Monthly BeePedia April 2022

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
INDEX
Finance and Banking ______________________________________________2
Economy _________________________________________________________
24
National __________________________________________________________
36
International _____________________________________________________
49
States____________________________________________________________54
Reports and Indexes _______________________________________________

59
Science and Technology ___________________________________________67
Agriculture and Rural Development __________________________________

69
Defence __________________________________________________________
75
Events ___________________________________________________________
78
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Appointments ____________________________________________________80
Awards and Rewards ______________________________________________83
Important Days ___________________________________________________89
Obituaries_________________________________________________________
91
Books ___________________________________________________________93
Sports ___________________________________________________________
94
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Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
FINANCE AND BANKING

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RBI imposes penalties on 3 co-operative banks
 The Reserve Bank of India on Monday imposed penalties totalling Rs 5 lakh on three cooperative
banks for various non compliances.
 Penalty of Rs 2 lakh has been imposed on The Yashwant Cooperative Bank Limited, Phaltan for
contravention of non-compliance with directions issued by it on Income Recognition, Asset
Classification, Provisioning and Other Related Matters.
 Penalty of Rs 2 lakh has been imposed on Kokan Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd., Mumbai for
similar non-compliance.
 penalty of Rs 1 lakh on the Samata Cooperative Development Bank Limited, Kolkata, for
contravention of directions issued by it on 'Exposure Norms & Statutory/Other Restrictions-UCBs.
Learn Along
RBI Headquarters: Mumbai Governor: Shaktikanta Das
4 Deputy Governors: T. Rabi Sankar,
MK Jain, MD Patra, M Rajeshwar Rao
RBI fixed WMA limit for States/UTs at Rs 47,010 crores
 Reserve Bank of India reduced the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for states and union
territories to Rs 47,010 crore from Rs 51,560 crore.
 WMAs are short-term loans provided by the RBI to the government to help it deal with any
discrepancies between receipts and payments.
 Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the RBI increased the WMA limit for all states to Rs 51,560 crore.
 The Government of India’s WMA limit for the first half of fiscal year 2022-23 has been set at Rs
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1,50,000 crore.
Learn Along
Ways and means advances is a mechanism used by Reserve Bank of India under its credit policy to provide to
States, banking with it, to help them tide over temporary mismatches in the cash flow of their receipts and
payments.
RBI extends Deadline for Implementation of Cassette Swap in ATMs till Mar 31, 2023
 The RBI has decided to extend the timeline for implementation of cassette swap in all ATMs till March
31, 2023.
 The same was advised to be implemented in a phased manner covering at least one-third of ATMs
operated by the banks every year, which was extended to March 31, 2022.
 Boards of the banks shall monitor the progress to ensure compliance. Cassette Swap is lockable
cassettes that are swapped at the time of cash replenishment in the ATMs (Automated Teller
Machines).
Learn Along
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) set up, owned and operated by non-bank entities are called "White Label
ATMs" (WLAs). Non-bank entities incorporated in India under the Companies Act 1956 are allowed to operate
WLAs.
RBI launches Standing Deposit Facility at 3.75%
 Reserve Bank of India introduced a standing deposit facility (SDF) at 3.75% which would serve as
the floor for the policy corridor.
 With this, the width of the policy corridor was narrowed to 50 basis points (bps) from 65 bps.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 With the marginal standing facility (MSF) at the upper end of the policy corridor at 4.25%, the SDF
will make up the duo of standing facilities – one to absorb and the other to inject liquidity.
 The use of the SDF and the MSF will be left to the discretion of banks, and will be available after
market hours on all days of the week.
 RBI did extend an olive branch to the markets by raising the ceiling for government securities that can
be held to maturity (HTM) to 23% from 22% up to March 31, 2023.
 The restoration of the 19.5% cap on HTM securities will be made in a phased manner starting from
Q1FY24.
 80% of the total liquidity absorbed under the liquidity adjustment facility during Q4FY22 has firmed
up close to the policy repo rate due to the increased use of variable reverse repo rate (VRRR)
auctions.
Learn Along
Standing deposit facility (SDF), allows the RBI to absorb excess cash from the economy by sucking liquidity from
commercial banks without giving government securities in return to the lenders..
RBI imposed several restrictions on Bengaluru-based Shushruti Souharda Sahakara Bank

Niyamita
 The restrictions also include a withdrawal cap of Rs 5,000 per account.

 The directions shall remain in force for a period of six months from the close of business on April 7,
2022, and are subject to review.
 The co-operative bank cannot, without prior approval from RBI, grant or renew any loans and
advances, make any investment, incur any liability and accept fresh deposits, among other restrictions.
Learn Along
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Shushruti Souharda Sahakara www.i xamBee.c om
Founder Chairman: N Srinivas Murthy
Bank Niyamita
RBI issues guidelines for banks to set up 24X7 digital banking units
 RBI said existing banks can open digital banking units to offer products and services in both self-
served and assisted mode round-the-clock.
 In the Union Budget, the government announced the setting up of at least 75 such units in 75 districts
to commemorate 75 years of the country's independence as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
 According to the guidelines on the establishment of Digital Banking Units (DBUs), the products and
services to be provided at a DBU include, opening of accounts, cash withdrawal and deposit, KYC
updation, loans and complaint registrations.
 Digital banking units is a specialised fixed point business unit/hub housing certain minimum
infrastructure for delivering digital banking products and services to ensure convenient and cost-
effective banking for customers.
 Scheduled commercial banks having experience in digital banking are allowed to open DBUs in Tier 1
to Tier 6 centres without having the need to take permission from the RBI.
RBI's 1st bi-monthly monetary policy of 2022-23
 RBI's first monetary policy statement of 2022-23 unveiled by Governor Shaktikanta Das.
 Policy repo rate unchanged at 4 pc; marginal standing facility rate & bank rate too remain unchanged
at 4.25 pc.
 Monetary stance to be accommodative with focus on withdrawal of accommodation to keep inflation
within target.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 GDP growth projection for FY'23 slashed to 7.2 pc from 7.8 pc; growth projections based on
assumption of crude oil (Indian basket) price at USD 100 a barrel during FY'23.
 Inflation forecast hiked to 5.7 pc for FY'23 from 4.5 pc.
 Gradual withdrawal of Rs 8.5 lakh crore liquidity overhang to be undertaken over several years.
 Rationalised housing loans norms extended till March 31, 2023.
 RBI will come out with a discussion paper on climate risk and sustainable finance.
 Card-less cash withdrawal facility to be extended to all banks and ATM networks using the UPI.
Learn Along
Monetary policy addresses interest rates and the supply of money in circulation, and it is generally managed by a
central bank (RBI in India). Fiscal policy addresses taxation and government spending, and it is generally
determined by government legislation.
NBFCs-UL, NBFCs-ML to have compliance function by April 1, CCO by Oct 1, 2023: RBI
 RBI has directed the Non-Banking Financial Companies in the Upper Layer (NBFC-UL) and Middle
Layer (NBFC-ML) NBFC-ML to put in place a Board approved policy and a Compliance Function,
including the appointment of a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), based on the specified framework
latest by April 1, 2023, and October 1, 2023, respectively.
 Compliance Function shall ensure strict observance of all statutory and regulatory requirements for the
NBFC, including standards of market conduct, managing conflict of interest, treating customers fairly,
and ensuring the suitability of customer service.
 Apart from having staff with basic qualifications and practical experience in business lines/audit &
inspection functions, the Compliance Function shall have adequate staff members with knowledge of
statutory/regulatory prescriptions, law, accountancy, risk management, information technology, etc.
 The CCO shall be appointed for a minimum fixed tenure of not less than 3 years. However, in
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exceptional cases, the Board / Board Committee may relax the minimum tenure by one year, provided
appropriate succession planning is put in place.
Learn Along
Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and engaged
in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by
Government or other marketable securities of a like nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit
business.
RBI allows rural co-operative banks to raise funds from preference shares, debt instruments
 Reserve Bank of India allowed Rural Cooperative Banks (RCBs) to raise funds from people in their
area of operation or existing shareholders through a variety of instruments.
 RCBs, which include state co-operative banks and district central co-operative banks, can raise
funds from preference shares and debt instruments.
 They can also raise funds through debt instruments, including perpetual debt instruments eligible for
inclusion in tier I capital and long term subordinated bonds eligible for inclusion in tier II capital.
 RCBs need to adhere to certain conditions like not using their fixed deposit rate as a benchmark and
make necessary disclosures prominently, especially ones saying the instruments under which the
funds are raised are not fixed deposits.
Learn Along
Co-operative banks are financial entities established on a co-operative basis and belonging to their members. This
means that the customers of a co-operative bank are also its owners. These banks provide a wide range of regular
banking and financial services.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
RBI certifies fintech led 121 Finance as India's first NBFC-Factor, after revised Registration of
Factors Regulations (2022)
 121 Finance becomes India's first fintech-led NBFC-Factor to receive the Certificate of Registration
under Registration of Factors (Reserve Bank) Regulations, 2022.
 The NBFC-Factor addresses the most significant challenge most businesses suffer from, i.e.,
arranging short-term funds for MSMEs, without any collateral.
 121 Finance has brought factoring to the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and has its
roots ground deep in FinTech.
 MSMEs are actively seeking alternate sources of Working Capital, especially since the banks are
moving out of cash credit limits for small businesses.
 121 Finance has been a pioneer in Digital B2B lending through Government eMarketplace (GeM
Sahay), offering Sachet Loans or small ticket sized loans and now aims to deliver the Trade
Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) experience for seamless Working Capital solutions to
MSMEs.
Learn Along
Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and engaged
in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by
Government or other marketable securities of a like nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit
business
Learn Along
121 Finance Pvt Ltd. Headquarters: Jaipur Founder & CEO: Dr Ravi Modani
RBI imposes monetary penalty on Manappuram Finance
 Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 17.63 lakh on Manappuram Finance
Limited for non-compliance of norms related to Know Your Customer (KYC) and Prepaid Payment
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Instruments (PPIs).
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalty of Rs 17,63,965 on Manappuram
Finance Limited for non-compliance with certain provisions of the Master Direction on Issuance and
Operation of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) dated October 11, 2017 (updated as on February
28, 2020) and the Master Direction – Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction dated February 25, 2016
(as updated on April 20, 2020).
 This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon
the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the entity with its customers.
 It was observed that the entity was non-compliant with the directions issued by RBI on KYC and small
PPI requirements.
Learn Along
Manappuram Finance Limited Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala, CEO: V.P. Nandakumar
NBFCs: Reserve Bank of India to step up vigil with four-layered regulatory framework
 RBI will put in place a four-layered regulatory structure for non-banking financial companies to keep a
stricter vigil on the shadow banking sector and minimise risks for the overall financial system.
 It provides for a Scale Based Regulation (SBR) framework that takes into consideration capital
requirements, governance standards, prudential regulation and other aspects of the Non-Banking
Financial Companies (NBFCs).
 The focus shifted to having tighter regulations rather than a light touch approach for the country's
shadow banking sector.
 Unveiling the four-layered framework, RBI said that over the years, the NBFC sector has undergone
considerable evolution in terms of size, complexity, and interconnectedness within the financial sector.
 The central bank will issue an integrated regulatory framework for NBFCs, providing a holistic view of
the SBR structure, set of fresh regulations being introduced and respective timelines.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 NBFCs will be split into four layers -- Base Layer (BL), Middle Layer (ML), Upper Layer (UL) and Top
Layer (TL).
 The detailed set of norms, which will come into force from October 2022.
RBI has launched the next round of the quarterly Industrial Outlook Survey (IOS)
 Reserve Bank of India has launched the next round of the quarterly Industrial Outlook Survey (IOS)
to assesses business sentiment for the current quarter and expectations for the ensuing three-month
period.
 The survey assesses business sentiment and expectations based on qualitative responses on a set of
indicators pertaining to demand conditions, financial conditions, employment and the price situation.
 An additional block has been included in the survey round for assessing the outlook on key parameters
for the third and fourth quarters of the 2022-23 financial year.
 RBI has also launched the 33rd round of the quarterly Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey
(SIOS).
 The survey assesses the business situation for the current quarter from selected companies in the
services and infrastructure sectors and their expectations for the ensuing quarter.
Bank credit grows by 10.09%; deposits by 10.06%: RBI
 Bank credit grew by 10.09 per cent to Rs 119.88 lakh crore and deposits by 10.06 per cent to Rs
167.42 lakh crore in the fortnight ended on April 8, 2022.
 Bank advances stood at Rs 108.88 lakh crore and deposits at Rs 152.11 lakh crore, according to the
RBI's Scheduled Banks' Statement of Position in India.
 In FY 2021-22, bank credit rose by 8.59% and deposit by 8.94%.
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Learn Along
Scheduled Banks Scheduled banks are those banks that are listed under Schedule II of the Reserve Bank of India
Act, 1934. The bank's paid-up capital and raised funds must be at least Rs. 5 lakh to qualify as a scheduled bank.
These banks are liable for low interest loans from the RBI.
Religare pays Rs 5.41 crore to Sebi to settle legacy issues
 NBFC Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL) has paid Rs 5.41 crore to SEBI to settle its past cases.
 In order to settle another legacy issue REL had submitted an application for settlement under the SEBI
(Settlement Proceedings) Regulations, 2018.
 The application along with the settlement terms proposed by the company were examined by SEBI
which having considered the facts and circumstances of the case.
 The certain compliance requirements were overlooked/not complied with during the period between
April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2018.
 During the aforesaid period, the control and management of the company rested with erstwhile
promoters Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Mohan Singh and certain individuals who were
accustomed to act on their instructions.
RBI has extended the guidelines on LEI to large borrowers of NBFCs and UCBs.
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the guidelines on Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) to
large borrowers of NBFCs and Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs).
 RBI said that on a review, it has been decided that the guidelines on LEI stand extended to Urban Co-
operative Banks (UCBs) and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 RBI further advised that non-individual borrowers enjoying aggregate exposure of ₹5 crore and above
from banks and financial institutions (FIs) shall be required to obtain LEI codes as per the given
timeline.
 As per the timeline, the borrowers having exposure of ₹25 crore are required to obtain LEI by April 30,
2023.
 The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-digit number used to uniquely identify parties to financial
transactions globally. It was conceived as a key measure to improve the quality and accuracy of
financial data systems for better risk management post the global financial crisis.
Learn Along
Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) An LEI or Legal Entity Identifier is a unique code, consisting of 20 symbols, that allows
for identification within the global financial system. An LEI code is issued to a company just once and is unique.
Learn Along
Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) primary cooperative banks located in urban and semi-urban areas. These
banks were traditionally centred around communities, localities work place groups. They essentially lent to small
borrowers and businesses.
RBI imposes monetary penalty on Central Bank of India (CBI)
 RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 36 lakh on Central Bank of India for non-compliance with
certain directions of the central bank. The order was issued on April 18, 2022.
 Central Bank of India has been penalised for failing to comply with directions issued by RBI on
'Customer Protection-Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking
Transactions',
 RBI noted that the penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions
of section 47 A (1) (c) read with section 46 (4) (i) and section 51(1) of the Banking Regulation Act,
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1949.
 RBI statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (lSE) of CBI was conducted by the RBI with
reference to its financial position as of March 31, 2020.
Learn Along
Central Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: Pallav Mohapatra
RBI’s new guidelines for credit, debit cards
 Reserve Bank of India has published directions to the banks and NBFCs (Non Banking Financial
Corporations) for issuance of credit and debit cards.
 These guidelines will be effective from July 1, 2022, the guidelines apply to all the banks excluding
payment banks, state co-operative banks, and district central co-operative banks.
 Apart from the banks, NBFCs which have been permitted by RBI to issue credit cards, will also have to
follow the guidelines.
 A company’s board would also need to give its nod for the issuance and conduct of credit cards, and
an audit Committee also needs to be set up to review their credit card operations on a half-yearly
basis.
 KYC norms as issued by RBI from time to time, also need to be strictly adhered to in respect of all
cards issued, including the co-branded cards.
 Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) with net worth of Rs 100 crore and above are permitted to
undertake credit card business either independently or in tie-up arrangement with other card issuing
banks/NBFCs with the approval of their Boards.
 A NBFC registered with the RBI shall not undertake credit card business without prior approval of the
RBI.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Learn Along
A state co-operative banks is a federation of the central cooperative bank and acts as custodian of the cooperative
banking structure in the State.
Learn Along
A District Co-operative Central Bank (DCCB) is a cooperative bank operating at the district level in various parts
of India. It was established to provide banking to the rural hinterland for the agricultural sector with the branches
primarily established in rural and semi-urban areas
Learn Along
A co-branded card is a credit card that a retailer of consumer goods or services issues in partnership with a
particular credit card issuer or network.
SEBI extends deadline to ban pooling of funds, MF units
 SEBI has extended the deadline by three months for implementation of the rule to discontinue
pooling of funds and/or units in mutual fund transactions by stock brokers/clearing members, and other
entities operating online.
 The ban will come in action on July 1, 2022, considering representations from the Association of
Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) on the same.
Learn Along
AMFI Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: C.V.R. Rajendran
SEBI moves Supreme Court against Bombay HC order on Reliance Commercial Finance
 SEBI moved to Supreme Court against the Bombay high court’s order that allowed the Reliance
Commercial Finance’s shareholders to carry out a voting process based on the Debenture Trust
Deeds (DTDs) signed in compliance with the RBI’s 2019 circular that is aimed at time-bound resolution
of stressed assets. www.i xamBee.c om
 The conflict has risen in this case due to application of two circulars issued by two regulators – RBI
and Sebi.
 RBI (Prudential Framework for Resolution of Stressed Assets) Directions 2019, issued on June
7, 2019, that allowed the lenders to enter into Inter Creditor Agreement (ICA) for arriving at and
implementing a resolution plan.
 SEBI (Debenture Trustee) Regulations 1993 and its circular of October 13, 2020 were to be strictly
complied with as they are meant to protect the interests of investors and to regulate the securities
market.
Learn Along
SEBI Headquarters: Mumbai Chairman: Madhabi Puri Buch
SEBI halts NFOs for 3 months
 Asset management companies will not be able to launch new fund offers for the next three months, as
SEBI is keen that the industry complies with its norms on pooling of funds by intermediaries and
distributors.
 Currently, brokers and other intermediaries that facilitate investments in mutual funds tend to pool
money into their account before transferring it to the clearing corporation or the asset management
companies.
 SEBI said: “Pay-in / pay-out of funds shall not be handled by the stock brokers/clearing members.”
SEBI issues fresh guidelines Demat Debit and Pledge Instruction to curb misuse of clients’ Power
of Attorney
 SEBI came out with fresh guidelines wherein execution of a new document will be made compulsory
for transfer of securities towards deliveries and settlements.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The guidelines, which will be effective from July 1, also comes against the backdrop of instances of
misuse of PoAs.
 The use of DDPI will be limited only for two purposes -:
o Forst Purpose is for the transfer of securities held in the beneficial owner account of the client
towards stock exchange related deliveries or settlement obligations arising out of trades executed
by such a client.
o Second Purpose is for pledging/re-pledging of securities in favour of the Trading
Member(TM)/Clearing Member(CM) for the purpose of meeting margin requirements of the
client.
SEBI has announced an ideathon Manthan to foster innovation in the securities business
 SEBI has launched an ideathon in Mumbai to promote innovation, SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri
Buch said that India is ideally positioned to harness technology in the securities market to give
bespoke solutions at a very low cost to individuals across the country.
 At the start of the ideathon ‘Manthan’ that the implementation of financial technology (FinTech) in the
securities market offered tremendous prospects for all parties involved.
 SEBI, in collaboration with BSE, NSE, NSDL, CDSL, KFintech, CAMS, LinkInTime, and MCX, is
hosting a six-week ideathon called Manthan.
Learn Along
Securitisation involves transactions where credit risk in assets are redistributed by repackaging them into
tradeable securities with different risk profiles which may give investors of various classes access to exposures
which they otherwise might be unable to access directly. It means securities issued by the special purpose entity as
a part of a securitization.
SEBI forms working groups to review criteria for MF sponsors
 SEBI announced the formation of two working groups to review the role and eligibility of a sponsor of a
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mutual fund.
 The first group will look at an alternative set of eligibility requirements to enable new players, who
otherwise may not have been eligible, to act as sponsors.
 The other group will look at streamlining the role and obligations of trustees of mutual funds.
 SEBI has formed a working group under the chairmanship of A Balasubramanian, MD & CEO, Aditya
Birla Sun Life AMC, and chairman of Amfi (Association of Mutual Funds in India).
 The working group will also examine the need for sponsor to dilute its stake in asset management
company (AMC) from the existing requirement of holding at least 40% of the net worth.
SEBI issued frameworks to manage the risk level in commodity investments (Gold)
 SEBI issued frameworks to manage the risk level in commodity investments (gold and gold-related
instruments) by mutual funds.
 The annualised volatility would be computed quarterly based on past 15 years’ prices of the
benchmark index of the said commodity.
 Annualised volatility of less than 10%, 10-15%, 15-20% and more than 20% will have risk score of 3
(moderate), 4 (moderately high), 5 (high) and 6 (very high), respectively.
 If price of gold has annualized volatility of 18% based on price of past 15 years, then gold and gold-
related instruments will have risk value of 5 (high) on risk-o-meter.
Learn Along
Mutual Fund, a mutual fund is a professionally managed investment fund that pools money from many investors to
purchase securities.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
SEBI issues operational guidelines for covenant monitoring with DLT
 SEBI has issued operational guidelines for security and covenant monitoring using Distributed
Ledger Technology (DLT).
 SEBI specified the manner of recording of charges by issuers and manner of monitoring by debenture
trustees, credit rating agencies and responsibilities, among others.
 The measures were aimed to strengthen the process of security creation and monitoring of security
created, asset cover and covenants of the non-convertible securities.
 The backbone of the DLT system is uniqueness of assets recorded in the system and to ensure
uniqueness of the assets of the issuer offered as security, appropriate validation or duplicate checks
based on parameters identified for each asset type have been put in place in the system,
 For data exchange and verification across depositories, format for unique asset ID assigned to an
asset has been standardised to a 12-digit alphanumeric string.
SEBI issues Rs 2 crore recovery notice to former NSE Chief Ravi Narain
 SEBI sent a notice to NSE's former chief Ravi Narain, asking him to pay Rs 2.06 crore in a case
related to governance lapses at the stock exchange, and warned of arrest and attachment of assets
and bank accounts if he fails to make the payment within 15 days.
 The notice came after Ravi Narain failed to pay the fine imposed on him by SEBI.
 The regulator, through an order passed on 11, February 2022, levied a fine of Rs 2 crore on Narain in
the matter of governance issues over the appointment of the chief strategic officer at the stock
exchange in 2013.
 In the event of non-payment of dues, SEBI will recover the amount by attaching and selling his
moveable and immoveable property.
Learn Along www.i xamBee.c om
NSE Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: Vikram Limaye
SEBI imposes Rs 40 lakh on 4 entities over violation of market norms
 SEBI imposed penalties totalling Rs 40 lakh on four entities for failing to comply with the provisions of
the Companies Act and public issue norms.
 The regulator also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh each on HPC Biosciences Limited, Tarun Chauhan,
Madhu Anand and Arun Kumar Gupta.
 SEBI carried out an inspection of Guiness Corporate Advisors in August 2014 and notified certain
violations relating to file prospectus and application for listing in respect of the allotments made by
HPC Biosciences from December 2012 to January 2013.
 The regulator also levied a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Ashish Pandey for violation of market norms in the
matter of Ricoh India Ltd, who was CFO and company secretary of FDSL in 2017-18.
 SEBI had appointed Pipara & Co as the forensic auditor with respect to the financial statements of
Ricoh and Fourth Dimensional Solutions Ltd (FDSL) for the FY March 2014 to March 2018.
 The regulator also levied a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Darshann Kayan over non-genuine trades in illiquid
stock options on BSE.
SEBI restructures its advisory committee on market data
 SEBI has restructured its advisory committee on market data that recommends policy measures
pertaining to areas like securities market data access and privacy
 The panel will now be chaired by S Sahoo, Professor at National Law University, Delhi and former
chairperson, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The 20-member committee was earlier headed by Madhabi Puri Buch, ex-whole time member of
SEBI.
 Apart from S Sahoo, the panel has CEOs of stock exchanges and depositories, representatives of
various stakeholders and senior officials of SEBI as members.
Learn Along
The Insolvency and Headquarters: New Delhi Chairperson– Ravi Mital
Bankruptcy Board of India
(IBBI)
NSE IFSC announces launch of international sustainability platform at GIFT City
 NSE IFSC Ltd, a subsidiary of National Stock Exchange (NSE), announced the launch of an
international sustainability platform, at Gujarat's GIFT City. which is India's first International
Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
 This is a first of its kind ESG (environmental, social and governance) platform in India.
 The platform will facilitate listing and trading a variety of sustainability products including green bonds,
voluntary carbon, sustainable bonds, green real estate investment trusts (REITs), green equity, among
others and channelize the flow of sustainable finance to India and other markets.
 GIFT City will facilitate international investors to participate in ESG transitions in India and other
markets.
 The platform will encourage the issuance of new sustainability-linked financial products by a diverse
group of organizations from around the world, including corporates, governments and social
enterprises, and this represents an important response to the challenge of resolving global
environmental issues like climate change.
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Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) is an under-construction central business district in
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Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India. It is India's first operational greenfield smart city and international financial services
center, which the Government of Gujarat promoted as a greenfield project.
IFSCA has notified a regulatory framework for Investment Funds
 International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), has notified a regulatory framework for
Investment Funds on April 19, 2022.
 The salient features of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (Fund Management)
Regulations, 2022 includes:
o Registering the Fund Management Entity: A Fund Management Entity will be registered with
IFSCA and will be able to manage different types of funds and schemes subject to meeting the
eligibility criteria.
o Green Channel: Venture Capital Schemes or non-retail schemes soliciting money from accredited
investors only shall qualify for a green channel i.e. the schemes filed can open for subscription by
investors immediately upon filing with IFSCA. The requirements on scheme size, number of
investors, permissible investments, etc. have been detailed in the regulations.
o Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): Considering that ETFs offer a means to gain exposure to
specific markets or asset classes at a low cost, registered fund managers in IFSC shall be able to
launch not just Index based ETFs but also Active ETFs and Commodity based ETFs.
o Stressed Assets: Realising the important role of IFSC in the Government initiative of addressing
the issue of NPAs faced by banks, a framework has been prescribed for special situation funds to
be launched by fund managers in IFSC.
o Environment Social Governance (ESG): Growing number of investors expect fund managers to
make ESG issues integral to their investment strategies. With the intent of making IFSC a hub for

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April 2022
a host of activities related to sustainable finance, disclosures have been proposed to be mandated
at the entity level and scheme level.
o Family Office: Globally, there is an increasing need for having a formal structure for managing
and preserving the wealth of the High Networth Individuals (HNIs) and Ultra HNIs and their
families. Accordingly, a framework to facilitate a self-managed investment fund of a family office
has been provided in the regulations.
 The regulations also provide support for various innovations in a controlled way:
o Fund Lab: The fund managers may try new strategies in a controlled manner and build a track
record for their fund.
o Special purpose vehicle (SPV) as a co-investment structure and leverage: FME shall be
permitted to create SPVs under the main scheme to enable undertaking co-investment or leverage
along with the Fund/ scheme subject to certain conditions.
o Retail participation in private markets: There has been a growing need to facilitate investors at
large to invest in private markets. Accordingly, it is proposed to facilitate retail close ended
schemes to invest in unlisted securities subject to certain conditions.
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IFSCA was established on April 27, 2020 with head office in Gandhinagar with an objective to develop the financial
products and services in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City International Financial Services Centre (GIFT
IFSC).
The Kotak Mahindra Bank has been approved to act as a pension payment authorised bank
 Kotak Mahindra Bank has received approval to function as an authorized bank for payment of
pensions.
 Now retired individuals can open their pension accounts with Kotak Mahindra Bank.
 Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) has conveyed its approval to Kotak Mahindra Bank to
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start its functions for disbursement of pensions as per the guidelines.

 CPAO acts as a link between the pension sanctioning authority (the office where a government
employee retired or died) and the pension payment authority (Pay and Accounts Office) and the
pension disbursing bank.
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Kotak Mahindra Bank Headquarters: Mumbai CEO: Uday Kotak
HDFC Bank adjudged as Best Performing Bank in SHG Linkage by DAY-NRLM
 HDFC Bank Limited has been adjudged Best Performing Bank in Self Help Group (SHG) Linkage by
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM).
 It is the only private bank to be honoured with the award for their contribution in SHGs by NRLM.
 National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development
(MoRD) in June 2011 is a poverty alleviation project, is also known as Aajeevika Mission.
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HDFC Bank Headquarters: Mumbai CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan
The merger of HDFC Bank and HDFC Ltd has been announced
 The Boards of Directors of HDFC Ltd. and HDFC Bank Ltd. approved a composite scheme for the
amalgamation of HDFC Investments Ltd. and HDFC Holdings Ltd with and into HDFC Ltd; and HDFC
Ltd with and into HDFC Bank, as well as their respective shareholders and creditors.
 When the scheme takes effect, public shareholders would control 100% of HDFC Bank, while existing
HDFC Ltd. shareholders will own 41%.
 The subsidiaries/associates of HDFC Ltd. shall become subsidiaries/associates of HDFC Bank once
the scheme takes effect.

