Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (Mar 23rd to 31st Mar 2022)

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Mar 23rd to Mar 31st 2022. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2022 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March & the 2022 edition of the International Day focuses on the theme “VOICES FOR ACTION AGAINST RACISM”.
• The CRPF Raising Day is held on March 19 after India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel presented colours to the CRPF following the enactment of the CRPF Act by the Parliament in 1950.
• The world celebrates the International Day of Forests on March 21 every year with the aim to increase awareness about the unprecedented role forests play in sustaining lives on this planet & the theme for 2022 is “Forests and sustainable production and consumption.”
• World Sparrow Day is celebrated on 20th March every year and puts the spotlight on the tiny-chirpy House Sparrow and other birds with the theme of “LOVE Sparrows.”
• World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
• World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is observed annually on March 21 with the theme of “Inclusion Means”.
• World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day held on 22 March that highlights the importance of fresh water & the theme 2022 is “Groundwater, Making the Invisible Visible”.
• March 23 every year is observed as Shaheed Diwas to mark the death anniversary of Indian freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar.
• World Meteorological Day takes place every year on 23 March, commemorating the date in 1950 when the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization came into force & the theme is Early Warning and Early Action.
• Each year, on 24 March, the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed.
• World Tuberculosis Day, observed on 24 March each year, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease with the theme of World TB Day 2022 Invest to End TB. Save Lives.
• The Bihar Diwas is celebrated every year on as it was on this day that the British carved out Bihar from Bengal Presidency in 1912.
• Every year, on 25th March the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed by the United Nations.
• Every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system with the theme of : “Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism”.
• Every year, on 25th March the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed by the United Nations.
• Every year, on the last Saturday in March, Earth Hour is observed & the Day is a worldwide movement organized by the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
• The union environment ministry has designated October 5 as National Dolphin Day, to be observed annually starting this year.
• World Theatre Day is celebrated on 27 March every year throughout the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Computer Age Management Services Limited (CAMS), India’s largest registrar and transfer agent of mutual funds (a SEBI regulated entity) has announced the go-live and launch of Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) under the National Pension System (NPS).
• The Centre has released India’s Arctic Policy, Titled ‘India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development’, with the aim of enhancing the country’s cooperation with the resource-rich and rapidly transforming region & it was unveiled by Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh.
• India added 1.2 GW of new solar open access capacity in 2021, marking a growth of 222% year-over-year (YoY), according to a Mercom India report.
• The ground-breaking ceremony for a new facility of Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Limited (HE-MRO), a joint venture of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Safran, was held at Sattari, 40 km from Panaji, in Goa.
• To solve water problems in India, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras establishes a new inter-disciplinary water management and policy centre known as ‘AquaMAP’.
• Ministry of Civil Aviation and FICCI will jointly organise Asia’s largest event on Civil Aviation – WINGS INDIA 2022 – from 24th to 27th of March at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved an extension of applicability of New Investment Policy, NIP-2012 for the three units of Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited, HURL in Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni.
• Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate the Step-Up to End TB-World TB Day Summit on the occasion of World TB Day on 24th of March in New Delhi.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Minimum Support Price, MSP for Raw Jute for 2022-23 season.
• The Union government has announced the extension of the second phase of FAME India scheme by two years till March 31, 2024.
• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh has announced the launch of Data-Driven Research to Eradicate TB- “Dare2eraD TB” by the Department of Biotechnology, M/o Science & Technology, on the occasion of World TB Day.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Youth Services and Sports department of the Government of Himachal Pradesh is set to build India’s first-ever SAI National Centre of Excellence to train athletes in Mountain Terrain Biking and Bicycle Motocross in Shimla.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Biplobi Bharat Gallery at Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata on the occasion of Shaheed Diwas.
• Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Government has set a target of creating 220 new airports by 2025.
• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha addressed the Gulf Countries Investment Summit in Srinagar and highlighted the scope to make the paradise on earth as the most beautiful investment destination in the world.
