Current Affairs 9 March 2023

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

BIS issues IS 18149:2023-Guidelines for Transportation of Dangerous, Hazardous Goods The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued ‘IS 18149:2023 – Transportation of Dangerous Goods Guidelines’ to enhance safety in transportation of dangerous, hazardous goods posing threat to public safety, properties and environment. These have been formulated under the Transport Services Sectional Committee, SSD 01, of BIS.

• The notification for the same was issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution (MoCAP).

Reason behind these guidelines:
i.These have been introduced by BIS for the safe handling, packaging, and transportation of hazardous goods in India. It will minimize the risk of accidents and potential harm to people and the environment.
ii.The primary objective of these guidelines standardize transportation practices and set a new benchmark for the safe transportation of hazardous materials.
Key Points:
i.The guidelines covered the classification, packaging, labelling and marking, handling, documentation, role of stakeholders, training, transportation, emergency action and provisions for segregation for dangerous, hazardous goods.
ii.It is for all the stakeholders, including vehicle owners/transport agencies, contractors, consignors, consignees, operators and drivers carrying dangerous goods/substances, for the safe transportation of dangerous goods.
What are Dangerous goods?
These are substances and articles that pose a risk to public safety, property and the environment. It includes explosives, gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidizing substances and organic peroxides, poisonous and infectious substances, radioactive substances, corrosive substances and other miscellaneous dangerous substances.
About Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS):
It is the National Standards body of India.
Director General– Pramod Kumar Tiwari
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment– 1987

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched Swachhotsav, a Women-Led Swachhata CampaignOn March 7, 2023, the Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched ‘Swachhotsav‘, a 3-week women-led swachhata campaign, under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban[SBM(U)] 2.0. It was launched ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2023.

• He also launched the 1st edition of Women Icons leading Sanitation & Waste Management (WINS) Challenge-2023 during the event. The WINS Challenge 2023 will recognize high-impact women entrepreneurs or women-led enterprises working to achieve urban swachhata.
  The nominations for WINS Awards-2023 will be accepted from 8th March onwards.

Aim:
Swachhotsav aims to recognize and celebrate the transition from women in sanitation to women-led sanitation.
Key Points:
i.As a part of the campaign, a Swachhata Yatra will kick-off on March 10, 2023 and will conclude on  March 30, 2023, which has been declared as International Day of Zero Waste by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

• Representatives of 34 States/UTs will be travelling to 24 States and UTs as part of the Yatra.

ii.During the yatra Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) will be invigorated to vow their commitment to the vision of ‘Garbage-Free Cities (GFC)’ through the pledge for swachhata.
iii.There will be Swachh Mashaal March on March 30, which will follow cleanliness drives to be held at public places, open plots, water bodies, railway tracks, public toilets in every ward of a participating ULB (Urban Local Body).
iv.A series of events and activities will be organized across cities to celebrate women from all walks of life, who will provide leadership in making the mission of GFC a success.

FRINJEX-23: 1st Indo-France joint Military Exercise held in ThiruvananthapuramFRINJEX-23, The first edition of the Joint Military Exercise between the Indian and French Army was conducted at Pangode Military Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on March 7-8, 2023.

• The exercise intends to improve the inter-operability, coordination and cooperation between both forces at the tactical level.
• The theme for the exercise is “Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations in a Contested Environment”.

Key Points:
i.For the first time, both Indian and French Army engaged in the exercise with each contingent comprising a Company Group.
ii.The largest ever contingent was fielded by Thiruvananthapuram based Indian Army troops and FRENCH 6th Light Armoured Brigade.

• The French contingent consists of 6 officers and 111 troops.

iii.The joint exercise will enable both nations to collaborate for peace and harmony.
iv.A joint command post will be established and operationalised under the exercise to secure an envisaged area for establishing an Internally Displaced Population (IDP) camp for undertaking joint humanitarian assistance and move of disaster relief material.

2nd G20 GPFI Meeting held in Hyderabad, Telangana – March 06-07, 2023The 2nd Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) meeting was held in Hyderabad (Telangana) for two days from March 06-07, 2023, and was headed by the GPFI Co-Chair and G20 (Group of Twenty) India Presidency.

