04th-05th April, 2023

1. Sophisticated mathematical model to track the spread of tuberculosis (TB) cases.
2. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully completed the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission when it landed in Autonomous mode at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) located in Chitradurga, Karnataka.
3. Ministry of Women and Child Development celebrated the fifth Poshan Pakhwada from 20th March to 3rd April 2023 to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition and promote healthy eating habits through Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari.
4. India’s Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), under University Grants Commission, has partnered with NASA to develop artificial intelligence-based model for predicting solar storms.
5. Skyroot Aerospace, India’s top private aerospace company, has successfully fired an advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine, Dhawan-II.
6. NBCC, the Navratna CPSE under the Ministry of Urban Development, has signed the MOU for cooperation with Scirocco Enterprises Ltd of Zambia for the construction of 1 lakh low and medium-cost houses to mitigate an acute shortage of housing in that country.
7. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced a plan to add 250 GW of renewable energy capacity in the next 5 years to achieve its target of 500 GW of clean energy by 2030.
8. Central Govt has reached the highest-ever GI registrations in 2022-23 by completing 33 new GI registrations under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999.
9. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has set up a 14-member committee, headed by Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa and the former CEO of NITI Aayog, to examine stalled real estate projects and recommend ways to complete them.
10. Telangana has launched the India’s first Cool Roof Policy 2023-2028 to drive state-wide adoption of cool roofs by making it mandatory to install cool roofing materials, such as solar reflective paints, tiles or sheets.
11. Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy have conducted their SLINEX 2023 (10th edition).
12. Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Ultra Dimensions Pvt. Ltd. (UDPL), Vishakhapatnam for modernisation of Naval Aircraft Yards (NAYs) at Goa and Kochi, at a cost of approx. Rs 470 crore.
13. United Kingdom has announced to become the 12th member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
14. Finland has become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
15. World Bank has released the “Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia”.
16. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released the “World Energy Transitions Outlook 2023: 1.50C” report.
17. 3rd edition of the India Justice Report (IJR) 2022 has been released DAKSH, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Common Cause (NPO), Centre for Social Justice, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and TISS-Prayas.
18. Life Insurance Corporation of India has increased its shareholding in Bata India from 4.472% to 5.008% for Rs 108 crores.
19. According to a recent report by NASSCOM, the revenue generated by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Indian tech industry is estimated to reach $40 billion by FY30.
20. IDBI Bank has launched a new “Amrit Mahotsav FD” scheme of 444 Days offering higher interest rates on these deposits for regular and senior citizens.
21. Union Bank of India becomes the first bank in the country to open a Special Rupee Vostro Account through its corresponding bank in Malaysia i.e., India International Bank of Malaysia.
22. Tata Consultancy Services has been selected by Bane NOR, the Norwegian government agency responsible for maintaining, operating, and developing the Norwegian railway network
23. State Bank of India (SBI) has extended its “WECARE” Senior Citizens’ Term Deposit program, which was introduced in May 2020, for a period of up to June 30, 2023.
24. Karur Vysya Bank has signed a pact with SBI Life Insurance to offer their insurance products to customers at its branches.
25. Axis Bank, in partnership with Visa, launched ‘Digital Dukaan’, a comprehensive digital solution to empower merchants to accept payments through various digital modes and manage their day-to-day business digitally.
26. Canara Bank has introduced a premium payroll account designed to meet all banking requirements of its salaried customers.
27. Asian Development Bank has released the “Asian Development Outlook- April 2023”.
28. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Neeraj Nigam as the new Executive Director (ED) with effect from April 03, 2023.
29. Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh has been appointed as the Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff.
30. Sudha Shivakumar has been appointed as the 40th President of FICCI Ladies Organization (FLOW).
31. Axis Securities has appointed Pranav Haridasan as its new Managing Director & CEO for a tenure of 3 years.
32. April 2 – International Children’s Book Day; Theme – “I am a book, read me”
33. April 2 – World Autism Awareness Day; Theme – Transformation: Toward a Neuro-Inclusive World for All
34. April 3 – Army Medical Corps Raising Day (259th edition)
35. Aprill 4 – International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
36. International Day of Conscience
37. Tapoban (an Assam-based NGO that cares for special and autistic children) has won the Children’s Champion Award 2023 in the health and nutrition category.
38. Two CBI officers posted in Chandigarh were given President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service during the Diamond Jubilee Celebration function.
39. Philanthropist and art collector Kiran Nadar conferred “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain.
40. Olivier Awards 2023 (47th edition) have been announced.
41. Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2023 has been released.
42. 2023 Madrid Spain Masters (Badminton) – Men’s singles: Kenta Nishimoto (Japan); Women’s Singles: Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (Indonesia)
43. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch motosport racer) has won the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
44. Salim Aziz Durani (Afghan-born Indian cricketer) has passed away.
45. Ryuichi Sakamoto (Oscar-winning Japanese composer, record producer, and actor) has passed away.

