Dilma Rousseff elected as new President of BRICS Bank
- New Development Bank (NDB) has announced that former Brazilian President Dilma Vana Rousseff has been elected as the new President of the Bank.
- She will replace Marcus Troyjo.
- NDB, also known as BRICS bank is a multilateral financial institution set up by the five BRICS countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.
Russia fires supersonic anti-ship missile at mock target
- Russia’s navy fired supersonic anti-ship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan, in March 2023.
- The P-270 Moskit missile, which has the NATO reporting name or SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile of Soviet origin.
- It is capable of destroying a ship within a range of up to 120 km (75 miles).
IIT Madras Researchers develop device to detect milk adulteration
- IIT Madras researchers have developed a three-dimensional (3D) paper-based portable device that can detect adulteration in milk within 30 seconds.
- The test could be even performed at home.
- It can detect multiple substances commonly used as adulterating agents including Urea, detergents, soap, starch, hydrogen peroxide, sodium-hydrogen-carbonate, and salt, among others.
1st joint conference of army chiefs of India and Africa held
- The 1st joint conference of army chiefs of India and African countries was held in Pune on 28 Mar’23.
- Defense Minister Rajnath Singh attended the conference as the chief guest.
- This was the first-ever conference of Army Chiefs of these countries.
- Army chiefs of 10 countries along with 31 representatives of African nations are present in this conference.
- A defence exhibition was also held.
Ultimate Table Tennis to return for Season 4, to begin in July 2023
- Ultimate Table Tennis, the franchise-based table tennis league featuring star international paddlers, will resume after a three-year hiatus.
- Its fourth edition will be played in Pune from July 13 to 30, 2023.
- The fourth edition to be played at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex will see five of the six previous franchises contiuning from where they left in the last edition in 2019.
YES Bank issues first electronic bank guarantee with NeSL
- YES Bank has issued its first electronic-Bank Guarantee (e-BG) in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).
- The API integration with the Digital Document Execution (DDE) platform of NeSL has enabled complete digitisation of the existing paper-based process for issuance and maintenance of Bank Guarantee (BG).
- This includes digital stamping and signing.
Bhavani Devi bags Women’s Individual Sabre gold
- Olympian Bhavani Devi bagged the gold medal in the women’s Individual Sabre category of the 33rd Senior National Fencing Championship at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in March 2023.
- She clinched her 11th national title after she outplayed V Sunny Alka of Kerala 15-9.
- Her team Tamil Nadu, also won the gold in the Women’s Sabre Team event, by outplaying Kerala 45-34 in the final.
NDTV appoints former SEBI chief UK Sinha as non-executive chairperson
- NDTV has appointed former Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chairman Upendra Kumar Sinha as an independent director and non-executive chairperson of the NDTV board of directors.
- Sinha served as the chairman of SEBI for over six years between 2011 and 2017.
- NDTV also appointed Welspun India’s chief executive officer Dipali Goenka as an independent director on the board.
Ramnagar hosts its first G20 summit
- Ramnagar in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand is hosting the first G20 summit in the Uttarakhand from on 28-30 March 2023.
- Around 70 foreign delegates discussed four agendas including the One Health opportunity to tackle the pandemic and disease control, and coordination in global efforts enhancing reach to scientific knowledge.
3rd edition of Ladakh Literary Conference inaugurated
- In Ladakh, Lieutenant Governor Brig. (DR) BD Mishra (Rtd) inaugurated the 3rd edition of the Ladakh Literary Conference at Syed Mehdi Memorial Hall Kargil.
- During the inaugural session, two papers were presented.
- One was by Purgi Scholar Issa Sabiri on the Development of Purgi Language and Script and another by Gen Tubstan Paldan (State Awardee) on Ladakh Language and Literature-An Insight.
Union govt notifies revised MGNREGA wage rates
- Union govt notified a hike in wage rates under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for the 2023-24 financial year.
- Haryana has the highest daily wage at ₹357 per day and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have the lowest at ₹221.
- The notification was issued under Section 6 (1) of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005.
Aditya Birla Capital to sell entire stake in ABIBL
- Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), a company under the Aditya Birla Group announced on 27 Mar 2023 the sale of its entire stake in Aditya Birla Insurance Brokers Limited.
- Aditya Birla’s insurance broking firm is one of India’s largest in selling both life and non-life policies.
- The total enterprise value of the transaction is set at Rs. 455 crores on a cash-free and debt-free basis.
