1) International Day of Drug Checking 2022 observed on 31st March
•The International Day of Drug Checking takes place on March 31 every year since 2017 to ensure people are educated on drugs and aware of their effects. The day aims to promote harm reduction initiatives of drugs and reduce drug-related risks. Along with it, it also marks promoting harm reduction actions of drugs and reduces drug-related risks. Their goal on the 31st of March is to raise public awareness of the availability of drug checking services and companies from across the planet.
•By raising awareness and sharing the knowledge they hope to improve the accessibility of numerous substance oriented harm reduction methods – not only for users but also for the governmental organizations worldwide who have been searching for a solution to the substance use issues that their citizens face on a daily basis.
2) World Backup Day 2022 observed on 31 March
•World Backup Day is marked every year on March 31. The day reminds us to protect our precious digital documents as we’ve become more reliant on technology. It is a day for people to learn about the increasing role of data in our lives and the importance of regular backups. Originally, World Backup Day began as World Backup Month, by a hard drive company named Maxtor which was later acquired by Seagate Technology.
3) International Transgender Day of Visibility 2022
•The International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) occurs annually on March 31 to raise awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, while also celebrating their contributions to society. The day is dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as celebrating their contributions to society.
4) Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually attends 5th BIMSTEC Summit
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has participated in the 5th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit through virtual mode. The Summit was hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka, which was the chair nation of BIMSTEC. At the conclusion of the Summit, Thailand took over as chair nation of BIMSTEC. The year 2022 marks the 25th year of the establishment of BIMSTEC.
Theme of the summit:
•The theme of the Summit was “Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies, Healthy People”.
5) Cabinet approved $808 million programme to improve and accelerate the performance of MSME
•The government authorised a World Bank-backed programme costing USD808 million on Wednesday to aid and improve the functioning of the country’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
6) Assam and Meghalaya have signed an agreement to resolve a border issue in six disputed districts
•Assam and Meghalaya agreed to resolve their five-decade-long border dispute in six of the 12 contested places that have frequently sparked tensions between the two states, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailing the decision as a “historic day for the Northeast.” Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma, respectively, inked the agreement in the presence of Shah.
7) WB Governor unveiled PARAM Shakti, a petascale supercomputer at IIT Kharagpur
•The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), a collaborative project of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Science and Technology, has dedicated PARAM Shakti, a Petascale Supercomputer, to the country at IIT Kharagpur (DST).
8) Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya included tentative list of World Heritage Sites
•‘Jingkieng Jri or Living Root Bridge’, found in over 70 villages in Meghalaya highlighting the socio-cultural, social and botanical links between people and nature, has been included in the tentative list of World Heritage Sites of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
•Villagers grow the living root bridges by training the ‘ficus elastica’ tree on both sides of water bodies over a period of about 10 to 15 years where the roots form the bridge. At present, there are about 100 known living root bridges spread across 72 villages in the state. Villagers, (especially Khasi and Jaintia tribal communities) build and maintain these bridges from the past for more than 600 years.
9) IONS Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) concludes in Arabian Sea
•The first edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) was held from March 26 to 30, 2022, in Goa and in the Arabian Sea. The objective of the exercise was to enhance the interoperability of the navies of member nations in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. The exercise is seen as a significant stepping stone for regional navies to collaborate and respond collectively to natural disasters in the region and paves way for further strengthening regional cooperation.
10) India Ratings lowers India’s FY23 GDP growth forecast to 7-7.2%
•India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised downwards the GDP growth forecast for India in FY23 to 7-7.2 per cent. Earlier in January, the rating agency Ind-Ra had forecast this rate at 7.6 per cent.
•According to Ind-Ra, in scenario one, the crude oil price is assumed to be elevated for three months, and in scenario two, the assumption is for six months, both with a half cost pass-through into the domestic economy. Since the duration of the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to be uncertain, Ind-Ra has created two scenarios with respect to the FY23 economic outlook basis certain assumptions.
11) Mirabai Chanu bagged ‘BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year’ award 2021
•Olympic silver medallist weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu won the 3rd edition of the BBC Indian Sportswoman of The Year award 2021. Chanu created history last year when she became the first Indian weightlifter to clinch a silver medal at the Summer Olympics. Chanu won the gold medal in the 48kg division at the 2017 World Championships in Anaheim and followed up with Commonwealth Games gold in 2018.
12) Virat Kohli tops in Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2021
•According to the Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2021 (7th Edition) titled “Digital Acceleration 2.0.” released by Duff & Phelps (Now Kroll), Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli was ranked as the most valued celebrity for the 5th consecutive time in 2021. The brand value of Virat Kohli has dropped from USD 237.7 million in 2020 to USD 185.7 million in 2021.
•Alia Bhatt has ranked 4th with a brand value of USD 68.1 million and has become the most valued female celebrity. She is the youngest celebrity among the top 10 and she is the most valued brand amongst female Bollywood actors.
