National
1. On 1st April annually Utkal Divas, also known as Utakala Dibasha or Odisha Day is celebrated. This day is celebrated to remember Odisha's formation after the struggle it faced to be recognized as an independent state of the country. The present-day Odisha was a major part of the ancient Kalinga.
2. The analysis of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has shown that India has recorded its warmest March days, on average, in 121 years. The maximum temperature across the nation crossed 1.86°C above normal. This figure was mostly due to large deviations in the northwest and central India's maximum temperature.
3. The Karnataka Renewable Energy Policy for the period of 2022-2027 has been cleared by the State Government of Karnataka. This policy will be looking to maintain the state's reputation as a leader in the field of renewable energy. This policy aims that in the next five years, the state will have 10 GW renewable power generation capacity.
4. With the aim of achieving the goal of 'Good Governance' and taking forward the idea of citizen engagement, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has launched MyGov Jammu and Kashmir. At present, this platform has over 2.29 Crore registered users. They are known as MyGov Saathis and they engage actively with MyGov and share all their suggestions and ideas related to various policy issues. They also participate in quizzes, pledges and contests on this platform.
5. The Lok Sabha has passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill so that three municipal corporations of Delhi (MCD) can be merged into a single entity. This bill has been passed by a voice vote and various amendments that were moved by the Opposition members have been rejected.
6. The government of Tamil Nadu has recently formed a 13 member panel to frame the education policy of the state. The government had made a promise of formulating a state education policy in the 2021-22 state Budget. This panel will be headed by retired Delhi High Court Chief Justice D. Murugesan.
7. The Indian government has introduced the Indian Antarctic Bill-2022, around 40 years after the country had first signed the Antarctic Treaty. This bill has been introduced to monitor and regulate activities at its research stations that are located in Antarctica.
8. The Lok Sabha has passed the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022. The Bill has been passed to amend the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005.
9. USD 500,000 has been contributed by India to the UN Women, the United Nations agency for women empowerment and gender equality. The contribution was made by India to reaffirm the country's valued partnership of gender parity and development that are women-led.
10. FAO 'World Review of Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture Insurance 2022' has recommended that private and public insurance service providers work together as there is low penetration of insurance products in the fisheries sector. The service providers must also take proactive measures to help the aquaculture and fisheries insurance market of India recover.
11. To develop the State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (SBSAP) a pact has been inked by Arunachal Pradesh with WWF India. The SBSAP will be aligning with the Pakke Declaration and the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. In New Delhi, the agreement between WWF India and Arunachal Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (APSBB) was inked.
12. The Temple 360 portal has been launched by the Union culture ministry. This is a unique portal through which devotees from across the country can get online darshan of temples or prominent pilgrimage sites at any time and from anywhere they feel like. On this portal, live camera feeds from across various temples of the country will be made available.
13. A joint venture company to develop green hydrogen projects across India has been agreed to be formed by Larsen and Toubro, Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, and ReNew Power. A binding term sheet has been signed by the three companies recently. This company will be focusing on developing green hydrogen projects with the aim of supplying Green Hydrogen at an industrial scale across the country.
14. The latest series of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report has highlighted that without immediate emissions reductions across all sectors, it would be difficult to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The report also stated that to keep the temperature checked to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the global emission of greenhouse gas has to peak before 2025 and by 2030 it must be reduced by 43 percent.
15. Three Indian women Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, Falguni Nayar of Nykaa, and Radha Vembu of Zoho have been featured in the latest Hurun Richest Self-Made Women in the World 2022 (Hurun list of women self-made billionaires). Wu Yajun, a Beijing-based property developer has topped this list. Her estimated worth is USD 17 billion.
16. A study released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has found that in the past two decades the intensity and frequency of forest fires, as well as an increase in the number of months in which forest fires occur, have increased. The study is titled 'Managing Forest Fires in a Changing Climate'.
17. The Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records (FASTER) software has been launched by the Chief Justice of India N. V. Ramana so that court orders can be transmitted securely and swiftly via electronic mode thus ensuring that judicial orders can be communicated quickly.
18. Surat, Gujarat is the first Indian city to get a road built from processed steel slag (industrial waste). This road has been developed as a joint-venture project by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), NITI Aayog, Union Steel Ministry and Arcelor Mittal-Nippon Steel (AM/NS), at Hazira, a suburb of Surat.
19. The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has launched a pilot project in Uttarakhand to implement the One Health Framework by the One Health Support Unit.
20. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the World Bank will be providing a Rs. 7,500 crore loan for the government of Gujarat's Mission School of Excellence project. A World Bank delegation visited Gandhinagar to gather information and study the School of Excellence project.
21. In India, the current ratio of nurses per 1000 population stands at 1.96 : 1000. This was reported to the Rajya Sabha by the Union Health ministry. As per the records of the Indian Nursing Council, there is around 33.41 lakh registered nursing personnel in India.
22. The government of Delhi has decided to incentivize e-cycles under the Electric Vehicle (EV) policy. This will include cargo and passenger e-cycles having speeds less than 25 km/hour. To the first 10,000 buyers, 25 percent off of MRP up to Rs. 5,500 as a purchase incentive will be provided.
23. On 10th April 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Nadabet Seema Darshan Project along the India-Pakistan border in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat. The tourism project in Gujarat will help in generating employment and will also stop the migration of people residing in the border villages.
24. With the aim of improving the first and last-mile connectivity through Ropeways, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the state government of Himachal Pradesh and National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) for the construction of Ropeways in the state.
25. India and the United States will be holding a 2 plus 2 Defence and Foreign Ministry dialogue on 11th April 2022 in Washington. In this annual meeting, the fourth of its kind, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be participating.
26. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has introduced a number of changes to the environmental clearance process for projects development projects while proposing to exempt others entirely from its jurisdiction due to which the environmentalists are showing concern. These proposals and changes came in the form of two office memorandums and two notifications that were issued between 11th and 12th April 2022.
27. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has recently presented a set of Time Release Studies (TRS) that have been conducted by the department. TRS is a tool for performance measurement and assesses the international trade's cargo clearance process.
28. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a USD 2 million Project Readiness Financing (PRF) Loan on 12th April 2022. The loan is being given for strengthening the institutional capacity, designing urban infrastructures that are climate-resilient, and improving the mobilization of municipal resources in Nagaland's 16 district headquarter towns (DHTs).
29. According to a new report titled 'Expanding Heat Resilience', the cities and districts of India must increase their efforts to protect the vulnerable during the summer. The report has been released while the country, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), has recorded its warmest March since 1901.
