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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Asian Development Bank Committed  $20.5 billion in 2022 for Asia-Pacific     

• Multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed USD 20.5 billion from its own resources in 2022 to help Asia and the Pacific as it continues its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic despite fresh economic headwinds and crises.
• The financial and operational results published in ADB’s Annual Report 2022 pointed how the bank combined finance and knowledge, and leveraged partnerships to help the region cope with economic shocks exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a worsening food crisis, and extreme weather events.

Key Highlights :

• The $20.5 billion comprised loans and guarantees, grants, equity investments, and technical assistance provided to governments and the private sector.
• ADB mobilised an additional $11.4 billion in co-financing.
• ADB committed $6.7 billion in financing for climate mitigation and adaptation in 2022, making progress toward its ambition of providing $100 billion in cumulative climate financing during 2019–2030.
• To address the region’s worsening food crisis, ADB provided $3.7 billion under its $14 billion food security programme, delivering essential food relief for people most in need and strengthening food production systems.

About ADB :

• Established : 19 December 1966
• Headquarters : Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines
• President : Masatsugu Asakawa
• Membership : 68 countries

Razorpay joins hands with ONDC to offer payment reconciliation service  

• Razorpay, a fintech payments and banking platform for businesses, will join the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a non-profit company set up by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as an alternative for Internet shopping.
• This would make it the first payment gateway in India to launch payment reconciliation services for buyer and seller apps.
• This will provide them with an integrated single view of all their transactions.

Key Highlights :

• Through this service, it will facilitate ease of transacting on ONDC by timely routing settlement information for a given transaction and assisting Network Participants (NPs) with settling funds.
• The payment reconciliation service for Network Participants (NPs), such as buyers, sellers, and logistic partners, will streamline the payment processes on ONDC and will provide NPs with an integrated single view of all their transactions.
• Razorpay is the second fintech company to join ONDC.
• In March,2023 Walmart-backed PhonePe went live on ONDC through its hyperlocal commerce app – Pincode.
• Earlier this month, Razorpay formed an advisory board and roped in former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, NS Vishwanathan, as the Chairperson.

About Razorpay :

• Established : 2014
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka
• Managing Director and Co-founder : Shashank Kumar

State Bank of India raises USD 750 million via 5-year bond issuance 

• India’s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) has raised $750 million via a 5-year bond issuance at a coupon rate of 875%.
• The bonds are benchmarked against a 5-year US treasury and priced at a spread of 145 basis points (bps) over the benchmark.
• The bonds will be issued through our London branch as of May 5, 2023 and shall be listed on Singapore Stock Exchange and India International Exchange, GIFT City.
• The bonds were issued under SBI’s MTN (medium-term note) Programme and will be listed on Singapore SGX and the India INX, Gift City.
• The Notes are expected to carry a final rating of BBB- and BBB- from Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, respectively.
• Citigroup, Emirates NBD Capital, HSBC, JP Morgan, MUFG, and Standard Chartered Bank acted as joint global coordinators and joint lead managers for this offering.

About SBI :

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

SBI General Insurance launches Health Edge Insurance Plan

• SBI General Insurance has launched a new digital-only health product, Health Edge Insurance, where starting premium is less than Rs 5,500 per annum for a Rs 3 lakhs cover.

Key Features of the Policy:

• Single Comprehensive Plan variant with 9 Basic Indemnity Covers and 18 Optional covers
• Premiums starting from less than 15/day
• Entry age: 18-65 years (Adults), and 91 days to 30 years (Children)
• Multiple Sum Insured ranges from INR 3 Lacs to 25 lakhs
• Long-term Policy options are available for up to 3 years
• The Health Edge plan includes 9 in-built covers; hospitalization, pre-hospitalization medical expenses, post-hospitalization medical expenses, day-care treatment, emergency road ambulance cover, bariatric surgery cover, modern treatment/ advance procedures, AYUSH treatment, and stay-fit health checkup.

About SBI General Insurance :

• Founded : 2009 (started operations in 2010)
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO : Kishore Kumar Poludasu
• It is a joint venture (JV) between the State Bank of India (SBI) and the Insurance Australia Group (IAG).

WYLD, World's 1st social currency payment card launched in India  

• WYLD, the world’s first social currency payment card has launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• It is powered by Visa, the platform will allow everyday social media users (with as little as 1K followers) to leverage their Instagram following to earn massive cashbacks on everyday spends.
• The startup raised $350,000 in pre-seed funding, led by Better Capital.
• Currently, the platform is invite-only, and open to the first 5,000 users on their waitlist of 10,000 potential customers, for their beta-testing phase.

