Daily Current Affairs: March 20 & 21, 2022

Daily Current Affairs (March 20 & 21, 2022) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK, and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness, and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

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Important Days

World Sparrow Day – 20 March

• World Sparrow Day is celebrated on 20 March every year to raise awareness about sparrows and protect their houses.
• This day is observed to celebrate the ecological significance of sparrows and pledge to protect and conserve the bird which is now on the verge of extinction. The first World Sparrow Day was organised in 2010.
• The theme for World Sparrow Day 2022 is ‘I love sparrows’.

International Day of Happiness – 20 March

• International Day of Happiness is celebrated every year on 20 March to raise awareness about the value of happiness in one’s life and the overall impact happiness can have on a person’s well-being.
• The United Nations’ 193 member states commemorated the first International Day of Happiness on 20 March 2013.
• The theme for International Day of Happiness 2022 is ‘Build back happier’.

World Oral Health Day – 20 March

• World Oral Health Day is observed annually on 20 March to raise awareness about oral health and the prevention of oral diseases.
• This day was started as an initiative by the FDI World Dental Federation. World Oral Health Day was first celebrated on 12 September 2007.
• This day also marked the birth anniversary of Charles Godon, the founder of the FDI World Dental Federation.
• The three-year theme for World Oral Health Day from 2021 to 2023 is ‘Be proud of your mouth’.

International Day of Forests – 21 March

• International Day of Forests is observed on 21 March every year to raise public awareness about the values, significance and contributions of the forests to balance the life cycle on the earth.
• This day is celebrated to make people aware of the importance of the green cover for future generations.
• This day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 28 November 2012.
• The theme for International Day of Forests 2022 is ‘Forests and sustainable production and consumption’.

World Poetry Day – 21 March

• World Poetry Day is observed annually on 21 March to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its thirtieth General Conference in Paris in 1999.

World Down Syndrome Day – 21 March

• World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is observed globally on 21 March every year to raise awareness about support to the people suffering from Down syndrome.
• This day was first observed by the United Nations in 2012. The date of the twenty-first day of the third month (March) was chosen to reflect the specificity of the trisomy of the twenty-first chromosome in humans, which causes Down syndrome.
• The theme for WDSD 2022 is ‘Inclusion Means’.

State News

The thirty-fifth Surajkund International Crafts Mela kicks off in Haryana

• Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the thirty-fifth Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Haryana.
• The Surajkund International Crafts Mela was first organised in 1987. This year (2022) celebrates the thirty-fifth edition of the Surajkund International Crafts Mela.
• Uzbekistan is the partner country and Jammu and Kashmir is the ‘theme state’ of the thirty-fifth Surajkund International Crafts Mela.

Haryana           

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
• Governor: Bandaru Dattatraya
• National Parks: Sultanpur National Park, Kalesar National Park
• Dance: Phag, Dhamal, Loor, Khoria

Biren Singh takes oath as the Chief Minister of Manipur for the second consecutive term

• Nongthombam Biren Singh was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Manipur for the second consecutive term. His party won 32 seats out of 60 seats in the Manipur Assembly election in 2022.
• He was a footballer and got recruited in the Border Security Force (BSF). He was elected in the 2017 Manipur Assembly elections.

Manipur

• Capital: Imphal
• Chief Minister: Biren Singh
• Governor: Ganesan

International News

NATO military exercises named ‘Cold Response 2022’ kicks off in Norway

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has organised military exercises named ‘Cold Response 2022’ in Norway. This exercise is held in Norway every second year for NATO Allies and partners.
• This Norwegian-led exercise provides an opportunity for NATO allies and partners to train together in cold weather conditions over challenging terrain and demonstrates NATO’s ability to respond decisively to any threat, from any direction.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
• Secretary-General: Jens Stoltenberg
• Deputy Secretary-General: Mircea Geoană

Banking and Economy

HDFC Bank launches the ‘SmartHub Vyapar programme’ and ‘Auto First’ application for small business loans

• HDFC Bank has launched the ‘SmartHub Vyapar programme’ for merchants. It is a mobile application that bundles all payment platforms — cards, UPI, QR code, tap pay and SMS-based payments.
• HDFC Bank also launched a mobile application named ‘Auto First’, that will offer fully automated auto loans.

HDFC Bank (Housing Development Finance Corporation)

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman: Deepak Parekh
• MD and CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan
• Tagline: We understand your world
• Established: 1994

Appointments

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah’s term as the President of Asian Cricket Council was extended by one year

• Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah’s tenure as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was unanimously extended by one year.
• He was appointed as the President of the ACC in January 2021 replacing Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan, making Shah the youngest administrator to be re-appointed as the ACC President.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• President Sourav Ganguly
• Secretary: Jay Shah
• CEO (Interim): Hemang Amin

Nepal appoints former US envoy Shankar Prasad Sharma as its new Ambassador to India

• Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed economist and former United States envoy Shankar Prasad Sharma as Nepal’s new Ambassador to India.
• Shankar Prasad Sharma was appointed as Nepal’s Ambassador to India under Article 282 of the Constitution of Nepal.
• He had earlier served as Nepal’s Ambassador to the United States. He also worked as the Vice Chairman of Nepal’s National Planning Commission between 2002 and 2006.

