Current Affairs 22 April 2023

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

AIM, NITI Aayog & UNCDF joinly launched Whitepaper Aimed to Make India a Global Agri-Tech LeaderOn April 20, 2023, a whitepaper has been jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) which is aimed at making India a global leader in Agri-Tech innovation and expanding these innovations to the least developed countries in Asia and Africa.

• It is prepared by experts from AIM, NITI Aayog, and UNCDF.

What is in the whitepaper?
i.The whitepaper provides practical solutions to support the growth of Agri-Tech start-ups at both national and international levels, by addressing the challenges they face.
ii.It contains important insights and recommendations aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural practices and addressing issues such as food security, supply chain inefficiencies, and climate change concerns, particularly in developing economies.
iii.The Agri-Tech innovations has the potential in supporting smallholder farmers and improving the overall agriculture sector.
Key Points:
i.The AIM-UNCDF partnership is facilitating cross-border engagement, knowledge exchange, and investments to support high-impact Agri-Tech innovations.
ii.This partnership creates a south-south collaboration environment where start-ups from Asia and Africa can exchange ideas and generate opportunities in their respective countries.
iii.The collaboration focuses on addressing three key challenges in the agriculture sector, namely low productivity, poor risk resilience, and inefficient supply chain management.
About UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF):
Executive Secretary– Preeti Sinha
Headquarters– New York, United States of America(USA)
Established in 1966

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh ink agreement to resolve old Border DisputeOn 20th April 2023, the Government of Assam and Govt of Arunachal Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understating (MoU) to settle the long-pending border dispute of the 804-km shared boundary between the two states.

• The MoU was signed by the Chief Minister (CM) of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, and CM of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu in the presence of Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi, Delhi.

What was the dispute?
A dispute arose over 123 villages situated across 12 districts of Arunachal Pradesh and eight of Assam, which were claimed by Arunachal Pradesh in 2007. A Local Commission appointed by the Supreme Court was tasked with identifying the boundary between the two states, and the process to resolve the dispute began in 2022 through the formation of 12 regional committees from both states. The suggestions made by these committees have been accepted by both states, resulting in the resolution of disputes over 34 of these villages as per the signed MoU.

• Furthermore, disputes over 37 villages were resolved through the Namsai Declaration of July 2022, where the two Chief Ministers agreed in principle over them.

What is in the MoU?
The involved state governments have agreed that the MoU regarding the 123 disputed villages is “full and final,” and no new encroachment will be allowed in the border areas. One village from Arunachal Pradesh will become part of Assam, while 60 villages from Assam will become part of Arunachal Pradesh, and 10 villages will remain in Assam. The boundary for 49 of the remaining 52 villages will be determined by the regional committees within six months, and three villages in the Indian Air Force (IAF) bombing range will require rehabilitation.

• The Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary is the longest inter-state border in the Northeast and has been pending in the Supreme Court since 1989.

CSIR and OIL Sign MoU for Advanced Energy Research

According to a statement from the Ministry of Science & Technology, The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, Delhi and Oil India Ltd. (OIL), have signed an umbrella Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate research in advanced technologies for energy security.

• The MoU was signed by Dr. N Kalaiselvi, DG (Director General), CSIR,& Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), and Dr. Ranjit Rath, CMD (Chairman & Managing Director), OIL.

Key Points:

• The MoU between CSIR and OIL will enable collaboration with all the labs of CSIR.
• Under the MoU, Both organizations will accelerate the development of new technologies and solutions that will enhance energy security and drive sustainable growth and also work towards capacity building through training and skill development.
• The OIL, being a Navaratna company would also consider providing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding support towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals, Aspirational Districts, Rural Development, Government missions/initiatives etc.

Identified Preliminary Areas:

i.The MoU covers a wide range of areas for joint Research and Development (R&D) activities and technology partnership, which include hydrocarbon exploration, Waste treatment including oil separation and recovery from wastewater, New and renewable energy, Extraction of Lithium and Rare Earth Elements from Oilfield Water.

ii.The MoU also focuses on research areas such as Upstream and downstream operations,  batteries/storage systems, Green and Renewable Hydrogen / Biohydrogen (H2), Corrosion inspection and anti-corrosion coating, Stranded natural gas to fuel molecules, and Decarbonisation and net zero targets.

