Ca march
honor that recognizes the recipients' lifelong dedication
1 march
PayU Payments Private Ltd (PayU) has appointed Renu
Sud Karnad, a director at HDFC Bank, as Chairperson
and independent Director of the company
• Karnad was managing director of India’s largest
mortgage lender HDFC till July 2023 before it got
merged with HDFC Bank.
India ranked 42 in the Global Intellectual Property Index
2024
• 12th edition of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global
Innovation Policy Center’s International IP Index.
• India ranks 42nd in the International IP Index for 2024,
out of 55 countries, using 50 distinct criteria.
• India’s overall score also remained at 38.64 %,unchanged
since 2022
• The report highlighted concerns over India's IP regime
• The United States emerged at the top of the list followed
by the United Kingdom and France.
Reliance Foundation announced an innovative animal
rescue, conservation, and rehabilitation initiative, in
Gujarat's Jamnagar.
• Named Vantara, the program is dedicated to the rescue,
treatment, and rehabilitation of injured, abused, and
endangered animals, both in India and abroad.
Jammu & Kashmir is set to host the annual ‘Tawi Festival’
from March 1st to 4th, 2024.
• Centered on the banks of the river Tawi flowing through
Jammu city, the event will showcase the region’s vibrant
cultural legacy through arts, cuisine, literature and folk
traditions.
The world's first Vedic clock, designed to showcase time
according to the ancient Indian traditional Panchang, has
been installed in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district .
• The Vedic clock stands tall on an 85-foot tower within
Ujjain's Jantar Mantar, adjacent to the Government Jiwaji
Observatory.
The Union Minister of Education and Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan launched the
‘SWAYAM Plus’platform to offer courses developed
collaboratively with the industry.
• These employability and professional development-
focused programmes have been developed with industry
players including L&T, Microsoft and CISCO.
• SWAYAM Plus platform will be operated by IIT-Madras.
6 eminent personalities in the field of performing arts
have been elected by Sangeet Natak Akademi as Akademi
Fellows or Akademi ratna.
• The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship is a significant
and contribution to the performing arts. The fellowship is
limited to 40 living individuals at any given time.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi also selected 92 artists from
different fields for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for
the years 2022 and 2023.
• The Akademi Awards have been conferred since 1952.
• The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of
3 lakh rupees while the Akademi Award carries a purse
money of 1 lakh rupees, besides a Tamrapatra and
Angavastram.
• The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards will
be conferred by President Droupadi Murmu in a special
investiture ceremony.
• It has also selected 80 young artists for the Sangeet
Natak AkademiUstad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the
past two years.
Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman, Sunil Bharti
Mittal has become the first Indian citizen to receive an
Honorary Knighthood from United Kingdom's King Charles
III.
• An honorary Knighthood is one of the highest honours
granted by the British Sovereign to civilians, conferred
upon foreign nationals in recognition of their exceptional
contributions.
• Pankaj Kumar Chatterjee has won the 7th edition of
the Romain Rolland Book Prize.
• For his Bengali translation of the French novel Stalin’s
Couch
• The French original, Le Divan de Staline, was written by
Jean-Daniel Baltassat
• Instituted in 2017 by the French Institute in India, it
recognises translations of French books into Indian
languages, including English.
Amazon Pay, the financial technology division of
ecommerce giant Amazon, has secured the esteemed
payment aggregator (PA) license from the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI).
• The regulatory approval permits the payments platform
to function as a payment aggregator, empowering it to
facilitate e-commerce transactions through its application.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of
Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth jointly inaugurated the
developmental projects at the Agaleaga Island in
Mauritius.
• It include the new Airstrip and Saint James Jetty along
with 6 community development projects.
• ‘Project Agalega’ by India: In 2015, India had signed an
MOU with Mauritius to develop Agalega Island. Under this,
more than $200 million projects are being funded by India.
• Recently India had launched UPI and RuPay Card services
in Mauritius.
Melanochlamys droupadi (M.droupadi)
Named after President of India, by Zoological Survey of
India M. droupadi is a new marine species of head-shield
sea slug discovered from West Bengal and Odisha coast.
It shares habitat with Melanochlamys bengalensis which
discovered in 2022, but differs morphologically.
M. droupadi is smaller and has mottled brown to black
colouration with a ruby red spot on the posterior shield.
The sea slugs are rapid hunters. They feed upon mobile
prey such as other shelled and unshelled sea slugs,
roundworms, marine worms and small fishes.
Union Finance Minister reviews the performance of
NaBFID.
Genesis: Set up in 2021, by an Act of the Parliament (The
NaBFID Act, 2021) as a specialised Development Finance
Institution (DFI).
Objectives
♦ Addressing the gaps in long-term non-recourse finance
for infrastructure development.
♦ Strengthening the development of bonds and
derivatives markets in India.
♦ Sustainably boosting the country’s economy.
DRDO successfully flight tested VSHORADS from a
ground-based portable launcher from Integrated Test
Range, Chandipur.
About VSHORADS missile
The indigenously developed missile is a MANPADS
(manportable air defence system).Developed by Research
Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other DRDO
laboratories and Indian Industry Partners.
2 march
State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2023 released on the
22nd foundation day of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
SEEI has been developed by the BEE in collaboration with
Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) to track
Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in the states and UTs.
It assesses the performance of 36 states and UTs in Energy
Efficiency (EE) implementation using 65 indicators
distributed across seven demand sectors:
♦ Buildings, Industry, Municipal services, Transport,
Agriculture, Distribution Company (DISCOM), and Cross-
Sector Initiatives. States and UTs are categorized as Front
Runner, Achiever, Contender, and Aspirant based on their
total scores.
Key Outcomes of SEEI-2023:
Top Performers: Karnataka (only state with active “Energy
Conservation and Energy Efficiency Policy”) followed by
Andhra Pradesh.15 states improved scores compared to
SEEI 2021-22 with Maharashtra and Haryana showing
most improvement.
IndiaTex is launched at BHARAT TEX 2024, one of the
largest-ever global textile events organized in India.
IndiaTex is a four-year (2023-2027) United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) project. It is a part of the
One UNEP Textile Initiative.
♦ This initiative provides strategic leadership and
encourages sector-wide collaboration to accelerate a just
transition towards a sustainable and circular textile value
chain.
United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)
Established in 2012 as a result of Rio+20, it is world’s
highest-level decision-making body on the environment.
It also serves as the governing body of the UN
Environment Programme. It meets biennially in Nairobi,
Kenya. UNEA-6 adopted a Ministerial Declaration aimed at
halting the progression of the triple planetary crisis of
climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution
and waste.
The 2024 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement will
be awarded to Johan Rockstrom for his work on the
Planetary Boundaries framework.
4th Khelo India University Games 2023, Ashtalakshmi
held from 19-29 Feb, 2024
• The Games were played across seven sister states of the
North-East
• Chandigarh University clinched the overall
championships - 71 medals, including 32 gold, 18 silver
and 21 bronze.
• Lovely Professional University were second with 20 gold,
14 silver and eight bronze
• Guru Nanak Dev University finished third with 12 gold,
20 silver and 19 bronze and was only contingent apart
from the champions to cross the 50-medal mark.
India - Malaysia Bilateral Maritime Exercise ‘Samudra
Laksamana’
• 3rd edition Exercise Samudra Laksamana is underway
from 28 Feb - 02 Mar 24 at/ off Visakhapatnam.
• Indian Naval Ship Kiltan and Royal Malaysian Ship KD
Lekir are participating
• This exercise has harbour professional interactions
followed by the operational phase at sea.
IPS officer Daljit Singh Chawdhary appointed as
new Director General of NSG
• NSG - National Security Guard - India’s counter terrorism
force.
• DG M A Ganapathy passed on the baton to Daljit Singh
Chawdhary
• Daljit Singh Chawdhary is currently the DG of Sashastra
Seema Bal (SSB), and has been given the additional charge
of heading the NSG.
• Union Cabinet approved the establishment of
International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) with headquarters in
India
• with a one-time budgetary support of Rs.150 crore for a
period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
• 16 of 96 ‘big cat’ countries have signed on so far
• PM Modi during his speech on the occasion of Global
Tiger Day, 2019 called for an Alliance of Global Leaders to
curb poaching in Asia.
The fifth cycle leopard population estimation was carried
out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and
Wildlife Institute of India
• as part of the quadrennial “Monitoring of Tiger,
Copredators, prey and their habitat” exercise in tiger range
States
Key Findings:
• India's leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) population is
estimated at 13,874 (Range: 12,616 – 15,132) individuals,
representing stable population in comparison to the
similar area being sampled in 2018 with 12,852 (12,172-
13,535) individuals.
• There is a 1.08% per annum growth
• This estimate represent population of 70% of leopard
habitat, the Himalayas and semi arid parts of country
which are not tiger habitat were not sampled.
• In Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains, there is a -3.4%
decline per annum, while the largest growth rate was in
Central India and Eastern Ghats of 1.5%.
• Madhya Pradesh houses the largest population of
leopards in the country – 3,907
• followed by Maharashtra (1,985), Karnataka (1,879),
Tamil Nadu (1,070)
• Tiger Reserves or sites with highest leopard population
are, Nagarajunasagar Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), followed
by Panna (Madhya Pradesh), and Satpura (Madhya
Pradesh).
