03rd-04th May, 2023

1. The 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was broadcasted live at the United Nations headquarters at New York.
2. Aqua Line’s Sector 51 metro station has been selected as India’s first ‘Eat Right Metro Station’ by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
3. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has visited an official visit to Guyana, Panama, Columbia, and the Dominican Republic.
4. NITI Aayog and UNDP have released a compendium titled as “Best practices in social sector”.
5. Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has launched the “Vivad se Vishwas I – Relief to MSMEs” scheme for providing relief to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for COVID-19 period.
6. Japan will train up to 1,000 Indian engineers before starting work on the High-Speed Rail Track system for Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor (MAHSR).
7. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on its 60th Foundation Day.
8. Directorate of Tourism, Jammu and Kishtwar Tourism Development Authority (KTDA) has organized a two-day Sinthan Snow Festival-2023 at Sinthan Maidan, Kishtwar.
9. Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat received the coveted ‘gold’ rating from CII’s Indian Green Building Council under the IGBC Green New Building Rating system.
10. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin inaugurated a two-day Medical Value Travel Conclave named as ‘Tamil Nadu – Where the World comes to Heal’.
11. A 50-day countdown to the International Day of Yoga began at Shri Bhawani Niketan College in Jaipur.
12. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare and NAFED have launched the first of its kind ‘Millets Experience Centre’ (MEC) at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi.
13. For the first time, the Indian Army has inducted five women officers into its Regiment of Artillery and three of them have been posted to frontline formations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
14. Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘ADC-150’ from IL 38SD aircraft off the coast of Goa.
15. First edition of the ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023) is scheduled from 02 to 08 May 2023 in the South China Sea.
16. NTPC Ltd. signed a supplementary joint venture agreement with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) for development of Nuclear Power Projects.
17. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and IHub-Data, IIIT Hyderabad have signed an MoU at IIIT Hyderabad campus.
18. Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) have renewed their MoU, which will open opportunities for the “appropriately qualified” member of both the institutes.
19. Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IITK) and Military Engineer Services (MES) Jhansi have signed an MOU to convert Army stations into carbon-neutral campuses.
20. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed an MOU with the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) of Israel for Industrial Research and Development Cooperation.
21. Dubai-based airline Emirates has unveiled the world’s first robotic check-in assistant named Sara.
22. Janakpurdham Cultural Festival was celebrated in Nepal’s Janakpur.
23. International Apparel & Textile Fair 2023 (IATF) was organized in Dubai. It is the 15th edition of the fair.
24. 30th edition of Arabian Travel Market was organized at Dubai World Trade Centre by Verteil Technologies.
25. Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, has prepared and released the National Manufacturing Innovation Survey (NMIS) 2021-22.
26. World Economic Forum (WEF) has released the “Future of Jobs” report.
27. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has released the “Global Fintech 2023: Reimagining the Future of Finance” report.
28. World Economic Forum has released the “Chief Economists Outlook: May 2023”.
29. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2023 Annual Report.
30. Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman chaired a review meeting with Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) in New Delhi.
31. The banking and financial services sectors of India saw a Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) outflow of Rs 29,921 crores in FY23.
32. HDFC Bank has introduced digital distribution platform Smart Saathi to connect business correspondents (BCs) and business facilitators (BFs) to the bank.
33. BharatPe has acquired a 51% stake in Trillion Loans, a Mumbai-based non-banking financial company (NBFC).
34. Dvara SmartGold and Jana Small Finance Bank have announced a strategic partnership to offer gold loans to customers in Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.
35. Dialog Axiata and Bharti Airtel have announced plans to merge their operations in Sri Lanka, to become the nation’s largest telecom operator.
36. Pine Labs, a merchant commerce omnichannel platform, has announced to accept Digital Rupee on its PoS terminals in partnership with ICICI Bank.
37. Airtel Payments Bank has collaborated with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to roll out Face Authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment System) at its 500,000 banking points.
38. LIC has introduced a new Group Post-Retirement Medical Benefit Scheme, which is a non-linked, non-participating, life, group savings insurance product.
39. International Monetary Fund has released its “Regional Economic Outlook – Asia and Pacific” May 2023.
40. Siddhartha Mohanty has been appointed as the first chief executive of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) for the term beginning in June 2024 to June 2025.
41. April 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work; Theme – A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work
42. April 30 – Ayushman Bharat Diwas
43. April 30 – International Jazz Day
44. May 1 – International Workers’ Day/ Labour Day/ May Day/ Maharashtra Statehood Day
45. May 2 – World Tuna Day
46. May 2 – World Asthma Day; Theme – Asthma care for All
47. May 3 – World Press Freedom Day; Theme – Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights
48. Former Lok Sabha MP Pandit Ramkishan was honoured with the title of Shatabdi Purush (Man of the Century) in New Delhi.
49. Popular UK-based Indian-origin actor-writer Meera Syal has been conferred a BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade bestowed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
50. Abdulla Aboobacker won the men’s triple jump gold at the 57th Oda Mikio memorial athletics meet in Hiroshima.
51. Sumit Nagal from India won the men’s singles at the Roma Garden Open 2023 (ATP Challenger’s tour).
52. Sergio Pérez (Mexican) has won the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023.
53. Retired Commander Abhilash Tomy created history as the first Indian to complete the Golden Globe Race 2023.
54. Ding Liren of China has crowned as the 17th world chess champion.
55. Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon received India’s first gold medal in the ongoing ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Cairo, Egypt.
56. “Made in India: 75 Years of Business and Enterprise” book has been authored by Amitabh Kant (former CEO of NITI Aayog).
57. Arun Manilal Gandhi, an Indian American social activist, journalist, writer and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has passed away.

