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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

India Post Payments Bank launches WhatsApp Banking Services for customers

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), in collaboration with Airtel, has launched WhatsApp Banking Services for IPPB customers in New Delhi, enabling them to access banking services on their mobile phone.

Key Highlights : 

• The IPPB WhatsApp Banking channel will enable IPPB customers to seamlessly connect with the bank on WhatsApp and effortlessly avail a host of banking services, including doorstep service request, locating nearest Post Office.
• Airtel has been working with IPPB to deliver as many as 250 million messages per month to the bank’s customers many of whom are located in mofussil towns and tier 2,3 cities.
• The IPPB and Airtel IQ are working towards further integrating a LIVE interactive customer support agent into the WhatsApp solution which will enable customers to access 24X7 support and get quick resolutions for their queries.

About IPPB : 

• Established : 1 September 2018
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman & Director : Vineet Pandey
• MD & CEO : J. Venkatramu
• IPPB, is a division of India Post which is under the ownership of the Department of Post, a department under the Ministry of Communications of the Government of India (GoI).

About Ministry of Communications : 

• Cabinet Minister : Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Minister of State : Devusinh Chauhan

India’s April-Feb fiscal deficit widens to 83% of FY23 target at Rs 14.54 lakh crore

• India's fiscal deficit for FY23 touched 14.54 trillion rupees in the 11 months through February - nearly 83% of annual estimates.
• Net tax receipts through February were 17.32 trillion rupees or 83% of the annual estimate and 17% higher than last year, per the data.
• The country has targeted a budget deficit of 6.4% for the fiscal year ending this month.
• According to the data released by the Controller General of Accounts, the fiscal deficit or gap between the expenditure and revenue collection between April 2022 and February 2023 stood at ₹14.53 lakh crore.
• Net tax collection in the first 11 months of this fiscal was at ₹17,32,193 crore while total expenditure incurred by the government was ₹34.93 lakh crore.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stated that the fiscal deficit target for 2023-24 was pegged at 5.9% of the GDP.
• The government intends to bring the fiscal deficit below 4.5% of the GDP by 2025-26.

Ambit Finvest & Bajaj Finserv Direct join hands for digital lending platform for MSMEs

• Ambit Finvest has partnered with SKALEUP, the digital technology services arm of Bajaj Finserv Direct, to develop a D2C (direct-to-customer) instant loan application to give business loans to MSME (Micro Small & Medium Enterprises) business owners through a completely paperless and automated digital onboarding process.

Key Highlights : 

• Ambit Finvest is the NBFC of the Ambit Group and has served over 50,000 MSME business owners and disbursed more than ₹3,500 crore in loans.
• “SKALEUP’s Creditech solution is a low-code/no-code digital platform that enables data-driven decisions.
• SKALEUP is the digital technology services arm of the company, and will enable platform development for Ambit Finvest.

About Bajaj Finserv Direct : 

• CEO of Bajaj Finserv Direct : Ashish Panchal
• Bajaj Finserv Direct is a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv.

About Ambit Finvest : 

• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• CEO : Sanjay Agarwal
• Tagline : Pragati Ke Partner

AMNS Luxembourg Holding signs $5 billion loan agreement with consortium of Japanese banks

• The world’s second-largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, announced that AMNS Luxembourg Holding SA, the parent company of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), has entered into a $5 billion loan agreement with a consortium of Japanese banks to finance the company's expansion plans in India.
• The agreement is with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Bank Europe N.V.

Key Highlights : 

• The proceeds from the JBIC co-financing loan would be used to finance the expansion of the plant at Hazira, Gujarat, from 9 million tonnes (mt) to 15 mt
• The expansion project, which started in October,2022 upon receipt of environment permitting, will create more than 60,000 jobs.

About AM/NS India : 

• AM/NS India was the 5th largest producer of crude steel in India.
• AM/NS India, a 60:40 joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Corporation.

International Monetary Fund approves 15.6 billion dollar support package for Ukraine

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a 15.6 billion United States (US) dollar support package for Ukraine to assist with the conflict-hit country’s economic recovery.

Key Highlights : 

• The 15.6 billion US dollar support is  part of a broader 115 billion US dollar international support package to help Ukraine meet its funding needs.
• Of the total amount approved by the IMF, $2.7 billion is being made available to Ukraine immediately, & the remaining amount will be released over the next 4 years.
• The 48-month Extended Fund Facility program approved by the fund's board is worth roughly $15.6 billion. 

