NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM Modi inaugurated development
projects worth Rs 22,000 crores in Dahod, Gujarat: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated the various projects
worth 22,000 crore rupees at a function organized at Dahod in Gujarat. Dahod
District Southern Area Regional Water Supply Scheme, constructed at Narmada
River Basin (Rs 840 crore); Dahod Smart City (Rs 335 crore). These projects
include Integrated Command & Control Centre (ICCC) Building, Stormwater
drainage system, Sewerage works, Solid Waste Management System and Rain Water
Harvesting System.
Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, benefits
worth Rs. 120 crore were provided to 10,000 tribal of Panchmahal and Dahod
districts. Prime Minister also inaugurated 66 KV Ghodia substation, Panchayat
Houses, and Anganwadis, among others. Manufacturing project of 9,000 HP
Electric Locomotives at the Railway Production Unit in Dahod. 10,000 tribals of
Panchmahal and Dahod districts (provided Rs 120 crore under PMAY).
Note: Gujarat Capital: Gandhinagar; Gujarat
Governor: Acharya Devvrat; Gujarat Chief minister: Bhupendrabhai Patel.
2. Government Officials to be
trained in National Cyber Exercise: To bolster India’s cyber posture, the
National Security Council Secretariat is holding a National Cyber Security
Incident Response Exercise (NCX India) for government officials and key sector organisations.
Key Points:
a)
The
National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise was kicked off by National
Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
b)
According
to a statement from the National Security Council Secretariat, more than 140
officials would be trained through training sessions, Live Fire, and Strategic
exercises.
c)
Intrusion
Detection Techniques, Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP),
Vulnerability Handling & Penetration Testing, Network Protocols & Data
Flows, and Digital Forensics are among the topics covered by the attendees.
d)
The
practise comes in the wake of recent power grid hacking incidents in Ladakh, as
well as a number of incidents involving ministry Twitter accounts being hacked.
e)
A
couple of attempted efforts to breach networks of despatch centres responsible
for real-time grid control and electricity dispatch, according to the Centre,
have occurred in recent months.
3. World’s largest electric
3-wheeler making plant will set up in Telangana: Biliti Electric Inc
(Biliti), based in California, United States of America, has announced its
intention to establish the world’s largest electric three-wheeler manufacturing
facility in Telangana. The plant will be built in 2 phases over an area of 200
acres. Phase I of 13.5 acres with a capacity to produce 18000 Electric Vehicles
(EV) per year will become operational in 2023 and the larger facility of 200
acres with a production capacity of 240000 EV per year will become operational
in 2024.
The facility will produce all the products
of Biliti including the cargo model TaskmanTM and the passenger version
UrbanTM. The facility is estimated to drive private investment of USD 150
million (around Rs 1,144 crore) and is expected to create more than 3000 jobs
in Telangana.
Note: Telangana Capital: Hyderabad; Telangana
Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan; Telangana Chief Minister: K. Chandrashekar
Rao.
4. Ajay Kumar Sood named as
Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI: Ajay Kumar Sood, a member of the Science,
Technology and Innovation Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, has been
appointed to the post for a period of three years to succeed renowned biologist
K VijayRaghavan. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved
the appointment of Sood as Principal Scientific Advisor to the government.
The PSA’s office aims to provide pragmatic
and objective advice to the prime minister and cabinet on matters related to
science, technology and innovation with a focus on the application of science
and technology in critical infrastructure, economic and social sectors in
partnership with government departments, institutions and industry.
5. National
Panchayati Raj Day: 24th April: National Panchayati Raj Day is a national
holiday in India that honours the Panchayati Raj system. Every year on April
24th, it is commemorated. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which was
passed in 1992, is also commemorated on this day. The day was initially
observed in April 2010 to commemorate the decentralisation of power, which is
considered one of India’s most significant milestones.
The day is significant because, in 1957, a
committee was formed under the head of Balwantrai Mehta with the goal of
bringing about reforms in the central electricity system. The committee
suggested a decentralised Panchayati Raj hierarchy, with Gram Panchayats at the
village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the
district level.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi steps down as President of Yemen: The President of
Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has stepped down from his position under pressure
from Saudi Arabia. Hadi has also handed over his power to the newly created
presidential council, which consists of eight political leaders led by Rashad
al-Alimi. He had served as the president of Yemen from 2012 until 2022.
2.
Cyber defense exercises called Locked Shields were conducted by NATO in Estonia: A cyber
organisation recognised by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation will
undertake the world’s largest and most complicated “live-fire” cyber defence
drills. The biennial Locked Shields event, according to the NATO Cooperative
Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Estonia, is designed to improve the
skills of cybersecurity experts protecting national IT systems and vital
infrastructure against real-time attacks. Key Points:
a)
The
participants are sent to help a fake country deal with a massive cyberattack.
b)
Over
2,000 people from 32 countries, including Ukraine, are expected to take part in
the event.
c)
The
Locked Shields event this year takes place in the midst of the ongoing war in
Ukraine, in which hacking has played a steady, albeit minor, role in Russia’s
invasion. Hackers linked to the Russian government have been accused of
assaulting Ukrainian government offices and attempting to break into the power
infrastructure.
d)
Concerns
about cyberattacks, though, have expanded well beyond the battlefield. Finland
reported a cyber-attack on government websites earlier this month, just as
rumours grew that the Nordic country may apply to join NATO. As a result, US
President Joe Biden has advised American firms to brace for retaliatory
cyberattacks.
e)
According
to the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Centre, or FS-ISAC,
which helped design the virtual systems to look realistic and the simulated
attacks on the sector, five to ten large financial institutions will
participate this year, including Mastercard Inc. and Banco Santander SA.
f)
The
institution is one of more than two dozen worldwide military organisations that
teach and educate leaders and specialists from NATO members and partners.
