Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Mar 22nd to 31st Mar 2023. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2023 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : IMPORTANT DAYS

• World Meteorological Day is celebrated on March 23 every year all over the world and it is an annual event.
• World Tuberculosis Day, observed on 24 March each year all over the world, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease.
• On March 25th of this current year International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is celebrated all over the world.
• On March 26th of this current year Purple Day of Epilepsy 2023 is observed all over the world.
• On 27th March ,World Theatre Day 2023 is celebrated all over the world.
• The theme for World Theatre Day 2023 is "Theatre and a Culture of Peace."

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

• The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, under its Sagarmala Programme, has pushed a number of reforms and initiatives in the maritime industry to strengthen the country's socio-economic and regulatory environment.
• Under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Centers of Excellence (CoEs) are being established in various States through Bilateral Cooperation or Research Institutes.
• The second edition of 'World Food India-2023’ will be organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, from 3-5 November, 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
• The Department of Land Resources is organising the National Conference - Bhumi Samvaad IV on implementation of Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) or Bhu-Aadhaar in New Delhi.
• As per National Monetization Pipeline (NMP), 25 airports of Airports Authority of India (AAI) have been earmarked for leasing over the years 2022 to 2025.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) held the 47th meeting of the Executive Committee of NMCG under the chairmanship of Shri G. Asok Kumar, Director General, NMCG.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved for listing of IREDA - a CPSE under Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) on the Stock Exchanges through an Initial Public Offer (IPO) by part sale of Government’s stake in it and to raise funds for IREDA through issue of fresh equity shares.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy launched Atal Jyoti Yojana (AJAY) on 20.09.2016 with the main objective to provide Solar Street Lighting Systems for public use at different locations for improvement in quality of life, safety and security.
• Government has approved 57 Solar Parks with aggregate capacity 39.28 GW.
• States will get ₹5,000 crore for the construction of Unity malls and ₹3,000 crore for scrapping old vehicles as incentives under the “Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment’ in fiscal year 2023-24, beginning April 1, 2023.
• The Competition Commission of India has approved Reliance Retail Ventures’ (RRVL’s) acquisition of METRO Cash & Carry India for a cash consideration of Rs 2,850 crore.
• Under the Stand-Up India scheme, 1.75 lakh loans amounting to Rs 39,517 crore as of February has been sanctioned since the launch in April 2016.
• The first ever of its kind, a Yuva Utsav on the theme of 'Panch Pran of Amrit Kaal - India @2047' was organised in Siaha district of Mizoram.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the 24th issue of “Women and Men in India 2022” (an annual statistics released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation).
• The government stated that fertiliser cooperative major IFFCO and state-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) will manufacture Nano DAP for a period of three years.
• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and four Sikkim ministers released a unique cover of the Department of Posts, 'Go Green, Go Organic' for Sikkim.
• RK Singh, the minister of power and new and renewable energy, has launched the South Asia Distribution Utility Network (SADUN), which aims to modernise distribution of utilities in South Asia via knowledge sharing among the region's discoms.
• The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal has imposed an environmental compensation of ₹100 crore on Kochi Municipal Corporation for its continuing neglect of duties, resulting in the crisis at its wastage dump site at Brahmapuram following the major fire.
• The 3-day International Conference on 'Natural Farming to Revive the Environment and Resilient Agriculture' concluded.
• The Ministry of corporate affairs has set up a quick and faceless facility for winding up operations and exit.
• The 49th edition of Indian Dairy Association’s (IDA) Dairy Industry Conference and Expo will be held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
• The Women and Child Development Ministry will celebrate the 5th Poshan Pakhwada from 20th March to 3rd April 2023.
• The Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA) is going all out to build capacity among its cadre/ posts and other organisations to make them ‘future ready’ and to meet the requirements of a vision of ‘New India’.
• PM Modi inaugurated the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area office & Innovation Centre in India.
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh has inaugurated Asia's largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope at Devasthal, Uttarakhand
• Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) and Ayush Shri Sarbananda SonowaI has stated that India aims at becoming ‘Global Hub for Green Ship’ building by 2030 with the launch of the Green Tug Transition Programme(GTTP).
• Government has identified 156 critical infrastructure gap projects for intervention under the PM Gati Shakti initiative.
• The 'Statue of Knowledge' installation dedicated to Ambedkar was approved by Govt.
• Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched ‘DigiClaim’.
• ‘DigiClaim’ has been launched for claim disbursal through the National Crop Insurance Portal.
• The first Urban Climate Film Festival is being organised by the National Institute of Urban Affairs & it is being organised through the CITIIS program as part of U20 engagement events.
• One World TB Summit addressed by PM Narendra Modi in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh & it was organised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Stop TB Partnership.
• Subsidy of 200 rupees on 12 cylinders per year extended for one year for beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a regional conference on ‘Drug Trafficking and National Security' in Bengaluru.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has fixed MSP for Raw Jute at ₹5,050 per quintal for the 2023-24 season.
• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the real-time performance monitoring dashboard, Sagar Manthan, of MoPSW.
• The Centre has notified a hike in wage rates under the rural job guarantee programme for the 2023-24 financial year with Haryana having the highest daily wage at ₹357 per day and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the lowest at ₹221.
• The central government has extended export benefits under the RoDTEP scheme to 18 items related to the textiles sector, including saree and lungi, intending to boost shipments of these goods.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Samsung Electronics expects to invest 300 trillion won ($230 billion) over the next 20 years as part of an ambitious South Korean national project to build the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturing base near the capital, Seoul.
• The 3rd annual edition of the International SME Convention 2023 (ISC) to be organised in New Delhi, India.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $3 billion bailout programme that will be available over 4 years, to help debt-ridden Sri Lanka overcome its economic crisis and catalyse financial support from other development partners.
• India’s leading shipbuilder, Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Cochin received an order from NAVSHUTTLE 1 AS and NAVSHUTTLE 2 AS, Lysaker Norway for the design and construction of 2 Zero Emission Feeder Container Vessels with an option for 2 more vessels.
• A Belarusian court sentenced Ales Bialiatski, Belarus’ top human rights advocate and a candidate for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, to 10 years in
• The United States (US) and Canada have reached an agreement on a decades-old asylum accord that will restrict certain migrants from seeking protection in Canada.
• Japan has committed Rs 7,084.5 crore to India for 3 infrastructure projects, including

