NATIONAL NEWS

Bharat Petroleum Partners with Microsoft

• On 12 April 2022, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) has announced a seven-year partnership with Microsoft to accelerate its digital transformation and offer enhanced experiences to its customers.
• Microsoft will provide infrastructure-as-a-service (IAAS), platform-as-a-service (PAAS), network and security services on the cloud including Azure native services on Azure data factory, application programming interface (API), internet of things (IoT) and analytics.
• The partnership is part of BPCL’s digital transformation effort named ‘Project Anubhav’ through which the company wants to deliver a consistent customer experience across all its divisions.
• The partnership will focus on creating a digital customer experience for BPCL customers through UFill, a fueling solution powered by Microsoft Azure.

India to Host National Delphic Games

• The International Delphic Council based in Berlin, Germany announced that India to host the National Delphic Games for Arts and Cultures in 2023.
• It is to cover arts and cultures from 36 States and Union Territories to celebrate the vast diversity of India's cultures and their artistic expressions.
• The National Delphic Games in India will showcase competitions, presentations and exhibitions in 6 categories of the arts.
• The winners will represent India at the International Delphic Games which will be hosted in an International Destination 2026.

Telangana Signs Pact with Thailand

• The Telangana government and Ministry of Commerce, Thailand signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote trade and investments between both the countries.
• Telangana State Industries Minister K T Rama Rao and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand Jurin Laksanawisit signed the MoU.
• The MoU is to enhance the cooperation in SMEs and startups through the business incubator and innovation ecosystem ''T-Hub'' and ''Thaitrade.com'' of Thailand with the ''Global Linker'' of Telangana State.
• Both the governments will explore the possibility of potential trade and investments in several key focus sectors mainly involving agro-based food processing, wood processing and wood-based industry.
• The MoU signing ceremony is also one of the special events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Thailand.

Portal AVSAR

• Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Manoj Sinha launched a portal named AVSAR.
• It was launched as a part of Mission Youth in collaboration with Vision India, to connect the youth of J&K with the industry.
• The initiative aims to provide more than 10,000 job opportunities to the youth in 2022.
• The easily accessible online platform would act as an interface between trained & skilled workforce and Industry requirement in J&K.

BANKING

Directors of PNB & IDBI Bank

• The government has nominated new directors on the boards of Punjab National Bank (PNB) and IDBI Bank.
• Pankaj Sharma has been nominated as a director of the Punjab National Bank immediate effect and until further orders.
• He succeeded Pankaj Jain.Sharma is presently the joint secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services.
• Private sector lender IDBI Bank has nominated Manoj Sahay and Sushil Kumar Singh as directors on the board of the bank.
• Sahay is joint secretary and financial advisor in the Department of Expenditure of the Finance Ministry and Singh is director in the Department of Financial Services of the ministry.

Revised Trading Time by RBI

• Trading in markets regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will start from 9 AM from April 18, with the restoration of pre-pandemic trading timings.

• Currently, the markets open at 10 AM.

• The trading hours for various markets regulated by RBI were changed on April 7, 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that had resulted in operational dislocations and elevated levels of health risk.
• From April 18, the trading hours of these markets will be from 9 AM to 3.30 PM.

Mashreq NEO Partners with Federal Bank

• Mashreq Neo has tied up with Federal Bank to enable its Indian customers to open non-resident accounts with the private sector lender in India instantly through the Neo app.

• It enables United Arab Emirates (UAE) based Indian customers to open Non-Resident accounts with the Federal Bank in India.

• Customers will be able to view the balance in their NR accounts with Federal Bank on the Mashreq Neo App and make instant remittances to India through its Quick Remit facility.
• Mashreq Neo is a full-service digital bank of Mashreq Bank in Dubai, UAE.

SPORTS

2026 Commonwealth Games

• The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be hosted by the Australian state of Victoria.

• In March 2026, the Games will be held in numerous towns and regional centers around Australia including Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland.

• The state has confirmed 16 sports for the Games.
• The 2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Victoria 2026.

AWARDS & PRIZES

80th SKOCH Summit 2022

• The 80th SKOCH Summit and SKOCH Awards was recently conducted by SKOCH, New Delhi.

• The theme for the SKOCH Summit was ‘State of BFSI & PSUs’.

• The largest iron ore producer of India, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), under Ministry of Steel awarded one gold and one silver award.
• MDC won the Gold Award in the category social responsibility for the project ‘Promotion of Technical Education & Skill Development in Dantewada District through NMDC ITI Bhansi’ and the Silver Award in the category digital inclusion for the ‘Project Kalpataru’ for ERP implementation.
• NMDC also received the 3 SKOCH – Order of Merit Awards for its efforts in ensuring seamless digitalization in Project Kalpataru, for its expansive CSR efforts in promoting technical education and skill development in the remote districts of Dantewada and “Project Safety First” in the category Response to COVID.

Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award

• Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award was instituted in the memory and honour of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who passed away in February 2022 at the age of 92 years in Mumbai.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the first Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award at the 80th annual Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards ceremony.
• The award ceremony will be held on April 2022 in Mumbai.
• This award will be given every year to only one individual who has made path-breaking contributions to our nation, its people and our society.
• PM Modi will receive the award for selfless service to the nation and society and put India on the path of global leadership.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

HELINA

• India successfully test-fired Helina, the indigenously developed anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), from a rotary wing platform at high altitude ranges in Pokhran, Rajasthan.
• Guided by an infrared imaging seeker (IIR) operating in the lock-on-before-launch mode, the Helina is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapon systems in the world.
• It can strike targets up to 7 km away. It weighs around 45kg, length of 6 feet and 7.9 m in diameter.
• It has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The Air Force variant of Helina is named Dhruvastra.
• The flight test was jointly conducted by the teams of scientist from DRDO, Indian Army and Indian Air Force.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Human Space Flight

• The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed every year on 12 April.
• The United Nations General Assembly in its resolution on April 7 2011, observed April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight.
• The day is celebrated to the outset of the space era for mankind, the contribution of space science and technology and ensuring the realization of the conservation of outer space for peaceful purposes.
• Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space flight to orbit the Earth on 12 April 1961.