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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

RBI rejects all bids for 91-day T-bill for first time in 7 years    

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rejected all bids received for the 91-day Treasury bill (T-bill) for the first time since February 2016.

What is the Treasury bill?

• T-bills are short-term, zero coupon debt instruments issued by the government.
• T-bills are currently issued in 3 tenors - 91-day, 182-day and 364-day and pay no interest.
• Treasury bills are instead issued at a discount and redeemed at the face value at maturity.
• The RBI had auctioned ₹9,000 crore of the 91-day T-bill, ₹16,000 crore of the 182-day T-bill, and ₹14,000 crore of the 364-day T-bill.

Key Highlights : 

• Bids for the 91-day T-bill were over five-fold the notified amount.
• While higher bids usually indicate strong demand for a security, bidders likely demanded much higher yields for the paper due to year-end liquidity constraints, which the RBI was uncomfortable with.
• The cut-off yield on the 91-day T-bill is estimated to be higher than the expected level of around 7.15-7.20%.
• The bank accepted all the bids received for 182-day and 364-day T-bills.
• The cut-off yield for the 182-day T-bills was set at 7.28%, whereas for the 364-day T-bills was set at 7.31%.

About RBI :

• Established : 1 April 1935
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy governors : Mahesh Kumar Jain,M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra and T. Rabi Shankar

World Bank approves USD 100 million to improve disaster response in Odisha   

• The World Bank’s (WB) Board of Executive Directors approved a USD 100 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to help Odisha strengthen its early forecasting systems for improved disaster response.
• The loan will also enhance Odisha's social protection coverage for poor and vulnerable households through digital platforms.
• The $100 million loan from the IBRD uses the Program-for-Results (PforR) financing instrument that links disbursement of funds directly to the achievement of specific program results.
• The World Bank loan to Odisha has a maturity of 12.5 years with a grace period of 3 years.

Is Odisha in need of assistance and why?

• The coastal state of Odisha is vulnerable to natural disasters with cyclones hitting the state every 15 months on an average.
• The state’s 480 km coastline is also exposed to tsunami risk.

About Odisha State Capability and Resilient Growth Program : 

Aim of the Programm : 

• To reduce losses caused by natural disasters through a multi-hazard digital warning system and strengthen the state’s data collection efforts for better resilience planning.
• The program will also increase social protection coverage through a cash transfer program, with coastal and underserved communities receiving assistance through online delivery platforms (Mo-Sewa Kendras).

About World Bank : 

• Established : December 1944
• Headquarters : Washington, D.C., U.S
• President : David Malpass
• Membership : 189 countries

Public Sector banks recover 14% of written-off loans in last 5 years

• Public sector banks (PSBs) could recover only 14% of the written-off loans worth Rs 7.34 lakh crore in the last 5 years ending March 2022
• Of Rs 7.34 lakh crore written-off loans, state-owned lenders recovered Rs 1.03 lakh crore.
• So after recovery, net written-off stood at Rs 6.31 lakh crore in the last five years.

World Bank approves USD 363 million loan to improve drinking water supply in Karnataka

• The World Bank has approved a USD 363 million loan to Karnataka under “Karnataka Sustainable Rural Water Supply Program” (KSRWSP)

Objective : 

• To provide clean drinking water supply to 2 million rural households in the state through a piped water connection in their homes.
• The loan has a maturity of 13.5 years including a grace period of two years.

Is Karnataka in need of assistance and why?

• According to the World Bank, almost 77% of Karnataka is arid or semi-arid and is vulnerable to climate-change-related variable rainfall causing droughts and floods, and leading to groundwater depletion, and deteriorating water quality.

