Today's Current Affairs 22nd March 2024

INTERNATIONAL

New Zealand Bans Disposable E-Cigarettes and Vapes

• The New Zealand government has announced a ban on disposable e-cigarettes or vapes. The move comes less than a month after the country repealed a law that aimed to phase out tobacco smoking.
• Along with the ban, New Zealand will also raise fines for retailers and individuals who sell vapes or e-cigarettes to minors under 18 years of age. 

Microsoft named British AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman as the head of its AI division

• Microsoft named British AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman as the head of its AI division. Suleyman, who co-founded Google’s DeepMind, will now report directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. 

NATIONAL

India’s First Battery Storage Gigafactory to Start Operations in J&K

• GoodEnough Energy has announced that it will start operations at India’s first battery energy storage gigafactory in the northern region of Jammu and Kashmir by October 2023.
• India has set a goal to become net zero by 2070. 

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Ashwani Kumar Elected as New President of FIEO

• Ashwani Kumar, Partner at Victor Forgings in Jalandhar, has been unanimously elected as the new President of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). 

Naveen Jindal Takes Over as President of Indian Steel Association

• Naveen Jindal, Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power, has been unanimously elected as the President of the Indian Steel Association (ISA) by the apex committee, which is the governing body of the ISA.
• Sajjan Jindal is the Chairman and Managing Director of JSW Steel.
• TV Narendran is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tata Steel. 

M V Rao Elected as New Chairman of Indian Banks Association

• The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has elected M V Rao, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Bank of India, as its new Chairman.
• Dinesh Kumar Khara is the Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI)
• S L Jain is the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Indian Bank
• N Kamakodi is the Managing Director and Chief Executive of City Union Bank
• Madhav Nair, the Country Head and Chief Executive of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, was unanimously elected as the Honorary Secretary of the IBA. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Water Day 2024:

• Every year on March 22, we celebrate World Water Day to recognize the importance of freshwater.
• This year, the occasion holds extra significance amid the ongoing Bengaluru water crisis.
• The idea of World Water Day was first proposed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. Later that year, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 22 as World Water Day.
• The theme for World Water Day 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’. 

Bihar Diwas 2024:

• Bihar Diwas 2024, celebrated on 22nd March 2024 in India, holds immense historical and cultural significance for the state of Bihar. It commemorates the founding of Bihar as a separate state in 1912, marking its separation from the Bengal Presidency.
• The inception of Bihar Diwas dates back to 2010, when the state government initiated the celebrations to honor Bihar’s 112th statehood anniversary.

About Bihar:

Established on March 22, 1912

Governor: Rajendra Arlekar

Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar

Deputy Chief Ministers: Samrat Chaudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha 

SUMMITS AND MOU’S

India and Brazil Conduct Inaugural ‘2+2’ Dialogue

• India and Brazil recently held their inaugural ‘2+2’ defence and foreign ministerial dialogue.
• The dialogue took place in Delhi, underscoring India’s commitment to fostering closer ties with Brazil.

About Brazil:

President: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva 

Capital: Brasília 

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

PM Modi Honoured with Bhutan’s ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’ Award

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created history by becoming the first non-Bhutanese to receive the ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’, Bhutan’s highest civilian award.
• He received this prestigious honour from Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck during his two-day state visit to Thimphu.
• The ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’ is a lifetime achievement award and is considered the pinnacle of Bhutan’s honour system.
• PM Modi is the first non-Bhutanese to receive the ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’, he is also the first foreign head of government to get this prestigious award.