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CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOSTER : 23rd & 24th APRIL 2023
Current Affairs
23rd & 24th April 2023
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
1) SAIL-BSL signs MoU with TCIL to utilize 5G/ IT / Telecom technologies in Steel manufacturing
On April 21, 2023, the Steel
Authority of India Limited (SAIL)-Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telecommunications Consultants India
Limited (TCIL) to explore potential of application of 5G/ Information
Technology (IT)/ Telecom and other wireless communication technologies in
SAIL-BSL.
·
SAIL BSL includes SAIL’s Mines
& Collieries, Central Coal Supply Organization and the SAIL Refractory Unit
in Jharkhand.
Signatories:
The MoU was signed B.K.Tiwari, Executive Director (Works), SAIL- BSL;
and Ms Alka Selot Asthana, Executive Director (IT &
Telecom), TCIL at SAIL’s Bokaro Steel Plant.
Key Points:
i.With this pact, SAIL BSL became the first PSU in India to
take initiative for setting up a dedicated 5G network with the help of TCIL
which will utilize 5G/ IT / Telecom technologies in Steel manufacturing.
ii.This partnership will also be useful in providing innovative
solutions in SAIL Mines and Collieries in Jharkhand, Smart Cities etc.
iii.TCIL has the necessary expertise, experience, and resources to
provide solutions for deployment, testing, commissioning, and maintenance of
MoU relevant technologies for SAIL-BSL.
2) MoCA launched 5th Phase of Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN 5.0
The Ministry of Civil Aviation
(MoCA) has launched the fifth phase of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) –
Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) or UDAN 5.0, to
improve the connectivity of the country’s regional territories, after four
successful rounds of bidding.
·
On April 21 2023, the MoCA
initiated the process of inviting bids from airlines for various routes under
the fifth round of bidding for its RCS UDAN 5.0 by releasing a bid document.
·
UDAN 5.0 will raise the
momentum, and connect new routes, with the target of operationalising 1000
routes and 50 additional airports, heliports, and water aerodromes.
Note: In 2020, 78 new routes were approved under the RCS-UDAN
4.0 scheme
Key Features:
i. The earlier stage length constraint of 600 km has been eliminated and
there are no restrictions on the distance between the origin and destination of
the trip in UDAN 5.0, which concentrates on Category-2 (20-80 seats) and
Category-3 (>80 seats).
ii. Viability gap funding (VGF) to be provided will be capped at 600 km
stage length for both Priority and Non-Priority areas, which was earlier capped
at 500 km.
Note: The UDAN scheme is funded through a Rs 50 levy on flight
tickets on major routes. The levy accounts for 80 percent of the viability gap
funding provided to the airlines, with the remaining 20 per cent provided by
State governments. Under the scheme, airlines are offered viability gap funding
for 50 per cent of the seats on a flight and fares for those seats are capped
by the government.
iii. No predetermined routes would be offered under UDAN 5.0, and only
Network and Individual Route Proposal proposed by airlines would be considered.
iv. The airlines will now need to submit an action/business plan after 2
months from the issuance of the Letter of Award (LoA), wherein they submit
their aircraft acquisition plan/availability of aircraft, crew, slots, etc., at
the time of the Technical Proposal.
v. The same route will not be awarded to a single airline more than
once, whether in different networks or in the same network.
vi. Exclusivity will be withdrawn if the average quarterly Passenger
Load Factor (PLF) is higher than 75% for four consecutive quarters to prevent
exploitation of the monopoly on a route.
vii. 25% of the Performance Guarantee to be encashed for each month of
delay up to 4 months, to further incentivise quick operationalisation.
viii. Airlines would be required to commence operations within 4 months
of the award of the route. Earlier, this deadline was 6 months.
ix. A list of airports that are ready for operation or would soon be
ready for operations has been included in the scheme to facilitate quicker
operationalisation of routes under the Scheme.
x. The Novation process for routes from one operator to another is
simplified and incentivised.
About Ministry of Civil Aviation:
Union Minister – Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (Rajya Sabha Madhya
Pradesh)
Minister of state (MoS): General (Retd.) Vijay Kumar Singh (Ghaziabad,
Uttar Pradesh)
3) PM Modi to release ₹100 coin to mark 100 episodes of Mann Ki Baat
On 21st April 2023, the
Ministry of Finance issued an official notification announcing that the
Government will release a new ₹100 coin on 30th April 2023, to
commemorate the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s radio
show Mann Ki Baat.
