Daily Current Affairs March 29 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World theatre Day- 27th March:

• World Theatre Day is celebrated on 27 March every year throughout the world.
• World Theatre Day 2022 will be observed by the ITI centres and the theatre fraternity 27 March 2022.
• This day is celebrated to promote awareness regarding the significance of theatrical arts and how they have played an essential role in the area of fun.World Theatre Day is observed to promote the positivity that theatre has brought in the lives of people.
• This day is extremely important for all theatre artists as it celebrates their works.World Theatre Day was first celebrated by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) in the year 1961, on 27 March.
• This day has been celebrated on the same date ever since that day.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter inaugurates Modi Story website:

• The granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni inaugurated the Modi Story website which is a collection of stories from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life.
• Modi story is a volunteer-driven initiative to bring together inspiring moments from Narendra Modi’s life, as narrated by his co-travellers.
• The people who are associated with him closely recollected their memories about the works of Mr. Modi.
• Olympic Gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra mesmerized by the simplicity of Narendra Modi saying during the interaction with him, he did not feel that he was with the Prime Minister of the country.

Union minister G Kishan Reddy inaugurates mega northeast cultural festival ‘Ishan Manthan’ in Delhi:

• The Union Minister of Culture, G Kishan Reddy, has inaugurated the three-day mega cultural event ‘Ishan Manthan’, which celebrates the culture and arts of the north-eastern region, in Delhi.
• Speaking about the development of north-east India, the minister said that the Union government is pioneering a lot of development projects in the region.
• In addition to spending Rs one lakh crore for the rail network and Rs 55 lakh crores for road network in the northeast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also created a ‘political network’ with the regional parties that ensures smooth governance and development of the states.
• The inaugural session also witnessed the release of two books titled ‘Lok Beyond Folk’, a book on the Lok Culture which was edited by Shri J Nandalumar and ‘Jewels of North East India’.

Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2022 inaugurated at Rajamahendravaram in Andhra Pradesh:

• Under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Mega festival, Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2022 was inaugurated in Arts college Ground, RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM, Andhra Pradesh by Governor, Andhra Pradesh Shri Biswabhusan Harichandan in the presence of Union Minister for Culture , Tourism and DoNER Shri G. K Reddy.
• Several other dignitaries including Sri M.Srinivasa Rao Minister of Tourism and Culture, AP, Minister of State Shri Venugopal Krishna were present on the occasion.
• The Union Ministry of Culture was organizing various festivals across the country, which would help in inculcating nationalism among the people of the country.
• The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all of India’s folk, traditional, tribal, classical, and popular art forms under one roof, with over 1000 artists performing.

PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana has extended:

• The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for six more months till September this year to provide relief to poor, Union minister Piyush Goyal.
• The government will spend ₹80,000 crore during the period.
• A decision in this regard was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The phase-V of the PMGKAY scheme was to end in March 2022.
• The government has spent approximately Rs 2.6 lakh crore so far.
• This will take the total expenditure under PMGKAY to nearly Rs 3.4 lakh crore.
• The scheme, which started in April 2020, will cover nearly 80 crore beneficiaries across India.
• Initially in 2020-21, the PMGKAY scheme was announced only for a period of three months of April, May and June 2020 (Phase-I).

Smriti Irani has inaugurated the ten-day mega Red Fort Festival, ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata,’ at the Red Fort in Delhi:

• Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, has launched the ten-day mega Red Fort Festival, ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata,’ at the Red Fort in Delhi.
• The Union Ministry of Culture organised the Red Fort festival as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The event was organised in collaboration with the Dalmia Bharat Group (DBG), which has adopted the Red Fort as its Monument Mitra.
• The festival will honour India’s heritage, culture, and diversity throughout the country.
• The festival aims to commemorate the country’s heritage as well as the culture of every region of India.
• The festival Bharat Bhagya Vidhata will help everyone appreciate India’s diversity.
• Over 70 master craftsmen have displayed their skills at the venue.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

HDFC mutual fund to launch country’s first defence fund

• HDFC Mutual Fund has filed a scheme information document (SID) with SEBI to come up with India’s first Defence Fund called the HDFC Defence Fund.

