Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth Arrives in Mumbai on 8-day Visit to India
The Mauritius Premier arrived in India on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his visit, Jugnauth will participate in the Ground-Breaking Ceremony of the WHO-Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar as well as in the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit in Gandhinagar, along with PM Modi. The Mauritius PM will also pay a visit to Varanasi apart from his official engagements in Gujarat and New Delhi.
India and Mauritius enjoy uniquely close ties, bound by shared history, culture, and heritage. The visit will further strengthen the vibrant bilateral ties.
Russian Warship: Moskva Sinks in Black Sea
Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, was being towed to port when "stormy seas" caused it to sink. The 510-crew missile cruiser was a symbol of Russia's military power, leading its naval assault on Ukraine. The 12,490-tonne vessel is the biggest Russian warship to be sunk in action since World War Two. Ukrainian military officials said they struck the Moskva with Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles - a weapon designed after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the naval threat to Ukraine in the Black Sea grew.
This is a significant and humiliating loss for Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly insisted that his "special military operation" in Ukraine is going according to plan.
India Gets Elected to Four UN ECOSOC Bodies
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six principal organs of the UN System established by the UN Charter in 1945. It consists of 54 members of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly. India was elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) four major bodies, including the Commission on Science and Technology for Development.
The 4 bodies to which India was elected are as follows:
The Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
The Commission for Social Development
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations
The Commission on Science and Technology for Development
India Pulses and Grains Association Appoints Bimal Kothari as Chairman
India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex body for India's pulses trade and industry, appointed Bimal Kothari as the new Chairman with immediate effect.
He has been the Vice-Chairman of IPGA since 2011 when the trade body was formed. Kothari takes over as the third chairman of the association after Pravin Dongre and Jitu Bheda.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Launches Kotak FYN
Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMBL) launched Kotak FYN, a new enterprise platform designed specifically for Business Banking and Corporate clients. Customers of the bank can utilise the portal to conduct all trade and service transactions. The Kotak FYN portal will contain many other services by the fourth quarter of 2022, including account services, payments, and collections.
The portal will also have a dashboard that consumers can personalise, real-time tracking of transaction limits, access to prior transactions, and upcoming transaction events, among other things.
Kodak FYN is a digital corporate portal that serves as a one-stop shop. The backbone of rising digital trade will be FYN's end-to-end digital architecture, better efficiency, speed, and enhanced security protocols.
Govt. Amends FEMA Rules to Allow 20% FDI in LIC
The government amended rules of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), paving the way for up to 20 per cent foreign direct investment in the insurance behemoth LIC. The government is planning to dilute its stake in LIC through the Initial Public Offering (IPO). LIC in February 2022 had filed the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) before the markets regulator Sebi for the IPO.
Foreign investment in LIC shall be subject to the provisions of the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, (LIC Act) as amended from time to time and such provisions of the Insurance Act, 1938, as amended from time to time, as are applicable to LIC.
Stefanos Tsitsipas captured back-to-back crowns at the Monte Carlo Masters with a workmanlike 6-3 7-6(3) win over first-time ATP Tour finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, claiming his first title of the 2022 season.
The Greek world No. 5 Tsitsipas' second Masters 1000 title comes at the perfect time for the 23-year-old, who is hoping to improve on his runners-up finish at last year's French Open and claim a maiden Grand Slam title this year.
Young Tamil Nadu Paddler Vishwa Deenadayalan Dies in Meghalaya Car Crash
Teenaged table tennis player Vishwa Deenadayalan was killed and three other paddlers from Tamil Nadu were injured when their taxi collied with a 12-wheel truck in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district. The four players from the southern Indian state were on their way from Guawahati Airport to Shillong in a tourist taxi to take part in the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis Championship.
Deenadayalan, a promising player with several national ranking titles and international medals to his credit, was to represent India at the WTT Youth Contender at Linz, Austria, from April 27, 2022. Deenadayalan's transition from cadet and sub-junior to junior section was steady. He had won the cadet and sub-junior national titles also.
First IT Training & Services Centre of Ethosh Digital in Leh
Leh took the first step towards establishing Information Technology sector. Ladakh Additional Director General of Police S.S. Khandare inaugurated the first IT Training and Services centre of Ethosh Digital, in Leh.
Ethosh Digital is a California-based Multinational Company, working in the field of digital communications and AR-VR products. Aseem Foundation, a Pune-based NGO, working in India's border regions in the fields of Education, entrepreneurship, health, sports and sustainable development has helped Ethosh Digital to establish the first IT office in Ladakh.
K. N. Vyas Gets One-year Extension as Atomic Energy Commission Chairman
The government granted an extension of one year to Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas. The appointment committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension in service to Vyas for a period of one year. This is the second extension for Vyas, who was first appointed to the post in September 2018.
Assam's Kamrup District Gets a First-of-its-kind Transgender Tea Stall
Kamrup district of Assam, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, got a 'Trans Tea Stall'. The tea stall was set up under the aegis of the All Assam Transgender Association in collaboration with the District Administration to empower the trans community of the state and to help them learn entrepreneurial skills.
This tea stall aims to empower the trans community of Assam and help them learn entrepreneurial as well as business communication skills.
Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj Pande was appointed as the 29th Chief of Army Staff, becoming the first officer from the Corps of Engineers and also the first from combat support arms - the combat arms being infantry, artillery and armoured - to head the 1.3 million Army. He will take over on April 30 when the incumbent Gen Manoj Naravane is set to retire.
Lt Gen Pande was commissioned in December 1982 into the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers).
Appointment is still awaited for the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) which has fallen vacant following the untimely demise of the country's first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat in a chopper crash in December 2021. Gen Naravane is presently the seniormost and front runner for the post.
