Current Affairs 13th March

National Affairs

1. Narayan Tatu Rane, Minister of MSME, introduces the MSME Competitive (LEAN) Scheme.

The MSME Competitive (LEAN) Scheme (MCLS) and National Scheduled Castes (SC)/Scheduled Tribes (ST) Conclave under the MSME Champion Scheme were launched on March 10, 2023, by Union Minister Narayan Tatu Rane and the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME). The event was held at the NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.

 

The term “LEAN” refers to a set of management practices aimed at reducing waste and increasing productivity through “kaizen.”

 

Key Points:

 

MSMEs will be made aware of LEAN Manufacturing practices by the MCLS, and they will be encouraged to become MSME Champions and motivated to achieve the LEAN level.

 

The plan will make it easier to change manufacturers’ mindsets and improve quality, productivity, and performance.

2. Ms Gina Raimondo, the US Secretary of Commerce, will be in New Delhi from March 7 to 10, 2023.

On behalf of Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles, Ms Gina Raimondo, US Secretary of Commerce, visited New Delhi, India, from March 7 to 10, 2023.

 

India-US Commercial Dialogue 2023 (5th Edition) & CEO Forum Part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership is the India-US Commercial Dialogue 2023 (5th Edition), which is co-chaired by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

 

Gina Raimondo was in charge of a high-level business delegation of US CEOs for the CEO Forum.

 

The CEO Forum, which was relaunched in November 2022, also emphasized outcomes-oriented shared strategic priorities.

3. NITI Aayog Issues Report to Enhance Gaushalas’ Economic Viability

A task force report titled “Production and Promotion of Organic and Bio Fertilisers with Special Focus on Improving Economic Viability Of Gaushalas” was published on March 10, 2023, and it states that the gaushalas should be financed liberally for making a capital investment and working expenses at concessional rates of interest.

 

In the presence of members of the task force, senior government officials, and representatives from gaushalas, Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog, presented the report.

 

Key Points:

 

The report provides accurate estimates of Gaushalas’ operating costs, fixed costs, and other issues, as well as the costs and investments required to set up a PROM (Phosphate Rich Organic Manure) plant and a Bio-CNG plant in Gaushalas.

 

This also offers advice on how to boost Gaushalas’ financial and economic viability by using the wealth from stray, abandoned, and unprofitable cattle to promote natural and organic farming. 

 

In order to boost the economy of gaushala and increase the fertiliser company’s offtake, NITI Aayog has proposed, through this report, making it mandatory for the company to sell 10 to 20 per cent of bio fertilizers or organic manure containing urea.

 

The report also says that all grants to gaushalas should be tied to how many cows they have, with a focus on dry, recused, or abandoned cattle more than anything else. v. This aims to address the threats posed by an increase in stray cattle in both urban and rural areas. 

 

The report emphasized the need for specific policy support and measures to encourage the commercial production, packaging, marketing, and distribution of organic fertilisers based on cow dung, as well as the creation of brands. Concerning the task force: Ramesh Chand, a member of NITI Aayog, was in charge of the task force, which also included Yogesh Suri, a senior adviser at NITI Aayog.

 

Rajni Taneja, MoA&FW deputy secretary, and Virendra Kumar Vijay, IIT Delhi professor,

S K Dutta is the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy’s joint commissioner.

Director of the National Centre for Organic Farming, Ganesh Sharma.

Ujjawal Kumar is the Department of Fertilizers’ deputy secretary.

4. MoPSW Sanctioned 8 floating Jetty projects, 4 each in Karnataka & Tamil Nadu

Under its Sagarmala Program, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) has approved eight floating jetty projects, with four each in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. 

 

Four Karnataka Floating Jetty Projects:

 

The number of floating jetty projects in Karnataka has increased to 11 with the addition of the four new projects.

 

The four projects will be used for tourism along the Gurupura River and the Netravati River.

 

Thannir Bhavi Church, Bangra Kuluru, Kulur Bridge, and the Jappina Mogaru NH bridge are the other locations where the projects will be carried out. 

 

Four Projects for Floating Jettys in Tamil Nadu: 

 

The Ministry has approved four projects for a floating jetty in Tamil Nadu. The projects will be at Agni Thertham and Villoondi Theertham in Rameshwaram, a well-known Indian spiritual centre, as well as Cuddalore and Kanyakumari, to accommodate tourists visiting these tourist hotspots. Key Points:

 

These projects for floating jetty will contribute to the overall development and improvement of the coastal community and make it possible for tourists to travel in a more secure and less stressful manner.

 

Additionally, this will provide robust connectivity, which is necessary to construct a developed India.

 

The construction of these jetties will lead to an increase in water-related tourism, regional trade, and employment opportunities for the local population, all of which will contribute to the socioeconomic development of these Karnataka and Tamil Nadu regions.

