11th April, 2023

1. ‘First International Quantum Communication Conclave’ has been organized by the Department of Telecommunication in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
2. Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the ‘vibrant villages programme’ in Arunachal Pradesh bordering China.
3. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has approved the inclusion of Serum Institute’s Covovax on the CoWIN portal as a heterologous booster dose for adults.
4. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has launched the ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project’ of Varanasi, during his visit to Uganda’s Kampala.
5. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the 200th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Dayanand Saraswati in New Delhi.
6. Central Government has identified and documented distinctive features of more than one lakh villages across the country under the ‘Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar’ (My Village My Heritage) programme.
7. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Amazon India have signed an agreement in New Delhi to boost India’s creative economy and promote creative talent in the country.
8. Ministry of Cooperation has approved a one-time grant-in-aid of Rs 30 crore to establish the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management in Pune as a Centre of Excellence for Cooperative Education and Training.
9. Supreme Court has ruled that no service tax would be levied on corporate guarantees provided by a parent company to its subsidiaries as there is no consideration involved, resolving a long-standing service tax conflict.
10. Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region Shri G. Kishan Reddy hosted the first India-Central Asia Culture Ministers’ Meeting
11. India and the Netherlands held their first Ministerial-level meeting of the Joint Working Group in New Delhi.
12. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik chaired the “first-of-its-kind digital” cabinet meeting from Kyoto, Japan.
13. World’s first conservation and breeding centre for Asian king vulture – Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre (JCBC) – has been established at the UP’s Maharajganj district.
14. Jammu and Kashmir, in collaboration with the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), will organise an Eat Right Millet Mela (ERMM) in Jammu and a Walkathon in both Katra and Jammu towns.
15. India’s first post office constructed using 3D printing technology is being constructed by Larsen & Toubro in Bengaluru.
16. Iran has successfully tested a long-range, high-precision kamikaze drone loaded with a 50 kg warhead.
17. Norwegian company Norled has successfully launched the ‘World’s first’ liquid hydrogen-powered ferry’ named ‘MF Hydra’.
18. Israel successfully launched the “Ofek-13” spy satellite into space. It is most advanced satellite of its kind.
19. US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Milius conducted a navigational rights and freedoms mission in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands.
20. Bahrain has launched the Golden Licence initiative for incentivizing investments and job creation.
21. SEBI has approved a Rs 33,000-crore backstop emergency fund for debt mutual funds (MFs), also known as the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF).
22. NSE Indices Ltd, a subsidiary of National Stock Exchange (NSE), has launched India’s first ever Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) Index.
23. According to the National Securities Depository’s (NSDL) data, overseas flows into Indian capital markets originating from tax-haven Mauritius witnessed the sharpest decline, while Norway and Singapore gained favour in 2022-23 (FY23).
24. Ministry of Finance has notified the change in the interest rate on General Provident Fund (GPF) at 1% for the April to June 2023 quarter.
25. RBI has released the “Master Direction on Outsourcing of Information Technology Services”.
26. International Monetary Fund has released the World Economic Outlook-April 2023 report.
27. April 9 – CRPF Valour Day (58th edition); to commemorate the CRPF personnel who died during the 1965 Indo-Pak war
28. World Chess Armageddon Championship Series 2023 will take place from March 5-September 20, 2023, in many different regions across the world.
29. Greco-Roman wrestler Vikas has won a bronze medal at the ongoing Asian Wrestling Championships 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
30. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) remained on No. 1 in ATP rankings for a record 380th week.
31. Daniil Medvedev won the Miami Open for his fourth title of the year and 19th overall.
32. “Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire” book has been authored by Nandini Das.
33. Indian politician Ghulam Nabi Azad has released his autobiography ‘Azaad’.

National News

1. ‘First International Quantum Communication Conclave’ has been organized by the Department of Telecommunication in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
   • Partners in organization – Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Telecommunications Standards Development Society India (TSDSI) and IEEE Communications Society-Delhi Chapter
   • Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Skill Excellence Awards–2022 has been presented.

2. Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the ‘vibrant villages programme’ in Arunachal Pradesh bordering China.
   • The scheme has a central component of ₹4,800 crore, including ₹2,500 crore exclusively for road connectivity, for financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26.
   • 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts, located at the northern border in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Ladakh have been identified under the scheme.
   • In the first phase, 662 villages have been identified for priority on coverage, which includes 455 villages in Arunachal Pradesh.
   • Shah also inaugurated 9 micro hydel projects of Arunachal Government and 14 infrastructure projects Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) worth Rs.120 crore.
   • Shah also informed that the central government has given 44000 crores to the Arunachal government for the development of infrastructure.

