DAILY GK 22-23 MAR
1.
SIX MADHYA PRADESH HERITAGE SITES
INCLUDED IN UNESCO’S TENTATIVE LIST
·
Six heritage
sites in Madhya Pradesh (MP) were included in the tentative list of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World
Heritage Sites (WHS).
·
The six sites are Gwalior
Fort, Khooni Bhandara, Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple, the Rock art sites of
Chambal Valley, the historic ensemble of Dhamnar, and the Gond monuments of
Ramnagar.
·
UNESCODirector-General –
Audrey Azoulay
·
Headquarters –
Paris, France
·
Established in –
1945 (came into force in 1946)
2.
INDIA’S 1ST INDOOR ATHLETICS CENTRE
·
Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister (CM) of
Odisha, has inaugurated India’s first Indoor Athletics Centre and
a state-of-the-art indoor aquatic hub at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar,
Odisha.
·
MondoSpA, an Italian firm, has set up a
10,000 sq metre track, a first of its kind in India. The stadium has facilities
to conduct long jump, triple jump,100m, and 200m race, Pole vault and shot put.
·
The Kalinga Stadium, India’s largest indoor
athletics stadium, is a multi-purpose international sports complex in
Bhubaneswar, Odisha
·
Kalinga Indoor Athletics Arena Track and
Field received the World Class 1 Athletics Facility Certificate from World
Athletics in December 2023.
3.
RATAN TATA RECEIVES PV NARASIMHA
RAO MEMORIAL AWARD
·
Ratan Naval Tata was awarded the
prestigious PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award for his outstanding
contributions in the field of Philanthropy.
·
RatanTatai.The
Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons was born on 28 December 1937, in the
erstwhile Bombay Presidency (Mumbai, Maharashtra).
·
He served as the Chairman of Tata
Sons from 1991 to 2012 and as Interim Chairman from October 2016 to
February 2017.
·
On February 9, 2024, the Prime Minister
of India, Narendra Modi, announced that PV Narasimha Rao would be posthumously
awarded the Bharat Ratna, the India’s highest civilian award.
4.
GOVERNOR OF TELANGANA
& LG OF PUDUCHERRY
·
Jharkhand Governor C.P.
Radhakrishnan took additional charge as the
Governor of Telangana
·
He was also given additional charge as
the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Puducherry.
·
In the exercise of power under Article
155 of the Indian constitution, President DraupadiMurmu has appointed
C.P. Radhakrishnan as a governor of Telangana and LG of Puducherry.
·
Under Article 159, The
oath of office to the governor is administered by the chief justice(CJ) of the
concerned state high court, and in his absence, the senior-most judge of that
court.
5.
UK SUCCESSFULLY TESTED ITS 1ST
LASER WEAPON “DRAGONFIRE“
·
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the
United Kingdom (UK) has successfully tested its 1st-ever Laser-Directed
Energy Weapon (LDEW), named “DragonFire”, at the Hebrides
Range, located off the northwest coast of Scotland, UK.
·
The MOD Hebrides Range is a
115,000-square-kilometer site of sanitised airspace with unlimited altitude.
6.
WORLD SPARROW DAY 2024 – MARCH 20
·
World Sparrow Day (WSD)
is annually observed across the globe on 20 March to raise
awareness about the importance of sparrows or house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
for biodiversity and the ecosystem
·
The theme
for WSD is “I LOVE Sparrows”.
7.
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE
ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION 2024 – MARCH 21
·
The United Nations (UN)’s International
Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is annually observed
across the globe on 21st March to create awareness about the
challenges faced by people of African descent.
·
Theme: “A Decade of
Recognition, Justice, and Development: Implementation of the
International Decade for People of African Descent”.
·
UN Human RightsHeadquarters–
Geneva, Switzerland
8.
GRID-INDIA
GRANTED MINIRATNA CATEGORY-I STATUS
·
Grid Controller of India Limited (GRID-INDIA)
has designated as a Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector
Enterprise (CPSE) by the Ministry of Power, Government of India,
·
GRID-INDIA, formerly known as Power
System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO).
·
Miniratna Category-I:Must have
made profit in the last threeyears continuously.
·
Pre-tax profit of Rs. 30 crores
or more in at least one of the three years.
·
Positive net worth.
9.
SARASWATI SAMMAN 2023
·
The renowned Malayalam poet and
author Prabha Varma has been named the recipient of Saraswati Samman 2023 for
his poetic work titled “Roudra Sathwikam”.
