Daily Current Affairs 17th March , 2023

Daily Current Affairs 17 March 2023 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Another government survey debunks Swachh Bharat’s 100% ODF claim
Despite government efforts to promote sanitation and end open defecation in India, recent surveys have cast doubt on the success of these initiatives. Four government surveys released between 2018 and 2021 have disputed the claim that all Indian villages are open-defecation-free (ODF), revealing poor sanitation levels in many areas.

• For example, data from the Swachh Bharat Mission, Gramin (SBMG) portal claimed that villages in Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were 100% ODF by October 2018, but the National Statistical Office (NSO) survey from the same month showed that only 71% and 62.8% of rural households in those states had access to some form of toilet.
• Similarly, SBMG data claimed that over 99% of rural households in 24 states and union territories had individual household toilets as of March 2019, while the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) recorded six months later showed that in the same areas, fewer than 90% of rural households had access to their toilets.

Narender Singh Tomar inaugurates “AgriUnifest” in Bengaluru
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, inaugurated “AgriUnifest” in Bengaluru, Karnataka. 

• It is a 5-day cultural program, organized by Bangalore Agricultural University in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). More than 2500 students from 60 State Universities/Central Universities have participated.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US recognises McMahon Line as international boundary between India and China
A bipartisan resolution was passed by the US, formally recognizing the McMahon Line as the international boundary between China and India’s Arunachal Pradesh.

• The resolution rejected China’s claim that the state belongs to its territory and instead acknowledged Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India. Furthermore, the resolution expressed support for India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Bhutan graduated from the ‘Least Developed Country’ status
Recently, at the United Nations Least Developed Countries (LDC) Summit that concluded in Doha, Qatar, the landlocked Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan will no longer be on the list of LDCs and will become only the seventh country to graduate from the list.

• Bhutan was included in the first group of LDCs in 1971. However, over the last few decades, it has made remarkable progress on a variety of socio-economic metrics.

BANKING & FINANCE

ICICI Bank offers Ecosystem Banking for Indian Startups
ICICI Bank announced that it offering a comprehensive bouquet of digital and physical solutions to cater to all banking needs of startups across their various life stages.

• As part of the ‘Startup Ecosystem Banking’ the Bank has put in place a dedicated team for startups that serves them through an extensive network of branches.
• The Bank provides innovative solutions through its domestic and international network, and branch at GIFT City, the Gujarat-based emerging global financial and IT services hub, the bank said.

IDFC FIRST Bank becomes official banking partner for Mumbai Indians 
IDFC FIRST Bank, announced its three-year partnership with Mumbai Indians. Beginning this season, IDFC FIRST Bank will be the Official Banking Partner and marks IDFC FIRST Bank’s debut in cricket partnerships.

• IDFC FIRST Bank is the first universal bank in India to introduce services such as Monthly Interest Credits on Savings Account, Zero charges on all Savings Account Services and customer-friendly features like lifetime free Credit Cards with never expiring reward points, etc.
• Similarly, Mumbai Indians is one of the best cricket franchises across the globe with 7 titles to their credit.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

India’s forex reserves fall to over 3-month low of $560 bn
India’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $560 billion as of the week ended March 10, their lowest since early-December, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) statistical supplement showed.

• The reserves stood at $562.40 billion in the week to March 3.
• The central bank intervenes in the spot and forwards market to prevent runaway moves in the rupee’s exchange rate against the dollar. The RBI has said in the past that changes in reserves also stem from valuation gains or losses.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

NCLT approves merger of HDFC and HDFC Bank
The The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the merger of HDFC and HDFC Bank.

• HDFC Ltd has already received approvals from Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), PFRDA and Competition Commission of India (CCI) as well as from India’s stock exchanges – BSE and NSE.
• NCLT has also given approval for holding a shareholders’ meeting for obtaining approval for the proposed merger.

APPOINTMENTS

Viacom18 announce MS Dhoni as their brand ambassador
Viacom18 has appointed MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador to promote digital sports viewing. Dhoni will collaborate with Viacom18 to encourage fans to watch their favorite sports on digital platforms.

• He will participate in various network initiatives and feature in JioCinema’s upcoming TATA IPL campaign, along with promoting the brand on his social media accounts.

AWARDS

Delhi’s IGI airport best Airport in India, South Asia; Singapore’s Changi ranks no 1 in world
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has received the award for the Best Airport in India and South Asia, a report by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax said.

• Singapore’s Changi Airport is named the World’s Best Airport of 2023 followed by Doha Hamad airport. In 2022, Singapore ranked at No 3 while Doha Hamad had bagged the No 1 position.
• The Skytrax World Airport Awards are based on annual global airport customer satisfaction survey, which was done during the period from August 2022 to February 2023.
• As per the release by Skytrax, Delhi airport is the only Indian airport to feature on top 50 airports across the world. In the list of World’s Top 100 Airports 2023, Delhi airport is placed on 36th and moved up from 37th position in 2022. The other Indian airport on the list is Hyderabad airport which won the awards as the Best Regional Airport and Best Airport Staff in India and South Asia. Hyderabad airport ranks on no 65, dropped from 63 in 2022. The third Indian airport is Bengaluru which ranks at no 69, dropped from No. 61 in 2022. At No 84, Mumbai airport saw a significant drop in ranking from last year. In 2022, Mumbai airport ranked at No 65.

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