Daily Current Affairs April 14 2023

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Reserve Bank of India released framework for the acceptance of green deposits by Regulated Entities

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the framework for the acceptance of green deposits of regulated entities (RE).
• The framework will come into effect from June 1, 2023.

Aim : 

• To encourage regulated entities (RE) to “offer green deposits to customers, protect interest of the depositors, aid customers to achieve their sustainability agenda, address greenwashing concerns and help augment the flow of credit to green activities/projects”.

Key Highlights : 

• As per the RBI guidelines, a Green Deposit means:
• An interest-bearing deposit, received by the RE for a fixed period and the proceeds of which are earmarked for being allocated towards green finance.
• Lending to and investing in the activities or projects that contribute to climate risk mitigation, climate adaptation and resilience, and other climate-related or environmental objectives – including biodiversity management and nature-based solutions.
• The green deposits will be denominated in Indian rupees only.
• The REs will have to allocate proceeds raised from green deposits towards the green activities or projects.
• RBI has also mentioned about a list of ‘exclusions’ for REs.
• This includes projects involving new or existing extraction, production and distribution of fossil fuels; nuclear power generation; and direct waste incineration.

Applicability : 

• These instructions are applicable for all scheduled commercial banks, including small finance banks.
• However regional rural banks, local area banks and payments banks are excluded.
• The framework will also apply to all deposit-taking non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) registered with the RBI, including housing finance companies (HFCs).

About RBI :

• Established : 1 April 1935
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy governors : Mahesh Kumar Jain,M. Rajeshwar Rao,Michael Patra and T. Rabi Shankar

SEBI asks alternative investment funds to provide “direct plan” option to investors; introduces trail model for distribution commission

• To bring transparency in expenses and curb mis-selling, Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has asked alternative investment funds (AIFs) to provide an option of “direct plan” for investors and introduced a trail model for distribution commission.
• The circular regarding the ‘Direct Plan’ will be applicable for onboarding from May 1, 2023.

Key Highlights : 

• AIFs will have to ensure that investors who approach the AIF through a registered intermediary, which is separately charging the investor any fee such as advisory fee or portfolio management fee, are on-boarded through direct plan only.
• Introducing a trail model for distribution commission, Sebi stated that category III AIFs would charge distribution fee from investors only on an equal trail basis. 
• It means no upfront distribution fee would be charged by such AIFs directly or indirectly from their investors.
• Further, any distribution charge paid would be only from the management fee received by the managers of such category III AIFs.

About SEBI :

• Established : 12 April 1988 as an executive body and was given statutory powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman : Madhabi Puri Buch
• SEBI is the regulatory body for securities and commodity markets in India under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance , GoI.

International Monetary Fund Projects India’s Gross Domestic Product Growth Forecast To 5.9% For FY24 & 6.3% in FY25  

• The latest bi-annual World Economic Outlook Report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecast for the financial year 2023-24 (FY24) to 5.9% from 6.1% projected earlier.
• It projects India to grow 6.3% in 2025 fiscal, 50 basis points lower than estimated earlier.

Key Highlights : 

• Meanwhile, the IMF projects India’s retail inflation to ease to 4.9% in FY24 from 6.7% in FY23.
• It expects consumer price inflation to further soften to 4.4% in FY25.
• India’s current account deficit fell to 2.2% of GDP in FY24 from 2.6% in FY23.
• Global growth is expected to fall from 3.4% in 2022 to 2.8% in 2023 before recovering partially to 3% in 2024.

About IMF : 

• Established : 1944
• Headquarters : Washington, D.C., United States of America
• Managing Director : Kristalina Georgieva
• Membership : 190 countries (189 UN countries and Kosovo)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju releases 1st edition of Dogri version of Constitution of India

• Union Minister of Law Kiren Rijiju has released the Dogri version of the Constitution of India.
• The first edition of the Constitution in Dogri version was released at the University of Jammu.
• Dogri language is mainly spoken in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is the ethnic language of the Dogras. It was included in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution in 2003.
• The original constitution was written in Hindi and English.
• The Law Minister said that it is necessary for the common man to understand the law to get justice and nothing can be better than codifying it in his mother tongue.
• The government is digitizing around 6,5000 words of legal terminology to create a core glossary for the understanding of all citizens.
• Rs 9,000 crore has been allocated for upgrading infrastructure in the lower judiciary and Rs 7,000 crore for the e-courts project.
• The Constitution of India is one of the longest-written constitutions in the world and has guided India’s nation-building process for more than seven decades.
• The Ministry of External Affairs, in association with the Parliamentary Research & Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), also conducted a seminar titled “Seven Decades of the Constitution of India” on 28th March 2023.

