Daily Current Affairs Today MCQ : 21 March 2023 Quiz

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference in New Delhi on 18th March, 2023.

He will also address the gathering on the occasion.

The conference will be attended by Agriculture Ministers of various countries, international scientists, nutritionists, health experts, start-up leaders and other stakeholders.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM).

The declaration was based on India’s proposal.

This is being done in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to make the celebrations of IYM 2023 a ’people’s movement’ and position India as the ’global hub for millets’

Millets: Key Points -

2023 is the International Year of Millets (IYoM).

Recently Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) have collaborated with international retail hypermarket chain Lulu Group to facilitate millets export from India to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCCs).

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying announced that the fourth phase of the Sagar Parikrama program began on March 18 and concluded on March 19.

The program covered three coastal districts of Karnataka – Uttara Kannada, Udupi, and Dakshina Kannada.

During the program, progressive fishermen were recognized for their achievements related to various schemes, such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and State Scheme.

Sagar Parikrama Phase-I -

It was started on March 5, 2022 from Mandvi, Gujarat to Okha-Dwarka, and concluded at Porbandar on 6 March covering 3 locations.

Sagar Parikrama Phase-II -

It was held on September 23-25 2022 and covered seven locations.

Sagar Parikrama Phase-III -

Phase-III was held on February 18-21 2022 and covered coastal districts of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Sagar Parikrama is an initiative to organize a sea voyage across all coastal states and union territories to support fishermen, fish farmers, and other stakeholders. It aims to address their concerns and facilitate their economic development by implementing various fisheries schemes and programs like PMMSY.

The second meeting of the Startup20 Engagement Group(B20) under India’s G20 Presidency will be held on 18-19 March in Gangtok, Sikkim.

The B20 Conference, held in Gangtok, Sikkim under India’s G20 presidency, focused on exploring business opportunities in tourism, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and organic farming.

The event brought together delegations from 22 countries and over 100 Indian delegations to showcase Sikkim’s potential in these sectors.

This meeting will provide a unique opportunity to promote startups in North East India.

The conference also presented an opportunity for India to address global challenges and showcase its leadership on the international stage.

World’s first 100% organic certified state -

The state’s commitment to organic farming was highlighted, with Sikkim being the world’s first 100% organic certified state.

The event concluded with a visit to the Rumtek Monastery to showcase Sikkim’s rich cultural heritage.

Afghanistan remains the country most impacted by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year, the tenth Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report showed. India ranked 13th on the index.

Afghanistan remains the country most impacted by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year, despite attacks and deaths falling by 75 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively, the tenth Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report showed.

India ranked 13th on the index, marking only a marginal decrease from the previous year.

In spite of being among the 25 worst-hit nations on the index, Indian respondents desisted from selecting war and terrorism as the biggest threat to their daily safety.

Key Points -

India was listed among countries with a “high” impact of terrorism and ranked 13th.

India was among the 25 worst terror-hit countries and among 56 of the 120 nations surveyed with no respondents selecting war and terror as the biggest threat to their daily safety.

The report lists the Communist Party of India (Maoist) as the 12th deadliest terror group in 2022.

Global terrorism index -

The Global Terrorism Index is an annual ranking produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. As even the definition of terrorism is hotly debated, it is essential to highlight that the methodologies used to measure terrorism are also contested.

The Global Terrorism Index ranks 163 countries on four indicators weighted over five years. These four factors are: the number of terrorist incidents per year, the number of fatalities caused by terrorists per year, the number of injuries caused by terrorists per year, and total property damage caused by terrorism per year.

The index provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism since 2000. It produces a composite score in order to provide an ordinal ranking of countries on the impact of terrorism.

The GTI is based on data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) which is collected and collated by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland.

The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has suggested that Ashwani Kumar, an executive director at Indian Bank, be appointed as the managing director of UCO Bank.

The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has suggested that Ashwani Kumar, an executive director at Indian Bank, be appointed as the managing director of UCO Bank.

Kumar has previously held positions at several other public sector banks, including Bank of Baroda, Corporation Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, and Punjab National Bank (PNB).