The tenure of Service Chiefs is 62 years of age or three years whichever is earlier while the age limit for the CDS is 65 years of age with no fixed tenure defined.
Army Commanders' Conference Begins in New Delhi
The conference is an institutional platform for conceptual-level deliberations, culminating in making important policy decisions for the Indian Army. During the five-day conference, the senior leadership of the Indian Army will review the operational situation along the active borders, assess threats in the entire spectrum of conflict and undertake analysis of capability voids to further focus on capability development and operational preparedness plans.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to interact with the senior commanders and address the Conference on 21st April.
Various agenda points sponsored by regional commands will be deliberated upon by the senior commanders apart from proposals concerning improving works, financial management, introducing e-vehicles, and digitisation in the Indian Army.
Israel Becomes the First Country to Successfully Shoot Down Drones With 'Iron Beam' Laser Interceptors
Israel successfully tested a new laser missile-defence system 'Iron Beam' which can destroy any airborne object including drones. Iron Beam is the world's first energy-based weapons system that uses a laser beam to shoot down incoming UAVs, rockets, mortars, long-range missiles, anti-tank missiles etc. The Iron Beam which is developed by the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is using a directed-energy weapon system and can go a long way in providing aerial defence.
Iron Beam works on a fibre laser system to destroy any airborne object. Iron Dome defense system was a great success, with a 90% interception rate against incoming rocket fire.
Karnataka Appoints Robin Uthappa as Brand Ambassador for Brain Health Initiative
The Karnataka State Government in association with NIMHANS and NITI Aayog launched the Karnataka Brain Health Initiative (Ka-BHI) in January. Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa was appointed as the brand ambassador for Karnataka- Brain Health Initiative (Ka-BHI) in April 2022. Training of doctors and preparations to start Brain Health Clinics in the three pilot hospitals has also commenced.
While training of doctors and preparations to start Brain Health Clinics in the three pilot hospitals – Jayanagar General hospital in Bengaluru Urban, SNR Hospital in Kolar and District Hospital in Chickballapur has begun.
Prabhat Patnaik Named for Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2022
Well-known Indian economist and political commentator, Prabhat Patnaik was selected for the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2022. The award is annually given by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust to an outstanding social scientist selected from nominations received by a specially constituted national jury. The award includes a citation and prize money of Rs. 2 lakh.
Dr. Patnaik has taught at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning in the School of Social Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and was the Vice Chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board.
Kovind Gives Assent to Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 and Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022
President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022. The objective of the Act is to authorize for taking measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters and to preserve records. It also provides legal sanction for taking appropriate body measurements of persons who are required to give such measurements which include finger-impressions, palm-print and foot-print impressions, photographs, iris and retina scan, physical, biological samples, and their analysis among others. The new Act has replaced the Identification of Prisoners Act, of 1920.
The President has also given his assent to the Delhi Municipal Corporation ( Amendment) Act,2022. It aimed at unifying the three existing Municipal Corporations of Delhi into one Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Dr. Ambedkar Centre of Excellence to be Launched Nationally on April 22, will be Set up in 31 Central Varsities
The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) will play host to the national launch of Dr. Ambedkar Centre of Excellence on April 22, 2022. The centre will be launched by the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Government of India, Virendra Kumar. The centres are being launched to provide coaching facilities to scheduled caste (SC) students for civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC).
Each centre will have 100 seats for coaching and over 33 per cent of total sanctioned seats may preferably be given to eligible female candidates of the scheduled caste (SC) category. As many as three faculty members are to be appointed in each centre. The centres are proposed to have separate classrooms, library, hi-speed WiFi connectivity and other required infrastructure for smooth functioning. For taking admission to the centre to avail coaching, candidates will have to clear an entrance test.
Age-old Tongue-piercing Festival is Back in Nepal after 3 Years
Dating back to over a thousand years, the tongue-piercing festival is held on the second day of the Nepali New Year as a part of Bisket Jatra. The festival, celebrated to ward off evil spirits, is linked with the social welfare and well-being of the people. It falls at the beginning of the New Year as per the Bikram Era calendar. The festival could not be observed for the past three years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the tradition, only the locals of Bode from the Shrestha family can volunteer to get their tongue pierced. The needle is wet in mustard oil for the whole night before piercing the tongue for antisceptic purposes. One who participates in the tongue-piercing festival has to observe fasting for three days, without taking solid food.
A three-day India-Bangladesh Tourism Festival took place at Agartala Ujjayanta Palace. This move came in the wake of boosting tourism in Bangladesh and Tripura as well. Hotel owners, tour operators, and tourism officials along with others from both the countries attended the festival that was organised by Tripura Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC). Prominent artistes from both the countries attended the festival, whereas a mega cultural programme was held in the inaugural session of the festival.
An event on traditional food to enable visitors sample the delicious indigenous cuisine of Tripura, at the main entrance of the palace, was also a part of the event.
National Rail Museum with IRCTC Announces Launch of Online Ticketing for Rail Museum
National Rail Museum, in association with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), has announced the launch of online ticketing for Rail Museum. The online ticketing system for Rail Museum situated in New Delhi, was launched by Chairman and CEO of Railway Board V. K. Tripathi on the occasion of World Heritage Day.
National Rail Museum represents 169 years of rich heritage of Indian Railways. Emulating the setting of a railway yard, the extensive outdoor gallery houses a variety of steam, diesel and electric locomotives along with fascinating collection of royal saloons, wagons, carriages, armoured trains and rail cars. Variety of rides like Joy and Toy train ride, 3D virtual coach ride, simulators ride with steam, diesel and electric locomotive are available in the museum.
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