Daily Current Affairs 12th & 13thMarch , 2023

Daily Current Affairs 12 & 13 March 2023 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

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NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi inaugurates world’s longest railway platform in Hubballi-Dharwad 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated World`s longest railway platform of 1.5 kilometres at Sri Siddhaarooda railway station in Hubballi in the state of Karnataka.

• The inauguration of the platform was done during the PM’s Karnataka visit in the presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. It is to be noted that Indian Railways, South Western Railway Zones Hubbali is now registered in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest platform.
• The world’s longest railway platform will cater to the transportation needs of the Hubballi-Dharwad region and will help in enhancing the operational capacity of the yard. Furthermore, it will enable the operations of trains in both directions.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Knight Frank releases wealth report 2023
Mumbai’s prime property market witnessed a price appreciation of 6.4 per cent, moving the city up to the 37th position on the Prime International Residential Index (PIRI 100) in 2022.

• Knight Frank, a global real estate consultancy, released its Wealth Report 2023, which provides insights into the trends and performance of the prime residential property market across the world.
• According to the report, Bengaluru’s prime property appreciation by 3 per cent moved the city’s position to 63rd while Delhi’s prime property market also saw an appreciation of 1.2 per cent, moving the ranking to 77th from 93rd in 2021.
• The PIRI 100, which tracks the movement of luxury house prices globally, the Knight Frank report said, increased by 5.2 per cent YoY in 2022. Dubai maintained its position at the top of the PIRI 100, with prime residential prices soaring by 44.2 per cent in 2022, cementing its status as a global hub for ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Ashok Leyland unveils all-women production line at Tamil Nadu plant
Heavy commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland has unveiled a new production line that would produce engines at its manufacturing facility in Hosur completely operated by women employees, the company said.

• The initiative to introduce an all-women production line is to promote women empowerment and encourage them take up roles in manufacturing industry.
• Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of Hinduja Group, has set up this new line with 80 women employees.

APPOINTMENTS

Govt appoints Siddhartha Mohanty as interim chairman of LIC 
The Centre has appointed Siddhartha Mohanty as the interim chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) for a period of three months starting March 14, according to CNBC.

• Mohanty is presently a managing director and chief executive officer of LIC Housing Finance, as the MD of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), effective February 1st, 2021.
• Siddhartha Mohanty was nominated to serve as the MD of LIC until his superannuation on June 30, 2023.

Asia’s 1st woman loco pilot has now become the first female to operate Vande Bharat
Asia’s first woman loco pilot Surekha Yadav has added another feather to her cap as she became the first female to operate the newly-introduced semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express train, the Central Railway said.

• She piloted the semi-high speed train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.
• The train departed Solapur station at right time on March 13 and reached CSMT five minutes before the scheduled arrival, a Central Railway release said, adding that on completion of a more than 450-km long journey, Yadav was felicitated at platform number 8 at CSMT.

AWARDS

J&K: LG Manoj Sinha honour Arushi Kotwal & Harmanjot Singh awardees of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for year 2022 & 2021 respectively
In Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha honoured Arushi Kotwal and Harmanjot Singh, the awardees of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for the year 2022 and 2021 respectively, in Jammu.

• Worth to mention, Harmanjot Singh, a young innovator, had developed a Women Safety App -‘Raksha’ and won various Olympiads and competitions.
• Arushi Kotwal, who aspires to be a Grand Master, has brought glory to the country at many National & International Chess Championships.

India creates history by winning two Oscars; Song Naatu Naatu from film RRR wins Best Original Song award; The Elephant Whisperers bags Best Documentary Short Film award
Naatu Naatu, the irrepressible number from the film RRR, and documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers made Oscar history for India with one award each, showcasing cinema beyond Bollywood and the growing might of the Indian non-feature segment.

• This is the first time two India-made productions have bagged the cinema world’s biggest prize.
• Dancers took over the stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, recreating the hugely popular hook steps from the four-minute Telugu track, and actor Deepika Padukone introduced the song to loud cheers.
• The win for Naatu Naatu, Naacho Naacho in Hindi, composed by M M Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose in S S Rajamouli’s blockbuster film, is the fourth non-English song to win an Oscar in the category and the first song in foreign language since Jai Ho in 2009 to bag the prize.

India Bags Golden & Silver Star at The International ‘Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2023 at ITB, Berlin 2023
The International Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2023 in the categories of “TV/Cinema Commercials International and Country International” were won by the Indian Ministry of Tourism and Government of India, respectively.

• As part of a global effort on advertising in the post-Covid period to reopen opportunities in India, the award has been granted to promotional films/television ads made by the Ministry. At ITB, Berlin, Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary (Tourism), Government of India, accepted the honours.
• The “Golden City Gate” is an international creative multi-media competition for nations, cities, regions, and hotels. An international panel made up of professionals in the film and tourism industries judges the submissions submitted for the prizes.

Gyan Chaturvedi to be awarded Vyas Samman 2022 for ‘Pagalkhana’
Pagalkhana, a 2018 satirical novel by renowned Hindi author Dr. Gyan Chaturvedi, has been chosen for the 32nd Vyas Samman.

• Dr. Chaturvedi’s Pagalkhana (mental hospital) was chosen for the prestigious Vyas Samman by a selection committee led by distinguished author Prof. Ramji Tiwari.
• The KK Birla Foundation founded the annual Vyas Samman in 1991, which is awarded to a superb piece of Hindi literature authored by an Indian citizen and published within the previous ten years. A 4 lakh rupee award is offered.

ENVIRONMENT 

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano erupts, covering villages in ash
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted, spewing out smoke and ash that blanketed villages near the crater.  The volcano is located on Java Island, near Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta.

• The Merapi Volcano Observatory estimated the ash cloud reached 9,600 feet above the summit.
• The volcano’s last major eruption in 2010 had claimed more than 300 lives and forced the evacuation of some 280,000 people. Indonesia, which has nearly 130 active volcanoes, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

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