DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: May 4, 2023

India to build Harbour for Maldivian Coast Guard

Tags: International Relations International News

India to build Harbour for Maldivian Coast Guard

India and Maldives launched construction of ‘Ekatha Harbour' for the Coast Guard of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

An overview of the news

  • The foundation stone for the Coast Guard ‘Ekatha Harbour’ was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldivian counterpart, Mariya Didi, at Sifavaru in Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) atoll, where India is assisting in construction of a naval dockyard.

  • This is the biggest grant-in-aid project of India in Maldives. 

UTF project

  • The UTF project, announced during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit in February 2021, has been at the centre of a political controversy in the Maldives.

  • Allegations that the project was meant for Indian military presence in the Indian Ocean nation were part of an "India Out" campaign, which was supported by the country's opposition leader, Abdulla Yameen.

  • Last April, Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih banned anti-India protests as a threat to national security.

  • Anti-India campaigners allege that Indian troops were stationed in a fast patrol vessel India recently gifted to Maldives Coast Guard. 

Recent gifts of India to Maldives

  • India gifted a Dornier aircraft to Maldives in 2020 and a patrol ship in 2019.

  • In 2022, India had also given Coastal Radar System to Male.

  • Last year, Modi had announced that India would provide 24 vehicles and a naval boat and build police facilities on the country's 61 islands.

UGC launches 'CU-Chayan', a unified faculty recruitment portal

Tags: National National News

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has launched a new portal named ‘CU-Chayan’ for faculty appointments in central varsities.

An overview of the news

  • The portal was launched on May 2, 2023 by Professor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar,Chairman, UGC.

  • CU-Chosen is an integrated recruitment portal, specially designed and developed for faculty recruitment in Central Universities.

  • The portal is completely user friendly and caters to the needs of all the stakeholders in the recruitment process.

  • UGC has developed this portal to create an enabling environment for both universities and applicants.

  • The portal provides a common platform for listing of vacancies/advertisements/jobs across all Central Universities.

  • The portal makes the recruitment process completely online from application to screening.

About University Grants Commission (UGC)

  • It came into existence in 1953.

  • It became a statutory Organization of the Government of India by an Act of Parliament in 1956.

  • Its functions are coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of teaching, examination and research in university education.

'Machines can See' - Summit on Artificial Intelligence held at Dubai

Tags: Summits International News

The UAE government launched the 'Machines Can See 2023' summit in Dubai, one of thefirst international conferences in Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the region.

An overview of the news

  • The conference is being held in partnership between Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office and ‘Machines Can See’ company.

  • The conference aims to bring together experts from around the world to discuss the future of AI and its potential to contribute to the UAE's vision of creating the next Silicon Valley.

  • The event was organized in collaboration with the Dubai Department of Economic and Tourism and the Dubai Future Foundation.

  • The summit included presentations and panel discussions from various experts in the field of AI.

  • The UAE is the only country with a state-level AI programme, which is a testament to its commitment to supporting the progress of AI technology.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

  • It is a broad branch of computer science that deals with the creation of smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence.

Coal Ministry Action Plan 2023 -24 : Targets 1012 Million Tonne Coal Production

Tags: Economy/Finance National News

The Ministry of Coal has prepared an action plan for the financial year 2023-24 with the aim of making Atmanirbhar Bharat by increasing production, efficiency, sustainability, new technologies etc. in the coal sector.

Action Plan for the FY 2023-24

Coal Analytics

  • Coal Production - The total coal production target of 1012 MT for FY 2023-24.

  • Outsourcing of Mines- Various steps to increase coal production and efficiency like Mining Developers cum Operators (MDO).

  • Coking Coal Strategy – Ministry of Coal has formulated a coking coal strategy to enhance coking coal availability in the country to reduce imports.

  • Quality of Coal - Various measures to achieve the objective of supply of quality coal to all consumers.

Private Investment

  • CAPEX and Asset Monetization -The overall projected target of Assets Monetization plan for FY 2023-24 is Rs 50,118.61 Crores.

  • Commercial Mining - During FY 2022-23, the Ministry signed agreements for a total of 23 coal mines having cumulative PRC of 33.224 MTPA.

