NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PESB
recommends Parminder Chopra as Chairman of Power Finance Corporation: The Public Enterprise Selection Board
(PESB) has recommended Parminder Chopra as a new Chairman
and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation (PFC). She will be
the first woman to be appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director
(CMD) of the Maharatna company. She has been working with the company
since 2005. Power Finance Corporation: It is India’s largest NBFC by net worth
(all reserves). It was incorporated on July 16th, 1986. Registered office: New
Delhi
2. IIT
Madras, DRDO develop sensor technology for underwater communications: IIT Madras and DRDO have developed cutting-edge sensor
technology for underwater communications. The Indigenous technology will enable
the fabrication of devices at a relatively lower cost. 'Piezoelectric MEMS
technology' is required to develop high-performance thin films and
convert 'piezo thin film' into state-of-the-art futuristic naval sensors and
devices for underwater applications. The Piezo Thin Films are one of
the vital components of piezo MEMS devices.
3. Health
Ministry launches SAKSHAM Learning Management Information System : Rajesh
Bhushan (Union Health Secretary) has launched the Stimulating
Advanced Knowledge for Sustainable Health Management (SAKSHAM). It is
a Learning Management Information System (LMIS) of MoHFW. Developed
by: National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi SAKSHAM
is a dedicated and unified platform for providing online training and
medical education to all health professionals in the country.
4. 50%
villages are ODF Plus Under Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase II: The country has achieved yet another major milestone under
the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) with 50% of villages
achieving ODF Plus status under phase II of the Mission. Top performing states
(percentage of ODF Plus villages): Big States: Telangana (100%), Karnataka
(99.5%), Tamil Nadu (97.8%) & Uttar Pradesh (95.2%) Small states: Goa
(95.3%) and Sikkim (69.2%) UTs: A&N Islands, Dadra Nagar Havelli &
Daman Diu and Lakshadweep (100%)
5. Telangana
Govt introduces a Robotics Framework:
The Telangana Government has introduced a Robotics
Framework, for providing a roadmap to promote a robotic ecosystem in the
State. This is the first-of-its-kind policy in the country. The
Government will set up a Telangana Robotics Innovation Centre
(TRIC) to implement the framework, which will focus on the key
pillars of infrastructure access, business enablement, fostering research
and innovation, development of a skilled workforce, and responsible deployment.
6. PM
Modi launches various projects in Rajasthan : PM
Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various
development projects worth over 5,500 crore rupees in Nathdwara,
Rajasthan. He has also laid the foundation stone for the gauge conversion project and
for setting up a new line from Nathdwara to Nathdwara town in Rajsamand. He
dedicated three NH projects, including a six-lane Udaipur to Shamlaji
section of NH-48 and the widening and strengthening work of the
Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur Section of NH-25.
7. Airtel develops Artificial Intelligence based solution
to tackle fraud messages : Bharti Airtel has
developed an artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning-based
solution to proactively detect, prevent, and eliminate phishing, spam, and
fraud through messaging, and is testing it in partnership with HDFC Bank. Direct
connectivity has been established between Airtel and HDFC to help secure
end-to-end SMS (short messaging service) connectivity and flagging any other
route The solution uses an anti-spam filter that can detect and block up to two
million messages per day. In April 2023 Vodafone Idea (Vi) became the first
telecom operator to showcase its anti-phishing solution to Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (Trai) as well as financial regulators the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India extends $1 billion credit line for Sri Lanka by
a year: India has extended a $1 billion credit
line for Sri Lanka by one year giving the crisis-hit
country a backup infusion of dollars for essential imports. The credit
line, part of about $4 billion in emergency assistance extended by India during
the peak of Sri Lanka’s financial crisis early last year, was scheduled to end
in March. Post-negotiations, the credit line was extended until March 2024.
There is about $350 million left of the credit line that can be utilized as
needed.
