NATIONAL NEWS
Indian Consulate General in S Africa partners with UP to boost tourism to IndiaThe Consulate General of India in S Africa has partnered with Uttar Pradesh to boost tourism to India post COVID-19, highlighting the state''s various religious sites and other attractions.
- Mukesh Kumar Meshram, Principal Secretary for Tourism and Culture in UP, shared the detailed plans on attracting tourists to the state at a meet titled 'Post-Covid Tourism to India'.
- Meshram also talked about the new tourism policy of Uttar Pradesh which features special incentives for the tourism sector, including state subsidies in a wide range of areas for boosting tourism.
Japan prolonged grant support and loans to India for a slew of infrastructure tasks together with a mission for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a part of New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific partnership with Tokyo.
- The Mission for Enchancment of Energy Provide in Andaman and Nicobar Islands (4.016 billion Yen Grant Assist) is a grant support mission and is critical in some ways.
The Ministry of AYUSH has set up an interdisciplinary team of experts to explore the potential of Yoga as a productivity enhancing tool for the population.
- The committee is chaired by H. R Nagendra, Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana and its members include representatives from AIIMS New Delhi, IIM Bangalore, IIT Bombay, various leading Yoga institutions, the corporate sector and the AYUSH Ministry.
- The committee will submit its preliminary recommendations by May this year.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed an agreement with the Government of India, to provide Japanese (ODA) loan amounting to Japanese Yen 52,036 million(approximately ₹3,717 crore) for the development of Phase 2 of ‘R6, 2A and 2B’ of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)in Bengaluru.
- The cumulative loan amount provided by JICA for metro projects in India, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, exceeds 1.3 trillion Japanese Yen (₹87,000 crore approximately).
The Uttar Pradesh government will start a scheme offering affordable rental housing for poor people living in cities and a proposal to this effect was approved by the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
- Under the Affordable Rental Housing and Complexes (ARHC) scheme, urban migrants/poor laborers, those belonging to economically weaker sections, low-income groups including factory workers, educational institutions, people associated with hospitality, and students will be the beneficiaries.
- Preference will be given to people belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, widows, working women, divyang, and minorities, which will be subject to the provisions made by the state government.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched ‘Dekho Apna Pradesh’, a brainchild of Khandu conceptualized in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ marketing campaign, is an try to advertise tourism throughout the state to heal the harm triggered to the sector by the COVID 19 pandemic.
- This marketing campaign is to encourage our folks to go to different locations of their very own state.
- This is not going to solely profit the tourism sector but additionally create consciousness on the variety of the state bringing in unity.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
'World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives' released by World BankThe World Bank has published the World Development Report 2021:Data for Better Lives, which provides a blueprint on how to harness the power of data for development, to ensure no one is left behind.
- The World Development Report focuses on how data can improve the lives of poor people and advance development objectives, to ensure no one is left behind.
- It highlights the tremendous potential of the changing data landscape to improve the lives of poor people, at the same time acknowledging its potential to open back doors that can harm individuals, businesses, and societies.
The Maldives government has inaugurated a children’s shelter that was renovated under Indian grant assistance.
- A virtual ceremony was held to mark the completion of the Fiyavathi Home for Vulnerable Children in Hulhumalé in North Male.
- The renovation project is one of the many projects carried out under the Indian-Grant Assistance and expressed gratitude to the government of India for the constant support to Maldivian communities by facilitating many of such socially impactful projects across the island nation.
New Zealand’s parliament has passed legislation giving mothers and their partners the right to paid leave following a miscarriage or still birth, becoming only the second country in the world to do so.
- The bereavement allowance, passed unanimously in parliament, gives employees three days leave when a pregnancy ends with a stillbirth without having to tap into sick leave.
- India is the only other country with similar legislation.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar reached Dushanbe on a three-day visit to Tajikistan. He attended the 9th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process on Afghanistan.
- Addressing the 9th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India has been supportive of all the efforts being made to accelerate the dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban, including intra-Afghan negotiations.