NITI Aayog launches National Birth Defect Awareness
Month 2024
• The National Birth Defect Awareness Month is an
initiative in raising awareness for all birth defects and
improve the care and treatment for children.
• The theme - “Breaking Barriers: inclusive support for
children with birth defects”.
• This campaign is an effort for observing Birth defect day,
which is observed on 3rd of March every year.
3 4 march
Chapchar Kut festival celebrated across Mizoram
• Chapchar Kut - the biggest festival of Mizoram was
celebrated across the state with full traditional fervor and
festivities.
• Chapchar Kut is celebrated to thank God after
completion of their most arduous task of jhum operation -
jungle clearing (clearing of the remnants of burning) at the
beginning of a year.
• Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the first State in the
country to issue five crore Ayushman cards under the
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
Odisha's Centuries-Old 'Silver Filigree' Gets GI Tag
• Cuttack’s famous ‘Chandi Tarakasi’ or silver filigree has
been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• In Odia, ‘Tarakasi’ is a combination of two words —
‘Tara’ (wire) and ‘Kasi’ (design)
• Sub-inspector Suman Kumari has become the first
woman sniper of the Border Security Force.
• Recently completed 8-week sniper course at Central
School of Weapons and Tactics (CSWT) in Indore and
achieved 'instructor grade’
Flipkart has launched its own Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) services in collaboration with Axis Bank.
• The facility is called Flipkart UPI
• for both online and offline payments within and outside
the Flipkart app, will initially be available only for Android
users
Nicaragua becomes first Spanish-speaking nation to
recognise Indian pharma standards
• India and Nicaragua signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on Pharmacopoeia on cooperation
in the field of the regulation of medicines.
• Pharmacopeia (A book describing chemicals, drugs, and
other substances and how they are used as medicines).
5 march
7th GECF summit concluded with the adoption of Algiers
declaration.
The declaration aims to “promote natural gas as an
affordable, reliable energy source, and harness sustainable
natural gas technologies”
About GECF:
Headquartered in Doha, (Qatar), GECF is an
intergovernmental organisation, consisting of the world's
leading gas exporting countries.
Members: Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran,
Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad, UAE, Venezuela.
♦ India is neither a member nor an Observer
Recently, PM laid the foundation stone of
Kulasekarapattinam spaceport in Thoothukudi district of
Tamil Nadu.
About Kulasekarapattinam spaceport
It will be used to launch SSLVs (Small Satellite Launch
Vehicles). It has several advantages in comparison to
Sriharikota facility in Andhra Pradesh, such as
♦ Located more close to the equator and will save fuel
♦ Rockets can now head straight in the southern direction.
» From Sriharikota facility, the rocket first heads east,
and then turns south to avoid the airspace of Sri Lanka.
♦ Nearby ISRO’s Propulsion Research Complex location
makes it easier to transport the rocket components safely,
and in a shorter period.
Union Minister of Steel inaugurated India’s 1st Green
Hydrogen Plant in Stainless Steel Sector.
It will pave the way for sustainable steel production.
About the plant It will be the world’s first off-grid Green
Hydrogen plant for the stainless steel industry Also the
world’s first Green Hydrogen plant with rooftop &
floating solar. This project is also a state-of-the-art green
hydrogen facility.
Target: To reduce carbon emissions considerably by
around 2,700 Metric Tonnes per annum.
It is aligned with India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission.
New gi tag Banglar muslin u The Banglar muslin is one of
the popular traditional handloom craft of Bengal Muslin is
made of cotton and the threads maintain high tensile
strength Narsapur Crochet Lace products from West
Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh
• Ratlam Riyawan Lahsun (Garlic) a variety named after
Riyawan village in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh
• Ambaji White Marble, Gujarat formed when limestone is
re-crystallised under the earth’s crust due to intense
pressure and heat.
Tripura Risa Textile
• handwoven cloth used as a female upper garment.
• Risa is a part of traditional Tripuri attire that comprises
three parts - risa, rignai and rikutu.
• Hyderabad Lac Bangles
mirror work and encrusted precious stones handicraft
Majuli Mask of Assam
• made in different variety and sizes as they are mainly
divided into different categories — ‘Mukha bhaona’ face
mask covers the face,
• ‘Lotokoi’ hanging mask which is bigger in size extends to
the chest and,
• ‘Cho Mukha’ huge mask is a head and body mask.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched ADITI (Acing
Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX)
scheme
• The scheme was unveiled during DefConnect 2024 in
New Delhi on March 4, 2024
• It aims to provide start-ups with grant-in-aid of up to Rs
25 crore for research, development, and innovation in
defence technology.
• ADITI scheme falls under the iDEX (Innovations for
Defence Excellence) framework of the Department of
Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence,
• For the scheme, about Rs 750 crore has been allocated
for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26.
India’s 1st Green Hydrogen Plant in Stainless Steel
Sector
• located at Jindal Stainless Limited, Hisar, Haryana.
• This project to be the world’s first off-grid Green
Hydrogen plant for the stainless steel industry and the
world’s first Green Hydrogen plant with rooftop & floating
solar
• This project is also a state-of-the-art green hydrogen
facility with a target to reduce carbon emissions around
2,700 Metric Tonnes per annum and 54,000 tons of CO2
emissions over next two decades.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), one of India’s
leading petroleum companies, has recently announced its
partnership with Olympic and World Javelin Champion
Neeraj Chopra.
• Neeraj Chopra will serve as the brand ambassador for
BPCL’s premium petrol variant, ‘Speed.’
France poised to become first country in world to
enshrine right to abortion in its Constitution
• Parliamentarians from the upper and lower chambers
will meet in a special session summoned by President
Emmanuel Macron.
• If, as expected, they vote for the government's motion
by a three-fifths majority, then the country's 1958
Constitution will be revised to enshrine women's
guaranteed freedom to abort.
6 march
Recent Appointments (Revision)
• Sub-Inspector Suman Kumari - BSF’s First Female Sniper
• Anurag Agarwal - Head Of Parliament Security
• IPS Officer Daljit Singh Chaudhary - NSG’s New Director
General
• Justice A M Khanwilkar - Lokpal Chairperson
• Sanjay Kumar Jain - CMD/IRCTC
• Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal President of ICA.
India’s first indigenous Fast Breeder Reactor at
Kalpakkam
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed
commencement of “core loading” at India’s first
indigenous Fast Breeder Reactor (500 MWe) at Kalpakkam,
Tamil Nadu
• A Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) is a nuclear reactor that
uses fast neutron to generate more nuclear fuels
(fissionable material) than they consume while generating
power, dramatically enhancing the efficiency of the use of
resources.
Once commissioned, India will only be the second country
after Russia to have commercial operating Fast Breeder
Reactor.
Union Minister for Information Technology and
Electronics Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the Department
of Telecommunications (DoT)’s ‘Digital Intelligence
Platform (DIP)’ for coordination among the stakeholders to
curb misuse of telecom resources in cybercrime and
financial frauds
• He also launched ‘Chakshu’ facility on Sanchar
Saathiportal-a pioneering initiative empowering citizens to
proactively report suspected fraud communication.
• In case, a citizen is already a victim of cyber-crime or
financial fraud, it is advised to report at cyber-crime
helpline number 1930 or website
https://www.cybercrime.gov.in of Government of
India.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
developed and validated an Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM-
3) Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) product.
• It utilizes EOS-6 satellite data.
• The satellite EOS-6, launched in November 2022, is
equipped with a state-of-the-art OCM sensor to monitor
atmospheric aerosols.
• Its high-resolution data reveals the dynamics of
particulate matter (PM2.5/PM10), offering insights into
their distribution and transport over metropolitan areas.
• Beyond the Indian skies, the OCM-3 AOD product serves
as a global resource for monitoring aerosols worldwide,
offering insights into aerosol blankets from diverse
sources such as South Asian fires and Canadian wildfires.
Saturn has maximum moons - 146 confirmed so far.
• Jupiter 2nd with 95 moons
• Jupiter's icy moon Ganymede is the largest moon in our
solar system. It's bigger than Mercury and Pluto.
The International Space Station
§ It is the largest man-made object in space launched
on November 20, 1998.
§ It serves as a habitat for astronauts in space.
§ Participating States: The United States (NASA),
Russia's (Roscosmos), Europe's (ESA), Japan's (JAXA),
and Canada's (CSA) space agencies.
§ Orbit: orbit about 400 kilometres above Earth.
§ Speed: It travels around Earth at a speed of
about 28,000 kilometres per hour, it orbits Earth
about every 90 minutes (16 orbits in 24 hours).
A joint Egyptian-U.S. archaeological mission has
uncovered the upper part of a huge statue of King
Ramses II during excavations south of the Egyptian city of
Minya.
• The limestone block is about 3.8 metres (12.5 feet) high
and depicts a seated Ramses wearing a double crown
• Also known as Ramses the Great, the king was one of
ancient Egypt's most powerful pharaohs.
• He was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of
Egypt and ruled from 1,279 to 1,213 BCE.
