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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

PhonePe Launches E-Commerce Consumer App ‘Pincode’ On ONDC Platform

• Walmart-owned fintech company PhonePe has launched a new consumer-facing application, Pincode, which will be integrated into India's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) framework.

About Pincode : 

• At present, Pincode is only available in Bengaluru city and will soon be launched in other cities.
• Pincode is launching in 6 major categories, including grocery, food, pharma, electronics, home decor, and fashion.
• The app, which will focus on hyperlocal commerce, is downloadable from Google Play and App store.
• Pincode is built on the ONDC network, which allows us to generate demand for merchants digitised by various seller platforms in an inclusive manner, while creating new opportunities for growth and driving innovation at scale.

About Phonepe : 

• Founded : 2015
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Co-Founder & CEO : Sameer Nigam

About ONDC : 

• Founded : December 31, 2021
• CEO : Thampy Koshy
• ONDC, is a private non-profit Section 8 company established by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoCI) of Government of India to develop open e-commerce.

Karur Vysya Bank ties up with SBI Life to market insurance schemes

• Karur Vysya Bank Ltd. (KVB) has entered into a pact with SBI Life Insurance to market the latter’s insurance schemes through its branches.
• KVB is a major player in South India with strong presence in urban, semi-urban and rural locations viz Tamil Nadu (TN), Andhra Pradesh (AP), Telangana, Karnataka to market its schemes.

About KVB : 

• Founded : 1916
• Headquarters : Karur, Tamil Nadu
• MD & CEO : Mr. Ramesh Babu
• Tagline : Smart Way to Bank
• KVB  is a Scheduled Commercial Bank.

About SBI Life : 

• Founded : March 2001
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Mahesh Kumar Sharma
• SBI Life is an Indian life insurance company which was started as a joint venture (JV) between the State Bank of India (SBI) and French financial institution BNP Paribas Cardif.

HDFC Bank launches Regalia Gold Credit Card

• HDFC Bank has launched Regalia Gold Credit Card, a super-premium credit card in its Regalia range of credit cards.
• A Regalia Gold credit card will be available to high-income individuals.
• HDFC bank is targeting a wide range of potential customers such as travellers and lifestyle enthusiasts.

Key Highlights : 

• Regalia Gold provides a one-stop solution with a host of exclusive offers and benefits as well as access to global travel facilitators, airport lounges, and curated benefits on lifestyle brands.
• The card offers a privileged travel experience with Club Vistara Silver Tier Membership and MMT Black Elite Membership.
• The card also aims at rewarding everyday indulgences by providing 5 times the reward on purchases from fashion e-commerce websites such as Myntra, Nykaa, M&S and Reliance Digital.

About HDFC Bank : 

• Founded : August 1994
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• CEO : Sashidhar Jagdishan
• Tagline : We Understand Your World

SBI Wecare Senior Citizen FD scheme last date extended by 3 months

• India’s largest lender, the State Bank of India (SBI), has once again extended the SBI “WECARE” Senior Citizens’ Term Deposit programme.
• After repeated revisions, the scheme has now been extended till 30 June 2023.

About SBI “WECARE” Senior Citizens’ Term Deposit programme : 

• SBI in association with Senior Citizens introduces a new Deposit Scheme “SBI WECARE’ protecting their income by offering additional interest on Term Deposits.
• The Deposit programme was introduced in May 2020 with an initial maturity date of September 2020.

Key Highlights : 

• Eligible - Customers Senior Citizens
• Type of Deposit - Domestic Term Deposit
• Period of Deposit- Minimum- 5 years & Maximum- 10 years
• Payment of Interest - Monthly or yearly interest payments are made on term deposits.
• SBI FD latest interest rates - For amounts less than Rs 2 crore, SBI offers interest rates between 3.50% and 7.50% for terms extending from 7 days to 10 years.