EAM Jaishankar launches ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project’ in Uganda

• ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project’ of Varanasi has been launched by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during his visit to Uganda’s Kampala.
• Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar is on a 6-day visit to Uganda and Mozambique.
• The initiative of Overseas Friends of BJP-Uganda is to contribute to further beautifying the oldest living city (Varanasi) in the world.
• He met Ugandan President Yoweri K Museveni and congratulated the country on assuming the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
• They also discussed cooperation in trade and investment, infrastructure, energy, defence, health, digital and agriculture sectors.
• Jaishankar held delegation-level talks with his Ugandan counterpart as both sides look forward to enhance bilateral ties between the two countries.
• During the visit, he will co-chair the 5th session of the Joint Commission Meeting with Mozambique’s Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo.
• Uganda is chairing the Non-Aligned Movement on behalf of Africa for the period 2022 to 2025.
• The position of chair of NAM rotates every three years during the conferences.
• The first conference was held in Belgrade in 1961.
• Members: 120 countries.

Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut regional rail named ‘RAPIDX’: NCR Transport Corporation

• The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCR TC) has announced that the country’s first semi-high-speed regional rail services will be named ‘RAPIDX’.
• These services will run on the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors, being implemented to connect key urban nodes across the National Capital Region (NCR).
• As per the official statement of NCRTC, the brand name – RAPIDX is easy to read and simple to pronounce in various languages.
• The name ‘RAPID’ has already been adopted and is loved as their own transit system by the citizens across the region, in both Hindi and English languages.
• It further said that a green leaf symbol is the highlight of the brand’s commitment towards decarbonization by not only decongesting NCR and reducing the number of vehicles on the road but also by the use of green energy.
• The RAPIDX services on the first RRTS corridor, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, will serve this 82-km long corridor and will bring down the travel time between Delhi to Meerut significantly.
• NCRTC is targeting to commission the entire Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor for the public by 2025.
• Before that, it will operationalise a 17-km long Priority Section between Sahibabad and Duhai in 2023, before the scheduled time.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Himachal Pradesh Assembly passes Sukhashraya bill for welfare of orphans                                   

• The Himachal Pradesh (HP) Legislative Assembly passed the Himachal Pradesh Sukhashraya (Care, Protection and Self-Reliance of the Children of the State) Bill, 2023.

Aim : 

• To provide state-mandated benefits to orphans, semi-orphans and specially abled children in need.
• HP became the first state in the country to enact such a scheme.

Key Highlights : 

• The government will provide shelter, education and Rs 4,000 as pocket money to the orphan children.
• The government will take care of over 6,000 orphan children of the state for 27 years.
• Furthermore, once they reach the age of 27, they would be granted 3 biswa of land along with financial assistance to build their own homes.
• Additionally, the government would provide full financial support for the higher education of these children.
• An expenditure of about Rs 272.27 crore will be involved in the implementation of the provisions of the Bill.
• As per the Bill, Child Welfare Committees will be constituted which will be empowered to order admission of persons in after care institutions.

About HP : 

• Governor : Shiv Pratap Shukla
• Chief Minister : Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Daranghati Sanctuary, Manali Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Indian economy to grow 6% in 2023: UNCTAD

• United Nations, India’s economic growth is projected to decelerate to 6 per cent in 2023 from 6.6 per cent in 2022.
• The UN Trade and Development Conference (UNCTAD) in its latest Trade and Development Report Update released expects global growth in 2023 to drop to 2.1%, compared to the 2.2% projected in September 2022, assuming the financial fallout from higher interest rates is contained to the bank runs and bailouts of the first quarter.
• The report said that India grew 6.6 per cent in 2022, ceding the pole position among G20 countries in 2022 to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which grew at 8.6 per cent.
• Meanwhile, as current government spending has been weakening, but export orders remain on the rise, India’s GDP growth is projected to decelerate to 6.0 per cent in 2023.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered India’s economic growth projection for the current fiscal to 5.9 per cent from 6.1 per cent earlier.