About Ukraine : 

• Prime Minister: Denys Shmyhal
• President: Volodymyr Zelensky
• Capital: Kyiv
• Currency : Rryvnya (UAH)

About IMF : 

• Established : 1945
• Headquarters : Washington DC, United States
• Managing Director : Kristalina Georgieva (Bulgaria)
• Membership : 190 countries (189 UN countries and Kosovo)
• India became its member in December 1945
• IMF is an international organization.
• It is designed to promote global monetary cooperation.

India current account deficit narrows to 2.2% of GDP in Q3

• According to the data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) India's current account deficit (CAD), which is the difference between the inflow and outflow of foreign exchange, has narrowed to $18.2 billion or 2.2% of Gross domestic product (GDP) in the October to December quarter (Q3FY23) from 4.4% of the GDP in the quarter ending September.
• More than half of the narrowing is due to a reduction in the goods trade deficit, suggesting weakening domestic demand in Asia's third-largest economy.

Key Highlights : 

• Current Account Deficit (CAD), a key indicator of the external sector, had widened to 3.3% of GDP in the first half of 2022-23 from 0.2% in the comparable period of 2021-22 on the back of a sharp increase in the merchandise trade deficit.
• The CAD was $30.9 billion or 3.7% of the GDP in the second quarter of 2022-23 and at $22.2 billion or 2.7% of the GDP in the December quarter of 2021-22.
• In the Oct-Dec quarter, net foreign direct investment declined to $2.1 billion from $4.6 billion in the same period a year ago.
• The lower current account deficit in Q3:2022-23 was a narrowing of merchandise trade deficit to $72.7 billion from $78.3 billion in Q2:2022-23.
• Services exports reported a growth of 24.5% on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis on the back of rising exports of software, business and travel services.
• In the December quarter, net foreign direct investment decreased to $2.1 billion from $4.6 billion in the year-ago period.
• Net foreign portfolio investment recorded inflows of $4.6 billion in the December quarter as against an outflow of $5.8 billion in the third quarter of 2021-22.
• According to RBI data, India recorded a current account deficit of 2.7% of GDP during April-December 2022 period as compared to a deficit of 1.1% during April-December 2021 period.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

AAI gives target to airports to achieve 100% use of Green Energy by 2024

• The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has given the target to most of the airports to achieve 100 percent use of Green Energy by 2024 and Net Zero by 2030.
• Currently Mumbai, Cochin and 25 other AAI Airports are using 100 per cent Green Energy.
• Cochin Airport is the first green airport in the world, fully powered by solar energy.
• The 25 airports include Puducherry, Kanpur (Civil), Hubballi, Belagavi, Mysore, Tezu, Kangra, Shimla, Kullu, Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Imphal, Pakyong, Pantnagar, Dehradun, Dimapur, Jalgaon, Kohlapur, Pune, Aurangabad, Gondia, Akola, Sholapur and Juhu.
• The Airports Council International (ACI) has launched the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, which is a global standard for carbon management at airports.
• The programme helps airports to assess their carbon emissions, develop a carbon management plan, and reduce their carbon footprint.
• Delhi and Mumbai airports, the top two major airports in the country, have achieved the highest Level 4+ Carbon Accreditation of ACI.

India’s first ropeway transport in Varanasi: Modi sets project in motion

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted India’s first public transport ropeway to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.
• Narendra Modi, along with the ropeway laid the foundation stone for nine projects worth Rs 1592.49 crore while he also inaugurated 20 other projects of Rs 189.41 crore.
• The ropeway will run from Cantonment Railway Station (Varanasi Junction) to Godaulia Square.
• The scheme is worth Rs 644.49 crore.
• After National Highway, Ring Road, Flyover, ROB in Varanasi, now rope way for public transport in the congested area will provide a lot of relief to local people as well as domestic and foreign tourists coming to Varanasi.
• After Bolivia’s La Paz and Mexico, India will be the third country in the world and Varanasi will be the first city where a ropeway will be used for public transport.
• The project director informed us that there will be a total of five stations from Varanasi Cantt station to the Godaulia intersection.
• In which stations will be built at Cantt Railway Station, Kashi Vidyapeeth, Rath Yatra, Church and Godaulia Crossing.
• The total distance of the ropeway will be 3.8 kilometres which will be covered in about 16 minutes.
• About 150 trolley cars will run from a height of about 50 meters. A trolley can carry 10 passengers.
• Trolleys will be available for passengers at an interval of every one and a half to two minutes.

