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A Pandemic That Is Out Of Control India is suffering the world’s worst Covid-19 crisis. The current situation in India — call it a nightmare, a challenge, mayhem, a carnage, or an apocalypse — will end someday after destroying millions of lives and livelihoods. On May 1 this year, India’s daily COVID-19 case tally hit a grim global record with 4,01,993 fresh infections in the last 24 hours and 3,523 deaths reported. The third phase of the world’s largest vaccination drive also started on May 1 amid chaos as several states have flagged a shortage. India recorded over four lakh cases for the first time after reporting 3 lakh daily infections for nine straight days. When cases started declining, people just broke out of the protocol of wearing a face mask, washing hands regularly and maintaining social-physical distance. Gatherings began becoming large particularly January 2021 onwards. Rules were relaxed. Penalties were not enforced. The pattern was seen across the country allowing the novel coronavirus to create a second and possibly stronger wave. The political class is guilty of holding huge political rallies in the middle of a raging pandemic. The current outbreak of COVID-19 that has gripped Maharashtra started immediately after intensive local campaigning for Panchayat elections across the state throughout January 2021. West Bengal is already showing a huge spike in the number of fresh cases following huge rallies by various political parties. The queues outside polling booths and gatherings at the election rallies of all the parties defied Covid-19 protocol. This sent a confusing message to the public and also the grassroots-level functionaries of the government. It weakened the vigil against the pandemic. Increased testing is another reason why India is detecting more cases in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In mid-February, our daily caseload was at its lowest, fewer than 11,000 per day. But mutant viruses were already circulating at low levels before then. Sequencing data now tells us that what we’re calling the Double Mutant variant — the technical name is B.1.617 — was already seen in December, but it was very minor and nobody really paid attention to it. That, and the introduction of the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7) into India in January, finally caught up with us and led to the surge that started from about the third week of February. In Punjab almost 80% the virus circulating is the U.K. variant. And it’s the same is in Haryana, the neighboring state. But in Delhi, we have the U.K. variant and the Double Mutant, both. In Maharashtra, there’s more of the Double Mutant, up from 15% to 20% in February to roughly 35% to 60% now, depending upon where you look. The provisions of the Epidemic Act are still in force throughout the country, and there are restrictions on mass gatherings in most states. However, the restrictions have been repeatedly, blatantly and publicly violated. The health system has broken down, with scarcities in everything from hospital beds to oxygen. Hopefully, the situation will be under control with supply bottlenecks being addressed, and also importing oxygen concentrators from abroad. However, the progress in vaccinations needs to be ramped up significantly if we have to win the fight against COVID-19. In Mumbai, only 1 out of 4 vaccination centres open (37 open, 95 shut) due to shortage of vaccine. This does not bode well. Mass vaccination is the only safe and reliable method to end the pandemic without significant mortality. All those above the age of 18 will be eligible to get vaccinated. This will cover an approximate populace of 84 crore. To get them vaccinated with two doses (most vaccines in world are two doses) we need to have 168 crore doses. The vaccination in India started on January 16 this year. So far we have administered around 14 crore doses (12 crore first doses and 2 crore second doses). At this pace, it will take years for India to get vaccinated. This is a national disaster and the national government should drive the initiative. So far, we have vaccinated only 2% with both doses. Let's put our best foot forward and ensure that a reasonably large proportion of our eligible population gets vaccinated by August 15th, so that from the ramparts of Red Fort, we can declare our independence from COVID-19.
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ECONOMY RBI RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 4% The six-member monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headed by Governor Shaktikanta Das, has decided to keep key lending rates unchanged for the fifth consecutive time, in its April 2021 policy review meeting held between April 5 to 7, 2021. The policy rates are as follows: Repo rate : 4 % Reverse repo rate : 3.35 % Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate : 4.25 % Bank Rate : 4.25 % CRR : 3.50 % SLR : 18.00 % Meanwhile, the GDP growth of India is projected at 10.5 % in financial year 2021-22. RBI deputy governor BP Kanungo retired Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Deputy Governor BP Kanungo has stepped down as his term ended on 2 April 2021. His term was set to expire in April 2020 but was given a one-year extension with effect from 3 April 2020. Reserve Bank of India (RBI): Governor: Shaktikanta Das Deputy Governors: MK Jain, MD Patra, and M Rajeshwar Rao RBI issues guidelines for appointment of statutory auditors of banks, NBFCs The Reserve Bank of India issued guidelines for appointment of statutory auditors of banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), including housing finance companies. It will be applicable for financial year 2021-22 and onwards. However, non-deposit taking NBFCs with asset size below Rs 1,000 crore have the option to continue with their extant procedure. Banks and UCBs will be required to take prior approval of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for appointment/reappointment of SCAs/SAs, on an annual basis. For entities with an asset size of Rs 15,000 crore and above as at the end of previous year, statutory audit should be conducted under joint audit of a minimum of two audit firms. All other entities should appoint a minimum of one audit firm for conducting statutory audit. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra Formation: 1 April 1935 Governor: Shaktikanta Das Deputy Governors: MK Jain, MD Patra, M Rajeshwar Rao. Subsidiaries: Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran (BRBNM) Reserve Bank of India caps tenure of private bank CEOs at 15 years RBI has issued instructions on governance for banks. The instructions are meant for private sector banks, small finance banks (SFBs) and wholly owned subsidiaries of foreign banks. Foreign banks operating as branches in India will not come under the instructions issued by RBI. The instructions have come into effect from the date of issue of the circular. But, banks have been allowed to comply with instructions by October 01, 2021. As per RBI, the same incumbent cannot hold the post of MD & CEO or whole time director for more than 15 years. MD & CEO or whole time director who is also a promoter/ major shareholder cannot hold posts for more than 12 years. RBI has said that individuals will be eligible for reappointment on the post of MD & CEO or whole time director after a minimum gap of three years. Individuals will be eligible for reappointment if the board considers the reappointment necessary and desirable. RBI has allowed the upper age limit for MD & CEO and whole time director to continue at 70 years. Boards of banks can prescribe a lower retirement age for MD & CEO and whole time director.
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RBI imposed Rs 40 lakh penalty on Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of 40 lakhs on Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank, Shimla, for non-compliance with certain regulatory directions issued by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development). The penalty has been imposed for non-compliance with regulatory directions issued by NABARD contained in ‘Review of Frauds – Guidelines on Monitoring and Reporting System’. RBI cancelled licence of Bhagyodaya Friends Urban Co-operative Bank Limited due to inadequate capital The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Maharashtra-based Bhagyodaya Friends Urban Co- operative Bank Limited due to inadequate capital. On liquidation, every depositor is entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to a monetary ceiling of Rs 5 lakhs from the DICGC subject to the provisions of the DICGC Act, 1961. RBI allows commercial banks to pay up to 50% of pre-Covid dividends The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxed the dividend payout norms of commercial banks and allowed them to pay up to 50 per cent of what they paid before Covid from the profits for the fiscal ended March 31, 2021. For FY20, the RBI had asked banks not to make any dividend payment on equity shares from the profits in view of the ongoing stress and heightened uncertainty on account of Covid-19. For co-operative banks, all the restrictions on dividends have been removed. RBI has Cancelled Licence of Sambandh Finserve Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a show-cause notice prior to cancelling the licence of fraud-hit Sambandh Finserve Pvt Ltd. after its networth eroded below the regulatory minimum and financial situation worsened beyond redemption over the recent months. RBI celebrated its 86th Foundation Day on 1 April 2021 The Reserve Bank of India is India’s central bank and regulatory body under the jurisdiction of Union Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The Reserve Bank of India was established on 1 April 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The Central Office of the bank was initially established in Kolkata but was permanently moved to Mumbai in 1937. The first meeting Central Board of the Committee was held on 10 April 1935 in Calcutta. The first governor of RBI was Sir Osborne Smith (Australian), who was appointed on 1 April 1935. RBI enhances Loan limit under Priority Sector Lending against eNWR/NWR from Rs.50 lakh to Rs.75 lakh The Reserve Bank of India has enhanced the loan limit from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 75 lakh per borrower against the pledge/hypothecation of agricultural produce backed by NWRs/(e-NWRs) issued by warehouses registered and regulated by WDRA. This has been done to encourage farm credit to individual farmers against pledge/hypothecation of agricultural produce and leverage the inherent safety of Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (NWRs)/electronic- NWRs(e-NWRs) issued by the warehouses registered and regulated by Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA). The Priority Sector loan limit backed by other Warehouse Receipts will continue to be Rs.50 lakh per borrower. RBI enhanced maximum balance limit per account in Payments Banks from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh The Reserve Bank of India has enhanced the limit of maximum balance at end of the day maintained in Payments Bank from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per individual customer. The step has been taken to encourage the efforts of Payments Bank for financial inclusion and to expand their ability to cater to the needs of their customers, including MSMEs, small traders and merchants. RBI to release Financial Inclusion Index (FI Index) annually The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will periodically publish a “Financial Inclusion Index” (FI Index) annually in July for the financial year ending previous March. The FI Index will measure the extent of financial inclusion in the country. RBI extended fresh support of Rs. 50,000 crore to NABARD, NHB, SIDBI The Reserve Bank of India has decided to extend fresh support of Rs.50,000 crore to the All India Financial Institutions for new lending in FY22. This would help support the continued flow of credit to the economy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and to nurture the still-nascent growth impulses. NABARD will be provided a special liquidity facility (SLF) of Rs.25,000 crore for one year to support agriculture and allied activities, the rural non-farm sector and non-banking financial companies-micro finance institutions (NBFC-MFIs).
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SLF of Rs.10,000 crore will be extended to the National Housing Bank for one year to support the housing sector. SIDBI will be provided Rs.15,000 crore under this facility for up to one year for funding of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). All these three facilities will be available at the prevailing policy repo rate RBI to conduct open market purchase of government securities of Rs. 1 lakh crore under the G-SAP 1.0 Programme The Reserve Bank of India has announced to conduct open market purchase of government securities of Rs 1 lakh crore under the G-sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP 1.0) in the first quarter of 2021-22. The objective of this is to have a stable and orderly evolution of the yield curve. Under this scheme the first purchase of government securities for an aggregate amount of Rs. 25,000 crore under G-SAP 1.0 will be conducted on April 15, 2021.
SBI SBI Caps to be transaction advisor for privatisation of JNPT’s container terminal State-run Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has hired SBI Caps Ltd to act as transaction advisor for the privatisation of the container terminal run by the port authority itself. The plan to privatise the terminal through the public-private-partnership (PPP) route was cleared by the port’s board of trustees in December and is currently being vetted by the standing finance committee (SFC) in the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways. After clearance from the SFC, the PPP project will have to be signed off by the minister after which JNPT will issue a global tender. SBI General Insurance partnered with Uttarbanga Kshetriya Gramin Bank for Corporate Agency Agreement SBI General Insurance and Uttarbanga Kshetriya Gramin Bank signed a Corporate Agency Agreement to enable distribution of SBI General’s retail products through Uttarbanga Kshetriya Gramin Bank’s extensive network in the state of West Bengal. Under this strategic tie-up agreement, SBI General Insurance will offer a comprehensive range of general insurance products. SBI MF became first mutual fund company to cross Rs 5 lakh crore AAUM SBI Funds Management Pvt. Ltd has informed that it has become the first mutual fund house in India to cross the Rs. 5 lakh crore average assets under management (AAUM) mark. SBI MF has seen a growth of 35% during the financial year 2020-21, with its average AUM increasing from Rs 3.73 lakh crore to Rs 5.04 lakh crore.
OTHER BANKS IN NEWS Shivalik Small Finance Bank Limited commenced operations as a Small Finance Bank The UP-based Shivalik Small Finance Bank Limited commenced operations as a Small Finance Bank (SFB) with effect from April 26, 2021. The Reserve Bank has issued a licence to the bank under Section 22 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry on the business of small finance bank in India. Thus, it has become India's first urban co-operative bank (UCB) to transition to a Small Finance Bank (SFB). The in-principal approval gave SMCB 18 months' time to commence the business. Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank Limited was granted in-principle approval for transition into a small finance bank on January 6, 2020, under the “Scheme on voluntary transition of Urban Co-operative Bank into a Small Finance Bank” issued on September 27, 2018. As per the scheme, the minimum net worth of the proposed SFB was set at Rs 100 crore and the minimum capital adequacy ratio of 15 percent from the date of commencement of business. ICICI Bank launched ‘Merchant Stack’ a digital and contactless banking platform for merchants ICICI Bank launched its ‘Merchant Stack’, a set of the country’s most comprehensive digital banking services specially curated for retail merchants. The array of banking, as well as value-added services, enables merchants, grocers, super markets, large retail store chains, online businesses and large e-commerce firms to meet their banking requirements seamlessly so that they can continue to serve their customers in challenging times during the pandemic. This initiative is in line with the Bank’s principle of ‘Business with Care’. They can avail of these facilities instantly, on InstaBIZ, the Bank’s mobile banking application for businesses. ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India)
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Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra MD and CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khyal Apka Indian Bank signed an MoU with BSNL to provide seamless telecom services Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Bank to provide seamless telecom services to the Bank at competitive rates. Indian Bank Headquarter: Chennai, Tamil Nadu MD and CEO: Padmaja Chunduru Axis Direct Launched a Revolutionary mobile application – Axis Direct RING Axis Direct – the flagship brand of Axis Securities, a fully-owned subsidiary of Axis Bank, announced the launch of a revolutionary mobile app- ‘Axis Direct RING’ to make investment in stock markets simple, fast, and rewarding. BOB Financial & Mastercard Join Hands to Simplify Digital Payments Mastercard and BOB Financial Solutions Limited (BFSL) have come togetherto offer an easy, frictionless payment solution for cardholders with the launch of ConQR - a Mastercard QR on card solution. This solution uses a Mastercard patented technology that enables cardholders or SMEs to accept cashless payments using their cards. QR on the card makes payments more flexible and empowers cardholders (mainly small merchants) to spend and earn on the same card. The solution does not require cardholders to give out personally identifiable information to receive payments, providing them with an important layer of security. Indian Bank in pact with Chennai Angels for start-up financing Indian Bank has signed an agreement with The Chennai Angles for financing start-ups under its loan programme, ‘IND Spring Board. Under this product, the bank will support start-ups by extending credit facilities of up to ₹50 crore for working capital requirements and also fund term loan requirements for acquiring fixed assets for their unit. Indian Overseas Bank appoints Ernst & Young as its digital consultant Chennai-headquartered Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) had roped in Ernst & Young as its digital consultant to transform its banking services, intending to boost digital transaction share. This initiative would help the bank accelerate digitalisation in all the areas of banking, including its assets and liability products, and services. HDFC Entered Into Co-Lending Partnership With Indiabulls Housing Finance Indiabulls Housing Finance (IBH) and mortgage lender HDFC Limited had entered into a strategic co-lending partnership to offer housing loans at competitive rates. In November last year, the Reserve Bank came out with a Co-Lending Model (CLM) scheme, under which banks can provide loans along with NBFCs to priority sector borrowers based on a prior agreement. South Africa’s FirstRand Bank To Exit India After 12 Years FirstRand Bank, South Africa’s second-largest bank with $118 billion in assets is the latest foreign bank to completely exit India ending almost 12 years of trying to build a local franchise in the country. First Rand India is a licensed financial services provider in India and operates as a “branch” of FirstRand Bank South Africa. Punjab National Bank Signed An MOU With SwitchON For Solar Pump Financing SwitchON Foundation had partnered with Punjab National Bank for the promotion of solar pumps. A First Loss Default Guarantee Fund had been set up by SwitchON Foundation through which Punjab National Bank financed solar pumps. This partnership is extremely important in creating an ecosystem for encouraging the large-scale deployment of solar pumps. Central Bank Of India Launched Deposit Scheme To Boost COVID-19 Vax Drive In order to encourage people to get COVID-19 jabs, state-run Central Bank of India has launched a special deposit scheme offering an additional interest rate of 25 basis points above the applicable card rate for those who get vaccinated. The new product -- Immune India Deposit Scheme -- has a maturity of 1,111 days RBL Bank Partnered Mastercard to launch "Pay by Bank App" The Mumbai-based private lender RBL bank has partnered with Mastercard to launch a mobile app called “Pay by Bank App “.
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The Pay by Bank App is a first -of-its-kind mobile-based customer-friendly payment solution, launched to suit the growing demand for digital, contactless payments to ensure social distancing norms amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Using the new payment solution, the RBL Bank customers will be able to make contactless transactions across the globe, both online and in-store, at all Mastercard accepting merchants across the world. Airtel Payments Bank Unveiled ‘Rewards123’ Savings Account The Airtel Payments Bank has launched a new savings account called ‘Rewards123’ with a special feature under which customers will get certain benefits and value when they transact digitally using the bank account. Key features Customers can easily open or upgrade to Rewards123 through the Airtel Thanks app using Video KYC. Zero minimum balance, and free Platinum Online Mastercard Debit Card. Offers regular benefits throughout the year up to Rs 960. Customers can get ‘Rewards123’ at an annual fee of Rs 299 Benefits range from certain cashback per month on payments for prepaid recharges, post-paid, broadband, landline, and DTH bill payments, load money benefits and shopping rewards. Users will get 1% cashback when they load Rs. 1,000 through UPI in their account. However, a maximum of Rs. 10 per month can be availed under of this benefit. U GRO Capital partnered with SBM Bank India to launch credit card for MSMEs U GRO Capital announced its partnership with SBM Bank India for the launch of the GRO Smart Business credit card. It is powered by RuPay, along with EnKash, these are a range of secured credit cards specially designed for under-banked micro, small and medium enterprises. MSMEs eligible for the business loans from U GRO Capital would be extended incremental funds to open an FD account with SBM Bank and the credit card would be offered against the security of an FD maintained by the applicant in his name. AU Small Finance Bank launched Platinum Family Banking Program AU Small Finance Bank had launched a Platinum Family Banking Program which offers facilities of family banking as well as offerings such as preferential pricing, priority processing, onboarding offers, and a complimentary lifetime free debit card. This single point of contact will take care of the entire family’s banking needs, including deposits, investments, loans, insurance, and payments. Family banking offers them the ease of maintaining requisite balance across family member accounts. ICICI Bank and Axis Bank to co-lead NUE with Amazon and Visa as partners Leading private sector lenders ICICI Bank and Axis Bank had tied up with global e-commerce major Amazon and cards major Visa to launch a New Umbrella Entity (NUE) to rival the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which currently delivers services like UPI-based payments. The scope of activities for the NUE as mandated by RBI includes payment systems in the retail space like ATMs, white-label point of sale terminals, Aadhar-based payment systems, and remittance services, operation of clearing and settlement systems for participating banks and non-banks, be interoperable with NPCI, and participate in the Reserve Bank’s payment and settlement systems. ICICI Bank and PhonePe partnered to issue FASTag ICICI Bank and PhonePe announced their partnership for the issuance of FASTag using UPI on the PhonePe App. This integration allows over 280 million registered PhonePe users to order and track the ICICI Bank FASTag conveniently on the app. PhonePe users, who may be customers of any bank will have a fully digitised experience as they don’t have to visit physical stores or toll locations to buy a FASTag. ICICI Bank is the first bank to partner with PhonePe for the issuance of FASTag. National Housing Bank launched ₹10,000-crore Special Refinance Facility (SRF 2021) National Housing Bank (NHB) has rolled out a ₹10,000 crore ‘Special Refinance Facility-2021’ (SRF-2021) to provide short-term refinance support to housing finance companies (HFCs) and other eligible primary lending institutions (PLIs). This facility is expected to meet the short-term liquidity requirements of the PLIs and will also support them for onward lending to individuals to maintain steady growth in the housing finance sector. Deutsche Bank lent Rs. 600 crore to the National Cooperative Development Corporation Leading German lender Deutsche Bank AG lent Rs. 600 crore to the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), a development finance statutory institution under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare for financing farmer co-operative initiatives in the country.
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The funds will be used mainly to support NCDC’s activities around Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). Along with NABARD and Small Farmer Agri-Business Consortium, NCDC is the lead agency for 10,000 new FPOs which will be set up over the next few years in the country. IDFC First Bank offered special banking solution for Assam Rifles personnel IDFC First Bank had signed an MoU with Assam Rifles to offer Honour First, a premium banking solution to serving personnel and veterans of Assam Rifles. Assam Rifles is the oldest paramilitary force of India, instituted in 1835. It comprises 60,000 personnel spread across the North Eastern States with 46 battalions. Entrusted with internal security and border management roles, Assam Rifles is referred to as the Sentinels of the North East. SEBI fined YES bank for ‘Fraudulent Acts’ on customers in ‘Super FD’ scheme The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had imposed a penalty of 25 crore on Yes Bank for perpetrating fraudulent acts on its customers by influencing them to alter their investment positions from fixed deposits (FD) to risky additional tier-1 (AT-1) bonds. The market regulator also imposed a penalty of 1 crore on Vivek Kanwar, head of private wealth management, and Rs. 50 lakh each on Ashish Nasa and Jasjit Singh Banga. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank partnered with nStore to digitize the online business. To digitize offline retailers and small businesses in the country, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank collaborated with nStore. Under the Partnership, a mobile application nLincs will be offered to the current account customers by Ujjivan Small Finance Bank to sell their merchandise online. Indian banks get a six-month breather to comply with RBI's new framework for auto-debit payments The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the deadline for banks in India to comply with its new framework for auto-debit payments by six months. The original deadline was set to kick in April 1, but now has been extended to September 30, 2021. In order to make online payments more secure, the apex bank has issued a mandate for additional factor authentication (AFA) for recurring payments under ₹5,000. Payments above that threshold would still require a one-time-password. Simply put, this meant that banks would have to send customers a notification 24 hours before a recurring payment comes due. Only after the customer gives their consent for the transaction, would the payment be debited from their account. Bharti AXA Life and Fincare Small Finance Bank join hands for bancassurance partnership Bharti Axa Life and Fincare Small Finance Bank have joined hands for a bancassurance partnership under which the bank will sell insurance policies to its customers. This alliance will make life insurance solutions reachable to over 26.5 lakhs customers of Fincare Small Finance Bank and provide financial security to them. Under the partnership, Bharti AXA Life Insurance will offer its comprehensive suite of life insurance products, including protection, savings and investment plans, to the customers of Fincare Small Finance Bank across its 747 branches and digital network presence across the country. Punjab National Bank launched digital initiative PNB@Ease Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched a digital initiative “PNB@Ease” under which every transaction undertaken by a bank branch will be initiated and authorised by customers themselves. This facility will enable the customers to avail all banking services under one roof. On its 127th foundation day, PNB announced other digital initiatives such as the instant opening of online saving accounts via video-KYC, insta pre-approved loan, insta Demat account and insurance facility through internet and mobile banking services. PNB’s 127th Foundation Day celebrated on Apr 12, 2021. Neobank Fi partners with Federal Bank to open an instant savings account Fi, the Bengaluru-based neobank for salaried millennials, had announced its partnership with Federal Bank to issue an instant savings account equipped with a debit card in three minutes. The savings account, to be issued in three minutes, is aimed at digital-first millennials. Reserve Bank of India bans American Express and Diners from selling new cards from 1 May Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had banned credit card companies American Express and Diners Club International from onboarding new domestic customers onto their card networks from 1 May 2021. The action had been taken as these entities have been found non-compliant with the directions on storage of payment system data which the central bank had asked them to store in India.
