TODAY TOP NEWS :                                                                                      DATE--18/03/2024

 1.  The Meteorological Department has said that there is going to be heavy rain in Eastern and Central India from 16 to 20 March i.e. for the next five days. 

2.  India's space program will conduct a landing experiment with a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) at the Aeronautical Test Range in Challakere  March 2024. The test will simulate the landing conditions of a space re-entry vehicle, including high speed, autonomous, and precise landing from a lateral return path.

3.  Startup Mahakumbh, one of the biggest events showcasing the startup ecosystem of India is beginning on Monday. The event will be held till 20th March at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The event will have sector-focused pavilions including pavilions on AI, B2B, agritech, deeptech, climate tech, gaming, esports, fintech, incubators and accelerators. 

4.  The National Testing Agency, NTA will conduct CUET-UG between the 15th to 31st of May as announced earlier. In this period, two dates overlap with the general election dates on the 20th and 25th of May. UGC Chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said in a social media post that after the last date for filling out applications on 26th March. 

5.  PM Narendra Modi has said that he distributed agricultural drones to girls in villages to break the social psyche that does not approve women driving even tractors. Speaking at India Today Conclave in Delhi, Mr. Modi said, he distributed 1,000 drones to women’s self-help groups in villages under the Namo Drone Didi Yojana. 

6.  The Maharashtra Cabinet has announced its decision to rename Ahmednagar district as ‘Ahilya Nagar’. The renaming is in honor of the 18th-century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar.

7.  PM Modi Holds NDA’s First Rally In Andhra Pradesh:  Addressing the first NDA election rally in Palnadu District of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, PM Modi asserted that NDA coalition moves forward with both regional aspirations and national progress in mind. 

8.  The Election Commission has changed the date of counting of votes for Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim assembly polls to 2nd June instead of 4th June. EC said in a statement that there will be no change in respect of the schedule for the Parliamentary constituencies of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

9.  Tripura, the State election department is gearing up its machinery for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections for two seats in the State, slated to be held on the 19th and the 26th of April. Polling for Tripura (West) seat will be held on the 19th of April, whereas the electorates in Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat will vote on the 26th of April. The by-election to the Ramnagar Assembly seat will take place on the 19th of April. The by-poll has been necessitated following the demise of BJP’s sitting MLA, Surajit Dutta.

10.  Polling for Lok Sabha elections will be held in one phase in Tamilnadu on 19th April. The electoral authorities in the districts have geared up to follow the code of conduct. 

11.  In a setback for the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its Uttarakhand MLA Rajendra Singh Bhandari joined the BJP in New Delhi on Sunday. 

12.   11 victims of violence including five women from Sandeshkhali met President Smt. Droupadi Murmu in Rashtrapati Bhawan  on Friday (15th March 2024)  and sought her intervention to safeguard the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe community in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal. 

13.  Haryana has sought 200 more companies of the central forces to ensure conduct of free, fair and peaceful polling as the election for all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on May 25.

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LEGAL REPORTS:

#Chief Justice of India:

Shri Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud

#Minister Of Law & Justice : Arjun Ram Meghwal

#International Court Of Justice Prz. :  Nawaf Salam

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1.  The Election Commission yesterday uploaded the data received in digitized form from the registry of the Supreme Court on electoral bonds on its website. 

2.  The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached four immovable properties of 11 accused as ‘proceeds of terrorism’ in the ISIS module case in Maharashtra’s  Pune. The NIA said that these properties are being used for Improvised Explosive Devices, (IED) fabrication and its training and planning of terrorist acts.  The attached properties in Kondhwa, Pune are linked with 11 accused persons, including three absconders. 

3.  The Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has lodged an FIR naming 19 individuals, including former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, unnamed bureaucrats and police officers and others in connection with Mahadev book online betting scam.

4.  Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). 

5.  CBI has arrested brother of Sheikh Shahjahan and two others after a marathon nine hours interrogation at Nizam Palace office in Kolkata. Sheikh Alamgir, the brother of Sahajahan and others were arrested on charges of attack on ED team on 5th January in Sandeshkhali.

6.   A Delhi Court on Saturday remanded Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha to the Enforcement Directorate’s custody till the 23rd of March in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.

7.  Controversial Youtuber Elvish Yadav was arrested on Sunday by the Noida police in connection with a probe into the suspected use of snake venom as a recreational drug at a party in Noida four months ago. 

