CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 13th MARCH, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF  13^th MARCH, 2023

1. World Rotaract Day is annually observed across the globe on 13 March to recognise and appreciate the services provided by Rotaractors, and members of Rotaract Clubs (‘Rotaract’ stands for ‘Rotary in Action’). World Rotaract Week is annually observed on the week on which World Rotaract Day is observed. World Rotaract Week 2023 is being observed from 13 March to 19 March, 2023.
2. The Elephant Whisperers, a Netflix documentary short film of India by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga, has won the 95^th Academy Awards for ‘Best Documentary Short Film’.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 March 2023, inaugurated the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway project in the Mandya district of Karnataka.
4. India’s Trap shooter Prithviraj Tondaiman won a bronze medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup 2023 in Doha, Qatar on 11 March, 2023.
5. Former Infosys President Mohit Joshi has been appointed as the Tech Mahindra’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for a term of five years, from 20 December, 2023 to 19 December, 2028. He will succeed CP Gurnani, who was one of the longest-serving CEOs in the Indian IT industry.
6. Central Railway achieved 100% railway electrification on all Broad Gauge routes which is almost 3825 kilometres in March 2023.
7. Civic architect, urban planner and activist, Sir David Alan Chipperfield has been selected as the 2023 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the award that is regarded internationally as architecture’s highest honor.
8. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have discovered a new antibacterial small molecule (IITR00693) that could help in the fight against drug-resistant infections.
9. Iran and Saudi Arabia on 10 March, 2023 agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in each others countries.
10. The 4^th Asian Kho Kho Championship for Men and Women will be held at Baksa district in Assam from 20-23 March, 2023.
11. Under its Sagarmala Programme, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways has provided in-principle approval to four floating jetty projects in Karnataka.
12. Indian Navy’s indigenously built guided missile frigate, INS Sahyadri participated in a Maritime Partnership Exercise with French Navy ships FS Dixmude, a Mistral Class Amphibious Assault Ship and FS La Fayette, a La Fayette Class Frigate, in the Arabian Sea. The partnership exercise was conducted on 10-11 March, 2023.
13. The GREAT instrument onboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) measured the ratio of main oxygen to heavy oxygen in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere.
14. The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure six Dornier-228 aircraft at a cost of Rs 667 crore for the Indian Air Force to bolster the operational capability of the IAF in remote areas.
15. Eighteenth meeting of Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States was held in New Delhi from 10-12 March, 2023.
16. Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has become the first metro in India to accept the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) issued by the Reserve Bank of India.