Shaheed Diwas or Martyrs’ Day Observed On 23rd March
Every year, the Nation was observed on March 23rd as Martyrs Day (Shaheed Diwas or Sarvodaya Day). The day was observed to pay tribute to the death anniversary of the freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru, who laid their lives for the freedom of India. Also, 30 January is observed as Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Diwas in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi.
Why is Martyr’s Day celebrated on 23rd March?
On March 23, three heroes of our nation were hanged to death, namely Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar by the British. No doubt, they also sacrificed their lives for the welfare of our nation. These heroes fought for the welfare of people and sacrificed their lives for the same cause. For many young Indians, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev have become a source of inspiration. Even during British rule, their sacrifice urged many people to come forth and fight for their freedom. Therefore, in order to homage to the three of these revolutionaries, India has commemorated March 23 as Shaheed Diwas.
The story behind their sacrifice
They were hanged to death for assassinating John Saunders, a British police officer in 1928. They had mistook him for British police superintendent James Scott. It was Scott who had ordered lathi-charge, which eventually led to the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
Frequently Asked Questions
Qns1. Why do we celebrate Shahid Diwas?
Ans. Shahid Diwas is celebrated to remember the sacrifices of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru, who fought for freedom for India’s independence from British rule.
Qns2. Which day is celebrated on 23 March?
Ans. Every year on March 23, Shaheed Diwas, also known as Martyrs’ Day, is celebrated to
honour the sacrifices of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar.
Qns3.What is special on 23rd March in India?
Ans. 23rd March is special in India because it is a day that is dedicated to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru for their contribution to the freedom fight against British rule.
Qns4.Which day is known as Shaheed Diwas?
Ans. 23rd March is known as Shaheed Diwas.
Knight Frank: India Placed 51st in Global House Price Index Q4 2021
India has improved its rank by five spots to be placed at 51st position in the ‘Global House Price Index Q4 2021’ released by property consultant Knight Frank. India was placed at 56th position in Q4 of 2020. India witnessed a 2.1 per cent annual appreciation in housing price rates during the October-December quarter of 2021 against Q4 of 2020.
Globally
- Turkey saw the highest annual price growth rate by 59.6 per cent in Q4 2021.
- New Zealand (22.6 per cent), Czech Republic (22.1 per cent), Slovakia (22.1 per cent) and Australia (21.8 per cent) are among the top 5 countries respectively in the latest research report.
- Malaysia, Malta and Morocco markets recorded a decline in housing prices by 0.7 per cent, 3.1 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively, in the year 2021.
About the Knight Frank’s Global House Price Index :
Global House Price Index tracks the movement in mainstream residential prices across 56 countries and territories worldwide using official statistics. The index tracks nominal and real price growth in local currencies. The rankings on the price movement have been accounted basis the nominal price growth change.
Former Malian Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga passes away
The former Prime Minister of Mali, Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga has passed away due to illness. Maiga served as prime minister of Mali from 2017 until 2019. He had been detained since August 2021 after the country was taken over by a military junta. He was appointed Keita’s prime minister in 2017 but resigned in April 2019 over a massacre that left 160 people dead.
Mali has been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency that first emerged in the north, before spreading to the centre, neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the conflict, crippling an already impoverished country.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Mali Capital: Bamako;
- Mali Currency: West African CFA franc;
- Mali Continent: Africa.
EX-DUSTLIK between Indian and Uzbekistan armies begins
The 3rd edition of the joint training exercise named EX-DUSTLIK between the Indian army and Uzbekistan army begins at Yangiarik, Uzbekistan from 22 to 31 March 2022. The last edition of DUSTLIK was conducted in Ranikhet (Uttarakhand) in March 2021. The Indian contingent will be represented by the Grenadiers Regiment and will join the Uzbekistan Army contingent represented by troops of the North-Western Military District.
