Daily Current Affairs- 14 March

Today's Current Affairs 14th March 2023

NATIONAL

Surekha Yadav, Asia's 1st woman loco pilot who now becomes first female to operate Vande Bharat

Asia's first woman loco pilot Surekha Yadav has added another feather to her cap as she became the first female to operate the newly-introduced semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express train, She piloted the semi-high speed train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai on Monday.

The train departed Solapur station at right time on March 13 and reached CSMT five minutes before the scheduled arrival, a Central Railway release said, adding that on completion of a more than 450-km long journey, Yadav was felicitated at platform number 8 at CSMT

Exercise La Perouse between navies of India, US, Japan, France, UK and Australia begins

The two-day multi-lateral maritime exercise ‘La Pérouse’, involving the participation of personnel, ships and integral helicopters of Royal Australian Navy, French Navy, Indian Navy, Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, Royal Navy and the United States Navy, kick-started in the Indian Ocean Region on March 13. “The third edition of the multilateral exercise La Perouse is scheduled to be conducted in the Indian Ocean Region from 13 to 14 March 2023," the Ministry of Defence said in a press release.

The biennial exercise La Perouse is conducted by the French Navy and aims to enhance maritime domain awareness and optimise maritime coordination amongst the participating navies in the Indo-Pacific region, the release stated.

Nitin Gadkari unveiled first methanol run buses in Bengaluru

The first methanol-powered buses in Bengaluru unveiled by Union Minister for Road and Transport, Nitin Gadkari. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), NITI Aayog, Indian Oil Company (IOC), and Ashok Leyland are working together to carry out the initiative, which aims to lower the level of pollutants. Methanol can be produced through the reaction of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen, which are also known as syngas. The syngas can be produced from various sources such as natural gas, coal, or biomass.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

FDIC names former Fannie Mae chief Tim Mayopoulos as CEO of Silicon Valley Bank

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on Monday named former Fannie Mae head Tim Mayopoulos as the chief executive officer of Silicon Valley Bank, a subsidiary of the defunct SVB Financial Group. He steps in after regulators shuttered the startup-focused lender on Friday after a run on its deposits that left it with a dearth of capital. Mayopoulos served as the chief executive officer of mortgage financier Fannie Mae for more than six years before he joined fintech Blend. The collapse of SVB, the biggest bank to fail since the financial crisis of 2008, has crippled stocks and triggered concerns of a contagion throughout global markets.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Action for Rivers

The International Day of Action for Rivers observed on 14 March is a day dedicated to solidarity – when diverse communities around the world come together with one voice to say that rivers matter. That communities having access to clean and flowing water matters. That everyone should have a say in decisions that affect their water and their lives. That it’s our time to stand up for these rights, now more than ever.

We’re celebrating the 26th Anniversary of this Day for Rivers by also highlighting the importance of being a protector and voice for rivers.

International Day of Mathematics

Every year on March 14th, people around the world gather together to celebrate the importance of mathematics and everything it’s used for, Mathematics is defined as the study of such topics as quantity, structure, space, and change. This definition makes it sound like you have to be a rocket scientist to do math. But whether you realize it or not, you probably use mathematics daily. Do you balance your checkbook? When you have to drive somewhere, do you estimate out how much time it will take to arrive? Do you count calories? Have you ever measured ingredients when you’re cooking? Do you do your own taxes? If you do any of these things, you’re using math!

Pi Day

Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π. Pi Day is observed on March 14 since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant figures of π. It was founded in 1988 by Larry Shaw, an employee of the San Francisco, California science museum, the Exploratorium. and it also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday.

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

First international conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage to begin in New Delhi

The first international conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage will commence in New Delhi today 14^th March. It is being organised with a focus on India’s civilisational connect with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) nations 2023. The two-day conference aims at re-establishing trans-cultural links and seeking out commonalities, between Buddhist art of Central Asia, art styles, archaeological sites and antiquity in various museum collections of the SCO countries.

The event, under India’s leadership of SCO, will bring together Central Asian, East Asian, South Asian and Arab countries on a common platform to discuss Shared Buddhist Heritage. The SCO countries comprise of Member States, Observer States and Dialogue Partners, including China, Russia and Mongolia. The two-day programme is being organised by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of External Affairs and the International Buddhist Confederation. A number of Indian scholars of Buddhism will also participate in the event. Participants will also have the opportunity to tour some of the historical sites of Delhi.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Gyan Chaturvedi awarded with the 32nd Vyas Samman, 2022

Noted Hindi writer Dr Gyan Chaturvedi’s 2018 satirical novel, Pagalkhana, has been selected for the 32nd Vyas Samman, 2022. Instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991, the annual Vyas Samman is given to an outstanding Hindi literary work by an Indian citizen published during the last 10 years.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

Suryoday Small Finance Bank launches Blossom Women’s savings account,

Suryoday Small Finance Bank on Monday launched a new savings account for women. Suryoday's Blossom Women’s Savings Account is built on a strong proposition of giving women a complete, simplified, and rewarding banking experience.

Under this new account, women can earn up to 7% interest rate per annum with monthly interest credit coupled with a specially designed RuPay Platinum Debit Card which offers discounts on shopping and online purchases and many more, The new women's savings account can be operated through the Bank’s 571 banking outlets and digital banking platform.