SBM Bank India Blocks Credit Cards Offered in Partnership With Fintechs 

• SBM Bank India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of foreign lender State Bank of Mauritius (SBM), has blocked the corporate credit cards it offered in partnership with several fintech players in India following a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) diktat to update their 'know your customer' (KYC) details.
• The block was implemented from 31 March 2023 and affected all major fintechs partnered with SBM India, including M2P, RazorPay,Karbon, EnKash and KODO.
• Most of these fintechs count venture capital and other private investors.

Key Highlights : 

• A majority of the 10 lakh credit cards issued by SBM Bank have been blocked.
• According to RBI data, as on February 28,2023 SBM’s total credit card outstanding stood at 10.33 lakh.
• In January,2022 SBM Bank came under regulatory scrutiny as RBI banned the lender from processing any foreign exchange remittances abroad under the so-called Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) till further orders.
• In 2022, it had also instructed fintech partners to stop onboarding new customers after an RBI order related to pre-paid instruments.

About SBM Bank India : 

• Founded : 1st December 2018
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Sidharth Rath
• It was the first bank to receive a banking licence from India's banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to establish a universal banking business in the country as a wholly owned subsidiary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Govt plans to borrow Rs 8.88 lakh crore in first half of FY24

• Govt has planned to borrow ₹8.88 Lakh Crore for the first half of the financial year 2023-24.
• The Government of India has finalized its borrowing program for the first half (H1) of the financial year 2023-24 in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India.
• The Union Budget plans to borrow Rs 8.88 lakh crore (57.55%) in the first half (H1) of the estimated Rs 15.43 lakh crore gross market borrowing for FY 2023-24.
• The borrowing will be spread under 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 30, and 40 years securities.
• The share of borrowing under different maturities will be: 3 year (6.31%), 5 year (11.71%), 7 year (10.25%), 10 year (20.50%), 14 year (17.57%), 30 year (16.10%) and 40 year (17.57%).
• In the second half (H2) of the financial year 2023-24, Sovereign Green Bonds' issuance will be announced.
• The government will continue the switch operation to ease the redemption profile.
• To retain an additional subscription of up to Rs 2,000 crore against each of the securities included in the auction notification, the government would c ontinue to exercise greenshoe option.
• Weekly borrowing through treasury bill issuance in the first quarter (Q1) of fiscal year 2023-24 is expected to be Rs 32,000 crore with net borrowing during the quarter at Rs 1.42 lakh crore.
• There was a net borrowing of Rs 2.40 lakh crore in the first quarter of the financial year 2022-23.
• Rs 12,000 crore under 91 DTBs (deposits at traditional banks), Rs 12,000 crore under 182 DTBs and Rs 8,000 crore under 364 DTBs will be released through each of the weekly auctions to be conducted during the quarter.
• The Reserve Bank of India has fixed the Ways and Means Advance (WMA) limit for H1 of FY 2023-24 at Rs 1,50,000 crore to take care of the temporary mismatch in the account of the government.

MoD signs Rs 19,600 cr contracts for 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels and six Next Generation Missile Vessels

• Ministry of Defence signed Rs 19,600 crore contracts for 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPV) and 6 Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV).
• The contracts have been signed with Indian shipyards for the acquisition of these vessels at an overall cost of 19,600 crore rupees.
• The contract for the acquisition of 11 NGOPV was signed with Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Kolkata at the overall cost of 9,781 crore rupees.
• Out of the 11 ships, GSL will indigenously design, develop an d manufacture seven ships.
• GRSE will indigenously design, develop and manufacture four ships.
• The delivery of the ships is planned to start from September 2026.
• The contract for the acquisition of 6 NGMV was signed with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) at a cost of 9,805 crore rupees.
• The delivery of these ships is planned to start from March 2027.
• These ships would be employed for Local Naval Defence operations.
• These ships would also be employed for seaward defence of the Offshore Development Area.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi inaugurates Sericulture Fair in Gorakhpur