About the Exercise:
The joint exercise would focus on Counter-Terrorism operations in semi-urban terrain under a United Nations Mandate. The training schedule will focus primarily on sharing of tactical level drills and learning of best practices from each other. The exercise aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between two armies.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Uzbekistan Capital: Tashkent;
- Uzbekistan President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev;
- Uzbekistan Currency: Uzbekistani soʻm.
IQAir’s 2021 World Air Quality Report: Delhi world’s most polluted capital
New Delhi has been ranked the world’s most polluted capital city for the second consecutive year as per IQAir’s 2021 World Air Quality Report. New Delhi is followed by Dhaka (Bangladesh), N’Djamena (Chad), Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and Muscat (Oman) as the top five most polluted capital cities respectively. Meanwhile, Bhiwadi was the most polluted city in India, followed by Ghaziabad, Delhi and Jaunpur.
Globally:
Bangladesh was the most polluted country, followed by Chad, Pakistan and Tajikistan. India was the fifth most polluted country.
Key points of the report:
- The 2021 World Air Quality Report by Swiss organisation IQAir is the first major global air quality report based on updated annual WHO air quality guidelines for PM2.5.
- The new guidelines were released in September 2021 and cut existing annual PM2.5 guideline values from 10 Aug/m 3 to 5 Aug/m 3.
- The report has analysed PM2.5 air pollution measurements in 6,475 cities in 117 countries, regions and territories.
- Of the 15 most polluted cities in Central and South Asia in 2021, 12 were in India.
- PM2.5 concentration in New Delhi increased by 14.6 per cent in 2021 to 96.4 Ig/m3, compared to 84 Ig/m3 in 2020.
75 Women felicitated by NITI Aayog at 5th Women Transforming India Awards
The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of the NITI Aayog organised the 5th edition of the Women Transforming India Awards (WTI). As part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence, the WTI Awards have been conferred 75 women achievers for their contribution towards a ‘Sashakt Aur Samarth Bharat’.
Here is the full list of Winners:
- Aardra Chandra Mouli, Aeka Biochemicals
- Aditi Avasthi, Individual Learning Limited (Imbibe)
- Aditi Bhutia Madan, BluePine Food Pvt. Ltd
- Akshita Sachdeva, Trestle Labs Pvt. Ltd
- Akshya Shree, Tad Udyog Pvt. Ltd
- Alina Alam, Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation
- Anita Devi, Madhopur Farmers Producers Company
- Anju Bisht, Amrita SeRVe (Saukhyam Reusable Pad)
- Anju Srivastava, Winegreens Farms
- Anu Acharya, Mapmygenome India Ltd
- Anuradha Parekh, Vikara Services Pvt. Ltd (The Better India)
- Aparna Hegde, Armman
- Ayushi Mishra, DronaMaps
- Chahat Vasal, NerdNerdy Technologies Pvt. Ltd
- Chayaa Nanjappa, Nectar Fresh
- Chetna Gala Sinha, Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank
- Darshana Joshi, VigyanShaala International
- Dhevibala Umamaheswaran, Bigfix Gadget Care LLP
- Dipa Chaure, Krantijyoti Mahila Bachat Gat (Rural)
- Gauri Gopal Agarwal, Skilled Samaritan Foundation (Sirohi)
- Gayathri Vasudevan, LabourNet Services India Pvt. Ltd
- Geeta Solanki, Unipads India Pvt. Ltd
- Dr Girija K. Bharat, Mu Gamma Consultants Pvt. Ltd
- Gitanjali J. Angmo, Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh
- Hardika Shah, Kinara Capital
- Hasina Kharbhih, Impulse NGO Network
- Hina Shah, ICECD
- Jo Aggarwal, Touchkin eServices Pvt. Ltd (Wysa)
- Khushboo Awasthi, Mantra Social Services
- Kirti Poonia, Okhai
- Malini Parmar, Stonesoup
- Mayura Balasubramanian, Craftizen Foundation
