Kapil Kathpal

PNB Launch Credit Card Against FDs Digitally

Banking
• Punjab National Bank has become the first Public Sector Bank to
introduce a credit card against fixed deposits digitally, for customers who
do not fulfill the eligibility criteria for regular credit cards.

• PNB has introduced two types of consumer credit cards: ‘PNB Global
Gold’ and ‘PNB Global Classic’

• The PNB credit card will initially be offered at 84 locations and will have
no joining fee, renewal fee, annual fee, or fuel surcharge.

• Customers of the bank can get a RuPay or VISA credit card digitally in
exchange for a single or multiple FDs with an 80% credit limit.

Punjab National Bank

• MD & CEO – Atul Kumar Goel
• Headquarters – New Delhi
• Tagline – The name you can bank upon
 Kapil Kathpal
SBI raises Rs 9,718 cr via infra bonds
Banking
• SBI has raised Rs 9,718 crore through its
second infrastructure bond issuance at a
coupon rate of 7.70 per cent per annum for the
15-year money.

• The fund proceeds will be utilised for

enhancing long-term resources for funding
infrastructure and affordable housing.

• Before this, the bank had raised Rs 10,000

crore through infrastructure bonds in
December,2022
 Kapil Kathpal
Google pilots ‘Soundpod by Google Pay’
for UPI payments in India Banking

• Google is actively working on a Soundbox for

the India market, similar to the Paytm or
PhonePe ones that you see at your
neighbourhood shop which gives a sound alert
on the digital payment that has been made.

• The company has branded them as ‘Soundpod

by Google Pay’ and is currently distributing it as
a pilot with some shopkeepers in north India,
including Delhi.
 Kapil Kathpal
PM Modi Inaugurated Second Phase
of Sansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 National

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of

Saansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 via video conferencing.

• Saansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 has been organized in Basti

district, Uttar Pradesh

• The Khel Mahakumbh includes various competitions in both indoor

and outdoor sports like wrestling, kabaddi, kho kho, basketball,
football, hockey, volleyball, handball, chess, carrom, badminton,
table tennis, etc. There are several other competitions including
essay writing, painting, rangoli making, etc are also organized
during the Khel Mahakumbh.

• He informed that about 200 Parliamentarians have organized such

Khel Mahakumbh in their constituencies.
 Kapil Kathpal
Kerala Allows 60 days Maternity
Leave for Female Students National

• Kerala announced that girls students above the

age of 18 years will get maternity leave of 60
days.

• The required attendance percentage for female

students will be 73 percent including menstrual
leave. The attendance percentage required
earlier was 75 percent.

• The concept of menstrual leave was first

introduced by the Cochin University of Science
and Technology
 Kapil Kathpal
Mastercard Announced Second Phase
of Girls4Tech STEM Education in India National

• Mastercard announced the expansion of its signature Girls4Tech, STEM

(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program in India.

• The Girls4Tech is supported by Mastercard Impact Fund and in

partnership with the American India Foundation

• The expansion of the program aims to reach up to 1 lakh female students

across the country by 2024 to encourage them to take up STEM
Education.

• The program includes 14,400 students in Delhi and 40 additional

government schools where STEM courses will be offered to girls aged 8
to 14.

• The Girls4Tech program reached over 1,12,482 girls in urban and rural
locations across six states in India, including 10,000 across Delhi.

• Girls4Tech was launched in 2014 and it is an award-winning education

program aimed at creating future problem solvers, incorporating
Mastercard’s deep expertise in technology and innovation.
 Kapil Kathpal
India’s Upper Siang hydroelectric project National

• National Hydroelectric Power Corporation has submitted a

pre-feasibility report to the Central Electricity Authority of
India for the ‘Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage’, India’s
largest hydel power project to date to come up in Arunachal
Pradesh.

• This will be 11 gigawatt (GW) project.

• India may spend ₹1.13 trillion to build the Upper Siang multi-
purpose storage project at Yingkiong in Arunachal Pradesh.

