The pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched its second French Open men's doubles badminton title. The Indian top seed registered a straight games victory over Chinese Taipei's Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan in the final. Satwik-Chirag, who earlier won the title in 2022, clinched a 21-11, 21-17 win.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal announced the extension of the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme support to additional export sectors. The RoDTEP Scheme is a key initiative by the Government of India aimed at refunding various embedded taxes and duties on exported products.
He also announced the extension of the RoDTEP Scheme support to additional export sectors like Advance Authorisation (AA) holders, Export Oriented Units (EOU) and Special Economic Zones (SEZ) export units. This decision comes in recognition of the significant contribution these sectors make to India’s Exports, constituting approximately 25 percent of exports.
Since its inception in January 2021, the RoDTEP Scheme has already provided support amounting to ₹42,000 Crores to more than 10,500 export items at 8-digit ITC HS Code level. In the current financial year, the scheme has a budget of ₹15,070 Crore with an additional increase of 10% in FY 2024-25. The extension of RODTEP to additional sectors is presently till 30.09.2024.
After 16 years of negotiations, involving 21 formal rounds, India and the four European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries signed a free-trade agreement (FTA), which may be instrumental in India receiving $100 billion as foreign direct investment in 15 years with 1 million jobs. EFTA countries, Switzerland is the largest trading partner of India followed by Norway.
The EFTA bloc, which includes Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein, “shall aim to increase” FDI from investors of the EFTA states in India by $50 billion within 10 years of this agreement taking effect and an additional $50 billion in the next five years.
India now stands as the world’s second-largest producer of mobile phones at the end of the decade 2014-2024. India Cellular and Electronics Association said in a statement that the sector has transitioned from being 78 percent import-dependent in 2014 to 97 percent self-sufficiency. Only three percent of the total mobile phones sold in India are now imported.
China is the largest producer of mobile phones, Indonesia stands at 3rd.
The comprehensive maritime security exercise ‘Sea Defenders-2024’ between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) & United States Coast Guard (USCG) culminated at Port Blair on March 9, 2024. The exercise was aimed at enhancing maritime cooperation and interoperability between the two forces.
The Exercise included a variety of scenarios including a Pollution Response Demonstration, in which Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft showcased their expertise in responding to oil spills and other environmental hazards at sea. It also simulated Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) Operations for inspecting vessels suspected of illegal activity.
The International Day of Women Judges is celebrated on 10 March every year. The day is dedicated to recognizing the contributions of women judges worldwide. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of women's participation in all levels of decision-making for the achievement of equality and democracy.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has mandated registration of index providers managing “significant indices” based on securities listed in India to foster transparency in governance and administration of financial benchmarks in the securities market.
The global index providers, however, may not have to register with Sebi unless their indices are used as benchmarks by domestic asset managers with large corpus.
Sebi has excluded indices that are for exclusive use in a foreign jurisdiction. Benchmarks regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are also excluded from these regulations.
Industry players said the NSE Indices, which has popular indices such as the Nifty50 and Nifty Bank, and the Asia Index (AIPL), which compiles the Sensex, will have to register with Sebi. APIL is an equal joint venture between the BSE and S&P Dow Jones Indices. However, S&P Dow Jones Indices has announced its plan to exit the JV.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sela Tunnel, the world's longest twin-lane tunnel, in Arunachal Pradesh. Situated at an altitude of 13,000 feet, the strategically important Sela Tunnel will ensure all-weather connectivity to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 825 crore, the project consists of two tunnels and over 8 km of approach roads, with a total length of approximately 12 km. The first tunnel is a single-tube tunnel spanning 980 metres, while the second serves as an emergency escape route, measuring 1.5 km in length.
The 96th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , took place on March 10.
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Best Actress: Emma Stone, "Poor Things"
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr, “Oppenheimer”
Best Picture: "Oppenheimer"
Best Original Screenplay: “Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “American Fiction”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “Poor Things”
Best Production Design: “Poor Things”
Best Costume Design: “Poor Things”
Best International Feature: "The Zone of Interest"
Best Visual Effects: “Godzilla Minus One”
Best Film Editing: “Oppenheimer”
Best Short Film (Live Action): “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”
Best Sound: “The Zone of Interest”
Best Score: “Oppenheimer”
Best Song: “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”
Best Animated Short: “War Is Over!”
Best Animated Feature: “The Boy and the Heron”
James Anderson of England became just the third bowler in world cricket history to take his 700th wicket in a Test match. The 41-year-old became the first fast bowler to achieve the milestone when he removed Kuldeep Yadav on the third day of the fifth Test against India in Dharamshala. He is behind spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) and the late Shane Warne (708)
India has been bestowed with the prestigious Measles and Rubella Champion Award by The Measles and Rubella Partnership at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington D.C., USA on March 6th, 2024. Measles and Rubella are vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) and MR Vaccine is part of India’s Universal Immunization Programme since 2017.
The Measles and Rubella Partnership comprises a multi-agency planning committee, including the American Red Cross, BMGF, GAVI, US CDC, UNF, UNICEF, and WHO, all dedicated to reducing global measles deaths and preventing rubella illness. Government of India is working towards eliminating measles and rubella from the country.
Asif Ali Zardari took oath as Pakistan's 14th President. Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to the 68-year-old Mr Zardari. Mr Zardari replaces Dr Arif Alvi, who stayed in office for five months after completing his five-year term in September 2023.
