18th March 2024 Daily Current Affairs Update
Important day
Ordnance Factories Day -18 March
- Indian Ordnance Factories play an important role in safeguarding us and providing strength to the Indian Armed Forces.
- It provides arms and ammunition to the Indian Armed Forces, in turn providing them strength to protect Us
- During the British rule in India, in 1775, the Board of Ordnance was formed in Fort William, Kolkata.
Exam Related Facts
- From 1947, the Ordnance Factories were placed under the control of the Indian Government, after India gained Independence
National News
India & Singapore sign MoU on Law and Dispute Resolution
- MoU on cooperation in the sphere of law and dispute resolution, the cooperation between the two countries in areas of common interest such as international commercial dispute resolution.
- The agreement was signed in a virtual meeting of the Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal and Singapore Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Mr. Edwin Tong.
Exam related facts
MoU signed between India and other countries
- Between India and Bhutan – MoU in the field of Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation Measures
- Between India and Colombia – MoU on Cooperation in the field of Sharing Successful Digital Solutions
- Between India and Cuba – MoU on digital public infrastructure collaboration
- Between India and Dominican Republic – protocol for establishment of Joint Economic and Trade Committee
- Between India and Oman – MoU on defense sector
- Between India and Oman – MoU on IT Cooperation
Government launches alternate Auto Fuel Ethanol100
- Hardeep Singh Puri Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas has launched Ethanol100, an alternate auto fuel in New Delhi.
- Ethanol100, a cleaner and greener alternative to gasoline, is a blend of 92 to 94 percent ethanol, 4 to 5 percent motor spirit to provide color to flame and 1.5 percent Co-solvent higher saturated alcohol.
- The fuel produces lower emissions of greenhouse gases, a reduction by around 63% on well to wheel basis.
- Ethanol100 will help to mitigate the impacts of climate change and improve air quality. Prominent two-wheeler manufacturers are already undertaking trials for Ethanol100 compliant vehicles.
- Indian Oil is rolling out Ethanol100 at 183 retails as part of a pilot initiative, outlets across ethanol-rich states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
Exam Related Facts
- Ethanol100, is a cleaner and greener alternative to gasoline.
- Ethanol 100 is blend of 92 to 94 percent ethanol, 4 to 5 percent motor spirit to provide color to flame and 1.5 percent Co-solvent higher saturated alcohol.
- The fuel produces lower emissions of greenhouse gases, a reduction by around 63% on well to wheel basis.
Appointment
Retired NK Sehgal becomes new chairman of Prasar Bharati
- He is retired bureaucrats, known for playing a significant role in UP’s global investor summit.
- The chairperson’s post has been vacant since A Surya Prakash reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in February 2020.
Exam Related Facts
- Sehgal is a retired IAS officer of the 1988 batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
- Navneet Sehgal has become the seventh president of Prasar Bharati.
- Prasar Bharati is a statutory autonomous body.
- Prasar Bharati, India’s public service broadcaster, was established under the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990. It was established on November 23, 1997.
- The main objective of Prasar Bharati Corporation is to provide autonomy to Door darshan and All India Radio.
Kotak Bank appoints Jaideep Hansraj as President of ‘One Kotak’
- This marks a pivotal move towards leveraging the Group’s financial conglomerate model and delivering holistic propositions to customers.
- Jaideep will spearhead a cultural shift towards driving collaboration to unlock internal synergies across the Bank and its subsidiaries.
Exam related facts
Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector
- Chairperson & Independent Director of PayU– Renu Sud Karnad
- MD & CEO of Jana Small Finance Bank– Ajay Kanwal
- MD & CEO of SBM Bank India– Ashish Vinayaka (for 3 years)
- Nonofficial Director of Bank of India (BOI) –M R Kumar (3 years)
- Part time Chairman of Tamilnadan Mercantile Bank Ltd –Ravindran
Rahul Singh appointed as new chief of CBSE.
- He is senior IAS officer. Rahul Singh will replace Nidhi Chhibber in this post because Nidhi Chhibber has recently been made an advisor in NITI Aayog.
