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Contents
1 GA IN NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 9
FIRST IN NEWS ..................................................................................................................................... 9
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES ................................................................................................................ 14
SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES........................................................................................................... 19
MOUs AND AGREEMENTS.................................................................................................................. 22
BANKING AND FINANCE ..................................................................................................................... 28
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 30
DEFENCE ............................................................................................................................................. 32
ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................................................. 35
SPORTS ............................................................................................................................................... 36
AWARDS ............................................................................................................................................. 39
APPOINTMENT ................................................................................................................................... 44
PERSONS IN NEWS ............................................................................................................................. 47
BOOKS AND AUTHORS ....................................................................................................................... 50
FAIRS AND FESTIVALS......................................................................................................................... 51
PLACES IN NEWS ................................................................................................................................ 52
DAYS IN NEWS .................................................................................................................................... 55
MISCELLANEOUS ................................................................................................................................ 59
2 GA + ESI........................................................................................................................................... 64

................................................................................................... 64
................................................................................................. 64
2.1 Organ Donation Policy ............................................................................................................. 64
2.2 India Health Dialogue (IHD) ..................................................................................................... 65
2.3 SAKSHAM Learning Management Information System .......................................................... 65
2.4 “75/25 Initiative” ..................................................................................................................... 65
2.5 Annual Capacity Building Plan for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ............................ 66
2.6 World Bank's Assistance for Prevention of Zoonotic, Endemic Diseases in India .................. 66
2.7 8th International Conference on Pharma and Medical Device Sector ................................... 67
2.8 “e-Office portal of PCIM&H” ................................................................................................... 67

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 .......................................................................................... 68
2.9 PARAKH (The National Assessment Centre)............................................................................ 68
......................................................... 68
2.10 First Mile Connectivity Projects ........................................................................................... 68
2.11 Mission Amrit Sarovar.......................................................................................................... 69
2.12 Harit Sagar- the Green Port Guidelines 2023 ...................................................................... 69
2.13 Project Cheetah ................................................................................................................... 70
2.14 Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Star Labelling program .................................................. 71
2.15 SVASTIK (Scientifically Validated Societal Traditional Knowledge) ..................................... 72
2.16 Meri LiFE App ....................................................................................................................... 72
2.17 Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022 .............................................................................. 72
2.18 Sagar Parikrama Phase V ..................................................................................................... 73
2.19 Sagar Parikarma Yatra Phase VI ........................................................................................... 73
2.20 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction ................................................................... 74
2.21 ‘Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Seher Campaign’ ......................................................................... 75
2.22 Panch Karma Sankalp ........................................................................................................... 75
2.23 Cheetah Project Steering Committee .................................................................................. 76
2.24 City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0) .................................. 76
2.25 People’s Biodiversity Register .............................................................................................. 76
2.26 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) .................................... 77
2.27 Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development
(REWARD) program ............................................................................................................................ 77
.................................................................................................................................. 78
2.28 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 ....................................................................... 78
2.29 8th All India Pension Adalat .................................................................................................. 78
2.30 Tele-Law Programme ........................................................................................................... 79
................................................................................................................ 79
2.31 Digital India Act .................................................................................................................... 79
2.32 National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) ................................................................................ 80
2.33 SAMARTH Campaign ............................................................................................................ 81
2.34 Governing Council of NITI Aayog ......................................................................................... 81
2.35 Update on Census 2021 ....................................................................................................... 81
................................................................................................................................. 82

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2.36 1st Anniversary of India-UAE CEPA ....................................................................................... 82
2.37 India-US Bilateral Trade ....................................................................................................... 83
2.38 6th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment ...................................... 84
2.39 Shanghai cooperation organization (SCO) ........................................................................... 84
2.40 G7 Ministerial Meeting ........................................................................................................ 85
2.41 India-EFTA TEPA ................................................................................................................... 85
2.42 India-European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC) ............................................... 86
2.43 India-EU FTA ......................................................................................................................... 86
2.44 India-US Working Group on Education and Skill Development .......................................... 86
2.45 Quad Leaders’ Summit ......................................................................................................... 87
2.46 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) ............................. 87
2.47 76th World Health Assembly ................................................................................................ 87
2.48 ISO COPOLCO ....................................................................................................................... 88
2.49 India and Australia bilateral relation ................................................................................... 88
2.50 G20 Tourism Working Group ............................................................................................... 89
2.51 Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) ..................................................... 89
............................................................................................. 90
2.52 Increase in Domestic Coal Production ................................................................................. 90
2.53 Coal Ministry Action Plan 2023-24 ...................................................................................... 90
2.54 Categorization of PSUs ......................................................................................................... 90
2.55 Reforms in the Approved List of Models and Manufactures for Solar Photovoltaic Modules
91
2.56 Government e-Market Place ............................................................................................... 92
2.57 Coal Production Targets by 2030 ......................................................................................... 93
2.58 FIRE Corridors....................................................................................................................... 93
2.59 Electronics Repair Services Outsourcing (ERSO).................................................................. 94
........................................................................................................ 94
2.60 GST revenue collection for April 2023 ................................................................................. 94
2.61 PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan .................................................................................. 95
2.62 Automated Return Scrutiny Module for GST returns .......................................................... 95
2.63 Angel Tax Provisions ............................................................................................................ 96
2.64 Accounts of the Union Government of India (Provisional/Unaudited) for the Financial Year
2022-2023 .......................................................................................................................................... 97
...................... 98

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2.65 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) .......................................................................... 98
2.66 Asian Development Bank ..................................................................................................... 98
2.67 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) .......................................................................... 98
2.68 G20 (Group of twenty) meetings ......................................................................................... 99
2.69 G20 (Group of twenty) meetings ....................................................................................... 100
2.70 G20 (Group of twenty) meetings ....................................................................................... 101

..................................................................... 101
............................................................................................... 101
2.71 Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) Initiative ............................... 101
2.72 Trans-Fat Elimination Validation Program ......................................................................... 102
2.73 WHO calls for accelerated action to reduce anaemia ....................................................... 102
2.74 International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN)........................................................ 103
........................................................................................ 103
2.75 CBSE to introduce AI and coding for Classes 6 to 8 ........................................................... 103
2.76 UTSAH and PoP portals ...................................................................................................... 103
2.77 NEP SAARTHI ...................................................................................................................... 103
2.78 IFSC's foreign universities out of UGC, AICTE ambit .......................................................... 104
....................................................... 104
2.79 International Climate action in Civil aviation..................................................................... 104
2.80 Bhopal first Indian city to track progress towards meeting SDGs ..................................... 104
2.81 Petersberg Climate Dialogue 2023 .................................................................................... 105
2.82 Global Greenhouse Gas Watch .......................................................................................... 105
.................... 106
2.83 G7 Hiroshima Summit 2023 ............................................................................................... 106
........................................................................................... 106
2.84 Asian Petrochemical Industry Conference ........................................................................ 106
............................................................................................................................... 106
2.85 Internal Governmental Commission meeting on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological
and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) ............................................................................................. 106
2.86 Business Ready Project of World Bank .............................................................................. 107

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 2.87 Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP)............................ 107
2.88 42nd ASEAN Summit ........................................................................................................... 108
2.89 India extends $1 billion Credit to Sri Lanka ....................................................................... 108
2.90 6th Indian Ocean Conference ............................................................................................. 109
2.91 SCO Members adopt India’s Proposal for Digital Public infrastructure ............................ 109
...................................................................................................... 110
2.92 Fiscal Deficit ....................................................................................................................... 110
.......................................................................................................... 110
2.93 GDP Growth Projections .................................................................................................... 110
2.94 Latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP)/ Growth Forecasts for India .................................. 111
.................................................................................................................. 111
2.95 Netherlands emerges as India's 3rd largest export destination ....................................... 111
...................................................................................................... 112
2.96 New GST rules for businesses with turnover of over Rs 100 crore ................................... 112
2.97 20 Point Programme .......................................................................................................... 112
2.98 Revised Threshold for GST e-invoicing .............................................................................. 113
.................... 113
2.99 ADB's India strategy for 2023-27 ....................................................................................... 113
3 GA + FINANCE ............................................................................................................................... 114

................................................................................................. 114
.............................................................................................. 114
3.1 Listing of REC's Green Bonds ................................................................................................. 114

............................................................................................ 114
.............................................................................................. 114
3.2 Legal Identity Identifier (LEI) System by SEBI ........................................................................ 114
3.3 Transition Bonds .................................................................................................................... 115
3.4 Kotak Mahindra Bank - India’s 1st to Relocate Mauritius Domiciled Fund to GIFT IFSC ...... 116

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3.5 DMA Facility To FPIs For Participating In ETCDs.................................................................... 116
3.6 India’s first mutual fund focused on defence sector ............................................................ 116
3.7 WTI Crude Oil and Natural Gas futures contracts ................................................................. 116
3.8 Sensex and Bankex derivative contracts ............................................................................... 117
3.9 IREDA IPO............................................................................................................................... 117
3.10 Medium, Small and Micro (MSM) REITS ............................................................................ 117
3.11 Risk disclosure Framework for Trading by Individual Traders in Equity F&O Segment .... 118
3.12 Intermediary Advisory Committee .................................................................................... 118
3.13 Unsponsored Depository Receipts (UDRs) ........................................................................ 119
............................................................................................................................................ 119
3.14 G20 TechSprint ................................................................................................................... 119
3.15 GFIN Greenwashing TechSprint ......................................................................................... 119
3.16 Automated ESCROW+ solution .......................................................................................... 120
3.17 CVV-less payments for tokenised cards............................................................................. 120
.............................................................................................................. 121
3.18 HDFC Bank launches retail banking programme ‘Vishesh’ ................................................ 121
3.19 Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) ......................................................... 121
3.20 ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign ........................................................................................... 122
3.21 Expected Credit Loss (ECL)-based loan loss provisioning framework ............................... 122
3.22 Profit of Public Sector Banks .............................................................................................. 122
3.23 Top Performing Banks in NPA Management ..................................................................... 123
3.24 Digital communication system between PSU banks & CEIB to Check Loan Defaults ....... 124
................................................................................................................. 124
3.25 Surplus Transfer to Government ....................................................................................... 124
.............................................................................. 124
3.26 Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) ................................................................... 124
3.27 eBank Guarantees .............................................................................................................. 125
3.28 Tax Information Network 2.0 (TIN2.0) Portal .................................................................... 125
3.29 HDFC Merger...................................................................................................................... 126
3.30 London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) ............................................................................ 126
3.31 Expert Committee on Mental Health & Insurance ............................................................ 127
3.32 Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE) ............................................. 127
3.33 Full Insurance Coverage For Surrogacy ............................................................................. 128

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 3.34 Task Force To Facilitate Ease Of Doing KYC Using Aadhaar............................................... 128
3.35 Surety Bonds ...................................................................................................................... 129
4 STATIC ........................................................................................................................................... 129
IMPORTANT ORGANIZATIONS ......................................................................................................... 129
COUNTRY, CURRENCY AND CAPITAL ............................................................................................... 131
BANKS – HEADQUARTERS AND TAGLINES ....................................................................................... 132

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1 GA IN NEWS
FIRST IN NEWS

Place / Developed by /
S.No News Key Facts
Launched

The park is being developed under the

ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana of the
Government.
Made by: National Highways &
India’s first International Multi Infrastructure Development
1. Located at: Jogighopa, Assam
Modal Logistics Park Corporation Limited (NHIDCL)

Note: Bharatmala Pariyojana has been

covered under SchemesTap Document

To be opened by: November 2023

India’s First Undersea Twin Being constructed under: Mumbai The MRCP is an initiative by the
2. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
Tunnel Coastal Road Project (MCRP)
(BMC) to link Marine Drive to the
Bandra-Worli Sea Link

First Indian-American to be
appointed as the World Bank He will succeed incumbent President
3. Appointed by: World Bank
President – ‘Ajaypal Singh David Malpass
Banga (Ajay Banga)’

First Indian to participate in the

FIM World JuniorGP World
4. To be held at: Portugal --
Championship – ‘Geoffrey
Emmanuel’

World’s 1st respiratory virus Approved by: United States’ Food and
5. Developed by: Arexvy
(RSV) vaccine – ‘GSK's shot’ Drug Administration (FDA)

Seen at: Ladakh This northern light aurora is triggered by

Northern Lights seen in India for an interaction between the plasma
6. Observed by: Indian Astronomical
the first time ever particles hurled by the Sun and Earth's
Observatory magnetic field

Inaugurated at: Chandigarh The heritage centre has the first IAF-
India’s 1st Indian Air Force (IAF)
7. made patent aircraft Air Force ‘Kanpur-
Heritage Centre Inaugurated by: Union Defence Minister 1 Vintage Prototype Aircraft’

Venue: Mumbai, Maharashtra Tagline: #ExploreOpportunities

8. First Mining Start-up Summit Organized by: Ministry of Mines in Aim: To emphasize on the significant
collaboration with IIT, Bombay role of start-ups in addressing the

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 technological challenges faced by the
mining sector of the country
The ministry also unveiled the new logo
for the first mining start-up summit

Developed by: Emerging Technologies

Wing of the ITE&C (Information Aim: To provide a roadmap for the state
India’s 1st State Robotics Technology, Electronics and to create a sustainable robotic
9.
Framework – ‘Telangana’ Communications) Department of ecosystem and be a leading state in the
Telangana in collaboration with the All field of robotics
India Robotics Association

“Right to walk” makes it mandatory for

all road-owning agencies, including the
First Indian State to implement
10. -- National Highways Authority of India
the “Right to walk” – ‘Punjab’
(NHAI) to provide footpaths and cycle
tracks

Plane to be used by: Indian Air Force

The initial 16 planes will be constructed
First C295 aircraft for India in Seville, Spain, and transported in a
successfully completed its Took off from: Seville, Spain ‘fly-away’ state, while the extra 40
11.
inaugural flight planes will be put together and
assembled by Tata Advanced Systems
Ltd. (TASL) in India as part of a
collaborative industrial scheme

The technique, known as mitochondrial

donation treatment (MDT), uses tissue
from the eggs of healthy female donors
First United Kingdom (UK) baby to create IVF embryos that are free
created with DNA from three from harmful mutations their mothers
12. -- carry and are likely to pass on to their
people born after a
groundbreaking IVF procedure children
Mitochondrial donation treatment aims
to prevent children from inheriting
incurable diseases

The lounge has been established with

First airport in India to have a
the assistance of National Book Trust
free reading lounge – ‘Lal
13. Place: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (NBT) which is an Indian publishing
Bahadur Shastri International
house and autonomous body under the
(LBSI) Airport’
Ministry of Education

Launched by: Government of Kerala It has been modelled on the lines of the
1st state to launch Institutional National Institutional Ranking
14. To be annually implemented by: Kerala
Ranking Framework – ‘Kerala’ Framework (NIRF) to assess the quality
State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) of higher education institutions in Kerala

First Laser Interferometer • LIGO India has 4 km arm length.

Gravitational-Wave Observatory
15. Hingoli (Maharashtra) It will function in sync with two LIGO
India (LIGO-India) foundation
stone laid observatories in USA

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 The digital health cards for children are
issued under “School Health Program”.
School Health Program has been
First Indian state to make digital launched by Urban Development
16. health cards for children- Uttar -- Department of Uttar Pradesh
Pradesh Government and Lucknow Smart City.
1. The program has been
launched on pilot basis in three
schools in Lucknow.

First Indian airline to operate a

Vistara operated a new Boeing 787-9
commercial domestic flight on a
Dreamliner from Delhi to Mumbai with
17. wide-body aircraft using --
a blend of 17% SAF and 83 %
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)-
conventional jet fuel
Vistara

First movie in Tagin language of

The trailer of the film has been released
18. Arunachal Pradesh- “Love in Directed by: Tapen Natam
recently.
90s”

First indigenously designed and TATA ALS 50 is also known as suicide

developed Vertical Take Off and drone.
Designed & Developed by: Tata Advanced
19. Landing (VTOL) loitering
Systems Limited (TASL) It can take down targets at a range of
munitions for Indian Air Force
(IAF)- TATA ALS 50 over 50 km.

The aircraft took off from Seville, Spain.

In 2021, Union Ministry of Defence
signed a deal with the Airbus for 56 C-
295 aircraft to replace the IAF’s legacy
Indian Air Force's first C-295 fleet of British origin AVRO.
medium transport aircraft Under the agreement, 16 aircraft will be
20. --
completed its maiden flight in assembled in Seville and delivered to
Spain the IAF in fly-away condition.
Remaining 40 aircraft will be
manufactured and assembled by the
Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in
Vadodra, Gujarat

Length of the 8-lane tunnel: 3.6km

(country's widest 8-lane tunnel)
Length of Expressway: 29.6 km
India’s first elevated 8-lane
access control Grade Separated Being Developed under: Ministry of Road Project Cost: Rs. 9,000 crores
21.
Dwarka Urban expressway Transport & Highways (MoRTH)
It’ll be completed in April 2024
(Haryana to West Delhi)
It is being constructed on 18.9 km single
pillar in Haryana and 10.1 km long in
Delhi

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 First woman and non-secretary Appointed by: Appointments
bureaucrat to be appointed as a Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
22. Competition Commission of -- She will replace CCI Member Sangeeta
India (CCI) Chairperson – Verma who has been serving as the
‘Ravneet Kaur’ interim (acting) chairperson of CCI

1st woman Director General

(DG) of the United Nations (UN) She will take over as the 11th DG of IOM
23. --
- International Organization for She is from the United States
Migration (IOM) – ‘Amy E. Pope’

To be launched by: SpaceX (Space It will be launched using the SpaceX

World’s first commercial space
24. Exploration Technologies) and Vast Falcon 9 rocket to low-Earth orbit by
station – ‘Haven-1’
(Space Startup) August 2025

Palestinians were displaced primarily as

a result of the establishment of the
state of Israel in 1948
The displacement occurred during the
Arab-Israeli war that followed Israel’s
declaration of independence
Commemorated by: United Nations (UN)
First time commemoration of 75
The United Nations Relief and Works
years of the mass displacement
25. Agency for Palestine Refugees in the
of Palestinians (Nakba) in 1948
Near East (UNRWA) created to serve
when Israel was established
the displaced population, reports that
5.9 million Palestinians are currently
registered as refugees

About Nakba: ‘Nakba’ means ‘Catastrophe’ in Arabic. It refers to the mass

displacement and exodus of Palestinians that occurred in 1948 when Israel was
established

An Air Asia flight powered by SAF

blended aviation turbine fuel (ATF) flew
India’s first domestic The SAF blended ATF was produced by from Pune to Delhi
commercial flight on indigenous Praj Industries Ltd by using indigenous
26. This would be the First domestic
feedstock & Sustainable feedstock, supplied by Indian Oil
Aviation Fuel (SAF) Corporation Ltd (IOCL) commercial passenger flight with SAF
blending up to 1% as demonstration
mode

It offers customers the opportunity to

achieve capital appreciation by
Launched by: Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance investing in a diversified portfolio of
India’s first small-cap fund in Company Ltd small-cap stocks
the ULIP (Unit Linked Insurance The benchmark index is the Nifty Small
27.
Plan) – ‘Bajaj Allianz Life Small Cap 100 index
Cap Fund’
About ULIP: A ULIP plan is a type of life insurance that offers the policyholder two
advantages: protection through life coverage and the opportunity to invest in
specific market-linked funds

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 Launched by: Tide (United Kingdom-
based fintech) in collaboration with
Aim: To move away from virgin plastic
India’s first recycled Polyvinyl Transcorp International Limited along
28. and accelerate reduction in carbon
Chloride (rPVC) Rupay card with MCT Cards & Technology Pvt. Ltd.
emissions
and NPCI (National Payments
Corporation of India)

She was accompanied by Ali al-Qarni, a

Launched by: SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket
fighter pilot from Saudi Arabia
Launched through: Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-
Both were the first Saudi Astronauts to
2)
First woman Astronaut from go into space
29. Saudi Arabia to go to space –
‘Rayyanah Barnawi’ About Ax-2: It is the second private flight to the International Space Station (ISS)
organized by Axiom Space, a privately funded space infrastructure developer in
Houston, Texas, USA, selected by the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) to provide the first commercial destination module on the
ISS

India’s 1st State to Provide Free

This has been done under Mukhya
30. Air Travel to Pilgrims – ‘Madhya --
Mantri Teerth-Darshan Yojana
Pradesh’

To be launched at: Dehradun,

Uttarakhand
31. India’s first Neo Metro --
To be launched by: Uttarakhand Metro
Rail Corporation (UKMRC)

To be launched at: Haridwar,

Uttarakhand
32. India’s first Pod Taxi --
To be launched by: Uttarakhand Metro
Rail Corporation (UKMRC)

Launched at: Assam The Vande Bharat Express will connect

First Vande Bharat Express of
33. Guwahati with New Jalpaiguri
Northeast Launched by: Ministry of Railways Guwahati

Union Defence Minister has visited

First-ever visit by an Indian
Nigeria and attended the swearing-in
34. Defence Minister to the West --
ceremony of the Nigerian President
African nation
Bola Ahmed Tinubu

First digital onboarding system

that enables merchants to use
35. Launched by: Axis Bank --
electronic data capture (EDC) or
point of sale (POS)- "Sarathi"

He recently conquered the world's

The first double above-the-knee highest Mount Everest with artificial
36. amputee to climb Mount -- legs.
Everest- Hari Budha Magar
He is from Nepal

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 PhonePe has also processed a Total
Payment Value (TPV) of Rs 150 crore
First payment app to link 2 lakh through Rupay Credit on UPI.
Rupay credit cards to Unified PhonePe has already enabled the
37. --
Payments Interface (UPI)- acceptance of Rupay Credit Cards on UPI
PhonePe across 12 million merchant outlets in
the country, achieving the highest
merchant penetration in the ecosystem

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

Initiatives / Programs in
S.No Launched by / Developed by Key Facts
News

Expedition team comprised of Motor

Cycles and Motor cars which started
Multi-modal Expedition “EKTA from North East and Northern part of
1. EVAM SHRADHANJALI Border Roads Organization (BRO) India
ABHIYAAN”
This was organized part of 64th BRO Day
Celebrations (BRO day – 7th May)

Aim: Developing an enabling

New recruitment portal for environment for both universities and
2. Central University faculty – ‘CU- University Grant Commission (UGC) applicants, with universities able to
Chayan’ manage every aspect of the recruitment
process independently

Monthly incentive of Rs. 1,500 for

women in the Spiti Valley will be
Indira Gandhi Mahila Samman provided
3. Government of Himachal Pradesh
Nidhi The incentive will be provided to all
eligible women, including Buddhist nuns,
above the age of 18 years

Aim: To help youths of the state to

Mukhya Mantri Kaushal pursue careers in foreign nations
Unnayan aur Vaishavik Rozgar
Launched by: Government of An application has been developed on
4. Yojana (Chief Minister’s Skill
Uttarakhand the ‘Apuni Sarkar Portal’ to create a
Upgradation and Global
Employment Scheme) database related to youth seeking jobs
abroad

The “e-Sewa Kendra” aims to provide

litigants and lawyers with a one-stop
“E-filing 2.0” and “e-Sewa solution for all their needs related to
5. Launched by: Chief Justice of India
Kendra” filing cases and accessing information on
cases pending or disposed of in any court
across India

Launched by: Deptt. of Telecom, Ministry Aim: To ensure safety and security of the
6. “Sanchar Saathi” Portal
of Communications users as an integral part of Digital India

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 3 reforms/modules are being introduced
towards furthering the vision using
Sanchar Saathi portal:

• CEIR (Central Equipment

Identity Register) – for blocking
stolen/lost mobiles.
• Know your mobile connections –
to know mobile connections
registered in your name.
• ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and
Facial Recognition powered
Solution for Telecom SIM
Subscriber Verification) – to
identify fraudulent subscribers.
The portal allows citizens to:

• Check the connections

registered on their names
• Report fraudulent or
unrequired connections
• Block the mobile phones
which are stolen/lost
• Check International Mobile
Equipment Identity (IMEI)
genuineness before buying a
mobile phone

The UID will be generated centrally by

Unique Identification Number Regulated by: National Medical the NMC ethics board and thereby grant
7.
(UID) for Doctors Commission (NMC) the practitioner registration and eligibility
to practice medicine in India

At present there are 27-28 Semicon

3rd Semicon India Future Design
8. Ministry of Electronics & IT startups, with Govt’s policy push, the
roadshow launched at IIT Delhi
number will soon go up to 100.

Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital

9. Jatni, Odisha Foundation stone laid by PM
and Research Centre

It is a new introductory-level online

training programme for postgraduate
Space Science and Technology Launched by: Indian Space Research and final-year undergraduate students
10. of Physical Sciences and Technology.
Awareness Training (START) Organisation (ISRO)
The programme will cover various
domains of Space Science

Aim: to promote Indian music at the

'YUVA PRATIBHA’ – Singing Launched by: MyGov in collaboration with grassroots level on a national scale by
11.
Talent Hunt Ministry of Culture identifying and recognising the new and
young talent in various singing genres.

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 The competition will be held in the
following Genres, Folk Songs, Patriotic
Songs & Contemporary Songs

Themes of ‘YUVA PRATIBHA – Painting

Launched by: MyGov in collaboration with
Talent Hunt’: Heritage & Cultural, Valour
‘YUVA PRATIBHA – Painting Ministry of Culture
12. & Patriotism, Public Heroes & Leaders &
Talent Hunt’ Launched under: Azadi Ka Amrit Nature & Environment
Mahotsav

Launched by: MyGov, in collaboration Objective: To create awareness of the

‘YUVA PRATIBHA - Culinary
13. with Institute of Hotel Management contribution of nutri-cereals (millets) for
Talent Hunt’
Catering & Nutrition (IHM), Pusa food security and nutrition

Aadhaar cards to be made

The initiative aims to curtail
14. mandatory for Class 10 and 12 Government of Uttar Pradesh
impersonation cases in the annual exams
students from 2024

It is a digital platform to integrate data of

all government wings for the delivery of
Developed by: Government of Himachal welfare schemes.
Pradesh in collaboration with Indian The portal was launched during the first
School of Business (ISB). Governance Summit organised by the
15. Him Data Portal
Bharti Institute of Public Policy of the ISB
at Mohali

Additional Information: Himachal Pradesh to be developed as the Green State by the

year 2026

The UTSAH Portal is a comprehensive

platform that provides detailed
A new website, the UTSAH information about UGC’s initiatives for
(Undertaking Transformative qualitative reforms in higher education
Strategies and Actions in Higher Launched by: University Grants
16. The PoP Portal is a new initiative that
Education) Portal, and the Commission (UGC)
Professor of Practice (PoP) aims to facilitate the appointment of
Portal experienced professional experts as
faculty members in higher education
institutions

Launched by: Government of Andhra

Pradesh (AP) Aim: To provide transparency in the chit-
Electronic service delivery
17. fund business and prevent duping of
system - ‘e-Chits’ app Developed by: Registration and Stamps customers
Department, AP

The portal is dedicated to 75 eminent

Indian scientists who have done
Developed by: Indira Gandhi National groundbreaking work in the field of
18. ‘Vigyan Vaibhav’ portal
Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) science and technology and identifies the
contribution of women and men in equal
numbers in the field of science

16 | P a g e
 Aim: To provide education to rural
Developed by: Department of Secondary communities through online platforms
Online rural education initiative
19. Education, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Indian In the initial phase, 10 government
- ‘Pahal’
Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur secondary schools in UP will offer free
online education

Launched by: Government of Aim: To help in making the roads of

20. ‘Patch Reporting’ App
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand pothole-free

Aim: To streamline performance

monitoring of government schemes by
aiding data-driven decision-making
21. State Dashboard Launched by: Government of Odisha The State Dashboard consists of 3 critical
components: CM Dashboard,
Department Dashboard, and
Administrative Action Monitoring Portal

• WII signed MoU with Export

Promotion Council for Handicrafts
(EPCH) to establish this Center.
• Will streamline Pashmina Trade and
Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun provide one-stop testing facility.
Pashmina Certification Centre (Uttarakhand)
(PCC) based on Public-Private PCC certification will discourage the use
22. Partnerships (PPP) model of prohibited fiber, resulting in
conservation of Chiru (Tibetan Antelope)
in their habitat.

Additional Information: Pashmina (known as cashmere wool) is obtained from breeds

of mountain goats found in Tibet and parts of Ladakh. Pashmina shawls have been
awarded the GI (Geographical Indication) tag.

• To assist Cyclone Mocha-hit

Myanmar
23. Operation Karuna India
1. Rakhine state of Myanmar was
worst-hit by this cyclone.

