National Calendar of India (Saka Calendar):

Falgun, Shukla Paksha Shasthi

फा#गनु श) ु ल प, ष.ठ0 1त3थ (6व8मी संवत ्)

Daily CA
15 March 2024
 Question of the day

When will "Hyderabad Liberation Day" be observed?

"है दराबाद मिु *त ,दवस" कब मनाया जाएगा?

a) 17 September
b) 15 August
c) 13 September
d) 26 January
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 15 March - World consumer rights day 2024
§ Theme - “Fair and Responsible AI for
Consumers”

§ The origins of World Consumer Rights Day date

back to US President John F. Kennedy’s historic
address to the US Congress on March 15, 1962.

§ First celebrated in 1983

§ United Nations has recognized and supported

World Consumer Rights Day globally.
 I&B Minister Releases Book Titled Israel War Diary/सचू ना
एवं 8सारण मं:ी ने इज़राइल वॉर डायरB नामक पD
ु तक का Eवमोचन Gकया

• Israel War Diary written by Vishal Pandey

• This book will will provide a detailed overview

of the war between Israel and Hamas. It will
also give insight about India’s stance on the
war.

• Released by Information and Broadcasting

Minister Anurag Singh Thakur
“The Conspiracy” book by Gotabaya Rajapaksa/”द
कॉHसEपरे सी” गोटबाया राजपJे Kवारा

• Former President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa

launched his book ‘The Conspiracy to oust me from the
Presidency’

• Mr. Gotabaya’s Presidency from November 2019 to July

2022, Sri Lanka witnessed the worst economic crisis since
Independence in 1948, as the country ran out of dollars

• The book attributes his political downfall to a “conspiracy”

involving foreign and local parties.
Renowned Artisan and Padma Shri Awardee Kapildev
Prasad Passed Away/8LसKध कारBगर और पKम परु Dकार Eवजेता कEपलदे व 8साद
का Oनधन
§ He got Padma Shri in 2023 for his contributions
to the handloom industry and the revival of
Buddhist art of weaving Bababuti sarees.
§ Born in Basavan Bigha village, Nalanda, Bihar
§ Bawan Booti, which literally translates to “52
motifs,” is a unique weaving technique that
involves intricate hand embroidery on cotton or
tasar cloth
§ 52 similar motifs, each representing symbols
from Buddhist religion and culture.
Paul Alexander, The Man In The Iron Lung, Passed Away
At 78/पॉल अले&ज(डर, द मैन इन द आयरन लंग, का 78 वष8 क9 आयु म( ;नधन
• Paul Alexander, from the US, spent over 70
years in an iron lung after contracting polio as a
child and resultant paralysis & lung failure.

• He painted and wrote his memoir, Three

Minutes for a Dog: My Life Inside an Iron Lung

• Recognized by Guinness World Records as the

“longest iron lung patient”
• Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease
caused by poliovirus.

• It invades the nervous system and can cause total

paralysis in a matter of hours.

• Polio mainly affects children under 5 years of

age. However, anyone of any age who is
unvaccinated can contract the disease.
 Sukhbir Sandhu & Gyanesh Kumar appointed Election
Commissioners

§ Sukhbir Singh Sandhu from Punjab and Gyanesh Kumar from

Kerala have been named as the new Election Commissioners
by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Modi, committee
member and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

§ The vacancies had come up after the retirement of Anup

Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the sudden resignation
of Arun Goel.
 Election Commission of India
• Established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January
1950 (celebrated as National voters' day).
• Constitutional Provisions: Part XV (Article 324-329) of the Indian
Constitution
• Originally the commission had only one election commissioner but
after the Election Commissioner Amendment Act 1989, it was made
a multi-member body.
• The Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) and such number of other election
commissioners, if any, as the President may from time-to-time fix.
• Presently, it consists of the CEC and two Election Commissioners
 Appointment of CEC & EC

• It is governed by the CEC and Other ECs (Appointment, Conditions

of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023
• The act replaced the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of
Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991.

