Daily & Latest Current Affairs in 2026

Correct Answer :   NITI Aayog

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NITI Aayog on Tuesday (14th Mar 023) launched Atal Tinkering Laboratories(ATL) Sarthi, a comprehensive self-monitoring framework to strengthen the ecosystem of Atal Tinkering Labs.

NITI Aayog has said that Atal Innovation Mission is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories in schools across the country to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds.

Atal Tinkering Labs Sarthi is a charioteer and it will enable the Atal Tinkering Labs to be efficient and effective.
 
Mission Director Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog Dr. Chintan Vaishnav said that Atal Innovation Mission aims to foster millions of young innovators in India by setting up Atal Tinkering Labs in schools.

He said, to further improve their performance, Atal Innovation Mission has launched ATL Sarthi. He said, it will provide a monitoring and evaluation framework to enhance the performance of Atal Tinkering Labs...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Two

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The government has appointed M Jagannath and Tablesh Pandey as Managing Directors of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).


* M Jagannath took the charge as MD on March 13, 2023.

* Before this, he was working as the Zonal Manager of South Central Zone, Hyderabad and While Tablesh Pandey is an Executive Director at the Central office of LIC in Mumbai and will take charge on April 1, 2023.

* Pandey will replace present managing director B C Patnaik.

* The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointments, according to a circular issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.

* The government had last week appointed Siddhartha Mohanty, who is currently serving as the managing director (MD) of LIC, as its Acting Chairperson for three months from 14th March 2023.

* Jagannath is currently Zonal Manager, South Central Zone, Hyderabad while Pandey is Executive Director, Central office, Mumbai. Apart from Mohanty, currently LIC has two MDs – Mini Ipe and BC Patnaik. Patnaik will retire by the end of March.

* The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) is expected to finalise the name of the new Chairperson for LIC in the coming weeks. Mohanty is considered as the frontrunner for the Chairperson post.

* LIC is the largest financial institution in the country with total assets under management (AUM) of over Rs 41.66 lakh crore (as of September 2022)..

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Signature Bank

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State regulators closed New York-based Signature Bank on Sunday (12th March 2023), making it the third largest failure in U.S. banking history.

* Becoming the second bank in the country after Silicon Valley Bank.

* The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has been appointed as a receiver, which typically means it will liquidate the bank’s assets to pay back its customers, including depositors and others.

* The standard insurance amount from FDIC is $250,000 per depositor, per bank, for each account ownership category...

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   75

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There is no provision under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 to declare a site as a “Water Heritage Site” under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

* The Ministry of Jal Shakti had constituted a Committee to identify 75 Water Heritage Structure (WHS) in reference to 75 years of India's Independence.

* A total of 421 nominations were received through States/UTs, Central Agencies, NGOs and general public and out of which Committee has recommended 75 water heritage structures, which includes 5 Water Heritage Structure from Gujarat and 4 Water Heritage Structure from Andhra Pradesh respectively.

* In this connection, "Jal-Itihas" sub-portal under India-WRIS portal, showcasing the 75 WHS, was launched (https://indiawris.gov.in/wris/) on 5th January, 2023 at the 1st All India State Ministers Conference on Water at Bhopal. State/UT wise details of these WHS are at Annexure. At present there is no central fund allocated/disbursed for maintenance of these sites..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Shashikant Jagannath Wani

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State-owned power producer SJVN Ltd on Tuesday (14th Mar 2023) said the power ministry has appointed Shashikant Jagannath Wani as an independent director of the company for three years.

* His appointment is effective from Monday (13th March 2023).

* "Ministry of Power ...Has appointed Shashikant Jagannath Wani as Non-Official Part-Time Director (Independent Director) on the board of directors of the company with effect from 13th March 2023 for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier," according to a BSE filing.

* He is not related to any director on the company's board, it said, adding that the director being appointed is not debarred from holding the office of director.

* Wani holds Diploma in Homeopathy & Biochemistry from State Council of Homeopathy, Madhya Pradesh.

* In his current role as a chairman and director at Shri Sainath Education Society, he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the institute, developing and implementing strategic plans, managing budgets, and ensuring academic excellence.

* He is also director at Dilawar Singh Dada Patpedhi, Taloda, District Nandurbar, Maharashtra..

