Daily Current Affairs – May 21, 2023
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Daily Current Affairs - Banking - May 21, 2023
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National News
India's first commercial passenger flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel successfully flies from Pune to Delhi
- Country’s first commercial passenger flight using an indigenously produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend was successfully flown.
- Air Asia flight flew from Pune to Delhi powered by SAF blended aviation turbine fuel supplied by Indian Oil Corporation Limited in partnership with a private firm.
- Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri received the special flight at New Delhi airport.
- SAF has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.
- By 2025, if we target to blend 1 per cent SAF blending in Jet fuel, India would require around 140 million litres of SAF per annum.
- More ambitiously, if we target for 5 per cent SAF blend, India requires around 700 million litres of SAF per annum.
- Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas – Hardeep Singh Puri,Cabinet Minister (Rajya Sabha MP,UP) – Rameshwar Teli, Minister of State (Dibrugarh,Assam)
Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway created history, 100 Km road built in 100 hrs
- The Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway has achieved a new milestone by successfully laying Bituminous Concrete across 100 lane kilometers in 100 hours.
- Mr Gadkari emphasized the critical role of the Ghaziabad-Aligarh section of NH34 in connecting densely populated regions, including Dadri, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr, and Khurja.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways – Nitin Gadkari,Union Minister (Nagpur,Maharashtra) – General Vijay Kumar Singh
Ministry of Heavy Industries organized Webinar on ‘Public Procurement through Government-e-Marketplace (GeM)’
- Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) organized a webinar on ‘Public Procurement through Government-e-Marketplace (GeM)’, as a part of peer learning process to accomplish the vision of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi for establishing an inclusive, efficient, and transparent technology driven ecosystem to facilitate public procurement activities of Ministries, Attached Offices, Autonomous Bodies (ABs) and CPSEs in a fair and competitive manner.
- Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Shri Kamran Rizvi, while presiding the webinar, mentioned about the direction of the “Committee of Secretaries” to ensure 100% of the procurement of available goods and services through GeM.
- Ministry of Heavy Industries and its CPSEs are one of the key users of GeM.
- In FY 2022-23, a total of Rs. 6744 Crore procurement was done by MHI including CPSEs & ABs, with GUR of 130% and also ranked among the list of top buyers.
- BHEL, a Maharatna under MHI, contribution constitutes approx. 92% of procurement through GeM under MHI.
- Ministry of Heavy Industries – Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister (Chandauli,UP) – Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State (Faridabad,Haryana)
India’s fish production touches a record 162.48 lakh tons per annum in 2021-22
- The Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala told that India’s fish production touches a record 162.48 lakh tons per annum in 2021-22 with a 10.34% growth in fish production in 2021-22 in comparison to 2020-21.
- India is the 3rd largest fish producing country with about 8% share in global fish production.
- It stands 2nd in aquaculture production and one of the top cultured shrimps producing nation in the world.
- The growth of inland fish production, predominantly propelled by aquaculture, has been even more spectacular.
- From mere 28.23 lakh tons per annum in 2000-01, the inland fish production stood at 121. 21 lakh tons per annum in 2021-22, a staggering 400 percent increase.
- In fact, the inland fisheries and aquaculture production of the country has almost doubled since 2014.
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying – Parshottam Rupala,Union Minister (Rajya Sabha MP,Gujarat) – Sanjeev Balyan, Minister of State (Muzaffarnagar,UP), L. Murugan, Minister of State (Rajya Sabha MP,MP)
STARS Program
- Ministry of Education and World Bank organised a one of its kind workshop on School-to-Work Transition under the STARS Program in Mumbai.
- The workshop was co-chaired by Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, School Education and Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- The workshop was also attended by the Secretaries of Education and Skill Department of the six STARS states i.e. Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh along with the State Project Directors of Samagra Shiksha, respective officers, and representatives from the World Bank.
- One of the key components of STARS program is strengthening of Vocational Education and School-to-Work Transition.
- The workshop focussed on discussion on a Skill Gap analysis of the six STARS States and Uttar Pradesh along with convergence of vocational and skill.
