The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has decided to award the Abel Prize for 2023 to Luis A. Caffarelli of the University of Texas at Austin, USA for his seminal contributions to regularity theory for nonlinear partial differential equations including free-boundary problems and the Monge–Ampère equation. 

The Abel Prize will be presented to Luis A. Caffarelli at the award ceremony in Oslo on 23 May.

About Abel Prize

• The Abel Prize is funded by the Norwegian government and amounts to NOK 7.5 million
• The prize is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and presented by His Majesty King Harald
• The choice of the Abel laureate is based on the recommendation by the Abel Committee, which is composed of five internationally recognised mathematicians

Maha Metro Nagpur was honoured with the prestigious Asia Book of Records certification for three different categories. 

• The certification and citation was presented by Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis at Metro Bhawan on March 19.
• The categories for which Nagpur Metro was presented with Asia Book of Records certification are ‘Longest Length of Metro Rail Corridor Construction in Shortest Time’, ‘First Solar PV System in a Metro Rail Project for Integrated Consumption’ and ‘Heaviest Single Span Double Decker Steel Bridge Truss over Railway tracks in Urban Area’, in Asia
• The citation and medal was handed over to Maha Metro MD Dr Brijesh Dixit by Fadnavis.

The Nritiya Kalanidhi award for dance will go to Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari. 

• Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari excels both in Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi.
• “She is also a gifted linguist, lyricist and an accomplished nattuvanar.
• She learnt veena from Kamala Aswathama and dance from Adayar K. Lakshmanan and her late husband M.V. Narasimhachari with whom she paired in numerous performances,” the press release from the Academy said.

Ministry of Defence on Thursday inked two separate contracts with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), at a total cost of over Rs 3,700 crore, to enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force.

• The first contract, worth over Rs 2,800 crore, pertains to the supply of Medium Power Radars (MPR) ‘Arudhra’ for the Indian Air Force.
• The second contract, at an overall cost of approximately Rs 950 crore, relates to 129 DR-118 Radar Warning Receivers (RWR). Both projects are under Buy {Indian – IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)} category, defence ministry officials said later.
• These essentially embody the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and will help facilitate the realisation of the country’s journey to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
• MPR (Arudhra) radar has been indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and will be manufactured by BEL. Its successful trials have already been conducted by the Indian Air Force.

 Air Force (IAF) Mirage-2000 aircraft participated in Exercise Cobra Warrior hosted by the Royal Air Force in the UK.

• The exercise began on March 2 and will end on March 24, 2023. It is being directed by staff at RAF Waddington airbase.
• The exercise provides an opportunity for international allies to train together and develop operational tactics in the air, space, cyber, and land domains.
• The exercise involves joint training with six other air forces from the UK, Finland, Sweden, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, US, and Singapore.

The INS Androth, second in a series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC), was launched in Kolkata on Tuesday. It is built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata. 
Highlights

• INS Androth is about 77.6 metres long and 10.5 metres wide, and requires a draught of only 2.7 metres.
• These ships also carry lightweight torpedoes, ASW rockets and mines, a close-in weapon system (with a 30 mm gun) and 16.7 mm stabilised remote-controlled guns.
• The first ship of the series, the INS Arnala, was launched three months ago.

A joint maritime exercise Konkan 2023, was conducted between the Royal Navy of Britain and the Indian Navy from the 20th of March to the 22nd, off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea.

• The joint drill by the two navies demonstrated operational readiness, enhancing interoperability and improving the ability to conduct joint operations.
• The exercise will go a long way in bolstering the combined efforts of the Indian Navy and Royal Navy to strengthen maritime security and uphold a rules-based order in the region.
• INS Trishul, a guided missile frigate, and HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 guided missile frigate, participated in this edition and undertook multiple maritime drills to enhance interoperability and imbibe best practices.

 India and 23 African nations began a nine-day mega military exercise in Pune with a greater aim to expand their overall military cooperation.

• A number of new generation equipment manufactured in India is being used at the exercise to give a feel of their efficacy to the troops of the participating nations.
• The African countries which are participating in the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX) include Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, Niger and Nigeria.
• Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Seychelles, Senegal, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are also attending the exercise.

The 4th Defence Cooperation Dialogue between India and the Maldives was held in Male.

• The dialogue was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and his Maldivian counterpart Major General Abdulla Shamaal.
• During the interaction, ongoing bilateral defence cooperation activities were reviewed and both sides expressed satisfaction at the increasing engagements.
• The talks covered the existing bilateral exercises, with both countries agreeing to increase the complexity of these drills.

Higher educational institutes from different parts of India participated in the Higher Education Meet 2023 inaugurated in Dhaka. Some of the top-ranking educational institutions from India are participating in the programme .

• In his address, the High Commissioner remarked that higher education has emerged as a centrepiece of India’s deep rooted partnership with Bangladesh.
• He also expressed his satisfaction that a large number of Indian students have been pursuing higher education in each other’s country.
• He invited more students from Bangladesh to take advantage of India’s globally reputed higher education system and build new bridges of friendship and understanding among the youth of the two countries.  
• Bangladesh Minister of Education Dr. Dipu Moni recognized the important role of education in promoting greater understanding between India and Bangladesh and thanked Study in India for its initiative to organise the event in Dhaka.

International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed annually on March 25. It honors the life of journalist Alec Collett and several other staff members of the United Nations who have been abducted or killed over the years.

• This day was established by the United Nations to raise global awareness, demand justice, and protect the selfless lives of UN staff members and peacekeepers.
• More than 3,500 members of the U.N. staff have lost their lives to war, abductions, and natural disasters.
• The goal of the U.N. is to promote international peace and security, as well as foster friendly relations among the nations.

World TB Day is an opportunity to focus on the people affected by this disease and to call for accelerated action to end TB suffering and deaths. March 24 marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

• TB alone claims 4 100 people lives each day and close to 27 000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.
• The emergence of drug-resistant TB poses a major health threat that could put at risk the gains made to end the global TB epidemic. 
• Theme of the World TB Day 2023 is  'Yes! We can end TB'
• This year the spotlight of World TB Day will be on urging countries to ramp up progress in the lead-up to the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on TB. PAHO/WHO will also issue a call to action with partners urging Member States to accelerate the rollout of the new WHO-recommended shorter all-oral treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB.

Every 23 March, the World Meteorological Organization commemorates the coming into force of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization on 23 March 1950.

• The World Meteorological Day is recognized annually to highlight the great contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in maintaining the well being and safety of societies all around the globe.
• One of the main reasons behind celebrating the World Meteorological Day is to create awareness among people about the weather and climate related issues, and suggest preventive measures to address the problem.
• The theme for the upcoming celebrations of World Meteorological Day is - 2023: The Future of Weather, Climate and Water across Generations.

Every year on March 23, India observes "Martyr's Day" or "Shaheed Diwas," in order to pay tribute to the three revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar, who were hanged by the British.

• The day has a historical significance as it marks the day they were hanged in 1931 while fighting for India’s independence.
• India also observes Martyr's Day on January 30 in memory of Mahatma Gandhi. Politicians including the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu paid homage to the freedom fighters, and observed a two-minute silence in their memory. 

World Water Day is observed every year on 22nd March all over the world. It focuses attention on the importance of water and how to preserve it. As we know that water is essential for life, without water we can't survive.

• Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. All plants and animals need water to survive. If there was no water there would be no life on earth.
• Theme for World Water Day 2023 is Accelerating Change.
• The UN General Assembly made this day a yearly observance in 1993 in order to raise community understanding about the importance of conserving water.

Every year on March 20, people celebrate World Sparrow Day. It is designated to raise awareness about sparrow conservation and protection, as their numbers are declining globally.

• The first commemoration of the day occurred in 2010. The goal of the day is to educate people about the value of sparrows in the ecosystem, their role in pollination, and their importance in pest control.
• The theme of World Sparrow Day 2023 is “I Love Sparrows”, 

The international day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March, the date when police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid in 1960.

• This year marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a blueprint for international human rights principles. Drafted by representatives of diverse cultural and legal backgrounds from all corners of the world, it states that everyone is entitled to human rights and freedoms without distinctions of any kind, such as race, colour and descent. But racism and racial discrimination continue to deeply impact people all over the world.
• With that in mind, the 2023 theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination focuses on the urgency of combatting racism and racial discrimination. 
• We must take prompt and powerful steps to advance equality and combat racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia.

The world poetry day is celebrated on March 21 annually.The day was first adopted by UNESCO in 1999 at the 30th General Conference in Paris.

• Poetry can be defined as a form of literature that celebrates the abstraction and beauty of words. The purpose of the poem is to explore human conditions through the power of imagery and metaphor.
• It has become an underlying source of alleviation of much of humanity's existential dilemmas, ideas from within, etc. The day honours the poets who continue the tradition in newer generations. 

World Down Syndrome Day is observed on 21 March each year in order to raise public awareness of Down syndrome. The day is celebrated since 2012 with the recommendation of United Nations General Assembly.

• The date for WDSD, the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.
• Down syndrome gets its name from the British doctor, John Langdon Down, who first clinically identified the condition in 1866. The estimated incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births worldwide.
• For WDSD 2019, the theme is “Leave no one behind”.

International Day of Forests 2023 will be celebrated on the theme, ‘Forests and Health,’ which calls for giving, not just taking, recognizing that healthy forests will bring healthy people.

• The UN General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 21 March as the International Day of Forests in 2012. The Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests.
• On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national, and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.

International Day of Happiness is a global event arranged by the United Nations annually on March 20. It serves to remind us that being happy is a human right and worth celebrating — and if you’re not already happy on this day, the celebrations may change that!

• The first International Day of Happiness was celebrated, launched by Ndaba Mandela and Chelsea Clinton at the TedXTeen conference in New York City on Narch 20, 2013.
•  The theme for the 2023 International Day of Happiness is "Be Mindful. Be Grateful. Be Kind."

World Oral Health Day is celebrated every year on March 20. The day is celebrated to give people knowledge about ways to have good oral health.

• According to a report by the WHO Global Oral Health, approximately 75% of the world’s population suffer from permanent teeth caries, while 514 million children experience caries in primary teeth.
• The theme of this year’s World Oral Health Day is "Be Proud of Your Mouth".
• The theme of World Oral Health Day 2023 stresses the need for paying attention to one’s oral condition and work on preventing oral diseases.
• Bad breath is caused due to host of factors which commonly includes bad oral hygiene, smoking, underlying disease of ar, nose and throat and consumption of certain kinds of foods and drinks.

According to the 10th Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report, Afghanistan has remained the most affected country by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year while India is ranked 13th in this index.

• The GTI report lists India among countries with a "high" impact of terrorism.
• According to the report, India is among the 25 worst terrorism affected countries in the world.
• The Communist Party of India (Maoist) has been listed as the 12th deadliest terrorist group in the GTI reportfor the year 2022.
• The report surveyed 120 countries, of which 56 did not choose war and terror as the biggest threat to their daily security.

The Lok Sabha on Friday, March 24, passed the Finance Bill, 2023 with some amendments. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled ‘The Finance Bill, 2023’ in the lower house amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs demanding a JPC inquiry into the Adani Group issue.

• She introduced 64 official amendments to the Finance Bill which was tabled in Parliament on February 1 along with the Budget proposals.
• While preseting the bill the mnister also said, "RBI will look into the issues related to credit card payments for foreign tours not being captured under Liberalised Remittances Scheme (LRS)."

Indian economy is expected to grow at 7 per cent in FY23 despite global headwinds while retail inflation would moderate in line with wholesale inflation which fell to a 25-month low in January, the Finance Ministry said on Monday.

• This will provide a much-needed cushion to India’s external sector at a time when the Fed is likely to raise rates further and ensure that India’s external finances are not a major cause of concern, it said.
• The jump in net service exports over the previous year is a critical development as India increases its market share in both IT and non-IT services, whose demand has been triggered by the pandemic.

Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi has said that an estimated reserve of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium ore has been found by Geological Survey of India GSI in Salal-Haimna areas of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir.

• The extractable reserve will be established by the lessee after auction of the block and the likely date of extraction of lithium will also depend upon successful auction of the blocks.
• The Minister said, the estimated quantum of lithium-ion manufacturing that the reserves can support will be known after lessee has estimated extractable resources.
• He said, from April 2022 to January 2023 around 209 crore rupees worth of Lithium and over 18 thousand 554 crore rupees worth Lithium-ion was imported in India.

Dubai-based Emaar, a real estate developer from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has become the first overseas company to invest in a mega-mall spread over 10 lakh square feet in Srinagar, a first since the Centre ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional position in 2019. 

•  J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha participated in a Bhumi Pujan in Srinagar’s Sempora area on March 19 as part of the ceremony of laying the mall’s foundation stone. 
• The project will have a transformative impact on the Union Territory and will boost infrastructure and employment generation.
• Emaar Group will invest a total of ?500 crore, including ?250 crore for the mega-mall and setting up IT towers in Jammu and Srinagar.

