Thermobaric munitions are also known as ‘Fuel-air explosive devices’ or ‘Vacuum bombs’. They create an oxygen-eating fireball followed by a shockwave and are far more powerful than most other conventional weapon.
Unlike Cluster ammunition, they are not explicitly prohibited for use against military targets. They are generally deployed as rockets or bombs, and they work by releasing fuel and explosive charges.

Dubai has enacted its first law governing virtual assets and also formed an independent regulator to regulate the crypto-currency sector.
UAE is a federation of seven emirates and Dubai is the financial powerhouse of the region. The ‘Dubai Virtual Asset Regulation Law’ seeks to establish Dubai and the UAE as regional and global destinations for the virtual asset industry.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath as the chief minister of Uttarakhand for his second consecutive term.
Along with him, eight cabinet ministers were also administered the oath. Dhami became the 12th chief minister of the hill state-Uttarakhand.

Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Shaktikanta Das dedicated Varnika, the Ink Manufacturing Unit of Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL) to the nation in Mysuru.
It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). BRBNMPL has set up Varnika with an annual ink manufacturing capacity of 1,500 MT to enhance the security of banknotes. It aims to achieve cost efficiency and reduced import dependency.

During April 2021, the United Nations General Assembly resolved to proclaim 10 March of each year as the ‘International Day of Women Judges’. The resolution was moved by Qatar in the UN General Assembly.
The Supreme Court of India celebrated the first ever ‘International Day of Women Judges’ with CJI NV Ramana and four women SC judges. They interacted with all women judges of the High Courts and the women judicial officers.

Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav released a book titled ‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’.
The Book contains 12 articles written by eminent academicians on the contribution of labour in India’s development journey. It was published by V V Giri National Labour Institute, which is an autonomous training institute under the Ministry of Labour.

The Chief of the United Nations announced a project, along with Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization.
It aims to put every person on Earth in range of early weather-warning systems within five years. It aims to make the alert systems, which are already used by many rich countries available to the developing countries.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari commented that Samarth Ramdas was the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Several historians and Maratha Organisations claim that Shivaji’s mother, Rajmata Jijau, was his real guru and inspired him to create his own kingdom. Hence the followers of Shivaji demanded apology from the Governor. Samarth Ramdas was an Indian Marathi Hindu saint, philosopher and poet.

Mercom India Research recently released a report titled ‘Annual 2021 India Solar Market Update’. As per the report, India installed a record 10 gigawatt (GW) of solar capacity during 2021, registering a year-on-year rise of 212 per cent.
The country made 3.2 GW of solar capacity installations during 2020. Cumulative solar installed capacity in India was approximately 49 GW at the end of December 2021.

The ILO Governing Body has elected Gilbert F. Houngbo as the Organization’s 11th Director-General. Houngbo, who is currently President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will assume office in October 2022.
He is also the first African to hold the Director-General post of ILO. The current Director-General, Guy Ryder, from the United Kingdom, has held the office since 2012.

The Government of India has approved for continuation of seven sub-schemes under the umbrella scheme called “Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates”. These schemes are approved to continue from 2021-22 to 2025-26 with a financial outlay of Rs 1,452 crore.
These schemes aim to provide reasonable income to migrants and repatriates who have suffered on account of displacement.

China’s Leshan Giant Buddha, a 233 feet tall stone statue, is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world. The statue faces Mount Emei, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
India’s largest reclining Buddha statue is being built in Bodh Gaya, by Buddha International Welfare Mission. The statue will be 100 feet long and 30 feet high and being made with fiberglass.

Indian Actor Deepika Padukone was honoured at the TIME 100 impact awards, for her work on mental health through her organisation ‘Live Love Laugh’ foundation.
This is the second honour by the TIME magazine for the ace actress. The Time100 – Impact Awards honours the “global leaders who have gone above and beyond to move their industries and the world forward.”

Russia is the second-largest crude oil producer in the world, only behind the United States. Russia produces close to 11 million barrels per day of crude oil.
About half of Russia’s exported oil (2.5 mn barrels per day) –is shipped to European countries. Nearly one-third of it arrives in Europe via the Druzhba Pipeline through Belarus. Recently, the UK proposed that the G7 nations impose limits on their Russian oil and gas imports.`

The country has over 50,000 ODF plus villages, the government recently announced. An ODF plus village is one that sustains its open-defecation-free status, ensures solid and liquid waste management and is visually clean.
The top-performing states include Telangana with 13,960 ODF Plus villages; Tamil Nadu with 11,477; Madhya Pradesh with 3,849.

HDFC Mutual Fund filed a scheme information document (SID) with SEBI for India’s first Defence Fund – HDFC Defence Fund.
It is an open-ended equity scheme, which will invest in defence & allied sector companies. The allied sectors include aerospace, explosives, shipbuilding, industries or stocks present on the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) list.

