Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: March 17, 2023

The General Awareness section of any banking exam or any competitive exam is the easiest and most qualifying section of all. But only if you follow the current affairs or happenings daily! All you have to do to follow the topmost current affairs for that particular day is to just bookmark this page and the information will be presented to you on a daily basis.

National Vaccination Day 2023: 16 March

• The Government of India observes 16 March as National Vaccination Day to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work of frontline healthcare workers to ensure the vaccination of every child.
• The day was first observed on 16 March 1995, when the Indian government introduced the Pulse Polio Immunisation program to combat polio.

Additional Information about Polio

• Causes: Poliovirus spread by the faecal-oral route
• Prevention: Polio vaccine
• Father of polio vaccine: Jonas Edward Salk

Question: 1

On which date is National vaccination day celebrated?

(A) 15 March

(B) 12 March

(C) 16 March

(D) 9 March

Answer: C

Check out the Highlights of the Economic Survey 2022-23 by clicking on the link given below:
Economic Survey 2022-23

India- Kyrgyzstan hold 10th edition of joint exercise ‘Khanjar’

• Exercise Khanjar is an annual joint military exercise with Kyrgyzstan that aims to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries.
• This year marks the 10th edition of the joint special forces military training, which commenced at Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan

Additional Information of Indian Army

• Indian Army Day: 15 January
• First Commander in Chief of the Indian Army: K.M. Cariappa
• Current Commander in Chief of the Indian Army: General Manoj Pande

Question: 2

‘Khanjar’ is a joint military exercise between which country and India?

(A) Iran

(B) Indonesia

(C) Sri Lanka

(D) Kyrgyzstan

Answer: D

Indian Coast Guard Region (North East) is conducting the 4th edition of the Table top exercise

• Indian Coast Guard Region (North East) is conducting the fourth edition of Table top exercise under the aegis of Colombo Security Conclave from 14 March to 16 March. 
• A table top exercise means a security incident preparedness activity, taking participants through simulated incident scenarios and providing hands-on training for participants that can then highlight flaws in incident response planning. 

• Colombo Security Conclave representatives and observer countries, including Seychelles and Bangladesh, are participating in the exercise. 
• Discussions are being held on the topic of challenging maritime domains such as sea threats, anti-national elements, marine pollution response, and search and rescue operations.
• Colombo Security Conclave was formed in 2011 as a trilateral maritime security grouping of Sri Lanka, India and Maldives. Later, Mauritius was included as the fourth member. 
• The objective concerns the shared security of all littoral nations in the Indian Ocean Region.

Sikkim hosts the B20 meeting under India’s G20 presidency

• Sikkim today hosted a B20 or Business20 meeting under India’s G20 presidency in Gangtok
• The B20 is one of the most well-known engagement groups of the G20 and is the official G20 dialogue forum with the international business community.

Question: 3

Which Indian city hosted on 16 March the B20 meeting under India’s G20 presidency?

(A) Gangtok

(B) Guwahati 

(C) Imphal

(D) Kohima

Answer: A

13th edition of the joint exercise “Bold Kurukshetra” between Indian Army and Singapore Army

• A bilateral armour training exercise called Operation Bold Kurukshetra took place in Jodhpur Military Station in India from 6 to 13 March 2023. The Singapore Army and the Indian Army both participated in the 13th edition.

• Exercise Bold Kurukshetra is carried out in accordance with the bilateral agreement between the Indian Army and the Singapore Army for joint army training and exercises.
• This exercise, which was first conducted in 2005, emphasises the long-standing bilateral defence relationship between the two nations and strengthens coordination between the two forces.

Question: 4

Where did the bilateral armour training exercise called Operation Bold Kurukshetra between Indian Army and Singapore Army held?