National News

1. India has become the first country in the world to develop its own sophisticated mathematical model to track the spread of tuberculosis (TB) cases.
   • The model is based on the natural history of the disease, individual cases of infection, healthcare-seeking behaviour, missed or correct diagnosis, treatment coverage, and outcome.
   • According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India’s TB incidence rate per 100,000 population was 120 in 2021, which is equal to 29.50 lakh in absolute numbers. The mortality rate was 35, which is 4.95 lakh in absolute numbers.
   • According to the Indian TB model for 2022 estimated that the TB incidence rate per 100,000 population was 196, which equates to 27.70 lakh in absolute numbers. The TB mortality rate per 100,000 population was 23, which is 3.20 lakh in absolute numbers.
   • As per these estimates, India’s rate of reduction in TB cases was 18%. The global rate of reduction is 11%.
   • India also holds the chairmanship of the Stop TB initiative, a program that operates in 40 countries under the Stop TB banner.
2. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully completed the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission when it landed in Autonomous mode at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) located in Chitradurga, Karnataka.
3. Ministry of Women and Child Development celebrated the fifth Poshan Pakhwada from 20th March to 3rd April 2023 to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition and promote healthy eating habits through Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari.
   • Theme of the campaign – “Nutrition for All: Together Towards a Healthy India”
   • This year, the focus of Poshan Pakhwada is to popularise ‘Shree Anna’ (millets).
4. India’s Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), under University Grants Commission, has partnered with NASA to develop artificial intelligence-based model for predicting solar storms.
   • The new model uses AI to analyse spacecraft measurements of the solar wind (an unrelenting stream of material from the Sun) and predict where an impending solar storm will strike, anywhere on Earth, with 30 minutes of advance warning.
5. Skyroot Aerospace, India’s top private aerospace company, has successfully fired an advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine, Dhawan-II.
   • The engine will be used in the Vikram rockets of the company.
   • The test was conducted at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur.
   • Dhawan-II is a 3.5 Kilo Newton (kN) engine named after India’s top rocket scientist, Dr. Satish Dhawan.
6. NBCC, the Navratna CPSE under the Ministry of Urban Development, has signed the MOU for cooperation with Scirocco Enterprises Ltd of Zambia for the construction of 1 lakh low and medium-cost houses to mitigate an acute shortage of housing in that country.
   • The housing units are to be constructed by 2030.
7. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced a plan to add 250 GW of renewable energy capacity in the next 5 years to achieve its target of 500 GW of clean energy by 2030.
   • The government has decided to invite bids for 50 GW of renewable energy capacity annually for the next five years i.e., from Financial Year 2023-24 till Financial Year 2027-28.
   • India currently has a total renewable energy capacity of 96 GW (as of 28th February 2023) with about 82 GW at various stages of implementation and about 41 GW under tendering stage.
8. Central Govt has reached the highest-ever GI registrations in 2022-23 by completing 33 new GI registrations under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999.
   • The top 5 states holding maximum number of GIs are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
   • It is administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks, who is the Registrar of Geographical Indications.
   • Now, the total GI products are 465 in
9. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has set up a 14-member committee, headed by Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa and the former CEO of NITI Aayog, to examine stalled real estate projects and recommend ways to complete them.

State News

1. Telangana has launched the India’s first Cool Roof Policy 2023-2028 to drive state-wide adoption of cool roofs by making it mandatory to install cool roofing materials, such as solar reflective paints, tiles or sheets.
   • The policy aims to achieve a target of implementing clean roofing technology across 300 square kilometres of roof area — majorly (200 sq. km) covering Hyderabad and rest of the urban pockets in Telangana.

