NATIONAL NEWS

NTPC Talcher Launches 'Girl Empowerment Mission'

NTPC Talcher Thermal inaugurates its flagship corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, the "Girl Empowerment Mission 2024".

This one-month-long initiative aims to support 40 young girls from eight government schools covering four Gram Panchayats by providing them with access to quality education, health, life skills training, and mentorship.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by a distinguished panel of guests including Goutam Deb, Executive Director, Talcher Thermal; Dr JP Roy, GM (Project); Chander Shekhar, GM (CCD); Deepak, GM (Engineering) along with Bipasha Deb, President, Sagarika ladies Club and senior members of the club.

With this one-month-long mission, NTPC Talcher Thermal is planting seeds of possibility.

By nurturing the minds, bodies, and dreams of 40 girls, NTPC TTPS reaffirms its commitment to driving positive change and building a brighter future for generations.

 

INTERNATIOANL NEWS

Renew Inks Initial Pact with Societe Generale

Energy firm ReNew announced that it has signed an initial pact with European bank Societe Generale for up to $1 billion in financingas debt and advisory solutions over the next three years.

ReNew has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Societe Generale, to support the financing and development of the company'svarious strategic energy transition projects both in India and globally.

Both parties will leverage their respective expertise to strengthen the collaboration on utility-scale energy projects including solar, wind, complex renewables, green hydrogen, energy storage and solar modules manufacturing.

ReNew has a clean energy portfolio of 15.6 GW on a gross basis as of May 9, 2024.

TVS Motor Company Begins Operations in Italy

TVS Motor Company (TVSM) unveiled operations in Italy via its branch office TVS Motor Italia headed by Giovanni Notarbartolo di Furnari.

The company will introduce a selection of its advanced, high-quality thermic and electric scooters and motorcycles, the leading two and three wheeler manufacturer.

It is a strategic step towards our global ambitions. Italy’s rich automotive culture and its embrace of cutting-edge transport solutions present a perfect backdrop for our product range

TVS Motor Company is extending its operations in Italy through its branch office, TVS Motor Italia, headed by Giovanni Notarbartolo di Furnari.

TVS says Furnari brings comprehensive experience from senior managerial roles in major automotive companies in Italy, Latin America, the UAE, and Europe.

 

BANKING

PhonePe Partners with LankaPay

PhonePe, a leading fintech company based in Bengaluru, has partnered with Sri Lanka-based LankaPay to enable Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactionsfor PhonePe users in Sri Lanka.

PhonePe users travelling to Sri Lanka can now make payments using UPI's rails across LankaPay's merchants throughout the country.

Transactions will be conducted in Indian Rupees (INR), with currency exchange rates applied to such transactions.

Apart from the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) UPI, these transactions will be facilitated by the LankaPay National Payment Network.

LankaPay is owned by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

This partnership aims to provide greater convenience to Indian tourists and business travelers in making seamless UPI payments at all LankaQR merchant points in Sri Lanka via the PhonePe app.

EaseMyTrip Partners with SIDBI and the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board

EaseMyTrip partners with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) to introduce a Homestay Entrepreneurship Training Programme.

The program aims to empower homestay owners along the Chardham Yatra route by enhancing their hospitality skills and promoting eco-friendly practices.

Launched in April and continuing through May, the training program targets 150 homestay owners. It integrates classroom learning with practical sessions.

Upon completion of the training, participants receive a certification jointly issued by EaseMyTrip, SIDBI, and UTDB, validating their newly acquired skills.

The training curriculum covers essential topics including hygiene, environmental safety, waste management, guest safety, housekeeping management, customer support, booking management, and technology training.

Training sessions have been conducted in Joshimath (Badrinath), Guptkashi (Kedarnath), and Ukhimath (Kedarnath), with pending sessions scheduled in Gangotri (Uttarkashi) and Yamunotri (Uttarkashi).

