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1 GA IN NEWS

Place / Developed by /
S.No News Key Facts
Launched

The Grand Order of the Chain of

First Indian to receive the
Grand Order of the Chain of
1.
Yellow Star- Droupadi
Murmu, President of India
Yellow Star is the highest civilian
award of Suriname.
The President of India also
-- witnessed the cultural festival on
the occasion of the
commemoration of 150 years of
the arrival of Indians in Suriname in
Paramaribo.

First female Secretary- She is a meteorologist from

General of the World Argentina
2. --
Meteorological Organization
(WMO)- Celeste Saulo She will succeed Petteri Taalas

First Gulf Cooperation

Council (GCC)
meteorologist and an Arab He is from United Arab Emirates
meteorologist from Asia to (UAE).
3. --
be named as the President
of World Meteorological He will succeed Gerhard Adrian
Organization (WMO)- Dr
Abdulla Al Mandous

The cruise visited three ports in Sri

Lanka viz, Hambantota,
Trincomalee, and Kankesanturei.
Launched from: Chennai's
The cruise is an outcome of an
International Cruise Terminal
India’s First International agreement signed between
4. Cruise Vessel- MV Chennai Port and Waterways
EMPRESS Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd during the
first Incredible India International
Cruise Conference in 2022

Additional Information: The Government of India intends to build three

new international cruise ports by 2024.

First Indian state to launch Kerala has achieved this milestone

5. its own broadband service- -- by launching Kerala Fibre Optic
Kerala Network (K-FON).

First All India Institute Of

6. Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to -- --
receive National

2|Page
 Accreditation Board for
Hospitals & Healthcare
Providers (NABH)
accreditation - AIIMS
Nagpur
India conducted Asia's first
demonstration of
performance-based
navigation for helicopters
7.
for a flight from Juhu to
Pune using GAGAN satellite
technology
First Manufacturer To
8. Achieve GreenPro Ecolabel
- JSW Steel
First Insurance Company to
launch exclusive term
insurance plan for Type 2
9.
diabetic and pre-diabetic
individuals in India- Bajaj
Allianz Life
India’s first co-branded
10. digital fashion & lifestyle
credit card
First Indian Private Dairy to
11. offer Heat Index Insurance
Plan to Farmers- mooPay
India's first mobile-based
12.
expense management card
India’s first lithium-ion cell
13.
manufacturing gigafactory
India’s first National centre
14. for earthquake safety of
dams
First female National Cadet
15. Corps (NCC) cadet in India
to complete the advanced
GAGAN refers to GPS Aided GEO
Augmented Navigation
-- GAGAN developed by: Indian
Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) and the Airports Authority
of India (AAI)
JSW Steel Vijayanagar’s
-- ‘Automotive Steel’ products has
received the accreditation
About GreenPro Ecolabel
Developed by: Confederation of Indian Industry’s Green Business Centre
It recognizes the highest standards of environmental sustainability and
product performance in the Indian manufacturing sector
Plan Name: Bajaj Allianz Life
--
Diabetic Term Plan Sub 8 HbA1c
Launched by: Kotak Mahindra Bank
--
in partnership with Myntra
Aim: to compensate mooMark dairy
Product launched in association
farmers for income loss resulting
with IBISA Network, HDFC ERGO,
from decreased milk productivity
and Gramcover
during summer heat waves.
It is a Visa-powered prepaid card
Launched by: Karbon Card It offers users up to 1% cashback
on transactions
To be built at: Gujarat In this regard, an MoU was signed
between Gujarat Government and
To be built by: Tata Group Tata Group
To be set up at: Malviya National An MoU was signed between MNIT
Institute of Technology (MNIT) in & National Dam Safety Authority
Jaipur, Rajasthan (NDSA) to set up the centre.
-- --
3|Page
 mountaineering course in
the Himalayan region of
Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand-
Shalini Singh
First Dettol Climate Resilient
16.
School
First public sector bank in
India to launch
17. Interoperable Cardless Cash
Withdrawal (ICCW) facility -
Bank of Baroda
World’s first Multi-Sensor
18. Earth Observation Satellite -
‘Drishti’
India's first programme on
Insolvency and Bankruptcy
19.
Laws - LL.M in Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Laws
India’s first National Training
20.
Conclave for civil servants
First US-UK Economic
21. Partnership- established
through Atlantic Declaration
Launched in: Uttarkashi District,
Uttarakhand
Launched by: Reckitt
About Dettol Climate Resilient School Project
Aim: to create a sustainable school environment across Uttarakhand; to
build Dettol Climate Resilient Schools in Chardham – Gangotri, Yamuntori,
Kedarnath and Badrinath.
--
Developed by: GalaxEye, an IIT-
Madras-incubated space-tech
startup
Launched by: Indian Institute of
Corporate Affairs (IICA) in
association with NALSAR University
of Law, Hyderabad
Hosted by: Capacity Building
Commission
Venue: International Exhibition and
Convention Centre, New Delhi.
--
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Launched under: Dettol Banega
Swasth India Campaign
Launched on: World Environment
Day
Under this facility, customers can
withdraw cash using via the Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) in all its
Automated teller machines (ATMs).
Customers can avail two
transactions a day per account
with a withdrawal limit of Rs 5,000
per transaction.
GalaxEye has planned to launch its
first satellite ‘Drishti Mission’ in
2024.
It will be India’s first & world's
highest resolution multi-sensor
imaging satellite.
--
Objective: to foster collaboration
among civil services training
institutes and strengthen the
training infrastructure for civil
servants across India.
The declaration provides for
greater cooperation on pressing
economic challenges in areas like
clean energy, critical minerals and
artificial intelligence between
United States (US) & United
Kingdom (UK).

Gabon’s first Agri- SEZ
(Special Economic Zone )
22.
project launched from New
Delhi
First bank to allows
customers to use any name
23.
as saving account number-
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB)
First Hindu-American
Summit for political
24.
engagement at the United
States
First Rooftop Solar
Photovoltaic Project of
25.
NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam
Limited (NVVN)
India’s first Armoured Light
26. Specialist Vehicle (ALSV)-
Armado
Tie-up to introduce India’s
27.
first spending account
First Airlines from Northeast
India to receive no objection
certificate (NOC) to operate
28.
Scheduled Commuter Air
Transport Services in India-
Jettwings Airways
Implemented by: AOM group &
Centurion University (technical and
knowledge partner).
--
Organized by: A group of Indian
Americans
Venue: US Capitol Hill, Washington,
D.C.
Commissioned at: IIT Jodhpur,
Rajasthan
About RESCO Model: a renewable energy service company designs,
builds, funds and operates the entire solar power plant ,consumer pays
the developer against assured monthly unit generation per kW and
DISCOM adjusts generated units in consumer’s electricity bill
Designed & Developed by:
Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS),
a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Mahindra Group
To be introduced by: Fino
Payments Bank & fintech startup
Hubble
--
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Under the project, farmers and
students from Gajapati district,
(Aspirational district of Odisha) will
be travelling to Gabon as agri-
technical and technical
consultants.
IOB has introduced this facility by
launching ‘My Account My Name’
scheme.
As per the scheme, the account
name can be a combination of
seven letters, or seven numbers, or
seven alphanumeric only
Objective: to highlight the concerns
and issues faced by the Hindu
community, seeking the attention
and support of lawmakers
It is a one MW Grid-connected
Solar Project.
The project has been implemented
under renewable energy service
company (RESCO) model.
NVVN is a subsidiary of NTPC
MDS has recently started delivering
the first units of Armado to Indian
Armed Forces
Hubble is backed by Sequoia
Capital
Jettwings Airways will have its
base in Guwahati.
Once approved for flight
operations, Jettwings will be the
first-ever company from the
Northeast region to start airline
operations in India.
The company aims to provide
regional connectivity under Ude

First dedicated road safety
29.
project in South Asia
First foreign government to
30. promote country through
Yoga- Oman
funding support from Department
India’s first mRNA vaccine-
31.
GEMCOVAC -OM
Biotechnology Industry Research
India’s first metaverse
platform to be unveiled at
32.
VivaTech event-
Bharatmeta
First station under the
Northeast Frontier Railway
33. (NFR) to receive 'Eat Right
Station' certification-
Guwahati railway station
First Bangladeshi-American
and first female Muslim
34.
federal judge in the United
States- Nusrat Choudhury
Launched by: Government of
Bangladesh & World Bank.
--
Developed by: Gennova, with
of Biotechnology (DBT) and
Assistance Council (BIRAC).
Initiative of: Kiya.ai
--
--
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Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN)
scheme
World Bank will provide USD 358
million towards the project.
This milestone has been achieved
through an innovative video called
'Soulful Yoga, Serene Oman'.
'Soulful Yoga, Serene Oman' was
produced by Indian Embassy in the
sultanate of Oman, in collaboration
with 'Visit Oman,' a subsidiary of
Oman's Ministry of Tourism.
The video showcases yoga
enthusiasts from different
countries performing yoga poses in
and around Muscat.
The video was released on the eve
of the International Day of Yoga
2023.
GEMCOVAC -OM is an Omicron-
specific mRNA-based Booster
vaccine.
It is the fifth vaccine developed
with support from Mission COVID
Suraksha implemented by DBT and
BIRAC under Atmanirbhar Bharat
3.0 package
Bharatmeta has been showcased
at the India Pavilion at the
VivaTech event in Paris, France.
VivaTech is Europe's biggest
annual technology and startup
event.
'Eat Right Station' certification is
awarded by Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) to stations adhering to
standard food storage and hygiene
practices.
It is awarded as a part of 'Eat Right
India' movement of FSSAI.
She has been appointed to the US
District Court for the Eastern
District of New York.
 First central European
35. country to allow same-sex
marriage- Estonia
First Indian fencer to win
medal in Asian fencing
36.
championship- C.A. Bhavani
Devi
37. India’s first hydrogen train
First Public Sector Bank in
India to introduce the facility
of Unified Payments
38.
Interface (UPI) payments to
merchants through RuPay
Credit Card- Canara Bank
India’s first ‘Police Drone
39.
Unit’
First Insurance Company to
offer instant premium
payment facility through
40. WhatsApp and Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) -
enabled payment options-
Tata AIA
First Nasscom launchpad in
41.
the United Kingdom (UK)
-- --
C.A. Bhavani Devi won bronze
medal in the event by defeating
Misaki Emura (Japan) in the
Individual women's sabre event.
Gold & silver medal were won by
Zaynab Dayibekova (Uzbekistan) &
-- Yoon Ji-su (South Korea)
respectively.
Venue of Asian fencing
championship 202: Wuxi, China.
C.A. Bhavani Devi is from Chennai,
Tamil Nadu
India’s first hydrogen train will run
Initiative of: Indian Railways between Jind & Sonipat in Haryana
by 2024
Canara Bank has launched the
facility in association with National
Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI).
--
The facility is available in ‘Canara
ai1’ Banking Super App of the Bank.
At present only merchant payments
are available under this facility.
The drone unit will be utilized for
Launched by: Greater Chennai City aerial surveillance over vast areas
Police (GCP) of Tamil Nadu Police and quick detection of criminal
activities.
TATA AIA has recently introduced
-- digital payments via WhatsApp and
UPI
A MoU has been signed between
National Association of Software
and Service Companies
(NASSCOM), MIDAS (Manchester's
To be set up at: Greater
Inward Investment Agency) and
Manchester, UK.
MAG (Manchester Airports Groups)
in this regard.
Aim: to allow Indian technology
Small & Medium Sized Enterprises
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First-ever male football
player to make 200
42.
international appearances-
Cristiano Ronaldo
India's first indigenously
43. developed 700 MW nuclear
power reactor- KAPP-3
First multilateral air force
exercise to be hosted by
44.
the Indian Air Force (IAF)-
Tarang Shakti
Assam's first underwater
45.
tunnel
Initiatives / Programs in
S.No
News
Food Safety and
Certification (FoSTaC) E-
1.
Learning App for street
vendors
Cluster redevelopment
2.
programme
--
Location: Kakrapar Atomic Power
Project (KAPP) in Gujarat
--
To be built between: Numaligarh
and Gohpur
Launched by / Developed by
Developed by: Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Launched by: Government of
Maharashtra
Launched in: Thane
Executed by: City and Industrial
Development Corporation (CIDCO)
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(SMEs) foray into the UK market
and grow their business.
Cristiano Ronaldo has also set the
Guinness world record for the
same.
He made his 200th appearance for
Selecao das Quinas in their Euro
2024 Qualifier against Iceland.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese
football player.
KAPP-3 has recently started the
commercial operations
It will also the largest multinational
air exercise ever held in India
The tunnel will be built under
Brahmaputra
Key Facts
The initiative was launched during
the inauguration of the National
Training Centre for FSSAI at
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
The app contains learning and
training modules about food safety
guidelines.
It is Asia's largest cluster
development scheme.
It has been conceptualized for the
collective redevelopment of
unauthorized and official dangerous
buildings.
It will be implemented in Thane,
Mira-Bhayandar area of Thane
district & Mumbai.
The occupants will get a 323 Sq ft
ownership house

Commission of Inquiry to
inquire into the incidents of
3.
violence in the state of
Manipur
4. ‘Nayi Pahal’ programme
Amrit Generation
5. Campaign: Naye Bharat Ke
Sapne
Union Cabinet has
6. approved the third revival
package for BSNL
"Hamari Bhasha, Hamari
7.
Virasat" exhibition
Nutri Garden Project &
8.
Backyard Poultry Scheme
Constituted by: Ministry of Home
Affairs
Constituted under: Commissions of
Inquiry Act, 1952
Initiative of: Goa Raj Bhavan
Launched by: Meta and Ministry of
Women and Child Development
--
Organized by: National Archives of
India
Organized under: Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav (AKAM)
About National Archives of India:
Established in: 1891
It is the nodal agency for the implementation of the Public Records Act,
1993 and Public Record Rules, 1997.
Administration of Lakshadweep
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Commission Head: Justice Ajai
Lamba, former Chief Justice of
Gauhati High Court
Total Members of the Commission:
Three
Headquarters of the Commission:
Imphal.
It is a Book Sponsorship Scheme
Objective: to promote young
writers in Goa to publish their first
book.
Recently, five books in Konkani,
Marathi and English languages have
been released under the
programme.
Aim: to showcase the aspirations of
young India by inviting youth in the
age group of 16-18 years to create
Reels on Instagram and Facebook
showcasing their aspirations and
dreams for the future
Total Outlay of the package:
Rs.89,047 crore
The approval includes allotment of
4G/5G Spectrum to BSNL.
Authorized Capital of BSNL to be
increased from Rs.1,50,000 crore to
Rs.2,10,000 crore
Venue: National Archives of India,
New Delhi.
The event was organized on the
occasion of 75th International
Archives Day
Under Nutri Garden Project, 1,000
farmers were provided with
vegetable seeds and fruit saplings.
under the Backyard Poultry
Scheme, 7000 chickens of
indigenous breeds were distributed
to the women of Lakshadweep
 families with income less than
Rs.600

Chairperson: Anusuiya Uikey,

Governor of Manipur

Peace Committee in Mandate: to facilitate peace making

9. Government of India process among various ethnic
Manipur
groups of the State, including
peaceful dialogue and negotiations
between conflicting parties/groups

Monthly Pension of Rs
10. 10,000 for the Padma Government of Haryana --
awardees

Justice Clocks have been installed

Justice Clocks- LED Display across the court complexes of High
11. Message Sign Board Department of Justice Courts.
System It will inform stakeholders about
court-related key parameters

Launched in: 2022

Recently, History TV18 announced
Launched by: The Government of its new documentary, “The
India Evacuation: Operation Ganga”.
12. Operation Ganga
The mission rescued over 22,000 Documentary narrated by: Defence
stranded Indians, who were stuck in Analyst Maroof Raza
war-torn Ukraine.

‘Knowledge Sharing
The platform would share
Platform’ for Inclusive Launched by: National Highways
13. knowledge and innovative best
Development of National Authority of India (NHAI)
practices
Highways

Launched by: Khadi and Village

Launched on the occasion of
Industries Commission (KVIC) at its
International Yoga Day 2023
headquarters in Mumbai
14. Khadi Yoga Mat

Additional Information: KVIC officials & Khadi artisans from rural areas
achieved a historic turnover of Rs.1.34 lakh crores in 2022-23.

Aim: to enroll lakhs of youth in

15. Polytechnic Chalo Abhiyan Government of Uttar Pradesh government, aided and private
polytechnic institutes every year

Launched by: Government of Odisha Objective: to prioritise quality

& the Quality Council of India across various sectors in Odisha to
Odisha Gunvatta Sankalp
16. pave an ecosystem of quality that
(Odisha Quality Mission) Collaborators: Associated Chambers
underlines the idea of a progressive
of Commerce and Industry of India (
and Sashakta Odisha.
ASSOCHAM), Federation of Indian

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 Chambers of Commerce & Industry
(FICCI), Engineering Export
Promotion Council (EEPC), Odisha
Assembly of Small and Medium
Enterprises (OASME), PHD Chamber
of Commerce and Industry
(PHDCCI), Central Institute of
Petrochemicals Engineering &
Technology (CIPET) & Federation of
Hotel and Restaurant Association of
India (FHRAI)

The initiative targets girls aged 10-

12 years from the neighbouring
government schools around NTPC
A flagship Corporate Social plants.
Girl Empowerment Mission
17. Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Aim: to expose girls to various
(GEM)
NTPC facets of life, broaden their
horizons and facilitate the
development of social, emotional,
and thinking skills.

The Morarji Desai National Institute

Yoga Break (Y-Break) -
18.
Yoga at Office Chair
of Yoga, Ministry of AYUSH has
Ministry of AYUSH added new features for the officials
who cannot go out and practice
yoga

Uttar Pradesh's prisons have been

'Sudhaar Grah' (Reform
19. Government of Uttar Pradesh renamed as 'Sudhaar Grah' (Reform
Homes)
Homes)

Aim: to shortlist India-focused

cutting-edge ideas that can be
converted into workable 5G &
5G & Beyond Hackathon Department of Telecommunications, beyond products and solutions.
20.
2023 Ministry of Communications 100 startups to be awarded a total
prize of Rs one crore for the
development of 5G & beyond
products/solutions.

Introduced by: Bureau of Indian Aim: reducing plastic pollution and

IS 18267: 2023 "Food Standards (BIS) promoting sustainability.
Serving Utensils Made from
21.
Agri By-Products –
Additional Information: Disposable plate’s market size is projected to reach
Specification"
USD 6.73 Billion by 2028, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate
(CAGR) of 5.94% from 2021 to 2028

Pregnancy, Child Tracking It enables online tracking, reporting

& Health Services and monitoring of the health of
22. Government of Rajasthan
Management System pregnant women, obstetricians and
(PCTS) app infants.

