NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Festival
of Vishu, Rongali Bihu, and Puthandu Pirappu celebrated: The festivals of Vaisakhi, Vishu, Rongali Bihu, Naba Barsha,
Vaisakhadi, Meshadi, Naba Barsha, and Puthandu Pirappu are being
celebrated in different parts of the country on April 14, 2023. Baisakhi is
celebrated with pomp in the North region, especially in Punjab. Rongali
Bihu is marked as Assamese New Year.
Poila
Baisakh falls on April 15, marking the beginning of the Bengali New Year. Vishu marks
the new year in Kerala, while Puthandu marks the Tamil New Year.
2. ATL
linked with KVK and Agricultural Technology Management Agency: AIM, NITI Aayog, and the Ministry of Agriculture signed to promote
innovation in the agricultural sector among school students across India. The
Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) and Agricultural
Technology Management Agency agreed to connect. KVKs work as a Single
Window Agricultural Knowledge Resource and Capacity Development Centre. KVKs,
in partnership with ATMA, will collaborate with nearby ATLs to support
agricultural-related innovation.
3. Tamil
Nadu govt formed a panel to assess the functioning of juvenile homes: The Tamil Nadu government has formed a one-man
committee to recommend measures for the effective administration of
the homes functioning as per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act of 2015. Headed by: Retired judge K. Chandru The committee
will look into various aspects including infrastructure, health, and
medical facilities, and the qualification of staff. The committee will also
provide recommendations to the government for improvement.
4. India
employment rate increases to 36.9% in the March quarter: According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE),
India's labor market has witnessed an improvement with over 15 million people
entering the workforce in the last three quarters. The country's
employment rate increased to 36.9% in March 2023 from 36.6% in December 2022. The labor
participation rate (LPR) declined from 40.5% in December to 39.8% in March
2023. While the unemployment rate saw a small decrease from 8.3% to
7.8% during this period.
5. Maharashtra govt announces Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s
birth anniversary as ‘Swatantraveer Gaurav Din’: Maharashtra Government has announced that the birth
anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, which falls on May 28, will
be observed as ‘Swatantraveer Gaurav Din’. Various programs will be
organised to promote and propagate the thoughts and works of Veer Savarkar on
Swatantraveer Gaurav Divas. It aims to highlight Savarkar’s contribution to
India’s independence movement, his ideology and his campaigns for social
reforms and the eradication of untouchability. Vinayak Savarkar was born in
Maharashtra’s Nashik district, on 28th May, 1883. Next month will mark his
140th birth anniversary. Savarkar is credited with establishing the concept of
Hindutva, which aimed to create a Hindu nationalist identity for India.
6. Kolkata Metro becomes India’s first metro train to run
under river: Kolkata Metro has
become the first metro rail in the country to make an under-river
journey as its rakes passed through an underwater tunnel below the Hooghly
River. The Metro is expected to cover the 520-metre stretch under the river in
45 seconds. This tunnel under the river is 32 metres below the water level. Trial
runs on the 4.8-km underground section from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade will
soon begin. Esplanade, Mahakaran, Howrah, and Howrah Maidan are the four
stations. Once this stretch opens, Howrah will become the country’s deepest
Metro station (33 metres below the surface). Commercial services on this
stretch are expected to start later this year. India’s first underwater
(subaqueous tunnel) rail system connects the Howrah station complex on the
western bank of the Hooghly River to Armenian Ghat on the eastern bank.
7. Andhra Pradesh’s CM Jagan Mohan Reddy wealthiest CM in
India: Report: According to poll
affidavits analyzed by the Association for Democratic Reforms
(ADR), a total of 29 of the incumbent chief ministers are crorepatis in
India with Andhra Pradesh’s Jagan Mohan Reddy having the highest assets
totaling ₹510 crores. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has
the lowest total assets of about ₹15 lakh. According to the ADR report,
out of the 30 CMs, 13 (43 percent) have declared serious criminal cases
including those related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and criminal
intimidation The top three chief ministers in terms of assets are Andhra
Pradesh’s Jagan Mohan Reddy (over ₹510 crore), Arunachal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu (over
₹163 crore), and Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik (over ₹63 crore). The three CMs with
the lowest declared assets are – West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee (over ₹15 lakh),
Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan (over ₹1 crore), and Haryana’s Manohar Lal (over ₹1
crore). Both Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal own
assets worth over ₹3 crore.
