Current Affairs 22 March 2024

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 22 March 2024, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2024 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

Our Current Affairs March 2024 events will help you to get more marks in Banking, Insurance, SSC, Railways, UPSC, CLAT and all State Government Exams. Also, try our Latest Current Affairs Quiz and Monthly Current Affairs 2023 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.

Read Current Affairs in CareersCloud APP, Course Name – Learn Current Affairs – Free Course – Click Here to Download the APP

We are Hiring – Subject Matter Expert | CA Video Creator | Content Developers(Pondicherry)

Click here for Current Affairs 21 March 2024

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Union Minister Amit Shah Launches Digital CCMS Platform of NIA & ‘Sankalan’ app of NCRBUnion Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), virtually inaugurated a unique digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS), designed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi, Delhi.

• He also launched a mobile app ‘Sankalan’ – A compendium of New Criminal Laws by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• He inaugurated 2 new branch offices of NIA in Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir-J&K) and Kochi (Kerala), and a residential complex in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

About CCMS:
i.CCMS enables NIA personnel to better coordinate in terrorism and organised crime cases, improving justice delivery.
ii.The new stand-alone version of CCMS has been developed as user-friendly, and easy-to-deploy, customisable, browser-based software to aid State Police forces, enhancing their investigations and prosecution.
iii.CCMS will assist the State Police forces in organise, integrating, and digitalise investigation data such as case documents, extracted data, collected evidence, and the charge sheets presented to the court.
Benefits: 
i.CCMS standardises investigations and compiles terror-related data compilation nationwide.
ii.This also addresses the challenges in the form of extensive use of cyber-space, dark web, drones, crowd-funding, crypto-currencies, and encrypted communication.
Future Prospects:
i.CCMS supports NIA and State Police forces’ readiness to implement newly legislated criminal laws in the form of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakhsya Sanhita.
ii.It would further strengthen cooperation between the central and state agencies, including the Anti-Terror Squads of the State Police.
Sankalan App:
i.Sankalan is designed to navigate new criminal laws, bridging the gap between old and new criminal laws.
ii.The App will serve as a comprehensive guide for all stakeholders.
iii.This also offers offline accessibility, ensuring stakeholders can access crucial information anytime, anywhere.
iv.The app is available in both Android and iOS versions and the desktop version of Sankalan is also available. Click here for Sankalan portal

Six Madhya Pradesh Heritage Sites Included in UNESCO’s Tentative ListSix heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh (MP) were included in the tentative list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites (WHS).

• The six sites are Gwalior Fort, Khooni Bhandara, Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple, the Rock art sites of Chambal Valley, the historic ensemble of Dhamnar, and the Gond monuments of Ramnagar.
• The Tentative list consists of sites that can be either cultural or natural areas or objects for having outstanding universal value.
• The heritage sites in the Tentative list will be considered for nominations to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• As of 21st March 2024, India has 57 sites in UNESCO’s Tentative list of heritage sites.

About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO):
Director-General – Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters – Paris, France
Established in – 1945 (came into force in 1946)
>> Read Full News

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Opens India’s 1st Indoor Athletics Centre in BhubaneswarNaveen Patnaik, Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha, has inaugurated India’s first Indoor Athletics Centre and a state-of-the-art indoor aquatic hub at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
About the Indoor Athletics Centre & Aquatic Centre: 
i.Mondo SpA, an Italian firm, has set up a 10,000 sq metre track, a first of its kind in India. The stadium has facilities to conduct long jump, triple jump,100m, and 200m race, Pole vault and shot put.
ii.The indoor aquatic centre features a temperature-controlled 50m Olympic-size swimming pool and 25m warm up pool.
iii.The aquatic centre with a seating capacity for 1,000 spectators, can host international championships.
Points to note: 
i.The centre, developed for Rs 120 crore, will assist the athletes to train and compete around the year without any external weather disturbances.
ii.The facility also has provision of residential accommodation for full-time coaching.
iii.This world-class facility will also be the training ground for the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre (HPC).
CM laid the Foundation stone for the Indoor Diving Centre
i.He also laid the foundation stone for the Indoor Diving Centre at the Kalinga Stadium.
ii.This will feature a temperature-controlled diving pool of 25 meters(m), with an additional 5m for Synchronized Swimming and a seating capacity for 500 spectators.
Kalinga Stadium: 
i.The Kalinga Stadium, India’s largest indoor athletics stadium, is a multi-purpose international sports complex in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
ii.Kalinga Indoor Athletics Arena Track and Field received the World Class 1 Athletics Facility Certificate from World Athletics in December 2023.

