APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Sumil Vikamsey appointed as MD of Hitachi Payment Services

• Sumil Vikamsey, who is currently the CEO of Cash Business at Hitachi Payment Services, has
been appointed as the new Managing Director of the company.
• He will take over from Rustom Irani

NASA appoints Indian-origin Amit Kshatriya to head ‘Moon To Mars’ Programme

• Amit Kshatriya, an Indian-American engineer with expertise in software and robotics, has been
appointed as the inaugural head of NASA‘s newly-established Moon to Mars Programme.
• This programme has been created to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, which is
crucial for preparing for future missions to Mars.
• Kshatriya will serve as NASA’s first head of the office, with immediate effect.

Vice Admiral Atul Anand takes over as DG Naval Operations

• Vice Admiral Atul Anand, AVSM, VSM, assumed charge as director general, naval operations

MCA extends Tenure of C S Rajan Chairman of IL&FS till September 2023

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has extended the term of Chandra Shekhar Rajan (C S
Rajan) as non-executive chairman of IL&FS(Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd) up to
30th September 2023.
• MCA has also extended the term of Nand Kishore as Managing Director (MD) of IL&FS up to
March 31, 2024.

Aleksander Ceferin re-elected UEFA president unopposed until 2027

• At the Ordinary Congress of European Soccer’s governing body held in Lisbon, Aleksander
Ceferin was re-elected as the UEFA president unopposed.
• The Slovenian, who was first elected as UEFA’s seventh president in 2016, will serve another
four-year term until 2027.
• Ceferin succeeded Michel Platini in 2016

Kapil Maheshwari named CEO of Welspun New Energy

• Welspun Enterprises Limited, the infrastructure and energy arm of Welspun Group, has
appointed Kapil Maheshwari as Executive Director & CEO of Welspun New Energy Limited

J P Chalasani appointed as CEO of Suzlon board

• The board of members of Suzlon Energy has appointed J P Chalasani as the new Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of the company with immediate effect.
• He has replaced Ashwani Kumar

Kenichi Umeda appointed as MD of Suzuki Motorcycle India

• Kenichi Umeda has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Suzuki Motorcycle India
Pvt Ltd.

1
 • Umeda succeeds Satoshi Uchida, who has completed his term as the Managing Director of the
company, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL).

Kalikesh Singh Deo appointed as president of NRAI

• Senior Vice President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo assumed charge as the President of the
National Rifle Association of India
• He replaced Raninder Singh.
• NRAI was established in 1951 with the objective of promoting and popularizing shooting sports
in India.
• The first speaker of Lok Sabha, GV Mavalankar was the founder president of NRAI.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Children’s Champion Award 2023
• Pathsala (Assam) based Tapoban, a non-government organisation, which supports children with
special needs has been honoured with the prestigious Children’s Champion Award 2023 in the
Health and Nutrition category at a function held in Delhi.
• The award was presented by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights
• This award is given to honour individuals and organisations who have significantly enhanced the
lives of children in many areas, including education, justice, health, nutrition, sports, and the
artistic arts.
• The award was presented to Kumud Kalita founder-president of the NGO.
• The award carries Rs 75,000, a certificate, and a plaque.

MCC Honoured 5 Indian Cricketers with Honorary Life Membership

• Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has awarded honorary life membership of the Club to 17
World’s finest cricketers, including 5 Indian cricketers(3 men and 2 women): Mahendra Singh
Dhoni(MS Dhoni); Suresh Raina; Yuvraj Singh; Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami.
• MCC has also awarded a further 2 Honorary Life Memberships for non-playing contributions to
the game.
• 8 of the 12 Test Playing countries are represented on the 2023 Cohort of new Honorary Life
Memberships.
• About Marylebone Cricket Club:
Formed 1987

hq London

President Stephen Fry

2
Tripura Declared as Best Performing State in Northeastern Region for e-Procurement
• Tripura has been declared as the Best Performing State in the Northeastern Region in the
implementation of e-procurement jointly by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of
Electronic and Information Technology (MeitY) during a workshop held at India Habitat Centre,
New Delhi, Delhi.
• Tripura was recognized for significant work in various sectors like Saubhagya Yojana,
empowerment of panchayats, etc in the last 5 years.
About e-Procurement:
• e-Procurement brings transparency to government sales and there is no opportunity for vendors
to form alliances.

Bharat Biotech won ViE Award 2023 at World Vaccine Congress Washington 2023
• Bharat Biotech International Limited (Bharat Biotech) won the Best Production/Process
Development Award at ViE Award 2023, the 16th Annual ViE awards, during the World Vaccine
Congress Washington 2023
• Bharat Biotech is the world’s first producer of intranasal Covid-19 vaccine, iNcovacc. Its
intramuscular vaccine, Covaxin, is part of India’s public vaccination programme.

Indian-American statistician CR Rao wins the 2023 International Prize in Statistics

• Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao (CR Rao), a prominent Indian-American Statistician, has been
awarded the 2023 International Prize in Statistics, the statistics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize
• CR Rao will receive the prize, which comes with a USD 80,000 award, in July 2023 the biennial
International Statistical Institute(ISI) World Statistics Congress, which will be held in Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada.
• The International Prize in Statistics, established in 2016, is awarded biennially at the ISI World
Statistics Congress.
• The inaugural International Prize in Statistics 2016 was awarded to British statistician David R
Cox for Survival Analysis Model Applied in Medicine, Science, and Engineering.

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Skill Excellence Awards- 2022

• Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Skill Excellence Awards – 2022 was presented at the
International Quantum Communication Conclave.

Name of Awardee Work/ Contribution

Sterlite Technologies Ltd, Pune Pune Skill development works in telecom sector

Vihaan Networks Limited, Technology development and manufacturing of solar powered 4G

Gurugram RAN in India for remote and rural area

QuNu Labs Private Limited, Work in Quantum Communication and security solution
Bengaluru

3
Dhruva Space Private Limited, Work in Satellite communication field
Hyderabad

Inntot Technologies Pvt Ltd, Development of Software Defined Radio Receiver

Ernakulam

11th Biennial National Grassroots Innovation & Outstanding Traditional Knowledge Awards of NIF
• President of India, Droupadi Murmu, presented the 11th Biennial National Grassroots
Innovation and Outstanding Traditional Knowledge Awards of the National Innovation
Foundation (NIF) at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, New Delhi
• She also inaugurated the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) 2023 at the Sports
Ground near RBCC.
• 1st edition of the National Grassroots Innovation and Outstanding Traditional Knowledge
Awards were presented in 2001.
•

BANKING & INSURANCE

ADB Projected India’s GDP Growth Forecast
• The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Asian Development Outlook April 2023, has reduced
India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth forecast for the Financial year 2022- 2023 (FY23)
to 6.4% from 7% of its earlier projection.
• India’s GDP growth forecast for FY24 was projected at 6.7% due to improvement in private
investment and growth in the industry.
• GDP Forecast
FY23 FY24

World Bank 6.9% 6.3%

MOODY’S 5.5% 6.5%

S&P 7% 6%

IMF 6.1% 6.8%

ADB 6.4% 6.7%

RBI 6.8% -

4
India Ratings 6.9% -

FITCH RATING 7% 6.7%

FICCI 7% 6.4%

OECD 6.6% 5.7%

CRISIL 7% 6%

NSO 7% -

SBI 6.8% -

Morgan Stanley 7.2% 6.4%

Nomura 7.2% -

UNTCAD 5.7% -

Goldman Sachs 5.9% -

UN 5.8% -

Public sector banks transfer Rs 35,012 crore unclaimed deposits to RBI

• The Public sector banks have transferred unclaimed deposits of Rs 35,012 crore as of February
2023 to the Reserve Bank of India
• SBI tops the list with an unclaimed amount of Rs 8,086 crore, while Punjab National Bank has Rs
5,340 crore and Canara Bank has Rs 4,558 crore.
• These unclaimed deposits belong to 10.24 crore accounts transferred to the RBI.
About Unclaimed deposits:
• Unclaimed deposits are those that have been lying dormant in bank accounts for a period of 10
years or more.
• However, in cases where the account holders or their heirs cannot be traced, the funds are
transferred to the RBI’s Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF).