• Sericulture Fair was organized at Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium.
• UP CM also laid foundation stone of 18 Chaki rearing buildings, 9 threading machine sheds and 36 community buildings.
• In addition to this, the grant amount was distributed to the beneficiaries for the silkworm rearing house.
• CM Yogi said UP is also the largest producer of food grains.
• He remarked UP constitutes 11% of India’s total cultivable land.
• It contributes 20% to the country’s total foodgrain production.
• There are 9 climatic zones in Uttar Pradesh.
• Plant mulberry can be planted by farmers on their farm ridges to earn additional income.
• Banaras, Mau, Gorakhpur, Khalilabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Lucknow, and Meerut are known for silk business.
• Silk production is being done in 57 districts of UP.
• Government aims to increase silk production intensively in 31 climate-friendly districts.
• CM Yogi said earlier PM Modi announced PM Mitra Mega Textile Park for Hardoi.

1000 cities to be garbage-free by 2024: Hardeep Singh Puri

• Union Minister for Urban Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep S. Puri has said that by October 2024, a target has been set to make 1,000 cities in the country 3-star garbage-free cities.
• Shri Puri was addressing an event organized on the occasion of International Zero Waste Day 2023 in New Delhi.
• Referring to the progress of the GFC- Star Rating Protocol launched in January 2018 to encourage the spirit of competition and mission mode in the urban local bodies, he said that since its inception, the certification has picked up significantly.
• Urban India has become open defecation free (ODF).
• All 4,715 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are fully ODF, more than 3,547 ULBs are ODF+ with functional and clean community and public toilets and 1,191 ULBs are ODF++ with complete faecal sludge management.
• Additionally, India's waste processing has increased four times from 17% in 2014 to 75%.
• This has been achieved through 100 percent door-to-door waste collection in 97% wards and source segregation of waste by citizens in about 90% wards across all ULBs in the country.
• The campaign seeks to promote women's participation and leadership in realizing the goals of waste-free cities.
• A series of programs and activities have been organized in the cities from March 8, 2023 to engage women from different walks of life towards building garbage-free cities.
• The Swachhotsav campaign was a platform for over 400,000 women entrepreneurs to take a leadership role in urban sanitation.
• By participating in the unique journey and Masal March, women took the responsibility of urbanization and took the lead in changing the urban landscape.
• Hon'ble Prime Minister launched the Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0 with the vision of making India a Garbage Free City (GFC) by taking India on a new path towards an eco-system of holistic cleanliness and waste management.
• Encouraging door to door collection, source segregation, waste processing and dump site treatment, IEC, capacity building, digital tracking etc. are components of making GFCs.
• India is also promoting a zero-waste approach, which emphasizes responsible production, consumption and disposal of by-products in a closed circular system.

Centre raises interest rates on most small saving schemes, except PPF, for June quarter

• The government has raised returns on most small savings schemes for the April to June quarter, barring the Public Provident Fund (PPF) whose returns have been static at 7.1% for the last three years.
• Returns on the Sukanya Samriddhi Account were, however, increased for the first time since April 2020 — from 7.6% to 8% — while the Senior Citizens Savings scheme would now fetch 8.2% instead of 8%.
• The Finance Ministry, which notified the new rates also lifted the return on the National Savings Certificate to 7.7% from 7% and Kisan Vikas Patra to 7.5% from 7.2%.
• The monthly income account scheme will now deliver 7.4% returns instead of 7.1%.
• The rate of return on 1-, 2- and 3-year time deposits has been raised by 10 basis points (0.10%) for the next quarter, yielding 6.8%, 6.9% and 7%, respectively, while 5-year time deposits will earn 7.5% instead of 7%.
• The rate paid on 5-year recurring deposits is being raised from 5.8% to 6.2%.
• While the government had raised some small savings schemes’ rates over the last two quarters, the number of schemes with higher rates is larger this time.
• Apart from record gross market borrowings of ₹43 lakh crore in 2023-24, the government plans to tap small savings schemes for financing its debt.
• The interest rate on the senior citizen savings scheme and Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) is 8.2 per cent (up from 8 per cent) and 7.6 per cent (up from 7.2 per cent),
• KVP will now mature in 115 months as against 120 months earlier.
• Monthly Income Scheme has been increased by 30 basis points to 7.4 per cent.
• Interest rates were hiked in the last quarter as well.
• Interest rates for small savings schemes are notified quarterly.

