March 2022 TNPSC Monthly Current Affairs Online Test in English

Explanation

• The Administrative Council (AC) under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, approved the policy on promotion of foreign investment in the industrial sector in Jammu and Kashmir. The New Policy aims to facilitate foreign investments higher than Rs 100 crore with a minimum of 51 per cent foreign stakes.

Explanation

• Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has released two reports from the Institute for Competitiveness (Indian chapter), documenting India’s Covid–19 vaccine development and vaccine administration journey.
• The report on India’s vaccine development focussed on Rs 100 crore support from PM CARES fund for indigenous vaccine and collaboration of Indian pharma companies with global candidates for conducting clinical trials. The report on administration focussed on adoption of mobile apps like Co–WIN and Aarogya Setu.

Explanation

• Under the directions from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), packaged food items are set to bear a ‘Health Star Rating’. 
• The number of stars will indicate how healthy or unhealthy the item is. The rating will be based on the amount of fats, sugar and salt present in the food item.

Explanation

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the ‘National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing’. As per the strategy, India aims to increase share in global additive manufacturing to 5 per cent within the next three years. 
• 3D printing or additive manufacturing uses computer–aided designing to make prototypes or working models of objects.

Explanation

• The Intracortical Visual Prosthesis (ICVP) has been successfully surgically implanted in the study’s first participant. The system is said to have the potential to restore partial vision to people who have lost their sight. ICVP is an implant that bypasses the retina and optic nerves to connect directly to the brain’s visual cortex.

Explanation

• Los Angeles is the venue of the 2028 Olympic Games or the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. It is being referred as LA28. Paris is the venue of 2024 Olympic Games.
• Recently, the International Olympic Committee has approved a proposal to include surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing among the core sports for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Explanation

• When Mahatma Gandhi’s Non–Cooperation Movement was launched against the colonial administration, a mob set the station on fire, killing 23 policemen at Chauri Chaura Village, in present day Uttar Pradesh. It was done in retaliation to the Police firing killing three people from the group of protestors against foreign products.
• After the Chauri Chaura incident, Gandhi called off the movement and condemned the violence.

Explanation

• In a recent study, a team of scientists scaled the world’s highest peak to monitor the mountain’s highest–altitude glacier — the South Col Glacier, for signs of climate–related ice loss. It stands at standing nearly 26,000 feet (8,000 meters) above sea level.
• The study revealed that South Col is losing ice roughly 80 times faster than it took for the ice to accumulate on the glacier’s surface.

Explanation

The ‘Zero Discrimination Day’ is observed annually across the world on March 1, by UNAIDS. UNAIDS is the leading global forum which aims to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Explanation

• International Polar Bear Day is an annual event celebrated every Feb.27 to raise awareness about the conservation status of the polar bear. International Polar Bear Day is organized by Polar Bears International to raise awareness about the impact of global warming and reduced sea ice on polar bear populations.

Explanation

• Chandrayaan–2 Orbiter has detected solar proton events, via its Large Area Soft X–ray Spectrometer (CLASS). The proton events are said to increase the radiation exposure to humans in space.

Explanation

• The World Economic Forum and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on ‘Sustainable Cities India program’.
• It is a jointly designed project, which aims to create an enabling environment for cities to generate decarbonization solutions across energy, transport, and the built environment sectors.

Explanation

• All India Chess Federation secretary Bharat Singh organises the 58th Senior National Chess Championship–2022 at Kanpur.
• It is participated by 184 players, including 23 grandmasters and 30 international masters in the field. It will be a selection platform for the Indian squads for the Chess Olympiad and Asian Games. The 7th National Women Chess Championship–2022 is held at Bhubaneswar.

Explanation

• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of Ministry of Culture, Government of India is organizing an international conference ‘Devayatanam – An odyssey of Indian temple architecture at Hampi, Karnataka. The union minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy inaugurated the conference.
• It aims to highlight the philosophical, religious, social, economic, technical, scientific, art and architectural aspects of temple. It also aims to deliberate upon the evolution of various styles of temple architecture.

Explanation

• Padma Shri awardee and social worker Ibrahim Sutar passed away in Karnataka at the age of 82.
• He is fondly referred to as the “Kabir of Kannada” Ibrahim Sutar was known for his work towards spreading social and communal harmony. He was awarded the Padma Shri award in the year 2018.

Explanation

• The Tamil Nadu government has announced plans to set up India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in the Palk Bay on the southeast coast of the state.
• Dugong or Sea Cow is an endangered marine mammal that is facing extinction due to habitat loss, sea pollution and loss of seagrass. Dugong is found in Gulf of Mannar, which is a shallow bay area between south eastern tip of Tamil Nadu and western part of Sri Lanka, and at Palk Bay.

Explanation

• Ministry of Civil Aviation has prepared a draft National Air Sports Policy (NASP 2022) to promote air sports in the country.
• The policy will cover most of the air sports including aerobatics, aero–modelling, amateur, drones, gliding, hang gliding and paragliding micro–lighting and para–motoring skydiving and vintage aircraft. Domestic design, development and manufacturing of air sports equipment will be promoted.

