NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Ministry of Culture launches ‘Temple 360’ website: The Minister of
State for Culture and External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi has launched a website
‘Temple 360’. During an event organized by the Ministry of Culture at IGNCA
Ampitheatre, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts, New Delhi under the aegis
of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
About the Temple 360:
a)
Temple
360 is a digital platform where anyone can visit or do darshan of 12
Jyotirlinga and Char Dham from any location, making everyone’s life convenient
while also keeping people connected.
b)
The
website also allows a devotee to perform e-Darshan, e-Prashad, e-Aarti and
several other services. Temple 360 is a website where one can visit a temple of
their choice, anytime and from anywhere from India.
c)
With
the help of this website, one can digitally witness the magnificence of some of
the most pious Hindu pilgrimages that exist. The website also allows a devotee
to perform e-aarti and several other services.
2.
RPF arrests touts for illegal ticketing under Operation Upalabdh: As part of a
month-long pan-India operation on illicit ticketing, the Railway Protection
Force (RPF) detained 1,459 touts and blocked 366 IRCTC agent IDs and 6,751
personal IDs, the Railways announced on the 2nd of April, 2022. The RPF’s field
units gathered information from the field, the digital world, and the cyber
world, then consolidated, vetted, and analysed it before launching the campaign
across the country on March 1, 2022.
Key Points:
a)
The
operation was a huge success, resulting in the arrest of 1,459 touts, 341 of
whom were authorised IRCTC agents who were also hawking train tickets.
b)
The
process of blacklisting these IRCTC agents is currently underway, with 366
IRCTC agent IDs and 6,751 personal IDs being blocked.
c)
The
number of arrests is almost 3.64 times that of the previous month.
d)
Future
voyage tickets worth more than Rs 65 lakh that were illegally seized by these
touts were recovered and blocked, making these seats available for the bonafide
passengers.
About Operation Upalabdh: The ‘Operation
Upalabdh’ push was launched following the reinstatement of long-distance train
services, with the expectation that the festival and summer rush would result
in a sharp increase in demand for reserved train tickets. In response to the
feedback, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) increased its efforts and launched
a pan-India offensive against touting practises in March 2022.
3.
Government extends Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme by one year until
March 2023: Central
Government has extended the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by
one year, beyond March 2022 until March 2023. The total amount to be sanctioned
under the ECLGS 3.0 scheme has also been increased from Rs 4.5 lakh crore to Rs
5 lakh crore. As on March 25, 2022, Rs 3.19 trillion loans has been sanctioned
under the ECLGS scheme.
4. Rs
40,009 crore released under Jal Jeevan Mission in 2021-22; Rs. 60,000 crore
budget allocated for 2022-23: As per the government data, Rs. 40,009
crore grant was released to States/ UTs under Jal Jeevan Mission in the
financial year 2021-22. The total allocation under the scheme in FY2021-22 was
Rs 50,000 crore. Further, the Cenral Government has enhanced the budget under
Jal Jeevan Mission for financial year 2022-23 to Rs. 60,000 Crore. Since the
launch of Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15, 2019, more than 6 Crore households
have been provided with tap water connections, so far. The Jal Jeevan Mission
was launched to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual
household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
5.
4th edition of India Boat & Marine Show (IBMS) concludes in Kochi: The 4th edition of
the India Boat & Marine Show (IBMS) was held at Bolgatty Palace in Kochi in
Kerala. IBMS is India’s only and most influential Boat and Marine industry
related exhibition. The event is organised by Kochi-based Cruz Expo. The IBMS
2022 showcased leading international brands as well as indigenous boat
manufacturers from across the country. Around 45 exhibitors from all over India
and two international exhibitors participated in the expo. The focus of the
IBMS expo 2022 was the requirements for MSME in the marine and boating sector.
The event showcase leading international
brands as well as indigenous boat manufacturers from across the country. In
addition to marinas, engines, navigational and other systems and equipment,
mainstream craft such as motorboats, speed boats, jet skies, kayaks, water
scooters, scuba diving and fishing boats & trawlers and other marine
equipment will be on display.
6.
