Current Affairs - March 23, 2020 Current Affairs

State Bank of India has launched an emergency loan facility for its existing loan customers whose business has been hit due to Coronavirus 2019 (COVID 19).

The World Water Day is celebrated on 22 March every year to raise awareness about the vital importance of water to safeguarding human security and maintaining the health of the planet's ecosystems.

A 30- days long capacity-building program called "Tech for Tribal" has been launched by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED),which works under Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

On March 21, 2020 the United Nations (UN) released the 8th World Happiness Report 2020 to measure the happiness of people of 156 countries where India(3.573) ranks in 144th position & Finland(7.809) tops the 3rd time.

Noted American singer-songwriter and Country music icon, Kenny Rogers, has passed away. He was 81.Rogers was a three-time Grammy winner, six-time Country Music Awards winner and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Afghanistan and Maldives pledge to contribute USD 1 million and USD 200,000 respectively to the SAARC Corona Emergency Fund proposed by PM Modi.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed globally on 21 March every year. The day is celebrated annually on 21 March as on this day in 1960, the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws"

On March 21, 2020, World Puppetry Day has been celebrated across the world with the aim to raise interest and encourage the kids and youngsters towards the comic-art-entertainment form.

UK confirmed as co-chair of the governing council of India-led global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

DBS Bank India has teamed-up with Bharti AXA to launch a complimentary insurance plan which will cover all medical conditions, including Covid-19.

'Wonderchicken': oldest fossil of modern bird discovered. On March 18, 2020, Scientists at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom (UK) have discovered a fossil of the world's oldest known modern bird skull dating to about 66.8m - 66.7m years ago- means the birds lived alongside dinosaurs for around a million years before the latter died out.

Israeli-American Hillel Furstenberg and Russian-born Gregory Margulis selected for Abel Prize for Mathematics by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Karur Vysya Bank launches pre-paid card Enkasu in Tamil Nadu.

Uttar Pradesh govt announced several actions and measures in its fight against coronavirus. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced to provide one-month free food grains to poor people along with Rs 1,000 as compensation to daily wage workers who have been affected due to the outbreak of the deadly virus.

Credit ratings agency CRISIL has pulled down the growth forecast for India's GDP for the financial year 2020-21 by 50 basis points (bp) to 5.2 percent from its previous forecast of 5.7%.

The number of women matches officials across different International Cricket Council panels has gone up to 12 as Janani Narayanan, and Vrinda Rathi of India was named in the International Panel of ICC Development Umpires.

Reserve bank of India extended the regulatory restrictions on Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC) Bank by another three months. The validity of the directive dated 23 September 2019, stands modified from 23 March 2020 to 22 June 2020.

International Nowruz Day celebrated on March 21.

The insurance regulator, Insurance Regulation and Development Authority (IRDAI), has set up a 16-member committee to find ways to improve its current guidelines on corporate governance systems of insurers, in a bid to further strengthen the guidelines. IRDAI Sets Panel Headed By Praveen Kutumbe To Identify SIIs.