NATIONAL NEWS

INS Hansa

• Second Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 316 was commissioned at INS Hansa in Goa.
• INAS-316 is the Indian Navy’s second Boeing P-8I aircraft.
• It was commissioned in the presence of Admiral R Hari Kumar.
• In 2013, The first batch of eight P-8I aircraft was commissioned at INS Rajali in Arakkonam.
• It is to enhance the country’s surveillance in the Indian Ocean.
• The P-8I is a military derivative of Boeing’s 737-800 commercial aircraft.

LuLu Group to Invest in Tamil Nadu

• The UAE-based LuLu Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Tamil Nadu government to invest Rs. 3,500 crore.

• The MoU is to set up shopping malls, hypermarkets and a food processing and logistics centre to create job opportunities.
• The MoU was signed in the presence of chief minister M K Stalin on a visit to Dubai Expo and LuLu Group chairman MA Yusuff Ali in Abu Dhabi.
• the first hypermarket is expected to open in Coimbatore by 2022 and the first shopping mall will come up in Chennai by 2024.

Natural Root Bridge under World Heritage Site

• Meghalaya’s living root bridges have been included in the list of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Heritage Sites.

• Found in over 70 villages in Meghalaya, the root bridges highlight the socio-cultural and botanical links between people and nature. There are about 100 living root bridges.
• They help stabilise the soil and prevent landslides on riverbanks.
• Villagers build and maintain these bridges from the past more than 600 years and grow these living root bridges to cross the water bodies.
• There are total 40 heritage sites in India as of 2022.

Konkan Railway completes 100 percent electrification

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded the Konkan Railway for completing 100 per cent electrification and it set new benchmarks for sustainable development.
• The Konkan Railway Corporation has completed electrification on its entire 741-kilometre route between Roha in Maharashtra and Thokur in Karnataka.
• Electrification will bring about savings of Rs 150 crore on fuel, reducing dependence on diesel, besides ensuring seamless and pollution-free operations.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting

• External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar participated in the (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Ministerial Meeting which was held in Colombo.

• He emphasized the grouping’s commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation in connectivity, energy and maritime cooperation.
• BIMSTEC Nations must also collectively combat terrorism, violent extremism, transnational crime, cyber-attacks and narco-trafficking.
• BIMSTEC is a regional multilateral organization includes 7 member nations.
• They are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.
• This is the 25th year of the establishment of BIMSTEC.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India will provide financial assistance of 1 million dollars to increase operational budget of Secretariat.

Prime Minister of Malta

• Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela took the oath of office after his Labour Party won general election.

• He has been Sworn in as the Prime Minister for a second term.

• He was administered the oath of office by President George Vella.
• The Labour Party won the general election with 55.1 percent of the vote against the Nationalist Party (PN) with 41.7 percent.

BANKING

Klarify Life

• HDFC Life, one of India's leading life insurers has launched 'KlarifyLife', a digital education and awareness initiative to simplify life insurance.
• It focuses on simplifying complex topics, clarifying doubts, and addressing life insurance-related questions in an engaging and with accurate information.
• 'KlarifyLife' is available on social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.
• HDFC Life Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between HDFC Ltd., India's leading housing finance institution and abrdn 2006 (Mauritius Holdings) Limited, a global investment company.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Outstanding Leadership Award 2022

• Seema Rekha, Managing Director at Antarmanh Consulting has been emerged as the winner of the "Outstanding Leadership Award 2022”.

• The award ceremony was held at Health 2.0 Conference in Dubai.

• Seema Rekha is a successful female entrepreneur who has taken Antarmanh's services to 13 countries in a span of 2 years.
• She is credited for delivering mental health services in diverse socio-cultural communities.

Padma Shri Award in Dhaka

• Renowned musicologist and cultural personality of Bangladesh Dr. Sanjida Khatun was presented the Padma Shri Award for 2021 by High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami in Dhaka.

• Dr. Sanjida Khatun has been awarded the Padma Shri for her distinguished contribution to Arts.

• The eminent musicologist is the principal founder of Mukti Sangrami Shilpi Sangstha which played a prominent role in organising artists of the East Pakistan during the liberation war of 1971.
• She is also one of the founders of the Chhayanaut which is a renowned institute promoting Bengali culture, classical music and dance.

Inaugural TIME 100 Impact Award

• Bollywood Actress Deepika Padukone has emerged as one of the awardees of the inaugural Time100 Impact Awards presented in the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

• She received this award for her contribution in mental health struggles and raising awareness through LiveLoveEnough Foundation.
• Apart from Deepika Padukone, six other global leaders have been honoured with this award.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

CEO of FedEx

• Indian American Raj Subramanian has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

• Raj Subramaniam will replace Frederick W Smith as the new Chief Executive Officer of the delivery giant FedEx.

• Frederick W Smith will step down from this position on 01 June, 2022.
• Prior to this, Raj Subramaniam was president and CEO of FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company (FedEx).
• Subramaniam was elected to the FedEx Board of Directors in 2020.He is a graduate in Chemical Engineering from IIT Mumbai.

New Managing Director of SSI Schaefer

• SSI Schaefer is the world's leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions.
• It has appointed Carsten Spiegelberg as new Managing Director of its India business.
• The new managing director, Carsten Spiegelberg will take up the role with immediate effect and will focus on further developing and expanding SSI Schaefer in Indian Markets.
• Following a new office opening in Thane, Maharashtra in 2022, the material handling system expert continues to provide the most reliable and accessible warehouse logistics solutions to the market.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A New Book by Pranay Patil

• Social Activist and author, Pranay Patil has launched a book titled, ‘Burgundy Winters in Europe’.
• The book is published by Crystal Peake, English-based publishing house.
• The book narrates the story of American Rockstar Jace Tanner as he deals with the consequences of his party lifestyle.

Book titled ‘Indian Agriculture towards 2030’

• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) Shri Narendra Singh Tomar released a book titled Indian Agriculture towards 2030: Pathways for Enhancing Farmers’ Income, Nutritional Security and Sustainable Food and Farm Systems.
• It was launched at an event organized by NITI Aayog and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
• The areas that need special attention in agriculture were identified through a collaborative process between NITI Aayog, MoA&FW, and FAO under the overall guidance of a steering committee comprising agricultural experts.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Piano Day

• World Piano Day is celebrated every year 88^th day of the year.
• This year the day marks on 29 March, 2022.
• The first ever World Piano Day was celebrated on 29 March, 2015.
• German pianist Nils Frahm initiated to celebrate the day.