India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline to be jointly inaugurated by PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina

• The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline will be inaugurated via video conference by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
• The first of its kind, it will transport refined diesel from India to Bangladesh.
• The Indian government provided grant funding for the project's construction.

Literacy rate in India: Bihar lowest at 61.8%, Kerala highest at 94%

• The Ministry of Education shared data showing that Bihar has the lowest literacy rate (61.8 percent), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (65.3 percent) and Rajasthan (66.1 percent).
• Kerala has the most noteworthy proficiency rate in India at 94%, trailed by Lakshadweep at 91.85% and Mizoram at 91.33%
• Rural India has a literacy rate of 67.77 percent, while urban India has a literacy rate of 84.11 percent.

INS Dronacharya Receives Prestigious President Droupadi Murmu’s Colour Award

• In recognition of its outstanding contributions, the President's Colour will be presented to the top gunnery school of the Indian Navy, INS Dronacharya.
• As the highest honour bestowed upon a unit by the President, who is also the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, for its exceptional service to the country, President Droupadi Murmu will present the award.

“Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform” written by Rachna Biswat Rawat

• The Indian journalist and author Rachna Biswat Rawat recently published a book titled "Bipin: The Individual in the Uniform."
• The book is about General Bipin Rawat's life, personality, and beliefs and is published by Penguin Veer, a Penguin Random House imprint. Before tragically passing away in a helicopter accident in 2021, Rawat was India's first Chief of Defence Staff and one of the country's most notable military leaders.
• The author gave the book to Rajnath Singh, the Indian Defence Minister. It is a fitting tribute to the life and accomplishments of General Rawat.

IndiaAI Ecosystem

• AI has the potential to reshape our daily lives, technology, and the global economy, making it the most significant change agent in human history.
• India, the fourth-largest economy in the world and a young nation, needs to be prepared for AI challenges and use them to address social issues and drive economic growth.
• India's progress toward a prosperous future depends on being prepared to embrace AI.
• INDIAai, which stands for "The National AI Portal of India," is a partnership between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), the National e-Governance Division (NEGD), and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).
  Its goal is to prepare India for the future of artificial intelligence.

Union Home Ministry announced 10% reservation for former Agniveers

• The Union home ministry has announced a 10 per cent reservation for former Agniveers in vacancies in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), just after taking a similar initiative for jobs for them in the BSF.
• According to the warning, the upper age limit for competitors of the principal bunch of Agniveers will be loosened up by as long as five years, though different groups will get age unwinding by as long as three years.

OECD raises FY24 India growth forecast to 5.9 per cent

• According to its most recent interim outlook report titled "Fragile Recovery," the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has increased its growth projection for India by 20 basis points to 5.9% for the fiscal year 2024.
• The report also predicts that India’s GDP will grow by 6.9% in the fiscal year 2023, and around 7% in the following fiscal year, despite tighter financial conditions.

Svaya Robotics unveils India’s first homegrown quadruped robot and exoskeleton

• India's first quadruped robot and wearable exoskeleton were developed by Svaya Robotics, a Hyderabad-based company, in collaboration with two DRDO labs: the Research and Development Establishment in Pune (R&DE) and the Defence Bio-engineering & Electro Medical Laboratory in Bengaluru (DEBEL).
• The two robots, which are dual-use robots, have been designed by the company to serve multiple industries and healthcare applications.

Irani Cup 2022-23 final: Rest of India crowned champions

• In the last of the Irani Cup 2022/23, Group Rest of India got their 30th title win in the Indian homegrown competition, proceeding with their prevailing presentation. By 238 runs, they defeated Madhya Pradesh.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal, who displayed splendid batting abilities across the two innings, was decreed the Player of the Match.
• In the two innings, he hit a double century and a century, significantly assisting ROI in their victory.

