Current Affairs 23rd March 2016

Current Affairs 23rd March 2016 - Important Points

• UNESCO added 20 World Heritage Sites, which Indian site was included  - Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve
• When was World Poetry Day 2016 observed - 21 March
• Where will be 8th BRICS Summit held - Goa
• Justice H L Dattu was appointed as member of - International Coordinating Committee Bureau
• Which scheme was launched by Union Government for farmers - Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana
• Who won 2016 Australian Grand Prix - Nico Rosberg of Germany

Current Affairs 23rd March 2016 - Details :

UNESCO added 20 World Heritage Sites, which Indian site was included  - Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

On 19th March 2016, Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve was included in the UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves which was among 20 new sites adopted by UNESCO.
Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is situtated in Western Ghats in South India which mostly have tropical forests and is a home for more than 2254 species of higher plants.

When was World Poetry Day 2016 observed - 21 March

Among Important Days, On 21st March World Poetry Day 2016 was observed across the globe. It is being observed with an aim to to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression.
Do You Know :
21st March was adopted as World Poetry Day by UNESCO during 30th General Conference in Paris held in 1999.

Where will be 8th BRICS Summit held - Goa

Among Imporant Meetings to be held, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that India will be hosting 8th BRICS Summit in Goa. It is scheduled to he held from 15th October 2016 to 16 October 2016.
Important to mention here that India assumed chairmanship of BRICS from Russia on 15 February 2016 and will be holding this position till 31st December 2016.
Theme of BRICS summit will be "Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions".
Do You Know :
BRICS - B -> Brazil, R -> Russia, I -> India, C -> China and S -> South Africa.

Justice H L Dattu was appointed as member of - International Coordinating Committee Bureau

Among Important Appointments, On 22nd March 2016, Former Chief Justice of India HL Dattu was appointed as a member of International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC) Bureau in Geneva. He is also chairperson of NHRC (National Human Rights Commission).
NHRC (India) will now be representing Asia-Pacific Region along with Mongolia, Qatar and Australia.

Which scheme was launched by Union Government for farmers - Pradhan Mantri Fasal BhimaYojana

Among Important Schemes, On 22nd March 2016, Union Finance Minister Aurn Jaitley launched Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana in Mumbai which is a crop insurance scheme.
Important features of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana :

• Farmers will pay a uniform premium of only 2 percent for all Kharif crops and 1.5 percent for all Rabi crops.
• In case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, farmers will pay a premium of only 5 percent.
• There will not be any upper limit on Government subsidy. Even if balance premium is 90 percent, it will be borne by the Government.

Who won 2016 Australian Grand Prix - Nico Rosberg of Germany

Among Sports Current Affairs, 2016 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix was won by Nico Rosberg of Germany. He is a mercedes driver. This race was held at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.