NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Tier
2, 3 Indian cities saw 162% growth in loan applications in 2022: According to Prodigy Finance’s Study Abroad Insights Report
2022, its services have received significant growth in Tier 2 and
Tier 3 regions in India, where they saw an uptick of 162%. Cities like
Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Chennai have the highest number of
loan applications in 2022.
In Tier
1 cities, Delhi saw a massive increase of 237% followed by Hyderabad. Tier
2 and Tier 3 cities witnessed a growth of an average of 53% and 109%
respectively.
2. National
Civil Services Day 2023: 21 April: India has observed
National Civil Services Day every year on April 21 to honour the
contributions of the officers who work for the nation’s numerous public service
departments. On this day, the PM will award the officers from the central and
state governments for their outstanding contributions to public administration On
April 21, 1947, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel (Home Minister) gave a
speech to the first group of civil servants in Independent India at the Metcalf
House
3. ISRO,
Moon Village Association tie up for Chandrayaan-3 outreach: The Moon Village Association (MVA) and the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) have joined hands for global outreach
activities in connection with the proposed Chandrayaan-3. Aim: To increase
the impact of Isro’s lunar program at a global level and ensure further
international cooperation It will focus on the global aspect of lunar
exploration and identify communication, and encourage the youth to focus
on the benefits of every lunar mission.
4. Haryana
CM Khattar launches 3 online services:
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched three online
services to digitally empower people. These online services are Pro-active
Divyang Pension Service, ‘Tau se Poochho’ WhatsApp chatbot, and online booking
of government rest houses. The Pro-active Divyang Pension Service for the
physically challenged is committed to delivering all services for them at their
doorsteps. The Haryana Parivar Pehchan Authority has created a WhatsApp Chatbot
Tau Se Poochho.
5. Kerala
launches 'One Panchayat, One Playground':
The Kerala government has launched a project 'One Panchayat, One
Playground' project to revive the sports culture in the State by
opening quality playgrounds in every panchayat. It was inaugurated by Kerala CM
Pinarayi Vijayan at Kallikkad. For the first phase of the project,
the state government has prepared a list of 113 panchayats. Each
playground would cost around Rs 1 crore, half will be paid by the Sports
department and the rest would be raised from other sources
6. Pune to get the biggest international school in
Maharashtra: Wellington College, one of the top UK schools
with a 170-year-old heritage, has set up a K-12 School in Pune with
its academic year beginning in September 2023. Wellington College International
Pune, with its extensive academic facilities totalling more than 4,00,000 sq.
ft., It is one of the biggest International Schools to open in
Maharashtra. The school will be built in collaboration with a Singapore-based
education company and will follow international standards. It will offer a
range of programs, including the International Baccalaureate and Cambridge
International.
7. Maharashtra Govt has announced 4% reservation for
disabled employees: Maharashtra Government has announced a 4% reservation for
Divyang employees in promotions. The state cabinet has decided that this
reservation will apply for those cadres in which the proportion of recruitment
through direct service is not more than 75 percent. The state cabinet has also
decided to clear all pending dues as per the Seventh Pay Commission for
non-teaching staff serving across all non-agricultural universities. The
arrears will be paid in five installments on 1st July every year, over the next
five years. The Cabinet has further decided that women belonging to the Open
and the backward categories will no longer be needed to produce the non-creamy
layer certificate for posts reserved for them.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Indian
Air Force will participate in exercise INIOCHOS-23 held in Greece: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has informed that it will take
part in Exercise INIOCHOS-23, which will be held at
the Andravida Air Base in Greece from April 24 to May 4. It is a
multi-national air exercise hosted by the Hellenic Air Force. The Indian
Air Force will participate with four Su-30 MKI and two C-17 aircraft. Other
Nations: Cyprus, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Austria, and the
USA. Aim: To enhance international cooperation and interoperability
2. IIT
Madras to set up its first international campus in Tanzania: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras will set up its first
International campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania in October 2023. In February
2023, a team of five professors from IIT Madras visited Tanzania and held
discussions with various officials on starting the campus. It will be
the first IIT campus in Africa and classes are to start from October.
This information was shared by IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti at IIT
Madras’ 64th Institute Day.
3. India
shown more confidence in children's vaccines:
UNICEF Report: According to a report published by UNICEF, India is among
the three countries out of 55 studied for popular perception of
the importance of vaccines for children that have shown improvement. The
other two countries are China and Mexico. The data was collected
by The Vaccine Confidence Project (London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine). Countries showed low confidence: The Republic of
Korea, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Senegal, and Japan
4. AIM,
NITI Aayog, and UNCDF Team Up to Make India a Global Agri-tech leader: Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the United Nations
Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) jointly launched
a whitepaper to make India a global leader in Agri-Tech
innovation. They also aimed at expanding these innovations to the least
developed countries in Asia and Africa. The whitepaper offers actionable steps
to overcome challenges faced by Agri-Tech start-ups and facilitate
their growth at national and international levels.