Source: PIB

3. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has approved the inclusion of Serum Institute’s Covovax on the CoWIN portal as a heterologous booster dose for adults.
   • Covovax is manufactured through technology transfer from Novavax (American biotechnology company).

Source: Times of India

4. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has launched the ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project’ of Varanasi, during his visit to Uganda’s Kampala.
   • The project is being implemented in collaboration with Uganda.
   • Uganda has been appointed as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement on behalf of Africa for the period from 2022 to 2025.
   • The NAM chair position rotates every three years during summit conferences. Uganda was announced the chair of NAM in the last summit of NAM (18^th edition) in Azerbaijan.
   • From April 13-15, Jaishankar will visit Mozambique. This will be the first-ever visit by an External Affairs Minister of India to the Republic of Mozambique.

Source: The Hindu

5. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the 200th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Dayanand Saraswati in New Delhi.
   • Mr Dhankhar released postage stamp on the founder of Arya Samaj.

Source: New on Air

6. Central Government has identified and documented distinctive features of more than one lakh villages across the country under the ‘Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar’ (My Village My Heritage) programme.
   • The program has been carried out under the National Mission for Cultural Mapping (NMCM).
   • Purpose – to map the cultural assets and art repositories of the nation i.e., art expressions, crafts and skills, wisdom tradition and other cultural practices whether oral, aural, visual or kinetic
   • Villages have been categorized into 7-8 categories based on ecological, developmental, and historical significance, as well as cultural aspects such as famous textiles or products or connected to some historical or mythological events such as the Independence struggle or epics like the Mahabharata.
   • In the ecological category, Bishnoi village in Rajasthan has been chosen. The village is famous for Chipko Movement.
   • In the development category, Modhera in Gujarat is the first solar-powered village in India.
   • In the historical category, below-mentioned places have been selected.
     • Kandel in Madhya Pradesh, the site of the famous “Jal Satyagraha”.
     • Hanol in Uttarakhand and Vidurashwathar of Karnataka, which are linked to the Mahabharata.
     • Suketi in Himachal Pradesh, Asia’s oldest fossil park.
     • Pandrethan in Kashmir, the village of Shaivite mystic Lal Ded

Source: The Hindu

7. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Amazon India have signed an agreement in New Delhi to boost India’s creative economy and promote creative talent in the country.
   • As part of the agreement, Amazon Prime Video will sponsor scholarships, create internship programmes, and offer job opportunities for students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.

Source: News on Air


8. Ministry of Cooperation has approved a one-time grant-in-aid of Rs 30 crore to establish the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management in Pune as a Centre of Excellence for Cooperative Education and Training.
   • This grant will be used for creating essential infrastructure for students and trainees.

Source: PIB

9. Supreme Court has ruled that no service tax would be levied on corporate guarantees provided by a parent company to its subsidiaries as there is no consideration involved, resolving a long-standing service tax conflict.

Source: Economic Times

10. Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region Shri G. Kishan Reddy hosted the first India-Central Asia Culture Ministers’ Meeting
    • Culture Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting.

Source: PIB

11. India and the Netherlands held their first Ministerial-level meeting of the Joint Working Group in New Delhi.
    • India and Netherlands have signed the Strategic Water Partnership in March 2022.

Source: PIB

State News

1. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik chaired the “first-of-its-kind digital” cabinet meeting from Kyoto, Japan.
   • This is first such digital cabinet meet wherein the documents were signed through the Odisha State-Wide Area Network (OSWAN), entirely through digital mode.
   • OSWAN is a digital platform which helps the state administration to carry data, video and voice traffic, and facilitate inter/intra-departmental communication.

Source: The Print

2. World’s first conservation and breeding centre for Asian king vulture – Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre (JCBC) – has been established at the UP’s Maharajganj district.
   • Asian king vulture is critically endangered and protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
   • Asian king vulture is also known as red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus).

Source: Times of India

3. Jammu and Kashmir, in collaboration with the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), will organise an Eat Right Millet Mela (ERMM) in Jammu and a Walkathon in both Katra and Jammu towns.
   • The Eat Right Millet Mela will feature various activities such as cultural programs, painting and poster competitions, rangoli and food stalls showcasing millet-based food items.

Source: News on Air

4. India’s first post office constructed using 3D printing technology is being constructed by Larsen & Toubro in Bengaluru.
   • Two years ago, the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated India’s first 3D-printed house at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras campus to boost affordable housing across the country

Source: Money Control

International News

1. Iran has successfully tested a long-range, high-precision kamikaze drone loaded with a 50 kg warhead.

Source: Wion

2. Norwegian company Norled has successfully launched the ‘World’s first’ liquid hydrogen-powered ferry’ named ‘MF Hydra’.
   • It is a hybrid that uses both batteries and liquid hydrogen fuel cells.

