NATIONAL NEWS

OP Jindal Global University Signs MoU with Spanish Government

• The OP Jindal Global University (JGU) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Spain.

• The agreement was signed under the guardianship of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Spanish Ministry of External Affairs (MAEC).

• The Jindal School of Languages and Literature (JSLL), will host a native Spanish language lecturer to teach Spanish language, culture and literature.
• JGU is the only private university in India and one of a select group of 12 universities in India and Sri Lanka partnering with the government of Spain for Spanish language teaching.

Sterlite Power Acquires 64.98% Stake in MTCIL

• Sterlite Power has acquired a 64.98% stake in Maharashtra Transmission Communication Infrastructure Limited (MTCIL).

• MTCIL is a joint venture between Sterlite Technologies Limited and Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL).

• MTCIL is a Public Private Partnership for OPGW (Optical Ground Wire) Fiber networks which build, own, operate and maintain the network.
•  MTCIL operates a fiber network of 3,162 kms across 35 co-locations, serving telcos, ISPs and data centers in the state of Maharashtra.

Ford, Suzuki, Tata Motors Selected Under Auto PLI Scheme

• The PLI scheme commonly known as Production Linked Incentive Scheme, is an initiative launched by the Government of India to create employment and also encourage domestic and local production to create micro-jobs.

• As many as 20 companies including, major four-wheeler manufacturers, such as Hyundai, Suzuki, Ford, Kia, Mahindra and Tata Motors, and top two-wheeler makers Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor have been approved for the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the automobile sectors.
• The Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries Arun Geol announced that the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the automobile sector is expected to create at least 7.5 lakh jobs in the country.

Semicon India 2022 Conference

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first ever Semicon India 2022 Conference at 29th April 2022 in Bengaluru. Semicon India 2022 Conference will be organised by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.

• Semicon India – 2022 is a 3-day conference which is being organized to take forward the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that is to make India a leader in the electronics manufacturing, semiconductor design and manufacturing & innovation.
• The theme of the conference 2022 is ‘Design and Manufacture in India, for the World: Making India a “Semiconductor Nation”.
• The conference will attract best minds from across the world from semiconductor industry.

'Radio Aksh' Launched in Nagpur

• 'Radio Aksh' has been launched in Nagpur which is India’s first-ever radio channel for the visually impaired.

• It will help the visually-impaired gain seamless access to education resources and audiobooks.

• The Blind Relief Association Nagpur and Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam Anusandhan Mandal (Saksham) organized this digital platform.
• Educational resources having a variety of subjects are made available on digital platforms and can access this vast information from anywhere as unlike the FM and AM Radio.
• The technology of Internet Radio is used, which has no geographical limitations.

National Data and Analytics Platform

• The NITI Aayog is set to launch a National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP) in May to provide government data in a user-friendly format, to promote data-driven decision making and research.

• The platform aims to standardise data across government sources and provide flexible analytics that make it easy for users to analyse information using multiple datasets.

• The portal will help policymakers, academics and researchers to easily analyse data without having to process it.
• The portal will have 200 datasets from more than 46 ministries at the time of the launch.

BANKING

Resilience and Sustainability Trust – IMF

• The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the establishment of the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST).

• It is to help countries build resilience to external shocks and ensure sustainable growth and also contributing to their long-term balance of payments stability.

• The IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) will help low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries.
• The RST will provide policy support as well as affordable longer maturity financing with 20-year maturity and a 10 ½ year grace period.
• It is to establish a trust with at least USD 45.8 billion in resource in order to balance the demands of potential contributors and borrowers.

SPORTS

La Roda International Tournament

• Indian Grandmaster from Chennai D Gukesh emerged as the winner in the 48th La Roda International Open Chess tournament held at Castilla La Mancha, Spain.

• The 15-year-old GM defeated Israel GM Victor Mikhalevski in the final round with score of eight points from nine rounds.
• Gukesh finished with seven wins and two draws.

12th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship

• Haryana emerged as the winner of the 12th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship by defeating Tamil Nadu with score 3-1.

• Haryana won the trophy for the first time since 2011.

• In the shootout, Haryana scored thrice in their first four attempts, while Tamil Nadu succeeded only in the first attempt.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Celent Model Bank Award

• IndusInd Bank has been awarded the global ‘Celent Model Bank’ award under the category – ‘Payments System Transformation’ for building a best-in-class Enterprise Payments Hub (EPH).

• The award acknowledges the Bank’s outstanding journey in creating a cloud-based central payments hub that is capable of seamlessly processing high transaction loads.

• The ‘Celent Model Bank’ is awarded for best practices of technology usage in different areas.
• Under the Enterprise Payments Hub initiative, IndusInd Bank has successfully designed a solution that will cut down on transaction cost, minimize system outages and improve operation as well as customer experience across all transaction points.
• This allows payments to auto scale independently depending on the transaction peak.

Director Of the Year award

• The AIMA Managing India Awards is being organised in line with the 7th National Leadership Conclave. This year marks the 12th edition.

• Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, presented the 2021 AIMA Managing India Awards (AIMA).

• In the films category, Shoojit Sircar was honoured with the Director Of The Year award for Sardar Udham.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission

• Renowned scientist Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas has been appointed as chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

• Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of service for a period of 1 year up to 03 May 2023 or until further orders.

• This is the second extension for Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas, who has been serving as the chairman since September 2018.
• He had earlier served as Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
• Vyas is a mechanical engineering graduate from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.

Chief of Army Staff

• Government has appointed Lt Gen Manoj C Pande as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from April 30, 2022.

• He is presently working as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

• Lt Gen Manoj C Pande was commissioned on December 24, 1982 in the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army.
• Lt Gen Manoj C Pande has been conferred with Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
• He has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Heritage Day

• World Heritage Day is celebrated every year on 18 April.

• The day is also known as International Day for Monuments and Sites.

• The day is observed every year to spread awareness about the importance of Heritage and to also promote ways to protect and preserved it.
• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘Heritage and Climate’.
• The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) observed that 18 April 1982 as theWorld Heritage Day.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has designated total of 1155 monuments in 167 countries as UNESCO world heritage sites.