Defence News

1. Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy have conducted their SLINEX 2023 (10th edition).
2. Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Ultra Dimensions Pvt. Ltd. (UDPL), Vishakhapatnam for modernisation of Naval Aircraft Yards (NAYs) at Goa and Kochi, at a cost of approx. Rs 470 crore.

International News

1. United Kingdom has announced to become the 12th member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
   • It is the bloc’s first expansion since its inception.
   • The United Kingdom’s acceptance, likely to be finalized at the upcoming CPTPP ministerial meeting in Auckland, New Zealand in July 2023.

2. Finland has become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
   • The accession coincides with the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATO’s founding treaty i.e., “Washington Treaty” on 4 April 1949 by 12 founding members.

Reports and Indices

1. World Bank has released the “Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia”.
   • Nine out of the world’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution are in South Asia.
   • Ambient air pollution is a public health crisis in South Asia. It is causing an estimated 2 million premature deaths each year.
   • In South Asia, nearly 60% of the population lives in areas where concentrations of 5 exceed an annual mean of 35 μg/m3 (WHO prescribes 5 μg/m3).

2. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released the “World Energy Transitions Outlook 2023: 1.50C”
   • Existing renewable power targets would increase total renewable power capacity to 5.4 terawatts (TW) by 2030, representing less than half of the 11.2 TW needed for a 1.5°C pathway.
   • A total of 295 gigawatts (GW) of renewables was added worldwide in 2022, the largest-ever annual increase in renewable energy capacity.
   • Investment in renewables reached USD 0.5 trillion in 2022; however, this is less than one-third of the average investment needed each year in renewables under the 1.5°C Scenario.

3. 3rd edition of the India Justice Report (IJR) 2022 has been released DAKSH, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Common Cause (NPO), Centre for Social Justice, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and TISS-Prayas.
   • Top in larger states – Karnataka (1st), followed by Tamil Nadu (2nd)
   • Top in smaller states – Sikkim (1st), followed by Mizoram (2nd)
   • Parameters – Prison, Police, Judiciary, and Legal Aid

Banking and Economy

1. Life Insurance Corporation of India has increased its shareholding in Bata India from 4.472% to 008% for Rs 108 crores.
2. According to a recent report by NASSCOM, the revenue generated by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Indian tech industry is estimated to reach $40 billion by FY30.
   • With over 10,000 SMEs in the sector, it is expected to contribute around $15 billion-$20 billion, accounting for 7%-9% of the overall FY23 tech industry revenue.
   • This represents a significant increase from the pre-pandemic share of 4%-6%.
3. IDBI Bank has launched a new “Amrit Mahotsav FD” scheme of 444 Days offering higher interest rates on these deposits for regular and senior citizens.
   • Under the Amrit Mahotsav FD scheme of 444 Days, the bank offers interest rate of 7.15% to general, NRE and NRO. For senior citizens, the bank offers 7.65%.
   • IDBI Bank announced the launch of e-Bank Guarantee (e-BG) facility, in partnership with National e-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL), to replace paper-based BG issuance process with e-stamping and e-signatures.
     • e-BG can be processed with e-stamping and e-signatures and delivered instantly to the beneficiary all in a matter of a few minutes.
4. Union Bank of India becomes the first bank in the country to open a Special Rupee Vostro Account through its corresponding bank in Malaysia i.e., India International Bank of Malaysia.
5. Tata Consultancy Services has been selected by Bane NOR, the Norwegian government agency responsible for maintaining, operating, and developing the Norwegian railway network
   • TCS will provide services spanning identity governance and administration (IGA), access management, identity lifecycle management and application management operations in a managed services model.
6. State Bank of India (SBI) has extended its “WECARE” Senior Citizens’ Term Deposit program, which was introduced in May 2020, for a period of up to June 30, 2023.
   • The interest rate offered under the scheme is 5% for tenure ranging from 5 years to 10 years.
7. Karur Vysya Bank has signed a pact with SBI Life Insurance to offer their insurance products to customers at its branches.
8. Axis Bank, in partnership with Visa, launched ‘Digital Dukaan’, a comprehensive digital solution to empower merchants to accept payments through various digital modes and manage their day-to-day business digitally.
   • Digital Dukaan is an Android Smart POS application, specifically designed to address business requirements such as accepting digital payments, inventory management, billing and much more.
   • Key features of the app –
     • Inventory management – Hassle-free managing of stocks; receipt of alerts & reminders on limited stocks along with pre-loaded catalogue
     • Digital Billing – Quick billing, as it accepts multiple payment modes like Credit / Debit Cards, UPI etc.
     • Customized real-time business reporting– Getting customized reports to efficiently manage the business
     • Digital Khatabook – Easy to manage credits and payment collection from customers
     • Customer management – Managing customer data at one place and offering loyalty options
9. Canara Bank has introduced a premium payroll account designed to meet all banking requirements of its salaried customers.
   • The product comes with multiple features, including free term life insurance, insta overdraft, free personal air accident insurance cover.

