NATIONAL NEWS

NCPCR Celebrates its 17th Foundation Day

• On 01 March, 2022 the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) celebrated its 17th Foundation Day at Red Fort, New Delhi.
• Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani launched the new motto of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
• It was organized by the Chairperson of NCPCR, Shri Priyank Kanoongo.
• On the occasion, exhibition based on freedom fighters' stories was organised by Border Security Forces (BSF) in collaboration with NCPCR to know the sacrifices of freedom fighters to the next generation.

BEE Observes its 20th Foundation Day

• Under the Ministry of Power, The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), commemorated its 20th Foundation Day on 01 March 2022, by organizing the National Innovation Conclave on Low Carbon Technologies.

• Shri R.K. Singh emphasized that there is a need to establish a strong ecosystem for innovation showing benefits of energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reduction potential when deployed at a large scale in industrial and commercial sectors.

• Facility for Low Carbon Technology Deployment (FLCTD) is a project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in collaboration with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
• More than 35 innovators participated in the exposition organised under the event.

National Conclave on ‘Social Enterprises for Garbage Free Cities’

• On 03 March 2022, The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) will organize a national conclave on ‘Social Enterprises for Garbage Free Cities: Encouraging Women Entrepreneurs in Waste management’ in collaboration with the Government of Chhattisgarh in Raipur.

• The day-long event will serve as a platform for learning on various centralised and decentralized waste management practices, as part of the Mission’s capacity building initiatives for States and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
• The event will also release the “National Capacity Building Framework for Garbage Free Cities” under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 which was launched by Prime Minister with vision of “waste from wealth”.
• It will help build capabilities of relevant stakeholders to strengthen the urban sanitation sector in the country.
• Chhattisgarh has been adjudged the Cleanest State in India in the category of ‘more than 100 ULBs’ for 3 years under Swachh Survekshan and the Best State in the SafaiMitra Suraksha Challenge run by MoHUA.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman to Launch Major e-Governance Initiative

• The 46th Civil Accounts Day is celebrated on 2nd March 2022 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, Janpath, New Delhi.

• During the occasion Finance Minister Sitharaman launched a major e-governance initiative - the Electronic Bill processing system as part of ease of doing business and Digital India eco-system.
• The e-Bill system will be implemented across all Central Ministries and Departments to enhance transparency, efficiency, and a faceless- paperless payment system.
• With this initiative, suppliers and contractors will now be able to submit their claim online which will be trackable in real-time basis.
• The finance minister had announced e-governance initiative in the Union Budget 2022-2023.

Bilateral Swap Arrangement Between India and Japan

• On 28 February 2022, Japan and India renewed the Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA).

• The Bank of Japan, acting as agent for the Minister of Finance of Japan, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed the Amendment and Restatement Agreement of the BSA.
• The BSA is a two-way arrangement where both authorities can swap their local currencies in exchange for the US Dollar. The size of the BSA remains unchanged 75 billion USD.
• BSA aims to strengthen financial cooperation between the two countries and contribute to regional and global financial stability.
• The first BSA was signed between RBI and Bank of Japan in 2018.

FSSAI to Issue Health Star Rating for Packaged Food

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced that it will introduce star rating for packaged food to educate consumers about the nutrition profile of the food they are consuming.

• Packaged foods will display a number of stars on the Front of Pack Label (FOPL) to indicate whether the item is healthy or unhealthy.

• The system will be similar to the one that is being used by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency for assessing the energy efficiency in electrical devices.
• The star rating will be determined by the amount of fats, sugar, and salt in the food item.
• The display of star ratings was recommended by a study conducted by IIM Ahmedabad and Dexter Consultancy Pvt Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Bangladesh Signs Agreement With ADB

• The Government of Bangladesh signed two separate agreements for loans worth USD 292 million with Asian Development Bank.

• This is to finance different development projects on tackling river erosion across the country and to supply clean water in Dhaka.

• The first agreement of worth USD 157 million will help mitigate flood and riverbank erosion risks, strengthen climate resilience, and promote knowledge-based solutions along the Jamuna, Padma, and Ganges Rivers.
• The second agreement of worth USD 135 million is expected to improve access and quality of inclusive water supply services, while promoting environmentally sustainable surface water supply in Dhaka.
• In addition to this, the Government of Netherlands will provide USD 17.89 million in technical assistance grant, to be administered by ADB, to help finance the second tranche of the program, and promote innovations, and capacity building.

