NATIONAL NEWS

India’s First International Multimodal Logistics Park

• Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed progress of India’s first International Multi Modal Logistics Park in Jogighopa, Assam.
• The park is likely to be completed within 2023.
• The park is being developed under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana.
• The park will be connected to road, rail, air and waterways.
• This is being developed in 317-acre land along the Brahmaputra.
• The MMLP will have all the facilities like, warehouse, railway siding, cold storage, custom clearance house, yard facility, workshops, petrol pumps, truck parking, administrative building, boarding lodging, eating joints, water treatment plant, etc.

Electric Bus Service in Mumbai

• Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Shri Eknath Shinde launched electric Shivneri bus services between Mumbai and Pune.
• The inaugural ceremony was held at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill.
• He also launched a campaign, named after Bal Thackeray, for cleanliness and beautification of bus stands.
• The new e-buses have a passenger-seating capacity of 43, besides seats for the driver and the co-driver.
• The manufacturer, Olectra Greentech Limited, has claimed that the buses can travel up to 250 kilometres on a single charge.
• Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) received a total of 8e-buses, with 6 yet to get clearance from the regional transport office (RTO).
• In another development, actor Makarand Anaspure has been appointed as the ‘goodwill ambassador’ for MSRTC.

Reading Habit Among Children in Villages

• In a bid to encourage children in villages to promote the habit of reading, the Bihar government has started ‘Didi ki library’, established under Jeevika.

• At least 100 libraries have been opened in 32 districts.
• Community Library and Career Development Centres (CLCDCs) have also been set up in many blocks of Bihar.
• There are a total of 12,318 members registered in all the 100 community libraries, of which about 80 per cent are girls.
• Till now, 63 government buildings have been taken over for the purpose, while the remaining 37 are being developed in private houses hired by Jeevika.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

MoU for Cooperation on Industrial Research and Development

• India and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance industrial research and development cooperation in high-tech areas such as AI, quantum, semiconductors, healthcare, aerospace, sustainable energy and agriculture.

• The MoU will focus on specific projects and will be monitored by a Joint Steering Committee to ensure effective implementation.

• It is a type of agreement between two or more parties that expresses a shared intention to take a common line of action.

• MOUs are often used by many companies and government agencies to define relationships between departments, agencies, or closely related companies.

Statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mauritius

• Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mauritius.
• The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth and members of the Mauritius Marathi Mandali Federation.
• Fadnavis highlighted Maharashtra's potential as a major industrial and investment destination in India.
• Fadnavis participated in the Indo-Mauritius Business Forum and signed an MoU to promote trade between Mauritius and Maharashtra.
• He also announced a grant of Mauritius Rupees 44 million for the construction of a multi-purpose hall and a scholarship for 10 students.
• Fadnavis also attended a cultural event with Prime Minister Jugnauth and interacted with members of the Maharashtrian community in Mauritius.

BANKING

G20 Techsprint Competition Launched by RBI and BIS

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) launched the G20 TechSprint 2023 competition for cross-border payments innovation.

• The competition focuses on three problem statements: AML/CFT, sanctions technology and CBDC platform.

• The competition is open to global innovators and aims to showcase innovative technology solutions for cross border payments.

• TechSprint fosters collaboration between financial institutions, technology providers and stakeholders to develop innovative solutions for cross-border payments.

IPPB Ties up with Forum of Industry Academic Knowledge Sharing

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has partnered with the Forum of Industry Academic Knowledge Sharing (FIAKS) platform to provide digital literacy and spread awareness among postmen (or Gramin Dak Sevaks) to avoid digital frauds.

• FIAKS, a cross-border platform comprising over 5,000 members, will carry out research, development, and designing of digital content under the programme FIAKS Digital Shiksha Prasaar Abhiyaan along with other partners.

• The body will provide virtual and physical training to the postmen identified by IPPB.

Pine Labs Partners with ICICI Bank

• Pine Labs, a merchant commerce omni channel platform, has announced the acceptance of Digital Rupee (e Rupee) on its PoS (Point of Sale) terminals in partnership with ICICI Bank.
• The technology integration between the two entities will now support e₹ acceptance at Pine Labs’ point-of-sale terminals across key retail outlets in Mumbai, Maharashtra and Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Pine Labs’ execution of the Digital Rupee payment process is completely digital via dynamic QR built within its smart Android PoS terminals.
• This would present a seamless payment option to the users and improve the operational efficiency of merchants with Pine Labs PoS terminals.

SPORTS

Global Chess League

• The Global Chess League (GCL) announced Dubai as the inaugural edition of the world's largest and first franchise-based chess league.

• The league is a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, and will be organised in association with the Dubai Sports Council as the host partner.

• The vision of the league is to bring the game of chess to new audiences and create an ecosystem for the game, providing a platform for champions from around the world to showcase their chess potential.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship Explodes 4 minutes after take-off

• The Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s Starship, world’s biggest rocket, exploded during its first test-flight to space from Boca Chica in Texas.

• The test was the first for the spacecraft manufacturer’s Starship spacecraft (the carrier) and Super Heavy rocket (the booster), collectively referred to as Starship.

• The Starship rocket is the world’s most powerful rocket ever built.

• The project comprises a rocket called Super Heavy Rocket and a spacecraft attached to its top called the Starship.

• Starship is around 120 metres in height, with Super Heavy being 69 m tall and Starship being 50 m tall.
• Starships represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai to Publish 12 Books

• Twelve books written by Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, in English and Malayalam, are being released in Delhi, Goa and Kerala in April and May.
• With the release of these books, the Governor will have authored 200 books in over five decades of public life.
• The books will be exhibited at specific centres after the release.
• The celebrations of completing 50 years of amazing writing will be done in Kozhikode.
• Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will release two of these books in Kozhikode on April 28 and on May 02, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will release one of the books in Thiruvananthapuram.

OBITUTARY

Olympic And World Title Winning Star Athlete 'Tori Bowie'

• Star athlete Tori Bowie's management company announced that the US sprinter and long jumper, who won three Olympic medals and two world titles, passed away. He was at the age of 32.

• Bowie was raised by her grandmother in the rural environment of Mississippi (USA). She switched to long jump in 2014 and became the fastest woman in the world that year.

• Bowie also took silver in the 100m, bronze in the 4x100m relay and gold in the 200m at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
• Bowie became world champion in 2017 by winning the world 100m title in London.
• She finished fourth at the 2019 World Long Jump Championships in Doha, her last major competition.