Background:
On October 3, 2014, PM Modi made his radio debut with “Maan Ki Baat“
(Words from the Heart) which is a monthly radio program aired on All India
Radio, at 11 am on the last Sunday of each month.
i. The program has covered a wide range of subjects, including social
issues, government policies, and cultural events.
ii. The initiative is a distinctive way for the Prime Minister to
connect with the people of India and share his thoughts and ideas with them.
To mark the occasion of the 100th episode of the program, a coin was
planned to be released with the face value of ₹100. Although commemorative coins
hold a legal tender status, they are not typically accessible for ordinary
circulation.
About the coin:
Shape : Circular
Diameter : 44 millimetres along with 200 serrations
Weight : 35 grams
Metal and composition: Quaternary alloy composed of 50% silver, 40 %
copper, 5 % nickel, and 5 % zinc.
Design – Front Side:
The coin’s obverse side will have the Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar at the
centre with “Satyamev Jayate” inscribed below it. “Bharat” in Devanagari script
and “INDIA” in English will be inscribed on the left and right peripherals,
respectively. The coin will also feature the Rupee symbol “₹” and “100”
denomination.
Design – Backside:
On the reverse side, the logo for the 100th Episode of Mann Ki Baat will be
displayed, featuring a microphone with sound waves and the year “2023”
inscribed on it. “Mann Ki Baat 100” will be written above and below the
microphone image in Devanagari and English.
4) IGGL completes Asia’s largest underwater hydrocarbon pipeline
On 22nd April 2023, Mr. Ajit
Kumar Thakur, CEO of Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL), announced
that the company has completed the construction of Asia’s largest underwater
hydrocarbon pipeline.
Key Points:
i. This pipeline, with a diameter of 24 inches, has been laid below the Brahmaputra
river, connecting Jorhat and Majuli in Assam by using the Horizontal
Directional Drilling (HDD) method.
ii. The total length of this single HDD crossing is 4,080 metres
across the main water channel of the Brahmaputra river, making it the longest
river crossing by any hydrocarbon pipeline of size 24-inch diameter and above
in Asia and the second longest in the world.
iii. This marks a significant milestone in the construction of the North
East Gas Grid (NEGG), which aims to connect North East India to the National
Gas Grid.
·
NEGG stretches for 1,656
kilometres and connects major cities and demand centres in North East India to
the National Gas Grid.
Additional Info:
This unique HDD river crossing was executed using the intersection method,
where two HDD rigs simultaneously started drilling from opposite sides of the
Brahmaputra river and intersected at 30 metres beneath the river bed.
About Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL):
IGGL is the joint venture between IOCL, ONGC, GAIl, OIL and NRL
CEO – Ajit Kumar Thakur
Headquarters – Assam
Incorporated – 2018
5) Telangana CM KCR unveils 125-ft-tall Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad
On April 14, 2023 Telangana
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has unveiled the 125-ft tall
bronze statue of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji (BR) Ambedkar in
Hyderabad in Telangana, to mark the 132nd birth anniversary of the architect of
the Indian Constitution.
Background:
i. The statue was built using 360 tonnes of stainless steel and 114
tonnes of bronze, at a cost of ₹ 146.50 crore.
ii. The tallest statue of Ambedkar in India stands next to the State
Secretariat on the banks of Hyderabad’s famous Hussain Sagarlake.
iii. The statue has been sculpted by 98-years-old Ram Vanji Sutar
from Maharashtra, Mumbai is a Padma Bhushan awardee.
iv. The statue has been built on a 50-feet high pedestal with a ground
floor measuring 172 feet and terrace of 74 feet.
v. Over 35,000 people from all 119 constituencies attended the ceremony,
as many as 750 state-run Road Transport Corporation buses were being operated
for the public
vi. Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar was invited as the sole chief
guest at the event.
vii. Telangana state government has instituted an Award in the name of
Babasaheb Dr. BR Ambedkar
viii. Every year the award worth 3 crore rupees will be given on the
birth anniversary of Babasaheb to anyone who contributes for Dalit Welfare.