Centre launches mobile app of National Logistics Portal Marine

• Sagar-Setu app of National Logistics Portal (Marine) has been launched in New Delhi.
• Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has launched the app.
• The app has features like a Login Module, Service Catalogue, Common Application Format, Letter of Credit, Bank Guarantee, Certification, and Track and Trace, etc.
• The app will provide real-time information on different activities that are usually not within reach of the exporter, importer and customs broker.
• The app also enables digital transactions for payments like container freight station charges, shipping line charges, and transportation charges.
• National Logistic Portal Marine was envisioned by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping Waterways, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in January 2023.
• SAGAR-SETU app has been launched within two months of this.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UK signs deal to join trade pact with 11 Asia and Pacific nations                                    

• The United Kingdom (UK) has signed a deal to join a trade pact with 11 Asia and Pacific nations, 3 years after it officially left the European Union (EU).

Key Highlights : 

• The government's own estimates show being in the bloc will only add 0.08% to the size of the UK's economy.
• The trade area covers a market of around 500 million people.
• The deal to join the group would boost UK exports by cutting tariffs on goods such as cheese, cars, chocolate, machinery, gin and whisky.

About Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership ( CPTPP) :

• It was established in 2018.
• It includes 11 countries - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
• Together, the 11 members account for about 13% of the world’s income and after 21 months of negotiations, the UK has become the first European country to join.
• Membership of the CPTPP loosens restrictions on trade between member countries and reduces tariffs, a form of border tax on goods.
• The agreement is expected to be formally signed by the end of the year following final approval from Parliament and 11 member states.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS 

India’s 1st Cool Roof Policy launched in Telangana for all types of Buildings 

• With urban heat islands raising an alarm, in a first in India, Telangana is set to launch the Telangana Cool Roof Policy 2023-28 to reduce temperatures in Hyderabad and other urban areas in Telangana.

Aim of the policy : 

• To reduce heat island impact and heat stress in Telangana.

Key Highlights : 

• The policy encourages and promotes the usage of cool roofs.
• Cool roofing can be implemented by using paints, tiles or other materials to reflect sunlight.
• In the first year, the State government has set a target to ‘cool roof’ an area of 7.5 square kilometres, including 5 sq km in Hyderabad.
• The government will make it mandatory for all constructions beyond 600 square yards to factor in a cool roof at the design stage.
• The government set a target to cool roof an area of 300 sq km of area, including 200 sq km in Hyderabad, by 2030.
• The urban heat islands phenomenon is gaining global attention as urban centres report 2-4 degree Celsius higher than rural areas, bearing the brunt of climate change.
• Telangana being the 3rd most urbanised state in the country with 48% the population residing in the urban areas, there is a serious need to introduce cost-effective and climate-friendly cooling solutions to counter the urban heat island effect.

What is Cool Roofs : 

• A cool roof is one that strongly reflects sunlight (solar energy) & also cools itself by efficiently emitting any heat that was absorbed.
• Cool roofs are one of the most simplest & most cost effective methods to combat heat.

