NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Maharashtra became India’s 1st state to develop Migration Tracking System app: Maharashtra became
the first state in India to develop a website-based Migration Tracking System
(MTS) application to track the movement of migrant workers through individual
unique identity numbers. The MTS project aims to ensure the continuity of Integrated
Child Development Services (ICDS) for migrant beneficiaries, such as children
under the age of 18, lactating mothers, and pregnant women who are registered
with Anganwadi centres.
Migration workers will be tracked to ensure
the portability of the ICDS for their families in their destination districts
within or outside the state until their return to their native places. ICDS is
a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development. It was launched in 1975.
Note: Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai;
Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari; Maharashtra Chief Minister: Uddhav
Thackeray.
2.
Telangana and Google have inked a MOU on Digital Economy for Young and Women
entrepreneurs:
Google signed a MoU with the Telangana government to bring the benefits of the
digital economy to the state’s young and women entrepreneurs, and officially
off the construction of its three million square foot headquarters in the city
from the ground up.
Key Points:
a)
For
decades to come, a 3 million sq ft energy-efficient campus designed with
sustainability will be a hallmark for Hyderabad.
b)
Google
will work with the government through its various arms to provide scholarships
for Google Career Certificates to Telangana’s youth, support women
entrepreneurs through digital, business, and financial skills training, and
support the government’s efforts to modernise schools with digital teaching and
learning tools and solutions under the new initiative.
c)
The
US-based Corporation will also support the state government’s attempts to
improve public transportation and the use of digital technologies in
agriculture as part of the cooperative endeavour.
d)
Making
a step-change in communities like as youth, women, and students, as well as
citizen services, is the focus of the new MoU. Sanjay Gupta, Google India’s
Country Head and Vice President, remarked that since the company’s inception in
India, Hyderabad has been home to one of the company’s largest staff bases.
Note: Chief Minister of Telanga: Sri
Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao
Google CEO: Sundar Pichai; Google India’s
Country Head and Vice President: Sanjay Gupta
3.
Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) program: The launch of the Digital India RISC-V
(DIR-V) program was announced by the government of India with the aim of creating
Microprocessors for the country’s and the world’s future and to achieve
industry-grade commercial silicon and design for the next generation of
microprocessors by the month of December 2023. RISC-V is an open and free ISA
that will enable a new era of processor innovation through collaboration. This
initiative is in line with the government’s ambition toward Atmanirbhar Bharat.
About DIR-V program: DIR-V will be
witnessing partnerships between academia, start-ups, and multinationals with
the aim of making India not a talent hub of RISC-V as well as a supplier of
RISC-V SoC (System on Chips) to the world for mobile devices, servers, IoT,
automotive, microcontrollers, etc.
4.
IndiGo becomes first airline to use indigenous navigation system GAGAN: IndiGo becomes
the first airline in Asia to land its aircraft using the indigenous navigation
system GAGAN. This is a huge leap for Indian Civil Aviation and a firm step
toward Aatmanirbhar Bharat, as India becomes the third country in the world to
have its own SBAS system after the USA and Japan.
The flight was conducted using an ATR-72
aircraft and landed at the Kishangarh airport in Rajasthan on Wednesday (April
27) morning, using GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation (GAGAN), which has been
jointly developed by the Centre-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Note: IndiGo CEO: Rono Dutta (24 Jan
2019–); IndiGo Founded: 2006; IndiGo Headquarters: Gurugram.
5.
Devendra Fadnavis Releases the book on Amit Shah “Amit Shah Ani Bhajapachi
Vatchal”: Devendra
Fadnavis, former Chief Minister (CM) of Maharashtra, released a Marathi book on
Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs, titled “Amit Shah Ani Bhajapachi
Vatchal”, a Marathi version of the book “Amit Shah and The March of BJP”. The
book is published by Bloomsbury India. The book was originally written by Dr
Anirban Ganguly and Shiwanand Dwivedi and it has been translated into Marathi
by Dr Jyostna Kolhatkar. The book documents the life and political journey of
Amit Shah and details his contribution to BJP in making it the world’s biggest
political organisation.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. US
lists India, Russia and China on its intellectual property protection priority
watch list: India,
China, Russia, and four other countries were added to the US’s annual ‘Priority
Watch List’ for intellectual property protection and enforcement. Argentina,
Chile, Indonesia, and Venezuela are among the other countries on the Office of
the United States Trade Representative’s list. Key Points:
a)
All
seven countries on this year’s list were also on the previous year’s list.
b)
US
Trade Representative Katherine Tai indicated in her Special 301 Report on the
adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners’ protection and enforcement
of intellectual property rights that these nations will be the focus of
particularly intense bilateral engagement in the next year.
c)
Algeria,
Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Egypt, Guatemala, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Trinidad &
Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam are among the countries
on the Watch List, which require bilateral attention to address underlying IP
issues.
d)
The
Special 301 Report is an annual assessment of the state of intellectual
property protection and enforcement around the world.
e)
For
this year’s Special 301 Report, USTR looked at over a hundred trading partners.
