NATIONAL NEWS
Jal Shakti Minister approves Rs. 465 crore as Performance Incentive fund for seven states under JJMJal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat has approved Rs. 465 crore as Performance Incentive fund for seven states under Jal Jeevan Mission.
- These states are Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
- For performance incentive grant, the criteria includes physical and financial progress under Jal Jeevan Mission, functionality of piped water supply schemes and capacity to utilize the fund.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Shaheed Ashfaq Ulla Khan Zoological Park in Gorakhpur. This is the first zoo in Purvanchal and the third in the state.
- The zoo has been named after great freedom fighter Shaheed Ashfaq Ullah Khan. He said that the nation is celebrating 75th anniversary of its Independence as Azadi Ka Amit Mahotsav this year, and it is a tribute to the great freedom fighter.
- The work of bringing animals to the zoo began last month, and so far, 153 wild birds and animals of 31 species have arrived here. Currently, visitors can see animals, such as lion, tiger, leopard, hippopotamus, deer, chital in the zoo. The zoo also has a 7D theatre with state-of-the-art facilities where audience will experience 13 effects, such as rain, lightning, fog, smoke and fragrance.
In a first, the navies of India and Madagascar undertook joint patrolling of Madagascar’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
- The INS Shardul and Malagasy Naval Ship Trozona undertook the patrol.
- India is seeking to expand its defence footprints in the Western Indian Ocean where it has been a traditional net security provider.
India and the US kicked off a two-day naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal, reflecting the growing congruence in their defence and military partnership.
- Indian Navy deployed its warship Shivalik and long-range maritime patrol aircraft P8I in the 'PASSEX' exercise while the US Navy was represented by the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group.
- Besides the Indian Navy, US, Australian and Japanese navies participated in the Malabar naval exercise.
BANKING & FINANCE
Niyo Launches NiyoX in partnership with Equitas Small Finance BankNiyo announced the launch of NiyoX in partnership with Equitas Small Finance Bank.
- This state-of-the-art mobile banking solution for millennials offers a 2-in-1 account in the form of a digital savings account and a wealth management suite.
- NiyoX, with its groundbreaking ‘007 banking’ bundle of 0% commission on mutual funds investment, ‘0’ account maintenance charges, and upto 7% interest on account balances, aims to decode banking for millennials and onboard 2M users by the end of 2021.
SPORTS
IPL 2021: CSK appoints Equitas Small Finance Bank as official retail banking partnerEquitas Small Finance Bank has renewed its partnership with Chennai Super Kings for the IPL season 2021.
- It will be the ‘Official Retail Banking Partner’ for the team. In line with the brand ethos and the logo positioning at the back of the helmet & cap, it is also going to launch a new campaign titled “The Bank Behind Every Champion”.
- The new campaign will be aimed to communicate that, Equitas has been transforming lives of individuals through their lending and social responsibilities over time with the support and funds of people who are banking with them.
APPOINTMENTS
Anish Shah to take over as MD-CEO of M&MThe board of directors of Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) has appointed Anish Shah as the managing director and chief executive officer of the company effective April 2.
- Shah is currently the deputy MD and group chief financial officer.
- Shah will become the first professional MD and CEO in the history of the Mahindra group to have complete oversight of and responsibility for the Mahindra group businesses.
AWARDS
Rathbones Folio prize: Carmen Maria Machado wins for her radical memoir about same-sex abuseAmerican author Carmen Maria Machado has won the Rathbones Folio prize for her memoir, In the Dream House.
- In the 2019 book, the author outlines her experiences in a same-sex relationship with her former partner, and the abuse she was subjected to. It is at once an inventive and radical work, a true testimony to her narrative gift.
- The Rathbones Folio Prize is a literary award that was backed by London-based publisher The Folio Society in the initial two years.
Mahinder Giri, a range officer who has been deployed at Motichur range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) for the past few years, has become the only ranger from Asia to win the prestigious International Ranger Award.
- The award has been announced for 10 professionals across the globe by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), “based on their contribution towards conservation”.
- Other winners were from Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. All the winners will receive a uniform patch and their employing organisations will receive US $10,000 (Rs 7,26,150) as prize money, which can be used to “support the winner and their team to conduct their work”.
HDFC Bank was adjudged the India's best bank for SMEs at the Asiamoney Best Bank Awards 2021. In its evaluation, the magazine said on its website – “HDFC Bank’s transformation of its micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) business over the past few years makes it a worthy winner of this award.”
- The Annual Best Banks survey of the financial magazine based in Hong Kong aims to identify which banks in each market have excelled across a range of core banking activities over the past 12 months.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2020 was the best year in history for the global wind industry as this sector installed 93GW of new capacity in 2020, according to a new report titled ‘Global Wind Report 2021, released by the Global Wind Energy Council.
- This is the 16th annual flagship report, released by GWEC on March 25, 2021. The 93GW represents a 53% year-on-year increase.
- As per the report, the global wind power market increased four times in size over the past decade but the record growth was seen in 2020.
- This increase was driven by a surge of installations in China and the US alone
- Together, the US and China installed 75% of new installations in 2020 and account for over half of the world’s total wind power capacity.
- Similarly, it will need to increase the capacity to 280GW annually to meet net zero emission target by 2050.
OBITUARIES
Former RBI Deputy Governor KC Chakrabarty passes awayFormer Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor Kamalesh Chandra Chakrabarty passed away at his Chembur residence in Mumbai due to a heart attack. He was 69 years old.
- Chakrabarty was the deputy governor of the central bank between June 15, 2009 and April 25, 2014 when he left office three months before to his term ended.
- Before that, he was a distinguished banker, and served as the Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab National Bank (2007-2009), and CMD of Indian Bank (2005-2007).
BOOKS & AUTHORS
'Escaped: True stories of Indian fugitives in London, new book chronicles Indian fugitives who escaped to UKA new book on some high-profile as well as lesser-known Indian extradition cases attempts to decode why the UK is considered a safe haven for those wanting to escape the law in India.
- 'Escaped: True stories of Indian fugitives in London', released worldwide, tracks 12 cases involving alleged offenders wanted in India to stand trial for offences ranging from loan defaults to murder.
- The book, by London-based journalists and researchers Danish and Ruhi Khan, includes a recap of the more recent cases involving former Kingfisher Airlines boss Vijay Mallya and diamond merchant Nirav Modi, wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges, as well as some historic ones including those of former Indian Naval officer Ravi Shankaran and musician Nadeem Saifi.
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