NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Govt
to cut FAME-II subsidy on electric 2-wheelers from June 2023: The Heavy Industries Ministry notified that the government would
reduce the subsidy provided under the FAME-II scheme applicable to
electric two-wheelers registered on or after June 1, 2023. The subsidy for
electric two-wheelers would be reduced to ₹10,000 per kilowatt hour (kWh). The cap
on incentives for electric two-wheelers will be 15% of the ex-factory
price of vehicles from 40% (present). FAME India Scheme is a part of
the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan
2. Kilo-class
submarine INS Sindhuratna reaches India: A
Sindhughosh class submarine, INS Sindhuratna has been returned to
Mumbai (India) after undergoing a major refit at Naval
Dockyard in Russia, after sailing for 97 days. The ship returned
passage through the Norwegian Sea, English Channel, and the Mediterranean
Sea. It had gone for an upgrade in Severodvinsk after a major accident in
February 2014. INS Sindhuratna is a Russian Type 877EKM diesel-electric
submarine. It is popularly called a NATO-defined Kilo-class sub.
3. Sourav
Ganguly appointed brand ambassador of Tripura tourism: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has appointed former BCCI
president Sourav Ganguly as the brand ambassador of Tripura tourism. This
appointment would help to attract more visitors to Tripura and boost
the tourism industry. Tripura is a state in Northeast India, bordered by
Assam and Mizoram to the east and by Bangladesh to the north, south, and
west. Tripura is divided into 8 districts and 23 sub-divisions. Capital of
Tripura: Agartala
4. Maharashtra govt launches new portal ‘Shasan Aplya
Dari’: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has launched
the ‘Shasan Aplya Dari’ (government at your doorstep) initiative with
an aim to provide benefits of government schemes at one place. With an aim to
make government schemes available at the doorstep of the common man, the state
government will now use a new portal called ‘Mahalabharthi, where all the state
schemes will be enlisted. The objective of ‘Shasan Aplya dari’ is to take the
government schemes to the doorstep of the common people so that they can take
benefits of various schemes without any hassle. A dedicated cell has been set
up in the CM’s office for the initiative and 15,146 volunteers have been
appointed for the same across the state.
5. Jayakumar S. Pillai appoints as Deputy MD of IDBI Bank: The Board of Directors of IDBI
Bank approved the appointment of Jayakumar S. Pillai as Deputy
Managing Director on the Bank’s Board for 3 years. Pillai’s appointment is
with effect from the date of his taking charge as specified in the RBI approval
received in this regard. Pillai is presently working as Chief General Manager
and Circle Head in Canara Bank, Mumbai. Jayakumar S. Pillai has 32 years and 7
months of experience in Canara Bank. He has headed branches in various scales
across different geographies and has rich experience in branch banking,
mobilization of retail resources, Credit delivery in sectors like Retail,
Agriculture, MSME and Recovery.
6. Jayaprakash re-elected as President of Swimming
Federation: Jayaprakash and Monal D
Chokshi were re-elected as President and Secretary of the Swimming
Federation of India (SFI). The SFI will focus on developing grassroots
participation in swimming by holding camps and coaches’ clinics at the
State-level. SFI plans to propose to four states to set up an academy for a
year-long camp where foreign coaches will be brought in.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India
and Australia sign agreement in the field of Green Hydrogen: During the final leg of PM Modi's three-nation tour (Japan, Papua
New Guinea, and Australia), he was accorded a Ceremonial Guard of Honour
at the Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia. During his visit, India and
Australia signed agreements in the field of migration and mobility
partnership and on the Green Hydrogen task force. The MoUs were exchanged after
a bilateral meeting between PM Narendra Modi and his Australian
counterpart Anthony Albanese.
2. WHO
appoints Renée Fleming and Pretty Yende ad Goodwill Ambassadors: The World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed Renée
Fleming and Pretty Yende as the Goodwill Ambassadors for Arts and
Health. Renée Fleming is one of the most
celebrated singers and Pretty Yende is an extraordinary
soprano known for her dazzling performances. They would join other
distinguished WHO Goodwill Ambassadors such as Alisson, Natalia Becker,
Didier Drogba, Michael Bloomberg, Cynthia Germanotta, Gordon Brown, and James
Chau, among others.