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April 2022
 Shareholders of HDFC Ltd. as of the record date will receive 42 HDFC Bank shares (each with a face
value of 1) in exchange for 25 HDFC Ltd.
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HDFC Ltd. Headquarters: Mumbai CEO: Keki Mistry
Value of UPI transactions crossed $1 trillion in FY22
 The value of Unified Payments Interface transactions crossed $1 trillion in FY22, showed data
released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
 The value of UPI transactions for the year added up to Rs 83.45 trillion, which works out to roughly $1
trillion.
 The number of UPI transactions as of March 29 stood at 45.6 million.
 The share of merchant transactions in overall UPI payments was at 42%.
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Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is an instant real-time payment system developed by National Payments
Corporation of India facilitating inter-bank transactions. The interface is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and
works by instantly transferring funds between two bank accounts on a mobile platform.
Axis Bank takes Citibank’s India consumer business in a Rs 12,325 crores
 Citigroup has announced that Axis Bank will be acquiring Citibank’s India consumer business for an
amount of USD 1.6 billion (Rs 12,325 crores).
 This transaction will be including Citibank India’s consumer banking businesses, which include retail
banking, credit cards, consumer loans, and wealth management.
 It also be including the sale of Citibank’s non-banking financial company consumer business.
 It is an exchange of assets or a single asset for cash and no other monetary means, such as exchange
of stocks or financing are used. www.i xamBee.c om
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Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai MD &CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
SBI tie-up with BSF to offer curated benefits through CAPSP Scheme
 State Bank of India has tied up a MoU with the Border Security Force to provide solutions for
financial security to BSF personnel through the Central Armed Police Salary Package Scheme.
 The MoU will offer a bouquet of benefits to the serving security forces, retired personnel as well as
family pensioners.
 These may include complimentary Personal and Air Accidental Insurance (Death) cover, additional
cover in case of on-duty death, and Permanent Total Disability / Partial Disability cover, support in child
education and the marriage of girl children of deceased BSF personnel among other benefits.
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SBI Headquarters: Mumbai Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara
SBI Raises USD 500 Million Via IFSC Gift City Branch
 State Bank of India has raised USD 500 million through a three-year syndicated loan facility, via its
International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City
branch.
 The facility is worth USD 400 million, with a USD 100 million greenshoe option. SBI, on the other hand,
did not provide pricing information.
 The SBI’s Gift City branch has raised its first offshore USD Secured Overnight Financing Rate
(SOFR) linked syndicated loan.
 SBI has taken another major step in promoting IFSC Gift City as an international financial hub, with its
Gift City branch becoming the largest in the IFSC.

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April 2022
 The substantial footprint SBI has established in offshore financial markets has facilitated the successful
execution of syndicated loans at such fine pricing.
128th Foundation Day of Punjab National Bank
 India’s second-largest public sector bank, PNB has celebrated its 128th Foundation Day on April 12,
2022.
 On this occasion, MD & CEO of PNB, Atul Kumar Goel has launched a cardless cash withdrawal
service and a virtual debit card for its customers.
 PNB also launched various services on its mobile app named PNB One for safe banking transactions.
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PNB Headquarters: New Delhi MD &CEO: Atul Kumar Goel
Punjab & Sind Bank declares Srei loan accounts as frauds
 Punjab & Sind Bank becomes the first bank to declare loans given to two Srei group companies as
frauds despite Srei founder's attempt to stop lenders from acting on the basis of KPMG's forensic
audit on the company.
 While company had moved court docket towards the KPMG report, the newest transfer by Punjab &
Sind Bank might immediate different banks to comply with swimsuit.
 The state-owned lender has declared each the non-performing loan accounts of Srei Infrastructure
Finance and SREI Equipment Finance as frauds.
 Srei Infrastructure has an impressive due of Rs 510 crore to the financial institution. Its wholly-owned
subsidiary Srei Equipment Finance’s as a result of financial institution runs to Rs 724 crore.
 The National Company Law Tribunal authorised a consolidated company insolvency decision course
of for the 2 debt-laden corporations.
 Srei founder Hemant Kanoria had additionally urged RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das to advise
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regulatory officers and banks to not take any motion towards his corporations on the premise of the
KPMG report.
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Punjab & Sind Bank Headquarters: Delhi MD & CEO: S Krishnan
IndusInd Bank bags global 'Celent Model Bank' Award
 IndusInd Bank has been awarded the global 'Celent Model Bank' award under the category –
'Payments System Transformation' for building a best-in-class Enterprise Payments Hub (EPH).
 The award acknowledges the Bank's outstanding journey in creating a cloud-based central payments
hub that is capable of seamlessly processing high transaction loads originating across all forms of
payment instructions, and across all originating client touchpoints.
 The 'Celent Model Bank' is awarded for best practices of technology usage in different areas that are
critical to success in banking, and is the main award that a financial institution can receive from Celent
– a leading research and advisory firm focused on technology for financial institutions, globally.
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IndusInd Bank Headquarters: Pune MD& CEO: Sumant Kathpaliai
Indian Overseas Bank, Software Technology Park of India (STPI) MoU
 Indian Overseas Bank signed a MoU with the Software Technology Parks of India and STPINEXT for
leveraging innovation through the financial technologies engaged under the FinBlue initiative.
 This MoU will help the bank in leveraging innovation through the financial technologies engaged under
the FinBlue initiative.
 The FinBlue initiative by STPI is an integrated programme to start-ups to scale through its incubation
facility.

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April 2022
 It provides access to the financial technology ecosystem that consists of bankers, financial institutions,
mentors, investors among others.
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Indian Overseas Bank Headquarters: Chennai CEO: Partha Pratim Sengupta
Axis Bank inks USD 150 mn partial guarantee pact with ADB
 Axis Bank has collaborated with Asian Development Bank for a partial guarantee programme with
initial outlay of USD 150 million (Rs 1,139.85 crore), aimed at supporting supply chain financing for
impact sectors.
 Axis Bank has signed a partial guarantee facility agreement (PGFA) with ADB to support supply
chain financing for impact sectors, under which ADB will provide guarantees (variable) to the lending
done by Axis Bank.
 Axis Bank focused this programme on ESG (environmental, social and governance) and other priority
sectors, re-affirming both institutions' commitments to positive developmental and environmental
impact in the country.
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Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai MD &CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
Bandhan-led group to buy IDFC MF, deal valued at ₹4,500 crore
 IDFC Ltd announced the sale of its mutual fund business to a consortium led by Bandhan Financial
Holdings, for a consideration of Rs 4,500 crore.
 IDFC Limited and a consortium comprising Bandhan Financial Holdings Ltd, (Singapore’s sovereign
wealth fund) GIC and (private equity firm) ChrysCapital have entered into a definitive agreement to
acquire IDFC Asset Management Company Limited and IDFC AMC Trustee Company Limited from
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IDFC Limited.
 The deal is “for a consideration of Rs 4,500 crore, subject to the receipt of necessary regulatory
approvals and customary closing conditions".
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Bandhan Bank Headquarters:Kolkata MD &CEO: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
Bank of Maharashtra to divest 4% Stake in ISARC
 Bank of Maharashtra sell its entire 4% ownership in India SME Asset Reconstruction Company for
almost Rs 4 crore.
 the Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has entered a share purchase agreement for the sale of the entire
equity position of 4% in India SME Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (ISARC).
 The bank’s 4% stake, which translates to 40,00,000 equity shares, would be sold for Rs 9.80 per
share for Rs 3.92 crore in cash.
 ISARC’s overall revenue for the fiscal year ended March 2021 was Rs 11.09 crore, with a net profit of
Rs 0.36 crore.
 ISARC is the country’s first Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC), with a large number of public
sector banks and undertakings supporting it. It focuses on MSME NPA resolution.
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Bank of Maharashtra Headquarters: Pune CEO: A. S. Rajeev
Bank Of Baroda (BoB) Launches BoB World Gold For Senior Citizens
 BoB announced the launch of bob World Gold, a new feature on its BoB World mobile banking
platform designed especially for seniors and the elderly.

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April 2022
 BoB World Gold has easy navigation, large fonts, sufficient spacing and clear menus with added
features like ready-to-assist voice based search service.
 BoB World offers over 250 services, bob World Gold brings the essential, frequently used services and
favourite transactions of senior citizens upfront such that they are conveniently available and easily
accessible on the home screen.
 These include services such as deposit renewal, comparison of savings accounts, retirement &
succession planning services, health services/ pharmacy search etc.
 There are approximately 138 million senior citizens in India in 2021, which is projected to increase to
192 million by 2031.
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Bank of Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara MD & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha
Suryoday Small Finance Bank selects Kyndryl to drive its digital transformation and IT
modernization
 Suryoday is a leading Small Finance Bank (SFB) in India with more than 565 branches and 1.8
million customers.
 This Small Finance Bank has chosen Kyndryl, a world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, to
drive its technology transformation program, improve operational efficiency, and increase digital
banking adoption among its customers as part of a five year transformation partnership.
 Suryoday Small Finance Bank will leverage Kyndryl’s advisory and implementation services to
deploy and support a new core banking system and integrate with digital channels to deliver a highly
agile banking platform that accelerates retail business growth and enhances the bank’s customer
experience.
 Kyndryl will manage the bank’s critical core and mobile banking application ecosystem and provide
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deep expertise in hybrid cloud services, data analytics, and IP based transformation services
frameworks to enable the bank’s digital transformation.
 Kyndryl will also provide security and resiliency services using Kyndryl’s Cyber Resiliency
Orchestrator to ensure the bank remains compliant with current and future risk management
guidelines and regulatory requirements.
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Headquarters: Navi Mumbai
Suryoday Small Finance Bank CEO: R Baskar Babu
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Kyndryl Headquarters: New York CEO: Martin Schroeter
BHIM UPI goes live at NEOPAY terminals in UAE
 NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the International arm of the National Payment Corporation
of India (NPCI) has announced that BHIM UPI is now live at NEOPAY terminals, across the UAE.
 This initiative will empower millions of Indians who travel to the UAE, to safely and conveniently make
payments using BHIM UPI.
 NIPL and NEOPAY, the payment subsidiary of Mashreq bank, partnered last year to create the
acceptance infrastructure in the UAE.
 Indian tourists can now make seamless payments through BHIM UPI across NEOPAY enabled shops
and merchant stores.
 The implementation of BHIM UPI in the UAE is a stepping stone toward providing a major boost to
digital payments in the country.
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BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) is an Indian mobile payment app developed by the National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI), based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Launched on 30 December 2016. it is
intended to facilitate e-payments directly through banks and encourage cashless transactions.

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April 2022
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National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is an umbrella organization for all retail payments in India. It was
set up with the guidance and support of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks Association (IBA).
NPCI Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe
Bihar Government announces Health Insurance for 89 Lakh Families
 Bihar government announced annual health insurance of Rs 5 lakh under the new Mukhyamantri Jan
Arogya Yojana to all households not covered under PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana).
 The scheme is expected to benefit about 89 lakh households, which are not covered under PMJAY or
the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
 The process of making these beneficiary cards will begin in May, 2022, at the Suvidha Kendra or
empanelled hospitals. Also, the secondary and tertiary hospitalisation costs will be sponsored by the
state authorities.
 There are a total of 904 empanelled hospitals, including 208 personal hospitals, under the Ayushman
Bharat Yojana. The same hospitals will provide treatment to the beneficiary families under the
Mukhyamantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
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Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), It offers a sum insured of Rs.5 lakh per
family for secondary care (which doesn’t involve a super specialist) as well as tertiary care (which involves a super
specialist).
AB PM-JAY Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Launch: 23 September 2018
Elon Musk acquires Twitter for $44 billion
 Elon Musk signed an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion (Rs. 3,365 crore).
 Of the $44 billion, Elon Musk has outlined the $13 billion in bank financing secured by the social-
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media company and the $12.5 billion backed by a pledge of some of his $170 billion Tesla Inc.
stake.
 Musk is the world’s richest person, with a fortune of $257 billion, according to the Bloomberg
Billionaires Index.
 Elon Musk said, “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town
square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated”.
 The deal is expected to close sometime this year. But before that, shareholders still have to weigh in,
as well as regulators in the US and in countries where Twitter does business, before the deal is
completed.
 Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal told employees that the future of the social media firm is uncertain after
the deal to be taken private under Elon Musk closes.
 Parag Agrawal would get an estimated $42 million if he were terminated within 12 months of a
change in control at the social media company.
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Twitter Headquarters: California CEO: Parag Agarwal
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Tesla Inc. Headquarters: Austin, Texas CEO: Elon Musk
Mudrex becomes world’s largest crypto index investing platform
 Mudrex, witnessed a massive 2400% surge in its platform’s user base in the first quarter of 2022,
becoming the world's largest crypto index investing platform.
 Indian users contributed the most to this exponential growth, with more than 80% of increase coming
from the country.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The platform's offerings include products like Mudrex Coin Sets, which are are baskets of
cryptocurrencies based on a particular theme.
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Mudrex Headquarters: San Francisco, California CEO: Edul Patel
Banks Sanction Loans Worth Rs 3,628 Crore Under PM Yojana
 Rs 3,628 crore loans have been sanctioned under the PM SVANidhi or Pradhan Mantri Street
Vendor's Atmanirbhar Nidhi scheme to over 34 lakh street vendors since its launch.
 PM SVANidhi scheme was announced as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan in May 2020 to help
street vendors, who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 As per the scheme, a vendor could avail of a working capital loan of up to Rs 10,000 followed by loans
of Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 in the second and third tranches, respectively, on repayment of earlier
tranche or tranches.
 The loan amount is directly released to beneficiaries by the lending institutions like banks at a
concessional rate of 7%.
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PM SVANidhi Scheme aims at providing affordable working capital loan to street vendors to resume their
livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown. This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh
Street Vendors
SVANidhi Ministry: Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs) Launch Year: 2020
Paytm is the official digital payments partner for Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya
 Paytm has become an official digital payments partner for the prime ministers’ museum.
 It is offering its payment gateway, EDC (Electronic Data Capture) machines and QR code payment
options to make way for superfast, convenient and secure transactions.
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 The museum, which is a tribute to former PM’s of India, will be opened to the public on April 21, 2022.
 PM Modi also purchased the first ticket of the museum before its inauguration.
 The museum is built at a cost of Rs. 271 crores.
 It is constructed on the site of Teen Murti Estate, which is the home of India’s first PM Jawaharlal
Nehru, for 16 years until being converted into the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML).
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Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya (Prime Minister Museum) is dedicated to the former PMs of the country. It was was
inaugurated as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav — a 75-week celebration launched to mark 75 years of
Independence. The Prime Minister’s Museum will also reflect the shared heritage of each government.
Pradhanmantri Ministry: Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Launch Year: 2018
Sangrahalaya
IFSCA signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Insurance Academy (NIA)
 International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has signed a MoU with the NIA with the
goal of creating capacity and establishing a qualified talent pool in the insurance sector in International
Financial Services Centres.
 IFSCA aspires to build a strong worldwide connection and focus on the demands of the Indian
economy, as well as function as a regional/global international financial platform.
 NIA is a prestigious school dedicated to training the finest and brightest in the insurance sector.
 This MoU aims to develop the necessary trained people for the International Financial Services Centre
(IFSC).
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IFSCA was established on April 27, 2020 with head office in Gandhinagar with an objective to develop the financial
products and services in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City International Financial Services Centre (GIFT
IFSC).

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Cabinet approves capital infusion for the three Public Sector General Insurance Companies
 Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the capital infusion for an overall value of
Rs.12,450 crore; (including Rs. 2,500 crore infused in FY 2019-20) in the three Public Sector General
Insurance Companies namely Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OlCL), National Insurance
Company Limited (NICL) and United India Insurance Company Limited (UIICL).
 Of which Rs.3,475 crore will be released immediately; while the balance Rs,6475 crore will be infused
later.
 Cabinet also approved increase in authorised share capital of NICL to Rs.7,500 crore and that of UIICL
and OlCL to Rs 5,000 crore respectively to give effect to the capital infusion.
 The process of merger has been ceased so far in view of the current scenario and instead, the focus
shall be on their profitable growth.
 The capital infusion of Rs.3,475 Crore will be allocated to three Public Sector General Insurance
Companies viz. OlCL, NICL and UIICL as the first tranche in the current financial year and the balance
amount will be released in one or more tranches.
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Oriental Insurance Headquarters: New Delhi MD&CEO: SN Rajeshwari
Company Limited (OICL)
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Headquarters: Kolkata
National Insurance Company MD& Chairman: Smt. Suchita Gupta
Limited (NICL)
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United India Headquarters: Chennai
Insurance CEO: Shri Girish Radhakrishnan
Company Limited (UIICL)
Soft-launching India's First KYC Compliant Crypto Token – Redeemption

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 Redeemption Digital Technology Private Limited has soft-launched on 25th March'22 India's first
KYC-compliant crypto token - Redeemption.
 It's a unique crypto token with which users can earn investing time, instead of money.
 It's India's first crypto token which users can redeem for fiat money, even before its listing on
exchange.
 Redeemption is an emerging Web 3.0 Technology base, patent-filed crypto token which is developed
on Binance Smart Chain (BSC) BEP20 protocol.
 All that the users have to do is to hold these Redeemption crypto token in their crypto wallet.
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KYC means “Know Your Customer”. It is a process by which banks obtain information about the identity and
address of the customers. This process helps to ensure that banks' services are not misused. The KYC procedure
is to be completed by the banks while opening accounts and also periodically update the same.
Flipkart Foundation launched for growth of rural area and women
 Flipkart Group launched the Flipkart Foundation, a new platform with a focus on development in
rural areas and providing equitable access to growth opportunities for women and other disadvantaged
communities.
 Flipkart Foundation aims to positively influence 20 million lives directly and indirectly in the coming
decade across a wide array of areas by utilising Flipkart’s learnings over the years.
 The contributions will come from the Flipkart Group and through the ‘Charity Checkout’ feature
available on Flipkart platforms.
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Flipkart Group Headquarters: Bengaluru CEO: Kalyan Krishnamurthy

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Equity MFs see Rs 1.64 lakh cr net inflow in FY22: Amfi
 Equity mutual funds witnessed a net inflow of Rs 1,64,399 crore in the entire 2021-22. This included
an all-time high inflow of Rs 28,464 crore in March 2022.
 The robust inflow pushed the asset base of equity mutual funds by 38% to Rs 13.65 lakh crore at the
end of March 2022.
 Lower returns from traditional investments have also made equity mutual funds an attractive
investment destination for investors.
 Folio numbers or investors account in equity-oriented funds also grew from 6.64 crore in April 2021
to 8.6 crore in March 2022, which is a growth of 29%.
 SIP book has also grown consistently from Rs 8,596 crore in April 2021 to an all-time high of Rs
12,328 crore in March 2022.
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AMFI Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: C.V.R. Rajendran
At $30.3 billion, mergers and acquisitions hit four-year high in March quarter
 Mergers & started off on a strong footing, hitting a four-year high at USD 30.3 billion in the first
quarter of 2022, making it the highest first-quarter period since 2018 when it was USD 31.1 billion.
 In volume terms, the M&A activity grew 29.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2022, making it the best-
ever quarterly number.
 M&As involving domestic companies stood at USD 23.7 billion, down 8.3 per cent on year.
 Domestic M&As declined 24.5 per cent to USD 12.1 billion, and inbound M&As grew by 17.9 per cent
to USD 11.6 billion, which is the highest first-quarter period since 2017.
Corporate profitability likely to have fallen 200-300 bps in Q4: Crisil

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 The profitability of corporates is estimated to have fallen by 200-300 basis points (BPS) year-on-year
and 40-60 BPS on a sequential basis in the 4th quarter, impacted by soaring input costs.
 The earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) margin of as many as 32 of
the 47 sectors tracked by the firm were estimated to have contracted in Q4.
 Overall Ebitda margins are estimated to have shrunk by 20-40 BPS on-year to 21-23%.
 In the current fiscal, Ebitda margin could contract by another 100 BPS on-year to 20-22%, largely due
to elevated energy and metal prices.
 In Q4, margins in construction-linked sectors were expected to have fallen the most at 500-600 BPS
on-year, followed by exports-linked and industrial commodities sectors, where margins eroded by 400
BPS.
 Prices of flat steel were on average 25% higher in the fourth quarter, and that of aluminium by 53%.
The price of Brent crude surged nearly 31%, while those of spot gas and coking coal rocketed
almost 1.3 times and 2.8 times.
 Corporate revenue is estimated to have grown by about 5%.
 IT services sector, expected to be up 20-22% on-year, also propelled overall revenue growth, aided by
continued demand for digital services and cloud.
Learn Along
CRISIL Headquarters:Mumbai MD & CEO: Ashu Suyash
Schemes/Facilities launched by various banks/private financial companies
Company Name Scheme/Facilities/Initiatives launched Learn Along

About Twitter
Elon Musk Buys 9.2% stake in Twitter - Elon Musk buys 9.2% stake in Headquarter: California
Revocable Trust Twitter, becomes single largest shareholder with four times CEO: Parag Agarwal
Jack Dorsey’s stake, the stake is worth $2.8 billion.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022

Teams up with Ahalia Finforex - Aegon Life, a digital life About Aegon Life
Aegon Life insurance company, has partnered with Ahalia Finforex, a Insurance
Kerala-based financial services firm, to provide life insurance Headquarters: Mumbai
COO: Naveen Bachwani
IFSCA signs information exchange pact - IFSCA signed an About IRDAI
IRDAI agreement with the IRDAI for strengthening information Headquarters:
exchange between the two regulators. Hyderabad
Chairman: Debasish
Panda
App launched ‘Union nxt’ - The Union Bank of India today About City Union Bank
Union Bank launched its app "Union nxt", under its digital initiative plan Headquarters:
"Sambhav". Kumbakonam
Chairman: R. Mohan
Smasung Sports Digital Experience Centre - Government of Manipur About Samsung

has signed a MoU with Samsung Data System India Pvt Ltd Headquarters: Seoul,
and Abhitech IT Solutions Pvt Ltd for setting up a world-class South Korea
“Sports Digital Experience Centre” in Manipur Olympian Park Chairman: Lee Kun-hee
and Khuman Lampak Sports Complex.
About HP (Hewlett-
HP (Hewlett- Acquires Poly - HP has completed its acquisition of Poly for Packard)
Packard) $1.7 billion in an all-cash deal worth $3.3 billion when debt is Headquarters:
factored in. California, USA
CEO: Enrique Lores
MG Motor India introduced its one-stop digital car finance platform - MG
www.i xamBee.c om
About MG Motors
Motor India has tied up with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak India
Mahindra Prime and Axis Bank to offer customized and instant Headquarters: New
financing options under MG ePay, it added. Delhi
MD: Rajeev Chaba
About PNB
PNB Housing Collaboration with Nabet India - Nabet India and PNB Headquarters: New
Finance Ltd Housing Finance Pvt Ltd joined hands to carry out a special Delhi
women’s health and wellness initiative. MD & CEO: Atul Kumar
Goel
Ergos Launches “GrainBank Loyalty Cards for Farmers” - This is
the first time in India’s history where farmers have direct About Ergos
access to a cutting-edge technology platform ‘GrainBank’ for Headquarters: Patna
getting valuable information and income on their farm Chairman: Kishor Jha
produce.
WTO Global trade growth forecast - World Trade Organization About WTO
revised down its forecast for global trade growth this year to Headquarters: Geneva
3% from 4.7% due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war. Director-General: Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala
State Bank of India Invested Rs 75 crore - Oman Investment Authority and State About SBI
Bank of India on Monday said it has invested Rs 75 crore in Headquarters: Mumbai
Kolkata-based jewellery retailer Senco Gold. Chairperson: Dinesh
Kumar Khara
IFSCA MoU - IFSCA Inks MoU with GVFL Limited for Strengthening About IFSCA
the FinTech Ecosystem in GIFT IFSC. Headquarters:
Gandhinagar
MD & CEO: Injeti

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022

Srinivas
ICICI Bank ICICI Bank-KredX Commercial Card - ICICI Bank & Kredx About ICICI bank
Partners to Offer Cashback Commercial Card for B2B Headquarters: Mumbai
(Business to Business) Payments. CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
Indian Oil Joint venture - IOC, engineering and construction major About Indian Oil
Corporation Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and renewable energy player ReNew Corporation
Power have announced a joint venture (JV) company to Headquarters: New
develop the nascent green hydrogen sector in India. Delhi
Chairman: Shrikant
Madhav Vaidya
Oil India Limited Incubation agreement - OIL signs incubation agreement with About Oil India Limited
Hydrogen Fuel related Start-up for promoting Hydrogen Headquarters:
mobility solutions in Northeast Ahmedabad
Chairman: Sushil
Chandra Mishra
KVGB New deposit scheme - Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank About KVGB
launched a new deposit scheme “Vikas Siri Sampat-1111”. Headquarters: Dharwad,
The scheme is of a tenor of 1,111 days with interest rate of Karnataka
5.70% for general public and 6.20 % for senior citizens. Chairman: P Gopi
Krishna
Tata AIA Partnership - Tata AIA Life Insurance has partnered with About Tata AIA Life
Common Services Centers under the Ministry of Electronics Insurance
and IT to engage its network of over 4 lakh village-level Headquarters: Mumbai
entrepreneurs at the last mile for distribution of life insurance MD and CEO:
plans. www.i xamBee.c om
Mr. Naveen Tahilyani

Tata group App launch - Tata group on Thursday launched possibly
About TATA Group
India's first super app, Tata Neu, that brings together
Headquarters: Mumbai
grocery-to-hotel-to-airline ticket booking and medicine
CEO: Natarajan
on a single platform, rivalling similar products from
Chandrasekaran
Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart.
Federal Bank Ties up - Mashreq NEO, the full-service digital bank that About Federal Bank
comes under the umbrella of Mashreq Bank, has tied up with Headquarters: Aluva,
Federal Bank, an Indian commercial bank, to enable Mashreq Kerala
Neo’s Indian customers to open a non-resident (NR) account MD and CEO: Shyam
with the Indian bank, instantly via the Neo app. Srinivasan
Partnership - PhonePe, a digital payments platform, has About PhonePe
PhonePe joined hands with an internet exchange point, Extreme IX to Headquarters:
enable a faster digital payments experience for 370 million Bengaluru
PhonePe users. MD & CEO: Sameer
Nigam
Launches Digital Platform - Kotak Mahindra Bank has About Kotak Mahindra
Kotak Mahindra launched Kotak FYN, a new enterprise platform designed Bank
Bank specifically for Business Banking and Corporate clients. Headquarters: Mumbai
Customers of the bank can utilise the portal to conduct all CEO: Uday Kotak
trade and service transactions.
New launche – London based Nexo launches World’s 1st About Mastercard
Nexo Card Crypto-Backed Payment Card with Mastercard & DiPocket Headquarters: New
York, US
Chairman: Michael
Miebach

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022

Approval - International Monetary Fund's executive board on About IMF
IMF Wednesday approved creation of a new facility to help low- Headquarters:
income and most middle-income countries deal with longer- Washington, USA
term challenges such as climate change and pandemics. Chairman: Kristalina
Georgieva
About Russian Central
Russian Central New payment system - Central Bank of Russia (Trans Bank
Bank Kapital Bank). has added a new payment system called Headquarters: Moscow
HELLO to the national register of credit institutions. Chairman: Kristalina
Georgieva Elvira
Sakhipzadovna
Nabiullina
Memorandum of understanding (MoU) - SEBI and About SEBI

SEBI Canada’s Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC) have Headquarters: Mumbai
entered into a pact for mutual cooperation, exchange of Chairman : Ajay Tyagi
information and technical assistance.
Dhanlaxmi Bank Memorandum of understanding (MoU) - Dhanlaxmi Bank About Dhanlaxmi Bank
on Thursday said it has signed a memorandum of
Headquarters: Thrissur,
understanding with Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and
Kerala
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) for
MD & CEO: JK Shivan
collection of taxes.
www.i xamBee.c om
About IPPB
IPPB (Indian Post New launch - India Post Payments Bank launched Headquarters: New
Payment Bank) Fincluvation, a platform to promote innovative solutions in Delhi
collaboration with fintech startups to accelerate financial Chairman: CEO: J.
inclusion among the underserved and unserved population. Venkatramu
About Fino Payments
Fino Payments Buy 12.19% stake - Fino Payments Bank announced that its Bank
Bank board of directors has approved a 12.19 percent minority Headquarters: Mumbai
strategic investment in New Delhi-based fintech Paysprint Pvt MD & CEO: Rishi Gupta
Ltd.
Zomato Announcement – Online food delivery platform Zomato About Zomato
announced 100% ‘plastic neutral deliveries’ from April 2022 Headquarters: Gurgaon
onwards. CEO: Deepinder Goyal
Dhanlaxmi Bank MoU - Dhanlaxmi Bank has signed a memorandum of About Dhanlaxmi Bank
understanding with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
Headquarters: Thrissur,
and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC),
Kerala
to collect different taxes based on a recommendation from the
MD & CEO: JK Shivan
Controller General of Accounts.
Small Industrial MoU - SIDBI Signs Mou with West Bengal Small Industries About SIDBI
Development Bank Development Corporation Limited (WBSIDCL) To Develop Headquarters: Lucknow
of India (SIDBI) MSME Ecosystem in West Bengal. Chairperson:
Sivasubramanian
Ramann
Tata Consultancy Partnership - TCS is expanding its strategic partnership with About SBI Cards and
Services (TCS) SBI Cards and Payments Services Ltd., India’s largest pure- Payments Services
play credit card issuer, to power the latter’s next leg of digital Ltd.
transformation. The new engagement is built on a decade- Headquarters: Gurgaon,