India's 1st national academy to train

police forces in effectively
safeguarding the shoreline

o Will provide training to

Permanent campus of National
marine police of 9
24. Academy of Coastal Policing Okha, Dwarka (Gujarat)
coastal states, 5 Union
(NACP)
Territories as well as
the Central Police
Forces, the Border
Security Force (BSF)
Gujarat Frontier

NCGG – INSA Leadership National Centre for Good Governance Aim: To empower both the institutions
25. Programme in Science & (NCGG) and the Indian National Science with the tools and capabilities
Technology (LEADS) Academy (INSA) required to effectively lead and

17 | P a g e
 navigate the rapidly evolving
landscape of science and technology

Developing Geographic Cities: Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota and Ajmer

26. Information System (GIS) based Government of Rajasthan Aim: For better planning and
3D models of 4 cities management of urban development

Organized by: Department of

Divya Kala Shakti Program Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Venue: Varanasi.
27.
(sixth edition) (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Theme: Witnessing Ability in Disability
Empowerment through CRC-Lucknow.

Kerala Healthcare Service Aim: to protect doctors, health care

Workers and Healthcare Service workers
Institutions (Prevention of
28. Government of Kerala Punishment to violators: imprisonment
Violence and Damage to
Property) Amendment of up to seven years and a maximum fine
Ordinance of Rs 5 lakh

Aim: to provide citizens the necessary

Shasan Aplya Dari (government
29. Government of Maharashtra information and full benefits of various
at your doorstep)
schemes

PM installed the historic sceptre

"Sengol" in new parliament house. The
Sengol derives its origin from Chola
empire

This is the same Sengol that was accepted

by the first Prime Minister of India, Shri
The Prime Minister of India has recently Jawaharlal Nehru at his residence on the
inaugurated the New Building of night of 14th August 1947, from the
Parliament Adheenams (Priests) of the
ThiruvaduthuraiAdheenam (Mutt) of
New Parliament House (Sansad Tamil Nadu
30.
Bhavan), New Delhi
The New Parliament Building has been
constructed as a part of Central Vista
Redevelopment Project.

Additional Information:
1. Special commemorative postage stamp and a Rs 75 coin were launched (One side of
the coin bears the image of the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar, other side of the coin
bears the image of the Parliament Complex)
2. A Foucault pendulum in the new Parliament building, has been designed and
installed by the National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata (It is a simple device
used to illustrate the earth’s rotation).

The Prime Minister of India has recently

The announcement was made during his
New Indian Consulate in unveiled plans to open India’s fourth
31. address at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena
Brisbane, Australia consulate in Australia at Brisbane, the
capital of Queensland state.

Approval for 2nd hydropower SJVN Ltd gets nod for development of
32. SJVN Ltd got the approval for the project
project in Nepal 669 MW Lower Arun Hydro Project.

18 | P a g e
 Company is already developing 900 MW
Arun-III hydroelectric project in Nepal.

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS

S.No Focus Area Venue Key Facts

It is one of Asia’s largest and most

definitive annual global convention on
the business of entertainment
23rd edition of Federation of
1. Indian Chambers of Commerce Mumbai, Maharashtra Organized by: FICCI
& Industry (FICCI) FRAMES
Aim: To be facilitators and supporters of
the media and entertainment industry
so that it reaches the world stage

The seminar will focus on youth to make

the G20 summit participative, cutting
across all ranks
Manipur University
"Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and
Governance" is one of the 5 themes of
Y20
Y20 Seminar on "Shared Future:
2. Youth in Democracy and 5 themes of Y20:
Governance"
1. Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation, & 21st Century Skills
2. Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability a Way of Life
3. Peacebuilding and Reconciliation: Ushering in an Era of No War

4. Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance

5. Health, Well-being & Sports: Agenda for Youth

It is an international conference on
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

‘Machines Can See 2023’ Aim: To bring together experts from

3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) around the world to discuss the future
Summit
of AI and its potential in contributing to
the UAE’s vision of creating the next
Silicon Valley

World Congress of Diabetes It is a global conference dedicated to the

4. Technology and Therapeutics – New Delhi latest developments in the field of
DtechCon 2023 technology and therapeutics

The Expo is being organized as part of

International Museum Expo
5. New Delhi Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate
2023
the 47th International Museum Day

19 | P a g e
 Mascot of the Expo: Contemporized
version of the Dancing Girl made of
wood in the Chennapatnam art style
The Graphic Novel – A Day at the
Museum, the Directory of Indian
Museums, the Pocket Map of Kartavya
Path, and Museum Cards were also
unveiled

Theme: Ushering in a Sustainable

Future

The APIC is a broad-based

New Delhi petrochemical industry conference with
membership from seven partner
Asia Petrochemical Industry countries – India, Japan, Korea,
6. Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and
Conference (APIC) 2023
Thailand

About APIC: Established 40 years ago in 1979 by Japan, Korea and Taiwan as the East
Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (EAPIC), it was rechristened as Asia
Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) in 2000 with the inclusion of India,
Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand

Co-chaired by: Defence Secretary Shri

Giridhar Aramane and US Under
Secretary of Defence for Policy Dr Colin
17th meeting of India-US Kahl
7. Washington DC
Defence Policy Group (DPG)
DPG is the apex official-level mechanism
between Ministry of Defence, India and
US Department of Defence

India committed to reduce Emissions

Intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030,
CEO round table at the Future Bangkok, Thailand
8. from 2005 level and achieve about 50%
Energy Asia (FEA) 2023
electric power installed capacity from
non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.

16th Langkawi International Established in 1991 and held biennially,

9. Maritime and Aerospace Langkawi, Malaysia LIMA is one of the largest maritime &
Exhibition (LIMA 23) aerospace exhibitions in the Asia-Pacific

NATIONAL SUMMITS

S.No Focus Area Venue Key Facts

Workshops on ‘Online
Continuous Effluent Monitoring Organized by: National Mission for
Systems (OCEMS): Issues, Clean Ganga (NMCG)
10. Challenges and Way Forward’ New Delhi
and ‘Sludge Management: Aim: To address the issues of sludge
Issues, Challenges and Way management and monitoring systems
Forward’

20 | P a g e
 The conference emphasized the
Science 20 Thematic
significance of respecting and
11. Conference on Universal Bangaram Island, Lakshadweep
acknowledging cultural diversity in
Holistic Health
promoting universal holistic health

Organized by: All India Institute of

Ayurveda (AIIA) and Central Council for
Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS)
Interactive meet for Research
12. New Delhi Aim: To brainstorm and set goals to
and Education in Ayush
capitalize on the expertise and
experience of the Chairs in academic
and research avenues

Agenda of the meet: To review the

measures taken for restoring peace in
Manipur that has witnessed violent
New Delhi clashes between two ethnic
communities of Meitei and Kuki
Meet to restore peace in Meitei and Kuki communities are a part
13.
Manipur of Manipur

About the issue: There have been violent communal clashes in Manipur due to the
Manipur High Court (HC) directing the State to pursue a 10-year-old
recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the non-tribal Meitei
community

Aim: To showcase the significance of

homeopathy as the second most
National Homoeopathic Doon University, Dehradun
14. practiced system of medicine
Convention - ‘Homeocon 2023’ (Uttarakhand)
worldwide, particularly highlighting its
role during the COVID-19 pandemic

Theme: Leverage Emerging Global

Supply Chain to Enhance Logistics
National Logistics Management Capabilities While Absorbing
15. New Delhi
Seminar, LOGISEM - 23 Disruptions
Organized by: Indian Air Force

Organized by: Ministry of AYUSH

Aim: To strengthen Ayush infrastructure
through National Ayush Mission in
National Ayush Mission states and UTs
16. New Delhi
Conclave 2023

Note: National Ayush Mission is

covered under the SchemesTap
Document

17. Wings India 2024 Hyderabad, Telangana Scheduled for: January 18th to 21st 2024

21 | P a g e
 It is expected to be Asia's largest event
on Civil Aviation on Commercial,
General and Business Aviation
A Curtain raiser for Wings India 2024
was organized recently in New Delhi by
Ministry of Civil Aviation and
Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce & Industry (FICCI)

Aim: To find and use cost-effective and

18. Green Hydrogen Conclave Mumbai, Maharashtra green fuels for a sustainable
environment

Organized by: Economic Times (ET)

Theme: Propelling Self-Reliance in
Aerospace and Defence Sector
Aim: To discuss in detail the R&D
19. India Defence Conclave 2023 New Delhi
ecosystem in India compared to global
trends and what needs to be done to
improve the situation so that the
country becomes self-reliant to a large
degree on its weapon needs

MOUs AND AGREEMENTS

BANKING/INSURANCE

S.No Focus Area Signed Between Key Facts

Partnership to Roll out Face

With this, Airtel Payments Bank became
Authentication for AePS Airtel Payments Bank and National
1. one of the first four banks to offer face
(Aadhaar-enabled Payment Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
authentication for AePS in India
System)

Pine Labs India would accept the digital

Rupee (e-Rupee- e₹) or central bank
Partnership to Accept Digital
digital currency (CBDC), on its PoS
2. Rupee on Point of Scale (PoS) Pine Labs India and ICICI Bank
terminals across key retail outlets in
Terminals
Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Bengaluru
(Karnataka)

International Financial Services Centers

Aim: To enable cooperation and
Authority (IFSCA) and IHub-Data, IIIT
3. MoU to support FinTech collaboration on diverse initiatives
(International Institute of Information
regarding FinTech
Technology)-Hyderabad

Aim: To offer gold loans to the bank’s

Dvara SmartGold Private Limited and
4. Partnership to offer Gold Loans customers in Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh,
Jana Small Finance Bank (SFB)
and Maharashtra

22 | P a g e
 Aim: To meet the financial
requirements of self-employed (i.e.
Partnership to Offer Cashback
5. AU Small Finance Bank (SFB) and RuPay Micro, Small And Medium-Sized
RuPay Credit Card
Enterprises (MSMEs)) customers and
promote financial inclusion

Partnership to provide life Max Life Insurance Company Ltd. (Max Aim: To enhance accessibility and drive
6. insurance plans to the MSME Life) and Indian Industries Association affordable insurance penetration
workforce in Uttar Pradesh (UP) (IIA) across UP

Rukart manufactures ‘Subjee Cooler’

Partnership for Easy loan to buy which is a cold chain storage system to
7. State Bank of India (SBI) and Rukart
‘Subjee cooler’ enhance the shelf life of fruits and
vegetables

Partnership to introduce own Aim: To make direct payments within

8. Unified Payments Interface (UPI) Zomato and ICICI Bank the Zomato app by creating Customer’s
service own UPI ID

Acquirer: SBI Funds Management Ltd’s

9. Acquisition Agreement (SBIFML) Stake Acquisition: 9.99%
Acquiree: HDFC Bank Ltd.

Name of the card: Paytm SBI Card

Paytm in partnership with SBI Card and Aim: To further improve credit inclusion
Partnership to launch Co-
10. National Payments Corporation of India in India and make credit cards more
branded RuPay Credit Card
(NPCI) accessible to young and digitally-
evolved customers

Loan Amount: USD 141.12 million

Aim: To support the development of

high-quality internal infrastructure
such as roads, water supply systems
Loan Agreement for industrial and electricity distribution network in
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and
11. corridor development in Andhra the industrial clusters in the state of
Government of India
Pradesh Andhra Pradesh

This financing is the second tranche of

the USD 500 million multi-tranche
financing facility (MFF) for the program
approved by ADB in 2016

The feature is now available to RuPay

credit card holders of Axis Bank, Bank
Partnership to Integrate RuPay
Google pay and National Payments of Baroda (BoB), Canara Bank, HDFC
12. Credit Cards with Unified
Corporation of India (NPCI) bank, Indian Bank, Kotak Mahindra
Payments Interface (UPI)
Bank, Punjab National Bank(PNB) and
Union Bank of India(UBI)

Startup Incubation and Innovation

Partnership to Transform Aim: To provide financial support to the
13. Centre (SIIC) at the Indian Institute of
Startups startups incubated at SIIC
Technology (IIT) Kanpur and YES Bank

23 | P a g e
 YES Bank has adopted Azure Red Hat
OpenShift to transform their next-
Partnership to redefine Mobile
14. YES Bank and Red Hat Inc. generation mobile banking applications
Banking Experience
for efficient mobile banking experience
for its customers

Partnership to provide global

payment acceptance solutions
15. for businesses in the Middle CCAvenue & PayPal --
East and North Africa (MENA)
region

IDFC first Bank joined as a IDFC FIRST Bank and Open Network for
16. --
participant in the ONDC Digital Commerce (ONDC)

17. To build digital banking platform Equitas Small Finance Bank and IBM --

OTHERS

S.No Focus Area Signed Between Key Facts

Aim: The Joint Venture company shall

develop two Pressurized Heavy-Water
Partnership for joint Reactor (PHWR) projects, Chutka
NTPC Ltd. and Nuclear Power
18. development of Nuclear Power Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Project
Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL)
Plants (2x700 MW) and Mahi Banswara
Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (4x700
MW)

Aim: To focus on accelerating Solid

Waste and Used Water Management
MoU signed under: Swachh Bharat
MoU for Swachhata Ministry of Housing &Urban Affairs and Mission-Urban 2.0
19.
(Cleanliness) RITES Limited

Note: Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban

2.0 has been explained in the
SchemesTap Document

Council of Scientific and Industrial The MoU shall enable cooperation in

Research (CSIR), India and Directorate of the industrial R&D programs in
MoU for Industrial Research and
20. Defense Research and Development mutually agreeable industrial
Development Cooperation
(DDR&D), Ministry of Defense of the technology fields through
State of Israel (IMoD) implementation of specific projects

Institute of Chartered Accountants of

Aim: To open opportunities for the
India (ICAI) and the Institute of Chartered
21. Renewal of MoU “appropriately qualified” member of
Accountants in England and Wales
both the institutes
(ICAEW)

The binding is to combine the

Bharti Airtel Limited (Airtel) and Dialog
22. Binding term sheet for Merger operations of Bharti Airtel Lanka
Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka
(Private) Limited with Dialog Axiata

24 | P a g e
 Aim: To jointly manufacture and
develop business for electro-
MoU to manufacture Electro- Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Emjay
23. mechanical bollards for use in various
Mechanical Bollards Control Systems Pvt Ltd
defence, homeland security,
paramilitary, and export projects

Acquirer: JPMorgan Chase & Co. The acquisition was an implication after
24. Acquisition Agreement the failure of First Republic Bank in the
Acquiree: First Republic Bank United States

This MoU will enable both parties to

MoU to promote and collaborate Ministry of Ayush and Indian Council of jointly establish Ayush-ICMR Centers
25.
on integrative health research Medical Research (ICMR) for Advanced Research in Integrative
Health at all AIIMS with co-funding

Acquirer: Nextbillion Technology Private

Limited (Groww)
26. Acquisition Agreement --
Acquiree: Indiabulls Housing Finance
Loans (IBHFL) Mutual Fund

They have disclosed a new geospatial

foundation model, designed to convert
IBM (International Business Machines) satellite data into high-resolution maps
Partnership to convert satellite
27. and NASA (National Aeronautics and of floods, fires, and other landscape
data into high resolution maps
Space Administration) changes using Artificial Intelligence (AI)
offered by watsonx.ai developed by
IBM

The technology has been named

‘Piezoelectric MEMS (Micro Electro
Partnership to develop Sensor Indian Institute of Technology-Madras Mechanical System) technology sensor’
28. Technology for Underwater (IIT-M) and Defence Research and and is to be used by the Indian Navy’s
Communications Development Organization (DRDO) Next Generation SONAR initiative by
DRDO to support both innovative and
modern technological advances

Partnership to offer voice-

Initially the solution will be available in
29. assisted solution for travel MakeMyTrip & Microsoft
English and Hindi.
bookings

Aim: For Research & Development

India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and (R&D) and Capacity building in the field
Purdue University (United States) of semiconductor production and
modification
MoU for capacity building, R&D
30.
and industry participation
About ISM: The ISM was launched in 2021 with a total financial outlay of Rs76,000
crore under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY). Its aim is to
provide financial support to companies investing in semiconductors, display
manufacturing and design ecosystem

Partnership to ensure patient AIIMS will follow the learning

31. All India Institute of Medical Sciences,
safety and quality control curriculum proposed by WHO in
Delhi (AIIMS) and World Health
collaboration with the Duke-NUS

25 | P a g e
 Organization South-East Asia Region (Institute of Patient Safety &Quality -
(WHO-SEARO) IPSQ)

Additional Information: The WHO South-East Asia Region has 11 Member States -
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia,
Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste. WHO has country
offices in all 11 Member States

The WHO South-East Asia Regional office in based in New Delhi India

The project is being developed under the

Inland Waterways Authority of India Sagarmala Programme
(IWAI), Sagarmala Development
MoU for ‘Riverine based tourism Company Limited (SDCL), Assam Aim: To connect the seven historic
32. temples namely Kamakhya, Pandunath,
Circuit’ Tourism Development Corporation
Limited (ATDC) and Directorate of Inland Ashwaklanta, Doul Govinda,
Water Transport (DIWT) Assam Umananda, Chakreshwar and Auniati
Satra situated in Guwahati

The agreement was signed in the 1st

ministerial meeting of the Trade and
Technology Council (TTC) in Brussels,
MoU to coordinate Policies in Belgium
33. India and European Union (EU)
Strategic Semi-Conductor Sector The EU-India Trade and Technology
Council is the 2nd bilateral forum for the
EU and the 1st one established with any
partner for India

The India-Israel CoWT in Water

MoU to establish Center of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
34. Resource Management and Water
Water Technology (CoWT) Madras and Government of Israel
Technologies is to be built at IIT Madras

Aim: To undertake two High Impact

Community Development Projects
(HICDPs) in Nepal under the grant
assistance of the India
MoU for two Community
35. India and Nepal 2 projects are the construction of the
Development Projects
Malagiri Shanti Yogashram in
Ramechhap District and the Kedar
Jyotipunja Multiple Campus in Doti
District of Nepal

Department of Health Research (DHR), Objective: to promote access to high

Project Collaboration Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, quality affordable assistive technology
36.
Agreement Government of India and the World mainly through fostering research,
Health Organization (WHO) innovation, and capacity building.

Objective: to promote and strengthen

cooperation in competition law and
Competition Commission of India (CCI) policy through exchange of information,
37. Memorandum of Understanding
and Egyptian Competition Authority sharing of best practices as well as
through various capacity building
initiatives

26 | P a g e
 Additional Information: Section 18 of the Competition Act, 2002 permits CCI to enter
into any memorandum or arrangement with any agency of any foreign country for
the purpose of discharging its duties or performing its functions under the Act.

Objective: to establish mutual co-

Institute of Chartered Accountants of
operation for the advancement of
India (ICAI) and The Chartered
38. Memorandum of Understanding Accounting Knowledge, Professional and
Accountants of the Maldives (CA
Intellectual Development, Advancing the
Maldives).
interests of their respective members

•
• Inland Waterways Authority of India • Circuit to connect 7 historic temples
(IWAI) by modern ferry service on ‘Hop on
• Sagarmala Development Hop off’ on banks of Brahmaputra.
Development of ‘Riverine Based
Corporation Limited (SDCL) • Circuit will sail from Hanuman Ghat,
Religious Tourism Circuit’ to
connect 7 Religious places on • Assam Tourism Development Uzan Bazar
39. Corporation (ATDC) • Kamakhya temple (Guwahati) is one
Brahmaputra
of the 7 religious sites selected.
Department of Inland Waterways
Transport (DIWT), Government of Assam

Additional Information: Brahmaputra River originates in Tibet. It is the largest river

(by volume) in India.

To enhance collaboration US Agency for International

40. between American and Indian Development (USAID) and Indo-
MoU renewed for 5 years.
business communities American Chamber of Commerce

Aim: To leverage the expertise of IIT

National Highways & Infrastructure Guwahati, known for its contributions to
MoU to facilitate research and Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) civil engineering, road construction,
41.
development (R&D) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), planning, and design & to facilitate
Guwahati research and development (R&D) in
these areas

Garuda Aerospace Private Limited and

Partnership to Manufacture Naini Aerospace engineering limited Aim: To manufacture indigenous drones
42.
Make in India drones (NAeL) - a wholly owned subsidiary of for several applications
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)

International Arbitration & Mediation

MoU to collaborate to promote
Centre Hyderabad (IAMC Hyderabad) &
43. arbitration and mediation on an --
Energy Disputes Arbitration Center
international scale
(EDAC), Türkiye

Uber would provide the service at a

To offer cab services to govt
44. Uber partners with GeM portal fixed price with zero cancellation
offices, agencies, PSUs
charges and no surge pricing

IndiGo onboards official

45. IndiGo and Juspay --
payment partner

46. MoU to enhance the skills and Odisha Government’s Higher Education --
employability of students in Department, Infosys & National

27 | P a g e
 Higher Education Institutions in Association of Software and Service
Odisha Companies (NASSCOM)

Additional Information: Infosys, in line with its ESG Vision 2030, has set a goal to
empower more than 10 million people across India from diverse socioeconomic
backgrounds by 2025 through its programme called Infosys Springboard

BANKING AND FINANCE

BANKING INITIATIVES

Program / Initiative /
S.No Launched / Developed by Key Facts
Landmarks

Aim: To enable the users to carry out

online transactions without the need to
Cardholder Verification Value enter the CVV
1. (CVV) free feature for tokenized Launched by: VISA
cards in India Merchants like Zomato and payment
service providers Razorpay are the
existing users of Visa’s CVV-free solution

This new brand identity is in line with

Rebranding of Multi-Brand
BharatPe’s vision to make Zillion
2. Loyalty Program ‘PAYBACK Announced by: BharatPe
ubiquitous to loyalty and rewards
India’ as ‘Zillion’
across India

It is a digital distribution platform

Launched by: HDFC Bank (DDP).
3. HDFC Bank Smart Saathi
Launched in: Delhi It would help business correspondents
and business facilitators to the bank.

Aim: To offer financial assistance to

MSME manufacturers who wish to
install solar panels at their premises
Solar Financing Scheme ‘YES The bank has partnered with solar panel
4. Yes Bank
KIRAN’ manufacturers like Tata Power Solar
Systems, Goldi Solar and Loom Solar,
and Panasonic Solar Power System for
this

Customers can now scan UPI Quick

RuPay Credit Card support on
Response (QR) codes or use the
5. the Unified Payments Interface Axis Bank
merchant’s UPI checkout page to make
(UPI)
a purchase using their RuPay credit card

This programme targets the High-Net-

Worth Individuals (HNI), offering them
Exclusive Premium Banking
6. Kotak Mahindra Bank access to customized portfolios and
Programme - “Privy League”
investment solutions along with several
benefits

28 | P a g e
 New service, called 'Global Collections,'
Yes Bank partners Cashfree to
will allow Indian exporters to collect
7. offer international collection --
payments in over 30 foreign currencies
services
up to the equivalent of $10,000

Grant amount: Rs. 51 crore

Grant to set up an integrated Aim: To set up an integrated road safety
road safety enforcement enforcement system in the Shimla and
8. World Bank
system in Himachal Pradesh Nurpur police districts of HP and
(HP) develop the Palampur-Sheela Chowk in
Kangra (HP) as a “safe corridor”

The new feature will allow customers to

pay directly from their bank accounts by
9. Paytm UPI SDK Paytm
entering their UPI PIN without leaving
the merchant app

It is a pan-India recruitment
HDFC Bank & Manipal Global Academy of programme to transform young
10. Future Bankers 2.0
BFSI. graduates into banking professionals
within one year

Indian Bank can now facilitate banking

services to members of BSE for clearing
and settlement operations.
Indian Bank has been
empanelled as a Clearing and Indian Bank has also launched the e-
11. -- TDR (electronic term deposit )product
Settlement Bank with the Indian
Clearing Corporation Ltd (ICCL). for online transmission of Fixed Deposit
Receipt (FDR) and margin with ICCL on
behalf of the clearing members with its
dedicated branch – Fort, Mumbai.

GSPay is a native payment app for

feature phones.
Developed by Conversational engagement
12. GSPay platform Gupshup along with National Through this app, Unified Payments
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) Interface (UPI) Payments can be
processed easily through feature
phones.

It is India’s most advanced bonds

platform for retail investors to simplify
Bond Investing for Retail
13. Launched by: Paytm Money Limited bonds and enable them to invest in
Investors
three types of bonds such as
government, corporate and tax-free

New Development Bank to set To be set up at IFSC GIFT City New Development Bank was formerly
14.
up Indian regional office (Gandhinagar) known as BRICS Development Bank

Bond Investing for Retail It is India’s most advanced bonds

15. Launched by: Paytm Money Limited platform for retail investors to simplify
Investors
bonds and enable them to invest in

29 | P a g e
 three types of bonds such as
government, corporate and tax-free

It is an innovative one-stop business-to-

business (B2B) digital platform, designed
for the Micro, Small & Medium
16. ‘Udyog Plus’ Launched by: Aditya Birla Capital Enterprise (MSME) customers

The platform offers a completely

paperless digital journey for business
loans of up to Rs 10 lakh

Rs. 84.50 lakh penalty on Fine imposed for non-compliance with

17. Central Bank of India Reserve Bank of India certain provisions of norms related to
frauds classification and reporting

Aim: To act as a security arrangement

to provide protection for infrastructure
Launched by: SBI General Insurance
projects and shield both the contractor
(SBIG)
and the principal (the entity awarding
the contract)
‘General Surety Bond Bima
18.
(Conditional & Unconditional)’ About Surety Insurance: It provides an assurance to the project owner in the form of
a Surety Bond that the contractor would complete the project as per the agreed
terms and conditions

It involves three parties: the principal (contractor), the obligee (the individual or
entity hiring the contractor), and the surety company (the insurer)

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

S.No Acquirer Acquiree Key Facts

Stake Acquired: 51%

19. BharatPe Trillionloans Fintech Private Limited Trillionloans is a non-banking financial
company (NBFC)

Recently, SEBI has granted final

approval to HDFC Asset Management
20. HDFC-HDFC Bank merger --
Company (AMC) for a change in control
due to the HDFC-HDFC Bank merger

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Initiatives / Programs in
S.No Launched by / Developed by Key Facts
News

Developed by: Indian Institute of Launched on: Polar Satellite Launch

A low-cost star sensor – Astrophysics (IIA) Vehicle (PSLV) C-55
1.
‘StarBerrySense’ Launched by: Indian Space Research Aim: To quickly calculate where the
Organization (ISRO) satellite is pointing

30 | P a g e
 Machine learning-based Aim: To improve the detection of cancer-
Developed by: Indian Institute of
2. computational tool – causing tumours in the brain
Technology (IIT) Madras
‘GBMDriver’ (gliblastoma) and spinal cord

Indian Council of Medical Research

(ICMR), Lady Hardinge Medical College
Trial run of blood bag delivery The inaugural trial flight carried 10 units
(LHMC) New Delhi, Government Institute
3. by drones under iDrone of whole blood samples from GIMS and
of Medical Sciences (GIMS) Greater Noida
initiative LHMC in visual line of sight.
and Jaypee Institute of Information
Technology (JIIT) Noida

Rare Earth Permanent Magnet

Based on indigenous technology and
4. Plant Facility at Bhabha Atomic Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
using indigenous Rare Earth material.
Research Centre

National Hadron Beam Therapy

Works to undertake highly precise
5. Facility of Tata Memorial --
delivery of radiation to tumor
Centre, Navi Mumbai

Fission Molybdenum-99 Trombay Campus of the Bhabha Atomic Used in imaging procedures for early
6.
Production Facility Research Centre detection of cancer, heart disease etc.

Analysis captured by: Modified Dall–

Kirkham telescope located in Kraków,
Poland
Analyzed by: Raman Research Institute
Brightest Flare from the Research Published in Journal:
(an autonomous institute funded by the
7. supermassive blackhole ‘BL Astrophysical Journal Supplements
Department of Science and Technology
Lacertae (BL Lac)’ Series
(DST))
The BL Lac is an Active Galactic Nucleus
(AGN) source and is located about 950
million light years away from the Earth

Discovered at: Mizoram, as well as

Discovered by: Mizoram University and regions of Bangladesh, Myanmar,
New species of flying gecko - Thailand, and Cambodia
8. the Max Planck Institute for Biology
“Gekko Mizoramensis”
(Tubingen, Germany) Research Published in Journal:
Salamandra

Saturn becomes 1st planet with over 100

moons with recent discovery of 62 new
Saturn became planet with moons.
9. --
most natural satellites (moons) Saturn now has 145 moons orbiting it
making it the 'King of Moons' in our solar
system as against 92 for Jupiter.