Adani Group has suspended work on a Rs. 34,900 crore petrochemical project at Mundra in Gujarat as it focuses on resources to consolidate operations and address investor concerns following a damning report by a US-based short seller, sources said.

• The group's flagship Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) had in 2021 incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary, Mundra Petrochem Ltd for setting up a greenfield coal-to-PVC plant at Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) land in Kutch district of Gujarat.
• But after Hindenburg Research's January 24 report alleging accounting fraud, stock manipulations and other corporate governance lapses chopped off about USD 140 billion from the market value of Gautam Adani's empire, The group has suspended work petrochemical project at Mundra.

The Adani Group has indefinitely suspended work on its over $4 billion (approx Rs 34,000 crore) coal-to-polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant in Mundra, Gujarat, according to two sources aware of the development.

• The company has also scrapped its fundraising plans for the project.
• It was in talks to raise Rs 14000 crore from a consortium of seven-to eight banks led by the State Bank of India, according to an investment banker aware of the development.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first submarine base of Bangladesh ‘BNS Sheikh Hasina’ at Pekua in Cox’s Bazar on Monday. Hailing the newly inaugurated naval base as an ‘ultra modern submarine base’,

• Prime Minister called the event a proud chapter in the history of Bangladesh navy.
• Inaugurating the submarine base virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka, Prime Minister Hasina said that the newly commissioned submarine base would help navy increase its operational capacity to secure the vast marine resources.
• Ships passing through the Bay of Bengal also can take help from the base, said Sheikh Hasina.

The three-day Nepal-India Literature Festival concluded with the adoption of a 10-point Biratnagar declaration. The festival was jointly organized by Biratnagar Metropolitan City and Krantidhara Literature Academy of Meerut, India.

• A 10-point declaration highlighting the mutual promotion of literature between Nepal and India was adopted.
• The declaration included translating Nepali literature into Hindi and Hindi into Nepali for mutual promotion, undertaking further research on connecting Mahabharat-era King Birat’s palace with the Mahabharat Circuit in coordination with the Department of Archeology and historians and encouraging young literary writers to further explore the archaeological artefacts.
• As many as 350 literary writers representing all seven provinces of Nepal and the majority of states of India participated in the festival. Over 200 litterateurs cited literary creations on the occasion.

President Xi Jinping heads to Russia on Monday hoping to deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine as China seeks to position itself as a peacemaker.

• Freshly reappointed for a third term in power, Mr. Xi is pushing a greater role for China on the global stage, and was crucial in mediating a surprise rapprochement between Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia this month.

North Korea launched a suspected missile toward the sea on March 19, its neighbors said, as the North ramps up testing activities in response to U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.

• Japan’s Defense Ministry and coast guard said what appeared to be a North Korean missile was fired Sunday morning. They gave no further details.
• South Korea’s Yonhap news agency cited the South’s military as saying that North Korea had fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters.
• The launch, if confirmed, would be the North’s third round of weapons tests since the U.S. and South Korean militaries began their joint military drills last week.
• The North views the drills as a practice to launch an invasion, though the United States and South Korea have steadfastly said their training is defensive in nature. The latest U.S.-South Korean drills, which include computer simulations and field exercises, are to continue until Thursday.

The International Criminal Court on March 17, 2023 announced an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

• The Hague-based ICC said it had also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, on similar charges.
• Moscow dismissed the orders as “void”. Russia is not a party to the ICC so it was unclear if or how Mr. Putin could ever end up in the dock.
• War-battered Ukraine welcomed the ICC announcement, with President Volodymyr Zelensky hailing the “historic decision”.

Egypt became a member of BRICS' New Development Bank (NDB) which includes India, Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa as member countries.

• According to an update posted on the bank's official website, Cairo completed all the necessary procedures to become an eligible member on February 20, 2023.
• It was given an official member status around that time. In 2020, the NDB board of Governors authorized the bank to hold a dialogue with potential member states of BRICS.
• Egypt's accession was later approved by NBD in December 2021. Earlier in September, the NDB board also approved similar procedures for United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uruguay, and Bangladesh. All three countries went on to become members of the bank. 

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund has approved Sri Lanka’s bailout program under an Extended Fund Facility. IMF has said the first tranche of the loan will be released in the next couple of days.

• Sri Lanka will immediately receive an initial disbursement of 333 million US Dollars. The extended fund facility of 3 billion dollars will be available through tranches over a 4 year period.
• In a virtual press conference, the IMF said Sri Lanka must present a debt restructuring strategy by the end of April to reach the IMF targets to achieve debt sustainability.
• The strategy will require uniform debt treatment with all creditors and talks in this direction will be key area of focus.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is all set to host a working group meeting of tourism delegates from the G-20 nations in the last week of May.

• The city is undergoing a major makeover amid a stringent security plan for the high-profile event.
• Diplomatic sources said all the G-20 nations have received a formal invitation for the meeting, but most countries said it was too early to comment on their participation.
• It will be interesting to see how Saudi Arabia and Turkey, both members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as well as the G-20 grouping, react to the invitation.

Auto components major Bosch Ltd appointed Guruprasad Mudlapur appointed as its Managing Director, and President of the Bosch Group in India with effect from July 1, 2023.

• Muldapur will succeed Soumitra Bhattacharya who will be retiring from Bosch India effective June 30, 2023, after 28 years of service in various capacities.
• He has more than 15 years of experience in the Bosch Group and has held various positions in engineering and business management.
• He will also continue to hold the position of chief technology officer for Bosch Ltd.
• Previously, he was regional president and managing director of Bosch Automotive Electronics Pvt Ltd.

Justice K. Vinod Chandran, judge of the High Court of Kerala, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.

• The Centre issued the transfer order of Mr. Vinod Chandran along with a few others.
• The transfer order comes after a few months of the Supreme Court collegium recommending him to the High Courts of Mumbai and Guwahati as Chief Justice before proposing his name to the Patna High Court.
• The collegium had also expressed its displeasure over the Centre delaying the transfer orders and appointments of a few judges to the High Courts and the Supreme Court.

Filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar, best known for his movies "Parineeta" and "Mardaani", passed away at a hospital early on Friday, his wife Panchali said. He was 67.

• The director was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Lilavati hospital in suburban Bandra following a fever. He passed away between 3.10 am and 3.30 am at Lilavati hospital,
• Some of his other directorial ventures were "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" (2007), "Lafangey Parindey" (2010), "Mardaani" (2014), and "Helicopter Eela" (2018).
• The news of Sarkar's death shocked his colleagues in the film industry.

Indian industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata has been appointed as an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO), for distinguished service to Australia-India bilateral relations, particularly trade, investment and philanthropy.

• Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell said that the Governor General of Australia announced his appointment.

• Ratan Tata is the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, former Chairman of the Tata Group and one of the world's richest entrepreneurs.

• He tops the list of most humble entrepreneurs India has ever had.

The board of Invest India has appointed Manmeet K Nanda as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the investment promotion and facilitation body under the commerce ministry.

• The board approved the appointment of Nanda, an IAS officer of the West Bengal Cadre of 2000 Batch, as the new MD and CEO, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement .
• Nanda was previously serving as the Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• Bagla has cited "personal reasons" for stepping down from the post.

CEAT company has appointed Arnab Banerjee as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) while Anant Goenka has been designated as Vice Chairman of the company. The new appointments will be effective from April 1, 2023.

• Arnab Banerjee is the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CEAT Limited .
• He was previously serving as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company. He joined CEAT in 2005 as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

US President Joe Biden will present the 2021 National Humanities Medals, in conjunction with the National Medals of Arts on Tuesday i.e. 21 March. Indian-American Vera Mindy Chokalingam, professionally known as Mindy Kaling will be awarded the 2021 National Humanities Medal among others.

• Mindy Kaling is a writer, producer and actor.
• She was born on 24 June 1979 and is a daughter of Indian immigrants.
• Mindy Kaling is an Emmy-nominated writer, producer, New York Times best-selling author, director, and actor.
• The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists, arts patrons, and groups by the US government and honors exemplary individuals and organisations that have advanced the arts in America and offered inspiration to others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage.

Govt has approved the appointment of  Shri Lalit Kumar Gupta as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI). .

• He is a Chartered Accountant (CA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). He is also a member of the Institute of the Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).
• He has a rich experience in the Finance and related sector. Gupta has a very long association with Cotton Corporation of about 25 years. He joined CCI in August 1994.

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.

• He created this record by completing the distance of 29 Kms in 5 hours and 30 minutes. The previous record was 8 hours and 26 minutes.
• With this achievement, Mr. Shelar is planning to do solo swims across the English & Catalina Channels soon, to eventually complete swimming across the seven oceans popularly known as the Oceans Seven Challenge.
• His swim commenced at 6.00 am on Thursday from Talaimannar and he reached Dhanushkodiat 11.26 am completing the distance of 29 Kms. 
• He is a Bachelor of Physical Education student and trains under the guidance of Mr. Jitendra Khasnis.
• He is also the youngest and fastest swimmer in the world to swim the Bangla Channel twice. This record is also recorded in the Limca Book of Records.

G Krishnakumar has taken over as the new chairman and managing director of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), the company said on Friday.

• Krishnakumar, an electrical and electronics engineer from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli and a postgraduate in finance management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, was executive director in the company before his elevation.
• Government headhunter, the Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) had, in December last year, picked up Krishnakumar over company's Director (Finance) Vetsa Ramakrishna Gupta, Director (Refineries) S Khanna, and Director (Marketing) Sukhmal Kumar Jain.

Luxor Writing Instruments Private Limited, a company that makes stationery, has signed cricketer Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador.

• Kohli will represent Luxor's stationery products and help the company increase its appeal among young writers, thereby enhancing its position as the leading writing instrument provider in the country.
• It is aimed specifically at establishing Luxor as a leading stationery brand in India and increasing the appeal of Luxor's stationery brand among the youth market.
• Indian stationery brand Luxor has partnered with Schneider Pens of Germany to introduce a premium range of creative writing instruments in India.

Deepak Bagla, Managing Director and CEO of Invest India, an investment promotion and facilitation body under the commerce and industry ministry, has resigned from his post. 

• The National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Indian government, Invest India, was led by Deepak Bagla as managing director and CEO.
• The agency was set up in 2009 under section 25 of the Companies Act.

The Maharashtra government has given approval for a 75-feet tall 'Statue of Knowledge' dedicated to Dr B. R. Ambedkar in Latur city, local MP Sudhakar Shrangare said on Wednesday.

• The state government issued an order regarding the statue and also the beautification of the Ambedkar Park in the city, the BJP MP said.
• The minister further added, Rs 10 crore have been sanctioned for the entire project.
• The ground-breaking ceremony for the project will be performed on April 14, Dr Ambedkar's birth anniversary, the MP said.

The Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, Asia's largest tulip garden, opened to the public on Sunday, nestled between Dal Lake and the Zabarwan hills in Srinagar.

• Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the opening ceremony said that about 68 varieties of tulips will bloom in the garden this year. 
• In addition to 15 lakh tulips of various colours and hues, the garden, also known as Siraj Bagh, has other spring flowers on display, including hyacinths, daffodils, muscari, and cyclamens.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal virtually launched Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard of MoPSW ‘Sagar Manthan’ – Digital platform having all the integrated data related to the ministry and other subsidiaries.

• This dashboard will transform the workings of various departments by improving well-coordinated real time information.
• This platform has been developed completely in-house under the guidance of Shri Sudhanshu Pant, IAS, Secretary, MoPSW in the span of less than 1.5 months efficiently.

Features of ‘SAGAR MANTHAN’ dashboard :

1. Data visualization

2. Real-time monitoring

3. Improved communication

4. Data-driven decision making

5. Increased accountability

National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL), a CPSE under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Govt. of India and CSIR-SERC (Structural Engineering Research Centre), Chennai signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 23.03.2023 for sharing knowledge on innovative ideas and technologies in the field of highway engineering. 

• The MoU was signed by Shri Chanchal Kumar, Managing Director, NHIDCL and Dr. N. Anandavalli, Director, CSIR-SERC, Chennai.
• This MoU can take up various activities of common interest such as sharing knowledge on innovative ideas and technologies in the field of highway engineering and other infrastructure works on mutually agreed terms and conditions.
• This collaboration will strengthen R&D activities in Road Sector and expected to provide lead in conducting, coordinating research, development and training in the area of Development of Highway Infrastructure.

A new study has found geological evidence of recent volcanic activities on the surface of venus.

