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1. CURRENT AFFAIRS
21 March 2024
Dr.A.PRABAHARAN
Professor & Research Director
Public action
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2. EC Directs Electronics & IT Ministry To Immediately Halt
Delivery Of Viksit Bharat Messages On WhatsApp
 Election Commission has directed Electronics and IT Ministry
to immediately halt delivery of Viksit Bharat messaging over
WhatsApp.
 The Commission said, it has received several complaints that
such messages are still being delivered on citizens’ phones
despite the announcement of the General Elections.
 In response, the Ministry had informed the commission that
although the letters were sent out before Model Code of
Conduct came into force, some of them could have possibly
been delivered to recipients with a delay because of systemic
and network limitations.
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3.  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and European Union Agency for
Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) on Thursday signed a Working
Arrangement for establishing cooperative relations between the law
enforcement authorities of these two organisations.
 The Working Arrangement was signed by CBI Director Praveen Sood
and Executive Director of Europol, Catherine De Bolle.
 The signing was concluded in a virtual event held today simultaneously in
New Delhi and the Hague in presence of senior CBI and Europol officials.
 This arrangement promotes direct cooperation between both
organizations to build on their respective mandates, strategies and to
explore the potential for synergies.
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CBI, Europol Sign Working Arrangement To Establish Cooperative
Relations

4.  National Cadet Corps (NCC) and Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) inked a deal to
raise awareness on peaceful use of nuclear power
through various programmes pan India.
 The Memorandum of Understanding between DG NCC
Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh and Executive Director,
Corporate Communication and Corporate Planning
NPCIL BVS Shekhar was signed in New Delhi on
Thursday.
 The Defence Ministry said that under this initiative,
various awareness programmes throughout the country
will be conducted to enhance public perceptions on
peaceful use of nuclear power and disseminate scientific
and authentic information.
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NCC And NPCIL Ink A Deal To Raise Awareness On Peaceful Use
Of Nuclear Power Through Various Programmes Pan India

5. MIB Announces Guidelines For Online Betting And Gambling
Platforms; Warns Social Media Influencers
 Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued advisory
asking all endorsers and influencers on social media to refrain
from showing promotional content, advertisements, including
surrogate advertisements, of offshore online betting and
gambling platforms in any form.
 Ministry issued the advisory in view of the significant financial
and socio-economic implications of online betting and gambling
on consumers, particularly the youth.
 In its advisory, I&B Ministry said, while the online advertisement
intermediaries are advised not to target such content towards
Indian audience, the social media intermediaries are also asked
to conduct sensitization efforts among their users to refrain from
publishing such content.
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6. Supreme Court Refuses To Stay New Law On Appointment Of
Chief Election Commissioner And Election Commissioners
 Supreme Court has refused to stay new law on the appointment of
Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.
 A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said
that it cannot stay the law at this stage, when the Lok Sabha polls are
approaching.
 The bench said, nowhere in the constitution bench judgment it was said
that who should be members of the selection committee.
 The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking a stay on the new
law – Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners
(Appointment, Conditions of Service and terms of office) Act, 2023.
Supreme Court also noted that there are no allegations against the
newly appointed election commissioners – Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir
Singh Sandhu.
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7. UNDP Unveils Its Latest Findings, Revealing A Stark Reality Of
Multidimensional Vulnerability Plaguing Significant Portions Of
Northern And Eastern Region Of Sri Lanka
 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has unveiled
its latest findings, revealing a stark reality of multidimensional
vulnerability plaguing significant portions of the Northern and
Eastern region of Sri Lanka.
 As a solution, Indian investments in the entire Sri Lanka in general
and the region in particular are being seen as a way to help
ameliorate the living conditions by creating job opportunities.

 The Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) indicates that a
substantial percentage of individuals residing in these areas are
struggling below the poverty line and facing various vulnerabilities.
 Disturbingly, certain districts within these regions stand out as
among the worst affected across the entire island nation.
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8.  In Sri Lanka, Senior Mission Chief of International Monetary Fund
Peter Breuer and Deputy Mission Chief Katsiaryna Svirydzenka
announced a staff-level agreement with Sri Lankan authorities
regarding the second review of the economic reform program.
 The program, supported by a 4-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF)
arrangement, received approval from the IMF Executive Board in
March 2023 for a total of SDR 2.3 billion that is equivalent to
about US$3 billion.