30. India and the US have plans to strengthen cooperation in the fields of skill development and education through joint collaborations. The two countries are also mobilizing plants to promote student and scholar mobility with the aim of building people-to-people linkages between the two nations.
31. The Ministry of Earth Sciences has recently informed the Lok Sabha that out of the 6,907.18 km long Indian coastline in the mainland, around 34 percent is facing erosion, 26 percent of it is of an accreting nature, and the rest 40 per cent is in a stable state.
32. A new study has revealed that pollutants like microplastics might be causing growth defects like skeletal deformities in the fishes of the Cauvery river. The study has been published in the journal named Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. Upendra Nongthomba of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, has led this study.
33. According to the latest data by NASA, the space debris that was created after India conducted anti-satellite tests in March 2019 seems to have disintegrated or decayed. Due to this the country's contribution to space debris has reduced to the lowest levels in the time period of the last four years.
34. 103 years ago, on 13th April 1919, the horrific Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place. To date, it is one of the country's darkest days in history. On this day, General Reginald Dyer of the British Empire ordered his troops to fire upon the people who were protesting peacefully at Jallianwala Bagh. The firing by the troops killed around 379 people and the entire nation was shocked due to this incident.
35. Palli village located in the Samba district of Jammu has become India's first panchayat to become carbon neutral, fully solar energy powered, and all its records have been digitized which will help in receiving all benefits of Central schemes easily.
36. The world's highest tunnel will be constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at Shinku La Pass at 16,580 feet. This tunnel will be connecting Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh. This tunnel will be connecting Ladakh's Zanskar Valley to Himachal Pradesh.
37. The government of Tamil Nadu has adopted a resolution urging the government of India to drop the CUET (Central Universities Common Entrance Test) proposal. Except for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the resolution was unanimously supported by all other parties. The resolution was tabled by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin in the state assembly.
38. In the Dima Hasao district of Assam, a number of megalithic stone jars have been discovered. This discovery has highlighted the possible links, that date back to the second millennium BC, between Southeast Asia and the Northeast region of India.
39. Tamil Nadu celebrated 14th April 2022, the birth anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as 'Equality Day' from this year onwards. A pledge was also taken across the state on this day. The pledge that was taken in all government offices across the state.
40. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) have signed an agreement with the aim of collaborating in the areas of knowledge sharing and strengthening the mechanism to monitor the localization of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
41. On 14th April 2022, the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The contribution of India's prime ministers will be showcased in the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya. The first person to buy a ticket to the museum was PM Modi. The museum has been inaugurated on Ambedkar Jayanti.
42. Oil India Limited (OIL) has commissioned India's first commercial-grade green hydrogen production plant at Jorhat, Assam. To produce hydrogen, this plant will be using renewable energy from Oil India's 500kW solar plant pump station. The produced hydrogen will be blended with natural gas to run hydrogen buses in the state of Assam.
43. The AVSAR- 'Connect to Opportunities Initiative' has been launched by Jammu & Kashmir's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. It is a dedicated portal that will be used to connect job aspirants of the Union Territory with the industry. This initiative was launched under Mission Youth.
44. The government of Telangana has begun procuring paddy from the farmers of the state. The announcement for procurement was announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. A meeting regarding the procurement was held by Gangula Kamalakar, State Civil Supplies Minister.
45. Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat from Ukraine and Russia, has given approval to India as one of its wheat suppliers. India will be supplying around one million tonnes of wheat, of which in April 2,40,000 tonnes will be shipped. In a year, Egypt purchases 11 to 12 million tonnes of wheat from Ukraine, Russia and other countries.
46. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been inked between the government of Tripura and the NIXI-CSC Data Services Centre to establish an international standard Data Centre in the state. To set up this proposed data centre, CSE e-governance services Ltd and the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) have floated a joint venture.
47. UNICEF India and NITI Aayog have signed a statement of intent (SoI) on sustainable development goals (SDGs) focusing on children. This SoI will be looking to formalise a cooperation framework to launch the first 'State of India's Children: Status and Trends in Multidimensional Child Development' report.
48. India has been elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) four major bodies, including the Commission on Science and Technology for Development. To the Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Right, Ambassador Preeti Saran has been re-elected.
49. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a long-range forecast for the southwest monsoon season rainfall during the period June to September. The prediction has stated that rainfall will be normal this year. The long-range forecast of IMD is issued in two stages. The first forecast is released in the month of April. The second forecast is issued at the end of May.
50. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that Sri Siddalinga Swami of Tontadarya Mutt's birth anniversary in Gadag will be celebrated across the state as 'Integration Day'. This was announced after the Chief Minister inaugurated the Aikya Mantapa on 15th April 2022.
51. The Indian Railways is planning to run its diesel locomotives fleet using bio-diesel. The Indian Railways has informed the Parliament that the B-5 bio-diesel has been tested for the operation of diesel locomotives by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
52. The government of Maharashtra has developed a website-based migration tracking system (MTS) to track the movement of the vulnerable seasonal migrant workers through individual unique identification numbers that will be assigned to them.
53. Indo-Mauritian or India–Mauritius refers to the political, historical, military, economic, cultural and social connections between India and Mauritius. The connections between both nations date back to 1730. In 1948, diplomatic relations between both countries were established before Mauritius became an independent country.
54. A new species of shrimp has been discovered by scientists from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR). The newly discovered species has been named Actinimenes koyas. NBFGR is focused on the documentation of the country's aquatic genetic resources and gives special attention to shellfish and fish resources.
55. The methodology that has been used by the World Health Organization (WHO) to estimate the COVID-19 related deaths in India has been objected to by India. The health ministry has issued a statement saying that for a large country like India, the same mathematical model cannot be used as it is used for countries with a smaller population.
56. The consumption of Millets is being promoted in India as these grains are good for the people. They have rich iron content and are also high in zinc, calcium, potassium, magnesium, dietary fibre, and other important vitamins like riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, and folic acid. Therefore, millets are a great solution for increasing dietary iron density among people.
57. The first state in the country to get the L-root server is Rajasthan. With seamless internet connectivity, this server will assist the State government in providing its flagship digital services and enforcing e-governance. This new facility will be strengthening the internet infrastructure of the state and will also help in improving the resilience and security of all internet-based operations.
58. The State Energy and Climate Index (SECI) has been launched by NITI Aayog. It is a first-of-its-kind index that aims to track the efforts made in the energy and climate sector by the states and UTs of India. This index's parameters have been devised while keeping in mind the country's goals regarding clean energy transition and climate change.
59. The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat will be the world's first and only global outpost centre for traditional medicine. It will be emerging as an international hub for global wellness. PM Modi laid the foundation stone on 19th April 2022.
