NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM
Modi dedicates to nation projects worth Rs 17,000 crore in MP: PM Modi has laid the foundation stone and inaugurated
projects worth more than 17,000 crores in Madhya Pradesh. He has also
inaugurated the integrated e-Gram Swaraj and GeM portal for public
procurement at the Panchayat level. Objective: To enable Panchayats
to market their goods and services through GeM With the handing over of around
35 lakh Swamitva Property Cards, about 1 crore 25 lakh property cards
have been distributed under this scheme in the country.
2. Centre
conducts first-ever census of water bodies across the country: The Ministry of Jal Shakti has conducted the first-ever
census of water bodies across the nation. Aim: To provide a comprehensive
inventory of India's water resources, including natural and man-made water
bodies like lakes Over 24.24 lakh water bodies have been enumerated in the
country out of which more than 23 lakh water bodies are in rural areas and
nearly 69,000 are in urban areas. Top 5 (number of water bodies): WB,
Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Assam
3. Union
Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated National Technology Centre: Union Minister of Ports, Sarbananda Sonowal has
inaugurated National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts,
IIT - Discovery Campus at Chennai. Under the Sagarmala Programme, the centre
has been established in IIT Chennai at a cost of 77 Crore rupees. The
institute acts as a technological arm of the Ministry and develops
cutting-edge technologies and application products to provide solutions to
various challenges faced by the Ports and Shipping Sector.
4. UIDAI,
NPCI to set up eKYC aggregator, fin entities:
The Unique Identification Authority of India and the National
Payments Corporation of India are setting up an aggregator platform
for eKYC (electronic know-your-customer). The process of Aadhaar-based eKYC is
used for paperless verification of a customer’s credentials to get a mobile
connection or open a bank account. The process can be completed using
biometrics or through the use of OTP. It is being used by financial services players,
and government agencies.
5. A
new book ‘A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of Change’ launched: A new book titled, ‘A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of
Change’ has been released in New Delhi. The book was authored by an
IAS officer, and senior bureaucrat Ashish Kundra. The book was
launched in the presence of Kiren Rijiju (Union Minister of Law and Justice);
Hardeep Singh Puri (Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas), Pema Khandu
(CM of Arunachal Pradesh), and Amitabh Kant. Senior bureaucrat-author Ashish
Kundra served in the Northeast for eight years.
6. National
Panchayati Raj Day 2023: 24 April: India
celebrates National Panchayati Raj Day every year on April
24 to commemorate the constitutional change that established the
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). PRIs are considered the third tier of the
government. It manages the local-level administration in rural areas.
The first Panchayati Raj system was initiated in the year 1993. 2023
theme: Sustainable Panchayat: Building Healthy, Water Sufficient, Clean
& Green Villages
7. MoPNG
Successfully completed Barauni Guwahati pipeline:
The Ministry of Petroleum has successfully completed the Bihar
portion of the Barauni Guwahati pipeline (BGPL) under the Pradhan Mantri Urja
Ganga project. It will connect six districts in Bihar to the National
Gas Grid.
Pradhan
Mantri Urja Ganga Project is also known as Jagdishpur – Haldia &
Bokaro – Dhamra Pipeline Project (JHBDPL) project. Launched: 2016 Aim: Caters
to the energy requirements of five states (UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and
WB).
8. SAIL-Bokaro
Steel Plant sign MoU with Telecommunications Consultants India: SAIL-Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) has signed a Memorandum of
understanding with Telecommunications Consultants India (TCIL) to explore
the potential of the application of 5G/ IT/ telecom and other
wireless communication technologies in SAIL-Bokaro Steel Plant. This project
would include SAIL's Mines and Collieries, Central Coal Supply
Organization, and the SAIL refractory unit in Jharkhand. SAIL Chairperson: Soma
Mondal
9. India proposed to develop G-20 park in New Delhi: India has proposed to develop a G20 park in New Delhi to
symbolize ‘togetherness on the path of development’ as part of its year-long
presidency of the organization. It will showcase sculptures depicting national
animals and birds of the G20 countries made with the Waste to wonder concept. The
art pieces will be created on-site in a 20-day-long national camp mode from 21
April 2023 and till 1 May 2023. Each art piece will be made of scrap and other
waste material sourced from the yards of New Delhi Municipal Council and other
agencies. India has proposed to develop a G20 park in New Delhi to symbolize
‘togetherness on the path of development’ as part of its year-long presidency.
10. Shantanu Roy appointed as CMD of BEML Limited: Shantanu Roy has been appointed as
the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BEML Limited (Bharat Earth
Movers Limited), a Miniratna PSU under the Ministry of Defence. Roy is a
graduate in Electrical Engineering from NIT, Raipur. He also has an MBA in
Financial Management. Roy is presently serving as Director (Mining &
Construction Business) in the same organization and has over 30 years of
extensive experience in capital goods sectors for defense, mining &
construction, transportation, transmission, renewable, and large power
projects.