• The Centre for Digital Transformation at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), a premier global management institute, has recently set up a Retail Tech Consortium and plans to collaborate with several retail and technology organisations in India.
• The Centre has decided to extend the validity of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, FCRA registration certificates of certain categories of FCRA registered entities & also, the validity of FCRA entities whose 5 years validity period is expiring during 1st April 2022 to 30th June 2022
• The Government has set a target to open ten thousand five hundred Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) across the country.
• The granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni inaugurated the Modi Story website which is a collection of stories from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life.
• The Union Minister of Culture, G Kishan Reddy, has inaugurated the three-day mega cultural event ‘Ishan Manthan’, which celebrates the culture and arts of the north-eastern region, in Delhi.
• Under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Mega festival, Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2022 was inaugurated in Arts college Ground, RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM, Andhra Pradesh by Governor, Andhra Pradesh Shri Biswabhusan Harichandan in the presence of Union Minister for Culture , Tourism and DoNER Shri G. K Reddy.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for six more months till September this year to provide relief to poor, Union minister Piyush Goyal.
• Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, has launched the ten-day mega Red Fort Festival, ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata,’ at the Red Fort in Delhi.
• The Centre has notified the decision to keep the import of Tur and Urad under ‘Free category’ till March 31, 2023.
• Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad is organizing a two-day Mega International Summit on MSMEs in New Delhi.
• National Commission for Women has launched a legal aid clinic in collaboration with Delhi State Legal Services Authority which will act as a single-window facility for resolving grievances of women by offering them free legal assistance.
• Government is planning to amend Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act 2002 to have an effective regulatory mechanism for multi-state cooperative societies.
• Shri Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), dedicated Varnika, the Ink Manufacturing Unit of Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of RBI to the nation in Mysuru.
• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has released a book titled Indian Agriculture towards 2030: Pathways for Enhancing Farmers’ Income, Nutritional Security and Sustainable Food and Farm Systems, at an event organized by NITI Aayog and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
• The Indian Air Force has unveiled a new initiative with the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd under which its convoys will be to refuel at fuel stations of the state-run energy major.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has organized Yamunotsav in association with a group of NGOs at ASITA East River Front, ITO Bridge, to celebrate the glory of Yamuna with a “pledge to keep it clean”.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the All-Former Prime Ministers Museum in New Delhi on April 14, 2022.
• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the Indian Jewellery Exposition Centre (IJEX) building in Dubai, UAE, during his visit to Dubai to participate in the India Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

• Tamil Nadu finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan presented the budget for 2022-23.
• Governor of Haryana Shri Bandaru Dattatraya and Chief Minister of Haryana Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated the 35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Surajkund in Faridabad district of Haryana.
• Kerala is set to become the first State in the country to introduce carbon-neutral farming methods in selected locations.
• Tamil Nadu’s traditional wind instrument ‘Narasinghapettai Nagaswaram’ made by traditional village artisans of Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu has got the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• The north eastern state of Nagaland became the first State Assembly in the entire country to implement the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) programme to become completely paperless.
• Kerala Tourism launched its 24×7 WhatsApp chatbot Maya’ to enable tourists to access all information and updates about the tourism ecosystem in Kerala.
• Bihar has become the first state in the country to introduce the concept of a dynamic map for villages which will get updated every time land ownership changes hands.
• Gujarat became India’s first city to get a unique steel road, made with 100% processed steel slag at the Hazira Industrial Area in Surat, Gujarat & it is sponsored by the Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) with help from the Ministry of Steel and Policy Commission and the NITI Aayog.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

• Rating agency Moody’s has revised downwards the economic growth forecast of India by 40 basis points to 9.1 per cent in CY2022 due to adverse effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the global economy.
• According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the government has increased the timeline for startups to convert debt investments (convertible note) made in the company into equity shares up to ten years.
