership, Google Cloud will enable Flipkart to accelerate digital transformation, power
productivity and advance Flipkart’s innovation agenda.
ii.Both the companies will work together to drive technological innovations and help Flipkart drive
breakthrough businesses in the future.
About Flipkart:
CEO– Kalyan Krishnamurthy
Launched in October 2007
Hero MotoCorp launched New Brand Vida for Electric Mobility; To Launch 1st Electric
Scooter
Hero MotoCorp Limited has launched its new Electric Vehicle(EV) brand for electric mobility, Vida,
Powered by Hero at a one-of-its-kind Carbon Neutral event at the exclusive Clarence Island in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• The new brand logo and the ‘sunrise’ visual identity of Vida were also unveiled during the event.
• Vida means life, and the brand’s sole purpose is to create a positive impact on the world
• The production of the new Vida model will be done at Hero MotoCorp’s ‘Green’ manufacturing
facility in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.
• The first e-scooter of Hero MotoCorp will be launched in July 2022.
Central Govt’s total liabilities rise to Rs 128.41 lakh cr in Q3FY22

In accordance with the latest public debt management report by the Ministry of Finance, the Central
Government’s total liabilities rose to Rs 128.41 lakh crore in December quarter (Q3FY22) from Rs 125.71
lakh crore in Q2FY22.
• This increase reflects a quarter-on-quarter increase of 2.15%.
Key Points:
i.In absolute terms, the total liabilities, including liabilities under the ‘Public Account’ of the government,
jumped to Rs 1,28,41,996 crore in Q3FY22 as compared to Rs 1,25,71,747 crore in Q2FY22.
ii.Public debt accounted for 91.60% of the total outstanding liabilities in Q3FY22.
iii.Nearly 25% of the outstanding dated securities had a residual maturity of less than 5 years.
iv.The yields on the 10-year benchmark security increased from 6.22% in Q2FY22 to 6.45% in Q3FY22.
v.The ownership pattern of the central government securities indicates that the share of commercial banks
stood at 35.40% in Q3FY22, lower than 37.82% in Q2FY22.
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MoU’s & AGREEMENTS

India and Australia inks MoU for joint exploration of Lithium and Cobalt mineral resources
The Government of India and Australia has committed to invest USD 6 million jointly to explore Lithium
and Cobalt mines in Australia in the next six months.
Key Points:
i.Last year 2021, a Government to
Government (G2G) Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was signed between
Government of India and the Government of
Australia through Ministry of Mines and
Critical Minerals Facilitation Office (CMFO)
respectively for co-operation in the field of
mining and processing of Critical and Strategic
Minerals.
ii.Following which a detailed collaborative
framework has been signed between Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) and Australia’s Critical Minerals
Facilitation Office (CMFO) for carrying out a joint due diligence of select greenfield and brownfield
projects, identifying lithium and cobalt mineral assets for investment and acquisition of the assets in
Australia.
iii.Engagements are also underway with other source countries (primarily Latin-American countries)
such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile etc., which are endowed with lithium and cobalt in hard rock formations
and in brine.
iv.The MoU includes building an Australia-India partnership in the critical mineral ecosystem;
development of a robust and commercially-viable critical mineral supply chain to support sustainable
production; and ensure reliable supplies of the materials needed to fuel sectors such as transport, energy,
telecommunications, medicine, aviation and defence.
About Lithium policy in India:
i.Lithium is a key component in the battery used in Electric Vehicles (EV).
ii.India, through the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, is offering Rs 18,100 crore incentives
for companies to build battery cells locally for Electric Vehicles (EV).
iii.China and Hong Kong are the biggest lithium battery suppliers to India.
About Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL)
i.KABIL is a joint venture company set up with the participation of three Central Public Sector Enterprises
(CPSEs) namely, National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) and
Mineral Exploration Company Limited (MECL).
ii.The objective is to ensure a consistent supply of critical and strategic minerals to the Indian domestic
market and ensuring mineral security of the Nation by Import substitution.
Headquarters – New Delhi
About Critical Minerals Facilitation Office (CMFO)
i.CMFO is the Australian Government’s central coordination point to help grow the critical minerals
sector. It comes under the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER), Government of
Australia.
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ILO and ICAO Signs New Agreement to Strengthen Aviation Industry

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) have signed a new agreement to boost decent work and reinforce a humanistic-
based revival from the COVID-19 pandemic in the aviation industry.
• The agreement was signed by Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour
Organization, and Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO Council. It has a five-year
duration and is renewable.
Background:
This agreement will renew the 1953 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning the possible
establishment of a joint aviation commission and acts as a follow-up to the request made by ILO
constituents during the 2013 Global Dialogue Forum on the Effects of the Global Economic Crisis on the
Civil Aviation Industry to refurbish cooperation between the two agencies.
Significance:
i.The renewed collaboration between the ILO and the ICAO focusses to guarantee a safe, strong, inclusive
and sustainable COVID-19 recovery in the aviation industry.
ii.Given the serious challenges posed by the pandemic to workers and their rights in the aviation industry,
this agreement will be a timely step toward establishing a socially sustainable recovery and decent work in
the industry.
iii. The agreement complies with the ICAO Assembly’s Resolutions on the United Nations Agenda 2030
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gender equality and commits to collaborating with the UN
system to enhance aviation’s contributions to sustainable development, forming a steadfast leadership and
committing to advancing women’s rights.
NOTE: An ILO Technical meeting on a green, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery for the civil
aviation sector is scheduled to take place between 2022 – 2023.
About International Labour Organization (ILO):
ILO is the only tripartite United Nations agency that brings together governments, employers, and workers
from 187 member countries.
India is a founder member of the International Labour Organization.
ILO Director-General – Guy Ryder
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland.
About International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):
A United Nations (UN) specialized agency established in the Convention on International Civil Aviation
(Chicago Convention – 1944) to achieve long-term growth of the global civil aviation system.
Member States – 193
President – Salvatore Sciacchitano
Headquarters – Montreal, Canada.
Nepal-India signs MoU on supply of Urea and DAP under G2G Agreement
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between India and Nepal during a virtual
ceremony for long-term supply of Urea and DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) fertilizers from India to Nepal
under a Government to Government (G2G) arrangement.
Signatories:
India– Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Nepal– Dr. Govinda Prasad Sharma, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development
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Key Points:
i.This MoU will boost bilateral cooperation in the
agriculture sector by supporting Nepal’s economy and
food security.
ii.It will also aid in addressing the recurring fertilizer
shortages in Nepal and enable improve agricultural
productivity benefitting the Nepali farmers.
iii.In February 2022, both nations also inked a MoU
for the construction of a motorable bridge over the
Mahakali River connecting Dharchula in Uttarakhand
with Darchula in Nepal with Indian grant assistance.
About Nepal:
President– Bidya Devi Bhandari
Currency– Nepalese rupee
Ambassador of India to Nepal– Vinay Mohan Kwatra
India – Sri Lanka Signs JVSHA to Install Solar Power Plant in Trincomalee
India and Sri Lanka have signed a Joint Venture and Shareholders’ Agreement (JVSHA) to develop a 100
megawatt (MW) Solar Power Plant at the eastern port district Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, which is near the
strategic Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• The JVSHA was signed for the Trincomalee
Power Company Limited (TPCL), a joint
venture between India’s state-run National
Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (NTPC) and
the Sri Lanka’s state-owned Ceylon
Electricity Board (CEB), for developing
a 100 MW Solar Power Plant at Sampur,
Trincomalee.
• India and Sri Lanka are expected to sign
a Line of Credit (LOC) worth 1 billion US Dollars (USD) to import essential commodities and
medicinal drugs from India to Sri Lanka, as the latter is facing a severe dollar shortage and a
higher risk of sovereign debt default.
India – Sri Lanka past relationship over this:
i.India has offered Sri Lanka a USD 100 million Line of Credit (LOC) for the development of solar power
projects on June 16, 2021. This LOC is a financial mechanism extended by the Export-Import (EXIM)
Bank of India to promote bilateral, regional, and commercial relations by supporting the export of eligible
goods on deferred payment terms.
ii.Upon execution it will strengthen the bilateral economic partnership, including through cooperation in
the renewable energy sector.
iii. TPCL was incorporated in Sri Lanka on 26th September, 2011. NTPC andCEB each hold 50% equity
share capital of the Company.
iv.It was formed to set up a 500 MW coal-based thermal power plant at Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, which
was later transformed into a project based on liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the request of the Sri Lankan
government and relocated to Kerawalpitiya, Sri Lanka.
v.A 2013 agreement with NTPC to build a thermal power plant in Sampur was later abandoned.
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India signs HCA with ITU for establishment of its Area Office & Innovation Centre at New
Delhi
On March 3, 2022, a Host Country Agreement (HCA) inked between India and International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the establishment of an Area Office & Innovation Centre of ITU in
New Delhi, Delhi. HCA was signed during a World Telecommunications Standardisation Assembly-20
(WTSA-20) held in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is for the 1st time that is opening in the
South Asia region. The office will be
funded by the Indian government.
• The Office and Centre are expected to be
operational by mid 2022.
Signatories:
India– Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of
Communications
ITU– Houlin Zhao, Secretary General
What is in the HCA?
i.The soon to be launched ITU’s Area Office and Innovation Centre will serve South Asian countries namely
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India by implementing ITU
initiatives, providing technical assistance, and policy guidance on ICTs to ITU member states.
ii.Innovation Centre will boost research and development (R&D) in telecommunication technologies in
South Asia.
• It will also provide opportunities to academics, start-ups and SMEs (Small and Medium
Enterprises) to showcase their innovation globally.
Points to be noted:
i.HCA provides the legal and financial framework for establishment and operations of the Area Office.
ii.India was a founding member of International Telegraph Union (ITU) in 1865. It was renamed as ITU in
1932 and became a specialised agency of the United Nations for ICTs in 1947.
• It currently has a membership of 193 countries and over 900 private-sector entities and academic
institutions.
• It is headquartered in Geneva.
iii.WTSA is a four-yearly global conference of ITU for standardisation of ICTs.
• India has proposed to host the next WTSA to be held in 2024.
iv.The 5Gi standards (5G Radio Interface Technology) developed by India have been recognised by ITU as
one of the three technologies for 5G.
Indian Potash limited inked MoU with Israel Chemicals Ltd for MoP supply for 5 years
On March 21, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked between the Indian Potash limited
(IPL), under Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers; and Israel Chemicals Limited
(ICL).
• Under this, there will be supply of Muriate of Potash (MOP) from Israel to India for 5
years, 2022 to 2027, with a yearly quantity of 6 to 6.5 LMT (Lakh Metric Tonnes).
• The documents were exchanged between IPL Managing Director (MD) Dr PS Gahlaut and ICL
Global President Elad Aharonson.
• The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Ministry of
Chemicals and Fertilizers (MoC&F) in Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi (Delhi).
Key Points:
i.This MoU will aid in increasing the availability of MOP in India.
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• Muriate of potash is also known as potassium chloride (KCI) which contains 60% potash. Potash
is essential for plant growth and quality.
ii.It should be noted that ICL is working with IPL in operating a project titled ‘Potash for Life focused on
achieving higher fertilizer use efficiency’ to increase the income of farmers.
iii.Indian Government is committed to increase the agricultural production and income of farmers, and
sought cooperation of Israeli side in improving fertilizers use, and use of alternate environment friendly
fertilizers.
iv.India and Israel already share extensive economic, defence, and strategic relationship based on mutual
trust and cooperation.
Other Participants:
Elad Aharonson, Global President, ICL; senior officers of Department of Fertilizers; and Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA), among others.
On January 24, 2022, India and Israel launched a commemorative logo marking the 30th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic ties between them which were established on January 29, 1992. The logo was
unveiled virtually during an online event in the presence of Indian envoy to Israel, Sanjeev Singla and
Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon.
About Indian Potash limited (IPL):
Board of Directors’ Chairman– Sundeep Kumar Nayak
Head Office– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Chhattisgarh govt signs two MOUs for establishing Dung-based Power Plants & Food
Irradiation Facility
On 27 February 2022, the government of Chhattisgarh signed two Memorandums of Understanding
(MoUs) to boost agricultural & rural economy.
Signing authorities:
i.The first agreement was signed between the Chhattisgarh Biofuel Development Authority (CBDA) and
Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), Trombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• To set up dung-based power plants in ‘gauthans’ where technical guidance will be provided by
BARC.
ii.The second MoU was signed between Chhattisgarh Seed Corporation and the Board of Radiation and
Isotope Technology (BRIT), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)
• To set up the Food Irradiation Center in Chhattisgarh.
Key points:
i.The electricity generated from cow dung and agricultural waste in gauthans will be used to run
machines, irrigation facilities, lighting etc in rural industrial parks and the excess power can be sold to
discoms.
• Women self-help groups will generate electricity from cow dung being purchased in the
Gauthans.
ii.Food irradiators will help in increasing the shelf life of the food items such as vegetables, fruits, pulses
and help in boosting the agriculture market.
• In 2020, Chhattisgarh govt. also initiated ‘Godhan Nyay Yojana’ to prevent the stubble burning
and curb carbon emissions
Note- Food irradiation is a technique used in food production, used to kill bacteria that cause food
poisoning and reduce food waste.
About Chhattisgarh:
Chief Minister-Bhupesh Baghel
Festivals- Bastar Dussehra, Bastar Lokotsav, Fagun Wadai
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HPCL Signs MoU with SECI for Renewable Energy, Electric Mobility & Alternative Fuels
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) Limited
has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation and collaboration in the field of
renewable energy, electric mobility, and alternative fuels including the development of Environmental,
Social and Governance (ESG) Projects.
• The MoU was signed to realise green energy objectives and the Government of India’s (GOI’s)
efforts towards a carbon-neutral economy.
• The MoU was signed by Sh. Shuvendu Gupta, Chief General Manager- Biofuels & Renewables,
HPCL, and Sh. Sanjay Sharma, Executive Director, SECI.
RE capacity of SECI & HPCL:
i.SECI has been the forefront of RE capacity and also engaged in the promotion and development of various
renewable energy resources such as Solar & Wind energy, RE-based Storage Systems, Waste to Energy,
trading of power, R&D Projects as well as RE base products like Green Hydrogen, green Ammonia and RE
powered Electric Vehicle (EV).
ii.HPCL diversifies capacity in the Renewable Energy Sector and Electric Mobility sector for the
development of ESG projects.
About Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) Limited:
Establishment – 20 September 2011 (under the administrative control of the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE))
Chairman – Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi
TDB & Skyshade Daylights Pvt. Ltd. Signs MoU to Promote Start-up in Daylight Harvesting
Technology
On 3rd March 2022 Technology Development Board (TDB) , a statutory body under the Department of
Science & Technology (DoS&T) in presence of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science &
Technology Dr Jitendra Singh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Skyshade Daylights
Private Limited, Hyderabad, the only Start-up company in India for Daylight Harvesting Technologies.
• The MoU was signed to promote possibly India’s first Start-up in indigenously built latest Daylight
Harvesting Technology to reduce carbon footprint and improve the building energy efficiency.
• Skyshade Daylights Private Limited aims to create Green & Net zero buildings and to participate
and contribute in national missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
About MoU:
i.The Technology Development Board (TDB) will give Rs 5 Crore of the 10 Crore project to Skyshade
company for developing new technologies for basement illumination on a 24×7 basis.
ii.The company will design & build operations of large skylight domes for building atriums and solar
thermal technologies.
• The company also has 2 more innovative solutions named Human centric-climate adaptive
building facades and Central integrated daylighting system that are easily affordable, adaptable
and economically viable.
Why Daylight Technology?
i.Daylighting is basically bringing natural sunlight inside the rooms and also the solar energy spectrum
has 45% energy as visible light that can be used to harvest building illumination for about 9-11 hours a
day.
ii.This technology reduces electrical lighting energy consumption by 70-80% with the help of natural
daylight, besides reducing air-conditioning (cooling load) consumption.
Commitment towards climate change:
i.India has set an ambitious target at the COP26 summit in Glasgow to achieve a capacity of 175 GigaWatt
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(GW) of its energy requirement from renewable energy sources by the end of 2022, and committed to
achieve 500 GW by 2030.
ii.At COP 26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of India, presented to the world the five nectar
elements ‘PANCHAMRIT’, as India’s commitment, to deal with the issue of climate change.
• The daylight harvesting technology will contribute to meet one of the commitments of the five
nectars of ‘PANCHAMRIT’ (i.e.), to make India as Net Zero emission country by 2070.
About Department of Science and Technology (DoS&T):
Parent Ministry – Ministry of Science and Technology
Secretary – Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar
NIESBUD signs MoU with MoRD for Implementing the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship
Programme
National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), an autonomous
organisation under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) to develop a
sustainable model for promoting entrepreneurship at the grassroots by initiating the Start-up Village
Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP).
• SVEP is a sub-component of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission
(DAY–NRLM) of the MoRD.
• This will support creating an innovative ecosystem, accelerating economic and social gains at the
community level.
Aim:
To support entrepreneurs in rural areas to set up enterprises at the village level in non-agricultural
sectors.
Key Points:
i.The MoU will enable the rural community and support them to set up their trades and provide complete
support till they are stabilized.
ii.This pragmatic intervention will also provide knowledge, advisory and financial support to the public
and will help create a village-level community cadre.
iii.Under this partnership, rural entrepreneurs will get access to banking systems for receiving financial
support for starting their enterprises, including support from MUDRA bank.
iv.Integrated information and communications technology (ICT) techniques and tools will also be provided
for training and capacity building along with enterprise advisory services to augment the entrepreneurship
ecosystem in India’s villages.
Beneficiaries: The beneficiaries of the project are from the Self-Help Group (SHG) ecosystem of DAY-
NRLM.
The scheme supports both the existing enterprises and new enterprises.
India – Singapore MoU on cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology and
Innovation was signed between the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India and
Ministry of Trade & Industry, Government of Singapore.
• The MoU was signed during the inaugural event of India – Singapore Technology Summit
2022.
• The MoU was signed by Dr. S Chandrasekhar, Secretary, DST, and by Dr. Lee Chuan Teck,
Permanent Secretary, MTI
This MoU will also encourage, develop and facilitate cooperation between India and Singapore in other
fields like Agriculture, Food Science & Technology, Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering, Green
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Economy, Energy, Water, Climate & Natural Resources, Data Science, Emerging Technologies, Advanced
Materials, And Health & Biotechnology.
Features of the MoU:
i.To share experiences on the national research, development, and innovation policies and programmes
of each country.
ii.To exchange and share scientific and technological information by organising Partnership
Development Activities (PDA), workshops, scientific seminars, and conferences.
iii. To conduct conferences that deals with various fields such as issues of common interest, joint research
and development (R&D) projects, including industrial R&D to advance technology development for
commercial outcomes.
iv.This Memorandum will remain in effect for a period of 5 years and will be automatically extended for a
successive period of 5 years.
v.As a follow up to the MoU, an implementation agreement was also signed between the Sanjeev K
Varshney, Adviser & Head of International Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology (DST),
Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India & Edwin Chow, Assistant Chief Executive Officer,
Enterprise Singapore (ESG).
About Ministry of Science & Technology (MoS&T):
Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Dr. Jitendra Singh, (Udhampur constituency, J&K)
Departments under MoS&T – Department of Science & Technology; Department of Biotechnology
Tripartite MoU signed between Ministry of Ayush, CSIR, and ICAR for Collaboration in
Research & Development
Ministry of Ayush has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the 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 and to draw
synergies to the medicinal plants and traditional agricultural practices of India.
• It will also focus on the ‘Ayurved Aahar’ initiative of the Ministry of Ayush and the International
Year of Millets in 2023.
Signatories:
The agreement was signed by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary of Ministry of Ayush, Dr. Trilochan
Mohapatra, Director General of ICAR and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education
(DARE), and Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, Director General, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR.
Highlights:
i.It aims to provide impetus to the national goals on food & agriculture and to focus on specific joint
activities by the three Parties.
ii.The organizations will work in the different areas of agriculture including horti-floriculture,
utilizing traditional food knowledge etc. and focus will be on ensuring food security and enhancing the
livelihoods of the farmers.
iii.A Joint Working Group (JWG) will be formed involving officers from the Ministry of Ayush, ICAR, and
CSIR for effective implementation of the MoU.
• The JWG will meet at least twice a year to follow up on the execution of MoU and suggest
necessary measures for its development.
About The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH):
Union Minister- Sarbananda Sonowal
Minister of State- Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai
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Adani Solar & SPI Jointly Promotes Solar Rooftop Panels in Rural Areas
Adani Solar and Smart Power India (SPI), the Indian subsidiary of Rockefeller Foundation, have signed a
non-financial and non-commercial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for equitable access to last-mile
electricity and to encourage energy transition in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Jharkhand and
Odisha.
• Aim – To promote the usage of solar rooftop panels and achieve 5 MegaWatt (MW) of solar
deployment through Adani Solar’s channel partners.
• The initial phase would start with around 5 channel partners in UP followed by deployment in
other given states.
About the MoU:
i.The objective of the MoU is to support inclusive economic growth and build resilient communities.
ii.This also helps in developing an ecosystem to scale and replicate sustainable businesses which provides
renewable energy for productive use and expand the economic activity to underserved, rural areas in
India.
About rooftop solar (RTS):
i.As per a National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog report, rooftop solar (RTS) power is a
clean source of energy that reduces transmission and distribution losses as the solar generation and
distribution are co-located.
ii.It also offers options to large consumers such as the commercial and industrial (C&I) to optimise costs,
from high tariffs for cross-subsidization
About Smart Power India (SPI):
Smart Power India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rockefeller Foundation.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO) – Jaideep Mukherji
Bangladesh, India, Nepal finalized Enabling MoU to Implement BBIN MVA

The nations of India, Bangladesh and Nepal finalized an enabling Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
for implementing the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) during a
meeting held in New Delhi (Delhi) on March 7-8, 2022.
• Bhutan was an observer.
• This MVA aims to boost regional trade and
people-to-people connectivity by fostering
greater sub-regional cooperation.
• The pending ratification of the MVA by
Bhutan was finalized.
Representors at the Meeting:
India– Smita Pant, joint secretary, Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA)
Bangladesh– ATM Rokebul Haque, director general (South Asia) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)
Nepal– Keshab Kumar Sharma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport
Bhutan’s Observer Team– Thinley Norbu, first secretary in the Bhutanese embassy in New Delhi.
Key Highlights of Meeting:
i.This was the first meeting of the group since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The last meeting
was held in New Delhi in February 2020.
ii.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided technical and knowledge support to the meeting.
iii.The meeting was held to discuss the Passenger and Cargo Protocols that are essential to operationalise
the BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular
Traffic between the participating nations.
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iv.India-Bangladesh-Nepal greed on the speedy signing and operationalization of the BBIN MVA by
finalizing Passenger and Cargo Protocols.
BBIN MVA & Bhutan’s Position:
i.The BBIN MVA for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic between the 4
countries was signed during a transport ministers’ meeting in Thimpu on June 15, 2015. This followed the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) dissent on a regional motor vehicles agreement
between SAARC nations, at a summit in Nepal in 2014, mainly because of opposition from Pakistan.
• Then in 2017, Bhutan temporarily opted out of it after being unable to get parliamentary
approval for the MVA over sustainability and environmental concerns. The 3 other countries
decided at the time to press ahead with the agreement.
ii.Foreign Funding: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has supported the project as part of its South
Asian Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) programme, and has been requested to prioritise about
30 road projects worth billions of dollars.
• The World Bank (WB) also announced its interest in supporting infrastructure. Iy has estimated
an increase in traffic-regional trade within South Asia by nearly 60% with this MVA.
MEA selected Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) for implementing the second phase of the passport seva
programme (PSP) –India’s largest mission-critical e-governance programme.
About the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA):
Union Minister– Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (Rajya Sabha – Gujarat)
Ministers of State– Vellamvelly Muraleedharan (Rajya sabha – Maharashtra); Meenakashi Lekhi
(Constituency- New Delhi, NCT of Delhi); Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (Constituency- Inner Manipur,
Manipur)
BIS signs MoU with IIT Roorkee for establishment of its first ‘BIS Standardization Chair
Professor’
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT-R) signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The agreement establishes the BIS Chair Professor in the field of
Standardization and Conformity Assessment.
• This is the first Standardization Chair of BIS in an educational institution and will also provide
financial support to IIT-R.
Key points:
i.The BIS Standardization Chair will work in research and development, teaching and training with
regards to Standardization and Conformity Assessment.
ii.It will provide leadership in areas of civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, earthquake engineering, water
resources management, sustainable energy projects, biotechnology in medical sciences etc.
iii.It will also promote the development & Innovation in Indian Standards in course curricula of IIT
Roorkee and also facilitate short term courses on standardization in IIT Roorkee.
About Bureau of Indian Standards:
It is a statutory body established under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.
Director General-Pramod Kumar Tiwari
Founded- 1986
Headquarter- New Delhi
HAL Inks Mou with Bengaluru Based Firm SASMOS.

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
SASMOS, Bengaluru-based company to work together in the field of advanced electronics, electrical and
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fibre optics interconnections in the aerospace domain.

Naini Aerospace Limited (NAeL), a subsidiary of HAL was also a signatory to the MoU.
• The MoU is aimed at exploring business cooperation, particularly in northern India, through
utilization of capacity and capabilities of NAeL.
• This tie-up will bring out their expertise in fibre optics, electronics, and electrical interconnected
systems in the aerospace domain through the support of HAL and SASMOS.
About Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL):
An Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, governed by the Indian Ministry of Defence,
Chairman & MD – R. Madhavan
Establishment – 23 December 1940
About SASMOS:
SASMOS HET Technologies Limited is India’s leading manufacturer of electrical harnesses,
electromechanical assemblies and electronic panels, and has a global presence in London, UK.
Founder & Managing Director – Chandrashekar H.G.
Adani Group Signs MoU For 2 Power Projects in Sri Lanka

Adani Group of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sri Lanka for two large power
projects in the Northern Province.
• In 2021, the group bagged a strategic port terminal project in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Key points:
i.The renewable power projects will be executed in two locations of Sri Lanka- Mannar, north-western
coast, and Pooneryn, south of Jaffna Peninsula.
ii.Project aims to generate a combined capacity of 500 MW, at a cost of $ 500 million.
iii.NTPC (Formerly National Thermal Power Corporation) of India and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB)
of Sri Lanka also agreed to set up a 100 MW solar power project in Sampur, Sri Lanka.
iv.Sri Lanka has a daily peak demand of over 2000 MW, and is currently experiencing a severe fuel and
power shortage, resulting in right hour-long power cuts across the country that citizens’ groups have been
protesting.
v.CEB also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with India’s Adani Green Energy Ltd to develop a
500MW wind power project in Mannar but it was not announced yet.
About Sri Lanka:
Capitals- Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte(Administrative); Colombo (Commercial)
Currency-Sri Lankan rupee
President-Gotabaya Rajapaksa
BRO signs MoU with GRSE for construction of 27 double-lane class 70 modular bridges in
Border Areas
On March 15, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked between Border Roads
Organisation (BRO) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) worth around Rs 60 crore for
fabrication, supply, erection and launching of 27 carriageway double lane galvanised modular bridges of
7.5 meters with Indian Road Congress (IRC) Load Class 70 in border areas. It is two-year contract
Signatories:
It was signed by Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, and Officiating
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of GRSE Commodore PR Hari (Retd) in New Delhi (Delhi).
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Key Points:
i.In 2021, BRO had successfully trial evaluated an Indigenous 140 feet Double Lane Modular Bridge of IRC
Load Class 70, supplied by GRSE Ltd. This was first of its kind indigenous bridge on “Flag Hill-Dokala” Road
in Sikkim at an altitude of 11,000 feet by Karamyogis of Project Swastik.
ii.These bridges could be launched within 45 days of handing over the site by the units.
iii.The IRC Load Class 70 classification enables these bridges to enhance the operational preparedness of
the security forces in the forward areas.
WOLP Signs MoU with Haryana Govt to Set up Warehouses in the State; WOLP To Invest Rs.
1500 Crores
Welspun One Logistics Parks (WOLP) and Government of Haryana signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for the development of large scale warehousing facilities in Haryana, WOLP will
invest Rs.1500 Crores.
Highlights:
i.The project aims to explore the available government land parcels to build Grade A warehousing facilities
across key warehousing micro-markets.
ii.Welspun Group will invest under the integrated fund Rs 1,500 crores in Haryana for the warehousing
infrastructure and development.
iii.The developmental projects will be around 5 million square feet of land over 3-4 years and will also help
generate more than 4,500 jobs.
iv.Recently WOLP forayed into north India with the acquisition of two land parcels in Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh and Farukhnagar in Haryana.
• The development cost of Rs. 180 crore will be executed under WOLP first Alternate Investment
Fund.Earlier WOLP partnered with Karnataka & Tamil Nadu
About Haryana:
Governor- Bandaru Dattatreya
Dance- Khoria Dance,Holi Dance
Ramsar site-Sultanpur National Park and Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary
JSW Cement signs MoU with PRESPL to use Agri-Waste as Biomass Energy
JSW Cement signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Punjab Renewable Energy Systems
Private Limited(PRESPL) for the sustainable usage of agricultural waste as biomass energy in its cement
manufacturing operations.
• PRESPL is India’s largest biomass aggregation and densification company.
What is in the MoU?
i.The PRESPL will facilitate the services of building a supply chain of agricultural waste that would be
utilized as biomass energy in the clinkerization and grinding process of JSW Cement.
ii.JSW Cement will use agri-waste as fuel. It will reduce dependency on coal and cut its carbon emissions.
• It will also improve the ambient air quality of the local environment and help in increasing
farmers income.
Goals of JSW Cement:
i.It has committed to ‘Climate Ambition 2050’ to deliver carbon neutral concrete by 2050 under
membership of Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA).
ii.It is also planning to reduce its carbon emissions intensity by almost half in 11 years (from FY2015 to FY
2026).
Note- India’s goal to reduce the emissions intensity of its economy by 45% cut in its emissions intensity
from the 2005 level by 2030
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About JSW Cement:

Managing Director- Parth Jindal
CSL and DCI Signed An Agreement To Build India’s First Make in India Dredger
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) signed an agreement with Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI) to
build India’s first Make in India dredger in collaboration with the Industriële Handels
Combinatie (IHC) Holland. The construction of the dredger costs around Rs 920 crore and will be
delivered in 34 months.
i.The initiative to build the indegenous dredger is to promote ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-reliant).
ii.IHC Holland is a Dutch firm, which provides basic design and technical assistance for a dredger.
Objective:
The objective of the dredger is to fulfil the Maritime India Vision 2030, with well-equipped dredgers for
operation of ports to bring down the logistic cost of the cargo.
Note:
Dredging – Dredging is the process of desilting river bodies, or removal of soil, mud, and dirt at the shores
or the bottom.
About The Dredger:
A dredger is a boat which is fitted with a special machine that is used to increase the size of harbours,
rivers, and canals.
i.The 127-metre-long, 28-metre-wide vessel (dredger) is based on the ‘Beagle’ platform of IHC.
ii.The ‘first beagle’ series is a 12 Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) with a capacity of 12,000 cubic
metre.
iii.As all the TSHD dredgers were owned and operated by DCI from foreign countries. CSL takes a step
forward to build India’s largest dredger within the country.
iv.The construction of the vessel leads to a port development initiative of the government of India.
Additional Information:
Dredge Brahmaputra vessel
The DCI Dredge Brahmaputra vessel, is used for desilting water bodies at a large scale and will be
instrumental in facilitating the smooth mobility of both freight and passenger vessels.
About Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI)
MD & CEO of DCI – Dr G.Y.V Victor
Headquarters of DCI: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Major shares of DCI Visakhapatnam dredging company are held by the association of four major port
authorities,
• Visakhapatnam Port
• Paradip Port
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port
• Deendayal Port
About Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL)
Chairman & MD of CSL – Madhu Nair
Headquarters of CSL: Kochi, Kerala
HSL, Eker Group, And Vaan Moto Collaborate to Build Speed Boats
Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has signed a tripartite agreement to produce speed boats with Eker
Group of Norway and Vaan Moto of Kerala in order to explore new opportunities in the field of high-
speed boat production and accelerate business growth.
i.The trio has entered into this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build speed boats in India as
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part of India’s AtmaNirbhar Bharat initiative, which aims to make the country self-sufficient.
ii.Under this MoU, high-end boats are to be built with smart, flexible solutions with superior
maneuverability that can be operated from shore up to a maximum speed of 75 knots. Additionally, it has a
complement of four crew and four passengers and is equipped with navigation and communication
gadgets.
iii.These platforms can easily adapt to the roles of Search and Rescue, surveillance, Anti-Submarine
Warfare, Mine Countermeasures, ambulance, fire, harbour control and close protection.
Note:
• Eker Group – a Norwegian Company which is a leading player in design, development and
manufacturing and has long experience with industries like transportation, health and high
technology electronics.
• Vaan Electric Moto Pvt Ltd., is a motor vehicle manufacturing company based in Kerala, India.
About Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL):
A premier shipbuilding organization of India located on the east coast of Indian peninsula, at
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Chairman & MD – Hemant Khatri
NMDC signs MoU with IIT Kharagpur for Drone-Based Mineral Exploration
India’s largest iron ore manufacturer National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) Limited has
inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Drone-Based Mineral Exploration with Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.
This partnership will produce spectral products, methodologies, and algorithms for mining exploration
employing drones (UAVs), which will lead to the development of software spectral tools for mineral
excavation and mining technology capacity-building programmes.
Key Points:
i.NMDC has been exploring a wide range of minerals, including the minerals mentioned under the United
Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Resources (UNFC).
ii.With this collaboration, NMDC will become India’s first Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) to
perform Drone-based Geophysical Surveys and Hyperspectral Studies for Mineral Exploration,
setting a new standard in the field of mineral exploration.
iii. NMDC is exploring for various minerals in Madhya Pradesh as well as diamonds in the Beloda –
Belmundi block in Chhattisgarh. It is also the first CPSE in the Central Indian Diamond Province to use
space geophysics, as well as the first to use online monitoring of data exploration on
the BHUVAN platform.
iv.By launching a policy on drones, the Indian government has taken the first step in regulating and
monitoring drone usage and operations in India, where they are now employed in agriculture, urban
planning, forestry, mining, disaster management, surveillance, and transportation, among other industries.
About National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) Limited:
It is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the Government of India (GoI) and is administered by the
Ministry of Steel.
Chairman & Managing Director – Sumit Deb
Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana
OneWeb Ties With SpaceX to Resume its LEO Satellite Launches

OneWeb, the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company of Bharti Enterprises and Other
investors signed an agreement with SpaceX to resume the launch of satellites.
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• The first launch with SpaceX is expected in 2022 and will add to OneWeb’s total in-orbit
constellation that is currently at 428 satellites, or 66% of the fleet.
• OneWeb’s network will deliver high speed, low latency global connectivity.
Key points:
i.The deal with SpaceX will allow OneWeb to complete its remaining satellite launches from Texas, United
States (US), which were struck due to Russia-Ukraine conflicts.
ii.Earlier, the launch was planned from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome. But since the UK (United
Kingdom) government has a 19.8 % stake in OneWeb, Russian space agency Roscosmos demanded the
withdrawal of the UK from the project.
Note-
• The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport in Kazakhstan leased to Russia.
• It is the world’s first spaceport for orbital and human launches and the largest operational space
launch facility.
In March 2022, the OneWeb also got approval from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under
the Ministry of Communications to set up satellite earth stations in India.
• The company will start offering their services in India by mid-2022.
About SpaceX:
Founded- 2002
CEO- Elon Musk
Headquarters- Hawthorne, California, United States
Omnispace Forms Strategic Partnership with Nelco to Provide 5G NTN Service

Omnispace, a pioneer in global communications services (based in United States) and Nelco Limited, a
TATA Group company & a leading satellite communication (Satcom) service provider in India have signed
a strategic cooperation agreement to enable and distribute 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN), direct-to-
device satellite services.
The collaborative effort aims to expand the reach of 5G using satellite communication throughout India
and South Asia.
• Through this agreement, Omnispace emerged as the fifth Satcom operator actively waiting for the
Indian market to provide satellite-based broadband connectivity.
• The four operators who already have an interest in the Indian market are: Elon Musk’s Star Link,
Canadian Telesat, Bharti-backed OneWeb, and Jio’s partnership with SES.
Highlights:
i.The strategic alliance will benefit business critical applications such as Aero IFC and maritime
communication as it will focus on enabling the use of 5G direct-to-device communications using
Omnispace’s global NGSO satellite network across various market segments.
ii.It is aided with Internet of Things (IoT)-based solutions and seamless mobile connectivity experiences
beyond the boundaries of existing mobile networks by the Omnispace network.
iii. It will expand Nelco’s service space by inducting 5G satellite direct-to-device connectivity solutions to
its already existing Satcom services. It can now service both new and existing consumers throughout South
Asia with the world’s first global 5G NTN network.
iv.Hybrid Network: Since Omnispace is establishing the world’s first truly global hybrid mobile network,
its global network will be based on 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G NTN standards, offering
seamless interoperability across cellular and satellite networks, delivering the power of 5G to any
compatible device.
• The hybrid network enables the customers to connect their device with the terrestrial network as
well as their satellite network in areas that are outside terrestrial coverage.
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Similar Agreement of Nelco with Telesat, Canada:

Nelco has already collaborated with the Canadian satellite operator, Telesat, on terrestrial facilities,
commercial distribution and regulatory frameworks to offer Telesat Low Earth Orbit (LEO) global satellite
connectivity in India.
• Their fast satellite broadband services are expected to be delivered in India by 2024.
• Telesat LEO is a next-generation satellite constellation which will help in bridging the digital
divide in remote and challenging locations.
• It will also aid in accelerating 5G expansion, enable new levels of performance for enterprise,
telecom, mobility and government broadband connectivity on land, air and sea.
About Nelco Limited:
A part of the Tata Group and a leading Satellite Communication (SatCom or VSAT) Service Provider in
India, providing highly reliable data connectivity solutions in India.
Managing Director & CEO – P J Nath
Headquarters – Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Omnispace:
A frontrunner of global communications that is delivering a unique, 5G-based ‘one global network’
specifically designed to meet the communications needs of 21st century users.
President & CEO – Ram Viswanathan
Headquarters – Tysons, Virginia(VA), United States
IGSTC signs MoU with Tata Steel & LoI with BASF for Scientific Cooperation & Partnerships
On March 21, 2022, Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU), and Letter of Intent (LoI) with Tata Steel Ltd and Mumbai (Maharashtra)-
based BASF Chemicals India Pvt Ltd (BASF), respectively.
• IGSTC has been established by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt of India,
and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
IGSTC’s MoU with Tata Steel Ltd:
Under this MoU, there will be a joint collaborative Research & Innovation (R&I) framework to facilitate
new technologies development, conduct thought leadership workshops, and support human capital
development. Their collaboration will also focus on innovation in the areas of Climate change, Greening of
the Industrial sector, Emerging technologies in new materials.
IGSTC’s LoI with BASF:
This partnership will foster Science and Technology led innovations through Indo-German R&D
networking, and research in PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode.
• BASF will jointly support the IGSTC’s Industrial Fellowships under the categories of Ph.D.
Industrial Fellowships and Post-Doctoral Fellowships by providing exposure to young Indian
researchers at BASF facilities in Germany.
Tripartite Agreement Signed between ICIMOD, NDPL & SDCL to Promote Yak Dairy
Enterprise in Nepal
On March 23, 2022, a tripartite agreement was signed between the International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Surketham Dairy Cooperative Limited (SDCL), and Nepal Dairy
Pvt. Ltd (NDPL). It will promote yak dairy enterprise to sustain the age-old yak herding culture in the
highlands of Eastern Nepal.
• They will collaborate in processing, product diversification, and market linkages for yak products.
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Signatories:
i.Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD,
ii.Heramba B. Rajbhandary, Executive Chairman, NDPL,
iii.Maita Bahadur Libang, Chairperson, SDCL
Aim:
To develop a viable yak-based business model to generate employment opportunities for rural youth in the
Kangchenjunga Landscape of Nepal.
Reason behind this partnership:
Due to climate change and socioeconomic issues the interest in yak herding is reduced. In 2009, SDCL, an
institution formed by the yak and cattle farmers in Panchthar district, Nepal, ventured into yak dairy
processing. However, it has not been able to succeed. Now, to save yaks and yak farming culture from
extinction, the Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KLCDI) under ICIMOD
approached NDPL for this partnership.
HP Government signs MoU with NIPER as Knowledge Partner for Medical Devices Park in
Nalagarh, Solan
Government of Himachal Pradesh (HP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National
Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, Punjab as Knowledge Partner for
upcoming Medical Devices Park, Nalagarh in Solan, HP.
• The approval for MoU was given by the Board of Members from the Department of
Pharmaceuticals (DoP) under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
Signatories:
The MoU was signed between Rakesh Kumar Prajapati, Director Industries cum Managing Director,
HPSIDC, on behalf of the HP Government and Professor Dulal Panda, Director of NIPER, Mohali.
Key points:
i.Himachal Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation Limited (HPSIDC) is the State Implementing
Agency for conception, development and execution of Medical Devices Park.
ii.A Centre for Excellence (CoE) in the Medical Devices Park will be set up by NIPER Mohali, which will
provide Industry-Academia linkage.
iii.Funding- The HP State Planning Department sanctioned Rs. 74.95 crore to the HPSIDC for development
of the Medical Park.
• The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) will also provide the first installment worth Rs. 30
crore of grant-in aid in the coming days.
iv.An Investment Outreach Program will be organized with investors across India and countries such as
Israel, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Germany to facilitate cutting-edge technology in the Medical
Devices sector.
About Himachal Pradesh:
Chief Minister-Jai Ram Thakur
Wildlife Sanctuary -Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Lipa Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary
Festivals – Manali Winter Carnival, Lohri – Makar Sankranti, Halda
IIE signs MoU with MoRD to support Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)
The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati, Assam under the Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
• Objective- The MoU was signed to support the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme
(SVEP) by promoting entrepreneurship.
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Signatories:
The MoU was signed between Dr. Lalit Sharma, Director of IIE, and Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Director of
MoRD.
Highlights:
i.IIE will act as a National Resource Organisation (NRO) for the SVEP and will provide support to
the State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) for the implementation.
ii.The NRO will perform the two task-
• Implementation Role, which includes direct SVEP implementation in the blocks as
implementing partners with the States.
• Programme Scale-Up Role, where IIE will be responsible for scaling up the scheme based on the
blocks’ experience with the SVEP and their prior experience with entrepreneurship development
programmes.
What is Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)?
The Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), the sub scheme of the National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) will promote and provide employment opportunities in rural India.
Key points:
i.It aims to develop local resources by training a pool of village level Cadre of Community Resource
Persons-Enterprise Promotion (CRP-EP).
ii.It helps in building the capacity of the NRLM and SHG federations to monitor, direct the work of the CRP-
EPs.
iii.It will provide support for rural entrepreneurs to access finance for starting their enterprises from the
NRLM SHGs and federations, the banking systems including the MUDRA (Micro Units Development &
Refinance Agency Ltd.).
About Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE):
It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
Location -Guwahati, Assam
Established– 1993
India & WHO Sign Pact to Set up Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat
Ministry of Ayush (MoA), Government of India signed an Host Country agreement with the World Health
Organization (WHO) to set up the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO-GCTM) in Jamnagar,
Gujarat.
• The onsite launch of the new WHO -GCTM will take place on April 21, 2022.
• Jamnagar will serve as the hub, the new centre is being designed to engage and benefit all regions
of the world.
Objective:
To support countries in developing policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine
as part of their journey to universal health coverage and a healthier, fairer and safer world.
Key points:
i.The Centre will be supported by an investment of ~USD 250 million from the Government of India.
ii.It will provide people from different regions to have access to safe and effective treatment.
iii.The traditional medicine implies ancient practices such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine and herbal
mixtures as well as modern medicines to maintain sustainable health and environment.
iv.This new centre will support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-
2023.
v.The interim office of the centre will be at the Institute of Training and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in
Gujarat. The agreement was signed in Geneva by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush and
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. The GCTM will be the first and only Global
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Centre for traditional medicine across the world.

About World Health Organization (WHO):
Director-General-Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
Founded- 1948
Union Minister Piyush Goyal unveils India-UAE Trade Pact, CEPA

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry unveiled the Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at a press conference
held on 28 March 2022 during his visit to the UAE. The document for the same was released by the Indian
Embassy, Abu Dhabi.
• The minister visited UAE to participate in ‘Investopia Summit’ on March 28, 2022and ‘World
Government Summit’ on March 29, 2022, both venues at Dubai.
Key Points about CEPA:
i.It is the first full free trade Agreement to be signed by India with any country in the past decade. It is
expected to enter into force on May 1, 2022.
ii.The negotiations for CEPA were concluded in a record span of 88 days. The Agreement is expected to
enter into force on 01 May 2022.
iii.It was signed with a view to boost bilateral trade to USD 100 billion over a 5-year period and creation
of lakhs of jobs.
Background:
On February 18, 2022, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy
Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi met
virtually where CEPA was signed by Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, UAE, and Indian
Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
Setting up of Councils as part of CEPA:
i.Both sides agreed to set up a technical council on Investment, Trade Promotion and Facilitation to
promote/monitor investment and trade cooperation, identify opportunities for expanding investment and
trade, among others.
• The council will also identify and work towards the removal of impediments and seek views of
the private sector.
ii.The Leaders also agreed to set up an India – UAE Cultural Council to facilitate and promote cross-
cultural exchanges, cultural projects, exhibitions and dialogue between thought leaders of the two
countries.
• The initiative will be coordinated by the Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, UAE, and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations
(ICCR).
iii.Both sides have also agreed to a separate Annex on Pharmaceuticals to facilitate access of Indian
pharmaceuticals products, especially automatic registration and marketing authorisation in 90 days for
products meeting specified criteria.
Features of India-UAE CEPA:
i.The agreement aims to establish a clear, transparent, and predictable legal framework that supports
further expansion of trade.
ii.Under this both sides reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded
between them.
• CEPA covers almost all the tariff lines dealt in by India (11,908 tariff lines) and the UAE (7581
tariff lines) respectively.
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• India will benefit from preferential market access provided by the UAE on over 97% of its tariff
lines which account for 99% of Indian exports to the UAE in value terms.
• India will also be offering preferential access to the UAE on over 90% of its tariff lines, including
lines of export interest to the UAE.
iii.UAE will be chaired by the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, or the authorised representative
thereof, and India will be chaired by the Joint Secretary (or equivalent), Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
iv.Areas: Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary
and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Dispute Settlement, Movement of Natural Persons, Telecom, Customs
Procedures, Pharmaceutical products, Government Procurement, IPR, Investment, Digital Trade and
Cooperation in other Areas.
v.India has offered market access to the UAE in around 100 sub-sectors, while Indian service providers will
have access to around 111 sub-sectors from the 11 broad service.
India-UAE Partnership:
i.UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner.
ii.UAE is also the second largest export destination of India,
iii.UAE is the eight largest investor in India with an estimated investment of US$ 18 billion.
iv.Bilateral trade between India and the UAE stood at USD 43.3 billion in 2020-21.
On 25th January, Chairman of Startup Committee of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
&Industry) & HCL founder, Dr Ajai Chowdhry launched the India-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Venture
Capital (VC) Fund of worth $150 million from the India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai, UAE.
About United Arab Emirates (UAE):
Capital-Abu Dhabi
Currency– Dirham
Airport Operators Join Together and Sign an MoU to Study SAF in India
Airport operators Groupe ADP and GMR Airports together with Airbus, Axens and Safran have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct a joint study on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and
their potential in India.
The objective of the study is to understand and evaluate the demand, the challenges and opportunities of
supply, infrastructure, and fueling, as well as to prepare a business case for SAF production and use in
India for all kinds of aviation purposes.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF):
• SAF is a biofuel produced from sustainable resources such as waste oils from a biological origin,
agriculture residues, municipal solid wastes or algae, rather than being refined from petroleum.
• It is a clean alternative to fossil jet fuels that is used to power aircraft. It has similar properties to
conventional jet fuel but with a lower carbon footprint.
• SAF can significantly reduce life-cycle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions due to its lower carbon
intensity when compared to traditional jet fuel. SAF produced using the most advanced pathways
can provide Carbon-di-oxide (CO2) emission reduction of up to 85% across the entire SAF
lifecycle.
Key Points:
i.In 2009, the aviation industry formed the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), under which it has
agreed to the world’s first set of sector-specific climate change targets.
ii.Because the aviation sector contributes 2–3% of CO2 emissions globally when compared to other
sectors, they have included targets such as carbon neutral growth from 2020 and a 50% reduction in
carbon emissions by 2050 relative to a 2005 baseline.
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iii. The ATAG commitments were changed in 2021 to strive for Net Zero in 2050, in line with current global
roadmaps specified in the Paris Agreement under a 1.5-degree Celsius temperature limit scenario.
iv.India, the world’s third largest domestic aviation market, is expected to develop at a rate of roughly 9%
per year in the upcoming years.
v.Using SAF will be a vital part of meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s carbon reduction and
net-zero targets for India by 2070.
Assam and Meghalaya signed a pact to resolve 5 decade old border dispute in six places
On March 29, 2022, the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Chief Minister of
Meghalaya Conrad Sangma in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah had signed a pact to resolve
the protracted border dispute in six out of twelve places along the 884.9 Kilometre border between the
two states.
Key Points
i.The day is called as ‘Historic day’ as it resolves five-decade old border dispute between Assam and
Meghalaya, since the demarcation of Meghalaya from Assam in 1972 also Meghalaya has issues with the
Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971.
ii.The First Phase of settlement covers 36 villages situated in six places (Hahim, Gizang, Tarabari,
Boklapara, Khanapara-Pilingkata, Ratacherra) out of twelve covering an area of 36.79 square
kilometres.
iii.The Joint ministerial level regional committees formed by both the states proposed five mutually agreed
principles to resolve the dispute – historical perspective, ethnicity of local population, contiguity with
boundary, people’s will and administrative convenience.
iv.According to which a joint final set of recommendations were made – out of 36.79 square kilometres of
disputed area taken up for settlement, Assam will get full control of 18.51 square kilometres and
Meghalaya would get 18.28 square kilometres.
v.The next step will involve delineation and demarcation of the boundary by Survey of India in the
presence of representatives from both governments. It will then proceed for Parliamentary approval.
About Assam:
i.Assam shares a 2743 kilometre boundary with Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal
Pradesh, Nagaland and West Bengal.
ii.Assam has border disputes with Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.
Capital – Dispur
Governor – Jagadish Mukhi
Chief minister – Himanta Biswa Sarma (Constituency – Jalukbari)
About Meghalaya:
Capital – Shillong
Governor – Satya Pal Malik
Chief minister – Conrad Sangma (Constituency – South Tura)
COMMITTEES & MEETINGS

PM Modi Joined The Quad Leaders Meet To Focus On “Indo-Pacific Developments”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has participated in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD)
leaders virtual meeting along with President of United States of America (USA) Joseph R Biden, Prime
Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, and Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, which focused on the
Indo-Pacific developments.
i.In March, 2021, Biden hosted the first-ever summit of the Quad leaders in the virtual format.
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Objective:
i.The Quad focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific
region.
ii.Modi called for cooperation within the Quad, in areas like Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, debt
sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building.
Quad Summit on March, 2022:
i.The Quad discussed the developments in Ukraine, including its humanitarian implications.
ii.The Prime Minister emphasised the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
iii.The leaders discussed topical issues, situation in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific
Islands.
iv.Modi reiterated the importance of adhering to the United Nations (UN) Charter, International law and
respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
v.The leaders agreed to carry the agenda for the forthcoming in-person Quad summit in Japan 2022.
Quad Summit on March, 2021:
The Quad vaccine partnership was announced in March,2021 with an aim to deliver 100 crore doses of
vaccines to the Indo-Pacific region by the end of 2022.
Quad Summit on September, 2021:
The in-person summit was held in Washington, America in September and the Quad has been focusing on
cooperation in areas such as:
• Producing vaccines
• Connectivity projects
• Facilitating the mobility of students
• Looking at promoting startups
• Technology collaboration
What is QUAD:
‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ (QSD), the Quad is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations,
namely United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan.
The group met for the first time in 2007 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN). The primary objective of the Quad is to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-
Pacific region.
SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida visited India to attend 14th India-Japan annual summit 2022 in
New Delhi
The Prime Minister (PM) of Japan, Fumio Kishida, was on a two-day visit to India to attend 14th India-
Japan summit 2022 on March 19-20,2022 in New
Delhi, Delhi. He was invited by the Indian PM
Narendra Modi.
• This was Fumio Kishida’s first visit to the
country since he took charge of the office
last year, and also his first meeting with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The last India-Japan summit took place in
2018 in Tokyo.
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About India-Japan Summit:

The Summit provide an opportunity for both sides to review and strengthen the bilateral cooperation in
diverse areas as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. India and Japan
have multi-faceted cooperation within the ambit of their ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’.
List of MoUs/Agreements signed during 14th India-Japan Annual Summit 2022:
Sl. Japanese
No. Agreement Indian signatory signatory
Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the field Satoshi
of Cybersecurity for information sharing, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Suzuki,
1 capacity building programs and cooperation. Foreign Secretary Ambassador
Both sides finalized 7 loans from Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) JICA
Loans worth Rs 20400 crores for projects in
connectivity, water supply and sewerage,
horticulture, healthcare, and biodiversity
conservation in various States. These are:
i.Dedicated Freight Corridor Project (Phase 2)
(III)
ii.North East Road Network Connectivity
Improvement Project (NH208 (Khowai –
Sabroom)) Phase 6
iii.Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage
Project (Phase 3) (II)
iv.Uttarakhand Integrated Horticulture
Development Project
v. Strengthening Health Systems and Excellence
of Medical Education in Assam
vi.Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Ajay Seth Secretary, Satoshi
Greening Project Phase –II Department of Suzuki,
2 vii.Chennai Metro (Phase 2) (II) Economic Affairs (DEA) Ambassador
Amendment of Article 7 (Exchange of
Information) of Implementing Agreement (IA)
signed between India and Japan as per Article Satoshi
13 of India-Japan Comprehensive Economic B.V.R Subrahmanyam, Suzuki,
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) Commerce Secretary Ambassador
Amendment of Annex 2 (Product Specific rules)
of CEPA to allow the fish surimi product of India Satoshi
with the non-originating additive to be Suzuki,
3 considered as an originating good of India. B.V.R Subrahmanyam Ambassador
MoC on Decentralized Domestic Wastewater
Management was signed to introduce Johkasou
technology in India by Japanese companies for
decentralized waste water treatment.
· It is used in areas where sewage infrastructure Minister,
4 has not yet been developed. Minister, Jal Shakti Environment
Both sides agreed on India-Japan Industrial
Competitiveness Partnership Roadmap to
implement the MoC on India-Japan Industrial
Competitiveness Partnership that was signed in Anurag Jain, Secretary,
November 2021. Department for
· It seeks to address issues that Japanese Promotion of Industry
companies face in India, through a fast-track and Internal Trade Vice Minister,
5 mechanism. (DPIIT) METI
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· It includes cooperation in Micro, Small and

Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector and supply
chain matters.
MoC signed on Sustainable Urban Development.
It Builds on the 2007 Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on Urban Development to
include smart cities development, affordable
housing, urban flood management, wastewater Minister, Ministry of
management, Intelligent Transport Housing and Urban
6 Management System etc. Affairs (MoHUA) Minister, MLIT
Launch of Clean Energy Partnership:
During the summit, India and Japan launched a Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) for cooperation towards
achieving sustainable economic growth, addressing climate change and ensuring energy security. It will
also boost job creation, innovation and investments.
• The implementation of the partnership will be undertaken under the existing ‘India-Japan
Energy Dialogue’ established in 2007 and will substantially expand the areas of collaboration for
mutual benefit like waste management, clean steel, clean construction, electric vehicles, solar
energy, and water management, among others.
Japan to invest $42 billion in India over five years
Japan has raise its investment target in India to 5 trillion yen which is around USD 42 billion (Rs 3.20
lakh crore) over the next five years.
• The investment target of 3.5 trillion Japanese yen ($29 billion) announced in 2014 has been
achieved in 2014-2019.
Key Points
i.The two Prime Ministers committed to continue further discussions for establishing the Joint Crediting
Mechanism (JCM) between India and Japan for the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
ii.Both sides adopted a Japan-India Summit Joint Statement Partnership for a Peaceful, Stable and
Prosperous Post-COVID World.
iii.Tokyo has revoked Moscow’s (Russia) most-favoured nation status amid the attacks on Ukraine. It has
also limited transactions with Russia’s central banks.
PM Modi gifts Fumio Kishida a sandalwood artifact, Krishna Pankhi
PM Narendra Modi gifted Fumio Kishida a ‘Krishna Pankhi’, a sandalwood artifact by master artisans in
Churu in Rajasthan with intricate work with its windows depicting different poses of Lord Krishna,
representing love, compassion and tenderness.
• The Pankhi (hand fan) is carved with traditional tools and has a hand carved peacock figure at
top, India’s national bird.
• The pure sandalwood grows mainly in the forests of southern parts of India.
i.A Record of Discussions (RoD) has been inked between the Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) and Tamil Nadu’s (TN) Health and Family Welfare Department for Prevention and Control of Non-
Communicable Diseases (NCD) in TN project.
ii.A Maritime Partnership Exercise was held between Indian Navy (IN) and Japan Maritime Self-Defence
Force (JMSDF) in the Bay of Bengal in a non-contact mode amid COVID-19. The Indian side was
represented by Indian Naval Ships (INS) Shivalik and INS Kadmatt while JMSDF Ships Uraga and Hirado
the participated from Japanese side.
About Japan:
Currency– Japanese Yen
Capital– Tokyo
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PM Narendra Modi and PM of Australia Scott Morrison hold 2nd India Australia Virtual
Summit 2022
On March 21, 2022, the 2nd India-Australia Virtual Summit was held between the Prime Minister (PM) of
India Narendra Modi, and Australian PM Scott John Morrison where both sides reaffirmed their
commitment to the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
• The first virtual summit was held between
India and Australia, both members of the
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad,
on June 4, 2020.
List of documents announced/signed during
India-Australia Virtual Summit
Apart from a Joint Statement, following
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed
during the summit:
i.MoU between Prasar Bharati, India and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Australia signed for
cooperation, co-production and joint broadcasting of programmes spanning across multiple genres.
• Under this, the reach of DD News, DD India and multiple language services of DD News will be
expanded amongst the Indian Diaspora in Australia
• Under this MoU both sides will also exchange programmes (Radio and Television content) in the
fields of culture, education, science, entertainment, sports, news, travel, music and arts.
• There will also be an exchange of professionals, organizing training for technical knowhow and
programme production, etc.
ii.MoU between Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL), India and Critical Minerals Facilitation
Office (CMFO), Australia was signed.
• It will establish a framework for joint investments in Australian projects to mine critical minerals.
• Notably, Australia accounts for 55% of global lithium production and over 20% of global lithium
deposits. It also has the largest reserves of cobalt and vanadium, which are used for the
manufacturing of mobile phones, electric cars, solar panels and other hi-tech applications.
iii.Letter of Arrangement between India and Australia for Educational Qualifications Recognition was
also signed.
• Under this, there will be establishment of a Taskforce on Education Qualifications Recognition
which will deliver a cooperative mechanism, within 6 months of its establishment, to improve
arrangements for the recognition of qualifications for access to higher education, and to support
employment opportunities.
iv.Letter of Intent (LoI) regarding Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement was signed to
support enhanced mobility for students and professionals.
Documents Announced during the Summit
i.Establishment of Annual Summit between India and Australia (Announced)
ii.Establishment of General Rawat India-Australia Young Defence Officers’ Exchange Programme
iii.Return of 29 artefacts by Government of Australia
• These artefacts comprise sculptures, paintings and photographs, across centuries, some dating
back to the 9th-10th century, from different parts of India including 12th century Chola bronzes,
11th-12th century Jain sculptures from Rajasthan, 12th-13th century sandstone Goddess
Mahisasuramardini from Gujarat, 18th-19th century paintings and early gelatin silver
photographs.
iv.Similar Tax benefits for investments by Australia’s sovereign and pension funds in India as in Australia
v.Matching funds as Australia of the amount of AUD 10 million or approx. Rs 56 crores for Pacific Island
Countries under Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS)
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vi.Matching funds as Australia of the amount of AUD 10 million or approx. Rs 56 crores for Pacific Island
Countries under International Solar Alliance (ISA)
Key Points from Joint Statement/India-Australia Engagements:
i.The Australian government will establish a new Centre for Australia-India Relations, to be based in
Australia, with funding of $28.1 million over four years to expand exchange and cooperation with India.
• It will focus on four key areas of work viz. promoting policy dialogue; building Australian
business literacy and links; engaging Australia’s Indian diaspora communities to support the
Australia-India bilateral relationship, and -deepening cultural connections and understanding.
• The Centre will also administer the $20.8 million Maitri (friendship) scholars, fellowship
programs and cultural partnership.
ii.As India is set for the 2023 G20 presidency, both sides agreed to work closely on economic issues of
global interests and concerns.
iii.To enhance trade and investment ties, PMs re-committed to conclude an Interim Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) at the earliest.
iv.They also agreed on the early resolution of the issue of taxation of offshore income of Indian firms under
the India Australia Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).
v.Both sides look forward to the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) to be held on June 13, 2022 in
Geneva, Switzerland; and for India’s participation in the Sydney Energy Forum on clean energy supply
chains in the Indo-Pacific to be held in July 2022.
vi.There is extension of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) which seeks collaboration on
science, technology and research
vii.There is LoI between India and Australia on New and Renewable Energy Technology, to decrease the
cost of low and zero emissions technologies .
viii.Australia is supporting India’s Gaganyaan Space Program.
ix.There will be increased cooperation between India’s National Investment and Infrastructure
Fund (NIIF) and Australia’s Future Fund, a sovereign wealth fund; along with deepening of defence
cooperation to address security and defence threats.
Key Regional Commitments:
i.India-Australia called for the immediate cessation of violence against civilian populations in Myanmar.
They urged Myanmar to implement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Five-Point
Consensus.
ii.Leaders also reiterated their commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people by
adhering counter terrorism commitments and human rights, in accordance with UNSCR (United Nations
Security Council Resolution) 2593.
PM Scott Morrison announces investment of about Rs 1500 crore
The Australian PM announces an investment package of about Rs 1,500 crore (estimated 280 million
Australian dollar) to boost ties with India in areas such as clean technologies, space and innovation.
• This will include Rs 183 crore for cooperation in clean technology and critical minerals and Rs
136 crore for enhancing ties in the space sector.
i.On February 11, 2022, Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA),
participated in the 4th Japan- Australia-India-United States (US) (Quad) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting 2022 in
Melbourne (Australia).
ii.On February 11, 2022, India and Australia signed a MoU on Tourism cooperation in the field of Tourism
to enhance cooperation and encourage expansion of bilateral relations in tourism.
About Australia:
Capital– Canberra
Currency– Australian Dollar
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2nd India-Indonesia Security Dialogue held in Jakarta, Indonesia