§ The CEC and ECs will be appointed by the President upon the
recommendation of a Selection Committee.
§ The Selection Committee will consist of the Prime Minister, a Union
Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of Opposition/leader of the largest
opposition party in Lok Sabha.
 Maharashtra Cabinet Approves Renaming
Ahmednagar District as Ahilya Nagar/महारा%& कै)बनेट ने
अहमदनगर िजले का नाम बदलकर अ4ह5या नगर करने को मंजरू : दे द:

• The Maharashtra Cabinet on March 13 formally approved the

renaming of Ahmednagar district to ‘Ahilyanagar’ after the
18th century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar.

• The decision to rename the district had already been

announced by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in May last year
on the 298th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, who had
established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of
the Holkar dynasty.
 Ahilyabai Holkar

§ Ahilyabai (1725 -1795) was one of the women rulers of

the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Malwa kingdom

§ Her husband Khanderao Holkar was killed in the battle of

Kumbher in 1754

§ ascended to the throne as the Queen of Malwa, ruling

from 1767 to 1795.

§ Rani Ahilyabai was a great pioneer and builder of Hindu

temples.

§ John Keay ( British historian) gave the title - ‘The

Philosopher Queen’
 Supreme Court stops Assam’s move to withdraw notification of
Pobitora wildlife sanctuary/ स#ु ीम कोट) ने पो-बतोरा व3यजीव अभयार8य क9 अ:धसचू ना वापस लेने
के असम के कदम पर रोक लगा दA

• The Supreme Court froze the Assam government’s move to

withdraw a nearly 26-year-old notification constituting the
Pobitora wildlife sanctuary, which hosts one of the largest rhino
populations in the country.
• SC said, “The State government was not right in resolving to
withdraw the notification dated March 17, 1998 notifying
Pobitora wildlife sanctuary”.
• The state government had reasoned that declaration of the
sanctuary was made without settling the rights of the people
living in villages in the area
 Maharashtra to become first state to buy land in
Kashmir/महारा>? क@मीर म( जमीन खरCदने वाला पहला राDय बन गया

§ Maharashtra is set to become the first Indian state to buy land in

union territory Jammu and Kashmir in order to construct a tourist
facility for the state's people.

§ The J&K government has approved the transfer of land to the state
government, subject to a payment of Rs 8.16 crore.

§ Maharashtra Bhawan would be constructed in central Kashmir's

Budgam--first-ever state Bhavan in the valley.

§ Before the abrogation of Article 370, only the permanent residents

of Jammu and Kashmir could buy land in the erstwhile state.
 ‘Pandavula Gutta’ designated exclusive Geo-heritage site in
Telangana/ पांडवलु ा गDु टा को तेलंगाना मE Fवशेष भ-ू Fवरासत Iथल नाKमत Lकया गया

§ Pandavula Gutta, a geological marvel older than the Himalayan

hills, has been officially recognised as the sole Geo-heritage site
in Telangana.

§ Geo-heritage refers to the geological features which are inherently

or culturally significant offering insight to earth’s evolution or
history to earth science or that can be utilized for education.

§ Geological Survey of India (GSI) is the parent body which is

making efforts towards identification and protection of geo-heritage
sites/national geological monuments in the country.
 Geological Survey of India

§ It was set up in 1851

§ GSI is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines.

§ The main functions of the GSI relate to creation and

updation of national geo-scientific information and
mineral resource assessment.

§ It is headquartered in Kolkata.
 Numaligarh Refinery Opens First Overseas Office In
Bangladesh/नम
ु ालCगढ़ GरफाइनरC ने बांIलादे श म( पहला Kवदे शी काया8लय खोला

• The first overseas office of Assam-based Numaligarh

Refinery Limited (NRL) was opened in Dhaka,
Bangladesh.

• The Friendship Pipeline Project was Jointly inaugurated

by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh
Premier Sheikh Hasina in March 2023.

• Designed to supply petroleum products to Bangladesh.

 ICAR-CTCRI Secures Patent for Smart
Farming e-Crop IoT Device
• Thiruvananthapuram-based ICAR-Central Tuber Crops
Research Institute (CTCRI) has achieved a significant
milestone in the area of agricultural technology with the
development of the Electronic Crop (e-Crop), an
innovative IoT device designed for smart farming.

