IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day for Mine Awareness observed on 04th April

• The International Day for Mine Awareness is observed all over the world on 04th April to raise awareness
among the people about the adverse effects of explosive mine action across the globe.
• The General Assembly in December 2005 declared that each year on 4th April would be officially proclaimed
and observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. The United
Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has selected the theme “Mine Action Cannot Wait”.

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace observed on 06th April
• The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) observed on 06th April to celebrate the
role of sports and physical activity in our lives across the globe.
• In August, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 67/296 to proclaim April 6 as the
International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. This day was supported by the International Olympic
Committee. The theme of 2023 is ‘Scoring for People and the Planet’.

World Health observed on 07th April

• The World Health Day is observed every year on 07th April to draw attention to a particular health topic that
affects people all over the world. It also marks the birthday of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which
was founded in 1948. This year the world health body is observing its 75th anniversary.
• The theme for the World Health Day 2023 is "Health for all." The theme highlights the public health
successes of the WHO that played a role in improving the quality of life of the past seven decades.

World Art Day observed on 15th April

• World Art Day is observed on the 15th of April to promote the development, diffusion, and enjoyment of
art. The International Association of Art, a partner of UNESCO created the day to promote creative activity
around the world.
• World Art Day was officially established during the General Assembly of the International Association of Art
in 2012. The date of April 15 was chosen because it was Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday and he is known as
one of the most famous artists in history.

World Heritage Day observed on 18th April

• World Heritage Day is observed every year on 18th April to promote awareness about the importance of
preserving cultural heritage, such as historic buildings, monuments, and archaeological sites.
• The idea of celebrating World Heritage Day was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 and was later approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983. The
theme for 2023 is “Heritage Changes”.

National Civil Services Day observed on 21st April

• National Civil Service Day is observed every year on 21st April to recognize and appreciate the vital role
played by civil servants in the advancement and betterment of the nation.

1 April, 2023
• Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the Home Member of Parliament, introduced the All India Services this day in
1947. The former Indian Civil Services under British India were later transformed into All India Services
under the total Indian administration.

World Earth Day observed on 22nd April

• The Earth Day is celebrated on 22nd April every year to spread awareness about issues, including the
rampant increase in pollution, global warming, and deforestation, which harm the environment and result in
the destruction of the planet.
• Peace activist John McConnell conceptualized Earth Day in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference. The first Earth
Day was celebrated in 1970, in the United States. The theme for World Earth Day 2023 is “Invest in Our
Planet”, which is a continuation of the 2022 theme.

World Book and Copyright Day observed on 23rd April

• World Book and Copyright Day is observed every year on 23rd April to celebrate the importance of books as
a link between the past and the present or to connect generations and cultures. In the 1922 Vicente Clavel,
the Director of the Cervantes publishing firm, proposed the idea of dedicating a day to Miguel de Cervantes.
• The first World Book Day was celebrated in Barcelona in October 1926. However, in 1930, the date was
changed to April 23. The theme for World Book Day 2023 is “Indigenous Languages.” The theme is focused
on the native languages of a country.

National Panchayati Raj Day observed on 24th April

• National Panchayati Raj Day is observed in India on 24th April every year to mark the constitutional
amendment that created the Panchayati Raj Institutions in India. The Panchayati Raj Day commemorates the
73rd Amendment Act, 1992 of the Constitution coming into effect in the year 1993.
• The day is celebrated to acknowledge national local self-governance and democratic decentralisation. The
theme of National Panchayati Raj Day 2023 is 'Sustainable Panchayat: Building Healthy, Water Sufficient, and
Clean & Green Villages.'

World Malaria Day observed on 25th April

• World Malaria Day (WMD) is an international observance commemorated every year on 25th April and
recognizes global efforts to control malaria. The United Nations General Assembly declared this day as
World Malaria Day in December 2007, and the first World Malaria Day observed in 2008.
• The aim of World Malaria Day is to raise awareness of the devastating impact of malaria and to mobilize
resources and support for malaria control and prevention programs in endemic countries. The theme of this
year is “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement.”

World Intellectual Property Day observed on 26th April

• The World Intellectual Property Day is observed every year on 26th April to promote awareness about the
influence of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and design on daily life. The day was first proposed during the
33rd Assembly Session of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Member States in
September 1988. The inaugural celebration of World IP Day took place in the year 2000.
• Intellectual property (IP) is a non-physical asset that a person or corporation possesses. Intellectual property
rights are the rights granted to individuals over the production of minds. The theme for this year is “Women
and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity.”

2 April, 2023
 INDIAN AFFAIRS
Centre government launched Foreign Trade Policy 2023, aims $2 trillion exports by 2030
• The Union government announced the new foreign trade policy that will focus on emerging areas such as e-
commerce exports, greater trade facilitation and developing districts as export hubs. The policy aims to
boost India's exports to $2 trillion by 2030.
• India’s merchandise exports declined 8.88% in February to touch a four-month low of $33.88bn. Imports
contracted by 8.1% to an 18-month low of $51.3 billion during the month, resulting in a trade deficit of
$17.43 bn. In the April-February period, merchandise exports touched $405.9 billion, which is 7.5% higher
than the corresponding period last year.

Government of India launched New India Literacy Program

• The government has launched a new centrally sponsored scheme named 'New India Literacy Programme'
with a financial outlay of over Rs 1000 crore for implementation during the 2022-23 to 2026-27. The scheme
aims to cover five crore illiterates in the age group of 15 years and above.
• Beneficiaries under this scheme are identified through door to door survey on mobile app by the surveyors
in the States and Union Territories. The program has been launched for the period FY 2022-2027 to align
with the National Education Policy 2020 and cover all aspects of adult education.

India and Malaysia agreed to settle trade in Indian Rupee

• The Ministry of External Affairs announced that India and Malaysia have reached a landmark agreement that
will allow the two nations to settle trade in Indian Rupee. This development comes as a result of the RBI’s
decision in July 2022 to permit the settlement of international trade in Indian currency.
• The move is aimed at facilitating the growth of trade and supporting the interests of the global trading
community in the Indian rupee.

Eravikulam National Park in Kerala became first to house a fernarium

• Eravikulam National Park, the natural habitat of Nilgiri tahr in Munnar, has a new attraction a Fernarium set
up inside the park. This is the first time such a fern collection has been established in the hill station.
• The fern park has been set up near the orchidarium and will be opened to the public in this month end.
Eravikulam National Park is a 97 km2 national park located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki and
Ernakulam districts of Kerala in India. Eravikulam National Park is administered by the Kerala Department of
Forests and Wildlife, Munnar Wildlife Division.

Rural Development Ministry introduced Captive Employer scheme for rural youth
• The Union Minister for Rural Development Giriraj Singh on-boarded 19 captive employers as part of the
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) in New Delhi. Captive employers will train
rural poor youth and employ them in jobs within their company or subsidiary.

3 April, 2023
• The minister stated that India has the potential to become the world's skill capital, and that the MoU inked
between the MoRD and the Captive Employers is the first step towards that goal. In the first phase, 19
Captive Employers have been hired to train and employ over 31,000 rural youth.

First India-Central Asia Culture Ministers’ virtually hosted by Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy
• The Minister of Culture, G. Kishan Reddy hosted the first India-Central Asia Culture Ministers’ Meeting
through video conferencing. The Culture Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan participated in the meeting.
• The minister stated that the historical and cultural linkages of India and Central Asia. He referred to the
eternal teachings of ahimsa or non-violence preached by Buddha.

India, Netherlands held first Ministerial-level meeting of Joint Working Group

• The 1st Ministerial-level meeting of the Joint Working Group between India and the Netherlands was held.
The meeting was held in the presence of Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister for
Infrastructure and Water Management, Government of the Netherlands, Mark Harbours.
• The 'Strategic Water Partnership' was launched during a virtual meeting between the Prime Ministers of India
and the Netherlands in April 2021.

India became first country to develop own system for estimating TB cases
• India has become the first country in the world to develop a sophisticated mathematical model to track the
spread of tuberculosis (TB) cases. The model was unveiled and is based on the natural history of the disease,
individual cases of infection, healthcare-seeking behaviour, missed or correct diagnosis, treatment coverage,
and outcome.
• The new Indian model, calibrated for years 2011 to 2025, is a significant step forward in the fight against TB,
which is one of the world's leading infectious diseases.

Government of Telangana launched ‘cool roof’ policy to beat the heat

• Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao launched the Telangana Cool Roof
Policy 2023-28 to make the state more thermally comfortable and heat-resilient by reducing the impact of
the urban heat island effect and heat stress and also to bring down energy consumption.
• A cool roof, which uses special paints or tile cover, is designed to reflect more sunlight than a conventional
roof, thus reducing heat retention and cooling indoor spaces.

Government approved Army proposal to induct woman officers in Artillery

• The Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt informed the Lok Sabha that the central government approved
the induction of women in the Regiment of Artillery. In January 2023, the proposal to induct woman officers
in the Regiment of Artillery was sent to the government.
• The exact number of woman officers who will be inducted into the Artillery will only be known at the time
of the commission of the next batch from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.

Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry set up committee headed by Amitabh Kant
• The ministry of housing and urban affairs has set up a committee headed by Amitabh Kant, former CEO of
NITI Aayog and India’s G20 Sherpa during its presidency of the group this year, to look into issues related to
completing stalled housing projects.

4 April, 2023
• The panel has been tasked with suggesting ways to complete and hand over the projects to homebuyers in a
“time-bound manner”. The committee shall submit its report within six months. The 14-member committee
comprises top central and state government officials.

India elected to UN Statistical Commission for 4-year term

• India has been elected as a member of the UN Statistical Commission, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
and the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) by the
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
• India was elected to the highest statistical body of the United Nations for a term of 4 years. India was elected
as a member of this commission 20 years ago in 2004. India, along with South Korea, the United Arab
Emirates and China, was in the fray for two seats in the Asia Pacific states category.

India & Bhutan decided to set up first Integrated Check Post

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck have held a bilateral
meeting in New Delhi. The two nations agreed to expedite the operationalization of the third international
internet gateway for Bhutan.
• India will also work to extend an additional standby credit facility for export of agricultural commodities from
Bhutan and shape a long-term sustainable arrangement. Both countries are considering setting up the first
Integrated Check Post on the Indo-Bhutan border. This post will be established near Jaigaon.

Ministry of Finance named panel to improve pension benefits for Government staff
• The Finance Ministry set up a four-member committee headed by Finance Secretary T V Somanathan to
review the pension system for government employees.
• The committee will suggest whether any changes are warranted given the existing framework and structure
of the National Pension System, as applicable to government employees. The committee will also suggest
changes with a view to improve the pensioners benefits of government employees covered under NPS
ensuring that fiscal prudence is maintained to protect common citizens.

Union Law Minister released 1st edition of Dogri version of Constitution of India
• Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju has released the first edition of the Dogri
version of the Constitution of India at University of Jammu. The release of this version is a significant step
towards promoting linguistic diversity and preserving the cultural heritage of the country.
• The Dogri version of the Constitution will help people who speak this language understand the fundamental
rights and duties of citizens, the functioning of the government, and the role of various institutions.

World's first Asian King Vulture Conservation and Breeding Center to setup in UP
• World's first conservation and breeding centre built and designed exclusively for the conservation of Asian
king vulture , is ready to be inaugurated in Maharajganj district Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre.
• The JCBC is spread over 1.5 hectares in the Gorakhpur forest division and is a state-of-the-art centre,
worth around Rs 15 crore, with multiple aviaries for vultures, like breeding and holding aviaries, nursery
aviaries for juveniles, hospital and recovery aviaries for those needing medical help.

Census data revealed India’s tiger population tops 3,000

• According to the census data released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Karnataka’s Mysuru on the
occasion of 50 years of Project Tiger, India has at least 3,167 tigers. India had 2,967 tigers in 2018 or 7 out of
every 10 big cats in the wild in the world.

5 April, 2023
• The PM also released the government’s vision for tiger conservation during ‘Amrit Kaal’, and launched the
International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA). IBCA will focus on the protection and conservation of seven major big
cats of the world, including tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah.

INS Vikrant received historic bell of first warship

• The INS Vikrant was last month handed over a bell that was once installed on the first carrier with the same
name, commissioned in 1961. The bell had been placed on the original ‘INS Vikrant’ for almost 36 years after
India bought a British-origin aircraft carrier HMS Hercules and renamed it.
• Now-retired Vice Admiral SN Ghormade decided to return the bell in March to motivate India’s youth about
the rich history of their ship and Indian Navy. The first INS Vikrant carrier was decommissioned in 1997 and
the bell was removed and placed at designated residence of Indian Navy vice Chief.

Prime Minister flagged off Rajasthan's first Vande Bharat Express

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Rajasthan's first and the country's 15th Vande Bharat Express train
via video conferencing. The train's inaugural run will be between Jaipur and Delhi Cantonment.
• The train will operate between Ajmer and Delhi Cantonment with stops in Jaipur, Alwar and Gurgugram.
The Ajmer-Delhi Cantonment Vande Bharat Express will be the world's first semi high-speed passenger train
on high-rise overhead electric (OHE) territory.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Peerah-Kunfer Tunnel at Ramban

• The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated Peerah-Kunfer Tunnel
at Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir. The 924 meters long Tube 1 of the Peeda-Kunfer Tunnel would
bypass 2.9 km congested, zigzag, and accident-prone area between Nashri and Ramban.
• The tunnel is a part of the on-going four-lane project of the NHAI between Udhampur and Ramban on the
Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The tunnel will reduce the 2.9 km distance National Highway and it
would provide huge relief to the passengers travelling in the Ramban district on national highway.

India's first semi high-speed regional rail services named as 'RAPIDX'

• The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) have been named India's first semi-high-speed
regional rail services as 'RAPIDX'. The trains will run on the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors,
being implemented to connect key urban nodes across the National Capital Region.
• The brand name has been chosen as 'RAPIDX' since it is easy to read and simple to pronounce in various
languages. The letter ‘X’ in ‘RAPIDX’ is to signify the next-age technology which has been used in order to
ensure a comfortable and fast ride. The rail will be operating on the (RRTS) corridors.