Infrastructure Projects

  • PM Gatishakti National Master Plan– Ministry of Coal is closely monitoring the new railway line projects that are critical for coal evacuation.

  • Coal Evacuation- FMC & Railway Lines – Ministry of Coal has adopted a Coal Logistics Policy/Plan for effective and environmentally friendly transport of coal.

Safety in Mines

  • The Ministry of Coal reaffirms its commitment to the best safety standards and utmost priority to the safety in Coal Mines.

  • Scientific closure of Mines – To restore the ecological balance in the mined-out areas, mine closure activities will begin this year.

Technology Push to Coal

  • Technology roadmap in the Coal sector - Ministry is going to circulate the Monitoring framework for coal companies towards Implementation of Technology Roadmap.

  • Coal to Chemical– Various initiatives like Coal to Hydrogen, Coal & Lignite gasification, CBM/CMM etc.

  • Diversification of Coal India Limited (CIL)– Coal India Limited is being diversified for sustainable future business operations like New Business Areas (Aluminium, Power, Solar wafer, Solar Power & Renewable) etc.

Sustainability in the coal sector

  • The Ministry of Coal envisages promoting a sustainable development model in which coal production goes hand in hand with measures for environment protection, resource conservation, care for society and protection of forests and biodiversity.

National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign- 2023

Tags: National Economy/Finance Summits National News

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2023-24 on 3rd May at NASC Complex New Delhi. 

An overview of the news

  • Agriculture remains the major pulse of the Indian economy and lies at the core of the country's socio-economic development.

  • It accounts for about 19 percent of the GDP and about two-thirds of the population is dependent on the agriculture sector.

  • India's agriculture sector has been witnessing strong growth with an average annual growth rate of 4.6 percent over the past six years.

  • As per the Second Advance Estimates (2022-23), the production of food grains in the country is estimated at 3235 lakh tonnes which is 79 lakh tonnes more than the production of food grains during 2021-22.

The objective of the conference 

  • To review and assess the crop performance during the preceding crop seasons. 

  • fix crop-wise targets for the Kharif season in consultation with State Governments. 

  • ensure supply of critical inputs.

  • facilitate adoption of innovative technologies with a view to enhance production and productivity of the crops.  

  • Record production is estimated of rice, maize, gram, pulses, rapeseed and mustard, oilseeds and sugarcane.

National target for 2023-24

  • In the conference, a national target of 3320 lakh tonnes has been fixed for the total food grain production for the year 2023-24.

  • The target of pulses production has been set at 292.5 lakh tonnes as against 278.1 lakh tonnes this year.

  • Oilseeds production will be increased from 400 to 440 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.

  • Shri Annaaims to increase the total production from 159.1 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 to 170.0 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.

Airtel Payments Bank introduces face authentication for Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS)

Tags: Economy/Finance

Airtel Payments Bank in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) introduced face authentication for Aadhaar-Enabled Payment System (AePS).

The new facility will be available across five lakh Airtel banking points and will enhance the accessibility and security of Aadhaar-based transactions.

An Overview of the News

  • Praveena Rai, Chief Operating Officer, NPCI welcomed the implementation of Airtel Payments Bank facility for AEPS transactions, which will increase the reach of Aadhaar-based transactions across the country.

  • In the first phase, Airtel Payments Bank will enable non-financial transactions such as balance inquiry and mini-statement.

  • As per NPCI guidance, Airtel Payments Bank will enable the functionality for other bank customers and also for the bank's customers at other banking outlets.

  • Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with NPCI to test digital payments through feature phones and interactive voice response (IVR) for digital payments in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

Airtel Payments Bank:

  • It is a subsidiary of India's leading telecom company Bharti Airtel.

  • Launched in 2017, Airtel Payments Bank is India's first payments bank.

  • It aims at providing digital banking and financial services to the under-banked and unbanked population in the country.

  • The bank offers a range of services including savings accounts, current accounts, money transfers, bill payments and digital banking services.