BANKING

Bank Of Maharashtra Launches Project “Bank Sakhi”

• Bank of Maharashtra has tied up with Mahagram & Sunivesh India Finance Services Pvt Ltd to launch ‘Bank Sakhi’ project in Odisha.

• It would provide financial technology and infrastructure support to increase rural financial inclusion to the people of Odisha.

• As part of the tie-up, the company appointed more than 11,000 bank sakhis (women) on the BharatATM platform to help the rural citizens avail basic banking services at their doorstep.
• It offers account opening, Aadhar enabled payment services, and various banking services at places where there are no banks within accessible limits.

About BoM:

• HQ: Pune, Maharashtra.

• MD & CEO: A S Rajeev.

About Mahagram:

• HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• CEO: Ram Shriram.

Union Bank of India with Ambit Finvest

• Union Bank of India has announced a co-lending agreement with Ambit Finvest Private Limited, a Non-Deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) of the Ambit Group lending to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) customers.

• It facilitates credit of MSMEs in 11 states that are currently covered by Ambit Finvest.

• Through this innovative, MSMEs will enjoy a lower rate of interest, translating into a lower cost of funds, helping them deploy more capital effectively in their business.
• This initiative is also part of Union Bank’s commitment to support the MSMEs by providing tailor-made financial solutions and accelerating the growth of MSMEs to contribute to the country’s economic development.

About Union Bank of India:

• HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• MD & CEO: Rajkiran Rai G.

About Ambit Finvest:

• HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• CEO: Sanjay Agarwal.

SPORTS

Saurabh Chaudhary Bags Gold Medal in 10m Air Pistol

• The 19-year-old Indian shooter, Saurabh Chaudhary won India's first gold medal at the International Sports Federation World Cup conducted in Cairo, Egypt.

• He has clinched gold medal in the category of Men’s 10m Air Pistol.

• He defeated German player Michael Schwald by shot 16-6.

Para Archery World Championships

• Indian, para-archer Pooja Jatyan became the first Indian to win a silver in an individual section of the Para Archery World Championships 2022 in Dubai.

• Pooja Jatyan lost to Italian Petrilli Vincenza.

• Earlier, in the compound mixed pair Shyam Sundar Swami and Jyoti Baliyan won a silver medal, the country's first medal in the World Archery Para Championships
• India has won 2 Silver medals for the first time in the Para Archery World Championship.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Chairman of NAAC

• Former vice-chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Professor Bhushan Patwardhan has been appointed as chairperson of the executive committee of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

• Patwardhan is currently a member of an advisory committee constituted by the Ministry of AYUSH. He has over 40 years of experience in higher education, scientific research, and institutional governance.

• He served as the vice-chairman of UGC until March 2021.
• He succeeds Jagadish Kumar who was appointed as the chairman of UGC.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Civil Defence Day 2022

• World Civil Defence is observed every year on 01 March.
• The theme of the day is “Civil Defence and the first aider in every home”.
• It is celebrated to raise awareness and bring the attention of the world public to the vital importance of civil protection.
• The day was created to pay tribute to the efforts of national services responsible for the fight against disasters
• It also creates awareness of the need for self-protection and preventative measures in the event of accidents or disasters.

Zero Discrimination Day

• The Zero Discrimination Day is observed every year on 01st March.
• The theme of the day is “Remove laws that harm, create laws that empower”.
• The day was first observed on March 1, 2014 and was launched by UNAIDS released its Zero Discrimination Campaign on World AIDS Day.
• It is celebrated to honour everyone’s right to a productive and dignified life.
• Inclusion, compassion, and peace are promoted on Zero Discrimination Day.

Janaushadhi Diwas Week

• Janaushadhi Diwas week is observed from 1st March to 7th March, 2022. This year marks the 4th edition.

• Theme of Janaushadhi Diwas is “Jan Aushadhi-Jan Upyogi”.

• This will generate awareness about the usages of generic medicines and benefits of Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana.
• It was organized by Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizer.
• The Government has set a target to increase the number of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) to 10,500 by the end of March 2025.