- Ministry of Education – Dharmendra Pradhan,Union Minister (Rajya Sabha MP,MP) – Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State (Bankura, West Bengal), Annpurna Devi Yadav, Minister of State (Kodarma, Jharkhand), Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State (Inner Manipur,Manipur)
Centre will launch an ‘Integrative Health policy’ to make every citizen healthy
- The Government of India will soon come out with an ‘Integrative Health Policy’ for the health and wellness of public at large, informed Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.
- It would be a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Ayush with a greater emphasis on integrative medicine and holistic health, as today’s primary need is to make every citizen of the country healthy.
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare – Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya,Union Minister (Rajya Sabha MP,Gujarat) – Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar,Minister of State (Dindori,Maharashtra)
Railway ministry approves procurement of 238 Vande Bharat Metro rakes under MUTP for Mumbai
- The Railway Board approved the procurement of 238 Vande Bharat Metro trains for Mumbai, senior Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC).
- These rakes will be procured under the ambitious Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III (MUTP-III) and 3A (MUTP-3A), which are being helmed by the Railway ministry and the Maharashtra government to augment the capacity of the metropolis’ suburban train network.
- Two depots for maintenance of the rakes already approved under MUTP-III and 3A will be set up by the technology partner, the official added.
- MUTP-III and MUTP-3A projects are worth Rs 10,947 crore and Rs 33,690 crore respectively.
- Ministry of Railways – Ashwini Vaishnaw,Union Minister (Rajya Sabha MP,Odisha) – Raosaheb Danve,Minister of State (Jalna,Maharashtra) Darshana Jardosh,Minister of State (Surat,Gujarat)
International News
G7 Summit
- Japan assumed the G7 Presidency in 2023.
- 49th G7 Summit held at Hiroshima, Japan.
- Members – Japan (Host), Canada, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, European Union.
- Guest – Australia, Brazil, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Ukraine, Vietnam, International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, OECD, United Nations, World Bank, World Health Organization, World Trade Organization
- 48th G7 summit was held in Schloss Elmau, Krün, Bavarian Alps, Germany.
PM Modi and Japan's Kishida bilateral talks
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida held talks focusing on boosting bilateral cooperation in areas of green hydrogen, high technology, semiconductors and digital public infrastructure.
- It was the second meeting between Modi and Kishida this year following the visit of the Japanese prime minister to India in March this year.
- Japan – Tokyo (Capital) – Japanese yen (Currency) – Naruhito (Emperor) – Fumio Kishida (Prime Minister) – Japanese (Language)
State News
UP government receives Rs 5,400-cr investment for alcohol distillation plants
- Uttar Pradesh has received private and cooperative sector investment of more than Rs 5,400 crore in 31 greenfield alcohol distillation plants across the state.
- The new factories will have a combined alcohol distillation capacity of 1.45 billion litres, according to UP additional chief secretary, sugar and excise, Sanjay Bhoosreddy.
- So far, 18 of these plants with a total alcohol capacity of 968 million litres have already started commercial production.
- These greenfield units will generate fresh employment for 8,267 people.
- In fact, more than 5,000 youth have already been employed, and an investment of Rs 3,530 crore injected into the proposed projects.
- Uttar Pradesh – Lucknow (Capital) – Yogi Adityanath (CM) – Anandiben Patel (Governor) – Hindi (Language)
Banking and Finance
Finance Ministry says no TCS on overseas payments via debit or credit cards upto Rs 7 lakh per year
- Finance Ministry said that any payments by an individual using their international Debit or Credit cards upto seven lakh rupees per financial year will be excluded from the Liberalized Remittance Scheme, LRS limits and will not attract any Tax Collection at Source (TCS).
- Concerns have been raised about the applicability of Tax Collection at Source to small transactions under the Liberalized Remittance Scheme from 1st July.
- To avoid any procedural ambiguity, it has also been decided that Existing beneficial TCS treatment for education and health payments will also continue.
- Ministry of Finance – Nirmala Sitharaman,Cabinet Minister (Rajya Sabha MP,Karnataka) – Bhagwat Karad, Minister of State (Rajya Sabha MP,Maharashtra) & Pankaj Choudhary, Minister of State (Maharajganj,UP)
Yes Bank launched PAY EASY mobile app for merchants
- Yes Bank announced the launch of a mobile application, YES PAY EASY, enabling small-scale merchants such as traders, retailers, and professionals, to accept instant cashless payments from their customers.