About WYLD :

• Founded : 2021
• WYLD is a Fintech and Martech mobile app and payment card, riding on the idea that nano and micro social media users are the true disruptors of this market.
• The app lets anyone with over 1000 followers on Instagram and a ‘WYLD Score’ of over 100, to apply for the WYLD payment card.

SEBI Introduces Norms to check misleading ads

• Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) came out with an advertisement code for investment advisers and research analysts whereby they have been prohibited from issuing statements which may mislead investors as well as from using superlative terms in their advertisements.
• They have also been restrained from using complex language in an advertisement.

Key Highlights :

• The advertisements by Investment Advisers (IAs) and Research Analysts (RAs) should not contain superlative terms such as "best, No 1, top adviser/research analyst, leading".
• However, factual details of any award received by them can be included.
• The new code, aimed at further strengthening the conduct of IAs and RAs, will come into force from May 1, 2023.
• The advertisements should not contain statements, which are false, misleading and based on assumptions, any statement designed to exploit the lack of experience and knowledge of investors,
• The advertisements should not also have any promise of assured return to investors, reference of past performances of IA and RA as well as use of SEBI logo.
• Further, the advertisement issued by an IA or a RA should contain their names, logo, office address, registration numbers.

About SEBI :

• Established : 12 April 1988 as an executive body and was given statutory powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman : Madhabi Puri Buch
• SEBI is the regulatory body for securities and commodity markets in India under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) , GoI.

UIDAI & NPCI plan to set up an e-KYC aggregator     

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) are planning to set up an aggregator platform for eKYC (electronic know-your-customer).
• Aadhaar-based eKYC is used for paperless verification of a customer’s credentials for new mobile connections and bank accounts.
• It will enable the registration of entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) or any insurance and pension regulators.
• Once implemented, the platform is expected to help several non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) reach out to consumers to offer loans apart from aiding fintech players and insurance intermediaries.
• UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.

About NPCI :

• Founded : 2008
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Dilip Asbe

Reserve Bank of India granted NBFC license to Neo banking Jupiter

• Neo banking startup Jupiter has secured a non-banking finance company (NBFC) licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a development that will help it dole out credit from its books.
• Sequoia and Tiger Global backed-Jupiter intends to capitalise the lending business with around Rs 100 crore and raise an additional Rs 100 crore in debt to fund the NBFC’s credit operations.
• The NBFC will be housed under Amica Finance, a separate entity.
• The NBFC licence will help the four-year-old fintech’s revenue pipe and increase margins in lending. Further, it will be able to directly serve customers instead of working as just a loan-service provider (LSP).
• Jupiter is expected to play in longer tenure loans ranging from 3 to 24 months, with higher ticket sizes of Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
• Founder of Bengaluru-based Amica Financial Technologies Ltd : Jitendra Gupta

About Jupiter :

• Jupiter is a neobank, a type of digital bank that operates entirely online without any physical branches.
• It was founded in 2019 by Jitendra Gupta, who previously co-founded Citrus Pay, a payment gateway company that was acquired by PayU in 2016.

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

Bank Of India Increases Fixed Deposit Rates In Shubh Arambh Deposits Of 501 Days Tenor   

• Bank of India increased interest rates on special term deposits known as "Shubh Arambh Deposits" for 501 for deposits under Rs 2 crore.
• Following the revision, the bank offered a rate of interest of 7.80% in a limited period special scheme to super senior citizen customers.
• The deposit scheme aims to provide a safe investment option and is also available to other senior citizens aged 60-80 at the rate of 7.65%.
• Bank of India is also offering attractive interest rates across other tenures ranging from 7 days to 10 years.
• The deposits with terms from 7 days to 10 years will get interest rates up to 7.40% for super senior citizens and up to 6.75% for regular customers.
• The revised interest rates are applicable for domestic, NRO and NRE deposits.