7 march
India’s 1st Dolphin Research Centre Inaugurated In
Patna
• Inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
• Built at a cost of Rs 30 crore, the National Dolphin
Research Center (NDRC) stands on the banks of the
Ganges inside the Patna University campus
• It will help students and researchers understand the
behaviour of freshwater dolphins, particularly of those
found in the Ganges.
• The Gangetic River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) was
declared the national aquatic animal in the year 2009.
India's 1st under- river metro tunnel in
Kolkata
• PM Modi inaugurates India's first under-river metro
tunnel in Kolkata - first transportation tunnel ‘under
any mighty river in India .
• The metro tunnel has been built under Kolkata's
Hooghly River that will connect Howrah Maidan to
Esplanade.
• The Metro will take to a 520-metre stretch under the
river Hooghly in 45 seconds.
Country’s first ready-to-serve dragon fruit juice, readyto-
eat jackfruit curry unveiled at ICAR-IIHR
• The first time in the country, scientists at the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) - Indian Institute
of Horticultural Research (IIHR) have developed a readyto-
serve (RTS) dragon fruit/kamalam fruit beverage and
ready-to-eat jackfruit curry.
• This innovation was perhaps the most intriguing product
for many visitors at the National Horticulture Fair (NHF),
Bengaluru.
• With tender jackfruit gaining popularity as a substitute
for meat in many countries across the world, over 800
tonnes of tender jackfruit were exported from Karnataka,
mainly to Bangladesh and Thailand.
IN-SPACe technical centre focussed on ‘satellites &
payloads’ inaugurated in Ahmedabad
• A first-of-its-kind technical centre built by Indian National
Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) in
Ahmedabad was inaugurated by Union minister of state
for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh.
• Will provide “unparalleled opportunities” to the private
sector to rigorously test and validate their space
technologies
• The IN-SPACe Technical Centre will help develop rockets
and satellites.
• India is aiming for a five-fold increase in the space
economy by 2030.
• India’s space economy today stands at a modest USD 8
billionAbout IN-SPACe
• IN-SPACe is responsible to promote, enable, authorize
and supervise various space activities of non governmental
entities including building launch vehicles & satellites and
providing space-based services; sharing space
infrastructure and premises under the control of
DOS/ISRO; and establishing of new space infrastructure
and facilities.
• IN-SPACe headquarters in Bopal, Ahmedabad
• Chairman: Dr. Pawan Kumar Goenka.
Raksha Mantri Inaugurates ‘Chola’ Building At Naval War
College, Goa
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates new
Administrative & Training building, named ‘Chola’ at
Naval War College, Goa
• The modern edifice, named the 'Chola’, pays homage to
the mighty maritime empire of the Chola dynasty of
ancient India.
The first comprehensive book on Indian modern art “The
Gems of Indian Art” launched
• The book documents the late Harish Khullar’s collection
of 20th century Indian modern and contemporary art.
• This publication has been edited by the veteran art critic,
poet and filmmaker Vinod Bhardwaj.
Women, Business and Law Report 2024
§ India's ranking improved to 113 out of 190 countries in
the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law index. In
2023, India ranked 126.
§ It is a World Bank index measuring the enabling
environment for women’s economic opportunity in 190
economies.
§ The index measures how laws and regulations affect
women’s economic opportunity on a scale from 0 to 100,
where 100 means equal legal rights for men and women.
8 march
About Cantonments
An area where military troops are garrisoned and is
primarily dedicated to housing soldiers. However, civilian
populations are also present.
Genesis: Established by East India Company after the
battle of Plassey in 1757.
♦ Barrackpore (Calcutta) was first Cantonment established
in 1765.
Currently there are 62 cantonments in India.
Administration: Local self-government of the Cantonments
is the subject matter of Union Government (Entry 3 of
Union List).
Cantonments are currently administered under the
Cantonments Act, 2006 in accordance with the 74th
Constitutional amendment act.
Book “India’s Contemporary Macroeconomic Themes-
Looking Beyond 2020” launched to honour C. Rangarajan
• The book was launched at an event organised at Madras
School of Economics
• D.K. Srivastava and K.R. Shanmugam are editors of the
book.
• C. Rangarajan - Former Chairman, Economic Advisory
Council to the Prime Minister and Former Reserve Bank of
India Governor.
• Important book by C Rangarajan: 'Forks In The Road: My
Days At RBI And Beyond'.
Jharkhand government launched ‘Vidhwa Punarvivah
Protsahan Yojana’
• The widow remarriage incentive scheme is a first of its
kind initiative in the country launched by Champai Soren,
CM of Jharkhand
• under which, women who chose to get married again
after the death of their husbands, will be given an
incentive of Rs 2 lakh by the government.
Kerala Welcomes ‘Iris’ its first generative AI teacher
• The humanoid, Named Iris, was unveiled at KTCT Higher
Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram in collaboration
with Makerlabs Edutech Private Limited.
• Iris was built as part of the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL), a
2021 NITI Aayog project to boost students’ extracurricular
activities in schools.
• Iris can speak three languages and also answer difficult
questions, along with features including voice assistant,
interactive learning, manipulation capabilities, and
mobilities.
CSIR-IIP Partners With UCOST to implement the Pine
Needles-based fuel-making technology in Champawat
• An MoU was signed, between CSIR Indian Institute of
Petroleum, Dehradun and UCOST under the aegis of
the "Adarsh Champawat" mission.
• Under this agreement, the CSIR - Indian Institute of
Petroleum will implement two major technologies at
the grassroots level in Champawat.
• Selected technologies include
§ a briquetting unit based on Pine Needles
§ 500 units of Improved Cookstoves for rural households.
§ The briquettes produced will be used as fuel in homes
and local industries. V the use and management of Pine
Needles are necessary to reduce the instances of forest
fires. V The Pine Needle briquettes and pellets can replace
coal and protect the environment.
PM Modi lays foundation stone of “Experience of
Spirituality at Chitrakoot Ghat” project in Chitrakoot
under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme
• in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh
• The Prime Minister will also inaugurate development
works under the Prasad Scheme in Amarkantak.
• PRASAD scheme is 'Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And
Spiritual Augmentation Drive'. This scheme focuses on
developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for
enriching the religious tourism experience.
Swadesh Darshan Scheme
• It was launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Tourism
• to develop sustainable and responsible tourism
destinations in the country.
• It is 100% centrally funded scheme.
• Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to State
governments, Union Territory Administrations or Central
Agencies for development of tourism infrastructure in the
country.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank Indonesia (BI)
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
• for establishing a framework to promote the use of local
currencies viz., the Indian Rupee (INR) and the Indonesian
Rupiah (IDR) for cross-border transactions.
• The MoU was signed by the RBI governor Shaktikanta
Das and the Bank Indonesia governor Perry Warjiyo.
• This framework would enable exporters and importers to
invoice and pay in their respective domestic currencies, -
enable the development of an INR-IDR foreign exchange
market.
9 march
Sweden officially becomes 32nd member of
NATO • Sweden applied for NATO membership in 2022 to
strengthen their security in response to Russia's invasion
of Ukraine.• Finland became the 31st member of NATO on
April 4, 2023
Panama becomes 97th member to ratify the
International Solar Alliance
• Chile becomes 95th member
• Hungary becomes 96th member
International Solar Alliance was launched in 2015
• by India and France, at the United Nations Climate
Change Conference held in Paris.
INAS 334 'SEAHAWKS’ commissioned
• INAS 334 'Seahawks', the Indian Navy's first MH 60R
Squadron
• INAS – Indian Naval Air Squadron
• commissioned in the presence of Adm R Hari Kumar, the
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), at INS Garuda, Southern Naval
Command, Kochi.
Bengaluru to Get India’s First Driverless Metro
Train
• The new driverless train will use Communication-based
Train Control (CBTC) system
• CBTC technology is a modern communication-based
system that uses radio communication to transfer timely
and accurate train control information.
• The new train will also use artificial intelligence (AI) for
safety purposes.
Kerala Launches India’s First State-Run OTT
Platform ‘CSpace’
• Managed by the Kerala State Film Development
Corporation (KSFDC).
• State-run OTT will prove to be a decisive step in the
advancement of Malayalam Cinema
• CSpace's priority will stream content with artistic and
cultural values.
• The films that win state, national and international
awards will be streamed on the platform.
10 11 march
PM Modi inaugurates Sela Tunnel connecting Assam to
Arunachal/
• Sela Tunnel is constructed by the Border Roads
Organisation(BRO) at an altitude of 13,000 feet on the
road
• connecting Tezpur, Assam to Tawang in the West Kameng
district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Built at a total cost of Rs 825 crore
• It is the world’s longest bi-lane tunnel at an altitude
above 13,000 ft
• The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to
Tawang across Sela Pass on the Balipara - Chariduar -
Tawang Road.
• This tunnel will also ensure that the Chinese are not able
to monitor traffic movement in the area. The Sela Pass, at
13,700 feet, is currently visible to the Chinese and hence
can observe all kinds of military movement.
• The Sela Tunnel consists of one main tunnel and one
escape tunnel — both 1,555 metres-long — besides a
shorter tunnel of 980 metres and a 1.2 km road.
• The Sela Tunnel has been constructed using the new
Austrian Tunnelling Method.