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23. "Bharat in Paris" campaign
Annal Ambedkar Business
24. Champions Scheme for
SC/STs
INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS
S.No Focus Area
3rd India-Vietnam Maritime
1.
Security Dialogue
2025 World Conservation
Congress (WCC) of the
2. International Union for
Conservation of Nature
(IUCN)
First Gandhi-King-Mandela
3.
International Conference
111th International Labour
4.
Conference
91st Annual Meeting of
International Commission
5.
on Large Dams (ICOLD
2023)
India-US Hi-Tech
6.
Handshake event
Launched by: Indian Olympic
Association (IOA)
Flagged off from: JL Nehru Stadium
in New Delhi
Government of Tamil Nadu
Venue
New Delhi
To be held at: Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates (UAE)
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Geneva, Switzerland
Venue: Gothenburg, Sweden
White House, Washington D.C., USA
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It allows every ASHA Sahyogini in
Rajasthan to reach pregnant
women & infants.
The initiative is aligned with Nirogi
Rajasthan
Aim: to create awareness and
promote sports across India ahead
of the 2024 Paris Olympics games.
The scheme offers 35% capital
subsidy on the project cost
including land, plant, machinery,
etc.
It also offers 6% interest subvention
for loans offered for up to 10 years.
Key Facts
--
It is the is the world's largest and
most important gathering of
conservationists
Organizers: Pietermaritzburg
Gandhi Foundation and the
University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Organizer: International Labour
Organization (ILO)
Theme: ‘Management for Safe
Dams’.
NHPC Limited, India’s largest
hydropower development
organization, represented India at
the event
Theme: ‘AI for All’ and
‘Manufacturing for Mankind’.
The Prime Minister of India, the
President of the United States

26th World Mining Congress
7.
(WMC) 2023
World Food India-2023
8.
(WFI-2023) (2nd edition)
2nd meeting of India-
Tanzania Joint Defence
9.
Cooperation Committee
18th Session of the India -
10. Iraq Joint Commission
Meeting
BANKING/INSURANCE
S.No Focus Area
Partnership to extend
digital supply chain
Yubi (online debt marketplace) &
1. financing solutions to small
and medium-sized
businesses (SMEs).
(POTUS) & leading Indian and
American CEOs of tech companies
and startups participated in the
event
Event Host: Commonwealth
Brisbane, Australia Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation (CSIRO)
Organizer: Ministry of Food
Processing Industries.
Theme: “Processing for
Prosperity”,
Five pivotal elements of the WFI-
To be held at: New Delhi
2023: Millets- ‘Shree Anna-The
Super Food of India’, Innovation
and Sustainability ‘Green Food’,
White Revolution 2.0, making India
an export hub and focus on
technology and digitisation
Area of Discussion: opportunities
for collaboration with a view to
enhancing security in the Indian
Ocean Region.
A five-year roadmap for defence
Arusha, Tanzania cooperation was also agreed
which includes customised training
& capacity building to maritime
cooperation, infrastructure
building and collaboration in
defence equipment and
technology.
New Delhi --
Signed Between Key Facts
The partnership aims to disburse
Indian Bank Rs 1,500 crore in the first year
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 MoU to provide financial
solutions to Micro, Small &
2.
Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs).
Renewal of mutual
recognition agreements
3.
(MRAs) & MoUs
4.
S.No Focus Area
MoU for development of
Phukot Karnali Hydro
11.
Electric Project (480MW) in
Nepal
MoU for strategic
partnership for financing
12. infrastructure and logistics
sector projects in India and
abroad
MoU to develop Renewable
13. Energy Power Parks and
Projects in Uttar Pradesh
MOU to generate
14. Employment for Ex-
Servicemen
MoU for technical
15.
collaboration
Small Industries Development Bank
of India (SIDBI) & HDFC Bank
--
OTHERS
Signed Between
NHPC Limited (India) and Vidhyut
Utpadan Company Limited (VUCL),
Nepal
Power Finance Corporation (PFC) &
RITES Limited (engineering
consultancy company)
NTPC Green Energy Ltd. (NGEL) and
Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan
Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL)
Directorate General Resettlement
under Department of Ex-Servicemen
Welfare, Ministry of Defence and
Apnatime Tech Pvt Ltd
Indian Navy and Indian Maritime
University
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--
The Central Council of the Institute
of Chartered Accountants of India
(ICAI) has approved the renewal of
the existing MRA with CPA Canada
and CPA Ireland.
ICAI Central council has also
approved the renewal of
MRA/MoUs with the South African
Institute of Chartered Accountants
(SAICA), Bahrain Institute of
Banking and Finance (BIBF), the
National Board of Accountants and
Auditors (Tanzania) and Qatar
Financial Centre Authority.
Key Facts
The project will use the flow from
the Karnali River in Nepal for
power generation
--
Under the MoU, floating and
ground mounted Solar Projects
would be set in the Rihand
reservoir.
A solar PV Project dedicated for
solarization of Ayodhya city will
also be developed under the MoU
--
The MoU sets forth collaboration
in the fields of training, joint
research & development,

16. MoU
MoU to develop Pumped
Storage schemes and other
17.
Renewable Energy Source Energy, Government of Maharashtra
projects in Maharashtra.
Three MoUs to strengthen
18.
startup ecosystem
MoU to collaborate on
identifying and developing
19. public-private partnership
(PPP) projects to bolster
India's infrastructure
MoU for the procurement
and deployment of
20. Quantum Key Distribution
(QKD) based Hub & Spoke
systems
MoU to develop three
21. pumped hydro storage
projects in Maharashtra
MoU to guide farmers on
22.
scientific cultivation of
Maharashtra government & Bajaj
Finserv Ltd
NHPC Limited and Department of
1. STPI Next Initiatives & BRC,
2. SRM institute of Science and
Technology and STPI Next
Initiatives & India Angels
Network and Center for
Entrepreneurship
Development
3. STPINEXT initiatives and
Incubation (CEDI) of National
Institute of Technology (NIT)
Trichy
International Finance Corporation
(IFC) and National Bank for
Financing Infrastructure and
Development (NaBFID)
QNu Labs & Indian Navy
Torrent Power & Government of
Maharashtra
Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR), New Delhi &
Amazon Kisan
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collaborative courses, resolution of
field level issues by teams from
Centre of Excellence (Marine
Engg), INS Shivaji, Lonavala and
Indian Maritime University
Under the MoU, Bajaj Finserv Ltd
will develop projects to the tune of
Rs 5000 crore in Pune
Under the MoU, four Pumped
Storage Projects will be developed
aggregating to a total capacity of
7,350 MW, namely, Kalu, Savitri,
Jalond and Kengadi
The MoU entails harnessing the
Pump Storage Projects as Energy
Storage Solutions to help achieve
the national objective of Energy
Transition, i.e., installed capacity
of 500 GW of renewable energy by
2030 and Net Zero by 2070.
The MoUs were signed during the
Seminar on “Growth avenues for
Indian IT industry and emerging
tech ecosystem”.
The seminar was organized by
Software Technology Parks of
India (STPI), Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology
(MeitY), on its 32nd Foundation
Day in Delhi
Aim: to support the India’s target
of achieving a USD 5-trillion
economy while fostering low-
carbon and climate-resilient
growth
Indian Navy will be the first agency
in India to procure large-scale
quantum-based encryption
systems.
The projects will be developed at
Karjat in Raigarh District, Maval,
and Junnar in Pune District.
Under the MoU, ICAR will offer
technological support to farmers
through Amazon's network.
 different crops for optimum The MoU is a development of a
yield and income pilot project at Pune between
ICAR- Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)
and Amazon

The MoU envisages academic and

Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs research collaboration in the areas
MoU for academic and
23. (IICA) and Rashtriya Raksha of Internal Security, Financial
research collaboration
University (RRU) Crimes, Law Enforcement,
Corporate Frauds

Bar Council of India (BCI), Bar

MoU to allow exchange Council of England and Wales and
24. --
programme for lawyers the Law Society of England and
Wales

Directorate General Resettlement

MoU to generate
(DGR) under Department of Ex-
employment for Ex-
25. Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of --
Servicemen in private
Defence and Kotak Mahindra Life
sector
Insurance Company Limited.

Loan Amount: USD 130 million

Government of India and the Asian Project: Himachal Pradesh
26. Loan Agreement
Development Bank (ADB) Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation,
and Value Addition Project

It is Indian Army’s second

Indian Army & Bengaluru-based procurement contract through
start-up Astrome Tech Pvt Ltd Innovations for Defence
Contract to procure
Excellence (iDEX)
indigenously developed
27.
‘Tactical LAN Radio' for
Additional Information: Astrome Technologies has commercially deployed
Indian Army
the world's first Multibeam E-band radio in Sompura Gram Panchayat in
Karnataka through a pilot project awarded by the Department of
Telecommunications (DoT).

MoU to provide internet

The program is titled as
28. access for underserved Microsoft and AirJaldi Networks
‘Contentful Connectivity.
communities in 12 states

Loan Amount: USD 148 million

Approved by: World Bank
International Bank for
29. Loan Agreement Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD), the lending arm of the World
Bank Group will provide the loan
Project: West Bengal Accelerated
Development of Minor Irrigation
Project – Phase II
Purpose: to support West Bengal
for better irrigation practices in
rural areas

Under the MoU, MoD will procure

MoU to strengthen Indian
Ministry of Defence (MoD) & ICOMM 1,035 numbers of 5/7.5 Ton Radio
30. Army’s communication
Tele Limited, Hyderabad Relay Communication equipment
system
containers.

16 | P a g e

Tri-partite MoU to increase
financial literacy and
31.
prevent investors losing
money
Contract to manufacture
Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TRSL) &
and supply 80 Vande
32. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL)
Bharat sleeper trains for
Indian Railways.
MoU to accelerate hydro
33.
potential of Kerala
Collaboration to supply
34. 34,000 yoga mats for the
International Yoga Day
MoU on Fintech Government of India & Government
35.
Cooperation
36. MoU to promote tourism Union Ministry of Tourism & Airbnb
National Stock of India (NSE),
Government of Maharashtra, and
Moneybee Institute
consortium with Indian Railways
NHPC Limited and Kerala State
Electricity Board Limited (KSEB)
Tribal Cooperative Marketing
Development Federation of India
Ltd.(TRIFED) with the Ministry of
Ayush
of Philippines
17 | P a g e
Aim: to create awareness amongst
the public about the various
aspects of investing in the capital
markets
Maharashtra has become the first
state to actively initiate the
financial literacy campaign in such
a concrete way
Contract value: Rs 24,000 crore
It is for the first time Indian
Railways has given a contract of
this size to an Indian consortium
for the design, production, and
maintenance of full train sets over
a 35-year period
Under the MoU, NHPC will provide
consultancy services to KSEB as
its Owner’s Engineer for vetting of
design of KSEB’s ongoing projects
as well as of projects in the
pipeline.
TRIFED has highlighted the
following products/communities-
• Madurkathi Mats from
Medinipur,West Bengal -
made by Santhal
Community.
• Sabai Grass Yoga Mats-
made by Bathudi tribes
from Mayurbhanj, Odisha.
Gondha Grass yoga mats from
Potka block in East Singhbhum,
Jharkhand
--
Objective: to promote India as a
most sought-after high potential
tourism destination
Airbnb has entered the MoU as a
part of its Visit India 2023
initiative.
Under the MoU, Airbnb will launch
a dedicated 'Soul of India'
microsite for the global audience
 Directorate General Resettlement
MoU to generate (DGR) under Department of Ex-
37. employment for Ex- Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of --
servicemen Defence & Adecco India Private
Limited

Project duration: three-years

Initial Phase: to cover eight cities
Partnership to empower United Nations Development
women to make well- Programme (UNDP) and the Under the MoU, UNDP will develop
informed career choices in Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- community business mentors
38.
the field of National Urban Livelihoods Mission called Biz-Sakhis in selected
entrepreneurship. (DAY-NULM) project locations.
Note: DAY-NULM will be covered
under SchemesTap

Under the agreement, both the

companies will collaborate on a
technology aimed at reducing
carbon emissions by over 50%
during the steel-making process.

Agreement to cut carbon Tata Steel and SMS Group The decarbonisation technology
39.
emissions (Germany) developed by SMS will be
demonstrated at Tata's
Jamshedpur plant in India.

The agreement is part of Tata

Steels efforts to achieve net zero
carbon emission by 2045

Partnership to set up
40. 80,000 tonnes sustainable
aviation fuel plant
The sustainable aviation fuel plant
Indian Oil Corp with LanzaJet
will be set up at Haryana.

Additional Information: Indian oil

corp is also implementing a pilot
41.
project for green fuel in association
with Praj Industries in Maharashtra

MoU to strengthen Indian Institute of Management

42. entrepreneurial ecosystem (IIM), Jammu & Small Industries --
in India Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)

Delhi and IIT Kharagpur, in
collaboration with Ministry of --
Partnership to promote Electronics and Information
43. research, development of Technology (MeitY).
nanoelectronics
Additional Information:

Indian Nanoelectronics Users Programme-Idea to Innovation (INUP-i2i) is

a flagship programme of MeitY.

18 | P a g e
 It is being implemented at Centre of Excellence in Nanoelectronics (CEN)
at IISc, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Guwahati.

Initiatives organized under INUP-i2i: Nano Hackathon by IIT Delhi and IIT
Kharagpur & "8th User Awareness Workshop on Fabrication &
Characterization Facility for Nanotechnology'' by Nanoscale Research
Facility at IIT Delhi

ITI Ltd (manufacturing partner),

Centre for Development of Aim: to establish a framework for
MoU to produce new
Telematics (C-DOT ) (technology cooperation to deliver innovative
44. products and services for
partner) & Telecommunications telecommunication products and
smart cities
Consultants India Limited (TCIL) related services for Smart Cities
(lead partner)

MoU for collaboration on Indian Railways & United States The MoU is aligned with Indian
45. Renewable energy and Agency for International Railways target to achieve Net
Energy Efficiency. Development/India (USAID/India) Zero Carbon Emission by 2030.

Objective: to set up Self-identified

Pumped Storage Projects of at
MoU for the Development
least 2,000 MW and Renewable
of Pumped Storage Projects
46. NHPC Limited & GRIDCO Odisha Energy Projects (Ground-Mounted
(PSPs) and Renewable
Solar Projects / Floating Solar
Energy in Odisha
Projects) of at least 1,000 MW in
Odisha

MoU to deploy pathfinder Aim: to develop various geospatial

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers
satellites for building solutions on pro bono basis for the
47. Welfare & Pixxel Space India Pvt.
models on crop mapping, Indian Agriculture Ecosystem using
Limited
crop health Pixxel’s hyperspectral dataset

MoU to construct second

Government of Assam & North East
48. entry to Guwahati railway --
Frontier Railway
station

MoU to supply high-speed

Government of Assam & Numaligarh
49. diesel for Inland Water --
Refinery Limited (NRL)
Transport (IWT) vessels

The MoU has been signed under

the “Scheme for Financial
MoU for disbursal of Assistance for Veteran Artists”.
50. financial assistance to Ministry of Culture and Canara Bank
veteran artists Note: Scheme for Financial
Assistance for Veteran Artists will
be covered under SchemesTap

Under the MoU, ITPS has been

MoU to introduce launched between India & Canada.
51. International Tracked India Post & Canada Post
Packet Service (ITPS) At present, 38 countries offer
ITPS.

19 | P a g e
 Contract for Medium Refit
52. with Life Certification of
Submarine INS Shankush
Additional Financing
53. towards Resilient Kerala
programme
MoU to develop tech
54. solutions for multiple
sectors
MoU towards exploring the
possibilities of collaboration
55.
in the field of maintenance,
repair and overhaul (MRO)
Mutual Legal Assistance
56.
Treaty
Loan amount to improve
state highways, transport
57.
connectivity and safety in
Bihar.
MoU to foster the growth of
58. Self Help Groups (SHGs) in
Tamil Nadu
MoU to develop create a
59. startup ecosystem for the
youth in Arunachal Pradesh
Loan to improve to boost
60.
healthcare, economic
Ministry of Defence with Mazagon
Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL),
Mumbai
Approved by: World Bank
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) &
HFCL Limited (HFCL)
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL) and Argentina's Fabrica
Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA)
Additional Information: India has set a defence export target of Rs 35,000
crore by 2024-25
India & Belgium
Approved by: Asian Development
Bank (ADB)
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) & Tamil
Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission
(TNSRLM)
Paytm & Arunachal Pradesh
Innovation and Investment Park
(APIIP)
Approved by: World Bank
20 | P a g e
Contract Value: Rs. 2725 Crore.
Loan Amount: USD150-million
Aim: to strengthen Kerala’s
preparedness for natural disasters,
climate change impact, and
disease outbreaks
Objective: to indigenously develop
and deploy emerging technologies
and technical solutions to address
the requirements of the defence,
telecom, and railway sectors.
The MoU was signed during the
Paris Air Show 2023.
The MoU will also involve meeting
any offset requirements in case of
probable sale of HAL-made
platforms in Latin American region
The treaty allows authorities in
Brussels, Belgium to execute any
search warrant issued by a court
in India, and summon a suspect
being probed by Indian agencies
Loan Amount: USD 295 million
loan
TNSRLM will facilitate eligible
SHGs for credit linkage with IOB.
The collaboration is expected to
catalyse the growth of SHGs
targeting Rs 1,875 crore and
increase the disbursal under DAY-
NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya
Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods
Mission) during 2022-23.
--
Total Loan Amount: USD 391
million
 opportunities in Assam &
Tripura
Partnership for
mainstreaming legal aid to
61. the marginalised
communities through the
system of TeleLaw
Digital transformation of the
Bank
62.
Mutual Recognition
63. Arrangement for Authorized
Economic Operators (AEO)
MoU to increase business
opportunities in various
64. sectors by facilitating
digital transformation in
Kerala
Tie-up to for the Micro,
Small & Medium Enterprises
65.
(MSME) sector and
exporters of West Bengal.
Collaboration to enhance
global sharing of regulatory
66.
information on medical
products
Department of Justice, National
Legal Services Authority (NALSA) &
CSC e-Governance Service India
Limited
Collaboration between: Infosys and
Danske Bank
India and United Arab Emirates
(UAE)
Government of Kerala & Open
Network for Digital Commerce
(ONDC)
Government of West Bengal and
business research and analytics firm
Dun & Bradstreet (D&B)
World Health Organization (WHO)
and the International Council for
Harmonisation of Technical
Requirements for Pharmaceuticals
for Human Use (ICH)
21 | P a g e
Loan towards Assam under Assam
State Secondary Healthcare
Initiative for Service Delivery
Transformation (ASSIST) Project:
USD 251 million
Loan towards Tripura: USD 140
million
--
The projected agreement worth is
$454 million.
Duration: 5-year term with the
possibility to renew for an extra
year up to three times
The agreement was signed during
the 141st/142nd sessions of the
World Customs Organization's
(WCO) Customs Co-operation
Council meeting in Brussels,
Belgium.
By mutually recognizing the AEO
status, India and the UAE seek to
streamline and expedite customs
procedures.
ONDC earlier signed agreements
with Government of Madhya
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Under the tie-up, D&B will assign a
unique nine-digit (Data Universal
Numbering System [DUNS])
number to a specific MSME firm or
an exporter.
It encompasses various financial
health indicators of the business
entity.
Aim: to establish a unified
language that simplifies global
regulatory decision-making and
enhances the analysis of adverse
events and outcomes.

Partnership for the
deployment of private 5G
67.
network for enterprise
customers.
MoUs signed to attract
investments to the tune of
68.
over Rs 1,723 crore to
MSME sector in Tamil Nadu
MoU to strengthen rural
infrastructure and foster
69.
agricultural productivity in
Assam
Realization of two Air
Independent Propulsion
(AIP) System Modules for
Kalvari Class of submarines
70. of the Indian Navy
The unified language will be
established by linking WHO
International Classification of
Diseases (ICD-11) with the ICH
Medical Dictionary for Regulatory
Activities (MedDRA).
The spectrum will be provided by
L&T Technology Services with
BSNL using both PLMN (public
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
land mobile network) and isolated
(BSNL)
allotment.
It includes and MoU between
FaMe TN (Facilitating MSMEs of
Tamil Nadu) and the SIDBI (Small
--
Industries Development Bank of
India) for investments of Rs 1,510
crore.
Under the MoU, ARIAS will be the
nodal agency for establishing and
implementing a contributory and
determinate investment trust - the
Assam Agribusiness Investment
Fund (AAIF).
AAIF is a unique sector-specific
fund through a State government
Assam Rural Infrastructure and in India, focusing on boosting
Agricultural Services (ARIAS) agricultural productivity and
Society, an autonomous body under employment generation
the Government of Assam with
Caspian Impact Investment Adviser Anchor Investor of AAIF: ARIAS;
(Caspian Equity) Fund Manager: Caspian Equity
Corpus: Rs 250 crore.
AAIF will operate as a Category II
Alternative Investment Fund .
Anchor fund will be provided by
World Bank through Assam
Agribusiness and Rural
Transformation Project (APART).
Contract between L&T, DRDO Manufactured, integrated and
undergo factory acceptance trials
in L&T's AM Naik Heavy
Engineering Complex at Surat.
The AIP Modules have been
indigeneously developed by Naval
Materials Research Laboratory
(NMRL) wing of DRDO with L&T as
its industry partner.
22 | P a g e
 Digital transformation of Deal between TCS and UK-based --
71. UK's National Employment National Employment Savings Trust
Savings Trust (Nest)

Under the agreement, GE

MoU to jointly produce
fighter jet engines for the
72. Indian Air Force (IAF) under
the Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA) MK2 programme
General Electric (USA) & Hindustan
Aerospace’s F414 engines will be
Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
jointly produced in India.
Additional Information: India is also working on a 5th generation plus
fighter known as the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

BANKING INITIATIVES

Program / Initiative /
S.No Launched / Developed by Key Facts
Landmarks

Developed by: Razorpay, in

Turbo UPI is India's fastest one-
partnership with National Payments
1. Turbo UPI step UPI (unified payments
Corporation Of India (NPCI) and Axis
interface) payment solution
Bank

Reserve Bank Innovation Hub Voice-banking technology will be

Tie-up to launch voice- (RBIH), IIT Madras Research Park available in Hindi, Tamil and
2.
banking solutions (IITMRP) and IIT Madras Incubation Telugu initially, in addition to
Cell (IITMIC) English

It is an exclusive saving program

Kotak Private Banking, a division of for UHNIs (Ultra High Net Worth
3. Kotak Réserve
Kotak Mahindra Bank Individuals) & HNIs (High Net
Worth Individuals)

Objective: to source, facilitate and

cater to various banking needs of
customers.
State Bank of India (SBI), Bengaluru
4. Project Kuber The project comprises four
Circle
Transaction Banking Hubs and
One Corporate Salary Package
Hub

YES SECURITIES & Objective: to provide investment

‘Wellth- Where Investments
5. WatchYourHealth (WYH), a tech solutions to healthcare
and Health Unite’ program.
driven healthcare platform professionals

“My Account Starts Today” The campaign features HSBC

6. HSBC India
advertising campaign India's brand influencer Virat Kohli

SBM World Elite Metal Debit SBM Bank India Powered by: Mastercard
7. Card
Offered exclusively to SBM Private
customers

23 | P a g e

Partnership to offer online
inward remittance services
specifically tailored for
8.
Non-Resident Indians
(NRIs) residing in the United
States and Singapore
Partnership to enable
9. RuPay card holders to
access airport lounges
Facility of linking its RuPay
10. Credit Card to UPI (Unified
Payments Interface) apps
11. Project Rosalind
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
S.No Acquirer
12. General Atlantic
13. SBI Mutual Fund
Additional Information: SBM Bank India" is the first bank to receive a
universal banking license from the RBI to set up and operate as a
Scheduled Commercial Bank under Wholly Owned Subsidiary (WOS)
mode offering banking services in India
Under the partnership Indus Fast
IndusInd Bank & Wise Platform
Remit (IFR), will integrate with the
(global technology company
Wise Platform, allowing NRIs to
specializing in secure money
enjoy a multi-currency inward
transfers).
remittance service
National Payments Corporation of The partnership enables eligible
India (NPCI) with Priority Pass Rupay card holders toa access
Access India airport lounges in India.
Kotak Mahindra Bank, in
collaboration with National
XXXX
Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI).
Aim: developing prototypes for an
application programming interface
to distribute retail central bank
Bank of England & Bank for digital currency (CBDC).
International Settlements (BIS) UST, a leading digital
transformation solutions company,
has recently delivered API
Prototypes under Project Rosalind
Acquiree Key Facts
The Competition Commission of
India (CCI) has approved
acquisition of additional stake of
4.04% in Acko Tech by General
Atlantic.
Acko Tech Approval provided under
Regulation 19(2) of the
Competition Commission of India
(Procedure in regard to the
transaction of business relating to
combinations) Regulations, 2011.
Recently, the Insurance Regulatory
and Development Authority of
ICICI Lombard General Insurance India(IRDAI) has approved SBI
Company Mutual Fund to acquire up to 10%
of total paid-up equity share
capital of ICICI Lombard General
24 | P a g e
 Insurance Company through
market purchase.