India’s 1st Integrated Oil Palm Processing Unit Began Operations in Arunachal Pradesh
On 16th March 2024, 3F Oil Palm Private Limited started the commercial operation of India’s 1st Integrated Oil Palm Processing Unit at Roing, Lower Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh (AR).
i.This factory marks the first Oil Palm factory in AR and India’s first Oil Palm Factory under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP).
ii.The factory encompasses a state-of-the-art oil palm factory (palm oil processing and refinery), a zero-discharge effluent plant, a palm waste-based power plant, and supporting structures.
iii.This project aligns with Mission Palm Oil, catalysing India’s path to self-sufficiency in edible oils, supported by NMEO-OP, and is in line to encourage domestic oilseeds production.
iv.The Unit has been designed to process fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) into high-quality palm oil with a capacity of 10 metric tons per hour.
Note: AR offers 1,30,000 hectares of suitable land for oil palm cultivation. The Northeast region holds 33% (9.6 Lakh hectares) of the government – designated area fit for cultivation.

BANKING & FINANCE

APBL in Partnership with Noise & Mastercard launched Airtel Payments Bank SmartwatchAirtel Payments Bank Limited (APBL) has developed the Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch in partnership with Gurugram (Haryana) based Nexxbase Marketing Private Limited (Noise) and Mastercard.

• This smartwatch is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology powered by Mastercard.

About Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch:
i.The smartwatch comes with a Tap-and-Pay feature for contact less payments directly from the smartwatch.
ii.Upon linking the smartwatch with Airtel Payments Bank account, a customer can make payments between Rs 1 to Rs 25,000 per day in Point of Sale (POS) machines.
iii.As a New Way to Pay, the device will empower users to unlock the full potential of smart wearables and democratise convenient financial solutions.
iv.This smartwatch is the first wearable device of APBL.
Other Features:
i.The smartwatch comes with other health and productivity features including 130 different sports modes.
ii.The smartwatch is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance.
About Airtel Payments Bank Limited (APBL):
APBL is the first payment bank of India which was launched in January 2017, by Bharti Airtel Limited.
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Anubrata Biswas
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi

Guyana Signs USD 23.27mn LOC Agreement with Exim Bank for Aircraft ProcurementThe government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana has signed a USD 23.27 million Line of Credit (LOC) Agreement with the Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank) for the procurement of two Dornier aircraft.
Signatories: The LOC agreement was signed between Ashni Singh, Senior Minister in the Office of the President of Guyana, and Sanjay Lamba, Sanjay Lamba, Deputy General Manager of EXIM Bank.

• The LOC was signed in the presence of Dr Amit Telang, High Commissioner of India to Guyana; Brigadier Omar Khan, Chief of Staff of Guyana Defence Force (GDF); and Dr Tarachand Balgobin, Chief Planning Officer of the Ministry of Finance, Guyana.

About LOC:
i.Under this LOC, Guyana will purchase two Dornier (Hindustan 228-201) transport aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for USD 23.37 million.
ii.This LOC is in line with the Indian government’s commitment to modernise and equip the GDF for the evolving security challenges in the region.
iii.The acquisition of 2 aircraft under this agreement marks the largest investment in the capitalisation of the force.
Points to note: 
i.With this LoC, EXIM Bank has now in place 292 LOC with 62 countries, offering credit worth of USD 2.72 billion.
i.Guyana has so far received eleven (11) LOCs from the EXIM Bank.
About Guyana:
President – Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali
Prime Minister – Mark Anthony Phillips
Capital – Georgetown
Currency – Guyanese Dollar