About  HDFC Defence Fund :

• It will be an open-ended equity scheme that will be investing in defence & allied sector companies ( includes Aerospace, Explosives, Ship Building, industries /stocks present on SIDM (Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers) list or any other similar industries / stocks allied to the Defence sector.
• The fund will be primarily managed by Abhishek Poddar.
• It will offer an Units for Sale / Switch-in and Redemption / Switch-out on every Business Day at NAV based prices when the Scheme re-opens for ongoing transactions (after the NFO).
• This fund will be benchmarked to the recently introduced Nifty India Defence Index TRI (Total Returns Index).

About HDFC mutual fund :

• Established : 2000
• MD & CEO : Navneet Munot
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• It is a joint venture between Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) of India and Standard Life Investments Limited of UK.

About SEBI :

• SEBI : Securities and Exchange Board of India
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairperson : Madhabi Puri Buch
• It was established on 12 April 1988 and given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.

Government Sets infrastructure lending Target of Rs 1 Trillion For NaBFID

• The Centre has set a target of about Rs 1 trillion for the government-backed National Bank for Financial Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) for sanctioning loans to the infrastructure sector in FY23.
• The government has infused Rs 20,000 crore as equity in the DFI, and an additional Rs 5,000 crore has been given as grants to NaBFID.
• The Centre had sought an additional outgo of Rs 13,050 crore for transferring Rs 20,000 crore to the DFI in the supplementary demand for grants.
• The DFI will get a 10-year tax concession so that it can provide long-term funds at an affordable cost to the infrastructure sector.
• It will get government guarantees at a concessional rate of up to 1 percent for borrowing from multilateral institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and other such foreign institutions.

About NaBFID :

• Chairman : K V Kamath
• The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 22, 2021.
• Initially, the central government will own 100% shares of the institution which may subsequently be reduced up to 26%.

Max Life Insurance ties up with PhonePe to launch  Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan

• Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd has tied up with PhonePe for the launch of Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan, a non-linked non-participating individual pure risk premium life insurance plan on the PhonePe app to enhance financial protection for digitally-savvy customers.

About the Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan :

• With this, PhonePe customers can avail comprehensive financial coverage for their families with premiums starting as low as ₹4,426 annually.
• Customers have the flexibility to choose a sum assured up to ₹10 crore and can have their policies renewed on the PhonePe app.
• LUnder the life insurance category, Max Life will offer PhonePe customers inbuilt terminal illness benefit and special exit option.
• PhonePe, has been granted a direct broking licence by IRDAI that allows the selling of insurance on their app.

About Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd  :

• Max Life Insurance Company Limited is a Joint Venture between Max Financial Services Limited and Axis Bank Limited.
• Founded: 2001
• CEO: Prashant Tripathy
• Headquarters : Gurugram, Haryana

About PhonePe :

• Founded: 2015
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Co founder & CEO : Sameer Nigam

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Pramod Sawant Takes Oath As Goa Chief Minister For 2nd Consecutive Term

• Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Pramod Sawant took oath as the Chief Minister of Goa for the second consecutive term
• Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai administered the oath to 48-year-old Mr Sawant in a ceremony at the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee stadium near the state capital Panaji.
• Eight other MLAs also took oath as Cabinet Ministers in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, BJP national president JP Nadda, Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Arlekar, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanavis were among those who attended the event.
• In the recently concluded state polls, the BJP won 20 seats, one short of the majority in the 40-member House.
• This is the third consecutive government of the BJP in Goa.

About Pramod Sawant :

• Sawant was born on 24 April 1973 in Goa, India.
• He is an Ayurveda Medical practitioner by profession.
• Sawant represents the Sanquelim constituency in the Goa Legislative Assembly and is a member of the BJP.
• He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly when the BJP formed its government under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar in 2017.
• He was sworn-in as the chief minister for the first time in March 2019 after Parrikar’s death.

Yogi Adityanath takes oath as UP chief minister for second time

• Yogi Adityanath took oath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive term was administered by Governor Anandiben Patel.
• Meanwhile, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak also took oath as the deputy chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh.
• Overall, the new Team Yogi includes two deputy chief ministers, 18 cabinet ministers, 14 ministers of state (independent charge) and 20 ministers of state, apart from the chief minister (among the 52 ministers, five are women)
• The swearing-in ceremony took place at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
• The BJP came to power in UP with 255 seats in the 403-strong assembly.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and senior BJP leaders including national president JP Nadda were present at the event.

