NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Vice
Admiral Swaminathan becomes Controller of Personnel Services in Navy: Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan assumed charge as Controller
of Personnel Services on April 17, 2023. He was commissioned into the
Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, and is a specialist in Communication and
Electronic Warfare. Earlier, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Western
Naval Command, Flag Officer Defence Advisory Group, and Flag Officer Sea
Training. He was the second Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier INS
Vikramaditya.
2. Ganga
mission clears projects worth ₹638 crore: Eight
projects worth ₹638 crore (approx) were approved in the 48th
meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Mission for Clean
Ganga (NMCG). Chaired by: Director General, G Asok Kumar In an initiative
to clean River Hindon, four projects worth Rs 407.39 crore were
approved for pollution abatement in the Shamli district. As part
of preparations for the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj in 2025, one
project for the development of seven ghats was approved.
3. Govt
launches 'Sangathan se Samriddhi' scheme: Union
Minister of Rural Development, Giriraj Singh has launched
the ‘Sangathan Se Samriddhi’ campaign to empower marginalized
rural households by bringing all eligible rural women into the fold of Self
Help Groups (SHGs). The govt is targeting to bring 10 crore women under
the purview of SHGs (existing nine crores). The govt has also set a target
that every woman associated with SHGs should be able to earn 1 lakh rupees
per annum. He also urged women to produce millet.
4. Kerala
adopts Water Budget to tackle summer water shortage: Kerala has become the first state to adopt a water
budget in a bid to come up with a solution to water scarcity in
certain regions. The first phase would cover 94-gram panchayats and
15-block panchayats. CM Pinarayi Vijayan released Public Water Budget. The third
phase of the Ini Njan Ozhukatte (Let me flow now) project for
the rehabilitation of irrigation networks in the Western Ghats was
also launched. The idea of a water budget was first mooted by the
state in 2019.
5. Country’s
first Mangrove Pitta Bird census undertaken in Bhitarkanika: The first-ever census of Mangrove Pitta Bird was conducted by
the Odisha forest officials in the Bhitarkanika wildlife
sanctuary. In the first census, 179 mangrove pitta birds were sighted.
The habitats of these beautiful birds are confined to mangrove forest areas
in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika and Sundarban in West Bengal. Mangrove pitta is a
colorful bird that has a black head with a brown crown. It feeds on
crustaceans, mollusks, and insects.
6. Satinder
Kumar Lambah's book 'In Pursuit of Peace' launched:
The memoir of the late Satinder Kumar Lambah, ‘In Pursuit of Peace:
India-Pakistan Relations Under Six Prime Ministers’ was launched by Nina
Lambah. It was forwarded by former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh. Satinder Kumar
Lambah had served two tenures in Pakistan as Deputy Chief of
Mission and High Commissioner and was Chairman of the National Security
Advisory Board. He also served as a Special Representative for Afghanistan
under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
7. Centre approves Rs 638 cr under Namami Gange
programme: Eight projects worth approximately ₹638
crore were approved in the 48th meeting of the Executive Committee of
the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). In an attempt to clean River
Hindon, which is a tributary of River Yamuna, four projects worth Rs. 407.39
crore were approved for pollution abatement in the Shamli district. These
projects are part of the comprehensive Hindon Rejuvenation Plan. Hindon River
is identified as a Priority I polluted river stretch. The projects which were
sanctioned are to prevent the flow of polluted water into Krishna River. The
four projects in Shamli district include the construction of 5 Million Litres
per Day (MLD) Sewage Treatment Plant (Nirmal Jal Kendra), 5 KLD Septage
Co-treatment Facility, Interception & Diversion (I&D) and other works
in Babri and Bantikhera villages. As part of preparations for the Mahakumbh in
Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, in 2025, one project for development of 7 ghats in
Prayagraj was also approved in the EC meeting. The ghats include Dashashmedh
Ghat, Quila Ghat, Naukayan Ghat, Gyan Ganga Ashram Ghat, Saraswati Ghat, Maheva
Ghat and Rasulabad Ghat. These ghats will have amenities such as area for
bathing, change room, universal access ramp, drinking water points, flood
lights for night, kiosks, landscaping etc.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. New
York Senate appoints Rowan Wilson as state's first Black chief judge: The New York Senate has confirmed Judge Rowan Wilson
(62) as the new chief judge of the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.
He is also New York’s first Black chief judge. He was appointed by the
57th governor of New York, Kathy Hochul. Since 2017, he has been an associate
judge of the Court of Appeals, New York's highest court. He studied at Harvard
College, and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1984.
2. India
violated global trading rules in IT tariff dispute: WTO: A World Trade Organisation (WTO) panel has ruled that
India has violated global trading rules in a dispute against the European
Union, Japan, and Taiwan. The case pertains to import duties for a
wide range of products. In 2019, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan challenged the
import duties on certain IT products. The EU had challenged
India’s introduction of import duties between 7.5% and 20% for
products such as mobile phones, mobile phone components, and accessories.
3. World
Liver Day 2023: 19 April: World Liver Day is observed annually
on April 19 to raise awareness about liver-related diseases. Theme
2023: Be vigilant, do a regular liver check-up, fatty liver can affect anyone This
day educates the public on lifestyle modifications that can help prevent liver
diseases, such as maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting
vaccinated against hepatitis. As per the WHO, liver ailments amount to the 10th
most common reason for death in India.
4. India
contributes $500,000 to UN entity for women empowerment: Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Ruchira
Kamboj has handed over the cheque of USD 500,000 (Rs 4.09 crore) to
the UN Women - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women. The cheque was received by Sima Sami
Bahous, Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women. The
Indian government is committed to the goals of gender equality, the empowerment
of women, and gender mainstreaming.
