Current affairs 29 March 2023

Sacred Hopi site in Arizona awarded ICOMOS Water and Heritage Shield 2023.

• A site located in Arizona (United States) and sacred to the Hopi Native American Nation has been awarded a ‘Water and Heritage Shield’ by the International Committee On Monuments and Sites International Science Committee.
• The Shield was awarded to the Black Mesa Trust (BMT), a Hopi grassroots organization.
• Purpose of Shield: To aware public of the significance of water and indigenous sacred sites all over the world and the right to cultural and historical memory.

1st G20 Trade and Investment Working Group Meeting begins in Mumbai.

• The first G20 Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) Meeting under India’s G20 Presidency is being organized in Mumbai (Maharashtra) from March 28− 30, 2023.
• The event was attended by 100 delegates from G20 member countries, invitee countries, regional groupings, and international organizations.
• On the first day, an International Conference will be held on Trade Finance.
• On the second day, the focus will be on making trade work for growth and prosperity.

EPFO fixes 8.15% interest rate on employees' provident fund for 2022-23.

• Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has fixed an 8.15% interest rate on employees' provident fund (EPF) deposits for 2022-23.
• In March 2022, EPFO lowered the interest on EPF for 2021-22 to 8.1% for its about five crore subscribers, from 8.5% in 2020-21.
• After the CBT's decision, the interest rate on EPF deposits for 2022-23 will be sent to the Ministry of Finance for concurrence.
• EPFO provides the interest rate only after finance ministry ratification.

Govt constitutes a Committee to monitor the stock of Tur.

• The Government has constituted a Committee to monitor the stock of Tur held by entities such as importers, millers, stockists, and traders in close coordination with the state governments.
• The decision has come against the backdrop of reports of market players not releasing stocks despite the regular arrival of imports in good quantities.
• The Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary Nidhi Khare.

2nd Infrastructure Working Group Meeting begins in Vishakhapatnam.

• The second G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) meeting is being organized in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from March 28-29, 2023.
• It is being conducted under the theme of Financing Cities of Tomorrow: Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable.
• The conference is attended by 63 representatives of G-20 countries and other invited organizations, ADB and World Bank.
• The 1st G-20 IWG summit was held in Pune (Maharashtra) under the presidency of India.