Current Affairs May 2023

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

  • The first ever ‘Millets Experience Centre’ has been launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) in Delhi.  To enhance the public awareness and utilization of Millets.
  • Indian Navy’s Surface warships are inducting the Naval Anti-Drone System (NADS) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with the support of the Indian Navy and manufactured by the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence.  This is the first indigenously developed Naval Anti-Drone System (NADS) to be inducted into the Indian Armed Forces.
  • Ministry of Finance, has launched the scheme, “Vivad se Vishwas I” for providing relief to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for COVID-19 period.
  • NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the ‘Best Practices in Social Sector: A Compendium, 2023’ which features 75 case studies which truly reflect the theme ‘Achievement@75’ at the grassroot levels.
  • Recently a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Military Engineer Services (MES) Jhansi and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to convert Indian Army’s stations/cantonments into carbon neutral campuses.
  • According to the ‘National Manufacturing Innovation Survey (NMIS) 2021-22: Summary for Policymakers’, a joint study by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Karnataka has topped the Indian Manufacturing Innovation Index (IMII) ranking 2022.
  • Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Shantanu Thakur flagged off MV-ITT LION (V-273) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata as the inaugural shipment to operationalise the Sittwe Port in Rakhine State of Myanmar. The Port has been built under a grant assistance from the Government of India as part of Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP).
  • Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai inaugurated the Dawki land port in West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya to promote trade and commerce between India and Bangladesh. The land port is also expected to boost the tourism and business sectors.
  • Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the ‘Food Street Project’ to develop 100 healthy and hygienic food streets across the country. The aim of this project is to encourage safe and healthy food practices among food businesses and community members, thus, reducing foodborne illnesses and improving the overall health outcomes.

❱ To operationalize the food streets, the National Health Mission (NHM) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will provide an assistance of Rs. 1 crore per food street as a pilot project to support 100 such food streets at different locations across the country.

  • Union Government has formed an 11-member high-level committee under the chairmanship of Sanjay Garg, to restructure the 94-year-old ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), which was established in 1929, to meet the objective of Amrit Kaal.
  • To set up Asia’s largest bio-gas plant in Mumbai, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) will work together. The upcoming plant will be able to scientifically treat the segregated 1000 tonnes of wet-waste per day into compressed bio-gas (CBG).
  • The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy (IN) conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘ADC-150’ from IL 38SD aircraft off the coast of Goa. It is an indigenously designed and developed Air Droppable Container with 150 kg payload capacity.
  • The trailer of 'Love in 90s', the first film made in Tagin language of Arunachal Pradesh, was launched by Union Law and Justice Minister KirenRijiju.
  • India and Maldives launched construction of ‘EkathaHarbour' for the Coast Guard of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
  • India has hosted the Shanghai Corporation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting on 4-5 May 2023 in Goa.
  • On May 1st, the Arabian Travel Market's 30th edition started at the Dubai with a substantial attendance from India. This is among the most prominent global events for the travel and tourism industry, drawing visitors and exhibitors from all corners of the world.
  • Wayanad, a district in the southern Indian state of Kerala, has achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first ODF Plus district in India.
  • Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to make digital health cards for children and launched the ‘School Health Program’. This is a pilot project, the program has been started in Lucknow.
  • NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the ‘Best Practices in Social Sector: A Compendium, 2023’ which is a compilation of 75 initiatives of the Centre and the states/ Union Territories (UTs) in the social sector.
  • India’s 1st of-its-kind Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage Centre in Chandigarh. The heritage centre has the first IAF-made patent aircraft Air Force ‘Kanpur-1 Vintage Prototype Aircraft’, a single-engine indigenous flying machine designed and built by the late Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh in 1958 at Base Repair Depot Kanpur.
  • Telangana government launched Telangana State Robotics Framework, a first-of-its-kind policy in India, to provide a roadmap for the state to create a sustainable robotic ecosystem and be a leading state in the field of robotics.
  • Punjab has become the first Indian State to implement the “Right to walk” by making it mandatory for all road-owning agencies, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to provide footpaths and cycle tracks in all future expansion of roads and construction of new ones.
  • “SAKSHAM”- (Stimulating Advanced Knowledge for Sustainable Health Management) launched by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is a learning management information system (LMIS) of MoHFW.
  • “YUVA PRATIBHA – Singing Talent Hunt”- launched by MyGov in collaboration with Ministry of Culture with an aim to promote Indian music at the grassroots level on a national scale by identifying and recognizing the new and young talent in various singing genres such as Folk, Patriotic, and Contemporary.
  • Sagar Shreshtha Samman’ Awards 2023:

❱ Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) (Andhra Pradesh) received Sagar Shrestha Samman Award 2023.

❱ Paradip Port (Odisha) - Awarded as best port for the year 2022-23.

❱ Deendayal Port, Kandla (Gujarat)- Awarded for the best Absolute Performance for the year FY23 for handling the highest cargo

  • Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), launched “Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi”, the flagship programme of MoWCD, to strengthen Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) component of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0).
  • According to the data released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, as of May 10, 2023, 50% of the total villages in India achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus status under Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM-G). 
    Top Performing States/UTs:

❱ Among big states – Telangana (100%), Karnataka (99.5%), Tamil Nadu (97.8%) & Uttar Pradesh (95.2%)

❱ Among small states – Goa (95.3%) and Sikkim (69.2%)

❱ Among UTs – Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu and Lakshadweep have 100% ODF Plus Model villages.

  • Kerala becomes 1st state to launch Institutional Ranking Framework. Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF), modelled on the lines of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), to assess the quality of higher education institutions in Kerala.
  • India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) signs MoU with Purdue University in USA for capacity building, research and development (R&D), and industry. Purdue’s partnership with the ISM is the 1st of its kind under the framework of a USA-India governmental partnership.
  • India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) signs MoU with Purdue University in USA for capacity building, research and development (R&D), and industry. Purdue’s partnership with the ISM is the 1st of its kind under the framework of a USA-India governmental partnership.
  • The National Technology Week 2023 took place from 11th to 14th May 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Delhi under the theme “School to Startup – igniting young minds to innovate”.
  • Kerala became the first state in India to launch a welfare fund for workers under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has prepared the “Model Prisons Act 2023” which will replace “The Prisons Act, of 1894”, a 130-year-old British-era law. This will focus on the reformation and rehabilitation of inmates. “Model Prisons Act, 2023” allows security assessment and segregation of prisons, separate wards for women and transgenders and punishment for conniving jail staff among other provisions.
  • India and Bangladesh launched a ‘50 start-ups exchange programme’, under which 50 Start-ups from Bangladesh and 50 Start-ups from India were planned to exchange visits to each other’s countries for exploring partnerships, expanding business relations, sharing experience and knowledge.
  • Bhopal has become the first city in India to join the growing global movement on the localization of the United Nations [UN]-mandated sustainable development goals (SDG).
  • Tamil Nadu government inaugurated a 570 metres long and 4.2-metre wide Skywalk Bridge connecting the Mambalam railway station and T Nagar bus terminus in Chennai. It will be considered as the longest skywalk in Tamil Nadu and it one of the longest skywalks in India.
  • The 3rd Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting (ETWG) took place in Mumbai, on May 15, 2023, during India's G20 Presidency. The 3rd ETWG Meeting will be chaired by Shri Alok Kumar, who serves as the ETWG Chair and Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
  • Assam Government and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways(MoPSW) signed an agreement for a ‘Riverine based Tourism Circuit’ being developed over the River Brahmaputra in Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati, Assam.
  • The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Israel. The purpose of this agreement is to collaborate on establishing the "India-Israel Center of Water Technology" (CoWT) at IIT Madras. The center will focus on advancements in Water Resource Management and Water Technologies.
  • Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAHD),  has been launched the “Sagar Parikrama Yatra Phase-V” in Karanja, Raigad, Maharashtra. The yatra started on 17th May 2023 from Gateway of India, Mumbai concluded on 19th May 2023 in Goa. It aims to resolve the issues of the fishermen and stakeholders and ensure their economic upliftment.
  • AirAsia India flight i5-767 became India’s first commercial passenger flight to successfully take off using an indigenously produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Pune (Maharashtra) to New Delhi (Delhi). It is a significant development towards the decarbonization of the aviation sector.
  • Indian Navy and the Royal Saudi Naval Force of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces collaborate for first-ever training of Saudi Cadets with the Indian Navy.
  • Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) made five major announcements collectively named as ‘Panch Karma Sankalp‘ focusing green shipping and digitization of the ports during  2nd Chintan Shivir held in Munnar, Kerala.
  • India’s first Neo Metro will be implemented on 2 corridors in Dehradun, India’s 1st Provide on Demand (Pod) taxi will be introduced in Haridwar.
  • Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd launched GAINS 2023 [GRSE Accelerated Innovation Nurturing Scheme 2023] in Kolkata, West Bengal to utilize the eco-system that tackles current and future challenges in the ship design and construction sector.
  • “Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar” campaign programme launched by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to promote the RRRs (3Rs) of waste management: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Citizens of urban India are actively refurbishing used objects for reuse, embracing the principles of creating “wealth” from waste.
  • The annual five-day-long Great Prayer Festival, “Ladakh Monlam Chenmo,” a mass prayer camp by Buddhist monks and nuns for world peace and happiness has been held in Leh, Ladakh.
  • Kerala became India’s first fully e-governed state as it successfully digitized a range of government services for prompt and transparent delivery to its citizens.
  • National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA has constituted an 11-member Cheetah Project Steering Committee to oversee the implementation of ‘Project Cheetah’. This committee headed by Rajesh Gopal.
  • The Ministry of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj launched the 'SAMARTH' campaign in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. This campaign aims to promote digital transactions in 50,000 Gram Panchayats as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate the new building of Parliament House and dedicated it to the nation and installed the Sengol with Nandi at the top facing East-West direction in the new Parliament House.

