Daily Current Affairs For BPSC as on 13.03.2023

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.

 

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