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022

long partnership. Haryana
MD & CEO: Rama
Mohan Rao Amara
Airtel Payments Partnership - Airtel Payments Bank launched the fixed About Airtel Payments
Bank deposit (FD) facility in partnership with IndusInd Bank to its Bank
customer. With this facility, Airtel Payments Bank customers Headquarters: New
can open FDs starting from Rs 500 up to Rs 1.90,000 lakh Delhi
within minutes through a digital process on the Airtel Thanks MD & CEO: Anubrata
mobile application. Biswas
Bajaj Finance Partnership - Bajaj Finance has collaborated with FinMapp to About Bajaj Finserv
Limited (BFL) launch a fixed deposit feature on its application by adding a Limited (BFL)
new icon for an improved customer experience. Headquarters: Pune
MD & CEO: Sanjiv Bajaj
Larsen & Toubro Agreement - Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has signed an
About L&T
(L&T) agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Bombay to jointly pursue research and development work in
Chairman: A. M. Naik
the Green Hydrogen value chain.
Reliance Industries Shareholder agreement - RIL has signed a shareholder About RIL
Ltd (RIL) agreement with Abu Dhabi Chemicals Derivatives Company
RSC Ltd (TAZIZ) for an investment of $2 billion for the TAZIZ
CEO: Mukesh Ambani
EDC & PVC project.
ONGC MoU - Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on About ONGC
Wednesday said it has signed a pact with Norwegian energy Headquarters: New
giant Equinor ASA for collaboration in oil and gas and Delhi
production as well as clean energy projects.
www.i xamBee.c om
MD & CEO: Dr Alka

Mittal (additional charge)
Pencilton Introduced - Pencilton, a teen-focused fintech startup, has About Pencilton
launched PencilKey, a National Common Mobility Card Headquarters:
(NCMC) compliant RuPay contactless keychain, in partnership Hyderabad
with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Co-Founders: Vishwajit
Transcorp. Pureti, Ashish Singh,
Pallavi Tipparaju, Viraj
Gadde.
Bharti Airtel Acquisition - Bharti Airtel Acquired 7% stake in Cnergee About Bharti Airtel
Technologies under Airtel Startup Accelerator Program. Headquarters: New
Delhi
MD & CEO: Gopal Vittal
ECONOMY
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Union Government keeps interest rates on Small Savings Schemes unchanged for Q1 (April-June
2022)
 Ministry of Finance has decided to keep the interest rates unchanged on small savings schemes or
post office schemes for the Quarter -1 of FY2022-23 (April-June 2022).
 The interest rates on the various instruments for April-June 2022 range from 4.0 % to 7.6 %.
 This is the 8th consecutive quarter when the interest rates on small savings instruments remained
unchanged.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Centre government released 8.83 trillion in devolution to states for FY22
 Centre government released 8.83 trillion in devolution to states for FY22. It is 19% more than the
revised estimate and 33% more than the budget estimate for the year.
 Along with the taxes due to the states for FY22, the Centre's devolution also includes43,168 crore
arrears pending for the period FY97 to FY18.
Centre to borrow Rs 8.45 lakh cr in first half, 60% of FY23 estimate
 The government to expedite its capital spending programme to support the ongoing recovery.
 As per FY23 budget, the gross market borrowing through dated securities was pegged at ₹14.95 lakh
crore.
 Considering the switch operations conducted on January 28, 2022, the gross market borrowing is
expected at ₹14.31 lakh crore.
 The borrowing is scheduled to be completed in 26 weekly tranches of ₹32,000-33,000 crore and will
be spread under 2, 5, 7, 10, 14, 30, and 40-year securities and floating rate bonds (FRBs) of various
tenors.
India’s current account saw a deficit of $23 billion in Q3FY22
 India’s current account saw a deficit of $23 billion or 2.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in
Q3FY22.
 The gap since the second quarter of Q2FY19, mainly owing to a widening of the merchandise trade
deficit to an unprecedentedly high $60 billion.
 December quarter also witnessed net portfolio outflows of $1.6 billion.
 In Q2FY22, the current account deficit (CAD) came in at a moderate 1.3% of GDP, while the account
had a surplus of 0.9% of GDP in the previous quarter. www.i xamBee.c om
 The capital account had a surplus of only $23.2 billion in Q3FY22, compared with $40.4 billion in the
previous quarter and $33.5 billion in the year-ago quarter.
 Financial account, net foreign direct investment recorded an inflow of $5.1 billion.
 Portfolio investment recorded net outflow of $5.8 billion.
 India recorded a current account deficit of 1.2% of GDP in April-December 2021.
Learn Along
The current account deficit (CAD) is a measurement of a country’s trade where the value of the goods and
services it imports exceeds the value of the products it exports. The current account includes net income, such as
interest and dividends, and transfers, such as foreign aid.
India’s trade deficit rises 87.5% in FY22
 Non-petroleum exports grew by 74% from USD 18.97 billion in March 2020.
 India’s trade deficit rose 87.5% to USD 192.41 billion in 2021-22 as against USD 102.63 billion in the
previous year.
 India’s merchandise import in April 2021-March 2022 was USD 610.22 billion, an increase of 54.71%
over USD 394.44 billion in April 2020-March 2021. For the first time, India’s monthly merchandise
exports exceeded USD 40 billion.
 The trade deficit in March 2022 was USD 18.69 billion, while it was USD 192.41 billion during entire
2021-22.
Learn Along
A trade deficit occurs when a country's imports exceed its exports during a given time period. It is also referred to
as a negative balance of trade (BOT).
India exports rise to record high of USD 418 billion in FY22
 Outbound shipments touched an all-time monthly high of USD 40.38 billion in March 2022.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 Central government will borrow Rs 8.45 trillion from the market.

 Commodities that recorded a positive growth in exports during April 2021-March 2022 over the
previous fiscal include petroleum, cotton yarn/fabrics/madeups, handloom, gems and jewellery,
engineering goods, electronic engineering products, leather goods, chemicals, plastic and marine
products.
 Agriculture exports have crossed USD 48 billion during April 2021-March 2022.
Exports stood at USD 35.26 billion in March 2021.
 The central government will borrow Rs 8.45 trillion from the market through dated securities in the first
half of FY23.
 It is about 59% of the revised full-year target.
 Finance ministry has now cut the full-year (FY23) gross market borrowing through dated securities
from the budgetted level of Rs 14.95 trillion to Rs 14.31 trillion.
 The borrowing is scheduled to be completed in 26 weekly tranches of Rs 32,000-33,000 crore.
 It will be spread under 2, 5, 7, 10, 14, 30 and 40-year securities and floating rate bonds (FRBs) of
various tenors.
FY23 GDP growth estimated at 7.4 %: Ficci
 India’s GDP is estimated to grow at 7.4% in the financial year 2022-23 with rising prices triggered by
the Russia-Ukraine conflict posing as the biggest challenge to the global economic recovery.
 Ficci’s Economic Outlook Survey puts forth an annual median GDP growth forecast for 2022-23 at
7.4 % with a minimum and maximum growth estimate of 6% and 7.8% respectively.
 The median growth forecast for agriculture and allied activities has been put at 3.3% for 2022-23.
 Industry and services sectors are estimated to grow by 5.9% and 8.5%, respectively.
www.i xamBee.c om
India’s economy to grow by 7.5 pc in FY23: ADB
 7% collective growth for South Asian economies in 2022 with the subregion’s largest economy India
growing by 7.5%.
 Asian Development Outlook 2022, said the growth in South Asia is projected to slow to 7% in 2022,
and up to 7.4% in 2023.
 South Asia comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri
Lanka.
 ADB said developing Asia’s economies are predicted to grow by 5.2 % this year and 5.3 % in 2023.
 Asia comprises 46 member countries of ADB.
Learn Along
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank. It was established in 1966, it is owned by 68
members—49 from the region.
ADB Headquarters: Philippines President: Masatsugu Asakawa
IREDA sanctions highest-ever loan of about Rs 24k cr in 2021-22
 IREDA has achieved the highest-ever loan sanctions of around Rs 23,921.06 crore and loan
disbursements of around Rs 16,070.82 crore.
 IREDA is fully equipped as an implementing agency for the additional allocation of Rs 19,500 crore
for the PLI scheme for the manufacturers of high-efficiency solar modules announced in Budget 2022.
 The company supported renewable energy capacity installation of 29.48 GW ending March 2022,
which is around 28 per cent of installed renewable energy capacity in India.
Learn Along
The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) is a Non-Banking Financial Institution under the
administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It aims at providing term loans for
renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement signed by India-Australia
 India and Australia signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA).
 It will provide zero-duty access to 96% of India’s exports to Australia, including shipments from key
sectors like engineering goods, gems and jewellery, textiles, apparel, and leather.
 The agreement will increase bilateral trade in products and services to $45-50 billion over the next 5
years, up from $27 billion, and create over one million employees in India.
 Around 85% of Australia’s exports, including coal, sheep meat, and wool, will have zero duty access to
the Indian market, while Australian wines, almonds, lentils, and select fruits would have lower duty
access.
 Under the deal, zero-duty access for Indian goods will be expanded to 100% over the next 5 years.
Learn Along
A free trade agreement is a pact between two or more nations to reduce barriers to imports and exports among
them
India-Nepal signed four agreements and multiple projects
 PM Narendra Modi and his Nepalese colleague Sher Bahadur Deuba met in New Delhi, initiating a
number of projects and signing four important agreements.
 Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. and Nepal Oil Corporation Ltd. signed agreements on Nepal becoming the
105th member of the International Solar Alliance, technical cooperation in railways, petroleum product
delivery, and technical experience sharing in the petroleum sector.
 The first passenger train service between India’s Jayanagar and Nepal’s Kurtha.
 The handover of India’s Solu corridor transmission project to Nepal, and the progress of 132 health
facilities being built across 10 districts in Nepal under a GoI grant.
 Also announced the debut of the Indian RuPay card in Nepal, with the domestic variation of the
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RuPay card being compatible with approximately 1400 POS machines in Nepal.
Learn Along
RuPay is an Indian multinational financial services and payment service system, conceived and launched by the
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on 26 March 2012.
India starts supplying rice to Sri Lanka in first major food aid
 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared a nationwide public emergency amidst a spate of
protests, including outside his house, over the worst economic crisis in the Sri Lanka.
 Rajapaksa issued a special gazette notification, declaring a public emergency in Sri Lanka with
immediate effect from Apr,1, 2022.
 For the reason of a public emergency in Sri Lanka it is expedient to do so in the interests of public
security the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the
life of the community.
 The regulations must be approved in Parliament every 30 days from their imposition.
 The declaration came at the same time as the court ordered bail to a section of the protesters arrested
for the demonstration opposite Rajapaksa’s residence.
GST collection rises to all-time high of Rs 1.42 lakh cr in March – Finance Ministry
 GST collections soared to an all-time high of Rs 1.42 lakh crore in March 2022.
 The government has settled Rs 29,816 crore to Central GST and Rs 25,032 crore to SGST from IGST
as regular settlement.
 Goods and Services Tax collection rose 15 % annually in March 2022.
 The previous high for collection of revenues from goods sold and services rendered was in January
2022 at over Rs 1.40 lakh crore.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Learn Along
 GST council is a constitutional body for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues
related to Goods and Service Tax.
 The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of
Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.
Coal India achieves record production of 622 MT in FY22
 Coal India Limited (CIL) reported a record coal production in FY22 at 622.6 million tonnes, registering
an annual growth of 4.4 %.
 Coal supplies to power generation companies during FY22 also touched a record of 540.4 MT, up 21.4
% as compared to 445 MT in FY21.
 In 2020-21, coal production stood at 595.2 million tonnes (MT).
Learn Along
Coal India Ltd. Headquarters: Kolkata CEO: Pramod Agarwal
Tata Steel posts its highest ever annual steel output in FY22
 Tata Steel India achieved its highest ever annual crude steel production of 19 million tonne, with
13% growth in the financial year ended March 2022.
 Tata Steel India deliveries increased by 6% in FY22, surpassing the previous best recorded in FY21.
 Industrial products and projects segment deliveries increased by 12% in FY22.
 Branded products & retail segment deliveries increased by 11% in FY22.
 Automotive and special products’ segment deliveries increased by 27% in FY22.
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Tata Steel Headquarters: Mumbai CEO & MD: T. V. Narendran
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Centre extended foreign trade policy till Sept 30
 Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20, which is effective through March 31, 2022, has been extended by 6
months, until September 30, 2022.
 It was first extended for a year, until the end of March 2020, and subsequently for another year, until
September 30, 2021.
 The strategy lays out recommendations for boosting exports to boost economic growth and create
jobs, as well as incentives under various programmes like Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA)
and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) (EPCG).
Learn Along
Foreign Trade Policy is a set of guidelines and instructions established by the DGFT in matters related to the
import and export of goods in India. The Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry announces
Export Import Policy every five years.
Govt extends ECLGS for MSMEs till March 2023
 The finance ministry expanded the scope of the Rs 5 lakh-crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee
Scheme (ECLGS) to support MSMEs engaged in travel, tourism and hospitality sectors to overcome
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic impact.
 Since its launch in May 2020, loans worth Rs 3.19 lakh crore have been sanctioned till March 25,
2022. About 95 per cent of the guarantees issued are for loans sanctioned to micro, small and medium
enterprises.
 While announcing the Budget 2022-23 had extended the validity of the scheme by another one year till
March 2023, and also increased the total amount to be sanctioned under the scheme from Rs 4.5 lakh
crore to Rs 5 lakh crore.
 New borrowers, in the sectors covered under ECLGS 3.0, who have borrowed between March 31,
2021, and January 31, 2022, will now be eligible to avail the emergency credit facilities.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Learn Along
Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) was introduced as a part of the Indian Government's
COVID-19 financial relief package. Under this scheme, financial institutions in India provide emergency loan
facilities to various companies and MSMEs that have suffered during this pandemic.
ADB and HSBC India Establish $100 Million Partial Guarantee Program for Microfinance in India
 The Asian Development Bank and HSBC India (HSBC) signed an agreement to establish a $100
million partial guarantee program to support more than 400,000 micro-borrowers and mostly women-
run microenterprises across India.
 HSBC will expand its lending to microfinance institutions (MFIs) and non-bank finance companies,
with ADB partially guaranteeing the loans.
 It is ADB’s first partnership with HSBC.
 Under the agreement, to give impetus to this partnership, aggregated financing of an equivalent of $30
million is being initially disbursed to three MFIs in India by April 2022.
 The partial guarantee arrangement will help MFIs to access funding for on-lending activities as they
expand operations after the pandemic.
 Microfinance has improved livelihoods, reduced poverty, promoted gender equity, and spurred the
growth of microenterprises and employment.
Learn Along
Microfinance is a basis of financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses deficient in contact with
banking and associated services. Similar to banking operation traditions, microfinance entities are supposed to
charge their lender’s interests on loans.
HSBC India Headquarters:Mumbai CEO: Hitendra Dave
India's Semiconductor mission: Ministry forms advisory committee

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 Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has formed an advisory committee of experts to
carry forward the vision of making India a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, design and
innovation.
 The advisory group of experts comprises senior government officials, established academicians, as
well as industry and domain experts.
 Union Cabinet - on December 15, 2021 – started the Semicon India Programme with a financial outlay
of INR 76,000 crore for the development of semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystems
over the next six years.
 The Committee's mission is to provide critical inputs for building a resilient supply chain, promoting
investments, financing mechanisms, global engagement, research and innovation, and IP generation
for the semiconductors and display ecosystem, as well as enabling an ecosystem that supports
startups and MSMEs.
 The Minister of Electronics and IT will head the Advisory Committee, with the Minister of State, Ministry
of Electronics and IT (MeitY) as Vice-Chairperson. Secretary, MeitY shall be the convenor of the
Advisory Committee.
 Members of the committee include VK Saraswat, member, Niti Aayog; principal scientific adviser;
secretary, ministry of external affairs; secretary, department of expenditure; secretary, department of
economic affairs; secretary, department for promotion of industry and internal trade; deputy NSA and
National Security Council Secretariat.
World Bank group to meet AMC officials
 A delegation of representatives of World Bank will visit Ahmedabad from April 4 to 13 and hold
meetings with the city civic body’s officials.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 It will review various projects undertaken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) with the
financial aid of the World Bank.
 The bank has sanctioned Rs 3,000-crore loan to the AMC for upgradation of water supply and sewage
pipeline network and sewage treatment plants among others.
 The delegation is scheduled to visit Pirana and Vasna sewage treatment plants.
Learn Along
World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C., US President: David. Malpass
SFURTI clusters commissioned in FY22 highest in pass seven years
 The number of MSME clusters inaugurated or commissioned during the financial year 2021-22 under
the government’s Scheme of Funds for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) was the
highest in the past seven years.
 107 clusters were commissioned with a grant of Rs 302 crore in the last financial year under the
SFURTI programme that organises traditional industries and artisans into clusters to boost
competitiveness and provide employment.
 The number of artisans employed across 107 clusters declined 3% to 61,332 from 63,539 artisans
benefitting in FY20 and 84,720 in FY20.
 the grant extended in FY22 was lower than Rs 325 crore and Rs 398 extended by the government in
FY21 and FY20 respectively.
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 SFURTI was launched with an outlay of Rs. 150 crore for developing 71 clusters (including coir) with coverage of
44500 artisans in the first phase.
 The target has been revised to establsh 800 clusters of Khadi, Village Industries and Coir with an outlay of Rs.
850 crore and cover around 4 lakh artisans by XII Five Year plan
SFURTI Ministry: Ministry of MSME Launch Year: 2014
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Gold imports were worth USD 34.62 billion in 2020-21
 India’s gold imports, which have a bearing on the country’s current account deficit (CAD), rose by
33.34% to USD 46.14 billion during the 2021-22.
 The surge in gold imports during the last financial year contributed to the widening of the trade deficit
to USD 192.41 billion, against USD 102.62 billion in 2020-21.
 India is the world’s second-biggest gold consumer after China.
 The gems and jewellery exports during 2021-22 grew by about 50% to about USD 39 billion.
 Gold imports in volume terms stood at 842.28 tonnes in April 2021 – February 2022.
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The current account deficit (CAD) is a measurement of a country’s trade where the value of the goods and
services it imports exceeds the value of the products it exports. The current account includes net income, such as
interest and dividends, and transfers, such as foreign aid.
Government e-marketplace (GeM) will launch fresh initiatives to woo states and the public-sector
units (PSUs)
 Government e-marketplace (GeM) will launch fresh initiatives to woo states and the public-sector
units (PSUs) under them to more than double their purchases of goods and services through the
portal to breach the Rs 60,000-crore mark in FY23.
 State governments and their PSUs bought goods and services worth Rs 31,175 crore through GeM in
FY22.
 GeM officials have drawn up a list of 11 key states for targeted interventions in FY23 to encourage
them to ramp up their purchases through the portal.
 These states are Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Chhattisgrah, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
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Government e Marketplace (GeM) is an online platform for public procurement in India.[1] The initiative was
launched on August 9, 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India with the objective to
create an open and transparent procurement platform for government buyers.
Govt raises Rs 1 trillion via asset sales in FY22
 The Centre’s asset monetisation drive got to a quick start with public sector brownfield asset
generating revenues and investments worth Rs 1 trillion, 12% more than the target set for FY22.
 Revenues and investments mobilised from asset monetisation in FY22 stood at 96,000 crore, which
will go up by at least4,000 crore after some additional data is captured.
 The monetisation target was 88,200 crore for FY22, the first year of the6 trillion four-year National
Monetisation Pipeline (NMP).
 Coal and mineral mining block auctions led the moentisation in FY22 with 58,700 crore — with coal
contributing40,000 crore and other mines 18,700 crore — as against an annual target of just3,394
crore.
 The ministry of roads has achieved Rs 23,000 crore by monetising 390 km of roads under
Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) and Transfer-Operate-Transfer (TOT) models, as against
the FY22 target of Rs 30,000 crore.
 Ministry of power closed the last financial year with monetisation of of assets worth Rs 9,500 crore
compared with the target of Rs 10,470 crore.
Number of patent filings rises to 66,440 in FY22: Commerce ministry
 The number of patent filings increased from 42,763 in 2014-15 to 66,440 in 2021-22 due to steps
taken by the government to strengthen intellectual property rights (IPR) regime of the country.
 It also said India granted 30,074 patents in 2021-22 as compared to 5,978 in 2014-15.
 For the first time in the last 11 years, the number of domestic patent filing has surpassed the number of
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international patent filing at Indian Patent (IP) office in January-March 2022 quarter.
 Of the total 19,796 patent applications filed, 10,706 were filed by Indian applicants and 9,090 by non-
Indian applicants.
 The coordinated efforts by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) and
IP office has led to increased awareness among all strata of the society.
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The agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights or TRIPS came into effect in January
1995. It is a multilateral agreement on intellectual property (IP) rights such as copyright, industrial designs, patents
and protection of undisclosed information or trade secrets.
25% of Domestic Capital Procurement/Acquisition budget to be earmarked for Domestic Private

Industry
 Ministry of Defence has now decided that 25% of Domestic Capital Procurement/ Acquisition
Budget, amounting to Rs. 21,149.47 Crore, will be earmarked for Domestic Private Industry in the
Financial Year 2022-23.
 It is initiated to foster innovation and encourage technology development in Defence, it has also been
decided that an amount of Rs. 1,500 Crore will be earmarked for procurement from Start-ups, including
iDEX Start-up, from within the allocations for Domestic Capital Procurement.
 These steps will foster the growth of private industry, MSMEs and start-ups in Defence ecosystem.
 Earlier, Ministry of Defence had decided to earmark 68% of Capital procurement budget for the entire
domestic industry during Financial Year 2022-23.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
ADB to provide USD 2 mn loan to support urban development in Nagaland
 Asian Development Bank will provide a USD 2 million loan for designing climate resilient urban
infrastructure, strengthening institutional capacity and improving municipal resource mobilisation in
Nagaland.
 Government of India and ADB signed the USD 2 million Project Readiness Financing (PRF) loan.
 Nagaland’s towns and cities face the long-term challenges of climate change, lack of basic amenities,
poor connectivity.
 PRF loan will help design water supply, sanitation, solid waste management and urban roads in 16
district headquarter towns.
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The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank. It was established in 1966, it is owned by 68
members—49 from the region.
Over 340 mn beneficiaries got Rs 18.6-trillion loans under Mudra scheme
 Banks have extended loans of Rs 18.6 trillion to about 34.4 crore beneficiaries so far under the
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).
 Women make up over 68% of the Mudra account holders and 22% of the loans were disbursed to new
entrepreneurs.
 51% of total sanctioned loans have gone to beneficiaries in the SC/ST/ OBC categories.
 The scheme was launched by the Prime Minister on April 8, 2015.
 Mudra loans are extended to three categories of borrowers — Sishu, Kishore and Tarun.
 Customers seeking loans up to Rs 50,000 come under the Sishu category; the Kishore category,
above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakh; and the Traun category loan above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10
lakh. www.i xamBee.c om
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Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana was launched in April 2015 by the Prime Minister, the Mudra Yojana aims to enable
Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs), Non-Banking financial institutions/Companies (NBFCs), Small Finance Banks,
RBRs, Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks, etc. to provide Low Rate Loans to eligible entities.
Nepal suspends Central Bank Governor amid forex woes
 Nepal government has suspended the country’s Central Bank (Nepal Rastra Bank) Governor Maha
Prasad Adhikari over disagreements with Finance Minister Janardhan Sharma and for not doing
enough to pull the economy from doldrums.
 Maha Prasad Adhikari was appointed as Nepal’s 17th governor on April 6, 2020 under the previous
regime headed by former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
 Nepal Rastra Bank announced a ban on the import of vehicles and other luxury items, citing liquidity
crunch and declining Forex reserves.
 By February 2022, the country’s gross forex reserves had decreased 17% to USD 9.75 billion from
USD 11.75 billion in mid-July 2021.
Government amends FEMA rules to allow 20% Foreign Direct Investment in LIC
 The government has amended rules of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, paving the way for
up to 20% foreign direct investment in LIC. The rule called Foreign Exchange Management (Non-
debt Instruments) (Amendment) Rules, 2022.
 The government is planning to dilute its stake in LIC through the the Initial Public Offering (IPO).
 LIC in February 2022, had filed the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) before the markets
regulator SEBI for the IPO and SEBI gave approval to the draft papers and the insurer is in the process
of filing a request for proposal with changes.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on 14 March, 2022 had amended
the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy to facilitate overseas investment in LIC ahead of the mega
public offer.
 Since the foreign inflows’ ceiling for public sector banks is 20% under government approval route as
per the present FDI policy, it has been decided to allow foreign investment of up to 20% in LIC and
other such corporate bodies.
 “Foreign investment in LIC shall be subject to the provisions of the Life Insurance Corporation Act,
1956, (LIC Act) as amended from time to time and such provisions of the Insurance Act, 1938.
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The Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of India "to consolidate and amend the
law relating to foreign exchange with the objective of facilitating external trade and payments and for promoting the
orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India".
CPSE purchases via government e-marketplace portal hit record Rs 45,971 crore in FY22
 Central public-sector enterprises (CPSEs) have turned out to be the biggest buyers on the
government e-marketplace (GeM) portal, pipping central government ministries/departments and
states.
 CPSEs bought goods and services worth Rs 45,971 crore through the GeM portal in FY22.
 About 80% of the purchases comprised goods and 20% services.
 State governments and related entities bought goods and services worth a record Rs 31,175 crore in
FY22, having accounted for roughly a third of the total procurement of more than Rs 1 trillion on the
portal.
 BHEL led the pack of CPSEs with a procurement of Rs 3,911 crore, followed by ONGC (Rs 3,808
crore), National Aluminium Company (Rs 3,184 crore), GAIL India (Rs 2,593 crore), Rashtriya Ispat
Nigam (Rs 1,738 crore), OIL India (Rs 1,266 crore), NTPC (Rs 1,166 crore), Hindustan Aeronautics
(Rs 1,164 crore), Bhilai Steel Plant (Rs 1,103 crore) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (Rs 1,077
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crore).
 The GeM portal was launched in August 2016, as the Centre wanted to improve transparency in
purchases of various goods and services by all the central government ministries, departments and
public-sector firms and state governments, apart from providing a new-age platform for official
procurement.
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BHEL Headquarters: New Delhi Chairman & MD: Nalin Shinghal
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ONGC Headquarters: New Delhi Chairman: Dr Alka Mittal (additional charge)
India and European Unoin (EU) agreed to launch an EU-India trade and technology council
 PM Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to launch
an EU-India Trade and Technology Council to address the challenges of ensuring trusted technology
and security in the wake of rapid geopolitical changes.
 This strategic coordination mechanism will allow both partners to tackle challenges “at the nexus of
trade, trusted technology and security, and thus deepen cooperation in these fields.”
 EU-India agreed that rapid changes in the geopolitical environment highlight the need for joint in-depth
strategic engagement.
 The set up of a Trade and Technology Council will be the first for India with any of its partners and
second for the EU following the first one it has set up with the US.
 In the meeting of International Solar Alliance (ISA), Ursula von der Leyen also talked about the
need for sustainable ways of doing business using clean energy and also emphasised the need for
switching to “home-grown clean energies” in the wake of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
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European Union Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium President: Ursula von der Leyen