National Maritime Day: 5th April: National Maritime Day in India is
observed on 5 April every year. This year is the 59th edition of the National
Maritime Day. The National Maritime Day is celebrated every year day to
illustrate the awareness in supporting intercontinental commerce and the global
economy as the most well-organized, safe and sound, environmentally responsive
approach of transporting goods from one corner to another corner of the world.
The theme of the National Maritime Day is “Sustainable Shipping beyond
Covid-19’’.
History of National Maritime Day of
India:
National Maritime Day was first celebrated on April 5, 1964. The saga of Indian
shipping first started on April 5, 1919, when the SS Loyalty, the first ship of
The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd travelled from Mumbai to the United
Kingdom (London). On this day an award called “Varuna” is conferred to those
who made an outstanding contribution to the Indian maritime sector.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement signed by India-Australia: India and Australia
signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA), hailing it as
a watershed moment and one of the biggest economic doors there is to open in
the world. It will provide zero-duty access to 96 per cent of India’s exports
to Australia, including shipments from key sectors like engineering goods, gems
and jewellery, textiles, apparel, and leather.
Highlights of the Trade Agreement:
a)
The
pact will increase bilateral trade to $45-50 billion in five years and create
over one million jobs in India.
b)
Many
labour-intensive Indian exports currently face a tariff disadvantage of 4-5
percent compared to competitors — those with FTAs with Australia — such as
China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Officials claim that removing this barrier would
greatly boost merchandise shipments.
c)
In
FY2021, bilateral goods and services trade between India and Australia was
$27.5 billion. In FY2022, merchandise exports to Australia grew at a quicker
rate than exports to any other country.
d)
Exports
of Indian goods and services to Australia are predicted to hit $20 billion in FY2027
and $35 billion in FY2035, up from around $10.5 billion in FY2021.
Advantage of the Agreement:
a)
Duty
reductions on Australian wines would be phased gradually over time dependent on
pricing. Wines with a minimum import price of $5 per 750 ml bottle will see a
reduction of 150 per cent to 100 per cent when the agreement goes into effect
and a further 50 per cent reduction over the next ten years. When the deal
takes effect, tariffs on wine priced above $15 per 750 ml bottle will be
reduced to 75%, and over the next ten years, they will be reduced to 25%.
b)
The
deal will also help Australian authorities to approve Indian medications more
quickly because they have agreed to use inspection reports and approvals from
Canada and the EU in their examination of Indian pharmaceuticals and
manufacturing facilities.
c)
Australia
has also agreed to alter local taxation regulations to avoid the taxation of
offshore revenue of Indian enterprises providing technical services to
Australia, addressing a long-standing complaint of Indian IT firms about double
taxation.
2.
United Nations International Day of Conscience: 5th April: The United Nations General
Assembly has designated 5 April to be observed as an International Day of
Conscience every year. The resolution was adopted on 31 July 2019 by the UN
General Assembly. The year 2022 marks the third edition of the celebrations.
This day serves to remind people to self-reflect, follow their conscience, and
do the right things. This Day is observed every year on the 5th of April and
the first International Conscience Day was observed in 2020.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Women’s World Cup 2022 schedule: Australia wins ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup
2022: Australia
beat England by 71 runs in the finals to claim their seventh Women’s World Cup
on April 03, 2022, at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand. Australia
posted a record of 356 on the board. In reply, Nat Sciver waged a lone battle
and remained unbeaten on 148 but it was not enough as England was bowled out
for 285 in 43.4 overs. Alyssa Healy of Australia scored 170 runs in the match,
the highest individual score made by any cricketer, male or female, in the
World Cup Final. She was also the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 509
runs.
Key points of Women’s World Cup:
Most Successful team Australian (7th)
Player of the Match (Finals) 2022: Alyssa
Healy
Player of the tournament 2022: Alyssa Healy
Most runs (All time): Debbie Hockley
(1,505), New Zealand
Leading wicket-taker in the tournament:
Sophie Ecclestone (England, 21 dismissals)
Most wickets (All time): Jhulan Goswami
(45), India
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
CBDT signed 62 Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) in FY 2021-22: The Central Board
of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed 62 Advance Pricing Agreements (APA) with Indian
taxpayers in FY 2021-22. This included 13 Bilateral APAs (consequent to Mutual
Agreement between India and its treaty partners) and 49 Unilateral APAs. With
this, the total number of APAs has gone up to 421, since inception of the APA
program. In the previous two years, total APAs signed included 31 APAs in FY
2020-21 and 57 APAs in FY 2019-20.