Explanation

The World Wildlife Day is observed on March 3 every year to raise awareness about the dangers faced by the planet’s fauna and flora. The 2022 theme is “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”

Explanation

• ‘World Hearing Day’ is observed on 3 March each year, to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss. ‘WHO’ organizes an annual World Hearing Day seminar at its headquarters in Geneva. The theme of this year’s day is “To hear for life, listen with care”.

Explanation

• India and Japan have commenced their annual Dharma Guardian exercise in Karnataka. The exercise began from Feb.27 to March 10. The 15th battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry regiment will participate for India. The exercise is being conducted annually since 2018.

Explanation

• Madagascar is witnessing its fourth cyclone in five weeks after ‘Emnati’ arrival. Madagascar is hit by numerous cyclones between November and April every year. The island nation is still recovering from the impact of another storm earlier this month named Cyclone Batsirai, which killed more than 120 people.

Explanation

• Union Ministry of Education recently launched a campaign ‘Bhasha Certificate Selfie’ to encourage cultural diversity and promote Multilingualism. The initiative aims to promote Bhasha Sangam mobile app, developed by Ministry of Education and MyGov India.
• Using the app, people can learn over 100 sentences of daily use in as many as 22 scheduled Indian languages. It encourages people to upload their selfie with the certificate.

Explanation

• The Centre has approved continuation of the Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme for a period of five years from 2021 to 2026. The scheme was approved with an outlay of Rs 1,364.88 crore. The average visa processing time, which was earlier at 15–30 days, has been reduced to 72 hours, in e–visas.

Explanation

• Zmiinyi Island (Snake Island) is a roughly 16–hectare rocky island owned by Ukraine that lies about 300km west of Crimea, in the Black Sea. Ukraine has honoured 13 soldiers who were killed defending the island from Russian forces.
• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has awarded each of the guards the posthumous title of “Hero of Ukraine”.

Explanation

• Antonio Costa is serving as the current Prime Minister of Portugal since 2015. The 60–year–old leader of Socialist Party has been re–elected for the second term in the snap general election.

Explanation

• The Union Budget has announced to set up a Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood or DESH–Stack e–portal. It aims to empower citizens to skill, reskill or upskill through on–line training. The portal will provide trusted skill credentials to find relevant jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Explanation

• A study was conducted jointly by 100 scientists across the world and it found out that the total number of tree species on Earth is 73,000. It also highlights that 9,200 tree species have remained mysterious and undiscovered.
• South America has likely more undiscovered tree species than others at about 40%. As per the estimates, 43 percent of all Earth’s tree species occur in South America, followed by Eurasia (22 percent), Africa (16 percent).

Explanation

• A national–level public health initiative, ‘Right to Protein’ has launched India’s first ‘Protein Day’ on February 27, 2020. The day is observed to raise awareness about the nutritional benefits of protein. This year, the theme of the day is selected as “Food Futurism”.

Explanation

• Mumbai Central Division of Western Railway, has achieved a milestone of loading the 100th Textile Express from Chaltahan (Surat area) to Sankrail (Kharagpur Division).
• The first Textile Express was started on 1st September 2021. The milestone has been kachieved within a span of five months. Surat textile sector is prominent in the western part of India. Textile Express fetched revenue of over ten crore rupees to Railways.

Explanation

• China’s Yutu–2 rover has recently spotted two strange glass spheres on the far side of the Moon. The lunar ‘spherules’ are the first of their kind to be found on the lunar surface. As per researchers, they are formed fairly recently.

Explanation

• National Science Day is being observed in India every year on 28th of February to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’. On the same day, CV Raman announced the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.
• The theme for National Science Day 2022 is “Integrated Approach in Science and Technology for Sustainable Future”.

Explanation

• India’s export of fresh fruits has also witnessed considerable growth. Fresh Grapes is the largest exported items among all fresh food category. During 2020–21, the export value of Fresh Grapes was USD 314 million.
• Export of other Fresh Fruits stood at USD 302 million, Fresh Mangoes at USD 36 million and Others (Betel Leaves & Nuts) at USD 19 million. During 2020–21, Fresh grapes and Other Fresh Fruits accounted for 92 per cent in India’s total export of Fresh Fruits.

Explanation

• Arif Khan, who will be competing in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events, is the only contestant from India, in the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. 
• India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, after the honour of carrying the Olympic torch went to a Chinese soldier who was wounded in the Galvan clash two years ago.

Explanation

• China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a 3,000–km long route of infrastructure projects connecting China’s northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Gwadar Port in the western province of Balochistan in Pakistan.
• Pakistan recently signed a new agreement with China to begin the second phase of the USD 60 billion China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Explanation

• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) organized a national level meeting on Identification, Rescue and Rehabilitation of Children in Street Situations with NGOs and UN agencies. NCPCR developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 2.0 for Care and Protection of Children in Street Situations.
• It also devised ‘Baal Swaraj portal – Children in Street Situations (CiSS)’. Earlier, NCPCR developed “Bal Swaraj (Covid–Care)” portal to track children who lost parent due to Covid–19.