RBI Data on India’s Balance of Payment

• According to the Preliminary data on India’s balance of payments for the third quarter of
Financial Year 2022-23 Q3 FY23 released by the Reserve Bank of India’s, India’s current account
deficit, declined to 2.2% of the GDP ($18.2 billion) in Q3 FY23 from US$ 30.9 billion (3.7% of
GDP) in Q2 FY23 and US$ 22.2 billion (2.7% of GDP) in Q3 FY22.
• According to RBI data, the decline was mainly due to the narrowing of the merchandise trade
deficit to US$ 72.7 billion in Q3 FY23 from US$ 78.3 billion in Q2 FY23.

5
 • About RBI
ESTD 1 April 1935

HQ Mumbai

Governor Shaktikanta Das

• Services exports reported a growth of 24.5% on a year-on-year basis due to rising exports of
software, business and travel services.
• Non-resident deposits’ net inflows in Q3 FY23 was US$ 2.6 billion as compared with net inflows
of US$ 1.3 billion in Q3 FY22.
• In Q3 FY23, the net foreign direct investment (FDI) decreased to US$ 2.1 billion from US$ 4.6
billion in Q3 FY22.

IDBI Bank Offers E-Bank Guarantee Service in Collaboration with NeSL

• IDBI Bank, in collaboration with National e-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL), has developed an e-
Bank Guarantee (e-BG) service that substitutes the paper-based Bank Guarantee (BG) issuance
process with e-stamping and e-signature.
About IDBI
ESTD 1964

HQ Mumbai, Maharashtra

MD & CEO Rakesh Sharma

Tagline Banking For All Aao Sochein Bada

Canara Bank introduces Premium Payroll Account for Salary Account Holders
• Canara Bank has introduced a “Premium Payroll Package” for Salary account holders with
competitive features
• It has multiple features, including free term life insurance, instant overdraft, and free personal
air accident insurance coverage.
Recent:
• Canara Bank, in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has launched
the Rupay Credit Card through UPI (Unified Payments Interface) using the BHIM (Bharat
Interface for Money) app.
• About Canara Bank:
Formation 1906

HQ Bangalore, Karnataka

MD & CEO K. Satyanarayana Raju

6
Tagline Together we can

Bank credit growth Increased by 15% in FY23

• According to the Reserve Bank of India data, India’s Bank credit increased by 15% year-on-year
in the Financial year 2022-23 against 9.6% YoY in 2021-22
• FY23 credit growth is the highest since FY12 when it was 19.3%.
• Bank deposits expanded 9.58% YoY in FY23, against 8.9% YoY growth in FY22.
• Rs 15.78 trillion was raised through deposits in FY23, against Rs 13.51 trillion raised in FY22.

‘Global Trade Outlook and Statistics’ by WTO

• According to the “Global Trade Outlook and Statistics” report released by the World Trade
Organization the merchandise trade volume is expected to grow by 1.7% in 2023, up from the
October 2022 estimate of 1.0%.
• The volume of world merchandise trade had a 2.7% growth in 2022, which was weaker than the
WTO’s October 2022 forecast of 3.5%.
• According to the WTO’s trade forecasts, real global GDP growth at market exchange rates is
projected to be 2.4% in 2023.
• In 2024, trade growth is anticipated to rebound to 3.2% as GDP growth accelerates to 2.6%.
• About the World Trade Organization
ESTD 1995

HQ Geneva, Switzerland

Members 164

Director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (First woman and the first

African to serve as Director-General of WTO)

Monetary Policy Committee maintains Repo rate at 6.5 percent

• The six-member Monetary Policy Committee, headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das,
announced the status quo on policy rates.
• The Reserve Bank of India announced its bi-monthly monetary policy and kept the repo rate
unchanged at 6.50 per cent.
• The Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate will remain unchanged at 6.25 percent and the Marginal
Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.75 per cent.
• GDP growth in FY2024 could be 6.5%.
• Present Monetary Policy rates:
Repo Rate 6.50%

7
Reverse Repo Rate 3.35%

Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) 6.25%

Marginal Standing Facility Rate 6.75%

Bank Rate 6.75%

Cash reserve ratio (CRR) 4.50%

Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 18.00%

IIFL Finance secures $100mn funding from EDC, Deutsche Bank

• IIFL Finance Limited has received a total of $100 million in long-term funding from Export
Development Canada (EDC) and Deutsche Bank, with $50 million from each.
• This marks IIFL’s second loan from EDC, with the company having previously received $100
million in funding from EDC in 2019.
• In February 2020, IIFL Finance raised $400 million through its debut dollar bond issue, with the
maximum possible amount approved by the Reserve Bank of India being bought back. The
remaining amount is due for maturity in April 2023.
• About IIFL Finance
HQ Mumbai, Maharashtra

MD Nirmal Jain

South Indian Bank signs bancassurance pact with Chola MS

• South Indian Bank Limited has signed a bancassurance pact with Cholamandalam MS General
Insurance (Chola MS) to offer the health and general insurance products of Chola MS to SIB’s
customers.
Recent bancassurance pact:
• Aditya Birla Health Insurance Inks Bancassurance Partnership with Punjab & Sind Bank
• Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited (TMBL) has entered into bancassurance partnerships with
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited
• ICICI Lombard, AU Small Finance Bank tied-up for Bancassurance
• Tamilnad Mercantile Bank signs pact with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance for bancassurance
• About South Indian Bank
Formation 1928

HQ Thrissur, Kerala

MD & CEO Murali Ramakrishnan

8
Net Direct Tax Collections Rose by 17.63% to Rs 16.61 Trillion in FY23
• According to the provisional figures of Direct Tax collections for the Financial Year 2022-23
(FY23), the net Direct Tax collections was at Rs.16.61 lakh crore, an increase of 17.63%
compared to Rs.14.12 lakh crore of FY 2021-2022.
• The provisional Direct Tax collections (net of the refunds) have exceeded the Budget Estimates
(BE) by 16.97% and Revised Estimates (RE) by 0.69 %.
• In Union Budget for FY23, The BE for Direct tax revenue was fixed at Rs 14.20 lakh crore and the
RE were fixed at Rs.16.50 lakh crore.
• The gross collections of direct taxes (before adjusting for refunds) for FY 2022-23 was Rs 19.68
Lakh Crore, registering a 20.33% growth over Rs 16.36 Lakh Crore in FY 2021-22.
• Gross corporate tax collections grew 16.9% to Rs 10.04 Lakh Crore last fiscal against Rs 8.59 Lakh
crore in FY 2021-22.
• Gross personal income tax receipts (including securities transaction tax) grew 24.2% to Rs 9.6
Lakh Crore in FY 2022-23 versus Rs 7.73 trillion in FY22.
• The income tax department issued refunds worth Rs 3.07 Lakh Crore in FY 2022-23, which was a
37.42% increase over refunds of Rs 2.24 Lakh Crore issued in FY 2021-22.

