Today's Current Affairs 11th March 2023

NATIONAL

Defence Ministry inks contract with HAL to procure 6 Dornier aircraft

The defence ministry on Friday signed a ₹667-crore contract with state-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for six Dornier-228 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to boost its operational capabilities. “The aircraft is ideally suited for short haul operations from semi-prepared/short runways of the Northeast and island chains of India. The addition of the six aircraft will further bolster the operational capability of the IAF in the remote areas,” it said.

Maharashtra will introduce 4th women's policy

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis on Wednesday informed the Legislative Council that the state will introduce the fourth women's policy to give more opportunities to women by considering the issues of women from all groups. On the occasion of International Women's Day, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe tabled a proposal to provide equal and dignified positions to women in all sectors. While replying to the proposal, Mr Fadanvis said that apart from education, and employment, the women's policy will consider other important aspects, including economic empowerment and gender equality. He also announced that the government will introduce a rehabilitation scheme for those above 18 years old girls from the orphanage.

Central Railway achieves 100 % electrification of broad gauge network

The Central Railway has achieved 100 per cent electrification of its broad gauge network of 3,825 kilometers, which was resulting in an annual reduction of 5.204 lakh tonnes of carbon footprints. In a release, the CSMT-headquartered zonal railway said the 52-kilometre Ausa Road-Latur Road stretch in Solapur division was the last non-electrified section and its electrification was completed on the 23rd of February this year. This move helps in reducing carbon footprints of 5.204 lakh tonnes every year as well as savings of 1670 crore rupees. It will reduce fuel bills and help earn carbon credit.

Two-day G20 flower festival begins in New Delhi

A two-day G20 Flower Festival is being organised at Delhi’s Connaught Place from today, March 11. It is aimed at highlighting the vibrancy of G20 members and guest countries. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the festival today which is being organised by the New Delhi Municipal Council at Central Park. G20 countries including Japan, Singapore, and the Netherlands are participating in it. Flower plants of different colours and varieties are being displayed in different forms and installations to showcase the diversity of the Indian subcontinent. The festival is also showcasing the painting and photographs of flowers of G20 member countries and guest countries. The timing of the festival is from 10 AM to 7 PM and entry is free for the general public. The musical and cultural programmes are also planned at the site of the event.

SPORTS

India beat world champions Germany 3-2 in FIH Pro League

India stunned world champions Germany 3-2 in the FIH Pro League at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh had given the home side the lead in the 30th minute through a penalty corner conversion. Sukhjeet Singh’s second-half brace helped India to take an unassailable lead. He scored in the 31st and 42nd minutes and both goals came from field efforts. India were 3-0 up in the 42nd minute before Paul-Philipp Kaufmann and Michel Struthoff struck for Germany in the 44th and 57th minutes respectively. Sukhjeet Singh was adjudged player of the match.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

B Gopkumar takes over Axis Mutual Fund as CEO Chandresh Nigam steps down

Axis Asset Management Company has appointed B Gopkumar, the managing director and chief executive officer at Axis Securities, as the new CEO of leading fund house Axis Mutual Fund. Gopkumar takes over from Chandresh Nigam who has stepped down as the CEO of the company.

Axis MF has been plagued by the front-running scandal that came to light when the fund house sacked its chief dealer Viresh Joshi in May 2022 in a shocking case of suspected front-running. This was followed by income tax raids at Joshi’s premises and Joshi suing his former employer for wrongful termination.

Hindustan Unilever names Rohit Jawa as MD, CEO

Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) major Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced Rohit Jawa as the new Managing Director and CEO of the company taking over from June 27, 2023. The present managing director & CEO Sanjiv Mehta will retire after a tenure of 10 years by the end of June the company stated.  Rohit Jawa will join as CEO designate and whole-time director for HUL from April 1, 2023, and take over as the president of Unilever South Asia from the present Chief of Transformation based in London. He will join the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE) on April 1, 2023.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Piyush Goyal to chair sixth meeting of National Startup Advisory Council

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal will chair the sixth meeting of the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC) in New Delhi today, March 11. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, NSAC will deliberate upon matters important for the evolution of the Indian startup ecosystem and will cover important topics such as Tech Landscape and the Way Ahead, Innovation in Logistics, Making India the Global Skill Market, Innovation Hub,

BOOKS & AUTHOR

Mundaka Upanishad: The Gateway to Eternity’, written by former MP Dr. Karan Singh

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar announced the released of the book “Mundaka Upanishad: The Gateway to Eternity”. Dr. Karan Singh, a former member of parliament, wrote the book at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas in New Delhi. He is a philosopher and politician from India.

Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan initially released this book in 1987. But, the current edition is unique since it includes Dr. Kamal Kishor Mishra’s Hindi translation of Dr. Karan Singh’s texts, who also transliterated the Sanskrit text in accordance with international standards. There have also been added six antiquated manuscripts that were picked from the sizable collection at the Sri Ranbir Sanskrit Research Center, Sri Raghunath Temple in Jammu. These documents, which comprise the primary text as well as the Bhasya, Bhasya-tippanam, and Dipika-comments by Adi Shankaracharya and Pandita Naraina, demonstrate that this significant Upanisad has been written down throughout many centuries in both the old and new Kashmiri type of Devanagari script

A book titled “As Good as My Word” wrote by KM Chandrasekhar

As Good as My Word by KM Chandrasekhar, who was the Cabinet Secretary from 2007-2011, starts as an autobiography with graphic details of his childhood, schooling and college education, set within the confines of a modest but disciplined Malayali home. The next part delves into his joining the IAS and the early years in his home state Kerala. Both segments, however, pale into insignificance compared to the latter part of the book which deals with a largely unknown but hugely important world of international trade. This is followed by a throwback into a series of tumultuous political events, including recent ones — and their cascading effect on public polity.