Explanation

• The SWIFT system stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It is the world’s leading provider of secure financial messaging services.
• Recently, the US and European Union (EU) have decided to cut off a number of Russian banks from the SWIFT platform. The assets of Russia’s central bank are also expected to be frozen, to restrict Russia’s ability to access its overseas reserves.

Explanation

• Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) created by the United States in 2004, offers large grants to support economic growth. Recently, Nepal’s Parliament has approved a USD 500m US grant, in spite of several street protests and opposition in the country.
• Nepal signed the US government’s MCC pact in 2017 to fund infrastructure projects. But its ratification was not made due to divisions within political parties.

Explanation

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization, which seeks to promote peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for nuclear weapons. It is headquartered at Vienna.
• The IAEA’s 35–nation Board of Governors has called for an emergency meeting about Ukraine. Board members Canada and Poland called the meeting at the request of Ukraine, which is not on the Board.

Explanation

• Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology (MeitY) has released a draft report on India Digital Ecosystem Architecture 2.0 or the InDEA 2.0. InDEA 2.0 proposes a model of ‘Federated Digital Identities’, which seeks to optimise the number of digital identities that a citizen needs to have.
• The draft report is headed by former MeitY secretary J Satyanaraya as Chairman and current secretary Ajay P Sawhney as Co–Chairman.

Explanation

• March 4 is observed every year as National Safety Day in India with the aim of creating awareness among people with respect to safety measures. This year, the focus of National Safety Day is on road safety and the theme is ‘Sadak Suraksha’ (road safety).
• The celebrations this year have also been spread over a week and National Safety Week will be observed from March 4 to March 10. The year 2022 marks the observance of the 51st National Safety Day/National Safety Week Campaign.

Explanation

• The Government has appointed Madhabi Puri Buch as the new chairperson of market regulator – Securities and Exchange Board of India. She is the first woman chairperson of SEBI. Ms Madhabi Puri Buch, the former head of ICICI Securities, replaces Ajay Tyagi.

Explanation

• The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the 2nd Advance Estimates of National Income, 2021–22 as well as Quarterly Estimates of GDP for the quarter October–December (Q3) of 2021–22.
• The growth in GDP during 2021–22 is estimated at 8.9 percent as compared to a contraction of 6.6 percent in 2020–21.

Explanation

• A crescent–shaped crater in Northeast China named the ‘Yilan’ Crater holds the record as the largest impact crater on Earth that formed in the last 100,000 years. Before 2020, the only other impact crater ever discovered in China was found in Xiuyan, Liaoning, as per a statement from the NASA Earth Observatory.
• The Yilan crater measures about 1.85 kilometers across and likely formed about 46,000 to 53,000 years ago, based on radiocarbon dating.

Explanation

• The Indian Navy conducted ‘Operational Demonstration’ at Visakhapatnam and a colourful International City Parade. It showcased various operations including special operations and sky diving, rescue operations and fly–past by naval aircraft.
• The event was conducted as part of the ongoing Multilateral Exercise MILAN 22. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was the Chief Guest for the event.

Explanation

• Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is celebrating its ‘Iconic week’ under ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahosav’ from 28.02.2022 to 06.03.2022.
• Ministry of MSME will launch Phase II of its ‘National Level Awareness Programme – Sambhav’, through which more than one lakh students from 1300 colleges all across the country will be motivated to take up entrepreneurship. Phase I of the scheme was launched in 2021.

Explanation

• A 1.7–megawatt solar photovoltaic plant has been commissioned by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) at Bina, Madhya Pradesh for the Indian Railways. Power to the traction systems of Indian Railways will be fed directly through this plant.
• This is the first such Solar Power Plant commissioned on the Indian Railways network.

Explanation

• World’s deadliest nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in April 1986. Then, a nuclear reactor exploded and spread radioactive radiation across Europe. This plant is located in Pripyat, which is at a distance of 130 from Kyiv.
• The reactor has now been covered with a protective device in order to prevent radiation leakage. Entire plant has been disabled. According to scientists, no human can live in this place for the next 24 thousand years. It acts as a storage centre for nuclear waste.

Explanation

• In tennis, Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat British number one Cameron Norrie 6–4 6–4 to win the singles title of Mexican Open 2022 (also known as Acapulco title).
• This is the 91st ATP title of his career. Previously, Rafael Nadal has won the Mexican Open title in 2005, 2013 and 2020.

Explanation

World Obesity Day is observed every year on March 04. It is observed to spread awareness about obesity and encourage action towards its elimination. The theme of World Obesity Day 2022 is ‘Everybody Needs to Act’. 

Explanation

• Odisha’s first tribal chief minister as well as last Congress chief minister of the state, Hemananda Biswal passed away. He was 82. Biswal, a Bhuyan tribal from Jharsuguda district, served as the chief minister twice from 1989 to 1990 and 1999 to 2000.