Source: H2 View

3. Israel successfully launched the “Ofek-13” spy satellite into space. It is most advanced satellite of its kind.
   • The satellite will provide the military with better-quality images than its predecessors. It has unique radar observation capabilities, and it will enable intelligence collection in any weather and conditions of visibility.

Source: Space.com

4. US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Milius conducted a navigational rights and freedoms mission in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands.
   • Spratly Islands is a disputed archipelago between China and Philippines in the South China Sea.

5. Bahrain has launched the Golden Licence initiative for incentivizing investments and job creation.
   • The Golden Licence is designed to provide streamlined services and benefits to local and foreign businesses with large-scale investment projects in Bahrain.
   • Companies with significant strategic projects and investments exceeding US $50 million or those creating more than 500 jobs in Bahrain will be eligible for the Licence.

Source: News on Air

Banking and Economy

1. SEBI has approved a Rs 33,000-crore backstop emergency fund for debt mutual funds (MFs), also known as the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF).
   • The initial corpus of fund will be Rs 3,000 crore, which will come from Mutual Funds schemes and Asset Management Companies of mutual funds.
   • SBICAP will be the largest contributor in this fund.

Source: Business Standard

2. NSE Indices Ltd, a subsidiary of National Stock Exchange (NSE), has launched India’s first ever Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) Index.
   • The new index— Nifty Reits and InvITs index—aims to track the performance of Reits and InvITs that are publicly listed and traded on the NSE.
   • The Nifty Reits & InvITs Index has a base date of 1 July 2019 and a base value of 1,000. The index will be reviewed and rebalanced on a quarterly basis.
   • The top constituents of Nifty Reits & InvITs index include Embassy Office Parks Reit (32.9% weight), Powergrid Infrastructure Investment (20.2%), Mindspace Business Parks Reit (15.3%), India Grid Trust (15.3%).

Source: LiveMint

3. According to the National Securities Depository’s (NSDL) data, overseas flows into Indian capital markets originating from tax-haven Mauritius witnessed the sharpest decline, while Norway and Singapore gained favour in 2022-23 (FY23).
   • Now, Singapore is the second biggest jurisdiction for foreign portfolio investor (FPI) flows after the US. Meanwhile, Mauritius’ ranking has dropped to 4 (from 2) at the end of 2021-22.

Source: Business Standard

4. Ministry of Finance has notified the change in the interest rate on General Provident Fund (GPF) at 1% for the April to June 2023 quarter.
   • The GPF rate is also applicable for other similar provident funds such as the State Railway PF, Armed Forces Personnel PF, Defence Services Officers’ PF and Indian Ordnance Factories Workmen’s PF.
   • General Provident Fund is a type of provident fund that is available only for government employees in India. All government employees are allowed to contribute a certain percentage of their salary to the General Provident Fund.

Source: Economic Times

5. RBI has released the “Master Direction on Outsourcing of Information Technology Services”.
   • The guidelines provide detailed norms for outsourcing of IT services by banks, NBFCs and regulated financial sector entities to ensure that outsourcing of IT services do not undermine the quality of these services to customers.
   • The norms will come into effect from October 1, 2023.

Source: LiveMint

GDP Forecasts

1. International Monetary Fund has released the World Economic Outlook-April 2023 report.
   • IMF expects global inflation to slow to 7% this year, down from 8.7% last year. It is then expected to fall to 4.9% in 2024.

• The report has downgraded the GDP forecast for the world and India from its previous estimate.
• The report highlights concern over high inflation, rising geopolitical tensions, financial stability, impact of war in Ukraine as the causes for lowering of GDP forecast.
• Close to 90% of advanced economies will experience slowing growth this year, while Asia’s emerging markets are expected to see a substantial rise in the economic output — with India and China predicted to account for half of all growth.

Source: IMF’s WEO report and LiveMint

Important Days

1. April 9 – CRPF Valour Day (58th edition); to commemorate the CRPF personnel who died during the 1965 Indo-Pak war

Source: Daily Pioneer

Sports

1. World Chess Armageddon Championship Series 2023 will take place from March 5-September 20, 2023, in many different regions across the world.
   • Teenaged Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh has won the World Chess Armageddon Asia & Oceania event held in Berlin, Germany.

Source: Chess.com and News18

2. Greco-Roman wrestler Vikas has won a bronze medal at the ongoing Asian Wrestling Championships 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Source: ANI

Source: The Hindu

Source: Sportstar

Miscellaneous

1. “Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire” book has been authored by Nandini Das.

Source: Bloomsbury

2. Indian politician Ghulam Nabi Azad has released his autobiography ‘Azaad’.

Source: Times of India

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