Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: March 14, 2023
Any competitive exam’s general awareness portion requires frequent habitual observation of daily events. If you are preparing for any competitive examination, and wish to score well in this section, you are in the right place. You will discover new things and keep up with the dynamic information that is transforming every day by following daily current affairs through Embibe Current Affairs series.
Current Affairs: National
CAG to chair G20 SAI meeting on ‘Blue economy’ in Assam
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, has been appointed as the chairperson for the G20 SAI (Supreme Audit Institutions) meeting being held in Guwahati, Assam from 13 to 15 March.
Murmu is leading the Supreme Audit Institutions-20 (SAI20) Engagement Group as the Chair under India’s G20 Presidency. As part of this role, the CAG will preside over the SAI20 Delegates Meeting.
Details:
The event will see the participation of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Oman, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
What is the ‘Blue Economy’?
‘Blue Economy’ refers to the sustainable utilisation of ocean resources to promote economic growth, improve livelihoods, and create jobs while preserving the health of our ecosystem.
Role of AI:
On the other hand, ‘Responsible AI’ is a governance framework that aims to establish guidelines for collecting and utilising data, evaluating AI models, and deploying and monitoring these models.
Fact:
Guwahati, known as the Gateway to Northeast India, is a cosmopolitan city famous for its rich culture and tradition, the celebration of festivals, cuisine, and people.
Question: 1
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Girish Chandra Murmu currently serves as the chairperson for the G20 SAI (Supreme Audit Institutions) meeting, being held in which of the following States/UT?
A. Maharashtra
B. Rajasthan
C. Delhi
D. Assam
Answer: D
Check out the Highlights of the Economic Survey 2022-23 by clicking on the link given below: Economic Survey 2022-23
Current Affairs: Awards and Recognitions
Institution of Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, MVC Memorial Trophy at Navy Children School
Smt Ameeta Mulla Wattal and Smt Anjali Kaul, daughters of Late Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, MVC, instituted a trophy at Navy Children School (NCS) Delhi on 11 Mar 2023 in honour of their father.
Who was Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla?
During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, on the night of 09 December 1971, INS Khukri was hit by torpedoes fired by an enemy submarine and sank.
Captain Mulla, without regard for his own personal safety, supervised the arrangements for the rescue of his ship’s company in a very relaxed, calm and methodical manner.
His actions, behaviour and the example he set have been in keeping with the highest traditions of the Service.
Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla displayed conspicuous gallantry and dedication and was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
Who has received the maiden trophy:
The award has been named ‘Captain MN Mulla, MVC, Memorial Outstanding Student Award’ and would be awarded to two students of NCS Delhi (a boy and a girl) selected based on Clarity of Vision, Courage of Conviction and Commitment.
An amount of ₹1.50 lakhs and a Rolling Trophy were handed over to the school on this occasion.
Question:
Recently a trophy named MVC has been instituted at Navy Children School (NCS) Delhi in honour of Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla. He was a veteran associated with which of the following Wars?
A. 1962
B. 1965
C. 1971
D. 1999
Answer: C
Current Affairs: National
India gets the world’s longest railway platform at Hubballi in Karnataka
Indian Railways’ South Western Railway (SWR) zone’s Hubballi got its name registered recently in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest railway platform in the World at Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji station.
About Hubballi station:
The Hubballi station has been constructed at the cost of ₹20.1 crores as part of the remodelling of the Hubballi yard.
To facilitate the easy receipt and dispatch of trains at Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Station, the yard remodelling was successfully commissioned with electronic interlocking in February 2021.
This station caters to the future transportation needs of the Hubballi-Dharwad region.
Station also enhances the operational capacity of the yard, addressing the need to hold/run additional trains in the future.
Simultaneously trains can be started in two directions.
The station avoids the detention of express trains while entering the station and saves time for passengers.
Fact:
Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway station Hubballi is an essential junction in Karnataka. Hubballi is a major hub of trade and commerce in the North Karnataka region.
This station is situated on the junction connecting railway lines towards Bengaluru (Davanagere side), Hosapete (Gadag side), and Vasco-Da-Gama/Belagavi (Londa side).
One of which, i.e., platform No. 8, measuring 1507 m, has earned the distinction as the longest railway platform in the world.
Question: 2
India gets the world’s longest railway platform at Hubballi in Karnataka. This station is part of which railway zone?
A. South Western Railway Zone
B. South Central Railway Zone
C. South East Central Railway Zone
D. Southern Railway Zone
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Awards and Recognitions
Poet Gayatribala Panda receives Kendriya Sahitya Akademi award
Poet Gayatribala Panda recently received the Central Sahitya Akademi Award for 2022 in New Delhi.
She received a prestigious award for her book of poetry ‘Daya Nadi’.
The book is about the Kalinga war, fought on the foothills of Dhauli, located on the banks of the Daya River.
Details:
She received a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a copper plaque, and a shawl which were given away at the event by Akademi president Madhav Kaushik.
She has so far authored 25 books that, include 12 collections of poems, two collections of short stories, four novels and one collection of essays.
About Sahitya Akademi Award:
The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the 8th Schedule to the Indian constitution as well as in English and Rajasthani language.
Established in 1954, the award comprises a plaque and a cash prize of ₹1,00,000.
The award’s purpose is to recognise and promote excellence in Indian writing and also acknowledge new trends.
Facts:
She also edits a literary magazine, ‘Anya’.
She is also the recipient of the first Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in Odia for her poetry collection ‘Gaan’ in 2011.
The ceremony also marked the beginning of Akademi’s literary festival, the Festival of Letters.
Question: 3
Who among the following has recently received the Central Sahitya Akademi Award for 2022?