❱ About the Sengol: Made of silver and gold, the five-feet long sceptre was handed over by Lord Mountbatten to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947, as a symbol of the transfer of power, according to the government. The Sengol, a symbol of governance in Tamil kingdoms of yore, was then kept for display in The Allahabad Museum

❱ About the Parliament building

    • The new building is located in the Central Vista area of New Delhi and is designed to accommodate the growing size and needs of the Indian Parliament.The new Parliament building has been designed to accommodate future requirements, with seating for 888 members in the Lok Sabha and 384 members in the Rajya Sabha.
    • The new building will also house six committee rooms equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual systems. This is a significant improvement compared to the present structure, which has only three such rooms.
    • Unlike the circular shape of the old Parliament building, the new building takes on a triangular shape to optimize space utilization, covering an area of approximately 65,000 square meters.
    • The four-storey building has been constructed at an estimated cost of ₹970 crore. The building has been designed by Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management, and constructed by Tata Projects Limited.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

  • Exercise INIOCHOS-23 is a multinational air exercise that will be hosted by the Hellenic Air Force, at the Andravida Air Base in Greece. India’s air force is participating for the first time in the multinational air drill INIOCHOS-23.
  • 1st ASEAN-India Maritime exercise was held at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore. Aim of AIME-23: To promote maritime cooperation and enhancing trust, friendship and confidence amongst ASEAN and Indian Navies.
  • India and Guyana signed an Air Services Agreement (ASA) to facilitate easier travel between the two nations.

❱ Indian foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar along with Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana has been presented the commissioning ceremony of the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE)-built ocean-going passenger-cum-cargo ferry MV ‘Ma Lisha’ at Georgetown, Guyana

  • Indian Armed Forces conducted ‘Buland Bharat’, an integrated surveillance and firepower training Exercise, at the newly operationalised High Altitude Artillery Ranges of Eastern Theatre – Mandala High Altitude Firing Ranges in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • WHO launched a new initiative called PRET (Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats) to ensure the world is prepared for future outbreaks like the Covid-19 pandemic. PERT is a Call to Action to accelerate preparedness for pandemics and emerging threats globally.
  • South Korea will provide up to USD 3 billion to Bangladesh for the construction of its metro line MRT Line 4 and procurement of CNG buses and modernisation of the railway signalling system.
  • According to the report ‘Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth’  by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlighted that almost half of all pre-term births (babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy) in 2020 happened in five countries of India, Pakistan, Nigeria, China and Ethiopia.
  • “Global Report on Internal Displacement 2023 (GRID 2023): Internal Displacement and Food Security” by - Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
  • All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has collaborated with World Health Organization -South East Asian Regional Office (WHO-SEARO) and Duke-NUS to ensure patient safety and quality control. Under the collaboration, AIIMS will follow the learning curriculum proposed by WHO.
  • Samudra Shakti-23, the 4th edition of India-Indonesia Bilateral Naval Exercise has been held at Indonesia from May 14-19, 2023 to enhance interoperability, jointness and mutual cooperation between both the navies.
  • World Health Organisation (WHO) launches its first-ever comprehensive framework on reducing anaemia. A comprehensive framework for action, calling on countries to accelerate action to reduce the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age by 2025.
  • India and the European Union (EU) agreed to coordinate their policies in the strategic semiconductor sector with an aim to conclude a MoU by September 2023 in the 1st ministerial meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Brussels, Belgium.
  • Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has been ranked as the World’s Top Public/Private Business Incubators in the2nd edition of the UBI Global World Rankings of business incubators and accelerators.
  • World Health Organisation has been launched a global network named The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) to help protect people from infectious disease threats like COVID-19 and share the information to prevent their spread through the power of pathogen genomics.
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has released a report namely ‘Most Innovative Companies 2023: Reaching New Heights in Uncertain Times’ showcasing top 50 companies in 2023 that are most innovative in their operations. In this, Tata Group is the only Indian company to feature in this list at 20th position.
  • According to the Knight Frank Report “Data Centre Q1 2023”, Mumbai (Maharashtra, India) has emerged 3rd on the list of top data centre markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Shanghai (China) holds the1st position and is followed by Tokyo (Japan).
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape released translation of the Tamil classic ‘Thirukkural’ in the Tok Pisin language to bring the Indian thought and culture closer to the people of this south-western Pacific nation. Tok Pisin is the official language of Papua New Guinea.
  • PM Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese jointly laid the foundation stone of the ‘Little India’ gateway to be built in Harris Park in Western Sydney, Ausralia.
  • India’s Artificial Intelligence Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’, has been ranked 75th  globally in the 61st  edition of Top 500 Global Supercomputing List which was released at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) in Germany.
  • PM Narendra Modi Attended the 3rd Quad Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima (Japan).

❱ India to Host Quad 2024: At the Quad Leaders’ Summit, PM Narendra Modi stated that India is willing to host the Quad meeting in 2024 and he also invited Quad Leaders to India for the next Quad Summit.

❱ They have reaffirmed their participation under Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP), launched in 2022 to enhance climate and clean energy cooperation as well as promote adaptation and resilience.

  • The 2nd  edition of India-Saudi Arabia Bilateral Naval Exercise “Al Mohed Al Hindi 23“, a series of exercises between the Indian Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Force. This exercise held Saudi Arabia.

BANKING/ FINANCE/ ECONOMICS

  • Bank of India announced the launch of a retail term deposit scheme for senior citizens named ‘Shubh Arambh Deposit’. Through this scheme it revised its interest rates with an additional interest rate of 0.50% for Senior Citizens and 0.65% for super Senior Citizens.
  • Airtel Payments Bank became one of the first four banks to offer face authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment System) in India.
  • Cashfree Payments have partnered with Yes Bank to offer ‘Global Collections’, an international collection service for Indian exporters with Yes Bank account, to simplify the way Indian exporters receive payments from across the world. The partnership will enable the Yes Bank account holders to collect payments in over 30 foreign currencies using the Global Collections service.
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the BIS Innovation Hub (BISIH) jointly launched the G20 TechSprint 2023, 4th edition of the global technology hackathon for innovators, to promote innovative solutions aimed at ‘Transforming cross-border payments’.
  • India and Russia discussed and agreed to explore the possibility of accepting RuPay Card (India) and Mir cards (Russia) in each other’s country for hassle-free payments. This will help Indian and Russian citizens to make hassle-free payments in Indian rupees and Russian rubles in their respective countries.
  • ‘Vishesh’- customised retail banking programme, launched by HDFC Bank for customers in semi-urban and rural (SURU) regions. As a part of this, the bank plans to open more than 674 branches in these areas in FY24, onboard around one lakh new customers, and launch customized products and financial solutions for this market segment.
  • BharatPe Group, has been announced the rebranding of its loyalty program, PAYBACK India, the multi-brand loyalty program to “Zillion”.
  • The NTPC Limited signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) for the development of nuclear power projects. The agreement between both entities is expected to help India in meeting its Clean Energy Commitments to achieve a net zero emission target by 2070.
  • Visa, the Card payments company, launched a Cardholder Verification Value (CVV) free feature for tokenized cards in India to make the online transaction process easier. Thus, enabling the users to carry out online transactions without the need to enter the CVV.
  • Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited has become India’s 1st to relocate Mauritius domiciled fund to Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT-city), Gujarat. Kotak Bank issued the fist ever Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) licence to Alchemy’s Fund incorporated in GIFT
  • ‘YES KIRAN’—a solar financing scheme launched by Yes Bank Limited to offer financial assistance to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) manufacturers who wish to install solar panels at their premises.
  • Federal Bank Limited soon to launch an electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) facility for its customers, enabling them to obtain a Bank Guarantee digitally, replacing the traditional paper-based process.
  • Rukart (Agritech firm), which sells “Subjee Cooler” to enhance the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, has partnered with the State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest public sector bank, to help potential customers in getting easy loan options to buy the cold storage system ‘Subjee cooler’.
  • The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), plans to launch an online “Bank Clinic” to assist bank customers with grievance redress. Once a customer files a complaint with the Bank Clinic, AIBEA’s team will take up the complaint with the bank to address the issue.
  • Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) has launched a premium banking programme, Privy League targeting High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNI). The program offers lifestyle privileges and bespoke financial solutions.  It includes Signature LED Debit Card, designed for Privy League Platinum tier, which is India’s first LED card. It offers 75% discount on Priority Pass.
  • the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced the launch of a significant financing program, the ‘Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific’ (IF-CAP), to support Asia and the Pacific region in the battle against climate change.
  • As per the announcement of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banks are set to commence a ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign, where they will trace and settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of every bank in every district within 100 days. The banks will commence the campaign on June 01, 2023.
  • Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) constituted a 5-member expert committee comprising medical experts and insurers under the chairmanship of Pratima Murthy, to provide advice and inputs to IRDAI on matters related to mental health and insurance.
  • As per the data of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Netherlands emerged as the 3rd largest export destination for India in Financial Year 2023-23 (FY23) after the United States (US) and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
  • HDFC Asset Management Company Limited, announced the launch of the ‘HDFC Defence Fund’ i.e. India’s first mutual fund that plans to invest in the defence sector.
  • Zomato has collaborated with ICICI Bank to introduce its own Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service called ‘Zomato UPI’ for select users.
  • Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company has been launched India’s first small-cap fund namely ‘Bajaj Allianz Life Small Cap Fund’ that offers customers the opportunity to achieve capital appreciation by investing in a diversified portfolio of small-cap stocks.
  • Tide, United Kingdom-based fintech, in partnership with Transcorp International Limited, launched India’s first recycled Rupay card.
  • “Udyog Plus”, an innovative one-stop business platform, designed for the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) customers, has been launched by Aditya Birla Capital.
  • Bank of Baroda (BOB), launched two innovative customer service initiatives: “a Live Video Calling” and “Live Web Chat facility”. Bank of Baroda has become the 1st Public Sector bank to offer live video chat and live web chat services to its customers.
  • SBI General Insurance launched ‘General Surety Bond Bima’ insurance product for infrastructure projects.
  • Axis Bank Ltd has launched ‘Sarathi’, a first of its kind digital platform to enable easy installation of Electronic Data Capture or Point of Sale for merchants.
  • HDFC Bank Limited in association with the Manipal Global Academy has launched Future Bankers 2.0, a pan-India recruitment program to transform young graduates into banking professionals within 1 year.
  • Razorpay has launched India’s fastest one-step UPI payment solution namely ‘Turbo UPI’ allowing customers of online merchants to make UPI payments directly.
  • Yes Bank launched an integrated campaign with the tagline – ‘Life Ko Banao Rich’ which represents its core focus of being a complete solution provider

