Daily Current Affairs May 10 2023 | Latest News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

AU Small Finance Bank launches Business Cashback RuPay credit card for self-employed customers

• AU Small Finance Bank has partnered with RuPay to introduce the Business Cashback RuPay credit card, an innovative solution tailored to meet the financial requirements of self-employed customers.

Aim :

• To provide a diverse range of benefits to small businesses.
• The credit card was launched in the presence of Dilip Asbe, CEO of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Sanjay Agarwal, MD & CEO of AU Small Finance Bank.

About Business Cashback RuPay credit card :

• The RuPay Credit Card simplifies financial operations for businesses with benefits like up to 2% cashback, 48 days interest-free credit, and instant loans.
• It also offers fire insurance, burglary, and housebreaking coverage, making it a one-stop solution for businesses.
• The credit card also provides lifestyle and travel benefits.
• Their Silver Spoon Dining Program also offers cardholders up to 30% offer at over 300 restaurants, 8 complimentary railway lounge access per annum, and 1% fuel surcharge waiver.

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

SEBI introduces Legal Entity Identifier for non-convertible securities, securitised debt instruments & security receipts

• The Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) system for issuers that have listed or are planning to list non-convertible securities, securitized debt instruments, and security receipts.

What is LEI?

• Legal Entity Identifier, a unique global identifier for legal entities participating in financial transactions, is designed to create a global reference data system that uniquely identifies every legal entity, in any jurisdiction, that is party to a financial transaction.
• It is a unique 20-character code to identify legally distinct entities that engage in financial transactions.
• Presently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mandates non-individual borrowers having aggregate exposure of above Rs 25 crore to obtain Legal Entity Identifier code.
• The LEI has been introduced by the RBI in a phased manner for participants in the over the counter (OTC) derivative and non-derivative markets as also for large corporate borrowers.
• In India, LEI can be obtained from Legal Entity Identifier India Ltd. (LEIL), which is also recognised as an issuer of LEI by the Reserve Bank under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
• SEBI has asked depositories to map the Legal Entity Identifier code to existing ISINs by September 30, and map the Legal Entity Identifier code provided by the issuers with the ISIN at the time of activation of the ISIN for future issuances.

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 (first woman to lead the SEBI)
• SEBI is the regulatory body for securities and commodity markets in India under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), GoI.

Kotak Mahindra Bank grants first FPI licence to Alchemy India Long Term Fund relocated to GIFT City

• Kotak Mahindra Bank has issued the first-ever foreign portfolio investor (FPI) licence to Alchemy’s Fund for relocation to Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) City.

What is FPI?

• Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) involves an investor buying foreign financial assets.
• It involves an array of financial assets like fixed deposits, stocks, and mutual funds.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) operates the FPIs.

Key Highlights :

• The bank has re-domiciled Alchemy India Long Term Fund from Mauritius to India’s GIFT City.
• In June 2023, Alchemy India Long Term Fund will complete 15 years of operation.
• Alchemy Group is a Portfolio Management Services (PMS) provider, having $ 770 million Group assets as of March 31.
• It was India’s 3rd largest private sector bank in terms of assets and by market capitalization as of November 2021.

About Kotak Mahindra Bank :

• Founded : 2003.
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO : Uday Kotak
• Tagline : Let’s Make Money Simple

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

PMJJBY, PMSBY and APY completed 8 years of providing social security cover.

• Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) completed 8 years of providing social security cover.
• PMJJBY, PMSBY and APY were launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 9th May, 2015 from Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The three schemes are dedicated to the welfare of the citizens, recognising the need for securing human life from unforeseen decentralisation and financial uncertainties.

About Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

• Scheme: PMJJBY is a one-year life insurance scheme renewable from year to year offering coverage for death due to any reason.
• Eligibility: Persons in the age group of 18-50 years having an individual bank or a post office account are entitled to enroll under the scheme. People who join the scheme before completing 50 years of age can continue to have the risk of life covered up to age of 55 years upon payment of regular premium.
• Benefits: Life cover of Rs. 2 Lakh in case of death due to any reason against a premium of Rs. 436/- per annum.
• Achievements: As on 26.04.2023, the cumulative enrolments under the scheme have been more than 16.19 crore and an amount of Rs. 13,290.40 crore has been paid for 6,64,520 claims.

About Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)

• Scheme: PMSBY is a one-year accidental insurance scheme renewable from year to year offering coverage for death or disability due to accident.
• Eligibility: Persons in the age group of 18-70 years having an individual bank or a post office account are entitled to enroll under the scheme.
• Benefits: Accidental death cum disability cover of Rs.2 lakh (Rs.1 lakh in case of partial disability) for death or disability due to an accident against a premium of Rs.20/- per annum.
• Achievements: As on 26.04.2023, the cumulative enrolments under the scheme have been more than 34.18 crore and an amount of Rs. 2,302.26 crore has been paid for 1,15,951 claims.

About Atal Pension Yojana (APY)

• The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) was launched to create a universal social security system for all Indians, especially the poor, the under-privileged and the workers in the unorganised sector.
• It is an initiative of the Government to provide financial security and cover future exigencies for the people in the unorganised sector.
• APY is administered by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the overall administrative and institutional architecture of the National Pension System (NPS).
• Eligibility: APY is open to all bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 40 years who are not income tax payers and the contributions differ, based on pension amount chosen.
• Benefits: Subscribers would receive the guaranteed minimum monthly pension of Rs. 1000 or Rs. 2000 or Rs. 3000 or Rs. 4000 or Rs. 5000 after the age of 60 years, based on the contributions made by the subscriber after joining the scheme.
• Payment frequency: Subscribers can make contributions to APY on monthly/quarterly/half-yearly basis.
• Achievements: As on 27.04.2023 more than 5 crore individuals have subscribed to the scheme.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

258 Million Needed Emergency Food Aid in 2022: UN  

• According to a United Nations (UN) report some 258 million people needed emergency food aid in 2022 because of conflict, economic shocks and climate disasters, a sharp rise from 193 million the previous year.
• More than 40% of those in serious need of food lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Nigeria and
• People in 7 countries faced starvation and destitution, or catastrophe levels of acute hunger at some point during 2022.
• This overall figure has now increased for the 4th consecutive year in a row.

About World Food Programme (WFP) :

• Founded : 19 December, 1961
• Headquarters : Rome, Italy
• The WFP is an international organisation within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide.
• It is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation and the leading provider of school meals.

About UN : 

• Established : 1945
• Headquarters : New York City, United States
• Secretary General : António Guterres

World Health Organisation chief declares end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has ended the global emergency status of COVID-19.
• According to WHO’s Coronavirus Dashboard which has collated key statistics since early in the pandemic, the cumulative cases worldwide now stand at 765,222,932, with nearly 7 million deaths: the precise figure currently stands at 6,921,614.
• As of 30 April,2023 a total of more than 3 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
• On 30 January 2020, after the recommendation of the Emergency Committee, WHO had declared Covid-19 as a global health emergency.
• The WHO issued an updated Covid management plan on 3 May, 2023.
• It will guide countries to manage Covid for the next 2 years.
• The WHO has assigned the label to 7 outbreaks since 2007: monkeypox, Covid, Zika, H1N1 flu, polio and Ebola (which has twice been designated an emergency).

About WHO :

• Established : 7 April 1948
• Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
• Director General : Tedros Adhanom

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Uttar Pradesh government plans to develop a ‘Ramaland’ theme park on the lines of Disneyland

• The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is planning to develop a theme park ‘Ramaland’ modelled on
• It will be developed to narrate the story of Lord Ram and attract tourists.
• It will attract children and adults to showcase the story of Ramayan.

Key Highlights :

• Under ‘Ayodhya Vision 2047’, the planned transformation of Ayodhya is estimated to cost Rs 30,000 crore.
• The development plans include around 260 initiatives covering tourism, aviation, infrastructure, housing, medical, energy, culture, urban improvement, transport and more.
• The expenditure will be jointly borne by the central and the UP governments.
• The UP government is also planning to set up 6 grandiose arched gateways at the roads leading from other districts to Ayodhya.
• Each gateway complex will be named after the characters of Ramayana.
• The proposed Ayodhya international airport will be completed by June 2023.
• Ayodhya Municipal Corporation and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make Ayodhya an international tourist hub.

About UP :

• Governor : Anandiben Patel
• Chief Minister : Yogi Adityanath
• Capital : Lucknow
• National Park : Dudhwa National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary, National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana Chief Minister Shri K Chandrashekhar Rao inaugurates Dr BR Ambedkar State Secretariat building in Telangana

• Telangana Chief Minister Shri K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) inaugurated the newly built BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat.
• The new Secretariat complex, which stands 265 feet tall and is spread over an area of 10,51,676 square feet in a sprawling of 28 acres of land.
• The 7-story Secretariat building with a built-up area of seven lakh square feet is being built at a cost of Rs 650 crore.
• The domes of the new Secretariat have been built in the styles of the Neelakanteswara Swamy temple of the Kakatiya period in Nizamabad, designs of the palaces of the royals of Wanaparthy ‘Samsthanam’ in Telangana and the pattern of the Hanuman temple in Sarangpur, Gujarat.