Union Tourism Ministers flagged off Bharat Gaurav Tourist train

• The Union Tourism Minister G Krishan Reddy and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Virendra
Kumar flagged off the Bharat Gaurav Tourist train to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar from
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in New Delhi.
• The government has developed Panchteerth, five places associated with Dr. Ambedkar. The IRCTC has
proposed to run Ambedkar Yatra special tour by Bharat Gaurav Tourist train covering the prominent places
associated with the life of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar and the Buddhist heritage to give a holistic experience to
the tourists about India's cultural Heritage.

6 April, 2023
Uttar Pradesh’s Suhelwa sanctuary recorded first photographic proof of tigers
• Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary has been identified as a new area where photographic evidence of tigers has been
captured for the first time. The sanctuary, located in the Shravasti, Balrampur, and Gonda districts of Uttar
Pradesh, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1988.
• It is named after King Soheldev & it is spread over an area of 452 square kilometres. The tiger reserves
situated in UP are linked through the forests of Nepal, and cross-border cooperation is important to
conserve the natural heritage of both countries.

India hosted first joint working group meet on Chabahar port

• India and the Central Asian nations reaffirmed that connectivity initiatives should comply with global norms,
transparency, local priorities, financial sustainability, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of all countries at their first joint working group meeting on the Chabahar port.
• India has been pushing for the Chabahar port project to boost regional trade, especially for its connectivity to
Afghanistan. The country representative for the United Nations WFP made a presentation on the on-going
cooperation between India and the UNWFP in Afghanistan for the delivery of wheat assistance.

Himachal became '1st state' to create DNA database of unidentified bodies

• Himachal Pradesh has become the "first state" to create a DNA database of unidentified bodies. The process
was started in April last year and so far records of 150 DNA samples of unidentified bodies have been stored
in the database.
• The database would help in the identification of bodies which would turn out to be a big relief for the
families searching for their loved ones and running from pillar to post with photographs and other details.

India has surpassed China to become world's most populous country

• According to a United Nations Population Fund report titled ‘The State of World Population Report, 2023’;
India has surpassed China in population and become most populous country in the world. India's population
is 1.4286 billion while China's stands at 1.4257 billion, making a difference of 2.9 million.
• It is the first time since 1950 when the UN started to collect population data that India's population has
overtaken China's. New Delhi is the most populated city in India with 30 million followed by Mumbai (20
million), Kolkata (15 million) and Bengaluru (12 million).

Kerala became first state to adopt Water Budget

• Kerala became the first state to adopt a water budget in a bid to come up with a solution to water scarcity in
certain regions there. The first phase of the project would cover 94 gram panchayats and 15 block
panchayats. The Public Water Budget was released by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
• The CM also launches the third phase of the Ini Njan Ozhukatte project, for the rehabilitation of irrigation
networks in the Western Ghats. The idea of a water budget was first mooted by the state in 2019.

Prime Minister inaugurated first Global Buddhist Summit in New Delhi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first Global Buddhist Summit in New Delhi. The Ministry
of Culture in collaboration with its grantee body International Buddhist Confederation host the Summit. The
delegates from nearly 30 countries have to attend the mega event.
• For the first time, prominent Buddhist monks from various countries visit India and take part in the Summit.
The theme of the Global Buddhist Summit is Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis.
India is the "birthplace of Buddhism" and "the land of the Buddha".

7 April, 2023
Government of India launched 'Sangathan-se-Samriddhi' scheme
• Union Minister of Rural Development Minister, Giriraj Singh launched the 'Organization to Prosperity'
campaign. It will empower marginal rural households by bringing all eligible rural women into Self Help
Groups (SHGs). The number of members has now crossed nine crore, which was 2.35 core in 2014.
• The government has set a target that every woman associated with self-help groups should be able to earn
one lakh rupees annually.

Government of Maharashtra announced 4% reservation for Divyang employees in promotions

• Government of Maharashtra has announced a 4% reservation for Divyang employees in promotions. The
state cabinet has decided that this reservation will apply for those cadres in which the proportion of
recruitment through direct service is not more than 75%.
• The state cabinet has also decided to clear all pending dues as per the 7th Pay Commission for non-teaching
staff serving across all non-agricultural universities.

India Records Academy certified world record title to Varanasi District Administration
• The Varanasi District Administration, Government of Uttar Pradesh has achieved a world record certified by
India Records Academy for maximum number of participants in a quiz contest at multiple locations. The
record-breaking quiz contest was focused on “India’s Presidency in the G20 Summit”.
• The event was held at the same time in all the institutions within the geographical limitations of the Varanasi
District. The Varanasi District Administration has entered the record books for the title “Maximum
Participants in a Quiz Contest at Multiple Locations”.

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh signed agreement to settle boundary dispute

• Assam and Arunachal Pradesh signed an agreement to bring an end to the border dispute between the two
states which has been going on for 51 years. Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and Arunachal
Pradesh Pema Khandu signed the agreement in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah.
• Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km-long border which has been in dispute since the latter was
made a UT in 1972. The pact will bring settlement to 123 villages located along areas that the 2 states share.

India proposed to develop G-20 Park in New Delhi

• India has proposed to develop a G20 park in New Delhi to symbolize 'togetherness on the path of
development' as part of its year-long presidency of the organization. It will showcase sculptures depicting
national animals and birds of the G20 countries made with the Waste to wonder concept.
• The sculptures will be created on-site in a 20-day-long national camp mode from tomorrow and will run till
the first of May. Each art piece will be made of scrap and other waste material sourced from the yards of
New Delhi Municipal Council and other agencies.

Nagaland received approval from NMC to setting up its first medical college
• With the approval of National Medical Commission (NMC) for setting up the 100-seat Nagaland Institute of
Medical Sciences and Research, the first medical college will be set up in the north-eastern state since it got
statehood 60 years ago in 1963.
• Health and Family Welfare Minister P. Paiwang Konyak informed that the academic session of the new
medical college would begin from 2023-24. We received the approval for a 100 seat (MBBS) medical college
from the NMC. Noting that getting approval for the first medical college as historic.

8 April, 2023
India became first country to received $100-billion remittances in 2022
• India has become the first country in the world to have annual remittances from abroad crossing the $100-
billion mark. According to the World Bank, private remittances or transfer of money from NRI to friends and
relatives in India crossed the threshold in 2022, with a year-on- year growth of 12%.
• The country likely retained tag of top remittances destination slot in FY23, which it vanquished from China in
FY21. Around $630 bn was sent in remittances to low- and middle-income nations in 2022, up 5% on year.

L Murugan became 1st Union Minister to visit India’s first village

• Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting L Murugan became the first Union Minister to visit India’s first village Avangkhu
on the Indo-Myanmar border in Phek district of Nagaland.
• The Minister announced that the two lane road up to Avangkhu border has already been sanctioned and
work will start soon. National Livestock Mission has been supporting entrepreneurs of the state and
strengthening farm infrastructure and technology.

Ministry of Health proposed 100 food streets across country

• The Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has asked States and
UTs to develop 100 food streets in 100 districts across country. The aim of project is to encourage safe and
healthy practices to reduce food-borne illnesses and improve overall health outcomes.
• This initiative is being taken up as a pilot project to create an example for other such streets to come up
across the country for ensuring hygienic and safe food practices.

Union Cabinet approved Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023

• The Union Cabinet cleared the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The bill is likely to be presented in
the monsoon session and carries provisions for harsher punishments for offences like film piracy.
• The bill is likely to primarily target film piracy and limit the release of pirated versions of movies, which cause
financial damage to the film industry. The government plans to introduce new age-based categorisations of
film certifications, dividing the existing UA category into three age-based categories of seven years (UA7+),
13 years (UA13+), and 16 years (UA16+) to replace earlier 12 years' category.

Tamil Nadu Assembly passed bill allowing 12-hour work in factories

• The Tamil Nadu assembly passed a Bill seeking amendment in the Factories Act, 1948, extending the daily
working hours from 8 to 12 hours. The revised 12 daily work hours is not given to all companies and
factories, but will be brought into effect “only at places where workers prefer it.”
• The Bill will not have any impact on the current 48 hours’ work-week, and that there will be no changes in
terms of weekly holidays and additional wages. In February, the Karnataka Assembly also passed ‘The
Factories (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2023’, which permits industries to have a 12 hours’ work day, but
with maximum of 48 hours of work in a week.

India launched ‘Operation Kaveri’ to bring back citizens stranded in Sudan

• India has launched Operation Kaveri to bring back its citizens stranded in Sudan. External Affairs Minister Dr
S Jaishankar informed that nearly 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan. Indian ships and aircraft are set to
bring stranded Indian nationals back home.
• It has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and naval ship INS
Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the stranded Indians.

9 April, 2023
Maharashtra School installed AI Machine to assess Food Quality for Tribal Students
• A unique artificial intelligence-based machine has been installed at Todsa Ashram School of Etapalli in
Maharashtra in a bid to improve the nutrition level of tribal children of Gadchiroli. The initiative was taken by
the administration under project Bhamragad and there are eight government schools part of it.
• The device, backed by smart vision, scans each plate held up in front of it and tracks its nutrition, meal
quality, quantity, and its impact on the child's growth. It also tracks the BMI (body mass index) of the children
regularly, looking for signs of malnutrition.

Prime Minister launched India's 1st water metro in Kerala that connects 10 islands
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India's first water metro that connects 10 islands around Kochi
through battery-operated electric hybrid boats for seamless connectivity with the city. The metro project
will start with eight electric hybrid boats developed under Cochin Shipyard Limited.
• The Kerala government and the German company KfW are funding this dream project. It consists of 38
terminals and 78 electric boats. The KWM service will launch in the first phase from the High Court-Vypin
and Vyttila-Kakkanad terminals.

Prime Minister flagged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train from Thiruvananthapuram
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train between
Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod from Thiruvananthapuram Central Station. Vande Bharat, the semi-high-
speed train from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, will cover the distance between the two places in about
eight hours, thereby reducing the average travel time by almost three hours.
• The train will cover 11 districts of Kerala. The one-of-its-kind Kochi water metro project will provide safe,
affordable, and pocket-friendly travel for people in and around Kochi and also boost tourism.

Prime Minister laid foundation for first Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for India’s first Digital Science Park coming up at
the Technocity campus in Thiruvananthapuram. The project is to be completed in two years.
• Located adjacent to the Kerala University of Digital Sciences Innovation and Technology in around 14 acres
of land, the ₹1,500 crore Digital Science Park project has been conceived as a multidisciplinary cluster-based
interactive innovation zone focused on digital technologies.

Union Cabinet approved ‘National Medical Devices Policy 2023’

• Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the National Medical Devices
Policy, 2023. The medical devices sector in India is an essential and integral constituent of the Indian
healthcare sector. The Indian medical devices sector's contribution has become even more prominent as
India supported the domestic and global battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The market size of the medical devices sector in India is estimated to be approximately, ₹90,000 crore in
2020 and its share in the global medical device market is estimated to be 1.5pc.

Chief Minister of Jharkhand launched states’ first air ambulance services

• The Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren launched the state's first air ambulance service from Ranchi
to other parts of country. For this service aircraft of Redbird Airways has been taken on lease
• The service will be provided at rates between Rs 3-8 lakh for places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai,
Kolkata, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Lucknow and Tirupati. The state civil aviation department has set up a cell for
the air ambulance service which can be availed through phone calls and emails.

10 April, 2023
India’s first ‘Cable-Stayed’ Anji Khad Railway Bridge installed in Jammu and Kashmir
• The Anji Khad Bridge which is India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge finished its construction. The bridge
contains 96 cables with cable length ranging from 82 m to 295 m, and total length of cable is 653 km.
• The most difficult Udampur-Srinagar-Baramulla-Rail Link (USBRL) Project of Indian Railways is building the
bridge in the Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir. The bridge is situated in the Himalayas’ young fold
mountains, which have exceedingly challenging geological features such as faults, folds, and thrusts and the
area’s high seismic risk. The bridge has an overall length of 725 mtr; its primary span is 473.25 mtr.

Agriculture Minister launched first of its kind ‘Millets Experience Centre’ at Dilli Haat
• Union Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar launched the first of its kind ‘Millets Experience
Centre (MEC)’ at Dilli Haat India has an important role to play in the celebration of the International Year of
Millets 2023.
• The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) in association with
the Ministry of Agriculture has set up the Millets Experience Centre. It aims to increase awareness about
millet and encourage its adoption among the general public.

First batch of 5 women Army officers commissioned into Regiment of Artillery

• Five Women Officers have joined the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army, after the successful
completion of training at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. The Indian Army has expanded the role
of women by allowing women officers into the Regiment of Artillery, which is a major combat support arm.
• A total of 19 male officers were also commissioned into the Artillery. The women officers will be posted
across artillery units, where they will get adequate training and exposure to handle Rocket, Medium, Field
and Surveillance & Target Acquisition (SATA) and equipment in challenging conditions.

Prime Minister inaugurated 91 FM radio transmitters

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 91 FM transmitters spread across 18 states and two union
territories, in a move that will boost FM radio connectivity in the border regions and aspirational districts.
With these new transmitters set up in 84 districts, the coverage will further increase by about 35,000 sq km
area, benefitting an additional two crore people who did not have access to the medium so far.

Government allowed 42 days special casual leave to its employees for organ donation
• The Union government decided to grant 42 days of special casual leave to its employees for organ donation,
considering the time taken for recovery after the major surgery.
• At present, there is a provision for 30 days of such special leaves. Organ removal from a donor is a major
surgery, which requires time for recovery, including both hospitalisation and post hospitalisation periods.