MeitY forms task force to make India 'product developer and manufacturing nation'

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has formed a nine-member task force with the primary goal to make India a ‘product developer and manufacturing nation.
• It will be chaired by the additional secretary (MeitY), Bhuvnesh Kumar.
• Joint secretary (electronics) Amitesh Kumar Sinha will serve as its member convenor.
• HCL founder Ajay Chowdhary, Dixon Technologies chief Sunil Vachani, Lava International chairman Hari Om Rai, and Boat Lifestyle co-founder Aman Gupta are the other members of this task force.
• The taskforce will submit its recommendation in two months.
• The taskforce will also focus on boosting local electronics manufacturing beyond the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
• Earlier, Government had launched the PLI scheme for promoting the Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors.
• It has attracted many manufacturers including Apple suppliers Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron and Samsung to India.
• It is an important step toward making India an alternative to China and Vietnam.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Yangli festival Celebrated in Assam     

• Tiwa tribesmen celebrate Yangli festival in Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
• It was last celebrated in 2018.

About Yangli festival : 

• Tiwa is one of the major tribes of Assam, which celebrates this festival once in every three years.
• Yangli is one of the important festivals of the Tiwas as it is related with agriculture which is the mainstay of their economy.
• In this festival, the Tiwas worship for a bountiful harvest during this festival and to protect their crops from pests and other natural calamities.
• Sowing of paddy starts immediately after celebrating this festival.

About Assam : 

• Governor : Gulab Chand Kataria
• Chief Minister : Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Capital : Dispur
• National Park : Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Raimona National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Panidihing Bird Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

IFC to invest Rs 600 crore in Mahindra unit at valuation of up to Rs 6,020 crore

• Mahindra & Mahindra said World Bank Group arm IFC will invest Rs 600 crore in a new unit of the company, which is being incorporated to scale up the last-mile electric mobility business.
• IFC’s first investment in an EV manufacturer in the country and the first in electric three-wheelers globally will be in the form of compulsory convertible instruments at a valuation of up to Rs 6,020 crore.
• The Rs 600 crore investment will result in an ownership of between 9.97 per cent to 13.64 per cent for IFC in NewCo.
• The NewCo will house the last-mile mobility division, including three-wheelers (Alfa, Treo, Zor) and four-wheeler S CV (Jeeto).
• The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries.
• The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States.

India’s e-commerce market is projected to grow from $83 billion in 2022 to $150 billion in 2026:

• India’s e-commerce market is projected to grow from $83 billion in 2022 to $150 billion in 2026, according to FIS 2023 Global Payments Report.
• The report added that cash use declined from 71 per cent of POS transaction value in 2019 to just 27 per cent in 2022.
• The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has helped e- commerce account-to-account (A2A) payments grow to $12 billion, which is up 53 per cent between 2021 and 2022, and digital wallets have also grown from 5 per cent to 35 per cent of POS value.
• The Global Payments Report also shows that by 2026 A2A transaction value is expected to grow by 195 per cent to $36 billion.
• UPI has almost become the default payment option in India. While cash is still there, increasingly, a majority of peer-to-peer transactions are done through the platform.
• According to the data released by FIS, cash is expected to decline by 34 per cent in transaction value by 2026, and digital wallets are expected to rise in transaction value by 88 per cent by 2026.
• In the online space, the e-commerce market size is expected to grow by 82 per cent by 2026, providing a greater boost to digital payments.
• UPI grew 427 per cent in transaction volume between March 2020 and August 2022.
• Its seamless interoperability with commercial wallets such as Google Pay, Paytm and PhonePe has helped digital wallets grow from 5 per cent POS market share in 2019 to 35 per cent in 2022