About Telangana :

• Governor : Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief Minister : K. Chandrashekar Rao
• Capital : Hyderabad
• National Park : Mrugavani National Park, Periyar National Park

Haryana Government to introduce a new feature on Haryana-eSamiksha portal

• The Haryana government will be introducing a new feature on the Haryana-eSamiksha portal to enable administrative secretaries and heads of departments to monitor the follow-up actions taken on decisions made during their meetings and presentations.
• This was discussed at a meeting led by Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal along with officials from the Human Resource Department and the National Informatics Centre.

Key Highlights :

• Haryana-eSamiksha is a real-time online system designed to monitor follow-up actions.
• It will provide updates on file number, meeting date, chairperson, meeting description, and other documents such as the minutes of meeting (MOM), which can be accessed by officers of the concerned departments.
• The new feature will enhance the monitoring and tracking of important decisions thereby increasing accountability and transparency in the administrative processes.

About Haryana :

• Governor : Bandaru Dattatreya
• Chief Minister : Manohar Lal Khattar
• Capital : Chandigarh
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Chhilchhila Wildlife Sanctuary, Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary
• National Park : Kalesar National Park, Sultanpur National Park

Centre invokes Article 355 in Manipur to ensure state security

• The Central Government has promulgated Article 355 in Manipur to take charge of the security of the state.

About Article 355 :

• Article 355 of the Indian Constitution is a part of emergency provisions contained in Part XVIII of the Constitution of India, from Article 352 to 360.
• This article empowers the Centre to take necessary steps to protect a state from any kind of threat, be it internal or external.
• It states that the maintenance of law and order in a state falls under the jurisdiction of the central government.

About Manipur :

• Governor : Anusuiya Uikey
• Chief Minister : N. Biren Singh
• Capital : Imphal
• National Park : Keibul Lamjao National Park, Sirohi National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Zeilad Wildlife Sanctuary, Jiri Makru Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Daikin India becomes billion-dollar company, expect to double business in next 3 years

• Daikin India is now the second company operating in the cooling space to cross the USD 1 billion milestone after the Tata group firm Voltas, which had reported a total income of Rs 9,667 crore for FY23.
• Daikin India has a turnover of Rs 8,860 crore for the financial year ended on March 31, 2023.
• The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan’s Daikin Industries, a leading global manufacturer of commercial and residential air conditioning systems, has so far invested Rs 2,300 crore in India.
• Presently, Daikin India gets 70 per cent of its revenue from residential (room AC), 20 per cent from VRV (variable refrigerant volume AC systems) used for large offices, and the rest 10 per cent from commercial businesses such as projects etc.
• It is setting up its third unit in India at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh where it would manufacture air-conditioners and crucial components such as compressors.
• Daikin is the largest investor under the government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the promotion of domestic manufacturing of air conditioners.

About Daikin:

• Founded: 25 October 1924, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
• Headquarters: Osaka, Osaka, Japan
• CEO: Masanori Togawa (27 Jun 2014–)
• Founder: Akira Yamada
• President: Masanori Togawa

With ramped up buying, gold now makes up 8.06% of total forex reserves

• In FY23, India added 34.22 tonnes of gold to its official reserves, according to the latest World Gold Council data.
• This took the proportion of gold among India’s forex reserves to a five-year high of 8.06 per cent.
• According to the RBI data, as of March 2023, India had foreign reserves worth ₹46,06,680 crore.
• Of this, gold reserves amounted to ₹3,71,500 crore.
• The WGC data show that as of March 2023, India holds 794.6 tonnes of gold in its official reserves.
• Turkey added the most gold to its reserves last year — 140.88 tonnes, taking its total reserves to 572 tonnes.
• Turkey is followed by China, which added 120 tonnes and Singapore, which added 68.67 tonnes.
• India stands fifth among the countries that added glitter to its reserves last fiscal.
• When it comes to countries with the most official gold reserves, India ranks ninth, as of March 2023.
• The US, the leader here, holds 8,133.46 tonnes of gold.
• It is, however, 0.01 tonnes lesser than how much it held in March 2022.
• Germany comes a distant next with 3,354.89 tonnes of gold.
• While IMF holds the next highest amount of official gold reserves, the next country in line is Italy with 2,451.84 tonnes.
• The latest WGC report showed that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) was the largest single buyer of gold (69 metric tonnes) during January-March 2023.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) acquired about 10 tonnes of gold in the March quarter, placing it among the top five gold buyers in that period as a central bank.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

MakeMyTrip Teams Up with Microsoft to Transform Travel Booking with Voice-Assisted AI in Indian Languages

• MakeMyTrip has tied up with Microsoft to make travel planning more inclusive and accessible by introducing voice-assisted booking in Indian languages.
• Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Cognitive Services will converse with the user to offer personalised travel recommendation
• The beta version of this integration has been introduced in English and Hindi for flights and holiday customers.
• The next stage of voice-assisted booking flow will cover other transport offerings.

