Current Affairs 18 March 2023

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

DAC approves proposals worth Rs 70,500 crore for Armed Forces & ICG under Indian-IDDM categoryi.On March 16, 2023, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition of over Rs 70,500 crore under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)} for Armed Forces viz. Indian Navy (IN), Indian Air Force (IAF), Indian Army (IA), and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
ii.Meeting of DAC held under the chairmanship of Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD).
iii.Out of the total proposals, IN proposals constitute more than Rs 56,000 crore, which mainly includes indigenous BrahMos missiles, Shakti Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, Utility Helicopters-Maritime etc.
About Ministry of Defence (MoD):
Union Minister– Rajnath Singh (Constituency- Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State– Ajay Bhatt (Constituency- Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
>> Read Full News

Ministry of Ayush & MoRD signs MoU for skilling of rural youth and empowering womenOn 16th March 2023, the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (Ministry of Ayush) and the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in developing skilled personnel by providing training to rural poor youth and women’s for the Ayush Healthcare system under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY).

• The signed MoU is valid for 3 years.
• This MoU is a historic step to make Lakhpati Didis (women with annual earnings of Rs. 1 lakh and more) from the Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

Signatories: 
The MoU was signed by Manoj Nesari, Advisor of the Ministry of Ayush, and Karma Zimpa Bhutia, Joint Secretary of Rural Skills, MoRD, in the presence of Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ayush, and Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development.
Key Highlights:
i. The larger objective of community development and the reduction of poverty in rural areas is expected to be achieved through this MoU by creating synergy and convergence between the two ministries.
ii. The collaboration between the MoRD and Ayush Ministry will also ensure the training of 22,000 rural poor youth under National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)-compliant courses under DDU-GKY and their placement in 1st phase.

• NSQF-compliant namely Panchakarma Technician, Panchkarma Assistant, Ayurvedic Masseur, Kshara Karma Technician, Cupping Therapy Assistant etc.

iii. MoRD and the Ayush Ministry will also establish a Joint Working Group to identify any other subjects that may be worked on as part of the whole Government Approach and take the program forward.
iv. The two ministries will ensure that a nodal agency is appointed to implement this training for Rural Poor Youth under NSQF-compliant courses.

• This will ensure their assessment, certification, and placement are ensured, and verify their report on the DDU-GKY Kaushal Bharat Portal.
• Note – Exports of AYUSH and herbal products in the last five years till the FY22 has registered a growth of 41.5% growth (in terms of volume)

About Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY):
i. The DDU-GKY was launched by the MoRD on the 25th of September, 2014, with an ambitious agenda to benchmark wage placement-linked programs to global standards.
ii. It is focused on rural youth between the ages of 15 and 35 years from poor families.
iii. DDU-GKY is a part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).

• It is a market-led, placement-linked programme for skill development that provides wage employment to rural poor youth.

About the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (Ministry of Ayush):
Union Minister- Sarbananda Sonowal (Rajya Sabha, Assam).
Minister of State (MoS)- Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai (Constituency- Surendranagar, Gujarat).
About the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD):
Union Minister- Giriraj Singh (Begusarai, Bihar).
MoS- Faggan Singh Kulaste (Constituency- Mandla, Madhya Pradesh); Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (Constituency- Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh).

Gujarat’s Barda WLS Proposed as 2nd Home for Asiatic Lions; 40 Lions Will Be Relocated from Gir National ParkAccording to a report entitled “Lion at 2047: A Vision for Amrutkal” prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for the Gujarat government, the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) has been identified as a suitable location for relocating a population of 40 adult and sub-adult Asiatic lions from Gir National Park (NP).

• Project Proposed: The Gujarat government has recommended the Barda WLS as a second home for Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) in Gujarat, approximately 100 kilometres from their current home at Gir NP.
• The project has received in-principle approval from the Union government.