• Indian Patent Office granted a patent

• IoT (Internet of things) describes devices with sensors,

processing ability, software and other technologies that
connect and exchange data with other devices and systems
over the Internet or other communications networks.
• By integrating data on weather patterns, soil moisture levels, and
nutrient status, the device offers farmers invaluable insights into
crop growth dynamics.
• It calculates nutrient and water requirements and generates an
agro-advisory for the crop on a daily time scale.
• It provides periodical advices via SMS to growers regarding water
and nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) requirements.
• Farmers participating in these demonstrations have reported
significant increases in yield while simultaneously reducing
nutrient and water usage by up to 50%.
• Dr. Santhosh Mithra, a principal scientist at ICAR-CTCRI, is the
inventor of this innovative device.
 Launch of PM-SURAJ Portal/पीएम-सरू ज पोटPल का शभु ारं भ

§ PM Modi inaugurated the ‘Pradhan Mantri Samajik Utthan and

Rozgar Adharit Jankalyan’ (PM-SURAJ) national portal

§ and sanctioned credit support to one lakh entrepreneurs of

disadvantaged sections.

§ for empowering the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, backward

classes and other communities that have been deprived of
opportunities.

§ under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

 ‘Agray’ and ‘Akshay’ ships launched to augment Indian
Navy’s anti-submarine operations

• Agray and Akshay are the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow

Watercrafts (ASW SWC) built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and
Engineers Limited (GRSE) launched in Kolkata

• Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Kolkata-based PSU GRSE

for production of 8 such ASW SWCs. These are the 5th & 6th ships.
• These Arnala class of ships will replace the in-service Abhay
class ships of Indian Navy

• These are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in

coastal waters, Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) and Mine
Laying Operations
• Neeta Chaudhari, wife of Air Chief Marshal V R
Chaudhari, Chief of the Air staff, launched the
ships

• India is among select countries in the world with

a capacity to build modern warships,
submarines and aircraft carriers.

• The ASW SWC ships are 77.6 m long & 105 m

wide with a displacement of 900 tons and
endurance of over 1800 NM.
Navy’s Make In India 3rd 25T Bollard Pull Tug ‘Bajrang’
launched in Bharuch, Gujarat

Contract for construction and delivery of three 25T BP Tug was

concluded with M/s Shoft Shipyard Pvt Ltd. an MSME, in
consonance with “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiative of the
Government of India.
 Ravindra becomes youngest recipient of Sir Richard Hadlee
Medal/रवींS सर TरचडP हैडलB मेडल पाने वाले सबसे कम उV के 8ाWतकताP बन गए

• The Sir Richard Hadlee Medal is an annual award introduced in

2011 by New Zealand Cricket to recognise the best New Zealand
men's cricketer of the previous year.

• It is named in honour of New Zealand cricketer, Sir Richard

Hadlee.
 Nation-wide talent hunt scheme KIRTI
launched/रा>?Mयापी N;तभा खोज योजना क9;त8 लॉQच क9 गई

• Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) programme was

launched by the Union Sports Minister, Anurag Singh Thakur in
Chandigarh
• The scheme, aimed at school children in the age group of 9 to 18
years, will focus on using sports as a tool for healthy life and primarily
keep youngsters away from drugs and gadgetry distractions.

• Taking the help of scientific tools, KIRTI will involve physical education
teachers and experts in scouting talent.
• KIRTI aims to conduct 20 lakh assessments across the country
throughout the year to identify talent through notified Talent
Assessment Centres.
U.S. to moot first-of-its-kind resolution at UN/अमेGरका
संय&
ु त रा>? म( अपनी तरह का पहला NUताव पेश करे गा

§ The United States is spearheading the first United Nations

resolution on artificial intelligence

§ aimed at ensuring that the new technology is “safe, secure and

trustworthy” and that all countries, especially those in the
developing world, have equal access

§ All have the technology and capabilities to take advantage of its

benefits, including detecting diseases, predicting floods and
training the next generation of workers.
‘’One Nation One Election” Committee Submitted its
Report‘’/एक राXY एक चनु ाव'' सLमOत ने अपनी TरपोटP स[पी

§ The high-level committee on ‘’one nation one election”,

headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, submitted its
report on simultaneous polls to President Droupadi Murmu.

