Current Affairs 5 & 6 March 2023

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

NADA and NCERT sign MoU to Strengthen Value-Based Sports Education among School Children & TeachersOn March 3, 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been inked between the New Delhi (Delhi) based National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS), and  National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), under the Ministry of Education, to strengthen value-based sports education amongst school children and teachers.

Signatories:
The MoU was signed by Ritu Sain, Director General, NADA India and Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director, NCERT in the presence of Sujata Chaturvedi, Secretary (Department of Sports), and Sanjay Kumar, Secretary (Department of School Education & Literacy- DoSE&L) at the Conference Hall, Ministry of Education in New Delhi, Delhi.
What will be done under this MoU?
i.To develop, disseminate and popularise e-content on sports values, ethics and anti-doping.
ii.To promotion of UNESCO Value-Based Sports Education toolkit  in every classroom
iii.To utilize the digital infrastructure and outreach capacity of DoSE&L through PM e-Vidya for school students, parents, young & budding athletes and physical education teachers.
Key Note:
India is a signatory to the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) International Convention Against Doping in Sports, and holds the responsibility to augment clean sports efforts and promote value-based sports education in India.

MoRD extends MoU with NIFT for Design Support of Products made by SHGs of DAY – NRLMOn March 3, 2023, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) extended its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) for providing design support for the products made by Self Help Groups (SHGs) of the Aajeevika Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM).
Signatories:
Charanjit Singh, Additional Secretary, RL (Rural Livelihoods), MoRD and Rohit Kansal, Director General, NIFT signed and exchanged the MoU at NIFT, New Delhi, Delhi.
Background:
On October 23, 2019, a Non-Financial MoU was signed between NRLM-MoRD and NIFT for three years. However, the MoU was impacted by the onset of the COVID pandemic. Nonetheless, NRLM managed to utilize the services of NIFT for the purpose of redesigning and renovating the Saras Gallery at Baba Khadak Singh Marg, New Delhi (Delhi) which is now operationalized since December 17, 2021 for marketing of SHG products from all States and Union Territories (UTs).’
Key Notes:
i.As on date the Saras Gallery has generated a sales of Rs. 1,17,05,240/ till March 1, 2023 since renovation.
ii. NRLM has taken several initiatives to promote SHG products likeSaras Gallery, presence of SHG products on Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Ministry’s own dedicated e-commerce platform as www.esaras.in and regular SarasAajeevika fairs at National and State level.

MoA&FW approves the launch of IFFCO’s nano DAP fertilizer

On March 3, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) approved the launch of Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited’s (IFFCO) nano DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) fertilizer in the market.

• In this regard, DAP manufactured by IFFCO is notified in the Fertilizer Control Order (FCO).
• FCO is an act that regulates the sale, pricing, distribution and other formalities of fertilizers in India.

Key Points:
i.Nano-DAP is being jointly manufactured by IFFCO in association with a private player Coromandel.
ii.Nano DAP will be sold at Rs 600 per bottle of 500 ml. One bottle will be equivalent to one bag of DAP, which currently costs Rs 1,350.
iii.In June 2021, IFFCO launched nano urea in liquid form as an alternative to conventional urea. It has also set up manufacturing plants to produce nano urea.
iv.DAP is the second most consumed fertilizer in the India after urea and out of the estimated annual consumption of around 10-12.5 million tonnes; local production is around 4-5 million tonnes while the rest has to be imported.
About Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited(IFFCO):
Chairman– Dileep Sanghani
Managing Director & CEO– US Awasthi
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

V-Dem’s Democracy Report 2023: India Ranks 108th on EDI & 97th on LDI

According to the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute’s report titled, “Democracy Report 2023: Defiance in the Face of Autocratization,” India has been ranked 97th in the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI) (2022) and 108th in the Electoral Democracy Index (EDI) (2022).

• Change over: In the previous year’s report of ‘Democracy Report 2022: Autocratisation Changing Nature’ India’s LDI and EDI rank were about 93 (2021) and 100 (2021) respectively.

• According to the report, India is falling behind and comes under the category of “Electoral Autocracies.”

i.The Democracy Report from the V-Dem Institute is based on a global dataset on democracy with over 31 million data points for 202 countries from 1789 to 2022.

• The report is based on the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI).

ii.The report listed India as one of the top 10 autocratizing countries in the last 10 years, placing it at Rank 108 and in the bottom 50% of the LDI.
iii.The report also noted that autocratization appears to have significantly slowed down or paused in some countries, including India.
About the V-Dem Institute:
The V-Dem Institute is an independent research institute founded by Professor Staffan I. Lindberg that studies the qualities of government.
Founded – 2014
Headquarters – Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
>> Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

World Bank Signs 2 Loan Programmes PHSPP, EHSDP of USD 500 million each to Support India’s Health SectorOn March 3, 2023, Government of India (GoI) and World Bank (WB) signed 2 complementary loans of  $500 million Public Health Systems for Pandemic Preparedness Program (PHSPP) and $500 million Enhanced Health Service Delivery Program (EHSDP) to support and improve India’s healthcare infrastructure.

