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CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOSTER : 30th APRIL 2023
Current Affairs
30th April 2023
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
1) MoHUA launches the ‘City Beauty Competition’ and Portal
On April 26, 2023 the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
launched the ‘City Beauty Competition’ portal for participation of all
urban local bodies (ULBs) across the country through an online process.
About the City Beauty Competition:
The City Beauty Competition was launched by the MoHUA in December 2022.
Click here for the City Beauty competition guidelines
Objective:
·
To encourage and recognize the transformational efforts made by cities and
wards across the country to create beautiful, innovative and inclusive public
spaces.
Knowledge partner:
·
Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) as the knowledge partner will provide
handholding support to the Wards / ULBs / States in this exercise.
Five broad pillars:
The wards and public spaces in cities under the City Beauty Competition’ would
be judged against five broad pillars like: Accessibility, Amenities,
Activities, Aesthetics and Ecology
The competition would felicitate the most beautiful wards and public spaces in
the cities.
Shortlisting:
The selected wards would be felicitated at the city and state levels.
i. The top most beautiful public spaces in the cities would be selected
under four categories like:
·
Waterfronts, Green spaces, tourist/ heritage spaces and market/commercial
places.
ii. The selected wards would first be felicitated at the state level and the
shortlisted entries would thereafter be considered for National level awards.
Online Portal:
The last date for participating in the ‘City Beauty Competition’ is July 15,
2023.
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA):
Union Minister – Hardeep Singh Puri (Rajya Sabha – Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of state – Kaushal Kishore (Constituency – Mohanlalganj, Uttar
Pradesh)
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
2) 7th Edition of India, UK Bilateral Training Exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior 2023’ Begin at Salisbury Plains of UK
The 7th edition of India and the United Kingdom (UK) bilateral training
exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior 2023’ was planned to be conducted at Salisbury Plains,
UK, from 27 April to 11 May, 2023.
About Ajeya Warrior exercise:
i.It is a biennial training exercise of India and UK, which is conducted
alternatively in the UK and India, the 6th edition was held at Chaubatia,
Uttarakhand in October 2021.
ii.Indian Army soldiers from the BIHAR Regiment and Soldiers of the 2
Royal Gorkha Rifles from the UK and are participating in the exercise.
iii.The Indian Army contingent arrived at RAF (Royal Air Force) Brize
Norton, main operating base in Oxfordshire, England on 26 April 2023 by an
Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft with indigenous weapons and equipment.
iv.Objective: To build positive military relations, to learn each
other’s best practices and promote the ability to operate together while
undertaking company-level sub-conventional operations in urban and semi-urban
environments.
v.The military exercise was held in cooperation between the Indian Army
and the British Army and it will further improve the bilateral relations
between the two nations.
vi.The benefit of the exercise involves a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at
the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX).
BANKING & FINANCE
3) SCBs end FY23 with 15.4% Credit Growth: RBI Data
According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data on ‘Sectoral
Deployment of bank Credit- March 2023′, Scheduled commercial banks (SCBs)
reported a robust credit growth of 15.4% in FY23 as compared to the 9.7% in
FY22.
·
The development is driven by growth in personal loans, and loans to
services sector, and agriculture and allied activities.
Assessment:
The data for the same was collected by RBI from 40 select SCBs accounting for
about 93% of the total non-food credit deployed by all SCBs.
Highlights:
i.Personal loans registered a growth of 20.6% in FY23 as compared with
12.6% in FY22, driven by housing loans.
ii.Credit growth to services sector accelerated to 19.8% in FY23
from 8.7% in FY22 due to the improved credit to Non-Banking Financial Companies
(NBFCs) and trade.
iii.Credit to agriculture and allied activities rose by 15.4% in FY23 as
compared with 9.9% in FY22.
iv.Credit to industry registered a growth of 5.7% as against 7.5% in
FY22.
v.Size-wise, credit to large industry rose by 3% in FY23 compared with
2% in FY22.
vi.Credit growth of medium industries was 19.6% as against 54.4% in
FY22.
vii.Credit to Micro and Small Industries (MSEs) registered a growth of
12.3% as against 23% in FY22.
viii.Within industry, credit growth to ‘basic metal and metal products’,
‘chemical and chemical products’ and ‘petroleum, coal products and nuclear
fuels’ accelerated in March 2023 as compared March 2022
· Credit growth to ‘food processing’, ‘infrastructure’ and ‘textiles’ has shown contraction.