On 17th March 2022, the second India-Indonesia Security Dialogue (IISD) was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The 2nd IISD was co-chaired by Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser (NSA) of India and Mohammad
Mahfud, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs of Indonesia.
• Both have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for Security Dialogue
between the Coordinating Ministry for
Political, Legal, and Security Affairs of
Indonesia and the National Security Council
Secretariat of India.
IISD:
The IISD is a forum that brings together the
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security
Affairs of Indonesia and the National Security Adviser of India to discuss and enhance cooperation between
the two countries on political and security issues.
Key Points:
i.At the 2nd IISD, Mohammad Mahfud and Ajit Doval discussed several shared priorities between both
countries, which included a review of the current global and security issues, countering terrorism and
violent extremism, and enhancing maritime, defence, and cyber security cooperation.
ii.They also recognised the importance of traditional friendly relationships and the Comprehensive
Strategic Partnership between India and Indonesia.
iii.This IISD will support strengthening cooperation between both countries and will help to overcome the
common challenges and identify opportunities for close collaboration in the field of political and security
issues.
Additional info:
The first IISD, held in 2018 in New Delhi, Delhi, was led by Ajit Doval, NSA of India and H Wiranto
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs of Indonesia.
The 1st IISD agreed on operational cooperation in security and counter-terrorism.
About Indonesia:
President– Joko Widodo
Capital– Nusantara
Currency– Indonesian rupiah
Highlights of Wings India 2022: Asia’s Largest Event on Civil Aviation held in Hyderabad,
Telangana
On March 24-27, 2022, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) jointly organized Wings India 2022 on the
theme ‘India@75: New Horizon for Aviation Industry’ at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, Telangana,
India. Telangana is the host state of the event.
• Wings India is a forum connecting buyers, sellers, investors, and other stakeholders for new
business acquisition, investments, policy formation and regional connectivity.
• It is Asia’s largest event on Civil Aviation (Commercial, General and Business Aviation)
CSIR-NAL showcases civil aircraft initiatives at Wings India 2022
CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research)-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bengaluru,
Karnataka participated in the event to showcase its indigenous initiatives of civil aircrafts.
HANSA–NG:
The major attraction of CSIR-NAL is its HANSA–NG (New Generation) Aircraft which was piloted by Wg.
Cdr. Dilip Reddy, an Experimental Test Pilot of IAF (Indian Air Force). Notably, during Wings India 2022,
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CSIR-NAL received firm commitments for 10 Nos of HANSA-NG from M/s Belagavi Aviation Pvt Ltd; M/s
Blue ray aviation has also shown interest in acquiring 3 nos of the aircraft.
• HANSA–NG Aircraft designed and developed by CSIR-NAL.
• HANSA-NG is one of the most advanced two seat flying trainer aircraft powered by Rotax Digital
Control Engine with unique features like Just-In-Time Prepreg (JIPREG) Composite lightweight
Airframe, among others. It is capable offlying upto an altitude of 10000ft with max speed of 200
kmph with more than 5 hrs endurance.
• Click Here to Read more about HANSA-NG
Multi-copter Drones:
NAL also showcased their multi-copter drone. Their unique feature is fully autonomous BVLOS (Beyond
Visual Line of sight) operation capability with max payload capability of 20kg with endurance of about 30
mins.
• Agreements / Technology Transfer of these multi-copters (Quad, Hexa, Octa) were signed with
M/s Scientech Industries Pvt Ltd, Indore, M/s Magic Myna, Coimbatore and M/s C I Network
Technologies Pvt Ltd, Ahmedabad during Wings India.
• They will start production in next three months’ time @ rate of 100 – 200 drones per month.
SARASMK2:
NAL showcased the fully loaded 1:1 mockup of SARASMK2/SARAS-Mk II which is a 19 Seat Light
Transport Aircraft with multirole capabilities like Passenger transport, Troop transport, VIP transport
and Casevac (AirAmbulance). It is exclusively designed for operations from short runways, hot and high
airfields, and semi-prepared runways for connecting Tier 1 & Tier 2 cities / towns.
• It has capability to fly upto 29000 ft at max speed of 500 kmph with range of 778 km and will be
ideal candidate for promoting regional air connectivity under UDAN (UdeDesh ka Nagrik)
scheme.
High Altitude Platforms (HAP):
It is a solar-powered UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) capable of day & night operation at a height of 20 km
for more than 90 days.
Others:
NAL also showcased their other innovations like intermediate modulus grade carbon fiber, carbon prepreg,
special coatings for aerospace applications, Cf-SiC composites, Just-In-time Pre-preg, thermoplastic
composites, ARINC 818 IP core, etc., for various aerospace applications towards self-reliance are
demonstrated.
AAI and BEL join hands to develop indigenous Air Traffic Management Systems:
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), under its R & D (Research & Development) initiative has signed an
agreement with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the joint, indigenous development of Air Traffic
Management Systems (ATMS) and surface movement of aircraft at airports in the country which were
hitherto being imported.
Signatories:
It was signed by B K Sarkar, Executive Director (ATM) from AAI and M V Raja Sekhar, Director (R & D)
from BEL in presence of Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman AAI, and other senior officials of AAI & BEL at Wings
India 2022.
What will be done under the agreement?
Under this Agreement, BEL and AAI will jointly develop Civil ATMS with Advanced-Surface Movement
Guidance and Control System (ASMGCS) which is a complex ground surveillance system that manages air
traffic at airports and in Indian Civil Airspace for safe operation of flights from take-off to landing.
• Air traffic control ensures safety, maintaining separation between multiple aircraft, and efficient
management of operations at the airport and Indian airspace.
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• ASMGCS provides routing, guidance and surveillance services to aircraft and vehicles, on the
ground, in order to maintain safe surface movement in all weather conditions at the airport.
Wings India Awards 2022:
The Award Ceremony was co-organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and FICCI on March 25, 2022 at
Hotel Taj Krishna, Hyderabad, on the side-lines of Wings India 2022. The awards were presented by Union
Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, MoCA.
• Wings India Awards are conferred upon the Aviation-related
Companies/Institutions/Organizations that have created benchmarks in the area of Civil Aviation
in India.
Bengaluru Airport awarded ‘Best Airport’ & ‘Aviation Innovation’
The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport), has won two major awards for its
customer-centric approach, smart innovations, and adoption of cutting-edge technology.
• It has been named the ‘Best Airport’ in the General Category, as well as the winner of the ‘Aviation
Innovation’ Award.
Mumbai airport awarded the Aviation Sustainability &Environment Award
Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has been conferred the ‘Aviation
Sustainability & Environment’ award for its efficient green practices.
• It is the first airport in the Asia Pacific to have published a Sustainability report as per the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards.
Cochin International Airport Ltd bags Covid Champion Award
Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) bagged the ‘Covid Champion Award’ at Wings India 2022 for
the successful implementation of a meticulous project named ‘Mission Safeguarding’ during the
pandemic to ensure safe travel at Kochi Airport.
• It followed the 5R rule; Recognise, Respond, Repeat, Record, and Refer for this project.
• Delhi Intl Airport Ltd (DIAL) also received the Covid champions award.
Vistara bags 3 Awards:
Vistara won three prestigious awards – Best Domestic Airline, Aviation Sustainability & Environment and
Covid Champions.
• It won the Best Domestic Airline award for the second time in a row.
Other Awards: The states of Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka have
been named the Most Dynamic States in Aviation.
i.MoCA provided the exceptions to import drones for Government & Educational institutes for R&D,
defence and security with proper “due clearances” from DGFT.
ii.The government of Haryana in collaboration with MoCA to establish India’s first-ever
Heli Hub in Gurugram. The first of its kind heli-hub in Gurugram is designed to all the facilities in one place
for Helicopters.
About Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA):
Union Minister – Jyotiraditya Scindia (Rajya Sabha- Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State – Vijay Kumar Singh (Constituency – Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh)
E&IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Inaugurates 3rd NIC Tech Conclave 2022
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology(E&IT) inaugurated the 3rd
Edition of ‘NIC Tech Conclave 2022’ a 2-day event organised by the National Informatics Centre(NIC)
on 3rd and 4th March 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of
State(MoS) for E&IT graced the event as a guest of honour.
• The Theme for NIC Tech Conclave 2022 is “Next Gen Technologies for Digital Government”.
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Note: The National Informatics Centre(NIC) has been organizing Tech Conclave focused on Emerging
Technologies applicable especially in e-Governance.
Key People:
K. Rajaraman Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology(MeitY) and other dignitaries
from Centre and State Governments attended the event.
NIC Tech Conclave 2022:
i.The NIC Tech Conclave will enrich the IT Managers of Government Ministries or Departments on the
latest ICT technologies and their use cases on the latest technologies and industry best practices.
ii.This will also provide a platform for IT Secretaries of State Governments to better know the new
technologies and applications which can be rolled out in the states
iii.The conclave will facilitate interaction among Industry and IT managers of the Government and
contribute to the capacity building, especially in the Government functioning across India and help to
deliver high-quality citizen-centric services.
Efforts of NIC:
i.The NIC has partnered with the Indian government in various digital initiatives and have built a state-of-
the-art PAN-India ICT infrastructure, digital platforms & solutions for the exclusive use of the Government.
ii.NIC has also worked with the central and state government in automating their processes and electronic
delivery of citizen services.
MoS E&IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar released a book & e-book:
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS E&IT, released the ebook titled “75 Digital Solutions from NIC” during the
NIC Tech Conclave 2022 at New Delhi, Delhi.
• The ebook outlines the benefits of government schemes and initiatives achieved, through Digital
Transformation facilitated with the help of NIC developed technology-driven solutions for the
Citizens, Businesses, and the Government.
He also released a book titled “Citizen Empowerment Through Digital Transformation in
Government” edited by Dr Neeta Verma, Director General of NIC.
The book highlights the technology-led transformation of various sectors and their evolution presented
from the lens of NIC officers working on PAN India digital infrastructure and services.
IIT Madras & NIOT Jointly Organised OCEANS 2022 In Chennai, TN; Held 1st time in India
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) and the National Institute of
Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, TN jointly hosted, for the first time in India, the OCEANS 2022
conference & Exposition in IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai, TN. It is a bi-annual event of global marine
researchers on February 21-24, 2022.It was held in a hybrid format.
• ‘Inspire-Innovate-Sustain’ was the main theme of the conference.
Key Points:
i.The department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, coordinated the event on behalf of the Institution of
Electrical and Electronics Engineering Ocean Engineering Society (IEEE OES) and Marine Technology
Society (MTS)
ii.This event is for global maritime professionals, technologists and engineers, students, policymakers to
learn, innovate, protect and utilise the world’s largest natural resource – oceans.
iii.The conference highlighted how ‘UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’ is
attempting to reduce the impacts of climate change through renewable energies.
MoS MSME Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma Launched 2022 International Summit on Plastics
Recycling & Waste Management
On 4th March 2022 Union Minister of State for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Bhanu
Pratap Singh Verma inaugurated 2-day 2022 International Summit on Plastics Recycling & Waste
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Management, organised by Ministry of MSME in association with the All-India Plastics Manufacturers’
Association (AIPMA) from 4th to 5th March, 2022 at New Delhi, Delhi, India.
• The Ministry of MSME also launched two special initiatives, ‘Sambhav’ and ‘Svavlamban’ to
promote entrepreneurship amongst youth, especially in aspirational Districts all across India.
About the Summit:
i.The Mega International Summit emphasises on ‘Know your Waste and how Recycling is the right thing to
do, which is to be done in a right way’.
ii.The summit will be attended by more than 350 MSMEs physically and more than 1000 MSMEs virtually
from all over India including international delegates from different countries.
About Sambhav & Svavlamban:
i.As part of the Iconic Week Celebrations under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of MSME is
conducting Sambhav- National Level Awareness Program (NLAP) in Webinar Mode from 28th February
2022 to 31st march 2022 in 1300 colleges across India through its field offices
ii.The ministry also launched Svavlamban a special drive under which more than 200 Nukkad Natak has
been organised in 46 Aspirational Districts in order to promote entrepreneurship
amongst youth population and spreading awareness on Schemes of Ministry of MSME and its Initiatives.
About Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME):
Union Minister – Narayan Tatu Rane (Rajya Sabha Maharashtra)
Minister of state – Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (Jalaun,Uttar Pradesh)
INDEX
RANKING
16th Edition of The Wealth Report 2022: India ranks 3rd in billionaire population globally;
US Tops
According to Knight Frank’s 16th edition of The Wealth Report 2022, the number of ultra-high-net-
worth-individuals (UHNWIs) globally increased by 9.3 percent in 2021 to 6,10,569, from 5,58,828 in
2020. India ranked 3rd in billionaire population globally. United States (US) Tops with most billionaire.
• In India, the number of UHNWIs (net
assets with US$ 30m or more) has grown
by 11% year-on-year (YoY) in 2021, the
highest percentage growth in Asia-Pacific
(APAC).
• Objective of World Wealth Report 2022
– To provide an annual assessment of how
wealth creation is shaping investment
markets, and to highlight opportunities
and risks.
The Wealth Report 2022:
i.India – India ranked 3rd in billionaire population globally in 2021with equity markets and digital
adoption as the key factors driving the growth in India.
• Around 69 percent of the super wealthy individuals in India are expected to witness an increase
of over 10 percent in their net worth in 2022.
• Amongst the Indian cities, Bengaluru witnessed the highest growth in the number of UHNWIs
with 17.1 percent to 352 followed by Delhi with 12.4 percent to 210 and Mumbai with 9
percent to 1596 in 2021.
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ii.Globally – Every region across the world saw an increase in the number of UHNWIs between 2020 and
2021 – Americas (+12.2%), Russia & CIS (+11.2%), Australasia (+9.8%), Middle East (+8.8%), Latin
America (+7.6%), Europe (+7.4%) and Asia (+7.2%) – except for Africa, where the UHNWI population
declined by 0.8%.
• Asia continues to be ahead of other regions of the world, the billionaires’ club contributing to 36
percent of the total billionaires in the world in 2021.
From the Report:
Countries with most number of billionaires:
Countries 2021 (actual numbers) 2020-2021 (percentage)
United States (US) 748 15%
Chinese Mainland 554 32%
India 145 24%
Germany 136 14%
Russia 121 20 %
Growth & Decline in UHNWI population:
(Growth):
Country 2020-2021 (percentage Growth)
United States 12.6 %
United Kingdom 11.30%
France 9.90%
Japan 8.40%
Chinese Mainland 6.20%
(Decline):
Country 2020-2021 (percentage decline)
Malaysia -0.40%
Vietnam -1.00%
Tanzania -1.60%
Kenya -2.00%
South Africa -7.10%
Top 3 Indian Cities With Highest UNHWIs:
Indian Cities No.of UNHWIs in 2021
Mumbai 1596
Hyderabad 467
Pune 360
New category of The Wealth Report 2022:
i.For the 1st time, Knight Frank has examined the size of the ‘next generation’ of the world’s UHNWI
population which is estimated that 135,192 UHNWIs are self-made and under the age of 40, accounting for
around a fifth of the total UHNWI population.
ii.With the increase in population over the next 5 years, the global UHNWIs population will grow by 28 %,
with Asia and Australasia (+33% each) North America (+28%) and Latin America (+26%).
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• India has ranked 6th in percentage growth of the UHNWI population that is self-made and under
the age of 40 years.
Size of next generation in India:
i.In India, the UHNWI population is expected to grow by 39 percent between 2021 and 2026, with 19,006
people expecting to have net assets of USD 30 million or more by 2026.
• Bengaluru is projected to witness an increase of 89 percent of the UHNWI population and
become home to 665 ultra-wealthy individuals by 2026.
ii.Previous estimates – In the last 5 years, Delhi has witnessed an increase of 101.2% followed by Mumbai
(+42.6%) and Bengaluru (+22.7%).
According to the Interim Edition of Global Wealth Report 2020 released by Credit Suisse – the overall
wealth of India’s super-rich decreased by 4.4% to USD 12.83 trillion in 2020 due to the fall in Rupee value.
About Knight Frank:
Senior Partner & Group Chairman- Alistair Elliott
Managing Director (MD), Asia Pacific – Kevin Coppel
Headquarters- London, United Kingdom.
V-Dem’s Democracy Report 2022: India Ranked 93rd & Sweden Tops
According to the Swedish based V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute report titled, ‘Democracy
Report 2022: Autocratisation Changing Nature’, India has been ranked among the top ten autocratic
countries in the world and has been ranked 93rd on the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI) out of 179
countries
Rankings:
Top 5 LDI Countries – sweden , Denmark,
Norway,Costa rica and new Zealand
Most autocratic countries – Afghanistan, Belarus,
China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Venezuela
are among the most autocratic in the world.
India’s report:
i.India is one of the top ten ‘autocratisers’ in the
world, which indicates that India is autocratic rather
than a democracy that it can more suitably be indicated as electoral autocracy.
• India is in the bottom 40% to 50% of countries on V-Dem’s Liberal Democracy Index (LDI).
• In Democracy report 2020, the institute classified India as an electoral autocracy.
ii.It has slipped further down in the Electoral Democracy Index (EDI), to 100, and even lower in the
Deliberative Component Index, at 102.
iii.India acquired 69th rank in liberal component index (LCI), 114th rank in Egalitarian component Index
(ECI), 85th position in participatory component index (PCI) and 102nd position in deliberative component
index (DCI).
iv.In South Asia, India is ranked below Sri Lanka (88), Nepal (71), and Bhutan (65) and above Pakistan
(117) in the LDI.
From the report:
i.The level of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizens in 2021 is down to 1989 levels.
ii.The world is facing increasing dictatorships that reach up to 70% of the world population (i.e.) 5.4
billion people and also with a record of 33 countries autocratising.
• Autocratisation is spreading rapidly, Closed autocracies, or dictatorships, rose from 25 to 30
between 2020 and 2021.
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iii.The democratic decline can be mainly seen in the regions of Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central
Asia, as well as in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.
• The world has 89 democracies and 90 autocracies, electoral autocracy remains the most
common regime type, accounting for 60 countries and 44% of the world population or 3.4 billion
people.
About the report:
i.The LDI captures both liberal and electoral aspects of a democracy based on 71 indicators that comprises
of,
• Liberal Component Index (LCI)- It indicates protection of individual liberties and legislative
constraints on the executive.
• Electoral Democracy Index (EDI) – It considers free and fair elections such as freedom of
expression and freedom of association.
• Egalitarian Component Index – This indicates, to what extent different social groups are equal.
• Participatory Component Index – This takes into account the health of citizen groups, civil
society organisations.
• Deliberative Component Index – This ensures if the political decisions are taken through public
reasoning that focuses on common good.
Major concerns:
i.The toxic polarisation is the greatest driver of autocratisation that mutually reinforce measures of
polarisation of society, political polarisation, and political parties’ use of hate speech tend to systematically
rise together to extreme levels.
• Repression of civil society and censorship of media were other concerns towards autocratic
society.
ii.According to the report, the freedom of expression declined in 35 countries and repression of civil
society organisations (CSOs) worsened in 44 countries over the past ten years.
• The direct government control over CSOs’ existence moved in an authoritarian direction in 37
countries
ii.The report also shows concerns on decisive autonomy for the electoral management body (EMB) that
has deteriorated in 25 countries.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its report titled ‘Democracy Index
2021’ across 165 independent countries and two territories (totally 167). India is ranked 46 on the global
index with an overall score of 6.91.
About V-Dem Institute:
Headquarters – Gothenburg, Sweden
Director – Staffan I. Lindberg
India Ranks 2nd for Global Investment in Digital Shopping in 2021, US Tops: Bengaluru
Tops Among Cities
According to the London & Partners (the Mayor of London’s international trade and investment
agency) analysis of Dealroom.co investment data, India secured the 2nd largest global venture capital
investment hub for digital shopping companies, growing up to 175 percent from USD 8 billion in 2020
to USD 22 billion in 2021.
• The analysis relating to investment into digital shopping companies is based on Dealroom.Co’s
definition of online marketplaces, which supplied the Venture Capital investment data as
of 15th February 2022.
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• Within India, Bengaluru, Karnataka topped with USD 14 billion worth of Venture Capital (VC)
investments in digital shopping in 2021
Highlights:
i.Bengaluru almost tripled its investments from
USD 5 billion in 2020 to attain the top position,
ahead of other leading cities in the world – New
York City (2nd), San Francisco (3rd), London
(4th) and Berlin (5th).
ii.Within India Gurugram, Haryana placed at
seventh position with USD 4 billion and Mumbai,
Maharashtra at tenth position with USD 3 billion.
iii.The data also shows that Bengaluru ranked number 5 among cities with the potential for future
unicorns, just behind London.
• Out of 15 global cities, three with the highest count of current unicorns are in India — Bengaluru
at No. 6 with 19 unicorns in 2021, Gurugram at No. 7 with 13 unicorns and Mumbai at No. 14 with
7 unicorns.
iv.Overall, global VC investment into digital shopping more than doubled in 2021 following a significant
consumer shift to e-commerce platforms during the pandemic.
Ranking:
Position Country</th Investment
1 United States (US) USD 51 billion
2 India USD 22 billion
3 China USD 14 billion
4 United Kingdom USD 7 billion
Global analysis:
i.According to the data, the United Kingdom (UK) and India are two of the world’s leading hubs for digital
shopping companies with high levels of global investment and unicorns.
ii.London is the leading European hub for digital shopping investment, with a record USD 5 billion raised
by digital shopping companies based in the capital in 2021.
Note – The total global VC investment for 2021 stood at a record USD 140 billion, which is up from USD
68 billion in 2020.
Dealroom.co data analysed by London & Partners(the Mayor of London’s international trade and
investment agency) has revealed that Bengaluru, Karnataka has emerged as the world’s fastest growing
mature tech ecosystem, with investment in it increasing 5.4 times from USD 1.3 billion in 2016 to USD
7.2 billion in 2020.
About London & Partners:
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom (UK)
CEO – Laura Citron
Skoch State of Governance Ranking in 2021: Andhra Pradesh Retains Top Rank for the 2nd
Consecutive Year
On 10th March 2022 The SKOCH Group, a delhi-based think tank released the SKOCH Governance
Report Card for 2021, in New Delhi ranking the states according to their performance in various projects
at state, district and municipal level.
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• Andhra Pradesh has retained its top position for the 2nd consecutive year and
secured 1st in star state category
whereas Telangana has showed good
improvement by securing 6th position and
entered into performer state category.
• Andhra Pradesh also bagged top position in
police and safety, agriculture, district
administration and rural development.
• The states or Union Territories that
have slipped from their ranking in the
previous year are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Jharkhand,
Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Sikkim.
About SKOCH State of Governance report 2021:
i.The SKOCH State of Governance report is an annual report that studies project-level outcomes across
various states of India.
ii.The SKOCH State of Governance report also maps the shifting interests of different state governments
and provides valuable insights into governance trends and opportunities.
• In 2021, focus has been shifted towards Agriculture, Ease of Doing Business, Finance & Revenue,
Power & Energy, Social Justice & Security, Urban Development and Water.
• In 2022, the focus might be shifted towards education because of increasing educational
institutes after a substantial period.
Ranking Categories:
According to the ranking, the states are divided in 4 categories, namely, Star states, Performer states,
Catching-up states and Other States.
i.Top five best ranked states are categorised as Star states
2020 (previous year rank) State 2021 (current year rank)
1 Andhra pradesh 1
3 West Bengal 2
8 Odisha 3
2 Gujarat 4
7 Maharashtra 5
ii.The next five best ranked states are categorised as Performer states
9 Telangana 6
6 Uttar Pradesh 7
5 Madhya Pradesh 8
23 Assam 9
16 Himachal pradesh 10
iii.Top five states that are below the rank of Performers are categorised as CATCHING-UP
11 Bihar 11
14 Haryana 12
25 Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) 13
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28 Chhattisgarh 14
14 Rajasthan 15
In December 2021, on the occasion of Good Governance day (December 25), Union Minister of Home
Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah released the Good Governance Index 2020-21 (GGI 2021)
which was a biannual exercise prepared by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
(DARPG).Gujarat has topped the composite ranking followed by Maharashtra and Goa.
About SKOCH Group:
The SKOCH Group companies include SKOCH Consultancy Services Private Limited, SKOCH Media and
SKOCH Development Foundation.
Chairman – Sameer Kochhar
RailTel Ranks 124 in 2022 Fortune India The Next 500 list
RailTel Corporation of India Limited(RailTel), owned by the Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways, has
ranked 124th in the Fortune India The Next 500 (2022 edition) of top midsize companies operating in
India. It is the only Telecom Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) of the Government of India(GoI) on the list.
• This Fortune India The Next 500 is published annually by Fortune India English Monthly
magazine.
Key Points:
i.RailTel has made improvements and jumped 67 positions up compared to its 2021 ranking (197) as a
recognition of its improved and consistent performance.
ii.RailTel is one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure services providers in the country.
iii.The turnover of RailTel during FY 2020-21 stood at Rs 1,411 crore with compounded annual growth
rate (CAGR) during the last five years at 12%.
Highlights of the 2022 List:
i.Only 5 more private telecom players are featured on the list in addition to RailTel.
ii.Apart from RailTel, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation(IRCTC) (ranked 309) is the only
Railway PSU featuring on the list.
iii.A total of 10 GoI companies (including RailTel) are featured on the list.
Fortune India The Next 500:
i.Fortune India The Next 500, the only comprehensive one of its kind ranking of India’s midsize companies
was first launched in 2015.
ii.Annually the list takes a close look at the various aspects of midsize companies’ space, and the findings of
the list explain the health of corporate India and the economy.
Hurun Global 500 List 2021 released by Hurun Research Institute.It is a list of the 500 most valuable non-
state-controlled companies in the world ranked according to their value, defined as market capitalization
for listed companies and valuations for non-listed companies.Reliance Industries Ltd topped the list of
Indian companies with a global rank 57.
About RailTel Corporation of India Limited(RailTel):
RailTel, a “Mini Ratna (Category-I)” Central Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry
of Railways.
It is one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure providers in India which owns a Pan-India optic fiber
network
CMD– Puneet Chawla
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi.
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Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing 2022: Reliance Retail Ranked 56th & Walmart Inc
Tops the List
According to the global consulting firm Deloitte.’s report titled “Global Powers of Retailing 2022: Resilience
Despite Challenges”, Reliance Retail Limited(RRL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) has
ranked 56th on the list of Top 250 global retailers.
Walmart Inc., an American multinational retail corporation, tops the list, followed by Amazon, Inc., Costco
Wholesale Corporation, Schwarz Group, and The Home Depot, Inc.
• Reliance Retail was the second-fastest-growing retailer, posting a five-year compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) growth in retail revenue of 49.4% in FY2015- FY2020.
Highlights of the Report:
i.The total retail revenue of the Top 250 companies is USD 5.1 trillion in 2020, increasing 5.2% from 2019.
ii.The companies from North America led the list, with 78 retailers included in the Top 250, increasing by
9.2% in 2021.
iii.The accumulated revenue of the North American companies reached around USD 2.5 trillion.
iv.The North American region is followed by Europe which is accounting for 90 companies in the list,
increasing 1.1%, with total revenue of around USD 1.7 Trillion.
v.Only 11 companies from Latin America and 10 from Africa/Middle East made it into the list, with total
revenue of USD 82.2 billion, and USD 71 billion, respectively.
Asia Pacific:
i.The number of companies from the Asia Pacific(APAC) that made it into the Top 250 Global retailers
increased by 2.6% to 61 during the Financial Year 2020
ii.The share of the global Top 250 revenue from retailers based in the Asia Pacific region, 15.9%, fell by
0.3% points from the previous year.
iii.China’s JD.com, Inc tops the list of companies from APAC, ranking 9th amongst the list with total
revenue of around USD 94.4 billion.
iv.Japan leads the APAC region with 29 companies on the list followed by China/Hong Kong SAR (14),
South Korea (5) and Australia (4).
Fastest 50 retailers(FY2015-2020):
The top 5 fastest-growing retailers in FY2019 were Coupang of South Korea(1st), Reliance Retail Limited
of India(2nd), Wayfair Inc of United States(3rd), Mobile World Investment Corporation of Vietnam(4th)
and A101 Yeni Mağazacılık A.S from Turkey(5th).
About Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing 2022 report:
i.Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing 2022 report reviews the global economic scenario and its impact on
the retailing industry.
ii.This identifies the 250 largest retailers around the world based on publicly available data for FY2020 (1
July 2020 to 30 June 2021) and analyzes their performance across geographies and product sectors.
iii.The 2022 report also offers an assessment of retailers’ rising sustainability efforts.
Click here for the complete report
As per the ‘Deloitte 2022 CxO Sustainability Report: The Disconnect Between Ambition and Impact’ Indian
businesses acknowledge the risks of climate inaction and ranks 5th amongst 21 countries in their concern
for climate change.
The report was released by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL). DTTL is also known as Deloitte
Global.
About Reliance Retail Limited(RRL):
Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, is the holding company of
Reliance Retail Limited(RRL).
Incepted in 2006
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2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich List: Mukesh Ambani Claims ‘Richest Indian & Asian’ title;
Tesla’s Elon Musk tops the Billionaires List
On 17th March 2022, Hurun India released a report titled “2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich List”, a ranking of
United States(US) dollar billionaires in the world.
According to the report, Mukesh
Ambani, Chairman & Managing Director(CMD) of
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has emerged as
the Richest Indian and Richest Asian & Ranked
9th Globally.
• Mukesh Ambani is the only Indian to
feature in the world’s top 10 billionaires
list.He has also earned the ‘Richest
Telecom Entrepreneur’ title.
• Elon Musk co-founder and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Tesla has topped the Billionaires list
as the World’s richest person for the 2nd consecutive year with USD 205 billion(bn).
TOP 10 Billionaires:
Rank Name Company Wealth Value
1 Elon Musk Tesla USD 205 billion(bn)
2 Jeff Bezos Amazon USD 188 bn
3 Bernard Arnault LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton USD 153 bn
4 Bill Gates Microsoft USD 124 bn
5 Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway USD 119 bn
6 Sergey Brin Alphabet USD 116 bn
6 Larry Page Alphabet USD 116 bn
8 Steve Ballmer Microsoft USD 107 bn
9 Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries Limited USD 103 bn
10 Bertrand Puech & Family Hermes USD 102 bn
Highlights of 2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich List:
i.The 2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich List ranks 3381 billionaires from 2558 companies and 69 countries.
ii.Asia leads the list with 57% of the world’s population, accounting for 66% of new faces, 52% of
billionaires and 42% of the wealth. Asia is followed by North America and Europe which accounts for 15%
of the world’s population, 32% of new faces, 44% of billionaires and 55% of total wealth.
iii.China leads the list with 1133 billionaires followed by the USA with 716 billionaires, India with 215
billionaires and United Kingdom(UK) with 150 billionaires.
Click here for the complete list
India:
i.At present India has 249 billionaires which include 215 billionaires living in India and 34 billionaires of
Indian origin living outside India.
ii.India secured 3rd spot with 215 billionaires, which is 38 more than 2021 and Healthcare, Consumer
Goods and Chemicals sectors tops the list with 46, 29 and 23 billionaires each.
iii.Mumbai became the billionaire capital of India with 72 billionaires followed by New Delhi with 51.
iv.LN Mittal of ArcelorMittal in London tops the list of billionaires of Indian origin living outside India.
v.Jumping 916 ranks over the last two years, and with a wealth of $3.3 billion Byju Raveendran and family,
ranked 1083rd, was the third richest entrepreneur from the education sector in the world.
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Highlights:
i.Gautam Adani and the Family of energy conglomerate Adani Group was the world’s fastest riser and
Gautam Adani is the 2nd richest Asian after Mukesh Ambani.
• Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani – placed 12th on the global list, also got named the ‘Richest
Energy Entrepreneur’.
ii.Falguni Nayar, Founder of Nykaa became India’s most successful self-made woman, with USD 7.6 billion,
overtaking Kiran Mazumdar of Biocon for the first time.
• Falguani Nayar along with her husband, Sanjay Nayar has become the wealthiest new entrant on
the list.
iii.For the first time, 6 Indian unicorn founders have entered the 2022 list.
iv.Rajinder Gupta of Trident made the list for the first time with USD 3.3 billion following the increase in
demand for home textile after lockdown restrictions were eased in the US and Europe.
Hurun India and IIFL Wealth had jointly released the ranking report ‘IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List
2021’,a 10th annual ranking of the richest individuals in India.64 years old Mukesh Ambani, the chairman
of Reliance Industries(RIL) tops the list for 10th consecutive year. Ambani was followed by Gautam Adani,
Adani Group, and Shiv Nadar of HCL for the second and third spot of the 2021 list.
About Hurun India:
5 core pillars of Hurun India: Wealth Creation, Value Creation, Sustainability and Philanthrophy, Art, and
Lifestyle and Luxury.
MD– Anas Rahman Junaid
Launched in 2012
UN World Happiness Report 2022: India Ranks 136 out of 146; Finland Tops
As per the 10th United Nations’ World Happiness Report 2022, India’s rank has been improved by 3 spots
to 136 out of 146 countries from 139 in 2021 with a score of 3.777.
• For the 5th year in a row, Finland continues to occupy the top spot being the happiest country in
the world.
• Afghanistan was ranked as the unhappiest nation, followed by Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and
Botswana.
World Happiness Report 2022:
Rank Country Average Life Evaluation Score
136 India 3.777
1 Finland 7.821
2 Denmark 7.636
Top 3 3 Iceland 7.557
144 Zimbabwe 2.995
145 Lebanon 2.955
Bottom 3 146 Afghanistan 2.404
• The top 5 rankings were occupied by Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the
Netherlands. The US and UK were ranked 16th and 17th respectively. France improved to 20th
rank, which is its highest ranking yet.
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Key Facts :
i.Worry and stress have increased by 8 percent in 2020 and 4 percent in 2021 compared with pre-
pandemic levels.
ii.The report stated strong increases in anxiety and sadness in 18 countries but a fall in feelings of anger.
iii.During the COVID-19, social lives moved online to a larger extent than ever before.
iv.Global happiness: As per the report for over the 10 years the biggest gains in happiness have taken
place in Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, and the biggest declines in Lebanon, Venezuela and Afghanistan.
Note – Bhutan was not included in the world happiness report 2022.
About the World Happiness Report:
i.It is a publication of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, powered by the Gallup World Poll
data and the report of the year 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the World Happiness Report.
ii.It is the ranking of happiness that assigns a score on a scale of 0-10, on an average of data over a three-
year-period of 2019-2021.
iii.It uses global survey data to report how people evaluate their own lives in more than 150 countries
worldwide (146 in 2022) on 6 factors such as levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support,
freedom, and corruption.
iv.The Report is supported by The Ernesto Illy Foundation, illycaffè, Davines Group, Unilever’s largest ice
cream brand Wall’s, The Blue Chip Foundation, The William, Jeff, and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation,
The Happier Way Foundation, and The Regenerative Society Foundation.
About United Nations (UN)
Headquarters – New York, USA
Secretary-General – António Guterres
Delhi Becomes Most Polluted Capital in World : 2021 World Air Quality Report
The 2021 World Air Quality Report released by the Swiss organization IQAir reveals that the National
Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, India, is the most polluted capital in the world for the fourth
consecutive year in 2021.
The report finds that only 3% of cities and no single country met the latest World Health Organization’s
(WHO) Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 annual air quality guidelines. The new guideline was released in
September 2021 and cut the existing annual PM2.5 guideline value from 10 µg/m3 to 5 µg/m3.
• Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh was second on the list of capital cities in terms of annual
average PM2.5 concentrations, while N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, was third.
• Previously, Delhi topped a list in 2020, 2019, and 2018.
• India was placed 5th in the Most Polluted countries in the word whereas Bangladesh was placed
in 1st followed by Chad and Pakistan.
• No country met the latest WHO air quality guideline for PM2.5 in 2021.
Note: Sources of PM2.5 – include internal combustion engines, power generation, industrial processes,
agricultural processes, construction, and residential wood and coal burning. The most common natural
sources for PM2.5 are dust storms, sandstorms, and wildfires.
Key Facts of the Report:
i.According to the report, data from publicly accessible air quality monitoring stations increased in 2021.
Significant increases were seen in India, New Zealand, and Canada, in particular.
ii.In the Central and South Asia region, including India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,
Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, around 50 cities were ranked in terms of PM2.5 levels on the list of
the “World’s Most Polluted Cities” in 2021.
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• It revealed that the region together housed for 46 of the top 50 polluted cities, in which Bhiwadi,
Alwar district (Rajasthan)in India topped the list of the ‘world’s most polluted cities’ in 2021;
Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh),India – second; and Hotan, China – came third.
• The only two cities that met updated WHO PM2.5 guideline were Zhezqazghan and Chu
(Kazakhstan).
iii. India houses 11 of the 15 most polluted cities in Central and South Asia in 2021.
iv.Delhi saw a 14.6% increase in PM2.5 concentrations in 2021 with levels rising to 96.4
µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) from 84 µg/m3 in 2020.
v.No cities in India met the WHO air quality guideline of 5 µg/m3.
vi.In 2021, 48% of India’s cities exceeded 50 µg/m3, or more than 10 times the WHO guideline.
• Researchers discovered that being exposed to PM2.5 increases the likelihood of catching the virus
as well as experiencing more severe symptoms, including death, if infected.
• Researchers also revealed that India’s annual average PM2.5 levels reached 58.1 µg /m3 in 2021,
ending a three-year trend of improving air quality. India’s annual PM2.5 averages have now
returned to pre-quarantine concentrations measured in 2019.
Top 10 countries with worst air quality- 2021

Rank Country Average Air Quality Index (AQI)
1 Bangladesh 161
2 Chad 161
3 Pakistan 156
4 Tajikistan 152
5 India 151
6 Oman 146
7 Kyrgyzstan 138
8 Bahrain 136
9 Iraq 136
10 Nepal 126
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About the World Air Quality Report:

i.The 2021 World Air Quality Report is based on PM2.5 air pollution data from ground-based air quality
monitoring stations in 6,475 cities in 117 countries, regions and territories.
ii.Of the air quality monitoring stations included in this report, 44% were operated by governmental
agencies, while the remainder represent monitoring stations managed by citizen scientists, non-profit
organizations and companies.
NITI Aayog Releases 2nd Edition of Export Preparedness Index 2021; Gujarat Tops Overall
Ranking
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), in partnership with the Institute of
Competitiveness, released the 2nd edition of the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2021. Gujarat has
retained the top position in the overall ranking with its total share in exports accounting for 20.83% as of
2020-2021.
• The index was released by Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog in the presence of
Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog and BVR Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Department of Commerce,
Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI).
Note: The Economic Survey 2022 stated that India has already attained more than 75 % of its ambitious
export target of USD 400 billion set for 2021-22.
About 2nd edition of EPI 2021:
i.2nd edition of EPI 2021 is a comprehensive analysis of India’s export achievements and the index can be
used by states and UT to benchmark their performance against their peers and analyse potential
challenges to develop better policy mechanisms to foster export-led growth at the subnational level.
ii.EPI 2021 brings out 3 major challenges to export promotion of India, they are,
• Intra- and inter-regional differences in export infrastructure;
• Weak trade support and growth orientation across states;
• Lack of Research and development (R&D) infrastructure to promote complex and unique exports.
Export Preparedness Index (EPI):
EPI is a data-driven initiative that aims to identify the fundamental areas critical for subnational export
promotion.
Primary goal:
To instil competition among all states (Coastal, Landlocked, Himalayan, and UTs/City-States) to bring
about favourable policies, ease the regulatory framework, create necessary infrastructure and assist in
identifying strategic recommendations for improving export competitiveness.
Framework:
The EPI ranks the states and Union Territories(UTs) based on 4 main pillars are, Policy; Business
Ecosystem; Export Ecosystem; Export Performance and 11 sub-pillars are Export Promotion Policy;
Institutional Framework; Business Environment; Infrastructure; Transport Connectivity; Access to
Finance; Export Infrastructure; Trade Support; R&D Infrastructure; Export Diversification; and Growth
Orientation.
The 4 pillars and the rationale behind their selection are
• Policy: A comprehensive trade policy provides a strategic direction for exports and imports.
• Business Ecosystem: An efficient business ecosystem can help attract investments and create an
enabling infrastructure for businesses to grow.
• Export Ecosystem: To assess the business environment, which is specific to exports.
• Export Performance: This is the only output-based pillar and examines the reach of export
footprints of states and union territories.
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Highlights of the report:

i.The top six states in India – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Haryana
contribute 75% of India’s overall exports.
ii.Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have become the flag bearer of export lead growth. Gujarat has
been leading the export contribution in India, with its total share accounting for 20.83% as of 2020-2021.
iii.Gujarat has emerged as the top-performing state in the ‘Coastal States’ category, followed by
Maharashtra and Karnataka. Most of the coastal states are among the best performers.
iv.In the category of Landlocked States, Haryana was the best-performing state, followed by Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana.
v.Among the Himalayan States and UT, Uttarakhand and Delhi are the top-performing states respectively.
Note: States with higher exports also experience a high Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
Rankings:
Top 5 in the Overall ranking:
Rank State Export Preparedness Scores Category
1 Gujarat 78.86 Coastal
2 Maharashtra 77.14 Coastal
3 Karnataka 61.72 Coastal
4 Tamil Nadu 56.84 Coastal
5 Haryana 53.2 Landlocked
Note:
i.The top 10 performers are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
ii.Lakshadweep, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Ladakh and Meghalaya were placed at the bottom of the
index.
Top 3 in Category Wise Ranking:
Rank State Export Preparedness score
Himalayan
1 Uttarakhand 40.79
2 Himachal Pradesh 40.43
3 Tripura 27.46
Coastal
1 Gujarat 78.86
2 Maharashtra 77.14
3 Karnataka 61.72
UT/City States
1 Delhi 43.66
2 Goa 41.95
3 Jammu and Kashmir 30.06
Landlocked
1 Haryana 53.2
2 Uttar Pradesh 51.09
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3 Madhya Pradesh 51.03

i.On November 29, 2021, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog released a report on
Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) namely ‘Designing the Future of Dispute Resolution- the ODR Policy Plan
for India’ which states a futuristic model for speedy access to justice. Click here for Official Report
ii.On December 27, 2021, the 4th edition of NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog’s
State Health Index for 2019–20 was released in the report titled ‘Healthy States, Progressive India’.
This edition of the report measured and highlighted the overall performance and incremental
improvement of states and UTs (Union territories) in health outcomes as well as their overall status over
the period 2018–19 (base year) to 2019–20 (Reference year).
About National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog):
Chairman– Narendra Modi (Prime Minister of India)
CEO– Amitabh Kant
India slips 3 spots to 120 on 17 SDG Goals: DTE’s 9th State of India’s Environment Report
2022
On March 1, 2022, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
(MoEF&CC) released the 9th edition of Down To Earth’s annual ‘State of India’s Environment Report
2022’ at the 4-day long Anil Agarwal Dialogue (AAD) organised by Centre for Science and Environment
(CSE) at CSE’s state-of-the-art residential environmental training facility, the Anil Agarwal Environment
Training Institute (AAETI), in Nimli, Alwar district, Rajasthan.
• As per the report, India has slipped three spots to 120 from 117 in 2021 on the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) adopted as a part of the 2030 agenda by 192 United Nations member
states in 2015. Click here to read about Agreement on SDGs
• India’s overall SDG score was 66 out of 100.
Key Points:
i.CSE is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation.
ii.The report focuses on climate change, migration, health systems, forest & wildlife, energy, industry,
habitat, pollution, waste, agriculture & rural development.
iii.AAD is an annual conclave of journalists. AAD 2022 saw the participation of over 60 journalists across
India.
State/UT-wise preparedness to meet SDGs by 2030:
i.As per report, on the state-wise preparedness to meet the SDGs by the target year 2030, Kerala ranked
1st, followed by Tamil Nadu (TN) and Himachal Pradesh (HP) in the 2nd position.
• The 3rd position was shared by Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
ii.Jharkhand and Bihar are the least prepared to meet the SDGs by the target year 2030.
iii.Among the Union Territories (UTs), Chandigarh was ranked 1st, followed by Delhi, Lakshadweep and
Puducherry in the 2nd place and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the 3rd.
Key Highlights from Report:
i.With the latest rankings, India is now behind all south Asian nations except Pakistan, which stands at 129.
• The south Asian countries ahead of India are Bhutan ranked 75, Sri Lanka (87), Nepal (96) and
Bangladesh (109).
ii.India also performed poorly in dealing with quality education and life on land aspects
iii.India lacked on the fronts of ending hunger and achieving food security, achieving gender equality and
building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering
innovation.
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iv.The key reason behind a drop in India’s ranking major challenges in 11 SDGs including zero hunger,
good health and wellbeing, gender equality and sustainable cities and communities.
It should be noted that by 2030, India plans to have 500 GW (Giga Watt) from renewable energy, along
with electrification of Railways which will reduce 80 billion tonnes of emissions. LED bulbs will also be
employed at a large scale, which can reduce 40 billion tonnes of emissions.
On 6th December NITI (National Institute for Transforming India) Aayog and CSE released a report titled
‘Waste-wise Cities: Best practices in municipal solid waste management’, a comprehensive knowledge on
India’s solid waste management.
About Centre for Science and Environment (CSE):
Founder– Anil Agarwal
Director General– Sunita Narain
Headquarter– New Delhi, Delhi
REPORTS
IPCC Reports Rise In The Water Levels of Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra River Basins By
2050 and 2100
As per the report of Climate Change 2022, the Sixth Assessment – Working Group II reports on Impacts,
Adaptation and Vulnerability by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) there will be rise in
water level of The Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins by 2050 and 2100.
i.The rise in water ‘runoff’ is due to the rise in global warming.
ii.The first Assessment report was introduced in 1990, later it was followed by four subsequent reports
that came out in 1995, 2001, 2007, and 2015 for climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report:
i.As per the second part of the sixth assessment report by IPCC, deals with climate change impacts, risks
and vulnerabilities, and adaptation measures.
ii.The first part dealt with climate change, scientific basis.
iii.Regional assessments were also made for the first time by the panel in mega cities.
iv.According to the report the run-off could increase 3-27 percent by mid-century in the following rivers,
• 7-12 percent in the Indus.
• 10-27 percent in the Ganga.
• 3-8 percent in the Brahmaputra.
Reason For The Runoff:
i.Increase in run-off in the upper Ganga and Brahmaputra is due to a rise in precipitation.
ii.In the Indus, it is due to accelerated melting snow.
iii.Extreme precipitation events to cause more flash flood events in the future.
Note:
“River Runoff” refers to water flow in a river water system from the sources such as rainfall, melting snow
and groundwater.
Vulnerable Area:
i.India is one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of the population that will be affected by sea-level
rise.
ii.Around 45% of the global population lives in the highly vulnerable area.
iii.Cities in the vulnerable area face high risk of climate disasters, including sea-level rise, flooding, and
heatwaves.
iv. Mumbai will face high risk of a sea-level rise and flooding, while Ahmedabad faces a serious heatwave
danger.
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v.Cities including Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Patna and Lucknow, approaching dangerous levels of heat and
humidity.
vi.The hydrological extremes of the Upper Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins may have
increased magnitude towards the end of the 21st century by applying Representative Concentration
Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, due to increase in precipitation.
Impacts due to Climate Change:
i.In Asia’s sub-tropical regions, climate change leads to water-borne diseases such as dengue or malaria.
ii.The report has also said deaths related to respiratory, circulatory, diabetic, and infectious diseases, and
infant mortality are likely to go up with a rise in temperature.
iii.Increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as flooding and drought, heatwaves and even air
pollution will cause allergic diseases, under-nutrition, and even mental disorders.
Towards the Reduction of Global Temperature:
i.Reports have been produced in the Paris Agreement and the earlier Kyoto Protocol.
ii.The Paris Agreement, on the basis of the Fifth Assessment Report, seeks to contain the global
temperature rise well below 2°C from pre-industrial times, while making efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. iii.The
Sixth Assessment Report suggested that the 2°C-target could be disastrous and decided to keep the rise
within 1.5°C.
Recent Related Info:
i.The greenhouse gas emissions have increased the greenhouse effect and caused the earth’s surface
temperature to rise. Gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide concentrations are now more
abundant in the earth’s atmosphere than any time in the last 800,000 years.
ii.The United Nations (UN) 26th Climate Change conference (COP26) climate summit ended with a deal to
stave off severe climate change. This pact was the first ever UN climate deal to explicitly plan to reduce coal
– the worst fossil fuel for greenhouse gases.
About Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):
IPCC Chair – Hoesung Lee
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Agriculture Sector Grew by 11% CAGR during 2015-20:Innovation in India’s Rural

Economy Report
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Bain & Company jointly prepared a report titled ‘Innovation
in India’s Rural Economy: disruptive business models are stimulating inclusive growth in
agriculture and rural finance’ which revealed that agriculture sector grew by 11% Compound Annual
Growth Rate (CAGR) during 2015-20 & the growth of the agriculture sector with highest disruption in
terms of smartphone and internet penetration.
Key Points:
i.The agriculture sector has grown by a CAGR of 11 percent during 2015 -20 with the support of
government and other private sectors initiatives towards physical and digital infrastructure.
• The rural economy contributed nearly half the nation’s overall GDP in 2019–2020 and
employs 350 million people (68 percent of the total workforce).
• Agriculture contributes approximately 37 percent of total rural GDP in 2019–20.
ii.The private equity investment in agri-tech space reached more than 50 percent per annum between
2017 and 2020 that reaches an aggregate of upto Rs. 6600 Crores.
iii.Over the last 5 years, the rural ecosystem has grown over 10 percent per annum and have also
shown 30 percent increased growth of rural smartphone and internet penetration.
Growth in digital platform:
i.The number of children with access to smartphones increased by 42 percent between 2018 and 2020
due to COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and online classes.
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ii.Unified Payment Interface (UPI) – Digital payments penetration is increasing, driven by government
interventions like the Payment Infrastructure Development Fund, Digital-first banking models and
lowering of operational costs.
• According to the report, 30 percent of the rural ecosystem is adopting digital payment and digital
commerce solutions to avail agri-financial services.
iii.The Indian government is also paving way for more digital and UPI payments post-demonetisation,
along with digital payment players like Paytm and PhonePe.
Some examples of digital platform for farmers:
i.Ninjacart, a supply-chain platform, built an online marketplace to connect farmers to retailers without
any intermediaries.
• It provides pricing, demand visibility, and payment assurance to drive engagement and support
farmers.
ii.Indigo Ag is a platform that delivers services across the agriculture value chain, including agronomy
advisory, quality testing to increase yields, and a marketplace to connect buyers and sellers.
iii.Aadhaar identity number accelerates digital payments and innovations in banking, which improves
citizens’ access to cash and credit.
• As of March 2021, about 1.3 billion Indian residents have been issued an Aadhaar identity
number.
Growth in microfinance sector:
i.The rural microfinance sector showed a growth in gross loan portfolio of about Rs 1,22,500 crore in
December 2019 to Rs 1,46,700 crore in March 2021.
ii.Agri credit has also shown a growth at 10 percent CAGR in the last 5 years, reaching nearly Rs 14 lakh
crore in 2019–2020 with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh having around 35 percent of
agri-credit business.
Community Involvement:
i.Farmer producer organisations (FPOs) have become critical access points to farmers, and can generate
awareness and support new initiatives.
• Government policies, such as the Model Contract Farming Act, 2018, and initiatives led by
private and nonprofit entities have boosted the formation and development of FPOs.
ii.Access to credit options for farmers are increasing as more rural and agriculture focused players, like Jai
Kisan and Samunnati, connect farmers to financing partners.
• Additionally, government schemes like the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and Pradhan Mantri
MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) are offering low-interest loans to farmers.
Overview of India’s rural population:
i.Among two-thirds of India’s population in 2019–20, about 60 percent concentrated in 6 states. Uttar
Pradesh has the highest rural population (~18 crore), followed by Bihar (~11 crore), Maharashtra, West
Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
ii.Since 2017, the rural workforce has been increasing at a rate of 8 percent to 12 percent per annum in
states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
Contribution towards India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
Sector Contribution (Percentage)
Agriculture 37 %
Trade, hotels, transport, and communication 16 %
Manufacturing 14 %
In september 2021, the Department of Animal husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) of Ministry of Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoF&AHD), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
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Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) for rural economic growth where the Self Help Group (SHG)
platform will be utilised as a livestock resource person and primary service provider for the development
of the Indian rural economy.
About Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):
Headquarter– New Delhi, Delhi
President – T V Narendran
India adds Record 10GW Solar Capacity in 2021; Highest Ever in a Year: Mercom India
Research report
In accordance with the Mercom India Research report titled ‘2021 Q4 & Annual India Solar Market
Update‘ India installed a record 10 Gigawatt (GW) of solar capacity during calendar year 2021 as
compared to 3.2 GW of solar capacity installations during 2020
• This addition is the highest ever in a year.
• This growth represents a year-on-year (y-o-y) rise of 212%.
Key Points:
i.The Cumulative solar installed capacity in India was approximately 49.3GW at the end of December
2021.
• Rajasthan, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (AP) were the top three states for cumulative large-
scale solar capacity accounting for 50% of the installations in the country as of December 2021.
ii.Solar accounted for 62% of new power capacity additions in 2021, the largest share of power capacity
ever.
• Rajasthan led the capacity addition with 4.5 GW of solar capacity installation.
iii.In 2021, large-scale solar projects accounted for 83% of installations and saw a 230% y-o-y surge.
iv.Rooftop installations registered a y-o-y increase of 138% in 2021.
v.On the other hand, solar tenders dipped 4.3% y-o-y and auctions fell 2.6% compared to 2020.
• This is due to delay in signing power-sale agreements (PSA) and lack of clarity regarding
applicable duties.
v.For 2022, the report projected strong demand outlook but these will be followed by significant
challenges like basic customs duty, and the goods and services tax on top of global supply chain issues, and
high component prices.
vi.The average project cost was also higher in 2021 due to higher module, raw material prices and freight
charges.
India adds record 1,700 MW Rooftop Solar Capacity in 2021: Mercom India Report
According to a Mercom India Research report title ” Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report Q4
and Annual 2021″, India set a new record of installed 1,700 megawatt (MW) of rooftop solar
capacity in 2021, registering a 138 % rise annual basis compared to 719 MW of rooftop solar capacity in
2020.
i.The record 1.7 GW of rooftop solar capacity in 2021 is the highest ever in a year.
ii.In 2021, the residential and commercial segments accounted for 35% and 33 % of installed rooftop solar
capacity, respectively.
• Industrial rooftop solar installations constituted 26 %, and the remaining 6% was from the
government segment.
iii.Gujarat with 27% share, was the leading state for cumulative rooftop solar installations followed
by Maharashtra (14%) and Rajasthan (10%).
• The top 10 states accounted for approximately 85% of cumulative rooftop solar installations in
2021.
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Tender distribution:
The distribution companies (DISCOMS) issued empanelment tenders in Kerala, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar
Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, West Bengal, Tripura, and Karnataka under Phase-II of Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy (MNRE) rooftop solar programme during 2021.
• Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) accounts 27% of the total issued tenders and other states
like Maharashtra, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Karnataka accounted for 29% issued tenders.
Note- Phase – II of MNRE’s Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme aims to achieve 40 GW capacity
from Rooftop Solar by the year 2022 and also to promote domestic manufacturing of solar cells and
module.
About Mercom Capital Group (India):
CEO- Raj Prabhu
Investment in care services can generate 234 million jobs for women by 2035: ILO
The International Labour Organization (ILO) report “Care at Work: Investing in Care Leave and
Services for a More Gender Equal World of Work” was released on March 7, 2022, ahead of
International Women’s Day, and was based on an ILO legal survey of 185 countries. The report
highlights eight key messages.
• This report stipulates a global overview of national laws and practices regarding care policies,
such as maternity protection, paternity, parental and other care-related leave policies, in addition
to childcare and long-term care services.
• It exposed that persistent and significant gaps in care services and policies have left hundreds of
millions of workers with family responsibilities without adequate protection and support.
Key Points:
i.By investing in universal childcare and long-term care services, about 299 million jobs can be generated
by 2035. Women will receive 234 million (78%) of these funds.
ii.An annual investment of $5.4 trillion will be required for this job creation potential by 2035.
iii. Employment rates for women will be high in Europe, lower-middle and low-income countries in Asia
and Arab states, far more than for men.
iv.Employment rates of women will rise by 10 % points overall, ranging from 9% points in Europe and
lower-middle and low-income countries in Asia to 12% points in the Arab states, far more than for men.
v.Around the world, only 89 out of 179 countries have a statutory provision of public long-term care
services for older persons.
vi.The report concluded with a call for action to invest in a transformative package of care policies that is
central to the broader international agenda on investing in the care economy – a breakthrough pathway for
building a better and more gender equal world of work.
Maternity Leave
• About 649 million women of reproductive age from 82 countries did not meet the ILO convention
mandate of 14 weeks of minimum maternity leave.
• The relative no. of potential mothers living in countries with maternity leave durations below 14
weeks is 51.9% in Africa (23 countries), 55.8% in the Americas (18 countries) and 17.5% in Asia
and the Pacific (15 countries). In Europe and Central Asia, all potential mothers live in countries
providing at least 14 weeks of maternity leave.
• Globally, 123 countries offer fully paid maternity leave, with 9/10 potential mothers living in
these countries.
The report alarmed that it will take at least 46 years to achieve minimum maternity leave rights
in the 185 countries analyzed for the study.
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ILO is the only tripartite United Nations agency that brings together governments, employers, and workers
from 187 member countries. It was founded at the Paris Peace Conference under the Treaty of Versailles.
India is a founder member of the International Labour Organization.
Objective – To set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for
all women and men.
Establishment – Since 1919.
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland.
GOI Unveils a Project Report to Rejuvenate 13 Major Rivers Through Forestry

Interventions
The Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav and the Union Minister,
Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with the Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Ashwini Kumar Choubey, under Government of India (GoI) aimed to create a
Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) on Rejuvenation of 13 Major Rivers through Forestry Interventions. The
project contributes towards the livelihood of terrestrial and aquatic biota. The budget outlay of thirteen
DPRs is Rs. 19,342.62 crore.
i.The following 13 rivers are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Luni, Narmada,
Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Cauvery.
Aim Of The Project:
The project targets to create green cover expansion for upcoming 10 years and 20 years under ‘Amrit
Kaal’ and also aims for the future generations to get a ‘Green India’ through the ‘Van Bhagidari and Jan
Bhagida’ – to achieve national goal of climate change and sustainable development.
Funding Of The Project:
The DPRs were funded by National Afforestation & Eco-development Board, MoEF&CC and it is prepared
by Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education(ICFRE), Dehradun.
Coverage of The Rivers:
i.13 rivers collectively cover a total basin area of 18,90,110 sq. km, which represents 57.45% of the
geographical area of the country.
ii.The length of 13 rivers including 202 tributaries within the delineated riverscapes is 42,830 km.
iii.The rivers along with their tributaries cover forestry interventions in the riverscape under different
landscapes namely natural landscape, agricultural landscape and urban landscape.
Proposal Of Treatment And Plantation Models:
i.The forestry plantations includes timber species, medicinal plants, grasses, shrubs and fuel fodder and
fruit trees are aimed to augment water, ground water recharge and contain erosion.
ii.A Total of 667 treatment and plantation models are proposed in all the 13 DPRs for the proposed
forestry interventions and supporting activities.
iii.In all, 283 treatment models have been proposed for the natural landscapes, 97 treatment models in
Agriculture Landscapes and 116 different treatment models in Urban Landscapes.
iv.Site specific treatments in terms of soil & moisture conservation and plantations of grasses, herbs,
forestry and horticultural trees have been proposed for treatment of prioritized sites in the riverscape
supported by Geographic Information System (GIS) technique.
v.Each DPR contains detailed geospatial analysis of the delineated Riverscape, exhaustive review on the
river environment and factors responsible for it.
Focus Of the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs)
i.The DPRs focus on protection, afforestation, catchment treatment, ecological restoration, moisture
conservation, livelihood improvement, income generation, ecotourism by developing river fronts, eco-
parks and bringing awareness amongst the masses.
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ii.It also includes research and monitoring.