APPOINTMENTS

  • Siddhartha Mohanty, appointed as Managing Director (MD) and interim chairperson, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) as Chairperson till June 29, 2024.
  • Indian Olympic Association (IOA) set up a two-member ad-hoc committee comprising, Bhupender Singh Bajwa and Suma Shirur to overlook the operations of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the governing body of wrestling in India.
  • Shantanu Roy has been chosen to become the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of BEML Limited, a Miniratna PSU under the Ministry of Defence.
  • Ajay Banga, (63) was appointed as the 14th President of the World Bank and become the first-ever Indian-American President of World Bank.
  • Santiago Peña elected as the 52nd President of Paraguay.
  • National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) has appointed Rajiv Dhar as the interim Chief Executive officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD).
  • Former Speaker Wesley W Simina was elected as the new and 10th President of the Federation States of Micronesia (FSM) during the 1st regular session of the 23rd FSM Congress in Micronesia.
  • Linda Yaccarino, as the new CEO of Twitter. She became first female Twitter CEO and also the first to come from a non-tech background.
  • Alia Bhatt, a Bollywood actress, producer, and entrepreneur, has been announced as the 1st Indian global ambassador for Gucci, a high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy.
  • Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood was appointed as the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after his name was finalized by a three-member high-powered selection committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Ravneet Kaur has been appointed as the Chairperson of Competition Commission of India (CCI). She becomes the first woman and non-secretary bureaucrat to be appointed as a CCI Chairperson.
  • Kumar Jain, appointed as the new Chairman of the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
  • Amy E. Pope (from USA), has been elected as the first female Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) the United Nations(UN) Migration Agency.
  • Manoj Soni, sworn in as the new Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
  • Data Security Council of India (DSCI) has appointed Pramod Bhasin as its new Chairman.
  • Sony Sports Network has appointed Sania Mirza, as a Tennis ambassador for the broadcaster, who will be seen as an expert panellist on the network.
  • Realme, a Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer appointed Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as its new brand ambassador.
  • National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) elected R.Dinesh, as the new President of CII for the year 2023-24.
  • Parminder Chopra is set to become the first woman Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Power Finance Corporation.
  • Praveen Kumar Srivastava (PK Srivastava) was appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, chief of the anti-corruption.
  • Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sworn in as the 16th  President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

  • UK (United Kingdom) based Indian-origin actor, writer Meera Syal, 61 has been presented a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Fellowship, the highest accolade granted annually by the BAFTA, a world-leading independent arts charity, upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to films, games and/or television.
  • A former Member of Parliament (MP) – Lok Sabha, Pandit Ramkishan was honoured with the title of Shatabdi Purush (Man of the Century) to recognise his efforts as a socialist leader.
  • The United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced three imprisoned Iranian women journalists – Niloofar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi, and Narges Mohammadi as the laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, an award that celebrates press freedom.
  • Fatimah Asghar, won the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her debut novel “When We Were Sisters”, published by One World/Random House.
  • Ram Nath Kovind, a former President of India, honored Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh (UP), with the 13th edition of the Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award, for creating a fear-free UP.
  • Lionel Messi was honored with the Laureus World Sportsman Of The Year 2023 at the Laureus World Sports Awards held on 8th May 2023 in Paris, France.
  • Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced that the Badminton legends Lin Dan from China and Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia have been elected to the BWF Hall of Fame for 2023.
  • Professor Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, an eminent astrophysicist and past president of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI) was awarded the first ASI Govind Swarup Lifetime Achievement Award 2022 for his outstanding contributions to the field of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India.
  • Nigerian writer Arinze Ifeakandu  was awarded the 2023 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, for his debut book ‘God’s Children Are Little Broken Things’, a stunning short fiction collection in English.
  • Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, has been conferred with the prestigious Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), the highest civilian award in France.
  • The Tiruchirappalli International Airport project has been awarded with the International Safety Award under the 1st- class merit category by the British Safety Council.
  • “Gauri,” a documentary based on journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, directed by Kavitha Lankesh, has won the “Best Long Documentary Award” at the 12th edition of the South Asian Film Festival of Montréal (SAFFMontréal 2023) in Montréal, Canada.
  • Bulgarian Writer Georgi Gospodinov and translator Angela Rodel won the International Booker Prize 2023 for the dark comic novel titled “Time Shelter”.
  • 3 Indian peacekeepers, Border Security Force(BSF) personnel Head Constables Sanwala Ram Vishnoi & Shishupal Singh and civilian peacekeepers (national staff) Shaber Taher Ali, were posthumously awarded the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Medal.
  • The 23rd edition of NEXA International Indian Film Academy (IIFA 2023) Awards was held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan won Best Actor in a Leading Role (male) for the film Vikram Vedha and Alia Bhatt won Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) for her role in Gangubai Kathiawadi.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

  • Dubai-based airline Emirates has unveiled its latest innovation, the world's first robotic check-in assistant named “SARA”. The system is part of a new City Check-in and Travel Store that is set to launch in Dubai's financial district.
  • Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has launched a Veterinary Council of India (VCI) portal during the event organised to celebrate World Veterinary Day 2023 (29 April 2023) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
  • Indian Navy (IN) decommissioned Indian Naval Ship (INS) Magar, the oldest Landing Ship Tank (Large) after 36 years of service at the Naval base in Kochi, Kerala.
  • IBM (International Business Machines) in collaboration with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) disclosed a new geospatial foundation model, designed to convert satellite data into high-resolution maps of floods, fires, and other landscape changes to reveal the planet’s past and hint at its future.
  • Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M), partnered with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists to develop cutting-edge Piezoelectric MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology sensor for underwater communications, which will be advantageous to defence applications, especially in the Navy.
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the first integrated test on an intermediate configuration of the 2000kN (KiloNewton) thrust Semi-cryogenic Engine at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
  • NASA has launched a 2nd football-stadium-sized, heavy-lift Super Pressure Balloon (SPB) from Wānaka Airport, New Zealand, on a technology mission aimed for 100 days or more of flight in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
  • Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change launched a mobile application named Meri LiFE (My life) in New Delhi to activate the youth action for climate change, which emphasises mindful and deliberate utilisation instead of mindless and wasteful consumption.
  • Vast, a USA based Space startup, has announced a plan to launch the world’s first commercial space station, called Haven-1 in partnership with SpaceX by 2025.
  • University Grants Commission , unveiled a new portal called "UTSAH”. This portal has been developed to facilitate the monitoring and implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Higher Education Institutes.
  • Sixth Scorpene Submarine of Project-75, Indian Navy’s Kalvari class “Vaghsheer” commenced its sea trials.
  • The Indian Navy’s latest indigenous guided missile destroyer, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao, successfully carried out the engagement of a sea-skimming supersonic target with Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) missile. The Indian Navy undertook the 1st MRSAM firing from INS Mormugao.
  • Iran successfully test-launched a new surface-to-surface 4th generation of Khorramshahr ballistic missile named as Kheibar, a medium-range precision-guided projectile.
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the GSLV-F12/NVS-01 mission and placed a second-generation Navigation Satellite, NVS-01, into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).

