Correct Answer :   7 states

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that PM Mitra Mega Textile Parks will be set up in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

He further said that PM Mitra Mega Textile Park will promote the textile sector in line with the 5F (Farm to Fiber to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) vision.

PM Mitra Mega Textile Park will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for the textile sector. This would be a great example of 'Make in India' and ‘Make for the World’..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   20th March to 3rd April 2023

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The Ministry of Women and Child Development will celebrate the fifth Poshan Pakhwada from 20th March to 3rd April 2023 with various activities nationwide.

Pakhwada Aim : To raise awareness about the importance of nutrition and promote healthy eating habits through Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari.

* Poshan Abhiyaan, launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 8th March 2018, has been instrumental in ensuring people’s participation and bringing the discourse on nutrition to the forefront.

* Poshan Abhiyan was launched with the aim to improve nutritional outcomes in a holistic manner. Behavioral change at individual and community level is an important component to achieve the desired goals of a Kuposhan-mukt Bharat.

* Every year, Poshan Pakhwada is celebrated in the month of March for 15 days. Similarly, the month of September is celebrated as Rashtriya Poshan Maah, across the country. The Poshan Maah and Pakhwada celebrated so far have witnessed wide participation and enthusiasm from all States/UTs, frontline functionaries, converging Ministries as well as public at large. Close to 2.96 crore activities were held across the country in the last Poshan Pakhwada 2022.

Theme 2023 : The theme of this year’s Poshan Pakhwada 2023 is "Nutrition for All: Together Towards a Healthy India".

* With the declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets, this year the focus of Poshan Pakhwada will be to popularise ‘Shree Anna’- the mother of all grains, as a valuable asset to address malnutrition..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Sikkim

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The second meeting of the Startup20 engagement group under India’s G20 Presidency will conclude in Gangtok, Sikkim 19th March 2023.

* The final day of Startup20 Sikkim Sabha began with taskforce meetings of the engagement group at restaurants and cafes in and around Gangtok’s MG Marg.

* These engagements focused on deliverables under the Startup20 taskforces of foundation, alliance, finance, sustainability and inclusion.

* At the debriefing of Startup20 Sikkim Sabha, task force members presented recommendations and observations for future action. Mentoring, market access and funding were identified as critical areas for startups.

* The need for a single window platform for easing access to funds and knowledge sharing across G20 nations was highlighted.  Establishing a common startup20 fund with contributions from member nations, harmonising taxes, capacity building, a rating mechanism for startups, economic inclusion of under-represented groups of society, sharing of best practices, increasing awareness on startup policies and establishment of single-point nodal agencies across G20 nations to drive the agenda of startups were among the key recommendations and observations for policymakers.

* The concluding session, the delegates and participants will visit Rumtek Monastery near Gangtok this afternoon. The second and final day of Startup20 Sikkim Sabha will also include a debriefing of the event and discuss steps leading to the next meeting of the engagement group.

* On the first day, speakers highlighted India’s successful push for creating the Startup20 engagement group under G20, reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of lending a voice to startups and uniting global startup ecosystems.

* Addressing the inaugural session, Sikkim chief minister PS Tamang spoke about the vast opportunities for local startups and the future roadmap of policy support. For an immersive experience, various startups from across the world were showcased at stalls on Gangtok’s MG Marg, while Startup20X shared success stories and experiences through talks...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   13th

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Afghanistan retains the top spot in the list of country impacted by terrorism in the new Global Terrorism Index 2023 report. Afghanistan has topped for the fourth consecutive year, despite attacks and deaths falling by 75 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively.

* India ranked 13th on the index, marking only a marginal decrease from the previous year. Indian respondents refrained from ranking war and terrorism as the top threat to their daily safety, despite the country being one of the 25 worst-hit countries on the index.

* According to the GTI report, Afghanistan recorded 633 fatalities in 2022, despite terrorism-related deaths declining by 866 in 2022. Following the Taliban's takeover of the nation, GTI claimed that the Islamic State-Khorasan (Daesh) had become "the most active terrorist group" in Afghanistan.

* The group was responsible for 422 deaths in 2022, or nearly 67% of all terrorism-related fatalities in the nation as a whole.

 

Rank	Country	Score
1	Afghanistan	8,822
2	Burkina Faso	8,564
3	Somalia	8,463
4	Mali	8,412
5	Syria	8,161
6	Pakistan	8,160
7	Iraq	8,139
8	Nigeria	8,065
9	Myanmar	7,977
10	Niger	7,616
11	Cameeron	7,347
12	Mozambique	7,330
13	India	7,175
14	Democratic Republic Of Congo	6,872
15	Colombia	6,697

Source : Zeenews

Correct Answer :   Lalit Kumar Gupta

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The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister on Friday (17th March 2023) cleared the appointment of Lalit Kumar Gupta as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Cotton Corporation of India Limited (CCI) till the date of his superannuation.