Outcome From The Project:
i.Forest cover to increase by 7,417.36 km2.
ii.Recharge in groundwater upto 1,889.89 million m3 yr-1.
iii.Generating economy of Rs. 449.01 crore from non timber and other forest products.
iv.Employments will be generated for 344 million man-days.
v.Under Paris Agreement of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India, to
achieve a carbon sink of 2.5 -3 billion tons of CO2.
vi.Restoration of 26 million hectare of degraded lands by 2030 as a land degradation neutrality target
under United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD).
vii.Under Panchamrit commitment at CoP-26, Glasgow.
• India aimed to reduce carbon emission by one billion tonnes by 2030.
• Meet 50 percent of energy requirements with renewable energy by 2030.
• Enhance non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatt by 2030.
• Reduce the carbon intensity economy by 45 per cent by 2030 and achieve net zero emission by
2070.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)
Union Minister – Bhupender Yadav (Rajya Sabha- Rajasthan)
Ministry of State – “Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Constituency – Buxar, Bihar)
SIPRI Report: India Largest Importer of Major Arms in 2017-21

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) Fact Sheet March 2022 –
“Trends In International Arms Transfers, 2021”, India remained the largest importer globally even
though Indian arms imports have decreased by 21% between 2012-2016 and 2017-2021.
• India has accounted for 11% of global arms imports in 2017-2021, which was around
14% in 2012-2016.
The Main suppliers of India in 2017-2021 are Russia(46%), France(27%), and the United States of America
(USA)(12%).
Arms Importers:
i.The total volume of the international transfer of major arms in 2017-2021 was 4.6% lower than 2012-
2016 but higher than 2007-2011.
ii.The 5 largest arms imports in 2017-2021 are India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Australia and China. These
countries account for around 38% of the total imports in 2017-2021.
iii.Asia and Oceania is the main recipient region in 2017-2022, accounting for 43% of global imports
followed by the Middle East (32%), Europe (13%), Africa (5.8%) and the Americas (5.5%).
iv.6 countries (India, Australia, China, South Korea, Pakistan and Japan) in the Asia and Oceania region are
among the 10 largest importers globally
v.The imports by the states of South America in 2017–21 were at their lowest level for any 5-year period in
the past 50 years.
Arms Exporters:
i.The 5 largest arms exporters in 2017–21 are the USA, Russia, France, China and Germany. These
countries account for around 77% of the total arms exports in 2017-2021.
ii.The countries from North America and Europe accounted for 87% of total exports in 2017-21.
iii.France(3rd), Germany(5th), Italy(6th), the United Kingdom(UK)(7th) and Spain(9th) were among the
top 5 West European arms exporters which accounts for 24% of total exports.
iv.China(4th), South Korea(8th) and Israel(10th)(outside Europe) were also among the top 10 arms
exporters in 2017-21.
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Key Points:
i.The exports of the US increased by 14%, increasing its global share from 32% to 39%.
ii.The Russian arms exports fell by 26% between 2012-2016 and 2017-2021 and its global share fell from
24% to 19%.
iii.The arms exports of France increased 59% between 2012-2016 and 2017-2021. It accounts for 11% of
the global total.
Click here for Trends In International Arms Transfers, 2021
As per the report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) titled ‘Top 100 arms-
producing and military services companies, 2020’, 3 Indian defence manufactures companies such as
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Indian Ordnance Factories, and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
ranks among the top 100 manufacturers globally.
• The HAL, ranked 42nd, and BEL, ranked 66th, and Indian Ordnance Factories ranked 60th.
About Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI):
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms
control and disarmament.
Chair of SIPRI Governing Board- Ambassador Jan Eliasson
Established in 1966
Headquarters– Solna, Sweden
Telangana Becomes First State in India to Implement Crop Diversification Index

Telangana turned out to be the first state in India to adopt the Crop Diversification Index (CDI) by way of
recording their crop diversification pattern in the form of an index.
According to the CDI, Telangana grows 77 varieties of crops, out of which only 10 crops (mostly grains) are
chosen for crop diversification.
• The districts of Nirmal, Vikarabad, and Sangareddy emerge as the most diverse, ranking in the top
3 in the state.
• The least diversified districts (bottom 3) in the state in terms of crop diversification would be
Peddapalli, Karimnagar, and Suryapet, where paddy is the most cultivated crop, showing a
decrease in the cropping areas of maize and an increase in the cropping areas of cotton.
About Crop Diversification Index (CDI):
i.All the areas under the 77 different crops, which include food, non-food, and cash crops, as well as the
areas under floriculture practices, have been considered to calculate the index.
ii.The index has a starting value of ONE representing the percentage of total cultivated area devoted to a
single crop.
iii. Many districts in the state have index values ranging from 0 to 5, and the higher the value, the greater
the agricultural diversification.
iv.The index would serve as the baseline for future crop diversification in the state.
v. Next to paddy and maize, which are the traditionally grown crops in the state, pulses were the most
preferred crops by the farmers.
About Telangana:
Governor – Tamilisai Soundararajan
Forts – Golkonda Fort, Warangal Fort, Gadwal Fort
Annual Reports Of PLFS Records India’s Urban Unemployment Rate To 12.6% In April-June
2021
As per the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO),
India’s urban unemployment rate (persons of age 15 years and above) has jumped to 12.6% in April-June
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quarter of 2021, when compared to 9.3% in the January-March 2021.

i.The present quarterly bulletin is the eleventh in the series for the quarter April- June 2021.
ii.NSO launched PLFS in April 2017
Objectives Of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)
i.To estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (Worker Population Ratio, Labour Force
Participation Rate, Unemployment Rate) in the short time interval of three months for the urban areas only
in the ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS).
ii.To estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ and CWS in both rural and
urban areas annually.
Unemployment Rate (UR):
UR is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force.
First-Stage Sampling Units (FSUs)
i.At the all-India level, in the urban areas, a total number of 5,619 First-Stage Sampling Units (FSUs) have
been surveyed during the quarter April – June 2021.
Reason For The Hike In Unemployment Rate:
i.Covid-19, nationwide lockdown in 2020 (first wave) played a major role in the increase of UR as most of
the people never left home to work.
ii.Comparison of UR percentage in CWS in urban areas for persons of age 15 years and above for April-June
2020 and April-June 2021
• UR percentage for April-June 2020 was 20.8%
• UR percentage for April-June 2021 was 12.6%
iii.urban females stood more in UR when compared to male in 2020 and 2021.
iv.Comparison of UR percentage for male and female in April-June 2020 and April-June 2021:
• UR percentage of male and female for April-June 2020 was 20.7% and 21.1% respectively.
• UR percentage of male and female for April-June 2021 was 12.2% and 14.3% respectively.
Indian Unemployment Rate In 2022:
January 2022 – 6.57%
February 2022 – 8.10%
i.Increase in the UR in February 2022 when compared to January 2022.
ii.Rajasthan stands 1st at UR report in February 2022, with the unemployment percent of 32.3%.
About National Statistical Office (NSO)
Chairman – Bimal Kumar Roy
Ministry – Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
India is on the rise with 222% growth in open access solar installations: Mercom India
Report
According to Mercom India Research’s newly released report titled “Mercom India Solar Open Access
Market Report Q4 & Annual 2021,” India has added 1.2 Giga Watts (GW) of new solar open access
capacity in the calendar year (CY) 2021, marking a growth of 222% during the year.
• As of December 2021, the cumulative installed solar capacity in the open access market was over
5 GW, whereas in the year 2020, India had an installed open access solar capacity of 383 Mega
Watts (MW), which shows that there is a growth in the demand for open access solar
installations.
• The top 3 states in installation of open access solar capacities of the CY 2021 are Uttar
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra respectively.
Key Facts:
i.India added 298 MW of solar operations capacity in Q4 2021 and installations were 75% more compared
to 2020.
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ii.About 75% of the progress of solar open access projects in 2021 is spread across Karnataka, Haryana
and Uttar Pradesh and the top 5 states contributed 80% of the total installations during the year and 90%
during the quarter.
iii. Uttar Pradesh had the maximum installations with 113 MW and accounted for 38% of the total
capacity additions in Q4 2021.
iv.Karnataka stood as the top state, accounting for about 38% of India’s cumulative open access solar
installations.
v.Trading of Renewable Energy (RE) through the newly introduced green day-ahead market showed a 5%
increase in volume.
vi.The report also had new entrants, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, as it expanded its coverage for
analysis.
Note: Open Access of Solar Power: Solar power through Open Access is an arrangement where a power
producer builds a solar power plant and signs a medium/long-term power purchase agreement with a
consumer.
About Mercom Communications India:
Mercom Communications India is a subsidiary of US-based Mercom Capital Group, and is a clean energy
research and communications firm with expertise in CleanTech (Clean Technology) markets.
CEO – Raj Prabhu
Founded – 2009
UR for Persons of 15 years and above in Urban Areas declined to 9.8% in Q2-2021:
12th PLFS by NSO
In accordance with the 12th Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the National Statistical Office (NSO),
Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons of age 15 years and above in urban areas dipped to 9.8% in July-
September (Q2) 2021 from 13.2% in Q2-2020. It was 12.6% in April-June 2021.
• UR is defined as the percentage of unemployed persons in the labour force.
Key Figures representing Persons of 15 years and above in Urban Areas:
i.The joblessness was high in July-September 2020 mainly due to lockdown restriction amid COVID-19.
ii.UR among females also declined to 11.6% in July-September 2021 from 15.8% a year ago.
• It was 14.3% in April-June 2021.
iii.Among males, the UR also declined to 9.3% in July-September 2021 compared to 12.6% a year ago.
iv.Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in CWS (Current Weekly Status) was 46.9% in the July-
September 2021, down from 47.2% in the same period a year ago.
v.Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in CWS stood at 42.3% in July-September 2021, up from 40.9% in the
same period a year ago.
• It was 40.9% in April-June, 2021.
About Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS):
It was launched in 2017 by NSO. On the basis of PLFS, a quarterly bulletin is brought out giving estimates of
labour force indicators namely UR, WPR, LFPR, distribution of workers by broad status in employment,
and industry of work in Current Weekly Status (CWS). 11 quarterly bulletins corresponding to the
quarter ending December 2018 to the quarter ending June 2021 have already been released.
• The estimates of unemployed persons in CWS give an average picture of unemployment in
a short period of seven days during the survey period.
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• In the CWS, a person is considered unemployed if he/she did not work even for one hour on any
day during the week but was available for work at least for one hour on any day during the
period.
• LFPR is defined as the percentage of population in the labour force.
UNEP’s Annual Frontier Report ranks Moradabad 2nd most polluted city globally
According to the recent Annual Frontier Report 2022, titled ‘Noise, Blazes and Mismatches’ published by
the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh is the second most noise
polluted city with a maximum recorded noise pollution level of 114 decibels (dB).
i.As per the report, the Most polluted city is Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital records the noise pollution level of
119 decibels,Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad ranked Third.
iii.3 Indian cities are among the top 15 most noise polluted cities in the world.They are
Moradabad(UttarPradesh),Kolkata(West Bengal),and Asansol(West Bengal).
World’s Quietest Cities:
The UNEP report found that Irbrid (Jordan) at 60 dB is the world’s quietest city, followed by Lyon (France)
, Madrid (Spain) , Stockholm (Sweden), and Belgrade (Serbia).
Key Highlights:
i.Among the 61 cities in the report, 13 cities were from South Asian region, out of which five cities
(Moradabad, Asansol, Kolkata, Jaipur, & Delhi) are from India.
ii.The report is prepared based on three chapters:-
• Listening to Cities: From Noisy Environments to Positive Soundscapes
• Wildfires Under Climate Change: A Burning Issue
• Phenology: Climate Change Is Shifting the Rhythm of Nature
iii.The noise pollution figures given in the report are drawn during daytime traffic or vehicles, the World
Health Organisation’s (WHO) prescribed limit for the noise pollution on the road is at 53 decibels in 2018.
iv.As per the Guidelines for community Noise 1999, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends 55
decibel standard for residential areas and 70 decibels for traffic and business sectors.
About United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
Founded- 5 June 1972
Headquarters- Nairobi, Kenya
Executive Director- Inger Andersen
About World Health Organisation (WHO):
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
Director General – Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
India’s 2022 GDP Growth Downgraded to 4.6% amid Ukraine-Russia War: UNCTAD Report
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in an update to its Trade and
Development report published March 24, 2022 titled ‘Tapering in a time of conflict’ has downgraded
India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for 2022 by -2.1% to 4.6% from 6.7% amid ongoing Ukraine-
Russia War.
• On the global front, it also declined the economic growth projection for 2022 by -1%
to 2.6% from 3.6% .
Key Points:
i.As a war affects, India is expected to face restraints on energy access and prices, reflexes from trade
sanctions, food inflation, tightening policies and financial instability. Other developing countries are also at
risk.
ii.Significant slowdowns in growth are expected in parts of Western Europe and Central, South and South-
East Asia.
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iii.A number of developing country central banks are engaged in quantitative easing, and active purchasing
of bonds in the open market, mainly public bond buying including central banks of India, Thailand,
Colombia and South Africa, among others.
iv.The currencies of Brazil, Russia, India and China account for no more than 3.5% of the $6.6 trillion daily
turnover in the forex markets, a ratio barely one-tenth of the United States (US) dollar’s 44%
v.The report has downgraded the GDP growths of the US from 3% to 2.4%; China to 4.8% from 5.7%; and
Russia’s to -7.3% from 2.3%.
Click here for Official report
Telecom Secretary Releases The TEC Report

K.Rajaraman, Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, has
released two reports namely:
• Rollout of Small Cells for 5G Networks by leveraging Street Furniture
• Internet of Things (IoT)/ Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Standards for
Smart Cities
The objective of the report is to achieve a timely, hassle-free rollout of 5G services and the development of
a standardized ecosystem for Smart Cities in India.
• These reports have been prepared by the respective divisions of the Telecommunication
Engineering Centre (TEC), DoT, Government of India, with multi-stakeholders’ consultation.
Key Points:
i.Since introduction of 5G networks in India is in the pipeline, the need for small cells will be inevitable due
to the introduction of higher spectrum bands. It necessitates denser network deployments to support
larger traffic volumes per unit area.
ii.The report on Rollout of Small Cells for 5G Networks by leveraging Street Furniture will facilitate a
standard approach for the proliferation of denser small cell infrastructure in India.
iii. The Technical Report on IoT/ICT standards for Smart Cities covers the national and international
guidelines and standards related to the development of IoT/ICT-based smart infrastructure in various
verticals of Smart Cities.
iv.The report also discusses the International Telecommunication Union‘s (ITU) standards for IoT and
smart cities, as well as the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for evaluating city smartness.
Note: The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) is the technical arm of the DoT and it is
responsible for standardization and related aspects of the telecom sector.
India TB cases up 19%: India TB Report 2022; Delhi Tops in TB Prevalence: National TB
Prevalence Survey in India 2019-2021
According to the ‘India TB Report 2022 – Coming Together to End TB Altogether’, India has recorded a
19% increase in Tuberculosis(TB) cases in 2021 over 2020 & as per ‘National TB Prevalence Survey in
India 2019-2021’ Report, Delhi has topped the TB Prevalence in India(among the population aged above
15 years and among all age groups) with 534 cases per 1 lakh population and 747 per 1 Lakh population
(highest in India) respectively.
The report was released by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya during the “STEP Up to End TB
2022” Summit organised on the occasion of World TB Day 2022.
Highlights of India TB Report 2022:
More than 19.3 lakh new and relapsed TB patients were notified in 2021 against the 16.3 lakh in 2020.
In 2020, deaths due to TB have increased to 4.93 lakh (excluding the HIV patients who died due to TB). In
2020, deaths due to TB have increased by 13%, compared to 2019.
Between 2019 and 2020, the mortality due to all forms of TB has increased by 11%.
Click here for India TB Report 2022 – Coming Together to End TB Altogether
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Additional info:
India aims to eliminate TB by 2025 according to the National Strategic Plan for Elimination of
Tuberculosis (NSP 2017- 25) and 18 States have committed to Ending TB by 2025 by formally
implementing State-specific Strategic Plans.
According to the Global TB Report 2021, the estimated incidence of all forms of TB in India for 2020 was
188 per 1 lakh population.
The National TB Prevalence Survey in India 2019-2021:
The summary report of the National TB Prevalence Survey in India 2019-2021 states that around 64% of
the surveyed symptomatic population did not seek any healthcare services between 2019 and 2021.
Note: Previously in India, a National TB Prevalence Survey was done in 1955-1958.The survey was
conducted after six decades.
Click here for the Summary report of the National TB Prevalence Survey in India
Top 5 States (TB Prevalence in India among population aged ≥ 15 years)
State Prevalence (per 1 lakh population)
Delhi 534
Rajasthan 484
Uttar Pradesh 481
Haryana 465
Chhattisgarh 454
• The Prevalence was lowest in Kerala with 115 per lakh population.
• The 2019-2021 survey showed that in India cases of confirmed pulmonary TB cases for those
above 15 years were 316 per lakh population.
Top 5 States (TB Prevalence in India among all age groups)
State Prevalence (per 1 lakh population)
Delhi 747
Haryana 477
Chhattisgarh 451
Rajasthan 432
Uttar Pradesh 427
• The Prevalence was lowest in Gujarat with 137 per lakh population.
• The 2019-2021 survey showed that in India cases of confirmed pulmonary TB cases among all
age groups was 312 per lakh population.
On 29th November 2021 Union Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Rajesh Bhushan released
the findings of the National Health Accounts (NHA) Estimates for India for 2017-18.
• This is the 5th consecutive NHA report produced by National Health Systems Resource Centre
(NHSRC), designated as National Health Accounts Technical Secretariat (NHATS) in 2014 by the
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW).
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW):
Union Minister– Mansukh Mandaviya (Rajya Sabha- Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS)– Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar (Dindori, Maharashtra)
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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

IISER’s Prof Deepak Dhar became the first Indian selected for Boltzmann Medal
The renowned Indian physicist and Emeritus Professor at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of
Science Education and Research (IISER),
Pune, Prof Deepak Dhar will be conferred the
prestigious Boltzmann Medal 2022 for
contribution in the field of statistical physics.
• He became the first Indian to be
awarded the Boltzmann Medal. He will
share the medal with John J Hopfield of
Princeton University.
• The medal presentation ceremony will
be held during the StatPhys28
conference in August 2022 in Tokyo, Japan.
Highlights:
i.The Boltzmann Medal (or Boltzmann Award) is named after the physicist Ludwig Boltzmann and
awarded to physicists for contributing new results in statistical mechanics and it was instituted in 1975.
• First award- Kenneth G. Wilson (Cornell University) in 1975.
ii.The Boltzmann Medal is given every three years by the C3 Commission on Statistical Physics of
the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP).
iii.John J Hopfield is an American scientist, who is known for his invention of an associative neural
network in 1982
About Prof Deepak Dhar:
i.He is known for his research on statistical physics and stochastic processes.
ii.He is an elected fellow of – the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy, and the
National Academy of Sciences and also The World Academy of Sciences.
Award- ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize’ (1991) by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR).
MoS for Education Annpurna Devi Presents National ICT Award 2020 & 2021 to 49
Teachers
Annapurna Devi, Minister of State(MoS) for Education presented the National ICT (Information and
Communication Technology) Award 2020 & 2021 to the 49 teachers from across India. ICT Award 2020 is
given for school teachers and 2021 is for School teachers, Teacher Educators and Best Practicing
States/Union Territories(UTs).(From 2021 onwards two new categories of awards are introduced (i) for
Teacher educators and (ii) for best practicing States/UTs)
• The ‘National ICT Award for School Teachers’ Award ceremony was organized by the Central
Institute of Educational Technology(CIET), National Council of Educational Research and
Training(NCERT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education(MoE) was held at the Nalanda
Auditorium, Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, Delhi.
NMCG gets ‘Special Jury Award’ for Ganga Rejuvenation

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) received the ‘Special Jury Award’ for its considerable
contribution in Ganga Rejuvenation at the 7th India Industry Water Conclave and the 9th edition of FICCI
Water Awards, held virtually, from 2nd to 3rd March, 2022.
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• The Jury acknowledged NMCG’s strategic role to bring about a paradigm shift in water
management, besides its involvement in
reviving the river Ganga.
• It also insisted on the need for a real Jan
Andolan (Mass Movement) around the
river Ganga to revive not only its main
stream but also the other order of
streams, catchments, aquifers that
provide base-flows to the river.
The distinguished Jury of the FICCI Water
Awards:
• Dr. Mihir Shah, Distinguished Professor, Shiv Nadar University and Chair of the Jury,
• Prof. A.K. Gosain, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT, Delhi,
• Dr. Himanshu Kulkarni, Founder Trustee and Executive Director Advanced Center for Water
Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM)
• Mr. VK Madhavan, Chief Executive, WaterAid India
About National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):
i.Aim – The aim of this mission is to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental
pollution in river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water so as to rejuvenate the river
Ganga
ii.Registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act 1860. It acts as an implementation wing
of National Ganga Council (set in 2016; which replaced the National Ganga River Basin
Authority (NGRBA)).
iii. It operates under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation,
Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• Establishment of NMCG: August 12, 2011
• Director General of NMCG:G. Asok Kumar
• Minister of Jal Shakti: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Jodhpur constituency, Rajasthan)
CtrlS bags ASSOCHAM Sustainability Award

On March 4th 2022 , The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) awarded
its Award for Sustainability Excellence in
Energy Management to CtrlS, a DataCenter
Company in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• CtrlS bagged the award for its excellence
in energy management as it made a
positive impact during the Covid-19
pandemic, thanks to the innovative and
sustainability initiatives in its data center
operations.
• This award is generally presented to those companies that make efforts to integrate economic,
environmental, and social objectives alongside its operations and growth.
The current and past winners of ASSOCHAM awards:
• SAP, Tata Consultancy Services, L&T, Cognizant, Ashok Leyland, ONGC, SBI Life Insurance, JK
Tyre, Tata Capital, ICICI Foundation, NTPC, PayTM and others.
About CtrlS Datacenter (DC):
i.Asia’s largest and India’s only Rated 4 Hyperscale Datacenter(DC) which is at the forefront of
innovation and sustainability. CtrlS became world’s 1st DC to Win Golden Peacock Eco-Innovation Award.
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ii.It embraces the path to a Greener Datacenter Future by committing itself to sustainable growth with
healthy, highly efficient and cost-optimized green infrastructure.
Founder and CEO: Sridhar Pinnapureddy, The Green Man of Indian Data Centers.
Founded: 2008
About ASSOCHAM:
• It is India’s oldest and leading Non-governmental trading association that works as a bridge
between the industry and the Government.
• ASSOCHAM leads various initiatives to enhance the global competitiveness of the Indian industry,
while strengthening the domestic ecosystem.
Chairman of ASSOCHAM Southern Region: B.V. Naidu
President: Vineet Agarwal
Headquarters: New Delhi
NMDC won 1st prize in Ispat Rajbhasha Award for 2018-19 & 2020-21, & Ispat Rajbhasha
Prerna Award for 2019-20
National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd. (NMDC), India’s largest Iron Ore producer, under the
Ministry of Steel, has won the 1st prize in Ispat Rajbhasha Award for 2018-19 and 2020-21 and the Ispat
Rajbhasha Prerna Award for 2019-20.
• Sumit Deb, Chairman and Managing
Director, NMDC received the award from
Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, Union
Minister of Steel.
• The award was presented during the
Meeting of the Hindi Advisory
(Salahakar) Committee of the Ministry of
Steel held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, on 3rd
March 2022.
MOIL received Ispat Rajbhasha Samman 2018-19 & 2019-20:
MOIL Limited, a Mini Ratna state-owned manganese ore mining company received the Ispat Rajbhasha
Samman for the year 2018-19 and 2019-20.
• Mukund Choudhary, Chairman and Managing Director(CMD) of MOIL, and Usha Singh received
the award.
• MOIL is the largest producer of manganese ore in India operates 11 mines in adjoining districts of
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
About the Meeting:
i.The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, Union Minister of Steel
and the vice-chairman of the meeting was Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Steel.
ii.CMDs of the 8 Public sector undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of Steel participated in the meeting.
Awards:
The Union Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh awarded the “Ispat Rajbhasha Sammaan” awards and
Commendation Certificates for the year 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 to the undertakings of the
Ministry of steel for their excellent performance in the usage of Official Language Rajbhasha.
About Ministry of Steel:
Union Minister– Ram Chandra Prasad Singh (Rajya Sabha Bihar)
Minister of State– Faggan Singh Kulaste (Constituency- Mandla, Madhya Pradesh)
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Minister of Labour & Employment Presents VRP, NSA and NSA( Mines) awards
The Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Bhupender
Yadav, presented Vishwakarma Rashtriya
Puraskar (VRP), National Safety Awards (NSA)
for the performance year 2018, and National
Safety Awards (Mines) for the contest years 2017,
2018, 2019 and 2020.
i.A total 96 VRP were presented for the
performance year 2018, A total 141 NSA were
given (80 winners & 61 runners-up) and 144
candidates got the NSA (Mines).
About the awards:
i.National Safety Awards (Mines) –
It aims to promote a competitive spirit amongst mine operators. It operated by the Directorate General of
Mines Safety (DGMS), Dhanbad since 1983.
ii.Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar (VRP)-
It is awarded in recognition of outstanding suggestions given by a worker or group of workers in the
industrial undertakings where “Suggestion Schemes” are in operation.
• The VRP & NSA have been operated by the Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour
Institutes (DGFASLI), Mumbai under the MoL&E since 1965.
iii.National Safety Awards (NSA)–
it is given in recognition of outstanding safety performance of industrial establishments, construction sites,
ports and installations under the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
• The awards are given under twelve schemes, out of which ten are meant for factories/
construction sites/ installations under AERB and two are for ports.
About Ministry of Labour & Employment ( MoL & E ):
Union Minister- Bhupender Yadav ( Rajya Sabha Rajasthan )
Minister of State- Rameswar Teli ( Constituency Dibrugarh , Assam )
MoRD Honoured J&K Bank with National Award for SHG Bank Linkage
Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development, honoured the Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K
Bank) with the“National Award for Outstanding
Performance for FY 2020-21” in recognition of its
best performance in Self-Help Group Bank Linkage.
• Kirti Sharma, Zonal Head, Delhi, J & K
Bank, accepted the award on the bank’s
behalf from Union Minister Giriraj Singh.
• The award was presented during the event
organised as a part of International
Women’s Day (8th March 2022) at Vigyan
Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi.
J&K bank Commissions 4 Business Units:
In line with the Bank’s commitment to extend banking facilities and financial services into the under-
banked areas of Jammu and Kashmir, J&K Bank has commissioned 4 Business Units (BUs) in the region.
• Baldev Prakash, Managing Director(MD) and Chief Execuitve Officer(CEO) of J&K Bank,
inaugurated Business Unit Pattan Village in Baramulla.
• He also virtually inaugurated the business units Model Town Sopore, Bakura Ganderbal, and
Narakara Budgam.
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These BUs will be resourced and equipped to provide the best financial services and state-of-the-art
banking facilities to the people.
About Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K Bank):
J&K Bank is a Scheduled Commercial Bank and one of the oldest private sector Bank in India, incorporated
in 1938.
MD&CEO- Baldev Prakash
Headquarters– Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir(J&K)
Tagline– Serving to Empower
6 Indian Airports Won the ACI World’s ASQ Awards 2021 – Best Airports by Size & Region
Airports Council International(ACI) World has honoured Six Indian Airports with the Airport Service
Quality (ASQ) Awards 2021 under the Asia Pacific
Category. The 6 airports were adjudged as the Best
Airports by Size and Region based on data from
ASQ’s Departures and Arrivals Surveys.
• The Chandigarh Airport (Chandigarh) has
been adjudged as the Best Hygiene
Measures by Region under the Asia
Pacific Category.
• The ASQ Awards were presented by ACI
World in partnership with global travel technology company Amadeus.
The 6 Indian Ariports that won the award under the Asia Pacific region category are
Category (Size) Airport City& State
2 to 5 million passengers per
year Chandigarh Airport Chandigarh
Cochin International Airport Cochin, Kerala
5 to 15 million passengers per Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Ahmedabad,
year Airport Gujarat
15 to 25 million passengers Hyderabad,
per year Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Telangana
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Mumbai,
Airport Maharashtra
Over 40 million passengers
per year Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi
About ASQ Awards:
The ASQ Awards, launched in 2006, are an annual award of ACI World that recognizes airport excellence in
customer experience worldwide based on data from ASQ’s renowned Departures and Arrivals Surveys.
ASQ Awards 2021:
i.The ASQ Awards 2021 are presented in 2 categories: Best Airports by Size and Region and Best Hygiene
Measures by Region.
ii.A total of 110 awards have been won by 87 individual airports around the world.
iii.The ASQ Awards 2021 have recognised the airports based on the data collected in 2021 from over
370,000 surveys.
iv.The new hygiene category award complements ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation program, which helps
airports align their health measures with global standards.
v.The winners of the ASQ 2021 will be honoured at the award ceremony on 14th September 2022 in
Karakow, Poland during the ASQ Forum & ACI Customer Experience Global Summit.
Click here for all the winners of ASQ 2021 awards
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The Airports Council International (ACI), an international organization for policy development in the
Aviation sector, has awarded 18 Indian Airports with the ‘Voice of the Customer’ award for 2021. ACI is
also known as the trade association of the world’s airports.
About Airports Council International (ACI) World:
Director General– Luis Felipe de Oliveira
Headquarters– Montréal, Québec, Canada
MoPNG Swachhta Pakhwada Awards Presented & Indian Petroleum & Natural Gas Statistics
2020-21 Published
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) presented the
MoPNG Swachhta Pakhwada Awards to the winners and launched ‘Indian Petroleum & Natural Gas
Statistics 2020-21’.
The Indian Petroleum & Natural Gas Statistics is
an annual publication of the Ministry, which is a
repository of data that gives an overall picture of
India’s Oil & Gas sector including exploration,
production, refining, transportation and
marketing, imports and exports of crude oil &
petroleum products.
• The Swachhta Pakhwada was organized
by Oil & Gas Central Public Sector
Enterprises (CPSEs), and attached offices
of MoPNG during 1st-15th July, 2021.
• “Swachhta Pakhwada Awards” have been initiated for outstanding performance in the
celebration. Based on their performance, IOCL was ranked first, ONGC second and HPCL placed
third.
• About 40 plastic waste collection centres were set up and more than 4000 online internal &
external competitions were organized during the event.
About Swachhta Pakhwada:
An initiative of the Government of India as a part of Swachh Bharat Mission.
Establishment – April 2016.
Objective – To bring a fortnight of intense focus on the issues and practices of Swachhta (cleanliness) by
engaging GOI Ministries/Departments in their jurisdictions.
• An annual calendar is pre-circulated among the Ministries to help them plan for the Pakhwada
activities.
• The Ministries observing the Pakhwada fortnight are considered as Swachhta Ministries and are
expected to bring qualitative Swachhta improvements in their jurisdictions.
About Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG):
Minister of MoPNG – Hardeep Singh Puri (Rajya Sabha MP, Uttar Pradesh Constituency)
Minister of State (MoPNG) – Rameswar Teli (Dibrugarh Constituency, Assam)
IFR Asia Awards 2021: Axis Bank bags Asian Bank of the Year and India Bond House
Axis Bank, India’s third-largest private sector bank, was adjudged as the Asian Bank of The Year
2021 and India Bond House at the IFR Asia Awards 2021. The awards are organised by IFR Asia, a Hong
Kong based provider of capital markets intelligence.
Axis bank has been honoured with the Asian Bank of The Year 2021 for its breadth of coverage and depth
of expertise in the Asian investment banking space.
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• The Asian Bank of The Year award acknowledges the bank’s performance in equity and debt
issuance, across all major products and
segments.
Other Awardees:
Morgan Stanley has been honoured with the
Bank of the year award at the IFR Asia Award
2021 and the JSW Group has been awarded with
the Issuer of the year award.
Click here for the complete list of winners of
the IFR Asia Awards 2021
Key Points:
i.Axis Bank was the only local house to serve as a global coordinator for the record Rs. 183 billion(Bn)
Paytm Initial Public Offering (IPO), and was also the global coordinator for Macrotech Developers’ Rs. 25
Bn IPO.
ii.Axis Bank’s performance in DCM was encapsulated by its market share in India, which at 17.1% was
double that of its nearest challenger.
iii.Axis Bank has also sold India’s first sustainable Additional Tier 1 bonds issue, a USD 600 million
perpetual non-call five issues priced at 4.1%, while acting as a joint global coordinator.
About Axis Bank:
MD & CEO– Amitabh Chaudhry
Tagline– Badhti ka naam Zindagi
2022 EE British Academy Film Awards: Will Smith won Best Actor for King Richard; The
Power Of The Dog won Best Film
The winners of the 75th edition of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts(BAFTA)’s annual film
awards – 2022 EE British Academy Film
Awards(BAFA) were announced on 13th March
2022 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the
United Kingdom(UK).
• The award ceremony was broadcasted
on the BBC (British Broadcasting
Corporation) in the UK and across the
globe.
• The award ceremony was hosted by
Australian actress, Rebel Wilson.
Highlights:
i.American Actor Will Smith won the BAFTA under the Leading Actor category for his role in King Richard,
an American biographical sports drama film, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green.
ii.British actress Joanna Scanlan won the BAFTA’s Leading Actress award for the film After Love directed
by Aleem Khan.
iii.The Power Of The Dog, a New Zealand-led Western psychological drama film, written and directed by
Jane Campion has won 2 awards, Best Film and Best Director.
iv.Sci-fi movie Dune directed by Denis Villenueve has won 5 BAFTA awards in the categories namely
Original Score, Cinematography, Production Design, Sound, and Special Visual Effects.
v.Apple Original Films ‘CODA’ written and directed by Siân Heder has won 2 BAFTA’s under Adapted
Screenplay and Supporting Actor category.
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Winners of 2022 EE British Academy Film Awards:

Category Winnner
Best Film The Power Of The Dog
Outstanding British Film Belfast
Outstanding Debut By A British Writer,
Director Or Producer The Harder They Fall
Film Not In The English Language Drive My Car
Summer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could
Documentary Not Be Televised)
Animated Film Encanto
Director Jane Campion for The Power Of The Dog
Original Screenplay Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza
Adapted Screenplay Siân Heder for CODA
Leading Actress Joanna Scanlan for After Love
Leading Actor Will Smith for King Richard
Supporting Actress Ariana Debose for West Side Story
Supporting Actor Troy Kotsur for CODA
Original Score Hans Zimmer for Dune
Casting Cindy Tolan for West Side Story
Cinematography Greig Fraser for Dune
Editing Tom Cross, Elliot Graham for No Time To Die
Production Design Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos for Dune
Costume Design Jenny Beavan for Cruella
Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, Justin Raleigh for
Make Up & Hair The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Doug Hemphill, Theo
Sound Green, Ron Bartlett for Dune
Brian Connor, Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Gerd
Special Visual Effects Nefzer for Dune
Do Not Feed The Pigeons By Vladimir Krasilnikov,
British Short Animation Jordi Morera, Antonin Niclass
British Short Film The Black Cop By Cherish Oteka
EE Rising Star Award Lashana Lynch
On February 20, 2022, the winners of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) Awards 2022,
India’s only independent international film festival, were declared
in Mumbai, Maharashtra.The award was presented by Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival
(DPIFF) in memory of Dadasaheb Phalke ‘Father of Indian Cinema’.
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About the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA):

BAFTA is a world-leading, Britain’s oldest independent art charity.
Incepted in 1947
President– HRH Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge
Headquarters– London, The United Kingdom(UK)
Prof Narayan Pradhan Selected for 31st GD Birla Award for Scientific Research
Professor Narayan Pradhan was selected for the 31st GD (Ghanshyam Das ) Birla Award for Scientific
Research 2022 for his outstanding contribution in the field of material sciences. It was given by the KK
Birla foundation.
• Narayan Pradhan provided his expertise in
crystal modulations to help design new
shapes of tiny lighting materials.
• In 2021, Professor Suman
Chakraborty, a faculty member at the
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),
Kharagpur was selected for the 30th GD
Birla Award for Scientific Research.
Highlights:
i.The research was mainly focused on understanding the chemistry and physics of light-emitting
semiconductor nanocrystals.
ii.The research group contributed to the surface construction of the newly emerged light-emitting halide
perovskite nanocrystals, which are expected to be the next-generation lighting materia for photovoltaics
and making LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).
About Professor Narayan Pradhan:
i.Educational background- He graduated from Odisha’s Fakir Mohan College and obtained a master’s
degree in chemistry from the Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha.
• He completed PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, in 2001.
ii. In 2007, he joined the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science as an assistant professor.
Awards –
• LNJ Bhilwara Nanoscience award,
• DST Swarnajayanti Fellowship award,
• DST Nanoscience Young Career award,
• Oxford Nanoscientist award.
About the award:
Founded-1991
i.It recognises eminent Indian scientists below the age of 50 years for their original and outstanding
contributions to any branch of science.
ii.A cash prize of Rs 5 lakh is provided. The recipient is chosen by a Selection Board.
• Currently, the selection board is headed by professor Chandrima Shaha, President of the Indian
National Science Academy (INSA).
Miss World 2021: Poland’s Karolina Bielawska won 70th Edition of Miss World
Karolina Bielawska from Poland has won the 70th edition of the Miss World (Miss World
2021) pageant that was held in Coca-Cola Music Hall, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
She was crowned Miss World 2021 by 69th Miss World (Miss World 2019), Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica.
• She is the 2nd woman from Poland to win the Miss World Title. Aneta Kreglicka, Miss World
1989, was the first.
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Indian-American Shree Saini who represented the United States of America(USA) in the pageant, is the 1st
runner up at the Miss World 2021 followed by
Olivia Yace of Côte d’Ivoire, 2nd runner up.
About Karolina Bielawska:
i.Karolina Bielawska, a student of Master’s degree
in Journalism, is also a Model and Social Influencer,
and the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Krok do
Zivota (Step into Life), which supports children in
orphanages.
ii.She launched her foundation Krok do Zivota as
her Beauty with a Purpose project.
Continental Winners of Miss World 2021:
Category Country Winner
Miss World Americas United States Shree Saini(1st Runner up)
Miss World Africa Côte d’Ivoire Olivia Yace(2nd Runner up)
Miss World Caribbean Dominican Republic Emmy Pena
Miss World Asia Indonesia Carla Yules
Miss World Europe Northern Ireland Anna Leitch
Miss World – India:
i.Reita Faria Powel, Miss World 1966, was the first Indian to win the Miss World pageant.
ii.Following Reita Faris, Aishwarya Rai won the title in 1994, Diana Hayden in 1997, Yukta Mookhey in
1999, Priyanka Chopra in 2000, and Manushi Chhillar in 2017.
About Miss World:
i.Miss World, an annual beauty pageant, is one of the World’s largest and longest-running international
beauty pageants. It was launched in 1951.
ii.The Miss World Organization owns and manages the annual Miss World Finals
Diebedo Francis Kere become First African to win Pritzker Prize 2022
An architect Diebedo Francis Kere from Burkina Faso ,West Africa became the first African to win
the 51st Pritzker Architecture Prize 2022. It’s a
most prestigious honour in the field of
architecture.
• In 2021, French architecture duo Anne
Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal won
the 50th Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Note- Balkrishna Doshi is the first Indian winner of
the 2018 Pritzker Prize.
About Diebedo Francis Kere:
He is a 56 years old architect born in Burkina Faso. He is a dual citizen of two countries- Burkina Faso and
Germany.
i.Diebedo Francis Kere, known for his pioneering and sustainable designs of schools, health facilities,
housing, civic buildings, and public spaces across Africa.
ii.In 2017, he became the first African architect to design the Serpentine Pavilion in Hyde Park, London,
United Kingdom (UK). It is a prestigious assignment awarded each year to a prominent architect.
iii.He was also one of the architects behind Geneva’s International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum.
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Awards–
• Aga Khan Award for Architecture
• Global Award for Sustainable Architecture
About Pritzker Architecture Prize:
It is granted annually and is often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel”.
First awarded- 1979
Sponsored by– Hyatt Foundation
Karnataka Bank bags ASSOCHAM Award’s ‘Best MSME Bank of the Year’
Karnataka Bank Limited (Karnataka Bank) has been honoured with ASSOCHAM Award’s Best MSME
Bank of the Year (Private Category) award among the Private Sector Banks at the 8th (Micro, Small &
Medium Enterprises) MSMEs Excellence Awards Ceremony and Summit, instituted by The Associated
Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) – the apex trade body, at New Delhi, Delhi on
9th March 2022.
• B Gopalakrishna Samaga, Deputy General
Manager of Karnataka Bank received the
award in the Presence of Narayan T Rane,
Union Minister of MSMEs.
Note: The Summit was organised under the
theme “Enabling Indian MSMEs to Go Global”.
Key Points:
i.Karnataka Bank, which has been focusing on the
MSME sector with various digital products, has
ensured the swift disposal of MSME credit proposals duly adhering to all quality standards.
ii.The bank has also actively participated in various public and private initiatives to promote the cause of
MSME.
Other Major Award winners:
Category Winners
Best MSME Bank of the Year (PSU Category) Punjab National Bank
Best Technology Enabler of the Year Karur Vysya Bank Ltd
Excellent Services of the Year Satya MicroCapital Ltd
• DCB Bank has been honoured with the “Excellent Services of the Year” – runner up award by
ASSOCHAM at the event.
Click here for a complete list of awardees
About Karnataka Bank Limited:
Karnataka Bank Limited is a leading ‘A’-Class Scheduled Commercial Bank in India.
Incorporated on 18th February 1924 at Mangaluru, Karnataka.
MD & CEO– Mahabaleshwara M.S
Headquarters– Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka.
Tagline– Your Family Bank Across India
About Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM):
ASSOCHAM is India’s oldest apex chamber. It has more than 400 associations, federations and regional
chambers.
President– Vineet Agarwal
Secretary General– Deepak Sood
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NITI Aayog Bestows The Fifth Edition of WTI Award 2021

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has presented the Women Transforming
India (WTI) Awards to 75 women achievers through its Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), fifth
edition, on March 21, 2022.
As the year 2022 marks the 75th year of India’s
independence, and India is also celebrating it
through the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”, the WTI
was conferred on 75 women achievers to celebrate
their contribution towards a ‘Sashakt Aur Samarth
Bharat’ (literal meaning Strong and Capable India).
• The Women Entrepreneurship
Platform (WEP) is a Government of
India (GoI) initiative by NITI Aayog to
promote and support prospective as well as established women entrepreneurs in India, assisting
and guiding them through the process of starting, scaling up, and expanding their businesses.
• The Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards are an annual initiative of the NITI Aayog to
recognize the outstanding and ground-breaking efforts of India’s Women leaders and change-
makers.
• The 75 Women Achievers were referred to as 75 Strong Roots for Tomorrow’s India who aid in
building strong India through their self-sufficient businesses and overcoming challenges through
unique solutions.
• WTI Awards are being launched in partnership with the United Nations(UN), CISCO
CSR(Corporate Social Responsibility), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &
Industry(FICCI) and Grant Thornton Bharat.
Highlights:
i.The event was presided over by Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog; Anna Roy, Senior Adviser of NITI
Aayog, and Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India.
ii.The WEP Anthem was presented at the occasion, which was written, composed and sung by noted
Bollywood singer Kailash Kher.
iii. The WTI Awards 2021 was presented under one or more than one of the following seven categories:
• Public and Community Service
• Manufacturing Sector
• Non-manufacturing Sector
• Financial Products enabling Economic Growth
• Climate Action
• Promote Art, Culture and Handicrafts
• Digital Innovation
iv.The platform provided business support to women entrepreneurs by conducting webinars and through
the Masking It Up campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic.
List of 75 women Winners
• Payal Nath of Kolkata, co-founder of Kadam Haat is among the 75 women honoured as Women
Transforming India by the NITI Aayog.
• Gitanjali J Angmo of Leh from Himalayan institute of Alternatives is among the 75 women
honoured as Women Transforming India by the NITI Aayog.
• Akshya Shree of Tad Udyog Pvt. Ltd. from Tripura is among the 75 women honoured as Women
Transforming India by the NITI Aayog…Click here for the full list of 75 awardees...
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Participants
Some of the prominent achievers attended Women Transforming India Awards:
Kiran Bedi, former Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Puducherry,Lakshmi Puri, former Assistant
Secretary-General of UN,Dr. Tessy Thomas, Director-General of Aeronautical Systems, Defence Research
and Development Organization (DRDO),Arundhati Bhattacharya, former Chairperson of State Bank of India
(SBI),Debjani Ghosh, President of National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM),Ila
Arun, eminent Actor, Singer & Writer,Salma Sultan, former news anchor at Doordarshan (DD),Dr. Sangeeta
Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals,Shivani Malik, Managing Director of Da Milano Leathers
Private Limited.
About National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog:
It is the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, providing directional and policy inputs
formed through a resolution of the Union Cabinet.
Chairperson – Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
CEO – Amitabh Kant
Establishment – 1 January 2015.
Cricketer Suresh Raina Felicitated with ‘Sports Icon’ Award at Maldives Sports Awards
2022
Former Indian International cricket player Suresh Raina was awarded with ‘Sports Icon’ award at
the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 by
Government of Maldives.
• The President of Maldives Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih chaired the event along
with Sports Ministers, world-renowned
athletes and Maldivian athletes.
Highlights:
i.Suresh Raina was awarded for his excellent
performance and various achievements throughout
his career.
• 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.
ii.The Maldives President also honored Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-
Faisal for his efforts in developing sports and striving to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in
Saudi Arabia.
• He was honored also for his support for promotion of sports in the Maldives, joint cooperation
between the two friendly countries.
About Suresh Raina:
i.He is a former Indian international cricketer. He served as the captain of Gujarat Lions in the Indian
Premier League (IPL) and also served as vice-captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
ii.He has also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy four times with the CSK franchise.
iii.In 2020, he announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket.
iv.Career record-
• Suresh Raina is the first Indian player to score 6000 as well as 8000 runs in a T20 career and the
first-ever cricketer to reach 5,000 runs in IPL.
• He also holds the record for scoring the most fifties in Champions League T20 history.
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About Maldives:
Capital– Malé
Currency- Maldivian rufiyaa
2022 Sportstar Aces Awards: Neeraj Chopra & Mirabai Chanu honoured with ‘Sportstar of
the Year award
Indian Olympian Neeraj Chopra, who won the gold
medal (Javelin) at Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics
was awarded the Sportstar of the Year (Male)
award at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards held at
the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Neeraj Chopra has also won
the Sportsman Of The Year (Track And
Field).
Mirabai Chanu who won the silver
medal(Weightlifting), at Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics was honoured with the Sportstar of the Year
(Female) award at the event.
• Mirabai Chanu along with Lovlina Borgohain, who won the bronze medal(Boxing) at the Tokyo
2020, has been awarded Sportswoman Of The Year (Individual Sports).
About Sportstar Aces Awards:
i.Sportstar Aces Awards celebrate the spirit of excellence in sport and hopes to inspire the athletes and
sportspersons to continue to strive to break new records and reach new pinnacles of glory.
ii.The Associate Partner of 2022 awards were Byju’s Classes and IDFC First Bank.
Other Awardees:
Category Winner
National Team Of The Year Indian Men’s Hockey Team
Young Athlete Of The Year (Female) Esha Singh(amateur shooter)
Young Athlete Of The Year (Male) Nihal Sarin(chess)
Parathlete Of The Year (Male) Sumit Antil(paralympian- javelin)
Parathlete Of The Year (Female) Avani Lekhara(Paralympian- Shooting)
Sportsman Of The Year (Cricket) Ravichandran Ashwin
Sportswoman Of The Year (Cricket) Mithali Raj
Sportsman Of The Year (Team
Sports) Rupinder Pal Singh(hockey)/Harmanpreet Singh(hockey)
Sportswoman Of The Year (Team
Sports) Savita Punia(hockey)
Sportsman Of The Year (Individual
Sports) Ravi Dahiya(Wrestling)
Sportswoman Of The Year (Racquet
Sports) PV Sindhu(badminton)
Sportsman Of The Year (Racquet
Sports) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/ Chirag Shetty
Pramod Bhagat(Para-badminton), Arif Mohammad
Special Recognition Award Khan(Alpine skier)
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Sportswoman Of The Year (Track

And Field) Kamalpreet Kaur(discus throw)
Coach Of The Year Vijay Sharma(weightlifting)
Lifetime Achievement Award Ajit Pal Singh(hockey)
• Club Of The Year – Mumbai City FC;
• Moment of the year – Men’s hockey bridging the gap with its golden past;
• Best University For The Promotion Of Sports – Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology;
• Best PSU For Promotion Of Sports – Indian Oil Corporation Ltd;
• Best Corporate For Promotion Of Sports – JSW Group;
• Best State For The Promotion Of Sports – Haryana;
• Breakthrough Performance Of The Year – Indian Women’s Hockey Team;
• Best Grassroots Coach/ Talent Mentor – Uday Pawar;
• Sports For Social Good (Chairperson’s Choice) – Reliance Foundation;
Click here for the complete list of 30 categories
Jury panel:
i.Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar headed the jury panel of the award.
ii.The other member of the jury includes Former India hockey captain M.M. Somaya, chess stalwart
Viswanathan Anand, former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia and Olympians Anjali Bhagwat and
Aparna Popat.
Sportstar & The Hindu group released coffee-table book, ‘Road to 1000’
During the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards ceremony, the Sportstar and The Hindu released the 520-page
coffee table book ‘Road to 1000’, a special collection with 1000 pictures to commemorate Indian cricket’s
journey.
• The book was released by former India cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Syed Kirmani, Dilip Vengsarkar,
Mohammad Azharuddin, Chandrakant Pandit and Nilesh Kulkarni.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the recipients of the National Sports Awards 2021.
President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, will felicitate the awardees during the award ceremony which will be
held at the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan on 13th November 2021.
The recipients of the National Sports Awards 2021 were recommended by the Selection Committee of the
National Sports Awards 2021.
American Mathematician Dennis P. Sullivan got the Abel Prize for 2022
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters awarded the Abel prize for 2022 to American
Mathematician Dennis Parnell Sullivan. The award was given “For his groundbreaking contributions to
topology in its broadest sense, and in particular its algebraic, geometric and dynamical aspects.”
Note-
i.The Abel Prize is also known as the International Prize of Mathematics.
ii.In 2007, Indian American Srinivasa S. R. Varadhan was awarded with the Abel Prize.
• He was awarded for this contribution in probability theory and in particular for creating a unified
theory of large deviations.
What is Topology?
Topology is a field of mathematics, which was born in the nineteenth century and it deals with properties
of surfaces that do not change when they are deformed.
About Abel Prize:
i.The prize is named after Norway’s greatest mathematician, Niels Henrik Abel.
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• It is the highest honor given in the field of Mathematics. Abel Prize is a top honour in
mathematics, being similar to the Nobel prize for the sciences in being awarded for major
contribution to a field of math.
ii.It was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2002, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of
Niels Henrik Abel birth.
iii.The Prize is awarded by The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, on behalf of the Ministry of
Education.
iv.The award prize money was increased from 6 million NOK (Norwegian Kroner) to 7.5 million NOK in
2019.
About Dennis Parnell Sullivan:
i.Dennis P. Sullivan is an American mathematician and famous for his work in algebraic topology,
geometric topology, and dynamical systems.
ii.He holds the Albert Einstein Chair at the City University of New York Graduate Center and is a
distinguished professor at Stony Brook University, US (United States).
iii.Books: Geometric Topology: Localization, Periodicity and Galois Symmetry: The 1970 MIT Notes,
Shaping Tomorrow’s Church: Guidelines for Parish Growth
iv.Awards: Sullivan’s notable awards include the Institut de France’s inaugural Élie Cartan Prize in 1981,
the 1993 King Faisal International Prize in Science, the USA’s National Medal of Science in 2005, the 2006
Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the 2014 Balzan
Prize for Mathematics and the 2010 Wolf Prize.
INS Valsura Presented with President’s Colour

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, bestowed the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Valsura with the
prestigious President’s Colour at the ceremony held
at Jamnagar in Gujarat.
The President’s Colour is awarded to a military
unit in honour of outstanding service to the country
in both peace and war.
• “Nishan Adhikari” Lt. Arun Singh
Sambyal received the President’s Colour
on behalf of the unit, and a special postal
cover was also released to commemorate
the occasion. The President’s Colour is received by an officer who is designated as “Nishan
Adhikari.”
• INS Valsura is entrusted with the responsibility of imparting training to officers and sailors of the
Indian Navy, Coast Guard and friendly foreign countries in electrical, electronics, weapon systems
and information technology.
Note:
• The Indian Navy was the first of the three Indian armed forces to be awarded the President’s
Colour by Dr Rajendra Prasad on May 27, 1951.
• The name “Valsura” was derived from the combination of two Tamil words, ‘Vaal’ (meaning
sword) and ‘Sorrah’ (shark).
About INS Valsura:
i.It was started as a torpedo school under the British and was commissioned by Maharani Gulab Kunverba
Sahiba of Nawanagar (erstwhile Jamnagar) on December 15, 1942.
ii.During the peak of the Second World War, His Majesty’s Indian Ship (HMIS) Valsura was created for the
Royal Indian Navy.
iii. The establishment was built on Rozi Island in Jamnagar (Gujarat) which was donated by ruler of
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Nawanagar State Colonel Digvijay Singhji Jadeja Sahed Bahadur Jamsaheb for a token rent of Rs.1 per
annum.
iv.In 2018, a medium voltage laboratory was set up by Siemens, Germany, at INS Valsura in accordance
with the Indian Navy’s proposal of having an Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-II with electric propulsion.
v.During the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, Valsura accomplished a remarkable ‘Outreach’ operation by
reconstructing the devastated Moda village in Gujarat in record time.
vi. Some of the earlier recipients of the President’s Colour in the Navy include Southern Naval Command,
Eastern Naval Command, Western Naval Command, Eastern Fleet, Western Fleet, Submarine Arm, INS
Shivaji and the Indian Naval Academy (INA).
94th Academy Awards- Oscars 2022: Jane Campion, Will Smith & Jessica Chastain won the
top awards; Dune won 6 awards
The winners of the 94th Academy Awards(Oscars 2022) were announced at the ceremony held at the
Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States of America(USA) on 27th
March 2022.
• The 94th Academy Awards honours and
recognises the movies released in 2021.
• The nominees of the 94th Academy
Awards were announced by Tracee Ellis
Ross and Leslie Jordan in February 2022.
Host:
Actor Regina Hall and Emmy-winning
comedians Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes were
the hosts of the 94th Academy Awards event. For
the 1st time, 3 women hosted the event.
The Academy Awards(Oscars) is annually presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(AMPAS).
• Oscar is an international recognition for excellence in cinematic achievements and it is assessed
by the Academy’s voting membership.
Highlights of 2022 Oscars:
i.Dune directed by Denis Villeneuve leads the awards total with 6 wins. The film which was nominated
under 10 categories, has bagged 6 awards for Cinematography; Film Editing; Music (Original Score);
Production Design; Sound and Visual Effects.
ii.“CODA”, directed by Sian Heder, became the 1st film produced by a streaming service, Apple TV+, to win
Best Picture. CODA has won the Oscars 2022 under 3 categories: Best Picture; Actor In A Supporting Role
and Writing (Adapted Screenplay).
iii.Will Smith has won the Best Actor In A Leading Role for his performance in “King Richard”
and Jessica Chastain has won the Best Actress In A Leading Role for her role in “The Eyes Of Tammy
Faye”.
iv.Jane Campion has won the Best Director award at Oscars 2022 for her film, “Power of the Dog”. She is
the 3rd Female director to win the Best Director Oscar following Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland” (2020) and
Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” (2009).
v.Troy Kotsur won the Oscars for Best Actor In A Supporting Role and become the 2nd deaf actor to win
an academy award. Marlee Matlin was the first Deaf actor to win an Oscar in 1987 for Children of a Lesser
God.
vi.Ariana DeBose won the Best Supporting Actress award for West Side Story. She became the first openly
queer woman of colour to win the acting Oscar.
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• She is only the 2nd Latina actor to win an Oscar, Rita Moreno, who also won the best supporting
actress Oscar for the same role in 1962.
vii.Hans Zimmer won his 2nd career Oscar at the 94th Academy Awards, Original Score for Denis
Villeneuve’s Dune
viii.Samuel Jackson, Elaine May, and Liv Ullmann will be honoured with the Honorary Academy Awards for
2022. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award will be handed to Danny Glover.
Winners of 2022 Oscars:
Category Winners
CODA
Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi And Patrick Wachsberger,
Best Picture Producers
Actor In A Leading Role Will Smith for King Richard
Actor In A Supporting Role Troy Kotsur for CODA
Actress In A Leading Role Jessica Chastain for The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
Actress In A Supporting
Role Ariana Debose for West Side Story
Animated Feature Film Encanto
Cinematography Greig Fraser for Dune
Costume Design Jenny Beavan for Cruella
Directing Jane Campion for The Power Of The Dog
Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be
Documentary (Feature) Televised)
Documentary (Short
Subject) The Queen Of Basketball by Ben Proudfoot
Film Editing Joe Walker for Dune
International Feature Film Drive My Car(Japan)
Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram And Justin Raleigh for The Eyes Of
Makeup And Hairstyling Tammy Faye
Music (Original Score) Hans Zimmer for Dune
No Time To Die From No Time To Die
Music (Original Song) Music And Lyric By Billie Eilish And Finneas O’connell
Dune
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna
Production Design Sipos
The Windshield Wiper
Short Film (Animated) Alberto Mielgo And Leo Sanchez
The Long Goodbye
Short Film (Live Action) Aneil Karia And Riz Ahmed
Dune
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill And Ron
Sound Bartlett
Dune
Visual Effects Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor And Gerd Nefzer
Writing (Adapted CODA
Screenplay) Screenplay By Siân Heder
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Writing (Original Belfast

