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CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOSTER : 22nd APRIL 2023
Current Affairs
22nd April 2023
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
1) AIM, NITI Aayog & UNCDF joinly launched Whitepaper Aimed to Make India a Global Agri-Tech Leader
On April 20, 2023, a whitepaper
has been jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI
(National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and the United
Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) which is aimed at making India
a global leader in Agri-Tech innovation and expanding these innovations to the
least developed countries in Asia and Africa.
·
It is prepared by experts from
AIM, NITI Aayog, and UNCDF.
What is in the whitepaper?
i.The whitepaper provides practical solutions to support the growth of
Agri-Tech start-ups at both national and international levels, by addressing
the challenges they face.
ii.It contains important insights and recommendations aimed at promoting
sustainable agricultural practices and addressing issues such as food security,
supply chain inefficiencies, and climate change concerns, particularly in
developing economies.
iii.The Agri-Tech innovations has the potential in supporting
smallholder farmers and improving the overall agriculture sector.
Key Points:
i.The AIM-UNCDF partnership is facilitating cross-border
engagement, knowledge exchange, and investments to support high-impact
Agri-Tech innovations.
ii.This partnership creates a south-south collaboration environment
where start-ups from Asia and Africa can exchange ideas and generate
opportunities in their respective countries.
iii.The collaboration focuses on addressing three key challenges in the
agriculture sector, namely low productivity, poor risk resilience, and
inefficient supply chain management.
About UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF):
Executive Secretary– Preeti Sinha
Headquarters– New York, United States of America(USA)
Established in 1966
2) Assam, Arunachal Pradesh ink agreement to resolve old Border Dispute
On 20th April 2023, the
Government of Assam and Govt of Arunachal Pradesh signed a
Memorandum of Understating (MoU) to settle the long-pending border
dispute of the 804-km shared boundary between the two states.
·
The MoU was signed by the
Chief Minister (CM) of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, and CM of
Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu in the presence of Union Minister Amit
Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi, Delhi.
What was the dispute?
A dispute arose over 123 villages situated across 12 districts of Arunachal
Pradesh and eight of Assam, which were claimed by Arunachal Pradesh in 2007. A
Local Commission appointed by the Supreme Court was tasked with identifying the
boundary between the two states, and the process to resolve the dispute began
in 2022 through the formation of 12 regional committees from both states. The suggestions
made by these committees have been accepted by both states, resulting in the
resolution of disputes over 34 of these villages as per the signed MoU.
·
Furthermore, disputes over 37
villages were resolved through the Namsai Declaration of July 2022, where the
two Chief Ministers agreed in principle over them.
What is in the MoU?
The involved state governments have agreed that the MoU regarding the 123
disputed villages is “full and final,” and no new encroachment will be
allowed in the border areas. One village from Arunachal Pradesh will become
part of Assam, while 60 villages from Assam will become part of Arunachal
Pradesh, and 10 villages will remain in Assam. The boundary for 49 of the
remaining 52 villages will be determined by the regional committees within six
months, and three villages in the Indian Air Force (IAF) bombing range will
require rehabilitation.
· The Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary is the longest inter-state border in the Northeast and has been pending in the Supreme Court since 1989.
3) CSIR and OIL Sign MoU for Advanced Energy Research
According to a statement from
the Ministry of Science & Technology, The Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, Delhi and Oil India Ltd. (OIL),
have signed an umbrella Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate
research in advanced technologies for energy security.
·
The MoU was signed by Dr. N
Kalaiselvi, DG (Director General), CSIR,& Secretary, Department of
Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), and Dr. Ranjit Rath, CMD (Chairman
& Managing Director), OIL.
Key Points:
·
The MoU between CSIR and OIL
will enable collaboration with all the labs of CSIR.
·
Under the MoU, Both
organizations will accelerate the development of new technologies and solutions
that will enhance energy security and drive sustainable growth and also work
towards capacity building through training and skill development.