• India is hosting the prestigious G20 summit in 2023, as the country holds the G20 Presidency from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023.

Significant Outcomes of the Meeting:
i.During the meeting, India and Italy were declared as the new long-term Co-Chairs of the GPFI, with unanimous support from the membership.

• The new Co-Chairs have been chosen for a 3-year term, which will commence in 2024.

ii.The GPFI members discussed and decided on the course of action for key deliverables for the year, including those on digital financial inclusion and SME finance.
iii.A special workshop was also held to draft the GPFI Financial Inclusion Action Plan (FIAP) 2023, which will steer the G20’s financial inclusion activities for 2024 – 2026.
iv.During the GPFI meeting, a symposium on digital innovations in payments and remittances was organized for both G20 and non-G20 nations.

• The symposium featured a panel discussion on Harnessing Digital Innovations in Payments Systems for Financial Inclusion, Resilience, Productivity Gains, and Inclusive Growth.

v.Prior to the GPFI Meeting, a Knowledge and Experience Exchange Programme for Emerging Economies of the Global South, in accordance with the overarching theme of the G20 India Presidency, “One Earth, One Family, One Future”(“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”), was conducted.
vi.Experts from India, including those from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), discussed their experiences in reshaping the financial inclusion environment by employing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

Key Participants:
i.Representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Central Banks of G20 and non-G20 nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, Malawi, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, the Philippines, Poland, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
ii.G20 Members: It has 20 members, including 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), and the European Union (EU).
iii.Representatives from regional organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the Gates Foundation, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Smart Africa.

MoP Mandates 40% RPO for New Coal/Lignite-Based Thermal PlantsThe Ministry of Power (MoP) has mandated that new coal/lignite-based thermal plants either establish renewable energy capacity equivalent to at least 40% of the plant’s capacity or procure that much green energy under a Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).

• The MoP has amended the Tariff Policy 2016 under the Electricity Act 2003 to impose a 40% RPO for new coal/lignite-based thermal power plants to be installed commencing April 1, 2023.

Renewable Generation Obligation as per Revised Tariff Policy, 2016
i.According to the Tariff Policy 2016, it has been agreed that any generating company establishing a coal/lignite-based thermal generating station with the commercial operation date (COD) of the project on or after April 1, 2023, must develop renewable energy generating capacity [in megawatts (MW)].
The GoI has approved the report of a task force established by the Ministry of Power (MoP) in September 2021, chaired by K. Sreekant, CMD, POWERGRID, to recommend measures to modernize the transmission sector and make it smart and future-ready.

• The task force’s intention is to pave the path for India to have a modern and smart electricity transmission system.

About Ministry of Power (MoP):
Union Minister – Raj Kumar Singh [R.K.Singh] (Arrah Constituency, Bihar)
Minister of State (MoS) – Krishan Pal
>> Read Full News  

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

UNICEF Report on Undernourished and Overlooked: Malnutrition in Mothers Increased by 25% in Crisis-hit CountriesAs per the new UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) report titled “Undernourished and Overlooked: A Global Nutrition Crisis in Adolescent Girls and Women” released on 7th March 2023, the number of acutely malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women to be increased by 25% between 2020 (5.5 million) and 2022 (6.9 million) in 12 countries that are affected by the current food and nutrition crisis.

• The 12 countries are – Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad and Yemen.
• The report was launched ahead of International Women’s Day 2023 (8th March 2023).

Key Analysis of the report:
i.The report estimates that, more than 1 billion adolescent girls and women worldwide suffer from undernutrition including underweight and short height, micronutrient deficiencies, and anaemia.
ii.No region in the world is on track to meet the 2030 global targets to reduce anaemia in adolescent girls and women by half and low birthweight in newborns by 30%.
iii.Undernutrition and Anemia: In South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa constitute for 68 % of adolescent girls and women with underweight and 60% of adolescent girls and women with anaemia.
iv.Child undernutrition: 73% of all low birthweight infants and 74 % of all children suffering from stunting live in South Asia and subSaharan Africa.