As of now, certificates have been awarded to 31 homestay owners in Joshimath, 25 in Guptkashi, and 39 in Ukhimath.

 

SPORTS

Manika Batra 1st Indian Woman to Rank in World Top 25 TT Single Player

Manika Batra has become the first Indian women's table tennis player to be included in the top 25 ranked women singles players in the world.

In the world ranking released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), she achieved her career-best rank of 24 in singles events.

Her success in the Saudi Smash 2024 Table Tennis tournament helped her improve her world ranking from 39 to 24.

Manika Batra equalled Sathiyan Gnanasekaran's record for the highest rank achieved by an Indian in the table tennis singles event. In 2019, he achieved his career-best ranking of 24.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran is a mixed doubles partner of Manika Batra and both have won many medals for India together.

       

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Additional Directors in CBI

Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers A Y V Krishna and N Venu Gopal have been appointed as additional directors in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A Y V Krishna, a distinguished 1995-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been appointed as an additional director in the CBI.

Currently serving as Inspector General in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Krishna brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role.

His tenure as additional director extends up to August 6, 2028, as per the order issued by the Personnel Ministry.

N Venu Gopal, a seasoned IPS officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre, has also been appointed as an additional director in the CBI.

With his current position as joint director in the CBI, Venu Gopal has demonstrated commendable leadership and investigative skills.

His appointment as additional director is effective until May 24, 2027, according to another order issued by the Personnel Ministry.

They will play pivotal roles in enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the CBI’s operations in tackling corruption, financial crimes, and other serious offenses.

 

DEFENCE

12th India-Mongolia Joint Working Group on Defence Held in Ulaanbaatar

To boost defence cooperation and strengthen defence ties, the 12th Joint Working Group (JWG) of the defence ministers of India and Mongolia was held at the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on 16 and 17 May 2024.

The Indian side was led by the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, Amitabh Prasad, and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Mongolia, Brigadier General Gankhuyag Davagdorj.

The Indian Ambassador to Mongolia, Atul Malhari Gotsurve, was also present during the meeting.

They reviewed the progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives and identified means to enhance cooperation in these areas further.

During the JWC meeting, India highlighted the capability and capacity of the Indian Armed Forces and asked the Mongolian side to utilise the potential of the Indian manufacturing capability in the defence sector.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

Every year, the world observes May 17 as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

The day is observed to explore the possibilities of using information and communication technologies and the Internet in economies and societies. Another motive is to explore ways to reduce the digital divide in society.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), first celebrated World Telecommunications Day on 17 May 1969.

In 2005, the World Summit on Information Society recommended that the United Nations declare 17 May as World Information Society Day.

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in 2006 declaring 17 May as World Information Society Day.

The theme of the 2024 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development.

World Hypertension Day

The world observes 17 May as World Hypertension Day.

The day is observed to raise public awareness about hypertension as a silent but deadly public health issue.

Hypertension rarely causes any symptoms but can cause a high death rate as it increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke, renal failure, and other end-organ damage.

The World Hypertension League observed the first World Hypertension Day on 14 May 2005. From 2006, World Hypertension Day is observed on 17 May every year.

The theme for 2024 World Hypertension Day is "Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer!"

 

OBITUTARY

Padma Shri Awardee Writer Malti Joshi

Noted storyteller and Padma Shri awardee Malti Joshi passed away at the age of 90 years.

Malti Joshi was known for her work in Hindi and Marathi language. She was awarded Padam Shri in 2018.

She completed her graduation from the Holkar College of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Indore. He also did her Master's from the same university in Hindi literature in 1956.

She was a prolific writer who wrote in Hindi and Marathi. However, she is best known for her Hindi literature works.

In the early stages of her writing, Malti Joshi wrote poems, and in college she was famous as Meera of Malwa.

Malti Joshi's work has been translated into other Indian languages like Marathi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Malayalam, and Kannada. Her work has also been translated into foreign languages like Russian, Japanese and English.