2.
International Jazz Day: 30th April: International Jazz Day is celebrated every
year around the world on 30 April. This day is observed to promote Jazz and
raise awareness about its significance. According to United Nations, Jazz is
recogniSed for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect
for human rights and human dignity, eradicating discrimination, promoting
freedom of expression, fostering gender equality, and reinforcing the role of
youth for social change. The theme for International Jazz Day 2022 is ‘A Call
for Global Peace and Unity’. It focuses on the importance of unity and peace
through dialogue and diplomacy.
History of International Jazz Day: The United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed
30 April as International Jazz Day on November 2011. The day was designated to
bring together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz
enthusiasts from across the world to celebrate and learn about the art of jazz
and its impact.
Note: Director-General of UNESCO: Audrey
Azoulay; UNESCO formation: 4 November 1946; UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France.
3.
World Veterinary Day: 30th April: World Veterinary Day is observed on the
last Saturday of April every year. This year it falls on 30th April 2022. The
theme for World Veterinary Day 2022 is “Strengthening Veterinary Resilience”.
This essentially means providing veterinary doctors with all kinds of help, and
resources they require in their journey. The main objective of the World
Veterinary Association is to promote animal health & welfare and eradicate
issues related to animal safety and the environment. Veterinarians play the
role of advocates for animal health and welfare.
History of the day: In 2001 World
veterinary Association came up with World veterinary day. It all started with
an international veterinary congress meeting led by a person named John Gamgee
who was a veterinary college professor. This was the first international
veterinary congress meeting which was held in 1863 in Hamburg Germany. This
congress came to be addressed as World veterinary congress. Then in the 8th
congress, a permanent committee was formed to create a link between these
congresses. In the 15th congress which was held in Stockholm, the committee
members realized to have an international organization and constitution. As a
result of this meeting, in 1959 during the very next meeting held in Madrid,
Spain the world witnessed the foundation of the World veterinary association.
OTHER UPDATES:
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Bank of Baroda launched a new feature ‘bob World Gold’ for senior citizens: Bank of Baroda has
launched “bob World Gold”, a new feature on its bob World mobile banking
platform for seniors and the elderly. It is a unique digital banking platform
that has been designed to provide its senior customers with a simple, smooth
and secure mobile banking experience. This platform has easy navigation, large
fonts, sufficient spacing and clear menus. The idea behind bob World Gold was
to look at every element from the lens of this demographic and understand their
specific requirements from a digital banking platform.
Features of bob World Gold:
a)
Simple
and Easy User Interface: A minimalistic design and simple infographics supported
by easy-to-navigate screens and ready-to-assist voice-based search service,
provided right on the dashboard.
b)
Customization:
bob World Gold is customized to understand the preferences of senior citizen
customers with relevant and favourite menu options.
c)
Preferential
research-based service: bob World Gold is customized specifically for senior
citizens (60 years and above) and provides a new revamped dashboard with larger
icons and fonts, better-contrasting colours with special attention given to
helping text, tooltips, and navigation.
Note: Bank of Baroda Founded: 20 July 1908;
Bank of Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat; Bank of Baroda Managing
Director & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha; Bank of Baroda Tagline: India’s
International Bank; Bank of Baroda Amalgamated Banks: Dena Bank & Vijaya
Bank in 2019.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Bruce de Broize appointed as MD & CEO of Future Generali India Life
Insurance:
Generali Asia has appointed Bruce de Broize as MD and CEO of Future Generali
India Life Insurance (FGILI). He takes over from Miranjit Mukherjee who served
as interim CEO since September 2021. He was the Regional Head of Distribution
for Generali Asia based in Hong Kong for over five years. In March, Generali
has become the majority shareholder of the Indian life insurance joint venture
after getting all regulatory approvals.
Prior to this, Broize was the regional head
of distribution for Generali Asia based in Hong Kong where he oversaw life,
health and p&c distribution for Generali’s operations across China, Hong
Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Note: Future Generali India Life Insurance
Founded: 2000; Future Generali India Life Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai.
2.