Note: Navaratna companies are a group of companies in the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) that possess financial autonomy to invest up to Rs 1000 crores without any approval from the Union government.

West Bengal tops list of States with most ponds and reservoirs: 1st-ever waterbody censusAccording to the “Water Bodies – 1st Census Report” released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, West Bengal(WB) has topped the list of states with the most number of ponds and reservoirs, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of lakes while Andhra Pradesh (AP) has the highest number of tanks and Maharashtra is the leading state with water conservation schemes.

• India has 24.24 lakh water bodies such as ponds, tanks and lakes with West Bengal accounting for the most (7.47 lakh) and Sikkim the least (134).

i.The top 5 states (in number of water bodies) are, West Bengal (30.8% i.e., 747480) followed by Uttar Pradesh(10.1% i.e., 245087), Andhra Pradesh(7.9% i.e., 190777), Odisha 7.5% i.e., 181837) and Assam (7.1% i.e., 172492).
ii.With 3.55 lakh water bodies, South 24 Parganas of West Bengal is ranked as the top district with the highest number of water bodies across India.
About Ministry of Jal Shakti:
Union Minister– Gajendra Singh Shekhawat(Constituency- Jodhpur, Rajasthan)
Minister of State– Bishweswar Tudu(Constituency- Mayurbhanj, Odisha); Prahlad Singh Patel(Constituency- Damoh, Madhya Pradesh)
>> Read Full News

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

IIT Madras to set up its first international campus in Tanzania

Chennai(Tamil Nadu) based Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is set to establish its first International campus in  Zanzibar, Tanzania and plans to start the classes in October 2023. This will be the first IIT established in Africa.

• This will play a major role in towards growth and nation-building of Tanzania and Africa.
• In February 2023, a team of 5 professors from IIT Madras visited Tanzania and discussed with the officials about starting the campus.

This announcement was made by Director V Kamakoti, IIT Madras, during the IIT Madras’s 64th Institute Day (20 April 2023) in the presence of Sridhar Vembu, Founder of Zoho Corporation(Chief Guest).

BANKING & FINANCE

InPrime Finserv Received NBFC Licence from RBIInPrime Finserv (a brand owned by STK Credit Private Limited), a financial services start-up catering to the informal economy, has obtained a Certificate of Registration (COR) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC).
Key Points:
i.InPrime is on a mission to ‘Redefine the way informal customers access formal finance’.
ii.It is focused on providing financial services to the ‘Prime’ segment of India’s informal economy, which consists of around 50 million households with an annual credit need of Rs. 5 Lakh Crores.
iii.InPrime plans to empower customers by providing multiple repayment channels and a gamified financial and digital literacy program to promote self-service.
iv.InPrime recognizes the need for enhanced and tailor-made financial services for Prime segment, which is largely underserved by the market.
v.InPrime which is promoting financial inclusion in India, plans to commence operations in Bengaluru (Karnataka) at first and gradually expand its presence in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
NBFC:
i.It is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by the Government or local authority or other marketable securities.
ii.As per Section 45-IA of the RBI Act 1934, an NBFC needs to get a registration certificate/licence from RBI to carry out its business.
iii.RBI specifies Rs 10 crore as the minimum net owned fund (NOF) required for following categories of NBFCs to commence or carry on the business

• NBFC– Investment and Credit Company (ICC)
• NBFC – Micro Finance Institution (MFI)
• NBFC– Factor

About InPrime Finserv
Headquarters –  Bengaluru, Karnataka
CEO & Co-founder -Rajat Singh

CoRover, LIC Collaborate to Launch 1st Phase of AI virtual assistant LIC Mitra CoRover, a Bengaluru-based startup, has collaborated with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to launch the 1st phase of conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence)-powered chatbot LIC Mitra (virtual assistant) to enhance LIC’s customer support services by automating real-time responses to customers’ queries.
Features of LIC Mitra:
i.The chatbot developed by CoRover.ai will be available on LIC’s website and mobile app. To understand and respond to users’ queries in multiple languages, the chatbot was powered by technologies such as AI, Machine Learning(ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP).