·
He is the 33rd recipient
of Saraswati Samman which is annually presented by the K.K Birla
Foundation.
·
Saraswati Samman, instituted
in 1991, recognises outstanding literary works in Indian
languages, mentioned in Schedule 8 of the constitution, published in the
last 10 years.
·
The award carries a cash prize of Rs
15 lakh, a citation and plaque.
·
The inaugural award was presented to Harivansh
Rai Bachchan in 1991 for his four-volume autobiography Kya Bhooloon, Kya
Yaad Karoon, Need Ka Nirman Phir, Basere Se Door, Dashdwar Se
Sopan Talk.
·
Besides the Sarawati Samman, the
Vyas Samman and Bihari Puraskar are other awards instituted by the foundation.
10. CHAIRMAN
OF IBA FOR 2023-24
·
MatamVenkata Rao (MV Rao),
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of the Central Bank
of India, was elected as the Chairman of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA)
for the term 2023-2024.
·
He succeeds Atul Kumar Goel(AK Goel), MD
& CEO of Punjab National Bank(PNB) who served as chairman of IBA (2022-23).
·
IBA is a premier service organisation of
the banking industry in India.
·
Headquarters–
Mumbai, Maharashtra
·
Established in 1946
11. PRIME
MINISTER OF PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
·
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has
appointed Mohammad Mustafa as the Prime Minister (PM)
of the Palestinian Authority (PA), formerly the Palestinian National Authority,
officially known as the State of Palestine.
·
He succeeds Mohammad Shtayyeh, who
resigned from the post in February 2024 due to developments related to the
Israeli conflict in Gaza.
·
The PA was formed in 1994 as part of the
Oslo Accords peace process between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
·
Palestine has no specific currency form,
and it mainly uses three currencies: Israeli shekels (ILS), United States
dollars (USD), and Jordanian dinars (JOD).
·
President–
Mahmoud Abbas
·
Capital – Jerusalem
12. PRESIDENT
OF INDONESIA
·
Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo has
been elected as the new President of Indonesia
·
He is scheduled to become the eighth
president of Indonesia in October 2024 and will replace Joko
Widodo.
·
After running for president three times,
he was victorious in the February 2024 presidential election with 58.6% of the
total vote.
·
IndonesiaCapital –
Jakarta
·
Currency – Indonesian
Rupiah
13. WORLD
POETRY DAY 2024 – MARCH 21
·
The United Nations (UN) World
Poetry Day is annually observed across the globe on 21 March to
support linguistic diversity through poetic expression across cultures and
languages.
·
The 2024 theme of World
Poetry Day is, “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.”
14. WORLD DOWN SYNDROME
DAY 2024 – MARCH 21
·
The United Nations (UN)’s World
Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is annually observed across the globe
on 21 March to raise public awareness of Down syndrome and
advocate for the rights, inclusion, and well-being of people with Down
syndrome.
·
The 2024 theme of WDSD
is “End The Stereotypes”.
·
Ribbon: The
Blue & Yellow Awareness Ribbon represents Down Syndrome.
15. INDIA'S FOREX RESERVES REACH
$636.095 BILLION
·
According to the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI), India'sforeign exchange reserves surged by $10.47 billionto reach
$636.095 billion for the week ended March 8,2024.
·
India's forex reserves had reached an
all-time high of $645 billion in October 2021.
·
Foreign exchange reserves (also called
forex reserves or FX reserves) are cash and other reserve assets such as gold
held by a central bank or other monetary authority that are primarily available
to balance payments of the country, influence the foreign exchange rate of its
currency, and to maintain confidence in financial markets.
16. RBI
PURCHASES 8.7 TONNES OF GOLD IN JANUARY 2024
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bought
8.7 tonnes of gold in January 2024,making it the largest purchase by the
central bank since July 2022
·
Purpose
of Gold Purchase: The central bank is diversifying its forex
reserves and hedging against foreign currency risks by adding gold to its
reserves.
·
World
Gold Council (WGC) :Headquarters : London
17. NEW CBSE CHIEF
·
Rahul
Singh has been appointed chairperson of the Central Board
of Secondary Education (CBSE),
·
The CBSE is a national level board of
education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by
the Government of India (GoI).
18. ORDNANCE FACTORIES DAY 2024: MARCH
18
·
The British authorities in 1775
established a Board of Ordnance in Fort William, Kolkata, which marks the
official beginning of the Army Ordnance in India.