SPORTS

  • Abhilash Tomy (44-year-old), a retired Naval officer, has become the 1st Indian and Asian to finish the Golden Globe Race, a solo around-the-world sailing race, which started on 4th September 2022 from in France. He took 236 days 14 hrs and 46 mins to complete this feat.
  • Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal won the men’s singles title at the 2023 Roma Garden Open, a part of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour 2023. The 2023 Roma Garden Open was held in Rome, Italy.
  • Badminton Asia Championships- 2023, which was held at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall in Dubai.
Category Winner
Men’s singles Anthony Sinisuka Ginting(Indonesia)
Women’s singles Tai Tzu-Ying(Chinese Taipei)
Men’s doubles Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty (India)
Women’s doubles Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota(Japan)
  • Doha Diamond League 2023: Neeraj Chopra wins Gold in Javelin Throw with 88.67m throw.
  • Indian weightlifters concluded the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023 held at South Korea, with a total of 3 silver medals.  Bindyarani Devi, hailing from Manipur, won 2 silver medals in overall and clean & jerk under the Women’s 55kg category.
  • Indian rifle and pistol shooters finished the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol 2023 held in Baku, Azerbaijan with 4 medals (1 Gold; 2 Silver and 1 Bronze).
Event Indian Winners Medal
10m air pistol mixed team Sarabjot Singh & Divya TS Gold
Men’s 10m air rifle Hriday Hazarika Silver
Women’s 10m air rifle Nancy Mandhotra Silver
Women’s 10m air pistol Rhythm Sangwan Bronze
  • Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev and Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)  won the Men’s Singles and women’s Single  title respectively at the 2023 Italian Open.
  • Indian athlete (Long Jumper) Shaili Singh bagged a Bronze medal at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix 2023 athletics meet in the women’s long jump event held in Yokohama, Japan.

OBITUARY

  • American tracker and field athlete Tori Bowie, who won 3 medals in the Olympic Games, passed away at the age of 32.
  • Sahitya Akademi Award winner and popular Bengali writer Samaresh Majumdar passed away at the age of 79 in Kolkata, West Bengal.
  • Indian-American development economist and Padma Bhushan award winner, Padma Desai passed away at the age of 92 in New York.
  • Kalyani Kazi, the eminent singer and the youngest daughter-in-law of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal, at the age of 87.
  • Robert Emerson Lucas Jr., a renowned American economist and Nobel laureate, passed away at the age of 85 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
  • Australian tennis player Owen Davidson, who won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, passed away at the age of 79 in Conroe, Texas, the United States of America (USA).
  • The former Arunachal Pradesh minister, Chow Tewa Mein passed away at the age of 80.
  • Chairman of the Hinduja Group, Srichand Parmanand Hinduja passed away at the age of 87 in London.
  • Renowned British Novelist Martin Louis Amis, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, passed away in Lake Worth, Florida, United States of America (USA).
  • Telugu writer, novelist and Sahitya Akademi awardee Kethu Viswanath Reddy passed away.
  • Kannada writer, critic and Sahitya Akademi award winner Govindaray H Nayak, passed away

BOOKS AND AUTHOR

  • Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, released a book titled “Reflections” authored by the eminent banker Narayanan Vaghul, former chairman of ICICI Bank Ltd, in an event organised at Jio Convention Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Amitabh Kant (Retired Indian Administrative Service) Authored a New Book Titled “Made In India: 75 Years of Business and Enterprise” published by the Rupa Publications India on 5th March 2023.
  • Boria Majumdar released his new book titled “Sachin@50 – Celebrating a Maestro”, published by Simon & Schuster India, on the occasion of an Indian former international cricketer Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’s 50th birthday.
  • Ajai Chowdhry, authored a new book titled “Just Aspire: Notes on Technology, Entrepreneurship and the Future”.
  • K.K. Shailaja Authored a New Book Titled “My Life as a Comrade”.
  • Ruskin Bond Authored a New Book Titled “The Golden Years”.
  • “Partitioned Freedom” authored by Ram Madhav.
  • “RINGSIDE – Up, Close, and Personal on India and Beyond”, a new book written by former member of parliament (MP) Dr Vijay Darda.
  • Ramachandra Murthy Kondubhatla, has authored a new book titled “NTR-A Political Biography”

IMPORTANT DAYS

  • World Immunization Week is observed annually across the globe in the last week of April i.e. is observed from 24th to 30th April 2023.  Theme of World Immunization Week 2023 as ‘The Big Catch-Up’ to get vaccines back on track.
  • United Nations (UN)’s International Jazz Day is annually observed across the globe on 30th April. The theme of International Jazz Day 2023 is “A Jazz Journey around the World”.
  • Ayushman Bharat Diwas is annually observed across India on April 30 to emphasise the importance of healthcare facilities for all citizens of India.
  • International Labour Day is annually observed on 1st  May to highlight the importance of workers and their contribution to society.
  • United Nations (UN)’s World Press Freedom Day is annually observed across the globe on May 3 to raise awareness about the importance of a free and independent press.The theme of World Press Freedom Day 2023 is “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for all other human rights”.
  • International Day of the Midwife (IDM) is annually observed across the globe on 5th May to celebrate and recognise the contribution of midwives across the world. The theme of the IDM 2023 is “Together again: from evidence to reality”.
  • World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) is a global healthcare event observed on 5th May to raise awareness and spread the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of infections. The campaign slogan for WHHD 2023 is “Accelerate action together. SAVE LIVES – Clean Your Hands”.
  • International Leopard Day is annually observed across the globe on May 3rd to raise global awareness about the leopards (Panthera pardus) and their plight as well as the risks that leopard populations face.
  • World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is annually observed across the globe on 8th May. The theme of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2023 is “Everything we do comes #fromtheheart”.
  • International Thalassaemia Day is annually observed across the globe on 8th. The theme of International Thalassaemia Day 2023 is “Be Aware. Share. Care: Strengthening Education to Bridge the Thalassaemia Care Gap”.
  • International Day of Plant Health 2023 is annually observed across the globe May 12. The theme of International Day of Plant Health 2023 is “Plant Health for Environmental Protection”.
  • National Dengue Day is annually observed across India on 16th May to create awareness about dengue among general public and to promote the preventive measure against dengue.
  • World Telecommunication and Information Society Day(WTISD) is annually observed across the globe on 17th May. Theme for 2023 - “Empowering the least developed countries through information and communication technologies
  • World Metrology Day is annually observed across the globe on 20th May to create awareness about the Metrology, scientific study of measurement and its application.  The theme of 2023 is “Measurements supporting the global food system”.
  • World Bee Day is annually observed across the globe on May 20. The theme of 2023 is “Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production
  • International Day for Biological Diversity is annually observed across the globe on May 22. The theme of 2023 is  “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity
  • Anti-Terrorism Day is annually observed across India on 21st May to mark the death anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister (PM) Rajiv Gandhi.
  • World Turtle Day is annually observed across the globe on May 23. The theme of World Turtle Day 2023 is “I Love Turtles”
  • World Thyroid Day is annually observed across the globe on 25th May.
  • The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has declared June 23 as “AIFF Grassroots Day” to commemorate the birth anniversary of Indian football icon Pradip Kumar Banerjee.
  • During the 70th plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the resolution was adopted and proclaimed the26th November of every year as the World Sustainable Transport Day.
  • World Hunger Day is annually observed across the globe on 28th May. The theme of World Hunger Day 2023 is “Celebrating sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty”.
  • International Day of United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers is annually observed across the globe on 29th May. The theme of 2023 is ‘Peace begins with me’.

