Current Affairs April 15th 2023| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

DBS Bank India to launch proprietary credit card

• DBS Bank India Limited, a 100% subsidiary of Singapore headquartered DBS Bank, will by June, 2023 roll out its proprietary credit cards.
• This credit card offering will be targeted at mass affluent and above (premium segment, including HNIs).
• Currently, DBS Bank India has a co-branded credit card with Bajaj Finserv and a customer base of 2,00,000.

Key Highlights : 

• DBS Bank India is also planning to foray into the affordable housing loans segment this fiscal.
• It will look to target mostly customers in the Tier II and Tier III cities for selling this product.
• Meanwhile, DBS Bank India has announced a partnership with IndiaFilings, a leading platform for startups and small businesses in India.
• DBS Bank India, which now has 522 physical branches in the country, will look to add another 80-100 branches in the next 18 months with the bulk of this increase expected to come in North and Western India.
• DBS Bank India had a few years back acquired Lakshmi Vilas Bank (South India Based).

RBI allows Karnataka Bank to collect direct, indirect taxes

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has authorised private sector lender Karnataka Bank to collect direct and indirect taxes on behalf of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
• The authorisation has been given on the recommendation from the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance (MoF).
• Customers are already enjoying seamless online payments for custom duty by selecting Karnataka Bank in the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway ‘ICEGATE’ portal of CBIC.
• The ICEGATE portal of the Central Board for Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) provides e-filing services to the trade, cargo carriers and other trading partners electronically.

About Karnataka Bank : 

• Founded : 18 February 1924
• Headquarters : Mangalore, Karnataka, India
• MD & CEO : Mahabaleshwara M. S
• Tagline : Your Family Bank Across India

City Union Bank launches Voice Biometric Authentication for mobile banking

• City Union Bank Limited (CUB) has launched India’s first voice biometric authentication for logging into its mobile banking app.
• The voice biometric service was developed by Chennai-based deeptech start-up, Kaizen Secure Voiz Pvt Ltd, under the guidance of the 5G use case lab of the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), an RBI established institution focussed on research in banking technologies.

Key Highlights : 

• Voice biometric will be one other option for the customer to log in, apart from existing modes like User ID/PIN, face ID, fingerprint authentication, etc.
• CUB also clarified that the customers can choose any one of these authentication options as per their convenience
• The bank has been at the forefront of many technology innovations and implementation, including the first robot (Lakshmi) in the banking industry, multilingual chatbots in the mobile banking app, the country’s first wearable debit card in the form of a wrist watch and key chains, among others.

About CUB : 

• Founded : 1904
• Headquarters : Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India
• MD & CEO : N Kamakodi

Canara Bank & NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd launch cross-border inward bill payment services for Indians based in Oman

• Canara Bank in partnership with NPCI Bharat BillPay (NBBL) has launched cross-border inward bill payment services for Indians based in Oman.

Key Highlights : 

• NRIs can now leverage the robust platform offered by the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) to make bill payments on behalf of their families through the Musandam Exchange.
• This initiative signifies a milestone for Canara Bank as the first public sector bank in India to offer inbound cross-border bill payments through BBPS.
• Musandam Exchange, managed by Canara Bank, is also the first exchange house in Oman to go live on cross-border inbound bill payments.
• The cross-border bill payment service is already live in Kuwait, facilitating inbound remittances across utilities like electricity, water, mobile phone, gas, credit card bills, and more.
• Non Resident Indians (NRIs) in Oman will now enjoy these benefits for the first time, marking an important juncture in India’s digital payments journey, adding the service provides Indian expatriates, who until now had to rely on conventional methods to pay their domestic bills, with a much-needed option.

About Canara Bank : 

• Founded : 1 July 1906
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• MD & CEO : K. Satyanarayana Raju
• Tagline : Together We Can

HDFC Bank to raise Rs 50,000 crore via bonds over next 12 months

• The country’s largest private-sector lender, HDFC Bank, is planning to raise up to Rs 50,000 crore (about $6 billion) through bonds including additional tier (AT) I, tier II, and infrastructure bonds in the next 12 months.
• HDFC Bank’s board of directors will consider this proposal at its meeting scheduled for April 15, 2023.