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FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS NEWS Paytm launches ‘Wealth Community’ for young investors Digital financial services platform Paytm has launched a new video-based wealth community called the Paytm Wealth Community. Paytm Wealth Community is an investing community based on video and enables users to attend live sessions conducted by subject matter experts across an array of wealth topics like Stocks, F&O, IPO, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Gold, Fixed Income and Personal Finance. ADB, Habitat for Humanity to Support Housing Microloans for Vulnerable Communities The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has teamed with Habitat for Humanity International to help microfinance institutions (MFIs) deliver housing loans to low-income families in rural and peri-urban areas of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The collaboration will expand ADB’s Microfinance Risk Participation and Guarantee Program to include microloans for housing, home improvement, and water and sanitation for vulnerable and climate change- exposed communities. ADB will help MFIs obtain financing for these purposes from commercial banks of up to $30 million in the first phase. Habitat for Humanity will build the MFIs’ capacity to design, pilot-test, and roll out the loans, with technical assistance from ADB. SEBI imposed a penalty of Rs. 25 crore on Ambani families for violation of takeover code regulations in 2000. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has imposed 25 cr of fine on Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Nita Ambani, Tina Ambani, and firms linked to the Ambanis. The fine has been imposed on Ambani families for violation of takeover code regulations in the year 2000. According to SEBI, RIL promoters had not disclosed more than 5% stake in the company in 2000. Three new initiatives of NIXI inaugurated by Secretary, MeitY. Three new initiatives of National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) were inaugurated by Secretary Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The names of these initiatives are IP Guru, NIXI Academy and NIXI-IP-INDEX. IP Guru is a Group to support all Indian entities to migrate and adopt Internet Protocol version, IPv6.IP Guru will also help in identifying and hiring an agency that will help end customers by providing necessary technical support to adopt IPv6. NIXI Academy will educate technical and non-technical people in India about technologies like IPv6.The NIXI- IP-INDEX portal will show IPv6 adoption rate in India and across the world. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the latest version of Internet Protocol (IP). It uses a 128-bit address. IMF policy panel endorses $650 billion increase in resources The International Monetary Fund authorized a $650 billion expansion of the 190-nation lending institution's resources with the aim of providing more support for vulnerable countries as they battle the coronavirus pandemic. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the $650 billion increase in reserves is the largest in IMF history. The move will provide badly needed reserves for poor countries struggling with deep recessions caused by the pandemic and the need to obtain and administer millions of doses of vaccines. Government sets minimum default threshold at Rs 10 lakh for MSME prepack insolvency resolution The threshold default for initiating the pre-packaged insolvency resolution process will be set at 10 lakh and above for micro, small and medium enterprises announced by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). The central government has decided a minimum threshold default of Rs 10 lakh for initiation of resolution process by MSME corporate debtor. Pre-pack for MSMEs is a hybrid corporate rescue process, which blends elements and virtues of both formal and informal insolvency proceedings. A resolution plan is negotiated between the debtor and its creditors before the commencement of formal proceedings. PhonePe became the first player to cross the billion-transaction mark on UPI Digital payments major, PhonePe crossed a billion transactions on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) infrastructure in March, making it the first player in the country to reach this milestone.
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PhonePe had overall clocked close to 3 billion transactions on its platform, across payment offerings of wallet, cards as well as UPI in March 2021.
Six digit HSN code in GST made mandatory from April 1 It has been made mandatory for a GST taxpayer having a turnover of more than Rs 5 crore in the preceding financial year, to furnish 6 digits HSN Code (Harmonised System of Nomenclature Code). This comes into effect from April 1. NPCI sets up a new subsidiary firm NPCI Bharat BillPay National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) recently announced the formation of its wholly-owned subsidiary firm – NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL). The newly set up entity came into effect from April 1, 2021. The brand under the new entity will be known as Bharat BillPay. It has on offer various recurring payment services to customers, including bill payments for electricity, telecom, DTH, Gas, Education fees, water and municipal taxes, NETC FASTag recharge, Loan repayments, Insurance, Cable, Housing Society, Subscription Fees, Hospital, Credit card, Clubs and association, etc. Bharat BillPay is constantly working towards upgrading payment infrastructure for recurring payments across the country in order to provide safe and convenient experience to customers, thereby eliminating the need of going around to multiple biller touch points. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) was incorporated in 2008 as an umbrella organization for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India. An initiative of RBI and IBA under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, NPCI was initiated for creating a full-bodied payment and settlement infrastructure in the country. NPCI works towards transforming the way payments are made in India through a bunch of retail payment products such as RuPay card, Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), BHIM Aadhaar, National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) and Bharat BillPay. NPCI also previously launched UPI 2.0 to offer a more secure and comprehensive services to consumers and merchants. Government infused Rs 14,500 crore into four PSBs The government had infused Rs.14,500 crore into banks that are under the RBI’s Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework to improve their financial health. Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India, and UCO Bank are currently under this framework that puts several restrictions on them, including on lending, management compensation and directors’ fees. Of the total infusion, 11,500 crore had gone to these three banks while the remaining Rs.3,000 crore has been infused into the Bank of India. Centre approved Rs 10,900 crore PLI scheme for the food processing industry India approved a ₹10,900 crore-production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for its food processing industry, aimed at helping farmers earn better prices and reduce crop wastage. The scheme, which will run over six years through 2026-27, was approved by the Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government said the scheme will create jobs for 250,000 people and attract investments from global and domestic companies in the food processing sector. It will also help expand the food processing capacity to generate processed food output worth ₹33,494 crore by 2026-27 Govt sets gross market borrowing target at Rs 7.24 lakh crore for first half of FY22 The Centre will borrow Rs 7.24 lakh crore from the market in the first half of FY22, or just over 60% of the budgeted full-year target. According to the Budget for 2021-22, the government’s gross borrowing was estimated at Rs 12.05 lakh crore in the financial year beginning April 1. ETMONEY became India’s first to launch Aadhaar based SIP payments ETMONEY has launched India’s first Aadhaar-based SIP (systematic investment plan) payments feature. With this, anyone can now start a SIP online and set up automatic payments using a simple Aadhaar-based OTP (one-time-password) verification. The main objective is to make investments more seamless and accessible to the widest section of Indian society. RXIL became the first TReDS platform to cross monthly throughput of Rs 1,000 crore
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Receivables Exchange of India Limited (RXIL), a leading invoice discounting platform for MSMEs, has crossed monthly transaction volumes of 1,000 crore in March. The growth of transaction volumes from 69 crore in April 2020, to Rs 1,105 crore in March 2021 indicates the revival and resumption of the economic activity. In 2020-21, RXIL has also emerged as the leading platform with more than Rs. 6,500 crore of throughput. Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) TReDS is an electronic platform for facilitating the financing / discounting of trade receivables of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through multiple financiers. These receivables can be due from corporates and other buyers, including Government Departments and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). WazirX launched India’s first NFT marketplace for Indian artists. India’s first marketplace for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) for artists has been launched by cryptocurrency exchange WazirX. Indian artists will get a place for the exchange of digital assets and intellectual properties, including art pieces, audio files, videos, programs, and even tweets apart from other digital goods and services. The company will not put any charge on its customer for creating and listing NFTs on the platform. An NFT is a kind of asset that is non-fungible in nature, which means it is a unique digital asset that is not interchangeable. Banks sanction Rs 25,586 crore to 1.14 lakh Stand-Up India accounts in 5 years The Finance Ministry has announced banks have sanctioned Rs 25,586 crore to about 1,14,322 beneficiaries under the Stand Up India Scheme in the last five years for promoting entrepreneurship among women and SC & STs. The objective of Stand-Up India is to promote entrepreneurship amongst women, Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories, to help them in starting a greenfield enterprise in trading, manufacturing and services sector, by both ready and trainee borrowers. Under the scheme, bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore are provided to at least one Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch of Scheduled Commercial Banks. Started in April 5, 2016, the scheme has benefited 93,094 women entrepreneurs with outstanding loan of Rs 21,200 crore as of March 23. This scheme, which has been extended up to 2025, covers SC/ST and/or women entrepreneurs, above 18 years of age, it said. In case of non-individual enterprises, 51 per cent of the shareholding and controlling stake should be held by either SC/ST and/or Women Entrepreneur and borrowers should not be in default to any bank/financial institution. RATTING ADB raises FY22 GDP forecast of India to 11% According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), India’s GDP will rebound strongly by 11% in 2021-22 due to continued economic recovery boosted by increased public investment, vaccine rollout, and a surge in domestic demand. Asian Development Bank: Headquarters: Manila, Philippines, President: Masatsugu Asakawa IHS Markit projects India’s FY22 GDP growth at 9.6% IHS Markit projected the GDP growth rate of the Indian economy (as measured by GDP) to grow at 6 per cent in FY22 (2021-22). IHS Markit is a London-based financial services company. Oxford Economics lowers India’s 2021 GDP growth forecast to 10.2% Global forecasting firm Oxford Economics revised downwards its India GDP growth forecast for 2021 to 10.2 percent from 11.8 percent previously, citing the country’s escalating health burden, faltering vaccination rate and lack of a convincing government strategy to contain the pandemic. Care Ratings revises India s GDP growth forecast to 10.2 pc for FY22 With economic activities getting affected across the country due to curbs imposed by states amid surge in COVID- 19 cases, Care Ratings has revised down its forecast for GDP growth to 10.2 per cent in 2021-22 from earlier projection of 10.7-10.9 per cent. World Trade Organization revised its projection for global trade volume growth in 2021 to 8% Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO) revised the growth forecast of global merchandise trade in 2021 to 8 per cent after recording a fall of 5.3 per cent last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It added that trade growth should then slow to 4 per cent in 2022, and the effects of the pandemic will continue to be felt as this pace of expansion would still leave trade below its pre-pandemic trend. World Trade Organizations (WTO):Director-General: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Location: Geneva, Switzerland Govt keeps inflation target at 2-6% for 5 years
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The Centre kept the inflation target of the monetary policy framework unchanged at 2-6 per cent for the next five years, until the fiscal year starting from for the period April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2026. The 4 per cent anchor point target for inflation -- with an upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent and a lower limit of 2 per cent, measured in terms of consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation -- was set by the government in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2016 and its validity expired on march 31,2021. UNESCAP Projects India’s Economic Growth Rate at 7% in 2021-22 The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) has estimated the GDP growth rate of India at 7% in 2021-22, in its latest report titled Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2021. For the previous fiscal, UNESCAP estimated a contraction of 7.7% for India on account of the pandemic’s impact on normal business activity. IMF revises GDP growth forecast of India to 12.5% for FY22 International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its growth forecast for the Indian economy by 100 basis points to 12.5 per cent for the fiscal year 2021-22. GDP growth for FY23 is pegged at 6.9 per cent. The revised forecast was published in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook. India is the only country among major world economies that is projected to grow at a double-digit rate during FY22. Nomura has revised India’s GDP forecast to 12.6% in FY22 The Japanese brokerage company Nomura has revised the GDP forecast of India in the financial year 2021-22 (FY22) to 12.6 per cent from the previous estimate of 13.5 per cent, amid rising coronavirus cases and higher inflation. Nomura has pegged the calendar year GDP growth at 11.5 per cent, a decline from 12.4 per cent estimated earlier.
FUND ALLOCATION $ 300 million worth loan approved by WB and AIIB for canal-based drinking water projects in Punjab. A loan of US $ 300 million has been approved by the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for canal-based drinking water projects in Punjab. Under this project, the aim is to improve the quality of drinking water and reduce water loss for Amritsar and Ludhiana. Total finance for the whole project is- IBRD (World Bank) - USD 105 million, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank - USD 105 million, and Government of Punjab - USD 90 million. Asian Development Bank provides $1.5-billion fiscal support to India for pandemic response Asian Development Bank (ADB) had provided financial support of $1.5 billion to India in support of India’s pandemic response. This fiscal support of $1.5 billion to India formed part of the $16.1 billion that ADB had specifically set aside for pandemic response in 2020. ADB committed a record USD 31.6 billion in 2020 to help Asia and the Pacific tackle the COVID-19 outbreak and support a green, sustainable recovery from the pandemic and address long-term development challenges. Asian Development Bank (ADB): Founded: 19 December 1966, Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines, President: Masatsugu Asakawa NDB issues USD 1.5 billion benchmark bond The New Development Bank (NDB) priced its 5-year USD 1.5 billion benchmark bond. This transaction is the third USD benchmark bond offering of the Bank in the international markets. The net proceeds of the Bond will be used for financing sustainable development activities as well as COVID- 19 Emergency Program Loans to the Bank's member countries. The NDB established the Emergency Assistance Facility in April 2020, to provide up to USD 10 billion in crisis- related assistance to its member countries, including USD 5 billion for financing healthcare and social safety- related expenditures, as well as USD 5 billion for supporting economic recovery efforts. World Bank provides $250 millon for Bangladesh to recover COVID-19 Pandemic The government of Bangladesh signed an agreement for $250 million financing from the World Bank to help create more and better jobs, recover faster from the COVID-19 pandemic and build resilience to future crises. This was the third and the last in the series of credits totaling $750 million under the Programmatic Jobs Development policy focussing on the creation of inclusive and quality jobs while supporting the government in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
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World Bank’s IFC To Make Debt Investment Of $150 Mn In Bajaj Finance World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) made a debt investment of $150 million (about Rs 1,132 crore) in non-bank lender Bajaj Finance Limited, likely its third funding deal with the consumer finance company. The five-year loan is essential to support micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) loans. Amazon launches $250-million Venture Fund for Digitizing SMEs in India The e-commerce giant Amazon has launched a $250 million (Rs 1,873 crore) venture fund called “Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund”, to invest in Indian startups and entrepreneurs, with focus on digitizing SMEs. The Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund will focus on three key priorities: Digitisation of small and medium businesses (SME) in India. Drive innovation in Agri-tech innovations to empower farmer productivity and reach. Drive innovation in Health-tech to provide universal and quality health care. ADB approved a $484 million loan to improve connectivity and maintenance of CKIC The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had approved a loan of $484 million to improve transport connectivity and road maintenance in the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu. The CKIC is part of India’s East Coast Economic Corridor, which stretches from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu and connects India to the production networks of Southeast and East Asia. India contributed USD 300,000 to UN Women to support gender equality India had contributed USD 300,000 to the United Nations agency for gender equality and women empowerment. India contributed to UN Women, the world organisation’s entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment. India contributes USD 500,000 to UN Trust Fund for counter-terrorism India has contributed an additional USD 500,000 to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism. With this amount, India’s total contribution to it so far is USD 1.05 million. The UN Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism was established by the Secretary-General in 2009. World Bank approves project worth USD 32 million to boost health services in Mizoram The Board of Executive Directors of World Bank has approved a USD 32 million project to improve management capacity and quality of health services in Mizoram. The project titled “Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project” will strengthen the governance and the management structure of the Mizoram Health department and its subsidiaries.
MERGER AND TIE UP Switch Mobility signed an inks pact with TVS Supply Chain for sustainable logistics network Switch MobilityLtd, an electric vehicle arm of Ashok Leyland Ltd, and TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) has entered into an agreement for establishing a sustainable logistics network. Under the arrangement, TVS Supply Chain Solutions will operate 1,000 e-light commercial vehicles through their partners for its logistics operations provided by Switch Mobility. World Trade Center Faridabad signed MoU with HSIIDC to promote trade and investment in Haryana The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) entered into a MoU with the World Trade Center (WTC) recently to promote and facilitate trade and investment in the state. HSBC India partnered with Google Pay for tokenisation on its credit card portfolio HSBC India announced that it has collaborated with Google Pay (GPay) and VISA to enable secured tokenisation on its credit cards. This new feature will enable HSBC Credit Card customers to link their card to GPay and use it as a payment option to securely and digitally transact using their mobile phones – online and at merchant stores. Tokenisation is the process of replacing a card’s sensitive information like card number, expiration date, security code with a device-specific alternate code, or ‘Token’. LIC has appointed homegrown payments player Paytm to facilitate its digital payments State-run Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has appointed homegrown payments player Paytm to facilitate its digital payments. Following a tie-up with another payment gateway earlier, the country’s largest life insurer has sought a new deal as the majority of its payments have moved to digital modes. Tech Mahindra acquired DigitalOnUS for $120 million IT major Tech Mahindra has acquired the entire stake in US-headquartered hybrid cloud and DevOps services provider DigitalOnUS for $120 million, including retention bonus and earnout payments. Gramcover and AICI tie-up to enhance rural insurance penetration The Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited has partnered with Gramcover , to collectively enhance rural insurance penetration.
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Under this MoU, Gramcover will focus on market analysis and identification of widely grown crops, as well as need-based rural insurance products. Flipkart acquires Cleartrip for $40 million Walmart-backed e-comm giant Flipkart has acquired 100 per cent stake in Cleartrip for $40 million, which is one of the oldest online travel technology companies in India. Microsoft buys AI speech tech company Nuance for $19.7 billion Microsoft has made its second-biggest acquisition after LinkedIn. The tech giant has bought AI speech tech firm Nuance for $19.7 billion. The move will help Microsoft’s prowess in voice recognition and will give it a boost in the health care market. Nuance is known for its Dragon software which helps to transcribe speech using deep learning. In 2016, Microsoft had purchased LinkedIn for $26 billion. Axis Bank acquires 12.99% stake in Max Life Insurance to become co-promoter The private sector lender Axis Bank, along with its subsidiaries, Axis Capital and Axis Securities, have completed the acquisition of 12.99 percent stake in the Max Life Insurance Company. With this acquisition, Axis Entities have collectively become co-promoters of the life insurance company. Apart from this, the Axis Entities have a right to acquire an additional stake of up to 7 percent in Max Life, in one or more tranches, subject to regulatory approvals. HDFC acquired a 10% stake in Kerala-based asset management firm Mortgage lender HDFC Ltd acquired a 9.90% stake in Kerala-based infrastructure fund management company KIFML. KIFML was promoted by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) to manage Kerala Infrastructure Fund. The company, incorporated in November 2018, acts as an asset management company. Jeep India tied up with Axis Bank to launch Jeep Financial Services Jeep India has tied up with Axis Bank to launch Jeep Financial Services, which will curate financial solutions for Jeep customers and Jeep brand dealers. Axis Bank and Jeep India will get access to each other’s growing customer database. Jeep customers will be serviced from the bank’s 4,586 branches spread across India and also via on-site counters at high footfall Jeep brand dealerships. JP Morgan partnered with BillDesk for online payments partnership Payment’s aggregator BillDesk announced a partnership with global financial institution JP Morgan to offer online payments solutions to the bank’s corporate clients in India. Through this partnership, J.P. Morgan’s clients in India will be able to independently initiate statutory and utility payments online with more than 100 merchants that BillDesk partners with, securely and without additional manual assistance from their partner banks. Ford and Mahindra ended their collaboration on all projects in India Ford Motor Co and Mahindra & Mahindra will not collaborate on any project they had agreed to as part of their abandoned joint venture in India. Ford and Mahindra had proposed a joint venture to develop at least three sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) for India and emerging markets, as well as share suppliers, powertrains, and technology. Michigan-based Ford entered India 25 years ago, but it had only a 2% share of a market dominated by Suzuki Motor Corp and Hyundai Motor’s extensive line-up of mainly low-cost cars. Oberoi Group signed an MoU with EESL to further sustainability initiatives The Oberoi Group has signed an MoU with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) to implement energy- efficient initiatives, including clean energy systems across Oberoi properties. Under its Building Energy Efficiency Program, EESL will collaborate with all Oberoi Group hotels to evaluate opportunities for saving energy and lowering emissions and recommend select energy programs from its portfolio. CSC partnered with Tata Power to provide solar-powered micros grids in rural areas The Common Services Center (CSC) partnered with Tata Power to set up solar-powered microgrids and water pumps in rural areas across the country. This partnership will increase energy access and provide an economic opportunity to the company by providing off-grid or microgrid power. Tata Power proposes to set up 10,000 microgrids to support rural consumers and under the partnership, over 3.75 lakh CSCs, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT. Flipkart partnered with Adani Group to strengthen logistics and data centre capabilities
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Flipkart, India’s leading homegrown e-commerce marketplace announced a strategic and commercial partnership with the Adani Group to strengthen Flipkart’s supply chain infrastructure and further enhance its ability to serve its rapidly growing base of customers. AdaniConneX will build their new Tier 4 data centre and Adani Logistics, India’s leader in logistics, will build their 534,000 sqft fulfilment centre. Infosys and ArcelorMittal announce strategic pact for digital transformation. ArcelorMittal has entered into a strategic partnership with Infosys for the digital transformation of its European operations. Infosys will offer application management and business process management (BPM) services to ArcelorMittal. Infosys will also establish a Business Process Management (BPM) service in ArcelorMittal Europe’s Business Center of Excellence (BCoE) shared services center. This partnership will help to strengthen Infosys’ presence in the European market. ArcelorMittal is the world’s largest steel and mining company. Lakshmi Mittal is the CEO of the ArcelorMittal. Byju’s acquires Aakash Educational Services for nearly $1 billion Indian edtech startup Byju’s confirmed that it has acquired Aakash Educational Service Limited (AESL) in a deal valued at nearly $1 billion. Byju’s, which is India’s most valued edtech startup, has acquired Blackstone-backed AESL for over $900 million in a cash and stock deal. Tata ends deal with Petronas, a Malaysian state owned Oil and Gas Company. Tata ended a nearly $2- billion deal with Petronas, a Malaysian state-owned Oil and Gas Company. The negotiations for around $2- billion investment deal continued for a year.
COMMITTEE RBI sets up 6-member panel to review working of asset reconstruction companies The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed a six-member panel under the chairmanship of Sudarshan Sen, former RBI executive director, to examine the role of asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) in stressed debt resolution, including under the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016 and review their business model. The committee will review the legal and regulatory framework of ARCs and recommend measures to improve their efficacy. Other members of the committee are ICICI executive director Vishakha Mulye, former SBI DMD PN Prasad, EY partner Abizer Diwanji, MDI professor of economics Rohit Prasad and chartered accountant R Anand. RBI to set up Regulations Review Authority for one year from May 1 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be set up a new Regulations Review Authority (RRA 2.0) from May 1, 2021, to review the regulations, circulars, reporting systems and compliance procedures of the central bank for streamlining them and making them more effective. RRA will be tasked with making regulatory and supervisory instructions more effective by removing redundancies and duplications, if any. The RRA will be set up for a period of one year, unless the timeline is extended by the RBI. M Rajeshwar Rao, Deputy Governor, RBI will be the head of the Regulations Review Authority. It must be noted that prior to this, similar RRA was set up by RBI on April 1, 1999, for a period of one year to review the regulations, circulars, reporting systems, based on the feedback from the public, banks, and financial institutions.
STATE NEWS Tamizh Puthandu, Rongali Bihu, Naba Barsha, Vaisakhadi festivals celebrated in different parts of the country. President Ram Nath Kovind greeted people on the occasion of Tamizh Puthandu, Rongali Bihu, Naba Barsha, and Vaisakhadi. These are the name of the New Year festivals in the different parts of the country. Tamizh Puthandu: It is celebrated every year on April 14 in Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated as Tamil New Year. It is the first day, according to the Tamil solar calendar, Chittirai. It is also celebrated in Sri Lanka. Rongali Bihu: It is observed as the first day of the Assamese New Year. It is also called Bihu and Bohag Bihu. Its celebration begins on April 14 and will end on April 20, 2021.
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Rangoli Bihu, Magh Bihu, and Maghar Domahi are three types of Bihu festivals in Assam. Naba Barsha: It is the first day of the Bengali Calendar. It is celebrated as the Bengali New Year. It is celebrated on April 14 or 15 in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Vaisakhi: It is a festival for the harvest season. It is celebrated as the beginning of the Hindu solar New Year. It is celebrated every year on 13 or 14 April. It is mainly celebrated in the state of Punjab.
Andaman & Nicobar Andaman & Nicobar became the first large union territory to get organic certification About 14,491-hectare area in Andaman and Nicobar certified as organic, the first large contiguous territory to be done under a government scheme. After Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands, Lakshadweep and Ladakh are proactively taking steps for the transformation of their traditional organic areas to certified organic. The organic certification has been given under the Large Area Certification (LAC) Scheme of the PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System) certification programme.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh launched Jagananna Vidya Deevena Scheme The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy released the first tranche of Rs 672 crores under the Jagananna Vidya Deevena Scheme for the year 2021-22. This reimbursed the fees for 10.88 lakh students. So far, a total of Rs 4, 879 crores have been disbursed under the Jagananna Vidya Deevena Scheme. The main objective of the Jagananna Vidya Deevena Scheme is to provide scholarships to all the students who are not able to pay their fees because of their financial burden. Jagan Mohan Reddy Launched ‘YSR Zero Interest Crop Loan Scheme’ For Farmers Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the YSR Zero Interest Crop Loan Scheme. The Government of Andhra Pradesh provided financial assistance of 65,000 crores to the farmers under various schemes. Under the scheme, an amount of 128.47 crore was directly credited into the bank accounts of the Rs. 6.27 lakh farmers who had availed themselves of crop loan of up to Rs. 1 lakh during the 2019-20 rabi season and repaid the amount within the stipulated time.
