Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 March 2023

Topic: Space and IT

1. US handed over NISAR satellite to ISRO.

• NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite has been handed over to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• NISAR is an earth observation satellite. It is jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
• A US Air Force C-17 aircraft carrying the NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar (NISAR) has landed in Bengaluru.
• NISAR was envisioned by NASA and ISRO in 2014 for the powerful demonstration of the capability of radar as a science tool.
• It will be launched in January 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
• It will be used for a variety of purposes including agricultural mapping, and landslide-prone areas.
• NISAR:
  • NISAR will be the first radar of its kind in space to systematically map Earth.
  • NISAR will use two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band).
  • NISAR will provide data and information to manage natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
  • It will also provide data for infrastructure monitoring and management such as monitoring of oil spills and urbanization.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. A High Price Day Ahead Market and Surplus Power Portal (PUShP) has been launched by the central government.

• It is an initiative to ensure greater availability of power during the peak demand season.
• The portal was launched by the Union Power Minister Shri R.K. Singh at a virtual function in New Delhi.
• The portal was launched in presence of over 200 stakeholders from state governments and the power sector.
• Union Minister said the portal will ensure better utilization of capacity at a reasonable rate.
• Last year, the Ministry of Power directed Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to put a price cap of Rs 12 on the prices in the electricity exchange.
• A separate segment has been created for those generation systems where the cost of generating power may cross Rs 12. This separate segment is known as HP DAM.
• According to the Union Minister, only those which have power producing costs of more than Rs 12 per unit would be allowed to operate in HP-DAM.
• In case the cost of production is less than Rs 12, the generators will offer power in Power Exchange’s Integrated Day Ahead Market (I-DAM) only with a ceiling price of Rs 12.
• Union Minister asked the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and Grid Controller of India to make sure that prices are reasonable in the HP-DAM.

Topic: Defence

3. Exercise TROPEX concluded with the participation of approximately 70 Indian Navy ships, six submarines and over 75 aircraft.

• TROPEX 2023 was conducted across the Indian Ocean Region over a period of 4 months from November 2022 to March 2023.
• It culminated in the Arabian Sea. TROPEX is the Navy’s major operational level exercise.
• The overall exercise included the coastal defence exercise Sea Vigil and the amphibious exercise AMPHEX.
• Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard participated in these exercises.
• The theatre of operations for TROPEX 2023 covered an area of over 21 million square nautical miles.
• The theatre of operations stretched approximately 4,300 nm from North to South, up to 35 degrees South Latitude and 5,000 nm from the Persian Gulf in the West to the North Australia coast in the East.

Topic: Important Days

4. CISF Raising Day: 10 March

• Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Raising Day lies every year on 10 March.
• Last year, 53rd Raising Day of CISF was celebrated. This year, it is the 54th Raising Day of CISF.
• CISF is one of the central armed police forces in India. It was set up in 1969.
• It is tasked with the security of vital government and industrial buildings.
• Central Industrial Security Force (CISF):
  • It was formed on 10 March 1969 under the act of the Parliament. It works under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • The CISF provides security to India’s most critical infrastructure facilities like nuclear installations, space establishments, airports, seaports, power plants etc.
  • It also protects important government buildings, iconic heritage monuments and the Delhi Metro.
  • Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
  • Sheel Vardhan Singh is its Current Director-General of CISF. The motto of CISF is “Protection and Security”.  

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. India-US Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum held in Delhi on 10 March.

• It was organized to discuss cooperation between India and the US in various sectors.
• This dialogue has opened up new avenues of trade and investment possibilities between the two countries.
• Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo co-chaired the dialogue.
• Ms. Raimondo was on a four-day visit to India from March 7 to 10.
• The Indo-US Commercial Dialogue is a cooperative venture that includes private sector meetings as well as regular government-to-government meetings.
• It aims to facilitate trade and maximize investment opportunities in a wide range of economic sectors.
• The last India-US commercial dialogue was held in February 2019. After this, it could not be organized due to Corona epidemic and other reasons.
• Commercial negotiations will be restarted with a strategic approach focusing on supply chain resilience, diversification and new emerging sectors.
• Earlier, the Commerce Ministers of India and the US had launched the India-US CEO Forum through video-conference on November 9 last year.
• India is the ninth largest trading partner of the US, while the US is India's largest trading partner and largest export destination.
• Bilateral trade in goods between the two countries is set to register a tremendous growth in 2022, with a trade volume of $131 billion.
• The US is the third largest source of FDI for India and also one of the top five investment destinations.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: International Appointments