Samudrayaan mission is aimed at sending 3 personnel to
6000-metre depth in a vehicle called ‘MATSYA 6000’ for
the exploration of deep-sea resources.
• India should be able to send its scientists to study the
deep ocean 6 km under the sea surface in its own
Samudrayaan by the end of next year.
• Samudrayaan, or Deep Ocean Mission has been
launched w.e.f. 07.09. 2021, as a Central Sector Scheme of
Ministry of Earth Sciences
• The projected timeline is five years for the period 2020-
2021 to 2025-2026
India's fastest and indigenously designed IP/MPLS
router launched
• India's fastest and indigenously designed IP/MPLS
(Multiprotocol Label Switching) router was launched in
Bengaluru by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for
Communications, Electronics and Information Technology.
• MPLS is a routing technique in telecommunications
networks that directs data from one node to the next,
based on labels rather than network addresses.
• with a capacity of 2.4 Terabits per second (TBPS)
Poshan Pakhwada 2024 9th-23rd March
• During the Pakhwada, mass sensitisation and community
activities will be held
• Theme 2024 : Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi, dietary practices
focused on sensitisation around nutrition and health of
pregnant women.
Poshan Pakhwada is celebrated for a span of 15 days in
the month of March annually.
• Similarly, the month of September is celebrated as
Rashtriya Poshan Maah
• Poshan Abhiyaan, launched by PM Modi on 8th March
2018
• ‘POSHAN’ stands for ‘Prime Minister’s Overarching
Scheme for Holistic Nutrition.
• It was established in order to locate children suffering
from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) throughout all
districts and give them specialized attention and
nourishment.
India’s first museum dedicated to cooperatives is
coming up in Kozhikode
• The International Cooperative Museum - will showcase
the success and achievements of cooperative movements
in India, especially Kerala.
• A ₹150 crore project of Karassery Service Co-operative
Bank
• the museum will be the second of its kind in the world
(the first is in Toad Lane, U.K., set up in 1844).
• There are more than 8 lakh cooperatives in India today,
with a collective membership of 29 crore.
• Maharashtra has the maximum number of cooperative
societies, at 2.3 lakh, with 5 crore members.
Kerala tops chart of highest passport penetration among
women in the country
• Women from Kerala hold the highest number of
passports issued in the country till 2023, followed by
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Gujarat.
• Though Kerala has the highest number of total passport
holders in the country with 98.92 lakh (including male and
female),
• Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of male passport
holders with 70.58 lakh.
PM Modi launched Mahatari VandanYojana in
Chhattisgarh
• Under the scheme, an amount of 1000 rupees will be
transferred online every month to over 70 lakh eligible
women.
• Women applying for the scheme should be between 23
to 60 years old.
India – U.S. Maritime Security Exercise ‘Sea Defenders-
2024’ at Port Blair/
• Between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and United States
Coast Guard (USCG) successfully concluded at Port Blair
Andaman & Nicobar Islands on March 9.
• The exercise featured Indian Coast Guard helicopter and
Dornier aircraft
• One of the highlights of the exercise was the Pollution
Response Demonstration, where Indian Coast Guard ships
and aircraft displayed their proficiency in responding to oil
spills and other environmental hazards at sea.
12 march
Double Paralympic gold medallist javelin thrower
Devendra Jhajharia was elected as the President of the
Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).
• The 42-year-old javelin thrower - won a gold medal each
in the 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Paralympics in the F46
disability category.
Satwik-Chirag win French Open doubles
title
• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lifted the
French Open badminton crown for the second time with a
dominating straight game win over Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)
• The world No. 1 Indian pair had won the title in 2022.
Mission Divyastra: India test-fires Agni-5 missile
• Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) conducted India’s first successful flight test of the
indigenously developed Agni-V missile.
• The flight test, named Mission Divyastra, was carried out
from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
• Agni is a long-range missile. It is India’s first
intercontinental land based ballistic missile with a range of
over 5,000 km.
• Agni-5 ballistic missile equipped to carry multiple
warheads, each of which is capable of hitting a separate
target.
• This ability to carry multiple warheads on a single
missile, called MIRV or Multiple Independently Targetable
Re-entry Vehicle
• MIRV technology is possessed only by the United States,
Russia, China, United Kingdom and France. Last year,
Pakistan also claimed to have tested a MIRV-equipped
missile, Ababeel.
Agni-5 uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine.
• The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to
3,500 km and have already been deployed.
▪ Agni-5 is an ingeniously built advanced surface-to-surface
ballistic missile developed under the Integrated Guided
Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
▪ IGMDP was the brainchild of renowned scientist Dr. APJ
Abdul Kalam.
• The missiles developed under IGMDP are:
• Short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile – Prithvi
• Intermediate-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile –
Agni
• Short-range low-level surface-to-air missile – Trishul
• Medium-range surface-to-air missile – Akash
• Third generation anti-tank missile – Nag
PM lays foundation stone for 2,880 MW Dibang
Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh
• Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project of NHPC
Limited near Munli village in Lower Dibang Valley district
of Arunachal Pradesh is scheduled to be commissioned in
February 2032.
• To be built at a cost of more than Rs. 31,875 crores, the
project will have a 278-metres-high dam, which would be
the highest Concrete-Gravity Dam of India.
• The Dam is planned to be constructed with Roller
Compacted Concrete (RCC) technique and it will be the
highest RCC Dam of the World.
Vibrant Village Program
▪ a Centrally sponsored scheme, approved on 15th Feb,
2023
▪ development of villages on the northern border, thus
improving the quality of life of people living in identified
border villages.
▪ It will cover the border areas of Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh.
▪ opportunities for livelihood generation through
promotion of tourism & cultural heritage, skill
development & entrepreneurship and development of
cooperative societies etc.
▪ The interventions also include providing road
connectivity to unconnected villages, housing & village
infrastructure, energy including renewable energy,
television & telecom connectivity.
PM Modi Unveils Bronze Statue of Ahom General Lachit
Borphukan in Assam’s Jorhat
• The ‘Statue of Valour’, 125-foot bronze statue of the
legendary Ahom general, Lachit Borphukan, at his burial
site in eastern Assam’s Jorhat district.
• designed and constructed by renowned sculptor Ram
Vanji Sutar,
• stands on a pedestal of 41 feet, making the total
structure 125 feet tall.
• The foundation of the statue was laid by former
President Ram Nath Kovind in February 2022.
Kishor Makwana assumes charge of Chairman National
Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)
• Makwana was a joint spokesperson of the Gujarat unit of
the BJP.
• In re-constituted National Commission for Scheduled
Castes, govt. ensures a place for Madiga member
• Madiga community is one of the most populous
Scheduled Caste communities in Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh.
Sashakt Nari - Viksit Bharat programm
• During the programme, the Prime Minister handed over
drones to 1000 Namo Drone Didis
• The 'Namo Drone Didi' scheme is aimed at empowering
rural women by training them to be drone pilots and
making them integral stakeholders of local farming supply
chains
• PM said that over 1 crore women have become 'Lakhpati
Didis' due to various government schemes.
13 march
PM Modi visited Sabarmati Ashram and inaugurated
redeveloped KochrabAshram
• It was the first Ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi
after coming to India from South Africa in 1915.
• Kochrab Ashram is where Gandhiji stayed before shifting
to Sabarmati.
• Bapu’s Sabarmati Ashram area got shrinked from 120
acres to 5 Acres
• PM modi launched ₹1,200 crore Master plan of Gandhi
Ashram Memorial
• Under this master plan, the existing 5-acre area of the
Ashram will be expanded to 55 acres. 36 existing buildings
shall undergo restoration.
• Gujarat Governor - Acharya Devvrat; Chief Minister -
Bhupendra Patel.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled PNG (Piped
Natural gas) connections to 41 villages in Delhi under the
Dilli GramodayAbhiyan.
• He also inaugurated other development works in 178
villages worth 383 crores.
• The objective of the Dilli Gramoday Abhiyan is the
establishment and enhancement of essential
infrastructure.
• It also aims to focus on scientific livestock management,
livelihood initiatives, healthcare facilities, water
management, and efficient land use, among other goals
Tamil Nadu gets its first robotic temple elephant
• The elephant was handed over to the Shivan Temple in
Devarshola in Gudalur by an NGO, Voices for Asian
Elephants.
• Earlier donated to temples across Kerala to end the
oftencriticised practice of maintaining elephants in
captivity at temples, often in unhealthy, inhumane
conditions.
Justice Satyendra Kumar Singh Sworn in as New
Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh
• Governor Mangubhai Patel administered the oath of
office to the new Lokayukta at Raj Bhavan.
‘Bharat Shakti’ war game in Pokhran
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the
triservices war game ‘Bharat Shakti’ in Rajasthan’s Pokhran
on March 12
• The war game witnessed a combined demonstration of
indigenous defence equipment in the form of a tri-services
live fire and manoeuvre exercise Bharat Shakti at Pokhran
in Rajasthan.
Sahitya Akademi organises ‘Sahityotsav’ to
commemorate its 70-year journey
§ Sahitya Akademi, the National Academy of Letters in
India has organised the World's largest literature festival
‘Sahityotsav’ to commemorate its 70-year journey.
§ The event will be held from 11-16 March, 2024
• The festival was inaugurated by Minister of State for
Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal at Rabindra Bhavan, New
Delhi.
