Current Affairs 2023

Nikhat won her second world championship title [26 Mar 2023]

Nikhat Zareen won her second world championship title with a 5-0 win over Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam. She becomes only the second Indian after the legendary MC Mary Kom to win the prestigious title twice.

Lovlina Borgohain wins maiden World Boxing Championships Gold [26 Mar 2023]

Lovlina Borgohain defeated Australia's Caitlin Parker in the 75 kg category final in New Delhi to win her maiden World Championships Gold medal. Lovlina confirmed India's 4th medal at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in New Delhi and all of them turned out to be Gold.

Mumbai Indians became the champions of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League [26 Mar 2023]

Mumbai Indians became the champions of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) after beating Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Sciver-Brunt stayed unbeaten on 60 off 55 with seven fours and hit the winning boundary as MI chased down the target with three balls to spare.

India stands third in world in terms of fish production [21 Mar 2023]

India stands third in the world in terms of fish production. The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has taken several initiatives for the development of fisheries and attract farmers towards fisheries along with agriculture to increase their income through its various schemes namely (i) implementation of Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) - Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries for a period of 5 years from 2015-16 to 2019-20 (ii) Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with effect from the financial year 2020-21 to 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories (iii) Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) with a total fund size of Rs 7522.48 crore implemented for a period of 5 years from 2018-19 to 2023-24 for providing concessional finance, (iv) issuance of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to fishers and fish farmers.

Invest India appoints Manmeet Nanda as CMD after Deepak Bagla resigns [21 Mar 2023]

Invest India appointed Manmeet Nanda as its next Managing Director and CEO (CMD) after Deepak Bagla resigned. Nanda will also continue serving in her current role as Joint Secretary, DPIIT, in addition to her new role.

PM Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline [18 Mar 2023]

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP)  in a virtual mode. The foundation stone for the construction of this pipeline was laid by both Prime Ministers in September 2018. Numaligarh Refinery Limited has been supplying petroleum products to Bangladesh since 2015. This is the second cross-border energy pipeline between India and its neighbours. Cooperation in the power and energy sector has become one of the hallmarks of India-Bangladesh relations. IBFP is the first cross-border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh with a capacity to transport 1 Million Metric Ton Per Annum (MMTPA) of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) to Bangladesh. Enhanced connectivity with Bangladesh will further strengthen people-to-people linkages between the two sides.

Meghalaya gets Electric trains for the first time [17 Mar 2023]

Indian Railway is progressing at full throttle for becoming Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030. In an endeavour for complete electrification, Northeast Frontier Railway has achieved another milestone by commissioning Dudhnai – Mendipathar (22.823 Track Kilometre) single-line section and Abhayapuri – Pancharatna (34.59 Track Kilometre) double line section. The Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE) has carried out the electrification works in these sections. Mendipathar is the only railway station in the northeastern state of Meghalaya that is in operation since 2014 after being inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. After the commissioning of electric traction, trains hauled by electric locomotive will now be able to operate directly from Mendipathar in Meghalaya which will increase the average speed.

Eric Garcetti appointed as the new US Ambassador to India [17 Mar 2023]

Eri Garcetti, the former Mayor of Los Angeles is becoming the Ambassador to India after winning a vote in the US Senate. His nomination was otherwise delayed by almost 2 years over concerns about the mishandling of a case of sexual harassment during his tenure in office. Garcetti was reportedly considered by President Joe Biden as the Ambassador to India in May 2021 and was officially announced as a nominee in July of the same year. His nomination was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 2022.

Shaktikanta Das, Governor of RBI, named 'Governor of the Year' [15 Mar 2023]

Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has been named the 'Governor of the Year' for 2023 by the international economic research journal Central Banking. The publication praised Das for his steady leadership during challenging times, including the collapse of a major non-bank firm, the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the inflationary impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Under Das's leadership, the RBI implemented critical reforms, introduced innovative payment systems, and provided growth-supportive measures during the pandemic. This is the second time an Indian central bank governor has won the award, with Raghuram Rajan being the last recipient in 2015.

Lithium Deposits Found - GSI to Carry out More Exploration in J&K [15 Mar 2023]

Geological Survey of India (GSI), an attached office of the Ministry of Mines, carried out a G3 stage mineral exploration project during Field Season 2020-21 and 2021-22 in Salal-Haimna areas of Reasi district, Jammu & Kashmir and estimated an inferred resource (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium ore and the report has been handed over to the Government of Union Territory of J&K.