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Learn Along
International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 105 signatory countries, most being sunshine countries, which
lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The initiative was launched
by Prime Minister Narendra in 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015. In
January 2016, Narendra Modi, and the then French President François Hollande jointly laid the foundation stone of
the ISA Headquarters and inaugurated the interim Secretariat at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in
Gwal Pahari, Gurugram, India.
NTPC signs MoU with Energy Vault for gravity-based energy storage technology
 National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Swiss energy storage company Energy Vault Holdings for gravity-based energy storage
technology.
 The objective of the MoU is to collaborate and formalise a long-term strategic partnership for
deployment of Energy Vault’s EVx gravity-based energy storage technology and software
solutions based on the outcome of a joint feasibility study.
 The technology also offers utilisation of coal ash for manufacturing of composite blocks for Energy
Vault’s gravity-based energy storage system.
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Energy Vault Headquarters: Lugano, Switzerland CEO: Robert Piconi
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NTPC Headquarters: New Delhi CMD: Gurdeep Singh
Exports of ceramics and glassware products touch USD 3.5 billion in FY22: Commerce Ministry
 Exports of ceramics and glassware products touched a “record” USD 3.5 billion in 2021-22.
 Commerce Ministry said the exports rose because of increase in shipments of ceramic tiles and
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sanitaryware products.
 India is the world’s second largest manufacturer of tiles.
 The main items for export from India under glassware include articles of glass packing, sanitary
fixtures of porcelain, glass mirror, tinted non-wired glass, glass bead and glass wool.
 India exports to more than 125 countries and top destinations are Saudi Arabia, the United States,
Mexico, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Poland.
India produced 31.9 million tonnes of steel in the January to March 2022 with a growth of 5.9%
 In March 2022, with a production of 10.9 million tonnes of steel in India, the growth rate is 4.4%.
 In October 2021, India was the world’s second-largest producer of crude steel, with an output of 9.8
MT.
 India is also the largest producer of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) or Sponge Iron in the world in January
– December, 2019, producing 36.86 million Tonnes Sponge Iron with growth rate 7.7%.
 The Government anticipates bringing in additional investment of about Rs.40,000 crore along with
generating an overall employment to about 5.25 lakh.
 Under Union Budget 2022-23, Rs. 47 crore were allocated by the government to the Ministry of Steel.
 Ministry of Steel also organises a R&D Scheme – ‘Scheme for Promotion of Research and
Development in the Iron and Steel Sector’.
 The Government of India signed an MoU with Russia in October 2021, to carry out R&D in the steel
sector and produce coking coal.
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Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), also called sponge iron, is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore (in the form of
lumps, pellets, or fines) into iron by a reducing gas or elemental carbon produced from natural gas or coal.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
India’s oil import bill doubles to USD 119 bn in FY22 : Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC)
 India’s crude oil import bill nearly doubled to USD 119 billion in the fiscal year FY22, as energy
prices soared globally following the return of demand and war in Ukraine.
 India is the world’s third biggest oil consuming and importing nation, spent USD 119.2 billion in
2021-22, up from USD 62.2 billion in the previous fiscal year.
 Oil prices started to surge from January, 2022 and rates crossed USD 100 per barrel in the following
month before touching USD 140 per barrel in early March, 2022.
 India imported 212.2 million tonnes of crude oil in 2021-22, up from 196.5 million tonnes in the
previous year.
 India consumed 202.7 million tonnes of petroleum products in 2021-22, up from 194.3 million tonnes in
the previous fiscal year.
 Import of petroleum products in 2021-22 was 40.2 million tonnes worth USD 24.2 billion.
 Exported of petroleum products in 2021-22was 61.8 million tonnes worth USD 42.3 billion.
 India spent USD 11.9 billion on import of 32 billion cubic meters (bcm) of LNG in 2021-22, compared to
USD 7.9 billion spent on import of 33 bcm of LNG in the previous fiscal and USD 9.5 billion on import
of 33.9 bcm in 2019-20.
 India had spent USD 62.2 billion on the import of 196.5 million tonnes of crude oil in the previous 2020-
21 fiscal.
 India produced 32.2 million tonnes of crude oil in 2019-20, which fell to 30.5 million tonnes in the
following year and to 29.7 million tonnes in FY22.
India to give additional $500 million financial aid to buy fuel to Sri Lanka
 India will provide an additional $500 million financial aid to help the Sri Lanka to buy fuel.
 This is the second $500 million in gasoline credit that India has given to a Sri Lankan government.
 India has supplied approximately 400,000 tonnes of petroleum so far to Sri Lanka.
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 India has also extended two credit lines worth over $2 billion to help buy food - rice has already been
sent - medicines and other essentials.
 Bangladesh was also willing to postpone $450 million in swap repayments to ease Sri Lanka burden.
 Sri Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris said, "Assistance by the IMF will take about six months to
come to us and it will come in tranches,".
Maharashtra to get Rs 600 cr under SIDBI Cluster Development Fund
 Maharashtra government has been approved Rs 600 crore by SIDBI under the SIDBI Cluster
Development Fund (SCDF) to upgrade or revive its industrial training institutes (ITIs) and
polytechnics run by the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training under the Department of
Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
 SCDF was announced by SIDBI in August, 2022, with Reserve Bank of India’s support to attend to the
hard infrastructure facilities in clusters.
 The demand for skilled manpower in Maharashtra has sharply increased due to newly launched
schemes of government such as Make in India, Digital India, Smart Cities and Clean India Mission.
 SIDBI has also been setting up Project Management Units (PMUs) across various states to develop
local MSME ecosystems.
 These states included Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujrat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu.
 SIDBI’s engagement with Maharashtra and other states was based on the recommendations by the
Expert Committee on MSMEs headed by UK Sinha for MSME development and promotion including
the use of Priority Sector Shortfall (PSS) funds.
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SIDBI Headquarters: Lucknow CMD– Sivasubramanian Ramann

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Google Signed MoU with Telangana Govt For The Benefits of Digital Economy
 Google signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Telangana government to bring
benefits of the digital economy to the youth and women entrepreneurs in the state and kicked off the
ground-up development of its three million square foot building in the city.
 The MoU was exchanged in the presence of Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao.
 According to a Google, Rama Rao unveiled the building design at the ceremony held onsite. The three
million square foot building prioritises sustainability and energy efficiency throughout its design.
 Google will collaborate with the government through its various arms to extend scholarships for
Google Career Certificates to Telangana’s youth, support women, entrepreneurs, through digital,
business, and financial skills training, and strengthen the government’s school modernisation efforts
with digital teaching and learning tools and solutions.
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Google Headquarters: California, United States CEO: Sundar Pichai
Minister of Economic Affairs Lintila to visit India to promote digitalisation and energy exports
 Finnish companies operating in different sectors have expertise that India’s growing and developing
economy needs.
 Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintila and Under-Secretary of State Petri Peltonen traveled to
India on 16−21 April 2022 with a Team Finland business delegation. It is the first visit of Lintila to India.
 The objective of the visit is to promote the exports of Finnish companies and to strengthen the image
of Finland as an attractive destination for Indian companies, experts and tourists.
 The visit focused on the themes of quantum technology, telecommunications technology, artificial
intelligence and renewable energy.
 Finland has strong expertise in quantum technology, which complements well Indian competences in
the sector. The aim is to strengthen the position of Finnish companies in the potentially large Indian
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market.
 Finland and India have quantum technology ecosystems that operate actively. The agenda includes
cooperation meetings between these ecosystems.
 Finland and India sign a MoU during the visit. The aims of closer cooperation relate in particular to
energy efficiency, clean and renewable energy, development of electricity generation, and smart and
sustainable energy infrastructure.
 Finland’s delegation of Finnish companies includes: Aalto University, Bluefors, Cargotec, Fortum,
Incap Corporation, IQM Finland, QuantrolOx, Nokia, Vexlum, VTT Technical Research Centre of
Finland, Wirepas, Wartsila and YaiYai.
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Govt reduces disturbed areas under AFSPA in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur
 AFSPA is being removed from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland; 15 police
station areas in six districts of Manipur; and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in
Assam.
 AFSPA remains in force in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, J&K, and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
 However, Mon district remains a disturbed area.
 The notification of “disturbed areas” under AFSPA has been in force in Assam since 1990, in
Nagaland since 1995, and in Manipur, except the Imphal Municipality area, since 2004.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Govt approves setting up of seven PM MITRA Parks in Greenfield/ Brownfield sites
 The government has approved setting up of seven PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel
(PM MITRA) Parks in Greenfield and Brownfield sites.
 It aims at developing world-class infrastructure including plug and play facilities with an outlay of four
thousand 445 crore rupees for a period of seven years upto 2027-28.
 A total of 17 Preliminary Project Reports (PPRs) from 13 State Governments have been received from
the State Government so far.
 PM MITRA Parks sites will be selected from the PPRs received from the State Governments through a
challenge matrix by Project Approval Committee.
Train services between Jayanagar (Bihar) and Kurtha in Nepal
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba,virtually inaugurated
the Jaynagar-Kurtha railway service between India and Nepal.
 The inauguration took place at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
 The service will criss-cross from Jayanagar in Bihar to Kurtha in Janakpur, Nepal.
 The railway track of the section is 35 kilometres long and it is the first section of the rail line between
the two countries. The section was completed last year at ₹619 crore.
 The Jaynagar-Kurtha section is part of the 68.7 km Jayanagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas rail link.
 The new infrastructure was built for broad gauge railway operation by replacing the narrow gauge, which
was stopped more than seven years ago.
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About Nepal Capital: Kathmandu www.i xamBee.c om Currency: Nepalese rupee
SPARSH successfully on-boarded nearly 5 lakh Defence Pensioners onto the platform
 The System for Pensions Administration – RakSHa (SPARSH) has achieved a major milestone of
successfully on-boarding nearly Five Lakh Defence Pensioners onto the platform.
 In keeping with the Digital India vision of the Government of India, the Ministry of Defence implemented
SPARSH for pensioners of the Indian Armed Forces as well as Defence Civilians as an integrated
system for automation of sanction and disbursement of defence pension.
 This web-based system processes pension claims and credits pension directly into the bank accounts of
defence pensioners without relying on any external intermediary.
National Commission for Women launches Anti-Human Trafficking Cell
 The National Commission for Women launched an Anti-Human Trafficking Cell.

 It aims to improve effectiveness in tackling cases of human trafficking, raising awareness among
women and girls, capacity building and training of Anti Trafficking Units and to increase
responsiveness of law enforcement agencies.
 The Cell will also help survivors of trafficking in rebuilding their lives by providing them with need-based
training and by organizing capacity building programs for them to prevent re-traumatization of victims.
RuPay Card launched in Nepal
 Nepal became the fourth foreign country to operationalise the RuPay card.
 The three other countries that have the RuPay card are Bhutan, Singapore and the United Arab
Emirates.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The card in Nepal would open new vistas for cooperation in financial connectivity, and is expected to
facilitate bilateral tourist flows as well as further strengthen people-to-people linkages.
AIR News launches Abhyaas for preparation of Competitive Exams
 The All India Radio (AIR) launched a weekly interactive programme for job seekers and students
preparing for various competitive examinations : 'Abhyaas'
 The programme has been launched with an aim to reach out to students and job seekers preparing
for various competitive examinations.
Around 96 percent of post offices brought under CBS
 Around 96 per cent of post offices across the country have been brought under the core banking
system (CBS), in order to implement the "Anytime-Anywhere Post Office Savings" service which will
allow online transfer of funds between postal and bank accounts.
 There are a total of 1,58,526 post offices in India, out of which 1, 52,514 post offices or 96 per cent of
them have already been brought under the CBS.
I&B Minister Anurag Singh Thakur to launch Broadcast Seva Portal
 Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur launched the Broadcast Seva
Portal.
 The portal is an online portal solution for speedy filing and processing of applications of
broadcasters for various kinds of licenses, permissions, and registrations.
 The Broadcast Seva Portal will reduce the turnaround time of applications and at the same time help
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applicants track the progress. The portal will reduce the human interface that was required earlier and
thus add to capacity building of the Ministry and will be a major step towards Ease of Doing Business.
Stand-Up India Scheme completes 6 years
 The sixth anniversary of the Stand Up India scheme was celebrated on 5 april. Over 30 thousand 160
crore rupees have been sanctioned under Stand Up India Scheme to more than 1 lakh 33 thousand 995
accounts since inception of the Scheme.
 Stand Up India scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5th April 2016.
 It facilitates loans to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and women borrowers for setting up a
greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services, or trading sector.
 Stand Up India Scheme was launched to promote entrepreneurship at grass-roots level focusing on
economic empowerment and job creation.
Cabinet approves increase in Dearness Allowance/Dearness Relief by 3% to 34%
 DA for central government employees and pensioners hiked by 3 per cent to 34% of the basic pay from
31% previously, effective from January 1, 2022
 Retail inflation, or the consumer price inflation, has remained above the upper-end of the Reserve Bank
of India's target range of 2-6 per cent for two straight months this year.
 This will benefit about 47.68 lakh central government employees and 68.62 lakh pensioners. It will be
applicable for civilian employees and those employed in defence services.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
NV Ramana, the Chief Justice, launches a software named FASTER
 Chief Justice of India N V Ramana launched FASTER (Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic
Records) — a digital platform to communicate interim orders, stay orders, bail orders etc., of the
Supreme Court to authorities concerned through a secured electronic communication channel.
 The FASTER system is developed by the Registry in collaboration with the National Informatics
Centre.
International Air Connectivity Scheme
 The government has launched an International Air Connectivity Scheme (IACS) scheme with the
objective of enhancing air connectivity between certain North-Eastern states of the country and
selected international destinations to promote socio-economic growth.
 The scheme was supported by the state governments. The state governments of Assam, Manipur and
Tripura have identified routes connecting Guwahati, Imphal and Agartala with selected international
destinations viz. Bangkok, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Yangon, Hanoi, Mandalay, Kunming and Chittagong.
Forthcoming census is to be first digital Census
 The upcoming census is going to be digital for the first time and people will have the option of self
enumeration.
 The housing listing phase of the census and the exercise to update the National Population Register
(NPR) were scheduled to be carried out across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2020 but
had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Ayush Ministry celebrated Yoga Mahotsav on World Health Day
 The Ayush Ministry on the occasion of World Health Day on April 7, organized a grand programme in
Red Fort to demonstrate the common yoga protocol.
 A 100 days countdown has been kickstarted for the 8th International Yoga Day to be held on June 21st
across the globe and that will see the participation of 100 organisations and 100 cities.
 The Ministry of Ayush has been selected as the nodal Ministry for observation of the International
Day of Yoga.
Parliament passes Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022
 Rajya Sabha passed The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
 The Bill looks to include certain community in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Tripura.
 The Bill seeks to authorize for taking measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of
identification and investigation in criminal matters and to preserve records.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana completes seven years
 On 8 April 2022 it was the 7th anniversary of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, PMMY.
 The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8th April 2015, for providing loans up
to 10 Lakh rupees to the non-corporate, non-farm small, or micro-enterprises.
 The Scheme has helped in creating an enabling environment, particularly for small businesses, and has
helped generate large-scale employment opportunities at the grassroots level.

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April 2022
Weapons of Mass destruction and their delivery systems (prohibition of unlawful activities)
amendment Bill, 2022
 The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities)
Amendment Bill, 2022 was passed in the Lok Sabha.
 The United Nations Security Council’s targeted financial sanctions and the recommendations of the
Financial Action Task Force have mandated against financing of proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and their delivery systems.
 The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities)
Amendment Bill, 2022 seeks to prohibit financing of any activity in relation to weapons of mass
destruction and their delivery systems; empower the Central Government to freeze, seize or
attach funds or other financial assets or economic resources for preventing such financing.
 The bill seeks to amend the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of
Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005.
 It prohibits making available funds, financial assets or economic resources for any prohibited
activity in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
India to donate another batch of 10,000 MTs of wheat to Afghanistan
 India has signed a pact with the UN World Food Programme (UNWFP) for the distribution of the next
batch of 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat in Afghanistan.
 India has already sent 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through Pakistani land routes.
The aid was distributed by the UNWFP under the provision of an agreement that India had signed with
the world body.
 The first agreement was signed in Rome in February.www.i xamBee.c om
 The government of India decided to gift 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to the people of Afghanistan.As
of now, the first tranche of 10,000 MTs of wheat has been successfully delivered to Afghanistan and
delivery of the next batch of 10,000 MTs of wheat is in the process.
India, Australia ink Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement
 India and Australia signed an Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), to doubling
bilateral trade to $50 billion in five years and ease movement of people, goods and services across
borders.
 This is the first such pact signed by India with a developed country in a decade.
 India will offer preferential access to Australia on over 70% of its tariff lines on goods imports,
including lines of export interest to Australia which are primarily raw materials and intermediaries such
as coal, mineral ores and wines, etc.
 Tariffs will be eliminated on more than 85% of Australian goods exports to India (valued at more than
$12.6 billion a year), rising to almost 91% (valued at $13.4 billion) over 10 years.
Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi launches website ‘Temple 360’
 Minister of State for Culture & External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi launched the website ‘Temple 360’ in
an event organized by Ministry of Culture at IGNCA Ampitheatre, Indira Gandhi National Centre of
Arts, New Delhi under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
 Temple 360 is a website where one can visit a temple of their choice, anytime and from anywhere from
India. With the help of this website, one can digitally witness the magnificence of some of the most pious
Hindu pilgrimages that exist.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
President Kovind names Yellow Tulips in Netherlands ‘Maitri’
 The President of India Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Amsterdam, Netherlands on a 3-day official visit with
his wife and first lady, Savita Kovind.
 The two nations celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.
 President Kovind during his visit to the Netherlands also visited Keukenhof- the world’s largest flower
garden.
 President Kovind names Yellow Tulips in Netherlands ‘Maitri’ during his visit to the world’s largest
flower garden, an important flower naming ceremony took place which became a landmark in the India-
Netherlands friendship.
Learn Along
About Netherlands Capital: Amsterdam Currency: Euro
ICCR launches alumni portal for foreign students
 The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) launched an India Alumni Portal, as a platform to
connect with foreign students around the world who have studied in India.
 The India Alumni Portal will connect all foreign scholars who have studied in India, including ICCR
scholars, who can be India’s best ambassadors, offering invaluable soft projection across their personal
and professional lives.
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ICCR Headquarters: New Delhi Director General: Dinesh K. Patnaik
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India and Nepal sign three MoUs
 The Embassy of India and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration,
Government of Nepal, signed three Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) for the construction
of school, health post, and irrigation projects in Nepal.
 An MoU was signed with:
o Duhun Rural Municipality, Darchula, for the construction of Janabikash Secondary School
o Naugad Rural Municipality, Darchula for the construction of Earcoat Health Post Building
o Galchhi Rural Municipality, Dhading for Maheshfaat Irrigation Project
 All the community development projects will be built under the India-Nepal Development Cooperation
with the financial assistance of the Government of India at a total estimated cost of NRs.70.87 million
for the construction of Janabikash Secondary School (NRs. 33.74 million); construction of Earcoat
Health Post Building (NRs. 25.36 million) and Maheshfaat Irrigation Project (NRs.11.77 million).
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About Nepal Capital: Kathmandu Currency: Nepalese rupee
MOU Signed Between UIDAI and ISRO for Technical Collaboration
 A MoU has been signed between the Unique Identification Authority Of India (UIDAI), Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), New Delhi and National Remote Sensing Centre
(NRSC), ISRO, Hyderabad, for technical collaboration.
 NRSC will be developing Bhuvan-Aadhar portal providing information and locations of the aadhaar
centres across India. The portal also provides a facility to search the relevant Aadhaar centres by
location based on residents requirements.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Learn Along
About ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru Director: S Somanath
India signed agreement on space exploration with US
 An agreement on space cooperation was signed by India and the United States during the 2+2
meeting in Washington.
 During the two-day meeting where Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister
S Jaishankar met their American counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence
Secretary Lloyd Austin, an MOU or Memorandum of Understanding on Space Situational
Awareness was signed.
 The MOU may have military uses in the future.
Learn Along
About US Capital: Washington, D.C. Currency: US Dollar
Airport Authority of India (AAI)’s Intiative “AVSAR” scheme
 To encourage the talent of women, artisans and craftsmen and provide them with the right
opportunities, Airport Authority of India (AAI) has taken an initiative to allocate space to Self Help
Groups (SHGs) at its airports for selling/showcasing the self-made products of their region.
 Under “AVSAR” (Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans Of The Region), an opportunity to help the
indigent to mobilize their households into functionally effective self-earned groups for self-reliance and
self-dependence, has been provided.
 Under this scheme, an area of 100-200 square feet has been earmarked at each AAI operated airport.
The space is being allotted to the self- help groups, turn on turn basis, for a duration of 15 days.
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Mumbai and Hyderabad Recognised as 'Tree City of the World'
 Mumbai and Hyderabad have been jointly recognised as ‘2021 Tree City of the World’ by the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN-FAO) and Arbor Day Foundation.
 The city was one among the group of 138 cities from 21 countries, that were recognized for
sustaining greenery amid the fast-developing urban jungles. While Hyderabad planted more than
3.5 crore trees in 500 volunteer hours, Mumbai planted 42,5000 trees in 25,000 volunteer hours.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting constitutes AVGC promotion task force
 The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that in pursuance of the announcement
made in the Union Budget 2022-23, an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC)
promotion task force has been constituted to promote the AVGC sector in the country under the
aegis of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
 The AVGC promotion task force shall be headed by secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
and will have secretaries of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Department of Higher
Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
 The AVGC promotion task force also includes State Governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Telangana; heads of education bodies such as All India Council of Technical Education, National
Council of Educational Research and Training and representatives of industry bodies-MESC,
FICCI and CII.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Bhima Bhoi Chairs at Delhi University, Guru Ghasidas University
 The University Grants Commission has approved setting up of the Bhima Bhoi Chair at Delhi
University and Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur.
 It will encourage higher studies and research on the humanitarian philosophy of the great saint.
Covid: India reports 1st case of XE variant
 India's first case of the XE variant of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) was reported from Mumbai.
 The individual who tested positive for the XE variant was a fully vaccinated 50-year-old women with
no comorbidity and asymptomatic.
Central Railways to showcase local products at five stations under ‘One Station One Product’
scheme
 To make railway stations a promotional and sales hub for local products, and taking a step towards
promoting the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local programme, the Central Railway under the
Ministry of Railways has launched ‘One Station One Product’ at one station in each of its five
divisions.
 To provide enhanced livelihood and welfare for local artisans, potters, weavers/handloom weavers, and
tribal groups, the ‘One Station One Product’ policy was announced this year in the Union budget.
 The scheme of promoting local products under ‘One station One product’ will be put up at the
stations, initially for 15 days.
Seema Darshan project www.i xamBee.c om
 As part of the Seema Darshan project, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated an Indo-
Pakistan border viewing point in Nadabet in Gujarat, around 188 km from Ahmedabad.
 Located in the Rann of Kutch region, this attraction, is also known as the ‘Wagah of Gujarat’.
 The Seema Darshan project was first inaugurated by former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani in
December 2016.
Cabinet approves extension of Atal Innovation Mission till March 2023
 The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), till March
2023.
 Intended targets that will be achieved by AIM are: establishing 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs
(ATLs),establishing 101 Atal Incubation Centres, establishing 50 Atal Community Innovation
Centres, and supporting 200 start-ups via the Atal New India Challenges.
 The objectives of the AIM are to create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and
entrepreneurship across the country via interventions at school, university, research institutions,
MSME and industry levels.
Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya
 To honour the contribution of all the Prime Ministers of India towards nation-building, the
Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since Independence.
 The museum tells the story of India after independence through the lives and contributions of its prime
ministers.
 The museum deals with the life and times of all 14 Prime Ministers.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Govt to launch e-Sanjeevani Tele-consultation services
 Government launched e-Sanjeevani Tele-consultation facility at one lakh centers on the occasion of
4th anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness.
 Now the common citizens will also be able to take advice from the big doctors of the country.
PM Narendra Modi unveils 108-feet statue of Hanuman in Gujarat's Morbi
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 108 feet statue of Lord Hanuman in Gujarat's Morbi.
 The statue is the second of the four statues being built in the four directions across the country, as
part of the 'Hanumanji Char Dham' project.
 The statue has been set up in the west, at the Ashram of Bapu Keshvanand ji in Morbi.
 The first statue of the series was set up in the north in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla in 2010, while
the work on the third statue has been started in the south at Rameswaram.
NITI Aayog Plans Platform to Make Govt Data More Accessible to Public
 The NITI Aayog intends to launch a National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP) to deliver
government data in a user-friendly manner, and to foster data-driven decision-making and research.
 The platform aims to standardise data across government sources and provide flexible analytics
to allow users to easily analyse facts and statistics using numerous datasets.
‘SVANidhi se Samriddhi’ covers 63 lakhs of street vendors in two phases
 Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched ‘SVANidhi se Samriddhi’ program in
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additional 126 cities across 14 States/ UTs.