• The loan agreements were signed by Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Auguste Tano Kouamé, World Bank India country director.

Key Points:
i.Through the combined financing of USD 1 billion (about Rs 8,200 crore), the WB will support India’s flagship Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), which was launched in October 2021, to improve the public healthcare infrastructure across India.
ii.Both the PHSPP and EHSDP loans which will be obtained from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) (The financial institution which is a part of the World Bank Group) have a final maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.
iii.One of the loans would prioritise health service delivery in 7 states including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
About World Bank:
World Bank Group President – David Malpass
Headquarters – Washington, DC, USA
Establishment – 1944
>> Read Full News

IREDA, EIB explore Partnership to finance Renewable Energy Projects in India On March 2, 2023, a meeting was held between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) to explore partnership on financing of renewable energy and green hydrogen projects in India.

• The meeting was held between Maria Shaw-Barragan, Global Director, EIB; and IREDA Chairman & Managing Directors (CMD) Pradip Kumar Das in Delhi.

Key Points:
i.IREDA is already committed to support the growth of Renewable Energy in India through financing.
ii.The proposed collaboration will support the development of renewable energy, green hydrogen projects, green ammonia, e-mobility, battery storage, etc. in India.

• This will aid in the Government of India’s goal of achieving 50% of its installed energy capacity from non-fossil fuels by the year 2030.

iii.It can help to create a faster sustainable future for all.
About Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA):
CMD- Pradip Kumar Das.
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Parent Ministry– Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)

RBI Released Data on the Performance of the Private Corporate Sector in Q3 FY23On March 02, 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released data on the performance of the private corporate sector during the third quarter of 2022-23 (i.e., Q3 FY23)
Highlights of the Q3 FY23 data:
i.Sales: The year-on-year  (y-o-y) sales growth of all listed private non-financial companies moderated to 12.7% in Q3 FY23 from 22.6 % in Q2 FY23.
ii.Expenditure: Due to lower sales growth Manufacturing companies’ expenses on raw materials was moderated.Staff cost  for manufacturing, IT and non-IT services companies, increased on y-o-y basis by 8.8%, 21.8% and 18.2% respectively.
iii.Profit: Q3 FY23 Operating profit of both IT and non-IT services companies were increased whereas for the manufacturing companies it was contracted on an annual (y-o-y) basis.
-RBI imposed Restriction on Musiri Urban Co-operative Bank; caps withdrawals at Rs 5,000 per customer
On March 02, 2023, considering the deteriorating financial condition of Musiri Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd., Musiri, Tamil Nadu, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a Rs 5,000 cap on withdrawals by individual customers.

• The directions were issued by RBI in exercise of powers vested under sub section (1) of Section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

About the Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment – 1st April 1935
>> Read Full News

JICA Signs Japanese ODA Loan Agreements with GoI to Provide Support for Healthcare & Urban InfrastructureThe Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed loan agreements with the Government of India (GoI) in Delhi to offer Japanese Official Development Assistance ODA loans totaling 40,673 million yen for the following two projects:
i.Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Project (III) (Loan Amount: 30,755 Million Yen)
ii.Project for Establishing a State Super-Specialty Cancer and Research Center in Mizoram, with 164 beds (Loan Amount: 9,918 Million Yen)
Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Project (III), Maharashtra
i.By constructing the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link, the project aims to increase connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region in Maharashtra.

• The Mumbai Trans-Harbour Connection is an 18-kilometer-long sea link and a 4-kilometer-long overland link connecting central Mumbai and the Navi Mumbai region.

ii.The project will promote regional economic development and the attainment of the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• Goal 8 – Decent work and economic growth
• Goal 9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Goal 11 – Sustainable cities and communities and
• Goal 13 – Climate action

iii.The project is scheduled to be completed by September 2023 and will be carried out by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
Establishment of Mizoram State Super-Specialty Cancer and Research Centre
i.The project’s objective is to enhance access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, as well as human resource development and research to support the cancer control system, in accordance with the 2010 National Program for the Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS).

• By 2025, the NPCDCS intends to bring down the premature cancer mortality rate to 25%.

ii.The establishment of the 164-bed Super Specialty Center in Mizoram will ensure Universal Health Coverage by enhancing the cancer healthcare system.