About Telangana : 

• Governor : Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief Minister : K. Chandrashekar Rao
• National Park : Mrugavani National Park, KBR National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Pocharam Dam And Wildlife Sanctuary, Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

TDS on interest to be applicable even in death cases if EPF contribution exceeds ₹2.50 lakh

• Employees contributing over ₹2.50 lakh to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will be liable to pay tax on interest even in case of death.
• Higher Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) rate will be applicable for employees who have not linked their EPF account with PAN.
• Higher TDS will also be applicable if employees have invalid PAN.
• The new rules will come into effect from 01 April 2023.
• If EPF account is not linked with a valid PAN, the rate of TDS will be 20%.
• In cases of EPF accounts linked with a valid PAN, the TDS rate will be 10%.
• Exempted establishments and exempted trusts and international workers will be subject to TDS.
• The rules will also apply to General Provident Fund (GPF).
• However, the threshold will be ₹5 lakh because there is no contribution from employer.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

Vedanta’s Hindustan Zinc Limited Signs MoU with RCA to Set up Anil Agarwal International Cricket Stadium in Jaipur

• Vedanta's Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) for the development of world’s 3rd largest cricket stadium in the village Chonp in Jaipur.
• Vedanta’s HZL will spend INR 300 crore on the stadium, one of the largest corporate investments in India’s sports infrastructure.
• The stadium will be named “Anil Agarwal International Cricket Stadium, Jaipur”.
• The stadium facilities will be spread across 100 acres and have a seating c apacity of more than 75,000.
• Only Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium and Melbourne Cricket Ground have larger seating capacity than this stadium.
• In terms of the size of playing field area, this stadium will be largest in the world.
• The stadium will be completed in phases.
• A 40,000 capacity is set to be completed by October 2023.
• The overall project of first phase will cost Rs. 400 crores, out of which Rs. 300 crores will be borne by HZL and the remaining Rs. 100 crores will be taken care of by RCA.
• The stadium will have an indoor games facility, training centers for other sports, a clubhouse, and parking for 3,500 vehicles.
• The Anil Agarwal International Cricket Stadium will host national and international matches, including games of the Indian Premier League.
• The stadium and its facilities will help the development of Rajasthan as a major hub for cricket and other sports.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Israel’s Ex Envoy To India Mr Ron Malka Appointed Chairman Of Adani Group's Haifa Port

• The former Ambassador of Israel to India Mr Ron Malka has been appointed as Executive Chairman of Haifa Port Company (HPC), which is owned by a consortium of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) and Israel’s Gadot Group.
• Mr Ron Malka served as the ambassador of Israel to India and non resident ambassador to Sri Lanka and Bhutan, from 2018 to 2021.
• A consortium of APSEZ and Israel's Gadot Group won the tender in July, 2022 to privatise the strategic Port of Haifa in Israel for ₹1.18 billion.
• Amid allegations of fraud by Hindenburg Research, the Adani Group had acquired the strategic Israeli port of Haifa for $1.2 billion.
• Prime Minister Mr Benjamin Netanyahu had described the deal as an "enormous milestone".
• The Port of Haifa is the second largest port in Israel in terms of shipping containers and the biggest in shipping tourist cruise ships.
• Apart from this, the Adani Group also vowed to open an artificial intelligence lab in Tel Aviv.

About Israel : 

• President : Isaac Herzog
• Prime Minister : Benjamin Netanyahu
• Capital : Jerusalem
• Currency : New shekel

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

10th Edition of Indian – Sri Lanka bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-2023

• The 10th Edition of Indian Navy(IN)- Sri Lanka Navy(SLN) bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-2023 is scheduled at Colombo, Sri Lanka from 03 - 08 April 2023.
• The exercise is being conducted in two phases: the Harbour Phase from 03-05 April 2023, Colombo, Sri Lanka followed by a Sea Phase from 06-08 April 2023, Colombo.

Representors : 

• The Indian Navy is represented by INS Kiltan, an indigenous Kamorta class ASW corvette and INS Savitri, an Offshore Patrol Vessel.
• The Sri Lanka Navy is being represented by SLNS Gajabahu and SLNS Sagara.
• The Indian Navy Chetak helicopter and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft along with Sri Lanka Air Force Dornier and BEL 412 helicopters would also take part in the exercise.
• Maritime Patrol Aircraft, helicopters and Special Forces from both sides would also participate in the exercise.
• The Special Forces of the two navies will also take part in the exercise.