India stands as the world’s second-largest producer of
mobile phones
§ India now stands as the world’s second-largest
producer of mobile phones at the end of the decade 2014-
2024.
§ the sector has transitioned from being 78 %
importdependent in 2014 to 97% self-sufficiency.
§ Only 3% of the total mobile phones sold in India are
now imported.
§ India’s mobile phone production is nearing 20 lakh
crore rupees in a decade of unprecedented growth.
World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly to
be held in Delhi
• World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly
(WTSA 2024) will be held in New Delhi from 15 to 24
October 2024.
• The Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB) of
the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
organises WTSA
• which plays a crucial role in shaping the global agenda
for the standardisation of telecom and information and
communication technologies.
Riken Yamamoto of Japan declared winner of the 2024
Pritzker Architecture Prize
§ The award that is regarded internationally as one of
architecture’s top honors
§ Yamamoto, is the 53rd Pritzker Architecture Prize
laureate and the ninth from Japan, was honoured for his
buildings that aim to foster community.
14 march
• English author Neelum Saran Gaur and Hindi
novelist Sanjeev, received the Sahitya Akademi Award for
2023.
§ Neelum Saran Gaur - book Requiem in Raga
Janki
§ Sanjeev - novel Mujhe Pehchaano
• The award ceremony coincided with the 70th anniversary
(Sahityotsav).
• The authors and poets received an engraved copper
plaque, a shawl and an amount of ₹1 lakh.
The first Awards were given in 1955.
• Makhanlal Chaturvedi was the first recipient in the Hindi
category in the year 1955.
• RK Narayan was the first recipient in the English category
in the year 1960.
Veteran Bharatanatyam guru Manjula Ramaswamy, has
been conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi award
for 2022-23 for her contribution to Bharatanatyam.
§ The 66-year-old dancer and the director of Hyderabad-
based dance institute Sri Rama Nataka Niketan was
honoured by President Droupadi Murmu.
§ The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardees will receive a
prize of Rs. 1 Lakh with an Angavastram (shawl) and a
Tamrapatra (citation plaque).
Officially inaugurated on 28 January 1953 by the first
President of India Rajendra Prasad.
• It is presently an Autonomous Body of the Ministry of
Culture.
§ Indian author Amitav Ghosh has been awarded the
prestigious Erasmus Prize 2024 by the Netherlandsbased
Praemium Erasmianum Foundation
§ for his significant contributions to the theme “imagining
the unthinkable” through his writings on the climate crisis
and human interactions with nature.
§ He won the Padma Shri in 2007; 54th Jnanpith award in
2018 (India's highest literary honor).
PM Modi lays foundation stone of 3 semiconductor
projects worth Rs 1.25 trn
§ Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in 'India's
Techade: Chips for Viksit Bharat’
§ and virtually laid the foundation stone of three
semiconductor projects worth about Rs 1.25 lakh crore
§ The three projects are the Semiconductor fabrication
facility:
§ Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) in Gujarat
§ OSAT facility in Sanand in Gujarat
§ Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT)
facility in Morigaon, Assam.
Secretary Ministry Of AYUSH Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha
Inaugurates Yoga Mahotsav 2024
• celebrating the 100-day countdown to this year’s
International Day of Yoga.
• June 21 was declared as the International Yoga Day by
the United Nations General Assembly.
• Theme of Yoga Mahotsav 2024 - “Yoga for Women
Empowerment”
Indian Navy at Exercise Cutlass Express 2024
§ INS Tir, the lead ship of First Training Squadron (1TS)
participated in Exercise Cutlass Express - 24 (CE- 24)
§ held at Port Victoria, Seychelles from 26 Feb – 08 Mar
24.
§ As part of Cutlass Express, the Indian Navy actively
engaged with participants from 16 friendly foreign
countries.
§ Indian Navy has been participating in the exercise since
2019.
15 march
Sukhbir Sandhu & Gyanesh Kumar appointed Election
Commissioners
§ Sukhbir Singh Sandhu from Punjab and Gyanesh Kumar
from Kerala have been named as the new Election
Commissioners by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Modi,
committee member and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhury
§ The vacancies had come up after the retirement of Anup
Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the sudden
resignation of Arun Goel.
Appointment of CEC & EC
• It is governed by the CEC and Other ECs (Appointment,
Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023
• The act replaced the Election Commission (Conditions of
Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of
Business) Act, 1991.
§ The CEC and ECs will be appointed by the President upon
the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
§ The Selection Committee will consist of the Prime
Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of
Opposition/leader of the largest opposition party in Lok
Sabha.
The Maharashtra Cabinet on March 13 formally approved
the renaming of Ahmednagar district to ‘Ahilyanagar’
after the 18th century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar.
‘Pandavula Gutta’ designated exclusive Geo-heritage site
in Telangana
§ Pandavula Gutta, a geological marvel older than the
Himalayan hills, has been officially recognised as the sole
Geo-heritage site in Telangana.
§ Geo-heritage refers to the geological features which are
inherently or culturally significant offering insight to
earth’s evolution or history to earth science or that can be
utilized for education.
§ Geological Survey of India (GSI) is the parent body
which is making efforts towards identification and
protection of geo-heritage sites/national geological
monuments in the country.
ICAR-CTCRI Secures Patent for Smart Farming e-Crop IoT
Device
• Thiruvananthapuram-based ICAR-Central Tuber Crops
Research Institute (CTCRI) has achieved a significant
milestone in the area of agricultural technology with the
development of the Electronic Crop (e-Crop), an
innovative IoT device designed for smart farming.
• Indian Patent Office granted a patent
• IoT (Internet of things) describes devices with sensors,
processing ability, software and other technologies that
connect and exchange data with other devices and
systems over the Internet or other communications
networks.
• It calculates nutrient and water requirements and
generates an agro-advisory for the crop on a daily time
scale.
• It provides periodical advices via SMS to growers
regarding water and nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium) requirements.
Launch of PM-SURAJ Portal
§ PM Modi inaugurated the ‘Pradhan Mantri Samajik
Utthan and Rozgar Adharit Jankalyan’ (PM-SURAJ) national
portal.
§ and sanctioned credit support to one lakh 6
entrepreneurs of disadvantaged sections.
§ for empowering the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes, backward classes and other communities that have
been deprived of opportunities.
§ under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Agray’ and ‘Akshay’ ships launched to augment Indian
Navy’s anti-submarine operations
• Agray and Akshay are the Anti-Submarine Warfare
Shallow Watercrafts (ASW SWC) built by Garden Reach
Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) launched in
Kolkata
• Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Kolkata-based
PSU GRSE for production of 8 such ASW SWCs. These are
the 5th & 6th ships.
• These Arnala class of ships will replace the in-service
Abhay class ships of Indian Navy
• These are designed to undertake anti-submarine
operations in coastal waters, Low Intensity Maritime
Operations (LIMO) and Mine Laying Operations.
Navy’s Make In India 3rd 25T Bollard Pull Tug ‘Bajrang’
launched in Bharuch, Gujarat
Contract for construction and delivery of three 25T BP Tug
was concluded with M/s Shoft Shipyard Pvt Ltd. an MSME,
in consonance with “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiative of the
Government of India.
Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI)
programme was launched by the Union Sports Minister,
Anurag Singh Thakur in Chandigarh
• The scheme, aimed at school children in the age group of
9 to 18 years, will focus on using sports as a tool for
healthy life and primarily keep youngsters away from
drugs and gadgetry distractions.
• Taking the help of scientific tools, KIRTI will involve
physical education teachers and experts in scouting talent.
• KIRTI aims to conduct 20 lakh assessments across the
country throughout the year to identify talent through
notified Talent Assessment Centres.
1 march
India ranks 134th in Global Human Development
Index
• India rank on the United Nations Human Development
Index (HDI) improved by one position in 2022 in the just
released 2023/24 Human Development Report (HDR).
• In 2022, India ranked 134 out of 193 countries ranked
compared to 135 out of 191 countries in 2021.
• The data was published in the UNDP’s report titled
“Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a
Polarized World”.
Switzerland has been ranked number one.
▪ China ranked - 75▪ Sri Lanka ranked - 78▪ Bhutan – 125
▪ Bangladesh – 129▪ Nepal (146) and Pakistan (164) have
been ranked lower than India.
India ranks 108 In Gender Inequality Index 2022:
UNDP Report
▪ The Gender Inequality Index 2022 has been released by
UNDP in their Human Development Report 2023/2024.
▪ On the Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2022, India stands
at rank 108 out of 193 countries with a score of 0.437.
▪ India stood at rank 122 out of 191 countries with a score
of 0.490 in the Gender Inequality Index 2021.
• This shows a significant jump of 14 ranks on GII 2022 vis-
à-vis GII 2021.
• The GII measures gender inequalities in three key
dimensions — reproductive health, empowerment and
labour market.
• Over the last 10 years, India’s rank in GII has become
consistently better, indicating progressive improvement in
achieving gender equality in the country. In 2014, this rank
was 127.
FLY91: India’s Newest Regional Airline
▪ Jyotiraditya Scindia virtually flagged off the regional
airline FLY91
▪ Inaugural flight from Goa’s Mahohar International
Airport (Mopa) to Agatti in Lakshadweep
▪ FLY91 is a Goa-based carrier.