- Singh, a 1996-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, is currently serving as the Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (Dopt).
Exam Related Facts
Recent Appointment
- CM of Haryana– Nayab Singh Saini (replace Manohar Lal Khattar)
- CMD of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL)– B Sairam
- DG of Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association– Deepak Ballani
- Foreign Secretary –Vinay Mohan Kwatra (tenure extended for 6 months)
- Vigilance Commissioner – AS Rajeev
EC announces Para Archer Sheetal Devi as National PwD icon
- Sheetal Devi was announced at an Exhibition Cricket Match between the Indian Deaf Cricket Association Team and the Delhi and District Cricket Association team in Delhi.
- The comprehensive booklet outlines essential provisions available to PW Ds and senior citizens, including infrastructural, informative, and procedural details at polling stations.
Exam Related Facts
- The Election Commission in association with the Board of Control for Cricket in India organized the match to foster voter education and inclusivity.
Banking and Financial
SANY India signs MoU with J&K Bank to give finance solution
- SANY India is a leading manufacturer of construction equipment.
- Aim- aiming to stimulate substantial growth and development opportunities within the region, while facilitating easier access to SANY India’s advanced product line along with readily available financial solutions.
- And to support the procurement of essential machinery for infrastructure projects.
Exam Related Facts
Mou’s Signed in Banking Sector
- Easy Trip Planners partners with Ministry of Rural Development to empower self-help groups.
- IREDA and PNB join hands to Co-Finance Renewable Energy Projects
- Jana SFB partnered with Dvara Money for digital banking.
- L&T Finance Holdings Ltd signed a financing pact with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for $125 million to support financing in rural and peri-urban areas in India, particularly women borrowers.
- SBI partners with Aurionpro Solutions for its transaction banking platform
Awards
Uday Bhatia & Manasi Gupta honoured with Diana Memorial Award
- A total of 20 people from the world were honored with the ‘Diana Memorial Award’.
- Uday Bhatia and Manasi Gupta, received their awards from Prince William, the older son of Princess Diana, at an awards ceremony in London’s Science Museum.
Exam related facts
About Uday Bhatia
- Uday’s low-cost invention can provide relief from power cuts.
- Uday Bhatia is an inventor from Delhi. Uday Electric, founded by 18-year-old Uday Bhatia, is headquartered in Delhi.
- His invention provided continuous electricity to 950 families and increased their education and employment opportunities.
- He made a unique invention to deal with the electricity crisis. This can provide uninterrupted lighting for 10 hours during power cuts.
Exam Related facts
About Manasi Gupta
- Manasi Gupta is a mental health campaigner from Haryana.
- Huesothemind Foundation, founded by Manasi Gupta, is headquartered in Gurugram.
- During the Corona pandemic, 24-year-old Manasi Gupta’s mental health services were appreciated and she got a different recognition.
Recent Awards
- 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
- Chameli Devi Jain Award 2024 – Greeshma Kuthar (independent journalist) & Ritika Chopra (Indian Express)
Defense
Indian Army contingent departs for Seychelles for Exercise “LAMITIYE-2024”
- A contingent from the Indian Army, Tenth edition of the Joint Military Exercise “LAMITIYE-2024” alongside the Seychelles Defense Forces (SDF).
- Scheduled to take place from March 18th to 27th, this biennial training event holds significant importance in fostering cooperation between the two nations.
- Aim- the exercise aims to bolster interoperability in Sub-conventional Operations within Semi-Urban environments, aligning with Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter on Peacekeeping Operations.
Exam Related Facts
The term ‘LAMITIYE’, translating to ‘Friendship’ in the Creole language, encapsulates the spirit of camaraderie underlying this exercise, which has been a tradition since its inception in 2001
Recent Exercise
- 12th edition of MILAN Naval Exercise– Visakhapatnam
- 1st edition of Military Exercise – SADA TANSEEQ between India & Saudi Arabia – Rajasthan
- 5th edition of Military Exercise ‘Dharama Guardian’ between India and Japan – Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan
- Desert Knight Exercise between India, France, UAE – over Arabian Sea
- Indian Air Force Conduct Exercise Vayu Shakti-2024– Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Army raises helicopter unit at Jodhpur to induct Apache attack choppers
- Aim- aim of supporting ground operations near the Pakistan border.