2. MakeMyTrip collaborates with Microsoft: Digital travel firm
MakeMyTrip has collaborated with Microsoft to
introduce voice-assisted bookings in Indian languages to make travel
planning more inclusive and accessible for its customers. This new platform is
powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI and Azure Cognitive Services. The new service
will enable user interactions and offer personalized travel recommendations
based on their preferences. Furthermore, it will also help in curating and
booking holiday packages based on variable inputs like occasion, budget,
activity preferences, time of travel, hotel reviews, etc. Currently beta
version of this integration has been introduced in English and Hindi for
flights and holiday customers and in the next stage there will be
voice-assisted booking flow to cover other transport offerings. Co-Founder
& Group CEO of MakeMyTrip – Rajesh Mago
3. Russia stages the 78th Victory Day parade at Red
Square, Moscow: Russia holds the 78th
Victory Day parade anniversary at Red Square, Moscow on May 9 to
commemorate the historic victory in 1945 when the Soviet Union defeated Nazi
Germany in World War II, which is also known as the Great Patriotic War. This
year’s parade featured more than 10,000 individuals and 125 pieces of weaponry,
which were all showcased by the Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Shoigu. Victory
Day is an important public holiday in Russia as it commemorates the tremendous
sacrifices made by the Soviet Union during WWII, where approximately 27 million
citizens perished.
4. 42nd ASEAN Summit begins in Indonesia : The 42nd Summit of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) started in Indonesia. Theme 2023
– ASEAN Affairs: Epicenter of Growth The summit aims to demonstrate the
bloc’s hopes and efforts to become the center and driving force behind global
development. President Joko Widodo, who holds the presidency of the bloc,
emphasized the enormous potential of the ASEAN region, which has a total
population of around 650 million inhabitants and consistently outperforms the
world average in terms of economic growth. He called on member countries to
unite in terms of production power to make Southeast Asia the center of global
growth. ASEAN is an organization formed by the governments of Malaysia,
Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore in 1967.
5. Petersberg Climate Dialogue 2023 : The Petersberg Dialogue 2023 on
Climate Change has been held in Berlin, Germany. The PCD series was
co-hosted in Berlin by the German Federal Foreign Office and the United Arab
Emirates – the incoming COP28-Presidency. Delegates from 40 countries attended this
year’s high-level dialogue series, the 14th such event. Its central goal is to
strengthen trust both in multilateral climate negotiations and between states. 2023
is the year of Global Stocktech. The Global Stocktake is essentially a periodic
review of global climate action aimed at assessing whether current efforts will
enable us to reach the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement.
6. 10 May – International Day of Argania: International Day of Argania or International
Day of the Argan Tree is observed every year on 10 May. Objective –
To promote awareness and understanding of the argan tree’s environmental
importance worldwide. This holiday was established by UNESCO in 2021. In 1988,
UNESCO declared the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve, which is the endemic
production area of the argan tree, as a designated area. Additionally, in 2014,
UNESCO inscribed all the knowledge and know-how regarding the argan tree on the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Praveen Chithravel sets national record in triple jump
in Cuba: Indian triple jumper Praveen Chithravel won
the men’s triple jump event at an athletics meet in Havana, Cuba with
a national record-breaking mark of 17.37m. The previous men’s triple jump
national record of 17.30m was set by Renjith Maheswary at the third Indian
Grand Prix in Bangalore in 2016. Praveen Chithravel achieved his
record-breaking mark with his fifth jump at the Prueba de confrontacion 2023
with a headwind reading of -1.5m/s. The permissible wind assistance for
official records is +2.0m/s
BANKING AND FINANCE
2. Reserve
Bank gold reserves rose 4.5% to 794.64 tonnes in 2022-23: RBI has added 34.22 metric tonnes of gold in
the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2023, taking the total gold
reserves to 794.64 metric tonnes. RBI held 760.42 metric tonnes as of March 31,
2022. A recent World Gold Council (WGC) report showed that
the RBI added 7 metric tonnes of gold in January-March 2023. The latest
WGC report showed that the Monetary Authority of Singapore was the
largest single buyer of gold (69 metric tonnes) during January-March 2023.
3. AU
SFB launches RuPay credit card for self-employed customers: AU Small Finance Bank has partnered RuPay to launch
the Business Cashback Rupay credit card to meet the financial
requirements of self-employed customers. Aim: To provide a diverse range
of benefits to small businesses It was launched in the presence of Dilip
Asbe (CEO, NPCI) and Sanjay Agarwal (MD & CEO of AU SFB). It simplifies
financial operations for businesses with benefits like up to 2% cashback, 48
days of interest-free credit, and instant loans.