60. On 19th April 2022, the government of Telangana launched its first space-tech Framework. This framework was launched with the vision of establishing the state as a globally recognized destination for space technology. This launch event was hosted on the metaverse, making it the country's first such official event.
61. Health and Medical Education Minister of Karnataka, K. Sudhakar launched the 'Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully' (SAANS) on 20th April 2022. SAANS is a campaign that has been launched to ensure early detection and greater awareness of pneumonia in children under the age of five.
62. The COVID-19 vaccines subject expert panel has given its recommendation for the emergency use of the Hyderabad-based Biological E's Corbevax for children who are aged between 5 to 11 years. This recommendation will be taken up by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to grant a formal approval in the next few days.
63. On 20th April 2022, Aaditya Thackeray, the state environment minister of Maharashtra inaugurated Mumbai's first completely digital bus on the route of Gateway of India to Churchgate having a unique 'Tap-in Tap-out' feature. The first bus service in India that went completely digital is the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST).
64. On 21st April 2022, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) launched a joint initiative named Fincluvation with the aim of collaborating with the financial technology (fintech) start-up community so as to innovate and co-create solutions for financial inclusion.
65. During a three day visit to the Maldives, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Adm R. Hari Kumar unveiled the first navigation chart that has been jointly produced by India and Maldives. He also handed over hydrography equipment to strengthen the Maldivian National Defence Forces' (MNDF) capabilities.
66. Brazil and India have agreed to work towards the development of an Indian - Brazil Alliance for Bioenergy and Biofuels and will also be establishing a virtual India-Brazil Centre of Excellence on Ethanol. Both countries have agreed to make efforts to make sustainable biofuels and bioenergy an integral part of the energy transition, especially for industry, transport, and other sectors that are difficult to decarbonise like shipping and aviation.
67. Sushil Chandra, India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has urged the members of the Indian Community who are staying abroad to register as Overseas Voters. The extension of the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) facility to the overseas Indian voters is also being contemplated.
68. During the visit of Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to India, the two countries have signed two government-to-government Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) on Global Innovation Partnership and Nuclear Energy Partnership.
69. The 'Kisan Bhagidari, Prathmikta Hamari' campaign is being organized from 25th April 2022 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. This campaign will continue till 30th April 2022 and is being organized under the government's 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' in collaboration with various other Departments and Ministries.
70. On 25th April 2022, the Raisina Dialogue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The chief guest of the event was European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen. The Raisina dialogue began on 25th April and will be held in person over three days concluding on 27th April.
71. The government of Meghalaya's Planning Department's initiative of the "e-Proposal System", has won the UN Award – World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum Prizes 2022. The "e-Proposal System" is a part of Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture (MeghEA), which eliminates 75 percent physical work of files in all government departments in the state.
72. Kerala has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Netherlands for a project that is named 'Cosmos Malabaricus'. This project will be helping to further illustrate Kerala's history in the 18th century. The state will also be collaborating with the Netherlands to establish paint academies in Malappuram and Kollam.
73. The European Union and India have agreed to establish a Trade and Technology Council with the aim of addressing the challenges to ensure security and trusted technology keeping in line with rapid geopolitical changes. The decision of setting up such a council is a first for India with any of its partner nations.
74. Asia's biggest international food and hospitality fair named AAHAR-2022 is being organized by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in collaboration with the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) at New Delhi's Pragati Maidan.
75. On 26th April 2022, a knowledge-sharing agreement was signed between the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal and the Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Singh Mann. In Punjab, the state government will be developing 117 schools and mohalla clinics.
76. An advanced radiocarbon dating technique that has been conducted on the Asurgarh fort settlement in the Kalahandi district of Odisha has placed this settlement in the ninth century BC or the Iron Age. This makes the settlement 2,500 - 2,600 years older than Odisha's oldest fortified settlement, the Sisupalgarh fort.
77. On 26th April 2022, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur launched 'Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya'. It is a short video series that has been created in collaboration with the OTT platform Netflix. This launch keeps in line with the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav of the government.
78. India and Maldives have agreed to set up a transmission interconnection for the purpose of transferring renewable power between both countries. This proposal was discussed during the meeting that was held between R. K. Singh, India's Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister, and Aminath Shauna, Maldives' Environment, Climate Change and Technology Minister.
79. On 27th April 2022, the Union Cabinet gave its approval to a proposal for opening a new Indian embassy in Lithuania. This will be the first full-fledged embassy of India in the Baltic region. Lithuania is at the center of a diplomatic spat with China after it allowed the opening of a de-facto embassy by Taiwan.
80. On 27th April 2022, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval to invest Rs. 4,526.12 crore for the 540 MW Kwar Hydro-electric project that is located on Chenab River, Kishwar district, Jammu & Kashmir. This upcoming hydroelectric project is a part of the Indus basin.
81. The week-long Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – North East Festival began on 28th April 2022 and it will be showcasing the potential of the Northeast region. This week-long festival will be held across the 8 states of the northeast region in their own significant and special manner.
82. Agra has become the first city in India to have a vacuum-based sewers system. These vacuum-based sewers will be used in the city's public places. 240 houses near the Taj Mahal have been connected with this vacuum-based sewer by the Agra Smart City corporation as conventional sewer systems cannot be used.
83. On 28th April 2022, Google announced that it is collaborating with the state government of Telangana and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the aim of supporting and accelerating the state's vision to leverage technology for the purpose of inclusive social development and sustainable economic development.
International
1. The largest electric cruise ship in the world has returned back to port in Yichang in central Hubei province, China after traveling up and down the Yangtze River for its maiden voyage. This cruise ship has been powered by a 7,500 kilowatt hour massive-sized marine battery.
2. Mes Aynak is a site that is located 40 km southeast of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is located in the Logar Province's barren region. This region contains the largest copper deposit in Afghanistan. Also, in this region, there are remains to be found of an ancient settlement that has 400 Buddha stupas, statues and a monastery complex of 100 acres.
3. Sri Lanka's president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared a state of emergency in the country which gives sweeping powers to the country's security forces. This was declared after hundreds of citizens of the county tried to storm his house seething with anger over the economic crisis Sri Lanka is facing.
4. The World Wildlife Fund has released a report stating that in Myanmar illegal purchases of wildlife online are increasing which is causing a threat to both endangered species and public health. Following the 2021 military takeover causing political turmoil, enforcement of bans on such transactions has weakened.
5. Viktor Orban has again been elected as the Prime Minister of Hungary for the fourth time. He won the 4th term by a huge margin more than what was predicted in the pre-election polls. After the win, he addressed a jubilant crowd who were chanting his name.
