NATIONAL NEWS

'Khanan Prahari' Mobile App to Curb Illegal Mining

• The government launched a mobile app namely ‘Khanan Prahari’ and a web app Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS).

• It has been launched to report unauthorised coal mining activities so that monitoring and appropriate action can be taken by the concerned law and order enforcing authority.

• CMSMS has been developed to take transparent action to curb illegal mining and use of space technology as an e-governance initiative of Government of India.

• ‘Khanan Prahari’ is a mobile app of the Ministry of Coal to report illegal coal mining.

• It is a tool for geo-tagged photographs of any illegal coal mining incident as well as information to any citizen from the location of the incident.'

India’s First Electric AC Double-Decker Bus

• The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) inaugurated the country’s first electric air-conditioned (AC) double-decker bus in Mumbai.

• According to BEST, the regional transport agency in Mumbai is yet to complete the registration process for the electric bus.

• After the approval of this bus, this bus will ply between Kurla Bus Depot and Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).

• The ticket price has been kept at a minimum of Rs 6 for a distance of 5 km.

• The seating capacity of the Electric Double Decker Bus is 73.

• It is equipped with CCTV cameras and automatic doors and can be charged in 80 minutes.

M&M to Establish Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Facility

• The Telangana government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. for establishing a manufacturing facility, including development and production of electric three and four-wheelers, pertaining to its ‘Last Mile Mobility’ business.

• The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the announcement of Telangana Mobility Valley, ‘India’s first new mobility-focused cluster’, at the first edition of Mobility Next Hyderabad Summit.
• The facility will involve an investment of about Rs 1,000 crores, creating employment for about 800-1,000 persons.

Urban-20 City Sherpas Meeting

• A two-day Urban-20 City Sherpas meeting was held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

• The purpose of the meeting was to focus on fostering solidarity between cities to find common solutions that are in line with the overall objectives of the G20.

• It is the third of the G20 events being held in Gujarat as part of India’s presidency of the Group of 20.

• The U20 is one of the G20’s engagement groups.

• It provides a forum for cities in the G20 countries to discuss and propose collective solutions to key urban development issues, such as climate change, social inclusion, sustainable mobility, and affordable housing.

• The U20 highlights six priority areas – eco-friendly behavior, water security, climate finance, local identity, urban planning and governance, and digitization of urban facilities.
• More than 30 international cities are participating in this two-day event to discuss the sustainable development of cities.

BANKING

Bank of India Multicap Fund

• Bank of India Investment Managers Private Limited (Investment manager of Bank of India Mutual Fund) has launched a New Fund Offer (NFO) – Bank of India Multi Cap Fund for investors looking to diversify their portfolio across large, mid and small cap categories.
• The Scheme will be managed by Nitin Gosar.
• The objective is to generate long term capital appreciation by investing in equity and equity-related securities across various market capitalization.
• The multi cap allocation strategy includes a spread of minimum 25% of its total assets each in large, mid and small cap companies.
• The minimum initial investment in the Scheme will be Rs. 5000 and Rs. 1 thereafter.

Bajaj Finance Launches Insurance Mall with Refined Products

• Bajaj Finance Limited has launched a new portal named Insurance Mall for its customers to ensure an Easy-buy experience.
• It is to simplify all the inconveniences customers can face during their policy purchase.
• The policies offered in the single platform for all policies include Health insurance, two-wheeler and four-wheeler insurance, application extended warranties, pocket insurance and subscriptions.

SPORTS

Former England Captain Eoin Morgan Retires

• Former England captain Eoin Morgan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

• He announced his retirement from all three formats of cricket.

• Eoin Morgan captained the ODI World Cup played in England in the year 2019 and won his team the title. He also became the first captain to win the ODI World Cup for England.

• Morgan has scored 2458 runs playing a total of 115 T20 matches. While playing 248 ODIs, he scored 7701 runs.
• Morgan captained England in 126 ODIs and 72 T20Is, registering 118 wins as captain in both formats.

AWARDS & PRIZES

World’s Most Admired Companies List by FORTUNE® Magazine

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been named to FORTUNE® magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

• Regarded as a barometer of corporate reputation, the list is based on a survey of business executives, directors and analysts around the globe.

• Companies are evaluated based on criteria such as innovation, social responsibility, quality of management, global competitiveness, talent management and quality of products/services.

• TCS partners with some of the world’s largest corporations in their innovation, growth and transformation initiatives.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

President Droupadi Murmu Appoints 6 New Governors

• President of India Droupadi Murmu appointed governors in 12 states and a Union Territory (UT).

• These include the 6 new appointments.

• Lt. General Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik – governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

• Lakshman Prasad Acharya – governor of Sikkim.

• C.P. Radhakrishnan – governor of Jharkhand.
• Shiv Pratap Shukla – governor of Himachal Pradesh.
• Gulab Chand Kataria – governor of Assam.
• Justice (Retd.) S. Abdul Nazeer – governor of Andhra Pradesh.
• The Governor of a State is appointed by the President for a term of 5 years.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Saudi Arabia to Send Its 1st Female Astronaut to Space

• Saudi Arabia's first female astronaut is set to go into space in 2023, in what is seen as a move to reform Saudi Arabia's ultra-conservative image.
• Saudi female astronaut Rayna Barnawi will join Saudi Ali Al-Qarni on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
• Barnawi and al-Karni will fly to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of a mission by American privately funded space infrastructure developer private space company Axiom Space.
• TheAx-2 will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, America.

OBITUTARY

Noted Painter Lalitha Lajmi

• Noted painter Lalitha Lajmi, late actor-filmmaker Guru Dutt's sister passed away. He was at the age of 90.
• Lajmi was very fond of classical dance and painting.
• She has held several exhibitions in international art galleries in Paris, London and the Netherlands.
• Lalita made a small appearance in the 2007 film Taare Zameen Par, starring Aamir Khan, in which she played an art teacher.