Daily GK Update 23rd March 2017, Important Current Affairs

1. The Union Cabinet approved setting up of National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (NSEBC) as a constitutional body.

2. Nation is paying tributes to freedom fighters -Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their 86th martyrdom day (23 March).

3. Union Cabinet has approved proposal for amending National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. Decision in this regard was taken in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

4. The World Meteorological Day was observed globally on 23rd March 2017.

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation, the country’s longest road tunnel named Chenani-Nashri tunnel, built on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which will cut short the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by nearly 30 km.

6. The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-ln) and the US Homeland Security Department on cooperation in the field of Cyber Security.

7. Android phone maker Samsung launched its digital payment application, called 'Samsung Pay', in the country as Indians look to shift to newer payment methods after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation exercise.

8. The Rajya Sabha has passed HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014. The Bill seeks to safeguard the rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV.

9. Assam Government launched Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development (SaCReD) Initiative to develop Majuli, the world’s largest river island, as the country’s first carbon neutral district.

10. India was ranked 131 in the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) among the 188 countries.  India scored 0.624 and was placed in medium human development category.

11. French mathematician Yves Meyer was awarded the 2017 Abel Prize for his work on wavelets.

12. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 20 March 2017 commissioned the world’s third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at Thiruvananthapuram’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Kerala.