About UN

• Founded: 24 October 1945,
• Headquarters: New York,
• Secretary general: António Guterres.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Kumar Mangalam Birla received AIMA’s ‘Business Leader of the Decade’ award

• Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla Group, won the prestigious ‘Business Leader of the Decade’ award at All India Management Association’s (AIMA) 13th Managing India Awards ceremony.
• The annual event to facilitate the titans of the industry, held in New Delhi.
• Tata Steel Chairman T V Narendran was facilitated with the ‘AIMA-JRD Tata Corporate Leadership’ award.
• Leading engineering services company ABB India bagged the ‘MNC in India of the Year’ award.
• All India Management Association is the national apex body of the management profession in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

MRF emerges as ‘second strongest tyre brand in the world’

• MRF Limited has emerged as the second strongest tyre brand in the world according to the latest report by Brand Finance on the Most Valuable and Strongest Tyre Brands in the world.
• MRF has scored high in almost all parameters and is also feature d as the second fastest-growing Tyre Brand in the world.
• MRF has scored 83.2 out of 100 in brand strength and was awarded a AAA- brand rating.
• The report also featured MRF as the most valued Indian tyre brand and scored high in the Sustainability Perception Value and is the only Indian tyre manufacturer to be featured in the top 10.
• French company Michelin has been rated both the most valuable and strongest tyre brand.
• There are two Indian tyre companies in the Top 15 list of most valuable – MRF Tyres and Apollo Tyres.
• MRF Tyres, ranked 13th, sees its brand value grow 3% to $0.3 billion and has seen a sizeable jump of 15 ranks in the latest industry ranking list.
• At No. 15 is Apollo Tyres with a brand value of $0.6 billion.

Andhra Pradesh’s Jagan Mohan Reddy most wealthiest CM in India

• Twenty-nine of the 30 incumbent Chief Ministers are crorepatis with Andhra Pradesh’s Jagan Mohan Reddy having the highest assets totalling ₹510 crore, according to poll affidavits analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has the lowest total assets of about ₹15 lakh, the ADR said.
• The ADR and Election Watch (NEW) said they have arrived at this conclusion after analysing the self-sworn poll affidavits of all the 30 current Chief Ministers of States and union territories.
• There are 28 State Chief Ministers and two union territories — Delhi and Puducherry — also have Chief Ministers.
• The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir does not have a Chief Minister currently.
• Out of the 30 CMs analysed, 29 (97 per cent) are crorepatis with the average assets being ₹96 crores for every CM.
• According to the ADR report, out of the 30 CMs, 13 (43 per cent) have declared serious criminal cases including those related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and criminal intimidation.
• Serious criminal cases are non-bailable offences with over five years of imprisonment, the report said.
• The top three Chief Ministers in terms of assets are Andhra Pradesh’s Jagan Mohan Reddy (over ₹510 crores), Arunachal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu (over ₹163 crores), and Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik (over ₹63 crores), according to the ADR.
• The three CMs with the lowest declared assets are — West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee (over ₹15 lahks), Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan (over ₹1 crore) and Haryana’s Manohar Lal (over ₹1 crore).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

K Krithivasan appointed as CEO of Tata Consultancy Services 

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has appointed K Krithivasan as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of the company.
• He  will take over the post with effect from June 01, 2023 for a tenure of 5 years which ends in Feb 2027.
• He will replace outgoing CEO Rajesh Gopinathan, who was appointed in 2017.
• Rajesh Gopinathan, will continue to assist him in a smooth transition till end of September 2023. 

About K Krithivasan : 

• K Krithivasan joined TCS in 1989.
• During his long tenure at TCS, he has held various leadership roles in delivery, customer relationship management, large program management, and sales.
• He served as the President and Global Head of the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance Business Group at TCS.

About TCS : 

• Founded : 1968
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman : Natarajan Chandrasekaran
• TCS is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company.

Justice Apresh Kumar Singh appointed as new Chief Justice of Tripura High Court

• In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President of India appointed Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Judge of Jharkhand High Court as the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.
• Apresh Kumar replaced Justice T Amarnath Goud, who was serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court from November 2022.

About Apresh Kumar : 

• He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Jharkhand on 24th January 2012 and confirmed as a permanent Judge on 16th January 2014.
• He has also served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court from the 20th of December, 2022 to the 19th of February, 2023.

About Tripura High Court : 

• The Tripura High Court was established on 23 March 2013 following an amendment to the Constitution of India and the North-Eastern Areas Act of 1971.

ATMA elects Anshuman Singhania as new Chairman and Arnab Banerjee as new Vice-Chairman

• Anshuman Singhania, the Managing Director of JK Tyre & Industries Ltd has been elected as the new Chairman of Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA).
• Apart from this, Arnab Banerjee, the Managing Director & CEO of CEAT Ltd, has taken over as Vice-Chairman of ATMA.

About ATMA : 

• ATMA was set up in 1975, registered under The Companies Act, as the representative body of the automotive tyre industry in India.
• ATMA members include Apollo Tyres, Bridgestone India, Ceat, Continental India, Goodyear India, JK Tyre & Industries, MRF and TVS Tyres.
• 8 large tyre companies comprising a mix of Indian and International tyre majors and representing over 90% of production of tyres in India are members of the Association.