11. Sandeep Singh appointed Military Advisor to National
Security Council: Former vice chief of the
Indian Air Force, Air Marshal Sandeep Singh has been appointed as the military
adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS). Singh retired as
the Vice Chief of the Air Staff on January 31, 2023 after a military career
spanning almost four decades. Air Marshal Sandeep Singh was commissioned in the
IAF as a fighter pilot on December 22, 1983. General Anil Chauhan was the
military adviser to the NSCS before being appointed chief of defence staff in
September 2022.
12. Gajendra Arya appointed as Senior Vice President at
Zypp: Gajendra Arya has been
appointed as the new Senior Vice President of Technology at Zypp Electric.
Gajendra Arya has worked with companies like Ola, Samsung, and Vodafone. Zypp
Electric is a leading electric scooter sharing platform in India, providing
sustainable last-mile connectivity solutions.
13. 24 April – National Panchayati Raj Diwas: National Panchayati Raj Diwas is
celebrated every year on 24 April. The Panchayati Raj Day commemorates the
73rd Amendment Act, 1992 of the Constitution coming into effect in the year
1993. This day celebrates the national local self-governance and democratic
decentralization. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the nodal ministry, works on
the mission of empowerment, enablement and accountability of Panchayati Raj
Institutions to ensure inclusive development with social justice and efficient
delivery of services. 73rd Amendment 1992 added a new Part IX to the
constitution “The Panchayats” covering provisions from Article 243 to 243(O)
& a new 11th Schedule covering 29 subjects.
1st
National Panchayati Raj day Celebrated in 2010
Father
of Panchayati Raj system – Balwant Rai Mehta
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India, Guyana sign Air Services Agreement: India has signed an Air Services Agreement (ASA) with
Guyana to facilitate easier travel between the two nations. The agreement
was signed between Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill and India’s High
Commissioner to Guyana KJ Srinivas in the presence of EAM S Jaishankar, who is
on a 3-day visit to Guyana. The agreement’s signing is consistent with the government’s
objective to establish ties between Guyana and the rest of the world. It will
also complement the more than 50 air service agreements Guyana has negotiated
with other ICAO governments for the advancement of interstate air travel. The
agreement encourages the development of international air services between the
two countries and the global airline market.
2. India placed at 38th spot on World Bank’s Logistics
Performance Index: India has reached the 38th spot on World Bank’s Logistics Performance
Index. In 2014, India was ranked 54th. It climbed 16 places from 2014 to 2022.
India is now ranked 38 in the 139 countries index, up from 44 in 2018 LPI is an
interactive benchmarking tool created to help countries identify the challenges
and opportunities on trade logistics and scope of improvement.
3. 21 April – World Creativity and Innovation Day: World Creativity and Innovation Day is
celebrated annually on April 21. Objective – To raise awareness about the
role of innovation and creativity in each aspect of human development. The
first World Creativity and Innovation Day was celebrated in 2002. The event was
held in Canada, and since then, it has spread to other countries worldwide. In
2005, the United Nations recognized the importance of creativity and innovation
in achieving sustainable development and declared April 21 as World Creativity
and Innovation Day.
4. 23 April – World Book and Copyright Day: World Book Day is observed ever year
on 23 April.
It is
organized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The
first World Book Day was celebrated on 23 April in 1995. Theme 2023
– Indigenous Languages 23 April is a symbolic date in world literature. It
is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de
Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. This date was a natural
choice for UNESCO’s General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a
world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to
access books.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Kenya's
Kiptum wins London Marathon in 2nd fastest time:
Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya has won the London Marathon and recorded
the second-fastest time in history over the distance. He set the course record
with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute, and 25 seconds.He just missed out
on Eliud Kipchoge's world record by 16 seconds. In the women's race,
Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete, Sifan Hassan won her marathon debut in
2:18:34. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the elite men’s wheelchair
race with a time of 1:23:44.
2. Star Sports signs Rishabh Pant as brand ambassador: The Walt Disney Company-owned Star
Sports has signed cricketer Rishabh Pant as its latest brand
ambassador. The company said it also has other cricketers as its ‘Believe
Ambassadors’ like Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer. Star
Sports said it only had two ambassadors in 2017. Cricketer Virat Kohli is also
part of this association. The ambassadors will represent different parts of the
country as well as different IPL Teams.
3. Jyothi Surekha Vennam clinches two gold medals at
Archery World Cup: India won two gold medals, one each in the mixed team event
and women’s individual Compound, at the Archery World Cup 2023 Stage 1 in
Antalya, Turkey. Indian mixed team of Jyothi Surekha
Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale outclassed Chen Yi Hsuan and Chem
Chieh Lun of Chinese Taipei 159-154 to win the mixed team gold. The second gold
came in the women’s individual Compound event after Jyothi Surekha
Vennam defeated Sara Lopez of Columbia 149-146.
OBITUARIES
1. Former
MP Trilochan Kanungo passes away: Former MP and three-time
MLA, Trilochan Kanungo passed away in Bhubaneswar. Kanungo was elected to
the assembly in 1971, 1974, and 1985. In 1999, he was elected from the Jagatsinghpur
Lok Sabha seat on a BJD ticket. He was a former chairman of Cuttack
Municipality and ex-chairperson of the state finance commission. He was born on
November 24, 1940, in Badamulei village in Cuttack district, Odisha.
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