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FINANCE:

#Minister: Nirmala Sitharaman.

#Commerce & Industry : Piyush Goyal

#RBI Gvrnr: Shaktikanta Das

#President of the World Bank : Ajay Banga

#IMF MD: Kristalina Georgieva

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💰 USD  ₹  83

💷 GBP  ₹ 106

€  Euro : ₹ 91

 🇨🇳 Yen ¥ : ₹ 12

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 GDP(PPP ) :

purchasing power parity (PPP)

 $13.119 trillion 

 GDP (nominal) 

: $3.73 trillion 

(Nominal means total market value of all goods and services produced in a country's economy) . 

 

 GDP growth :  7.6%

India is the fifth largest economy in the world. 

 Inflation rate : Retail Inflation 5.69% in Dec 2023

 Population : 143.86 cr  

(17.7% of the total world population).

 Unemployment : 6.8%

 Per capita: This income is also known as average income as it is calculated by dividing the total income of the country by the total population of the country.

 GDP per capita 

 $2,845 (Nominal; 2024) 

 $9,983 (PPP; 2024)

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 BSE SENSEX 

72,643.43 −453.85 (0.62%)🔻

 NIFTY

22,023.35 −123.30 (0.56%)🔻

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 Rates in Financial Capital Mumbai 

 GOLD : ₹ 66,300/10gm (24 krt) 

 SILVER : ₹ 76,100/KG

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 ⛽ FUEL in DELHI 

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 PETROL : ₹ 95/Ltr

 DIESEL : ₹ 88/Ltr 

 CNG  : ₹ 76/Ltr

 LPG : ₹ 903/14.2 Kg 

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 ⛽ FUEL in MUMBAI 

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 PETROL  : ₹ 104/Ltr

 DIESEL   : 93/Ltr

 Auto Gas : ₹ 60/Ltr

 CNG    : 76/Kg

 LPG    : ₹ 903/14.2 Kg 

1.  Adani Group plans to invest USD 14 billion (₹1.2 lakh crore) in 2024-25 financial year through its portfolio of 11 listed companies, in developing the country's infrastructure, according to sources.The projected capital expenditure is 40 per cent higher than its it invested in the current financial year 2023-24.

2.  The global toy industry is witnessing a significant shift from China to India, attributed to various factors including regulatory requirements, protectionism, and strategic business decisions by major players. This shift has resulted in substantial growth in India’s toy exports and a decline in imports, positioning the country as a net exporter. Major brands like Hasbro favor Indian sourcing.

  

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DEFENCE:

#Supreme Commander of Armed Forces: The President

#Def Minister: Rajnath Singh

#Def Minister of State :

Ajay Bhatt

#Union Home : Amit Shah

#National Security Advisor : Ajit Doval

#Chief of Defence Staff:  

Gen Anil Chauhan, PVSM UYSM AVSM SM VSM

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1.  Movement of Chinese troops has increased along the India-China border areas. Minister Narendra Modi last week inaugurated the strategic Sela tunnel, built at an altitude of 13,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh, that will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang.

2.  India’s Navy has freed the crew of a hijacked ship that Somali pirates were preparing to use as a base for attacks on other vessels, in the most violent incident yet of a recent resurgence of pirate activity off the coast of Somalia.  The Navy seized former Maltese-flagged merchant vessel (MV) Ruen on Saturday around 2,600 km off the Indian coast in a well-calibrated operation. 

The operation followed a prolonged stand-off over the weekend between the crew of an Indian Navy vessel, INS Kolkata, and 35 pirates on the MV Ruen who opened fire on Indian military personnel. The Ruen, owned by Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar, had been seized by pirates in December.

3.  A day after capturing 35 Somali pirates and freeing 17 hostages held by them in a dramatic operation, the Indian Navy on Sunday said the action reflects its resolve to reinforcing peace and stability in the Indian Ocean and thwarting resurgence of piracy in the region.

A 40-hour operation saw the Navy deploying its stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Kolkata, patrol vessel INS Subhadra, long-endurance Sea Guardian drones besides airdropping of the elite marine commandos -- MARCOS -- using the C-17 aircraft. 

4.  Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam for acquisition of five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) for the Indian Navy at an overall cost of nearly 19,000 crore rupees. 

