National News
1. Govt nod for setting up WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine
- The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of a World Health Organization Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) at Jamnagar, Gujarat.
- An agreement was signed by the Government of India with the world body in this regard. The move would help develop norms, standards, and guidelines in relevant technical areas, tools and methodologies for collecting data undertaking analytics and assessing impact.
2. India’s largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha being built at Bodh Gaya
- India`s largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha is being built in Bodh Gaya. Built by Buddha International Welfare Mission, the statue will be 100 feet long and 30 feet high. Lord Buddha is in the sleeping posture in the statue.
- The construction of the giant statue started in the year 2019. It is being made with fibreglass and built by sculptors from Kolkata. Bodh Gaya is an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhism and is visited by devotees from all over the world.
States News
3. Tamil Nadu govt inaugurated India’s largest floating solar power project
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M K Stalin has inaugurated India’s largest floating solar power plant constructed at a cost of Rs 150.4 crores.
- The floating plant is established in Southern Petrochemicals Industries Corporation Limited (SPIC) factory at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu to provide clean energy. It aims to provide environmentally sustainable power generation and to reduce carbon footprint.
Appointments News
4. Lupin named Mary Kom as brand ambassador for his Shakti initiative
- Global pharma major Lupin Limited (Lupin) has announced that it has signed on six-time world boxing champion, Mary Kom as the brand ambassador for its Shakti campaign. The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness of heart diseases among women.
- With Mary Korn anchoring the campaign, to drive the much-needed awareness on the issue and encourage women to sign up for early screening checks and take corrective measures to avoid the future risk of heart diseases.
Banking News
5. RBI extends Interest subsidy scheme for exporters
- With the aim of expanding export shipments, the Reserve Bank of India extended the interest equalisation scheme for pre and post-shipment rupee loans for MSME exporters through March 2024.
- The ‘Interest Equalisation Scheme for pre and post-shipment Rupee Export Credit’ provides a subsidy to exporters. The scheme was first extended until the end of June last year, and then again until September 2021.
- The interest equalisation rates under the plan have been revised to 2% and 3% for certain categories of MSME manufacturer exporters, according to the RBI.
6. Axis Bank launches the initiative -‘HouseWorkIsWork’
- Axis Bank has launched the ‘HouseWorkIsWork’ project, which provides possibilities for those who want to return to the workforce. In an interview about the bank’s recent hiring initiative ‘HouseWorkIsWork,’.
- The intent behind this initiative is to give these women the confidence that they are employable, that they have skills, and that they can fit in various job roles in a bank, and it is about getting these women back to work.”
Business News
7. ToneTag launches VoiceSe UPI digital payments for feature phone users
- ToneTag has partnered with NSDL Payments Bank and NPCI to launch its “VoiceSe UPI payments service” for feature phone users. This comes after the Reserve Bank of India has launched the UPI 123Pay facility that enables UPI payments for feature phone users.
- ToneTag is a sound-based proximity communication and payments service provider based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. To access the “VoiceSe UPI payments service” feature phone users need to call on the IVRS number 6366 200 200.
Awards News
8. Bangladeshi Rizwana Hasan to get US International Women of Courage Award 2022
- Bangladeshi environmental lawyer, Rizwana Hasan has been selected for the International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award for 2022. She is among the 12 women from around the world who will be honoured by the US Department of State with the award for showing exceptional courage and leadership to make a difference in their communities.
- The International Women of Courage (IWOC) award was established in 2007 by the US Department of State to honour women of exceptional courage, strength and leadership who work to bring change to their communities. Till now 170 women from 80 countries have been honoured under the IWOC programme.
Sports News
9. IPC banned Russian, Belarusian athletes from Beijing Winter Paralympics
- International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned the athlete’s entries from the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Belarus for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics due to the war in Ukraine. Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics is scheduled to take place from 4th to 13th March 2022 & it marks the 13th Winter Paralympic Games.
10. S Sreesanth quits from all forms of first-class cricket
- India pacer S Sreesanth has announced his retirement from all forms of domestic cricket. Sreesanth played 27 Tests and 53 ODIs for India, taking 87 and 75 wickets respectively. He has also taken seven wickets in 10 T20 Internationals.
- The temperamental pacer was also popular for his exuberant celebrations after taking wickets but his life and career went downhill after the spot-fixing scandal.
11. Olympic champion Duplantis sets pole vault world record of 6.19m in Belgrade
- Sweden’s Olympic pole vault champion Armand Gustav “Mondo” Duplantis cleared 6.19m to smash his own world record by one centimetre at the World Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Belgrade.
- Duplantis set the record of 6.18 in February 2020 indoors in Glasgow. This is the fourth world record of the 22-year-old’s career. His first record came in February 2020 when he surpassed London 2012 gold medallist Renaud Lavillenie’s world record by clearing 6.17m in Torun, Poland before improving that the following week in Glasgow.
12. India’s S L Narayanan wins Grandiscacchi Cattolica International Open Chess Tournament
- In Chess, Indian Grandmaster, S L Narayanan was declared the winner in the Grandiscacchi Cattolica International Open, held in Italy. Meanwhile, his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa came second.
- Though Narayanan and six others, including Praggnanandhaa, finished equal first with 6.5 points after nine rounds. But, Narayanan took the top spot on the basis of a better tie-break score. The 24-year old S L Narayanan from Thiruvananthapuram earned the title of Grandmaster in 2015 and is the 41st Grandmaster from India.
Important Days
13. CISF raising day observed every year on March 10
- In the year 1969, the CISF was set up on March 10 and three battalions were formed under the CISF act 1968, which was passed by the Parliament of India. Since then, the day is celebrated as CISF Raising Day every year.
- Central Industrial Security Force, is for the central armed police force in India. It is one of the six paramilitary forces in India functioning under the Union Home Ministry.
14. No Smoking Day 2022 is celebrated on 9th March
- No Smoking Day is celebrated on the second Wednesday in the month of March every year across the world. This year No Smoking Day will be celebrated on 9th March. The day is celebrated to help those who wish to quit smoking as well as to raise awareness about the implications of smoking on an individual’s health.
- The main reason to observe this day is to spread awareness and educate people about the adverse impacts of tobacco on their health through cigarettes and other means.
Obituaries News
15. Former Pakistani President Rafiq Tarar passes away
- Veteran politician, former Supreme Court judge, and President of Pakistan, Rafiq Tarar passed away at the age of 92 years. Muhammad Rafiq Tarar was born on 2 November 1929 in Peer Kot, Pakistan.
- He served as a Supreme Court judge from 1991 to 1994. He also served as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from 1989 to 1991. Later, he became Pakistan’s President for the period of 1997 to 2001.
