Current Affairs April 13th 2023| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

NSE Indices launches India’s 1st-ever REITs and InvITs index 

• NSE Indices Limited, a subsidiary of National Stock Exchange (NSE), has launched India’s first ever Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) called Nifty REITs and InvITs Index.

Aim : 

• To track the performance of REITs and InvITs that are publicly listed and traded (listed and traded or not listed but permitted to trade) at the NSE.

Key Highlights : 

• The Nifty REITs & InvITs Index has a base date of July 01, 2019, and a base value of 1000. 
• The index will be reviewed and rebalanced on a quarterly basis.
• The weights of securities within the index will be based on their free-float market capitalisation, subject to a security cap of 33% each, and the aggregate weight of the top three securities is capped at 72%.

What Are REITs And InvITs?

• REITs invest in real estate projects, whereas InvITs invest in infrastructure projects with a long gestation period.
• Through these trusts, investors get exposure to diversified regular income-generating real estate and infrastructure assets.

About NSE Indices Limited : 

• Founded :  March 1998
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• CEO : Mukesh Agarwal

Kotak General Insurance partners with actyv.ai to sell insurance products to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises  

• Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Co. Ltd (Kotak General Insurance) has partnered with actyv.ai to offer bite-sized insurance products to new-age Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) companies.

Key Highlights : 

• Kotak General Insurance will leverage actyv.ai’s Artificial Intelligence (AI)- powered platform to provide insurance solutions to support the business sustainability of small businesses.
• Through this partnership with Kotak General Insurance, enterprises on actyv.ai’s platform will now be able to offer group insurance to all of its distributors, retailers, and suppliers.

About actyv.ai : 

• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka
• Founder and Global CEO : Raghunath Subramanian

About Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Co. Ltd : 

• Founded : 2015
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Suresh Agarwal

JICA & Citibank to Provide $125 Million To IndusInd Bank For Onlending To Agricultural Sector

• The Japanese lender, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has teamed up with Citibank to provide a $125 million funding line to domestic private sector lender Indusind Bank.
• Indusind will be utilising the co-finance funding for onlending to the agricultural sector in India.
• The funding includes a JPY 13 billion (approx USD 97.45 million) loan from the JICA and another $30 million from Citi to Indusind.
• According to the Citing official data, the agriculture sector accounts for 17% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 45% of the people, & there is an urgent need to improve access to finance to stimulate capital investments in the agricultural sector.

Key Highlights : 

• The facility will be helpful in purchase of farm equipment, seeds, and fertilisers for farmers and will also be used by small agricultural supply chain service providers.
• Previously, Citi has committed $1 trillion to sustainable finance by 2030, as well as expanding access to basic services for 15 million underserved and low-income households, including 10 million women.
• JICA’s previous commitments to India include over Rs 4,000 crore support to build the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.

About IndusInd Bank Limited : 

• Founded : April 1994
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO: Sumant Kathpalia.
• Tagline : We Make You Feel Richer

About JICA : 

• Established : October 1, 2003
• Headquarters : Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan

Banks keep savings deposit rates unchanged in current cycle – RBI

• As per Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) Monetary Policy report for April,2023 banks have kept savings deposit rates unchanged in the current tightening period.
• During this period, banks have increased term deposit rates.

Key Highlights : 

• As per the report, increase in term deposit rates in the current tightening cycle has been more than increase in lending rate.
• This has helped in improving the lenders’ net interest margins (NIM).
• The net interest margin is the difference between the interest earned by a bank and the interest paid by it.
• The net interest margin improved from 3.44% as of December 2021 to 3.73% as of December 2022.
• In March 2023, term deposits formed 58.5% of aggregate deposits of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs).
• Savings account and current account deposits were 32.6% and 8.9%, respectively.
• RBI deregulated the interest rates on saving bank deposits from October 2011.
• The weighted average domestic term deposit rate (WADTDR) on fresh deposits was raised by 222 bps during May 2022 to February 2023.
• As per the report, external benchmark-based lending rates (EBLRs) were raised by the banks by 250 bps during May 2022- March 2023.
• The marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) – the internal benchmark for loan pricing – rose by 140 bps over the same period.
• The weighted average lending rate (WALR) on sanctioned fresh rupee loans increased by 173 bps and that on outstanding rupee loans by 95 bps during May 2022 to February 2023.