·
The OIL, being a Navaratna company
would also consider providing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding
support towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals, Aspirational
Districts, Rural Development, Government missions/initiatives etc.
Identified Preliminary Areas:
i.The MoU covers a wide range of areas for joint
Research and Development (R&D) activities and technology partnership, which
include hydrocarbon exploration, Waste treatment including oil separation and
recovery from wastewater, New and renewable energy, Extraction of Lithium and
Rare Earth Elements from Oilfield Water.
ii.The MoU also focuses on research areas such as
Upstream and downstream operations, batteries/storage systems, Green and
Renewable Hydrogen / Biohydrogen (H2), Corrosion inspection and anti-corrosion
coating, Stranded natural gas to fuel molecules, and Decarbonisation and net
zero targets.
Note: Navaratna companies are a group of companies in the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) that possess financial autonomy to invest up to Rs 1000 crores without any approval from the Union government.
4) West Bengal tops list of States with most ponds and reservoirs: 1st-ever waterbody census
According to the “Water
Bodies – 1st Census Report” released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, West
Bengal(WB) has topped the list of states with the most number of ponds and
reservoirs, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of lakes while Andhra
Pradesh (AP) has the highest number of tanks and Maharashtra is the
leading state with water conservation schemes.
·
India has 24.24 lakh water
bodies such as ponds, tanks and lakes with West Bengal accounting for the most
(7.47 lakh) and Sikkim the least (134).
i.The top 5 states (in number of water bodies) are,
West Bengal (30.8% i.e., 747480) followed by Uttar Pradesh(10.1% i.e., 245087),
Andhra Pradesh(7.9% i.e., 190777), Odisha 7.5% i.e., 181837) and Assam (7.1%
i.e., 172492).
ii.With 3.55 lakh water bodies, South 24 Parganas of West Bengal is
ranked as the top district with the highest number of water bodies across
India.
About Ministry of Jal Shakti:
Union Minister– Gajendra Singh Shekhawat(Constituency- Jodhpur,
Rajasthan)
Minister of State– Bishweswar Tudu(Constituency- Mayurbhanj, Odisha);
Prahlad Singh Patel(Constituency- Damoh, Madhya Pradesh)
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
5) IIT Madras to set up its first international campus in Tanzania
Chennai(Tamil Nadu) based
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is set to establish its
first International campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania and plans to start the
classes in October 2023. This will be the first IIT established in Africa.
·
This will play a major role in
towards growth and nation-building of Tanzania and Africa.
·
In February 2023, a team of 5
professors from IIT Madras visited Tanzania and discussed with the officials
about starting the campus.
This announcement was made by Director V Kamakoti, IIT Madras, during the IIT Madras’s 64th Institute Day (20 April 2023) in the presence of Sridhar Vembu, Founder of Zoho Corporation(Chief Guest).
BANKING & FINANCE
6) InPrime Finserv Received NBFC Licence from RBI
InPrime Finserv (a brand
owned by STK Credit Private Limited), a financial services start-up catering to
the informal economy, has obtained a Certificate of Registration (COR) from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Non-Banking Financial Company
(NBFC).
Key Points:
i.InPrime is on a mission to ‘Redefine the way informal customers access
formal finance’.
ii.It is focused on providing financial services to the ‘Prime’ segment
of India’s informal economy, which consists of around 50 million households
with an annual credit need of Rs. 5 Lakh Crores.
iii.InPrime plans to empower customers by providing multiple repayment
channels and a gamified financial and digital literacy program to promote
self-service.
iv.InPrime recognizes the need for enhanced and tailor-made financial
services for Prime segment, which is largely underserved by the market.
v.InPrime which is promoting financial inclusion in India, plans to
commence operations in Bengaluru (Karnataka) at first and gradually expand its
presence in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
NBFC:
i.It is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in
loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities
issued by the Government or local authority or other marketable securities.
ii.As per Section 45-IA of the RBI Act, an NBFC needs to get a
registration certificate/licence from RBI to carry out its business.
