1. President confers 3 Padma Vibhushan, 8 Padma Bhushan and 55 Padma Shri awards at the civil investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan
President Smt. Draupadi Murmu presented 3 Padma Vibhushan, 8 Padma Bhushan and 55 Padma Shri awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan. On this occasion, Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah and many ministers of the Government of India and other dignitaries were present. President Murmu honored former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for his contribution in public life, Bharatnatyam dancer Dr Padma Subramaniam was awarded Padma Vibhushan in the field of arts. Bindeshwar Pathak was also awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumously in the field of social work. The President also honored actor Mithun Chakraborty with the Padma Bhushan for his dynamic acting in Bengali and Hindi cinema. In the field of arts, renowned singer Usha Uthup, Dr. Chandreshwar Prasad Thakur were awarded Padma Bhushan for his lifetime contribution to research and policy on Kala-azar. Apart from this, Padma Bhushan awards were given to veteran Marathi film director Dattatraya Ambadas Mayalu and veteran politician and former Union Minister Ram Naik in the public sector in the field of arts. Veteran tennis player Rohan Bopanna received the Padma Shri award for his contribution in the field of sports. Other Padma Shri recipients include renowned wood carver Ghulam Nabi Dar from Jammu and Kashmir, tribal farmer Sarbeshwar Basumatary from Assam, surgeon Dr Prema Dhanraj and Ayurveda doctor Manohar Krishna Dole.
2 AFMS and IIT Delhi sign MoU for collaborative research and training
Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi for collaborative research and training . The MoU was signed by Lieutenant General Daljit Singh, Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, and Professor Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi. The scope of this MoU includes carrying out research and innovation to develop novel medical devices and focus on solving health issues related to soldiers serving in different areas.
3 INSV Tarini returns after historic transoceanic expedition of women officers of Indian Navy
Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini has triumphantly returned to her base port in Goa on 21 April 2024 after a historic transoceanic expedition of almost two months duration . The operation was conducted in double-handed mode by Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Rupa A, women officers of the Indian Navy. Their extraordinary journey is a historic milestone as they are the first two women from India to achieve such a feat. The expedition was flagged off from Goa on 28 February 2024 by the renowned navigator and his mentor Commander Abhilash Tomy (Retd) . INSV Tarini reached Port Louis, Mauritius on 21 March 2024 after a 22-day journey through the unpredictable elements of the Indian Ocean. Both officers are now preparing for their next monumental voyage, Vishwa Parikrama (Sagar Parikrama – IV expedition) on board INSV Tarini, which is scheduled to commence in September this year.
4 Kaushik Rajasekhar awarded International Fellowship by the Engineering Academy of Japan
Kaushik Rajasekhar, distinguished professor at the Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, has been elected as an International Fellow of the prestigious Academy of Engineering of Japan . Professor Kaushik Rajasekhar , originally from a small village in Karnataka, has been selected for his contributions to power conversion and electrification of transport. The Academy said Rajasekhar’s selection as an International Fellow was particularly in recognition of “his work in energy “Recognizes his contributions to outstanding scientific research and scientific-technological advances that promote greater efficiency and environmental protection for energy sources on Earth in the interest of all mankind.”
5 Intel appointed Santosh Vishwanathan as the company’s MD for Indian business.
Intel Corporation has announced the appointment of new executives to its Sales, Marketing and Communications Group (SMG). This restructuring is part of the company’s ongoing transformation initiative. Computer chip maker Intel has appointed Santosh Vishwanathan as the company’s managing director (MD) for India. Vishwanathan has been associated with Intel for almost 21 years.
6 Citroen India appoints MS Dhoni as brand ambassador
On April 21, French automaker Citroën has appointed former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the brand ambassador of Citroën India . Dhoni will advertise the products for this company for two years.
7 Everest and 4 spices of MDH banned in Hong Kong
On April 21, Hong Kong has banned the sale of curry spices of MDH Private Limited and Everest Food Products Limited . This decision was taken due to the high quantity of carcinogenic pesticide ethylene oxide in the products of both the companies . Before Hong Kong, Singapore authorities had also issued an order to recall Everest’s fish curry spice from the market for the same reason.
8 RuPay launches ‘Link It, Forget It’ campaign in IPL 2024 to promote credit cards on UPI
RuPay in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched the ‘ Link It, Forget It ‘ campaign during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The initiative aims to showcase seamless integration of RuPay credit cards with UPI. The emphasis was on the convenience of leaving the physical wallet behind.