  • Airtel Payments Bank operates through a network of Banking Points, which include Airtel Retail Stores, Authorised Banking Points and Partner Outlets.

  • Airtel Payments Bank is a licensed entity under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and operates as a semi-closed wallet, which means customers can use it for transactions only with authorised merchants of the bank.

  • Airtel Payments Bank has won several awards for its innovative digital banking solutions, including the Best Digital Wallet Award at the India Digital Awards 2018 and the Best Payments Bank Award at the Indian Retail and E-Retail Congress and Awards 2018.

COO of Airtel Payments Bank -Ganesh Ananthanarayanan

MD & CEO of Airtel Payments Bank -  Anubrata Biswas

Himachal cabinet approves monthly incentive for women of Spiti

Tags: State News

Himachal Pradesh cabinet led by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu approvedmonthly incentive amount to women in Spiti Valley.

An Overview of the News

  • The Himachal Pradesh cabinet led by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu announced a monthly incentive of Rs 1,500 for women in Spiti Valley.

  • The incentive will be provided to all eligible women including Buddhist nuns above 18 years of age. This initiative is called the Indira Gandhi Mahila Samman Nidhi.

Cabinet approves other measures for the development of the state

  • This decision was taken during the cabinet meeting held on 3 April 2023.

  • Apart from the incentives, the cabinet also approved several other measures to improve the financial condition of the state.

  • Constitution of cabinet sub-committee


    • The cabinet decided to form a subcommittee to prepare a white paper on the financial position of the state.

    • The sub-committee will be headed by Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, while Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh will be members.

  • Introduction to E-Stamping


    • The cabinet gave its approval for the introduction of e-stamping to make the collection of stamp duty more convenient.

    • The dual system of stamps i.e. physical stamp paper and e-stamp paper will continue from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. Physical stamp paper will be completely phased out after April 1, 2024.

  • Direct Benefit Transfer for School Uniform


    • The cabinet approved Direct Benefit Transfer of Rs 600 to eligible students in lieu of school uniform.

  • Increase in honorarium


    • The cabinet has approved increasing the honorarium of numberdars in the revenue department from Rs 3,200 to Rs 3,700 per month, which will benefit about 3,177 people.

    • The honorarium of revenue chowkidars or part-time employees will also be increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 per month, benefiting around 1,950 people.

  • Increase in Court Fee Rates


    • The cabinet approved the increase in the rates of court fee from Rs 6 to Rs 20 for filing an application or petition in revenue courts or for verification of affidavits or other documents in civil courts other than the High Court.

  • Formation of Atal Tunnel Planning Area


    • The cabinet has approved the formation of Atal Tunnel Planning Area and freezing of existing land use of Atal Tunnel Planning Area, which includes revenue villages of Lahaul-Spiti district.

Microsoft launches two new initiatives to support Indian SMBs

Tags: Economy/Finance

Microsoft India launched two new initiatives to support small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in their digital transformation journey.

An Overview of the News

  • These initiatives are aimed at helping Indian SMBs solve their business challenges, improve operations, drive efficiency and accelerate growth. Here are the key points of the initiative:

  • Microsoft for Small and Medium Businesses:

  • It is a dedicated website designed to bring together business owners and entrepreneurs in India to network with peers, enhance their skills and achieve holistic growth.
    • The website offers an SMB Academy, which provides digital skills training, and access to Microsoft's curated business and technology courses.

    • The website provides inspiring stories from businesses across the country, various Microsoft solutions to meet organisational needs and easy access to Microsoft's vast ecosystem of over 17,000 partners in the country.

  • Digital Transformation Helpline:


    • It is a dedicated helpline that provides support to SMBs to help them navigate their technology adoption and deployment journey.

    • The helpline provides expert guidance and assistance in leveraging technology solutions that best address their business challenges, improve operations, increase efficiency and accelerate growth.

    • SMBs can contact the helpline at 1800-102-1147.

  • Microsoft is committed to digitally transforming the SMB ecosystem in India with trusted technology, resources and an extensive partner ecosystem.

  • Microsoft is working closely with SMBs to help them thrive in today's digitally driven economy.