Source : Zeebiz

Correct Answer :   Varanasi

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India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Tourism Ministers’ Meeting (TMM) on 17th -18th March 2023 in Kashi (Varanasi), which has been designated as the first cultural capital of the SCO.

India is the current chair of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

During TMM, Tourism Joint Action Plan on the Development of Cooperation in Tourism among SCO member countries would be adopted.

The TMM will be preceded by 2nd Tourism Expert Working Group Meeting on 14th -15th March 2023 which will discuss and finalize Tourism Joint Action before being adopted at the SCO Tourism Ministers’ meet on 17th March 2023.

The Joint Action Plan to be discussed during the 2nd EWG meeting will include actions relating to Promotion of the SCO tourism brand, Promotion of the cultural heritage of the SCO Member States in tourism, Sharing and Exchange of information and digital technology in tourism, promoting of mutual cooperation in medical and health tourism., Improving the quality of services. The Joint Action Plan will be adopted during the meeting of SCO Tourism Ministers on 17th March 2023 in Kashi.

India has assumed the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Chairship for 2023. As part of the tourism track activities under India’s chairship, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India planned various activities such as

(i) SCO Tourism Mart during SATTE (South Asia's Travel & Tourism Exchange) from 9th-11th February 2023

(ii) SCO Expert Level Tourism Working Group Meeting and SCO Tourism Minister’s Meeting in Kashi (Varanasi) from 13-18th March 2023.

(iii) SCO Food Festival in Mumbai from 13-19 April 2023...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   March 3, 2023

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Japanese novelist, Kenzaburo Oe passed away at the age of 88 on March 3, 2023, due to age-related issues.

He was known for his pacifist and anti-nuclear views.

He was honoured with the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1994 for creating "an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today".

His notable works are 'A Personal Matter' and 'The Silent Cry'..

Born : 31 January 1935, Osehigashi, Uchiko, Ehime, Japan

Died : 3 March 2023

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Maharashtra

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Sweden India Business Council (SIBC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maharashtra government for cooperation in the area of waste to energy, sustainable infrastructure and transportation, defence manufacturing and investment, the industry body said on Sunday (12th March 2023).

* The MoU was signed on Saturday (11th March 2023) evening in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

* "Maharashtra is the 'Second Home' to Swedish companies and 'Power House' of India. The relation between Maharashtra and Sweden is now 100 years old and we pledge to make it stronger ahead. Looking forward to work together in innovation, manufacturing, technology, solar energy, green and clean energies," Fadnavis tweeted after signing of the MoU.

* The MoU was signed between Sweden India Business Council (SIBC) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).

* Swedish industry will continue to expand and invest in Maharashtra. This MoU intends to support the two parties to reach a deeper collaboration for a more sustainable future and further job creation and technology cooperation, SIBC, Member of Board, Prashant Agarwal said in the statement..

Source : Outlook India

Correct Answer :   India and Sweden

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A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed between Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), and The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), Stockholm, Sweden, to strengthen cooperation and promote research networking between research institutions from both countries.

* The MoC was signed on 13 March 2023 by Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary, SERB, and Dr. Andreas Göthenberg, Executive Director, STINT, in the presence of Dr. Erik Forsberg, Representative in APAC, STINT, and Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Dr. S. Chandrasekhar and Mr. Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

* MoC Aims : To promote mobility funding opportunities in both countries. It will facilitate academic cooperation through mobility activities as well as through seminars, workshops and conferences.

* In his special address, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Secretary, DST, stressed that many such international collaborations are taking impetus under Hon'ble PM Narendra Modiji, especially in the year of India’s G 20 presidentship and the partnership between India and Sweden will take forward joint S&T efforts particularly in smart cities, artificial intelligence, quantum computer, transportation, and many more futuristic technologies.

* This MoC will enable a smooth exchange of activities between our young scientists and Swedish researchers..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   38.58 Crore

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According to the Mudra portal (as of 27.01.2023), more than 38.58 crore loans have been extended since the inception of the Scheme in April 2015.

* Out of this, over 26.35 crore loans have been extended to Women Entrepreneurs (68%).

* SC/ST/OBC category borrowers received 19.84 crore loans (51%).

* As per the Ministry of Labour survey, PMMY helped in generating 1.12 crore net additional employment in the country from 2015 to 2018..

Source : PIB