Daily Current Affairs April 20 2023

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

UPI Most Preferred Mode for Digital Payments in India in 2022  

• As per the India Digital Payments Annual Report for 2022 released by global payments player Worldline India, the most preferred medium for digital payments was Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in 2022.

Key Highlights : 

• A total of 8,792 crore digital payments were undertaken in 2022 worth ₹149.5 lakh crore.
• The total number of transactions in UPI jumped by 70% in 2022, pushing the count up to 74 billion.
• The value of transactions increased at a slower pace than the volume.
• With a 54% hike, the value of transactions stood at Rs 126 trillion.
• UPI has a volume and value market share of 84% in 2022.
• Debit and credit cards collectively accounted for 14% of the transactions in terms of value and 7% of transactions in terms of value.

Most preferred modes : 

• Within UPI, Person-to-Merchant (P2M) and Person-to-Person (P2P) were the most preferred payment modes among consumers.
• P2M transactions accounted for 54% of UPI transactions and 23% in terms of volume. 
• P2P transactions comprised 46% of the volume of transactions and 77%  in terms of value..

Toppers of UPI Usage as of 2022 : 

• State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank were among the top 5 banks, both in terms of being a UPI remitter and beneficiary bank.
• The other top UPI remitter banks in 2022 were HDFC Bank, Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Union Bank of India (UBI).
• The top UPI beneficiary banks were Paytm Payments Bank, YES Bank and Axis Bank.

About Worldline India Private Limited  : 

• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• CEO : Ramesh Narasimhan

South Indian Bank introduces flexible savings accounts for Non-Resident Indians 

• The South Indian Bank has launched 2 flexible saving products namely, SIB SEAFARER and SIB PULSE for its non-resident Indian (NRI) customers. 

Aim : 

• To offer flexibility to NRI customers to either maintain the term deposits or the prescribed minimum balance in the saving account.
• The two products have been launched specifically for mariners and healthcare professionals.

Features of SIB SEAFARER & SIB PULSE :  

SIB SEAFARER	SIB PULSE
Flexibility to maintain a minimum balance of Rs.10,000/- in linked accounts (eligible for the latest 2 NR Accounts opened)	Flexibility to maintain a minimum balance of Rs.10,000/- in linked accounts (eligible for the latest 2 NR Accounts opened)
No minimum balance is required for the maintenance of the NRI Term Deposit of Rs.2,00,000/– and above	NR Term Deposit above Rs.2 Lakh or  RD with minimum monthly instalment above Rs.20,000/-
Experience best-in-class digital banking through Mirror+ and SiBerNet.	Get 1000 SIB REWARD points on opening the NRE/ NRO account together
UPI payment facility available	UPI payment facility available
Airport lounge access with an International debit card available.	Airport lounge access with International debit card available.
Priority banking facility available for you and your family	Priority banking facility available for you and your family

About SIB : 

• Founded : 1929
• Headquarters : Thrissur, Kerala, India
• MD & CEO : Murali Ramakrishnan
• Tagline : Experience Next Generation Banking

AU Small Finance Bank Partnered with Bharat Bill Payment System to launch bill payments via video banking   

• AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB), India’s largest small finance bank, has become the first commercial bank in India to integrate with the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), to launch bill payment services through video banking. 

Aim : 

• To promote digital accessibility and enhance economic capability leading to greater financial inclusion

Key Highlights : 

• The bill payment services through video banking enables customers to pay bills without the need to visit a branch.
• Through AU SFB’s video banking service, people can make payments like FASTag, loan repayment, insurance, investments, education fees, municipal taxes, utility payments including gas, electricity, mobile, landline, water, DTH bills, and others.
• To access this, customers of AU Small Finance Bank can conveniently connect with the bank’s video banker through or AU 0101 app.
• The SFB is already offering more than 400 services to its customers through video banking.

About AU Small Finance Bank : 

• Founded : 1996 as AU Financiers (India) Ltd.
• In 2017, AU Financiers (India) Ltd became a small finance bank.
• Headquarters : Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
• Chairman : Raj Vikash Verma
• MD & CEO : Sanjay Agarwal

ACKO partners with Ola to Introduce Battery Insurance Plan for Electric Vehicles          

• Private insurer ACKO General Insurance in partnership with Ola Electric and Ather Energy launched an “Extended Battery Warranty” plan, targeting electric vehicle (EV) owners. 
• The policy is designed to boost EV affordability by enabling banks to lengthen loan terms and reduce monthly instalments.
• The first-of-its kind policy safeguards battery life for up to 4 or 5 years and provides performance coverage for up to 60,000 km.
• The insurance plan is part of ACKO’s broader strategy to establish an EV infrastructure by partnering original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and providing comprehensive insurance plans to customers.
• There is 223% growth in EV sales in 2022, India’s EV market is anticipated to rise at a 44.5% CAGR between the years 2020 and 2025.