8. 14 April 2023 – 132nd Ambedkar Jayanti: Ambedkar Jayanti is celebrated
on April 14 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao
Ambedkar. This year is celebrating the 132nd Birth Anniversary. He was the
Chairman of the committee drafting the Constitution of India and served as the
first Law Minister of independent India. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born on
April 14, 1891, in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow. Ambedkar belonged to the Mahar caste
which was considered untouchable in Hinduism. He converted to Buddhism in
October 1956. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna Award posthumously in April 1990.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. IAF
to participate in Multilateral International Exercise Orion in France: An Indian Air Force contingent is participating in the
multinational international Exercise Orion, organized at
Mont-de-Marsan in France from 17 April to 5 May 2023. The IAF Contingent
is joining the exercise with four Rafale, two C-17, two ll-78 aircraft,
and 165 air warriors. It would be the first overseas exercise for the IAF's
Rafale aircraft. Other participants: France, Germany, Greece, Italy,
Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain, and the United States of America.
2. India
and WFP signed MoU for sending wheat to Afghanistan: The Indian government signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the World Food Programme (WFP) for sending 10,000
metric tonnes of wheat to the people of Afghanistan. The MoU was signed between
the Ministry of External Affairs and the United Nations WFP. This MoU marks the
fifth tranche, to be shipped through the Chabahar Port in Iran, of humanitarian
food assistance that India committed in 2020. In 2022, India has contributed
40,000 metric tons of wheat.
3. World
Chagas Disease Day 2023: 14th April: World
Chagas Disease Day is observed every year on April 14th to raise
awareness about a life-threatening illness that can cause severe heart and
digestive problems. It is also known as American trypanosomiasis, silent
disease, or silenced disease. It is more common in regions like Central
America, Mexico, and South America. The theme for 2023 is Time to
integrate Chagas disease into primary health care. World Chagas Disease Day was
established in 2020.
4. World’s Most Criminal Countries Ranking: India at 77
spot: World of Statistics has shared the ranking of
the world’s “most criminal countries”. On the list, Venezuela has
been ranked top, followed by Papua New Guinea (2), Afghanistan (3), South
Africa (4), Honduras (5), Trinidad (6), Guyana (7), Syria (8), Somalia (9) and
Jamaica (10), respectively. India stood at 77 spots while the US and
UK were ahead of India in the criminal ranking country. The USA was at
55th number and the UK at 65th rank. Turkey, Germany, and Japan were among the
least criminal countries, ranking at 92nd, 100th, and 135th ranks. The total
number of crimes of any kind reported is divided by the total population, then
multiplied by 100,000, which yields the overall crime rate (because the crime
rate is typically reported as X number of crimes per 100,000 people).
5. Ghana becomes first country to approve Oxford malaria
vaccine for children: Ghana has become the first country in the world to
approve a new malaria vaccine from Oxford University, with children
under the age of three in line to benefit. The mosquito-borne disease kills
more than 600,000 people each year, most of them children in Africa, and
scientists have been trying for years to develop vaccines. Childhood vaccines
in Africa are typically paid for by international organizations such as Gavi
and UNICEF after they have been backed by the World Health Organization (WHO). This
is the first time a major vaccine has been approved first in an African country
before rich nations.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Aman
Sehrawat wins India’s first gold medal at Asian Wrestling C'ships: Indian wrestler, Aman Sehrawat won India’s first gold
medal in men’s 57 kg freestyle category at the Asian Wrestling
Championships 2023, held in Astana, Kazakhstan. He defeated Kyrgyzstan's
Almaz Smanbekov 9-4. Among the other Indian wrestlers, Deepak (79kg) won bronze
while Deepak Nehra (97kg) lost his bronze medal match. The Greco-Roman
wrestlers won four medals while the women’s wrestlers bagged seven.