- The app has been developed in collaboration with Mastercard and Worldline India.
- It offers features such as Bharat QR, Tap-On-Phone, and SMS Pay, allowing merchants to transact through various digital modes.
- It also allows for payment collection, instant sharing of digital charge slips, and generation of reconciliation statements.
- Additionally, merchants can track pending payments, send reminders using the Khata feature, and benefit from a simplified onboarding process.
- The app is designed for any individual or sole proprietor with a valid business license, and happens to be an existing current or savings Account customer of YES BANK.
- The onboarding process has been kept simple through a Do-It-Yourself mode with intelligence-based guidance built into the app.
- Yes Bank – 2004 (Founded) – Mumbai (HQ) – Prashant Kumar (MD & CEO) – “Experience Our Expertise” (Tagline)
Agreements and MoUs signed
NGEL MoU with HEML
- In order to realize green energy and green hydrogen objectives and the GOI’s efforts towards energy transition, NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL) and HPCL Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi.
- The MoU was signed by Shri V. V. Sivakumar, GM(NGEL) and Shri Girish Ghildiyal, GM(HMEL) in the presence of Shri Mohit Bhargava, CEO(NGEL) and Shri Harak Banthia, CFO (HMEL).
- The MoU envisages collaborating in the field of Renewable Energy through sourcing 250 MW RE-RTC (Round-The-Clock) power to meet the requirement of HMEL and also exploring opportunities in the Green Hydrogen business & its derivatives (Green Ammonia & Green Methanol).
- HPCL Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL), is a Joint Venture between HPCL and Mittal Energy Investments Pvt Ltd. which is an integrated refining and petrochemical company in India.
- HMEL is engaged in the business of superior petroleum and petrochemical products and operates the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery (GGSR) with 11.3 MMTPA capacity at Bathinda, Punjab.
- NTPC Limited (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) – 07/11/1975 (Founded) – New Delhi (HQ) – Gurdeep Singh (Chairman & MD)
Summit and Conference
Asian Petrochemical Industry Conference
- Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, addressed two-day Asian Petrochemical Industry Conference on the theme, ‘Ushering in a Sustainable Future’ at the, at New Delhi.
- The market size of the Indian Chemicals and Petrochemicals sector is currently USD 190 Billion.
- India is not only the sixth largest chemicals producer in the World and the fourth in Asia but also exports Chemicals to more than 175 countries.
- It accounts for 13% of India’s total exports.
- Indian chemical sector continues to grow at a rate of 1.2-1.5 times the GDP.
- Going forward, as the chemical market in India grows to USD 300 billion from the current valuation of USD 178 billion, we are expecting the coming decade to bring in investments worth more than USD 87 billion.
- India is expected to account for more than 10% of the world’s growth in petrochemicals.
- The Government has instituted several policies to boost this sector including 100% FDI through automatic routes, PCPIR (Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region) zones and set up of infrastructure such as 10+ plastic parks.
- The proposed new PCPIR policy would be implemented between 2020–35 and is expected to attract an approximate combined investment of over INR 34 lakh crores (USD 420 billion) for the sector.
- We have increased India’s refining capacity from 215 MMTPA in 2013-14 to 251.2 MMTPA (million metric tons per annum) the fourth largest in the world after the United States, China and Russia.
Power
Rays Power Infra bagged Rs 650 crores water project in UP
- Rays Power Infra has bagged a water project worth Rs 650 crore in Uttar Pradesh, which aims to provide clean drinking water to over one crore households by March 2024.
- The company has also initiated the development and execution of solar parks and solar plants aggregating to 2 GW in the next 24 months.
Appointments
Siddaramaiah sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka
- Siddaramaiah sworn in as 24th Chief Minister of Karnataka.
- DK Shivakumar sworn in as Karnataka’s deputy CM.