• The discovery comes from NASA’s Magellan spacecraft, which orbited Venus some 30 years ago and used radar to peer through the thick clouds. Images made 8 months apart show a volcano’s circular mouth, or caldera, growing dramatically in a sudden collapse.
• On Earth, such collapses occur when magma that had supported the caldera vents or drains away, as happened during a 2018 eruption at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano.
• Witnessing this unrest during the short observation period suggests either Magellan was spectacularly lucky, or, like Earth,

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch OneWeb India-2 mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on March 26.

•  Under a commercial agreement with NewSpace India Limited, ISRO will launch 72 satellites of the UK-based Network Access Associates Limited and place them in low Earth orbits.
• If the launch is successful, the Bharti Enterprise-backed UK-based company will complete its constellation of over 600 low-earth-orbit satellites in space, paving the way to offer space-based broadband internet services to every corner of the world.
• OneWeb has already launched internet from space services in countries located above 50 degrees north latitude — Alaska, Canada, Greenland, UK and Northern Europe.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area office & Innovation Centre in India at a programme in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

• During the programme, Prime Minister also unveiled Bharat 6G Vision Document and launched a 6G R&D Test Bed. 
• ITU- a United Nations' specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs)- is headquartered in Geneva and has a vast network of field, regional and area offices.
• In March 2022, India had signed a Host Country Agreement with ITU for establishment of an area office which has been fully funded by India and is located on the second floor of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) building at Mehrauli in New Delhi.
• The new office will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan and Iran, a statement said, adding that it aims to enhance coordination among nations and ensure mutually beneficial economic cooperation in the region.

Asia's largest 4-meter International Liquid Mirror Telescope was launched in Devasthal in Uttarakhand on Tuesday. The observatory will explore the deep celestial sky, classifying objects from asteroids to supernovae, and space debris.

• The telescope was inaugurated by Science & Technology minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.
• The Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) has declared that the 4-meter International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) is operational and can now be used to observe the deep celestial sky.... Read more at: https://www.bankersadda.com/daily-current-affairs-22nd-march-2023.
• The International Liquid Mirror Telescope has a 4-meter-diameter rotating mirror made up of a thin layer of liquid mercury to collect and focus light.
• The metal mercury is in liquid form at room temperature, which is highly reflective and designed to survey the strip of the sky passing overhead each night.

China appealed Friday to other governments to treat its companies fairly after Britain and New Zealand joined the United States in restricting use of TikTok due to fears the Chinese-owned short video service might be a security risk.

• Governments are worried TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, might give browsing history or other data about users to China’s government or promote propaganda and disinformation.
• “We call on the countries concerned to recognise the objective facts, effectively respect the market economy” and provide “a non-discriminatory environment" for all companies, said foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
• TikTok is one focus of conflicts between China and other governments over technology and security that are disrupting processor chip, smartphone and other industries.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development will celebrate the fifth Poshan Pakhwada from 20th March to 3rd April 2023 with various activities nationwide.

• The Pakhwada aims to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition and promote healthy eating habits through Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari.
• Poshan Abhiyaan, launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 8th March 2018
• Poshan Abhiyan was launched with the aim to improve nutritional outcomes in a holistic manner. Behavioral change at individual and community level is an important component to achieve the desired goals of a Kuposhan-mukt Bharat.
• The theme of this year’s Poshan Pakhwada 2023 is "Nutrition for All: Together Towards a Healthy India". 

National women's hockey team midfielder Salima Tete was appointed the AHF Athletes Ambassador from India for a term of two years, starting March 25.

• Tete accepted the certificate and the position during the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Congress in Mungyeong, Korea.
• Tete, who led the Indian women's junior hockey team to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 FIH Women's Junior World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa, is among four players from Asia to be appointed for the position. 
• As the AHF Athletes Ambassador, Tete, along with the other selected athletes from Asia, will play a leadership role in international representation, development, and advocacy of athletes.

FIFA set a timeline to pick the 2027 Women's World Cup host, giving would-be candidates one month to join the contest ahead of a vote in May next year.

• Brazil, South Africa and a co-hosting project by Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have previously said they want to bid for the tournament.
• FIFA said its ruling council — a 37-member global group chaired by the governing body's president Gianni Infantino — will select up to three bids late in the campaign for a vote by more than 200 member federations.
• The decision will be made at the FIFA Congress on May 17 next year at a venue not yet announced.

Mexican driver Sergio Perez secured a well-deserved victory from the pole position, putting in a dominant performance for the Red Bull Racing team.

• His teammate Max Verstappen put in an impressive comeback, racing from 15th place to finish second and snatching the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, retaining his lead in the Formula One championship by a single point.
• Perez's victory marked the second consecutive one-two finish for Red Bull this season, following Verstappen's win in the season opener in Bahrain.
• The Mexican driver put in a flawless performance, showcasing his speed, skill, and experience as he maintained his lead from start to finish, with Verstappen hot on his heels.

Ace Indian cueist Pankaj Advani defeated compatriot Dhruv Sitwala by six frames to win his eighth title at the 19th Asian 100 UP Billiards Championship 2022 . 

• Billiards Championship 2022 was held in Doha, Qatar.
• Overall this is Advani’s 24th international title and 8th Asian crown. Earlier, Advani had held off the stiff challenge of Pauk Sa of Myanmar to secure a spot in the final.
• He managed a 5-4 win after his opponent fought back strongly to level the match at four frames each.

India's Sarabjot Singh clinched the gold medal while Varun Tomar finished with bronze in the men's 10m Air Pistol event at the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup 2023 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

• Sarabjot Singh, a 2021 junior world gold medallist in the team and mixed team categories, defeated Azerbaijan's Ruslan Lunev 16-0 in the gold-medal match in the first final of the Bhopal ISSF World Cup.
• ISSF Shooting World Cup was inaugurated on March 21 in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

The 2023 Swiss Open badminton tournament started in Basel, Switzerland.

• The tournament will be played till 26 of this month. Indian shuttler PV Sindhu will begin her campaign tomorrow against local wildcard Jenjira Stadelmann. 
• In men’s singles, H S Prannoy will face China's Shi Yu Qi in his opening-round fixture on Wednesday. 
• Lakshya Sen takes on Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong and former silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth will be up against China’s Weng Hong Yang in their first-round matches.

Carlos Alcaraz returned to the top of the world rankings after sweeping past Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 to win the Indian Wells Masters title on Sunday.

• The Spanish top seed ended Medvedev's 19-match winning streak, denying him a fourth title in as many tournaments to ensure he will supplant Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic atop the rankings.
• Alcaraz, 19, who first reached world No 1 after winning the US Open last year, claimed his third Masters 1000 title and joined compatriot Rafael Nadal as the only players to win at least three as a teenager. Nadal won six before turning 20.

Former Australia test cricket captain Tim Paine has announced his retirement following the conclusion of Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield first-class match against Queensland .

• Wicketkeeper Paine captained Australia in 23 tests between early 2018 and 2021, playing 35 tests overall. He became Australia’s 46th test skipper after Steve Smith had his captaincy stripped in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal on Australia’s 2018 tour of South Africa.
• Paine stood down from the captaincy in late 2021 after it was revealed he had sent explicit text messages to a former Cricket Tasmania employee.
• Paine, who debuted against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, averaged 32.63 in test matches with a top score of 92 and made 157 dismissals behind the stumps. He also played 35 one-day internationals for Australia.

The wait for the Kolkata giants finally ends here as the ATK Mohun Bagan side finally wins their first-ever major club honor by claiming the prestigious 2022-23 Indian Super League championship.

• In a game that ended 2-2 in regulation time, ATKMB's Dimitri Petratos scored all three penalties he took on the night before Vishal Kaith's save from Bruno Ramires' in the shootout brought them one step closer.
• Bengaluru FC's Pablo Perez then sent his spot-kick over the bar as the Mariners sealed the result in a game where they had unsettled Bengaluru FC right from the start.
• Bengaluru FC were forced into bringing Sunil Chhetri early on after Sivasakthi Narayanan was stretchered off in the opening seconds of the match.

Indian Navy's Akshdeep Singh clinched the gold medal while Priyanka Goswami bagged bronze in the men's and women's categories respectively at the Asian 20km Race Walking Championships 2023 held in Nomi, Japan on 19-03-2023.

• Among the other Indian athletes, Vikash Singh and Paramjeet Bisht clocked 1:20:05 and 1:20:08, respectively, in the men's open category which saw them breach the 1:20:10 mark - the qualification standards for both the 2023 World Championships and Paris 2024 Olympics.
• At the National Championships earlier this month, Akshdeep Singh and Priyanka Goswami had already qualified for the World Championships and the Paris Olympics.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced the government will set up a sports university in the Kumaun region’s Haldwani town.

• Dhami, who made the announcement on the occasion of completion of one year of the formation of his government, said there had been longstanding demands from several sports associations for such a university.
• The international stadium of Haldwani will be upgraded into a sports university, he said.
• Earlier, the chief minister also held a meeting with the officials and discussed the proposed university.
• Dhami said there is no dearth of sporting talent in the state, and the university will give such talented people a chance to hone and display their skills further.
• Uttarakhand will hold several national level sports event in the coming year.

Rajasthan has the first state in India to make health a right of the people there. The Assembly on Tuesday passed the Rajasthan Right to Health Bill, 2022, which gives every resident the right to free emergency treatment at public or designated private hospitals.

• According to the bill's provisions, every resident will have the right to emergency treatment and care "without prepayment" at any "public health institution, health care establishment and designated health care centres".
• The government will reimburse the health care provider if a patient does not pay the charges after emergency care, stabilisation and referral.

In an endeavour to achieve the target of becoming a Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030, the Northeast Frontier Railway has completed the electrification of sections between Abhayapuri–Pancharatna and Dudhnai–Mendipathar on March 15, Chief Public Relations Officers (CPRO) Sabyasachi De said.

• Mendipathar is the only railway station in the northeastern state of Meghalaya which is in operation since 2014 after being inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. 
• The Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE) has carried out the electrification works in these sections.
• After the commissioning of electric traction, trains hauled by electric locomotives will now be able to operate directly from Mendipathar in Meghalaya.

The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Plan, 2023 released by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin lists out action plans to undertake in case of various natural and human-made disasters.

• At an event in the Secretariat on Friday, the Chief Minister also released the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Policy, 2023.
• The Plan lists out elaborate action plans to deal with disasters such as earthquake, cyclone, tsunami, flood, urban flood, industrial and chemical disasters, biological and public health emergency, nuclear and radiological disasters and fire.

Bihar State Foundation Day, Bihar Diwas, or Bihar Day, is observed on 22 March every year. It marks the formation of the state of Bihar when the state was carved out from the Bengal Presidency by the British in the year 1912.

• Bihar Diwas is a public holiday for all state and central government offices and companies as well as for schools. Apart from Bihar, it is celebrated in other countries as well by the Bihari diaspora.
• The day is celebrated with great aplomb with a multitude of cultural events in educational institutions and public premises by local people and eminent personalities.

Tamil Nadu government has decided to provide subsidy to bring cultivation of millets in fallow lands and crop diversification to millets in 50,000 acres under its Tamil Nadu Millet Mission, said the Minister for Agriculture M.R.K.Panneerselvam.

• The minister added the state government will implement the Tamil Nadu Millet Mission for five years.
• “Under this scheme, subsidy will be given for bringing millet cultivation to fallow lands and crop diversification to millets in 50,000 acres. Hundred groups of millet producers will be formed by bringing together millet farmers and training programmes will be conducted for them,” Panneerselvam said.
• The agriculture minister added  millet festivals would be celebrated to create awareness among consumers and increase millet cultivation.  

In order to check the rising incidents of human-elephant conflict (HEC), West Bengal has launched a unique human-driven initiative, named "Gajamitra (Friends of Elephants)".

• Under this scheme, the state Forest Department has started the process of appointing 600 local youth from HEC-prone pockets both in north Bengal as well as in south Bengal as these Gajamitras.
• According to West Bengal Forest Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick, the recruitment process has already started. "Once the recruitment process is complete, the selected youths will be provided with android sets with the specially developed Gajamitra App installed there," he said.
• The selected youths will procure advance information about the movement of elephant herds, alert the forest department and local people, so that preventive measures can be taken for avoiding HEC, the minister added

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the One World TB Summit at Rudrakash Convention Centre in Varanasi on March 24. Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present on the occasion among other dignitaries.

• He also launched various initiatives including the TB-Mukt Panchayat, the official pan-India rollout of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment (TPT), the Family-centric care model for TB and the release of India’s Annual TB Report 2023.
• The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the National Centre for Disease Control and High Containment Laboratory and inaugurated the site for the Metropolitan Public Health Surveillance Unit in Varanasi

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah chaired the Regional Conference on 'Drug Trafficking and National Security' at Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• The conference was attended by representatives from 5 southern states and 3 union territories. In the presence of the Union Home Minister, 9,298 kg of seized narcotics worth Rs 1,235 crore were destroyed.
• Apart from this, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the Rashtriya Raksha University and the Government of Karnataka to open a new campus of the University at Shivamogga.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the One World TB Summit at Rudrakash Convention Centre in Varanasi on March 24. Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present on the occasion among other dignitaries.