WII is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
About Gujarat:
Chief Minister (CM) – Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel
Governor – Acharya Devvrat
Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) – Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary; Rampara WLS
Zoological Park – Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden; Rajkot Municipal Zoo (Pradyuman Zoological Park)
>> Read Full News

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Indian Navy’s P-8I Participates in 3rd Edition of ASW ‘Exercise Sea Dragon 23’  at Guam, USAThe Indian Navy is participating in the 3rd edition of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise SEA DRAGON 23 with A P8I aircraft. The Exercise is scheduled to be held from March 15 to 30, 2023 in waters off Guam, USA (United States of America).

• SEA DRAGON 23 is an annual, multinational ASW exercise for Long Range MR (Maritime Reconnaissance) ASW aircraft conducted by the United States Navy.

Participants of the Exercise:
i.Other countries participating in the exercise SEA DRAGON 23 include Japan, Canada, and South Korea
ii.Indian Navy’s A P8I aircraft is participating in the exercise along with the US Navy’s P8A, Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force’s P1, Royal Canadian Air Force’s CP 140, and Republic of Korea Navy’s (RoKN) P3C.
iii.Under the exercise, coordinated anti-submarine warfare will be held amongst the participating countries.
iv.The capabilities of participating aircraft will be tested in tracking simulated and live underwater targets while also sharing mutual expertise.

BANKING & FINANCE

BoB, TN Govt Partners to Launch Co-branded Debit Card for ‘Pudhumai Penn’ SchemeOn March 16, 2023, the Bank of Baroda (BoB) partnered with the Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) to offer co-branded RuPay Platinum Debit Card to the beneficiaries of the state government’s ‘Pudhumai Penn’ scheme.

• The Debit Card was launched by T Udhayachandran, Principal Secretary, Special Implementation Department, TN, along with A Saravanakumar, General Manager and Zonal Head, BoB.

Benefits:

• The card offers personal accident insurance coverage up to Rs 2 lakh per annum.
• The bank has also waived the joining and annual fees for the first year.

About Pudhumai Penn scheme:
i.The Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance scheme titled ‘Pudhumai Penn Thittam (modern women scheme)’ was launched by the TN government in September 2022 to enhance the enrolment ratio of girls from Government schools to Higher Education Institutions.
ii.Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 1000/month is provided to the Girl students studying in 6th-12th classes in government institutes (in TN) till their completion of UG (Undergraduate) Degree/Diploma/ITI (Industrial Training Institute)/any other recognized course.
iii.The incentive amount under the scheme is disbursed directly into the student’s Bank Account.
About Bank of Baroda (BoB):
MD & CEO – Sanjiv Chadha
Headquarters – Vadodara, Gujarat (Head office), Mumbai, Maharashtra (Corporate centre)
Establishment – 20 July 1908
Tagline – India’s International Bank

OmniCard in Association with NPCI Goes Live with UPI as a Prepaid IssuerOmniCard, India’s first omnichannel Payment Platform for end-to-end Spending Solutions, has launched Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services with its own UPI handle, @OMNI, for its users which do not require them to link a bank account.

• OmniCard is a prepaid payment instrument (PPI) licenced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that provides India’s first omnichannel spending platform with UPI services for individuals as well as businesses.

The development follows after the RBI approved and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) authorized PPIs to offer UPI services, making UPI more inclusive and convenient.
i.The RBI issued Master Directions on Prepaid Payment Instruments (MD-PPIs) in February 2023 [updated as of February 10, 2023]. The MD-PPIs provisions apply to all PPI issuers and system participants.
ii.OmniCard guarantees the highest level of security for its users by providing a bank-independent UPI facility with its own UPI handle, @OMNI.
About OmniCard:
Chief Operating Officer (COO) & Co-Founder – Abhishek Saxena
Headquarters –  Noida, Uttar Pradesh
>> Read Full News

SEBI Provides 60 days Relaxation to all RTAs to comply with Enhanced Responsibilities

On March 10, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) provided 60 days initial relaxation to all ‘Registrars to an Issue and Share Transfer Agents’ (RTAs) to comply with enhanced responsibilities through adoption and implementation of an internal policy framework and periodic reporting requirements specified by SEBI.
Key Points:
i.Categorization of an RTA as QRTA: An RTA will be categorised as a QRTA if the combined number of physical and demat folios being serviced by the RTA in a financial year (FY) for listed companies exceeds 2 crore.
ii.Period of recognition as QRTA:

• An RTA shall be considered as a QRTA for the 3 financial years from the date of categorisation as a QRTA, irrespective of subsequent fall in number of folios.
• Thus they are liable to comply with all requirements specified by SEBI for those 3 years.

iii.Initial relaxation: SEBI has provided relaxation for a time period of 60 days (from the date of its categorisation as a QRTA) for new QRTA to comply with all requirements including various systems and procedures.
SEBI has issued the above regulations in exercise of powers conferred by Section 11(1) of the SEBI Act, 1992 to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development of, and to regulate the securities market.
-SEBI included Additional guidelines over Green Bonds Framework
In February 2023, SEBI included additional operational guidelines on the regulatory framework for green bonds to align it with the updated Green Bond Principles (GBP) recognised by IOSCO (International Organization of Securities Commissions).
The additional operational guidelines include 
i.SEBI has mandated an issuer desirous of issuing green debt securities to make following additional disclosures in the offer document pertaining to environmental sustainability for public issues /private placements
ii.The issuers of green bonds will have to disclose brief details of decision-making processes that are followed for determining the eligibility of projects, for which the proceeds are being raised through issuance of green debt securities.
iii.The issuer will have to appoint a third party reviewer for a green debt security for the post-issue management of the use of proceeds from the green debt security, and verification of the internal tracking and impact reporting.
iv.The issuer of green debt securities is also directed to maintain a decision-making process which it uses to determine the continuing eligibility of the project.

v.They also need to inform on a project-by-project basis, pertaining to reporting the environmental impact of the projects financed by the green debt securities. Click here to know more

Note – The provisions will come into force for all issues of green debt securities launched on or after April 1, 2023.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Indian economy likely to grow 6% in FY24: CrisilAs per the rating agency CRISIL annual growth forecast, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will touch 6% in FY24 slower than the 7% estimated by the National Statistics Office (NSO) for FY2023.

• Indian economy averaging a growth rate of 6.8% over the next five fiscals.
• The risks to inflation are “tilted upward” due to the predictions of El Nino, the weather phenomena, over the next couple of months.

Key Points:
i.The corporate revenue to log in double-digit rise again next fiscal.
ii.Consumer inflation is expected to moderate to 5% on average in FY24 from 6.8% in FY23 amid high-base effect and some softening of crude and commodity prices.
iii.India’s external vulnerability is expected to decline with a narrower Current Account Deficit (CAD).

• CAD is expected to narrow to 2.4% of GDP (~$88 billion) in FY24 from an estimated 3.0% (~$100 billion) in FY23.

 iv.Government policies will continue to push industrial capex (Capital Expediture) and new-age opportunities, infrastructure spending will drive 12-16% growth in overall capex in FY24.

• This will achieve nearly 75% of the initial targets set under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) by fiscal 2025.
• Overall industrial capex is being rising to nearly Rs 5.7 lakh crore on average between fiscals 2023 and 2027, compared with Rs 3.7 lakh crore in the past five fiscals.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS  

13th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards: Hello Ujjivan app wins “Innovation in Consumer Tech”On 15th March 2023, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited has been honoured with the ‘Innovation in Consumer Tech’ award at the 13th Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA) for its Hello Ujjivan app, India’s 1st visual-voice-vernacular banking app.

• The 13th edition of the annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards is supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) and Skill India.

Click here for the finalists and winners of the 13th Aegis Graham Bell Awards
Hello Ujjivan app:
i. Hello Ujjivan App provides banks’ MicroBanking and Rural customers with access to banking financial services despite having limited reading and writing skills.
ii. The app has intuitive Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities, to enable customers to transact conveniently and safely in the language of their choice.
iii. The project “‘Hello Ujjivan” is the result of psychographic research undertaken with the bank’s MicroBanking and Rural customers and employees.

• Hello Ujjivan, co-created with Navana.AI, is available in 8 regional languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, and Assamese.

About Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA):
i. The Aegis Graham Bell Awards were established as an honour to the eminent inventor Alexander Graham Bell.
ii. The award was established by the Aegis School of Business, Data Science and Cyber Security in 2010 to promote innovations and recognize the outstanding contributions by the innovators.
About Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited:
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Ittira Davis
Headquarters- Bengaluru, Karnataka
Establishment- 2017      

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS     

Gianni Infantino Re-elected as FIFA President for 3rd TimeOn 16th March 2023, Gianni Infantino(52-year-old) Swiss football administrator, was re-elected as the president of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA – Fédération Internationale De Football Association) for the 3rd time at the 73rd FIFA Congress held in Kigali, Rwanda.

• He has been re-elected as president of FIFA for a 4 year term from 2023 to 2027 after running unopposed at the 73rd FIFA Congress.

Note: 
i.For the first time, an elective FIFA Congress took place in Africa.
ii.The proceedings were opened by Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda.
iii.Rwanda hosted 211 FIFA Football Associations members and partners for the 73rd FIFA congress.
About Gianni Infantino: 
i.Gianni Infantino started working with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Europe’s football confederation, in August 2000 and held the position of UEFA’s General Secretary in 2009.

• He played a major role in broadening Euro 2016 to 24 teams, as well as the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Euro 2020, which will be held in 13 European countries.

ii.He was first elected as the President of FIFA in February 2016 replacing Joseph Sepp Blatter.
iii.In 2019 he was re-elected for a 2nd term as President of FIFA.
Additional info: 
In 2019, He was honoured with the Order of Friendship medal by Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, after the  2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
About Fédération Internationale De Football Association(FIFA):
President– Gianni Infantino
Headquarters– Zurich,  Switzerland
Established in 1904

TCS Appointed K Krithivasan as CEO Designate as Current MD & CEO Rajesh Gopinathan Resigns The Board of Directors of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has appointed K. Krithivasan as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) designate, effective March 16, 2023. He will be appointed as Managing Director (MD) and CEO in the fiscal year 2023-24, subject to shareholder approval.

• Krithivasan will succeed Rajesh Gopinathan, the current MD and CEO, who unexpectedly resigned and whose request was accepted by the board.

Rajesh Gopinathan (52), will remain with the company until September 15, 2023, to provide transition and assistance to his successor.

• He was first appointed as TCS’s MD and CEO in January 2017 and reappointed for a second five-year term in March 2022, which was set to end on February 20, 2027.
• His tenure at TCS spans 22 years, of which six were dedicated as CEO.

About K. Krithivasan:
i.Mr. Krithivasan is currently President and Global Head of the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) Business Group, which accounts for the majority of the company’s revenue (31.5%).
ii.Since his debut at the company in 1989, he has had executive roles in sales, relationship management, large-program management, and delivery.
iii.Krithivasan also serves on the boards of directors of TCS Iberoamerica, TCS Ireland, and the supervisory board of TCS Technology Solutions AG.
iv.He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras (Chennai) and a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Management Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

About Rajesh Gopinathan:
i.Rajesh Gopinathan has been the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) since 2013, and he was elevated to CEO in February 2017.
ii.In 2022, he was re-appointed as MD and CEO for 5 more years.
iii.He was also inducted by the government of India into the Board of Trade, a top advisory body on external trade.

About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS):
i.TCS is a provider of information technology (IT) services, consulting, and business solutions. It is a part of the Tata Group, India’s largest multinational conglomerate.
ii.It is regarded as India’s largest IT services firm in terms of revenue and capital, having generated consolidated revenues of USD 25.7 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.
MD & CEO – Rajesh Gopinathan
Established – 1968
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra     

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IAF inducting ‘Vayulink’ System to Identify Friendly Forces in Combat

The Indian armed forces are all set to induct an indigenously developed strategic data link system, the ‘Vayulink’ (Airlink) System, in India’s north-eastern borders to identify friendly forces in war zones. It is expected to help in better military movement coordination in complex war situations.

• The Vayulink system was developed by Wing Commander Vishal Mishra, an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter pilot.
• The Vayulink system was unveiled by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Aero India 2023 show in Bengaluru, Karnataka in February 2023.