* The post of CMD, CCI is lying vacant. Presently, Lalit Kumar Gupta is working as Director (Finance), Cotton Corporation of India Limited.

* 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.

Correct Answer :   Narendra Modi

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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.

About The Global Millets Conference :

* 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.

* All central government ministries/departments, states/UTs, farmers, start-ups, exporters, retail businesses and other stakeholders are being engaged to promote and spread awareness about the benefits of millets (Shree Anna) for the cultivator, consumer and climate.

* 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’

Global Millets Conference: Key Issues :

The two-day global conference will have sessions on all important issues related to millets (Shree Anna).

The important issues are :

* Promotion and awareness of millets among producers, consumers and other stakeholders

* Millets’ value chain development

* Health and nutritional aspects of millets

* Market linkages, research and development

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)..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Rajasthan

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Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced the formation of 19 new districts and three new divisions in the state, earmarking Rs 2,000 crore for infrastructure development for them.

* This is the first time since 2008 that new districts have been carved out in Rajasthan, taking the number of districts in the state to 50.

* Gehlot made the announcement on Friday (17th March 2023) in the Assembly, which also passed the 2023-24 budget through a voice vote.

* The chief minister said a high-level committee was formed to look into the formation of new districts and it had submitted its report to the government.

* "The state will now have 19 new districts," Gehlot said during a discussion on the budget.

* The three new divisions will be in Banswara, Pali and Sikar, he added.

* The chief minister proposed a budget of Rs 2,000 crore for the first phase of infrastructure and human resource development for the new districts and divisions.

* Rajasthan is the biggest state in the country in terms of area and some of the places in the state are located more than 100 kilometres away from the respective district headquarters, Gehlot said.

* Small districts lead to effective administration and management, and control over law and order becomes easier.

* Various states have formed new districts. So there was a demand within the state for these new districts..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer :   Australia

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Tim Paine, the former captain of the Australian test cricket team, has announced his retirement from cricket after playing his last Sheffield Shield first-class match for Tasmania against Queensland.

Paine led the Australian team in 23 tests from 2018 to 2021 and played a total of 35 tests in his career. He took over as captain after Steve Smith was stripped of the role following the ball-tampering scandal during Australia’s 2018 tour of South Africa.

Paine stepped down from the captaincy in 2021 after admitting to sending inappropriate messages to a former Cricket Tasmania employee.

In his test career, Paine had an average of 32.63 with a highest score of 92 and made 157 dismissals as a wicketkeeper. He also played 35 one-day internationals for Australia. Paine, who hails from Hobart, played for Tasmania for over 18 years, debuting in 2005 and featuring in 153 first-class matches....

Correct Answer :   Haridwar

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International Ayurvet conclave on the theme 'Veterinary and Ayurveda', was inaugurated at Rishikul campus of Ayurvedic University at Haridwar on Friday (17th March 2023). The event will conclude on March 19, 2023.

Addressing the seminar, Union Minister of State for Animal husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Sanjiv Baliyan said, Ayurveda is being used for treatment of animals from times immemorial.

He said that government has taken initiative to validate use of Ayurveda in the treatment of animals. He said that attempt will be made to include this subject in the syllabus of various universities..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank has opened an Indian rupee-denominated Nostro account in Indian Bank in Mumbai. The arrangement will help settle cross-border transactions using Indian rupee between the two nations.

* In a statement, the Sri Lankan bank said the initiative will enable local customers to enter into transactions denominated in the Indian Rupee, eliminating the need to conduct Trade and Remittance transactions in US dollars.

* India has been trying to increase Indian rupee-based trade settlements, which will help the traders on both sides given shortages in Foreign Exchange.

* In an event to promote the use of the rupee in the settlement of transactions held earlier this month, the Indian High Commissioner had said that as a next step, mechanisms need to be created by which Indian tourists can pay in Indian rupees, enabling Sri Lanka to attract more tourists.
 
* Sri Lanka’s banks have been opening Nostro accounts in India-based banks. Likewise, banks from the Indian side have maintained similar accounts in Sri Lanka for a reciprocal arrangement.
 
* The state-run Bank of Ceylon carried out its first rupee settlement in December 2022 and has completed transactions of over Rs 1 crore. Similarly, the State Bank of India has started rupee settlements this month, while the Indian bank has been completing similar transactions since January this year...

Source : AIR