Note :

• Yogi Adityanath is the first chief minister in four decades to return to power after completing a full term in office.
• Adityanath was only the third chief minister, in Uttar Pradesh’s political history, to complete a full 5-year term as the chief minister of the state after Mayawati of BSP and Akhilesh Yadav belonging to the Samajwadi Party.

About Yogi Adityanath :

• Yogi Adityanath born as Ajay Singh Bisht on 5 June 1972 is an Indian Hindu monk and politician.
• He was appointed as the Chief Minister of on 26 March 2017 (2017 to 2022) after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the 2017 State Assembly elections
• He is also the founder of Hindu Yuva Vahini, a Hindu nationalist organisation.
• He has also been the Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur constituency, Uttar Pradesh, for five consecutive terms since 1998.

About UP :

• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• Capital: Lucknow

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS

President Of India Presents President’s Colour To Ins Valsura

• President Ram Nath Kovind presented “President’s Colour” to Indian Naval Ship (INS) Valsura at Jamnagar in Gujarat.
• The President’s Colour is bestowed on a military unit in recognition of exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and in war.
• The ‘Nishan Adhikari’ Lt Arun Singh Sambyal received the President’s Colour on behalf of the unit, in an impressive parade.
• To mark the occasion, a ceremonial parade with 150-men Guard of Honour was presented to the President.
• The Indian Navy was the first branch of the Indian Armed Forces, to be awarded the President’s Colour by Dr Rajendra Prasad, the then President of India on May 27, 1951.

About INS Valsura :

• The name Valsura was derived from the combination of two Tamil words Vaalu meaning sword and Sorrah meaning fish.
• HMIS Valsura was commissioned on 15 December 1942 by the Maharani Gulab Kunverba Sahiba.
• It is entrusted with the responsibility of imparting training to officers and sailors of the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and friendly foreign countries in electrical, electronics, weapon systems and information technology.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

SIDBI signs MoU with Meghalaya govt to develop MSME ecosystem

• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Meghalaya Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation Ltd (MiDFC) to develop the MSME ecosystem in Meghalaya.

Objectives of the MoU :

• SIDBI will aid in entrepreneurship development in the state; Development of MSME clusters
• Capacity building of NGOs/development organisations/ MSMEs
• Support and showcase replicable livelihood projects aligned to the priority identified by the state among others.

About the MoU :

• The MoU will work towards expanding digital offerings for MSMEs in the state; mapping state-specific livelihood opportunities through expert consultants and extension of promotion and developmental initiatives of SIDBI in the state.
• It will also help in building the capacity of MSMEs using online platforms PSB 59, Mitra portals, GeMS, TReDS, initiating business information and counselling centres for micro-enterprises.
• SIDBI urged the state government to use the low-cost finance available for the development of the MSME infrastructure in the state under the SIDBI Cluster Development Fund (SCDF).

About SIDBI :

• Founded: 2 April 1990
• Headquarters: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
• Chairman & MD : Sivasubramanian Ramann

About Meghalaya :

• Capital: Shillong
• Governor: Satya Pal Malik
• Chief minister: Conrad Sangma

Sri lanka’s navy inks agreement with Goa shipyard ltd for floating dock

• The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has signed an agreement with India’s Goa Shipyard Ltd to obtain a much-needed floating dock worth $20 million as a grant.
• The dock is to be constructed at SLN dockyard in Trincomalee within the next 30 months.
• With this SLN will be able to save $2.1 million (600 million Sri Lankan rupee)
• Floating dock is of paramount necessity to SLN for underwater maintenance and repair of ships and vessels belonging to SLN efficiently.
• At present, the Sri Lankan navy’s dry docks are only capable of handling warships that weigh less than 350 tonnes and it permits only underwater repairs and service.