  • Microsoft is conducting multi-city experiential events like Techmart to help SMBs with their digital transformation journey.

About Microsoft Corporation

It is a multinational technology corporation based in Redmond, Washington, best known for developing software products such as the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office, and web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Edge.

Established - April 4, 1975

Founders - Bill Gates, Paul Allen

Headquarters -One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, US

Ajay Banga appointed as new President of World Bank

Tags: Person in news

Ajay Banga appointed as new President of World Bank

Indian-origin Ajay Banga has been officially elected as the new President of the World Bank.

An Overview of the News

  • Ajay Banga was nominated for this post by US President Joe Biden in February.

  • The 25-member Executive Board of the World Bank elected Ajay Banga, who previously served as the CEO of Mastercard, to hold the position for a period of five years from June 2.

  • The World Bank provides loans and grants to low- and middle-income countries for capital projects.

  • It is made up of two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA).

  • The World Bank was established in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

  • Its lending strategy is guided by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and environmental and social safeguards.

About the United States

  • It is primarily a country located in North America.

  • The country consists of 50 states, one federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine minor outlying islands, and 326 Indian reservations.

  • The United States of America is the third largest country in the world in both land area and total area.

  • It shares land borders with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, while sharing maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other countries.

Capital - Washington, D.C.

President - Joe Biden

Vice President - Kamala Harris

House Speaker - Kevin McCarthy

Chief Justice - John Roberts

Vanessa Hudson appointed as the new CEO of Qantas Airways Ltd

Tags: Person in news

Vanessa Hudson appointed as the new CEO of Qantas Airways Ltd

Vanessa Hudson has been named as the new CEO of Qantas Airways Ltd, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the airline's history.

An Overview of the News

  • Hudson's appointment was announced on May 2, and she will officially take over from outgoing CEO Alan Joyce when he retires in November.

  • Hudson has had an impressive 28-year career at Qantas, during which he has held a number of senior positions, including Chief Customer Officer and Senior Vice President for the Americas and New Zealand.

About Qantas Airways Ltd.

  • Qantas Airways Ltd is the national airline of Australia, founded in 1920, and operates domestic and international flights to more than 85 destinations in 20 countries.

  • The airline's primary hub is at Sydney Airport, with secondary hubs located in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide airports.

  • Qantas is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance and owns a low-cost airline called Jetstar Airways.

  • Qantas has a reputation for being one of the world's safest airlines, which is recognized by several aviation security organisations.

Australia:

  • It is the sixth largest country in the world by area, with an area of about 7.7 million square kilometres.

  • It has a population of around 25 million, and the capital city is Canberra, while the largest city is Sydney.

  • The official language of Australia is English and the currency is the Australian Dollar.

Government - federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Emperor - Charles III

Governor General  - David Hurley

Prime Minister - Anthony Albanese

Coal Miners Day: 4th May

Tags: Important Days

Coal Miners Day: 4th May

Coal Miners Day is celebrated every year on 4th May to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work and remarkable contribution of coal miners in the extraction of coal.

An Overview of the News

  • Many awareness programs are organised on this day to promote the health and safety requirements of the workers.

  • These initiatives attempt to educate workers about the various laws and regulations of the Government of India to enhance their working conditions and wages.

  • It aims to empower workers with knowledge about their rights so that they can work in a safe and healthy work environment.

  • Coal is an important fossil fuel widely used for various purposes, such as electricity generation and industrial production, especially in the manufacture of steel and cement.

  • Coal mining is a labour intensive industry that provides employment to millions of people around the world.

History of Coal Miners Day

  • The first coal mine was opened in Scotland in 1575, while India's first coal mine was established much later in 1774 by John Summer and Suetonius Grant Heatley of the East India Company. The mine was located in the Raniganj coalfield on the banks of the Damodar River.

  • After India's independence, demand for coal increased, prompting the new government to draw up a 5-year development plan to meet the growing need for energy.

  • Coal Miners Day was established in India to recognize and honour the contribution and sacrifice made by coal miners.

  • May 4 is an important day as the first underground coal mine in India was inaugurated in 1907 at Raniganj, West Bengal.

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