The Bharat Gaurav Tourist train on Ambedkar Circuit flagged off from New Delhi
On April 14, 2023 on the occasion of the 132nd birth anniversary of social
reformer Bhimrao Ramji (BR) Ambedkar, a special tourist train named Bharat
Gaurav has been launched by Union Minister of Tourism, G Kishan Reddy and
Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), Virendra Kumar that
will take passengers to various cities associated with him across the country.
Bharat Gaurav tourist train is being operated under the
‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative which aims to promote domestic tourism and
the spirit of “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat”.
Features:
i. IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) in
association with Ministry of Tourism is operating its first tour on the Ambedkar
circuiton an 8 days special tour from HazratNizamuddin Railway Station, New
Delhi, Delhi.
Note: The Ambedkar Circuit or Panchteerth was first proposed in 2016 by
the Central Government. It includes:
·
Janma Bhoomi– Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow.
·
Shiksha Bhoomi- the place
in London where he stayed while studying in the UK.
·
Deeksha Bhoomi– the place in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism.
·
Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi– the place of his demise in Delhi.
·
Chaitya Bhoomi– the place of his cremation is in Mumbai.
Dr. BR Ambedkar had faced very
challenging situations in his life, and his life journey to empower the last
man in the hierarchy and remove discrimination based on caste is very
inspiring. Hence, the idea is to attract tourists beyond the Dalit community, who
mostly visit these places as a pilgrimage.
ii. This 07 nights and 08 days Bharat Gaurav Tourist train will include
a visit to prominent places associated with the life of the social reformer
DR.BR Ambedkarsuch as New Delhi in Delhi, Mhow in Madhya pradesh, and Nagpur in
Maharashtra, and sacred Buddhist sites like Sanchi (Madhya pradesh), Sarnath
(Uttar Pradesh), Gaya and Rajgir and Nalanda (In Bihar).
iii. The tourist train is fitted with a well-equipped pantry car for
rustling up freshly made vegetarian meals for tourists. Infotainment system,
CCTV cameras, and security guard services are also availabe.
6) Log9 Materials sets up India’s first Lithium-ion cell facility
Log9 Materials, a Bengaluru
(Karnataka) based nanotechnology company backed by Amara Raja Group,
inaugurated India’s first lithium-ion cell manufacturing facility at its campus
in Jakkur, Bengaluru, Karnataka. Log9’s commercial Li-ion cell production
facility will have an initial capacity of 50 Megawatt hours (MWh).
·
This facility will cater to
LTO (Lithium titanate (LTO) and LFP ((lithium ferrophosphate) cell
manufacturing
·
The manufacturing line will
support the production of large form factor cylindrical cells ranging from 22
Series to 66 Series.
·
The production of Log9’s LTO
TiB cells will contribute to a carbon emission reduction of 90T per vehicle
with a total CO2 reduction of 147 kT every year.
·
Log9 will spend around Rs 200
crore on expanding its existing battery pack facility.
Note: Ola Electric had also announced its plans to build battery cells from its greenfield facility by 2023.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
7) World Bank’s LPI 2023 Report: India Ranked 38; Singapore Topped the Index
According to the World Bank’s
(WB) report titled Connecting to Compete 2023: Trade
Logistics in an Uncertain Global Economy – the Logistics Performance Index
(LPI) and its indicators” released on April 21, 2023, India’s
rank increased by 6 places to 38 in the index, from 44 in 2018.
·
Singapore topped the ranking
followed by Finland at second, and Denmark at third.
·
This is the 7th edition of
Connecting to Compet, a report that summarize the findings from the new dataset
for LPI and its component indicators.
Key Points:
i.India shares the 38th rank with Lithuania,
Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye.
ii.GoI (Government of India) had announced a National Master Plan, PM
Gati Shakti for multi-modal connectivity, in October 2021 to reduce
logistics cost and boost the economy by 2024-25.
About World Bank (WB):
World Bank Group President – David Malpass
Headquarters – Washington, DC, USA
Establishment – 1944
BANKING & FINANCE
8) RBI gives 3 Year Relaxation for HDFC Bank to meet PSL; SEBI Approves transfer of Controlling stake of HDFC AMC to HDFC Bank
In April 2023, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has provided relaxation of 3 years for HDFC
Bank, India’s largest private sector lender, to meet Priority Sector Lending
(PSL) requirements after its merger with Housing Development Finance
Corporation Ltd (HDFC).
