DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: May 6, 2023

Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela

Tags: National National News

Under Skill India Mission, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is organising the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela (PMNAM) on 8th May 2023, in 200 districts across the country.

An overview of the news

• Several local businesses and organizations have been invited to be a part of this Apprenticeship Fair to provide relevant apprenticeship training opportunities to local youth.

• The event will witness the participation of a number of companies representing various sectors.

• The candidates who are Class 5 to Class 12 pass outs or have skill training certificates or are ITI certificate holders or Diploma holders or graduates can apply in this apprenticeship mela.

About Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela

• Apprenticeship fairs are organized across the country on the second Monday of every month.

• In these melas, selected individuals are offered apprenticeship opportunities during which they receive a monthly stipend as per government norms to acquire new skills.

• Apprenticeship is considered to be the most sustainable model of skill development and is getting a lot of boost under the Skill India Mission.

• Government is trying to train 15 lakh youth every year through apprenticeship training to fulfill this mission.

Asia Cup Stage 2 Archery: India Claim 14 Medals

Tags: Sports Sports News

India has bagged 14 medals at the Asia Cup Stage 2 World Ranking Tournament to top the event in Tashkent on 5th May.

An overview of the news

• In 14 medals seven were gold, five were silver and two bronze. 

• India won gold medals in all the categories except women's individual recurve and mixed recurve and won silver medals in these two categories.

• The Indian trio of Mrinal Chauhan, Partha Salunkhe and Juyel Sarkar defeated Bangladesh 5-1 in the final of the men's recurve team event to win the gold medal.

• The women's recurve team of Avni, Bhajan Kaur and Lakshmi Hembrom beat Bangladesh 5-4 in the gold medal decider in their final match.

List of Indian medal winners

• Women's Team Compound - Gold (Sakshi Chowdhary, Preneet Kaur and Aditi Gopichand Swami)

• Men's Team Compound - Gold (Rishabh Yadav, Prathamesh Phuge and Prathamesh Javkar)

• Mixed Team Compound - Gold (Prathmesh Phuge and Preneet Kaur)

• Men's Individual Compound – Prathamesh Phuge (Gold); Rishabh Yadav (Silver); Javkar Solutions (Bronze)

• Women's Individual Compound - Sakshi Chowdhary (Gold); Preneet Kaur (Silver)

• Women's Team Recurve - Gold (Avni, Bhajan Kaur and Lakshmi Hembrom)

• Men's Team Recurve - Gold (Mrunal Chauhan, Partha Salunkhe and Juyel Sarkar)

• Mixed Team Recurve - Silver (Parth Salunkhe & Bhajan Kaur)

• Men's Individual Recurve - Mrinal Chauhan (Gold); Parth Salunke (Bronze)

• Women's Individual Recurve - Bhajan Kaur (Silver)

Kiren Rijiju launched the trailer of the first Tagine language film

Tags: State News

The trailer of 'Love in 90s', the first film made in Tagin language of Arunachal Pradesh, was launched by Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju on 6th May in New Delhi. 

An overview of the news

• The film depicts the vibrant and colorful world of the 90s, based on the Tagin community in Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh and the first film made entirely in Tagin language.

• Directed by Tapen Natam, the film brings to the national platform the rich culture, tradition and local filmmaking initiatives of Arunachal Pradesh.

• The film highlights the love story of two youths amidst the challenges faced by this community in Arunachal Pradesh during the 1990s.

• The film not only celebrates local talent and filmmaking initiatives, but also offers a unique perspective on the struggles and triumphs of the Tagin community.

• Through this film, viewers can witness the beauty and rich heritage of Tagine culture and traditions.

About Tagine Community 

• Tagin or Ghasi Miri tribe is one of the prominent tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, members of the Tani tribe descended from Abu Tani.

• Most tagines are in Upper Subansiri district, but are also found in surrounding districts, especially in West Siang and Papum Pare.