GDP Forecasts

1. Asian Development Bank has released the “Asian Development Outlook- April 2023”.

Appointments

1. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Neeraj Nigam as the new Executive Director (ED) with effect from April 03, 2023.
2. Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh has been appointed as the Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff.
   • Chief of Naval Staff – Admiral R Hari Kumar
   • Vice Admiral Suraj Berry took over as the new Chief of Personnel of the Indian Navy.
   • Vice Admiral Atul Anand assumed charge as the Director General Naval Operations.
3. Sudha Shivakumar has been appointed as the 40th President of FICCI Ladies Organization (FLOW).
4. Axis Securities has appointed Pranav Haridasan as its new Managing Director & CEO for a tenure of 3 years.
   • Pranav Haridasan will succeed the current MD & CEO, B Gopkumar, who is moving to Axis Asset Management Company as MD & CEO.

Important Days

1. April 2 – International Children’s Book Day; Theme – “I am a book, read me”
   • The poster for this day has been designed between author Vagelis Iliopoulos and illustrator Photini Stephanidi.

Note: According to some websites, “Celebrating Creativity – The Power of imaginations” is the theme of this day.

2. April 2 – World Autism Awareness Day; Theme – Transformation: Toward a Neuro-Inclusive World for All
3. April 3 – Army Medical Corps Raising Day (259th edition)
4. Aprill 4 – International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
   • The campaign to celebrate this day is “Mine Action Cannot Wait”.
5. April 5 –
   • International Day of Conscience
   • National Maritime Day / Merchant Navy Flag Day; Theme – “Amrit Kaal in Shipping”

Awards

1. Tapoban (an Assam-based NGO that cares for special and autistic children) has won the Children’s Champion Award 2023 in the health and nutrition category.
   • The award, instituted by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights in 2022, recognises individuals and institutions championing the cause of children in education, justice, health, nutrition, sports, and artistic expression.
2. Two CBI officers posted in Chandigarh were given President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service during the Diamond Jubilee Celebration function.
   • The two officers were Joint Director, Vineet Vinayak, Chandigarh Zone, CBI, and Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Seema Pahuja, CBI, Chandigarh.
   • Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred the medals on the two CBI officers.
3. Philanthropist and art collector Kiran Nadar conferred “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain.
   • Reason – her outstanding contribution in the field of art
   • In 2022, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) joined hands with Alkazi Foundation, and the French Institute in India to create “Converges”, the largest exhibition of original pictures from French photographers ever shown in India.
   • This exhibition was brought to India as part of “Bonjour India 2022”, a six-month cultural festival organised by France across India as a present for India’s 75th Independence anniversary.
   • It is the highest French civilian award, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
4. Olivier Awards 2023 (47th> edition) have been announced.
   • The Olivier Awards are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital.
   • Chennai-born Singaporean Actress Anjana Vasan has won the “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” award.
5. Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2023 has been released.
   • Top – Bernard Arnault (CEO of LVMH)
   • India – Mukesh Ambani (9th rank)

Sports

1. 2023 Madrid Spain Masters (Badminton) – Men’s singles: Kenta Nishimoto (Japan); Women’s Singles: Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (Indonesia)
2. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch motosport racer) has won the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

Miscellaneous

1. Salim Aziz Durani (Afghan-born Indian cricketer) has passed away.
2. Ryuichi Sakamoto (Oscar-winning Japanese composer, record producer, and actor) has passed away.

Start Quiz of 04th-05th april 2023 on Mobile

Start Quiz of 04th-05th april 2023 on Desktop