Weekly Current Affairs contains important news and information for all type of competitive exams. We consider only exam related news, which has most potency to come in exams. All categories of Current Affairs included in this Article. Also read our February 2024 Current affairs.
National and International Current Affairs
1. New naval base ‘INS Jatayu‘ to be inaugurated in Minicoy, Lakshadweep.
2. Uttar Pradesh becomes the first state in the country to issue maximum 5 crore Ayushman Cards. PM-JAY is the world’s largest health insurance scheme fully funded by the government which was launched in Year 2018.
3. Supreme Court abolished prosecution immunity against MPs/MLAs under Articles 105 and 194 respectively. This is 7 Judge judgement which overturned its own 1998 judgement that allowed MP’s to get immunity even after taking bribes to vote or deliver speeches in the House under PV Narasimha Rao case of 1998. The CJI said that individual members of the legislature cannot claim privilege under Articles 105 and 194 for immunity from prosecution on charges of bribery in relation to a vote or speech.
4. Silver Filigree (Chandi Tarkashi) a 500 years old traditional Odisha Tarkashi gets GI Tag for it.
5. Tripura’s traditional tribal dress ‘Risa‘ gets GI tag.
6. BPCL appoints Neeraj Chopra as brand ambassador for ‘Speed’ petrol.
7. France becomes the first country in the world to make “Right to abortion” a constitutional right. Lawmakers voted to amend the country’s 1958 constitution to ensure women’s “guarantee freedom” to seek abortions.
8. India becomes the second country in the world to start a Fast Breeder Reactor based nuclear plant. India’s first indigenous 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is installed at Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. India will be the second country after Russia to have a commercially operated fast breeder reactor.
9. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, organized the 5th edition of ‘National Youth Parliament Festival’ in Parliament, New Delhi.
10. Suman Kumari becomes BSF’s ‘first woman sniper’.
11. International Astronomical Union discovers three new moons of Uranus and Neptune.
12. Country’s first National Dolphin Research Centre inaugurated in Patna, Bihar.
13. India’s first underwater Metro Rail Service inaugurated in Kolkata by PM.
14. IN-SPACe inaugurates ‘Satellite and Payload Technology Centre’ in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. IN-SPACe – Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre.
15. SpaceX launches ‘MethaneSat‘ satellite to track global methane emissions.
16. India’s first AI teacher ‘Iris’, launched in Kerala. A school in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala has introduced this AI teacher- ‘Iris’.
17. Sweden becomes 32nd member country of NATO. NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a political and military alliance. It was formed in the year 1949. The alliance had 12 founding members in 1949: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The last included member states were Montenegro (2017) and North Macedonia (2020) Finland (2023). Headquarter of Nato – Brussels (Belgium) and Present NATO Secretary General is Jens Stoltenberg.
18. Hamra Samvidhan Hamara Samman ’ will start from Bikaner, Rajasthan. To celebrate the 75th year of the Indian Republic this campaign was launched on 9 March for collective commitment to the principles enshrined in the constitution of India.
19. Justice Assistant Program or “Nyaya Sahayak” program launched in the 500 aspirational blocks of India. In this program door to door awareness of legal services will be provided in these aspirational districts.
20. Researchers from IIT Mandi and Palakkad created a Drowning Detection Robot, addressing challenges in underwater investigation and exploration. The robot, designed for sea, reservoirs, and dams, aims to replace risky human involvement.
21. International Centre of Excellence for Dams – The Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) has signed a 10-year Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore to establish the International Centre of Excellence for Dams.
22. The Minister of Communications unveiled the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) and ‘Chakshu’ on the Sanchar Saathi portal. DIP facilitates real-time intelligence sharing and coordination among stakeholders.
23. The Karnataka state government has partnered with the World Economic Forum to establish a State-of-the-Art AI Centre, which aims to position Karnataka as a global hub for artificial intelligence.
24. 17th Annual International Biocuration Conference – Set to take place at the National Capital Region (NCR) Biotech Science Cluster in Faridabad, India.
Appointment
Tamas Sulook became the new President of Hungary
Sports Current Affairs
1. Chandigarh University becomes overall champion in Khelo India University Games 2023. Maskot of the game is Ashtalakshmi. The Khelo India University Games is a part of the Khelo India initiative of the Government of India which was launched in 2016.
2. China will be the host country of the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
3. World’s first Jet Suit Race held in Dubai.
4. Bob Jones Award, highest award of the US Golf Association given to Tiger Woods for the year 2024.
5. South African fast bowler Shabnim Ismail made the world record for bowling the fastest ball in the history of women’s cricket. Speed of the fastest ball by her is 132.1 kmpl. It is a first time when women crossed 130 kmpl barrier.
6. Sansad Khel Mahakumbh 3.0’ started in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.
Govt Schemes related Current Affairs
1. ADITI Scheme – Defense Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched this scheme to promote innovations in critical and strategic Defence technologies. Under this scheme, grant assistance up to Rs 25 crore will be given to start-ups for research, development and innovation efforts in defense technology. Total fund for this scheme is Rs 750 Crore for the period of 2023-24 to 2025-26.
2. Indiramma Awas Yojana – A Housing scheme by Telangana government. Financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to build houses to those who already have a residential plot.
3. Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana– A Scheme launched by Himachal Pradesh. In this scheme an eligible women will receive a monthly stipend of ₹1,500.
4. Central government increased the Minimum age limit for voting by postal mail from 80 to 85 years after amending Election Conducting Rules- 1961.
Important Days and Dates
1. “World Wildlife Day” celebrated on 3 March 2024, this year’s theme, “Connecting People and Planet.
2. “National Safety Day” 2024 celebrated on 4 March. This year the theme of this day is – “Safety for a Sustainable Future.
3. “International Women’s Day” 2024 celebrated on 8 March. Theme is – “Investing in Women’s Empowerment – Driving Progress”.
Military Exercises related Current Affairs
1. ‘Samudra Lakshman’ – Bilateral maritime exercise between India and Malaysia took place in Andhra Pradesh.
2. “Sea Defenders-2024” A Joint exercise between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) will be conducted at Port Blair coast of Andaman and Nicobar.
Important “What is ______ in recent news ?”
1. Chapchar Kut – Traditional Mizoram Festival
2. Melanochlamys Draupadi – New Species of Sea Slug.
3. TU-142M – Aircraft Museum in Kakinada, Andra Pradesh.
4. Chola – Naval War College Building at INS Mandvi in Goa.
5. Storm – Formula 1 fuel developed by Indian Oil Company in India.
6. Jacaranda – Deciduous hard tree that grows well in tropical climatic region.
7. Nainativu – A Island, located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka.
8. Yars – A ICB Missile developed by Russia.
9. Dolutegravir (DTG) – Antiretroviral drug to treat HIV/AIDS.
10. Yaounde Declaration– Is for Malaria Eradication in Africa.
11. Second Thomas Shoal reef – A Disputed place at South China Sea.
12. C Space – Kerala launches India’s first government-owned OTT platform.