• The main purpose of the project is to counter China’s water

diversion scheme to the Yarlung Tsangpo river in China –
which flows into Arunachal as the Siang and then as the
Brahmaputra in Assam.
 Kapil Kathpal
CMPDIL invents New Dust Control Technology
National
• Ranchi based Central Mine Planning and
Design Institute Limited has invented a
“System and Method for Controlling Generation
and Movement of Fugitive Dust” to minimize
and control the fugitive dust in mining areas.

• CMPDIL received a patent for its invention in

December 2022.
 Kapil Kathpal
India’s Assurances to IMF backing Sri Lanka
National
• India sends financing assurances to IMF to back Sri
Lanka’s debt restructuring program. Sri Lanka’s three
largest bilateral lenders are China, Japan, and India.
India’s backing is a critical step for Sri Lanka to receive
a $2.9 billion package from IMF.

• Sri Lanka needs to secure prior financing assurances,

put debt on sustainable path, and increase public
revenue

Sri Lanka
• Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee.
• Prime Minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa
• President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
 Kapil Kathpal
The Bhopal Declaration
Conferences
• The Bhopal Declaration was released after a two-day meeting of Think-20
under G20 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The Declaration was made by
more than 300 intellectuals from India and abroad

• The Think 20 (T20) is a forum of think tanks from G20 countries that
provides policy recommendations to the leaders of the G20.

• Student Connect was also organized under G20 at Makhanlal

Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal

Bhopal Declaration:
• Emphasis on promoting traditional medicine systems like AYUSH
• Encouragement of value-oriented development in infrastructure
• Appeal for more inclusive development and care for all sections of society
• Special attention to children and development led by women
• Focus on bridging the gap between North and South
• Importance of localization in achieving G-20 sustainable development
goals
• Necessity of triangular cooperation between government, society, and
private organizations
 Kapil Kathpal
Indian Army Organised Cyber Threat Seminar
cum Workshop “Sayanya Ran Kshetram 2.0’’ Conferences

• The Indian Army has organized the second edition of

the Hackathon named “SAINYA RANAKSHETRAM 2.0”
under the aegis of HQ Army Training Command.

• The “SAINYA RANAKSHETRAM 2.0” aims to seek

solutions to operational cyber challenges

• The event aimed to provide a platform to identify

indigenous talent in niche domains and enhance the
standard of training in domains of Cyber Deterrence,
Security Software Coding, Electro Magnetic Spectrum
Operations (EMSO), and Artificial Intelligence /
Machine Learning (AI/ ML).
 Kapil Kathpal
GOI to Hold the First Global Tourism Summit in April 2023
Conferences
• As part of its Group of Twenty presidency, the
Government of India will host the country’s first “Global
Tourism Investors Summit 2023” in April 2023, with
participation from all G20 members.

• India holds the Presidency of the G20 from December

1, 2022 to November 30, 2023.

• The Union Ministry of Tourism will organize the Global

Tourism Investors Summit 2023, with the Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII) as the industry partner, and it is
scheduled to take place in New Delhi from April 10 to
12, 2023.
 Kapil Kathpal
India Assumes Presidency of 13th
International Renewable Energy Agency Conferences

• India has assumed the presidency of the 13th assembly of the

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the first international
organisation solely dedicated to renewable energy in Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates

• Union Minister Raj Kumar Singh, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
delivered the opening remarks

• The theme of the 13th IRENA assembly is “World Energy Transitions: The
Global Stocktake.”

• IRENA is an intergovernmental organisation with the mission to promote

adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy while facilitating
cooperation and knowledge development.

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA):

• Director-General – Francesco La Camera
• Headquarters – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Members – 167 countries & the European Union
 Kapil Kathpal
Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited
bags Best Small Bank Award 2022 Awards

• Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited has bagged

the Best Small Bank award in the best banks
survey for the year 2022 done by Business
Today-KPMG (BT-KPMG Best banks survey).