RBI Imposes Penalty On M&M Financial Services, Indian Bank, Muthoot Money
• The Reserve Bank of India has imposed penalties on Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services
Ltd, Mumbai, Indian Bank, and Muthoot Money Limited, Ernakulam, for non-compliance with
various regulations.
• Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services has been fined Rs 6.77 crore for not disclosing interest
rates to borrowers at the time of sanctioning loans.
• RBI also penalized Indian Bank with Rs 55 lakh for contravening certain KYC norms.
• Muthoot Money Limited was fined Rs 10.50 lakh for non-compliance with fraud monitoring
provisions.
Penalties imposed by RBI:
Amount Imposed on

Rs 3.06 Crore Amazon Pay Private Limited

Rs 5 lakh HDFC

Rs 11.25 lakh IGH Holdings Private Limited

Rs 2.27 crore RBL Bank

Rs 30 lakh Karur Vysya Bank

Cognizant wins £74 million deal from UK’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

9
 • Cognizant won a £ 74 million Pound sterling (approx USD 92 million) contract from the United
Kingdom(UK)’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• The tenure of the deal is for 2 years.
• Objective:- To enhance the government organisation’s supply chain model and add new digital
capabilities.

India supports African Union Transition Mission in Somalia with USD 2 million
• Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), presented USD 2
million to the United Nations Trust Fund in support of the African Union Transition Mission in
Somalia (ATMIS).
• India had previously granted the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) USD 4 million.
• ATMIS is crucial for developing a secure environment that allows for the prevention of terrorism
carried out by Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
• ATMIS was founded on April 1, 2022, in accordance with Security Council decision 2628 (2022)
and African Union Peace and Security Council Communique 1068 of March 8, 2022.
• Objective: To assist in the implementation of the Somali Transitional Plan in order to fully
transfer security responsibilities to the Somali security forces and institutions by the end of
2024.

RBI imposes monetary penalty on two co-operative banks for rule violations
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalties on Jamnagar People’s Co-
operative Bank Ltd and Shree Chhani Nagrik Sahakari Bank Ltd for rule violations.
• The central bank imposed Rs 4 lakh penalty on Shree Chhani Nagrik Sahakari Bank and Rs 1 lakh
penalty on Jamnagar People’s Co-operative Bank
Penalties imposed by RBI
Amount Bank / Financial Institution

Rs 5 lakh Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC)

Rs 11.25 lakh IGH Holdings Private Limited

Rs 2.27 crore RBL Bank

Rs 30 lakh Karur Vysya Bank

Rs 6.77 crore Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services

Rs 55 lakh Indian Bank

Rs 10.50 lakh Muthoot Money Limited

10
NSE Indices Launches India’s 1st Nifty REITs & InvITs Index
• The NSE Indices Limited, a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), launched India’s first
index to track Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs)
called Nifty REITs and InvITs Index.
• The Nifty REITs and InvITs index will track the performance of REITs and InvITs that are publicly
listed and traded or not listed but permitted to trade on NSE.
• Currently, the index comprises three listed REITs and three listed InvITs (total 6 securities).
• The Nifty REITs & InvITs Index has a base date of July 01, 2019, and a base value of 1000.
• Nifty REITs & InvITs Index comprises three sectors: realty, power, and services.
• The realty sector has the highest weight, accounting for 57.52% of the index, followed by power
with 35.61% and services with 6.87%.
• The Nifty REITs & InvITs Index comprises six companies: Embassy Office Parks REIT, POWERGRID
Infrastructure Investment Ltd., Mindspace Business Parks REIT, India Grid Trust, Brookfield India
Real Estate Trust and IRB INVIT Fund
• About National Stock Exchange
Formed in 1994

HQ Mumbai

Chairperson Girish Chandr Chaturvedi

CEO & MD Ashishkumar Chauhan

Kotak General Insurance ties up with actyv.ai

• Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company Limited (Kotak General Insurance-KGI) has
partnered with actyv.ai to offer basic insurance products to new-age Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs).
About Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company
HQ Mumbai, Maharashtra

MD & CEO Suresh Agarwal

JICA, Citibank Partnered to Co-finance $125 million for Indusind Bank

• Japanese lender Japan International Cooperation Agency has partnered with Citibank to provide
a $125 million funding line to domestic private sector lender Indusind Bank.
• The funding to Indusind Bank includes a JPY 13 billion (approx USD 97.45 million) loan from the
JICA and another $30 million from Citibank.
• About IndusInd Bank
Formed 1994

HQ Pune

11
CEO & MD Sumant Kathpalia

Chairman Arun Tiwari

Tagline We Care Dil Se, We Make You Feel Richer

SBI to launch new current accounts and savings accounts in FY24 to attract deposits
• The State Bank of India is contemplating launching new variants of current account (with
balances of ₹50,000 and ₹50 lakh) and Parivar savings account in FY24.
About State Bank of India
Nationalised in 01 July 1955

HQ Mumbai, Maharashtra

Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara

12
 BOOKS & AUTHORS
Nandini Das penned a new Book titled “Courting India”
• Historian Nandini Das, a professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, England,
United Kingdom (UK), authored a new book titled “Courting India: England, Mughal India and
the Origins of Empire” and published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

SBI launches its Coffee Table Book “The Banker to Every Indian”
• State Bank of India announced the launch of its coffee table book titled “The Banker to Every
Indian” which celebrates 75 years of Indian independence and the 200-year history of SBI, which
was established in 1955.

DEFENCE NEWS
India to buy Hellfire missiles and MK 54 torpedoes from the USA
• India announced the purchase of Hellfire missiles and Mark 54 anti-submarine Torpedoes from
the USA for its mh-60 Romeo multi-role helicopters in April 2023.
• India and the US signed a Rs 16,000 crore deal to buy 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from
Lockheed Martin in 2020.

India-U.S. air exercise ‘Cope India’ to begin from 10 April

• The Air Forces of India and the U.S. are set to conduct the Cope India exercise at the Kalaikunda
airbase in West Bengal
• Japan, significantly, will also take part as an “observer”
• The Japanese Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) participated in Cope India as an observer for the 1st
time in Dec 2018.

Exercise Cope India 23 begins between Indian Air Force and US Air Force in West Bengal
• The first phase of Exercise Cope India 23, a bilateral Air Exercise between the Indian Air Force
and the United States Air Force began at Air Force Station Arjan Singh (Panagarh Air Force base)
in Panagarh, West Bengal.
• The 11-day exercise is scheduled to be held in Panagarh, Kalaikunda(West Bengal) and Agra
(Uttar Pradesh)air force stations.
• Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) aircrew will also participate in the capacity of observers.
• This exercise is being held after a gap of 4 years
• The previous edition (4th edition) of the exercise, Cope India 2018(CI18) was held in 2018 at air
bases in Kalaikunda and Panagarh.

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 IMPORTANT DAYS
International Mine Awareness Day - 4 April
• Every year on April 4, the world observes the International Day of Mine Awareness and
Assistance in Mine Action, with the aim of creating awareness about the dangers of explosive
mines and generating support for efforts aimed at eliminating them.
• The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has selected the theme “Mine Action Cannot
Wait”

International Day of Conscience: 5 April

• International Day of Conscience is observed every year on 5 April to mark the value of the
human conscience.
• Theme 2023 –Building a Culture of Peace

International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda 2023 – April 7
• The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda is annually
observed across the globe on 7th April to honour the memory of the victims of the 1994
genocide against Tutsi, Hutu and others who opposed it in Rwanda.
• 7th April 2023 marks the 29th anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
• Since 2004 (which marked the 10th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda), the 7th April has
been observed as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda.

10 April - World Homoeopathy Day (WHD)

• World Homoeopathy Day (WHD) is celebrated on 10 April every year.
• It is observed on this day to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dr Samuel Hahnemann.
• World Homeopathy Day 2023 (WHD) theme is Homoeoparivar – Sarvajan Swasthya is "One
Health, One Family."

