March 23 Current Affairs

State :

Tamilnadu :

Novel teaching method a non-starter in many schools

• Study carried out by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), an international research network based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, to examine the status of SABL in 48 schools in Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Krishnagiri districts during 2014-15. The three districts were chosen as they were “academically low-performing districts.”

Yatra breached rules: officials

• The much-publicised Ram Rajya Rath Yatra that showcased an altered vehicle as a model of the proposed Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is prima facie a violation of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, say officials in the State Transport Authority (STA).

Kerala :

Farmers continue hunger strike in Wayanad

• Farmers who have been staging an indefinite hunger stir here, seeking protection from wild animal attacks, decided to continue their agitation even after Wayanad District Collector S. Suhas visited the venue of the agitation and held talks with the protesters.

A one-stop shop for all government services

• Kerala, which last year became the first Indian State to declare Internet a basic human right, has notched up another first to its credit by launching mKeralam, an app that will serve as a single window for accessing thousands of government services.

Karnataka :

Karnataka’s first 4G tower of BSNL commissioned

• The first 4G mobile tower of the State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) in Karnataka installed in Shivamogga city was commissioned by Manoj Sinha, Union Minister of State for Communications and Railways, at a programme held at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhavan here on March 23.

Mahadevappa Pattan passes away at 107

• Freedom fighter and former MLA Mahadevappa Pattan died in Ramdurg in Belagavi district in the early hours of March 23. He was 107.

Andhra Pradesh :

Four rural panchayats to be upgraded

• The East Godavari district administration on March 23 approved the proposal to upgrade four rural panchayats as urban panchayats and sent the file for State government’s approval.

World Spiritual Fest kicks off

•  The three-day ‘World Spiritual Fest’ under the aegis of AP Tourism, began on a colourful note at Shilparamam here on March 23.

India :

Indian sign language dictionary released

• It may have only 3000 words, but it is the first step to potentially huge resource for the country’s 50 lakh deaf citizens and almost 20 lakh people with speech disabilities. The country’s first sign language dictionary, in the works for one and a half years, was launched by the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot on March 23.

UGC autonomy notice sparks fear of fee hikes

• The government’s move to offer more autonomy to 60 quality higher educational institutions has led to criticism from teachers’ associations, who point out that this will pave the way for fee hikes.

Ayodhya title suit: Muslim parties challenge 1994 SC ruling

• Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, on behalf of the Muslim parties, challenged the rationale of the 1994 ruling before a three-judge Special Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on March 23. ‘A mosque does not cease to be a place of worship merely because it has been demolished’

World :

Pakistan celebrates National Day with military parade

• Pakistanis are celebrating National Day with a military parade that’s showcasing short- and long-range missiles, tanks, jets, drones and other hardware.

Indian company among finalists in ‘water from air’ competition

• Indian startup Uravu that has developed a technology to create water from the air is among the five finalists in a global competition. The two-year competition is to create a device that extracts a minimum of 2,000 liters of water per day from the air using 100% renewable energy.

Business :

China unveils list of potential retaliatory tariffs on US goods

• “China and the United States as the world’s top two economies, cooperation is the only right choice for the two countries,” the statement said.

Tata Power names Praveer Sinha as CEO

• Tata Power has appointed Praveer Sinha as the firm’s new chief executive officer and managing director with effect from May 1 to oversee its next phase of expansion.

Sports :

Yuki cruises into Miami Open second round

• India’s tennis ace Yuki Bhambri continued his recent good run as he swept aside Mirza Basic of Bosnia-Herzegovina in straight sets to storm into the second round of the Miami Open on March 23.

Record-breaking Williamson says Crowe still the greatest

• Kane Williamson believes the late Martin Crowe remains the greatest batsmen New Zealand has ever produced despite surpassing the former captain as his country’s highest Test century maker on March 23.

Captain Fantastic propels Afghanistan to the World Cup

• Afghanistan qualified for next year’s cricket World Cup as captain Asghar Stanikzai played through the pain barrier to produce a heroic innings and lead them to a five-wicket victory over Ireland on March 23.