Devendra Fadnavis unveiled Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mauritius

• The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis has unveiled a statue of Maratha warrior king
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mauritius. The sculpture was created in India by a Delhi-based artist and sent
to Mauritius in a container ship.
• The country has over 75,000 Marathi-speaking populations and a Maharashtra Bhavan was built 25 years ago
with funding from the Maharashtra government.

11 April, 2023
 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Finland became 31st member of NATO
• Finland has become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Turkey's
unanimous vote played a key role in Finland's acceptance as a NATO member.
• Finland shares a border of more than 1,300 kilometres with Russia, and their decision to join NATO was
based on security concerns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Sweden's application to join
NATO has been rejected by Turkey and Hungary. With the accession of Finland, NATO now includes
countries in most of Europe and North America.

Georgia became 1st American state to pass resolution condemning Hinduphobia

• The Georgia Assembly has passed a resolution condemning Hinduphobia, making it the first American State
to take such a legislative measure. The resolution was introduced by Representatives Lauren McDonald and
Todd Jones from Forsyth County in the suburbs of Atlanta.
• Hinduism is one of the world's largest and oldest religions with over 1.2 billion adherents in over 100
countries and encompasses an array of diverse traditions and belief systems with values of acceptance,
mutual respect and peace. The resolution observed that the American-Hindu community has been a major
contributor to diverse sectors.

Government of Italy proposed ban to use of English in official communication

• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party has proposed legislation that seeks to prohibit public and private
bodies in the country from using foreign terms, especially English in official communications.
• The bill, which has been drafted by lawmakers of the nationalist Brothers of Italy party, aims to promote
Italian language and imposes a fine of up to 100,000 euros ($108,750) if found violating the rule. In order to
become a law, the bill has to be approved by both houses of parliament.

World's first liquid hydrogen-powered ferry launched

• The world's first liquid hydrogen-powered ferry launched by the Norwegian business Norled is operational
now. The Norwegian Maritime Administration granted MF Hydra, the ferry, clearance to sail. The vessel,
called MF Hydra, is a hybrid that uses both batteries and liquid hydrogen fuel cells.
• Since the beginning of the year, Norled has been testing the system, and in recent weeks, the Norwegian
Maritime Authority has given its final clearances.

USA and 10 other nations issued first ever declaration against spyware use
• The USA and 10 other nations issued the first-ever significant anti-spyware declaration. It recognized the
threat posed by the misuse of commercial spyware and seeks to realize the importance of stringent domestic
and international controls on the proliferation and use of this technology.

12 April, 2023
• The declaration stated that Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway,
Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States would take decisive steps to create robust
guardrails and procedures within their respective systems.

Kenya announced to launch its first operational satellite

• The Kenya Space Agency is set to launch the country’s first operational earth observation satellite. Taifa-1, or
one nation in Swahili, is scheduled to be launched on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the
Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
• The observation satellite is “fully designed and developed” by Kenyan engineers and will be used to provide
data on agriculture and food security, among other areas. Egypt was the first African country to send a
satellite into space in 1998.

EAM Jaishankar launched ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project’ in Uganda

• The External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar launched the ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project’ in Varanasi during his
visit to Uganda, where he discussed bilateral relations. Uganda has been selected to chair the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) for the period of 2022 to 2025 on behalf of Africa.
• The chairmanship of the movement rotates every three years during summit conferences and is assisted by
both the previous and incoming chairs, representing the movement’s past, present, and future. Jaishankar
will be in Mozambique, marking first visit by Indian EAM to Republic of Mozambique.

Bangladesh issued 5-point guideline for limited import of Indian Films

• The Bangladesh Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued a 5-point guideline for the import of
films made in the languages of ‘the Indian subcontinent’ on a limited scale. The films produced in the
languages of the Indian sub-continent can be imported by legitimate film producers and distributors.
• The guideline for the import of films from the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) countries was issued
based on the application of Sammilita Chalachitra Parishad with the consent of the Finance Ministry under its
import policy rules of 202-24.

Ghana became first country to approve Oxford malaria vaccine for children
• Ghana has become the first country in the world to approve an effective malaria vaccine developed at
Oxford University. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine, the first to exceed the WHO's target of 75% efficacy, has
been approved for use in children aged 5-36 months, the group most at risk of malaria death.
• According to WHO, an estimated 619,000 people died from malaria in 2021, with the vast majority of
children in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, where the disease is both endemic and perennial, an estimated 5.3
million cases and 12,500 deaths were recorded.

Germany began powering down its last three nuclear plants

• Germany has permanently shut down its last three nuclear power plants, Isar 2, Emsland, and
Neckarwestheim 2, marking the end of more than six decades of the nuclear age in the country.
• Germany got almost half of its electricity from renewables 44% in 2022, and just 6% from atomic power.
Green economy minister Robert Habeck predicts that 80% of Germany’s electricity will be renewable by
2030 and has pushed through laws to make it quicker and easier to build solar and wind farms.

Syria became world's largest ‘narco-state’

• Syria has become the world's largest 'narco-state' and most of its foreign exchange earnings come from the
production and export of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine commonly referred to as "poor man's

13 April, 2023
 coke". This highly addictive amphetamine has become the primary lifeline of the country's economy,
generating more than 90% of its foreign currency.
• The pervasive presence and profitability of Captagon in Syria have raised concerns about the devastating
impact of drug trafficking on the country's social fabric, health, and security. Experts have indicated that Syria
is the major producer of Captagon, with much of it exported to the Gulf region.

European Parliament approved world’s first comprehensive framework for crypto regulation
• European Parliament has approved the world’s first comprehensive package of rules aimed at regulating the
cryptocurrency industry. The legislation, which seeks to reduce risks for consumers buying crypto assets, will
mean providers can become liable if they lose investors’ crypto-assets.
• The rules will impose a number of requirements on crypto platforms, token issuers and traders around
transparency, disclosure, authorization, and supervision of transactions.

Japan’s Health Ministry approved country’s first abortion pill

• A panel in Japan’s Health Ministry has approved the country’s first abortion pill, in a major step for
reproductive rights decades after other countries made abortion medication widely available.
• Ministry granted approval to MeFeego Pack, an abortion pill manufactured by British pharmaceutical
Linepharma. The ministry had first convened in January to review the drug, before asking for the public to
submit their opinions through an online portal. It will now go to the health minister for final approval.

US state Pennsylvania declared Diwali as an official holiday

• United States Pennsylvania has declared the Hindu festival of Diwali as a national holiday. State Senator Greg
Rothman and Senator Nikil Saval introduced a legislation to make Diwali an official state holiday in
Pennsylvania in February 2023.
• Nearly 200,000 South Asian residents reside in Pennsylvania, many of whom participate in Diwali as a time of
reflection and gathering. Thousands of Pennsylvanians celebrate Diwali each year, including many residents
of the 34th Senatorial District.

European Commission and EIB announced to invest €18 billion in climate action
• Europe's investment strategy for partner countries, Global Gateway will receive a financing boost of 18
billion euros as announced by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank.
• The financing into Global Gateway's priority areas - climate action, clean energy, and connectivity - will
facilitate increased investment in Europe's partner countries worldwide.

Workshop on Indian Cinema inaugurated in Colombo

• A workshop on Indian Cinema was inaugurated at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Colombo. The
event was attended by Sri Lanka’s State Minister for Urban Development and Housing, Arundika Fernando,
and Deputy High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Vinod Jacob.
• A delegation led by Dr. Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, a highly decorated director, actor, screenwriter and
lyricist from Kannada cinema. The Deputy High Commissioner noted that the workshop was timely, given
that India and Sri Lanka were celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations.

14 April, 2023
 BANKING & FINANCE
SBI, Godrej Capital signed MoU to offer banking products, services
• Godrej Capital has signed a strategic MoU with the State Bank of India to deepen their partnership, wherein
the latter would provide various financial products and offerings. This partnership is a big step forward in
making financial solutions more accessible and affordable. Godrej Capital has disbursed over INR 5000
crores since inception in November 2020 across housing, SME, and MSME loans.
• This association leverages the strengths of both groups by facilitating a gamut of financial services provided
by the bank, including, and not limited to, banking products, credit cards, wealth management, Life
Insurance, and General Insurance as preferred partners.

Bank of Maharashtra inaugurated its first dedicated Branch for Start-ups at Pune
• The Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has inaugurated its first dedicated Branch for start-ups at FC Road,
Yashomangal, and Pune City Zonal Office.
• The dedicated branch will provide all kinds of support to a start-up during its growth journey. During the
event Bank of Maharashtra signed a MoU with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
venture capital for proactive financing of start-ups.

PhonePe launched e-commerce app Pincode

• Digital payments firm PhonePe launched a new shopping app called 'Pincode', built on top of the Open
Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform. The app will focus on hyper local commerce and is now
available for download on Google Play Store and App Store.
• Pincode is currently live only for customers in Bangalore. The Pincode app will promote local shopkeepers
and sellers and hopes to digitally connect each city's consumers with all their neighbourhood stores that they
usually buy from offline, with the convenience of online ordering

Union Bank became first to open special vostro account for India-Malaysia trade settlement
• The Union Bank of India becomes the first bank in the country to open a Special Rupee Vostro Account
through its corresponding bank in Malaysia i.e. India International Bank of Malaysia.
• This means that trade between India and Malaysia can now be settled in the Indian rupee, in addition to the
current modes of settlement in other currencies. The aim is to facilitate the growth of global trade and to
support the interests of the global trading community in Indian Rupee.

Reliance, Jio raised $5 billion in largest syndicated loan in India

• The Reliance Industries and Jio Infocomm have raised $5 billion in foreign currency loans, marking the largest
syndicated loan in India’s corporate history. Reliance secured $3 billion from 55 banks, while Jio obtained an
additional $2 billion from 18 banks.

15 April, 2023
• The funds raised will mainly go towards Reliance’s capital expenditure and Jio’s nationwide 5G network
rollout. The new loan of $2 billion has the same terms as the March 31 borrowing, with the funds expected
to be split equally between Reliance and Jio and wrapped up by the end of April.

ICICI Bank became India’s first lender to introduce EMI facility on UPI payments
• ICICI Bank has introduced an EMI facility for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments made by scanning
QR codes. ICICI Bank customers can go to a store, scan the QR code, and pay in easy instalments. ICICI
Bank is the first lender in the country to introduce this feature for its customers.
• This first-of-its-kind facility enhances affordability for lakhs of the bank’s customers, as they can now instantly
buy products or services just by scanning required merchant QR code at store and making payments in EMIs.

Canara Bank, Bharat BillPay partnered for cross border bill payments for Indian diaspora in Oman
• The Canara Bank and NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd have announced the launch of cross-border inward bill
payment services for Indians based in Oman. NRIs can now leverage the robust platform offered by the
BBPS to make bill payments on behalf of their families through the Musandam Exchange.
• This initiative signifies a milestone for Canara Bank as the first public sector bank in India to offer inbound
cross-border bill payments through BBPS. Musandam Exchange, managed by Canara Bank, is also the first
exchange house in Oman to go live on cross-border inbound bill payments.

YES Bank became first Indian company with over 50 lakh shareholders
• Private sector lender YES Bank has become the first Indian company to have over 50 lakh shareholders. Tata
Power was a far second with 38.5 lakh shareholders, followed by Reliance Industries with 33.6 lakh
shareholders, according to the December 2022 shareholding disclosures.
• The bank had 50.6 lakh shareholders as of March 2023, all of whom were public shareholders. This was an
increase from 48.1 lakh shareholders as of December 2022. The end of the lock-in period on March 13
allowed for more shares of the bank to be available for public trade.

HDFC Bank signed agreement with Export Import Bank of Korea For $300 Million Credit Line
• The HDFC Bank announced that it has signed a "Master Inter Bank Credit Agreement" with Export Import
Bank of Korea for a $300 million line of credit.
• The pact was signed by the two entities at GIFT City in Gujarat's capital Gandhinagar. This agreement will
help HDFC Bank raise foreign currency funds which it would extend to Korea-related businesses.

City Union Bank launched Voice Biometric Authentication for mobile banking
• The City Union Bank Limited (CUB) has launched India’s first voice biometric authentication for logging into
its mobile banking app. Voice biometric will be another option for the customer to log in, apart from existing
modes like User ID/PIN, face ID, fingerprint authentication, etc.
• The voice biometric service was developed by Chennai-based deeptech start-up, Kaizen Secure Voiz Pvt
Ltd, under the guidance of the 5G use case lab of the Institute for Development and Research in Banking
Technology; an RBI established institution focussed on research in banking technologies.

Chennai Metro launched Singara Chennai Card in association with SBI

• Chennai Metro Rail Limited has collaborated with the State Bank of India for the National Common Mobility
Card or Singara Chennai Card as part of the multimodal and ticket integration plan.

16 April, 2023
• Commuters traveling to other cities can use the card now when they take a trip in MMRDA Mumbai Line 2A
and 7, Bengaluru Metro, Delhi Metro Airport Line, Kanpur Metro, BEST buses Mumbai and Kadamba
Transport Buses in Goa.

CRED launched UPI-based P2P payments

• CRED has launched its UPI-based peer-to-peer payments, providing its users with a new payment option.
The feature allows CRED members access to ‘pay anyone’ through their contact list, phone numbers, or UPI
IDs. The new payment experience has been introduced after the launch of Scan & Pay in October 2022.
• As scan and pay gain traction, CRED expects the number of merchants to grow. Now with the launch of P2P
UPI payments, CRED members will have multiple payment options including offline payments, online
merchant payments (CRED Pay, CRED flash) and bill payments.

AIIB and United Arab Emirates signed MoU to open first overseas office in Abu Dhabi
• The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) United Arab Emirates (UAE) jointly signed an agreement to
set up its first overseas office in Abu Dhabi Global Market. It will be an Interim Operational Hub in the Abu
Dhabi Global Market. The bank aims to fund infrastructure projects.
• The office will be located between the Middle East and the world. UAE is dedicated to improving its
cooperation with global institutions. AIIB was established in 2016 with a mission to promote sustainable
economic growth, create wealth and improve infrastructure connectivity in Asia.