6. Phase 1 clinical trials for the evaluation of three HIV vaccines have been launched by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), United States. These vaccines are based on a messenger RNA (mRNA) platform. This is a technology that is used in several COVID-19 vaccines.
7. SpaceX and NASA are gearing up to launch astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Commercial Crew Program of NASA. This will be the fourth crew rotation mission and will be carrying an international crew consisting of four astronauts on a science expedition to the ISS.
8. Aleksandar Vucic has been re-elected as the President of Serbia. The pollster organizations CeSID and Ipsos had predicted victory for Vucic. The pro-European and centrist Alliance for Victory coalition was represented by Zdravko Ponos, a retired army general.
9. Pressure is being put on the steel making industry so that their contributions towards environmental impact can be curbed thus, contributing to the Paris climate accord of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to the World Steel Association data, in 2020 every metric ton of steel that was produced emitted almost double the amount of carbon dioxide into the planet's atmosphere.
10. A vessel capsized and sank with 29 people on board in south-eastern Sennar province, Sudan. The authorities of Sudan reported the boat's sinking on the Blue Nile. It is believed that 23 women have drowned. When the vessel capsized there were 29 people on board.
11. 1,000 mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, are being deployed to the eastern part of Ukraine. For the past eight years, this group has been active in Syria, Ukraine and African countries. They have been accused of committing human rights abuses and war crimes.
12. Following the Russian withdrawal from the outskirts of Kyiv, videos and images of civilians lying dead on the streets of Bucha, Ukraine, some with their hands tied behind their back have emerged. The gruesome images have attracted worldwide condemnation and call for an investigation and stronger sanctions against Russia.
13. Australia, Britain, and the United States will begin collaborating on increasing defence capacity and hypersonic missile strikes keeping in mind that their rivals China and Russia are advancing rapidly in cutting-edge defence technology. The trio announced their collaboration on hypersonic missiles as an expansion of the recent defence alliance of AUKUS.
14. Russia has been suspended from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) after there were allegations that its soldiers violated human rights in Ukraine. The member nations of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted to suspend Russia. The UNHRC is an inter-governmental body under the United Nations. It is responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights across the world.
15. Astronomers have recently discovered a planet that is a near identical twin of Jupiter. The newly discovered twin of Jupiter is also located at a similar distance from its star as the distance between Jupiter and the Sun. The newly discovered planet has been dubbed K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb.
16. China has launched a new Earth observation satellite on 7th April 2022. This satellite will become a part of the country's land-sea radar satellite constellation. It will capture images to help China safeguard its maritime interests. The satellite has been named Gaofen-3 03.
17. SpaceX has launched three rich businessmen along with their astronaut escorts to the International Space Station on 8th April 2022. They will be staying in the space station for more than a week. NASA has joined Russia to host guests at the International Space Station (ISS).
18. A galaxy named HD1 might be the most distant object that has ever been spotted by astronomers. The brightness of this galaxy might be due to an enormous black hole that is at its centre or due to the creation of large primordial stars. The galaxy HD1 was discovered by Fabio Pacucci along with his colleagues at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Massachusetts.
19. Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) is a crew mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that is operated by the Axiom Space. This mission was launched on 8th April 2022 from Kennedy Space Center. It is a private crew mission.
20. Indonesia, the largest producer, and exporter of palm oil is experiencing domestic shortages so much that the government has been forced to put curbs on shipments and introduce price controls. For the year 2021-22 (October to September), Indonesia's palm oil production has been predicted to be 45.5 million tonnes (mt) according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
21. On 10th April 2022, Imran Khan's term as Pakistan's Prime Minister ended after days of constitutional chaos in Pakistan that left him with no choice but to be voted out of the office or to resign. The lower house of the Pakistani parliament will be meeting on 11th April 2022 to vote for a new acting prime minister of the country.
22. On 11th April 2022, Shehbaz Sharif took oath as Pakistan's 23rd prime minister. Senate chairperson Sadiq Sanjarani administered the oath to Sharif. After Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the former foreign minister announced that his party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf will be boycotting the PM polls, Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the Prime Minister unopposed.
23. While other countries across the planet are gradually relaxing their COVID related restrictions and urging their respective citizens that they will have to adjust to the COVID-19 virus, China is following a strict Zero-Covid policy. The Zero-Covid policy of China involves the use of aggressive measures and policies that are necessary to eliminate and control the COVID-19 virus's local transmission.
24. Neptune is the name of a Ukrainian anti-ship cruise missile that was developed by the Luch Design Bureau. The design of this missile is based on the Soviet Kh-35 anti-ship missile. Compared to the Kh-35 it has improved electronics and range. This missile system has been developed to destroy transport vessels and surface warships.
25. USD 2.2 million in climate action funding has been announced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and partners of the Adaptation Innovation Marketplace (AIM) for 22 local innovators from 19 countries, that also includes India. The first round of funding of the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA) window will be looking to improve local climate action and speed up the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement's ambitions.
26. On 16th April 2022, the 2022 edition of the Invictus Games opened in The Hague, Netherlands. The Games are being held from 16th to 22nd April. The Invictus Game's first edition was held in London in the year 2014.
27. According to a new report by Oxfam, more than a quarter of a billion people in 2022 will be pushed into poverty. The report also said that the financial crisis across the world will be driven by the rise in prices due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis and also due to the COVID-19-related economic crisis.
28. Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2022 is being held from 17th April to 21st April 2022 at the Sands Expo Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. It is one of Asia's leading international water events. SIWW brings together experts, leaders, and practitioners from various utilities, governments, industries and academia to co-create and share innovative solutions regarding global urban water challenges.
29. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has asked the President of the United States Joe Biden to designate Russia with a "state sponsor of terrorism" tag. Doing so will activate the harshest suite of sanctions available with the US government against Russia.
30. On 17th April 2022, a U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) spy satellite was launched into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The satellite named NROL-85 was this year's second mission of the agency and also 2022's second orbital launch from the Western Range of the USA.
31. The most industrialised of the African continent, South Africa has mostly escaped the tropical cyclones that regularly hit its neighbouring countries. But in the last week, storms pounded the east coast city of Durban which triggered landslides and heavy floods that resulted in the deaths of more than 440 people.
32. An emergency use authorization has been granted by the United States Food and Drug Administration for a COVID-19 test that uses the breath samples of an individual. The authorized device is named the InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer and has been developed by the company named InspectIR Systems.
33. Crypto lender Nexo has collaborated with Mastercard to launch the world's first "crypto-backed" payment card. This launch has signaled the move by financial and crypto networks to collaborate as digital assets are becoming more mainstream. Initially, the card will be available in selected European countries.