iii.RBI specifies Rs 10 crore as the minimum net owned fund (NOF)
required for following categories of NBFCs to commence or carry on the business
·
NBFC– Investment and Credit
Company (ICC)
·
NBFC – Micro Finance
Institution (MFI)
·
NBFC– Factor
About InPrime Finserv
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
CEO & Co-founder -Rajat Singh
7) CoRover, LIC Collaborate to Launch 1st Phase of AI virtual assistant LIC Mitra
CoRover, a Bengaluru-based
startup, has collaborated with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to
launch the 1st phase of conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence)-powered chatbot LIC
Mitra (virtual assistant) to enhance LIC’s customer support
services by automating real-time responses to customers’ queries.
Features of LIC Mitra:
i.The chatbot developed by CoRover.ai will be available on LIC’s
website and mobile app. To understand and respond to users’ queries in multiple
languages, the chatbot was powered by technologies such as AI, Machine
Learning(ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
·
The technology under LIC Mitra
enables users to search even with their voice.
ii.Queries regarding LIC products, past premiums paid,
upcoming premiums, policy maturity date, and insurance will be cleared through
the chatbot.
iii.Using LIC Mitra, existing customers can check the latest status of
their policy and get details like premium due date, policy maturity, etc.
Customers can also know about their first unpaid premium using it.
Additional info:
CoRover is the world’s first and the highest ROI-delivering human-centric
conversational AI platform.
In addition to LIC, CoRover is offering chatbot solutions to dozens of clients
including Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Max Life
Insurance, National Payments Corporation Of India (NPCI), Fastag, Mahindra
Group, Digital India, RuPay, and many more, and has over 1 billion users.
8) AIIB to Open First Overseas Office in Abu Dhabi, UAE
On April 19th, 2023, the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a host member agreement
with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish its first overseas
office, an Interim Operational Hub, at Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
·
The agreement was signed by Jin
Liqun, President and Chair of the Board of Directors of AIIB, and His
Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced
Technology and UAE Governor of AIIB, during the signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi.
The agreement is in line with
UAE’s commitment towards enhancing cooperation with international organizations
and institutions focused on sustainable economic development for developing
countries.
Key points:
AIIB’s rapid growth has prompted the opening of the Hub, which aims to bring
the bank closer to clients and to the forefront of its business, providing
proximity to global financial centres and connectivity with the international
infrastructure ecosystem. The move is a result of AIIB’s rapid growth, as the
bank aims to bring itself closer to clients and improve its engagement with
them.
i. The Hub in the UAE will provide a strategic destination in the Middle
East and the world, supporting AIIB’s development agenda and financing
infrastructure projects to achieve sustainable economic growth.
ii. The Hub will serve as a strong platform to manage the bank’s growing
investment portfolio and improve project monitoring and implementation services
worldwide.
iii. Additionally, the Hub’s proximity to global financial centres and
connectivity with the international infrastructure ecosystem will place AIIB at
the forefront of its business.
Additional Info:
The United Arab Emirates is one of the founding members of AIIB.
·
The Abu Dhabi Fund for
Development represents the UAE on the bank’s board and participates
actively in its regular meetings.
·
AIIB has so far endorsed 212
projects worth over USD 40 billion in 33 member countries, contributing
significantly to economic development and improving the quality of life for
communities in recipient countries.
About Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank(AIIB):
AIIB began operations in 2016 with 57 founding Members (37 regional and 20
nonregional).
President– Jin Liqun
Headquarters– Beijing, China
Member– 106
9) CRED launches P2P UPI payments on its app
On April 17, credit card
payments application CRED announced the launch of UPI-based peer-to-peer(P2P)
payments, providing its users with a new payment option. The new P2P
payments system has been made available with the introduction of Scan & Pay
is based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
·
This service is designed to
enable CRED customers to make secure, instant payments to other users via UPI
IDs or contact numbers, thus elevating their overall user experience.