Term of the Day – “Greenwashing”

• Greenwashing is a term or practice used in marketing sector. When a company falsely claims to be environmentally conscious and market its products as such, but is not making any notable sustainability efforts, then it would be called as Greenwashing.

National News

1. The 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was broadcasted live at the United Nations headquarters at New York.
   Source: Times of India
2. Aqua Line’s Sector 51 metro station has been selected as India’s first ‘Eat Right Metro Station’ by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
   Source: Times of India
3. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has visited an official visit to Guyana, Panama, Columbia, and the Dominican Republic.

4. NITI Aayog and UNDP have released a compendium titled as “Best practices in social sector”.
   Source: Official Report
5. Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has launched the “Vivad se Vishwas I – Relief to MSMEs” scheme for providing relief to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for COVID-19 period.
   • The scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24.
   • In cases of failure by MSMEs to execute contracts during the COVID period, 95% of the forfeited amount relating to bid or performance security will be returned to them by Government and Government undertakings. This will provide relief to MSMEs.
     Source: PIB
6. Japan will train up to 1,000 Indian engineers before starting work on the High-Speed Rail Track system for Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor (MAHSR).
   Source: The Hindu
7. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on its 60th Foundation Day.
   • Since its establishment in 1963, IIFT has emerge as an acknowledged centre of excellence in international trade and business.
     Source: PIB

State News

1. Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat received the coveted ‘gold’ rating from CII’s Indian Green Building Council under the IGBC Green New Building Rating system.
   • Last month, the CM K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) inaugurated the new building of the State Secretariate, which is named after Dr BR Ambedkar, in Hyderabad.
   • The Secretariate is the brainchild of the chief minister and has been constructed as per Indian Green Building Council norms.