• According to JICA, Mizoram has the second highest cancer incidence and mortality rate.
• The project will also aid in achieving SDG Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

iii.The project is scheduled for completion by August 2028 and will be carried out by the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Government of Mizoram.
iv.The loan agreement for the project was signed by Saito Mitsunori, Chief Representative, JICA India, and Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.

New India Assurance becomes 2nd company to offer Surety Bonds after Bajaj Allianz 

On 3rd March 2023, New India Assurance Co Ltd, India’s largest general insurer, has become the 2nd insurance company to get into the surety bonds business, which is being pushed by the Government as an alternative to bank guarantees for government procurement.

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) permitted general insurers to issue Surety Insurance Bonds since April 2022.
• Note – In December 2022, Private sector Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launched India’s first-ever surety bond insurance products.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Tata Steel Mining Signs MoU with GAIL For Clean Fuel

Odisha-based Tata Steel Mining Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GAIL (India) Limited, a central public sector undertaking (PSU) under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) for the supply of natural gas to its Ferro Alloys Plant at Athgarh in Cuttack, Odisha to reduce carbon footprint in its operations.

• According to the MoU, GAIL will supply the agreed quantity of natural gas through its pipeline from Gujarat to Athgarh.
• Compared to natural gas, Furnace oil emits higher carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur oxides.
• Natural gas has lower levels of other pollutants and produces 27% less carbon dioxide (CO2) and has lower levels of other pollutants.
• The project will lower Green House Gas emissions by 968 tons.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS       

NTPC conferred with the CBIP Award 2022 for “Outstanding Contribution in Power Generation”

On 3rd March 2023, on the occasion of the Central Board of Irrigation & Power (CBIP) Day, NTPC Limited (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited), an Indian public sector undertaking(PSU) under the ownership of the Ministry of Power (MoP), has been honoured with the CBIP Award 2022 at the Scope Convention Centre, New Delhi.

• The Central Board of Irrigation & Power (CBIP) was established by Govt. of India on 1st January 1927.

NTPC Limited was honoured for Outstanding Contribution in Power Generation, attributed to its Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station, the largest power station in India, for its efficiency and high level of generation.

• Ramesh Babu V, Director (Operations) at NTPC, received the award from Raj Kumar Singh, Union Minister of Power, New & Renewable Energy(RE), Govt. of India.

Praveen Saxena, Regional Executive Director ( NR), and Suvash Chandra Naik, Executive Director (Vindhyachal) were present.

• The CBIP Awards are given to institutions and individuals in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the development of the water, power, and renewable energy sectors. 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1st Privately Manufactured Indigenized Fuze YDB-60 by EEL Handed Over to IN

On March 3, 2023, a private manufacturer M/s Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), Nagpur (Maharashtra) handed over the fully indigenized fuze YDB-60 to India Navy (IN) for RGB-60 (Rocket Guided Bomb model-60), underwater Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) rocket used from major warships.

• This is the first time that IN has placed a supply order for underwater ammunition fuze on the Indian Private industry.

Key Points:
i.Satyanarayan Nuwal, the CMD (Chairman & Manging Director) of EEL handed over the first consignment of the fuze to Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS),
ii.This development is on a line of AatmaNirbharta.
iii.All technical assistance to EEL has been provided by the Directorate General of Naval Armament (DGONA) and Directorate General of Naval Armament Inspection (DGNAI), IN.

OBITUARY

Former ASG & Union Minister Satyabrata Mookherjee Passed Away

On 3rd March 2023, Satyabrata Mookherjee, former Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India and former member of parliament (Lok Sabha) passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal, at the age of 90. He was born on 8th May 1932 in Sylhet, Assam Province, British India (now Bangladesh).
About Satyabrata Mookherjee:
i. Satyabrata Mookherjee, a prominent lawyer in the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court, served as India’s Additional Solicitor General (ASG) before being elected as the candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 13th Lok Parliament from Krishnagar (Lok Sabha constituency) in West Bengal in 1999.

• He was a member of the Committee on Human Resource Development (1999-2000)

ii. He served as Minister of State (MoS) for Chemicals and Fertilizers (2000-2002) in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government and Union MoS for Social Justice & Empowerment (2002-2003).
iii. In 2003, he briefly served as the Union MoS for Space, Department of Atomic Energy, Statistics and Programme Implementation, Planning.
iv. From 2003 to 2004, he served as the Union Minister of State, Ministry of Planning, Statistics and Programme Implementation, Department of Atomic Energy, Space with an additional charge of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
v. He served as the 7th President of the BJP’s West Bengal unit from 2008 until he was replaced by Rahul Sinha in 2009.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Security Day 2023 – March 4National Security Day (NSD), also known as Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas, is annually observed across India on March 4 to honour the Indian Security Forces, which includes the Military, Para-Military, Commandos, Police Officials, Guards and other forces, who are involved in maintaining peace and security of India.

