NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Sekhar Rao appointed as interim MD and CEO of
Karnataka Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the
appointment of Sekhar Rao as interim managing director (MD) and chief
executive officer (CEO) of Karnataka Bank with effect from April 15, 2023. He
has been appointed for a period of three months or till the
appointment of regular MD and CEO whichever is earlier. He has replaced
Mahabaleshwara M S, whose term ended on April 14, 2023. Prior to this role, he
was serving as an executive director of the bank.
2. PM Modi launched railway projects, methanol
plant in Assam: PM Modi has launched a series of railway
projects across the Northeast, a methanol plant, and laid the foundation stone
for a bridge over the Brahmaputra river. He commissioned a methanol
plant at Namrup in Dibrugarh by Assam Petrochemicals Ltd
(APL) with 500 tonnes per day (TPD) capacity. He has also witnessed
a mega-Bihu dance performance, which has made it to the Guinness
World Records, at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Assam.
3. NHAI signs MoU with Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam
Tiger Reserve: National Highway Authority of India
(NHAI) has signed an MoU with the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, spread
across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Reason: To facilitate a seamless
and efficient entry process for vehicles entering into the forest area. It will
provide FASTag based payment system at Forest entry points It will extend
the benefit of a collection of Ecosystem Management Coordination fees through
FASTag at various entrance points of the Tiger Reserve
4. Army Commanders Conference to be organised in
hybrid format: Army Commanders’ Conference (ACC) is
an apex-level biannual event, is scheduled from 17 to 21 April 2023. It
is an institutional platform for conceptual-level deliberations,
culminating in making important policy decisions for the Indian Army. For the
first time, it is being conducted in Hybrid format exploiting
available technology for secure communication. Army Commanders will meet virtually
on the first day and then travel to Delhi for balance physical meetings.
5. Global Conference on Compressed Biogas to be
held in New Delhi: IFGE- CBG Producers Forum will organize a
two-day Global Conference on Compressed Biogas in New Delhi from 17
April 2023. Theme: Towards Progressive Policy Framework for a Robust CBG
Foundation and Growth. Aim: To apprise the industry regarding the
initiatives taken for the development of the compressed biogas industry and to
identify the areas where policy modifications are required
Union Minister for Petroleum, Hardeep Singh Puri
will also attend the event.
6. Telangana CM KCR unveiled 125-ft-tall Ambedkar
statue in Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar
Rao has unveiled India's tallest statue of Ambedkar, a 125-ft tall
bronze statue of BR Ambedkar in Hyderabad. Reason: To mark the 132nd birth
anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution. It stands next to the
State Secretariat on the banks of Hyderabad's famous Hussain Sagar
Lake. It was built using 360 tonnes of stainless steel and 114 tonnes of
bronze, at a cost of Rs 146.50 crore.
7. Purushottam Rupala launches Animal
Epidemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI): Minister
for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala has
launched the Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative to address
animal pandemics in a holistic manner. This initiative aims at enhancing the
country’s preparedness and response to animal pandemics, with a focus on
zoonotic diseases that pose a threat to both animal and human health. It will
also help to improve veterinary services and infrastructure, disease
surveillance capabilities and awareness among farmers through community
outreach. Rupala also launched World Bank funded Animal Health System Support
for One Health, which aims at creating an ecosystem for a better animal health
management system covering five states.
8. S Jaishankar inaugurates Buzi Bridge in
Mozambique: India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has
inaugurated the Buzi Bridge, constructed as part of 132 km Tica-Buzi Nova-Sofala
Road project. The bridge has been by built by India. The Buzi Bridge connects
the towns of Chibabava and Mafambisse. The project was executed by the National
Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in collaboration with the Mozambique
government.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. ESA
successfully launches JUICE mission to study Jupiter’s Icy Moons: The European Space Agency (ESA) launched its
flagship JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission on April 14,
2023.
The
mission was carried by an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in
Kourou, French Guiana. It will take an eight-year journey to reach
Jupiter. Aim: To understand whether there are habitable environments among
those icy moons and around a Jupiter It will make detailed observations of
Jupiter and its three large moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa
2. India,
Japan and France announce common platform for Sri Lanka creditors: Japan, India, and France have announced a common platform for
talks among bilateral creditors to coordinate the restructuring of Sri
Lanka's debt. This move is expected to serve as a model for solving the debt
woes. Sir Lanka has secured a 2.9 billion dollar programme from
IMF to tackle its huge debt burden. But, the middle-income economy could
not apply for relief under the G-20’s common framework for debt treatment,
which targets only low-income countries.