2. Directorate of Tourism, Jammu and Kishtwar Tourism Development Authority (KTDA) has organized a two-day Sinthan Snow Festival-2023 at Sinthan Maidan, Kishtwar.
   • The snow festival is being organized in collaboration with the District Administration Kishtwar, the Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages (JKAACL), and the Army.
     Source: News on Air
3. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin inaugurated a two-day Medical Value Travel Conclave named as ‘Tamil Nadu – Where the World comes to Heal’.
   • Purpose – for bringing together hospitals from 21 source countries with hospitals in Tamil Nadu that have been accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers
     Source: The Hindu

4. A 50-day countdown to the International Day of Yoga began at Shri Bhawani Niketan College in Jaipur.
   • The program was organized by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.
     Source: News on Air

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare and NAFED have launched the first of its kind ‘Millets Experience Centre’ (MEC) at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi.
   Source: PIB

Defence News

1. For the first time, the Indian Army has inducted five women officers into its Regiment of Artillery and three of them have been posted to frontline formations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with
   • Lt Mehak Saini, Lt Sakshi Dubey, Lt Aditi Yadav, Lt Pious Mudgil and Lt Akanksha have completed their training at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.
     Source: Economic Times
2. Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘ADC-150’ from IL 38SD aircraft off the coast of Goa.
   • ‘ADC-150’ is an indigenously designed and developed Air Droppable Container with 150 kg payload capacity.
   • Three DRDO laboratories – Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam; Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra and Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru – have been involved in the development of ADC-150 container.
     Source: PIB
3. First edition of the ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023) is scheduled from 02 to 08 May 2023 in the South China Sea.
   • The harbour phase of exercise will take place at Changi Naval Base.
   • INS Delhi, India’s first indigenously built guided missile destroyer and INS Satpura, an indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate, will participate in this exercise.
   • The ships, during their port call at Singapore, will also participate in International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX-23) and International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC) being hosted by Singapore.
     Source: PIB

Memorandum of Understanding

1. NTPC Ltd. signed a supplementary joint venture agreement with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) for development of Nuclear Power Projects.
   • Both the companies will work on developing the nuclear power plants in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
     Source: PIB
2. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and IHub-Data, IIIT Hyderabad have signed an MoU at IIIT Hyderabad
   • Purpose – to collaborate in supporting and facilitating FinTech and TechFin entities
   • The MoU will enable the FinTechs and TechFins registered with IHub-Data to access IFSCA’s Regulatory and Innovation Sandbox and apply to the IFSCA (FinTech Incentive) Scheme 2022.

3. Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) have renewed their MoU, which will open opportunities for the “appropriately qualified” member of both the institutes.
   • “Appropriately qualified” member is one who has gained membership of either Institute through completion of their respective Institute’s training and education route.
     Source: Hindu Business Line
4. Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IITK) and Military Engineer Services (MES) Jhansi have signed an MOU to convert Army stations into carbon-neutral campuses.
   • The MOU aims to contribute towards India’s vision of achieving net zero emissions by 2070.
   • Under the MoU, five campuses under the MES Jhansi cantonment have been identified initially, which will be converted into NetZero Carbon, Net Zero Energy, Net Zero Water, and Net Zero Waste campuses/stations in a phased manner.
     Source: IIT-K’s website
5. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed an MOU with the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) of Israel for Industrial Research and Development Cooperation.
   Source: PIB

International News

1. Dubai-based airline Emirates has unveiled the world’s first robotic check-in assistant named Sara.
   • Sara will match customers’ faces with scanned passports, check passengers in, and guide them to the luggage drop area.
     Source: News on Air
2. Janakpurdham Cultural Festival was celebrated in Nepal’s Janakpur.
   Source: ANI
3. International Apparel & Textile Fair 2023 (IATF) was organized in It is the 15th edition of the fair.
   • The India Pavilion was jointly organised by Apparel Export Promotion Council, Ministry of Textiles, and Federation of Indian Export Organisation.
     Source: News on Air
4. 30th edition of Arabian Travel Market was organized at Dubai World Trade Centre by Verteil Technologies.
   Source: Hindu Business Line

Reports and Indices

1. Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, has prepared and released the National Manufacturing Innovation Survey (NMIS) 2021-22.

