Current Affairs

Prez Murmu to launch Catch The Rain 2023 Campaign in New Delhi; Also to confer Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman

President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023, under various categories of the Swachh Bharat Mission - Grameen, Jal Jeevan Mission and National Water Mission, in New Delhi on 4th March 2023, Saturday.
 
During the function, the President will launch the Jal Shakti Abhiyan - Catch the Rain 2023 campaign with the theme of source sustainability for drinking water. She will also launch a video on 'Jal Shakti se Nari Shakti' and a commemorative stamp. The President will also release 'Swachh Sujal Shakti Ki Abhivyakti', which is a compendium of case stories from Swachh Bharat Mission - Grameen, Jal Jeevan Mission and National Water Mission.



Youth Affairs & Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to launch Yuva Utsava - India@2047 from Ropar in Punjab

Youth Affairs and Sports and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur will launch Yuva Utsava - India@2047 from Ropar in Punjab on 4th March, Saturday.
 
He will also launch the Dashboard of Yuva Utsav during the event. Yuva Utsava will be simultaneously hosted at Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Haridwar in Uttrakhand, Dhar and Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, Saraikela in Jharkhand, Kapurthala in Punjab, Jalgaon in Maharashtra, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Karimnagar in Telangana, Palakkad in Kerala and Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.



RBI imposes Rs 3.06 Crore penalty on Amazon Pay (India)

Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of three crore six lakh sixty six thousand rupees on Amazon Pay (India) Private Limited for non-compliance of certain directions related to Prepaid Payment Instruments and Know Your Customer.
 
Accordingly, a notice was issued and decision to impose the penalty was taken after considering the entity’s response. In a press release, RBI said that the action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the entity with its customers.



President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate International Dharma-Dhamma Conference in Bhopal today

President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate 7th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh today.

Governor Mangubhai Patel and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will also be present at the conference.

AIR correspondent reports, The three-day International Dharma-Dhamma conference, focused on the principle of humanism in the new era, will conclude on March 5.



World Wildlife Day 2023: Why this day and the underlying CITES agreement are significant

March 3 is known as World Wildlife Day (WWD), marked annually to draw attention to issues of conservation of flora and fauna. The WWD site states, “This year, the theme is ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’. It will allow us to celebrate all conservation efforts, from intergovernmental to local scale.”

It is further expanded into the conservation of marine life and oceans, and on collaborating with businesses and funding conservation activities. “Successful partnerships for conservation must find ways of including business if we are to reverse the loss in biodiversity,” it adds.



Vietnam parliament elects Vo Van Thuong as new President

Vietnam's National Assembly on Thursday elected Vo Van Thuong as the country's new President, in a reshuffle of the country's top leadership amid an anti-graft campaign. In an extraordinary session, lawmakers confirmed Thuong after the ruling Communist Party nominated him on Wednesday as President.

Thuong's election follows the sudden resignation of his predecessor Nguyen Xuan Phuc in January, who the Party blamed for wrongdoing.



Supreme Court rules selection of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners to be done by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader Of Opposition and CJI

The Supreme Court today ruled that appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Elections Commissioners will be done by the President on the advice of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice K.M. Joseph said, this panel will be enforced until a law in this regard is made by Parliament. The bench was hearing a batch of petitions seeking reform in the process for the appointment of members of the Election Commission of India. The top court emphasized that the Election Commission has to remain aloof from all forms of subjugation by the executive. The top court emphasised that the Election Commission is duty bound to act in a fair and legal manner and to abide by the provisions of the Constitution.



India’s GDP is currently ranking 5th on world economy index, which will go up to 4th by this year’s end: MoS Rajkumar Rajan Singh

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Rajan Singh said, India’s GDP is currently ranking fifth on the world economy index, which will go up to fourth by this year’s end and overtake the position of Germany.

He said this after the inauguration of the G-20 Business Conference (B20) at Aizawl in Mizoram today. The theme of the conference was India Initiatives in the North East - Conference on opportunities for multilateral business partnerships.

Addressing the event, Minister Rajkumar Rajan said that India’s G20 presidency is benefiting people to a larger extent, including expanding employment opportunities, it will also open doors to South East Asian nations.



Health Ministry celebrates Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2023 today

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), States and Union Territories are celebrating the 5th Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2023 across the country.

It is being celebrated under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).

The Ministry said that more than thirty-four Pratigya Yatras were conducted yesterday across the country. Out of which, eight Yatras have been led by Members of Parliament.



Health Ministry gets Porter Prize 2023 for Government's strategy in managing COVID-19

Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has received the Porter Prize 2023. It recognized the government's strategy in managing COVID-19, also the approach, and involvement of various stakeholders especially involvement of ASHA workers in the industry to create PPE Kits.

The prize was announced during The India Dialog at Stanford University. The country's contribution in developing and manufacturing vaccines was also lauded.

Porter Prize is named after award-winning economist Michael E. Porter.