• He also launched various initiatives including the TB-Mukt Panchayat, the official pan-India rollout of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment (TPT), the Family-centric care model for TB and the release of India’s Annual TB Report 2023.
• The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the National Centre for Disease Control and High Containment Laboratory and inaugurated the site for the Metropolitan Public Health Surveillance Unit in Varanasi

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in May and Modi accepted.

• The two leaders met in New Delhi, the capital of India on Monday(20 March,2023).
• Both countries agreed to continue to commit to maintain a rules-based world order.
• Kishida told Modi that he wants the G7 summit in Hiroshima to be a chance to discuss strengthening relations with developing and emerging nations, collectively known as the Global South.
• The leaders agreed to promote cooperation between the G7 and G20 nations in the areas of funding development, food security and the environment.

The second G20 sustainable finance working group meet kick started off on 21-03-2023 at Udaipur in Rajasthan with a workshop on non-pricing policy levers to support sustainable development.

• Round table discussions were held on the need to do much more to achieve net zero carbon development.
• The session was focused on understanding the effectiveness of non.pricing policy levers in enabling low carbon development.
• It was mentioned that non-price-based policy levers (NPPLs) have performed better than expectations and are cost-effective in this regard.  

The Government will organise a two-day global Conference on Digital Health – Taking Universal Health Coverage to the last citizen in New Delhi .

• The Union Health Ministry said, leveraging India’s presidency of the G20, India and the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office will organise the  Conference.
• The conclave will bring together global leaders and health development partners, health policymakers, digital health innovators and influencers, academia, and other stakeholders. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya will chair the two-day Global conference.
• The conference will address the issues to accelerate the implementation of connected digital health initiatives.

The Kerala government has been fined Rs 10 crore by the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for their inability to prevent the uncontrolled pollution of the designated Ramsar sites.

• The Bench, led by its chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel, said in its order dated March 22 that the penalty imposed on the basis of the ‘polluter pays principle’ had to be deposited in a ring-fenced account to be operated under the authority of the Chief Secretary.
• The penalty of ?10 crore had to be utilised for conservation/restoration measures by preparing an action plan to be preferably executed within six months. 

The Kerala government has been fined Rs 10 crore by the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for their inability to prevent the uncontrolled pollution of the designated Ramsar sites.

• The Bench, led by its chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel, said in its order dated March 22 that the penalty imposed on the basis of the ‘polluter pays principle’ had to be deposited in a ring-fenced account to be operated under the authority of the Chief Secretary.
• The penalty of Rs. 10 crore had to be utilised for conservation/restoration measures by preparing an action plan to be preferably executed within six months. 

IPCC indicated preventing overshoot of 1.5°C was pretty much a matter of survival now as every increment of global warming will intensify multiple and concurrent hazards.

• Overshooting 1.5°C warming will lead to irreversible impacts and risks for human and natural systems, all growing with the magnitude and duration of overshoot, an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the key scientific authority on climate crisis, warned.
• In its final report of the panel’s sixth assessment cycle until at least 2028 (seventh assessment cycle), IPCC indicated preventing overshoot of 1.5°C was pretty much a matter of survival now as every increment of global warming will intensify multiple and concurrent hazards .
• It will also result in irreversible adverse impacts on polar, mountain, and coastal ecosystems, impacted by ice-sheet, glacier melt, or by accelerating and higher committed sea level rise.

• A curated selection of 11 films from 9 countries will be showcased to create wider awareness of the impact of climate change on life in cities and engage the public in the dialogue on sustainable urban development.
• The Urban Climate Film Festival will be launched on Friday, 24th March 2023 at the M.L. Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi.
• The Urban Climate Film Festival aims to create larger awareness among the public about the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change on cities.

 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday launched the Mission Lifestyle for Environment’ (LiFE) in the state, a global mass movement under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• Sarma said it promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle, focusing on utilisation instead of wasteful consumption.
• Under this initiative, week-long activities will be carried out across all districts, addressing seven identified categories, including saving energy and water, reducing plastic and e-waste, and healthy lifestyles.

Context: Recently, Researchers from S. N. Bose National Center for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Kolkata have tested the efficacy of the laccase enzyme in degrading some standard dye molecules.

What is Laccase?

• Laccase is an enzyme generated by a group of fungi. It is known for its capacity to degrade various organic molecules.

• It contains 4 copper atoms in two different oxidation states. It degrades substrates through redox reactions, producing only water and the simplest non-virulent or less virulent oxides of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur.  

What have the researchers found about Laccase?

• Laccase has been found capable of degrading a variety of hazardous organic dye molecules that are regularly drained into water bodies after dying clothes in the textile industry. 

• This observed characteristic which the scientists termed substrate promiscuity can have deep implications in designing enzyme-coated cassettes for treating heavily dye-polluted water through a natural solution to make the environment greener.

What is Enzyme promiscuity?

• Enzyme promiscuity is defined as the capability of an enzyme to catalyze a reaction other than the reaction for which it has been specialized.

• Although the enzyme is known for its specificity, many enzymes are reported to be promiscuous.

Context: The Union Minister of Science & Technology has inaugurated Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope at Devasthal in Uttarakhand

What is the International Liquid Mirror Telescope(ILMT)?

• Located at: The telescope is located at an altitude of 2450 metres at the Devasthal Observatory campus owned by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES),Nainital in Uttarakhand.

• Working of the telescope: ILMT employs a 4-metre-diameter rotating mirror made up of a thin layer of liquid mercury to collect and focus light. 

• The metal mercury is in liquid form at room temperature and at the same time highly reflective. It is ideally suited to form such a mirror. 

• The telescope is designed to survey the strip of the sky passing overhead each night, allowing it to detect transient or variable celestial objects such as supernovae, gravitational lenses, space debris and asteroids.

• While scanning the strip of the sky every night, the telescope will generate nearly 10-15 Gigabytes of data and the Big Data and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) algorithms will be implemented for classifying the objects observed with the ILMT.

• The data will be analyzed quickly to discover and discern variable and transient stellar sources.

• Countries involved: The telescope has been set up by India in collaboration with Belgium, Canada, Poland and Uzbekistan. 

• It was designed and built in Belgium at the Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems Corporation and the Centre Spatial de Liez.

Significance of the telescope

• ILMT is the first liquid mirror telescope designed exclusively for astronomical observations and this is the largest aperture telescope available in the country at present and is also the first optical survey telescope in India. 

How is a liquid mirror telescope different from conventional telescopes?

• Firstly, a conventional telescope is steered to point towards the celestial source of interest in the sky for observations.

• The liquid-mirror telescopes, on the other hand, are stationary telescopes that image a strip of the sky which is at the zenith at a given point of time in the night.

• In other words, a liquid-mirror telescope will survey and capture any and all possible celestial objects — from stars, galaxies, supernovae explosions, asteroids to space debris.

• Secondly, Conventional telescopes have highly polished glass mirrors — either single or a combination of curved ones — that are steered in a controlled fashion to focus onto the targeted celestial object on specific nights. The light is then reflected to create images.

• As opposed to this, the liquid-telescope is made up of mirrors with a reflective liquid, in this case, mercury — a metal which has a high light-reflecting capacity.

• The mercury will spread as a thin layer in the container forming a paraboloid-shaped reflecting surface which will now act as the mirror. Such a surface is ideal to collect and focus light. 

• Thirdly, the difference between the two is their operational time. While conventional telescopes observe specific stellar sources for fixed hours. ILMT will capture the sky’s images on all nights — between two successive twilights — for the next five years starting October 2022.

• Note: For protecting it from moisture during monsoon, the ILMT will remain shut for operations between June and August.

Context: Recently, three States have commenced joint action to stop illegal sand mining in National Chambal Sanctuary.

Status of Sand Mining in India

• Sand is classified as a “minor mineral”, under The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) and administrative control over minor minerals vests with the State Governments.

• Rivers and coastal areas are the main sources of sand, and the demand for it has increased significantly in recent years due to the construction and infrastructure development boom in the country.

• The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued "Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines 2016" to promote scientific sand mining and environmentally friendly management practices.

Issues Related to Sand Mining in India

• Water Scarcity: Sand mining can lead to the depletion of groundwater reserves and cause water scarcity in nearby areas.

• For instance, Yamuna River in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana is facing severe threat from mechanised and unsustainable stone and sand mining.

• Floods: Excessive sand mining can cause the riverbeds to become shallow, which can increase the risk of floods.

• For example, in the state of Bihar, sand mining has led to increased flooding in the Kosi River, causing damage to crops and property.

• Associated Illegal Activities: Unregulated sand mining also involves illegal activities, such as encroachment on public land, corruption, and evasion of taxs.

Significance of National Chambal Sanctuary

• The National Chambal Sanctuary, located at the trijunction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

• It is a fragile lotic ecosystem, which is a critically important breeding ground for gharials - fish-eating crocodiles.

• The sanctuary is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is listed as an ‘Important Bird and Biodiversity Area’.

• The sanctuary is also a proposed Ramsar site, and over 320 species of resident and migratory birds inhabit the area.

• The sanctuary is known for its population of gharials and Gangetic dolphins.

• The 5,400 sq. km. sanctuary is a fragile lotic ecosystem critical for breeding of gharials.

Context: Recently a group of geologists gathered to scout a fossil park at Jhamarkotra and the metallurgical remains at Zawar in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

About the geoheritage

• Geoheritage are sites that offer insights into the evolution of the earth that can be used for research, reference, and awareness.

• Instead, Geodiversity is the variety of rocks, fossils, minerals, and natural processes that shape the landscapes.

Geoheritage sites in India

• Dinosaur fossils in Bagh, Madhya Pradesh, and in the Kachchh region of Gujarat focused on Jurassic life and tectonic features.

• Both the states can offer tourism, science, and education.

• Landscapes across the Indian subcontinent bear signatures of many geological events, from the evolution of life to the cycles of mass extinction preserved in the fossil records.

• Important events include meteorite impacts; volcanic eruptions that laid down the Deccan Traps, the collision of continents that formed the Himalaya and rivers Lakshadweep’s coral atolls.

• Important events also includes formation of fertile river valleys, massive deltas, and the world’s largest mangrove forests.

Significance of Jhamarkotra

• It is a fossil park near Jhameshwar Mahadev pond that hosts stromatolites dating back 1.8 billion years.

• It exhibits a variety of textures and sizes.

• The fossils are phosphate-rich as they trap sediments consisting mainly phosphate minerals.

• This phosphate is mined for use as agricultural fertilisers.

About the stromatolite

• A stromatolite is a layered sedimentary rock created by microorganisms.

• Stromatolite fossils preserve records of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae that was the earliest life on the planet.

• The stromatolites allowed their colonies to expand and flourish like microbial reefs.

About the Cyanobacteria

• Cyanobacteria developed the ability to photosynthesise and make their own food.

• It pumps large quantities of oxygen into the atmosphere of primaeval earth.

• This helped other life to evolve and flourish.

• They live in shallow waters and quests for sunlight and photosynthesis.

• This caused them to trap sediments and deposit them as lens-like layers creating stromatolites.

Significance of Zawar

• It is the world’s oldest (approx. 2,000 years) old known zinc-smelting site located in Udaipur.

• It has numerous traces of zinc mining and smelting operations since ancient times, including open stopes, trenches, chambers, galleries, shafts, and open-pit mines.

• Discovery of earthen materials such as brinjal-shaped, long-necked vessels.

• This suggests Zawar had a unique zinc-smelting legacy.

• Before the advent of high-pressure technology, extracting zinc was a considerable challenge.

• Zinc has low boiling and melting points, so heating it forms a vapour, which oxidises in contact with the atmosphere.

• The people of Zawar extracted zinc using a distillation process that required the use of a retort and an external condenser. 

• In ancient time zinc was used in medicine and in mediaeval weapons of war.

• The people in this region also traded it with their counterparts in China and Japan.

• UNESCO has criteria for ‘Global Geoparks’: sites with geological heritage of international value under which both Jhamarkotra and Zawar may qualify if they meet its conditions.

Additional facts

• India has 40 locations on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Context: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched Mission Sahbhagita in 2022 with a mission of ‘a healthy and effectively managed network of 75 wetlands of national and international significance.

About Mission Sahbhagita

• It is a platform for sharing wetland management experiences, best practices, success stories, and associated challenges.

• It has been launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

• It is an important step towards participatory conservation and wise use of wetlands. 

• Its aim is to enable a society ownership approach with communities leading at the forefront.

• ‘Save Wetlands Campaign’ is a part of this mission.

• This campaign is structured on a “whole of society” approach for wetlands conservation, enabling affirmative actions for wetlands conservation at all levels of the society and involving all strata of the society.