- Megha Bhatia, Our Voix
- Meha Lahiri, Recity Network Pvt. Ltd
- Mita Kulkarni, Forest Essentials
- Neelam Chhiber, Industree Crafts Foundation
- Neetu Yadav, Animall Technologies Ltd
- Neha Satak, Astrome Technologies Pvt. Ltd
- Nimisha Varma, Aloe ECell
- Nisha Jain Grover, Vatsalya Legacy Educational Society
- Payal Nath, Kadam Haat
- Pooja Sharma Goyal, Building Blocks Learning Solutions Pvt. Ltd
- Prachi Kaushik, Vyomini Social Enterprise
- Preeti Rao, Weljii
- Prema Gopalan, Swayam Shikshan Prayog
- Priti Patel, Raspian Enterprises Pvt. Ltd
- Puunam G. Kaushik, Meteoric Biopharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd
- Dr Radhika Batra, Every Infant Matters
- Rajoshi Ghosh, Hasura
- Ramya S. Moorthy, Nimaya Innovations Pvt. Ltd
- Richa Singh, YourDOST Health Solutions Pvt. Ltd
- Romita Ghosh, Heal Healthtech Pvt. Ltd
- Roopa Maganti, Greentatwa Agri TechL LLP
- Samina Bano, RightWalk Foundation
- Savita Garg, Eclassopedia
- Sayalee Marathe, Aadyaa Originals Pvt. Ltd
- Shaheen Mistri, The Akanksha Foundation
- Shalini Khanna Sodhi, National Association for the Blind
- Shanti Raghavan, EnAble India
- Suchetha Bhat, Dream a Dream
- Suchi Mukherjee, LimeRoad
- Suchitra Sinha, Ambalika
- Sugandha Sukrutaraj, Amba
- Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions
- Sumita Ghose, Rangsutra Crafts India
- Supriya Paul, Josh Talks
- Susmita Mohanty, Earth2Orbit
- Dr Swapna Priya K., Farms2fork Technologies Pvt. Ltd (CultYvate)
- Swati Pandey, Arboreal Bioinnovations Pvt. Ltd
- Tanuja Abburi, Transformation Skills India Pvt. Ltd
- Trishla Surana, Colour Me Mad Pvt. Ltd
- Trupti Jain, Naireeta Services
- Victoria Joshlin D’Souza, Swachha Eco Solutions Pvt. Ltd
- Vidya Subramanian, Vidya Subramanian Academy
- Vijaya Swithi Gandhi, Chitrika
About the Women Transforming India Awards:
The Women Transforming India Awards has been presented since 2018 by NITI Aayog, under the aegis of Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), to highlight the commendable and ground-breaking endeavours of India’s women leaders and change-makers, with a special focus on entrepreneurship.
Lakshya Sen finishes runner-up; loses to Axelsen in final Of All England Championship’s
Lakshya Sen, who won bronze at the World Championships, placed second at the 2022 All England Open Badminton Championships after losing to world number one Viktor Axelsen in the men’s singles final on Saturday.
Key Points:
- Sen, rated No. 11 in the world, was defeated by reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen 10-21, 15-21. On his route to the top of the podium, the world No. 1 was unstoppable and didn’t drop a single game.
- In the final, the world No. 1 brought his A-game. He established his stride early in the game and maintained it throughout the first game. Sen had flashes of brilliance, but they weren’t enough to overcome the former world champion, who won the first game.
- Axelsen dominated Sen in the second game with his powerful smashes. Long rallies took their toll on the young Indian, who did his hardest to defend. Sen came back with three straight points to make a comeback, but Axelsen showed his skill and won the second game and the title.
- Sen had upset world No. 7 Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the semi-finals on Saturday, 21-13, 12-21, 21-19, to become the first Indian to compete in the men’s singles final of the prestigious BWF Super 1000 event since Pullela Gopichand’s memorable victory in 2001.
The important takeaway for the exam:
Only two Indians have ever won the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships award:
- Prakash Padukone (1981);
- Pullela Gopichand (2001).