 The program provided social security benefits to lakhs of street vendors and their families and thereby
protecting them from risks and vulnerabilities of life and livelihoods.
India's first radio channel for visually-impaired people 'Radio Aksh' launched in Nagpur
 Country’s first-ever radio channel for the visually impaired, named ‘Radio Aksh’ has been launched
in Nagpur, with the Blind Relief Association Nagpur and Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam
Anusandhan Mandal (Saksham) serving as the pioneers of the concept that will help the visually-
impaired gain seamless access to education resources and audiobooks.
India gets elected to four UN ECOSOC bodies
 India has been elected to four key bodies of the UN Economic and Social Council, including the
Commission on Science and Technology for Development.
 The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six principal organs of the UN System
established by the UN Charter in 1945. It consists of 54 members of the United Nations elected by the
General Assembly.
 India gets elected to 4 UN ECOSOC Bodies:
I. Commission for Social Development
II. Committee on NGOs
III. Commission on Science & Technology for Development
IV. Ambassador Preeti Saran gets re-elected to Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
BRO to build world’s highest tunnel at Shinku La Pass to connect Himachal to Ladakh
 The Border Roads Organisation will construct the world’s highest tunnel at Shinku La Pass at
16,580 feet to connect Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh.
 The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will start the construction of the tunnel connecting Himachal
Pradesh to Zanskar Valley in Ladakh by July this year.
 The Centre has already made ‘Project Yojak’ of BRO to execute this ambitious project. This tunnel, to be
completed by 2025, will change the economy of Zanskar Valley.
 The south portal of the tunnel will be at Shinku La and the north portal at Lakhang.
India's first portable solar rooftop system unveiled in Gandhinagar
 The country's first portable solar rooftop system was inaugurated at Swaminarayan Akshardham
temple complex in Gandhinagar.
 The installation of 10 PV Port systems in the temple complex has been supported by the German
development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
 The systems have been installed under the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's initiative to
develop renewable energy cities across India.
SC reconstitutes expert committee monitoring green impact of Delhi-Dehradun expressway
 The Supreme Court reconstituted the expert committee that would be looking into measures to
ensure that the construction of the Delhi-Dehradun expressway does not impact the
environment.
 The chairperson of the expert committee will be CP Goyal, Director-General of Forests in the Ministry
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of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Anil Prakash Joshi, founder of Himalayan Environmental
Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), and environmentalist Vijay Dhasmana will be
additional members of the oversight committee.
India’s First Pure Green Hydrogen Plant Commissioned In Jorhat
 Oil India Limited (OIL) has taken the first significant step towards Green Hydrogen Economy in India
with the commissioning of India’s First 99.999% pure Green Hydrogen pilot plant, with an installed
capacity of 10 kg per day at its Jorhat Pump Station in Assam.
 The plant produces Green Hydrogen from the electricity generated by the existing 500kW Solar plant
using a 100 kW Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) Electrolyser array. The use of AEM technology is
being used for the first time in India.
PM Modi lays the foundation stone of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar
 Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in
Jamnagar.
 GCTM will be the first and only global outpost centre for traditional medicine across the world. It will
emerge as an international hub of global wellness.
UK PM Boris Johnson payed an official visit to India
 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson payed an official visit to India and announced a set of investment
and export deals with India as he makes a two-day trip to the country.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The deals will be across industries, from software engineering to healthcare, as well as a collaboration
on satellite launches. It is claimed they will be worth £1bn to the British economy, promising 11,000 jobs
in the UK as a result.
 The Prime Ministers reviewed the implementation of the Roadmap 2030 and set their vision for further
intensifying cooperation across the full spectrum of bilateral ties.
Agartala-Akhaura rail link set to be completed by December
 The ₹980 crore railway line project between Agartala in Tripura and Akhaura in Bangladesh will be
completed by December.
 The 15.6-km-long railway link will connect Gangasagar in Bangladesh to Nischintapur in India.
 The Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) is bearing the cost for laying the
track on the 5.46 km link on the Indian side, and the cost of laying the 10.6-km-long track on the
Bangladesh side is being borne by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Govt to raise number of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras
 With a vision to provide quality medicines at an affordable rate for the common man especially the
poor, Govt. has set a target to increase the number of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras
(PMBJKs) to 10000 by March 2024.
 The scheme provides for incentive/special incentives for various categories including women,
SC/ST, Hill districts, Island districts and North-Eastern States. This will ensure easy reach of affordable
medicine to the people in every nook and corner of the country.
 PMBI has strengthened the supply chain system by setting up four warehouses at Gurugram, Chennai,
Guwahati and Surat. www.i xamBee.c om
NITI Aayog partners with UNICEF India
 NITI Aayog and UNICEF India have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) on the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) aiming to achieve the United Nations sustainable development goals
focusing on children in the country.
 The SoI has been signed by Sanyukta Samaddar, NITI Aayog’s nodal officer, and Hyun Hee Ban,
UNICEF India chief of social policy.
 The partnership between NITI Aayog and UNICEF India will draw up the methods, technical analysis,
reporting, and action planning for the first report on the ‘Status of India’s Children’ with a focus on the
multi-dimensional aspects of child development like health, education, nutrition, protection, and
other relevant areas.
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NITI Aayog Headquarters: New Delhi Chairman: Narendra Modi
UNICEF Headquarters: New York Executive Director: Henrietta H. Fore
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 completes four years
 Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, UBA 2.0 has completed four years. The UBA 2.0 was launched on 25 April
2018 with the vision of transformational change in rural development processes.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a flagship programme of the Education Ministry which aims to link the Higher
Education Institutions with set of atleast five villages, so that these institutions can contribute to the
economic and social betterment of these village communities using their knowledge base.
 Its objective is also to engage the faculty and students of Higher Educational Institutions in
understanding rural realities.
Union Minister Narendra Singh to inaugurate ‘Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari’ Campaign
 Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the
activities of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare under ‘Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari'
Campaign.
 The Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari Campaign is being organized under 'Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav’.
 As a part of ‘Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari’ Campaign, a day long Kisan Mela was organized at all
Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across the country in association with Agricultural Technology
Management Agency (ATMA).
Asia’s biggest international food, hospitality fair AAHAR-2022
 Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in association
with the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) organised Asia’s biggest international food and
hospitality fair AAHAR-2022 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
 More than 80 exporters form different segments of agricultural products which include geographical
indication products, processed food, organic, frozen food products participated in the fair.
 APEDA had created dedicated stalls for exporters from North East Region and Himalayan states like
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Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, women entrepreneurs, Farmer
Producers Organizations, Start Ups and exporters of millets.
100 metre-tall tower at ‘Akasavani’ FM Station was unveiled
 Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the newly built 100-metre-tall tower at ‘Akasavani’
FM Station in Nellore. The tower was built at a cost of Rs 10 crore.
India enters Guinness records for simultaneous waving of highest number of national flags
 India has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for waving the maximum number of
national flags simultaneously.
 78,220 tricolors were waved at the Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsav programme organised at Duler
Ground in Jagdishpur.
 The event was held to pay a tribute to the victory of the then King of Jagdishpur, Veer Kunwar
Singh, one of the heroes of the freedom struggle of 1857.
 The event was organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Culture under the 'Azadi Ka
Amrit Mahotsav', the 75th anniversary of India's Independence.
India launches Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) program
 Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced
Digital India RISC-V Microprocessor (DIR-V) Program.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 Its aim is to enable creation of Microprocessors for the future in India, for the world and achieve
industry-grade silicon & Design wins by December 2023.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated year-long good governance webinar series
 Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated a year-long national good governance webinar.
 The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances and Pensions are organising the series from April, 2022 to March, 2023.
 The themes selected for the national webinars are proposed to cover multiple sectors like health,
education, environment, disaster management, priority programmes, jal/water management etc.
 The first webinar in the series is commencing on April 28 on the theme ‘improving service delivery’
under which two awarded initiatives will be presented.
MoU between iCreate and CSIR
 An agreement has been signed between CSIR and iCreate, India’s largest institution for transforming
start-ups based on tech innovation into businesses, to harness the countrys technological strength.
 Under the MoU, CSIR and iCreate intend to establish a collaborative support system for promising tech
start-ups by making combined resources available for entrepreneurs and innovators in the country. The
partnership will also catalyse scientific innovation and the marketability of high-tech start-ups.
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ABOUT CSIR Director General: Shekhar C. Mande
Palli becomes India's first 'carbon neutral panchayatwww.i xamBee.c om
 Palli village in Jammu division's Samba district has become India's first 'carbon neutral, fully solar-
powered panchayat'.
 A total of 1,500 solar panels have been installed that will provide electricity to 340 houses in the model
panchayat under the central government's 'Gram Swaraj' programme.
Azadi Se Antyodaya launched by Giriraj Singh
 The Centre launched a 90-day campaign, “Azadi Se Antyodaya Tak”, with a mission to saturate 75
districts, including three each from Haryana and Punjab and one from Himachal Pradesh, with
beneficiary schemes of nine Central Ministries.
 The three districts in Haryana are Panipat, Rohtak, and Bhiwani which are associated, respectively,
with Rati Ram Deshbandhu Gupta, Chhotu Ram and Pandit Nekiram Sharma.
 Those from Punjab are Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar which are associated, respectively,
with Teja Singh Sutantar, Harnam Singh Tundilat and Banta Singh.
 The lone district from Himachal Pradesh is Kangra which is associated with Baba Kanshi Ram.
MEA launches Trilateral Development Corporation(TDC) Fund
 The Ministry of External Affairs has launched a platform called the Trilateral Development
Corporation(TDC) Fund.
 Its aim is to provide an alternative to the Chinese development partnership model.
 The fund would involve private sectors with state support for big-ticket investments in the Indo-
Pacific region as well as other geographies.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 India’s Global Innovation Partnership(GIP) launched with the UK will provide a template to use the TDC
Fund for trilateral projects with other countries like Japan, Germany, France and the EU.
 India’s contribution to GIP will be channelised through the TDC Fund.
India’s first Amrit Sarovar
 India’s first ‘Amrit Sarovar’ has been completed in UP’s Rampur’s Gram Panchayat Patwai.
 Under the Amrit Sarovar initiative, 75 water bodies will be developed and rejuvenated in each district
as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
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About UP
Capital: Lucknow CM: Yogi Adityanath Governor: Anandiben Patel
IndiGo becomes first airline to use indigenous navigation system
 IndiGo becomes the first airline in Asia to land its aircraft using the indigenous navigation system
GAGAN, with Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach.
 India becomes the third country in the world to have their own SBAS system after the USA and
Japan.
 GAGAN will leading to modernisation of the airspace, reducing flight delays, bringing in fuel
savings and improving flight safety.
 GAGAN is used to provide lateral and vertical guidance when an aircraft is approaching a runway for
landing. Its precision is especially useful at small airports where the instrument landing system (ILS) has
not been installed.
 It will also provide the capability for increased accuracy in position reporting, allowing for more
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uniform and high-quality Air Traffic Management (ATM).
INTERNATIONAL
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Bangladesh: World Bank provides USD 250 million
 The World Bank approved financing of USD 250 million for Bangladesh to help it strengthen policies
to sustain growth following the Covid 19 pandemic and enhance resilience to future shocks.
 The Bangladesh First Recovery and Resilience Development Policy credit is first in a series of two
credits to support fiscal and financial sector policies to enhance macroeconomic stability and sustain
growth. It supports expanding and modernising social protection programs and energy sector policies to
improve efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C., US President: R. Malpass
Bangladesh signs deal with Adani group for Indian Economic Zone
 The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) signed an agreement with the Indian company
Adani Ports and SEZ Limited to set up an Indian Economic Zone at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib
Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) in Mirsarai of Chattogram. The Indian Economic Zone will provide facilities for
Indian investors in Bangladesh.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Bangladesh: ADB to provide USD 143 million
 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan package of USD 143 million for Bangladesh to
support government efforts to accelerate growth by improving efficiency, predictability, and security of
cross-border trade.
 ADB’s assistance supports the government’s goal of accelerating economic growth through
industrialization and trade. It will help diversify the country’s export products and destinations.
Improved connectivity will facilitate subregional trade and commerce among the South Asia Subregional
Economic Cooperation countries.
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ADB Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines President: Masatsugu Asakawa
Bangla New Year Pohela Boisakh celebrated in Bangladesh
 The Bangla new year Pohela Boisakh was celebrated across Bangladesh on April 14 with
enthusiasm and festivity.
 The traditional Mongol Shovajatra got the UNESCO recognition in 2016 as World Heritage.
Public emergency declared in Sri Lanka
 Sri Lanka’s president has declared a state of emergency, giving sweeping powers to security forces a
day after hundreds tried to storm his house in anger over an unprecedented economic crisis.
 The emergency was declared for “protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and
services essential to the life of the community”. www.i xamBee.c om
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About Sri Lanka Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
Sri Lanka's central bank governor Ajith Nivard submits resignation
 Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Sri Lanka's central bank governor, announced his resignation after all of the
country's cabinet ministers resigned.
 A severe shortage of foreign currency has left the government unable to pay for essential imports,
including fuel.
INS Gharial delivers 760 kg of critical medicines to Sri Lanka
 With the overarching aim of providing critical medical aid to Sri Lanka during the ongoing crisis, INS
Gharial as part of Mission SAGAR IX arrived at Colombo on April 29 and delivered over 760 kgs of
107 types of critical lifesaving medicines.
 Debt-ridden Sri Lanka is grappling with an unprecedented economic turmoil. The crisis has been caused
in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports
of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.
 Sri Lanka needs at least USD 4 billion to tide over its mounting economic woes.
Hungary PM Viktor Orban wins
 In Hungary's general election nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party had
won a fourth term in office.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
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About Hungary Capital: Budapest Currency: Hungarian forint
Burkina Faso former President Blaise Compaore gets life sentence
 A Burkinabe court has sentenced former President Blaise Compaoré to life imprisonment for the
murder of his predecessor, the revered Thomas Sankara.
 Military prosecutors in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, had requested a 30-year sentence for
Compaoré, who was being tried alongside 13 others.
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About Burkina Faso Capital: Ouagadougou Currency: West African CFA franc
US Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson as US Supreme Court Judge
 The US Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, shattering a historic barrier
by securing her place as the first Black woman Justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan
endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.
 Judge Jackson will take her seat when Judge Stephen Breyer retires this summer.
 Judge Jackson will be just the third Black justice, after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas,
and the sixth woman.
 Judge Jackson will be the second youngest member of the court after Judge Barrett. She will join a
court on which no one is yet 75, the first time that has happened in nearly 30 years.
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About US Capital: Washington, D.C. Currency: US Dollar
World's biggest electric cruise ship sets sail in China
 The world’s largest electric cruise ship has made its maiden voyage, settling back into port in Yichang
in China’s central Hubei province after cruising up and down the Yangtze River.
 Powered by a massive 7,500 kilowatt-hour marine battery from the world’s No. 1 battery manufacturer
for electric cars, Contemporary Amperex Technology, the ship will go into commercial operations,
being used mainly for sightseeing trips.
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About China Capital: Beijing Currency: Renminbi
‘Gaofen-3 03’: China’s Earth Observation Satellite
 China successfully launched a new Earth observation satellite which will become part of its land-sea
radar satellite constellation and capture fine-resolution images to help Beijing safeguard its maritime
rights and interests.
 The satellite Gaofen-3 03 was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre by a Long March-4C
rocket and has entered the planned orbit successfully.
Serbia: Aleksandar Vučić re-elected as President
 Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has declared victory in presidential election.

 The Socialist Party of Serbia, a longtime ally of the SNS, is seen third with 11.6 percent of the votes.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Ecuador becomes first country to give legal rights to wild animals
 Ecuador, in South America, has made history by becoming the first country to recognise the legal
rights of individual wild animals.
 Ecuador’s recent ruling comes after the South American country became the first in the world to
recognise nature as a legal entity. Other countries such as Bolivia, New Zealand, Panama, Chile,
Mexico, Colombia and Bangladesh followed suit and recognised the rights of nature.
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About Ecuador Capital: Quito Currency: United States Dollar
Shehbaz Sharif elected Pakistan’s 23rd Prime Minister
 Pakistan’s National Assembly elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s 23rd Prime Minister after
his predecessor Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote.
 He is the younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif. A graduate of the Government
College University, he initially joined the family’s steel business and became the president of the Lahore
Chamber of Commerce in 1985.
 After a four-year stint as Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Shehbaz became chief minister of
Punjab for the first time in 1997.
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About Pakistan Capital: Islamabad Currency: Pakistani rupee
Russian warship: Moskva sinks in Black Sea

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 A Russian warship Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet that was damaged by an
explosion has sunk.
 The 510-crew missile cruiser was a symbol of Russia's military power, leading its naval assault on
Ukraine.
 The Moskva was the only ship in the fleet which had long-range air defences on board.
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About Russia Capital: Moscow Currency: Russian ruble
Russia successfully test-launched Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile
 Russia test-launched a new nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile “Sarmat”.

 The long-awaited Sarmat missile had been test-launched for the first time from Plesetsk in northwest
Russia and hit targets in the Kamchatka peninsula, nearly 6,000 km (3,700 miles) away.
 The new complex has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable of overcoming all
modern means of anti-missile defence.
 The Sarmat has the ability to carry 10 or more warheads and decoys.
India handover consignment of Covishield vaccines to PM of Cambodia Hun Sen
 Indian ambassador to Cambodia, Devyani Khobragade, along with representatives from the
embassies of Australia, Japan, and the US to Cambodia, jointly handed over a consignment of 3.25
lakh doses of Covishield vaccines to PM Sen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The vaccines have been gifted by India as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to
donate 500,000 doses of Covid vaccines to the Indo-Pacific under the Quad vaccine initiative.
Israel tests new laser-based air defence system 'Iron Beam'
 In a first of its kind, Israel has successfully tested a new laser missile-defence system 'Iron Beam'
which can intercept many kind of aerial objects starting from missiles, rockets, anti-tank missiles and
even drones.
 The Iron Beam which is developed by the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is using directed-
energy weapon system and can go a long way in providing aerial defence.
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About Israel Capital: Jerusalem Currency: Israeli Shekel
Tropical Storm Megi
 Tropical Storm Megi, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Agaton, was a weak but deadly
tropical cyclone that impacted the Philippines.
 Megi made two landfalls, one in Calicoan Island in Guiuan, and another in Basey, Samar. It continued to
track southwestward and reentered the Philippine Sea before dissipating.
Emmanuel Macron re-elected French president
 French President Emmanuel Macron has been reelected French president defeating Marine Le
Pen. www.i xamBee.c om
 The 44-year-old has become the third French president who has managed to secure a second term.
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About France Capital: Paris Currency: Euro
Achi reappointed PM of Ivory Coast
 Patrick Achi has been reappointed as prime minister of Ivory Coast.

 Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, the governor of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), has been
appointed as vice president.
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About Ivory Coast Capital: Yamoussoukro Currency: West African CFA franc
Estonia hosts the world’s largest cyber exercise
 The Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, abbreviated as CCDCOE, is
organising the Locked Shields 2022, the largest and most complex annual international live-fire cyber
defence exercise in the world.
 At the exercise, cyber experts practise the protection of national civilian and military IT systems
and critical infrastructure in a large-scale cyber-attack. It is conducted under conditions of intense
pressure, with teams countering series of sophisticated cyberattacks.
 The exercise is organised by the CCDCOE in cooperation with NATO, Siemens, Microsoft, Tallinn
University of Technology and other partners.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Robert Golob defeats Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa in national elections
 Slovenia’s three-time prime minister Janez Jansa was defeated in the national elections after the
Freedom Movement (GS) won more votes than his Slovenian Democratic party.
 He was defeated by Robert Golob who is a newcomer to Slovenian politics and had established his
party in January.
STATES
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Schemes/Facilities/Initiatives launched by various States governments
State Scheme/Facilities/Initiatives launched
Andhra Pradesh In a move to provide safe transport to women and girl students, the police in
Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor have set up three 'She Auto' stands, the first of its
Capital: Amaravati kind in the state. Tirupati is the first city in the state to set up special auto
Governor: Biswabhushan stands for women like this.
Harichandan
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy digitally inaugurated
CM: Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy 13 new districts in the state. The new districts have been carved out from the
existing 13 districts, bringing the number of districts in the state to 26. All the
new districts have come into effect from April 4.
Assam
Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu, one of the biggest festivals of Assam, falls in
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Capital: Dispur second week of April every year, marking the beginning of the harvest period.
Governor: Prof. Jagdish Mukhi

CM: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Bihar
Vijayotsav programme held at Jagdishpur in Bhojpur district, to honour Babu
Capital: Patna Veer Kunwar Singh on April 23, as part of the Centre’s Amrit Mahtosav cultural
Governor: Phagu Chauhan programme being organized to celebrate the country’s 75 years of
CM: Nitish Kumar independence.
Delhi Delhi government launched A project to set up ‘Hobby Hubs’ in government

schools in Delhi with after-school dance, music, arts and crafts activities during
this new academic session is in the works. The idea is to make optimum use of
Governor: Anil Baijal
school infrastructure and to use it after school hours to promote these extra-
CM: Arvind Kejriwal
curricular activities.
On the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled

Gujarat a 108 feet statue of Lord Hanuman in Gujarat's Morbi via video conferencing.
The statue is the second of the four statues being built in the four directions
Capital: Gandhinagar across the country, as part of the 'Hanumanji Char Dham' project. The statue
Chief Minister: Bhupendrabhai has been set up in the west, at the Ashram of Bapu Keshvanand ji in Morbi.
Patel Governor: Acharya Devvrat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of
various development projects worth around Rs 22,000 crore in Dahod and
Panchmahal, Gujarat.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Kangra tea is likely to be awarded the Geographical Indication Tag (GI tag) for
the European Union. The subject of Tea Cultivation and Development was
Himachal Pradesh transferred from the Industries Department to the Agriculture Department in
April, 1999. Kangra Tea was accorded the GI tag in India in 2005.
Capital: Shimla
Governor: Rajendra Vishwanath Marking the 75th Himanchal Day, CM of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur
Arlekar announced a 50 per cent fare concession for women passengers travelling in
HRTC buses. Around 125 units of free domestic electricity will be provided in
CM: Jai Ram Thakur
the state. The water bills will be waived off in rural areas.
The province of Himachal Pradesh was created on April 15th 1948. Himachal
Day is a gazetted public holiday in the Himachal Pradesh state in India. It is
always celebrated on April 15th.
The Himachal Pradesh government signed a MoU for the development of

ropeways as an innovative transport solution in the state. The MoU was signed
between National Highways Logistic Management Limited (NHLML) and
Ropeways and HP Rapid Transport System Development Corporation Ltd
(RTDC) for development of ropeways at New Delhi.
Jharkhand
Sarhul Festival, the most popular tribal celebration across the Jharkhand
region, denotes the beginning of the new year. It is enjoyed by the tribal
Capital: Ranchi communities of the local Sarna religion, most notably by the Munda, Ho, and
Governor: Ramesh Bais Oraon tribes. This year it falls on April 4.
CM: Hemant Soren www.i xamBee.c om
J&K government to develop five tourist villages within Dal Lake in Srinagar
Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta conducted an extensive tour of interiors
of Srinagar’s Dal Lake and took stock of various ongoing works for the
Jammu & Kashmir development of Model In-situ Rehabilitation and Tourist Villages. Dr. Mehta
directed officers to frame a plan under VC LCMA for five villages.
Capital: Srinagar (Summer)
Jammu (Winter) Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off 'Athwaas',
Lt. Gov: Manoj Sinha a unique partnership between citizens and authorities for the rejuvenation of
world famous Dal Lake in Srinagar.
The rural development and panchayati raj department of Jammu and Kashmir
administration launched a mobile application to help people lodge complaints
related to various schemes online. The jan nigrani app is an internet based
solution for reporting and resolving grievances by the residents of the Jammu
and Kashmir against various schemes of the department.
The Railways is developing India’s first ever cable-stayed bridge, called Anji
Khad. It is being built at a height of 331 metres above the riverbed, and will
connect Katra and Resai in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Anji Khad is a part of the complex Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link
project and is being developed by the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited
(KRCL).
Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba has become the first district in the country to
cover 100 percent households under the ABPMJAY – SEHAT scheme. The

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana scheme is the world’s
largest health insurance scheme fully financed by the government and
provides a cover of Rs five lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary
care hospitalization.
The first day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar's month of Chaitra is celebrated as
Ugadi. Usually, it falls in the month of April. This year, Ugadi will be celebrated
on April 2.
Karnataka
The Karnataka State Government, in collaboration with NIMHANS and NITI
Capital: Bengaluru Ayog, launched the Karnataka Brain Health Initiative (Ka-BHI). Robin
CM: Basavaraj Bommai Uthappa, an Indian cricketer, was recently named as the brand ambassador for
the Karnataka-Brain Health Initiative (Ka-BHI).
Governor: Thawarchand Gehlot
Karnataka’s Health and Medical Education Minister, Keshava Reddy Sudhakar
has launched the Campaign ‘Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise
Pneumonia Successfully’ (SAANS). The goal of this campaign is to minimize
under-five mortality to 23/1,000 live births by the year 2025.
Ladakh In Ladakh, a community museum began in Gya – Sasoma villages of Leh

district to preserve and take forward its rich cultural heritage. In the first of its
kind in India, Gya – Sasoma villagers in Leh, have contributed a variety of
Capital: Leh, Kargil
articles and collections to establish the Community Museum in a traditional
Lt. Gov: Radha Krishna Mathur
Ladakhi House.
Leh has taken the first step towards establishing Information Technology
sector. Ladakh Additional Director General of Police SS Khandare has
inaugurated the first IT Training and Services centre of Ethosh Digital, in Leh.
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The state-of-the-art Mumbai International Cruise Terminal, coming up at BPX-

Indira Dock, is expected to be commissioned by July 2024. The total project
cost is Rs 495 crore, out of which, Rs 303 crore will be incurred by Mumbai
Maharashtra Port Authority and the remaining by private operators.
Capital: Mumbai Maharashtra government launched a scheme to provide personal loans for
prisoners with the aim to improve the living standard of the families of the
Governor: Bhagat Singh
inmates. The Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank will give loans under the
Koshyari scheme up to Rs 50,000 at an interest rate of 7 per cent. The scheme will be
CM: Uddhav Thackeray implemented on a pilot basis at Yerawada Central Jail, Pune.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia flagged off the first flight
from Gujarat’s Keshod to Maharashtra’s Mumbai and vice-versa. Alliance Air
will commence the first flight from Keshod to Mumbai and vice-versa under the
“Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik” Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN-RCS).
Maharashtra State Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray inaugurated the

city's first completely digital bus on the Gateway of India to Churchgate route,
with a unique 'Tap-in Tap-out' feature. Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and
Transport (BEST) is India's first bus service to go completely digital.
Manipur Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah
will hoist the national flag atop the tallest flagpole in the Northeast in Moirang in
Bishnupur district.A 165 feet tall Indian National Flag, tallest in Northeast,
Capital: Imphal
would be installed at the INA Headquarter Complex.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022

Governor: La. Ganesan
CM: N Biren Singh Khongjom day is observed in Manipur on April 23 every year to pay tribute to
the Manipuris who fell in the Anglo-Manipuri war of 1891. Khongjom Day was
observed at Khongjom War Memorial Complex at Khebaching, 35km south of
Imphal in Manipur’s Thoubal district.
Meghalaya The Meghalaya government's Planning Department's key initiative of the "e-
Proposal System", wins the coveted UN Award - World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) Forum Prizes 2022. The "e-Proposal System", part
Capital: Shillong of Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture (MeghEA), eliminates 75 per cent
Governor: Satya Pal Malik physical work of files in government departments.
CM: Conrad Sangma
Nagaland
Nagaland has become a coronavirus-free State. The active case count hit zero
for the first time in the northeastern State since the detection of three COVID
Capital: Kohima patients on May 25, 2020.
Governor: Jagdish Mukhi
CM: Neiphiu Rio
Puducherry The Union territory of Puducherry is set to host a four-day beach festival, ‘I Sea
Capital: Pondicherry Pondy 2022’, from April 13 to April 16. The festival will be organised across
four venues – Gandhi statue beach promenade, Chunnambar water sports
CM: N Rangasamy
complex, Pondy Marina and Paradise beach.
Lt. Gov: Tamilisai Soundararajan
Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan inaugurated a three-day
‘Health Festival’, organised jointly by the Union Health Ministry and
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Puducherry’s health department. The three-day programme would offer

counselling to people turning up at the event on various health issues.
Rajasthan
In Rajasthan, the festival of Gangaur was celebrated across the state with
traditional reverence and gaiety from 18th march to 04th April.
Capital: Jaipur
Governor: Kalraj Mishra
CM: Ashok Gehlot
Tamil Nadu CM inaugurates Periyar Memorial Samathuvapuram. The 146th

Samathuvapuram and the first for the present government was inaugurated by
Chief Minister M K Stalin via teleconferencing. The Samathuvapuram scheme
Tamil Nadu was announced in 1997, by the then DMK government, to eradicate caste
division and to promote equity. Samathuvapuram roughly translates into
Capital: Chennai ‘habitation of equity’.
Governor: R. N. Ravi
The Madras High Court upheld the 7.5 per cent reservation announced by the
CM: MK Stalin previous AIADMK regime for Tamil Nadu government school students clearing
NEET for admissions to undergraduate medical courses.
The 'Kaaval Uthavi' app of the Tamil Nadu police launched by Chief Minister
M.K. Stalin will provide assistance in 60 areas to the general public. The app
has been launched with 60 features to enable public, especially women, to
seek public assistance.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced that the birth anniversary of
Dr Ambedkar on April 14 would be celebrated as ‘Equality Day’ in the state
from this year onwards. A pledge would also be taken across the state on the
day.
For the first time in the country, a seaweed park will be set up in Tamil Nadu to
improve the livelihood of fishermen. A project to raise quality fish fry in the sea
would be implemented under the Prime Minister's Matsya Sampada Yojana to
increase fish stocks in Rameswaram and Mandapam areas.
The Tamil Nadu government will observe December 18, every year, as
Minorities Rights Day at the state level and about Rs 2.50 lakh will be
earmarked for the purpose.
Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R Gandhi announced in the Assembly that
a mega integrated textile and apparel park spread over 1,000 acres will be
established in Virudhunagar district. An MoU will be inked with the National
Institute of Fashion Technology to create 500 new designs per year at a cost of
Rs 50 lakh, to boost sales of handloom products. Skill development training will
be provided to 50 handloom weavers through the National Institute of Design
at Rs 50 lakh.
Telangana Neoretina Eyecare Institute, a diabetic retinopathy day-care in the state of

Telangana announced the launch of its new smart “2-minute” retina check-up
initiative, the first of its kind in the state. It is a totally dilation free service, which
Capital: Hyderabad eases the pain of waiting for hours in clinics. The New Optos Imaging System,
Governor: Dr. Tamilisai which reproduces a 200° single-capture optomap® retinal picture with
Soundararajan unrivalled quality in less than a second, is at the heart of the Smart Retina
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CM: K. Chandrashekar Rao check-up initiative.
Uttar Pradesh
CM Yogi Adityanath launched the 'School Chalo Abhiyan' with an aim to
ensure 100 per cent enrolment in primary and upper primary schools across
Capital: Lucknow the state. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the campaign was halted for
Governor: Anandiben Patel two years.
CM: Yogi Adityanath
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami launched an anti-corruption
Capital: Gairsain (Summer),
mobile app. Developed by the vigilance department, '1064 Anti-Corruption
Dehradun (Winter) Mobile App', makes it easier for people to lodge graft related complaints
Governor: Gurmit Singh directly with the authorities.
CM: Pushkar Singh Dhami
West Bengal
Poila Baisakh or Pohela Boishakh is the first day in the month of Baisakh,
which is the first month according to the Bengali calendar. Poila Baisakh is also
Capital: Kolkata known as Bangla Noboborsho.
Governor: Jagdeep Dhankar
CM: Mamata Banerjee

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
REPORTS AND INDEXES

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Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022
 According to Asian Development Bank’s Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022 the growth in South
Asia is projected to slow to 7% in 2022, and up to 7.4% in 2023.
 Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected India growing by 7.5% in the current fiscal year and up to 8%
the next year.
 ADB said developing Asia's economies are forecast to grow 5.2% this year and 5.3% in 2023, due to
a robust recovery in domestic demand and continued expansion in exports.
Forbes Billionaires 2022: The Richest People In The World
 SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has toppled Amazon founder Jeff Bezos from the top spot this
year.
 Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani is the 10th richest person in the world, followed by
Infrastructure tycoon Gautam Adani and his family, which claimed the 11th spot on Forbes' annual
world's billionaires list.
 Russia and China have seen dramatic drops in the number of billionaires. There are 34 fewer billionaires
than last year in Russia following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and 87 fewer Chinese billionaires
following a government crackdown on tech companies, according to Forbes.
Rank Name Net worth

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1 Elon Musk $219 B
2 Jeff Bezos $171 B
3 Bernard Arnault & family $158 B
4 Bill Gates $129 B
5 Warren Buffett $118 B
10 Mukesh Ambani $90.7 B
11 Gautam Adani & family $90 B
India’s unemployment rate fell to 7.6% in March 2022 - CMIE
 India’s unemployment rate fell to 7.6% in March, after rising to a six-month high of 8.1% in February,
according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).
 Rural joblessness rate fell by over 1 percentage point to 7.29% in March, even as the urban rate rose
to a three-month high of 8.28%.
 The unemployment rate stood at 6.57% in January.
 In February, 264 million person days of work was generated under the scheme, which was more than
23 million person days of work generated in January.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Hurun Richest Self-Made Women in the World 2022
 The list of the richest self-made women billionaires in the world for 2022 was released.
 The list showed shifting dynamics which also mark the entry of a billionaire residing India into the list
with the richest self-made Indian woman billionaire, Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar. Released by Hurun
Research Institute, the Richest Self-Made Women in the World 2022 has 8 Chinese women, 1 each
from US and UK and 1 from India.
 This year’s list has 124 women from 16 countries. This is 6 less from 130 women last time round. 19 are
new entrants. However, this number is double that of five years ago and 100 more than a decade ago.
The number of Indian self-made women billionaires has tripled over the last decade. The average age of
the world’s self-made women billionaires is 59.
Rank Name Wealth Country Company
1 Wa Yajun $17 billion China Longfor

2 Fan Hongwei $13 billion China Hengli
3 Wang Laichun $11 billion China Luxshare Precision
10 Falguni Nayyar $7.6 billion India Nykaa
Traffic movement at major ports rises 7% in FY22 - IWAI
 Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), transported a total of 105 million tonnes of cargo
through national waterways, registering an increase of 25.61 % year-on-year.
 The country’s ports have registered an impressive growth rate of 6.94 per cent in term of traffic
movement during the fiscal year 2021-22 as compared to that of the previous year.
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 The average turnaround time for container vessels at major ports has also improved from 43.44 hours
in 2014 to 26.58 hours in 2021.
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Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) Headquarters: Noida Chairman: Amita Prasad
5th edition of ‘GROHE Hurun India Real Estate Rich List 2022
 DLF’s Chairman Rajiv Singh has become the richest real estate entrepreneur with a wealth of Rs
61,220 crore.
 DLF’s Rajiv Singh has been ranked first with 68% increase in his wealth in the last one year.
 Followed by ‘Macrotech Developers’ M P Lodha and family with a wealth of Rs 52,970 crore.
 The list was based on net worth proportionate to their ownership in their respective real estate
businesses.
 With a wealth of Rs 26,290 crore, Chandru Raheja and Family of K Raheja retains the third spot.
 Jitendra Virwani of Embassy group is at the fourth position with a wealth of Rs 23,620 crore
India kept extreme poverty below 1% despite pandemic: IMF paper
 The IMF released paper, titled Pandemic, Poverty & Inequality: Evidence from India.
 The country managed to keep extreme poverty below 1% level in 2020 despite the unprecedented
Covid-19 outbreak, by resorting to food transfers through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana
(PMGKY).
 As many as 89.1% of rural eligible households and 77.3% of urban households, with an all-India
average of 84.6%, received food transfers during the pandemic through the PDS.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The supply of free grains as part of the PMGKY scheme was initially launched for the April-June period
of FY21, it has been extended up to September 2022.
 Under the scheme, 81.35 crore people are eligible for 5 kg free wheat/rice per person per month, along
with 1 kg free whole chana to each family per month.
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IMF Headquarters: Washington, United States MD: Kristalina Georgieva
Michael Page Salary Report 2022
 The common salary enhancement in 2022 is going to be 9% against 7% in the pre-pandemic year of
2019.
 The hike is due to a more positive investment outlook, especially in manufacturing and infrastructure
development.
 Startups and new-age corporations, together with the unicorns, are set to lead this trend with a
estimated hike of 12%.
 Michael Page Salary Report 2022 is based on information and facts derived from its proprietary data
and network in India, including job advertisements and placements made in 2021.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022
 The ‘QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022’ was released by global higher education think-tank
QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
 Universities were evaluated in 34 specific subjects and five broader subject areas.
 Among Indian universities, IIT Delhi shines with four IIT Delhi programmes securing places in the global
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top 100 ranks -- Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer
Science, and Civil Engineering.
Top Indian universities in a few of the individual subjects as per QS:
Subject Top Indian university

Accounting and Finance IIM Bangalore
Politics JNU
Business and Management Studies IIM Bangalore
Chemistry IISc Bangalore
Earth and Marine Sciences IISc Bangalore
Agriculture and Forestry IIT Kharagpur
Philosophy Delhi University
Architecture and Built Environment IIT Madras
Physics and Astronomy IISc Bangalore
Mathematics IIT Bombay
Geography JNU
Law and Legal Studies OP Jindal Global University
Medicine AIIMS
Environmental Sciences IIT Bombay
English Language and Literature JNU

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Busiest Airports in 2021
 The annual list of Busiest Airports in 2021 – compiled and released by Airports Council International
(ACI) World.
 The world rankings, compiled every year, are based on global data that the ACI compiles as a trade
association of all the airports. The up-to-date data includes namely passenger traffic as well as cargo
volumes and aircraft movements.
 Eight of the 10 busiest airports in the world are based in the U.S..
 The full list of the top 5 is below:
1. Atlanta (ATL)
2. Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
3. Denver (DEN)
4. Chicago (ORD)
5. Los Angeles (LAX)
Morgan Stanley’s report: Indian economy at the cusp
 Indian economy is at the cusp of an industrial capex cycle journey, as corporate balance sheets have
undergone deleveraging and the health of banking system has been restored.
 Consumer demand is also expected to get a fillip with pandemic related restrictions are being relaxed
gradually.
 The sustained pickup in end demand trends will mean a continued improvement in capacity
utilisation, boding well for the capex outlook.
 India stands out as it does not face the challenge of high debt and deterioration of demographics that
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many others are facing.