About Bank of India :

• Founded : 7 September 1906
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO : Atanu Kumar Das

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

SC modifies order on eco-sensitive zone around national parks, sanctuaries

• Supreme Court modified its order of maintaining eco sensitive zone around national parks or wildlife sanctuaries.
• Supreme Court modified its June 2022 order of maintaining a 1 km eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around national parks or wildlife sanctuaries.
• Supreme Court in its modified order removed a complete ban on development and construction activities within ESZs.
• SC said that the order of 2022 will not get applicable to ESZs for which draft or final notifications have been issued or in the case of proposals pending with the Ministry of Environment.
• The order has been issued by a bench of Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol.
• The bench said that eco-sensitive zones cannot be uniform across the country.
• It has to be ‘protected area-specific’.
• The mandatory ESZ provision will not apply to the national parks and sanctuaries located on inter-state borders or share common boundaries.
• The new order maintains that no mining would be allowed within national parks and sanctuaries or within a 1 km radius.
• SC said that if no permanent construction is permitted for any purpose, a villager who is desirous to reconstruct his house would not be permitted.
• The earlier provision was preventing the State or the Central Government from constructing roads and providing other facilities for villagers living in ESZs.
• Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs): These act as a transition zone between areas of high protection and areas with lesser protection.
• The purpose of ESZs is to limit activities for protecting wildlife.

‘City Beauty Competition’ portal launched by Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry recently made live

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launches 'City Beauty Competition' portal.
• In this competition, the country’s Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) can participate.
• The competition aims to encourage and recognize the transformative efforts made by cities and wards across the country to create beautiful, innovative and inclusive public spaces.
• Under this competition, the wards and public spaces of the cities will be assessed under five broad pillars viz (i) accessibility (ii) amenities (iii) activities (iv) aesthetics and (v) ecology.
• The competition will help to honor the most beautiful wards and public spaces in towns and cities.
• The selected wards will be awarded at the city and state levels under four categories viz. waterfronts, green spaces, tourist/ heritage sites and market/ commercial sites will be awarded at the state level first.
• Thereafter some shortlisted entries will also be considered for national level awards.
• The competition provides an exclusive opportunity for wards and cities to showcase their efforts towards creating beautiful public spaces.
• The competition will promote heritage and culture, sustainable communities and ecological conservation, as well as encourage states and cities to learn friendly practices.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated 91 new FM Transmitters of AIR

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated 91 new FM Transmitters, which is expected to give a further boost to radio connectivity in the country.
• This will strengthen FM radio connectivity in 85 districts across 18 States and 2 Union Territories and will benefit aspirational districts and border areas
• He said the districts covered under the new 91 FM transmitters are aspirational districts and blocks and will also greatly benefit the North East region.
• The States and UTs covered under this expansion include Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Ladakh, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• It will result in the expansion of coverage in about 35,000 sq km area.

Central govt employees to get 42 days special casual leave for organ donation

• Central government employees will now get 42 days special casual leave for organ donation.
• An official memorandum (OM) issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said, “Organ removal from a donor is a major surgery, which requires time for recovery, including both hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation periods.
• Presently, rules say maximum of 30 days can be granted as Special Casual Leave in any one calendar year.
• The new mechanism has been made effective from the issue of OM, which is April 25, 2023.
• These orders shall be applicable to Government employees appointed to the civil services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union of India in terms of Rule 2 of the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972.
• This means new leave will not be applicable for railway servants, members of the All India Services, persons in casual or daily-rated or part-time employment etc.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

United Kingdom’s first Jagannath Temple to be built in London

• An Odisha-born entrepreneur in the United Kingdom (UK), Biswanath Patnaik, has pledged about Rs 250 crores to a UK-based charitable organisation Shree Jagannatha Society (SJS) UK, working on constructing the UK’s first temple devoted to Bhagwan Jagannath in London.
• The first construction phase is projected to be finished by the end of 2024.
• The global Indian investor Biswanath Patnaik made the pledge at the first Shree Jagannatha Convention held in London.
• The investor and chairman of FINNEST Group, Biswanath Patnaik, has pledged to donate the amount for construction of the temple.
• The Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of Vishnu, in Puri in the state of Odisha on the eastern coast of India.

About UK :

• Prime Minister : Rishi Sunak
• Capital : London
• Currency : Pound sterling

WHO launches new PRET initiative to improve pandemic preparedness

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) initiative to be better prepared for future outbreaks of a similar scale and devastation as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim :

• To provide “guidance on integrated planning for responding to any respiratory pathogen such as influenza or coronaviruses”.
• It was announced at the Global Meeting for Future Respiratory Pathogen Pandemics held on 24-26 April 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.
• The first module focuses on respiratory pathogens, including influenza, coronaviruses, and respiratory syncytial virus.

The three-pronged approach includes:

1. Update preparedness plans that affirm priority actions and that have considered learnings from past events.

• Recognizing the risk posed by respiratory pathogens, planning for a respiratory pathogen pandemic based on the themes identified in the PRET Module #1: Planning for Respiratory Pathogen Pandemics is a priority

1. Increase connectivity among stakeholders in pandemic preparedness planning through systematic coordination and cooperation.