§ The report comprises of 18,626 pages, and has been prepared

after extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts and
research work of 191 days.

§ The panel recommended simultaneous elections for Lok

Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by
synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
• Established on 2nd September 2023, the committee was tasked
with examining the concept of 'one nation, one election’ for holding
simultaneous elections to the House of the People (Lok Sabha), State
Legislative Assemblies (रा#य &वधानसभा), Municipalities, and
Panchayats.

• The committee was to propose specific amendments to the

Constitution of India, the Representation of the People Act, 1950,
the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and other related laws.
• The Committee has proposed the insertion of Article 82A to the
Constitution to synchronise the terms of the Lok Sabha and State
Assemblies.

• All the State Assemblies which are constituted in general elections

held after this Article is brought into effect ("Appointed Date") will
come to end along with the expiry of the full term of the Lok
Sabha.

• Thereafter, all General elections to the House of the People and all
State Legislative Assemblies shall be held together simultaneously
• Further, in the event of a hung house and a no-confidence motion,
fresh elections may take place. Notably, the tenure will only be for
the unexpired term in such cases. In other words, it will be the
remainder of the full term, ie. for five years:

• Where fresh elections are held for the House of the People (Lok
Sabha) the tenure of the House will be “only for the unexpired
(remaining) term of the immediately preceding full term of the House”

• When fresh elections are held for state legislative assemblies,

then such new assemblies — unless sooner dissolved — shall continue
up to the end of the full term of the Lok Sabha.

• In this regard, Amendments are proposed to Article 83 (duration of

Houses of Parliament) and Article 172 (duration of state legislatures)
Ratification by the states is not required to hold simultaneous
elections in the House of the People and State Legislative Assemblies.

The Kovind panel includes:

§ Home Minister Amit Shah
§ Former leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad
§ Former Finance Commission chairman N.K. Singh
§ Former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash Kashyap
§ Senior advocate Harish Salve
§ Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is a special invitee to the panel.

The 22nd Law Commission (under the Chairmanship of Justice Ritu Raj
Awasthi), that has examined the issue in detail, had also suggested
holding simultaneous polls from the general election of 2029.
REVISION QUESTIONS
What is the composition of the Selection Committee responsible for
recommending the appointment of the CEC and ECs?
सीईसी और ईसी क9 ;नयिु &त क9 XसफाGरश करने के Xलए िजZमेदार चयन
सXम;त क9 संरचना &या है ?

a) Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, and Speaker of Lok Sabha

b) Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and Leader of Opposition
party in Lok Sabha
c) President, Vice President, and Speaker of Lok Sabha
d) Prime Minister, President, and Chief Justice of India
Ans: b
What is the theme for World Consumer Rights
Day in 2024?
a) Sustainable Consumption Practices
b) Fair and Responsible AI for Consumers
c) Ethical Marketing Strategies
d) Transparent Product Labeling
Ans: b
Who is the author of the book "Israel War Diary"?
इज़राइल वॉर डायरC" पU
ु तक के लेखक कौन ह]?
a) Aman Sharma
b) Vishal Pandey
c) Aditya Patel
d) Rahul Singh
Ans b
What is the name of the geological marvel recognized as the sole
Geo-heritage site in Telangana?
तेलंगाना म( एकमा^ भ-ू Kवरासत Uथल के aप म( माQयता Nाbत भव
ू c
ै ा;नक
चमdकार का &या नाम है ?
a) Pandavula Gutta
b) Khajaguda Heritage Rock
c) Tirupati Eparchaean
d) Rock Garden
Ans: a
Which articles of the Indian Constitution need to be amended to implement
the proposed mechanism for "one nation one election"?
"एक रा>? एक चन ु ाव" के NUताKवत तं^ को लागू करने के Xलए भारतीय संKवधान के
eकन अनf ु छे दh म( संशोधन क9 आव@यकता है ?
a) Article 71 and Article 171
b) Article 82 and Article 172
c) Article 83 and Article 172
d) Article 44 and Article 174
Ans: c
 QUESTION OF THE DAY
Who has been appointed as the new Election
Commissioner of India?

a) Sukhbir Singh Sandhu

b) Gyanesh Kumar
c) Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

d) both a and b