·
The RBI has refused to make
any exceptions on cash reserve ratio (CRR) and statutory liquidity ratio (SLR)
requirements as sought by HDFC Bank.
·
HDFC Bank has to set aside
4.5% of HDFC’s assets as CRR and 18% as SLR after the merger.
·
Securities and Exchange Board
of India (SEBI) has allowed ownership change of HDFC Asset Management Company
Limited (HDFC AMC), a subsidiary of HDFC Limited and the AMC of HDFC Mutual
Fund (HDFC MF)
About HDFC Bank Ltd
MD & CEO – Sashidhar Jagdishan
Establishment – 1994
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Tagline – We Understand Your World
9) Mastercard collaborates with India’s M1xchange to roll out digital invoice discounting for farmers
Mastercard has collaborated
with M1xchange to offer a digital invoice discounting solution to farmers,
Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and agri-MSMEs (Ministry of Micro, Small
& Medium Enterprises) through Farm Pass, its agritech platform.
·
This solution is the first
of its kind for the agriculture sector and will help lenders in
underwriting credit offerings through the Trade Receivables Discounting System
(TReDS).
Note: Farm Pass is part of Mastercard’s broader
Community Pass platform.
Key Points:
i.As part of the collaboration, M1xchange, an RBI (Reserve Bank of
India)-approved facilitator for discounting and sale of receivables to banks
and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), will bring on board its
agri-businesses and lenders.
ii.The platform will enable easy access to credit and working capital.
iii.The solution will allow farmers and FPOs to directly connect with
buyers, negotiate the best price for their produce with instant payment.
About M1xchange:
CEO– Sundeep Mohindru
Headquarters- Gurugram, Haryana
10) ICICI Bank introduces EMI facility for UPI payments by scanning QR code
On April 11, 2023, the ICICI
Bank introduced an easy first-of-its-kind EMI (Equated Monthly Instalment)
facility for UPI (Unified Payment Interface) payments made by scanning QR code.
·
To improve convenience of the
customers and to provide unique solutions to address their evolving credit
needs.
Key Points:
i.Eligibility: Customers who are eligible for PayLater, the Bank’s ‘buy
now, pay later’ service can avail of the EMI facility in an instant, easy and
seamless manner.
ii.The facility can be availed across different categories such as
electronics, groceries, fashion apparels, travel and hotel bookings.
iii.Customers could pay transaction amounts above Rs 10,000 by
scanning a QR code for easy instalments in three, six or nine months.
Features:
i.The EMI facility for PayLater will shortly be extended for online
shopping as well.
ii.This facility improves the affordability of the Bank’s customers as
they could now instantly buy products or services just by scanning the required
merchant QR code at a store and making payments in EMIs.
Additional info: ICICI Bank was the first bank to introduce PayLater
facility in 2018 to enable customers to buy small ticket items immediately in a
completely digital and paperless manner.
About ICICI Bank Ltd.
Establishment – 1994
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – Sandeep Bakhshi
Tagline – Hum Hai Na Khayal Apka
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
11) Morgan Stanley: India’s GDP to grow at 6.2% in FY24; Inflation to be 5.5% in FY24
According to the Morgan
Stanley, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) was proposed to grow at 6.2%
in FY24 (Financial year 2023-24) due to the contribution of a cyclical
recovery in consumption, increased private sector capex (Capital Expenditure),
and acceleration on government spending.
i.Inflation:
·
The Inflation in India was
projected to average around 5.5% in FY24 and it was likely to be below 5% in
the Q2 of the calendar year 2024. Inflation for April 2023 is currently
tracking at 4.7% YoY (Year-on-Year).
