NATIONAL NEWS

Bhupender Yadav Launches Aravalli Green Wall Project

• Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav inaugurated the Aravalli Green Wall Project at Tikli village in Haryana in a program organized on the occasion of International Forest Day.
• The project will increase the green cover and biodiversity of Aravallis through afforestation, reforestation and restoration of water bodies.
• It will also improve soil fertility, water availability and climate resilience of the region.
• The project will benefit the local communities by providing them withemployment opportunities, income generation and ecosystem services.
• The project is part of the Union Forest Ministry's vision of creating green corridors across the country to combat land degradation and desertification.

Indian Government Launches DigiClaim Platform

• The Agriculture Minister of India, Narendra Singh Tomar, has introduced a new platform called ‘DigiClaim’ on the national crop insurance portal.

• This platform is aimed at expediting the disbursement of insurance claims to farmers who have availed themselves of crop insurance.

• To demonstrate its effectiveness, the Minister used the platform to transfer a total insurance claim of Rs. 1,260.35 crore to insured farmers in several Indian states.

• The newly launched DigiClaim platform will enable farmers to receive their insurance claims directly in their bank accounts, in a transparent and accountable manner.
• The technology behind this platform has been developed through the integration of the National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) and the Public Finance Management System (PFMS).

Cabinet Hikes Dearness Allowance (DA) by 4%

• The cabinet has announced a 4% increase in dearness allowance for central government employees and pensioners.

• The Union Cabinet has approved the release of additional instalment of Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief to pensioners with effect from 01 January 2023.

• The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both dearness allowance and dearness relief would be more than Rs 12 thousand 815 crore per annum.

• The increase in Dearness Allowance is as per the approved formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission.

• Dearness Allowance (DA) is compensation given to employees to offset the effects of inflation and is calculated as a percentage of an employee's basic salary.

BANKING

RCB Partners with Equitas Small Finance Bank

• Equitas Small Finance Bank has partnered T20 cricket team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the 2023 season of the T20 league.

• The RCB team will don the Equitas Small Finance Bank logo on the lead trousers as part of the team’s jersey.

• It is to communicate that Equitas has been playing a progressive role in transforming the lives of individuals through their lending and social responsibilities of ‘beyond banking’.

SPORTS

Women’s World Boxing Championships

• Neetu Ghang has won the gold medal by defeating Mongolia's Lutsekhan Altantseg in the final of the 45-48kg category at the Women's World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.

• The 22-year-old Neetu won the gold medal in the minimum weight category by defeating Mongolia's Lutsaikhan Altansetseg 5-0 in the final match.

• The IBA World Boxing Championships, and the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, are biennial boxing competitions.

• This is organised by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which is the sport governing body.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Abel Prize 2023

• Luis Caffarelli of Argentina has been awarded the 2023 Abel Prize.

• Caffarelli has been awarded the prize for his contributions to the field of nonlinear partial equations and free-boundary problems in mathematics.

• Caffarelli was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, making him the first Abel Prize laureate from South America.

• Currently, he is a professor at the University of Texas, Austin.

• It is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802-29), who in his short life made pioneering contributions in a multitude of fields.

• The award carries a monetary prize of 7.5 million kronor (about $720,000) and a glass plaque designed by Norwegian artist Henrik Haugen.
• The prize is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters on behalf of the Ministry of Education.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

AHF Athletes Ambassador

• National women’s hockey team midfielder Salima Tete has appointed the AHF Athletes Ambassador from India for a term of two years.

• Tete accepted the certificate and the position during the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Congress in Mungyeong, Korea.

• Tete, who led the Indian women’s junior hockey team to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 FIH Women’s Junior World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa, is among four players from Asia to be appointed for the position.

DEFENCE

Indian Army and Air Force Conduct 'Vayu Prahar' Exercise

• The Indian Army and Air Force conducted a 96-hour multi-domain air and land exercise named 'Vayu Prahar' in the eastern sector.

• The exercise took place in the second week of March amid the ongoing standoff between India and China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

• Its main objective was to draw up plans that could coordinate multi-domain operations and enhance the combat capabilities of the Indian Army and Air Force in the eastern sector.

• The exercise involved the use of various combat assets including fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters and ground forces.

• The exercise was conducted to test the readiness and interoperability of the Indian Army and Air Force in a joint operational environment.

• Exercise Vayu Prahar is a joint military exercise conducted by the Indian Army and Air Force and aims to enhance coordination and rehearsal between various agencies for rapid mobilisation, transport and deployment of forces.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO Launches Heaviest Rocket LMV-3

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched India’s largest Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket (OneWeb India-2 Mission with 36 satellites) onboard from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

• The LVM-III will deploy 36 satellites of the UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

• The OneWeb Group Company has inked a contract with ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd to launch 72 satellites into LEO.

• The first satellite deployment collaboration between the two organisations took place in October 2022 with ISRO launching 36 satellites of OneWeb.
• OneWeb is a global communication network powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments and businesses.

OBITUTARY

Gordon Moore Passed Away

• Intel co-founder and pioneer in the microprocessor industry, Gordon Moore, has passed away in Hawaii. He was at the age of 94.
• Gordon Moore was an American engineer and entrepreneur.
• He co-founded Intel Corporation, one of the world's largest semiconductor chip makers.
• Moore has made significant contributions to the development of many important technologies, including the integrated circuit and the semiconductor industry.
• He has received numerous awards and honours for his work, including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, and has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.