About Sri lanka :

• Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee

About Goa shipyard :

• Founded: 1957
• Headquarters: Vasco da Gama,Goa
• Chairman & MD : Bharat Bhushan Nagpal

India, WHO signs pact to set up Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat

• The Ministry of Ayush has signed a Host Country Agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) to establish the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar,Gujarat.
• The agreement was signed in Geneva by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush and Director General, WHO Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
• While Jamnagar will serve as the hub, the new centre is being designed to engage and benefit all regions of the world.
• The Centre will be supported by an investment of about USD 250 million from the Government of India.

Aim :

• To harness the potential of traditional medicine from across the world through modern science and technology to improve the health of people and the planet.
• The term traditional medicine encompasses ancient practices such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine and herbal mixtures as well as modern medicines to maintain health and prevent, diagnose and treat physical and mental illness.

Note :

• The GCTM will be the first and only Global Centre for traditional medicine across the world.

About Ministry of Ayush :

• Cabinet Minister : Sarbananda Sonowal
• Minister of State : Mahendra Munjapara
• Secretary : Rajesh Kotecha

About WHO :

• Founded: 7 April 1948
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Director General : Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Western Naval Command conducts offshore security exercise ‘Prasthan’

• Western Naval Command conducts an offshore security exercise, ‘Prasthan’ was conducted in the Offshore Development Area (ODA) off Mumbai under the aegis of Headquarters, Western Naval Command.
• The exercise was conducted on the B-193 platform of ONGC located about 38 nm west of Mumbai.
• The exercise is conducted every six months, an important element of ensuring offshore security.

Aim :

• To integrate efforts of all maritime stakeholders involved in offshore defence.
• The exercise led by the Navy saw participation from the Indian Air Force, Coast Guard, ONGC, Mumbai Port Trust, JawaharLal Nehru Port Trust, Customs, state fisheries department, Mercantile Marine Department and the Marine Police.
• Contingencies such as terrorist intrusion, bomb explosion, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, man overboard, major fire, oil spill and mass evacuation were exercised.

About Western Naval Command :

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command (FOC-in-C): Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh
• The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy.

MoD bans import of 107 strategically important sub-systems

• The Ministry of Defence has banned import of 107 strategically important line replacement units or sub-systems aimed to enhance self-reliance in defence manufacturing & to minimise imports by DPSUs under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
• The list is in continuation to the positive indigenisation list of 2,851 sub-systems, which had been earlier notified by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.
• The list includes sub-systems that India imports from Russia for weapons and platforms, including T-90 and T-72 tanks, BMP-II infantry combat vehicles, warships and submarines, and anti-tank missiles.
• It comprised 22 items that will be taken up for indigenisation by the state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) while Bharat Electronics Ltd will indigenise 21 sub-systems.
• Indigenisation of these items will be taken up by DPSUs under ‘Make’ category.
• ‘Make’ Category aims to achieve self-reliance by involving greater participation of Indian industry.

About MoD :

• Union Minister : Rajnath Singh
• Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

HAL Introduces 19-Seater Civil Aircraft,plans to Deploy Under Udaan Scheme

• Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has introduced a 19-seater aircraft Hindustan 228 in a first major attempt to develop small civil transport aircraft.
• The company is eyeing to deploy this under the UDAN scheme (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik).

About Hindustan 228 :

• Hindustan 228 can be operated even in semi-prepared and unpaved airstrips.
• The design has been transferred to us from Dornier GmbH.
• The multi-utility aircraft can be used as an ambulance, cargo, and parajam or paradrop, among others.

About UDAN Scheme :

• The UDAN Scheme is a key component of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) which was released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India) on 15 June 2016.
• It is a regional airport development programme of the Government of India and part of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of upgrading underserviced air routes.

Goal :

• To make air travel affordable and widespread, to boost inclusive national economic development, job growth and air transport infrastructure development of all regions and states of India.