Explanation

• Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani launched the new motto of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, NCPCR on its 17th foundation day at Red Fort, New Delhi. The New Motto is ‘Bhavishyo Rakshati Rakshit’.
• The Minister also complemented the collaboration between NCPCR & Border Security Force for the initiative called ‘SAHARA’, which provides psycho–social counselling to children of BSF jawans who laid down their lives.

Explanation

• Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Jagan Mohan Reddy dedicated the destroyer INS Vishakhapatnam. This is India’s first of the four stealth guided missile destroyers under Project 15B. It has been designed in–house by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design.
• It has 75 percent indigenous content and was constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

Explanation

• The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located along the northern coasts of Norway and Russia. It is also called as the Murman Sea in Russia.
• Russian nuclear submarines sailed off for drills in the Barents Sea and mobile missile launchers were seen among snow forests in Siberia after President Vladimir Putin ordered his country’s nuclear forces put on high alert over tensions with the West amidst the invasion of Ukraine.

Explanation

• Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) commemorated its 20th Foundation Day by organising the National Innovation Conclave on Low Carbon Technologies.
• Facility for Low Carbon Technology Deployment (FLCTD) is a project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in association with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

Explanation

• Ukraine shares borders with four European Union (EU) member states namely Hungary, Poland, Slovakia (West) and Romania (South). It shares border with Russia to the east and north–east. Ukraine also shares borders with Belarus to the north; and Moldova to the south. 
• The European Parliament, after a debate in which the President of Ukraine addressed and received applause, recommended that Ukraine be made an official candidate for EU membership.

Explanation

• The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) with 175 member countries, signed a mandate which makes it legally binding for the signatories to end plastic pollution.
• The Global Plastics Treaty will be drafted and ratified in the next two years.  The mandate recommends measures to tackling plastic production and addressing the toxic burden of plastic.

Explanation

• Pew Research Center, a Washington DC–based non–profit released a report titled ‘How Indians View Gender Roles in Families and Society’, based on a survey of 29,999 Indian adults.
• As per the report, while 55% of Indians believed that men and women make equally good political leaders, nine–in–ten Indians agree with the view that a wife must always obey her husband. 34% said that child care should be handled primarily by women. 43% believed that earning an income is the obligation of men.

Explanation

• In May 2008, 107 states concluded an international treaty prohibiting the cluster weapons, named the ‘Convention on Cluster Munitions’. Recently, Russia has been accused for using cluster bombs and vacuum bombs in the ongoing war against Ukraine.
• As per the convention, the cluster munitions release explosive sub–munitions each weighing less than 20 kilograms.

Explanation

• International Waste Pickers’ Day is observed on March 1 to mark the Colombian massacre that led to the brutal death of 11 workers. This day seeks to give voice and recognition to waste pickers/recyclers across the world.

Explanation

• According to the official data the number of children affected due to Covid in India is 1,53,827. This is not restricted to children who lost their parents or caregivers.
• Responding to a recent study by Lancet, which claimed that 19 lakh children in India lost a parent or caregiver to COVID–19, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said that the findings have no correlation to ground realities.

Explanation

• Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the 2nd edition of the ‘Roorkee Water Conclave’ today at IIT, Roorkee.
• It is being jointly organised by Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee and National Institute of Hydrology, focusing on the theme, ‘Water Security for Sustainable Development’. National Institute of Hydrology is an autonomous society under Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Explanation

• ‘Theyyam’ or ‘Kaliyattam’ is a 800–year–old ritual dance performed in the state of Kerala. It exhibits folk dances and art thereby displaying the ancient tribal cultures. Various types of theyyams are performed during the course of the festival. Ritual dance Agni Kandakarnan Theyyam has begun at the Kaliyattam festival in Kannur, Kerala.

Explanation

• On the occasion of Jan Aushadhi Diwas week celebrations, Jan Aushadhi Bal Mitra programme has been conducted across the country at 75 locations. It aims to engage children as ‘Bal Mitras’ with Jan Aushadhi scheme to educate them about the benefits of the PM Bharatiya Jan Aushadi Pariyojana.

Explanation

• Ministry of Tourism has constituted Swadesh Darshan Awards, to acknowledge the efforts of states/ UTs. Under ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme, tourism related infrastructure has been developed at more than 500 tourist destinations. The Ministry has sanctioned 76 projects in 31 States / UTs of India for more than Rs.5500 Crore.

Explanation

• Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is a major electricity supplier in Ukraine. The plant generates 40–42 billion kWh which accounts for one fifth of the average annual electricity production in Ukraine. 
• Recently, Ukraine has claimed that Russian military has seized the plant and started shelling. It is also the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

Explanation

• As per a new report by independent consulting firm Oxford Economics, YouTube’s creator ecosystem contributed Rs 6,800 crore to the Indian GDP. YouTube supported 683,900 full–time equivalent jobs in India in 2020. It also said that the number of channels on YouTube in India with over 100,000 subscribers are 40,000.

Explanation

• International Women’s Day is observed every year on March 8 across the world, to highlight the achievements and problems faced by women. The theme for this year is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.