STATE AFFAIRS

  • Tamil Nadu government has launched a mobile app ‘Food Safety Consumer App‘ and website of the Food Safety Department for grivances.
  • Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, the senior most judge of the Calcutta High Court, has became Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.
  • Uttarakhand  government approved the ‘Chief Minister’s Skill Upgradation and Global Employment Scheme‘ (“Mukhya Mantri Kaushal Unnayan aur Vaishavik Rozgar Yojana”) to help youths of the state to pursue careers in foreign nations.
  • Assam Govverment launched Ayushman  Asom Scheme under the Mukhya Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (MMJAY), aimed at promoting accessible and affordable healthcare across Assam.
  • “Geeta Karmikula Bima” a special scheme launched by Telangana Gvernment, for the Toddy Tappers community to provide life insurance cover of Rs.5 lakh.
  • Andhra Pradesh government launched the 'E-chits' application. It is an online platform developed by the Registration and Stamps Department to facilitate regulated fund transactions through electronic service.
  • Madhya Pradesh government announced to launcha new scheme named ‘Mukhyamantri Sikho Kamao Yojana’ (Chief Minister Learn and Earn Scheme) to provide opportunity to learn skills for unemployed youths of the state.
  • Uttarakhand government launched ‘Patch Reporting App’ to report potholes. It will help in making the roads of Uttarakhand pothole-free. This app will enable the mobile phone users to record pictures of potholes and register their complaints with Public Works Department (PWD) authorities seeking their repair by giving the relevant details.
  • Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra tea received a protected Geographical Indication (GI) with the European Union (EU).
  • Telangana  government inaugurated the “SAHAS” initiative, which means ‘Courage’, aimed at enhancing support systems for women facing workplace sexual harassment.
  • Madhya Pradesh Becomes India’s 1st State to Provide Free Air Travel to Pilgrims to Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (UP), from Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal, MP, through a flight under the state’s scheme of Mukhya Mantri Teerth-Darshan Yojana.
  • “Niramaya Health Insurance Scheme” a first of its kind initiative in Andhra Pradesh, to provide free medical services for Special children i.e. children suffering from autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities.
  • Sourav Ganguly has been appointed the brand ambassador of Tripura tourism.
  • Uttar Pradesh government inaugurated an online education programme ‘Pahal’ for rural area students. The programme Pahal has been developed by the Department of secondary education in collaboration with IIT - Kanpur
  • The Government of Goa and the Government of Uttarakhand have signed a MoU to collaborate towards enhancing the tourism landscape of both Goa and Uttarakhand.
  • Odisha government introduce the new ‘Mo Ghara’ Scheme’. The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to meet the aspiration of the lower and lower-middle-income households of rural Odisha
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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
  • The first ever ‘Millets Experience Centre’ has been launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) in Delhi. To enhance the public awareness and utilization of Millets.
  • Indian Navy’s Surface warships are inducting the Naval Anti-Drone System (NADS) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with the support of the Indian Navy and manufactured by the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence. This is the first indigenously developed Naval Anti-Drone System (NADS) to be inducted into the Indian Armed Forces.
  • Ministry of Finance, has launched the scheme, “Vivad se Vishwas I” for providing relief to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for COVID-19 period.
  • NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the ‘Best Practices in Social Sector: A Compendium, 2023’ which features 75 case studies which truly reflect the theme ‘Achievement@75’ at the grassroot levels.
  • Recently a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Military Engineer Services (MES) Jhansi and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to convert Indian Army’s stations/cantonments into carbon neutral campuses.
  • According to the ‘National Manufacturing Innovation Survey (NMIS) 2021-22: Summary for Policymakers’, a joint study by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Karnataka has topped the Indian Manufacturing Innovation Index (IMII) ranking 2022.
  • Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Shantanu Thakur flagged off MV-ITT LION (V-273) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata as the inaugural shipment to operationalise the Sittwe Port in Rakhine State of Myanmar. The Port has been built under a grant assistance from the Government of India as part of Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP).
  • Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai inaugurated the Dawki land port in West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya to promote trade and commerce between India and Bangladesh. The land port is also expected to boost the tourism and business sectors.
  • Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the ‘Food Street Project’ to develop 100 healthy and hygienic food streets across the country. The aim of this project is to encourage safe and healthy food practices among food businesses and community members, thus, reducing foodborne illnesses and improving the overall health outcomes.
    • To operationalize the food streets, the National Health Mission (NHM) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will provide an assistance of Rs. 1 crore per food street as a pilot project to support 100 such food streets at different locations across the country.
  • Union Government has formed an 11-member high-level committee under the chairmanship of Sanjay Garg, to restructure the 94-year-old ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), which was established in 1929, to meet the objective of Amrit Kaal.
  • To set up Asia’s largest bio-gas plant in Mumbai, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) will work together. The upcoming plant will be able to scientifically treat the segregated 1000 tonnes of wet-waste per day into compressed bio-gas (CBG).
  • The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy (IN) conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘ADC-150’ from IL 38SD aircraft off the coast of Goa. It is an indigenously designed and developed Air Droppable Container with 150 kg payload capacity.
  • The trailer of 'Love in 90s', the first film made in Tagin language of Arunachal Pradesh, was launched by Union Law and Justice Minister KirenRijiju.
  • India and Maldives launched construction of ‘EkathaHarbour' for the Coast Guard of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
  • India has hosted the Shanghai Corporation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting on 4-5 May 2023 in Goa.
  • On May 1st, the Arabian Travel Market's 30th edition started at the Dubai with a substantial attendance from India. This is among the most prominent global events for the travel and tourism industry, drawing visitors and exhibitors from all corners of the world.
  • Wayanad, a district in the southern Indian state of Kerala, has achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first ODF Plus district in India.
  • Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to make digital health cards for children and launched the ‘School Health Program’. This is a pilot project, the program has been started in Lucknow.
  • NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the ‘Best Practices in Social Sector: A Compendium, 2023’ which is a compilation of 75 initiatives of the Centre and the states/ Union Territories (UTs) in the social sector.
  • India’s 1st of-its-kind Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage Centre in Chandigarh. The heritage centre has the first IAF-made patent aircraft Air Force ‘Kanpur-1 Vintage Prototype Aircraft’, a single-engine indigenous flying machine designed and built by the late Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh in 1958 at Base Repair Depot Kanpur.
  • Telangana government launched Telangana State Robotics Framework, a first-of-its-kind policy in India, to provide a roadmap for the state to create a sustainable robotic ecosystem and be a leading state in the field of robotics.
  • Punjab has become the first Indian State to implement the “Right to walk” by making it mandatory for all road-owning agencies, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to provide footpaths and cycle tracks in all future expansion of roads and construction of new ones.
  • “SAKSHAM”- (Stimulating Advanced Knowledge for Sustainable Health Management) launched by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is a learning management information system (LMIS) of MoHFW.
  • “YUVA PRATIBHA – Singing Talent Hunt”- launched by MyGov in collaboration with Ministry of Culture with an aim to promote Indian music at the grassroots level on a national scale by identifying and recognizing the new and young talent in various singing genres such as Folk, Patriotic, and Contemporary.
  • Sagar Shreshtha Samman’ Awards 2023:
    • Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) (Andhra Pradesh) received Sagar Shrestha Samman Award 2023.
    • Paradip Port (Odisha) - Awarded as best port for the year 2022-23.
    • Deendayal Port, Kandla (Gujarat)- Awarded for the best Absolute Performance for the year FY23 for handling the highest cargo
  • Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), launched “Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi”, the flagship programme of MoWCD, to strengthen Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) component of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0).
  • According to the data released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, as of May 10, 2023, 50% of the total villages in India achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus status under Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM-G).
    Top Performing States/UTs:
    • Among big states – Telangana (100%), Karnataka (99.5%), Tamil Nadu (97.8%) & Uttar Pradesh (95.2%)
    • Among small states – Goa (95.3%) and Sikkim (69.2%)
    • Among UTs – Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu and Lakshadweep have 100% ODF Plus Model villages.
  • Kerala becomes 1st state to launch Institutional Ranking Framework. Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF), modelled on the lines of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), to assess the quality of higher education institutions in Kerala.
  • India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) signs MoU with Purdue University in USA for capacity building, research and development (R&D), and industry. Purdue’s partnership with the ISM is the 1st of its kind under the framework of a USA-India governmental partnership.
  • The National Technology Week 2023 took place from 11th to 14th May 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Delhi under the theme “School to Startup – igniting young minds to innovate”.
  • Kerala became the first state in India to launch a welfare fund for workers under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has prepared the “Model Prisons Act 2023” which will replace “The Prisons Act, of 1894”, a 130-year-old British-era law. This will focus on the reformation and rehabilitation of inmates. “Model Prisons Act, 2023” allows security assessment and segregation of prisons, separate wards for women and transgenders and punishment for conniving jail staff among other provisions.
  • India and Bangladesh launched a ‘50 start-ups exchange programme’, under which 50 Start-ups from Bangladesh and 50 Start-ups from India were planned to exchange visits to each other’s countries for exploring partnerships, expanding business relations, sharing experience and knowledge.
  • Bhopal has become the first city in India to join the growing global movement on the localization of the United Nations [UN]-mandated sustainable development goals (SDG).
  • Tamil Nadu government inaugurated a 570 metres long and 4.2-metre wide Skywalk Bridge connecting the Mambalam railway station and T Nagar bus terminus in Chennai. It will be considered as the longest skywalk in Tamil Nadu and it one of the longest skywalks in India.
  • The 3rd Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting (ETWG) took place in Mumbai, on May 15, 2023, during India's G20 Presidency. The 3rd ETWG Meeting will be chaired by Shri Alok Kumar, who serves as the ETWG Chair and Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
  • Assam Government and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways(MoPSW) signed an agreement for a ‘Riverine based Tourism Circuit’ being developed over the River Brahmaputra in Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati, Assam.
  • The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Israel. The purpose of this agreement is to collaborate on establishing the "India-Israel Center of Water Technology" (CoWT) at IIT Madras. The center will focus on advancements in Water Resource Management and Water Technologies.
  • Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAHD),  has been launched the “Sagar Parikrama Yatra Phase-V” in Karanja, Raigad, Maharashtra. The yatra started on 17th May 2023 from Gateway of India, Mumbai concluded on 19th May 2023 in Goa. It aims to resolve the issues of the fishermen and stakeholders and ensure their economic upliftment.
  • AirAsia India flight i5-767 became India’s first commercial passenger flight to successfully take off using an indigenously produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Pune (Maharashtra) to New Delhi (Delhi). It is a significant development towards the decarbonization of the aviation sector.
  • Indian Navy and the Royal Saudi Naval Force of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces collaborate for first-ever training of Saudi Cadets with the Indian Navy.
  • Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) made five major announcements collectively named as ‘Panch Karma Sankalp‘ focusing green shipping and digitization of the ports during  2nd Chintan Shivir held in Munnar, Kerala.
  • India’s first Neo Metro will be implemented on 2 corridors in Dehradun, India’s 1st Provide on Demand (Pod) taxi will be introduced in Haridwar.
  • Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd launched GAINS 2023 [GRSE Accelerated Innovation Nurturing Scheme 2023] in Kolkata, West Bengal to utilize the eco-system that tackles current and future challenges in the ship design and construction sector.
  • “Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar” campaign programme launched by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to promote the RRRs (3Rs) of waste management: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Citizens of urban India are actively refurbishing used objects for reuse, embracing the principles of creating “wealth” from waste.
  • The annual five-day-long Great Prayer Festival, “Ladakh Monlam Chenmo,” a mass prayer camp by Buddhist monks and nuns for world peace and happiness has been held in Leh, Ladakh.
  • Kerala became India’s first fully e-governed state as it successfully digitized a range of government services for prompt and transparent delivery to its citizens.
  • National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA has constituted an 11-member Cheetah Project Steering Committee to oversee the implementation of ‘Project Cheetah’. This committee headed by Rajesh Gopal.
  • The Ministry of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj launched the 'SAMARTH' campaign in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. This campaign aims to promote digital transactions in 50,000 Gram Panchayats as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate the new building of Parliament House and dedicated it to the nation and installed the Sengol with Nandi at the top facing East-West direction in the new Parliament House.
    • About the Sengol: Made of silver and gold, the five-feet long sceptre was handed over by Lord Mountbatten to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947, as a symbol of the transfer of power, according to the government. The Sengol, a symbol of governance in Tamil kingdoms of yore, was then kept for display in The Allahabad Museum
    • About the Parliament building
      • The new building is located in the Central Vista area of New Delhi and is designed to accommodate the growing size and needs of the Indian Parliament.The new Parliament building has been designed to accommodate future requirements, with seating for 888 members in the Lok Sabha and 384 members in the Rajya Sabha.
      • The new building will also house six committee rooms equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual systems. This is a significant improvement compared to the present structure, which has only three such rooms.
      • Unlike the circular shape of the old Parliament building, the new building takes on a triangular shape to optimize space utilization, covering an area of approximately 65,000 square meters.
      • The four-storey building has been constructed at an estimated cost of ₹970 crore. The building has been designed by Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management, and constructed by Tata Projects Limited.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
  • Exercise INIOCHOS-23 is a multinational air exercise that will be hosted by the Hellenic Air Force, at the Andravida Air Base in Greece. India’s air force is participating for the first time in the multinational air drill INIOCHOS-23.
  • 1st ASEAN-India Maritime exercise was held at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore. Aim of AIME-23: To promote maritime cooperation and enhancing trust, friendship and confidence amongst ASEAN and Indian Navies.
  • India and Guyana signed an Air Services Agreement (ASA) to facilitate easier travel between the two nations.
    • Indian foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar along with Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana has been presented the commissioning ceremony of the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE)-built ocean-going passenger-cum-cargo ferry MV ‘Ma Lisha’ at Georgetown, Guyana
  • Indian Armed Forces conducted ‘Buland Bharat’, an integrated surveillance and firepower training Exercise, at the newly operationalised High Altitude Artillery Ranges of Eastern Theatre – Mandala High Altitude Firing Ranges in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • WHO launched a new initiative called PRET (Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats) to ensure the world is prepared for future outbreaks like the Covid-19 pandemic. PERT is a Call to Action to accelerate preparedness for pandemics and emerging threats globally.
  • South Korea will provide up to USD 3 billion to Bangladesh for the construction of its metro line MRT Line 4 and procurement of CNG buses and modernisation of the railway signalling system.
  • According to the report ‘Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth’  by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlighted that almost half of all pre-term births (babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy) in 2020 happened in five countries of India, Pakistan, Nigeria, China and Ethiopia.
  • “Global Report on Internal Displacement 2023 (GRID 2023): Internal Displacement and Food Security” by - Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
  • All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has collaborated with World Health Organization -South East Asian Regional Office (WHO-SEARO) and Duke-NUS to ensure patient safety and quality control. Under the collaboration, AIIMS will follow the learning curriculum proposed by WHO.
  • Samudra Shakti-23, the 4th edition of India-Indonesia Bilateral Naval Exercise has been held at Indonesia from May 14-19, 2023 to enhance interoperability, jointness and mutual cooperation between both the navies.
  • World Health Organisation (WHO) launches its first-ever comprehensive framework on reducing anaemia. A comprehensive framework for action, calling on countries to accelerate action to reduce the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age by 2025.
  • India and the European Union (EU) agreed to coordinate their policies in the strategic semiconductor sector with an aim to conclude a MoU by September 2023 in the 1st ministerial meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Brussels, Belgium.
  • Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has been ranked as the World’s Top Public/Private Business Incubators in the2nd edition of the UBI Global World Rankings of business incubators and accelerators.
  • World Health Organisation has been launched a global network named The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) to help protect people from infectious disease threats like COVID-19 and share the information to prevent their spread through the power of pathogen genomics.
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has released a report namely ‘Most Innovative Companies 2023: Reaching New Heights in Uncertain Times’ showcasing top 50 companies in 2023 that are most innovative in their operations. In this, Tata Group is the only Indian company to feature in this list at 20th position.
  • According to the Knight Frank Report “Data Centre Q1 2023”, Mumbai (Maharashtra, India) has emerged 3rd on the list of top data centre markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Shanghai (China) holds the1st position and is followed by Tokyo (Japan).
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape released translation of the Tamil classic ‘Thirukkural’ in the Tok Pisin language to bring the Indian thought and culture closer to the people of this south-western Pacific nation. Tok Pisin is the official language of Papua New Guinea.
  • PM Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese jointly laid the foundation stone of the ‘Little India’ gateway to be built in Harris Park in Western Sydney, Ausralia
  • India’s Artificial Intelligence Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’, has been ranked 75th  globally in the 61st  edition of Top 500 Global Supercomputing List which was released at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) in Germany.
  • PM Narendra Modi Attended the 3rd Quad Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima (Japan).
    • India to Host Quad 2024: At the Quad Leaders’ Summit, PM Narendra Modi stated that India is willing to host the Quad meeting in 2024 and he also invited Quad Leaders to India for the next Quad Summit.
    • They have reaffirmed their participation under Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP), launched in 2022 to enhance climate and clean energy cooperation as well as promote adaptation and resilience.
  • The 2nd  edition of India-Saudi Arabia Bilateral Naval Exercise “Al Mohed Al Hindi 23“, a series of exercises between the Indian Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Force. This exercise held Saudi Arabia.
BANKING AND FINANCE
  • Bank of India announced the launch of a retail term deposit scheme for senior citizens named ‘Shubh Arambh Deposit’. Through this scheme it revised its interest rates with an additional interest rate of 0.50% for Senior Citizens and 0.65% for super Senior Citizens.
  • Airtel Payments Bank became one of the first four banks to offer face authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment System) in India.
  • Cashfree Payments have partnered with Yes Bank to offer ‘Global Collections’, an international collection service for Indian exporters with Yes Bank account, to simplify the way Indian exporters receive payments from across the world. The partnership will enable the Yes Bank account holders to collect payments in over 30 foreign currencies using the Global Collections service.
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the BIS Innovation Hub (BISIH) jointly launched the G20 TechSprint 2023, 4th edition of the global technology hackathon for innovators, to promote innovative solutions aimed at ‘Transforming cross-border payments’.
  • India and Russia discussed and agreed to explore the possibility of accepting RuPay Card (India) and Mir cards (Russia) in each other’s country for hassle-free payments. This will help Indian and Russian citizens to make hassle-free payments in Indian rupees and Russian rubles in their respective countries.
  • ‘Vishesh’- customised retail banking programme, launched by HDFC Bank for customers in semi-urban and rural (SURU) regions. As a part of this, the bank plans to open more than 674 branches in these areas in FY24, onboard around one lakh new customers, and launch customized products and financial solutions for this market segment.
  • BharatPe Group, has been announced the rebranding of its loyalty program, PAYBACK India, the multi-brand loyalty program to “Zillion”.
  • The NTPC Limited signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) for the development of nuclear power projects. The agreement between both entities is expected to help India in meeting its Clean Energy Commitments to achieve a net zero emission target by 2070.
  • Visa, the Card payments company, launched a Cardholder Verification Value (CVV) free feature for tokenized cards in India to make the online transaction process easier. Thus, enabling the users to carry out online transactions without the need to enter the CVV.
  • Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited has become India’s 1st to relocate Mauritius domiciled fund to Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT-city), Gujarat. Kotak Bank issued the fist ever Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) licence to Alchemy’s Fund incorporated in GIFT
  • ‘YES KIRAN’—a solar financing scheme launched by Yes Bank Limited to offer financial assistance to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) manufacturers who wish to install solar panels at their premises.
  • Federal Bank Limited soon to launch an electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) facility for its customers, enabling them to obtain a Bank Guarantee digitally, replacing the traditional paper-based process.
