CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 30th MARCH, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 30^th MARCH, 2023

1. On 14 December, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly acknowledged the significance of zero-waste programs and announced that 30 March would be celebrated as the International Day of Zero Waste every year starting from 2023. It is celebrated to encourage everyone to prevent and minimize waste and promotes a societal shift towards a circular economy.  
2. On 26 March, 2023 the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) conferred a special literary award on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his trilogy of books, which includes The Unfinished Memoirs, The Prison Diaries, and New China 1952.
3. Pranav Haridasan has been appointed as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Axis Securities for a tenure of three years.  
4. Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the 84^th Raising Day event of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Chhattisgarh on 25 March, 2023.
5. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the men’s doubles title after defeating China’s Ren Xiangyu and Tan Qiang at the Swiss Open Super Series 300 badminton tournament in Basel on 26 March, 2023.
6. Axis Bank, one of India’s top private sector banks, has introduced a groundbreaking payment solution called ‘MicroPay’ in collaboration with technical partners Ezetap by Razorpay and MyPinpad.
7. Humza Yousaf, a Pakistani-origin politician, has won the Scottish National Party (SNP) leadership contest and is set to become Scotland’s First Minister, replacing Nicola Sturgeon. He has become the youngest and the first Muslim leader of a government in western Europe.
8. The Kerala Government has been fined Rs 10 crore by the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for their inability to prevent the uncontrolled pollution of the designated Ramsar sites.
9. The World Bank has given the nod to provide a loan of $108 million (about Rs. 889 crores) to assist Assam in its efforts to improve its disaster preparedness and enhance flood forecasting.
10. Olympic shooter Manu Bhaker, on 26 March 2023, clinched a bronze medal in the women’s 25m pistol event of the ISSF Pistol/Rifle World Cup in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
11. Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya chaired the 36^th Board Meeting of the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership on 25 March 2023.
12. SJVN Ltd, a state-owned company, has secured Rs 915 crore in ‘GREEN’ financing from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to support its 90 MW Omkareshwar floating solar project in Madhya Pradesh and 100 MW Raghanesda solar project in Gujarat.
13. According to a circular issued by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), starting from 1 April 2023, merchants carrying out transactions through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) using Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) will be subjected to charges.  
14. The Ministry of Home Affairs on 25 March 2023, extended the Armed Forces Special Powers (AFSPA) Act 1958 in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland for 6 months.
15. As part of the ‘Drowning Prevention Awareness’ campaign, Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Krishna Prakash swam from Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves, Mumbai. He completed the expedition of 16.20 kms in just 5 hours 26 minutes and became the first person in history to do so.
16. As part of its corporate social responsibility, the State Bank of India (SBI) has partnered with the NGO That’s Eco Foundation to donate Rs. 48 lakh for the plantation of 32,000 tree saplings at Garden City University in Bengaluru.