Screenplay) Written By Kenneth Branagh
About Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS):
President– David Rubin
CEO– Dawn Hudson
Founded in 1927
Headquarters– Beverly Hills, California, USA
BBC Honoured Indian Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu with BBC ISWOTY 2021 Award
Indian Weightlifter, Padma Shri Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, who became the first Indian weightlifter to win
a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, has won the 3rd edition of the (British Broadcasting
Corporation) BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year(ISWOTY) 2021.
The award ceremony was hosted by Tim Davie,
Director-General of BBC in New Delhi, Delhi.
Other Awards:
i.BBC Lifetime Achievement Award 2021:
Karnam Malleswari, former Indian weightlifter.
And the 1st Indian woman to win a medal at the
Olympics in 2000.
ii.BBC Emerging Indian Sportswoman of the
Year 2021:
Shafali Verma, the youngest female cricketer who played for India in the Women’s Twenty20(T20)
International match in 2019.
About BBC ISWOTY:
i.BBC ISWOTY is the sports award by BBC Hindi in India that celebrates and honours India’s finest
sportswomen and it highlights the extraordinary achievements of sportswomen in India.
ii.Five shortlisted nominees of the 3rd edition of BBC ISWOTY were Aditi Ashok(Golfer), Avani
Lekhara(Para-shooter); Lovlina Borgohain(Boxer); P V Sindhu(Shuttler); and Saikhom Mirabai
Chanu(Weightlifter).
iii.The 3rd edition of BBC ISWOTY recognises and honoured the Olympians and the Paralympians from the
Tokyo games including the Indian women’s and men’s hockey teams.
Previous winners of BCC ISWOTY:
i.Indian Badminton Player PV Sindhu was the winner of the inaugural BBC ISWOTY 2019.
ii.Indian chess player Padma Shri Koneru Humpy won the 2nd edition of the BBC ISWOTY (2020).
About Saikhom Mirabai Chanu:
i.Saikhom Mirabai Chanu hails from Nongpok Kakching village of Imphal East district in Manipur.
ii.She was the first Indian Weightlifter to win silver at the Olympics and the 2nd Indian Weightlifter after
Karnam Malleswari to win an Olympic medal.
iii.She won the gold at the World Weightlifting Championships held in Anaheim, the United States (US) in
2017. She has also won multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games.
Awards:
• She was honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna(now Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award)
in 2018
• The government of India honoured her with Padma Shri for sports in 2018.
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The Sports Journalists’ Federation of India (SJFI) has decided to honour former Indian Cricketer and
cricket commentator Sunil Manohar Gavaskar with its prestigious ‘SJFI Medal 2021’ at SJFI Annual General
Meeting (AGM) in Guwahati, Assam.
• SJFI Medal is the highest honour of SJFI.
Duff & Phelps Report: Cricketer Virat Kohli ranked India’s Most Valued Celebrity 2021
According to the Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2021 (7th Edition) titled “Digital Acceleration
2.0.” released by Duff & Phelps (Now Kroll),
Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli was ranked
as India’s most valued celebrity for
the 5th consecutive time in 2021. The brand
value of Virat Kohli has dropped from USD
237.7 million in 2020 to USD 185.7 million in
2021.
• In 2021 Virat Kohli has endorsed
brands like Digit Insurance, Hyperice,
Lux, and Vivo.
• At present, he holds a portfolio of around 30 brands across various industries.
Top 3 Persons:
Rank Name Brand Value(In Millions)
1 Virat Kohli USD 185.7
2 Ranveer Singh USD 158.3
3 Akshay Kumar USD 139.6
Highlights of the report:
i.Bollywood Actor Ranveer Singh has ranked 2nd with a brand value of USD 158.3 million followed by
Actor Akshay Kumar in the 3rd position with a brand value of USD 139.6 million.
ii.Alia Bhatt has ranked 4th with a brand value of USD 68.1 million and has become the most valued female
celebrity. She is the youngest celebrity among the top 10 and she is the most valued brand amongst female
Bollywood actors.
iii.Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni(MS Dhoni) is ranked 5th with a brand value
of USD 61.2 million. His brand value has increased from USD 36.3 million in 2020 to USD 61.2 million in
2021.
iv.With a total brand value of USD 22 million, Indian Olympian PV Sindhu(Badminton) has entered the Top
20 list. She is the ambassador for brands like Bank of Baroda, Bridgestone and Yonex.
Key Points:
i.The total brand value of the top 20 celebrities from India is at 1.2 billion in 2021, which is around 12.9%
higher compared to the total brand value in 2020.
ii.The total number of products endorsed by the top 20 celebrities has increased from 357 in 2020 to 376
in 2021. This increase is driven by the endorsements in new-age companies which grew to about 12% of
the total endorsements.
‘The 100 Most Influential People of 2021’, an annual list of global leaders was released by TIME magazine
recently. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Serum Institute
of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla were named among the world’s 100 most influential people of 2021.
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About Kroll:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Jacob Silverman
Headquarter – New York, United States(US)
Central Bank of Chile Governor Mario Marcel won Governor of the year Award 2022: 9th
Central Banking Awards 2022
Mario Marcel Cullell (Mario Marcel), the Governor of Banco Central de Chile(BCCh – Central Bank of
Chile) has won the Governor of the year Award 2022 at the 9th edition of the Central Banking Awards
2022. The award recognises all-around achievements in the job.
• The annual Central Banking Awards
2022 is made up of 17 central bank
categories and 14 partner and service
provider categories.
About Mario Marcel:
i.Mario Marcel served as the Governor of the
BCCh from 2016 to January 2022.
ii.He resigned his post as governor in January
2022, and become finance minister under the
new administration of Gabriel Boric, President of Chile.
iii.He has also served as a consultant for international organizations and governments of different
countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Vietnam
iv.He has also served as a researcher for the Corporation for Latin American Studies (Cieplan).
Central Banking Awards:
The inaugural Central Banking Awards were presented in 2014.
The annual award recognises
• Extraordinary examples of public service
• Pioneering activities in the central banking community
• Best practice in policy, governance, economics, digitalisation, infrastructure and management
• Innovative and best practice in the provision of operational, technological, financial and advisory
services
Central Banking Publications:
Central Banking is firmly established as the industry’s leading information resource. It is a financial
publisher owned by Infopro Digital specialising in public policy and financial markets.
Editor-in-chief– Christopher Jeffery
About Banco Central de Chile (Central Bank of Chile):
Governor– Rosanna Costa (first female governor)
Headquarters– Santiago, Chile
Founded in August 1925
Chief of the Army Staff presents ‘President’s Colours’ to two battalions of Dogra regiment
On March 24, 2022 General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of the Army staff presented the
prestigious ‘President’s Colours’ also known as ‘Nishaan’ to two battalions of the Dogra Regiments
namely 20 DOGRA and 21 DOGRA during a colour presentation parade held at the Dogra Regiment Centre,
Faizabad Uttar Pradesh.
General Nirmal Chander Vij (retd) former Chief of the Army Staff & Honorary Colonel of The Dogra
Regiment was also attended the Colour Presentation Parade.
About Dogra Regiment:
i.The Dogra Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army.
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ii.The regiment traces its roots directly from the 17th Dogra Regiment of the British Indian Army.
Regimental Centre – Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh
Nickname – Gentlemen Warriors
Mascot – Tiger
About President’s Colours:
i.The President’s Colour Award is the highest
honour that can be bestowed upon any military
unit of India.
ii.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.
iii.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.
iv.The ‘Standards’ are awarded to Heavy Cavalry and the ‘Guidons’ are awarded to Light Cavalry.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Madhabi Puri Buch Becomes 1st Women To Be Appointed as SEBI Chairman; Succeeds Ajay
Tyagi
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Madhabi Puri
Buch as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chairman for an initial period of three
years from 1st March 2022. She will be the 1st woman to head the SEBI, securities market regulator and
she is also the 1st person from the private sector to head SEBI and also 1st non-IAS to be appointed as the
SEBI chairman.
• She will be the 10th chair of the board.
• She succeeds Ajay Tyagi, who served as
a chairman for 5 years. His tenure ends
on 28th February 2022.
• Her tenure as a whole-time member of
SEBI ended in October 2021.
About Madhabi Puri Buch:
i.Madhabi Puri Buch has handled key portfolios
such as surveillance, collective investment
schemes and investment management.
ii.She joined ICICI Bank in 1989 and served as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer
(CEO) at ICICI Securities Limited and also as executive director on the board of ICICI Bank.
iii.She has also worked in corporate finance, branding, treasury and loans, before moving to ICICI
Securities and as a consultant to the New Development Bank, set up by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India,
China, South Africa).
iv.In Later 2021, she was also appointed as a head of SEBI’s seven-member committee on technology – the
Advisory Committee for Leveraging Regulatory and Technology Solutions.
Establishment – 12th April 1992 (In accordance with SEBI Act, 1992)
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World Bank’s India head is appointed as Vice President of MIGA’s Operations

The World Bank’s India head and a Bangladeshi economist, Junaid Kamal Ahmad was appointed as a Vice
President of the operation side of the
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
(MIGA), which offers political risk insurance,
credit enhancement guarantees to help
developing countries.
• He would assume the new charge from
April 16, 2022.
• He is the current World Bank country
director for India.
i.With this appointment he became the only
second Bangladeshi national to be appointed to such a high position in the World Bank.
• Faisal Chaudhary was the first Bangladeshi national who became the vice president on the
operational side.
ii.Junaid Ahmad will work with MIGA’s brand partnering across the World Bank Group and with financial
institutions, private investors and other authorities.
The World Bank Group consists of five development institutions:
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
• International Development Association (IDA)
• International Finance Corporation (IFC)
• International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
About Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA):
Headquarters- Washington, D.C., United States
Established- 1988
About World Bank:
HeadQuarters- Washington, DC, United States
President- David Malpass
Founded- 1944
Member Countries- 189(including India)
Digital India CEO Abhishek Singh appointed as new CEO of NeGD

Digital India Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Abhishek Singh is appointed as the new CEO &
President of National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology
(MeitY).
• He is a IAS (Indian Administrative
Service) officer of 1995 batch from
Nagaland cadre.
i.Abhishek Singh will continue to hold the post of
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer,
Digital India Corporation.
ii.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
(ACC) led by Prime Minister (PM) also
promoted 16 senior IAS officers at the joint
secretary level at the Centre.
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About National e-Governance Division (NeGD):

It provides assistance in Programme Management and implementation of e-Governance Projects and
initiatives undertaken by Ministries and Departments, both at the Central and State levels.
Established- 2009
Headquarters- New Delhi
Ashneer Grover Resigned as MD & Director of the board of BharatPe

Ashneer Grover, co-founder and Managing Director (MD) of BharatPe, a leading Indian fintech company,
has resigned as the MD and director of the board of BharatPe.
i.Ashneer Grover, who owns a 9.5% stake worth Rs 1915 crore in BharatPe, will continue as the single
largest individual shareholder of the company.
• BharatPe became the 19th Indian startup to become a unicorn in 2021.
ii.Shashvat Nakrani, the co-founder of BharatPe, owns 7.8% and Sequoia Capital India, a venture capital
(VC) investor and the largest shareholder of BharatPe, holds 19.6%, followed by Coatue at 12.4% and
Ribbit Capital at 11%. As of August 2021, Tiger Global, Steadview Capital, and Beenext together hold a
60.4% stake in BharatPe.
LIC MF appoints TS Ramakrishnan as its MD & CEO

LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) Mutual Fund Asset Management Limited appointed TS Ramakrishnan as
its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer.
He will succeed Dinesh Pangtey, its former Whole time Director and CEO.
i.TS Ramakrishnan joined LIC Mutual Fund AMC
in April 2021. He has the experience of
around 34 years at LIC and its
subsidiaries/associate companies.
ii.He also served as the Regional Manager,
Western Region at LIC Housing Finance Ltd.
(LICHFL) and later promoted as the General
Manager.
LIC Initial Public Offering (IPO):
In 2021,The government of India plans to initiate
the process to launch the Initial Public Offer (IPO) of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).
• The Government owns 100% stakes in LIC and it will offload 5% of its stake through the IPO.
About LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) Mutual Fund Asset Management Limited :
Nominee Director-Bishnu Charan Patnaik
UpGrad ropes in Amitabh Bachchan as Its Brand Ambassador

India’s online higher education company, UpGrad, ropes in legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan as its Brand
Ambassador. He will support upGrad’s brand value through endorsements and promotions of services to
emphasize the importance of LifeLongLearning for progressive career growth.
Key Points:
i.Startup India Learning Program is a free online Entrepreneurship program by Startup India, a GOI
initiative. Invest India in collaboration with UpGrad has developed this program. The aim is to help
entrepreneurs get their ideas and ventures to the next level through structured learning.
ii.It has recently unveiled its marketing campaign #AssNahinAssetBano(don’t be an ass, be an
asset) focusing the annual appraisal period in a corporate world.
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About UpGrad:
CEO(India) – Arjun Mohan
Headquarter – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Indian Actress Vidya Balan became Brand Ambassador of Bharti AXA Life Insurance
Bharti AXA Life Insurance, appointed National Award winning actress Vidya Balan as its Brand
Ambassador.
• Bharti AXA Life Insurance is a joint
venture of Bharti, India’s leading
business groups and AXA, one of the
world’s leading organizations in financial
protection and wealth management.
Key points:
i.Vidya Balan as the brand ambassador will help in
promoting the #DoTheSmartThing of Bharti AXA
Life Insurance.
ii.She got the National Award for her movie “The Dirty Picture’’ and she is also a recipient of Padma Shri in
Arts.
About Bharti AXA Life Insurance:
MD & CEO-Parag Raja
Commenced operation– 2006
Jet Airways appoints Sanjiv Kapoor as CEO

The new holders of Jet Airways (India) Limited, the Jalan-Kalrock Consortium (JKC), appointed Sanjiv
Kapoor as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the airline, effective from April 4, 2022.
• Jet Airways, which ceased its operation
on April 17, 2019 has now planned to
resume the operation of flights in the
first quarter of the financial year 2022-
2023.
About Sanjiv Kapoor:
i.He is currently serving as the President of Oberoi
Hotels & Resorts since June 1, 2021.
ii.He was the Chief Operating Officer of SpiceJet
during November 2013 – October 2015, when the airline was facing high oil prices and a financial crunch.
iii. He was the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer at Vistara during March 2016- December 2019 and
won ‘Best Airline in India’ in 2019.
Recent Appointments in Jet Airways:
i.Accountable Manager: Captain PP Singh, former Squadron Leader at Indian Air Force (IAF) and
Executive of Nepal Airlines Corporation.
ii.Chief Financial Officer (CFO): Vipula Gunatileka, former CEO of Sri Lankan Airlines
About Jet Airways:
• Founder: Naresh Goyal
• Establishment: 1992
• Headquarters: New Delhi
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• New Promoters of Jet Airways: Jalan-Kalrock Consortium (JKC) led by Murari Lal Jalan, lead
member of the consortium, proposed promoter and Non-Executive Chairman of Jet Airways
& Kalrock Capital.
Chief Justice DN Patel of Delhi HC appointed as TDSAT Chairperson

The Central Govt. has appointed Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court,
as the Chairperson of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).
• Ministry of Law and Justice issued a
notification regarding the approval of
his appointment by the Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet (ACC),
stating that he will serve the Chair for a
period of 4 years from the date of
assumption of charge of the post, or till
attaining the age of 70 years, or until
further orders, whichever is the
earliest.
• The conditions of his service will be governed by the provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act,
2021 and the Tribunal (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2021.
About Chief Justice DN Patel:
i.He was appointed as Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on June 7, 2019 and is now given the Chair of
TDSAT, days before his retirement on March 12, 2022.
ii.Prior to Delhi HC, he served as Acting Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court and also served as Judge of
Jharkhand High Court and Gujarat High Court.
About Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT):
• Created in accordance with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act (TRAI), 1997
(Amended in 2000) authorized by TRAI.
Objective: To adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service
providers and consumers of the telecom sector and to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom
sector.
Powers and Jurisdiction: TDSAT has jurisdiction over Telecom, Broadcasting, IT and Airport tariff
matters s under the TRAI Act, 1997 (as amended in 2000), the Information Technology Act, 2008 and the
Airport Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008 respectively.
• Present Chairperson of TDSAT: Justice Shiva Kirti Singh
• Establishment: 2000
• HQ: New Delhi, Delhi (NCT)
Nitin Chugh to head SBI’s Digital Banking as DMD

SBI has appointed Nitin Chugh as its Group Head
of Digital Banking at the level of Deputy
Managing Director (DMD) for a period of 3
years initially.
Key Points:
i.He was formerly the Group Head of Digital
Banking at HDFC (2001-2019) and MD & CEO of
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (2019-2021) from
where he resigned citing personal reasons in
September 2021.
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ii.His new position in SBI would be responsible for envisioning, developing and in execution of the bank’s
digital banking strategy and business plan for imparting digital knowledge/skills in a constructive,
empowering and collaborative way.
iii. The induction of Nitin Chugh took effect, when SBI – India’s largest lender targeted an increase in digital
lending and vigorously promoted its app ‘YONO’.
Note: Charanjit Surinder Singh Attra was appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SBI in 2020 from a
private sector – which is a high- level lateral recruitment, prior to appointing Nitin Chugh as DMD of Digital
Banking.
About SBI:
• Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara
• Tagline: “Pure Banking, Nothing Else”
• HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Establishment: July 1, 1955 as SBI
• YONO: YONO (You Only Need One) – an integrated app for financial services launched by SBI on
24 November 2017.
Mary Kom becomes Brand Ambassador of Lupin Limited’s Shakti campaign

Mary Kom, the six-time World Boxing Champion signed with Lupin Ltd., as the Brand Ambassador for
its Women’s Cardiovascular Health Awareness Initiative – ‘Shakti Campaign’.
About the Shakti Campaign:
Objective: To increase awareness on heart
diseases among women as coronary heart
diseases are the leading cause of death for
women in India and yet awareness levels on the
issue remain inadequately low.
i.This campaign is aimed at engaging with the
target audience across India through multiple
activities, both offline and online through
interactive social media sessions, sharing
informative videos from doctors, and in-clinic awareness activities for patients to establish a better
understanding of cardiovascular diseases among women.
ii.It will also help them to improve their health and significantly contribute to the wellbeing of society as
they are its backbone and play a pivotal role in shaping the nation.
iii. A Facebook Live session is held featuring Mary Kom along with Lupin CEO Vinita Gupta & leading
cardiologists to draw attention to the myths surrounding cardiovascular diseases in women on 8th March
2022 (International Women’s Day).
About Lupin Limited:
Lupin is an innovation-led transnational Indian Multinational Pharmaceutical company.
Founder – Desh Bandhu Gupta
Managing director – Nilesh Gupta
CEO- Vinita Gupta
Yoon Suk-yeol became the new president of South Korea

The leader of People Power Party (conservative party), Yoon Suk-yeol won the presidential election
2022 of South Korea. He succeeded Moon Jae-in, previous President of South Korea.
• He is scheduled to assume office as president on May 10, 2022.
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Highlights:
i.Yoon Suk-yeol is a South Korean politician,
former public prosecutor and lawyer. He served
as Prosecutor General of South Korea in 2019-
2021 under the tenure of President Moon Jae-in.
ii.As a member of the conservative People
Power Party in South Korea, he defeated
Democratic Party’s nominee Lee Jae-myung
presidential election 2022.
About South Korea:
Capital- Seoul
Currency– South Korean won
D2H Signed Indian Cricketer Rishabh Pant as its Brand Ambassador

D2H, a Direct-to-Home (DTH) brand of Dish TV India Limited has signed Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant as
its new brand ambassador. As the brand ambassador, he will feature in the 360-degree brand
communication for the next 2 years.
• Dish TV India Limited is a DTH company with brands like Dish TV, Zing and D2H under its
ownership.
• Shah Rukh Khan is the brand ambassador of the parent company Dish TV India Limited.
• The company operates using multiple satellite platforms like SES-8, GSAT-15, and ST-2 and has a
bandwidth capacity of 1134 MHz.
Former Finance & Revenue Secretary AB Pandey appointed as NFRA Chairperson

The Government of India (GoI) has appointed Ajay Bhushan Pandey, former Finance & Revenue
secretary of India, Ministry of Finance, as new
Chairperson of the National Financial Reporting
Authority (NFRA).
i.The Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC) has approved his appointment for
a period of three years from the date of
assumption of charge or till he attains the age of
65 years.
ii.The ACC has also appointed 2 full-time
members for NFRA,
• Praveen Kumar Tiwari, former Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General, a retired Indian Audit
and Accounts Service official.
• Smita Jhingran, Principal Director General at Central Board of Direct Taxes, an Indian Revenue
Service officer.
About Ajay Bhushan Pandey:
i.He was the Finance Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of India from March 2020 – February
2021.
ii.He was the Revenue Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of India from November 2018 –
February 2021.
iii. Prior to becoming the Finance & Revenue Secretary of India, he was acting as the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) from September 2015 – October 2019.
iv.As Finance Secretary of India and CEO of UIDAI, he was credited with executing three major reforms in
India – Aadhaar, GST, and Direct Tax reforms.
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v.After retirement he headed a three-member committee constituted by the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment (MoSJ&E) to review the criteria for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservations.
About the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA):
An independent regulatory body set up by the Government of India as envisaged under the provisions
of Section 132, Companies Act, 2013 to oversee the quality of accounting and auditing standards in India.
• Establishment – 01st October, 2018
• Present Chairperson – Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairperson of Competition Commission of India
(CCI) – given additional charge as Chairperson to NFRA in October 2021, till a new appointment
to the post is made.
Ex-judge A K Sikri became chairperson of High Powered Committee on Chardham project

Justice AK Sikri, former judge of the Supreme Court (SC) was appointed as the Chairman of the high-
powered committee which constituted to
consider the cumulative and independent impact
of the Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas
Pariyojana (Char Dham Highway Development
Project). He succeeded Professor Ravi Chopra
who resigned recently from this post.
Key points:
i.The committee will evaluate the impact of
various highway development projects of Char
Dham on the entire Himalayan valley region.
ii.Prior to this appointment, Justice Sikri served as the head of the “Oversight Committee” to oversee the
implementation of the Char Dham project.
iii.The project included construction of 900 km roads to provide all weather connectivity to four holy
towns located in Uttarakhand-Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.
• In 2021, the SC allowed widening of the three highways — Rishikesh to Mana, Rishikesh to
Gangotri, and Tanakpur to Pithoragarh in the Double Line-Paved Shoulder (DL-PS) format with a
width of 10 metre under the ongoing project.
Various committees & reports for environment protection:
• TSR Subramanian – to review the environment related laws and regulations
• Gadgil Report and Kasturirangan Report -to suggest the measures for the protection
of Western Ghats.
Debasish Panda became new Chairman of IRDAI

The government appointed Debasish Panda as the Chairman of Insurance Regulatory Development
Authority of India(IRDAI). He will serve for the
tenure for three years (2022-2025).
• Debasish Panda will succeed Subhash
Chandra Khuntia, who completed his
term in May 2021.
• The applicant shall not be beyond 65
years of age for this post.
i.The appointment was approved by the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
ii.Debasish Panda iAS officer of 1987-batch of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He served as the Department of
Financial Services (DFS) secretary under the Ministry of Finance, retired in January 2022.
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About Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India(IRDAI):

It is a statutory organization established by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act,
1999.
Founded-1999
Headquarters– Hyderabad
T Raja Kumar Became 1st Singaporean To Be Appointed as President of the FATF

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) appointed T. Raja Kumar of Singapore as the President. He
was appointed for the term of 2 years, which starts from 1 July 2022 to 2024. He succeeded Dr Marcus
Pleyer of Germany.The decision regarding his appointment was taken during the FATF Plenary meeting
that was held from March 1 to 4, 2022.
• This is the first time Singapore is
taking charge of the FATF
presidency.
About T. Raja Kumar:
i.T. Raja Kumar is a Singaporean
administrator who serves as a senior advisor
(international) at the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA).
ii.He also served as the co-chairman of the
National Interagency Committee on Anti-
Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism, Singapore’s FATF mission since 2015.
• Singapore became a member of the FATF in 1992
iii.In July 2018 he became a member of the steering group, which advises the FATF president.
About Financial Action Task Force (FATF):
The FATF is an intergovernmental organisation established by the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, United Kingdom, United States and European Union) to prevent and combat money laundering,
terrorism, and proliferation finance.
Founded- 1989
Headquarters- Paris, France
Tapan Singhel, MD & CEO of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance gets 5-year Extension
Tapan Singhel, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of Bajaj Allianz General
Insurance Company Limited gets a 5-year extension in his term with effect from 1st April 2022.
• Tapan Singhel is the 1st MD and CEO to receive 2 consecutive extensions at the Bajaj Allianz
General Insurance.
• He has been serving as the MD & CEO of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance for 10 years since 2012.
About Tapan Singhel:
i.Tapan Singhel started his career as a direct officer
in New India Assurance Company in 1991.
ii.He holds the responsibility of Convenor of the
Working Group on Non-Life Insurance of
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
iii.He is the Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory
and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)’s
panel to promote e-commerce in insurance, a
Member of IRDAI’s Advisory Committee on
Reinsurance and IRDAI’s Insurance Advisory Committee.
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iv.He served as the President of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce from 2014-15 and he has also
served as its Vice-President in 2013-14.
v.He was a member of the Board of Directors for Berkshire India Limited and Berkshire Hathaway Services
India Private Limited during 2011-12.
About Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited:
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between Allianz SE, the world’s leading
insurer, and Bajaj Finserv Limited.
The Company received the certificate of registration from Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority (IRDA) on 2nd May 2001to conduct general insurance business in India.
MD & CEO– Tapan Singhel
Headquarters– Pune, Maharashtra
Games24x7 Appointed Cricketers Shubman Gill & Ruturaj Gaikwad as New Brand
Ambassadors for My11Circle
Games24x7(Games24x7 Private Limited), India’s leading digital skill games company, has appointed Indian
cricketers Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad as its new brand ambassadors for its My11Circle fantasy
gaming platform.
• Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad will feature in the multimedia campaigns of Games24x7
across TV, digital and social media platforms.
About Games24x7:
i.Games24x7, founded by Bhavin Pandya and Trivikraman Thampy in 2006, offers a range of skill games
(RummyCircle, My11Circle, Carrom) and casual games (U-Games).
ii.Games24x7 is backed by marquee investors including Tiger Global and The Raine Group.
My11Circle:
i.My11Circle is a platform that offers access to people around the country to deeply engage with their
favourite sport.
ii.My11Circle is also the official title sponsor of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) team Lucknow
Super Giants.
About Shubman Gill:
i.Shubman Gill, from Fazilka, Punjab, was a part(vice-captain) of the Indian Under 19(U-19) squad, that
won the 2018 U-19 World Cup.
ii.He made his One Day International (ODI) debut representing the Indian team in January 2019 against the
series of New Zealand.
iii.He made his Twenty20 debut representing Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2018 IPL.
About Ruturaj Gaikwad:
i.Ruturaj Gaikwad, From Pune, Maharashtra, represents Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
ii.He made his international debut for the India cricket team in July 2021.
Other Ambassador:
In January 2022, Games24x7 has appointed Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador for
the online skill gaming platform, RummyCircle.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran Appointed as Chairman of Air India

The board of Air India has appointed Natarajan Chandrasekaran(N Chandrasekaran), Chairman of the
Board of Tata Sons Private Limited(Tata Sons), as the Chairman of Air India.
• Tata Group which took over the airline on 27th January 2022 is yet to announce a reconstituted
board of directors.
• At present, 3 executive directors who were appointed by the government when Air India was
under the control of the Government of India are still serving on the board of Air India.
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About N Chandrasekaran:
i.N Chandrasekaran joined the Board of Tata Sons
in October 2016 and was appointed Chairman in
January 2017.
ii.He also chairs the Boards of other operating
companies of TATA Group including Tata Steel,
Tata Motors, Tata Power, and Tata Consultancy
Services(TCS).
iii.He has also served as the CEO of TCS from 2009
to 2017.
iv.He served as the chairman of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM)
from 2012 to 2013.
Air India CEO & MD:
Tata Sons is yet to appoint the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) for Air India.
• In February 2022, Air India has appointed Ilker Ayci, former Chairman of Turkish Airlines as the
CEO & MD of Air India. He was set to assume his responsibilities on or before 1 st April 2022
• On 1st March 2022, Ilker Ayci declined Tata Sons’ offer to be CEO & MD of Air India.
About Air India:
Air India was founded by Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy(JRD) Tata and was nationalised in 1953.
Chairman– N Chandrasekaran
Mascot– Maharajah
Ashwani Bhatia MD of SBI appointed as a whole-time member SEBI for 3 years

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet(ACC) has approved the appointment of Ashwani Bhatia,
Managing Director(MD) (Corporate Banking & Global Markets) of State Bank of India (SBI), as the whole-
time member (WTM) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a period of 3 years from the
date of assumption of charge of the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
• In August 2020 he was appointed as the MD of SBI till the date of his superannuation (31st May
2022).
• He has also served as the MD and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of SBI Mutual Fund.
• The other two whole time members on the board of SEBI are SK Mohanty and Ananta Barua.
Bhagwant Mann takes oath as CM of Punjab

On 16 March 2022 the Leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bhagwant Singh Mann, was sworn in as the
Punjab Chief Minister (CM). The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Punjab
Governor Banwarilal Purohit to Bhagwant Mann.
• The swearing-in ceremony took place
at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village
of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh
in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar
district, Punjab.
Highlights:
i.The oath taking ceremony was attended
by Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind
Kejriwal, deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and others.
ii.The AAP in Punjab won 92 seats out of 117
seats in the Punjab Assembly elections 2022.
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About Bhagwant Singh Mann:

i.Bhagwant Singh Mann was a former actor, comedian and satirist.
ii.He is a former Member of Parliament (MP) in Lok Sabha and represented Sangrur constituency, Punjab.
Katalin Novak becomes Hungary’s first-ever female president

The Hungarian National Assembly(Hungarian parliament) has elected the ruling Fidesz
Party lawmaker, Katalin Novak, as Republic of Hungary’s first-ever female President. By winning the
election, she has become Hungary’s youngest ever head of state, at the age of 44.
i.She received 137 votes (a 2/3rd majority) against
her opposition rival, Peter Rona, an economist, who
received 52 votes.
ii.She will replace her predecessor, Janos Ader, who
has been holding the presidency since 2012 and
was also a co-founder of the Fidesz Party.
iii. Novak will hold the Presidency for a tenure
of five years, during which she has the power to
temporarily block laws and call referendums.
iv.Earlier, she served as the Vice President of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party and also as a
Minister for Family Affairs.
About Hungary:
It is a European Country and is also a member of the European Union (EU), Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Schengen
Convention.
Prime Minister – Viktor Orban
Capital – Budapest (largest city in Hungary)
Currency – Hungarian Forint (HUF)
Major river – River Danube
Lakes – Lake Balaton (largest lake in Central Europe); Lake Heviz (second largest thermal lake in the
world)
Ranjit Rath Named as Next CMD of Oil India Limited

Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has selected Geoscientist Ranjit Rath as the next Chairman and
Managing Director(CMD) of Oil India Limited(OIL). He is currently serving as the CMD of Mineral
Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL).
• Sushil Chandra Mishra, the current
CMD of OIL will superannuate on 30th
June 2022.
About Ranjit Rath:
i.Ranjit Rath has previously served as the
General Manager with Engineers India Limited,
New Delhi, Delhi and he was posted with Indian
Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited.
ii.In 2016, then President of India Pranab
Mukherjee honoured him with the National Geosciences Award 2016 for applied Geology.
iii.He has published several technical papers and co-authored a book titled “Underground Storage
Technologies”.
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About Oil India Limited(OIL):

OIL is a premier Indian National Oil Company under the administrative control of the Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas(MoPNG) and is the 2nd largest national oil and gas company in India.
CMD– Sushil Chandra Mishra
Headquarters– Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Banks Board Bureau Recommended Names for Chief’s of Union Bank, IOB, PSB & SBI
The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) has recommended the names for the position of managing
director (MD) and chief executive officers (CEO) at Public sector undertakings Banks(PSU Banks): the
Union Bank of India(UBI), Indian Overseas
Bank (IOB), Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) and State
Bank of India(SBI).
The final appointment will be notified by the
Government of India based on these
recommendations.
Recommended Appointments:
i.Union Bank of India(UBI):
A Manimekhalai, Executive Director of the Canara
Bank, has been recommended for the post of MD & CEO of UBI.
• A Manimekhalai will succeed Rajkiran Rai G whose term as MD &CEO of UBI will complete on 31st
May 2022.
ii.Indian Overseas Bank (IOB):
Ajay Kumar Srivastava, Executive Director of IOB has been recommended for the post of MD & CEO of IOB.
• Ajay Kumar Srivastava, will succeed Partha Pratim Sengupta whose term will end in December
2022.
iii.Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB):
Swaroop Kumar Saha, Executive Director of Punjab National Bank(PNB) has been recommended for the
position of MD & CEO of the PSB.
• Swaroop Kumar Saha will succeed S Krishnan whose term as MD & CEO of PSB will end on 31st
May 2022
iv.State Bank of India(SBI):
BBB has also shortlisted Alok Kumar Choudhary, the Deputy Managing Director(Finance) of SBI, for the
post of Managing Director at SBI.
• He was selected as the replacement for Ashwani Bhatia, MD of SBI who appointed as the Whole
time Member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) for a period of 3 years.
Atul Kumar Goel was appointed as the Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Punjab
National Bank (PNB). The appointment comes after the approval from the Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC).
About Indian Overseas Bank (IOB):
MD & CEO– Partha Pratim Sengupta
Tagline– Good People to Grow with
Headquarters– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
About Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB):
MD & CEO– S Krishnan
Tagline– Where Service is a way of life
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RBI approved Extension of Rajeev Ahuja as RBL Bank’s Interim CEO & MD for 3 Months
On March 17, 2022, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the extension of Rajeev Ahuja‘s term
as interim Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RBL Bank for another three
months w.e.f from 25 March, 2022 or till the appointment of a regular MD & CEO, whichever is earlier.
Key Points:
i.Rajeev Ahuja was previously appointed as an
interim MD & CEO of the bank for a period of three
months w.e.f from 25th December 2021, after the
previous MD & CEO, Vishwavir Ahuja.
ii.Vishwavir Ahuja went on leave on the next day of
RBI’s appointment of one of its chief general
managers, Yogesh K Dayal as an additional director
for two years w.e.f 24 December 2021(2021-2023).
iii.A search committee has been set up by the RBI to identify candidates for the post of MD and CEO from
within and outside the RBL bank.
About RBL Bank:
Founded- 1943
Tagline – ‘‘Apno Ka Bank’’
ACC Extends Tenure of Jay Shah as President Till 2024

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) extended the tenure of Jay Shah as ACC President, its Executive Board
and Committees until 2024. The decision was taken by ACC AGM in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• He was unanimously elected as the
President of the ACC on 30
January 2021. He succeeded Najmul
Hasan Papon, Bangladesh Cricket
Board (BCB) chief.
• The Asia Cup 2022 (T20 Format) will
be held in Sri Lanka from 27 August –
11 September 2022.
Other Appointment:
The ACC also appointed Pankaj Khimji, as the Vice President and Mahinda Vallipuram as Chairman of the
Development Committee.
About Asian Cricket Council (ACC):
The ACC is subordinate to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The council is Asia’s regional
administrative body & responsible for organising the Asia Cup tournaments.
Headquarters- UAE
Founded- 1983
Indian Economist Jayati Ghosh Enters the UN’s Advisory Board On Effective Multilateralism
United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Jayati Ghosh, an Indian
development economist, to a new 12-member high-level Advisory Board on Effective
Multilateralism in the UN.The Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism will be co-chaired by Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf, former Liberian President and Nobel laureate, and Stefan Lofven, former Swedish Prime
Minister.
• The new advisory board will be tasked with building on the ideas in ‘Our Common Agenda,’ such
as the importance of women and girls and the need to consider the interests of young people and
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future generations, to make concrete recommendations for more effective multilateral

arrangements on a variety of key global issues.
• Its suggestions are non-binding, but they will feed member states’ discussions at the
proposed Summit of the Future in 2023.
About Our Common Agenda of the UN:
Our Common Agenda is a set of actions aimed at strengthening and speeding up multilateral agreements,
particularly the 2030 Agenda, and making a real difference in people’s lives. It presents the Secretary-
General’s vision on the future of global cooperation through an inclusive, networked, and effective
multilateralism.
About Jayati Ghosh:
i.She is a chairperson of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.She was appointed by Guterres in January 2021 as a member of the UN’s High-Level Advisory Board
(HLAB) on Economic and Social Affairs.
iii.She has received several prizes, including for distinguished contributions to the social sciences in India
in 2015; the International Labour Organisation’s Decent Work Research Prize for 2010; the NordSud Prize
for Social Sciences 2010, Italy.
About United Nations (UN):
Secretary-General – António Guterres
Headquarters – New York, USA
Member States – 193 countries.
N Biren Singh sworn in as Manipur CM for Second Term

On March 21, 2022, Nongthombam (N) Biren Singh, sworn in as the Chief Minister (CM) of Manipur for the
second consecutive term. The oath of office was
administered by Manipur Governor La Ganesan at
the Raj Bhawan in Imphal, Manipur.He is the 12th
CM of Manipur(Excluding Repetition).
• N Biren Singh was elected from
the Heingang seat for the record fifth
time, in the recently concluded
12th Manipur assembly elections. BJP
won 32 seats in the 60-member house.
Other Appointments:
Five Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), four from the BJP and one from the Naga People’s Front
(NPF), were sworn in as members of the council of ministers. They are:
i.Thongam Biswajit Singh
ii.Yumnam Khemchand Singh, speaker in the last assembly
iii.Govindas Konthoujam
iv.Nemcha Kipgen, lone woman minister to be sworn-in.
v.Awangbou Newmai, NPF leader, an ally of NDA (National Democratic Alliance)
About Nongthombam Biren Singh:
He initiated his career as a footballer, playing for the Border Security Force (BSF). In 1992, he quit the BSF
to start publishing his vernacular daily Naharolgi Thoudang, and worked as the editor till 2001.
• In 2002, he joined the Democratic Revolutionary People’s Party
• In 2003, he joined the Congress and retained the seat in 2007.
• In 2016, he quit the Congress and joined the BJP in 2016.
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• In 2017, Biren Singh won the elections and became the first BJP chief minister of Manipur.
Other Participants at the oath-taking ceremony:
BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sharma, Tripura CM Biplab
Kumar Deb, among others.
About Manipur:
Rivers– Nambul River, Khuga River, Tuitha River
Lakes– Loktak Lake, Kachou Phung Lake, Waithou Lake
Serdar Berdimuhamedow Becomes New President of Turkmenistan

Serdar Berdimuhamedow was sworn in as the new President of Turkmenistan by securing
nearly 72.97% of the votes and taking the oath of office at a ceremony at Rukhiyet Palace in the
capital, Ashgabat.
He took over from his father, Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow, the outgoing President,
who was re-elected with almost 97% of the
votes in 2017. He will continue to lead the
country’s upper house of Parliament.
Note: Parliament of Turkmenistan – Milli
Gengesh; Upper House of Parliament – Halk
Maslakhaty (People’ Council).
About Turkmenistan’s Presidential Election
2022:
i.The 2022 Presidential election is an early election that was declared by Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow in February 2022 and conducted on March 12, 2022. He has been the country’s leader
since Saparmurat Niyazov died in December 2006, when he was originally appointed acting president.
ii.Serdar Berdimuhamedow turned 40 in 2021, the minimum age for a President according to Turkmen
law.
About Serdar Berdimuhamedow:
i.He was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan in July 2021 and also headed the Oil &
Gas industry of the country in November 2021.
ii.Previously, he served as Minister of Industry and Construction Operations, deputy Governor of the
Central Ahal Region, and Deputy Foreign Minister.
About Turkmenistan:
Capital – Ashgabat
Currency – Manat
Rajesh Gopinathan Re-appointed as MD & CEO of TCS for 5 years

Rajesh Gopinathan has been reappointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Tata Consultancy Services(TCS), a global leader in information technology (IT) services and a
subsidiary of the Tata Group, for 5 years, from 21st February 2022 to 20th February 2027.
• TCS has also reappointed N Ganapathy Subramaniam as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and
Executive Director from 21st February 2022, to 19th May 2024, as per the retirement age policy
of the company.
Pushkar Singh Dhami sworn in as 11th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand

On 23, March 2022, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and son of an ex-
serviceman took oath as 11th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for his second consecutive term in
Dehradun’s Parade Ground administered by the Governor Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh.
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About the Swearing ceremony

i.Along with him, eight cabinet ministers were also administered the oath.
ii.The Cabinet ministers are Satpal Maharaj, Dhan
Singh Rawat, Rekha Arya, Ganesh Joshi,Subodh
Uniyal along with the three new faces
including Chandan Ramdas, Premchand Agarwal
and Saurabh Bahuguna.
About Pushkar Singh Dhami
i.Pushkar Singh Dhami was born on 16 September
1975 in Kanalichhina village in Pithoragarh district
of Uttarakhand.
ii.Pushkar Singh Dhami became the 11th chief minister of the hill state at a young age of 46 years
belonging to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
iii.He has to get re-elected from any of the constituencies of Uttarakhand within a period of six months
post which he ceases to be a Minister (Article 164(4) of Indian Constitution).
About Uttarakhand:
Governor – Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh
Chief Minister – Pushkar Singh Dhami
Legislative Assembly strength – 70 members
Pralay Mondal Appointed as Interim MD and CEO of CSB Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Pralay Mondal as interim Managing
Director (MD) and CEO of CSB Bank Limited for a period of 3 months.
• The appointment is for three month
period which effective from April 1,
2022 or till the appointment of a
regular MD & CEO is made.
• He is currently serving as the Deputy
Managing Director of CSB Bank since
his appointment in June 2021.
This action is in response to Rajendran Chinna
Veerappan, the bank’s current MD and CEO,
announcing his decision to retire early due to
health concerns. He will be holding the office till the close of office hours on March 31, 2022.
About Pralay Mondal:
He is an expert banker with 30 years of experience with Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes Bank.
i.Mondal had been with CSB since September 23, 2020 as President (Retail, Small and Medium Enterprise
(SME), Operations, and IT).
ii.Prior to joining CSB Bank, he worked for Axis Bank, where he held the posts of Executive Director and
Head of Retail Banking between 2019 and 2020.
iii.Prior to it, he served as the CEO of HDFC Bank for 12 years.
About CSB Bank Limited:
It was formerly known as The Catholic Syrian Bank and is one of the oldest private sector banks in India.
MD & CEO – Rajendran Chinna Veerappan
Establishment – 1920 (celebrated its centenary year in 2020)
Headquarters – Thrissur, Kerala
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Yogi Adityanath Takes Oath as Uttar Pradesh CM

Yogi Adityanath took oath as the Chief Minister (CM)of Uttar Pradesh (UP) for the second term in office.
Governor of UP, Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yogi Adityanath along
with 52 ministers in the ceremony organized at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh.
• Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak also took oath as the Deputy Chief Ministers in the
new government.
• The gallery will depict the contributions of the revolutionaries in the freedom struggle of India
and provide a holistic view of the events that led up to 1947.
Highlights:
i.Many prominent leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM of Bihar Nitish Kumar, Union
Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and others were present in the oath ceremony.
ii.The Yogi Adityanath-led BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government created history with its second tenure
as no other CM has been able to repeat a government in the state in 37 years.
• He has become the first such BJP leader to become the CM for the second consecutive term.
iii.The party secured more than 250 seats out of 403 in the state assembly elections 2022, and become the
first party in over three decades to form a government for a second consecutive time in the state.
iv.Only five CMs, including Adityanath, have won a second consecutive term in UP ever. The four CMs
before him to do so were Sampurnananda in 1957, Chandrabhanu Gupta in 1962, Hemwati Nandan
Bahuguna in 1974 and Narayan Dutt Tiwari in 1985.
About Yogi Adityanath:
i.Yogi Adityanath or Ajay Singh Bisht was born on 5th June 1972 in Pauri Garhwal. He has been serving as
21st CM of UP(Excluding Repetition)
ii.He is a Hindu monk and politician. For the first time he was appointed as the CM of UP in 2017
and served for 5 years(2017-2022).
iii.He has also been the Member of Parliament (MP) from the Gorakhpur constituency, Uttar Pradesh.
iv.Of the 21 CMs Only 3 CMs (Yogi Adityanath, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati) have completed a full five-
year term.
ILO Elects Gilbert Houngbo as its 11th Director-General

The International Labour Organization (ILO) elected Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo from Togo as its next
Director-General (DG). He will take office on 1st October 2022 for five years.
• Gilbert F. Houngbo will become the
11th DG of ILO and the First African
to hold the post of DG.
• He will succeed Guy Ryder from the
United Kingdom (UK), who has held
the office since 2012.
Key points:
i.He was elected by the ILO’s Governing Body,
which consists of representatives of
governments, workers and employers during
their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
ii.The ILO’s Governing Body is composed of 56 titular members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14
Workers) and 66 deputy members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19 Workers).
About Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo:
i.Gilbert F. Houngbo was born in 1961. He is a Togolese politician and diplomat.
He was the former Prime Minister of Togo who served from 2008 to 2012.
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• Previously he worked at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

ii.He became Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnership at the ILO in 2013.
iii.Houngbo is the current President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Headquarters-Geneva, Switzerland
Director-General– Guy Ryder (March 2022)
Founded-1919
Members- 187 Member Countries
Pramod Sawant Takes Oath As Goa’s CM For 2nd Consecutive Term

Pramod Sawant took oath as the Chief Minister (CM) of Goa, for a second consecutive term (2022-2027)
at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium in Taleigao, Goa.
• The Governor of Goa, P S Sreedharan Pillai administered the oath of office and secrecy to Pramod
Sawant.
• The other eight Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) also took oath as Cabinet Ministers in
the swearing in ceremony.
• In the second tenure the government
will focus on employment generation,
tourism and restarting mining
activities in Goa.
Highlights:
i.Eight MLAs including Vishwajit Rane, Mauvin
Godinho, Nilesh Cabral, Ravi Naik, Subhash
Shirodkar, Govind Gaude, Rohan Khaunte and
Atanasio Monserrate took the oath as
Ministers.
ii.In state Assembly elections 2022, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party in
Goa by winning 20 of the 40 seats in Goa.
iii.Other prominent leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Haryana CM,M L Khattar and
Karnataka CM, Basavaraj Bommai were also present in the ceremony.
iv.This would be the second time that Goa’s chief minister will be sworn in outside the Raj Bhavan
premises.
About Pramod Sawant:
i.Pramod Pandurang Sawant was born in 1973 in Goa. He is a politician and an Ayurveda Medical
practitioner by profession.
ii.He represents the Sanquelim constituency in the Goa Legislative Assembly and is a member of the BJP.
ii.In 2019, he was elected by the Legislative assembly and took oath as the 13th CM of Goa, since after the
demise of Manohar Parrikar (Previous CM) the CM seat became vacant.
Hisashi Takeuchi Appointed as new MD & CEO of Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation(SMC), Japan, has
appointed Hisashi Takeuchi as the new Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) for a
period of 3 years with effect from 1st April 2022 till 31st March 2025.
• Hisashi Takeuchi, who has been serving as the Joint Managing Director (Commercial) of MSIL
since April 2021, will succeed Kenichi Ayukawa as the MD & CEO of MSIL.
• He has been working with SMC since 1986 and has been on the board of Maruti Suzuki since July
2019.
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NATO Extends Jens Stoltenberg’s term as Secretary-General until 2023

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) extended the term of its Secretary-General Jens
Stoltenberg by one year until 30 September, 2023.
Highlight:
i.After the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium
the United States of America (USA) President
Joe Biden and other NATO leaders decided to
extend the tenure of Jens Stoltenberg.
ii.Jens Stoltenberg, a former Prime Minister of
Norway, took the office of Secretary General in
October 2014. In September 2021, his term was
set to end.
What is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
It is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty ,also called the Washington Treaty in 1949,
by the US, Canada, and other Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet
Union.
• In 2020, North Macedonia joined NATO.
• India is not a member of NATO.
Members- 30 states (as of 2022).
Founded-4 April 1949
Headquarters– Brussels, Belgium.
Vishwas Patel Has Been Re-elected As the Chairman Of Payments Council of India
Vishwas Patel has been re-elected as the Chairman of Payments Council of India (PCI) for the second time
in 2022, previously he was elected as a Chairman of PCI in the year 2018. In 2013, he served as Co-
Chairman of PCI. PCI is a payments ecosystem industry body, and is a part of the Internet and Mobile
Association of India (IAMAI). PCI aims to promote cashless transaction society and visions to grow digital
payment in India.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Re-elected as President of BAI

Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister(CM) of Assam was re-elected as the President of the Badminton
Association of India(BAI) for a period of 4 years from 2022 to 2026 during the General Body Meeting
held Guwahati, Assam.
He has been serving as the President of BAI since 2017 and he is also the Vice President of Badminton Asia
and a member of the Executive Council of Badminton World Federation(BWF).
• Former junior national coach Sanjay Mishra was elected as the new general
secretary and Arun Hanumandas Lakhani, President of Maharashtra Badminton Association
was elected as the new treasurer.
• Incumbent General Secretary Ajay Kumar Singhania will be one of the Vice Presidents of the new
council.
List of new office-bearers
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ACQUISITION & MERGERS

CCI Approves Acquisition of Prione Business Services by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources
Private Limited
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposal of Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources
Private Limited(AAPRPL), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc., to acquire Prione
Business Services Private Limited (PBSPL or Prione), which runs Cloudtail, one of the largest online
marketplaces in India.
• Target is: Prione Business Services Private Limited
• Acquirer is: Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited
• The Proposed Combination comprises the acquisition of 76% of the equity shares of Prione by
AAPRPL.
• The AAPRPL is purchasing the shareholding of Hober Mallow Trust in Prione.
Shareholdings of Prione:
i.Prior to this acquisition, 76% of the share capital of Prione is held by Hober Mallow Trust and Amazon
Eurasia Holdings S.a.r.l. owns one per cent (1%) of the share capital of Prione.
ii.Prior to the acquisition, AAPRPL already owns 23% of the share capital of Prione.
Key Points:
i.Target has a wholly owned subsidiary Cloudtail India Private Limited (CT). CT is engaged in B2C retail
business in India, and currently offers for sale products to customers on the online marketplace,
www.amazon.in operated by Amazon Seller Services Private Limited (Amazon Marketplace). CT is also
engaged in wholesale (B2B) trading of products through online and offline channels.
ii.Acquirer is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (ACI). ACI is the ultimate parent
entity of the Amazon group.
CCI approves 100% Acquisition of L&T AMC by HSBC AMC
CCI has approved the acquisition of 100% share capital of (Larsen & Toubro) L&T Investment Management
Limited (L&T AMC) by HSBC Asset Management (India) Private Limited (HSBC AMC).
• The proposed transaction relates to the acquisition of 100% share capital of L&T AMC by HSBC
AMC from L&T Finance Holdings Limited.
• The Proposed Transaction is in the nature of an acquisition of shares under Section 5(a)(i)(A) of
the Competition Act, 2002.
Features of the acquisition:
i.Following this acquisition, the sponsorship, trusteeship, management and administration of L&T MF
schemes managed by L&T AMC will be changed, whereby the L&T MF schemes will be managed and
operated by HSBC AMC.
ii.The HSBC Trustee shall be appointed as the trustee of the L&T MF.
iii.In accordance with the proposed transaction, the L&T MF will comprise part of
and be considered to form an integral part of the HSBC MF schemes.
UCO Bank becomes a stakeholder of IDRCL

On March 9, 2022 – the UCO Bank became one of the stakeholders of India Debt Resolution Company
Limited (IDRCL) by acquiring 3% of stake.According to the bank, its holding of 3% in IDRCL amounts
to Rs.1.50 crores, requires no approval and the agreement is in accordance with Regulation 30 of the SEBI
(Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.
• The acquisition will be completed within 10 working days from the date of agreement.
• Post investment, UCO Bank will hold up to 3% of equity shares in IDRCL.
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About UCO Bank

• MD & CEO – Shri Soma Sankara Prasad
• Founded in – 1943
• Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal
About India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL):
IDRCL is a service company/operational entity which will manage the asset and engage market
professionals and turnaround experts.Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Public FIs will hold a maximum of
49% stake and the rest will be with private sector lenders.
Background:
i.The Government of India (GoI) suggested setting up a Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency (PARA)
in the Economic Survey 2016-17 in view of rising Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in banks and declining
credit growth.
ii.The Public Sector Enterprises can transfer their stressed assets to the agency clearing up their
books.Following this, the Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman proposed for the formation of Bad
Bank in her Budget Speech on 1st February 2021.
iii.In compliance with that, the debt management companies – National Asset Reconstruction Company
Limited (NARCL) was incorporated on 07 July 2021 and India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL)
was incorporated on 03 September 2021.
Note: A ‘Bad Bank’ is a bank that buys the bad loans of other lenders and financial institutions to help clear
their balance sheets.
ICICI Bank to Acquire 5% Stake in NARCL

ICICI Bank is set to acquire a 5% stake in National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited(NARCL) for a
total cash consideration of up to Rs 137.5 crore in tranches. The equity investment will be in tranches with
the 1st tranche of equity investment of Rs 70.45 crore. This is expected to be completed by 31st March
2022.
• On 10th March 2022, ICICI Bank has signed an agreement for the investment in NARCL.
• NARCL or bad bank is an asset reconstruction company, which was incorporated on July 7, 2021.
About NARCL:
NARCL has received all approvals to commence operations. Public sector banks (PSBs) will maintain about
51% ownership in NARCL.
A total of 38 Non-Performing Asset (NPA) accounts worth Rs 82,845 crore have been identified to be
transferred to it initially.
The transfer of 38 stressed accounts will happen in a phased manner, with banks agreeing to transfer 15
NPA accounts worth Rs 50,000 crore in the first phase by March 2022.
• India Debt Resolution Company Ltd. (IDRCL) will manage the stressed assets and engage market
professionals and turnaround experts have also received all the requisite regulatory approvals.
Additional info:
During the Budget 2021-22, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the government intends to
set up a bad bank as part of the resolution of bad loans worth about Rs 2 lakh crore in the banking system.
IDBI Bank became stakeholders in NARCL:
On 11th March 2022, IDBI Bank became one of the stakeholders in NARCL by executing an investment
agreement to participate in the equity share capital and NCDs (non-convertible debentures) proposed to
be issued by NARCL.
• It will invest over Rs 272 crore to acquire equity stake and subscribe to its bonds.
• The bank will invest cash of Rs 137.50 crore to acquire 5% equity stake and Rs 135 crore to
invest in the NCDs of NARCL.
• It will also invest Rs 4.50 crore in tranches to acquire 9% equity capital of IDRCL.
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About ICICI Bank:

MD & CEO– Sandeep Bakhshi,
Tagline– Khayaal Aapka
CCI approves acquisition of Micro Life Sciences Private Limited & Future Generali India
Insurance Company Limited
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of equity stake in Future Generali India
Insurance Company (FGIIC) Limited by Generali Participations Netherlands N.V (GPN). CCI approves
acquisition of Micro Life Sciences Private Limited by South Elm Investments B.V
CCI approves acquisition of equity stake in FGIIC by Generali Participations Netherlands N.V
• Under this, there will be acquisition of shares of FGIIC by GPN. GPN proposes to acquire approx.
25% of the equity share capital of FGIIC held by Future Enterprises Limited, pursuant to which
GPN’s aggregate (direct and indirect) shareholding in FGIIC will be increased from 49% to
approx. 74%.
• Acquirer-Generali Participations Netherlands N.V. (GPN); Target –Future Generali India
Insurance Company Limited (FGIIC).
Key Points:
i.GPN N.V. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A (“Generali Group”), the ultimate
parent entity of the Generali group of companies.
ii.The Generali Group is a global insurance provider and is present in the general insurance industry in
India through FGIIC.
iii.FGIIC is a general insurance company engaged in the provision of non-life or general insurance services
in India.
CCI approves acquisition of Micro Life Sciences Private Limited by South Elm Investments B.V
CCI also approves acquisition of Micro Life Sciences Private Limited by South Elm Investments (SEI) B.V.
• Target-Micro Life Sciences Private Limited (Micro Life); Acquirer-South Elm Investments B.V.
(SEI).
Key Points:
i.SEI is an investment holding company incorporated under the laws of Netherlands.
ii.The shareholders of SEI are certain private equity funds managed by Warburg Pincus LLC.
iii.Micro Life Sciences Private Limited incorporated in India, which is primarily engaged in the following
business activities in India along with subsidiaries: manufacture and sale of (a) medical devices in various
categories (b) in-vitro diagnostics analyzers and reagents; and (c) over the counter (OTC) products like
products COVID self-test kits and pregnancy test kits, in India.
Torrent Power Signs Agreement to Acquire 51% Stake in Power Distribution Utility of
Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu
Torrent Power Limited signed a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) and Share Holders Agreement (SHA)
with Administrator of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Holding Entity)
and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and special purpose vehicle (SPV) Daman and Diu Power Distribution
Corporation Ltd to acquire 51 % equity of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Power Distribution
Corporation Ltd.
Highlights:
i.The agreement is a part of the Central government, to privatize the power distribution companies in the
Union Territory (UT).
ii.The SPV will have various responsibilities including distribution and retail supply of electricity and it
also holds distribution license in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DNH
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& DD).
Portfolio & Power Distribution:
i.With the addition of DNH & DD, Torrent will distribute nearly 24 billion units of electricity per annum to
over 3.85 million customers and cater to a peak demand of over 5,000 MW.
ii.Torrent Power already has stakes in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra along with the latest
addition of DNH & DD
About Torrent Power Limited:
Headquarters- Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Founded- 1996
Chairman-Samir Mehta
Mahindra & Mahindra hikes stake in Carnot Technologies to 52.69%

Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (M&M) is set to increase its stake in Carnot Technologies Private
Limited(Carnot) to 52.69% with an investment of around Rs 14 crore. At present M&M holds 15.60% of
equity share capital of Carnot, which provides products and services related to internet connected devices
for monitoring performance of vehicles.
• M&M will make a primary infusion of ~ Rs 2.5 crore for subscription of 1,613 Series C CCCPS
(cumulative compulsorily convertible preference shares) of Carnot of Rs 100 each at a premium
of Rs 15,391.65 per CCCPS.
• Further it will have a secondary purchase for ~RS 11.5 crore of 7,423 equity shares of Rs 10 each
at a premium of Rs 15,481.65 per equity share.
• The transaction is expected to be completed by around 31st March 2022, following which the
Carnot will become a subsidiary of M&M.
ICICI Bank, Punjab & Sind to pick up stakes in bad bank NARCL
ICICI Bank and Punjab & Sind Bank have signed agreements to pick up stakes in National Asset
Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL).
• ICICI Bank will be investing Rs 137.5 crore to acquire a 5% stake,and
o Punjab & Sind Bank will put in Rs 55 crore for a 2% stake.
The equity investment will be done in tranches, and the 1st investment of Rs 28.18 crore is expected to be
completed by 31st March 2022 and the final investment will be done to ensure prompt resolution,
including recovery of NPA (non-performing assets) accounts.
Flipkart’s PhonePe Acquired 100 percent stake in GigIndia

PhonePe, a digital payment company backed by Flipkart announced the acquisition of 100 % stake in
GigIndia, which is a network for freelance micro-entrepreneurs.
Objective-To strengthen its offerings to corporate and enterprise partners.
Highlights:
i.Under the acquisition, PhonePe will get the leverage of GigIndia’s network of 1.5 million freelance micro-
entrepreneurs to help corporates and promote development.
• GigIndia’s customer base includes companies like Amazon, Paytm, Tata Group, Reliance
Industries, Swiggy, PayU, among others.
ii.PhonePe has a network of over 27 million merchant outlets across India and 365 million registered
users.
About PhonePe:
Founded- 2015
CEO-Sameer Nigam
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SBI Invests Rs 10 Crore to Pick Up 7.84% Stake in ONDC