·
Cred provides variety of
payment methods to its members, including bill payments, scan-and-pay,
tap-to-pay, UPI P2P, CRED Pay, and CRED flash for online merchants.
Other new features:
The new system also comes with several useful features. For instance,
·
Payment Reminders for
Recurrent Transactions: Users can set payment
reminders for recurring transactions, receive proactive nudges during
potentially risky or high-value payment scenarios and the option to create a
custom virtual payment addresses (VPAs) that users can set to protect
their privacy.
·
CRED Protect, a feature of the new P2P payments system, prompts
members to use a system-generated alias UPI ID to mask personal details like
mobile numbers, thus protecting their identity. Once custom VPAs are activated,
payments are made via the user’s alias UPI ID by default.
·
The system also has a unique ‘WIN-WIN’
feature that rewards both the payer and recipient of payments made to
‘special contacts’ with cashbacks that are credited to their CRED balance.
Users can redeem this balance on bill payments or store transactions on the
CRED app.
P2P lending:
P2P lending is a way for people to borrow and lend money without involving
traditional financial institutions like banks. Borrowers apply for loans
through online platforms and investors can choose which borrowers to lend money
to.
i. The platform acts as a middleman, facilitating the process and
ensuring both parties meet certain criteria and agree to terms.
ii. Investors can earn higher returns, and borrowers may get lower
interest rates compared to traditional loans.
However, P2P lending comes with risks such as the possibility of loan defaults
and lack of government-backed insurance protection.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
10) Union Bank of India Secures 1st Rank in EASE Reforms Index for Q3 FY23
On April 20, 2023, As per the
report on Enhanced Access & Service Excellence (EASE) Reforms Index for Q3
FY23 published by Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), the Union Bank of India,
for the first time, secures 1st rank among all PSB (Public Sector Banks)
for adopting various reforms prescribed for PSBs.
·
EASE is an initiative by the
Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, as part of the PSB
Reforms Agenda and is currently under its 5th iteration which focuses on
Enhanced Digital experience, Data – driven, Integrated and Inclusive Banking.
Performance of Union Bank of
India:
i.The performance of PSBs is measured on 5 themes under EASE 5.0, in
which, Union Bank of India has set the benchmark under the four themes i.e.,
‘Digitally – enabled customer offerings’, ‘Big data and analytics’, ‘Modern
Technology Capabilities’ and ‘Employee development and Governance’ secured 1st
rank amongst PSBs.
ii.Union Bank of India was performing well in areas related to building
analytics capabilities for retaining and deepening relationships, effective
credit monitoring, comprehensive digital collection management system, fraud
resilience and cyber security.
iii.The bank also adopts modern technology capabilities for integrated
banking experience, customer centric digital offerings, employee development
and better governance measures which resulted the Bank to continue its
momentum.
About Union Bank of India:
MD & CEO – A. Manimekhalai
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment – 11 November 1919
Tagline – Good People to Bank with
11) Wg Cdr Deepika Misra becomes 1st Woman Officer of IAF to receive Gallantry Award
On April 20, 2023, Wing
Commander (Wg Cdr) Deepika Misra became the first woman officer
in the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be presented with Vayu Sena Medal(VM)
for Gallantry.
·
The award was presented by
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari at an
Investiture Ceremony 2023 held at the Air Force Auditorium in Subroto Park, New
Delhi, Delhi.
Key Points:
i.Wg Cdr Deepika Misra is a trained helicopter pilot, qualified flying
instructor and an instrument-rated instructor and examiner.
ii.The Gallantry Award acknowledged Misra’s act of exceptional courage
displayed during a flood relief operation in Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Rajasthan.
She helped in saving the lives of 47 people in floods in 2022 in areas of MP
and Rajasthan.
Highlights:
i.CAS presented Presidential Awards to a total of 58 persons, 57 from
the IAF and one from the Army received the awards.
ii.CAS presented Two Yudh Seva Medals, 13 Vayu Sena Medals
(Gallantry), 13 Vayu Sena Medals (devotion to Duty) and 30 Vishisht Seva
Medals.