Installed at: Centre for Development of

Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Developed by: Centre for Development of It has recently been ranked 75th in the
10. world, as per the 61st edition of Top 500
Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’ Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
Global Supercomputing List released at
the International Supercomputing
Conference (ISC 2023) in Germany

31 | P a g e
 The system is installed under National
Program on AI by Government of India

About National Program on AI: National Programme on Artificial Intelligence (AI) was
announced in Interim Budget 2019, which was catalyzed by the establishment of the
National Centre on Artificial Intelligence as a hub along with 6 centres of excellence
under NITI Aayog

Launched under “Char Dham fibre

connectivity project” (aims to provide
Installation of 2,00,000th 5G
11. Launched at: Gangotri (Uttarakhand) high-speed internet connectivity to
site of India
pilgrims visiting Badrinath, Kedarnath,
Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand)

Launched by: Tata Consultancy Services

12. TCS Generative AI --
(TCS), in partnership with Google Cloud

Developed by: Microsoft in collaboration The chatbot has been designed for
with government-backed AI4Bharat - an farmers and other users living in rural
Jugalbandi- a new generative India.
13. open-source language AI centre based at
AI-driven multilingual chatbot
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Aim: to make information on government
Madras and OpenNyAI schemes accessible in multiple languages

It is an artificial intelligence-first set of

14. Infosys Topaz Launched by: Infosys services, solutions and platforms using
generative AI technologies.

Indian Space Research Organisation XPoSat will study various dynamics of

XPoSat – India’s first (world’s
15. (ISRO) in collaboration with Raman bright astronomical X-ray sources in
second) polarimetry mission
Research Institute, Bengaluru extreme conditions

NavIC (Navigation with Indian

NVS-01: Second-generation Constellation) is indigenous navigation
16. navigation satellites for the ISRO system developed by the ISRO
NavIC
NavIC was developed with 7 satellites

Discovery done using indigenously made

PRL Advanced Radial-velocity Abu-sky
New exoplanet discovered with Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) Search spectrograph (PARAS) at the 1.2
17. m telescope of PRL at its Gurushikhar
mass 13 times that of Jupiter Ahmedabad
Observatory in Mt. Abu (Rajasthan)
The planet orbits a star called TOI4603

DEFENCE

DEFENCE EXERCISES

S.No Exercise Countries / Forces Involved Key Facts

ASEAN – India Maritime Association of Southeast Asian Nations Harbour phase held at: Singapore
1.
Exercise (AIME) 2023 (ASEAN) Navies and Indian Navy Sea Phase: South China Sea

32 | P a g e
 Indian Participants: Indian Naval Ships
(INS) Satpura and Delhi

Held at: Arunachal Pradesh

The training exercise involved the
synergised application of surveillance
2. Exercise ‘BULAND BHARAT’ Indian Army and firepower capabilities of the
Artillery and the Infantry in close
coordination with Special Forces,
Aviation and Central Armed Police
Forces

Held at: Andaman Sea

35th India-Thailand Coordinated
3. Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy Indian Participant: Indian Naval Ship
Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT)
(INS) Kesari

Held at: Batam, Indonesia

4. 4th Samudra Shakti-23 Indian Navy and Indonesian Navy
Indian Participant: INS Kavaratti

Conducted at: Manas River, Assam

Participants: Indian Army, Sashastra
Seema Bal (SSB), National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster
Response Force (SDRF), District Disaster
Joint Flood Relief Exercise ‘Jal
5. Gajraj Corps of the Indian Army Management Authority (DDMA), and
Rahat’
police representatives

Aim: To validate joint drills and

enhance coordination among multiple
agencies involved in flood relief
operations

• INS Tarkash & INS Subhadra arrived

at Port Al-Jubail
• It is harbor phase of 2nd edition of
Navies of India and the Kingdom of Saudi naval exercise.
Arabia • Held at: Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia
6. AL-Mohed AL-Hindi 2023
Inaugural edition - conducted in 2021.

Additional Information: INS Tarkash was involved in Operation Kaveri (April 2023) for
evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan.

It is a Naval drill Exercise

7. Tiger Shark 40 Navies of Bangladesh & US Held at: BNS Nirvik in Chattogram in
Bangladesh

The exercise was conducted along the

8. Sudarshan Shakti 2023 Sapta Shakti Command of Indian Army Western borders in Rajasthan and
Punjab

DEFENCE INITIATIVES AND TECHNOLOGIES

33 | P a g e
 Initiative / Missile /
S.No Launched / Developed by Key Facts
Technology
Handed over to: Maldives National
Defence Forces (MNDF)
Fast Patrol Vessel & a Landing Handed over by: Ministry of Defence,
9. The Fast Patrol Vessel was
Craft Assault ship handed over India
commissioned as MNDF Coast Guard
ship Huravee

Conducted by: Defence Research &

Development Organization (DRDO) and
Indian Navy

Developed by: Naval Science &

Maiden test trial of ‘Air Payload Capacity: 150kg
Technological Laboratory (NSTL),
10. Droppable Container (ADC)- Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh); Aerial All the 3 labs (NSTL, ADRDE and ADE)
150’ from IL 38SD aircraft Delivery Research & Development are under DRDO
Establishment (ADRDE), Agra (Uttar
Pradesh) and Aeronautical Development
Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru
(Karnataka)

It was recently decommissioned at

Kochi, Kerala

11. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Magar -- INS Magar was commissioned on July
18, 1987 at Garden Reach Shipyard and
Engineers (GRSE) Limited, Kolkata
(West Bengal)

Aim: To have surveillance centres for all

field formations by December 2025
Battlefield Surveillance System
12. To be launched by: Indian Army Project’s System Integrator: Bharat
(BSS) under Project Sanjay
Electronics Limited (BEL) Ghaziabad
(Uttar Pradesh)

Indian Naval ships (INS) Delhi Aim: To strengthen cordial ties and
13. and Satpura visited -- rapidly growing cooperation between
Sihanoukville, Cambodia India and Cambodia

A BrahMos supersonic cruise BrahMos is manufactured by BrahMos

missile was successfully test- Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an India-Russian
14. fired from the Indian Navy's -- joint venture.
frontline guided missile Speed of BrahMos: 2.8 Mach or almost
destroyer INS Mormugao three times the speed of sound

Visited to: Da Nang, Vietnam

Visit of Indian Naval Ships (INS) This has been done as part of Indian
15. Launched by: Indian Navy Navy’s deployment to Association of
Delhi and Satpura
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
countries

Developed by: Mazagon Dock

16. It recently commenced its sea trials
Shipbuilders Limited (MDL)

34 | P a g e
 Sixth Scorpene Submarine of About Project 75: Project 75 of the Indian Navy is a scheme of the Government of
Project 75 – ‘Vaghsheer’ (Yard India that envisioned building six Scorpene class attack submarines at MDL in
11880) Mumbai, Maharashtra

Lanza-N is the first of the 23 radars that

Naval version of ‘Lanza-N 3D’ on Installed by: Indra Sistemas, S.A, Madrid will be equipped in the Indian Naval
17. one of the Indian Navy’s (Spain) and TATA Advanced Systems Ships
Destroyer Ship Limited (TASL) Aim: To enhance Indian Navy’s maritime
security efforts

Returning home after completing trans- Returned at Indian Naval Watermanship

ocean inter-continental voyage in 7 Training Centre (INWTC), INS Mandovi,
INSV TARINI
months. Goa.
18.
Additional Information: Captain Dilip Donde was first Indian to circumnavigate globe
in 2009-2010.

Successful berthing for 1st time at newly INS Vikrant is India’s 1st indigenous
19. constructed Aircraft Carrier pier, at aircraft carrier
INS Vikrant
Karwar (Karnataka)

Indian Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Force In Kochi (Kerala), headquarters of
20. Collaborate for Maiden Afloat Training of India's Southern Naval Command
Afloat training
Saudi Cadets

For development of innovative solutions

towards technological advances in
“GAINS 2023” - Garden Reach Open Innovation Challenge
21. shipbuilding by Startups
Shipbuilders and Engineers’
Accelerated Innovation GRSE: Category 1 Mini Ratna Company
Nurturing Scheme

It recently entered Goa harbour and

secured alongside the INS Mandovi jetty
Indian Navy Sailing Vessel Built by: M/s Aquarius Shipyard Pvt Ltd at
22. on successful completion of a 17000nm
(INSV) TARINI Divar, Goa
trans-ocean inter-continental voyage,
after 188 days.

Built by: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders It successfully carried out the

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Limited (MDL), Mumbai (Maharashtra) engagement of a sea-skimming
23.
Mormugao Designed by: Indian Navy’s Warship supersonic target with Medium Range
Design Bureau Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) missile

ENVIRONMENT

S.No Topic Country / State / Organization Key Facts

Cyclone Mocha was named on the basis

1. Cyclone Mocha Originated at: Bay of Bengal
of a suggestion made by Yemen

35 | P a g e
 It is now the second-most intense
cyclone to develop in the month of May
since 1982

The topmost intense cyclone in May in

the Bay has been Cyclone Amphan in
May 2020

5,000-year-old Great Grandfather tree is

in line to replace current oldest tree,
Methuselah, which is 4,850 years old
2. World's Oldest Tree Santiago, Chile
Great Grandfather tree: cypress
Methuselah: pine

Miniopetrus Srinii Discovered by scientist at Osmania Discovered in a cave in Makuta, Kodagu

3. (New species of Bat) University district, Karnataka

SPORTS

S.No Tournament Venue Winner / Looser Key Facts

Indian tennis player

Sumit Nagal won the
Sumit Nagal is the first ever Indian to
ATP Challenger Tour - 2023 men’s singles title
1. Rome, Italy win a challenger trophy title on
Roma Garden Open defeating Jesper de
European clay
Jong of the
Netherlands

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez

2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the Dutch-
2. Baku, Azerbaijan (Mexican racing driver)
(GP) Belgian driver, secured 2nd position
won the GP

Luca Brecel (Belgian

snooker player) has
Snooker World claimed his first world
3. Sheffield, England --
Championship title after defeating
Mark Selby (English
Snooker player)

Nepal won the

tournament by Nepal has qualified for the Asia Cup
4. ACC Men’s Premier Cup Kirtipur, Nepal
defeating United Arab 2023 after this win
Emirates (UAE)

To be hosted by: The GCL is a joint venture between

Global Chess League (GCL)
5. Dubai, United Arab -- International Chess Federation (FIDE)
2023
Emirates (UAE) and Tech Mahindra Limited

Asian Wrestling India's Nisha Dahiya

6. Astana, Kazakhstan Japan’s Ami Ishii won gold
Championships, 2023 won silver in the

36 | P a g e
 women's 68kg Another Indian wrestler, Priya Malik
category clinched a bronze in 76 kg category

Dhanush Loganathan
International Weightlifting (men's 49kg event) and
7. Federation (IWF) World Durres, Albania Jyoshna Sabar --
Youth Championships (women's 40kg event)
won bronze medals

India’s P.V. Sindhu lost

to Indonesia's Gregoria
8. Madrid Spain Masters Madrid, Spain --
Mariska Tunjung in
women’s singles

Olympic gold medal

winner Neeraj Chopra Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub
Doha Diamond League,
9. Doha, Qatar has secured victory Vadlejch, who was able to reach
2023
with 88.67 m javelin 88.63m secured second position
throw

Deepak Bhoria,
This is the first time India is winning 3
2023 IBA Men's World Tashkent, Hussamuddin and
10. medals in the same edition of the
Boxing Championships Uzbekistan Nishant Dev recently
World Championships
won bronze medals

Bindyarani Devi from Manipur won 2

Indian weightlifters silver medals in overall and clean & jerk
Asian Weightlifting concluded the under the Women’s 55kg category
11. Jinju, South Korea
Championships Jinju 2023 Championship with a Jeremy Lalrinnunga from Mizoram,
total of 3 silver medals won silver in snatch under the men’s
67kg

Indian rifle and pistol India finished 2nd in the overall medal
International Shooting tally with 4 medals
shooters finished with
12. Sport Federation(ISSF) Baku, Azerbaijan
4 medals (1 Gold, 2 China topped the medal tally with 7
World Cup Rifle/Pistol 2023
Silver and 1 Bronze) medals

Winner - Andy Murray

(Britain) Three-time Grand Slam winner Andy
Aix-en-Provence,
13. ATP Challenger Tour event Murray’s first title since winning in
France Loser - Tommy Paul Antwerp in 2019
(America)

Praveen Chithravel is from Tamil Nadu

He set a new national record with an
Prueba de confrontacion Gold Medalist: Praveen effort of 17.37 metres at the meet.
14. Havana, Cuba
2023 athletics meet Chithravel (Triple Jump)
He broke the previous national record
set by Renjith Maheswary (17.30
metres)

15. Madrid Open 2023 Men’s Single --

37 | P a g e
 Winner: Carlos Alcaraz
(Spain)
Runners-up: Jan-
Lennard Struff
(Germany)
Manzanares Park
Tennis Center in
Women’s Single
Madrid, Spain
Winner: Aryna
Sabalenka (Belarus)

Runners-up: Iga
Świątek (Poland)

Russian tennis player

Daniil Medvedev won
the Men’s Singles title
by defeating Holger
Rune of Denmark
16. Italian Open 2023 Rome, Italy --
Elena Rybakina
(Kazakhstan) won the
Women’s Singles title
by defeating Anhelina
Kalinina (Ukraine)

Dorjee Khandu 6 countries Bhutan, Bangladesh, India,

South Asian Youth Table India bags all 16 gold
17. Indoor Stadium, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal
Tennis Championship 2023 medals
Itanagar, Arunchal participated

To be held from: May 25 to June 3

These competitions will be organised in
Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and
3rd Khelo India University
18. Uttar Pradesh (UP) Gautam Buddha Nagar in UP
Games 2022 (KIUG22UP)
The mascot of the Games is named Jitu,
which represents Swamp Deer
(Barasingha) - the state animal of UP

Indian athlete (Long German athlete Maryse Luzolo won the

Seiko Golden Grand Prix Jumper) Shaili Singh Gold medal
19. Yokohama, Japan
2023 bagged a Bronze medal Australian athlete Brooke Buschkuehl
in the event won the Silver medal

20. Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Max Verstappen --

Malaysia Masters 2023 He defeated Weng Hong Yang of China

21. -- H.S. Prannoy
badminton to win his maiden BWF World Tour title

With this 5th win, CSK captain MS Dhoni

Final held at Title Winner: Chennai
equaled the record set by Rohit Sharma
Indian Premier League (IPL) Narendra Modi Super Kings (CSK)
22. (Mumbai Indians) for the most IPL titles
2023 Stadium, Runner up: Gujarat
Ahmedabad Orange Cap (Most Runs): Shubman Gill
Titans (GT)
(GT)

38 | P a g e
 Purple Cap (Most Wickets): Md Shami
(GT)
Emerging Player of the Tournament:
Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR)
Game Changer of Season: Shubman Gill

Fairplay Award: Delhi Capitals

NSC-CAVA Women’s
India won the title by
23. Volleyball Challenge Cup Kathmandu (Nepal) Nepal stood at Third position
defeating Kazakhstan
2023

AWARDS

S.No Award/Milestone Category Awardee Key Facts

BAFTA (British Academy of

She is a UK (United Kingdom) based
1. Film and Television Arts) -- Meera Syal
Indian-origin actor
Fellowship

Title of ‘Shatabdi Purush He is a former Member of Parliament

2. -- Pandit Ramkishan
(Man of the Century)’ (MP) of Lok Sabha

She is an author from Russia

Leipzig Book Award for
3. European Understanding -- Maria Stepanova She was awarded for her volume of
2023 poetry entitled “Mädchen ohne
Kleider“ (Girls Without Clothes)

Three imprisoned
Iranian women
The three Journalists were imprisoned
2023 UNESCO World Press journalists – Niloofar
4. -- at the Evin Prison which is located in
Freedom Prize Hamedi, Elaheh
Tehran, Iran
Mohammadi, and
Narges Mohammadi

Carol Shields Prize for She has been awarded for her debut
5. -- Fatimah Asghar
Fiction novel “When We Were Sisters”

The Argentine professional footballer

Lionel Messi has been conferred with the Laureus
World Sportsman of The Year 2023
24th Laureus World Sports
6. --
Awards, 2023
The Jamaican track and field sprinter,
Shelly-Ann Fraser-
won the Laureus World Sportswoman
Pryce
of The Year 2023

1st Astronomical Society of He is the founder of The Inter-

India (ASI) Govind Swarup University Centre for Astronomy and
7. -- Prof. Jayant V. Narlikar
Lifetime Achievement Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune
award (Maharashtra)

39 | P a g e
 Prof. Narlikar was amongst the firsts to
initiate cosmology research in India
He developed with Sir Fred Hoyle the
conformal gravity theory, known as
Hoyle–Narlikar theory which
synthesises Albert Einstein's theory of
relativity and Mach's principle and
worked on the steady state theory, as
per which the universe isn’t expanding
but is static

2023 Badminton World

Lin Dan (China) and Lee
8. Federation (BWF) Hall of -- --
Chong Wei (Malaysia)
Fame

Outstanding
He is the Managing Director of Tata
Business Leader of TV Narendran
Steel
the Year

Outstanding
Company of the Infosys --
Year

He is the Founder and former Chairman

18th India Business Leader Hall of Fame Azim Premji
9. of WIPRO Limited
Awards’ (IBLA) 2023
Lifetime He is the Chairman Emeritus of TVS
Venu Srinivasan
Achievement Award Motor

Sports Leader of the

Nikhat Zareen She is an Indian boxer
Year

Entertainment
Alia Bhatt She is an Indian Actress
Leader of the Year

Armory Square Prize for

Musharraf Ali Farooqi He has been awarded for translating
South Asian Literature in
10. -- (Pakistani-Canadian Siddique Alam’s ‘The Kettledrum and
Translation (Inaugural
Author and translator) Other Stories’ from Urdu to English
edition)

He has been awarded for creating a

Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar fear-free Uttar Pradesh.
11. -- Yogi Adityanath
Award Awarded by: Buddhanjali Research
Foundation

Fiction-
Demon Copperhead, by
Barbara Kingsolver,
Books, Drama &
12. 2023 Pulitzer Prizes Trust, by Hernan Diaz Administered by - Columbia University
Music

Drama-
English, by Sanaz Toossi

40 | P a g e
 Biography-
G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover
and the Making of the
American Century, by
Beverly Gage

Memoir or
Autobiography- Stay
True, by Hua Hsu

Music- Omar, by
Rhiannon Giddens and
Michael Abels

Public Service-
Journalism
Associated Press

International
Reporting- Staff of The
New York Times

He has been awarded for his debut

book 'God’s Children Are Little Broken
Things'.
Arinze Ifeakandu
13. Dylan Thomas Prize 2023 -- The prize recognises literary works by
(Nigerian Writer)
authors aged 39 or under.
The prize was launched in honour of
Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.

Indian Shooter Anjum She has been conferred with Arjuna

Moudgil Award

Hockey coach Sarpal He has been conferred with

14. National Sports Awards --
Singh Dronacharya Award

Late Tennis coach He has posthumously been conferred

Naresh Kumar with Dronacharya Award

He is the Chairman of Tata Group

France’s highest civilian
15. award – ‘Chevalier de la -- N Chandrasekaran He has been awarded for his
Legion d’honneur’ contributions to strengthen the trade
relationship between India and France

Tiruchirappalli
International Airport ITD Cementation India Limited, engaged
British Safety Council
1st-class merit project (Trichy Airport in the construction of the new terminal
16. International Safety Award
category Project), ITD building in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, received
2023
Cementation India the award
Limited

41 | P a g e
 This documentary is directed by Kavitha
12th edition of the South Best Long Lankesh
17. Asian Film Festival, Documentary Gauri The documentary film has been
Montréal (Canada) Award commissioned by Free Press Unlimited,
Amsterdam, (Netherlands)

Doctor of Laws Ranjan Gogoi Award presented by Vice-President at

70th Annual Convocation of Panjab
University, Chandigarh

R. Gogoi is former Chief Justice of India

18. Honoris Causa
(46th) and present Member of
Doctor of Literature Sudha Murty
Parliament (Rajya Sabha)
Sudha Murty is Educator and
philanthropist

Highest civilian Recipients of award are titled "Chief"

Grand Companion of the Prime Minister of
19. award of Papua Conferred by Sir Bob Dadae, Governor-
Order of Logohu (GCL) India, Narendra Modi
New Guinea General of Papua New Guinea

Palme d’Or is the top prize in Cannes

India’s Cannes pavilion was based on
the Saraswati Yantra, drawn from
‘Maha Upanishad’, pavilion was
designed by National Institute of Design,
French movie Anatomy Ahmedabad
of a Fall
Palme d’Or Four Indian films were officially
(Director - Justine Triet) screened – Agra (Kanu Behl), Kennedy
(Anurag Kashyap), Nehemich (short
film),

Restored Manipuri movie ‘Ishanou’ was

20. 76th Cannes Film Festival
screened under Classic Section

German movie The

Grand Prix award Zone of Interest
(Jonathan Glazer)
Japanese actor Koji
Best Actor award
Yakusho
Turkish actress Merve
Best Actress award
Dizdar
Tran Anh Hung
Best Director award (French movie The Pot
au Feu)

Best Picture Drishyam 2

R. Madhavan
The IIFA Awards 2023 were held in Abu
21. IIFA Awards 2023 Best Director (Rocketry: The Nambi
Dhabi
Effect)
Hrithik Roshan
Best Actor
(Vikram Vedha)

42 | P a g e
 Alia Bhatt
Best Actress
(Gangubai Kathiawadi)

GreenTech Safety Award Safety Excellence Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Award was organized by the Greentech
22.
2023 Category Ltd Foundation

This is the first of its kind project in the

country
e-Governance for
Department of Animal Objective of this application is to
computerisation of
23. Skoch SILVER Award 2023 Husbandry and facilitate animal owners for online
medical records of
Fisheries, Chandigarh registration of their animals for
livestock
treatment and other services like
artificial insemination, vaccination etc

Region: South Africa (Africa)

Hana Gammon
Story: The Undertaker’s Apprentice

Region: Singapore (Asia)

Agnes Chew
Story: Oceans Away From My Homeland

Region: United Kingdom (Canada &

2023 Commonwealth Short Europe)
24. -- Rue Baldry
Story Prize
Story: Lech, Prince, and the Nice Things

Region: Jamaica (Caribbean)

Kwame McPherson
Story: Ocoee

Region: New Zealand (Pacific)

Himali McInnes
Story: Kilinochchi

Neeraj Chopra: (Indian

Javelin Olympic gold
More than 75 Indians have featured on
medalist)
th
(8 ) Forbes 30 Under 30 8th Annual Forbes 30 under 30 Asia List
25. -- Siddhant Chaturvedi
Asia 2023 This list features 30 notable honorees
(Actor)
selected for each of the 10 categories
Ambika Nayak
(Musician)

Student teams presented net-zero

12 teams won awards
-- solutions for 36 real building projects
3rd Solar Decathlon India in different categories
on the final day of presentation
(SDI) Design Challenge for
26. Net-Zero Future Proof
About SDI Design Challenge: The Solar Decathlon India is conducted every year by the
Building 2022-2023,
Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) and the Alliance for an Energy-Efficient
Mysuru (Karnataka)
Economy (AEEE) under the aegis of the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF),
an autonomous bilateral organization jointly funded by both the Governments

Georgi Gospodinov is a Bulgarian

Time Shelter
International Booker prize writer.
27. -- Written by: Georgi
2023 Time Shelter is the first book written in
Gospodinov
Bulgarian to win this prize.

43 | P a g e
 Translated by: Angela Prize Amount: 50,000 Pounds
Rodel

Additional Information: Hindi author Geetanjali Shree became the first Indian to win this
award for her book ‘Tomb of Sand (Ret Samadhi)’

Booker Prize and International Booker Prize are two different awards.

Damodar Mauzo is a Konkani Writer

-- Damodar Mauzo from Goa.

28. 57th Jnanpith Award 'Karmelin' is his famous novel

About Jnanpith Award: It is India’s highest Indian literary honour; awarded annually by
the Bharatiya Jnanpith

APPOINTMENT

Organization /
S.No Person Position Country / State / Key Facts
Company

1. Justice T.S. Sivagnanam Chief Justice (CJ) Calcutta High Court --

Permanent Chief
Vodafone Group Plc She is the first permanent female CEO
2. Margherita Della Valle Executive Officer
(Vodafone) of Vodafone
(CEO)

She has become the first woman to

3. Vanessa Hudson CEO Qantas Airways Ltd
hold this position in Qantas Airways

Basketball Appointed by: Delhi High Court

4. P Krishna Bhat Administrator Federation of India He was the former judge of the
(BFI) Karnataka High Court

Chairman and
Polavarapu Mallikharjuna
5. Managing Director Coal India (CIL) --
Prasad
(CMD)

Country Managing
6. Ajay Vij Accenture --
Director in India

Marylebone Cricket
7. Mark Nicholas President He is a former English cricketer
Club (MCC)

Domestic Policy United States She became the first Asian-American to

8. Neera Tandon
Advisor Administration lead the White House Advisory Council

Wesley W Simina (succeed Federation States of

9. President (10th) --
David W. Panuelo) Micronesia (FSM)

44 | P a g e
 Karthik Balagopalan
Managing Director
10. (succeeded Abhishek PUMA India --
(MD)
Ganguly)

Special Olympics for

individuals with
11. Ayushmann Khurrana Ambassador Olympics to be held at: Berlin
intellectual
disabilities

1st Indian Global

12. Alia Bhatt Gucci --
Ambassador

Chief Executive Officer She worked at NBCUniversal before as

13. Linda Yaccarino Twitter
(CEO) the ad-chief

Deputy Chief of the

14. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Indian Air Force --
Air Staff

Dr Manoj Soni (succeeded Union Public Service

15. Chairman --
Pradeep Kumar Joshi) Commission (UPSC)

Large for Global

16. Geeta Rao Gupta US Ambassador She is an Indian-American social worker
Women’s Issues

• He will join with effect from

Chairman and October 1, 2023
17. S N Subrahmanyan Larsen & Toubro
Managing Director
Will replace A M Naik

Praveen Sood (to succeed Central Bureau of Praveen Sood is presently serving as the
18. Director
Subodh Kumar Jaiswal) Investigation (CBI) Director General of Police of Karnataka

Petroleum & Natural

Anil Kumar Jain (succeeded
19. Chairman Gas Regulatory --
Dinesh Kumar Sarraf)
Board (PNGRB)

President and Chief

20. Bhavesh Gupta Operating Officer Paytm --
(COO)

Pramod Bhasin (succeeded Data Security Council

21. Chairman --
Rajendra S Pawar) of India (DSCI)

First time Earth Sciences Ministry

led by Minister who is not leading
Ministry of Earth Ministry of Science and Technology
22. Kiren Rijiju New Minister
Sciences
Dr. Jitendra Singh was having additional
charge of Ministry of Earth Sciences

Minister of State Ministry of Law and

23. Arjun Ram Meghwal Outging Minister: Kiren Rijiju
(Independent Charge) Justice

Took oath as 22nd Replaced - Basavaraj Somappa

24. Siddaramaiah Karnataka Bommai
Chief Minister

45 | P a g e
 Siddaramaiah (Congress) won from
Varuna assembly seat

Additional Information: Congress won Karnataka Assembly Elections (has 135 seats in
224-member assembly)

Took oath as Deputy D K Shivakumar (Congress) won

25. D K Sivakumar Karnataka
Chief Minister from Kanakapura assembly seat

First woman to head organization

International
Director General-elect Organization for Pope currently serves as deputy of
Migration Director General Antonio Vitorino
26. Amy Pope (United States) (outgoing)

Additional Information: International Organization for Migration (IOM) - Established in

1951 and is Part of United Nations

Union Public Service

27. Suman Sharma Member --
Commission (UPSC)

28. Recep Tayyip Erdogan President Türkiye Re-elected

Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu

29. (replaced Muhammadu President Nigeria --
Buhari)

Sony Sports Network

30. Sania Mirza Ambassador --
(Sony TEN)

Vijay Shekhar Sharma Paytm Payments

31. Part-time Chairman --
(Reappointment) Bank Ltd (PPBL)

32. Sourav Ganguly Brand Ambassador Tripura tourism --

Brand Ambassador
Shahrukh Khan will be endorsing
33. Shahrukh Khan (smartphone Realme
Realme 11 series
category)

Solar Energy SECI is a Miniratna Category-I Central

34. Ajay Yadav Managing Director Corporation of India Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry
Ltd (SECI) of New and Renewable Energy

Sworn in as new
35. Bola Tinubu Nigeria --
President

Central Vigilance
36. Praveen Kumar Srivastava -- --
Commissioner

Re-elected for a four-year term from

Girish Chandra Murmu 2024 to 2027
World Health
37. (Comptroller and Auditor External Auditor
Organization He is already holding this position since
General of India - CAG)
2019 for a four-year term (2019-2023)

46 | P a g e
 Tata Consultancy He replaced Rajesh Gopinathan who
38. K. Krithivasan Chief Executive Officer
Services (TCS) stepped down from the position

PERSONS IN NEWS

S.No Personality Profession Key Facts

He recently attained a record of

completing a solo circumnavigation at
Former Commander in the Indian Navy the Golden Globe Race (GGR), 2022

1. Abhilash Tomy He finished second after South African

Kirsten Neuschäfer

About GGR: The Golden Globe Race is a non-stop, solo, unassisted yacht race around-
the-world which was held for the first time in 1968-69

He recently passed away

2. Arun Manilal Gandhi Indian author and socio-political activist
He was Mahatma Gandhi’s Grandson

3. Kasumi Ishikawa Japanese table tennis player She recently announced her retirement

4. Ranajit Guha Noted historian He recently passed away

He recently quit Google

He had won the Nobel Prize of
5. Geoffrey Hinton Computer Scientist computing – ‘Turing Award’ for his work
on neural networks and is known as the
godfather of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

She recently her retirement from

international cricket
6. Shabnim Ismail South African Cricket Player
She is the fastest bowler in women’s
cricket

He has recently been given a three-year

7. Nijel Amos Botswana Runner
ban for doping

8. Tori Bowie American track and field athlete She recently passed away

He recently set a new record by

becoming the fastest player to score
9. Babar Azam Pakistani Cricket Player
5000 runs in One Day International (ODI)
cricket in 97 innings

The PM is to visit France in July to attend

10. Narendra Modi Indian Prime Minister this year’s Bastille Day Parade as Guest
of Honour in Paris

47 | P a g e
 About Bastille Day Parade: The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July
military parade, is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of 14
July each year in Paris since 1880

King Charles III and Queen They were recently coronated as King
11. King and Queen of United Kingdom (UK)
Camilla and Queen

Indian Carnatic Musician and mridangam

12. Karaikudi Mani He recently passed away
player

Indian-American development economist

13. Padma Desai She recently passed away
and Padma Bhushan award winner

Former All India Football Federation

14. A.R. Khaleel He recently passed away
(AIFF) Vice-President

Antonio Félix “Tota” Carbajal He recently passed away

15. Mexican football player
Rodríguez He was also known as La Tota

He recently set the record for the fastest

half-century in the history of the Indian
Premier League during the game against
Kolkata Knight Riders
Jaiswal smashed the fifty in merely 13
16. Yashasvi Jaiswal Indian Cricket Player
deliveries, smashing the joint-record
previously held by KL Rahul and Pat
Cummins (14 balls)
Yashasvi is playing for the Rajasthan
Royals

All India Football Federation (AIFF)

recently declared that June 23, the birth
17. Pradip Kumar Banerjee Indian Football Player anniversary of Indian football legend
Pradip Kumar Banerjee, will be
recognized as ‘AIFF Grassroots Day’

He recently climbed Mt Everest, the

tallest peak in the world, for the 26th time
to set a new world record
18. Kami Rita Sherpa Nepal’s climber The climbing route used by him was
pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund
Hillary and Nepal’s sherpa Tenzing
Norgay in 1953

Prime Minister of India recently had a

19. Mr. Doug McMillon CEO of Walmart
meeting with him

He passed away recently.