MasterCard, M1xchange partnered to offer digital invoice discounting solution

• MasterCard has joined hands with M1xchange to offer a digital invoice discounting solution to farmers,
farmer-producer organizations (FPOs), and agri-MSMEs through Farm Pass.
• This platform will enable easy access to credit and working capital. This solution will also allow farmers and
FPOs to directly connect with buyers, negotiate the best price for their produce, and get paid faster.

Zimbabwe announced to Introduce Gold-Backed Digital Currency

• The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has announced plans to introduce a gold-backed digital currency to
combat the falling value of the Zimbabwean currency. The digital gold tokens will be a form of electronic
money, backed by gold held at the RBI.
• The Zimbabwean economy operates on a dual currency structure, with the Zimbabwean dollar and the U.S.
dollar in use. The U.S. dollar currently dominates and accounts for about 70% of domestic transactions.

Reliance General became first insurer to accept CBDC in tie-up with YES Bank
• Reliance General Insurance has become the first general insurance company to accept RBI’s Central Bank
Digital Currency (CBDC) e-Rupee (e₹) for premium payments. The insurer has tied up with YES Bank to
facilitate the collection of premiums in digital mode using the bank’s e-rupee platform.
• Customers who have an active e-rupee wallet with any bank can scan Reliance General Insurance’s CBDC
QR code to make easy, safe, instant, and green payments. eRupee is a digital token that is equivalent to a
banknote i.e. legal tender, and is a sovereign currency backed by the RBI

17 April, 2023
 BUSINESS & ECONOMY
NTPC registered highest ever power generation of 400 BU in FY23
• NTPC Ltd has registered the highest-ever power generation of 400 BU in FY23, a growth of 10.80% via-a-
vis previous year. NTPC also continued an upward trend in coal production from its captive mines with a
coal production of 23.2 MMT with a robust growth of over 65% vis-à-vis the previous year.
• NTPC has set an ambitious goal of reaching half its installed capacity through RE by 2032, to serve the nation
and support its decarbonisation goals. During the financial year, FY 23, the company registered a growth of
24.24% in a non-fossil portfolio.

IRDAI named LIC, GIC as 'domestic systemically important' insurers

• Insurance regulator, IRDAI has identified Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), New India Assurance, and
General Insurance Corporation (GIC) as domestic systemically important insurers (D-SIIs) for 2022-23.
• These were the same institutions identified as DSII in 2021-22. D-SIIs refer to insurers of such size, market
importance, and domestic and global interconnectedness, whose distress or failure would cause a significant
dislocation in the domestic financial system.

IOC signed deal with Russia’s Rosneft to raise oil imports

• Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft and India’s Indian Oil Corp have signed a term agreement to
substantially increase oil supplies and diversify oil grades delivered to India.
• Russia for the first time has become one of the five largest trading partners of India as the volume of trade
between the countries reached $38.4 billion in 2022.

China’s Yuan replaced dollar as most traded currency in Russia

• China's yuan has surpassed the US dollar as the most traded currency in Russia as Moscow continues to
deepen political and economic ties with Beijing. The yuan accounted for about 2.7% of global foreign-
exchange reserves at the end of 2022. The dollar accounted for roughly 58%.
• According to the Bloomberg transaction date, trading volume for the yuan topped the dollars for the first
time ever in February, and that disparity became more significant in March.

IndiaGrid launched 1st battery energy storage system linked to solar panels in Maharashtra
• India Grid Trust announced that it has commissioned its first battery energy storage system project coupled
with its solar panels at the Dhule in Maharashtra. It will not only reduce our emissions but also act as a
prototype for expanding our presence in energy transition opportunities in the sector.
• IndiGrid is the first infrastructure investment trust in the Indian power sector. It owns 17 power projects
consisting of 46 transmission lines with more than 8,416 ckms (circuit kilometres) length, 13 substations with
17,550 MVA transformation capacity and 100 MW (AC) of solar generation capacity.

18 April, 2023
Cipla signed licensing pact with Novartis for diabetes drug
• Drug major Cipla announced that it has inked a licensing pact with Novartis Pharma AG to manufacture and
market Galvus range, used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes from January 2026.
• The Company has signed a perpetual license agreement with Novartis Pharma AG (Switzerland) to
manufacture and market Galvus and Galvus combination brands. This deal is expected to further bolster
Cipla's position in India as one of the top players in the diabetes category.

NSE Indices launched India’s first ever REITs and InvITs index
• NSE Indices Ltd, subsidiary of National Stock Exchange has launched India’s first ever Real Estate Investment
Trusts (REITS) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) Index. The Nifty REITs and InvITs index aims to
track performance of REITs and InvITs that are publicly listed and traded on NSE.
• The weights of securities within the index are based on their free-float market capitalisation subject to a
security cap of 33% each. The average weight of top 3 securities is capped at 72%.

MRF emerged as ‘second strongest tyre brand in the world’

• According to the report by Brand Finance on the 'Most Valuable and Strongest Tyre Brands', the MRF Ltd
has emerged as the second-strongest tyre brand in the world. MRF has scored high in almost all parameters
and is also featured as the second fastest-growing tyre brand in the world.
• French company Michelin has been rated both the most valuable and strongest tyre brand. The report also
featured MRF as the most valued Indian tyre brand and scored high in the Sustainability Perception Value and
is the only Indian tyre manufacturer to be featured in the top 10.

Apple CEO Tim Cook inaugurated India's first retail store

• The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple, Tim Cook has inaugurated the company’s first-ever retail store
in India called Apple Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai. It has been more than 25 years since Apple is
operating in India. Apple opened its second store in the country in Saket, New Delhi.
• Located in Jio World Drive, Apple BKC is spread over 20,000 sqft in Mumbai. Apple BKC store has over 100
employees who collectively speak more than 20 languages. Apple has signed a lease for over 11 years with a
15% rent escalation provision every three years with Jio World Mall.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor announced to launch online retail sales platform for Bengaluru
• Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) announced the launch of an online retail sales platform 'Wheels on Web' for
the Bengaluru region. This will create smooth and comfortable transactions just by sitting at their homes as
they can look, buy and order their preferred vehicle.
• It also provides real-time information on the status of their booked Toyota product, to augment credibility,
and transparency, among others. ‘Wheels on Web’, a Business to Customer (B2C) platform is the first-of-its-
kind in the Bangalore region.

Nike, Adidas footwear maker Pou Chen announced to invest $281 mn in Tamil Nadu
• Pou Chen's vice president, George Liu, in a meeting with Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin announced that,
Taiwanese footwear manufacturing company Pou Chen will reportedly invest around $281 million in India in
order to set up a manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu.
• This will be first of many investments in India by the footwear company, which is known to make shoes for
brands like Nike, Adidas, Timberland and New Balance. Pou Chen manufactured and shipped more than 272
million pairs of shoes in FY22 globally. It already has plants in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

19 April, 2023
ACKO partnered with Ola to Introduce Battery Insurance Plan for Electric Vehicles
• ACKO General Insurance in partnership with Ola Electric and Ather Energy launched an “Extended Battery
Warranty” plan, targeting electric vehicle (EV) owners. The policy is designed to boost EV affordability by
enabling banks to lengthen loan terms and reduce monthly instalments.
• The first-of-its kind policy safeguards battery life for up to 4 or 5 years and provides performance coverage
for up to 60,000 km. the comprehensive plan covers EV components alongside the battery and is
transferable to a new owner in the event of a sale, boosting resale value.

ITC became 11th Indian firm to cross Rs 5-trillion market value

• ITC Ltd became the 11th listed Indian company to cross Rs 5 trillion market capitalisation after its shares
touched a record high with a 21% surge so far this year. The stock hit a record high of Rs 402.60 on BSE and
gained as much as 1.1% intraday.
• Earlier, Reliance Industries Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, HDFC Ltd, Infosys Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd,
Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Life Insurance Corp Of India, State Bank of India, HDFC Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd
has achieved this milestone. ITC holds a total value of sales transactions of about Rs 90,104 crores.

Russia became largest oil supplier to India

• Russia was the largest exporter of crude oil to India by value in February in spite of the western price cap of
$60 per barrel. Crude imports from Russia in February stood at $3.35 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia at
$2.30 billion and Iraq $2.03 billion.
• Between April and February Indian import of Russian oil jumped to $27 billion, second only to imports from
Iraq which stood at $30 billion, making Moscow the second largest crude exporter to New Delhi in FY23.

Bengaluru start-up opened India’s first commercial Li-ion cell manufacturing line
• Bengaluru-based Log9 Materials, an advanced battery-technology and deep-technology start-up, inaugurated
India’s first commercial lithium-Ion (Li-ion) cell manufacturing facility on its campus in Jakkur.
• The facility will produce batteries for electric vehicles. Log9’s commercial Li-ion cell manufacturing line has
an initial capacity of 50 MWh, will be located at its campus in Jakkur, Bengaluru. This facility will cater to the
manufacturing of lithium-titanate oxide and lithium iron phosphate cells.

Louis Vuitton became first European firm to cross market capitalization of USD 500 billion
• LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton became the first European company to cross market capitalization (m-
cap) of $500 billion. The Paris-based luxury retailer has been able to reach that milestone on robust first
quarter sales in China and a stronger euro. LVMH is the world’s tenth biggest company.
• The parent company of Louis Vuitton, Moët & Chandon and Hennessy as well as brands including Givenchy,
Bulgari and Sephora stores, reported a 17% rise in first-quarter sales earlier this month. It reported revenue
of 79.2 billion euros ($87.1 billion) for 2022, with profit from recurring operations of 21.1 billion euros.

OPEC’s share of Indian oil imports fell down to 22-year low

• Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ share of India's oil imports fell at the fastest pace in
2022/23 to the lowest in at least 22 years, as intake of cheaper Russian oil surged. The (OPEC) share of
India's oil market slid to 59% in the fiscal year to March 2023, from about 72% in 2021/22.
• Russia overtook Iraq for the first time to emerge as the top oil supplier to India, pushing Saudi Arabia down
to No. 3 in the last fiscal year. India shipped in about 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil in
2022/23, about 23% of its overall 4.65 million bpd imports.

20 April, 2023
India’s first green hydrogen microgrid project announced to setup by Uneecops Technologies
• Uneecops Technologies, a Delhi-based green hydrogen and solar developer, has won the engineering,
procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for setting up a green hydrogen-based fuel cell microgrid of
25 kW capacities at Alchi in the Leh region.
• The project will be developed at a high altitude of 3,200 meters. The project is expected to be completed by
the end of 2023. The Leh, Ladakh regions have been a hotspot for renewable energy project developments.

Ministry of Finance upgraded position of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited to ‘Navratna CPSE’
• The Ministry of Finance upgrades the position of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to ‘Navratna CPSE’. This
adds up to a total of 13 companies that have been granted Navratna status. This organisation comes under
the Ministry of Railways and undertakes several development projects.
• It has an annual turnover of Rs 19,381 crore and a net profit of Rs 1,087 crore for the session 2021 to 2022.
Navratna Companies are a group of firms that are considered CPSE units.

Belgium Firm's announced to launch Biodiesel Project in Ayodhya

• Vito, a Belgian company, is set to establish a waste-to-biodiesel project in Ayodhya soon. The two-year trial
project has been chosen for the temple town. The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust expects
several lakh devotees each month after the Ram Mandir opens.
• Vito's Asia-Pacific Chief Hafeez Rehman and other officials met with Ayodhya government officials for the
first time. In addition, they held a workshop for Ayodhya Municipal Corporation personnel.

Rashki launched India’s First-ever range of Handbags made from Banana

• Sustainable fashion brand Rashki has partnered with Atma Leather to launch what it claims are India’s first
banana leather handbags. India is the world’s largest banana producer, and four tons of waste is generated
for every ton of fruit.
• Rashki has launched a range of bags made with Banofi, including the Snow black and white crossbody bag,
Unica Eco handbag with wooden handles, and Fede tote bag.

Air India signed multi-year global distribution services partnership with Sabre Corporation
• Air India announced a new multi-year global distribution services partnership with US-based Sabre
Corporation. The collaboration enables travel agents and corporations around the world to access Air India
fares and seats through Sabre’s extensive global travel marketplace.
• In addition to the distribution services, Air India is utilising Sabre’s consultancy expertise to help determine
optimal routes for its existing and new fleet. Air India earlier this year announced placing a 470 aircraft order
with Boeing and Airbus.

Cummins, Tata Motors signed agreement to produce clean tech products in India
• Global power leader Cummins Inc. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Tata Motors
Limited (TML), to manufacture low-to zero-emissions technology products in India over the next few years.
As a part of the agreement, TML have set up a new business entity called TCPL Green Energy Solutions
Private Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary under the existing joint venture.
• The partnership aims to develop and manufacture sustainable technology products, including hydrogen-
powered internal combustion engines, fuel delivery systems, battery electric powertrains, and fuel cell
electric systems, through the Accelera by Cummins brand.

21 April, 2023
 MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Axis Bank, HDFC signed agreement to acquire 9.94% stake each in Go Digit Life Insurance
• The Axis Bank and HDFC Bank have signed definitive agreements to acquire up to 9.94% stake each in
insurtech start-up Go Digit Life Insurance. The company is to complete the acquisition in three to six months
from the execution date.
• Go Digit Life plans to conduct life insurance business in India, once it receives certificate of registration from
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). The banks will pay Rs 10.93 crore in the
first tranche and they may choose to invest Rs 58.97 crore in the second tranche.

Godrej Consumer announced to acquire Raymond's FMCG business for Rs 2,825 crore
• Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the
FMCG business of Raymond Consumer Care Limited (RCCL), a leading player in the deodorants and sexual
wellness categories in India.
• The RCCL FMCG business is being sold to GCPL along with the trademarks of Park Avenue (for the FMCG
category), KS, KamaSutra and Premium, through a slump sale. The cost of the acquisition is Rs 2,825 crore
and is expected to be completed by May 2023.