5.  An Indian Army contingent departed for Seychelles on Sunday to participate in the 10th edition of Joint Military Exercise 'LAMITIYE-2024'. 

The Joint Exercise between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) will be conducted at Seychelles from March 18-27.'LAMITIYE' meaning 'Friendship' in the Creole language . 

6.  The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the procurement of two Dornier Aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in New Delhi on 7th July 2023, Friday.The Dornier aircraft will be manufactured indigenously at HAL's Transport Aircraft Division in Kanpur, aligning with the government's 'Make in India' initiative. 

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INTERNATIONAL AND WORLD NEWS:

+++++++++++++++++++

#External affairs Minister:  S Jaishankar

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1.  The third meeting of the India-Maldives High-Level Core Group was held in Male on Sunday, where the two sides reviewed the ongoing deputation of Indian technical personnel to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian services to people of Maldives. 

2.  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday boldly addressed criticism on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and questioned the global understanding of historical events, adding that the government has an obligation to the people who were let down at the time of partition. 

3.  Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais welcomed Bhutan's Prime Minister, Dasho Tshering Tobgay, during his maiden official visit to India at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, on Saturday. 

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UNO Gen. Secy : António Guterres. 

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1.  Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed a landslide victory in the country's presidential elections extending his rule till 2030. With more than 80 per cent of the votes counted by 1 AM (Moscow Time), Putin was leading the race with an estimated 87.15 per cent of total votes polled. 

2.  Pakistan government has assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it will not allocate an additional budget to settle the Pakistani currency (PKR) 493 billion dues of Chinese power plantsplants & CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR. 

3.  Israeli troops continued operations in the central Gaza Strip, where over the past day approximately 18 terrorists were killed by sniper, shell, and aerial fire, the Israel Defence Forces said. 

4.  Highlighting Pakistan's heinous crimes, prominent Baloch rights activist Hakeem Baloch has urged the Untied Nations to recognise the legitimate aspirations of the Baluchistan people for self-determination. 

5.  Seven soldiers, including two officers, were killed in a terror attack on a security forces post in the Mir Ali area of Pakistan's North Waziristan district. 

6.  Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her partner Sophie Allouache have exchanged vows in a ceremony held in Adelaide after being together for nearly 20 years.

The wedding, attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior ministers, was a joyous occasion witnessed by family and friends, including their two daughters - 11-year-old Alexandra, and 8-year-old Hannah, who participated as flower girls.

7.  In Afghanistan, 21 people died and 38 injured in a traffic accident on the Herat-Kandahar highway of Helmand Province. The Information and Culture Directorate of Helmand Province reported that the incident occurred on Sunday morning in the Yakhchal area of Grishk district.

8.  Niger has suspended its military agreement with the United States “with immediate effect”.    The decision, announced on Saturday, came after senior US officials – led by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and US Africa Command head General Michael Langley – visited the West African country.

9.  A volcano has erupted once again in Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, marking the fourth eruption since December. 

10.   A massive forest fire in China is threatening the habitats of giant pandas and other rare species in the inland province of Sichuan. 

 

SPORT:

Minister: Anurag Singh Thakur

#BCCI president: 

Roger Binny 

#Hockey India President:

Dilip Tirkey

#16th President of the Indian Olympic Association : P. T. Usha

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1.  WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE 2024 

Sunday, 17 Mar 2024

Final Match

Venue: Delhi, Arun Jaitley Stadium

Delhi-capitals-women

DCW:  113 (18.3)

Royal-challengers- Bangalore-women

RCBW:  115-2 (19.3)

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women won by 8 wkts

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Sophie Molineux

PLAYER OF THE SERIES

Deepti Sharma

2.  Asian Games bronze medallist athlete Gulveer Singh shattered a 16-year-old national record in the men's 10000m to finish second in his heat at The Ten in San Juan Capistrano in California.

The 25-year-old clocked 27.41.81 on Saturday to better the earlier national mark of 28:02.89 by over 20 seconds that stood in Surendra Singh's name since 2008.

3.  Election Commission has announced Para Archer and Arjuna Awardee, Sheetal Devi as its National PwD Icon. Her name was announced at an Exhibition Cricket Match between the Indian Deaf Cricket Association Team and the Delhi and District Cricket Association team held on Saturday in Delhi.

 

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