A. Janardan Prasad Pandey
B. Madhuranthakam Narendra
C. Gayatribala Panda
D. Tapan Bandyopadhyay
Answer: C
Current Affairs: International
First India-Australia Annual Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently held delegation-level bilateral talks in New Delhi.
During the first India-Australia Annual Summit, both countries shared their commitment to further deepening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Details:
Both nations exchanged MoU for cooperation in sports and audio-visual co-production.
The two countries signed MoUs on cooperation in sports and audio-visual co-production and also exchanged terms of reference for Solar Taskforce.
The Indian and Australian sides also exchanged Terms of Reference for the India-Australia Solar Task Force, a Letter of Intent between the Atal Innovation Mission and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
India-Australia Relations:
The diplomatic relations were established with the establishment of the India Trade Office in Sydney in 1941.
The bilateral relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership (2009) and later to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020.
Economic Cooperation: Economic Cooperation Trade Agreement (ECTA) came into force from Dec 2022 and has resulted in 0% duty on almost 96% of Indian Exports to Australia. Bilateral trade was US$ 27.5 billion in 2021 (India has a trade deficit).
Defence cooperation: 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), joint military exercises like Malabar and AUSINDEX.
Check out the Highlights of Union Budget 2023 by clicking on the link given below: Union Budget 2023-24
Factbook: 13-March-2023
Cyclone Freddy
The Freddy cyclone, active for 33 days, is on track to become the longest-lasting tropical cyclone.
The current record is held by Hurricane/Typhoon John (1994), which lasted for 31 days.
As per climate experts, Freddy’s long life is fuelled by energy provided by the warm ocean surface. Also, there has not been much land interaction.
Conditions favourable for Tropical cyclone formation:
Large sea surface with a temperature higher than 27° C
Presence of Coriolis force
A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation
Upper divergence above sea level system
Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes)
In a first, Gujarat set to shift 10 Indian grey wolves from a conservation breeding centre to forested areas in an attempt to check the population of wild herbivores.
Indian wolf is a subspecies of the grey wolf inhabiting semi-arid and arid areas extending from the Indian subcontinent to Israel.
Threats include habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, retaliatory killing, and disease threats.
IUCN status: Least Concern.
IDFC Mutual Fund rebrands as Bandhan Mutual Fund
IDFC Mutual Fund, one of India’s largest mutual fund firms, is set to adopt a new brand identity as Bandhan Mutual Fund from 13 March 2023.
As part of the rebranding exercise, every scheme of the fund house will be renamed, with the word ‘IDFC’ being replaced by ‘Bandhan’.
The mutual fund firm stated that despite the change in name and logo, the underlying investment strategy, processes, and team would remain the same, allowing investors to benefit from the same high-quality investment approach that the fund house is renowned for.
The fund house has changed not only its name but also its logo to become Bandhan Mutual Fund.
Following the makeover, customers will notice the fresh IDFC Mutual Fund name and logo and exposure to the fund house’s dedicated website.
Karnataka: Senior citizens and people with disability to get the vote-from-home option
Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar recently announced that all senior citizens above 80 and people with disability would get a vote-from-home option in the Karnataka Assembly elections.
The term of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly is up to the time of 24 May 2023. So, the new Assembly has to be in place, and elections have to be completed before that.
Form 12D will be available within five days of the notification so that any 80-plus or PwD voter desirous of voting from home can be facilitated.
Question:
CEC of India Rajiv Kumar recently announced that all senior citizens above 80 and people with disability would get a vote-from-home option in the assembly elections of which of the following states?
A. TamilNadu
B. Kerala
C. Haryana
D. Karnataka
Answer: D
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar releases the book on Mundaka Upanishad
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar released the book ‘Mundaka Upanishad: The Bridge to Immortality’ on 9 March 2023.
The book is authored by Former Parliamentarian Dr Karan Singh at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas in New Delhi.
Karan Singh is an Indian Politician and Philosopher.
He is the son of the last ruling maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Hari Singh.
He was the prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952.
Scientists discover how to make electricity out of thin air
Australian scientists made a world-first discovery to make electricity out of thin air.
Monash University researchers discovered an enzyme called Huc, produced by a common bacteria found in soil, which naturally converts hydrogen in the air into electricity.
Experiments revealed it is possible to store purified Huc for long periods atzing temperatures without losing power to generate electricity.
The enzyme, named Huc, proved to be “astonishingly stable” and incredibly effective at generating “energy from thin air.
Unlike all other known enzymes and chemical catalysts, it uses hydrogen at amounts below atmospheric levels – as little as 0.00005 per cent of the air we breathe.
Experiments showed that purified Huc can be stored for extended amounts of time atzing temperatures or up to 80 degrees Celsius without losing its ability to produce energy.
Army instals tallest Iconic National Flag in hilly Doda district, Jammu and Kashmir
In Jammu and Kashmir, the Army recently installed the tallest ‘Iconic National Flag’ in the hilly Doda district.
The Tricolour installed on a 100 feet-high pole, the highest Tricolour in the Doda district, was unfurled by GOC Delta Force Maj Gen Ajay Kumar, along with Commander 9 sector RR Brig. Samir K Palande.
The 100-foot-high mast national flag, the first of its kind in the Doda district, is not only a proud moment for the Army only but for all the residents of the hilly district.
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano erupts, covering villages in ash
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted recently, spewing-pout smoke and ash that blanketed villages near the crater.
The Merapi Volcano Observatory estimated the ash cloud reached 9,600 feet above the summit.
The volcano is located on Java Island, near Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta.
The volcano’s last major eruption in 2010 claimed more than 300 lives and forced the evacuation of some 280,000 people.
Indonesia, which has nearly 130 active volcanoes, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
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