• To give a digital push to small business loans, HDFC Bank has decided to create a dedicated app for mom-and-pop stores to push merchant loans.
• A wholly-owned subsidiary of One97 Communications Limited, Paytm Payments Services Limited, has launched a first-of-its-kind service called ‘Payment Analytics’, designed by Paytm Payment Gateway.
• Rating agency Fitch slashed India’s growth forecast for the next fiscal to 5 percent from 10.3 percent, citing soaring energy prices and rising inflation on account of the Russia-Ukraine war.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the license of Kanpur-based People’s Co-operative Bank Limited as the bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.
• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rs 4,013 crore to the Odisha government under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) during the financial year 2021-22.
• India’s largest pure-play credit card issuer, SBI Card has inked partnership with Natures Basket India’s leading premium grocery store brand, to launch the first-of-its-kind credit card, Nature’s Basket SBI Card’ & the card will be introduced in two variants ‘Nature’s Basket SBI Card’ and ‘Nature’s Basket SBI Card Elite’.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has lifted restrictions on the new digital business-generating activities of private lender HDFC Bank under its Digital 2.0 programme.
• The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) priced the Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB) in support of South Africa’s efforts to conserve endangered species of Black Rhino.
• The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has retained the outlook for India ‘s real gross domestic product (GDP) at 5.5% in FY24, lower than 8.1% in 2022-23.
• ICICI Bank has launched a co-branded credit card in partnership with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), one of the most successful cricket teams in India, called ‘Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card’.
• EbixCash Limited, a technology enabled provider of digital products and services in the B2C, B2B and financial technology arena, through an integrated business model, announced a strategic agreement with Axis Securities, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Axis Bank, to provide end-to-end trading services to customers of EbixCash.
• Airtel Payments Bank partnered with ICICI General Insurance Company to provide smartphone insurance that offers device financial protection from damages caused by accidents, liquid spillage, or more.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das inaugurated the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Private sector lender Federal Bank has teamed up with Reserve Bank Innovation Hub, a subsidiary of the central bank, as scale up partner for the second phase of Swanari TechSprint programme.
• Country’s largest lender State Bank of India has signed a co-lending agreement with five housing finance companies (HFCs ) to give loans for affordable homes.
• HDFC Mutual Fund has filed a scheme information document (SID) with SEBI to come up with India’s first Defence Fund called the HDFC Defence Fund.
• The Centre has set a target of about Rs 1 trillion for the government-backed National Bank for Financial Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) for sanctioning loans to the infrastructure sector in FY23.
• Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd has tied up with PhonePe for the launch of Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan, a non-linked non-participating individual pure risk premium life insurance plan on the PhonePe app to enhance financial protection for digitally-savvy customers.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the framework for geo-tagging of payment system touch points to ensure proper monitoring of the availability of payment acceptance infrastructure.
• Shri Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), laid foundation stone for the establishment of a Learning and Development Centre (LDC) of the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL), in Mysuru.
• Ratings agency ICRA has lowered the growth forecast for India’s GDP in 2022-23 (FY23) to 7.2 percent & earlier projection was 8 percent.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• Asset-backed digital lending platform Rupeek has announced the launch of ‘Rupeek Academy’ in collaboration with the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), an initiative by NSDC.
• India’s merchandise exports crossed record $400 billion in the ongoing fiscal, led by agricultural products and engineering goods, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
• Government e-Marketplace, GeM has attained an annual procurement of one lakh crore rupees within 2021-22.
• The government informed more than eight thousand crore digital payment transactions have been reported in the country during the current financial year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• On March 19, 2022, Serdar Berdimuhamedow was sworn in as the President of Turkmenistan & he succeeded his father and former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
• BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s tenure as president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was unanimously extended till the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM).
• BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Manipur Nongthombam (N). Biren Singh took oath as the Chief Minister of the state for the second time.
• The United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh as a member of the UN’s newly established Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism.