58th CRPF Valour Day – 9th April 2023

• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Valour Day, also known as Shaurya Diwas is annually
observed across India on 9th April to commemorate the valour of CRPF personnel during the
1965 war against the Pakistan army.
• 9th April 2023 marks the observance of the 58th CRPF Valour Day.
About Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF):
Hq New Delhi

Director General Dr.Sujoy Lal Thaosen

14
National Safe Motherhood Day: 11 April
• On April 11 every year, National Safe Motherhood Day is observed with the objective of
promoting the well-being and safety of mothers and expectant mothers by increasing awareness
of proper healthcare.
• As a result of the White Ribbon Alliance India’s persistent work, the Indian government
proclaimed April 11 as National Safe Motherhood Day in 2003.

World Parkinson's Day: 11 April

• World Parkinson's Day is observed annually on April 11 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr.
James Parkinson.
• The theme for World Parkinson's Day 2023 is "#Take6forPD".

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
UK Becomes 12th Member of CPTPP – Asia-Pacific trade bloc
• The Accession Working Group of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-
Pacific Partnership agreed on the accession of the United Kingdom as the 12th member of
CPTPP.
• With this, the UK became the first European nation and the first non-founding country to join
CPTPP.
About CPTPP:
• It is a free trade agreement (FTA) signed by 11 nations – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada,
Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam on 8 March 2018 in
Santiago, Chile.
• Together, the 11 members account for about 13% of the world’s income.
• The combined GDP of the 11 CPTPP members and the UK was worth around £ 11 trillion Pound
sterling in 2021.

Paris to ban e-scooters

• Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo pledged to ban rented e-scooters from the French capital after a huge
majority of residents backed the move.
• E-scooters launched in Paris in 2018, but in 2020 the number of firms with operating licenses
was cut to just three: Lime, Dott, and Tier.

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2023 – April 6

• United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is annually
observed across the globe on April 6
• The global theme for IDSDP 2023 is “Scoring for People and the Planet”.

World Health Day 2023 – April 7

• The United Nations World Health Day is annually observed across the globe on 7th April to draw
attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world.

15
 • The day also marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization(WHO).
• 7th April 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948.
• The theme of World Health Day 2023 is “Health for All”.

Visit of His Majesty The King of Bhutan to India

• His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, visited India on an official
trip at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu.
• India decided to increase its support for Bhutan’s upcoming 13th Five-Year Plan (2023-28), has
agreed to an increase in the tariff on the Chhukha hydroelectric power (HEP) project
• India and Bhutan also agreed to work together on developing the Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link
project, which would be the first-ever rail link between India and Bhutan.
• The rail link project connects Kokrajhar in Assam to Gelephu in Bhutan
• India and Bhutan have planned to establish the first integrated check post (ICP) along the border
in Jaigaon and Phuentsholing, the busiest commercial hubs between the two countries.
• About Bhutan
Capital Thimphu

Currency Bhutanese Ngultrum

PM Lotay Tshering

MERGERS & AQUISITIONS

Endeavor Group acquires WWE to merge with UFC under $21 billion deal
• The pro wrestling giant World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the mixed martial arts
(MMM) franchise Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are soon going to merge to form a new
entity.
• UFC owner Endeavor Group will buy WWE and form a new sports entertainment company,
worth around $21 billion.
• The deal will value WWE at $9.3 billion and UFC at $12.1 billion.
• Upon the completion of this deal, Endeavor will own a 51% stake in the new company, while
WWE shareholders will hold the remaining 49%.

CCI Approves Acquisition of SREI Infrastructure Finance by NARCL & IDRCL

• The Competition Commission of India has approved the acquisition of shares and control over
SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited by National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL)
and India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL) under Section 5(a) of Competition Act,
2022.
• Acquirers: NARCL and IDRCL
• Target: SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited

16
 • About Competition Commission of India
ESTD 14 October 2003

HQ New Delhi

Chairman Ashok Kumar Gupta

MOUS & PARTNERSHIP

IOC signed deal with Russia’s Rosneft to raise oil imports
• Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) signed a deal to raise oil imports from Russia's Rosneft as it looked
to capitalise on the discounted oil available post Ukraine war.
• IOC had in December 2021 signed a deal to buy up to 2 million tonnes of crude oil from Rosneft
in 2022.
About Indian Oil Corp Ltd
ESTD 1959

HQ New Delhi

Chairman & MD Shrikant Madhav Vaidya

NBCC inks MoU to help in Construction of 1 lakh Housing Units in Zambia

• NBCC (India) Limited (formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation) signed
the Memorandum of Understanding with Scirocco Enterprises Ltd of Zambia for the
construction of 1 lakh low and medium-cost houses to mitigate an acute shortage of housing in
Zambia.
• The housing units are to be constructed by 2030. NBCC will provide its engineering services as
Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) Agency.

MIB partners with Amazon India in the field of Media, Entertainment and Public Awareness
• Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, announced that the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has entered into a partnership with Amazon India in
the field of media, entertainment and public awareness.
• This includes the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), Prasar Bharati,
Publications Division, and the media training institutions of the Film & Television Institute of
India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) under MIB.

17
Razorpay partners with UIDAI to process payments for online Aadhaar services
• Razorpay has partnered with UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) to process
payments for online Aadhaar services.
• This partnership will enable citizens accessing online Aadhaar services to enjoy a seamless
secure payment experience.
• About UIDAI
Formation 2009

HQ New Delhi

CEO Dr. Saurabh Garg

TVS SCS wins UK Defence Ministry Contract for supplying Land Rover Spares
• TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) won the contract from the United Kingdom Ministry of
Defence acting through its agent, Babcock Land Defence Ltd, for the supply of spares,
consumables and accessories for the Land Rover Wolf Platform.

IIT-Bombay, UIDAI join hands to develop touchless biometric system

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has partnered with the Indian Institute of
Technology-Bombay (IIT-Bombay) to develop a touchless biometric capture system that is easy
to use and accessible from anywhere.
Recent IIT Agreements:
• IIT Guwahati signs MoU with SSA to develop Scientific Temper among students
• IIT Madras collaborates with Denmark on Next Generation Fuels
• IIT Guwahati partners with Sathya Sai Hospital for cardiac research

IIT-Kanpur partners with Defence PSU to focus on Innovation

• The Start-Up Incubation and Innovation Centre of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur has
signed a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Agreement with the Advanced Weapons and
Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) at the Ordnance Factory Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd Ranked No.1 Power Utility in India

• According to the 11th edition of the “Annual Integrated Rating and Ranking,” which was
published by the Ministry of Power, Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd. (Adani Electricity) has been
recognised as the top electricity distribution company (DISCOM) in India among 71 such
companies
• Adani Electricity was ranked first with a Grade of A+ and the highest combined score of 99.6 out
of 100.
• Adani Electricity received a score of 12.8 out of 13 for performance excellence, which included
corporate governance, low distribution loss, billing efficiency and collection efficiency.
• Under External Environment, Adani Electricity received a score of 11.9 out of 12 for subsidy
realized

18
NATIONAL NEWS
GoI Announces Plans to Add 250 GW of RE Capacity Over the Next 5 Years
• The Government of India has announced a plan to install 250 gigawatts of renewable energy
capacity over the next 5 years in order to meet its target of 500 GW of clean energy by 2030.
• The GoI has chosen to invite bids for 50 GW of RE capacity annually for the next 5 years, from
Fiscal Year 2023-24 (FY24) to Fiscal Year 2027-28 (FY28).

