Current Affairs
Current Affairs March 29, 2023

By Manorama Horizon

Published on: 29 Mar 2023

Table of Contents:
1. New President of BRICS Bank - Dilma Rousseff 
2. Bangabandhu Conferred ‘FOSWAL Literature Award’  
3. IWF World Youth Championships - Indian Weightlifters Dhanush and Jyoshna Won Bronze Medals 
4. Government of India Revised the MGNREGA Wage Rates 

New President of BRICS Bank - Dilma Rousseff 
 

Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016) was elected president of the BRICS New Development Bank (NBD), a position she will hold until 2025. On March 24, 2023, the Board of Governors of the New Development Bank [NBD] unanimously elected Her Excellency Dilma Vana Rousseff as president of the bank, effective immediately. 

Dilma Vana Rousseff 

  • Brazilian economist and politician 

  • 36th president of Brazil 

  • First woman to have held the Brazilian presidency 

New Development Bank 

  • Multilateral Development Bank established by the BRICS states  

  • Formerly known as the BRICS Development Bank 

  • The idea for setting up the bank was proposed by India at the 4th BRICS summit in 2012 held in Delhi 

  • BRICS leaders agreed to set up a Development bank at the 5th BRICS summit held in Durban, South Africa on 27 March 2013 

  • Headquarters: Shanghai, China 

  • First President: K V Kamath 

Bangabandhu Conferred ‘FOSWAL Literature Award’  
 

The Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) today conferred 'Special Literary Award' to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his trilogy -- The Unfinished Memoirs, The Prison Diaries, and New China 1952. 

"Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature is honoured to present SAARC Literature Award- 2023 in its 63rd Literature Festival to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for outstanding literary excellence for his trilogy," said a citation before handing over the award. 

Eminent Punjabi novelist and FOSWAL Founder President Ajeet Cour handed over the award to visiting Bangladeshi writers and researchers Ramendu Majumder and Mofidul Haque at the festival. 

IWF World Youth Championships - Indian Weightlifters Dhanush and Jyoshna Won Bronze Medals 

Indian weightlifters Dhanush Loganathan and Jyoshna Sabar won bronze medals in their respective categories on the opening day of the IWF World Youth Championships in Durres, Albania. Competing in the women's 40kg event, 14-year-old Jyoshna had a combined lift of 115kg. 

On the other hand, 16-year-old Dhanush, lifted a total weight of 200kg to finish third behind Filipinos Prince K. Delos Santos and Eron Borres in the men's 49kg event. He also won a silver medal in the snatch category. 

Medals are awarded separately for snatch, clean & jerk, and total lift in continental and World Championships, while just one medal for total lift is awarded in the Olympic Games. Lifters between the ages of 13-17 are eligible for youth competitions. The IWF World Youth Championships is an International Weightlifting competition for athletes aged 13 to 17. 

The competition is organised by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and takes place every year. Participants compete in two lifts: the snatch and the clean and jerk. 

International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) is the international governing body for the sport of weightlifting, founded in 1905 and headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. The organisation is responsible for organising and overseeing international weightlifting competitions, including the Olympic weightlifting events. 

The IWF is a member of the International Olympic Committee and works closely with other international sports organisations to promote the sport of weightlifting and support its development around the world. 

Government of India Revised the MGNREGA Wage Rates 

The Centre notified a hike in wage rates under the rural job guarantee programme for the 2023-24 financial year. Haryana is the state having the highest daily wage at ?357 per day and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are the lowest at ?221. 

The Union Ministry of Rural Development issued a notification on the change in wage rates under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme on March 24. The notification was issued under Section 6 (1) of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, which says the Centre may, by notification, specify the wage rate for its beneficiaries. The wage hikes, which range from ?7 to ?26, will come into effect from April 1. 

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is a flagship programme aimed at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. 

  • Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj: Giriraj Singh 

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