March 22 observed as Bihar Day
Bihar Diwas 2022 marks the 110th anniversary of the state’s founding. The annual Bihar Diwas is no longer limited to festivities hosted by the state government; citizens from the state living throughout the country and overseas have begun to commemorate the occasion.
Key Points:
- Every year on March 22, the Bihar Diwas commemorates the British carving away of Bihar from the Bengal Presidency in 1912. Patna was designated as the new province’s capital.
- Bihar Diwas has originally proclaimed a state initiative by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
- The day was also observed by people from Bihar who resided in various regions of the country.
History of Bihar Diwas:
- The British Government in India at the time carved out the state of Bihar on March 22, 1912. The state was created from British India’s Bengal Presidency.
- Bihar, notably Patna, had begun to rise to prominence during the British rule in India, and had established itself as an important and strategic centre of scholarship and trade in the country.
- Bihar was a part of the Bengal Presidency until 1912, when the province of Bihar and Orissa was established as a separate province.
- Patna was designated as the new province’s capital when the Bengal Presidency was partitioned.
Important Takeaways for the exam:
- Bihar is India’s third-largest state by population and the 12th-largest by area.
- India’s Bihar state is also the fourth most populous subnational entity in the world.
- Bihar is also the first place in India where the concept of non-violence was born, later rising to prominence in human history.
- Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira are well-known for raising awareness about nonviolence roughly 2,600 years ago.
- Bihar has the second-lowest urban population in the country, after Himachal Pradesh, with only 11.3 percent of the population living in cities.
- Bihar has the highest percentage of young people of any state in India. Almost 58 percent of Biharis are under 25 years old.
PhonePe acquires freelance entrepreneur network GigIndia
PhonePe, a digital payments and financial services company, has acquired GigIndia, a network for independent micro-entrepreneurs based in Pune. PhonePe will be able to integrate 1.5 million entrepreneurs and over 100 businesses as customers, in addition to its own employees, as a result of the acquisition. PhonePe will use GigIndia’s network of freelancing microentrepreneurs to assist corporations and businesses in expanding their customer bases and distribution channels.
Key Points:
- PhonePe’s key services are payments and financial services, and the Walmart-owned company has a 47 percent share of monthly Unified Payments Interface (UPI) volumes.
- UPI is the platform’s primary client acquisition channel, allowing it to cross-sell revenue-generating items such as mutual funds, gold, and insurance to customers while also facilitating bill payments.
- PhonePe’s acquisition of GigIndia, on the other hand, is a departure from the firm’s main operations, as it will allow the company to use GigIndia’s network of freelance microentrepreneurs to assist corporates and companies in acquiring more clients and scaling up their distribution channels.
- The acquisition will boost PhonePe’s products and value proposition to its enterprise clients, as well as create millions of opportunities for individual freelance micro-entrepreneurs in India.
- India’s freelance community is expected to expand to $20-30 billion by 2025, according to projections.
About GigIndia:
GigIndia was founded in 2017 by Sahil Sharma and Aditya Shirole. Former TCS CEO S Ramadorai, Beyond Next Ventures CEO and Founding Partner Tsuyoshi Ito, Incubate Fund India Founder Nao Murakami, and former Tech Mahindra CEO Kiran Deshpande are among the company’s investors and advisors.
About PhonePe:
PhonePe is a market leader in digital payments. Former Flipkart executives Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari, and Burzin Engineer established PhonePe in 2015.
Pushkar Singh Dhami takes oath as 11th CM of Uttarakhand
Pushkar Singh Dhami has taken oath as 11th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He will take over the reins of the state for the second time in a row. Governor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh administered him the oath of office and secrecy at the Parade Ground in Dehradun.
The BJP contested the Assembly elections under Dhami’s leadership and secured a comfortable majority in the 70-member House, winning 47 seats. Dhami, who lost from the Khatima constituency in the Uttarakhand, led the party’s poll effort as Chief Minister during the assembly polls held last month.
