1 Rajasthan Day: 30 March
Rajasthan is celebrating its 75th anniversary on 30 March . In 1949, on March 30, after a process of eight and a half years, the state of Rajasthan was formed by merging 19 princely states and 3 states. Before independence, this region was known as ‘ Rajputana ‘. After the unification of the princely states was completed in seven phases, the name of this region was changed to ‘Rajasthan’. On January 14, 1949, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel announced the merger of the princely states of Jaipur , Bikaner , Jodhpur and Jaisalmer at a public meeting in Udaipur . Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inaugurated Greater Rajasthan at a ceremony in Jaipur on March 30, 1949 . With this merger and formation of Greater Rajasthan, 30 March is celebrated every year as Rajasthan Day.
2 France seeks additional security personnel from 45 countries to protect the upcoming Paris Olympic Games
France has sought additional military, police and security personnel from around 45 countries to strengthen security for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games . Security has become the biggest challenge for organizers of the Paris Games due to repeated deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in the city. 15 million people are expected to visit Paris during the Olympic Games from July 26 to August 11 and then the Paralympic Games. After the recent deadly attack on a Russian auditorium and the Islamic State claiming responsibility for it, the French government has increased its security arrangements.
3 Most child marriages were stopped in Bihar in 2022-23
Data from 265 districts in 17 states/UTs revealed that 9,551 child marriages were stopped by civil society organizations with the help of police in 2022-23 . About 60% of these girls were in the age group of 15-18 years . Apart from this, 26% of the girls whose marriage was stopped were in the age group of 10 to 14 years. Apart from this, let us tell you that the cases of marriage of girls aged 9 years and below are 0.6%. Most child marriages have been stopped in 5 states of the country. In this , 31% cases have been stopped in Bihar , 11% in West Bengal , 11% in Uttar Pradesh , 10% in Jharkhand and 7% in Rajasthan . At the same time, maximum FIRs have been registered in this case in West Bengal (32%), Bihar (7%), Assam (27%), Odisha (8%) and Maharashtra (6%). Data compiled by ‘Child Marriage Free India Campaign’, a coalition of 161 civil society organisations, has revealed that 59,364 child marriages have been stopped in 2022-23. In this, 9,551 child marriage cases have been stopped through legal intervention while 49,813 child marriages have been stopped through parental counseling and awareness programmes.
3 Adani begins operations of world’s largest single-site copper plant
The Adani – led conglomerate has announced the commencement of the first phase of the world’s largest copper manufacturing plant in Mundra , Gujarat . The plant will help reduce India’s dependence on copper imports and support the transition to clean energy. Kutch Copper, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited, has commissioned the first phase of its greenfield copper refinery . They have also shipped the first batch of cathodes to customers. The facility will produce 0.5 million tonnes of refined copper per year during the first phase of its operations. It is expected that this plant will start functioning with a full capacity of 1 million tonnes by March 2029. Upon completion of the second phase, Kutch Copper will become the world’s largest single-location custom smelter, producing 1 million tonnes of copper per annum. The company will work as per the benchmark ESG performance standards using machines equipped with state-of-the-art technology and digitization technology.
4 AI supercomputer ‘Stargate’: Microsoft and ChatGPT’s $100 billion plan
According to reports, Microsoft and OpenAI are collaborating on a massive data center project that could potentially cost up to $100 billion . The goal of this project is to develop an artificial intelligence supercomputer called ” Stargate “. Microsoft and OpenAI companies plan to build a series of supercomputers over the next six years. Their goal is to build the largest supercomputer, funded by Microsoft, which would cost about 100 times more than the largest existing data centers. The proposed Stargate project is expected to launch in 2028, following a major AI upgrade to OpenAI in early 2022. The project could cost as much as $100 billion, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and others involved in private discussions. Microsoft’s preliminary cost estimates were seen. The supercomputers are being divided into five phases, with Stargate being the fifth and current focus. Currently, a small fourth-stage supercomputer is in development and is planned to be launched in 2026. To complete the remaining steps, a significant portion of the cost will be spent on purchasing the necessary AI chips.