• The bank received this award in the category of

banks with a book size of less than Rs. 1 lakh
crore.
 Kapil Kathpal
Goa Manohar International Airport wins
best sustainable greenfield airport award Awards

• The New Goa Manohar International Airport built by the

GMR Goa International Airport Ltd, a subsidiary of
GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited, won the
prestigious “Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport” award
under Aviation Sustainability and Environment at
ASSOCHAM 14th International Conference-cum-
Awards for Civil Aviation 2023 at New Delhi.

• Sustainability as one of core concepts, New Goa

Manohar International Airport is designed to be a zero-
carbon footprint airport and will join the elite club of
green airports across the world.
 Praveen Sharma appointed as Kapil Kathpal

Director of National Health Authority Appointments

• Praveen Sharma has been selected for appointment as

Director in the National Health Authority (Ayushman
Bharat Digital Mission) under the Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare.

• National Health Authority (NHA) is the apex body

responsible for implementing India’s flagship public
health insurance/assurance scheme called “Ayushman
Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana” & has been
entrusted with the role of designing strategy, building
technological infrastructure and implementation of
“National Digital Health Mission” to create a National
Digital Health Eco-system.
 Kapil Kathpal
Aruna Miller becomes Maryland’s first
Indian-American Lieutenant Governor International

• Aruna Miller has scripted history by becoming the first

Indian-American politician to be sworn in as the
Lieutenant Governor in the state of Maryland

• Aruna made history when she became the 10th

Lieutenant Governor of the state.

• The Lieutenant Governor is the state’s highest official

following the Governor and assumes the role when the
Governor is out of state or incapacitated.

• Moore became Maryland’s 63rd governor, the state’s

first and the country’s only current Black chief
executive.
 Kapil Kathpal
Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc Resigns
International
• President of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc submitted
his resignation after the communist party blamed him
for the violations and wrongdoings by the senior
ministers under him during his 2016-2021.

• His resignation is a part of the anti-corruption drive

which also led to the dismissal of 2 Deputy Prime
Ministers.
 Kapil Kathpal
MSN launches generic version
of breast cancer drug Palborest International

• MSN Group launched the ‘world’s first’ generic

Palbociclib tablets indicated for advanced
breast cancer therapy under the brand
Palborest.
 Kapil Kathpal
Laxman Rawat Clinches NSCI Snooker Open Crown
Sports
• Laxman Rawat emerged victorious in the ‘Baulkline’
NSCI All India Snooker Open, beating Aditya Mehta

• The NSCI Snooker Open Crown is a snooker

tournament organized by the National Sports Club of
India (NSCI).

• The tournament is open to players from all over India

and features a best-of-17-frame final. The tournament
is considered as a major title in Indian snooker and the
champion of the tournament is awarded the NSCI
Snooker Open Crown.
 Kapil Kathpal
India’s Yuki Bhambri-Saketh Myneni wins
Men’s doubles in Bangkok Open 2023 Sports

• India’s Tennis players, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni have won
the Men’s doubles title at the Bangkok Open 2023 held in
Nonthaburi, Thailand

• The Indian duo defeated Christopher Rungkat of Indonesia and

Akira Santillan of Australia in the finals.

Category Winner Runners

Men’s Singles Arthur Cazaux Lloyd Harris

(France) (South Africa)
Men’s Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Christopher Rungkat (Indonesia) and
Doubles Myneni (India) Akira Santillan (Australia)
 Kapil Kathpal
South Africa’s Hashim Amla retired
Sports
• Hashim Amla ended his 22-year playing career

• Amla made a South African record 311 not out in the

first Test at The Oval in London.

• It remains South Africa’s only triple century in Test

match cricket.

• It was one of Amla’s 28 centuries in a 124-match Test

career during which he scored 9,282 runs

• Amla is currently a batting consultant with the MI Cape

Town franchise in the SA20 league.