22 April, 2023
 APPOINTMENTS &
RESIGNATIONS
Orient Electric appointed Rajan Gupta as new Managing Director and CEO
• The Orient Electric Limited, part of the diversified CK Birla Group, announced the appointment of Rajan
Gupta as its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for a period of 5 years. He
succeeds outgoing Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Rakesh Khanna.
• Prior to this, Gupta was with Hathway Cable and Datacom, where he was the MD and CEO, and Chairman
of the Board, GTPL Hathway.

Star Sports signed actor Ranveer Singh as brand ambassador

• The Walt Disney Company India-owned channel Star Sports has signed Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its
brand ambassador. It aims to leverage Singh’s popularity and his love for sports to connect with diverse
audiences which haven’t yet formed a deep relationship with sports.
• Singh will be seen as ‘sutradhaar’ for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League or as the company is
terming it, “Incredible League". He will be involved in creating content for the league.

Indian-origin engineer Amit Kshatriya appointed to head NASA’s 'Moon to Mars' programme
• Amit Kshatriya, a decorated Indian-American software and robotics engineer was appointed as the first head
of NASA's newly-established Moon to Mars Programme that will help the agency ensure a long-term lunar
presence needed to prepare for humanity’s next giant leap to the Red Planet.
• Kshatriya will serve as NASA's first head of the office. The new office aims to carry out the agency’s human
exploration activities on the Moon and Mars for the benefit of humanity.

PTC India appointed Rajib K Mishra as Chairman and Managing Director

• PTC India Limited announced that Dr Rajib Kumar Mishra has taken over as the Chairman and Managing
Director of company. Dr Mishra joined PTC Board in February 2015 as Director (Marketing and Business
Development). Dr Rajib Kumar Mishra is a power market veteran with diverse experience in the sector.
• He is a Ph.D (Business Admin) from Aligarh Muslim University. He was accorded Visiting Scholar status by
University of Texas, Austin in 2008 for his Post-doc research.

Rudrendra Tandon appointed India's ambassador to Greece

• Rudrendra Tandon, who is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has
been appointed as the next ambassador of India to Greece. Tandon was the Indian Ambassador to
Afghanistan when Taliban took over the country in August 2021.

23 April, 2023
• He returned to India from Kabul along with several other Indian Embassy officials, staff and Indian citizens in
August 2021 after the Taliban takeover.

Sudha Shivkumar became 40th President of FICCI Ladies Organisation

• Sudha Shivkumar has been appointed as the 40th president of FICCI Ladies Organisation, which is the oldest
women-led and women-centric business chamber in Southeast Asia. She was the Chairperson of the FLO
Chennai Chapter in 2016-17. She pursued Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Madras.
• Later, she specialised in Corporate and Bankruptcy laws and completed a Master of Applied Finance with a
specialization in Investment Banking from Macquarie University, Sydney, with distinction.

Hitachi Payment Services appointed Sumil Vikamsey as Managing Director

• Integrated payment solutions provider Hitachi Payment Services has appointed Sumil Vikamsey as its new
Managing Director, in addition to his responsibilities as the Chief Executive Officer, cash business.
• He will replace Rustom Irani who decided to retire as MD and will continue as an advisor in company. Anuj
Khosla will continue as the Chief Executive Officer of digital business of Hitachi Payment Services.

NASA named first woman and black man on Moon mission

• The US space agency NASA has named the four astronauts who will take humanity back to the Moon, after a
50-year gap. Christina Koch will become the first woman astronaut ever assigned to a lunar mission, while
Victor Glover will be the first black astronaut on one.
• They will join Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen to fly a capsule around the Moon late next year or early in
2025. The astronauts won't land on the Moon, but their mission will pave the way for a touchdown by a
subsequent crew.

Honda two-wheelers appointed Tsutsumu Otani as President, CEO and MD

• The Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India have announced the appointment of Tsutsumu Otani as the
company's President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) with immediate effect.
Previously, Otani was the Vice President at Honda Motor Co. Japan.
• Otani has succeeded Atsushi Ogata, who, after spearheading Honda’s Indian two-wheeler operations for
three years, returns to Shanghai as the executive general manager at Shanghai Branch, Honda Motor (China)
Investment. Otani started his career with Honda Japan in 1997.

Suzlon board appointed J P Chalasani as Chief Executive Officer

• The board of clean energy solution provider Suzlon Energy has appointed J P Chalasani as the company's
Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will replace Ashwani Kumar who resigned from the post.
• Chalasani had been Group CEO of Suzlon for the period from April 2016 to July 2020 and continued as
Strategic Advisor to the Suzlon Group thereafter. Prior to his earlier stint as the Group CEO of the
Company, Chalasani was the Group CEO and Managing Director of Punj Lloyd since January 2014.

Suzuki Motorcycle India appointed Kenichi Umeda as Managing Director

• The Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd announced the appointment of Kenichi Umeda as its new Managing
Director. Umeda succeeds Satoshi Uchida, who has completed his term. He will be responsible for further
growing Suzuki Motorcycle India's position in the Indian and overseas markets.
• India is an important market for Suzuki. Delivering innovative products and solutions that meet the evolving
needs of customers has been the priority for Suzuki Motorcycle India since its inception.

24 April, 2023
Subby’ Subramaniam appointed Warrant Officer of UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF)
• Indian-origin man Subby Subramaniam has been commissioned as a Warrant Officer in the Royal Air Force of
the United Kingdom. He succeeds Warrant Officer Jake Alpert.
• Subramaniam will advise the Chief of the Air Staff on matters concerning airmen and airwomen of the RAF.
Subramaniam was appointed as the inaugural Command Warrant Officer of the United Kingdom Space
Command in 2021, demonstrating his experience and aptitude for the new post.

RBI approved appointment of Sekhar Rao as interim MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank
• The Karnataka Bank announced that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of
Sekhar Rao, executive director of the bank as an interim Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He
has been appointed for three months or till the appointment of the regular MD and CEO whichever is
earlier. He has replaced Mahabaleshwara M S, whose term ended.
• Before this role, he served as the bank's Executive Director. The bank plans to achieve a growth of 17.69%
in the year 2023-24 to take its total business turnover to Rs 1,75,000 crore.

Tata Electronics appointed Randhir Thakur as Managing Director and CEO

• Randhir Thakur has been appointed Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tata
Electronics Pvt Ltd. He has previously held leadership and technical positions at Applied Materials Inc.,
SanDisk Corp, as well as STEAG Electronic Systems and Micron Technology Inc.
• Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd was founded in 2020 as a Greenfield venture of the Tata group with expertise in
manufacturing precision components and has a roadmap that extends to semiconductor fabrication.

Rowan Wilson appointed 1st Black judge to lead New York’s highest court
• The New York Senate has appointed Judge Rowan Wilson as the new Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals,
the state’s highest court. With this he has become New York’s first Black Chief Judge. He was appointed by
the 57th governor of New York, Kathy Hochul.
• Wilson has been an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals since 2017.He studied at Harvard College, and
graduated from Harvard Law School in 1984.

HSBC India roped in Virat Kohli as brand influencer

• Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) India announced that it has appointed former Indian
men's cricket team captain Virat Kohli as brand influencer.
• As part of the association, a multi-media campaign featuring Kohli will bring to life the value proposition of
banking with HSBC. HSBC India is keen to grow in India and has doubled down on the plethora of
opportunities that the country has to offer.

Myfitness roped in Hrithik Roshan as its first brand ambassador

• MyFitness has appointed actor Hrithik Roshan as its first brand ambassador. Hrithik is widely recognised as a
proponent of health and fitness and has amassed a significant following among the Indian population, which
will assist MyFitness in expanding its product reach to a wider audience.
• Hrithik Roshan and MyFitness are poised to ignite the market and offer consumers an assortment of tasty
and healthy nut butters high in protein.

Shantanu Roy appointed as Chairman and MD of BEML Limited

• Shantanu Roy has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BEML Limited (Bharat
Earth Movers Limited), a Miniratna PSU under the Ministry of Defence.

25 April, 2023
• Roy is a graduate in Electrical Engineering from NIT, Raipur. He also has an MBA in Financial Management.
Shantanu replaced Amit Banerjee. Currently, he is serving as the Director (Mining & Construction Business).

Anant Maheshwari appointed as Chairperson of NASSCOM for 2023-24

• IT Industry body NASSCOM named Anant Maheshwari, President of Microsoft India, as its Chairperson for
2023-24. Maheshwari takes over the reins from Krishnan Ramanujam, President – Business and Technology
Services at Tata Consultancy Services.
• The NASSCOM also announced the appointment of Rajesh Nambiar, Chairman and Managing Director of
Cognizant India, as its Vice Chairperson for 2023-24.

Mahavir Singh Phogat appointed as Chairman of Indian MMA-1 Federation

• The legendary wrestler and coach, Mahavir Singh Phogat has been appointed as the Chairman of the MMA-1
Federation. Mahavir is responsible for promoting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in India.
• Phogat will work towards developing and promoting MMA in India, with a focus on identifying and nurturing
young talent in the sport. MMA is a full-contact combat sport involving striking, grappling and ground fighting.
It incorporates techniques from various combat sports around the world.

Lay’s Gourmet appointed Saif Ali Khan as it’s first-ever brand ambassador
• Lay's Gourmet, the premium range of slow-cooked kettle chips from Lay’s, has announced the ‘Nawab of
Bollywood,’ Saif Ali Khan as its brand ambassador. The Bollywood actor has represented Lay’s for many
years in the past, yielding many commercials and campaigns.
• In September 2022, PepsiCo forayed into the premium potato chips market in India with Lay’s Gourmet.
The ‘premium’ proposition of brand is displayed through and through in all of the campaigns.

Siddhartha Mohanty appointed as Managing Director and first Chief Executive Officer of LIC
• The government appointed Siddhartha Mohanty as the Chairperson of the Life Insurance Corp. till June
2024. After that, he will be the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer until June 2025. LIC is the
largest financial institution in the country, with total assets under management (AUM).
• Mohanty joined LIC in 1985 as an apprentice officer and has rich experience in the insurance sector. There
are three managing directors at LIC – M Jagannath, Tablesh Pandey and Mini Ipe.

Vodafone appointed Margherita Della Valle as permanent CEO

• Vodafone confirmed interim Chief Executive Officer Margherita Della Valle to the role. The company
informed that it had conducted a rigorous internal and external search before choosing the insider who has
been chief financial officer since 2018. She is the first permanent female CEO of Vodafone.
• She has been serving as the chief financial officer (CFO) since 2018. She took up charge as interim Chief
Executive Officer of Vodafone after Nick Read left in December, 2022.

Government appointed as Debadatta Chand as Managing Director & CEO

• The government has appointed Debadatta Chand, who is currently the Executive Director, as the company's
Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bank of Baroda.
• His appointment to the top post is for a period of three years with effect from the date of assumption of
office. Chand succeeds Sanjiv Chadha, whose tenure was extended by the government for about five months
till June 2023.

26 April, 2023
 RANKINGS
Haryana secured first place in CCTNS pragati ranking
• Haryana Police has secured the first position in Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network System (CCTNS)
pragati ranking released at all India level followed by Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Police. In the February
2023, the State Police secured the top position with 99.99 marks.
• The main aim of the CCTNS is to provide comprehensive and integrated system for effective policing
through e-Governance. An allocation of Rs. 2000 crores was made for the CCTNS project after its approval
by the Cabinet in 2009. It is implemented by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Women between 15-29 years spent more time than men doing Unpaid Labour
• According to the report titled 'Women and Men in India 2022', released by the Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation, an average Indian woman aged between 15 and 29 spends 5.5 hours doing
unpaid labour, a man in that age group spends about 50 minutes a day doing work that yields no money.
• This is also in line with an Oxfam report from December 2021, which noted that the unpaid work done by
women looking after their homes and children is worth 3.1% of India’s GDP. A senior woman too spends
four hours a day doing unpaid labour, while a senior man spends an hour and a half on the same.

Karnataka topped in India Justice Report 2022

• According to the India Justice Report (IJR) 2022, Karnataka State Police (KSP) was ranked first for justice
delivery in India. Southern states continued to dominate the list, and Karnataka was the only state to fulfil its
quotas for SC, ST and Other Backward Classes (OBC) among police officers and the constabulary. The
survey was conducted among 18 large and mid-sized states.
• The state of Tamil Nadu has secured the second position followed by Telangana, Gujarat, and Andhra
Pradesh. The state of Uttar Pradesh has been ranked at 18. The IJR 2022 has tracked the performance of
States in capacitating their Justice Delivery structures to effectively deliver mandated services.

Mukesh Ambani became richest sports owner in Forbes Billionaire List

• After regaining Asia's richest person spot in the Forbes Billionaire 2023 list, Mumbai Indians cricket team
owner Mukesh Ambani has also become the richest sports owner of all in Forbes billionaire 2023 list.
• Ambani (India) reclaimed the top spot from Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer (USA) followed by
Rob Walton (USA), François Pinault & family (France), and Mark Mateschitz (Austria).

Delhi airport emerged as world's 9th busiest airport in 2022

• According to Airports Council International (ACI) list, Delhi airport has emerged as the ninth busiest airport
in the world in 2022 with passenger traffic of more than 5.94 crore. DIAL is the operator of the Indira
Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital.
• The list of top 10 busiest airports in the world for 2022 is topped by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport (ATL, 93.7 million passengers). It is followed by Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW, 73.4 million),
Denver Airport (DEN, 69.3 million), and Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD, 68.3 million).

27 April, 2023
5 Indian-origin women featured in ‘100 Most Influential Women in US Finance’ list
• Five Indian-American women have made it to the list of 100 Most Influential Women in US Finance,
according to Barron's, a weekly magazine published by Dow Jones & Company. These women have achieved
remarkable success in their respective fields of finance and investment management.
• These women are Anu Aiyengar from J.P. Morgan, Rupal J. Bhansali from Ariel Investments, Sonal Desai from
Franklin Templeton, Meena Flynn from Goldman Sachs, and Savita Subramanian from Bank of America.