• IT major Tata Consultancy Services has re-appointed Rajesh Gopinathan as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for five years, from February 21, 2022 to February 20, 2027.
• The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) has appointed Hisashi Takeuchi as the new Managing Director and CEO for a period of three years with effect from April 1, 2022 till March 31, 2025 & he will succeed Kenichi Ayukawa as the MD and CEO.
• Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for his second consecutive term at Parade Ground in Dehradun.
• The Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of Pralay Mondal, Deputy Managing Director, CSB Bank as interim Managing Director and CEO, for three months from April 1 or till the appointment of a regular Managing Director and CEO, whichever is earlier.
• Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Pramod Sawant took oath as the Chief Minister of Goa for the second consecutive term
• Yogi Adityanath took oath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive term was administered by Governor Anandiben Patel & meanwhile, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak also took oath as the deputy chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh.
• The Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) comprising representatives of governments, workers and employers, have elected African born Togolese, Gilbert F. Houngbo, and will take office in October 2022 & he will be the 11th Director-General of the ILO, and the first African to hold the post , he will replace the current Director-General, Guy Ryder, from the United Kingdom, who has held the office since 2012.
• Shashi Sinha, has been elected as the new chairman of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC India) & he will replace Punit Goenka, MD & CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, who has been the chairman of BARC India for the last 3 years.
• Uday Kotak will step down as the Chairman of the board of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) after his term ends on April 2.
• Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma was re-elected unopposed as the president of Badminton Association of India (BAI) for another four years term from 2022 to 2026 at the general body meeting held in Guwahati.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS

• Burkina Faso-born architect Diebedo Francis Kere has become the first African to be awarded the 51st Pritzker Architecture Prize 2022 , architecture’s most prestigious honor.
• Karnataka Bank has bagged “Best MSME Bank of the year – Winner” award among private sector Banks at the 8th MSMEs Excellence Awards Ceremony and Summit instituted by ASSOCHAM at New Delhi.
• Karolina Bielawska from Poland was honoured with the Miss World 2021 crown at the 70th edition of the event at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• Professor Narayan Pradhan has been selected for the 31st GD Birla Award for Scientific Research for his outstanding contribution in the field of material sciences.
• On March 21, 2022, NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is organizing the fifth edition of the Women Transforming India Awards (WTI).
• The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has awarded the Abel prize for the year 2022 to American Mathematician Dennis Parnell Sullivan.
• President Ram Nath Kovind presented “President’s Colour” to Indian Naval Ship (INS) Valsura at Jamnagar in Gujarat.
• The Oscars Awards, also known as the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films released between March 1 and December 31, 2021, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
• Mario Marcel, the Governor of the Central Bank of Chile, has won the Governor of the year award at the Central Banking Awards 2022.
• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) recognised INS Shivaji, as the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the field of Marine Engineering (ME) & the certification took place at the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship,Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi.
• On March 29, 2022, The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind will felicitate the winners of the 3rd National Water Awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Bollywood actress, producer and entrepreneur Deepika Padukone was conferred one of the awardees of the TIME100 Impact Awards 2022.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

• Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) signed an agreement with Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) to build India’s largest dredger, in collaboration with IHC Holland.
• Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has entered into a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Eker Group of Norway and Vaanmoto of Kerala to explore opportunities in the field of manufacturing speed boats.
• National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIT) Kharagpur for drone-based mineral exploration.
• Indian Potash Limited (IPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative under the Department of Fertilisers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel Chemicals Limited (ICL) for providing Muriate of Potash (MOP) from 2022 to 2027.
• Himachal Pradesh Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali as the knowledge partner for the upcoming Medical Devices Park in Nalagarh area of Solan district.
• A tripartite agreement between The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Surketham Dairy Cooperative Limited (SDCL) and the Nepal Dairy Private Limited (NDPL) signed to promote yak dairy enterprise that can sustain the age-old yak herding culture in the highlands of the eastern Nepal.