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Ratan Tata Receives PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award for PhilanthropyRatan Naval Tata was awarded the prestigious PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions in the field of Philanthropy. The award presentation took place at Mumbai, Maharashtra.
About Ratan Tata
i.The Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons was born on 28 December 1937, in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency (Mumbai, Maharashtra).
ii.He served as the Chairman of Tata Sons from 1991 to 2012 and as Interim Chairman from October 2016 to February 2017.
iii. He was also a former chairperson of Jaguar Land Rover.
iv.He was one of the most renowned Industrialist, Philanthropist who has donated 60-65% of his income to the charity both at individual level and through Tata Trusts.
Achievements
i.His philanthrophic initiatives has covered diverse sectors such as health, education, rural development and environmental sustainability, reflecting his broad vision and deep concern towards social well-being.
ii.Also, his pet-project the state-of-art veterinary hospital is set to open in Navi Mumbai.
iii.In addition to this award, he also won Padma Bhushan in 2000, Padma Vibhushan in 2008  in the field of Trade and Industry and Order of Australia in 2023.
About the award
i.The award was named after Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao the former Prime Minister of India.
ii.It was given for the recognition of individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to social welfare and humanitarian causes.
Note:
On February 9, 2024, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, announced that PV Narasimha Rao would be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, the India’s highest civilian award.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

C.P. Radhakrishnan Took Additional Charge as Governor of Telangana & LG of PuducherryJharkhand Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan took additional charge as the Governor of Telangana on 20th March 2024. He was administered the oath of office by Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice(CJ) of the High Court of Telangana, in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at a ceremony held in the Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad, Telangana.

• He was also given additional charge as the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Puducherry.
• Radhakrishnan is the 3rd person from Tamil Nadu(TN) to become the governor of Telangana, after ESL Narasimhan(2014-2019) and Tamilisai Soundararajan(2019-2024).

Background
i.Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana and LG of Puducherry resigned from the post on 19th March 2024.

• She served as the Governor of Telangana from 31st August 2019, and the LG of Puducherry from 18th February 2021, till her resignation.

ii.In the exercise of power under Article 155 of the Indian constitution, President Draupadi Murmu has appointed C.P. Radhakrishnan as a governor of Telangana and LG of Puducherry.
About C.P. Radhakrishnan:
i.C.P. Radhakrishnan has been serving as the Governor of Jharkhand since February 2023.
ii.He served as the Member of Parliament (MP – Lok Sabha) from 1998-99 and from 1999 to 2004. He was elected from the Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) constituency.
Points to Note:
i.Under Article 159, The oath of office to the governor is administered by the chief justice(CJ) of the concerned state high court, and in his absence, the senior-most judge of that court.
About Telangana:
Chief Minister– Anumula Revanth Reddy
Governor– C.P. Radhakrishnan
Festivals – Sammakka Saralamma Jathara or Medaram Jathara, Peerla Panduga or Muharram, Nagoba Jathara

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India Tests Indigenously-Made 1500 Horsepower (HP) engine of MBT at BEML, MysuruOn March 20 2024, India successfully completed the Maiden Test-firing of its first indigenously developed 1500 Horse Power(HP) engine for the Indian Army’s Main Battle Tanks (MBT), at BEML Limited Engine division complex in Mysuru, Karnataka.
Key People:
Giridhar Aramane, Defence Secretary; Shantanu Roy, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of BEML, and other Senior officials were also present at the event.
About 1500HP engine
i.The 1500 HP engine is a symbol of the revolution in military propulsion technology.
ii.It also has the cutting-edge features such as high power-to-weight ratio which can be operated under the extreme conditions including high altitudes, sub-zero temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius and desert environments upto 55 degree Celsius.
iii.With the equipped advanced technologies including electronic control with Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDi) fuel injection systems, self-air filter cleaning electronic warning control, it stands on part with most advanced engines globally.
Key Points:
i.The first test-firing of this engine signifies the completion of Generation One, which focuses on technology stabilization.
ii.The Generation Two will look into the BEML engines for various trials at Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), a Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) laboratory and their integration into actual vehicles for user testing.
iii. This engine will also enhance the power of Arjun MK-1A tanks.
Background
The project was initially commenced on August 2020, which has been meticulously structured into five major milestones ensuring time completion and quality standards and it is expected to be completed by mid of 2025.
Additional info: The Defence Secretary also inaugurated the ‘Wall of Fame’ to recognizing the extra-ordinary efforts of BEML. .
About BEML Limited:
BEML Limited (formerly Bharat Earth Movers Limited) is a ‘Schedule A’ company under the Ministry of Defence.
CMD  – Shantanu Roy
Headquarters  – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Establishment  – 1964

China Launches ‘Queqiao- 2’ Relay Satellite for Earth-Moon CommunicationsOn 20th March 2024, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) launched a Long March-8 rocket carrying Queqiao-2, a relay satellite designed to provide Earth-Moon communication services, from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in South China Hainan province.

