Daily Current Affairs 17th March 2023

Current Affairs 17th March 2023 are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily Current Affairs is the complete bag of important news that is held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update for 17th March 2023 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz. 

Here is the Current Affairs 17th March 2023 covering the following news headlines: “AgriUnifest” in Bengaluru, Indian Railways, Bhutan’s graduation, India’s GDP growth, RBI, Central Bank of UAE.

Top 18 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News:

Here is providing below the top 18 important Daily General Knowledge 2022 updates with national & international news.

                                    National News

1. Narender Singh Tomar inaugurates “AgriUnifest” in Bengaluru

• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on 15 March 2023, inaugurated “AgriUnifest” in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• It is a 5-day cultural program, organized by Bangalore Agricultural University in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• More than 2500 students from 60 State Universities/Central Universities have participated.

2. Indian Railways to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030

• Indian Railways has set a target of becoming a ‘net-zero carbon emitter’ by 2030, said Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
• The Railways plans to achieve this ambitious target in two steps: A complete transition to electric trains by December 2023 and powering the trains and stations primarily through non-renewable sources by 2030.

                                International News

3. Bhutan’s graduation from the UN list of Least Developed Countries

• Recently, at the United Nations Least Developed Countries (LDC) Summit that concluded on March 9 in Doha, Qatar, the landlocked Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan will no longer be on the list of LDCs and will become only the seventh country to graduate from the list.
• Bhutan was included in the first group of LDCs in 1971. However, over the last few decades, it has made remarkable progress on a variety of socio-economic metrics.
• Bhutan first fulfilled the requirements for graduation in 2015, and then again in 2018. Bhutan was therefore scheduled to graduate in 2021.
• However, the UN viewed Bhutan’s request to match the effective graduation date with the conclusion of the nation’s 12th national development plan in 2023 as a legitimate request and thus postponed the delisting.

                                    Economy News

4. CRISIL forecasts India’s GDP growth at 6% for next FY against NSO’s projection of 7%

• CRISIL expects India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth to touch 6% in fiscal 2024, compared with 7% estimated by the National Statistics Office (NSO) for fiscal 2023.
• A complex interplay of geopolitical events, stubbornly high inflation — and sharp rate hikes to counter that — have turned the global environment gloomier.
• On the domestic front, the peak impact of the rate hikes — 250 basis points since May 2022, which has pushed interest rates above pre-Covid-19 levels — will play out in fiscal 2024.

                                      Banking News

5. IDFC FIRST Bank Partners with Mumbai Indians as Official Banking Partner

• IDFC FIRST Bank, a private sector bank in India, has become the official banking partner of the Mumbai Indians, a franchise cricket team that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• As the official banking partner, IDFC FIRST Bank will provide a range of financial products and services to Mumbai Indians and its players, including banking solutions, credit cards, and digital banking services.

6. RBI, Central Bank of UAE sign MoU to promote innovation in financial products and services

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on March 15 said that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Bank of United Arab Emirates for promoting innovation in financial product and services.
• Both central banks will collaborate on various emerging areas of FinTech, especially Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), and explore interoperability between the CBDCs of UAE’s central bank and the RBI.
• Central Bank of UAE and RBI will jointly conduct proof-of-concept (PoC) and pilot(s) of bilateral CBDC bridge to facilitate cross-border CBDC transactions of remittances and trade.

7. National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approves HDFC and HDFC Bank merger

• On March 17th, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger of HDFC Ltd and HDFC Bank, which is considered to be the largest merger in the history of corporate India.
• The merger will create a massive banking entity by combining India’s largest housing finance company with the country’s largest private lender.
• Prior to this, HDFC Ltd had already received approval from various regulatory bodies and stock exchanges for the merger. Shares of both companies were trading higher on the BSE during late trading hours.

8. Canara Bank introduces Rupay Credit Card on UPI

• To leverage the reach of UPI and the strength of credit card products, Canara Bank in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched the Rupay Credit Card through UPI using the BHIM app.
• This integration allows customers to connect their Rupay Credit Card to UPI and conduct merchant transactions without needing the physical card, resembling UPI’s account-based transactions.

9. ICICI Bank offers Ecosystem Banking for Indian Startups

• ICICI Bank announced that it offering a comprehensive bouquet of digital and physical solutions to cater to all banking needs of startups across their various life stages.
• As part of the ‘Startup Ecosystem Banking’ the Bank has put in place a dedicated team for startups that serves them through an extensive network of branches.
• The Bank provides innovative solutions through its domestic and international network, and branch at GIFT City, the Gujarat-based emerging global financial and IT services hub, the bank said.

                                   Business News

10. BIS Launches ‘Learning Science via Standards’ Initiative to Benefit Students

• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has launched the “Learning Science via Standards” initiative to promote science learning among school students.
• This program aims to improve students’ learning outcomes in science and promote an interest in science education by providing them with access to national and international standards related to science.
• The initiative is part of BIS’s efforts to improve the quality of education in India and support the government’s efforts to make India a global leader in science and technology.
• ‘Learning Science via Standards’ initiative for students, which focuses on providing lesson plans related to products used in day-to-day life.

                                       Important Days

11. World Sleep Day 2023 Observed on March 17th

• World Sleep Day is an annual event observed on the Friday before the Spring Vernal Equinox to raise awareness about the significance of sleep.
• This year, it falls on March 17, 2023. The day aims to reduce the burden of sleep disorders on society by promoting better prevention and management.
• The World Sleep Committee of the World Sleep Society, founded by World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) and World Sleep Federation (WSF), organizes this day.
• The World Sleep Society has announced the theme for this year’s Sleep Day as ‘Sleep is Essential for Health’.

12. Polio Ravivar 2023: Celebrating National Vaccination Day in India

• In India, National Vaccination Day is held on March 16 each year, also known as “Polio Ravivar,” to raise awareness and promote vaccination against polio.
• National Vaccination Day is an annual event observed in various countries to promote vaccination and increase public knowledge about its significance.
• The significance of Indian National Vaccination Day, also known as “Polio Ravivar,” lies in its role in promoting vaccination and eradicating polio in India.

                                 Appointments News

13. Viacom18 announces former captain MS Dhoni as their brand ambassador