United Nations appoints Indian economist Jayati Ghosh to its Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism

• Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh was appointed by the United Nations (Un) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to a new high-level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism.
• Jayati Ghosh is a professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She is also a member of the UN’s high-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs.

Awards and Recognitions

Suresh Raina was felicitated with the ‘Sports Icon’ award at the 2022 Maldives Sports Awards

• Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina was felicitated with the prestigious ‘Sports Icon’ award at the 2022 Maldives Sports Awards.
• He has played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is for the Indian national cricket team. He is one of the few players with above 5000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has also played over 200 matches in the IPL which includes playing four IPL finals for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
• He was nominated alongside 16 international sportspersons including former Real Madrid player Roberto Carlos, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, former Sri Lankan captain and cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya and Dutch football legend Edgar Davids.

Diebedo Francis Kere becomes the first African to win the Pritzker Prize

• Diebedo Francis Kere, a Burkino Faso-born architect, became the first African to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of Architecture.
• Kere’s highly esteemed work, including permanent and temporary structures, has been erected in his country of birth (Burkino Faso), but also across Africa, Europe and the United States.

Karnataka Bank bags the ‘Best MSME Bank of the Year – Winner’ Award

• Karnataka Bank has bagged the ‘Best MSME Bank of the Year – Winner’ Award among private sector banks in India at the eighth MSMEs Excellence Awards ceremony and summit.
• This event was instituted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in New Delhi.

Classical wind music instrument Narasinghapettai Nagaswaram gets the Geographical Indication tag

• The Narasinghapettai Nagaswaram, a classical wind music instrument traditionally made by artisans based at a village near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• The application for the GI tag was filed on behalf of Thanjavur Musical Instruments Workers Co-operative Cottage Industrial Society Limited and facilitated by the team.

Neeraj Chopra wins the Sportsman of the Year (Track and Field) award at the Sportstar Aces 2022 Awards

• Neeraj Chopra was adjudged as the Sportstar of the Year (Male) at the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 has received the ‘Sportstar of the Year (Female)’ award.
• The jury panel for the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards was headed by legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.

Other Winners At the 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards:

• Lovlina Borgohain (Sportswoman of the Year, Individual Sports)
• Avani Lekhara (Parathlete of the Year, Female)
• Pramod Bhagat (Special Recognition)
• Savita (Sportswoman of the Year, Team Sports)
• Rupinder Pal Singh (Sportsman of the Year, Team Sports)

Ranks and Indices

Bangladesh tops in South Asia in terms of women on board of listed companies

• According to the study conducted by International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), Bangladesh topped the list in South Asia in terms of women on board of listed companies.
• The new figures showed there was an increase in the percentage of women who are independent directors on listed companies from five per cent in 2020 to six per cent, despite the impact of COVID-19, which has disproportionately affected women.

Sports News

Charles Leclerc wins  Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix 2022

• Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (Monaco) has won the 2022 Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spain) came at the second position and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) came at the third position. Bahrain Grand Prix was the first Formula One race event of 2022.

Lakshya Sen becomes the first Indian male to win a silver medal at the All-England Open Badminton Championships

• Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen was defeated by No. 1 shuttler Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the men’s singles event at the All-England Open Badminton Championships 2022.
• He became the first Indian male to win a silver medal in 21 years at the All-England Open Badminton Championships 2022. He competed in his maiden BWF Super 1000

Sri Lanka is set to host the 2022 Asia Cup T20 tournament

• The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced that Sri Lanka is set to host the 2022 Asia Cup T20 tournament from 27 August 2022 to 11 September 2022.
• All five Test teams of the Asian continent — India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will feature in this tournament, along with one more Asian side that will be decided after a qualifier tournament which will be held from 20 August 2022.

Pankaj Advani wins the Asian Billiards title for the eighth time

• Pankaj Advani has defeated Dhruv Sitwala to win his eighth title at the nineteenth Asian 100 UP Billiards Championship 2022 held in Doha, Qatar. This is Advani’s twenty-fourth international title and eighth Asian crown.

Hyderabad FC wins its maiden ISL trophy by defeating Kerala Blasters in 2022

• Hyderabad FC clinched their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) title after defeating Kerala Blasters in the final match of ISL 2022.
• The Indian Super League (ISL) is the men’s professional top-tier football league in the Indian football system. It is organised by the All India Football Federation.

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