• This campaign over next one year will include sensitizing people of the value of wetlands, increasing the coverage of wetland mitras and building citizen partnerships for wetlands conservation.

Other steps taken by the government for the conservation of wetlands

• Wetlands authorities have been constituted in States/UTs through Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 for notification, conservation and management of wetlands.

• National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems(NPCA): It is a Centrally Sponsored scheme. It is a conservation programme for the management of identified wetlands (including lakes) in the country on cost sharing basis between the Central Government and respective State Governments / Union Territories. 

• The scheme covers various activities such as interception, diversion and treatment of wastewater, shoreline protection, lakefront development, in-situ cleaning i.e. desilting & de-weeding, stormwater management, bioremediation, catchment area treatment, lake beautification etc.

Context:  Amid an ‘imminent’ global water crisis, the desalination of our oceans into drinking water has emerged as the ultimate means to drought-proof regions suffering water poverty.

• Around 70% of Earth’s surface is covered with water, less than 1% is actually drinkable.

About ocean desalination technology

• The centuries-old concept uses thermal distillation or a reverse osmosis membrane to separate salt from the sea.

• The technique is now being utilized globally, with well over 20,000 desalination plants currently operating in over 170 countries — the 10 largest in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel. 

• It uses thermal distillation or a reverse osmosis membrane to separate salt from the sea.

• Globally, over 20,000 desalination plants currently operate in over 170 countries.

• The 10 largest are in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel.

• Around 47% of the world’s desalinated water is produced in the Middle East and North Africa.

• They generate less than 500 cubic meters of water per capita through rainfall or river runoff.

• This is half the upper limit of water scarcity as defined by the UN.

• The United States produces 1,207 cubic meters of freshwater per person.

• Water poverty will worsen as populations increase along with temperatures.

• The Sub-Saharan Africa will become a “hotspot of water scarcity” by 2050.

• The hottest and driest nation in the European Union, Cyprus relies on desalination for 80% of its drinking water.

• Earlier it used to ship water from Greece in case of shortfall of drinking water.

What are the marine and climate impacts of desalination?

• Separating salt from water is highly energy intensive.

• The four desalination plants in India generate around 2% of its total greenhouse gas emissions.

• In Cyprus, the plants accounted for 5% of the total electricity consumption which is one of the largest shares by sector of electricity consumption.

• Desalinated water generated around 103 million cubic meters of toxic, high-salinity brine effluent that impacted the Mediterranean seagrass ecosystem in the region of the discharge pipes.

• The state of desalination and brine production increases salinity, combined with climate-driven temperature rise.

• This can decrease the dissolved oxygen content, resulting in hypoxia.

• This hypersaline water can sink to the ocean bed and kill marine microorganisms that are vital to the entire food chain.

• Chemical compounds such as copper and chloride are found in the desalination pre-treatment process that can be toxic to organisms in the discharged water region.

How can desalination be made sustainable?

• The high CO2 emissions can be reduced by using renewable energy such as off-grid solar and wind energy desalination plants.

• Though brine discharge can be diffused through outfall pipes that are not in the vicinity of vulnerable marine life and keeping the remnant solids on the land.

• The harvested sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, bromine, boron, strontium, lithium, rubidium and uranium from the filtered material could be reused in industry and agriculture.

Can the brine be reused?

• Brine can be reused to produce caustic soda, or sodium hydroxide.

• Such sodium hydroxide when used to pre-treat seawater prevents the fouling of the reverse osmosis membranes that filters the ocean water. 

• Such fouling is a source of breakdowns and adds to the energy inefficiency and overall cost.

• Around 12% of the world’s desalinated water is created in the US but only 3.9% of brine is produced.

• The Middle East and North Africa generates around 47% of desalinated water but 70% of the total global brine output due to the presence of less efficient plants.

Context: After 375 years of speculation and exploration, scientists have finally confirmed the existence of a “missing” continent known as Zealandia.

About Zealandia

• Discovered by: The existence of Zealandia was first recorded in 1642 by Dutch businessman and sailor Abel Tasman, who was on a mission to find the “great Southern Continent,” or Terra Australis.

• Size: It is a long, narrow microcontinent that is mostly submerged in the South Pacific Ocean. It is 1.89 million square miles land, , about half the size of Australia.

• Located in: It was once part of an ancient supercontinent called Gondwana. The vast majority of this “new” continent is located underwater, lying beneath 6,560 feet (2km) of water.

• Reason for submergence: Zealandia began to “pull away” from Gondwana roughly 105 million years ago. As Zealandia started pulling away, it began to sink beneath the waves, with over 94 percent remaining underwater for millennia.

Significance of the discovery

• Zealandia is now recognized as the world’s eighth continent,

• The part of Zealandia which is above water forms the foundation of New Zealand’s north and south islands as well as the island of New Caledonia.

• The discovery will shed light on the earth’s geological history and the forces that shaped the planet.

Context: Recently, the co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water said that climate change and land use change are shifting that very significantly.

Key findings of the report by GCEW

Losses of forests

• Global Commission on the Economics of Water allows scientists to track flows of water vapor rising from rainforests like the Amazon and Argentina’s soybean and wheat fields.

• They are experiencing worsening drought as the Amazon shrinks.

• Vapour originating from the vast plains of Kazakhstan and other parts of Central Asia also provides about half of China’s water.

• Losses of forests and other nature disrupt those flows and climate change brings more extreme and unpredictable rainfall on a hotter planet, water security is weakening in much of the world.

Impact on food supply and hydropower production

• Eroding water security poses a risk to food supplies and hydropower production.

• Example: Severe water scarcity in the Horn of Africa after five failed rainy seasons: political instability, conflict, displacement, and migration.

Global data on water scarcity

• About 2.3 billion people, almost one in three live in water-stressed countries, a third of those facing critical pressures. (UN-Water 2021 data)

• 3.2 billion live in agricultural areas facing high to very high-water scarcity or shortages. (U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization)

Key recommendations of GCEW

• Changing the trajectory toward growing water scarcity will require a deeper understanding of how closely water supplies are linked to climate and nature protection.

• It will also require looking at freshwater as a global rather than just a local or regional issue, and strengthening how limited supplies are managed, shared, and valued.

What are the key challenges in water security?

• A desire to capture and store more water – to withstand longer droughts, manage extreme rainfall when it comes, and generate clean hydropower – is leading to a surge in dam-building around the world.

• Constructing new dams often results in losses of forests, other nature, and farmland. The land rights of local communities can also be threatened.

• Increasing water storage in river dams can lead to growing tensions with neighbors downstream.

• Examples: The new Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has prompted protests in Egypt, while India and Pakistan continue to argue over more dam-building.

• Only six of the world’s nearly 600 underground aquifers shared across international borders have a formal cooperative agreement covering their use.

What can be done to deal with water scarcity?
Improving water security

• Agriculture is responsible for more than 70% of global freshwater use each year, food trade is also trade in water.

• Improving water security is likely to require shifts to more precise and sparing irrigation systems, crops that require less water, farming methods that stand up to drought, and growing fewer thirsty crops in water-short places.

Boosting freshwater storage

• In urban areas, changes such as boosting freshwater storage, recycling more wastewater, and using less water in manufacturing will be key.

Phasing out farming and water subsidies

• In many developing countries such reforms will require money debt-strapped nations don’t have – though some cash could be raised by phasing out nearly $700 billion a year in farming and water subsidies that encourage water waste.

Water Partnerships

• Just Water Partnerships, modelled on existing multi-billion-dollar Just Energy Transition Partnerships designed to speed a global transition to clean energy, should also be considered.

• Deal funded by richer donor nations, seeks to help countries such as South Africa, Indonesia, and Vietnam wean themselves off climate-wrecking coal, providing a global benefit as well as a local supply of sustainable energy.

Context: To highlight the importance of water and raise awareness about the global water crisis, World Water Day is being observed on March 22 every year. 

• According to the United Nations website, the idea behind celebrating the day is to "support the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030."

About the day

• World Water Day serves as a reminder to the world to take action to tackle the global water crisis. 

Theme

• The theme for World Water Day 2023 is 'Accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation crisis', emphasising the necessity of taking stern action to address the global water crisis. 

• The UN said, "Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms and factories don’t have the safe water and toilets they need. There is an urgent need to accelerate change – to go beyond business as usual".

Key Objective

• The main objective of the day is to aware and inspire people to sustainably manage the freshwater resources and learn more about water-related issues like water pollution, water scarcity, inadequate water, and lack of sanitation, and take appropriate steps to make a difference.

History

• The resolution to observe World Water Day was first adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 22, 1992, after which March 22 was declared as World Water Day and is celebrated around the world since then. 

• The first World Water Day was observed in the year 1993.

• The day has been observed annually since 1993 to raise awareness about the importance of freshwater resources and to promote sustainable management of water resources.

Significance

• Everyone knows that 'Water is the elixir of life'. From drinking to cleaning and other things, life cannot sustain without it. 

• While many people are privileged to have running water 24x7, there is a huge population around the globe that does not have access to any amount of water.

• According to UN, at present, one in four people (two billion people worldwide) – lack safe drinking water. 

• Around 1.4 million people die annually and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene. 

• As per the estimates by OECD, global water demand (in water withdrawals) would increase by 55% by 2050.

• Various organisations, NGOs and individuals celebrate the day in their own way to conserve water in a bid to tackle water crisis.

Context: The Deforestation Report by Utility Bidder has revealed that India has seen the highest surge in deforestation in the past 30 years. 

Key findings of the report

• The highest deforestation rate in the world is in Brazil, followed by India and Indonesia.

• Brazil: It has higher deforestation rates of 1,695,700 hectares between 2015-2020.

• India: It has deforestation rates of 668,400 hectares.

• India has seen the highest rise in deforestation in the last 30 years, with a stark surge recorded between 2015 and 2020.

Deforestation increase

• India has seen the biggest increase in deforestation with a difference of 284,400 ha in forestry loss between 1990 and 2020.

• Zambia recorded the second biggest deforestation increase between 1990 and 2020.

What are the reasons behind deforestation?

Cattle Rearing and Oil Seed Cultivation Responsible for Most Deforestation

• The report highlights that cattle rearing and oil seed cultivation are the leading causes of global deforestation. Cattle rearing alone causes an annual loss of 2,105,753 ha of forests, followed by the cultivation of oil seeds causing a loss of 950,609 ha.

Palm Oil Cultivation Leads to Deforestation in Indonesia

• Indonesia witnessed a significant loss of forests due to palm oil cultivation, leading to the destruction of 650,000 ha of forests. It ranks third globally in terms of deforestation.

Soybean Cultivation is Another Driver of Deforestation

• While palm oil has been a big driver of deforestation for many years, soybean cultivation is also responsible for significant deforestation globally. The report states that many ha of grassland and forests have been destroyed to make room for soybean cultivation.

Logging is the Third Highest Factor Responsible for Deforestation

• Logging is the third highest factor responsible for deforestation, causing around 678,744 ha of annual deforestation globally.

India Compensates for Increase in Population at the Cost of Deforestation

• The report suggests that India has had to compensate for the increase in residents due to its status as the country with the second-largest population in the world. This has come at the cost of deforestation, making it the country with the largest increase in deforestation from 1990 to 2020, with a difference of 284,400 ha in forestry loss.

Context: Recently, fifth World Air Quality Report was published by IQAir.

About the report

• It is based on the annual average level of pollutant PM2.5 data from 7,323 cities and 131 countries.

• Data is taken from ground-based air quality monitoring stations.

Key highlights of the report

• In 2022, out of 131 countries, India ranked 8th with a population weighted average PM2.5 level of 53.3 μg/m3.

• India in 2021 recorded little lower than the 58.1 μg/m3.

• India was preceded by Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso and Kuwait.

• The WHO guideline for annual safe limit of air pollution PM2.5 levels is 5 μg/m3.

• Out of 116 capital cities N’Djamena in Chad topped the list with PM2.5 level of 89.7 μg/m3.

• A total of 39 Indian cities were listed in worlds’ 50 most polluted cities.

• Delhi is the most polluted metropolitan city with PM levels of 92.6 μg/m3.

• New Delhi is the second most polluted capital city in the world. 

• The national capital was ranked fourth on a list of 50.

• Bhiwadi in Rajasthan with PM levels of 92.7 was the most polluted city in India.

• It was third most polluted city in the world.

• Other cities included in the list: Patna, Muzzaffarnagar, Dharbanga, Noida, Gurgaon, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Charkhi Dadri, Jind, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Dadri, Meerut, Hisar and Greater Noida.

• Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad saw a decline in pollution level based on the comparison of the current average PM 2.5 levels.

Context: The Spring Equinox falls on 21 March every year, also called the vernal equinox is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Why does Spring Equinox happen?

• There is an imaginary line from North to South called the axis along where the Earth rotates.

• This rotation is responsible for day and Night.