State Bank of India (SBI) has invested Rs 10 crores to pick up 7.84% stake in Open Network for Digital
Commerce (ONDC), an open-source e-commerce platform engaged in creating an open public digital
infrastructure.
• The transaction does not require any regulatory approval as the acquisition of shareholding was
below 10%.
• SBI is the 2nd public sector bank to buy the stake in ONDC, after Punjab National Bank(PNB).
Note:
i.In November 2021, PNB has proposed to invest as a promoter in ONDC by acquiring a 9.5% stake in
ONDC.
ii.PNB stated that it would invest Rs 25crore or acquire 9.5% equity capital, whichever would be lower.
Kotak, Axis Acquire 7.84 stake Each in ONDC:
Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank has invested Rs 10 crore each and acquired 7.84% stake each in
ONDC.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank has subscribed to 10,00,000 equity shares of ONDC for a consideration of
Rs 10 crore, translating into an equity shareholding of a 7.84% stake in ONDC.
• ONDC has allotted 10,00,000 equity shares of the face value of Rs 100 each for a consideration of
Rs 10 crore to Axis Bank. At present, the bank holds a 7.84% stake in ONDC.
About ONDC:
i.ONDC, incorporated on 30th December 2021, is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoCI).
ii.It is a globally first-of-its-kind initiative that aims to democratise Digital Commerce, moving it from a
platform-centric model to an open network
iii.As UPI is to the digital payment domain, ONDC is to e-commerce in India.
• ONDC will be compliant with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and designed for compliance
with the emerging Personal Data Protection Bill.
CCI approves Acquisition of Shareholding of Busybees Logistics Solutions Pvt Ltd by BXG
Xenon HoldCo Ltd & TPG SF
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of the shareholding in Busybees
Logistics Solutions Private Limited, which operates in India under the brand name ‘Xpressbees’ by BXG
Xenon HoldCo Limited and TPG SF
Acquisition of Xpressbees by Blackstone:
The proposed combination envisages the acquisition of certain equity shareholding on a fully diluted basis
in BusyBees Logistics Solutions Private Limited (Target) by BXG Xenon HoldCo Ltd (Acquirer).
• BXG Xenon HoldCo Limited is controlled by funds advised and /or managed by affiliates of
Blackstone Inc.
• Blackstone Inc, headquartered in the United States (US), is a global alternative asset manager.
About BXG Xenon HoldCo Ltd:
BXG Xenon HoldCo Ltd, controlled by funds advised and /or managed by affiliates of Blackstone Inc is a
newly incorporated entity and at present does not have any business operations, in India or worldwide.
Acquisition of Xpressbees by TPG SF:
CCI has also approved the acquisition proposed by TPG Growth V SF Markets Pte Ltd (TPG SF) to acquire
around 7% shareholding (on a fully diluted basis) of Xpressbees.
• TPG SF is majority-owned and controlled by certain affiliates of TPG, Inc. the ultimate holding
company of the TPG group, a global, diversified investment firm
• The proposed transaction is notifiable under Section 5(a)(i)(A) of the Competition
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Act, 2002.
About BusyBees Logistics Solutions Private Limited:
BusyBees Logistics Solutions Private Limited operates in India under the brand name ‘Xpressbees’.
It is engaged in the business of providing logistics and delivery solution services in India.
RBI Gives Approval to SBI Group of Entities to Pick Up to 9.99% stake in ICICI Bank for 1
Year
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved SBIFML (State Bank of India Mutual Fund Limited), along with
other SBI group companies, to acquire up to 9.99% equity capital in the ICICI Bank. The approval to SBI
Mutual Fund is valid for a period of one year that is up to 22 March, 2023.
• Earlier in December 2021, SBI Mutual Fund had 5.72% stake in ICICI Bank.
• RBI instructed SBIFML to ensure that the SBI groups shareholding remains below 10% at all
times.
The approval is subject to compliance with the provisions of Banking Regulation Act 1949.
Highlights:
i.In 2021, the RBI set up an Internal Working Group (IWG) which was formed to review ownership
guidelines and corporate structure for Indian private sector banks.
ii.RBI also allowed financial institutions, supranational institutions, public sector undertakings to have
15% stake in private sector banks.
• Prior approval from the RBI is required for such an entity to pick up more than 5% stake in a
private sector bank.
Founded-1 April 1935
Bank of India invests Rs 108.81 crore in NARCL

The Bank of India(BoI) has invested around Rs 108.81 crore in National Asset Reconstruction Company
Limited(NARCL), under the preferential share issue. Following this, BoI’s shareholding in NARCL is set to
become 9% as of 21st March 2022.
• NARCL is an asset reconstruction company backed by the government, Incorporated in July 2021.
ICICI & HDFC Bank To Acquire up to 15% Stake in IDRCL

On 28 March, 2022 the ICICI Bank Ltd (ICICI Bank) & HDFC Bank signed an investment agreement for
a 15% stake in India Debt Resolution Company Ltd (IDRCL). The IDRCL was established to manage
stressed assets in India.
• The approval for the deal was given by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Department of
Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
• IDRCL works in tandem with the National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) to clean
up bad loans.
ICICI Bank Acquisition:
The investment would consist of a total cash consideration of upto Rs.7.5 crore in multiple equity
tranches.
Note- In March 2022, the ICICI bank also signed an agreement to acquire a 5%stake in National Asset
Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL).
About Stressed assets:
It is a broader term and comprises NPAs (Non-performing Assets), Restructured loans and Written off
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assets.
Stressed assets = NPAs + Restructured loans + Written off assets
• NPAs– A loan whose interest/installments has not been paid for more than 90 days.
• Restructured Loans – Loans which have been restructured by giving a longer duration for
repayment, lowering interest or by converting them to equity.
• Written off Assets – loans which aren’t counted as dues. They are compensated through some
other way.
HDFC Bank Acquisition:
HDFC Bank will also acquire a 15% equity stake in IDRCL for Rs. 7.50 crore. The first tranche of equity
investment for Rs 3 crore is expected to be complete by 31 March 2022. The investment will be in multiple
tranches.
About ICICI Bank Ltd (ICICI Bank):
It was formed in 1955 at the initiative of the World Bank, the Government of India and representatives of
Indian industry & Incorporated in 1994.
CEO & MD- Sandeep Bakhshi
Headquarters-Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Central Govt to sell 1.5% Stake in ONGC to raise ~Rs 3,000cr

The Central Government is selling its 1.5% stake in Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) through an
Offer for Sale (OFS) to raise worth ~Rs 3,000 crore. It is being sold at a 7% discounted floor price of Rs
159/share. The 1.5% equity stake sale also includes a 0.75% greenshoe option.
• The OFS is open on March 30-31, 2022.
• The Central Government owns a 60.41% stake in ONGC.
• Note-India is the world’s 3rd largest oil importer and consumer, after the United States (US) and
China.
What is the offer?
The Central Government as a promoter is selling up to 94,352,094 equity shares of ONGC (representing
0.75% of the total paid-up equity share capital of the company) with a face value of Rs 5 each on March 30,
2022 (to non-retail investors) and on March 31, 2022 (to retail investors) with an option to additionally
sell (greenshoe option) 94,352,094 equity shares in case of oversubscription
What is Offer for Sale – OFS?
An Offer for Sale is a simpler method whereby promoters in public companies can sell their shares and
reduce their holdings in a transparent manner through the bidding platform for the Exchange.
Who can buy shares in this OFS?
i.In the OFS, a minimum of 25% of the shares are reserved for mutual funds and insurance companies.
ii.10% of the shares earmarked for retail investors i.e. individual investors who bid for not more than 2
lakh shares.
iii.ONGC employees can apply for equity shares worth up to Rs 5 lakh each.
About Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC):
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD- Additional Charge)– Dr. Alka Mittal (1st woman CMD of ONGC)
IDBI Bank to Sell 25% Stake in Ageas Federal Life Insurance Company
Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI Bank) announced to offload its 25% stake in Ageas Federal
Life Insurance Company (AFLI) to Ageas Insurance International NV.
• The board of directors of the IDBI Bank approved to sell its 200 million equity shares in AFLI to
Ageas pursuant to exercise of Call Option by Ageas.
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Highlights:
i.In December 2020, IDBI Bank also sold a 23% stake in an insurance joint venture (JV) to Ageas Insurance
International for Rs 507.10 crore, following this the insurer’s name was changed from IDBI Federal Life
Insurance to Ageas Federal Life Insurance company limited.
• This raised Ageas stake to 49% in the insurance company.
ii.The approval was also given for divestment of the bank’s stake up to 11.10% of paid-up share capital of
the National Securities Depository (NSD) through market-driven process.
About Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI):
CEO & MD– Rakesh Sharma
Tagline– Bank Aisa Dost Jaisa
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

China’s Long March-8 Rocket Launches 22 Satellites into Space – Achieves Domestic Record
On 27th February 2022 China claimed a domestic record for the most spacecraft launched by a single
rocket by launching a ‘Long March-8 rocket’ to place 22 satellites in space from the ‘Wenchang
Spacecraft Launch Site’ in south China’s Hainan Province with the China Aerospace Science and
Technology Corporation (CASC).
• The mission marked the 409th flight of
the Long March carrier rockets.
• These satellites will be mainly used for
commercial remote sensing services,
marine environment monitoring, forest
fire prevention and disaster mitigation.
• China set a new domestic record of 55
launches in 2021, surpassing the
previous record of 39 launches in 2018 and 2020.
Background:
i.In April 2021, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), a subsidiary of CASC, launched the
first Long March Express rideshare using a Long March 6.
ii.In September 2021, a number of contracts for the new rideshare were signed at the Zhuhai Airshow .
About Long March 8:
i.The Long March 8 combines the 3.35-meter-diameter new-generation Long March 7 kerosene-liquid
oxygen 1st stage with a 3-metre-diameter hydrolox 2nd stage from the older Long March 3A series.
ii.The 2nd Long March 8 has a length of 50.3 metres long and a mass at takeoff of 356 tons that flew
without the pair of side boosters that was used in the rocket’s 1st mission.
iii.The payloads on the Long March 8 involved manufacturers with end users including 7 commercial
companies and 2 research institutes.
Satellites launched:
i.Changguang Satellite Technology, a Changchun-based remote sensing constellation operator and
spinoff from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ CIOMP, launched 10 new Jilin-1 satellites for its
constellation of remote sensing satellites of the same name.
• Satellites – Jilin-1 GF03D10-18 satellites (GF – Gaofen) or high resolution, with 8 satellites having
a mass of around 43 kilograms each. Jilin-1 MF02A01 is a 32-kilogram multi-functional (MF)
satellite to test a new platform.
ii.Small satellite maker Mino space manufactured 5 satellites aboard the mission.
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• Taijing-3 (01) 240-kilogram optical and Taijing-4 (01) 250-kilogram synthetic aperture radar
(SAR) satellites will be operated by Mino space.
• It also made the Wenchang-1 (01) and Wenchang-1 (02) wide-field multispectral satellites for
the Sanya Institute of Remote Sensing and Hainan Westar Remote Sensing Technology
Application Service with a mass of 62.5 kilograms each.
• The Xidian-1 hyperspectral remote sensing satellite for the new Silk Road Tiantu constellation
that is operated by Shaanxi Silk Road Tiantu Satellite Technology.
ii.Changsha-based commercial spacecraft maker and constellation operator ‘Spacety’ launched
the Chaohu-1 satellite, the 1st of the planned Tianxian SAR constellation in cooperation with the China
Electronics Technology Group (CETC).
• The 325-kilogram satellite builds on the Hisea-1 SAR satellite launched on the previous Long
March 8 flight.
• Spacety also had the 14-kilogram Thor Smart Satellite on the mission that carries a distributed
software protocol test payloads and three GRID gamma ray burst detectors and the Aurora-2 X-
ray polarimeter.
iii.Tianqi-19, manufactured by Shandong Institute of Aerospace Electronics Technology for Guodian
Gaoke and its Tianqi low-Earth orbit narrow-band Internet of Things constellation.
iv.Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong Satellite developed 60-kilogram Hainan-1 (01) and Hainan-1
(02) satellites under the ownership of CASC, for Hainan Westar Remote Sensing Technology Application
Service.
• The satellites carry imagers and automatic identification system (AIS) receivers for maritime
surveillance.
v.Star Era-17 (Xingshidai-17), also referred to as ‘Dayun’, the Chinese name for the Universiade
international sports event to be held in 2022 in Chengdu, is a 20-kilogram satellite carrying visible light
and thermal infrared imagers and ‘AI payloads’
• This is developed and operated by ADA Space, based in Chengdu, southwest China.
vi.Wuhan University developed the Phospherus-1, a 22-kilogram optical satellite for hyperspectral
imaging.
Note – In February 2022 China launched the L-SAR 01B satellite on a Long March 4C, sending the
synthetic aperture radar satellite to operate in formation with the L-SAR 01A satellite, which was launched
in January 2022.
China has successfully launched its 1st solar exploration satellite into space from the Taiyuan Satellite
Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province aboard a Long March-2D rocket.The satellite was named
as ‘Xihe’(Xihe is the goddess of the sun who created the calendar in ancient Chinese mythology), also
known as the Chinese Hα Solar Explorer (CHASE).
About China:
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi
President – Xi Jinping
NASA Begins Assembly of Europa Clipper Spacecraft

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) has started the assembly of ‘Europa Clipper
Spacecraft’ a new spacecraft that will carry out the Europa clipper mission.
• The Spacecraft is targeted to be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in October 2024.
About Europa Clipper Spacecraft:
i.The spacecraft has been designed and constructed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL),
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
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ii.Most of its hardware are expected to be assembled before 2022.

Components:
i.The various engineering components and science
instruments of the spacecraft are being shipped from
all over the United States(US) and Europe.
ii.The components include a 3-meter-wide high-gain
antenna; a suite of nine instruments that would be
fitted into the spacecraft for its exploration of Europa.
Features:
i.The main body of the spacecraft which comprises a
propulsion system measures 10 feet tall (3 meters).
ii.The fully assembled spacecraft will be as large as an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) and it will be equipped
with solar arrays long enough to span a basketball court.
About Europa Clipper Mission:
i.Europa Clipper Mission is meant to scan Europa, one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter along with Io,
Ganymede and Callisto, in search of signs of habitability.
ii.This will contribute to the field of astrobiology, the study of life in the universe.
iii.This will orbit Jupiter and conduct multiple close flybys of Europa to gather data on the moon’s
atmosphere, surface, and interior.
About Europa:
Scientists describe Europa as an “ocean world” and believes that beneath its icy surface, Europa harbours
an ocean with twice the amount of water in Earth’s oceans combined.
Note: Jupiter has 53 named moons and another 26 awaiting official names. Combined, scientists now think
Jupiter has 79 moons.
HeroX Launches NASA’s Watts on the Moon Phase 2 Challenge
HeroX, the leading platform and open marketplace for crowdsourced solutions, launched NASA’s Watts
on the Moon Phase 2 Challenge prize competition (only for US citizens or permanent residents) on behalf
of NASA. This supports NASA’s return to the Moon under Mission Artemis.
The Watts on the Moon Challenge is USD 5 million, the two-phase competition focused on addressing
critical gaps in lunar surface power systems, specifically related to power transmission and energy
storage.
About National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA):
NASA is a US government agency that is responsible for science and technology related to air and space.
Administrator– Bill Nelson
Headquarters– Washington, D.C., United States of America
ISRO Successfully Tested Newly Developed SS1 of its New SSLV

On 14th March 2022, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the ground
testing of the newly developed solid booster stage (SS1) for its new launch vehicle Small Satellite Launch
Vehicle (SSLV) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh(AP).
• The successful ground testing of SS1 will support with the first developmental flight of
SSLV(SSLV-D1), which is scheduled in May 2022.
• The remaining stages of SSLV, SS2 & SS3, have successfully undergone necessary ground tests
and are ready for integration.
• At present, the launch of small satellites has been dependent on ‘piggy-bank’ rides with big
satellite launches on the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) of ISRO, which has completed
around 50 successful launches.
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Note:
Usually after 2 successful development flights, ISRO
declared a launch vehicle operational.
About SS1:
The newly developed Solid Booster Stage (SS1)
motor is a three-segmented solid propulsion stage
incorporating various new technologies and
innovative processes which includes,
• bond-free joint between the segments
• high power electromechanical actuator
with digital control electronics
• optimized ignitor
• simultaneous propellant casting of all segments which are successfully validated in the ground
test.
About SSLV:
The SSLV was designed to be smaller, cheaper, and quickly assembled for commercial launches on demand.
Dr S Somanath, the Chairman of ISRO, is credited with the design and development of SSLV during his term
as the director at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2018.
Cost: ~Rs 30 crore
Payload: ~500 kg
SSLV can be assembled by a team of 6 members within a period of 7 days
The SSLV will carry the satellites weighing up to 500 Kg to a low earth orbit.
About Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):
Chairman– S. Somanath
Thailand Astronomers Discovers 1st Known Quadruple Asteroid System

A Team of researchers from Thailand and France led by Anthony Berdeu of the National Astronomical
Research Institute, Thailand have discovered a third moon (130 Elektra) orbiting the main-belt asteroid
Elektra, which already has two moons in its orbit. The discovery of the new moonlet has made Elektra
as the 1st known quadruple asteroid system in our solar system.
• The research findings have been
titled ‘First Observation of Quadruple
Asteroid’ and was published in the
journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
• The 3rd moon was discovered using the
European Southern
Observatory’s (ESO’s) Very Large
Telescope (VLT), measuring just 1.6
kilometres across and is 15,000 times
fainter than Elektra.
About Elektra:
i.The Elektra with an effective diameter of 199 km is located in the main asteroid belt of the solar system
between Mars and Jupiter.
• The moonlets of Elektra are named S/2003 (130) 1, S/2014 (130) 1 and the newly discovered
S/2014 (130) 2.
ii.On 17th February 1873 Elektra was 1st discovered by Litchfield Observatory Astronomer Christian
Peters and its 1st moon was discovered in 2003 by Dr.William Merlin and his team.
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iii.On 6th December 2014 the 2nd moon was discovered by Dr.Bin Yang and his team using the SHPERE
facility on the ESO’s VLT.
• According to the data collected by ESO’s VLT in Chile in 2014, the 3rd moon was hidden.
About Thailand:
Capital – Bangkok
Currency – baht
Prime Minister – Prayut Chan-o-cha
Iran launched ‘Noor 2’,Second Military Satellite into Orbit

On 8 March 2022, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran successfully put a second
military Noor 2 satellite or “light” in Persian Into orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometres (311 miles).
The announcement came as talks held in Vienna to revive an agreement restraining Iran’s nuclear program
have reached a critical stage.
Highlights:
i.Noor 2 has a three-stage Qased, or “Messenger”,
carrier, launched from the Shahroud space port
of Iran. The same type of rockets, which use a
combination of liquid and solid fuels, carried the
first military satellite.
ii.The first military satellite was launched by the
Islamic Republic in April 2020. It is placed at an
orbit of 425km (265 miles) above the earth’s
surface.
Others satellites launched by Iran:
i.Rasad-1 is an imaging satellite, it was built and launched successfully by Iran. The satellite was sent into
the 260 kilometres orbit by a Safir rocket launcher in 2011.
ii.In 2020, Iran launched Zafar 1 communication satellite through a Simorgh rocket from Imam Khomeini
Space Center.
About Iran:
Capital-Tehran
President- Ebrahim Raisi
Currency-Iranian rial
Petascale Supercomputer ‘PARAM Ganga’ established at IIT Roorkee under National

Supercomputing Mission
On March 7, 2022, a Made in India Petascale Supercomputer ‘PARAM Ganga’ with a supercomputing
capacity of 1.66 Petaflops (Peta Floating-Point Operations Per Second) has been installed at IIT (Indian
Institute of Technology) Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
• This national Supercomputing Facility was inaugurated by B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Chairman,
Board of Governors, IIT Roorkee.
• PARAM Ganga designed and commissioned by the Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing (C-DAC) under Phase 2 of the build approach of National Supercomputing Mission
(NSM).
Background:
This establishment is backed by the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by IIT Roorkee with
C-DAC for the development of supercomputer involving critical components such as motherboards for
servers, direct contact liquid cooling data centres, among others.
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About National Supercomputing Mission (NSM):

Announced in2015, it is a joint initiative by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology
(DeitY), and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and is implemented by C-DAC and Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru (Karnataka). Its estimated cost is Rs 4500 crore over a period of
seven years (2015-2022).
It aims to deploy 24 facilities with a combined computing power of more than 64 petaFLOPS.
• As of now, C-DAC has deployed 11 such systems at IISCs, IITs, Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research (IISER) in Pune (Maharashtra), the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for
Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, and the National Agri-Food Biotechnology
Institute (NABI) in Mohali, Punjab.
• These have a cumulative power of 20 Petaflops.
What are petaFLOPS?
The computing power of supercomputers is measured in floating-point operations per second or FLOPS.
One petaFLOP is equal to 1,000,000,000,000,000 (one quadrillion) FLOPS, or one thousand teraFLOPS or 2
to the 50th power FLOPS.
4 Major Pillars of NSM:
NSM has four major pillars viz. Infrastructure, Applications, R&D (Research & Development), and HRD
(Human Resource Development). Some of the large-scale applications being developed under NSM include
the following.
• NSM Platform for Genomics and Drug Discovery.
• Urban Modelling: Science Based Decision Support Framework to Address Urban Environment
Issues (Meteorology, Hydrology, Air Quality).
• Flood Early Warning and Prediction System for River Basins of India.
• HPC Software Suite for Seismic Imaging to aid Oil and Gas Exploration.
• MPPLAB: Telecom Network Optimization.
Features of PARAM Ganga:
i.Its components, and software stack are manufactured and assembled within India only.
ii.It It is a new High-Performance Computational (HPC) facility which will accelerate R&D activities in
multidisciplinary domains of science and engineering, to solve complex problems of national importance
and global significance.
iii.It also provides computational power to the user community of IIT Roorkee and neighbouring academic
institutions.
Points to be noted:
i.Supercomputers and Quantum computers can boost research by several years by providing millions of
times more computing power than an ordinary computer.
ii.C-DAC is a designer and developer of a computer server ‘Rudra’ and high-speed interconnect
‘Trinetra’ which are the major sub-assemblies required for supercomputers.
iii.The world’s fastest supercomputer, Fugaku, which is located at RIKEN Center for Computational
Science in Kobe, Japan, has a computing speed of 415.5 petaFLOPS.
iv.India currently has three supercomputers in the Top500 list of most powerful supercomputers in the
world as of November 2021:
• Atos-built PARAM Siddhi-AI, installed in 2018 at C-DAC Pune (4.6 Linpack petaflops, Ranked
102)
• The Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s (IITM) supercomputer,
called Pratyush (3.8 Linpack petaflops), is ranked 121.
• The Noida (Uttar Pradesh) based National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting’s
(NCMRWF) Mihir (2.6 Linpack petaflops) supercomputer is 228th on the list.
• Pratyush and Mihir are both used for weather forecasting and for studying climate change.
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Meta’s (erstwhile Facebook) CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Mark Zuckerberg has announced the
development of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) supercomputer i.e AI Research SuperCluster (RSC) to train
machine learning systems across company’s businesses. It will be the world’s fastest supercomputer once
it is completed later in 2022.
About Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC):
Parent Ministry– Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Director General– Col. AK Nath
Headquarter- Pune, Maharashtra
IIT Kanpur Develops Biodegradable Nanoparticle to Protect Crops from Diseases

A team of researchers of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, (IIT-K) has developed a Novel
nanoparticle-based bio-degradable-carbonoid-metabolite (BioDCM) that can protect agricultural crops
from fungal and bacterial infections.
About the researchers:
The research team was led by Santosh K Misra and Piyush Kumar from the department of biological
sciences and bioengineering along with researchers C Kannan and Divya Mishra from Indian Council of
Agricultural Research(ICAR)-Indian Institute of Rice Research, and R Balamurugan and Mou
Mandal from the School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad.
Key Highlights:
i.Since 2021, the innovation of nanoparticles is the 2nd such innovation in the field of agriculture by
researchers of IIT Kanpur.
ii.In 2021, out of the 107 patents filed by IIT Kanpur, ‘Bhu-Parikshak’, a soil-testing device was a path-
breaking innovation that has proven to significantly reduce time and hassle required for testing soil in the
lab.
• Likewise, these novel nanoparticles act as shields to protect crops, especially rice crops, from
infection and diseases.
About Nanoparticles:
i.Nanoparticles are a protective biological alternative that can be used to enhance crop protection against
various diseases in agricultural fields, especially for rice crops.
ii.It is developed as a biodegradable nanoparticle system with a metabolite, which is the end-product of
metabolism or the process of conversion of food, extracted from the naturally occurring common soil fungi
viz. Trichoderma asperellum strain TALK1.
iii.This extracted metabolite can be used as an effective organic antimicrobial agent that could protect
crops against diseases and carbonaceous degradable encompasses to protect soil fertility.
About Indian Institute of Technology – Kanpur (IIT-K):
Director – Professor Abhay Karandikar
Location – Kanpur, uttarpradesh
NOAA’s newest Earth Observing Satellite GOES-T launched by NASA

On March 1, 2022, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched
the third in a series of ‘Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)-R’ weather satellites
namely GOES-T through United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States (US).
• It was launched for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
• The first two of the GOES-R series were launched in 2016 and 2018 viz. GOES-16 and GOES-17
respectively.
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Key Points:
i.Once GOES-T is positioned in a geostationary orbit
22,300 miles above Earth, it will be renamed GOES-
18.
ii.The satellite will provide continuous coverage of
weather and hazardous environmental conditions
in the Western Hemisphere.
iii.The GOES program also predicts space weather
near Earth that can interfere with satellite
electronics, and radio communications.
iv.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, built the Magnetometer instrument for
GOES-T.
India’s 1st FSRU “Hoegh Giant” Arrives at Jaigarh Terminal Maharashtra

India’s first Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), Höegh Giant which sailed from Keppel
Shipyard, Singapore has arrived at H-Energy’s Jaigarh Terminal in Maharashtra (MH) that has
chartered the FSRU for a 10 years.
• This will be the 1st year-round Liquefied
Natural Gas (LNG) terminal which is
located at JSW Jaigarh Port in the
Ratnagiri district, MH.
• The Jaigarh port is the 1st deep water,
24×7 operational private port in MH.
About Höegh Giant:
i.Höegh Giant was built in 2017 with storage
capacity of 170,000 cubic metres and installed
regasification capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day (that equals to about 6 million tonnes a year).
• The Hoegh Giant, an environment friendly system that is equipped with an open loop system
using seawater as heating medium and is paired with propane closed loop intermediate
regasification system.
ii.This will deliver regasified LNG to the 56-km long Jaigarh-Dabhol natural gas pipeline, connecting the
LNG terminal to the national gas grid.
• The facility also includes the delivery of LNG through truck loading facilities for onshore
distribution and also reloads LNG onto small-scale LNG vessels for bunkering services.
About H-Energy:
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Darshan Hiranandani
DRDO Developed MMICs Onboard EOS 04

On 4 March 2022, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed Monolithic
Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs), which will be used in radar imaging satellite modules of EOS 04
(Earth Observation Satellite – 04).
• EOS 04 was launched by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) on 14th Feb 2022.
Key points:
i.Various MMIC were developed and produced at Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) DRDO and Gallium
Arsenide Enabling Technology Centre (GAETEC) foundry of DRDO.
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ii.MMIC is a type of integrated circuit, it operates at microwave frequencies. Their function is to

perform microwave mixing, power amplification, low-noise amplification, and high-frequency switching.
iii.The Transmit/Receive Modules (TR-Modules) used in the payload for Radar imaging developed using
these MMICs. More than 30,000 modules produced at GAETEC foundry for various space missions.
About ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization):
Chairman- S. Somanath
Founded- 15 August 1969
Headquarters- Bengaluru, Karnataka
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
Headquarters-New Delhi
Founded- 1958
Chairman-Dr G Satheesh Reddy
HANSA-NG: India’s 1st Indigenous Flying Trainer successfully completes Sea Level Trials at
Puducherry
India’s first indigenous flying trainer ‘HANSA-NG (New Generation)’ designed and developed by Bengaluru
(Karnataka) based CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), has successfully completed the sea-
level trials at Puducherry from February 19 to March 5, 2022.
• The aircraft was flown to Puducherry
covering 140 nautical miles in one-
and-half-hours at a speed of 155 km
per hour.
• All the objectives of the sea level trials
are met.
• NAL operates under the aegis
of Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR).
About Sea Trials of HANSA-NG:
i.HANSA-NG was piloted by Wing Commander (Wg. Cdr.) K V Prakash and Wg. Cdr. Dilip Reddy of
Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), and the flight was monitored by NAL designers and Wg.
Cdr. Reeju Chakraborty as Flight Test Director from telemetry.
ii.The objectives of the sea level trials were to evaluate handling qualities, climb/cruise performance,
balked landing, and structural performance, including positive and negative G-forces, power plant and
other systems performance.
About HANSA-NG:
i.This two-seater Hansa-NG is a revamped version of the original HANSA developed three decades ago.
ii.It is Powered by Rotax Digital Control Engine, and has one of the most advanced flying trainers
featuring Just-In-Time Prepreg (JIPREG) Composite Lightweight Airframe, a glass cockpit, a bubble canopy
with a wide panoramic view, and electrically operated flaps, etc.
iii.It is designed to meet the need for trainer aircraft by flying clubs in India.
Key Points:
i.HANSA-NG is an ideal aircraft for Commercial Pilot Licensing (CPL) due to its low cost and low fuel
consumption.
ii.So far, it has completed 37 flights and 50 hours of flying and a few more were necessary before securing
type certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
• The certification process is likely to be completed by April 2022.
iii.NAL has already received more than 80 LoIs (Letters of Intent) from various flying clubs for HANSA-NG.
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ESA Introduced a New One-of-a-Kind Mission: ESA Vigil, Earth’s Solar Defender
On 10th February 2022, The European Space Agency (ESA) introduced its new one-of-a-kind mission
named “Vigil”, which is meant to protect the Earth from its nearest star (sun). ‘Vigil’ is derived from the
Latin word ‘vigilia’ meaning wakefulness, while ‘vigilis exceptus’ means sentry, or guard.
• The mission was previously named
“Lagrange” after the location the
mission spacecraft will be sent but
later the name has been changed to
‘Vigil’.
• The Vigil spacecraft will be launched to
the fifth Lagrange(L5) point which is
150 million kilometres from both Earth
and the sun.
Lagrange Points:
i.Lagrange points are the locations in outer space that are gravitationally stable as compared to other
locations.
ii.The L5 is the fifth Lagrange point which is located at an equal distance from both the Sun and Earth.
Note: The James Webb Space Telescope and the Gaia spacecraft, launched by ESA are located at the second
Lagrange point (L2).
Functions of ESA Vigil:
i.The spacecraft at L5 would stream a constant feed of near-real-time data on hazardous solar activity,
before rolling into Earth’s view.
ii.The ESA Vigil positioned in an unvisited position in space will help to warn earth about the oncoming
solar storms which can damage power grids, disrupt telecommunications and threaten satellites and the
vital services they provide.
iii.This will provide more time to protect spacecraft in orbit, infrastructure on the ground and explorers
now and in the future, unshielded by Earth’s magnetic field and vulnerable to our star’s violent outbursts.
iv.As part of ESA’s Vision for the future, the new Protect ‘accelerator’ will ensure the resilience of
technologies on which modernity depends.
ESA Vigil Mission Patch:
i.The design of the patch features a stylised wing of protection which shelters Earth from the sun’s
hazardous radiation.
ii.The L5 point is emphasised with the five stars shown just above the blue Earth.
NASA Rolls Out Integrated SLS Rocket & Orion spacecraft of Artemis-1 Moon Mission for the
1st Time
On 17th March 2022, for the first time, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rolled
out the integrated Space Launch System (SLS)
rocket and Orion spacecraft (crew capsule) of
Artemis 1, the first mission of NASA’s Artemis
Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC),
Florida, United States of America (USA).
• The SLS rocket and Orion capsule were
hauled out from the KSC Vehicle Assembly
Building to Pad 39B on NASA’s giant
crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2).
Key Points:
i.Once the SLS-Orion ship is secured at the pad, it will be prepared for a critical pre-flight test called ‘wet
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dress rehearsal’, which will begin on 3rd April 2022.

ii.The uncrewed Artemis 1, which is expected to launch in May or June 2022.If the Artemis plan
successfully continues,then the Artemis 2 mission will follow in 2024, sending astronauts around the moon
and back.
iii.Mission Artemis 3 will put astronauts down on the moon, near the lunar south pole, with the aid of
SpaceX’s Starship vehicle and is targeted for 2025 or 2026.
Artemis Program: The Artemis Program, named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, will
land the first woman and the first person of colour on the moon.
Apollo Program: The Apollo program was the third US human spaceflight program carried out by NASA. It
landed the first human on the moon and sent six manned missions to the moon from 1969 to 1972.
Relativistic Klystron Amplifier: China Develops Laser Weapon to Destroy Satellites in Space
The researchers from China have developed a microwave machine ‘Relativistic Klystron Amplifier (RKA)’
to jam/destroy satellites or sensitive electronics in satellites in space. It will function as a high-powered
laser weapon.
• The device can generate a wave burst of 5 Megawatts (MW) in the Ka-band. This band is a
portion of the electromagnetic spectrum used for civil and military purposes.
Key Points:
i.RKA can be mounted onto satellites for attacking enemy assets in space.
ii.Notably, China is currently denying that their RKA is a Directed Energy Weapon (DEW)., which is a
system that uses concentrated electromagnetic energy to destroy enemy equipment in a physical conflict.
• However, if RKA were built at scale, it could generate beams strong enough to go through metallic
objects moving at high speeds,
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirms 5,000 exoplanets beyond our solar system
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on March 21,
2022 have confirmed the existence of 5,000 plus exoplanets beyond our solar system.
i.The 5,000-plus exoplanets found includes 30% Gas
giant (many times larger than Jupiter or Saturn, and
even hotter than some stars), 31% Super earth
(Large rocky sized earth), 35% Neptune like (similar
in size of Neptune or Uranus), 4% terrestrial (small
rocky planet similar to earth).
ii.The NASA exoplanet archive has begun to count
the exoplanets that are immediate to our solar
family, as of 21 March, 65 exoplanets were added.
About Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL):
i.Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally-funded Research and Development (R&D) centre managed by
California Institute of Technology for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Interim Director and Chief Operating officer – Larry D. James.
About National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):
NASA Administrator – Sen. Bill Nelson.
Deputy Administrator – Pam Melroy
HAL introduces a 19-seater civil aircraft to be deployed under UDAN Scheme

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, introduced a
19-seater aircraft ‘Hindustan 228’ in a first of its kind attempt to develop small civil transport aircraft
under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme.
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i.The Hindustan 228 aircraft can be operated even in semi-prepared and unpaved airstrips.
ii.Also the multi-utility aircraft can be used as an
ambulance, cargo, and parajam or paradrop etc.
iii.The design of Hindustan 228 is based on the
Germany based Dornier GmbH Aircraft. In 1983,
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) acquired a
production licence for the Dornier 228 and
manufactured the aircraft for the Asian market.
• Dornier 228 is a twin-engine general-
purpose aircraft, capable of transporting
up to 19 passengers or various cargoes.
About UDE DESH KA AAM NAAGRIK (UDAN) scheme:
i.The Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme was launched as a Regional Connectivity Scheme(RCS)
under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016.
ii.It is a regional airport development programme of upgrading underserved air routes.
Objectives:
i.Facilitate regional air connectivity by making it affordable through
• Concessions by Central Government, State Governments and airport operators
• Financial (Viability Gap Funding or VGF) support
ii.To provide connectivity to un-served and under-served regions through revival of existing
air strips and airports.
Salient Features:
i.The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is designated as the implementing agency.
ii.It is a key component of National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016.
WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Inaugurates Petascale Supercomputer PARAM Shakti at

IIT Kharagpur
Jagdeep Dhankhar, Governor of West Bengal(WB), inaugurated the Petascale Supercomputer PARAM
Shakti under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) – a joint initiative of the Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) at Indian
Institute of Technology(IIT) Kharagpur in West Bengal.
Petascale computing refers to computing systems
capable of calculating at least 10^15 floating-
point operations per second (1 petaFLOPS).
Background:
In March 2019, IIT Kharagpur and the Centre for
Development in Advanced Computing (CDAC)
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
to establish PARAM Shakti, the state-of-the-art
Supercomputing Facility with 17680 Central
Processing Unit (CPU) cores along with 44 Graphics processing unit(GPUs).
About PARAM Shakti:
i.The supercomputer PARAM Shakti is based on a heterogeneous and hybrid configuration of Intel Xeon
Skylake processors and NVIDIA Tesla V100.
ii.The system was designed and implemented by the HPC Technologies team, Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
iii.This facility has pioneered in using Rear Door Heat Exchangers (RDHx) based efficient cooling systems
to obtain a high power usage effectiveness. RDHx Systems Help With High-Density Data Center Cooling.
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Structure:
i.It consists of 2 Master nodes, 8 Login nodes, 10 Service/Management nodes and 442 (CPU+GPU) nodes
with a total peak computing capacity of 1.66 (CPU+GPU) PFLOPS performance.
ii.The systems are based on Intel Xeon SKL G-6148, NVIDIA Tesla V100 with a total peak performance of
1.6 PFLOPS.
iii.The cluster consists of compute nodes connected with Mellanox (EDR) infiniBand interconnect network
and the system uses the Lustre parallel file system.
Testing:
The system has been tested extensively by both IIT Kharagpur and CDAC for commercial, open-source and
in-house software pertaining to diversified applications.
Key Points:
i.This high-performance computational facility will support researchers to solve large scale problems in
different fields of science and engineering.
ii.The identified focus areas in which supercomputing based research will be of great value are
Computational Fluid Dynamics, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Climate Change & Digital Earth,
Computational Biology, Cryptography & Security, Smart Infrastructure & Sustainable Cities, Smart
Materials etc.
Additional info:
i.The IIT Kharagpur has also established the Centre for Computational and data science with a mandate to
train researchers in supercomputer accelerated Research & Development(R&D).
ii.Previously in March 2022, CDAC has designed and installed a ‘Made in India’ Petascale supercomputer
named “PARAM Ganga” at IIT Roorkee under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).
DEFENCE
EXERCISE
3rd edition of India-Japan Joint Military Exercise ‘Ex Dharma Guardian-2022’ conducted at
Belagavi, Karnataka
The 3rd Edition of the annual joint military exercise, ‘EX DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022’, between India and
Japan is being conducted at Foreign Training Node, Belagavi (Belgaum, Karnataka) from February 27, 2022
to March 10, 2022.
• This 12-day long exercise covers platoon
level joint training on operations in
jungle and semi urban/urban terrain.
• Special emphasis are laid on enhancing
tactical skills to fight global terrorism,
enhancing inter-operability between the
forces, and to promote Army to Army
relations.
Participants:
India– 15th Battalion the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army
Japan– 30th Infantry Regiment of Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF)
Key Points:
i.The exercise includes house interventions drills, raid on terrorist hideouts in semi urban terrain, combat
first aid, unarmed combat & close quarter combat firing where both sides will jointly train, plan and
execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats.
ii.The joint field training exercises, joint combat discussions and joint demonstrations will culminate with
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a two day validation exercise scheduled on March 8-9, 2022.

iii. The exercise is being conducted in India since 2018 to enhance defence co-operation between Indian
Army and JGSDF, and to further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations.
iv.India and Japan established diplomatic relations on 28th April 1952. 2022 marks the celebration of the
70th anniversary of India Japan Special Strategic & Global partnership.
v.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had launched India’s special logo to mark the 70th anniversary of
India Japan relationship. The logo depicts a Peacock and a Green Pheasant, which are national birds of
India and Japan respectively.
9th Sri Lanka-India Naval Exercise ‘SLINEX-21’ begins in Visakhapatnam, AP

The 9th edition of Sri Lanka-India Naval Exercise, ‘SLINEX-21’, a Bilateral Maritime Exercise is being held
at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP) from March 7-10, 2022 between Indian Navy (IN) and Sri Lanka
Navy (SLN). SLINEX is conducting in two phases, the Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam on March 7-8, and
Sea Phase on March 9-10 in the Bay of Bengal.
• It aims at enhancing inter-operability,
improving mutual understanding and
exchanging best practices for multi-faceted
maritime operations between both navies.
• The 8th edition of SLINEX-20 was
conducted off Trincomalee, a port city of
Srilanka in October 2020.
Representors:
IN- INS (Indian Naval Ship) Kirch, a guided missile
corvette
• Other participants from IN include INS Jyoti, a Fleet support tanker, Advanced Light Helicopter
(ALH), Seaking and Chetak Helicopters and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
SLN- SLNS Sayurala, an advanced offshore patrol vessel.
Key Points:
i.The Harbour Phase includes professional, cultural, sporting and social exchanges.
ii.The Sea Phase include surface and anti-air weapon firing exercises, seamanship evolutions, aviation
operations, including cross deck flying, advanced tactical manoeuvres and special forces operations at sea.
iii.This exercise caters to India’s policies of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Security and Growth for All in the
Region (SAGAR)’.
iv.The military exercise between India and Sri Lanka is Mitra Shakti.
DefExpo 2022 Postponed Due to Logistics Problems

The 12th edition of DefExpo-2022 , Naval & Homeland Security Systems Exhibition, India’s flagship
defence exhibition, which was proposed to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 10th to 14th March 2022,
has been postponed.The reason for the postpone is the logistics problems experienced by participants,
and the new dates will be announced later.
The Defence Exhibition Organisation (DEO), under the Ministry of Defence, is the organiser of the
exhibition.
The theme of DefExpo 2022 is “India-The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub”.
• A bilateral military industry conference with Russia and an African defence ministers conclave
were planned for the event. More than 900 companies from 55 nations have confirmed their
participation in DefExpo 2022.
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Cold Response 2022 – Multinational Military exercise kicked off in Norway with NATO
troops
Cold Response 2022, is planned to conduct
a Multilateral Military exercise involving Army,
Navy and Air Force from March 14 to April 1,
2022 by North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO) at Norway.
i.The Cold Response exercise is a bi-annual
exercise aimed to test how Norway would manage
allied reinforcements on its soil, in line
with Article 5 of NATO‘s charter which requires
member states to come to the aid of another member state under attack.
ii.It is a defensive exercise that would allow participation of around 30,000 troops, 220 aircraft and 50
vessels from 27 nations.
iii.The exercise will be organised every two years, the naval, air and ground drills are held over vast
swaths of Norway, including above the Arctic Circle.
iv.Though the exercise was planned before the Russia-Ukraine war, it has become significant considering
the rift between the west and Russia.
v.How many countries Lie within the Arctic Circle?? The Arctic region covers parts of eight countries:
Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and the United States.
About North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
It is an International military alliance between 30 European and North American countries. The member
countries agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by an external party.
Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium.
Secretary General – Jens Stoltenberg.
About Norway
Capital: Oslo
Currency: Norwegian krone
Prime minister: Jonas Gahr Støre
Indian Army Conducts Joint Security Exercise “Suraksha Kavach 2” With Maharashtra
Police
Indian Army’s “Agnibaaz Division” organised a joint exercise “Suraksha Kavach 2” with Maharashtra
Police at Lullanagar, Pune. The exercise aimed to counter any terrorist actions in Pune.
i.The exercise involved participation of Counter Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) of Indian Army, Anti-
Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra Police along with Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), Dog Squads and Bomb
Disposal Teams of both agencies.
Aim:
The exercise aimed to harmonize the drills and procedures undertaken by Army and Police to counter
terrorist.
Simulated Scenario Of The Exercise
i.The simulated exercise took place at the scenario of terrorists in a populated area and was performed at
the under construction site at Lullanagar.
ii.Intelligence inputs of the elite forces of both agencies were activated.
iii.To neutralise the terrorists, joint action was carried by Army’s CTTF and QRT of Maharashtra Police.
• It also involved search of building for any unidentified items/bombs/Improvised Explosive
Device (IEDs) by Dog squads and their neutralization/ diffusion by Bomb Disposal Units.
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3rd Ex-Dustlik: Indian-Uzbekistan Joint Training Exercise at Yangiarik

The 3rd Edition of Exercise Dustlik (Ex-Dustlik), a joint training exercise between the armies
of India and Uzbekistan is being conducted at Yangiarik, Uzbekistan from 22 to 31 March 2022.
• Ex-Dustlik focus on Counter-
Terrorism operations in semi-urban
terrain under a United Nations(UN)
Mandate.
Note: The Dustlik-II, 2nd edition of the exercise
was conducted in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand(India)
in March 2021.
Participants:
The Indian Contingent which comprises a
platoon strength of Grenadiers Regiment joins
the Uzbekistan Army contingent represented by the troops of the North-Western Military District for the
3rd Ex-Dustlik.
About Ex-Dustlik:
Objective: To enhance understanding, cooperation and interoperability between two armies (India and
Uzbekistan).
Key Points:
i.The training schedule of Ex-Dustlik will focus on sharing tactical level drills and learning of best practices
from each other
ii.The exercise will culminate in a 24-hour long validation exercise in which both the parties will undergo
the challenges of simulated operations in such scenarios.
About Grenadiers battalion:
i.Grenadiers battalion is one of the highly decorated battalions of the Indian Army.
ii.It has the unique distinction of participating in almost all the Pre and Post-Independence Operations.
iii.The unit has won the eight Pre-Independence Battle Honours, and Post-Independence the unit earned
theatre honour ‘RAJASTHAN’ in the 1965 war and battle honour ‘JARPAL’ in the 1971 war.
Western Naval command conducts exercise ‘Prasthan’

The Western Naval Command on 23 March 2022, conducts offshore security exercise ‘Prasthan’ in B-
193 platform of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in Offshore Development Area (ODA) off Mumbai
(located about 38 nm west of Mumbai).
i.The bi-annual exercise aims to assess the
readiness of the stakeholders involved in offshore
defence to respond to contingencies in the
Western Offshore Development Area (ODA) in a
coordinated manner.
ii.Prasthan exercise integrates all the marine
stakeholders such as The Indian Air Force, Coast
Guard, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC),
Mumbai Port Trust, JawaharLal Nehru Port Trust,
Customs, state fisheries department, Mercantile Marine Department and the Marine Police.
iii.The offshore exercise involves contingencies such as terrorist intrusion, bomb explosion, casualty
evacuation, search and rescue, man overboard, major fire, oil spill and mass evacuation were exercised.
About Western Naval Command:
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief – Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, AVSM, VSM
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Branch – Indian Navy

About Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC):
Headquarters – Vasant Kunj, New Delhi
Chief Executive Officer – Subhash Kumar
TESTING
Indian Navy successfully test-fires Brahmos cruise missile from INS Chennai
On 5 March 2022, the Indian Navy successfully tested the accuracy of an extended range of Brahmos
supersonic cruise missile from the stealth destroyer INS Chennai.
Key points:
i.In 2020, India successfully test fired the anti-
radiation Rudram-1 missile. It was the first
indigenously developed anti-radiation missile of
India.
ii.Both Brahmos missile and INS Chennai are
indigenously built and highlight the cutting-edge of
Indian missile and ship-building prowess.
• INS Chennai is a stealth guided missile
destroyer of the Indian Navy constructed by the Mazagon Dock Limited at Mumbai.
About Brahmos Missile:
i.BrahMos is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India
(DRDO) and the NPOM of Russia.
ii.It flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound. It has a range of 290 km (as per
Missile Technology Control Regime (MTOCR) regulations) and can carry a 200-kg warhead.
iii.It can be launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea based targets.
About Indian Navy:
Founded- 26 January 1950
Motto(s)- शं नो व�णः (Sanskrit); ‘May the Lord of Water be auspicious unto us’
Chief of the Naval Staff –Admiral R. Hari Kumar
India successfully test fired the surface to surface BrahMos Supersonic Cruise missile from
Andaman and Nicobar Island
On 23, March 2022, India successfully test fired a surface-to-surface ‘BrahMos’ supersonic cruise missile
extended range from Andaman and Nicobar Island. This 290 Km Missile range has a top speed of Mach 2.8
nearly three times the speed of sound and missile range will be extended.
About BrahMos Missile:
i.The BrahMos missile, is a Medium-range Ramjet Supersonic Cruise Missile that can be launched from
Submarine, Surface Warship, Aircraft or Land against surface and sea-based targets.
ii.It is jointly developed by Russia’s Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) and
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
iii.The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India
and the Moskva of Russia.
iv.The payload can be both conventional and nuclear warheads of up to 300 kilogram.
v.The first air launch of BrahMos was successfully carried out from a Su-30MKI fighter aircraft in 2017.
Related news
i.Earlier this month, the Indian Navy had successfully demonstrated an extended-range land-attack
Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from the stealth destroyer INS Chennai with a pin point accuracy.
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ii.In a boost to AtmaNirbhar Bharat, The BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) signed a $375 million
deal with the Department of National Defence of the Republic of Philippines to deliver 290 km Shore
Based BrahMos Anti-Ship Missile System.
About BrahMos Aerospace
Chief Executive officer and Managing Director – Atul Dinkar Rane
About Defence Research and Development Organisation
Chairman – Dr G Satheesh Reddy
North Korea confirms test-firing of biggest ICBM :Hwasong-17: North Korea’s ‘monster
missile’.
Hwasong-17: Intercontinental ballistic missile was test fired by North Korea has test fired its biggest-
yet Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), Hwasong- 17 as per the orders of their Supreme leader Kim
Jong Un.
i.The Hwasong-17 was launched directly from a
Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) vehicle, with
11 axles.
ii.The missile flew 1,090 km (681 miles) at a
maximum altitude of 6,248.5 km (3,905 miles)
and hit a target in the Sea of Japan after travelling
67.5 minutes in air.
iii.Its predecessor, the Hwasong-15, which was
tested in November 2017 reached an altitude of
about 4,475 km and covered 950 km over 53 minutes.
About Hwasong-17:
Diameter – 2.5 metres.
Mass – when fully fuelled, is between 80,000 to 110,000 kg.
Fuel type – Two-stage, liquid fuelled.
About North Korea:
Capital: Pyongyang
Supreme leader: Kim Jong-un
Currency: North Korean won
DRDO successfully test fires two medium range surface to air missile off odisha coast
On March 28, 2022, DRDO successfully test fired two Indian Army versions of Medium Range Surface-to-
Air Missiles (MRSAMs) from the Integrated Test
Range at chandipur, off odisha coast.
i.The Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile
(MRSAM) tests were carried out as part of live
firing trials against high speed aerial targets which
were successfully intercepted and destroyed at
long range.
ii.The First missile hit at a Medium-altitude long
range target and the Second missile hit at a low-
altitude short range target.
iii.Two Pune-based DRDO facilities have contributed to the development of the missile system. The ground
system and launcher of this system have been developed by the Pune-based Research and Development
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Establishment (Engineers) and the High Energy Material Research Laboratory has contributed towards the
propellant.
About Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAMs):
i.The Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAMs) versions were jointly developed by the Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Indian
Army.
ii.The Missile system consists of multi-function radar, mobile launcher system and other vehicles.
About Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI):
Headquarters – Lod, Israel
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Boaz Levy
About Defence Research and Development Organisation:
Chairman – Dr G Satheesh Reddy
DEALS & MoU’s

Sri Lanka’s Navy inks agreement with Goa Shipyard Ltd for Floating Dock
In a significant development of India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties, the Goa shipyard Limited inks an agreement
with the Sri Lanka Navy to build a Floating Dock with the valuation of USD 20 Million.
i.The Floating dock will be established at the Trincomalee Naval Dockyard, Sri Lanka within a span of 30
months as a grant from India.
ii.It is paramount to have floating docks for underwater maintenance and repairs of warships in order to
increase their efficiency for service.
iii.At present the Sri Lankan Navy’s dry docks can only facilitate the underwater repairs and services of
vessels and boats that weigh less than 350 tonnes.
About Sri Lanka:
Capitals: Colombo (Executive & Judicial Capital), Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Legislative capital)
President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
About Goa Shipyard Limited:
Headquarters – Vasco da Gama, Goa
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) – Cmde Bharat Bhushan Nagpal
Ministry of Defence Signs a Rs. 887 Crore Contract with L & T for MPVs
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a contract with Larsen and Toubro (L & T) Limited to
purchase two Multi-Purpose Vessels (MPVs) for the Indian Navy at a total cost of Rs.887 Crore under the
“Buy-Indian” Category.
The MPVs will be the first of their kind,
constructed to provide a cost-effective solution
to meet a variety of requirements of the Indian
Navy.
• The MPVs will undertake a variety of
multi-role support activities, including
maritime surveillance and patrol,
torpedo launching and recovery,
and operation of various types of
aerial, surface and underwater targets
for gunnery, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) firing exercises.
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• The vessels will be built at L & T shipyard in Kattupally (Chennai), with deliveries starting in May
2025.
The contract was signed in the presence of Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, Vice Chief of the Naval
Staff and Pankaj Agarwal, Additional Secretary & Director General (Acquisition) from the Department of
Defence, MoD.
Significance:
i.With limited hospital ship capability, these MPVs will be capable of towing ships and
providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) support.
ii.They will also act as trial platforms for naval weapons and sensors under development, as support
platforms for Immediate Support Vessel (ISV) and salvage operations, and provide logistics support for our
island territories.
iii. Under the “Make in India, Make for the World” initiatives of the Ministry of Defence, the majority of the
equipment and systems are sourced from indigenous manufacturers.
About Larsen and Toubro (L & T) Limited:
L&T is an Indian multinational engaged in Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) projects, hi-
tech manufacturing and services. It operates in over 50 countries worldwide.
MD & CEO – S. N. Subrahmanyan
IAF & IOCL Launched an Initiative ‘Fleet Card – Fuel on Move’ to Speed Up IAF Convoy
Movements
Indian Air Force (IAF) in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) started an initiative
called ‘Fleet Card – Fuel on Move’ for the
management of fuel supply chain and energy
security for IAF.
• It was launched by the Air Chief
Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of Air
Staff at Headquarters Western Air
Command, Subroto Park in New
Delhi.
• HQ Western Air Command was
earmarked as lead agency in the
implementation and execution of this innovative concept of “Fuel on Move”.
What is ‘Fleet Card – Fuel on Move’:
i.The initiative of IAF will provide a paradigm shift to the logistics management of fuel.
ii.Earlier, under the existing system, the IAF procures fuel from various agencies and distributes it within
the Air Force establishments.
• From this initiative, the IAF will be able to utilize the vast network of retail fuel distributors
across India to refuel its vehicles on the move.
iii.The availability of Fleet Card will permit the convoy to refuel at any IOCL fuel stations. Therefore it
will increase the pace of movement and reduce the lead time for readiness at operational locations.
About Indian Air Force (IAF):
Founded-1932
Chief of the Air Staff (India)-Vivek Ram Chaudhari
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MoD and GSL inks for the construction of eight Fast Patrol Vessels for Indian Coast Guard
On March 28, 2022, The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract worth Rs 473 crore with Goa
Shipyard Limited (GSL) for the construction of eight Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV) for the Indian Coast Guard
while meeting the objectives of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
i.The contract was signed by Joint Secretary
(Maritime & Systems), Shri Dinesh Kumar and
the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of
Goa Shipyard Limited, Commodore Bharat
Bhushan Nagpal (Retd) in New Delhi.
ii.The eight Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV) will be
indigenously designed and manufactured by Goa
Shipyard Limited (GSL) under Buy {Indian-IDDM
(Indigenously Designed, Developed and
Manufactured)} Category.
iii.The Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV) has the capability to operate in shallow waters and enhance the security
apparatus along the coastline of India.
Defence Minister – Rajnath Singh (Loksabha MP, Constituency- Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) )
Minister of State for Defence – Ajay Bhatt (Loksabha MP, Constituency- Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar
(Uttarakhand) )
About Goa Shipyard Limited:
Headquarters – Vasco da Gama, Goa
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) – Commodore Bharat Bhushan Nagpal (Retd)
MoD & BEL Signs Contracts Worth Rs 3,102 Crore For Procurement of Advanced Electronic
Warfare suite & IEWR
On March 29, 2022, Ministry of Defence (MoD) Signed a Contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
Bengaluru, Karnataka and BEL Hyderabad, Telangana for supply of Advanced Electronic Warfare (EW)
suite for Fighter aircraft & for Instrumented Electronic Warfare Range (IEWR) for the Indian Air Force
(IAF) respectively with a total outlay of Rs.3,102 Crore.
MoD & BEL Bengaluru:
i.MoD and BEL, Bengaluru, Karnataka signed a
Contract worth Rs.1993 Crore for supply of
Advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) suite for
Fighter aircraft of Indian Air Force.
ii.The EW suite has been indigenously designed
& developed by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
iii.Benefit: The supply of advanced EW systems
will significantly enhance the battle-survivability of IAF fighter aircraft while undertaking operational
missions against adversaries’ ground-based as well as airborne fire control and surveillance radars.
MoD & BEL Hyderabad:
i.A contract has been signed between the MoD and BEL, Hyderabad, Telangana for the development of
an Instrumented Electronic Warfare Range (IEWR) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of ~Rs 1,109
crore.
ii.IEWR will be used to test and evaluate airborne electronic warfare (EW) equipment and validate their
deployment in an operational scenario.
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iii.The contract is a significant step towards enhancing the capabilities of the IAF to prepare for future
warfare and also caters towards the initiatives of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
OTHER DEFENCE NEWS

MoD Approves Project Under Make-I and Make-II Categories of Defence Acquisition
Procedure 2020
Ministry of Defence (MoD) approves for in-principle projects under Make-I and Make-II categories of
Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. The project is to boost ‘Atma Nirbharta’.
i.The project aims to develop the design
capabilities of Indian defence Industry and
position India as a design leader in these
technologies.
About The Make-I and Make-II Projects:
i.Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) -2016
have two subcategories of ‘Make’ Procedure.
ii.Make-I projects are Government funded.
iii.While, Make-II projects are Industry funded.
iv.This is the first time that the Indian Industry has been involved in development of big ticket platforms
such as Light tank and Communication Equipment with Indian security protocols since the launch of
industry-friendly DAP-2020.
Projects Under Make-I:
i.MoD has offered four projects to the Indian Industry for design & development under Make-I category of
DAP 2020.
ii.Financial support will be provided to the industry for prototype development of these projects.
iii.Approval In-Principle (AIP) was granted to list of projects by Collegiate Committee of MoD are as
follows:
Indian Air Communication Equipment with Indian Security Protocols (Routers, Switches,
Force Encryptors, VoIP Phones and their software)
Indian Air
Force Airborne Electro Optical pod with Ground Based System
Indian Air
Force Airborne Stand-off Jammer
Indian
Army Indian Light Tank
Projects Under Make-II:
i.Make-II categories include prototype development of equipment/system/platform or their upgrades or
their sub-systems/sub-assembly/assemblies/components, primarily for import substitution/innovative
solutions, for which no Government funding will be provided for prototype development purposes.
ii.Under Make-II procedure the AIP has also organised five projects funded by industry, are as follows:
Indian Air Force Full Motion Simulator for Apache Helicopter
Indian Air Force Full Motion Simulator for Chinook Helicopter
Indian Air Force Wearable Robotic Equipment for Aircraft Maintenance
Indian Army Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System for Mechanised Forces
Indian Army Autonomous Combat Vehicle
Note About Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020
i.DAP 2020 was established to catalyse Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, in the sector of defence
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manufacturing.
ii.It provides a boost to the Make in India efforts in the field of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSME).
Union Minister – Rajnath Singh (Constituency – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Ministry of State – Ajay Bhatt (Constituency – Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
IAF Postpone Its Firepower Demonstration Ex Vayu Shakti

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to postpone its firepower demonstration, Exercise Vayu Shakti,
which was scheduled to be held in Pokhran ranges in Rajasthan on 7th March 2022. The reason for
deferring the exercise was not disclosed.
• IAF’s 148 aircraft were scheduled to demonstrate their capabilities at Exercise Vayu Shakti.
• The postponed dates will be intimated subsequently. The last edition of Vayu Shakti was held in
February 2019.
Exercise Vayu Shakti takes place at Pokhran range every three years to demonstrate its readiness to
conduct full-spectrum operations.
ICGS Saksham – Fifth of The Series of OPV Commissioned in Goa

As a significant step toward strengthening India’s maritime security, the Defence Secretary of India Dr Ajay
Kumar has commissioned Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Saksham, the fifth in the series of 105-
metre Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) class, at Goa.
• Goa Shipyard Limited designed and built
the 105-meter OPV, which is equipped
with advanced technology, navigation
and communication systems, sensors,
and machinery.
• The ship will be based in Kochi once it
joins the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) force.
Ship will be used extensively for
surveillance in Exclusive Economic
Zones (EEZs) and other missions mandated by the Coast Guard charter.
Highlights:
i.The ship is equipped with an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Platform Management
System (IPMS), Power Management System (PMS) and High Power External fire-fighting (EFF)
system.
ii.The ship will be equipped with a twin-engine helicopter and four high-speed boats, including two
inflatable boats, for boarding, search and rescue, law enforcement, and maritime patrol.
iii. The ship can displace approximately 2,350 tonnes (gross registered tonnage) and is propelled by two
9,100 KW diesel engines to attain a maximum speed of 26 knots and also has an endurance of 6,000
nautical miles at an economical speed.
iv.The introduction of this vessel will give a boost to the marine defence of our extensive Western coastal
shoreline.
Note:
i.The Indigenous Offshore Patrol Vessel Project was launched by the Prime Minister of India in 2016 under
which five Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) were planned to be launched.
ii.The first four of the five ICGS which have already been commissioned in 2020 are ICGS Sachet (1st); ICGS
Sujeet (2nd); ICGS Sarthak (3rd); and ICGS Sajag (4th) in 2021.
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Indian Army Engineers Build 1st-of-its-kind 3D Printed House for Jawans