·
Inflation is expected to
decrease to below 5% Q1 FY24, supported by favourable base effects and
moderating commodity prices.
ii.The headline consumer price index (CPI) for March
2023 was expected to be in line with expectations.
iii.On the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) action on repo rate, it expects
the rates to be on hold in the calendar year 2023 as inflation will remain
below the 6% mark and change in repo rates are expected to occur in Q1 of 2024.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
12) National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme of MoH&FW receives PM’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2022 for Innovation
i.On April 21, 2023, the National COVID-19
Vaccination Programme of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
(MoH&FW) received the Prime Minister’s (PM) Award for Excellence in Public
Administration 2022 under the innovation category.
ii.It was received by Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, MoH&FW from
the PM Narendra Modi at a function organized on the occasion of 16th Civil
Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
iii.The Civil Services Day is being celebrated annually on April 21 to
recognize the contribution of Civil Servants to Society.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister– Mansukh Mandaviya
Minister of State– Bharati Pravin Pawar
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
13) Oliver Dowden appointed as a new Deputy PM of UK after Dominic Raab’s resignation
On April 21, 2023, The British
government named Oliver Dowden deputy prime minister, replacing Dominic Raab,
who resigned earlier in the day following an inquiry into bullying allegations.
Background:
i. Oliver Dowden had been serving in Rishi Sunak’s (Prime Minister of
United Kingdom) government as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and
Cabinet Office secretary before the new appointment.
ii. An independent investigation intoDominicRaab’s behavior was launched
in November 2022 after eight formal complaints were lodged by at least 24 staff
members.
iii. Dominic Raab served as the Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary,
and Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom, who was appointed by Rishi Sunak
after he took power in October 2022.
iv. British Lawmaker, Alex Chalk was appointed new justice minister, and
Lord Chancellor, a position which Dominic Raab previously held. He currently
serves in the Ministry of Defence as Minister for Defence Procurement.
Note: Dominic Raab’s resignation marks the third dramatic Cabinet
departure since Rishi Sunak became the Prime Minister of Britain.
About Oliver Dowden:
·
Oliver Dowden was elected as a
Conservative MP for Hertsmere, England, United Kingdom in May 2015.
·
He served in the Boris Johnson
government as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General from 2019
to 2020 and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2020
to 2021.
·
In the 2021 cabinet reshuffle,
he was moved to the posts of Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party, he resigned
from these roles in June 2022, after the party suffered two devastating
by-election losses.
About United Kingdom:
Capital: London
Prime Minister: Rishi Sunak
Currency: Pound sterling (GBP – Great Britain Pound)
14) Star Sports Signs Indian Cricketer Rishabh Pant as brand ambassador
Star Sports Network India, also known as Star Sports
India, owned by Walt Disney Company, has signed Indian Cricketer Rishabh
Pant as its brand ambassador.
·
Star Sports has also signed
Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer as
its Belive Ambassadors.
· Star Sports has expanded its roster of 2 ambassadors in 2017 to 6 ambassadors, which also includes former Indian cricket team Captain Virat Kohli.
15) Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh sworn in as 8th CJ of Tripura HC
On 17th April 2023, Justice
Aparesh Kumar Singh, Judge, High Court (HC) of Jharkhand has sworn in as the
8th Chief Justice(CJ) of the Tripura High Court.
·
Satyadeo Narain Arya, Governor
of Tripura, administered the oath of office in a function at Raj Bhavan.
On 11th April 2023, the
Department of Justice (Appointments
Division), Ministry of Law and Justice issued the notification regarding the
appointment of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh as CJ of Tripura HC replacing
Justice T. Amarnath Goud, senior most puisne Judge of the HC of Tripura,
who was serving as the acting CJ of the HC of Tripura since 23rd
February 2023.
· The Supreme Court collegium, headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, recommended the name of Justice Singh for the post.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
16) CCI approved the acquisition of Emerson Electric Co by BCP Emerald Aggregator LP
On 21st April 2023, The
Competition Commission of India (CCI), has approved the acquisition of climate
technologies’ business of Emerson Electric Co by BCP Emerald Aggregator LP
under the green channel route.
·
BCP Emerald Aggregator LP is
an affiliate of Blackstone, an alternative asset manager based in the United
States of America(USA).
CCI has also approved the
proposed investment by Stamford Bridge Investment Pte Ltd, a Special Purpose
Vehicle (SPV) of GIC (Ventures) Private Limited and Platinum Falcon B 2018 RSC
Ltd (Platinum), in BCP Emerald Aggregator LP.