4. Max
Life, IIA join hands to offer life insurance: Max
Life Insurance has partnered with the Indian Industries Association
(IIA) to provide life insurance plans to the MSME sector’s workforce
in Uttar Pradesh. Aim: To enhance accessibility and drive affordable
insurance penetration across UP Max Life is the appointed lead insurer for
UP, under IRDAI’s State insurance plan It offers life insurance access to more
than 11 lakh MSME workforce affiliated with IIA and their families in the
State.
5. Rukart,
SBI ties up for buying cold storage system 'Subjee Cooler': Rukart has tied up with SBI for providing easy loans to
customers for buying the cold storage system 'Subjee Cooler' Rukart
sells 'Subjee Cooler' to enhance the shelf life of fruits and vegetables
by 4-6 days. It is a cold chain storage system that requires only 20
liters of water a day. The cost of the product is Rs 50,000 each and
one Subjee Cooler has a storage capacity of 100 kg. It is dedicated
to minimizing the carbon footprint through innovative solutions.
6. 27th Meeting of the Financial Stability and
Development Council: Union Finance and Corporate Affairs
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 27th Meeting of the
Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) in New Delhi. During the
meeting of the Council, it was discussed that necessary policy and legislative
reform measures can be formulated to further develop the financial sector. Union
Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman advised that-
7. RBI imposes 1.73 crore penalty on HSBC: RBI has imposed a monetary penalty
of Rs 1.73 crore on Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
Ltd (HSBC) for contravention of Credit Information Companies Rules,
2006. This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not
intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered
into by the bank with its customers. Besides, the RBI imposed a monetary
penalty of Rs 2 lakh on the Trichur Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd, Thrissur,
Kerala for non-compliance with directions issued by the central bank on
Management of Advances – UCBs. RBI has also imposed a monetary penalty of Rs
1.25 lakh on Bhilai Nagarik Sahakari Bank Maryadit, Bhilai (Chhattisgarh) for
contravention of/non-compliance with the provisions of the Banking Regulation
Act, 1949, and the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund Scheme, 2014.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Fakhar
Zaman, Naruemol Chaiwai named ICC Players of the Month for April: ICC has named Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman as ICC Men’s
Player of the Month for April 2023. While Thailand’s skipper Naruemol
Chaiwai as ICC Women's Player of the Month Fakhar Zaman: He becomes the
first Pakistani player to win the monthly accolade since Sidra Ameen in
November 2022.Naruemol Chaiwai: She chipped in with 55 runs across the
T20I series that followed, her 29 in the second T20I helping her side edge out
Zimbabwe in a five-wicket win.
2. Argentina’s
Lionel Messi wins Laureus Sportsman of the Year 2023: Argentina footballer, Lionel Messi has been named
the Sportsman of the Year at the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards. He was
awarded for his remarkable achievements on the pitch in the past year, which
included leading Argentina to victory in the FIFA World Cup. Sportswoman of the
Year: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics Team of the
Year: Argentina Men’s Football Team Breakthrough: Carlos Alcaraz
(Spain) Tennis Comeback: Christian Eriksen (Denmark) Football
3. President
Droupadi Murmu confers 37 Gallantry awards : President
Droupadi Murmu has conferred 37 Gallantry awards to the personnel
of the Armed Forces, CAPF, and State or Union Territory Police during the
Defence Investiture Ceremony (Phase-1) in New Delhi. The 37 Gallantry awards
include eight Kirti Chakras (including five posthumous) and 29 Shaurya
Chakras (including five posthumous). The Gallantry awards were given to the
personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage, and
extreme devotion to duty
OBITUARIES
1. Renowned Bengali author Samaresh Majumdar passes away: Renowned Bengali author Samaresh Majumdar passes away at the age of 79. Born on March 10, 1944, novelist Majumdar is best known for his ‘Animesh’ series. He was first published in the year 1967- a novel named ‘Dour’ (Run). One of his works was even was adapted into the 2013 film ‘Arjun-Kalimpong E Sitaharan’. Majumdar is also known for ‘Uttoradhikar’, ‘Kaalpurush’, ‘Satkahan’, and ‘Adventures of Detective Arjun’. The writer-poet has innumerable accolades under his belt, including Sahitya Akademi Award which he won for ‘Kalbela’ in 1984. Apart from this, he has been conferred the Anand Award and Bankim Award. In 2018, the West Bengal government honoured him with the ‘Banga Bibhushan’ award.
No comments:
Post a Comment