- The HoA-IP ministerial conference is part of the Istanbul Process - a regional initiative on security and cooperation for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan - that was launched on November 2, 2011 in Turkey.
BANKING & FINANCE
YES BANK, SHEROES launch “YES Essence Plus” accelerator to support women entrepreneursYES BANK announced the launch of YES Essence Plus, a unique accelerator to support women-led startups in partnership with SHEROES, the women-only social network.
- The 10-week Yes Essence Plus accelerator offers a curated curriculum, training, support to select women-led startups.
- The curriculum will focus on building skills such as financial management, legal, fundraising, marketing, and effective leadership.
Karnataka Bank and IIFL Securities Limited have partnered to introduce KBL Smart Trade, a facility under which all Karnataka Bank customers will get the facility to access IIFL Securities Demat and Trading account solution to serve their capital market needs.
- With the help of this service, the bank’s customers will now be able to open a paperless, online trading account instantly in minutes with IIFL Securities under KBL Smart Trade from any location.
- This is a two-in-one account facility wherein Demat and Trading account features have been combined and it is termed all in one shop for smart investors in capital market.
BharatPe has rolled-out its innovative lending product- Distributor to Retailer (D2R) Finance which will focus specifically on empowering Small and Medium Enterprises.
- The product is designed to provide instant liquidity to distributors, wholesalers, traders and dealers across industry verticals.
- With this new lending product, the company will offer collateral-free loans of upto Rs. 50 lakhs for a period of 7 days to 30 days.
- BharatPe also shared that it has already facilitated D2R loans of Rs. 50 crores in the first month of launch and aims to facilitate disbursals of Rs. 2500 crores via this new product in the next fiscal year (FY22).
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Tata Motors signs MOU with SBI for financing light commercial vehiclesTata Motors said it has signed a three-year MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the State Bank of India, to offer financial assistance for the purchase of the company's range of small and light commercial vehicles.
- The collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI) will allow Tata Motors' commercial vehicle (CV) customers to avail of loans in a hassle-free manner as well as access SBI's unique technology-laden offerings.
S&P Global Ratings raised India's growth forecast for financial year 2021-22 to 11% from 10% earlier, led by an expansionary fiscal policy aimed at boosting domestic private spending.
- The US credit rating agency said a three-speed recovery pattern has emerged in Asia-Pacific. China, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Vietnam, lead the group where activities are already above pre-pandemic levels.
- Australia, Japan, and Korea, are in the middle group where activities should reach pre-pandemic levels in early to mid-2021. India has joined the group following a sharp rebound in recent months.
Public procurement of goods and services has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore from government buying portal GeM since the platform was launched in August 2016, on account of a sharp increase in buying activities by different ministries.
- The cumulative transaction value of goods and services procured from GeM by state and central government organisations grew from Rs 51,154 crore a year ago to Rs 1,00,610.3 crore as on March 25 this year.
SPORTS
India tops the medals tally with 15 gold, 9 silver & 6 bronze in ISSF Shooting World CupIndia finished at the top of the medals table at the 2021 ISSF World Cup at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.India secured 30 medals which included 15 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze.
- USA came second with eight medals including four gold, three silver and one bronze.
- Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar – Men’s 50 metre rifle three positions
- Saurabh Chaudhary, Shahzar Rizvi and Abhishek Verma – Men’s 10 metre air pistol team event
- Swapnil Kusale, Chain Singh and Neeraj Kumar – Men’s 50 metre rifle three positions team event
- Gurjoat Khangura, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa and Mairaj Ahmad Khan – Men’s Skeet team event
- Kynan Chenai, Prithviraj Toidaiman, Lakshay – Men’s Trap team event
- Chinki Yadav – Women’s 25 metre pistol
- Yashaswini Singh Deswal – Women’s 10 metre air pistol
- Yashaswini Singh Deswal, Manu Bhaker, Shri Nivetha Paramanantham – Women’s 10 metre air pistol team
- Rahi Sarnobat, Manu Bhaker, Chinki Yadav – Women’s 25 metre pistol event
- Rajeshwari Kumar, Shreyasi Singh, Manisha Keer – Women’s Trap event
- Saurabh Chaudhary/Manu Bhaker – 10 metre air pistol Mixed Team event
- Divyansh Singh Panwar/Elavenil Valarivan – 10 metre air rifle Mixed Team
- Tejaswini/Vijayveer Sidhu – 25 metre rapid fire pistol Mixed Team
- Sanjeev Rajput/Tejaswini Sawant – 50 metre rifle three positions Mixed Team
- Angad Vir Singh Bajwa/Ganemat Sekhon – Trap Mixed Team
- Vijayveer Sidhu – Men’s 25 metre rapid fire pistol
- Saurabh Chaudhary – Men’s 10 metre air pistol
- Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Deepak Kumar, Pankaj Kumar – Men’s 10 metre air rifle team event
- Vijayveer Sindhu, Adarsh Singh, Gurpreet Singh – Men’s 25 metre rapid fire pistol team event
- Rahi Sarnobat – Women’s 25 metre pistol
- Manu Bhaker – Women’s 10 metre air pistol
- Anjum Moudgil, Shreya Saksena, Gaayathri Nithyanandam – Women’s 50 metre rifle three positions team event
- Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Kartiki Singh Shaktawat, Ganemat Sekhon – Women’s Skeet team event
- Abhidnya Ashok Patil/Gurpreet Singh – 25 metre rapid fire pistol Mixed Team
- Divyansh Singh Panwar – Men’s 10 metre air rifle
- Abhishek Verma – Men’s 10 metre air pistol
- Manu Bhaker – Women’s 25 metre pistol
- Ganemat Sekhon – Skeet
- Abhishek Verma/Yashaswini Singh Deswal – 10 metre air pistol Mixed Team
- Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar/Sunidhi Chauhan – 50 metre rifle three positions Mixed Team
APPOINTMENTS
Soma Mondal elected as SCOPE ChairpersonSoma Mondal, chairperson of state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), was elected the new chairperson of Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE), while Pradip Kumar Das, CMD, IREDA has been entrusted Vice Chairman’s role after the biennial elections.
- The newly elected members would take charge on April 1 and would continue in the office for the 2021-23 term.
- Other members elected to the executive board include R.K. Sinha, Director, Personnel, CWC, Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Director, HR, IOCL, Amitabh Banerjee, CMD, IRFC and Alok Verma, Director HR, HAL among others.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ISRO partners with IIST to Advance Space Research similar to NASA-JPL-Caltech ModelISRO is embarking on a mission of a different kind by taking the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) to a much higher, futuristic research orbit. The Bengaluru-headquartered space agency is striking a partnership with the IIST ‒ something similar to the JPL- Caltech model in the United States.
- To coordinate joint research activities between ISRO centres and IIST, akin to the Caltech-JPL model, a dedicated framework has now been put into place, with a capacity building programme office (CBPO) located at ISRO headquarters here as a focal point.
- An advanced space research group has been created to identify application-oriented research projects of importance to ISRO centres and matching with the interests of IIST faculty.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
HarperCollins India to publish Vinod Kapri's true account of the migrant exodus- 1232 km: The Long Journey HomeAs the nation marks the first anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, HarperCollins India is proud to announce the upcoming publication of journalist turned filmmaker, Vinod Kapri's compelling book, 1232 km: A Long Journey Home, a true account of human grief, grit, and gumption, which will release in May 2021.
- This book is the account of their journey on road from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh to Saharsa in Bihar, spanning 1232 kilometres. It is a story of courage as well as the desperation of the seven men braving police's lathis and insults, battling hunger and exhaustion to reach their destination-their home.
The book titled "Indians: A Brief History of A Civilization" authored by Namit Arora has been released recently.
- This book, a mixture of historical research and travel writing, reflects on five thousand years of India’s past with a focus on “lost worlds.”
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