OTHERS

S.No Topic Key Facts

Yes Bank has launched its

14. Yes Bank's new logo represents 'soaring bird'.
new logo
Yes Bank has planned to launch an integrated campaign with the tagline –
‘Life Ko Banao Rich’.

The Insurance Regulatory

and Development Authority
of India (IRDAI) has directed
The decision envisages to protect the interests of policyholders of the
15. SBI Life Insurance Co Ltd to
defunct insurance arm of the Sahara Group.
take over the policies of
Sahara India Life Insurance
Co Ltd

Visa $1 billion buyout of Payments giant Visa Inc agreed to acquire Brazilian fintech platform
16. Brazil's Pismo eases fintech Pismo for $1 billion in cash
M&A slowdown

BANKING INITIATIVES

Program / Initiative /
S.No Launched / Developed by Key Facts
Landmarks

SBM World Elite Metal Debit SBM Bank India Powered by: Mastercard
Card
Offered exclusively to SBM Private
customers
1.
Additional Information: SBM Bank India" is the first bank to receive a
universal banking license from the RBI to set up and operate as a
Scheduled Commercial Bank under Wholly Owned Subsidiary (WOS)
mode offering banking services in India

It will help customers to make

payments to online merchants
without any failure of the system.
Unified Payments Interface
Paytm UPI SDK will let users pay
2. Software development kit Paytm
directly from bank accounts
(UPI SDK)
through UPI PIN

It is the smallest and lightest in the

market.

25 | P a g e
 At present, Paytm UPI SDK
supports transactions via UPI-
linked bank accounts and RuPay
credit cards

The initiative has been launched

on the mobile app of the Axis
One-View – Multi Bank Bank.
3. Axis Bank
Aggregator Feature
It uses account aggregator
ecosystem

4.

S.NO Acquirer Acquiree Key Facts

The Competition Commission of

India (CCI) has approved the
Aditya Birla Fashion and acquisition of 51% of the Expanded
5. TCNS Clothing Co. Limited
Retail Limited Share Capital of TCNS Clothing
Co.Limited by the Aditya Birla
Fashion and Retail Limited.

OTHERS

S.No Topic Key Facts

6. Insurance Regulatory and With this, the number of insurers operating in the life insurance segment
Development Authority of has increased to 26.
India (Irdai) has approved
Go Digit is backed by Canada based Fairfax Group
Go Digit Life Insurance
Limited to carry the life
insurance business in India

7. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Kohima sub office of RBI will be headed by general manager Paresh
has recently opened a sub- Chauhan
office at Kohima, Nagaland
RBI has also announced plans to open an office in Itanagar, Arunachal
Pradesh to strengthen its presence in North East India.

Initiatives / Programs in
S.No Launched by / Developed by Key Facts
News

The spacecraft carried three

astronauts, including its first
Launched by: China civilian, to its Tiangong space
Shenzhou-16 manned station.
1. Launched from: Jiuquan Satellite
spaceship
Launch Centre Astronauts part of the mission:
Gui Haichao - China's first civilian
astronaut

26 | P a g e
 Jing Haipeng- first Chinese
astronaut to go into space for a
record fourth time.
Zhu Yangzhu- It is his first journey
into space

Recently, Israel has conduced the

first series of tests for the air taxi.

Air taxi- autonomous Launched by: Israel INDI is the first initiative in the
2. drones designed to carry world for an extensive and
Launched under: Israel National
passengers and cargo multidisciplinary examination of
Drone Initiative (INDI)
new technologies, including the
transportation of cargo and later,
people

Recently, Tata Elxsi has partnered

with ISRO to develop crew module
recovery models (CMRM) for the
recovery team training of the
Gaganyaan mission.
Indian Space Research Organisation Gaganyaan Mission envisages
3. Gaganyaan Mission
(ISRO) demonstration of human
spaceflight capability by launching
crew of 3 members to an orbit of
400 km for a 3 days mission and
bring them back safely to earth, by
landing in Indian sea waters.

The mission is expected to be

launched in second half of July
2023.

It is a follow-up mission to
Chandrayaan 3 (India’s Indian Space Research Organisation Chandrayaan-2.
4.
moon mission) (ISRO) Aim: to demonstrate critical
technology to land the Spacecraft
on the South Pole of the Moon.

It lives up to the theme of “Science

of the Moon”

Launched by: Indian Space

Research Organisation (ISRO) & Under the Mission ISRO’s Rohini
5. Svalbard Mission Norwegian Space Centre (NSC) RH-300 Mk-II was launched from
Svalbard, Norway.
Launched in: 1997

Supported under: Mission COVID

GEMCOVAC- Omicron-
Developed by: Pune based Gennova Suraksha (implemented by
6. specific mRNA-based
Biopharmaceuticals Ltd Biotechnology Industry Research
Booster vaccine
Assistance Council (BIRAC))

Test flight for cloud Conducted by: Indian Institute of

7. --
seeding/ Artificial Rain Test Technology (IIT), Kanpur

27 | P a g e
 DEFENCE EXERCISES

S.No Exercise Countries / Forces Involved Key Facts

The exercise is being held every

Host: Finland, Norway, and Sweden
second year
Other Participants: 14 members
1. Arctic Challenge 2023 It is Finland’s first joint training in
from North Atlantic Treaty
the Arctic region since becoming a
Organization (NATO)
member of NATO

Venue: Maldives
Exercise Ekatha (sixth Indian Navy & Maldives National Marine Commandos (MARCOS) of
2.
annual edition) Defence Force (MNDF) Indian Navy participated in the
exercise

First edition of India, France Venue: Gulf of Oman

3. and UAE Maritime India, France and UAE INS Tarkash represented India in
Partnership Exercise the exercise

Venue: Chaubatia, Uttarakhand

an annual joint military exercise

Indian Army & the Maldives National
4. Ekuverin (12th edition) conducted alternatively in India
Defence Force
and Maldives.

Ekuverin means ‘Friends’

Led & Hosted by: Germany

Participants: 25 members from It is NATO’s largest-ever air
5. Air Defender 2023 exercise
North Atlantic Treaty Organization defense exercise
(NATO)

Co-sponsors of the exercise:

Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) and
Ex Khaan Quest 2023 United States Army Pacific Venue: Mongolia
(Multinational Command (USARPAC).
6. Garhwal Rifles has represented
Peacekeeping Joint
Exercise) Total Participants: military Indian Army in the exercise
contingents and observers from
over 20 countries

Venue: Makassar, South Sulawesi

province, Indonesia,
Multilateral Naval Exercise Host: Indonesian Navy Theme: “Partnership To Recover
7. Komodo (fourth edition)
Total Participants: 36 nations and To Rise Stronger”
(MNEK 2023)
INS Satpura represented Indian
Navy

Agneyastra 1 (military Conducted by: Northern Command,

8. Venue: eastern Ladakh
exercise) Indian Army

28 | P a g e
 Passage Exercise (PASSEX) Venue: Mombasa, Kenya
9. (Maritime Partnership Navies of India & Kenya INS Sunayna participated in the
Exercise) exercise.

Conducted at: IAF UB Hills

10. Exercise ‘Ranvijay’ Indian Air Force (IAF)
Prayagraj

DEFENCE INITIATIVES AND TECHNOLOGIES

Initiative / Missile /
S.No Launched / Developed by Key Facts
Technology
Recently, training launch of Agni-1
Developed by: Defence Research
Agni-1 Medium-Range was carried out by the Strategic
11. and Development Organisation
Ballistic Missile Forces Command from APJ Abdul
(DRDO)
Kalam Island, Odisha

MH 60 Romeo (MH60R)-
Manufactured by: Lockheed Martin MH60R recently completed its
12. Indian Navy's MH-60R
Corporation maiden landing on INS Vikrant
helicopter

Designed & Developed by: Vizag-
based Naval Science and
Technological Laboratory (NSTL)
13. Varunastra under the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
Manufactured by: Bharat Dynamics
Ltd (BDL).
It is an advanced heavyweight
anti-submarine torpedo of Indian
Navy.
It was recently test-fired with a
live warhead against an undersea
target
Maximum speed: 40 knots
Maximum operating depth: 600 m

Developed by: Defence Research It was recently flight-tested by

‘Agni Prime’- New
14. and Development Organisation DRDO from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
Generation Ballistic Missile
(DRDO) Island off the coast of Odisha.

Recently, INS Trishul visited

Durban, South Africa on behalf of
the Indian Navy to commemorate
the 130th anniversary of the 7
June 1893 incident at
Pietermaritzburg railway station
when Mahatma Gandhi was
15. INS Trishul -- evicted from a train, which led to
satyagraha.

The visit was part of Indian Navy’s

celebration of 75 years of India’s
independence and marked 30
years of the restoration of
diplomatic relations between India
and South Africa

29 | P a g e

Built by: L&T Shipbuilding/ Garden
Sanshodhak- fourth Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers
16. (GRSE), Kolkata
warship of Indian Navy
Launched at: Kattupalli, Chennai
Sanshodhak is the fourth ship of
Survey Vessels (Large) (SVL)
Project.
Sanshodhak means researcher
The first three ships of the project,
Sandhayak, Nirdeshak and Ikshak
have been launched already.
SVL ships will replace the existing
Sandhayak Class survey ships

Naval Airfield Integrated

NAISS & NADS have been recently
Security System (NAISS) & Both developed by: Bharat
17. upgrated at INS Dega in
Naval Anti-Drone System Electronics Limited (BEL)
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
(NADS)

Objective: to increase awareness

about the service of Indian Navy in
Ladakh.
Organized by: Indian Navy A 5000km Motorcycle Expedition,
“Julley Ladakh” (Hello
18. Ladakh) outreach in partnership with TVS Motors
programme was flagged off from National War
Memorial

Additional Information: Indian Navy had also undertaken the Sam No

Varunah car expedition to engage with citizens in all the coastal states.

India has recently gifted INS

INS Kirpan (Missile Built by: Garden Reach Shipbuilders
19. Kirpan to Vietnam to enhance its
Corvette) & Engineers Ltd (GRSE)
Naval capabilities

Organized as a part of
International Yoga Day 2023.
As part of this initiative, the Indian
Navy and Merchant ships
organized Common Yoga Protocol
20. Ocean Ring of Yoga Indian Navy
demonstrations at ports and
vessels of friendly countries
across different oceans.
19 Indian Navy ships acted as
ambassadors of yoga

Inaugurated at: Southern Naval

Integrated Simulator Command, Kochi.
21. --
Complex (ISC)‘Dhruv’ It will enhance practical training of
Indian Navy personnel

Indian Army formed ‘Bharatmala’

by conducting Yoga all along the
22. Bharatmala Indian Army
border areas of India on
International Yoga Day 2023

30 | P a g e
 Organized as a part of
Coastal Ring of Yoga International Yoga Day 2023
23. Indian Coast Guard
(Sagarmala)
Theme: ‘Ocean Ring of Yoga’

Christened in:2003 LCA Tejas has recently completed

Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)
24. Designed by: Defence Research & seven years of service in the
Tejas
Development Organisation (DRDO) Indian Air Force

INS Tarkash visited Muscat, Oman

Indian Naval Ships visited
INS Trishul visited Toamasina,
maritime neighbours on the
25. -- Madagascar
theme of Ocean Ring of
Yoga INS Sunayna visited Mombasa,
Kenya

Recently, Indian Navy and DRDO

Tapas – Medium Altitude successfully carried out the
Developed by: Defence Research
Long Endurance (MALE) transfer of command and control
26. and Development Organisation
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle capabilities of TAPAS UAV from a
(DRDO)
(UAV). distant ground station to the
onboard INS Subhadra.

The Defence Acquisition Council

(DAC), Union Ministry of Defence
has recently approved a deal to
Predator (MQ-9 Reaper) Manufactured by: General Atomics procure 31 ‘predator drones’ from
27.
drones Aeronautical Systems, USA the United States.
Lead Agecny of the deal: Indian
Navy

INS Trishul has recently visited

Seychelles to take part in the
28. INS Trishul --
Seychelles National Day
celebrations on 29th June

INS Sunayna has recently visited

Port Beira, Mozambique.
29. INS Sunayna -- The ship conducted a medical
camp as part of Indian Navy's
community outreach programme.

INDUS X event co-organised by:

Innovations for Defence
Excellence (iDEX), Ministry of
Launched by: Union Ministry of Defence, and US Department of
India-United States Defence, Government of India and Defence (DoD) and hosted by US-
30. Defence Acceleration U.S. Department of Defense India Business Council (USIBC).
Ecosystem (INDUS X)
Launched in: Washington DC, U.S. INDUS-X will strengthen defense
industrial cooperation and unlock
new innovations in technology and
manufacturing.

31 | P a g e
 INDUS X factsheet released for
operationalising the ‘Defence
Innovation Bridge’ under Initiative
on Critical and Emerging
Technologies (iCET) during the
event.

About iCET: It is a framework agreed by agreed upon by India and the

U.S. for cooperation on critical and emerging technologies in areas
including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors and
wireless telecommunication

S.No Topic Country / State / Organization Key Facts

Pisodonophis kalinga
Discovered at: Chilika lagoon, Palur Discovered by: scientists of the
1. (kalinga snake eel)- New
canal, Ganjam district, Odisha Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
species of eel.

It is a tropical storm formed in the

Arabian Sea.
The name Biparjoy was suggested
by Bangladesh and it means
‘disaster’ or ‘calamity’ in Bengali.

2. Cyclone Biparjoy -- It has a Maximum sustained wind

speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to
145 kmph.
It is expected to cross Saurashtra
& Kutch between Mandvi (Gujarat)
and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau
Port (Gujarat)

Recently, Los Angeles Zoo has

entered into a pact with
Government of Bihar and the
Implemented at: Gandak river, West Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to
Gharial Conservation Champaran district, Bihar. strengthen conservation efforts
3. under the project.
Project Implemented by: Government of
Bihar & Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) Gandak river has become the
second successful breeding site for
Gharials in India after the Chambal
Sanctuary area

Discovered by: researchers from

‘Hasarius mumbai’- New Christ College, Kerala; School of
4. Discovered at: Goregaon, Mumbai
species of ‘jumping spider’ Natural Sciences, Macquarie
University, Sydney, Australia; and

32 | P a g e
 the Bombay Natural History Society,
Mumbai

S.No Tournament Venue Winner / Looser Key Facts

Overall Champion: Closing Ceremony held at : Indian

Panjab University, Institute of Technology (IIT)-
Chandigarh (69 Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
medals- 26 gold, 17 campus in Varanasi.
silver and 26 bronze
medals) Water sports were introduced for
3rd Khelo Indian the first time in KIUG 2022
1. University Games Uttar Pradesh Second Place: Guru
(KIUG) 2022 Nanak Dev Mascot: Jitu, the Barasingha (it
University, Amritsar represents Swamp Deer- the state
(GNDU) animal of Uttar Pradesh)

Third Place: Jain Anthem: “Khelo India – Har Dil

University, Mein Desh” (composed and sung
Karnataka by Palash Sen)

India has won the title for the

fourth time.
With this victory, India has created
a new record of winning the
Men’s hockey Junior Winner: India (2-1) maximum titles at the Men’s Junior
2. Salalah, Oman Asia Cup.
Asia Cup 2023 Runner-up: Pakistan
Pakistan has won the title for
three times.

Goalkeeper of the Tournament:

Mohith HS (India)

Winner: Indian Deaf

Indian Deaf Cricket cricket team
Association (IDCA) TR- Indian Team defeated Bangladesh
3. Kolkata Runner-up:
Nation ODI for the Deaf, Team by record 166 runs
2023 Bangladesh Deaf
Team

Dubai Chess & Winner: Aravindh Aravindh Chithambaram has won

23rd Dubai Chess
4. Culture Club, Chithambaram the title for the second
Open
UAE (India) consecutive year

Winner: Max
Verstappen
Circuit de
Spanish Grand Prix (Netherlands, Red
5. Barcelona- --
(Formula 1 motor race) Bull)
Catanuya, Spain
First Runner-up:
Lewis Hamilton

33 | P a g e
 (United Kingdom,
Mercedes)

Second Runner-up:

George Russell
(United Kingdom,
Mercedes)

Winner: India (2-1)

Women's Hockey Junior Kakamigahara, Runner-up: Republic India has won the title for the first
6.
Asia Cup 2023 Japan of Korea (South time
Korea)

India won 19 medals, including 6

golds in the event.
Gold Medal winners for India:
Rezoana Mallick Heena (400
metres-women)- the first gold for
Medals Tally India in this event

20th Asian U20 1. Japan (23 Siddharth Choudhry (Shot put-

Yecheon, South men)
7. Athletics medals)
Korea
Championships 2. China Bhartpreet Singh (Discus throw-
India men)

Sunil Kumar (Decathlon- men)

Laxita Sandilea (1500 metres-

women)
Women's relay team (4 × 400 m
relay)

Men's singles:
Novak Djokovic has won the
Winner: Novak French open title for the third time
Djokovic (Serbia)
This is Novak Djokovic’s 23rd
Runner- Up: Casper Grand Slam title.
Ruud (Norway)
With this, Novak Djokovic
Women’s singles: surpassed Rafael Nadal in terms
of total Grand Slam victories.
Winner: Iga Świątek
(Poland) Rafael Nadal has won 22 grand
Stade Roland
2023 French Open slams.
8. Garros, Paris, Runner-up: Karolína
(Tennis tournament)
France Muchová (Czech Novak Djokovic has equaled
Republic) Serena Williams' tally of the most
Grand Slam titles by any player in
Men's doubles
the Open Era
Winner: Ivan Dodig
Novak Djokovic also became the
(Croatia) /Austin
first man to win each of the four
Krajicek (US)
Grand Slam tournaments at least
Runner-up: Sander three times.
Gille and Joran
Vliegen (Belgium)

34 | P a g e
 Womens’ doubles:
Winner: Su-Wei
Hsieh (Chinese
Taipei) & Xinyu
Wang (China)
Runner-up: Leylah
Fernandez (Canada)
& Taylor Townsend
(US)
Mixed Doubles:
Winner: Miyu Kato
(Japan) & Tim Puetz
(Germany)

Runner-up: Bianca
Andreescu (Canada)
& Michael Venus
(New Zealand).

Gold- Miltiadis
Tentoglou (Greece) Sreeshankar Murali has won
India’s first ever medal in long
Silver: Simon jump at Diamond League.
Ehammer
Paris Diamond League Charlety He's the third Indian to finish in
9. (Switzerland)
(Long Jump event) Stadium, Paris the top-3 of a Diamond League
Bronze: meet after Neeraj Chopra (Javelin
Sreeshankar Murali throw) & Vikas Gowda (discus
(India) (Best Jump- throw)
8.09m)

India won 15 medals - six gold, six

silver and three bronze.