About the Pushkar Singh Dhami:
The son of an ex-serviceman, Dhami was born in 1975 in Kanalichhina village in Pithoragarh district. He holds a law degree and worked as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer. He also had been a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Dhami served as the president of BJP Yuva Morcha in Uttarakhand twice between 2002 and 2008. He is believed to be a protege of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Fitch Ratings reduce India’s FY23 growth forecast to 8.5%
Fitch Ratings has slashed India’s GDP growth forecast for the fiscal FY 2022-2023 to 8.5 per cent in its Global economic Outlook-March 2022. Earlier this rate was estimated at 10.3%. The downwards projection is due to sharply higher energy prices because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The Rating agency Fitch has revised upwards the GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal FY 2021-2022, by 0.6 percentage points to 8.7 percent.
With the Omicron wave subsiding quickly, containment measures have been scaled back, setting the stage for a pick-up in GDP growth momentum in the June quarter this year.
Kuwait becomes hottest place on earth, records 53.2 degree Celsius
Kuwait reached a scorching temperature of 53.2 degrees Celsius (127.7 degrees Fahrenheit), making it among the hottest places on earth. It was so hot in Kuwait last summer that birds dropped dead from the sky. Sea horses boiled to death in the bay. Dead clams coated the rocks, their shells popped open like they’d been steamed.
The country continues to burn oil for electricity and ranks among the top global carbon emitters per capita, according to the World Resources Institute. As asphalt melts on highways, Kuwaitis bundle up for bone-chilling air-conditioning in malls. Renewable energy accounts for less than 1 per cent of demand – far below Kuwait’s target of 15 per cent by 2030.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Kuwait Capital: Kuwait City;
- Kuwait Currency: Kuwaiti dinar.
Bangladesh’s former president Shahabuddin Ahmed passes away
Shahabuddin Ahmed, the former President of Bangladesh has passed away at the age of 92 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was the interim head of state as the consensus nominee of all parties amid a mass upsurge in 1990 to topple ex-military dictator HM Ershad. Shahabuddin Ahmed also served as the President of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. He was responsible for holding a “free and credible” election in the country in February 1991.
Tamil Nadu’s Narasingapettai Nagaswaram got geographical identification tag
Geographical Indication tag has been awarded to the Narasingapettai Nagaswaram under the category of musical instruments of class 15. Narasinghapettai nagaswaram is a classical wind music instrument that is traditionally made in a village near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu.
On behalf of Thanjavur Musical Instruments Workers Co-operative Cottage Industrial Society Limited, the application for receiving the GI tag was filed by Tamil Nadu’s Nodal Officer for GI Registration of Products.
About the Narasingapettai Nagaswaram:
The nagaswaram that is being used by artists nowadays is named pari nagaswaram and that is longer than the thimiri. This musical instrument has a body that is cylindrical in shape and takes the shape of a bell at the bottom. This form of the nagaswaram provides volume and tone. The instrument’s length is two and a half feet.
Nagaland became first paperless assembly by implementing e-Vidhan application
Nagaland has created history by becoming the first State Assembly in the country to implement the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) programme to become completely paperless. The Nagaland Assembly Secretariat has attached a tablet or e-book on each table in the 60 members’ assembly amid the ongoing Budget session.
About the NeVA:
- NeVA is a work-flow system deployed on NIC Cloud, MeghRaj which helps the Chair of the House to conduct the proceedings of the House smoothly and to conduct Legislative Business of the House in a Paperless manner.
- NeVA is a device neutral and member-centric application created to equip them to handle diverse House Business smartly by putting entire information regarding member contact details, rules of procedure, list of business, notices, bulletins, bills, starred/unstarred questions and answers, papers laid, committee reports etc. in their handheld devices/ tablets and equip all Legislatures/Departments to handle it efficiently.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Nagaland Capital: Kohima;
- Nagaland Chief Minister: Neiphiu Rio;
- Nagaland Governor: Jagdish Mukhi (additional charge).