• Globally, 51 million children under 2 years are stunted, and as per the report, about half of children become stunted during pregnancy and the first 6 months of life (i.e., when a child is fully dependent on the mother for nutrition)

v.The gender gap in food insecurity more than doubled between 2019 (49 million) and 2021 (126 million).
vi.12 million children are born to girls aged 15–19 years who have not completed their own growth, the majority in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (66 per cent).

BANKING & FINANCE

Kotak AMC launches Digital Campaign to promote Digital Literacy among Women

On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2023, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Limited launched a digital campaign named ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality‘ to promote digital literacy among women.
The campaign calls for the digital inclusion of all with the hashtag, #IncludeAll.

• The digital campaign features Kotak group women employees sharing their stories about how they support and empower other women in their lives by teaching them digital literacy.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Adani Power Limited amalgamates 6 Subsidiary Companies 

On February 8, 2023, the Ahmedabad Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal approved an amalgamation of 6 wholly-owned subsidiary companies of Adani Power Ltd (APL): Adani Power Maharashtra Ltd (APML); Adani Power Rajasthan Ltd (APRL); Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL); Raipur Energen Ltd (REL); Raigarh Energy Generation Ltd (REGL); and Adani Power (Mundra) Ltd (APMuL).
On 7th March 2023, APL announced that it has amalgamated its 6 subsidiaries, including Adani Power (Mundra), with itself.

• APL stated that it will publish the financial statement for the financial year (FY) 2022-23 based on the amalgamation of the companies and will also publish comparative period numbers in compliance with applicable accounting standards.

First cohort of Google for Startups Accelerator for Indian female founders Concludes

On 7th March 2023, Google, an American multinational technology company,  concluded the 1st cohort of its Startup Accelerator Program for Indian female entrepreneurs. It launched its first edition of ‘Google For Startups Accelerator–India Women Founders‘, a three-month programme, in 2022.

• The three-month programme included curriculum and engagement opportunities that addressed issues such as network access, capital, hiring challenges, and mentorship.

Note: Paul Ravindranath is the programme manager of the Google for Startups Accelerator India.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS   

Union MoS Dr L. Murugan presented the 8th National Photography Awards in DelhiOn 7th March 2023, Dr L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (I&B), presented the 8th National Photography awards in New Delhi, Delhi. In total, 13 individuals were recognised in different categories.

• National Photography Awards are organised by Photo Division under the Ministry of I&B to promote the art and technique of photography.

Note:
The 7th National Photography Awards ceremony was held on February 19th, 2019.
Category Themes:

• The theme for the Professional category was “Life and Water”.
• The theme for the Amateur category was “Culture Heritage of India”.

Members of the Jury for the 8th National Photography Awards:
i. Vijay Kranti, an Indian journalist and Tibetologist, is the Chairman of the Jury for the awards.
ii. Jagdish Yadav, Ajay Aggarwal, K. Madhavan Pillai, and Ashima Narain are the members of the Jury.
iii. Sanjiv Misra, the Photographic Officer of the Photo Division, is the Member Secretary.
About the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoI&B):
Union Minister- Anurag Singh Thakur (Constituency- Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)- L. Murugan (Rajya Sabha – Madhya Pradesh)
>> Read Full News  

British architect Sir David Alan Chipperfield wins Pritzker Architecture Prize 2023On 7th March 2023, Sir David Alan Chipperfield (David Chipperfield), a 69-year-old British Civic Architect, urban planner and activist, won the  Pritzker Architecture Prize 2023, the architect’s most prestigious award, for his timeless modern design that confronts climate urgencies, transform social relationships and reinvigorates cities.

• David Chipperfield is the 52nd winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, which is considered the most significant award in international architecture.
• The 45th Pritzker Prize ceremony, honouring David Chipperfield will be held in Athens, Greece, in May 2023.
• The Chair of the Jury is Alejandro Aravena, 2016 Pritzker Prize Laureate.

