Current affairs 30 March 2023

NPCI recommends up to 1.1% interchange fee on UPI transactions.

• National Payments Corporation of India has recommended an interchange fee of up to 1.1% on merchant UPI transactions done using prepaid payment instruments (PPIs)–wallets/cards–with effect from April 1, 2023.
• The charges will be levied on UPI payments of over ₹2,000 made to online merchants, large merchants, and small offline merchants.
• However, on certain merchant categories, a lower interchange starting from 0.5%, might be levied as per applicable caps.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman honoured with literary award.

• The Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) conferred Special Literary Award 2023 to Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in its 63rd Literature Festival.
• He was awarded for his trilogy- The Unfinished Memoirs, The Prison Diaries, and New China 1952.
• In a citation issued by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature, he is compared to Mahatma Gandhi.
• SAARC Literary Award is an annual award conferred by the FOSWAL since 2001.

Kashmir’s Aliya Mir honoured with Wildlife Conservation Award 2023.

• Alia Mir, a woman from J&K has been honoured with the Wildlife Conservation Award by the administration for her conservation efforts in the region.
• J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha facilitated her with the wildlife honour award.
• She is also the first woman from Kashmir who works for the charity Wildlife SOS organization which is part of the Wildlife Rescue Team.
• She was awarded for her achievements in bear rescue in Kashmir, rescue, and release of wild animals.

Dalai Lama names US-born Mongolian boy third highest leader in Buddhism.

• The 14th Dalai Lama has named an 8-year-old Mongolian boy as the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche - the third highest rank in Tibetan Buddhism.
• The ceremony was organized in Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama (87) lives in exile.
• The eight-year-old boy is the son of a university professor and has a twin brother.
• In 1995, the Dalai Lama named a new Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in the faith.
• The boy was arrested by Chinese authorities.

India host SCO-National Security Advisors meeting in New Delhi.

• 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.