NATIONAL NEWS

Third Edition of The Jammu Film Festival Begins

• In Jammu and Kashmir, the third edition of the Jammu Film Festival, sponsored by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department, began with a grand opening at Abhinav Theatre.

• The festival featured parallel screenings of 25 feature films, short films and documentaries from Iran, India, France and the United States.

• The inaugural section of the festival featured short films and a documentary from countries such as Iran, India, France and the United States.

• The festival aims to promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir and provide a platform to filmmakers to showcase their talent.
• About 25 feature films, short films and documentaries were screened on the first day of the festival.

Ladakh’s Wood Carving Gets GI Tag

• Exquisite Ladakh wood carvings, also known as 'Ladakh Shingskos', have been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

• This is the first time in the history of GI registration that Jammu region has got GI tag for handicrafts.

• Wood carving is a traditional art form in the handicraft sector and is part of the five major areas of knowledge in the traditional education system of Ladakh.

• The craft of woodcarving is an integral part of the social and religious spheres of life.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Spring Annual Meetings of IMF- World Bank

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is on a visit to the USA to attend the Spring Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - World Bank.

• Finance ministers and central bankers from around the world will participate in the meeting.

• The meeting is scheduled to take place from April 9 at the IMF headquarters in Washington DC.

• On the sidelines of the Spring Annual Meetings, Sitharaman will hold bilateral talks with her respective counterparts from G20 countries and heads of other delegations.

• Sitharaman and Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das will jointly chair the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, FMCBG meeting on April 12.
• The focus will be on addressing food and energy insecurity, managing global debt vulnerabilities, strengthening multilateral development banks,etc.

BANKING

Axis Bank Introduces ‘Digital Dukaan’

• Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, in partnership with Visa announced the launch of an app ‘Digital Dukaan’.

• It is a comprehensive digital offering that will empower merchants to accept payments through various digital modes and also enable them to manage their day-to-day business digitally.

• The Digital Dukaan’ has been specifically designed to address business requirements such as accepting digital payments, inventory management and billing, among others.

• It will also enable merchants to set up an online store and grow their business effortlessly by creating new channels.

Canara Bank Launches Premium Payroll Account

• Canara Bank has introduced ‘Premium Payroll Package’ for the Salary account holders with competitive features.

• The product has been designed to meet all Banking requirements of Salaried Customers.

• Canara Bank’s customers can avail this facility across all its branches in India.

• Unique features include Free Term Life Insurance, Insta over Draft, Free Personal and Air Accident Insurance coverage and Premium Cards.

SIB Partners with Cholamandalam MS General Insurance

• South Indian Bank Limited (SIB) has announced partnership with Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd (Chola MS) to offer health and general insurance products.

• This partnership would enable customers of South Indian Bank to access the diverse range of insurance products offered by Cholamandalam MS General Insurance, thus fulfilling their need for protection against damage/ loss.

• The arrangement aims to enrich the bank’s insurance offerings by enabling its customers to access the product via the wide network of bank branches PAN India.
• The key product offerings include: personal accident cover, home and property insurance, farmer care, EMI insurance, home package and retail health.

SPORTS

Khelo India Games Certificates with Digilocker

• Sports Authority of India has integrated Khelo India Games certificates with DigiLocker for the first time.

• Athletes, support staff, technical officers, mission heads, competition managers, etc. can access their Khelo India certificates through the digital platform.

• Athletes and other stakeholders participating in the Khelo India Games will now be able to collect their certificates of qualification and participation from the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 in Madhya Pradesh.

• It aims to 'digitally empower' citizens.
• It is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).
• It is a secure cloud-based platform for storage, which enables easy sharing and verification of documents and certificates.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Passport Index 2023

• In the Passport Index 2023 India ranked at the 144th position in 2023, with a mobility score of 70.

• The Passport Index, released by financial advisory firm Arton Capital, determines the rankings on the basis of the mobility score of the countries, which is calculated on provisions like a visa-free visit, visa on arrival, an eVisa (if used within three days), and electronic travel authorisation.

• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has the highest mobility score of 181, and ranks number one.

• It was followed by Sweden, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Austria, with a joint mobility score of 174.

DEFENCE

Joint Military Exercise ‘Ex KAVACH’

• The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) conducted a large-scale joint military exercise 'Ex Kavach' involving assets of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

• The exercise was aimed at fine-tuning joint combat capabilities and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and enhancing interoperability and operational synergy between the armies.

• Army's 'Shatrujit Brigade', Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD), Navy's Special Forces and ANC's amphibious troops carried out an exercise at a remote island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The exercise featured multi-domain exercises involving amphibious landings, airborne operations, heliborne operations and rapid entry of special forces off the coast.
• It showcased the capabilities and preparedness of the Armed Forces to safeguard India's maritime interests and ensure the security of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

MISCELLANEOUS

President of India Takes a Historic Sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI Fighter

• The President of India, Droupadi Murmu took a historic sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam.

• The President, who is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, flew for about 30 minutes.

• The aircraft was flown by Group Captain Naveen Kumar, Commanding Officer of 106 Squadron.

• The aircraft flew at an altitude of about two kilometers above sea level and at a speed of about 800 kilometers per hour.

• The President's flight in the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft is a part of his efforts to engage with the armed forces as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Prevention of Blindness Week

• Prevention of Blindness Week is organized from 01 April to 07 April 2023.
• The Government of India organizes it to raise awareness about the blind.
• Blindness is a serious problem and only the blind can understand the pain.
• This campaign is organized to raise awareness to remind all the citizens of the country about the value of eyes for the blind.
• The aim of the week is to educate people about various eye injuries, and visual impairment and bring awareness about the ways to avoid them.
• WHO is celebrating the week with the theme ‘The Right to Sight’.
• It is celebrated in collaboration with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and other non-governmental organizations with the goal of eliminating preventable blindness.

OBITUTARY

Jharkhand Education Minister Jagarnath Mahato

• Jagarnath Mahto, the Minister for School Education and Literacy in Jharkhand, passed away. He was at the age of 56.

• Jharkhand's education minister was a four-time MLA from Dumri in Giridih district.

• Jagarnath Mahato was also known as Tiger Mahato or Tiger Jagarnath Da.

• Mahato had represented the Dumri assembly seat since 2000, which has been a stronghold of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party.