• The technology under LIC Mitra enables users to search even with their voice.

ii.Queries regarding LIC products, past premiums paid, upcoming premiums, policy maturity date, and insurance will be cleared through the chatbot.
iii.Using LIC Mitra, existing customers can check the latest status of their policy and get details like premium due date, policy maturity, etc. Customers can also know about their first unpaid premium using it.
Additional info:
CoRover is the world’s first and the highest ROI-delivering human-centric conversational AI platform.
In addition to LIC, CoRover is offering chatbot solutions to dozens of clients including Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Max Life Insurance, National Payments Corporation Of India (NPCI), Fastag, Mahindra Group, Digital India, RuPay, and many more, and has over 1 billion users.

AIIB to Open First Overseas Office in Abu Dhabi, UAEOn April 19th, 2023, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a host member agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish its first overseas office, an Interim Operational Hub, at Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

• The agreement was signed by Jin Liqun, President and Chair of the Board of Directors of AIIB, and His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE Governor of AIIB, during the signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

The agreement is in line with UAE’s commitment towards enhancing cooperation with international organizations and institutions focused on sustainable economic development for developing countries.

Key points:
AIIB’s rapid growth has prompted the opening of the Hub, which aims to bring the bank closer to clients and to the forefront of its business, providing proximity to global financial centres and connectivity with the international infrastructure ecosystem. The move is a result of AIIB’s rapid growth, as the bank aims to bring itself closer to clients and improve its engagement with them.
i. The Hub in the UAE will provide a strategic destination in the Middle East and the world, supporting AIIB’s development agenda and financing infrastructure projects to achieve sustainable economic growth.
ii. The Hub will serve as a strong platform to manage the bank’s growing investment portfolio and improve project monitoring and implementation services worldwide.
iii. Additionally, the Hub’s proximity to global financial centres and connectivity with the international infrastructure ecosystem will place AIIB at the forefront of its business.
Additional Info:
The United Arab Emirates is one of the founding members of AIIB.

• The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development represents the UAE on the bank’s board and participates actively in its regular meetings.
• AIIB has so far endorsed 212 projects worth over USD 40 billion in 33 member countries, contributing significantly to economic development and improving the quality of life for communities in recipient countries.

About Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB):
AIIB began operations in 2016 with 57 founding Members (37 regional and 20 nonregional).
President– Jin Liqun
Headquarters– Beijing, China
Member– 106

CRED launches P2P UPI payments on its appOn April 17, credit card payments application CRED announced the launch of UPI-based peer-to-peer(P2P) payments, providing its users with a new payment option. The new P2P payments system has been made available with the introduction of Scan & Pay is based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

• This service is designed to enable CRED customers to make secure, instant payments to other users via UPI IDs or contact numbers, thus elevating their overall user experience.
• Cred provides variety of payment methods to its members, including bill payments, scan-and-pay, tap-to-pay, UPI P2P, CRED Pay, and CRED flash for online merchants.

Other new features:
The new system also comes with several useful features. For instance,

• Payment Reminders for Recurrent Transactions: Users can set payment reminders for recurring transactions, receive proactive nudges during potentially risky or high-value payment scenarios and the option to create a custom virtual payment addresses (VPAs) that users can set to protect their privacy.
• CRED Protect, a feature of the new P2P payments system, prompts members to use a system-generated alias UPI ID to mask personal details like mobile numbers, thus protecting their identity. Once custom VPAs are activated, payments are made via the user’s alias UPI ID by default.
• The system also has a unique ‘WIN-WIN’ feature that rewards both the payer and recipient of payments made to ‘special contacts’ with cashbacks that are credited to their CRED balance. Users can redeem this balance on bill payments or store transactions on the CRED app.

P2P lending:
P2P lending is a way for people to borrow and lend money without involving traditional financial institutions like banks. Borrowers apply for loans through online platforms and investors can choose which borrowers to lend money to.
i. The platform acts as a middleman, facilitating the process and ensuring both parties meet certain criteria and agree to terms.
ii. Investors can earn higher returns, and borrowers may get lower interest rates compared to traditional loans.
However, P2P lending comes with risks such as the possibility of loan defaults and lack of government-backed insurance protection.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS     

Union Bank of India Secures 1st Rank in EASE Reforms Index for Q3 FY23On April 20, 2023, As per the report on Enhanced Access & Service Excellence (EASE) Reforms Index for Q3 FY23 published by Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), the Union Bank of India, for the first time, secures 1st rank among all PSB (Public Sector Banks) for adopting various reforms prescribed for PSBs.

