NATIONAL NEWS

Meghalaya Games-2022

• In Meghalaya, the 4th edition of Meghalaya Games-2022 began at various sports facilities in Shillong.

• A total of over 2,500 athletes from 19 different disciplines are participating in the mega sports event held as part of the 50th Statehood Day Celebrations.
• The Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre at NEHU will host seven disciplines - archery, athletics, men's football, gymnastics, weightlifting, karate and table tennis.

Chhattisgarh Hikes Dearness Allowance (DA)

• The Chhattisgarh government announced to hike the Dearness Allowance (DA) for its employees on the occasion of International Labour Day, May 1.
• From the existing 17%, it has now been increased to 22% which would be effective from May 1, 2022.
• In March 2022, the Union Government announced a 3-percentage point hike each in their Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) to provide relief from rising prices.
• The DA of serving and retired central government employees has been increased to 34% of basic pay from 31%.

First Greenfield Grain based Ethanol Production Plant

• An investment of Rs. 105-crore greenfield grain-based ethanol plant was inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Purnea, Bihar.
• It is India's first greenfield grain-based plant and was developed under Bihar Ethanol Production Promotion Policy 2021.
• The plant is set to produce 65,000 litres of ethanol per day with 150 tonnes of maize and rice every day.
• The ethanol plant has been built using the latest technology and will not discharge any waste, making it a zero-liquid discharge plant.
• The produced ethanol will be sold only to Indian oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan petroleum in the state.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Extends Its Current Credit Line to Sri Lanka

• India has extended its current credit line by a further USD 200 million.

• Four shipments are due to arrive in May 2022.
• The credit is to restore Sri Lanka's rapidly depleting fuel stocks.
• Sri Lanka is currently in the crisis of an unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948.
• Sri Lanka has utilised USD 400 million from the USD 500 million credit line extended by India in March and April in 2022.
• Sri Lanka’s overall inflation surged to nearly 30% in April from 18.7% recorded in March 2022.

Triangular Development Cooperation

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze met on 2 May 2022 in Berlin.

• They signed agreements on triangular development cooperation and renewable energy partnership in May 2022.

• Jaishankar also met his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock and signed an agreement on a direct encrypted connection between the two foreign offices.
• They also signed a joint declaration on agroecology and sustainable management of natural resources virtually.
• The transfer of technology and scientific knowledge will be promoted by encouraging exchanges, partnerships and research collaboration with the private sector.
• Under this initiative, Germany's Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development will provide up to 300 million Euros by the year 2025 for financial and technical cooperation for projects.

BANKING

HDFC ERGO Launches ‘Pay as You Drive’

• HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company launched its ‘Pay as you Drive’ program.

• It is an insurance solution that offers distance-based insurance to reduce upfront costs of premium.

• The program will be available for owners of new Maruti Suzuki cars in selected cities till May 14, 2022.
• According to HDFC, this policy will be best suited for those customers who prefer to drive less.
• under the regulatory sandbox, it is applicable for 10,000 policies or Rs. 50 lakhs of premium that comes earlier and is being offered exclusively through Maruti Suzuki Insurance Broking Private Limited.
• The driving distance will be measured with the assistance of a telematics device in the vehicle and enabling customers to save between 10-20% of their ‘Own Damage’ premium

Account Aggregator Framework- Union Bank

• The Union Bank of India is the first public sector bank to join the Account Aggregator (AA) ecosystem.

• The Account Aggregator Ecosystem enables Lenders to use digital data obtained with customers' consent to provide a seamless journey for customers and eliminate the need for physical documents.

• The framework makes it possible for regulated businesses to share financial data in real-time.
• The Reserve Bank of India has granted AAs permission to facilitate data flow between Financial Information Providers (FIPs) and Financial Information Users (FIUs).

SPORTS

IWF Junior World Championships

• Weightlifter Harshada Sharad Garud, become the first Indian to win a gold medal at the IWF Junior World Championships at Heraklion in Greece.

• She lifted 153-kilogram in the 45-kilogram weight category, which included 70 kilograms in Snatch and 83 kilograms in Clean and Jerk to finish on top of the podium.

• Anjali Patel finished fifth with a total effort of 148 kilograms which included 67 kilograms in snatch and 81 kilograms in clean and jerk, in the same 45-kilogram category.
• There are only two Indians to win a medal in IWF Junior World Championships namely Mirabai Chanu, won a bronze in 2013 and Achinta Sheuli won a silver in 2021.

Fourth Fastest Man in 200 Meters

• Erriyon Knighton, an American teenager, finished as the fourth fastest man in the 200 meters in April 2022 at the Baton Rouge meet.

• His timing was 19.49 seconds which crossed his own world record in under-20 with a timing of 19.84 seconds in the same competition.

• He placed him behind only Jamaica’s world record holder Usain Bolt (19.19sec), another Jamaican Yohan Blake (19.26) and American Michael Johnson (19.32).

AWARDS & PRIZES

ENBA Award 2021

• TV series based on pet care ‘Best Friend Forever’ on Doordarshan has won the Exchange4media News Broadcasting Awards (ENBA).

• Best Friend Forever is half-an-hour weekly live phone-in show on DD National, where two pet experts guide people on how to take care of their pets about their food, nutrition, routine health check-ups, vaccination and other pet related issues.
• ENBA Awards celebrate remarkable work done by leaders in the media industry. This year marks the 14^th edition.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Director of New Corbett Tiger Reserve

• Naresh Kumar has been appointed as the new Director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand.
• He is an Indian Forest Service officer of the 1999 batch.
• Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Girija Shankar Pandey has been given the additional charge of CEO Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

Advisor to PM Narendra Modi

• The Government of India appointed retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former Petroleum Secretary Tarun Kapoor as an advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Kapoor, a 1987 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), retired as Petroleum Secretary in 2021.
• He has earlier served as the Vice-Chairman of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and as an additional Chief Secretary in the government of Himachal Pradesh.

Member of Monetary Policy Committee

• The central board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the nomination of executive director Rajiv Ranjan as an ex-officio member of the monetary policy committee.

• Ranjan replaces Mridul Saggar.

• Ranjan has been with the central bank for over 33 years and was recently the head of the department of economic and policy research, a department aligned with the monetary policy and research function of RBI.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Laughter Day

• World Laughter Day is observed every year on the first Sunday of May.

• For the year 2022 it is marked on 01 May.

• The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the benefits of laughter as laughter is the best medicine.
• It was first celebrated on May 10, 1998.

World Tuna Day

• World Tuna Day is observed every year on 02 May.

• The day is celebrated to spread awareness about Tuna fish and its importance to humans and planet earth.

• The day also promotes the importance of sustainable fishing practices and educates the world on how tuna have become endangered species due to the high demand for their meat.
• World Tuna Day was established in December 2016 by the United Nations General Assembly, with an aim to preserve endangered species.

World Press Freedom Day

• World Press Freedom Day is celebrated every year on 03 May.

• This day celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

• The theme for the day is ‘Journalism under digital siege’.
• United Nations General Assembly in 1993 declared May 03 as the world press Freedom Day.