NPCI appoints Vishal Anand Kanvaty as chief technology officer                                       

• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has appointed Vishal Anand Kanvaty as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
• In his new role, Kanvaty will be taking care of the new-age technology and shall be responsible for the transformational journey of NPCI.

About Vishal Anand Kanvaty : 

• Kanvaty joined NPCI in 2017.
• Prior to this he managed the portfolio of Chief Market Innovation as well as Product and Innovations profiles.

About NPCI : 

• Founded : 2008
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Dilip Asbe
• The NPCI is an umbrella organization for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India.
• It is an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Turkey launches its first aircraft carrier & eyes drone capabilities                                      

• Turkey launched its first amphibious assault ship aiming to extend its drone capabilities from land-based to naval operations amid increased regional tensions as war rages in Ukraine on the other side of the Black Sea.
• The TCG Anadolu can handle only light aircraft, chiefly helicopters and jets that can take off from shorter runways.
• It is 232 metres long and 32 metres wide, and can carry some 1,400 personnel – one battalion of soldiers – combat vehicles and support units to operate overseas.
• The amphibious assault ship was built in Istanbul’s Sedef Shipyard by a Turkish-Spanish consortium, based on the design of Spanish light aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I.
• Ankara’s original plan was to deploy F-35 B-model fighter jets, which can take off from shorter runways, on its largest warship.
• TCG Anadolu will be the world’s first amphibious assault ship whose fleet is made up mostly of armed drones once the plan is implemented.
• Turkey, which has NATO’s second largest army, shares a border with conflict-ridden Syria and Iraq and has a long Mediterranean as well as Black Sea coastline.

About Turkey : 

• President : Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
• Capital : Ankara
• Currency : Turkish lira

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Unique Identification Authority of India- IIT Bombay join hands to develop touchless biometric capture system

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay), to develop a touchless biometric capture system for easier use, anytime and anywhere.
• Under the MoU, UIDAI and IIT Bombay will carry out joint research to build a mobile capture system for fingerprints along with a liveness model integrated with the capture system.

Key Highlights : 

• The touchless biometric capture system, once developed and operational, will allow fingerprint authentication from home alike face authentication.
• The new system is expected to capture multiple fingerprints at one go and aid authentication.
• The new system once in place will be an addition to the existing facilities available in the Aadhaar ecosystem.
• The collaboration between UIDAI and IIT Bombay through its National Centre of Excellence in Technology for Internal Security (NCETIS) will lead to joint engagement in Research and Development (R&D) for development of a system for UIDAI.

What is NCETIS?

• The NCETIS is a joint initiative by IIT Bombay and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), under its flagship Digital India Programme.

Aim : 

• To develop indigenous technology solutions for Internal Security forces in broad areas of Electronic System Design and Manufacturing.

About UIDAI : 

• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi
• CEO : Saurabh Garg
• It is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (“Aadhaar Act 2016”) in 2016 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

About IIT Bombay : 

• Established : 1958
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman : Dr. Sharad Kumar Saraf

About MeitY : 

• Cabinet Minister : Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Minister of State : Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Drone start-up Garuda Aerospace becomes first to receive agri drone subsidy                            

• Chennai-based drone startup Garuda Aerospace Private Limited has become the first company to receive the government’s agri-drone subsidy for the agricultural drones.
• This subsidy is part of the Indian government’s efforts to promote the use of agricultural drones.
• Garuda Kisan Drones were given to 8 farmers under the Agri-drone subsidy at an event held in Pune,Maharashtra.
• This subsidy is just one of many initiatives launched by the Union government to support the development of India’s drone industry.
• This will benefit farmers not only by making their jobs easier and more efficient, but it will also help to increase agricultural productivity and reduce food waste.

Key Highlights : 

• The Garuda Kisan drones approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation would help farmers to manage and monitor the health of crops as well as detect and identify areas that require water or fertiliser.
• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has amended the criteria of the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation to include a grant of up to 100% of the cost of the agriculture drone.
• Under the scheme, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) would be eligible for a grant of up to 75% of the cost of the agriculture drone for demonstration on farmers’ fields.