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

Ladakh, Mayurbhanj Among TIME Magazine's 50 Greatest Places In The World 2023

• Mayurbhanj district of Odisha has been listed by TIME Magazine among the 50 extraordinary destinations to explore in its list of the World’s Greatest Places of 2023.
• Apart from Mayurbhanj, Ladakh is the second destination from India to be included in the coveted magazine.
• The only place on earth to spot the exceedingly rare black tiger is open to visitors again.
• The Magazine also refers to the other destinations of Odisha including the state capital Bhubaneswar.
• “Stunning biodiversity and interminable heritage continue throughout the state.
• The locations have been chosen for their endangered tigers and historic temples, as well as their adventures and cuisine.
• Apart from the famous Similipal National Park, there’s a lot more that you can do in this district.
• This April, Mayurbhanj Chhau, a captivating dance festival on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list will take place on a much larger scale following a pandemic hiatus.
• Ladakh, on the other hand, boasts of astonishing alpine landscapes and Tibetan Buddhist culture.
• This year, India also designated its first Dark Sky Reserve in Hanle Village, about 168 miles southeast of Leh, Ladakh’s capital.
• Last year, Kerala and Ahmedabad were the Indian destinations in TIME’s ‘World’s Greatest Places of 2022’.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENT & RESIGNATIONS

Mr Praveer Sinha reappointed as Tata Power CEO & MD for 4 more years

• Tata Power Company Limited (TATA Power) has re-appointed Mr Praveer Sinha as the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director for a period of 4 years from May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2027.
• His present tenure as a CEO and MD is scheduled to conclude on April 30, 2023.
• Based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Board, at its meeting held on March 30, 2023, approved the re-appointment.

About Tata Power : 

• Founded : 18 September 1919
• Headquarters :  Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Tata Power Company Limited is an Indian electric utility company & is part of the Tata Group.

Indian-origin engineer Mr Amit Kshatriya to head NASA’s newly-established 'Moon to Mars' programme

• An Indian-origin software and robotics engineer Mr Amit Kshatriya has been appointed as first head of American space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA's) newly-established Moon to Mars Programme.
• With this programme, NASA plans to ensure a long-term presence on the Moon to prepare for humanity's next giant leap to the Red Planet.

Aim : 

• To carry out the agency’s human exploration activities on the Moon and Mars for the benefit of humanity.
• In his new role, Mr Kshatriya will be responsible for programme planning and implementation for human missions to the Moon and Mars.

About Mr Amit Kshatriya : 

• He began his career in 2003 and has made contributions to missions ranging from Space Shuttle to Artemis 1.
• In 2021, he was assigned to NASA Headquarters in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate as an assistant deputy associate administrator.
• He served as the acting deputy associate administrator for the Common Exploration Systems Development Division.

What is NASA's Moon to Mars Program?

• The Moon to Mars Programme Office will help prepare NASA to carry out bold missions to the Moon and land the first humans on Mars.
• As directed by the 2022 NASA Authorisation Act, the Moon to Mars Programme Office focuses on hardware development, mission integration and risk management functions for programmes critical to the agency’s exploration approach that uses Artemis missions at the Moon to open a new era of scientific discovery and prepare for human missions to Mars.
• This includes the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, human landing systems, spacesuits, Gateway, and more related to deep space exploration.

About NASA : 

• Founded: 29 July 1958
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• NASA Administrator : Bill Nelson
• NASA is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.

Mr Rajib K Mishra takes over as Chairman and Managing Director of PTC India

• PTC India Limited, the leading provider of power trading solutions in India, announced that Dr Rajib Kumar Mishra has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company.

About Dr Rajib Kumar Mishra : 

• Dr Rajib Kumar Mishra has worked as Executive Director PTC since October 2011 and was responsible for operations, business development, retail & advisory services.
• He joined the PTC Board in February 2015 as Director (Marketing and Business Development).
• He has also served NTPC and POWER GRID in various capacities.

About PTC India Limited : 

• Founded : 16 April 1999
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• PTC India Limited, formerly Power Trading Corporation of India Limited, is an Indian company that provides power trading solutions, cross border power trading, and consultancy services.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Defence Ministry signs contract with Bharat Electronics Limited for 13 Lynx-U2 Fire Control Systems for Indian Navy worth Rs 1700 cr

• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore, Karnataka for procurement of 13 Lynx-U2 Fire Control Systems for Indian Navy at a total cost of over Rs 1,700 crore under Buy {Indian – IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)} category.

