West Bengal government plans to appoint 600 young ‘gajamitras’ to protect elephants.

The report titled “Global Bottled Water Industry: A Review of Impacts and Trends” was released recently ahead of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference. The Conference is to be hosted in New York, USA. The report revealed that the bottled water industry is masking the existing issue of the lack of reliable drinking water for all.

The ‘Saudi-Iran Détente’ is a peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia which was recently brokered by China.
It is seen as Beijing’s step towards gaining a major influence in West Asia, where it has economic and political interests and rivalry with the US and the western powers.

Kavilmadam Ramaswamu Parvathy of India has served in leading roles at the WFP in Turkiye and Afghanistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been appointed as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan

The capital of Karnataka, Bengaluru, has received the Partnership for Healthy Cities award at a summit in London for the effective implementation of smoke-free laws effectively. Bengaluru has also received a cash prize of $ 1,50,000. The global summit brought together officials from more than 50 countries to discuss public health concerns. As per BBMP Chief Commissioner, Bengaluru has been applauded for its efforts to curb public smoking. Bengaluru’s effort has resulted in a reduction of public-place smoking from 18.2% in 2017 to 13.3% in 2021. The number of display signs of no-smoking in Bengaluru has also increased from 23.1% in 2017 to 75% in 2021.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation declined to a 25-month low of 3.85 percent in February 2023.
This is the ninth straight month of decline in WPI-based inflation. According to government data, the fall is due to the easing prices of manufactured items, fuel, and power. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had hiked key interest rates by 25 basis points to 6.50 percent, saying core inflation remains sticky.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted banks from 18 countries to open Special Vostro Rupee Accounts (SVRAs) to settle payments in rupees. 60 such approvals have been given by the RBI. These 18 nations include Botswana, Fiji, Germany, Guyana, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.

Indian Railways has set a target of becoming a ‘net-zero carbon emitter’ by 2030, said Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The Railways plans to achieve this ambitious target in two steps: A complete transition to electric trains by December 2023 and powering the trains and stations primarily through non-renewable sources by 2030.

To leverage the reach of UPI and the strength of credit card products, Canara Bank in collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched the Rupay Credit Card through UPI using the BHIM app. This integration allows customers to connect their Rupay Credit Card to UPI and conduct merchant transactions without needing the physical card, resembling UPI’s account-based transactions.

Surekha Yadav, Asia’s first woman loco pilot has become the first female to operate the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express train. Ms. Yadav piloted the Vande Bharat Express train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.

According to railways and telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the first bullet train in India will begin service in August 2026. The project will stimulate the economy because several of the suppliers to the project have begun receiving export orders. The government intends to start operating the first bullet train in August 2026. The goal is to run the bullet train on a larger section in 2027. The Indian railways are building the country’s first bullet train from Ahmedabad, Gujarat to Mumbai, Maharashtra over a 508-kilometer route.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries will host the second edition of ‘World Food India-2023’ in November 2023 in New Delhi. WFI-2023 will focus on promoting India as a global food processing hub, highlighting culinary diversity, attracting investment, and exploring business opportunities. Five key elements of WFI-2023 include Millets, Innovation and Sustainability, White Revolution 2.0, Making India an export hub, and Technology and Digitization.

The MSME Competitive (LEAN) Scheme was launched by the Union Ministry of MSME to improve the global competitiveness of Indian MSMEs. The scheme will encourage MSMEs to adopt LEAN manufacturing practices, such as 5S, Kaizen, KANBAN, and Visual workplace. The scheme aims to transform Indian MSMEs into world-class manufacturers through LEAN manufacturing practices.

The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) is a 14-digit alpha-numeric number generated based on the latitude and longitude of land parcels. Its purpose is to provide the authoritative source of truth on any parcel of land or property. The Department of Land Resources will be organizing a national conference in New Delhi to discuss the implementation of ULPIN or Bhu-Aadhaar.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently released the Landslide Atlas of India, which identifies landslide hotspots in the country. It includes a database of landslide-prone regions of India based on events during 1998 – 2022, mainly along the Himalayas and the Western Ghats.

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 was enacted by the Indian Parliament to prevent money laundering. The Indian Government has expanded the Prevention of Money-laundering Act (PMLA) to include transactions involving the exchange, transfer and safekeeping of virtual digital assets.

