1. PM Modi released the book ‘Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamprashasti’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the closing ceremony of Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam on 26 April 2023 through video conferencing . Also he released the book ‘ Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamprashasti ‘ published by Sri Somnath Sanskrit University . In this 10 day Sangamam more than 3000 people came to Somnath by a special train Saurashtrian Tamil. This program started on 17th April, which concluded on 26th April in Somnath.
2. India will chair the SCO Summit
India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in New Delhi on July 3-4 . The agenda of the summit will be finalized at the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting on May 4-5 in Goa, which is expected to focus on counter-terrorism, Afghan stability, Chabahar port and inclusive connectivity efforts including INSTC.
3. Imperial College London announces a scholarship of 400,000 British pounds for Indian students studying in the college
Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh visited Imperial College London in UK and interacted with Indian students studying in the college. On the occasion of Dr Jitendra Singh’s visit to Imperial College London, the college management has announced a scholarship of 400,000 British pounds for Indian students studying in the college.announced. Out of this, 50 percent scholarship will be given to girl students of India. Over the past five years, Imperial students have collaborated with partners in over 300 Indian institutions to author over 1,200 research publications. Research partners include the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Christian Medical College, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Bhabha Atomic Research Center and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The college currently has 700 Indian students and a community of over 3,000 alumni who have studied at Imperial College in India.
4. Pakistan to become largest recipient of ADB funded programs in 2022
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual Report 2022 , 40 countries were given a total loan of $ 31.8 billion, out of which only Pakistan has received a loan of $ 5.58 billion . Thereby making it the largest recipient of ADB-funded programs/projects in the year 2022 . Out of the total loan, Pakistan received concessional financing of $2.67 billion from the bank , highlighting the dire economic situation in the country. This significant debt reflects the severity of the economic crisis in Pakistan, which is also exacerbated by political and geographic uncertainties.
5. 34th Goldman Environment Prize 2023 announced
The winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize 2023 were announced at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California, United States (USA). The six winners of the 2023 prize are Alessandra Korap Munduruku from Brazil, Chilakwa Mumba from Zambia, Delima Silalahi from Indonesia, Diane Wilson from USA, Tero Mastonen from Finland and Zafar Kizilkaya from Turkey . 2023 marks the 34th anniversary of the Goldman Environmental Prize, which honors a grassroots activist from each of the six inhabited continents. The award is also known as the ” Green Nobel Prize “.
6. Scientists oppose NCERT’s decision to remove Darwin’s theory of evolution
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced the theory of evolution of the world’s great scientist Charles Darwin from the syllabus of classes IX and X. (Theory of Evolution) has been removed, on which there is a lot of controversy. Darwin’s theory states that the ancestors of man were monkeys and that all living beings originated from a single organism. He said this on the basis of 20 years of research. While teachers have expressed shock over the removal of Darwin’s theory of evolution from the syllabus by NCIRT, the government says that this step has been taken to reduce the syllabus. Teachers say that Darwin’s theory is very important for students. If it is removed from the curriculum, how will the children now know about the development journey of human beings. Charles Darwin had explained the gradual development of humans and animals. Charles Darwin was a great zoologist. He was born on 12 February 1889 in Hampshire, England.
7. Amitav Ghosh’s new non-fiction book ‘Smoke and Ashes: A Writer’s Journey Through Opium’s Hidden Histories’ to be released in July 2023
HarperCollins ‘ Fourth Estate publisher will publish a book titled ” Smoke and Ashes: A Writer’s Journey Through Opium’s Hidden Histories ” by Amitav Ghosh . The book is a combination of autobiography, travelogue, and an in-depth study of the economic and cultural history of opium. Ghosh explains that this book is based on extensive research done between 2005 and 2015 while writing his trilogy novel.
8. Tiger seen after 110 years in Haryana’s Kalesar National Park
Tiger has been seen after 110 years in Kalesar National Park located in Yamunanagar district of Haryana . Earlier in 1913, Bengal Tiger was seen in this park. This picture of Bengal tiger has been captured in the camera installed in the forest. In the Colonel Sherjung National Park of Simbalwara in the neighboring state of Himachal , the pictures were released after detecting the presence of Tiger in the last February. Now a mature tiger has been seen in the chicken beat area of Kalesar National Park. The activities of the tiger were being monitored by the Wildlife Department by installing night vision cameras at 10 places in the potential areas of the tiger.
9. Siddharth Mohanty appointed chairman of LIC till June 2024
The Central Government has appointed Siddharth Mohanty as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) till June 29, 2024 . After 29 June 2024, he will be the CEO and MD of LIC till June 2025. Mohanty will retire in June 2025. Mohanty, who is one of the four managing directors of LIC, was named interim chairman for three months in March. Prior to joining LIC as MD, Mohanty was serving as MD & CEO of LIC Housing Finance, one of the largest mortgage financiers in the country.