About HAL :

• Established : 23 December 1940
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• Chairman & MD : R Madhavan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITION AND MERGERS

Ola to acquire Avail Finance:

• Mobility firm Ola has signed an agreement to acquire neo bank Avail Finance which provides financial services to the blue-collared workforce and has over 6 million users.
• The acquisition is a key step in Ola’s broader push into the fintech space as it looks to build a mobility-focused financial services business under Ola Financial
• The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed by Ola, which owns a 9% share in Avail Finance.
• Moneycontrol, on the other hand, claims that the deal is worth $50 million.
• Ola intends to use Avail Finance’s product portfolio to enhance its lending operations and further its neo-banking expansion goals.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

PV Sindhu wins Swiss Open badminton in her Basel fortress:

• Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu notched up her second women’s singles title of the season with a straight game win over Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the summit clash of the Swiss Open Super 300 badminton tournament in Basel.
• Playing her second successive final in the tournament, Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist, took 49 minutes to get the better of the fourth seeded Thai 21-16 21-8 at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel.
• Sindhu had lost to Rio Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain in the final in the last edition.
• The 26-year-old from Hyderabad has happy memories of this venue as she had claimed the World Championships gold in 2019.

SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship title 2022 won by Indian women’s team:

• India lost 0-1 to Bangladesh but still emerged champion of the SAFF U-18 Women’s Championships on account of a better goal difference.
• India enjoyed a better goal difference of +11 in comparison to +3 of Bangladesh.
• The 2022 edition of the international football competition for women’s under-18 national teams was held in Jharkhand at JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur.
• The valuable player of the tournament and the highest goal scorer of the tournament was Lynda Kom, who scored five goals in the tournament.
• India head coach Thomas Dennerby brought in Poonam in place of Shubhangi at the interval.
• In the 60th minute, India captain Shilky Devi went for a shot from a long range but an agile Rupna was upto the task.

Daily CA On March 29:

• World Theatre Day is celebrated on 27 March every year throughout the world.
• The granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni inaugurated the Modi Story website which is a collection of stories from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life.
• The Union Minister of Culture, G Kishan Reddy, has inaugurated the three-day mega cultural event ‘Ishan Manthan’, which celebrates the culture and arts of the north-eastern region, in Delhi.
• Under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Mega festival, Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2022 was inaugurated in Arts college Ground, RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM, Andhra Pradesh by Governor, Andhra Pradesh Shri Biswabhusan Harichandan in the presence of Union Minister for Culture , Tourism and DoNER Shri G. K Reddy.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for six more months till September this year to provide relief to poor, Union minister Piyush Goyal.
• Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, has launched the ten-day mega Red Fort Festival, ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata,’ at the Red Fort in Delhi.
• HDFC Mutual Fund has filed a scheme information document (SID) with SEBI to come up with India’s first Defence Fund called the HDFC Defence Fund.
• The Centre has set a target of about Rs 1 trillion for the government-backed National Bank for Financial Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) for sanctioning loans to the infrastructure sector in FY23.
• Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd has tied up with PhonePe for the launch of Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan, a non-linked non-participating individual pure risk premium life insurance plan on the PhonePe app to enhance financial protection for digitally-savvy customers.
• Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Pramod Sawant took oath as the Chief Minister of Goa for the second consecutive term
• Yogi Adityanath took oath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive term was administered by Governor Anandiben Patel.
• President Ram Nath Kovind presented “President’s Colour” to Indian Naval Ship (INS) Valsura at Jamnagar in Gujarat.
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Meghalaya Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation Ltd (MiDFC) to develop the MSME ecosystem in Meghalaya.
• The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has signed an agreement with India’s Goa Shipyard Ltd to obtain a much-needed floating dock worth $20 million as a grant.
• The Ministry of Ayush has signed a Host Country Agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) to establish the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar,Gujarat.
• Western Naval Command conducts an offshore security exercise, ‘Prasthan’ was conducted in the Offshore Development Area (ODA) off Mumbai under the aegis of Headquarters, Western Naval Command.
• The Ministry of Defence has banned import of 107 strategically important line replacement units or sub-systems aimed to enhance self-reliance in defence manufacturing & to minimise imports by DPSUs under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
• Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has introduced a 19-seater aircraft Hindustan 228 in a first major attempt to develop small civil transport aircraft.
• Mobility firm Ola has signed an agreement to acquire neo bank Avail Finance which provides financial services to the blue-collared workforce and has over 6 million users.
• Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu notched up her second women’s singles title of the season with a straight game win over Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the summit clash of the Swiss Open Super 300 badminton tournament in Basel.
• India lost 0-1 to Bangladesh but still emerged champion of the SAFF U-18 Women’s Championships on account of a better goal difference.