1. Patna (Bihar) Metro Rail Construction Project
2. Rajasthan Water Sector Livelihood Improvement Project
3. Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation for Climate Change Response in West Bengal (WB)

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

• The Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu (TN), Shri M.K. Stalin, released the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Plan, 2023, which lists out action plans to undertake in case of various natural and human-made disasters.
• The Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Quality Council of India (QCI), in collaboration with industry associations - Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) launched the Uttar Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp (Uttar Pradesh Quality Mission) at Lucknow, UP.
• The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal in New Delhi has slapped a penalty of ₹10 crore on the Kerala government for its failure to check the indiscriminate pollution of the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes (listed as Ramsar sites).
• Rajasthan becomes the first state in India to pass the 'Right to Health (RTH) Bill' in the
• Government of Maharashtra has decided to launch the second phase of Jalyukt Shivar project.
• The Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) will notify Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over 80,567 hectares in the forest areas of Anthiyur and Gobichettipalayam taluks in Erode district, as the 18th wildlife sanctuary in TN.
• The Odisha government has declared the Gandhamardan hill (Gandhamardan Reserve Forest), spanning 18,963.898 hectare over  6,532.098 ha (Balangir) and 12,431.8 ha Bargarh districts, as the 3rd biodiversity heritage site (BHS) of Odisha by giving it the status of a unique, ecologically fragile ecosystem having rich biodiversity.
• The 13-day tulip festival organised by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) was held in New delhi.
• India's first PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park for the textile industry was launched at E. Kumaralingapuram in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.
• The Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, Asia's largest tulip garden, opened to the public, nestled between Dal Lake and the Zabarwan hills in Srinagar.
• Odisha Chief Minister (CM) Shri Naveen Patnaik unveiled the renovated Dakota DC-3 aircraft of former chief minister Biju Patnaik for public viewing at the Biju Patnaik International Airport Bhubaneswar.
• West Bengal (WB) Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the flagship project named ‘Pathashree-Rastashree’ in Singur, WB.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