ICICI Bank introduces EMI facility for UPI payments by scanning QR code              

• ICICI Bank has introduced an easy EMI facility for UPI payments made by scanning QR code.
• Customers eligible for PayLater, the Bank’s ‘buy now, pay later’ service can avail of the EMI facility in an instant, easy and seamless manner.

Key Highlights : 

• This first-of-its-kind facility enhances the affordability of lakhs of the Bank’s customers as they can now instantly buy products or services just by scanning the required merchant QR code at a store and making payments in EMIs.
• Customers can pay a transaction amount above ₹10,000 in easy instalments in 3,6 or 9 months.
• ICICI Bank was the first bank to introduce PayLater facility in 2018 to enable customers to buy small ticket items immediately in a completely digital and paperless manner.
• PayLater facility enables customers to shop online, pay bills and pay to any merchant UPI ID at physical stores instantly.

About ICICI Bank : 

• Founded : 5 January 1994
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Sandeep Bakhshi

Bajaj Finance partners with SBI General Insurance to offer more consumer-centric motor insurance policies

• To ensure a hassle-free purchase of motor insurance policies, SBI General Insurance has partnered with Bajaj Finance to offer one-of-its-kind car and bike insurance policies.
• Vehicle owners can visit the Bajaj Finance portal to buy the SBI General car and bike insurance policies online in just a few steps.

SBI two-wheeler insurance policy through Bajaj Finance : 

• The SBI General Two-Wheeler Insurance Policy – Package covers accidental damages caused to the owner’s vehicle and third-party property and life.
• The insurer also offers customers a wide range of add-on covers to enhance their basic plan.

SBI four-wheeler insurance policy through Bajaj Finance : 

• SBI General’s Private Car Insurance Policy – Package is an all-in-one four-wheeler insurance policy tailored to provide customers comprehensive coverage against accidental losses.

About SBI General Insurance : 

• Founded : 2009 (started operations in 2010)
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• CEO : Kishore Kumar Poludasu.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Government to set up 16th Finance Commission in 2023

• The Union government is likely to set up the 16th Finance Commission this year to suggest, among other things, the ratio in which tax is to be divided between the Centre and states for five years, beginning April 1, 2026.
• In 2017, the 15th Finance Commission was set up with a mandate to make recommendations for the five ­year periods from 2020-­21, latter the mandate was extended by a year till 2025-­26.
• In November 2020, the Fifteenth Finance Commission, led by chairman N.K. Singh, submitted its report for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 to the then President Ram Nath Kovind.
• It was headed by NK Singh.
• It had kept the tax devolution ratio at 42%.
• Central government is giving states 42% from its divisible tax pool during the period 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• Finance Commission is a constitutional body.
• It gives recommendations on Centre-state financial relations.
• The last time the commission was granted a 6 ­year time frame was for the 9th Finance Commission, formed in 1987.
• Indian Constitution under article 280 provides for a Finance Commission as a quasi-judicial body.
• The Commission consists of a chairman and four other members to be appointed by the president of India.

Periyar Tiger Reserve tops management effectiveness evaluation process

• The Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala is the country’s best-maintained tiger reserve, according to the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) carried out by the Centre.
• It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978.
• It gets its name from the River Periyar, which has its origin deep inside the reserve.
• While Periyar reserve has obtained an MEE score of 94.3%, it is followed closely by the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, Bandipur in Karnataka and Nagarhole in Karnataka.
• The government has been using the MEE to assess tiger reserves across the country since its inception in 2006.
• At present, the country has 998 Protected Areas – including 106 National Parks, 567 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 105 Conservation Reserves and 220 Community Reserves — covering 1,73,629 sq km or 5.28% of India’s geographical area.
• Of these, 53 Tiger Reserves have been notified, which serve as an additional layer of protection around PAs.
• Of these 53 tiger reserves, however, only 51, covering a total area of 73,765 sq km, were evaluated as two newly declared tiger reserves, Ramgarh Visdhari and Ranipur, have not been included in the current cycle of MEE.
• In the 5th cycle, there are 12 Tiger Reserves that scored 90% and above; therefore, a new category of ‘Excellent’ has been added.
• Twelve 12 tiger reserves have ranked in the “Excellent” category, followed by 20 in the ‘Very Good’ category, 14 in the ‘Good’ category and 5 in the ‘Fair’ category. None of the country’s tiger reserves was graded as ‘Poor’

