Daily GK Update: 9th March 2023

 Science & Technology

1. ISRO receives Indo-US jointly developed NISAR satellite

• The US Air Force handed over an earth observation satellite, NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) to ISRO on March 8, 2023.
• A US Air Force C-17 aircraft carrying the NISAR has landed in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• It was jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
• This satellite will be used by ISRO for a variety of purposes including agricultural mapping, and landslide-prone areas.
• It is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory.
• It will map the entire globe in 12 days.

 National & International Appointments

2. Captain Shaliza Dhami becomes first woman to command combat unit in IAF

• Group Captain Shaliza Dhami (Ludhiana) has been selected by the Indian Air Force to take over a frontline combat unit's command in the western sector.
• She becomes the first woman officer in the history of the IAF to be given the frontline combat unit command.
• Currently, she is posted in the operations branch of a frontline command headquarters.
• She also served as flight commander of a Chetak unit at the Hindon air base— both firsts for an IAF woman officer.

 National Affairs

3. Australian PM Anthony Albanese arrives in India for four-day visit

• Australian PM Anthony Albanese arrived in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on a state visit to India on March 8, 2023.
• During his four-day tour, he will also visit Mumbai and Delhi as well.
• He will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan on 10th March and call on President Droupadi Murmu.
• He will hold the Annual Summit with PM Modi to discuss areas of cooperation under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

 State Affairs

4. Maharashtra to introduce 4th women's policy

• Maharashtra Deputy CM, Devendra Fadanvis has informed that the state government will introduce the fourth women's policy.
• Aim: To give more opportunities to women
• State Government initiative:
  • To introduce a rehabilitation scheme for those above 18 years old girls from the orphanage.
  • To start a Hirkani Room(Kaksha) for breastfeeding mothers at the police station.
  • Govt also proposed to provide equal and dignified positions to women in all sectors. 

 State Affairs

5. J&K govt launches plantation drive on International Women's Day 2023

• Jammu and Kashmir's government has celebrated International Women's Day 2023 (March 8) by organizing a plantation program under the theme “Ped Lagao Beti Ke Naam”.
• The initiative involved women and girls in afforestation, environmental conservation, and creating awareness.
• Over one thousand saplings of various species were planted along the National Highway Ring Road NH-44, at Chak Avtara Panchayat of Bishnah Tehsil of Jammu district.

 Banking & Finance

6. Trade in crypto currency to be covered under India's money laundering laws

• As per the Finance Ministry notification, the exchange between virtual digital assets and fiat currencies, the exchange between one or more forms of virtual digital assets, and the transfer of virtual digital assets will be covered under the money laundering act.
• The safekeeping or administration of virtual digital assets and the participation in financial services related to the offer and sale of virtual digital assets will also come under the preview of the Act.

 Summits & Conferences

7. ECI to host the 3rd International Conference

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) hosted the 3rd International Conference in virtual format on 09 March 2023.
• Theme: Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity
• ECI is leading the Cohort on Elections Integrity which was established as a follow-up to the ‘Summit for Democracy’ held virtually in December 2021.
• Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel addressed the Conference.

 Summits & Conferences

8. PM Modi to inaugurate 3rd Session of NPDRR

• PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 3rd Session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) in New Delhi on March 10, 2023.
• Theme: Building Local Resilience in a Changing Climate
• It is jointly organized by the Home Ministry, National Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response Force, and National Institute of Disaster Management.
• It will comprise four Plenary Sessions, one Ministerial Session, and eight Thematic Sessions.

 Obituaries

9. Bollywood actor, director Satish Kaushik passes away

• Bollywood actor-director Satish Kaushik passed away at the age of 66 in Delhi due to cardiac arrest.
• Kaushik was an alumnus of the National School of Drama (NSD) and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
• He was known for his iconic roles in Mr. India, Tere Naam, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, Deewana Mastana, Brick Lane, Saajan Chale Sasural among others.
• Kaushik is fondly remembered for penning the dialogues for the 1983 cult classic "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron".

 Banking & Finance

10. Sebi puts restrictions on cos opting share buyback via stock exchange route

• SEBI has imposed restrictions on the placement of bids, price, and volume for the companies undertaking share buyback through the stock exchange route, effective on March 9, 2023.
• A company will not be able to purchase more than 25% of the average daily trading volume of its shares in the 10 trading days preceding the day in which such purchases are made.
• The company will not place bids in the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes of the regular trading session.

 Important Dates

11. No Smoking Day 2023: March 8

• No Smoking Day is observed on the second Wednesday of March.
• In 2023, No Smoking Day falls on March 8.
• Aim: To encourage people to quit smoking and raise awareness about its harmful effects on their health
• This year’s theme is: “Stopping smoking improves your brain health".
• The United Kingdom witnessed that people in the country are getting addicted to smoking.
• Earlier, it was celebrated on the first Wednesday of March as it began on Ash Wednesday.

 Banking & Finance

12. Kotak AMC financial literacy campaign for women

• On International Women’s Day 2023, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company (AMC) launched a digital campaign called ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’.
• Aim: To drive the culture of digital literacy among the women's fraternity
• The campaign calls for the digital inclusion of all with the hashtag, #IncludeAll.
• The digital campaign showcases Kotak group’s women employees sharing their stories about supporting and empowering other women in their lives.

 Science & Technology

13. ISRO carries out controlled re-entry experiment of decommissioned satellite

• ISRO has successfully carried out an "extremely challenging" controlled re-entry experiment of the decommissioned orbiting Megha-Tropiques-1 (MT-1) satellite.
• The final impact region estimated is in the deep Pacific Ocean within the expected latitude and longitude boundaries.
• The low Earth satellite was launched on October 12, 2011.
• It is a joint satellite venture of ISRO and the French space agency, CNES for tropical weather and climate studies.