Gold Medal winners for India:

Sainyam (Women’s 10m air pistol)

Dhanush Srikanth (Men’s 10m air
rifle)
Medals Tally
International Shooting Amanpreet Singh (Men's 25m
1. India pistol)
10. Sport Federation (ISSF) Suhl, Germany
2. Korea
Junior World Cup 2023 Gautami Bhanot/Abhinav Shaw
USA (10m air rifle mixed team)
Gautami Bhanot/Swati
Chowdhury/ Sonam Uttam Maskar
(Women's 10m air rifle team)
Megana Sadula/Payal Khatri/
Simranpreet Kaur Brar (Women's
25m pistol team)

2023 Superbet Rapid &

Winner: Magnus
11. Blitz Poland Chess Warsaw, Poland --
Carlsen (Norway)
Tournament

35 | P a g e

2023 International
Table Tennis Federation Durban, South
12.
(ITTF) World Table
Tennis Championships
2nd ICC World Test Finals held at The
13.
Championship 2021-23 Oval, London
Special Olympics World
14. Berlin, Germany
Games 2023 (16th
Gold Medal
Winners:
Men's singles: Fan
Zhendong
Women's singles:
Sun Yingsha
Men's doubles:
Wang Chuqin & Fan All the winners are from China
Africa
Zhendong
Women's doubles:
Chen Meng & Wang
Yidi
Mixed doubles:
Wang Chuqin & Sun
Yingsha
Australia has won the title for the
first time.
Australia is the first team in the
history of cricket to win all the
major ICC events.
Player of the Match (Finals): Travis
Head
Highlights:
Ajinkya Rahane became the 13th
Indian to complete 5000 Test
runs.
Ajinkya Rahane became first
Indian to score a half-century in
Australia defeated
ICC World Test Championship
India by 209 runs
final.
Ravindra Jadeja surpassed Bishan
Singh Bedi to become India's most
successful left-arm spinner in the
history of Test cricket.
Virat Kohli emerged as India’s
highest run-scorer in the World
Test Championship (WTC) 2021-
23 cycle with 932 runs in 17
matches.
Rohit Sharma became the third-
fastest opening batter to record
13,000 international runs across
all formats.
Germany is hosting the event for
--
the first time.
36 | P a g e
 Special Olympics World Motto: “Nothing about us without
Summer Games) us having a say.”

Gold: Egypt
Sports Development Indian Team was represented by
(Defending
Authority of Tamil Nadu Joshna Chinappa, Saurav Ghosal,
Champion)
(SDAT)-World Squash Chennai, Tamil Tanvi Khanna and Abhay Singh
15.
Federation (WSF) Nadu Silver: Malaysia
Squash World Cup The last edition was also hosted at
Bronze: India & Chennai in 2011
2023
Japan

2023 Intercontinental Kalinga Stadium, Winner: India

Player of the tournament: Sandesh
16. Cup (football Bhubaneswar, Runners-up: Jhingan (India)
tournament) Odisha Lebanon

Winner: Max
It is the 100th win for Red Bull
Circuit Gilles Verstappen (Red
team in Formula One.
Canadian Grand Prix Villeneuve, Bull)
17. It is his 41st victory in Formula
2023 Montréal, Runner-up:
Canada One (equaled Brazilian racer
Fernando Alonso
Ayrton Senna's record)
(Aston Martin)

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and

Chirag Shetty (World No. 6 pair)
Men's doubles created history by becoming the
first Indian doubles pair to win a
Winner: Satwiksairaj
title at a Badminton Super 1000
Rankireddy and
event.
Jakarta, Chirag Shetty
18. Indonesia Open 2023
Indonesia (India) Indonesia Open 2023 is also
Satwik-Chirag's first-ever Super
Runner-up: Aaron
1000 title.
Chia and Soh Wooi
Yik (Malaysia) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy is from
Andhra Pradesh & Chirag Shetty is
from Mumbai.

Recently, the mascot for 37th

Goa (to host the
19. 37th National Games event for the first
time)
National Games has been
launched at Dr Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee Stadium at Taleigao,
-- Goa on Goa Kranti Din (Goa
Revolution Day)

Mascot for 37th National Games:

MOGA (it represents Indian Bison).

37 | P a g e

Special Olympics
20. Berlin, Germany
Summer Games 2023
132nd edition of Durand Kolkata, West
21.
Cup Bengal
S.No Award/Milestone Category
2023 Michel Batisse
1. Award for Biosphere
Reserve Management
2. Spinoza Prize
Royal Society of
3. Literature (RSL)
Christopher Bland Prize
Indian Bison is the state animal of
Goa
India won 202 Mascot of the event: Unity
medals (76 gold, 75
Unity conveys joy, togetherness,
silver and 51
bronze) pride, and excitement.
It is Asia’s oldest and the world’s
third oldest football tournament.
Trophy Tour of the 132nd edition
of Durand Cup was recently
flagged off from Manekshaw
Centre, Delhi Cantt.
-- Conducted by: Durand Football
Tournament Society (DFTS) under
the aegis of All India Football
Federation (AIFF)
The winner wins three trophies
viz, Durand Cup, Shimla Trophy &
President's Cup.
Awardee Key Facts
Awarded by: United Nations
Jagdish Bakan, Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Wildlife Warden and Organization (UNESCO)
District Forest
-- Jagdish Bakan has received this
Officer (DFO) of
award for his work in the Gulf of
Ramanathapuram
district, Tamil Nadu Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Tamil
Nadu
She has been awarded for her
scientific work focusing on a 'just
Joyeeta Gupta and sustainable world'.
-- (Indian-origin
scientist) Spinoza Prize, also referred as
‘Dutch Nobel Prize’, is the highest
distinction in Dutch science
He has received the award for his
debut novel 'The Secret Diaries of
Charles Ignatius Sancho'.
Paterson Joseph The award recognizes debut
--
(British Writer) writer for their work of fiction or
non-fiction, who is first published
at the age of 50 or over.
Reward: 10,000 Pounds
38 | P a g e
 The award was announced during
UITP Global Public Transport
Summit in Barcelona.

Brihanmumbai UITP is one of the world’s most

'Climate And
4. UITP Awards 2023 Electric Supply and coveted prize In public transport.
Health' award
Transport (BEST)
BEST has received the award for
its largest fleet of electric buses in
India & adopting other sustainable
technologies

‘When Climate
Special Prize
Change Turns
under the
Violent’ (Indian
Climate Change
documentary
and Health
directed by Vandita
category
Sariya of Rajasthan)
4th Health for All Film Awarded by: World Health
5. 'One in 36 Million:
Festival (HAFF) Organization (WHO)
Story of Childhood
Better Health and Lead Poisoning in
Well-being Bangladesh'(
category directed by Arifur
Rahma and Mitali
Das)

2023 Iqbal Masih Award Lalitha Natarajan

Awarded by: United States
6. for the Elimination of -- (Chennai based
Department of Labor
Child Labor child rights activist)

The state-level 'International Day

of Yoga celebration in Dumas area
of Surat.

1.53 lakh people participated in

Guinness World Record
for the largest gathering
7.
of people for a yoga
session at one place
the Yoga session in Surat.
The previous world record was set
Record set by: Surat
-- in 2018 in Kota city of Rajasthan.
City, Gujarat
Gujarat Government has also
announced to start 21 Yoga
studios in the state.
Gujarat Government had also
selected 75 iconic places to
celebrate Yoga Day

Gita Press has been awarded in

recognition of its remarkable
contribution towards social,
Gandhi Peace Prize for Gita Press,
8. -- economic and political
2021 Gorakhpur
transformation through non-
violent and other Gandhian
methods.

39 | P a g e
 Gita Press was established in
1923.

It is one of the world’s largest

publishers

About Gandhi Peace Prize

It is an annual award instituted by the Government of India in 1995.
Prize Amount: Rs. 1 crore
Previous Awardees: Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, Oman (2019) and
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh (2020)

The award ceremony was held at

London.

He has been awarded for

managing inflation and handling
Shaktikanta Das,
Governor of the India's banking system during
Governor, Reserve
Year crises like COVID pandemic and
Central Banking Awards Bank of India (RBI)
9. global turmoils.
2023
He is the second RBI Governor to
win the award after Raghuram
Rajan

Central bank of National Bank of

--
the Year Ukraine

Awarded by: German Publishers

and Booksellers Association

Awarded for: Salman Rushdie’s

2023 Peace Prize of the
10.
German Book Trade
literary works & for his resolve in
Salman Rushdie
the face of “constant threat to his
-- (American-British- life”.
Indian novelist)
Prize Amount: 25,000 Euros

Famous Works of Salman Rushdie:

Midnight's Children, Satanic
Verses, Quichotte

Instituted by: Ministry of Health

National Florence
11. Nightingale Awards
2022 and 2023
Important and Family Welfare
Awardees: Maj Gen
Instituted in: 1973
Smita Devrani & Brig
--
Amita Devrani of Purpose: to recognize meritorious
Military Nursing services rendered by the nurses
Service and nursing professionals to the
society.

He has been awarded for his

services to cricket.
Order of the British Moeen Ali (England
12. -- He has been recognised in the
Empire (OBE) Cricketer)
Queen's Platinum Jubilee Honours
list

40 | P a g e
 She has been awarded for the
French translation of her
compilation of essays titled
"Azadi" (2021).

45th European Essay Lifetime Arundhati Roy Awarded by: Charles Veillon
13.
Prize achievement (Indian author) Foundation
Famous Works of Arundhati Roy:
"The God of Small Things", "The
Ministry of Utmost Happiness",
and "My Seditious Heart"

Award function held at: Paris Air

Show

Tata-owned Vistara bagged the

World’s Best 16th position & IndiGo has attained
Star Alliance
Airline Alliance 43rd position in the World’s Top
100 Airlines 2023
Star Alliance is a grouping of 26
airlines

World’s Best
Airline Alliance Los Angeles lounge
Lounge

2023 Skytrax World World’s Best

14. Singapore Airlines
Airline Awards Airline

Most Improved
Airline in India / Air India
South Asia

World's Best
Low-Cost Airline
AirAsia
& Best Low-Cost
Airline in Asia

Best Business
Class Airline in
Vistara
India and South
Asia

Order of the Nile is the highest

civilian award of Egypt.
It is the 13th international award
Narendra Modi,
conferred upon the Prime Minister
15. Order of the Nile -- Prime Minister of
of India
India
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President
of Egypt conferred the honour to
the Prime Minister of India

41 | P a g e
 For the first time, Indian buildings
and structures has received this
award

All the five buildings/ structures

Mozzam-Jahi that received the award are from
Heritage
Market, Hyderabad. Telangana.

Awarded by: London based- ‘The

Green Organisation’.

Durgam Cheruvu
‘International Green Bridge Cable Bridge,
Apple Awards for Hyderabad
Beautiful Buildings’
16. under the Urban and Aesthetically B R Ambedkar
Real Estate Sector designed office Telangana State
category. and workspace Secretariat Building,
building Hyderabad

Integrated
Command Control
Unique office
Centre of Telangana
Police, Hyderabad

Yadadri Temple
(Lakshmi Narasimha
Excellent
Swamy Temple),
religious
Yadagirigutta,
structure
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri
district

Team Marksmen’s Awarded by: Team Marksmen in

17. "Most Preferred -- NTPC Ltd association with India Today and
Workplace of 2023-24" Business Standard

Ramachandra Guha is a Bengaluru

based Historian and writer.
'Rebels Against the
Elizabeth Longford Raj: Western The award is named after British
18. Prize for Historical -- Fighters for India’s historian Elizabeth Longford
Biography 2023 Freedom’ by
Reward: 5,000 Pounds & a bound
Ramchandra Guha
copy of Elizabeth Longford’s
memoir, The Pebbled Shore.

The awardee is an eminent Telugu

Prof. Kothapalli poet, literary critic and Sahitya
19. Jayashankar Award -- Acharya N. Gopi Akademi Award recipient.
(First Edition) Award instituted by: Bharat
Jagruthi

Dr Tedros Awarded by: International Olympic

20. Olympic Order -- Ghebreyesus, Committee (IOC)
Director-General of

42 | P a g e
 the World Health Awarded at: Olympic House in
Organization (WHO) Lausanne, Switzerland

Awarded for: inspirational role in

ensuring the Olympic Games
Tokyo 2020 took place and
supported the cooperation
agreement between the IOC and
the WHO signed in 2020.

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus has also

been invited as IOC guest of
honour at the Olympic Games
Paris 2024.

Awarded by: International Olympic

Committee (IOC)
World Health Awarded for: outstanding
21. Olympic Cup for 2021 --
Organization (WHO) contribution to the success of the
Olympic and Paralympic Games
Tokyo 2020

Global Indian Mary Kom (Boxer

Icon of the Year from Manipur)

Lifetime Shekhar Kapur

Achievement (filmmaker)

Significant Nehru Centre in

Contribution to London, the cultural
U.K.-India wing of the Indian
The event was hosted by IGF
Annual U.K.-India relations. High Commission
22. (India Global Forum) as part of
Awards
U.K.-India Week at Windsor.
Business FICCI (Federation of
Promotion Indian Chambers of
Organisation of Commerce &
the Year Industry) U.K.

Financial
Services
ICICI Bank U.K. PLC
Organisation of
the Year

Awarded by: Carnegie Corporation

of New York.
Ajay Banga
2023 list of Great Ajay Banga is the only Indian to be
23. -- (President of the
Immigrants featured on the list.
World Bank)
Ajay Banga is first India-American
to lead the World Bank.

Sudha Murty, for Both the awards are awarded by

24. Bal Sahitya Puraskar English her collection of Sahitya Akademi.
stories

43 | P a g e
 ‘Grandparents’ Bag Total winners of Bal Sahitya
of Stories’ Puraskar: 22

Total winners of Yuva Puraskar:

Suryanath Singh for
20
his collection of
Hindi
short stories, ‘Kotuk
App’.

Anirudh Kanisetti for

‘Lords Of The
Deccan: Southern
English
India From
Chalukyas To
25. Yuva Puraskar --
Cholas’

Atul Kumar Rai his

Hindi novel ‘Chandpur ki
Chanda’.

Angela Bassett
(American actress)

Mel Brooks
(American writer-
Awarded by: Academy of Motion
Honorary Oscar director-actor-
Picture Arts and Sciences
songwriter)
14th Annual Governors
26.
Awards
Carol Littleton
(American film
editor)

Jean Hersholt Michelle Satter

Humanitarian (American film
Award executive)

Rajindar Singh Dhatt is a British

Indian war veteran.

He one of the last surviving Sikh

27. Points of Light award -- Rajindar Singh Dhatt soldiers who fought in the Second
World War.

Awarded by: Prime Minister of the

United Kingdom (UK).

Prize winning Novel:

Perumazhayathe Kunjithalukal.
children’s
Kendra Sahitya She had earlier won the Kendra
28. literature (Bal Priya A.S
Akademi Award Sahitya Akademi Award for
Sahitya Puraksar)
translating Arundhati Roy’s “The
God of Small Things”

honorary doctorate in Doctorate by Birmingham City

29. - Shankar Mahadevan
UK University in England.

44 | P a g e
 best known for songs like
'Breathless', 'Mitwa' and 'Lakshya'

Organization /
S.No Person Position Country / State Key Facts
/ Company

Managing Director
(MD) and Chief
1. Ashwani Kumar UCO Bank --
Executive Officer
(CEO)

Sandeep Batra
Executive Director
(Reappointment)

Hari Mundra
(Reappointment)

2. ICICI Bank --
B. Sriram
Independent
(Reappointment) Directors

S. Madhavan

(Reappointment)

Amarendu Prakash
Steel Authority of
3. (succeeded Soma Chairman --
India Ltd (SAIL)
Mondal)

Dennis Francis is the Permanent

Dennis Francis (to
4.
succeed Csaba Korosi)
78th session of Representative of Trinidad and
the United Nations Tobago to the United Nations.
President
General Assembly UNGA 78th session will
(UNGA) commence in September 2023
and will end in September 2024

5. Smriti Mandhana Brand Ambassador Wrangler --

Edgars Rinkevics (to

6. President-elect Latvia --
succeed Egils Levits)

Janardan Prasad Geological Survey

7. Director-General --
(succeeded Dr. S. Raju) of India

V Anantharaman Non-executive TransUnion CIBIL is India's first

8. TransUnion CIBIL
(replaced M V Nair) chairman credit information bureau

Chief Executive Unique

9. Amit Agrawal --
Officer (CEO) Identification

45 | P a g e
 Authority of India
(UIDAI)

National Testing
10. Subodh Kumar Singh Director General --
Agency (NTA)

International Air
Pieter Elbers (to Transport
11. succeed Yvonne Manzi Chair-elect Association (IATA) Pieter Elbers is the CEO of IndiGo
Makolo) Board of
Governors

Container
Sanjay Swarup (to His name was recommended by
Chairman and Corporation of
12. succeed V Kalyana Public Enterprises Selection Board
Managing Director India Ltd
Rama) (PESB)
(CONCOR)

Border Security
13. Nitin Agarwal Director General --
Force (BSF)

All the names have been selected

N Ramaswamy (to Chairman and General Insurance by Financial Services Institution
14. succeed Devesh Managing Director Corporation of Bureau (FSIB).
Srivastav) (CMD) India (GIC Re) Head of FSIB: Bhanu Pratap
Sharma

M Rajeswari Singh (to National Insurance

15. CMD
succeed Suchita Gupta) Company (NIC)

Sat Pal Bhanoo (to Life Insurance

16. succeed Siddarth Managing Directors Corporation of
Mohanty) India (LIC)

R. Doraiswamy ( to
17.
succeed Mini Ipe)

18. Hardik Pandya Brand Ambassador Hyundai Exter --

19. Rashmika Mandanna Brand Ambassador Epson India --

Swaminathan Janakiraman is
Swaminathan
Reserve Bank of presently serving as the Managing
20. Janakiraman ( to Deputy Governor
India (RBI) Director (MD) of the State Bank of
replace M.K. Jain)
India (SBI)

International Air
Pieter Elbers (to Transport Pieter Elbers is the CEO of IndiGo
21. succeed Yvonne Manzi Chair-elect Association (IATA)
Makolo) Board of He is from Netherlands
Governors

Hasmukh Adhia Hasmukh Adhia has also been

(replaced Sudhir Chairman Gujarat appointed Director and Chairman
22.
Mankad) International of the boards of Gujarat Alkalies &
Chemicals Ltd (GACL) and Gujarat

46 | P a g e
 Finance Tec-City Mineral Development Corporation
(GIFT City) Ltd (GMDC).

He is also serving as the non-

executive Chairman of Bank of
Baroda & Chancellor of Central
University of Gujarat

Gopichand Hinduja
He is an Indian-born British
23. (succeeded Srichand P Chairman Hinduja Group
businessman
Hinduja)

part-time Non-
He is the former Deputy Governor
24. NS Vishwanathan Executive Axis Bank
of RBI
Chairman

Chairman and
National Fertilizers
25. U Saravanan Managing Director --
Ltd (NFL)
(CMD)

Member, High- Aalok Kumar is the President &

level Advisory Asian CEO of NEC Corporation India.
26. Aalok Kumar Group on Digital Development Total Members of ADB’s Advisory
Technology for Bank’s (ADB) Group on Digital Technology for
Development Development: eight

Petteri Orpo
27. (succeeded Sanna Prime Minister Finland --
Marin)

Research and
Ravi Sinha (succeeded
28. Secretary Analysis Wing --
Samant Kumar Goel)
(RAW)

United Nations Aarti Holla-Maini is from United

Aarti Holla-Maini (to Kingdom
Office of Outer
29. succeed Simonetta Di Director
Space Affairs She is an Indian-origin satellite
Pippo of Italy)
(UNOOSA) industry expert.

Jhulan Goswami (Indian

cricketer)
MCC World
Heather Knight (English
30. Member Cricket Committee --
cricketer)
(WCC)
Eoin Morgan (English
cricketer)

Managing Director
Rohit Jawa (succeeded (MD) and Chief Hindustan Unilever
31. --
Sanjiv Mehta) Executive Officer Ltd (HUL)
(CEO)

47 | P a g e
 Ambassador and
World Trade
Permanent His tenure has been recently
32. Brajendra Navnit Organization
Representative of extended.
(WTO)
India

BRICS Chamber of
Ruby Sinha (succeeded Commerce and Ruby Sinha is the founder of
33. President
Shabana Nasim) Industry Women SheAtWork.
(BRICS CCI WE)

Gernot Döllner (to Chairman of the

34. replace Markus Board of AUDI AG --
Duesmann) Management

Predecessor: Niraj Mittal

35. Rajat Verma Managing director DBS Bank India
DBS Bank HQ: Singapore.

IN NEWS

S.No Personality Profession Key Facts

He passed away recently.

1. Vellayani Arjunan Linguist and writer
He hails from Kerala

She passed away recently

2. Sulochana Latkar Indian Actress She has acted in Marathi and Hindi
Movies.

She passed away recently.

3. Ved Kumari Ghai Sanskrit scholar
She hails from Jammu and Kashmir

She passed away recently.