• The most important festival of the Tagins is the Si-Doni Festival, in which the Earth (Si) and the Sun (Doni) are worshiped.

• The notable personality of this community is Tapi Mra (1st Everest Climber).

Miss Universe Australia finalist Sienna Weir passes away at 23

Tags: Person in news

Australian fashion model and 2022 Miss Universe finalist Sienna Weir passed away following a horse riding accident.

An Overview of the News

• The accident happened on 2 April at the Windsor Polo Grounds in Australia.
• Sienna Weir was one of 27 finalists in the 2022 Miss Universe Australia pageant.

Australia:

• It is a sovereign country located in the Southern Hemisphere, consisting of the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and several other islands.
• It is the sixth largest country in the world by land area and the largest country in Oceania.
• The capital of Australia is Canberra, while the largest city is Sydney.
• The official language of Australia is English, and the country has a population of over 25 million.
• Capital - Canberra
• Government - Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Emperor - Charles III
• Governor-General - David Hurley
• Prime Minister - Anthony Albanese

Ajay Vij appointed as Country Managing Director of Accenture

Tags: Person in news

Ajay Vij has been appointed as Country Managing Director of Accenture, a newly created role in the company.

An Overview of the News

• Mr. Vij's new role as Country Managing Director will include expanding his current responsibilities as the Corporate Services and Sustainability Lead for India.
• He will provide overall leadership and drive coordinated decision-making for key priorities of the company.
• Sandeep Dutta has been appointed as the head of Accenture's India market unit.
• Rekha M. Menon, Senior Managing Director and Chairperson of Accenture in India, will retire on June 30.

About Accenture

• It is a global professional services company providing a range of services and solutions across strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations.
• The company was established in 1989 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It operates in more than 200 cities in 51 countries and has over 500,000 employees globally.
• Accenture's services are designed to help businesses improve their performance and achieve their goals through the use of technology and digital innovation.
• The company serves clients in a variety of industries including banking, healthcare, telecommunications and energy.
• Accenture is known for its expertise in digital transformation, cloud computing, cyber security and artificial intelligence.
• The company has partnerships with leading technology companies such as Microsoft, Oracle and SAP.
• Accenture has been recognized for its work by industry analysts such as Gartner and Forrester.

Mark Nicholls appointed new president of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)

Tags: Sports Person in news

Mark Nicholls has been elected as the next President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

An Overview of the News

• He will take over from current chairman Stephen Fry in October this year.
• His appointment was announced during the Annual General Meeting of the MCC.
• Nicholls became a member of the MCC in 1981 and had a successful professional cricket career spanning over two decades, in which he scored over 25,000 runs and took 173 wickets.

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC):

• It is a cricket club which was established in 1787.
• MCC is one of the oldest and most prestigious cricket clubs in the world.
• Since 1814, the MCC has been based at the Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London and is the owner of the MCC Lord's Cricket Ground.

Founder - Thomas Lord

Visa introduces CVV-free payments for tokenized cards in India

Tags: Economics/Business

Visa has launched a new feature CVV-free payments in India that allows users to make online payments without the need for a CVV number.

An Overview of the News

• This facility is applicable on tokenized credit and debit cards and is available only for domestic transactions in India.
• The card is tokenized by securing it with a unique code and transactions are completed using a two-factor authentication process that does not require the 16-digit card number or any other card details.
• The two-factor authentication process ensures that the new authentication method protects users from cyber fraud as the token cannot be used on other platforms.

About Tokenization

• It is a security process that replaces sensitive data with unique codes called tokens.
• It aims to protect sensitive data from cyber attacks and frauds.
• Tokenization is widely used in the payments industry to secure online transactions where sensitive data needs to be shared between different parties.

About Visa Inc.