34. Amidst harsh sanctions imposed by the West due to the Ukraine invasion, Russia has tested its new Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Sarmat on 20th April 2022. This was ICBM Sarmat's first test launch after the launch was in 2021. The test was earlier pushed to December 2021 and then later to April 2022.
35. A security pact has been signed between China and the Solomon Islands. This agreement has been signed to enhance the existing cooperation arrangements with the Solomon Islands. The pact was announced a day after the U.S. made plans to send a delegation to the South Pacific nation to convince them to break the deal with China.
36. The Perseverance Mars rover of NASA has captured a video of an eclipse on Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars. The video captured by the Perseverance rover is the highest-frame-rate observation and the most zoomed-in of a solar eclipse that has been captured from the Martian surface.
37. On 24th April 2022, Marine Le Pen has been defeated by Emmanuel Macron to be re-elected as the President of France. Leaders across the world welcomed his re-election. Marine Le Pen is a far-right leader who was defeated by Macron. Macron is the first French sitting president in the past 20 years to have been re-elected.
38. The European Union finalized new legislation that will require the world's big tech companies to remove harmful content. This is the latest move of the union to regulate the world's online giants. The Digital Services Act (DSA) has the aim of ensuring tougher consequences for websites and platforms that will be hosting banned content ranging from disinformation to hate speech and images of child sexual abuse.
39. Radhika Gupta CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, Raghav Chadha Aam Aadmi Party leader and Mykhailo Fedorov Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation were named by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its list of Young Global Leaders 2022.
40. In one of the tech world's biggest deals, Elon Musk has taken control of the social media site Twitter. Through this deal, he will be acquiring the social network for around USD 44 billion with the shares of the company being valued at $54.20. On 14th April 2022, Musk announced his plans of taking over Twitter. Elon Musk has plans to make Twitter a private organization.
41. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of America has released an equity action plan with the aim of making space more accessible. This new plan supports the efforts of the US government regarding the plans it has to make space accessible.
42. Germany's Ministry of Economy, Robert Habeck, has announced that there are plans by a group of companies in the country's automotive industry to develop a 'passport' that will be tracing the environmental impact of European batteries. The consortium consisting of 11 partners received EUR 8.2m of funding to develop a common set of standards to gather and disclose the data on European batteries.
43. Japan has said that four islands near the Kamchatka Peninsula have been illegally occupied by Russia. The Japanese call these islands 'the Northern Territories' while Russia calls them 'Kurils'. The islands stretch north across the Pacific Ocean from Japan's Hokkaido to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula's southernmost tip.
44. NASA has showcased a picture of two merging galaxies that are located in the VV-689 system. These two merging galaxies have been given the nickname "Angel Wing", as both galaxies are on a collision course creating an almost symmetrical shape depicting the wings of an angel.
45. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has announced that Russia has decided to withdraw from the UNWTO. The announcement was made by UN World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. According to the UNWTO, Russia decided to withdraw from this organization ahead of a vote by the body to suspend Russia for its war against Ukraine.
Defence
1. The 20th edition of the bilateral naval exercise that is named 'Varuna' is being conducted by India and France in the Arabian Sea from 30th March till 3rd April 2022. In this exercise, various units of the two navies which include submarines, ships, fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters are participating.
2. On 8th April 2022, the Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) booster missile system was successfully flight-tested by India. The testing was conducted at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha. In 2017 India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) began developing the SFDR.
3. Helina, the Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) which is the Nag missile's helicopter-launched version was again tested on 12th April 2022. The testing was conducted in the country's northern high-altitude mountain regions after it was successfully tested on 11th April 2022 in Pokhran's desert region.
4. The Canister Launched Anti-Armour Loiter Ammunition (CALM) System is a pre-loaded loiter ammunition canister or a drone that once fired can remain airborne for a period of time over a designated area and after the target is sighted it can be guided to destroy the target with an explosive payload.
5. Neptune is the name of a Ukrainian anti-ship cruise missile that was developed by the Luch Design Bureau. The design of this missile is based on the Soviet Kh-35 anti-ship missile. Compared to the Kh-35 it has improved electronics and range. This missile system has been developed to destroy transport vessels and surface warships.
6. Lieutenant General Manoj Pande will be replacing General Manoj Mukund Naravane as the 29th chief of the Indian Army. Lieutenant General Manoj Pande has become the first engineer to become the chief of army staff (COAS). He will be taking charge of this post from 1st May 2022.
7. Urja Pravaha, the Indian Coast Guard Ship (Auxiliary Barge) has been inducted into the Indian Coast Guard at Bharuch, Gujarat. Urja Pravaha arrived in Kochi on 22nd April 2022 and it will be under the Coast Guard District Headquarters-4's (Mahe and Kerala) operational command.
8. A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on World Military Expenditure stated that India was the world's third-highest military spender behind the US and China. The global defence expenditure in 2021 reached an all-time high and stood at USD 2.1 trillion despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Business, Economy & Banking
1. Citigroup has announced that Axis Bank will be acquiring Citibank's India consumer business for an amount of USD 1.6 billion in an all-cash deal. This transaction will be including Citibank India's consumer banking businesses, which include retail banking, credit cards, consumer loans and wealth management.
2. The interest rates on small savings schemes, including PPF, NSC, and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, have been kept unchanged for the first quarter of 2022-23. This decision has been taken by the government keeping in mind the elevated level of inflation.
3. To fund the revenue gap for the economy's revival Rs. 8.45 lakh crore has been targeted by the government of India that will be raised through borrowings in the first half of 2022-23. The gross market borrowing that is estimated for the next financial year is Rs. 14.31 lakh crore.
4. An economic cooperation and trade agreement has been signed between India and Australia. Under this agreement, Australia will be providing duty-free access for over 95 percent of Indian goods like leather, textiles, sports products, and jewellery in its market.
5. HDFC's board of directors has approved the merger of HDFC Bank, India's largest private sector bank with HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation), India's largest housing finance firm. The deal will be building the housing loan portfolio of the bank and will also be enhancing its existing customer base.
6. In 2021-22 fiscal, the merchandise exports of India grew to touch a record high of USD 418 billion. This was due to higher exports of products including engineering goods, petroleum products, jewellery, etc. During 2021-22, the goods trade (imports and exports) of the country crossed USD 1 trillion. India's imports also touched USD 610 billion a record of its own.
7. The trade deficit of India rose by 87.5 percent from USD 102.63 billion in 2020-21 to USD 192.41 billion in 2021-22. The total export in the last fiscal year touched a record margin of USD 417.81 billion, the imports for the same period imports too soared to touch USD 610.22 billion, thus, leaving USD 192.41 billion trade gap.
