1 Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Jan Shakti Art Exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art
The Prime Minister , Narendra Modi visited the Jan Shakti Art Exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art, in New Delhi . Art works based on the episodes of Mann Ki Baat have been displayed in this exhibition . The exhibition has been organized to mark the completion of the 100th episode of the Prime Minister’s popular radio program Mann Ki Baat. Renowned modern and contemporary artists have displayed the Prime Minister’s messages on 12 themes in their artworks. The themes of the artworks are based on water conservation, women power, awareness about covid, clean India, environment and climate change, Indian agriculture, yoga and ayurveda and sports and health.
2 Indian Police Service officer Praveen Sood appointed as the next director of CBI
Senior Indian Police Service officer Praveen Sood has been appointed as the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation-CBI for two years . Mr. Sood is currently working as the Director General of Police in Karnataka. He will replace the outgoing CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal.
3 Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan to lead Indian delegation to Cannes International Film Festival
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan will lead the Indian delegation to the Cannes International Film Festival to be held from May 16 to 27 . He will be accompanied by Guneet Monga, producer of the famous film Elephant Whisperers , actresses Manushi Chhillar, Esha Gupta and Manipuri actor Kangabam Tomba . Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur Will address the inaugural session of the festival through video message. They will showcase India as the hub of content creation. The National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad is preparing the Indian pandal at the festival. Its main theme is Showcasing India’s Creative Economy. The design of the pandal is inspired by the Saraswati Yantra which is the symbol of Goddess Saraswati. Four Indian films have been officially selected at the Cannes Film Festival. These include Keanu Behl’s Agra and Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy. Apart from this, many other Indian films will also be screened at the festival. Manipuri film Ishanhou will be screened in the classic category.
4 Government bans import of 928 items to boost domestic defense industry
The Defense Ministry has imposed a phased ban on the import of 928 military equipment to encourage self-reliance in defense manufacturing . The ministry released the fourth such list . Earlier, three lists in December 2021, March 2022 and August 2022 was issued. Under these, a ban was imposed on the import of one thousand two hundred and thirty eight equipment. The 928 military equipment in the fourth list includes line replacement units, subsystems and spare parts. The ban on their import will be implemented in a phased manner between December 2023 and December 2029. The Defense Ministry statement said that banning the import of these equipment would save Rs 715 crore. Now these equipments will be procured from the Indian industry. Out of one thousand two hundred and thirty eight equipment included in the first three list, 310 have started being produced in India. This equipment is used in fighter aircraft, training aircraft, warships and various types of ammunition.
5 India-Indonesia bilateral naval exercise ‘Samudra Shakti-2023’ held
The fourth edition of bilateral naval exercise Samudra Shakti between India and Indonesia is scheduled to be held from 14 to 19 May 2023 . INS Kavaratti has reached Batam, Indonesia to participate in this exercise . Kavaratti is an indigenously designed and built ASW Corvette. A Dornier maritime patrol aircraft and Chetak helicopters of the Indian Navy are also participating in Exercise Samudra Shakti-2023. The Indonesian Navy is being represented by KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, CN 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft and AS565 Panther helicopters.
6 Supreme Court’s decision: IAS officers will be under Delhi Government
In a significant decision, the Supreme Court has given control of all services in the national capital, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to the Delhi government , except services related to land, police and law and order . A Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice MR Shah, Justice Krishna Murari, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice PS Narasimha delivered a unanimous verdict on the matter.
7 Varanasi’s LBSI airport gets India’s first reading lounge
Lal Bahadur Shastri International (LBSI) Airport has become the first airport in India to have a free reading lounge . The lounge’s library has a collection of literature and books in several international languages apart from books on Kashi by young authors published under Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana. The lounge has been set up with the assistance of the National Book Trust (NBT), an Indian publishing house and an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Education, Government of India.
8 Linda Yacarino becomes the new CEO of Twitter
Elon Musk has made it clear that Linda Yacarino will be the new CEO of Twitter . Linda is currently the Chair of Global Advertising and Partnerships at NBC Universal . Musk said in a tweet that Linda would focus primarily on business operations, while he would focus on product design and new technology. After Linda takes over, Musk will take over as Twitter’s executive chairman and chief technology officer.
9 Kochi Port awarded Sagar Shrestha Samman
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways conferred the Sagar Shrestha Samman to Cochin Port Authority (CPA) for the best turnaround time in the non-container category during 2022-23 . Ports and Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal presented the award to CPA President M. Bina in New Delhi. The award is in recognition of the ‘outstanding performance of Cochin Port in handling dry bulk and liquid bulk cargo vessels’.