▪ MD & CEO of FL91 - Manoj Chacko
▪ it will begin its commercial services from March 18 with
flights connecting Goa to Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
100 Jails Certified As ‘Eat Right Campus’ By FSSAI
Across India
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is
body a statutory Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Highest number of jails certified were from Uttar
Pradesh, followed by Punjab, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
• FSSAI focuses on ensuring access to safe and nutritious
food for all, including inmates and prison staff.
NITI Aayog Launches ‘Vocal For Local’ Initiative To
Promote Grassroots Entrepreneurship
▪ To encourage self-reliance and sustainable growth, the
NITI Aayog launched the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative as part
of the Aspirational Blocks Programme.
▪ The initiative aims to bolster local economies and
promote grassroots entrepreneurship.
▪ It is being implemented in partnership with Government
eMarketplace (GeM) and Open Network for Digital
Commerce (ONDC) platforms.
▪ GeM and ONDC will provide technical and operational
support for e-commerce onboarding
▪ A dedicated window under the brand named ‘Aakanksha’
has been created on the GeM portal, showcasing
indigenous local products from 500 Aspirational Blocks.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurated a
unique digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS)
of the National Investigation Agency (NIA)
• The newly developed Criminal Case Management System
will enable the NIA personnel to better coordinate in
terrorism and organised crime cases, thereby improving
justice delivery.
He also launched a mobile app ‘Sankalan’ – A
compendium of New Criminal Laws by the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB).
▪ The Sankalan app has been designed to navigate through
new criminal laws as a bridge between old and new
criminal laws.
17 18 march
Former IAS Officer Navneet Kumar Sehgal Takes Charge As
New Prasar Bharati Chairman
▪ The post is being filled after a gap of 4 years.
▪ A Surya Prakash completed his term as Chairman in 2020.
Ms. Sheetal Devi, a distinguished Para-archer, and
Arjuna Awardee, was announced as the National Icon in
the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category.
▪ The Commission launched a dedicated Voter’s Guide for
PwDs and Senior Citizen Electors.
Ratan Tata, former chairman of Tata Sons, was bestowed
with the prestigious PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award
for his outstanding philanthropic contributions.
10th Edition of Joint Military Exercise “LAMITIYE-2024”
▪ Around 45 military personnel each from the GorkhaRifles
of the Indian Army and the Seychelles Defence Forces(SDF)
will participate in the 10-day joint military exercise
'Lamitiye 2024' from March 18 to 27 in Seychelles.
▪ ‘LAMITIYE’ meaning ‘Friendship’ - is a biennial training
event and has been conducted in Seychelles since 2001.
Indigenous drug for sickle cell disease
developed
▪ Delhi-based Akmus Drugs and Pharmaceutical Limited
announced the development of a new drug for sickle cell
disease.
▪ The drug would be the country’s first indigenous, room
temperature stable drug for sickle cell disease to be
available at only 1% of the global price.
▪ the drug would help free India of sickle cell disease.
▪ India has listed sickle cell disease as one of the 10 major
problems that affect the tribal people disproportionately.
▪ The Central government recently announced the launch
of a mission to eliminate sickle cell disease by 2047.
▪ Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh
Puri launched Ethanol100, an alternate auto fuel in New
Delhi.
▪ Ethanol100, a cleaner and greener alternative to
gasoline, is a blend of 92 to 94 percent ethanol, 4 to 5
percent motor spirit to provide colour to flame and 1.5
percent Co-solvent higher saturated alcohol.
▪ IndianOil is rolling out Ethanol100 at 183 retail outlets
across ethanol-rich states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Delhi.
▪ Government eyeing a 20% ethanol-petrol blend by 2025-
26.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal Inaugurates National Time
Protocol (NTP) For Dissemination of IST In Mumbai
▪ This will provide Uniform and precise time information
with milliseconds accuracy and will also increase the cyber
security.
▪ Earlier time was sourced from the Global Positioning
System (GPS) but now onwards we will have our own
system with the help of Navigation with Indian
Constellation (NavIC).
▪ All the mobile operators across the country will have to
sync the time using this system.
▪ India is the first country to implement time distribution
system.
▪ By the end of year, atomic clock will be installed in the
Regional Reference Standards Laboratory (RRSL) at
Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati and Delhi.
19 to 21 march
§ Rahul Singh has been appointed Chairperson of the
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
§ He will succeed Nidhi Chhibber, who has been
named Advisor in the Niti Aayog.
§ Cyclone storm ‘Megan’, brought heavy rain
and winds to Australia’s Northern Territory.
§ Tropical Cyclone lashed island communities for days
before it made landfall near the remote town of
Borroloola on the southwestern side of the Gulf of
Carpentaria.
§ McArthur River to peak at 18 metres, three metres
higher than previous 2001 record.
Kerala litterateur Prabha Varma Selected For Saraswati
Samman For The Year 2023
§ for his poetry work in Malayalam language ‘Roudra
Sathwikam’.
§ The honour carries, apart from a citation, a plaque and
an award money of 15 lakh rupees.
§ The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for
outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any of the 22
languages of India listed in Schedule VIII of the
Constitution of India.
§ The award instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991
is recognised as one of the "most prestigious and the
highest literary award in the country.
Uday Bhatia, founder of Uday Electric, and Manasi Gupta,
founder of Huesofthemind Foundation, received their
awards from Prince William, the older son of Princess
Diana, at an awards ceremony in London’s Science
Museum
§ They were among 20 worldwide recipients of the Diana
Legacy Awards, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the
Diana Award charity set up in memory of the late Princess
of Wales.
ISRO gets Aviation Week Laureates Award
§ The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has been
honoured with the prestigious Aviation Week Laureates
Award in for its achievements with the historic
Chandrayaan-3 mission.
§ Since its inception in 1957, Aviation Week Network's
Laureate Awards have honored extraordinary
achievements in aerospace.
§ Prominent Buddhist Monk of Ladakh popularly known
as LamaLobzang passes away. He was 94.
§ A distinguished tribal leader, Lama Lobzang had served
National Commission for SCs & STs for 19 years since 1984.
3rd Edition Of North East Games 2024 Begins In Nagaland
§ Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio officially declared
open the 3rd North East Games 2024 at Regional Centre
for Sporting Excellence, Sovima.
§ More than 3000 athletes from 8 North Eastern states
are competing in 15 disciplines.
§ YES Bank announced its partnership with the Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) as the Official Banking Partner
for Team India at the Paris Olympics 2024.
§ As part of the collaboration, the bank launched the
campaign 'Milkar Jitayengey' and introduced the 'YES Glory
Debit Card,' specially designed for India’s Olympicathletes.
§ Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced
the launch of a new mobile application named 'Know Your
Candidate' (KYC).
§ The app aims to provide voters with insights into the
criminal background, assets, and liabilities of electoral
candidates standing in their respective constituencies.
Election Commission launches ‘Mission 414’ campaign in
Himachal Pradesh
§ The Election Commission (EC) of India has launched a
special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to maximise voter
turnout in 414 polling stations which registered less than
60% voting in the last Lok Sabha polls.
Startup Mahakumbh 2024
§ A first-of-its-kind event bringing together the entire
startupecosystem of India including startups, investors,
incubators and accelerators, and industry leaders from
several sectors.
§ Held from March 18-20, 2024 at Bharat Mandapam,
New Delhi
§ Central Theme: ‘Bharat Innovates’
§ Focus on AI+SaaS, D2C/consumer brands, agritech,
fintech, and more.
§ SaaS (Software as a service) is one of three main
categories of cloud computing, alongside infrastructure as
a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS)
§ India is the third largest Startup ecosystem in the world
and over 50% of Startups are from tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
§ India's first integrated oil palm processing unit in
Arunachal Pradesh started operation by one of India's
largest oil palm development companies, 3F Oil Palm.
§ at Roing in lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.
§ The commencement of operations is in line to encourage
domestic oilseeds production.
§ This factory is part of Mission Palm Oil and is India's first
oil palm factory under NMEO-OP.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Inaugurates India’s First
Indoor Athletics and Aquatic Centres
§ India’s first indoor athletics centre at Kalinga Stadium.
§ He also inaugurated an indoor aquatic centre with
Olympic size swimming pool, and laid the foundation of an
indoor diving centre at the stadium.
§ The indoor athletics centre, which has a 10,000 square
metre track, is capable of holding continental and regional
championships.
§ As per the report titled, ‘World Air Quality Report 2023’
by the Swiss organisation IQAir.
§ India was the world’s third most air polluted country in
2023 out of 134 countries, after Bangladesh and Pakistan.
§ In 2022, India ranked 8th out of 131 countries
§ New Delhi is ranked the world’s most polluted capital
city for the fourth consecutive year since 2018.
§ Delhi’s PM2.5 levels worsened in 2023 than 2022.
§ Bihar’s Begusarai has emerged as the world’s most
polluted metropolitan area.
India ranked 62 on the DHL Connectedness
Index
§ DHL Global Connectedness Report 2024 released by
DHL and New York University’s Stern School of Business.
§ The report ranks countries based on their
connectedness to the world through the flow of trade,
capital, information, and people.