Explanation

• Operation Ganga is the name of the initiative launched by the Government of India to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine. So far, India has brought back more than 1,000 of its nationals from the country.  It has also set up 24×7 control centres to assist in the evacuation of Indians through the border crossing points with Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic.

Explanation

• New Development Bank (NDB) is set to become the first multilateral agency to open an office in the Gujarat International Finance Tech City (GIFT). NDB also expects to partner with the newly formed National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID) to support important infrastructure projects in India.

Explanation

• Mobile World Congress (MWC) began recently in the city of Barcelona, Spain. In the conference, the Global Mobile Economy Report was released.
• As per the report, the total number of 5G connections globally is expected to reach 1 billion in 2022, which could increase 5G adoption. In 2021, mobile technologies and services generated USD 4.5 trillion, which equals 5% of Global GDP. This is expected to grow to USD 5 trillion in 2025.

Explanation

• Kavach is the indigenously developed ‘Automatic Train Protection System’, which was recently tested on South Central Railway. As per the Union Budget, the system is scheduled for complete rollout on 2,000 km in 2022–23. It is India’s own automatic protection system in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got renamed to Kavach.

Explanation

• ‘Glycosmis albicarpa’, a new gin berry species, was recently discovered from Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. A team of scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has discovered the species with a distinct large white fruit. The species is endemic to the southern Western Ghats and it belongs to the orange family, Rutaceae.

Explanation

• Article 176(1) of the Constitution states that ‘Governor shall address both the houses of the state legislative assembly together at the commencement of the first Session after each general election and at the first session of each year’.
• The article is in the news recently because Government of Telangana has announced its decision on conducting the budget session of the legislature without the customary Governor’s address.

Explanation

• The Government of India has appointed Delhi High Court Chief Justice D N Patel as the chairperson of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal. The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) was set up to adjudicate disputes among telecom operators and consumers.
• The tribunal consists of a chairperson who should be or should have been a Judge of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice of a High Court.

Explanation

• Australia has been hit by ‘Rain Bombs’, which caused evacuations and power outages. Australia’s third–most populous city Brisbane was most hit by the rains, which brought record flooding to some east coast areas and killed eight people. 
• The flooding in Brisbane and its surroundings is said to be the worst since 2011. The rainfall over Brisbane has been extraordinary and hence called as ‘Rain Bomb’.

Explanation

• China recently launched a Long March–8 rocket to place 22 satellites in space, setting a domestic record for the most spacecraft launched by a single rocket. These satellites will be used for commercial remote sensing services, marine environment monitoring, forest fire prevention and disaster mitigation.

Explanation

• Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), under the aegis of Department of Pharmaceuticals is set to celebrate the Jan Aushadhi Diwas Week, with the main event on March 7. The theme of 4th Janaushadhi Diwas is “Jan Aushadhi–Jan Upyogi”.
• PM Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana ensures easy reach of affordable medicine to the people in every district. The Government has set a target to increase the number of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) to 10,500 by the end of March 2025.

Explanation

• The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite GOES–T satellite. It was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
• GOES–T is the latest spacecraft of the GOES– R series. It will be used by the researchers to study Earth’s weather and climate.

Explanation

• The ‘Zero Discrimination Day’ is observed annually across the world on March 1, by UNAIDS. UNAIDS is the leading global forum which aims to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. This year theme of the day is, “’Remove laws that harm; Create laws that empower”.

Explanation

• Niti Aayog is in the process of developing a National Gender Index, which will support policy action and advocacy around gender and will be aligned to the framework of Sustainable Development Goals.
• NITI Aayog has also developed a draft State Energy and Climate Index to assess the performance of states on various parameters. The index will help states to efficiently manage their energy resources and provide people better access to energy.

Explanation

• The 9th Edition of India – Sri Lanka Bilateral Maritime Exercise SLINEX (Sri Lanka–India Naval Exercise) has commenced at Visakhapatnam. 
• The exercise is conducted in two phases – the Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam followed by the Sea Phase in the Bay of Bengal. Indian Navy is represented by INS Kirch, a guided missile corvette, INS Jyoti, a Fleet support tanker, Advanced Light Helicopter, Seaking and Chetak Helicopters and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Explanation

• Pune Metro project has been undertaken by MAHA Metro, a SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) of Government of India and Government of Maharashtra. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 12–km stretch of the total 32.2 km Pune metro rail project. The total cost of the project is over ₹ 11,400 crore.

Explanation

• The India Global Forum (IGF) event is scheduled at Bengaluru. Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar is set to attend the event and interact with the founders and CEOs of 30 unicorns during the event. The IGF event shall also see participation of Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi as well as CEOs and leaders from the industry.

Explanation

• North Korea said that it conducted a test for reconnaissance satellite systems (spy satellite system), after regional military authorities reported the launch of a ballistic missile from the country.
• It was the second such launch in a week to test satellite equipment, and the ninth missile launch this year. It was condemned by the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

Explanation

• The Delhi Government has recently inaugurated individual health clinics in 20 government schools. They were inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia. The clinics will provide routine health check–ups as well as counselling to ensure the children’s physical and mental well–being.