Key Highlights : 

• Commercial banks’ combined fundraise through bonds (AT I, tier II and infrastructure bonds) was about Rs 1.14 trillion in 2022-23 as against about Rs 73,200 crore in FY22.
• Among commercial banks, State Bank of India (SBI), was the largest issuer in FY23.
• SBI raised about Rs 38,851 crore, followed by HDFC Bank (Rs 23,000 crore), and Axis Bank (Rs 12,000 crore).
• It will place these instruments – perpetual debt instruments (AT1 bonds, Tier II capital bonds and long-term infrastructure bonds) through private placement.
• In FY23, HDFC Bank had issued Rs 20,000 crore through Tier II bonds and Rs 3,000 crore through AT1 bonds.

About HDFC Bank : 

• Founded : August 1994
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• CEO : Sashidhar Jagdishan
• Tagline : We Understand Your World

HDFC Bank signs agreement with Export Import Bank of Korea for USD 300 million credit line 

• HDFC Bank has signed a “Master Inter Bank Credit Agreement” with Export Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) for a USD 300 million line of credit.
• The pact was signed by the two entities at GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec) City in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar.
• This agreement will help HDFC Bank raise foreign currency funds which it would extend to Korea-related businesses.

Key Highlights : 

• This line of credit would be utilised by HDFC Bank towards funding requirements of companies having equity participation by Korean companies as well as companies having business relationship with Korean companies.
• It will also be utilised towards funding requirements of consumers for the purchase of cars manufactured by Korea related companies.
• The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) is an official export credit agency of South Korea having a balance sheet size of close to USD 100 billion, which provides export-import and overseas investment credit to support Korean enterprises conducting business overseas.

HDFC Mutual Fund launches schemes for large, mid and small-cap segments

• HDFC Asset Management Company (AMC) has launched 3 index schemes – HDFC S&P BSE 500 Index Fund, HDFC NIFTY Midcap 150 Index Fund, and HDFC NIFTY Small-cap 250 Index Fund.
• The three index funds will offer diversified exposure to large-, mid- and small-cap segments.
• The new fund offer (NFO) opened on April 6, 2023 and will close on April 18, 2023.
• The open-ended schemes will replicate the S&P BSE 500, NIFTY Midcap 150 Index, and NIFTY Smallcap 250 Index, respectively.
• There are no entry and exit loads, and the minimum subscription amount is Rs. 100.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Centre extends ceasefire agreements with three Naga groups for one year

• Centre has extended ceasefire agreements with three Naga groups for one year.
• These three groups are the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-NK (NSCN-NK), National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Reformation (NSCN-R) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-K-Khango (NSCN-K-Khango).
• All these groups signed ceasefire agreements with the government over the years.
• Ceasefire agreements with NSCN/NK and NSCN/R have been extended for one year with effect from April 28, 2023, to April 27, 2024.
• Ministry of Home Affairs announced that the ceasefire agreement with NSCN/K-Khango has been extended from April 18, 2023 to April 17, 2024.

Steel Ministry approves 13 task forces for ‘Green Steel’

• Ministry of Steel approved 13 task forces for ‘Green Steel’.
• For defining the roadmap for ‘Green Steel’, the Union Minister of Steel and Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia has approved 13 Task Forces.
• The task force comprising experts and industry stakeholders will look into various aspects of ‘Green Steel’ production.
• It will work on the terminology, definition, benchmarks, scoping, certification and others aspects of ‘Green Steel’.
• The task force for “Monitoring of Carbon Emission of Steel Plants” will work on formulating standards for carbon dioxide emission monitoring.
• It will also work for the development of methodology and institutional mechanisms for monitoring.
• The demand side taskforce will work on making a framework for creating demand for green steel across different sectors.
• The Supply-side taskforce will focus on improving energy efficiency, renewable energy transition, material efficiency, Green Hydrogen, etc.
• The finance task force will work on innovative financing mechanisms to fulfil the capital requirement for green steel.
• The skill development Task force will provide a framework for up-skilling people for green steel production.

