Virat Kohli at number 13 in ICC rankings
- Virat Kohli, after scoring his Test century, was propelled seven places to be ranked No. 13 in the ICC Test rankings.
- Only Rishabh Pant (ranked 5th) and Rohit Sharma (10th) are the two Indians ahead of him.
- Meanwhile, Ashwin was the sole No. 1-ranked bowler after displacing James Anderson from the top.
Tamil writer Sivasankari gets selected for Saraswati Samman
- Tamil writer Sivasankari has been selected for Saraswati Samman for 2022 for her book Survya Vamsam.
- It is a book of memoirs in Tamil language and was published in 2019.
- Saraswati Samman instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991 is recognized as the most prestigious and the highest literary award in the country.
- It carries an award money of 15 lakh rupees, a Citation and a Plaque.
Delhi ranks 4 on list of world’s most polluted cities
- Delhi ranked fourth on a list of 50 of the world’s most polluted cities in terms of PM2.5 levels in 2022, according to the World Air Quality Report prepared by IQAir.
- Delhi had an average PM2.5 level of 92.6 μg/m3 in 2022, a little below the average of 96.4 μg/m3 in 2021.
- The most polluted city in the world was found to be Lahore, followed by Hotan in China, and Bhiwadi in Rajasthan.
Female literacy rate in India up 68% since Independence
- The literacy rate of women in India has increased to 77 per cent from 9 per cent at the time of Independence.
- As per World Bank estimates, only 1 of 11 girls was literate during the period surrounding India’s Independence.
- Currently, 84.7 per cent of males are literate in India.
- A National Sample Survey report has pegged Kerala at 92.2 per cent as the most literate state in India.
Amitava Mukherjee assumes additional charge as NMDC CMD
- Amitava Mukherjee, director (finance) has been assigned the additional charge of chairman and managing director (CMD) of NMDC for a period of 3 months upto 31 May 2023.
- Mukherjee belongs to the 1995 Batch of Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS).
- Prior to joining NMDC, he was general manager (finance) in Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL).
Veteran actor Sameer Khakhar passes away
- Veteran actor Sameer Khakhar, best known for his role in 1980s classic Nukkad, passed away in March 2023.
- The actor was recently seen in the Prime Video series “Farzi”.
- His career spanned nearly four decades.
- He rose to fame with his roles in TV shows ‘Nukkad’ and ‘Circus’.
- He played vital roles in films, including ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’, ‘Jai Ho’, ‘Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi’.
Delhi government’s old excise policy gets six-month extension
- The Delhi government has extended its old excise policy for the next six months.
- The government had reverted to its old excise policy in September 2022, after withdrawing excise policy 2021-22.
- The excise policy 2021-22 was withdrawn by the Delhi government after LG VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in its implementation.
Meghalaya International Film Festival begins in Shillong
- The first-ever Meghalaya International Film Festival started in Shillong on March 14, 2023.
- It is being in the State Central Library.
- Around 40 films will be screened across 4 venues.
- An initiative of the Meghalaya Filmmakers’ Association (MeFilma), Meghalaya International Film Festival is jointly organised by the filmmakers of the state in collaboration with the tourism department.
Indigenous Very Short Range Air Defence missile systems tested twice
- DRDO conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) missiles at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha on 13 March 2023.
- In another development, the maiden flight test of the Power Take off (PTO) Shaft was successfully conducted on Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) Limited Series Production (LSP)-3 aircraft in Bengaluru.
Second Education Working Group meeting of G20 countries begins
- The Ministry of Education is hosting the 2nd Education Working Group meeting at Amritsar in Punjab from March 15 2023.
- 28 G20 member countries, guest countries, and invited organizations (OECD, UNESCO & UNICEF) will be participating in the three-day event.
- A multimedia exhibition is being organised with 90 stalls with participation from UAE, China, and Saudi Arabia etc.
Second G20 SFWG meeting to take place at Udaipur in Rajasthan
- The second meeting of the G20 Sustainable Finance working group (SFWG) will be held in Udaipur, Rajasthan from the 21st to the 23rd of March 2023.
- About 150 delegates from the member countries of G20, guest countries, and different international organisations will attend the meeting.
- During the event, cultural programmes and sightseeing will also be organised for the guests.
World Consumer Rights Day: 15 March
- It is observed on 15 March every year for raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs.
- The Day was inspired by President John F Kennedy, who sent a special message to the US Congress on 15th March 1962, in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights.
- The theme of the 2023 is “Empowering consumers through clean energy transitions”.
Govt removes upper age limit to receive deceased donor organs
- The government has removed the upper age limit of 65 years for eligibility for registration to receive deceased donor organs.
- Now, a person of any age can register for receiving deceased donor organs.
- The government has also canceled the domicile requirement of the state for registration of patients requiring organ transplantation from deceased donors.
India to host SCO Tourism Ministers’ meet in Varanasi on March 17-18
- India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Tourism Ministers’ Meeting on 17-18 March in Kashi (Varanasi), Uttar Pradesh.