History of  National Security Council (NSC):
i. On 19th November 1998, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a former Indian Prime Minister (PM), formed the National Security Council (NSC), a six-member body chaired by the PM. Brajesh Mishra served as the council’s 1st National Security Adviser.
ii. The NSC is the apex body of the 3-tiered Indian national security management system.

• The 3-tiers: the Strategic Policy Group (SPG), the National Security Advisory Board and a Secretariat from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC).

iii. Before the establishment of the NSC, these activities were overseen by the Principal Secretary to the preceding PM.
National Security Adviser:
Ajit Kumar Doval currently serves as the 5th NSA of India, the head of the NSC, and the primary advisor to PM Narendra Modi. He is the Chairman of the SPG of the NSC.

• The Research Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), two highly intelligent government organisations, both report to the NSA.

About National Security Council (NSC):
NSA- Ajit Kumar Doval
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi.

World Day of Fight Against Sexual Exploitation 2023 – March 4World Day of Fight Against Sexual Exploitation is annually observed across the globe on 4th March to create awareness about preventing sexual exploitation and to provide support to victims of sexual abuse.

• Since 2009, March 4th has been designated World Day of the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation.

i.Sexual exploitation is a global issue that denies basic human rights(the right to freedom, dignity, and control over one’s own body).
ii.According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 3 million children across the globe are affected by prostitution, and nearly a million people are sexually exploited every year.
>> Read Full News

52nd National Safety Day – 4 March 2023; 52nd National Safety Week – 4th to 10th March 2023 National Safety Day is annually observed across India on March 4 to raise awareness about the importance of safety and health in the workplace and to promote a culture of safety among the general public.

• 4th March also marks the beginning of the National Safety Week campaign in India.

4th March 2023 marks the observance of the 52nd National Safety Day/ National Safety Week Campaign.
National Safety Week is annually observed across India from March 4-10.

• The theme of National Safety Day/ Week Campaign 2023 is “Our Aim – Zero Harm”.

Background:
i. Since 1971, the National Safety Council (NSC) has headed National Safety Day and National Safety Week to commemorate its Foundation Day (4th March).

• National Safety Day is an initiative started by the MoL&E.

ii. The 1st ever National Safety Day was observed on 4th March 1972.
About National Safety Council (NSC):
Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Lalit Gabhane
Headquarters- Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment- 1966
>> Read Full News

World Obesity Day 2023 – March 4 World Obesity Day(WOD) is annually observed across the globe on 4th March to create awareness about the risks of obesity and to promote practical solutions to end the global obesity crisis.

• The observance of WOD is annually organised by the World Obesity Federation (World Obesity), a non-profit organisation in collaboration with its global members.

The WOD 2023 is observed on 4th March under the theme “Changing Perspectives: Let’s Talk About Obesity”.

• The 2023 theme aims to change perspectives: to correct misconceptions, end stigmas and get everybody making the decision to shift from single views to shared strategies.

Background:
i.In 2015,  World Obesity Federation established World Obesity Day an annual campaign with the goal of stimulating and supporting practical actions to support people achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

• Initially, World Obesity Day was observed on 11th October.
• The first ever WOD was observed on 11th October 2015.

ii.Since 2020, the date of World Obesity Day has been changed from 11th October to 4th of March.
About World Obesity Federation:
President– Prof. Louise Baur
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
>> Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Jharkhand FM Rameshwar Oraon Unveils Rs. 1,16,418 Crore Budget for FY24Rameshwar Oraon, the Finance Minister (FM) of Jharkhand, has proposed a Rs. 1,16,418 crore budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 (FY24) in the Jharkhand assembly.

• The budgetary projections for FY24 were 15% higher when compared to fiscal year 2022–23 (FY23).

Key Budgetary Estimates & Allocations:
i.The Jharkhand government has emphasized the significance of gradually rising Capital Outlay and has budgeted Rs. 25,317 crore in FY24, up from Rs. 10,789 crore in FY 2021-2022 (FY22).
ii.In FY24, Rs. 84,676 crore is set aside for Revenue Expenditure, and Rs. 31,742 crore is set aside for Capital Expenditure.
iii.The Fiscal Deficit is estimated to be Rs. 11,674.57 crore, or 2.76% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
About Jharkhand:
Chief Minister – Hemant Soren
Governor – C.P. Radhakrishnan
Wildlife Sanctuary –  Mahuadanr Wildlife Sanctuary; Koderma Wildlife Sanctuary
>> Read Full News

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List of Current Governors in India – February 2023

List of Current Chief Ministers in India – February 2023

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