(A) Bidar Air Force Station

(B) Jodhpur Military Station

(C) Kalaikunda Air Force Station

(D) Babina Military Station

Answer: B

RBI’s Shaktikanta Das bags “Governor of the Year” award

• Shaktikanta Das, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has been conferred recently with the Governor of the Year award by Central Banking Publications. 
• The financial publisher is known for its specialisation in public policy and financial markets, with a particular emphasis on central banks and international financial institutions. 
• Das has been instrumental in managing the Indian economy through challenging times since his appointment, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Das succeeds his predecessor Raghuram Rajan, who had won the award back in 2015.

About Das:

• Das, a veteran Tamil Nadu cadre officer, was appointed as the Union Revenue Secretary in June 2014. 
• As an economic affairs secretary, Das played a pivotal role in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout soon after the Modi government took charge. 
• He was also the key man behind the planning and execution of the demonetisation drive. 
• In December 2018, Das was appointed as the RBI Governor, succeeding Urjit Patel, who had left the post abruptly, citing ‘personal reasons’. 
• Das was instrumental in establishing the Monetary Policy Committee.

Question: 5

Who recently won the “Governor of the year” award? 

(A) Raghuram Rajan

(B) Urjit Patel

(C) Shaktikanta Das

(D) Y. Venugopal Reddy

Answer: C

Check out the Highlights of Union Budget 2023 by clicking on the link given below:
Union Budget 2023-24

Factbook: 16-March-2023

R Ashwin regains top spot in ICC Test bowlers rankings

• Senior India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s impressive performance in the fourth Test against Australia has helped him regain the top spot among bowlers in the latest ICC Rankings. 
• He reclaims the top spot in ICC Bowlers Rankings after a stellar performance in Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
• Ashwin grabbed six wickets for 91 runs in the drawn fourth Test and was the leading wicket-taker in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 25 scalps. 
• England seamer James Anderson is 10 rating points behind Ashwin in second place. 
• Meanwhile, Indian spinner Axar Patel climbed six places to 28 among bowlers and reached fourth place in the all-rounder’s list.
• Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli moved up seven places to the 13th position in the latest ICC batting rankings after his Player of the Match performance against Australia in the fourth Test. 

The US recognises McMahon Line as the international boundary between India and China

• The United States recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary between China and India’s Arunachal Pradesh, according to a bipartisan Senate resolution that sees Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India.  
• The resolution also pushes back against the People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims that Arunachal Pradesh is PRC territory, which is a part of the PRC’s increasingly aggressive and expansionist policies.
• “This bipartisan resolution expresses the Senate’s support for unequivocally recognising the state of Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India, condemning China’s military aggression to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control, and further enhancing the US–India strategic partnership and the Quad in support of the and Open Indo-Pacific”, Senator Bill Hagerty, who along with Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a resolution in the Senate said on 15 March.
• The resolution, which comes following the biggest clash between the Republic of India and China in the Eastern Sector along the Line of Actual Control in six years, reaffirms that the United States recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary between China and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• This resolution makes clear that the United States views the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Republic of India—not the People’s Republic of China—and commits the US to deepen support and assistance to the region alongside like-minded international partners and donors.

Kerala tops in literacy rate, followed by Lakshadweep, Mizoram: MoE

• According to the data shared by the education ministry Kerala has the highest literacy rate (94 %), followed by Lakshadweep (91.85%) and Mizoram (91.33 %). 
• The literacy rate in rural India is 67.77 per cent as compared to 84.11 per cent in urban India.
• According to the data shared by the Ministry of Education, Bihar (61.8 pc) has the lowest literacy, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (65.3 pc) and Rajasthan (66.1 pc).
• Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi shared this information in response to a written question in Lok Sabha.
• For Improvement of Literacy Rate: 
  • The central government assists states and union territories in implementing the Samagra Shiksha Scheme as a program.
  • To improve adult literacy rates, a centrally sponsored scheme called Saakshar Bharat was implemented in rural areas of 404 districts in 26 states and one union territory, which had a female literacy rate of 50% or below, according to Census 2001.

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