Pencilton introduces contactless RuPay card in the form of keychain: Pencilton, a
teen-focused fintech startup, has launched PencilKey, a National Common
Mobility Card (NCMC) compliant RuPay contactless keychain, in partnership with
the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Transcorp. Users can
activate and manage their PencilKey through the Pencilton app which is also
used to load money, check spends, block/unblock the account, set limits, etc. Key
points:
a)
PencilKey
is linked to the PencilCard which is an all-in-one prepaid card, metro card,
and bus card. PencilKey is equipped with the benefits of NCMC which works at
the Delhi Airport Metro line and Goa’s buses currently.
b)
It
is also scheduled to be accepted for metro travel in Pune, Chennai & Mumbai
as well as in BEST buses in Mumbai. According to Pencilton, the virtual
PencilCard comes for free.
c)
Users
can buy their PencilKey for ₹150 and PencilCard for ₹100, but as part of the
company’s launch offer, users can also buy a PencilKit (combo) which includes
both PencilCard and PencilKey for ₹200.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
BRO’s Atal Tunnel Receives ‘Best Infrastructure Project’ Award: The Border Roads
Organisation (BRO) engineering marvel, Atal Tunnel, built-in Rohtang in
Himachal Pradesh, received the Indian Building Congress (IBC) ‘Best
Infrastructure Project’ award in New Delhi. More than thirty state-of-the-art
infrastructure projects were nominated for the award. The IBC jury selected the
strategic tunnel as the ‘Best Project for Excellence in Built Environment’ in
2021. About the Atal Tunnel
a)
The
tunnel, built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), was dedicated to
the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3, 2020.
b)
It
is equipped with a semi-transverse ventilation system, where large fans
separately circulate air throughout the tunnel. For evacuation during
emergencies, an emergency tunnel has been integrated into the tunnel
cross-section beneath the main carriageway.
c)
Fires
inside the tunnel will be controlled within an area of 200 metres, and fire
hydrants are provided at specific locations throughout the tunnel.
d)
Pollution
sensors continuously monitor the air quality in the tunnel, and if the air
quality is below the desired level, fresh air is injected into the tunnel via
two heavy-duty fans on each side of the tunnel.
2.
Snow leopard conservationist Charudutt Mishra wins Whitley Gold Award: Noted snow leopard
expert and wildlife conservationist Charudutt Mishra has won the prestigious
Whitley Gold Award for his contribution to involving indigenous communities in
the conservation and recovery of big cat species in Asia’s high mountain
ecosystems. Princess Anne presented the award to Mishra at London’s Royal
Geographic Society. This is his second Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) Award. He
got the first in 2005.
UK-based wildlife conservation charity WFN
said Mishra was given the award for his work in 12 snow leopard range countries
including Afghanistan, China, and Russia. In 2017, Mishra wrote a paper on
eight approaches to community-based conservation that helped involve local
communities in snow leopard protection in the upper reaches of the Himalayas,
leading to a reduction in retribution killings of the big cats. UN Biodiversity
Conference recognised his approach as an outstanding global practice.
3.
Ardeshir B K Dubash honoured with highest diplomatic award by Peru Government: The former
Honorary Consul of Peru in Mumbai, Ardeshir B.K. Dubash has received the Order
of “Merit in the Diplomatic Service of Peru Jose Gregorio Paz Soldan” by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru. Ambassador of Peru in India, H.E. Carlos
R. Polo has conferred the award to him. Dubash was designated as Honorary Consul
of Peru on August 13th, 1973. His career as Honorary Consul, which spans almost
half a century, has seen 14 Presidents of Peru and 15 Ambassadors of Peru to
India.
About the award: The Order of
Merit, which was instituted in 2004, takes its name from Jose Gregorio Paz
Soldan, a distinguished Peruvian official who established the Peruvian
diplomatic service and who held the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs on
three different occasions. The award is normally reserved for career diplomats
who have excelled in their work to promote the democratic, historical and
institutional values of the Ministry, and who have made outstanding
contributions to Peruvian foreign policy.
OBITUARIES
1. Film and TV actor Salim Ghouse passes away: Film and TV actor Salim Ghouse passed away in Mumbai after suffering a cardiac arrest. He started his acting journey in 1978 with the movie Swarg Narak, following which he featured in films like Chakra (1981), Saaransh (1984), Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984), and several others. He was also a known face in the television industry. He essayed the roles of Rama, Krishna and Tipu Sultan in Shyam Benegal’s TV Series Bharat Ek Khoj. He was also a part of the sitcom Wagle Ki Duniya (1988).
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