About Vayu Sena
Medal(VM):
Instituted on January 26, 1960, it recognises exceptional devotion to duty or
acts of courage by Air Force personnel. In 1994, the award was spilt into VM
(Devotion to duty) and VM (Gallantry).
·
Medal: The medal is five-pointed star, made of standard silver
35 mm in diameter. The mounting is fixed on a ring attached to a metal strip 3
mm wide ornamented with Ashoka leaves. The State Emblem is embossed on obverse,
in the centre, encircled by a garland of leaves. On its reverse, it has
representation of Himalayan Eagle with the inscription below it.
·
Monetary Allowance: Rs. 500 to p.m. attached when awarded for courageous
acts with effect from 01.02.1999.
About Vishisht Seva
Medal(VSM):
Instituted on January 26, 1960, it recognises the distinguished service of a
high order.
Medal: Circular in shape, 35 mm in diameter and fitted to a plain horizontal
bar with standard fitting. The medal is made of bronze. On its obverse is
embossed a five-pointed star and on its reverse is the State Emblem and the
inscription embossed along the upper rim.
12) Karnataka Bags National Award For Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
In a first, Karnataka
has bagged the national award for the best implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a crop subsidy insurance scheme, for the year
2022-23.
·
The award was received
by the Secretary to the government, Department of Agriculture,
Karnataka, Shivayogi C Kalasad, at the national conference at
Chhattisgarh on April 14 2023.
·
Under the scheme (between the
kharif season 2021 and 2022), the state recorded a 47.74% increase in the
enrolment of farmers and the area covered under the scheme increased by 41.80%.
Note – The pending claims of Rs.
687.4 crore as on May 31, 2022 (since 2018) for 5.66 lakh farmers has been
settled by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare (MoA&FW) in a campaign mode.
Background:
·
PMFBY scheme is a crop
insurance scheme launched by the Government of India in 2016 to provide
comprehensive coverage to farmers for any loss/damage to crops due to natural
calamities, pests or diseases.
·
PMFBY is being implemented in
Karnataka, through its own portal ‘Samrakshane’, designed and developed by the
state through National Informatics Centre (NIC)
Key Points:
i.Increase in Farmers’
Enrollment: The number of farmers enrolled
for the PMFBY scheme in Karnataka in 2022 increased by 47.74% to 23.86 lakh
from 16.15 lakh in 2021.
·
This increase in enrollment
was due to information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns across the
state.
·
While the Common Service
Centres (CSC) were enrolling the farmers over the last six years, Grama-One
centres have also been enrolling since Kharif 2022, making it easily accessible
to the farmers. It has enrolled 4.66 lakh farmers, which contributed to an
increase in enrollment
ii.Extend of Land: While the extent of land
insured under PMFBY in 2022 kharif was increased by 41.8% to 18.94 lakh
hectares from 13.35 lakh hectares in 2021 kharif.
·
Note: Kharif –
Crops that mainly grow during summer are called kharif crops. They are sown at
the beginning of the rainy season around June and are harvested around October.
Rice, maize and groundnuts are examples of kharif crops.
iii. Kharif 2022:
·
For Kharif 2022 season, 5.60
lakh farmers whose fields were affected by natural calamities have already been
compensated within 2022 with crop insurance claims settled is Rs 298.57 crore
under add-on coverages such as prevented sowing, localized calamities, mid-season
adversity and post-harvest loss claims.
· For kharif 2023, the state has released an advance share of Rs 951 crore for the implementation of the PMFBY scheme.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
13) ACC transfers top officials in Bureaucratic Reshuffle
On April 20, 2023, the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister (PM)
Narendra Modi made a bureaucratic reshuffle of the following 12 high-level
officials in the government.