 The country’s private corporate investment to GDP ratio has declined sharply from the peak of
17.8% of GDP in FY08 to 9.2% in FY21.
 India’s exports have registered a 2-year CAGR of 12.5%, lifting the capacity utilisation ratio to 72%,
which is in line with pre-Covid levels.
Investment flows double to $1.1 billion in January-March 2022: Colliers
 Institutional investments in the real estate sector doubled to $1.1 billion during January to March
quarter 2022.
 The opening up of the economy post the third wave of Covid-19, and an improvement in investors’
sentiment has led to surging investments, compared to the prior quarter.
 The investment activity during the quarter was driven by some large-sized deals in the office sector.
 Investments were largely driven by foreign investors, which accounted for about 70% of the inflows
during the this quarter (January-March 2022).
 Industrial and logistics assets received inflows of $0.2 billion, accounting for about 16% of total
investments.
NITI Aayog launches State Energy and Climate Index
 NITI Aayog has launched the State Energy & Climate Index-Round I.
 The State Energy & Climate Index (SECI) Round I ranks the states’ performance on 6 parameters,
namely, (1) DISCOM’s Performance (2) Access, Affordability and Reliability of Energy (3) Clean
Energy Initiatives (4) Energy Efficiency (5) Environmental Sustainability; and (6) New Initiatives.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
The parameters are further divided into 27 indicators. Based on the composite SECI Round I score, the
states and UTs are categorized into three groups: Front Runners, Achievers, and Aspirants.
 The states have been categorized based on size and geographical differences as larger states, smaller
states, and UTs.
The category of larger states:

1. Gujarat
2. Kerala
3. Punjab
The category of small states:

1. Goa
2. Tripura
3. Manipur
The category of UTs:

1. Chandigarh
2. Delhi
3. Daman & Diu/Dadra & Nagar Haveli
2022 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Bridging the Finance Divide: UN Report
 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in collaboration with more than 60 international
agencies, including the UN system and international financial institutions produced a report titled “2022
Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Bridging the Finance Divide”.
 The report is on financing to achieve UN development goals for 2030, including ending poverty, ensuring
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quality education for all young people and achieving gender equality.
Key findings:
o The pandemic plunged 77 million more people into extreme poverty last year. According to the
U.N., 812 million people lived in extreme poverty on USD 1.90 a day or less -- in 2019, and by 2021
amid the pandemic the number had risen to 889 million.
o It says the poorest developing countries, on average, pay 14 per cent of their revenue for
interest on their debts, with many forced to cut budgets for education, infrastructure and capital
spending as a result of the pandemic. Rich developed countries pay only 3.5 per cent.
o The report estimates that GDP per capita in 20 per cent of developing countries will not return to
pre-2019 levels by the end of 2023, even before absorbing the impact of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Report’s Recommendations:
o The report's recommendations include speeding up debt relief and expanding eligibility to
highly indebted middle-income countries, aligning the international tax system to address
such issues as inequality in availability of coronavirus vaccines and access to medical
products, accelerating investment in sustainable energy and improving information sharing.
IMF cuts India’s GDP growth forecast for FY23
 International Monetary Fund has slashed the gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for
India in FY23 to 8.2% in its latest World Economic Outlook report.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 IMF has also cut India’s FY24 GDP growth forecast to 6.9%. Earlier this was 7.1%. In the case of the
global economy, IMF has cut the growth forecast for the calendar year 2022 to 3.6% from 4.4%.
Learn Along
IMF Headquarters: Washington, United States MD: Kristalina Georgieva
India's retail inflation rises to 6.95% in March 2022: NSO
 India’s annual retail inflation shot up to a 17-month high in March, 2022 while factory output contracted
sequentially in February, complicating policy choices for the central bank.
 The data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed that the retail inflation rate rose to
6.95% in March, 2022.
 The Index of Industrial Production (IIP), on the other hand, grew 1.7% on an annual basis in
February but contracted 4.7% month on month, signalling that economic revival is yet to find a strong
footing.
 The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation was led by the edible oils (18.79%), vegetables
(11.64%), meat and fish (9.63%), footwear and clothing (9.4%), and fuel and light (7.52%) segments.
 Core inflation, which excludes the volatile food and fuel items, jumped to a 10-month high of 6.29% in
March from 5.96% in the previous month.
Learn Along
National Statistical Office (NSO), National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) merged with the Central Statistical Office
(CSO) to form the National Statistical Office (NSO). On 23rd May 2019, the Government of India has approved the
merger of NSSO and CSO.
Ministry: Ministry of Statistics
National Statistical Office Launch Year: 23rd May 2019
WTO slashes 2022 global trade growth forecast on Russia-Ukraine war

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 World Trade Organization (WTO) has lowered its 2022 global trade forecast to 3%, from 4.7%, due to
the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and a potentially more transmissible Omicron
subtype fettering China. The forecast for 2023 is 3.4%.
 Since Russia and Ukraine are key providers of food, energy, and fertilisers, their supply has become
arduous.
 Shipments from Black Sea ports are on freeze, affecting poor countries. In addition, lockdowns in
China may trigger renewed shortage of manufacturing inputs and higher inflation, causing fresh
disruption in trade.
 Its impact will be felt around the world, particularly in low-income countries, where food accounts for a
large fraction of household spending,”.
 World gross domestic product at market exchange rates is expected to grow 2.8% in 2022, down
1.3 percentage points from the previous forecast of 4.1%.
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World Trade Organisation Headquarters: Geneva Director-General: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
(WTO)
World Bank lowers India GDP growth forecast to 8% In FY23
 World Bank said in its bi-annual “South Asia Economic Focus” report.
 World Bank has cut India's GDP forecast for fiscal year 2022-23 to 8% from 8.7% predicted earlier.
 The World Bank lowered its growth estimate for India, the region's largest economy, to 8% from 8.7%
for the current fiscal year to March, 2023.
 The international lender said that in India, household consumption will be constrained by the
incomplete recovery of the labour market from Covid-19 and inflationary pressures.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The negative impact of the war in Ukraine on FY2022/23 growth is expected to be moderate, so growth
will begin to taper off in the second half of 2022,”.
Learn Along
World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C., US President: David. Malpass
International Monetary Fund (IMF) trims FY23 India forecast to 8.2%
 IMF scaled down its FY23 growth forecast for India by 80 basis points (bps) from its January projection
to 8.2%, as it underscored the ripple effect of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on net oil importers and their
aggregate demand.
 IMF also trimmed its global growth projection for 2022 by 80 basis points from the earlier estimate to
3.6%.
 IMF also lowered its FY24 growth projection for India by 20 bps to 6.9%. Global growth will also drop
by 20 bps in 2023 to 3.6%.
 Downgrades to the 2022 forecast include Japan (0.9 percentage point) and India (0.8 percentage
point), reflecting in part weaker domestic demand—as higher oil prices are expected to weigh on
private consumption and investment.
 By elevated energy prices, it estimates India’s inflation to inch up to 6.1% in FY23 from 5.5% in FY22.
At 14.55%, WPI inflation spikes to 4-month high in March
 Wholesale price inflation hit a four-month peak of 14.55% in March, mirroring a broad-based spike in
global commodity prices, especially of oil, in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.
 With this, inflation, based on the wholesale price index (WPI), scaled a 30-year peak of 12.96% in
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FY22, driven by an unfavourable base (it was only 1.3% in FY21) on top of the commodity rally.
 The price pressure at the wholesale level far outweighs a rise in retail inflation, which, too, hit a 17-
month peak of 6.95% in March, having breached the upper band of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s)
target of 2-6% for a third straight month.
 WPI inflation in crude petroleum surged to 69.20% in March and price pressure in the fuel and power
segment — comprising petrol, diesel and LPG — jumped to 34.52%.
 The divergence between WPI and Consumer Price Index that gauges retail inflation is mainly due to
the composition of the two price gauges; food items make up as much as 46% of the CPI.
Learn Along
All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) is released by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation (MoSPI). It has a base year of 2012.
Hiring activity sees 6% growth in March on improving economic activities: Monster Employment
Index
 Hiring activity witnessed a 6% year-on-year growth in March 2022, supported by a rebound in

economic activities and led by sectors such as banking and telecom.
 There was a marginal dip of 2.4% in hiring activity as compared to February, owing to the appraisal
season.
 Two years into the pandemic, it is heartening to see that the Indian economy has overcome setbacks
and challenges with hiring momentum exceeding pre-COVID levels by 6% this year compared to 2020.
 Monster Employment Index is a comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity
conducted by Monster India.
 Engineering, cement, construction, and iron/ steel (down 20%) continued to witness a year-on-year
decline in the series since April 2020, registering the sharpest deceleration among sectors.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The pace of the growth moderated further for media and entertainment (down 16%) and FMCG, food
and packaged Food (down 13%) industry and slid down in March 2022 annually.
Learn Along
Monster India Headquarters: Hyderabad CEO: Chandra Sekhar Garisa
Extreme poverty in India eased 12.3 percentage points during 2011-2019: World Bank report
 Extreme poverty in India dropped to 10.2% in the pre-Covid year of 2019 from as much as 22.5% in
2011 and the pace of reduction in rural India has been more dramatic than in urban areas.
 The poverty level in rural and urban areas declined by 14.7 and 7.9 percentage points, respectively,
during the 2011-2019 period. While it eased to 11.6% in rural areas in 2019, the urban poverty level
stood at 6.3%.
 Extreme poverty has been measured in terms of the number of people living on less than $1.90 a day
(roughly Rs 145).
 Urban poverty inched up by 2 percentage points in the demonetisation year of 2016 and rural poverty
rose by 10 basis points in 2019.
 An IMF working paper authored by economists Surjit Bhalla, Karan Bhasin and Arvind Virmani
recently suggested that extreme poverty in India was as low as 0.8% in 2019.
 The extent of poverty reduction during 2015-2019 is estimated to be notably lower than earlier
projections based on growth in private final consumption expenditure reported in national account
statistics.
 Real incomes for farmers with the smallest landholdings have risen by 10% in annualised terms during
the 2013-2019 period.
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Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programm: SIPRI
 SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments,

arms control and disarmament.
 According to new data by defence think tank SIPRI, The US, China, India, UK and Russia were the top
five defence spenders.
 The US, which far outspent any other nation with $801bn, and decreased its spending by 1.4 percent in
2021.
 The United States, China, India, the United Kingdom and Russia were the top five defence spenders,
together accounting for 62 percent of the global expenditure.
 China, the world’s second largest military spender at an estimated $293bn, boosted its expenditure by
4.7 percent, marking the 27th straight year of increased spending.
 India, the world’s third largest spender at $76.6bn, also increased funding in 2021, but by a more
modest 0.9 percent.
 The UK took the number four spot, with a three percent increase in military spending to $68.4bn,
replacing Saudi Arabia which instead decreased spending by 17 percent to an estimated $55.6bn.
Learn Along
About SIPRI HQ: Solna Director: Dan Smith
Labour force shrinks to 8-month low in March, 2022: CMIE
 According to the Centre for Monitoring of Indian Economy (CMIE), India’s labour force fell by 38
lakhs in the month of March to the lowest level in the last eight months, comprising a decline in the
count of both employed and unemployed.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 Labour force participation rate fell to 39.5%, lower than 39.9% in February and 39.6% in June 2022.
 In the labour force, the count of employed fell by 14 lakhs while the count of unemployed shrunk by 24
lakhs.
 India’s labour force shrunk to 42.8 crore. The fall in the absolute count of unemployed or the
unemployment rate is not because more people got employed.
 In the month of March 2022, the share of non-agriculture jobs fell by a whooping 1.67 crore, which was
offset by a rise in agricultural jobs of 1.53 crore.
 Industrial sector fell by 76 lakhs, manufacturing jobs fell by 41 lakhs, construction sector jobs fell
by 29 lakhs and the mining sector shed 11 lakh jobs.
FY23 outlook for real estate revised to stable: ICRA report
 Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited (ICRA) has revised the outlook
for residential real estate outlook to stable from negative for the current financial year 2022-2023,
supported by healthy sales traction and declining inventory overhang.
 The healthy sales momentum is expected to sustain, with the sales in top seven cities expected to
grow by 3% in FY23 on a high base of FY22.
 New launches are expected to be at a six-year high of 400 million square feet during the year, showing
improvement from the previous two years which were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
 Increasing preference for home ownership, improved affordability, all-time-low home loan interest rate,
among other factors, will be driving growth for the sector.
 An increase in interest rate on home loans by 50-75 basis points from current levels, the demand is
expected to remain firm.
 The back of the comfortable inventory position and sales, the years to sell is expected to trend to around
two years as against 2.6 years as on close of FY21.www.i xamBee.c om
Venture capital deal volume shrinks by 25% in Q1CY22 due to global unrest: KPMG
 India’s venture capital investments have slowed down relatively in Q1CY22 compared to the record
numbers seen in the first half of CY21.
 Indian venture capital industry reported $7.97 million in deal volume in Q1CY22 (across 300 deals),
which is a 25% QoQ dip compared to the previous quarter.
 The slowdown in India’s venture capital dealmaking is also in line with a global slowdown in the number
of deals from 10,775 in Q4CY21 to 9,349 in Q1CY22 – as geopolitical and economic factors
combined to create a storm of uncertainty in the market.
 In terms of volume, global venture capital deals dropped from a high of $191.9 billion in Q4CY21 to
around $144.8 billion in Q1CY22.
 India also attracted three of the largest rounds during Q1CY22, with an $800-million raise by Byju’s, a
$700-million raise by Swiggy, and a $478-million raise by DailyHunt.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Mission
 Axiom Space and SpaceX are adjusting the launch date for the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the
International Space Station to allow teams to complete final spacecraft processing ahead of the mission.
 The Ax-1 crew will fly on Dragon Endeavour to and from the space station. After 10 days in orbit, the
Ax-1 crew will splash down off the coast of Florida.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 Crew-4 will carry an international crew of four astronauts to the orbital complex on a new Dragon
spacecraft and flight proven Falcon 9 rocket for a science expedition mission.
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NASA Headquarters: Washington, D.C., US
HD1: Most Distant Galaxy Ever Seen
 An international group of astronomers say they have discovered what appears to be the earliest
and most distant collection of starlight ever seen: a reddish blob usefully named HD1, which was
pouring out prodigious amounts of energy only 330 million years after the Big Bang. Another blob, HD2
appears almost as far away.
 HD1’s red color matched the expected characteristics of a galaxy 13.5 billion light years away.
Indian Scientists discover ghost-like galaxy
 A team of Indian astronomers have discovered a faint but star-forming galaxy, which had so far
remained undetected, hiding in front of a bigger, brighter galaxy. The galaxy with a ghost-like
appearance shows hints of stars still forming within it and lies in our cosmic neighbourhood just 136
million light-years away.
 The galaxy was spotted by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics,
Bengaluru, along with international collaborators while studying a known interacting galaxy,
NGC6902A.
Pixxel launches its first satellite aboard SpaceX www.i xamBee.c om
 Indian space-tech startup Pixxel has launched its first satellite, part of its eventual 36-satellite
planned constellation, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission.
 Called ‘Shakuntala’, the satellite will help Pixxel begin its hyperspectral satellite imagery and satellite-
based data analytics services to pilot customers.
India’s space debris back to levels before 2019 anti-satellite test
 According to the latest issue of Orbital Debris Quarterly News, published by NASA’s Orbital Debris
Program Office, there are 25,182 pieces of space debris, of sizes larger than 10 cm, in the lower earth
orbits which are within 2,000 km of earth’s surface.
 Of these, the debris from Indian space assets is only 114, the lowest among major space-faring
nations, and around the same level as in 2018.
IIT Madras Researchers Launch India’s First Polycentric Prosthetic Knee
 IIT Madras researchers have launched the country’s first Made-in-India polycentric prosthetic knee
called ‘Kadam’.
 The affordable prosthetic knee can transform the lives of thousands of above-knee amputees through
not just mobility with ease, but also increased community participation, access to education, livelihood
opportunities and overall well-being.
 It was developed by a team at TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development
(R2D2) at IIT Madras, which also developed and commercialized ‘Arise,’ the country's first standing
wheelchair and NeoFly-NeoBolt, an active wheelchair and motorized add-on for seamless indoor-
outdoor mobility.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
IIT Guwahati, NTPC develop energy-efficient tech to capture carbon dioxide from power plants
 The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has partnered with NTPC Limited to design and
develop a highly energy-efficient plant for CO2 capture from power plants.
 This technology, which works on flue gas using a newly activated amine solvent (IITGS), consumes up
to 11 percent less energy compared to commercial activated MDEA (Monoethanolamine) solvent and up
to 31 percent less energy compared to benchmark MEA (Monoethanolamine) solvent.
 It has the potential to save a lot of foreign exchange for the nation. This development has the potential
impact on combating global climate change.
IIT Delhi Ties up with POSOCO
 Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre of Power System Operation Corp. Ltd. (Posoco) signed a
memorandum of understanding with Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT D), to encourage
research on issues related to India’s power sector and strengthen interaction between the academia and
industry.
 The objectives of the partnership are to strengthen academia-industry interaction, with goals of
knowledge sharing and capacity building through collaboration, encourage research on issues related to
the India’s power sector like data sciences or data analytics, ancillary services for grid operations, short
term demand and RE forecasting using artificial intelligence and machine learning, dynamic security
assessment, phasor measurement, unit analytics, among others.
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About POSOCO Headquarter: New Delhi, India
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Owner: Power Grid Corporation of India
HAL and BEL to co-develop IRST system for Su-30 MKI
 Defence PSUs Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) signed
a contract for co-development and co-production of long range dual band Infra-Red Search and Track
System (IRST) for the Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.
 The contract was signed under the MAKE-II procedure of Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020,
as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
 The proposed IRST system will be a high end strategic technology product in the field of defence
avionics and technically competitive to existing IRST systems in the global market with features of
television day camera, infrared and laser sensors in single window for air-to-air and air-to-ground target
tracking and localisation.
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

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Total wheat export stood at 70.30 lakh tonnes till March, 2022
 Maximum shipments to Bangladesh followed by Sri Lanka and UAE.

 The total export of wheat in terms of quantity during 2021-22 (till 21st March 2022) was 70.30 LMT.
 From April 2021 - March 21, 2022, exports of wheat to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and UAE stood at
39,37,438 tonnes; 5,80,819 tonnes; and 4,69,851 tonnes, respectively.
 India has exported seafood products worth USD 7.16 billion in April-February 2021-22.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Haryana govt launched crop insurance portal of ‘Mukhya Mantri Bagwani Bima Yojana’
 Haryana Agriculture Minister J P Dalal launched the portal of Mukhya Mantri Bagwani Bima Yojana
with an initial corpus of Rs 10 crore.
 Under this the farmers will be compensated for the damage caused to their crops due to adverse
weather and natural calamities.
 The scheme compensates a sum of Rs 30,000 / acre for vegetables and Spices and Rs 40,000 / acre
for fruits, compensated to the farmers claim via four categories such as 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%.
 The farmer’s contribution will be only 5% of the insured amount.
 The Scheme covers 21 crops – 14 vegetables, 2 spices, and 5 fruits.
FCI won’t buy Telangana’s 1.5 million tonne of par-boiled rice under PDS
 With excess stocks of par-boiled rice with the FCI under the public distribution system (PDS), the
government declined to take possession of the Telangana government’s demand to lift around 1.5
million tonne (mt) of par-boiled rice under the Central pool.
 Annual demand of around 2.8 mt of the par-boiled in the country — mostly consumed in Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand–, the corporation had 4 mt of grain stocks as on
April 1, 2022.
 Shelf-life of par-boiled rice is around 1.5 years.
 In a meeting August, 2021, the centre had informed the states that no par boiled rice will be accepted
in the central pool from kharif marketing season (June-July) for 2021-22 from any state due to high
stock level.
 Out of the total procurement of 8.83 mt of par boiled rice by FCI, 4.88 mt of rice procured in Telangana
and other key states which contributed to the central pool stocks were Odisha (1.7 mt), Chhattisgarh
(1.5 mt) and Andhra Pradesh (0.42 mt). www.i xamBee.c om
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Headquarters: New Delhi
Food Corporation of India (FCI) Chairman and MD: Sanjeev Kumar
Learn Along
The Public distribution system (PDS) is an Indian food Security System established under the Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution. PDS evolved as a system of management of scarcity through
distribution of food grains at affordable prices. PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the
State Governments. The Central Government, through Food Corporation of India (FCI), has assumed the
responsibility for procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food grains to the State Governments.
NFSA: Food ministry’s dynamic database to identify subsidy beneficiaries
 Under National Food Security Act (NFSA), under which more than 800 million people are provided
with highly subsidised food grains.
 As per the section 10 of NFSA, respective state government and Union Territories have the
responsibility of identification and selection of beneficiaries.
 States currently follow inclusions criteria, which broadly covers residential vulnerability, age,
disabilities, gender, caste, income and occupational vulnerability.
 The vulnerable households criteria is followed by only 9 states/UTs while the gender based
vulnerability is followed by 28 states/UTs.
 Under section 38 of NFSA states that the centre to provide guidelines to states from time to time for
ensuring effective implementation of food security legislation.
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Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) is a part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package
(PMGKP) to help the poor fight the battle against Covid-19. The scheme aimed at providing each person who is