Explanation

• Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Textiles are jointly organizing “Jharokha–Compendium of Indian handicraft/ handloom, art and culture”. Jharokha is a celebration of the traditional Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and art & culture.
• It is scheduled to be held across the country at 16 locations in 13 states and UTs. The first event under this celebration is being organized in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Explanation

• As a part of sustainable farming, a trellis structure is prepared using four pillars, bamboo poles and ropes, on 20 decimals of land. As plants especially creepers grew vertically in a trellis system, the chances of stems, flowers and fruits getting rotten are very less. The system has worked well in many tribal villages of Odisha.

Explanation

• The highly fertile alluvial soil deposits of the Kashmir Valley are called ‘Karewas’. The plateaus are 13,000–18,000–metre–thick deposits of alluvial soil and sediments like sandstone and mudstone.
• These are the ideal places for cultivation of saffron, almonds, apples and several other cash crops. It was seen in the news, as Karewas are being destroyed in the name of development.

Explanation

• The Union MSME Ministry recently launched SAMARTH — a special entrepreneurship promotion drives for women. Under SAMARTH, 20 per cent seats in free skill development programmes, organised under skill development schemes of the Ministry, will be allocated for aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs.

Explanation

• Russia is the second–largest crude oil producer in the world, only behind the United States. Russia produces close to 11 million barrels per day of crude oil. About half of Russia’s exported oil (2.5 mn barrels per day) –is shipped to European countries.
• Nearly one–third of it arrives in Europe via the Druzhba Pipeline through Belarus. Recently, the UK proposed that the G7 nations impose limits on their Russian oil and gas imports.

Explanation

• RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das launched UPI for feature phones called UPI123Pay. He also launched 24×7 helpline for digital payments named ‘DigiSaathi’. UPI 123Pay will allow customers to use feature phones for all transactions except scan and pay. It doesn’t need an internet connection for transactions while customers have to link their bank account with feature phones to use this facility.

Explanation

• India, Bangladesh and Nepal finalised an enabling Memorandum of understanding (MoU) for implementing the Bangladesh–Bhutan–India–Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA).
• Bhutan participated in the meeting as an observer. BBIN aims to boost the regional trade and connectivity.

Explanation

• The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) has deployed “PARAM Ganga”, a supercomputer at IIT Roorkee, with a supercomputing capacity of 1.66 Petaflops.
• NSM is driven jointly by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeiTY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and implemented by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C–DAC) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

Explanation

• The Gujarat government marked 100 years of the Pal–Dadhvav killings, citing it a massacre “bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh”.
• The killings had also been featured on the state’s Republic Day tableau. The massacre took place on March 7, 1922, in the Pal–Chitariya and Dadhvaav villages of Gujarat.  When Villagers gathered as part of the ‘Eki movement’, led by Motilal Tejawat, around 1000 were shot down by the British. Their aim was to protest against the land revenue tax.

Explanation

• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched the ‘Kaushalya Matritva Yojana’. Under this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 5000 will be given to women on the birth of second girl child.
• He also released ‘Kanya Vivah Yojana’ Coffee Table Book and Sakhi One Stop Center Telephone Directory.

Explanation

• Swiss and its parent company, the Lufthansa Group, have partnered with synthetic fuel group Synhelion to use its Solar Fuel.
• This will make Swiss the first airline in the world to use “sun–to–liquid” fuel. Switzerland–based Synhelion, has developed a technology for manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from renewable energy sources.

Explanation

• Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0, under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), organised a national conclave on ‘Social Enterprises for Garbage Free Cities: Encouraging Women Entrepreneurs in Waste management’. The conclave was organised in collaboration with the Chhattisgarh Government in Raipur.

Explanation

• Bhupender Yadav, Union minister of environment, forests and climate change, released Centre for Science and Environment – Down to Earth’s Annual State of India’s Environment Report 2022. This was released at the Anil Agarwal Dialogue organised by Delhi–based non–profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
• As per the report, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are below the national average in 11 and 14 SDGs, respectively. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh fared best in SDGs.

Explanation

• This year’s first ISSF World Cup is being held in the city of Cairo, Egypt. Indian shooting ace Saurabh Chaudhary won the gold medal in the men’s 10m air pistol event. Another Indian player Esha Singh bagged the second medal for the country after she won a silver in the women’s 10m air pistol event.

Explanation

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) launched the ‘Stree Manoraksha Project’ to improve the mental health of women in India. The project has been launched in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru. 
• The project would focus on building on capacity building of One–Stop Centers on how to handle the cases of women who have suffered violence and distress.

Explanation

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the setting up National Land Monetization Corporation (NLMC) as a wholly owned Government of India company with an initial authorized share capital of Rs 5000 crore and paid–up share capital of Rs 150 crore. 
• NLMC will undertake monetization of surplus land and building assets of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and other Government agencies. Going forward, Department of Public Enterprise, Ministry of Finance, will set up the company and act as its administrative ministry.  