Assam Assam Govt signed two MOUs with Bhutan & Nagaland The Assam Government has signed two MOUs in Guwahati with Bhutan and Nagaland for procurement of oxygen.A new oxygen plant is being set up in Bhutan. The Assam government has also come to know of an oxygen plant in Dimapur in Nagaland and both the states have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh government announced to deduct one day salary of officers and employees The Chhattisgarh Government has announced that it will deduct one day salary of officers and employees in the month of April for contribution to the Chief Minister Relief Fund in order to help the needy people of the state affected by corona infection.
Delhi Lab on Wheels New Education Scheme in Delhi Deputy CM of Delhi Manish Sisodia unveiled the Wheel Technology Lab, which is part of the Delhi Technical University (DTU) "Education Reach You" program. The laboratory will provide science education for students and disadvantaged children of Delhi government schools.
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The minister also unveiled D TU’s new classroom complex Pragya Bhawan and the new centre of the design department. The wheeled laboratory is a vehicle equipped with 17 computers, two a customized bus with a computer. Televisions, a 3D printer, cameras and ordinary printers will be pulsating in the city to provide educational lectures, tutoring and teaching to students, which is part of its expansion plan to guide students in the development of mathematics, science and advanced technology.
Gujarat Gujarat CM encouraged use of Ayurvedic, Homeopathic medicines to COVID-19 Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has encouraged the state health and Ayush department for maximum use of Ayurvedic and Homeopathic medicines to win the war against Covid19. He said that these will also help in increasing immunity of the people against the Coronavirus pandemic in the state. Presiding over the state-level Core Committee meeting at Gandhinagar, Rupani has directed the administration to order and distribute about 60 thousand kilogram of ‘Amrit peya Ukala’ and ‘Sanshamani- vati’ and 10- lakh doses of Homeopathic Arsenicum album-30 medicines. Gujarat govt declared free vaccinations for all above 18 years of age from May 1 Gujarat government will provide free vaccinations for all above 18 years of age from 1st of May. This decision was taken during the high level core committee meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupnai at Gandhinagar. Italy launched first ever mega food park & food processing unit in India Italy has launched it’s first-ever mega food park project in India, at Fanidhar in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. The project aims to create synergy between agriculture and industry of the two countries and focuses on the research and development of new and more efficient technologies in the sector.
Haryana Karnal District Administration started ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ initiative to ensure incessant supply of Medical Oxygen to hospitals Karnal District Administration in Haryana has started a unique ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ initiative to ensure incessant supply of Medical Oxygen to both Government & Private Hospitals. Under this initiative a carrier vehicle called as Mobile oxygen bank loaded with 100 Oxygen Cylinders reaches out to any district hospital which requisitions its urgent supply. Haryana launched ‘Covid Emergency Loan Scheme’ To ensure uninterrupted flow of vital medical supplies to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the State, Haryana Government announced “Haryana COVID Emergency Loan Scheme” for new and old entrepreneurs supplying medicines, oxygen and other medical facilities to COVID-19 patients. For this, the State Government has set up a fund of Rs 500 crore. Under the scheme, Haryana Government will help businessmen, presently working in the state, to increase their current production or to set up new units to meet various requirements to tackle Covid-19 pandemic. Haryana to provide jobs to abandoned, surrendered children under HARIHAR scheme The Haryana cabinet approved a policy to provide jobs on compassionate grounds and economically weaker section (EWS) status to children either abandoned or surrendered and turned 18-year-old while living in child- care institutions across state. The children abandoned when below 5 years of age and surrendered before turning one-year-old will be eligible for benefits of HARIHAR initiative of the Haryana government. Under the policy, eligible children will get benefits of education, employment, and financial support. The policy provides for free schooling, higher education, technical education, skill development and industrial training, apart from financial assistance up to the age of 25 years or marriage, whichever is earlier, and one- time interest-free loan for buying a house in Haryana. Flipkart to set up Asia’s largest fulfilment centre in Gurugram, Haryana Haryana government has approved allotment of 140 acres of land to e-commerce major Flipkart for setting up its largest fulfilment centre in Asia, having a covered area of 3 million square feet in Patli Hajipur in Gurugram district’s Manesar. The approval was granted in a meeting of the Haryana Enterprise Promotion Board (HEPB) which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
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Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh Five Jammu and Kashmir gram panchayats bagged National Panchayat Awards 2021 Gram panchayat Kangroosa, block Kandi Rafiabad, Baramulla, and Gram panchayat Hakermulla, block Soibugh, Budgam won the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar (DDUPSP). Gram panchayat Achabal A, block Nadihal, Baramulla bagged the Child-Friendly Gram Panchayat Award (CFGPA). Ladakh planned to provide tap water connection to every household by 2022 Ladakh has planned to achieve the target of providing a tap connection to every rural household by 2022 under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). The Union Territory presented its annual action plan to provide tap water connection to the rural households before the committee of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The panel carries out rigorous scrutiny of the proposed annual action plan prepared by states and Union Territories before finalising the same. ‘Tulip Festival’ Begins in Jammu & Kashmir The famous Tulip festival kicked-off in Asia’s largest Tulip Garden in Jammu & Kashmir with the enthralling cultural and musical performances by the popular artists and singers from within and outside the UT. The festival was inaugurated by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. It has been organised by Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation and Department of Floriculture. Udhampur bagged the top position for implementation of PMGSY for 2020-21 Udhampur district (Jammu and Kashmir) had bagged the top position at the national level for successfully implementing the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during 2020-21. Udhampur district had received the top position for constructing roads of the maximum length of 49 km in 2020-21 The PMGSY is a programme launched by the Union Government to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations as part of a poverty reduction strategy.
Jharkhand Jharkhand Mukti Morcha first party to declare name of donor who contributed through electoral bonds The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is the first party that has declared the name of the entity which made donations to it through electoral bonds, poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency in political funding. Jharkhand govt announced “Health Safety Week” beginning from April 22 to 29 to break chain of growing COVID-19 infection rate In Jharkhand, the State Government has announced to follow a “Health Safety Week” beginning from April 22 to 29, to break the chain of growing COVID-19 infection rate in the State. People have been advised to stay home and do not move without unnecessary work. Essential services and medical services continue to function and all identified offices of private sector, central and state government offices shall remain open.
Kerala Aceware launched first neobank in Kerala Aceware FinTech Services, a fintech services company based out of Kerala, launched the state’s first neobank, Ace Money Neobank, in partnership with Yes Bank and ICICI Bank. In the first phase, startups, traders and business entities can open current accounts with the neobank. Neobank is a kind of virtual bank that operates without any physical branches. Neobanks mainly target customers who make financial transactions using mobile applications and other digital media platforms.
Maharashtra Maharashtra to appoint oxygen nurses to curb wastage of oxygen at hospitals Maharashtra Health Minister Dr. Rajesh Tope has said that the state needs to appoint oxygen Nurses to curb wastage of oxygen and to maintain data of oxygen storage at hospitals. He gave the example of Nandurbar district which adopted the good practice of appointing oxygen nurses in the year 2020.
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The primary job of an oxygen nurse is to monitor the requirement of oxygen every 2-4 hours round the clock, its use among patients and to ensure minimum wastage. India’s First Floating LNG Storage & Regasification Unit Reached Maharashtra The first “Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU)” in India has reached at JSW Jaigarh Port in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. The LNG tanker “FSRU Hoegh Giant” sailed from Keppel Shipyard, Singapore, and was berthed at Jaigarh terminal in Maharashtra on April 12, 2021. FSRU Hoegh Giant is also be the first year-round Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Maharashtra. The FSRU-based LNG terminal is being commissioned by H-Energy Private Limited. H-Energy has hired the FSRU for a 10 year period. The LNG regasification terminal has storage capacity of 170,000 cubic metres and installed regasification capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day (equivalent to about six million tonnes a year). The FSRU based LNG Terminals aim at providing the ability to enhance the pace of natural gas import capability in an environment friendly and efficient manner. Maharashtra hospital fire: PM approved Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for next of kin of victims Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in a blaze at a private hospital in Maharashtra's Palghar district and approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the victims. PM Narendramodi has approved an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF (Prime Minister's National Relief Fund) for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the hospital fire in Virar, Maharashtra. Rs. 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured. Shistura Hiranyakeshi in Sindhudurg Became Fifth Biological Heritage Site of Maharashtra The Maharashtra government has declared an area at Amboli in Western ghats in Sindhudurg district as a biodiversity heritage site, following the discovery of a rare freshwater fish species. The new freshwater fish species called ‘Schistura Hiranyakeshi’ was discovered in a pond at the Mahadev Temple at Amboli in Sawantwadi tehsil of Sindhudurg district by Tejas Thackeray (son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray), long with his team. The 2.11 hector area has been declared as ‘Shistura Hiranyakeshi Biological Heritage Site’, under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, making it the fifth area in Maharashtra. Schistura Hiranyakeshi is a rare sub-species of Schistura, a freshwater loach named after the Hiranyakeshi river near Amboli village.
Odisha Odisha government announced free vaccination to above 18 years of age The Odisha government has announced free vaccination for people above 18 years of age. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the State Government will incur an expenditure of two thousand crore rupees to meet the goal. Ahead of the phase three of the nationwide vaccination drive to be rolled out from the first of May, the state government has geared up to inoculate about 1.93 crore people in the age group of 18 to 44 years. Accordingly, it has placed orders before the Serum Institute of India for supply of 377 lakh doses of Covishield and Bharat Biotech for supply of a little more than 10 lakh doses of Covaxin, while designating Odisha State Medical Corporation Limited as the nodal agency for vaccine procurement. Odisha launched Mask Abhiyan The Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik recently launched a fourteen day “Mask Abhiyan” initiative to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The main objective of the initiative is to turn the use of mask into a habit. This will play a huge role in controlling the current resurgence of COVID-19. Also, the Odisha State Government has increased the fines for violators from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000. Government approves ROPAX jetty project in Odisha. The government has approved a Rs 110-crore ROPAX jetty project on the Dhamra River in Odisha. It will connect Kaninali in Bhadrak district and Talachua in Kendrapada district. This project has been approved under the Sagarmala initiative. This project will reduce the travel time for passengers from 6 hours to one hour by waterway It will reduce the road distance of 200 km from Talachua to Dhamra. The cost of this project will be shared by the center and state on 50: 50 basis. Odisha celebrated 86th statehood day on 1 April,2021
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Odisha Day is also known as Utkal Dibasa day was celebrated in memory of the formation of the state as a separate province on 1 April 1936. This year marks the 86th Utkal Divas or the foundation day of Odisha. Odisha became the first independent state on a language basis in India on this day 85 years ago. PM Modi releases Hindi version of the book ‘Odisha Itihaas’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the Hindi translation of the book ‘Odisha Itihaas’ (Odisha History), written by Dr Harekrushna Mahtab, the former freedom fighter and first Chief Minister of Odisha. The book was till now available in Odia and English. It has been translated into Hindi by Shankarlal Purohit. Mahtab was popularly known by the name “Utkal Keshari”.
Punjab Punjab govt reiterated its promise of 'Har Ghar Jal' by 2022 The state of Punjab presented their Jal Jeevan Mission Annual Action Plan, through video conference. During the presentation, Punjab reiterated the commitment of the state govt to achieve ‘Har Ghar Jal’ target by 2022 as planned.
Rajasthan Rajasthan government announced a ‘Jan Anushasan Pakhwara’ after Corona cases increased. The Rajasthan government has announced the Jan Anushasan Pakhwara (JAP) or the Public Discipline Fortnight after the rapid increase in the Corona cases. It is the extension of the weekend curfew. However, Government has not named it lockdown or curfew. Rajasthan became the first state to provide health insurance for all its residents Rajasthan became the first state in the country to provide health insurance for all its residents. The state began registration for ‘Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana’ under which each family in the state can claim up to Rs five lakh a year for medical expenses. People can get registered and be assured of cashless treatment. The health insurance scheme was announced by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in the state budget 2021-22.
Telangana Biggest Floating Solar Power Plant of India in Telangana The biggest floating solar power plant of India is to be set up at Ramagundam in Telangana. The capacity of the solar power plant is 100 MW. It is expected to be opened in May 2021. The solar power plant is being set up at the Ramagundam Thermal Power Plant reservoir. The solar power plant is to be set up in 450 acres of the reservoir. The project is commissioned by NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation). The cost of the project has been estimated as Rs 423 crores.
Uttarakhand ITBP sets up water sports and adventure training institute in Uttarakhand The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has established a ‘Water Sports and Adventure Institute (WSAI)’ near Tehri Dam Reservoir in Uttarakhand. The institute was inaugurated by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat along with Union Minister of State for Sports Kiren Rijiju. The Mountaineering and Skiing Institute of ITBP at Auli, will independently run this institution Centre has approved 28 projects in Uttarakhand The Centre has approved 28 highway projects worth Rs 1,210.17 crore in Uttarakhand. These projects are for building 231.04 kms of highways. These include strengthening work of National Highway-309B on EPC (engineering, construction and procurement) mode in Uttarakhand under State Public Works Department (PWD) with a budget of Rs 48.19 crore.
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh bagged e-panchayat award. The Uttar Pradesh government has won the “E-Panchayat Puraskar 2021”. It has got the first rank in Category I. Assam and Chhattisgarh are on the second position, while Odisha and Tamil Nadu stood third in this Category.
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This award is given to states by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for the maximum use of Information technology. Every year National Panchayat Awards is given on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj day. Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation Issued India’s First Green Bonds The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) has issued India’s first Green Municipal bond. The green bond was listed on the BSE bond platform on April 08, 2021. It opened for a subscription on March 31, 2021. GMC has raised Rs. 150 crore at a cost of 8.1 percent through the issuance of green bonds. The money will be used to clean up dirty water by setting up a tertiary water treatment plant to benefit industries in Ghaziabad and supply piped water through water-meters to places like Sahibabad. Unique gift scheme launched by UP government. Unique gift scheme has been launched by the UP government to promote COVID vaccination. On World Health Day (07 April), the state government will carry out a lucky draw for those who have taken the vaccine. Only those districts where more than 25,000 beneficiaries have taken both doses of vaccine will be eligible. Four gifts will be given to beneficiaries. Number of gifts would be increased for those districts that have over 25,000 or over 50,000 beneficiaries.
West Bengal West Bengal is the highest contributor to small savings schemes West Bengal is the top contributor to the various National Savings Schemes offered by the government according to data released by the National Savings Institute under the Ministry of Finance. The National Savings Institute is a body under the Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry. It is followed by Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in terms of population, with a gross collection of Rs 69,660.70 crore out of the Rs 5.96 lakh crore garnered during 2017-18. Interest rate on small savings schemes Scheme’s name Rates till June 30 ,2021 Rates till March 31,2021 Senior Citizen Savings Scheme 6.5% 7.4% Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme 6.9% 7.6% National Savings Certificate 5.9 6.8 Public Provident Fund Scheme 6.4 7.1 Kisan Vikas Patra 6.2 (will now mature in 138 months) 6.9 (will mature in 124 months)
NATIONAL NEWS Government Extended Deadline for making payment under ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme till 30 June 2021 The government has once again extended the deadline for making payment under the direct tax dispute settlement scheme ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ by two months till June 30, 2021 to provide relief to the taxpayers facing hardships amid the pandemic. The ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2020, as per which a taxpayer would be required to pay only the amount of the disputed taxes and will get a complete waiver of interest and penalty provided he pays by 31st March 2020. This is the fourth time that the deadline is being extended by the Ministry of Finance, since the launch of the scheme. The deadline was extended for the first time from March 31, 2020, to June 30, 2020, followed by December 31, 2020, and then again till March 31, 2021. PM Modi launched distribution of e-property cards under SWAMITVA scheme on Panchayati Raj Day Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the distribution of e-property cards under the 'SWAMITVA scheme' on National Panchayati Raj Day (April 24), which also marked the rolling out of the SVAMITVA scheme for implementation across the country. The SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme was launched by the prime minister on April 24, 2020 as a central sector scheme to promote a socio-economically empowered and self-reliant rural India. The scheme has the potential to transform rural India using modern technical tools of mapping and surveying.
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It paves the way for using the property as a financial asset by villagers for availing loans and other financial benefits. The scheme will cover around 6.62 lakh villages of the entire country during 2021-2025. The pilot phase of the scheme was implemented during 2020-2021 in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and select villages of Punjab and Rajasthan. Union Minister Piyush Goyal launched Startup India Seed Fund Scheme The Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on April 19, 2021, launched the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme. It aims at providing financial assistance to the startups for prototype development, proof of development, market-entry, commercialization, and product trials. While launching the scheme, the Union Minister stated that the scheme will support the domestic entrepreneurs as well as their business ideas that often are not able to take off because of the absence of critical capital at an early stage. The scheme will be implemented from April 1, 2021. It aims at supporting an estimated 3,600 entrepreneurs through 300 incubators. Rs. 945 crore will be divided over the next 4 years in order to provide seed funding to the eligible startups. It will be done through eligible incubators across the country. It will help in creating a robust startup ecosystem in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns of India. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade(DPIIT) is launching the scheme to facilitate startup funding at an early stage. Grants of up to Rs. 5 crores will be provided to the eligible incubators selected by the Expert Advisory Committee. The incubators selected by EAC will provide grants of up to Rs. 20 lakh for the validation of the prototype development, proof of concept, or product trials to startups. Further, under the scheme, up to Rs. 50 lakh will be provided to the startups for commercialization, market- entry, or scaling up through debt-linked instruments or convertible debentures. NITI Aayog Launched ‘Poshan Gyan’ NITI Aayog launched a national digital repository on health and nutrition, called “Poshan Gyan”. Poshan Gyan has been unveiled by NITI Aayog in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University. The unique feature of the repository is that it has crowdsourcing feature that allows anyone to submit communication material for inclusion on the website, followed by a review by a designated committee. Poshan Gyan repository enables search of communication materials on 14 thematic areas of health and nutrition across diverse languages, media types, target audiences and sources. Content for the repository has been sourced from the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child Development and developmental organizations. The website provides an intuitive interface that means multi-parametric search, multiple downloads at a point in time, easy sharing of materials via social media and easy viewing on any type of smartphone. The portal will have a dedicated “Theme of the Month” in line with MoHFW and MoWCD guidelines to promote key topics. CII IGBC launched ‘Mission on Net Zero’ Coinciding with Earth Day, the CII Indian Green Building Council has launched ‘IGBC Mission on Net Zero’ to facilitate ‘India achieve net zero carbon emission status by 2050’. More than 250 leading organisations in building sector have committed to achieve Net Zero status for their new and existing buildings. Whole world is now looking at achieving zero CO2 emission by 2050. This would require phenomenal shifts in the way that we source our power, manufacturing, transit and policy interventions. India as a country is committed to reduce emission intensity by 33 – 35 per cent by 2030 over 2005 levels. IGBC is fully committed to be a part of national goals. Finance Ministry Widens Scope Of ECLGS, Includes Healthcare Sector The Finance Ministry has expanded the scope of the Rs 3 lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) which will now cover borrowers from the healthcare segment, apart from the 26 sectors identified by the Kamath Committee. The government had extended the scheme by three months till June 30 and expanded its scope to cover enterprises in hospitality, travel and tourism, leisure and sporting sectors. The National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company is the guarantee provider of the ECLGS Scheme.
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The scheme has been expanded to health care and other stressed sector companies that have loan dues up to sixty days (SMA-1 accounts). The validity of all the three ECLGS, that is, ECLGS 1.0, ECLGS 2.0 and ECLGS 3.0 have been extended till June 2021. SMA accounts SMA accounts are Special Mention Accounts. These accounts show signs of incipient stress.The SMA accounts whose payments are partially or wholly overdue for 1-30 days are called SMA-0 accounts.The SMA accounts that have payments overdue for 31-60 days are called SMA-1 account.The SMA accounts that have payment overdue for 61-90 days are SMA-2 account. ECLGS The scheme was launched as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. The main objective of the scheme is to mitigate the distress caused by COVID-19 induced lock down. The scheme mainly aims to ease livelihood of people dependent on MSMEs. ECLGS 1.0 It provides collateral free and fully guaranteed additional credit to MSMEs, MUDRA borrowers and business enterprises. It provides additional credit to MUDRA borrowers to the extent of 20% of their credit outstanding. Also, it provides additional credit to MSMEs with Rs 25 crores of outstanding. However, only those MSMEs with more than Rs 100 crores of turnover are eligible. ECLGS 2.0 The Kamath Committee identified twenty-six stressed sectors. The ECLGS scheme was extended to these sectors as ECLGS 2.0. It mainly focused on entities in health care sector with an outstanding credit between Rs 50 crores and Rs 500 crores. ECLGS 3.0 This is the recently launched scheme. It extended the credit up to 40% of the total credit outstanding. Govt extended Rs 50 lakh insurance scheme for healthcare providers till September Amid rising number of COVID-19 cases, the government has extended the Rs 50 lakh insurance scheme for about 22 lakh healthcare providers for another three months till September. The insurance provides a comprehensive personal accident cover of Rs 50 lakh to a total of around 22.12 lakh public healthcare providers, including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact and care of patients suffering from coronavirus infection and who may be at risk of being impacted by this. Insurance Scheme for health workers in government hospitals and healthcare centres operationalised with effect from March 30, 2020. India elected to 3 bodies of UN Economic and Social Council India has been elected to three key bodies of the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC). These bodies are the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), Executive Board of UN Women, Executive Board of the World Food Programme. 1. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice: India was elected by acclamation to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice for a three- year term beginning January 1, 2022. Established in 1992, it is the principal policy-making body of the UN in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. Chair (at the 30th session) – Alessandro Cortese of Italy | Headquarters – Vienna, Austria. 2. Executive Board of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women): India was elected by acclamation to the Executive Board of the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (U.N. Women) for a three-year term beginning on January 1, 2022. It became operational in 2011, it is a United Nations entity working for the empowerment of women. Executive Director – Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka | Headquarters – New York, USA. 3. Executive Board of the World Food Programme India was elected to the Executive Board of the World Food Programme, along with France, Ghana, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Sweden by acclamation for a three-year term beginning on January 1, 2022. Established in 1961, WFP is the food assistance branch of the United Nations. Executive Director – David Beasley | Headquarters – Rome, Italy. Piyush Goyal Launched “e-SANTA”, an Electronic Marketplace For Aqua Farmers The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated e-SANTA, an electronic marketplace, to provide a platform for connecting aqua farmers and buyers. e-SANTA stands for Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers’ Trade in Aquaculture.