20. Benjamin Ferencz American lawyer He was the last surviving prosecutor
from the Nuremberg trials in Germany
after World War II

48 | P a g e
 He passed away recently.
He was a recipient of Sahitya Akademi
Award
21. Samaresh Majumdar Bengali writer
He was best known for his political trilogy
– ‘Uttaradhikar’, ‘Kalbela’ and
‘Kalpurush’

She passed away recently

22. Kalyani Kazi Singer
She hails from West Bengal

Member of Parliament (MP) and former

23. Rattan Lal Kataria He recently passed away
Minister in Haryana

He recently passed away

He won the Nobel Prize in Economic
24. Robert Emerson Lucas Jr. American economist and Nobel laureate Science in 1995 for his work on rational
expectations and the efficacy of
government intervention in the
economy

25. Owen Davidson Australian tennis player He recently passed away

Captain Pratima Bhullar Indian-origin Police Cop in the New York She has recently become the highest-
26.
Maldonado Police Department (NYPD), United States ranking South Asian woman in the NYPD

Srichand Parmanand Hinduja India-born British industrialist and

27. He recently passed away
(SP Hinduja) Chairman of the Hinduja Group

He recently reached the top of Mount

Everest for the 27th time, reclaiming the
28. Kami Rita Sherpa Nepali mountain climber
record for the most summits of the
world’s highest mountain

PM of India met Dr. Tomio during his visit

to Hiroshima for the G-7 Summit
Dr Tomio conferred with Padma Shri
Renowned author and linguist, proficient award in 2018 for his contribution to
29. Dr. Tomio Mizokami
in Hindi and Punjabi languages promotion of Indian literature and
culture in Japan
Dr. Tomio presented widely acclaimed
book "Jwalamukhi

PM of India met Ms. Hiroko during his

visit to Hiroshima for the G-7 Summit.
Her works influenced by India.
Briefly a Visiting Professor at Visva
30. Ms. Hiroko Takayama Western style painter
Bharati University, Shanti Niketan

Presented PM of India one of her

prominent works - an oil painting of Lord
Buddha, created in 2022

49 | P a g e
 31. Sarath Babu Actor Passed away recently

He was recently on a five-day official visit

to India from 23 - 27 May
32. Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy
He presided over the Passing Out Parade
of the Spring Term 23 at Indian Naval
Academy, Ezhimala

Recently, his centennial birthday

Late Admiral Ronald Lynsdale
33. Indian Navy Personnel celebrations were conducted at
Pereira
Bengaluru, Karnataka

He recently passed away

34. Martin Louis Amis British Novelist He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of
Literature

Telugu writer, novelist and Sahitya

35. Kethu Viswanath Reddy He recently passed away
Akademi awardee

He recently visited India for the first

time.
36. Norodom Sihamoni King of Cambodia His trip marks 70th anniversary of
Cambodia's diplomatic relations with
India

She passed away recently.

37. Tina Turner American Singer She was known as the "Queen of Rock 'n'
Roll"

He recently announced retirement from

38. Ambati Rayudu Indian cricketer the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

He became the world number one for

39. Neeraj Chopra Indian Olympic champion Javelin thrower the first time in his career in the latest
men's javelin throw rankings

Named as 'Smile Ambassador' for oral

40. Sachin Tendulkar Former Indian Cricketer
hygiene campaign in Maharashtra

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

S.No Book Title Author Key Facts

He had served as Chief Executive

Made In India: 75 Years of
1. Amitabh Kant Officer (CEO) of the National Institution
Business and Enterprise
for Transforming India (NITI Aayog)

2. My Life As A Comrade KK Shailaja It is an autobiography

50 | P a g e
 KK Shailaja is the former health
minister of Kerala

Just Aspire: Notes on

He is one of the six founding members
3. Technology, Entrepreneurship Ajai Chowdhry
of HCL (Hindustan Computers Limited)
and the Future

The Indian Metropolis:

4. Deconstructing India’s Urban Feroze Varun Gandhi --
Spaces

The Golden Years: The Many

5. Ruskin Bond Ruskin Bond is a famous Indian author.
Joys of Living a Good Long Life

Droupadi Murmu: From Tribal

6. Hinterlands To Raisina Hill By Kasturi Ray --
Kasturi Ray

Cyber Encounters (Hindi

7. Ashok Kumar IPS,(DGP, Uttarakhand) --
Version)

The Golden Years: The Many

8. Ruskin Bond --
Joys of Living a Good Long Life

Guts Amidst Bloodbath: The

9. Anshuman Gaekwad He is a former Indian Cricketer
Aunshuman Gaekwad Narrative

Anthology of writings from 1980s

10. Jwalamukhi By a cohort of Japanese scholars Laid foundation of Hindi learning in
Japan

Released by: Gulab Chand Kataria

11. Partitioned Freedom Ram Madhav
(Governor of Assam)

NT Rama Rao was the first non-congress

12. ‘NTR: A Political Biography’ Ramachandra Murthy Kondubhatla
chief minister of Andhra Pradesh

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

S.No Festival Country / State Key Facts

The Ministry of Culture along with

It is the most sacred day of the year for
International Buddhist Confederation
Buddhists all over the world as it marks
(IBC) celebrated the festival on May 5 in
1. Vaisakh Purnima the three main events of Lord Buddha’s
coordination with the Himalayan
life – Birth, Enlightenment, and
Buddhist Culture Association (HBCA) at
Mahaparinirvana
New Delhi

Organized by: Indian Association at

Ajman, UAE
2. Thiruvappana Vellatom Festival Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Aim: To celebrate the rich cultural
heritage of Kerala, India

51 | P a g e
 Launched by: Startup20, Atal
Innovation Mission, the Controller
General of Patents, Designs,
Trademarks and the Pandit Jasraj
“UPAJ: A festival of Innovation Cultural Foundation
3. NITI Aayog, New Delhi
in Arts”
Aim: To inculcate the awareness of the
importance of the Intellectual Property
(IP) and copyrights for India's rich
cultural heritage

Organized by: Moraji Desai National

Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), under the
Ministry of Ayush
The event is an attempt to
commemorate 25 days to the
4. ‘Yoga Mahotsav’ Hyderabad, Telangana
International Day of Yoga (IDY), which
is going to be celebrated at Jabalpur,
Madhya Pradesh on 21 June, 2023
Theme of IDY 2023: YOGA FOR
VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBKAM

It is Ladakh’s annual five-day group

prayer camp of Buddhist monks and
nuns, also known as Great Prayer
5. Ladakh Monlam Chenmo 2023 Ladakh Festival
It is the most important Tibetan
Buddhist celebration of the year

Every year on the day of Jyeshtha

Ashtami, Kashmiri Pandits visits Mata
6. Kheer Bhawani Mela 2023 Kashmir Valley Ragneya Devi Temple also known as
Kheer Bhawani Temple to pay their
obeisance

PLACES IN NEWS

S.No Place Why in News Key Facts

Uttar Pradesh government is planning to Aim: To attract children and adults alike to
develop a theme park ‘Ramaland’ showcase the legendary tales from
1. Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh
modelled on Disneyland to narrate the Ramayan in the template of ‘learning
story of Lord Ram with entertainment’

It was recently inaugurated to promote

2. Dawki land port, Meghalaya trade and commerce between India and --
Bangladesh

V. O. Chidambaranar Port, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Vessel deployed by: Shipping Corporation
3. Waterways recently flagged off the vessel
Tamil Nadu of India
‘M.V. MSS Galena’ from here, as the

52 | P a g e
 Direct Shipping Service between Tuticorin
to Maldives

Inaugural run of vessel ‘MV-ITT LION (V-

Kaladan Project would link India and
273)’ to Sittwe Port Myanmar developed
Myanmar via the Bay of Bengal
under Kaladan Multi Modal Transit
Transport Project was recently conducted
Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Sittwe Port Myanmar is built by India
4. from here
Kolkata (West Bengal)
About Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project: It was jointly identified by India
and Myanmar to create a multi-modal mode of transport for the shipment of cargo
from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar as well as to the North-Eastern part of
India through Myanmar
As part of the mass mobilization of public
participation in the Lifestyle for the
Environment (LiFE), National Centre for The Palak Lake wetland conservation area
Sustainable Coastal Management is rich in biodiversity and falls under the
(NCSCM) and the Forest Department, Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot
5. Palak Lake , Aizawl (Mizoram) Mizoram organized a nature walk along
the Palak Lake
About LiFE: The idea of LiFE was introduced by India during the 26th United Nations
Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. The idea
promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and
deliberate utilisation’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption’
It is not only one of the highest Shiva
Tungnath temple, Rudraprayag The Indian Government recently declared temples in the world but also the highest
6.
(Uttarakhand) it as a national monument among the five Panch Kedar temples built
by pandavas
• Recommendation by International
It has been recommended for inclusion in Council on Monuments and Sites
Santiniketan UNESCO’s World Heritage List If selected, Santiniketan will be 2nd
7.
(Birbhum district, West Bengal) (Home of Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath cultural symbol from West Bengal,
Tagore) included to this list (‘Durga Puja of
Kolkata’ was first included in 2021)

To be set up at : Mumbai, Maharashtra.

To be set up by: Brihanmumbai Municipal
1. The plant is expected to treat
8. Asia’s largest bio-gas plant Corporation (BMC) & Mahanagar Gas
1,000 tonnes of wet waste daily
Limited (MGL), a Public Sector
Undertaking of the Gas Authority of India
Limited (GAIL).

It is bigger than the lithium reserve found

in Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir.
Recently, New Lithium deposits have
been discovered in Degana after Jammu It can satisfy 80% of India's total lithium
demand.
& Kashmir.
Degana, Nagaur district, 2. Lithium is used to manufacture
9. mobile-laptop, electric vehicle
Rajasthan
(EV) and other chargeable
batteries.

Additional Information: As per India's EV Vision 2030, the Government of India has
targeted 30% EV penetration by 2030

53 | P a g e
 Set up by: REMC Ltd Objective: to oversee and handle the
National Energy Management
10. procurement of energy for the Railways
Centre for Indian Railways Location: New Delhi on a national scale

Laying of Bituminous Concrete over 100

11. Ghaziabad –Aligarh Expressway lane kilometers in unprecedented time of Section of NH34
100 hours

Bust gifted by India, on visit of PM for

49th G-7 summit held in Hiroshima,
Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Bust of Mahatma Gandhi unveiled by
12. Hiroshima, Japan Bronze bust sculpted by Padma Bhushan
Prime Minister of India
awardee Ram Vanji Sutar

Bust site - adjacent to Motoyasu River

CoE-SLM Announced by Prime Minister of

Indian Council of Forestry India during 14th Conference of Parties
Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land
13. Research and Education, (COP-14) of United Nations Convention to
Management (CoE-SLM) inaugurated
Dehradun Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 2019

Port Moresby, Papua New Prime Minister of India arrived at Port First visit by an Indian Prime Minister to
14.
Guinea Moresby Papua New Guinea

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Prime Minister of India along with other

15. Tribute paid to victims of Atomic Bomb
Museum leaders at G-7 Summit paid visit

Chosen site among 7 new Mega Textile

16. Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh --
Park announced

Kerala Legislative Assembly

17. Silver Jubilee Celebration held --
building

High mountain pass in Zanskar range

Baralacha La Pass (Himachal Border Roads Organisation (BRO) rescued
18. Connects Lahaul district in Himachal
Pradesh) tourists
Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh

Janganana (Census) Bhawan, Office of Registrar General and Census

19. Inaugurated recently
New Delhi Commissioner of India

Prime Ministers of India and Australia

jointly unveiled the foundation stone for a
20. Sydney, Australia --
‘Little India’ Gateway to be built in Harris
Park in Parramatta, Sydney

54 | P a g e
 National Centre for Medium The Minister announced that India will
Range Weather Forecasting Union Minister of Earth Sciences recently soon acquire its fastest Supercomputer
21.
(NCMRWF), Noida (Uttar visited here worth Rs. 900 crore and it is expected to
Pradesh) start functioning by March 2024

Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Visit hosted by: Sunjay Sudhir,

Purushottam Swaminarayan Ambassador of India to the UAE
Diplomats from more than 30 countries
22. Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu Temple,
embarked on a visit here BAPS Hindu Temple is expected to be
Abu Dhabi (United Arab
Emirates) completed by February 2024

Border Roads Organization (BRO) recently

constructed and black-topped the highest
23. Umlingla Pass, Eastern Ladakh --
motorable road in the world at 19,300 ft
here

Length: 22 km (6-lane sea bridge)

It is India’s longest and World's 10th It is the 1st project in India with open
Mumbai Trans Harbour Link
24. longest sea bridge from Sewri to Nhava in road tolling system
(MTHL), Mumbai (Maharashtra)
Mumbai
For the first time in India Orthotropic
steel deck technology used in this

India’s research stations in Antarctic:

Dakshin Gangotri - first permanent
Bharati Research Station Union Minister for Earth Sciences engaged
research station established in 1983
25. virtually with scientists stationed at
(Antarctica) (abandoned in 1990)
Bharati Station in Antarctica.
Maitri - Opened in 1989
Bharati – Operational since 2012

DAYS IN NEWS

S.No Days Date Themes & Misc.

This day is celebrated to highlight the

International Workers’ Day or
1. May 1 importance of workers and their
International Labour Day
contribution to the society

The state of Bombay got divided into

Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Maharashtra and Gujarat and the
2. May 1
Day legislation got the green light on May 1,
1960

This day is celebrated on the first

Tuesday of May month to create
awareness about asthma
3. World Asthma Day May 2 Theme: Asthma care for All

World Asthma Day is annually organized

by the GINA (Global Initiative for
Asthma)

55 | P a g e
 Theme: Shaping a Future of Rights:
th
4. 30 World Press Freedom Day May 3 Freedom of Expression as a Driver for all
other human rights

This day is celebrated to raise global

5. International Leopard Day May 3 awareness about the leopards and the
risks that leopard populations face

This day is celebrated to acknowledge

and appreciate the hard work and
6. Coal Miners Day May 4
noteworthy contributions of coal miners
in the extraction of coal

This day is celebrated to honour and

recognize the incredible work done by
7. International Firefighters’ Day May 4
the firefighters while protecting the life
and property of people

The 40th session of UNESCO’s General

Conference, in 2019, designated May 5
World Portuguese Language
8. May 5 as “World Portuguese Language Day” in
Day
honor of the Portuguese language and
Lusophone cultures

Theme: Athletics for All – A New

Beginning
9. World Athletics Day May 7 This day is celebrated to promote sports
and exercise for physical and mental
well-being

World Red Cross and Red Theme: 'Everything we do comes

10. May 8
Crescent Day 2023 #fromtheheart'.

Theme: “Strengthening Education to

11. World Thalassemia Day 2023 May 8
Bridge the Thalassaemia Care Gap"

Theme: School to Startups- Igniting

Young Minds to Innovate

This day is celebrated to commemorate

th
12. 25 National Technology Day May 11 India’s successful nuclear test at
Pokhran, Rajasthan in 1998
National Technology Week took place
from May 11 to May 14

Theme: Our Nurses. Our Future

The day commemorates the birth
anniversary of British Nurse and
13. International Nurses Day May 12 statistician Florence Nightingale, one of
the founders of modern nursing and
honours the contribution of nurses to
society and acknowledge their role in the
overall healthcare system

56 | P a g e
 International Day of Plant Theme: 'Plant Health for Environmental
14. May 12
Health 2023 Protection'

Theme: Water and its importance for

Migratory Bird
Several Indian Institutions related to
environment like National Museum of
15. World Migratory Bird Day May 13 Natural History (NMNH), Zoological
Survey of India, National Centre for
Sustainable Coastal Management
(NCSCM) and National Institute of
Himalayan Environment celebrated this
day

International Day of Families Theme: ‘Demographic Trends and

16. May 15
2023 Families’.

This day is celebrated to create

awareness about dengue among general
public and to promote the preventive
measures
17. National Dengue Day May 16
Its observance is led by the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW)
India observes the month of July as the
Anti Dengue Month

This day is celebrated to celebrate the

contribution of light in science, culture
and art, education, and sustainable
18. 6th International Day of Light May 16 development
The day marks the anniversary of the first
successful operation of the laser in 1960
by American physicist Theodore Maiman

This day is celebrated to promote peace,

International Day of Living tolerance, inclusion, understanding and
19. May 16 solidarity
Together in Peace

Theme: ‘Measure Your Blood Pressure

20. World Hypertension Day 2023 May 17
Accurately, Control It, Live Longer’.

It is celebrated on 3rd Thursday of May

every year to get everyone talking,
thinking and learning about digital- web,
12th Global Accessibility software, mobile, etc. access/inclusion
21. May 18 for people with different disabilities
Awareness Day (GAAD)
The Department of Empowerment of
Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) will be
celebrating GAAD in India

57 | P a g e
 Theme: Museums, Sustainability and
22. 47th International Museum Day May 18
Well Being

This day is celebrated to create

awareness about the importance of
World AIDS Vaccine Day or HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
23. May 18
Vaccine Knowledge Day (HVAD) vaccinations in preventing Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and
HIV infections

Theme: “Measurements supporting the

global food system” - declared jointly by
International Bureau of Weights and
Measures (BIPM) and International
Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML)
Day organized in India by CSIR-National
24. World Metrology Day 2023 20th May Physical Laboratory in association with
Metrology Society of India (MSI)
Annual celebration to commemorate
signature of Metre Convention held on
20th May 1875 by representatives of 17
nations

Theme: Bee engaged in pollinator-

25. World Bee Day 20 May
friendly agricultural production

This day celebrates the long history and

26. International Tea Day May 21 cultural significance of tea around the
world

This day is celebrated to recognize and

World Day for Cultural Diversity
value the cultural diversities that exist
27. for Dialogue and Development May 21
among countries, regions, and individuals
or Diversity Day
worldwide

This day is celebrated to mark the death

anniversary of former Indian Prime
28. National Anti-Terrorism Day May 21 Minister (PM) Rajiv Gandhi, who was
assassinated in 1991 at Sriperumbudur,
Tamil Nadu

Theme - From agreement to action: Build

back biodiversity.
International Day for Biological
29. 22 May Celebrated to commemorate adoption of
Diversity
text of Convention on Biological
Diversity on 22 May 1992.

It is annually observed across the globe

on the 3rd Friday of May
30. Endangered Species Day May 19
Theme: Celebrating The 50th Anniversary
of The Endangered Species Act!

58 | P a g e
 This day is celebrated to create
awareness about endangered flora and
fauna and to highlight the significance of
the plants and animals

Theme: I Love Turtles

This day is celebrated to help people

31. 23rd World Turtle Day May 23 celebrate and protect turtles and
tortoises and their disappearing habitats
around the world

This day is celebrated to raise awareness

of this mental illness
Department of Empowerment of
World Schizophrenia Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), under
32. May 24
Awareness Day the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment (MoSJE) commemorated
this day to raise awareness and to
reduce the stigma around mental illness

33. World Hunger Day May 28 --

Theme: Making menstruation a normal

fact of life by 2030
34. Menstrual Hygiene Day May 28
The day was initiated by the German
non-profit WASH United in 2013.

This is the day when in 1948 the first UN

peacekeeping mission, “UN Truce
Supervision Organisation (UNTSO)”
began operations in Palestine
75th International Day of UN Theme: Peace begins with me
35. May 29
Peacekeepers
Indian Army commemorated the 75th
International Day of UN Peacekeepers
by paying homage to the fallen comrades
by laying wreath at National War
Memorial, New Delhi

36. Goa Statehood Day May 30 Goa received statehood in 1987

World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) The theme for World MS Day 2020-2023
37. May 30
Day is ‘connections’

Theme for 2023 – “We Need Food, Not

38. World No Tobacco Day May 31
Tobacco”

MISCELLANEOUS

S.No Miscellaneous News Key Facts

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 Unveiled at: Mauritius
Established by: Mauritius Marathi Mandali Federation team
1. Statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
An MoU to promote trade between Mauritius and Maharashtra
was also signed

2. Gita Press, Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) It completed 100 years since its establishment on May 3, 1923

It added a 660 MW capacity unit of the 1320 MW (2x660)

Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant (MSTPP) located in
NTPC Ltd. recently marked its first overseas capacity Bagerhat, Bangladesh
3.
addition, beginning with Bangladesh The project was executed in collaboration with the Bangladesh-
India Friendship Power Company Pvt Ltd. (BIFPCL), a foreign
joint venture company of NTPC Ltd.

An initiative of: Brahma Kumaris Centre, Mayurbhanj (Odisha)

4. ‘Addiction Free Odisha’ campaign Launched by: President of India

Aim: To eradicate the stigma of Drug Addiction

Organized by: Central Pollution Control Board

Online ‘Waste to Wealth Ideation Hackathon’ Aim: To provide platform to college students across the country
5.
to solve real-world waste management challenges on plastic
waste, electronic waste, battery waste & crop residue

Project: “Return to Roots”

Australian High Commission in India has recently Aim of the project: To align with the National Education Policy,
6. announced its government grant for a project in which emphasizes increasing scientific engagement among
Kargil school children from tribal backgrounds and integrating
traditional knowledge with the current school science
curriculum

Extension of sponsorship for both the Men and Extended by: Government of Odisha
7.
Women Indian Hockey Teams (senior and junior) Extended for: 10 years (2023 to 2033)

Two new initiatives aimed at supporting small and Launched by: Microsoft India
8. medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in their digital Initiatives: Microsoft for Small and Medium Businesses and
transformation journey Digital Transformation Helpline

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ)

9. recently announced the sale of its Myanmar port - Cost: USD 30 million
Coastal International Terminals Pte Limited

Organized by: Border Roads Organisation’s Project Dantak in

collaboration with Bhutan Olympic Committee
Organized at: Thimphu, Bhutan
10th mega edition of the Enduring Friendship
10. Aim: To commemorate 64th Raising Day of BRO on May 7, 2023
Mountain bike challenge

About Project Dantak: The Border Roads Organisation Project

Dantak is an overseas project under the Ministry of Defence of
India, established on 24 April 1961 as a result of an agreement

60 | P a g e
 between Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third king of Bhutan, and
then Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru for developing
infrastructure and providing connectivity in remote areas of
Bhutan

Mascot: ‘Jitu the Barasingha’

Official Torch: ‘Shakti’

The official logo of the Khelo India University Games 2022

Uttar Pradesh represents the rich heritage of Uttar Pradesh,
Khelo India University Games Uttar Pradesh 2022’s
India’s largest state.
11. official logo, Mascot, Torch, Anthem & Jersey
launched in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Anthem: “Khelo India – Har Dil Mein Desh”

The 12-day-long KIUG UP 2022 will be held in the cities of

Varanasi, Noida and Gorakhpur, besides the state capital of
Lucknow with Delhi’s Dr. Karni Singh Shooting range
hosting the Shooting competition.

Set by: Modern Rail Coach Factory, Raebareli

12. Record of manufacturing 10,000 coaches
It has achieved this feat since its inception in April 2023

Approved by: Ministry of Defence

Posting of Women Officers of the Territorial Army The Territorial Army is based on a Citizen Soldiers’ army
13. concept and officers undergo Annual Training on basic
along the Line of Control
military skills while remaining gainfully employed in civilian
life

Indian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan to be Reason: Due to the prevailing security situation in Sudan,
14.
temporarily relocated to Port Sudan including attacks in Khartoum city.

Mastercard has reportedly replaced BharatPe as the global

sponsor of the ICC
Global sponsor of the International Cricket Council
15. It also secured title sponsorship rights of the Board of
(ICC) – ‘Mastercard’
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) international and
domestic home fixtures from Paytm

To be set up by: London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)

Technology centre of excellence to be set up in
16. Aim: To create about 1,000 jobs a year and boost the Banking,
Hyderabad, India
Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector in the city

Pavilion Designed by: National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

India’s Cannes pavilion this year is to be based on Theme of the pavilion: Showcasing India’s Creative Economy
17.
the ‘Saraswati Yantra’
Number of Indian films making it to the official selection in
Cannes Film Festival: 4

Recently, 1,30,000 vials of indelible ink supplied to Mysore Paints and Varnish Company is the only supplier of
18. office of Chief Electoral Office in Bengaluru for use in indelible ink for the election purpose in the country.
Karnataka election It is owned by the Government of Karnataka.

More than 5 lakh freight trains were operated in

19. --
India in FY 2022-23.

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 PayNearby Mall is a meta-commerce platform
PAYNEARBY,a branchless banking and digital
20. It enables easy availability of goods and services, in an assisted
network in India, has launched PayNearby Mall
mode at the last mile

German retailer METRO AG has completed of the

21. sale of its Indian cash & Carry business to Reliance Deal Value: Rs 2,850 crore
Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL)

Launched by: India and Bangladesh

Aim: 50 Start-ups from Bangladesh and 50 Start-ups from India
22. 50 start-ups exchange programme were planned to exchange visits to each other’s countries for
exploring partnerships, expanding business relations, sharing
experience and knowledge and expand youth and
entrepreneurial cooperation

UP received GI tags for three more One District One Product

(ODOP) crafts - Mainpuri tarkashi, Mahoba Gaura stone craft,
and Sambhal horn craft
Uttar Pradesh (UP) recently became the state with
the second position in the country to have the Total GI Tags in UP: 48
23.
maximum number of Geographical Indication (GI)-
tagged goods Additional Information:
Tamil Nadu leads with 55 GI-tagged goods, UP and Karnataka
follow with 48 and 46 GI products, respectively

Aim: To raise awareness, educate the public, and foster

UN General Assembly recently declared November
24. international cooperation in addressing pressing issues related to
26 as World Sustainable Transport Day
transport sustainability

The value currently stands Rs 1,06,800 crore

Defence production crosses Rs 1 lakh crore mark for The current value of defence production in FY 2022-23 is a rise of
25.
the first time ever more than 12% over FY 2021-22, when the figure was Rs 95,000
crore

Aim: To meet the increasing demand for cloud services in the

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is to invest $12.7 country
26.
billion into cloud infrastructure in India by 2030
AWS’s total investment in India will reach $16.4 billion by 2030

Logo revealed at: Los Angeles (USA)

Official Logo:

FIFA revealed the official logo for the 2026 FIFA

27. World Cup which is to be held in the United States,
Mexico and Canada

85th National Cadets Corps (NCC) Boys & Girls The team will be attempting to scale Mt Yunum (6111m) located
28. Mountaineering Expedition 2023 flagged off from in the Lahaul District of Himachal Pradesh by 1st week of June
New Delhi 2023.