10 Global Ayurveda Fair to be held in Thiruvananthapuram in December
The fifth edition of the Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF 2023) will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from December 1 to December 5 . The theme of the event is ‘ Emerging Challenges in Healthcare and a Resurgent Ayurveda ‘. The event will bring together Ayurveda practitioners and stakeholders from across the world to showcase Ayurveda’s potential in tackling health challenges.
11 RBI launches ‘100 Days 100 Pay’ special campaign, unclaimed deposits lying in every bank will be settled
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a special 100 days 100 payment program for banks . This program has been specially started to collect and dispose of unclaimed money lying unclaimed deposits in banks. The Reserve Bank of India announced the 100 Days 100 Payments campaign on 12 May. Under this, within 100 days, 100 unclaimed deposits deposited in every bank in every district of India will be traced and disposed of.
12 IMF released Regional Economic Outlook
According to the Regional Economic Outlook of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) , the economies of the Middle East and Central Asia are likely to enter recession this year due to persistently high inflation and rising interest rates. The report states that factors such as rising energy costs and high food prices are responsible for the estimated slow growth in these regions. The oil-dependent economies of Gulf Arab states and other countries in the region have benefited from higher crude prices, while others such as Pakistan have seen growth slump after unprecedented floods last summer. The IMF has warned that financial conditions around the world will tighten this year, particularly affecting heavily indebted countries.
13 AU Small Finance Bank launches RuPay Credit Card for self-employed customers
AU Small Finance Bank in association with RuPay introduces Business Cashback RuPay Credit Card , an innovative solution designed to meet the financial needs of self-employed customers. The latest product is intended to provide a wide range of advantages to small enterprises.
14 Parminder Chopra became the first woman to become the CMD of PFC, India’s largest NBFC.
Parminder Chopra has been recommended by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) to become the next Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Power Finance Corporation (PFC), India’s largest non-banking financial company (NBFC) by net worth. If appointed, she would be the first woman to hold the position.
15 China and Pakistan agree to extend CPEC to Afghanistan
Recently, China and Pakistan have held the fourth round of foreign minister-level Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad, Pakistan , where they agreed to expand the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan . Also, the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Talks was also held where they agreed to combat terrorism and enhance cooperation in various economic fields. In 2021, China proposed the construction of the Peshawar-Kabul motorway as an extension of the CPEC in Afghanistan. The CPEC is a 3,000-km stretch of infrastructure projects linking China’s northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Gwadar port in Pakistan’s western province of Balochistan.
16 India’s Export Import Bank plans to raise $4 billion in FY24
India’s Export Import Bank (India Exim Bank) plans to raise $4 billion in FY24 . It will be used to provide business finance and term loans. India Exim Bank Managing Director Harsha Bangari said the export credit agency would raise funds up to $4 billion, depending on market conditions. This is higher than the $3.47 billion raised in FY23. The bank has a wide base of investors and is looking at various currencies.
17 PFRDA extends deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar till June 30
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has extended the deadline for linking Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar till June 30, 2023. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has also extended the PAN-Aadhaar linking date till this date . PFRDA has warned that failure to link PAN with Aadhaar by the deadline will result in restrictions on transactions in one’s National Pension System (NPS) account. Since PAN is an important identification number and is part of Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements for NPS accounts, all intermediaries are required to ensure valid KYC for all customers.
18 Deepika Padukone appeared on the cover page of Time magazine
Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone recently made her way into the elite club of global celebrities to grace the cover of Time magazine . With this, Deepika Padukone has joined the list of rare Indian actors to appear on the cover of Time. She has joined the elite club of global celebrities including Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and many more influential personalities who have had the opportunity to be featured on this prestigious and highly respected magazine. Only last year, Deepika Padukone was honored with ‘The Time 100 Impact Award’ for her achievements in cinema and her work in mental health advocacy.
19 Rajeev Dhar appointed as interim CEO of NIIF
The board of directors of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), an investment platform for government-backed international and domestic investors, has appointed Rajeev Dhar as the interim Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). NIIF said in a statement that his appointment has come into effect from May 11. The appointment comes after Sujoy Bose requested to be relieved of the responsibility of managing director and CEO of NIIF.
20 Ayushmann Khurrana included in Indian contingent as ambassador for Special Olympics trip to Berlin
Film actor Ayushmann Khurrana has been roped in as the ambassador for the Indian team for the Special Olympics trip to Berlin, Germany . It will be organized from 16 to 25 June. The Special Olympics Journey to Berlin is a prestigious event that provides a platform for athletes from around the world to showcase their talents and compete in a variety of sports.