Kerala topped GI tag list in FY 2022-23

• According to GI Registry, Kerala received the highest number of Geographical Indication (GI) tags for
products among all states in India in the fiscal year 23 (FY23).In the last financial year (FY22), 50 products
were selected for GI recognition, with Uttar Pradesh having the highest number of GI tags (seven), followed
by Uttarakhand with six. Darjeeling tea was the first Indian product to get GI tag.
• Apart from six products from Kerala, the Geographical Indications (GI) Registry selected Mithila Makhana
(aquatic fox nut) from Bihar and Alibaug white onion from Maharashtra for GI recognition tag.

Shah Rukh Khan topped 2023 TIME100 reader poll

• Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has secured the top position in Time Magazine's poll for its annual TIME100 list.
The magazine reader’s votes for the individuals they believe deserve a spot on TIME’s annual list of the most
influential people. Over 1.2 million votes were cast in the poll with Shah Rukh receiving 4%.
• The actor won the 2023 TIME100 Reader Poll, beating the likes of royal-couple Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle, Argentinian player Lionel Messi, and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. For the second spot, the
readers picked the Iranian women protesting for more freedom in the country’s Islamic regime.

India ranked 77th in World's 'most criminal countries' ranking

• The World of Statistics has shared the ranking of the world's "most criminal countries". On the list, Venezuela
has been ranked top, followed by Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Honduras respectively.
India stood at 77th spots whiles the US and UK was ahead of India in the criminal ranking country.
• World Population Review (WPR) ranked Afghanistan in the fourth spot on the list of countries with the
highest crime rate in 2023. Turkey, Germany, and Japan were among the least criminal countries, ranking at
92nd, 100th, and 135th ranks.

India ranked 5th in countries with most AI investment

• According to Stanford University’s annual AI Index report, India ranked fifth in terms of investments received
by start-ups offering artificial intelligence (AI)-based products and services. The US, China, UK, and Israel are
among the nations that are listed before India.
• The Index also shows that India was the sixth- largest nation in terms of AI investments between 2013 and
2022. India entered$3.24 billion in total investments in AI start-ups in 2022, outpacing nations like South
Korea, Germany, Canada, and Australia.

World’s Wealthiest Cities Report 2023 released by Henly & Partners

• The London-based consultancy Henley & Partners released the list of World’s Wealthiest Cities Report
2023, New York City topped new list, Tokyo and Silicon Valley’s Bay Area claiming the second and third
spots. Mumbai featured at 21 while Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad too found a place.
• Bengaluru got a special mention as one of the fastest-growing cities in the Asia Pacific. The World’s
Wealthiest Cities Report 2023 covered 97 cities across the world, using data from wealth intelligence firm,

28 April, 2023
 New World Wealth, which tracks the movements and spending habits of high-net-worth individuals with the
work titles like Founder, Chairperson, CEO, and Director.

Bengaluru topped in digital payment transactions in 2022

• According to the Worldline India report, Bengaluru emerged on top with 29 million transactions worth USD
65 billion followed by New Delhi 19.6 million transactions worth USD 50 billion, Mumbai (18.7 million
transactions worth USD 49.5 billion), Pune (15 million transactions valued at USD 32.8 billion), and Chennai
(14.3 million transactions with a value of USD 35.5 billion).
• In 2022, frequently visited physical merchant categories like grocery stores, restaurants, clothing and apparel,
pharmacy, and household appliances together accounted for over 43% in terms of volume and about 40% in
terms of value, across the country.

India retained third spot as a unicorn hub, shows Hurun report

• According to the Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2023 by Hurun, India retained third place with 68 unicorns, up
14, and 47 since pre-Covid. Among these, foodtech platform Swiggy, fantasy gaming company Dream11 and
etc. are the top unicorns in the country.
• With 68 new unicorns, India lags behind the US and China, which have 666 and 316 unicorns, respectively.
India added 14 new unicorns since the pandemic began. Founders from India co-founded 70 unicorns
outside, while China co-founded 32 outside of China, compared with 316 in China.

India jumped 6 places on World Bank's Logistic Performance Index

• India has improved its ranking in the World Bank's Logistic Performance Index 2023 by six places, owing to
significant investments in both soft and hard infrastructure as well as technology, which has led to an
improvement in the country's port performance.
• Singapore and Finland are the most efficient and highest-ranked countries followed by Germany, Canada,
and France. India's rank in the index of 139 countries has risen to 38 in 2023 from 44 in 2018. India's
performance has improved from 2014, when it was ranked 54th.

India became world's fourth largest defence spender in 2022

• According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India was the world's 4 th largest
military spender in 2022 after the United States, China and Russia. India’s military spending of $81.4 billion
which is 6% more than in 2021 and up by 47% from 2013.
• Total global military expenditure increased by 3.7% in 2022, hitting a new high of $2,240 billion. India’s share
of the global arms imports was the highest during the last five years at 11%, followed by Saudi Arabia
(9.6%), Qatar (6.4%), Australia (4.7%) and China (4.7%).

29 April, 2023
 AWARDS & HONOURS
World-famous 'Basohli Painting' from Jammu received GI tag
• The world-famous Basohli painting from Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district has obtained the Geographical
Indication (GI) Tag following an approval by the NABARD. The GI tag to a product, goods or speciality
grants legal protection to original producers and prevents their unauthorised use by 3rd parties. It also boosts
exports, promotes goods at the international level & brings economic prosperity.
• Basohli pashmina woollen products (Kathua), Chikri wood craft (Rajouri), Bhaderwah rajma (Doda),
Mushkbudji rice (Anantnag), Kaladi (Udhampur), Sulai honey (Ramban), Anardana (Ramban) and Ladakh
wood carving (Ladakh) were the other products pitched for the GI-tagging.

Kiran Nadar conferred with France’s highest civilian award

• Philanthropist and art collector Kiran Nadar was conferred “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” (Knight of
the Legion of Honour) by French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain.
• The highest French civilian award comes in recognition of Nadar’s outstanding contribution in the field of art,
her commitment to providing greater access to culture both nationally and internationally, and her leading
role in fostering Indo-French cultural ties.

Banarasi Paan among 4 Varanasi products granted GI tag

• The Benarasi Paan long with three other Varanasi-based products such as Banarasi Langda Mango, Ramnagar
Bhanta (Brinjal), and Adamchini Rice was granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. This means that these
products have unique qualities specific to their respective regions. The Benarasi Paan, known for its distinct
taste and unique blend of ingredients, has been awarded the GI tag.
• GI status helps in promoting and protecting the unique identity and quality of traditional products from a
specific region, and can also help in boosting the local economy by increasing the demand.

President of Ukraine decorated with Poland’s top award

• Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been decorated with the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's
highest award, "in recognition of his outstanding merits in deepening relations between Poland and Ukraine.
Polish President Andrzej Duda awarded the Order of the White Eagle to Zelensky.
• The Order of the White Eagle is the oldest and most valuable Polish decoration. It is awarded to outstanding
people who have made an exceptional contribution to the Republic of Poland with their lives. You are an
exemplary leader of a state and a nation.

Indian-American mathematician CR Rao awarded International Prize in Statistics

• Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, a prominent Indian-American mathematician and statistician, will receive the
2023 International Prize in Statistics, the equivalent to the Nobel Prize in the field, for his monumental work
75 years ago that revolutionised statistical thinking.

30 April, 2023
• Rao's work, more than 75 years ago, continues to exert a profound influence on science. Rao, 102 will
receive the prize, which comes with $80,000 award, this July at the biennial International Statistical Institute
World Statistics Congress in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Bharat Biotech won award at World Vaccine Congress 2023

• The Bharat Biotech has won the `Best Production /Process Development’ award as part of the Vaccine
Industry Excellence (ViE) awards at the World Vaccine Congress 2023 held in Washington, USA.
• 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 and was also exported. The World Vaccine
Congress is the largest global meeting dedicated to vaccines.

Garuda Aerospace became 1st to receive Agri Drone Subsidy

• Chennai-based drone start-up Garuda Aerospace announced that it has become the first company to receive
the government's agri-drone subsidy for the agricultural drones. Garuda Kisan Drones were presented to
eight farmers under the agri-drone subsidy at an event held in Pune.
• The Garuda Kisan drones approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation would help farmers to
manage and monitor the health of crops as well as detect and identify areas that require water or fertiliser.

PT Usha awarded first Honorary Doctorate by Central University of Kerala

• The Olympian PT Usha, the renowned Indian athlete and coach, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate
Degree by the Central University of Kerala. Usha recollected her memories in connection with the lost
bronze medal at Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, in an emotion-packed speech.
• The ceremony took place at Sabarmati Hall, Periya Campus, where Vice Chancellor Prof. H. Venkateshwarlu
conferred the degree upon her, making her the university's first recipient of this prestigious title.

Bihu performance by over 11,000 dancers, musicians perform created 2 world records in Assam
• A total of 11,304 dancers and musicians performed Assam’s Bihu dance at a stadium in Guwahati to create
two world records and take the traditional dance form to the world stage.
• The performers tried to create world records in two categories as largest Bihu dance performance and
largest performance by folk musicians included traditional instruments like ‘dhol’, ‘pepa’, ‘gogona’ and ‘toka’.
In October 2015, 9,892 Nati dancers from Kullu in Himanchal Pradesh had entered the Guinness World
Records for the largest gathering of performers of that folk dance form.

Home Minister Amit Shah awarded Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2022 to Dr Dattatreya Narayan
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah conferred the Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2022 to spiritual leader and
social activist Dr. Dattatreya Narayan alias Appasaheb Dharmadhikari at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai.
• The Home Minister informed that Appasaheb Dharmadikari has played a significant role in social reforms. He
appreciated Appasaheb Dharmadhikari stating that his family for generations has dedicated their lives to the
lives of people without any expectation.

Nandini Gupta from Rajasthan won Femina Miss India 2023

• The Nandini Gupta from Rajasthan's Kota has been honoured with Femina Miss India 2023 title. Nandini is
crowned at the 59th edition of the big national beauty show at an extravagant event held in Manipur’s Imphal.
• Shreya Poonja from Delhi has been crowned Femina Miss India 2023 first runner-up and Thounaojam Strela
Luwang from Manipur for second runner-up. Nandini Gupta will represent India at the 71st Miss World
pageant in the United Arab Emirates.

31 April, 2023
Indian-American Raj Subramaniam honoured with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
• Raj Subramaniam, the Indian-American CEO of FedEx, has been presented with the prestigious Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman. Subramanian was presented with the award by India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit
Singh Sandhu at a ceremony at the India House.
• Subramanian is the president and CEO of FedEx Corporation, one of the world's largest transportation
companies. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is the highest civilian award in India for overseas Indians.

Harmanpreet Kaur became first Indian woman to be named Wisden Cricketer of the Year
• The Indian cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur became the first-ever woman from the country to be
named among the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. Wisden winners are New Zealand's Tom Blundell and
Daryl Mitchell, and England's Ben Foakes and Matthew Potts.
• Suryakumar Yadav has been selected as the T20 Cricketer of the Year. Ben Stokes of England has been
selected as the best cricketer in the world for the year 2022-23 among male players. Beth Mooney
(Australia) has received this award among women cricketers.

Angela Merkel received Germany's highest Order of Merit

• Former Chancellor Angela Merkel received Germany's highest Order of Merit. The Grand Cross award was
handed to her by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The award has only been given twice before, to
former chancellors Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl.
• All three former leaders belong to the conservative Christian Democratic Union. Merkel led Germany from
2005 to 2021, totalling four terms in office. She was the first woman to take the post of chancellor and the
first German head of government to have grown up in socialist East Germany.

Sonam Wangchuk conferred with Prestigious Santokbaa Humanitarian Award

• Sonam Wangchuk has been awarded the prestigious Santokbaa Humanitarian Award for his contributions to
society. The award, which carries a cash prize of Rs 1 crore, has been instituted in memory of SRK and
SRKKF’s Founder Chairman Govind Dholakia’s mother Late Santokbaa Dholakia.
• The award was presented to Sonam Wangchuk on the death anniversary of Santokbaa at an award ceremony
at Hotel Zen in Ladakh.

Deepika Misra became 1st Indian Air Force woman officer to get Gallantry Award
• Wing Commander Deepika Misra became the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force to be presented a
gallantry award. Wing Commander Misra, a helicopter pilot who hails from Rajasthan, was conferred a Vayu
Sena Medal (Gallantry) for an act of “exceptional courage” displayed during a flood relief operation in
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• She helped in saving the lives of 47 people in floods last year in areas of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

AP image of Mariupol hospital attack won World Press Photo

• Associated Press photographer Evgeniy Maloletka won the World Press Photo of the year for his harrowing
image of emergency workers carrying a pregnant woman through the shattered grounds of a maternity
hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, in the chaotic aftermath of a Russian attack.
• The Ukrainian photographer’s March 2022 image of the fatally wounded woman, her left hand on her
bloodied lower left abdomen, drove home the horror of Russia’s brutal onslaught in the eastern port city
early in the war.

32 April, 2023
Karnataka bagged National Award for Fasal Bima Yojana
• Karnataka received the National Award for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the award was accepted
by Shivayogi Kalasad, Secretary, and Department of Agriculture. Karnataka was recognized as leading state in
implementing Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana scheme during a national conference in Chhattisgarh.
• According to agriculture department officials, an amount of Rs 687.4 crore has been settled for 5.66 lakh
farmers with pending claims since 2018. Enrolments of farmers for the PMFBY scheme in Karnataka were
16.15 lakh in 2021, to increase to 23.86 lakh in 2022.

