NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Tribal
Affairs Minister launches PTP-NER scheme in Manipur: Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda has launched the Marketing and
Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from North-Eastern
Region (PTP-NER) scheme in Manipur. This scheme has been introduced for
the benefit of Scheduled Tribes of the North-Eastern Region. Vision: To
strengthen the livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans through increased
efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing of tribal products from
North Eastern States.
2. Union
Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launches ‘YUVA PORTAL’: Union
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh has launched a YUVA
PORTAL for connecting and identifying potential young
Start-Ups in the country. He has also launched the One Week -One Lab
program. This program will offer the opportunity to the CSIR labs to showcase
the work being done by them so that others can avail of it. During the launch
event, he also hailed the launching of the astronomy lab that has come up in
Karnal, Haryana.
3. Union
Minister of Steel to inaugurate India Steel 2023 in Mumbai: The Union Minister of Steel Jyotiraditya M. Scindia will
inaugurate India Steel 2023, organized in Mumbai from 19-21
April 2023. The event will be conducted by the steel ministry, Department
of Commerce, and FICCI. Aim: To bring together industry leaders,
policymakers, and experts to discuss the latest developments, challenges, and
opportunities in the steel industry. It will showcase advance technologies,
products, and solutions from the Indian steel industry.
4. India
to Chair Commonwealth group on Reform of financial architecture: Finance ministers from various Commonwealth countries have agreed
for India to be the chair of the Finance Ministers Working Group for a
Commonwealth Call for Reform of the Global Financial Architecture. While Nigeria
has been elected as the deputy chair of the Finance Ministers Working Group.
Their collective call for reform came at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers
High-Level Working Group Meeting in Washington DC Commonwealth
Secretary-General: Patricia Scotland KC
5. Andhra
Pradesh Govt changes name of greenfield seaport in Srikakulam: The Andhra Pradesh government has renamed the
proposed Bhavanapadu port in the Srikakulam district as Mulapeta
port at the request of the locals. CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will lay a
foundation stone for this nearly Rs 4,000 crore project on April 19, 2023. This
decision was taken as farmers from Mulapeta and Vishnuchakram villages
requested the name change. The state govt also issued an order notifying
Bhavanapadu Port as Mulapeta Port with the same limits
6. DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence
inaugurated at IIT Hyderabad: The Defence
Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Industry Academia Centre of
Excellence (DIA-CoE) has been inaugurated at the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT), Hyderabad. This is the biggest such facility in the country.
DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V Kamat inaugurated the facility at the campus of the
IIT-Hyderabad at Sangareddy in Telangana. The DIA CoE IITH is the largest
centre among all 15 CoEs in the country and DRDO team will work with IIT-H to
identify the target projects in each of these domains and execute to complete
in a period of 3-5 years. The DIA CoE IITH is the largest centre among all 15
CoEs in the country.
7. Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam begins in Gujarat: The Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam began
with great zeal and enthusiasm at Somnath in Gujarat. The ten-day-long
cultural extravaganza was inaugurated by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
in the presence of Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief
Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The
programme is being organised under Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat to foster the
age-old cultural bond between Gujarat and Tamilnadu As part of the Sangamam,
delegates will visit various heritage and tourist places such as Somnath,
Dwarka and the Statue of Unity and participate in the cultural programmes.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM
Modi to inaugurate first Global Buddhist Summit in New Delhi: PM Modi will inaugurate the first Global Buddhist Summit in New
Delhi on April 20, 2023. Theme 2023: Responses to Contemporary
Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis This two-day summit will be hosted by the
Ministry of Culture and its grantee body International Buddhist Confederation. It
will be attended by scholars, Sangha leaders, and Dharma practitioners from all
over the world. It will also enhance the cultural and diplomatic relationships
with other countries.
2. World
Heritage Day 2023: 18th April 2023: World
Heritage Day (or International Day for Monuments and Sites) is celebrated
on April 18 to raise awareness about the importance of cultural
heritage and the need to preserve it for future generations. Theme 2023:
Heritage Changes It was established by the International Council on Monuments
and Sites (ICOMOS) and was approved by the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in
1983. UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India (As of April 18, 2023): 40 ICOMOS
Founded: 1965; HQ: Paris
3. Kenya
launches first operational satellite into space: Kenya
has successfully launched its inaugural earth observation satellite,
Taifa-1 using a SpaceX rocket from the United States The satellite
was carried by the Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Vandenberg Base in
California. It was developed over a two-year period at a cost of 50 million
Kenyan shillings, with assistance from the Bulgarian aerospace firm
Endurosat Additionally, under SpaceX’s rideshare initiative, the launch rocket
carried 50 payloads from other countries
4. IIT Indore and NASA-Caltech develop low-cost camera
for flame imaging: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Indore in collaboration with the NASA-Caltech from the US and the
Sweden’s University of Gothenburg has developed a low-cost camera
setup which can provide multispectral imaging of four chemical species in
a flame using single DSLR camera. Using only a single DSLR camera, it can
simultaneously capture multiple spectral three-dimensional images of four
chemical species in a flame, whereas earlier scientific imaging required a
complex system with four cameras. The picture of the four chemical species
present in a flame can be clicked together in complete detail with this smart
camera. The camera is designed for multispectral imaging of flames. It is
low-cost and can be used for research and industrial applications.