According to the Economic Survey of Delhi 2021-22, Delhi ranked third in terms of per capita income behind Sikkim and Goa.
As per the survey, Delhi’s per capita income grew 16.81 per cent year-on-year to Rs 4,01,982 in fiscal 2021-22. The per capita income of Delhi was three times higher than the national average in 2021-22.

The Museum of the Future in Dubai was recently opened for the public view. It was inaugurated by the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.
The museum claims to transport the visitors to the year 2071, to coincide with the centenary of the founding of the UAE. It is a seven-storey, pillar-less structure, spanning an area of 30,000 sq m. It is designed as a laboratory designed to promote innovation among leading scientists.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has invited applications for the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components that was announced in 2021.
Under the PLI scheme, the incentive for a manufacturer of drones and drone components will be 20 per cent of the “value addition” made by the company during the next three years. The scheme was announced in September 2021.

North Korea has confirmed that it has test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) since 2017 named ‘Hwasong-17’.
Hwasong-17 flew 1,090 km at a maximum altitude of 6,248.5 km and hit a target. Hwasong-17 is claimed to be the largest road-mobile, liquid-fuelled ICBM in the world. Hwasong-15, which was tested in November 2017 reached an altitude of about 4,475 km and covered 950 km.

The Karnataka government has announced Vinaya Samarasya Yojana, an awareness programme meant to eradicate untouchability in Gram Panchayats across the state.
The scheme has been named after a three-year-old Dalit boy Vinay, whose family was slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 by the village leaders last year for the boy’s act of entering into a local temple.

The Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Oxford University, the UK.
MoU signed between ICMR and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V. (DFG), Germany and that between ICMR and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) were also approved.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the formation of Village Defence Groups (VDGs) in Jammu and Kashmir.
The members of the Village Defence Groups will be designated as Village Defence Guards. In 1990s, 4,125 Village defence committees (VDCs) existed in Jammu and Kashmir. This new initiative is seen as a process of rejuvenating VDCs. They assist the forces in counter-terrorism operations and help in maintaining peace.

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has recently launched the Sujalam 2.0 campaign for Greywater management.
Greywater is wastewater from non-toilet plumbing systems. The theme for this year’s campaign is Groundwater: making the invisible visible. Under the Campaign, government will mobilize Communities, Panchayats, Schools to undertake greywater management.

Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the Data-Driven Research to Eradicate TB named “Dare2eraD TB” by the Department of Biotechnology, on World TB Day.
“Dare2eraD TB” will be the umbrella TB program comprising initiatives like, Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance Consortium, Indian TB Knowledge Hub- Webinar Series and Host Directed therapies against TB and Evidence-based procedure for treating extra-pulmonary TB.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers released the draft ‘National Medical Devices Policy 2022’.
At present, nearly 80% of the medical devices used in the country are imported. The policy aims to place India as one among the five global manufacturing hubs in terms of value and technology for medical devices.

India is the world’s second biggest producer of Wheat, only after China. India is set to export a record 7 million tonnes of wheat this financial year.
The rally in global prices gives an opportunity to gain market share, as per the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. By the end of February, India had exported 6.6 million tonnes of wheat.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has recently conducted its annual marketing event ‘Grameena Habba’ in Malleswaram, Bengaluru.
It is a platform for Rural artisans, weavers, farmers and tribes across India ato sell agricultural, handicraft and handloom products in Bengaluru.

Archeologists from China have discovered remnants of an Old Stone Age culture at a site named Xiamabei which is less than 100 miles from Beijing.
At the site, it is discovered that ancient hominins used a reddish pigment called ochre and crafted tiny blade-like tools from stone. It is believed that these remains are more than 40,000 years old.

The Vishakapatnam station is be the first station in the East Coast Railway to implement the “One Station One Product” concept.
The concept has been announced in the recent budget. Etikoppaka toys and handicraft products from the village will be showcased and sold at the Vishakapatnam station, on a pilot basis for a period of 15 days.

Suraksha Kavach 2, a Joint Security Exercise was organised between Indian Army and Maharashtra Police at Lullanagar, Pune.
The aim of the exercise was to harmonize the procedures undertaken by Army and Police to counter any likely terrorist actions in Pune. It is participated by Counter Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) of Indian Army, Anti-Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra Police, Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), Dog Squads and Bomb Disposal Teams of both agencies.

Every year on the second Wednesday of March, No Smoking Day is observed across the world. It falls on March 9 this year. The aim of No Smoking Day is to raise public awareness about the dangers and consequences of smoking, as well as to assist smokers in quitting.
“Quitting smoking doesn’t have to be stressful” is this year’s theme of ‘No Smoking Day’.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed Paytm Payments Bank to stop onboarding of new customers with immediate effect.
RBI has cited ‘material supervisory concerns observed in the bank’ and directed the bank to appoint an audit firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of its IT system. The action has been taken by RBI’s powers conferred under section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

European Space Agency’s (ESA) upcoming space weather mission has been renamed as ESA Vigil. It was earlier known as “Lagrange”.
The mission aims to protect Earth’s infrastructure, satellites, inhabitants and space explorers from unpredictable solar events like solar flares and ‘coronal mass ejections’.