PM GatiShakti national master plan won award for excellence in public administration
• The PM Gati Shakti national master plan has received the Excellence in Public Administration-2022 award in
the ‘Innovation (Central)’ category. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the award.
• The PM Gati Shaki launched in October 2021 for integrated and planned development of critical
infrastructure projects to reduce logistics costs. Currently, over 30 central ministries or departments,
including infrastructure, economic and social sector line ministries, and all 36 states and union territories,
have joined the national master plan.

Billboard announced Shakira to be honoured Billboard’s first ‘Latin Woman of the year’ award
• Billboard and Telemundo announced that Colombian singer Shakira will be honoured with Billboard’s ‘Latin
women of the year’ award at the first-ever Mujeres Latinas en la Musica, gala. In 2020, Billboard introduced
the "Woman of the Year" award for its Latin Music Awards.
• It is recognition for female artists in the Latin music industry, and it celebrates their contributions and
achievements in a historically male-dominated industry. The first recipient of the Billboard's First Latin
Woman of the Year Award was Mexican-American singer and songwriter was Becky G.

Ratan Tata received Australia's highest civil honour 'Order of Australia'

• Ratan Tata was awarded the Order of Australia, which is the highest civil honour in that country. He was
honoured for his outstanding contribution towards boosting the ties between India and Australia, especially
in areas such as trade, business, and philanthropy.
• Tata group's former Chairman Ratan Tata, who is already a recipient of the Padma Bhushan in the year 2000
and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, which are the third and second highest civilian honours awarded by the
Government of India, respectively.

Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) UP honoured with HUDCO Award

• The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) Uttar Pradesh has been awarded the country’s prestigious HUDCO
Award (2022-2023). This campaign was conducted by the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) Uttar Pradesh in
January 2023. In this, 75 tourist and historical places of the state were included. Special cleanliness drives
were conducted at these places.
• This award has been given in the Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment 2022-23 categories for
cleanliness. An amount of ₹one lakh was also given to the UP government as part of the award.

Dr Raghu Ram honoured with Telugu Association of London award

• Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti, a renowned surgeon, has been awarded the lifetime achievement award by the
Telugu Association of London. He is the founding director of the AKIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast
Diseases located in Hyderabad.
• Dr Raghuram has become one of the few people to receive the award. He is also the only Indian living
outside the UK to be bestowed with this honor. During the celebration of Ugadi 2023, organized by the
Telugu Association of London Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti was awarded lifetime achievement award.

33 April, 2023
Dalai Lama received 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award in person after 64 years
• The 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award was presented to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at his residence
here by members of the award foundation personally after 64 years.
• It was the first international award given to "His Holiness for Community Leadership in recognition of his
leadership of the Tibetan community's gallant struggle in defense of the sacred religion that is the inspiration
of their life and culture" by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation in the Philippines in August 1959. The
Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 and has lived in India in exile since then.

68th Filmfare Awards 2023 Announced

• The 68th edition of the Hyundai Filmfare Awards took place at the Jio World Conventional Centre in
Mumbai. This year’s ceremony was co-hosted by Salman Khan, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Maniesh Paul,
marking Salman Khan’s first time as a host for the event. The awards were presented in collaboration with
Maharashtra Tourism.
• Alia Bhatt won the coveted Best Actor (female) award and Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Gangubai Kathiawadi
won best Director Award for Gangubai Kathiawadi was declared the best film. Bhumi Pednekar, Rajkummar
Rao and Sheeba Chaddha won critics’ choice awards for Badhaai Do. Tabu took home the Best Actress
award (critics’ choice). Arijit Singh won the best playback singer (male).

Fit India Champion Arjun Vajpai scaled Mt. Annapurna

• Indian professional mountaineer Arjun Vajpai roped in as a Fit India Champion earlier this year has become
the first Indian man to summit Mt. Annapurna 1, which is also the 10th highest mountain in the world at 8,091
metres (26,545 ft) above sea level in Nepal.
• Arjun made the climb to the 7x8000m summits and has now become the first Indian mountaineer to scale
7x8000m peaks. Mt. Annapurna happens to be the most dangerous mountain out of the 14x8000m Summit
Mountains. Bestowed the title of a Fit India Champion, Arjun is already a record holder by becoming one of
the youngest mountaineers to climb Mount Everest.

Neeli Bendapudi received Immigrant Achievement Award 2023

• Indian-American Neeli Bendapudi, the President of Penn State University received the American Immigration
Council's 2023 Immigrant Achievement Award. The award recognises "individuals or organisations that
exhibit a commitment and dedication to our heritage as a nation of immigrants and to the struggle for fair and
humane immigration policies in the United States”.
• Neeli Bendapudi was raised in India and she moved to the University of Kansas in the United States for her
doctoral studies. She planned to launch her career in academics as an educator.

34 April, 2023
 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Skyroot test test-fired advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine
• Skyroot Aerospace, India's pioneering private rocket builder achieved a major milestone by successfully test-
firing an advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine for 200 seconds, a record for the company.
• The endurance test of 'Dhawan-II' which demonstrated impressive performance results, was carried out at
Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra, using Skyroot’s indigenously developed
mobile cryogenic engine test pad. This achievement follows the November 2022 launch of Vikram–S, which
made Skyroot the first Indian private company to send a rocket into space.

Union Cabinet approves Indian Space Policy 2023

• The Central government approved the Indian Space Policy 2023. The policy seeks to institutionalise private
sector participation in the space sector. The entry of the private sector in space sector would enable the
ISRO to channelize focus on research and development of advanced space technologies.
• Under this policy roles and responsibilities of ISRO, NewSpace India Limited, and Indian National Space
Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) have been laid down.

KSINC launched India’s first solar-powered tourist boat

• Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) has launched a solar-powered tourist boat called
Sooryamshu that can produce 27 KW of energy. The boat also comes equipped with generators, which will
help power passenger lift systems and air-conditioners.
• The solar panels will provide about 75% of the vessel’s energy needs, while the rest will be met by the
generators. The boat was built in Sri Lanka for Rs. 3.95 crores. KSINC plans to use the Sooryamshu for two
tour packages. Kadamakkudy is a group of 14 islands situated within 10 kilometres of Kochi city.

European Data Protection Board launched ChatGPT Task Force

• The European Data Protection Board has taken a significant step toward setting a common policy on privacy
rules for artificial intelligence by establishing a task force on ChatGPT. ChatGPT is an AI program with over
100 mn monthly active users; it is fastest-growing consumer application in history.
• This move follows Italy's unilateral decision to curb ChatGPT and Germany's commissioner for data
protection indicating that it may follow suit. Spain's AEPD watchdog has also announced that it will
investigate potential data breaches by ChatGPT.

IIT Indore and NASA-Caltech developed low-cost camera for flame imaging
• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore in collaboration with the NASA-Caltech from the US and
Sweden's University of Gothenburg has developed a low-cost camera setup that can provide multispectral
imaging of four chemical species in a flame using a single DSLR camera.

35 April, 2023
• The low-cost DSLR camera device 'CL-Flam' was developed after nearly three years of research in
collaboration with the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and NASA-Caltech, USA.

Kenya launched first operational satellite into space on-board SpaceX rocket
• Kenya launched its first operational earth observation satellite onboard a SpaceX rocket from the United
States. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Taifa-1 satellite, took off at about 0648 GMT without incident from
Vandenberg Base in California, after three postponements due to bad weather.
• The satellite, developed by 9 Kenyan engineers, will collect agricultural and environmental data, including on
floods, drought and wildfires, that authorities plan to use for disaster management to combat food insecurity.

IIT Madras announced to set up its first international campus in Tanzania

• The first Indian Institute of Technology to be set up in Africa will come up in October in Tanzania. This was
informed by IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti at IIT Madras’ 64th Institute Day.
• IIT Madras will set up its first international campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania, with plans to start the classes by
October 2023. In February 2023, a team of five professors from IIT Madras visited Tanzania and held
discussions with various officials on starting the campus.

Xypex announced to launch of its first production plant in India

• Vancouver-based Xypex Chemical Corporation which specializes in crystalline concrete waterproofing
announces that it has strengthened its presence in the Asian market with the opening of a new production
plant in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
• The 40,000 square feet facility will house chemical manufacturing, and distribution capabilities to serve
upstream, midstream, downstream, and adjacent industries in the region. The production facility has 30,000
square feet additional spaces for storage.

Emirates introduced first robotic check-in assistant in the world

• Dubai-based carrier Emirates has introduced the world’s first check-in robot assistant which it calls Sara.
Emirates chose to debut the robot not at its Dubai International airport (DXB) base, but instead at its all-
new City Check in and Travel Store.
• The store is located in ICD Brookfield Place in Dubai International Financial Centre, close to downtown
Dubai landmarks including Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa and Museum of the Future.

Dr Monisha Kapoor launched Asia's First MOXI Laser at her Clinic

• Dr Monisha Kapoor, a well-known plastic surgeon in Saket, Delhi, is pleased to announce the introduction of
the MOXI laser at her clinic, Dr Monisha Kapoor Aesthetics. The MOXI laser is the first of its kind in Asia,
and Dr Kapoor is excited to offer this cutting-edge technology to her patients.
• The procedure is a non-invasive, individualised laser treatment that can lessen scarring, reduce pigmentation,
and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles.

Japan’s ispace prepared for world's first commercial lunar landing

• A Tokyo-based start-up ispace has attempted to land the first ever privately-funded spacecraft on the Moon,
though its status remains unclear. It planned to land a robotic spacecraft on the Moon as part of the Hakuto-R
Mission 1, which launched in December 2022 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
• Success would mark a welcome reversal from the recent setbacks Japan has faced in space technology,
where it has big ambitions of building a domestic industry, including a goal of sending Japanese astronauts to
the moon by the late 2020s.

36 April, 2023
 SPORTS
Sprinter Lashinda Demus awarded Olympic gold medal after a decade
• Lashinda Demus, a sprinter from the United States, was awarded an Olympic gold medal at the age of 40,
Czechia's Zuzana Hejnova silver and Jamaica's Kalisz Spencer a bronze after more than a decade.
• The International Olympic Committee stripped Natalya Antyukh, the original gold medallist in the 400
metres hurdles, of her title due to her involvement in the Russian doping scandal. Antyukh beat Demus by
just 0.07 seconds at London track.

United States qualified for ODI World Cup final qualifier 2023
• The United States booked their place in the final qualifying tournament for this year’s 50-overs World Cup in
India following their 25-run victory over Jersey.
• The U.S. and UAE join former world champions West Indies and Sri Lanka among the 10 teams in
Zimbabwe vying for the last two places at the October-November World Cup. The U.S. has never qualified
for the ODI World Cup but is assured of a place in next year’s T20 World Cup.

Kim Cotton of New Zealand became first woman on-field umpire in full-member men’s T20Is
• New Zealand’s Kim Cotton became the first woman on-field umpire in a full-member men’s T20I during
New Zealand’s second match against Sri Lanka in Dunedin. Cotton, 48, has previously officiated in 54
women’s T20Is, both as an on-field and TV umpire, besides 24 women’s ODIs since 2018.
• Cotton first marked her presence in the men’s game as a TV umpire in 2020 during a tied contest between
India and New Zealand in Hamilton. Cotton has also officiated in three T20 World Cups and an ODI World
Cup since 2018, including the finals in 2020, 2022 and 2023.

MS Dhoni among five Indian cricketers to conferred MCC life membership

• The prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club housed at the iconic Lord's cricket ground gave 'Life Membership'
to World Cup winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni along with four other distinguished India internationals.
• The other include, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, former women's national captain Mithali Raj and the legendary
Jhulan Goswami.

Sports Authority of India integrated Khelo India Games Certificates with Digilocker
• The Sports Authority of India integrates Khelo India Games Certificates with Digilocker. Khelo India Games
certificate is a document that is awarded to athletes who participate in the Khelo India Games.
• This will allow athletes, support staff, technical officers and competition managers to access their certificates
digitally. It would also provide for real time verification of Certificates. Sports Authority of India (SAI) was set
up in 1982. SAI was set up as a Society registered under Societies Act, 1860.

Argentina became Rank No.1 football team in 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.

37 April, 2023
• 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 in July 2023. The Indian men’s football team has climbed up
five spots and is now ranked at 101.

MS Dhoni became 1st captain to lead single team in 200 IPL matches
• Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked out as the skipper of the franchise for the 200th
time in the on-going Indian Premier League 16th edition. Dhoni reached his feet while playing against Sanju
Samson's led Rajasthan Royals at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium.
• MSD has a winning percentage of 61 as captain of the franchise, having won 120 of their 199 matches. Under
Dhoni, CSK became an institution that trusted non-conventional players in T20 roles and drove the franchise
to success in 4 tournaments, the second-highest tally in the history of the Indian Premier League.

Aman Sehrawat won India’s first gold medal at Asian Wrestling Championships 2023
• Freestyle wrestler Aman Sehrawat clinched India’s first gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships
2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan. In the final, Aman Sehrawat defeated Kyrgyzstan's Almaz Smanbekov, a bronze
medallist from last year.
• Aman Sehrawat, who became the first Indian wrestler to win gold at the U-23 world championships in Spain
last year, topped the podium in the men’s 57kg freestyle category.

Royal Enfield partnered with Indian Ice Hockey Women’s Team

• Royal Enfield has partnered with the Indian women’s Ice Hockey team to strengthen its Olympic ambitions.
The partnership is an extension of the relationship of Royal Enfield with the Union Territory of Ladakh to
develop winter sports in the region.
• Royal Enfield along with the Ice Hockey Association of India unveiled the New Jersey for Team India. The
Indian women’s Ice Hockey team is participating in the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s Asia and Oceania
Championship from April and May 2023 in Thailand.

AIFF announced minimum wage for women footballers

• The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced a revamp of the existing women's football structure in
India besides granting a minimum wage to those who compete in the Hero Indian Women’s League.
• AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey informed that it will be mandatory for the top eight participating teams in the
IWL to have a minimum of 10 Indian players on an annual contract worth a minimum of ₹3.2 lakhs. The
decision was taken at the federation's executive committee meeting earlier in the day.