About KSRWSP : 

• The Karnataka Sustainable Rural Water Supply Program will support the Government of Karnataka's ambition to provide functioning tap water connections to every rural household in the state.
• This will include the construction of the drinking water distribution network and the installation of water metres in rural households.
• Around 10 million people across all 31 districts in the state will benefit from this project.
• Under the program, around 500 rural water reservoirs in 7 water-stressed districts - Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Bidar, Chikkaballapura, Kalaburgi, Kolara, and Tumakuru will be revived to help increase water storage capacity and groundwater recharge.

PFRDA raises Ombudsman's age limit to 70 years from 65 years  

• The Centre has increased the upper age limit by 5 years of ombudsman of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) to 70 years.
• As per the PFRDA (Redressal of Subscriber Grievance) Regulations 2015, the upper age limit was 65 years.

Key Highlights : 

• The ombudsman, which is appointed by PFRDA receives, considers and facilitates resolution of complaints or grievances, which fall within the ambit of the regulations.
• A person appointed as an Ombudsman holds office for a period of 3 years and would be eligible for reappointment for another 2 years.
• Recently, the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) has made the mandatory upload of withdrawal/ Know Your Customer (KYC) documents to enable seamless processing of exit and annuity for the benefit of National Pension System (NPS) subscribers.
• In the interest of Subscribers and to benefit them with timely payment of annuity income, the upload of the documents shall be mandatory with effect from 1st April 2023.

About PFRDA : 

• Founded : 23 August 2003
• Headquarters : New Delhi, India
• Chairman : Deepak Mohanty
• PFRDA is the regulatory body for overall supervision and regulation of pensions in India.
• It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance in the Government of India.

SBI announces donation of ₹48 lakh for tree plantation                                      

• The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a donation of ₹48 lakh for the plantation of 32,000 tree saplings at Garden City University, Bengaluru, in association with an NGO, That’s Eco Foundation, as part of its corporate social responsibility.
• The project is being implemented under Miyawaki Technique.
• The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between SBI, Garden City University, and the Eco Foundation for the project.

About Miyawaki Technique : 

• Miyawaki is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist, Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests.
• This ensures that the plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual.
• The plants that are grown under this method grow in 2-3 years and are self-sustaining.
• The dense, multi-layered forests created under this method are beneficial in lowering the temperature, making the soil nutritious, supporting local wildlife, and sequestering carbon.

About SBI : 

• Founded: 1 July 1955
• Headquarters :  Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman : Dinesh Kumar Khara

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Ministry of Environment launches Aravalli Green Wall Project

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav launched Aravalli Green Wall Project.
• Shri Yadav launched the project at a function organised to celebrate the International Day of Forests at Tikli Village (Gurugram) in Haryana.
• He also unveiled the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification and Land Degradation Through Forestry Interventions.
• Aravalli Green Wall Project is an initiative to green the 5 km buffer area around the Aravalli Hill Range in four states.
• It will increase the green cover and biodiversity of the Aravalli through reforestation, afforestation and restoration of water bodies.
• It will also improve water availability, soil fertility and climate resilience of the region.
• In the starting phase, 75 water bodies will be rejuvenated under the project.
• Aravalli Green Wall Project in Haryana started with five waterbodies each in every district of Aravalli landscape on March 25th.
• Degraded land in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Mahendergarh and in Rewari districts of Haryana will be covered under the project.
• Society for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development (a voluntary organization) and IMGurgaon (a NGO) will mobilize people for Shramdaan for revival of water bodies at Bandhwadi and Ghata Bundh respectively.
• The Aravalli Green Wall Project covers states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

UNCTAD: Global goods trade is expected to increase by 1% in the first quarter of 2023

• According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Global goods trade is expected to increase by 1% in the first quarter of 2023.
• The trade-in service will grow by 3%.
• Global trade has reached to more than $32 trillion in 2022 but turned negative in the last quarter.
• UNCTAD predicted trade stagnation for the first quarter of 2023.
• As per the report, the uncertainty for trade will remain intact due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, inflation, high commodity prices, etc.
• UNCTAD said that as most of the trade is done in dollars so a weak dollar would result in increased demand for traded goods.
• In the fourth quarter of 2022, the global trade for developing countries was impacted more.
• Their import and exports both fell by 6% compared with the previous quarter. Exports from East Asian economies fell down by 7%.
• The trade performance in “green goods” or “environmentally friendly goods” was good.