5. US becomes India’s biggest trading partner in FY23: Report: The US has emerged as India’s
biggest trading partner in 2022-23 on account of increasing economic ties
between the two countries. According to the provisional data of the commerce
ministry, the bilateral trade between India and the US has increased by 7.65
percent to USD 128.55 in 2022-23 as against USD 119.5 billion in 2021-22. It
was USD 80.51 billion in 2020-21. Exports to the US rose by 2.81 percent to USD
78.31 billion in 2022-23 as against USD 76.18 billion in 2021-22, while imports
grew by about 16 percent to USD 50.24 billion. Exports to China dipped by about
28 percent to USD 15.32 billion in 2022-23, while imports rose by 4.16 percent
to USD 98.51 billion in the last fiscal. The trade gap widened to USD 83.2
billion in the last fiscal as against USD 72.91 billion in 2021-22. In 2022-23,
the UAE with USD 76.16 billion, was the third largest trading partner of India.
It was followed by Saudi Arabia (USD 52.72 billion), and Singapore (USD 35.55
billion).
6. Syria becomes world’s largest ‘Narco-state’: Syria has become the world’s
foremost narco-state as its economic survival now depends heavily on the
production and export of Captagon also known as the “poor man’s coke”. Captagon
is a banned illicit drug recognized by the UNODC (2021) and is a synthetic
stimulant that combines amphetamine and caffeine. According to the Collins
Dictionary, “narco-state” refers to a nation where a significant portion of the
economy is reliant on the illicit trade of narcotic drugs.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Nithya
wins gold in women's singles at Brazil Para-Badminton International: India's Para-Badminton player, Nithya Sre Sumathy
Sivan has won two gold medals at the Brazil Para-Badminton
International 2023. In the women's singles SH6 category finals, she
defeated Peru's Giuliana Poveda Flores to win the gold medal. In the mixed
doubles SH6 final, she combined with Sivarajan Solaimalai to beat Hong Kong's
Chu Man Kai and Choi Wing Kei. While Pramod Bhagat and Sukant
Kadam also won gold in the men's doubles category.
2. Shaili Singh qualifies for Asian Games; logging 2nd
longest jump in India’s history: At
the Indian Grand Prix-4 in Bengaluru, Shaili Singh won in
the women’s long jump. With a personal best of 6.76 meters, she is now the
holder of the 2nd longest jump in India’s history and has qualified for
the Asian Games. Shaili’s win at the Indian Grand Prix-4 is a major milestone
and will have a significant impact on the future of Indian sports. Athlete Shaili
has been training hard at NCOE Bangalore and her dedication and commitment to
her sport are truly inspiring.
3. Vedaant
wins 5 gold medals in Malaysia Swimming Championships 2023: Indian Swimmer, Vedaant Madhavan has claimed 5 gold
medals for India at the Malaysian Invitational age group Championships
2023 held in Kuala Lumpur. He won gold in the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, and
1500m swimming categories. In 2022, he also participated in the 48th Junior
National Aquatics Championships and became the first person in India to break
the record of the 1500m freestyle by finishing the race within 16:01.73
seconds.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. India
saw a record of ₹149.5 trillion UPI, card transactions in 2022: According to a report by a French payment and transactional
services firm, Bengaluru has topped the list of Indian cities in
terms of the highest digital transactions in the year 2022. The city recorded
29 million transactions worth ₹6500 crore in 2022. Delhi ranked second followed
by Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai. Report title: India Digital Payments Annual
Report Payment modes like UPI, Debit and Credit cards processed 87.92 billion
transactions.
2. CBIC
to introduce new system of publishing daily currency exchange rates: The CBIC is likely to introduce a system of publishing
daily currency exchange rates on the integrated customs portal. It
would replace the existing system of notifying rates fortnightly. Aim: To
capture daily exchange rate fluctuations and help importers and exporters to
precisely calculate customs duties based on daily exchange rate Currently, CBIC
manually notifies exchange rates of 22 currencies every fortnight based on
rates obtained from SBI.
3. ADB provides USD 230 million for flood rehabilitation in Bangladesh: ADB will provide a loan of USD 230 million to Bangladesh to help the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the northeastern part of the country affected by devastating floods in May–June 2022. The agreement between ADB and the government of Bangladesh was signed in Dhaka. The assistance under the Flood Reconstruction Emergency Assistance Project will help in the reconstruction, improvement of resilience, and economic recovery.
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