NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Piyush Goyal launches CII’s Ease of Doing Business and Regulatory Affairs Portal: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, has launched the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and Regulatory Affairs Portal in a bid to enhance transparency and facilitate feedback on India’s business environment.The portal, unveiled during the 2nd DPIIT-CII National Conference on Ease of Doing Business, aims to provide real-time updates on key initiatives led by the government and CII, empowering users to track progress and resolve concerns effectively.The government’s approach to Ease of Doing Business is rooted in cooperative federalism and aims to make business processes smoother for both entrepreneurs and citizens.
2. SBI Funds Management appoints Nand Kishore as MD & CEO: SBI Funds Management has appointed Nand Kishore as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer. He will take over from Shamsher Singh.Kishore was Deputy Managing Director (Global Markets) at SBI’s Corporate Centre in Mumbai, where he oversaw the bank’s treasury operations.Kishore has over 34 years of experience working with SBI across major banking verticals such as Branch Banking, International Operations, Treasury Operations and Investment Banking, Corporate Banking and Retail Operations.He began his career at the SBI as a Probationary Officer in 1990 and moved up the ranks to become Deputy Managing Director.
3. Hemant Soren sworn in as the Jharkhand Chief Minister for 4th time: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren was sworn in as the chief minister of Jharkhand for the fourth time.
Governor Santosh Kumar Ganagwar administered the oath of office and secrecy as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand in a ceremony at Ranchi’s Morabadi Ground.This is the fourth time Hemant Soren has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He was first sworn in on 13 July 2013 and remained in office until 28 December 2014. His second term was from 2019- 31 January 2024, and his third term was from 4 July—28 November 2024.He broke the record of his father, Shibu Soren, who was also the Chief Minister of Jharkhand three times.During the recently held Jharkhand Legislative Assembly election, Hemant Soren led the INDIA alliance to a thumping majority. The INDIA alliance won 56 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly.
4. Masato Kanda elected as new President of ADB: Masato Kanda, former top currency diplomat for Japan, was elected as 11th president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).Kanda, 59, currently serves as special advisor to Japan’s prime minister and minister of finance.He will assume office on Feb 24, 2025, succeeding Masatsugu Asakawa, who will leave office on Feb 23 next year.Kanda will complete the unexpired term of Asakawa, which ends on Nov 23, 2026.
5. DRA signs up Rashmika Mandanna as brand ambassador: Chennai-based real estate developer, DRA has signed on actress Rashmika Mandanna, as its brand ambassador.The company, which has so far developed 10 million sq ft of (mostly) residential space in Chennai, expects to add 2.7 m sq ft from its nine ongoing and six upcoming projects.Rashmika, who co-starred with Amitabh Bacchan, Goodbye, will help in this effort.The actor has endorsed many brands and products, such as McDonald’s, Kalyan Jewellers, Bisk Farm, Cashify and Dabur Honey and in 2023 was the first Indian ambassador to the Japanese fashion brand Onitsuka Tiger.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. IIT Guwahati to host 2024 India International Science Festival: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati will celebrate India International Science Festival (IISF) 2024 from November 30 to December 3 in Guwahati.The theme of this 10th edition of IISF is “Transforming India into an S&T-driven Global Manufacturing Hub”. It reflects the government’s aim to merge science and technology with industrial growth, making India a global leader in manufacturing.The India International Science Festival is organised by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology and the Union Ministry of Earth Science in association with Vijnana Bharati.The various departments of the Ministry of Science and Technology—the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), and Department of Biotechnology (DBT)—are involved in the India International Science Festival.
2. Kaziranga National Park hosted the 12th International Tourism Mart 2024: The 12th International Tourism Mart was held in the UNESCO World Heritage site Kaziranga National Park, Assam.Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the 12th International Tourism Mart.The International Tourism Mart will highlight the vast potential of tourism in the North-Eastern Region to domestic and international audiences and bring together the Tourism and hospitality industry stakeholders to promote tourism in the region.Kaziranga National Park is celebrating its 50th anniversary of being declared a national park.The International Tourism Mart has been organised by the Union Ministry of Tourism every year since 2013.
