NATIONAL NEWS

India's First Hydrogen Fuel Cell EV

• Toyota has launched India’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered Electric Vehicle named Toyota Mirai at New Delhi.
• It the world’s most advanced technology inaugurated by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.
• It is a part of a pilot project that is being conducted by International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT) along with Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. to study and evaluate the performance of Toyota Mirai on Indian roads and climatic conditions.
• The vehicle is capable of providing a range up to 650km in a single charge with a refueling time of 5 minutes.
• It will help India to achieve ‘Energy Self-reliant’ by 2047.

Goa Declaration

• The "Goa Declaration" is a first-of-its-kind academic declaration towards achieving the UN's sustainable development goals.

• Over 20 Indian private universities and higher educational institutions (HEIs) signed a Goa Declaration at the conclusion of the three-day PACT2030 conclave held in Goa.

• It is signed to plan "better and improved" actions to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in their institutions and cities to strengthen India's net zero commitment.
• The PACT2030 (Pledge, Act, Change & Transform), a carbon-neutral conclave was organised by QS I-GAUGE which is a renowned agency for ranking of Indian educational institutions, from the UK-based QS Quacquarelli Symonds Group.

DRDO Constructs Multi-Storey Building

• India's premier defence research institute, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has built a multi-storey facility for flight control system at Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• They will have facilities for developing equipment for fighter aircraft and flight control system (FCS) for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project.
   It was constructed in record of 45 days at an estimated cost of Rs. 15, 000 crore.

• The building features, the design check and technical support was provided by teams from IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee.

Longest Vessel Sailing on Brahmaputra

• The MV Ram Prasad Bismil has become the longest vessel to sail from Ganga to the Brahmaputra.
• The 90-metre-long and 20-metre-wide cargo vessel along with two barges - DB Kalpana Chawla and DB APJ Abdul Kalam was flagged off from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Haldia by the Minister for Shipping, Ports and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.
• It carried 1793 metric tonnes of steel rods from Haldia in West Bengal to Pandu in Assam covering the distance through Bangladesh on the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR).
• The Inland Water Transport Authority of Bangladesh and India who worked together to achieve this feat.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Mahatma Gandhi Green Triangle

• Mahatma Gandhi Green Triangle named after Mahatma Gandhi has been unveiled in Madagascar to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

• Ambassador of India to Madagascar, Abhay Kumar and Mayor of Antananarivo Naina Andriantsitohaina inaugurated a Green Triangle.

• The word green in the plaque signifies their commitment to sustainable development and saving the environment.
• it will bring the Indian Diaspora in Madagascar closer to India and will raise awareness among the people about Mahatma Gandhi and the values of peace and non-violence.
• The event was attended by members of the local government, diplomatic corps, heads of international organisations, and members of the Indian Diaspora in Madagascar.

Sany India Partners with Nepal

• Sany India, a leading manufacturer of construction equipments, heavy machinery and renewable energy solutions recently partnered with Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal (FCAN) to host its 23rd Annual General Meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal.

• Sany machines are designed to help customers to earn a high return on their investment by enabling them to use it in multi-utility works.
• Sany India offers a wide range of Construction Machinery in India and South Asia.

BANKING

SBI to set up Innovation, Incubation and Acceleration Centre

• State Bank of India (SBI) plans to set up an Innovation, Incubation and Acceleration Centre (IIAC) at Hyderabad, Telangana.
• It is built in-house to boost its current performance and drive higher top-line growth through innovation.
• It will be operational in six to nine months.
• The IIAC would help the bank develop a set of technologies, knowledge, and skills to develop new products and services, think and work like fin-techs.
• The main objective is to understand and explore how emerging innovations, market shifts or technologies could impact the bank’s current status.

About SBI:

• HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara.

IIT-M Incubation Cell Joins with RBI Innovation Hub

• India’s leading deep-tech start-up hub established by Indian Institute of Technology Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with RBI Innovation Hub (RBIH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India, have) to work together in developing the ecosystem necessary to support and scale fintech startups in India.

• The two organisations will jointly provide incubation support and support early-stage startups with innovative and disruptive solutions and accelerate their scale-up journey.
• RBIH aims to foster and evangelize innovation across the financial ecosystem. The startup ecosystem in India makes a significant contribution to the economic prosperity of the nation.

About IITMIC:

• HQ: Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

• Chairman: Dr. Bhaskar Ramamurthi.

About RBIH:

• HQ: Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• CEO: Rajesh Bansal.

Prepaid Card for Women Entrepreneurs

• Mahila Money, Visa and Transcorp partnered to help women entrepreneurs easily collect payments, loans and get incentives for transactions, by launching Mahila Money Prepaid Card.

• The Mahila Money Prepaid Card would bridge the gap for community members of a bank account with added flexibility, safety and convenience.
• The prepaid card is designed in such a way that it caters to the needs of digital entrepreneurs, small business owners and women.
• It also offers its users incentives, rewards and cashback.
• A survey by YouGov has revealed that nearly two-thirds of urban Indian women use digital modes of payments, but less than one-third use internet banking to the greater extent.

About Transcorp:

• HQ: New Delhi, Delhi.

• MD: Gopal Sharma.

RANK, INDICES & REPORTS

2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich List

• On 17 March 2022, Hurun India released 2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich List.

• It is a ranking of United States (US) dollar Billionaires in the world.
• Elon Musk co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tesla topped the list for the second consecutive year with USD 205 billion.
• Mukesh Ambani has emerged as the Richest Indian and Richest Asian.
• He is the Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited has secured 9th rank globally with USD 103 billion.
• Mukesh Ambani is the only Indian to come in the World’s top 10 billionaires list.
• He also earned the 'Richest Telecom Entrepreneur' title.

AWARDS & PRIZES

UK Children’s Book Award

• Indian-origin author Manjeet Mann has been shortlisted for her children's book 'The Crossing' for the prestigious Yoto Carnegie Medal. 

• The UK's children's book awards are sponsored by Yoto, a screen-free audio platform for children.
• Mann's novel is a poignant story of shared humanity, with the stories of two teenagers – one a refugee and the other grief-stricken – cleverly entwined.
• Mann is a multi-award-winning children's author, actress, playwright, and screenwriter.
• There are 7 more books shortlisted for the award.

Miss World 2021

• Karolina Bielawska from Poland has been crowned Miss Universe for the year 2021.

• This marks the 70th edition of the event and was held at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

• Miss USA Shree Saini, an Indian – American was the first runner-up.
• Olivia Yace from Cote D’Ivoire emerged as the second runner-up.
• This is the second Miss World Title for Poland. Aneta Kreglicka won the crown in 1989 for the country.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Chairperson of CII

• Suchitra K Ella, Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International has been elected as Chairperson of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Southern Region for the year 2022-23.

• She was serving as deputy chairman of CII for the year 2021-2022

• CII also appointed Kamal Bali as the deputy Chairman.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day to Combat Islamophobia

• The Un General Assembly has adopted 15 March as International Day to Combat Islamophobia, starting from 2022.

• It was introduced by Pakistan’s Ambassador Munir Akram on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
• The main objective of the day is to end hate speech and discrimination against Muslims and respect for religious symbols and practices.
• The day was adopted by 193 member countries of UN nations.

OBITUARY

US Astrophysicist Eugene Newman Parker

• American Astrophysicist Eugene Parker passed away at retirement community in Chicago. He was at the age of 94.

• He is a visionary in the field of heliophysics, which is the study of the sun and other stars.
• He was born on 10 June 1927 in Houghton, USA.
• In 2018, he became the first person to witness the launch of a spacecraft bearing his name, NASA's Parker Solar Probe.