• This includes building equitable systems; conducting joint exercises; and sharing information on good practices, challenges, and opportunities.

1. Dedicate sustained investments, financing and monitoring of pandemic preparedness with a particular focus on addressing the gaps identified during past pandemics and epidemics.

About  WHO :

• Established : April 7, 1948
• Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland.
• Director General : Tedros Adhanom
• The WHO is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) responsible for international public health.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi lays foundation stone for India’s first digital science park in Kerala

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for India's first third generation Digital Science Park being developed by the Kerala
• The Rs 1,515 crore Digital Science Park project will be spread across an area of around 14 acres near Kerala University of Digital Sciences Innovation and Technology.
• The park is coming up at a 13.93 acre site as part of the Technopark Phase IV-Technocity and is located close to the Kerala University of Digital Sciences Innovation and Technology.
• The Kerala government has already allocated Rs 200 crore for the initial work on the park.
• As a third generation Science Park, the Digital Science Park will house common facilities to support the development of products in the area of Industry 4.0 Technologies like AI, data analytics, cyber security, smart materials etc.
• Earlier, PM Modi flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express which will run from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod.

About Kerala :

• Governor : Arif Mohammad Khan
• Chief Minister : Pinarayi Vijayan
• Capital : Thiruvananthapuram
• National Park : Eravikulam National Park, Silent Valley National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

UK names Anne Keast-Butler as first female director of GCHQ

• Britain named Anne Keast-Butler as the first female director of its intelligence communications agency GCHQ, tasked with protecting the country from terrorists, cyber-criminals and malign foreign powers.
• She will take over the role in May,2023 succeeding Jeremy Fleming who is stepping down after a six-year tenure.
• As the director, Keast-Butler will be responsible for protecting the country against terrorism, cybercrime, and foreign threats.
• Currently, she is  deputy director general at Britain's domestic intelligence agency, known as MI5.
• Stella Rimington became the first woman to lead MI5 in 1992 and was said to have inspired the casting of Judi Dench in the role of "M", head of Britain's foreign intelligence service known as MI6, in the James Bond movies a couple of years later.

About GCHQ :

• Founded : 1 November 1919
• Headquarters : England, United Kingdom
• GCHQ is Britain's main eavesdropping agency and has a close relationship with the U.S. National Security Agency as well as with counterparts in Canada, Australia and New Zealand in a consortium called "Five Eyes".

Vodafone appoints Margherita Della Valle as permanent CEO

• Vodafone Group Plc, a British multinational telecommunications company has appointed interim chief executive officer (CEO) Margherita Della Valle as the permanent CEO.
• She is the first permanent female CEO of Vodafone.
• She has been serving as the chief financial officer (CFO) since 2018.
• She took up charge as interim CEO of Vodafone after Nick Read left in December, 2022.

About Vodafone Group Plc :

• Established : 17 July 1984
• Headquarters : Newbury, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
• Chairman : Jean-François van Boxmeer

Madhavarao set to be next Chairman & Managing Director of Bharat Dynamics Ltd 

• Madhavarao is set to be next Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• He has been recommended for the post by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) panel.
• Currently, he is serving as Director (Technical) in

About BDL :

• Established : 1970
• Headquarters : Hyderaba, Telangana

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Indian-American Neeli Bendapudi to be conferred with this year’s Immigrant Achievement Award

• Neeli Bendapudi, the Indian American president of Penn State University, will receive this year’s prestigious Immigrant Achievement Award for her contributions to higher education in the US.
• Bendapudi was appointed the 19th President of Penn State University in 2022. Earlier, she was the President of University of Louisville from 2018 to 2021.
• The award is presented each year to an individual or organisation that exhibits a commitment and dedication to America’s heritage as a nation of immigrants and advocacy for humane immigration policy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