Shaili Singh qualified for Asian Games; logging 2nd longest jump in India's history
• Shaili Singh won in the women's long jump in the Indian Grand Prix-4 at Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru.
With a personal best of 6.76 meters, she is now the holder of the 2nd longest jump in India's history and has
qualified for the Asian Games.
• Shaili went past the Asian Games qualifying mark of 6.45m set by AFI but missed the World Championships
mark by 9 cm. Shaili has been training hard at NCOE Bangalore and is an athlete under the Target Olympic
Podium (TOP) Scheme.

India’s Jyothi Surekha Vennam equalled qualification world record

• Indian archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam equalled the world record in women’s compound event qualification
round at the on-going Archery World Cup 2023 stage 1 being held in Turkey. Jyothi finished first in the
season-opening Archery World Cup after scoring 713 out of a possible 720 points.

38 April, 2023
• The record achieved by Sara Lopez of Colombia in the 2015 Colombian National Selections was matched by
the world No 11 ranked Indian archer. At the 2017 Asian Championships in Dhaka, Korea’s So Chaewon
held the previous Asian record of 709; the effort also shattered that mark.

Hocky India announced Chennai to host men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023
• Hockey India announced that Chennai, Tamil Nadu is the venue for the forthcoming Asian Champions
Trophy 2023. This is the first time India will host the event. This will be the seventh edition of the coveted
tournament and it is scheduled to be held in August 2023.
• The last time Chennai hosted an international hockey event in 2007 when the prestigious Asia Cup was held
and the venue proved to be lucky for the home team who clinched the title by beating Korea 7-2 in the Final.

AIFF announced Bhubaneswar to host 2023 Intercontinental Cup in June

• The Secretary General of All India Football Federation (AIFF), Shaji Prabhakaran informed that a four-team
Intercontinental Cup will be held in Bhubaneswar from June 2023. This will be the third edition of the
tournament with the previous two being held in Mumbai (2018) and Ahmedabad (2019).
• Host India will be joined by Lebanon, Mongolia and Vanuatu in the tournament. India has previously never
played against Mongolia and Vanuatu. Against Lebanon, it has played six matches.

FIFA announced Argentina to replace Indonesia as under-20 World Cup host

• FIFA announced that Argentina will host the under-20 soccer World Cup. FIFA announced the decision to
remove Indonesia as host after the country’s FA cancelled the draw to be held in Bali as its governor refused
to host Israel’s team.
• Argentina hosted the under-20 World Cup in 2001 when it won the fourth of their record six titles. The
official draw for the tournament will take place in Zurich.

David Warner becomes most capped overseas captain in IPL

• David Warner became the most capped overseas captain in Indian Premier League (IPL) history when he
walked out for the toss for Delhi Capitals against Kolkata Knight Riders during an IPL 2023 game in Delhi.
Warner surpassed compatriot Adam Gilchrist with his 75th appearance as captain in the IPL.
• Warner first captained in the IPL during his previous stint with the Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils) in 2013,
when he stood as the stand-in captain for Mahela Jayawardena. Warner was then roped in by Sunrisers
Hyderabad in 2014 before the Australian took over the reins from Daren Sammy in 2015.

Sydney Cricket Ground gate named after Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara
• A gate named after Sachin Tendulkar was unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground to mark the 50th birthday
of the Sachin. Tendulkar, made three centuries and 785 runs in five Tests at the SCG and averaged of 157.
• Another gate in the name of Brian Lara was also unveiled to mark 30 years since the West Indian legend's
innings of 277 at the SCG in 1993. The gates were unveiled by SCG and Venues NSW Chairman Rod
McGeoch and CEO Kerrie Mather, as well as Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.

Odisha FC clinched maiden Super Cup title after beating Bengaluru FC by 2-1
• Odisha FC defeated Bengaluru FC 2-1 in the Hero Super Cup 2023 final to lift their first-ever trophy at the
EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala. While Diego Mauricio‘s first-half brace gave the Juggernauts a
comfortable lead, Sunil Chhetri’s late penalty just gave the Blues some consolation.
• It was the third final of the season for Bengaluru. For Simon Grayson’s boys, it proved the second defeat in a
final in as many months, after losing the ISL final to ATK Mohun Bagan on penalties.

39 April, 2023
Jaden Pariat became first Indian in 6 years to get on podium in British F4 Championship
• Young Indian racing star Jaden Pariat of Argenti Motorsport displayed his immense talent with a podium in
the first round of the ROKiT British F4 Championship at Donington Park. He is only the second Indian to get
an international podium in a Tatuus F4 car after Kush Maini’s podium in 2017.
• The podium is being hailed as a big milestone for the younger generation looking to break through to higher
levels of Formula racing.

Erling Haaland broke record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League
• Erling Haaland has broken the Premier League record for goals in a 38-game season after scoring his 33rd of
the season in Man City's win over Arsenal. The Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah had held the record since
2017-18, when he scored 32 goals throughout the Reds' PL campaign, before Norwegian Haaland's arrival.
• Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer currently share the record across the entire Premier League era, scoring 34
in 1993/94 and 1994/95 respectively when the season comprised of 42 matches.

Abhilash Tomy became first Indian to complete Golden Globe Race 2022
• Abhilash Tomy, A retired naval officer, Commander has become the first Indian to complete the prestigious
Golden Globe Race 2022. He finished second in race, a solo around-the-world sailing race.
• This race was started at Les Sables-d'Olonne in France in September 2022. South African sailors, Kirsten
Neuschafer also become the first woman to win the Golden Globe Race (GGR), a solo, non-stop
circumnavigation of the globe without using any modern technological aids.

Abdulla Aboobacker won triple jump gold in World Continental Tour athletics
• Birmingham (England) Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medallist triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker won
gold in the Mikio Oda Memorial Athletics meet in Hiroshima, Japan, with a season’s best effort of 16.31m.
Abdulla from Kerala has a personal best of 17.19m.
• He had finished at second spot behind Eldhose Paul in the 2022 CWG with a jump of 17.02m. The Mikio Oda
Memorial Athletics meet is an annual event held in Japan in honour of legendary Japanese track and field
athlete who won the triple jump gold medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

40 April, 2023
 BOOKS & AUTHORS
Niyogi Books released a new book ‘Why can’t Elephants be Red?’
• Vani Tripathi Tikoo, an actor and member of the Indian censor board, has written her debut children’s book
titled “Why Can’t Elephants be Red??” published by Niyogi Books. The book is about a 1.5 years old girl
named Akku who is imaginative, adventurous, and growing up in Gurgaon and Singapore.
• Akku’s experiences, such as playing with her pets, swimming, and trying new foods, inspire her curiosity and
joy. She enjoys drawing and colouring, and her imagination runs wild with colourful elephants, mustached
crabs, and hornless unicorns. The book is illustrated and aimed at children.
.
State Bank of India launched coffee table book ‘The Banker to Every Indian’
• The State Bank of India (SBI) announced the launch of its coffee table book ‘ The Banker to Every Indian,‘
which celebrates 75 years of India’s independence and SBI’s glorious 200-year history. The book is a tribute
to the spirit of India’s independence and the Bank’s contribution to nation-building.
• It showcases ethics, technological advancements, and transformation with important initiatives undertaken
by the Bank. The book is not just a celebration of our past but a testament to our commitment to the future.

A book titled “Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire” by Nandini Das
• The “Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire”: “Courting India: England, Mughal
India and the Origins of Empire” is a book written by Nandini Das, a professor of English Literature at the
University of Liverpool.
• The book delves into the early modern period’s complex relationship between England and Mughal India,
focusing on cultural and literary exchanges between these two worlds. In 1589, Richard Hakluyt published
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, And Discoveries of the English Nation, a seminal collection of
all English travel writings of the time.

A new book titled “Gandhi: Siyasat aur Sampradaiykta” authored by Piyush Babele
• A new book in Hindi titled Gandhi: Siyasat aur Sampradaiykta (‘Gandhi: Politics and Communalism’) written
by journalist-turned-author Piyush Babele, he currently heads Madhya Pradesh Congress’ media department.
• He cites extracts from Dr. Ambedkar’s book Pakistan or the Partition of India and other sources, and claims
to “contextualise the developments leading up to India’s Partition in 1947 to bust the illusion spread by the
Hindu right wing that Mahatma Gandhi was responsible for the Partition”.

SBI unveiled its coffee table book "The Banker to Every Indian"
• State Bank of India (SBI) launched a coffee table book titled "The Banker to Every Indian" and the book
celebrates 75 years of Indian independence and 200 years of SBI's history. The book aims to provide a
detailed account of the history of SBI since India attained independence.

41 April, 2023
• The Coffee Table Book is a tribute to the spirit of India's independence and SBI's contribution to nation
building. The book throws light upon the bank's ethics, technological advancements and transformation
through significant initiatives taken by the organisation.

Pattabhi Ram and Sabyasachee Dash co-authored a new book

• Pattabhi Ram & Sabyasachee Dash has co-authored a new book titled “The Great Bank Robbery NPAs,
Scams and the Future of Regulation” which is about 11 scams that have rocked India since its Independence.
The publisher of the book is Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd.
• V. Pattabhi Ram, a Chartered Accountant based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is an author, public speaker, and
teacher. He has authored several books such as “Ticking Times: An Accountant and a Gentleman”, and “First
Lessons in Strategic Financial Management” (co-authored with S.D. Bala). Sabyasachee Dash is a Chartered
Accountant and a career corporate executive.

Boria Majumdar unveiled new book titled ‘Sachin@50’- Celebrating A Maestro

• Boria Majumdar unveiled a new book called ‘Sachin@50 – Celebrating A Maestro’ on the occasion of Sachin
Tendulkar’s 50th birthday in April 20223. The book has been conceptually designed and curated by
Majumdar, with a special back cover note written by Gulzar.
• The book covers Tendulkar’s journey to success, starting from his teenage debut where he became globally
recognized after his bloodied nose incident in Pakistan in 1989.

South African Cricketer Faf du Plessis penned his autobiography

• South African cricketer Faf du Plessis has penned down an account of his journey of self-discovery, struggles
and triumphs, and love for the game. In "Faf Through Fire", published by Penguin Random House India's
Ebury Press imprint. Faf is the captain of the Indian Premier League’s RCB team.
• He is also the former Captain of the South African National Cricket team. In his upcoming memoir, he has
shared his journey as a cricketer, loves for the game, and also reveals his struggles and triumphs.

Satinder Kumar Lambah's book 'In Pursuit of Peace' launched in New Delhi
• The late Satinder Kumar Lambah's memoir ‘In Pursuit of Peace: India-Pakistan Relations Under Six Prime
Ministers’ was launched by his wife, Nina Lambah, at The Lalit in New Delhi.
• Satinder Kumar Lambah had served two tenures in Pakistan as Deputy Chief of Mission and High
Commissioner; was Chairman of National Security Advisory Board; Special Representative for Afghanistan
under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and later Special Envoy for backchannel talks with Pakistan under
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a decade.

Tennis player Jaideep Mukherjee launched his autobiography "Crosscourt"

• Renowned tennis player Jaideep Mukherjee released his autobiography titled "Crosscourt" in the presence of
prominent Indian tennis players such as Ramesh Krishnan and Somdev Devvarman.
• In addition to tennis, "Crosscourt" also covers various aspects of Mukherjee's personal life, including her
successes, failures, relationships and behind-the-scenes moments. Sharmin Mukherjee, Jaideep Mukherjee's
wife, was instrumental in encouraging and assisting him in writing the book.

A new book ‘A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of Change’ launched in Delhi

• A new book titled, ‘A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of Change’ has been released in New Delhi. The
book was authored by an IAS officer, and senior bureaucrat Ashish Kundra. Senior bureaucrat-author Ashish
Kundra served in the Northeast for eight years.

42 April, 2023
• In ‘A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of Change’, he writes about the transformational changes that are
happening in the remotest parts of the Northeast and about the stories of the people of the hills.

Prime Minister launched 'Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamprashastih' book

• The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, revealed a book called ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangam Prashasti,’ authored
by Somnath Sanskrit University at the end of the ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangam’ event.
• The Sangam celebrates the cultural and historical bond between Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, as many people
migrated from the Saurashtra region to Tamil Nadu several centuries ago. According to a statement from the
Prime Minister’s Office, the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam event allowed Saurashtrian Tamils to reconnect
with their ancestral roots.

Ministry of Culture decided to release comic book series based on Mann Ki Baat programme
• The Union Culture Ministry has decided to release a 12-part comic book series based on the themes and
people featured in Prime Minister Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme.
• The special project is being implemented by Amar Chitra Katha, which will release the series in English,
followed by translations in 12 Indian languages. The Culture Ministry will also hold projection mapping shows
at 13 iconic ASI monuments, including Delhi’s Red Fort and the PM’s Museum

A book called ‘Collective Spirit, Concrete Action’ written by Shashi Shekhar Vempati
• At the 100th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', a book called 'Collective Spirit, Concrete Action' written by Shashi
Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati (2017-2022) was launched. The book was released during a
day-long National Conclave on Mann Ki Baat @IOO, held in the national capital.
• According to the author, 'Mann Ki Baat' is a combination of the power of radio and the vision of a nation's
leader. Over the course of 15 chapters, the book special also offers insights and perspectives from grassroots
change-makers and iconic personalities.

43 April, 2023
 OBITUARIES
Parkash Singh Badal, former Punjab CM passed away at 95
• Former Chief Minister of Punjab and senior leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Parkash Singh Badal passed
away at the age of 95. Parkash Singh Badal was born in December 1927 at Abul Khurana near Malot. He
entered the state assembly from Malout in 1957 as a Congress candidate.
• In 1969, entered the Vidhansabha from Gidderbaha seat on SAD ticket and was elected MLA 11 times, lost
only twice. He became the Chief Minister of Punjab in 1970, leading a coalition government for the first time.
However, the government did not complete its term. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second
highest civilian award, in 2015.

44 April, 2023