Explanation

• The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN recently suspended the observer status of Russia. It is the international scientific laboratory which has the world’s largest atom smasher.
• CERN announced that its 23 member states condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is one of 7 associate member states, and Russia, like the US, Japan and the European Union, had observer status in CERN.

Explanation

• The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat under the Ministry of AYUSH. A Host Country agreement was signed between the Government of India and the World Health Organization (WHO). This would be the first and only global out–posted Centre for traditional medicine across the world.

Explanation

• The inaugural session of National round of third edition of National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) 2022 was recently held. Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur addressed the session.
• Theme of this year’s National Youth Parliament Festival is ‘be the voice of New India and find solutions and contribute to Policy’. The event is organised to hear the voice of the youth, who will join various careers in upcoming years.

Explanation

• Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report 2020–21 on school education of India was released recently. As per the report, the number of students enrolled in school education from primary to higher secondary has improved to 25.38 crore in the 2020–21 session.
• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has improved in 2020–21 at all levels. The report also adds that as many as 39.7 lakh students of government aided, private school students have shifted to Government schools.

Explanation

• Sri Lanka announced nationwide seven–and–a–half–hour daily power cuts. This is the longest power cut announced in Sri Lanka in 26 years since 1996. As per the official sources, the country is not facing an issue of electricity capacity, but a foreign exchange crisis, as the country does not have enough reserves to import fuel.

Explanation

• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the formation of Village Defence Groups (VDGs) in Jammu and Kashmir. The members of the Village Defence Groups will be designated as Village Defence Guards. 
• In 1990s, 4,125 Village defence committees (VDCs) existed in Jammu and Kashmir. This new initiative is seen as a process of rejuvenating VDCs. They assist the forces in counter–terrorism operations and help in maintaining peace.

Explanation

• The first potential case of deer–to–human COVID–19 transmission has been reported in Canada, according to a new study. The researchers identified highly mutated clusters of SARS–CoV–2 genomes in white–tailed deer. 
• For the study, the researchers analyzed 300 samples from white–tailed deer in South–western and Eastern Ontario. They found that 17 of the deer in South–western Ontario tested positive for SARS–CoV–2.

Explanation

• The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates responses to environmental issues within the UN system. It was formed after the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972. UNEP is headquartered at Nairobi, Kenya. The UNEP is set to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its creation in a special two–day session of the UN Environment Assembly.

Explanation

• Every year, 3rd March is organized as World Hearing Day by the World Health Organisation. This year the World Hearing Day is being organized with the theme “To hear for life, listen with care!”. This year, WHO will focus on the importance of safe listening as a means of maintaining good hearing across the life course.

Explanation

• Archeologists from China have discovered remnants of an Old Stone Age culture at a site named Xiamabei which is less than 100 miles from Beijing. At the site, it is discovered that ancient hominins used a reddish pigment called ochre and crafted tiny blade–like tools from stone. It is believed that these remains are more than 40,000 years old.

Explanation

• Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav released a book titled ‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’.
• The Book contains 12 articles written by eminent academicians on the contribution of labour in India’s development journey. It was published by V V Giri National Labour Institute, which is an autonomous training institute under the Ministry of Labour.

Explanation

• Union Minister for MSME Narayan Rane launched the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design and IPR), as the combination of existing sub–schemes around incubation, design, and intellectual property rights (IPR) for MSMEs.
• This will act as a hub for innovation activities facilitating development of ideas into viable business proposition which benefits society. The Minister also launched the MSME Idea Hackathon 2022.

Explanation

• Xenotransplantation is defined as the transplantation into a human recipient of either (a) live cells, tissues or organs from a non–human animal source, or (b) human body fluids, cells, tissues or organs that have had ex–vivo (outside) contact with live non–human animal cells, tissues or organs. Two months after the landmark surgery, where a patient whose failing heart had been replaced with the heart of a genetically altered pig, died recently.

Explanation

• Russia’s biggest contribution to global trade is Energy especially Crude Petroleum (USD 123 billion).
• It is followed by Refined Petroleum and Gas. Recently, Russia announced an export ban for more than 200 products after it was hit by sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. Russia still remains a key energy supplier to European Union countries.

Explanation

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation has invited applications for the production–linked incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components that was announced in 2021. Under the PLI scheme, the incentive for a manufacturer of drones and drone components will be 20 percent of the “value addition” made by the company during the next three years. The scheme was announced in September 2021.

Explanation

• NASA has started assembling the ‘Europa Clipper spacecraft’ in the mission’s final phase before the launch to Jupiter’s moon Europa in 2024. The main body of the spacecraft is a giant 10–foot–tall propulsion module, designed and constructed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Explanation

• The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is set to capture the surface of the Moon.

Explanation

• Airports Authority of India has undertaken the work of constructing a Greenfield Airport in Hollongi, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is located at 15 kms from the state’s capital city of Itanagar. The Greenfield Airport will be constructed with an estimated amount of Rs 645 crores and will be operational from 15 August 2022.