About ACKO General Insurance : 

• Founded : 2016
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chief Executive Officer : Varun Dua
• The company received its licence from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India in September 2017.

Karnataka Bank launches special home loan campaign – KBL Centenary Mahotsav          

• On the occasion of the Centenary year of the Karnataka Bank, the bank has launched a Special campaign “KBL Centenary Mahotsav” for Home loan from 17, April 2023 to 17 July 2023.
• Customers can avail the benefits of digital banking and offers of the special campaign across all its 901 Branches.
• Under the KBL Centenary Mahotsav campaign, customers can avail Horne loan with discount in upfront fee, attractive rate of interest starting from 8.75%, Nil processing charges for Horne loan and other benefits
• Karnataka Bank has developed digital loan products for home loans, allowing customers to enjoy seamless digital processing and immediate in-principle approvals at their convenience and comfort.

About Karnataka Bank : 

• Founded : 18 February 1924
• Headquarters : Mangalore, Karnataka, India
• MD & CEO (interim) : Sekhar Rao
• Tagline : Your Family Bank Across India

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

DRDO’s Centre of Excellence inaugurated at IIT Hyderabad

• DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) has been inaugurated at the IIT Hyderabad (IITH).
• This is the biggest such facility in India.
• The facility was inaugurated by DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat at the campus of the IIT-Hyderabad at Sangareddy in Telangana.
• He said the DIA CoE IITH is the largest centre among all 15 CoEs in India.
• The research cell has been transformed into a Centre of Excellence (CoE).
• The CoE will have seven verticals of technology projects that will be carried out at DIA-CoE at IITH.
• Aeronautics Research and Development Board approved the First Centre of Excellence in the field of Computational Dynamics at IISc, Bengaluru.

Clean energy transition panel: Ban diesel 4-wheelers in cities with million-plus population by 2027

• The Energy Transition Advisory Committee has recommended ban on diesel four-wheelers from cities with million-plus population by 2027.
• The committee also suggested that more diesel-operated city buses sh ould not be added in urban areas.
• The committee suggested that by 2030, no city buses should be added, which are not electric.
• It said CNG may continue till 2035, but diesel buses for city transport should not be added from 2024 onwards.
• As per the committee, long-distance buses should be a mixture of electric with battery swapping and CNG/LNG.
• According to a September 2022 report of the Automotive Research Association of India, the transport sector contributes up to 20% of the PM 2.5 emissions.
• The committee suggested the extension of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME)-II scheme beyond March 2024.
• It suggested increase in the quantum of FAME subsidy per EV, rather than targeting more EVs with lesser subsidy.
• Energy Transition Advisory Committee was chaired by former oil secretary Tarun Kapoor.
• It was formed by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• It was tasked with creating a clean energy transition roadmap.

Manipur: Union Minister launches scheme to promote tribal products from North East

• Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda has launched a new scheme “Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from North -Eastern Region (PTP-NER)” in Manipur.
• The people of the Scheduled Tribes of the North Eastern region will be benefited by this scheme.
• Its objective is to enhance the livelihood of tribal artisans by developing their procurement, conservation and market potential of tribal products of North Eastern States.
• This scheme will be applicable in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.
• The scheme will facilitate tribal artisans to take advantage of income generating opportunities through handholding, mobilization, skill and entrepreneurship development, sourcing and procurement, marketing, transportation and promotion.
• Under this scheme, from 18 April, 68 Tribal Artisan Fairs will also be organized in various districts of the North Eastern Region, which will be organized in the month of April-May.
• TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India), the nodal agency under tribal affairs, is striving to improve the quality of life of tribals by preserving their age-old traditions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India contributes $500,000 to United Nations entity for women empowerment         

• India has made a generous contribution of $500,000 ( ₹4.09 crore) to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women.
• The cheque was handed over by Ruchira Kamboj, the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, towards the Indian government’s contribution to the core voluntary budget of UN Women.
• The donation was received by Sima Sami Bahous, the Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women.
• India is currently serving as a member of the Executive Board of the UN Women & Women-led Development is one of the priorities of India’s G20 presidency.
• India’s development model is one that is led by women and focuses on entrepreneurship and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) education.

• This contribution by India highlights the country’s commitment towards gender equality and empowerment of women, as well as the government’s support towards UN Women’s activities.