Note: The 1st Indian recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize is Balkrishna Doshi, a noted Indian architect and urban planner.
i. The Prize was established by the Pritzker family of Chicago, US, through their Hyatt Foundation in 1979.
ii. The award consists of USD 100,000 and a bronze medallion.
>> Read Full News   

Delhi Airport Named One of the Best & Cleanest Airports in Asia Pacific: 2022 ASQ AwardsAirports Council International (ACI) announced the winners of this 2022 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards recognizing the best airports for customer experience worldwide. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) – Delhi Airport, has been adjudged as one of the Best and Cleanest Airports in the Asia Pacific region.
IGIA operated by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a consortium of the GMR Group won the 2022 ASQ award under Best Airports by Size and Region – Over 40 million passengers per year.

• The airport has also won the 2022 ASQ award under Cleanest Airport (Asia Pacific Region) category
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai, Maharashtra) has also won the award under Best Airports by Size and Region – Over 40 million passengers per year.

Note:

• ACI is a non-profit organisation of airport operators.
• DIAL is a subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd.

Other Indian airports that won 2022 ASQ Awards: 
The following Indian Airports have also won the 2022 ASQ Award under Best Airports by Size and Region – Asia Pacific,

• Tiruchirappalli International Airport (Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu ) – Under 2 million passengers per year
• Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad, Telangana) – 15 to 25 million passengers per year
• Cochin International Airport (Cochin, Kerala) -5 to 15 million passengers per year.

Click here for the complete list of winners of the 2022 ASQ Awards
Cleanest Airports (Asia-Pacific):

Key Points:
i. The airport service quality award is based on passenger satisfaction surveys conducted on the day of travel.
ii. The surveys cover over 30 performance indicators across key elements of a passenger’s airport experience, such as ease of navigation, check-in, shopping, and dining options.
iii. According to ACI, 75 airports around the world have won 144 awards based on over 465,000 surveys collected in 2022.
iv. The airports were ranked based on passenger feedback on the cleanliness of washrooms/toilets, health safety, and other factors.
Note: In addition to the award for best airports by size and region, 4 new categories were introduced in 2022: the airport with the most dedicated staff; the easiest airport journey; the most enjoyable airport, and the cleanest airport.  

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS     

Manik Saha Sworn in for Second Term as CM of TripuraDr. Manik Saha, a 70-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, was sworn in as Chief Minister (CM) of Tripura for the second time and his oath of office was administered by Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya, at a ceremony held at Vivekananda Stadium in Agartala, Tripura.

• He defeated Congress veteran leader Ashish Kumar Saha in Tripura’s Town Bardowali constituency by a margin of 1,257 votes.

The BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) coalition government, led by Saha, was also sworn in, along with Ratan Lal Nath, Pranjit Singha Roy, Santana Chakma, Sushanta Chowdhury, Tinku Roy, Bikas Debbarma, Sudhangshu Das, and Shukla Charan Noatia.
Note: Dr. Manik Saha was named CM of Tripura in May 2022, replacing Biplab Deb.
Key Points:
i.In the 2023 Tripura assembly elections, the BJP received a vote share of almost 39% and won 32 seats in the 60-member House while its ally IPFT managed to win one seat.

• Tipra Motha emerged as the second-largest party, with 13 seats.

ii.In total, eight BJP ministers and one from its ally IPFT were appointed to the cabinet.
iii.The dignitaries present during the ceremony were Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
About Dr. Manik Saha:
i.Dr. Saha has a Bachelor of Dental Studies (BDS) from the Government Dental College in Patna (Bihar) and a Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from King George’s Medical College in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
ii.Dr. Saha was the Professor & Head of Department (HOD) of Dental Surgery at Tripura Medical College and the Dr. BR Ambedkar Memorial (BRAM) Teaching Hospital at Hapania in Agartala.
iii.The Indian Dental Association and the Tripura government honoured him with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to dental surgery.
iv.He was a member of the opposition Congress Party before joining the BJP in 2016 and was appointed as the state BJP president in 2018.
v.Dr. Saha was elected to the Rajya Sabha (upper house) in the biennial elections held in April 2022. He was the first BJP member of the Rajya Sabha from Tripura.
vi.Dr. Saha, who had never stood for office before becoming CM, contested for the first time in a by-election from the Town Bardowali seat, which he retained in this assembly election as well.
About Tripura:
Chief Minister (CM) – Dr. Manik Saha
Governor – Satyadeo Narain Arya
National Park – Clouded Leopard National Park; Bison National Park
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary; Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary    

