• Prime Minister virtually laid the foundation stone of three semiconductor projects worth about Rs 1.25 trillion, including the Rs 91,000 crore facility in Dholera, which will commence chip production by 2026.
• Two of the three facilities are located in Gujarat, whereas one is based in Assam.
• The three projects are the
  • Semiconductor fabrication facility at the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) in Gujarat,
  • the Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Morigaon, Assam, and
  • an OSAT facility in Sanand in Gujarat.
• All three projects are being incentivised under the India Semiconductor Mission which has an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore.

FACT

• The semiconductor fabrication facility at the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) will be established by Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) under the Modified Scheme for setting up semiconductor fabs in India.
• With an investment exceeding Rs. 91,000 crore, this will mark the inauguration of the country’s first commercial semiconductor fab.

ABOUT INDIA SEMICONDUCTOR MISSION

• India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) is a specialized and independent Business Division within the Digital India Corporation that aims to build a vibrant semiconductor and display ecosystem to enable India’s emergence as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design.
• Nodal Ministry– Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

• Twenty four writers received the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2023.
• The awards were given for literary works including nine books of poetry, six novels, five of short stories, three essays, and one literary study.
• The awards are selected on the basis of unanimous selections made by the jurors or the selection made on the basis of a majority vote.
• The awards relate to books first published during the five years immediately preceding the year of the award, i.e. between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021.
• The authors and poets received the award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper plaque, a shawl and an amount of ₹1 lakh. 

WINNERS

ABOUT SAHITYA AKADEMI

• The Sahitya Akademi was formally inaugurated by the Government of India on 12 March 1954.
• It works as an autonomous body under the Union Culture Ministry and is dedicated to promoting literature in Indian languages.
• It was registered as a society in 1956 under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.
• It is the central institution for literary dialogue, publication and promotion in the country.
• Besides the 22 languages enumerated in the 8^th schedule of Constitution of India, the Akademi has recognised English and Rajasthani as languages in which its programme may be implemented.

• Dubai inaugurated the first-ever “India by the Creek” festival, bringing the vibrant culture of India to Al Seef Park.
• Al Seef Park, on the Dubai Creek, has been a bustling center of trade for centuries, a vital link between the two regions.
• This three-day celebration highlighted the long-standing historical and cultural connections between India and Dubai.
• ”India by the Creek” offered a diverse array of programmes, featuring musical performances, literary discussions, poetry readings, and interactive workshops.
• Renowned Indian figures, including academics, writers, musicians, and the legendary band Indian Ocean, graced the stage throughout the fest.

• Rajendra Prasad Goyal, who is presently serving as Director (Finance) of NHPC Limited, has been given additional of NHPC’s Chairman and Managing Director post.
• Goyal, who has been serving NHPC since November 18, 1988, brings over three decades of experience within the organization to his new role.

• PM recently launched the Mahatari Vandan Yojana – a financial assistance scheme for eligible married women in Chhattisgarh.
• Under the scheme, ₹1,000 per month is given to eligible married women in the State as a monthly direct benefit transfer.
• The scheme will provide benefits to all eligible married women of the state who are above 21 years of age as of January 1, 2024.
• Widows, divorced and deserted women will also be eligible for this scheme.
• So far, there have been 70 lakh beneficiaries, and ₹655 crore was transferred recently, as the first payment installment under the scheme.
• The scheme has been envisioned to ensure economic empowerment of women, provide them financial security, promote gender equality and strengthen the decisive role of women in the family.

• Poshan Pakhwada 2024 is being organized from 9th March till 23rd March, 2024.
• The focus of mass sensitization and community activities would be around the following main themes-
  • Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (PBPB)– towards better Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE)

• Tribal, Traditional, Regional & Local dietary practices focused on sensitization around nutrition
• Health of pregnant women & Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices

• The Ministry of Women & Child Development is the nodal Ministry for coordinating activities during the Poshan Pakhwada.
• In the State/UT, Department of Women & Child Development /Social Welfare Department will be the nodal department for Poshan Pakhwada.

• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) celebrated its 19^th Foundation Day on 12th March, 2024 at Jacaranda Hall, Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

ABOUT NCPCR

• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory body.
• It was established in March 2007 under an Act of Parliament (December 2005) under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.
• The commission’s mandate is to ensure that all laws, policies, programs and administrative systems conform to the vision of the rights of the child as enunciated in the Constitution of India as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  • A child is defined as a person falling in the age group of 0 to 18 years.
• The Commission is further mandated to monitor the proper and effective implementation of
  • Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
  • Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
  • Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
• The Commission comprises a Chairperson and six Members appointed by the central government.
  • The members must have a minimum of two women members.

• The first phase of the Atmospheric Research Testbed in Central India (ART-CI) was inaugurated in Sehore district, located about 50km northwest of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
• The testbed, works of which began in early 2018, is equipped with high-end instruments to record several vital parameters that will be fed into improving the weather models besides facilitating advanced studies on the Indian monsoons.
• Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) is spearheading the research activities at this first-of-its-kind testbed facility built at a cost of Rs 125 crore.
• Nearly 25 high-end instruments like the aethalometer for aerosol studies, cloud condensation nuclei counter, laser ceilometer to measure cloud sizes, micro rain radar to calculate raindrop size and its distribution have been installed.
• A Ka-band cloud radar and a C-band doppler weather radar will also help track the movement of rain-bearing systems over this zone.

• Riken Yamamoto, noted for his socially aware designs that encourage community, was awarded the Pritzker Prize, the world’s highest achievement in architecture.
• Yamamoto is the ninth Japanese architect to receive the honor in the award’s 45-year history, making Japan again the country with the most Pritzker laureates, followed by the U.S.

ABOUT THE PRIZE

• The international prize, which is awarded each year to a living architect/s for significant achievement, was established by the Pritzker family of Chicago through their Hyatt Foundation in 1979.
• It is granted annually and is often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel” and “the profession’s highest honor.”
• The award consists of $100,000 (US) and a bronze medallion.
• The award is conferred on the laureate/s at a ceremony held at an architecturally significant site throughout the world.

• The Samudrayaan mission is scheduled to explore the bed of the ocean by 2025 end.
• So far, countries such as the S., Russia, China, France and Japan have carried out successful deep-ocean crewed missions.

ABOUT SAMUDRAYAAN MISSION

• Samudrayaan, or the deep ocean mission, was initiated in 2021.
• The mission entails undertaking a crewed expedition to reach a depth of 6,000 metres to the ocean bed in the central Indian Ocean using Matsya6000, designed to accommodate a crew of three members.
  • Matsya-6000 has been developed by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai.
• The submersible will be equipped with a suite of scientific sensors and tools, and have an operational endurance of 12 hours, which is extendable up to 96 hours in the event of an emergency.
• Nodal Ministry- Ministry of Earth Sciences