17th March 2024 Daily Current Affairs Update
16 March – National Vaccination Day
- National Vaccination Day or National Immunization Dayis celebrated in India on 16 March every year to raise awareness about the significance of vaccines in the human body.
- Vaccinations are a cornerstone of modern medicine, and they have played a significant role in improving public health and well-being worldwide.
- In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) started the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to get rid of polio from the world.
- In 1995, the government of India began the Pulse Polio Immunization Programme to eliminate polio from the country.
- Since then, March 16th has been celebrated as National Vaccination Day.
National News
India, ADB sign $23 million loan for Fintech Ecosystem Development
- The project will help establish a state fintech readiness index and develop new solutions to emerging technologies.
- The project is expected to establish an International Fintech Institute (IFI) to strengthen fintech education, boost start-up success rates, and drive fintech research and innovation.
- The ADB programme will support research on innovative solutions and technologies in climate fintech, regulatory technology, social inclusion, and gender equality in finance.
Exam Related FACTS
- GIFT City is an initiative of the Government of India and the State Government of Gujarat to foster India’s financial services and fintech ecosystem.
Recent Loan approved by Asian Development Bank
- India, ADB signed $200 million loan agreement for Uttarakhand power system project
- India, ADB signed $175 million loan deal to improve Madhya Pradesh roads
- India, ADB sign $250 million loan for Industrial Corridor Development in India
- India, ADB approved $181 Million toImprove Ahmedabad’s Peri-urban Areas
- India, ADB $250 million for Delhi-Meerut RRTS
- India ADB sign $200 million loan to tackle flood and erosion risk along Brahmaputra River
To boost tourism Shipping Ministry approves projects worth ₹645-crore in Assam to boost tourism
- India’s Shipping Ministryhas approved waterways projects worth ₹645 crore on Brahmaputra in Assam.
- Aimed at boosting river tourism, will be implemented with financial assistance from the Centre.
- Projects will involve the creation of slipways at strategic locations in Dhubri and Majuli, new passenger terminals at Ghagor in North Lakhimpur and Bahari in Barpeta district of Assam. There will be additional passenger terminals in Goalpara, Guijan, Kurua, Dhubri, Disangmukh & Matmora.
Exam Related Facts
- Projects, which will be developed under the Sagarmala programme.
NHPC bags 200 MW capacity solar power project in Gujarat
- The project will generate about 473 million units (MU) in the first year of commissioning and the cumulative generation from the project over a period of 25 years would be about 10,850 million units.
- The project will annually generate 11,223 MU of hydropower, which is clean and green energy and will be fed into the Northern Grid. The project has a construction period of 108 months and is scheduled to be commissioned in February 2032.
- The project was secured at a tariff of ₹2.66 per unit and will be completed in a period of 18 months.
- NHPC will develop the project on a build-own-and-operate basis at a tentative development cost of about ₹847 crore.
- GSECL- Gujarat State Electricity Corporation’s
Exam Related Facts
It has the potential of direct employment of 500 people during the construction phase and 300 during operation. Further, the project will provide indirect employment of 5,000 people during construction phase and 500 during operation phase.
Appointment
B Sairam appoints as new CMD of NCL (Northern Coalfields Limited )
- Sairam has a vast reservoir of knowledge and experience spanned over 33 years of dedicated service in the coal sector.
- NCL is the Singrauli-based flagship Subsidiary of Coal India Limited. Sairam has assumed the charge for this post.
- A distinguished graduate mining engineer from NIT Raipur, Sairam has traversed various domains within the coal industry, including mine operations, planning, logistics, and regulatory affairs.
Exam Related Facts
Recent Appointment
- Vigilance Commissioner – AS Rajeev
- Foreign Secretary –Vinay Mohan Kwatra (tenure extended for 6 months)
- DG of Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association– Deepak Ballani
- CM of Haryana– Nayab Singh Saini (replace Manohar Lal Khattar)
- Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) –Kishor Makwana
Awards
Greeshma and Ritika jointly won Chameli Devi Jain Award 2024
- Chameli Devi Jain Award –for Outstanding Woman Media Person of the Year
- The Chameli Devi Jain Award 2024 honours the exceptional work and contributions of Greeshma Kuthar and Ritika Chopra in the field of journalism.
Exam Related Facts About the Chameli Devi Jain Award
- The first award was given in 1982, and since then, it has been presented annually.
- The Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Media Person of the Year was set up by The Media Foundation in 1980.
- The award recognizes impactful journalism in fields such as social development, politics, gender justice, human rights, health, conflict, and consumer values.
- It is named after Chameli Devi Jain, a freedom fighter and community reformer who was imprisoned during India’s independence movement.
Recent Awards
- USGA’s prestigious Bob Jones Award– Tiger Woods
- National Youth Parliament Festival 2024 –Yatin Bhaskar Duggal (First prize); Vaishna Pitchai (Second); Kanishka Sharma (Third)
- Measles and Rubella Champion Award– India
- IAA Golden Compass Award 2024– Srinivasan Swamy
- Erasmus Prize 2024– Amitav Ghosh (For highlighting the climate change crisis
Sports
Jaiswal and Sutherland crowned ICC Players of the Month for February
- The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month award winners for February 2024.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal (India) wins the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award following a dominant series of batting performances as India battled back in February to secure series victory over England in the ICC World Test Championship.
- Annabel Sutherland (Australia) is named the ICC Women’s Player of the Monthafter her stunning efforts with bat and ball set new records in Australia’s Test victory over South Africa in Perth.
ICC Women’s Player of the Month
- February 2024 – Annabel Sutherland (Australia)
- January 2024 – Amy Hunter (Ireland)
- December 2023 – Deepti Sharma (India)
- November 2023 – Nahida Akter (Bangladesh)
- October 2023 – Hayley Matthews (West Indies)
ICC Men’s Player of the Month
- February 2024 — Yashasvi Jaiswal (India)
- January 2024 – Shamar Joseph (West Indies)
- December 2023 – Pat Cummins (Australia)
- November 2023 – Travis Head (Australia)
- October 2023 – Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)
Obituary
Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas dies at 90
- Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas – Former chief of the Indian Navy, Known for his heroic role during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, he later emerged as a leading peace activist, advocating for nuclear disarmament after his retirement.
Exam Related Facts
He attended the Cambridge School in Srinivaspuri in Delhi and joined the Indian Navy’s 1st course of the Joint Services Wing (JSW) in Dehradun in 1949 when he was 15.