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Here, the term National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of Marine Products Export Development Authority. e-SANTA aims to raise income, lifestyle, self-reliance, quality levels, traceability, of aqua farmers. It will act as an alternative marketing tool between farmers & buyers by eliminating middlemen. The platform will help the farmers to get a better price and the exporters to directly purchase quality products from the farmers and enhancing traceability. Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched ‘SARTHAQ’, the NEP Implementation Plan for School Education The Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal chaired a high-level meeting on the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. During the meet, the minister unveiled the ‘Implementation Plan for School Education’, called “Students’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement through Quality Education (SARTHAQ)”. SARTHAQ has been developed by the Department of School Education and Literacy to assist States and UTs with the goals and objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Government Launched Community Mental-Health Digital platform ‘MANAS’ The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. K Vijay Raghavan launched a mobile app called “MANAS” to cater mental well-being of citizens on scalable, secure and digital platforms. MANAS stands for Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System. MANAS is an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. It has been jointly executed by NIMHANS Bengaluru, AFMC Pune and C-DAC Bengaluru. The app MANAS is developed under the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), to promote wellbeing across age groups. Ministry of Agriculture signed MoU with Microsoft India to improve Farmers income in 100 villages of 6 states The Union Ministry of Agriculture has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft India for a pilot project, aimed at betterment of farmers in the selected 100 villages of 6 states, by creating a vibrant digital agro-ecosystem in the country. To implement the project, Microsoft has joined in with its local partner, CropData. Besides the MoU, a tripartite agreement has also been signed for the same between the three bodies.The pilot project will be carried out in 100 villages in 10 districts of 6 states. These states are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. India to get 3rd Coronavirus Vaccine as DCGI approves Russia’s “Sputnik V” India’s drug regulator, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Russian Covid-19 vaccine “Sputnik V” on April 13, 2021, for use in the country under ‘restricted use in emergency situations’. Sputnik V will be the third Covid-19 vaccine in India. Besides this, the other two vaccines approved in India are Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), and Covaxin, manufactured by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL). These vaccines are approved under “emergency-use authorisation (EUA)” by the regulator. India is the 60th country to approve the use of Sputnik V against coronavirus. India Unveiled first-ever app to learn Sanskrit called “Little Guru” The Government of India has launched a mobile application called “Little Guru” to enable the user learn Sanskrit, the ancient language of the country, often called the ‘Language of the Gods’. The app Little Guru has been developed by the Indian council for cultural relations (ICCR) and produced by Bengaluru-based Gamapp SportsWizz. It is available on Google Play Store. The app has been developed in such a way that makes learning Sanskrit easy and entertaining by “gamifying” it. Government launched Mass Vaccination Programme “Teeka Utsav” to control surging COVID-19 cases In a bid to fight against the surging COVID-19 cases, the Government of India has launched a mass vaccination programme “Teeka Utsav (vaccine festival)” from April 11 to 14, 2021. It must be noted that April 11 marks the birth anniversary of Jyotiba Phule and April 14 is the birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. As a result, the nation-wide vaccination drive will be observed as vaccination festival, and will aim to inoculate maximum number of eligible people against the coronavirus. All eligible persons for vaccination can register and book an appointment with the help of CoWIN portal and Aarogya Setu App. Apart from this, on-site registration facility is also available. Sankalp se Siddhi – Village & Digital Connect Drive Launched by TRIFED
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TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched “Sankalp se Siddhi” – Village & Digital Connect Drive. The main aim of this 100 day drive is to activate the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in the villages as well as aid in effecting a complete transformation of the tribal ecosystem across the country. The drive will begin from April 01, 2021. The 100 day drive will comprise 150 teams (10 in each region from TRIFED and State Implementation Agencies/Mentoring Agencies/Partners). Each team will be visiting ten villages each. 100 villages in each region and 1500 villages in the country will be covered in the next 100 days. The visiting teams will also identify locations and shortlist potential Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for clustering as TRIFOOD, and Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) units as larger enterprises. Union Ministers Dr Harsh Vardhan and Arjun Munda launches Tribal Health Collaborative ‘Anamaya’ The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan and the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda jointly launched ‘Anamaya’, the Tribal Health Collaborative through video conference. Anamaya is a multi-stakeholder initiative to enhance the health and nutrition status of the tribal communities of India by converging efforts of various Government agencies and organisations. The initiative is supported by Piramal Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). As part of this Collaborative, the Ministry will undertake several activities such as setting up of the National Council on Tribal Health to drive policy initiatives in tribal health, establishment of a Health Cell to closely monitor healthcare delivery in the tribal areas and devising mechanisms to implement the Tribal Health Action Plan. Tourism ministry signed MoU with Cleartrip, Ease My Trip In its ongoing effort to strengthen the hospitality and tourism industry amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cleartrip and Ease My Trip The primary objective of this MoU is to provide extensive visibility to accommodation units, which have self- certified themselves on SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness and Training for the Hospitality Industry) on the OTA platform. The MoU also outlines both parties to encourage units to register on NIDHI and thereby, on SAATHI and encourage the local tourism industry with appropriate safeguards for curbing the spread of COVID-19. India recorded 30% increase in agricultural export than last year. India recorded a 30 percent increase in agricultural export than the 2019-20 financial year. The Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) stated that agricultural exports of Rs 1.3 lakh crore were made during 2020-21. It was Rs 1.1 lakh crore in FY 2019-20. The export of organic products has increased by 40 percent in the last financial year. India will focus on fulfilling the demand for herbal and organic products from Europe, the US, and the Middle East. APEDA is a government organization established in 1985. It is responsible for the promotion of the export of agro products. Essential agri commodities exports up 18% in Apr-Feb Despite the Covid-19 situation world over, the country’s export of essential agricultural commodities for the April 2020-February 2021 period has increased by 18.49% to ₹2.74 lakh crore as compared with ₹2.31 lakh crore in the same period last year. Imports too have shown a rise of 2.93% to ₹1.41 lakh crore during the period. Rs 30,000 cr of disaster funds has given to states in one year Probably in one of the highest yearly spend towards disaster mitigation, the central government has released more than Rs 30,000 crore of disaster funds to states and Union Territories since the beginning of the pandemic last year. The total funds released to 28 states/Union territories is more than Rs 31,500 crore during the just concluded 2020-21 financial year. Up to 50% of this fund has been allowed to be used for Covid-19 containment measures that may include setting up of quarantine centres, buying of medical equipment, providing for ambulances and expenditure towards testing and tracing of cases. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal have got the highest share of the State Disaster Relief Management Fund (SDRMF), including Rs 8,257 crore contributions made from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). While MP has received Rs 3,700 crore of disaster funds till March 31, Maharashtra has received Rs 3,640 crore and Bengal Rs 3,260 crore. Union Cabinet cleared Silk Board-Airport metro line, to complete in 54 months
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The Union Cabinet cleared Bangalore Metro Rail’s ambitious Silk Board to international airport line project, which is estimated to cost about Rs 14,788 crore. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) is implementing the project in two phases. While phase 2A covers Central Silk Board Junction to K.R. Puram, the phase 2B runs from K.R. Puram to Airport via Hebbal Junction. The two phases cover a length of 58.19 km. Once completed in the estimated 54 months, this project will play a key role in decongesting the city which contributes 40% to India’s IT exports & is home to a large number of IT parks, hubs and industries. An Online Dispute Resolution handbook launched by NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog has launched a first-of-its-kind Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) handbook in India. This new handbook has been launched in collaboration with Agami and Omidyar Network India. ICICI Bank, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Trilegal, Dalberg, Dvara, and NIPFP, will support this initiative. The handbook was launched by Supreme Court Justice DY Chandrachud. It will provide resolution of disputes outside the courts, especially for small and medium-value cases. It will settle the cases using digital technology and technology of alternate dispute resolution such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. NHAI will deploy NSV to enhance quality of National Highways. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will deploy Network Survey Vehicle to enhance the quality of the National Highways across the country. The use of NSV has been made mandatory at the time of certifying the road condition on completion of the project on national highways and every six months thereafter. NSV uses a high-resolution digital camera and Laser Road Profilometer for the survey of roads. Network Survey Vehicle will collect data about the road surface, surface cracking, potholes, and patches. The collected data will be analysed by the Road Asset Management Cell. Atal Innovation Mission, CIPS join hands for Innovation in Public System The Atal Innovation Mission, Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS) and NITI Aayog recently announced collaboration to reinforce entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem in India. The CIPS and Atal Innovation Mission signed a Statement of Intent to promote innovation in the area of public system. This is to be achieved with the help of knowledge and experience of AIM and CIPS. The CIPS and AIM will organise round tables involving local level administration officials. This is to create awareness about the innovative products and solutions. Also, it will help them understand the standard policies and processes around procurement. Ultimately, it will aid in quicker implementation of innovative solutions. They will together host e-exhibitions supported by relevant startups. Through this their innovations are to be showcased. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated Khelo India State Centre of Excellence for Rowing discipline in Srinagar Union Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurated Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) for Rowing discipline at the Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council Water Sports Academy at the Nehru Park in the world famous Dal Lake in Srinagar on April 10, 2021. This is one of the two KISCEs from Jammu & Kashmir. The other being the Maulana Azad Stadium for Fencing discipline in Jammu. There are currently 24 KISCEs across 23 States and Union Territories. Each of them focuses on Olympics sports discipline. KISCEs is an ongoing endeavour to scale-up existing centres from the States and Union Territories to the world standard level keeping in mind the goal of getting India excelled at the Olympics. DRDO to set up covid hospital in Ahmedabad Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that another dedicated 1200 bed Covid hospital will be set up at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the 1200 bed dedicated Covid hospital will be set up at Helipad ground in Gandhinagar. This hospital will have 600 ICU beds. It will be set up by DRDO in collaboration with Tata Trust. Google committed Rs 135 crore to help fight coronavirus crisis in India Goggle has announced a commitment of Rs 135 crore (or approx $18 million) to fight the pandemic in India, which is hit hard by the second wave of Covid-19 infections.
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The commitment includes two grants from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, totalling Rs 20 crore (or approx $2.6 million. The fund will help in getting urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipments for India as the country sees record case numbers amid oxygen shortage. The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it’s needed most in India. The funding also includes ad support for public health campaigns. In fact, the tech giant has increased ad grants support by pumping additional Rs 112 crore (or approx $15 million) to help local authorities and non- profits for more language coverage options. In addition, over 900 ongoing Google employees have contributed Rs 3.7 crore (or approx $500,000) for organisations supporting high-risk and marginalised communities. Separately, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is pledging Rs 5 crore in a personal capacity to fight the coronavirus pandemic in India. India’s demographic advantage to overtake China’s by 2035; China’s Central Bank report A report released by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, stated that China should immediately liberalise its birth policies to tackle the problems of an ageing population and plan to compete economically with a demographically young India and the immigration-friendly US. In 2035 and 2050, India will have 06 billion and 1.11 billion labour force respectively, which is 120 million and 270 million more than those of China. Cost of vaccinating India’s entire population above 18 years 0.36% of GDP: India Ratings and Research India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) stated that the cost of vaccinating all citizens above the age of 18 years against Covid-19 will amount to Rs. 67,193 crores. It is to be noted that of total Rs. 67,193 crores, states together will incur Rs.46,323 crores. India Ratings, in a note, stated that “may cost ₹67,193 crore, of which the Union government will incur ₹20,870 crore and state governments together will incur ₹46,323 crore”. As the second wave of Covid-19 sweeps the country with alarming speed and severity, the government has announced a liberalised and accelerated Phase 3 strategy of Covid-19 vaccination. Under this scheme, all persons above 18 years of age will be eligible to get Covid-19 vaccine doses from May 1. All persons above 18 years of age, from May 1, will be eligible to get Covid-19 vaccine shots. The report stated that “This means that the total size of the population that will now be eligible for vaccination would be 84.19 crore out of the total population of 133.26 crore,”. Ola plans to build world’s largest scooter-charging network. Ola will set up 100,000 high-speed charging points in more than 400 Indian cities in five years. In the first year, Ola will set up 5,000 charging points in 100 cities of India. Ola Hypercharger can charge the Ola Scooter up to 50 percent in just 18 minutes. It will be set up in every corner of a city. Ola is planning to launch its first electric scooters. It has also announced to establish the world’s largest scooter factory in Tamil Nadu. Labour Bureau opened an additional office in Salt Lake City, Kolkata. An additional office of the Labour Bureau has been inaugurated in Salt Lake City, Kolkata. It will work as a hub for survey-related activities in the entire Eastern Region. Labour Bureau has started the field work for All-India Survey of Migrant workers and All-India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey from 1st April 2021 in many states. Ministry of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cleartrip and Ease My Trip. To strengthen the Hospitality & Tourism Industry, the Ministry of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cleartrip and Ease My Trip. Its main aim is to provide extensive visibility to accommodation units that have self-certified themselves on SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for the Hospitality Industry) on the OTA platform. The MoU will encourage these Units to register on NIDHI and SAATHI app. It will also help in encouraging the local tourism Industry. Gender Samvaad Event The Ministry of Rural Development recently launched the Gender Samvaad Event. It is a joint initiative between DAY-NRLM and IWWAGE. The main objective of Gender Samvaad event was to create awareness on gender related interventions under the DAY-NRLM. DAY-NRLM is Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihood Mission. IWWAGE is Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy. IndianOil entered into partnership with Consumerfed for sale of 5 kg LPG cylinders.
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IndianOil has entered into a partnership with Consumerfed for the sale of 5 kg LPG cylinders. 5 kg LPG cylinders are sold under Chhotu brand. Chhotu brand cylinders will be sold through Consumerfed’s extensive network of Thriveni outlets. Facebook signed a deal to buy renewable energy in India. Facebook has signed a deal with a local renewable energy firm to buy renewable energy in India. It is the first such kind of deal of Facebook in India. In 2020, Facebook became the net-zero carbon emitter. Its global operation is fully supported by renewable energy. Facebook and CleanMax are working together on solar and wind projects to supply renewable energy in India. A 32-megawatt wind power project of Karnataka is part of this pact. Facebook has also signed a similar deal with the Singapore energy providers Sunseap Group and Terrenus Energy. The wind and solar projects will be owned and operated by CleanMax. Facebook will only purchase electricity from the renewable power company. National Commission for Scheduled Castes’ Online Grievance Management Portal launched. On the occasion of the 130th birth anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the Online Grievance Management Portal of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). It has been launched to receive the complaints of Scheduled Caste victims in online mode. The Portal will enable Scheduled Castes people to register their complaints from any part of the country and to get them addressed in a time-bound manner. The portal is designed with the help of the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N). It also provides the facility to upload any documents and audio/video files. National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC): It is a constitutional body that provides safeguards against the exploitation of SCs. It was set up under Article 338 of the Constitution of India. President of India appoints the Chairman and other members of NCSC. NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission signed a pact with Dassault Systemes Foundation. NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) have signed a pact with Dassault Systemes Foundation to work together to provide a digital-rich ecosystem to the aspiring young minds in India. Atal Tinkering Labs always make a vital contribution to promote creativity and imagination among school children. Dassault Systemes Foundation always works dedicatedly to change the future of education and research through its 3D technology. Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched the ‘Aahaar Kranti’ mission. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launched the ‘Aahaar Kranti’ mission. It has been launched to spread awareness about the need for nutritionally balanced diet and the importance of available local fruits and vegetables. The mission has been launched by the Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) and Global Indian Scientists’ and Technocrats’ Forum (GIST) under the motto of “Uttam Aahaar Uttam Vichaar”. The Aahaar Kranti mission has been designed to resolve malnourishment, hunger, and diseases in India. The United Nations has also declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. First ever online exhibition on Ramayana Tourism and Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has inaugurated the first-ever online exhibition on Ramayana. The weblink for the online exhibition is www.nmvirtual.in/Virtual_Tour/Ramayan. The online exhibition showcases forty nine miniature paintings collections of National Museum, New Delhi from different art schools of India. Railway to run "Oxygen Express" trains The Railways will run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains over the next few days to transport liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country. Amid spiralling coronavirus cases in the country, the demand for medical oxygen in the country has gone through the roof. Empty tankers will begin their journey from Kalamboli and Boisar railway stations in and near Mumbai on Monday to load liquid medical oxygen from Vizag, Jamshedpur, Rourkela and Bokaro.
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National Collateral Management Limited signed an MoU with Agriculture Skill Council for skilling in the agriculture sector The National Collateral Management Limited (NCML) had inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) to provide skill training in the agriculture sector. The partnership will enable a continuous learning framework leading to training and development of resources in the agriculture industry. It will also benefit the agriculture warehousing industry. NSE Academy signed a pact with GIFT SEZ to launch certification in international financial services NSE Academy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) has signed a pact with GIFT SEZ Limited for capacity building of trained manpower by developing, launching, and conducting training programmes related to International Financial Services. GIFT SEZ is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City. SpiceJet signed MoU with Avenue Capital SpiceJet signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Avenue Capital Group, New York for a strategic alliance in respect of the financing, acquisition, and sale and lease‐back of 50 new planes to be ordered by the airline. The MoU sets out the next steps and conditions upon which Avenue, as part of the strategic alliance with SpiceJet, will assist with placing SpiceJet’s new aircraft portfolio including sale and lease‐back of and also an assumption of ownership of potentially up to 50 of these aircraft. Spices Board India signed an MoU with UNDP India’s Accelerator Lab Spices Board India under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and UNDP India’s Accelerator Lab today signed a MoU with the aim to build a blockchain-based traceability interface for Indian spices to enhance transparency in the supply chain and trade. Blockchain is a decentralized process of recording transactions on an open and shared electronic ledger. This allows for ease and transparency in data management across a complex network, including, farmers, brokers, distributors, processors, retailers, regulators, and consumers, thus simplifying the supply chain. Centre to Launch Unique ID Number for All Plots of Land by 2022 The Central government has plans to introduce 14-digit identification number for every plot of land in the country within a year. The land records database will then reportedly be integrated with revenue court records and bank records, as well as Aadhaar numbers on a voluntary basis. This plan has been laid out in a parliamentary standing committee report submitted to the Lok Sabha last week, as part of the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) which began in 2008 and has been expanded several times. The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) scheme, as it is being called, has already been rolled out in 10 states, the report quotes the Department of Land Resources, and will be extended across the country by March 2022. Education Minister Launched “MyNEP2020” Platform Of NCTE Portal Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on 1 April 2021 launched the “MyNEP2020” Platform of NCTE Web Portal. The platform seeks to invite suggestions/inputs/membership from the stakeholders for preparing a draft for the development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM). The “MyNEP2020” platform will be operational from 1st April 2021 to 15th May 2021. Ministry of Steel observed Swachhata Pakhwada from 16th to 31st March 2021 Ministry of Steel and all PSUs under its administrative control like SAIL, NMDC, RINL, KIOCL, MOIL, MECON, MSTC & FSNL observed the ‘Swachhata Pakhwada’ from 16th-31st March 2021. During the Swachhata Pakhwada, PSUs under the Ministry have taken up various activities such as administration of swachhata pledge, cleaning up of townships, factories, nearby villages/slums, cleaning up of schools run or adopted by them under Swachh Vidyalaya, awareness program on curbing the use of single-use plastic, etc. Steel Safety Day was observed on 28 March 2021. Atal Innovation Mission launched ‘AIM-PRIME’ in partnership with BMGF & Venture Center Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog launched ‘AIM-PRIME’ (Program for Researchers on Innovations, Market-Readiness & Entrepreneurship), an initiative to promote and support science-based deep-tech startups & ventures across India. In this regard, AIM has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to launch this nationwide program, which will be implemented by Venture Center, a non-profit technology business incubator.
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Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched the world 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched the world’s 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series developed by IIT Hyderabad researchers. This next-generation DuroKea antimicrobial technology starts at 189 rupees, kills 99.99 percent of germs instantly, and leaves behind the long-lasting protective nanoscale coating up to 35 days till the next wash. The unique property of the DuroKea range is to ensure instant killing (within 60 sec) and prolonged protection which is an immense necessity during this current pandemic situation. INYAS launched a nationwide campaign to spread awareness about COVID-19 vaccination. Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS) has launched a nationwide mass awareness campaign to bust myths about the COVID-19 vaccination programme. It will be carried out through a COVACNEWS mobile app. It will provide information about vaccines in 11 languages. A nationwide info-graphic video and audio competition and the GYAN TEEKA webinar series will also be organised to spread awareness about the vaccination programme. Eminent speakers will spread awareness about the COVID-19 vaccination programme through the GYAN TEEKA webinar series. Union Health Minister launched Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP). Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched an integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) virtually. It is the next generation of a highly refined version of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, which is currently in use. India is the first country in the world to adopt such an advanced disease surveillance system. Centre has approved Rs 780 crore project for upgradation of Kargil Zanskar road. Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari has sanctioned a 780 Crore rupees project for upgradation of Kargil Zanskar road. Under Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode, the Government has sanctioned the 2 lanes Kargil Zanskar NH 301 road. The Central Government declared Zanskar- Kargil road as a National Highway in 2017. Zanskar valley road connects Suru valley, Sankoo valley of Kargil with the Highway. This road will play an important role in the economic development of the remote region of Ladakh. World’s highest railway bridge: The arch closure of Chenab Bridge completed. The Indian Railways has completed the construction of the arch of the world’s highest railway bridge. It is 359 metres above the bed of the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir. The aim of the 1.3-kilometre-long bridge is to improve connectivity to the Kashmir Valley. It is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link project and build with a total expense of ₹1,486 crores. The bridge is 35 meters higher than Paris’s Eiffel Tower.The bridge is 1315m long. It has been designed by firms from Finland and Germany. It can withstand wind speed up to 266kmph and has a lifespan of 120 years. Government launched All-India Survey on Migrant Worker and the AQEES Ministry of Labour & Employment has launched All India Surveys on Migrant workers and the All-India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey (AQEES). The main aim of the survey is to gather crucial data on migrant workers. It will also provide detail about the living condition of Migrant workers and the impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers. All-India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey (AQEES) will provide employment details of the establishments employing 10 or more workers and for the establishments recruiting 9 or less workers. The survey will be done by the Labour Bureau and technology for the survey will be provided by BECIL. The technology provided by BECIL will help in reducing the completion time of the survey. Government to set up oxygen plant under PM-CARES With hundreds of C-19 patients gasping for breath due to shortage of medical oxygen at hospitals across states, the central government on Thursday formulated a plan under which the PM-Cares Fund would be used to set up medical oxygen manufacturing units at 100 hospitals so that they become self-reliant. “Online Grievance Management Portal” launched
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Union Minister for Communication & IT and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the “Online Grievance Management Portal of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)”. NCSC Grievance Management portal would make it easier for Scheduled Castes population of our country to register their complaint from any part of the country. The portal designed in collaboration with the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N), a Centre of Excellence under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India will facilitate an end-to-end e-filing of complaints and grievances and their tracking. Centre Government to start construction ravi canal Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone for the work of ‘construction of balance portion of Ravi Canal’ of Shahpur Kandi Dam Project at Basantpur,Kathua, Jammu. The project has been inaugurated after a gap of 60 yrs since Indus water treaty came into being. The project aims to utilize full water of Ravi river in Indian territory. West Central Railway becomes first fully electrified Indian Railways zone Indian Railways’ West Central Railway zone gets fully electrified, after CCRS Inspection and Commissioning of electrification of Kota – Chittaurgarh railway section (Srinagar – Jalindri) in the state of Rajasthan. West Central Railways has become the first fully electrified railway zone in the country. The zonal railway now boasts a 3012 Route Km electrified network. National Programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules The Union Cabinet recently approved the Production Linked Incentive Scheme called the “National Programme on High Efficiency Solar Photo Voltaic Modules”. Photo Voltaic are units that convert light energy into electrical energy. The programme aims to achieve manufacturing capacity in Giga Watt scale in high efficiency solar PV modules. The total outlay of the scheme has been estimated as Rs 4,500 crores. The programme aims to bring additional 10,000 MW capacity of integrated solar PV manufacturing units in India. It will bring in direct investment of Rs 17,200 crores in solar Photo Voltaic manufacturing projects. The demand for “Balance of Materials” is expected to touch Rs 17,500 crores in five years after the launch of the scheme. It will bring indirect employment of 1,20,00 and direct employment of 30,000. It will stimulate research and development that will achieve higher efficiency in solar PV modules S A Bobde launches Supreme Court of India’s first AI-driven Research Portal ‘SUPACE’ The first-of-its-kind Artificial Intelligence (AI) based portal of the Supreme Court of India called “SUPACE”, was unveiled by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde. SUPACE stands for “Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court’s Efficiency”. The SUPACE portal is a tool that collects relevant facts and laws and makes them available to a judge, to make research easier for judges, and thereby ease their workload. Through SUPACE, the apex court judges will be able to fetch facts on any given case accurately, do all discovery of facts. The system has been designed not to decide but to do all discovery of facts to let the Judge decide. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launched a new cruise service connecting Hazira port in Surat and Diu Island Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (Independent charge) Mansukh Mandaviya launched a new cruise service connecting Hazira port in Surat and Diu Island. A 300-passenger capacity cruise ship will have 16 cabins. It will make two round trips during the week. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar flagged off DEMU train from Phaltan to Pune via Lonand Union Minister Prakash Javadekar flagged off the DEMU train from Phaltan in Satara district to Pune via Lonand through a video conference. Phaltan,110 km south-east of Pune is known for agriculture produce & agro-based industries. Owing to the above products and companies, there is much movement of traders and aggregators from Phaltan to Pune & other cities. Narendra Singh Tomar launched Madhukranti portal and Honey Corners of NAFED in New Delhi The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar launched a portal ‘Madhukranti’ and Honey Corners with the aim to bring an increase in income of farmers, employment generation and increase in exports.