About United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women : 

• Founded : 2 July 2010
• Headquarters : New York, United States
• Executive Director : Sima Sami Bahous
• It is a United Nations entity working for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo held in Japan   

• The 2023 Group of 7 (G7) Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment was held on 15-16 April, 2023 in Sapporo, Japan.
• The meeting considered priority issues in the areas of climate, energy, and the environment.
• Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav attended the plenary session of the G7 minister’s meeting.
• The G-7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom

Key Highlights : 

• The Climate and Environment Ministers of the G7 have agreed on a joint statement to tackle global nature loss.
• The G7 members committed to the effective implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
• G7 ministers also agreed to dedicate a significant amount of international climate finance to nature-based solutions.
• G7 members committed to quitting fossil fuels faster but failed to agree on any new deadlines.
• In 2022, G7 pledged to largely end fossil fuel use in their electricity sectors by 2035.
• G7 members agreed to reduce gas consumption and increase electricity generation from renewable sources.
• The global goal of reaching net zero by 2050 required enhanced emission descaling by developed countries.
• As per the “Global Carbon Budget Report – 2022″, China, the US and European Union are responsible for more than half of the world’s CO2 emissions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Kerala becomes the first Indian state to adopt a Water Budget to tackle summer water shortage

• The government of Kerala, under Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan has adopted a Water Budget, a first-of-its-type initiative in India to tackle water shortage in summer.
• The first phase of the Water Budget will cover 94 grama panchayats in 15 block panchayats of Kerala.

About the Water Budget : 

• The Kerala govt proposed a water budget for the first time in 2019.
• The Centre for Water Resource Development Management and the state water agency worked together to create the budget.
• The budget provides information about the availability of water in a specific location as well as its use based on the region’s population.
• it would help the state ascertain the demand and supply of the precious liquid resource and apportion it accordingly.
• The Public Water Budget initiative would help in properly utilising the resource and preventing wastage through proper Management.
• During the event, he also inaugurated the third phase of the project ‘Ini Njan Ozhukatte’ (Let me flow now) project for the rehabilitation of irrigation networks in the Western Ghats.
• Around 7,290 km of irrigation networks were revitalised throughout the first and second stages.
• The state has recovered hundreds of water bodies as part of the Ini Njan Ozhukatte project and will use satellite data to analyse the quality of water bodies in 230-grams panchayats in its 3rd phase.

About Kerala : 

• Governor : Arif Mohammad Khan
• Chief Minister : Pinarayi Vijayan
• Capital : Thiruvananthapuram
• National Park : Eravikulam National Park, Silent Valley National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

WPI inflation eases to 29-month low of 1.34% in March

• India’s annual Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation declined to a 29-month low of 1.34 per cent in March 2023 as input prices continued to moderate.
• This is the 10th straight month of decline in WPI-based inflation.
• The food index inflation eased to 2.32 per cent in March from 2.76 per cent in February.
• Recently, India’s retail inflation cooled to below the Reserve Bank of India’s upper tolerance level of 6 per cent for the first time in three months, to 5.66 per cent in March supported by a favourable base and easing pent-up demand.

Aadhaar brought down KYC cost to ₹3 from as high as ₹700

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the cost of KYC has reduced from ₹700 to ₹3 because of Aadhaar.
• The cost of loan processing has been cut down by almost 75%.
• Finance Minister delivered a keynote address during a seminar on ‘India’s Digital Public Infrastructure – Stacking Up the Benefits’, organised by IMF.
• She highlighted the benefits of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and how the government has used its benefits to serve the citizens, especially during the pandemic.
• 46,25 crore low-cost bank accounts have been opened under PM Jan Dhan Yojana.
• 56% of account holders are women.
• She said India’s DPI based direct benefit transfer system has helped about 650 million people.

About Aadhar

• Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• It was launched on 28 January 2009.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

India signs MoU with World Food Programme for sending wheat to Afghanistan

• India has signed an MoU with World Food Programme for sending 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat to the people of Afghanistan.
• The officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and the United Nations WFP signed MoU in Mumbai.
• WFP assured speedy delivery of wheat to the most vul nerable sections of the Afghan population.
• Recently, the India Central Asia Joint Working Group on Afghanistan announced to send 20,000 MT of wheat through the Iranian port of Chahbahar.
• According to WFP, nine out of 10 Afghan families could not afford enough food and 20 million people are facing the threat of starvation.
• India has yet not recognised the Taliban government of Afghanistan.

About WFP

• World Food Programme (WFP) was founded in December 1961 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.
• It is the world’s largest humanitarian intergovernmental organization that focuses on hunger and food security.
• Cindy McCain is the head of WFP.