3.
International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace: 24th April: The International
Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace observed globally on 24 April.
It was first observed by the United Nations (UN) on April 24, 2019. The day
aims to spread knowledge about the advantages of multilateralism and diplomacy
for peace, including through educational and public awareness-raising
activities.
The Assembly proclaimed the day while
considering that preserving the values of multilateralism and international
cooperation is fundamental to promote and support the three pillars of the UN –
Peace and Security, Development and Human Rights. The Day is a reaffirmation of
the UN Charter and its principles of resolving disputes among countries through
peaceful means.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Wisden Almanack named Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah amongst “Five Cricketers of
the Year”: The
Wisden Almanack has named India Captain Rohit Sharma and bowler Jasprit Bumrah
among the “Five Cricketers of the Year” for 2022. Rohit Sharma amassed 368 runs
at an average of 52.57 in four Tests, completing an outstanding tour with a
second-innings 127 at The Oval, his first Test century away from home. Key
Points:
a)
Others
that made the cut include England fast bowler Ollie Robinson, South African
women’s player Dane van Niekerk, and New Zealand opener Devon Conway.
b)
Former
England captain Joe Root has been crowned the World’s Leading Cricketer, while
South African Lizelle Lee has been named the World’s Leading Woman Cricketer,
and Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan has been named the World’s Leading T20
Cricketer.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
India Post Payments Bank launched ‘Fincluvation’ to partner with Startups: The India Post
Payments Bank (IPPB) has launched an initiative called Fincluvation, as a part
of the occasion of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 75th
anniversary of Indian Independence. Fincluvation is a joint initiative to
collaborate with the Fintech Startup community to co-create and innovate
solutions for financial inclusion. Fincluvation will be a permanent platform of
IPPB to co-create inclusive financial solutions with participating start-ups. Startups
are encouraged to develop solutions aligned with any of the following tracks:
a)
Creditization
– Develop Innovative & Inclusive credit products aligned with the use cases
of target customers and take them to their doorsteps through Postal network.
b)
Digitization
– Bring convenience through convergence of traditional services with Digital
Payment Technologies such as making the traditional Money Order service as
Interoperable Banking service.
c)
Any
Market-led solutions that can help solve any other problem relevant to IPPB
and/or DoP in serving the target customers.
Note: India Post Payments Bank Founded:
2018; India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi; India
Post Payments Bank (IPPB) MD & CEO: J Venkatramu; India Post Payments Bank
(IPPB) Tag line: Aapka Bank, Aapke Dwaar.
2. IFSCA signs a Memorandum of
Understanding with the NIA: The International Financial Services Centres Authority
(IFSCA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National
Insurance Academy with the goal of creating capacity and establishing a
qualified talent pool in the insurance sector in International Financial
Services Centres. Key Points:
a)
IFSCA
aspires to build a strong worldwide connection and focus on the demands of the
Indian economy, as well as function as a regional/global international
financial platform.
b)
At
IFSC, insurance is a growing sector, and the MoU with NIA will go a long way
toward building insurance capacity.
c)
The
National Insurance Academy (NIA) is a prestigious school dedicated to training
the finest and brightest in the insurance sector.
d)
To
address the needs of the ever-dynamic insurance sector, NIA has been involved
in developing and regularly upgrading curriculums and offering training
programmes in the insurance industry in India.
e)
This
Memorandum of Understanding aims to develop the necessary trained people for
the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
f)
IFSCA
had already signed an MoU with the Insurance Institute of India to address the
needs of IFSC insurance firms (III).
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Indian-American Defense Expert Vivek Lall Selected for the 6th Entrepreneur
Leadership Award 2022: The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce has picked
Indian-American chief executive of General Atomics Global Corporation Vivek
Lall for the prestigious Entrepreneur Leadership Awards in appreciation of his
contribution to the defence sector. The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce
(IACC) was founded in 1968 and is the premier bi-lateral chamber for India-US
commercial cooperation.
Lall, who has worked for Boeing, Lockheed
Martin, and now General Atomics, has been recognised by Kentucky Governor Matt
Bevin as a leader in the defence industry. Lall, who has worked for Boeing,
Lockheed Martin, and now General Atomics, has played a key role in advancing
defence trade. He was recently named a Kentucky Colonel, the highest honour
bestowed by the state. The most well-known honorary colonel is given by United
States governors is Kentucky Colonel. Others who have received this honour
include former US presidents George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Lynden Johnson, and
Ronald Reagan. In January 2022, His Highness Mahmoud Salah Al Din Assaf of the
Royal Order of Banu Assaf awarded Lall the Grand Cross.
2. NMDC will be presented the PRSI Awards in 2022: The National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd. (NMDC) swept the Public Relations Society of India’s (PRSI) Public Relations Awards 2022, taking first place in four categories. Shri V Srinivas Goud, Telangana Minister of Prohibition and Excise, Sports and Youth Services, Tourism and Culture, gave the award to NMDC’s Shri Praveen Kumar, ED (Personnel) and Shri Ch. Srinivasa Rao, DGM (Corporate Communications) on behalf of the Navratna PSU. The award was given to the mining company for its Corporate Website, Annual Report, Newsletter Layout and Design, and CSR Corporate Video.
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