About UNCTAD:

• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is a UN institution that deals with trade and development.
• Founded: 30 December 1964,
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland,
• Head: Secretary-General; Rebeca Grynspan.

EPFO marginally raises interest rate on PF deposits to 8.15% for FY23

• EPFO has fixed 8.15% interest rate on employees’ provident fund deposits for 2022-23.
• The decision has been taken by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation’s apex decision making body Central Board of Trustees (CBT).
• CBT’s decision requires ratification by Ministry of Finance.
• After ratification, interest rate on EPF for 2022-23 will be credited into the accounts of over 5 crore subscribers of EPFO.
• In March 2022, interest rate on EPF deposits for 2021-22 was lowered to four decade low level of 8.1% from 8.5% in 2020-21.
• This was lowest rate since 1977-78. In 1977-78, EPF interest rate stood at 8%.
• In March 2020, interest rate on provident fund deposits was lowered to a seven year low of 8.5% for 2019-20.

About EPFO:

• EPFO is a statutory body that was established under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
• The organization works under the aegis of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
• It helps the central board of trustees in the administration of the Provident Fund Scheme, Pension Scheme and Insurance scheme for the organized sector workers.

Women in India own 35% of bank accounts, but only 20% of total deposits

• Women own a little over one-third of deposit accounts but only one fifth of the total deposit amount in scheduled commercial banks, a report by the Statistics Ministry showed.
• It also revealed that only one of four bank employees are women.
• The report noted that not even one-fourth of the female population holds managerial position across the organisations.
• Also, their share in unpaid work is much higher than their male counterparts.
• This comes to around 35.23 per cent.
• Similarly, all the mentioned accounts have over ₹170-lakh crore of deposits, out of which women own around ₹34-lakh crore.
• The report titled, ‘Women and Men in India 2022’ showed that the total number of deposit accounts at the end of January 2023 was 225.5 crore, out of which over 79 crore are owned by women.
• Though the report has not given reasons for the low share of women in total accounts, an explanation can be found in shares related with three data sources — regular salary, unpaid work and managerial positions.
• Quoting the periodic labour force survey (PLFS) for the period July 2021 to June 2022, the report mentioned that though the overall 21.5 per cent of workers are getting regular wage or salary, for women, it is 16.5 per cent.
• As per the PFLS data, among the officials working at managerial positions in India in 2020, 18.8 per cent were women which dropped to 18.1 per cent in 2021.
• Giving the latest data (as on January 2023), the report noted that out of total workforce in all scheduled commercial banks, around 23 per cent officers, 30 per cent clerks and around 16 per cent sub-ordinates are female.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Maha Metro receives prestigious ‘Asia Book of Record’ citation

• Having being awarded Guinness World Records and two Asia Book of Records earlier, Maha Metro Nagpur was honoured with the prestigious Asia Book of Records certification for three different categories.
• The certification and citation was presented by Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis at Metro Bhawan on March 19.
• The categories for which Nagpur Metro was presented with Asia Book of Records certification are ‘Longest Length of Metro Rail Corridor Construction in Shortest Time’, ‘First Solar PV System in a Metro Rail Project for Integrated Consumption’ and ‘Heaviest Single Span Double Decker Steel Bridge Truss over Railway tracks in Urban Area’, in Asia.