The FSIB interviewed 11 candidates from various PSBs for the role of MD & CEO.

The final decision on the appointment will be made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

About Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) -

The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) is a government body set up under the Department of Financial Services by the Central Government in 2022.

It replaced the Banks Board Bureau (BBB).

The FSIB aims to identify manpower capabilities and ensure proper selection of talent for senior positions at financial institutions owned by the government.

It comprises of ex-officio members from the government other than regulatory bodies and experts from the respective fields.

The Secretariat of the Bureau currently comprises of Secretary and four officers.

The International Day of Happiness is an annual celebration that occurs on March 20.

International Day of Happiness’s purpose is to emphasize the importance of happiness and the overall well-being of individuals.

The United Nations initiated this event in 2013, following Bhutan’s advocacy for national happiness.

Theme -

The theme of International Day of Happiness for this year has been kept as "Be Mindful, Be Grateful, Be Kind".

History -

On July 12, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly announced March 20 as the International Day of Happiness through its resolution 66/281.

The resolution acknowledged the universality of happiness and well-being as crucial goals and recognized their importance in public policy objectives.

World Happiness Index 2022 -

The year 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the World Happiness Report.

Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for the fifth year running followed by Denmark.

The biggest gains in happiness have taken place in Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.

Afghanistan was ranked as the unhappiest nation, followed by Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Botswana, respectively.

India saw a marginal improvement in its ranking, jumping three spots to 136, from 139 a year ago.

The Indian Navy’s top gunnery school, INS Dronacharya, will be presented with the President’s Colour in honor of its outstanding services.

The Indian Navy’s top gunnery school, INS Dronacharya, will be presented with the President’s Colour in honor of its outstanding services.

President Droupadi Murmu will be conferring the award as the highest recognition bestowed upon a unit by the President, who serves as the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, for its exceptional service to the country.

About the INS Dronacharya -

INS Dronacharya, situated in Kochi, is responsible for providing comprehensive training on gunnery and missile warfare to officers and sailors from the Navy, Coast Guard and friendly foreign maritime forces.

Its primary objective is to equip them with the skills necessary to deliver ordnance on target with precision.

In 2004, INS Dronacharya was named the Center for Excellence in gunnery and missile warfare.

The unit has a joint affiliation with the Indian Army School of Artillery, fostering a spirit of collaboration.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ’Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company, announced that G Krishnakumar has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of the company.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a "Maharatna" and a Fortune Global 500 Company, announced that G Krishnakumar has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of the company.

Krishnakumar, an electrical and electronics engineer from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli and a postgraduate in finance management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, was executive director in the company before his elevation.

He replaces Arun Kumar Singh, who retired as chairman in October 2022.

Post that, Gupta was holding additional charge of the chairman. Krishnakumar will hold the position of chairman and managing director till April 2025 or until any further notice, whichever is earlier, according to an official order.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the creation of 19 new districts and 3 new divisions in the state.

Rajasthan will now have 50 districts and 10 divisions.

On 17 March 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the creation of 19 new districts and 3 new divisions in the state during his course of the discussion on the Finance and Appropriation Bill in the Legislative Assembly.

Rajasthan will now have 19 new districts and 3 new divisions, taking the number of districts to 50 and divisions to 10.

History of Rajasthan -

Modern Rajasthan includes most of Rajputana, which comprises the erstwhile nineteen princely states, two chiefships and the British district of Ajmer-Merwara.

Marwar (Jodhpur), Bikaner, Mewar (Chittorgarh), Alwar and Dhundhar (Jaipur) were some of the main Rajput princely states.

Lalit Kumar Gupta has been approved as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

CCI is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Textile.

Gupta was suggested by the PESB panel for the position of CMD of CCI.

He currently holds the position of Director (Finnane) within the same organisation.

Gupta has earned his MBA in Marketing from the ITM Business School located in Navi Mumbai and he is a Chartered Accountant (CA) certified by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

He is also a member of the Institute of the Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).

With significant experience in the Finance and related sectors, Gupta has a lengthy connection with the Cotton Corporation spanning approximately 25 years.

He became a part of CCI in August 1994.