§ India has improved its global connectedness rank by 5
positions to reach 62 out of 171 countries from the
previous 67.
§ Globalisation reached a record high in 2022 and
remained close to that level in 2023.
§ Singapore is the world’s most globally connected
country, followed by the Netherlands and Ireland.
India ranks 126 in UN World Happiness Report
§ The findings published annually on the United Nations’
International Day of Happiness.
§ The World Happiness Report considers factors such as
social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and
absence of corruption to create a global ranking of
happiness around the globe
§ India ranked 126 out of 143 countries, the same as last
year.
Space-borne Assistant and Knowledge Hub for Crew
Interaction (SAKHI)
§ The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO facility
at Thumba(Thiruvananthapuram) has developed a multi-
purpose app SAKHI
§ It will help astronauts on the Gaganyaan space flight
mission to carry out a range of tasks.
§ Space-borne Assistant and Knowledge Hub for Crew
Interaction (SAKHI) will, among other things, monitor the
health of the astronauts, help them stay connected with
Earth.
§ ISRO is to launch the Gaganyaan human spaceflight
mission in 2025.
Grok Chatbot
§ Grok is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot
developed by xAI, based on a large language model.
§ It was developed as an initiative by Elon Musk as a
direct response to the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT which
Musk cofounded.
§ The chatbot is advertised as "having a sense of humor"
and direct access to Twitter (X).
Tiger Triumph - Bilateral Tri-Service Humanitarian
Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Amphibious
Exercise
§ between India and US
§ on the Eastern Seaboard from 18 to 31 Mar 24.
§ The Harbour Phase of the exercise is being conducted at
Visakhapatnam from 18 to 25 Mar 24
§ The Sea phase from March 26 to 31
§ The Opening Ceremony of the exercise was held onboard
INS Jalashwa.
The newly constructed ‘Nausena Bhawan’ is located
at Delhi Cantonment was formally inaugurated by
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
§ The foundation stone for a naval headquarters was
laid by then Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on
August 20, 2014.
Indian Army Inducts First Apache 451 Aviation Squadron
• Preparing to induct the first batch of AH-64E Apache
attack helicopters at IAF Hindon Air Force Station
(Jodhpur), the Indian Army Aviation Corps raised its first
Unit at Jodhpur that will operate the helicopters.
• The Apaches will be the second attack helicopters in the
Army after the indigenous Light Combat helicopter (LCH).
§ Indian Army had signed a contract to acquire 6 Apache
Helicopters from the US
§ IAF already operates a fleet of 22 Apache helicopters on
eastern & western fronts.
§ The Apache helicopters, often referred to as "tanks in the
air"
§ can strike 138 targets in a minute. With a maximum
speed of 280 km/h.
§ Equipped with AGM 114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles and
Stinger missiles, the Apache AH-64E is prepared to handle
both ground and aerial threats.
The maiden test-firing of India’s first indigenously-made
1500 Horsepower (HP) engine for Main Battle Tanks at
BEML’s Engine division in Mysuru complex on March 20,
2024.
§ Defence PSU Bharat Earth Movers Ltd’s (BEML)
§ The 1500 HP engine represents a paradigm shift in
military propulsion systems, possessing cutting-edge
features such as high power-to-weight ratio, operability in
extreme conditions including high altitudes, sub-zero
temperatures, and desert environments.
§ Defence Secretary - Giridhar Aramane presided over the
test firing.
Indian Army’s Tech Revolution: Signals Technology
Evaluation and Adaptation Group (STEAG
• STEAG aims to identify and implement the most suitable
technologies to enhance the army’s communication
infrastructure.
• In line with the principles of Self-reliant India and Start
Up India in the field of defence, the Indian Army has
formed a specialized technology unit to conduct research
and development of future communication technologies
like Artificial Intelligence, 5G, 6G, Machine Learning,
Quantum technologies for defence.
22 march
Sangita Kalanidhi award for T.M. Krishna, Nritya
Kalanidhi for Neena Prasad
§ The Music Academy, Chennai conferred TM Krishna
(Noted carnatic vocalist) with the Sangita Kalanidhi.
§ Considered the highest accolade in the field of
Carnatic music, Sangeet Kalanidhi came into existence in
1942.
§ Nritya Kalanidhi award will be presented to Dr. Neena
Prasad (a top-ranking exponent and performer in
Mohiniyattam).
Chameli Devi Jain Award 2024 for Outstanding Woman
Media Person of the year
• Given jointly to independent journalist Greeshma Kuthar,
and Ritika Chopra of the Indian Express.
§ The award was set up by the Media Foundation in
1980,
§ Chameli Devi Jain, a freedom fighter and community
reformer.
Researchers have named a new species of deep-sea
isopod discovered off the Kollam coast (Kerala) after the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
§ The tiny fish-parasitic crustacean, belonging to the genus
Brucethoa, was recovered from the base of the gill cavity
of a marine fish.
§ Isopods are an order of invertebrates (animals without
backbones) belonging to the greater crustacean group of
animals, which includes crabs and shrimp.
GRID-INDIA Achieves Miniratna Status
§ Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India) is being
conferred with the status of Miniratna Category-I Central
Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) by the Ministry of Power
§ Established in 2009
§ CMD – S R Narasimhan
MeitY/NIXI successfully unveils BhashaNet portal at
Universal Acceptance Day event In New Delhi
§ Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY) and National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)
have announced the launch of the BhashaNet portal
§ Theme of the event - "BhashaNet: Impetus Towards
Universal Acceptance
§ Global Universal Acceptance Day scheduled to take place
on March 28, 2024, in Belgrade, Serbia.
§ The BhashaNetportal is developed by Centre for
Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) with
support of the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)
§ Secretary, MeitY - S Krishnan
4th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Startup Forum
organized in New Delhi
§ The initiative focused on broadening startup
interactions among the SCO Member States, fostering
an environment conducive to innovation, promoting
job creation, and inspiring young talent to develop
innovative solutions.
§ India will host the second meeting of the SWG in
November 2024 and SCO Startup Forum 5.0 in January
2025.
§ Presidency of the SCO 2024 - the Republic of
Kazakhstan.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
• Established in: 2001 in Shanghai, China
• Members: 8
(China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan)
• India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members in 2017
• Headquarters : Beijing, China
• Secretary General : Mr. Zhang Ming
• SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, international
security and defence alliance. Largest regional
organisation in the world in terms of geographical
coverage and population.
23 march
A three-judge bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief
Justice D Y Chandrachud constituted an expert committee
to balance the conservation and protection of the
endangered Great Indian Bustard bird population with the
country’s international commitments to promote
renewable sources of energy.
§ The large-winged birds are on the brink of extinction,
with one of the causes being frequent collision with high-
powered power cables running adjacent to its core
habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
India’s First Battery Storage Gigafactory to Start
Operations in J&K
§ GoodEnough Energy will set up a Battery Energy Storage
Systems (BESS) gigafactory in Jammu and Kashmir with an
initial capacity of 7 gigawatt hour (GWh).
§ At full scale, the factory will have 20 GWh capacity by
2026.
§ The facility will help industry in cutting more than 5
million tons of carbon emissions in a year.
§ India has set a 2070 goal for becoming net zero.
§ Indian government is offering $452 million in incentives
to companies under a programme to promote battery
storage projects.
ISRO successfully conducts ‘Pushpak’ Reusable Landing
Vehicle landing experiment
§ ISRO has achieved a major milestone in the area of
Reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology, through the RLV
LEX-02 landing experiment, the second of the series,
conducted at Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga in
Karnataka
§ This mission successfully simulated the approach and
high-speed landing conditions of RLV returning from space.
§ Pushpak (RLV-TD) landed autonomously with precision
on the runway after being released from an off-nominal
position.
§ International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named an
asteroid after Prof. Jayant Murthy, who is the former
acting director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics,
Bengaluru
§ In recognition of his work in the NASA New Horizons
Science Team to observe the ultraviolet background
radiation in the Universe.
§ The asteroid 2005 EX296 has been designated as
(215884) Jayantmurthy.
§ The asteroid (215884) Jayantmurthy was discovered by
M.W. Buieat Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona,
USA in 2005.
UN General Assembly Approves First Resolution On
Artificial Intelligence
§ The resolution gives global support to an international
effort to ensure that Artificial Intelligence benefits all
nations, respects human rights and is safe, secure and
trustworthy.
§ The resolution aims to close the digital divide between
developed rich countries and poorer developing countries
and make sure they are all at the table in discussions on AI.
24 to 26 march
Sharath Kamal to be India’s flag-bearer at the 2024
Paris Olympics
• Flagbearer - Sharath Kamal (Veteran table tennis player
and CWG champion)
• Chef de Mission - Mary Kom (Six-time World boxing
Champion, 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist)
• Deputy Chef de Mission - Shiva Keshavan
§ India will be sending its largest-ever shooting
contingent to Paris with 19 quotas already.
Election Commission Launches Saksham App
§ To facilitate easier voting for Persons with Disabilities
and to avail facilities at Polling Stations.
§ In a bid to provide accessibility to all and leave no voter
behind, the Election Commission announced that the
voters above 85 years of age and Persons-with-Disabilities
(pwd) with 40 percent benchmark disability can vote from
home.