• The rocket also carried Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2, two miniature satellites to conduct tests for the construction of a constellation of data relay and navigation satellites.

Note: The term Queqiao means Magpie bridge in Chinese. The term is derived from Chinese folklore, a love story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
About Queqiao-2
i.This will enable a communication link between Earth and the moon for more than 8 hours.
ii.Queqiao 2 will go into the 300 x 8600 km altitude elliptical orbit around the moon.
iii.The satellite with a planned lifetime of over 8 years will support communication with the Chang’e-4 mission and the future Chang’e-6, -7, and -8 missions. Chang’e-6 mission will be launched in May 2024.
Payload:
i.Queqiao 2 ( or Magpie bridge-2) weighs about 1.2 metric tons and has a 4.2-meter(m) parabolic antenna for communications with lunar probes and a 0.6-m parabolic antenna to transmit data to ground control.
ii.It carries 3 science payloads: an Extreme Ultraviolet Camera (EUC), a Grid-based Energetic Neutral Atom imager (GENA), and the Lunar Orbit VLBI(Very Long Baseline Interferometer)  EXperiment (LOVEX).
Additional info:
This marks the first deep space launch mission of the Long March 8 model and the 3rd flight for the Long March 8 series.
About Tiandu-1 & Tiandu-2:
i.Tiandu-1, weighing 61 kilograms (Kg), has a Ka-band communications system and a laser retroreflector.  It was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.
ii.Tiandu-2, weighing 15 Kg, also has a communications system. it was developed by the Harbin Institute of Technology.
About China:
President– Xi Jinping
Premier– Li Qiang
Capital– Beijing
Currency– Chinese yuan renminbi

UK Successfully Tested its 1st Laser Weapon “DragonFire“The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the United Kingdom (UK) has successfully tested its 1st-ever Laser-Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW), named “DragonFire”, at the Hebrides Range, located off the northwest coast of Scotland, UK.

• The DragonFire LDEW system achieved the UK’s 1st high-power firing of a laser weapon against aerial targets.
• Designed to target and neutralise drones, DragonFire offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional missiles.

Note: The MOD Hebrides Range is a 115,000-square-kilometer site of sanitised airspace with unlimited altitude.
About DragonFire
i.DragonFire is led by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), on behalf of the UK MOD, in collaboration with its industry partners MBDA, Leonardo, and QinetiQ.
ii.The trial was sponsored by the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology (DST) organisation and Strategic Programs and enabled by many other agencies across the government.
iii.DragonFire significantly reduces reliance on expensive ammunition. Firing the laser for 10 seconds costs less than 10 Pound sterling per shot (~ Rs 1000).
iv.The laser weapons engage targets at the speed of light, using an intense beam of light to go through the target, leading to structural failure.
Future Deployment and Capabilities:
i.DragonFire will enhance air defence capabilities for both the Army and the Royal Navy.
ii.DragonFire is a line-of-sight weapon that boasts pinpoint accuracy and can engage with any visible target, marking a significant advancement in military technology.
Technological Advancement:
The weapon system is supported by a 100 million Pound sterling joint investment by MOD and industry and is a result of sustained investment in cutting-edge science and technology.
Technology Demonstrator for Future Developments:
i.DragonFire serves as a technology demonstrator, gathering data for the development of a second-generation weapon system.
ii.The future system aims to replace overseas-built components with British versions, further advancing the UK’s military technology and capabilities.

CMFRI Launches ‘MARLIN@CMFRI’ App to Help Citizen Science Initiative in Marine Fisheries Research
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR)-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has developed an android mobile app, ‘MARLIN@CMFRI’, to encourage citizen science initiatives in marine fisheries research.

• The app was developed under a project by Eldho Varghese at the Fishery Resources Assessment, Economics and Extension division (FRAEED) of the CMFRI.
• MARLIN stands for MARine Fishery Machine Learning Routines of INdian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

i.Geotagging feature of the app will enable the users to provide the exact location where the marine species landed.
ii.The app will allow the users to upload photos of marine fish species encountered in the Indian EEZ and develop a visual repository of marine fishery resources.
iii.This will lead to the development of an Artificial Intelligence(AI)-powered system for automated identification of marine fishery resources.