Mukhyamantri Park Saundaryakaran Yojana is a scheme being implemented by the Government of Delhi.
As part of the scheme, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed officials to transform 17 city forests in the national capital in an area of about 3000 acres to ‘World-Class level’ Forests. 1,500 parks are being transformed in collaboration with 450 Resident Welfare Association (RWAs) under ‘Community Parks’ initiative.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has signed RuPay as an official partner for the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the next two seasons.
RuPay is the flagship product of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Tata Group, which was earlier an official partner, picked up the title sponsorship of the league, replacing Chinese Smart-phone maker Vivo. Other partners include Dream11, Unacademy, Cred, Upstox and Swiggy.

Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) including NTPC, Powergrid, REC, PFC, NHPC, THDC, NEEPCO, and SJVN registered the ‘Power Foundation’, as a society.
It serves as the primary policy advocacy arm for the power and related sectors. It aims to assist states and industries with research and to develop solutions for India’s energy transformation. RK Singh, the Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, is the society’s chair.

The fabric of ‘Dhaka muslin’ is known for its fine and delicate thread. The textile has earlier brought trade to Bangladesh, but the industry collapsed after the conquest of the Bengal delta by the East India Company.
Researchers are now trying to revive this forgotten fabric. Phuti carpus cotton, which is used to produce Dhaka muslin, is being grown at the Bangladesh Cotton Development Farm.

The Waste to Wealth Mission of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, has inaugurated Decentralised Waste Management Technology Park in East Delhi.
It was inaugurated in collaboration with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), for onsite processing of fresh Municipal solid waste. The aim is to make onsite processing Technology Park with the aim of zero waste and zero energy.

Odisha’s first tribal Chief minister as well as last Congress Chief minister of the state, Hemananda Biswal passed away.
In 1995, he was made deputy chief minister by JB Patnaik. He was elected to the Odisha assembly in 1974 from Laikera constituency. He was also elected to assembly as MLA six times from the same seat. In 2009 he was elected as an MP from Sundargarh.

‘The Queen of Indian Pop’ is the autobiography of the veteran singer Usha Uthup. In a musical career spanning five decades, she has sung songs in over 22 languages.
The biography is originally written in Hindi by the journalist Vikas Kumar Jha. It captures the journey of her career, spanning fifty years.

Leading fertiliser manufacturer Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Ltd (SPIC) has set up a floating solar project at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.
The plant will generate 42 million units of clean energy per year and will help curbing water evaporation reduction on its reservoir. The plant has been set up at an estimated cost of ₹150 crore.

Recently, a record 1,14,305 Olive Ridley turtles arrived at the Rushikulya river mouth for their annual mass nesting. The Rushikulya beach is located in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
In spite of concerns over erosion in coastal areas due to high tide, this year marked a record mass nesting. Last year, the beach did not witness such mass nesting.

Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani launched the new motto of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, NCPCR on its 17th foundation day at Red Fort, New Delhi.
The New Motto is ‘Bhavishyo Rakshati Rakshit’. The Minister also complemented the collaboration between NCPCR & Border Security Force for the initiative called ‘SAHARA’, which provides psycho-social counselling to children of BSF jawans who laid down their lives.

The 15th Finance Commission recommended grants to be released to the states including grants to rural local bodies (RLBs).
Recently, the government has released ₹1,112.7 crore to Bihar, ₹473.9 crore to Karnataka, and ₹634.6 crore to West Bengal, as per the data released by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.

The first indigenous drug to treat COVID-19 ‘Vincov-19’ is a collaborative effort of CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), University of Hyderabad (UoH) and Telangana-based VINS Bioproducts.
The drug is set to be made available to the public soon with the completion of clinical trials. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is inactivated and injected into horses. The anti-bodies generated through the blood serum is synthesised to be turned into a drug.

The Krishi Vigyan Mela 2022 has been organized by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR). About 12000 farmers from all over the country participated in the fair.
The main theme of the fair is “Self-reliant farmer with technical knowledge”. More than 1100 quintals of Pusa seeds were purchased by the farmers during the fair.

Ministry of Tourism has constituted Swadesh Darshan Awards, to acknowledge the efforts of states/ UTs.
Under ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme, tourism related infrastructure has been developed at more than 500 tourist destinations. The Ministry has sanctioned 76 projects in 31 States / UTs of India for more than Rs.5500 Crore.

The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced to up an Innovation, Incubation and Acceleration Centre (IIAC) at Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad-based centre will build the bank’s in-house capability to improve bank’s current performance and drive higher growth through innovation. IIAC will act as a central body to govern and drive fin-tech partnerships.

The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted the resolution titled ‘Aggression Against Ukraine’, with support of 141 nations voting in favour and five against.
Nearly 100 UN Member States co-sponsored the resolution including Afghanistan, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The resolution required a 2/3 majority and it demanded that Russia immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine and refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any UN member state.