Government releases pre-draft of National Curriculum Framework for schools, seeks feedback

• The Ministry of Education has released a pre-draft version of National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for School Education and has sought feedback from various stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, teacher educators, experts, scholars and professionals.
• In view of the diverse needs of students, multiple pedagogic approaches, learning-teaching material at the different stages of school education, it is felt important to take feedback from this NCF-School Education (SE).
• The National Steering Committee under the chairmanship of K. Kasturirangan was set up by the Ministry to undertake and develop NCFs.
• The pre-draft version of National Curriculum Framework for School Education covers the framework of curriculum for age groups 3 to 18 years.
• The pre-draft says that for Grade 10 certification, students will have to take two essential courses from humanities, maths and computing, vocational education, physical education, arts education, social science, science and interdisciplinary areas.
• In Grade 11 and 12, students will be offered choice-based courses in the same disciplines for more rigorous engagement.
• Arts education will include music, dance, theatre , sculpture, painting, set design, scriptwriting, while inter-disciplinary areas will include knowledge of India, traditions and practices of Indian knowledge systems.
• For Class 11 and 12, Modular Board Exams will be offered as opposed to a single exam at the end of the year and final result will be based on cumulative result of each exam.
• It focuses on the importance of questioning by giving examples of the Upanishads, and includes examples from Katha Upanishad.
• It terms debates between Adisankara and Mandana Misra as legendary.
• For the framework of the social science curriculum, it emphasises on understanding and appreciating the feeling of Indianess, ‘bhartiyata’, by valuing the rich cultural heritage and tradition of the country.
• The pre-draft recommends learning about Ayurveda and yoga.
• The middle-school history curriculum includes the emergence of large empires in the context of Greek and Magadh geographies.
• It also recommends teaching concepts of Buddhism, Jainism and Vedic and Confucian philosophies.

Finance Secretary-led panel to review NPS for government employees

• The Finance Ministry has set up a four-member committee under the chairmanship of Finance Secretary TV Somanathan to suggest measures to improve the pensionary benefits of government employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS).
• This move comes in the wake of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement in Lok Sabha on March 24 that a committee under the Finance Secretary would be set up to look into the issue of pensions under the NPS with respect to government employees and evolve an approach that addresses the needs of the employees while maintaining fiscal prudence to protect the common citizen.
• The other members of this committee, now constituted by the Department of Expenditure in the Finance Ministry, are the Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances &Pensions; Special Secretary (Pers), Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance; and Chairman,Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA).
• The Committee may also co-opt any officer of the Central Government as part of its deliberations whenever such a need is felt by the Panel.
• However, no timeline has been specified for when the panel report needs to be submitted, a pension industry observer pointed out.

The terms of reference of this panel are:

1. Whether in the light of the existing framework and structure of the National Pension System, as applicable to Government employees, any changes therein are warranted;
2. If so, to suggest such measures as are appropriate to modify the same with a view to improving upon the pensionary benefits of government employees covered under the National Pension System, keeping in view the fiscal implications and impact on overall budgetary space, so that fiscal prudence is maintained to protect the common citizen.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Madhya Pradesh’s Famous Gond Painting Receives Geographical Indication Tag

• The famed Gond painting of Madhya Pradesh (MP) has received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• Madhya Pradesh’s popular Sharbati wheat, also called The Golden Grain, has bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• Sharbati wheat is a regional variety of wheat grown in Sehore and Vidisha districts, which has golden sheen in the grains.
• Also, Morena Gajak has received the GI tag in the food ingredient category.
• Recently, several handicraft products of MP received the GI tags, including wrought iron crafts of Dindori, batik print of Ujjain, handmade carpet of Gwalior, stone craft of Bhedaghat in Jabalpur and handloom sarees and fabrics of Waraseoni.

About GI Tag : 

• A geographical Indication (GI) tag is a sign used on products which have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• It is used for industrial products, foodstuff, agriculture products, spirit drinks, and handicrafts. 
• GI Tag ensures that no one other than the registered authorised user is allowed to use the name of the popular product.