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Madhukranti portal is an initiative of National Bee Board (NBB). The portal is being developed for online registration to achieve traceability source of Honey and other beehive products on a digital platform. The portal will also check the source of adulteration and contamination in honey. It will have end-to-end record to track the source of honey. Honey Corner is a specially designed space in National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) stores dedicated to sale of honey. India’s Organic food products export increased by 50 percent in 2020-21. India’s Organic food export increased by 50% in 2020-21 than last fiscal year. During FY 2020-21, the export of organic food products has grown by 39% in terms of quantity. 888,179 metric tonnes (MT) organic products were exported in 2020-21. National Fertilizers Limited directed to set up four Oxygen plants National Fertilizers Limited has ordered the setting up of four Oxygen plants. These plants will be set up in government hospitals in Noida, Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Bhopal. Each plant will have a capacity of 70 cylinders per day.
INTERNATIONAL
Australia to provide 747 million dollars for upgrading four defence bases to boost Indo-Pacific engagements Australia will invest 747 million dollars in upgrading four key military training areas and ranges in the Northern Territory to defend the country’s interests and support greater engagement with the Indo-Pacific neighbours and allies. Australia’s Capital: Canberra, Currency: Australian dollar, Prime Minister: Scott Morrison UK became the first country to announce the regulation of the use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways The UK has became the first country to announce the regulation of the use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways. Britain’s transport ministry said that it was working on specific wording to update the country’s highway code for the safe use of self-driving vehicle systems. It added that the ministry will start with Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) – which use sensors and software to keep cars within a lane, allowing them to accelerate and brake without driver input. WHO announced global immunization strategy to save 50 million lives. WHO has announced a global immunization strategy to save 50 million people’s lives by 2030. WHO, in association with UNICEF and the vaccine alliance Gavi, has developed this strategy. China’s first Mars rover will be named Zhurong. China has announced that its first Mars rover will be named Zhurong after a traditional fire god. The rover is part of the Tianwen-1 mars mission of China. The main objective of Tianwen-1 is to conduct a survey of the planet and collect information about its geological structures. China will become the third country in the world to land a robot rover on Mars. Russia and the United States are other countries that have successfully landed the rover on Mars. The Chinese rover will land in Utopia Planitia on Mars. Bitex became first crypto exchange to provide investment disclosures UAE-based global cryptocurrency Exchange Bitex announced that it has commenced providing ‘Investment Declaration Report’ for all its retail and institutional investors, becoming the first Exchange in India to comply with the recent amendments made to the Companies Act 2013 by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had sought full disclosure of crypto transactions and holdings by companies making it mandatory for companies to declare cryptocurrency investments. The Government has earlier also indicated that the income from cryptocurrency gains will be taxable under the Income Tax Act, 1961. ‘Britcoin’ digital currency being considered by UK British authorities are exploring the possibility of creating a new digital currency that Treasury chief Rishi Sunak indicated could be known as “Britcoin“. The Bank of England and the Treasury said that they will work together to assess the benefits of a central bank digital currency, at a time when cash payments are generally on the decline, partly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. US, Japan, and France will hold joint military exercise.
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Japan will hold the first joint military exercise with the US and France. It will be the first time that troops of all three countries are involved in such a large-scale exercise. It is scheduled to be organized from May 11 to 17 at the JGSDF’s Kirishima training ground and Camp in the Kyushu region. United Nations released second World Ocean Assessment report. Recently, United Nations has released the Second World Ocean Assessment report. It is an integrated assessment of the world’s ocean environmental, economic and social aspects at the global level. It provides comprehensive scientific information on the marine environment. According to this report, the management of human uses of the ocean requires improved coordination and cooperation. The marine environment can be protected by establishing marine protected areas and improved management of pollution and fisheries. Many human activities like climate change, unsustainable fishing, and pollution have degraded the condition of Oceans in the world. Dead zones in the oceans have doubled between 2008 to 2019. More than 90% of the Mangrove Seagrass and marsh plants are facing extinction. The first World Ocean Assessment (WOA I) was released in 2015. SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development Saudi Arabia to join ‘Net Zero Producers Forum’ on climate change Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of crude, joined other major oil and gas producers such as the US, Canada, Norway and Qatar to establish a net-zero producers forum to implement the Paris Agreement's targets of lowering emissions. The state news agency Saudi Press Agency, SPA, yesterday reported that Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, will be part of the new platform, which will discuss ways to achieve net zero carbon emission targets to limit global warming. In the past, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said the kingdom aims to reduce its carbon emissions by generating 50% of the country's energy from renewables by 2030. US President Joe Biden unveiled plans to cut emissions by 50%-52% from 2005 levels at the start of a two-day climate summit kicked off on Earth Day and attended virtually by leaders of 40 countries. USCIRF recommended India to be designated as ‘countries of particular concern’. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended to keep India on a list of ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ for violations of religious freedom. The USCISRF recommended the Biden administration to impose targeted sanctions on Indian individuals and entities for violations of religious freedom. USCISRF recommends that state administration should designate 14 countries in the list of “countries of particular concern (CPCs). Russia, Syria, India, and Vietnam are added to the CPC list of 2021. Citizenship Amendment Act, Attack on Muslims in Delhi’s riots, and exclusion of people from National Register of Citizens are the major concern in the 2021 report. Russia will launch a lunar mission in 2021. Russia’s Roscosmos space agency will launch Luna 25 lunar lander mission in October 2021. It will be the first Russian moon mission since 1976. It will land near the South Pole region of the Moon. It will study the composition of the polar regolith and plasma and dust components of the lunar polar exosphere. New Zealand brings World’s 1st Climate Change Law for Financial Firms New Zealand had become the first country to introduce a law that required banks, insurers and investment managers to report the impacts of climate change on their business. All banks with total assets of more than NZ$1 billion ($703 million), insurers with more than NZ$1 billion in total assets under management, and all equity and debt issuers listed on the country’s stock exchange had to make disclosures. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan launched construction of trans-border trade hub Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan had launched the construction of an international center for trade and economic cooperation named “Central Asia” on the border of the two countries. The center is intended to become a large industrial, trade and logistics platform for the implementation of joint investment projects of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. USCIRF Recommends India, Russia for ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ Tag
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A US Congress-constituted quasi -judicial body asked the Biden Administration to designate four nations, including India, as “countries of particular concern”, alleging that religious freedom conditions there in 2020 continued their negative trajectory. The annual report of the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also recommended the State Department to redesignate 10 nations as “countries of particular concern” (CPC). These are Burma (Myanmar), China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In addition to India, USCIRF in its non-binding report recommended the State Department to add three more countries to the list: Russia, Syria and Vietnam. Iran launched advanced IR-6 uranium enrichment centrifuges to mark Day of Nuclear Technology Iran President Hassan Rouhani reiterated Iran’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation while overseeing the launch of advanced centrifuges at the underground Natanz nuclear plant to mark National Nuclear Technology Day. Iran has breached many restrictions imposed by a 2015 deal on its atomic activities in response to former president Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the deal in 2018. The two nations have laid out tough stances at indirect talks in Vienna this week on how to bring both back into full compliance with the accord. Turkey banned Bitcoin and other crypto coins for payments Turkey’s central bank has banned the use of cryptocurrencies and crypto assets including Bitcoin to purchase goods and services, citing possible "irreparable" damage and significant transaction risks. The bank published a legislation in the Official Gazette, saying that cryptocurrencies and other such digital assets based on distributed ledger technology could not be used, directly or indirectly, as an instrument of payment. The Turkish central bank has stated that using cryptocurrencies may cause non-recoverable losses for the parties to the transactions. It added that these losses may include elements that may undermine the confidence in methods and instruments used currently in payments. Tropical cyclone Seroja hits the Western coast of Australia. A tropical cyclone ‘Seroja’ hits the western coast of Australia. It has damaged an area of 1000 km along the west coast of Australia. It has hit the Kalbarri town with a speed of 170km/h. It has damaged the houses, trees, and downed power lines. It is one of the strongest cyclones that have affected Australia. Singapore became first country to ratify the mega free trade agreement RCEP. Singapore has become the first nation to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. 10 ASEAN economies and Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea are part of the RCEP. The RCEP is the world’s largest free trade agreement led by China. India did not accept this agreement. US is also not a part of this trade agreement. In November 2020, 15 participating countries had signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement at a regional summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. United Arab Emirates (UAE) to send rover Rashid to the moon in 2022 Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) will build the Rashid lunar rover. Rashid’, an Emirati- made lunar rover named after the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The rover will be transported to the Moon on iSpace’s lunar lander. iSpace “will deliver the Emirates lunar mission’s ‘Rashid’ rover to the Moon, provide wired communication and power during the cruise phase, and engage in wireless communication on the lunar surface”. UAE aims to become the first Arab country and only the fourth in the world to land on the moon. The Rashid lunar rover will be designed entirely by Emiratis. The UAE had originally intended to send it into space by 2024. Lunar exploration company ispace will transport a United Arab Emirates rover to the moon in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law that allows him to run for President again. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new law that allows him to run for President’s post again. The provisions of the law are based on amendments to the Constitution. One of these amendments relates to the limit of the number of the presidential term of a person. This will apply to the incumbent President, irrespective of the tenure he had previously held. Now the incumbent President can contest two more elections. US President Biden announced complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September
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US President Joe Biden has announced that all American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11 this year, thus bringing to end the country’s longest war. US troops, as well as forces deployed by our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Allies and operational partners, will be out of Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of that heinous attack on September 11 (2001). The US and the Taliban signed a landmark deal in Doha on February 29, 2020, to bring lasting peace in war- torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home from America’s longest war. 3400-year-old ‘Lost golden city of Luxor’ discovered by archaeologists in Egypt ‘Lost golden city of Luxor’ discovered by archaeologists in Egypt. The 3400-year-old royal city was built by Amenhotep III, abandoned by his heretic son, Akhenaten, and contains stunningly preserved remains. Egyptologist Betsy Bryan has called the discovery ‘the second most important one since the tomb of Tutankhamun’. Akhenaten, who left the ‘golden city’ for a new capital at Amarna, encouraged a startlingly different style of Egyptian art. Here he is shown with his wife, Nefertiti, and three daughters. Facebook and Google planned to launch 2 new undersea internet cables from US West Coast to Singapore and Indonesia Technology giant Facebook and Google have planned to lay two huge subsea cables, called Echo and Bifrost, to provide vital new connections between the Asia-Pacific region and North America. The Echo and Bifrost trans-Pacific cables will link the U.S. West Coast to Singapore and Indonesia, and increase the data capacity between the regions by 70% and improve internet reliability. Facebook will be investing in both cables, but Google will invest only in Echo. Google and Facebook have partnered with leading regional and global partners to implement the project, including Indonesian firms Telin and XL Axiata, and Singapore-based Keppel. The Echo project is to be completed by late 2023, while Bifrost is set to be finished by late 2024. Russia Registers World’s First Covid-19 Vaccine For Animals named ‘Carnivac-Cov’ Russia has become the first country in the world to register the coronavirus vaccine for animals. The vaccine, called ‘Carnivac-Cov’, would be able to protect vulnerable species and thwart viral mutations. Carnivac-Cov is the world’s first & the only anti-#COVID_19 vaccine for animals.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT
Secretary (East) in MEA Riva Ganguly Das co-chairs 23rd ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Riva Ganguly Das co-chaired the 23rd ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting with Permanent Secretary of Thailand Thani Thongphakdi. Senior Officials from all ten ASEAN Member States and India attended the virtual meeting. PM Modi Participated in Leaders’ Summit on Climate hosted by Joe Biden Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the “Leaders’ Summit on Climate”, hosted by the President of the U.S.A. Joe Biden. The two-day conference has been organised virtually, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Paris Agreement on climate change for signature. The theme of the summit: Our Collective Sprint to 2030. Biden pledged during the summit to cut U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by 50-52% by 2030. More than half the world’s economy has now pledged action to stop warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a goal set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Summit is being held in the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) that will take place in November 2021 in Glasglow. Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 held The opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 was held in Boao, south China’s Hainan Province. The theme of the conference – “A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation”. Myanmar Army Chief will attend ASEAN Summit in Jakarta. The head of Myanmar’s military government, General Min Aung Hlaing, will attend the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia. It will be his first foreign trip after the coup. All leaders of ASEAN will take part in this meeting. The main objective of the meeting is to discuss the crisis that emerged after the military takeover of the government on February 1 in Myanmar. UN Special envoy on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener will also take part in this meeting. On 1 February, the Military imposed an emergency in Myanmar and detained many leaders, including President Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Hydrogen Roundtable organized by The Energy Forum (TEF) and FIPI The Energy Forum (TEF) and Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) organized Hydrogen Roundtable under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Hydrogen Roundtable was organized to discuss emerging hydrogen ecosystems and to explore opportunities for collaboration, cooperation and coalition. The Energy Forum (TEF) is a think tank that carries out research and analyses on global energy markets. Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) is an apex society of hydrocarbon sector entities. National Dialogue on UN Food Systems Summit 2021 The United Nations Secretary General has called for the first ever UN Food Systems Summit to be held in September 2021 to strategize the actions for positive change in Agri-food systems in the World to realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Summit will focus on levers and pathways to shape food systems nationally and globally to accelerate progress in the SDGs. The first National Dialogue on Agri-Food System was held. The National Dialogue was facilitated by the Inter departmental Group constituted by Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare and the representatives from UN Agencies in Delhi. Rajnath Singh Addresses IAF Commanders’ Conference 2021 The Union Minister of Defence Shri Rajnath Singh addressed the biannual IAF Commanders’ Conference 2021 (AFCC-21) on 15 April 2021 at Air Headquarters in New Delhi. The conference concluded on 16 April 2021. The theme of the IAF Commanders’ Conference 2021 was ‘Reorienting for the Future’. PM Modi Inaugurated 6th Raisina Dialogue Prime MInister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2021 “Raisina Dialogue”, through video-conferencing on April 13, 2021. Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, organised annually since 2016. The Raisina Dialogue 2021 is the sixth edition of the annual dialogue, organised from April 13 to 16, 2021, in fully digital form for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic. The theme for the 2021 conference is “#ViralWorld: Outbreaks, Outliers and Out of Control”. The four-day dialogue is jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the think-tank Observer Research Foundation. President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame and Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen joined the Inaugural Session as Chief Guests. The event will have a total of 50 sessions. Around 150 speakers from 50 countries and multilateral organisations are participating in the dialogue. The Raisina Dialogue is one of the leading global conference on international affairs. It brings together leading minds from the global strategic and policy-making community to discuss broader foreign policy and strategic issues facing the world. First meeting of National Startup Advisory Council chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal First meeting of the National Startup Advisory Council was chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The Minister called Startups the New Champions of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He further said that India has the potential to become the largest and most innovative startup ecosystem in world. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had constituted the council in January 2020. Besides the ex-officio members, the council has a number of non-official members, representing various stakeholders. MoS for Education Sanjay Dhotre attended the consultation meeting of Education Ministers of E9 countries Minister of State for Education Sanjay Dhotre attended a consultation meeting of Education Ministers of E9 countries. The meeting was held under the theme, “E9 initiative: Scaling up digital learning to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4”. The consultation is the first of a three-phased process to co-create an initiative on digital learning and skills, targeting marginalised children and youth, especially girls. India hosted the First Meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors India hosted a Meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors virtually and the meeting was jointly chaired by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman and Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Shaktikanta Das. Participants included Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the BRICS countries.
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As 2021 BRICS Chair, India’s approach was focused on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation based on Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus. This was the first meeting of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under the India Chairship in 2021. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan addressed Hope Consortium’s World Immunisation and Logistics Summit Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan digitally participated in a panel discussion on vaccine production and distribution across Asia at the “World Immunisation and Logistics Summit”. The 2-day virtual conference brought together over 1,000 attendees from around the region and the world in active discussion around tackling key issues facing global supply chains as the world faces the largest and most complex logistical operation in history to deliver life-saving vaccines worldwide. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the 6th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of New Development Bank 2021 Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs and India’s Governor in New Development Bank (NDB), Nirmala Sitharaman attended the 6th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of New Development Bank through video-conference in New Delhi. The meeting was also attended by Governors/Alternate Governors of Brazil, China, Russia, and South Africa. This year’s Annual Meeting theme was “New Development Paradigms: The Evolution of Infrastructure”. Piyush Goyal chaired the first meeting of the National Startup Advisory Council Union Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, and Food & Public Distribution Piyush Goyal chaired the first meeting of the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC). Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had constituted the National Startup Advisory Council to advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. 17th BIMSTEC ministerial meeting Addressing the 17th BIMSTEC ministerial meeting, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said India was committed to increase regional cooperation within the grouping. Besides India, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) includes Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. Formed in the 1990s, the group remained dormant for many years till it was revived a few years ago as an alternative to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which despite having the potential, has not been able to move forward due to frictions between India and Pakistan. A major connectivity master plan for the Bay of Bengal region has been finalized at the virtual meeting of Foreign Ministers of BIMSTEC. The plan would be taken up for adoption in the next BIMSTEC Summit to be hosted by Sri Lanka. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 103rd meeting of the World Bank Development Committee Plenary Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 103rd meeting of the Development Committee of the World Bank-IMF. The agendas of this meeting include the WBG and International Monetary Fund Support for Debt Relief Under the Common Framework; COVID-19 pandemic; World Bank Group Support for Fair and Affordable Access to Vaccines by Developing Countries. The Finance Minister stated that the Government of India has taken several measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. The Government has announced Aatma Nirbhar Packages of Rs 27.1 trillion to mitigate the social and economic impact of the pandemic. WBG has announced the financial assistance of $100 billion in the wake of the Covid pandemic for the first time.
BILATERAL
India and Russia agreed to establish a “2+2 ministerial dialogue”. India and Russia have agreed to establish a "2+2 ministerial dialogue" between foreign and defense ministers. It will help in enhancing the bilateral strategic partnership between both countries. So far, India has established “2+2 ministerial dialogue” with United States, Japan, and Australia. Russia is also providing the ‘Sputnik-V’ coronavirus vaccine to India. Union Cabinet approves signing of agreement between India and UK.
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Union Cabinet has given its nod to the signing of an agreement between India and UK to share information and prevent Customs offences. With the signing of this agreement, both sides will be able to get relevant information that will help in preventing and investigating customs offences Cabinet also approved the signing of MoU between India and UK on cooperation in the field of telecommunication. India builds infrastructures for three educational institutions in Nepal’s Palpa India builds infrastructures for three educational institutions in Nepal's Palpa district. Newly constructed buildings of Shree Rambha Larger Secondary Faculty, Shree Laxmi Larger Secondary Faculty and Shree Nava Adarsha A number of Campus respectively, constructed with Authorities of India’s monetary help of NRs. 98.37 Million. India and the U.S launched "India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership.” At the Leaders’ Summit on Climate, India and the US launched the "India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership.” India has a set target to reduce the emission intensity of GDP by 33 to 35% by 2030. India has already achieved 21 % of it and the remaining will be achieved in the next 10 years. China, the U.S, and India are the top emitters of CO2 in the world. Australia announces Rs 8.12 crore grant under Australia-India Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Partnership Australia has announced a grant of Rs 81.2 million (AUD 1.4 million) under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). The IPOI was proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the East Asia Summit in November 2019. Australia is co-leading India in the marine ecology pillar of the initiative. The initiative will help to support a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific. GOI-Germany enter into an agreement to prevent plastic waste entering oceans The Government of India and Germany Government have signed an agreement for Technical Cooperation in enhancing practices to prevent plastic from entering the marine environment at a virtual ceremony in New Delhi India. The project titled ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’ will be implemented for a period of 42 months. The outcome of the project is completely in line with the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban focusing on sustainable solid waste management and Prime Minister Modi’s vision to phase out single-use plastic by 2022. The agreement was signed between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. ‘Little Guru’- Sanskrit learning app launched in Bangladesh Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) of the High Commission of India has launched a Sanskrit learning app ‘Little Guru’ in Bangladesh. It has been launched as part of the campaign launched by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) for promoting the Sanskrit language. The ‘Little Guru’ app will help students, religious scholars, and others to learn Sanskrit in a very easy and interactive way. The app will teach Sanskrit through games, competition, rewards, etc. Cabinet gives ex post facto approval to MoU between DG of Trade Remedies, India and the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission The Cabinet gave ex post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding MoU between the Director General of Trade Remedies, India and the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission on the establishment of a framework of cooperation in the area of trade remedial measures signed at Dhaka. The primary objective of the MoU is to promote cooperation between the two countries in the area of Trade Remedies, covering the broad activities related to exchange of information, undertaking capacity building activities and activities in accordance with various provisions of World Trade Organization in the area of anti- dumping, countervailing and safeguard measures in bilateral trade. India Inked Agreement with France for cooperation on Gaganyaan Mission Indian space agency, ISRO has signed an agreement with the space agency of France CNES for cooperation in its first human space mission, Gaganyaan. Under the agreement, CNES will provide equipment developed by it, tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to Indian crews. It will also supply fireproof carry bags made in France to shield equipment from shocks and radiation.
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CNES will train Indian flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams at French facilities. India & Japan signed MoU for Academic and Research Cooperation The Union Cabinet recently apprised a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed between India and Japan. The MoU was signed between National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) that operates under Department of Space, GoI and the Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere called the RISH that operates under Kyoto University of Japan. According to the MoU signed, the NARL and RISH will continue their cooperation in the areas of technology, atmospheric sciences, collaborative scientific experiments and other related modelling studies. They will exchange scientific materials, information, publications, students, faculty members and researchers. The MoU will allow the countries to utilize the facilities such as Middle and Upper atmosphere radar in Japan, Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere radar, Equatorial Atmosphere Radar in Indonesia. India and Netherlands entered into a strategic partnership in water sector. During the India - Netherlands Virtual Summit, both sides announced a ‘Strategic Partnership on Water’ to further deepening of relations in the water-related sector. Both countries also announced to upgrade the Joint Working Group on the water to Ministerial-level. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte discussed bilateral cooperation in many areas including water budgeting, cost-effective decentralized treatment technology, converting wastewater to energy, and river hazard management. India and Sri Lanka Agreed to Jointly Work Against Terror Groups and Fugitives India and Sri Lanka agreed to work jointly against terrorist groups and fugitives wherever they are present and active and emphasised sharing real-time intelligence. The first delegation-level virtual Police Chiefs Dialogue between the Police Chiefs of India and Sri Lanka was also held. India and Maldives Agreed to Strengthen Counter-Terror Mechanism India and Maldives decided to enhance capacity-building mechanisms to counter-terror as well as collaboration to counter violent extremism and de-radicalisation. India and the US launched hydrogen task force under Strategic Energy Partnership India and the United States launched a Hydrogen Task Force under the Strategic Energy Partnership between the two countries. US Deputy Secretary of Energy, David M Turk, announced the inaugural edition of the Hydrogen Round table titled “Hydrogen Economy: New Delhi Dialogue – 2021”. Pakistan will import Sugar and Cotton from India. Pakistan’s government has decided to import sugar, cotton, and yarn from India. The decision has been taken after the Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire was announced by both countries in February. It is a step that will help in reviving the trade relations between both countries. Pakistan had cancelled the trade relation with India after India amended Article 370 of its Constitution and reorganised Jammu and Kashmir. Union Cabinet approved MoU between Competition Commission of India (CCI) and Administrative Council for Economic Defense of Brazil (CADE). Union Cabinet approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the Administrative Council for Economic Defense of Brazil (CADE). CCI can enter into any agreement with any agency of a foreign country under the provision of Section 18 of the Competition Act, 2002. Competition Commission of India (CCI) was formed on 14 October 2003 under the Competition Commission Act, 2002. Its current chairman is Ashok Kumar Gupta. Cabinet approved a pact between Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. The Union Cabinet has approved an MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. The main objective of this MoU is to establish mutually beneficial relationships between members, students, and their organizations.