Government signs MoU with 27 steel companies, kickstarting Rs 6,322-crore PLI scheme

• Under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, the Ministry of Steel has signed 57 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with 27 businesses for the production of specialty steel.
• The public authority has dispensed Rs. 6322 crores to improve the steel industry and bring in approximately Rs. 30,000 crores, adding approximately 25 million tonnes of specialty steel production capacity over the next five years.
• In addition to assisting India in achieving its objective of becoming the third-largest economy in the world by 2030-31, this move is anticipated to result in the creation of numerous direct and indirect job opportunities.

TIME list of World’s Greatest Places of 2023 Released, 2 Indian Places Makes the list

• Two of the 50 places on TIME Magazine's list of the World's Greatest Places in 2023 are in India's Mayurbhanj and Ladakh.
• These places are chosen for their endangered tigers, historic temples, adventures, and cuisine, respectively.

“Women and Men in India 2022” launched by MoSPI Rao Inderjit Singh

• The 24^th edition of "Women and Men in India 2022" was launched in New Delhi by Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• This publication provides gender-disaggregated data that can help us understand the differences between various groups of men and women living in rural and urban areas across various regions of India.
• In addition to providing comprehensive information on a variety of topics, such as political participation, employment, and health, the publication also provides gender-disaggregated data.
• It is a useful resource for learning about issues in India that are related to gender.

Snakes in the Ganga: Breaking India 2.0 authored by Shri Rajiv Malhotra and Mrs. Vijaya Viswanathan

• The publication "Snakes in the Ganga: In India, the book "Breaking India 2.0," written by Shri Rajiv Malhotra and Mrs. Vijaya Viswanathan, has received a lot of attention.
• It sheds light on the various US threats to India's national security, which the average Indian does not typically consider to be a significant risk.
• The book suggests that the US also poses a significant threat to India's security, despite the fact that many Indians view terrorism, illegal migration from Bangladesh, left-wing extremism, and Islamic radicalization as the primary threats to national security.

International Day of Happiness 2023 celebrates on 20 March

• On March 20 each year, there is an annual celebration known as the International Day of Happiness. The purpose of International Day of Happiness is to emphasize the significance of happiness and individual well-being.
• This event was started in 2013 by the United Nations in response to Bhutan's advocacy for national happiness. We become aware of the fact that happiness has a significant impact on our longevity and productivity when we observe the International Day of Happiness.
• Sending affectionate greetings and quotes to loved ones to encourage them to embrace happiness is one way to mark the occasion.
• The theme of International Day of Happiness for this year has been kept as “Be Mindful, Be Grateful, Be Kind.”

World Oral Health Day 2023 observed on 20^th March

• Every year on March 20, nations around the world observe World Oral Health Day with the primary goal of raising awareness of the significance of oral health.
• The goal of Oral Health Day is to educate people about how to prevent dental problems, take care of their teeth, and practice good oral hygiene.
• Caries of the permanent teeth affects 75% of the world's population, according to a WHO Global Oral Health report, and primary tooth caries affects 514 million children.

Luxor Selects Virat Kohli as Brand Ambassador

• Virat Kohli, a well-known cricketer, has been chosen as Luxor Writing Instruments Pvt Ltd's most recent brand ambassador.
• Due to the numerous records he has set throughout his career, Kohli is widely considered to be one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
• He will represent Luxor's stationery products and assist the company in expanding its appeal to young writers, strengthening the company's position as a well-known provider of writing instruments in the nation.

FSIB suggests Ashwani Kumar name as MD and CEO of UCO Bank

• Ashwani Kumar, an executive director at Indian Bank, has been recommended for the position of managing director at UCO Bank by the Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB).
• Kumar has previously held positions at the Bank of Baroda, Corporation Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, and Punjab National Bank (PNB) among other public sector banks.
• For the position of MD & CEO, the FSIB conducted interviews with 11 candidates from various PSBs.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will make the final decision regarding the appointment.

Global Terrorism Index – India ranked 13^th, topped by Afghanistan:

• According to the tenth Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report, attacks and deaths decreased by 75% and 58%, respectively, but Afghanistan remains the nation most affected by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year.
• India came at number 13 on the index, which was only slightly lower than last year. Even though India was one of the 25 worst-hit countries on the index, respondents didn't pick war or terrorism as the biggest threat to their everyday safety.