Total balance in Jan Dhan accounts sees record spurt in FY23

• Total balance in bank accounts under PMJDY has reached to a record level of ₹50,000 crore in the financial year ended March 31, 2023.
• Total balance stood at ₹99 lakh crore at the end of FY23 against ₹1.49-lakh crore at the end of FY22.
• Addition of 5 crore new accounts has been recorded under the scheme.
• The number of beneficiaries recorded at 48.65 crore by the end of the last fiscal. The women beneficiaries were over 27 crore.
• The key drivers for the scheme are the public sector banks. They have ₹55-lakh crore with them as deposits.
• Public sector banks are followed by Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) with ₹38,832 crore.
• Private sector banks got the remaining deposits.
• The issuing of RuPay cards has declined. Only 33 crore cards have been issued out of about 49 crore account holders.
• According to RBI data, nearly 8% of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts have zero balance.
• The average balance is around ₹2,400.

Network Planning Group under PM Gati Shakti approves 4 infra projects

• Four infrastructure projects have been approved by the Network Planning Group (NPG) under the PM Gati Shakti initiative.
• The infrastructure projects are related to railways.
• At its 46th session, NPG under PM Gati Shakti recommended four infrastructure projects.
• The four projects include construction of broad-gauge double line between Sawai Madhopur and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
• They also include broad-gauge line between Junagarh to Nabarangpur station in Odisha.
• Broad-gauge line between Anand Nagar Ghughuli via Maharajganj on Northeastern Railway in Uttar Pradesh is also included in these projects.
• The projects also include provision of automatic block signalling on freight dense high utilization network on Western Railway.

About PM Gati Shakti –

• National Master Plan was launched in October 2021.
• It was launched to develop an integrated and planned infrastructure to cut logistics costs.
• All logistics and connectivity infrastructure projects with an investment of over Rs 500 crore are routed through NPG.

MHA to provide financial assistance to States to help underprivileged inmates secure bail

• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched a scheme that envisages monetary aid to poor inmates who cannot afford the penalty or the bail amount.
• In line with one of the announcements of the Union Budget, ‘Support for Poor Prisoners’, the scheme envisages financial support to poor persons.
• The scheme will enable underprivileged prisoners, majority of whom belong to socially disadvantaged or marginalised groups with lower education and income levels, to get out of prison.
• Technology-driven solutions will be developed for providing benefits of the scheme to poor prisoners.
• E-prisons platform and District Legal Services Authority will be strengthened.
• The government has taken various steps to resolve the issue of undertrial in prisons such as the ‘Support for Poor Prisoners’ initiative.
• The Government has also inserted Section 436A in the Code of Criminal Procedure and a new chapter XXIA ‘Plea Bargaining’ in the CrPC for poor undertrials.

India’s tiger population in 2022 is 3,167, PM calls it ‘matter of pride’

• PM Modi released the latest census data of the tigers in the country at Mysuru, Karnataka.
• According to data, in the year 2022, the number of tigers in the country was 3167.
• The number of tigers has increased by 200 in the last 4 years.
• Earlier in 2018 this number was 2967.
• The figure of the number of tigers is released only at an interval of every four years.
• The number of tigers in the country was 2226 in 2014, 1706 in 2010 and 1411 in 2006.
• PM Modi has also released a commemorative coin to mark the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger and also launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA).
• This IBCA includes countries where seven animals of the ‘Marjar’ species – tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah are found.
• This organization will focus on the conservation and protection of these animals.
• Currently, India is home to the most Asiatic elephants, single-horned rhinos, leopards, and tigers.
• 75% of the world’s tiger population was in India and that the country had seen a 75% growth in the population of big cats over the last 10-12 years.
• NTCA in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has conducted a national assessment for the “Status of Tigers, Co-predators, Prey and their Habitat” every four years since then.
• The first status assessment of 2006 was peer-reviewed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure.
• The monitoring system M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) – is a software-based monitoring system developed (by NTCA in 2010) to assist patrol and protect tiger habitats.