4. Ama Ata Aidoo Ghanaian writer and professor Notable Works: The Dilemma of a
Ghost, Changes

He recently announced retirement

5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic Swedish footballer
from football.

He passed away recently.

6. Aamir Raza Husain Theatre director & actor
He hails from Uttar Pradesh.

He passed away recently.

He created history by becoming
7. Jim Hines American Sprinter the first man to officially go below
10 seconds for 100 metres, running
a hand-timed 9.9 seconds at the
1968 US Championships.

8. Silvio Berlusconi Italian Politician, media tycoon He passed away recently.

48 | P a g e
 He was the former Prime Minister
of Italy

She passed away recently

9. Gitanjali Aiyar News Anchor She was one of India's first English
female news presenters on
Doordarshan.

He passed away recently.

10. Alby D’Cruz Defence personnel He was Kerala’s first Ashoka Chakra
recipient

He passed away recently.

11. Cormac McCarthy American writer He has received Pulitzer Prize for
his novel 'The Road'

American astrophysicist, author and He recently met the Prime Minister

12. Neil de Grasse Tyson
science communicator of India at New York, USA

13. Glenda Jackson British actress and politician She passed away recently

She has recently announced

14. Nahida Khan Pakistani cricketer retirement from international
cricket

He passed away recently

American political activist & military He has been dubbed as the "the
15. Daniel Ellsberg most dangerous man in America"
analyst.
for leaking the 1971 Pentagon
Papers

Rakesh Master (S.Rama

16. Telugu choreographer He passed way recently
Rao)

BOOKS AUTHORS
S.No Book Title Author Key Facts

“RINGSIDE – Up, Close and The author is the Chairman of the

1. Personal on India and Dr Vijay Darda Editorial Board of Lokmat Media
Beyond” Group.

2. Nalanda Abhay K --

The Power of One Thought:

3. Master Your Mind, Master BK Shivani --
Your Life

Kathakali Dance Theatre: A

4. Visual Narrative of Sacred K.K. Gopalakrishnan --
Indian Mime

49 | P a g e
 India’s Finance Ministers:
The author is a famous business
5. From Independence to A. K. Bhattacharya
journalist
Emergency

A Life Well Spent: Four

6. Decades in the Indian Satish Chandra --
Foreign Service

FAIRS FESTIVALS
S.No Festival Country / State Key Facts

Organized by: Council of Scientific

& Industrial Research – Indian
Institute Of Integrative Medicine
(CSIR IIIM), Jammu, Jammu &
Venue: Bhaderwah Valley, Jammu Kashmir
1. Lavender Festival
and Kashmir
Organized under: CSIR One Week
One Lab Program

Bhaderwah Valley has emerged as

the Lavender capital of India

Organized at: Kalinga Institute of

First Janjatiya Khel
2. Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar, --
Mahotsav
Odisha

The Annecy International India has participated in the event

3. Venue: Annecy, France
Animation Festival (AIAF) for the first time

Organizers: West Bengal Industrial

Development Corporation
4. E-Export Haat Venue: Shilpa sadan, kolkata (WBIDC), Amazon Global Selling &
Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce & Industry (FICCI)

Organizers: Solar Promotion

GmbH, Germany, and Freiburg
Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe
GmbH & Co. KG, , Germany
"Intersolar Europe 2023"
5. Venue: Munich, Germany Motto: “Connecting solar
exhibition
business”.
Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency (IREDA)
participated in the event

Venue: Paris Le Bourget Exhibition

6. Paris Air Show 2023 It is the world’s largest aviation fair
Centre, Le Bourget, France

Raja Parba Festival (Mithun The day celebrates womanhood &

7. Celebrated at: Odisha
Sankranti) mother earth

50 | P a g e
 Celebrated by: Tangsa Tribe

Wihu Kuh Festival (Paddy Tangsa Tribe primarily reside in

8. Celebrated at: Arunachal Pradesh Changlang district, Arunachal
Transplantation Festival)
Pradesh & Sagaing Region in
Myanmar

The exhibition displays banknotes

of G20 member nations, depicting
world heritage sites listed by
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
It is a first of its kind initiative.

Venue: Indira Gandhi National Exhibition has been organised in

‘Banking on World Heritage’
9. Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New the spirit of Vasudaiva
exhibition
Delhi Kutumbakam
Exhibition has been curated by the
scholar Ms. Rukmini Dahanukar.

The event coincides with the

celebration of India’s 75th year of
independence and UNESCO’s
World Heritage Convention’s 50th
year.

Organized by: Union Ministry of

Culture.

The festival celebrates the

heritage and artistic traditions of
10. Vitasta Mahotsav Venue: Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
the region.
The festival has been named after
Vitasta river, also known as
Jhelum

It involves worshipping fourteen

11. Kharchi Puja Celebrated in: Agartala, Tripura
deities

Hemis Tsechu- Annual

12. Celebrated in: Ladakh Theme: Zero Waste Festival
Hemis Monastery Festival

IN NEWS
S.No Place Why in News Key Facts

It has been recently established by It will be is fully funded and

Sindhu Central University, the Central Universities (amendment supported by the Government of
1.
Ladakh Act 2021) with the territorial India through the Ministry of
jurisdiction of UT of Ladakh Education

51 | P a g e

Mekedatu balancing
2.
reservoir
Bahanaga Baazar railway
3. station, Balasore district,
Odisha
Nova Kakhovka dam,
4.
southern Ukraine
Baba and Mai monument &
5.
Mama Sranan monument
Heliopolis Commonwealth
6.
War Cemetery, Cairo, Egypt
National Maritime Heritage
7. Complex (NMHC), Lothal,
Gujarat
Three new industrial
8. estates industrial estates
inaugurated in Tamil Nadu
Micron's Assembly Testing
9. Marking and Packaging,
Sanand, Gujarat
To be built by: Government of
Karnataka
Location: Kanakapura, Ramanagara
district, Karnataka
Recently, Coromandel Express,
Howrah Superfast Express & a
goods trains collided near Bahanaga
Baazar station
It was recently breached, causing
extensive flooding
Recently, the President of India
visited these monuments at
Paramaribo, Suriname
Recently, the Prime Minister of India
visited his place
Recently, Project Progress Review
Meeting of NMHC was held
--
The Government of India has
approved US chipmaker Micron
Technology's plan to invest USD 2.7
billion to set up a semiconductor
testing and packaging unit in
Gujarat.
52 | P a g e
To be built under: Mekedatu multi-
purpose project
--
It is located on Dnieper river in
Kherson Oblast
Baba and Mai monument
symbolises first Indian man and
woman who set foot in Suriname.
Mama Sranan monument Mama
Sranan, the Mother Suriname
holding her five children, the five
ethnicities that inhabit Suriname
with care and affection.
It comprises Heliopolis (Port
Tewfik) Memorial and the
Heliopolis (Aden) Memorial.
The Heliopolis (Port Tewfik)
Memorial commemorates Indian
soldiers who died fighting in Egypt
and Palestine in the First World
War.
The Heliopolis (Aden) Memorial
pays tribute to men of the
Commonwealth forces who
sacrificed their lives for Aden
during the First World War
Developed by: Ministry of Ports,
Shipping and Waterways
Developed under: Sagarmala
programme
Estimated Cost: Rs 4500 crores
Location: Kodur in Chengalpattu
district, Manapparai in Tiruchi
district and Sakkimangalam in
Madurai district.
The Government of India will
provide production-linked
incentives worth Rs 11,000 crore
(USD 1.34 billion) for the
semiconductor plant.

Balidan Stambh, Srinagar,
10.
Jammu and Kashmir
‘Natural Arch’
,Chhengapahar reserve
11. forest near Brahmani village
the Geological Survey of India (GSI)
in Kanika range of
Sundargarh, Odisha
S.No Days
1. Global Day of Parents 2023
World Milk Day 2023
2.
Additional Information: Under the aegis of Azadi Kaa Amrit Mahotsav, the
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, in collaboration with the
Agriculture Production Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir,
3. Telangana Formation Day
4. World Bicycle Day
5. 50th World Environment Day
Built under: Srinagar Smart City.
The foundation stone of Balidan
It will act as a memorial for
Stambh has been laid recently.
martyrs'
The GSI has proposed to declare
this arch as a Geo Heritage Site as
it dates back to Jurassic period.
Once declared, it would be the
It has been recently discovered by
biggest natural arch in India.
Other two natural archs in India
are located in Tirumala hills in
Tirupati and Andaman and
Nicobar.
IN NEWS
Date Themes & Misc.
Theme: “The power of parenting:
June 1 raising happy, healthy and hopeful
children”
Theme: "Showcasing how dairy is
reducing its environmental
footprint, while also providing
June 1 nutritious foods and livelihoods"
Day established by: Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
celebrated World Milk Day at SKICC, Srinagar.
Telangana was formed out of
June 2
Andhra Pradesh in 2014
Theme: "Riding Together for a
June 3
Sustainable Future."
Theme: Solutions to plastic pollution
Campaign: #BeatPlasticPollution
Host: Côte d'Ivoire
June 5
Supported by: Netherlands
Day observed & led by: United
Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP)
53 | P a g e
 Day established by: United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO)
UN Russian Language Day
6. June 6 Six official languages of the United
2023
Nations (UN): Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian and
Spanish

Theme: “Food standards save lives.”

Fifth World Food Safety
7. June 7 Slogan: “Food safety, everyone’s
Day
business”

Theme: "Planet Ocean: tides are

8. World Oceans Day June 8
changing"

The day commemorates the

75th International Archives
9. June 9 establishment of International
Day
Council on Archives (ICA) in 1948

Theme: ‘Accreditation: Supporting

10. World Accreditation Day June 9
the Future of Global Trade’

World Day Against Child Theme: ‘Social Justice for All. End
11. June 12
Labour Child Labour!’.

Theme: “Give blood, give plasma,

12. World Blood Donor Day June 14
share life, share often.”

Organized by: WindEurope and the

13. 16th Global Wind Day June 15
Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)

Theme: "Closing the Circle:

World Elder Abuse Addressing Gender-Based Violence
14. June 15
Awareness Day (GBV) in Older Age Policy, Law and
Evidence-based Responses".

Theme: “Digital remittances towards

International Day of Family
15. June 16 financial inclusion and cost
Remittances
reduction.”

World Day to Combat

16. June 17 Theme: "Her land. Her rights",
Desertification and Drought

International Day for

17. June 18 --
Countering Hate Speech

18. International Picnic Day June 18 --

Sustainable Gastronomy Theme: ‘Local Flavours, Preserving

19. June 18
Day Global Heritage.’

Theme: ‘Building and strengthening

20. World Sickle Cell Day June 19 global sickle cell communities,
formalizing newborn screening and

54 | P a g e
 knowing your sickle cell disease
status’

The day marks the death

anniversary of PN Panicker,- the
21. National Reading day 2023 June 19
‘Father of the Library Movement’ in
Kerala.

22. World Refugee Day June 20 Theme: ‘Hope Away from Home’

Theme: 'Yoga for Vasudhaiva

Kutumbakam'.
(Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam means
One Earth · One Family · One
Future)
The Prime Minister of India led the
9th annual International Day of
Yoga celebrations at the iconic
North Lawn of the UN Headquarters
23. 9th International Yoga Day June 21 in New York City.
The National celebration was led by
the Vice President of India at
Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh
The day is celebrated every year
since 2015.

The Prime Minister of India

proposed the day in 2014 to the
United Nations (UN)

World Music Day 2023 Theme: “Music on the

24. June 21
(Fête de la Musique ) Intersections.”

Objective: to raise awareness about

International Day of the the profound significance of
25. June 21
Celebration of the Solstice solstices and equinoxes in various
religious and ethnic cultures.

Theme: “Hydrography –
Underpinning the Digital; Twin of
the Ocean”.
World Hydrographic Day Hydrography is the science of the
26. June 21
2023 measurement, description, and
mapping of the surface waters of
the earth, with special reference to
their use for navigation

The day marks the liberation

Goa Kranti Din (Goa
27. June 18 struggle against Portuguese colonial
Revolution Day)
rule in Goa.

55 | P a g e

International Day for the
28. Elimination of Sexual
Violence in Conflict
29. Olympic Day 2023
United Nations Public
30.
Service Day
International Day against
Drug Abuse and Illicit
31.
Trafficking or World Drug
Day
32. Helen Keller’s Day
International Micro, Small
33. and Medium Enterprises
(MSME) Day
34. National Statistics Day
56 | P a g e
Theme: 'bridging the gender digital
divide to prevent, address and
June 19
respond to conflict-related sexual
violence'
Theme: 'Let's Move'
The day commemorates the
establishment of the International
Olympic Committee by Baron Pierre
de Coubertin.
June 23
The International Olympic
Committee (IOC), in collaboration
with World Health Organization
(WHO) has launched Let’s Move
campaign
June 23 --
Theme: "People First: stop stigma
June 26 and Discrimination, strengthen
Prevention"
It is a commemorative day to
celebrate the birth of Helen Keller.
June 27 She was an American author.
She founded the American
Foundation for the Blind.
Theme: "Building a Stronger Future
Together" .
June 27
Theme in India: "Future-ready
MSMEs for India@100".
Theme: Alignment of State Indicator
Framework with National Indicator
Framework for Monitoring
Sustainable Development Goals.
The main event of the Statistics
Day, 2023 was organized at Scope
June 29 Convention Centre, New Delhi.
The day is observed on the birth
Anniversary of (late) Professor
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
The day recognize his contributions
in field of statistics and economic
planning
 Additional Information: World
35. Statistics Day is celebrated on
October 20 every 5 years

The day is celebrated every year in

Jharkhand.
The day marks Santal rebellion
(HUL) against the British in 1855 at
36. Hul Diwas June 30 Damin-i-Koh region.
The day remembers the sacrifice of
Adivasis in their fight against British
colonial authorities.

The day marks the anniversary of

Siberian Tunguska event, the
37. World Asteroid Day June 30
Earth's largest asteroid impact in
recorded history.

International Day of
38. June 30 Theme: “Parliaments for the Planet”
Parliamentarism 2023

Theme: "Vitiligo: Looking into the

39. World Vitiligo Day June 25
Future".

Theme: “MARPOL at 50 – Our

commitment goes on”.
40. Day of the Seafarer 2023 June 25
The 2023 campaign hashtag is
#OceansWorthProtecting

National Insurance
41. June 28 --
Awareness Day

The day celebrates the

extraordinary diversity of the
International Day of the tropics.
42. June 29
Tropics Tropics is the area between the
tropic of Cancer and the tropic of
Capricorn

S.No Miscellaneous News Key Facts

INS Trishul has recently visited port Anjouan,

1. Comoros as a part of Indian Navy’s long- --
range deployment

57 | P a g e
 The United Nations General Assembly
2. (UNGA) has adopted Resolution to establish
a new Memorial Wall for fallen Peacekeepers
Federal Bank has launched “I Am Adyar,
3.
Adyar Is Me” campaign in Chennai
Amp Energy India has secured up to USD
250 million from SMBC Bank of Japan
4. (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation), ICG
(Intermediate Capital Group) and AIIB (Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank)
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation
(EPFO) is going to upgrade its membership
5. status with the International Social Security
Association (ISSA) from associate member to
affiliate member.
Grammy Award-winning Indian-American
singer Falu (Falguni Shah) has collaborated
6.
with Prime Minister of India & written a
special song -‘Abundance in Millets’
Google has recently launched an Indian
7. Languages Program for small and medium-
sized local news publishers in India
Recently, India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has
8. placed an order for 500 A320 family planes
with French Aerospace company Airbus
Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited (UCSL),
Malpe, Karnataka, has bagged an
international order to design and construct
9.
six new-generation 3800 DWT (Deadweight
Tonnage) cargo vessels for a Norwegian firm
Wilson Shipowning AS
58 | P a g e
The resolution was piloted by India
Campaign Objective: to foster strong sense of
community and celebrating the unique spirit of the
Adyar neighborhood in Chennai.
The funds will be used towards the growth of the
company.
An affiliate member of ISSA can gain access to
professional guidelines, expert knowledge, services,
and support for its pension subscribers.
Coal Mines Provident Fund Organisation is the only
other ISSA affiliate member from India
The song is performed by Falu and her husband and
singer Gaurav Shah.
It is penned in English and Hindi.
It highlights the power of millets.
It features a speech written & delivered by the Prime
Minister of India
It is inspired by the Prime Ministers initiative to get
United Nations (UN) declare 2023 as the International
Year of Millets
Launched under: Google News Initiative (GNI)
Under the initiative, selected news publishers will be
offered training and funding to improve their operations
and reach more readers
The initiative will support English and eight Indian
languages
It is the world’s largest ever single-tranche aircraft
acquisition.
The purchase agreement was signed during Paris Air
Show 2023
Contract value: Rs 580 crore
The contract has been signed with an option for
additional eight vessels.
The “Future proof Dry Cargo Vessel” will be designed
by Conoship International, Netherlands.
UCSL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cochin Shipyard
Limited.
 REC Limited, under the Union Ministry of
Power, has decided to extend financial Purpose: development of Metro Lines under Phase-II
10.
assistance of Rs. 3,045 crores to Bangalore project of Bangalore Metro
Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) NIXI was set up in 2003.

11.
recently celebrated its 20th Foundation Day It functions under Ministry of Electronics & IT.

The Prime Minister of India released Commemorative

Centenary Volume - Compilation of Centenary
The Centenary Celebrations of University of Celebrations; Logo Book - Logo of Delhi University and
12. its colleges; and Aura - 100 Years of University of Delhi
Delhi was recently held
during the celebrations.

University of Delhi was established in 1922

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has proposed

to provide USD 20 billion–USD 25 billion
13. resources over 5 years to India to advance --
the country’s aspirations for fast, inclusive,
and green growth.

The seven products are Amroha Dhola, Mahoba Gaura

Seven products from Uttar Pradesh receives
Patthar Hastashlip, Mainpuri Tarkashi, Sambhal Horn
14. Geographical Indication (GI) tag from GI
Craft, Baghpat Home Furnishing, Barabanki Handloom
Registry in Chennai
Product and Kalpi Handmade Paper

Tamil Nadu’s electronics exports increased to USD 5.37

Recently, Tamil Nadu has emerged as India’s billion in FY23 from USD 1.86 billion in FY22.
15.
top electronics exporter. The 2nd and 3rd position were attained by Karnataka and
Uttar Pradesh respectively.

Dream11 has recently replaced Byju’s as the

16. principal jersey sponsor of the Indian cricket --
teams

The sculptures of four Jaina Tirthankaras were found.

(Adinatha, Neminatha, Parsvanatha and Vardhamana
Mahavira)
‘1,000-year-old’ Jaina sculptures found fitted
17. Refers to a monastery that existed close to Chilukuru, a
to sluice near Hyderabad
prominent Jaina centre during Rashtrakuta and
Vemulawada Chalukyan times.

Inscriptions in Telugu-Kannada script

Gautam Adani Launches ‘Jeetenge Hum’ With to support Team India ahead of the upcoming ICC ODI
18. 1983 Heroes Ahead Of Cricket World Cup Cricket World Cup 2023
2023 1983 World Cup winning headed by: Kapil Dev

Aim: enhancing the quality of technical education in

World Bank Grants USD 255.5 Million Loan to government-run institutions across India.
19.
Enhance Technical Education in India
Duration: next five years

59 | P a g e
 a new mixed reality (MR) programme in India that
Meta Launches $250K Mixed Reality Fund for
20. includes a grant of $250,000 for Indian startups and
5 Indian Startups
developers to build apps and experiences.

2 GA + ESI

2.1 UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023

Why in News?
• Recently the Union Minister of Education released the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be
Universities) Regulations, 2023.
Important Information
• The UGC Act 1956 provides for Central Government to declare any institution other than a
University to a status of Institution Deemed to be University as if it were a university within
the meaning of Section 2(f).
• The first set of Regulations was notified in the year 2010, which was revised in 2016 and
2019.
• The new Regulations are built on the principle of a “light but tight” regulatory framework
envisioned in the National Education Policy 2020.
Salient features of Regulations
• The eligibility criteria to apply for deemed to be university status: is NAAC ‘A’ grade with at
least a 3.01 CGPA for three consecutive cycles or NBA accreditation for two third of eligible
programmes for three consecutive cycles or in the top 50 of any specific category of NIRF
for the last three years continuously or in top 100 of overall NIRF Ranking for last three
years continuously.
• Institution deemed to be University may start new courses or programmes in any field in
their existing campus and approved off-campus centres, with the prior approval of its
Executive Council.
• Distinct institution category: an institution focusing on teaching and research in unique
disciplines and/or addressing the strategic needs of the country or engaged in the
preservation of Indian cultural heritage or preservation of the environment or dedicated to
Skill Development or dedicated to Sports or languages or any other discipline(s), so
determined by the Expert Committee of Commission

60 | P a g e
 • Eligibility to set up off-campus centres: Institutions deemed to be Universities with
minimum ‘A’ grade and above or ranked from 1 to 100 in the "Universities" category of NIRF
rankings of the relevant year are.
• Universities under a “distinct category” can apply for off-campuses after five years of their
declaration if they are accredited with an A grade or figured in the top 100 in the
“universities” category of NIRF.
• Withdrawal of permission given to start new courses or new programmes: Deemed to be
Universities with NAAC less than an ‘A’ grade or ranked more than 100 in the current NIRF
ranking and failed to rectify the deficiencies pointed out by UGC.
• University offers different courses which come under the regulatory ambit of different
statutory bodies, namely the University Grants Commission, the All India Council of
Technical Education, National Medical Council, etc., the rules and regulations regarding
fee structure, number of seats, etc., issued by such statutory body concerned shall be
applicable.
• The institution deemed to be University may provide fee concession or scholarships or
may allocate seats to meritorious students belonging to socially and economically
deprived groups of the society.
• The institutions deemed to be Universities shall compulsorily create Academic Bank of
Credits (ABC) identities of their students and upload their credit scores in digital lockers
and ensure that the credit scores are reflected in ABC portal and adopt Samarth e-Gov.
• Institutions can offer Twinning Programmes, Joint Degree Programmes, and Dual Degree
Programmes in accordance with the provisions stipulated in the regulations concerned.