About MakeMyTrip.

• Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder & Group CEO,

About Microsoft:

• Founders: Bill Gates, Paul Allen
• Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States
• Founded: 4 April 1975,
• Chairperson: Satya Nadella

Max Life partners with Indian Industries Association to offer life insurance access to 11 lakh MSME workforce in UP

• Max Life Insurance Company (Max Life), a private life insurer, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Indian Industries Association (IIA) to provide life insurance plans to the MSME sector’s workforce in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
• Under the recently announced IRDAI’s State insurance plan, Max Life aims to enhance accessibility and drive affordable insurance penetration across UP.
• Max Life is the appointed lead insurer for the state of Uttar Pradesh under IRDAI’s State insurance plan
• These activities will be undertaken with Sana Insurance Brokers Pvt. Ltd. as the enrolment partner to engage with the MSME workforce.
• Indian Industries Association (IIA) is an apex representative body of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) headquartered in Lucknow.

Urban affairs, railways ministry ink MoU with Japan’s JICA for bullet train stations development

• The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Railways for the “Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail” (Project-SMART).
• The project aims to develop the surrounding areas of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) stations to improve accessibility and convenience for commuters and other stakeholders, as well as to promote economic acti vities in the vicinity of station areas.
• Under the MoU, four high-speed rail stations – Sabarmati, Surat in Gujarat, and Virar and Thane in Maharashtra – out of the 12 stations in the route will be developed.
• Surat, Virar and Thane are greenfield developments while Sabarmati is a brownfield development.
• MoHUA, the governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra, and JICA will organize a series of seminars and field visits for the Project-SMART in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai.
• Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR corridor) is an under-construction high-speed rail line connecting India’s economic hub Mumbai with the city of Ahmedabad.
• When completed, it will be India’s first high-speed rail line.
• The stretch of 50 km from Surat to Bilimora is expected to be completed by 2026.
• The total length of the bullet train corridor is 508.17 km and the train is expected to take around 2 hours and 58 minutes to travel between Ahmadabad and Mumbai, covering eight stations in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra.

Tata Tech signs MoU with IIT Hyderabad to collaborate on SDVs, ADAS development

• Tata Technologies announced a partnership with TiHAN IIT Hyderabad, to collaborate in the areas of Software Defined Vehicles (SDV) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
• Tata Technologies and TiHAN will collaborate towards solutions that address these specific challenges being faced by companies in developing SDVs that incorporate the latest technologies
• As part of the collaboration, engineers at Tata Technologies will be upskilled at TiHAN in new technology areas.

About TiHAN

• TiHAN stands for “Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation”.
• It is India’s first Autonomous Navigation facility inaugurated at the campus of IIT Hyderabad.
• Tata Technologies Headquarters: Pune.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

IAS Vineet Joshi appointed as new Chief Secretary in Manipur  

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed Vineet Joshi, Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education as the new Chief Secretary in Manipur.
• He replaced Dr Rajesh Kumar, who was given a 6-month extension in December 2022.

About Vineet Joshi :

• Vineet Joshi, is a 1992 Manipur cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.
• He had served as principal secretary to chief minister Shri N Biren Singh.
• In February 2022, he was appointed as the new chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
• He served as the Director-general of the national testing agency (NTA), which is responsible for conducting entrance examinations in India.

About Manipur :

• Governor : Anusuiya Uikey
• Chief Minister : N. Biren Singh
• Capital : Imphal
• National Park : Keibul Lamjao National Park, Sirohi National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Zeilad Wildlife Sanctuary, Jiri Makru Wildlife Sanctuary
• Airports : Imphal International Airport

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Navy decommissioned INS Magar in Kochi after 36 years of service

• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Magar, Landing Ship Tank (Large) amphibious assault ship of the Indian Navy decommissioned after 36 years of exceptional service at the naval base in Kochi, Kerala.
• The chief guest for the event was Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande.
• On April 10, 2018, the ship changed its base port to Kochi from Visakhapatnam for training sea officers, after decades of active operational deployment.