5. Neeli Bendapudi named to a US-India task force: Indian-origin academic Neeli Bendapudi has been appointed as
one of five co-chairs of an Association of American Universities
(AAU) task force focused on the expansion of research and
academic partnerships among higher education institutions in the US and India.
AAU created the national task force in coordination with the Biden
administration’s US-India initiative on critical and emerging technology, which
seeks to grow technological and industrial collaboration between the two
nations. Bendapudi was president of the University of Louisville, where she
oversaw a series of transformative efforts spanning academics; finance; health
enterprise, philanthropy; athletics; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and
more. Bendapudi is the first woman to serve as president of the University of
Louisville in Kentucky.
6. 19 April – World Liver Day: World Liver Day is observed every year
on 19 April. Objective – To spread awareness about liver-related disease. Theme
2023 – Be vigilant, do a regular liver check-up, fatty liver can affect
anyone. The liver is one of the most complex organs in the human body. It plays
a pivotal role in our body’s immunity, digestion and metabolism. Plus, it also
carries out the filtration of toxins, stores vitamins and minerals, and
produces bile, among other functions. Liver is also the second largest and the
most complex organ in the body, with the exception of the brain. Human Liver
Weight – 1.5 Kg
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Suryakumar Yadav & Harmanpreet Kaur named Wisden’s
leading T20I cricketer: Wisden Cricketers Almanack has released
the list of top-5 cricketers of the year 2022. Suryakumar won the
honour of Wisden Almanack’s leading T20I cricketer while Harmanpreet
Kaur became the first Indian woman to win the Cricketer of the Year award.
Apart from Kaur, the list also includes the names of Tom Blundell (New
Zealand), Ben Foakes (England), Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand) and Matthew Potts
(England). Apart from this, Ben Stokes of England has been selected as the best
cricketer in the world for the year 2022-23 among male players. Harmanpreet has
received this honor for her excellent performance last year. Harmanpreet scored
an unbeaten 143 off 111 balls in the ODI against England in the year 2022. Suryakumar
Yadav is currently the world’s number-1 batsman in T20 cricket. He played 31
matches in the year 2022 and scored 1,164 runs at an impressive strike rate of
187.43. Which is the second most runs ever in a calendar year. During this, he
had scored 2 centuries and 9 half-centuries.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. AU
Small Finance Bank launches bill payments via video banking: AU Small Finance Bank has become the country's first commercial
bank to connect with the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) and
deliver bill payment services via video banking. Aim: To increase digital
accessibility and economic capabilities, which will lead to greater financial
inclusion Customers can use this platform to pay their bills without
having to go to a branch, which is especially useful for senior persons and others
with mobility challenges.
2. CRED launches UPI-based P2P payments: Fintech major CRED has launched its UPI-based peer-to-peer
(P2P) payments, providing its users with a new payment option. The feature
allows CRED members access to ‘pay anyone’ through their contact list, phone
numbers, or UPI IDs. The new payment experience has been introduced after the
launch of Scan & Pay in October 2022. As scan and pay gain traction, CRED
expects the number of merchants to grow. Now with the launch of P2P UPI
payments, CRED members will have multiple payment options including offline
payments (UPI P2P, Scan & Pay, Tap to Pay), online merchant payments (CRED
Pay, CRED flash) and bill payments.
3. Karnataka Bank launches home loan campaign: Karnataka Bank has launched a special
home loan campaign — ‘KBL Centenary Mahotsav’ from April 17 to July 17. Karnataka
Bank has developed digital loan products for home loans allowing customers to
enjoy seamless digital processing and immediate in-principle approvals at their
convenience and comfort. Customers can avail home loan with discount in upfront
fee, attractive rate of interest starting from 8.75 percent, and nil processing
charges for home loan under the ‘KBL Centenary Mahotsav’ campaign.
4. City Union Bank launches India’s 1st Voice Biometric
Authentication Banking App: City Union Bank has launched the country’s first voice
biometric authentication for logging into mobile banking app. The voice
biometric service was developed by Chennai-based deeptech start-up, Kaizen
Secure Voiz Pvt Ltd, under the guidance of the 5G use case lab of the Institute
for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT). Customers have to
register their voice once, which will be validated on various parameters. The
service will prevent fraud based on PIN / OTP and the technology is fool-proof
against recorded or mimicked voices.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Karnataka
Bags National Award For Fasal Bima Yojana:
Karnataka has bagged the national award for the best implementation
of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in the country. The state
has recorded a 47.74% increase in the enrolment of farmers under
the scheme, between the Kharif season 2021 and 2022. While the area covered
under the scheme increased by 41.80%. The common service centers have also
seen an enrolment of 4.66 lakh non-loanee farmers over the last six years.
2. Utsa
Patnaik selected for Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023: A
renowned economist of national and international repute, Utsa Patnaik has
been selected for the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023. It is granted for
outstanding contributions to Development Studies. The award consists of a
citation and a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh. The award is given every year by
the Malcolm & Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust. It is annually given to an
outstanding social scientist selected from nominations received by a specially
constituted national jury.
OBITUARIES
1. Former Ranji opener Abdul Azeem passed away: Former Hyderabad cricketer and one of the finest openers in the domestic circuit, Abdul Azeem passed away. In a career spanning 73 first-class games between 1980-95, the dashing opener scored 12 centuries and 18 fifties. Making his first-class debut in 1979-80, he went on to play 73 matches, scoring 4,644 runs with 12 centuries including a triple century against Tamil Nadu at Gymkhana ground.
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