2.2 One World One Health

Why in news?
• The Prime Minister Office has shared an article written by Union Health Minister, titled “One
World, One Health"

Important information
• One world One Health: Open accessibility and interoperability of Digital Health solutions
and Platform across the world.
• Examples from India: CoWIN platform and ABDM (Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission).
• Measures to achieve One World One Health
• Converging global digital solutions
• Scaling up digital public goods etc.

2.3 PM lauds record participation in G20 Janbhagidari event, an initiative of MoE

Why in News?
• Recently The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi lauded the record participation in G20
Janbhagidari event, an initiative of Ministry of Education.
Important Information
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Education.
• Initiative as a part of India’s G20 Presidency.
• Aim: to create awareness about G20, NEP, FLN in all schools

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 • Theme of the events: “Ensuring Foundation Literacy and Numeracy (FLN)” especially in the
context of blended learning.
• The Janbhagidari event would lead up to the main event i.e. 4th Education Working Group
(4th EdWG) discussion at Pune, Maharashtra.

2.4 National Research Foundation Bill, 2023

Why in News?
• Recently, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister of India, has approved the
introduction of the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023 in the Parliament.
• The Bill, after approval in the Parliament, will establish NRF .
• The bill will also repeal the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) established
by an act of Parliament in 2008 and subsume it into NRF.

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2.5 Green Grids Initiative —
One Sun, One World,
One Grid
Why in News?
• Recently, Green Grids
Initiative — One Sun, One
World, One Grid was
mentioned in the news.

2.6 City-Recycler Connect

workshop
Why in News?
• Recently Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with the German
Development Cooperation (GIZ) organised a City-Recycler Connect workshop.

Important Information
• Organized by: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with German
Development Cooperation (GIZ).
• Organized as a part of: Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar’ campaign
• A digital platform “Sansaadhan”: for enabling city and recycling market connect was also
showcased during the workshop.
• Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar’ campaign
• Launched by: Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Aim: to champion the RRR’s of waste management- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

2.7 ‘One Student One Tree Campaign 2023’

Why in news?
• Recently Minister of State for Education informed that, AICTE will launch “One Student One
Tree Campaign 2023.
o Occasion: World environment Day 2023 celebration.
Important information
• Launched by: AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education)

2.8 City Investment to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0)
Why in news?
• Recently The Union Cabinet chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has
approved the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0).
Important Information

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 • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• In partnership with: French Development Agency (AFD), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau
(KfW), the European Union (EU), and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
• Duration: four years, i.e., from 2023 till 2027.
• The funding: loan of Rs.1760 crore (EUR 200 million) from AFD and KfW (EUR 100 million
each) and a technical assistance grant of Rs.106 cr. (EUR 12 million) from the EU.
• Focus areas: integrated waste management at the city level, climate-oriented reform
actions at the State level, and institutional strengthening and knowledge dissemination at
the National level.
• Number of Components: 3
Additional information
• CITIIS 1.0 was launched jointly in 2018 by MoHUA, AFD, EU, and NIUA, with a total outlay
of ₹933 crore.
• It had 3 components.

2.9 Pilot Study on E27 Fuel and Ethanol Blended Diesel Fuel
Why in News?
• Recently Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has successful launched
groundbreaking pilot study on vehicles using E27 fuel and Ethanol Blended Diesel Fuel.
o HPCL work under aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG)
Important Information
• HPCL has become the first Oil Marketing Company in India to initiate such a comprehensive
research program.
• It is in line with the "Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India by 2025,"
• The pilot study: at HPCL state-of-the-art R&D Centre in Devanagunthi, Bengaluru.
• Focus areas of study: evaluating the effects and performance of different blends of
ethanol-gasoline, ranging from 10% to 27%, as well as various blends of ethanol-diesel, on
different categories of test vehicles at the Engine Research laboratory.
• assessing its performance and emissions in engines and vehicles through extended
mileage accumulation
• Targets of study: Mileage accumulation of up to 10,000 km for two-wheelers and 20,000
km for passenger cars using E27 fuel is planned for this phase.
• Results of the study: E27 have shown remarkable reductions in emissions like CO and THC
when compared to traditional gasoline.

2.10 SAGAR SAMRIDDHI

Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) launched ‘SAGAR
SAMRIDDHI’

2.11 National Working Plan Code-2023

Why in News?
• Recently The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate change has released the “National
Working Plan Code-2023”

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 o Occasion: ‘World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought’.
✓ organized by: the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)
in Dehradun
Important Information
• Purpose: for scientific management of forests and evolving new approaches.
• National Working Plan Code was first adopted in: 2004
• Key features of the code:
• The code will act as guiding principle for State Forest Departments in preparation for the
working plan for different forest divisions in the country.
• National Working Plan Code-2023 contain: the essentials of forest management planning,
incorporating the principles of sustainable management of forests.
• For the first time, the National Working Plan Code-2023 has prescribed state forest
departments to engage in continuous data collection and its updation in a centralized
database.
• The “Indian Forest Management Standard” included in the code: takes into account the
diverse forest ecosystem in our country, while trying to bring in uniformity in management.

2.12 Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu emerge Top Achievers in Wind Energy
Adoption
Why in news?
• Recently the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India joined the
worldwide celebrations of 15th June as Global Wind Day, through the organization of a
day-long event in New Delhi.
Important information
• Rajasthan achieved the highest wind capacity addition.
• Gujarat for achieving the highest wind capacity addition through open access.
• Tamil Nadu for initiating repowering of wind turbines.
• Major launch: Wind Atlas at 150 meter above ground level, prepared by National Institute
of Wind Energy (NIWE).
Additional information
• The onshore wind potential of the country is now estimated at 1,164 GW at 150 meter
above ground level.

2.13 India has Become a Global Leader in LEED Zero Certifications

Why in news?
• Recently India ranked first globally in LEED Zero certified green building projects
surpassing the US and China, according to USGBC and GBCI.
Important information
• India ranks first globally in LEED Zero certified green building projects surpassing the US
and China, according to USGBC (US Green Building Council) and GBCI (Green Business
Certification Inc).

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 • Project recognition: LEED Zero recognizes projects that have reached net zero or net
positive status in the categories of carbon, energy, water, or waste
• The LEED Zero projects includes: office spaces, hospitality facilities, retail malls, industrial
manufacturing projects, and data centres, serve a mix of sectors.
• Details on India’s Performance in LEED:
• Realty firm DLF and FMCG player ITC are leading in the LEED Zero green certification
initiative. (leading globally in total LEED Zero certifications with 45 certifications, followed
by ITC Group with 15 certifications)
• India has 73 LEED Zero certified projects, comprising 45 per cent of the more than 150
total LEED Zero certifications.
• Top states in certification: Haryana and Tamil Nadu.

2.14 4th National Water Awards, 2022

Why in News?
• Recently, the 4th National Water Awards, 2022 were conferred by the Vice President of
India at New Delhi.
• Total Winners: 41; Award Categories: 11
Awardees
S.No Category Winners
Rank State

1 Madhya Pradesh

1. Best State
2 Odisha

3 Andhra Pradesh & Bihar

Rank District

1 Ganjam, Odisha

2. Best District
2 Namakkal, Tamil Nadu

3 Adilabad, Telangana

Jagannadhapuram Village Panchayat, Bhadradri

3. Best Village Panchayat
Kothagudem district, Telangana

4. Best Urban Local Body Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh

Barauni Thermal Power Station (NTPC Barauni),

5. Best Industry
Begusarai, Bihar

6. Best industry for CSR HCL Technologies Ltd., Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Advance Water Digest Private Limited Gurugram,

7. Best Media
Haryana

8. Best School Jamiyatpura Primary School, Mehsana, Gujarat

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 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Reasi, Jammu
9. Best Institution for Campus usage
and Kashmir

10. Best NGO Arpan Seva Sansthan, Udaipur, Rajasthan

The Sanjeevani Piyat Sahkari Mandli Ltd, Narmada,

11. Best Water User Association
Gujarat

About National Water Awards

• Launched in: 2018
• Awarded by: Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
(DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• Objective: to encourage various stakeholders towards adopting a holistic approach
towards water resources management in India.

2.15 National Water Mission

Why in News?
• Recently, the Vice President of India launched an animated short film on ‘Piku’,
the mascot of National Water Mission during the 4th National Water Awards,
2022 ceremony.
• The short film will be telecasted on Doordarshan to spread the message of
water conservation.

2.16 Unnat Takniki Pradarshan Kendra (UTPRERAK)

Why in News?

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 • Recently, the Bureau of Energy efficiency (BEE), Ministry of
Powerhas set up Unnat Takniki Pradarshan Kendra
(UTPRERAK) – a dedicated Centre of Excellence to
Accelerate Adoption of Energy Efficient Technologies.
• The logo and the brochure of UTPRERAK was also released.
• A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed for
collaboration between BEE and NPTI during the event.
Key Highlights
• Location of UTPRERAK: National Power Training Institute (NPTI), Badarpur Campus, New
Delhi.
• UTPRERAK is otherwise known as Advanced Industrial Technology Demonstration Centre
(AITDC).
• UTPRERAK is expected to provide training to more than 10,000 energy professionals in the
next five years.
• It will also operate as a Regional Hub for conducting Research and Development activities
for clean energy technologies in identified sectors.
Additional Information
• The Government of India has set a target to reduce India’s carbon dioxide emissions by 1
billion tons until 2030.

2.17 Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

News 1
• Tata Consultancy
Services (TCS) has won
the contract for running
and maintaining the
GeM Portal.

2.18 Initiatives launched

by MSME Ministry on
International MSME
Day
Why in News?
• Recently, the Union
Ministry of Micro, Small
& Medium Enterprises
(MSME) celebrated the
‘Udyami Bharat-MSME
Day’ on the occasion of International MSME Day (June 27) at New Delhi.
Initiatives of Ministry of MSME launched during the event

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 • Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output
and National Strength (CHAMPIONS) 2.0 Portal
o It is a platform for resolution, redressal and remedies for MSMEs
• Mobile App for Geo-tagging of Cluster Projects and Technology Centers
• MSME Idea Hackathon 3.0 for women entrepreneurs.
Key Information Shared
• MSMEs will contribute to 50% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030.
• Since 2014, India’s GDP ranking has seen a significant jump from 10th to 5th position

2.19 Nyaya bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services)

Why in News?
• Recently the Pro Bono Club of NEHU, Shillong organised an enlightening session on the
RTI Act, of 2005
o Under the aegis of: Department of Justice
✓ Venue: Shillong

Important Information
• Nyaya bandhu
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Law and Justice.
• Launch year: 2017
• Aim: to establish a framework for dispensation of pro bono legal services across the
country.
• Function: connects the practicing advocates interested in pro bono work with the eligible
marginalized and vulnerable beneficiaries through a Mobile Application.

2.20 Nyaya Vikas Portal

Why in news?
• Recently Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice launched the Nyaya Vikas
Portal

Important information
• Launched by: Department of
Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice.
• With the technical assistance of:
NRSC (National Remote Sensing
Centre), ISRO.
• Purpose: Monitoring of Centrally
Sponsored Scheme for
Development of Infrastructure for
Judiciary.
• Four efficient ways of logging into
the portal:

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 • The scheme Nyaya Vikas: started from: 1993-94
• The funds sharing pattern: Center and State is 60:40 in respect of States and 90:10 in
respect of North Eastern and Himalayan States; and 100% in respect of Union Territories

2.21 EPFO formed 3 committees to frame Draft Schemes for PF, Pension and
Insurance
Why in news?
• Recently EPFO (employees provident fund organization) has formed 3 committees to frame
draft schemes for pension, provident fund and insurance under EPFO.
o These committees are to be formed in line with the code on social security 2020.
Important information
• Overall coordinator for all 3 committees: Chanramauli chakraborty, Additional central
provident fund commissioner (ACC)
• The 3 committees:
• Committee on employee’s provident fund scheme (EPFS)- headed by: Sanjay Kumar
• Committee on employee’s pension scheme- headed by: Rajiv Bhist
• Committee on employees Deposit linked insurance scheme- headed by: Vaishali dayal.
About EPFO
• Established in: 1952; HQ: New Delhi.

2.22 Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan

Why in News?
• Recently an information is shared by Ministry of social justice and empowerment regarding
the Abhiyaan.

Important Information
• The achievements of NMBA:
9.91+crore people have been
sensitized on substance use
including 3.22+Crore Youth
and 2.14+Crore Women
• There has been a 37%
increase in people seeking
counseling and de-addiction
services from MoSJE
supported centers since the launch of Abhiyaan in 2020.
• 'Nashe se Azaadi- A National Youth and Students Interaction Programme', ‘Naya Bharat,
Nasha Mukt Bharat’, ‘NMBA Interaction with NCC’ are regularly organized to engage and
connect with youth and other stakeholders.

2.23 Integration of Child Helpline with ERSS-112

Why in News?
• Recently As part of the broader vision of 'One Nation One Helpline' Government takes
decision for integration of Child Helpline with ERSS-112.

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 o Occasion: 2nd National Chief Secretaries’ Conference
Important Information
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• It is a part of the broader vision of One Nation One Helpline
• Helplines to be integrated: Women Helpline, Child Helpline with ERSS-112 (Emergency
Response Support System).

2.24 Tele-Law improving lives of citizens by facilitating delivery of legal advice

Why in news?
• Recently The project initiates to connect citizens with panel lawyers through video
conferencing/telephone facilities by the Village Level Entrepreneur identified in 1,00,000
gram panchayats.
o Under the aegis of: Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice
Important information
• Recent update: initiative on connecting citizens with panel lawyers through video
conferencing/telephone facilities by the Village Level Entrepreneur identified in 1,00,000
gram panchayats.
• Tele-Law Programme:
• Launch year: 2017
• Aim: ‘Reaching the Unreached’
• Features of the Programme:
• It is an e-interface mechanism to seek legal advice and consultation at a pre-litigation
stage.
• Eligibility: Legal advice is made available to everyone under Tele-Law service. Advice is
free of Cost to those who are eligible for free legal aid under Section 12 of LSA (legal
service authority) Act, 1987.

2.25 Digi Yatra App

Why in News?
• Recently a data has been shared by Ministry of Civil Aviation regarding the number of
passengers who have installed the Digi Yatra application on their mobile phones, which
has crossed one million.
Important Information
• The number of passengers who have installed the Digi Yatra application on their mobile
phones has crossed one million
• Number of passengers who have travelled using Digi Yatra reaches 1.74 million by 20th
June 2023.
• Varanasi witnesses the highest percentage of passengers using this facility followed by
Vijayawada.
Digi Yatra:

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 • Aim: Conceived to achieve contactless, seamless processing of passengers at airports
based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT).
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• Implemented by: the DigiYatra Foundation - a joint-venture company.
• The Airport Authority of India (AAI) will identify the airports where DigiYatra will be
implemented in a phased manner.
• Implementation In the first phase: rolled out at two Airports namely Varanasi and Bengaluru
in August 2022 and at five Airports namely Pune, Vijayawada, Kolkata, Delhi and
Hyderabad by March 2023.
• Register: A passenger must register their details on the DigiYatra app using Aadhaar-based
validation and a self-image capture.

2.26 Global Vaccine Research Collaborative Discussion on Vaccine Research and

Development
Why in News?
• Recently the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addressed Global Vaccine
Research Collaborative Discussion on Vaccine Research and Development, a G20 co-
branded event
o The event was organized under India’s G20 Presidency.
✓ Venue: Hyderabad

Important Information
• Organized by: Dept. of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. of India.
• Organized on the sidelines of the 3rd G20 Health Working Group Meeting.
• Global vaccine Research Collaborative:
• The Department of Pharmaceuticals is working with Program for Appropriate Technology
in Health (PATH) and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to convene
and build consensus.

2.27 BBINM Countries

Why in news?
• Recently The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways attended a crucial meeting of
stakeholders of maritime development in the Bay of Bengal area.
o Venue: Kolkata, West Bengal.
Important information
• BBINM countries: includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Myanmar.
• Mandate: maximising maritime trade potential in the region.
Addition information
• Act east policy:
o Aim: to strengthen India's economic and strategic ties with countries in southeast
Asia and East Asia.

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 o Focus is on connecting Northeastern states of India with the neighboring countries.
o The policy focuses on India-ASEAN cooperation in domestic initiatives. This includes
infrastructure, manufacturing, trade, and smart cities.

2.28 India joins Centralized Laboratory Network (CLN) for testing vaccines
Why in news?
• Recently India joined the Centralized Laboratory Network for testing vaccines.
Important information
• Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) will join from
Indian side.
Additional information
• Centralized Laboratory Network
• Currently has 15 partner facilities in 13 countries that works to test vaccines which can be
used during pandemic, epidemic disease outbreak.
• It is a part of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)

2.29 Eighth Meeting of Standing Committee of International Solar Alliance

Why in news?
• Recently the eighth meeting of the Standing Committee of the International Solar Alliance
(ISA) was held in New Delhi.
o Venue: New Delhi
✓ Chaired by: Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy.
Important information
• Co-chair of the meeting: France.
• Matters discussed: ISA Solar Technology Application Resource Centre (STAR-C), ISA
SolarX Startup Challenge, ISA Solar Finance Facility.

2.30 1st Round Table Joint meeting between India and New Zealand held
Why in News?
• Recently The first Round Table Joint Meeting between India and New Zealand with the
industry and industry associations of both the countries
o Venue: New Delhi
Important Information
• Area of discussion: taking forward the objectives of the Joint Trade Committee (JTC),
formed under the Bilateral Trade Agreement of 1986.

2.31 Global Alliance on Biofuels with USA & Brazil

Why in news?
• Recently Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas spoke about the ‘Global Alliance on
Biofuels’ with USA and Brazil during India's Presidency of G20 at FIPI’s Oil & Gas Awards-
2022 ceremony.
Important information
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 • Member countries: India, USA and Brazil.
• It is one of the priorities under India’s G20 Presidency.
• Aim: To facilitate cooperation and intensify the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the
transportation sector.
• Mission Innovation Bioenergy initiatives and Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP),
established in 2006.
• GBEP is one the initiative which will be worked upon, in the alliance.

2.32 UNGA elected 5 new non-permanent member of UN Security Council

Why in news?
• Recently UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) elected 5 new non-permanent member
of UNSC (United Nations Security Council).
Important information
• The elected members are: Algeria, Guyana, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia.
• Duration of Membership: 2 years.

2.33 1st Meeting of the Joint Committee of the India-UAE Comprehensive

Economic Partnership Agreement
Why in news?
• Recently India and UAE successfully held the 1st Meeting of the Joint Committee (JC) of
the India-UAE CEPA.

Important information
• Highlights of the Meeting:
• Operationalization of established committees, sub-committees and technical council
under the India-UAE CEPA.
• Both the countries Agreed to more than double the trade in non-petroleum products to
USD 100 billion by 2030.
• Agreed to set-up a UAE-India CEPA Council (UICC) as a B2B collaboration mechanism,
with a focus on MSMEs and start-ups.
• Ministers Participated in a B-2-B event: organized by the Department of Commerce in
partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

2.34 Global DPI Summit successfully organised over last two days
Why in news?
• Recently the Global DPI Summit, as the side event of third meeting of G20 Digital Economy
Working Group, was successfully organised
o Occasion: as side event of third meeting of G20 Digital Economy Working Group.

2.35 WHO & Global Fund signed a revised Strategic Framework for Collaboration
to build stronger Health Systems
Why in news?

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 • Recently World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria (the Global Fund) signed a new and revised Strategic Framework for
Collaboration, designed to build stronger and more resilient health systems.
Important information
• Strategic Framework for Collaboration signed between: World Health Organization (WHO)
and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund).
• The new five-year framework builds on the previous agreement signed in 2018.
• It aligns with the 2023-2028 Global Fund Strategy and the WHO General Programme of
Work.