Aaliya Mir Becomes The First Woman From J&K To Receive Wildlife Conservation Award

• J&K’s Aaliya Mir gets Wildlife Conservation Award.
• She is J&K’s only female wildlife rescuer.
• She is best known for her work with snakes.
• She has rescued Asiatic black bears, Himalayan brown bears, birds, leopards and other mammals.
• She works as a project manager with Wildlife SOS, a non-governmental organisation.
• She got the award from LG Manoj Sinha on the International Day of Forests (21 March) event.
• Her works include treatment of injured animals, rescue and release of wild animals, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and managing two bear rescue centres in Kashmir.
• Wildlife SOS team led by Mir earlier rescued a Levantine viper – a highly venomous snake – from the chief minister’s residence.
• She took part in the Hangul (Kashmir Stag) census and the annual Asian Waterbird census.

Assam NGO wins Children's Champion Award 2023

• Students’ Welfare Mission, popularly known as Tapoban, has won the Children’s Champion Award 2023.
• Tapoban is working for special needs and autistic children.
• The award has been presented by Justice S. Muralidhar, Chief Justice of the Odisha High Court to Kumud Kalita, founder-President of Tapoban.
• Tapoban, established in 2005, has received award in the health and nutrition category award for its efforts to provide quality care to children with special needs.
• DCPCR had received 1100 nominations from organisations and individuals.
• Children’s Champion Award was instituted by the Delhi Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) in 2022.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

Mukesh Ambani is the only Indian in Hurun Global Rich list's top 10

• According to the Hurun Global Rich List released Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani became the only Indian to feature in the list of top 10 billionaires across the world.
• Despite a 20 per cent dip in wealth, the RIL boss occupied ninth rank globally with a net worth of $82 billion.
• The billionaire has also retained the wealthiest Asian title for the third consecutive year.
• With a 35 per cent decrease or $28 billion in wealth to $53 billion, Gautam Adani & family, of Adani Group slipped to 23rd rank in the world’s wealthiest from the last year’s second rank.
• Ambani ranked first, followed by Gautam Adani with a net worth of $53 billion among Indian billionaires.
• Cyrus Poonawalla stood third with a net worth of $28 billion.
• Shiv Nadar and their family is fourth with $27 billion and Lakshmi Mittal is fifth with $20 billion.
• Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has lost most wealth in dollar terms over the last year.
• The billionaire founder has lost $70 billion in personal wealth, which is greater than the combined loss suffered by Ambani and Adani.
• The report puts Bezos at the top of the biggest losers' list while placing Adani and Ambani in 6th and 7th places, respectively.
• Edtech major BYJU’s founder Byju Raveendran is the world’s second richest entrepreneur in the education sector, according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2023.
• In terms of number of billionaires, India ranks third in the 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List.
• In terms of number of billionaires, China is almost 5 times bigger than India.
• A total of 24 Indian cities/towns have “produced" 187 billionaires.
• Based on the number of cities from which the billionaires hail, India has been ranked at sixth in the world.
• Mumbai is home to 66 billionaires, according to the 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List, a ranking of the US-Dollar billionaires in India.
• Mumbai is followed by New Delhi and Bengaluru.
• While New Delhi has 39 billionaires, Bengaluru stands in the third position with 21 billionaires.
• In terms of new additions, India ranks 3rd! 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List added 176 new faces, from 18 industries and 99 cities.
• India added 16 billionaires and occupies the third spot, comfortably ahead of Italy which added 9 billionaires in this year’s list.
• The richest new entrant from India, Rekha Rakesh Jhunjhunwala & family, tops the list of top 16 new Indian entrants in 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List.

Agriculture sector employs highest female workers

• According to the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Report 2021-22, agriculture sector has the highest estimated percentage distribution of female workers followed by manufacturing.
• Nearly 63% workers are female in the agriculture sector at the pan-India level, while the estimated percentage distribution of female worker in the manufacturing sector is 11.2%.
• To enhance the employability of female workers, the government is providing training to them through a network of women industrial training institutes, national vocational training institutes and regional vocational training institutes.
• The PLFS report 2021-22 showed that the estimated female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in Haryana on usual status for age 15 years and above is 19.1%. District-wise estimates are not captured in PLFS reports.
• The Periodic Labour Force Survey gives estimates of key employment and unemployment indicators like the labour force participation rates (LFPR), worker population ratio (WPR), unemployment rate (UR), etc.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ENVIRONMENT