• EASE is an initiative by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, as part of the PSB Reforms Agenda and is currently under its 5th iteration which focuses on Enhanced Digital experience, Data – driven, Integrated and Inclusive Banking.

Performance of Union Bank of India:
i.The performance of PSBs is measured on 5 themes under EASE 5.0, in which, Union Bank of India has set the benchmark under the four themes i.e., ‘Digitally – enabled customer offerings’, ‘Big data and analytics’, ‘Modern Technology Capabilities’ and ‘Employee development and Governance’ secured 1st rank amongst PSBs.
ii.Union Bank of India was performing well in areas related to building analytics capabilities for retaining and deepening relationships, effective credit monitoring, comprehensive digital collection management system, fraud resilience and cyber security.
iii.The bank also adopts modern technology capabilities for integrated banking experience, customer centric digital offerings, employee development and better governance measures which resulted the Bank to continue its momentum.
About Union Bank of India:
MD & CEO – A. Manimekhalai
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment – 11 November 1919
Tagline – Good People to Bank with   

Wg Cdr Deepika Misra becomes 1st Woman Officer of IAF to receive Gallantry Award On April 20, 2023, Wing Commander (Wg Cdr) Deepika Misra became the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be presented with Vayu Sena Medal(VM) for Gallantry.

• The award was presented by Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari at an Investiture Ceremony 2023 held at the Air Force Auditorium in Subroto Park, New Delhi, Delhi.

Key Points:
i.Wg Cdr Deepika Misra is a trained helicopter pilot, qualified flying instructor and an instrument-rated instructor and examiner.
ii.The Gallantry Award acknowledged Misra’s act of exceptional courage displayed during a flood relief operation in Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Rajasthan. She helped in saving the lives of 47 people in floods in 2022 in areas of MP and Rajasthan.

Highlights:
i.CAS presented Presidential Awards to a total of 58 persons, 57 from the IAF and one from the Army received the awards.
ii.CAS presented Two Yudh Seva Medals, 13 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 13 Vayu Sena Medals (devotion to Duty) and 30 Vishisht Seva Medals.

About Vayu Sena Medal(VM):
Instituted on January 26, 1960, it recognises exceptional devotion to duty or acts of courage by Air Force personnel. In 1994, the award was spilt into VM (Devotion to duty) and VM (Gallantry).

• Medal: The medal is five-pointed star, made of standard silver 35 mm in diameter. The mounting is fixed on a ring attached to a metal strip 3 mm wide ornamented with Ashoka leaves. The State Emblem is embossed on obverse, in the centre, encircled by a garland of leaves. On its reverse, it has representation of Himalayan Eagle with the inscription below it.
• Monetary Allowance: Rs. 500 to p.m. attached when awarded for courageous acts with effect from 01.02.1999.

About Vishisht Seva Medal(VSM):
Instituted on January 26, 1960, it recognises the distinguished service of a high order.
Medal: Circular in shape, 35 mm in diameter and fitted to a plain horizontal bar with standard fitting. The medal is made of bronze. On its obverse is embossed a five-pointed star and on its reverse is the State Emblem and the inscription embossed along the upper rim.

Karnataka Bags National Award For Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

In a first, Karnataka has bagged the national award for the best implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a crop subsidy insurance scheme, for the year 2022-23.

• The award was received by the Secretary to the government, Department of Agriculture, Karnataka, Shivayogi C Kalasad, at the national conference at Chhattisgarh on April 14 2023.
• Under the scheme (between the kharif season 2021 and 2022), the state recorded a 47.74% increase in the enrolment of farmers and the area covered under the scheme increased by 41.80%.

Note – The pending claims of Rs. 687.4 crore as on May 31, 2022 (since 2018) for 5.66 lakh farmers has been settled by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) in a campaign mode.

Background:

• PMFBY scheme is a crop insurance scheme launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India in 2016 to provide comprehensive coverage to farmers for any loss/damage to crops due to natural calamities, pests or diseases.
• PMFBY is being implemented in Karnataka, through its own portal ‘Samrakshane’, designed and developed by the state through National Informatics Centre (NIC)

Key Points:

i.Increase in Farmers’ Enrollment: The number of farmers enrolled for the PMFBY scheme in Karnataka in 2022 increased by 47.74% to 23.86 lakh from 16.15 lakh in 2021.

