NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. ‘Experimental Licence Module for 100 5G Labs’ launched
at IIT Madras: In a move to smoothen the processes for 100 5G Labs across academic institutions in
India, one of the “Experimental
Licence module for 100 5G Labs” was launched during a 5G workshop at IIT Madras. This
initiative aims to simplify the experimental licence requirements for these
institutions, facilitating smoother operations and fostering innovation in the
5G domain. The primary objective behind this initiative is to cultivate
competencies and engagement in 5G technologies among students and start-up
communities. These labs will be using 5G frequency bands for carrying out
various experiments.
2. Sushil Sharma selected as CMD of SJVN: Sushil Sharma has been appointed as Chairman
and Managing Director (CMD) of SJVN Limited by the Public
Enterprises Selection Board (PESB). He is currently serving as Director
(Projects) at SJVN Limited (formerly Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam). Sharma did his
B.E. (Mechanical) from VNIT, Nagpur. He has more than 30 years of rich and
varied experience in various organizations including SJVN.
3. Siddharth Rajsekar released ‘I Can Coach’ book: Bestselling author and digital coaching leader Siddharth Rajsekar has released of volumes 2 and 3 of his
transformative book series, ‘I Can Coach’. The books were launched at
the Freedom Business Retreat 2024, a two-day event at the Leela Palace,
Chennai, attended by over 800 trainers, coaches, and leaders from across India.
Building
on the success of the first volume, “I Can Coach, Stories of Transformation,”
volumes 2 and 3 showcase inspiring stories of commitment and aspiration within
the digital coaching revolution.
4. 11 April – National Safe
Motherhood Day: National
Safe Motherhood Day is celebrated every year on April 11 in India. The day is observed
to educate the masses about the challenges faced by new mothers and to spread awareness
around safe pregnancy and postpartum support. The Government of India
officially recognised the day as National Safe Motherhood Day in 2003. The day
also marks the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi. Pregnancy is a
life-transforming journey and maternal health during this time can impact safe
and complication-free childbirth. From good nutrition to regular checkups,
there are different aspects of a pregnancy that an expectant mother has to take
into consideration.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India ranks third with 67 unicorns: Hurun Global
Unicorn Index 2024: India ranked third on the global
list of unicorns but was far behind the US and China who had 703 and
340 high growth start-ups respectively. UK and EU ranked No 4 and No 5 in the
list, respectively. India has a total of 67 unicorns in the list, as per a
report by The Hurun Research Institute, according to which drop-outs from the
chart in 2023 were Byju’s and PharmEasy. In total, there are a total of 1,453
unicorns in the world as one unicorn is made every two days over the last year.
2. Simon Harris elected youngest PM of Ireland: Simon Harris was elected the
youngest prime minister of the Republic of Ireland. At the age of 37, he is the
youngest prime minister in Ireland
In
Ireland, the prime minister is called Taoiseach. He will succeed Leo Varadkar,
who resigned in March 2024. Before him, the Indian-born prime minister Leo
Varadkar was the youngest prime minister of Ireland. Leo Varadkar became prime
minister at the age of 38 in 2017.
3. USISPF appoints Tarun Bajaj to head US-India Tax Forum: The US-India Tax Forum, an US-India
Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) initiative, has appointed Tarun Bajaj
as the new head of the Forum. Bajaj is the former Revenue Secretary and
Secretary of Economic Affairs to the Government of India. Joined USISPF as an
advisor to the Board of Directors in January 2024 his appointment is a
testament to his significant experience and expertise in economic affairs and
taxation matters.
4.11 April – World Parkinson’s Day: World Parkinson’s Day is
celebrated every year on 11 April.
World
Parkinson’s Disease Day aims to support people with Parkinson’s disease and
their caregivers, who often face severe difficulties in managing the
Parkinson’s disease’s physical, emotional, and social effects. Parkinson’s
Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that mainly targets the
nervous system and affects the parts of the body controlled by nerves. Nerve
cell damage in the brain leads to decrease in Dopamine levels – this leads to
Parkinson’s Disease. Some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease are tremors,
slow movement, stiffness and loss of balance. Parkinson’s Disease usually start
slow, with tremors that are hardly visible.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Mendis and Bouchier named ICC Players of the Month for
March 2024: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has
revealed the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month award winners for
March 2024. Kamindu Mendis claims the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award
after his historic efforts at the crease helped Sri Lanka comfortably win the
first Test in their ICC World Test Championship showdown against Bangladesh in
Sylhet. England’s Maia Bouchier won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month prize
thanks to a sparkling series of scores in New Zealand as the tourists secured a
statement 4-1 T20I series win in March.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. ICICI Lombard ties up with Policybazaar to offer
insurance products: ICICI Lombard
General Insurance Company has partnered with Policybazaar to offer products on the
platform. The collaboration aims to provide insurance solutions to
Indian consumers through Policybazaar’s reach. The partnership grants access to
nearly 10 million customers, offering insurance products including motor,
health, travel, home and business insurance.
2. General Insurance industry grows 12.78% in FY24: The general
insurance industry reported a growth of 12.78% in FY24, the
pace of expansion slowing from a year before on a decline in agri insurance. In
FY23, the insurance industry had reported a growth rate exceeding 16%. However,
there was a slowdown in FY24 largely due to the performance of crop insurance. Specialised
insurer AIC reported a decline of 32% in growth due to the slowdown in
agriculture insurance. Excluding specialised insurers like AIC, the industry
saw a growth rate of 16.22%. The total industry premium reached Rs 2.89 lakh
crore, an increase from Rs 2.56 lakh crore in the previous period.
3. PhonePe partners with eSewa to promote UPI in Nepal: Fintech firm
PhonePe has partnered with
Nepal’s digital wallet service eSewa and the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN)
Pokhara to promote
digital payments through UPI on the Himalayan country’s payment
processor Fonepay Network. The partnership is a part of the Fewa New Year
Festival which will be held from April 11-14 in Nepal. Over 3,000 merchants
will participate in the festival with more than 1,00,000 visitors expected to
visit. It will run on-ground activation aimed at raising awareness about
digital payments among local merchants while demonstrating the convenience of
digital payments for customers.
4. ADB raises India’s FY25 GDP growth forecast to 7%: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised India’s GDP growth forecast for the current
fiscal to 7 percent from 6.7 percent earlier. ADB said, India’s robust
growth will be driven by its investment in public and private sectors and an
improvement in consumer demand. For the 2025-26 fiscal, ADB has projected India’s growth at 7.2
percent. The growth estimates for the current fiscal is lower than 7.6
percent estimated GDP expansion in 2022-23 fiscal.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Chandrayaan 3 team of ISRO receives John L Jack Swigert Jr Award: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chandrayaan -3 mission team was awarded 2024 John L “Jack” Swigert, Jr, Award for Space Exploration by the US-based Space Foundation. This award is given by the US-based non-profit organisation Space Foundation to honour a space agency, company, or consortium of organisations in the realm of space exploration and discovery. The Indian Consul General of India in Houston, D C Manjunath, received the 2024 John L “Jack” Swigert, Jr, Award for Space Exploration Award on behalf of the ISRO’s Chandrayaan -3 team.
No comments:
Post a Comment