The Indian Navy will commission the newly inducted MH 60R Seahawk (a maritime variant of the Blackhawk helicopter) multi-role helicopter on 06 Mar 2024 at INS Garuda, Kochi marking a pivotal moment in India’s Defence modernisation journey. The Seahawks squadron will be commissioned in the Indian Navy as INAS 334.
The helicopters are a part of the 24-aircraft FMS contract signed with the US government in Feb 2020. The helicopter is designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), search and rescue (SAR), medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and vertical replenishment (VERTREP).
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the 60T bollard pull tug named ‘Ocean Grace’ and the Medical Mobile Unit (MMU), virtually on 2nd March, 2024. The Ocean Grace is the first make in India ASTDS Tug developed by the Cochin Shipyard Limited under MoPSW.
he 'Ocean Grace' built at a cost of Rs. 45 crores, stands as a pinnacle of maritime engineering, equipped with cutting-edge technology and boasting a remarkable bollard pull of 60 tonnes. The goal of the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP) is to convert at least 50% of all tugs into Green Tugs by 2030 and to have Green Tugs operating at all major ports.
World Wildlife Day was first proposed by Thailand to UN General Assembly in 2013. The idea was to set aside a day to promote awareness of wild animals and plants around the world. The UN adopted a resolution on 20 December 2013, designating March 3 as World Wildlife Day in 2014. 2024 theme: Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global agreement to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival, was signed on this day in 1973.
In 1996, on March 4, the Ministry of Labour and Employment of the Government of India established the National Safety Council as a self-financing non-governing body. In the year 2000, the National Safety Council was established as a public trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act of 1950. In 1972, National Safety Day was announced.
The National Safety Day/Safety Week Campaign, being spearheaded by the Council since 1971 to mark its Foundation Day (4th March) has significantly contributed to spreading safety awareness in all sectors. The campaign is comprehensive, general and flexible with an appeal to the participating organisations to develop specific activities as per their safety requirements.
World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. The theme for the year 2024 is "Changing mindsets: Let's make ear and hearing care a reality for all!"
Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today launched the National Urban Co-operative Finance and Development Corporation Limited (NUCFDC), the Umbrella organisation for the Urban Cooperative Banks in New Delhi. This initiative aims to modernize and strengthen the Urban Cooperative Banking Sector, which will benefit both the banks and their customers.
NUCFDC has received a Certificate of Registration from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a Non-Banking Finance Company and serve as the umbrella organisation for the urban cooperative banking sector. In addition to this, it will be allowed to operate as a Self-Regulatory Organisation for the sector.
NUCFDC aims to ensure specialized functions and services to cooperative banks, facilitate communication between banks and regulators, and address challenges faced by Urban Cooperative Banks.
Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif has been elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. He secured 201 votes while Omer Ayub Khan, the Imran Khan-backed PTI candidate managed to get 92 votes.
Flipkart launched its UPI (Unified Payments Interface) handle to enhance digital payment offerings to all users, including the e-commerce major's over 500 million customers, and boost India's digital evolution. Powered by Axis Bank, Flipkart UPI will initially be available for Android users.
Google's DeepMind team has unveiled "Genie" - a groundbreaking AI model poised to revolutionise the gaming industry and creative endeavours alike. Genie introduced as an innovative platform capable of crafting interactive 2D video games from a single image prompt or text description, marks a significant leap forward in the realm of artificial intelligence.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has commissioned its first indigenously manufactured electrolyser at the Green Hydrogen Plant located at the A M Naik Heavy Engineering Complex in Hazira, Gujarat. This step marks L&T Electrolysers Limited's entrance into the domestic manufacturing of electrolysers, aligning with the company's focus on enhancing sustainable energy solutions.
The electrolyser, with a rated power capacity of 1 MW, expandable to 2 MW, is capable of producing 200 Nm3/Hr of hydrogen. It features two stacks and an Electrolyser Processing Unit (EPU) ML-400, both developed and assembled in India, conforming to international standards.
The RBI has approved the appointment of S Ravindran as the part-time chairman of the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB). RBI approved his appointment with effect from February 29, 2024 till August 2, 2026. Ravindran, 61, has an extensive work experience of 29 years at the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). He was its executive director from August 2011 to May 2022.
The Government has notified the historic Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 and its rules. The Act came into force from 1st March 2024. The new Act provides for an online system for facilitating the registration of newspapers and other periodicals in the country. Now the registration of periodicals will be governed by the provisions of the act.
The new system replaces the existing manual, cumbersome processes involving multiple steps and approvals at various stages which were causing unnecessary hardships to the publishers. The registration of newspapers and periodicals goes online through Press Sewa Portal. All applications will be online through the portal.