Current Affairs 24 March 2023

ANS : D 

• Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar launched National Crop Insurance Portal’s (NCIP) digitized claim settlement module ‘DigiClaim’ in New Delhi on 23 March 2023.
• It was launched under the ambit of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
• Under the module, claims will be disbursed electronically, which will benefit the respective farmers of six states.
• This technology has been enabled through the integration of National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) and Public Finance Management System (PFMS).

ANS : B 

• Infosys has announced the retirement of Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw as Independent Director of the Board, effective March 22, 2023, upon completion of her tenure.
• She was appointed to the board as an independent director in 2014 and as lead independent director in 2018.
• She also served as the chairperson of the nomination & remuneration committee of the Infosys board.
• The company also announced that D. Sundaram, former Vice Chairman of HUL, will be appointed as Lead Independent Director. 
• Sundaram has been on the Board of Infosys since the 2017.

ANS : D 

• The United Nations 2023 Water Conference is being held from March 22 to 24, 2023 in New York, USA.
• It is the first summit on water in 50 years and is being hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands.
• The conference seeks to bring greater focus on water, which is a critical foundation for many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including health, food, gender equity and the environment.
• According to UN a quarter of the world’s population relies on unsafe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation.

ANS : A 

• The Government of Uttar Pradesh and Quality Council of India, on 23 March 2023, launched the UP Quality Mission (Gunvatta Sankalp) at Lucknow, U.P.
• It was in collaboration with industry associations – ASSOCHAM, FICCI, IIA and PHDCCI.
• It was inaugurated by Deputy CM of UP Brajesh Pathak and launched by the Minister of Cooperation J. P. S. Rathore.
• It aims to contribute to the state’s vision of becoming a knowledge superpower and adopting transformative digitalisation.
• The Quality Council of India, established in 1997 by the Government of India.

ANS : B 

• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal on 23 March 2023, launched the Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard ‘Sagar Manthan’.
• It is a Digital platform having all the integrated data related to the ministry and other subsidiaries.
• The dashboard will transform the workings of various departments by improving well-coordinated real-time information.
• The launch of ‘Sagar Manthan’ Dashboard is a development towards digitalization and transparency in the maritime transport sector, and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is committed to supporting the growth of the sector in India.

ANS : A 

• Indian men’s and women’s teams defeated Nepal to clinch the Asian Kho Kho Championships titles held at Tamulpur in Assam on 23 March 2023.
• Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary and minister U G Brahma distributed the prizes.
• The participating countries were, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and host India.
• A total of 16 teams (male and female) participated in this event.
• In the women’s category, India beat Bangladesh by 49 points and an innings to secure a place in the final.

ANS : D 

• BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover‘s Third Unicorn on 23 March 2023 launched a cricket-focused fantasy sports app called CrickPe.
• It is the only fantasy cricket app in the world where with every match, the actual playing cricketers, cricketing bodies, and real team owners win cash rewards, along with the fantasy game-winners.
• He has shared the Google Play store and Apple store links to download the applications.
• Notably, the cricket app has been launched to take on rivals like Dream11, Mobile Premier League (MPL), and Games24x7’s My11Circle.
• Ashneer Grover has raised about $4 million in seed funding for his venture Third Unicorn Pvt Ltd.
• The funding round saw participation from over two dozen angel investors, including Anmol Singh Jaggi, Anirudh Kedia, Vishal Kedia, among others.

ANS : C 

• Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled the State Youth Policy and a Youth Portal on 23 March 2023.
• He also informed that the State Level Youth Commission will be reconstituted by April 5.
• He also announced the implementation of the Mukhya Mantri Yuva Kaushal Earning Scheme.
• Under this, an amount of at least Rs 8000 will be given to the youth every month on the basis of learning and earning.
• The youth portal will provide information on education, employment, health, sport, cultural activities, etc.
• The youth policy will work in the area of education and skills, employment and entrepreneurship, health, youth leadership and social work, inclusion and equity, etc.

ANS : A 

• Assam Rifles– considered the oldest and most decorated Para Military Force of the country, celebrated its 188th Raising Day on 24 March 2023.
• Assam Rifles was raised on March 24, 1835.
• During 2022-23, three battalions received the Chief of the Army Staff Unit Citation and five Battalions received General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Unit Citation.

ANS : B 

• PM Narendra Modi addressed the One World TB Summit in Varanasi on 24 March 2023.
• He also dedicated and laid the foundation stone of various projects worth more than 1,780 crores rupees on the occasion.
• He laid the foundation stone of the Passenger Ropeway from Varanasi Cantt station to Godowlia. 
• India will be the third country in the world where the ropeway is used for public transport.
• The cost of the project is estimated to be around Rs. 645 crores.
• The ropeway system will be 3.75 km in length.
• The rope way will start from Varanasi Cantt station and there will be five stations, including Cantt Railway Station, Kashi Vidyapeeth, Rath Yatra, Church and Godowlia.
• This will facilitate ease of movement for the tourists, pilgrims and residents of Varanasi.
• The total distance will be covered in 16 minutes.
• About 150 trolley cars will run from a height of about 50 metres.
• A trolley, that can carry 10 passengers, will be available to the passengers at an interval of every two minutes.
• About 3,000 people will be able to travel in one direction in an hour.