- Varanasi has been designated as the first cultural capital of the SCO.
- During the Tourism Ministers’ (TMM) meeting, a joint action plan on the development of cooperation in tourism among SCO member countries will be adopted.
US and UK to provide nuclear-powered submarines for Australia
- The United States, Australia, and Britain have announced the plan of providing Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines.
- The deal with the United States and Britain is “the biggest single investment in Australia’s defense capability in all of our history.
- In the late 2030s, the UK will receive delivery of its first submarine, and Australia would take it in the early 2040s.
South Korea, US hold largest military exercises in 5 years
- South Korea and the United States kicked off their largest joint military exercises in five years on 13 March 2023.
- The US-South Korea exercises, called Freedom Shield, are scheduled to run for at least 10 days from 13 March and will focus on the “changing security environment”.
- On 12 March 2023, North Korea fired two “strategic cruise missiles” from a submarine in waters off its east coast.
India remains world’s top arms importer: SIPRI report
- India remained the world’s top arms importer in 2022, but its imports declined by 11 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report 2023.
- According to report, the US was the world’s topmost military exporter in the past five years, accounting for 40% of global exports, followed by Russia (16%), France (11%).
Bihar has lowest literacy rate followed by Arunachal and Rajasthan
- Bihar (61.8 pc) has the lowest literacy, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (65.3 pc) and Rajasthan (66.1 pc) according to Ministry of Education.
- The literacy rate in rural India is 67.77 per cent as compared to 84.11 per cent in urban India.
- Kerala has the highest literacy rate (94 pc) followed by Lakshadweep (91.85) and Mizoram (91.33 pc).
Signature Bank becomes next casualty of banking turmoil after SVB Bank
- The USA govt on 13 March 2023, closed Signature Bank, making it the third largest failure in U.S. banking history.
- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) took control of Signature, which had $110.36 billion in assets and $88.59 in deposits.
- On 12 March, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) also shut down its operation becoming the second largest in U.S. history after Washington Mutual.
Uttarakhand govt approves 10 % reservation for statehood activists
- Uttarakhand govt has given approval to the 10 percent horizontal reservation to the statehood activists in govt job.
- The Cabinet also gave approval to the new solar policy and to the proposal of increasing MLA Local Area Development Fund from 3.75 crores to 5 crores per year.
- Govt also increased the financial assistance given to Mahila Mangal Dal from 25 lakh rupees to 40 lakh rupees.
Maharashtra govt sets up committee to study implementation of OPS
- The Maharashtra government on 13 March set up a committee consisting of senior bureaucratic officers to look into the demand of the State government employees to implement the old pension scheme (OPS) in the State.
- Around 17 lakh government employees, including doctors, teachers, and non-teaching staff, have said they will go on strike from 14 March 2023, demanding to revert to OPS.
SC refers petitions on same-sex marriage to Constitution bench
- The three-judge Supreme Court bench on 13 March 2023, decided that a batch of petitions demanding legal validation for same-sex marriages will be decided by a Constitution bench.
- Article 145(3) lays down that the cases that involve a substantial question of law in the matter relating to the interpretation of the Constitution should be heard by at least five judges.
Govt approves ‘vibrant village program’ for comprehensive development
- The program aims to develop the villages in 46 border blocks of 19 districts in four States and UT viz Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh (UT) abutting the northern border.
- ₹4,800 crore has been allocated for the programme for the Financial Year 2022-23 to 2025-26.
- Initially, 662 border villages have been identified for comprehensive development
WPI inflation eases to 25-month low of 3.85% in February 2023
- The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation declined to a 25-month low of 3.85 percent in February 2023.
- It was 4.73 percent in January, 4.95 percent in December 2022, 5.85 percent in November last year, and 13.43 percent in February 2022.
- It was 4.73 per cent in January, 4.95 per cent in December 2022, 5.85 per cent in November last year, and 13.43 per cent in February 2022.
First woman loco pilot operates new semi-high-speed Vande Bharat train
- Surekha Yadav, Asia’s first woman loco pilot has become the first female to operate the newly-introduced semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express train in March 2023.
- Ms. Yadav piloted the Vande Bharat Express train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai on March 13, 2023.
- In 1988, she became India’s first female train driver.
China opens borders to tourists after 3 years of restrictions
- China, on March 13, 2023, announced that it will fully reopen its borders and allow tourists back into the country after three years of pandemic restrictions.
- The country’s embassies abroad will resume “issuing various categories of visas to foreigners.
- Foreigners with valid visas issued before March 28, 2020, will be allowed to enter China.
Bird census at Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary identifies 161 new species
- As many as 161 bird species, including a new one, were identified by bird watchers during the annual bird census held in March 2023 at the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary and the Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary in the Aralam Wildlife Division in Kerala.
- As many as 60 bird watchers participated in the three-day census, which began on March 10 and concluded on 13 March 2023.