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Meghalaya Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation Ltd (MiDFC) to develop the MSME ecosystem in Meghalaya.
• The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has signed an agreement with India’s Goa Shipyard Ltd to obtain a much-needed floating dock worth $20 million as a grant.
• The Ministry of Ayush has signed a Host Country Agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) to establish the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar,Gujarat.
• Airport operators Groupe ADP and GMR Airports together with Airbus, Axens and Safran have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct a joint study on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and their potential in India.
• The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for acquisition of two multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) for the Indian Navy at an overall cost of Rs 887 crore under “Buy-Indian” category.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITION AND MERGERS

• Mobility firm Ola has signed an agreement to acquire neo bank Avail Finance which provides financial services to the blue-collared workforce and has over 6 million users.
• Multiplex giants PVR and Inox has announced the merger of their two companies in what may well be one the biggest business deals of the year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• On the 65th birthday of late Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, The Indian Army has dedicated a Chair of Excellence in the memory of late Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat at the United Service Institution of India (USI).
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a seven-storeyed Flight Control System (FCS) Integration facility at Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The 9th Joint Military Exercise LAMITIYE-2022 between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) is being conducted at Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Seychelles from 22 March to 31 March 2022.
• The Major military exercise ‘Cold Response 2022’ has kicked off in Norway from 14^th March till 1^st April 2022 organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• The 3rd edition of joint training exercise between Indian and Uzbekistan armies, EX-DUSTLIK is being conducted at Yangiarik, Uzbekistan from March 22 to 31 2022.
• Malaysia will host armed forces from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom in the annual Bersama Shield 2022 training exercise.
• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which met under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals of armed forces worth ₹8,357 crore.
• On March 22, 2022, Agnibaaz Division organized a joint exercise between Indian Army and Maharashtra Police at Lullanagar, Pune.
• Western Naval Command conducts an offshore security exercise, ‘Prasthan’ was conducted in the Offshore Development Area (ODA) off Mumbai under the aegis of Headquarters, Western Naval Command.
• The Ministry of Defence has banned import of 107 strategically important line replacement units or sub-systems aimed to enhance self-reliance in defence manufacturing & to minimise imports by DPSUs under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
• India successfully test–fired two Army–version Medium Range Surface–to Air–Missiles (MRSAMs) from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha& the MRSAM version is developed jointly by the DRDO and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Army.
• On March 28, 2022, The United States military and the Philippines military started the large-scale annual joint military drills in the Southeast Asian country Balikatan 2022.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Researchers in China have developed a microwave machine “Relativistic Klystron Amplifier (RKA)”, that could jam or destroy satellites in space.
• Bharti Enterprises-led OneWeb, the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company has entered into an agreement with Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, which will enable it to resume satellite launches.
• India successfully test fired the extended range version of a surface-to-surface BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a launch pad in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands & the BrahMos missile, which has been developed by the joint venture between Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• North Korea test-fired its biggest-yet intercontinental range ballistic missile Hwasong-17 under the orders of authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un.
• Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has introduced a 19-seater aircraft Hindustan 228 in a first major attempt to develop small civil transport aircraft.
• On March 27, 2022, the Governor of West Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankhar, inaugurated a Petascale Supercomputer PARAM Shakti under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) – a joint initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) at IIT Kharagpur.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

• According to International property consultancy Knight Frank’s latest research report – Global House Price Index Q4 2021, India climbed up 5 spots in the global home price index to 51st rank in Q4 2021 against 56th rank in Q4 2020.
• According to the latest World Air Quality Report for 2021, prepared by Swiss organisation IQAir, Delhi remains the most polluted capital city in the world for the fourth consecutive year in 2021 & Delhi tops the list of capitals with the highest average annual PM2.5 concentration, it is followed by Dhaka (Bangladesh), N’Djamena (Chad), Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and Muscat (Oman).