Pakistani origin Humza Yousaf wins race to be Scotland’s next leader
- Pakistani origin Humza Yousaf on 27 March 2023 won the race to become Scotland’s new leader, the youngest and first from a minority ethnicity.
- He succeeds Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the governing Scottish National Party (SNP).
- He will take over as head of the semi-autonomous government once he wins an approval vote in the Scottish parliament.
Manmeet Colon sworn in as Connecticut’s first assistant police chief
- Indian-origin Sikh woman officer Lieutenant Manmeet Colon took charge as the Assistant Chief of Police in the US state of Connecticut on 27 March 2023.
- She became the department’s first-ever second-in-command of Asian descent.
- The Board of Police Commissioners in New Haven unanimously approved the appointment of Colon who was previously a lieutenant in the internal affairs office.
IIT Guwahati ranked among world’s top universities
- The 2023 edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, released by QS Quacquarelli Symonds named the world’s best universities for the study of 54 academic disciplines on 27 March 2023.
- India is the 12th most-represented territory in the world.
- In the broad subject areas, IIT Guwahati performed best in Engineering & Technology, in which it is placed at 222nd.
World’s oldest drag queen, Darcelle XV passes away
- The Guinness World Record holder for oldest drag queen performer, Darcelle XV, passed away on 27 March 2023.
- Her real name was Walter W. Cole.
- She was crowned the oldest drag queen by Guinness World Records in 2016.
- The Darcelle XV Showplace, which she owned, is “the West Coast’s longest-running drag show,” as per Guinness.
- She authored her autobiography “Just Call Me Darcelle”.
The 2nd G20 IWG meeting to take place in Visakhapatnam on 28 March
- The second G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) meeting under G20 Indian Presidency is scheduled to take place at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, on the 28-29 March 2023.
- Around 63 delegates from G20 member countries and international organizations will participate in the meeting.
- The theme of the meeting is “Financing Cities of Tomorrow: Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable”.
Centre constitutes committee to monitor stock disclosure of Tur
- Union govt on 27 March 2023, constituted a Committee under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary, Nidhi Khare to monitor the stock of Tur.
- It will monitor the stock of Tur held by entities such as importers, millers, stockists, traders etc. in close coordination with the state governments.
- The government has also removed the 10 per cent duty applicable for Tur imports in 2023.
Aviation Minister inaugurates direct flight between Amritsar & London
- Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated a direct flight between Amritsar and Gatwick, London on 27 March 2023.
- Under the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme, 20 routes have been operational in Punjab.
- The government has also signed an open sky offer with Canada to operate unlimited flights between Indian cities.
MoS Commerce & Industry Anupriya Patel inaugurates 23rd INDIASOFT
- Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Anupriya Patel inaugurated the 23rd edition of INDIASOFT in New Delhi on 27 March 2023.
- More than 1500 Indian exhibitors are showcasing their products and solutions at the event, together with other collocated events.
- Over 650 delegates from 80 countries are participating in the three-day event.
Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio presents Budget 2023-24
- Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who is also the Finance Minister, on 27th March 2023, presented the State Budget 2023-24 with an accumulated deficit of 1,374.17 crore rupees.
- For the financial year 2023-24, the estimated gross receipt stands at 23,145.66 crore rupees, while the gross expenditure stands at 23,085.66 crore rupees, with a positive balance of 60 crore rupees.
Asia’s largest 4-metre liquid mirror telescope unveiled in Uttarakhand
- Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) at Devasthal in Uttarakhand in March 2023.
- The telescope was designed and built by the Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS) Corporation.
- The ILMT employs a 4-metre-diameter rotating mirror made up of a thin layer of liquid mercury, to collect and focus light.
Honduras establishes ties with China after break from Taiwan
- Honduras established diplomatic ties with China on 27 March 2023 after breaking off relations with Taiwan.
- Taiwan is now recognized by only 13 sovereign states.
- China and Taiwan have been locked in a battle for diplomatic recognition since they split amid a civil war in 1949.
- Taiwan still has ties with Belize, Paraguay, and Guatemala in Latin America, and Vatican City.
First Citizens Bank acquires Silicon Valley Bank worth USD 500 million
- First Citizens Bank announced the acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on 27 March 2023.
- FDIC took over Silicon Valley Bank on March 10, 2023, after depositors rushed to pull out their money in a bank run that also brought down Signature Bank.
- First Citizens will assume Silicon Valley Bank’s assets of $110 billion as part of the deal.