Government sets up 14-member committee to look into stalled real estate projects
• The Centre's move to set up a panel to examine issues related to stalled real estate projects and
suggest ways for their completion is a step in the right direction.
• The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has set up a 14-member committee headed by
former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to examine the issues related to stalled real estate
projects and recommend ways to complete such projects.
• The committee will submit its report within six months from the date of its first meeting.

Govt sanctions loans of more than 40,600 crore to over 1.8 lakh women entrepreneurs
• The Government has sanctioned loans of more than 40,600 crore rupees to over 1.8 lakh
women entrepreneurs under the Stand Up India Scheme.
About Stand Up India Scheme
• Stand Up India Scheme was launched on 5th April, 2016 to promote entrepreneurship amongst
women, Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories.
• It is designed to help them in starting a greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services or the
trading sector and activities allied to agriculture.
• More than 80 percent of loans given under this scheme have been provided to women.

Cabinet gives nod to Indian Space Policy, 2023

• The Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved
the Indian Space Policy 2023 that will enable the private sector to participate in various space
activities, such as constructing satellites, rockets, and launch vehicles, as well as collecting and
sharing data.

Cabinet approves revised Domestic Gas Pricing Guidelines

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved a mechanism
to fix pricing for domestic natural gas in India.
• The new mechanism will adopt the key recommendations made by the Kirit Parikh Panel, set to
decide the deregulation of gas prices in India.
• Gas produced from new wells or well interventions in the nomination fields of ONGC & OIL,
would be allowed a premium of 20% over the Administered Price Mechanism (APM) price.
• The domestic gas pricing will now be linked to imported crude pricing and would be decided at
10 percent of the Indian crude basket and will be revised on a monthly basis.

19
Cabinet Approved Tripartite Agreement with KfW German Bank for Kerala GEC project
• The Union Cabinet has provided the approval for the signing of a tripartite agreement by the
Kerala State government, and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) with the German state-
owned development bank KfW for securing a loan for the Kerala Green Energy Corridor (GEC)
project, which is being implemented by KSEB.
• On November 11, 2022, the Union government and KfW signed an agreement for the Rs 1,457-
crore Kerala GEC project.
• At the current rates, the project will be eligible for a KfW loan of €102.11 million (approximately
Rs 916 crore) at 3% to 4% interest.
• A sum of Rs 138.71 crore will be available as a Central government grant.

Amit Shah unveils 54 feet tall statue of Lord Hanuman at Gujarat's Sarangpur temple
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti unveiled a 54-feet-tall
statue of Lord Hanuman at Sarangpur temple in Botad district, Gujarat.

IndiGrid launches First BESS Project linked to Solar Panels in Maharashtra

• India Grid Trust, India’s 1st listed power sector infrastructure investment trust, commissioned its
1st Battery Energy Storage System project coupled with solar panels at its Dhule sub-station in
Maharashtra.
• The BESS project will meet the substation’s auxiliary consumption requirement.
• About Maharashtra
capital Mumbai

CM Eknath Shinde

Governor Ramesh Bais

Jal Jeevan Mission Achieves 60% Coverage Milestone

• Under the leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, 60% of rural households have
access to clean drinking water through taps.
• More than 1.55 lakh villages, (25% of total number of villages), in India have so far reported ‘Har
Ghar Jal’, i.e., every household in these villages has access to clean drinking water through taps
at their household premises.
• At the start of the mission, a baseline survey showed that less than 17% or 32.3 million
households had a tap connection.
About Jal Jeevan Mission:
• Launched in 2019, it envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural
household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.
• It comes under Jal Shakti Ministry.

Apple Inc. To Open Its First India Store in Mumbai

20
 • Apple iPhone maker’s first company-owned store in the country will be opened in Mumbai. The
store will be named as Apple-BKC.

India become world’s second-largest solar manufacturer by 2026

• According to the new joint report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
(IEEFA) and JMK Research and Analytics, India could become the world’s second-largest solar
photovoltaic manufacturer by 2026, after China.
• India’s cumulative module manufacturing nameplate capacity more than doubled from 18GW in
March 2022 to 38GW in March 2023.
• In terms of upcoming PV manufacturing installations, Gujarat is the leading state in India. It
accounts for nearly 57% of all the upcoming PV manufacturing capacity.

MeitY Notifies “IT Amendment Rules 2023”: Government-Appointed Fact-Checker to Identify Fake
News
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the amendment of the
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
related to online gaming and spread of false and misleading information regarding government
business.
• The amended rules will be known as the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and
Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 [IT Amendment Rules, 2023].
• About Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Govt disburses incentives for PLI Scheme for Drones & Drone Components
• The Civil Aviation Ministry has disbursed nearly Rs 30 crore to 23 beneficiaries during FY 2022-23
under the PLI scheme for manufacturing drones and drone components
• A provisional list of 23 PLI beneficiaries was released on 6th July 2022; this includes 12 drone
manufacturers and 11 drone component manufacturers.
About PLI scheme:
• The government had notified the PLI scheme for drones and drone components on 30th
September 2021.
• The scheme has features including a total incentive of Rs 120 core spread over three financial
years

Union Cabinet grants approval to LIGO-India to build gravitational wave Detector in Maharashtra
• The Union Cabinet of the Government of India headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
approved the LIGO-India (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory in India) mega
science proposal for research on gravitational waves.
• The LIGO-India project will establish a state-of-the-art gravitational wave observatory in Hingoli,
Maharashtra in collaboration with the LIGO Laboratory in the USA.

21
 • The LIGO project is piloted by the Department of Atomic Energy(DAE) and the Department of
Science and Technology (DST).
• The project worth Rs 2600 crore is estimated to be built by 2030.
• 2 such LIGO observatories have already been established in Louisiana and Washington in the
USA.

MUDRA Yojana completes 8 years, Rs 23.2 lakh crore sanctioned

• Around Rs 23.2 lakh crore has been sanctioned in 40.82 crore loan accounts under Pradhan
Mantri MUDRA Yojana since its inception back in 2015.
• About 68 per cent of accounts under the scheme belong to women entrepreneurs and 51 per
cent of accounts belong to entrepreneurs of SC/ST and OBC categories.
• PMMY was launched on 8th April 2015 by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in New Delhi,
Delhi.
• To facilitate easy collateral-free micro-credit of up to Rs 10 lakh to non-corporate, non-farm
small and micro-entrepreneurs for income-generating activities.
Types of PMMY:
• Shishu – loans up to Rs 50,000
• Kishore – loans above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakh
• Tarun – loans above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10 lakh

PM lays Dedicates to the nation Various Projects in Chennai

• The PM inaugurated the Rs 1,260 crore New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB- Phase 1) aka
‘Golden Terminal’ of Chennai International Airport which will boost passenger handling.
• The PM has inaugurated TN’s second Vande Bharat train namely ‘Chennai–Coimbatore Vande
Bharat Express’ that will ply from Chennai to Coimbatore.

PM Inaugurated ‘Commemoration of 50 years of Project Tiger’

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the program ‘Commemoration of 50 years of Project
Tiger’ at Mysore University in Karnataka.
• The year 2023 marks 50 years of Project Tiger.
• The Project Tiger was launched in November 1973 as a tiger conservation programme by the
then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
• PM Modi launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) in Karnataka.
• IBCA aims to focus on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats of the world, in
collaboration with countries harbouring these species.
• These include Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar and Cheetah.
• The IBCA will provide assured support over five years with guaranteed funding of over Rs 800
crore.
• The alliance membership will be open to 97 “range” countries, which contain the natural habitat
of these big cats
Other launches that took place at the event includes:
• Release of the publications – ‘Amrit Kaal Ka Vision For Tiger Conservation’, a summary report of
the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves.
• Release of a commemorative coin on the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger.