Tamil Nadu is the top borrower among States in the current fiscal

• For the third year in a row, Tamil Nadu has topped the list of States with highest market borrowings.
• According to RBI data, Tamil Nadu’s gross market borrowings through State Development Loans (SDLs) stood at ₹68,000 crore during April-February FY23.
• It was followed by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra with ₹51,860 crore and ₹50,000 crore in gross market borrowings, respectively.
• Tamil Nadu stood on top of the borrowing table in the previous two fiscals too.
• The State borrowed ₹87,977 crore in FY21 and ₹87,000 crore FY22.
• However, it is to be noted that for the full FY23, the State’s borrowings are likely to be slightly lower in FY23 compared with the previous two fiscals.
• However the State’s total debt as a percentage of GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) is well within the limit set by Finance Commission.
• However, not all States were able to clamp down on their borrowings.
• Borrowings of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat in the first eleven months of FY23 already exceeded the full year’s borrowings in FY22.
• According to RBI’s indicative borrowing calendar, 22 States and two Union Territories projected a market borrowing of ₹99-lakh crore during April-June 2023.
• States like Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur and Odisha have not indicated their participation in Q1FY24 borrowing auction.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Hyundai plans to develop moon-exploration mobility ‘Rover’  

• Hyundai Motor will develop a moon-exploration mobility "Rover" as it seeks to morph into a future mobility solutions provider.
• In July,2022 Hyundai Motor signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the country's 6 aviation research institutes, including the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, for the project
• Hyundai and the institutes are aiming to collect minerals, make an environmental analysis, and carry out other scientific projects when the Rover succeeds in landing on the moon's south pole.
• A South Korean carmaker unveiled the concept image of the Rover, which will weigh up to 70 kilograms.
• The maker of Sonata sedans and Santa Fe SUVs expects to complete the Rover's development model in the second half of next year.
• It aims to introduce Rover's final version in 2027.

About Hyundai Motor Company :

• Founded : 29 December 1967
• Headquarters : Seoul, South Korea
• Chairman : Chung Eui-sun

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

Amitav Ghosh authored a book titled 'Smoke and Ashes'

• Amitav Ghosh authored a book titled 'Smoke and Ashes', which will be released on 15 July 2023.
• 'Smoke and Ashes' is about the opium trade's effect on world history and how it continues to hugely impact our lives today.
• This book explains how India became the world’s largest producer of opium between the 18th and 19th centuries.
• It also gives an insight into the various regions in which opium was produced.
• It gives an insight into the transformative impact of the opium trade on India, China, Britain and the United States.
• It has been published by HarperCollins.

FM releases veteran former banker Vaghul’s book ‘Reflections’

• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched ‘Reflections’, a book authored by former ICICI Bank chairman Shri Narayanan Vaghul, in Mumbai.
• The book vividly describes Shri Vaghul’s experiences spanning decades in India’s financial landscape.
• The event was also graced Shri V. Kamath, Chairman, National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID), Shri Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group, Ms. Kalpana Morparia, Former Chairperson, J.P. Morgan South and South East Asia, as well as eminent bankers and members of leading financial institutions.
• The book offers more than a glimpse into his vision, leadership, and generosity.
• Initiatives that he was privileged to have been part of, events that he had pre-empted years before they occurred, and processes that he established as a matter of course-these went on to become everything that is strong and sustainable in the Indian financial ecosystem.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Boxing champion & Padma Shri Awardee Kaur Singh passed away

• Arjuna Awardee and Padma Shri boxing champion Kaur Singh passed away at the age of 74 in Haryana's Kurukshetra.

About Kaur Singh :

• Kaur Singh racked up 6 gold medals in international competitions, which included the Asian Games in 1982.
• He represented India in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
• He had the distinction of being the only Indian boxer to have fought the legendary Muhammad Ali that took place in New Delhi.

Awards & Honors :

• In 1982, he won a gold medal at the heavyweight category Asian Games held at New Delhi & in the same year, he received the Arjuna Award, India’s second-highest sporting honour of India by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• In 1983, Government of India (GoI) awarded Singh with the Padma Shri award, the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India for outstanding contribution to Indian sports.
• In 1988, he was given the Vishisht Seva Medal by the Indian Army for his exemplary service.

Scientist Dr N Gopalakrishnan passed away

• Noted scientist and orator Dr N Gopalakrishnan passed away at the age of 68 in Kerala.

About Dr N Gopalakrishnan :

• He joined the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC’s) Earthquake Engineering section, better known as the Advanced Seismic Testing and Research Laboratory (ASTaR) lab, in
• He served as the director of the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI).
• He has received the famous Ramaiah’s Prize for the finest publishing during a five-year period.
• He has co-authored 61 international and national journal publications.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Veterinary Day 2023: April 29

• World Veterinary Day 2023 is celebrated on 29th April every year all over the world.
• The theme of World Veterinary Day for 2023 is 'Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness in the Veterinary Profession'.
• The well-being of all veterinarians is enhanced World Veterinary Day is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of veterinarians to the health of people, animals, and the environment.
• Professor John Gamgee from the Veterinary College of Edinburgh has first established the World Veterinary Congress in 1863.
• The World Veterinary Association focuses on the mission of animal health and welfare in 1959.
• World Veterinary Day was first observed by the World Veterinary Association to promote the lifesaving work performed by veterinarians around the world.