About MP : 

• Governor : Mangubhai C. Patel
• Chief Minister : Shivraj Singh Chouhan
• Capital : Bhopal
• National Park : Satpura National Park, Kanha National Park,Bandhavgarh National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary : Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Bori Wildlife Sanctuary

Tamil Nadu’s Cumbum grapes get Geographical Indication tag

• The famous Cumbum Paneer Thratchai from Tamil Nadu, commonly known as Cumbum grapes has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• The Cumbum valley in Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats, is regarded as the “Grapes City of South India”.
• The Authoor betel leaves, (locally known as vetrilai) of Tamil Nadu has also bagged GI tag.
• Tamil Nadu’s Malai Poondu, Srivilliputtur Palkova and Palani Panchamirtham have also been awarded the GI tag.

What are Cumbum grapes?

• The Panneer grapes were first introduced in Tamil Nadu by a French priest in 1832.
• These grapes are high in vitamins, tartaric acid, and antioxidants, and they help to lower the risk of some chronic diseases
• A unique factor is that in this Cumbum valley the ‘panneer’ grapes are available and harvested all through the year as opposed only during January and April in the rest of India.
• The grapes grown are suitable for making wine, spirit, jams, canned grape juice and raisins.

About Tamil Nadu :

• Governor: R. N. Ravi
• Chief minister: M. K. Stalin
• Capital: Chennai
• Dance : Bharatnatyam, Karakattam
• National Park : Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park, Guindy National Park, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries : Kalakad Wildlife sanctuary, Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
• Tiger Reserve : Anamalai Tiger Reserve
• Biosphere Reserve : Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

UP bags 3rd position in providing tap water connections in country, beats Rajasthan

• Uttar Pradesh superseded Rajasthan and became the third state of the country in terms of number of connections tap water connections under ‘Har Ghar Nal Yojana’.
• According to the available statistics, UP has provided 97,11,717 tap connections, which are benefitting more than 5,82,70,302 villagers of UP, against 39,33,140 in Rajasthan.
• With this, more than five crore villagers have started drinking pure water under the Har Ghar Jal Yojana of the Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Yogi government is taking the Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission scheme towards the target at the fastest pace and is set to claim the number one position in the country soon.
• Top five states providing tap connection include Bihar (1,59,10,093 connections), Maharashtra (1,09,98,678 connections), UP (97,11,717 connections), Gujarat (91,18,449 connections) and Tamil Nadu (79,62,581 connections).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

Vinod Rai authored a book titled ‘Transforming the Steel Frame: Promise and Paradox of Civil Service Reform

• Vinod Rai is the author of the book titled ‘Transforming the Steel Frame: Promise and Paradox of Civil Service Reform
• Published by Rupa Publication
• Curated by a veteran bureaucrat, former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai,
• Transforming the Steel Frame: Promise and Paradox of Civil Service Reform examines the roles and responsibilities of the bureaucracy in modern times.
• It sets forth a vision of the future through an analysis and review of past attempts at reform, in the process revisiting the strengths of the systems as well as the flaws that prevent its optimal functioning.

About Vinod Rai

• Vinod Rai is presently distinguished visiting research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies in National University of Singapore.
• He rose to become the eleventh Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in 2008.
• He was demitted office in May 2013.
• In 2016, Rai was appointed the first chairman of the newly created Banks Board Bureau (BBB).
• Rai was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2016, in recognition of his services to the nation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

RBI approves re-appointment of Sanjay Agarwal as MD&CEO of AU Small Finance Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the re-appointment of Sanjay Agarwal as Managing Director (MD)& Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jaipur-headquartered AU Small Finance Bank for 3 years with effect from 19 April 2023 till April 18, 2026.·
• The central bank also approved the re-appointment of Uttam Tibrewal as Whole Time Director for 3 years with effect from 19 April, 2023.
• The re-appointment of Agarwal and Tibrewal for second term was approved by the shareholders via postal ballot on 9 March 2022 for 4 years from 19th April 2022 till 18 April 2026, per the bank’s annual report.