· GIC (Ventures) is a subsidiary of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, while Platinum is an affiliate of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
17) ISRO launched 2 Singaporean Satellites under PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2
Mission
On 22nd April 2023, the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched PSLV-C55 with two
Singaporean satellites – TeLEOS-2 as the primary satellite and Lumelite-4
as a co-passenger satellite, as a part of the PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2
mission, from Satish Dhawan Space Center(SDSC)-Sriharikora Range(SHAR),
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
·
The 2 satellites, TeLEOS-2 and
Lumelite-4 were intended to be launched into an Eastward low-inclination orbit.
·
This marks the 57th flight of
the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV) and the 16th mission using the PSLV
Core Alone configuration (PSLV-CA).
·
The PSLV-C55 also carried the
PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-2 (POEM-2).
About Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO):
Chairman– S Somanath
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
18) Economic Explosives Limited to supply UAV ‘Nagastra‘ to Indian Army under MoU with MoD
On April 21, 2023, Economic
Explosives Limited (EEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Nagpur
(Maharashtra)-based Solar Industries India Limited has signed a 1-year contract
worth Rs 212 crore with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the
supply of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) ‘Nagastra’, a Loiter Munition
(LM), to the Indian Army (IA).
·
It is the first of its kind LM
made by an Indian Company.
Note: The first indigenous LM Nagastra-1, a fixed
wing electric UAV, has been designed and developed by EEL in association
with Z-Motion, Bengaluru (Karnataka).
Key Points:
i.A model of ‘Nagastra -1’ loitering ammunition was displayed in the
Army Commanders conference held in New Delhi. It has an indigenous content of
more than 75%.
ii.In a ‘Kamikaze mode’ it can neutralize any hostile threat with GPS
(Global Positioning System) enabled precision strike with an accuracy of 2 m.
iii.It has an endurance of 60 min with a man-in-loop range of 15 km
and autonomous mode range of 30 km.
iv.The loiter ammunition is equipped with a fragmentation warhead to
defeat soft-skin targets.
v.In case a target is not detected or if the mission is aborted, the
loiter ammunition can be called back and made a soft landing with a parachute
recovery mechanism enabling it to be reused multiple times.
· This abort, recover and reuse features make this system superior to similar class of systems developed by advanced countries.
OBITUARY
19) Former MP Trilochan Kanungo passes away at 83 in Bhubaneswar
Veteran politician and former
Member of Parliament(MP) – Lok Sabha Trilochan Kanungo, a member of Biju
Janata Dal (BJD), passed away at the age of 83 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He was
born on 24th November 1940 at Badamulei village under Kantapada block in
Cuttack district, Odisha.
·
He was elected to the Odisha
Assembly as a Member of the Legislative Assembly(MLA) in 1971, 1974 and 1985.
·
In 1999, he was elected to the
Lok Sabha (MP) from the Jagatsinghpur constituency on BJD ticket.
·
He has also served as the
Chairman of Cuttack municipality from 1979-80 and 1992-1995.
· He was also chairman of the second Odisha Finance Commission.
IMPORTANT DAYS
20) International Mother Earth Day 2023 – April 22
The United Nations(UN)’s International
Mother Earth Day, also known as “Earth Day” is annually observed
across the globe on 22nd April to create awareness about humanity’s
relationship with the natural world. The day highlights the importance of
the health of Mother Earth and its effects on Humanity’s health.
·
22nd April 2023 marks the 53rd anniversary of the Earth Day.
Background:
The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution on 22nd April
2009 and proclaimed the 22nd April of every year as the International Mother
Earth Day.
Origin:
The origin of International Mother Earth Day dates back to the 1969 UNESCO
Conference held in San Francisco, United States of America (USA), during which,
Peace activist John McConnell from the USA, proposed the global
observance “Earth Day” to celebrate the Earth’s life and beauty.
·
Since 1970, 22nd April has
been observed as Earth Day by the EARTHDAY.ORG in more than 190 countries.
WMO released climate report
ahead of Earth Day: Past 8 years ‘warmest on record
According to the State of the Global Climate 2022,
the annual report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), released
ahead of Earth Day 2023(April 22), the 8 years, 2015-2022 were the warmest in
the instrumental record back to 1850, despite the cooling impact of three
consecutive years of a cooling La Niña. 2022 was the 5th or 6th warmest year.
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