About Lynx-U2 System :

• The Lynx-U2 system is a naval gun fire control system designed and developed indigenously.
• It is capable of accurately tracking and engaging targets amid sea clutter as well as air or surface targets.
• The 4th generation Lynx-U2 System will be installed on New Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels to be built indigenously at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers and Goa Shipyard Limited.
• The move will generate employment of 2 lakh man-days over a period of 4 years.
• It will encourage Indian industries including Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by giving boost to Atma Nirbharta initiatives in the defence sector.

About Ministry of Defence : 

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO releases images of Earth captured by its EOS-06 satellite

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released images of Earth captured by the Earth Observation satellite (EOS-6) satellite.
• The images are a mosaic generated by the ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC).
• NRSC/ISRO has generated a global False Colour Composite (FCC) mosaic from the images captured by the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) payload on board EOS-06.
• Mosaic with 1 km spatial resolution is generated by combining 2939 individual images, after processing 300 GB data to show the Earth as seen during February 1 and 15.

What is the EOS-06 satellite? 

• The EOS-06 third generation satellite in the Oceansat series was launched by ISRO on board the PSLV-C54 along with 8 Nano-satellites on November 26, 2022.
• EOS-06 provides continued services of Oceansat-2 with enhanced payload capability and carries 4 payloads OCM-, Sea Surface Temperature Monitor, Ku-Band Scatterometer, and ARGOS.
• It is envisaged to observe ocean colour data, sea surface temperature and wind vector data to use in Oceanography, climatic and meteorological applications.
• The satellite also supports value added products such as potential fishing zones using chlorophyll, SST and wind speed and land based geophysical parameters.

About ISRO : 

• Founded : 15 August 1969
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• Chairman : Sreedhara Somanath
• The ISRO is the national space agency of India, & it operates under the Department of Space (DOS).

Nokia to launch 4G mobile network on the moon in late 2023

• Nokia has announced plans to launch a 4G mobile network on the moon.
• This initiative is in collaboration with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the 4G mobile network will be launched in a SpaceX rocket near the end of 2023.

Aim : 

• To improve communication capabilities and provide relief to astronauts during their missions while also enhancing lunar discoveries.

Key Highlights : 

• The network will be powered by an antenna-equipped base station stored in a Nova-C lunar lander and accompanied by a solar-powered rover.
• The LTE connection will be set up between the lander and the rover.
• The latest 4G network will be used during NASA’s upcoming Artemis 1 mission, which will send human astronauts to walk on the moon after a long time since 1972.

About Nokia : 

• Established : 1865
• Headquarters: Espoo, Finland.
• Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Ex-Germany, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil announces retirement

• Germany's World Cup-winning midfielder Mesut Ozil announced his retirement from football at the age of 34.
• The former Real Madrid and Arsenal player was a key member of Germany's World Cup-winning side in Brazil in 2014.
• Ozil made 645 appearances for club and country, in which he scored 1 14 goals and had 222 assists.

‘Ironman’ Krishna Prakash becomes first person to swim from Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves

• The Krishna Prakash set another record by swimming from the Gateway of India (located on Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg in South Mumbai) to the famous Elephanta Caves (located at the Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour).
• He swam the opposite direction of the famed swimming route from Elephanta Caves to the Gateway of India, covering 16.20 kilometres in five hours and 26 minutes.
• The swimming campaign was part of a social awareness campaign, 'Drowning Prevention Awareness'.
• The event was organized by the National Institute of Swimming and was recognized by the World Open Water Swimming Association.
• It was certified by the Maharashtra Swimming Association, which is affiliated to the Maharashtra Olympic Association.
• In 2017, Krishna Prakash completed the Ironman Triathlon, one of the most challenging sporting events in the world.
• It is a three-day event in which participants have to complete 3.8 km swim, 180.2 km cycle ride and 42.2 km run in 16-17 hours.
• This achievement earned Prakash the title of 'Iron Man' and earned him a mention in the World Book of Records.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Malayalam Novelist and short story writer Sarah Thomas passed away

• Veteran Malayalam novelist, short story writer & two-time Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award winner Sarah Thomas passed away at the age of 88 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

About Sarah Thomas : 

• Sarah Thomas was born in September 1934, Trivandrum, Travancore. British Raj (now in Kerala).
• Sarah, who has written 17 novels and over 100 short stories.
• Her debut work 'Jeevitham Enna Nadi' (The river that is life) was published at the age of 34.