·
In 1801, the British established a Gun
Carriage Agency at Cossipore, Kolkata and production started on March 18, 1802.
·
This heralded the first industrial
establishment of Ordnance Factories in India and they continue to operate to
date.
19. STRESS TEST REVEALS HIGHER RISKS
FOR LARGE MUTUAL FUNDS
·
The market regulator, Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI), mandated a stress test on mid- and small-cap
mutual fund schemes.
·
The test revealed that some larger fund
houses may face higher risks compared to their smaller counterparts.
·
According to Association of Mutual Funds
in India (AMFI) data, it would take between 60 and 3 days to liquidate 50% of a
small-cap portfolio and 30 to 2 days to offload 25% during heavy redemption.
·
SEBI Established : 12 April 1988 as an executive
body
and was given statutory powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992
·
Headquarters
: Mumbai, Maharashtra
·
Chairman
:MadhabiPuriBuch
(first woman to lead the SEBI)
·
SEBI
is the regulatory body for securities and commodity
markets in India under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance (MoF),
Government of India (GoI).
20. SANGITA KALANIDHI AWARD
·
Noted Carnatic vocalist and Magsaysay
award winner T.M. Krishna has been
selected for the SangitaKalanidhiaward of the Music Academy for 2024.
·
The Sangita
Kala Acharya awards will be presented to mridhangam player Parasala Ravi
(V. Raveendran Nair) and vocalist Geetha Raja.
21. NEW CHAIRMAN OF PRASAR BHARATI
·
Breaking a four-year vacancy, the Indian
government has appointed Navneet Kumar
Sehgal, a retired bureaucrat, as the new Chairman of PrasarBharati, the country's public service broadcaster.
·
Sehgal’s term will last for 3 years or until he reaches the age of 70, whichever comes earlier.
·
The order stated that the President had
made the appointment on the selection
committee’s recommendation.
·
The
three-member panel comprised Dhankhar, Justice
Ranjana Desai (retd), the Chairperson of the Press Council of India, and Information
and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju.
·
PrasarBharati is India’s largest public
broadcasting agency.
·
It was established by the PrasarBharati Act of 1990, which came into effect in 1997.
·
PrasarBharati oversees the operations of Doordarshan, the national
television network, and All India Radio, the national public radio broadcaster.
22. 5 PSB TO REDUCE GOVERNMENT
SHAREHOLDING
·
5 public sector lenders, including Bank
of Maharashtra, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), and UCO Bank, intend to decrease
government stake to less than 75% to adhere to the Securities and Exchange
Board of India’s (SEBI) Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) norms.
·
Out of the 12 public sector banks
(PSBs), 4 met the MPS norms as of March 31, 2023.
·
During the current financial year, 3
more PSBs have achieved the minimum 25% public float.
·
Currently, government holding in
Delhi-based Punjab & Sind Bank is
98.25 per cent.
·
It is followed by Chennai-based Indian Overseas Bank at 96.38 per cent,
UCO Bank 95.39 per cent, CentralBank of India 93.08 per cent,
Bank of Maharashtra at 86.46 per cent.
·
SEBI’s
MPS Norms: SEBI mandates that all listed companies maintain a
minimum public shareholding of 25%.
23. INDIA AND USA DISASTER RELIEF
EXERCISE 'TIGER TRIUMPH - 24'
·
India and the United States (US), a bilateral
tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise between
both countries, Tiger Triumph – 24
·
Phases
of the Exercise: Harbour Phase & Sea Phase
24. AIR QUALITY INDEX 2023
·
New
Delhi is ranked the world’s most polluted capital city
for the fourth consecutive year since 2018.
·
Bihar’s
Begusarai has emerged as the world’s most polluted metropolitan area.
·
India had the third worst air quality after
Bangladesh and Pakistan.
25. RESERVE BANK OF INDIA PENALIZES
TAMILNAD MERCANTILE BANK AND DCB
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has,
imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1.3
croreon Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited (TMBL) for non-compliance with
certaindirections issued by RBI on ‘Interest Rate on Advances’ and ‘Central
Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) - Revision in Reporting’.
·
Also RBI imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 63.6 lakh on DCB Bank Limited for
non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Interest Rate on
Advances’
·
TMB failed to benchmark interest rates
on certain floating-rate loans to MSMEs to an external benchmark lending rate.
·
DCB Bank failed to reset interest rates
at prescribed periodicity in certain MCLR linked floating-rate advances.
