CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 29th MARCH, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 29^th MARCH, 2023

1. World Piano Day is annually observed across the globe on the 88^th day of the year (mostly falls on the 28 or 29 March). This day was chosen in correspondence to the number of keys available on a piano. World Piano Day 2023 was observed on 29 March.
2. The Election Commission in the Indian state of Karnataka has selected Manjamma Jogati, a transgender folk dancer, as a poll icon to encourage more members of the transgender community to register and vote.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March, 2023 inaugurated the 13.71 km Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Krishnarajapura Metro Line in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
4. Indian origin and a Sikh woman officer,  Lt. Manmeet Colon, has recently taken up the position of assistant police chief in the state of Connecticut, becoming the department's first Indian-American and second woman assistant chief of colour to rise to the top position.  
5. YES Bank has collaborated with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) to issue its first electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG).
6. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah unveiled the statues of Lord Basaveshwara and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda at the State Assembly premises in Bengaluru, Karnataka on 26 March, 2023.
7. According to India’s Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari, the country’s highways infrastructure will be on par with that of the United States by 2024.
8. On 26 March, 2023 in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 final, held at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the Mumbai Indians won against the Delhi Capitals by seven wickets and became first-ever Women’s Premier League champions.
9. Ghulam Nabi Azad, a former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Minister, has written an honest and forthright autobiography, ‘Azaad’ which will be launched in New Delhi on 5 April, 2023.  
10. The Indian Government has formed a committee led by Finance Secretary T.V. Somanathan to explore ways to address concerns raised by government employees over the National Pension System (NPS).
11. IDFC FIRST Bank has teamed with Swedish company Crunchfish to participate in the RBI’s pilot programme to facilitate offline payments.
12. A Namibian Cheetah passed away at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The cheetah, named Sasha, was reportedly in good health when it was moved to India on 17 September 2022, but it was discovered that it had a kidney infection.  
13. French Government on 24 March 2023, announced a ban on the ‘recreational’ use of popular social media apps like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram on government employees owing to concerns surrounding data security.
14. Indian weightlifters Dhanush Loganathan and Jyoshna Sabar won bronze medals in their respective categories at the IWF World Youth Championships in Durres, Albania on 26 March, 2023.
15. The Central Government has launched a program called the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP), which seeks to prevent and manage cases of Rabies.
16. According to a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope made another out-of-this-world discovery, a giant red planet outside the solar system which is considered to be a ‘young planet’ at only 150million years old.