• Kotak Mahindra Bank and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) announced a strategic partnership to launch the Indian Oil Kotak co-branded fuel credit card.
• ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited has launched the ICICI Pru Gold, a long-term savings product that enables customers to create an additional income stream.
• State Bank of India (SBI) will donate ₹24 crore to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Karnataka for constructing a multi-speciality hospital (Orthopaedics Wing), as a part of its corporate social responsibility activity.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹2.27 crore on private sector lender RBL Bank for not complying with certain directives on loan recovery agents.
• Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank and Autotrac Finance Limited Ltd (AFL), a Gurgaon based Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) , announced its strategic partnership under the co-lending model through the YubiLend platform.
• The government has taken various reforms following which asset quality of public sector banks (PSBs) has improved significantly with gross NPA ratio declining from the peak of 14.6% in March 2018 to 53% in December 2022.
• According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), New York Community Bank has agreed to buy a significant chunk of the Signature Bank in a $2.7 billion deal after it became the third-largest US bank to fail since the 2008 crisis.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved for India and Tanzania to use their national currencies Ie, Indian Rupee (INR) & Tanzanian Shilling (Tsh) for bilateral trade settlement.
• IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company (IndiaFirst Life) has received an approval from capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to raise funds through an initial public offering (IPO).
• Indian automaker Mahindra and Mahindra stated that World Bank’s private investment arm, International Finance Corp (IFC), will invest 6 billion rupees ($72.58 million) in the company’s last mile electric mobility unit.
• The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shri Shaktikanta Das, initiated the establishment of a “Greenfield Data Centre” and an “Enterprise Computing & Cybersecurity Training Institute” in Bhubaneswar, Odisha during a foundation stone laying ceremony.
• Power Finance Corporation(PFC) Limited has inked a pact with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for a project loan of Japanese Yen (JPY) 2.65 billion or about Rs 165 crore.
• ICICI Bank launched an array of digital solutions for participants of the capital market and clients of custody services.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched two key surveys namely Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) and Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH)
• Amazon Pay has collaborated with Bharat BillPay, the biller platform of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), to strengthen its loan repayment facility.
• Indian lender State Bank of India (SBI) completed its first non-dollar transaction with Sri Lanka, by paying for exports in Sri Lankan rupees as India looks to bring countries that are short of U.S. dollars into the trade mechanism.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed banks from 18 different countries to open Special Vostro Rupee Accounts (SVRAs) for settling payments in Indian rupees (INR).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sold net $384 million in the spot foreign exchange market in January 2023.
• According to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in its monthly bulletin for March, outward remittances under the RBI’s liberalised remittance scheme (LRS) stood at $22.08 billion during the April, 2022-January, 2023 period.
• Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) has executed an agreement with SBI Lite, the insurance arm of State Bank of India (SBI) as an additional bancassurance partner in the life insurance category.
• CoinDCX, India's leading and most valued crypto company, has become a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)-registered reporting entity under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) norms.
• Egypt officially became a member of BRICS' New Development Bank (NDB) which includes India, Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa as member countries.
• In terms of Government of India (GoI) Notification Sovereign Gold Bonds 2022-23 (Series IV) will be opened for subscription during the period March 06-10, 2023 with Settlement date of March 14, 2023.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and SAEL Industries Limited have signed an agreement for a loan of up to ₹754 crores.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 30 lakh on Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) for non-compliance with certain provisions under Frauds-Classification.
• For the first time in the country, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Lombard) has launched ‘Anywhere Cashless’ feature for health insurance policyholders to avail cashless facilities at any hospital, even if not part of ICICI Lombard’s current network of hospitals.
• YES Bank has issued its first electronic-Bank Guarantee (e-BG) in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).
• Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K Bank) has signed a corporate agency agreement with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company to sell life insurance products to its customers, with effect from April 1, 2023.
• Geojit Financial Services, a leading investment services company, has entered into an agreement with ESAF Small Finance Bank (ESAF SFB) to offer a special 3-in-1 bundled account to the ESAF SFB customers.
• South Indian Bank is associated with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for direct tax collections from retail and corporate taxpayers.
• Private sector lender Axis Bank launched 'MicroPay', first pocket-sized swipe machine of India, based on 'Pin on Mobile' technology for accepting digital payments.
• IDFC First Bank has partnered with Swedish company Crunchfish to participate in the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI's) pilot programme to facilitate offline retail payments.
• Retirement fund body Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) fixed 8.15% rate of interest on employees' provident fund (EPF) deposits for 2022-23 at its meeting.
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has extended the deadline till September 30, 2023 for existing trading and demat account holders to provide choice of nomination or opt out of nomination.
• CRIF Connect Private Limited, a subsidiary of credit bureau company CRIF S.p.A  has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to begin operations as a Non-Banking Financial Company- Account Aggregator (NBFC-AA).
• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has notified that an interchange fee of up to 1.1% will be applicable on merchant UPI (Unified Payments Interface) transactions done using prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) such as wallets or cards with effect from April 1, 2023.
• According to data presented in the Rajya Sabha, Public sector banks (PSBs) have written off around ₹91,000 crore in the first 9 months of the current fiscal.
• Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur announced that Dearness Allowance (DA) for central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for central government pensioners by 4% & this will increase the overall DA/DR from current 38% to 42%.
• The Government has extended the last date for linking Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Aadhaar by 3 months to June 30,2023, in order to provide some more time to the taxpayers.
• The World Bank has approved a loan of USD 108 million (Rs 8,896,517,496) for Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project (AIRBMP) to improve its disaster preparedness and flood forecasting capabilities in Assam.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BUSINESS NEWS