5. New York City tops the list of world’s wealthiest
cities 2023: New York City topped a new list
of the world’s wealthiest cities in 2023, with Japan’s Tokyo and
Silicon Valley’s Bay Area claiming the second and third spots. Mumbai featured
at 21st while Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad too found a mention. The
list, compiled by London-based consultancy Henley & Partners, ranked the
cities by taking into account the number of resident millionaires (rounded off
to the neared 100) as of December 31, 2022. It was dominated by cities in the
United States and China — not one European city featuring in the top 10, with
the exception of London. Bengaluru got a special mention as one of
the fastest-growing cities in the Asia Pacific. The report said: “Also
known as the “Garden City” and the “Silicon Valley of India”, Bengaluru has a
booming tech sector.” The World’s Wealthiest Cities Report 2023 covered 97
cities across the world, using data from wealth intelligence firm, New World
Wealth, which tracks the movements and spending habits of high-net-worth
individuals with the work titles like Founder, Chairperson, CEO, and Director. It
also considered the number of highly-priced homes in the area, said Henley
& Partners.
6. Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel wins second term: President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel has
clinched a second five-year term in a parliamentary vote for which he
was the sole candidate in the country. Diaz-Canel’s bid was confirmed by 97.66
percent of votes cast in the Communist Party of Cuba-aligned National Assembly,
its president Esteban Lazo announced in the chamber. He took over the reins in
2018 as the first civilian leader of Cuba. His first five years in office were
marked by the worst economic crisis in three decades.
7. ISRO to launch Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 satellite on April
22: The Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) will launch a Singaporean Earth Observation
satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on April
22. The satellite namedTeLEOS-2 will be launched aboard ISRO’s Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which will take off on its 55th mission. The TeLEOS-2 is
an Earth Observation Satellite, designed to capture round-the-clock,
all-weather satellite imagery of the Earth and it will provide a host of data
to help with various operations. The ISRO will use the XL variant of PSLV in
the upcoming C-55 mission.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Harmanpreet
Kaur named among Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year: In the 2023 edition of the Wisden Cricketer's Almanack, New
Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell, England wicketkeeper-batter Ben
Foakes, India Women captain Harmanpreet Kaur, NZ all-rounder Daryl
Mitchell and England pacer Matthew Potts have been named Wisden’s Five
Cricketers of the Year. Harmanpreet is the first India Women’s cricketer
to be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. She was chosen primarily for her
ODI century against England at Canterbury.
2. Odisha’s Bhubaneswar to host 2023 Intercontinental Cup
in June: A four-team Intercontinental Cup will be
held in Bhubaneswar from June 9 to 18. This will be the third edition of
the tournament with the previous two being held in Mumbai (2018) and Ahmedabad
(2019). Host India will be joined by Lebanon, Mongolia and Vanuatu in the
tournament. The Indian men’s national team had previously never played against
Mongolia and Vanuatu. Against Lebanon, the hosts hold a record of playing six
matches. The Indian men’s national team had previously never played against
Mongolia and Vanuatu. Against Lebanon, the hosts hold a record of playing six
matches.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Federal
Bank sign with KiVi as Banking Correspondent:
Federal Bank has signed with an agri fintech start-up, KiVi as
Banking Correspondent. Aim: To scale and expand its agri-lending portfolio
in Tamil Nadu. Federal Bank launched the instant KCC platform in September 2022
and claimed to be the first of its kind in agriculture lending, it offers
farmers convenience and turnaround time. Aim: At providing small loans to
small and marginal farmers, and to facilitate efficient credit flow to
underserved rural populations
2. Royal
Sundaram launches add-on covers for vehicle insurance policies: Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Ltd has introduced three add-on
covers for its vehicle insurance policies -Smart Save, Roadside assistance, and
Return-to-invoice. Smart Save: This is for private cars, comes at a zero
cost and will help the customer to get an upfront discount in OD insurance premium,
for repairing their vehicles at Royal Sundaram’s identified repair shops. Roadside
Assistance: It is for two-wheeler policies and will cover 11 emergency
services.
3. South Indian Bank debuts 2 flexible savings accounts
for NRIs: For NRI customers, South Indian Bank has
introduced SIB SEAFARER and SIB PULSE, two flexible saving accounts. With
these products, NRIs now have the option to keep either deposits or the
required minimum amount in their savings accounts. Healthcare personnel and mariners
both now have access to flexible savings accounts, which proves that South
Indian Bank has been working to streamline banking requirements and offer
top-notch customer service. Flexibility to maintain a minimum balance of Rs.
10,000/- in linked accounts No minimum balance is required for the maintenance
of the NRI Term Deposit of Rs.2 lakh and above
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Asha
Bhosle to receive Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Puraskar: Legendary singer Asha Bhosle will be felicitated with
the Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar award on April 24, the Memorial
Day of theatre-music veteran Deenanath Mangeshkar. The family and the
trust have instituted the award in memory of Lata Mangeshkar, who died on
February 6, 2022. This award was aimed to honor people from various
fields such as music, drama, art, medicine, and social work.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi was its first recipient
2. Angela Merkel receives Germany’s highest Order of Merit: Former Chancellor Angela Merkel received the highest Order of Merit of Germany from the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The award has only been given twice before, to former chancellors Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl. All three former leaders belong to the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The Order of Merit entails no financial reward. Merkel led Germany from 2005 to 2021, totaling four terms in office.
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