SpiceJet chief Ajay Singh has taken over as President of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

• Singh replaces Sumant Sinha, the Managing Director of Renew Power who has completed his tenure at the chamber.
• Sanjay Nayar, the Founder and Chairman of Sorin Investment Fund is the new Senior Vice-President of ASSOCHAM. 
• Singh is also the president of boxing federation of India and Vice president of the IBA.
   

The First G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group meeting under India’s G20 Presidency has begun 30-march-2023 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr P K Mishra and Minister of State for Communications  Devusinh Chauhan inaugurated the meeting.

• Around 100 delegates from the G20 member countries, invitee countries and from nine International organisations are participating in the three day event.
• Five priority areas have been identified for the meeting which include early warning for all , resilient infrastructure and improving National system for financing Disaster Risk Reduction.

On 14 December 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution at its seventy-seventh session to proclaim 30 March as International Day of Zero Waste, to be observed annually. This year it the first the International Day of Zero Waste.

• The International Day of Zero Waste aims to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns, support the societal shift towards circularity and raise awareness about how zero-waste initiatives contribute to the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The waste sector contributes significantly to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity and nature loss, and pollution.
• Humanity generates an estimated 2.24 billion tons of municipal solid waste annually, of which only 55 per cent is managed in controlled facilities. Every year, around 931 million tons of food is lost or wasted and up to 14 million tons of plastic waste enters aquatic ecosystems.

The Government has launched a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely, New India Literacy Programme with financial outlay of over one thousand crore rupees for implementation during the financial year 2022-23 to 2026-27.

• The scheme aims to cover a target of five crore non-literates in the age group of 15 years and above.
• Minister of State for Education Annpurna Devi said this in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.
• The beneficiaries under the scheme are identified through door to door survey on Mobile App by the surveyors in the States and union Territories.
• The Minister said, the non-literate can also avail the benefit of the scheme through direct registration from any place through mobile app.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is training four people to live on Mars this summer. Though the US space agency’s effort to send humans to the neighboring planet is not new, four ‘Martians’ will be part of NASA’s human exploration mission to Mars. 

• NASA has also sent satellites, a lander called InSight designed to give the Red Planet its first thorough investigation, and a rover mission consisting of the rover Perseverance, the small robotic helicopter Ingenuity, and associated delivery systems.
• The first analog mission will begin this year, with a second and third mission scheduled for 2025 and 2026.
• NASA is going to keep four common people in such a place for a year, where the conditions will be like Mars. The mission will start in June this year.
• It is scheduled to begin in June when the volunteer crew, who are not astronauts, enters the 3D-printed habitat.
• The 3D-printed habitat includes private crew quarters, a kitchen, and dedicated areas for medical, recreation, fitness, work, and crop growth activities, as well as a technical work area and two bathrooms.

The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has appointed Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his brother, as the Vice President of the country, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

• The appointment was approved by the UAE Federal Supreme Council. 
• The incumbent Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will remain in the same role, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the WAM report.
• Sheikh Mansour has been active in UAE politics since 2004, when he was appointed as Minister of Presidential Affairs.
• He has overseen the Presidential Court and the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, as well as presiding over several government institutions, including the Ministerial Development Council and the Emirates Investment Authority.
• He is also the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and a member of the Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council.

The Indian Coast Guard held a Regional Search and Rescue exercise in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, on March 28-29, 2023. The exercise aimed to simulate a real-time maritime distress scenario and highlight how a Search and Rescue (SAR) organization functions during a mass rescue operation.

• The exercise involved all stakeholders in efficiently using available resources for the M-SAR (Maritime Search and Rescue) contingency.
• The exercise simulated an Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) carrying hundreds of passengers reporting a distress call of a major fire onboard off the coast of Kakinada.
• Maritime Rescue sub-center (MRSC) Kakinada coordinated with all resource agencies to save lives in distress. The state disaster contingency plan was activated to support the operations at sea.

Union Minister for Rural Development Sh. Giriraj Singh onboarded 19 Captive Employers, a unique initiative under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) in New Delhi.

• Captive employers will train Rural Poor Youth and provide employment to trained youth in their company or subsidiary.
• The event was also graced by the presence of Union Ministers of State Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil (Panchayati Raj), Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (Rural Development and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution) and Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste (Rural Development and Steel).
• The minister said, India has the potential to emerge as the skill capital of the world and the MoU signed between MoRD and the Captive Employers is the first step towards this aim. In the first phase 19 Captive Employers are being engaged to train and provide jobs to over 31,000 rural youth.

The Telangana government will begin the distribution of fortified rice through Public Distribution System (PDS) to every ration card holder in 11 districts, along with welfare hostels, residential schools, ICDS, and mid-day meal schemes across the State from April.  

• State Civil Supplies Minister G. Kamalakar announced this during a review meeting with senior officials of the Civil Supplies Department in Hyderabad yesterday, March 28. 
• An official statement stated that fortification increases the content of essential micronutrients, especially iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid in rice, and helps prevent problems like Anaemia and micronutrient deficiency among people.

Around 9,000 schools from across India have been shortlisted for the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) programme, according to officials from the Ministry of Education.

• The schools were selected from over 2.5 lakh government schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, which were found eligible to apply for the tag.

• The selection process was based on six broad parameters, including curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment; access and infrastructure; human resources leadership; inclusive practices and gender equity; management, monitoring, and governance; and beneficiary satisfaction.

Rajasthan Diwas 2023 will be celebrated on March 30th, marking the 73rd anniversary of the state's formation. Rajasthan, also known as the land of kings, is located in the northwest region of India and is the largest state in terms of area.

• The history of Rajasthan dates back to ancient times, and the state has been ruled by various dynasties such as the Mauryas, Guptas, Rajputs, and Mughals.
• It was during the British rule that Rajasthan was formed by the merger of several princely states.
• After independence, the states were reorganized on linguistic lines, and Rajasthan became a separate state on March 30, 1949.

The UAE's leaders have launched a national strategy to map the DNA of every Emirati as the country looks to provide personalised medical care for every citizen.

• President Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, were present as the National Genome Strategy was unveiled.
• More than 400,000 citizens have already submitted blood samples and DNA cheek swabs, giving scientists an insight into the health of the nation.
• The aim is to collect one million samples.
• The results would bring scientists a step closer to offering personalised treatment.

Senior BJP leader Girish Bapat passed away at the age of 72 today. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune. Bapat was critically ill and on life support treatment.

• The 72-year-old politician was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was a Member of the Legislative Assembly for five terms.
• He won the by-election of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in 1983 and was in term three consecutive times.