Today's Current Affairs 24th March 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Egypt Becomes A Member Of The BRICS New Development Bank

Egypt on Wednesday, officially became a member of BRICS' New Development Bank (NDB) which includes India, Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa as member countries. According to an update posted on the bank's official website, Cairo completed all the necessary procedures to become an eligible member on February 20, 2023

BRICS' New Development bank was established in July 2014, after an intergovernmental agreement was signed by the partner nations at the sixth BRICS summit in Fortaleza. “The membership shall be open to members of the United Nations, in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Agreement of the New Development Bank.

Bank's aim is to provide funding and finance to the BRICS member states for infrastructure and sustainable development projects. New Development Bank drafted the General Strategy until 2022–2026 titled “Scaling Up Development Finance for a Sustainable Future." The vision of the bank is to evolve into a leading provider of solutions for infrastructure and sustainable development for emerging market economies and developing countries.

NATIONAL

Under U20, Urban Climate Film Festival to be held from today: March 24

With the support of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Union, the Urban Climate Film Festival is to be held from March 24 to 26, 2023. The Urban Climate Film Festival will be inaugurated on March 24 in New Delhi. The inaugural session will be chaired by Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa. Notably, the Ambassadors of France and the European Union to India will also deliver the inaugural addresses.

Through the CITIIS programme and U20 engagement events, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is organising the first Urban Climate Film Festival. A curated selection of 11 films from 9 countries will be shown to create wider awareness of the impact of climate change on life in cities and engage the public in the dialogue on sustainable urban development.

Objectives -

1. Incorporate the powerful medium of film to enlighten audiences about the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change on urban settlements
2. Initiate conversations about building climate-resilient cities and invite inputs from the public
3. Encourage citizens to undertake “environmentally responsible behaviours” in line with the U20 Priority Areas and the Prime Minister’s clarion call through the LiFE Mission.

Indian Navy Conducts Maritime Exercise 'Konkan 2023' With UK Navy

Konkan 2023, a joint naval drill between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Britain was organised over three days, from March 20 to 23, 2023. The maritime exercise demonstrated operational readiness, improved interoperability, and joint operations. The drill was conducted off the coast of Konkan in the Arabian Sea, and demonstrated the close ties and high operational readiness of both navies.

This exercise yielded excellent training value to personnel of both navies. During the exercise, a high degree of professionalism and zeal was demonstrated. The UK has been extended an offer to join India's Information Fusion Centre in Gurugram, and the two countries have agreed to significantly expand their maritime domain awareness cooperation. This workout regimen is extensive and trilateral joint movements are also part of it.

Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates ‘Sagar Manthan’, the Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard of MoPSW

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal virtually launched Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways      ‘Sagar Manthan’ – Digital platform having all the integrated data related to the ministry and other subsidiaries. It was inaugurated in the presence of Shri Shripad Y. Naik, MoS, MoPSW; Shri Shantanu Thakur, MoS, MoPSW and other officials from the ministry.

This dashboard will transform the workings of various departments by improving well-coordinated real time information. This platform has been developed completely in-house under the guidance of Shri Sudhanshu Pant, IAS, Secretary, MoPSW in the span of less than 1.5 months efficiently. Speaking on the occasion Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said the launch of Sagar Manthan dashboard is a positive development towards Digital India vision of our Prime Minister. He said it will have a significant impact on the overall performance of organizations

SCIENCE & TEHNOLOGY

NASA-ISRO Jointly Manufactures NISAR Earth Science Satellite

In a significant development in the field of earth science, NASA and ISRO have come together to manufacture a satellite named NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar). This earth science satellite has been designed to cater to various mission objectives, such as designing, developing, and launching Dual Frequency (L and S band) Radar Imaging Satellite, and exploring newer application areas using L & S Band microwave data, especially in surface deformation studies, terrestrial biomass structure, natural resource mapping, and monitoring and studies related to the dynamics of ice-sheets, glaciers, forests, oil slick, etc. According to Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State Science & Technology, NISAR satellite is configured with I-3K bus, and the instrument identified for SAR is based on the innovative Sweep SAR technique configured in both L and S band in polarimetric configuration for wide swath and high resolution. The satellite will orbit the Earth in a sun-synchronous orbit of 747 Km with an inclination of 98.4 degrees for a 12-day repeat cycle.

While NASA is delivering the L-Band SAR payload, high-precision GPS, and 12m unfurlable antenna, ISRO is delivering S-band SAR payload, spacecraft bus, and facilitating the launch. The total expenditure incurred on realization of NISAR satellite by ISRO as on February 2023 is Rs. 469.40 Crore, excluding launch cost.