New species of Moray eel discovered off Cuddalore coast named after Tamil Nadu

• A Moray Eel fish of the Genus Gymnothorax has been discovered by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) from the Cuddalore coast, Tamil Nadu.
• The fish has been named after Tamil Nadu as - "Gymnothorax Tamilnaduensis" with a common name as "Tamil Nadu brown moray eel".
• P Kodeeswaran and G Kantharajan, marine researchers from ICAR's National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), conducted an exploration survey along the coast in the Parangipettai and Mudasalodai fish landing centres in the Cuddalore district.
• With this, the number of new fish species of Gymnothorax has increased to 29.
• The discovery is of paramount importance, as this new species is the first to be found in the Bay of Bengal, off the south-east coast of India.
• The holotype of this new species is registered at the National Fish Museum and Repository, ICAR-NBFGR, Lucknow.
• Fish species name are registered in ZooBank, the online registration system for the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

SpiceJet Chairman & Managing Director Mr Ajay Singh takes over as ASSOCHAM President  

• SpiceJet’s chairman & managing director Mr Ajay Singh has assumed charge as the president of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).
• He succeeded Renew Power Managing Director (MD) Mr Sumant Sinha after the completion of his tenure as Chairman of ASSOCHAM on Mar 28, 2023.

Other Appointments : 

• Mr Sanjay Nayar, founder and Chairman of Sorin Investment Fund is the new Senior Vice-President of Assocham.

About Mr Ajay Singh : 

• Mr Ajay Singh is an Indian businessman, sports administrator, bureaucrat and investor.
• In 2019, he became the first Indian to chair the Aviation, Travel and Tourism (ATT) Governor’s Meeting at the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland.
• He is also the President of the Boxing Federation of India, and Associate Vice President of the Indian Olympic Association.
• He is the Chairman of the CII National Committee on Civil Aviation.
• He is also the Chairman of the World Travel and Tourism Council, India Initiative.

About ASSOCHAM : 

• Founded : 1920
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• The ASSOCHAM is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group

Prof Dr Renu Cheema Vig appointed as Vice Chancellor of Punjab University            

• The Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is also the Chancellor of Panjab University appointed Prof. (Dr.) Renu Cheema Vig, as the Vice Chancellor of Panjab University.
• Exercising the powers conferred by Section 10 of the Panjab University Act 1947, Shri Dhankhar made the appointment of Prof. Vig for a term of 3 years.
• Consequently, a three member search-cum-selection committee was constituted on March 21, 2023, for recommending names for the position.
• Prof. (Dr.) Renu Cheema Vig is also the first woman to hold the position in the varsity’s 141-year history.
• She was working as the Acting Vice Chancellor of Panjab University from January 16, 2023, after the resignation of Prof. Raj Kumar amid allegations of corruption.
• Dr Renu Cheema Vig, presently the Dean of University Instruction (DUI).

Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh named Star Sports Brand Ambassador  

• Star Sports, India’s Home of Sports, announced Bollywood superstar and sports aficionado Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador.
• Ranveer, in his role as 'sutradhaar' for the upcoming season of the "Incredible League", will be involved in creating a stream of immersive and entertaining content which brings alive compelling narratives from the past, present, and future of the league.
• Star Sports and Ranveer Singh’s journey as partners starts with the Opening Weekend of Tata IPL 2023 (March 31,2023 – April 2,2023), continues through the tournament as heroes emerge and stories develop.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Ministry of Defence signs 3 defence contracts worth ₹5,400 cr for Indian Army & Navy  

• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed 3 contracts at a total cost of nearly 5400 crore for Indian Army (IA) & Indian Navy (IN) under Buy (Indian – IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) category to bolster the defence capabilities of India.