6. Xi Jinping began the third term as President of China.

• On 10 March, China's Xi Jinping sworn in for his third term as the country's head of state.
• Xi Jinping, who leads the ruling Communist Party, has become China's longest-serving head of state since the Communist victory in 1949.
• The country's 3,000-member rubber-stamp legislature has formally appointed him as President for another five years.
• There was no other candidate in the election.
• Xi has also been elected for a third term as chairman of China's Central Military Commission.
• Han Zheng and Zhao Lejie were both elected by the Chinese parliament to serve as speakers and vice speakers, respectively.
• Both were in Xi's previous team of party leaders on the Politburo Standing Committee.
• In October 2022, Xi Jinping was re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party for a record third five-year term.
• In 2018, Xi Jinping himself removed the two-term limit on the presidency.
• This means that Xi Jinping can rule China until he retires, dies or is removed from office.

Topic: International Appointments

7. Ram Chandra Poudel has been elected as the new President of Nepal.

• Ram Chandra Poudel is a Nepali Congress senior leader. Poudel received 33,802 votes.
• In the election, Poudel defeated Subash Chandra Nembang. Subash Chandra Nembang got 15,518 votes.
• Poudel has been elected as the third President of Nepal. He will replace Bidya Devi Bhandari.
• Poudel is a common candidate of the eight-party alliance. The alliance included Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center).
• This was the third Presidential election in Nepal since it became a republic in 2008.
• Total 313 members of the Federal Parliament and 518 provincial assembly members participated in the vote.
• The vote weightage of the federal MP was 79 and of the provincial assembly member was 48.
• In Nepal, an Electoral College elects the President.
• The Electoral College consists of the members of the Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and the National Assembly) and the Provincial Assembly.

Topic: National News

8. Third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will be inaugurated by PM Modi in New Delhi on 10 March 2023.

• During the event, awardees of the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar will be felicitated by PM Modi.
• Odisha State Disaster Management Authority and the Lunglei Fire Station of Mizoram are the winners of the 2023 Puraskar.
• More than one thousand dignitaries will attend the two-day-long third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
• The dignitaries include Union Ministers, Ministers of Disaster Management from States, Parliamentarians, Representatives of local bodies, Heads of specialised disaster management agencies, academicians and civil society organizations.
• The Ministerial session will be chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.
• This year, building local resilience in the face of climate change is the theme of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
• Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar recognizes the excellent work done by individuals and Institutions in India in the field of Disaster Management.
• National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction was constituted by the government through its resolution dated 26th February 2013. It aims to bring together India’s disaster risk community.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Maharashtra

9. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis presented the state budget for 2023-24.

• The Maharashtra Budget for 2023-24 is based on the principle of 'Panchamrut', with a focus on farmers, women, youth, employment and the environment.
• Devendra Fadnavis announced the reduction in the tax on ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) from 25 per cent to 18 percent in Mumbai, Pune and Raigad.
• The state government has allocated Rs 30,000 crore for sustainable farming and prosperous schemes.
• An additional amount of Rs 6000 will be given to farmers under the Namo Shetkari Mahasamman Nidhi. It will benefit 1.15 crore farmer families.
• Farmers in Maharashtra will get crop insurance at just Rs 1. The state government will pay the installment of the loan of farmers.
• Agricultural Training Centre to be set up in Nagpur and an orange procession centre will be established in Vidharbha.
• The state government will encourage natural farming and bring 25 lakh hectares under organic farming in three years.
• The government will give 50 percent discount for all women in the state transport corporation.
• 50 new Shaktisadans (hostels) will be created for women, who work in urban areas.
• Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Janaragya Yojana has been announced by the state government. An insurance cover between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh will be provided under this scheme.
• 50-km metro line will be open in 2023-24. It will give relief to Mumbai, Thane and Mumbai Metropolitan region.
• Rs 14,225 crore has been allotted for 10,000-km roads and 1,203-km bridges in FY23-24.