• The axis tilts at 23.5 degrees.

• This brings more sunlight to one hemisphere of the planet as compared to the other for half of the year’s orbit around the sun.

• This difference in sunlight results in different seasons. More effect is visible, especially in late June and late December.

Cultural Celebration of Equinox

• According to Hindu astrology, Vernal Equinox is known as Vasant Vishuva or Vasant Sampat.

• The Persian New Year, ‘Nowruz’ falls on the first day of spring that welcomes all the positivity, peace, and prosperity.

• In China, during the spring equinox, the “trying to stand egg upright” game is played.

• In Japan, the Spring Equinox is declared a public holiday to celebrate the new beginning through family gatherings and paying visits to the graves of family members.

Significance

• As a result, the Sun is located directly above the equator, and both hemispheres receive an almost equal amount of sunlight.

• After the spring equinox, the northern hemisphere tilts closer to the sun in March, resulting in more hours of daylight, with earlier sunrises and later sunsets.

• The Spring equinox brings earlier sunrises, later sunsets, and sprouting plants in the northern hemisphere.

• Later sunrises, earlier sunsets, chillier winds, and dry and falling leaves are observed in the south of the equator (southern hemisphere).

Context: A new analysis of archival radar images taken around three decades ago has found direct geological evidence of recent volcanic activity on the surface of Venus.

• Scientists made the new discovery by pouring over images of Venus taken by NASA’s Magellan spacecraft between 1990 and 1992. 

• During their examination, they looked at the planet’s Atla Regio area, where two of the biggest volcanoes of Venus, Ozza Mons and Maat Mons, are located. 

What is the Magellan Mission?

• NASA’s Magellan mission to Venus was one of the most successful deep space missions. 

• It was the first spacecraft to image the entire surface of Venus and made several discoveries about the plane.

• In 1994, communication with Magellan was lost when it was instructed to descend into the atmosphere of Venus to gather aerodynamic data. 

What did Magellan observe at Venus?

• Magellan used radar to image Venus’ surface from different orbits. A few locations, including those suspected to have volcanic activity, were observed two or three times over two years.

• The study found new evidence of active volcanoes on Venus. A 2.2 square kilometre volcanic vent on Venus changed shape in eight months, indicating volcanic activity.

• It showed signs of drained lava, the radar images indicated that the same vent had doubled in size and the lava lake seemed to have reached the rim. The vent is associated with Maat Mons.

• Note: Maat Mons is Venus ‘second-highest’ volcano. It sits in the Atla Regio, a vast highland region near Venus’ equator. These changes were likely due to lava flow escaping the vent, hinting at a possible volcanic activity.

Significance of Findings

• The volcanoes act like windows to provide information about a planet’s interior, the new findings take scientists a step further to understand the geological conditions of not just Venus but also other exoplanets. 

• An exoplanet is a planet outside our own Solar System, sometimes referred to as an extrasolar planet.

• The findings give a glimpse of what more is to come regarding Venus as in the next decade, three new Venus missions would be launched, including the European EnVision orbiter and NASA’s DAVINCI and VERITAS missions. 

What is a Volcano?

• A volcano is a vent or fissure in Earth’s crust through which lava, ash, rocks, and gases erupt. 

• A volcano can be active, dormant or extinct. An eruption takes place when magma (a thick flowing substance), formed when the earth’s mantle melts, rises to the surface. 

• The magma is lighter than solid rock, it is able to rise through vents and fissures on the surface of the earth. After it has erupted, it is called lava.

• Not all volcanic eruptions are explosive since explosivity depends on the composition of the magma. 

• When the magma is runny and thin, gases can easily escape it, in which case, the magma will flow out towards the surface and if the magma is thick and dense, gases cannot escape it, which builds up pressure inside until the gases escape in a violent explosion.

About Planet Venus

• Earth’s Twin: Venus is Earth’s closest planetary neighbour which is similar in structure but slightly smaller than Earth, it is the second planet from the sun. Therefore, Venus has been called Earth’s twin.

• Thick & Toxic Atmosphere: Venus has an atmosphere 50 times denser than Earth’s. Venus is wrapped in a thick, toxic atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide that traps in heat.

• Inhabitable:  Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. The temperature of Venus is too high, and its atmosphere is highly acidic, just two of the things that would make life impossible. Surface temperatures reach a scorching 880 degrees Fahrenheit (471 degrees Celsius), hot enough to melt lead.

• Other Features: It has no moons and no rings. Venus’ solid surface is a volcanic landscape covered with extensive plains featuring high volcanic mountains and vast ridges. It spins from east to west, the opposite direction from all other planets in our solar system but the same as Uranus.

Context: The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has inaugurated the Agriculture Investment Portal (Krishi Nivesh Portal).

What is an Agriculture Investment Portal

• Launched by: It works under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare.

• Purpose: The portal is a one-stop solution for all investors who are looking to invest in India in agriculture and allied sectors.

• The portal highlights the steps for ease of doing business in India, the market entry strategies and the regulatory frameworks that are involved in setting up the operations.

Objectives of the portal

1. Boost investments in the agriculture sector of India, 

2. To ease the hand holding process for the investors, 

3. Tap the potential of all the sub sectors in Agriculture, 

4. To guide and assist the investors with the major infrastructure available in India, 

5. Support investors and companies with the schemes, policies and incentives given by the State and the Central Government.

Context: Recently, the Prime Minister unveiled a vision document for the rollout of 6G communications technology in India by 2030.

What is 6G?

• While, technically, 6G does not exist today, it has been conceived as a far superior technology promising internet speeds up to 100 times faster than 5G

• As opposed to 5G, at its peak can offer internet speeds up to 10 gigabits per second, 6G promises to offer ultra-low latency with speeds up to 1 terabit per second.

Applications

• 6G use cases will include remote-controlled factories, constantly communicating self-driven cars and smart wearables taking inputs directly from human senses.

Limitations

• While 6G promises growth, it will simultaneously have to be balanced with sustainability since most 6 G-supporting communication devices will be battery-powered and can have a significant carbon footprint

About Bharat 6G Project

• India’s 6G project will be implemented in two phases, the first one from 2023 to 2025 and the second one from 2025 to 2030.

• The government has also appointed an apex council to oversee the project and focus on issues such as standardization, identification of the spectrum for 6G usage, create an ecosystem for devices and systems, and figure out finances for research and development, among other things.

• A key focus of the council will be on new technologies such as Terahertz communication, radio interfaces, tactile internet, artificial intelligence for connected intelligence, new encoding methods and waveforms chipsets for 6G devices.

Phases

• In phase one, support will be provided to explorative ideas, risky pathways and proof-of-concept tests.

• Ideas and concepts that show promise and potential for acceptance by the global peer community will be adequately supported to develop them to completion, establish their use cases and benefits, and create implementational IPs and testbeds leading to commercialisation as part of phase two.

Objective

• It aims to enable India to become a leading global supplier of intellectual property, products and solutions of affordable 6G telecom solutions and identify priority areas for 6G research based on India’s competitive advantages.

Significance

• The project will provide an R&D platform to start-ups, researchers, industry and other broadband wireless applications in India like e-Governance, smart cities, rural Broadband or other Digital India initiatives under Atmanirbhar Bharat.

6G across the world

• South Korea has outlined a 6G research and development plan with Rs.1200 crore worth of investments in the first phase running till 2025.

• It aims for attaining global leadership, developing key original technologies, making significant contributions to international standards and patents, and building a strong foundation for 6G research and industry.

• In Japan, the Integrated Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Forum has published its Vision 2030 white paper for 6G, which laid out key technology directions for infrastructure evolution in four dimensions: cognitive capacity, responsiveness, scalability, and energy efficiency.

Context: Recently, a report by Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said India should target $350 billion worth of goods exported through e-commerce by 2030.

Key highlights of the report

• The current e-commerce export provisions in India are a patchwork over the rules framed for regular B2B (business-to-business) exporters.

• Global business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce exports are estimated to grow from USD 800 billion to USD 8 trillion by 2030.

• India's strengths in high-demand customized products, expanding seller base, and higher profit margins per unit of export place it in a prime position to benefit from this trend.

Key recommendations from the report

Independent e-commerce export policy

• Government should issue a separate e-commerce export policy, addressing all pain points faced by exporters.

• This policy should be jointly issued by the RBI, customs, and the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) after making necessary changes to their regulations.

• It should include provisions for business development, easing regulatory burden, and setting up a national trade network.

• This will bring together the RBI, Customs, DGFT, GSTN, India Post, courier companies, platforms like Amazon to create a central technology platform that streamlines the entire process.

Other suggestions

• Redefining responsibilities of sellers

• Simplifying payment reconciliation and processes

• Developing business ecosystem

• Setting up a National Trade Network for the medium.

Conflict with FEMA

• Small and medium-sized firms rely on online platforms for global exposure and value-added services, such as timely payment assurance.

• However, this conflicts with FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) regulations as the platform is responsible for receiving payment, while the ownership of goods remains with the seller.

• Compliance procedures can be challenging for small sellers due to high sales volume.

Payment reconciliation

• Report added that payment reconciliation is a major roadblock for third-party e-commerce exporters.

• The RBI guidelines for B2B exports need changes to accommodate B2C exports.

• To simplify payment reconciliation, the report suggested more time to receive export proceeds, lower restrictions on the receipt of export proceeds, annual financial reconciliation process; and simplification of forex payments.

Raising the value cap

• Raise the value cap for e-commerce exports from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh to allow exporters to choose the shipment mode as per their business requirements.

Shipment mode

• Most trade is shifting to global value chains requiring timely deliveries, exporters must be allowed to choose the shipment mode as per their business requirements.

• The government should create a separate customs code of such shipments, exempting import duties on rejects and treating reimports.

Other recommendation

• India should focus on developing market intelligence, organizing training for artisans, and facilitating the fulfillment of export orders for high-potential product categories such as handicrafts, jewelry, ethnic wear, decorative paintings, and Ayurveda.

Context:  With Ajay Banga nominated to be the next World Bank president, there is great hope in his abilities to revamp this vital global institution. 

What are the issues with the functioning of the World Bank? 

• Today, the world needs a global institution for global transformation towards a sustainable planet and promoting shared prosperity. The WB is largely missing in action in the climate fight.  

• Instead, the WB is now seen as a multi-purpose development bank that tries to provide support to countries for their perceived needs. It does not have a broad strategic vision.  

• It used to be a leader in thinking on economic development but has not been able to address these issues. 

• WB is overly conservative and too risk-averse in the use of its capital base. It has not been able to leverage private capital flows for infrastructure and climate change. 

• It has underutilised its guarantees and focused largely on loans. It has not financed insurance facilities as much as it could have.  

• It’s also been criticised for being too slow. Bureaucratic procedures of the WB cause costly delays to its borrowers.  

• Its country focus has improved performance but neglects its ability to meet global and regional financing needs.  

• The WB and other regional banks now provide a small share of net flows to emerging markets. They have been overly conservative in their equity-to-loan ratios. 

What is the way forward to improve the functioning of the World Bank? 

• It needs a substantial overhaul of its objectives and much more innovative use of its capital base and financial instruments. 

• There is a need for actions on a much larger scale internationally for energy and ecological transformation for a more sustainable planet.  

• Its new role should be as the global institution for climate change and sustainability. It must also be able to provide monitoring and advice on climate action in the entire world. These include a range of issues such as climate adaptation, mitigation, carbon pricing, environmental, social, and corporate governance and net-zero transformation.  

• It is not sufficient to create a climate change department in the WB to continue with a business-as-usual approach. The entire organisation must be transformed to make it the premier global institution for dealing with climate change and shared prosperity. 

• The WB must also shift the focus from lending to catalysing resource flows. It must help build the institutions and regulatory systems. These will help to draw in more capital from the private sector and from sovereign wealth funds.  

• Its success must be judged how much resources it can catalyse to address social and physical infrastructure and climate finance needs.  

• More innovative use of its financing instruments is needed especially in the way it books and uses guarantees and insurance backstops.  

• The International Finance Corporation, is also a big player in private finance. It should spend much more effort on helping develop systems for SME finance, which can attract international capital.  

• The WB must continue its country-based assistance and also focus more on global problems. The WB has huge power to address these issues by working in partnership with specialised agencies at the UN. It may need new and more innovative sources of financing for this purpose, including green bonds. 

• The WB’s capital base must also be increased, and there must also be changes to the way it uses its capital.  

• The emerging economies could also be allowed more leeway in the use of capital by changing their capital adequacy ratios without hurting their credit ratings.

Context: Recently, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in reply to a parliamentary question, informed about various aspects of the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES).

Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES)

• It is a Government of India initiative that aims to enhance the export competitiveness of India’s goods and services by developing and improving trade-related infrastructure and facilities

• Parent Ministry: TIES is a central sector scheme that was launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

• Funding: Under TIES, the government provides financial assistance to state governments and central agencies for creating or upgrading infrastructure that is essential for promoting exports.