  • Rukart (Agritech firm), which sells “Subjee Cooler” to enhance the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, has partnered with the State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest public sector bank, to help potential customers in getting easy loan options to buy the cold storage system ‘Subjee cooler’.
  • The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), plans to launch an online “Bank Clinic” to assist bank customers with grievance redress. Once a customer files a complaint with the Bank Clinic, AIBEA’s team will take up the complaint with the bank to address the issue.
  • Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) has launched a premium banking programme, Privy League targeting High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNI). The program offers lifestyle privileges and bespoke financial solutions.  It includes Signature LED Debit Card, designed for Privy League Platinum tier, which is India’s first LED card. It offers 75% discount on Priority Pass.
  • the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced the launch of a significant financing program, the ‘Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific’ (IF-CAP), to support Asia and the Pacific region in the battle against climate change.
  • As per the announcement of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banks are set to commence a ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign, where they will trace and settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of every bank in every district within 100 days. The banks will commence the campaign on June 01, 2023.
  • Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) constituted a 5-member expert committee comprising medical experts and insurers under the chairmanship of Pratima Murthy, to provide advice and inputs to IRDAI on matters related to mental health and insurance.
  • As per the data of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Netherlands emerged as the 3rd largest export destination for India in Financial Year 2023-23 (FY23) after the United States (US) and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
  • HDFC Asset Management Company Limited, announced the launch of the ‘HDFC Defence Fund’ i.e. India’s first mutual fund that plans to invest in the defence sector.
  • Zomato has collaborated with ICICI Bank to introduce its own Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service called ‘Zomato UPI’ for select users.
  • Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company has been launched India’s first small-cap fund namely ‘Bajaj Allianz Life Small Cap Fund’ that offers customers the opportunity to achieve capital appreciation by investing in a diversified portfolio of small-cap stocks.
  • Tide, United Kingdom-based fintech, in partnership with Transcorp International Limited, launched India’s first recycled Rupay card.
  • “Udyog Plus”, an innovative one-stop business platform, designed for the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) customers, has been launched by Aditya Birla Capital.
  • Bank of Baroda (BOB), launched two innovative customer service initiatives: “a Live Video Calling” and “Live Web Chat facility”. Bank of Baroda has become the 1st Public Sector bank to offer live video chat and live web chat services to its customers.
  • SBI General Insurance launched ‘General Surety Bond Bima’ insurance product for infrastructure projects.
  • Axis Bank Ltd has launched ‘Sarathi’, a first of its kind digital platform to enable easy installation of Electronic Data Capture or Point of Sale for merchants.
  • HDFC Bank Limited in association with the Manipal Global Academy has launched Future Bankers 2.0, a pan-India recruitment program to transform young graduates into banking professionals within 1 year.
  • Razorpay has launched India’s fastest one-step UPI payment solution namely ‘Turbo UPI’ allowing customers of online merchants to make UPI payments directly.
  • Yes Bank launched an integrated campaign with the tagline – ‘Life Ko Banao Rich’ which represents its core focus of being a complete solution provider
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
  • Siddhartha Mohanty, appointed as Managing Director (MD) and interim chairperson, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) as Chairperson till June 29, 2024.
  • Indian Olympic Association (IOA) set up a two-member ad-hoc committee comprising, Bhupender Singh Bajwa and Suma Shirur to overlook the operations of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the governing body of wrestling in India.
  • Shantanu Roy has been chosen to become the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of BEML Limited, a Miniratna PSU under the Ministry of Defence.
  • Ajay Banga, (63) was appointed as the 14th President of the World Bank and become the first-ever Indian-American President of World Bank.
  • Santiago Peña elected as the 52nd President of Paraguay.
  • National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) has appointed Rajiv Dhar as the interim Chief Executive officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD).
  • Former Speaker Wesley W Simina was elected as the new and 10th President of the Federation States of Micronesia (FSM) during the 1st regular session of the 23rd FSM Congress in Micronesia.
  • Linda Yaccarino, as the new CEO of Twitter. She became first female Twitter CEO and also the first to come from a non-tech background.
  • Alia Bhatt, a Bollywood actress, producer, and entrepreneur, has been announced as the 1st Indian global ambassador for Gucci, a high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy.
  • Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood was appointed as the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after his name was finalized by a three-member high-powered selection committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Ravneet Kaur has been appointed as the Chairperson of Competition Commission of India (CCI). She becomes the first woman and non-secretary bureaucrat to be appointed as a CCI Chairperson.
  • Kumar Jain, appointed as the new Chairman of the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
  • Amy E. Pope (from USA), has been elected as the first female Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) the United Nations(UN) Migration Agency.
  • Manoj Soni, sworn in as the new Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
  • Data Security Council of India (DSCI) has appointed Pramod Bhasin as its new Chairman.
  • Sony Sports Network has appointed Sania Mirza, as a Tennis ambassador for the broadcaster, who will be seen as an expert panellist on the network.
  • Realme, a Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer appointed Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as its new brand ambassador.
  • National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) elected R.Dinesh, as the new President of CII for the year 2023-24.
  • Parminder Chopra is set to become the first woman Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Power Finance Corporation.
  • Praveen Kumar Srivastava (PK Srivastava) was appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, chief of the anti-corruption.
  • Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sworn in as the 16th  President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
  • UK (United Kingdom) based Indian-origin actor, writer Meera Syal, 61 has been presented a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Fellowship, the highest accolade granted annually by the BAFTA, a world-leading independent arts charity, upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to films, games and/or television.
  • A former Member of Parliament (MP) – Lok Sabha, Pandit Ramkishan was honoured with the title of Shatabdi Purush (Man of the Century) to recognise his efforts as a socialist leader.
  • The United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced three imprisoned Iranian women journalists – Niloofar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi, and Narges Mohammadi as the laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, an award that celebrates press freedom.
  • Maria Stepanova has been awarded the Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding 2023 for her volume of poetry entitled “Mädchen ohne Kleider“ (Girls Without Clothes).
  • Fatimah Asghar, won the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her debut novel “When We Were Sisters”, published by One World/Random House.
  • Ram Nath Kovind, a former President of India, honored Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh (UP), with the 13th edition of the Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award, for creating a fear-free UP.
  • Lionel Messi was honored with the Laureus World Sportsman Of The Year 2023 at the Laureus World Sports Awards held on 8th May 2023 in Paris, France.
  • Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced that the Badminton legends Lin Dan from China and Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia have been elected to the BWF Hall of Fame for 2023.
  • Professor Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, an eminent astrophysicist and past president of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI) was awarded the first ASI Govind Swarup Lifetime Achievement Award 2022 for his outstanding contributions to the field of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India.
  • Nigerian writer Arinze Ifeakandu  was awarded the 2023 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, for his debut book ‘God’s Children Are Little Broken Things’, a stunning short fiction collection in English.
  • Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, has been conferred with the prestigious Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), the highest civilian award in France.
  • The Tiruchirappalli International Airport project has been awarded with the International Safety Award under the 1st- class merit category by the British Safety Council.
  • “Gauri,” a documentary based on journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, directed by Kavitha Lankesh, has won the “Best Long Documentary Award” at the 12th edition of the South Asian Film Festival of Montréal (SAFFMontréal 2023) in Montréal, Canada.
  • Bulgarian Writer Georgi Gospodinov and translator Angela Rodel won the International Booker Prize 2023 for the dark comic novel titled “Time Shelter”.
  • 3 Indian peacekeepers, Border Security Force(BSF) personnel Head Constables Sanwala Ram Vishnoi & Shishupal Singh and civilian peacekeepers (national staff) Shaber Taher Ali, were posthumously awarded the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Medal.
  • The 23rd edition of NEXA International Indian Film Academy (IIFA 2023) Awards was held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan won Best Actor in a Leading Role (male) for the film Vikram Vedha and Alia Bhatt won Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) for her role in Gangubai Kathiawadi.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
  • Dubai-based airline Emirates has unveiled its latest innovation, the world's first robotic check-in assistant named “SARA”. The system is part of a new City Check-in and Travel Store that is set to launch in Dubai's financial district.
  • Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has launched a Veterinary Council of India (VCI) portal during the event organised to celebrate World Veterinary Day 2023 (29 April 2023) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
  • Indian Navy (IN) decommissioned Indian Naval Ship (INS) Magar, the oldest Landing Ship Tank (Large) after 36 years of service at the Naval base in Kochi, Kerala.
  • IBM (International Business Machines) in collaboration with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) disclosed a new geospatial foundation model, designed to convert satellite data into high-resolution maps of floods, fires, and other landscape changes to reveal the planet’s past and hint at its future.
  • Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M), partnered with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists to develop cutting-edge Piezoelectric MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology sensor for underwater communications, which will be advantageous to defence applications, especially in the Navy.
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the first integrated test on an intermediate configuration of the 2000kN (KiloNewton) thrust Semi-cryogenic Engine at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
  • NASA has launched a 2nd football-stadium-sized, heavy-lift Super Pressure Balloon (SPB) from Wānaka Airport, New Zealand, on a technology mission aimed for 100 days or more of flight in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
  • Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change launched a mobile application named Meri LiFE (My life) in New Delhi to activate the youth action for climate change, which emphasises mindful and deliberate utilisation instead of mindless and wasteful consumption.
  • Vast, a USA based Space startup, has announced a plan to launch the world’s first commercial space station, called Haven-1 in partnership with SpaceX by 2025.