Indian Army’s Military Engineering Services (MES) has constructed 2 houses within 3 weeks using 3D
Rapid Construction Technology, the 1st of its kind structures in India, in South-Western Air Command in
Gandhinagar, Gujarat for Jawans. These efforts aim to provide the growing accommodation requirements
of the Indian armed forces.
• The structures were constructed in collaboration with the Chennai based startup Tvasta.
• Each house possesses a built area of around 700 square feet.
• This is a part of the efforts towards widening the horizons of digitized construction.
• Recently, MES has constructed India’s 1st 3D Printed sanitary blocks with a total built area of
about 600 sq ft at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Ministry Of Defence Bans Import Of 107 Strategically Important Sub-Systems

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) bans imports of 107 strategically important Line Replacement
Units (LRUs)/sub-systems with the aim to promote self-reliance in defence manufacturing and to
minimise imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) under ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’.
i.The proposed indigenisation is between December 2022 and December 2028.
ii.The positive indigenisation continues with the list of 2,851 sub-systems notified earlier on December 27,
2021 by MoD.
Reason For The Import Ban:
The idea of self-reliance in defence emerged due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, as most
of India’s weapons and spares are Russian origin weapons.
• The list includes sub-systems that
India imports from Russia for weapons
and platforms, including T-90 and T-72
tanks, BMP-II infantry combat vehicles,
warships and submarines, and anti-
tank missiles.
Indigenisation:
i.To promote indigenisation the state-run
aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd
(HAL) will take 22 items for indigenisation,
while Bharat Electronics Ltd will indigenise 21 sub-systems.
ii. indigenisation of these items will be taken up by the DPSUs under the ‘Make’ category.
• The ‘Make’ Category aims to achieve self-reliance by involving greater participation in Indian
industry.
• The DPSUs will offer these identified LRUs/Sub-systems for industry-led design and
development.
iii.The indidenous development of the project will increase the economy and reduce the import
dependency of DPSU.
iv.The indigenisation uplifts the capabilities of the domestic defence industry and positions India as a
design leader.
List of 107 Strategically Important Line Replacement Units (LRUs)/Sub-Systems
Ministry Of Defence:
Union Ministry – Raj Nath Singh (Constituency – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Ministry Of State – Ajay Bhatt (Constituency – Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
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Indian Navy Commissions Second P-8I squadron INAS 316 ‘Condors’ at INS Hansa, Goa
On March 29, 2022, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar commissioned a
second P-8I aircraft squadron of four aircraft named ‘Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 316’ at the INS
(Indian Naval Ship) Hansa Naval air base in Goa.
• INAS 316 has been christened ‘The
Condors’, one of the world’s largest
flying birds with a large wingspan. It
will operate four P-8I aircraft procured
as part of the optional clause in 2016 in
a deal worth over $1 bn.
• The new air squadron will be
commanded by Cdr Amit Mohapatra,
an accomplished Boeing P-8I pilot.
• The squadron has been specifically
commissioned to be the home for the four new P-8I aircraft procured under the Option Clause
contract and to ‘Deter, Detect and Destroy’ any threat in the IOR.
About P-8I:
The Boeing P-8I is the most sophisticated multi-role Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti-Submarine
Warfare (LRMR ASW) aircraft in the world. The Indian Navy had acquired the first batch of eight P-8I
aircraft in 2013 that are stationed at INS Rajali, Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. P-8I, an Indian variant of P-8A.
• The aircraft is being operated by the Indian Navy primarily to carry out surveillance in the Indian
Ocean region (IOR).
Boeing develops 10-year roadmap for AAI to modernise Air Traffic Management
The United States (US)-based aerospace company Boeing has developed 10-year ‘Communication,
Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) modernisation roadmap’ for the
Airports Authority of India (AAI) to modernise its air traffic management.
• The roadmap will offer enhanced air traffic capacity for flying public, and improved navigation,
communication and surveillance.
• The development of roadmap was undertaken with a grant from the United States Trade and
Development Agency (USTDA),
• Boeing and the AAI had signed an agreement in 2019 to jointly develop the roadmap.
The first batch of three MH-60R Multi-Role Helicopters are expected to arrive India in the month of July
2022 in Kochi, Kerala. These three helicopters were already handed over by the United States (US) in 2021
but Indian pilots were using these helicopters for training purposes in Pensacola, San Diego and Florida of
US.
About Indian Navy:
Founded- 26 January 1950
MSDE Recognised INS Shivaji as a Centre of Excellence (Marine Engineering)

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has recognised the Indian Navy
Ship(INS) Shivaji as a Centre of Excellence(CoE) in the field of Marine Engineering(ME). INS Shivaji is an
Indian naval station in Lonavla, Maharashtra.
Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary MSDE handed over the recognition certificate to Commodore Arvind Rawal,
Commanding Officer, INS Shivaji at MSDE headquarters Shram Shakti Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi.
• Recognition as CoE by MSDE is the first of its kind for any military organisation and an indication
of the establishment’s sustained efforts towards skill and technology development.
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• MSDE has designated a CoE as a body that provides leadership, best practices, research, support,
training of trainers, and skill training for a specific sector or sectors.
• INS Shivaji has three premier institutions viz. Centre of Marine Engineering and Technology
(CMET), Centre of Excellence (CoE) and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence (NBCD) School.
SPORTS
Tennis: Rafael Nadal Defeats Cameron Norrie To Win Mexican Open Championship for 4th
time
The legendary Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal defeated Cameron Norrie of the United Kingdom in
Mexican Open Feb 2022 (Hard court) and claimed his 4th Mexican Open ATP-500 title in Acapulco,
Mexico. Nadal won the sets by (6-4, 6-4) and registered his 91st ATP title win.
• Nadal became the Youngest and the Oldest champion to win the Mexican Open ATP.
• Also, he received the prize money of USD 314,455.
• Previously, Nadal had won the Mexican Open ATP in the years 2005, 2013 and 2020.
• Nadal extends his 2022 season with the undefeated record of 15-0.
• Mexican Open ATP is also called Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
i.Nadal is just three victories away from tying Ivan Lendl’s total of 94 ATP championships in the Open Era.
Jimmy Connors leads with 109 ATP titles and Roger Federer has 103 ATP titles.
ii.The World No.4 – Nadal defeated World No.1 – Daniil Medvedev in Semi-finals by (6-3, 6-3).
Related News:
Nadal also started his 2022 career run with the victory of 3 titles in:
• The Melbourne Summer Set 1
• The Australian Open
• The Mexican Open ATP
Mexican Open 2022
Category Winner Runner
Men’s Singles Rafael Nadal (Spain) Cameron Norrie (United Kingdom)
Feliciano López (Spain) Jean-JulienRojer (Netherlands)
Men’s Doubles Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) Marcelo Arévalo (El Salvador)
Sadia Tariq wins gold medal in Moscow Wushu Stars Championship 2022
Indian Wushu player, Sadia Tariq won a gold medal in the Junior Tournament at Moscow Wushu Stars
Championship 2022. The Wushu Stars Championship is being held in Moscow, Russia from 22 to 28
February 2022.
• Total 38 players from India participated in the championship (23 junior and 15 senior
participants).
Highlights:
i.Sadia Tariq is 15 year old player hails from Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir.
ii.In 2021, she secured the two Gold medals in the 20th Junior National Wushu championship held at
Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar and 19th Junior National Wushu championship at Haryana.
About International Wushu Federation (IWUF):
Established- October 3rd, 1990,
President- GOU Zhongwen
Headquarters- Beijing, China
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Tennis: Daniil Medvedev The New ATP World No.1, Overthrowing Novak Djokovic
The Russian born tennis player Daniil Medvedev (8615 points), has ranked the new ATP World number 1
in the Mexican Open ATP Feb, 2022. He overthrew the Serbian player Novak Djokovic (8465 points –
current rank 2), who held the top spot in men’s tennis for a record 361 total weeks. Medvedev is the first
player outside the ‘Big Four’, Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to hold the top spot
in 18 years, three weeks and six days.
i.Last year Medvedev won his first Grand Slam title at US Open Sep, 2021
Indian Weightlifters Bags 8 Medals At Singapore Weightlifting Championship – 2022

The Singapore Weightlifting Championship – Feb 2022 held at Toa Payoh Sports Hall. Eight Indian
weightlifters secured Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and qualified for the Commonwealth Games (CWG),
Birmingham 2022.
i.Singapore Weightlifting Federation organised
Singapore Weightlifting Championship 2022,
which began on 25 Feb, 2022 and ended on 27
Feb, 2022.
Apart from these 8 weightlifters, 4 more
weightlifters have been qualified for CWG 2022,
namely – Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg), Achinta
Sheuli (73kg), Ajay Singh (81kg) and Purnima
Pandey (+87kg) by winning gold medals in their respective weight categories at the Commonwealth
Weightlifting Championships 2021 in December.
Singapore weightlifting championship 2022
Position Category Winners
Gold 55kg Saikhom Mirabai Chanu
Gold 59kg Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam
Gold 64kg Hazarika Popy
Gold 87kg Natesh Kumara Usha Bannur
Gold 55kg Mahadev Sargar Sanket
Gold 96kg Vikas Thakur
Silver 55kg Chanambam Rishikanta Singh
Bronze 96kg Ragala Venkat Rahul
Note:
i.Vikas Thakur had won Silver medal (85 kg category) in 2014 Commonwealth Games – Glasgow, Scotland
and Bronze medal (94 kg category) in 2018 Commonwealth Games – Gold Coast, Australia.
ii.Ragala Venkat Rahul won Gold medal (85 kg category) in 2018 Commonwealth Games – Gold Coast,
Australia.
About Singapore Weightlifting Federation:
President – Tom Liaw
Capital & Currency (Singapore) – Singapore & Singapore dollar
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Dubai 2022 World Archery Para Championships: Pooja Jatyan Became 1st Indian to Win
Individual Silver in Para Championships
24-year-old Indian Para Archer, Pooja Jatyan (World Rank 21) won the silver medal in Recurve Women
Open at the Dubai 2022 World Archery Para Championships (13th edition of the World Archery Para
Championships), held at Dubai Club for People of Determination, Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE) from
19th to 27th February 2022.
• She became the first Indian to win a silver medal in Individual Category in a Para
Championships. Pooja Jatyan hails from Gurugram, Haryana.
Indian compound para archers Shyam Sundar Swami (World Rank 20) and Jyoti Baliyan (World Rank
28) have won silver in the compound mixed team event at the 13th World Archery Para Championships.
BCCI Announces RuPay as official partner for Tata IPL 2022

On 3rd March 2022 the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Indian Premier League (IPL)
Governing Council announced National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)‘s flagship
product RuPay as an official partner for the Tata IPL 2022. This will be a multi-year partnership.
• RuPay offers tech-led, innovative, and customised offerings to people across India, being accepted
in India and internationally.
• Tata IPL 2022 will be co-presented by Dream11 and co-powered by Tata and CRED. Swiggy,
Prystin Care, Zepto, Livspace, L’Oreal and Spinny have been signed-on as associate sponsors.
About RuPay:
RuPay is a first-of-its-kind Global Card payment network from India that is accepted at Automated Teller
Machines (ATMs), Point of Sale (POS) devices, and e-commerce websites which provides an exceptional
self-reliant card payments network with innovative features.
Tata IPL 2022
i.The 15th edition of Tata IPL 2022 will start on 26th March 2022.
ii.A total of 70 league matches will be played across four international venues in Mumbai and Pune. The
venue for the playoff matches will be decided later.
About National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI):
Managing Director (MD) & CEO – Dilip Asbe
IPC banned Russian, Belarusian athletes from Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics over
Ukraine crisis
International Paralympic Committee(IPC) has banned the athlete’s entries from the Russian Paralympic
Committee(RPC) and National Paralympic Committee(NPC) Belarus (83 athletes from Russia and Belarus
which hosted troops for Moscow’s attack) for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics due to the war in
Ukraine.
• Previously IPC has stated that the athletes from both countries would be allowed to compete as
neutrals in the games.
• The IPC joins range of sporting bodies like Fédération Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA), Union of European Football Associations(UEFA) etc, that have banned the participation of
Russians and Belarusians, which includes football, track, basketball, hockey, and others.
Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics scheduled to take place from 4th to 13th March 2022 & it marks the 13th
Winter Paralympic Games.
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FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021: Chelsea won the Championship for the 1st Time
Chelsea Football Club (Chelsea FC) of United Kingdom (UK) won the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup, an
international club football tournament hosted by United Arab Emirates (UAE).Chelsea FC defeated
Brazilian club Palmeiras in the finals. This is Chelsea FC’s first FIFA Club World Cup title.
The 18th edition of the Club World Cup took place at 2 venues in Abu Dhabi, UAE and was held from 3rd to
12th February 2022.The event was presented by Alibaba Cloud.
• Award Winners: Thiago Silva (Brazil) won the Adidas Golden Ball Award; Eduardo Pereira
Rodrigues (Commonly Known as Dudu) (Brazil) won the Adidas Silver Ball Award; Danilo
(Palmeiras) won the Adidas Bronze Ball Award; Thiago Silva won the Alibaba Cloud Award;
Chelsea FC won the FIFA Fair Play Award
• The Club World Cup, introduced in 2000, is an annual FIFA (International Federation of
Association Football – French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association) competition to
officially determine the world champions at the club level.
Priyanka Nutakki Becomes the 23rd Woman Grandmaster of India

Priyanka Nutakki, 19-year-old Chess prodigy hailing from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, secured her final
WGM-norm at the MPL 47th National Women Chess Championship 2022, held in Bhubaneshwar,
Odisha.
• She scored 7.0/9, performed at 2348 to
become the 23rd Woman
Grandmaster (WGM) of India and
got placed third in the tournament.
About Priyanka Nutakki:
Before delivering an iconic performance in her
final WGM-norm,
i. Priyanka won her first WGM-norm scoring
5.5/9, performed at 2412 in January 2019.
ii. She went on to win her biggest online tournament, SPF Girls’ Invitational in June 2020.
iii. Amidst COVID-19 pandemic, she worked hard to win her second WGM-norm scoring 5.5/10,
performed at 2454 in the year 2021.
iv.She also clinched her first International Master(IM)-norm in her third over-the-board (playing face to
face with another person and physical chess pieces rather than electronically) tournament of the year
2021.
Note:
• Divya Deshmukh – The 22nd Woman Grandmaster of India, emerged as the winner of MPL 47th
National Women Chess Championship 2022.
• Sakshi Chitlange is the runner up of the championship.
About Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title:
i.WGM is an International Chess Federation (FIDE) title will be provided to women players. It is above
Women International Masters (WIM), and Woman FIDE Master (WFM).
ii.It is awarded to players who achieve two or more title norms (covering 27 games).
iii. Required rating for WGM performance is ≥ 2400 performance against opponents with average rating ≥
2180.
Indian Shooters Topped The ISSF World Cup 2022 Cairo With The Total Of 7 Medals
The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World cup 2022 ‘Rifle and pistol’ took place at Cairo,
Egypt, from 26 february 2022 till 8 March 2022. Indian shooters have topped the medals tally with a total
of 7 medals.
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• India Led the medal tally with 7 medals including 4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze.Norway Secured the
Second position and France secured the
third.
i.A total of 66 participants have represented India for
Individual, Team and Mixed team events.
ii.The ISSF is also the governing body of the Olympic
Shooting events in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun
disciplines.
Gold Medal Winners of India:-
i.Indian team of Rahi Sarnobat, Esha Singh and
Rhythm Sangwan won the gold medal in women’s 25m pistol against Singapore.
ii.Saurabh Chaudhary wins gold in men’s 10m air pistol event against Germany.
• Note – At the age of 16, Saurabh Chaudhary secured India’s first gold medal in the men’s 10m air
pistol event at 2018 Asian Games, Jakarta-Pelambeng, Indonesia.
iii.Esha Singh, Shri Nivetha Paramanantham and Ruchira Vinerkar won Gold medal in women’s 10m air
pistol against Germany.
iv.Rhythm Sangwan and Anish Bhanwala won the gold medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol mixed team
against Thailand.
OVERALL RANKING OF ISSF WORLD CUP 2022
POSITION COUNTRY TOTAL MEDALS
1 India 7 Medals
2 Norway 6 Medals
3 France 3 Medals
India’s Medal Tally in ISSF World Cup 2022
POSITION CATEGORY EVENT WINNERS
25metre (m) Rahi Sarnobat, Esha Singh and Rhythm
Gold Women’s Team pistol Sangwan
Gold Men’s Individual 10m air pistol Saurabh Chaudhary
10m air pistol Esha Singh, Nivetha Paramanantham, Ruchira
Gold Women’s Team team Vinerkar
25m rapid fire
Gold Mixed Team pistol Rhythm Sangwan and Anish Bhanwala
Women’s
Silver Individual 10m air pistol Esha Singh
25m rapid fire Gurpreet Singh, Anish Bhanwala and Bhavesh
Silver Men’s Team pistol Shekhawat
50m rifle 3
Bronze Mixed Team positions Shriyanka Sadangi and Akhil Sheoran
Haryana Govt Starts Khel Nursery Scheme to Promote Sports
On 16th December 2021, Haryana’s Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Sandeep Singh launched
‘Khel Nursery Scheme 2022-23’ to promote sports in the state.
• The scheme promotes sports nurseries that will be started in government, private educational
institutions and private sports institutions.
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About International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF):

President – Vladimir Lisin
Secretary General – Alexander Ratner
Headquarters – Munich, Germany
Indian Fast-Bowler Sreesanth Retires From Indian Domestic (First class and All formats)
Cricket
Indian fast bowler, Shanthakumaran Nair Sreesanth has retired from Indian domestic (first class and all
formats) cricket. Being born in Kerala, Sreesanth has represented India in 27 – International (Intl) Tests,
53 – One Day Internationals (ODI) and 10 – Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) and secured a total of 169
Intl wickets. Sreesanth was also on the winning sides of 2007 T20I World Cup and 2011 International
Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup.
i.Sreesanth is the first fast bowler from Kerala to take a Hat-Trick in Ranji Trophy games 2004-05.
ii.He has also played for Kings XI Punjab, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Rajasthan Royals in Indian Premier
League (IPL).
American-Swedish Pole Vaulter Duplantis Sets World Record of 6.19m in Belgrade

Armand Gustav “Mondo” Duplantis, the American-Swedish pole vaulter ‘representing Sweden’ breaks
his own pole vault World record by clearing 6.19-meters (m) at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting 2022 in
Belgrade, Serbia. Previously at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix 2020, Glasgow, Duplantis set the World record
of 6.18m.
i.Duplantis secured Gold medal in Tokyo Olympics 2020 in pole vault event by clearing 6.02m.
Chess: Indian GM S L Narayanan wins 1st Grandiscacchi Cattolica International Open

Indian Grandmaster(GM) S L Narayanan(24-year), from Kerala, won the 1st Grandiscacchi Cattolica
International Open (Cattolica Open), a 9-round Swiss tournament which took place from 1st to 8th March
2022 in Cattolica, Italy. Indian GM R Praggnanandhaa, from Tamil Nadu, finished as runner up of the
tournament.
• The 1st Grandiscacchi Cattolica International Open Tournament is part of the Italian Spring Chess
Tour 2022.
• World Rank 79, SL Narayanan’s current FIDE(International Chess Federation) rating is 2658
Badminton: India’s Lakshya Sen Won Silver in Men’s Singles at German Open 2022
Indian Shuttler Lakshya Sen (20) grabbed silver after losing to Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand by 18-21,
15-21, in the men’s singles final at the Yonex Gainward German Open 2022 which was held at the
Westenergie Sporthalle in Mülheim, Germany, on March 8-13, 2022.This year marks the 69th edition of the
tournament.
• The total prize money of the event
was USD 180,000.
• German Open is an annual badminton
tournament classified as BWF (Badminton
World Federation) World Tour Super 300
event.
• The tournament was organized by the
German Badminton Association with
sanction from the Badminton World
Federation.
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Key Points:
i.Lakshya Sen claimed his maiden Super 500 title at India Open in January 2022.
ii.Now as per the latest BWF world rankings, Lakshya Sen rose a place to 11th from 12th in the men’s
singles chart while Pusarla Venkata (PV) Sindhu is static at the 7th spot among women’s singles
• India’s Kidambi Srikanth dropped to 12th spot.
• B Sai Praneeth also dropped a place to be in the 19th position.
Winners of Yonex Gainward German Open 2022:
Men’s singles Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand) Lakshya Sen (India)
Women’s
singles He Bingjiao (China) Chen Yufei (China)
Men’s Liu Yuchen (China) & OU Xuan Yi
Double Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin (Malaysia) (China)
Women’s Gabriela Stoeva (Bulgaria) & Stefani
Double Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan (China) Stoeva (Bulgaria)
Mixed Dechapol Puavaranukroh / Sapsiree Ou Xuanyi (China) & Huang
Doubles Taerattanachai (Thailand) Yaqiong (China)
India to host 44th World Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
India is set to host the 44th World Chess Olympiad(44th Chess Olympiad) 2022 in Chennai, Tamil
Nadu. The event will be organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE -Fédération Internationale
des Échecs) at the convention centre at the Four Points by Sheraton, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu.
• Chennai is Called as “Chess Capital of India”
• FIDE has approved the bid to host the 44th Chess Olympiad and FIDE Congress 2022 in India.
• The 44th World Chess Olympiad 2022 which was previously scheduled to be held in Moscow,
Russia from July 26 to August 8, 2022.
• The FIDE’s Chess Olympiad is a biennial team event, in which teams from around 190 countries
compete. The 43rd edition was held in 2018 in Batumi, Georgia.45th Chess Olympiad is set to be
held in Budapest, Hungary in 2024.
• This is the 2nd major global Chess event to be held in India after the World Championship match
in 2013.
Cricket: Overview Of Sri Lanka Tour Of India – 2022

Sri Lankan cricket team toured India for 3 Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) and 2 Test Internationals
(including 1 pink ball test match) from 24 February
2022 to 16 March 2022. Under Rohit Sharma
captaincy team India Whitewashed Sri Lanka in both
the formats with the lead of 3-0 in T20I series and 2-
0 in tests series.
i.This tour was hosted by India.
Venues:
T20I
• 1st T20I held at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• 2nd and 3rd T20I held at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala, Himachal
Pradesh.
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Test
• 1st test held at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.
• 2nd test held at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Player of The Series:
T20I
• Shreyas Iyer adjudged as the Player of the Series for his consecutive Half-Centuries in all the 3
T20I, scoring 204 overall runs.
Test
• Rishabh Pant was adjudged as the Test Player of the Series. Scoring 185 runs in 3 innings.
Records By Indian Cricket Team:
i.India maintained their undefeated record in home day/night pink-ball Test matches.
ii.M Chinnaswamy Stadium at Bengaluru,Karnataka hosted the pink-ball Test for the first time ever.
iii.India equalled the Afghanistan and Romania world record of 12 consecutive T20I wins in a row.
Individual Records by Indian Players:
i.Shreyas Iyer
• Shreyas Iyer became the first Indian to score two fifties in a pink-ball Test.
• Shreyas Iyer became the only second Indian player to score three fifties in the three-match T20I
series after Virat Kohli, who had achieved the feat against Australia in 2015-16.
ii.Rishabh Pant
• Rishabh Pant broke Kapil Dev’s record for the fastest Test fifty by an Indian player.
• Rishabh Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to win the Man of the Series award in Tests.
iii.Virat Kohli
• Virat Kohli played his 100th Test match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium and he
became the 12th Indian cricketer to achieve it, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar stands first for
playing 200 tests.
iv.Ravichandran Ashwin
• Ravichandran Ashwin became the first bowler to take 100 wickets in the World Test
Championship 2021-2023.
• Ravichandran Ashwin (442 – wickets) became the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket by
surpassing Dale Steyn (439) in the Bengaluru Test.
v.Jasprit Bumrah
• Jasprit Bumrah became the first Indian player to take a five-wicket haul on five different
continents.
• Jasprit Bumrah has most Test fifers (8) as an India player surpassing Irfan Pathan (7) and
Venkatesh Prasad (7).
Most Test fifers – In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a “five–for” or “fifer”) occurs when a bowler
takes five or more wickets in a single innings.
vi.Rohit Sharma
• Rohit Sharma became the 1st India captain to whitewash opposition in debut test series.
• Rohit Sharma became the eighth India player to play 400 international matches after
participating in the Bengaluru Test.
• Rohit Sharma has won the most T20Is at home as captain, by having 16 wins.
• Rohit also equalled the record for most whitewash victories as captain in bilateral T20I series of
3 or more matches, equalling the tally of five such wins held by former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz
Ahmed.
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West Indies Tour of India – 2022
West Indies cricket team toured India for 3 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 3 Twenty-20 Internationals
(T20I) in February,2022. It was a complete whitewash series win for India over West Indies in both ODI
and T20I by the full-time Indian Captain Rohit Sharma.
• In the ODI cricket, India defeated West Indies by 3-0 and in the T20I cricket, India defeated West
Indies by 3-0.
World Test Ranking:
All Rounders –
• 1st Rank – Jason Holder (West Indies)
• 2nd Rank – Ravindra Jadeja (India)
• 3 rd Rank – Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
Bowlers –
• 1st Rank – Pat Cummins (Australia)
• 2nd Rank – Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
• 3rd Rank – Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
• 4th Rank – Jasprit Bumrah (India)
Tata Communications Announced The Multi-Year Strategic Collaboration With Formula 1

Tata Communications has announced its multi-year strategic collaboration as the official broadcast
connectivity provider for Formula 1 (F1) racing. Tata Communications will provide global end-to-end
network services of videos to the viewers of F1 sporting events.
i.The company will transfer over 100 video feeds and over 250 audio channels and will be transmitted
between the Grand Prix venue and F1’s Media and Technology Centre in the United Kingdom (UK) every
race weekend in under 200 milliseconds.
ii. The network service enables F1 to broadcast in more than 180 territories globally.
Role Of Tata Communications In Formula 1 (F1):
i.Tata Communications has reduced the F1’s travelling freight by 34 percent.
ii.Tata Communications connectivity continues to support F1’s drive for agility and sustainability with
remote production introduced in 2020 and aims to create Net-Zero Carbon by 2030.
iii.Tata Communications develops digital-first model and entertainment services for immersive
experiences.
iv.The company also expanded its bandwidth capacity or media backbone to 100 Gigabits (G), driving
innovations in video, remote production,etc.
Note:
Previously, F1 and Tata Communications maintained their partnership for eight years which later ended in
2020.
About Formula 1 And Tata Communications:
President & CEO of Formula 1 – Stefano Domenicali
Tata Communications MD and CEO – Amur S Lakshminarayanan
American Golfer Tiger Woods Inducted Into World Golf Hall of Fame 2022
American born golfer, Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods has been inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame 2022
which located in United States. He has won 82 all-time Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) TOUR, also
Tiger Woods is tied with Sam Snead for the most wins in PGA TOUR history. Woods has also won 18 Major
(PRO) championships. Woods accomplished the “Tiger Slam” in 2000-’01, he also is a two-time winner of
THE PLAYERS Championship (2001, 2013) and became the first two-time winner of the FedExCup (2007,
2009). He has also won 7 consecutive PGA TOUR wins (2006-2007).
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i.Susie Maxwell Berning, Tim Finchem, the late Marion Hollins and Tiger Woods were the inductees of
World Golf Hall of Fame 2022.
Pankaj Advani Bags Asian Billiards Championship 2022 for 8th time in Doha
The Arjuna & Padma awardee cueist, Pankaj Advani won his eighth title at the 19th Asian 100 UP
Billiards Championship 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
• This is the 40th international title and 8th
Asian crown won by Pankaj Advani.
Highlights:
i.Pankaj Advani defeated compatriot India’s Dhruv
Sitwala by six frames.
ii.Earlier, he also defeated Pauk Sa of Myanmar to
secure a spot in the final of the championship.
About Pankaj Advani:
i.Pankaj Arjan Advani is an Indian billiards and
former professional snooker player.. He has won 16 billiards world titles and the World Team Billiards
Championship once.
ii.He is known by his nicknames- ‘The Prince of India’, ‘The Golden Boy’ and ‘The Prince of Pune’.
Awards-
• Arjuna Award for Billiards and Snooker
• Padma Bhushan (2018)
• Padma Shri (2009)
• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins F1 season-opening Bahrain GP

Ferrari’s driver Charles Leclerc (Monaco) won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 of Formula
one (F1) held at Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. Carlos Sainz (Spain) driving Ferrari
finished second by one-two.
i.While Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) driving Mercedes secured third podium, The fourth podium was
secured by George Russell (Britain) representing Mercedes.
ii.Kevin Magnussen (Danish) finished fifth representing the Haas team.World champion Max
Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) was forced out with an electrical issue two laps before the end.
iii.The F1 championships are organised by Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
About Bahrain Grand Prix:
i.The Bahrain Grand Prix is also called the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing
event in Bahrain.
ii.The first race took place at the Bahrain International Circuit on 4 April 2004.It was the first Formula
One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East, and was given the award for the “Best Organised Grand
Prix” by International Automobile Federation (FIA)
• Laps- 57
• Circuit length- 5.412 km (3.363 mi)
• Most wins (drivers)- Lewis Hamilton (5)
• Repeat Winners (Constructor)- Ferrari
• Number of times held- 17
About Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA):
President – Mohammed bin Sulayem
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Indian Wells Masters 2022 : Taylor Fritz won defeating Rafael Nadal
Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open held in
California,United States from March 7, 2022 to March 20, 2022.Taylor Harry Fritz, an American
professional tennis player, beat Rafael Nadal to win the ATP Indian Wells Masters, snapping the 21-time
Grand Slam champion’s streak of 20 consecutive triumphs.
i.Fritz, previously ranked 20th in the world, won his second career win and first at the Masters 1000 level,
depriving Nadal of a record-equalling 37th Masters trophy. He is now ranked 8th in Singles for Men by the
Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
ii.Fritz’s victory in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, made him the first American to capture the crown
since Andre Agassi in 2001.
iii.Winners List
Men’s singles – Taylor Fritz, United States
Women’s singles – Iga Swiatek , Poland
Men’s doubles – John Isner, United States and Jack Sock, United States
Women’s doubles – China Xu Yifan , and China Yang Zhaoxuan
The Queen Of Triple Jump, Yulimar Rojas Created World Record By Clearing 15.74 metres
Venezuelan athlete, Yulimar Rojas nicknamed “la reina del triple salto – queen of the triple jump” created a
World Record (WR) by clearing 15.74 metres (m) to win gold at the World Indoor Championships 2022 in
Belgrade, Serbia.
• Rojas who is 6’4 jumped 15.67m (WR) in Tokyo Olympics 2020 to claim Gold Medal, smashing the
previous best of 15.50m set by Ukraine’s Inessa Kravets in 1995. Rojas won third straight world
indoor triple jump gold, adding to successes in Portland, United States of America in 2016 and
Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2018.
• Yulimar Rojas is the first female Olympic gold medalist from Venezuela.
India Secured One Silver and Ranked 9th in ISSF World Cup 2022 For Shotgun
Indian trio, Prithviraj Tondaiman, Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Vivaan Kapoor wins Silver medal in
Men’s Trap Team event in International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup (8 March 2022 -19
March 2022), for Shotgun in Nicosia, Cyprus. India secured 9th rank with 1 Silver medal in the overall
medal standings.
i.As per National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), an 11-member shotgun contingent participated in the
ISSF representing India.
ii.Over 350 athletes participated from 50 countries in the ISSF World Cup 2022.
Qualification Round:
India scored 214 out of 225 and secured second-place in the 12-team qualification round, Kuwait topped
with 217 points.
Gold Medal Match Of Men’s Trap Team Event :
India and Kuwait participated in the Gold medal match, where Kuwait scored a total of 6 points (Gold
medal) and India scored 2 points to secure Silver medal.
Bronze Medal Match Of Men’s Trap Team Event:
Poland and Turkey participated in the Bronze medal match, where Poland scored a total of 6 points and
Turkey scored 4 points. And Poland secured the Bronze medal.
Overall Medal Standings
Rank Country Medal Tally
1st Italy 6 (3-Gold, 2-Silver, 1-Bronze)
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2nd Turkey 2 (2-Gold)

3rd slovakia 4 (1-Gold, 1-Silver, 2-Bronze)
9th India 1 (1-Silver)
Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes All-time Leading Scorer with 807 Goals

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has become the all-time leading scorer (professional
football) with 807 goals, after scoring 3 goals against Tottenham Hotspur during the English Premier
League 2022.
Previously the record was held by Austro-Czech Josef Bican who scored 805 goals from 1931 to 1955.
• Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 807 goals while playing for Lisbon (5), Manchester United (136),
Real Madrid (450), Juventus (101) and the Portuguese national team (115).
• Brazilian strikers Pele and Romário de Souza Faria each have scored more than a 1000 goals
during their careers, but the statistics include goals in amateur, unofficial and friendly matches.
Australian Tennis Player Ashleigh Barty retires from Tennis

Australian professional Tennis player and Cricketer Ashleigh Barty, announced her retirement from
tennis at the age of 25.
i.Ash Barty was the one who won singles major
championships on three different surfaces —
on clay at the 2019 French Open, on grass
at Wimbledon 2021and on the hard courts
of Melbourne Park in 2022.
ii.Becoming the first Australian player in 44 years
to triumph at the nation’s Grand Slam
tournament.
iii.During her 21-month sabbatical from tennis as
a teen, Barty played cricket with the Brisbane Heat of the Women’s Big Bash League, playing a $50,000 ITF
event in Eastbourne — winning three qualifying matches and three more in the main draw.
iv.Later, she was ranked No. 88; by the end of 2017, Barty was an established member of the top 20.
v.Barty was the only other woman who has walked away from the sport while atop the Women’s Tennis
Association (WTA) rankings: Justine Henin was No. 1 when she retired in May 2008.
Pramod Bhagat won 2 silver, 1 bronze in Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022

Indian Paralympian Pramod Bhagat (World’s No 1 in SL3 category) has won 2 silvers in Men’s Singles
SL3 and Men’s Doubles SL3-SL4 with Manoj Sarkar and 1 bronze in Men’s Singles SL3 at the Level 1
Iberdrola Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022 held in Cartagena, Spain from 9th to 13th
March 2022.
World’s no 2. in SL 4 category Sukant Kadam has won the bronze at Men’s Single SL4.
• Indian Para shuttlers have won a total of 21 medals (6 Gold, 7 Silver, & 8 Bronze) at
the Level 1 Iberdrola Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022(Badminton World Federation-
BWF Para-Badminton International Level 1).
• The Indian team has won a total of 34 medals (11 Gold, 7 Silver, & 16 Bronze) at
the Level 2 Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022(BWF Para-Badminton International
Level 2) held from 1st to 6th March 2022 in Vitoria, Spain.
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Byju’s Named a Sponsor of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Byju’s India’s leading education technology provider headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, has become
the official sponsor of (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) FIFA World Cup Qatar
2022. Through this partnership, BYJU will leverage its rights to the FIFA World Cup 2022 marks, emblem
and assets, and run unique promotions to connect with football fans across the world.
• FIFA also has a sponsorship agreement with Singapore based Crypto.com for the FIFA World Cup
Qatar 2022
• The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will take place from 21 November to 18 December 2022 in Qatar.
Qatar will be hosting the first ever FIFA World Cup in the Middle East.
• This is only the second time the competition to be held on Asian soil, after the 2002 edition co-
hosted by South Korea and Japan.
• With this, BYJU’S became the first EdTech brand to sponsor the prestigious FIFA event globally &
became the 1st Indian firm to sponsor FIFA.
Badminton: P V Sindhu Secures Gold In Swiss Open Badminton 2022 in Basel

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, 2016 Rio Olympic Silver medalist, secured Gold medal in women’s singles YONEX
Swiss Open 2022 (Swiss Open Super 300) badminton tournament at Basel, Switzerland, which was held
from 22 March 2022 – 27 March 2022. Sindhu defeated Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan by (21-16),
(21-8).
• Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar of
India won silver medal.He lost his match
against Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in
the men’s singles final.
i.Sindhu ranks 7 in Women’s Singles Badminton
World Federation (BWF) World rankings.
ii.Sindhu wins her second Super 300 title of 2022,
• Swiss Open Super 300 – 2022 March
• Syed Modi International – 2022 January
Indian’s At YONEX Swiss Open – 2022:
A total of 11 singles players and 13 doubles teams represented India at the Swiss Open 2022.
India Medals At Swiss Open – 2022
Men’s Singles – Gold Jonatan CHRISTIE (Indonesia)
Men’s Singles – Silver Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar (India)
Women’s Singles – Gold Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (India)
Women’s Singles – Silver Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Thailand)
India Bagged 2 Medals at WTT Contender Doha 2022, Qatar

India has won 2 medals(1 Bronze and 1 Silver) at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender 2022
championship, held at the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar from 18th March to 24th March 2022.
• India’s Mixed Doubles pair, Manika Batra and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan have won
the Silver medal at the WTT Contender Doha 2022 under the Mixed doubles category
and Achanta Sharath Kamal (world Rank 41) won the Bronze medal in Men’s Singles Event at
the Tournament.
Note:
World Table Tennis(WTT) is an organization created by the International Table Tennis Federation(ITTF).
WTT’s inaugural tournament was held in November 2020 in Macao, China.
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Key Points:
i.According to the ITTF world Ranking(2022),
Manika Batra and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan are
ranked 7th in the Mixed Doubles Pair ranking.
ii.In the Mixed Doubles Individuals(2022)
ranking Manika Batra is ranked 15th followed by
Gnanasekaran Sathiyan (ranked 16th).
Winners of WTT Contender Doha 2022:

Men’s Singles Yuan Licen (China) Dang Qiu(Germany)
Women’s Singles Fan Siqi(China) Zhang Rui(China)
Mattias Falck (Sweden) Kilian Ort(Germany)
Men’s Doubles Kristian Karlsson (Sweden) Avatarricardo Walther (Germany)
Miyuu Kihara (Japan) Chen Szu-Yu (Taipei)
Women’s Doubles Miyu Nagasaki(Japan) Huang Yi-Hua (Taipei)
Lin Yun-Ju (Taipei) Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (India)
Mixed Doubles Cheng I-Ching (Taipei) Manika Batra (India)
About International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF):
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing body for all national table tennis
associations.
President– Petra Sörling
CEO– Stephen Dainton
Headquarters– Lausanne, Switzerland
Autistic Teen Jiya Rai Becomes World’s Youngest & Fastest Female Swimmer to Swim
Across Palk Strait
Mumbai based Autistic teen Jiya Rai(13 years old), daughter of an Indian Navy officer, became the world’s
youngest and fastest female swimmer to swim across the Palk Strait. She swam across the Palk Strait
(29 kilometres) connecting Sri Lanka and India, in 13 hours and 10 minutes. She started her swimming
on 20th March 2020 at Talaimannar, Sri Lanka and finished at Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu(India).
The event was conducted and guided by the Para-Swimming Federation of India (PSFI).
• She is the youngest girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) to swim in open waters
• She is a recipient of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, the highest honour given to
Indian Citizens below 18 years of age.
Note: The record was previously held by Bhula Chowdhary who swam in 13 hours 52 minutes in 2004.
India Secures 8th Position At World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2022 in Dubai
The 13th Fazza International Para Athletics
Championships of World Para Athletics Grand
Prix 2022 held at Dubai, UAE from 21 March to
24 March 2022, in which India
secured 8th position with 14 medals.
• India secured 5 Gold, 6 Silver and 3
Bronze medals.
• Total of 29 athletes have represented
India.
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Events And Records By Indians:

Gold Medal Winners :-
• Sprinter, Pranav Prashant Desai won India’s first gold medal at the 2022 World Para Athletics
Grand Prix, claimed Gold in the men’s 200m T64 final. Desai also claimed Gold in 100m men
T63/64 final race.
• Javelin Thrower Mohit made an impressive throw of 54.71m distance to win Gold medal.
• Indian long jumper Someswara Rao Ramudri made a leap of 6.40m to take the long jump men T64
gold medal.
• Ramsingbhai Govin Padhiyar secured gold medal in the High Jump T42 event by clearing 1.84m.
Other Medal Winners:-
i.Indian para athlete Dharambir set a new Asian record in the men’s F32/51 club throw event and secured
silver.
ii.Devendra Singh secured silver in the F44 men’s discus throw event.
iii.Jyoti Behera secured bronze in 400m women’s final T37/38/47 final.
iv.Shailesh Kumar secured Silver in the High Jump T42 event.
v.Mohammed Yasser secured silver in the shot put final F42/46 event.
Overall Medal Standings:
Position 1 – Colombia 25 medals (12 gold)
Position 2 – Algeria 16 medals (11 gold)
Position 3 – Thailand 30 medals (8 gold)
India Wins 3rd Edition Of The SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship 2022 In Jharkhand
India wins 3rd edition of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under – 18 (U-18) Women’s
Championship 2022 by defeating Bangladesh women’s football U-18 team, which took place in JRD Tata
Sports Complex, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
i.India lost to Bangladesh in the final match for (0-1).
ii.Because India and Bangladesh topped the table with 9 points respectively, the Winner was decided by
the superior goal difference in which India scored +11 goals and Bangladesh scored +3 goals.
iii.Thomas Dennerby is the coach of Indian Women’s football U-18 team.
About South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-18 Championship 2022:
i.The three-nation tournament consists of India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
ii.India wins the tournament in 2022 for the first time.
iii.Lynda kom Serato representing India, was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and
the highest goal scorer, scoring 5 goals.
iv.Bangladesh team was honoured for Fair Play.
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-18 Championship
President – Kazi MD. Salahuddin
Headquarters – Dhaka, Bangladesh
Champions of 2018 and 2021 – Bangladesh
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OBITUARY
West Indies Spinner Sonny Ramadhin Passed Away
Legendary West Indies spinner Sonny Ramadhin, who was a part of the West Indies team that won its first
away series in England in 1950, has passed away. He was born in St Charles village near Port of Spain,
Trinidad and Tobago. He was the first of many Indian origin players to play for the West Indies.
• He had made his Test debut against England at Old Trafford in 1950 and has played 43 Tests and
took 158 wickets at an average of 28.98.
• He was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.
Oscar-winning producer Alan Walbridge Ladd Jr passes away

The Oscar winning ‘Braveheart’ producer, Former Executive at Twentieth Century Fox greenlit ‘Star Wars’
and MGM/United Artists, Alan Walbridge Ladd Junior passed away at the age of 84 years.
i.Alan Walbridge Ladd Jr. was born on 22
October 1937 in Los Angeles, California, United
States (US). He was affectionately known
as “Laddie”.
ii.He won the Academy Award (Oscar
award) for Best Picture ‘Braveheart’ directed
by Mel Gibson in 1995.
iii.He was one of the founders of the Ladd
Company, established in 1979.
iv.In 1979 he also greenlit Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi horror film ‘Alien’– which was also made into a
franchise among a few others during his tenure at 20th Century Fox.
Popular movies produced by Alan Walbridge Ladd Junior:
• Outland (1981),
• Night Shift (1982),
• Chariots of Fire (1981),
• The Right Stuff (1983)
• Gone Baby Gone (2007).
Former Australian cricketer Rod Marsh Passed Away

Former Australia cricketer(wicketkeeper) Rodney William Marsh (Rod Marsh) has passed away in
Adelaide Australia. He was born in Perth suburb of Armadale, Western Australia. Rod Marsh has played 96
test matches for Australia from 1970 to 1984 and 92 One-Day Internationals(ODIs) for Australia and later
retired from top-flight cricket in February 1984.
• He was the 1st Australian wicketkeeper to score a century in test cricket, and finished his career
with 3 centuries.
• He held a test record of 355 dismissals by a wicketkeeper, including 95 off the bowling of pace
bowler Dennis Lillee.
• Marsh was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1982 New Year Honours and
inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.He was named as one of Wisden’s Cricketer
of the Year in 1982.He received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and a Centenary Medal in
2001.
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Australian Cricket’s Legendary Spinner Shane Warne Passed Away At The Age Of 52
Shane Keith Warne, the legendary Australian spinner has passed away at the age of 52 in Koh Samui,
Thailand. He was born in Ferntree Gully, Victoria,
Australia. He had also contributed towards the
victory of the ICC World Cup for the Australian
Cricket team in the years – 1995/96 (Wills World
Cup) and 1999 (ICC World Cup).
i.To honour Shane Warne the Australian Cricket
Board decided to rename the Great Southern
Stand as “Shane Warne stand” in Melbourne
Cricket Ground (MCG).
Achievements Of Shane Warne:
i.Warne was named one of the Five Cricketers of the Century by Wisden Cricketers (stands 4) ‘Almanack
in 2000.
• Sir Donald Bradman stands first in Wisden Five Cricketers of the Century.
ii.Warne was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 1994 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
iii.He captained Rajasthan Royals and led them to win the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) title in
2008.
iv.He was a part of five Ashes-winning teams during his career (Debut 1992 – Last test 2007).
v.He is the overall leading wicket-taker in Ashes (195wickets).
vi.He is the Second Highest International wicket taker of all time (Test – 708, ODI – 293)
vii.At the end of the 2003–04 season, both Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) had broken the
record (519) for Test wickets set in 2001 by Courtney Walsh of the West Indies.
viii.He was the First cricketer to take 700 international test wickets in 2006, later he was overtaken by
Muttiah Muralitharan with 800 wickets.
ix.He made One Day International debut (ODI) in 1993 and played his last ODI in 2005.
x.He was inducted into International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame in 2013 and Australian cricket Hall
of Fame in 2012.
Autobiographies:
No Spin (co author- Mark Nicholas)
Shane Warne’s Century: My Top 100 Test Cricketers
Shane Warne: My Illustrated Career
Warne (co-author- Richard Hobson)
Shane Warne: My Autobiography
Shane Warne: My Own Story
Former Army Chief General Sunith Francis Rodrigues passed away

The former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General
Sunith Francis Rodrigues, aged 88, passed
away in Goa on March 4, 2022. The Military
Thinker and a Strategist has held some of the
prestigious posts in Military and Public Offices of
India. He was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra in
1933.
General Sunith Francis Rodrigues’ Timeline:
Military Offices:
i.He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the Indian Army on 28 December 1952 and retired as
General (COAS) on 30 June 1993, spanning 40 years of service in the Indian Army.
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• The 15th Chief of the Army Staff (India) from 1 July 1990 – 30 June 1993.
• The 32nd Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1 August 1991 – 30 June 1993.
ii.He played a vital role along with the Indian force during the Sino-Indian War – 1962, Indo-Pakistan War
– 1965, Indo-Pakistan War – 1971.
iii. He was honoured with Military Awards like Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Vishisht Seva
Medal (VSM), 25th Anniversary of Independence Medal and various such awards.
iv.He was also influential in inducting women into the Indian Army in 1991, initiating an important step
towards empowering women to serve their country.
Public Offices:
i.He was the 26th Governor of Punjab and 13th Administrator of Chandigarh holding the offices from
16 November 2004 – 22 January 2010. He was appointed by the then President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
ii.After his retirement, he has served two terms on the National Security Advisory Board and Director of
International Centre, Goa.
Former Pakistani President Rafiq Tarar passed away

Veteran politician, former Supreme Court judge and
President of Pakistan, Rafiq Tarar passed away at
the age of 92 years due to prolonged illness.
i.Muhammad Rafiq Tarar was born on 2 November
1929 in Peer Kot, Pakistan.
He served as a Supreme Court judge from 1991 to
1994.
• He also served as the Chief Justice of the
Lahore High Court from 1989 to 1991.
ii.Later, he became Pakistan’s President for the period of 1997 to 2001.
Former AP Governor & Union Minister Kumudben Joshi passed Away

Kumudben Manishankar Joshi (Kumudben Joshi), the former Governor of Andhra Pradesh(AP) and
former Union Minister, has passed away at the Changa Dhanori village in Navsari district, Gujarat. She was
born on 31st January 1934.
About Kumudben Joshi:
i.Kumudben Joshi served as the Union Deputy
Minister of Information and Broadcasting from
1980 to 1982 and as the Union Deputy Minister of
Health and Family Welfare from 1982 to 1984.
ii.She served as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh
from 1985 to 1990, she was the 2nd female to hold
the office after Sharda Mukherjee.
iii.She was also the General Secretary of the Gujarat
Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC).
iv.She has served as a member of the Rajya Sabha (Gujarat), representing the Indian National Congress
(INC) for 3 terms between 1973 and 1988.
US Astrophysicist Eugene Parker Passed Away at 94

On 15th March 2022, American Astrophysicist Eugene Newman Parker (Eugene Parker), who contributed
to the solar physics, has passed away at the age of 94 at a retirement community in Chicago, Illinois, United
States of America(USA). He was born on 10th June 1927 in Houghton, Michigan, USA.
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About Eugene Parker:

i.Eugene Parker witnessed the launch of National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA)’s Parker Solar Probe in 2018, the first
NASA Mission named after a living person, and
became the first person to witness the launch of a
spacecraft named after them.
ii.He is a visionary in the field of heliophysics, which
focuses on the study of the sun and other stars & he
is well known for this theory on the existence of
solar wind, a supersonic flow of particles off the sun’s surface.
iii.He virtually created the field of heliophysics in the 1950s.
Rupiah Banda Former President of Zambia Passed Away

Rupiah Bwezani Banda (Rupiah Banda), the former President of the Republic of Zambia (Zambia) has
passed away at the age of 85 at his residence in Lusaka, Zambia. He was born on 19th February 1937 in
Gwanda, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
About Rupiah Banda:
i.Rupiah Banda, a member of the United National
Independence Party (UNIP), has served as the
fourth president of Zambia from 2008 to 2011.
ii.He has also served as acting president in mid-
2008 during the presidency of Levy Patrick
Mwanawasa (3rd President of Zambia).
iii.He served as the Vice President of Zambia from
2006 to 2008.
About Republic of Zambia:
On 24 October 1964, Zambia became independent of the United Kingdom(UK) and then Prime
Minister(PM) Kenneth Kaunda became the inaugural president of the Republic of Zambia.
President– Hakainde Hichilema
Capital– Lusaka
Currency– Zambian Kwacha
Bangladesh’s ex-interim president Shahabuddin Ahmed passes away

Shahabuddin Ahmed, the former President of Bangladesh has passed away at the age of 92 at
Dhaka,Bangladesh. Shahabuddin was born on February 1, 1930 in the Netrokona, Bangladesh.
About Shahabuddin Ahmed:
i.He was the interim head of state as the consensus nominee of all parties amid a mass upsurge in 1990
to topple ex-military dictator HM Ershad.
ii.Shahabuddin Ahmed also served as the President of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001.
iii.Shahabuddin Ahmed was responsible for holding a “free and credible” election in the country in
February 1991.
iv.During his nine-month rule he ensured press freedom by amending a number of laws, including the
Special Powers Act.
v.After his presidential tenure, he resumed his position as the chief justice of Bangladesh.
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About Republic of Bangladesh

Capital- Dhaka
President- Abdul Hamid
Prime minister- Sheikh Hasina
Currency- Bangladeshi taka
Ex Prime Minister of Mali, Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga Passed Away

Former Prime Minister (PM) of Mali, Soumeylou
Boubeye Maiga passed away at the age of 67 in
Bamako, Mali. He served as the PM of Mali for
the tenure of 2 years (2017- 2019).
About Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga:
i.Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga was born on 8 June
1954 in Gao, Mali.He was the leader of
the Alliance for Solidarity party in Mali.
ii.He was a journalist by training and in the 1990s
he was appointed as the director of intelligence services by President Alpha Oumar Konaré.
iii.Before joining as the PM, He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2011-12)under President Amadou
Toumani Touré.
iv.He also served as Minister of Defense (2013 -14) under President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Former Chief Justice of India R.C. Lahoti passed away

Former Chief Justice of India (CJI), Ramesh Chandra Lahoti(35th CJI) passed away at the age of 81 years
in New Delhi.
About Justice Ramesh Chandra Lahoti:
i.Ramesh Chandra Lahoti was born on 1st
November 1940 in Guna, Madhya Pradesh
(MP). ii.He was appointed as an Additional Judge
of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 1988 and
later became a permanent judge in 1989.
iii.He was appointed as the 35th CJI on 1st June
2004 & retired on 1st November, 2005.
iv.He was a former independent director on the
Board of directors of the Press Trust of India..
v.He was appointed as an arbitrator by the Government of India in the ₹20,000 crore high-profile tax
dispute case with Vodafone telecom company.
Books authored by Ramesh Chandra Lahoti:
• ‘’Preamble: The Spirit and Backbone of the Constitution of India’’
• ‘’Canons of Judicial Ethics’’
GIF Inventor Steve Wilhite Passed Away due to Covid-19

American computer scientist Steve Wilhite, who invented the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) in 1987
has passed away due to COVID-19 complications in Milford, Ohio, United States of America(USA). He was
born on 3rd March 1948 in Milford, Ohio, USA.
About Steve Wilhite:
i.Steve Wilhite was the Engineering Lead of the team at CompuServe, an American online service provider,
which developed GIF.
ii.He was one of the chief architects of AOL, formerly called America Online, one of the largest Internet-
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access.
iii.He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award at The Webby Awards in 2013.
Note: The Oxford American Dictionary named GIF as the word of the year in 2012.
Former CM of Sikkim B.B. Gurung Passed Away

Bhim Bahadur Gurung (B.B. Gurung), Former and 3rd Chief Minister(CM) of Sikkim has passed away at
his residence in Lumsui in Gangtok, Sikkim. He was born on 11th October 1929 at Chakung (present-day
West Sikkim), Sikkim.
About B.B. Gurung
B.B. Gurung served as a teacher and a staff
reporter in a Calcutta(Kolkata)-based newspaper
the Amrita Bazar Patrika and he also edited the
first news-based Nepali Journal of Sikkim, called
Kanchenjunga.
Political career:
i.He started his political career with Sikkim
Rajya Congress Party in 1947 and was later
appointed as the General Secretary in 1958.
ii.In 1967, he was elected as Executive Councillor of the Sikkim Rashtriya Congress Party and remained in
the party until 1971.
iii.He was elected to the Vidhan Sabha and served as the speaker of the First Sikkim Legislative Assembly
from 1977 to 1979.
iv.He served as the 3rd CM of Sikkim from 11 May to 24 May 1984, the shortest term in the history of
Sikkim.
v.Between 2014 and 2015 he served as the political advisor to the CM of Sikkim.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Anup Jalota released book “Udaan Ek Majdoor Bachhe Ki” About Captain AD Manek
authored by Mithilesh Tiwari
A new book titled “Udaan Ek Majdoor Bachhe Ki” about Captain AD Manek was authored by Mithilesh
Tiwari and was released by the famous Bhajan Samrat Anup Jalota in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The program was well organized by Shailesh B Tiwari of P Club Education Pvt Ltd.
i.It highlights the life journey, struggle and success story of Captain AD Manek.
ii.Capt AD Manek is the founder of “The Skyline Aviation Club”. It was established in 1987 and currently he
is presiding as Managing Trustee and Chief Advisor of The Skyline Aviation Club in Mumbai.
iii.Some most successful students trained under him are- Captain Aruna Dukhande(India’s first woman
helicopter pilot), Maitri Patel (India’s youngest commercial pilot) and Rucha Waikar (India’s first
youngest glider pilot)
iv.In the event several dignitaries were awarded with “Manek Sanman” for social services. The recipients
are Manhar Patel, Dr Soma Ghosh, Dr Nimesh Mehta and Hemant Tantia.
Famous books on flying:
• ‘’The Descent of Air India’’by Jitender Bhargava,
• ‘’The IndiGo Story: Inside the Upstart that Redefined Indian Aviation’’ by Shelley Vishwajeet
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Ex-Army Captain Deepam Chatterjee authored a new book “The Millennial Yogi”
Former Indian Army Captain, Deepam Chatterjee, has authored a new book titled “The Millennial Yogi:
A modern-day parable about reclaiming one’s life”. This is a book that mixes mysticism and music that
takes readers on a journey of awakening.
• The book talks about Jayshankar Prasad, or Jay, who has a shady-yet-mercurial rise in his journey
as an entrepreneur and Vini, a mystic monk.
• The book is published by Ebury Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Rahul Gandhi Released Autobiography of TN CM MK Stalin “Ungalil Oruvan – 1”

Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament(MP) of Indian National Congress(INC) released the book
titled “Ungalil Oruvan -1” – One Among You, the first volume of the autobiography of MK Stalin, Chief
Minister(CM) of Tamil Nadu(TN) and leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK), at the event held in
Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The book is published by Poompuhar Pathippagam.
• The book pertains to the first 23 years of Stalin’s life (till he was arrested under the Maintenance
of Internal Security Act (MISA) in 1976).
• Duraimurugan, Water Resource Minister of Tamil Nadu received the first copy of the Book.
Anirudh Suri Authored a New Book Titled “The Great Tech Game”
Anirudh Suri, founding partner and Managing Director(MD) of India Internet Fund, has authored a new
book titled “The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations”. The book offers
the framework which outlines the major factors which will determine the ability of a nation to succeed in
this technology dominant era.
• The book provides the roadmap for how any country must develop its own strategic plan for
success.
• The book is published by HarperCollins India.
Anirudh Suri has worked with the Government of India in Delhi, McKinsey & Co. in New York, Goldman
Sachs in London, and the CarnegieEndowment for International Peace in Washington DC.
Dr Jitendra Singh Releases Booklet ‘WISE-KIRAN: At a Glance’ on “75 Success Stories” from
Women Scientists Scheme of DST
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent
Charge) Science & Technology, released the Booklet
on ‘WISE-KIRAN: At a Glance’ featuring the
success stories of 75 women scientists in the
Intellectual Property Rights (Women Scientist
Scheme-C (WOS-C) programme).
• The book was released at the event on
“Women Empowerment through
Science and Technology” organised by
the Department Of Science & Technology
(DST), under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Programmes under WISE- KIRAN:
i.Dr Jitendra Singh announced three important programmes under the Women in Science &
Engineering (WISE)- KIRAN (Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through
Nurturing) Scheme.
ii.The 3 new Programmes under WISE-KIRAN Scheme are,
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• Industrial Research Fellowship for Women- This will provide an opportunity for young
women researchers to work in the industry for short and long duration.
• Senior Women Scientists Fellowship programme- This will provide dignity to senior women
scientists who are performing well in research but are not in regular employment due to various
circumstances. Age group of 45-60 years, who have completed at least 2 independent research
projects are eligible.
• Overseas Fellowship for Women– This will provide exposure to research scholars and young
women scientists to upgrade their skills in various countries.The programme will serve Ph. D
scholars of age group 21-35 years and young faculty of age group 27-45 years through its two
components viz. Women Overseas Student Internship and Women Overseas Fellowship
respectively.
Other launches and Releases:
i.Dr Jitendra Singh also launched a short film on Women Empowerment Atlas; Women Empowerment Atlas
of India: Science & Technology Perspective; Film on various programmes under WISE-KIRAN Scheme.
ii.He also launched a brief report on the study of Women Technology Parks (WTPs) for the integrated
development of rural women.
Veteran Cricket Administrator Ratnakar Shetty Releases His Autobiography

Ratnakar Shetty, a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) veteran and one of India’s long served
cricket administrators has released a book titled “On Board: Test. Trial. Triumph. My years in BCCI “.
• The book is an autobiography, narrating
his experience as an administrator in
Board of Control for Cricket in India.
• The book was released by Sharad Pawar,
former President of BCCI and International
Cricket Council(ICC) alongside former
Indian Cricket Team Captain Dilip
Vengsarkar.
About Ratnakar Shetty:
i.He was a Chemistry Professor by profession and began his journey as a cricket administrator in 1975 as
the staff-in-charge of cricket at Mumbai’s Wilson College.
ii.After joining the Bombay Cricket Association’s tournament committee, Shetty eventually became a
manager of Indian cricket teams.
iii. Later he became a BCCI chief administrative officer before retiring as its General Manager.
About Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI):
President – Sourav Ganguly
Founded – 1928
English Translation of Usha Uthup’s Biography Titled ‘The Queen of Indian Pop’ Released
“The Queen of Indian Pop: The Authorised Biography of Usha Uthup”, the English translation of the
biography of pop icon Padma Shri Usha Uthup was released. The book was originally written by Vikas
Kumar Jha in Hindi titled “Ullas Ki Naav”. the book was translated by Sristhi Jha, daughter of Vikas Kumar
Jha.
• The book was published by Penguin eBury Press of Penguin Random House India (PRHI).
• The book explores Usha Uthup’s sense of freedom, her struggles, and her constructive and
creative attitude towards work and life.
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About Author & Translator:

Vikas Kumar Jha:
Vikas Kumar Jha served as the bureau chief of Outlook
Hindi (2002-2004) and the Bihar state head of News
Express Channel (2013-2014).
Other books: McCluskieganj: The Story of the Only
Anglo-Indian Village; Gayasur Sandhan; Varshavan Ki
Roopkatha.
Srishti Jha:
Srishti Jha, an independent journalist, writer and
translator, served as a principal correspondent, India Today.
About Usha Uthup:
i.Usha Uthup is a renowned Indian pop, Jazz & playback singer.
ii.She is well known for her works like “Hari Om Hari”, “Rambha Ho”.
iii.She has sung in several languages including, Bengali, Hindi, English, German, Italian and Sinhalese.
Awards: The government of India honoured her with Padma Shri in 2011.
“Soli Sorabjee: Life and Times” , a Biography of late Soli Sorabjee

On March 9 2022, In the Occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of Soli Sorabjee, the Penguin Random
House India (PRHI) has announced that a biography, titled “Soli Sorabjee: Life and Times” authored by
advocate and legal scholar Abhinav Chandrachud will be released in April 2022.
About Soli Sorabjee:
He was the former Attorney General (AG) of India
and served two times for the years 1989-90 and
then from 1998- 2004.
Key points:
i.The book highlights the personal details of life of
Soli Sorabjee, his family background.
ii.It also marks his journey in becoming a
practitioner of law to a United Nations Human
Rights rapporteur and defending the fundamental right to free speech and expression in the Supreme
Court.
Popular Books of the author:
• “Republic of Rhetoric: Free Speech and the Constitution of India” (2017)
• “Supreme Whispers: Conversations with Judges of the Supreme Court of India 1980-1989”
(2018).
• ‘’Republic of Religion: The Rise and Fall of Colonial Secularism in India’’ 2020
45th International Kolkata Book Fair: WB CM Mamata Banerjee’s 12 Books Published

Twelve books penned by Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal (WB), have been
published during the 45th International Kolkata Book Fair(IKBF) at the Central Park Mela ground,
Bidhannagar, at Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal.
The 45th IKBF was inaugurated by CM Mamata Banerjee on 28th February 2022, and the fair will run
till 13th March 2022.
• The 45th IKBF has Bangladesh as the theme country.
• Publishers & Booksellers Guild , Kolkata is the organizer of the event.
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• This year’s event will be a celebration of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence. Bangladesh Pavilion will be based
on the iconic speech of Bangabandhu on March 7, 1971.
Note: Kolkata is hosting its annual international book fair after a gap of one year due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
About the Books:
The 12 books authored by Mamata Banerjee includes,
• ‘Khela Hobe’ – referring to TMC’s ‘game is on’ campaign of assembly elections of 2021.
• ‘Covider Dinlipi’– features the events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• ‘Duare Sarkar’ (government at doorstep)- written in English, features the story of the welfare
projects launched by the Trinamool Congress and people’s response to those schemes.
• ‘Bidhansabhay Mukhyamantri’ (chief minister in assembly)– this is a collection of Banerjee’s
speeches in the House on issues such as demonetisation and the National Register of Citizens
(NRC).
• ‘Loho Pranam Mohiyashi Charane Charane’ – This is a collection of poems as a tribute to the 50
great personalities of Bengal.
• ‘Kalam’ and ‘Kabita Bitan’ – the collections of poems by the CM during her visits to various parts
of West Bengal and outside the state.
• She has also authored six Urdu Shayaries: Himmat, Roshni, Tamanna, KhusbuInsaf and Savera.
Note: Mamata Banerjee has penned 114 books in the last two decades.
Amitava Kumar Authored New Book Titled “The Blue Book: A Writer’s Journal”
Indian poet and writer Amitava Kumar authored a new book titled “The Blue Book: A Writer’s
Journal”, a memory book with hybrid literary and artistic parentage. This painted diary is a collage of the
personal and the political, of terrifying news, the fleeting seasons, everyday pleasures, precious
conversations, families and friendships and the solace of art.
• The book is published by HarperCollins India is the artistic response of the author to the present
world.
• He has authored several books of non-fiction and 3 novels, which includes A Foreigner Carrying
in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb; A Matter of Rats; A Time Outside This Time: A Novel.
Labour Ministry Launches e-Book of NCS Project; Bhupendra Yadav releases Book titled
‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’
Dr Shashank Goel, Additional Secretary/Director General of Employment, Ministry of Labour and
Employment(MoLE) launched an e-Book touching upon the journey of National Career Service (NCS) at
Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
• The e-book was launched during the Iconic Week celebration held from 7th to 13th March 2022
as a part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
• The e-book provides a glimpse of major achievements and success stories of the NCS portal since
its inception in 2015.
About National Career Service (NCS):
i.National Career Service (NCS) is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment
implemented as a Mission Mode Project for the transformation of the National Employment Service to
provide a variety of employment-related services like job matching, career counselling, vocational
guidance, information on skill development courses, internships etc.
ii.3 aspects of NCS are,
• NCS portal – One Stop destination for Relevant Job.
• Career Centers – Hubs of career-related services.
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• Call Center – Toll-free number for queries (1800-425-1514).