• Scope: The TIES scheme covers various aspects of trade-related infrastructure such as setting up new infrastructure, modernizing and upgrading existing infrastructure, and providing necessary equipment and facilities for exporters.

• Project Funding: Financial assistance for a total of 40 export infrastructure projects has been approved under TIES Scheme during FY 2019-20, 2020-21 2021-22 & 2022-23.

• The maximum amount of funding available for a single project under the TIES scheme is Rs. 20 crores. However, the actual amount of funding will depend on the nature of the project, its scope, and the extent of financial assistance required.

• Significance: The Department of Commerce has been working closely with State Governments and Union Territories to facilitate the growth of exports of goods and services from the country. 

• This involves helping them develop a comprehensive export strategy that leverages the strengths of each state through a thorough assessment process.

Objective of the TIES scheme

• The primary objective of the TIES scheme is to enhance export competitiveness by bridging the gaps in infrastructure, which could include areas such as transportation, storage, cold storage, quality testing and certification, trade-related infrastructure for trade promotion, and last-mile connectivity.

Eligiblity to apply for the TIES scheme

• Any central or state agency, including Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), Commodities Boards, SEZ authorities, and apex trade bodies, can apply for financial assistance under the TIES scheme. Private sector entities such as individual firms and companies are not eligible to apply.

Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) Project Funding

• The Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) scheme provides funding for various types of infrastructure projects such as:

• Border Haats: These are local markets that are set up on the border areas of India to promote trade between India and neighboring countries.

• Cold Chain infrastructure: This includes storage and transport infrastructure for perishable goods such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.

• Dry Ports: These are inland ports that are equipped with facilities for handling and storing cargo.

• Export Promotion Industrial Parks (EPIPs): These are industrial parks that are developed specifically for export-oriented units.

• Trade-related infrastructure for agricultural exports: This includes facilities such as pack-houses, ripening chambers, and irradiation facilities for agricultural products.

Challenges Related to Indian Export Growth

• Rising Protectionism and Deglobalisation: Countries around the globe are moving towards protectionist trade policies due to disrupted global political order (Russia-Ukraine War) and weaponization of supply chain, that is in way shrinking India’s export capacities.

• Lack of Basic Infrastructure: India’s manufacturing sector lacks sufficient manufacturing hubs, internet facilities and transportation are costly when compared to developed nations which is a huge deterrence to Industries.

• India uses only 4.3% of its GDP for infrastructure construction each year, as compared to China’s 20% of its GDP. For infrastructure, Rs 10 lakh crore (3.3% of GDP) was allocated in the budget 2023-24, an increase of three times from 2019.

• Uninterrupted power supply is another challenge.

• Lack of Innovation Due to Low Spending On R&D: Currently, India spends about 0.7% of GDP on research and development. This prevents the manufacturing sector from evolving, innovating and growing.

Key Suggestion

• Filling Up Infrastructural Gaps: A robust infrastructure network - warehouses, ports, testing labs, certification centres, etc. will help Indian exporters compete in the global market.

• It also needs to adopt modern trade practices that can be implemented through the digitisation of export processes. This will save both time and cost.

• Exploring Joint Development Programmes: Amidst a wave of deglobalisation and slowing growth, exports cannot be the sole engine of growth.

• India can also explore joint development programmes with other countries in sectors like space, semiconductor, solar energy to improve India’s medium-term growth prospects.

• Frontlining MSME Sector: Currently, MSMEs contribute to one-third of the country's GDP, account for 48% of exports making them key players in achieving ambitious export targets.

• It is important for India to link Special Economic Zones with the MSME sector and incentivize small businesses.

Conclusion

• The TIES scheme aims to promote export-led growth by improving the infrastructure that supports India’s export sector. It also aims to boost employment and economic development in the country by creating new job opportunities in the export sector.

Context: In a conference at the Payment System Operators (PSO)in Kochi RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das informed that the electronic platform Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) — introduced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2014 for MSMEs to finance or discount their invoices — finances around 35,000 factoring units (FUs) per month.

About Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platform

• It is an electronic platform for facilitating the financing/discounting of trade receivables of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through multiple financiers. 

• These receivables can be due from corporates and other buyers, including Government Departments and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

• Purpose: To allow MSME sellers to discount invoices raised against major corporations, which helps them manage their working capital demands. The platform enables MSMEs to receive payments more quickly.

Participants

• Sellers, buyers, and financiers are the participants on a TReDS platform.

• Only MSMEs can participate as sellers in TReDS.

• Corporates, Government Departments, PSUs, and any other entity can participate as buyers in TReDS.

• Banks, NBFC - Factors, and other financial institutions, as permitted by the RBI, can participate as financiers in TReDS.

• RBI has not made it compulsory for any buyer, seller, or financier to participate in TReDS. 

• The Government has made it compulsory for certain segments of companies to mandatorily register as buyers on the TReDS platform(s). The government directive, however, does not make it compulsory for these entities to perform transactions in TReDS.

How does TReDS work?

• Creation of a Factoring Unit (FU) - standard nomenclature used in TReDS for invoice(s) or bill(s) of exchange - containing details of invoices/bills of exchange.

• Acceptance of the FU by the counterparty - buyer or the seller, as the case may be;

• Bidding by financiers;

• Selection of best bid by the seller or the buyer, as the case may be;

• Payment made by the financier (of the selected bid) to the MSME seller at the agreed rate of financing/discounting;

• Payment by the buyer to the financier on the due date.

What are Trade receivables?

• Trade receivables are defined as the amount owed to a business by its customers following the sale of goods or services on credit. 

Context: 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. 

About World Happiness Report

• It is an annual publication of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

• It is based on global survey data from people in more than 150 countries.

• It is based on people's own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data.

• The report considers six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption.

• It assigns a happiness score based on an average of data over a three-year period.

• The reports measure global happiness on several standards which include national and international aspects. 

• The report speaks for countries' level of happiness based on the responses of a nationally representative sample of people about the levels of satisfaction in life these days.

Key highlights of World Happiness Report 2023

• Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the sixth consecutive year.

• And other Norwegian countries like Denmark, Iceland are ranked second and third. In the list of top 10, other countries are Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand.

• For more than a year now, Russia and Ukraine are fighting each other but when it comes to happiness, the countries are ranked above India, i.e. 70th Russia and 92nd Ukraine. 

India's position in the World Happiness Report

• India's rank has certainly improved from 136 to 125 but the country still ranks below most neighboring counties, including Pakistan (108) and Sri Lanka (112).

• Despite being the fastest-growing economy in the world, India has consistently ranked low in the index and several people have even raised questions on how India can rank lower than countries in crises.

Most unhappy countries of the world?

• Out of the 137 countries, Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has ranked last and is most unhappy according to the report. 

• Other regions at the bottom of the list include Lebanon, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, etc. 

• The report adds that these countries have high-level of corruption and low life expectancy.

About United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

• It was launched in 2012  under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General.

• SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.

• SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released Women and Men in India 2022 report.

Key Highlights 

Sex Ratio

• From 904 in 2017-19, the sex ratio at birth increased by three points to 907 in 2018-20.

• By 2036, India’s sex ratio—the number of females per 1,000 males—is expected to rise to 952, up from 943 in 2011.

Participation in the Workforce

• Since 2017-2018, the rate of people over 15 entering the labor force in India has increased. However, women are significantly behind men in this area.

• In 2021-2022, the male rate was 77.2 and the female rate was 32.8, and over time, this disparity has not changed.

• Social factors, educational qualifications, and gender discrimination in terms of wages and workplace opportunities all contribute to lower participation rates.

Population expansion

• From 2.2% in 1971 to 1.1% in 2021, population growth is expected to continue to decline until it reaches 0.58% in 2036.

• In absolute terms, this means that from 1.2 billion people in 2011, 48.5% of the population was female, there will be an expected 1.5 billion in 2036, with a slight increase in the percentage of women in the population (48.8%).

Age and Sex Structure 

• India’s age and sex structure, according to which the number of people under the age of 15 is expected to fall and the number of people over 60 is expected to rise by 2036.

• As a result, the population pyramid will change in 2036, with the middle of the pyramid getting bigger and the base getting smaller.

• Gender issues can be impacted in a variety of ways by the age and sex distribution of a nation’s population. Trends in fertility and mortality are the primary factors that determine the age structure that affects various aspects of societies.

Access to Health Services and Information

• Access to health information and services is more difficult for women and girls than it is for men and boys due to factors such as mobility restrictions, lack of access to resources, and decision-making authority.

Fertility Rate

• The age-explicit ripeness rate for the long term and 25-29 years age bunch somewhere in the range of 2016 and 2020 diminished from 135.4 and 166.0 to 113.6 and 139.6 separately.

• This is probably a result of achieving economic independence through employment and a quality education.

• The same indicator increased from 32.7 in 2016 to 35.6 in 2020 for the 35-39 age group.

• From 22.1 years in 2017 to 22.7 years in 2020, the average age of marriage has slightly increased.

Government policies and initiatives

• The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 prioritizes gender equity for quality education to all students with an emphasis on socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

• The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) launched in 2018-19 is aligned with the recommendations of NEP.

• SSA includes various interventions like opening of schools in the neighbourhood, provision of free textbooks, 2 sets of uniform to all girls, SC, ST children and Below Poverty Line (BPL) children.

• It has provision of gender segregated toilets in all schools, stipend to CWSN girls from preprimary to class XII, and self-defence training for girls.

• The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana; Stand Up India, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) will help the women to set up their own enterprise.

• The Skill India Mission ensures economic independence of women through skill development and vocational training.

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendras emphasises creating infrastructure both for training and apprenticeship for women; flexible training, afternoon batches and gender sensitive training environment and remuneration, employment of women trainers.

• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) mandates that at least one third of the jobs generated should be given to women.

• ‘Mission Shakti’ is an umbrella scheme to strengthen interventions for women safety, security and empowerment.

• It has 2 components: Samarthya and Sambal.

• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) compensates for loss of wages due to pregnancy and childbirth and inducing health seeking behaviour under Samarthya.

• Nari Adalat to provide women with an alternate grievance redressal mechanism for resolving cases of petty nature.

• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) under the National Health Mission (NHM) aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery among pregnant women.

• Pradhan Mantri UjjwalaYojna (PMUY) safeguards the health of women by providing them with clean cooking fuel and reduce burden on them from drudgery of collecting firewood.

Context: With an aim to make India a global hub for building green ships, the Ministry of ports, shipping and waterways (MoPSW) launched ‘Green Tug Transition Programme’ (GTTP).

Key Points

• Tugs are special boats that assist other vessels into and out of port. The primary purpose of these boats is to help move larger ships by towing, pushing, and guiding.

• The plan is to expand the exercise of conversion of tugboats into green tugs into full-fledged manufacturing of these all important boats in the country that are essential elements of any port, helping in the mooring or berthing operation of a ship by either towing or pushing a vessel towards the port.

• Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways said that plan is afoot to make India as the ‘Global hub for building Green Ships’ by 2030.

About ‘Green Tug Transition Programme’ (GTTP)

• The goal is to turn every tugboat in use in the nation into a "Green Hybrid Tug," one that runs on non-fossil fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol.

• The initial Green Tugs are expected to begin operating in all Major Ports by 2025, according to a target set by the Ministry of Ports.

• The programme will start with ‘Green Hybrid Tugs’, which will be powered by Green Hybrid Propulsion systems and subsequently, adopt non-fossil fuel solutions (like Methanol, Ammonia, and Hydrogen).

• At least 50% of all the Tugs are likely to be converted into Green Tugs by 2030, which will considerably reduce emissions as the country moves towards achieving sustainable development.

• The minister also inaugurated India’s first National Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) in Gurugram, Haryana.

National Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS)

• Located at: Gurugram, Haryana

• Setup by: NCoEGPS is the result of collaboration between the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, the Government of India and the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

• Purpose: The centre will engage in developing the regulatory framework and alternative technology adoption roadmap for green shipping in India.

• It will act as a technological arm of MoPSW for providing the needed support on Policy, Research and Cooperation in Green Shipping areas.

Significance

• The Centre is aimed at playing a crucial role towards the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14) to sustainably manage and protect marine & coastal ecosystems from pollution, conservation & sustainable use of ocean-based resources.

Objectives:

• To empower ‘Make in India’ in Port, Coastal and Inland water transport, and Engineering by developing state of art technologies and application products.

• To create a pool of competent manpower to the industry equipped with state of the art theoretical and practical knowhow.

Functions

• It will engage in developing the regulatory framework and alternative technology adoption roadmap for green shipping in India.

• It will act as a technology arm of the Ministry for providing the needed support on policy, research, and cooperation in green shipping areas.

• It will also carry out education, applied research and technology transfer in maritime transportation at the local, regional, national and International levels.