3. MRF emerges as ‘second strongest tyre brand in the
world’: MRF Ltd has emerged as the
second-strongest tyre brand in the world according to the latest report by
Brand Finance on the ‘Most Valuable and Strongest Tyre Brands’ in the world. MRF
has scored high in almost all parameters and is also featured as the second
fastest-growing tyre brand in the world. It has scored 83.2 out of 100 in brand
strength and was awarded a AAA- brand rating.
4. Bihu performance in Guwahati creates Guinness World
Record: The state of Assam created
history by entering the Guinness World Records for “the largest Bihu
performance” at a single venue. The grand event of the traditional dance
was held at the Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati.
A
total of 11,304 folk dancers presented Bihu Dance and over 2,500 drummers
performed with the dancers in the presence of Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma at
the event. The Bihu performance set two world records, one for the largest
traditional dance, and the second record was for the largest musical instrument
group. The previous record for the largest traditional dance was for 7,700
participants in China set in 2015. Bihu dance is a traditional folk dance
performed especially during Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu, the spring festival of
Assam that marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year.
5. 16 April – World Voice Day: World Voice Day (WVD) is celebrated
annually on April 16. Objective – To promote the proper care and training
of the human voice, particularly among those who use their voice for
professional or recreational purposes The voice is critical to effective and
healthy human communication. World Voice Day helps bring global awareness to
the need to prevent voice problems, rehabilitate troubled voices, train
artistic voices, and research the function and application of the human voice. The
concept of dedicating a special day to the voice was first introduced in 1999
by the Society of Laryngology & Voice in Brazil, which selected April 16 as
the annual date.
6. 15 April – World Art Day: World Art Day is observed every year
on 15 April. Objective – To commemorate Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday,
recognizing the importance of art in promoting creativity, cultural diversity,
and information exchange. World Art Day was officially established on April 15
during the General Assembly of the International Association of Art in 2012. This
was the first year of celebration, and the date was chosen in honor of the
renowned artist, Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. AIFF
announces minimum wage for women players:
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided that
the top eight participating teams in the Indian Women's League (IWL), have
a minimum of 10 Indian players on a fully professional annual contract worth a
minimum of Rs 3.2 lakhs. Aim: To revamp and restructure women's football
in the country, in line with the Strategic Roadmap Vision 2047. The 2024-25
season will have 10 teams in the top division followed by two other divisions. AIFF
President: Kalyan Chaubey
2. Kagiso Rabada becomes the fastest player to take 100
wickets in IPL: Punjab Kings paceman Kagiso Rabada has
become the fastest bowler to take 100 IPL wickets during the match against
Gujarat Titans at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. He became the fastest bowler
to reach the mark in terms of matches played. The right-arm pacer completed the
milestone in his 64th IPL match with the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha, going well
clear of Lasith Malinga, who picked his 100th wicket in his 70th match. Bhuvneshwar
Kumar, the fastest Indian to scalp 100 wickets in the IPL, is the third
quickest to reach the mark overall. Rashid Khan (83), Amit Mishra (83) and
Ashish Nehra (83) are tied on fourth position, while Yuzvendra Chahal (84)
rounds off the top five.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. YES Bank becomes first Indian company with over 50
lakh shareholders: Private sector lender YES Bank has
become the first Indian company to have over 50 lakh
shareholders. 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. The bank had 50.6 lakh shareholders as of March
31, 2023, all of whom were public shareholders. This was an increase from 48.1
lakh shareholders as of December 2022, most likely owing to the end of the
three-year lock-in period for shareholders that held equity shares of the bank
when it underwent the reconstruction scheme in March 2020.
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 solve 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. In the 2023 budget, the government announced
raising the agriculture credit target by 11% to Rs 20 lakh crore for FY24. The
launch of Fasal’s latest financing solution echoes the government’s focused
efforts toward increasing financial support for farmers across the country.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Kumar
Mangalam Birla received AIMA's 'Business Leader of the Decade' award: Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla has received
the AIMA's Business Leader of the Decade Award 2023. Union Minister
of Civil Aviation and Steel, Jyotiraditya M Scindia has presented the 13th AIMA
Managing India Awards. AIMA JRD Tata Corporate Leadership: TV Narendran,
CEO and MD of Tata Steel Transformational Business Leader: Sanjiv Bajaj,
MD of Bajaj Finserv Outstanding Institution Builder: Venu Srinivasan,
Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor
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 the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, India’s National Academy for Acting. 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 came in the limelight following her role in Govind Nihlani’s movie Tamas. She has played various roles in different plays such as Padmavati in Mukyhamantri and Mena in Mena Gurjari.
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