NATIONAL NEWS

Project-SMART for Station Area Development

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Ministry of Railways jointly signed an MoU with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for ‘Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail’ (Project-SMART).
• Project-SMART envisages developing areas around Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) stations to enhance accessibility and convenience for commuters and other stakeholders.
• The project will facilitate institutional capacity of state governments, municipal corporations and urban development authorities for planning, development and management of areas around MAHSR stations.
• MoUs were signed for four high speed rail stations – Sabarmati, Surat in Gujarat and Virar and Thane in Maharashtra.

Indian Air Force Heritage Center in Chandigarh

• Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Indian Air Force Heritage Center in Chandigarh.
• The Heritage Center displayed artefacts, simulators and interactive boards highlighting various aspects of operations in the Indian Air Force.
• The centre also displayed vintage aircraft and underlined the important role played by the Air Force in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as well as its combat capabilities.
• The Heritage Center aims to inspire the youth of Chandigarh to pursue a career in the Indian Air Force.
• The inauguration of the Indian Air Force Heritage Center was a momentous event that celebrated the history, achievements and contribution of the Indian Air Force to the nation.

Indian Firm UPL to Establish Millets Model Farm

• UPL, an agrochemical and speciality chemicals company, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Republic of Guyana to establish a 200-acre ‘Millets Model Farm’.
• The company will study various millet varieties to identify those that are suitable for cultivation and consumption in Guyana.
• UPL will provide technical expertise and select agriculture inputs, while Guyana will provide land for the local farm operation.
• The year 2023 has been designated as the International Year of Millets, and the Indian government is making great efforts to establish India as the global centre for millets.
• In New Delhi’s Dilli Haat, the Millets Experience Centre (MEC) was recently opened by India’s Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar.

BANKING

HDFC Bank Launches Customised Relationship Program

• HDFC Bank launched its retail banking programme ‘Vishesh’ for customers in semi-urban and rural geographies wherein it plans to onboard around 1 lakh new customers.
• As a part of this, the bank plans to add more branches and launch customised, tailor-made products and financial solutions for this market segment.
• This move will help the bank meet some of its Priority Sector Lending (PSL) targets.
• HDFC Bank will look to add 675 branches in semi-urban and rural geographies in FY24 to take the total number to nearly 5,000.

Max Life Partners with Capital Small Finance Bank

• Capital Small Finance Bank Limited and Max Life Insurance Company Limited entered into a partnership to offer life insurance offerings to Capital SFB’s customers.
• Through this tie-up, Max Life and Capital SFB will offer their customers a range of savings, protection, retirement, and group life insurance plans.
• Max Life will pave the way for the bank customers across the branches and other partnership channels, to access and avail innovative, flexible and varied life insurance products.
• Prior to Max Life, Capital Small Finance Bank has also partnered with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Limited and HDFC life insurance Limited to provide their life insurance products to its customers.

Cashfree Payments Tie up with YES Bank

• Cashfree Payments and YES Bank have partnered to offer ‘Global Collections’, an international collection service for exporters, who are account holders of YES Bank.
• Under this partnership, the bank’s account holders will be able to collect payments in over 30 foreign currencies using the Global Collections service.
• The funds so received can then be converted into rupee and settled into their local bank account in India within one business day.
• The products will also provide clients with dedicated facilities in 4 different currencies, United States dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), pound sterling (GBP), and Canadian Dollar (CAD).
• Exporters will be able to share their payment collection details with their buyers over email, SMS or WhatsApp, and the buyers will be able to make payments using local rails like Automated Clearing House (ACH), Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), etc.
• Exporters will receive their settlements in an INR format in their local bank accounts in India and will be able to get foreign inward remittances advice within 24 hours.
• The launch of Global Collections will empower the exporters to have real-time access and control over their payments and collections journey.

Ma-Money App

• Tapping huge business opportunities in the digital lending platform, Manappuram Finance has ventured into the sector with the introduction of an app called Ma-Money to offer hassle-free loans at the click of a mouse.
• The objective of introducing the new app, which will cover all the products of the company under one umbrella, is to make the loan process simpler, quicker, and more convenient.
• The digital lending market is expected to touch $350 billion by the end of 2023 at a growth rate of 11 to 12% annually.
• The app will cater to all segments but will focus on tier 2 and 3 cities as that’s where the growth is expected to come from.