 

The Sagarmala Project:

 

The Sagarmala Programme is an initiative by the Indian government to improve the logistics sector’s performance.

 

The Sagarmala program is the lead program of the MoPSW to advance port-drove improvement in India through bridling a 7,500 km long shore, 14,500

km of possibly safe streams and vital areas on key global oceanic shipping lanes.

5. New India Vision: Grant Thornton Bharat was hired by MCA to help with capacity building.

 

As part of its efforts to build capacity among its cadre/posts and other organizations to make them “future ready” and to meet the requirements of a vision of “New India,” the Ministry of Company Affairs (MCA) has appointed Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, one of the largest fully integrated Assurance, Tax, and Advisory firms in India, to assist in the formulation of an Annual Capacity Building Plan (ACBP).

 

The target of the vision is to upgrade the conveyance framework and make a ‘citizencentric, future-prepared common help with the right disposition, abilities and information

adjusted to the vision of New India.

 

The goal of the “New India” vision is to make India a modern, developed nation.

 

The economy, infrastructure, social welfare, healthcare, education, and agriculture are all included in the vision.

Banking and Finance

1. PhonePe obtains a license as a payment aggregator and reaches an annualized payment value run rate of $1 trillion.

Phonepe Private Restricted (previously FX Shop Pvt. Ltd.), which possesses the brand PhonePe, has gotten on a basic-level endorsement for its Dad [payment aggregator] permit

from the Save Bank of India (RBI). Additionally, PhonePe has achieved an annualized Total Payment Value (TPV) run rate of USD 1 trillion (or Rs 84 lakh crore), primarily as a result of its UPI transactions.

 

They have digitized over 35 million offline merchants in India’s Tier 2, 3, and 4 cities and beyond, encompassing 99 per cent of pin codes.

Economy and Business

1. Lockheed Martin and Goodbye Gathering Sign MoU to Produce Contender Wings in India

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the production of fighter plane wings at their joint venture (JV) facility, Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd (TLMAL), in Hyderabad, Telangana, has been signed by Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT), a global defense aerospace player based in the United States (US).

 

With deliveries beginning in 2025, the MoU aims to produce 29 fighter wing chipsets with the potential to produce additional chipsets.

 

Following TLMAL’s successful production and qualification of a prototype fighter wing chipset, LMT formally acknowledged TLMAL as a potential co-producer of fighter wings in October 2021.

 

Through this prototype project, TLMAL was tasked with demonstrating its capacity for complete part manufacturing and delivery of a fuel-carrying 9-g, 12,000-hour interchangeable/replaceable representative fighter wing.

 

The Indian Air Force (IAF) anticipates the acceptance of need (AoN) for 114 multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) at the same time that the LMT’s assistance is needed.

 

LMT and India have proposed a partnership for the F-21 (Advanced Multirole Fighter), with the goal of delivering 114 MFRA specifically designed for India and the Indian Air Force (IAF). TLMAL (Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd.) In 2010, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) formed TLMAL as a joint venture.

 

TLMAL supports the Aatmanirbhar Bharat “Make in India” and “Skills India” goals of the Indian government by serving as the sole global supplier of C-130J empennage assemblies that are installed on all new Super Hercules aircraft.

 

To date, TLMAL has produced and delivered more than 200 C-130J aircraft. I belong to Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT). LMT is a global aerospace and security company with its headquarters in Maryland, USA.

 

The creation, production, integration, and upkeep of products, services, and advanced technology systems are its primary activities.

 

LMT is led by Chairman, President, and CEO James Taiclet. Goodbye Progressed Frameworks Restricted (TASL)

 

TASL, an entirely possessed auxiliary of Goodbye Children, spend significant time offering coordinated

answers for aviation, protection, and country security.

 

For global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the Indian government’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), TASL is a leading manufacturing partner.

 

The Tata group’s primary holding company is Tata Sons Private Limited.

Science and Technology

1. 40 OneWeb internet satellites are launched into orbit by SpaceX.

From Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the United States of America, SpaceX’s two-stage Falcon 9 rocket launched 40 broadband satellites for the UK-based company OneWeb into orbit. With the send-off of this mission, OneWeb 17, the

an absolute number of satellites in this organization becomes 582.

 

The rocket’s first stage returned to Earth on time. The OneWeb satellites were deployed in small batches in low earth orbit (LEO), and all 40 satellites had been successfully deployed. 

 

This was the 13th launch and landing for this particular booster. This constellation’s construction will be completed by one more launch of forty satellites.

 

In LEO, OneWeb is constructing a constellation of more than 600 satellites that will offer internet service to customers worldwide.

 

The majority of OneWeb’s satellites have been launched using Soyuz rockets, which are made in Russia and are operated by Arianespace, a French company.

 

OneWeb has flown three times with SpaceX, once on an Indian Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III and once with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).