12th-13th April, 2023

1. IIT Kanpur’s technology business incubator, the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), has signed a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Agreement with Kanpur-based Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited.
2. The Indian Armed Forces have set up an inter-services panel, chaired by the Army’s Adjutant General (incumbent: Bansi Ponnappa) to examine different aspects of disability pension to their personnel.
3. According to the data given by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in the parliament, Gujarat had the highest utilisation-to-released fund ratio of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds in FY23.
4. 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves in India in 2022 has been released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
5. SNEHA, a suicide prevention centre, has launched an online chat service for those in distress and in need of help.
6. The 2nd edition of the Women 20 (W20) International Meeting will be held in Jaipur from April 13 to 14.
7. India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Young Authors’ Conference in New Delhi.
8. Unified Portal of the Central Bureau of Narcotics was launched to strengthen the vision of Digital India in the period of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
9. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Peerah-Kunfer Tunnel at Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir.
10. International Conference on Defence Finance & Economics was organized in New Delhi.
11. RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a CPSU under the Ministry of Railways, has bagged an order of approx. ₹76.10 crores from Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation (BSEDC), a Bihar government.
12. Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said that India will get 9% of its electricity from nuclear sources by
13. 7th India-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue was held in New Delhi.
14. Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has given his assent to the Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, 2022.
15. Kerala Agricultural University has been notified as a Centre of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
16. Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh would soon be notified as a tiger reserve.
17. Exercise Cope India 23 will commence at Air Force Station, Kalaikunda in West Bengal.
18. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has signed an MOU with Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) to develop a robust touchless biometric capture system for easier usage by people anytime, anywhere.
19. US President Joe Biden arrived in Northern Ireland to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
20. France is hosting the multinational wargame codenamed Orion, which is expected to be held from the third week of April to May 5.
21. US and the Philippines conducted their largest-ever joint military drills named as Balikatan exercise.
22. European Space Agency (ESA) will launch the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission on April 13, 2023, from a spaceport in French Guiana.
23. ‘Operation Cookie Monster’ is a massive operation to tackle cybercrime in the USA.
24. Japan has launched Overseas Security Assistance (OSA) to provide military aid to “like-minded” countries especially in Asia to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region and to counter China’s aggressive push over Taiwan and the South China Sea issues.
25. State Energy Efficiency Index 2021-22 has been developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, in association with Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
26. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released the ‘Stacking up the benefits Lessons from India’s Digital Journey’.
27. Japanese lender JICA has partnered with Citibank to provide $125 million funding line to Indusind Bank for on-lending to the agriculture sector.
28. Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) has entered into an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to boost Delhi’s power distribution network.
29. Kotak Mahindra General Insurance has partnered with actyv.ai (AI-powered platform) to offer bite-sized insurance products to new-age micro, small and medium enterprises.
30. RBI has issued detailed guidelines for acceptance of ‘green deposits’ by banks and NBFCs wherein the funds could be used for financing activities like renewable energy, green transport and green buildings.
31. April 11th – National Safe Motherhood Day
32. April 11th – Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jayanti
33. The highest honour of Poland, the Order of the White Eagle, was presented to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky by the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
34. Nisha Dahiya won silver at the Asian wrestling championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
35. Chennai will host the Asian Hockey Men’s Championship after 15 years.
36. Veteran Liberation War fighter and legendary public health activist of Bangladesh Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury passed away in Dhaka.
37. Muthuvans are a tribe of cultivators who dwell in the hilly regions of Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore and Madurai and Kerala’s Adimali and Devikulam forest regions of Idukki district.
38. Raccoon Stealer is a kind of malware that steals various data from an infected computer.

National News

1. IIT Kanpur’s technology business incubator, the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), has signed a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Agreement with Kanpur-based Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited.
   • Under the agreement, the Defence PSU will provide financial support to the startup ecosystem and promote the incubation of new technology, knowledge, and innovation-based startups at IIT Kanpur.

2. The Indian Armed Forces have set up an inter-services panel, chaired by the Army’s Adjutant General (incumbent: Bansi Ponnappa) to examine different aspects of disability pension to their personnel.
   • The total defence pensions for 2023-24 is estimated at Rs 1.38 lakh crore.

Source: Indian Express

3. According to the data given by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in the parliament, Gujarat had the highest utilisation-to-released fund ratio of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds in FY23.
   • The other major states with the highest utilisation-to-released fund ratio include Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
   • Uttar Pradesh received the most funds in FY23.
   • On the other hand, four union territories, Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli received no money in FY23. Among states, Sikkim received the lowest amount of money at ₹2 crore.