8. SEBI has constituted a committee that will review and make recommendations for the strengthening of governance norms at market infrastructure institutions (MIIs) and stock exchanges. The committee has been constituted after the alleged corporate lapses of governance at NSE were revealed.
9. India's GDP growth has been forecasted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to 7.5 percent in 2022-23 from 2021-22's estimated 8.9 percent. The report has also suggested that the growth will pick up and reach 8 percent in 2023-24. The Russia-Ukraine conflict's implications have been factored in by the ADB for India.
10. For FY 2021-22, the exports of agricultural products, including plantation and marine products of India have touched a record USD 50 billion. This is a 20 percent increase from last year. This growth in export has been achieved due to a surge in shipments of marine products, rice, buffalo meat, sugar, wheat and raw cotton.
11. The Reserve Bank of India led by Governor Shaktikanta Das has released the monetary policy update for April 2022. The Policy Repo Rate has been kept unchanged at 4 percent. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate remains unchanged at 4.25 percent. The Bank Rate also remains unchanged at 4.25 percent.
12. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently released guidelines for the banks of the country to set up digital banking units (DBUs). An announcement regarding the setting up of 75 DBUs in 75 districts was made in the Union Budget 2022-23. A DBU is a specialized business unit that houses minimum digital infrastructure for the purpose of delivering digital banking services and products. The DBU's objective is the expansion of financial inclusion and digital financial services.
13. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has notified amendments to the regulations of the voluntary liquidation process, wherein the timelines including the distribution of proceeds from realization have been reduced so that a faster exit for firms can be ensured. From 5th April 2022, these amended regulations have come into effect.
14. A cardless cash withdrawal facility has been made available at all ATMs by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This facility will be made available via the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) irrespective of the bank. This decision was made by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the RBI.
15. The Reserve Bank of India has proposed to modify the existing norms that are in place with the aim of rationalizing and simplifying the process for payment settlement for imports and exports through e-commerce. The draft guidelines named 'Processing and Settlement of small value Export and Import related payments' that are facilitated by Online Export-Import Facilitators (OEIF) have been issued by the RBI.
16. In FY 2021-22, the gold imports of India have risen by 33.34 percent to USD 46.14 billion due to higher demand. In 2020-21, the gold imports were worth USD 34.62 billion. The gold imports surge during the last financial year has contributed to the country's growing trade deficit to USD 192.41 billion.
17. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has revised its global trade growth forecast this year from 4.7 percent to 3 percent due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war. The WTO has also warned about a potential food crisis that might be caused price surges.
18. In FY22 asset monetisation worth Rs. 96,000 crore has been completed by the Central Government. It surpassed the Rs. 88,000 crore target. The government has set a target of Rs. 1.62 trillion for FY23. For the FY23 targets, the government already has a pipeline of assets that are worth Rs. 1.6 trillion in advanced implementation stages.
19. For the fiscal year 2022-23, India's GDP forecast has been slashed by the World Bank from 8.7 percent to 8 percent. The reason given for the change in forecast is due to rising inflation and worsening global supply caused due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
20. To reduce the cotton prices, the Indian government has decided to exempt all customs duties on the imports of cotton. This exemption announced by the government will be benefiting the textile chain-fabric, yarn, made-ups and garments as well as provide relief to the consumers and the textile industry.
21. Under the Rs. 10,683 crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the garment and textile sector, the central government of India has given its approval for the financial support of 61 companies. To receive benefits under this scheme, sixty-seven companies had applied. The total investment expected from the 61 approved applicants is Rs. 19,077 crore, with a projected turnover of Rs. 1,84,917 crore over a five-year period.
22. Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat from Ukraine and Russia, has given approval to India as one of its wheat suppliers. India will be supplying around one million tonnes of wheat, of which in April 2,40,000 tonnes will be shipped. In a year, Egypt purchases 11 to 12 million tonnes of wheat from Ukraine, Russia and other countries.
23. The rules of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) have been amended by the government to pave way for up to 20 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). The central government also intends to reduce its stake in LIC through an Initial Public Offering (IPO).
24. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its 'State of the economy' report cautioned that the surging commodity prices are causing inflation risks, especially through the surging of imports. The ever-growing widening of current and trade account deficits along with the portfolio capital outflows is putting pressure on external sustainability despite the fact that the underlying fundamentals and the stock of international reserves are providing buffers.
25. The World Bank has reduced the global growth forecast for 2022 from 4.1 percent to 3.2 percent. The growth forecast has been reduced due to the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The World Bank has proposed a new 15-month crisis financing target of USD 170 billion, out of which USD 50 billion will be committed over the next three months.
26. The international arm of the National Payment Corporation of India, NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) has announced that across the UAE, BHIM UPI is live on NEOPAY terminals. This initiative will be empowering the millions of Indians who travel to the UAE to make payments in a convenient and safe manner.
27. The guidelines on Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) for large borrowers of Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) have been extended by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The RBI has further advised that any non-individual borrowers enjoying aggregate exposure of Rs 5 crore and more from financial institutions (FIs) and banks will be required to obtain Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) codes.
28. The All-India Household Consumer Expenditure Survey which is conducted every five years by the National Statistical Office (NSO) will be resumed this year after a prolonged break. The 2022-23 survey will be conducted from July and it will be completed by June 2023.
29. India and the United Kingdom have launched their Global Innovation Partnership (GIP) as both countries look to bolster their innovation ecosystem to benefit the start-ups. GIP is expected to provide a model for utilizing the Trilateral Development Corporation (TDC) Fund for projects with other countries like Germany, Japan, the European Union, France, etc that are willing to work with India on the field of development and innovation. The GIP will be co-financed by India and the UK.
30. On 21st April 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a fresh set of guidelines for the issuance of debit and credit cards. These newly issued guidelines will come into effect from 1st July 2022 and will be applicable to all banks except state cooperative banks, payments banks, and district central cooperative banks. These norms have been issued with the aim of protecting the interests of the country's retail consumers.
31. Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Steel and Rural Development has announced that India exported 13.5 million tonnes (mt) of finished steel amounts to Rs. 1 trillion and has imported steel of about Rs. 4,6000 crores.
32. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the financial support of Rs. 820 crore for the India Post Payments Bank. This monetary support will help the state-run payments bank penetrate deeper into the nation, especially in the country's rural areas and will work towards boosting financial inclusion.