3. Commonwealth
Day 2023: 24th May: Commonwealth Day is celebrated every
year on March 13, across the world, while India and some other
countries observe it on May 24 2023 theme: Forging a Sustainable and
Peaceful Common Future Aim: To unite 2.5 billion Commonwealth citizens in
celebration of their shared values and principles and pursue a common future,
centered on sustainability and peace It serves as an opportunity to raise
awareness of the accomplishments of 54 Commonwealth countries in various
areas
4. India to open new consulate in Brisbane: India has announced plans to open its fourth consulate in
Australia in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland state. The announcement was
made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a diaspora event in Sydney. India
has a high commission in the national capital Canberra and there are currently
consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. There is also an honorary
consulate in Brisbane. The oldest Indian consulate was established in Sydney in
1941 as the trade commission of India. A consulate was established in Melbourne
in September 2006, and another in Perth in October 2011. Brisbane is the most
populous city of Queensland state and the third-most populous city in
Australia, with a population of about 2.6 million. Indian-origin residents make
up the third-largest diaspora in Brisbane. Indian-origin residents make up 2.8%
of the Australian population.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Adidas
to become new kit sponsor of Indian cricket team:
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed
that German sportswear giant Adidas would become the new kit
sponsor of the Indian national cricket team. In 2020, the BCCI signed a three-year
deal with the Mobile Premier League’s sports merchandise brand MPL Sports to
replace American sportswear manufacturer Nike. Clothing brand Killer Jeans
became an interim sponsor after that deal ended prematurely and their contract
will expire on May 31, 2023.
2. Khelo India University Games begins in Gautam Budh
Nagar: The third Khelo India University
Games begins with a Kabaddi event in the Gautam Budh Nagar district
of Uttar Pradesh. 15 teams of different universities are taking part in this event,
for which the matches will be held at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik stadium in
Gautam Buddha Nagar district. The official opening ceremony of the Khelo India
University Games will take place on May 25 in Lucknow and will continue till
June 3. The Khelo India University Games will be held in four cities: Gautam
Buddha Nagar, Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Varanasi and the closing ceremony of the
Games will be held in Varanasi. A total of 240 players will participate in
wrestling events, while 96 players will participate in Yogasana events.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. RBI
approved the reappointment of Vijay Shekhar as part-time chairman: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given its approval to Paytm
Payments Bank for the re-appointment of Paytm CEO, Vijay Shekhar Sharma as part-time
chairman for a year, effective from May 23, 2023. At present, One97
Communications owns a 49% stake in Paytm Payments Bank and Vijay
Shekhar Sharma holds the remaining stakes in the entity. Vijay Shekhar Sharma
is the promoter of Paytm Payments Bank Paytm Payments Bank: It
was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Noida
2. Google
Pay launches RuPay credit cards: Google Pay in
association with the National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI) rolled out support for RuPay credit cards on Unified Payments
Interface (UPI). With this, the users can now link their RuPay credit cards
with Google Pay to pay at all online and offline
merchants where RuPay credit cards are accepted. It is now available
to RuPay credit card holders of Axis Bank, BoB, Canara Bank, HDFC Bank,
Indian Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, PNB, and Union Bank of India.
3. RBI
bought net $750 mn in spot forex market in March 2023: According to the RBI's March 2023 bulletin, the Reserve Bank
of India bought $750 million on a net basis in the spot foreign
exchange market in March 2023. The RBI has purchased $6.91 billion
and sold $6.16 billion. In February 2023, the central bank bought $254
million on a net basis in the spot market. The Indian rupee appreciated by
0.6% against the dollar in March 2023. The RBI's net outstanding forward
purchase stood at $23.6 billion as of end-March 2023.
4. IIT
Kanpur, YES Bank collaborate to offer support to Incubated Startups: The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at the IIT Kanpur joined
hands with YES Bank by signing an MoU that seeks to provide
crucial support to the startups incubated at SIIC. Aim: To identify
innovative startups and extend them the necessary financial backing It bolsters
the startup ecosystem in India by granting these ventures access to a wide
range of resources through YES Bank’s specialized startup-focused program
called YES Head Startup.
5. YES
BANK Collaborates with Red Hat to Redefine Mobile Banking Experience: As per the announcement of Red Hat, Inc., YES BANK has adopted
Azure Red Hat OpenShift to transform its next-generation mobile
banking applications for an efficient mobile banking experience for its
customers. It will enable YES BANK to improve customer experience and provide
innovative banking solutions. It will have the agility and flexibility to
increase the demand and also support creating a seamless customer experience
across multiple banking solutions.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Georgi
Gospodinov wins the International Booker Prize 2023 for Time Shelter: Georgi Gospodinov (Bulgarian writer) and Angela Rodel
(translator) bagged the 2023 International Booker Prize for their
book 'Time Shelter'. It is the first book originally written in
Bulgarian to be nominated for the award. The prize has recognized
fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or
Ireland in the year leading up to the award. Prize money: 50,000 pounds
(about $62,000) shared equally between the author and translator
OBITUARIES
1. Actor Sarath Babu passes away: Veteran actor Sarath Babu passed away at the age of 71. Babu worked predominantly in Tamil and Telugu cinema. He appeared in more than 200 films, including Hindi films too. He made his debut in 1973 but gained fame in 1978 through the Tamil film Nizhal Nijamagiradhu, directed by K Balachander. He has received eight state Nandi Awards.
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