About the Contracts : 

• The 1st contract has been signed with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and pertains to the procurement of Automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System Project Akashteer worth 1982 crore rupees for the Indian Army.

What is Project Akashteer?

• It will enable monitoring of low-level airspace over battle areas of the Indian Army along with effectively controlling ground-based air defence weapon systems.
• The 2nd contract with BEL relates to the acquisition of Sarang Electronic Support Measure systems (ESM) at an overall cost of 412 crore rupees for the Indian Navy.

What is Sarang?

• Sarang is an advanced ESM system for the helicopters of the Indian Navy designed and developed indigenously by the Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL),- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Hyderabad under the project Samudrika.
• The contract for Sarang ESM Systems along with the associated engineering support package from BEL, Hyderabad will generate employment of approximately 2lakh man-days for a period of 3 years
• Both will empower the Air Defence units of the Indian Army to effectively operate in an integrated manner.
• The 3rd contract with New Space India Limited (NSIL) a public sector enterprise under the Department of Space, Bengaluru, Karnataka pertains to the procurement of an advanced Communication Satellite, GSAT (Geosynchronous Satellite) 7B for the Indian Army at an overall cost of 2963 crore rupees. 

What is GSAT 7B?

• This geostationary satellite is the first of its kind in the 5 -tonne category and will be indigenously developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• The satellite will considerably enhance the communication capability of the Indian Army by providing mission-critical beyond-line-of-sight communication to troops and formations as well as weapon and airborne platforms.
• These contracts fall under the wider umbrella of the (IDMM) Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured category which will surely support the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

About MoD : 

• Defence Minister : Rajnath Singh
• Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt
• Defence Secretary : Giridhar Aramane

Indian Coast Guard Conducts Regional Search And Rescue (SAR) Exercise in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh  

• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted Regional Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise during 28 -29 March 2023 at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh (AP).

Aim : 

• To simulate a real time maritime distress scenario and highlight the functioning of SAR organisation for a mass rescue operation.

Key Highlights : 

• The exercise involved all stakeholders with effective use of available resources towards M-SAR (Maritime Search and Rescue) contingency efficiently.
• The exercise simulated an Offshore Support vessel (OSV) carrying more than hundreds of passengers that reported a distress call of major fire onboard off Kakinada.
• The sea area off Kakinada was selected as the venue for the exercise due to the large-scale production and exploration activities in the Krishna Godavari basin.
• Large-scale production and exploration activities make the area potential to emergencies necessitating large-scale SAR response.
• The exercise promoted coordination and cooperation amongst member agencies for a Mass Rescue Operation (MRO).

About ICG : 

• Founded: 1 February 1977
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Director General : Virender Singh Pathania
• Motto : Vayam Rakṣāmaḥ means We protect

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Veteran BJP MP & member of LS Leader Girish Bapat passed away                                       

• Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP), Girish Bapat, passed away, at the age of 73.

About Girish Bapat :

• Girish Bapat became a member of legislative assembly (MLA) for the first time in 1995 and was re-elected for the next four terms.
• He was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2019 general elections as a member of the BJP.
• He was a member of 13th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and one of top Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in Vidhansabha.
• In the 2019 Indian general elections, he was elected to the 17th Lok Sabha from Pune constituency
• He was also a veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

Ghulam Nabi Azad's memoirs to be released on April 5

• Ghulam Nabi Azad's autobiography "Azaad" will be released on April 5 in New Delhi.
• 'Azaad' published by Rupa Publications India will be a candid autobiography about the life and career of one of the most powerful leaders of India and the world as well.
• In "Azaad," he will provide description of his interactions with the Gandhi Parivar, which includes former Prime Ministers Rajiv and Indira Gandhi, Sanjay, Maneka, Sonia Gandhi, and her children Rahul and Priyanka.