2.
ADB and HSBC India partners to establish $100 million Partial Guarantee Program
for Microfinance in India: Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an
agreement with HSBC India to establish a USD 100 million partial guarantee
programme to support micro-borrowers with special weightage to women-run
micro-enterprises across India. Under the deal, HSBC will expand its lending to
microfinance institutions (MFIs) and non-bank finance companies, while
multilateral funding agency, ADB will provide partial guarantee to the loans.
The initiative will support more than 4 lakh borrowers. It has also been
decided that an aggregated financing equivalent to $30 million will be
disbursed to three MFIs across India by April 2022.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
FICCI estimate India’s GDP growth rate for FY23 at 7.4%: The Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has estimated India’s GDP to
grow at 7.4 per cent in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23). The Ficci’s Economic
Outlook Survey was released on April 03, 2022. The report has stated that
rising prices due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict is the biggest challenge to
the global economic recovery.
According to the survey, the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) is likely to start a rate hike cycle in the second half of 2022,
while a repo rate hike of 50-75 bps is expected by the end of the current
fiscal. The RBI is expected to continue supporting the ongoing economic
recovery by keeping the repo rate unchanged in its April policy review.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Grammy Awards 2022:
The 64th annual Grammy Awards are being held for the first time at the MGM
Grand Garden Arena with Trevor Noah as host. The 64th GRAMMY Awards recognizes
recordings (including musical artists, compositions and albums) released
between September 01, 2020, to September 30, 2021. Jon Batiste received the
most nominations with eleven and Batiste also received the most awards with
five.
Here is the list of winners of the 64th
annual Grammy Awards:
|
S.No |
Category |
Winners |
|
1 |
Album Of The Year |
‘We Are’ by Jon Batiste |
|
2 |
Record Of The Year |
‘Leave the door open’
by Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak |
|
3 |
Best New Artist |
Olivia Rodrigo |
|
4 |
Best Rap Album |
“Call Me If You Get
Lost,” Tyler, the Creator |
|
5 |
Best R&B Album
Winner |
“Heaux Tales,” Jazmine
Sullivan. |
|
6 |
Best Rap Song |
“Jail,” Kanye West
featuring Jay-Z |
|
7 |
Best Country Album |
“Starting Over,” Chris
Stapleton |
|
8 |
Song Of The Year |
“Leave the Door Open,”
Silk Sonic (Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and
Bruno Mars) |
|
9 |
Best Rock Album |
“Medicine at Midnight,”
Foo Fighters |
|
10 |
Best Rock Song |
“Waiting On a War,”
Foo Fighters |
|
11 |
Best Dance/Electronic
Album |
“Subconsciously,”
Black Coffee |
|
12 |
Producer of the Year,
non-classical: |
Jack Antonoff |
|
13 |
Best Music Video |
“Freedom,” Jon Batiste |
|
14 |
Best Country Song |
“Cold,” Chris
Stapleton |
|
15 |
Best Folk Album |
“They’re Calling Me
Home,” Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi |
|
16 |
Best Comedy Album |
“Sincerely Louis CK,”
Louis C.K. |
|
17 |
Best rap performance: |
“Family Ties,” Baby
Keem featuring Kendrick Lamar |
|
18 |
Best rock performance: |
“Making a Fire,” Foo
Fighters |
|
19 |
Best music film: |
“Summer of Soul” |
|
20 |
Best musical theater
album: |
“The Unofficial
Bridgerton Musical” |
|
21 |
Best global music: |
“Mohabbat,” Arooj
Aftab |
|
22 |
Best global music
album: |
“Mother Nature,”
Angélique Kidjo |
|
23 |
Best historical album:
“Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: |
The Early Years
(1963-1967) |
|
24 |
Best Pop Duo / Group
Performance: |
Doja Cat and SZA for
“Kiss Me More” |
|
25 |
Best American roots
performance: |
“Cry,” Jon Batiste |
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