4) Arya.ag Partners with Shivalik SFB to Lend Farmers & FPO
Arya.ag, India’s largest Grain commerce platform of Aryatech Platforms Private
Limited, made partnership with Shivalik Small Finance Bank (SFB) to
drive financial inclusion for farmers and FPOs (Farmers Producers
Organisations) through offering loans via Shivalik SFB under warehouse receipt
finance.
Key Points:
i.Objective: The collaboration is formed with an intend to promote
equitable growth in agriculture and also offer more opportunities for the
smallest stakeholders to access financial resources and drive positive change
in the agriculture industry.
ii.Arya.ag’s digitised processes, AI-enabled systems and customised
solutions will offer the additional layer of professional assurance for the
Shivalik SFB while lending.
iii.Under the partnership, Shivalik SFB will focus on small and
underserved segments through the delivery of digitally focussed, affordable
products and differentiated customer experience.
About Shivalik Small Finance Bank Ltd
MD&CEO – Anshul Swami
Headquarters– Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Establishment – 1998
Tagline – A Bank For Your Welfare
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
5) ADB Annual Report 2022: Pakistan is the Largest Recipient of ADB Loans in Asia
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual Report 2022, Pakistan
got loans of USD5.58 billion, making it the largest recipient of ADB-funded
programs/projects in 2022.
·
According to the report, released on 24th April 2023, ADB has disbursed a
total of over USD 31.8 billion to 40 countries in 2022.
Key Highlights:
i.Out of a total lending of USD 5.58 billion, Pakistan which is in a
deep economic crisis, received USD 2.67 billion as concessional funding from
ADB in 2022.
·
These loans have been used by Pakistan to avert default. They were also
conditional on Pakistan obtaining loans from the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), which imposed its own conditions.
ii. The report highlighted the impact of extreme floods in Pakistan that
killed over 1,700 people, affected 33 million people and damaged over one-third
of the summer seasonal cropping area, leading to food supply disruptions and
price hikes.
·
To address this issue, the ADB committed USD 3.7 billion from the programme
in 2022, which includes essential food assistance for people in need,
particularly women and girls in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
About the Asian Development Bank (ADB):
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
Headquarters– Mandaluyong, Philippines
Establishment– 1966
6) NLCIL signs MoU with TNC India for Repurposing Mined-Out Lands for RE Projects
NLC India Limited (NLCIL), a central public sector undertaking (CPSU) under
the Ministry of Coal, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The
Nature Conservancy Centre India (TNC India) to collaborate on research work
pertaining to the repurposing of mined-out lands for setting up of Renewable
Energy (RE) projects.
·
The MoU was signed by Rajasekhara Reddy, Executive Director (Mines)
of NLCIL, and Annapurna Vancheswaran, Managing Director (MD) of TNC
India, in the presence of Prasanna Kumar Motupalli,
Chairman-cum-Managing Director of NLCIL at Neyveli, Tamil Nadu (TN).
· The MoU would strengthen these efforts in line with India’s CoP-26 pledge to transition to a low-carbon economy and focus on increased use of renewable energy sources.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
7) Sanskrit Scholar Dr M.N. Nandakumara awarded honorary MBE by King Charles III
The United Kingdom (UK) based Saskrit Scholar, Dr M.N. Nandakumara,
Executive Director of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan centre in
London, UK has been awarded the honorary MBE (Member of the Most
Excellent Order of the British Empire) by King Charles III.
