NATIONAL NEWS

Education Ministry Shortlists 9,000 Schools for PM SHRI Scheme

• Education Ministry selected 9000 schools for Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme.

• 9,000 schools from across India have been shortlisted for the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) programme.

• These schools have been selected from 2.5 lakh government schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas.

• The schools have been selected on six parameters.

• Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme was approved by Union Cabinet on 05 September 2022.

• The Centre will disburse ₹18,128 crore to schools as its share under the PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) scheme.

1000 Cities to Be Garbage-Free By 2024

• Union Minister for Urban Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep S. Puri has said that by October 2024, a target has been set to make 1,000 cities in the country 3-star garbage-free cities.

• Shri Puri was addressing an event organized on the occasion of International Zero Waste Day 2023 in New Delhi.

• Referring to the progress of the GFC- Star Rating Protocol launched in January 2018 to encourage the spirit of competition and mission mode in the urban local bodies, he said that since its inception, the certification has picked up significantly.

• Urban India has become open defecation free (ODF).

• This has been achieved through 100 percent door-to-door waste collection in 97% wards and source segregation of waste by citizens in about 90% wards across all ULBs in the country.
• The campaign seeks to promote women’s participation and leadership in realizing the goals of waste-free cities.

BANKING

Geojit Credits Launches Digital Loan Against Mutual Fund Holdings

• Geojit Credits, a non-banking financial company, announced the launch of ‘Loan Against Mutual Fund’ (LAMF).

• Through this, investors can avail of quick and hassle-free loans starting from Rs 10,000 in the 100% digital mode.

• A LAMF allows investors to raise instant funds at attractive interest rates for their short-term liquidity requirements by keeping their mutual fund investments as collateral.

• Investors can avail of the loan anytime, and the loan amount will be credited to their registered bank account within a few hours.
• Investors can repay their loan amount without incurring any prepayment or foreclosure charges.

Bank Of Maharashtra Opens Its First Dedicated Branch for Startups

• Bank of Maharashtra (BoM), a premier public sector bank in the country, has inaugurated its first dedicated Branch for start-ups at Pune, Maharashtra.

• The dedicated branch will provide all kinds of support to a startup during its growth journey.

• Start-ups are an entrepreneur venture in the early stage of business operation, which if properly nurtured becomes an integral pillar of economic growth, employment generation while satisfying evolving needs of its clients with innovation.

• During the event Bank of Maharashtra signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) venture capital for proactive financing of start-ups.

PhonePe Launches E-Commerce Consumer App ‘Pincode’

• Walmart-owned fintech company PhonePe has launched a new consumer-facing application, Pincode, which will be integrated into India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) framework.

• At present, Pincode is only available in Bengaluru city and will soon be launched in other cities.

• Pincode is launching in 6 major categories, including grocery, food, pharma, electronics, home decor, and fashion.

• The app, which will focus on hyperlocal commerce, is downloadable from Google Play and App store.

• Pincode is built on the ONDC network, which allows us to generate demand for merchants digitised by various seller platforms in an inclusive manner, while creating new opportunities for growth and driving innovation at scale.

ECONOMY

World Bank Lowers India’s FY24 Growth Forecast To 6.3%

• The World Bank has lowered its forecast for India’s economic growth in the current fiscal year that started on 01 April to 6.3% from 6.6%.

• Asia’s third-largest economy recorded year-on-year growth of 4.4% in October-December, down from 11.2% a year back and 6.3% in the preceding quarter

• The World Bank estimated a 6.9% growth in FY23.

• It projected the current account deficit to narrow to 2.1% of gross domestic product for the current fiscal year from an estimated 3% in the previous year, on the back of robust service exports and a narrowing merchandise trade deficit.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

IGIA Enters the Busiest Airports Club

• Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) ranks ninth in the list of top ten busiest airports in the world, according to data from the Airports Council International (ACI).

• For the first time, an Indian airport has made it to the list of top ten airports in terms of traffic.

• As per ACI report, Delhi airport is expected to handle more than 5.94 crore passengers in 2022.

• As a result of this achievement, IGIA has jumped from 17th position in pre-Covid 2019 to 9th position, according to ACI data.

• Mumbai is India's second busiest airport.
• In terms of traffic, five of the top ten airports are from the US.

FIFA Rankings 2023

• The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) released the latest rankings of international football teams.

• Argentina topped the FIFA rankings for the first time in six years.

• The top five teams in the FIFA rankings as of April 2023 are Argentina, France, Brazil, Belgium and England.

• The next FIFA World Rankings will be published on 20 July 2023.

• FIFA is the governing body for association football, beach soccer and futsal at the international level.

• FIFA has 211 member associations, making it one of the largest international organisations in the world.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Order of the White Eagle, Poland's Highest Honour

• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest award.

• The award was given to him for his exceptional services to protect security, resilience and human rights.

• The Order of the White Eagle is a prestigious and highly regarded decoration of the Republic of Poland, awarded for outstanding civil and military contributions to the country.

• It is considered the oldest and highest decoration in Poland, whose history dates back to the 14th century.

• In recent years, the award has been awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to Polish–Ukrainian relations and to the promotion of democracy and human rights in the region.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

President of NRAI

• Senior Vice President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo assumed charge as the President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

• He replaced Raninder Singh.

• NRAI was established in 1951 with the objective of promoting and popularizing shooting sports in India.

• It is affiliated to the International Shooting Sport Federation, Asian Shooting Confederation, Commonwealth Shooting Federation, South Asian Shooting Confederation and Indian Olympic Association.

President, CEO And MD of Honda Motors

• Honda Motor Company Limited appointed Tsutsumu Otani as the new President, CEO and Managing Director of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India.

• Otani was serving as vice president of Honda Motor in Japan and took over from Atsushi Ogata.

• Otani began his career with Honda Japan in 1997 and has held several leadership positions within the company.
• It is a multinational conglomerate manufacturer based in Japan and this company manufactures automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment.

UEFA President

• Aleksandar Ceferin was re-elected as the President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

• He was first time elected as the seventh president of UEFA in 2016, succeeding Michel Platini.

• Ceferin's new term will last for another four years till 2027.

• The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is responsible for governing association football, futsal and beach soccer in Europe.

DEFENCE

India and U.S. Air Exercise ‘Cope India’ Begins

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the US Air Force (USAF) are set to conduct the Cope India exercise from 10 April to 21 April 2023 at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.

• The Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) participated in Cope India as an observer for the first time in December 2018 based on the Agreement of Defence Ministerial Meeting on August 20, 2018.

• The IAF is set to field its frontline fighters SU-30MKI, Rafale and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft along with force multipliers, while the U.S. Air Force is expected to bring in F-15 fighter jets.
• It is a bilateral joint exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF).
• Cope India began in 2004 as a fighter training exercise.
• The exercise will enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two air forces.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Space Policy 2023

• The Union government has approved the Indian Space Policy 2023.
• Its aim is to boost the country's space department's role and give a larger participation to research, academia, startups, and industry.
• The policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and private sector entities.
• The policy will enhance the role of India's Department of Space, promote research, education, start-ups and industry.
• The policy is expected to provide a framework for the country's space sector for the next decade.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Health Day

• World Health Dayis observed every year on 07 April.

• It is to draw global attention to a specific health issue that affects people around the world.

• The theme of World Health Day 2023 is "Health for All", reflecting the achievements of public health over the past seven decades in enhancing the quality of life of people.

• The theme emphasises the need for the world to take necessary measures to deal with current and future health challenges.
• World Health Day aims to promote awareness and draw global attention to a specific health issue that affects people around the world.