OBITUARY

Frans de Waal, a Dutch-American primatologist & Author, Passed Away 
A renowned Dutch-American primatologist, ethologist and author, Frans de Waal, who founded the Origins of Morality in Apes, passed away at the age of 75 in Stone Mountain in Georgia, United States.

• He was a C. H. Candler Professor in the Psychology Department of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and Director of the Living Links Center at  Yerkes National Primate Research Center(YNPRC) at Emory University.
• He, along with Jennifer Pokorny, received the Ig Nobel Award for Anatomy in 2012.
• He won the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award in 2020 for Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves(2019).

Noted books: “Chimpanzee Politics” (1982); “Our Inner Ape: A Leading Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are” (2005); and “Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?” (2016).
Note: A primatologist is a scientist who studies primates, which can include monkeys, apes, and lemurs and an ethologist is a scientist who studies the behaviour of animals in their natural environments.

Oscar-winning British screenwriter David Seidler Passed Away
Oscar-winning British screenwriter David Seidler passed away at the age of 86 in New Zealand. He was born on 4 August 1937 in London, England, the United Kingdom (UK).
i.He got his 1st screenwriting credit in 1966, working on a seafaring Australian series called “Adventures of the Seaspray.”
ii.In 2011, he won the Academy Award(Oscar) for Best Original Screenplay for the film ‘The King’s Speech’.

• He also won the 2011 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards for Original Screenplay and Outstanding British Film Award for the same.
• He also wrote the stage adaptation of the play, “The King’s Speech,” which 1st premiered at the Wyndham’s Theatre on London’s West End in 2012.

iii.His noted works includes TV movies like “Onassis: The Richest Man in the World” (1988); “Come On, Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story” (1999); and animated movies like “The King and I” (1999).
iv.He won the Writers Guild of America award in 1989 for “Onassis: The Richest Man In The World, the biopic of Aristotle Onassis.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People 2024 – March 20 World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People is annually observed across the globe on 20 March to draw the public’s attention to the art of theater for children and young people and highlight the importance and impact of theater for young people in communities.

• The Day aims to raise awareness of the transformative power of theatre and performing arts in nurturing creativity, imagination, and empathy among young audiences.
• The Day is a campaign led by the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ International).

The Day is promoted and celebrated through the message ‘Take a Child to the Theatre, Today’.
About International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ International):
The ASSITEJ International Secretariat is located in Copenhagen, Denmark, while the registered office is in Bologna, Italy.
President– Sue Giles (ASSITEJ Australia (Theatre Network Australia))
Secretary General– Louis Valente Sørensen (ASSITEJ Denmark)
Founded in– 1965
>> Read Full News

World Sparrow Day 2024 – March 20 World Sparrow Day (WSD) is annually observed across the globe on 20 March to raise awareness about the importance of sparrows or house sparrows (Passer domesticus) for biodiversity and the ecosystem, and to promote actions to protect and conserve them.

• The Day was initiated to advocate for the conservation of House Sparrows and common bird species and highlight the significance of celebrating biodiversity.

The theme for WSD is “I LOVE Sparrows”.
Background:
i.The initiative of celebrating World Sparrow Day was a collaborative effort of the Nature Forever Society (NFS) of India, founded by Environmentalist Mohammed Dilawar; the Eco-Sys Action Foundation of France; and other national and international entities.
ii.The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 and has been celebrated in over 40 countries across the globe.
>> Read Full News

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2024 – March 21The United Nations (UN)’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is annually observed across the globe on 21st March to create awareness about the challenges faced by people of African descent. The day also offers a platform to promote a global culture of tolerance, equality, and anti-discrimination.
Theme: “A Decade of Recognition, Justice, and Development: Implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent”.
Background: 
i.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution 2142 (XXI), on 26th October 1966 and proclaimed the 21st March of every year as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
ii.The first-ever International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was observed on 21st March 1967.
About Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) 
The UN Human Rights Office and the mechanisms we support work on a wide range of human rights topics
High Commissioner– Volker Türk (Austria)
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
>> Read Full News

*******

List of Less Important News – Click Here

Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)