OBITURY

Filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar passes away at 67

Filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar, who was best-known for directing films like Parineeta, Helicopter Eela and Mardaani, has died at the age of 67. Director Hansal Mehta shared the news on his Twitter profile on Friday morning and he wrote: "Pradeep Sarkar. Dada. RIP." United by grief, Bollywood stars paid tribute to the filmmaker. Ajay Devgn, in his eulogy for Pradeep Sarkar, wrote: "The news of Pradeep Sarkar's demise, 'Dada' to some of us is still hard to digest. My deepest condolences. My prayers are with the departed and his family. RIP Dada." Actor Manoj Bajpayee retweeted Hansal Mehta's tweet and he wrote: "Ohh! That's so shocking! Rest in peace Dada."

Several members of the film industry showed up to pay their respects for the filmmaker and greet his grieving family. The veteran filmmaker made his feature directorial debut with Parineeta, that starred Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt. Among those who were in attendance at the crematorium in Mumbai for the funeral were Deepika Padukone, Vidya Balan with husband Sidharth Roy Kapur, Rani Mukerji, Dia Mirza, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rhea Chakraborty, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Gajraj Rao, Tahir Raj Bhasin and Sakshi Tanwar.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World TB Day

Each year, we recognize World TB Day on March 24. This annual event commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB).

World TB Day is a day to educate the public about the impact of TB around the world.  CDC, along with our partners and colleagues around the world share successes in TB prevention and control and raise awareness of the challenges that hinder our progress toward the elimination of this devastating disease.

World TB Day 2023, with the theme 'Yes! We can end TB!', aims to inspire hope and encourage high-level leadership, increased investments, faster uptake of new WHO recommendations, adoption of innovations, accelerated action, and multisectoral collaboration to combat the TB epidemic.

Right to Truth Day

On 21 December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 March as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims.

The date was chosen because on 24 March 1980, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador was assassinated, after denouncing violations of human rights.

Each year, on 24 March, the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed.

This annual observance pays tribute to the memory of Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered on 24 March 1980. Monsignor Romero was actively engaged in denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable individuals in El Salvador.

Kitty O'Neil's 77th Birth anniversary

Kitty O’Neil, a famous American stuntwoman and actress who was deaf from a young age, was commemorated by Google on her 77th birthday anniversary with a doodle featuring her in a yellow jumpsuit. She went on to become one of Hollywood’s most famous stunt drivers. Google celebrated Kitty O’Neil’s 77th birth anniversary with a doodle that depicted her in a yellow jumpsuit. Despite being deaf since childhood, she became a well-known stunt driver in Hollywood and held the women’s absolute land speed record until 2019

Kitty O’Neil was an American stuntwoman and actor who was born in Texas in 1946. She became deaf at a young age due to contracting multiple diseases. Despite this, she went on to become one of Hollywood’s most recognized stunt drivers and performers, appearing as a stunt double in several movies and shows.

In 1976, O’Neil set the women’s absolute land speed record driving a hydrogen peroxide-powered three-wheeled rocket car, reaching an average speed of 825.127 kmph, with a top speed of 999 kmph. This earned her the title of the “fastest woman in the world.” She also set a women’s high-fall record of 127 feet (39 m) while performing as a stunt double in the 1979 episode of the Wonder Woman TV series, which she would later break.

O’Neil died in 2018 at the age of 72 due to pneumonia. In 2019, she was honored with the Oscars in Memoriam award. A biopic about her life, called Silent Victory: The Kitty O’Neil Story, was released in 1979 and showcased her land speed record achievement. A biopic named Silent Victory: The Kitty O’Neil Story, was released in 1979, and she received the Oscars in Memoriam award in 2019. She passed away in 2018 due to pneumonia at the age of 72

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

PM Modi to address One World TB Summit at Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi today. PM will address the One World TB Summit at Rudrakash Convention Centre at around 10:30 AM.

On the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day, Prime Minister will address the One World TB Summit. This summit is being organised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Stop TB Partnership. Founded in 2001, the Stop TB Partnership is a United Nations-hosted organisation that amplifies the voices of the people, communities, and countries affected by TB.

During the event, Prime Minister will launch various initiatives and will also award select States and Districts for their progress toward ending TB.

In March 2018, during the End TB summit held in New Delhi, Prime Minister called on India to achieve TB-related SDG targets by 2025, five years ahead of stipulated time. One World TB Summit will provide an opportunity to further deliberate upon the targets as the country moves forward to meet its TB elimination objectives. International delegates from over 30 countries are scheduled to be present at the summit.