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani Sworn in as the Prime Minister of QatarOn 7th March 2023, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was sworn in as the prime minister (PM) of Qatar at the Amiri Diwan of the State of Qatar, in Doha, Qatar in the presence of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of Qatar.

• He succeeds Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani, who served as the PM and interior minister of Qatar since 2020.
• Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani replaced him as interior minister of Qatar.

Note: Gulf Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, made the appointment. The decision to appoint Sheikh Mohammed as PM came after the amir accepted the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani.

About Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani: 

i.Sheikh Mohammed has been serving as Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar since 2016.
ii.In 2017, he was also named the deputy prime minister of Qatar.
iii.He also serves as Chairman of Qatar Investment Authority (since 2018), Chairman of Qatar Fund for Development (since 2014), and member of Qatar’s Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investments.

Additional info: 
In Qatar, the Emir has the exclusive power to appoint the PM and cabinet ministers who, together, constitute the Council of Ministers, which is the supreme executive authority in the country.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2022 was hosted by Qatar.
About Qatar:
Capital – Doha
Currency –  Qatari riyal
Emir of Qatar – Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

Group Captain Shaliza Dhami 1st IAF Woman Officer to Head Combat UnitOn 7th March 2023, Shaliza Dhami, Group Captain of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been selected to command a frontline combat unit of the force along the western sector. She is currently posted in the operations branch of a frontline command headquarters.

• She will be the 1st woman in the three forces (Army, Navy, and Air force) to command a combat unit.
• Group Captain Shaliza Dhami will be the first woman officer in the IAF to command a missile squadron in the Western sector facing Pakistan.

Key Points:
i. Shaliza Dhami from Ludhiana, Punjab, will command a missile unit near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab.
ii. The missile unit, tasked with air defence, possesses surface-to-air missiles in its arsenal.

• Ground-based missile units are the 1st line of defence against any air intrusion from the western front – Pakistan.

About Shaliza Dhami:
i. Group Captain Shaliza Dhami joined the IAF in 2003 as a helicopter pilot and has over 2,800 hours of flight time experience.
ii. She is the IAF’s 1st woman officer to become a qualified flying instructor for the Chetak and Cheetah helicopter unit at Hindan Air Force Station, Uttar Pradesh.
iii. In 2018, she became the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force to be granted a permanent commission.
iv. In 2019, she became India’s 1st female officer as the Flight Commander (second-in-command) of a helicopter unit in the western sector.

• She has been commended by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief twice. 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO successfully carries out Controlled Re-Entry Experiment of MT-1 SatelliteOn 7th March 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out an extremely challenging controlled re-entry experiment of the decommissioned orbiting Megha-Tropiques-1 (MT-1) satellite in an uninhabited area in the Pacific Ocean between 5 degrees south(°S) to 14°S latitude and 119° West(W)  to 100°W longitude.

• It was carried out from the Mission Operations Complex in ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network), Bengaluru (Karnataka).

Key Points:
i.The final two de-boost burns were executed by firing four 11 Newton thrusters on-board the satellite.
ii.The satellite entered the denser layers of the Earth’s atmosphere and subsequently underwent structural disintegration.
iii.There are no surviving large debris fragments of the satellite, as confirmed by the re-entry aero-thermal flux analysis
About Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):
Chairman– S. Somanath
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
Establishment– 1969
>> Read Full News

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Women’s Day 2023 – March 8The United Nations(UN)’s International Women’s Day(IWD) is annually observed across the globe on 8th March to recognise the achievements of women regardless of their national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political differences.

The theme of IWD 2023 is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.