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

10. Three tigers will be released at Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will release three tigers in Madhav National Park, Shivpuri.
• Union Civil Aviation and Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and several ministers of state government will be also presented on the occasion.
• Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will also interact with tiger mitras and Ladli Bahna.
• He will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 270 crore.
• Recently, the Cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa were brought to Kuno National Park in Sheopur.
• Madhav National Park:
  • It is located near Shivpuri town.
  • It was part of the hunting ground of Mughal emperors and Maharaja of Gwalior.
  • It got National Park status in 1958.
  • Nilgai, Chinkara and Chowsinga and Deer are mainly found in this National park.
  • Sakhya Sagar within Madhav National Park has been designated a Ramsar site in 2022.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. ‘Swachhotsav campaign’ launched by Hardeep Singh Puri under the Swachh Bharat Urban Mission 2.0.

• On March 8, on the occasion of Women's Day, Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri launched a three-week long women-led cleanliness campaign 'Swachhotsav'.
• The campaign is recognizing and celebrating women-led sanitation, moving beyond women's participation in sanitation under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.
• A series of programs and activities will be organized in cities to shown leadership of women in making the mission of Garbage Free Cities (GFCs) a success.
• The Women Icons Leading Sanitation and Waste Management (WINS) Challenge-2023 was also announced during the launch of Swachhotsav.
• The WINS Challenge-2023 will recognize women entrepreneurs or women-led enterprises working towards achieving cleanliness in cities.
• The WINS Awards nominations for 2023 started on March 8.
• The Swachhata Yatra started on March 10, which will end on March 30, which has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day of Zero Waste.
• Representatives of 34 States/UTs will visit 24 States/UTs as part of this visit.
• It will encourage members of Area Level Federations (ALFs) or Self Help Groups (SHGs) to travel to selected cities as 'Swachhata Doots'.
• On 30 March, the Swachh Mashal March will be organized for 'Women-led Swachhotsav'.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: International News

12. Colombia started a military service for women.

• Colombia has allowed women to join the military for the first time in 25 years.
• Last month, 1,296 women were recruited into the Colombian army.
• Colombia has long had compulsory military service for males aged 18 to 24.
• The army deploys these youths to man military bases, infrastructure security and administrative tasks while its professional soldiers take on drug-trafficking gangs and insurgent groups.
• The authorities have allowed women in the same age group to voluntarily join the army.
• It is part of an effort to increase the share of women in the military.
• There are about 2 lakhs soldiers in the Colombian army, of which about one percent are women.
• They have so far been joining it from military universities or after applying for administrative jobs.
• In the South American country of Colombia, about 50,000 men are drafted into the armed forces every year for 12 months of compulsory military service.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: International Appointments

13. Arun Subramanian becomes first Indian-American Judge of the New York district court.

• Arun Subramanian has become the first Indian American to become the Judge of the Manhattan Federal District Court of New York.
• He is also the first South Asian judge to serve on this bench.
• South District New York has one of the largest South Asian-American populations in America.
• Arun Subramanian wins the nomination by a vote of 58-37.
• He will also serve as a member of the court's Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Evidence.
• He is an expert in consumer protection and has vast experience in defending people affected by unfair, illegal practices.
• He is also famous for defending victims of child trafficking in pornography.
• Arun Subramanian was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1979.

Topic: National News

14. PM Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese inaugurated the friendship hall of fame in Ahmedabad.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Antony Albanese inaugurated the friendship hall of fame at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
• It shows the history of India-Australia Cricket Contests.
• Both leaders also handed over test caps to their respective test captains and cheered the players.
• This event has been organized to mark the 75 years of cricket Friendship between India and Australia.
• Australian counterpart Antony Albanese is on an official visit to India from 8-11 March.
• Since May 2022, the Australian Prime Minister and Narendra Modi have met four times.
• Antony Albanese announced that Australia and India had finalised the Australia-India Education Qualification Recognition Mechanism.
• He also announced that Australia’s Deakin University would set up an international campus at GIFT City in Gandhinagar.
• He also announced the launch of a new scholarship named ‘Maitri’ for Indian students to study in Australia for four years.

(Source: News on AIR)