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 To enhance people to people contact, presently three pairs of
passenger trains between India and Bangladesh, namely,
Kolkata-Dhaka Maitree Express, Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan
20 Broad Gauge (BG) locomotives recently virtually Express and New Jalpaiguri- Dhaka Mitali Express are running
29.
flagged off to Bangladesh
In line with Indian commitment to improve Rail service in
Bangladesh, 10 BG Diesel locomotives were handed over to
Bangladesh on grant basis in July 2020

Ministry of Minority Affairs has approved a grant of Rs. 45.34

Crores (Rs. 35.52 crores to CCRUM and Rs. 9.81 crores to NIUM)
Ministry of Minority Affairs has supported Central under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), a centrally
Council of Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) sponsored scheme (CSS)
and National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) This will support the upgradation of Unani Medicine facilities at
30.
Bengaluru, under the Ministry of Ayush, for the Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, Silchar and Bengaluru
promotion and upgradation of Unani Medicine
facilities in India
Note: Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) has been
covered in detail in the SchemesTap Document

China has become the world’s biggest exporter of

31. cars after overtaking Japan in the first three months --
of 2023.

German sportswear company Adidas has become

32. --
the new kit sponsor for Indian cricket team

Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project review being

33. This 2000 MW project is located in Arunachal Pradesh/Assam
done by Minister of Power

Special Protection Group (SPG) to be headed by an

34. officer of the rank of an ADG from Indian Police SPG is the force that handles the security of the Prime Minister
Services

Following are the YouTube reference videos for this month; however, this does not cover all the news and
comprises of important news in a very crisp manner (not in detail):
Date YouTube Link

1st & 2nd May https://youtu.be/zORPhbxmvzU

3rd May https://youtu.be/10JbN93ZHWg

4th May https://youtu.be/XZyIKIEin-0

5th May https://youtu.be/Yj0FdJ_Ckn4

6th to 8th May https://youtu.be/KY1h_kP1TcQ

9th May https://youtu.be/5MIWZckKYFc

10th May https://youtu.be/Z9QAbU6FhC4

11th May https://youtu.be/1JwllpsIzNw

63 | P a g e
 12th & 13th May https://youtu.be/F5j8s0xq4Do

14th & 15th May https://youtu.be/oCmtnjxkVp0

16th May https://youtu.be/3zMyxk8vWAA

17th May https://youtu.be/VQzFd2SlmXk

18th & 19th May https://youtu.be/zUtq9rsZtzg

20th to 22nd May https://youtu.be/m3yXvhghJAs

23rd May https://youtu.be/iJ26Y3RywSQ

24th May https://youtu.be/kgSduvRDbeI

25th May https://youtu.be/ftPqAQygk7s

26th May https://youtu.be/8UhCobudxIc

27th May https://youtu.be/gXiOOITlL5k

28th – 29th May https://youtu.be/fD6DkvzMh5Q

30th May https://youtu.be/QIULi3T4QOA

31st May https://youtu.be/HVyvmTqyiEA

*************

2 GA + ESI

2.1 Organ Donation Policy

Why in news?
• Recently Union Health Minister has reviewed the status of organ donations and transplant with senior
officers of the Health Ministry.

Important information
• The number of total organ transplants in the country has substantially increased from less than 5000 in
the year 2013 to more than 15000 in the year 2022.

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 • In the year 2016, 2265 organs were utilized from 930 deceased donors while 2765 could be utilized from
904 deceased donors in the year 2022.
Organ donation policy:
• Coordination at: National (NOTTO), Regional (ROTTO) and State level (SOTTO)
• NOTTO: National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization.
• Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994.
• NOTTO was established under the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act, 2011.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Only close relatives & blood relation are in a condition to donate organ otherwise NOTTO registration is
mandatory.
• Recently, Govt. of India has granted
Special Casual Leaves of up to 42 days to
Central Govt. Employees, who donate an
organ to another human being, as a
special welfare measure in public interest.

2.2 India Health Dialogue (IHD)

Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister for MSME
launched the India Health Dialogue (IHD)
platform.
o Venue: Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR) AIIMS New Delhi

2.3 SAKSHAM Learning Management

Information System
Why in news?
• Recently Union Health Secretary launched the SAKSHAM (Stimulating Advanced Knowledge for
Sustainable Health Management), a Learning Management Information System (LMIS) of MoHFW.

Important information
• Developed by: the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Purpose: providing online training and medical education to all health professionals in the country.
• Who all are covered? Health professionals from primary health centres located in rural and remote areas
all the way up to tertiary care and corporate hospitals in metropolitan cities.
• Current status of SAKSHAM: hosting more than 200 public health and 100 clinical courses through online
mode.

2.4 “75/25 Initiative”

Why in news?
• Recently The Union Health Ministry launched an ambitious initiative named “75/25 Initiative” on the
occasion of World Hypertension Day.

Important information

65 | P a g e
 • Aim: screening and putting 75 million people with hypertension and diabetes on Standard Care by 2025
through PHCs (Primary Health Centre)
• Nodal Ministry: Union Health Ministry
• Event organized by: Union Health Ministry, WHO and NITI Aayog.
• This will be the largest expansion of NCDs in primary health care programme in the world with a
community based approach starting at the primary healthcare level.
• Sashakt Portal: for training of 40,000 Primary Health Care Medical Officers on Standard Treatment
Workflow for NCDs initiated to realize health care services closer to the community.

2.5 Annual Capacity Building Plan for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the Annual Capacity Building Plan for
capacity building of civil servants of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Important information
• The Annual Capacity Building Plan (ACBP)
• developed by: the Capacity Building Commission
• in consultation with: Mission Karmayogi Cell of the Health Ministry
• It is based on: philosophy of creating an ecosystem of “competency driven training and human resource
management”
• Purpose: comprehensive strategic document envisioned to assist the development in enhancement of
capacities of individuals, and of Ministry/ Department/ Organizations (MDOs).
• Additional information
• Mission Karmayogi’ also known as ‘National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB)’
in September 2020.

2.6 World Bank's Assistance for Prevention of Zoonotic, Endemic Diseases in India
Why in news?
• Recently The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved an $82 million loan towards the
adoption of global best practices for animal health management.
Important information
• The funding: The $82 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) uses the Program-for-Results (PforR) financing instrument.
• Purpose: to prevent, detect, and respond to endemic zoonotic, trans boundary, and emerging infectious
diseases.
• Significance: It will strengthen India’s One Health approach, which recognizes that people and animals
are connected with their shared environment.
• Implemented by: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
• Participating States: Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh.

Additional information
• Zoonotic disease: Disease which spread between animals and Humans.
• Examples: Zoonotic influenza, Salmonellosis, West Nile virus, Plague, Emerging coronaviruses (e.g.,
severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome), Rabies, Brucellosis etc.

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2.7 8th International Conference on Pharma and Medical Device Sector
Why in News?
• Recently, the Department of Pharmaceuticals in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has organized the 8th International Conference on Pharma and Medical
Device Sector at New Delhi
• Theme for India Medical Device sector: "Sustainable MedTech 5.0: Scaling and Innovating Indian
MedTech"
• Theme for Pharmaceutical sector: "Indian pharma industry: Delivering Value through Innovation’.

Initiatives launched during the event

• National Medical Devices Policy, 2023
• Export Promotion Council for Medical Devices
• Scheme titled ‘Assistance for Medical Devices clusters for Common Facilities (AMD-CF)’.

Note: National Medical Devices Policy discussed in CurrentTap-April 2023 (News 2.58); AMD-CF will be covered
in SchemesTap.

2.8 “e-Office portal of PCIM&H”

Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of Ayush visited Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine &
Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), Ghaziabad and inaugurated “e-Office portal of PCIM&H” and “Online portal”
o Venue: Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Important information
• e-office portal and online portal:
• Purpose: for selling the softcopies of pharmacopoeial monographs.
• It will promote the hassle free reach of pharmacopoeia monographs among the stakeholders across the
world.
• Released the Monthly Newsletters published by PCIM&H.

Additional information
• Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H)
• Under the aegis of: Ministry of Ayush.
• Function: engaged in Standardization and Quality Control of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathic
(ASU&H) drugs and is publishing the standards in the form of Pharmacopoeias.
• It was created by merging Pharmacopoeia Commission of Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H)
and the two central laboratories namely Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM),
Ghaziabad and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL)
• What is pharmacopoeial monographs?
• Usually contains basic chemical information for the ingredient, as well as its description and function (for
food ingredients).

67 | P a g e
2.9 PARAKH (The National Assessment Centre)
Why in News?
• Recently Ministry of Education and PARAKH (The National Assessment Centre) organize the 1st National
level workshop on assessment with States and UTs.
Important Information
• Organized by: Ministry of Education and PARAKH
• Focus area of workshop: on school assessments, examination practices and equivalence of boards
across the country.
• PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of knowledge for Holistic Development):
• It is India’s First National Assessment Regulator.
• Launched by: NCERT
• It works on 3 major areas viz; large-scale assessments, school-based assessment, and examination
reforms.
• Aimed to create a benchmark framework for assessing students at the secondary and higher secondary
levels.
• It is part of National Education Policy (NEP) – 2020.
• It will work to eliminate the emphasis on rote learning that the NEP envisions.
• It will eliminates the disparity in scores among students of different state boards and central board.
• Conducts National Achievement Survey from 2024, and guides state to conduct State Achievement
Survey.
• Monitor the India’s participation in International assessment programmes.

2.10 First Mile Connectivity Projects

Why in News?
• Recently, the Ministry of Coal has informed that it will complete 67 first mile connectivity (FMC) projects
with a capacity of handling 885 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2027.
• The Ministry of Coal has developed a plan to improve the mechanized coal transportation and loading
system under FMC project to eliminate road transportation of coal in mines.

About FMC Projects

• Implemented by: Ministry of Coal
• FMC refers to the transportation of coal from pitheads to dispatch points

Important Target
• The Ministry of Coal has set a target to generate 1.3 billion tonne (BT) coal in FY25 and 1.5 BT in FY30 to
increase India's energy security and realise AtmaNirbhar Bharat by substituting domestically mined coal
for imported coal.

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2.11 Mission Amrit Sarovar
Why in News?
• According to a recent update from the Ministry of Rural Development, 50,071 Amrit Sarovars have been
completed before the deadline.

2.12 Harit Sagar- the Green Port Guidelines 2023

Why in News?
• Recently, the Ministry of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has drafted ‘Harit Sagar’- the Green
Port Guidelines 2023 to meet the larger vision of achieving Zero Carbon Emission Goal.

69 | P a g e
 • The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has also awarded the Sagar Shreshtha Samman awards
to major ports for their all-time best performance on select operational and financial parameters during
FY - 2022-23.

S.No Category Winner

Deendayal Port, Kandla, Gujarat (for
1. Best Absolute Performance for the year 2022-23
handling highest cargo of 137.56 MMT)
Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai,
2. Award for achieving major milestone in Turn Around Time
Maharashtra

Award for best incremental performance (for attaining the highest cargo
3.
growth rate of 16.56%)

Paradip Port, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha

Best port for overall annual performance based upon cargo handling,
4. average turnaround time, ship birthday output, and idle time at berth,
operating ratio, pre berthing detention.

5. Best turnaround time in non-container port category Cochin Port, Kerala

Additional Information
• Four Major Ports of India: Deendayal Port, Visakhapatnam Port (Andhra Pradesh), New Mangalore Port
(Karnataka )and V. O. Chidambaranar Port (Tamil Nadu).

2.13 Project Cheetah

Why in News?
• Recently On the directions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) a team of experts visited
the Kuno National Park and reviewed the current status of the Project Cheetah.

Important Information
• The introduction of cheetahs in India is being done under Project Cheetah, which is the world's first
intercontinental large wild carnivore translocation project.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• According to the Wildlife Institute of India’s (WII) “Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India,”
50 wild cheetahs that are ideal for starting a new cheetah population would be imported as a founder
stock over five years initially.
• 1st Phase of introduction: first batch of eight cheetahs (five females and three males) from Namibia into
a quarantine enclosure at Kuno (MP) last year. (2022)
• 2nd Phase: 12 Cheetahs from South Africa. (2023)
• Place where they will be introduced: Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
• The project hopes to benefit global cheetah conservation efforts by providing up to 100 000 km2 of
habitat in legally protected areas and an additional 600 000 km2 of habitable landscape for the species.
Additional information:
• The Cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world.
• Its historical range includes the majority of Sub-Saharan Africa and extends eastward to India.
• It is the only large carnivore that went ‘Extinct’ in India due to overhunting and habitat loss.

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 • The country’s last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947 and it was declared extinct in the country
in 1952.

2.14 Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Star Labelling program

Why in news?
• Recently a data has been shared by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power regarding star
labelling Programme.

Important information
• Split Room Air-Conditioners (RACs), the overall energy efficiency improvement is 43% for 1-Star and 61%
for the 5-Star level.
• Overall energy efficiency improvement for window RACs is 17% for 1-Star and 13% for 5-Star level.
• The market share of energy efficient Inverter-based ACs increases from 1% to 77% in last 8 years.

Star Labelling Programme:

• Launch year: 2006 by BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency).
• It is in accordance with the Energy Conservation Act of 2001.
• Initially it was voluntary, became mandatory in 2009.
• 2018 - BEE adopted an improved rating methodology that factors in variance in temperature across the
various climatic zones in India and operating hours.
• New metric: Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER) - ratio of the cooling seasonal total load (in
kWh) to cooling seasonal energy consumption (in kWh).
• Products notified under mandatory labelling:
o Refrigerator with no frost
o Fluorescent tubes
o Room air conditioners
o Transformers for distribution
o Room Air Conditioners (Cassette, Floor Standing Tower, Ceiling, Corner AC)
o Direct Cool Refrigerator
o Electric geysers
o Colour TV
o Room Air Conditioners (Inverter)
o LED lights
Additional information:
• India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP):
o Launch year: 2019 by Ministry of Earth, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
• Aim: to provide an integrated vision towards cooling across sectors, 20-year time horizon

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2.15 SVASTIK (Scientifically Validated Societal Traditional Knowledge)
Why in news?
• Recently CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR) hosted the
first meeting of the Water, Ecology & Environment Sub-committee.

Important information
• Meeting related to: Water, Ecology & Environment (Subcommittee)
• SVASTIK:
• Launched by: CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR).
• Objective: To conserve the practice of the right tradition, inculcate scientific temper of verifying
tradition in a scientific manner and instill confidence in citizens regarding the scientific value of our
traditional knowledge/practices.

2.16 Meri LiFE App

Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change launched a mobile application,
called “Meri LiFE” (My life)
o App is inspired by the concept of LiFE, envisioned by the Prime Minister at COP 26.

Important information
• Launched by: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change (MoEFCC)
• Purpose: help in creating a structured way to track the progress being made on Mission LiFE.
• 5 themes on which LiFE related tasks based on: Save Energy, Save Water, Reduce Single Use Plastic,
Adopt Sustainable Food Systems and Adopt Healthy Lifestyle.
Additional information
• 2 dedicated portals developed by MoEFCC for Mission LiFE: The Mission LiFE Portal: is open access and
can be used to download the 100+ creatives, videos, and knowledge materials. The Meri LiFE Portal has
been developed for ministries and institutions to upload event reports.
‘Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar’
• Launched by: Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Duration: three-week campaign
• Aim: to champion the RRR’s of waste management- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

2.17 Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022

Why in news?
• Recently Union Power & NRE Minister chaired a meeting with Industry and other stakeholders in New
Delhi on Green Energy Open Access Rules.
o Rules notified in: 2022.

Important information
• Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy Through Green Energy Open Access) Rules:

72 | P a g e
 o Nodal Agency for operating Green Open Access Registry (GOAR) portal: Grid Controller of India
Limited.
o Purpose of the portal: as single window portal to register and apply for the Green Energy Open
Access.
o Objective: ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and green energy for all.
• Salient features of Rules are:
o Promoting generation, purchase and consumption of green energy including the energy from
Waste-to-Energy plants.
o Limit of Open Access Transaction has been reduced from 1 MW to 100 kW for green energy, to
enable small consumers to purchase RE (renewable energy)
• Consumers are entitled to demand supply of Green Power from Discoms. Discoms would be obligated
to procure and supply green power to eligible consumers.
• Time bound processing by bringing uniformity and transparency in the application as well as approval
of open access through a national portal has been mandated.
• Approval for Green Open Access is to be granted in 15 days or else it will be deemed to have been
granted.

2.18 Sagar Parikrama Phase V

Why in News?
• Recently, Sagar Parikrama Phase V commenced from Raigad, Maharashtra & ended in Canacona, Goa.
• Sagar Parikrama Phase V covered six locations across the states of Maharashtra and Goa viz, Raigad,
Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg Districts in Maharashtra, and Vasco, Mormugao, and Canacona in Goa.

Key Highlight
• The villagers of Manori (Maharashtra) were awarded with cheque of Rs. 54,00,000/- for contribution in
fisheries sector.

Key Information Shared

• India’s fish production touched a record 162.48 lakh tons per annum in 2021-22.
• India is the 3rd largest fish producing nation with about 8% share in global fish production
• India is the 2nd largest aquaculture producing nation in the world.

2.19 Sagar Parikarma Yatra Phase VI

Why in News?
• VI Phase of Sagar Parikarma Yatra launched in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
o Will cover Kodiyaghat, Port Blair, Panighat Fish landing center, VK Pur Fish Lending Center,
Hutbay, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island etc
o First Phase of “Sagar Parikrama” started from Mandvi, Gujarat in March 2022 and so far in 5
Phases of Sagar Parikrama the coastal areas of Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra and Karnataka
have been covered in the west coast.
Important Information
• Sagar Parikrama aims to:
o Facilitate interaction with fishermen, coastal communities and stakeholders so as to disseminate
information of various fisheries related schemes and programs being implemented by the
Government.

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 o Demonstrating solidarity with all fisher folk, fish farmers and concerned stakeholders as a spirit
of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
o Promote responsible fisheries
o Protection of marine ecosystems

2.20 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

Why in News?
• Recently India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA) organized a Risk Reduction Hub Event at the United Nations headquarters
o Occasion: High-level meeting of the midterm review of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030

Important Information
• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
• Midterm Review of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030)
• state and local governments in India have access to about $6 billion for disaster risk mitigation over the
five years (2021-2025)
• This is in addition to resource of $23 billion meant for preparedness, response and recovery.
• Loss of lives from cyclones reduced to less than 2% (in just over a decade).

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 • Implementation of Common Alerting Protocol, which will integrate Alert Generating Agencies with
Disaster Managers and Telecom
Service Providers.
• This will ensure dissemination of
geo-targeted alerts in regional
languages.
• ‘Early Warning for All by 2027-
initiative of UN Secretary General.
• India-Japan Side Event: Based on
:The Roles of States for Promoting
Investments in Disaster Risk
Reduction Towards Resilient and
Sustainable Future

2.21 ‘Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Seher

Campaign’
Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of Housing
and Urban Affairs launched Meri
LiFE, Mera Swachh Seher Campaign’

Important information
• Launched by: Ministry for Housing
and Urban Affairs.
• Duration: three-week campaign
• Aim: to champion the RRR’s of waste management- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
• 7000 RRR Centres have been launched across the country.
• RRR on wheels: door-to-door collection of Waste

2.22 Panch Karma Sankalp

Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) made FIVE major announcements
focusing green shipping and digitisation of the ports.

Important information
• Nodal Ministry: Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW).
• The ‘Panch Karma Sankalp’: includes 5 major announcements –
o MoPSW to provide 30% financial support for the promotion of Green Shipping.
o Under the Green Tug Transition Programme Jawaharlal Nehru Port, VO Chidambaranar Port,
Paradip Port and Deendayal Port, Kandla will procure two tugs each.
o Deendayal Port and VO Chidambaranar Port, Tuticorin to be developed as Green Hydrogen Hub.
o Single Window Portal to facilitate and monitor river and sea cruises.
o Jawaharlal Nehru Port and VO Chidambaranar Port, Tuticorin to become smart port by next year.

Additional information

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 • The cargo handled by coastal shipping has grown to 151 MMTPA in 2022-23 which was 74 MMTPA in
2014-15.
• Cargo handling via IWT (inland Water Transport), it was only 30 MTPA in 2014 which has now grown to
126 MTPA in 2022-23.

2.23 Cheetah Project Steering Committee

Why in News?
• Recently, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has constituted a Cheetah Project Steering
Committee.
• Committee Chairperson: Dr. Rajesh Gopal, Secretary General, Global Tiger Forum
• Total Members of the Committee: 11
• A four membered consulting panel of international Cheetah experts has also been formed for
consultation.
• Objective: to review, progress, monitor and advice on the Cheetah introduction to the Madhya Pradesh
Forest Department and NTCA
• Tenure of the Committee: two years

2.24 City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0)
Why in News?
• Recently The Union Cabinet chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the
City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0).

Important Information
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• In partnership with: French Development Agency (AFD), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the
European Union (EU), and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
• Duration: four years, i.e., from 2023 till 2027.
• The funding: loan of Rs.1760 crore (EUR 200 million) from AFD and KfW (EUR 100 million each) and a
technical assistance grant of Rs.106 cr. (EUR 12 million) from the EU.
• Focus areas: integrated waste management at the city level, climate-oriented reform actions at the State
level, and institutional strengthening and knowledge dissemination at the National level.
• Number of Components: 3

Additional information
• CITIIS 1.0 was launched jointly in 2018 by MoHUA, AFD, EU, and NIUA, with a total outlay of ₹933 crore.

2.25 People’s Biodiversity Register

Why in News?
• National Campaign for Updation and Verification of People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) was launched in
Goa.
o Organized by Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in association with Goa
State Biodiversity Board, National Biodiversity Authority, and Government of Goa.

Important Information
• About People’s Biodiversity Register

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 o Serves as a comprehensive record of various aspects of biodiversity, including the conservation
of habitats, preservation of land races, folk varieties and cultivars, domesticated stocks and
breeds of animals, micro-organisms, and the accumulation of knowledge related to the area's
biological diversity.
o As per the Biological Diversity Act 2002, Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) are created
for “promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity” by local
bodies across the country.
o BMCs have been constituted by the local bodies in the States and Union Territories and are
entrusted with preparation of the People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), in consultation with local
communities.

2.26 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG)

Why in News?
• 3rd ECSWG meeting under India’s G20 Presidency concluded in Mumbai.
o Supported by two side events – Mega Beach Clean Up Event at Juhu in Mumbai and the Ocean 20
Dialogue

Important Information
• Focus on Blue Economy
• 3 priorities - arresting land degradation, promoting circular economy and giving impetus to blue
economy.
• Environment and Climate Sustainability Group (ECSWG):
o Aims to enhance cooperation among the G20 nations to develop state of the art solutions for
sustainable management of oceans and marine biodiversity conservation.

2.27 Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development

(REWARD) program
Why in News?
• Implementation of program was reviewed recently.
About REWARD program
• Joint initiative of the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development in
association with World Bank for watershed development.
• Tenure: 2021 to 2026
• Total budget outlay: USD 167.71 million
• Development Objectives: Strengthen capacities of National and State institutions to adopt
improved watershed management for increasing farmers resilience and support value chains in
selected watersheds of participating States.
• To introduce modern watershed practices in the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) in
Ministry of Rural Development and in States of Karnataka and Odisha.
• Funding pattern is 70:30, between World Bank and States whereas it is 50:50 between World
Bank and DoLR.

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2.28 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016
Why in News?
• Recently Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) chaired a
meeting on series of reforms for implementation of the provisions of “Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Act 2016” and empowerment of Persons with Disabilities with states/UTs and their representatives.

Important Information
• Focus areas of the meeting: Skill Training of persons with disabilities through a Government of India
flagship Programme on “National Action Plan on Skilling”
• Importance of barrier free environment for PwDS including ICT, Skill development/vocational training,
promoting Braille Press etc.
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.
o Act was passed in India to give effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which India ratified in 2007.
o The Act replaces the earlier Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights
and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
• Definition and Classification of Disabilities.
o The Act recognizes 21 types of disabilities, as compared to 7 types under the previous law.
o Empowers the central government to notify any other category of specified disability.
o It defines a person with benchmark disability as a person with not less than 40% of a specified
disability.
• Rights and entitlements for persons with disabilities.
o Equality and non-discrimination
o Women and children with disabilities
o Community life
o Protection from abuse, violence and exploitation
o Accessibility
o Education
o Employment
o Social Security

2.29 8th All India Pension Adalat

Why in News?
• Recently the 8th All India Pension Adalat was organized at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.
o Venue: Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi.
✓ Organized by: Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare
Important Information
• 50 chronic cases were taken up and resolved through inter-department consultation and coordination.
• Major participating departments: Defence, MHA, Health, Civil Aviation, Posts, I&B, Youth Affairs and
Sports etc.
• 1st Pension Adalat: 2017
• Other event:

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 o 50th PRC (Pre-Retirement Counselling) Workshop
o Initiative was started on experimental basis in 2017.
o Objectives of workshop: timely disbursal of pension, and ensuring quality healthcare through
CGHs (Central Govt. Health scheme) system.
• It is for the first time all 18 Pension disbursing banks are participating in the PRC.
• Participants: 1200 officers of all Ministries/Departments who are going to retire in next 12 months.

Additional information
• BHAVISHYA software: for end-to-end digitization of the Pension payment process, mandatory for all
the Ministries to process their pension cases.
• This portal is one of the best portals in the world and has got the 3rd rank among all the Central
Government e-Governance Service Delivery Portals as per the NeSDA Assessment 2021.
• ANUBHAV: the platform for showcasing outstanding work done during service.
• Till date, 49 PRCs have been conducted by the Department – 29 for various Ministries/Departments in
Delhi and 20 for the CAPFs.
• “Integrated Pensioners’ Portal” – for integrating all the portals of the departments

2.30 Tele-Law Programme

Why in News?
• Recently The Tele-Law programe has achieved a new milestone with 40 Lakh beneficiaries across the
country having been empowered with pre-litigation advice.
o Under the aegis of: Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice
Important Information
• Tele-Law Programme:
• Launch year: 2017
• Aim: ‘Reaching the Unreached’
• Features of the Programme:
• It is an e-interface mechanism to seek legal advice and consultation at a pre-litigation stage.
• Connects the needy to Panel Lawyers via video conferencing/telephonic facilities available at Common
Service Centres (CSCs) situated at the panchayat level.
• The service can also be accessed through the Tele-Law Mobile App.
• Eligibility: Legal advice is made available to everyone under Tele-Law service. Advice is free of Cost to
those who are eligible for free legal aid under Section 12 of LSA (legal service authority) Act, 1987.
• (Women, Children, Persons belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe, Victims of Trafficking,
Mentally ill and differently-abled people, Victims of natural disaster/ethnic violence, Workers in
unorganized sector/industrial workers, Undertrials, People of low-income group, For all others, a nominal
fee of Rs. 30/- is charged for each consultation.)

2.31 Digital India Act

Why in News?
• Recently Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT held
Digital India Dialogues on the Principles of the Digital India Act

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 Digital India Act:
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• This will fully replace the current Information Technology Act (IT Act) of 2000 by early 2023.
• Key provisions
• Creating new regulations around newer technology, including 5G, IoT devices, cloud computing,
metaverse, blockchain, and cryptocurrency.
• Reclassifying online intermediaries to separate categories instead of one general intermediary label,
each one with its own set of regulations.
• Removing “safe harbour” immunity for online intermediaries for purposeful misinformation or other
content violations from third parties.
• Creating digital standards and laws regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
technology.
• Criminalizing cyberbullying, identity theft, and unauthorized sharing of personal information without
consent.
• Regulating monetization of content creation and its creators by advertising technology (adtech)
companies.
• Removing monopolies of the digital space (big tech) and allowing fair competition from local startups
and more choices for users.
• Startups have either been provided exemptions or an extended time period for compliance.

2.32 National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA)

Why in News?
• Recently Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution attended
the National Workshop on National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) as Chief Guest.
o Workshop organized by: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
✓ Venue: New Delhi.

Important Information
• National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA)
• Under the aegis of: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Government of India.
• Implementation: in all the States and Union Territories Legislative locations of India.
• It is a type of Mission Mode Project (MMP).
• Aim: to assist the Members of all the States and Union Territories Legislatures to use the latest tools like
Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
• Significance: make all the Legislatures of all the States and Union Territories (UTs) into a paperless
legislature and connect the legislators of all the states and UTs.
• It showcase the principle of: ‘One Nation, One Application’ and ‘One Nation, One Technological
Backbone’
• The funding: Central Sponsored Scheme; 60:40 and 90:10 for North East & hilly States and 100% for
Union Territories (UTs).
• Implementation status:
• Till now 21 States Legislatures have signed MoU for implementation of the NeVA and the project has
been sanctioned for 17 legislatures.
• Among them 9 Legislatures have already become fully digital and are live on NeVA platform.