2.36 India-Africa Bilateral Trade

Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, said that India and Africa are natural
partners with historical and cultural ties. While delivering the Keynote Address at the 18th
CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on 'India-Africa Growth Partnership'
o Venue: New Delhi
Important information
• Bilateral trade of India with Africa grew by 9.26% in FY 2022-23 reaching almost $100
Billion.
• Exports and imports were approximately balanced: exports- US$ 51.2 Billion and import-
US$ 46.65 Billion in FY 2022-23.
• Goal: doubling the trade volume to US$ 200 Billion by 2030.
• 27 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of Africa benefit from the Duty-Free Tariff
Preference on non-reciprocal basis.

2.37 India - United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework

(GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027)
Why in News?
• Recently NITI Aayog and the United Nations in India signed the Government of India -
United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027.
Important Information
• Major parties involved: NITI Aayog and the United Nations in India.
• The formulation of the GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027 was led by: NITI Aayog, on behalf of the
Government of India.
• Duration of the Framework: 2023-2027 (5 years)
• UNSDCF as the principal planning and implementation instrument for the UN Development
System at country level.
• Four strategic pillars of GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027 (derived from the 2030 Agenda): People,
Prosperity, Planet and Participation.
• Six outcome areas focusing on: Health and Well Being; Nutrition and Food Security; Quality
Education; Economic Growth and Decent Work; Environment, Climate, WASH and
Resilience; and Empowering People, Communities, and Institutions.

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 • The implementation, monitoring and reporting of GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027 will be co-led
by: Government of India and the United Nations, India.

2.38 India, Australia includes 15 New Areas for talks on CECA

Why in news?
• Recently India and Australia have decided to expand the negotiations on Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation Agreement by including 15 more areas.
Important information
• Areas of expansion: areas like agri-tech, critical minerals, space, sports, MSMEs, gender
innovation and competition policy.
Additional information
• India-Australia trades:
• Two-way trade in goods and services has grown in value from $13.6 billion in 2007 to
$24.3 billion in 2020.
• India and Australia have implemented an interim trade pact (Economic and Cooperation
Agreement) in December, 2022.

2.39 UN adopts world's first treaty to protect high seas biodiversity

Why in news?
• Recently The U.N. has adopted the world's first treaty to protect the high seas and
preserve marine biodiversity in international waters.

Important information
• The adoption followed an agreement reached in March by more than 100 countries on the
text of the High Seas Treaty.
• It is also known as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty.
• The agreement will be open for signature: in New York for two years starting Sept. 20, the
day following a summit on the U.N. sustainable development goals.
• It will comes into effect: after 60 countries ratify the agreement, according to the U.N.
• Nature of Agreement: legally binding agreement.
• Coverage (provisions): sharing benefits derived from marine genetic resources beyond
national jurisdictions, creating protected areas on the high seas and establishing a
framework for assessing environmental damage.
Additional information
• This treaty is the first international law to offer some protection to the nearly two-thirds of
the ocean that is beyond national control.
• UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS): is an international treaty that establishes
a framework for the use and management of the world's oceans and their resources.

2.40 India emerges as top source country for FDI into Dubai
Why in News?

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 • Recently India has emerged as a key source country for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in
Dubai.
Important Information
• Share of Greenfield Projects in the total FDI: 77.5%
• Top sectors by FDI projects from India into Dubai in 2022: software & IT services (32 per
cent), business services (19 per cent), consumer products (9 per cent), real estate (6 per
cent), and financial services (5 per cent).
• Top sectors by FDI capital from India into Dubai in 2022: consumer products (28 per cent),
software & IT services (20 per cent), communications (19 per cent), pharmaceuticals (8 per
cent), and business services (8 per cent).

2.41 3rd instalment of tax devolution to State Governments

Why in News?
• Recently The Union Government has released 3rd instalment of tax devolution to State
Governments amounting to ₹1,18,280 crore.
Important Information
• Maximum devolution to: Uttar Pradesh> Bihar> Madhya Pradesh
Additional information
• The Finance Commission (Article 280) makes recommendations to the President on the
division of net tax receipts between the centre and the states.
• Statutory Grants - Article 275 authorizes Parliament to offer grants to states in need of
financial help, rather than to all states.

2.42 India - United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework

(GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027)
Why in News?
• Recently NITI Aayog and the United Nations in India signed the Government of India -
United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027.
Important Information
• Major parties involved: NITI Aayog and the United Nations in India.
• The formulation of the GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027 was led by: NITI Aayog, on behalf of the
Government of India.
• Duration of the Framework: 2023-2027 (5 years)
• UNSDCF as the principal planning and implementation instrument for the UN Development
System at country level.
• Four strategic pillars of GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027 (derived from the 2030 Agenda): People,
Prosperity, Planet and Participation.
• Six outcome areas focusing on: Health and Well Being; Nutrition and Food Security; Quality
Education; Economic Growth and Decent Work; Environment, Climate, WASH and
Resilience; and Empowering People, Communities, and Institutions.
• The implementation, monitoring and reporting of GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027 will be co-led
by: Government of India and the United Nations, India.

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2.43 UN adopts world's first treaty to protect high seas biodiversity
Why in news?
• Recently The U.N. has adopted the world's first treaty to protect the high seas and
preserve marine biodiversity in international waters.

Important information
• The adoption followed an agreement reached in March by more than 100 countries on the
text of the High Seas Treaty.
• It is also known as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty.
• The agreement will be open for signature: in New York for two years starting Sept. 20, the
day following a summit on the U.N. sustainable development goals.
• It will comes into effect: after 60 countries ratify the agreement, according to the U.N.
• Nature of Agreement: legally binding agreement.
• Coverage (provisions): sharing benefits derived from marine genetic resources beyond
national jurisdictions, creating protected areas on the high seas and establishing a
framework for assessing environmental damage.

Additional information
• This treaty is the first international law to offer some protection to the nearly two-thirds of
the ocean that is beyond national control.
• UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS): is an international treaty that establishes
a framework for the use and management of the world's oceans and their resources.

2.44 G20 Co-branded Event on Health and Well-being of Adolescents and Youth
Why in News?
• Recently, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the
Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health (PMNCH) has organized ‘Health of Youth
– Wealth of Nation’, a G20 co-branded event.
About PMNCH
• Launch Year: 2005; Secretariat: Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is the world’s largest alliance for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-
being.

2.45 Gross Direct Tax collections for Financial Year (FY) 2023-24
Why in News?
• Recently data regarding Gross Direct tax collection has been released, shows the Gross
Direct Tax collections for Financial Year (FY) 2023-24 register a growth of 12.73%.
Important Information
S.No parameters FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 % increase

Gross collection of Direct Taxes Rs. 4,19,338 crore Rs. 3,71,982 crore 12.73%
1.

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 Net Direct Tax collection Rs. 3,79,760 crore Rs. 3,41,568 crore 11.18%.
2.

Advance Tax collections( for the Rs. 1,16,776 crore Rs. 1,02,707 13.70%
3.
first quarter)

Refunds Rs. 39,578 crore Rs. 30,414 crore 30.13%

4.

• The Gross collection of Rs. 4,19,338 crore includes: Corporation Tax (CIT) at Rs. 1,87,311
crore and Personal Income Tax (PIT) and others
• The Net Direct Tax collection of Rs. 3,79,760 crore (as on 17.06.2023) include Corporation
Tax (CIT) at Rs. 1,56,949 crore (net of refund) and Personal Income Tax (PIT) and others.

2.46 G20 (Group of twenty) meetings

News 1 Starup20 calls for commitment of $1 Trillion for Startups by 2030
• Occasion: 3rd Startup20 Meeting
• Venue: Goa
• Key action points:
• Proposal for allocating a substantial sum of 1 trillion dollars for the startup ecosystem by
2030.
News 2 G20 India Presidency: 3rd HWG Meeting
• Venue: Hyderabad, Telangana.
• Side event: “Strengthening Global Collaboration Network on Research and Development in
Medical Countermeasures (Diagnostics, Vaccines and Therapeutics) with a focus on
Future Health Emergencies”
• Session on ‘Digital Health Innovations and Solutions to Aid Universal Health Coverage and
Improve Healthcare Service Delivery’- Keynote by NITI Ayog.
• Focus area of session: minimizing the digital health divide by promoting digital solutions
and innovation to aid universal health coverage
Additional information
• India provides approximately 60% of the global vaccine supply, accounts for 20-22% of
generic exports and stands as a major exporter of pharmaceuticals, serving over 200
countries through its pharma exports.
• Genome Valley: is India’s first organized cluster for Life Sciences R&D located in
Hyderabad.

News 3 Third G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group (IFA WG)
Meeting
• Venue: Goa

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 • Aim: Strengthen Financial Resilience and Give Voice to Global South
• Jointly steered by: the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India along with France
and the Republic of Korea.
News 4 G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting
• Venue: Varanasi
News 5 The SAI20 Summit under India's G20 Presidency began in Goa
• Venue: Goa
• Chair of the Supreme Audit Institutions-20 (SAI20) Engagement Group: CAG (comptroller
and auditor General) of India (Present CAG: Girish Chandra Murmu)
• Priority areas: “Blue Economy” and “Responsible Artificial Intelligence”
• Announcements: establishment of a Center of Excellence in the Blue Economy at SAI
India's International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (iCED), a
recognized Global Training Facility for INTOSAI.
• Final draft of the SAI20 Communique: The final SAI20 Communique, an inclusive, decisive,
and action-oriented document, was adopted upon consensus by SAI20 member SAIs in
the SAI20 summit.
News 6 W20 Summit Women-Led Development; Transform, Thrive and Transcend
• Venue: Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
o Theme: ‘Women-Led Development- Transform, Thrive and Transcend’
• The summit will begin with a Janbhagidari (Citizen’s Connect Program) which is set on the
theme of ‘The Journey of Empowerment’.
• The exhibition: from grassroots entrepreneurs of Tamil Nadu, supported by the
Department of Rural Development, Tamil Nadu.
News 7 Third meeting of ‘G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG)’
• Venue: Pune.
• Priority areas: ‘Digital Public Infrastructure’, ‘Digital Skilling’, and ‘Cybersecurity in Digital
Economy’
• Discussion on the concept: “One Future Alliance & One Future Fund’ for DPI.
News 8 G20 Agriculture Working Group Meeting
• Venue: Hyderabad
• The exhibitors: displayed their achievements in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.
• The first side event: based on ‘Managing Agribusiness for Profit, People and Planet.
• The second side event: ‘Connecting the Digitally Disconnected: Harnessing the Power of
Digital Technologies in Agriculture.’
News 9 Women 20 (W20) Summit
• Occasion: Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
• Theme: ‘Women-Led Development- Transform, Thrive and Transcend’
• The W20 is the official G20 Engagement Group created in 2015.
• 5 key priority areas: Climate Change, Women Entrepreneurship, Gender Digital Divide,
Grassroots Women Leadership, Education and Skill Development.
• Important release: W20 Communiqué

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 News 10 G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meet
• Venue: Hyderabad.
News 11 4th Tourism Working Group Meeting under G20
• Venue: Goa
• The Inaugural session of the 4th Tourism Working Group Meeting under G20 held at Goa.
• Hosted by: the Ministry of Tourism.
• A thematic discussion on ‘Making India a Hub for Cruise Tourism’: organized in partnership
with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• Important launch: 'Draft strategy-Vision and Integrated Cruise Tourism Strategy for India'.
• Side events:
• ‘Making Cruise Tourism a Model for Sustainable and Responsible Travel.
• ‘Towards a circular economy of Plastics in Tourism -The global Tourism Plastic initiative’
News 12 4th Education Working Group Meeting
• Venue: Pune
• It is the 4th and the final meeting of G20 Education Working Group (EdWG)
• Major report: The International Organisations (IOs) UNICEF, OECD and UNESCO presented
the education working group report.
• 4 priority areas: Ensuring foundational literacy and numeracy, Making tech-enabled
learning more inclusive, qualitative, and collaborative, Strengthening research and
fostering innovation, Building capacities and promoting lifelong learning.
News 13 G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meet
• Venue: Goa
• G20 Tourism dashboard: developed in partnership with UNWTO, it is a first-of-its-kind
platform bringing together best practices, case studies and inspiring stories.
• Major release: ‘Goa Roadmap’
• "Travel for LiFE," incorporated in the GOA Roadmap is based on our Prime Minister’s
visionary initiative 'Mission LiFE,
• Discussions on the 5 priorities: Green Tourism, digitalization, Skills, Tourism MSMEs and
Destination Management.
• Themes under various tourism working group meeting: Rural Tourism, Archaeological
Tourism, Adventure Tourism, Film Tourism, Eco Tourism and Cruise Tourism.
News 14 U20 Engagement Group of G20 to host 2 Days Mayoral Summit in
Ahmedabad
• Venue: Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Participants: 20 Mayors from G20 nations and 25 Mayors from Indian cities to discuss on
U20 priority areas.
• Ahmedabad is the U20 Chair for the current sixth cycle.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• Technical Secretariat: National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
• Important release: Six white papers focusing on the six U20 priorities will also be released.
• Key outcome: handover of the U20 Communiqué by the attending Mayors to the G20
leaders.

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2.47 9th BRICS
Environment
Ministers Meeting
Why in News?
• Recently, the 9th
Brazil, Russia,
India, China &
South Africa
(BRICS)
Environment
Ministers Meeting
was held virtually
under the
Presidency of
South Africa
• Theme: “Advancing
Environmental
Cooperation
amongst BRICS
towards the
attainment of the
2030 Agenda for
Sustainable
Development.”

2.48 India has emerged as the 2nd Largest Producer of Crude Steel in the world
Why in News?
• Recently Union Minister of Steel in a press conference shared the data regarding the steel
sector in India.
o The theme of the press conference: 9-years of Government's "Seva, Sushasan and
Gareeb kalyan" focusing on the Steel sector.
✓ Venue: New Delhi.
Important Information
• India currently ranks as the World's 2nd Largest Producer of Crude Steel, surpassing Japan
in 2018.
• National Steel Policy 2017 (NSP 2017): India has set the targets of achieving the total crude
steel capacity of 300 MTPA and total crude steel demand/production of 255
MTPA by 2030-31.
• Brand India’ labeling: is an important exercise to differentiate Indian quality steel from the
others.

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2.49 Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research (MAHIR)
Why in news?
• Recently The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy have jointly
launched a National Mission titled “Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research
(MAHIR)”
Important information
• Nodal Ministries: The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
• Aim: to facilitate indigenous research, development and demonstration of the latest and
emerging technologies in the power sector.
• Funding: by pooling financial resources of the Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy and the Central Public Sector Enterprises under the two Ministries.
• Initial period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28: Mission will follow the technology life
cycle approach of Idea to Product.
• Structure of the Mission:
• Have a two-tier structure: a Technical Scoping Committee and an Apex Committee.
• The Technical Scoping Committee, chaired by the Chairperson of Central Electricity
Authority.
• The Apex Committee, chaired by the Union Minister for Power & New and Renewable
Energy.
• Areas Identified for Research:
o Alternatives to Lithium-Ion storage batteries
o Modifying electric cookers / pans to suit Indian cooking methods
o Green hydrogen for mobility (High Efficiency Fuel Cell)
o Carbon capture
o Geo-thermal energy
o Solid state refrigeration.
o Nano technology for EV battery
o Indigenous CRGO technology

2.50 Sahakar se Samridhi

Why in News?
• Recently four important initiatives have been taken to strengthen 1,514 Urban Co-
operative Banks (UCBs) in the country.
Important Information
• Measures notified on discussion of: Minister of Cooperation, Minister of Finance and
Governor of RBI.
• Measures targets: to strengthen Urban Co-operative Banks.
• Number of Initiatives: 4
• Number of UCBs (Urban Co-operative Banks) to be covered: 1,514

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 • The initiatives includes:
• Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) can now open new branches: new branches up to 10%
(maximum 5 branches) of the number of branches in the previous financial year without
prior approval of RBI in their approved area of operation.
• One Time Settlement at par with Commercial Banks: Now co-operative banks through
board-approved policies may provide process for technical write-off as well as settlement
with borrowers.
• Revised timelines for PSL targets given to UCBs: extend the timeline for UCBs to achieve
Priority Sector Lending (PSL) targets by two years i.e. up to March 31,2026. Deadline of
March 31, 2023 to achieve PSL target of 60% has now also been extended to March
31,2024.
• Designating a Nodal Officer in RBI: In order to meet the long pending demand of the
cooperative sector for closer coordination and focused interaction, RBI has recently
notified a nodal officer as well.

2.51 Centre extends timeline for disbursement of loan/completion of ethanol

projects
Why in News?
• The Central Government has decided to extend the timeline for disbursement of loans up
to 30th September 2023 in respect of all the schemes notified during 2018-2021.
Important Information
• Extended timeline: 30th September, 2023.
• Loans given under: ‘scheme for extending financial assistance to sugar mills for
augmentation of ethanol production capacity’
• Purpose: for setting up new distilleries/ expansion of existing distilleries and installation of
incineration boilers or installation of any method as approved by Central Pollution Control
Board for Zero Liquid Discharge.
• Interest subvention: @ 6% per annum or 50% of the rate of interest charged by banks,
whichever is lower, on the loans to be extended by banks for five years including a one-
year moratorium.

2.52 NANDI (NOC Approval for New Drug and Inoculation System) Portal
Why in news?
• Recently Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, launched Nandi - NOC
Approval for New Drug and Inoculation System portal.
Important information
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
• Developed in association with: through CDAC in coordination with Central Drugs Standard
Control Organization (CDSCO).
• Purpose of the portal: to expedite regulatory process for approval of animal drugs and
vaccines.

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2.53 UNDP Launches 3rd Cohort of 4 Ocean Innovators
Why in News?
• Recently The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its third cohort of
four ocean innovators.

Important Information
• Purpose: to demonstrate the compelling roles of marine spatial planning (MSP), marine
protected areas (MPAs) and new environmentally and socially sustainable economic
activities for a healthy and resilient ocean.
• Financial, mentoring and incubator support by: UNDP’s Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC).
• Amount of Financial support: up to US$250,000 for two years
• UNDP target: Through its Ocean Promise, UNDP has committed to deliver at least 100
Ocean Innovations by 2030.
• Key features of 3rd cohort:
• DHI - Mapping and Monitoring of Ecosystems at Scale with Copernicus Sentinel- 2 Imagery
- a tropical system application in Malaysia.
• University of Rhode Island - Ensuring community roles in complex multiple use areas in
Madagascar.

2.54 SIDBI Launched Mission EVOLVE to finance EVs for MSMEs

Why in news?
• Recently has launched mission EVOLVE (Electric Vehicle Operations and Lending for
Vibrant Ecosystem).
Important information
• Launched by: SIDBI, in association with NITI Aayog, World Bank, Korean-World Bank and
Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).
• Purpose: finance MSMEs in the EV space.
• Features of the mission:
• SIDBI will give MSMEs access to affordable commercial financing for EV loans including
hosting of telematics.
• Launched in the backdrop of SIDBI’s aim to support India’s target for 30 per cent EV
penetration by 2030 or EV30@30.

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 • SIDBI had announced a pilot scheme Mission 50,000-EV4ECO in April this year under
guidance from NITI Aayog.
• The mission aims to finance 50,000 EVs.
• Additional information
• EV sales had surpassed the 1 million mark in India in the financial year 2022-23 with
11,52,021 units sold, up 58 per cent from 7,26,861 units sold in FY22, according to the
Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV).
• Two-wheelers had the highest share of 62 per cent with 7,26,976 units sold in FY23.

2.55 Expert committee to suggest reforms to arbitration law

Why in News?
• Recently, the Department of legal affairs has formed an expert committee to recommend
reforms to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
• Committee Head: T K Vishwanathan, former law secretary
• Total Members of the Committee: 16.
• Mandate
o To examine the working of the Act
o suggest solutions to limit the requirement for parties to seek judicial intervention by
approaching the court
o address the issue of expeditious attribution of finality to the award.
About Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996
• The act regulates domestic arbitration in India.
✓ The act was passed to develop a quick and cost-effective means of resolving
disputes.

2.56 Department of Legal Affairs sets up Panel led by T K Vishwanathan to

recommend Reforms in Arbitration Law
Why in News?
• Recently the government has set up an expert panel led by former law secretary T K
Vishwanathan to recommend reforms in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act with an aim to
reduce the burden on courts.
Important Information
• Set up by: Department of Legal Affairs.
• Headed by: T K Vishwanathan.
• Purpose of the panel: recommend reforms in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act with an
aim to reduce the burden on courts.
• Other members of the panel: Attorney General N Venkataramani, Law ministry additional
secretary, some senior advocates, representatives of private law firms, and officials of the

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 Legislative Department, NITI Aayog, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), railways
and Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
• Submission of the report: within 30 days.