• It will focus on areas like energy management, emission management, Sustainable Maritime Operations etc.

• It will work on 10 crucial projects, including ones on developing a regulatory framework for the usage of wind energy for marine applications, and identifying a suitable biofuel for blending with conventional marine fuels.

• It will work towards identifying a fuel cell technology for long haul shipping as well as developing a regulatory framework for the transportation of hydrogen upto 700 bar pressure.

• It will prepare detailed project reports on low energy consumption port, and on an offshore platform for tapping solar energy, production, storage and usage of green hydrogen.

Key Fact

• India is the first country selected under the International Maritime Organisation’s Green Voyage 2050 project to conduct a pilot project related to green shipping.

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) launched ‘Sagar Manthan’, the Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard developed in-house by the Ministry, the Dashboard is to enable organizations to monitor and track the progress of their projects & Key Performance Indicators in real-time.

About Sagar Manthan Dashboard

• It is the Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard of MoPSW that will monitor and track the progress of their projects.

• This new digital platform has integrated all the data related to the Ministry and other subsidiaries.

Key Features

• Data-driven decision making

• Data visualization

• Real-time monitoring

• Improved communication

• Increased accountability

Significance

• The dashboard is a positive development towards Digital India vision.

• It will ensure the timely completion of projects, informed decision-making, increased efficiency & effectiveness of projects.

• It will also promote risk management, resource allocation, and progress reporting.

Conclusion

• The launch of ‘Sagar Manthan’ Dashboard is a development towards digitalization and transparency in the maritime transport sector which will help in growth of maritime sector in India.

Context: Prime Minister of India and Bangladesh recently inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) in a virtual mode.

About the project

• It is the first cross-border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh.

• The project is borne by the Government of India under grant assistance to Bangladesh.

• It was initiated in September 2018 to provide 1 million metric tonnes per Annum (MMTPA) of high-speed diesel (HSD) in the Northern West Bengal districts.

• This will reduce the cost, time and the carbon footprint of the supply.

• It will supply HSD initially to seven districts in northern Bangladesh.

• Pipeline will carry diesel from Assam-based Numaligarh Refinery Ltd's (NRL) at Siliguri in West Bengal to the Parbatipur depot of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC).

• The project is jointly implemented by the Numaligarh Refinery Limited of India and Meghna Petroleum Limited of Bangladesh.

• This is the second cross-border energy pipeline between India and its neighbouring countries.

Other projects by India to help Bangladesh

• The Godda thermal power plant in Jharkhand supplies electricity to Bangladesh.

• India is playing a key role in helping Bangladesh access clean and cheap energy from Bhutan and Nepal.

• India has proposed expansion of power trade within the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) framework. 

• The Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant in Bangladesh is built under a concessional financing scheme offered by India to Bangladesh.

• This will be Bangladesh’s largest power plant.

• The two countries set up the Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL).

• BIFPCL is a 50:50 joint venture between India’s National Thermal Power Corporation and Bangladesh Power Development Board.

• India will export Bangladesh power generated from upcoming hydro-power projects in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh once these are commissioned.

Power outages in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh is an energy-deficit country.

• Long power cuts are common even in capital Dhaka, and this has stunted production in key export industries such as the ready-made garments sector.

• Ready-made garments sector accounts for nearly 85% of the country’s exports. 

• Due to daily power outages, many industrial units in Bangladesh reported a fall in production by up to 50% in 2022.

• Result: it affects the country’s export earnings. 

• It suffered during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the exponential increase in oil and gas prices.

• Bangladesh stopped purchase of gas and shut down many diesel-run power plants.

Context: Recently Reserve Bank India Deputy Governor emphasizes the need for better rupee volatility management to deal with risks of internationalization.

About Internationalisation of Indian Rupee

• Currency internationalization is the widespread use of a currency outside the borders of its original country of issue.

• It refers to the process of making the Indian rupee a globally accepted currency, similar to other major currencies like the US dollar, Euro, and Japanese yen etc.,

• This process aims to promote India’s economic growth and development by increasing the use of the rupee in cross-border transactions, foreign investment, and global trade.

• It requires the liberalization of India’s capital account, which means allowing free flow of capital in and out of the country without any restrictions.

Present Status of Indian Rupee

• Currently, Indian rupee totals over 80 against USD.

• The first country to open a special Rupee Vostro account is Russia followed by Sri Lanka and Mauritius which are expected to use the Indian rupee trade settlement mechanism.

• A further assessment says that by 2040, the Rupee will challenge China’s Renminbi as the strongest global currency.

Advantages of Internationalization of rupee

• Currency risk is reduced for Indian businesses when using the Rupee in international transactions.

• Protection from currency volatility improves business growth and lowers operating costs, increasing the likelihood that Indian companies will expand internationally.

• The requirement for maintaining foreign exchange reserves decreases.

• Reserves have an impact on the economy even though they help control exchange rate volatility and project external stability.

• India becomes less susceptible to outside shocks by reducing its reliance on foreign currency.

• For instance, excessive foreign currency liabilities of domestic businesses result in a de facto domestic tightening during phases of monetary tightening in the US and a strengthening dollar.

• The discomfort of reversing capital flows would be significantly lessened by reduced exposure to currency risk.

• The bargaining power of Indian business would increase as the rupee’s use increased, adding weight to the Indian economy and raising India’s stature and respect internationally.

Challenges of Internationalisation of rupee

• It requires integration with global financial markets, which can pose challenges in terms of regulatory compliance, market infrastructure, and investor protection.

• It is the primary challenge of internationalising the rupee as it can create risks for businesses and investors that operate in multiple currencies, leading to uncertainty and higher transaction costs.

• India’s financial markets are still relatively underdeveloped compared to other major economies, which can limit the range of products and services available to international investors.

• The rupee is not yet a widely traded currency, which means there is limited liquidity in global markets making it difficult for investors to buy and sell rupee-denominated assets, which can limit the attractiveness of the currency.

• It requires a supportive regulatory environment that balances the need for openness with the need for financial stability and regulatory oversight which is challenging to achieve, especially given the complexities of global financial markets.

Steps taken for the Internationalisation of the Rupee

• Recently the RBI has introduced a mechanism to facilitate international trade in rupees.

• Enabling external commercial borrowings in Rupees (especially Masala Bonds).

• The Asian Clearing Union is also exploring a scheme of using domestic currencies for settlement.

• An arrangement, bilateral or among trading blocs, which offers importers of each country the choice to pay in domestic currency is likely to be favoured by all countries, and therefore, is worth exploring.

• Promotion of offshore rupee markets: The RBI has allowed Indian banks to participate in the offshore non-deliverable market for rupee derivatives, which has facilitated the development of offshore rupee markets.

• Currency swap agreements: The RBI has signed currency swap agreements with several countries, which allow for the exchange of rupee and foreign currency between the central banks of the two countries.

• Bilateral trade agreements: The government has signed several bilateral trade agreements with other countries, which has facilitated greater cross-border trade and investment and increased the use of the rupee in international transactions.

Road Ahead

• Therefore, Any possibility of conversation on rupee internationalization must be backed by a sustained and stable position of the Indian Rupee. Scale, stability and liquidity can be achieved through strong economic fundamentals and a process-driven regulatory environment. Overall, increase in the international use of the Indian rupee will go a long way in positioning India as a more attractive destination for foreign investment and trade.

Context: Recently, the Goa High court gave a Judgement regarding the daughter’s right to the family property in Terezinha Martins David vs. Miguel Guarda Rosario Martins & Others.

Background

• In Prakash v Phulwati (2015), a two-judge Bench headed by Justice A K Goel held that the benefit of the 2005 amendment could be granted only to “living daughters of living coparceners” as on September 9, 2005 (the date when the amendment came into force).

• In February 2018, contrary to the 2015 ruling, a two-judge Bench headed by Justice A K Sikri held that the share of a father who died in 2001 will also pass to his daughters as coparceners during the partition of the property as per the 2005 law.

About the Case

• The petitioner's brothers asserted that all four sisters received "appropriate dowries" at the time of their marriages, after which three of them established the partnership.

• They argued that the suit shop and the land underneath it were added to the partnership and became a part of the company's assets.

• They claimed that as a result, neither the petitioner nor her three sisters had any claim to the suit shop.

• First appellate court upheld the dismissal of the daughter’s suit, set aside the decree in the counterclaim.

Court’s Judgement

• A daughter’s right to family property will not extinguish even if dowry was provided to her at the time of marriage.

• The mentioned that there is no evidence about providing a sufficient dowry to the daughters of the house. However, even if it is assumed that some dowry was provided to the daughter that does not mean that the daughters cease to have any right in the family property.

• The court observed that although the present suit was filed by the petitioner after four years of instituting the transfer deed, the daughter came to know about it only six weeks prior to the institution of the suit.

What provisions of the Portuguese Civil Code come into the picture?

• Article 1565 of the Code provides that the parents or grandparents shall not be entitled to sell or mortgage to children or grandchildren if the other children or grandchildren do not consent to the sale or mortgage.

• Article 2177 of the Code provides that a co-owner may not, however, dispose of any specific part of the common property unless the same is allotted to him in partition; and the transfer of the right which he has to the share which belongs to him may be restricted in terms of the law.

The Hindu Succession Act, 2005

• The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 granted equal rights to women.

• Women were recognised as coparceners or joint legal heirs for partition arising from 2005.

• Section 6 of the Act was amended that year to make a daughter of a coparcener also a coparcener by birth “in her own right in the same manner as the son”.

• The law also gave the daughter the same rights and liabilities “in the coparcenary property as she would have had if she had been a son”.

• The law applies to ancestral property and to intestate succession in personal property — where succession happens as per law and not through a will.

• The 174th Law Commission Report had also recommended this reform in Hindu succession law.

Context: The leader of opposition was recently held guilty and sentenced to 2 years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 defamation case.

About the case

• The Rahul Gandhi commented that “Why do all thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi, have Modi in their names”. These remarks were made during a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

• Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Verma convicted Gandhi in a 2019 defamation case, for saying ‘why do all thieves have the name Modi’, and sentenced him to two years in prison.

• Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) prescribes for defamation a simple imprisonment for a “term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.”

Laws for defamation

• In India, defamation can both be a civil and a criminal offence.

• A civil offence may be redressed with monetary compensation, while a criminal offence attracts a jail term. 

• Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) prescribes for defamation a simple imprisonment for a term which may extend up to 2 years, or with fine, or with both.

• Section 499 of the IPC states that any words spoken, read, published or gestured with the intention of harming a person's reputation is to be considered defamation.

• Section 202 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) deals with the postponement of issue of process against the accused as Magistrate thinks fit.

Disqualification of Member of parliaments

• The Articles 102(1) and 191(1) states about disqualification of a member of Parliament (MP) and a member of the Legislative Assembly respectively.

• The grounds here are holding an office of profit, being of unsound mind or insolvent or not having valid citizenship.

• The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the disqualification of the members on grounds of defection.

• Under The Representation of The People Act (RPA), 1951, the member of Parliament can be disqualified for conviction in criminal cases.

The RPA on disqualification

• Section 9 deals with disqualification for dismissal for corruption or disloyalty, and for entering into government contracts while being an MP.

• Section 10 deals with disqualification for failure to lodge an account of election expenses.

• Section 11 deals with disqualification for corrupt practices.

• Section 8 deals with disqualification for conviction of offences to prevent criminalisation of politics and keeping ‘tainted’ MPs away from contesting elections.

Section 8 of RPA on disqualification

• Section 8(1) includes specific offences such as section 153A for promoting enmity between two groups, section 171E for bribery, and section 171F undue influence or personation at an election. 

• Defamation does not fall in this list.

• Section 8(2) includes offences that deal with hoarding or profiteering, adulteration of food or drugs and for conviction and sentence of at least 6 months for an offence under any provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

• Section 8(3) states that a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than 2 years shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of 6 years since his release.

How does the disqualification operate?

• The disqualification can be reversed if a higher court grants a stay on the conviction or decides the appeal in favour of the convicted lawmaker.

• In Lok Prahari v Union of India 2018, the Supreme Court (SC) stated that the disqualification will not operate from the date of the stay of conviction by the appellate court.

• Under Section 389 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the stay cannot merely be a suspension of sentence but a stay of conviction.

• Under Section 389 of the CrPC, an Appellate Court can suspend the sentence of a convict while the appeal is pending.

• This is similar to releasing the appellant on bail.

• In ‘Lily Thomas v Union of India’ 2013, the SC struck down Section 8(4) of the RPA as unconstitutional.

• Section 8(4) states that the disqualification takes effect only after 3 months have elapsed from the date of conviction.

• Within that period, MPs can file an appeal against the sentence before the High Court.

• A Constitution bench judgment of the SC in 2005 stated that a stay on punishment is not relevant for the purposes of disqualification nor will it obliterate the conviction.