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 • Tech companies involved in making the National e- Vidhan Application (NeVA) more accessible,
discoverable, insightful by use of Generative Artificial Intelligence models, are
• Microsoft, IBM and Google Inc.
• Number of Modules of NeVA: 17 (currently)

2.33 SAMARTH Campaign

Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, launched the ‘Campaign on
Promoting Digital Transactions in 50000 Gram Panchayats' under the AmritMahotsav in Lucknow.

Important information
• SAMARTH campaign: stands for Sashakt Mahila, Aatmanirbhar Rashtra
• Part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
• Aim: promote Digital Transactions in rural areas, particularly among women and Campaign on
Promoting Digital Transactions in 50000 Gram Panchayats.
• Launched by: Ministry of Rural Development.
• Duration: February to August

Additional information
• Some important data shared:
• SHG’s NPA coming down from 9.58 % in 2013 percent to below 2% now.
• Digital transformation brought about by BC Sakhis (Bank Correspondents) in UP alone to the tune of 5
Crore 57 lakh transactions.
• Digital Gram Sachivalays being created by Govt. of UP in villages.

2.34 Governing Council of NITI Aayog

Why in News?
• Prime Minister (PM) of India chaired the 8th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog.
o At Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

Important Information
• About Governing Council of NITI Aayog
o Comprises PM of India; Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with legislature; Lt
Governors of other UTs; Ex-Officio Members; Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Full-Time Members, NITI
Aayog; and Special Invitees
o Embodies objectives of cooperative federalism, presents a platform to discuss inter-sectoral,
inter-departmental and federal issues to accelerate the implementation of national development
agenda.

2.35 Update on Census 2021

Why in News?
• Web portal for Birth and Death Registration, Upgraded SRS Mobile Application with Geofencing and
Web portal for Online Sale of Census Publications launched.
• History of all Censuses since 1981 has been published in the form of a book.

Important Information

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 • Next Census to be conducted electronically.
o Every person will have the right to fill the data.
o Will include more than 35 parameters of socio-economic status.
• SRS upgraded mobile application along with geofencing to create an alert system so that the officials
doing the census will not go out of the allotted area.
• New features to be implemented:
o As soon as a person turns 18, the Election Commission will take information from him and make
his voter card, in case of death of someone, the census registrar will send the information to the
Election Commission and his name will be removed from the voter’s list.
• Last Census was conducted in 2011.
• First census conducted non-synchronously in 1872.

2.36 1st Anniversary of India-UAE CEPA

Why in News?
• Recently The UAE Ministry of Economy hosted Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) to mark the first
anniversary of UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
o Venue: Abu Dhabi
• The UAE-India CEPA, which came into effect on May 1, 2022, was the UAE's first-ever bilateral trade deal
and a cornerstone of the country's new foreign trade agenda.

Important Information
• Developments in India-UAE trade due to CEPA:
• Bilateral Trade between India and the UAE has touched historic highs during FY 2022-23.
• Some of the important Data:

S.No Particulars 2021-2022 2022-23 % Increase

1. Bilateral trade US$ 72.9 billion US$ 84.5 billion 16%

Bilateral Trade during US$ 67.5 US$ 76.9 billion 14%

2. CEPA implementation
period

3. Indian Exports to UAE US$ 28 bn US$ 31.3 bn 11.8%

Indian Exports During 26.2 billion 28.5 billion 8.5%

4. the CEPA
Implementation period

Number of Preferential 415 8440 Over 54,000 COOs issued

5. Certificates of Origin under the CEPA during the
(COOs) issued 11-month

India-UAE CEPA:
• Signed in the year 2022 (February), came into force from May 2022.

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 • United Arab Emirates (UAE) is India’s 3rd largest trading partner, after the United States and China, with
a bilateral trade turnover of USD 68 billion in 2021. The UAE is also the 7th largest investor in India.
• Key provisions in CEPA: The agreement includes provisions for reducing tariffs on goods, services, and
investment, as well as for promoting the movement of people, goods, and services.
• The agreement will cover:
o Trade-in Goods.
o Rules of Origin.
o Trade-in Services.
o Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).
o Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures.
o Dispute Settlement.
o Movement of Natural Persons.
o Telecom.
o Customs Procedures.
o Pharmaceutical products.
o Government Procurement.
o Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Investment, Digital Trade and Cooperation in other Areas
• It is projected to reach US$100 billion in goods trade and over US$15 billion in trade in services in the
next five years. Built on three pillars of trust, transparency, and talent.
• India has obtained immediate duty elimination on over 80% of its tariff lines corresponding to 90% of
India’s exports in value terms.
• Events to commemorate the first anniversary of CEPA.
• Multi-sectoral B-2-B event in Dubai organised by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council
(GJEPC).
Secretary, DPIIT inaugurated the International Jewellery Exposition Centre in Dubai.

2.37 India-US Bilateral Trade

Why in news?
• Recently in 'US-India Partnership: Forging Ahead' at American Chamber of Commerce in India
(AMCHAM) India's 31st Annual General Meeting, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry talked about
diversifying and deepening India-U.S. trade and investment ties for mutual growth and prosperity.

Important information
• Minister mentioned the 5Ts-Talent, Technology, Tradition, Trade and Trusteeship- identified by the
Prime Minister as the vision for the India-U.S. relationship.
• Releases during meeting: 1. The India edge - US Industries catalysing the growth trajectory and 2. Future
of Urban Mobility- Integration of Platforms.

India-US Bilateral Trade:

• Recently US overtook China to become top trading partner of India.
• Bilateral TRADE between the United States and India would reach $119.42 billion in 2021-22, up from
$80.51 billion in 2020-21.
• Exports to the United States surged to $76.11 billion in 2021-22, up from $51.62 billion in the previous
fiscal year.
• Petroleum, polished diamonds, pharmaceutical products, jewellery, light oils and petroleum, frozen
shrimp, made ups, and other items are major exports from India to the United States.

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 • While imports increased to $43.31 billion, up from about $29 billion in 2020-21.
• Major imports from the United States include petroleum, rough diamonds, liquefied natural gas, gold,
coal, waste and scrap, almonds, and other items.
• The United States is one of the few nations with whom India enjoys a trade surplus.
• India had a trade surplus with the United States of $32.8 billion in 2021-22.

2.38 6th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment

Why in News?
• Recently Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of India along with Minister of
International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of
Canada, co-chaired the sixth India- Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI)
o Venue: Ottawa.

Important Information
• India-Canada bilateral trade in goods reached about US$ 8.2 billion in 2022, registering about 25%
growth compared to 2021.
• Bilateral services trade stood at about US $6.6 billion in 2022.
• Ministers discuss reworking and relaunching of the Canada-India CEO Forum.

2.39 Shanghai cooperation organization (SCO)

Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare chaired the virtually-held sixth session of
the Health Ministers meeting of the Shanghai Corporation Organization (SCO) member states.
Important information
• Establishment of the World Health Organization's Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in
India.
• The theme of the Indian SCO Presidency: “SECURE SCO”
• SCO:
• It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation of Eurasian Nations.
• Founded in: 2001
• Secretariat: Beijing
• Aim: It is a political, economic and military organisation that aims at maintaining peace, security and
stability in the region.
• Representing 42% of the world's population, 22% of its land area, and contributing 20% to global GDP.
• Members: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan.
• Initially- Shanghai Five (Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan), established in 1996.
• India and Pakistan became fulltime members in: 2017

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2.40 G7 Ministerial Meeting
Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India addressed the G7 Health Ministerial
meeting on Global Health Architecture.
o Venue: Nagasaki, Japan
Important information:
• Participants: G7 countries and invited “Outreach 4” countries of India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
• Area of discussion: Priorities, implementation and utilization of health innovation like digital health
towards ensuring Universal Health Coverage.
Additional information
• G7: Group of Seven
• Type of organization: Intergovernmental.
• Year of formation: 1975.
• The G7 countries: UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.
• The G7 does not have a formal charter or a secretariat.
• As of 2022, G7 countries make up 10% of the world’s population, 31% of global GDP, and 21% of global
carbon dioxide emissions.

2.41 India-EFTA TEPA

Why in news?
• Recently a communique has been issued on conclusion of talks between Union Minister of Commerce &
Industry, Government of India and leaders of European Free Trade Association.
Important information
• India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) : Trade and Partnership Agreement (TEPA)
• Area of discussion: modalities of engagement for working towards a comprehensive TEPA.
• Negotiations initiated in: 2008

Additional information
• What is EFTA – EFTA is an intergovernmental organization, created as an alternative trade bloc for those
European states that were unable or unwilling to join the European Union (EU).
• Established in: 1960
• States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
• What is TEPA – Type of economic partnership agreement.
o Coverage: cover a broad range of economic activities, including trade in goods, services, and
investment, as well as other areas such as intellectual property, competition policy, and
government procurement.
o EFTA represents around 2.5% of India’s total merchandise trade in 2020–21, ranking as its ninth-
largest trading partner.

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2.42 India-European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC)
Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister for Commerce & Industry visited Brussels to attend the first Ministerial meeting
of India-European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC).
o Attended the business meeting organised by Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB).
Important information
• Minister mentioned about 4Ts of Trade, Technology, Tourism and Talent, in achieving 10x+ growth
potential in the next 25 years.
• India-European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC):
• Announced in: 2022
• Co-chaired by: Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, External Affairs Minister (EAM) and Union
Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• The EU side is co-chaired by Executive Vice Presidents
• The working Groups: 3 working Groups
• Working Group on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity,
• Working Group on Green and Clean Energy Technologies.
• Working Group on Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains.

2.43 India-EU FTA

Why in news?
• Recently India-EU FTA negotiations has been discussed during the bilateral meeting between the leaders
on the sidelines of the first Ministerial meeting of India-European Union Trade and Technology Council.

India-EU FTA:
• Significance:
o India’s bilateral trade with the EU amounted to USD 116.36 billion in 2021-22.
o Bilateral trade achieved impressive annual growth of 43.5% in 2021-22.
o India's export to the EU jumped 57% in FY 2021-22 to $65 billion.
o Trade surplus: India has a surplus trade with the EU.
Additional information
• FTA is a free trade agreement is a pact between two or more nations to reduce barriers to imports and
exports among them.
• India has signed 13 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with its trading partners, including the 3 agreements:
o India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA).
o India-UAE Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
o India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA).

2.44 India-US Working Group on Education and Skill Development

Why in News?
• Recently, Ministry of Education, Government of India and US Department of State have virtually
launched the India-US Working Group on Education and Skill Development.
• Co-chairs of the Working Group: Neeta Prasad (India) & Donald Lu (USA)
• The establishment of the India-US Working Group on Education and Skill Development was announced
on the sidelines of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held between India and US in Washington DC in 2022.

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2.45 Quad Leaders’ Summit
Why in News?
• Recently Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the third in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in
Hiroshima, Japan

Important Information
• Participants: USA, India, Australia, and Japan
• Important release: Quad Leaders’ Vision Statement – Enduring Partners for the Indo-Pacific”
• Initiatives announced:
• Clean Energy Supply Chains Initiative: to facilitate research and development.
• ‘Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Programme’: to design, build and manage sustainable and viable
infrastructure in their countries.
• ‘Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience’: to leverage Quad’s collective expertise in design,
manufacturing, laying and maintenance of undersea cables to secure and diversify these critical
networks.
• Quad support for a small-scale ORAN deployment in Palau, the first in the Pacific region
• Released the ORAN Security Report to support industry investment in open, interoperable and secure
telecom platforms.
• Quad Investors’ Network: facilitate investments in strategic technologies.
• Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (Launched last year in Tokyo)

Additional information
• Quad: It is the grouping of four democracies – India, Australia, USA, and Japan.
• Aims to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.
• The idea of Quad was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007
• Came into existence in: 2017 (first official talks under the QUAD took place, in Manila, the Philippines.)

2.46 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)
Why in news?
• Recently Prime Minister visited Port Moresby for the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands
Cooperation (FIPIC)
o Venue: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Additional information
• Forum for India-Pacific Islands cooperation (FIPIC)
• It is a multinational grouping for cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Islands nations.
• Inception: Suva, Fiji in 2014.

2.47 76th World Health Assembly

Why in News?
• Recently Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, delivered the keynote address at a
side event session on “Heal in India & Heal by India” at the 76th World Health Assembly, in Geneva
o Venue: Geneva, Switzerland

Important Information

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 • Highlights of Keynote:
• “Heal in India & Heal by India”
• ‘Heal by India’- an intent to increase health workforce mobility from India to different parts of the world
to serve the world as per the Indian Philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The World is One Family)
• ‘Heal in India’ initiative seeks to provide “integrated and holistic treatment” to the world in India and
enhance patient mobility for access to world class, affordable and quality healthcare services”
• The Union Health Minister proposed Global Medical Countermeasures Platform
• Aim: ensure equitable access to safe, high-quality, cost-effective medical countermeasures to all the
countries.”
• It is a distributed manufacturing and R&D through regional networks and the Global Initiative for Digital
Health.

2.48 ISO COPOLCO

Why in news?
• Recently India hosted the 44th edition of the coveted annual ISO COPOLCO Plenary.
o Venue: New Delhi
✓ Organized by: Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

Important information
• Themes of the event:
• ‘Challenges and Good Practices for Consumer Engagement’, 'Empowering Consumers for a Sustainable
Future' and 'Consumer Protection and Legal Frameworks'
• This is 44th edition of ISO COPOLCO plenary.
• ISO COPOLCO or the Committee on Consumer Policy
• It is committee of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• Mandate: responsible for promoting consumer interests in the standardization process and for ensuring
that standards are developed with the needs of consumers in mind.
• The International Standards Organisation (ISO):
• Function: develops standards for the world impacting a diverse range of business and social sectors.
• India was one of the founding members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Additional information
• BIS is also member of the following bodies/organization:
• International Electro technical Commission (IEC).
• Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC), and the South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO)
and is under the framework of IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa).

2.49 India and Australia bilateral relation

Why in News?
• Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Anthony Albanese, Prime
Minister of Australia at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia.

Important Information
• Consulate General of India to be established in Brisbane.
• Bengaluru will have a new Australia Consulate-General.
o 5th diplomatic presence from Australia in India.
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 • India and Australia sign Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement
o Arrangement will promote the exchange of students, graduates, researchers and businesspeople;
expand people-to-people ties and enhance cooperation in preventing people smuggling.
o New skilled pathway named MATES (Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early Professionals
Scheme)specifically created for India.

2.50 G20 Tourism Working Group

Why in News?
• 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group meeting, held in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir

Important Information
• 4th Tourism Working Group Meeting to be held in Goa.
• Polo View Market, newly renovated under Smart city Mission included in sightseeing.
• Under India’s G20 Tourism Track, the Tourism Working Group is working on 5 inter-connected priority
areas:
o Green Tourism
o Digitalization
o Skills
o Tourism MSMEs
o Destination
• Draft 'National Strategy on Film Tourism' unveiled which will provide a roadmap for harnessing the role
of films in promoting tourist destinations.

2.51 Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)

Why in News?
• 2nd Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Ministerial Meeting held in Detroit
hosted by the USA.
o Union Minister Piyush Goyal virtually participated.
About IPEF
• Launched jointly by the USA and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region in May 2022,
at Tokyo (Japan).
• Has 14 partner countries including Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of
Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam & USA.
• Framework has 4 pillars relating to
o Trade (Pillar I)
o Supply Chains (Pillar II)
o Clean Economy (Clean Energy, Decarbonization, and Infrastructure) (Pillar III)
o Fair Economy (Taxation & Anticorruption) (Pillar IV)
• India had joined Pillars II to IV of IPEF while it has an observer status in Pillar-I.
• IPEF is flexible, meaning that IPEF partners are not required to join all 4 pillars.

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2.52 Increase in Domestic Coal Production
Why in News?
• Recently a data has been shared by
Ministry of Coal regarding increase in
domestic coal production

Important Information
• India’s overall coal Production has
seen a quantum jump to 893.08 MT
(Million tonnes) in FY 2022-23 as
compared to 728.72 MT in FY 2018-
2019 with a growth of about 22.6%
• Overall production level over 5 years

2.53 Coal Ministry Action Plan 2023-24

Why in news?
• Recently The Ministry of Coal has conceptualized an Action Plan for the FY 2023-24 with the goal of
achieving Aatmanirbhar Bharat by enhancing the production, efficiency, sustainability, new
technologies etc.
Important information
• 2023 -24 Targets 1012 Million Tonne Coal Production.
• Focus on Allocating 25 new Mines for Commercial Mining in FY 2023-24.
• Areas covered under Action Plan:
o Coal Analytics
o Coal Production - total coal production target is 1012 MT for FY 2023-24.
o Outsourcing of Mines.
o Coking Coal Strategy.
o Quality of Coal.

2.54 Categorization of PSUs

Why in news?
• Recently Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a Central Public Sector Enterprises of Ministry of Railways,
has been granted Navratna Status.
o RVNL was incorporated as PSU on 24th January, 2003
✓ The company was granted Mini-Ratna status in September 2013.
Important information:
• Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) controlled and managed by: Department of Public Enterprises of the
Ministry of Finance.
• PSUs are classified into 4 categories:

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S.No Maharatna Navratna Mini Ratna-I Mini Ratna-II

Company should Company should already Companies which have made profit for the last three
already have a have a Miniratna Category made profits in the last years continuously and have
1. Navratna status – I status continuous three years a positive net worth

Annual turnover should ‘Excellent’ or ‘very good’ Profit of Rs.30 crores or Should have not defaulted in
be above Rs. 25,000 rating under the more in at least one of the the repayment of
crore during the last 3 Memorandum of three years and have a loans/interest payment on
2.
years time period. Understanding (MoU) positive net worth any loans due to the
system in three of the last Government
five years.

Average annual net

worth should be above
3. Rs. 15,000 crore during
the last 3 years time
period

Annual net profit after

tax should be Rs. 5,000
4.
crore during the last 3
years time period.

2.55 Reforms in the Approved List of Models and Manufactures for Solar Photovoltaic
Modules
Why in News?
• Recently The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has come up with a number of reforms in its
ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufactures) mechanism for Solar Photovoltaic Modules.
Important Information
• Aim of Reforms: reducing cost to solar PV manufactures, time between application to enlistment as
well as compliance burden and increasing ease of doing business in the whole ALMM process.
• Major Reforms:
o Application fee reduced by 80%.
o Inspection fee reduced up to 70%.
o Exemption from factory inspection: for additional Model enlistment, which have been already
enlisted by the Applicant, but having lower wattage.
o Refund of 90% of application fee: on application withdrawal before factory inspection.
o ALMM listing validity increased from 2 to 4 years.
• Grant of provisional enlistment in ALMM within 7 days of receipt of BIS registration and time-limit of
two months for factory enlistment and final enlistment, failing which deemed enlistment.
• ALMM application to be accompanied by scanned copy of applications and processing of ALMM
applications will start without waiting for the submission of hard copies.

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 Additional information
• ALMM: The ALMM lists eligible models and manufacturers of solar cells and modules complying with
the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification.
• Introduced in: 2019

2.56 Government e-Market Place

Why in News?
• Recently a function was held in New Delhi to commemorate the incorporation of Government e-
Marketplace (GeM) as a 100 percent not-for-profit Company
o 8 “GeM Outlet Stores” has been developed by GeM
✓ Since its inception in 2016, the portal has registered 68K Government buyers and 61.81
lakh+ sellers.
Important Information
• 52.54% or Rs. 2.18 lakh Crore of the cumulative Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) totaling Rs. 4.15 lakh
Crore on the portal has been fulfilled by micro and small entrepreneurs (MSE) sellers.
• GeM achieved the unique milestone of fulfilling 50 lakh+ orders worth Rs. 2 lakh Crore in Gross
Merchandise Value (GMV) in a single year.

• Direction of the “Committee of Secretaries” to ensure 100% of the procurement of available goods and
services through GeM.
• BHEL, a Maharatna under Ministry of Heavy Industries, contribution constitutes approx. 92% of
procurement through GeM under MHI.
• BHEL ranked amongst the top procuring PSU in the CPSE category with GMV of Rs. 6189 Crore and over-
all GUR of 133%.

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 Additional information
• In FY 2022-23, GeM has recorded a GMV of Rs. 2 lakh crore approx., with exponential rise every year
from Rs. 6 thousand crore in FY 2017-18.
• The minimum savings on the platform are about 10%, which translates into a savings of Rs. 40,000 crore
worth of public money.

2.57 Coal Production Targets by 2030

Why in news?
• Recently a data has been shared by Ministry of Coal regarding the coal production and production targets.

Important information
• During the last nine years, India’s overall coal production has gone up by 47% to 893.08 Million Tonne
(MT)
• The target: Action Plan for 2023-24 by the Ministry of Coal, the coal production target for financial year
2023-24 is 1012 Million Tonne.
• During FY 2022-23, the Ministry signed agreements for a total of 23 coal mines having cumulative peak
rated capacity (PRC) of 33.224 MT per annum.
• It is expected that 25 coal mines will be allocated during FY 2023-24 for commercial mining.
• 'Mission Coking Coal': launched in 2021, to come up with a roadmap that would suggest ways to
augment the production and utilization of domestic coking coal in India by 2030.
• Objectives:
• Enhancing coking coal production from 52 Million Tonne (MT) in FY 2022 to 140 MT in FY 2030.
• Enhancing coking coal washing capacity from 23 MT in FY 2022 to 61 MT in FY 2023.

Additional information
• Coking coal: a type of coal which on heating in the absence of air undergoes a transformation into a
plastic state, swells, and then solidifies to form coke. It is used in manufacturing of steel.

2.58 FIRE Corridors

Why in News?
• Recently The Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister, chaired the 2nd meeting of the Apex
Monitoring Authority constituted to review the activities of National Industrial Corridor Development and
Implementation Trust (NICDIT).
Important Information
• Ministries involved: Finance Minister as Chairperson, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Ministry of
Railways, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Shipping, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, and
Chief Minister(s) of States concerned.
• “FIRE Corridors = F – Freight; I – Industrial; R – Railways; E – Expressways”
• Nodal agency: National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT)
• States participated: Gujarat, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.

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2.59 Electronics Repair Services Outsourcing (ERSO)
Why in news?
• Recently Government launched the ERSO Pilot initiative to validate certain transformational policy and
process changes to make India the Repair Capital of the World.

Important information
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Electronics and information technology (MeitY)
• Other stakeholders: CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes), DGFT (Director General of Foreign Trade) &
Ministry of Environment forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) converged with industry.
• Key features:
• Estimated revenue: Over the next 5 years, India’s ERSO industry is likely to fetch India a upto $20 billion.
• Target: capturing 20% of the global repair service market within five years.
• The pilot is being held: in Bengaluru, for a period of three months.
• Companies volunteered for the pilot: Five companies, namely Flex, Lenovo, CTDI, R-Logic & Aforeserve
• India’s e-waste policy will be modified to enable repair companies to domestically recycle 5% of
imported goods by weight on a trial basis.
• The repaired goods will not be permitted to be sold in the domestic market.

2.60 GST revenue collection for April 2023

Why in News?
• According to latest data released by the Ministry of Finance, the gross Goods and Services Tax (GST)
revenue collected in the month of April 2023 touched an all-time high of Rs 1.87 lakh crore.

Key Highlights
• This is the first-time gross GST collection
has crossed Rs 1.75 lakh crore mark.
• The highest ever tax collection on a
single day was also recorded in April
2023.
o On 20th April 2023, Rs 68,228
crore was paid through 9. 8 lakh
transactions
• Gross GST collection in April 2023 is Rs
19,495 crore more than the next highest
collection of Rs. 1,67,540 crore recorded
in April 2022.
• GST revenues for April 2023 are 12%
higher than the GST revenues Y-o-Y (Year-on-Year).

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2.61 PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan
Why in News?
• Recently a high-level meeting on the adoption of PM Gati Shakti NMP(National Master Plan) by Social
Sector in New Delhi

Important Information
• 14 Social Sector Ministries/ Departments onboarded, and their individual portals developed on NMP.
• 61 data layers of Social Sector Ministries related to infrastructure assets mapped on NMP.

2.62 Automated Return Scrutiny Module for GST returns

Why in News?
• Recently, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has rolled out the Automated Return
Scrutiny Module for GST returns in the Automation of Central Excise and Service Tax (ACES) -GST
backend application for Central Tax Officers.
• Implementation of Automated Return Scrutiny Module has commenced with the scrutiny of GST returns
for FY 2019-20
• Aim: to improve tax compliance and boost revenue collections.

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 Key Features
• The module will enable officers to carry out scrutiny of GST returns of Centre Administered Taxpayers
selected on the basis of data analytics and risks identified by the System.
• The module offers tax officers a workflow to interact with taxpayers via the GSTN Common Portal.
• Through this module tax officers can communicate discrepancies identified under FORM ASMT-10,
receipt of taxpayer’s response in FORM ASMT-11 and subsequent action, such as issuing an order of
acceptance of reply in FORM ASMT-12 or a show cause notice, or initiating an audit/investigation.

2.63 Angel Tax Provisions

Why in News?
• Recently, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has proposed changes to Rule 11UA of the Income-
tax Rules, 1962 in respect of Angel Tax.
• CBDT has also notified entities exempted from Angel Tax Provisions.
o This rule came into effect from April 1, 2023.
• Aim: to strengthen India's startup ecosystem by providing more liberty to both resident and non-resident
investors
Proposed changes in valuation methods
• Rule 11UA of the Income-tax Rules, 1962, prescribes valuation methods to determine the Fair Market
Value(FMV) of assets, including shares of an unlisted company.
• At present, Rule 11 UA prescribes two valuation methods with respect to valuation of shares namely,
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and Net Asset Value (NAV) method for resident investors.
• CBDT has proposed to include 5 more valuation methods, available for non-resident investors, in
addition to the DCF and NAV methods of valuation.
• Under the following conditions, any consideration received by a company for issue of shares , from any
non-resident entity notified by the Central Govt , the price of the equity shares corresponding to such
consideration may be taken as the FMV of the equity shares for resident and non-resident
o The consideration must received by the company from the notified entity within a period of
ninety days of the date of issue of shares
o The consideration from FMV does not exceed the aggregate consideration that is
received from the notified entity.
Price Matching of resident and non-resident investors
• Price matching for resident and non-resident investors would be available with reference to investment
by Venture Capital Funds or Specified Funds.
• Valuation from Merchant Banker being acceptable provided that the report shall not be older than 90
days.
• Safe Harbor of 10% to provide for variation in value on account of forex fluctuations, bidding processes
and variations in other economic indicators.
Nations exempted from Angel Tax Provisions
• Investors from 21 countries will be exempted from Angel Tax Provisions for non-resident investment in
unlisted Indian startups.

Entities exempted from Angel Tax Provisions

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 • Government and Government related investors such as central banks, sovereign wealth funds,
international or multilateral organizations or agencies including entities controlled by the Government or
where direct or indirect ownership of the Government is 75% or more.
• Banks or Entities involved in Insurance Business where such entity is subject to applicable regulations in
the country where it is established or incorporated or is a resident.
• Any of the following entities, which is a resident of a certain countries or specified territories
having robust regulatory framework
o Entities registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as Category-I Foreign
Portfolio Investors
o Endowment Funds associated with a university, hospitals or charities
o Pension Funds.
o Broad Based Pooled Investment Vehicle or Fund where the number of investors in such vehicle
or fund is more than 50.
✓ Such fund is not a hedge fund or a fund which employs diverse or complex trading
strategies.

Threshold for startups eligible for angel tax exemption

• Increased from Rs 10 crore to Rs 25 crore.
Background
• An amendment has been introduced in the Finance Act, 2023 to bring the consideration received from
non-residents for issue of shares within the ambit of section 56(2)(viib) of the Income-tax Act, 1961,
colloquially known as Angel Tax provisions
• Based on the amendment, CBDT has proposed changes to Angel Tax Provisions.

About Angel Tax

• Section 56(2)(viib) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 is colloquially known as Angel Tax.
• It was first introduced in Finance Act, 2012 and became applicable since April 1, 2013.
• It applies when a private company or an unlisted public company issues shares at a premium and
receives consideration that is more than FMV of the shares.
• The excess amount is chargeable to income-tax under the head ‘Income from other sources’.

2.64 Accounts of the Union Government of India (Provisional/Unaudited) for the Financial
Year 2022-2023
Why in News?
• Recently The Accounts of the Union Government of India (Provisional/Unaudited) for the Financial Year
2022-23 has been consolidated and reports published.

Important Information
• The Government of India has received ₹24,55,706 crore (101% of corresponding RE 2022-23 of Total
Receipts) during 2022-23. Which includes,
• ₹20,97,368 crore Tax Revenue (Net to Centre).
• ₹2,86,151 crore of Non-Tax Revenue.
• ₹72,187 crore of Non-Debt Capital Receipts. Non-Debt Capital Receipts consists of Recovery of Loans
(₹26,152 crore) and Miscellaneous Capital Receipts (₹46,035 crore).