About Garuda Aerospace Private Limited : 

• Established : 2015
• Headquarters : Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• CEO : Agnishwar Jayaprakash

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Royal Enfield partners with Indian Ice Hockey Women’s Team

• Royal Enfield has partnered with the Indian women’s Ice Hockey team to strengthen its Olympic ambitions.
• The partnership is an extension of the relationship of Royal Enfield with the Union Territory of Ladakh to develop winter sports in the region.
• Royal Enfield along with the Ice Hockey Association of India unveiled the new jersey for Team India.
• The Indian women’s Ice Hockey team is participating in the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s Asia and Oceania Championship from April 30 to May 7, 2023 in Thailand.

About Royal Enfield:

• Founded: 1955
• Parent organization: Eicher Motors
• Headquarters: Chennai
• CEO: B. Govindarajan

About International Ice Hockey Federation

• Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland
• Founded: 15 May 1908
• President: Luc Tardif

Sony Sports Network extends its partnership with UEFA

• Sony Sports Network, has extended its collaboration with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the governing body of football in Europe.
• This gives the broadcaster exclusive media rights for all the UEFA National Team competitions scheduled between 2022-2028 and will showcase the UEFA EURO 2024 and 2028, along with its European Qualifiers and Friendly Matches.
• As part of the six-year deal, the broadcaster will showcase over 1,300 football matches across its channels.
• The network will televise the 2024 and 2028 European Qualifiers and the upcoming two editions of the UEFA EURO.
• Sony Sports Network continues to be the official broadcaster for the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, Bundesliga, Emirates FA Cup, and more.

About UEFA:

• Current champion: Real Madrid CF (14th title)
• Next date: Tue, 27 Jun, 2023 – Sat, 1 Jun, 2024
• Founded: 1955
• Founders: Gabriel Hanot, Jacques Ferran

Indian GM Gukesh wins title at World Chess Armageddon Asia & Oceania event

• Teenaged Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh stunned former world rapid champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in the final to win the World Chess Armageddon Asia & Oceania event.
• Both Gukesh and Abdusattorov have earned a spot at the Armageddon’s Grand Finale in September.
• An Armageddon game is a variant of blitz chess to determine a winner after a series of drawn game.
• A drawn game in the Armageddon is counted as a win for Black.

About FIDE

• The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE, is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the governing body of international chess competition
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• Founded: 20 July 1924, Paris, France
• President: Arkady Dvorkovich

Daily CA One-Liner: April 14

• Union Minister of Law Kiren Rijiju has released the Dogri version of the Constitution of India
• ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project’ of Varanasi has been launched by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during his visit to Uganda’s Kampala
• The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCR TC) has announced that the country’s first semi-high-speed regional rail services will be named ‘RAPIDX’
• United Nations, India’s economic growth is projected to decelerate to 6 per cent in 2023 from 6.6 per cent in 2022
• Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla Group, won the prestigious ‘Business Leader of the Decade’ award at All India Management Association’s (AIMA) 13th Managing India Awards ceremony
• MRF Limited has emerged as the second strongest tyre brand in the world according to the latest report by Brand Finance on the Most Valuable and Strongest Tyre Brands in the world
• Twenty-nine of the 30 incumbent Chief Ministers are crorepatis with Andhra Pradesh’s Jagan Mohan Reddy having the highest assets totalling ₹510 crore, according to poll affidavits analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
• Royal Enfield has partnered with the Indian women’s Ice Hockey team to strengthen its Olympic ambitions
• Sony Sports Network, has extended its collaboration with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the governing body of football in Europe
• Teenaged Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh stunned former world rapid champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in the final to win the World Chess Armageddon Asia & Oceania event
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the framework for the acceptance of green deposits of regulated entities (RE).
• To bring transparency in expenses and curb mis-selling, Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has asked alternative investment funds (AIFs) to provide an option of “direct plan” for investors and introduced a trail model for distribution commission.
• The latest bi-annual World Economic Outlook Report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecast for the financial year 2023-24 (FY24) to 5.9% from 6.1% projected earlier.
• The Himachal Pradesh (HP) Legislative Assembly passed the Himachal Pradesh Sukhashraya (Care, Protection and Self-Reliance of the Children of the State) Bill, 2023.
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has appointed K Krithivasan as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of the company.
• In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President of India appointed Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Judge of Jharkhand High Court as the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.
• Anshuman Singhania, the Managing Director of JK Tyre & Industries Ltd has been elected as the new Chairman of Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA).
• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has appointed Vishal Anand Kanvaty as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
• Turkey launched its first amphibious assault ship aiming to extend its drone capabilities from land-based to naval operations amid increased regional tensions as war rages in Ukraine on the other side of the Black Sea.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay), to develop a touchless biometric capture system for easier use, anytime and anywhere.
• Chennai-based drone startup Garuda Aerospace Private Limited has become the first company to receive the government’s agri-drone subsidy for the agricultural drones.