Top Current Affairs 26 March 2022

Top Current Affairs 26 March 2022

This post contains the current affairs for 26 March 2022. These current affairs are important for banking exams, insurance exams and other competitive exams like IBPS PO and Clerk, SBI PO and Clerk, RBI Assistant and Grade B, etc. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.

Banking News

UNCTAD projects India’s GDP growth forecast in 2022 to 4.6%

• The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has pegged India’s economic growth rate for 2022 to 4.6 percent due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. Earlier this rate was projected at 6.7%.
• The UNCTAD has further projected the global economic growth for the year 2022 at 2.6 percent.
• Earlier this rate was projected at 3.6 percent.

Shaktikanta Das inaugurates Reserve Bank Innovation Hub in Bengaluru

• Shri Shaktikanta Das, Governor of RBI has inaugurated the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) on March 24, 2022 in Bengaluru, Karnataka
• RBI has set up the RBIH with an initial capital contribution of Rs. 100 crore. The objective of RBIH is to encourage and nurture financial innovation in a sustainable manner through an institutional set-up. It has been setup as a Section 8 company under Companies Act, 2013.
• Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) is one of the five wholly-owned subsidiaries of the RBI.

National

Yogi Adityanath takes oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradseh for historic second 5-year term

• Yogi Adityanath took oath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive term on March 25, 2022.
• CM Adityanath was administered the oath by UP Governor Anandiben Patel.
• The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ceremony along with many other ministers
• CM Adityanath is the first chief minister of Uttar Pradesh to return to power for second term after completing a full tenure of five years.
• Meanwhile, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak have been sworn in as the deputy chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh.

Union Minister Smriti Irani inaugurates 10-day mega Red Fort Festival ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata’ of Ministry of Culture

• Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani inaugurated the ten-day mega Red Fort Festival, ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata’ at Red Fort in Delhi on March 25, 2022.
• The Red Fort festival has been organised by the Union Ministry of Culture, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The ministry has collaborated with the Dalmia Bharat Group (DBG) to organise the event as DBG has adopted the Red Fort as its Monument Mitra.
• The festival will commemorate the heritage, culture and diversity of every part of India.

Gujarat Tops NITI Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index 2021

• Gujarat has retained the top position in the second edition of NITI Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index 2021. The first edition was released in 2020.
• Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the other top 10 states in the 2021 index respectively.
• Across the Union Territories, Delhi has performed the best, followed by Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Puducheery
• Among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur were at the top respectively.
• The Export Preparedness Index (EPI) is prepared by the NITI Aayog in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness.
• The Index assesses the readiness of the states and union territories, in terms of their export potential and performance.

Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command conducts offshore security exercise, ‘Prasthan’ off Mumbai

• The Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy organised an offshore security exercise, ‘Prasthan’ in the Offshore Development Area (ODA) off Mumbai on March 23, 2022.
• This exercise is conducted after every six months, to ensure offshore security.
• Apart from the Naval forces, the exercise saw participation from the Indian Air Force, Coast Guard, ONGC, Mumbai Port Trust, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust, Customs, state fisheries department, Mercantile Marine Department and the Marine Police.
• The day-long exercise resulted in improving standard operating procedures (SOPs) and response-actions to a number of contingencies in the Offshore Defence Area off Mumbai.

Appointment

NATO extends tenure of Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary-General by one year

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has approved an extension in the tenure of its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg by a year until September 30, 2023.
• Stoltenberg was named NATO Secretary-General in October 2014.
• His term was to expire in September 2022.
• Stoltenberg is the former Prime Minister of Norway.

Days

Earth Hour 2022: 26 March

• Every year, the Earth Hour is celebrated worldwide on the last Saturday of the March month to show support for fight against climate change and commitment towards better planet.
• Earth Hour 2022 is being marked on March 26, 2022.
• The Earth Hour 2022 theme will focus on ‘Shape Our Future‘
• The Day is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), encouraging individuals, communities, corporates, and households to turn off their lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
• It was started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 to raise awareness for energy consumption and effects on the environment.

Centre designates October 5 as National Dolphin Day

• The Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change has designated 5th of October to be celebrated as National Dolphin Day every year, beginning from 2022.
• The day will aim to create awareness for conservation of Dolphins.
• This information was given by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupendra Yadav on March 25, 2022, during the 67th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life in New Delhi.