Surekha Yadav, Asia’s 1^st woman loco pilot who now operates Vande Bharat

• Surekha Yadav, Asia's first female locomotive pilot, is currently in charge of the Vande Bharat Express.
• Yadav ran the Vande Bharat Express from Solapur to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal (CSMT) in Maharashtra. In 1988, Surekha Yadav, a Satara, Maharashtra, native, became the nation's first female train driver.

Yoga Mahotsav 2023 marks the beginning of 100 Days Countdown of 9th International Yoga Day

• The official beginning of the 100-day countdown to International Yoga Day 2023 is marked by the celebration of Yoga Mahotsav 2023, which aims to educate and inspire the general public to participate in activities centred on yoga in order to broaden their understanding of the practice.
• The three-day Yoga Mahotsav 2023 is being held in the capital’s Talkatora Stadium on 13-14 March and the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) on 15 March.

3^rd edition of Exercise La Perouse- 2023 begins

• The Indian Ocean Area will host the third edition of the multilateral exercise La Perouse on March 13 and 14, 2023.
• This event will be attended by representatives from the Royal Australian Navy, the French Navy, the Indian Navy, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Royal Navy, and the United States Navy.
• The French Navy's exercise La Perouse, held every two years, aims to improve maritime domain awareness and maritime cooperation among participating navies in the Indo-Pacific region.

Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

• Lender with a focus on startups Silicon Valley Bank Financial Group became the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis, in a sudden collapse that roiled global markets and left companies and investors stranded with billions of dollars.
• Silicon Valley Bank's failure is the largest since Washington Mutual went bankrupt in 2008, triggering a financial crisis that crippled the economy for years. The 2008 crash prompted stricter regulations in the United States and elsewhere.

RBI accords ‘infra finance company’ status to IREDA

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) the status of 'Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC),' according to a company statement. It was previously classified as a 'Investment and Credit Company' (ICC).

International Day of Action of Rivers

• Every year on March 14, people around the world observe the International Day of Action for Rivers to highlight the importance of rivers in our daily lives.
• The day also seeks to raise awareness of disparities in access to clean water, as well as the increased pollution of freshwater environments such as rivers as a result of overt human activity.
• The 26^th annual International Day of Action for Rivers, observed this year, is a day to raise community awareness of the importance of protecting our rivers. If rivers are to be preserved and used profitably, people must work together and be committed to river management.