- India’s money laundering laws will apply to trade in cryptocurrencies.
- The exchange between virtual digital assets and fiat currencies, the exchange between one or more forms of virtual digital assets and the transfer of digital assets will be covered under money laundering laws.
- The safekeeping or administration of virtual digital assets will also be covered.
Army installs tallest Iconic National Flag in hilly Doda district, J&K
- In J&K, the Indian Army installed the tallest ‘Iconic National Flag’ in the hilly Doda district on March 9, 2023.
- The tricolour has been installed on a 100 feet-high pole, the highest Tricolour in the Doda district.
- General Officer Commanding of the Army’s Delta Force Maj Gen Ajay Kumar unfurled it.
- He also honoured the next of kin of soldiers who had died in the service of the nation.
Colombia opens military service to women for first time in 25 years
- Colombia has opened military service to women for the first time in 25 years.
- A cohort of 1,296 women have been enlisted in Colombia’s Army in February 2023.
- Colombia has long had compulsory military service for men ages 18 to 24.
- The army relies heavily on those young recruits to staff bases, protect infrastructure and carry out administrative tasks.
Veteran actor and director Satish Kaushik passes away
- Veteran actor and director Satish Kaushik passed away in March 2023.
- He had acted in more than 100 films.
- Kaushik was best known for his roles in films such as Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Mr. India, Deewana Mastana, and Udta Punjab.
- Satish Kaushik won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award in 1990 for Ram Lakhan and for Saajan Chale Sasural in 1997.
Axis Bank partners with ITC to offer rural lending products
- Axis Bank has joined hands with FMCG giant ITC to offer lending products and services to farmers who are a part of ITC’s agriculture eco-system.
- Under the tie-up, the bank will leverage ITCMAARS (Meta Market for Advanced Agricultural Rural Services), a full-stack Agri-tech application for reaching out to the farmers and addressing their financial requirements.
ISRO receives Indo-US jointly developed NISAR satellite
- The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar-NISAR was handed over to ISRO on 8 March 2023.
- NISAR, an Earth-observation satellite, has been jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
- It will be the first radar of its kind in space to systematically map Earth, using two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in the planet’s surface less than a centimetre across.
Astronomers detect gaseous water in the planet-forming disc
- Astronomers at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, US have detected gaseous water in the planet-forming disc around the star V883 Orionis, about 1300 light-years away from Earth.
- The detection of water supports the idea that water on Earth is even older than our Sun.
- This water was detected using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise TROPEX culminates
- Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise TROPEX for the year 2023, culminated in March 2023 in the Arabian Sea.
- It was conducted across the expanse of IOR (Indian Ocean Region) over a duration of four months from Nov 2022 – Mar 2023.
- The overall exercise construct included Coastal Defence exercise Sea Vigil and the Amphibious Exercise AMPHEX.
Maharashtra received highest investment in 2021-22
- Maharashtra approved investment proposals worth ₹3,57,393 crore, which is highest among states in the country in the past three years.
- This was revealed in the economic survey of 2022-23.
- The state also approved the highest number of investment proposals- 780, according to the survey.
- When it comes to foreign direct investment (FDI), Maharashtra came second after Karnataka.
Bumchu festival concludes in Sikkim
- Bhumchu festival is celebrated for two days starting on the 14th day of the first month of Tibetan lunar calendar, which often falls in the months of February and March.
- It is celebrated at Tashiding Monastery.
- The opening of the vessel containing the holy water is the major highlight of the festival.
- For 2023, it was observed on 7 March.
ECI to host the 3rd International Conference on ‘Election Integrity’
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) will host the 3rd International Conference on the theme ‘Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity’ on 09 March 2023.
- The first international conference of the Cohort was organized on 31 Oct – 01 Nov, 2022 at New Delhi.
- The 2nd Conference on the theme ‘Use of Technology and Elections Integrity’ was hosted by ECI at New Delhi on 23-24 January 2023.
Sports Min to organise Khelo India Dus ka Dum tournament in 10 cities
- Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is set to organize the Khelo India Dus Ka Dum event from March 10 to 31, 2023.
- It is being conducted as a celebration for the International Women’s Day 2023.
- This is the first time that such a sports initiative is taking place to celebrate the international event.
- The tournament features 10 sports that will be held across 10 cities in the country.