10. Agreement signed between Cummins and Tata Motors for production of clean technology products in India
Global power technology company, Cummins Inc. , has signed a definitive agreement with Tata Motors Ltd. to manufacture at least a range of zero emission technology products in India. The two companies have formed a new business entity, TCPL Green Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd (GES), under the existing JV in India, Tata Cummins Pvt Ltd (TCPL). The partnership aims to develop and manufacture sustainable technology products, including hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines, fuel delivery systems, battery electric powertrains and fuel energy cell electric systems through the Accelera by Cummins brand.
11. 68th Filmfare Awards 2023
Filmfare Awards 2023 has been announced. The 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards ceremony was attended by celebrities from the film industry. The awards were presented in association with Maharashtra Tourism . Alia Bhatt was given the Best Actress Award for her film ‘ Gangubai Kathiawadi ‘. While Rajkumar Rao was awarded the Best Actor Award for the film ‘ Badhaai Do ‘. Gangubai Kathiawadi is a film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.‘ was awarded the Best Film Award. Filmfare Awards are one of the oldest and most prestigious film awards in India, presented annually by The Times Group to honor artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi film industry. These awards were first introduced in 1954, making it one of the oldest film awards in India.
12. Ratan Tata gets Australia’s highest civilian honor
Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata has been awarded Australia ‘s highest honor Order of Australia (AO) . Australia’s Ambassador to India Barry O’Farrell announced this on Twitter. From Australia, Tata has been given for his efforts in strengthening India-Australia bilateral relations.
13. IIT-Kanpur launches cyber security skills program
IIT Kanpur ‘s Cyber Security Technology Innovation Hub (C3i Hub) in collaboration with the Department of Science & Technology , Government of India , has launched a cyber security skills training program under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). This skilling program, focused on models, tools and techniques to effectively manage security, seeks to provide students with a greater understanding of cyberspace and the technologic core of cyber problems. In addition, it also introduces real-time cyber security approaches and processes.
14. Shivalik Small Finance Bank partners with Arya.AG
Shivalik Small Finance Bank has partnered with grain commerce platform Arya.ag to provide warehouse receipt financing to small farmers . This partnership will help Arya.AG to promote financial inclusion for farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and offer loans under Warehouse Receipt Finance through Shivalik Small Finance Bank.
15. Fit India Champion Arjun Vajpayee climbs Mount Annapurna
Indian professional mountaineer Arjun Bajpai has become the first Indian male to climb Annapurna mountain , the 10th highest mountain in the world located in Nepal . Arjun completed the ascent at a height of 8091 meters above the ground on 17th April and has now become the first Indian to climb seven mountains above 8000 metres. Annapurna mountain is considered the most dangerous among the 14 mountains with a peak of 8,000 meters. Arjun has already set several mountaineering world records by climbing Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, Mount Makalu, Mount Kangchenjunga, Mount Manaslu and Cho-Ou. He now wants to become the first Indian to scale all the 14 mountains with 8000 meter peak in the world.
16. Reliance General becomes the first insurance company to accept CBDC
Reliance General Insurance , a subsidiary of Reliance Capital , has become the first company to accept eRupee (e₹) / Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) for premium payment . The insurer has partnered with Yes Bank to facilitate collection of premium in digital mode using the bank’s e-Rupee platform. E-Rupee is a digital token equivalent to a banknote, and is a legal tender or sovereign currency backed by the RBI. It removes all the issues of handling physical cash and provides the same anonymity as a banknote.
17. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty create history by winning men’s doubles title at Badminton Asia Championship
The pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty created history by winning the men’s doubles title at the Badminton Asia Championship in Dubai . The Indian pair won the Asian Badminton Championship title for the country after 58 years. Earlier, former Indian player Dinesh Khanna had won the gold medal in men’s singles in 1965 . He defeated Thailand’s Sangob Rattanusorn in the final in Lucknow. In the final, the Indian pair defeated Malaysian pair of Teo Ee Yee and Aung Yew Sin 21-16, 17-21, 21-19. Final matches of men’s and women’s singles were also played. Men’s Singles title Anthony Sinsuka Jinting of Indonesia won. He defeated Singapore’s Loh Ken Yew 21-12, 21-8. The women’s singles final was won by Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei . Ying defeated An Se Yang of Korea 21-10, 21-14.
18. Jaden Parriott becomes first Indian to reach podium in British F4 Championship in six years
Argentina Motorsport ‘s young Indian racing star Jaden Pariate showed his immense talent with a podium in the first round of the Rockit British F4 Championship at Donington Park here . He is only the second Indian to achieve an international podium in a Tatus F4 car after Kush Maini’s podium in 2017.
19. World Dance Day: 29 April
Every year on 29th April ‘ International Dance Day ‘ is celebrated globally. The value and importance of dance is celebrated on this day. The date of April 29 was chosen because it is the birthday of the famous French dance artist Jean-Georges Noverre , who was born in 1727, a ballet master and great reformer of dance.
20. International Jazz Day 2023: 30 April
To honor the origins of jazz and its global influence , the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated April 30 as International Jazz Day . Jazz, which is called the classical music of America, originated in New Orleans more than a century ago. In 2011, the UN and legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock collaborated to establish International Jazz Day.