5 States Front-runners in State Energy Efficiency Index 2021-22

• Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R. K. Singh released the report of State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2021-22.
• The SEEI was released during the RPM (Review, Planning and Monitoring) meeting of States and State Utilities in New Delhi.
• The index developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, in association with Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy (AEEE), assesses, the annual progress of states and UTs in energy efficiency implementation, for FY 2020-21 and 2021-22.
• SEEI 2021-22 has an updated framework of 50 indicators aligned with national priorities. Programme-specific indicators have been included this year to track outcomes and impacts of state-level energy efficiency initiatives.
• In SEEI 2021-22, 5 states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan and Telangana – are in the Front Runner category (>60 points) while 4 states – Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Punjab – are in the Achiever category (50-60 points).
• Further, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Chandigarh are the top-performing states in their respective state groups.
• Telangana and Andhra Pradesh showed the most improvement since the last index.
• The index is designed to help track progress on state goals for energy savings and reduction in emission intensity and outlines the following recommendations to help states drive change in EE which will contribute towards the fulfillment of SDGs and NDC.
• The Government of India set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
• on 1st March 2002 under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

Centre aims for low premium, coverage with new livestock insurance scheme

• The government is planning to rehaul the livestock insurance scheme and will launch a comprehensive livestock insurance scheme just like Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana.
• At present, less than 1% of India’s cattle population is insured and the average yearly premium is 4.5% of the insured amount.
• Recently, a Parliamentary Standing Committee raised concern in front of the Animal Husbandry Ministry for zero insurance coverage of livestock in 2022-23.
• According to the report of the panel, 174,061 animals were insured in 2021-22 while not a single livestock insurance was done in 2022-23.
• The central government is planning to launch the scheme before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
• The government is considering waving premiums of cattle rearers from Scheduled Caste (SC)-Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
• The main focus of the revamped scheme will be to reduce the premium to attract more farmers to enroll in the insurance scheme.
• The current Centrally-sponsored livestock insurance scheme is functional in 100 districts.
• It is managed by the respective State Livestock Development Boards.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Himachal Pradesh to launch ‘Project Sanjeevani’ to empower dairy farmers

• The Government of Himachal Pradesh (HP) has launched a project named Sanjeevani to empower the livelihood of small dairy farmers and livestock owners.

About the project : 

• The project will help in improving the lives of farmers by providing them convenient and quality care for livestock at their doorsteps.
• Telemedicine and technology will help in reducing the turnaround time of services.
• It will also help in controlling the outbreaks of diseases.
• The Animal Husbandry Department has signed an agreement with Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd. (BFIL) in this regard.
• This collaboration under the National Animal Disease Control Programme-Mobile Veterinary Van (NADCP-AHD-MVU) will improve the delivery of livestock care at doorsteps with just a phone call.
• The toll-free telephone number for livestock care will become operational very soon.
• The doorstep veterinary services will be provided in 44 blocks of all 12 districts.
• The uniqueness of the initiative lies in its ability to connect the doctor and the farmer through a mobile app, which also tracks the efficiency of service delivery, medicines prescribed, and livestock diseases related data in one platform.

About HP : 

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s 3rd Light Combat Aircraft production line inaugurated in Maharashtra

• Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane inaugurated the third production line of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) set up by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) at Nashik in Maharashtra.
• The new production line will enable the company to enhance production of LCA Tejas (MK1A) from its current capacity of 16 jets to 24 aircraft per year.
• The HAL has 2 manufacturing facilities for LCA Tejas in Bengaluru.
• He also handed over the 100th Sukhoi-30 MKI ROH (Repair and Overhaul) aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

About HAL Tejas : 

• Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.
• Egypt, Argentina, the US, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are also among the countries showing interest in Tejas aircraft.
• In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas jets for the IAF.

Key Highlights : 

• HAL’s Nashik Division has achieved peak overhaul capacity of 20 Su-30 aircraft per year despite having supply chain issues in current geopolitical situations.
• The Signal out Certificate (SOC) of the 100th ROH aircraft was handed over by SaketChaturvedi, CEO (MiG Complex), to Air Vice-Marshal Sarin.
• HAL plans to reduce the dependency on original equipment manufacturers (Russia) by indigenising the majority of components required for ROH within the next 3 to 5  years.

About HAL : 

• Founded : 1964
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• Chairman and Managing Director : CB Ananthakrishnan

China Successfully undertakes military drill ‘Operation Joint Sword’ encircling Taiwan 

• The Chinese military successfully held three days of military drills dubbed Operation Joint Sword, around Taiwan Island.

Purpose : 

• To rehearse an encirclement of Taiwan.
• China wants to reunify Taiwan with the motherland and views the democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.

About China : 

• President : Xi Jinping
• Capital : Beijing
• Currency : Renminbi

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Iran successfully tests homemade kamikaze drone equipped with 50 kg warhead        

• Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has successfully tested a homemade long-range, high-precision kamikaze drone named Meraj-532, equipped with a 50-kg warhead.