PERSON IN NEWS WORLD Ulisses Correia e Silva Ulisses Correia e Silva re-elected Cape Verde’s Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in appointed former Cabinet Minister Kim Boo-
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kyum as the new Prime Minister. Vanita Gupta Prominent Indian-American civil rights lawyer Vanita Gupta has been confirmed by the US Senate as associate attorney general. Miguel Díaz-Canel Miguel Díaz-Canel will become the new head of Cuba’s Communist Party. He will take the place of Raúl Castro. Mahamat Idriss Déby Mahamat Idriss Déby emerges as Chad’s new President Sarah Gamal Sarah Gamal(Egyptian) becomes the first Arab female basketball referee to Compete in the Tokyo Olympics Nikol Pashinyan Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has resigned. David Beckham UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, football player David Beckham, is fronting a global initiative to inspire confidence in vaccines and encourage parents around the world to vaccinate their children against deadly diseases. Joseph Jouthe Prime Minister of Haiti "Joseph Jouthe" Resigns(Haiti Capital: Port-au-Prince) Poonam Gupta World bank economist Poonam Gupta has been appointed as the new Director General of the policy think tank “National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)”. Ouhoumoudou Niger President Mohamed Bazoum has appointed Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou as the Mahamadou new Prime Minister of the country effective from April 03, 2021. Guillermo Lasso A former banker, Guillermo Lasso, has won Ecuador’s presidential election. Noura al-Matroushi Noura al-Matroushi will become the first female astronaut of the UAE. UAE has also announced the name of a male astronaut. Mohammed al-Mulla is the announced male astronaut. Both astronauts have been selected among more than 4000 applicants. They will be trained at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Maj. Hazzaa al-Mansoori is the first astronaut of UAE to go into space. He had spent eight days in the International Space Station in 2019. In February 2021, UAE’s Mars mission ‘Hope Probe’ has entered Mars orbit. UAE will send an unmanned spacecraft on the moon in 2024. UAE has also planned to set up a human colony on Mars by 2117. Valentina Tereshkova is the first female astronaut to go into space. Russian Yuri Gagarin is the first man to go in space Vjosa Osmani Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu assumed office as the new President of Kosovo. Pham Minh Chinh The National Assembly of Vietnam has voted Pham Minh Chinh as the new Prime Minister of the country. The 62-year-old Chinh replaces former prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who has been elected as the new President of the country. Carl Bildt The former Prime Minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt, has been appointed as WHO Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator). Richard Verma Former US Ambassador to India Richard Verma was appointed as General Counsel and Head of Global Public Policy of Mastercard.
INDIA TV Somanathan The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved designating Somanathan, Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance as the Finance Secretary Ajay Seth The central government has nominated economic affairs secretary Ajay Seth in the Union Ministry of Finance as a director on the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will replace the earlier nominee of government Tarun Bajaj who has been appointed as the revenue secretary. Tarun Bajaj The Central Government has approved the appointment of Tarun Bajaj as new Revenue Secretary under the Ministry of Finance. Siddharth Singh Siddharth Singh Longjam has been appointed as the Director-General of the National Longjam Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). Justice N. V. Ramana Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana was sworn in as the 48th Chief Justice of India. Justice Ramana’s will hold the post for sixteen months, until August 26, 2022. Roland Bouchara Auto major Stellantis announced the appointment of Roland Bouchara as its CEO & Managing Director of India operations.
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Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), a world leader in cancer treatment and research. She became the first Indian woman to be appointed for this role. Arun Raste Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved to the appointment of Arun Raste as MD and CEO of National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX) for a period of five years. Amit Banerjee Amit Banerjee has been appointed as the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of BEML(Bharat Earth Movers Limited) Limited, a Miniratna Defence PSU under the Ministry of Defence. Atanu Chakraborty Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of Atanu Chakraborty as the part-time chairman and additional independent director of HDFC bank.Earlier, he had worked as Secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM). Rekha Menon Rekha Menon has been appointed as the first woman chairperson of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). Chithra Thomas Tesla has appointed its new country HR leader, Chithra Thomas. GC Murmu The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has selected the GC Murmu as its external auditor. GC Murmu is the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. OPCW is an intergovernmental organization, the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention. Headquarters is located in The Hague, Netherlands.founded on 29 April 1997.Its Director-General is Fernando Arias. Murali Natarajan Private sector lender, DCB Bank has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India for the re-appointment of Murali M. Natrajan as the Managing Director & CEO, for a further period of one year from April 29, 2021. Rigzian Sampheal State-owned Jammu & Kashmir Bank’s non-executive non-independent director Rigzian Sampheal had resigned from its board. Nilesh Vikamsey PNB Housing Finance re-appoints Nilesh Vikamsey as the Additional Director for 5 years term Dipika Bhasin Dipika Bhasin was appointed as the Executive Vice-President of Carat India. Jyothi Biju Nair IDBI Bank said it has appointed the company’s deputy general manager Jyothi Biju Nair as the new company secretary with effect from April 16.He will replace Pawan Agrawal. Uma Chigurupati Uma Chigurupati, businesswoman, marathoner is the new Chairperson of the FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) Hyderabad Chapter. S Ramann S Ramann has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) by the central government. SIDBI:It was established in 1990.Headquarters: Lucknow, UP It is the principal financial institution in the MSME sector. Chintan Vaishnav Noted socio-technologist, Dr Chintan Vaishnav has been appointed the mission director of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), the government’s flagship initiative under NITI Aayog. Mallika Srinivasan The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mallika Srinivasan as the Chairperson of Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB). Subhash Kumar Subhash Kumar had been appointed as the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). Urjit Patel Britannia Industries, the biscuits, and dairy giant, had appointed former Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel as additional director of the company in the category of non-executive and independent director with effect from 31 March 2021 for a term of 5 years. Justice Rajesh Bindal President has appointed Justice Rajesh Bindal as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High court. Jyothi Biju Nair IDBI Bank was appointed the company’s deputy general manager Jyothi Biju Nair as the new company secretary.
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K Madhavan K Madhavan will now be driving the strategy and growth of the company in India with responsibility for the Disney, Star and Hotstar businesses and operations spanning across entertainment, sports and regional channels, and direct-to-consumer. Manabu Yamazaki Canon India has appointed Manabu Yamazaki as the new president and CEO. In his new role, Yamazaki will spearhead Canon’s business strategy and operations in India. Sushil Chandra The incumbent Election Commissioner (EC) Sushil Chandra has been named to become the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He will replace incumbent CEC, Sunil Arora, who will retire on April 12, 2021. The Election Commission of India consists of three members, namely Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. The two ECs are Rajiv Kumar and Sushil Chandra. Sonu Sood The Government of Punjab, led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, has roped in Bollywood actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood as the brand ambassador for the anti- coronavirus vaccination programme in the state. Jacqueline Fernandez Van Heusen has signed Jacqueline Fernandez as the brand ambassador for its new sub- brand Denim Labs. Akshay Kumar appointed as brand ambassador of Star Cement Salman Khan appointed as brand ambassador of Chingari (short video app) Harbhajan Singh appointed as brand ambassador of Fan2Play Ravichandran Ashwin appointed as brand ambassador of Beetel Ravindra Jadeja Japanese sportswear brand ASICS appointed Ravindra Jadeja, the all-rounder of the Indian cricket team as its brand ambassador. Washington Sundar and Washington Sundar and Devdutt Padikkal appointed as brand ambassadors of Puma. Devdutt Padikkal Virat Kohli Chinese smartphone major Vivo has appointed Indian cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador. Virat Kohli Digit Insurance roped Virat Kohli as brand ambassador Suresh Raina Elista, a brand backed by the prestigious TeknoDome Group had announced the ace cricketer Suresh Raina as its brand ambassador. Ayushmann Khurrana Smartphone brand Tecno announced Ayushmann Khurrana as its brand ambassador. Anil Rander L&T Infotech appointed Anil Rander as the new Chief Financial Officer Manjinder Singh Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh took over as the Chief of Staff (CoS) of the Western Command. Mukhmeet S. Bhatia Mukhmeet S. Bhatia took over as the charge of Director General of Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India. Shabir Hussein The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed former Gujarat DGP Shabir Hussein Shekhadam Khandwawala as the head of its Anti-Corruption Unit. Adil Zainulbhai Quality Council of India (QCI) chief Adil Zainulbhai has been appointed as the chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission, set up under the government’s ambitious ‘Mission Karmayogi’ for bringing major reforms in bureaucracy. Paroma Chatterjee UK-based fintech company Revolut, which was valued at $5.5 billion last year, has named Paroma Chatterjee as its CEO in India.
AWARDS AND HONOUR Rajinikanth honoured with 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced Superstar Rajinikanth was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest award in cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
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The recipient is honoured for their “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema” and is selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry. The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of 1,000,000. Noted Marathi writer Sharankumar Limbale received Saraswati Samman 2020 Noted Marathi writer Sharankumar Limbale received Saraswati Samman 2020 for his book Sanatan. The award carries fifteen lakh rupees, a citation, and a plaque. Saraswati Samman, instituted by KK Birla Foundation in 1991, is recognised as the most prestigious and highest literary award in the country. The award carries fifteen lakh rupees, a citation, and a plaque. Krithi Karanth becomes the first Indian woman to be chosen as a ”Wild Innovator” Chief Conservation Scientist of Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), Krithi K Karanth has been chosen as the first Indian and Asian woman for the 2021 ”WILD Innovator Award”. This award given by the ”WILD ELEMENTS Foundation” brings together a coalition of innovators, advocates and partners to disrupt the status quo and identify solutions to global sustainability and conservation. Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain Alhathloul awarded 8th Václav Havel Human Rights Prize Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was awarded a top European rights prize “Václav Havel Human Rights Prize” in recognition of her fight for women’s rights in the kingdom, including her efforts to end a ban on women driving. The Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize was named after Vaclav Havel, the former Czech dissident and later President is awarded annually for civil society action in defence of human rights by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Dr Vajrala won Mana Telugu Tejam Award Dr Vajrala VL Narasimha Rao was awarded Mana Telugu Tejam National Legendary Award in Legal Service. As part of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s centenary celebrations, Mana Telugu Tejam National Awards were presented to people from various fields at the Birla Auditorium in Hyderabad. Dr Vajrala VL Narasimha Rao is now law officer of APCPDCL and APSPDCL. He is also a former member of District Consumer Forum, Ranga Reddy and Visakhapatnam. Mar Coorilos chosen for maiden Golden Lantern Award WHI, an organisation having special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, UN, has chosen Geevarghese Mar Coorilos Metropolitan, Diocese of Mumbai, for its maiden Golden Lantern Award. The award is being conferred on the metropolitan for his outstanding efforts in social, educational and charitable spheres. He was chosen for the award for his free education initiatives for slum children, health and treatment schemes designed for TB patients, exemplary contributions to the education sector and opening up of theology learning for women in the upcoming Theo University. Thilakan memorial award for director Pramod Payyannnur Theatre and film director Pramod Payyannur bagged the Thilakan memorial award named after the veteran actor for overall contribution in the creative field. The award is constituted by Thilakan Smarakavedi. Oscar awards winners 2021 announced. The winners of the 93rd Academy Awards (Oscar) are announced. The Oscars winners are given a copy of the golden statuette (The Academy Award of Merit). The first Academy Awards was presented in 1929. “Parasite” was the winner of the 92nd Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. In the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the 93rd Academy Awards, actor Irrfan Khan and costume designer Bhanu Athaiya were honoured The major awards winners are: Best Director - Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” Best Picture- Nomadland Best Actor- Anthony Hopkins for “The Father” Best Actress- Frances McDormand for Nomadland Best Supporting Actress- Yuh-Jung Youn for Minari Best Supporting Actor- Daniel Kaluuya Best International Feature- Another Round Best Animated Feature- Soul Best Documentary Feature- My Octopus Teacher Best Cinematography- Mank
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Oscars 2021: Chloe Zhao becomes second woman to win best director for 'Nomadland' Chloé Zhao has made history at the Academy Awards. Zhao won the Oscar for best director for "Nomadland," becoming just the second woman and the first woman of color to win the award. Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win, for "The Hurt Locker," in 2009. This was the only year in Oscar history with two female nominees, Zhao and "Promising Young Woman" director Emerald Fennell. Only seven women have ever been nominated. Hyderabad’s Rumana Sinha Sehgal won the Nelson Mandela World Humanitarian Award 2021 Rumana Sinha Sehgal, Software engineer turned entrepreneur from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, won the Nelson Mandela World Humanitarian Award 2021 by the Diplomatic Mission Global Peace. She was virtually awarded for her contribution to the field of developing innovative and functional green products by recycling varied materials and non-biodegradable materials. Marathi Film ‘Puglya’ Won Best Foreign Language Feature at Moscow International Film Festival The Marathi film “Puglya” has won the Best Foreign Language Feature award at Moscow International Film Festival, 2021.The film Puglya has been directed and produced by Vinod Sam Peter under the banner Abraham Films. Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ presents AICTE Lilavati Awards 2020 to Six Institutions The Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ presented the AICTE Lilavati Awards 2020 in New Delhi. Women Empowerment is the theme of the award. Six higher education institutions have been awarded the AICTE Lilavati Awards 2020. List of Winners Women’s Health – WIT Women Health Coalition from Walchand Institute of Technology, Maharashtra Self Defense – Paritrana from St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Tamil Nadu Sanitation & Hygiene – Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Nagpur, Maharashtra Literacy – Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Development, Pune Women Entrepreneurship – SWEAT (Sona Women Entrepreneurship and Training) from Sona College of Technology, Tamil Nadu Legal Awareness – Radiant Seetha from Thiagarajar Polytechnic College won the contest. The Lilavati Award-2020 is the Innovative education program by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to empower women. The objective of the award is to create awareness about issues like sanitation, hygiene, health, nutrition, literacy, employment, technology, credit, marketing, innovation, skill development, natural resources and rights among women. Indian-origin Business Tycoon Yusuffali MA Honored with Top Civilian Award in UAE An Indian-origin businessman Yusuffali MA was honored with Abu Dhabi’s top civilian award, by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan , for his outstanding contribution to Abu Dhabi’s business, industry and support to various philanthropic initiatives Apart from Yusuffali MA, 11 other individuals received the honour for their noble and charitable contributions to the community. The 65-year-old Yusuffali, who was born in Kerala, is the Chairman and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi-based LuLu Group which operates hypermarkets and retail companies in many countries. Filmmaker Guneet Monga Honored with Second Highest Civilian French Honour Ace Indian film producer Guneet Monga has been conferred with the second highest French civilian honour called “Honour of the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans I’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres)”. 2021 BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) for the year 2021, has been announced by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. BAFTA 2021 is the 74th edition of the annual award to honour the best national and foreign films of 2020 and early 2021. List of Winners of BAFTA 2021 Best Film – Nomadland Best Director – Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) Best Actor in a Leading Role – Anthony Hopkins (The Father as Anthony) Best Actress in a Leading Role – Frances McDormand (Nomadland as Fern) Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah as Fred Hampton) Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Youn Yuh-jung (Minari as Soon-ja) Best Original Screenplay – Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell) Best Adapted Screenplay – The Father (Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller)
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Best Short Animation – The Owl and the Pussycat (Mole Hill and Laura Duncalf) Best Short Film – The Present (Farah Nabulsi) Best Animated Film – Soul (Pete Docter and Dana Murray) Best Documentary – My Octopus Teacher (Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster) Best Film Not in the English Language (Another Round) Best Casting – Rocks (Lucy Pardee) Best Cinematography – Nomadland (Joshua James Richards) Best Costume Design – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Ann Roth) Best Editing – Sound of Metal (Mikkel E.G. Nielsen) Best Makeup and Hair – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera and Mia Neal) Best Original Music – Soul (Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) Best Production Design – Mank (Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale) Best Sound – Sound of Metal (Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Phillip Bladh, Carlos Cortés and Michelle Couttolenc) Best Special Visual Effects – Tenet (Scott R. Fisher, Andrew Jackson and Andrew Lockley) Outstanding British Film – Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox and Josey McNamara) Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer – His House (Remi Weekes (Writer/Director)) Rising Star Award – Bukky Bakray Roberto Benigni to get Lifetime Achievement award of Venice Film festival Roberto Benigni will get the Lifetime Achievement award of the Venice Film festival. He has won Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at 78th Venice International Film Festival. Roberto Benigni is an Italian director-actor. He has won Oscar two times. He is known for his Holocaust drama ‘Life is Beautiful’. Dutee Chand will be honored with Chhattisgarh Veerni Award Silver-medalist in 100 and 200 meters in Jakarta Asian Games, Dutee Chand will be awarded Chhattisgarh Veerni Award. Jeffrey Ullman and Alfred Aho won the 2020 ACM A.M.Turing Award ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) named Jeffrey David Ullman and Alfred Vaino Aho, 2020 ACM A.M. Turing Award recipients for their work with fundamental algorithms and theory underlying programming language implementation and educating generations with influential books. Birla Cellulose won the Innovative and Sustainable Supply Chain Award by UN Global Compact Network India Birla Cellulose, part of the Aditya Birla Group and one of the largest global manmade cellulosic fibre (MMCF) producers had emerged as a winner in the first edition of the ‘National Innovative and Sustainable Supply Chain Awards’ by UN Global Compact Network India. Birla Cellulose had achieved a path-breaking innovation in manufacturing viscose fibre ‘Liva Reviva’ using 20 percent pre-consumer cotton fabric waste following the principles of a circular economy. This innovation has the distinction of Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) and portrays Birla Cellulose’s commitment to developing NextGen solutions. Ashutosh Bhardwaj has been awarded to the famous Devishankar Awasthi Award 2020 The famous Devishankar Awasthi Award has been awarded to the prolific Hindi prose, journalist, and critic Ashutosh Bhardwaj. This honour has been given to him for his work ‘Pitra-Vadh’. Suman Chakraborty selected for 2021 GD Birla Award for Scientific Research Professor Suman Chakraborty has been selected for the 30th GD Birla Award for Scientific Research. Chakraborty, a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, has been chosen for his outstanding contribution to engineering science and its applications in developing technologies for affordable healthcare G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation in honour of the Indian philanthropist Ghanshyam Das Birla. The award is given every year to an outstanding scientific research, in all branches of science including medical science, basic and applied. Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan received Kalinga Ratna Samman
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Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan received the Kalinga Ratna Samman for 2021. Vice- President M Venkaiah Naidu conferred Biswabhusan with the prestigious award in Cuttack on the occasion of the 40th annual day of the Sarala Sahitya Sansad at the Sarala Bhawan. The Kalinga Ratna Samman carries a silver idol of Goddess Saraswati, a copper plaque, and a shawl. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited bagged the top award for innovative training practices Navratna Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had bagged first place for Innovative Training Practices 2019-20 at the 30th National Award ceremony held recently at New Delhi by the Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD). SAG Awards 2021 The 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoured the best of performances in film and television. The ceremony this year was a virtual affair due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Winners list of the 27th SAG Awards: Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture - Trial Of The Chicago 7 Best actor in a motion picture - Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Best actress in a motion picture - Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Best supporting actor in a motion picture - Daniel Kaluuya, Judas And The Black Messiah Best supporting actress in a motion picture - Youn Yuh-Jung, Minari Outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a motion picture - Wonder Woman 1984 Ensemble in a drama series - The Crown Best actor in a drama series - Jason Bateman, Ozark Best actress in a drama series - Gillian Anderson, The Crown Ensemble in a comedy series - Schitt’s Creek Best actor in a comedy series - Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso Best actress in a comedy series - Catherine O’hara, Schitt’s Creek Best actor in a television movie or limited series - Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True Best actress in a television movie or limited series - Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit Stunt ensemble in a comedy or drama series - The Mandalorian
SPORTS
Rafael Nadal won 12th Barcelona Open title Rafael Nadal beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 to win his 12th Barcelona Open title. It was Nadal’s 87th career title, and his 61st title on clay. UAE’s Qadeer Ahmed Khan banned for five years for breaching the ICC anti-corruption code The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned United Arab Emirates cricketer Qadeer Ahmed Khan for five years for breaching the ICC anti-corruption code. Khan failed to disclose to the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in conduct that would amount to Corrupt Conduct under the Code about the Zimbabwe vs UAE series in April 2019. Indian boxer Amit Panghal won bronze medal at Governor’s Cup in Russia Olympic-bound Indian boxer Amit Panghal (52kg) settled for a bronze medal at the Governor’s Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia after going down to world champion and familiar foe Shakhobidin Zoirov in the semifinals. India bags record 11 medals at Youth World Boxing Championships The 2021 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships was held in Kielce, Poland. India ended the tournament with 11 medals (8 gold & 3 bronze) to finish top in the medal table. List of Winners Gold Medal Winners: Gitika – 48kg Light flyweight Naorem Babyrojisana Chanu – 51kg Flyweight Poonam Pinia – 57kg Featherweight Vinka – 60kg Lightweight Arundhati Choudhary – 69kg Welterweight Thokchom Sanamacha Chanu – 75kg Middleweight Alfiya Pathan – +81kg Heavyweight Sachin – 56kg Bantamweight
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Bronze Medal Winners: Bishwamitra Chongtham – 49kg Ankit Narwal – 64kg Vishal Gupta – 91kg Argentina, Brazil, Uganda and Vanuatu crowned ICC Global Development award winners Argentina, Brazil, Uganda and Vanuatu were announced as the global winners of the ICC development awards for 2020.The awards are given to members for working to grow cricket in emerging markets in partnership with the ICC. The global award for the ICC Development Initiative of the Year has been awarded to Cricket Argentina for producing 17 coaching, umpiring and scoring courses in Spanish to attract local audiences in South America to cricket. Cricket Brazil has been awarded the 100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year after taking a huge step forward in the development of the women’s game in South America by awarding 14 professional central contracts to the women’s national team. The ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year has been awarded to the Vanuatu Cricket Association for providing cricket to fans during the pandemic when the Women’s T20 Grand Final was the only live sporting event available. The Uganda Cricket Association has won the Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year for supporting hundreds of their players, volunteers and their families through a COVID-19 relief programme. Indian women’s team won Gold medal at Archery World Cup India women’s recurve team won the gold medal in the Archery World Cup in Guatemala. Indian team has defeated the Mexican team by 5-4. Deepika Kumari, Komalika Bari and Atanu Das are the members of this team. Another Indian recurve team of Atanu Das and Ankita Bhakat has won the Bronze medal by defeating the USA. Arjun Kalyan becomes India’s 68th Chess Grandmaster of India Arjun Kalyan has become the 68th Chess Grandmaster of India. He crossed the 2500 ELO mark by defeating Kosic Dragan of Montenegro in the ongoing GM round robin “Rujna Zora-3 2021” tournament. Viswanathan Anand is the first Chess Grand Master of India. Archery Couple Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das Shoots Triple Gold as India Finish with Four Medals Newly-wed archery couple Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das led the show with two individual gold medals as India capped their best ever show in a World Cup, claiming three golds and one bronze in the tournament’s first stage. Haryana and Delhi to host Khelo India Youth Games in November The 2021 edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will be held from November 21 to December 5 this year. The fourth edition of the annual national-level grassroots event will be held in the cities of Panchkula, Ambala, Shahabad, Chandigarh – in the state of Haryana - and capital New Delhi. This will be the first time that the Khelo India Youth Games will be held away from the January window and in multiple cities. The inaugural edition in 2018 was held in New Delhi, the 2019 edition in Pune, Maharashtra and last year in Guwahati, Assam. The Khelo India Youth Games 2021 is set to organise 25 different sports, including traditional sports like Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-ta, Mallakhamba and Yogasana, which will involve almost 8,500 participants under the age of 18. The committee has also decided to host the BRICS Games 2021 alongside the Khelo India Youth Games in the same venues. The BRICS nations are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Max Verstappen won Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021 Max Verstappen has won the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021 in Italy. It was the second race of the 2021 Formula 1 season. Virat Kohli became the first player to reach 6000 IPL runs Virat Kohli became the first player in history to score 6000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Virat Kohli (6021) is leading the IPL highest run-getter chart, followed by Suresh Raina (5,448), Shikhar Dhawan (5,428), David Warner (5,384) and Rohit Sharma (5,368). Former Sri Lanka batsman Dilhara Lokuhettige banned for eight years under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code Former Sri Lanka batsman Dilhara Lokuhettige was banned from all forms of cricket for eight years after an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. India clinched 14 medals at 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship
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The 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. India received 14 medals to stand in the 1/3 spot on the medal table. The medals include five Gold, three Silver & six Bronze Medals. Kazakhastan and Iran topped the medal tally with 17 medals each. Following are the medal winners from India: Gold Medal Ravi Kumar Dahiya – 57 kg Men’s freestyle Vinesh Phogat – fifty three kg Women’s freestyle Anshu Malik – fifty seven kg Women’s freestyle Sarita Mor – fifty nine kg Women’s freestyle Divya Kakran – 72 kg Women’s freestyle Silver Medal Bajrang Punia – 65 kg Men’s freestyle Deepak Punia – 86 kg Men’s freestyle Sakshi Malik – sixty five kg Women’s freestyle Bronze Medal Karan Mor – 70 kg Men’s freestyle Narsingh Yadav – 79 kg Men’s freestyle Sanjeet – 92 kg Men’s freestyle Satyawart Kadian – 97 kg Men’s freestyle Seema Bisla – 50 kg Women’s freestyle Pooja Sihag – 76 kg Women’s freestyle. 2021 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack The 2021 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, was published. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first One-Day International, Wisden has named five ODI cricketers of the decade in 2021 edition. One cricketer has been named for each of the decades between 1971 and 2021. These are listed below: Viv Richards – 1970s Kapil Dev – 1980s Sachin Tendulkar – 1990s Muttiah Muralitharan -2000s Virat Kohli – 2010s Other Awards Leading Male Cricketer in the World – England’s Ben Stokes Leading Women’s Cricketer in the World – Australia’s Beth Mooney Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2021 – Jason Holder, Mohammed Rizwan, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, and Darren Stevens Leading T20 Cricketer in the World – West Indies’ Kieron Pollard. Mirabai Chanu won bronze medal at Asian Weightlifting Championships Mirabai Chanu has won the bronze medal at the Asian Weightlifting Championships. She lifted 205 kg (86 kg snatch + 119 kg Clean and Jerk). Her previous best was 203kg in the National championships in Kolkata. She has set a new World Record by lifting 119 kg Clean and Jerk in the 49kg women’s category. Hou Zhihui of China has won the Gold medal while Jiang Huihua clinched the silver medal in this event. Pakistani Captain Babar Azam became No. 1 ODI batsman after replacing Virat Kohli Babar Azam leaves behind Virat Kohli in the International Cricket Council’s ODI ranking table to become the No.1 batsman. Virat Kohli had occupied the top position for nearly three and a half years. He became the fourth batsman of Pakistan to reach the top of the ODI batting ranking after Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, and Mohammad Yousuf. In the ICC bowling ranking, New Zealand bowler Trent Boult ranked top and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Kiwi pacer Matt Henry ranked second and third respectively. Jasprit Bumrah has ranked fourth in the ICC ranking. Kane Williamson won Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the fourth time
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New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been awarded the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the fourth time in the last six years. He becomes the first male cricketer to win the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal four times. He had won this award in 2016, 2017, and 2019. He also won the test player of the year award at the New Zealand Cricket Awards for 2020-21. Kane Williamson is the number one Test batsman in ICC ranking. In the New Zealand Cricket Awards for 2020-21, Devon Conway has won the Men’s ODI player award, while Amy Satterthwaite won the Women’s ODI player award. Davis Cup Finals 2021 will be held in three cities. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that the Davis Cup Finals 2021 would be held in Madrid, Innsbruck, and Turin. Innsbruck is a city in Austria while Turin is in Italy. Madrid will host two quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final. The finals of the Davis Cup 2021 will be organised between 25th November to 5th December 2021. Davis Cup:It is an international tennis tournament of men’s tennis. JSW Sports partnered with India Accelerator to mentor startups in the field of Sports JSW Sports entered into a partnership with India Accelerator to mentor startups working in the field of Sports. Both firms will help the startups involved in the area of sports, sports data, gaming and esports, and sports management. BCCI agrees to issue visas to Pakistan team The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has got the approval for visas for the Pakistan cricket team as well as the touring media for the upcoming T20 World Cup that is scheduled to begin in India in October this year. It was announced at BCCI's Apex Council meeting Mary Kom won Sportstar of the Decade award at the 2021 Sportstar Aces – Giants of the Decade edition Mary Kom has won the Sportstar of the Decade award at the 2021 Sportstar Aces – Giants of the Decade edition on Sunday. Abhinav Bindra has won the Inspirational Giant of Indian Sport honour. Abhinav Bindra is the only Indian to win an Individual Olympic gold model. Mary Kom is the six-time boxing world champion. Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Former World No. 1 K. Srikanth and badminton World champion P.V. Decade (Racquet Sports) titles Sindhu Sindhu’s 2019 World Championship victory and Viswanathan Anand’s Moments of the Decade 2017 World Rapid chess championship win Coach of the Decade Trophy National badminton coach P. Gopi Chand
Lieutenant Colonel Bharat Pannu breaks two Guinness World Records for fastest solo cycling Lieutenant Colonel Bharat Pannu, a serving Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) officer in the Indian Army, has created two consecutive World Records for the fastest solo cycling last year in October. The official Guinness World Record was received in April 2021. The first record was attempted from Leh to Manali on the arduous route of 472 km and the second record was of the 5,942 km Golden Quadrilateral route connecting the four metropolitan cities of India. The Great Khali to be inducted into the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame The Great Khali has been announced as the latest inductee into the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame. The India-born former WWE Superstar worked for Vince McMahon’s company from 2006 to 2014. The 7-foot-1 tall Khali is the first Indian world champion in WWE. He made his professional wrestling debut in 2000. Khali joins a 2021 Hall of Fame class that already includes Molly Holly and Erich Bischoff. FIFA suspended Pakistan’s membership FIFA has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) due to third-party interference and also the Chadian Football Association due to government interference. Pakistan’s membership was suspended by the international football body which also ordered an unrecognized committee to vacate the national football federation’s headquarters in the country. India finished with 21 medals including 5 golds in Dubai Para-Badminton India topped the tally with 21 medals (5 gold, 6 silver, and 10 bronze medals), ahead of France who finished with eight medals (4 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze), and Malaysia with seven medals (3 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze) in the 3rd Sheikh Hamdan bin Al Maktoum Dubai Para-Badminton International 2021 in Dubai.
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Defending world champion Pramod Bhagat clinch two gold medals. Krishna Nagar and Prem Kumar Ale were also won two gold medals for India in combined SH6 and the mixed doubles WH1-WH2 Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz defeated Italian Jannik Sinner to win Miami Open Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz defeated Italian teenager Jannik Sinner in straight sets to win the Miami Open and claim the first ATP Masters title of his career. Hurkacz became Poland’s first Masters 1000 champion. No 1-ranked Ashleigh Barty won her second successive Miami title by defeating Bianca Andreescu in the women’s singles final. Nine cities in Australia and New Zealand to host 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup The 2023 Women’s World Cup of football will be spread across nine cities in Australia and New Zealand. The opening match will take place at Eden Park in Auckland, with Sydney’s Stadium Australia hosting the final. It will be the first-of-a-kind World Cup co-hosted by members of different confederations and will also be the first to feature 32 teams up from 24 that participated in the 2019 France world cup. Lewis Hamilton won 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has won the ICC Player of the Month award India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has won the ICC Player of the Month award for his superlative show in the recent limited over series against England in March. Bhuvneshwar became the third successive Indian recipient of the award since its inception early this year. Hubert Hurkacz of Poland and Ashleigh Barty of Australia won 2021 Miami Open Tennis Tournament In Tennis, Hubert Hurkacz of Poland defeated Italian teenager Jannik Sinner in straight sets to win the 2021 Miami Open. This is the first ATP Masters title of his career and second title of the season. The 36th edition of the Miami Open was played from March 23 to April 4, 2021 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Title Winner Runner-Up Men’s Single Hubert Hurkacz (Poland) Jannik Sinner (Italy) Women’s Single Ashleigh Barty (Australia) Bianca Andreescu (Canada) Men’s Double Nikola Mektic/ Mate Pavic Dan Evans/Neal Skupski Women’s Double Shuko Aoyama/ Ena Shibahara Hayley Carter /Luisa Stefani
Nethra Kumanan Becomes First Indian Woman Sailor To Qualify For Olympics Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics after she was assured of a top-place finish in the laser radial event of the Asian Qualifiers in Oman. Laser Radial is a singlehanded boat, which means that it is sailed by only one person. Star India retained media rights for Pro Kabaddi League till 2025 Star India has been the media rights partner for Pro Kabaddi League for the first 7 seasons. Star India has retained its media rights for the Pro Kabaddi League for 180 crores annually after it emerged as the successful bidder in the fresh media rights auction for the next five seasons from 2021-2025. Kerala’s Aniyan Midhun won gold at the South Asian Wushu championship 2021 Aniyan Midhun of Kerala won the gold at the South Asian Wushu Championship that concluded in Nepal. The 28-year-old youth represented the country in the 70-kg category in the championship. He is the first Wushu player from southern India to reach the Indian team. Stefanos Tsitsipas won Monte Carlo Masters. Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Monte Carlo Masters by defeating Andrey Rublev. Seville will host Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony. Seville will host the 22nd Laureus World Sports Awards virtual ceremony on May 6. Seville is a Spanish city. This year Seville is celebrating 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the Earth by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano. SCIENCE
Finance Minister inaugurated India’s first 3D printed house at IIT Madras Union Finance Minister has inaugurated India’s first 3D printed house at IIT Madras.
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It is built by TVASTA Manufacturing Solutions in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter. It has used indigenous methodologies for the construction and design of this house. IIT Guwahati collaborated with railways for operation and expansion of rail network in Northeast Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) and the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) have signed an MoU for improving maintenance and operations of train. The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) will help Indian railways in the expansion of rail networks in the North-Eastern states. It will also help in making stations plastic-free by providing alternate biodegradable polymer-based technologies. Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) will also help railways in the development of world-class railway stations in the North East. IIT-Kanpur's tie-up with Singapore-Indian commerce body looks to promote tech start-ups The Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and Start-up Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) of IIT-Kanpur have come together to provide a gateway of opportunities to tech-based start-ups to usher a circular economy and an entrepreneurial ecosystem. The purpose of the launchpad is to encourage start-ups to take advantage of the Singapore-India trade and technology corridor. Prime Minister of India launched the ‘Startup India' initiative in January 2016. India is today the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with over 45,000 start-ups in various stages. IIT Kharagpur Signs MoU with Ministry of housing & Urban Affairs to set up an Accelerator Centre IIT Kharagpur and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) have signed an MoU to set up an Accelerator Centre for Research & Development at the Institute. Under this MoU will provide innovation & incubation assistance to carry out activities like technology & product development. The Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators-India (ASHA-India) initiatives under Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) is one of its kind innovations. IIT Kharagpur launched COVIRAP diagnostic technology. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has successfully launched its health care product ' ‘COVIRAP' on the commercial basis. It will help in the diagnosis of infectious diseases including Covid-19. Through this technology, the result would be available in 45 minutes after collecting the sample from a patient. Bramerton Holdings has signed a deal for the commercialization of the COVIRAP technology. IIT Kharagpur Signs An MoU With NCDC To Promote Sustainable Developments In Cooperatives, Agriculture And Allied Sectors IIT Kharagpur and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) have signed an MoU towards greater collaboration in issues and areas related to the development of cooperatives, agriculture and allied sectors and the holistic approach towards sustainable development. The scope of the MoU will involve the advancement of training, action research, studies, policy analysis, policy advice, consultancy, monitoring, evaluation, system development and technology development. China Launched Robot Prototype ‘NEO-01’ Clear Space Debris The Chinese government has launched a robot prototype named as ‘NEO-01’, in the Earth’s low orbit, on its Long March 6 rocket. The 30kg robot prototype has been developed by Shenzhen-based space mining start-up ‘Origin Space’ to observe small celestial bodies in deep space and to experiment with space debris removal techniques. World’s most powerful climate-change forecasting supercomputer to be built in United Kingdom The world’s most powerful climate-change forecasting supercomputer will be built by Microsoft and Met Office in the United Kingdom. It will provide information about severe weather conditions including extreme storms, floods, and snow. Japan uses supercomputer ‘Fugaku’ for the prediction of tsunami flooding. Boris Johnson is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. IIT Guwahati developed a technique to boost the performance of lithium-ion battery used in electric vehicles Researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati had developed an advanced technique to boost the overall performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in an electric vehicle.
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The technique can precisely estimate the state of charge (SOC), which reflects the remaining capacity of the battery. This helps in knowing how much more charge can be withdrawn before the battery gets fully discharged. IIT Kanpur developed a touch-sensitive watch for the visually impaired Two researchers from IIT Kanpur have developed a touch-sensitive, tactile, haptic watch that can help visually impaired people learn what time it is by touching the face. The prototypes were developed by Siddhartha Panda, who is a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering and the National Centre for Flexible Electronics at IIT Kanpur, and Vishwaraj Srivastava who is a Senior Project Associate at the Centre. CSIR-CMERI developed Oxygen enrichment technology CSIR-CMERI has developed oxygen enrichment technology for the effective treatment of COVID-19 patients. CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur, in collaboration with MSME-DI, Raipur, has organized a Webinar on ‘Oxygen Enrichment' Technology on 25th April. It can be placed easily in the isolation ward of the hospital. It is equipped with an oil-free reciprocating compressor. It can deliver medical air in the range of up to 15 LPM with oxygen purity of more than 90%. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): CSIR is India’s largest research and development organization and an autonomous body. CMERI is a laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). A community service center will be set up for collection of data from Aditya-L1 Mission A dedicated community service center will be established for the collection of data from Aditya-L1 mission. The service center will be called Aditya-L1 Support Cell (AL1SC). It is jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES). AL1SC will be set up at the campus of ARIES in Uttarakhand. It will provide co-aligned data from other observatories around the world. Aditya’s mission or Aditya L1 mission is a proposed mission to study the sun, its corona, photosphere, and its magnetic emissions. It is India’s first solar space mission. Russia plans its own space station in 2025 Russia's space agency Roscosmos said it hoped to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow considers withdrawing from the International Space Station programme to go it alone. The project would mark a new chapter for Russian space exploration and an end to more than two decades of close cooperation with the United States aboard the ageing International Space Station (ISS). Russian cosmonauts have worked with counterparts from the United States and 16 other countries about the ISS since 1998 - one of the closest fields of cooperation between Moscow and Washington, whose relations are currently in deep crisis over human rights, cyberattacks and a range of other issues. Russia would leave the ISS project from 2025. NASA launched SHIELDS Mission from the White Sands Missile Range NASA successfully launched the Spatial Heterodyne Interferometric Emission Line Dynamics Spectrometer (SHIELDS) mission from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It will go up to a height of 300 kilometers. SHIELDS is a telescope that will examine the light coming from hydrogen atoms of interstellar space. These interstellar hydrogen atoms have a neutral electrical charge, which allows them to pass from magnetic lines. SHIELDS will help investigators to find out the shape and matter density around the heliopause barrier. It will also help scientists in getting information about the galaxy’s magnetic field. ISRO to launch data relay satellite to track Gaganyaan The Indian Space Research Organisation will launch a data relay satellite that will help maintain contact with the Gagangyaan mission throughout after the launch The satellite will be launched before the final leg of the Gaganyaan mission, which will send astronauts to the Lower Earth Orbit (LEO). Nasa's rover makes breathable oxygen on Mars An instrument on Nasa's Perseverance rover on Mars has made oxygen from the planet's carbon dioxide atmosphere. It's the second successful technology demonstration on the mission, which flew a mini-helicopter on Monday. The oxygen generation was performed by a toaster-sized unit in the rover called Moxie - the Mars Oxygen In- Situ Resource Utilization Experiment.
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It made 5 grams of the gas - equivalent to what an astronaut at Mars would need to breathe for roughly 10 minutes. Mars' atmosphere is dominated by carbon dioxide (CO₂) at a concentration of 96%. Oxygen is only 0.13%, compared with 21% in Earth's atmosphere. NASA’s helicopter made history by flying on Mars NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter became the first aircraft to fly on another planet. The miniature robot helicopter performed successful take-off and landing on Mars. It is the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. It is a solar-powered helicopter. ‘Perseverance’ rover supported the flight mission. It is NASA’s fifth rover to land on Mars. World’s first micro-sensor-based explosive trace detector launched by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank The world’s first Microsensor-based Explosive Trace Detector (ETD), ‘NanoSniffer’, has been launched by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. An IIT Bombay incubated start-up company, NanoSniff Technologies, has developed this Explosive Trace Detector, and it has been marketed by Vehant Technologies. NASA aims to land first woman, person of colour on Moon by 2024 under ‘Artemis’ mission The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US space agency, has said that in addition to landing the first woman on the Moon, it also plans to send the first person of colour to the lunar surface as part of its ambitious international spaceflight programme, ‘Artemis’. The mission, endorsed by the Biden-Harris administration, aims to land the astronauts on the lunar south pole by 2024 and and create sustainable missions to the earth’s natural satellite by 2028. The ‘Artemis’ program is so named after the Greek goddess of the Moon and the twin sister of Apollo, the inspiration behind Nasa’s first moon landing mission. NASA Set To Launch SpaceX Crew-2 Mission on April 22 with 4 Astronauts onboard The US space agency NASA has planned to launch its SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew-2 mission will have four astronauts on board SpaceX Crew Dragon. They will include Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, who will serve as the mission’s spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively. Apart from this, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut-Akihiko Hoshidea and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomasa Pesquet, will serve as mission specialists to the space station. This mission is the second of the six certified, crew missions of NASA, and SpaceX, as a part of the Commercial Crew Programme of NASA. The Crew-2 astronauts will remain aboard the space station for approximately six months as expedition crew members, along with three crewmates who will launch via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. NASA Awared $2.9 billion contract to SpaceX to build commercial moon lander The United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has picked Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its ARTEMIS programme, to develop the first commercial lander and take the next two US astronauts to the moon. The total value of this contract is $2.89 billion. Under this contract SpaceX will develop a spacecraft ‘ SpaceX Starship’ to land next two US astronauts, including a women astronaut at the lunar south pole region, by 2024. NASA also aims to bring the first person of colour to the moon’s surface as part of the Artemis programme. NASA shared images of electric blue dunes on Mars NASA has shared an image of electric blue dunes on Mars. The image has been taken by the Odyssey orbiter with the use of the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). The image shows two types of dunes- one is yellow in colour, and the other is bluish in colour. The blue colour in the image represents cooler temperatures, while yellows and oranges colour depicts warmer areas. The image has been released by NASA on the 20th anniversary of Odyssey. ITC Windsor first hotel in the world to achieve LEED Zero Carbon Certification ITC Windsor, Bengaluru, became the first hotel in the world to be certified LEED Zero Carbon by US Green Building Council (USGBC).
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The LEED Zero carbon certification demonstrates a deep commitment to implementing building and design strategies that assure an enhanced quality of life. It includes creating an environment where any human- produced carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere through technological or natural means. NASA shares data of its Mars mission with space agencies of India, China, UAE and with European Space Agency NASA shares data of its Mars mission with space agencies of India, China, UAE and the European Space Agency. This step of data sharing has been taken to lower the risk of collision between spacecraft orbiting red planet. The first Asian country to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars is India. Its Mangalyaan is orbiting around Mars since 2014. The names of mars mission of other agencies are given next. Name of Countries/Space Agencies Name of Mars Missions NASA Perseverance China Tianwen-1 UAE Hope Mars is also known as Red Planet. Its two satellites are Phoebes and Demos. National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) launched a two-seater trainer aircraft HANSA-NG National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has launched a two-seater trainer aircraft HANSA-NG (Next Generation), at the Belur campus. HANSA-NG (Next Generation) indigenous trainer aircraft has been developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories. It is an upgraded version of HANSA. HANSA-NG was certified by the DGCA under the JAR-VLA category. It will help in catering demand for trainer aircraft. It is equipped with a digitally controlled Rotax 912 ISC engine, a glass cockpit and IFR compliant avionics. An MoU has also been signed between NAL and Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy to purchase the five HANSA NG aircraft. National Aerospace Laboratories is also developing a 19 seater SARAS aircraft and 100 seater Regional Transport Aircraft. National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) was established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. It is located in Bangalore. It is India’s largest aerospace firm in India. ISRO has signed an agreement with the space agency of France CNES for cooperation in, Gaganyaan mision The Indian space agency, ISRO has signed an agreement with the space agency of France CNES for cooperation in its first human space mission, Gaganyaan. CNES will train Indian flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams at French facilities. The Gaganyaan orbital spacecraft project was kicked off in August 2018. It originally intended to send astronauts from Indian soil to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022. CNES will provide equipment developed by it, tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to Indian crews. It will also supply fireproof carry bags made in France to shield equipment from shocks and radiation.
DEFENCE
India is the third-largest military spender after the US and China India has retained its position as the third biggest military spender in the world in 2020, according to new data titled ‘SIPRI Military Expenditure Database’ published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). According to the latest military expenditure database published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks military expenditure and arms trade globally, the US accounted for 39 per cent of the money spent on military globally, China accounted for 13 per cent, and India accounted for 3.7 per cent of the globe’s share. The US spent a total of $778 billion in 2020, China spent $252 billion and India’s military expenditure was $72.9 billion. DRDO conducted maiden trial of “Python-5” air to air missile India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, has added the fifth generation “Python-5” Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) to its air-to-air weapons capability.
