Daily Current Affairs – 21 March 2023

This post contains the current affairs for 21 March 2023. These current affairs are important for banking exams, insurance exams and other competitive exams like IBPS PO and Clerk, SBI PO and Clerk, RBI Assistant and Grade B, etc. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.

National

Union Minister S&T, Jitendra Singh inaugurates Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope at Devasthal in Uttarakhand

• Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, inaugurated Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) at Devasthal in Uttarakhand, on March 21, 2023.
• The telescope is located at an altitude of 2450 metre at the Devasthal Observatory campus of Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES).
• ARIES is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), GoI, located in Nainital district, Uttarakhand.
• ILMT has been designed and built by the Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS) Corporation and the Centre Spatial de Liège in Belgium.
• The ILMT is the first liquid mirror telescope designed exclusively for astronomical observations. It is the largest aperture telescope in the country. It is also the first optical survey telescope in India.

Committee

IFSCA sets up panel to onshore Indian innovation to GIFT IFSC; Head – G. Padmanabhan

• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has formed an expert committee to create a roadmap to encourage Indian startups/fintech domiciled abroad to relocate to the GIFT City in Gujarat.
• The committee will be chaired by G. Padmanabhan, former Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• The committee will consist of representatives from leading Venture Capital funds, Startups, Fintechs, Law firms, Tax firms and other domain experts.
• Objective of this committee:
• Identify critical issues necessary for the development of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) IFSC as a global Fintech hub.
• Suggest measures to encourage new Fintechs having a global outlook to establish their commercial presence in GIFT IFSC.

Defence Exercise

India-Africa military exercise AFINDEX 2023 begins in Pune

• The second edition of the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX 2023) is being held at the Aundh Military Station in Pune from March 21, 2022.
• The 10-day exercise will focus on Humanitarian Mine Assistance and United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.
• Basic objective of AFINDEX is to strengthen India-Africa relations, with a focus on enhancing peace and security.
• Overall 23 African nations are part of this mega military exercise.
• Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande will host an ‘India-Africa Chiefs Conclave’ on March 28, 2023.

Agreements

Himachal Pradesh signs MoU with French Agency, AFD, to improve drinking water & sanitation in 5 towns

• The State Government of Himachal Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Development Agency ‘Agence Francaise de Developpment (AFD)’, to improve drinking water and sanitation services in five towns of the state.
• The total value of the project is Rs 817.12 crore.
• It will be used to develop better sewerage facilities in five towns of the state which includes Manali, Bilaspur, Palampur, Nahan and Karsog.

IMF approves $15.6 billion loan for Ukraine; becomes first nation at war to get IMF Loan

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a loan worth $15.6 billion for Ukraine.
• This is for the first time in IMF’s 77-year history that the agency has set up the loan for nation at war.
• This comprehensive loan program will span for over four years and is divided into two phases.
• In the first phase Ukraine will take measures to strengthen fiscal, external, price and financial stability, and in the second phase Ukraine will work to bolster macroeconomic stability and support the nation’s recovery and reconstruction.

Appointment

Manmeet K Nanda appointed Managing Director & CEO of Invest India

• Manmeet K Nanda has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Invest India.
• He succeeds Deepak Bagla, who resigned from the post recently.
• Invest India is the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation body under the Ministry of Commerce, to help investors looking for investment opportunities and options in India.

Ranking

Mukesh Ambani only Indian among world’s top 10 billionaires: Hurun Global Rich List

• Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), is the only Indian to feature in the list of the world’s top 10 billionaires, according to 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List.
• The report has been compiled by research platform Hurun in coordination with real-estate group M3M.
• The 2023 M3M Hurun Global rich list is the 12th Edition of the annual report.
• Mr Ambani is placed at ninth rank globally with a net worth of $82 billion.
• He has also retained the title of wealthiest Asian for the third consecutive year.
• Top 10 Billionaires in M3M Hurun Global Rich List 2023 
• Top 10 Indian Billionaires in M3M Hurun Global Rich List 2023
• India has third highest self-made billionaires: 2023 Hurun Global Rich List.
• Jeff Bezos biggest losers’ in 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List

Award

Madras Music Academy confers Bombay Jayashri with Sangita Kalanidhi award

• Renowned Carnatic vocalist and musician Bombay Jayashri have been chosen for the Sangita Kalanidhi award for the year 2023, by The Music Academy.
• The Sangeetha Kalanidhi title is awarded annually to a Carnatic musician by the Madras Music Academy.
• The award will be presented on January 1, 2024, during the 97th annual conference and concerts of the Music Academy between December 15, 2023, and January 1, 2024.
• Other Awardees
  • The Nritiya Kalanidhi award for dance – Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari. 
  • The Sangita Kala Acharya award – Carnatic vocalist Palkulangara Ambika Devi and mridhangam player KS Kalidas.
  • TTK award – thavil player Thirunageswaram TR Subramaniam and Sargunanatha Odhuvar, an Odhuvar at Chennai’s Kapaleeswarar temple since 1998
  • Musicologist Award – Dr Arimalam S Padmanabhan, a researcher for over 20 years in the field of Classical music, dance, theatre, folk arts and classical Tamil literature. . 

Sports

Shooter Sarabjot Singh bags Gold medal in Men’s 10m air pistol event at 2023 ISSF World Cup Shooting Championship in Bhopal

• The 2023 International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shooting Championship began in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on March 21, 2023.
• This is the first ever ISSF Shooting World Cup organised in India outside New Delhi.
• India’s Sarabjot Singh bagged Gold Medal in the Men’s 10m air pistol category.

Important Days

World Water Day 2023: 22 March

• The World Water Day is a United Nations (UN) observance day held annually on March 22 to highlight the importance of freshwater.
• World Water Day Theme 2023: “Accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.”
• The UN World Water Development Report (WWDR) is released each year around World Water Day.

Click Here For Daily Current Affairs

Click Here for Daily Current Affairs Quiz