Aim of the Exercise : 

• To enhance interoperability, improve mutual understanding and exchange best practices in multi-faceted Maritime operations between both navies.

History : 

• The first SLINEX exercise took place in 2005.
• The 9th edition of Exercise SLINEX-21 was conducted in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP) from March 7-12, 2022.

About MoD :

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

India & U.S. air exercise ‘Cope India’ begins

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the US Air Force (USAF) are set to conduct the Cope India exercise from April 10 to 21,2023 at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.
• The Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) participated in Cope India as an observer for the first time in December 2018 based on the Agreement of Defence Ministerial Meeting on August 20, 2018.
• The IAF is set to field its frontline fighters SU-30MKI, Rafale and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft along with force multipliers, while the U.S. Air Force is expected to bring in F-15 fighter jets.
• The last edition of the exercise was held in 2019.

About Exercise Cope India :

• It is a bilateral joint exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF).
• Cope India began in 2004 as a fighter training exercise.
• The exercise will enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two air forces.
• The exercise has evolved to incorporate subject matter expert exchanges, air mobility training, airdrop training and large-force exercises, in addition to fighter-training exercises.

Other Exercise : 

• Recently, the IAF for the first time participated in the multilateral Cobra Warrior exercise hosted by the Royal Air Force in the U.K.
• In January 2023, India and Japan participated in the Veer Guardian air exercise.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

LIC increases stake in BATA India Ltd

• Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has increased its shareholding in BATA India.
• LIC’s shareholding has jumped from 57,48,071 to 64,36,692 Equity Shares increasing its shareholding from 4.472% to 5.008% of the paid-up capital.
• The holding in the LIC crossed 5% and the acquisition of shares were done during the period from Jan 2022 to Mar 2023 at an average cost of INR 1569.33.

About LIC : 

• Founded :  September 1956
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairperson : Siddharth Mohanty

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Japanese pop pioneer & Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto Passed away                                      

• Oscar-winning Japanese pop pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto has passed away at the age of 71 in Tokyo, Japan.

About Ryuichi Sakamoto : 

• Ryuichi Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952, in Tokyo, Japan.
• He was a Japanese composer, record producer, and actor who pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).
• Sakamoto’s most famous work is likely the title track of the film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” which became an international hit in 1983.
• He was the songwriter and composer for a number of the band's hit songs including "Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)" (1978), "Technopolis" (1979), "Nice Age" (1980), "Ongaku" (1983), and "You've Got to Help Yourself" (1983).

Awards & Honors : 

• In 1988, he won an Oscar Award for his score to Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘The Last Emperor’, which also earned a Grammy for the score.
• In 1988 he won the Golden Globe Award-Best Score-Motion Pictures for the same.
• In 1991 he won his 2nd Golden Globe Award for  The Sheltering Sky under best score-motion pictures in 1991.
• Sakamoto won the Golden Pine Award (Lifetime Achievement) at the 2013 International Samobor Film Music Festival, along with Clint Eastwood and Gerald Fried.

Former Indian Cricket Legend Salim Durani Passed Away                                                  

• Former India all-rounder Salim Durani has passed away at the age of 88 in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

About Salim Durani : 

• Salim Durani was born on 11 December 1934 in Kabul, Afghanistan.
• He was an Afghan-born Indian cricketer who played in 29 Test matches from 1960 to 1973.
• He is the only Indian Test cricketer to have been born in Afghanistan.
• He was the hero of India's series victory against England in 1961–62.
• He scored 1,202 runs with an average of 25.04.
• He also had a century and seven half-centuries in his career.
• As a left-arm spinner, he took 75 wickets at an average of 35.42.

Awards & Honors : 

• Durani was the first cricket player to get the Arjuna Award, which was then the country's highest sporting honour, in the early 1960s.
• At a BCCI award ceremony in Mumbai in May 2011, he was also given the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Cricket Board.