·
The honorary MBE has been granted “for services to the teaching,
performance and accessibility of Indian classical arts in the UK”.
·
The honorary award is approved by the British monarch for foreign nationals
for their contribution to public life, and was confirmed by the UK Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
About Dr M.N. Nandakumara:
i. Dr Nandakumara hails from the Indian state of Karnataka. He has been
associated with BharatiyaVidyaBhavan centre for 46 years (from 1970).
ii. Initially he joined as a Sanskrit teacher and has been its Executive
director since 1995.
About Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan centre:
i. . TheBharatiyaVidya Bhavan centre was established in 1972 in the
UK as a head of Indian arts education outside India.
ii. The centre, registered as the BharatiyaVidyaBhavan with the Charity
Commission in England, is a comprehensive art, cultural and educational
movement which believes that common elements of cultures can exceed barriers
and bring people together.
iii. The main auditorium of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan centre
was named as “Lord Mountbatten – the last Viceroy of India”.
About MBE
i. The Order of the British Empire was established by King George V in
1917 to honour those who had served in a non-combative role and expanded the
Order to reward contributions to the Arts, Sciences, Charitable work and Public
Service.
ii. And MBE is the third highest ranking Order of the British Empire
award (excluding a knighthood/damehood), behind CBE and then OBE.
iii. The MBE is awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the
community which has had a long-term, significant impact.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
8) ACC appointed Debadatta Chand as MD & CEO of BoB & Rajneesh Karnatak as MD & CEO of BoI
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime
Minister(PM) Narendra Modi, has approved the appointment of Debadatta Chand,
Executive Director of Bank of Baroda (BoB) as the new Managing Director
(MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BoB with effect from the date of
assumption of office on or after 1st July 2023 for a period of three years.
·
He will succeed, Sanjiv Chadha, the incumbent MD & CEO of BoB, who is
set to retire on 30th June 2023.
About Debadatta Chand:
i.Debadatta Chand started his career in Allahabad Bank as Officer in
1994 and subsequently worked as Manager at the Small Industries Development
Bank of India (SIDBI) from 1998 to 2005.
ii.He joined Punjab National Bank(PNB) in 2005 as Chief Manager and was
elevated to the Chief General Manager of Mumbai Zone, PNB.
iii.In 2021, he joined BoB as Executive Director.
iv.He has also served on the Board of Punjab National Bank (PNB),
Principal Mutual Fund, SWIFT India Pvt. Ltd and many of the Private Equity
funds ExOfficio in India.
Rajneesh Karnatak appointed as the MD & CEO of BoI:
The ACC has also approved the appointment of Rajneesh Karnatak, Executive
Director of Union Bank of India as the MD & CEO of Bank of India(BoI) for a
period of three years from the date of assumption of office or until
further orders.
·
He succeeds Atanu Kumar Das whose tenure as MD and CEO of BoI ended in
January 2023.
About Rajneesh Karnatak:
i.Prior to joining Union Bank of India, Rajneesh Karnatak served as the
Chief General Manager at Punjab National Bank from 2020 to 2021.
ii.He has also worked as General Manager at the Oriental Bank of
Commerce from 1994 to 2020.
About Bank of Baroda (BoB):
Current MD & CEO– Sanjiv Chadha
Headquarters– Vadodara, Gujarat
Tagline– India’s International Bank
Established in 1908
About Bank of India(BoI):
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded in September 1906
Nationalised in 1969
Tagline– Relationship Beyond Banking
9) Venkatasamy Jagannathan Steps Down from his Position as Star Health CEO
Venkatasamy Jagannathan, 79, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Star Health and Allied Insurance Co Ltd, stepped down from his
position as CEO and would continue as Non-Executive Director and Non-Executive
Chairman of the Board effective from 4th May 2023.
·
He also holds a small stake in Star Health, which he helped establish
in 2006 and posted a record-high net profit of Rs 618 crore, including a record
underwriting profit of Rs 204 crore.