- It is developed by the US aviation giant Boeing, Apache choppers are known as the ‘tanks in the air’.
- These high-end choppers are under manufacturing units in the US and reach Jodhpur by May this year.
Exam Related Facts
- They are advanced multi-mission helicopters with the latest technology and have come to be known the best attack helicopters in the world.
- These advanced attack helicopters are expected to land at the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Hindon Air Force Station and then will be deployed in Jodhpur, near the India-Pakistan border.
Defense Ministry contract with HAL for upgrade of 25 Dornier aircraft
- The Ministry of Defense (MoD)has signed a contract worth ₹2,890 crore with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the midlife upgrade of 25 Dornier patrol aircraft of the Indian Navy.
Exam Related Facts
The upgrade would significantly enhance the operational capability of the Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy.
To perform primary roles of maritime surveillance, coastal surveillance, electronic intelligence and development of maritime domain awareness.
Sports
Matthew Wade retires from first-class cricket
- The left-hand batter, Australia keeper Matthew Wadehas announced his decision to retire from first-class cricket.
- The 36-year-old announced his decision just before the upcoming Sheffield Shield final, marking his 166th and final first-class match as Tasmania takes on Western Australia.
- Wade has been a crucial part of Australia’s T20I squad, having scored 1175 runs from 64 innings since his debut back in 2011.
Exam Related Facts
Recently Retired Players
- Asad Shafiq (Pakistan) – All forms of cricket
- David Warner (Australia) – International ODI & Test
- Dean Elgar (South Africa) – International cricket
- Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa) – Test cricket
- Manoj Tiwary (West Bengal) – All forms of cricket
- Neil Wagner (New Zealand) – International cricket
RCB triumphs over Delhi Capitals in WPL 2024 final
- Delhi Capitals (DC) Captain – Meg Lanning (Australia)
- RCB defeated DC by eight wickets to lift the WPL trophy at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
- RCB made easy work of their 114-run chase against DC to lift their maiden WPL title. A wonderful first innings performance from RCB’s spin-attack helped them clinch their first-ever trophy as a franchise.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Captain – Smriti Mandhana
Exam related facts
Other Awards
| Award | Winner | Prize Money |
| Winners | RCB | ₹6 Crore |
| Runners-Up | DC | ₹3 Crore |
| Orange Cap (Highest Run-Scorer) | Ellyse Perry (RCB) | ₹5 Lakh |
| Purple Cap (Highest Wicket-Taker) | Shreyanka Patil (RCB) | ₹5 Lakh |
| Most Valuable Player of the Season | Deepti Sharma (UP Warriorz) | ₹5 Lakh |
| Emerging Player of the Season | Shreyanka Patil (RCB) | ₹5 Lakh |
| Powerful Striker of the Season | Georgia Wareham (RCB) | ₹5 Lakh |
| Most Sixes of the Season | Shafali Verma (DC) | ₹5 Lakh |
| Player of the Final | Sophie Molineux (RCB) | ₹2.5 Lakh |
| Powerful Striker of the Final | Shafali Verma (DC) | ₹1 Lakh |
Obituary
Renowned Sangeet Singer Sadi Mohammad Passes Away at the age of 70
- He received the Rabindra Award from the Bangla Academy in 2025.
- In 2017, Mohammad was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Channel.
- Sadi Mohammad completed his bachelor’s and master’s in Rabindra Sangeet from the Visva-Bharati University in India and is the son of Liberation War martyr Salimullah and Jebunnesa Salim Ullah.
- Sadi served as the director of the cultural organization Rabi Raag. His death has cast a grim shadow in Bangladesh’s cultural sphere.