• It is a multinational financial services corporation.
• The company is based in San Francisco, California.
• Visa Inc. facilitates electronic funds transfers globally through its various payment products including credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards.
• Establishment - September 18, 1958
• Founder - Dee Hock
• Headquarters – San Francisco, California, US

Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to receive first Indian cargo ship at Sittwe port

Tags: Economics/Business National News

Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will receive the first Indian cargo ship at Sittwe Port in Myanmar on 9th May.

An Overview of the News

• Sittwe Port is a part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project and its development will enable multi-modal transit connectivity with Southeast Asia.
• The port has been built under a framework agreement between India and Myanmar to set up a multimodal transit transport facility on the Kaladan River, which connects Sittwe Port in Myanmar to Mizoram in India.
• The Kaladan River route has the potential to open up economic opportunities for the entire Bay of Bengal peninsula.

About Myanmar

• It is a country located in Southeast Asia and is bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand.
• The capital city of Myanmar is Naypyidaw, which was officially designated as the capital in 2005.
• President - Myint Swe (Acting)
• SAC President and Prime Minister - Min Aung Hlaing
• SAC Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister - Soe Win

Japan to train 1000 Indian engineers for bullet train project

Tags: National News

Japan has decided to provide specialized training to 1,000 Indian engineers ahead of starting work on the high-speed rail track system for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR).

Important Points:

• National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has signed an MoU with Japan Railway Technical Service (JARTS) to operationalize bullet trains in the country.
• Work on the high-speed rail track system will be started only under this agreement.
• The bullet train being built between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will use a ballastless slab track system, similar to that used in the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway. Because the Japanese Shinkansen high speed railway will be used in the Indian bullet train.
• The ballastless slab track system is known as J slab track system.
• The Japanese track system is one of the best in the world and its construction requires a very high level of skill from all the technicians.
• According to the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) in this regard, the track is the most important part of the HSR system and needs to be laid with a very high degree of precision.
• For this purpose, 20 Japanese experts will provide intensive training to Indian engineers, supervisors and technicians and certify their skills.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR):

• The total length of the corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is 508 km, of which 348 km falls in Gujarat and 156 km in Maharashtra. The remaining four kilometers will fall in Dadra Nagar Haveli.
• A total of 12 stations will be set up in the journey between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, of which eight stations will be in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra.

Rajendra Prasad, MD, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited

SEBI launches LEI system

Tags: National News

SEBI introduced the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) system for issuers of non-convertible securities, securitized debt instruments and security receipts.

An Overview of the News

• LEI is a unique global identifier for legal entities participating in financial transactions.
• The system is primarily intended for issuers that have listed or plan to list non-convertible securities, securitized debt instruments and security receipts.
• It aims to create a global reference data system that identifies each legal entity that is party to a financial transaction.
• The LEI system will enable greater transparency and better risk management in the financial markets.
• Companies planning to list non-convertible securities, securitized debt instruments, and security receipts will need to obtain an LEI from an authorised issuer.
• The LEI system will also help prevent fraud and financial crimes by properly identifying and verifying legal entities participating in financial transactions.
• Entity Identifier India Limited is a subsidiary of Clearing Corporation of India Limited.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):

• It is the regulatory body for securities and commodity markets in India established in 1988.
• Its main objectives are to protect the interests of investors in securities and promote the development of the securities market in India by regulating intermediaries, ensuring transparency and accountability of listed companies, and promoting investor education.
• It is owned by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, but functions as an autonomous body with its own governing board.
• It has the power to issue guidelines, rules and regulations, investigate and punish fraudulent business practices.

Headquarters - Mumbai, Maharashtra

DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar arrested in Pune on charges of espionage

Tags: Person in news

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad recently arrested a scientist of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on charges of espionage.