International Labor Day: May 1

• Labour Day, also known as May Day or Worker's Day, is celebrated on May 1 to recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions made by the labour class.
• The origin of Labour Day dates back to the 19th century in the United States, where the eight-hour day movement was launched to advocate for an eight-hour workday, eight hours of recreation, and eight hours of rest.
• The concept of Labour Day in the United States dates back to the nationwide strike of 1886 for an eight-hour workday, which commenced on May 1 and culminated in the tragic Haymarket affair in Chicago, where a labour protest gathering turned violent after a bomb was thrown at the police, killing seven officers and four bystanders.
• In India, the first Labour Day was celebrated on May 1, 1923, in Madras.
• It was initiated by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan.
• This day is celebrated under different names across various Indian states, such as Kamgar Din (Hindi), Karmikara Dinacharane (Kannada), Karmika Dinotsavam (Telugu), Kamgar Divas (Marathi), Uzhaipalar Dhinam (Tamil), Thozhilaali Dinam (Malayalam), and Shromik Dibosh (Bengali).

Daily CA One- Liner: April 30^th & May 1^st

• Multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed USD 20.5 billion from its own resources in 2022 to help Asia and the Pacific as it continues its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic despite fresh economic headwinds and crises.
• Razorpay, a fintech payments and banking platform for businesses, will join the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a non-profit company set up by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as an alternative for internet shopping.
• India’s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) has raised $750 million via a 5-year bond issuance at a coupon rate of 875%.
• SBI General Insurance has launched a new digital-only health product, Health Edge Insurance, where starting premium is less than Rs 5,500 per annum for a Rs 3 lakh cover.
• WYLD, the world’s first social currency payment card has launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) came out with an advertisement code for investment advisers and research analysts whereby they have been prohibited from issuing statements which may mislead investors as well as from using superlative terms in their advertisements.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) are planning to set up an aggregator platform for eKYC (electronic know-your-customer).
• Neobanking startup Jupiter has secured a non-banking finance company (NBFC) licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a development that will help it dole out credit from its books.
• Bank of India increased interest rates on special term deposits known as "Shubh Arambh Deposits" for 501 for deposits under Rs 2 crore.
• An Odisha-born entrepreneur in the United Kingdom (UK), Biswanath Patnaik, has pledged about Rs 250 crores to a UK-based charitable organisation Shree Jagannatha Society (SJS) UK, working on constructing the UK’s first temple devoted to Bhagwan Jagannath in London.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) initiative to be better prepared for future outbreaks of a similar scale and devastation as the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for India's first third generation Digital Science Park being developed by the Kerala
• Britain named Anne Keast-Butler as the first female director of its intelligence communications agency GCHQ, tasked with protecting the country from terrorists, cyber-criminals and malign foreign powers.
• Vodafone Group Plc, a British multinational telecommunications company has appointed interim chief executive officer (CEO) Margherita Della Valle as the permanent CEO.
• Madhavarao is set to be next Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• Supreme Court modified its order of maintaining eco sensitive zone around national parks or wildlife sanctuaries
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launches 'City Beauty Competition' portal
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated 91 new FM Transmitters, which is expected to give a further boost to radio connectivity in the country.
• Central government employees will now get 42 days special casual leave for organ donation
• Neeli Bendapudi, the Indian American president of Penn State University, will receive this year’s prestigious Immigrant Achievement Award for her contributions to higher education in the US
• For the third year in a row, Tamil Nadu has topped the list of States with highest market borrowings
• Amitav Ghosh authored a book titled 'Smoke and Ashes', which will be released on 15 July 2023
• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched ‘Reflections’, a book authored by former ICICI Bank chairman Shri Narayanan Vaghul, in Mumbai
• Hyundai Motor will develop a moon-exploration mobility "Rover" as it seeks to morph into a future mobility solutions provider.
• Arjuna Awardee and Padma Shri boxing champion Kaur Singh passed away at the age of 74 in Haryana's Kurukshetra.
• Noted scientist and orator Dr N Gopalakrishnan passed away at the age of 68 in Kerala.
• World Veterinary Day 2023 is celebrated on 29th April every year all over the world
• Labour Day, also known as May Day or Worker's Day, is celebrated on May 1 to recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions made by the labour class