SPORTS

Asian Weightlifting Championships

• Indian weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga won the silver medal in the snatch event at the Asian Weightlifting Championship held in Jinju, Korea.
• Jeremy Lalrinnunga, 20, won the silver medal in the snatch event with a lift of 141 kg in the 67 kg category.
• He became the only Indian weightlifter to win a medal at the Asian Weightlifting Championship in 2023.
• The gold medal in the 67 kg weight category went to China's He Yuji, who finished the event with a higher weight than Lalrinnunga.
• It is an event focused on weightlifting and is organised by the Asian Weightlifting Federation.
• This championship is specially designed for athletes from Asian countries.

Chong Wei and Lin Dan elected to BWF Hall of Fame

• China’s Lin Dan and Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei have been elected to the 2023 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Hall of Fame.
• Lee and Lin, who retired in 2019 and 2020 respectively after glorious careers, will be inducted at a ceremony on May 26 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia.
• Chong Wei and Lin Dan had dominated the men’s singles for two decades until their retirements in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
• Chong Wei finished with 47 World Tour titles and was ranked world No. 1 for 349 weeks.
• Meanwhile, Lin Dan captured two Olympics gold medals and five world titles.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO Successfully Launched Star Berry Sense Payload

• The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched a low-cost star sensor called Star Berry Sense on board its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-55 rocket.
• The Star Berry Sense payload developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), was launched.
• The objective is to image the field of view, identify stars, and calculate the spacecraft’s pointing direction.
• The Star Berry Sense sensor calculates the pointing direction by identifying the stars in its field of view.
• The star sensor provides the most accurate information about a spacecraft’s orientation.
• Star Berry Sense was mounted on ISRO’s PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM), which provides a stable platform for our payload to operate from.
• POEM is a unique initiative by ISRO that utilises the spent 4th stage of the PSLV as an orbital platform for carrying out scientific experiments.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Laughter Day

• Every year World Laughter Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May and this year world laughter day falls on 07 May.

• Every year on the first Sunday of May, world laughter day was observed to promote awareness about laughter and its health benefits.

• World Laughter Day is celebrated in 1998 when Dr Madan Kataria announced the first celebration of this day on May 10.

• Dr Madan Kataria, established World Laughter Day in 1998.

• He is the founder of the Laughter Yoga Movement.

• The main aim of this world laughter day is to make us aware of the countless benefits of laughter in leading a healthy and fulfilling life.

World Athletics Day

• World Athletics Day is celebrated every year on 07 May.

• This Day is observed to raise awareness about the Athletics.

• The theme for World Athletics Day 2023 is ‘Athletics for All – A New Beginning’.

• This day was launched to honor the sportsperson who is having the responsibility to pride the nation.

• This day was first observed in 1996 and it was launched by International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) President Primo Nebiolo.
• The World Athletics Federation and International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) organized sports events in all schools and colleges every year.

World Thalassaemia Day

• World Thalassaemia day is celebrated every year on 08 May.
• This day is celebrated to raise awareness about the struggles of patients suffering from genetic disorders and raise awareness about Thalassaemia.
• The International Thalassaemia Day 2023 theme is ‘Be Aware. Share. Care: Strengthening Education to Bridge the Thalassaemia Care Gap.’
• In 1994, Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) established 08 May as Thalassaemia Day.
• This day was observed in the memory of George Englezos who was the son of Thalassaemia International Federation’s (TIF) president and founder.

OBITUTARY

Tamil Actor-Director Manobala

• Veteran Tamil actor, comedian, director, and producer Manobala passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN). He was at the age 0f 69.

• His official name was Balachander and Manobala was his stage name.

• In his career spanning over 35 years, he acted in over 900 films.

• He made his debut as a director with Aagaya Gangai in 1982.

• Some of his popular films include Pillai Nila, Oorkaavalan, En Purushanthaan Enakku Mattumthaan, Karuppu Vellai, Mallu Vetti Minor and Paarambariyam,
• His last films were Ghosty and Kondraal Paavam.