33. The public sector enterprises (PSEs) have been barred by the Finance Minister from participating in the strategic disinvestment of other government owned companies unless given specific approval by the Central Government. Public Sector Enterprises/ State Governments/ Cooperative Societies that are controlled by the Governments have not been given permission to participate in the strategic disinvestment of other PSUs as bidders unless given approval by the Central Government.
34. The central government announced that the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilizers for this year's Kharif season which is from April to September 2022 will be increased to Rs. 60,939 crore, as against Rs. 57,150 crore for the whole of 2021.
Science & Technology
1. The Indian government has issued an order for the first time exempting certain types of crops that are genome edited from the stringent regulations that are applicable in the country on genetically modified or GM crops. This order will give a boost to their development and research.
2. Six new and rare Reference Materials (RMs) have been indigenously developed by the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL). RMs are the purest form of chemical that is required in all WADA accredited laboratories across the world for anti-doping analysis.
3. According to researchers, it is now possible to make use of light as a form of fuel to move microbots or micro-swimmers in real body conditions for the delivery of drugs that are selectively sensitive toward the cancer cells. Microbots are made using a two-dimensional compound named poly (heptazine imide) carbon nitride also known as PHI carbon nitride. These microbots range in size from 1 to 10 micrometre and after being energised by shining light they can self-propel.
4. In India, a prospective vaccine against COVID-19 or SarsCov2 is being developed that doesn't require refrigeration or stored in cold-chain storage. According to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal 'Viruses', the vaccine, in mouse trials has generated antibodies against various variants of the virus.
5. An emergency use authorization has been granted by the United States Food and Drug Administration for a COVID-19 test that uses the breath samples of an individual. The authorized device is named the InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer and has been developed by the company named InspectIR Systems.
6. India has achieved a major landmark after the Airports Authority of India (AAI) successfully conducted a trial by applying the latest indigenous satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) technology named GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation). IndiGo became the first airline in Asia that used the indigenously developed satellite-based navigation system while landing at the Kishangarh airport, Rajasthan.
Government Schemes
1. The government is looking to launch a scheme to help aspiring entrepreneurs who belong to SCs and OBCs and are failing to receive venture capital funds (VCF). The name of the proposed scheme is Ambedkar Young Entrepreneur-Mentor programme. As the VCF scheme couldn't make good progress despite being in operation for many years, this programme's need was felt and was devised.
2. The International Air Connectivity Scheme (IACS) has been launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation with the objective of enhancing air connectivity from India's certain states with some selected international destinations so as to promote socio-economic growth.
3. The Draft National Tourism Policy has been prepared by the Indian Government to focus on digital, and green tourism. This policy has been forwarded to the state governments, industry partners and other allied ministries for getting their feedback before the policy is sent for approval.
4. With the aim of achieving the goal of 'Good Governance' and taking forward the idea of citizen engagement, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has launched MyGov Jammu and Kashmir. At present, this platform has over 2.29 Crore registered users. They are known as MyGov Saathis and they engage actively with MyGov and share all their suggestions and ideas related to various policy issues.
5. The merger of four film media units which are the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), Films Division, Children's Film Society of India (CFSI), and National Film Archive of India (NFAI) with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has been announced by the Central government of India.
6. Anurag Thakur, the Information and Broadcasting Minister has launched the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's Broadcast Seva Portal. This portal was launched on 4th April 2022 in New Delhi. The country's media and entertainment sectors are rapidly growing.
7. The Central Government has announced the reduction of areas under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the Northeast states of the country. The impacted states are Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur. Under the AFSPA law, the armed forces are allowed to use any means that is deemed necessary to maintain public order in the states where AFSPA is applicable.
8. On 5th April 2016, The Stand-up India scheme was launched by the Indian government. On 5th April 2022, it completed six years. This scheme was launched by the central government with the aim of encouraging entrepreneurship from the grass-root level so that job creation and economic empowerment can be fostered especially among the ST, SC and women entrepreneurs of the country.
9. Dr. Jitendra Singh Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, has launched a clean energy initiative named Mission Integrated Bio-refineries.
10. On 5th April 2022, a mascot named 'Prakriti' was launched by Bhupendra Yadav, Union environment minister. This mascot was launched with the aim of spreading awareness among the people of the country about the small changes that can contribute to a better environment for the nation's future generations.
11. The 'Digital Dashboard for District Ganga Committees (DGCs) Performance Monitoring System' (GDPMS) has been launched on 6th April 2022, by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Jal Shakti. G. Asok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was also present during the launch event.
12. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised India's efforts for food distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. They said that the nation averted extreme poverty rise during this period by providing food security through the government initiative Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
13. In-Principle approval has been accorded by the government of India for five new sites for locating nuclear power plants in the future. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space, said administrative approval has been accorded by the Government.
14. An advisory committee of experts has been formed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. This committee has been constituted to carry forward the government's plans of making India a global leader in the manufacturing, innovation and design of semiconductors.
15. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released draft guidelines on the registration of doctors in order for them to practice medicine. The issued guidelines have provided frameworks for the creation of a dynamic national medical register under which each student qualifying NEET will be provided with a unique ID. The professional qualifications of the students like super specialty training and post graduation will be added to the ID.
16. A new version of the Health Benefit Package 2022, has been launched by the National Health Authority under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. 365 new procedures have been added in the new version of the NHA Health benefit Package which takes the total to 1,949.
17. The supply of fortified rice through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), by 2024 has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs that is chaired by PM Modi. As part of the food subsidy, the Central Government will be bearing the entire cost of Rs. 2,700 crore per annum for rice fortification till its full implementation up to June 2024.
18. The 'Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans of the Region' (AVSAR) scheme has been launched by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) with the aim of encouraging the talent of craftsmen, women and artisans and providing them with proper opportunities.
19. An Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Promotion Task Force has been constituted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This sector has a lot of growth potential and can promote the government's "Create in India" and "Brand India".
20. The 'SVANidhi se Samriddhi' program has been launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in additional 126 cities across 14 States and UTs of India. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges in 2020-21, this program was successful in providing social security benefits to lakhs of street vendors and their families across the country thus protecting them from the livelihoods risks.
21. The students of the country have been allowed to pursue two degrees simultaneously by the University Grants Commission. From the academic session of 2022-23, the students can start applying for these dual degree programmes. Both the degrees can be pursued either from different universities or from the same university.
22. Rs. 5,911 crores have been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for the continuation of the 'Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan' (RGSA). The scheme has been extended for a period of four years from 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2026 with the aim of developing the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) governance capabilities.
23. In the country, at 1 lakh Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) teleconsultation facility began on 16th April 2022. This facility has been launched with the aim of helping the people living in remote villages in the country receive medical advice from various health experts.