22
Two-day 1st International Quantum Communication Conclave held
• Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Minister of Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and
Railways, and Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, inaugurated the Two
days ‘First International Quantum Communication Conclave’ which was held at Vigyan Bhawan,
New Delhi.
• The conclave was organised by the Department of Telecommunications in collaboration with
Centre For Development Of Telematics (C-DOT), TSDSI (Telecommunications Standards
Development Society, India) and IEEE Communications Society – Delhi chapter.

India to get 9% of Electricity from Nuclear Sources by 2047

• As per the information by the Union Minister Jitendra Singh, in India, the Government has set
the target that nearly 9% share of electricity is likely to be contributed from nuclear sources by
2047.
• The rising contribution of nuclear power in India’s energy sector will help the country to achieve
the commitment of net zero target by 2070.
• The other target laid down by the Department of Atomic Energy is achieving 20 gigawatts (GW)
capacity of nuclear power generation by 2030.
• This will make India the third-largest producer of atomic energy in the world after the US and
France.

MoSPI Development Statistics

• According to data presented in parliament by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI), Gujarat had the highest utilization-to-released fund ratio of Members
of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds in the fiscal year 2022-23
(FY23), while Rs.66 crores were allocated to the state; it utilized Rs.95.77 crore, or 145.11%.
• Other major states with the greatest utilisation to released fund ratios are Jharkhand(128.45%),
Karnataka(127.76%), Kerala(122.33%), West Bengal (113.54%), and Tamil Nadu(112.86%).
• According to the data, the amount of funds received from the Union Government by each state
is proportional to the number of MPs elected in that state.
• For example, Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 Lok Sabha MPs, received Rs. 427.5 crore and had
spent 99% of the funds received in FY23 as of March 27, 2023.
• Following Uttar Pradesh are Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal, which each earned Rs.
341.34 crore, Rs. 219.95 crore, and Rs. 182.17 crore.
• Sikkim received the least amount of money, at Rs. 2 crore, among the states.
• The MPLAD Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Government of India. This
Scheme was announced on December 23, 1993
• Under the MPLADS scheme, which is a Union Government scheme, each Member of Parliament
(MP) has the option of proposing to the District Collector that work worth Rs.5 crores be
undertaken in his or her constituency.

Armed Forces form Panel to Examine Disability Pension

23
 • The Indian Armed Forces have set up an inter-services panel chaired by the Army’s Adjutant
General (AG) Lieutenant General Channira Bansi Ponnappa to examine the disability pensions
among armed force personnel.
• Depending on the percentage of disability, armed personnel can get higher payouts of up to
30% of their pension benefits.

Kerala Agricultural University Notified as Centre for Authority for Plant Protection Varieties, Farmers’
Rights
• Kerala Agricultural University has been notified as a centre of the Protection of Plant Varieties
and Farmers’ Rights Authority under The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
About Kerala
Capital Thiruvananthapuram

Cm Pinarayi Vijayan

Governor Arif Mohammad Khan

Government gives approval for installation of 10 nuclear reactors

• Indian government has approved the installation of 10 nuclear reactors in the country.
• The government has also given administrative approval and financial sanction for ten indigenous
Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors of 700 MW each in fleet mode.
• The nuclear reactors will be installed in four different states, namely, Karnataka, Haryana,
Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
• Kaiga, Gorakhpur, Chutka, and Mahi Banswara are the respective locations for the installation of
the nuclear reactors. Mahi Banswara will have four reactors, while the other three locations will
have two each.
• These reactors are planned to be set up in ‘fleet mode’ progressively by the year 2031 at a cost
of Rs 1,05,000 crores.

India releases first edition of Dogri version of Indian Constitution

• Union Minister of Law, Kiren Rijiju has released the first edition of the Dogri version of the
Constitution of India.
• Dogri is a language spoken in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and is one of the
22 official languages recognized by the Indian Constitution.

24
OBITUARIES
Jharkhand Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto Passed Away
• Jagarnath Mahto, Minister of Education in Jharkhand, passed away at a hospital in Chennai
• Jagarnath Mahto, a politician and cabinet minister from Jharkhand, represented the Dumri
Vidhan Sabha constituency. He was an MLA from Jharkhand Mukti Morch (JMM) party.

Former CJ of Calcutta HC Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan Passed Away

• Former Judge of Kerala High Court Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan, commonly called
Thottathil B Radhakrishnan, passed away in Kochi, Kerala
• He also served as the Chief Justice of High Courts of Chhattisgarh (2017-2018) Andhra Pradesh
(2018-2019), Telangana (2019), and Calcutta (2019-2021).
• In May 2016, he was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice (CJ) of the Kerala HC and served in the
position till August 2016.
• Again in February 2017, he was appointed as the Acting CJ of Kerala and held that post until he
was sworn in as CJ of the Chhattisgarh HC in March 2017.

Legendary theatre actor Jalabala Vaidya passes away

• Legendary theatre actor and co-founder of Akshara Theatre, Jalabala Vaidya passed away
• Her theatrical life started in 1968 with ‘Full Circle’, a dramatised selection of poems and stories.
• She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Tagore Award, the Delhi Natya Sangh Award,
the Andhra Pradesh Natya Akademi Honour, Honorary Citizenship of the City of Baltimore, USA.

Former TN Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta Passed Away

• Former Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu Naresh Gupta hailing from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh,
passed away in Chennai
• Naresh Gupta has held various significant positions in TN, including the 1st Collector of
Sivaganga, TN, from 1985 to 1986.
• He also authored a book “Human Development in India” based on his experiences at the
Planning Commission.

25
 REPORTS & INDICES
Forbes 37th World Billionaire List 2023
• Bernard Arnault, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) topped
the list for the first time with a net worth of USD 211 Billion followed by Elon Musk, CEO of
SpaceX & Tesla
• Top 5 richest person in the world
Rank Name Net Worth

1 Bernard Arnault $ 211 billion

2 Elon Musk $ 180 billion

3 Jeff Bezos $114 billion

4 Larry Ellison $107 Billion

5 Warren Buffett $106 Billion

Top 3 richest person of India

Global Rank Indian Rank Name Net Worth

9th 1 Mukesh Ambani $83.4 billion

24th 2 Gautam Adani $47.2 billion

55th 3 Shiv Nadar $25.6 billion

Recent India Rank index

Report India Rank Topped by

Global Fire Power Index 2023 4th US

Henley Passport Index 2023 85th Japan

List of best Cuisines of the World by Taste Atlas 5th Italy

Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2022 68th Finland

Global ranking in scientific publications paper 3rd China

International IP Index 42nd USA

26
Electoral Democracy Index 2023: 108th Denmark

Global Terrorism Index 2023 13th Afghanistan

World Happiness Index 2023 126th Finland

Arton capital’sPassport Index 2023 144th United Arab Emirates

3rd India Justice Report 2022

• According to the 3rd edition of India Justice Report (IJR 3) 2022 released Karnataka has topped
the overall ranking among the large and mid-sized States (states with a population over 1 crore).
• Karnataka is followed by Tamil Nadu in 2nd position and Telangana in 3rd position.
• In this category, Uttar Pradesh is at rank 18th which is the lowest.
• Sikkim topped the overall ranking among Small States (states with a population up to 1 crore).
• Sikkim has been followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 2nd and Tripura at 3rd place. Goa is at rank
7th which is the lowest.
• The India Justice Report is a first-of-its-kind national periodic reporting that ranks the capacity of
states to deliver justice.
• IJR was initiated by Tata Trusts in 2019.
• It tracks improvements and persisting deficits for all 36 states and UTs structural and financial
capacity to deliver justice based on quantitative measurements.