• NITI Aayog, in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness, released the Second Edition of Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2021 & the index was released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar, in the presence of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Department of Commerce Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, and other dignitaries.
• According to a report ‘Annual Frontier Report 2022’ titled ‘Frontiers 2022: Noise, Blazes and Mismatches’ published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the city of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh is the second-most noise polluted city globally.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

• Tehemton Erach Udwadia, a Padma Awardee, has published a new book called “More than Just Surgery: Life Lessons Beyond the OT,” which is a personal narrative of people, occurrences, mentors, failures, and follies set against the backdrop of surgery.
• The autobiography of former Indian cricketer Gundappa Ranganatha Viswanath, titled ‘Wrist Assured: An Autobiography’ was released on March 17, 2022 & the book has been co-authored by senior journalist and cricket writer R. Kaushik, Rupa Publications India is the publisher of the book.
• Sportstar and The Hindu group released a coffee-table book, ‘Road to 1000’, at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
• A new Book titled “Unfilled Barrels: India’s oil story authored by Richa Mishra will be released on March 2022.
• Random House Children’s Books announced that “The Little Book of Joy” will come out September 27, with Rachel Neumann and Douglas Abrams collaborating on the text, and illustrations provided by artist Rafael López.
• The Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has released a book titled ‘Spoorthi Pradatha Sri Somayya’ authored by K Syam Prasad.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Ace Indian cueist Pankaj Advani defeated compatriot Dhruv Sitwala by six frames to win his eighth title at the 19th Asian 100 UP Billiards Championship 2022 in Doha.
• Charles Leclerc of Ferrari won the Formula One season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after reigning champion Max Verstappen was forced out with engine trouble with just two laps remaining.
• Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra claimed the coveted ‘Sportstar of the Year (Male)’ award at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards held at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
• Former India cricketer Suresh Raina was felicitated with the prestigious ‘Sports Icon’ award at the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 by the Maldives government.
• The world’s best players will compete at the BNP Paribas Open for the 45th edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event, held in Indian Wells & New World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and three-time 2022 titlist Rafael Nadal will lead the way at the first Masters 1000 of the season.
• In Tennis, world number one in women’s category, Ashleigh Barty has announced her retirement from professional tennis.
• Indian para-athlete Dharambir has set a new Asian record in the men’s club throw F32/51 event, winning a silver in the ongoing 13th Fazza International Para Athletics Championships in Dubai.
• Long jumper Someswara Rao Ramudri and javelin thrower Mohit bagged Gold medals in their individual events at the Dubai 2022 World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
• The 15th edition of Indian Premier League – TATA IPL 2022 will begin on 26^th
• The second edition of South Asian Athletics Federation (SAAF) cross country championships and the 56th National Cross-Country Championships commenced at Indira Gandhi Stadium at Kohima in Nagaland.
• India ended their campaign at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender 2022 championship at Doha in Qatar with two medals.
• Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu notched up her second women’s singles title of the season with a straight game win over Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the summit clash of the Swiss Open Super 300 badminton tournament in Basel.
• India lost 0-1 to Bangladesh but still emerged champion of the SAFF U-18 Women’s Championships on account of a better goal difference.
• Indian Railways’ women team became winner in the 56th National Cross-Country Championship (Men and Women) held at Kohima in state of Nagaland.
• Defending F1 champion Max Verstappen has defeated Charles Leclerc three laps from the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for his first win of the season and the 21st of his career.
• Canada men’s football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals for only the second time ever with a 4-0 rout of Jamaica.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• Stephen E. Wilhite, one of the lead inventors behind the GIF file format, passed away March 14th, from COVID-19 at age 74.
• Former Chief Justice of India Ramesh Chandra Lahoti
• Mali’s former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, arrested over corruption allegations last year, has died of an undisclosed illness in hospital.
• Bangladesh’s former president and chief justice Shahabuddin Ahmed passed away at the age of 92 at a military hospital.

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