9 Airtel Payments Bank launches NCMC-enabled debit and prepaid cards
Airtel Payments Bank has launched NCMC-aligned debit and prepaid cards powered by RuPay in collaboration with NPCI . These cards are designed to support India’s One Nation, One Card initiative. Savings account holders can avail NCMC-enabled debit cards, while wallet users can opt for prepaid cards. Crafted from eco-friendly E-PVC material, these cards offer versatility in payment options including offline transit transactions, online shopping and enhanced security with EMV chip security.
10 World’s first ‘Miss AI’ beauty pageant announced with AI judges
For the first time in the world, models and influencers created entirely through artificial intelligence will compete in a beauty pageant called ” Miss AI “. The winner of the pageant will receive $20,000 in prize money, making it the world’s first AI beauty pageant. Contestants will be judged on the basis of their online presence, looks and the technical skills put into creating them. The competition will be held on May 10 and the winners will be announced during an online awards ceremony at the end of the month. AI-generated influencers will be evaluated based on their number of engagements with fans, audience growth rate and usage of platforms. A release from the World AI Creator Awards (WAICA) said the contestants’ social clout will be assessed using these parameters. The pageant will be judged by a panel of four members, including two AI influencers, Aitana Lopez and Emily Pellegrini, who have over 300,000 and 250,000 followers respectively on Instagram. The other two judges will be humans, Andrew Bloch, an entrepreneur and PR consultant, and Sally-Ann Fawcett, a beauty pageant historian and author. The first prize is $5,000 cash, which will be awarded to the Miss AI winner (or the creator behind it), along with Fanview promotion and PR support.
11 GMR Hyderabad International Airport receives Skytrax Award for ‘Best Airport Staff’
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) has been awarded the ‘ Best Airport Staff in India and South Asia 2024 ‘ award by Skytrax . The announcement took place on April 17 during the Passenger Terminal Expo 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany. This recognition underlines the exceptional quality of service provided by the airport staff on various fronts, which is assessed through careful audit and evaluation.
12 Deepika Soreng honored with Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award
Hockey India has honored Indian women’s hockey team forward Deepika Soreng with the prestigious Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Emerging Player of the Year . Deepika Soreng expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Hockey India on being honored with the award. Deepika was honored with this award for her outstanding performance during the year 2023. She made her debut for the team at the Women’s Junior Asia Cup, scoring 7 goals in 6 matches to help the team win the gold medal and emerged as the second highest goalscorer for the team in the tournament.
13 Takshavi Vaghani made Guinness World Record in skating
6 year old Takshvi Vaghani has made a Guinness World Record in skating . Takshavi Vaghan holds the record for lowest limb skating by 25 meters – 16 cm . Guinness Book has shared the video of Takshavi skating on its Twitter. Takshvi is a resident of Ahmedabad, Gujarat . Takshavi had made this record in his name on March 10. Before Takshvi, this record was in the name of Manasvi Vishal of Pune. In limbo skating, the legs are passed under long rods wearing roller skates.
14 Indian Para shuttlers won 22 medals including 6 gold in the Spanish Para Badminton Championships
Indian para shuttlers performed brilliantly at the Spanish Para Badminton Championships in Vitoria , winning 22 medals including six gold . Tarun won the SL-4 category gold by defeating Sukant Kadam, while world champion Suhas LY won the bronze medal. In SL-3 category, Nitish Kumar won gold by defeating Manoj Sarkar, Jagdesh got bronze medal. Nityashree won the gold in women’s SH-6 category. Nitesh along with Tulsimati won gold in mixed doubles SL-3, SU-5. Kohli and Celik won the gold medal in women’s doubles SL-3, SU-5 category. Manisha Ramdas won the gold in women’s SU-5 category.
15 Earth Day: 22 April
Earth Day is celebrated every year on 22 April . Earth Day was formally proposed by John McConnell at the UNESCO Conference on the Environment in 1969. Later in 1971, a declaration was signed by UN Secretary-General U Thant to celebrate International Earth Day annually on the Vernal Equinox and it was first celebrated in 1970. The day is celebrated every year in more than 193 countries since April 22 and celebrations are coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. Its theme in the year 2024 is – ‘ Planet vs Plastic ‘. The objective of this theme is to end the use of single use plastic and to emphasize on the search for its alternatives.