• This theme is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67) – “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.

Background:
i.During International Women’s Year – 1975, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women’s Day.
ii.In December 1977, The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution and proclaimed the 8th March of every year as United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.

• The UN officially recognised International Women’s Day for the first time on 8th March 1977.

>> Read Full News

Jan Aushadhi Diwas – March 7 2023 & Janaushadhi Diwas week 1-7th March 2023The Jan Aushadhi Diwas(Generic Medicine Day) is annually observed across India on 7th March to create awareness about the importance of Generic Medicines and to highlight the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).

• The  Jan Aushadhi Diwas is annually organised by the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), under the aegis of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers(MoC&F).
• The PMBI organises a week-long celebration – Jan Aushadhi Week (1st to 7th March 2023) across India covering all States and Union Territories(UT).

5th Jan Aushadhi Diwas is celebrated on 7th March 2023 under the theme “Jan Aushadhi-Jan Upyogi”.

• Slogan of Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2023 is “Sasti bhi, Achhi bhi”.

Background:
On 7th March 2019, the Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi declared the 7th March of every year as Jan Aushadhi Diwas.

• The first ever Jan Aushadhi Diwas was celebrated on 7th March 2019. 

About Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers(MoC&F):
Union Minister– Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya(Rajya Sabha- Gujarat)
Minister of State(MoS)– Bhagwanth Khuba(Constituency- Bidar, Karnataka)
>> Read Full News

STATE NEWS

AP GIS Concludes with 352 MoUs Worth Rs. 13,05,663 Crore InvestmentsDuring the two-day Advantage Andhra Pradesh Global Investment Summit (AP GIS) 2023 held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP) from March 3 to 4, 2023, the Government of AP entered into 352 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with various organizations to execute projects worth Rs. 13,05,663 crore, providing employment potential for over 6 lakh jobs.

• To ensure that MoUs are converted into actual investments, the Government of AP will establish a monetary committee involving the Chief Secretary and CMO officials.
• The two-day summit attracted 10,000 dignitaries and investors from India and over 40 other countries.

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister of AP, remotely inaugurated 14 industrial facilities with a Rs. 3,841 crore investment, employing 9,108 people.
Key Points:
i.The energy sector, primarily renewable energy, received Rs. 8,84,823 crore in investment, followed by the industries department (Rs 3.35 lakh crore).
ii.Departments of agriculture and animal husbandry each received investment bids totaling more than Rs. 1,000 crore.
iii.In the tourism sector, 117 MoUs totaling Rs 22,096 crore were signed, with the potential to generate 30,787 jobs.
iv.In the information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITeS) sectors, 56 MoUs have been signed, totaling Rs. 25,587 crore in investment and the potential for 1,04,442 jobs.
v.This summit featured 15 sector sessions with over 100 speakers highlighting AP’s growing strengths, which include: automobile & EV sector, healthcare & medical equipment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, green ammonia, agri processing, tourism, and so forth.
vi.In order to explore possible collaborations with Andhra Pradesh, four country sessions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Vietnam, and Australia were organized.

vii.Drug maker Hetero Group invests about Rs 1,000 crore in AP over two years to grow the pharmaceutical and specialist business. This will generate employment for a minimum of 3,000 people.
MoUs signed by Significant companies:  
i.Reliance signed an MoU for an investment of Rs 50,000 crore.

• Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) committed to set up a 10-gigawatt renewable solar energy project in AP.

ii.According to the agreement signed with the government of AP, HPCL Energy will invest Rs 14.3 crore.
iii.HCL Technologies signed two MoUs for bids valued Rs. 22 crore, with the potential for 5,000 jobs.
iv.Flipkart committed to invest Rs. 20 crore in two MoUs.
v.The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) signed three MoUs for a total of about Rs 2,35,000 crore.
About Andhra Pradesh (AP):
Chief Minister (CM) –  Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
Governor – S. Abdul Nazeer
Tiger Reserve – Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary(formerly known as Nagarjuna Sagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve)
Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) – Kaundinya WLS; Penusila Narasimhaswamy WLS

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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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