·
Prior to founding Star Health and Allied Insurance Company, he served as
Chairman and Managing Director(CMD) of United India Insurance Company. He
retired from the united India in 2004.
· He also served on the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)advisory council, a position which he has held since its inception.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
10) MIT Engineers developed Injectable Synthetic nanoparticles and a polymer to Stop Internal Bleeding
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
Massachusetts, United States of America (USA), has designed a two-component
system – a combination of Synthetic nanoparticles and a polymer that can be
injected into the body and help form blood clots at the sites of internal
injury.
·
These materials mimic the actions of both platelets and fibrinogen, a
protein that helps form clots. The nanoparticle recruits platelets and a
polymer mimics fibrinogen.
·
The paper on the study was published in the “Advanced Healthcare
Materials”.
·
It can be injected into the body and help form blood clots at the sites of
internal injury can save people from severe internal injuries.
·
The two components performed significantly better than hemostatic
nanoparticles that were developed earlier.
Two Components:
i. These particles are made of a biocompatible polymer called PEG-PLGA
(polyethylene glycol- Polylactide-co-glycolide), which are functionalised with
a peptide called GRGDS that allows them to bind to activated platelets.
Note: GRGDS (Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser) a synthetic peptide imitates the
cellular binding site of many adhesive proteins in the extracellular matrix and
causes rounding and detachment of spread cells.
ii. The size of these nanoparticles has also been optimised to be
between 140 and 220 nanometers, which keeps them from building up in organs
like the lungs where clots can be dangerous.
Note: For the platelet-recruiting particles, the researchers used
particles similar to those they reported in a 2022 study.
Better Results:
i. After being injected into the body, the two components allow
selective gelation of the hemostatic system, as the concentration is enhanced
in the wound, reflecting the end effect of the natural clotting cascade.
ii. Highly effective at stopping bleeding, and it worked about twice as
well as the targeting particle on its own, and they don’t degrade as fast as
naturally occurring clots do.
The research was funded by the U.S. Army Research Office and the Department of
Defense.
SPORTS
11) Barcelona Open: Carlos Alcaraz beats Stefanos Tsitsipas
On April 23, 2023, Carlos Alcaraz claimed the Barcelona Open title for the
second year running after efficiently defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the
championship match.
·
19-year-old World number two Carlos Alcaraz beat Stefanos Tsitsipas
6-3 6-4 to win the Barcelona Open to bag his third ATP (Association of Tennis
Professionals) Tour title of 2023 and the ninth of his career.
Key Points:
i.Tsitsipas has now lost three finals in Barcelona after losing to Nadal
in 2018 and 2021.
ii.Alcaraz now boasts a 4-0 ATP head-to-head record versus Tsitsipas,
who was competing in his third championship match in Barcelona. After
successfully defending his title, he is currently 10-1 in Barcelona and has won
his last 14 ATP Tour matches in Spain.
Note – World number one Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka
6-3 6-4 to win the Stuttgart Open on April 23, 2023, it is Swiatek’s second
consecutive winning.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
12) Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Former Prasar Bharati’s CEO, released Book Titled “Collective Spirit, Concrete Actions”
On 26th April 2023, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, a former Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Prasar Bharati, released his book titled “Collective
Spirit, Concrete Actions” focused on ‘Mann Ki Baat’, a radio broadcast of
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, and its impact on India.
·
The book was released at the inaugural event of the National Conclave on
Mann Ki Baat @100 in the presence of Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Ministry for
Information and Broadcasting at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi.
The book documents the intriguing aspects of Mann Ki Baat, PM Narendra Modi’s ongoing interactions with the world’s largest democracy, addressing social, economic, environmental, cultural, health, and fitness issues that resonate with the very heart of our nation.
IMPORTANT DAYS
13) International Dance Day 2023 – April 29
International Dance Day or World Dance Day is annually
observed across the world on 29th April to celebrate dance and to create
awareness about its role in various cultures and societies across the globe.
