Current Affairs 09 March 2023

ANS : A  

• Indian Railways is going to run the Bharat Gaurav train from Mumbai to Renigunta and back from 9 March 2023.
• Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train is in line with the Government of India initiative “Dekho Apna Desh” to promote domestic tourism.
• This IRCTC tourist train will be an all-inclusive tour package and IRCTC will make efforts to provide a safe and memorable experience to the guests.
• Also, Indian Railways has decided to operate “North East Discovery: Beyond Guwahati”, specially designed tour to cover the North eastern states of India by Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist train. The train tour will start from Delhi Safdarjung railway station on March 21, 2023. 

ANS : C 

• Indian-American Arun Subramaniam has been confirmed as the first South Asian District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
• South District New York notably has one of the largest South Asian-American populations in the country.
• Arun Subramanian currently serves as Chairperson of Susman Godfrey’s 2022 Pro Bono Committee and is also a longtime Director of the Columbia Law Review. 
• Mr Subramanian received his Juris Doctor (J.D) from Columbia Law School in 2004 and his BA from Case Western Reserve University in 2001, the statement added.
• He is a partner at Susman Godfrey LLP in New York where he has worked since 2007.
• In his career, Mr Subramanian has successfully redeemed over a billion dollars for public and private entities that were the victims of fraud and other illegal conduct.

 ANS : C 

• India will send 20000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port in Iran.
• It was announced after the country representative of the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) in Afghanistan requested to provide foodgrain assistance to the Afghan people.
• In June’22, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan by deploying a “technical team” to its embassy.
• India has been pitching for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country.
• In June last year, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a “technical team” in its embassy in the Afghan capital.

ANS : D 

• ECI to host the 3rd International Conference on ‘Election Integrity’.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) will host the 3rd International Conference on the theme ‘Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity’ on 09 March 2023.
• The first international conference of the Cohort was organized on 31 Oct – 01 Nov, 2022 at New Delhi.
• The 2nd Conference on the theme ‘Use of Technology and Elections Integrity’ was hosted by ECI at New Delhi on 23-24 January 2023.
• ECI, as the lead for the Cohort on ‘Election Integrity’, has taken a collaborative approach and invited Greece, Mauritius and IFES to be co-leads for the Cohort.

ANS : C 

• Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will inaugurate the National Workshop on Bamboo Sector Development in New Delhi on 10 March 2023.
• It aims to identify areas for improvement and explore expert suggestions to transform the bamboo industry.
• The event is being organized by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Invest India, and Kerala State Bamboo Mission. 
• This effort of the Ministry is in continuation of the amendment of the Indian Forest Act during the year 2017
• Under the previous version of the Indian Forest Act, bamboo was considered a tree, and its cultivation and harvesting were subject to strict regulations.
• The 2017 amendment reclassified bamboo as a non-timber forest product, which means that it is no longer subject to the same restrictions as other timber products.

ANS : A 

• Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise TROPEX for the year 2023, culminated in March 2023 in the Arabian Sea.
• It was conducted across the expanse of IOR (Indian Ocean Region) over a duration of four months from November 2022 – March 2023.
• The overall exercise construct included Coastal Defence exercise Sea Vigil and the Amphibious Exercise AMPHEX.

ANS : D 

• In J&K, the Indian Army installed the tallest ‘Iconic National Flag’ in the hilly Doda district on March 9, 2023.
• The tricolour has been installed on a 100 feet-high pole, the highest Tricolour in the Doda district.
• General Officer Commanding of the Army’s Delta Force Maj Gen Ajay Kumar unfurled it.
• He also honoured the next of kin of soldiers who had died in the service of the nation.

ANS : D 

• NISAR, an Earth-observation satellite, has been jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
• It will be the first radar of its kind in space to systematically map Earth, using two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in the planet’s surface less than a centimetre across.
• NISAR will provide a wealth of data and information about the Earth’s surface changes, natural hazards, and ecosystem disturbances, helping to advance our understanding of Earth system processes and climate change.
• It will help to monitor and understand the impacts of climate change on the Earth’s land surface, including melting glaciers, sea-level rise, and changes in carbon storage.

ANS : C

• Colombia has opened military service to women for the first time in 25 years.
• A cohort of 1,296 women have been enlisted in Colombia’s Army in February 2023.
• Colombia has long had compulsory military service for men ages 18 to 24.
• The army relies heavily on those young recruits to staff bases, protect infrastructure and carry out administrative tasks.

ANS : B 

• Bhumchu festival is celebrated for two days starting on the 14th day of the first month of Tibetan lunar calendar, which often falls in the months of February and March.
• It is celebrated at Tashiding Monastery.
• The opening of the vessel containing the holy water is the major highlight of the festival.
• For 2023, it was observed on 7 March.