24. Various procedures under the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme have been relaxed by the commerce ministry so as to facilitate the ease of doing business and reduce compliance requirements. Under this scheme, the capital goods imports are allowed duty-free, subject to export laws.
25. The 'e-DAR' (e-Detailed Accident Report) portal has been developed by the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in consultation with the various insurance companies. This portal will help in providing instant information related to road accidents and will help in accelerating accident compensation claims.
26. From 18th April 2022, block level health melas are being held by the Union Health Ministry at more than one lakh Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres across India. The health melas are being organized in association with all Union Territories, states and various key ministries such as the Information and Broadcasting, Women and Child Development, Education, Panchayati Raj and Ayush ministries.
27. A surveillance mechanism has been rolled out by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCS) with the aim of identifying non–compliance with flight safety standards and alerting the authorities that are authorized for taking urgent corrective action to resolve the deficiencies.
28. Out of the 100 cities in the country that are being developed under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), in 80 of them, the Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) have already been set up. The Integrated Command and Control Centres or ICCCs are a key part of the Smart Cities project.
29. While addressing the Global AYUSH Investment and Innovation Summit, PM Modi announced that the country will soon be launching the 'AYUSH Mark' to give authenticity to the quality AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) products that are made in India. This launch will be done with the aim of promoting the traditional medicine industry of the nation.
30. NITI Aayog released a draft battery swapping policy on 21st April 2022. Under this policy, all metropolitan cities in the country having a population over 40 lakhs will be given priority for the development of a battery swapping network under the first phase.
31. Sushil Chandra, India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has urged the members of the Indian Community who are staying abroad to register as Overseas Voters. The extension of the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) facility to the overseas Indian voters is also being contemplated.
32. The National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) 2016-2030 outlines the strategies of India to eliminate the disease by the year 2030. This framework has been developed with the aim of eliminating malaria from the country and contributing to improved quality of life, health and poverty alleviation.
33. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 (UBA 2.0) has successfully completed four years on 25th April 2022. On this day in the year 2018, UBA 2.0 was launched with the aim of bringing transformational changes in the processes of rural development processes.
34. With the aim of improving the first and last-mile connectivity through Ropeways, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the state government of Himachal Pradesh and National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) for the construction of Ropeways in the state.
35. The launch of the Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) program was announced on 27th April 2022 by the government of India with the aim of creating Microprocessors for the country's and the world's future and to achieve industry-grade commercial silicon and design for the next generation of microprocessors by the month of December 2023.
36. Giriraj Singh, India's Rural Development Minister has launched the 'Azadi se Antyodaya Tak', 90 day inter-ministerial campaign on 28th April 2022. This campaign has been launched keeping in line with the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
37. A central accident database management system has been launched by the central government that will help in analyzing the causes of road accidents and devise safety interventions with the aim of reducing such accidents in India. The name of the system is the Integrated Road Accident Database (IRAD).
38. Quotas in several categories including that of District Magistrate (DM) and Member of Parliament (MP) have been scrapped by the Education ministry for admissions to Kendriya Vidyalayas. This has been done with the objective of improving the quality of education and streamlining admissions in Kendriya Vidyalas.
39. Narayan Rane, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises launched the MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification Scheme on 28th April 2022. ZED has the potential of becoming a national movement and it has the aim of providing a roadmap to global competitiveness for the MSMEs of the country.
Awards & Honours
1. Viktor Orban has again been elected as the Prime Minister of Hungary for the fourth time. He won the 4th term by a huge margin more than what was predicted in the pre-election polls. After the win, he addressed a jubilant crowd who were chanting his name.
2. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, two Indian musicians were among the winners. Falu, an Indian-American singer-songwriter won her maiden Grammy in the category of Best Children's Music Album. Composer Ricky Kej also won his second Grammy as he and Stewart Copeland won the award in the category of Best New Age Album.
3. The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu, has bestowed the Sangeet Natak Awards and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for the year 2018 to 43 eminent artists (4 Fellows and 40 awardees). The Fellowships and National Awards of the Lalit Kala Akademi for the year 2021 were also presented by him to 23 people (3 Fellows and 20 National Awards).
4. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN-FAO) along with Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Hyderabad and Mumbai jointly as the '2021 Tree City of the World'. The recognition has been won by the two Indian cities due to their commitment to maintaining and growing greenery and urban trees so as to build resilient, healthy, and happy cities.
5. M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President on 13th April 2022 has conferred the International Gandhi Award for Leprosy, 2021 to Sahyog Kushtha Yagna Trust, Gujarat, and Dr. Bhushan Kumar of Chandigarh in New Delhi. It is an annual award that is instituted by the Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation.
6. On 20th April 2022, the National Metallurgist Award 2021 will be hosted by the Union Ministry for Steel. Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, the Union Minister of Steel will be chairing this program. The National Metallurgist Award has been instituted by the Ministry of Steel after extensive deliberation with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
7. The government of Meghalaya's Planning Department's initiative of the "e-Proposal System", has won the UN Award – World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum Prizes 2022. The "e-Proposal System" is a part of Meghalaya Enterprise Architecture (MeghEA), which eliminates 75 percent physical work of files in all government departments in the state.
8. On 27th April 2022, the India Pharma Awards 2022, and India Medical Device Awards 2022 were handed over by the Minister of State for the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba. The awards were handed over during the seventh edition of India Pharma and Indian Medical Device 2022 which was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
Sports
1. Dipika Pallikal won the mixed doubles and women's doubles championships at the World Doubles Squash Championships teaming up with Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa respectively. Teaming up with Saurav Ghosal, Dipika first clinched the mixed doubles title with an 11-6, 11-8 win over Alison Waters and Adrian Waller of England.
2. On 16th April 2022, the 2022 edition of the Invictus Games opened in The Hague, Netherlands. The Games are being held from 16th to 22nd April. The Invictus Game's first edition was held in London in the year 2014. The games have been held in Orlando, the US in 2016, Toronto, Canada in 2017 and Sydney, Australia in 2018. Dusseldorf, Germany will be hosting the 2023 edition of the games.
3. The Victoria state of Australia will be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. During the games focus will also be given to boosting the economy of the region. An exclusive negotiating period was granted to the capital of Victoria, Melbourne, to secure the hosting rights for the Commonwealth Games.
4. 2021 Khelo India University Games logo was unveiled recently. It will be held in Karnataka from 24th April 2022. At the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru the logo was unveiled. The Jain University, Bengaluru will be hosting this event from 24th April to 3rd May 2022.
References:
jagranjosh.com
gktoday.in
business-standard.com
Join The Discussion