Two warships of the French Navy arrive on a visit to Kochi
- Two warships of the French Navy, amphibious helicopter carrier FS DIXMUDE, and the frigate LA FAYETTE are visiting Kochi between March 6 and 10, 2023 on the occasion of India and France celebrating the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership.
- During the ongoing visit, the French team also visited professional training schools and ships of Southern Naval Command.
UP to host the 8th edition of Indian Fharma Fair (IFF) in March 2023
- The eighth edition of Vedshiv Business Media’s Indian Fharma Fair (IFF) 2023 will be organised in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from March 17th to 18th, 2023.
- The fair will present the most up-to-date trends and technology in the pharmaceutical, drug, and formulation industries. It will address industry problems, such as rising packaging and freight costs, and strive to find answers to those issues.
India to send 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan via Iran
- India will send 20000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port in Iran.
- It was announced after the country representative of the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) in Afghanistan requested to provide foodgrain assistance to the Afghan people.
- In June’22, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan by deploying a “technical team” to its embassy.
Agriculture Min to inaugurate workshop on Bamboo Sector Development
- Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will inaugurate the National Workshop on Bamboo Sector Development in New Delhi on 10 March 2023.
- It aims to identify areas for improvement and explore expert suggestions to transform the bamboo industry.
- The event is being organized by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Invest India, and Kerala State Bamboo Mission
Arun Subramanian becomes 1st Indian-American judge at New York Court
- Indian-American Arun Subramaniam has been confirmed as the first South Asian District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
- South District New York notably has one of the largest South Asian-American populations in the country.
- Arun Subramanian currently serves as Chairperson of Susman Godfrey’s 2022 Pro Bono Committee and is also a longtime Director of the Columbia Law Review
First meeting of Central Asia JW Group on Afghanistan held in India
- The first meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group on Afghanistan was held in New Delhi in March 2023.
- The meeting was attended by the Special Envoys and Senior Officials of India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, & Uzbekistan.
- Participants discussed regional threats of terrorism, extremism, radicalization, and drug trafficking emerging from Afghanistan.
Indian Railways to launch Bharat Gaurav train from Mumbai to Madurai
- Indian Railways is going to run the Bharat Gaurav train from Mumbai to Renigunta and back from 9 March 2023.
- Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train is in line with the Government of India initiative “Dekho Apna Desh” to promote domestic tourism.
- This IRCTC tourist train will be an all-inclusive tour package and IRCTC will make efforts to provide a safe and memorable experience to the guests.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese arrives in India on 4 day visit
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in India on 8 March 2023.
- Albanese is in India for India-Australia Summit which will be concluded on 11 March 2023.
- It is PM Albanese’s first bilateral visit to India since the Labour Party government was sworn in in May 2022.
- The visit to India aims to further strengthen India-Australia bilateral relations.
Maharashtra economy to grow 6.8% in 2022-23: State Economic Survey
- Maharashtra’s economy is expected to grow by 6.8% in 2022-23 against the projected 7% growth of the Indian economy, according to the State’s annual Economic Survey, released on March 8, 2023.
- The highest growth of 10.2 percent was projected in the agricultural & allied sectors.
- The state’s per capita income is expected to reach Rs. 2 lakh 42 thousand from Rs. 2 lakh 15 thousand in 2020-21.
Five-day Yaoshang festival begins in Manipur
- The Yaoshang festival began on 7 March 2023 in Manipur.
- It is celebrated for five days in spring, starting on the full moon day of the month of Lamda (February–March).
- The festival is celebrated by the Meetei who are predominantly Hindu and it is celebrated at the same time as Holi.
- On the second day, groups of local bands perform sankirtan in the Govindagee Temple in Imphal.
Ministry of Tourism inaugurates a pavilion at ITB, Berlin 2023
- The Ministry of Tourism, under its “Incredible India” brand, in March 2023 inaugurated a pavilion in the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB Berlin) 2023 in Germany.
- It is showcasing India’s rich & diversified tourism potential and provides a platform for tourism stakeholders.
- The ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin) is the world’s largest tourism trade fair.
Study finds ‘dramatic decline in mental well-being’ of young people
- The third annual mental state of the world report (MSW), released in March 2023, found a ‘dramatic decline in mental well-being’ of young people.
- The report used the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) to learn about the mental health of people.
- Tanzania topped the list with an MHQ of 93.6 while Panama, and Puerto Rico, were in the second and third places respectively.