- Karnataka – Bengaluru (Capital) – Siddaramaiah (CM) –Thawarchand Gehlot (Governor) – Kannada (Language)
Obituary
Former Australia Test cricketer and Olympian Brian Booth passed away at 89
- Former Test player and field hockey Olympian Brian Booth passed away at 89.
- Booth played 29 Test matches for Australia, including two as captain.
- He scored five Test centuries and was a key member of Australia’s batting lineup throughout the early part of the 1960s and scored 1,773 Test runs at an average of 42.21.
- Australia – Canberra (Capital) – Australian dollar (Currency) – Charles III (Monarch) – Anthony Albanese (Prime Minister) – English (Language)
Sports News
Archery World Cup Stage Two
- India’s compound mixed team duo of Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam stunned heavyweights Korea to grab successive World Cup gold medals at 2023 Archery World Cup stage 2, in Shanghai, China.
- Avneet Kaur won bronze medal in the women’s individual compound category.
- China – Beijing (Capital) – Renminbi (Currency) – Xi Jinping (President) – Chinese (Language)
Important Days
World Bee Day
- World Bee Day is annually observed on May 20.
- The UN Member States approved Slovenia’s proposal to proclaim 20 May as World Bee Day in December 2017.
- On this day Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping, was born in 1734.
- First observed in 2018.
- Bees and other pollinators are fundamental for the health of ecosystems and food security.
- They help maintain biodiversity and ensure the production of nutritious food.
- Theme – Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production.
Defence
Indian Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Force Collaborate for Maiden Afloat Training of Saudi Cadets
- In a major move aimed at enhancing cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Royal Saudi Naval Force, cadets from the latter are in India for 24 days of afloat training.
- 55 cadets from the King Fahd Naval Academy, Saudi Arabia arrived this week in Kochi, the headquarters of India’s Southern Naval Command, as part of their first-ever training with the Indian Navy.
- 55 cadets along with five Directing Staff from King Fahd Naval Academy, Saudi Arabia arrived onboard First Training Squadron (1TS) ships, INS Tir and INS Sujata at Kochi as part of afloat training with the Indian Navy.
- Indian Navy – 26/01/1950 (Founded) – New Delhi (HQ) – Navy Day (December 4) – Admiral R. Hari Kumar (Chief of Naval Staff) – ‘May the Lord of Water be auspicious unto us’ (Motto)
Indian Naval ships Delhi and Satpura visited Vietnam
- As part of Indian Navy’s deployment to ASEAN countries, Indian Naval ships Delhi and Satpura, under the command of Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, arrived at Da Nang, Vietnam.
- Earlier, both ships participated in the inaugural edition of the ASEAN – India Maritime Exercise (AIME) aimed at promoting maritime cooperation, enhancing trust and confidence between ASEAN navies and Indian Navy.
- The ships are also scheduled to exercise with the Vietnam People’s Navy at sea to share best practices and enhance interoperability.
Daily Current Affairs - May 21, 2023 - Consolidated
- India’s first commercial passenger flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel successfully flies from Pune to Delhi
- Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway created history, 100 Km road built in 100 hrs
- Ministry of Heavy Industries organized Webinar on ‘Public Procurement through Government-e-Marketplace (GeM)’
- India’s fish production touches a record 162.48 lakh tons per annum in 2021-22
- STARS Program
- Centre will launch an ‘Integrative Health policy’ to make every citizen healthy
- Railway ministry approves procurement of 238 Vande Bharat Metro rakes under MUTP for Mumbai
- G7 Summit
- PM Modi and Japan’s Kishida bilateral talks
- UP government receives Rs 5,400-cr investment for alcohol distillation plants
- Finance Ministry says no TCS on overseas payments via debit or credit cards upto Rs 7 lakh per year
- Yes Bank launched PAY EASY mobile app for merchants
- NGEL MoU with HEML
- Asian Petrochemical Industry Conference
- Rays Power Infra bagged Rs 650 crores water project in UP
- Siddaramaiah sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka
- Former Australia Test cricketer and Olympian Brian Booth passed away at 89
- Archery World Cup Stage Two
- World Bee Day
- Indian Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Force Collaborate for Maiden Afloat Training of Saudi Cadets
- Indian Naval ships Delhi and Satpura visited Vietnam
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