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 • ₹9,48,406 crore has been transferred to State Governments as Devolution of Share of Taxes by
Government of India upto this period which is ₹50,015 crore higher than the previous year.
• Expenditure:
• Total Expenditure incurred by Government of India is ₹41,88,837 crore (100% of corresponding RE 22-
23), which includes,
• ₹34,52,518 crore is on Revenue Account and ₹7,36,319 crore is on Capital Account.
• Out of the Total Revenue Expenditure, ₹9,28,424 crore is on account of Interest Payments and ₹5,30,959
crore is on account of Major Subsidies.

Additional information
• Revenue receipts: The receipts that do not create any liabilities and do not lead to a claim on the
government.
• Non tax revenue: it is the recurring income that is earned from sources other than taxes by the
government.
• Tax revenue: The sum of all receipts from the taxes and all other duties under the government.
• Capital receipts: one of the components of the Capital Budget that results in the creation of liabilities or
the reduction of financial assets.
• Non-debt creating capital: Those that the government does not have to repay in the future.
• Example: Recovery of loans and advances, disinvestment, and the issuance of bonus shares
• Debt creating capital: The government is obligated to repay debt receipts.
• Example: Market loans, issuance of special securities to public-sector banks, securities issues, short-term
bank debt, and treasury bills etc.

2.65 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

Why in News?
• Recently, India hosted the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet at Benaulim, Goa.
Note: SCO discussed in CurrentTap-April 2023 (News 2.35).

2.66 Asian Development Bank

Why in News?
• Recently, the 56th Annual General Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) was held at Incheon, South Korea.
• Theme: “Rebounding Asia: Recover, Reconnect, and Reform”.

About Asian Development Bank (ADB)

• Establishment: 1966; Headquarters: Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
• Total Members: 68 members (including India).

2.67 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

News 1

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 • Recently, Startup India, Department of Promotion for Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce
organized the third edition of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Startup Forum at New
Delhi.
o The event has been organized in physical form for the first time this year.
• Aim: expanding the startup interactions amongst the SCO Member States, nurturing the spirit of
innovation, generating more employment and encouraging young talent to build innovative solutions.
Additional Information
• Previously, a 3-month long virtual mentorship series ‘Starting-Up’ was organized by Startup India for
nominated startups, to build capacity among the SCO Startup founders.

News 2
• Recently, meeting of Heads of Railways Administration of SCO Member States was held under the
Chairmanship of India.
• Meeting Chaired by: Jaya Varma Sinha, Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board,
Ministry of Railways.
• Focus Areas of the Deliberation: improving regional rail connectivity, Infrastructure development,
Multimodal transportation, Use of latest technology including digitization for facilitating trade and
economic activities among the SCO Member States.
• Outcomes of the meeting
o Adoption of the Work Plan for 2023-2025
o Draft Action Plan for implementation of Concept of Interaction between Railway Administration
of the SCO Member States approved by the members.
Note: SCO discussed in CurrentTap-April 2023 (News 2.35)

2.68 G20 (Group of twenty) meetings

News 1 Third G20 Development Working Group Meeting
• Venue: Goa
• Focus area: find all-encompassing and inclusive solutions and collective actions to address the diverse
global development challenges of the day during the meeting.
• Chaired by: India’s DWG Co-Chairs – Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretaries.
• Side event:
Women-led Development: Pillars of progress
• Organized by: G20 Secretariat in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
• An exhibition on the theme of Women-led Development, organized in association with Ministry of
Women and Child Development.
The Exhibition:
• Titled “ECHO” – Economy with safe climate and health leads to greater opportunities.
• Organized by: the Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of
External Affairs.
• The theme "Echo - reflects the impact of women-led development and its significant role in sustainable
development.
• Curated by: the National Institute of Fashion Technology.
• Highlights of exhibition: an immersive digital experience with 3D holograms of women making toys,
weaving, working with technology, etc.

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 • Major participants: National Skill Development Corporation, Ministry of Textiles, APEDA, Tea Board,
Spice Board, Ambi Udyogini Prathisthan, Eunnati Foundation, Kalyashastra, women self-help groups, and
women-led start-ups and enterprises.
News 2 Y20 Consultation Event
• Venue: University of Kashmir.
• Purpose: consult the youth of the nation on ideas for a better tomorrow and draft an agenda for action
on ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability a Way of Life’
• Participants: 17 Youth delegates from G20 countries.
• Themes of sessions: ‘Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Human Well-Being’, ‘Disaster Risk
Reduction for Safe Tomorrow’, ‘Green Energy- Innovations and Opportunities’, ‘Water Resources:
Challenges and Prospects’.

News 3 3rd Energy Transition Working Group Meeting

• Venue: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
o The side events: 3 events.
• Workshop with Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) with the aim for mobilizing low-cost
international finance.
• Seminar on Just Transition Roadmap.
• Seminar on Biofuels.

2.69 G20 (Group of twenty) meetings

News 1 G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Conference
• Venue: Diu (Diu, Daman, Nagar Haveli)
• is a new initiative of the G20 Forum, which was initiated during the Indonesian Presidency in 2022
• Conference coordinated by: Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• The Main theme: “Research and Innovation for an Equitable Society”
• Area of discussion: building a sustainable blue-economy
• The four priority areas of RIIG:
• i) Materials for Sustainable Energy; ii) Circular bio-economy; iii) Eco-Innovations for Energy Transition;
and IV) Scientific Challenges and Opportunities for a Sustainable Blue Economy.

News 2 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting

• Venue: Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
• 5 key priority areas: Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills, MSMEs and Destination Management.
• This is the only working group meeting taking place in Srinagar as part of G20 Presidency of India.
• Key deliverables of the Meeting: GOA Roadmap for Tourism and G20 Tourism Ministers’ Declaration.
• side event: on ‘Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation’
• ‘National Strategy on Film Tourism’ will be unveiled to provide a roadmap for harnessing the role of films
in promoting tourist destinations.
News 3 G20’s Startup20 Engagement Group - First Draft Policy Communique
• The first draft of the core Recommendation and Policy Directives of the Policy Communique` is now
available for public comments.
• The Startup20 Engagement Group is a dedicated platform within the G20 framework.

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 • Focuses on facilitating dialogue, promoting innovation, and fostering growth in the startup ecosystem.

Additional information
• The Startup20 is set up under India’s G20 Presidency
• Inception meeting venue: Hyderabad.

2.70 G20 (Group of twenty) meetings

News 1 2nd Disaster Risk reduction Working Group Meeting (DRRWG)
• Venue: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Key topic of discussion: role of social protection systems in mitigating the impact of disasters on the
most vulnerable population.
• Delegates of G-20 countries discuss roadmap for DRRWG for next three years
• side event: on Eco-Based Approaches for Disaster Risk Reduction
• Organized by: NDMA, in collaboration with knowledge partners like United Nations Office for Disaster
Risk Reduction (UNDRR), UN Major Group on Children and Young People, UNEP, and others.

News 2 3rd Employment Working Group Meet, ILO, Geneva

• Venue: ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is a G20 tradition since the inception of the EWG, to organize an Employment Working Group at the
side-lines of the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s annual International Labour Conference at
Geneva.
• Major participants: The Ministry of Labour & Employment’s international knowledge partners i.e.
International Labour Organisation ILO), Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD),
International Social Security Association (ISSA), World Bank (WB) and a domestic knowledge partner i.e.
Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
• The priority areas: 1) Addressing global skill gaps 2) Gig and platform economy and social protection (3)
Sustainable financing of social protection.

2.71 Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) Initiative

Why in News?
• Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the Preparedness and Resilience for
Emerging Threats (PRET) Initiative.

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2.72 Trans-Fat Elimination Validation Program
Why in News?
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the Trans-Fat Elimination Validation Program.
• The program envisages to recognize countries that have eliminated industrially produced trans-fat from
their national food supplies.

Additional Information
• WHO has launched REPLACE campaign to eliminate trans-fat in foods by 2023.

2.73 WHO calls for accelerated action to reduce anaemia

Why in News?
• Recently WHO launched its first-ever comprehensive framework on reducing anaemia
o Launch occasion: International Maternal Newborn Health Conference
Important Information
• Mandate: urging the countries to accelerate action to halve anaemia prevalence in women of
reproductive age by 2025.
• The new framework: aims to address the direct causes, risk factors and broad social inequities that are
fundamental drivers for anaemia.
• Some important data:
o In 2019, anaemia affected 40% of children between 6 months and 5 years of age, 37% of
pregnant women and 30% of women 15–49 years of age.
o It is most prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.

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 Additional information
• Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is
insufficient to meet physiologic needs, which vary by age, sex, altitude, smoking, and pregnancy status.

2.74 International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN)

Why in News?
• Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the International Pathogen Surveillance
Network (IPSN).
• Aim: to help ensure infectious disease threats are swiftly identified and tracked and the information
shared and acted on to prevent catastrophes like the Covid pandemic.

2.75 CBSE to introduce AI and coding for Classes 6 to 8

Why in News?
• Recently The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is set to introduce coding and artificial
intelligence (AI) for students of Class 6-8.

Important Information
• CBSE is set to introduce coding and artificial intelligence (AI) for students.
• Introduced for: Class 6-8.
• Syllabus for coding designed by: Microsoft
• Apart from coding and AI, the board has come up with 33 other subjects like data science, Khadi Kashmiri
Embroidery, Augmented Reality (AR), financial literacy, coding, and satellite applications.
• The board has asked schools that bagless days, vacation time, summer camp or activity period can be
used to teach students these skills.
• The Module includes: 70 percent practical and 30 percent theoretical and will be of 12-15 hours
duration.

2.76 UTSAH and PoP portals

Why in News?
• Recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) launched two portals viz, Undertaking Transformative
Strategies and Actions in Higher Education (UTSAH) & Professors of Practice (PoP).
About UTSAH
• It can efficiently track and support the implementation process of National Education Policy (NEP)
2020.
• It also provides detailed information about UGC’s initiatives for qualitative reforms in higher education
About PoP
• It will facilitate the hiring of experienced professionals in various fields.
• It envisages to bridge the gap between academia and industry.

2.77 NEP SAARTHI

Why in News?

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 • Recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced a new initiative -‘NEP SAARTHI-
Student Ambassador for Academic Reforms in Transforming Higher Education in India’.
• Aim: to actively involve students in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and
create awareness about the various reforms in the higher education system.

Key Information
• Under the initiative Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) are requested to nominate three students
from their institutions as NEP SAARTHIs.
• The UGC will select 300 NEP SAARTHIs from among the nominees.

2.78 IFSC's foreign universities out of UGC, AICTE ambit

Why in News?
• Recently, the Union Ministry of Finance has informed that the courses offered by foreign institutions in
the International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) would be outside the ambit of certain provisions of
the University Grants Commission Act and the All India Council for Technical Education Act.
• It includes courses in financial management, fintech, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
• This rule came into effect from May 24, 2023.

2.79 International Climate action in Civil aviation

Why in News?
• Recently Ministry of Civil Aviation announced India’s Participation in the International Civil Aviation
Organisation's (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and
the Long-Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG) from 2027.
o Venue: New Delhi

Important Information
• The ICAO has been tasked to reduce carbon emissions from international civil aviation as one of its focus
areas.
• Key aspirational goals adopted by ICOA:
o 2% annual fuel efficiency improvement through 2050.
o carbon neutral growth
o Net zero by 2050.

2.80 Bhopal first Indian city to track progress towards meeting SDGs
Why in News?
• Recently Bhopal becomes first Indian city to track progress towards meeting SDGs
o It is a collaboration between the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, UN-Habitat and a collective of
over 23 local stakeholders.
Important Information
• Voluntary local reviews (VLR):
• Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh has become the first city in India to adopt the localisation of the United
Nations-mandated sustainable development goals (SDG).
• Initiative launched: Agenda for Action: Sustainable Urban Transformation in Bhopal.
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 • Approach: It incorporated a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches to the review of SDGs, with
qualitative mapping of 56 developmental projects.
• VLR do not directly have an official basis in the 2030 Agenda (SDGs) or other intergovernmental
agreements.
• Cities and regions contributes at least 60% of 169 targets achievement in SDGs.

Additional information:
• The member states report their progress towards achieving the goals through a voluntary national
review (VNR) to UN’s high-level political forum (HLPF).
• New York City became the first city to present its VLR to the HLPF in 2018.
• By 2021, some 33 countries had made 114 VLRs or similar review.
• UN SDG: launched in 2015, comprising 17 SDGs and 169 targets as a plan of action for people, planet and
prosperity.

2.81 Petersberg Climate Dialogue 2023

Why in news?
• Recently The Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change was held in Berlin.
▪ Venue: Berlin, Germany (Hosted by: Germany and UAE)

Important information
• Purpose: to discuss the way forward towards COP28.
• Highlights of Dialogue
• Members called for a tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 followed by a doubling in 2040.
• The $100 billion is likely to be a gross underestimation of the true need for climate finance in developing
countries.
• A recent estimate pegs climate finance needs at $1 trillion per year by 2030 for emerging markets alone.
• Climate finance needs are more than 10 times the amount that developed countries have been able to
mobilise, 14 years after committing to the $100 billion figure.
• This is the first Global Stocktake year since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 and the report to be
released in September of 2023.

2.82 Global Greenhouse Gas Watch

Why in News?
• Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has approved a new global tracker for
greenhouse gas emissions- Global GHG Watch.
• The initiative was approved at the World Meteorological Congress at Geneva.
• Objective: to support urgent action to reduce heat-trapping gases
• Global GHG Watch comprises four components.

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2.83 G7 Hiroshima Summit 2023
Why in News?
• Recently, the 49th G7 summit was held
at Hiroshima, Japan under the
Japanese Presidency.
• India is one of the invited countries of
the summit.

2.84 Asian Petrochemical Industry Conference

Why in News?
• Recently, the Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturers‘ Association (CPMA) of India have hosted
the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference 2023 (APIC 2023) in New Delhi.
• Event supported by: Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India.
• Theme: ‘Ushering in a Sustainable Future’

Key Information Shared

• Chemicals & Petrochemicals demand in India expected to reach USD 1 trillion by 2040.
• India is the sixth largest chemicals producer in the world.
• India is the fourth largest chemicals producer in Asia.
• India’s petrochemicals refining capacity is the fourth largest in the world after the United States, China
and Russia.
• The new Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) policy 2020–35 is
expected to attract an approximate combined investment of over INR 34 lakh crores (USD 420 billion).

2.85 Internal Governmental Commission meeting on Trade, Economic, Scientific,

Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC)
Why in News?
• Recently India and Russia discussed and agreed to explore the opportunity of allowing acceptance of
these RuPay(India) and Mir card(Russia) during the high level Internal Governmental Commission
meeting on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC)
o The meetings was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister of India and Russia Deputy Prime
Minister.

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 ✓ mutual acceptance of RuPay (India) and Mir cards (Russia), Indian and Russian citizens
will be able to make hassle-free payments in Indian rupees and Russian ruble in their
respective countries
Important Information
• IRIGC-TEC: mechanism for regularly monitoring bilateral progress across the sectors of trade and
economic cooperation between the two countries.
• Set up in: set up by an Agreement on inter-governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific,
and Technological Cooperation signed in May 1992.
• 24th IRIGC-TEC meeting host: India.

2.86 Business Ready Project of World Bank

Why in news?
• Recently The World Bank Group has begun work to assess the business and investment climate in up to
180 economies under its flagship Business Ready project.

Important information
• Purpose: a key instrument of its new strategy to facilitate private investment, generate employment,
and improve productivity to help countries accelerate development in inclusive and sustainable ways.
• It will replace the Ease of Doing Business Report by World Bank.
• It reflects a more balanced and transparent approach toward evaluating a country’s business and
investment climate.
• Recommendations (Inputs) by: experts from within and outside the World Bank Group, including
governments, the private sector, and civil society organization.
• Number of economies to be covered in 1st report – 54 (to be published in: 2024)
• 2 key documents by WB:
o The Business Ready Manual and Guide: specifying the detailed protocols and safeguards it has
put in place to ensure the integrity of the assessments.
o The Business Ready Methodology Handbook: detailing the project’s indicators and scoring
methodology.
• Target of covering countries: over next 3 years 180 countries.
o Starting with 54 economies in 2023-24, 120 in 2024-25, and reaching 180 economies in 2025-26.

2.87 Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP)
Why in news?
• Recently The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in
Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP).
o Venue: INCHEON, REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Important information
• IF-CAP:
• Initiative of: ADB (Asian Development Bank)
• The announcement was made by ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa.
• Occasion: ADB’s 56th Annual Meeting in Incheon.
• Initial partners: Denmark, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United
States.

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 • Focus area: providing a range of grants for project preparation along with guarantees for parts of ADB’s
sovereign loan portfolios.
• The model adopted: ‘$1 in, $5 out’ (leverage guarantee structure)
• Targets: initial ambition of $3 billion in guarantees could create up to $15 billion in new loans for much-
needed climate projects across Asia and the Pacific.
• IF-CAP financing will contribute to ADB’s raised ambition for $100 billion from its own resources for
climate change for 2019–2030.
• Additional information:
• ADB:
• Established in: 1966
• HQ: Manila, Philippines.
• Members: 68 shareholding members including 49 from the Asia and Pacific region

2.88 42nd ASEAN Summit

Why in News?
• Recently The 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit formally kicked off in the
Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo
o Host country: Indonesia
✓ President of Indonesia: Joko Widodo

Important Information
• Theme of 42nd Meeting: "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth".
• ASEAN Summit is held twice a year
• Highlights of the summit:
o The summit is expected to produce a roadmap for Timor-Leste's full membership.
o ASEAN agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste to be its 11th member. (later in 2022)
o The last time Indonesia chaired ASEAN was in 2011, after hosting the summits in 1976 and 2003.
o Other events in Indonesia this year:
o 43rd summit and the East Asia Summit to be held on September in capital Jakarta.

Additional information
• ASEAN: founded in 1967
• Established through: Bangkok Declaration (also known as the ASEAN Declaration)
• Members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam.
• Aim: promote economic growth, peace, security, social progress, and cultural development in the
Southeast Asian region.

2.89 India extends $1 billion Credit to Sri Lanka

Why in news?
• Recently a Sri Lankan official told Reuters that, India has extended a $1 billion credit line for Sri Lanka by
one year.

Important information
• The credit line, part of about $4 billion in emergency assistance extended by India during the peak of Sri
Lanka's financial crisis.

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 • Credit line was extended until March 2024.
• Line of Credit: it is a flexible loan from a bank or financial institution. Similar to a credit card with a set
credit limit, a line of credit is a defined amount of money that you can access as needed and use as you
wish.

2.90 6th Indian Ocean Conference

Why in news?
• Recently Bangladesh hosted the 6th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC)
o Venue: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
▪ Inauguration by: Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Important information
• Organised by: India Foundation in association with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh and S.
Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
• Theme: “Peace Prosperity and Partnership for a Resilient Future”
• Participants: High-level government delegations and think tanks from about 25 countries, including
representatives from D8, SAARC and BIMSTEC
Additional information
• Indian Ocean Conference (IOC): It is an annual international conference that focuses on the geopolitical,
economic, and strategic importance of the Indian Ocean region.
o The first edition was held in: Singapore in 2016
o Fifth edition: in 2021 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
o Organised by - India Foundation in partnership with other organizations in the region.
o D8: commonly called Developing-8.
o Member states: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.
o Established in: 1997, through Istanbul Declaration.
• SAARC: founded through SAARC Charter in Dhaka in 1985.
o ember states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• BIMSTEC: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.
o Founded: in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
o Member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand.

2.91 SCO Members adopt India’s Proposal for Digital Public infrastructure
Why in News?
• Recently The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) adopted India’s proposal to support the
development and adoption of the country’s digital public infrastructure (DPI)
o The proposal includes platforms such as Aadhaar, United Payments Interface (UPI), and
DigiLocker
Important Information
• The minister for electronics and IT, communications urged other member states to assess, evaluate, and
adopt India Stack.
• Highlights of DPI: shared plan
• Investment: $3 billion (around Rs 24,000 crore )
• Purpose: to provide mobile connectivity to villages in remote areas. And

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 • Investment of: $5 billion (around Rs 40,000 crore)
• Purpose: to bring broadband connectivity to all 250,000 gram panchayats, or village councils.
• Additional information
• India will chair the Annual Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) summit in December.
• What is DPI?
• Refers to blocks or platforms such as digital identification, payment infrastructure and data exchange
solutions that help countries deliver essential services to their people, empowering citizens and
improving lives by enabling digital inclusion.
• What is IndiaStack - IndiaStack is a set of APIs that allows governments, businesses, startups and
developers to utilize an unique digital Infrastructure to solve India’s hard problems towards presence-
less, paperless, and cashless service delivery.

2.92 Fiscal Deficit

Why in News?
• According to latest data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), fiscal deficit of the
Government of India narrowed to Rs 17.33 trillion or 6.4% of GDP for FY23.
• The fiscal deficit was lower than the revised estimate of Rs 17.55 trillion given in the Union Budget 2023.
• The Government of India has also met the fiscal deficit target for FY23.

Background
• The Government of India aimed to narrow the fiscal gap to 6.4% of GDP in FY23 from 6.7% in FY22.
• With an aim to reach a fiscal deficit level below 4.5% of the GDP by 2025-26, India has set a target to
further narrow the deficit for 2023-24 to 5.9%.

2.93 GDP Growth Projections

Why in News?
• Recently ‘Fitch’ the rating agency released the Growth projections for India’s GDP
o Fitch pares India’s GDP growth forecast for this year to 6% from 6.2%
✓ India will be one of the fastest-growing sovereigns rated by Fitch
Important Information
• This year’s growth will be slower than the 7% expected in 2022-23.
• Reasons for slower growth: headwinds from elevated inflation and interest rates along with subdued
global demand and fading of pending up domestic demand induced by pandemic.

S.No Parameters 2023-24 2022-23

1. GDP Growth rate 6% 7%

2. Headline inflation 5.8% 6.7%

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 3. Fiscal Deficit 5.9% 6.4%

4. States’ Deficit 2.8% 2.7%

general government deficit

5. 8.8% 9.2%
(excluding divestments)

• Core inflation pressure falling to 5.7% in March, its lowest since July 2021.
• Economy expected to rebound to 6.7% in 2024-25 as opposed to 6.9% projected earlier.
• India’s long-term foreign-currency credit rating: ‘BBB-’ with a stable outlook.
• (indicates that expectations of default risk are currently low and payment capacity to meet financial
commitments is considered adequate)
• CAD (current account deficit): Slashed its 2022-23 current account deficit projection for India to 2.3% of
GDP from 3.3% in December 2022, and expects the deficit to narrow further to 1.9% deficit this year.
• General government debt: at 82.8% of GDP in 2022-23 and is likely to remain around 83% of GDP even
in 2027-28.
• Fiscal deficit target of 4.5% of GDP by 2025-26- it requires “accelerated consolidation” of 0.7 percentage
points annually over the next two years.

2.94 Latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP)/ Growth Forecasts for India

Agency/ Organization
S.No GDP Forecast Previous Estimate
Name

1. Goldman Sachs 6.3% (2023) 5.9%

2.95 Netherlands emerges as India's 3rd largest export destination

Why in News?
• Recently The Netherlands has emerged as India's third largest exports destination after the US and UAE
during 2022-23, showed commerce ministry's data
o Top export destination of India: USA>UAE>Netherlands

Important Information
• Some important data shared
• India and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1947.
• The Netherlands is among top trading partners of India in Europe, after Germany, Switzerland, the UK
and Belgium.
• The Netherlands has taken over major destinations such as the UK, Hong Kong, Bangladesh and
Germany.
• India's exports to the Netherlands rose by about 48 per cent to USD 18.52 billion during 2022-23 as
against USD 12.5 billion in 2021-22, it was USD 5.5 billion in 2017.
• The bilateral trade: in 2022-23 increased to USD 24 billion as against USD 17 billion in 2021-22 and about
USD 10 billion in 2020-21.
• Trade surplus: increased from USD 8 billion in 2021-22 to USD 13 billion in 2022-23.

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 • the outbound shipments: stood at USD 12.55 billion (2021-22) and USD 6.5 billion (2020-21)
• In 2021-22, the Netherlands was the fifth largest destination for Indian exports as against ninth in 2020-
21.
• Key petroleum products exported from India to Netherlands: According to economic think tank GTRI
(Global Trade Research Initiative) are ATF (aviation turbine fuel) and diesel.
• Largest electronic items: Telecom equipment and smartphones with a value of over USD 1 billion.
• During April-September this fiscal, India received USD 1.76 billion in foreign direct investment from the
Netherlands. It was USD 4.6 billion in 2021-22

2.96 New GST rules for businesses with turnover of over Rs 100 crore
Why in News?
• Recently, the GST Network has informed that businesses whose turnover is Rs 100 crore and above must
upload their electronic invoices on Invoice Registration Portal (IRP) within 7 days of the issue of such
invoice.
• This rule came into effect from May 1, 2023.

Additional Information
• At present, businesses with turnover of Rs 10 crore and above are required to generate electronic invoice
for all B2B transactions.
• As per GST law, businesses cannot avail input tax credit (ITC) if invoices are not uploaded on the IRP.

2.97 20 Point Programme

Why in News?
• Recently the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has shared data regarding 20 Point
Programme.
Important Information
• Number of parameters tracked: 14
• Interval of Tracking: quarterly.
• Date for the period of: April-December 2022.
• The progress report in parameters of 20 Point Programme:
• Out of 14 the government achieved a more than 90% target completion ("very good") in six parameters.
• 80-90% ("good") in five parameters.
• The performance in three of parameters was "poor" or below 80% target. (viz., area covered under
plantation (public and forest lands) and (construction of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana (PMGSY)
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) or PMAY-G, 82% of the targeted 4 million houses were
constructed.
• The government plans to advance the deadline of PMAY-G to December 2023 from March 2024.
• In electricity supply, it achieved 99% of the target.
• Made 0.51 million pump sets energised, against the target of 0.34 million during this period.
• Financial outlay (for 20 Point Programme): ₹54,487 crore for the scheme, up 12.5% from 2023-24
(revised estimates)

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 • Shortfall in target achievement:
o Target of constructing 35,385 km of roads during April-December 2022, only 18,808 km, or 53%,
of roads were completed.
• The 20 Point Programme:
o Launch year: 1975
o Aim: eradicating poverty and improving the quality of life for the common man.
o The program has been revised several times, most recently in 2006 to align with economic
reforms, liberalisation, and globalisation.
o The TPP-2006 consists of 65 items that align with the programs and schemes being implemented
by different Ministries/Departments of the Indian government.

2.98 Revised Threshold for GST e-invoicing

Why in News?
• Recently, the Union Ministry of Finance has lowered the threshold for Goods & Services Tax (GST) e-
invoicing.
• Businesses with turnover of over Rs 5 crore must generate electronic or e-invoice for B2B (Business to
Business) transactions with effect from August 1, 2023.
• The present threshold was Rs 10 crore.

About e-invoice
• It is a system in which B2B invoices are authenticated electronically by GSTN (GST Network) for further
use on the common GST portal.

2.99 ADB's India strategy for 2023-27

Why in News?
• Recently, the Asian Development Bank has launched India Country Partnership Strategy 2023-2027.
• Three Focus Areas:
o Accelerating structural transformation and job creation,
o Promoting climate-resilient growth
o Deepening social and economic inclusiveness.
• Cross cutting themes of the strategy
o Gender equality and social inclusion
o Domestic resource mobilization
o Digitalization, fintech and innovation ecosystem support
o Regional cooperation and integration

About Asian Development Bank

• Establishment Year: 1966; Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines
• Total Members: 68 members (including India).

*************
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3 GA + FINANCE

3.1 Listing of REC's Green Bonds

Why in News?
• Recently, REC Limited has undertaken an exclusive listing of its Green bonds of USD 750 million in NSE
International Exchange and India INX at Gujarat International Finance Tech-city (GIFT)- International
Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
o It is the first Green Bond issuance by an Indian Company post India’s G20 Presidency.
o It is the largest ever senior USD tranche by an Indian NBFC.
o It is the largest ever senior Green Bond Tranche by a South & South-East Asian issuer.
• REC has issued the green bonds under its USD 7 billion Global Medium Term Note Programme
o With this listing, REC’s total listing now stands at USD 4.75 billion under the USD 7 billion Global
Medium Term Note Programme

About Green Bonds

• Green Bonds are debt instruments issued by public and private entities to finance eco-friendly projects.