Notable Works : 

• Narmadipudava, Daivamakkal, Agnishuddhi, Chinnammu, Valakkar, Neelakurinjikal Chuvakum Neram, Grahanam, Thanneerpanthal, Yatra and Kaveri.
• PA Backer’s film ‘Manimuzhakkam’ was an adaptation of her novel ‘Murippadukal’.
• Apart from this, the novels ‘Asthamayam’, ‘Pavizhamuth’ and ‘Archana’ have also been themes for movies.

Awards & Honors : 

• Her novel Narmadi Pudava won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in the year 1979.
• She also received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award in 2010 for overall contribution to Malayalam literature.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day for Mine Awareness 2023: April 4

• International Day for Mine Awareness 2023 is observed all over the world on April 4th.
• In 2023 the United Nations Mine Action Service will promote the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action under the theme “Safe Ground, Safe Steps, Safe Home”.
• The United Nations’ International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is celebrated on the 4th of April every year.
• The General Assembly on 8 December 2005 declared that each year on 4 April would be officially proclaimed and observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
• It was first observed on 4 April 2006.
• The continued efforts by states, assistance from the UN, and relevant organizations, to help establish and develop national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosives war remnants constitute a serious threat to the safety, health, and lives of people or hinder social and economic development at national and local levels.

Daily CA One-Liner: April 4

• The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has given the target to most of the airports to achieve 100 percent use of Green Energy by 2024 and Net Zero by 2030.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted India’s first public transport ropeway to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has formed a nine-member task force with the primary goal to make India a ‘product developer and manufacturing nation
• Mahindra & Mahindra said World Bank Group arm IFC will invest Rs 600 crore in a new unit of the company, which is being incorporated to scale up the last-mile electric mobility business
• India’s e-commerce market is projected to grow from $83 billion in 2022 to $150 billion in 2026, according to FIS 2023 Global Payments Report
• Mayurbhanj district of Odisha has been listed by TIME Magazine among the 50 extraordinary destinations to explore in its list of the World’s Greatest Places of 2023
• Germany's World Cup-winning midfielder Mesut Ozil announced his retirement from football at the age of 34
• The Krishna Prakash set another record by swimming from the Gateway of India (located on Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg in South Mumbai) to the famous Elephanta Caves
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), in collaboration with Airtel, has launched WhatsApp Banking Services for IPPB customers in New Delhi, enabling them to access banking services on their mobile phone.
• India's fiscal deficit for FY23 touched 14.54 trillion rupees in the 11 months through February - nearly 83% of annual estimates.
• Ambit Finvest has partnered with SKALEUP, the digital technology services arm of Bajaj Finserv Direct, to develop a D2C (direct-to-customer) instant loan application to give business loans to MSME (Micro Small & Medium Enterprises) business owners
• The world’s second largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, announced that AMNS Luxembourg Holding SA, the parent company of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), has entered into a $5 billion loan agreement with a consortium of Japanese banks to finance the company's expansion plans in India.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a 15.6 billion United States (US) dollar support package for Ukraine to assist with the conflict-hit country’s economic recovery.
• According to the data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) India's current account deficit (CAD), which is the difference between the inflow and outflow of foreign exchange, has narrowed to $18.2 billion or 2.2% of Gross domestic product (GDP) in the October to December quarter (Q3FY23) from 4.4% of the GDP in the quarter ending September.
• Tiwa tribesmen celebrate Yangli festival in Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
• Tata Power Company Limited (TATA Power) has re-appointed Mr Praveer Sinha as the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director for a period of 4 years from May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2027.
• An Indian-origin software and robotics engineer Mr Amit Kshatriya has been appointed as first head of American space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA's) newly-established Moon to Mars Programme.
• PTC India Limited, the leading provider of power trading solutions in India, announced that Dr Rajib Kumar Mishra has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company.
• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore, Karnataka for procurement of 13 Lynx-U2 Fire Control Systems for Indian Navy at a total cost of over Rs 1,700 crore under Buy {Indian – IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)} category.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released images of Earth captured by the Earth Observation satellite (EOS-6) satellite.
• Nokia has announced plans to launch a 4G mobile network on the moon.
• Veteran Malayalam novelist, short story writer & two-time Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award winner Sarah Thomas passed away at the age of 88 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• International Day for Mine Awareness 2023 is observed all over the world on April 4th.