Governor R.N. Ravi returned to the State government the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, passed by the Assembly. It was cited that the House did not have “legislative competence” to frame it. The state Cabinet has decided to table the Bill again, which intends to ban online gambling in Tamil Nadu. As per Article 200, if a Bill is passed by the House a second time, with or without any amendments, and presented to the Governor for assent, the Governor shall not withhold assent.

Everywhere Everything all at once got the  “Best Movie Award” at the 95th OSCAR Awards.

The Elephant Whisperers got OSCAR Award under “Best Documentary Short Film” at the 95th OSCAR Awards.

On the 95th OSCAR Awards Function, the OSCAR committee declared OSCAR Award for “Naatu Naatu” under ‘Best Original Song’. It’s the first Indian film to achieve the OSCAR award in any category. RRR Music Director M.M. Keeravani and Lyricist Chandrabose received the prize in Los Angeles.

The UK’s Illegal Migration Bill, introduced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, aims to tackle the issue of illegal immigration by preventing thousands of migrants from crossing the English Channel on small boats. The bill empowers the UK government to detain and deport anyone who arrives in the country illegally, with few exceptions. It allows the British Parliament to set a quota on the number of immigrants allowed in the country.

Researchers spotted a Mimeusemia ceylonica, rare moth species for the first time in India in Kalakkad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu after 127 years. It was last recorded in Sri Lanka 127 years ago and the findings are based on moth surveys conducted twice a month since 2018. This is the first time this moth species is being recorded in India.

Colombia has opened military service to women for the first time in 25 years. A cohort of 1,296 women has been enlisted in Colombia’s Army in February. Colombia has long had compulsory military service for men ages 18 to 24. The army relies heavily on the young recruits to staff bases, protect infrastructure, and carry out administrative tasks, while its professional soldiers confront drug trafficking gangs and rebel groups.

Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise TROPEX 2023 was recently conducted across the Indian Ocean Region and culminated in the Arabian Sea. The exercise recently culminated this week in the Arabian Sea. The overall exercise construct included the Coastal Defence exercise Sea Vigil and the Amphibious Exercise AMPHEX. These exercises also witnessed significant participation from the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, and the Coast Guard.

The International Day of Women Judges celebrated every year on March 10, honors all female judges who have taken the lead in the fight against social injustice. The history and significance of the day are examined below. Not just women judges in international legal institutions should be honored on this momentous day. It serves as a day of symbolism for the fight for gender equality, equal access to opportunities, and the elimination of gender-based discrimination, which persists in all spheres of society.

Swachhotsav, a 3-week long women-led cleanliness campaign under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0, has been launched by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. It aims to recognize and celebrate the shift from women in sanitation to women-led sanitation. The Women Icons leading Sanitation & Waste Management (WINS) Challenge-2023 was also announced during the launch event.

Nagaland’s first woman Minister Salhoutuonuo Kruse assumes office on Women’s Day eve. Salhoutuonuo Kruse made history by becoming Nagaland’s first woman minister. The berth in the Nagaland cabinet led by Neiphiu Rio came five days after she and Hekani Jakhalu were elected as the first women MLAs of the State. Both represent the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

Colonel Geeta Rana of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers has taken over command of an independent field workshop in the Eastern Ladakh region with China after the Indian Army recently approved women officers for command posts. She is the first woman officer to do so. The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers’ Colonel Geeta Rana is the first female officer to assume control of an Independent Field Workshop in a remote and forward area in Eastern Ladakh.

Xi Jinping began an unprecedented third term as China’s president after he was endorsed by a unanimous vote from the 2,977-member National People’s Congress (NPC). Xi will head a hand-picked party and government team tasked with steering the world’s second-largest economy through challenges at home and abroad over the next five years. After the voting, Xi took a constitutional oath, as both the country’s president and head of its military – a symbolic move to show the significance of the constitution after it was revised five years ago to scrap the presidential term limit, add Xi’s political theory and emphasize the party’s leadership of China.

Dr Manik Saha was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state of Tripura for the second term. The BJP won 32 seats while its ally IPFT got one seat in the assembly polls conducted.
The TIPRA Motha, a regional party headed by Pradyot Kishore Debbarma emerged as the main opposition party securing 13 seats.