‘Top 10 Busiest Airports Worldwide for 2022’ by ACI

• The Airports Council International World published the ‘Top 10 Busiest Airports Worldwide for
2022,’ which ranked Delhi Airport [Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)] as the 9th busiest
airport in the world in 2022
• Ranking of top 10 busiest airport:

Rank Airport Passengers

1 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport 93,699,630

(ATL), US

2 Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW), US 73,362,946

3 Denver Airport (DEN), US 69,286,461

4 Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD), US 68,340,619

27
5 Dubai Airport (DBX), United Arab Emirates (UAE) 66,069,981

6 Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), US 65,924,298

7 Istanbul Airport (IST) 64,289,107

8 London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom (UK) 61,614,508

9 Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi, 59,490,074

India

10 Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France 57,474,033

TIME100 poll for most influential people

• Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has achieved the top spot on 2023 TIME100 poll, the TIME
magazine’s annual list of the most influential people.
• Out of the 1.2 million votes cast, 4% of them went to Shah Rukh.
• The Iranian women who are protesting for their rights stood second in the list, with 3% of the
votes.
• The healthcare workers who’ve been at the frontlines of the pandemic since 2020, stood third
with 2% of the overall votes.
List of top Five most influential people
Rank Name

1st Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan

2nd The Iranian women

3rd The healthcare workers , Prince Harry

4th Meghan Markle

5th Lionel Messi

CEA: WBPDCL Ranks best performing Power Generation Company in FY23

28
 • According to a list published by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the Ministry of Power,
West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) has ranked the best performing power
generation company in the country for the financial year 2022-23
• Out of the comparative assessment of 205 power plants in the country, three thermal power
plants of WBPDCL have established their places in the top five ranks in terms of their
performance and efficiency
• Ranking of India’s best power generation corporation
Rank Company PLF (Plant Load Factor)

1 West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) 85.23%

2 Odisha Power Corporation 76.93 %

3 NTPC (coal based station) 75.9%

4 Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC 73.42%

Top 5 Power plants of India:

• Birbhum’s Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station (TPS) of WBPDCL has been ranked number one
(PLF- 92.38%), Purulia’s Santaldih TPS has been ranked second (PLF-91.37%) followed by
Murshidabad’s Sagardighi TPS at fifth position (PLF-89.39%).
• NTPC Korba has ranked third with 91.15 percent PLF and NTPC Vindyachal ranked fourth with
89.54 percent PLF.

‘Best public transport in the world 2023’

• According to a survey published by London (United Kingdom) based global magazine ‘Time Out’,
India’s Financial Capital Mumbai was ranked 19th in the list of ‘Best public transport in the world
2023‘.
• Mumbai is the only Indian city to feature in the list.
• The city has also introduced the Chalo Pay app – a pioneer for Indian public transport
• Top 5 cities on Time out’s list:

Rank City Country

1 Berlin Germany

2 Prague Czech Republic

3 Tokyo Japan

4 Copenhagen Denmark

5 Stockholm Sweden

29
Tiger Number doubles to 3,167 in 2022 compared to 2,967 in 2018: 5th Tiger Census Data
• The 2022 Tiger Census is the 5th cycle of the tiger evaluation in the country.
• As of 2022 Tiger Census, India’s tiger numbers stand at 3,167 in the wild. The 2018 Tiger Census,
released in July 2019, established the presence of 2,967 tigers in India.
• India’s tiger number was about 1,411 in 2006, and it increased to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in the
2014 cycle of evaluations.
• Around 1,161 of India’s tigers are now in Central India, 824 in the Western Ghats, 804 in the
Shivalik Range, 194 in the North-eastern states and 100 in the Sunderbans.

Tiger Reserve Management Review: 5th cycle of MEE of TR in 2022

• According to the summary report of the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of
Tiger Reserves in India in 2022, by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Periyar Tiger
Reserve in Kerala has reserve topped the list of best-managed tiger reserves in India with a
Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) score of 94.38%.
• The 5th cycle of MEE of TR in India in 2022 indicates an overall increase of 8% in mean MEE
Score (77.92%) (ranging between 50% to 94%) for Tiger Reserves, in comparison to the fourth
cycle of MEE TR assessment 2018 (70%).
• A total of 12 Tiger Reserves have achieved ‘Excellent’ category, followed by 20 Tiger Reserves in
‘Very Good’ category, 14 Tiger Reserves in ‘Good’ category and 5 Tiger Reserves in ‘Fair’
category.
• Top 5 Tiger Reserves under Excellent Category:

Tiger Reserves State MEE Score

Periyar Kerala 94.38

Satpura Madhya Pradesh 93.18

Bandipur Karnataka 93.18

Nagarhole Karnataka 92.42

Kanha Madhya Pradesh 91.67

30
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Skyroot Aerospace test-fires advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine
• Skyroot Aerospace, the Private space technology startup based in Hyderabad, Telangana
successfully test-fired advanced fully 3D-printed ‘Dhawan-II’cryogenic engine for 200 seconds at
Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra
• The engine will be used in the upper stage of their Vikram II rocket, which is set to be launched
in 2024.
• The Dhawan-II engine was built upon the foundation laid by Skyroot’s first privately developed
fully-cryogenic rocket engine, the 1.0 kN thrust Dhawan–I, which was successfully test fired in
November 2021.
• About Skyroot Aerospace:
ESTD 2018

HQ Hyderabad, Telangana

Co Founder Pawan Chandana; Bharath Daka

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Breaks World Records Once Again

• The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
performed its 49th flight, breaking two records: the highest altitude and the highest speed
achieved by any self-propelled aircraft outside of Earth.
• The little rotorcraft (Ingenuity) made its 49th flight during which it flew up to a height of 16
metres and clocked a high speed of 23.4 kilometres per hour.
• Ingenuity covered a distance of 282 metres during the 49th flight, which lasted 142.7 seconds.
• About National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):
Formed 29 July 1958

HQ Washington, D.C.

Administrator Bill Nelson

HAL’s First LCA Trainer Successfully Completes Maiden Test-flight

• The first series production Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas trainer (LT 5201) aircraft,
manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), successfully completed its maiden flight,
marking a major milestone in the LCA Tejas programme.
• The 1st-ever Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) trainer (LT 5201) built to series production standards
took off from their airfield and successfully completed a 35-minute flight test before landing.
• The trainer plane was piloted by Group Captain Venu and Wing Commander Awasthi.

31
NASA’s TEMPO High-Resolution Air Quality Control Mission
• SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution
(TEMPO) instrument
• TEMPO slogan is ‘It’s about time,’ which focuses at TEMPO’s ability to provide hourly air
pollution data.
• About National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):
HQ Washington, D.C., United States

Administrator Bill Nelson

HAL handed over 100th Su-30 MKI aircraft to IAF & launched 3rd LCA production line
• Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane, inaugurated the third LCA (Light Combat Aircraft)
production line of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and handed over the 100th Sukhoi-30 MKI Repair
and Overhaul aircraft to the Indian Air Force at HAL’s Nashik Division in Nasik, Maharashtra.
• The new production line will enable HAL to enhance LCA MK1A ‘Tejas’ Fighter jets production
capacity from 16 to 24 aircraft per year.
• HAL already operates two LCA manufacturing facilities in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Israel Launches ‘Ofek 13’ Reconnaissance Satellite into Space

• Israel successfully launched the Ofek 13, a new Israeli spy satellite onboard the Shavit launch
vehicle into space from Palmachim Airbase spaceport
• The Ofek-13, manufactured by the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), is the latest in
a series of Israeli-produced satellites first put into orbit in 1988.
• It was launched on a Shavit missile over the Mediterranean Sea

‘MF Hydra’: World’s First Liquid Hydrogen-Powered Ferry gets Operational

• Norwegian company Norled has launched the world’s first liquid hydrogen-powered ferry vessel
called ‘MF Hydra’.
• MF Hydra will now operate on the triangular route of Hjelmeland-Skipavik-Nesvik.
• MF Hydra is the 82.4-meter-long ferry. It can carry up to 300 passengers and 80 vehicles and
decrease its yearly carbon emissions by up to 95%.