Lance Reddick, ‘The Wire’ and ‘John Wick’ star Passed away

• An actor in the popular HBO series The Wire, Lance Reddick, passed away. at the age of 60.

About Lance Reddick : 

• Lance Solomon Reddick was born in Baltimore, Maryland,United States (US).
• He was an American actor, and musician.
• He was best known for playing Cedric Daniels in The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in Fringe (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch (2014–2020).
• In film, he was best known for starring as Charon in the John Wick franchise (2014–2023) and David Gentry in Angel Has Fallen (2019) and the Amazon series Bosch.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

English translation of Nepali novel ‘Phoolange’ to release on April

• Penguin Random House India (PRHI) announced, the English version of Nepali novel "Phoolange" will be released on April 17.
• "Fruits of the Barren Tree," written by Darjeeling-based writer Lekhnath Chhetri, is about the unsuccessful Gorkha separatist movement.
• In 2021, the original novel was nominated for Nepal's most prestigious literary award, the 'Madan Puraskar'.
• Anurag Basnet is the editor-translator for the forthcoming edition.

Daily CA One-Liner: April 6

• Govt has planned to borrow ₹88 Lakh Crore for the first half of the financial year 2023-24
• Ministry of Defence signed Rs 19,600 crore contracts for 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPV) and 6 Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV)
• Sericulture Fair was organized at Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium
• Union Minister for Urban Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep S. Puri has said that by October 2024, a target has been set to make 1,000 cities in the country 3-star garbage-free cities
• The government has raised returns on most small savings schemes for the April to June quarter, barring the Public Provident Fund (PPF) whose returns have been static at 7.1% for the last three years
• Sagar-Setu app of National Logistics Portal (Marine) has been launched in New Delhi
• Employees contributing over ₹50 lakh to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will be liable to pay tax on interest even in case of death
• Vedanta's Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) for the development of world’s 3rd largest cricket stadium in the village Chonp in Jaipur
• Penguin Random House India (PRHI) announced, the English version of Nepali novel "Phoolange" will be released on April 17

• Walmart-owned fintech company PhonePe has launched a new consumer-facing application, Pincode, which will be integrated into India's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) framework.
• Karur Vysya Bank Ltd. (KVB) has entered into a pact with SBI Life Insurance to market the latter’s insurance schemes through its branches.
• HDFC Bank has launched Regalia Gold Credit Card, a super-premium credit card in its Regalia range of credit cards.
• India’s largest lender, the State Bank of India (SBI), has once again extended the SBI “WECARE” Senior Citizens’ Term Deposit programme.
• SBM Bank India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of foreign lender State Bank of Mauritius (SBM), has blocked the corporate credit cards it offered in partnership with several fintech players in India following a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) diktat to update their 'know your customer' (KYC) details.
• The United Kingdom (UK) has signed a deal to join a trade pact with 11 Asia and Pacific nations, 3 years after it officially left the European Union (EU).
• With urban heat islands raising an alarm, in a first in India, Telangana is set to launch the Telangana Cool Roof Policy 2023-28 to reduce temperatures in Hyderabad and other urban areas in Telangana.
• The former Ambassador of Israel to India Mr Ron Malka has been appointed as Executive Chairman of Haifa Port Company (HPC), which is owned by a consortium of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) and Israel’s Gadot Group.
• The 10th Edition of Indian Navy(IN)- Sri Lanka Navy(SLN) bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-2023 is scheduled at Colombo, Sri Lanka from 03 - 08 April 2023.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the US Air Force (USAF) are set to conduct the Cope India exercise from April 10 to 21,2023 at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.
• Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has increased its shareholding in BATA India.
• Oscar-winning Japanese pop pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto has passed away at the age of 71 in Tokyo, Japan.
• Former India all-rounder Salim Durani has passed away at the age of 88 in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
• An actor in the popular HBO series The Wire, Lance Reddick, passed away. at the age of 60.