1 United Nations Human Development Index: India ranked 134th in the list of 193 countries
India is ranked 134th out of 193 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI). India’s position in the rankings for the year 2022 has become better than before. India, which has moved up one place compared to the 2021 index, is performing better in many ways. According to this report released by the United Nations, India ranked 108th in Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2022. It was ranked 122 among 191 countries with a score of 0.490 in GII-2021. This shows that significant efforts have been made in the last few months towards eliminating gender inequality in the country.
2 Model code of conduct for elections comes into force with the announcement of election schedule.
The schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has been announced. These elections will be conducted in seven phases . Counting of votes will take place on June 4 . In the first phase , voting will be held on 102 Lok Sabha seats on 19th of next month . In the second phase, voting will be held on 89 seats on April 26. The third phase will be held on May 7, in which voting will be held on 94 seats. In the fourth phase, voting will be held on 96 seats on May 13. In the fifth phase, voting will be held on 49 parliamentary seats on May 20, while in the sixth phase, voting will be held on 57 seats on May 25. In the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections, voting will be held on 57 parliamentary seats on June 1. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that voting will be held in a single phase in 22 states and union territories including Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Voting will be held in two phases in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Manipur and Tripura, while Lok Sabha elections will be held in three phases in Chhattisgarh and Assam. Voting will be held in four phases in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand and in five phases in Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir. Voting will be held in seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The Election Commission also announced the schedule of assembly elections of Sikkim, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh . Voting will be held in a single phase on April 19 along with the Lok Sabha elections for the 32-member Sikkim Assembly and the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly. Similarly, voting for the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on May 13. Voting for the 147-member Odisha Assembly elections will be held in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.
3 Navneet Kumar Sehgal becomes the new president of Prasar Bharati
Navneet Kumar Sehgal has become the new chairman of Prasar Bharati . Shri Sehgal is a retired officer of 1988 batch of Uttar Pradesh cadre of Indian Administrative Service. He is the former chairman of Prasar Bharati , A. sunlight whose tenure ended in 2020. Mr. Sehgal has been appointed by President Draupadi Murmu after the approval of the selection committee led by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in the name of Navneet Kumar Sehgal.
4 Grishma Kuthar and Ritika Chopra jointly received Chameli Devi Jain Award.
The Chameli Devi Jain Award 2024 for the Outstanding Female Media Person of the Year has been given jointly to independent journalist Grishma Kuthar and Ritika Chopra of Indian Express . Chameli Devi Jain Award for the Outstanding Female Media Person of the Year was instituted by the Media Foundation in 1980. It is named after Chameli Devi Jain, a freedom fighter and community reformer who was jailed during India’s independence movement. The first award was given in 1982 and it has been awarded annually since then. The award recognizes influential journalism in areas such as social development, politics, gender justice, human rights, health, conflict and consumer values.
5 Uday Bhatia of Delhi and Mansi Gupta of Haryana received Diana Memorial Award.
Uday Bhatia of Delhi and Mansi Gupta of Haryana were honored with the ‘ Diana Memorial Award ‘ on 14 March 2024 . Along with them, a total of 20 people from around the world were honored with the ‘Diana Memorial Award’. This award is given once every two years in memory of Princess Diana . This award is given to exceptional youth of the world for their social work or humanitarian services . This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Diana Award charity, established in memory of the late Princess of Wales. Uday Bhatia and Mansi Gupta were presented the award by Prince William at the award ceremony held at the Science Museum in London . Prince William is the elder son of the late Princess Diana.
Mustafa became the new Prime Minister of Palestine after the resignation of 6 Shtayyeh.
Mustafa was appointed as the new Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on 14 March 2024 during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas . Mohammed Mustafa was appointed as the new Prime Minister of Palestine, following the resignation of Mohammed Shtayyeh . He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Palestine President Mohammad Abbas. Mohammed Mustafa is one of Palestine’s leading businessmen. Mohammad Mustafa has played a key role in overseeing Gaza reconstruction under Hamas Islamist rule.
7 India ranked 62nd on DHL Connectedness Index
According to the recently published DHL Global Connectedness Report 2024 , India is ranked 62nd on the DHL Global Connectedness 2023 Index . India ranked 67th in 2022 index India wasThe DHL Global Connectedness Report is published annually since 2011. This report has been prepared by German logistics company DHL in collaboration with New York University Stern School of Business. A country’s connectivity to the world is measured by the global exchange of trade, capital, information and people. Based on these indicators, the report ranks 181 countries and territories. The 2024 edition ranks the connectivity of 181 countries, accounting for 99.7% of the world’s GDP and 98.7% of the global population. Singapore was found to be the most connected country globally, followed by the Netherlands and Ireland respectively. The report found Europe to be the most connected region globally. After Europe, the most connected region was North America followed by the Middle East (West Asia) and North Africa respectively.
8 SBI honored with Company of the Year Award at ET Awards 2023 for Corporate Excellence
India’s largest commercial bank, State Bank of India was awarded the Company of the Year award for the ET Corporate Excellence Awards 2023 . The ET Corporate Excellence Awards 2023 ceremony was held on March 15, 2024 in Mumbai. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the ceremony as a guest. The ET Corporate Excellence Awards is sponsored by The Economic Times, India’s leading financial newspaper. The award recognizes and honors the contributions of the best and brightest in entrepreneurship and business success as well as policy and reform achievements. The winners in various categories were selected by a seven-member jury headed by N. Chandrasekaran , Chairman, Tata Sons .
9 American space agency NASA will send a message in a bottle to Jupiter’s moon Europa in October this year.
American space agency NASA will send a message in a bottle to Jupiter’s moon Europa in October this year . This campaign has been named Europa Clipper Mission . Scientists estimate that there is a salty lake beneath the icy surface of Jupiter and under this expedition, scientists will explore the possibility of life there. The Europa Clipper aircraft will carry a triangular metal plate. On the outer part of this plate, the sound wave pronounced with the word Paani in one hundred and three languages including Hindi will be shown .
10 Central government proposes ban on sale and breeding of ferocious dogs
The central government has proposed a ban on the sale and breeding of ferocious dogs . Animal Husbandry Ministry directs states and Union Territories to ban sale, breeding or keeping of 23 dog breeds dangerous to human life has issued instructionsThe Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a social media post that the government has considered banning several such dog breeds out of concern for people’s safety. The post said that breeds like Rottweiler, Pitbull and American Bulldog are being monitored. The government has also directed that dogs already kept as pets should be sterilized to prevent breeding.
11 Australian cricketer Matthew Wade announced his retirement from first-class cricket.
Australia ‘s star cricketer Matthew Wade has announced his retirement from first-class cricket . However, he will continue to play ODI and T20. The 36-year-old wicketkeeper batsman will play the last match of his career for Tasmania against Western Australia in Perth. This will be the 166th match of his first class career.
12 National Vaccination Day 2024
‘ National Immunization Day ‘ is celebrated every year on 16 March. It is an important event for people’s collective commitment towards public health. National Vaccination Day is organized to make people aware about vaccination. The theme of ‘National Immunization Day’ this year 2024 is “ Vaccines work for everyone ”.