About Meraj-532:

• It is a kamikaze drone equipped with a piston engine.
• It has a range of 450 km.
• It is capable of flying at a maximum altitude of 12,000 feet for three straight hours.
• It has a 50-kg warhead and can be assembled and prepared for flight easily, making it suitable for rapid reaction operations.

What is a Kamikaze drone ?

• A kamikaze drone, also called a suicide drone or, more formally, a loitering munition, is an unmanned aerial vehicle that is designed to self-destruct after serving its purpose.
• They can hover around the target area for some time (much longer than a cruise missile) and attack only once a target is located.

About Iran : 

• President : Ebrahim Raisi
• Capital : Tehran
• Currency : Iranian rial

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta passed away

• Former Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Tamil Nadu (TN) Naresh Gupta passed away at the age of 72 in Chennai, TN.

About Naresh Gupta : 

• Naresh hailed from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
• He served as the CEO of Tamil Nadu between 1998 and 2000, and 2005 and 2010.
• He has served in multiple positions, including being the first collector of Sivaganga district in 1985-86, and Home Secretary for the then CM M Karunanidhi in 2001-02.
• He then became a Member Secretary of the State Planning Commission between 2002 and 2005.
• He also penned a book titled ‘Human Development in India’ based on his experience as a member secretary.
• He retired in the year 2010, and was posted as a member of the Central Administrative Tribunal after his retirement.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 2023: April 13

• Every year April 13th is observed as Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
• Jallianwalla also called as Massacre of Amritsar incident on April 13, 1919, in which British troops fired on a large crowd of unarmed Indians in an open space known as the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in the Punjab region of India.
• The people gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to protest against the arrest of the two nationalist leaders Satya Pal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew on 13th April 1919.
• Suddenly a British military officer General Dyer entered the park with the troops.
• Without even giving a warning to the people he ordered the troops to open fire on an unarmed crowd for ten minutes and when their ammunition was exhausted they left.
• According to the estimates of the congress about a thousand persons were killed and about 2000 wounded.
• The bullet marks can be still seen on the walls of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre which is now a national memorial.
• General Dyer had no regrets he went to England and some Englishmen collected money to honor him.
• Others were shocked at this act of brutality and demanded an inquiry.
• A British newspaper called it one of the modern histories.

Daily CA One- Liner: April 13

• The Union government is likely to set up the 16th Finance Commission this year to suggest, among other things, the ratio in which tax is to be divided between the Centre and states for five years, beginning April 1, 2026
• The Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala is the country’s best-maintained tiger reserve, according to the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) carried out by the Centre
• Total balance in bank accounts under PMJDY has reached to a record level of ₹50,000 crore in the financial year ended March 31, 2023
• Four infrastructure projects have been approved by the Network Planning Group (NPG) under the PM Gati Shakti initiative
• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched a scheme that envisages monetary aid to poor inmates who cannot afford the penalty or the bail amount.
• PM Modi released the latest census data of the tigers in the country at Mysuru, Karnataka
• Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R. K. Singh released the report of State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2021-22
• The government is planning to rehaul the livestock insurance scheme and will launch a comprehensive livestock insurance scheme just like Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana
• Every year April 13th is observed as Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
• NSE Indices Limited, a subsidiary of National Stock Exchange (NSE), has launched India’s first ever Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) called Nifty REITs and InvITs Index.
• Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Co. Ltd (Kotak General Insurance) has partnered with ai to offer bite-sized insurance products to new-age Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) companies.
• The Japanese lender, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has teamed up with Citibank to provide a $125 million funding line to domestic private sector lender Indusind Bank.
• As per Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) Monetary Policy report for April,2023 banks have kept savings deposit rates unchanged in the current tightening period.
• ICICI Bank has introduced an easy EMI facility for UPI payments made by scanning QR code.
• To ensure a hassle-free purchase of motor insurance policies, SBI General Insurance has partnered with Bajaj Finance to offer one-of-its-kind car and bike insurance policies.
• The Government of Himachal Pradesh (HP) has launched a project named Sanjeevani to empower the livelihood of small dairy farmers and livestock owners.
• Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane inaugurated the third production line of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) set up by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) at Nashik in
• The Chinese military successfully held three days of military drills dubbed Operation Joint Sword, around Taiwan Island.
• Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has successfully tested a homemade long-range, high-precision kamikaze drone named Meraj-532, equipped with a 50-kg warhead.
• Former Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Tamil Nadu (TN) Naresh Gupta passed away at the age of 72 in Chennai, TN.