Key Highlights :

• The literal meaning of ‘Magar’ is a crocodile in English.
• This ship was commissioned by Admiral RH Tahiliani, Chief of the Naval Staff, on July 15 1987.
• INS Magar was built by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).
• INS Magar is 120 metres long and has a beam of 17.5 metres.
• It was deployed for milestone operations like Operation Pawan to support the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka.
• INS Magar also served as Humanitarian Aid Disaster Response (HADR), the latest operation was the evacuation of Indians from Malé (capital of Maldives) in 2020 following the Covid pandemic.
• The ship has also played a key role in a number of HADR operations, the most noteworthy being during the December 2004 Tsunami wherein it was instrumental in evacuation of over 1,300 civilians from the affected areas.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes’ 2023 highest-paid athletes list after Saudi move

• Cristiano Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after he signed a contract worth more than 200 million euros ($219.98 million) with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
• After leaving Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Fo otball Club until 2025.
• His annual playing salary has increased by $75 million.
• Lionel Messi is in the second spot with $130 million while Kylian Mbappe is in third spot with $120 million.
• LeBron James ($119.5 million) and Canelo Alvarez ($110 million) are in the fourth and fifth spots respectively.
• According to the report, sports players are getting more money than ever because of Middle Eastern investment in golf and football.
• The world’s ten highest-paid athletes collectively got $1.11 billion before taxes and agents’ fees.

Pakistan’s Babar Azam becomes fastest player to reach 5000 runs in ODIs, breaks Hashim Amla’s record

• Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has become the fastest player to reach 5000 runs in the ODI format.
• He crossed the 5000 run-mark in 97 innings.
• During the fourth match against New Zealand in Karachi, Pakistan captain Babar Azam became the fastest batsman to complete 5,000 One Day International runs.
• He broke South Africa’s Hashim Amla’s record.
• Azam took 97 innings in 99 One Day Internationals to reach the record, surpassing Amla’s record of 101 innings in 104 matches.
• Azam has been the number one batsman in the International Cricket Council’s ODI rankings for the last two years.
• In May 2015, Azam made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in his hometown Lahore.

Daily CA One- Liner: May 10

• Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) completed 8 years of providing social security cover
• Daikin India is now the second company operating in the cooling space to cross the USD 1 billion milestone after the Tata group firm Voltas, which had reported a total income of Rs 9,667 crore for FY23
• In FY23, India added 34.22 tonnes of gold to its official reserves, according to the latest World Gold Council data
• MakeMyTrip has tied up with Microsoft to make travel planning more inclusive and accessible by introducing voice-assisted booking in Indian languages
• Max Life Insurance Company (Max Life), a private life insurer, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Indian Industries Association (IIA) to provide life insurance plans to the MSME sector’s workforce in Uttar Pradesh (UP)
• The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Railways for the “Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail” (Project-SMART).
• Tata Technologies announced a partnership with TiHAN IIT Hyderabad, to collaborate in the areas of Software Defined Vehicles (SDV) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
• AU Small Finance Bank has partnered with RuPay to introduce the Business Cashback RuPay credit card, an innovative solution tailored to meet the financial requirements of self-employed customers.
• The Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) system for issuers that have listed or are planning to list non-convertible securities, securitized debt instruments, and security receipts.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank has issued the first-ever foreign portfolio investor (FPI) licence to Alchemy’s Fund for relocation to Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) City.
• According to a United Nations (UN) report some 258 million people needed emergency food aid last year because of conflict, economic shocks and climate disasters, a sharp rise from 193 million the previous year.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has ended the global emergency status of COVID-19.
• The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is planning to develop a theme park ‘Ramaland’ modelled on
• Telangana Chief Minister Shri K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) inaugurated the newly built BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat.
• The Haryana government will be introducing a new feature on the Haryana-eSamiksha portal to enable administrative secretaries and heads of departments to monitor the follow-up actions taken on decisions made during their meetings and presentations.
• The Central Government has promulgated Article 355 in Manipur to take charge of the security of the state.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed Vineet Joshi, Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education as the new Chief Secretary in Manipur.
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Magar, Landing Ship Tank (Large) amphibious assault ship of the Indian Navy decommissioned after 36 years of exceptional service at the naval base in Kochi, Kerala.

• Cristiano Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after he signed a contract worth more than 200 million euros ($219.98 million) with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
• Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has become the fastest player to reach 5000 runs in the ODI format