NATIONAL:
1. Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway
Why in news – PM Narendra Modi dedicated Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway to the nation on March 12, 2023.
Key Points –
• He also laid the foundation stone of IIT Dharwad.
• BJP leader SM Krishna asked to name it after the erstwhile Mysore kingdom king — Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar.
About the Expressway –
• It is a 119 km long 6-10 lane access-controlled highway on NH-275.
• Project cost - Rs 8,480 crore.
Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1902 - 1940) –
• 24th king of the Mysore.
• First to criminalize untouchability and ban child marriage for girls under the age of 8 years.
• In 1915 the Mysore Social Progress Association was formed to empower the weaker sections of the Mysore society.
• In 1918 he appointed Sir Lesley Miller to look into the backward classes and recommended 25% reservation of government jobs for non-Brahmans.
• Shivanasamudra Hydroelectric power project – In 1902, Mysore became the first state to produce hydroelectric power in Asia.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Ram Chandra Poudel
Why in news – Nepal elected Ram Chandra Poudel as its President.
Key Points –
• He defeated Subas Chandra Nebmang in this election.
• Nepal became a republic in 2008.
• In 2020, he was honoured with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from Japan.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES:
1. Swachhotsav
Why in news – Hardeep Singh Puri launched Swachhotsav, 3-week women-led swachhata campaign, under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.
Key Points –
• It aims to recognize and celebrate the transition from women in sanitation to women-led sanitation.
• It was launched by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• It kicked-off on March 10 and would conclude on March 30 (International Day of Zero Waste).
• The first edition of Women Icons leading Sanitation & Waste Management (WINS) Challenge-2023 was announced.
• The WINS Challenge-2023 recognizes high-impact women entrepreneurs or women-led enterprises working to achieve urban swachhata.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES:
1. India-US Commercial Dialogue 2023
Why in news – India and the US signed an MoU on semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership.
Key Points –
• The US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo visited Delhi between March 7 and 10, 2023.
• Both sides have agreed to set up a semiconductor sub-committee.
• It is a collaborative mechanism under US’s CHIPS and Science Act 2022 and India’s Semiconductor Mission 2021.
• India has approved a Rs 76,000 crore scheme to boost semiconductor and display manufacturing in the country.
ECONOMY:
1. PhonePe-BCG Study
Why in news – The study was released by digital payments firm PhonePe and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Key Points –
• India’s digital payment market is expected to more than triple from $3 trillion to $10 trillion by 2026.
• At present, 40% of all transactions in India are digital.
• Digital India program (2015) - to achieve a "faceless, paperless and cashless" status for financial transactions.
• Unified Payments Interface (UPI) (2016) – It is an instant real-time payments system that enables inter-bank peer-to-peer and person-to-merchant transactions through mobile devices instantly.
SCIENCE – TECHNOLOGY:
1. Landslide Atlas of India 2023
Why in news – The satellite data was released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Key Points –
• Most landslide-prone districts in the country - Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand.
• Maximum landslides (1988-2022) – Mizoram (12,385), Uttarakhand (11,219) and Tripura (8,070).
• The report looked at landslide-vulnerable regions in 17 states and 2 UTs in the Himalayas and Western Ghats.
• It was created by Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre.
• About 0.42 million square kilometers (12.6% of the total land area) are prone to landslides.
2. Gene Therapy Technology
Why in news – IIT Kanpur has licensed a gene therapy technology to Reliance Life Sciences Pvt Ltd.
Key Points –
• It has the potential to treat many hereditary eye diseases.
• Developed by - Jayandharan Giridhara Rao and Shubham Maurya.
• This is the first time that a gene therapy-related technology has been developed and transferred from an academic institution to a company in India.
• Retinitis pigmentosa - A disease causing progressive sustained vision loss.
SECURITY:
1. Shaliza Dhami
Why in news - Group Captain Shaliza Dhami became the first woman to command combat unit in Indian Air Force.
Key Points –
• Earlier, Captain Shiva Chouhan of the Indian Army became the first female officer to be operationally deployed in Siachen.
2. Fully Indigenised Fuze YDB-60
Why in news - Indian Navy received a fully indigenized fuze YDB-60 for underwater Rocket RGB 60.
Key Points –
• It was manufactured for the first time by private Indian industry.
• Manufacturer - M/s Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), Nagpur.
AWARDS & HONOURS:
1. Oscars 2023
Why in news - RRR’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ won the Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards.
Key Points –
• The live performance at the ceremony was introduced by Deepika Padukone.
• Composer - MM Keeravani,
• Lyrics – Chandrabose
• Vocals - Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava.
• Earlier, Naatu Naatu won the Golden Globes award and the Best Song at Critics’ Choice Awards and the Hollywood Critics Association.
2. Pritzker Laureate 2023
Why in news - British architect and urban planner Sir David Chipperfield is the 2023 Laureate of The Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Key Points –
• His most famous reconstruction - The Neues Museum (Berlin, 2009).
• He has been collaborating with Sourabh Gupta of the Noida-based architecture studio Archohm on the Mughal Museum (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum) in Agra.
• It is the highest international honour for architects.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. International Women’s Day 2023
Why in news - Each year, March 8 is observed as International Women’s Day.
Key Points –
• Theme 2023 - "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality".
• The day was honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19, 1911.
• Director General of UNESCO - Audrey Azoulay.
BOOKS & AUTHORS:
1. 'Mundaka Upanishad: The Gateway to Eternity'
Why in news - Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar released the book.
Key Points –
• Author - Karan Singh.
• Our national motto “Satyamev Jayate” is part of a mantra from 'Mundaka Upanishad.
• The main motto of the Upanishads is “Knowledge Awards Salvation”.
• There are total of 108 Upanishads.
POINTERS:
• Which state has launched ‘Shared School Bus System’ and Agriculture Response Vehicle Scheme – Meghalaya.
• Which country has announced the launch of the Debbie Hockley Medal to honor women cricketers – New Zealand.
• Who has been appointed as the first CEO of Gujarat Maritime Cluster - Madhvendra Singh.
• Which country chaired the 19th ministerial meeting of BIMSTEC – Thailand.
• Who launched the Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Infrastructure, which aims to provide standardized and real-time tracking of greenhouse gases - World Meteorological Organization.
• Muhyiddin Yassin arrested recently on charges of corruption, was the former Prime Minister of which country – Malaysia.
• Who has become the first woman officer to command Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers unit – Geeta Rana.
• In which country was the “Golden City Gate Tourism Awards” ceremony held – Germany.
• Who has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Qatar - Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.