National & International Appointments
1. The founder of start-up Dream11, Harsh Jain elected IAMAI chairperson
- Harsh Jain, co-founder, and CEO of Dream Sports, has been elected the chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) for 2023-25.
- He has replaced Sanjay Gupta, vice president, and country manager of Google India.
- Rajesh Magow (co-founder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip) was elected as vice chairman, while Satyan Ganjwani (vice chairman of Times Internet) as the treasurer of the association.
- The IAMAI governing council election is held every two years.
Banking & Finance
2. ADB, India signed agreement for development of infrastructure in Andhra
- The Indian government has signed a loan agreement of USD 141.12 million with the Asian Development Bank for the development of infrastructure in three industrial clusters situated in Andhra Pradesh.
- This financing is the second tranche of the 500 million multi-tranche financing facility.
- Aim: To promote industrialization to increase the share of manufacturing in the state’s gross domestic product, build competitiveness and create jobs in the project's target areas
Arts & Culture
3. Nepal celebrates Bhoto Jatra
- Nepal celebrates Bhoto Jatra which is a public holiday in Kathmandu Valley.
- This celebration is a part of Rato Machhindranath Jatra which is a month-long chariot procession.
- It originates at Pulchok where a chariot made of wood without the use of iron nails is created and the procession ends at Jwalakhel.
- In Bhoto Jatra, a "lost & found" bejeweled Nepali vest "bhoto" of Rato Machchindranath is displayed to the public to find its "rightful owner".
National Affairs
4. Union Minister Giriraj Singh launches SAMARTH campaign
- The Union Minister for Rural Development, Giriraj Singh has launched the ‘SAMARTH' Campaign on promote Digital Transactions in 50000 Gram Panchayats' in Lucknow.
- Implemented by: Ministry of Rural Development
- Aim: To promote Digital Transactions in rural areas, focusing on women
- Minister has lauded the SHG’s NPA, which was reduced from 9.58 % in 2013 to below 2%, and urged banks to recognize and outstanding credit performance of SHG Didis and facilitate loans.
National Affairs
5. Exemption for leave encashment raised to ₹25 lakh
- The Central Board of Direct Taxes has raised the tax exemption on leave encashment on the retirement of non-government salaried employees from ₹3 lakh to ₹25 lakh, effective from 1 April 2023.
- It was announced in the union budget 2023.
- It applies to the period of earned leave in the credit of the employee at the time of retirement whether on superannuation or otherwise.
- In the case of government employees, the entire leave encashment amount received is tax-exempt.
Defense
6. Iran successfully launched ballistic missile 'Kheibar
- Iran has successfully test-launched a ballistic missile with a range of around 2,000-km
- The liquid-fuel missile had been named the Kheibar, the latest version of the Khorramshahr.
- The missiles are capable of carrying 1,500 kg of warheads.
- The speed of the high-mobility tactical missile can reach Mach 16 outside the atmosphere and Mach 8 inside the atmosphere.
- Iran capital: Tehran; Currency: Iranian Rial
State Affairs
7. Goa, Uttarakhand signed MoU to Strengthen Tourism Cooperation
- The officials of the Government of Goa and the Government of Uttarakhand have signed an MoU for enhancing the tourism landscape of both states.
- The MoU was signed in the presence of Rohan Khaunte (Minister for Tourism, Goa) and Pushkar Singh Dhami (CM of Uttarakhand).
- Aim: To promote bilateral cooperation in the travel and tourism sector
- The signing of this MoU is also aligned with the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative launched by PM Narendra Modi.
Science & Technology
8. AI supercomputer 'AIRAWAT' ranked 75th in Global Supercomputing list
- India's AI supercomputer 'AIRAWAT' has secured the 75th position in the prestigious Top 500 Global Supercomputing List.
- The announcement was made during the 61st edition of the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) held in Germany.
- Airawat PSAI, stands as India’s largest and fastest AI supercomputing system, with a remarkable speed of 13,170 teraflops (Rpeak)
- Other Indian supercomputers: PARAM Siddhi-AI (131), Pratyush (169), and Mihir (316)
Banking & Finance
9. Bank of Maharashtra tops PSU lenders chart in profit and loan growth
- Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the top performer among public sector lenders in terms of loan and deposit growth in percentage terms during 2022-23.
- BoM has also recorded the highest growth in profitability with the bottom line growing almost 126% to Rs 2,602 crore during the year.
- In terms of percentage increase in gross advances, BoM recorded a 29.4% rise in loans at Rs 1,75,120 crore as of March 2023.
- It was followed by Indian Overseas Bank and UCO Bank.
National & International Organizations
10. World Meteorological Congress approves Global Greenhouse Gas Watch
- The World Meteorological Congress has approved a new greenhouse gas monitoring initiative to support urgent action to reduce heat-trapping gases which are fuelling temperature increase.
- Aim: To fill critical information gaps and provide an integrated, operational framework
- The framework will bring all space-based and surface-based observing systems, as well as modeling and data assimilation capabilities, under one roof.
- It was supported by the WMO’s 193 Members.
National Affairs
11. India to have new supercomputer for weather forecasting
- During the visit to the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju informed that India will unveil its new 18 petaflop supercomputer for weather forecasting institutes by the end of 2023.
- The new supercomputer will be bought at a cost of Rs 900 crore.
- NCMRWF will be allocated eight petaflop supercomputing power with the remaining 10 petaflops going to IITM
- The NCMRWF houses 'Mihir', a 2.8 petaflop supercomputer
Banking & Finance
12. HDFC Bank partners Manipal Global to build up a talent pipeline
- HDFC Bank has partnered with Manipal Global Academy of BFSI to launch its Future Banker 2.0 programme.
- Aim: To groom young graduates into banking professionals within a year
- The nationwide recruitment initiative seeks to establish a talent pipeline for the bank's retail banking division.
- The one-year professional diploma incorporates classroom sessions, guest lectures, role plays, and practical fieldwork.
- It also includes eight months of paid internship.
Banking & Finance
13. Centre approves digital communication system between banks and CEIB
- The Central govt has cleared a prompt digital reporting and communication mechanism between banks and Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) to plug defaults on loans of over Rs 50 crore.
- CEIB will send a report digitally regarding borrowers to the PSU banks for a loan amount of Rs 50 crore or higher at the pre-approval stage within 15 days of request.
- The new system will require banks to submit their requests to CEIB through dedicated emails in a specific format
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