current affairs 27 March 2022

Gujarat Tops NITI Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index 2021.

• Gujarat has retained the top position in the 2nd edition of NITI Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index 2021. The first edition was released in 2020.
• Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the other top 10 states in the 2021 index respectively.
• Across the Union Territories, Delhi has performed the best, followed by Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Puducheery.
• Among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur were at the top respectively.
• The Export Preparedness Index (EPI) is prepared by the NITI Aayog in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness.
• The Index assesses the readiness of the states and union territories, in terms of their export potential and performance.

Shaktikanta Das inaugurates Reserve Bank Innovation Hub in Bengaluru.

• Shri Shaktikanta Das, Governor of RBI has inaugurated the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) on March 24, 2022 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• RBI has set up the RBIH with an initial capital contribution of Rs 100 crore.
• The objective of RBIH is to encourage and nurture financial innovation in a sustainable manner through an institutional set-up.
• It has been setup as a Section 8 company under Companies Act, 2013.
• Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) is one of the five wholly-owned subsidiaries of the RBI.

Union Minister Smriti Irani inaugurates 10-day mega Red Fort Festival "Bharat Bhagya Vidhata" of Ministry of Culture.

• Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani inaugurated the 10-day mega Red Fort Festival, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata at Red Fort in Delhi on March 25, 2022.
• The Red Fort festival has been organised by the Union Ministry of Culture, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The ministry has collaborated with the Dalmia Bharat Group (DBG) to organise the event as DBG has adopted the Red Fort as its Monument Mitra.
• The festival will commemorate the heritage, culture and diversity of every part of India.

Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command conducts offshore security exercise, "Prasthan" off Mumbai.

• The Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy organised an offshore security exercise, Prasthan in the Offshore Development Area (ODA) off Mumbai on March 23, 2022.
• This exercise is conducted after every six months, to ensure offshore security.
• Apart from the Naval forces, the exercise saw participation from the Indian Air Force, Coast Guard, ONGC, Mumbai Port Trust, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust, Customs, state fisheries department, Mercantile Marine Department and the Marine Police.
• The day-long exercise resulted in improving standard operating procedures (SOPs) and response-actions to a number of contingencies in the Offshore Defence Area off Mumbai.

UNCTAD projects India’s GDP growth forecast in 2022 to 4.6%.

• The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has pegged India’s economic growth rate for 2022 to 4.6 percent due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. Earlier this rate was projected at 6.7%.
• The UNCTAD has further projected the global economic growth for the year 2022 at 2.6 percent.
• Earlier this rate was projected at 3.6 percent.