• This increase in enrollment was due to information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns across the state.
• While the Common Service Centres (CSC) were enrolling the farmers over the last six years, Grama-One centres have also been enrolling since Kharif 2022, making it easily accessible to the farmers. It has enrolled 4.66 lakh farmers, which contributed to an increase in enrollment

ii.Extend of Land: While the extent of land insured under PMFBY in 2022 kharif was increased by 41.8% to 18.94 lakh hectares from 13.35 lakh hectares in 2021 kharif.

• Note: Kharif – Crops that mainly grow during summer are called kharif crops. They are sown at the beginning of the rainy season around June and are harvested around October. Rice, maize and groundnuts are examples of kharif crops.

iii. Kharif 2022:

• For Kharif 2022 season, 5.60 lakh farmers whose fields were affected by natural calamities have already been compensated within 2022 with crop insurance claims settled is Rs 298.57 crore under add-on coverages such as prevented sowing, localized calamities, mid-season adversity and post-harvest loss claims.
• For kharif 2023, the state has released an advance share of Rs 951 crore for the implementation of the PMFBY scheme.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS     

ACC transfers top officials in Bureaucratic ReshuffleOn April 20, 2023, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi made a bureaucratic reshuffle of the following 12 high-level officials in the government.
Key Points:
i.Anurag Jain, the current Secretary of DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has been appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
ii.Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary, MoRTH has been appointed as Secretary Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy(AHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
iii.The Secretary of the department of AHD Rajesh Kumar Singh has been designated as DPIIT Secretary.
iv.Saurabh Garg, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), has been appointed as Secretary of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment(MoSJE).
v.Anjali Bhawra, IAS officer of Punjab cadre, Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, MoSJE was appointed as secretary in National Commission for Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs.
vi.Arjun Singhal, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Secretary of the Department of Fertilizers, was appointed as Director General (DG) National Archives of India(NAI), an attached office under the Ministry of Culture.
vii.Arun Baroka, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, Secretary of the Department of Chemicals & Petro- Chemicals has been given additional charge of Secretary, Department of Fertilizers upon relinquishing the charge of the post by Arjun Singhal.
viii.Vidyavanthi V a 1991 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, the Director General(DG) of the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) was appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Tourism.
ix.Rakesh Ranjan, the additional secretary of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, has been appointed as additional secretary of the Department of agriculture and farmers welfare.
x.Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, a 1996 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary of the Department of Agriculture and farmers welfare.
xi.Abhilaksh Likhi, a 1991 batch IAS officer of Haryana, additional secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has been appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
xii.Mukhmeet Singh Bhatia, a 1990 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, the secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs has been made Chairperson, National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC) in the rank and pay of secretary to the government of India.

JioCinema signs Rohit Sharma as brand ambassador

JioCinema, the Indian OTT (over-the-top) Platform and the official digital partner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023-27, has appointed Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian Cricket Team and Mumbai Indians (MI), as its new brand ambassador.

• Prior to signing with JioCinema, Rohit Sharma ended his association with Star Sports, the TV broadcast rights holder of the IPL.
• JioCinema had partnered with the players like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Suryakumar Yadav, and Smriti Mandhana as its ambassadors.

He will collaborate with JioCinema towards their vision focused on making sports viewing synonymous with digital through initiatives.     

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS   

CCI Approves Acquisition of up to 76.10% of Voting Share Capital of Suven Pharmaceuticals Limited By Berhyanda Limited

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves the acquisition of up to 76.10% of the voting share capital of Suven Pharmaceuticals Limited by Berhyanda Limited, by way of a share purchase agreement dated 26th December 2022.
This acquisition is pursuant to the mandatory open offer in compliance with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011.

• Berhyanda Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berhyanda Midco Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jusmiral Midco Limited. These are collectively controlled by the Advent International GPE (Global Private Equity) IX Funds and the Advent International GPE X Funds, which are managed by Advent International Corporation.
• Suven Pharmaceuticals Limited is a bio-pharmaceutical company incorporated on 6th November 2018.    