Key Points:
i.Anurag Jain, the current Secretary of DPIIT (Department for Promotion
of Industry and Internal Trade), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has been
appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
(MoRTH).
ii.Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary, MoRTH has been appointed as Secretary
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy(AHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
iii.The Secretary of the department of AHD Rajesh Kumar Singh has
been designated as DPIIT Secretary.
iv.Saurabh Garg, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UIDAI (Unique
Identification Authority of India), has been appointed as Secretary of the
Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment(MoSJE).
v.Anjali Bhawra, IAS officer of Punjab cadre, Secretary, Department
of Social Justice & Empowerment, MoSJE was appointed as secretary in
National Commission for Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs.
vi.Arjun Singhal, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Uttar
Pradesh cadre, Secretary of the Department of Fertilizers, was appointed as
Director General (DG) National Archives of India(NAI), an attached office under
the Ministry of Culture.
vii.Arun Baroka, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the Arunachal
Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, Secretary of the Department
of Chemicals & Petro- Chemicals has been given additional charge of
Secretary, Department of Fertilizers upon relinquishing the charge of the post
by Arjun Singhal.
viii.Vidyavanthi V a 1991 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, the
Director General(DG) of the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) was appointed
as Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Tourism.
ix.Rakesh Ranjan, the additional secretary of the Department of Higher
Education, Ministry of Education, has been appointed as additional secretary of
the Department of agriculture and farmers welfare.
x.Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, a 1996 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh
cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary of the Department of
Agriculture and farmers welfare.
xi.Abhilaksh Likhi, a 1991 batch IAS officer of Haryana, additional
secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has been
appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Fisheries,
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
xii.Mukhmeet Singh Bhatia, a 1990 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre,
the secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs has been made Chairperson,
National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC) in the rank and
pay of secretary to the government of India.
14) JioCinema signs Rohit Sharma as brand ambassador
JioCinema, the Indian OTT
(over-the-top) Platform and the official digital partner of the Indian Premier
League (IPL) 2023-27, has appointed Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian
Cricket Team and Mumbai Indians (MI), as its new brand ambassador.
·
Prior to signing with
JioCinema, Rohit Sharma ended his association with Star Sports, the TV
broadcast rights holder of the IPL.
·
JioCinema had partnered with
the players like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Suryakumar Yadav, and Smriti
Mandhana as its ambassadors.
He will collaborate with JioCinema towards their vision focused on making sports viewing synonymous with digital through initiatives.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
15) CCI Approves Acquisition of up to 76.10% of Voting Share Capital of Suven Pharmaceuticals Limited By Berhyanda Limited
The Competition Commission of
India (CCI) approves the acquisition of up to 76.10% of the voting share
capital of Suven Pharmaceuticals Limited by Berhyanda Limited, by
way of a share purchase agreement dated 26th December 2022.
This acquisition is pursuant to the mandatory open offer in compliance with the
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) (Substantial Acquisition of
Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011.
·
Berhyanda Limited is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Berhyanda Midco Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Jusmiral Midco Limited. These are collectively controlled by the Advent
International GPE (Global Private Equity) IX Funds and the Advent International
GPE X Funds, which are managed by Advent International Corporation.
· Suven Pharmaceuticals Limited is a bio-pharmaceutical company incorporated on 6th November 2018.
IMPORTANT DAYS
16) 16th National Civil Services Day – 21st April 2023
The National Civil Services
Day is annually observed across India on 21st April to recognise and
celebrate civil service officers who are engaged in various public service
departments across India.
·
The day also acts as a
reminder for the public servants to run the administrative machinery of the
nation collectively and with a dedication to serve the citizens of India.
21st April 2023 marks the observance of the 16th
National Civil Services Day.
The theme of the National Civil Services Day 2023 is “Viksit Bharat:
Empowering Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile”.
Celebration of 16th Civil Services Day:
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State(MoS), Ministry of Personnel, Public
Grievances & Pensions, addressed the inaugural session of the 16th National
Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
·
During the event, Vice
President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar unveiled the e-book on the ‘National Good
Governance Webinar Series’.