• The developing world attracted just 15 per cent, or roughly $75 billion, of the total investments in renewable energy (RE) globally in the last calendar year, a recent report by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) announced.
• GST Network has empanelled four private companies, including EY and IRIS Business, for providing e-invoice registration services to businesses.
• Jindal Steel & Power has received BIS certification to manufacture India’s First Fire Resistant Steel Structures at its rail mill and special profile mill in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh.
• A Bengaluru-based fintech startup, ALT Realtech, has launched the world's first digital real estate exchange, ALT DRX, allowing investors to buy one sq. ft. of real estate at a time.
• Indian eyewear startup Lenskart Solutions Pvt announced signing definitive documents for a $500 million investment from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
• RailTel has bagged a ₹287.57-crore order from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) for supply, installation, integration, testing and commissioning of the IT infrastructure for greenfield data centres at New Delhi and Bengaluru along with training and support.
• The three state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) – Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) – have cumulatively posted a loss of ₹18,622 crore during April-December of FY23.
• CoinDCX has become a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)-registered reporting entity under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) norms.
• This would lead to increased accountability and implementation of best practices by the Virtual Digital Assets (VDA) industry
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has made recommendation No organisation should be permitted to establish more than six Community Radio Stations throughout the country.
• Tax rate on royalties and technical fees of foreign firms have been doubled from 10% to 20%.
• Lok Sabha passed Finance Bill 2023 after the Finance Minister moved more than 60 amendments.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS                               

• Mr Deepak Bagla, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Invest India, the government’s nodal investment promotion and facilitation body, has resigned from his post.
• Mr G Krishnakumar has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) until April 2025 & he replaces Mr Arun Kumar Singh.
• Mr Lalit Kumar Gupta has been appointed as Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) for 5 years.
• Stationery manufacturer Luxor Writing Instruments Private Limited has appointed cricketer Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador.
• In the 32nd Board Meeting of Invest India the Board appointed Manmeet K Nanda, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the West Bengal Cadre, as the Managing Director (MD)& Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (Additional charge) of Invest India until a full time regular appointment.
• An Indian-American woman, Ms Tejal Mehta, has been appointed as the first justice of a district court in the US state of Massachusetts.
• Bandhan Bank has appointed Mr Ratan Kumar Kesh as Executive Director (ED) of the bank for a period of 3 years.
• The Board of Governors of the New Development Bank (NDB) also known as BRICS bank unanimously elected former president of Brazil Dilma Vana Rousseff as the President of the NDB.
• The Board of Directors of CEAT Ltd, an RPG Group company, has appointed Mr Anant Goenka as the Vice Chairman of the tyre major.
• CEAT has appointed current Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mr Arnab Banerjee as the MD & CEO of CEAT Tyres for a tenure of 2 years starting April 1, 2023.
• The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB), the headhunter for directors of state-owned banks and financial institutions, has selected Mr Siddhartha Mohanty as the new chairman of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
• National women’s hockey team midfielder Salima Tete was appointed as the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Athletes Ambassador from India for a term of 2 years.
• The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reappointed Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi as Director General (DG) for a second four-year term in office beginning in early December 2023.
• Justice Pritinker Diwaker, Judge of the Allahabad High Court (HC), has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad HC succeeding Justice Rajesh Bindal.
• Justice Ramesh Sinha, Senior Judge of the Allahabad HC,Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh HC succeeding Justice Goutam Bhaduri.
• Justice K Vinod Chandran, Senior Judge of the Kerala High Court (HC), has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Patna HC succeeding Sanjay Karol.
• The Pakistani-origin Mr Hamza Yusuf became the first Muslim ‘First Minister’ of
• Former Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chairman Mr UK Sinha has been appointed as non-executive chairman and additional director of New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) till March 26, 2025.
• NDTV has appointed Mr Dipali Goenka, MD & CEO, Welspun India, as Additional Director in the rank of Non-Executive Independent Women Director.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONOURS

• The News Minute co-founder and editor-in-chief Dhanya Rajendran has been named the 2022 recipient of the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women media persons.
• Capital of Karnataka, Bengaluru, has received the Partnership for Healthy Cities award at a summit in London for effective implementation of smoke-free laws.
• British architect and urban planner Sir David Chipperfield has won the 2023 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
• Renowned Carnatic vocalist and Padma Shri awardee Bombay Jayashri has been selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award for 2023 by the Music Academy.
• Ukrainian rights group Truth Hounds, which documents war crimes in the Ukraine conflict, was awarded Norway’s Sakharov Freedom Award.
• Luis Caffarelli has won the 2023 Abel prize for solving equations with geometry.
• US President Joe Biden presented the 2021 National Humanities Medals, in conjunction with the National Medals of Arts.
• The US and Canada have reached an agreement on a decades-old asylum accord that will restrict some migrants from seeking protection in Canada.
• A site Sípàapu located in Arizona, United States and sacred to the Hopi Native American Nation has been awarded a ‘Water and Heritage Shield’ by the International Committee On Monuments and Sites International Science Committee (ICOMOS)

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• The United Kingdom (UK) Treasury and the Bank of England have facilitated a private sale of the UK subsidiary of the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank to HSBC Holdings Plc's 'ring-fenced subsidiary' for 1 pound sterling (₹99).
• Banking giant Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) is buying troubled rival Credit Suisse for almost $3.25 billion, in an effort to avoid further market-shaking turmoil in the global banking system·
• The government plans to sell up to 3.5% of its stake in aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) through an offer for sale (OFS).
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved a proposed combination involving LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management Limited’s acquisition of the management rights over the schemes of IDBI Mutual Fund (MF) from IDBI Asset Management Limited (IDBI AMC)
• Hyundai India has signed a pact with General Motors India for the potential acquisition of the latter’s plant in Talegaon, Maharashtra.
• Canara Bank has sold its stake in Russian joint venture (JV) Commercial Indo Bank LLC (CIBL) to the other venture partner State Bank of India (SBI) for about Rs 121.29 crore.
• Adani Power has amalgamated its 6 subsidiaries, including Adani Power (Mundra), with itself.
• Fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed deal of GMR Airports Infrastructure and Aeroports de Paris SA (ADP) under the green channel route.
• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has entered into a purchase and assumption agreement for all deposits and loans of recently failed United States (US)-based Silicon Valley Bridge Bank by First-Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Raleigh, North Carolina.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of the share capital of NSPIRA Management Services Private Limited by Mr. Puneet Kothapa, Ms. Ponguru Sindhura and Ms. Ponguru Sharani under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• Indian Navy's second anti-submarine warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) warship named Indian Naval Ship (INS) Androth has been launched in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The Second (2nd) edition of the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX), a nine-day mega military exercise between India & 23 African nations began in Pune, Maharashtra, India.
• Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first submarine base of Bangladesh ‘BNS Sheikh Hasina’ at Pekua in Cox’s Bazar. 
• The annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) of India and the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom (UK), Konkan 2023, was held from 20 to 22 Mar 23 off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the 3rd regiment of the S-400 `Triumf’ air defence missile system from Russia and this will be deployed along the Pakistan border.
• The Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) have conducted a 96-hour multi-domain air and land exercise, ‘Vayu Prahar’, in the eastern sector, as India & China remain in a stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• The ministry of defence (MoD) signed two contracts worth over Rs 3,700 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for radars and receivers, which will enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF)
• The Ministry of Defence (MoD), signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hyderabad for procurement of two Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems ‘Project Himshakti’ at an overall cost of approximately Rs 3,000 crore.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