IMPORTANT DAYS

16th National Civil Services Day – 21st April 2023The National Civil Services Day is annually observed across India on 21st April to recognise and celebrate civil service officers who are engaged in various public service departments across India.

• The day also acts as a reminder for the public servants to run the administrative machinery of the nation collectively and with a dedication to serve the citizens of India.

21st April 2023 marks the observance of the 16th National Civil Services Day.
The theme of the National Civil Services Day 2023 is “Viksit Bharat: Empowering Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile”. 
Celebration of 16th Civil Services Day:
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State(MoS), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, addressed the inaugural session of the 16th National Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.

• During the event, Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar unveiled the e-book on the ‘National Good Governance Webinar Series’.

PM Modi conferred Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 
Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi presented the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration to 15 awardees during the event organised at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi on the occasion of 16th National Civil Services Day.

• He also released the e-books ‘Viksit Bharat – Empowering Citizens & Reaching the last mile Volume I and II’ during the event.

About Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions:
Union Minister– Narendra Modi (Prime Minister) (Constituency- Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State– Dr. Jitendra Singh(Constituency- Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir)
>> Read Full News

World Creativity and Innovation Day 2023 – April 21The United Nations(UN)’s World Creativity and Innovation Day is annually observed across the globe on 21st April to create awareness about the importance of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development.
Background:
i.People and organisations of more than 50 countries across the globe commemorate the 21st April of every year as ‘World Creativity and Innovation Day’. The day was first commemorated on 21 April 2002. 
ii.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/71/284 on 27th April 2017 and proclaimed the 21st April of every year as the World Creativity and Innovation Day.

• The first UN-recognised ‘World Creativity and Innovation Day’ was observed on 21st April 2018.

About the United Nations(UN):
The United Nations(UN) is an international organization founded in 1945.
Secretary-General– António Guterres
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
>> Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launches India’s first heavy lift logistics droneOn April 20, 2023, Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha Naveen Patnaik launched India’s first heavy lift logistics eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) BonV drone on the opening day of “Odisha Skill Conclave 2023“.

• The first-of-its-kind heavy-lift logistics drone was made by Odisha-based start-up ‘BonV Aero’. It is capable of transporting 50 kg across distances of up to 10 kilometers.
• The drone will play a vital role in disaster management, emergency evacuation, flood relief, firefighting, and medical supply delivery to remote areas.

About the heavy lift logistics drone BonV:
i. IIT ( Indian Institute Of Technology) Mandi, in Himachal Pradesh, NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and AIC (ATAL INCUBATION CENTER)- CV Raman Global University in Odisha are supporting the project BonV Aero, which is developing electric aerial vehicles for cargo delivery.
ii. The successful trial of this ‘RM001’ Electric Aerial Vehicle carrying 50-kilogram cargo at the altitude of 8000 to 10,000 feet in the Tawang of Eastern Command of the Indian Army forward post in Arunachal Pradesh.
iii. It aims to develop its flagship platform ‘RM002’ that can transport 200 kilograms of freight over 40 kilometres in its next phase.
Benefits of BonV drone:

• Odisha which is highly disaster-prone see the Cyclone and Flood on regular basis, these multi-utility Air vehicles are beneficial in the disaster response.
• Movement of any kind of cargo/ goods where surface logistics are either unfavourable or time-consuming.
• Improve accessibility and efficiency of logistics solutions, especially in the remote and Hilly terrains.
• Cost effective.

About Odisha:
Capital- Bhubaneswar
Chief Minister- Naveen Patnaik
Governor- Ganeshi Lal
Tiger Reserve- Similipal Tiger Reserve, Satkosia Tiger Reserve

Manipur CM N. Biren inaugurates 5th edition of Hun-Thadou cultural festival at Kangpokpi

On 18th April 2023, Nongthombam Biren Singh, Chief Minister(CM) of Manipur inaugurated the 5th edition of HUN(HUN-2023)- a Thadou Cultural Festival at Thomas Ground in Kangpokpi district of Manipur.

• HUN festival is an annual cultural festival and a civilising act of the  Thadous community of Manipur.
• According to the Thadous community, the festival is celebrated to mark the arrival of the new year.

Arjun Munda, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs attended the closing ceremony of the 2-day festival on 19th April 2023.

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