Tamil Nadu inks pact for Rs 2,302 crore investment with footwear firm

• The Tamil Nadu government signed a memorandum of understanding with a well-known footwear maker for an investment of ₹2,302 crore in the state.
• The MoU was signed with High Glory Footwear, a subsidiary of Taiwan-based Pou Chen Corporation, the world’s largest bran ded footwear manufacturer.
• It is the state government’s nodal agency for investment promotion and single window facilitation.
• Manufacturing unit will come up at SIPCOT, Ulundurpet in Kallakurichi.
• The investment has been attracted in the wake of the government releasing a Footwear and Leather Products Policy 2022 in August last year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

US became India’s largest trading partner in FY23

• US became India’s largest trading partner in FY23.
• Bilateral trade between both countries has increased by 7.65% to $128.55 billion in 2022-23 as against $119.5 billion in 2021-22 as per provisional data of the commerce ministry.
• Bilateral trade between India and US was $80.51 billion in 2020-21.
• Exports to the US increased by 2.81% to $78.31 billion in 2022-23.
• Exports to the US were $76.18 billion in 2021-22.
• Imports to the US grew by about 16% to $50.24 billion. In 2022-23, India had a trade surplus of $28 billion with the US.
• During 2022-23, India’s bilateral trade with China declined by about 1.5% to $113.83 billion as against $115.42 billion in 2021-22.
• Exports to China declined by approximately 28% to $15.32 billion in 2022-23.
• Imports increased by 4.16% to $98.51 billion in the last fiscal.
• China was India’s top trading partner from 2013-14 till 2017-18.
• It was also India’s top trading partner in 2020-21.
• During 2022-23, the UAE was India‘s third largest trading partner with $76.16 billion.
• UAE was followed by Saudi Arabia ($52.72 billion) and Singapore (USD 35.55 billion).
• India is the world’s 3rd largest czonsumer market.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

North Korea Tests Second Underwater Drone ‘Haeil-2’    

• To show off its strength against the United States of America (USA) and South Korea’s giant military exercise, North Korea tested its second nuclear-capable underwater attack drone “Haeil-2″ test.
• The Haeil-2″ test was carried out in Kajin Port, Kumya Country, South Hamgyong Province.

About Haeil-2 : 

• Haeil-2 developed in 2012 and has carried out more than 50 tests in the past two years.
• North Korea’s drone covered an underwater distance of 1000 km (621.37 miles) in 71 hours and 6 minutes.
• Calculated average speed of 4.6 knots & this is much slower than a torpedo.
• Also, although depth has been quoted as 80-100 metres.

About North Korea : 

• President : Kim Jong Un
• Capital : Pyongyang
• Currency : Korean People’s won

Daily CA One- Liner: April 20

• As per the India Digital Payments Annual Report for 2022 released by global payments player Worldline India, the most preferred medium for digital payments was Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in
• The South Indian Bank has launched 2 flexible saving products namely, SIB SEAFARER and SIB PULSE for its non-resident Indian (NRI) customers. 
• AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB), India’s largest small finance bank, has become the first commercial bank in India to integrate with the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), to launch bill payment services through video banking. 
• Private insurer ACKO General Insurance in partnership with Ola Electric and Ather Energy launched an “Extended Battery Warranty” plan, targeting electric vehicle (EV) owners. 
• On the occasion of the Centenary year of the Karnataka Bank, the bank has launched a Special campaign “KBL Centenary Mahotsav” for Home loan from 17, April 2023 to 17 July 2023.
• DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) has been inaugurated at the IIT Hyderabad
• The Energy Transition Advisory Committee has recommended ban on diesel four-wheelers from cities with million-plus population by 2027.
• Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda has launched a new scheme “Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from North -Eastern Region (PTP-NER)” in Manipur
• India’s annual Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation declined to a 29-month low of 1.34 per cent in March 2023 as input prices continued to moderate.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the cost of KYC has reduced from ₹700 to ₹3 because of Aadhaar
• India has signed an MoU with World Food Programme for sending 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat to the people of Afghanistan
• The Tamil Nadu government signed a memorandum of understanding with a well-known footwear maker for an investment of ₹2,302 crore in the state
• US became India’s largest trading partner in FY23
• India has made a generous contribution of $500,000 ( ₹09 crore) to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women.
• The 2023 Group of 7 (G7) Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment was held on 15-16 April, 2023 in Sapporo, Japan.
• The government of Kerala, under Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan has adopted a Water Budget, a first-of-its-type initiative in India to tackle water shortage in summer.
• To show off strength against the United States of America (USA) and South Korea’s giant military exercise, North Korea tested its second nuclear-capable underwater attack drone “Haeil-2″ test.