5 Prof. Meena Charanda honored with ‘International Culture Award’
Professor Meena Charanda, Principal of Kalindi College, Delhi University , was given the ‘ International Culture Award ‘ for the year 2024 . Pro. Meena Charanda has been given this honor for her remarkable work in the field of education and social service. Pro. Charanda was presented with this honor at a program at the India International Center on March 30, 2024. Professor Charanda was given a memento, plaque, shield and citation from the university in the award.
6 INS Sumedha frees Iranian fishing boat Al-Kambar from pirates
Naval ship INS Sumedha has freed Iran ‘s fishing boat Al-Kambar from pirates under Operation Sankalp in the Indian Ocean . The nine pirates who hijacked the ship were forced to surrender and are being brought to India for further processing. INS Sumedha, along with INS Trishul, intercepted the Iranian ship Al-Kambar in mid-sea and succeeded in freeing it from pirates. 23 Pakistani nationals deployed in the ship have been rescued from Somali pirates.
7 Three-day Taavi Sahitya Folk Festival in Jammu and Kashmir started in Jammu
In Jammu and Kashmir , the three-day Taavi Sahitya Folk Festival of regional literature and culture began at Abhinav Theater Jammu on Friday . The event was organized by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Arts, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA), Jammu. The objective of the festival was to highlight the cultural diversity and literary heritage of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue sessions, cultural exhibitions and creative competitions.
8 Ms. Moushumi Basu has been elected President of Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association for the year 2024-25
Ms. Moushumi Basu has been elected President of Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association for the year 2024-25 . Ms. Meenakshi Sundariyal and Mr. Pradeep K. Shinde will be the vice-president of the association. Shri Syed Akhtar Hussain has been elected as Secretary and Vikas Vajpayee and Kaushal Kishore have been elected as Joint Secretaries. Shri Vikas Rawal will be the Treasurer.
9 The closing ceremony of the International Year of Nutritious Cereals 2023 took place in a hybrid format at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organized the closing ceremony of the International Year of Nutritious Grains (IYM) 2023 at the FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy on 29 March 2024 . The high-level hybrid event allowed participants to attend both in-person and virtually and included dignitaries from different parts of the world, including Smt. Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. joined in.
10 India’s GeM: Becomes the world’s third largest e-commerce platform
India’s ‘ Government e-Market ‘ (GeM) portal is the world’s third largest e-commerce platform for public procurement after Korea ‘s On-Line e-Procurement System (KONEPS) and Singapore ‘s GeBIZ . According to GeM CEO PK Singh, GeM has transacted gross merchandise value (GMV) of more than Rs 4 lakh crore this financial year. Which is almost 100% more than the GMV compared to the last financial year. Through this record, the portal demonstrates its unique ability to promote digital inclusion.
11 Chirag Shetty-Rankireddy broke the record of world number 1 ranked player Saina
Indian men’s badminton pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy has broken Saina Nehwal’s record of remaining world No. 1 for most weeks as an Indian badminton player . London 2012 Olympics bronze medalist Saina Nehwal had set the record of remaining world number 1 player for nine consecutive weeks. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have been the world No. 1 men’s doubles pair for the last 10 weeks. The BWF Badminton Ranking System takes into account the 10 highest scoring competitions by a player/pair in the last 52 weeks in calculating the rankings.
12 Sreejesh becomes co-president of FIH athlete panel
On March 27, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) appointed three-time Olympian and Indian hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh as the co-president of the FIH Athlete Committee . Sreejesh was first elected as a member of the FIH Athletes Committee in 2017.
13 President Draupadi Murmu presented Bharat Ratna decoration at Rashtrapati Bhavan
President Draupadi Murmu posthumously honored former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh , agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan and two-time Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakur with Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. . During the investiture ceremony, the family members of the awardees received the awards. The President will confer the country’s top civilian award on former Deputy Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani in New Delhi on March 31 . Bharat Ratna is the country’s highest civilian award. This honor is given for exceptional and noteworthy service.