About AU Small Finance Bank Limited :

• Founded : 1996 (Converted to a small finance bank on 19 April 2017)
• Headquarters : Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
•  Tagline : Chalo Aage Badhe

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Former Mahindra Group chairman Keshub Mahindra Passed away

• Former Mahindra Group chairman and industrialist Anand Mahindra’s uncle Keshub Mahindra has passed away at the age of 99

About Keshub Mahindra : 

• Keshub Mahindra was born on 9 October 1923 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (HP), India.
• He joined the Mahindra Group in 1947 & became the chairman in 1963.
• From 2004 to 2010, he was a member of the prime minister’s Council on Trade & Industry, New Delhi.
• He was a member of the Apex Advisory Council of ASSOCHAM and was the president emeritus of the Employers’ Federation of India.
• He was an honorary fellow of the All-India Management Association, New Delhi and a member of the Council of the United World Colleges (International) in the United Kingdom.
• He was also the founder of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO), Vice-Chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation, Chairman Mahindra Ugine Steel, Director of Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing, and Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited.
• With a net worth of $1.2 billion, he was among 169 Indian billionaires who made the coveted list in 2023.
• The Mahindra company was co-founded by his father, J C Mahindra, in 1945.

Awards & Honors : 

• In 1987, he was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur by the French government.

Theatre veteran Jalabala Vaidya Passed away

• A renowned theatre artist and co-founder of Delhi’s Akshara Theatre Jalabala Vaidya passed away at the age of 86.

About Jalabala Vaidya :

• Jalabala Vaidya born in London to Indian author and freedom fighter Suresh Vaidya and English classical singer Madge Franckeiss.
• She started out as a journalist, writing for various national newspapers and magazines in Delhi.
• Jalabala Vaidya’s theatrical career started with “Full Circle” in 1968.
• She played roles in more than 20 plays including Full Circle, Larflarflarf, The Ramayana, Let’s Laugh Again, etc.
• She co-founded the Akshara National Classical Theatre in New Delhi with Sharman.

Awards & Honors : 

• She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Tagore Award, the Delhi Natya Sangh Award, the Andhra Pradesh Natya Akademi Honour, Honorary Citizenship of the City of Baltimore, USA, & in February, the Delhi Government’s Varisht Samman for her lifelong contribution to the performing arts.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Peru removed as host of this year’s men’s Under-17 World Cup

• Peru was pulled out of hosting the men’s Under-17 World Cup after FIFA said the country is not ready to hold the tournament later this year.
• FIFA has not named a replacement host for the 24-team tournament, which will be played from 10 November to 2 December.
• The decision comes one week after FIFA took the men’s Under-20 World Cup from Indonesia because it did not want to host Israel at its tournament in May.
• FIFA said it was showing that Peru was unable to meet the infrastructure needed to organize the tournament.
• In 2019, FIFA chose both Peru and Indonesia to host the respective 2021 editions of the tournament.
• Argentina wants to organize the Under-20 World Cup.
• This week, FIFA is expected to confirm a host nation.

About FIFA

• President: Gianni Infantino
• Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland
• Founded: 21 May 1904, Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, France

About Peru

• Capital: Lima
• Currency: Sol

New Zealand’s Kim Cotton becomes first woman on-field umpire in full-member men’s T20Is

• New Zealand’s Kim Cotton becomes first woman on-field umpire in full-member men’s international cricket.
• Kim Cotton became the first-ever female umpire to stand in a men`s international cricket match.
• Kim Cotton achieved this feat in the second T20I match between New Zealand (NZ) and Sri Lanka (SL) at the University Oval in Dunedin.
• She is a New Zealand cricket umpire. She was born in Auckland.
• She was named as one of the 12 on-field umpires for the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20.
• She was also named as one of the on-field umpires for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
• She has umpired in 16 women’s ODIs and 44 T20Is.
• Claire Polosak is the first female umpire to stand in a men’s international cricket in 2019 between Oman and Namibia.

MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh among 5 India legends to receive Honorary Life Membership of MCC

• Legendary Indian cricketers MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Mithali Raj, Suresh Raina and Jhulan Goswami have received the Honorary Life Membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
• Over the years, MCC has awarded Honorary Lif e Membership to some of the greatest cricketers.
• MCC revealed the names of five Indian icons, who have been bestowed with the Honorary Life Membership of the Club.
• Former Indian pacer Jhulan, who called time on her iconic international career at Lord’s last year, is featured in the star-studded list of Indian players recognised with Honorary Life Membership. Jhulan is the leading wicket-taker in Women’s One Day Internationals (ODIs) history.
• Starring in the honoured MCC list, former India skipper Dhoni, legendary all-rounder Yuvraj and ex-India batter Raina have also received life membership of the club.