NCS portal:
i.The NCS portal was launched by Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi on 20th July 2015 to provide
employment-related services digitally
ii.The scope of the portal is expanding to provide more and more services to the youth.
Key Points:
Under the NCS project, more than 94 lakh vacancies have been mobilised on the NCS Portal and more than
2 lakh Jobseekers have got jobs through job fairs organised under the NCS Project.
Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav Releases Book Titled ‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’
Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Labour and Employment, released a book titled “Role of Labour in
India’s Development” in New Delhi, Delhi. The book is published by the V V Giri National Labour
Institute(VVGNLI), an autonomous body of the MoLE, as a part of the ‘Iconic Week’ of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav’.
• The book features 12 articles written by eminent academicians and practitioners on the
contribution of labour in the development journey of India.
Parshottam Rupala Released Book ‘Pastoral Breeds of India’

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala released a book
titled ‘Pastoral Breeds of India’ upon addressing the Saurashtra Maldhari Sammelan, organised by
Sahjeevan (Centre for Pastoralism), at Upleta in Rajkot district of Gujarat.
Theme of the Sammelan: “Fostering Pastoralism in Saurashtra- Conservation and its Sustenance”.
• The book was compiled by Sahjeevan andan “APEKSHA (Expectations) PATRA” shared by a group
of Maldharis from Saurashtra & Kutch at the event.
• The event deliberated upon the conservation of threatened breeds of livestock, particularly the
Halari breed of donkey, which is one of the important livestock in the semi-arid landscape of
Saurashtra’s Jamnagar and Dwarka districts in the state of Gujarat.
About Halari Donkey:
i.The Bharwad and Rabari pastoralists are the main communities that use the Halari donkey as a pack
animal to carry luggage while migrating to other districts. The Kumbhar (potter) community also uses this
animal for pottery work in Dwarka in the Jamnagar region.
ii.This donkey breed is now in a threatened state and requires immediate action towards conservation to
prevent population decline.
iii. A recent survey conducted in 2021-22 revealed that only 439 individuals are currently present,
compared to a 2015 survey on Halari Donkey and its keepers, which revealed that 1200 individuals of the
breed were present.
E-Book On Land Governance Reforms Released by MoRD Minister Giriraj Singh

Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh has released an e-book on Land
Governance Reforms titled “Empowering Citizens-Powering India”.
• The book highlights information related to
Unique Land Parcel Identification Number
(ULPIN), National Generic Document
Registration System (NGDRS) and
Multilingual Land Records – to break the
linguistic barrier in land records.
i.In an attempt to advertise the digitization of land
records, an exclusive multilingual software for land
records will be launched in April 2022 by the
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Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development.

ii.This platform will enable the people of India to get their land records in their regional/mother language.
The land records will be available in 22 languages (Schedule VIII languages of the Indian Constitution).
Similar Initiatives by the Government of India (GoI):
i.GoI is keen on digitization of land records through its scheme Digital India Land Record Modernization
Programme (DILRMP).
ii.According to the Department of Land Records, over 90 per cent of land records have been digitized
across 24 states.
iii. National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) – ‘One Nation One Software’ an
indigenous software for registration of documents & properties to ‘empower citizens’ developed by the
National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• State NGDRS has been successfully implemented in 13 states so far, which has benefitted 22 crore
people.
• The benefits of NGDRS include reduced land disputes, a check on fraudulent transactions, SMS
and email alerts related to property transactions, and external system integrations can be
provided as needed (e.g., e-Sign, e-KYC, Payment Gateways, PAN Verification, ROR to fetch party
names for data standardisation).
iv. Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN)
• ULPIN is a 14 digits Alpha–numeric unique ID for each land parcel, which is similar to the
Aadhaar number of an individual to prevent fraudulent and benami property transactions.
Gita Piramal Authored Biography of Rahul Bajaj Titled “Rahul Bajaj: An Extraordinary Life”
The first authorized biography titled “Rahul Bajaj: An Extraordinary Life”, authored by Gita
Piramal and published by India Portfolio,
Imprint of Penguin Random House India(PRHI)
will be launched on 21 March 2022.
About the book:
i.The book is based on the life of the late iconic
industrialist Rahul Bajaj.
ii.It highlights his life’s journey, struggle and
challenges in becoming one of the most well
regarded business personalities in the world
About Rahul Bajaj:
i.Rahul Bajaj, born on June 10, 1938.
ii.Rahul Bajaj was the chairman emeritus of the Bajaj Group and a former member of Parliament. He was
awarded the Padma Bhushan.
iii.He is also a former chairman and member of the International Business Council, World Economic
Forum.
iv.He is a former member of the South Asia advisory board of Harvard Business School and a former
member of the International Advisory Council of the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.
Popular books of Gita Piramal:
• “Business Maharajas”
• “Business Legends”.
‘Monsoon’ – A book-length poem of Abhay K published by Sahitya Akademi

Sahitya Akademi has published a book-length poem titled “Monsoon”- A Poem of Love & Longing,
written by Indian Poet-Diplomat Abhay Kumar (pen name Abhay K) in the event of its 68th
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Anniversary on March 12, 2022.

Monsoon is a poem of 150 stanzas of 4 lines each
(quatrain or ruba’i) written in free verse.
• In this poem, the monsoon, which travels
by invoking the rich flora and fauna,
languages, cuisine, music, monuments,
landscapes, traditions, myths, and
legends of the places, acts as a messenger
for the poet, carrying a message from
Madagascar to his beloved in Srinagar in
the Himalayas.
• Monsoon originates in Mascarene High near Madagascar in April and travels across the Indian
Ocean and the Indian subcontinent to reach the high Himalayas in June every year before
retreating again to Madagascar after September.
About the author Abhay Kumar:
i.He is an Indian Poet-Diplomat and India’s 21st Ambassador to Madagascar and Ambassador to Comoros.
ii.He was honoured with the SAARC Literary Award 2013 for his contribution to contemporary South
Asian Poetry.
iii. His poem Earth Anthem has been termed by UNESCO as a creative and inspiring thought that would
contribute to bringing the world together, which is translated into 150 languages.
iv.He has also written a SAARC Song and a Moon Anthem.
About Sahitya Akademi:
i.It is India’s National Academy of Letters, set up by the Government of India and was registered as a
society on 7 January 1956, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. Other than the 22 languages
enumerated in the Constitution of India, the Sahitya Akademi has recognized English and Rajasthan as
languages for literary activities (totally 24 languages).
President – Dr. Chandrashekhar Kambar
Head Office – Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi
Book on PM Modi Titled ‘Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery’ To Be Released

A new book based on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled ‘Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery’,
will be released on April 2022. The book is a
compilation of chapters authored by eminent
intellectuals & domain experts, edited & compiled
by BlueKraft Digital Foundation.The book was
published by Rupa Publications.
About the Book:
i.It highlights the political life of PM Narendra
Modi’s past 20 years, ranging from his tenure as
Gujarat Chief Minister (CM) to PM of India.
ii.The book is divided in five sections titled ‘People First’, ‘Politics of Unity and Development’, ‘Jan Dhan: An
Economy for Everyone’, ‘A New Paradigm in Governance’ and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: India and the
World’.
iii.The contributed experts and famous personalities includes Sudha Murty, Sadhguru, Nandan Nilekani,
Home Minister Amit Shah, late Lata Mangeshkar, Ajit Doval, Uday Kotak, Anupam Kher, PV Sindhu and
Nripendra Mishra.
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About Narendra Modi:

i.He served as the CM of Gujarat for more than 12 years over four terms (2001-2014).
ii.He is the current Prime Minister of India since 2014.
Awards:
• Seoul Peace Prize (2018)
• Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen (2019)- Maldives’ highest honour
Manjeet Mann’s children’s book ‘The Crossing’ Shortlisted for Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022
The Indian origin author Manjeet Mann’s book titled ‘The Crossing’ was shortlisted for the United
Kingdom’s (UK) Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022.
Highlights of the book:
i.‘The Crossing’ is a children’s book, which is a
story of a little girl’s friendship with an Eritrean
refugee.
ii.The book also won the 2022 Costa Children’s
Book Award.
iii.The book was published by Penguin UK in
2021.
About Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022:
i.The Medal recognises outstanding reading experiences created through writing and illustration in books
for children and young people.
• It is the longest running and best-loved children’s book awards of the UK.
• The Yoto Carnegie Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in
English for children and young people.
The other seven books on the 2022 shortlist include:
• ‘October, October’ by Katya Balen, ‘Guard Your Heart’ by Sue Divin, ‘When the Sky Falls’ by Phil
Earle, ‘Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town’ by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, ‘Tsunami Girl’ by Julian
Sedgwick, ‘Cane Warriors’ by Alex Wheatle, ‘Punching the Air’ by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam.
About Manjeet Mann:
i.She is an Indian origin author, actress, playwright and screenwriter.
ii.Popular books of the author:Debut Novel- ‘Run, Rebel’ was also shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal
earlier, ‘Small’s Big Dream’
Padma Awardee Dr Tehemton Erach Udwadia’s New Book Titled “More than Just Surgery:
Life Lessons Beyond the OT”
Padma Awardee Dr Tehemton Erach Udwadia has authored a new book titled “More than Just Surgery:
Life Lessons Beyond the OT”, a personal account of
people, incidents, mentors, failures and absurdities
against the backdrop of surgery.
The book is published by Penguin eBury Press,
imprint of Penguin Random House India(PRHI).
• The book maps the journey of Dr Tehemton
Erach Udwadia from his student years
through residency, research, surgical
practice and surgical teaching as a means of
sharing the lessons he learnt.
• The book also includes the historical accounts through the eyes of someone who lived through
this.
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About Dr Tehemton Erach Udwadia:

i.Dr Tehemton Erach Udwadia, who hails from Mumbai, is a general and gastrointestinal surgeon.
ii.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.
iii.He is widely known as the ‘Father of laparoscopy in India’.
Awards & honours:
i.In 2000, the Medical Council of India honoured him with the Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian
award in the medical category.
ii.The government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2006 for Medicine and Padma
Bhushan in 2017 for Medicine.
iii.He also received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II in 2006.
Books & Papers: He has published around 90 articles in peer reviewed journals and authored 2 books:
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy and Laparoscopic Surgery in Developing Countries.
“Wrist Assured: An Autobiography” by Former Indian Cricket Captain Gundappa

Vishwanath; co-authored by journalist R Kaushik
Former Indian cricket captain Gundappa Ranganatha Vishwanath (Gundappa Vishwanath or G.R.
Vishwanath) has penned his autobiography titled “Wrist Assured: An Autobiography”, co-authored by
senior journalist R Kaushik. The book traces the cricketing journey of Gundappa Vishwanath who played
Test Cricket for India between 1969 and 1986, making 91 appearances and score more than 6000 runs.
• The book is published by Rupa Publication India Pvt. Ltd.
• 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.
• Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI)’s President Sourav Ganguly was also present during
the release.
Home Minister Amit Shah Unveils the book titled “The Shield: Covishield”, Chronicling
Journey of SII in producing Covishield
Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the coffee table book titled “The Shield: Covishield” authored
by Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India(SII).
Adar C Poonawalla, the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of SII was also present during the launch.
• The book encapsulates the journey of SII, world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, in producing
COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’.
• The book aims to introduce readers to the chronological journey of the Covishield vaccine from
lab to people.
Key Points:
i.The Covishield was developed by SII in collaboration with Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
ii.According to the data of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW), more than 150 crore doses
of Covishield have been administered in India so far.
iii.In line with India’s philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), the Covishield has
been supplied to more than 79 countries.
iv.The author dedicated the book to the efforts of Team Government of India, Team Serum Institute of
India, scientists, frontline healthcare and frontline workers who contributed to the launch of world’s
largest vaccination drive on 16th January 2020.
About Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SII):
Chairman and Managing Director– Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla
CEO– Adar C. Poonawalla
Headquarters– Pune, Maharashtra
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Richa Mishra Authored a New Book Titled “Unfilled Barrels: India’s oil story”
Indian journalist and reporter (Hindu Busiuness line) Richa Mishra has authored a new book
titled “Unfilled Barrels: India’s oil story”. The book is published by Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt.
Ltd(Bloomsbury).
• Through this book, the author aims to recount the story of India’s upstream sector (Oil and Gas)
and highlight the need of producing own oil and gas.
Dalai Lama & Archbishop Desmond Tutu Authored Children’s Book ‘ The Little Book of Joy’
A picture book edition co-authored by Nobel Peace Prize winners Dalai Lama (14th Dalai Lama(Tenzin
Gyatso)) & Archbishop Desmond Tutu, titled “The Little Book of Joy ” will be released in September
2022. It will be published by Random House Children’s Book.
i.In 2016, they also co-authored the book titled “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing
World”, which became a bestseller & sold more than 1 million copies and translated into more than 40
languages.
About the book:
i.The illustrations provided by artist Rafael López and Rachel Neumann & Douglas Abrams collaborated on
the text.
ii.This book focuses on the meaning of true happiness, which is not in the materialistic world but lies in the
nature of human beings.
About 14th Dalai Lama:
The 14th and current Dalai Lama’s name is Tenzin Gyatso. He lives as a refugee in Himachal
Pradesh,India. He got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He was born on 6 July 1935, Taktser, Tibet (now
People’s Republic of China).
Other prominent awards–
• Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize
• International Freedom Conductor Award
• Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership
About Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
He was born in South Africa and known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He got
Nobel Peace Prize in 1984
Other Prominent awards:
• Gandhi Peace Prize
• Sydney Peace Prize
IMD Launches Climate Hazards E-book & Vulnerability E-atlas on World Meteorological
Day
On 23 March 2022, An e-book titled “Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Atlas of India- State: Tamil
Nadu” launched by India Meteorological Department (IMD) as part of the World Meteorological
Day celebrations.
• The readers can access the book from the website of mausam.imd.gov.in
About the book:
i.The vulnerability e-atlas is provided on the official website of IMD. The e-atlas would help disaster
management agencies take preventive steps
ii.The ebook highlights the challenges faced in the hydrological modeling in urbanized river basins for the
forecasting of floods.
About India Meteorological Department (IMD):
It works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). It is the principal agency responsible for
meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology.
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Headquarters-New Delhi, Delhi

Founded- 1875
Director General of Meteorology (DGM)-Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra
Points to remember-
• World Meteorological Day is celebrated on 23rd March every year.
VP M. Venkaiah Naidu releases Book Titled ‘Spoorthi Pradatha Sri Somayya’ on late Shri
Somepalli Somaiah
The Vice President (VP), M. Venkaiah Naidu, released a book titled ‘Spoorthi Pradatha Sri
Somayya’ authored by K. Syam Prasad.
• The book is based on the life story of
late Shri Somepalli Somaiah, a social
worker from Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• He inspired youth to dedicate their lives
to social welfare.
About Shri Somepalli Sambaiah:
i.Somepalli somaiah was born in 1927 in “Parlamili”
village of Prakasham district.
ii.He dedicated his life to reform and betterment of
the society for 50 years.
• He had immensely contributed to relief and reconstruction projects for the cyclone victims in
Andhra Pradesh.
iii.He participated in the Satyagraha of 1948 and against the ban on RSS (Rashtriya Seva Sangh) and was
jailed for the same.
NITI Aayog & FAO Launch Book Titled Indian Agriculture towards 2030
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW), Narendra Singh Tomar released a
book titled ‘’Indian Agriculture towards 2030: Pathways for Enhancing Farmers’ Income, Nutritional
Security and Sustainable Food and Farm Systems’’ at the event. It is published by Springer Publications.
• The event was organized
by NITI Aayog (National Institution for
Transforming India) and the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the
United Nations.
• The book was edited by Ramesh Chand,
Pramod Joshi and Shyam Khadka.
About the book:
i.The book highlights the outcomes of the process of
a national dialogue by NITI Aayog and the MoA&FW, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and
Dairying, facilitated by FAO since 2019.
ii.The book also emphasized the unprecedented challenges faced by agriculture at a global and national
level.
Indian Agriculture towards 2030-Themes:
• Transforming Indian Agriculture
• Structural Reforms and Governance
• Dietary Diversity, Nutrition and Food Safety
• Managing Climate Risks in Agriculture
• Science, Technology and Innovation
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• Symbiosis of Water and Agricultural Transformation in India

• Pests, Pandemics, Preparedness and Biosecurity
• Transformative Agroecology-Based Alternatives for a Sustainable and Biodiverse Future
About NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India):
Formed-1 January 2015
CEO-Amitabh Kant
IMPORTANT DAYS
World NGO Day 2022 – February 27
World Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Day is annually observed across the globe on 27th
February. World NGO Day is dedicated to recognise, celebrate, and honour all non-governmental and
nonprofit organizations that contribute to society. 27th February 2022 marks the observance of
the 9th edition of World NGO Day.
The universal concept of World NGO Day is to ‘Celebrate, Commemorate and Collaborate’ the NGOs
across the globe.
Background:
i.The World NGO Day was initiated by Marcis Liors Skadmanis, a United Kingdom (UK)-based social
entrepreneur, in 2009.
ii.In 2010, World NGO Day was proposed by the Civil Alliance – Latvia at the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum of
the Council of the Baltic Sea States(CBSS).
iii.It was recognised on 17th April 2010 by the 12 countries of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum in Vilnius,
Lithuania.
iv.Baltic Sea NGO Forum Committee commemorated World NGO Day on 23rd April 2012 during the X
Baltic Sea NGO Forum at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.
• The first World NGO Day was observed on 27th February 2014 by the United Nations(UN),
European Union(EU), Nordic Council leaders and international organizations.
• The inaugural event was hosted by the Ministry for Foreign affairs of Finland in Helsinki, Finland.
Note:
The Member countries of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum are Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany,
Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Norway and Sweden.
What is NGO?
Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) also referred to as Non-Profit Organisation (NPO), Civil Society
Organisation (CSO), Charitable organisations, are non-profit, citizen-based groups that function without
any interventions from the government.
• The term “Non-Governmental Organization” was created in Article 71 of the Charter of the newly
formed United Nations in 1945.
• An NGO can be any kind of organization provided that it is independent of government influence
and is not-for-profit.
Council of the Baltic Sea States(CBSS):
The Council of the Baltic Sea States(CBSS) is an intergovernmental organisation guided by its 11 Member
States and the European Union.
Member States of the CBSS: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway,
Poland, Russia, Sweden and the European Union.
2021-2022 Presidency of the CBSS – Norway.
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3rd National Protein Day – 27th February 2022

National Protein Day is annually observed across India on 27th February to create public awareness and
educate India about the health benefits of protein.
The 27th February 2022 marks the observance
of the 3rd National Protein Day in India.
• The theme of National Protein Day
2022 is “Food Futurism”.
Significance:
The 2022 theme aims to recognise and
understand the basics of food science, debunk
myths detrimental to food sufficiency and
highlight the importance of achieving a protein
sufficient future.
Background:
i.The National Protein Day in India was launched by ‘Right to Protein’, a National Public Health Campaign
of India to create awareness about the importance of proteins in an Indian diet.
ii.The first ever National Protein Day was observed on 27th February 2020.
Note:
Globally several countries recognise the 27th February as National Protein Day.
Key Points:
i.According to a 2015 report by the Indian Market Research Bureau(IMRB) titled “The protein
consumption in the diet of adult Indians” suggested that protein deficiency in Indians is more than 80%.
ii.The National Sample Survey 2011-12 indicated a decline in the per capita protein consumption in both
urban (4 %) and rural (11 %) areas.
iii.Right to Protein’s Protein Paradox Study states that around 95% of Indian mothers know of protein as a
macro-nutrient but only 3% really understand its important functions and consume it.
National Science Day 2022 – February 28

The National Science Day (NSD) is annually observed across India on 28th February to commemorate the
day (28th February 1928) on which Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman) discovered
the Raman effect.
• He won the Nobel Prize in Physics (1930) for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery
of the effect named after him, ‘The Raman effect’.
The National Science Week is celebrated from 22nd to 28th February 2022.
The theme of NSD 2022 is “Integrated Approach in Science and Technology for Sustainable
Future”.
• The NSD is observed across India with theme-based science communication activities.
• The theme aims to raise public appreciation of scientific issues.
Background:
i.In 1986, the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) proposed to proclaim
the 28th February of every year as the National Science Day and the Government of India designated 28
February of every year as National Science Day (NSD).
ii.The first National Science Day was observed on 28th February 1987.
• The Department of Science and Technology (DST), under the Ministry of Science and Technology,
acts as a nodal agency to support, catalyze and coordinate the celebration of the NSD across
India.
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Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate

Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State(MoS)(Independent charge) Science & Technology, and G Kishan
Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture, jointly inaugurated the Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate (means
science & technology is revered all over), a pan-India program to celebrate the essence and magnificence of
our scientific achievements.
• Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate is a week-long celebration held from 22nd to 28th February 2022 from
75 locations in India, coordinated by Vigyan Prasar, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture,
Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) and other Ministries of the Government of India.
• The valedictory function of the Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate coincides with the National Science Day
2022(28th February).
Additional Info:
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh also announced the creation of a Unified Science Media Centre, which will
cut across all the departments to present the recent developments on science and technology.
• Vigyan Prasar, the Neutral nodal agency for science communication will be given this charge.
• The unified media centre will be catering to all kinds of media including print, electronic, social
and digital media.
Awards:
The National Awards for Science Popularization and SERB Women Excellence Award are annually
presented on the occasion of the National Science Day.
National Awards for Science Popularization:
The National Awards for Science Popularization was instituted by the DST to stimulate, encourage and
recognize outstanding efforts in the area of science and technology communication.
SERB Women Excellence Award:
SERB Women Excellence Award was launched by the Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), a
statutory body of the DST supporting basic research in frontier areas of science and engineering.
• The award recognises women scientists below 40 years of age who have received recognition
from any one or more of the National Academies such as the Young Scientist Medal, Young
Associateship.
AWSAR Awards 2021:
Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) award is an initiative of DST to recognize the
dissemination of Indian research in Science, Technology & Innovation being pursued by PhD Scholars and
Post-Doctoral Fellows in popular science writing format.
Click here for the winners of AWSAR Award 2021
About Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman):
i.Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman) was born on 7th November 1888 in Tiruchirappalli,
Tamil Nadu.
ii.He also founded the Indian Journal of Physics in 1926 and served as its Editor.
iii.He also sponsored the establishment of the Indian Academy of Sciences and has served as President
since its inception
Awards & Honours:
i.He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1924 and he was knighted by the Colonial Government in
1929.
ii.The government of India honoured him with Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour of India in 1954.
iii.He also received the Lenin Peace Prize in Kremlin.
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Rare Disease Day 2022 – February 28

Rare Disease Day is annually observed across the globe on the last day of February (either 28th
February or 29th February in case of leap year) to create awareness about rare diseases and ensure
access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases.
28th February 2022 marks the observance of the 15th edition of Rare Disease Day
• The theme of Rare Disease Day 2022 is “Share Your Colours!”.
Objective:
To achieve equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, health and social care and social opportunity for
people affected by a rare disease.
Background:
i.Rare Disease Day was launched by European Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS) and its Council
of National Alliances in 2008.
ii.The first European Rare Disease Day was observed on 29th February 2008.
iii.Following the success of 2008, Rare Disease Day 2009 was celebrated in several countries across the
globe.
• February 29, the rarest date which occurs once in 4 years, was chosen for the observance of Rare
Disease Day.
EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe is a unique, non-profit alliance of 988 rare disease patient organisations
from 74 countries that work together to improve the lives of the 30 million people living with a rare
disease in Europe.
Events:
Monuments, offices, schools and homes are lit up in the Rare Disease Day colours – green, blue, purple and
pink, to raise awareness for the 300 million people living with a rare disease and their families.
What are Rare Diseases?
i.A disease or disorder is defined as rare when it affects fewer than 1 in 2000 people and there are more
than 6000 rare diseases.
ii.“Orphan drugs” are medicinal products that are intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of
life-threatening or very serious diseases or disorders that are rare.
India’s Policies on Rare Diseases:
i.In 2021, then Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan approved the “National Policy for Rare Diseases
2021” which aims to lower the high cost of treatment for rare diseases with an increased focus on
indigenous research.
ii.In 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) formulated the National Policy for
Treatment of Rare Diseases (NPTRD) that aims at lowering the incidence and prevalence of rare diseases
based on an integrated and comprehensive preventive strategy encompassing awareness generation,
premarital, post-marital, pre-conception and post-conception screening and counselling programmes to
prevent births of children with rare diseases.
Zero Discrimination Day 2022 – March 1

Zero Discrimination Day is annually observed across the globe on 1st March to celebrate the right of
everyone to live a full and productive life and to live with dignity and free from discrimination.
The day is annually celebrated by the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations
• The symbol of Zero Discrimination Day is a “Butterfly”, which is widely recognized as a sign of
transformation.
• The theme of Zero Discrimination Day 2022 is “Remove laws that harm, create laws that
empower”.
Aim:
To promote equality before the law and in practice throughout all of the member countries of the UN.
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Significance:
The day marks the importance of living life with dignity regardless of income, sex, age, health status,
occupation, disability, sexual orientation, drug use, gender identity race, class, ethnicity and religion.
Background:
i.On 1st December 2013 (World AIDS Day), the UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV
(Human Immunodeficiency Virus)/Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and Nobel Peace Prize
Winner and UNAIDS Global Advocate for Zero Discrimination Aung San Suu Kyi launched the
#zerodiscrimination campaign calling for a global transformation.
ii.On 27th February 2014, then Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, launched the Zero
Discrimination Day at an event in Beijing, China.
• The first Zero Discrimination Day was observed across the globe on 1st March 2014.
Zero Discrimination Day 2022:
i.On the occasion of Zero Discrimination Day 2022, UNAIDS highlights the need to take action against
discriminatory laws, that result in people being treated differently, excluded from essential services or
being subject to undue restrictions on how they live their lives.
ii.World Health Organisation(WHO) highlights the right of all people to live healthy, full and productive
lives with dignity regardless of their HIV, viral hepatitis or sexually transmitted infections status.
About Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS):
Executive Director– Winnie Byanyima
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
World Civil Defence Day 2022 – March 1

World Civil Defence Day is annually observed across the globe on 1st March to honour the significance of
Civil Defence and the personnel who have sacrificed their lives for it.
The theme of World Civil Defence Day 2022 is
“Civil defence and management of displaced populations in face of disasters and crises; role of
volunteers and the fight against pandemics”.
Purpose of the Day:
To promote public awareness about civil defence, civil protection and emergency management in order to
better prepare the civilian population to protect itself in the event of an emergency and to reduce the risk
of disaster.
Background:
i.Civil Defence Day was officially inaugurated by the International Civil Defence Organisation in 2012
ii.March 1st was chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the day on which the constitution of the
International Civil Defence Organisation(ICDO) came into force.
ii.The Constitution of the ICDO was adopted on 17 October 1966, came into force on 1st March 1972. It
attributes the status of intergovernmental organization to the ICDO (United Nations, Treaty Series, volume
985, registration No. 14376).
History of ICDO:
i.In 1931, Surgeon-General Georges Saint-Paul established the “Association des Lieux de Genève” in Paris,
France.
ii.After numerous Name Change, in 1958 the organization was finally named as International Civil Defence
Organisation (ICDO) and was given the new status as a non-governmental organisation and later in 1972
ICDO was given the status of an International Organisation (IO).
Objective:
• Contribute to the development by States of structures ensuring the protection and assistance of
populations.
• Safe-guarding property and the environment in the face of natural and man-made disasters.
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About International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO):

Secretary-General– Njoupouo YAP Mariatou
Members– Member States (60); Observer States (16); Affiliated Members (23)
46th Civil Accounts Day – 2nd March 2022

The Civil Accounts Day is annually celebrated across India by the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS), one
of the Civil Services of India under the Department of Expenditure.
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (Chief Guest) addressed the 46th Civil Accounts Day
celebration held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, Janpath, New Delhi, Delhi.
• Along with ICAS, the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), under the Department of Expenditure,
Ministry of Finance, the Government of India celebrated the 46th Civil Accounts Day on 2nd
March 2022.
Note: 45th Civil Accounts Day was celebrated on 1 March 2021.
Highlights of the event:
Amitabh Kant, chief executive officer (CEO), NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)
addressed the technical session on “Reforms in Public Financial Management” and Sanjay Aggarwal,
Advisor, Procurement Policy Division, Ministry of Finance made a presentation on “General Guidelines on
Procurement and Project Management”.
Launch of E-Bill Processing System:
On the occasion of the 46th Civil Accounts Day (2nd March 2022), Union Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman launched a major e-governance initiative ‘the Electronic Bill (e-Bill) processing system’ as
part of the ‘Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and Digital India eco-system’
• The system was developed by the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) Division in the
office of the CGA.
• The bills will be processed by First-In-First-Out (FIFO) method.
Key Points:
i.According to the 2022-2023 Budget announcement, the e- Bill system will be implemented across all
Central Ministries and Departments.
ii.This system will enhance transparency, efficiency and a faceless- paperless payment system.
iii.Under this system, Suppliers and contractors will be able to submit their claims online which can be
tracked on a real-time basis.
Objective of the System:
• Provide convenience to all vendors/suppliers of the government to submit their bills/claims at
anytime, from anywhere.
• Eliminate physical interface between suppliers and government officers.
• Enhance efficiency in processing of bills/claims.
• Reduce discretion in processing of bills through FIFO method.
Additional info:
i.Initially, the system will be rolled out in the 9 Pay and Accounting Units of 9 Ministries/Departments
which includes, Ministry of Food Processing Industry, New and Renewable Energy, Home Affairs, Steel and
Electronics and Information Technology.
ii.The e-Bill system will be rolled out in other Ministries/Departments in a phased manner in 2022-23
Short Film:
A short film on the CGA organisation showcasing the citizen-centric initiatives of the Civil Accounts
Organisation like various payment modes initiated in Government, reforms initiated recently and use of
the latest technology in the development and management of PFMS (Public Financial Management System)
was screened.
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• PFMS is a unified IT platform through which Government Payments including all (Direct Benefit
Transfer) DBTs, non-tax receipts and accounting functions are performed.
Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS):
Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) is a professional accounting organization that aims to strengthen
governance through excellence in public financial management.
The Departmentalisation of Union Accounts (Transfer of Personnel) Act, 1976 was enacted on 8th April
1976 and the act came into force with effect from 1st March 1976.
About Ministry of Finance:
Union Minister– Nirmala Sitharaman (RajyaSabha- Karnataka)
Minister of State– Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad (Rajya sabha- Maharashtra); Pankaj Chaudhary
(Constituency- Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh)
Controller General of Accounts– Deepak Das
Office of CGA– New Delhi, Delhi
Head of Organization of CGA- Sonali Singh
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights celebrates its 17th Foundation Day at
Red Fort, Delhi
On March 1, 2022, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) celebrated its
17th Foundation Day at 15th August Ground at Red Fort, New Delhi (Delhi).
The chief guest of the event was Union
Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Ministry of Women
and Child Development (WCD).
• She launched the new motto of
NCPCR ‘भिव�ो र�ित रि�त:’ which
encourage protecting the future i.e. our
children, for in their welfare lies the
foundation of a strong Nation.
Key Points:
i.During the event, she visited the exhibition based on stories of freedom fighters during their childhood. It
was organised by Border Security Forces (BSF) in collaboration with NCPCR.
ii.A special initiative ‘SAHARA’ by NCPCR and BSF received compliments from WCD Minister. It is an
initiative to provide psycho-social counselling & support to children of BSF jawans who made the supreme
sacrifice.
• SAHARA is an acronym for Supportive Action with Holistic Approach to build Resilience among
the children of Armed Police Force Personnel.
iii.She also interacted with the children from different States.
iv.NCPCR is a statutory body under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005 &
Commenced operation in 2007 and is under the administrative control of WCD Ministry.
• The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group.
Other Participants:
Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of NCPCR; and Indevar Pandey, Secretary, WCD, among others
Polio National Immunization Day 2022 – February 27

The Polio National Immunization Day 2022 (NID) was organised across India on 27th February
2022. Annually India conducts one nationwide NID and 2 Sub-National Immunization Day (SNIDs) for
polio with an aim to maintain the population immunity against wild poliovirus and to sustain its polio-free
status.
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• During the Polio NID, more than 15 crore children were covered across the 36 States and union
territories(UTs) in 735 districts.
On 26th February 2022, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched
the National Polio Immunization Drive for 2022 and administered polio drops to children below five
years of age.
World Wildlife Day (WWD) 2022 – March 3

The United Nations(UN)’s World Wildlife Day (WWD) is annually observed across the globe on 3rd
March to celebrate and create awareness about the importance of wild fauna and flora.
The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES), in collaboration with other relevant UN organizations, facilitates the implementation of World
Wildlife Day.
The theme of World Wildlife Day 2022 is “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”.
• The 2022 theme highlights the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered
species of wild animals and plants and drives discussions towards solutions to conserve them.
• This is in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 12, 13, 14 and 15.
Background:
i.In 2013, Resolution Conf. 16.1 adopted during the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP
16), held in Bangkok, Thailand, declared the 3rd March of every year, the date of adoption of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973,
as World Wildlife Day.
ii.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) (During the 68th session) adopted the resolution
A/C.2/68/L.48 on 20th December 2013 and proclaimed the 3rd March of every year as World Wildlife
Day.
iii.The first World Wildlife Day was observed on 3rd March 2014.
CITES:
i.The CITES resolution was sponsored by the Kingdom of Thailand.
CITES plays a major role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the survival of the species.
• CITES is one of the world’s most powerful tools for biodiversity conservation through the
regulation of trade in wild fauna and flora.
• Members- 184 states
Significance:
i.The 2022 World Wildlife Day focuses on the need to reverse the fate of the most critically endangered
species, to support the restoration of their habitats and ecosystems and to promote their sustainable use
by humanity.
ii.World Wildlife Day 2022 also highlights the importance of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
(2021-2030).
• More than 8,400 species of wild fauna and flora are critically endangered and around 30,000
more are understood to be endangered or vulnerable. This estimation suggests that more than a
million species are threatened with extinction.
About United Nations(UN):
Secretary-General– António Guterres
Members– 193 Member States
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
Founded in 1945
About United Nations General Assembly (UNGA):
UNGA is the main policy-making organ of the United Nations.
President (76th session)– Abdulla Shahid(Maldives)
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World Hearing Day 2022 – March 3

World Hearing Day is annually observed across the globe on 3rd March to raise awareness on the
prevention of deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world.
The theme of World Hearing Day 2022 is “To hear for life, listen with care”.
• Annually, The World Health Organization(WHO) decides the theme and develops evidence-based
advocacy materials for World Hearing Day.
Background:
i.‘Beijing Declaration’ adopted during the 1st International Conference on Prevention and Rehabilitation of
Hearing Impairment held in Beijing, China in 2007, recommended establishing “International Ear Care
Day,” for promoting global actions on hearing care.
ii.The conference was jointly hosted by the China Rehabilitation Research Centre for Deaf Children
(CRRCDC), Beijing, China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF), Beijing and WHO.
iii.The International Ear Care Day was first held in 2007.
iv.In 2016, the International Ear Care Day was renamed as “World Hearing Day”.
Launches on World Hearing Day 2022:
i.WHO estimates that around 1 billion people aged 12 to 35 years across the globe are at risk of hearing
loss due to sound exposure in recreational settings. To address this WHO as a part of its Make Listening
Safe initiative, developed the “WHO Global Standard For Safe Listening Venues & Events”.
• This provides a common understanding of safe listening in entertainment venues and events.
• The Standard comprises six “features”, which will allow the audience across the globe to enjoy
amplified music with the protection of their hearing.
• The 6 features are; Sound level limit; Monitoring the sound level; Venue acoustics and Sound
system design; Personal hearing protection; Quiet Zones; Provision of training and information.
ii.WHO has also released ‘mSafeListening handbook’ which provides evidence-based message libraries
for the promotion of safe listening behaviours and prevention of hearing loss.
About World Health Organization(WHO):
Director-General– Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
World Birth Defects Day 2022 – March 3

World Birth Defects Day(WBDD) is annually observed across the world on 3rd March to create awareness
about birth defects and to highlight the importance to improve knowledge, prevention and management of
these conditions.
3rd March 2022 marks the observance of the 7th edition of World Birth Defects Day. The first World
Birth Defects Day was observed on 3rd March 2015 with the support of 12 organizations.
The theme of WBDD 2022 is “Many births defects, one voice”.
Birth Defects:
i.Birth defects are structural or functional anomalies like metabolic disorders which occurs during
intrauterine life and can be identified during pregnancy, at birth, or after birth.
ii.Birth defects are one of the important causes of new-born and childhood deaths, chronic illness and
disability.
iii.It is estimated that globally more than 303000 new-borns die every year, due to birth defects and
around 90000 deaths occur in South-East Asia.
iv.Every year, about 3-6% of infants worldwide are born with a serious birth defect. This means that life-
altering conditions such as spina bifida and congenital heart defects affect millions of babies and families.
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Efforts of WHO:
i.In 2010, following the World Health Assembly(WHA) Resolution on birth defects, the World Health
Organization(WHO) Regional Office of South-East Asia (WHO-SEARO) initiated a holistic initiative on birth
defects in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-USA) in 2011-2012.
ii.WHO has also supported 9 countries of the South Asian region to prepare national plans on birth defects
prevention and control.
World Obesity Day 2022 – March 4

World Obesity Day(WOD) is annually observed across the world on 4th March to promote practical
solutions to end the global obesity crisis. The observance of World Obesity Day is organised by the World
Obesity Federation (World Obesity), a non-profit organisation in collaboration with its global members.
• The message/theme of World Obesity
Day 2022 is ‘Everybody Needs to Act’,
which aims to improve the world’s
understanding, prevention, and
treatment of obesity.
Significance:
The day enables World Obesity to align members
to drive and support obesity-related targets
within the United Nations (UN) system as well as
through the Global Syndemic recommendations of the Lancet Commission on Obesity.
Background:
i.In 2015, the World Obesity Federation established World Obesity Day as an annual campaign and
proclaimed the 11th October of every year as World Obesity Day.
ii.The first ever World Obesity Day was observed on 11th October 2015.
iii.Starting from 2020, the date of World Obesity Day has been changed from 11th October to 4th March.
What is Obesity?
i.Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to
health. A Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.
ii.The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed
and calories expended.
Key Points:
i.Obesity is anticipated to impact over 100 million children under the age of five and over 150 million
adolescents under the age of 19 by 2030, accounting for roughly one-eighth of all children and adolescents
worldwide (12.91%).
ii.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) data of 2021, worldwide obesity has nearly tripled
since 1975.
iii.From 1975 to 2016, the prevalence of overweight or obese children and adolescents aged 5–19 years
increased more than four-fold from 4% to 18% globally.
National Security Day 2022 – March 4

National Security Day (NSD), also known as Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas, is annually observed across
India on 4th March to pay tribute and show gratitude to the national security forces of India, which
includes the military, para-military, commandos, police officials, guards and those who maintain the peace
and security of India.
About National Security Council (NSC):
i.A six-member National Security Council (NSC) headed by the prime minister was set up by former Prime
Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee in November 1998.
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ii.The council consists of senior officials like the chiefs of the intelligence agencies, the heads of the three
armed forces, and other senior secretaries to the government
National Security Advisor (NSA):
i.Brajesh Mishra was the first National Security Advisor.
ii.Ajit Kumar Doval is serving as the 5th and current National Security Advisor (NSA) to the Prime Minister
of India.
iii.He is the Chairman of the Strategic Policy Group (SPG) of the NSC.
51st National Safety Day – 4th March 2022;51st National Safety Week – 4th to 10th March
2022
National Safety Day(NSD) is annually observed across India on 4th March to create and spread safety
awareness across all sectors. The day also marks the foundation day of the National Safety Council (NSC).
• National Safety Week is annually observed from 4th March to 10th March.
• The year 2022 marks the observance of the 51st National Safety Day/National Safety Week
Campaign.
The theme for the National Safety Day/Week Campaign 2022 is “Nurture Young Minds Develop Safety
Culture”
Aim:
The overall aim of the day is to create and strengthen the Safety Health and Environment (SHE) culture
in the workplace and integrate the same into the work culture.
Background:
The National Safety Day/Safety Week Campaign has been spearheaded by the National Safety Council
since 1971 to mark its Foundation Day (4th March).
History of NSC:
i.In 1962, the 22nd Labour Ministers’ Conference recommended setting up the National Safety Council
(NSC) to promote accident prevention.
ii.The 24th Session of the Standing Labour Committee accepted the proposal for the constitution of the NSC
in February 1966.
iii.The Ministry of Labour, Government of India established the National Safety Council on 4th March
1966.
Objectives of National Safety Day / Week Campaign:
• To take Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) movement to different parts of the country.
• To achieve the participation of major players in different industrial sectors at different levels.
• To promote the use of a participative approach by employers by involving their employees in SHE
activities.
• To promote the development of need-based activities, self-compliance with statutory
requirements and professional SHE management systems at workplaces.
• To bring into the fold of voluntary SHE movement sectors, which have not so far been statutorily
covered.
• To remind employers, employees and others concerned of their responsibility in making the
workplace safer.
About National Safety Council:
Chairman– S.N. Subrahmanyan
Director General– Lalit Gabhane
Headquarters– Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
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4th Jan Aushadhi Diwas – 7th March 2022; Jan Aushadhi Diwas Week – 1-7 March 2022
The Jan Aushadhi Diwas, also known as Generic Medicine Day, is annually observed across India on 7th
March, the last day of the Jan Aushadhi Diwas Week (1st March to 7th March) to create awareness
about the usage of generic medicines and the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana
(PMBJP).
• 7th March 2022 marks the observance of the 4th Jan Aushadhi Diwas.
• Jan Aushadhi Diwas week 2022 was observed from 1st March to 7th March 2022.
The day is celebrated by the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), under the
aegis of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
• The theme of the 4th Janaushadhi Diwas is “Jan Aushadhi-Jan Upyogi”.
Background:
On March 7, 2019, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi declared that the 7th of March would be observed
as Jan Aushadhi Diwas every year.
• The first Jan Aushadhi Diwas was celebrated on 7th March 2019.
Event – Jan Aushadhi Diwas Week:
The day-wise activities organised as a part of the Jan Aushadhi Diwas Week are
• 1st March – Jan Aushadhi Sankalp Padyatra
• 2nd March – Matru Shakti Samman / Swabhiman
• 3rd March – Jan Aushadhi Bal Mitra
• 4th March – Jan Aushadhi Jan Jagran Abhiyan
• 5th March – Aao Jan Aushadhi Mitra Bane
• 6th March – Jan Aushadhi Jan Arogya Mela (Health Checkup camps)
• 7th March – Jan Aushadhi Diwas
What is Generic Medicine?
A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was
originally protected by chemical patents
Generic Medicines are marketed under a non-proprietary or approved name rather than a proprietary or
brand name.
They are equally effective and inexpensive compared to their branded counterpart.
A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was
originally protected by chemical patents.
About Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP):
i.The Jan Aushadhi Scheme was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and
Fertilizers(MoC&F), in November 2008 with the aim of ensuring the availability of quality generic
medicines at affordable prices for all.
ii.The scheme was relaunched as Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana (PMJAY) in September 2015 and
further renamed as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) in December 2016.
iii.The product basket of PMBJP comprises 1451 drugs and 240 surgical items.
Objectives:
• Ensure access to quality medicines for all people, especially the poor and deprived
• Create awareness about generic medicines through education and publicity
• Create employment by engaging individual entrepreneurs in opening PMBJP Kendra.
Target: The government has set a target to increase the number of PMBJKs to 10500 by the end of March
2025.
About Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers(MoC&F):
Union Minister– Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (Rajya Sabha- Gujarat)
Minister of State– Bhagwanth Khuba (Constituency- Bidar, Karnataka)
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International Women’s Day 2022 – March 8

The United Nations (UN)’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is annually observed across the globe
on 8th March to recognise women’s achievements
regardless of divisions, whether national, ethnic,
linguistic, cultural, economic, or political.
• The theme of International Women’s Day
(IWD) 2022 is “Gender equality today
for a sustainable tomorrow”. The theme
calls for climate action for women by
women.
• The theme of the IWD 2022 campaign
is “#BreakTheBias”.
Background:
i.In 1975, the International Women’s Year, the UN celebrated its first official International Women’s Day on
March 8th, 1975.
ii.In December 1977, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution proclaiming a
United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by
the Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.
iii.In 1945, the Charter of the United Nations(link is external) became the first international agreement to
affirm the principle of equality between women and men. The UN celebrated its first official International
Women’s Day on 8 March during International Women’s Year in 1975.
Why March 8?
i.The celebration of women’s day on 8th March is associated with the women’s movements during the
Russian Revolution (1917).
ii.In 1917, women in Russia chose to protest and strike under the slogan “Bread and Peace” on the last
Sunday in February (Julian calendar) which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar.
Key Points:
i.According to the UN, around 70% of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty are women, and in urban
areas, around 40% of the poorest households are headed by women.
ii.Women own less than 10% of the land, yet they predominate the world’s food production (50% to
80%).
iii.Around 80% of the people displaced by climate change and related disasters around the world are
women and girls.
IWD 2022 Observance in India:
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) celebrated International Women’s Day
Week from 1st to 8th March 2022 as an ‘Iconic Week’ as a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
• The MoWCD organised various events and social media campaigns on several themes related to
women’s safety and empowerment.
Highlights of the IWD Week 2022:
March 1: The celebration of the week started in collaboration with the Bureau of Police Research and
Development (BPRD) to raise awareness of the safety and security of women.
The day also marked the 17th National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Foundation
Day.
March 2: Highlighted the role played by One Stop Centres (OSCs) in supporting women in distress.
MoWCD & NIMHANS Bengaluru launched the Stree Manoraksha Project.
March 3: Theme: ‘Women of Tomorrow’.
A panel discussion on topics like Young Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics) – Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions were conducted, followed by #NariShaktiVarta
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Fireside Chat on financial literacy with Smriti Zubin Irani Union Minister of Women and Child
Development.
March 4 – Highlighted the stories of women from tribal areas/ aspirational districts.
• March 4&5 – 2-day National Workshop with State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights
(SCPCRs) on Contemporary issues pertaining to Child Rights, Bhopal.
March 7 – MoWCD, MoE & UNICEF jointly launched the back to school campaign – ‘Kanya Shikhsa Pravesh
Utsav’.
March 8 – International Women’s Day was marked with the Nari Shakti Puraskaar and International
Women’s Day Conference for Women Police Delegates from all States/ Union Territories(UTs).
MoWCD, MoE & UNICEF Partners to Launch Campaign ‘Kanya Shikhsa Pravesh Utsav’
On the eve of International Women’s Day, MoWCD, Ministry of Education(MoE) and United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) partnered and launched the landmark ‘Back to School’ campaign – “Kanya
Shikhsa Pravesh Utsav”, with an aim to bring back out of school adolescent girls in India to the formal
education and/or skilling system.
• The campaign will be rolled out under the umbrella of MoWCD’s Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
initiative by targeting more than 400,000 out of school adolescent girls as primary beneficiaries.
Objective:
To enhance the enrolment and retention of girls between 11-14 years of age in school.
Key Points:
i.This aims to build on the existing schemes and programmes like Schemes for Adolescent Girls (SAG),
BBBP and National Education Policy (NEP) to work on a comprehensive system for out of school girls.
ii.The campaign will be rolled out under the umbrella of MoWCD’s BBBP initiative by targeting more than
400,000 out of school adolescent girls as primary beneficiaries.
iii.Under this campaign, MoWCD and MoE will collaborate to identify the beneficiaries and appropriate
enrolment into formal schooling or vocational training programmes.
President Conferred Nari Shakti Puraskars For The Years 2020 and 2021
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2022, Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, honoured
the Nari Shakti Puruskar awardees for the years 2020 and 2021 at a special ceremony to be held at
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi.
• 28 awards (14 each for the years 2020 and 2021) were presented to the 29 individuals in
recognition of their exceptional work in rendering distinguished services towards the
empowerment of women, especially vulnerable and marginalized women.
Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi interacted with the Nari Shakti Puraskar Awardees for the years 2020
and 2021, at Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi, Delhi.
About Nari Shakti Puruskar:
i.Nari Shakti Puruskar is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development(MoWCD) to
recognise the contribution of individuals and institutions and to celebrate women as game changers and
catalysts of positive change in society.
ii.Winners of 2020 are from the fields like entrepreneurship, agriculture, innovation, social work, arts and
crafts, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), wildlife conservation, etc. and the
winners of 2021 includes linguistics, entrepreneurship, agriculture, social work, arts and crafts, Merchant
Navy, STEM, education and literature, disability rights, etc.
Awardees:
i.Dr Ela Lodh of Tripura was honoured with the 2020 Nari Shakti Puraskar (posthumous) for her
contribution towards women’s health, particularly for the marginalised. She was the founder of the
Hepatitis Foundation of Tripura.
ii.Some of the winners of Nari Shakti Puraskar 2020 & 21 include Radhika Menon, 1st Indian Woman
Captain of Merchant Navy, social entrepreneur Anita Gupta, organic farmer and tribal activist Ushaben
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Dineshbhai Vasava, innovator Nasira Akhter, Intel-India head Nivruti Rai, down syndrome affected Kathak
Dancer Saylee Nandkishor Agavane, first woman snake rescuer Vanita Jagdeo Borade and Neena Gupta,
winner of ‘Ramanujan Prize’ for Young Mathematicians.
Click here for the list of winners of 2020 and 2021
Narayan Rane Minister for MSME Launched a Special Entrepreneurship Promotion Drive for
Women – SAMARTH
Narayan Rane, Union Minister of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises(MSME) and Bhanu Pratap Singh
Verma, Minister of State(MoS) of MSME launched the Special Entrepreneurship Promotion Drive for
Women -“SAMARTH”, implemented by the Ministry of MSME, at New Delhi, Delhi.
• SAMARTH aims to provide opportunities for women to be self-reliant and independent by
undertaking self-employment opportunities.
• Under this initiative, the ministry will provide Skill Development and Market Development
Assistance to women and more than 7500 women candidates from rural and sub-urban areas in
FY 2022-23.
Benefits of SAMARTH:
i.20% Seats in free Skill Development Programs organized under skill development schemes of the
Ministry of MSME(MoMSME) will be allocated for Women. This will benefit more than 7500 women.
ii.20% of MSME Business Delegations sent to domestic & international exhibitions under the schemes for
Marketing Assistance implemented by Ministry will be dedicated to women-owned MSMEs.
iii.20% Discount on annual processing fee on NSIC’s Commercial Schemes Special Drive for registration of
women-owned MSMEs under Udyam Registration.
CISF 53rd Raising Day Ceremony was conducted on 6th March 2022
Every year Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in India
will observe its Raising Day on March 10. This year 2022 CISF conducted its 53rd Raising Day
ceremony on 6th March 2022 and the reason was unknown. The Raising Day is annually observed to
commemorate the service and commitment of the CISF personnel towards protecting the major
installations and integrity of India.
Note: 52nd CISF Raising Day was celebrated on
10th March 2021.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah
addressed the CISF’s 53rd Raising Day
celebration event held at Indirapuram,
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh (UP). He also
inspected the 53rd Raising Day
Parade.
• He also awarded the President’s police
medals for meritorious service. He also released the Force’s magazine ‘Sentinel’-2022.
• CISF is playing a major role in the development of India, by being at the forefront of security at
the space and atomic energy centres, ports, airports and Metro rails.
History of CISF:
i.Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was established under the Central Industrial Security Force Act,
1968 (50 of 1968).
ii.After the approval of the President, the bill became an act on 2 December 1968 and came into force on 10
March 1969.
Significance:
i.It is one of the 6 paramilitary forces in India and it also has a fire wing for fire accidents.
ii.It guards sensitive government buildings, provides consultancy services on security and fire protection
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to government organisations as well as private industries.

iii.It also has a Special Security Group (SSG) wing which provides security to many of the protectees
classified under Z Plus, Z, X, Y categories.
iv.CISF is taking efforts to increase the ratio of women personnel in CISF, which is currently 94:6 to 80:20.
About Central Industrial Security Force (CISF):
CISF functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Director-General– Sheel Vardhan Singh
World Kidney Day 2022 – March 10

World Kidney Day(WKD) is annually observed across the globe on the 2nd Thursday of March to create
awareness about several kidney diseases and to educate about the significance of kidneys in our overall
health.
The day also aims to advance kidney health
education and focuses on preventive
interventions to prevent the onset and
progression of kidney diseases.
World Kidney Day 2022 falls on 10th March
2022.
• World Kidney Day 2021 was observed
on 11th March 2021.
• World Kidney Day 2023 will be observed
on 9th March 2023.
The theme of World Kidney Day 2022 is “Kidney Health for All: Bridge the knowledge gap to better
kidney care”.
Background:
i.The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations
(IFKF) jointly proposed to establish the 2nd Thursday of March every year as World Kidney Day.
ii.World Kidney Day was first launched on 9th March 2006 and the day was fully inaugurated on 8th March
2007.
WKD 2022 – Scientific Editorial:
i.World Kidney Day’s Steering Committee wrote a scientific editorial titled “Kidney Health for All: Bridging
the Gap in Kidney Health Education and Literacy” to increase awareness and to emphasize World Kidney
Day’s message.
ii.The article will be published in various journals, including Kidney International.
Chronic Kidney Disease:
i.Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive loss in kidney function over a period of months or years.
ii.About 85 crore people across the globe have some form of a kidney illness. Based on rough estimates,
about 10 crore people have chronic kidney disease (irreversible kidney failure) in India.
iii.Between 8 and 10% of the adult population have some form of kidney damage, and every year millions
die prematurely of complications related to CKD.
iv.High blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes are the most common causes of kidney disease.
UN’s First-ever Annual International Day of Women Judges – 10th March 2022
The United Nations(UN) celebrates the first-ever annual observance of the International Day of Women
Judges on 10th March 2022.
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Starting from 2022 the 10th March will be annually celebrated across the globe as International Day of
Women Judges to promote the full and equal
participation of women at all levels of the
judiciary.
• The day also celebrates the progress
that has been made and raises
awareness about the challenges ahead.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA)
adopted the resolution A/RES/75/274 on 28
April 2021 and proclaimed the 10th March of
every year as the International Day of Women Judges.
ii.The resolution was drafted by the State of Qatar.
iii.The first-ever International Day of Women Judges was observed on 10th March 2022.
Global Judicial Integrity Network:
On the occasion of the first International Day of Women Judges, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly and
Alma Zadić, Minister of Justice of Austria launched a new “Women in Justice/for Justice” initiative to
promote representation and gender-responsive criminal justice.
The Global Judicial Integrity Network of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) brings
together female judges to learn from each other’s lived experiences and provide a source of solidarity.
Gender Equality & Women Judges:
Gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls – Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 is
one of the crucial steps to achieve progress across all the SDG.
The representation of women in the judiciary is significant to ensure that the legal system is developed
with all of society in mind and it also inspires the next generation of female judges and motivates them to
achieve their goals.
Observance in India:
The Supreme Court of India commemorated the first-ever International Day of Women Judges with special
programmes organised by the Supreme Court Registry.
All the women judges of the constitutional courts and all the women judicial officers from across India
were invited to participate in the programme.
Key People: Justice N. V. Ramana, the Chief Justice of India, Justice Indira Banerjee, Justice Hima Kohli,
Justice B. V. Nagarathna and Justice Bela M. Trivedi, Hon’ble Judges of the Supreme Court will take part in
the event.
First Women Judge of SC:
In 1989, M. Fathima Beevi (from Kerala) became the first female judge in the Supreme Court, a position she
held till her retirement on 29 April 1992.
Key Points:
i.In 2017, around 40% of judges were women, which is around 35% more than in 2008.
ii.In several European countries, there are more women than men professional judges or magistrates;
however, women represent 41 per cent of the judges in national supreme courts and only 25 per cent of
court presidents.
World Glaucoma Day – 12 March 2022 & World Glaucoma Week – 6-12 March 2022
World Glaucoma Day is annually observed across the globe on 12th March to create awareness about
Glaucoma, the one of the most common cause of irreversible blindness.
World Glaucoma Week(WGW), a global initiative of the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and World
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Glaucoma Patient Association is also annually observed to create awareness about Glaucoma.
The week highlights glaucoma as the leading cause of preventable irreversible blindness worldwide.
• WGW 2022 is celebrated from 6th to 12th March 2022.
Theme:
Every year, the World Glaucoma Week adopts a common theme, which is adapted to local conditions, and
yet unifies its efforts.
• The theme of WGW 2022 is “The world is bright, save your sight”.
Aim of Glaucoma Day and Week:
To help eliminate blindness caused by Glaucoma, by raising awareness and alerting the need of having
regular eye check-ups in which the optic nerve is examined.
Glaucoma:
i.Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve.
ii.It is a chronic, progressive, degenerative disorder of the optic nerve that produces characteristic visual
field damage.
iii.It can occur at any age, but it is most common in older adults.
Key Points:
i.It is estimated that around 80 million people have glaucoma worldwide. Approximately 50% of
individuals with glaucoma are unaware that they have the disease.
ii.The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that 4.5 million people are blind due to glaucoma.
iii.In India (2019), glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, with at least 12 million people
affected and nearly 1.2 million people blind from the disease.
World Rotaract Day 2022 – 13th March