3. 29 November – International Jaguar Day: International Jaguar Day is celebrated every year on November 29, aims to highlight the growing dangers to jaguars and the urgent need for their protection.These big cats, known as the largest in the Americas and key to preserving biodiversity and cultural heritage in Central and South America, are also crucial to the Amazon Rainforest and the third largest cat predator globally.In 2020, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) started a plan to help jaguars grow in number and protect their homes by 2030. At the United Nations in New York in March 2018, leaders from 14 countries with jaguar habitats came together for the Jaguar 2030 Forum.This meeting led to the Jaguar 2030 Statement, which detailed many joint efforts to save jaguars, including the idea for an International Jaguar Day.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Army launches ‘Eklavya’ online digital platform for officers’ training: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi has launched an online learning platform for the Indian Army nicknamed as “Eklavya”.This initiative aligns with the Indian Army propelling itself into the “Decade of Transformation” as envisioned by the COAS and also with Indian Army’s theme for 2024 as the “Year of Technology Absorption,”.The Eklavya software platform has been developed under the aegis of Headquarters Army Training Command with Army War College as the sponsor agency. The platform has been developed at zero cost through “Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics” (BISAG-N), Gandhinagar, along with support from Directorate General of Information Systems.Student officers are permitted to register for multiple courses simultaneously. A total of 96 courses by 17 Category ‘A’ Training Establishments of the Indian Army have already been hosted on the platform.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Indian Navy successfully Test fires K-4 Missile from INS Arighaat: Indian Navy has successfully tested a nuclear-capable K-4 missile from its nuclear-powered submarine INS Arighaat. The INS Arighaat submarine can carry four K-4 missiles.The Indian Navy commissioned its second nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arighat, on 29 August 2024. The first nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant, was inducted in November 2017.INS Arihant can carry only one K-4 missile.K-4 is a nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) developed by theDefence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).The missile is in the user trial phase before its final induction on INS Arihant/INS Arighaat. It is the second SLBM to be developed by the DRDO.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. SBI raises ₹50,000 crore via bonds in FY25: State Bank of India (SBI) has raised ₹50,000 crore through domestic bonds so far during FY25.The bond issuances include ₹30,000 crore in long-term, tier 2 bonds worth ₹15,000 crore and AT1 bonds amounting to ₹5000 crore.The bank garnered Rs 5,000 crore AT1 Bonds, Rs 15,000 crore Tier 2 Bonds and Rs 30,000 crore Long Term Bonds till date during FY25 at a very competitive rate.The country’s biggest lender State Bank of India earlier this month had raised Rs 10,000 crore through its seventh infrastructure bond issuance.All these issues have attracted overwhelming responses from investors and were oversubscribed by more than 2 times against the respective base issue size.These bonds are of 15-year tenor except for the AT1 Bonds which is perpetual.
2. SEBI pushes for interoperability between NSE and BSE during outages from April 1: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has announced the interoperability of stock exchanges to ensure business continuity in the face of a technical glitch or an outag The interoperability for cash, derivatives, currency derivatives, and interest rate derivatives will be effective from April 1, 2025.Upon discussion with exchanges, it has been decided that, to begin with, the NSE would act as an alternative trading venue for the BSE and vice-versa.Stock exchanges have been directed to issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding it in the next two months.Traders would be able to hedge their open positions by taking offsetting positions in identical or correlated indices on other exchanges.
3. Ideal Insurance Brokers Join Hands with Riskcovry to Launch Digital Insurance Platform: Ideal Insurance Brokers, one of India’s leading insurance broking firms, has partnered with insurtech platform Riskcovry to introduce a state-of-the-art digital insurance distribution platform. This collaboration significantly shifts from traditional offline processes to a fully digital and customer-centric approach.The partnership equips Ideal Insurance with a comprehensive digital suite, providing its team with instant access to a wide range of insurers and products through an intuitive dashboard. Key features include real-time business tracking via robust MIS and reporting tools and streamlined workflows that minimize manual tasks and operational errors.
No comments:
Post a Comment