2.57 India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue (IUSSTD)

Why in News?
• Recently India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue (IUSSTD), was held in Washington D.C.
o Venue: Washington D.C

Important information
• Focus areas: ways in which both governments can facilitate the development and trade of
technologies in critical domains such as semiconductors, space, telecom, quantum,
Artificial Intelligence, defence, bio-tech and others.

2.58 India, Serbia set target for 1 billion euros bilateral trade target: MEA
Why in news?
• President of India and Serbian counterpart on agreed to set a target for bilateral trade from
the present 32 crore Euros to one billion euros by the end of the decade
Important information
• The target: bilateral trade from the present 32 crore Euros to one billion euros by the end
of the decade.
• Six major areas of cooperation: defence and military tech cooperation pharmaceuticals,
agriculture, industrial cooperation, information technology, AI cultural cooperation,
including film production and cemetery graphics.

2.59 India, UNWTO ink pact to Enhance Cooperation in Tourism

Why in News?
• Recently India and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have signed
an agreement to enhance cooperation and identify areas of mutual interest.

Important Information
• MoU signed between: Government of India and the UNWTO.
• Mandate: to enhance cooperation and identify areas of mutual interest.
• Occasion: in the backdrop of G20 Tourism Ministers meeting at Goa.
• Areas of collaboration: tourism market intelligence, tourism, and rural development,
tourism investment, education, and innovation.

2.60 India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET)

Why in news?
• Recently Union Education has welcomed the resolve by the Prime Minister of India and the
President of the United States of America to deepen the strategic partnership between
Indian and American universities.

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 Important information
• Education Ministry to work for setting up Indo-U.S. Global Challenge Institutes to deepen
research partnerships.
• Focus areas of the Initiative: new age technologies and the synergistic R&D centers of
excellence in our.

2.61 UAE emerges as fourth largest investor in India during FY23 as FDI jumps
three-folds to $3.35 billion
Why in News?
• Recently UAE emerged as the fourth largest investor in India during 2022-23, according to
government data.
o India implemented a comprehensive free trade agreement with UAE in 2022.
Important Information
• The UAE was the fourth largest investor in India in 2022-23 compared to the seventh in
2021-22.
• Singapore was the largest investor in India with USD 17.2 billion investment in FY23,
followed by Mauritius (USD 6.1 billion) and the US (USD 6 billion).
• One of the crucial factors for the increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) from UAE is
the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India
and UAE.
• UAE has committed to invest USD 75 billion in the Indian infrastructure sector over a period
of time.
• UAE accounts for about 2.5 per cent of the total FDI India received between April 2000
and March 2023.
• (During this period, India has attracted USD 15.6 billion worth of overseas inflows from the
UAE, the data showed.)

2.62 Sagar Parikrama Phase VII

Why in News?
• Recently Sagar Parikrama Phase VII starts from Madakkara, Kerala
o Venue: Madakkara, Kerala
Important Information
• Areas to be covered in Phase VII: Madakkara, Kerala, Pallikkara, Bekal, Kanhangadu,
Kasaragode, Mahe (Puducherry), Beypore, Chaliyam, Kozhikode, Mattancherry (Kochi),
Nattika (Thrissur), Ernakulam, Kvaratti Island, Bangaram, Agatti Island (Lakshadweep).

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2.63 India becomes Net copper importer for fifth year in a row
Why in News?
• Recently India’s copper imports witnessed a 15 per cent year-on-year jump in financial year
2022-23
o As per data, the country imported 2.75 million tonnes of copper, both finished and
refined, in financial year 2022-23.
✓ The imports witnessed notable surge by 15% over the previous year
Additional information
• Major copper producing states in India
• Madhya Pradesh (53% of total production) > Rajasthan (43%) > Jharkhand (4%)
• 5 largest copper mines in India
• Malanjkhand Mine, Madhya Pradesh
• Khetri mine, Rajasthan
• Kolihan mine, Rajasthan
• Surda mine, Jharkhand
• Banwas mine, Rajasthan

2.64 Centre allocates 145 Crores rupees to Nagaland for the purpose of
Unity Mall in Dimapur
Why in News?
• Recently in a workshop Special Secretary, DPIIT, mentioned about the Unity Mall and
allocation of funds for the same.
o Venue: Nagaland.
✓ Occasion: ODOP Sampark event
Important Information
• Event organized by: Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
and Invest India in collaboration with the Department of Industries and Commerce,
Nagaland, and Press Information Bureau Kohima.
• Union Budget 2023-24 has allocated Rs 5000 crore for the construction of Unity Malls
across the country.
• This will function as a one-stop marketplace for ODOP products across the country.
• INR 145 Crores has been allocated for the proposed Unity Mall planned by the State
government in Dimapur.
Additional information
• Unity mall:
• States would be encouraged to set up a “Unity Mall” in their capitals, their most prominent
tourism centres, or their financial capitals.

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2.65 GAME, SIDBI to design NBFC growth accelerator programme
Why in News?
• Recently Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) said it has received in-principal
approval from SIDBI for designing and structuring a sustainable and scalable NBFC Growth
Accelerator Program (NGAP)

Important Information
• GAME- Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME)
• Goal: to have a structured model on the lines of global accelerators, which will help small
NBFCs that cater to MSEs in Tier 3 and 4 cities.
• NGAP framework is to enable a larger set of NBFCs to get access to institutional funding
at reasonable rate.
• NGAP is expected to be rolled from: August, 2023. With active engagement of SIDBI.
• First phase of the programme: involves the design of a comprehensive, actionable,
granular report with the programme structure, piloting strategy and implementation plan
for NGAP by GAME.

*************

3 GA + FINANCE

3.1 Norms for transactions in corporate bonds through RFQ platform

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has released Norms for
transactions in corporate bonds through Request for Quote (RFQ) platform by stock
brokers.
• Objective: to increase liquidity on the platform.
Key Guidelines
• Applicability: only trades pertaining to proprietary capacity of stock brokers

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 • Stock brokers must undertake at least 10% of their total secondary market trades by value
in corporate bonds in that month by placing quotes through one-to-one (OTO) or one-to-
many mode (OTM) on the RFQ platform of stock exchanges from July 1, 2023.
• This value will be increased to 25% from April 2024.
• Stock brokers will have to consider the trades executed by value through OTO or OTM
mode of RFQ with respect to the total secondary market trades in corporate bonds, during
the current month and immediately preceding two months on a rolling basis.
About Request for Quote (RFQ) platform
• Launch Year: 2020
• It is a trade execution platform.
• It is a direct participation model where all participants trade in their own accounts.

3.2 India’s first passive micro-cap index fund—Motilal Oswal Nifty Microcap 250
Index Fund
Why in News?
• Recently, Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund has introduced India’s first passive micro-cap index
fund—Motilal Oswal Nifty Microcap 250 Index Fund.
Key Features
• It will invest in companies that are even smaller than the smallcaps.
• It will track the Nifty Microcap 250 Index.
Key Terms
• Nifty Microcap 250 Index- it measures the performance of the top 250 companies
excluding those already present in the Nifty 500 constituents.
• Largecaps- top 100 stocks by market capitalisation (m-cap)
• Midcaps & smallcaps- next 150 & subsequent 250 are classified as midcaps & smallcaps
respectively.

3.3 Guidelines for Mutual Funds to Invest in Repo transactions

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued new guidelines to
Mutual Funds & Asset Management Companies (AMCs) to participate in repo (repurchase)
transactions such as Commercial Papers and Certificate of Deposits.
• Objective: to boost the growth of the corporate bond market.
Key Guidelines
• Mutual funds can participate in repo transactions only in "AA" and above rated corporate
debt securities.
• Credit rating of exposure on repo transactions would be considered on a look-through for
various purposes including for potential risk class matrix, liquidity ratios and risk-o-meter.
• For transactions where settlement is guaranteed by a clearing corporation, the exposure
will not be considered for the purpose of determination of investment limits for single
issuer, group issuer and sector level limits.

About Repo transactions

• In repo transactions, securities are sold with the seller agreeing to buy them back at a later
date.

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 • It is used for raising short-term capital.
• Also known as repo or sale repurchase agreement.

3.4 Framework for Upstreaming of clients’ funds

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has released a framework to
upstream clients’ funds by Stock Brokers (SBs) and Clearing Members (CMs) to Clearing
Corporations (CCs).
Upstreaming of funds
• SBs and CMs shall not retain client funds and must be upstreamed to CCs every day on
End of Day (EOD) basis.
• Client funds have to be upstreamed to the CCs only in the form of cash, lien on fixed-
deposits receipts (FDRs) or the pledge of units of Mutual Fund Overnight Schmes (MFOs).
• The rule will come into effect from July 1, 2023.

3.5 Mutual fund investment framework in minors' names via guardians

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has modified the rules about
investment in mutual funds made in the name of a minor through a guardian.
• The new rules have come into effect from June 15, 2023.
Key Guidelines
• Payment for investment in mutual funds by any mode will be accepted from the bank
account of the minor, parent or legal guardian of the minor, or a joint account of the minor
with parent or legal guardian.
o Previously, Sebi only allowed payment for investment from the bank account of the
minor or from a joint account of the minor with the guardian.
• For existing mutual fund folios, the Asset Management Companies (AMCs) will have to
insist upon a change of pay-out bank mandate before redemption is processed.
• Irrespective of the source of payment for the subscription, all redemption proceeds will be
credited only to the verified bank account of the minor, which he or she can hold with the
parent/ legal guardian.

3.6 BSE sells 4.54% stake in CDSL to comply with Sebi norms
Why in News?
• Recently, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has sold a 4.54% stake in Central Depository
Services (India) (CDSL) for Rs 468 crore through a block deal to meet Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) norms.
• In February 2023, BSE sold 2.5% stake in CDSL through an offer for sale (OFS) route
SEBI Norms
• Shareholding in depositories is governed under the Sebi (Depositories and Participants)
Regulations, 2018.
• Under regulation 21(1), a stock exchange is allowed only to hold a 15% stake in a
depository.
o In 2021, SEBI set a limit of 15% holding for institutions which was reduced from 24%.

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3.7 New identity for GIFT Nifty
Why in News?
• Recently, the NSE International Exchange (NSE IX) has unveiled the new identity/logo of
GIFT NIFTY at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The logo was launched as a part of full-scale transition of Singapore Exchange (SGX) Nifty
to Gift Nifty under IFSC-SGX Connect Project.
Key Highlights
• GIFT Nifty is a new identity given to SGX Nifty.
• SGX Nifty was traded on the Singapore Exchange (SGX).
• A full-scale switch from SGX to NSE-IFSC Exchange in the International Financial Services
Centre (IFSC) in GIFT City, will happen on July 3, 2023.
• Following the transition, all US dollar-denominated Nifty derivatives contracts will be
exclusively traded on NSE IFSC.
• All open positions in SGX NIFTY will migrate to GIFT NIFTY.
• SGX NIFTY will be suspended from trading after the end of the T session on June 30 2023.
• Initially, Gift Nifty 50, Gift Nifty Bank, Gift Nifty Financial Services, and Gift Nifty IT
derivative contracts will be available on NSE IX.
• Gift Nifty derivative contracts will be available for almost 21 hours.

3.8 SBI Dividend Payment to the Government of India

Why in News?
• Recently, the State Bank of India (SBI) paid a dividend cheque of Rs 5,740 crore for the
financial year 2022-23 to the Government of India.
• It is the highest ever dividend payment by the SBI to the Government of India for a financial
year.

3.9 Russia's Sberbank launches Indian rupee accounts for individuals

Why in News?
• Recently, Russia based Sberbank has launched Indian rupee accounts for individuals.
• Objective: to reduce dependency on the U.S. dollar and euro & promote de-dollarisation.
• Sberbank is already offering deposits in China’s yuan and United Arab Emirates (UAE)
dirhams
About de-dollarisation
• De-dollarisation refers to the replacement of the U.S. dollar by other currencies as the
global reserve currency.
• A reserve currency refers to any currency that is widely used in cross-border transactions
and is commonly held as reserves by central banks.

3.10 Insider Trading Norms

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred six entities from
securities markets for one year and levied penalties totalling Rs 70 lakh on them for
violating insider trading norms in the matter of Shilpi Cable Technologies.

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 About Insider Trading
• Insider trading to the buying, selling or trading of shares or other securities (such as
bonds or stock options) of a listed company using unpublished price-sensitive
information (UPSI) that can affect the stock price that has not been disclosed yet.
• Sebi defines an insider as someone who has access to price-sensitive information about
a particular company's shares or securities.
• Penalty for insider trading (Section 15G of the SEBI Act, 1992)
o Penalty ranges from 10 lakhs to 25 Crores or 3 times of profits out of insider
trading, whichever is higher.

3.11 Timeline for listed companies to fill up the vacancies of KMPs

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced a stricter
timeline of three months for listed companies to fill up the vacancies of their Key
Managerial Personnel (KMPs) & directors.
o KMPs- CEO, CFO, MD, Wholetime Director, Manager and Compliance officer.
• The new timeline has been introduced by amending SEBI’s Listing Obligations and
Disclosure Requirements (LODR) regulations.
• Also, listed companies cannot fill vacancies of KMPs by appointing a person in an interim
capacity.
o Such appointments can be allowed only in accordance with the laws applicable in
case of a fresh appointment to such office and the obligations under such laws are
made applicable to the person coming in an interim capacity.
• The decision is based on the recommendations of SEBI’s consultation paper on
‘Streamlining Disclosures by Listed Entities and Strengthening Compliance with SEBI
(Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR)) Regulations, 2015‘.
Additional Information
• Under LODR regulations, one of the key functions of the Board of directors of a listed entity
is to oversee succession planning of KMP.
• The Companies Act 2013 provides a six months window to fill up the vacancies of KMPs.

3.12 Guidelines on product offerings by Online Bond Platform Providers

Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has ruled that online bond
providers (OBPPs) can only offer the following securities on their platforms
o listed debt securities, Government Securities, Treasury Bills, listed Sovereign Gold
Bonds, listed municipal debt securities, and listed securitised debt instruments.
• OBPPs must register themselves as stock brokers in the debt segment of the stock
exchange.
Key Terms
• Online bond platform- Any electronic system, other than a recognised stock exchange or
an electronic book provider platform, on which the debt securities which are listed or
proposed to be listed, are offered and transacted.
• OBPP- Any person operating or providing such platform is known as an
OBPP; an OBPP must be registered in India.
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3.13 ASBA-like facility for trading in secondary market
Why in News?
• Recently, the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced ASBA (Application
supported by Blocked Amount)-like process for trading in secondary market.
• It will be based on blocked funds in investor’s bank account, instead of transferring them
upfront to the trading member.
• The facility will be provided by integrating Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) mandate service of single-block-and-multiple-debits with the
secondary market trading and settlement process and ‘UPI block facility’.
• The new facility will come into effect from January 2024.
• The new facility would eliminate the custody risk of client collateral, which is presently
retained by the members and not transferred to the clearing corporation
Proposed Framework
• Status of funds: Funds shall remain in the bank account of the client but will be blocked in
favour of the clearing corporation (CC) till the block is released by the CC, or debit of the
block towards obligations arising out of the trading activity of the client, whichever is
earlier.
• Settlement for funds and securities: It will be carried out by the CC without the need for
handling of client funds and securities by the member.
• Guidelines to Avail UPI Block
o A UPI block upon creation shall be considered towards collateral & also be available
for settlement purposes.
o Clients who prefer to block lump-sum amount, their block can be debited multiple
times, subject to available balance, for settlement obligations across days.
o UPI block facility shall be provided by the stock broker.
o Availing UPI block facility will be the option of investors.
o An investor is allowed to have trading accounts across multiple stock brokers.
o However, once opted for UPI block facility under particular brokers, all cash
collaterals shall be provided through UPI block only.
o Cash-equivalent collateral, such as bank guarantees and fixed deposits, will not be
permitted.
o Securities collateral to be provided through pledge/re-pledge system and only those
securities can be provided which are in the CC’s approved list.
o Funds pay-in settlement to be done only through UPI block.
o Single block limit of Rs 5 lakh will apply, even while multiple blocks can co-exist
subject to the overall limit applicable in UPI.
o Client can request for release of block to trading member through the app and it has
to communicated to CC through clearing member.
o Upon release of the block, the client’s bank shall unfreeze the amount in the account
of the client.

3.14 Framework for Disposal of undertaking by a listed entity

Why in News?

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 • Recently, the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced a stricter
framework for disposal of undertaking by a listed entity through the latest changes in the
Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR) Regulations.
• Objective: to protect the interest of minority shareholders in slump sale transactions
outside scheme of arrangements.
New Framework
• The disposal of an undertaking through Slump sale executed outside Scheme of
Arrangement can go through only if majority of public shareholders vote in favour than
those voting against it.
• It is in addition to the requirement to pass a Special resolution.
• SEBI has also now mandated disclosure of the objects and commercial rationale for such
sale, disposal or lease, to the shareholders.
• Exemption from the “majority of minority” rule has been provided for transfers to wholly-
owned subsidiaries.
o However, the listed company has to comply with the latest shareholder approval
provisions in the event the wholly owned subsidiary transfers the business or the
listed company dilutes its shareholding in the subsidiary anytime.
Present Framework
• At present, companies can resort to sale, disposal or lease of their undertakings through
two routes, viz,
o Scheme of Arrangement (prescribed under Companies Act and/or LODR
Regulations)
o Business Transfer Agreement (outside the Scheme of Arrangement framework).
About slump sale
• A slump sale involves selling off an undertaking or the whole business against a lumpsum
amount.

3.15 Real-time interbank US dollar settlement pilot

Why in News?
• Recently, JPMorgan Chase & Co has partnered with six Indian banks to launch a real-time
interbank US dollar settlement pilot in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT
City).
• Six Participating Banks of the Pilot: Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, JP
Morgan Chase Bank Gift City branch and YES Bank.
• Under the pilot programme, the participating banks will open on-chain Nostro accounts
with JPMorgan’s branch in Gift City.
• JP Morgan's Onyx blockchain platform will be used in the pilot after getting final approval
from the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).

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3.16 NPCI Introduces UPI Plug-in with RING
Why in News?
• Recently, digital credit platform RING has partnered with National Payments Corporation
of India (NPCI) to add its newly launched UPI (Unified Payments Interface) Plug-in
functionality to RING's pre-existing suite of digital services.
• This partnership will help RING offer 'Scan & Pay' options to its existing customers and
acquire new customers who use UPI as a preferred mode of payment.

3.17 UPI 123PAY

Why in News?
• Recently, Punjab National Bank, in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of
India (NPCI), has introduced an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) based Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) solution - UPI 123PAY.
• Punjab National Bank has become the first public sector bank to introduce an IVR-based
UPI solution.
• It is aligned with Reserve Bank of India’s Digital Payment Vision 2025 towards a cashless
and cardless society.
• Aim: to provide the benefits of UPI to areas without internet connection and people having
no smartphones.

3.18 Common Balance Confirmation Portal

Why in News?
• The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
(ICAI) are in the process of developing a Common Balance Confirmation Portal.
• The portal will jointly owned by ICAI and IBA
• The portal will be developed and maintained by PSB Alliance Pvt. Ltd. (PSB Alliance), which
will in turn work with the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology
(IDRBT)
• Objective: to confirm account balances of companies, addressing the practical difficulties
auditors face while obtaining such confirmations from banks
Key Highlights
• The portal will initially cover public sector banks only.
• The portal will be regulated by ICAI, IBA, PSB Alliance Pvt. Ltd., and IDRBT.
• Banks will take responsibility for balance confirmations.
• No cost will be levied on auditors for obtaining balance confirmations
Additional Information
• PSB Alliance is a joint venture umbrella entity created and held exclusively by all 12 public
sector banks.

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3.19 Modifications to “Use and File” Procedure for Life Insurance Products
Why in News?
• Recently, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has modified
the existing ‘use and file’ procedure for life insurance products.
• Objective: to facilitate the insurance industry in promoting insurance penetration.
Key Highlights
• The following categories of life insurance products have been included
o Individual And Group Unit-Linked Life And Health Insurance Products
o Combi Products- combi products refer to insurance products where a life insurer
acts as the lead insurer.
• The current Segregated Fund Identification Number (SFIN) clearance process by IRDAI
has been dispensed.
• IRDAI has allowed the addition of new unit-linked funds to existing unit-linked products.
o Once new funds are added to existing or new unit-linked products, they will be
treated as existing funds for subsequent unit-linked products.
About ‘use and file’ procedure
• The use and file procedure allows an insurer to launch a product first and then file its details
with the regulator.

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3.20 Growth in Education Loans
Why in News?
• According to a recent data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the outstanding
portfolio under education loans grew 17% at Rs 96,847 crore in 2022-23 as against Rs
82,723 crore in 2021-22.
• For the first time in five years, growth in education loans not only turned positive but also
registered a 17% surge in 2022-23.
• The Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in education advances stood at 7.82% of a total
outstanding portfolio of Rs 80,000 crore at the end of the first quarter of FY23.
• Priority sector educations loans registered 0.9% growth in FY23

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