NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Vandita Kaul appointed as Secretary, Department of Posts: Senior Bureaucrat Vandita Kaul has been appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Posts. She will succeed Vineet Pandey upon his superannuation. Kaul, a 1989-batch Indian Postal Service officer, currently serves as Member (Banking & Direct Benefit Transfer) of the Postal Services Board.
2. UPSC 2023 results: 1,016 candidates recommended for appointment: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced the results of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) for the year 2023 on April 16, 2024. A total of 1,016 candidates were recommended for various prestigious government services such as the Indian Administrative
3. Indians Permitted to Hedge Gold Price Risk Overseas Markets: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed Indian residents to hedge their gold price risk on recognised exchanges in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). Governor Shaktikanta Das announced the decision during the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting where the ..
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Indian Govt Gifts 35 Ambulances and 66 School Buses in Nepal: The India government gifted 35 ambulances and 66 school buses to various organizations, spread across different districts of Nepal, and working in the field of health and education respectively. The keys of the vehicles were handed over by Naveen Srivastava, Ambassador of India to Nepal in the presence of Barsha Man Pun, Finance Minister, Government of Nepal. Out of the total 101 vehicles gifted, 2 ambulances were handed over on location in the earthquake-affected Jajarkot and West Rukum districts by the representative of the Embassy of India in the presence of district officials and local residents.
2. 2nd edition of Janakpurdham Cultural Festival held in Nepal: The 2nd edition of the Janakpurdham Cultural Festival was organized by the Embassy of India in Nepal coinciding with the Bikram Sambat Nepali New Year 2081. The festival was held at the Mahendranarayan Nidhi Mithila Cultural Center in Janakpur and comprised two sessions. Saroj Kumar Yadav, Chief Minister of Madhesh Province, inaugurated the first session of the Festival as the Chief Guest. In a keynote address by Haribans Jha on ‘Jaanaki Lila,’ it was mentioned that the religious book Sitayan is worth reading, even though it is not as popular as Ramayan.
3. Delhi Airport among top 10 Busiest Airports in World: The Airports Council International (ACI) World, a global organization which measures and assesses airport standards–ranked Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport as the tenth busiest airport in the world in 2023. The IGI Airport was ranked 9th in 2022, 13th in 2021, and as the 17th busiest airport in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic. The IGI airport in the capital handled 7.22 crore passengers annually. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States held the top rank with 10.46 crore passengers.
4. 15 April – World Art Day: World Art Day (WAD) is celebrated every year on 15 April. The day was established in order to reinforce the link between artistic productions and society, raise awareness of the variety of artistic expressions, and highlight the contributions of artists to sustainable development. Theme 2024 – A Garden of Expression: Cultivating Community Through Art The history of World Art Day dates back to 2012, when the International Association of Art (IAA) held a special ceremony in Guadalajara, Mexico, to celebrate the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci.
5. 16 April – World Voice Day: World Voice Day is celebrated every year on April 16. Objective – To raise awareness about the importance of the human voice and vocal health. Theme 2024 – Educate. Celebrate The first World Voice Day was celebrated in 1999, with events held in over 50 countries.
6. 16 April – Save the Elephant Day: Save the Elephant Day is celebrated every year on 16 April. Objective – To raise awareness for these majestic creatures and take action to protect their future. This day was created in 2012 by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to shine a light on the threats facing elephants, such as poaching and loss of habitat. Elephants are known for their intelligence, social bonds, and their important role in maintaining ecosystem balance.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. DRDO & Indian Army conduct successful trials of MPATGM weapon system: The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) carried out successful trials of the Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) Weapon System at Pokhran Field Firing Range, Rajasthan The Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) Weapon System was indigenously designed and developed by DRDO. It consists of MPATGM, the Man Portable Launcher, the Target Acquisition System (TAS), and the Fire Control Unit (FCU). An adequate number of missile firing trials have been successfully conducted towards achieving compliance with the complete operational envelope as stipulated in the GSQR (Infantry, Indian Army).
SPORTS
1. Radhika wins silver medal at Asian Wrestling Championships 2024: India’s 23-year-old wrestler Radhika has won the silver medal in the women’s 68kg category at the Asian Wrestling Championships 2024 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Radhika defeated Kazakhstan’s Albina Kairgeldinova 12-2 in the quarter-finals before securing a 2-0 win over Gulnura Tashtanbekova of Kyrgyzstan in the semis to enter the gold medal bout. Shivanee Pawar also won the bronze medal in the women’s 50kg weight class. Pushpa Yadav and Priya returned empty-handed after failing to win their bronze medal matches in the 59kg and 76kg weight categories, respectively.
2. Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee becomes third batsman to hit six sixes in an over: Nepal’s hard-hitting Dipendra Singh Airee became the third batter to smash six sixes in an over in T20 internationals in Al Amerat. Airee achieved the feat against hosts Qatar during the ongoing ACC Men’s Premier Cup T20 International fixture in Al Amerat. Thus, Airee joined an elite company of Yuvraj Singh (against Stuart Broad during T20 World Cup 2007) and Kieron Pollard (against Sri Lanka’s Akila Dananjaya in 2021) as batters with six maximums in one over.
3. Tsitsipas win Monte Carlo Masters for the third time: Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece swept aside Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 to win the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters for the third time in four years.
The 12th-ranked Greek, who will return to top 10, also won the title in the principality in 2021 and 2022. He is the fifth man to win three or more Monte Carlo titles, joining Rafael Nadal (11) and Bjorn Borg, Thomas Muster and Ilie Nastase who won three apiece.
4. Travis Head smashes the fourth-fastest hundred in IPL history: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Travis Head scripted history, smashing the fourth-fastest hundred in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history. Batting against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Australian batter notched up the maiden century in the cash-rich league, surpassing Adam Gilchrist’s 42-ball hundred against MI in 2008. Opening the batting for Hyderabad, Head went off on an absolute carnage, reaching a century in 39 deliveries with the help of nine fours and eight sixes.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. SPACE India appoints Sanjana Sanghi as its Brand Ambassador: Sanjana Sanghi has been appointed as Brand Ambassador of SPACE India. Sanjana Sanghi is a rising young Bollywood star and UNDP Youth Champion. Her commitment to social activism and advocacy for education make her the ideal fit for this role at SPACE India and SPACE Arcade. SPACE India is the registered Space Tutor of ISRO, creating impact through its education and outreach programs for schools that involve students’ participation in national and international competitions for citizen science projects with ISRO and NASA.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Wholesale inflation rises to 3-month high of 0.53% in March: India’s wholesale price index-based inflation accelerated to 0.53 per cent in March on an annual basis, its highest level in three months, as against 0.20 per cent in February, data from the Commerce Ministry. This inflation was primarily attributed to increased prices in food articles, electricity, crude petroleum & natural gas, machinery & equipment, and other manufacturing sectors. Last week, India’s retail inflation data was released which showed that it eased to 4.85 per cent on an annual basis in March as against 5.09 per cent in the previous month.
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