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Trials were also aimed to validate the enhanced capability of already integrated Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM on Tejas. The test-firing in Goa completed a series of missile trials to validate its performance under extremely challenging scenarios. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Headquarters: New Delhi Chairman: Dr. G Satheesh Reddy Founded: 1958 DRDO developed critical crystal blade technology for aero engines The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed single crystal blades that are used in helicopter engines and it has supplied 60 of them to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the company’s indigenous helicopter development program. Indian Navy has joined the rescue operation for an Indonesian submarine The Indian Navy has joined the rescue operation for an Indonesian submarine and its 53-person crew that went missing more than 4 days ago. Indonesia had sought assistance from India after its 44-year-old submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, went missing while conducting a torpedo drill north of the island of Bali. The Navy’s Deep-Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSVR) left from Visakhapatnam. Indian Army signed MoU with HPCL & NIEDO for Ladakh Ignited Minds project As part of the Indian Army’s initiative to secure a better future for Ladakhi youth, the Indian Army, under the aegis of Fire and Fury Corps, signed MoUs with corporate partner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and executing agency National Integrity and Educational Development Organisation, (NIEDO). The project, Ladakh Ignited Minds: A Centre of Excellence and Wellness, has been conceptualized to secure a better future for the youth of UT of Ladakh. It is a full-time residential programme to mentor and to guide Ladakhi youth for twelve months for various Medical and Engineering Colleges entrance examinations in India. The programme under the aegis of Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army would be executed by National Integrity & Educational Development Organisation (NIEDO), a Kanpur-based NGO. Indian and French Navy bilateral exercise ‘VARUNA-2021’ started The three-day naval bilateral exercise between India and France ‘VARUNA-2021’ has started in the Arabian Sea. It is the 19th edition of the VARUNA exercise. It is scheduled to be conducted in the Arabian Sea from 25th to 27th April 2021. Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air force had conducted the bilateral air exercise ‘Ex Desert Knight-21’ at Jodhpur Air Force Station. India -France ARMY EXERCISE:-Shakti DRDO developed a supplemental oxygen delivery system for soldiers and COVID-19 patients The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a SpO2-based supplemental oxygen delivery system for soldiers serving in extremely high-altitude areas and COVID-19 patients. This automatic system delivers supplemental oxygen based on the SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation) levels and prevents the person from sinking to a state of hypoxia, which is fatal in most cases. First unit of indigenously-built ALH Mk III aircraft commissioned into Indian Navy Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 323, the first unit of the indigenously built ALH Mk III aircraft, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at INS Hansa, Goa. The indigenously designed and developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-DHRUV) is a twin engine, multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in the 5.5 ton weight class. The squadron will operate three state-of-the-art ALH Mk III, a multirole helicopter with Shakti engine manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). 8th India-Kyrgyz Joint Special Forces Exercise ‘Khanjar’ Begins at Bishkek The 8th India-Kyrgyz Joint Special Forces Exercise ‘Khanjar’ was inaugurated at Special Forces Brigade of National Guards of Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek, on April 16, 2021. India will get Air Defence System S-400 from Russia Russia will deliver the first set of S-400 air defence systems to India by the end of 2021. In 2018, both countries had signed a pact of $ 5.43 billion for the S-400 Triumf missile defence system. It will help the India Air force in enhancing its capability. Indian Navy Ships & Aircraft participated in multi-lateral maritime exercise ‘La Pérouse’ Indian Navy ships INS Satpura (with an integral helicopter embarked) and INS Kiltan along with P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft participated for the first time in a multilateral maritime exercise ‘La Perouse’.
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La Perouse will be conducted in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region. Apart from the French and Indian Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force, and the United States Navy also participate in the three-day exercise at sea. Indian Army participated in Multinational Military Exercise ‘Shantir Ogroshena -2021’ in Bangladesh Indian Army participated in Multinational Military Exercise namely SHANTIR OGROSHENA -2021 in Bangladesh. Indian Army contingent comprising 30 personnel from the Dogra Regiment will participate in the exercise along with contingents of Bhutan, Sri Lankan and Bangladesh Armies. The theme of the exercise is Robust Peace Keeping Operations. INS Sarvekshak is deployed in Mauritius for hydrographic survey INS Sarvekshak is a hydrographic survey ship. It is deployed in Mauritius to conduct a joint hydrographic survey with the Mauritius Navy. Under the Training, Mauritian personnel will be trained on advanced hydrographic equipment and practices. Special force of India and US conducted military exercise "Vajra Prahar 2021" in Himachal Pradesh A Joint military exercise "Vajra Prahar 2021" has been conducted between the special force of India and the US at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh. The exercise was the 11th edition of Vajra Prahar. DRDO developed lightweight bullet-proof jacket for Indian Army The DMSRDE Kanpur has developed a lightweight bullet-proof jacket to meet the requirement of the Indian Army. The bullet-proof jacket was tested at Terminal Ballistics Research Lab in Chandigarh and it has full fill the criteria of the Bureau of Indian Standards. Its weight is about 9 kg. The front hard armour panel technology helped in reducing the weight of this jacket. Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur is a laboratory of DRDO. India gifted Rs 100 crore patrol vessel “PS Zoroaster” to Seychelles India formally handed over Rs 100 crore patrol vessel “PS Zoroaster” to Seychelles during the virtual summit between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan. The PS Zoroaster is the fourth made-in-India patrol boat developed for Seychelles since 2005. The other vessels gifted by India include PS Topaz (2005), PS Constant (2014), Patrol Boat Hermes (2016).
RANK AND INDEX
Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) India has been ranked 49th among 104 countries in the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI). The list was topped by Finland. Venezuela is the last ranked country at 104 positions. The CGGI is an annual index developed by the Singapore-based Chandler Institute of Governance. India got 87th rank in the global energy transition index 2021. India has been ranked at the 87th position among 115 countries in the Energy Transition Index. Sweden is on the top position in the global energy transition index 2021, it is followed by Norway and Denmark. The global energy transition index is being released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). World Press Freedom Index 2021. India has been placed at 142nd position out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2021. India’s rank depicts that it is one of the worst countries for journalists. In the World Press Freedom Index 2021, Norway is on the top position.Eritrea is at the bottom. World Press Freedom Index is released by Report without borders. Henley Passport Index 2021 released India stands at number 84 India stands at number 84 on the list, as the Indian citizens can visit Visa-Free or Visa-on-Arrival in over 58 places. Japan, Singapore and Germany, South Korea stand in Top 3 respectively. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is the only Indian University in the top 100 in the Impact Ranking 2021 Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has become the only Indian University to have scored a set in the top 100 global institutes in the Impact Ranking 2021 released by THE World University Ranking. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has got the 81st spot globally. The top spot was attained by the University of Manchester, UK followed by the University of Sydney, Australia and RMIT University, Australia. Hyderabad ranked 122nd globally in annual housing price rise
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According to Knight Frank Hyderabad stood at 122nd position globally in terms of annual appreciation in housing prices for residential properties in the city rose marginally. As per Knight Frank’s Global Residential Cities Index 2020, Bengaluru was at 129th position, Ahmedabad 143rd, Mumbai 144th, Delhi 146th, Kolkata 147th, Pune 148th, and Chennai at the 150th place in the global list. Globally, Ankara (Turkey) ranked first with an annual price appreciation of 30.2 per cent, followed by Izmir in Turkey with a 29.4 per cent increase and Istanbul with a 27.9 per cent rise. India’s rank in World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021 decreases by 28 places to 140th among 156 countries. India’s rank in World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021 has decreased by 28 places to 140th among 156 countries. Iceland is the world’s most gender-equal country for the 12th time. Global Gender Gap Report 2021 is the 15th edition of Global Gender Gap Report. World Economic Forum publishes it. Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Vibha Harish makes it to Forbes Asia’s 30 ‘Under-30’ list Bengaluru-based lady entrepreneur Vibha Harish, CEO and founder of herbal nutrition and plant-based supplement company Cosmix, has made it to Forbes Asia’s 30 Under- 30 in just one year of opening her venture. At present, Cosmix is one of the fastest-growing ventures in the country. India had the third-highest number of billionaires in the world according to Forbes India had the third-highest number of billionaires in the world after the US and China, according to a new list by Forbes magazine. According to Forbes, Reliance Industries Ltd chairman Mukesh Ambani reclaimed his spot as Asia’s richest person, dethroning Chinese business tycoon Jack Ma. Forbes 35th annual list of the world’s billionaires is topped by Amazon chief executive officer and founder Jeff Bezos for the fourth year in a row. His net worth is $177 billion, up $64 billion from a year ago as a result of surging Amazon shares. Inclusive Internet Index 2021: India has been ranked at 49th spot globally The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in partnership with Facebook, has released the Inclusive Internet Index 2021. India has been ranked at 49th spot globally. Top 5 Countries:1- Sweden, 2- United States,3- Spain, 4- Australia, 5- Hong Kong
Day And Days 1. April 28: World Day for Safety and Health at Work It was an initiative by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to highlight the prevention of accidents and diseases at work and raise awareness of occupational safety and health. The theme of this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work is ‘Anticipate, prepare and respond to crises and invest now in resilient OHS systems’. 2. Workers’ Memorial (International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers) Day: 28 April Theme 2021: ‘Health and Safety is a fundamental workers‘ right.’ 3. World Immunization Week 2021: 24-30 April World Immunization Week is celebrated every year in the last week of April. Its main aim is to promote the use of vaccines to protect people from disease. ‘Vaccines bring us closer’ is the theme of this year’s World Immunization Week. The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) was started in 1978. In 1985, it was renamed as Universal Immunization programme. The Government of India had launched Mission Indradhanush to increase the coverage of immunization in India. 4. April 26: International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day 5. World Intellectual Property Day: 26 April The theme of this year’s World Intellectual Property Day is “Intellectual property and small businesses: Taking big ideas to market”. WIPO:It was established in 1967.The headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland. 6. International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace – 26 April 7. International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day: April 26 The International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed every year on April 26 to raise awareness of the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the risks of nuclear energy in general. On this day in 1986, a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine with devastating consequences.
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8. World Malaria Day: 25 April The theme of World Malaria Day 2021 is “Reaching the zero malaria target.” The government of India had launched the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) in 2016. India has also launched a National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination for the period of 2017-22. Malaria spread by the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito. Infected mosquitoes carry the Plasmodium parasite. 9. International Delegate’s Day: 25 April 2021 This day is observed to raise awareness of the role of the representatives and delegates of the Member States to the United Nations. International Delegate’s Day marks the anniversary of the first day of the San Francisco Conference which is also known as the United Nations Conference on International Organization. 10. National Panchayati Raj Day 2021: 24 April Then-Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh declared the first National Panchayati Raj Day on 24 April 2010. The annual celebration is done to commemorate the day on which the 73rd Constitutional Amendment was passed which added Part IX (Panchayats) to the Constitution in 1992. 11. World Day for Laboratory Animals is observed every year on 24 April The World Day For Animals In Laboratories (WDAIL)( World Lab Animal Day or World Day for Laboratory Animals), is observed every year on 24 April. The day was instituted in 1979 by the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), as an “international day of commemoration” for animals in laboratories. Apart from this, the “World Week for Animals In Laboratories” (Lab Animal Week) is celebrated from April 20 to 26. 12. World Veterinary Day is observed on the Fourth Saturday of April every year The World Veterinary Day is observed on the Fourth Saturday of April every year. In 2021, the day falls on April 24, 2021. The theme of the 2021 World Veterinary Day is ‘Veterinarian response to the COVID-19 crisis. 13. International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace: April 24 The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace observed every year on 24 April. 14. World Book and Copyright Day: April 23 World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated every year on April 23 Keeping Covid-19 in mind, the theme for World Book and Copyright Day 2021 is ‘To share a story’. As per UNESCO, the city of Tbilisi in Georgia was selected as the World Book Capital for 2021. 15. United Nations English Day: 23 April United Nations language days are as follows: 20 March French LanguageDay 20 April Chinese LanguageDay 23 April English LanguageDay 23 April Spanish LanguageDay 6 June Russian LanguageDay 18 December Arabic LanguageDay 16. World Earth Day: 22 April The theme of 2021 World Earth Day is “Restore Our Earth”. The Paris agreement was signed by more than 200 countries to reduce greenhouse emissions on Earth Day in 2016. 17. International Girls in ICT Day is observed on 22nd April 2021 2021 Theme: “Connected Girls, Creating Brighter Futures” 18. World Creativity and Innovation Day is observed globally on: 21 April 19. Civil Services Day: 21 April On this day in 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had addressed the newly appointed Administrative Services Officers at the Metcalf House in Delhi. He referred civil servants as the ‘steel frame of India’. 20. World Liver Day observed every year on 19 April 21. World Heritage Day: 18 April World Heritage Day was suggested by the International Council of Mountains and Sights in 1982 and it was adopted at the 22nd session of the UNESCO Conference in 1983. 22. World Hemophilia Day: April 17 The theme for 2021 World Hemophilia Day is “Adapting to Change: Sustaining care in a new world”. 23. World Hemophilia Day: 17 April The theme of World Hemophilia Day 2021 is “Adapting to change: sustaining care in a new world”.
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24. Save the Elephant Day: April 16 It is observed to raise awareness about the dangers and difficulties faced by Elephants. World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on 12 August. India had also launched Project Elephant for the protection of Elephants. It was launched in 1992. 25. World Voice Day celebrated on 16 April Theme “One World, Many Voices.” 26. World Art Day April 15 27. Himachal Day: 15 April Himachal Day is observed annually on 15 April. It is observed to celebrate the formation of Himachal Pradesh as the 18th State of India. Himachal Pradesh became a Union Territory on 1 November 1956, and it became a state from Union Territory in 1971. This year Himachal Pradesh is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its foundation day. 28. World Chagas Disease Day: 14 April Chagas disease: It is also known as American trypanosomiasis. It mainly transmits to humans through insects known as Triatominae. It can lead to heart problems and digestive complications. It is mainly prevalent in Latin America. 29. National Fire Service Day – 14 April 30. Ambedkar Jayanti Ambedkar Jayanti ( also known as Bhim Jayanti) is an annual festival observed on 14 April to commemorate the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar who was born on 14 April 1891. The Day has been observed as an official public holiday throughout India since 2015. In 2021, we are marking the 130th birth anniversary of Babasaheb. Dr. Ambedkar is known as the Father (chief architect) of the Indian Constitution. He was the first Law and Justice Minister of the country after the independence. Dr. Bhim has been bestowed with the country’s highest civilian honor, Bharat Ratna in 1990 posthumously. 31. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 102nd Anniversary: April 13 In 2021, April 13 marks the 102nd anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, that took place on April 13, 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab’s Amritsar. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre refers to the incident in which the troops of the British Indian Army, under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer, fired machine guns into a crowd of unarmed protesters and pilgrims, who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh , to mark the occasion of Baisakhi. 32. International Turban Day is observed on 13 April Every year 33. International Day of Human Space Flight: April 12 The International Day of Human Space Flight is celebrated annually on April 12 to mark the anniversary of the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. The day was proclaimed at the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly on April 7, 2011, a few days before the 50th anniversary of the flight. In Soviet Union, the day is observed as International Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics. 34. World Parkinson’s Day: April 11 Every year, April 11 is observed as World Parkinson’s Day to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease, which is a progressive nervous system disorder. The day marks the birthday of Dr James Parkinson from London, who was the first person to systematically described the six individuals with the symptoms of Parkinson Disease. Apart from this, the month of April is observed as the Parkinson’s Awareness Month. 35. National Safe Motherhood Day: 11 April. The theme of Safe Motherhood Day 2021 is ‘Stay at home during coronavirus, keep mother and newborn safe from coronavirus’. On the recommendation of White Ribbon Alliance India (WRAI) in 2003, the government had declared April 11 as National Safe Motherhood Day. It is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi. 36. World Hmeopathy Day: 10 April World Homoeopathy Day is observed every year on 10th April to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.
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The AYUSH ministry is celebrating World homeopathy day with the theme of “Homeopathy- Roadmap for Integrative Medicine”. Homeopathy is one of the recognised systems of medicines in India and is part of the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) Ministry. 37. CRPF Valour Day – 09 April Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Valour Day (Shaurya Diwas) is observed on 9 April every year. This day marks a tribute to the brave men of the Force. 2021 marks the 56th CRPF Valour Day. 38. Indian Council for Cultural Relations celebrated 71st Foundation Day:April 9 The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is celebrating its 71st Foundation Day on 9 April. Swami Vivekanand Cultural Centre at Indian Embassy in Beijing celebrated ICCR Foundation Day in the presence of a huge gathering of ICCR scholars in China and their disciples who learned Indian dance and music. 39. World Health Day – 7 April 2021 Theme: “Building a Fairer and Healthier World for Everyone” 40. International Day of Sport for Development and Peace(IDSDP) – 6 April 41. National Maritime Day: April5 The 2021 marks 58th edition of the annual celebrations. On this day in 1919 navigation history was created when SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd., traveled from Mumbai to the United Kingdom, a crucial step for India shipping history when sea routes were restricted and controlled by the British. 42. United Nations International Day of Conscience: April 5 2021 Theme: Let Conscience Light up our World. 43. World Rat Day – 4 April 44. International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action: April 4 2021 Theme – “Perseverance, Partnership, and Progress”. 45. International Children’s Book Day – 02 April 2021 Theme: “The Music of Words” 46. World Autism Awareness Day – 02 April 2021 Theme: “Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World”
Book And Author book author “Living Mountain” Amitav Ghosh “The Christmas Pig” JK Rowling
Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India Peggy Mohan through its Languages” “The Cursed Inheritance” Sutapa Basu Autobiography of Suresh Raina, The memoir has been co-authored by Raina and titled ‘Believe – What Life and Cricket sports author Bharat Sundaresan. Taught Me’ “Manohar Parrikar: Brilliant Mind, Simple Life” Nitin Anant Gokhale ‘Neelimarani: My Mother, My Hero’ Achyuta Samanta “Climate Change Explained – For One And All” Aakash Ranison
MISCALLANEOUS Priyanka Mohite becomes first Indian woman to climb Mt Annapurna Priyanka Mohite from Satara in western Maharashtra has become the first Indian woman to climb Mt Annapurna. Priyanka Mohite had climbed Mt Everest in 2013 at the age of 21. She is the third youngest Indian to reach at the peak of Mt Everest. Mt Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world. It has a height of 8091 meters. It is located in Nepal. Blue Nature Alliance aims to restore 7 million square miles of ocean Blue Nature Alliance has set a target to restore 7 million square miles of ocean in the next five years.
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The Blue Nature Alliance is working with governments and other partners to protect the Oceans. At present, it will target the seven ocean locations around Antarctica, Fiji, Canada, Seychelles, Palau, the Western Indian Ocean, and Tristan da Cunha. It will focus on the conservation work in these areas. It will also establish new marine protected areas (MPAs) in these areas. Global Food Policy Report 2021 released by IFPRI IFPRI has released the Global Food Policy Report 2021. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is a research center. It provides research-based policy solutions to reduce poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. The report is about the impact and challenges on the global food systems due to the COVID pandemic. UNESCO releases its “World in 2030: Public Survey Report”. On 31 March, UNESCO released its “World in 2030: Public Survey report”. The report is based on responses from over 15,000 people worldwide in 2020. As per the report, climate change and loss of biodiversity were by far the most selected challenges. 67% of respondents selected them. Other selected challenges are violence and conflict (44%), discrimination and inequality (43%), and lack of food, water and housing (42%). The report shows that education is to solution to every single challenge. World in 2030 survey was held from May to September 2020. National Policy on Rare Diseases 2021 approved by Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan approved the National Policy on Rare Diseases 2021. The National Policy on Rare Diseases 2021 aims to lower high treatment costs for rare diseases and focus more on indigenous research with the help of a national consortium. The policy also provides for the creation of a national hospital based registry of rare diseases. The focus of the policy is also on early screening and prevention through primary and secondary health care infrastructure. It also aims to strengthen tertiary health care facilities for the prevention and treatment of rare diseases by designating eight health facilities as Centre of Excellence. One-time financial support of up to 5 crore rupees will be provided to these Centers. Lieutenant Colonel Bharat Pannu Breaks two Guinness World Records Indian Army’s Lieutenant Colonel, Bharat Pannu has earned two Guinness World Records for his fastest solo cycling feats from October 2020. The first record was created when Lt Col Pannu cycled from Leh to Manali (472 km distance) on October 10, 2020, in just 35 hours and 25 minutes. Lt Col Pannu created a second record when he cycled the 5,942-km-long ‘Golden Quadrilateral’ route, which connects Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, in 14 days, 23 hours and 52 minutes. Government declares birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar on April 14 as public holiday from 2021 The government has declared Ambedkar Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar which falls on 14 April every year, as a public holiday with effect from 2021, under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. On 14 April 2021, India will celebrate the 130th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar.
OBITUARY M Narasimham, father of banking reforms passed away. Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor M Narasimham died at the age of 94. He is also called the father of banking reforms. He headed the two important committees in 1991 and 1998. In 1991, he headed the Committee on the Financial System. This committee recommended the improvement in the efficiency and productivity of the Indian financial system. It suggested the entry of Private Banks in India. It submitted its report in November 1991. The Narasimham-II Committee was formed to review the implementation of the banking reforms since 1992. It recommended that in financial institutions like IDBI and ICICI should either convert themselves into banks or non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). It also proposed a three-tier banking structure in India. He was the RBI governor from May 2, 1977, to November 30, 1977. He worked as Secretary in the Finance Ministry. He also served as Executive Director (ED) in the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
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He has written a famous book titled ‘From Reserve Bank to Finance Ministry and Beyond: Some Reminiscences’. Lalit Behl Veteran actor-filmmaker Lalit Behl, known for featuring in acclaimed films like ‘Titli’ and ‘Mukti Bhawan’, passed away Idriss Deby Itno The President of the Republic of Chad, Idriss Deby Itno, has passed away L Sabaretnam Director and chairman of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, and a cement industry veteran L Sabaretnam passed away due to a brief illness. Waman Bhonsle National Award-winning film editor Waman Bhonsle passes away Michael Collins Michael Collins is one of the three crew members of the first manned mission “Apollo 11” to the Moon in 1969 passed away at the age of 90. He had stayed in lunar orbit as his colleagues Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon. Dadudan Gadhvi Noted Gujarati poet and folk singer Dadudan Gadhvi passes away.Gadhvi was also known as Kavi Dad. Ashatai Pathre Ashatai Pathre, a freedom fighter from Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra passed away. She was one hundred years old. Manoj Das Manoj Das, a prolific Indian author who wrote in Odia and English language passed away at the age of 87 due to age-related ailments.Manoj Das, a bilingual writer, and a columnist were conferred with Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2020 for his contributions in the field of education and philosophy. Jagdish Khattar Former MD of Maruti Suzuki, Jagdish Khattar Passed Away Manzoor Ahthesham Noted Hindi litterateur and Padma Shri awardee Manzoor Ahthesham passed away in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Justice M Supreme Court judge Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar passed away. Justice Shantanagoudar Shantanagoudar was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on February 17, 2017. He would have remained in office till May 5, 2023. Krishnamurthy Indian nuclear scientist Krishnamurthy Santhanam, who played a noteworthy role in Santhanam the 1998 nuclear tests at Pokhran, has passed away. Pandit Rajan Mishra Renowned Hindustani classical singer, from ‘Banaras Gharana’ of India, Pandit Rajan Mishra, has passed away. Arun Chaudhary Former Sahasthra Seema Bal (SSB) chief Arun Chaudhary passed away Amit Mistry Noted Gujarati and Hindi film actor Amit Mistry died at the age of 47. Rajan Mishra Noted Classical singer Rajan Mishra died.Rajan Mishra was associated with the Banaras Gharana. He is known for the khyal style of Indian classical singing Sankha Ghosh Eminent Bengali poet Sankha Ghosh passed away Ahmed Hussain Former India International Football defender Ahmed Hussain Lala has passed away due to COVID-19. Vinay Agrawal Vinay Agrawal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and whole-time Director of leading stockbroking firm, Angel Broking, has passed away suffering from stomach cancer. Ranjit Sinha Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Ranjit Sinha has passed away following COVID-19 related cause. Dr. Kakarla Subba Rao Renowned radiologist, Dr. Kakarla Subba Rao, who served as the first director of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, has passed away. Balbir Singh Junior Hockey player Balbir Singh Junior, who was a member of the Indian hockey team which won silver medal in 1958 Tokyo Asian Games, has passed away. Balbir Singh Junior was also known as the “nursery of hockey players in India”. Dr Yogesh Praveen The eminent Historian, Dr. Yogesh Praveen, who was an expert in the history and culture of Avadh, specifically Lucknow has passed away. Sanjay Chakravarty The Dronacharya awardee renowned rifle shooting coach Sanjay Chakravarty, has passed away due to Covid-related complications. G Venkatasubbaish A well-known Kannada lexicographer, G Venkatasubbaish died in Bengaluru. Farid Sabri Renowned qawwali singer Farid Sabri of ‘Sabri Brothers’ fame passes away Shankha Ghosh Eminent Bengali poet and Padma Bhushan awardee Shankha Ghosh passed away Digvijaysinh Jhala India’s first environment minister Digvijaysinh Jhala passed away
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