IAU approves ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ as name for
Chandrayaan-3 landing site
§ International Astronomical Union (IAU) working group
for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the
name Statio Shiv Shakti for the landing site of
Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander.
§ The approval was given on March 19, 2024.
§ “Compound word from Indian mythology that depicts
the masculine (“Shiva”) and feminine (“Shakti”) duality of
nature; Landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander”
Bina Agarwal and James Boyce awarded the first
“Global Inequality Research Award”
§ for their significant contributions to understanding
global inequalities.
§ The World Inequality Lab (WIL) and Sciences Po’s
Center for Research on Social Inequalities (CRIS) have
joined forces for the first edition of the Global Inequality
Research Award (or GiRA)
§ aims to recognize every two years researchers from all
disciplines who have made a significant contribution to the
understanding of global inequalities.
27 march
India Makes New Guinness World Record In Kabaddi/
▪ India made history by making a Guinness World record
with participation of 128 players, on The World Kabaddi
Day .
▪ The history was written at Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium
of Panchkula in Haryana
▪ World Kabaddi Day is being celebrated every year on
March 24, since 2019
▪ The Guinness team presented the Guinness World record
certificate to the Governor of Haryana Bandaru Dattatreya
who was the Chief Guest at the event.
Election Commission Keeps Close Eye On Election Process
Through The ‘cVIGIL’ App
▪ It is a single app for recording, reporting and resolving
violations
of model code of conduct & and expenditure violations.
▪ Through this app, online complaints can be made by
capturing photos, videos etc.
Bharat Biotech Starts Clinical Trials Of Tuberculosis
Vaccine MTBVAC In India
▪ Bharat Biotech International Ltd started clinical trials of
the Tuberculosis vaccine MTBVAC on adults in India.
▪ This is the first vaccine against Tuberculosis derived from
a human source by the Spanish bio-pharmaceutical
company, Biofabri.
▪ The trials are carried out by Bharat Biotech in close
collaboration with Biofabri.
POEM-3 Mission concludes: ISRO marks significant
achievement leaving virtually no debris in orbit
• PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3),
successfully concluded its mission, by re-entering the
Earth's atmosphere and disintegrating.
• This event, part of the PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission, is
notable for leaving virtually no debris in orbit,
demonstrating a commitment to minimizing space clutter.
• XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) is the first dedicated
scientific satellite from ISRO to carry out research in space-
based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from
celestial sources
• The PSLV-C58 Mission, which was successfully completed
on January 1, 2024, involved deploying all satellites into
their predetermined orbits.
• POEM is different, it’s a temporary orbital lab created by
repurposing the final stage of a rocket. It carries scientific
experiments into space for a short period, using basic
controls for stability.
• Instead of staying in orbit long-term, POEM is designed
to safely re-enter Earth’s atmosphere after completing its
experiments, leaving no debris behind.
28 march
‘Phool Bahadur’ – The First Magahi Novel in
English
§ J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha launches English
translation of Magahi novel 'Fool Bahadur' in Patna
§ The translation was done by Abhay K, a renowned
writer from Nalanda, Bihar. Published by Penguin Random
House India
§ originally written by Jayanath Pati and published in
1928
§ Magahi or Magadhi is an Indo-Aryan language. Magahi
is represented in Kaithi Script. Mainly spoken in districts of
Bihar, Jharkhand and west Bengal.
Hansha Mishra Appointed as Director in UPSC
§ Hansha Mishra has been appointed as Director in
the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Delhi.
§ Her tenure as Director in the UPSC will be for a
period of five years or until further orders, whichever is
earlier.
IIT Guwahati Transfers Pioneering Swine Fever Vaccine
Technology to BioMed Pvt
§ In a bid to fight swine fever virus in pigs and wild boars,
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati
successfully transferred a 'pioneering' vaccine technology
to BioMed Pvt Ltd for commercial production.
§ This vaccine marks the first recombinant virus-based
solution for classical swine fever developed in India,
offering a swift and cost-effective method for pig
vaccination.
Allahabad High Court Strikes Down Madrasa Education
Act
§ The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court
declared the UP Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, as
unconstitutional, ruling that it was violative of the
principle of secularism, articles 14, 15, 21, 21-A of the
Constitution as well as section 22 of the University Grants
Commission, Act of 1956.
§ The Allahabad High Court ruled that a Secular State has
no power to create a Board for religious education or to
establish a Board for school education only for a particular
religion.
29 march
Senior IPS Officer Sadanand Vasant Date Appointed As
Director General Of NIA
§ NIA - National Investigation Agency.
Piyush Anand has been appointed as Director General of
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi sworn in as judicial member,
Lokpal of India
§ Pankaj Kumar and Ajay Tirkey also took oath of office as
member, Lokpal.
§ The oath was administered by Justice Ajay Manikrao
Khanwilkar, Chairperson, Lokpal of India.
§ Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, before joining as Judicial
Member, Lokpal of India, was serving as the Chairperson
of 22nd Law Commission of India. Before that, he was
Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.
In a first, Saudi Arabia to now take part in Miss
Universe 2024 competition
§ Rumy Alqahtani will be country's representative in the
Miss Universe 2024 competition.
§ Miss Universe 2024 will be the 73rd Miss Universe
pageant, to be held in Mexico
§ Miss Universe 2023 - Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua.
PM Modi hails Garba's global popularity, shares UNESCO
certificate
• Garba was added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list
of UNESCO in December 2023.
• The Garba dance form is the 15th cultural item from
India to make it to the UNESCO list.
• The Certificate of Inscription was presented a few days
back in Paris.
LCA Tejas MK-1A completes maiden flight in Bengaluru
§ Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) successfully
completed the first flight of indigenous light combat
aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mark 1A fighter jet in Bengaluru
§ The jet is a superior variant of the light combat aircraft
(LCA) Tejas
§ The Tejas Mk-1A will have an advanced electronic radar,
warfare communication systems, additional combat
capability with Beyond Visual Range Missiles and improved
maintenance features.
Skyroot successfully test fires Stage-2 of Vikram 1 space
launch vehicle
§ Skyroot Aerospace, space-tech company, has
successfully test-fired the Stage-2 of Vikram-1 space
launch vehicle, called Kalam-250
§ at the propulsion testbed of ISRO, at its Satish Dhawan
Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
§ Vikram-1 is a three-stage, solid-fuel based rocket.
Testing of the “second stage” is significant because this
stage propels satellites from the dense atmosphere of
Earth to the deep vacuum of outer space.
Mysterious crater in Gujarat could be result of an
Asteroid impact
§ Scientists have revealed that the colossal 1.8 km wide
crater nestled in Gujarat's Kutch region could be the
outcome of one of the most monumental asteroid crashes
ever witnessed on Earth.
§ Known as the Luna structure, this enigmatic crater has
long been linked to the ancient Harappan Civilisation.
§ Scientists have conducted a geochemical analysis of the
crater which revealed a notable presence of iridium in the
soil. This finding indicates a likely impact from an iron
meteorite.
30 march
Indian-British Writer’s Book on AI Shortlisted for
Women’s Prize
▪ Indian-British journalist and commentator Madhumita
Murgia’sbook “Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of
AI” has been shortlisted for the 2024 inaugural Women’s
Prize for Non-Fiction.
▪ The initial harbour phase from 21 to 24 Mar 24 were held
onboard INS Tir at Zanzibar (Tanzania) and INS Sujata at
Maputo (Mozambique).
▪ The sea phase commenced on 24 Mar 24
▪ The closing ceremony, held onboard INS Tir and INS
Sujata at Nacala, Mozambique featured representatives
from all three navies.
▪ The first edition of IMT TRILAT exercise conducted in Oct
2022.
ISRO will conduct START 2024
▪ Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will conduct
the Space science and Technology Awareness Training
(START) 2024 programme during April and May.
▪ The main objective of the training programme is to
attract the youngsters to the fields of space science and
technology.
▪ Post-graduate students and final year undergraduate
students of physical sciences (Physics and Chemistry) and
technology studying in educational institutes, universities
and colleges within India are eligible to be considered for
the training.
AFSPA extended in four districts of Assam
▪ The Assam government has extended the Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 in four districts for six
months from April 1 on the decisions of the Union Ministry
of Home Affairs.
▪ 4 Districts - Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar
districts.
▪ Reason - one militant organisation being active in the
four districts.

▪ The 'Om Aakar' temple in is in Jadan village in Pali

district of Rajasthan
▪ The monumental task commenced with the laying of the
temple's foundation stone in 1995
▪ One notable aspect of this temple is that it can hold
1,008 idols of Lord Mahadev and 12 Jyotirlingas within its
sacred boundaries.
▪ The central feature of the temple complex is the tomb of
Guru Madhavanand ji.
▪ Towering at a height of 135 ft, the temple stands
supported by 2,000 pillars

India – Mozambique –Tanzania Trilateral (IMT TRILAT 24)

Exercise Concludes at Nacala, Mozambique
▪ INS Tir and INS Sujata participated in the second edition
of India Mozambique Tanzania (IMT) Tri Lateral (TRILAT)
Exercise, a joint maritime exercise from 21-28 Mar 24.