India rise five places to 101 in latest FIFA rankings

• Indian men’s football team jumped to the 101st position in the latest ranking released by football’s world governing body FIFA.
• Argentina jumped to top spot thanks to their win in the recent friendly games and the World Cup victory last year.
• While France are the new number two in the list, Brazil have slipped to the third spot.
• India earned 8.57 points courtesy their victories over Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan in the tri-nation tournament to leapfrog five places.
• Earlier, India were ranked 106th.
• India have currently a total of 1200.66 ranking points in their kitty.
• Among 46 Asian nations, India are placed at 19th.
• Japan is top ranked among all the Asian nations.
• They are the 20th best team in the world, as per rankings.
• Notably, the last time India entered the top 100 list was way back in 1996.
• India were placed at 94th position in that year.
• Meanwhile, Indian women’s football team is placed at 61th spot in the current FIFA Rankings.

Daily CA One- Liner: April 15

• DBS Bank India Limited, a 100% subsidiary of Singapore headquartered DBS Bank, will by June, 2023 roll out its proprietary credit cards.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has authorised private sector lender Karnataka Bank to collect direct and indirect taxes on behalf of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
• City Union Bank Limited (CUB) has launched India’s first voice biometric authentication for logging into its mobile banking app.
• Canara Bank in partnership with NPCI Bharat BillPay (NBBL) has launched cross-border inward bill payment services for Indians based in Oman.
• The country’s largest private-sector lender, HDFC Bank, is planning to raise up to Rs 50,000 crore (about $6 billion) through bonds including additional tier (AT) I, tier II, and infrastructure bonds in the next 12 months.
• HDFC Bank has signed a “Master Inter Bank Credit Agreement” with Export Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) for a USD 300 million line of credit.
• HDFC Asset Management Company (AMC) has launched 3 index schemes – HDFC S&P BSE 500 Index Fund, HDFC NIFTY Midcap 150 Index Fund, and HDFC NIFTY Small-cap 250 Index Fund.
• Centre has extended ceasefire agreements with three Naga groups for one year.
• Ministry of Steel approved 13 task forces for ‘Green Steel’.
• The Ministry of Education has released a pre-draft version of National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for School Education and has sought feedback from various stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, teacher educators, experts, scholars and professionals
• The Finance Ministry has set up a four-member committee under the chairmanship of Finance Secretary TV Somanathan to suggest measures to improve the pensionary benefits of government employees covered under the National Pension System
• Uttar Pradesh superseded Rajasthan and became the third state of the country in terms of number of connections tap water connections under ‘Har Ghar Nal Yojana’
• Vinod Rai is the author of the book titled ‘Transforming the Steel Frame: Promise and Paradox of Civil Service Reform
• Peru was pulled out of hosting the men’s Under-17 World Cup after FIFA said the country is not ready to hold the tournament later this year
• New Zealand’s Kim Cotton becomes first woman on-field umpire in full-member men’s international cricket
• Legendary Indian cricketers MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Mithali Raj, Suresh Raina and Jhulan Goswami have received the Honorary Life Membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)
• Indian men’s football team jumped to the 101st position in the latest ranking released by football’s world governing body FIFA
• The famed Gond painting of Madhya Pradesh (MP) has received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• The famous Cumbum Paneer Thratchai from Tamil Nadu, commonly known as Cumbum grapes has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the re-appointment of Sanjay Agarwal as Managing Director (MD)& Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jaipur-headquartered AU Small Finance Bank for 3 years with effect from 19 April 2023 till April 18, 2026.·
• Former Mahindra Group chairman and industrialist Anand Mahindra’s uncle Keshub Mahindra has passed away at the age of 99
• A renowned theatre artist and co-founder of Delhi’s Akshara Theatre Jalabala Vaidya passed away at the age of 86.