PM Modi conferred Prime
Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration
Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi presented the Prime Minister’s Awards for
Excellence in Public Administration to 15 awardees during the event
organised at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi on the occasion of 16th
National Civil Services Day.
·
He also released the e-books
‘Viksit Bharat – Empowering Citizens & Reaching the last mile Volume I and
II’ during the event.
About Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances and Pensions:
Union Minister– Narendra Modi (Prime Minister) (Constituency- Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State– Dr. Jitendra Singh(Constituency- Udhampur, Jammu and
Kashmir)
17) World Creativity and Innovation Day 2023 – April 21
The United Nations(UN)’s World
Creativity and Innovation Day is annually observed across the globe on 21st
April to create awareness about the importance of creativity and innovation in
all aspects of human development.
Background:
i.People and organisations of more than 50 countries across the globe
commemorate the 21st April of every year as ‘World Creativity and Innovation
Day’. The day was first commemorated on 21 April 2002.
ii.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the
resolution A/RES/71/284 on 27th April 2017 and proclaimed the 21st April of
every year as the World Creativity and Innovation Day.
·
The first UN-recognised ‘World
Creativity and Innovation Day’ was observed on 21st April 2018.
About the United Nations(UN):
The United Nations(UN) is an international organization founded in 1945.
Secretary-General– António Guterres
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
STATE NEWS
18) Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launches India’s first heavy lift logistics drone
On April 20, 2023, Chief
Minister (CM) of Odisha Naveen Patnaik launched India’s first heavy lift
logistics eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) BonV drone on
the opening day of “Odisha Skill Conclave 2023“.
·
The first-of-its-kind
heavy-lift logistics drone was made by Odisha-based start-up ‘BonV Aero’.
It is capable of transporting 50 kg across distances of up to 10 kilometers.
·
The drone will play a vital
role in disaster management, emergency evacuation, flood relief, firefighting,
and medical supply delivery to remote areas.
About the heavy lift logistics
drone BonV:
i. IIT ( Indian Institute Of Technology) Mandi, in Himachal Pradesh,
NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and AIC (ATAL
INCUBATION CENTER)- CV Raman Global University in Odisha are supporting the
project BonV Aero, which is developing electric aerial vehicles for cargo
delivery.
ii. The successful trial of this ‘RM001’ Electric Aerial Vehicle
carrying 50-kilogram cargo at the altitude of 8000 to 10,000 feet in the Tawang
of Eastern Command of the Indian Army forward post in Arunachal Pradesh.
iii. It aims to develop its flagship platform ‘RM002’ that can transport
200 kilograms of freight over 40 kilometres in its next phase.
Benefits of BonV drone:
·
Odisha which is highly
disaster-prone see the Cyclone and Flood on regular basis, these multi-utility
Air vehicles are beneficial in the disaster response.
·
Movement of any kind of cargo/
goods where surface logistics are either unfavourable or time-consuming.
·
Improve accessibility and
efficiency of logistics solutions, especially in the remote and Hilly terrains.
·
Cost effective.
About Odisha:
Capital- Bhubaneswar
Chief Minister- Naveen Patnaik
Governor- Ganeshi Lal
Tiger Reserve- Similipal Tiger Reserve, Satkosia Tiger Reserve
19) Manipur CM N. Biren inaugurates 5th edition of Hun-Thadou cultural festival at Kangpokpi
On 18th April 2023, Nongthombam
Biren Singh, Chief Minister(CM) of Manipur inaugurated the 5th edition of
HUN(HUN-2023)- a Thadou Cultural Festival at Thomas Ground in Kangpokpi
district of Manipur.
·
HUN festival is an annual
cultural festival and a civilising act of the Thadous community of
Manipur.
·
According to the Thadous
community, the festival is celebrated to mark the arrival of the new year.
Arjun Munda, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs attended the closing ceremony of the 2-day festival on 19th April 2023.
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