  • University Grants Commission , unveiled a new portal called "UTSAH”. This portal has been developed to facilitate the monitoring and implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Higher Education Institutes.
  • Sixth  Scorpene Submarine of Project-75, Indian Navy’s Kalvari class “Vaghsheer” commenced its sea trials.
  • The Indian Navy’s latest indigenous guided missile destroyer, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao, successfully carried out the engagement of a sea-skimming supersonic target with Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) missile. The Indian Navy undertook the 1st MRSAM firing from INS Mormugao.
  • Iran successfully test-launched a new surface-to-surface 4th generation of Khorramshahr ballistic missile named as Kheibar, a medium-range precision-guided projectile.
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the GSLV-F12/NVS-01 mission and placed a second-generation Navigation Satellite, NVS-01, into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
SPORTS
  • Abhilash Tomy (44-year-old), a retired Naval officer, has become the 1st Indian and Asian to finish the Golden Globe Race, a solo around-the-world sailing race,
  • which started on 4th September 2022 from in France. He took 236 days 14 hrs and 46 mins to complete this feat.
  • Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal won the men’s singles title at the 2023 Roma Garden Open, a part of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour 2023. The 2023 Roma Garden Open was held in Rome, Italy.
  • Badminton Asia Championships- 2023, which was held at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall in Dubai.
Category Winner
Men’s singles Anthony Sinisuka Ginting(Indonesia)
Women’s singles Tai Tzu-Ying(Chinese Taipei)
Men’s doubles Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty (India)
Women’s doubles Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota(Japan)
  • Doha Diamond League 2023: Neeraj Chopra wins Gold in Javelin Throw with 88.67m throw.
  • Indian weightlifters concluded the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023 held at South Korea, with a total of 3 silver medals.  Bindyarani Devi, hailing from Manipur, won 2 silver medals in overall and clean & jerk under the Women’s 55kg category.
  • Indian rifle and pistol shooters finished the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol 2023 held in Baku, Azerbaijan with 4 medals (1 Gold; 2 Silver and 1 Bronze).
Event Indian Winners Medal
10m air pistol mixed team Sarabjot Singh & Divya TS Gold
Men’s 10m air rifle Hriday Hazarika Silver
Women’s 10m air rifle Nancy Mandhotra Silver
Women’s 10m air pistol Rhythm Sangwan Bronze
  • Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev and Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)  won the Men’s Singles and women’s Single  title respectively at the 2023 Italian Open.
  • Indian athlete (Long Jumper) Shaili Singh bagged a Bronze medal at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix 2023 athletics meet in the women’s long jump event held in Yokohama, Japan.
OBITUARIES
  • American tracker and field athlete Tori Bowie, who won 3 medals in the Olympic Games, passed away at the age of 32.
  • Sahitya Akademi Award winner and popular Bengali writer Samaresh Majumdar passed away at the age of 79 in Kolkata, West Bengal.
  • Indian-American development economist and Padma Bhushan award winner, Padma Desai passed away at the age of 92 in New York.
  • Kalyani Kazi, the eminent singer and the youngest daughter-in-law of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal, at the age of 87.
  • Robert Emerson Lucas Jr., a renowned American economist and Nobel laureate, passed away at the age of 85 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
  • Australian tennis player Owen Davidson, who won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, passed away at the age of 79 in Conroe, Texas, the United States of America (USA).
  • The former Arunachal Pradesh minister, Chow Tewa Mein passed away at the age of 80.
  • The former Arunachal Pradesh minister, Chow Tewa Mein passed away at the age of 80.
  • Chairman of the Hinduja Group, Srichand Parmanand Hinduja passed away at the age of 87 in London.
  • Renowned British Novelist Martin Louis Amis, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, passed away in Lake Worth, Florida, United States of America (USA).
  • Telugu writer, novelist and Sahitya Akademi awardee Kethu Viswanath Reddy passed away.
  • Kannada writer, critic and Sahitya Akademi award winner Govindaray H Nayak, passed away
BOOKS & AUTHORS
  • Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, released a book titled “Reflections” authored by the eminent banker Narayanan Vaghul, former chairman of ICICI Bank Ltd, in an event organised at Jio Convention Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Amitabh Kant (Retired Indian Administrative Service) Authored a New Book Titled “Made In India: 75 Years of Business and Enterprise” published by the Rupa Publications India on 5th March 2023.
  • Boria Majumdar released his new book titled “Sachin@50 – Celebrating a Maestro”, published by Simon & Schuster India, on the occasion of an Indian former international cricketer Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’s 50th birthday.
  • Ajai Chowdhry, authored a new book titled “Just Aspire: Notes on Technology, Entrepreneurship and the Future”.
  • K.K. Shailaja Authored a New Book Titled “My Life as a Comrade”.
  • Ruskin Bond Authored a New Book Titled “The Golden Years”.
  • “Partitioned Freedom” authored by Ram Madhav.
  • “RINGSIDE – Up, Close, and Personal on India and Beyond”, a new book written by former member of parliament (MP) Dr Vijay Darda.
  • Ramachandra Murthy Kondubhatla, has authored a new book titled “NTR-A Political Biography”
IMPORTANT DAYS
  • World Immunization Week is observed annually across the globe in the last week of April i.e. is observed from 24th to 30th April 2023.  Theme of World Immunization Week 2023 as ‘The Big Catch-Up’ to get vaccines back on track.
  • United Nations (UN)’s International Jazz Day is annually observed across the globe on 30th April. The theme of International Jazz Day 2023 is “A Jazz Journey around the World”.
  • Ayushman Bharat Diwas is annually observed across India on April 30 to emphasise the importance of healthcare facilities for all citizens of India.
  • International Labour Day is annually observed on 1st  May to highlight the importance of workers and their contribution to society.
  • United Nations (UN)’s World Press Freedom Day is annually observed across the globe on May 3 to raise awareness about the importance of a free and independent press.The theme of World Press Freedom Day 2023 is “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for all other human rights”.
  • International Day of the Midwife (IDM) is annually observed across the globe on 5th May to celebrate and recognise the contribution of midwives across the world. The theme of the IDM 2023 is “Together again: from evidence to reality”.
  • World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) is a global healthcare event observed on 5th May to raise awareness and spread the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of infections. The campaign slogan for WHHD 2023 is “Accelerate action together. SAVE LIVES – Clean Your Hands”.
  • International Leopard Day is annually observed across the globe on May 3rd to raise global awareness about the leopards (Panthera pardus) and their plight as well as the risks that leopard populations face.
  • World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is annually observed across the globe on 8th May. The theme of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2023 is “Everything we do comes #fromtheheart”.
  • International Thalassaemia Day is annually observed across the globe on 8th. The theme of International Thalassaemia Day 2023 is “Be Aware. Share. Care: Strengthening Education to Bridge the Thalassaemia Care Gap”.
  • International Day of Plant Health 2023 is annually observed across the globe May 12. The theme of International Day of Plant Health 2023 is “Plant Health for Environmental Protection”.
  • National Dengue Day is annually observed across India on 16th May to create awareness about dengue among general public and to promote the preventive measure against dengue.
  • World Telecommunication and Information Society Day(WTISD) is annually observed across the globe on 17th May. Theme for 2023 - “Empowering the least developed countries through information and communication technologies
  • World Metrology Day is annually observed across the globe on 20th May to create awareness about the Metrology, scientific study of measurement and its application.  The theme of 2023 is “Measurements supporting the global food system”.
  • World Bee Day is annually observed across the globe on May 20. The theme of 2023 is “Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production
  • International Day for Biological Diversity is annually observed across the globe on May 22. The theme of 2023 is  “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity
  • Anti-Terrorism Day is annually observed across India on 21st May to mark the death anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister (PM) Rajiv Gandhi.
  • World Turtle Day is annually observed across the globe on May 23. The theme of World Turtle Day 2023 is “I Love Turtles”
  • World Thyroid Day is annually observed across the globe on 25th May.
  • The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has declared June 23 as “AIFF Grassroots Day” to commemorate the birth anniversary of Indian football icon Pradip Kumar Banerjee.
  • During the 70th plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the resolution was adopted and proclaimed the26th November of every year as the World Sustainable Transport Day.
  • World Hunger Day is annually observed across the globe on 28th May. The theme of World Hunger Day 2023 is “Celebrating sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty”.
  • International Day of United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers is annually observed across the globe on 29th May. The theme of 2023 is ‘Peace begins with me’.
STATE NEWS
  • Tamil Nadu government has launched a mobile app ‘Food Safety Consumer App‘ and website of the Food Safety Department for grivances.
  • Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, the senior most judge of the Calcutta High Court, has became Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.
  • Uttarakhand  government approved the ‘Chief Minister’s Skill Upgradation and Global Employment Scheme‘ (“Mukhya Mantri Kaushal Unnayan aur Vaishavik Rozgar Yojana”) to help youths of the state to pursue careers in foreign nations.
  • Assam Govverment launched Ayushman  Asom Scheme under the Mukhya Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (MMJAY), aimed at promoting accessible and affordable healthcare across Assam.
  • “Geeta Karmikula Bima” a special scheme launched by Telangana Gvernment, for the Toddy Tappers community to provide life insurance cover of Rs.5 lakh.
  • Andhra Pradesh government launched the 'E-chits' application. It is an online platform developed by the Registration and Stamps Department to facilitate regulated fund transactions through electronic service.
  • Madhya Pradesh government announced to launcha new scheme named ‘Mukhyamantri Sikho Kamao Yojana’ (Chief Minister Learn and Earn Scheme) to provide opportunity to learn skills for unemployed youths of the state.
  • Uttarakhand government launched ‘Patch Reporting App’ to report potholes. It will help in making the roads of Uttarakhand pothole-free. This app will enable the mobile phone users to record pictures of potholes and register their complaints with Public Works Department (PWD) authorities seeking their repair by giving the relevant details.
  • Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra tea received a protected Geographical Indication (GI) with the European Union (EU).
  • Telangana  government inaugurated the “SAHAS” initiative, which means ‘Courage’, aimed at enhancing support systems for women facing workplace sexual harassment.
  • Madhya Pradesh Becomes India’s 1st State to Provide Free Air Travel to Pilgrims to Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (UP), from Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal, MP, through a flight under the state’s scheme of Mukhya Mantri Teerth-Darshan Yojana.
  • “Niramaya Health Insurance Scheme” a first of its kind initiative in Andhra Pradesh, to provide free medical services for Special children i.e. children suffering from autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities.
  • Sourav Ganguly has been appointed the brand ambassador of Tripura tourism.
  • Uttar Pradesh government inaugurated an online education programme ‘Pahal’ for rural area students. The programme Pahal has been developed by the Department of secondary education in collaboration with IIT - Kanpur
  • The Government of Goa and the Government of Uttarakhand have signed a MoU to collaborate towards enhancing the tourism landscape of both Goa and Uttarakhand.
  • Odisha government introduce the new ‘Mo Ghara’ Scheme’. The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to meet the aspiration of the lower and lower-middle-income households of rural Odisha