Vayulink system would help increase transparency in the war zone by identifying friendly forces through secure jammer-proof communication, which would provide accurate weather information to pilots before take-off.

SPORTS

Z R Irani Cup 2023: Rest of India beat Madhya Pradesh to win Irani Cup

Rest of India cricket team captained by Mayank Agarwal won the Z R Irani Cup 2022-2023(59th edition of Irani Cup) defeating Madhya Pradesh, 2021-2022 Ranji Trophy Champions, captained by Himanshu Mantri, in the final day of the season-ending match held in Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh from 1st to 5th March 2023.

• Madhya Pradesh cricket team were all out for 198 in their 2nd innings on the fifth and final day.
• Man of the Match (MoM) – Yashasvi Bhupendra Jaiswal

Z R Irani Cup is annually played between the Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of the Indian team.

• The Rest of the India team is a first-class cricket team in India composed of players across India except for those from the season’s current Ranji Trophy winner.

OBITUARY

American High Jumper & Olympic Gold Medalist Richard Douglas Fosbury Passed Away

On 12th March 2023, Richard Douglas Fosbury (Dick Fosbury), an American High Jumper & Olympic Gold Medalist, passed away at the age of 76 in Utah, United States of America (USA). He was born on 6th March 1947 in Portland, Oregon, USA.
He was well known for revolutionising the high jump event with a “back-first” technique now known as the “Fosbury flop”.

• He won a gold medal in the men’s high jump at the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City, Mexico with his new jumping style -“Fosbury Flop”.
• Prior to the 1968 Summer Olympics, the straddle jump had been the dominant high jump technique at the Olympics.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Rachna Biswat Rawat authored the New Book “Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform”

Rachna Biswat Rawat, an Indian journalist and writer, has authored a new book titled “Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform” which is the story of General Bipin Rawat’s personality, his personal life and his principles. The book is published by Penguin Veer, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

• This book is a befitting tribute to General Bipin Rawat, India’s 1st Chief of Defence Staff and one of India’s greatest military leaders, who was killed in a chopper crash in 2021.
• Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence of India, received a copy of the book from Rachna Biswat Rawat.

IMPORTANT DAYS

1st Ever UN’s International Day to Combat Islamophobia- 15 March 2023United Nations (UN)’s International Day to Combat Islamophobia is annually observed across the globe on March 15 to fight Islamophobia.

• 15th March 2023 marks the observance of the 1st International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Why March 15?
The day marks the incident when a gunman entered 2 mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, murdering 51 people and injuring 40 others on 15th March 2019.
Background:
i. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/76/254 on 15th March 2022 and proclaimed March 15 of every year as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
ii. On behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the resolution was introduced under the agenda item “Culture of Peace” by Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Ambassador.
About the United Nations:
Secretary-General- António Guterres
Headquarters- New York, USA
Establishment- 1945
>> Read Full News

World Sleep Day 2023 – March 17World Sleep Day is annually observed across the globe on Friday before Spring Vernal Equinox to celebrate sleep and acts as a call to action on major issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving.
World Sleep Day 2023 was observed on 17th March 2023. The Spring Vernal Equinox of 2023 was observed on 21st March 2023.
17th March 2023 marks the observance of the 16th annual World Sleep Day.

• World Sleep Day 2022 was observed on 18th March 2022.
• World Sleep Day 2024 will be observed on 15th March 2024.

The theme of World Sleep Day 2023 is “Sleep is Essential for Health”.
The Slogan of World Sleep Day 2023 is “Heard Around the World”.

• World Sleep Day is annually organised by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society (WSS)

Background:
i. World Sleep Day was initiated by the World Sleep Society (WSS), formerly the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), an international non-profit organisation whose mission is to promote sleep health globally.
ii. The 1st ever World Sleep Day was observed on 14th March 2008.
Importance of Sleep:
i. Sleep is essential for cognitive function and academic performance. It is also critical for learning, memory consolidation, emotional regulation, and mental health.
ii. Lack of sleep lowers cognitive functions such as focus, memory, and attention, which can negatively impact academic performance.
iii. Many health issues, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses, and compromised immune systems, can be brought on by sleep deprivation.

