Today's Current Affairs 23rd March 2023

NATIONAL

HM Amit Shah to inaugurate Vedic Heritage Portal in New Delhi today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Vedic Heritage portal today (23 March) with the twin agenda of helping researchers in deeper understanding of the Vedic knowledge tradition and help the common people to have a general understanding of the ancient scriptures. The portal hosted by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts will be launched during the week-long IGNCA Foundation Day celebrations that began on Sunday.

Member Secretary, IGNCA, Dr Sachchidanand Joshi said this portal will not only help researchers to develop a deeper understanding about our Vedic knowledge tradition, but also help common people to have a general understanding about the Vedas.

Vedas and Indian Knowledge system is not static but contemporary, Dr Joshi said.  He also informed that IGNCA is working on a project “Vrihattar Bharat” wherein the cultural linkages of India with 40 other countries is being compiled. Some of the countries of this project are SouthEast Asian Nations like Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia and others.

SPORTS

ISSF World Cup Shooting Championship: India win bronze

Indian pair Narmada Nithin Raju and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil won bronze medal as they beat China mix team by 16-8 in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team bronze medal match in ISSF World Cup shooting championship in Bhopal today.

Earlier Nithin and Rudrankksh finished 3rd in qualification with 632 points. This is the third medal for India.

OBITUARY

Indore’s noted journalist and Padma Shri winner Abhay Chhajlani passes away

Chhajlani was born on 4th August 1934 in Indore. He entered the field of journalism in 1955. In 1963, he took over as the executive editor and later remained the editor-in-chief of NaiDunia for a long time. In the year 1965, he graduated from Thomson Foundation, Cardiff (UK), the world's premier Institute of Journalism. He was the first journalist to be selected for this training from the field of Hindi journalism.

He had prominently raised many major issues of the city. Along with this, he was also associated with sports. He was the President of Madhya Pradesh Table Tennis Association for a long time and then remained on the post of President for life.

Lately, apart from serving as the chairman of the editorial board of NaiDunia, he was also carrying out many important social responsibilities. Abhay Chhajlani was a three-time president of ILNA, the apex organization of Indian language newspapers. He was the president of the organization in 1988, 1989 and 1994. He was also the Vice President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) in 2000 and President in 2002.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, Grammarly’s new Indian-origin CEO

Rahul Roy-Chowdhury has been appointed as the CEO of Grammarly, the San Francisco-headquartered online text editing platform based on artificial intelligence.

The Indian-origin executive, who is currently serving as the global product head at the company, will take over as CEO from May 1.

On Linkedin, Rahul Roy-Chowdhury said, “I joined Grammarly two years ago because of a deep belief in our mission to improve lives by improving communication. I’m honored to serve that mission in a new capacity as Grammarly’s CEO, starting May 1.” Before joining Grammarly in May 2021, Rahul Roy-Chowdhury worked at Google for 14 years where he served in multiple capacities, including vice-president of product management. He also spent two years as a product manager at Google’s office in Bengaluru between 2007 and 2009, following which he moved to California.

Rahul Roy-Chowdhury has an MBA from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in computer science from Columbia University. He has a BA in mathematics from Hamilton College in New York as well.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Martyr's Day or Shaheed Diwas: India

Every year on March 23, India observes Martyrs' Day or Shaheed Diwas to honor the brave soldiers who gave their lives for the country. This day serves as a reminder to be grateful for the sacrifices made by these soldiers to protect the country and its people.

Martyrs' Day has a historical significance as it marks the day in 1931 when Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar were hanged to death during the struggle for India's independence. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, is also remembered on Martyrs' Day. January 30th is observed as Martyrs' Day or Shaheed Diwas in memory of Gandhi, who was assassinated on that day.

World Meteorological Day

World Meteorological Day takes place every year on 23 March and commemorates the coming into force on 23 March 1950 of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization. It showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of society and is celebrated with activities around the world. 

Our weather and climate and the water cycle know no national or political boundaries. International cooperation is essential. This philosophy has driven the work of the world’s meteorological community since 1873 and will guide us as we translate science into services for society for present and future generations.

Since 1961, the World Meteorological Organization has been celebrating World Meteorological Day with a different theme selected for each year. The theme of World Meteorological Day 2023 is 'The Future of Weather, Climate and Water across Generations.' It underlines the impact of climate change and steps to protect the environment for the upcoming generations.

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Paralympic Committee of India signs MOU with Makers Hive and Vilay Sports

The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Makers Hive and Vilay Sports.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Dr Deepa Malik, a former Paralympic medalist and current president of the PCI, Mr Gursharan Singh, the renowned para-athlete Shri Devendra Jhajharia, Mr Pranav Vempati, CEO of Makers Hive, and Mr Siddharth Ram, CEO of Vilay Sports at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, during the 21st National Para-Athletics Championship.

Vilay Sports is a sports management company that focuses on creating and preserving alliances throughout the spectrum of sports. The company offers clients a 360-degree holistic service and offers cutting-edge solutions to support their success. Vilay Sports’ team is eager to work with Makers Hive, an innovative assistive technology firm in India, and PCI, the country’s official parasports regulatory organisation, to create a sustainable way of life for people with disabilities.

On the other hand, the mission of Makers Hive is to establish a revolutionary ecosystem where technology and social problems are met, analytics and human aspirations are encountered, innovation and customer satisfaction are achieved, and creativity empowers the next generation to truly benefit society.

MoU signed for setting up nation's first PM MITRA Park in Tamil Nadu

The nation's first PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park is set to be established in Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu, and employ an estimated 2 lakh people, the Memorandum of Understanding for which was signed between the Central and State governments here on Wednesday.

Marking the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on his Twitter handle:"Today is a very special day for my sisters and brothers of Tamil Nadu!"

"The aspirational district of Virudhunagar will be home to a PM MITRA mega textiles park. This will boost the local economy and will prove to be beneficial for the youngsters of the state #PragatiKaPMMitra," he said. Giving a big boost to the textile sector, the PM MITRA Parks, in all, would create huge employment opportunities and an estimated 20 lakh people would get 'new work' attracting about Rs 70,000 crore investment, Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal said here.

The mega project would ensure south Tamil Nadu's economic growth, Chief Mininster M K Stalin said.

G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering

The two-day G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Conference will begin in Dibrugarh, Assam today. It will deliberate on ways towards building a sustainable and circular bio-economy.

About 100 delegates from G20 members, guest countries and International organizations, along with invited participants from the scientific community will be present on the occasion.

The event will bring together key actors, including national authorities and experts from the G20 members responsible for planning, setting up new, and managing existing programmes on the subject.

The area of focus will include challenges and opportunities in agriculture, de-carbonization of the industry as well as bio-energy and bioresource management.

The conference will also deliberate on national and regional programmes and country experiences, regulatory environment and public/private sector collaboration, role of research, development and innovation in creating new, resource-efficient, sustainable and more circular bio-based technologies, products, services and cooperation between G20 members on specific thematic areas.

This event will further promote active engagement between all key stakeholders, including the 3Ps (people, policies and places), and lead towards an inclusive policy-making approach providing a conceptual framework to mainstream circular bio-economy models across different sectors.