3.2 Legal Identity Identifier (LEI) System by SEBI

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)
system for issuers that have listed or planning to list non-convertible securities, securitised debt
instruments and security receipts.
• Timeline to obtain and report the LEI Code

S.No Category of security Applicability Timeline

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 Issuer proposing to issue and list non-
On or after September 1, 2023
convertible security

2. Non-convertible Securities
Issuer having outstanding listed non-
On or before September 1,
convertible security as on August 31,
2023
2023

Issuer proposing to issue and list

Securitised Debt Instruments or Security On or after September 1, 2023
Securitised Debt Instruments & Security Receipts

3. Receipts
Issuer having outstanding listed
xxxx Securitised Debt Instruments and On or before September 1,
Security Receipts as on August 31, 2023
2023

About Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)

• It is a unique global identifier for legal entities participating in financial transactions.
• Each LEI comprise a 20-digit alphanumeric code
• It is designed to create a global reference data system that uniquely identifies every legal entity, in any
jurisdiction, that is party to a financial transaction.
• In India, the LEI code can be obtained from Legal Entity Identifier India Ltd, a subsidiary of the Clearing
Corporation of India Ltd.
o Legal Entity Identifier India Ltd has been recognized as by the RBI as issuer of LEI.
o It has been accredited by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) as the local
operating unit in India for issuance and management of LEI code.
Additional Information
• Timeline released by RBI for borrowers to obtain LEI

3.3 Transition Bonds

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has mandated additional requirements for
the issuance and listing of transition bonds.
Key Guidelines
• The issuer of transition bonds will have to make the following additional disclosures in the offer
document for public issues or private placements of such transition bonds.
o Details of interim targets, along with an indicative timeline for achieving the targets.
o Information about the brief of the project implementation strategy
o Details regarding the usage of technology for the project implementation
o Mechanism to oversee the utilisation of the funds raised through transition bonds and the
implementation of the transition plan.

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 • To differentiate transition bonds from other categories of green debt security, the issuer of transition
bonds will have to use a denotation 'GB-T'.

About Transition Bonds

• It is one of the sub-categories of green debt security.
• Transition Bonds are issued for raising funds for transitioning to a more sustainable form of operations in
line with India's intended nationally determined contributions.

3.4 Kotak Mahindra Bank - India’s 1st to Relocate Mauritius Domiciled Fund to GIFT IFSC
Why in News?
• Recently, Kotak Mahindra Bank has re-domiciled Alchemy India Long Term Fund from Mauritius to
Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank has issued the first-ever foreign portfolio investor (FPI) license to Alchemy’s Fund
incorporated in GIFT and registered with International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) for
relocating from its original jurisdiction to the new jurisdiction.
• It will be the first FPI license issued to a fund incorporated in GIFT by any custodian bank/ Designated
Depository Participant (DDP) in the country to relocate an existing fund.

3.5 DMA Facility To FPIs For Participating In ETCDs

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has extended direct market access facility to
foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) for participation in Exchange Traded Commodity Derivatives (ETCDs).
• Objective: to promote institutional participation in ETCDs.
• DMA facilitates the clients of a broker to directly access the exchange trading system through the broker’s
infrastructure to place orders without manual intervention by the broker.
Background
• In 2022, Sebi allowed FPIs to participate in the ETCDs to increase depth and liquidity in the market.
o SEBI initially permitted FPIs to participate in cash settled non-agricultural commodity derivative
contracts and indices comprising such non-agricultural commodities.
• SEBI has also already permitted institutional investors such as Category III Alternative Investment Funds
(AIFs), Portfolio Management Services and Mutual Funds to participate in the ETCD market.

3.6 India’s first mutual fund focused on defence sector

Why in News?
• Recently, HDFC Asset Management Company Ltd (HDFC AMC) has launched India’s first mutual fund
focused on defence sector.
• It is an open-ended equity scheme.
• The fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in defence and allied sector companies

3.7 WTI Crude Oil and Natural Gas futures contracts

Why in News?
• Recently, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched the rupee denominated NYMEX WTI Crude
Oil and Natural Gas futures contracts in its commodity derivatives segment.
• Earlier, NSE had signed a data licensing agreement with CME Group.

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 o The pact allowed the NSE to list, trade and settle rupee-denominated NYMEX WTI crude oil and
natural gas derivatives contracts on its platform.
Additional Information
• WTI is the underlying commodity of the New York Mercantile Exchange's (NYMEX) oil futures contract.
• Crude oil derivatives (Brent and WTI) are the most traded products in the commodity derivative space.

3.8 Sensex and Bankex derivative contracts

Why in News?
• Recently, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has relaunched Sensex and Bankex derivative contracts.
• The lot size of futures and options has been reduced to 10 from 15 for Sensex.
• The lot size of futures and options has been reduced to 15 from 20 for Bankex.
• New expiry cycle for Sensex and Bankex: Monday to Friday.
Additional Information
• BSE had launched Sensex-30 derivatives (options and futures) for the first time in 2000.
• Sensex-30 derivatives are made up of 30 of the largest and most liquid stocks listed on BSE.

3.9 IREDA IPO

Why in News?
• Recently, the Government of India has appointed IDBI Capital, BOB Capital and SBI Capital to manage
the initial public offer (IPO) of the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA).
• Lead banker for the transaction: IDBI Capital
About IREDA IPO
• IREDA IPO consist of a 10% stake sale by the government and 15% fresh equity issuance

3.10 Medium, Small and Micro (MSM) REITS

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a consultation paper that
envisages the creation of Medium, Small and Micro Real Estate Investment Trusts (MSM REITs).
• It will allow unregulated players in fractional real estate to come under the REIT umbrella.

Key Proposals
• Fractional real estate platforms must register with Sebi as MSM Reits.
• They have to adopt a trust structure.
• The trust will own 100% stakes in SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles).
o The SPVs, in turn, will own the property.
• The trust should appoint an investment manager to supervise the REIT.
• The sponsor of the trust must have a net worth of Rs 20 crore of which at least Rs 10 crore should be
liquid (in the form of cash, money market instruments, etc).

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 About Fractional Real Estate

3.11 Risk disclosure Framework for Trading by Individual Traders in Equity F&O Segment
Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to introduce risk disclosure
framework for individual traders with respect to trading in the equity Futures & Options (F&O)
segment.
• The new framework will come into effect from July 1, 2023.
• Objective: to facilitate informed decision making by investors
Key Guidelines
• All stock brokers must display the risk disclosures on their websites and also inform all their clients in the
specified manner.
• The risk disclosures should be displayed prominently, covering at least 50% area of the screen.
• All Qualified Stock Brokers (QSBs) must maintain the Profit and Loss (P&L) data of their clients on
continuous basis for at least 5 years.

3.12 Intermediary Advisory Committee

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted an Intermediary Advisory
Committee.
• Committee Chairperson: S Ravindran, Executive Director, SEBI
• Total Members: 21
• Key Terms of Reference
o to advise SEBI on changes in legal framework.
o to increase transparency in the functioning of market intermediaries like stock exchanges,
depository participants, clearing corporations.

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 o to advise on enhanced adoption of technology and cyber security.
o to advise on simplification and transparency in systems and procedures.

3.13 Unsponsored Depository Receipts (UDRs)

Why in News?
• The International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) is considering permitting unsponsored
depository receipts (UDRs) for Indian shares.
• Aim: to boost liquidity, attract foreign funds seeking offshore alternatives to the Mumbai stock markets.
About Unsponsored Depository Receipts (UDRs)
• It is a type of Depository Receipt in which the foreign firm is not involved in the issuance.
• The depository purchases the shares from the foreign market.
• Investor does not have any voting rights and is retained by the depository bank.

3.14 G20 TechSprint

Why in News?
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under India’s G20 Presidency, & Bank for International
Settlements Innovation Hub (BISIH) have jointly launched the G20 TechSprint (fourth edition).
• It is a global technology competition for developing innovative solutions to improve cross-border
payments.
• Three Focus Areas of 2023 TechSprint
o Anti-Money Laundering (AML) / Combating terrorist financing (CFT) /Sanctions technology
solutions to reduce illicit finance risk
o FX and liquidity technology solutions to enable settlement in more emerging market and
developing economy (EMDE) currencies.
o Technology solutions for multilateral cross-border Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
platforms.

3.15 GFIN Greenwashing TechSprint

Why in News?
• Recently, the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN) has launched its first ever virtual greenwashing
TechSprint.
• The TechSprint will be hosted on the Digital Sandbox of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the
United Kingdom (UK).
• The event addresses GFIN’s priority on environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainable
finance
• Objective: to develop a tool or solution that could help regulators or the market more effectively tackle
or mitigate the risks of greenwashing in financial services.
• A total of 13 international regulators (including Reserve Bank of India [RBI]) are participating in the
event.
• GFIN has identified two problem statements for the techsprint, viz,
o Problem Statement 1 - How can technology, including AI and machine learning, enable
regulators/supervisors to verify that ESG/sustainability-related product claims to retail consumers
are accurate and complete.  

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 o Problem Statement 2 - How can technology help to monitor, collate and identify examples of
greenwashing from financial services firms’ websites, social media platforms and other
documentation or data which can also be shared across jurisdictions.

What is greenwashing?
• According to GFIN, greenwashing is ‘marketing that portrays an organisation’s products, activities or
policies as producing positive environmental or social outcomes, or avoiding environmental or social
outcomes, or avoiding environmental or social harm, when this is not the case'.

3.16 Automated ESCROW+ solution

Why in News?
• Recently, RazorpayX, the neobank arm of Razorpay, has launched ESCROW+ solution.
• ESCROW+ solution is powered by Axis Trustee Services Ltd, RBL Bank, and ICICI Bank.
• It provides businesses with an Escrow trustee, in partnership with Axis Trustee Services, who are vetted
and on-boarded by RazorpayX.
• It also offers merchants an Escrow account to route funds they are receiving on behalf of end beneficiaries
to ensure the right tax treatment and reporting.
What is an escrow account?
• An escrow account is a third-party account where funds are kept before they are transferred to the
ultimate party.

3.17 CVV-less payments for tokenised cards

Why in News?
• Recently, the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCIs) RuPay has introduced the CVV (Card
Verification Value) free payments for its debit, credit and prepaid cardholders who have tokenized their
cards on the merchant application or webpage.

About Tokenization
• Tokenization is the process of replacing original card details with a unique alternative code called a
token.

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3.18 HDFC Bank launches retail banking programme ‘Vishesh’
Why in News?
• HDFC Bank has launched a retail banking initiative called ‘Vishesh‘, aimed at customers in semi-
urban and rural areas.
• The bank is hoping to onboard 1 lakh new customers, which involves increasing its branch
network and developing bespoke financial products for the market segment.
• The bank plans to add 675 branches in rural and semi-urban areas by 2024, with the total number
expected to reach almost 5,000.
3.19 Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)
Why in News?
• Recently, the
27th Meeting of
the Financial
Stability and
Development
Council (FSDC)
was held in
New Delhi.
• Chaired by:
Nirmala
Sitharaman,
Union Minister
for Finance
• The meeting
has been
organized for
the first time
after the
announcement
of the Union
Budget 2023-
24.

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3.20 ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign
Why in News?
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) has announced the ‘100 Days 100
Pays’ campaign for banks.
Additional Information
• RBI has announced the setting up of a
Centralised Web portal for public to
search unclaimed deposits across multiple banks.
Note: Unclaimed deposits discussed in CurrentTap- April 2023 (News 3.9).

3.21 Expected Credit Loss (ECL)-based loan loss provisioning framework

Why in News?
• Recently, banks have sought a one-year extension from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to implement the
Expected Credit Loss (ECL)-based loan loss provisioning framework.
• RBI is yet to release the final guidelines on ECL norms.

About ECL based loan loss provisioning framework

• In January 2023, RBI released draft guidelines proposing adoption of expected credit loss approach for
credit impairment.
• ECL is a method of accounting for credit risk based on the loss likely to occur on a loan or portfolio of
loans.
• Under the ECL norms, banks will be required to classify financial assets into one of the three categories
– Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3.
o The financial assets include loans, including irrevocable loan commitments, and investments
classified as held-to-maturity or available-for-sale).
o Assets will be classified depending upon the assessed credit losses, at the time of initial
recognition as well as on each subsequent reporting date and make necessary provisions.

3.22 Profit of Public Sector Banks

Why in News?
• According to latest data, Public sector banks' (PSBs) cumulative profit crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark
in the financial year ended March 2023.
• State Bank of India (SBI) accounted for nearly half of the total earnings.
• Factors that contributed towards increased profit: higher interest income and improved management
of non-performing assets (NPAs).

Key Information
S.No Particulars Key Information

1. Total Profit of 12 PSBs in 2022-23 Rs 1,04,649 crore

57% increase as compared to Rs 66,539.98

2. Growth of PSB Profits
crore earned in 2021-22

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 State Bank of India (SBI)

Bank that reported highest annual profit in absolute terms SBI reported an annual profit of Rs 50,232
3.
crore in 2022-23, showing an increase of
59% over the preceding financial year

1. Bank of Maharashtra (126%; Rs

2,602 crore)
2. UCO Bank (100%; Rs 1,862
4. Top 3 Banks with highest net profit growth in terms of percentage
crore)
3. Bank of Baroda (94%; Rs 14,110
crore)

Additional Information
• The Government of India has taken comprehensive steps under the 4R’s strategy to reduce NPAs of Public
Sector Banks. The 4R strategy include-
o Recognising NPAs transparently,
o Resolution and recovery,
o Recapitalising PSBs
✓ The government has infused Rs 3,10,997 crore to recapitalize PSBs from 2016-17 to 2020-
21
✓ Reforms in the financial ecosystem

3.23 Top Performing Banks in NPA Management

Why in News?
• According to the recently published yearly numbers of banks, Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged
as the top performing bank non-performing assets (NPAs) Management during FY23.

Important Information
• The NPAs of Bank of Maharashtra fell as low as 0.25% during this period.
• It is the lowest ratio among all banks having total business above Rs 3 lakh crore and not just public
sector banks (PSBs).
• BoM was followed by HDFC Bank & Kotak Mahindra Bank respectively in terms of NPA Management.
• If we consider PSBs alone, BoM was followed by State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of Baroda
respectively.
• Top 3 Banks with highest Provision Coverage Ratio
o BoM, UCO Bank & Indian Bank
• Top 3 PSBs with highest Capital Adequacy Ratio
o BoM (18.14%), Punjab & Sind Bank and Canara Bank
• Top 3 scheduled commercial banks in terms of loan growth
o BoM, Indian Overseas Bank & IndusInd Bank.
• Top 3 banks with regards to deposits growth rate
o HDFC Bank, Federal Bank & Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB).
• Top 3 banks in terms of low-cost Current Account and Savings Account (CASA) deposits
o BoM, IDBI Bank & KMB

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3.24 Digital communication system between PSU banks & CEIB to Check Loan Defaults
Why in News?
• Recently, the Union Government has approved a prompt digital reporting and communication
mechanism between Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) banks and Central Economic Intelligence Bureau
(CEIB) to check loan defaults.
• Under the digital mechanism, CEIB will send a report digitally regarding borrowers to the PSU banks for
a loan amount of Rs 50 crore or higher at pre-approval stage within 15 days of request.
• At present, it is mandatory for all the government holding banks to furnish a report from CEIB regarding
the loan seekers of Rs 50 crore or more and those who have a pending default, before processing any
loans.

3.25 Surplus Transfer to Government

Why in News?
• Recently, the board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the transfer of Rs 87,416 crore as surplus
to the Government of India for the accounting year 2022-23.
• It is nearly three times higher than the previous year’s transfer of Rs 30,307 crore.
• Reasons for increased surplus payment to Government: increased earnings on sale of forex during the
year.
• The RBI Board has also decided to maintain the contingency risk buffer at 6%.

About contingency risk buffer

• It is a specific provision fund maintained by the central bank primarily to be used during any unexpected
and unforeseen contingencies
Additional Information
• The surplus transfer from RBI to government is done in accordance with Section 47 of RBI Act, 1934.
• The Union Budget estimated a surplus of Rs 48,000 crore from the central bank, public sector banks, and
financial institutions for the current year.

3.26 Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)

Why in News?
• Recently, the Union Ministry of Finance has included practicing Chartered Accountants (CA), Company
Secretaries (CS), and Cost and Works Accountants (CWAs) carrying financial transactions on behalf of
their clients, as reporting entities, under the ambit of the PMLA, , 2002.
• The changes notified have been made in the sub-clause (vi) of clause (sa) of sub-section (1) of section 2
of the PMLA.
• The initiative envisages to reduce the shell companies.

Entities brought under the ambit of PMLA

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 • An individual who obtained a certificate of practice under section 6 of the Chartered Accountants Act,
1949
• An individual who obtained a certificate of practice under section 6 of the Company Secretaries Act, 1980
• An Individual who has obtained a certificate of practice under section 6 of the Cost and Works
Accountants Act, 1959.

Activities brought under the ambit of PMLA

• A CA/CS/CWA must report the following financial transactions carried on behalf of its clients
o Buying and selling of any immovable property
o Managing of client money, securities or other asset
o Organisation of contributions for the creation, operation or management of companies
o Management of bank, savings or securities accounts
o Creation, operation or management of companies, limited liability partnerships or trusts
o buying and selling of business entities, shall be an activity for the purposes of said sub-section.
About PMLA
• The act has been passed to prevent money-laundering.
• The act provides for confiscation of property derived from, or involved in, money-laundering & related
activities.

3.27 eBank Guarantees

News 1
• Recently, Federal Bank, in collaboration with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) has
launched an e-bank guarantee (e-BG) facility.

News 2
• Recently, Bank of Baroda has launched electronic bank guarantee (e-BG) on its BarodaINSTA platform,
in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).

About Bank Guarantee

• It is a commercial instrument used as a legal contract.
• A bank acts as a guarantor and undertakes an obligation to pay the beneficiary a certain amount of
money specified in the guarantee if the debtor from the original contract does not fulfill his contractual
obligations.

About e-BG
• It is a substitute to paper-based guarantees.
• Issued by NeSL through its Digital Document Execution (DDE) platform.
• It can be processed, stamped, verified, and delivered instantly with enhanced security.

Additional Information
• NeSL is India's first and only Information Utility.
• NeSL is regulated by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) under the provisions of the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC).

3.28 Tax Information Network 2.0 (TIN2.0) Portal

Why in News?

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 • Recently, RBL Bank has gone live with Direct Tax Collections on behalf of the Government of India
through the TIN2.0 (e-filing) Portal.

About TIN 2.0

• Developed by: Income Tax Department.
• Developed as a mission mode project under the National E-Governance Plan.
• It is the official portal of the Income Tax Department.
• It provides taxpayers with single window access to income tax related services including tax payments.
Additional Information
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has empaneled RBL Bank as an agency bank to conduct banking business
for the Central and State Governments.
• RBL Bank also offers customs duty collections through a direct interface via Indian Customs Electronic
Data Interchange Gateway (ICEGATE).

3.29 HDFC Merger

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has granted its final approval for the proposed
change in control of HDFC AMC.
• This approval will pave way for the merger of HDFC into HDFC Bank.

About HDFC Merger

• In 2022, HDFC Bank decided to take over HDFC, the biggest domestic mortgage lender, in a deal valued
at about USD 40 billion.
• It is termed as the biggest transaction in India’s corporate history.
• The proposed entity will have a combined asset base of around Rs 18 lakh crore.
• Once the deal is effective, HDFC Bank will be 100% owned by public shareholders, and existing
shareholders of HDFC will own 41% of the bank.

3.30 London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)

Why in News?
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked banks and other regulated entities to take steps to
ensure a complete transition away from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) from July 01, 2023.
• Banks/ Financial Institutions should ensure that no new transaction undertaken by them or their
customers rely on or are priced using the U.S. Dollar LIBOR or the Mumbai Interbank Forward Outright
Rate (MIFOR).
• The Financial Benchmarks India Pvt. Ltd. (FBIL) will stop publishing MIFOR after June 30, 2023.

Background
• LIBOR has played an important role in worsening the 2008 Financial Crisis.
• In 2012, it was found out that many rate setting banks have manipulated the LIBOR.
• Hence many central banks / regulatory authorities decided to move away from LIBOR
• In 2021, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the United Kingdom (UK) has announced all LIBOR settings
(interest rates) will either cease to be provided or no longer be representative.

About LIBOR
• LIBOR is an average of the estimated interest rates submitted by leading UK banks.

126 | P a g e
 • It was a benchmark rate against which global lenders mark their transactions.
• It was a key benchmark for setting the interest rates charged on adjustable-rate loans, mortgages and
corporate debt.
• Regulated by: FCA, UK; Administered by: Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Benchmark Administration
(IBA).
• LIBOR rates are calculated for five currencies viz, Swiss Franc, Euro, Pound sterling, Japanese yen and
US dollar.

Phasing out of LIBOR

• All Pound Sterling, Euro, Swiss Franc, and Japanese Yen settings, and the 1-week and 2-month US Dollar
settings Libor ceased to exist after December 31, 2021.
• The remaining US Dollar settings would cease to exist after June 30, 2023.

Replacement for LIBOR in India

• RBI has offered the following options
o Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR)
✓ It is link to US treasury market transactions.
✓ It is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight, collateralised by (US)
treasury securities in the repo market.
o Modified Mumbai Interbank Forward Outright Rate (MMIFOR).

3.31 Expert Committee on Mental Health & Insurance

Why in News?
• Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India(IRDAI) has constituted an expert
committee to advice on matters related to mental health and insurance.
• Chairperson: Pratima Murthy, Director, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences
(NIMHANS).
• Total Members: five; tenure: two years
• Role of the committee
o the committee will be providing advice and inputs on existing coverage and those to be offered
for mental illnesses.
o It will also guide on the terminology and concept from a medical domain perspective, and aspects
pertaining to mental illnesses from an insurance perspective.

3.32 Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE)

Why in News?
• Recently, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has set up the Centre for Processing Accelerated
Corporate Exit (C-PACE).
• It is part of MCA’s efforts towards Ease of Doing Business and ease of exit for the Companies.

127 | P a g e
 Background
• C-PACE was first
announced in Union
Budget 2023-24.
• To establish C-PACE,
MCA has amended
companies (Removal of
Names of Companies
from the Register of
Companies) Rules,
2023
o The new rules
came into
effect from 1st
May, 2023.
• As per new rules applications for removal of name of a company under Section 248 of the Companies
Act would be made to the registrar, C-PACE.
About Section 248 of the Companies Act
• It provides for removal of the name of company from the RoC under the following cases
o if a company is not carrying on any business or operation for a period of two immediately
preceding financial years and,
o has not made any application within the said period for obtaining the status of a dormant
company under Section 455.

3.33 Full Insurance Coverage For Surrogacy

Why in News?
• Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has directed all insurers
to comply with the Surrogacy Act, 2012 and ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) Act, 2021.

Key Guidelines
S.No Act Key Guidelines
the intending woman or couple can purchase a general health insurance
Section 4 (iii)(a)(III) of Surrogacy
1. coverage in favour of surrogate mother for a period of 36 months from an
(Regulation) Act, 2021
insurance company.
The intending woman or couple shall purchase a general health insurance
coverage in favour of surrogate mother for a period of thirty six months
Rule 5 of Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules, from an insurance company or an agent recognized by the IRDAI for an
2. 2022 states (1) amount which is sufficient enough to cover all expenses for all complications
arising out of pregnancy and also covering post- partum delivery
complications
An insurance coverage of such amount as may be prescribed for a period of
3. Section 22(1)(b) of ART Act, 2021 12 months in favour of the oocyte donor by the commissioning couple or
woman from an insurance company or an agent recognised by the IRDAI

3.34 Task Force To Facilitate Ease Of Doing KYC Using Aadhaar

Why in News?

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 • Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has constituted a task
force to facilitate ease of doing Know Your Customer (KYC) by insurers using Aadhaar.
• Total Members of the Task Force: 12; Head: Member (F&I), IRDAI.
Additional Information
• IRDAI has made KYC norms mandatory for the purchase of all new insurance policies, irrespective of
their premiums, starting January 1, 2023.
• It is applicable to all types of insurance viz, life, general and health insurance.

3.35 Surety Bonds

Why in News?
• Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has relaxed norms for
surety bonds.
• Aim: to expand surety insurance market by increasing the availability of such products.
Key Guidelines
• Solvency requirement for surety bond products: revised to 1.5 times; previously kept at 1.875 times.
• The existing 30% exposure limit applicable on each contract underwritten by an insurer, has been
removed.

4 STATIC
IMPORTANT ORGANIZATIONS

S.No Organization Name Headquarter Establishment Year

Indian Space Research

6. Bengaluru, Karnataka 1969
Organization (ISRO)

Border Roads Organization

7. New Delhi 1960
(BRO)

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 Federation of Indian Chambers
8. New Delhi 1927
of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)

National Institution for

9. New Delhi 2015
Transforming India (NITI Aayog)

National Payments Corporation

10. Mumbai, Maharashtra 2008
of India (NPCI)

Defence Research &

11. Development Organization New Delhi 1958
(DRDO)

United Nation Educational,

12. Scientific and Cultural Paris, France 1945
Organization (UNESCO)

13. Shipping Corporation of India Mumbai, Maharashtra 1961

International Financial Services

14. Gandhinagar, Gujarat 2020
Centers Authority (IFSCA)

Indian Council of Medical

15. New Delhi 1911
Research (ICMR)

National Highways Authority of

16. New Delhi 1988
India (NHAI)

National Aeronautics and Space

17. Washington DC, USA 1958
Administration (NASA)

International Cricket Council

18. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) 1909
(ICC)

Board of Control for Cricket in

19. Mumbai, Maharashtra 1928
India (BCCI)

Union Public Service

20. New Delhi 1926
Commission (UPSC)

University Grants Commission

21. New Delhi 1956
(UGC)

Insurance Regulatory and

22. Development Authority of India Hyderabad, Telangana 2000
(IRDAI)

Competition Commission of
23. New Delhi 2003
India (CCI)

Petroleum & Natural Gas

24. New Delhi 2006
Regulatory Board (PNGRB)

25. United Nations (UN) New York, USA 1945

130 | P a g e
 International Organization for
26. Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland 1951
Migration (IOM)

United Nations Relief and

Works Agency for Palestine
27. Palestine 1949
Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA)

Association of Southeast Asian

28. Jakarta, Indonesia 1967
Nations (ASEAN)

29. European Union (EU) Brussels and Luxembourg 1993

Data Security Council of India

30. Noida, Uttar Pradesh 2008
(DSCI)

31. WHO Geneva, Switzerland 1948

32. World Bank Washington, D.C., United States 1944

World Meteorological
33. Geneva, Switzerland 1950
Organization (WMO)

COUNTRY, CURRENCY AND CAPITAL

S.No Country Currency Capital

1. Mauritius Mauritian Rupee Port Louis

2. Singapore Singapore Dollar Singapore City

3. Maldives Rufiyaa Male

4. Israel Shekel Jerusalem

5. Netherlands Euro Amsterdam

6. Italy Euro Rome

7. Azerbaijan Manat Baku

8. Nepal Nepalese Rupee Kathmandu

9. United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dirham Abu Dhabi

10. Portugal Euro Lisbon

11. Botswana Pula Gaborone

12. Sudan Sudanese Pound Khartoum

Federated States of Micronesia

13. US Dollar Palikir
(FSM)

131 | P a g e
 14. Germany Euro Berlin

15. Spain Euro Madrid

16. United States of America US Dollar Washington DC

17. Bangladesh Taka Dhaka

18. Bhutan Ngultrum Thimphu

19. South Korea Won Seoul

20. Indonesia Rupiah Jakarta

21. Myanmar Kyat Naypyidaw

22. Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Rupee Colombo

23. Thailand Baht Bangkok

24. Timor-Leste US Dollar Dili

25. Cambodia Riel Phnom Penh

26. Yemen Yemeni Rial Sanaa

27. Uzbekistan Som Tashkent

28. Malaysia Ringgit Kuala Lumpur

29. China Yuan Beijing

30. Mexico Mexican Peso Mexico

31. Palestine Israeli Shekel Ramallah

32. Poland Zloty Warsaw

33. Vietnam Vietnamese Dong Hanoi

34. France Euro Paris

35. Australia Australian Dollar Canberra

36. United Kingdom (UK) Pound Sterling London

37. The Netherlands Euro Amsterdam

38. Nigeria Nigerian Naira Abuja

BANKS – HEADQUARTERS AND TAGLINES

S.No Banks Headquarter Tagline

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1. Yes Bank Mumbai, Maharashtra Experience Our Expertise

2. State Bank of India (SBI) Mumbai, Maharashtra Pure Banking Nothing Else

3. Axis Bank Mumbai, Maharashtra Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi

4. Kotak Mahindra Bank Mumbai, Maharashtra Let’s Make Money Simple

5. RBL Bank Mumbai, Maharashtra Apno ka Bank

6. ICICI Bank Mumbai, Maharashtra Khayaal Aapka

7. Axis Bank Mumbai, Maharashtra Badhti Ka Nam Zindagi

8. Bank of Baroda (BoB) Vadodara, Gujarat India’s International Bank

9. Canara Bank Bengaluru, Karnataka Together We Can

10. HDFC bank Mumbai, Maharashtra We Understand Your World

11. Indian Bank Chennai, Tamil Nadu Aam Aadmi Ka Bank

12. Punjab National Bank (PNB) New Delhi Where Service is a Way of Life

13. Union Bank of India (UBI) Mumbai, Maharashtra Good People to Bank With

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