The agreement, pending approval by IMF management and the
Executive Board, hinges on the implementation of prior actions
and progress in financing assurance review.
 Sri Lanka stands to gain access to about US$337 million, adding
to the total financial support of SDR 762 million (about US$1
billion) under the arrangement.
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IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement With Sri Lanka For USD 337
Million Bailout

9.  Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong has resigned one
year after his election.
 His resignation has been accepted by the Vietnamese
Communist Party. In a statement, the Communist
government said Thuong violated party rules and cited
“shortcomings”.
 He violated rules on “what party members are not
allowed to do”. Mr. Thuong is the second president to
resign in two years amid an anti-corruption crackdown.
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Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong Resigns One Year After His Election

10. Conflict Between Sudan’s Military And Paramilitary Forces Put Country On Course To
Become Worlds Worst Hunger Crisis, U.N. Humanitarian Office Warnes
 The nearly year-long conflict between Sudan’s military and
paramilitary forces has put the country on course to become the
worlds worst hunger crisis with malnutrition soaring and already
claiming children’s lives, the U.N. humanitarian office has warned.
 Edem Wosornu, the director of humanitarian operations, told the
UN Security Council yesterday that already one-third of Sudan’s
population – 18 million people – face acute food insecurity.
 She said a recent assessment revealed that one child is dying every
two hours in Zamzam camp in El Fasher, North Darfur. Wosornu
said that their humanitarian partners estimate that in the coming
weeks and months, somewhere in the region of around 222,000
children could die from malnutrition.
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11. UN Agencies Warned, Waste From Electronics
Is Piling Up Worldwide
 UN agencies have warned that waste from electronics is piling up worldwide while
recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further.
 The agencies were referring to “e-waste,” which is defined as discarded devices with a
plug or battery, including mobile phones, electronic toys, TVs, microwave ovens, e-
cigarettes, laptop computers and solar panels. It does not include waste from electronic
vehicles, which fall into a separate category.
 UN’s International Telecommunications Union and research arm UNITAR in a report
yesterday said that some 62 million tons of “e-waste” was generated in 2022, enough to
fill tractor-trailers that could be lined up bumper to bumper around the globe. It’s on
track to reach 82 million tons by 2030.

 Metals – including copper, gold and iron – made up half of the 62 million tons, worth a
total of some 91 billion dollars, the report said. Plastics accounted for 17 million tons
and the remaining 14 million tons include substances like composite materials and
glass.
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12. IPL: Dhoni Hands Over CSK Captaincy To
Ruturaj Gaikwad
 M.S. Dhoni has handed over the Chennai Super Kings captaincy to
Ruturaj Gaikwad on Thursday. This is the second time when Dhoni
has quit as captain, he had handed it over to Ravindra Jadeja in
2022.

 This announcement came on the eve of the 17th edition of IPL,
which is set to begin tomorrow.
 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the
schedule for the first two weeks of the tournament.
 The opening match will be played between Chennai Super Kings
and Royal Challengers Bangalore tomorrow at 8 pm at MA
Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

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13. Swiss Open: Indian Pair Of G Gopichand, And
T Jolly Advance To Quaterfinals Of Womens’
Doubles
 In Swiss Open Badminton, India’s Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly have
advanced to quarter-finals of the Women’s Doubles category at St
Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland on Thursday.
 They defeated another Indian duo Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra in
straight sets 21-10, 21-12. In another match, Indian duo of Tanisha Crasto and
Ashwini Ponnappa lost to Japanese pair R. Hirokamina and Y. Kato in round of
16.

 Tonight, Indian top shuttlers Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Shrikant, Priyanshu
Rajawat and Kiran George will play matches to secure their places in quarters
of the Men’s Singles. In the Women’s Singles, ace shuttler PV Sindhu will also
play to seal her entry in the quarter-finals.

 Indian pair S. K. Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath and another duo B. Sumeeth
Reddy and N. Reddy will also play their matches of round 16 in the Mixed
Doubles category tonight.
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