   About the Survey –

   • The NMIS 2021-22 study was conducted as a 2-pronged survey that examined the innovation processes, outcomes, and barriers in manufacturing firms and studied the innovation ecosystem that affects innovation outcomes in these firms.
   • This study is a follow-up of DST’s first National Innovation Survey held in 2011.
   • The NMIS 2021-22 survey had two specific components: the firm-level survey and the sectorial systems of innovation (SSI) survey.
   • A total of 8,087 firms participated in the firm-level survey, while 5,488 firms and non-firms participated in the SSI survey from 28 states and 6 Union Territories (UTs).

Results –

• Karnataka is the most innovative state in manufacturing, followed by Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Haryana.
• Karnataka is not only the most innovative in its manufacturing sector but also has the highest number of companies in manufacturing that carry out innovations.
• Uttarakhand has topped among the hill states, while Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu topped among the UTs.
• Innovation in manufacturing is the lowest in the North-eastern states (excluding Assam), followed by Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
• Out of the total firms surveyed, only 25.01% were considered innovative.

2. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has released the “Global Fintech 2023: Reimagining the Future of Finance”
   • More than half the world’s population remains unbanked or underbanked.
   • The fintech sector, currently holding a mere 2% share of global financial services revenue, is estimated to reach $1.5 trillion in annual revenue by 2030, constituting almost 25% of all banking revenues worldwide.
   • Asia-Pacific will have the largest market with 42% of all incremental revenues.
     Source: BCG’s report

3. World Economic Forum (WEF) has released the “Future of Jobs” report.
   • The report finds analytical thinking, creative thinking and AI and big data will be top in-demand skills by 2027.
   • Between 2023 and 2027, businesses predict that 44% of workers’ core skills will be disrupted, because technology is moving faster than companies can design and scale up their training programmes.

4. World Economic Forum has released the “Chief Economists Outlook: May 2023”.
   • The report provides a comprehensive analysis of economists’ perspectives.
     Source: Official report
5. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2023 Annual Report.
   • The 2023 Annual Report recommends the redesignation 12 countries as Countries of Particular Concern for religious rights violation: Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
   • The report also designates Afghanistan, INDIA, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam as additional CPCs.
   • India has rejected the report as “biased” and “motivated”.
     Source: Official Report and The Hindu

Banking and Economy

1. Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman chaired a review meeting with Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) in New Delhi.
   • The total indirect tax collections for 2022-23 which stood at Rs. 13.82 lakh crore (as against Rs. 12.89 Lakh Crore in 2021-22).
   • The average gross monthly collection of the GST for the year 2022-23 stood at Rs. 1.51 lakh crore and monthly GST revenue collections exceeded Rs. 1.4 lakh crore for 12 months in a row.
     Source: PIB
2. The banking and financial services sectors of India saw a Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) outflow of Rs 29,921 crores in FY23.
   Source: The WireHDFC Bank has introduced digital distribution platform Smart Saathi to connect business correspondents (BCs) and business facilitators (BFs) to the bank.
   • The platform aims at making banking products and services available, especially credit for rural customers.
     Source: LiveMint
3. BharatPe has acquired a 51% stake in Trillion Loans, a Mumbai-based non-banking financial company (NBFC).
   Source: Times of India
4. Dvara SmartGold and Jana Small Finance Bank have announced a strategic partnership to offer gold loans to customers in Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.
   Source: Times of India
5. Dialog Axiata and Bharti Airtel have announced plans to merge their operations in Sri Lanka, to become the nation’s largest telecom operator.
   Source: LiveMint
6. Pine Labs, a merchant commerce omnichannel platform, has announced to accept Digital Rupee on its PoS terminals in partnership with ICICI Bank.
   • The technology integration between the two entities will now support e₹ (Digital Rupee) acceptance at Pine Labs’ point-of-sale terminals across key retail outlets in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
     Source: Hindu Business Line
7. Airtel Payments Bank has collaborated with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to roll out Face Authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment System) at its 500,000 banking points.
   • Airtel Payments Bank is amongst the first four banks to offer Face Authentication for AePS in the country.
     Source: LiveMint
8. LIC has introduced a new Group Post-Retirement Medical Benefit Scheme, which is a non-linked, non-participating, life, group savings insurance product.
   • Purpose – to assist employers in meeting their post-retirement medical benefit obligations to their employees
   • Features of the scheme –
   • Under the group cover, if a member dies while still in service before retirement, the sum assured will be paid.
   • If a member resigns or retires, post-retirement medical benefits will be paid out.
   • Eligible family members of the retired employees may also receive post-retirement medical benefits if allowed by the scheme rules and subject to the availability of funds in the Group Policy Account.

