NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Nidhi Jain appointed as CVO of Cotton Corporation of India: The Central Government has approved the appointment of Nidhi S Jain (IA&AS) as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Cotton Corporation of India Limited (CCI). She has been appointed to the post for an initial period of three years. Nidhi is an Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) service officer of 2009-batch. Presently, she is posted as Director of Audit (Environment & Scientific Departments), Branch office, Mumbai.
2. Prof Naima Khatoon become the first women VC of AMU: Professor Naima Khatoon has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The Ministry of Education appointed Khatoon after receiving approval from President Droupadi Murmu, who serves as the Visitor of the university. With that, AMU has also become the third central university to have a woman Vice-Chancellor. While Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit is is the current VC of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Najma Akhtar completed her tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia in 2023.
3. 24 April – National Panchayati Raj Day: India celebrates National Panchayati Raj Day every year on 24 April. It marks the creation of the Panchayati Raj System, a way of governing that started in 1993 with the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act. This system gives power to local groups, called Gramme Panchayats, to run their areas and decide how they develop. The Panchayati Raj System is a big step for democracy, especially in rural places. It lets local groups make decisions about their communities. This makes democracy more active, with people taking part in choices that affect them directly.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Reliance Jio emerges as World’s largest mobile operator in data traffic: Reliance Jio become the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic, ahead of China Mobile. The total traffic on the Jio network has reached 40.9 Exabytes, which is a 35.2 percent year-on-year increase. Also, Jio has a very strong and wide subscriber base of 481.8 million. Jio has also become the first Indian company to cross the ₹100,000-crore threshold in pre-tax profits. The annual data traffic has dramatically increased by 2.4 times since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the monthly per capita data usage has skyrocketed to 28.7 GB from just 13.3 GB three years ago.
2. Air India signed codeshare pact with Japan’s All Nippon Airways: Air India has entered into a codeshare partnership with Japan’s All Nippon Airways. With the codeshare, effective for travel from May 23, Air India and All Nippons Airways passengers can fly to their desired destination by combining those flights between India and Japan with a single ticket. Air India will add its ‘AI’ designator code on ANA’s flights between Tokyo Haneda and Delhi as well as Tokyo Narita and Mumbai. ANA will add its ‘NH’ designator code on Air India’s flight between Tokyo Narita and Delhi.
3. India’s Gita Sabharwal Appointed as UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Gita Sabharwal of India as the United Nations resident coordinator in Indonesia. Sabharwal, brings close to 30 years of experience in development supporting climate transition, sustainable peace, governance and social policy, while leveraging digital technology and data to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Previously, Sabharwal served as the UN resident coordinator in Thailand and as peacebuilding and development adviser for the United Nations in Sri Lanka.
4. 24-30 April – World Immunization Week: Every year for World Immunization Week, the last week of April (24-30 April), the global immunization community celebrates the lifesaving power of vaccines. The day also aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Theme 2024 – Humanly Possible In May 2012, the World Health Assembly, the body that makes decisions for the World Health Organization (WHO), approved World Immunisation Week. More than 180 nations took part in the inaugural World Immunisation Week, which was held in 2012.
5. 24 April – International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace: International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace is observed every year on 24 April. This day aims to promote the principles of multilateralism and diplomacy in resolving global challenges and conflicts. The Day acknowledges the use of multilateral decision-making and diplomacy in achieving peaceful resolutions to conflicts among nations. The first International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace was celebrated on April 24, 2019. It was first proposed by the delegation of Azerbaijan to the United Nations in 2018 as a way to promote and reinforce the principles of multilateralism and diplomacy in international affairs.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Saurav Ghosal retires from Professional Squash: India’s finest men’s squash player Saurav Ghosal has announced his retirement from professional squash after completing a glittering 22-year journey although he would continue representing the country at multi-discipline events for some more time. Besides winning two gold medals in team events of Incheon and Hangzhou Asian Games, Ghosal has three Commonwealth Games medals and also bagged the yellow metal in the 2022 World Doubles Championships in mixed doubles in Glasgow. Kolkata-born Ghosal also remains the only Indian man to reach the world’s top 10, achieving that career-high ranking in April 2019 and spending six months there.
2. Yuzvendra Chahal becomes first bowler with historic 200 IPL wickets: Yuzvendra Chahal became the first bowler to pick up 200 wickets in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The leg-spinner accomplished the milestone in RR’s match against Hardik Pandya’s MI at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Chahal has been an asset for the Royals since he joined them in the 2022 edition of the T20 league. in 2022, the veteran won the Purple Cap when RR finished as the runners-up after losing to Gujarat in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. BharatPe launches all-in-one payment device BharatPe One: BharatPe has launched a payments device that combines point of sale (POS), QR code, and speaker functionalities. The payments startup will introduce BharatPe One in some 100 cities and expand to another 450 in six months.
BharatPe One will streamline transactions for merchants, offering versatile payment acceptance options including dynamic and static QR codes, POS, and speaker capabilities, said the company.
The device is part of BharatPe’s suite of simple, easy-to-use, and secure fintech products, which includes payments and business loans for its merchant partners.
2. Indian Bank ties up with Tata Solar Power to finance Central Rooftop Solar scheme: Indian Bank has entered into a strategic partnership with Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd. (TPSSL) to boost solar energy adoption by providing financial support to residential consumers for installations. The collaboration aims to provide financial support under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana scheme for installations up to 3 KW, and from 3-10 KW under the regular scheme. Residential consumers can avail loans up to ₹2 lakh at an annual interest rate of 7%, with a nominal margin money requirement of 10% and collateral-free financing. The repayment tenure is 10 years.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Puravankara bags CIDC Vishwakarma Award for Social Development and Impact: Puravankara Limited, one of India’s most trusted and admired real estate developers, has bagged the Achievement Award for Creating Social Development and Impact at the 15th Edition of the Vishwakarma Awards, hosted by the Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC). CIDC is a joint initiative by the Niti Aayog and the Indian construction industry. The award recognises Puravankara’s exemplary efforts in driving positive change through its impactful campaigns, particularly its collaboration with the Biome Environmental Trust in rejuvenating heritage wells as part of the “Million Wells for Bengaluru” campaign.
2. Cillian Murphy won 21st Irish Film & Television Awards 2024: The Oscar-nabbing success of Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture winner, Cillian Murphy emerged victorious once again at the 21st annual Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTAs), held in Dublin. The actor secured the coveted Best Actor award for his portrayal of the titular American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, which swept up a majority of the award season last year. The awards ceremony, held at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre and hosted by Baz Ashmawy, celebrated excellence in Irish cinema and television honouring established talents and emerging stars alike.
3. Medanta Gurugram ranks on Newsweek’s 2024 list of the ‘World’s Best Hospitals’: Medanta – The Medicity, Gurugram operated by Global Health Limited has once again been named as the best private hospital in India by the prestigious ‘Newsweek – World’s Best Hospitals 2024’ rankings. This is the fifth consecutive year that Medanta has achieved the status as the best private hospital in India. Medanta also remains the only private hospital from India to feature in the top 250 hospitals of the world.
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