Source: The Hindu Business Line

4. 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves in India in 2022 has been released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
   • A total of 53 tiger reserves from 18 states have been covered.

5. SNEHA, a suicide prevention centre, has launched an online chat service for those in distress and in need of help.
   • The live chat facility will be available on SNEHA’s website — https://snehaindia.org/new/ — between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.
     Source: The Hindu
6. The 2nd edition of the Women 20 (W20) International Meeting will be held in Jaipur from April 13 to 14.

   Source: News on Air

7. India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Young Authors’ Conference in New Delhi.
   • Organizers – Ministry of Education along with National Book Trust, India
   • SCO aims at advancing the theme of ‘SECURE’ (Security, Economic cooperation, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environment), articulated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi initially at the SCO Summit in Qingdao in 2018.
     Source: ANI
8. Unified Portal of the Central Bureau of Narcotics was launched to strengthen the vision of Digital India in the period of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
   • Central Bureau of Narcotics is a central government organization dealing with the international trade of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, and Precursor Chemicals under the ambit of various United Nations Conventions and the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
     Source: PIB
9. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Peerah-Kunfer Tunnel at Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir.
   Source: News on Air
10. International Conference on Defence Finance & Economics was organized in New Delhi.
    • Organizer – Ministry of Defence (Finance)
      Source: PIB
11. RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a CPSU under the Ministry of Railways, has bagged an order of approx. ₹76.10 crores from Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation (BSEDC), a Bihar government.
    • Purpose – for undertaking for implementation and management of Electronic Knowledge Network (100 Mbps internet connectivity, wi-fi system and Smart Classes)
      Source: The Print
12. Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said that India will get 9% of its electricity from nuclear sources by 2047
    • The Department of Atomic Energy has been given the target of achieving 20 gigawatts (GW) capacity of nuclear power generation by
    • This step will make India the third-largest producer of atomic energy in the world after the US and France.
    • Central Govt has already approved the installation of 10 nuclear reactors of 700 MW each in five states (Karnataka, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan) across India.
    • India is establishing the world’s first thorium based nuclear plant “Bhavni” using Uranium-233 at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. The experimental thorium plant “Kamini” already exists in Kalpakkam.

13. 7th India-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue was held in New Delhi.
    • It was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Oka Masami.
    • The Defence Policy Dialogue is an institutionalised mechanism between India and Japan to discuss bilateral defence cooperation.

Source: News on Air

State News

1. Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has given his assent to the Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, 2022.

Source: The Hindu

2. Kerala Agricultural University has been notified as a Centre of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
   • Purpose – to protect rights of Kerala farming communities over the traditional plant varieties

Source: The Hindu Business Line

3. Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh would soon be notified as a tiger reserve.
   • The Idu Mishmi is a sub-tribe of the larger Mishmi group in Arunachal Pradesh and neighbouring Tibet.
   • Their language, also called Idu Mishmi, is considered endangered by UNESCO.

Source: Indian Express

Defence News

1. Exercise Cope India 23 will commence at Air Force Station, Kalaikunda in West Bengal.
   • The Indian Air Force (IAF) element will include the Su-30 MKI, Rafale, Tejas and Jaguar fighter aircraft.
   • Air Forces of India and US began the Cope India exercise in

Source: PIB

Memorandum of Understand

1. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has signed an MOU with Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) to develop a robust touchless biometric capture system for easier usage by people anytime, anywhere.
   • UIDAI and IIT Bombay will carry out joint research to build a mobile capture system for fingerprints along with liveness model integrated with the capture system.
   • The National Centre of Excellence in Technology for Internal Security (NCETIS) of the IIT-Bombay will conduct the research.

Source: UIDAI’s website

International News

1. US President Joe Biden arrived in Northern Ireland to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
   • The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement, was signed on April 10, 1998, to end the violent conflicts in the Northern Ireland.
   • Northern Ireland was created in 1921 and remained part of the UK when the rest of Ireland became an independent state.
   • This created a split in the population between unionists, who wish to see Northern Ireland stay within the UK, and nationalists, who want it to become part of the Republic of Ireland.

Source: BBC and The Print

2. France is hosting the multinational wargame codenamed Orion, which is expected to be held from the third week of April to May 5.
   • In a first, Indian Rafale combat aircraft are likely to participate in this exercise.
   • The exercise involves many of the NATO and other important allies.