Iran successfully tests Kamikaze Drone Equipped with 50-kg Warhead

• Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran has successfully tested a homemade long-range,
high-precision kamikaze drone equipped with a 50-kg warhead.
• The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), named “Meraj-532“, has a range of 450 km, and is capable
of flying at a maximum altitude of 12,000 feet for 3 straight hours.
• About Iran
Capital Tehran

Currency Iranian Rial

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President Ebrahim Raisi

SPORTS
Kim Cotton becomes 1st female to umpire in ICC Men's T20I cricket
• New Zealand’s Kim Cotton became the 1st woman on-field umpire in a full-member men’s T20I
during New Zealand’s second match against Sri Lanka in Dunedin, New Zealand.
• She has previously officiated in 54 women’s T20Is besides 24 women’s ODIs since 2018.
• She first marked her presence in the men’s game as a TV umpire in 2020 during India & New
Zealand T20I series in Hamilton.

Weightlifter Sanjita Chanu banned for four years for failing dope test
• Two-time Commonwealth Games Champion Indian weightlifter Sanjita Chanu has been handed
a four-year ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for failing a dope test.
• Sanjita had won gold in 48kg ahead of Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu at the
2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
• At the 2018 edition of the CWG in Gold Coast, she was crowned champion in the 53kg category.

Peru removed as host of 2023 FIFA Under-17 Men’s World Cup

• Peru was stripped of hosting the men's Under-17 World Cup because FIFA said the country was
not ready to stage the tournament later this year.
• FIFA did not name a replacement host for the 24-team tournament scheduled to be played from
Nov. 10-Dec 2.

Argentina becomes number one football team in the world in FIFA rankings 2023
• The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) released the latest rankings of
international football teams and Argentina topped the FIFA rankings for the first time in six
years.
• The top five teams in the FIFA rankings as of April 2023 are Argentina, France, Brazil, Belgium
and England.
• The next FIFA World Rankings will be published on 20 July 2023.
• About FIFA
Formed in 1904

HQ Zurich, Switzerland

President Gianni Infantino

Indian GM Gukesh D wins Armageddon Championship Series 2023-Asia and Oceania

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 • Indian Grandmaster Gukesh D defeated World Rapid Champion GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov of
Uzbekistan to win the Armageddon Championship Series 2023: Asia & Oceania held in Berlin,
Germany.
• It was the second regional tournament of the Armageddon Championship Series 2022-2023
which is organised by World Chess Events Limited in cooperation with World Chess Europe
GmbH.

STATE UT NEWS
Telangana Launched India’s 1st ‘Cool Roof Policy 2023-2028’
• Telangana launched “Telangana Cool Roof Policy 2023-2028” for all types of buildings to reduce
temperatures in Hyderabad and other urban areas in Telangana. With this launch, Telangana
became India's first state to introduce Cool Roof Policy.
• The Telangana Cool Roof Policy 2023-2028 aims to reduce the heat island impact and heat stress
in Telangana.
• Telangana has set a target to cover an area of 7.5 square kilometers, including 5 sq km in
Hyderabad, Telangana in the first year (2023).
• The government is set to cool roof an area of 300 sq km of area including 200 sq km in
Hyderabad by 2030.
About Telangana
Capital Hyderabad

CM K Chandrashekar Rao

Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan

TN CM M.K. Stalin Launches Anaivarukkum IIT M Initiative for Government School Students
• M.K. Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, launched “Anaivarukkum IITM”, the initiative of the
Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai to connect 1 lakh Government School students
studying in rural locations to electronic science.
• He also announced a new talent support scheme, “Thiranari Thervu Thittam” (skill
development), for state-run school students that offers Rs 1,000 per month as a stipend at an
event held at the IIT-M campus in TN.
• About Tamilnadu
Capital Chennai

CM Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin

Governor R. N. Ravi

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UP govt to set up UP Education Service Selection Commission for appointment of teachers
• The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up the Uttar Pradesh Education Service
Selection Commission for the recruitment of teachers in the state.
• Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave necessary guidelines regarding the setting up of the
autonomous commission which will select teachers in basic, secondary, higher and technical
colleges in the state.
• The new commission will also conduct the UP Teachers Eligibility Test exam.
• About Uttar Pradesh
Capital Lucknow

CM Yogi Adityanath

Governor Anandiben Patel

Classical Dance Kathak

Odisha gets Rs 26,000 crore investment intent at Business Meet in Tokyo

• The Odisha government received investment intentions worth around Rs 26,000 crore during
the Odisha Business Meet, 2023 held in Tokyo, Japan.
• The Odisha government in association with the Indian Embassy in Japan, the Japan External
Trade Organisation (JETRO), and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI), hosted the Odisha Business Meet, 2023 in Tokyo.
• About Odisha
Capital Bhubaneswar

CM Naveen Patnaik

Governor Ganeshi Lal

• During the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) for collaboration in the skill

development sector was also signed between Nihon-Utkal (NITKAL) and International Institute
of Information Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

35
VISITS , MEETINGS & SUMMITS
Fourth B20 conference of the Northeast Region begins in Kohima
• Nagaland is all set to host the fourth and final event of B20 being organised in north-east region
• The B20 conference scheduled to be held in Kohima will witness 64 overseas delegates from 29
countries
• All B20 meeting lists
1st Business 20 (B20) Meeting Imphal, Manipur

2nd Business 20 (B20) Meeting Aizawl, Mizoram

3rd Business 20 (B20) Meeting Gangtok, Sikkim

4th Business 20 (B20) Meeting Kohima, Nagaland

Meetings Under the Presidency of G20 by India-

2nd G20 Sherpas meeting Kerala (30 March-2 April, 2023)

G20 Business Summit 2023 Kohima, Nagaland (5 April 2023)

1st G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group Gandhinagar (30 March - 1 April, 2023)
meeting

2nd Tourism Working Group meeting Siliguri (1-3 April, 2023)

IIT Kanpur to host Y20 consultation under India's G20 chairmanship

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur will host the Youth20 Consultation under India's
G20 chairmanship
• The consultation Y20 Summit 2023 focuses on two main themes: "The Future of Work: Industry
4.0, Innovation, and 21st Century Skills"; and "Health, Wellbeing and Sport: Agenda for Youth."

7th India-Japan Defense Policy Dialogue held in New Delhi

• The 7th India-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue was held in New Delhi
• It was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Vice Minister of Defence for
International Affairs Oka Masami.

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Second meeting of G20 Development Working Group held at Kumarakom
• The 2nd Meeting of the G20 Development Working Group (DWG) concluded successfully at
Kumarakom, Kerala
• The theme of this meeting was "Transformative Transitions through Data for Development."
• The first Meeting of the G20 Development Working Group was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Meetings are Under the Presidency of G20 by India-
2nd G20 Sherpas meeting Kerala

G20 Business Summit 2023 Kohima, Nagaland

1st G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group meeting Gandhinagar

2nd Tourism Working Group meeting Siliguri

4th B20 conference Kohima, Nagaland

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