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
covered under the National Food Security Act 2013 with an additional 5 kg grains (wheat or rice) for free, in addition
to the 5 kg of subsidised foodgrain already provided through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
PMGKAY Ministry: Ministry of Finance Launch Year: 2020
Indian Agricultural officers from 7 states on Israel tour to learn new approaches and techniques
 Agricultural officers from 7 different states of India are on a 15 day tour of Israel to learn about new
approaches and technologies in the sector that can add more value to the farmers.
 The 18 agricultural officers from Indo-Israel Centers of Excellence (CoE) are taking part in an
extensive state course, "Managing Centres of Excellence: Developing value for farmers".
 Organised by Mashav Agricultural Training Centre (MATC) in Israel under the Indo-Israel
Agricultural Project (IIAP).
Rural food price inflation nearly doubles in a year : NSO
 Consumer food price inflation in India has nearly doubled in India since March 2021, data released
by the National Statistical Office.
 More specifically, food price inflation in rural areas has more than doubled, from 3.94% in March
2021 to 8.04% in March 2022.
 CPI reading has surged to a 17-month high of 6.95% in March 2022, with a significant increase noticed
across most categories.
 The average annual CPI inflation for FY22 came in at 5.51%, higher than RBI’s projection of 5.30%.
Learn Along
All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) is released by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation (MoSPI). It has a base year of 2012
ADB, French firm LDC ink pact for USD 100 mn loan to help small farmers
www.i xamBee.c om
 ADBs assistance will help ensure reliable offtake to farmers, providing a direct way to preserve their
livelihoods and assets, while enabling them to invest in climate-resilient farming practices.
 The loan will support Louis Dreyfus Company BV's (LDC) operations in India, Indonesia, Pakistan,
Thailand, and Vietnam by financing coffee, cotton, and rice inventories for over 50,000 smallholder
farmers across these countries.
 An accompanying technical assistance (TA) grant will deliver capacity building and training activities
that will reinforce the benefits of sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices for cotton
farmers in India and coffee farmers in Indonesia.
 The TA will support pilot-testing of drip irrigation in cotton fields in India, and use of biochar kilns in
Indonesia.
 TA funding comprises USD 205,000 from ADB's Technical Assistance Special Fund for COVID
Recovery and USD 385,000 from the Strategic Climate Fund.
Govt sets foodgrain output target at record 328 million tonnes for 2022-23
 Government has set the foodgrain production target at a record level of 328 million tonnes for the
2022-23 crop year on the back of good monsoon rains.
 The target is 3.8% higher compared to previous year’s output.
 As per the second advance estimate of the agriculture ministry, foodgrains production is estimated to
be a record of 316.06 million tonne in ongoing 2021-22 crop year ending June.
 Of the total foodgrains production, a production target of 163.15 million tonnes has been set for the
kharif season and 164.85 million tonnes for the rabi season.
 For the kharif season, rice production target has been kept at 112 million tonnes, maize at 23.10
million tonnes, pulses at 10.55 million tonnes, and oilseeds at 26.89 million tonnes.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Indian mills produce 32.99 MT sugar till 15, April 2022: Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA)
 Sugar mills in the country have produced 32.99 million tonnes of sugar till 15, April 2022, this year,
which is 3.8 million tonne (MT) higher than 29.18 MT produced by the last year.
 ISMA said Maharashtra has recorded sugar production of 12.64 MT till April 15 this year as against
10.39 MT at the same time last year, almost 2.25 MT higher.
 In the current 2021-22 sugar season, reportedly 45 mills have stopped crushing operations in
Maharashtra, while 153 sugar mills are still crushing cane.
 Uttar Pradesh, the 120 sugar mills which were in operation have produced 9.44 MT of sugar till 15,
April 2022.
 Gujarat has produced 1. 07 MT of sugar with 14 sugar mills in operation, while one mill has closed for
season 2021-22.
 Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Rajasthan and Odisha have collectively produced 3.13 MT.
Learn Along
Indian Sugar Mills Association establish connection between Government and Sugar industry (private and public)
in the country. Prime objective is to ensure that functioning of both private and public sugar mills in country are done
through government policies. The association is the oldest industrial association in India established in 1932. It is
industrial association consisting of more than 532 public and private sector sugar mills.
Pune’s GI-tagged figs exported to Germany
 For the first time, fresh figs from Purandar taluka of Maharashtra’s Pune district with GI tags have
been exported to Europe.
 The Purandar Highlands Farmers Producers Company (PHFPC) has managed to successfully
export a consignment to Germany.
 The export was facilitated by the Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB).
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 The first shipment was sent to Pilz Schindler GmbH, located in Hamburg, Germany.
 FPC has been conducting trials with StePac, a packaging solution company from Israel, as well as
Bayer Crop Sciences’ food chain department.
 Turkey is the largest producer of figs in the world with 0.3 million tonnes.
 In India fig farming is mostly done in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Fertiliser subsidy spend to touch Rs 2 trillion in FY23: Fertiliser Ministry
 India’s fertiliser subsidy expenses could touch Rs 2 trillion in 2022-23 because of a sharp spike in
global prices of urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MoP) in 2021-22.
 The fertiliser subsidy was at Rs 1.6 trillion in 2021-22.
 Prices of DAP and MoP have risen by 66% and 116% to $924 a tonne and $590 a tonne in April 2022,
respectively, comparison to the year-ago period.
 Fertiliser requirement of 35.43 million tonne (MT) during the 2022 kharif season, availability would be
48.55 MT, including 10.47 MT of imported fertiliser and 25.47 MT of domestically produced soil
nutrients.
 In the case of urea, farmers pay a fixed price of Rs 242 per bag (45 kg) which covers about 20% of the
cost of production, the balance is provided by the government as subsidy to fertiliser units.
 India meets about 75-80% of the volume of consumption of urea from domestic production while the
rest is imported from Oman, Egypt, the UAE, South African and Ukraine.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches two new portals for agri sector
 Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched two new portals, including one for registration
of pesticides and another portal is for documentation related to imports and exports of agri-
products and plants.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The minister launched the two portals — CROP (Comprehensive Registration of Pesticides) and
PQMS (Plant Quarantine Management System) — in an event held at the Pusa complex, with an aim
to improve ease of doing business.
 The two new portals have been launched to make the process of pesticides registration and
documentation process for export-import simple and transparent.
 The country’s foodgrains production and the government’s procurement operation remained unaffected
despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Egypt approves India as wheat supplier
 Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said Egypt, which is one of the largest importers of
wheat from Ukraine and Russia, has approved India as a wheat supplier.
 There is a sharp decline in availability of wheat in the global markets due to the ongoing conflict
between Russia and Ukraine.
 Egypt imported wheat worth about USD 1.8 billion from Russia and USD 610.8 million from Ukraine in
2020.
 Egypt is looking to import 1 million tonne of wheat from India and would need 2,40,000 tonne in April.
 India’s wheat exports increased to USD 1.74 billion in April-January 2021-22 as against USD 340.17
million in the same period last year.
 India’s wheat exports are mainly to neighbouring countries with Bangladesh having the largest share
of more than 54% in both volume and value terms in 2020-21.
 India is the second largest producer of wheat with a share of around 14.14% in the world’s total
production in 2020.
APEDA signs MoU with NRDC to boost export value chain
 Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has signed a
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Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Research Development Corporation (NRDC)

with a view to giving a boost to the export value chain.
 The MoU has been signed for the implementation of the Agri Export Policy and to strengthen the
export value chain.
 The MoU has been inked for utilizing both the organizations’ expertise by working together to
synergize the activities in the interest of agriculture and allied sectors for bringing better value to the
stakeholders.
 The MoU’s mandate is to infuse and disseminate technologies jointly with APEDA in the areas of
climate-resilient agriculture related to zero carbon emission farming to produce residue/carbon-free
food for exports.
Learn Along
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is an apex body under the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, responsible for the export promotion of agricultural
products.
Fertiliser subsidy set to touch record Rs 1.65 trn in FY23 : CRISIL
 India's fertiliser subsidy is set to touch a record of Rs 1.65 lakh crore and an additional subsidy and
revision in the nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) rates are crucial in order to sustain the credit profiles of
fertiliser makers.
 CRISIL assessment assumes 3% year-on-year growth in demand for fertilisers and a moderation of
raw material and fertiliser prices in the second half of this fiscal.
 If demand is higher than expected, or input prices do not soften even in the second half, the subsidy
bill may inch up to Rs 1.8-1.9 lakh crore,".
 In the past two fiscals, the government has paid an additional Rs 1.2 lakh crore and increased the
budgeted subsidy.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 Over 85% of the subsidy arrears could be contributed by urea. This is because pooled gas prices - a
blend of domestic gas and imported LNG considered for billing to fertilisers plants - had shot up
more than 75% last fiscal, and is expected to remain elevated for most part of 2022-23, because of the
Russia-Ukraine conflict,".
Learn Along
The Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme is being implemented since April 2010. Under the NBS Policy, a fixed
rate of subsidy (in Rs per Kg basis) is announced on nutrients namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K) and
Sulphur (S) by the government on annual basis.
Agriculture absorbed additional 11 m workers over last 3 years: CMIE

 During the pandemic, agriculture has absorbed an additional 11 million workers in the last three years
while the rest of the economy lost 15 million jobs the Indian Economy Monitoring Center saying.
 CMIE Consumer Pyramids Household Survey, Agriculture saw an estimated 4.5 million increase in
employment during fiscal year 2021-22. While total employment fell by 21.7 million in the 2020-21
pandemic year, agriculture provided employment for 3.4 million.
 In 2019-20, agriculture also saw an addition of 3.1 million to its employee count.
 Agricultural prices have also remained high. Farmers have therefore seen the benefits of rising prices
for their bumper crops and have also benefited from favorable terms of trade.
Learn Along
Consumer Pyramids Household Survey Consumer Pyramids Household Survey is a continuous survey. Data is
collected in Waves. There are three Waves every year. Each Wave is completed over a four month period. The
service provides access, for the period of a valid subscription, to data from the first Wave that was conducted during
January-April 2016.
Non-basmati rice exports grow by 109% since 2013-14 : Directorate General of Commercial
Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) www.i xamBee.c om
 Parboiled rice forms the largest chunk of non-basmati exports which witnessed a growth of 109%
from $ 2925 million in FY 2013-14 to $6115 million in FY 2021-22.
 India exported rice to over 150 nations in FY22. India is the world's second-largest rice producer.
 According to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), apart
from parboiled variety, broken rice, rice in husk, husked brown rice and milled rice were also exported.
 Exports of non-basmati rice were the leading forex earner among all agri-commodities in FY22.
 Benin, a West African country, is a major importer of Indian non-basmati rice.
 According to the Second Advance Estimates for FY22, overall rice output will reach a new high of
127.93 million tonnes and overall food grain production in the country is expected to reach a new high
of 316.06 million tonnes.
Insurance coverage for Fisheries, Aquaculture Units Abysmal in India: FAO
 FAO World Review of Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 has suggested involvement of
public and private insurance service providers to undertake proactive measures to turn the tide on
fisheries and aquaculture insurance in India.
 In India, fishing vessels, coastal immovable property, and aquaculture units have abysmal insurance
coverage.
 The report suggested that bundling disaster risk insurance packages with existing micro-credit
schemes could be a viable option, given the strong network of micro-finance institutions and self-help
groups in coastal areas.
 Matsyafed in Kerala runs a similar scheme in which the interest on loans is paid back on a daily
basis through deductions from fishing revenue.
 FAO's World Review of Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 provides a detailed account of the
current state of insurance in the world's top ten capture fisheries and aquaculture producers.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Learn Along
FAO Headquarters: Rome, Italy Director General: Qu Dongyu
DEFENCE
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Indian Coast Guard's Karaikal base gets Interceptor Boat ICGS C-436
 The Indian Coast Guard unit inducted interceptor boat 'C-436', which has been rebased from Andhra
Pradesh station, to its fleet to improve surveillance along the coastline of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
 The vessel was formally inducted in a ceremony near Karaikal Port, in which Nagapattinam Collector
A Arun Thamburaj participated as chief guest.
 The Interceptor Boat (IB), which is the 36th of its series, was commissioned at its base port of
Krishnapatnam.
‘Varuna’ Naval Exercise’
 The 20th edition of the Bilateral Naval Exercise between Indian and French Navies – ‘VARUNA’
was conducted in the Arabian Sea.
 The Bilateral Naval Exercises between the two Navies were initiated in 1993. The exercise was
christened as ‘VARUNA’ in 2001 and has become a vital part of India – France strategic bilateral
relationship.
Lt Gen Manoj Pande all set to become next Army chief

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 Vice Chief Lieutenant General Manoj Pande is all set to become Chief of the Army Staff.
 Present Army Chief, Gen MM Naravane is ahead in the race for the post of Chief of Defence Staff
after the post fell vacant in December last year as the then Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat
passed away in a helicopter crash near Coimbatore.
9th Edition of India-Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise culminated
 The 9th Edition of the India – Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise has added to interoperability
between the Special Forces of both the sides.
 The exercise, commenced at the Special Forces Training School, Bakloh (Himachal Pradesh).
 Special Forces contingents from India and Kyrgyzstan shared their expertise and best practices of
tactics, techniques and procedures to counter existing and emergent threats across the entire spectrum
of conflict.Combat shooting, sniping, survival in mountains, hostage rescue drills and unarmed combat
were practiced extensively during the exercise.
Pinaka Mk-I (Enhanced) Rocket System and Pinaka Area Denial Munition Rocket Systems
successfully flight-tested by DRDO & Indian Army
 Pinaka Mk-I (Enhanced) Rocket System (EPRS) and Pinaka Area Denial Munition (ADM) rocket
systems have been successfully flight-tested by Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) and Indian Army at Pokhran Firing Ranges.
 The Pinaka rocket system has been developed by Armament Research and Development
Establishment, Pune supported by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, another Pune-
based laboratory of DRDO.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The EPRS is the upgraded version of Pinaka variant which has been in service with the Indian Army
for the last decade. The system has been upgraded with advanced technologies enhancing the range to
meet the emerging requirements.
Learn Along
DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi Agency Executive: Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy
Army chief presents President’s Colours to two battalions of Dogra regiment
 General MM Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff presented the prestigious ‘President’s Colours’ to
two battalions of the Dogra Regiment, namely 20 DOGRA and 21 DOGRA during an impressive
Colour Presentation Parade held at the Dogra Regimental Centre, Faizabad (UP).
India successfully flight-tests Anti-Tank Guided Missile HELINA
 India successfully flight-tested Helina, an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), in Pokhran.

 The test was part of user validation trials of the third generation ‘fire and forget’ class missiles developed
by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
 Helina has a maximum range of seven kilometres.
 Helina has been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad
under the Missiles and Strategic Systems (MSS) cluster of the DRDO.
 It has been developed for integration with choppers in both the Army and the Air Force.
Indian Coast Guard Commissions Advanced Light Helicopter MK III Squadron

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 The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commissioned a squadron of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) MK
III, which will strengthen maritime security.
 Four such helicopters are positioned at Bhubaneswar, covering the entire coast of West Bengal and
Orissa.
Vagsheer, last Scorpene-class submarine under Project-75, launched
 The sixth Scorpene class submarine, INS Vagsheer, constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders
Limited for the Indian Navy, was launched in Mumbai.
 INS Vagsheer will now undergo rigorous trials and tests, both in harbour and at sea before it is
commissioned into the Navy. These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders
Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group, France.
IIT Madras signs agreement with IAF to develop solutions to maintain weapon systems
 The Indian Air Force (IAF) signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Madras to develop indigenous solutions to maintain various weapon systems.
 IIT Madras will provide consultancy duly supported by research for feasibility studies and prototype
development.
National Level Pollution Response Exercise of Indian Coast Guard inaugurated
 Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar inaugurated the 8th edition of two-day National Level Pollution
Response Exercise, ‘NATPOLREX-VIII’, being conducted by Indian Coast Guard (ICG) off Mormugao
harbour, Goa.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The event is being attended by more than 85 participants from 50 agencies, including 29 observers from
22 friendly foreign countries & International Organisations and two Coast Guard ships from Sri Lanka
and Bangladesh.
Trishakti Corps conduct Kripan Shakti exercise at Teesta Field Firing Ranges
 The Trishakti Corps conducted Ex Kripan Shakti, an Integrated Fire Power exercise at Teesta Field
Firing Ranges (TFFR) near Siliguri (WB).
 The exercise was aimed at orchestrating and synergizing the capabilities of the Indian Army and the
Central Armed Police Forces to fight an integrated battle.
First edition of Naval Commanders' Conference
 The first edition of the Naval Commanders' Conference of 2022 is scheduled from April 25 to 28.
 The conference serves as a platform for naval commanders to discuss important maritime matters
at the military-strategic level as well as interact with senior government functionaries through an
institutionalised forum.
 The Navy chief, along with other officers will review major operational, materiel, logistics, human
resource development, training and administrative activities undertaken by the Indian Navy in the last six
months and further deliberate upon future plans for important activities and initiatives.
India, Maldives unveil sea navigation chart
 Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, who was on a three-day visit to Maldives, unveiled the first
navigation chart and handed over hydrography equipment to consolidate organic capabilities of the
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island nation.
 It helps ships to understand the maritime topography of Maldives Exclusive Economic zones, water
depths and which areas to avoid.
 INS Sutlej is currently deployed to Maldives for undertaking joint hydrographic survey under the MoU on
hydrographic cooperation.
Learn Along
About Maldives Capital: Malé Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant to be handed over to Indian Navy
 The Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) will hand over India's first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)
which will be named 'INS Vikrant' to the Indian Navy in May.
 The aircraft carrier will be commissioned on August 14. The INS Vikrant will be out for the final sea trial
in the next few weeks.
 The warship has been built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore and its construction propelled India
into a select group of countries having capabilities to build state-of-the-art aircraft carriers.
 The warship will operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters, and MH-60R multi-role
helicopters. It has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1700 people, including
specialised cabins to accommodate women officers.
IAF chief inaugurates logistics seminar LOGISEM VAYU-2022
 The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari inaugurated the logistics seminar ‘Logisem Vayu-
2022’ in New Delhi.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The new paradigm of high intensity operations, coupled with minimal build-up time would require major
changes in terms of operational logistics.
 To standardise logistical functions and provide a blueprint for the future, there was a need to look at a
vision document for operational logistics that would define the foundational precincts of logistics support
in the IAF during combat.
EVENTS
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‘Prakriti’: Environmental Awareness Mascot
 The Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav launched “Prakriti”, a mascot that spreads
greater awareness about small alterations in life that can curb plastic pollution.
 India is on its way to imposing a blanket ban on single-use plastic. Items such as earbuds, glasses,
plastic flags, cutlery, glasses, etc are to be banned from July 2022.
Panchayati Raj Ministry to celebrate Iconic Week from April 11 to April 17
 The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is celebrating the Iconic Week from 11th April to 17th April, 2022 to
commemorate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) as a Jan-Utsav in the spirit of Jan-Bhagidari.
 The Iconic Week programmes will highlight the prominence of the role of Panchayats in achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals and create necessary awareness for developing community
awareness and involvement.
20th Meeting of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

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 The 20th Meeting of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was held in Pakke tiger reserve in
Arunachal Pradesh under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate
Change Bhupender Yadav.
 For the first time in history the NTCA meeting happened outside the national capital.
 The Minister released standard operating procedure for tiger reintroduction and supplementation
in wild , forest fire audit protocol for tiger reserves , technical manual on MEE of Tiger reserves
in India prepared by NTCA.
“Amrit Samagam”, a conference of Tourism and Culture Ministers of the country, inaugurated
 On the occasion of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture has organized the two-day
conference “Amrit Samagam”, in New Delhi.
 The conference was inaugurated by Minister of Home and Co-operation, Amit Shah.
 The opening address was delivered by Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern
Region of India (DoNER), G. Kishan Reddy.
 The 2-day conference aims to reflect on the progress of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav so far, gather best
practices and ideate on the strategies to be adopted for the remaining period of the celebration,
especially for upcoming crucial initiatives.
Rajnath Singh arrives in Washington to attend India-US 2+2 dialogue
 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Washington DC to attend the 4th India-US 2+2 ministerial
dialogue.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 In his five-day US visit, Rajnath Singh held talks with the US leadership to deepen the India-US strategic
partnership.
 Rajnath Singh separately met the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon. The two
discussed defence cooperation, including defence industrial collaboration and capability building
through military-to-military engagements.
 The Defence Minister is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of US Indo-Pacific Command
(INDOPACOM) in Hawaii after his visit to Washington DC.
40th edition of ‘Hunar Haat’ to be inaugurated in Mumbai
 The 40th edition of “Hunar Haat”, a platform to preserve, protect and promote local artisans and
craftsmen, was inaugurated Union Minister Anurag Thakur in Mumbai.
 At least 1,000 artisans and craftsmen from all over the country will participate in the 40th edition of the
initiative, which will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs
and Sports Anurag Thakur.
 “Hunar Haat” has provided a platform to craftsmanship and handicrafts from far-flung areas of the
country and has given them national and international recognition.
PM Modi to Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the three-day Global Ayush Investment & Innovation
Summit (GAIIS) in Gandhinagar, Gujrat.
 The most pertinent event of Ministry of Ayush for 2022, this Summit will witness the participation of
industry leaders, academicians, and scholars to deliberate upon ways to promote traditional
medicines, and systems. www.i xamBee.c om
 One of the aims of the Summit is to attract lucrative investments to build India as the Global
Ayush Destination in the world.
 This centre will emerge as an international hub of global wellness taking traditional medicine systems of
the world to new heights.
 It will also provide assistance to WHO member countries so that positive health can be spread over the
world.
Beach Festival “I Sea PONDY-2022” inaugurated
 Lieutenant Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan inaugurated the Puducherry's first-ever Beach
Festival I Sea PONDY-2022.
 The festival will be celebrated for four days in Puducherry Gandhi Beach, Pondy Marina and Sandunes
of Paradise Beach. Various cultural events and contests will be held during the festival.
National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise (NCX India)
 Ajit Doval, KC, National Security Advisor, inaugurated the National Cyber Security Incident Response
Exercise.
 National Cyber Exercise (NCX) India will be conducted as a hybrid exercise over a period of ten days
with the aim to train senior management and technical personnel of Government/Critical Sector
organisations and agencies on contemporary cyber threats and handling cyber incidents and response.
 The program is being conducted by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Govt. of India
in association with Data Security Council of India (DSCI) as the Knowledge Partner and supported by
the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The platform for training is being

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
provided by CyberExer Technologies, an Estonian cybersecurity company accredited for globally

conducting several large cyber exercises.
20th India-France Joint Staff talks held in Paris
 The 20th edition of India-France Joint Staff talks was held in Paris, France.
 The meeting was conducted in a friendly, warm and cordial atmosphere. The discussions focused on
new initiatives under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanism and
strengthening ongoing defence engagements.
 The India-France Joint Staff talks is a forum established to enhance defence cooperation between
both the nations through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels.
Learn Along
About France Capital: Paris Currency: Euro
Ministry of Civil Aviation organized “Yog Prabha”
 The Ministry of Civil Aviation organized “Yog Prabha”, a mega Yoga event at Safdarjung Airport, New
Delhi.
 This event will help create wider awareness among the participants about importance of Yoga in daily
life.
IAF's national level logistics seminar at Air Force Auditorium in New Delhi
 A national level logistics seminar was organised by Indian Air Force at Air Force Auditorium in
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New Delhi.
 The theme of the seminar was “Orchestrating Logistics Support for Air Combat Operations”.
 Prominent experts from various fields delved upon aspects related to National Logistics Policy and
absorption of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and internet of things.
MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar launches Digital India RISC-V Microprocessor (DIR-V) Program
 To achieve commercial silicon and design wins for the next generation microprocessors by
December 2023, the government of India announced the launch of Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V)
program.
 RISC-V is a free and open ISA enabling a new era of processor innovation through open standard
collaboration.
 The government initiative is pegged to be another concrete step towards realizing the ambition of self-
reliance towards “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
APPOINTMENTS
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Organization Name News Learn Along
---
Payments Council of Vishwas Patel re-elected as chairman of Payments Council of India.
India
Consumer healthcare app PharmEasy has launched its latest ---
PharmEasy campaign with Aamir Khan as its brand ambassador.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
The government named Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India’s ambassador ---

Indian Govt.
to Nepal, as the next Foreign Secretary. He will take charge as the
Foreign Secretary, when incumbent Harsh Vardhan Shringla retires on
April 30.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Dr Arunabha

Ghosh to his new ‘High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Emissions Headquarters:
Commitments of Non-State Entities’. The group will help in developing New York,
UN
stronger and clearer standards for net-zero emissions pledges by non- United States
State entities such as businesses, investors, cities and regions.
Dr. S Raju has taken over as the Director General of Geological

Survey of India (GSI) in Kolkata. He succeeds Shri R. S. Garkhal Headquarters:
Geological Survey of
who superannuated on 31st March 2022. Prior to assuming the present Kolkata, West
India
post Dr. Raju was holding the post of Additional Director General and Bengal, India
National Head, Mission-III & IV at GSI HQ.
National Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University vice-chancellor Mahesh

Accreditation Board Verma has been appointed the new chairman of the National
for Hospitals and Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare providers
Healthcare providers (NABH).NABH, a constituent Board of Quality Council of India,
(NABH) operates accreditation, certification and empanelment programmes for ---
healthcare organisations.
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Delhi Metro Rail The Delhi government appointed Vikas Kumar as the managing
director (MD) of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). ---
Corporation
UN rights body The UN's top rights body has appointed an expert on climate change
and human rights for the first time, a move that is expected to ---
embolden environmental defenders and provide more support for
victims of extreme weather.
The first to hold the post is Dr Ian Fry from the Australian National
University, who holds both Australian and Tuvaluan nationality.
RBI approves re-appointment of Murali M. Natrajan as Managing

Director & CEO of DCB Bank for a further period of two years from Headquarters:
DCB Bank
April 29, 2022 to April 28, 2024. Mumbai
Dr Manoj Soni was appointed as the UPSC Chairman and his tenure
will end on 27 June 2023. Founded: 1
UPSC
Dr Soni has been appointed to replace the previous UPSC chairman October 1926
Pradip Kumar Joshi.
G20 summit Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will be appointed as

coordinator for the G20 summit, which will be hosted by India in ---
2023.
Shringla, who retires on April 30, will take charge of his new role as
G20 coordinator on May 1.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Air India Asset The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved senior IAS
officer Vikram Dev Dutt's appointment as the Chairman and ---
Holding
Managing Director (CMD) of Air India Asset Holding (AIAHL), in the
rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
US Govt. Indian-American US Navy veteran Shanti Sethi has joined Vice

President Kamala Harris’s office as her executive secretary and ---
defence advisor. In her new role, Sethi coordinates National Security
Advisor documentation across the Office of the Vice President.
Digit Insurance Digit Insurance announced it has appointed Jasleen Kohli as the
new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ---
the company effective from 20 April, 2022. Kohli will take over the
baton from Vijay Kumar who held the position since the company was
founded in 2017.
Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar has been appointed as the

next Director-General of Military Operations. He would be taking ---
Indian Army
over the new office on May 1.
Lieutenant General Manoj Pande appointed the new Chief of Army
Staff. He will succeed General M M Naravane on May 1.
The Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Pande will be the first officer
from the Corps of Engineers to become the COAS.
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Procter & Gamble Global FMCG firm Procter & Gamble announced the appointment of L Headquarters:
V Vaidyanathan as the Chief Executive Officer for its operations in United States
India from July 1, 2022.
India Pulses and India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex body for
India’s pulses trade and industry, recently announced the appointment ---
Grains Association
of Bimal Kothari as the new chairman with immediate effect while
Jitu Bheda steps down as the current chairman.
Wipro IT major Wipro has appointed Satya Easwaran as the country head
for India. He will be in charge of strengthening Wipro’s business in Headquarters:
India across key industry sectors through strategic consulting, Bengaluru
transformation, and modernisation engagements.
NITI Aayog The government appointed Suman K Bery as the vice-chairman of

the NITI Aayog following the resignation of Rajiv Kumar. Mr. Bery Formed: 1
will take charge from May 1, 2022. January 2015
Eminent physicist Ajay Kumar Sood has been appointed as the

principal scientific advisor (PSA) to the government. ---
PSA's office
UNICEF's YuWaah' - the Indian chapter of Generation Unlimited - has

UNICEF announced Ashwin Yardi, the CEO of Capgemini in India, to be its co-
chair.Yardi will be a co-chair along with Yasumasa Kimura, the HQ:New York
UNICEF Representative.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
The National Association of Software and Services Companies

(NASSCOM), has announced the appointment of Krishnan
NASSCOM Ramanujam, who is President, Enterprise Growth Group, at Tata Headquarters:
Consultancy Services, as the industry body's chairperson for 2022- New Delhi
23.
NASSCOM also announced the appointment of Anant Maheshwari,
President, Microsoft India, as its vice-chairperson for 2022-23.
BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Sampla has been __
NCSC
appointed as the chairperson of the National Commission for
Scheduled Castes (NCSC) for a second time.
Haj Committee of A P Abdullahkutty has been elected as the chairperson of the Haj
Committee of India, while for the first time, two women have been __
India
chosen as its vice chairpersons.
Indian Army
Lieutenant General Baggavalli Somashekar Raju has been Army Chief:
appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff and he will take over Gen Manog
on May 1, 2022. Pande
AWARDS AND REWARDS www.i xamBee.c om
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Ramdarash Mishra named for Saraswati Samman 2021
 ‘Mein to Yahan Hun’, a Hindi poetry collection by Prof Ramdarash Mishra, has been selected for
‘Saraswati Samman’, 2021. This book was published in 2015.
 The ‘Saraswati Samman’ instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991 is recognised as the most
prestigious and the highest literary award in the country.
 It carries an award money of Rs 15 lakh, a citation, and a plaque.
Journalist Aarefa Johari awarded Chameli Devi Jain Award 2021
 Mumbai-based journalist Aarefa Johari was declared as the winner of the Chameli Devi Jain Award for
an Outstanding Woman Mediaperson 2021.
 Instituted in 1982, the annual Chameli Devi Jain Award is a prestigious recognition for women
mediapersons in India who have reported on themes such as social development, politics, equity,
gender justice, health, war and conflict, and consumer values.
Winners at the Grammy Awards 2022
 At the The Grammy Awards 2022, the highest honors in the music industry were bestowed on artists
during a live ceremony in Las Vegas.
 The show was hosted by Trevor Noah.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Winners:
Category Winner
Song of the Year Leave The Door Open
Album of the Year We Are
Best New Artist Olivia Rodrigo
Best Dance Recording Alive
Best Rap Album Call Me If You Get Lost
Best Rap Song Jail
Best Rock Song Waiting on a War
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Sangeet Natak Awards 2018
 Forty-three eminent artists were presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Sangeet
Natak Awards for 2018 while the Lalit Kala Akademi’s Fellowship and National Awards for 2021 were
given to 23 people by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in a joint ceremony.
 Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are national honours bestowed by the government on performing
artists as well as teachers and scholars in the field of performing arts.
 An award each was also given for overall contribution and scholarship in Performing Arts.
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 Dance: Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain,Sattriya dancer Jatin Goswami, Sonal Mansingh and
Thiruvidaimarudur Kuppiah Kalyanasundaram were given fellowships.
 Music: Among the thirteen honoured for music are Hindustani vocalists Mani Prasad and
Madhup Mudgal, santoor player Tarun Bhattacharya, Tejendra Narayan Majumdar for sarod,
and Carnatic vocalists Alamelu Mani and Malladi Suribabu.
 Classical Dance: Bharatanatyam dancer Radha Sridhar, Mohiniyattam dancer Gopika Varma,
Kuchipudi dancer Ramalinga Sastry, are among the ten dancers who got the award.
 Theatre: Among the eight theatre artistes who have been conferred the award are Suhas Joshi
and Teekam Joshi for acting, Rajiv Naik and Laltluangliana Khiangte for playwriting, and
Sanjay Upadhyay for direction.
 Other: Musician Malini Awasthi (folk music), Gazi Khan Barna (folk music), Arjun Singh
Dhurve (folk dance) Mohammad Sadiq Bhagat (folk theatre), Anupama Hoskere (string
puppetry), Hem Chandra Goswami (mask making) are awardees in the other categories.
 Overall: Diwan Singh Bajeli was awarded in the field of overall contribution in performing arts.
 Sculptor Himmat Shah, reputed painters and artists Jyoti Bhatt and Shyam Sharma were
awarded the prestigious Lalit kala Akademi fellowship.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Shree's 'Tomb of Sand' first Hindi novel on International Booker shortlist
 Author Geetanjali Shree’s novel ‘Tomb of Sand’ became the first Hindi language work of fiction to
be shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.
 Shree's book, translated into English by Daisy Rockwell, will compete with five other titles from
around the world for the prestigious 50,000 pounds literary prize, which is split evenly between the
author and translator.
Veteran Bengali writer wins coveted O. Henry Award for 1977 story
 The O. Henry Award is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The
award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry.
 Bengali author Amar Mitra was awarded with this year’s O.Henry prize for a short story titled
'Gaonburo'. The short story is a Bengali short fiction written in 1977, 45 years back.
World Press Photo Contest 2022
 The World Press Photo Contest recognises the best photojournalism and documentary
photography.
 Amber Bracken's picture, entitled Kamloops Residential School, has been named World Press
Photo of the Year.
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Jnanpith Award presented to Assamese poet Nilamani Phookan
 Eminent Assamese poet Nilamani Phookan was conferred the 56th Jnanpith Award, the ceremony of
which was held for the first time in Assam.
 Phookan is the third Assamese to receive the Jnanpith Award after novelist Birendra Kumar
Bhattacharya (1979) and Mamoni Raisom Goswami (2000).
Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with first Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award at the
80th annual Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards ceremony.
 PM Modi to be honoured with first Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award for selfless service to nation.
 Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award has been instituted by the family and Master Deenanath
Mangeshkar Smruti Pratishthan charitable trust in the memory of Legendary Singer Lata
Mangeshkar.
 Here are the other awardees:

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
I. The Master Deenanath Puraskar (special honour) will be conferred this year to Asha Parekh and
Jackie Shroff for their "dedicated services in the field of Indian cinema".
II. The Master Deenanath Puraskar for Indian music will be conferred to Rahul Deshpande, an
Indian classical singer.
III. The Master Deenanath Puraskar for Best Drama will go to the play, "Sanjay Chaya", a Marathi
play produced by Jigisha Ashtvinayak.
IV. The Master Deenanath Puraskar (Anandmayee Puraskar) will be given to the famous Mumbai
Dabbawalas for their "dedicated services in the field of social service".
Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2020
 Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) flagship Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN

(UdeDeshkaAamNagrik) has been selected for Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public
Administration 2020 under the category “Innovation (General) – Central”.
 UDAN aims to enhance aviation infrastructure and air connectivity in Tier II and III cities
 Government of India has initiated this award to acknowledge, recognize and reward extraordinary and
innovative work done by Districts and Organizations of State/Government. This scheme emphasises on
Good Governance, Qualitative achievements, and last mile connectivity rather than only on achievement
of quantitative targets. The award consists of a trophy, scroll and an incentive of Rs 10 lakhs.
International Gandhi Award for Leprosy 2021
 Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu conferred the International Gandhi Award for Leprosy 2021 to Dr.
Bhushan Kumar of Chandigarh and Sahyog Kushtha Yagna Trust, Gujarat at a function in New
Delhi. www.i xamBee.c om
 The annual award was instituted by Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation.
Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2022
 Economist and political commentator Prabhat Patnaik will receive the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2022,
by the Malcolm and Elizebath Adiseshiah Trust.
 The award comprises a citation and prize money of Rs 2 lakh.
 Patnaik taught at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning in the School of Social Sciences at
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and was vice-chairman of the Kerala State Planning
Board.
 The prestigious national award is given every year to an outstanding social scientist selected from
nominations received by a national-level jury.
2021 AIMA Managing India Awards (AIMA)
 Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, presented the 2021 AIMA Managing India
Awards (AIMA) in multiple categories in Delhi.
 In the films category, Shoojit Sircar was honoured with the Director Of The Year award for Sardar
Udham .
 This year’s awards also recognised young entrepreneurs, as well as science-led companies. The
citations for the awards were read by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Jatin Das, Muzaffar Ali, Ritu Beri, and
Suhel Seth among others.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Celent Model Bank Award
 IndusInd Bank has announced that it has been awarded the global ‘Celent Model Bank’ award under
the category – ‘Payments System Transformation’ for building a best-in-class Enterprise Payments
Hub (EPH).
 The award acknowledges the Bank’s outstanding journey in creating a cloud-based central payments
hub that is capable of seamlessly processing high transaction loads originating across all forms of
payment instructions, and across all originating client touchpoints.
About the award: The ‘Celent Model Bank’ is awarded for best practices of technology usage in different areas, that
are critical to success in banking, and is the main award that a financial institution can receive from Celent – a leading
research and advisory firm focused on technology for financial institutions, globally.
National Metallurgist Award 2021
 The Union Ministry for Steel hosted the “National Metallurgist Award 2021”.
 The program aims to recognise the outstanding contribution of metallurgists/engineers working in the
field of Iron & Steel covering Manufacturing, R&D, Design, Education, Waste management, Energy
Conservation and their specific contribution to achieve objectives of Atmnirbhar Bharat.
 Awardees were under the categories viz. Lifetime Achievement Award, National Metallurgist Award,
Award for R&D in Iron & Steel Sector and Young Metallurgist (Metal Science) Award were finalised.
Commonwealth Points of Light Award
 First established by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, over 6,000 US Points of Light have been
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recognised in the USA.

 UK Points of Light was developed in partnership with the US programme and launched in the Cabinet
Room at 10 Downing Street in April 2014.
 Points of Light are outstanding individual volunteers – people who are making a change in their
community. Every week day the Prime Minister recognises an inspirational volunteer with the Daily Point
of Light award.
 Some Recent “Points of Light” winners:
Name Field Country For
Kishore Kumar Das Bidyanondo Bangladesh Bangladesh Improving access to

education for children from
marginalised backgrounds
Dorla Bowman Belizean Social Justice Belize Championing women's rights

Activist and gender equality
Rambhaben Shah Prem Yoga Leicester Running free yoga sessions

for the older Asian community
Manhar Taylor Ashton Community Ashton-under-Lyne Delivering meals and

Champion reducing isolation in the local
community
Michael Bryan AI Healthcare Pioneer Bournemouth Using AI and digital

technology to diagnose
medical conditions

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Name Field Country For
Eric Asamoah Awuah Speech Forces Ghana Ghana Engaging school pupils in
debating and critical thinking
UN 'Champion of the Earth' award
 The British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has been officially recognized as a "Champion of the
Earth" Lifetime Achievement Award by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to honour
David Attenborough’s dedication to research, documentation, and advocacy in protecting and
restoring nature.
 The natural history icon is just the fifth person to receive the award for lifetime achievement.
 Some of his most famous documentaries include Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Life on Earth and Our
Planet.
New Global Peace Ambassador 2022
 The AAC-Global Peace Ambassador 2022 honor has been constituted by Asia Africa Consortium and
is the highest honour bestowed by the Secretary General on a global citizen that fosters Socio Economic
Relations and Sustainable Growth between Asia and Africa encompassing in Education, Health and
Trade.
 Babita Singh was conferred this award for her exemplary contribution for her Peace building initiatives
via Sports & Culture.
 Serial entrepreneur Babita Singh has been conferred as a Global Peace Ambassador for promoting
Peace through Education, Sports, Art, Culture & Diplomacy at the India International Conclave 2022
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held in collaboration with Asia Africa Consortium (AAC) that took place on 16th April 2022 in
Shangrila, New Delhi.
PRSI Awards 2022
 The National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd. (NMDC), was given the Public Relations Awards
2022 conferred by Public Relations Society of India (PRSI), winning the first position in four categories.
 The mining major was conferred with this honour for their Corporate Website, Annual Report, Layout
and Design of Newsletter, and CSR Corporate Video.
Guadalajara named World Book Capital 2022
 Guadalajara (Mexico) was named World Book Capital for the year 2022 by the Director-General of
UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee.
 The city, already a UNESCO Creative City since 2017, was selected for its comprehensive plan for
policies around the book to trigger social change, combat violence and build a culture of peace.
Ardeshir B K Dubash conferred highest diplomatic award by the Government of Peru
 The former Honorary Consul of Peru in Mumbai, Ardeshir B.K. Dubash, received the Order of “Merit in
the Diplomatic Service of Peru Jose Gregorio Paz Soldan”, the highest distinction conferred by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 The Order of Merit, which was instituted in 2004, takes its name from Jose Gregorio Paz Soldan, a
distinguished Peruvian official who established the Peruvian diplomatic service and who held the office
of Minister of Foreign Affairs on three different occasions.
 The award is normally reserved for career diplomats who have excelled in their work to promote the
democratic, historical and institutional values of the Ministry, and who have made outstanding
contributions to Peruvian foreign policy.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Back to Index
Day/Week Observance Theme
---
1 April Odisha Foundation Day (Utkal Diwas)
World Autism Awareness Day ---

2 April
2 April
International Children’s’ Book Day ---
258th Army Medical Corps raising day ---

3 April
Army Ordnance Corps 247th raising day ---

3 April
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4 April
International Day of Mine Awareness ---
National Maritime Day Sustainable Shipping beyond Covid-19

5 April
United Nations International Day of Conscience ---

5 April
United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Sport ---

6 April
for Development and Peace
7 April ---
World Health Day
7 April
International Day of Reflection ---
Service and Loyalty

57th CRPF Valour Day
9 April

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
10 April People’s Choice for Wellness

World Homeopathy day
11 April
Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jayanti ---
11 April
National Safe Motherhood Day 2022 ---
11 April Integrated health care

World Parkinson’s Day 2022
International Day of Human Space Flight 2022 ---

12 April
38th Siachen Day ---

13 April
---
13 April International Turban Day
15 April World Art Day ---

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16 April World Voice Day ---
16 April Save the Elephant Day ---
17 April World Hemophilia Day

Access for All: Partnership
International Day For Monuments and Sites
18 April OR
Heritage and Climate
World Heritage Day
---
19 April World Liver Day
---
20 April UN Chinese Language Day
---
21 April World Creativity and Innovation Day
---
21 April National Civil Services Day
International Mother Earth Day

22 April
22 April International Mother Earth Day Invest In our Planet

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Read, so you never feel low

World Book and Copyright Day 2022
23 April
English Language Day

23 April
National Panchayati Raj Day

24 April
25 April Harness innovation to reduce the

World Malaria Day malaria disease burden and save lives.
25 April
International Delegate's Day
25 April World penguin day ---
Long Life for All

World Immunisation Week 2022
24-30 April
World Stationery Day 2022 ---

27 April
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28 April Act together to build a positive safety

World Day for Safety and Health and health culture
International Girls in ICT Day ---

28 April
International Dance Day ---

29 April
30 April
International Jazz Day ---
OBITUARIES
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Name of Person Field Points to Remember
Dr Devendra Patel Dr Patel was an Onco-Surgeon who contributed in boosting health

Onco-Surgeon infrastructure and cancer care.
Actor- screenwriter Actor-screenwriter Shiv Kumar Subramaniam has passed
Shiv Kumar away. He is credited with writing the screenplay for various films.
He also appeared in movies.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Richard Howard, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet, died at

92. Richard Joseph Howard was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on
October 13, 1929. (US). He was a poet, literary critic, essayist,
Richard Howard teacher, and translator from the United States."Untitled Subjects"
Poet earned the Pulitzer Prize in 1970, and "Without Saying" was a
National Book Award Finalist in 2008. In 1983, he won the
National Book Award (formerly known as the American Book
Award) for his translation of Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du
Mal."
Bilquis Bano Edhi was a professional nurse and one of the most
Bilquis Edhi Philanthropist active philanthropists in Pakistan. She used to head the Edhi
Foundation, and with her husband received the 1986 Ramon
Magsaysay Award for Public Service. In 2015, she received the
Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice.
Noted producer-actor Manju Singh, best known for shows such as

Manju Singh Producer-actor Swaraj, Ek Kahani and Show Time, has passed away. She was
73. Singh was praised for highlighting social and cultural issues
through her shows as a producer like Adhikar, Samyaktva: True
Insight, among others.
Noted Odia music director and writer Prafulla Kar, who gave his
Prafulla Kar Odia music director voice to around 70 popular Odia films, passed away. He was 83.
and writer Kar is the only Odia music director who was awarded Best Music
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Director in Odisha State Film Awards for a record six times. In

2004, he was awarded the prestigious Jaydev Puraskar for his
contribution to Odia cinema. He was honoured with the Padma
Shri in the year 2015 in the field of art.
Film Producer, Veteran Malayalam producer and screenwriter John Paul has
John Paul
Screenwriter passed away at the age of 72. Paul died at a private hospital in
Kerala while receiving treatment.
K
Veteran Congress Veteran Congress leader and former Governor of Maharashtra,
Sankaranarayanan
leader Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Jharkhand K.
Sankaranarayanan, 89, died.
Former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has died at the age of 90.
Former Kenyan
Mwai Kibaki
President
writer Binapani Mohanty was the eminent literary figure of Odisha

Binapani Mohanty
and Padma Shri awardee.
Kenneth Tsang, a stalwart of the "Golden Age" of Cantonese

Kenneth Tsang cinema, was found dead in a Hong Kong hotel while undergoing
Actor mandatory quarantine after returning from overseas.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Mamannamana
Structural biologist Molecular bio-physicist and structural biologist professor
Vijayan
Mamannamana Vijayan passed away in Bengaluru.
captain Elvera
Former Indian Indian women’s hockey legend Elvera Britto died at the age of
Britto
women’s hockey 81. She was admitted in a Bengaluru hospital for the past week
team captain due to age-related problems.
Former CM of JD Rymbai, former Chief Minister of Meghalaya passed away.

J D Rymbai
Meghalaya Rymbai entered active politics in 1983 and contested elections to
the legislative assembly of Meghalaya on the Congress party
ticket from the Jirang constituency successfully.He became the
Chief Minister of Meghalaya on June 15, 2006, and served until
March 2007.
BOOKS
Back to Index
Book Title Author/s Publisher

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Decoding Indian Babudom

Ashwini Shrivastava ---
Birsa Munda – Janjatiya Nayak

Prof Alok Chakrawal ---
Queen of Fire
Devika Rangachari ---
NOT JUST A NIGHTWATCHMAN:

Vinod Rai ---
My Innings in the BCCI
December In Dacca
KS Nair ---
The Maverick Effect: The Inside

Harish Mehta
Story of India's IT Revolution
---
Meena Nayyar and Himmat Singh ---

The Tiger of Drass
Shekhawat
The Boy Who Wrote a

Rajesh Talwar ---
Constitution

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Book Title Author/s Publisher
The Magic of Mangalajodi

Avinash Khemka ---
The Sikh History of East India ---

Abinash Mohapatra
SPORTS
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Indian paddlers Manika Batra, Archana Kamath won Bronze medal in Women's Doubles at WTT
Star Contender
 Indian paddler Manika Batra and her partner Archana Kamath settled for a bronze medal at the WTT
Star Contender Doha 2022 after losing to Chinese Taipei’s Li Yu-Jhun and Cheng I-Ching in the
women’s doubles semi-finals.
National weightlifting championships: Ann Mariya M T wins gold medal
 Ann Mariya M.T. from Kerala won the women's 87 kilogram gold medal with a National record
aggregate of 231 kg on the concluding day of the National weightlifting championships at the KIIT
University campus in Bhubaneswar.
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ICC Women's World Cup
 Australia defeated England to win their 7th Women's World Cup title in the final of the 2022 edition
at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
 Australia won the World Cup without losing a single game, establishing their dominance over the rest of
the pack in New Zealand.
Indian shuttler Mithun Manjunath settles for Silver medal in Men’s Singles of Orleans Masters 2022
 Indian shuttler Mithun Manjunath settled for a silver medal after losing to Toma Junior Popov in the
men’s singles final of the Orleans Masters 2022 badminton tournament Playing in his first BWF
final, the 79th ranked Indian shuttler lost to the world No 32 Frenchman at the Palais des Sports
arena.
Khelo India University Games 2021
 The Governor of Karnataka, Shri TC Gehlot, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh
Thakur and several dignitaries launched the logo, jersey, mascot and anthem of the Khelo India
University Games 2021 (KIUG 2021) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
 A Khelo India App for live updates on the Games was also launched by Karnataka, the host state on
the occasion.
 While Gehlot launched the logo and official mascot of the games – Veera, Thakur launched the official
jersey of the games as well as the anthem, sung by Chandan Shetty and Nikhil Joshi.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Meghalaya all set to host 83rd National Table Tennis Championship 2022
 Meghalaya is all set to host the 83rd National Table Tennis Championship 2022 scheduled to
begin from April 18th till 25th, 2022 at SAI Indoor Training Centre, NEHU in Shillong.
 The tournament is one of the biggest sports events that the State has hosted till date among others
 This is the second time the biggest table tennis event is being hosted in the Northeast.
 The State is expecting close to 650 participants out of which 450 will be players and rest will be
coaches and support staff.
Adidas Unveils Official Match Ball Of FIFA World Cup 2022: Al Rihla
 Sportswear giant Adidas unveiled Al Rihla -- the official match ball for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in
Qatar.
 It is the 14th successive ball that Adidas has created for the FIFA World Cup, designed to support the
game at high speed as it travels faster in flight than any other World Cup ball.
 Al Rihla translates as "the journey" in Arabic and has been inspired by the architecture, iconic boats,
and the flag of Qatar.
 Al Rihla is the first World Cup ball in the 92-year history of the tournament which will directly
contribute to raising funds to positively impact lives across the world, with 1 percent of Al Rihla's net
sales going to the Common Goal movement.
Miami Open championship 2022
 The Miami Open is a tennis tournament held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
 It is part of the men's ATP Tour Masters 1000 circuit, and part of the women's WTA 1000 circuit. The
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Miami Open is usually held between March and April.
WINNERS:
Category Winner Defeated

Men’s singles Alcaraz Garfia Ruud
Women’s singles Iga Świątek Naomi Osaka
Men’s doubles J. Isner,H. Hurkacz W. KoolhofN. Skupski
Women’s doubles V. ZvonarevaL. Siegemund E. MertensV. Kudermetova
World Doubles Squash Championships
 Dipika Pallikal won the women's and mixed doubles titles with Joshna Chinappa and Saurav
Ghosal, respectively at the World Doubles Squash Championships in Glasgow.
 Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal, seeded second, defeated the fourth-seeded English pair Adrian
Waller and Alison Waters at the Scotstoun Leisure Centre to claim the mixed doubles title and
became India's first-ever World Doubles squash champions.
 Pallikal paired up with Joshna Chinappa to claim the women's doubles title. With this win, Dipika
doubled India's and her own world championships, medal count.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Charles Leclerc wins Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari
 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc claimed his second win of the Formula One the victory at the Australian
Grand Prix in Melbourne, Victoria.
 Sergio Pérez came second (Red Bull) and George Russell came third (Mercedes).
US Olympic figure-skating star Alysa Liu retires
 Alysa Liu, a 2022 Olympian and world championships bronze medalist, is retiring from competitive
figure skating at age 16.
 She is considered the future of US women’s skating and already a two-time national champion.
Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament 2022
 The 15- member Indian boxing contingents won 10 medals including 3 golds, 4 silvers and 3 Bronze
at the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament 2022 in Phuket.
MEDALS WINNERS
Govind Sahani(48kg)
GOLD Ananta Prahlad Chopde(54kg)
Sumit( 75kg)
Amit Panghal(52kg)
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SILVER Monika(48kg)
Varinder Singh (60kg)
Ashish Kumar (81kg)
Manisha(57kg)
BRONZE Pooja(69kg)
Bhagyabati kachari(75kg)
11th DGC Ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship 2022
 The 11th edition of the DGC Ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship 2022, presented by USHA
International, won by 13-year old Riya Jadon. Riya also won the Junior Girls Trophy.
 Over a hundred women golfers took part in this year’s tournament, which resumed at the Delhi Golf Club
after two-year.
1st Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery Tournament held in Jamshedpur
 First Khelo India Women National Ranking Archery Tournament under the aegis of Archery
Association of India (AAI) and Jharkhand Archery Association (JAA) kicked off at the JRD Tata
Sports Complex in Jamshedpur.
 Hosted by Tata Steel Sports Department, the tourney promises an overall prize money worth Rs.
37.5 lakhs to be distributed amongst the rank holders.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 Here are the winners:

o Senior Recurve category: Ankita Bhakat (Gold), Dipti Kumari (Silver), and Preeti (Bronze).
o Senior Compound category: Muskan Kirara (Gold), Rekha Landkar (Silver), and Priya Salve
(Bronze)
o Junior Recurve category: Amey Rai (Gold), Tisha Punia (Silver), and Aditi Jaiswal (Bronze)
o Junior Compound category: Priya Gurjar (Gold), Chumki Mandal (Silver), and Pragati (Bronze)
o Sub Junior Recurve category: Bhajan Kaur (Gold), Majiri Alona (Silver), and Vansi Kadvani
(Bronze)
o Sub Junior Compound category: Parneet Kaur (Gold), Aishwarya Sharma (Silver), and Arya Atul
Prasad (Bronze)
ICC Players of the Month for March 2022
 Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and Australia’s Rachael Haynes have been named the ICC Men’s
and Women’s Players of the Month for March 2022.
Ashwin becomes first player to get ‘retired out’ in IPL
 Ashwin has become the first player in the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 14-year history to “retire
out”.
Danish Open swimming
 At the Danish Open 2022, which is being held in Copenhagen, Denmark, top Indian swimmer Sajan
Prakash won gold in the men’s 200m butterfly. www.i xamBee.c om
 Actor R Madhavan’s son Vedaant won silver medal at the Danish Open swimming meet in
Copenhagen, Denmark. Madhavan’s son clocked 15.57.86 in the men’s 1500m freestyle event to finish
at the second spot.
 The 16-year-old Vedaant bagged gold in the men's 800m freestyle and bettered his personal best time
by a whopping 11:48 to stop the clock at 8:17.28.
Santosh Trophy kicks off at Malappuram in Kerala
 75th edition of Santosh Trophy began in Malappura, Kerala.

 The semifinals will be played on April 28 and 29 and the final on May 2.
Cricketer Joe Root steps down from England's Test captaincy
 Joe Root has stepped down as England Test captain following a run of poor results capped by
dispiriting tours of Australia and the Caribbean.
 Root was appointed as Sir Alastair Cook's successor in 2017, and holds the record for the most
number of matches and wins as England Test captain.
3rd Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial Hockey tournament to be held at Chandigarh
 The Indian Air Force (IAF) observed the 103rd birth anniversary of Marshal of Air Force Arjan
Singh om 15th April.
 The 3rd Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial Hockey tournament will be held at
Chandigarh from April 18 to 23.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
 12 teams from India and abroad, including hockey teams of Royal Canadian, Malaysian, Bangladesh
and Sri Lanka air forces, have been invited.
Odisha CM unveils logo of 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup
 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled logo of 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup at the
Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar.
 To be held in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, the prestigious quadrennial tournament is
scheduled from January 13 to 29.
 Hockey India and its official partner Odisha will host the marquee event for the second consecutive time
in the country after 2018.
India to host Street Child Cricket World Cup in 2023
 Organised by Street Child United and Save the Children India, the Street Child Cricket World Cup
2023 will welcome 22 teams from 16 countries to India next year.
 Taking place in September, the event will see street-connected children and young people take part in a
mixed-gender cricket tournament.
 Countries that will participate this year are Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, England, Hungary,
Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Rohit Sharma becomes 2nd Indian after Virat Kohli to score 10,000 runs in T20
 Rohit Sharma has become the second Indian cricketer to score 10000 runs in T20 cricket after
former skipper Virat Kohli. www.i xamBee.c om
 Rohit Sharma became the seventh batsman overall to reach the major milestone of 10000 runs in T20s.
 Virat Kohli had become the first Indian batsman to score 10000 runs in T20 cricket.
 West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle was the first-ever cricketer to score 10,000 runs in T20 cricket.
Reykjavik Open chess tournament
 Young Indian Grandmaster R Pragganandhaa won the prestigious Reykjavik Open chess
tournament with 7.5 points from nine rounds.
 The 16-year-old Pragganandhaa defeated compatriot GM D Gukesh in the final round to emerge sole
winner.
 The Netherlands GM Max Warmerdam took second place with seven points ahead of Mads Anderson
(Denmark), who also scored the same number of points.
 Among the other Indians, IM Tania Sachdev (6 points) claimed 21st spot while experienced GM B
Adibhan scored 5.5 points and settled for 34th place.
New Zealand Pacer Hamish Bennett Announces Retirement From All Forms Of Cricket
 New Zealand pacer Hamish Bennett has announced that the 2021/22 season will be the last of his 17-
year old career.
 The 35-year old has represented the New Zealand U-19 side, the senior men's team, and domestic
teams Wellington and Canterbury.
 Bennett has made 265 domestic appearances for Canterbury and Wellington, amassing 489 wickets
across all formats and establishing himself as one of the most reliable pace bowlers in the country.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Haryana crowned champions of Senior Hockey Nationals
 Haryana crowned the champions of the 12th Senior Men's National Hockey Championship, beating
Tamil Nadu 3-1 in the shootout after the final ended 1-1 in the regulation time.
 Haryana won the trophy for the first time since 2011.
Indian GM Gukesh wins title at La Roda International tourney
 Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh emerged victorious in the 48th La Roda International Open Chess
tournament, scoring eight points from nine rounds.
 The 15-year old GM from Chennaidefeated Israel’s Victor Mikhalevski in the final round to emerge a
clear winner ahead of Haik M Martirosyan of Armenia, who secured 7.5 points.
 Gukesh’s compatriot – R Praggnanandhaa, another teenage GM, took the third spot. He finished with
seven points as did four others including another Indian Raunak Sadhwani but won the third prize on the
basis of a better tie-break score.
 GM Sadhwani took fourth place followed by Manuel Lopez Martinez Josep (Spain) and Venezuela’s
Ramon Martinez.
Women’s T20 Challenge 2022
 The Women's T20 Challenge series, popularly called the women's IPL, will be played at Bharat Ratna
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow between May 24 and 28.
 In 2020, Trailblazer was the winning team, which was captained by Smriti Mandhana.
 The runners up were Supernovas headed by Harmanpreet Kaur, while Mithali Raj's Velocity stood at
number three. www.i xamBee.c om
Second edition of The Khelo India University Games
 Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated second edition of the Khelo India University
Games at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Karnataka.
 The 2022 Khelo India University Games are set to be held from April 24 to May 3. The event which
was set to be held in 2021 was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
West Indies All-Rounder Kieron Pollard Announces Retirement From International Cricket
 West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard announced his retirement from international cricket.
 Pollard was the captain of West Indies' limited-overs teams played a total of 123 ODIs and 101
T20Is.
 He has been an integral part of the Mumbai Indians team in the Indian Premier League for several
years now and was retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction in February this year.
 He was part of the West Indies team that won the 2012 ICC WT20.
Serbia Open 2022
 Andrey Rublev from Russia has defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic from Serbia to win his third title in
the Serbia Open.
 Rublev has now equalled Rafael Nadal (Spain) for the most tour-level titles in 2022.
 He also clinched crowns in Marseille and Dubai in February 2022.

Monthly BeePedia
April 2022
Sources of the News:
PIB India, DD News, News on AIR, The Economic Times, Financial Express, liveMint, The Indian Express,
The Times of India, Business Standard, Business World, Business Line, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Al
Jazeera, BBC, Zee News, Republic World, Times Now News, Money Control, NDTV, Outlook India and
Wikipedia
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RBI imposes penalties on 3 co-operative banks

RBI fixed WMA limit for States/UTs at Rs 47,010 crores

RBI launches Standing Deposit Facility at 3.75%

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RBI imposed several restrictions on Bengaluru-based Shushruti Souharda Sahakara Bank

 The restrictions also include a withdrawal cap of Rs 5,000 per account.

RBI's 1st bi-monthly monetary policy of 2022-23

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RBI imposes monetary penalty on Manappuram Finance

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Bank credit grows by 10.09%; deposits by 10.06%: RBI

Religare pays Rs 5.41 crore to Sebi to settle legacy issues

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RBI imposes monetary penalty on Central Bank of India (CBI)

RBI’s new guidelines for credit, debit cards

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SEBI extends deadline to ban pooling of funds, MF units

SEBI halts NFOs for 3 months

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SEBI forms working groups to review criteria for MF sponsors

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SEBI issues operational guidelines for covenant monitoring with DLT

NSE Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: Vikram Limaye

SEBI imposes Rs 40 lakh on 4 entities over violation of market norms

SEBI restructures its advisory committee on market data

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NSE IFSC announces launch of international sustainability platform at GIFT City

IFSCA has notified a regulatory framework for Investment Funds

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start its functions for disbursement of pensions as per the guidelines.

HDFC Bank adjudged as Best Performing Bank in SHG Linkage by DAY-NRLM

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Value of UPI transactions crossed $1 trillion in FY22

Axis Bank takes Citibank’s India consumer business in a Rs 12,325 crores

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128th Foundation Day of Punjab National Bank

Punjab & Sind Bank declares Srei loan accounts as frauds

IndusInd Bank bags global 'Celent Model Bank' Award

Indian Overseas Bank, Software Technology Park of India (STPI) MoU

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Bandhan-led group to buy IDFC MF, deal valued at ₹4,500 crore

Bank of Maharashtra to divest 4% Stake in ISARC

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BHIM UPI goes live at NEOPAY terminals in UAE

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Bihar Government announces Health Insurance for 89 Lakh Families

Elon Musk acquires Twitter for $44 billion

Mudrex becomes world’s largest crypto index investing platform

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Banks Sanction Loans Worth Rs 3,628 Crore Under PM Yojana

Paytm is the official digital payments partner for Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya

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