About Ghulam Nabi Azad

• Ghulam Nabi Azad is an Indian politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2021.
• From 2005 to 2008, he was the Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• On 26 September 2022, Azad announced his own political party as Democratic Progressive Azad Party, where he is the Chief Patron cum Founder.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

Odisha Foundation Day 2023: April 1

• On April 1st, 2023, Utkal Diwas or Odisha Foundation Day is celebrated all over the state of Odisha, India.
• It is a national day observed annually on April 1st every year.
• It is celebrated on April 1 every year to remember the formation of the Odisha state after a struggle to be recognized as an independent state
• Odisha used to form a major portion of the ancient Kalinga.
• The region witnessed the epic “Kalinga War” led by King Ashoka who invaded and conquered the region in 260 BC.
• Later, the state was invaded and taken over by the Mughals till the British took over the administrative powers of the region and divided it into small units in 1803.
• The western and northern districts became a part of the state of Bengal while the coastal region formed the basis of Bihar and Odisha (then known as Orissa).
• After decades of struggle under the leadership of Odisha’s eminent leaders, the new province came into existence on the 1st of April 1936.
• The state saw another facelift, now in terms of its name being changed from Orissa to Odisha.
• In the year 1912, Orissa and Bihar were formed and on 1 April 1936, Odisha was formed.

Daily CA One-Liner: April 1

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav launched Aravalli Green Wall Project
• According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Global goods trade is expected to increase by 1% in the first quarter of 2023
• EPFO has fixed 8.15% interest rate on employees’ provident fund deposits for 2022-23.
• Women own a little over one-third of deposit accounts but only one fifth of the total deposit amount in scheduled commercial banks, a report by the Statistics Ministry showed
• Having being awarded Guinness World Records and two Asia Book of Records earlier, Maha Metro Nagpur was honoured with the prestigious Asia Book of Records certification for three different categories
• J&K’s Aaliya Mir gets Wildlife Conservation Award
• Students’ Welfare Mission, popularly known as Tapoban, has won the Children’s Champion Award 2023
• According to the Hurun Global Rich List released Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani became the only Indian to feature in the list of top 10 billionaires across the world
• According to the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Report 2021-22, agriculture sector has the highest estimated percentage distribution of female workers followed by manufacturing
• A Moray Eel fish of the Genus Gymnothorax has been discovered by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) from the Cuddalore coast, Tamil Nadu
• Ghulam Nabi Azad's autobiography "Azaad" will be released on April 5 in New Delhi.
• On April 1st, 2023, Utkal Diwas or Odisha Foundation Day is celebrated all over the state of Odisha, India

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rejected all bids received for the 91-day Treasury bill (T-bill) for the first time since February 2016.
• The World Bank’s (WB) Board of Executive Directors approved a USD 100 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to help Odisha strengthen its early forecasting systems for improved disaster response.
• Public sector banks (PSBs) could recover only 14% of the written-off loans worth Rs 7.34 lakh crore in the last 5 years ending March 2022
• The World Bank has approved a USD 363 million loan to Karnataka under “Karnataka Sustainable Rural Water Supply Program” (KSRWSP)
• The Centre has increased the upper age limit by 5 years of ombudsman of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) to 70 years.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a donation of ₹48 lakh for the plantation of 32,000 tree saplings at Garden City University, Bengaluru, in association with an NGO, That’s Eco Foundation, as part of its corporate social responsibility.
• SpiceJet’s chairman & managing director Mr Ajay Singh has assumed charge as the president of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).
• The Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is also the Chancellor of Panjab University appointed Prof. (Dr.) Renu Cheema Vig, as the Vice Chancellor of Panjab University.
• Star Sports, India’s Home of Sports, announced Bollywood superstar and sports aficionado Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador.
• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed 3 contracts at a total cost of nearly 5400 crore for Indian Army (IA) & Indian Navy (IN) under Buy (Indianz – IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) category to bolster the defence capabilities of India.
• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted Regional Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise during 28 -29 March 2023 at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP), Girish Bapat, passed away, at the age of 73.