   Source: Times of India

GDP Forecast

1. International Monetary Fund has released its “Regional Economic Outlook – Asia and Pacific” May 2023.
   • Asia-Pacific region’s growth rate – 4.6% in FY23 (as compared to 3.8% in FY22)

Source: IMF

Appointments

1. Siddhartha Mohanty has been appointed as the first chief executive of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) for the term beginning in June 2024 to June 2025.

Source: Hindustan Times and LiveMint

Important Days

1. April 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work; Theme – A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work
   Source: UN
2. April 30 – Ayushman Bharat Diwas
   Note: According to some unauthenticated websites, “Swasthya Amrit” is the theme of this day.

   Source: Times of India

3. April 30 – International Jazz Day
   Note: Acc. To some websites, “A Jazz Journey Around the World” is the theme of this day.

   Source: UNESCOSource:

4. May 1 – International Workers’ Day/ Labour Day/ May Day/ Maharashtra Statehood Day
   Source: LiveMint
5. May 2 – World Tuna Day
   • UN aims to achieve sustainable tuna fishing by 2027.
     Source: UN
6. May 2 – World Asthma Day; Theme – Asthma care for All

Source: Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)

7. May 3 – World Press Freedom Day; Theme – Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights
   • Niloofar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi and Narges Mohammadi (Iranian) women journalists have won the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
   • 2023 World Press Freedom Index (21st edition) has been released by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
   • Total Countries – 180
   • Top – Norway (for a 7th consecutive year)
   • Unusually – a non-Nordic country is ranked second, namely Ireland (which is up by 4 places at 2nd), ahead of Denmark (down 1 place at 3rd).
   • India’s rank – 161st (down from 150th in 2022)

• Parameters – political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural environment and security
• Score –

Source: UNESCO, UN, Official Report

Awards

1. Former Lok Sabha MP Pandit Ramkishan was honoured with the title of Shatabdi Purush (Man of the Century) in New Delhi.
   Source: Indian Express
2. Popular UK-based Indian-origin actor-writer Meera Syal has been conferred a BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade bestowed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
   • Purpose – it is bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film and/or television
   • Syal’s best works – ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and ‘The Kumars at No. 42’ (TV shows)
     Source: Economic Times

Sports

1. Abdulla Aboobacker won the men’s triple jump gold at the 57th Oda Mikio memorial athletics meet in
   Source: Sportstar
2. Sumit Nagal from India won the men’s singles at the Roma Garden Open 2023 (ATP Challenger’s tour).
   Source: ATP tour
3. Sergio Pérez (Mexican) has won the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023.
   Source: ATP
4. Retired Commander Abhilash Tomy created history as the first Indian to complete the Golden Globe Race 2023.
   Source: Indian Express
5. Ding Liren of China has crowned as the 17th world chess champion.
   Source: Al Jazeera
6. Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon received India’s first gold medal in the ongoing ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Cairo, Egypt.
   Source: News on Air

Miscellaneous

1. “Made in India: 75 Years of Business and Enterprise” book has been authored by Amitabh Kant (former CEO of NITI Aayog).
   Source: Hindu Business Line
2. Arun Manilal Gandhi, an Indian American social activist, journalist, writer and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has passed away.
   • Arun Gandhi authored several books including ‘The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi’ and ‘A Patch of White’ about life in prejudiced South Africa.
     Source: Indian Express

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