Explanation

• The Tourism Department of Rajasthan is set to host the three–day Holi festival “Braj Holi Mahotsav” from March 12 to 14 in the state. The celebration events would be held in Bharatpur, Deeg and Kaman cities. The celebration is aimed to entertain tourists of all ages with the colours, local sports, traditional dance and music.

Explanation

• The Ministry of Labour & Employment has been awarding the Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar and “National Safety Awards (NSA)” since 1965 and National Safety Awards (Mines) [NSA (Mines)] since 1983.
• VRP is awarded in recognition of suggestions given by a worker or group of workers resulting in improvement in working conditions. The NSA is given in recognition of safety performance of industrial establishments.

Explanation

• China’s Leshan Giant Buddha, a 233 feet tall stone statue, is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world. The statue faces Mount Emei, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. 
• India’s largest reclining Buddha statue is being built in Bodh Gaya, by Buddha International Welfare Mission. The statue will be 100 feet long and 30 feet high and being made with fiberglass.

Explanation

• India’s first ‘Women–owned Industrial Park’ has begun operations with 25 Green Projects in Hyderabad. The ‘FLO Industrial Park’ is promoted by FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) in partnership with the Telangana government. FLO has also brought in 250 crores of investment for the Industrial Park.

Explanation

• Leading fertiliser manufacturer Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Ltd (SPIC) has set up a floating solar project at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. The plant will generate 42 million units of clean energy per year and will help curbing water evaporation reduction on its reservoir. The plant has been set up at an estimated cost of ₹150 crore.

Explanation

• Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers implements the “Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry (SPI)” scheme. The Department has released guidelines for the scheme “Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry (SPI)”, with a total financial outlay of Rs.500 Cr for the period from FY 21–22 to FY 25–26. 
• The objectives of the scheme are to strengthen the existing infrastructure facilities in Pharma Sector.

Explanation

• Pandrethan temple is an 8th century heritage site situated in Badamibagh, Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir). The Chinar Corps of the Indian Army has rejuvenated the site recently.
• In this regard, the unit was accorded recognition by the National Monuments Authority (NMA) of the Ministry of Culture. The site hosts several figurines of2nd century in the form of two large monolithic rock shiva lingams, seven Gandhara–style sculptures among others.

Explanation

• Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) including NTPC, Powergrid, REC, PFC, NHPC, THDC, NEEPCO, and SJVN registered the ‘Power Foundation’, as a society. It serves as the primary policy advocacy arm for the power and related sectors.
• It aims to assist states and industries with research and to develop solutions for India’s energy transformation. RK Singh, the Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, is the society’s chair.

Explanation

• The Government has appointed former Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey as Chairman of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has been appointed for a period of three years. He retired as Revenue Secretary in February last year.

Explanation

• India’s equity market has entered into the world’s top–five list, in terms of market capitalisation, for the first time. The country’s total market cap stands at USD 3.21 trillion.
• The first four places are occupied by the US (USD 47.32 trillion), China (USD 11.52 trillion), Japan (USD 6 trillion) and Hong Kong. India is followed by UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada, France and Germany.

Explanation

• Smart Event Tracking System (SETS) is the in–house software of Ministry of Railways. It is a new tool on Google Maps–based planning and analysis, which has been deployed to tackle the problem of cattle getting run over by trains. The software is made functional in Agra Division and will be adopted by other divisions in the future

Explanation

• Karnataka state government run 6 colleges have been selected for the recognition of ” University of Eminence”. These colleges shall be revamped and development shall be promoted to further improve standards at these selected institutions.

Explanation

• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully launched its second military satellite, the Noor 2, into orbit. It is orbiting at an altitude of 500 kilometres. The first military satellite– Noor, or “light” in Persian, was launched in April 2020.

Explanation

• On November 1, several Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka were formed. The day is recognised as Statehood Day or State Formation Day. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala were formed in 1956. Punjab and Haryana were formed in 1966.

Explanation

• The agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project was signed among six states i.e., Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.
• As per the agreement three projects were proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and two of its tributaries.

Explanation

• Sahityotsav, the literature festival of Sahitya Akademi recently commenced at New Delhi. The Festival of Letters 2022 is being celebrated to commemorate 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.

Explanation

• The Gundla Pochampally railway station, one of the suburban stations in the Secunderabad–Medchal section in Telangana, was declared an ‘All Women Employees Railway Station’.
• It has only female staff to handle the day–to–day activities, including train operations, technicians, ticketing, security and other relevant duties by South Central Railway (SCR). With this addition, the Zone will have five such Railway stations.

Explanation

• India’s oldest military school, Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), turned a hundred years old recently. It is located in the Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The military training institution was inaugurated in March 1922 by the then Prince of Wales.
• RIMC is the premier feeder institute for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy, Ezhimala.

Explanation

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 11th edition of Khel Mahakumbh in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The event started with 16 sports and 13 lakh participants in 2010, and was later increased to 36 general sports and 26 para sports in the year 2019. Due to COVID–19, the Khel Mahakumbh was not organised in 2020.