Source: The Print

3. US and the Philippines conducted their largest-ever joint military drills named as Balikatan exercise.

Source: BBC news

4. European Space Agency (ESA) will launch the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission on April 13, 2023, from a spaceport in French Guiana.
   • After a travel of eight years, the explorer will reach Jupiter in 2031 which will be set off on an Ariane 5 launcher.
   • JUICE is aimed to conduct detailed exploration of the largest planet of the solar system and its icy moons.
   • The mission is constructed by an industrial consortium led by Airbus Defence and Space.
   • NASA will launch its Europa Clipper in October 2023 to study Jupiter’s Europa moon. It will reach the planet in 2030.
   • So far, only two other spacecraft have examined Jupiter – Galileo probe between 1995 and 2003; Juno is circling the planet since 2016.

Source: Hindustan Times

5. ‘Operation Cookie Monster’ is a massive operation to tackle cybercrime in the USA.
   • The operation is being led by FBI, USA and the Dutch National Police.

Source: Reuters

6. Japan has launched Overseas Security Assistance (OSA) to provide military aid to “like-minded” countries especially in Asia to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region and to counter China’s aggressive push over Taiwan and the South China Sea issues.
   • The OSA is an expansion of Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) – one of the world’s largest foreign aid programs.

Source: Economic Times

Reports And Indices

1. State Energy Efficiency Index 2021-22 has been developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, in association with Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
   • Objective – to assess the performance of states in Energy Efficiency implementation
   • Total – 36 states and UTs
   • Parameters – 50 indicators across seven (7) sectors: buildings, industry, municipal services, transport, agriculture, electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs), and cross-sector
   • Period of Assessment – 2020-2021 and 2021-2022
   • Categories – The states have been divided into four categories based on their performance i.e., Front Runner, Achiever, Contender, and Aspirant.
   • Top –
     • Front Runner – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan and Telangana (>60 points)
     • Achiever – Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Punjab (50-60 points)
     • Contender – Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh (30-49.5 points)
     • Aspirant – remaining 19 states and UT (<30 points)
   • Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Chandigarh are the top-performing states in their respective state groups.
   • Telangana and Andhra Pradesh showed the most improvement since the last index.

2. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released the ‘Stacking up the benefits Lessons from India’s Digital Journey’.
   • India has developed a world-class digital public infrastructure (DPI) to support its sustainable development goals.
   • It consists of three different layers—unique identity (Aadhaar), complimentary payments systems (Unified Payments Interface, Aadhaar Payments Bridge, Aadhaar Enabled Payment Service), and data exchange (DigiLocker and Account Aggregator).
   • The Government of India estimates that, up to March 2021, about 1.1% of GDP in expenditure was saved due to the digital infrastructure and other governance reforms.

Source: IMF’s report

Banking and Economy

1. Japanese lender JICA has partnered with Citibank to provide $125 million funding line to Indusind Bank for on-lending to the agriculture sector.
   • The funding includes a JPY 13 billion (approx. $97.45 million) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and another $30 million from Citi to the IndusInd Bank.
   • JICA’s has already given over ₹4,000 crore support to India to build the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.

2. Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) has entered into an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to boost Delhi’s power distribution network.
   • As part of the agreement, ADB will subscribe to non-convertible debentures worth ₹1.5 billion, which is equivalent to $18.2 million.
   • The funds will be utilized for grid enhancements.
   • Additionally, TPDDL will receive a $2 million grant from ADB to partially finance the purchase and integration of a pilot Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).

Source: LiveMint

3. Kotak Mahindra General Insurance has partnered with ai (AI-powered platform) to offer bite-sized insurance products to new-age micro, small and medium enterprises.
   • Purpose – to provide insurance solutions to support the business sustainability of small businesses

Source: Economic Times

4. RBI has issued detailed guidelines for acceptance of ‘green deposits’ by banks and NBFCs wherein the funds could be used for financing activities like renewable energy, green transport and green buildings.
   • The framework will come into effect from June 1, 2023.
   • Regulated entities would be required to allocate the proceeds raised through green deposits towards a specified list of green activities/projects.

Source: Indian Express

Important Days

1. April 11 – National Safe Motherhood Day
   • The White Ribbon Alliance India (WRAI) initiated this day to highlight the importance of maternal health and reduce maternal mortality rates in the country.

Source: Economic Times

2. April 11 – Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jayanti
   • Mahatma Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was born on April 11, 1827. He was a social activist, thinker, writer and anti-caste social reformer in Maharashtra.

Source: India Today

Awards

1. The highest honour of Poland, the Order of the White Eagle, was presented to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky by the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda.

Source: Wion

Sports

1. Nisha Dahiya won silver at the Asian wrestling championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
   • This is the biggest-ever medal of her career in the women’s 68kg category.
   • Overall, India have won six medals so far.

Source: News on Air

2. Chennai will host the Asian Hockey Men’s Championship after 15 years.

Source: Times of India

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