India-Italy to expand military cooperation:
- The 13th annual meeting of the India-Italy Military Cooperation Committee was held in Rome.
- India and Italy signed the India-Italy Military Cooperation Committee Agreement in Rome, Italy.
- On the occasion of the G-20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November last year, a five-year strategic action plan was released to expand cooperation in key areas including defence.
59th Jnanpith Award:
- Eminent Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla has been selected for the 59th Jnanpith Award.
- With this, he has also become the first person from Chhattisgarh to receive the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award in India.
- Vinod Kumar Shukla received the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999.
March 23: World Meteorological Day.
- World Meteorological Day is celebrated on March 23 every year to draw attention to weather and climate for the safety and well-being of society.
March 23: Martyrs’ Day.
- March 23 is commemorated as the day when three brave freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar were hanged by the British.
- January 30 is observed as Martyrs’ Day or Shaheed Diwas in memory of Mahatma Gandhi.
Important Facts:
- Sea Dragon is a multinational anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise conducted by the US Navy, in which countries including India, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea are participating.
- A team of scientists from Italy (D Trypogeorgos) has achieved a feat by discovering how to freeze light and turn it into a solid.
- Slovakia has imposed border controls with its neighbouring Czech Republic due to a rapidly spreading animal disease (due to the outbreak of rabies).
- The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League is underway, with Virat Kohli being presented with a commemorative medal by the BCCI on his 400th T20I match.