·
The day also marks the birth anniversary of the French dancer and a
balletmaster, Jean-Georges Noverre, who is considered the creator of ballet
d-action(dramatic ballet).
The annual observance of International Dance Day is led by the
International Theatre Institute (ITI).
Background:
In 1982, the Dance Committee of ITI, the main partner for the performing arts
of UNESCO, founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on the
29th April, the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810) who is fondly
known as “the Grandfather of the Ballet” and “the creator of modern ballet”.
Goals of International Dance Day:
·
To promote dance in all its forms across the world.
·
To make people aware of the value of dance in all its forms.
·
To enable the dance community to promote their work on a broad scale
·
To enjoy dance in all its forms for its own sake and to share the joy of
dance.
2023 Message:
Chinese Dancer and choreographer Yang Liping, a member of the Bai ethnic group
from Dali, Yunnan Province in China is the author of the message of
International Dance Day 2023.
·
She is the First-class Dancer of China and the vice chairman of the China
Dancers Association.
·
She is well known for her original dance piece Spirit of the Peacock in
1986, Moonlight, Two Trees, Love of the Peacock and so on.
Note: The author of the message is annually chosen by the International Dance
Committee(IDC) of ITI and the Executive Council of ITI.
About International Theatre Institute (ITI):
ITI was created on the initiative of the first United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director General, Sir Julian
Huxley, and the playwright and novelist, JB Priestly in 1948.
President– Mohamed Saif Al-Afkham
Director General– Tobias Biancone
Headquarters– Shanghai, China
14) Administrative Professionals Day 2023 – April 6
Administrative Professionals Day, also known as
Secretaries Day or Admin Day, is annually observed across the globe on the Wednesday
of the last full week in April to recognize the work of
secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, executive assistants,
personal assistants, and other administrative support professionals.
Administrative Professionals Day 2023 was observed on 26th April
2023.
Administrative Professionals Week:
Administrative Professionals Week is celebrated annually every last full
week in April.
·
The Administrative Professionals Week 2023 is observed from 23rd April to
29th April 2023.
About International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP):
Chair of the board– Barrett Shaw
Chief Executive Officer– Melissa Mahoney
Founded in 1942
STATE NEWS
15) Pushkaralu festival returns to the Ganga after 12 years
On April 22, 2023, the 12-day Pushkaralu festival of Telugu-speaking people
commenced in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (UP). The festival is scheduled to
be held from April 22 to May 3, 2023 and it is being organised in Kashi for the
pilgrims who will worship their ancestors and the river Ganga.
Key Points:
i.Pushkaralu is a festival celebrated in India once every 12 years due
to a special combination of planetary transits (i.e. the position of Jupiter
(Bruhaspati)).
ii.The festival is also known as Ganga Pushkaram which is dedicated to
worshipping the 12 sacred rivers of India.
iii.It is the second similar event in Varanasi, UP following the successful
Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, which is a month-long programme organised in November
2022 to celebrate the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi.
Legend of festival Pushkaram:
i.According to legend, the devotee Pushkara was blessed by Lord Shiva
with the ability to live in water and purify holy rivers.
ii.On a request from Bruhaspati (Jupiter), Pushkara decided to enter one
of the 12 sacred rivers such as Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Saraswathi, Godavari,
Krishna, Kaveri, Bhima, Tapati, Tungabhadra, Sindhu, and Pranhita.
iii.Why 12 years?
·
Each river is associated with a zodiac sign and the river for each year’s
festival is decided in accordance with Jupiter’s travel from one zodiac sign to
another.
·
And the 12 days after Jupiter enters that particular zodiac sign will be
the Pushkaram. Hence it comes every 12 years.
Additional Information:
i. During the Pushkaram festival, the pilgrims will worship their
ancestors and the river Ganga, by bathing in the sacred river and are believed
to cleanse the devotees of their sins
ii.People will visit different holy places like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Gangotri in Uttarakhand, Varanasi in UP, and Ganga Sagar in West Bengal to take holy baths.
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