National Pharmacy Education Day 2023 – March 6National Pharmacy Education Day is annually observed across India on 6th March to recognise the contribution of Professor Mahadeva Lal Schroff(M. L. Schroff)  (1902 – 1971), towards establishing pharmacy education in India.

• The day 6th March marks the birth anniversary of Professor Mahadeva Lal Schroff, Father of Indian Pharmacy Education, who was born on 6th March 1902 at Darbhanga in Bihar.
• National Pharmacy Education Day 2023 observed on 6th March 2023 marks the 121st birth anniversary of Professor Mahadeva Lal Schroff,

Background:
In February 2023, Pharmacy Council of India(PCI), a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), declared the birth anniversary of Prof Mahadeva Lal Schroff (6th March), as the National Pharmacy Education Day.
Contribution of Professor Mahadeva Lal Schroff: 
i.M. L. Schroff  played a major role in building pharmacy education in India and contributed to the development of other aspects of the pharmacy profession.
ii.He introduced Pharmaceutical Chemistry as the principal Subject in the B.Sc. course in 1932 in Banaras Hindu University(BHU).  He introduced an integrated 2-year B.Sc. Course with the subjects — pharma chemistry, pharmacy and pharmacognosy in 1934, which was later turned into a 3-year B Pharm course at BHU in 1937 for the first time in India. He also started the M.Pharm
Education in 1940 at BHU.

• This earned him the title of the pioneer and father of Indian pharmaceutical education.

iii.In 1935, He started United Provinces Pharma Association which later became the Indian Pharmaceutical Association in 1939.
iv.He started the periodical “Indian Pharmacist” in 1945 for a further period of ten years.
Events: 
On the occasion of the National Pharmacy Education Day 2023(on 6th March 2023), Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State(MoS), MoHFW, inaugurated the Pharma Anveshan-2023, organised by the PCI  at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi.

• Delegates, including pharmacy teachers, researchers, and leading pharmacy industry officials from all over India were invited to participate in the event.

Highlights: 
i.MoS Bharati Pravin Pawar, also launched a ‘One Stop-Non Stop’ digital job portal of PCI, which will be used for pharma professionals as well as recruiters from the industry.
ii.During the event, PCI signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers’ Association (KDPMA), Life Sciences Sector Skill Development Council, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (LSSSDC), Indian Pharma Alliance (IPA) and Federation of Pharma Entrepreneurs (FOPE) to reduce the gap of industry and academia, strengthen faculty and student training and promote entrepreneurship and infrastructure development.
About Pharmacy Council of India (PCI):
PCI is constituted under the Pharmacy Act, 1948 to regulate pharmacy education & practice of profession in India.
The PCI was constituted on 9th August 1949 under section 3 of the Pharmacy Act.
Objectives:

• Regulation of the Pharmacy Education in the Country for the purpose of registration as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act.
• Regulation of Profession and Practice of Pharmacy.

President– Dr. Montu M. Patel
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi

STATE NEWS

Andhra Pradesh FM presented Budget of Rs 2,79,279cr for FY24
i.On March 16, 2023, the Finance minister of Andhra Pradesh (AP) Buggana Rajendranath presented the annual budget for the financial year 2023-2024(FY24) with a financial outlay of Rs 2,79,279 crore in the state Assembly in Amaravati, AP. He presented the annual Budget for the 5th time in a row.
ii.The maximum share of allocations went to welfare schemes being implemented under the Navaratnas.
iii.The FY23 budget was Rs 2.56 lakh crore.
iv.Rs 54,228 crore has been allocated for Direct Benefit Schemes (DBT), an 11% increase from the previous year’s Rs 48,668 crore.
A total of 22 schemes are covered under the DBT category and the majority of them saw an increase in the budget allocation.

About Andhra Pradesh (AP):
Chief Minister– YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
Governor– S. Abdul Nazeer
WildLife Sanctuary– Kambalakonda WildLife Sanctuary
>> Read Full News

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