World Rotaract Day is annually observed on 13th March to recognise and appreciate the service
provided by the Rotaractors, members of Rotaract Clubs, across the globe (Roctract, meaning rotary in
action).
The day also celebrates the success and importance of the Rotaract program.
• 13th March 2022 marks the observance of the 54th anniversary of the formation of the first
Rotaract club in 1968 in North Carolina, United States of America (USA).
World Rotaract Week 2022:
i.World Rotaract Week is annually observed across the globe during the week of 13 March to honour the
beginning of the first club in 1968.
ii.The World Rotaract Week offers a platform for the Rotarians (Member of Rotary club) and Rotaractors
around the world to celebrate the attainment and importance of the Rotaract program.
• The 2022 World Rotaract Week was observed from 7th to 13th March 2022.
About Rotaract Club:
i.Rotaract clubs bring together people ages 18 and older to exchange ideas with leaders in the community,
develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service.
ii.Rotaract, which was initially a program of Rotary International, later elevated its status to resemble that
of Rotary clubs.
About Rotary Club:
i.Paul Percy Harris, a Chicago attorney, founded the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, which
later became the humanitarian organisation “Rotary International” (RI).
ii.Rotary is made up of three parts: Rotary clubs, Rotary International, and The Rotary Foundation.
iii.“Service Above Self” and “He Profits Most Who Serves Best” are the official mottoes of Rotary.
iv.The Presidential Theme of Rotary for the year 2021-2022 is “Serve to Change Lives”.
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International Day of Action for Rivers 2022 – March 14

International Day of Action for Rivers is annually observed across the globe on 14th March to create
awareness about the importance and value of rivers. The day was formerly known as International Day of
Action against Dams, for Rivers, Water, and Life.
• The Focus of the International Day of Action for Rivers 2022 is “To highlight the importance of
Rivers to Biodiversity.”
• 14th March 2022 marks the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the International Day of
Action for Rivers.
The 2022 International Day of Action for Rivers is celebrated with the
hashtags #Rivers4Biodiversity and #RiversUniteUs.
Aim:
To raise voices in unison against destructive water development projects, reclaim the health of
watersheds, and demand the equitable and sustainable management of rivers.
Background:
i.International Day of Action against Dams, for Rivers, Water, and Life was adopted by the participants of
the First International Meeting of People Affected by Dams held in March 1997 in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
ii.Representatives from 20 countries decided that the International Day of Action would take place on
March 14 – Brazil’s Day of Action Against Large Dams.
Significance:
The day is dedicated to solidarity when diverse communities around the world come together to highlight
the importance of Protecting rivers and defending the rights of the communities that depend on Rivers.
Key Points:
i.Rivers are supporting the highest rate of biodiversity compared to any other ecosystem and providing for
the livelihoods of millions of local, indigenous and traditional peoples.
ii.They are under extreme threat, with less than 10% of the world’s river basins protected.
iii.The construction of dams have displaced around 40-80 million people and harmed millions.
iv.In the past 40 years, on average, more than 80% of the wildlife that inhabits rivers and lakes have been
lost.
International Day of Mathematics 2022 – March 14

The International Day of Mathematics(IDM) is annually observed across the globe on 14th March to
celebrate mathematics and connect maths with all sorts of subjects, fields, and ideas.
In several countries, March 14 (3/14) is celebrated as Pi Day to celebrate the mathematical constant π
(pi), which is also known by the Greek letter tau.
• The date March 14 is written as 3/14 in some countries.
• The value of the mathematical constants, pi, is approximately 3.14.
The theme for the 2022 IDM by IDM314.org is “Mathematics Unites”.The theme was proposed by Yuliya
Nesterova, a graduate student from the University of Ottawa in Canada.
Background:
On 26th November 2019, The executive council of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization(UNESCO) at its 205th session, adopted a resolution (40C/ Resolution 30) and proclaimed
the 14th March of every year as the “International Day of Mathematics”.
The first International Day of Mathematics (IDM) was observed on 14th March 2020.
Note:
The IDM is a project led by the International Mathematical Union with the support of numerous
international and regional organizations.
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IDM 2022:
The observance of the 2022 IDM is part of the activities of the International Year of Basic Sciences for
Sustainable Development 2022 (IYBSSD 2022).
Objective of IDM: To showcase the fundamental role of the mathematical sciences in the achievement of
the United Nations(UN)’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in reinforcing the two UNESCO
priorities: Africa and Gender Equality.
International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development 2022 (IYBSSD 2022):
The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/76/14 on 2nd December
2021 and proclaimed the year 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable
Development.
IDM 2022 Toolkit:
i.On the occasion of International Mathematics Day, UNESCO released its toolkit “Mathematics for Action:
Supporting Science-Based Decision Making” written by mathematicians and thought leaders from across
the globe.
ii.It also deciphers the role of mathematics in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals to 2030 that
was adopted by the global community in 2015.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development – March 4 2022

World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development is a UNESCO international day of celebration of
engineers and engineering.It is celebrated worldwide on 4th March of each year from 2020.
• World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) and its members are hosting 2022
World Engineering Day Hackathon with a Theme: Build Back Wiser – Engineering the
Future, encourage engineering students to work in teams towards a global real-world problem.
• The day was celebrated by launching an Engineering Day 24HRS LIVE, which was the first-of-its
kind broadcast of a Global UNESCO Day on March 4, 2022.
• It was done to observe how Engineers across the world were celebrating and recognized for their
great work.
Importance of the Day:
It gives the world an opportunity to highlight engineers and engineering achievements in our modern
world and to improve public understanding of how engineering and technology are central to modern life
and sustainable development.
About World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development:
i.The World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development was announced by UNESCO at its 40th General
Conference in 2019.
ii.The 4th of March marks the founding day of the World Federation of Engineering
Organizations (WFEO), a federation that consists of a hundred national and international members,
representing the engineering societies of the world.
iii. The celebration of World Engineering Day is an opportunity to promote engineering as a career and to
highlight how engineering can change the world for the better. It is also about promoting engineering as a
career and how it is an opportunity to change the world for the better.
World Consumer Rights day 2022 – March 15

World Consumer Rights Day is annually observed across the globe on 15th March to create awareness
about consumer rights and needs. The day offers a platform to demand that the rights of all consumers are
respected and protected.
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• The day highlights the importance of consumer rights in protecting consumers against market
abuses and social injustices.
World Consumer Rights Day is annually coordinated by Consumers International, a membership
organization for consumer groups around the world.
The theme of World Consumer Rights Day 2022 is “Fair Digital Finance”, which addresses the issues
faced by consumers in digital finance.
• The 2022 theme was selected by the Membership of Consumers International – 200 consumer
groups in 100 countries.
Background:
i.World Consumer Rights Day was inspired by Former United States (US) President John F Kennedy, who
sent a special message to the US Congress on 15th March 1962, in which he formally addressed the issue of
consumer rights.
ii.The consumer movement, World Consumer Rights Day, was first marked on 15th March 1983 and
since then the day is annually observed on 15th March.
Note: On 9th April 1985, the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the United Nations
Guidelines for Consumer Protection, broad rules for consumer protection, in its resolution 39/85.
Fair Digital Finance Forum:
i.On the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day 2022, Consumers International is hosting the first-ever
Fair Digital Finance Forum, March 14-18.
ii.The forum will highlight the most pressing challenges in the digital finance environment and explore
how we shape fair digital finance for the future.
Key Points:
i.By 2024, digital banking consumers are expected to exceed 3.6 billion.
ii.In the developing world, the proportion of account owners sending and receiving payments digitally has
increased from 57% in 2014 to 70% in 2017.
i.On 15th March 2022, Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution,
inaugurated the event organised as a part of World Consumer Rights Day.
ii.The Department of Consumer Affairs has also launched a virtual exhibition on 75 years of scientific and
organisational journey of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Regional Reference Standards Laboratories
(RRSLs) and The National Test House (NTH).
India Organises “Consumer Empowerment Week” – 14th to 20th March 2022
Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution(MoCAF&PD),
Government of India is organising “Consumer Empowerment Week” from 14th to 20th March 2022 to
celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The celebrations of Consumer Empowerment Week coincide with the observance of World Consumer
Rights Day on 15th March 2022.
• India annually celebrates the Bharatiya Grahak Diwas or National Consumer Day on 24th
December.
Events of Consumer Empowerment Week 14th-20th March 2022:
i.On 14th March 2022(opening day of the week), BIS, Indian Institute of Legal Metrology (IILM) Ranchi,
National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF), NTH and RRSLs, field units of
organizations under the Department of Consumer Affairs conducted rural outreach programmes in 75
villages.
• The programme aims to create awareness about the initiatives like National Consumer Helpline
(NCH), features of Consumer Protection Act 2019, BIS standards, details to be seen on pre-
packaged commodities, ISI marked goods, Hallmarked gold jewellery and proper use of weights
and measures.
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ii.The department organised a virtual conference on e-commerce on 16-17, March 2022.

BIS, NTH and RRSL have planned several activities from 14-20, March 2022.
About Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution(MoCAF&PD):
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal(Rajya Sabha – Maharashtra)
Minister of State(MoS)– Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (Constituency- Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh); Ashwini Kumar
Choubey(Constituency- Buxar, Bihar)
Department of Consumer Affairs is one of the two Departments under MoCAF&PD.
No Smoking Day 2022 – March 9

No Smoking Day is annually observed on the 2nd Wednesday of March to create awareness and educate
people about the adverse impacts of tobacco use.
The No Smoking Day 2022 falls on 9th March 2022.
• The theme of No Smoking Day 2022 is “Quitting Smoking Doesn’t Have to be Stressful”.
• The first National No Smoking Day is recognized in Ireland in 1984 on Ash Wednesday and later
shifted to the 2nd Wednesday of March.
• According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tobacco kills around half of its users and
more than 80% of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries.
National Vaccination Day 2022 – March 16

The National Vaccination Day, also known as National Immunization Day, is annually observed across
India on 16th March to create awareness about the importance of vaccination against not only polio but
also other viral diseases.
• The National Vaccination Day 2022 aims to encourage all the Indian people to participate in the
world’s largest vaccination campaign, ‘National COVID-19 vaccination drive of India’, and get
vaccinated against coronavirus.
The theme of National Vaccination Day 2022 is “Vaccines Work for all”.
Background:
i.The Government of India observed the first National Vaccination Day (Immunisation Day) on 16th March
1995.
ii.16th March 1995 also marks the day on which India administered the first dose of an oral vaccine
against polio.
Note:
In 1988, India committed to the resolution passed by World Health Assembly (WHA) for global polio
eradication and the National Immunization Day (NID) commonly known as the Pulse Polio
Immunization programme was launched in India in 1995
What is Vaccination?
Vaccination is the term used for getting a vaccine. It is the process of getting an injection or taking an oral
vaccine dose.
Events:
i.As a part of the National Vaccination Day 2022 (16 March 2022) observance, the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare (MoHFW) announced the commencement of free-of-cost COVID-19 vaccination for all
beneficiaries in the 12-14 age group, at all government COVID-19 vaccination centres.
ii.The COVID19 vaccine to be administered would be Corbevax manufactured by Biological E. Limited,
Hyderabad.
• This follows the decision of the government of India to start COVID-19 vaccination for the 12-13-
year and 13-14-year age groups.
• Persons with age group of 14-18 years can be vaccinated using Covaxin.
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National COVID-19 Vaccination Drive in India:

i.India started National COVID-19 Vaccination Drive on 16th January 2021 and administered the first dose
of the COVID-19 vaccine.
ii.Since the beginning of the vaccination drive, 90% of the eligible population has received the 1st dose and
around 60% has got their 2nd dose. Additionally, precautionary doses, commonly known as booster shots,
are being given to frontline workers and vulnerable individuals above the age of 60 years.
National Health Mission:
i. National Health Mission (NHM) was launched by the Government of India on 12 April 2005.
ii.It aims to promote institutional delivery among poor pregnant women and to reduce neonatal mortality
and maternal mortality.
• NHM operated under the MoHFW encompasses two Sub-Missions, the National Rural Health
Mission (NRHM) and the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister– Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (Rajya Sabha- Gujarat)
Minister of State(MoS)– Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar (Constituency- Dindori, Maharashtra)
Global Recycling Day 2022- March 18

Global Recycling Day is annually observed across the globe on 18th March to help recognise, and
celebrate, the importance of recycling in securing the future of our planet.
Global Recycling Day is a day of action aimed at a global approach towards recycling and calling on world
leaders, international businesses, communities and individuals to make seven clear commitments in their
approach to recycling.
Global Recycling Day 2022:
The events theme of Global Recycling Day 2022 will focus on the ‘Recycling Fraternity’, who put
themselves on the frontline to collect waste and recycling during the multiple lockdowns.
Background:
i.The Global Recycling Day is an initiative of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), the global
federation of the recycling industry, which focus on the sustainable and inclusive development of
recycling.
ii.The day is promoted by the Global Recycling Foundation, formed by the BIR in October 2018 and the
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
iii.The first ever Global Recycling Day was observed on 18th March 2018, which also marked the 70th
anniversary of the establishment of BIR.
Recycling:
Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as
trash and turning them into new products.
The 3R’s framework of recycling are Refuse or Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Recyclables:
Recyclables which are also known as ‘7th resource’ saves more than 700 million tonnes in CO2 emissions
and this is estimated to increase to around 1 billion tons by 2030.
It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions which will support in tackling the climate change.
Waste Managemnet Schemes in India:
i.The Government of India has undertaken several large-scale national initiatives like ‘Swachh Bharat
Mission(SBM)’, ‘National Water Mission(NWM)’ and ‘Waste to Energy(WTE)’ as a part of its commitment
to effective waste & pollution management in India.
ii.The report of SBM (Urban) states that around 1.45 tons/day of municipal Solid waste(MSW) is
generated in urban India.
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Note:
India is one of the biggest producers of e-waste in the world, which generates around 2 million tons of e-
waste every year.
About Bureau of International Recycling (BIR):
President– Tom Bird
Headquarters– Brussels, Belgium
Founded in 1948
World Sparrow Day 2022 – March 20

World Sparrow Day (WSD) is annually observed in more than 50 countries across the world on 20th
March to create awareness and celebrate the ecological significance of sparrows, or common house
sparrows (Passer domesticus).
The theme for WSD is “I LOVE Sparrows”. The
theme has been inspired by the hope that people
will celebrate the relationship between People And
Sparrows.
Background:
i.The World Sparrow Day (WSD) is an initiative of
the Nature Forever Society (NFS) of India, in
collaboration with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation
of France and other national and international
organisations.
ii.The first-ever World Sparrow Day was observed on 20th March 2010.
Nature Forever Society(NFS):
i.Nature Forever Society (NFS) is a conservation organisation that has been working for the conservation
of house sparrows, common flora and fauna.
ii.NFS, founded by Mohammed Dilawar, was formally registered on January 13, 2008.
Mission: To involve citizens of India in the conservation movement
House Sparrow the State Bird of Delhi:
In 2012, then Chief Minister (CM) of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, declared the house sparrow as the state bird of
Delhi during the launch of the NSF’s Rise for the Sparrow Campaign.
The NFS proposed declaring the house sparrow as the state bird of Delhi.
Facts about Sparrow:
i.The House sparrow is one of the most widespread and commonly seen wild birds in the world.
ii.It can be found on two-thirds of the landmasses, including New Zealand, Australia, North America, India,
and Europe.
iii.The longevity record for a house sparrow is over 13 years, and the survival rate for the young under a
year old is less than 25%.
iv.Over 40% of all adult house sparrows die each year.
IUCN Status:
i.The House sparrow was assessed for the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) Red List
of Threatened Species in 2016 and it was listed as Least Concern.
ii.The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016. Passer domesticus is listed as Least Concern.
Note:
The data from metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru shows a steady decline in the
population of house sparrows since 2005.
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International Day of Happiness 2022 – March 20

The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Happiness is annually observed across the globe on 20th
March to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.
The day recognises that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal.
• As per United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), the theme of International Day of
Happiness 2022 is “Build Back Happier”.
• According to happinessday.org, the official campaign of the International Day of Happiness
is “Happiness For All, Ukraine”.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/66/281 on 28th June 2012
and proclaimed the 20th March of every year as the International Day of Happiness.
ii.The first-ever International Day of Happiness was observed on 20th March 2013.
Note:
i.The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, which recognized the value of national happiness over national
income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross
National Product.
ii.Bhutan also hosted the High-Level Meeting on “Happiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic
Paradigm” during the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly.
Efforts of UN:
The UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), which aims to end poverty, reduce
inequality, and protect our planet, the three key aspects which will lead to well-being and happiness.
2022 World Happiness Report:
i.On 18th March 2022, the UN released the 2022 World Happiness Report, the 10th-anniversary edition
of the World Happiness Report.
ii.The 2022 report features the ranking of happiness based on a 3 year average 2019-2021. According to
the ranking, Finland is ranked no 1 followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Netherlands.
iii.India has ranked 136 on the list with an average life evaluation of 3.777.
World Oral Health Day 2022 – March 20

World Oral Health Day(WOHD) is annually observed across the world on 20th March to create awareness
about the importance of oral health. The day also aims to reduce the burden of oral diseases, which affect
individuals, health systems and economies everywhere.
Purpose: To empower people with the knowledge, tools and confidence to secure good oral health.
Campaign theme – 2021-2023:
The three-year campaign theme 2021-2023 of World Oral Health Day is “Be Proud of Your Mouth”.
• The campaign provides an opportunity to explore the links between oral health, general health
and quality of life.
Background:
i.World Oral Health Day(WOHD) is an initiative of the FDI World Dental Federation (FDI), an organization
that unites the world of dentistry with the aim of achieving optimal oral health for everyone.
ii.The WOHD was first declared in 2007 and was originally celebrated on 12 September, which marks
the birth anniversary of Dr Charles Godon, Founder of FDI.
iii.The campaign was fully activated in 2013 and the date was changed to 20th March to avoid conflict with
the FDI World Dental Congress which takes place in September.
Why March 20?
The 20th March was chosen to reflect that, Seniors must have a total of 20 natural teeth at the end of their
life to be considered healthy and Children should possess 20 baby teeth.
Healthy adults must have a total of 32 teeth and 0 dental cavities, this expressed on a numerical basis can
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be translated as 3/20 hence March 20.

India’s National Oral Health Programme(NOHP)
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW), Government of India has initiated a National Oral
Health Programme to provide integrated, comprehensive oral health care in the existing health care
facilities.
Objective: To improve the determinants of oral health, To reduce morbidity from oral diseases, To
integrate oral health promotion and preventive services with the general health care system, and To
encourage the Promotion of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) model for achieving better oral health.
UN’s French Language Day 2022 – March 20

The United Nations(UN)’s French Language Day is annually observed across the globe on 20th March to
create awareness among the international community about the history, culture and use of the French
Language.
• March 20 is recognized by the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) as
the International Day of La Francophonie.
OIF celebrates the International Day of La Francophonie 2022 under the theme « La Francophonie de
l’avenir »(english: The Francophonie of the Future).
Background:
i.On 21st February 2010, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, the United Nations
Department of Public Information (DPI) announced the launch of “UN Language Days”, a new initiative that
aims to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity.
ii.The 6 Language Days are dedicated to the six official languages of the UN, English, Arabic, Chinese,
Spanish, French and Russian.
iii.The dates of these Language Days were chosen by the Department of Public Information on the basis of
their symbolic character.
Why March 20?
March 20th marks the creation of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT) on 20th
March 1970, which was later renamed as the International Organization of La Francophonie
(Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie – OIF).
French in UN:
On 1st February 1946, the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted resolution 2 (I) & established
Chinese, French, English, Russian and Spanish as official languages, and English and French as working
languages.
2021 Prix des cinq continents (Five Continents Prize):
Palestinian author Karim Kattan won the 2021 Prix des Cinq Continents for his 2021 novel “Le Palais des
deux collines” (The Palace of the Two Hills”) published by Elyzad Editions.
• Miguel Bonnefoy won the special mention for his novel “Héritage”, published by Editions Rivages.
About Prix des cinq continents:
The Prix des cinq continents, created by the OIF in 2001, aims to recognise the literary talents that reflect
the expression of cultural and editorial diversity in the French language on the five continents and
promotes them on the international literary scene.
Key Points:
i.According to the UN, the number of French speaking people in the world is around 300 million and it is
estimated that the number will be 700 million in 2060.
ii.French is an official language in 32 states and governments and in most international organizations.
iii.Around 59% of French speakers are found in Africa.
iv.French is the 4th language of the internet and it is the 5th most spoken language in the world after
Chinese, English, Spanish and Arabic.
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Other UN Language Days:

• Arabic Language Day – December 8
• English Language Day – April 23
• Russian Language Day – June 6
• Spanish Language Day – October 12
• Chinese Language Day – April 20
About United Nations(UN):
Secretary-General– António Guterres
Founded in 1945
Headquarters– New York, United States of America(USA)
World Down Syndrome Day 2022 – March 21

The United Nations(UN)’s World Down Syndrome Day(WDSD) is annually observed across the globe
on 21st March to raise public awareness about Down Syndrome, a chromosome disorder that affects
approximately 3,000 to 5,000 children, every year.
• 21st March 2021 marks the observance of 11th World Down Syndrome Day.
• The theme of WDSD 2022 is “InclusionMeans”.
• Down Syndrome Awareness Ribbon – Blue and yellow bow symbol.
Background:
i.WDSD was first observed in several countries in 2006 and its website was launched and maintained by
the Down Syndrome Association Singapore from 2006-10 on behalf of Down Syndrome International (DSi).
ii.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/66/149 on 19th December
2011 and proclaimed the 21st March of every year as World Down Syndrome Day.
iii.The first-ever UN-recognised World Down Syndrome Day was observed on 21st March 2012.
Why March 21?
The date 21/3 (21st March) is chosen as “World Down Syndrome Day” because Down syndrome or
Trisomy 21 happens when a person is born with a 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome.
Campaign:
The #LotsOfSocks campaign aims to create awareness about Down syndrome and help people to talk about
WDSD.
As a part of the campaign, people wear mismatched or most colourful socks to create awareness about
down syndrome.
Down Syndrome:
i.Down syndrome (or Trisomy 21) is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always
been a part of the human condition.
ii.It occurs when an individual has an extra partial (or whole) copy of chromosome 21.
iii.The reason for the occurrence of this syndrome is not yet identified.
iv.The estimated incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 1000 to 1 in 1100 live births worldwide.
International Nowruz Day 2022 – March 21

The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Nowruz is annually observed across the globe on 21st
March to create awareness about Nowruz, which promotes values of peace and solidarity between
generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighbourliness.
• The word Nowruz (Novruz, Navruz, Nooruz, Nevruz, Nauryz), means “new day”.
• Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal
equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator and night and day are equal in length, which
usually occurs on 21 March.
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Background:
i.The celebration of Nowruz in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey was inscribed as an element in
2009, and extended in 2016, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
ii.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/64/253 on 23rd February
2010 and proclaimed the 21st March of every year as the International Day of Nowruz.
iii.The first International Day of Nowruz was celebrated on 21st March 2010.
Significance:
Since Nowruz contributes to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities, it
fits closely with the mandates of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization(UNESCO).
Nowruz:
i.The festival of Nowruz is named after the Persian king, Jamshed, who created the Persian or Shahenshahi
calendar.
ii.The Nowruz is celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people across the
globe, and it has been celebrated for more than 3000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the
Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions.
iii.It is also known as Novroz in the Ismaili Muslim tradition and Naw-Rúz in the Bahá’í faith.
Nowruz in India
In India, the festival is mostly celebrated around August 16-17 by the Parsi community following the
Shahenshahi calendar which does not comprise of leap year.
Celebration of Nowruz:
An important tradition practised during Nowruz is the gathering around ‘the Table’, decorated with objects
that symbolize purity, brightness, livelihood and wealth, to enjoy a special meal with loved ones.
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
World Puppetry Day 2022: 21 March

World Puppetry Day was observed on 21 March 2022. It aims to recognize puppetry as a global art form
and to pay tribute to and honor puppeteers from around the world.
• It is celebrated on March 21 every year.
• The World Puppetry Day was established in 2003 by the Union Internationale de la
Marionnette (UNIMA) also known as the International Puppetry Association.
Highlights:
i.On this day, Sangeet Natak Akademi under the Ministry of Culture (MoC) is organizing a puppet festival
‘Putul Utsav’ in five cities in India, which include Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Hyderabad (Telangana), Angul
(Odisha), New Delhi (Delhi) and Agartala (Tripura).
• Theme of the festival- ‘Azadi ke Rang, Putul Ke Sang’.
ii.The festival will retold the stories of freedom struggles of India through the medium of puppets.
iii.Various forms of puppetry art such as String, Shadow, Rod and Hand puppets will be showcased.
• Puppetry in India was traditionally a temple-based art, whose themes were borrowed from
puranic literature, mythology, epics and local legends.
About Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA):
UNIMA is a non-governmental organization affiliated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Founded- 1929
Headquarters– France
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International Day of Forests 2022 observed March 21

Since 2013, the International Day of Forests (IDF) has been observed annually on March 21 to celebrate
and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. The IDF 2022 was observed on the
theme ‘Forests and sustainable production and consumption’.
• It is being organized by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), and the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with Governments, the
Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organizations in the field.
• This year’s caters to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 i.e. Responsible Consumption
and Production.
Background:
The day was established on November 28, 2012 through a resolution A/RES/67/200 of the United
Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Key Points:
i.On this day, Countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize
activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.
ii.The theme for each IDF is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.
Celebrations:
FAO along with International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and IUFRO World
Congress 2024|Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) conducted a high-level panel discussion
to celebrate IDF 2022. It was held online and at the Swedish Pavilion, The Forest, Expo 2020, Dubai, United
Arab Emirates (UAE).
• FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• IUFRO is a world-wide organization devoted to forest research and related sciences
• SLU is a governmental agency and international university. It is Sweden’s host organization of
the IUFRO World Congress 2024 on 23-29 June in Stockholm, in collaboration with IUFRO and
the Nordic and Baltic partner countries.
Key Statistics behind Forests:
i.It is estimated that more than half the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) depends on ecosystem
services, including those provided by forests.
ii.More than half the total world population is estimated to use non-timber forest products to support their
well-being and livelihoods.
iii.Forests cover nearly one-third of the Earth’s land surface and provide people with goods, and help
combat climate change, protect biodiversity, soils, rivers and reservoirs.
iv.The world has lost 420 million hectares of forest, an area bigger than India, since 1990, and
deforestation continues at about 10 million hectares per year, mainly due to agricultural expansion.
v.According to a UN estimate, more than 1.6 billion people are directly dependent on forests for food,
medicines, shelter, energy, shelter, income etc.
About Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
Director-General– Qu Dongyu
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2022 – March 21

The United Nations(UN)’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is annually
observed across the globe on 21st March to address the issues of racial discrimination and to create
awareness about the need for the elimination of racial discrimination.
The observance remembers the victims of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa,
The theme of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2022 is “Voices for Action
against Racism”.
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Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA)
adopted the resolution 2142(XXI) on 26th October
1966 and proclaimed the 21st March of every year
as International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination.
ii.The first International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination was observed on 21st
November 1967.
Why March 21?
On 21st March 1960, the police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville,
South Africa, against the apartheid “pass laws”.
Efforts of UN:
i.In 1965, the international community adopted a convention by which they committed to eliminating all
forms of racial discrimination.
ii.In 2001, the World Conference against Racism produced the Durban Declaration and Programme of
Action (DDPA), the most authoritative and comprehensive programme for combating racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
iii.In the recent resolutions, UNGA highlights that any doctrine of racial superiority is scientifically false,
morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous and must be rejected, together with theories that
attempt to determine the existence of separate human races.
iv.In 2009, the UNGA adopted a resolution A/RES/64/169 and proclaimed 2011 as International Year for
People of African Descent.
v.In 2013, the UNGA proclaimed the International Decade for People of African Descent 215 to 2024, with
the theme “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development.”
World Poetry Day 2022: March 21, 2022

Every year on March 21st, World Poetry Day celebrates humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural
and linguistic expression and identity.
It is observed to honour poets, revive oral poetry recital traditions, promote poetry reading, writing, and
teaching, develop the fusion of poetry with other arts like theatre, dance, music, and painting, and increase
the visibility of poetry in the media.
• World Poetry Day was organized for the first time on 21st March 2000.
History:
i.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its 30th General
Conference in Paris in 1999 first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day.
ii.It was designated with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and
increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
IDIL 2022–2032:
The United Nations General Assembly (Resolution A/RES/74/135) proclaimed the period between 2022
and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032), to draw global
attention on the critical situation of many indigenous languages and to mobilize stakeholders and
resources for their preservation, revitalization and promotion.
As part of its efforts to preserve living traditions, UNESCO has placed a number of poetic forms on the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which includes
• The Hudhud chants of the Philippines,
• The Mapoyo oral tradition of Venezuela,
• The Eshuva, Harákmbut sung prayers of Peru, and
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• The Koogere oral tradition of Uganda.

India joined UNESCO in 1946.
Director-General – Audrey Azoulay
Member states – 193 Members and 11 Associate Members.
World Water Day 2022 – March 22

The United Nations (UN)’s World Water Day is annually observed across the globe on 22nd March to
celebrate water and focus on the importance of
freshwater.The day also aims to create
awareness of the 2.2 billion people who are living
without access to safe water.
• The theme of World Water Day 2022
is “Groundwater: Making the
invisible visible”.
• International Groundwater Resources
Assessment Centre (IGRAC) proposed
the theme of 2022.
• The observance of World Water Day is led by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Background:
In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/47/193 and
proclaimed the 22nd March of every year as World Water Day.
The first-ever World Water Day was observed on 22nd March 1993.
• The idea of the international day of water originated at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment
and Development, which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Other celebrations and events:
i.In February 2011, the UNGA adopted the resolution 65/154 and decided to proclaim 2013 as
the International Year of Water Cooperation.
The celebration of this International Year coincided with the 20th anniversary of World Water Day.
ii.UNGA adopted the resolution A/C.2/71/L.12/Rev.1 and proclaimed the period from 2018 to 2028 the
International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”.
The decade commenced on World Water Day 2018(22nd March 2018) and the decade will terminate on
World Water Day 2028(22nd March 2028).
Note: these observances reaffirm that water and sanitation measures are key to poverty reduction,
economic growth, and environmental sustainability.
UN World Water Development Report 2022: Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible
UN-Water and UNESCO launched the 2022 edition of the United Nations(UN) World Water Development
Report(WWDR), titled “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible”, focused on groundwater.
• The 2022 report describes the challenges and opportunities associated with the development,
management and governance of groundwater across the world.
• The report states that Accounting for approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater on Earth,
groundwater has the potential to provide societies with tremendous social, economic and
environmental benefits and opportunities.
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About UN WWDR:
i.The UN WWDR is the flagship report of the UN-Water report, focusing on a different theme each year.
ii.The report is published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water and its production is coordinated by the
UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme.
• The annual theme for World Water Day is aligned with the focus of the report.
Key Points:
i.Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater.
ii.Around 40% of all the water used for irrigation comes from aquifers.
iii.Asia and the Pacific region has the lowest per capita water availability in the world, with groundwater
use in the region predicted to increase 30% by 2050.
iv.Around 20% of European Union (EU) groundwater bodies exceeds EU standards on good water quality
due to agricultural pollution.
v.Nitrates and pesticides pose a major threat to groundwater quality in North America and Europe.
About UN-Water:
UN-Water is the United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater related matters,
including sanitation.
It was formalized in 2003 by the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination.
Chair of UN-Water– Gilbert F. Houngbo
World Sleep Day 2022 – March 18

World Sleep Day(WSD) is annually observed across the globe on the Friday before Spring Vernal
Equinox of each year. The day aims to celebrate sleep and acts as a call to action on major issues related to
sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving.
The World Sleep Day 2022 was observed on 18th March 2022. The Spring Vernal Equinox of 2022 was
observed on 20th March 2022.
18th March 2022 marks the observance of the 15th annual World Sleep Day.
• The World Sleep Day 2021 was observed on 19th March 2021.
• The World Sleep Day 2023 will be observed on 17th March 2023.
The slogan for 2022 World Sleep Day is “Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World”.
• The observance of World Sleep Day is organised by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World
Sleep Society.
Background:
i.World Sleep Day is a global awareness event held annually and hosted by the World Sleep Society, an
international association whose mission is to advance sleep health worldwide, since 2008.
ii.The first-ever World Sleep Day was observed on 14 March 2008.
Somnology & Somnologist:
i.Somnology is the study of sleep and sleep disorders and A doctor who specializes in sleep disorders is
also called a Somnologist.
ii.Sociologists study human behaviour, interaction, and organization and they also observe the activity of
social, religious, political, and economic groups, organizations, and institutions.
World Meteorological Day 2022 – March 23

The United Nations(UN)’s World Meteorological Day is annually observed across the globe on 23rd
March to create awareness about the environmental condition of our planet. The day also aims to spread
awareness about the role of people and their behaviour in protecting the Earth’s atmosphere.
• World Meteorological Day is an initiative of the World Meteorological Organization(WMO), a
specialised agency of the UN.
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The theme of World Meteorological Day 2022 is “Early Warning and Early Action”.
• The 2022 World Meteorological Day focuses on the vital importance of hydrometeorological and
climate information for disaster risk reduction.
Background:
During the 12th session of the executive committee of the WMO, held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1960, the
executive committee approved the proposal to establish the annual World Meteorological Day and adopted
resolution 6(EC-XII).
The World Meteorological day has been observed by World Meteorological Organization since 1961.
Why March 23?
March 23rd marks the day on which the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was established by the
ratification of the WMO Convention in 1950.
Note: In 1951, WMO became the specialised agency of the UN for meteorology (weather and climate),
operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.
• The day also highlights the importance of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to
society’s safety and well-being.
Key Points:
i.A WMO report on disaster statistics for the past 50 years, stated that more than 11000 disasters
associated with weather, climate and water-related hazards were recorded between 1970 and 2019, which
is equal to one disaster per day. The report also stated that there were around 2 million deaths or 115 per
day.
ii.To address these issues, WMO is spearheading various initiatives to strengthen early warnings, improve
observations and build resilience.
iii.According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), The occurrence of extreme events
is unprecedented in the observed record and will increase with global warming.
iv.According to the IPCC report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (Working Group II), the world
will face unavoidable multiple climate hazards over the next 2 decades with global warming of 1.5°C
(2.7°F) above the pre-industrial era.
About World Meteorological Organization(WMO):
WMO is dedicated to international cooperation and coordination on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s
atmosphere.
President– Gerhard Adrian
World Tuberculosis Day 2022 – March 24

World Tuberculosis(TB) Day is annually observed across the globe on 24th March to create awareness
about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and highlight the health, social and economic consequences
of TB.
World TB Day is one of the 13 official global public
health campaigns(10 days and 2 weeks and 1 year)
marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The theme of World TB Day 2022 is “Invest to End
TB. Save Lives”.
Under this theme, WHO calls for increased
investments into TB services and research.
Why March 24?
The date (March 24) marks the day
in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch, a German physician and microbiologist, announced to the Berlin
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Physiological Society that he had discovered the bacterium, Tubercle Bacillus, that causes tuberculosis
(TB).
Note:
i.Robert Koch was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1905 for his investigations and
discoveries in relation to tuberculosis.
ii.The term ‘tuberculosis’ was coined by Johann Schonlein in 1834.
Background:
i.In 1982, on the 100th anniversary of Dr Robert Koch’s announcement of the discovery of TB Bacillus, the
International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease(IUATLD) proposed to proclaim the 24th March
as World TB Day
ii.In 1996, WHO joined the IUATLD to increase the impacts of this day and commemorate World TB Day
worldwide.
On the occasion of World TB Day 2022, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate
the “Step-Up to End TB- World TB Day Summit” at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
Himachal Pradesh secured top rank in National TB Elimination Programme
i.According to the report issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW), Himachal Pradesh
has secured the top rank, for the 2nd consecutive year, in the National Tuberculosis(TB) Elimination
Programme among the states having a population of more than 50 lakh.
ii.Dr Gopal Beri, Tuberculosis Officer of Himachal Pradesh received the award from Union Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya.
iii.In the sub-national TB free certification for 2021-22 8 districts of Himachal Pradesh have received silver
medals, while 3 districts have received bronze medals.
About Tuberculosis (TB):
i.Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria- Mycobacterium tuberculosis and often affects the lungs.
ii.TB is spread through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit.
Key Points:
i.Annually around 10 million people across the globe are affected by tuberculosis (TB).
ii.Even though TB is a preventable and curable disease, around 1.5 million people die from TB each year,
making TB the World’s top infectious killer.
iii.TB mostly affects adults in their most productive years.
iv.Over 95% of TB cases and deaths are in developing countries.
v.In 2020, 8 countries accounted for two-thirds of the new TB cases: India, China, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and South Africa.
Annual investment of USD 3 billion is needed to avert 45 lakh new TB cases in South-East Asia
i.On the occasion of World TB Day 2022, WHO highlighted the need for national, international and global
stakeholders to invest at least USD 3 billion annually in the South-East Asia region to avert nearly 45 lakh
new TB cases and prevent more than 15 lakh deaths due to the disease by 2025.
ii.For the first time in over 10 years, the deaths due to TB have increased globally in 2020.
iii.The Southeast Asia region accounted for around 10%(7 lakh) of death.
International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and
for the Dignity of Victims 2022 – March 24
United Nations(UN)’s International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights
Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is annually observed across the globe on 24th March to pay
tribute to the memory of Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered on 24 March 1980 after
denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable individuals in El Salvador.
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Purpose of the day:

• Honour the memory of victims of gross
and systematic human rights violations
and promote the importance of the right
to truth and justice;
• Pay tribute to those who have devoted
their lives to, and lost their lives in, the
struggle to promote and protect human
rights for all;
• Recognize the important work and
values of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, of El Salvador
Background:
i.On 21 December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution
A/RES/65/196 and proclaimed the 24 March of every year as the International Day for the Right to the
Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims.
ii.The day was first observed on 24th March 2011.
Key Points:
According to the study conducted by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2006,
the right to the truth about gross human rights violation and violation against human rights laws is an
autonomous right linked to the duty of the state to protect human rights.
The Commission on the Truth for El Salvador:
i.The Commission on the Truth for El Salvador was established in accordance with the Mexico Agreements
of 27 April 1991.
ii.The commission aims to investigate serious acts of violence that had occurred since 1980 and whose
impact on society was deemed to require an urgent public knowledge of the truth.
iii.In its report of 15th March 1993, the Commission documented the facts of the assassination of
Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero by pro-government forces.
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave
Trade 2022 – March 25
The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the
Transatlantic Slave Trade is annually observed across the globe on 25th March to commemorate the
memory of the victims of Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The day also offers the opportunity to honour and remember the people who have suffered and died
because of the slavery system.
The theme of 2022 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic
Slave Trade is “Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism”.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution 62/122 on
17th December 2007 and declared 25th March of every year as International Day of Remembrance of the
Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
ii.The first-ever International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave
Trade was observed on 25th March 2008.
• The resolution also called for the establishment of an outreach programme to mobilize
educational institutions, civil society and other organizations to inculcate in future generations
the “causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade, and to communicate the
dangers of racism and prejudice”.
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Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery:

The Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery was established in 2006 with the
adoption of UNGA resolution 61/19 on 28th November 2006.
Transatlantic Slave Trade:
The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the
transportation by slave traders of various enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas.
Events:
Rhythms of Resistance:
Along with UNESCO and UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund, The Department of Global
Communications, which manages the UN Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and
Slavery organised an online cultural event “Rhythms of Resistance,”, highlight the history of the
transatlantic slave trade and the ongoing legacy of racism.
Exhibit on Racism:
i.An exhibit entitled “Us and Them: From Prejudice to Racism” is on display in the Visitors Lobby at UN
Headquarters from 16 February until 5 April 2022.
The exhibit is organized in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) and the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, France.
ii.The exhibit examines the science behind “race”; how racism flourished during the transatlantic slave
trade; and how slavery’s legacy of racism can be fought at multiple levels.
Ark of Return – the permanent Memorial:
The UN has unveiled the Ark of Return – a permanent memorial to honour victims of slavery in New York
on March 25, 2015. It was designed by Haitian-American architect Rodney Leon.
International Day for Achievers 2022 – March 24

International Day for Achievers is annually observed across the globe on 24th March to celebrate
achievers and their strong sense of purpose and confidence. The day also supports making great efforts to
become an achiever.
• The day acknowledges the efforts and contribution of the genius minds who thought out of the
box and did great work for the development of society.
• The day is observed by celebrating past achievements and encouraging others to set goals that
they want to achieve along with a timeline.
International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2022 – March 25
The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is
annually observed across the globe on 25th March to recognise the dangers encountered by the UN staff
members in their line of work.
Significance:
i.25th March marks the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former British journalist who was
working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA),
in 1985.
ii.His remains were found in Bekaa Valley in Lebanon in 2009.
Note: Alec Collett was one of more than 80 foreigners who were taken hostage in Lebanon between 1984
and 1991.
Purpose of the day:
To mobilize action, demand justice and strengthen our resolve to protect UN staff and peacekeepers, as
well as our colleagues in the non-governmental community and the press.
Efforts of UN to ensure UN Staff security:
i.In September 1993, the UN Security Council adopted the first resolution on Staff security.
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ii.Subsequently, the negotiations took place in the 6th (Legal) Committee of the UN General
Assembly(UNGA) on an international legal convention to protect UN personnel.
iii.Following the negotiations, the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel
was adopted by the UNGA on 9th December 1994.
National Board for WildLife decides to observe National Dolphin Day on October 5
Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, has announced that starting
from 2022, the 5th October of every year will be observed as National Dolphin Day.
The decision to designate the 5th October of every
year National Dolphin Day was taken by the standing
committee of the National Board for Wildlife
(NBWL) during its 67th meeting.
• The first-ever National Dolphin Day will be
observed on 5th October 2022.
Objective:
The day aims to create awareness and encourage
community participation in the conservation of
dolphins including the Gangetic Dolphin.
Conservation of Dolphins in India:
A World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF)-India and the Uttar Pradesh forest department assessment in 2012
and 2015 recorded 1,272 dolphins in the Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Ken, Betwa, Son, Sharda, Geruwa,
Gahagra, Gandak and Rapti.
Gangetic dolphin:
i.The Gangetic dolphin is an indicator species, whose status provides information on the overall condition
of the ecosystem and of other species in the Ganga ecosystem and is extremely vulnerable to changes in
water quality and flow.
ii.These are categorised as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN)
Red List.
Facts:
i.The Ganges river dolphin was officially discovered in 1801. These dolphins once lived in the Ganges-
Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh but it is extinct
from most of their early distribution ranges.
ii.The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater and is essentially blind.
iii.The Government of India declared it the National Aquatic Animal in 2009.
iv.Bihar has already been celebrating October 5 as ‘Dolphin Day’ for the past several years.
Threats:
Pollution, water diversion, habitat fragmentation, and bycatch are the serious threats faced by these
dolphins.
Major infrastructure projects within this region also poses risk for the population decline in the future.
Recommendations of the committee:
i.The standing committee also considered 46 proposals for wildlife clearance and recommended several
projects such as providing electricity in remote villages in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh and drinking
water supply near a protected area in Karnataka.
ii.The Standing Committee recommended 4 proposals for the construction of earthen dams in Haryana to
improve irrigation facilities.
iii.These dams will also recharge groundwater in the Sanctuary which will benefit the wildlife habitat.
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iv.The Standing Committee also recommended a road project under Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana in
the State of Uttarakhand in order to provide connectivity to remote villages with appropriate animal
passage structures.
v.The committee also recommended a project for harnessing geothermal energy for power generation and
other direct heat applications by drilling through rocks overlying the geothermal reservoir in Ladakh
Shaheed Diwas 2022 – March 23

Shaheed Diwas, also known as Martyr’s Day, is annually observed in India on 23rd March to pay tribute
to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev who were hanged to death in 1931 in the Central Jail at Lahore
(now in Pakistan). The day also aims to remember all the freedom fighters who fought to protect our
country and lost their lives in the line of duty to the nation.
• Shaheed Diwas 2022 is being organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) by focussing
on the theme ‘Tribute to Revolutionaries’.
Note: January 30, the day on which Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated is also observed as Shaheed Diwas.
Background:
i.Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev attained martyrdom on 23rd March 1931. They were hanged to death
by the British government at the Lahore Conspiracy case.
ii.They were convicted of murdering deputy police superintendent John Saunders to avenge the death of
Lala Lajpat Rai.
iii.They also threw a bomb inside the Central Assembly hall in New Delhi on 8th April 1929, to protest
against the British rule in India.
PM Modi inaugurates Biplobi Bharat Gallery at Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata, WB
On the occasion of Shaheed Diwas 2022, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister(PM) of India, virtually
inaugurated the Biplobi Bharat Gallery at Victoria Memorial Hall at Kolkata, West Bengal(WB).
• The Biplobi Bharat Gallery is a part of the government’s commitment to preserve and enhance the
heritage of West Bengal.
Key People: Jagdeep Dhankhar Governor of West Bengal and G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism
were present during the event.
Events:
i.As a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) will organise Shaheed
Diwas in all 623 District NYKS across India.
ii.The programs aim at instilling a sense of gratitude, pride, honour and duty among the young generation
by celebrating the life, works and philosophy of these freedom fighters.
World Theatre Day 2022 – March 27

World Theatre Day is annually observed across the globe on 27th March with an aim to promote the art
forms across the world and to create awareness about the value of these art forms.
The day is annually celebrated at around 90 International Theatre Institute(ITI) centres across the globe
and in the International Theatre Community.
Objective: The day aims to enable the dance and theatre communities to promote their work on a broad
scale so that opinion leaders are aware of the value of these forms and support them and enjoy the art form
for its own sake.
27th March 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of World Theatre Day
• The celebration of 2022 World Theatre Day focuses on the young, the next generation, the
emerging artists, who have been a strong special focus of ITI in the recent past.
Background:
i.World Theatre Day was created by the International Theatre Institute(ITI), the world organisation for the
performing arts.
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ii.World Theatre Day was first celebrated on 27th March 1962, the opening date of the “Theatre of
Nations” season in Paris, France.
iii.Since 1962 the day is annually celebrated on a global scale on 27th March.
Message for World Theatre Day 2022:
i.Annually the executive council of ITI chooses an outstanding theatre personality to write the message for
World Theatre Day.
ii.The author of the 2022 message is Peter Sellars, an American theatre director who is well known for his
contemporary stagings of classical and contemporary operas.
• French playwriter Jean Cocteau was the author of the first theatre day message(1962).
About International Theatre Institute(ITI):
ITI was created on the initiative of the first UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) Director-General, Sir Julian Huxley, and the playwright and novelist, JB Priestly in 1948
President– Mohamed Saif Al-Afkham
Director-General– Tobias Biancone
Headquarters– Shanghai, China
Earth Hour 2022 – March 26

Earth Hour is annually observed across the globe on the last Saturday of March by turning off the lights
between 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm (Local Time) as a symbolic gesture towards the commitment to preserve the
Earth and to support actions against Climate Change.
• Earth Hour is annually organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF).
26th March 2022(Earth Hour 2022) marks the observance of the 15th Earth Hour.
• Earth Hour 2021 was observed on 27th March 2021.
• Earth Hour 2023 will be observed on 25 March 2023.
The theme of Earth Hour 2022 is “Shape Our Future”.
Background:
i.Earth Hour is the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment which aims to unite millions
of people around the world to show solidarity for both people and the planet.
ii.The first-ever Earth Hour event was held on 31st March 2007 in Sydney, Australia.
iii.At present more than 190 countries across the globe supports the observance of Earth Hour.
Earth Hour in India:
i.India observed the first Earth Hour in 2009 and it was celebrated by around 5 million people across 58
cities in India.
ii.Aamir Khan was the first Earth Hour brand ambassador for Earth Hour India.
Additional info:
The World Wide Fund-India (WWF) has released the ‘Earth Hour India’ anthem, composed by Shantanu
Moitra and sung by Mohit Chauhan. The anthem urges the people of India to take urgent climate actions.
Highlights of Earth Hour 2022:
i.Landmarks like Sydney Opera House, Beijing Phoenix Center, Taipei 101, Petronas Towers, Gateway of
India, the Colosseum, the Eiffel Tower, Christ the Redeemer, and Empire State Building, took part in the
signature switch off moment.
ii.Global influential leaders and celebrities like UN Secretary-General António Guterres, HRH Prince of
Wales, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chinese supermodel Liu Wen, astronaut André Kuipers
and International musician and environmental campaigner
Ellie Goulding, supported Earth Hour 2022.
Earth Hour logo:
i.The standard Earth Hour ’60’ logo represents the 60 minutes of Earth Hour that focuses on the impact we
are having on our planet and taking positive action to address the environmental issues we face.
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ii.In 2011, the ‘60+’ logo was introduced representing a commitment to add to Earth Hour as a positive act
for the planet that goes beyond the hour.
About World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF):
President & CEO– Carter Roberts
Headquarters– Gland, Switzerland
Established in 1961
World Piano Day 2022 – March 29

World Piano Day is annually observed across the globe on the 88th day of the year (mostly falls on
29th or 28th March), which is the same as the number of keys on the piano, with an aim to celebrate the
Piano, an acoustic, keyboard, stringed percussion instrument.
• The day aims to create a platform to bring together piano players from all around the world.
• The day also encourages pianists from across the globe to contribute their pieces.
The World Piano Day 2022 falls on 29th March 2022.
• The World Piano Day 2023 will be observed on 29th March 2023.
Background:
The idea of Piano Day was initiated by German pianist/composer/producer Nils Frahm.
The first-ever World Piano day was celebrated on 29th March 2015.
Note:
In 2015 the Piano Day team announced the construction of a vertical concert grand piano, the Klavins
M450.
History of Piano:
i.Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco, an Italian maker of musical instruments, invented the harpsichord in
1700, which is very similar to the modern-day piano.
ii.It was initially named “clavicembalo col piano e forte,” but was later renamed piano.
International Day of the Unborn Child 2022 – March 25

International Day of the Unborn Child is annually observed across the globe on 25th March to remember
the millions of unborn children whose lives have been ended by the violence of abortion.
• El Salvador was the first to celebrate such a day in 1993, naming it the “Day of the Right to be
Born”.
• However, it was in 1999, that the President of Argentina declared March 25th the “Day of the
Unborn Child,” instigating the first official celebration of the weakest and most vulnerable human
beings.
• Saint Pope John Paul II fully supported the initiative and encouraged the spread of the celebration
throughout the world.
• The government of India legalised abortion with ‘Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (1971),
creating a framework meant to protect women from the grave risks of unsafe abortion.
APPS & WEB PORTAL

Religare Broking Launches ‘Pre Apply LIC IPO’ App for Demat Account Opening
Religare Broking Limited (RBL), a full service broking house and securities firm has launched ‘Religare
Pre Apply LIC IPO App’, which will be a one-stop solution for investors to open a demat account and share
intent to pre-apply for the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) Initial Public Offering (IPO).
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Key Highlights:
i.All types of investors, including existing LIC policy holders and first-time investors can register their
interest by filling up their name, email ID and mobile number.
• All users will receive instant mobile notification, SMS, and email communication as soon as the
IPO opens for the public subscription.
ii.Religare also offers exclusive welcome benefits for its app users, such as free brokerage for the first 30
days, 1 paisa brokerage across all segments, discount vouchers worth Rs 10,000 from retail partner
websites and free AMC along with full-service broking benefits like research ideas and reports.
• Users can also opt for the ‘Elite’ plan for premium brokerage services.
About Demat account:
Demat account or a dematerialised account is an account that should be started by the investor in which
the shares and securities are held in dematerialized form i.e. electronically without any physical papers.
• For opening a demat account, the investor must approach the Depository Participants (DPs)
which could be banks, brokers or financial institutions that have been allowed to provide this
service.
Delhi govt Launches ‘My EV’ Portal for Purchasing, Registering E-Autos
The Delhi government launched an online ‘My EV‘ (My Electric Vehicle) portal to the purchase and
registration of electric autos in Delhi. It is accessible to all users on the website of the transport
department of Delhi.
• Under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, 5% interest rate subvention will be provided on the
purchase of e-autos on loans and became the first state to provide such a facility.
Highlights:
i.The web portal was developed with collaboration of the Delhi government and Convergence Energy
Services Limited (CESL).
• CESL has empanelled six Financial Institutions (FIs) – Mahindra Finance, Akasa Finance,
Mannapuram Finance, RevFin and Prest Loans to provide loans to EVs at attractive terms
ii.The portal will enable the Letter of Intent (LoI) holders to purchase e-autos and claim the incentives
provided by the Delhi government.
• Around 4,261 LOIs for e-autos are provided to people. It also includes 33% reservation for
women.
iii.The My EV portal will provide seamless connectivity and accessibility to approve vehicles and ensure to
receive the interest subvention on the loans.
• The Interest subvention on the purchase of EVs is in addition to the applicable purchase incentive
of INR 30,000 and scrapping incentives of up to INR 7,500 under the Delhi EV Policy. The
consumer will be able to avail up to INR 25,000 additional benefit.
iv.The Delhi govt. Is also planning to make interest subvention scheme available on lithium-ion-based e-
rickshaws, e-carts and electric Light Goods Vehicles in New Delhi
About Delhi:
Chief Minister-Arvind Kejriwal
Heritage site- Humayun’s Tomb, Qutb Minar and its Monuments
River – Ganges, Yamuna
Karnataka Govt. develops Dishaank App for Land Survey Records

The Dishaank is the mobile application, which is developed to provide seamless access of land records to
the people of Karnataka.
• The app was developed under the Karnataka Geographical Information System (K-GIS) program
of the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Center (KSRSAC).
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• KSRSAC works under the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (e-Governance),
Government of Karnataka.
About Dishaank app:
i.The Survey Settlement and Land Records (SSLR) of the Revenue Department of Karnataka will
provide easy access to original land records through this app.
ii.It targets to avail the information about the land and its ownership as recorded in the database
of Bhoomi project since 1990.
iii.The geo-referenced village map data was linked to the land records by SSLR so that citizens do not have
to approach the revenue department to know the land details.
iv.Information provided by app-
It provides information about the land, which includes the name of the landowner, area of land, type of
ownership, type of land, litigations, land category and other related information.
About Bhoomi Project:
The project is jointly funded by the Union Government and the Government of Karnataka and developed
and implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC). It aims to digitize land records of Karnataka.
About Karnataka:
Chief Minister- Basavaraj S Bommai
Bird Sanctuary– Adichunchanagiri Peacock sanctuary, Attiveri Bird sanctuary
Heritage site– Group of Monuments at Hampi
ENVIRONMENT
Glycosmis albicarpa : New Gin Berry Species Discovered in Kanyakumari Wildlife
Sanctuary, TN
A team of scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) led by Kanjiraparambil Arjunan Sujana(KA
Sujana) have discovered a new species of Gin Berry, named Glycosmis albicarpa, from the Kanyakumari
Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu(TN). The new species with distinct large white fruit is identified to be
endemic to the Southern Western Ghats.
• The findings of the new species are
published in the latest issue of the
Nordic Journal of Botany, published
from Sweden. Ragesh Gopala Vadhyar
is the co-author.
Discovery:
The new species was found in Tirunelveli semi-
evergreen forests at the Panagudi forest section
of the Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary.
Features of Glycosmis albicarpa:
i.The new species Glycosmis albicarpa, an evergreen small tree, belongs to the family Rutaceae (Orange
family).
ii.The new species have short and broadly lanceolate leaves, short (3–5 mm long) peduncles, clawed petals
and broadly ovoid white fruits.
iii.The berries of Glycosmis species have the unique characteristic of ‘gin aroma’ and have gained in
popularity as an edible fruit.
iv.It is also a larval host plant for butterflies like other species of Glycosmis.
v.Threat: habitat modification causes a major threat to the survival of this species.
352
Aarushi Verma Selected to Represent India at 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition
Aarushi Verma, a national-level shooter and an environmentalist hailing from Delhi has been selected to
represent India at the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition which is set to be held in March 2022.
• Aarushi Verma is a national level
shooter in Pistol and trap shooting and a
State & Northern India Champion &
National medalist, and an active
environmentalist.
• She will be fully supported and
sponsored by The Hans Foundation
(THF).
2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition:
i.2041 Climate Force is a global initiative to train and develop the next generation of sustainability
champions and to help corporations with their sustainability solutions.
ii.This carbon negative’ expedition also aims to inspire, develop and train the next generation of leaders to
promote a more sustainable future.
iii.This also includes the ‘Leadership on the edge’ program
Aim: To raise awareness and work for the preservation of Antarctica through the promotion of recycling,
renewable energy and sustainability solutions to combat the effects of climate change.
Journey: The unique 12-day educational journey to the south pole on the most dynamic Antarctic sea
expedition, by ship to the ‘last great wilderness on earth’.
Key Points:
i.The Climate Force is a 7-year commitment to clean up 360 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the
atmosphere through strategic offsetting partnerships.
ii.2041 Climate Force is derived from the year which marks the Madrid Protocol protecting Antarctica
from exploitation would come up for debate, revision, and/ or possible cancellation.
iii.The participants of the expedition will graduate as ‘Ambassadors for the Antarctic’.
353
GA Questions Asked in Exams
• GA Questions asked IBPS CLERK Mains Exam 2022 – Jan 25

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• GA Questions asked SBI Clerk Mains Exam – Oct 1 2021
• GA Questions asked RRB PO Mains Exam – Sept 25
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• SBI Clerk Mains 2020
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• RBI Assistant Mains 2020
• GA Questions Asked in IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2020 – 90% Questions Covered by AC
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Current Affairs Study PDF – March 2022

Cabinet Approvals on March 9, 2022

Cabinet Approval on March 22, 2022

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About Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY):

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water and focus on the importance of freshwater.

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