2. India’s Antim Pangal wins silver medal at Asian
Wrestling Championships: India’s Antim
Panghal won silver at the Asian Wrestling Championships
2023 after losing to Japan’s Akari Fujinami in the 53-kg category in
Astana, Kazakhstan. Fujinami, the reigning world champion, successfully
defended her Asian crown in a comfortable fashion. Apart from Pangal’s silver
medal, four other Indian wrestlers also won bronze medals: Anshu Malik (57 kg),
Sonam Malik (62 kg), Manisha (65 kg) and Ritika (72 kg).
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. YES
Bank becomes first Indian company with over 50 lakh shareholders: YES Bank has become the first Indian company to have over 50
lakh shareholders. The bank had 50.6 lakh shareholders as of March 31, 2023,
all of whom were public shareholders. While Tata Power was a far second
with 38.5 lakh shareholders, followed by Reliance Industries with 33.6
lakh shareholders, according to the December 2022 shareholding disclosures. Since
then, the total number of shares held has also more than doubled from 1,255 crores
to 2,875 crores.
2. Fasal
ties up with SBI to help farmers get easy access to loans: Agri-tech company Fasal signed a partnership agreement with the State
Bank of India (SBI) to provide farmers with easy access to capital. The
partnership will help to solve the cash-flow constraints during key
cycles in farming by providing quick, easy, and collateral-free loans at
very competitive rates. These ties will help to fulfill Fasal’s larger
objective of solving the many challenges across the entire horticulture value
chain.
3. India's
economic growth projected to decelerate to 6% in 2023: UN: According to the United Nations, India's economic growth is
projected to decelerate to 6% in 2023 from 6.6% in 2022. The UNCTAD in its
latest Trade and Development Report Update released, expects global growth
in 2023 to drop to 2.1%, compared to the 2.2% projected in September 2022.
UNCTAD expects the South-Asian region to expand at a still fast pace of 5.1
percent in 2023. Recently, IMF lowered India's economic growth projection for
the current fiscal to 5.9%.
4. SEBI unveils new logo on Its 35th Foundation Day: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has
unveiled a new logo on the occasion of the market regulator’s 35th
Foundation Day on 12 April. The new logo retains the traditional blue palette
but also reflects on a more modern design. Sebi’s new logo seeks to reflect the
unique combination of its rich traditions and its new data and technology-based
approach in all three areas of its mandate in the securities market–development
and regulation of the securities market and investor protection.
Sebi
was established on April 12, 1988, under the Ministry of Finance. However, the
body was granted statutory powers in 1992. Sebi functions as a quasi-judicial body
and is to have more statutory powers than other market regulators like the
Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) of the United States.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. TIME
Most Influential People of 2023 list released: TIME
Magazine has published a list of the 100 Most Influential People of
2023, which includes Jennifer Coolidge (Actor), Doja Cat (Recording
Artist), Bob Iger (CEO of The Walt Disney Company), and Salman Rushdie
(Writer). There is no particular order to the rankings. Six
categories: Artists, Icons, Pioneers, Leaders, Titans, and Innovators Indian
Actor Shahrukh Khan and Indian Director S.S. Rajamouli were listed
in Icon and Pioneer categories, respectively.
2. Kumar Mangalam Birla honoured with ‘Business Leader of
the Decade’: Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Kumar
Mangalam Birla won the prestigious ‘Business Leader of the Decade’ award at the
All India Management Association’s (AIMA) 13th Managing India Awards ceremony. The
annual event to facilitate the titans of the industry, held in New Delhi, also
recognized contributions of several other leaders and institutions. Tata Steel
Chairman T V Narendran was facilitated with ‘AIMA-JRD Tata Corporate
Leadership’ award. Leading engineering services company ABB India bagged the
‘MNC in India of the Year’ award.
OBITUARIES
1. National Award-winning actress Uttara Baokar passes away: Veteran film and television actress Uttara Baokar passed away at 79 in Pune, Maharashtra. In 1984, she won India's National Academy for Acting, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. She also appeared in Marathi films like Doghi (1995) with Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Renuka Daftardar, Uttarayan (2005), Shevri (2006), and Restaurant (2006), with Sonali Kulkarni. She has played various roles in different plays such as Padmavati in Mukyhamantri and Mena in Mena Gurjari.
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