• The Ministry of Rural Development has signed a MoU with the Ministry of Ayush to collaborate in making Lakhpati Didis from the SHGs.
• The Ministry of Steel has signed 57 MoUs with 27 companies for specialty steel under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme.
• India Post, the largest delivery network of the world, has signed an MoU with Shiprocket to boost last-mile  Ecommerce delivery services across the country.
• Department of Social Justice and Empowerment signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Prajapati Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, Mount Abu in New Delhi for spreading the message of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, NMBA, among youth, women and students.
• The Union home ministry has cleared a proposal for signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.
• GAIL has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Shell India on liquefied natural gas (LNG) for road transport, regasification of imported LNG and renewables, among others.
• The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Government of Maharashtra and the Sweden India Business Council (SIBC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for sustainable infrastructure and defence manufacturing.
• State-run NTPC Green Energy (NGEL) has signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) for setting up of renewable energy (RE) projects to meet round-the-clock power requirements of the state-run oil marketing company’s (OMCs) refineries.The signing of this JV agreement between the two Maharatna companies will enable the power behemoth and India’s largest OMC to meet the government’s clean energy targets in their respective core businesses.
• Agriculture marketing co-operative NAFED has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Agriculture to extend its support on the various government initiatives to promote millets, under which start-ups will get additional market access to sell their products.
• Air Force Technical College and IISc Bangalore have signed MoU to promote academic cooperation and research in defence related areas.
• WE Hub, a state-led incubator for women entrepreneurs, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cyber West Sign, an Australian digital marketing agency, to promote cross-border opportunities for start-ups in both countries.
• National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Jute Board (NJB) under the Union Ministry of Textiles to develop technology to make geo-cell products from jute and standardise them for various engineering applications.
• Samunnati has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Madhya Pradesh government, facilitated by Heartfulness Institute, Hyderabad.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & PORTALS

• The Income Tax Department launched an AIS app for taxpayers.
• NTPC REL has signed an MoU with INDIAN ARMY for setting up Green Hydrogen Projects in its establishments on Build, Own and Operate (BOO) model.
• Rubber Board has launched the CRISP (Comprehensive Rubber Information System Platform) mobile app, which will inform growers about rubber cultivation and provide solutions online.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Chinese tech company Baidu has launched its own Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot, Ernie Bot, based on its deep learning model Ernie (short for "enhanced representation through knowledge integration").
• Tamil Nadu (TN) has pioneered an initiative called TN-KET  (Tamil Nadu Kasanoi Erappila Thittam - meaning TB death-free project) across the State to reduce the mortality rate among people with tuberculosis.
• State-owned RailTel Corporation of India Ltd has received the work order from Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) for supply, installation, integration, testing and commissioning of IT infrastructure in green field data centre at New Delhi and Bengaluru along with training and support amounting to Rs 287.57 crores (including taxes)."
• North Korea has tested a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone called ‘Haeil’ (meaning “tsunami” in Korean) the first weapon of its kind capable of generating a radioactive tsunami that can destroy naval strike groups and major ports.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the LVM3(Launch Vehicle Mark III)-M3/OneWeb India-2 mission with all 36 satellites deployed into intended orbits.
• The world's first 3D-printed rocket Terran 1 launched successfully on its third attempt, but failed to achieve orbit during second-stage separation.
• Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Researchers have developed a three-dimensional (3D) paper-based portable device that can detect adulteration in milk within 30 seconds.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : PERSON IN NEWS

• Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer Mr Krishna Prakash becoming the first person to swim from the Gateway of India (located at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg in South Mumbai) to the famed Elephanta Caves (located at the Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour)

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & REPORTS

• NTPC Limited, the country’s largest power generating company has been ranked No.1 Independent Power Producers and Energy Traders Globally in the S&P Global Commodity Insights Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings®-2022.
• India has emerged as one of the highest global importers of coking coal (and pulverised coal injection) at 69 million tonnes (mt), accounting for 22 per cent of the world’s shipments in the calendar year 2022, as per data collated by market research firm CoalMint.
• On 20th March every year, the world celebrates World Happiness Day and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network releases an annual report named World Happiness Report & finland tops the ranking for the sixth year in a row with a score of 7.8 and other Norwegian countries like Denmark, Iceland are ranked second and third.
• According to the World Bank India report, only 1 of 11 girls was literate at the time of India's independence, about nine percent & at present, the women's literacy rate has jumped to 77% while India's male literacy rate stands at 84.7%.
• ‘City Finance Rankings, 2022’ portal goes live, MoHUA invites Urban Local Bodies to participate in the first of its kind initiative
• The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched ‘City Finance Rankings 2022’, the urban local bodies will be evaluated on the basis of their financial health.
• The 'United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: partnerships and cooperation for water', issued ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference, said that around 80% of people living under water stress lived in Asia; in particular, northeast China, as well as India and Pakistan.
• According to the report, titled “Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022: Beyond the Mainstream” Actor Ranveer Singh has become the ‘Most valued celebrity of 2022’,

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

• Rachna Biswat Rawat, a well-known journalist and writer from India, has written a book titled “Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform,” which focuses on the life, personality, and principles of General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

• Midfielder Hardik Singh and goalkeeper Savita Punia were conferred with the men’s and women’s Indian Hockey Player of the Year awards 2022.
• ATK Mohun Bagan held their nerves in a tightly contested Indian Super League final to beat Bengaluru FC 4-3 on penalties and lift their maiden title.
• Pune-based swimmer, Sampanna Ramesh Shelar has become the fastest Indian in under 21 group to swim across the Palk Strait from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Dhanuskodi in Tamil Nadu in 5 hours and 30 minutes.
• The 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship for Men and Women will begin at Baksa district in Assam.
• Rohan Bopanna becomes the oldest player to have won the Men’s Doubles title at the ATP 2023 Series.
• The International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shooting Championship started in Bhopal and will continue till March 27.
• India won titles in both the men's and women's section of the 4th Asian Kho-Kho Championship in Tamulpur, Assam.
• Rani Rampal becomes the first women's hockey player to have a stadium named after.
• Star Indian player Pankaj Advani defeated compatriot Brijesh Damani 5-1 in the final to retain his Asian Billiards title in the 100-up format at Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation (QBSF) Academy.
• Mexican racing driver Sergio Perez has won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 title.
• India won four gold in the World Women’s Boxing Championship.
• India’s pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their first title of the 2023 season in Basel.
• Mumbai Indians have won the inaugural Women's Premier League

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• Award-winning British author, historian and academic Patrick French, passed away at the age of 57 in London, United Kingdom (UK).
• Kenzaburo Oe, a giant of Japanese writing and winner of the Nobel prize in literature, has passed away at the age of 88 announced by his publishing house Kodansha Limited.
• Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath (retd), the Indian Air Force veteran who flew numerous reconnaissance sorties over Tibet and Pakistan in his Canberra aircraft in the 1962 and 1965 wars, passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Senior journalist and Padma Shri awardee (2009) Abhay Chhajlani passed away at the age of 88 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh(MP), India.
• Renowned writer, director and ad filmmaker, Pradeep Sarkar passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra at the age of 67.
• Intel Corporation co-founder, Gordon Earle Moore who is hailed as a pioneer for his work in the semiconductor industry and Silicon Valley has passed away at the age of 94 in Hawaii, United States (US).
• Popular Malayalam actor and former Lok Sabha member Innocent Vareed Thekkethala passed away at the age of 75 in Kochi, Kerala.
• The female Cheetah named Sasha, who was part of the first batch of cheetahs flown Namibia into Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP), on September 17, 2022, has passed away.