NATIONAL NEWS

New Features in eShram Portal

• Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, launched new features in eShram Portal.

• The new features added in eShram portal will enhance the utility of the portal and facilitate ease of registration for unorganised workers.

• The eShram registered workers can now connect with Employment opportunities, Skilling, Apprenticeship, Pension Scheme, Digital Skilling and States’ schemes through eShram portal.

• The Union Minister also formally launched the Data Sharing Portal (DSP) for sharing of eShram data with the State/ UT Governments.
• The Ministry of Labor and Employment has developed an eSHRAM portal to create a national database of unorganised workers.

G20 Tourism Expo in Jaipur

• The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in association with the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, organised G20 Tourism Expo in Jaipur from 23 April to 25 April 2023 to coincide with India's G20 Presidency and Amrit Kaal.

• The Ministry of Tourism plans to develop50 new tourist destinations across India and launch promotions in foreign markets to promote tourism.

• India to register 6.19 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2022, a growth of 305% as compared to 1.52 million in 2021, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation has made 51 of the 59 tourist routes recommended under the UDAN scheme operational.

Vibrant Villages Programme to be Integrated with PM Gati Shakti

• Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP), which aims to develop infrastructure and open up villages along the China border to tourists, will be integrated with the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti mega project.
• The program will be integrated with the Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti mega project, which brings together 16 ministries for coordinated infrastructure planning.
• TheBhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N) will provide satellite images and GIS mapping of the projects for real-time monitoring.
• The objective of VVP is to prevent migration of border population and to gather intelligence from the people of border villages.
• The program will cover2,967 villages in 46 border blocks of 19 districts in four states and one union territory.

National Technology Center

• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Discovery Campus of the National Technology Center for Ports, Waterways and Coasts at IITM, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

• The centre was created under the Sagarmala scheme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to enable research and development for the maritime sector in India.

• The centre has world-class capabilities for research and consultancy in all disciplines, including ocean modelling, sediment transport, and port and coastal engineering.
• The Chennai facility houses 5 state-of-the-art laboratories, covering every aspect of design and development, simulation, analysis and production of marine and marine solutions, in line with the Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision.
• The centre aims to support Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision to make India a self-reliant country in the maritime sector.

BANKING

RBI Harmonises Provisioning Norms for Urban Cooperative Banks

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it has unified the provisioning norms for standard assets across all categories of urban cooperative banks (UCBs).
• In December 2020, the RBI had classified UCBs into four tiers, namely tier 1, 2, 3, and 4, for regulatory purposes.
• Direct advances to agriculture and SME sectors that are standard would attract a uniform provisioning requirement of 0.25 per cent of the funded outstanding on a portfolio basis to all categories of UCBs under the revised framework.
• Advances to the commercial real estate (CRE) sector that are standard would attract a uniform provisioning requirement of 1 per cent of the funded outstanding on a portfolio basis.
• For the Commercial Real Estate-Residential Housing Sector (CRE-RH) and all other loans and advances, the provisioning requirements would be 0.75 per cent and 0.4 per cent, respectively.
• The RBI has categorised all unit UCBs and salary earners’ UCBs (irrespective of deposit size), and all other UCBs having deposits up to Rs 100 crore in tier 1.
• UCBs with deposits more than Rs 100 crore and up to Rs 1,000 crore have been placed in tier 2.
• Banks with deposits more than Rs 1,000 crore and up to Rs 10,000 crore have been categorised in tier 3.
• UCBs with deposits more than Rs 10,000 crore have been categorised in tier 4.

SPORTS

Barcelona Title

• Carlos Alcaraz won his second consecutive Barcelona title defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.

• Alcaraz has won his third trophy of 2023 and ninth of his career after victories in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells.

• It was Alcaraz's fourth win in four meetings with Tsitsipas.

• It is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

India Ranks Fourth in Global Military Expenditure

• According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global military expenditure has reached a new record high of $2240 billion, increasing by 3.7% in real terms in 2022.

• India’s military expenditure in 2022 amounted to $81.4 billion, which is the fourth-highest in the world. This represents a 6% increase compared to the previous year’s spending.

• Europe witnessed its most substantial year-on-year increase in military spending in at least 30 years.

• The United States, China, and Russia, which are the three largest military spenders, contributed 56% of the total global military expenditure in 2022.

• These findings were released by SIPRI in its latest report on global military spending.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Secretary of DPIIT

• Senior IAS officer Rajesh Kumar Singh was appointed as secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• Singh has replaced Anurag Jain, who was appointed secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• Prior to this, Singh was the Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• Singh is an Indian Administrative Service officer of 1989 Batch from Kerala cadre.
• In the year 2019, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) was renamed as Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Delegates Day

• International Delegates Day is observed every year on 25 April.

• It is to honour and recognize the important role played by delegates in the United Nations (UN).

• The delegates are representatives of their respective governments and work towards solving global challenges through multilateral cooperation within the framework of the United Nations.
• The United Nations would not be able to function effectively without the contributions and efforts of these representatives.
• These representatives play an important role in resolving global issues and ensure that their governments' voices are heard internationally.
• The celebration of International Delegates Day is a recognition of the dedication and commitment of these delegates to promote peace, security and prosperity around the world.

World Day for Laboratory Animals

• World Day for Laboratory Animals is observed every year on 24 April.

• The day serves as an opportunity to remind people of the ethical and moral responsibilities to ensure the welfare of laboratory animals and the need to reduce their use.

• Laboratory animals are used for biomedical research to discover the causes, diagnoses, and treatments of diseases, in the cosmetics industry, and more.
• The observance of this day highlights the need for greater investment in scientific research that uses alternative methods to animal testing, and supports the development of alternative testing methods to reduce the number of animals used in research.

OBITUTARY

Pakistani-Canadian Journalist Tarek Fatah

• Pakistani-Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah passed away of cancer. He was at the age of 73.

• He was known for his criticisms of Islamic extremism and the Pakistani establishment, and was also a supporter of gay rights.

• Tarek Fatah began his career in journalism in Pakistan in 1970 as a reporter for the Karachi Sun.

• He later worked as an investigative reporter for Pakistan Television.

• In 1977, Fatah was accused of treason by the Zia-ul-Haq government, which forced him to flee to Saudi Arabia.
• Fatih has won several awards for his work, including the Donner Prize, the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Book Award.