An Overview of the News

• The scientist named Pradeep Kurulkar was arrested in Pune on 3 May and brought to the ATS office in Pune on 5 May for further investigation.
• The Maharashtra ATS has accused Kurulkar of passing sensitive information to foreign intelligence agencies, which could compromise national security.
• According to the ATS, the scientist was in touch with Pakistan's intelligence agency operatives through various means including WhatsApp messages, voice calls and video calls.
• As per reports, Kurulkar was working at DRDO's Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune, which develops and designs armaments for the Indian Armed Forces.
• Despite being in a responsible position, the scientist allegedly misused his position to compromise sensitive government secrets, which could pose a threat to India's security if it fell into wrong hands.
• The Maharashtra ATS registered a case against the scientist under Section 1923 of the Official Secrets Act 1923 and other relevant sections.

Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)

• It is a premier defence research and development agency under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
• It aims to make India self-reliant in critical defence technology and systems.
• It is working on several cutting edge military technology areas including aeronautics, armaments, combat vehicles, electronics, instrumentation, engineering systems, missiles, materials, naval systems, advanced computing, simulation, cyber, hypersonic technology, quantum computing and communications.
• DRDO's first project for the Indian Army was a surface-to-air missile (SAM) known as Project Indigo.
• Establishment - 1958
• Headquarters - New Delhi
• Chairman - Sameer V Kamath

Former Karnataka HC Justice P Krishna Bhat appointed as administrator of BFI

Tags: Person in news Sports News

The Delhi High Court has appointed former Karnataka High Court Justice P Krishna Bhat as the Administrator of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

An Overview of the News: 

• The appointment has been made to conduct elections in the organisation, and it came into force with immediate effect.
• The Administrator will continue to act until a newly elected body takes over the BFI.
• The court has directed the administrator to ensure that the election process is completed as soon as possible in accordance with the Sports Code.
• The decision was taken in response to several petitions regarding the election of office bearers and members of the executive committee for the period 2023-2027.

Basketball Federation of India (BFI)

• It is the governing body for basketball in India.
• It is responsible for promoting and developing basketball at all levels through tournaments, grassroots programs and training opportunities.
• President - K. Govindraj
• Establishment - 1950
• Headquarters - New Delhi
• Men's coach - Veselin Matic

Indian-origin Neera Tandon becomes domestic policy advisor in Biden administration

Tags: Person in news International News

On 5 May 2023, an Indian-American Neera Tandon has been appointed as the domestic policy advisor in US President Joe Biden's team.

Important Point:-

• Tandon's appointment has been made keeping in mind the presidential election to be held in the US in 2024.

• Following Biden's decision to appoint Neera Tandon, she became the first Asian-American to lead the White House Advisory Council.

• Prior to this, Tandon served as Biden's staff secretary during this term.

• Neera Tandon responsibly processed all the paperwork that arrived on the President's desk.

• According to the White House, Neera Tandon oversaw decision-making processes in the domestic, economic and national security teams.

Neera Tandon:

• Neera Tandon was born in Massachusetts to Indian immigrant parents. Tandon studied at the University of California Los Angeles and Yale University.

• With over 25 years of experience working in public policy, Neera Tandon has worked with three US presidents, and also headed one of the country's largest think tanks for nearly a decade.

• Neera Tandon is the former US Secretary of State and a close aide of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2016 presidential election.

• Neera also helped pass the Affordable Care Act in the Obama administration.

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra clinches Doha Diamond League title

Tags: Sports Sports News

India's Neeraj Chopra has started the 2023 season on a bright note by winning the javelin throw title at the ongoing Diamond League in Doha.

An overview of the news

• The 25-year-old Chopra, who won the 2022 Diamond League Final trophy in Switzerland last September, won with a best throw of 88.67m.

• Chopra struck his straps on his first attempt with a world-leading throw of 88.67 metres, which was the fourth best of his career.

• He maintained the lead till the end to win the event in his second appearance at the Qatar Sports Club.

• Czech Republic's Vadlejch finished second and Grenada's Peters finished third.

• With this victory, Neeraj has also achieved the world lead.

Top three in Javelin Throw

• Neeraj Chopra (88.67m)

• Jakub Vadlejch (88.63m)

• Anderson Peters (85.88m)