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To Our Beloved AC Aspirants,

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 RBI GRADE B Exam PDF - 2023

Table of Contents
BANKING & FINANCIAL AWARENESS ........................................................................................................................ 9
CURRENT RATES ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
SMALL SAVING SCHEMES INTEREST RATE ........................................................................................................... 9
INDIA’S GROWTH PREDICTION ............................................................................................................................ 10
RBI IN NEWS ............................................................................................................................................................. 15
SBI IN NEWS .............................................................................................................................................................. 23
MOU SIGNED BY BANKS.......................................................................................................................................... 23
SEBI RELATED NEWS .............................................................................................................................................. 24
OTHERS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28
FUNDS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 39
INSURANCE ............................................................................................................................................................... 42
ECONOMY ...................................................................................................................................................................... 45
BUSINESS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 46
NATIONAL AFFAIRS .................................................................................................................................................... 47
CABINET APPROVALS ............................................................................................................................................. 47
PM’s LAUNCHES/INAUGURATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 50
LAUNCHES/INAUGURATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 55
FIRST IN INDIA ......................................................................................................................................................... 61
LONGEST, LARGEST, HIGHEST .............................................................................................................................. 64
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES ........................................................................................................................................ 64
OTHERS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65
IMPORTANT ONE LINER ......................................................................................................................................... 78
TARGET ......................................................................................................................................................................... 79
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ......................................................................................................................................... 79
VISITS............................................................................................................................................................................. 84
INDIAN VISITS .......................................................................................................................................................... 84
FOREIGN VISIT ......................................................................................................................................................... 87
COMMITTEES................................................................................................................................................................ 91
COMMITTEES FORMED ........................................................................................................................................... 91
MEETING ................................................................................................................................................................... 93
SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE .......................................................................................................................... 94
MOU’s & AGREEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................... 95

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 MOU'S WITH OTHER COUNTRY ............................................................................................................................ 95
MOU’S WITH STATE ................................................................................................................................................ 96
MOU’S BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 97
INDEX ........................................................................................................................................................................... 101
RANKING ................................................................................................................................................................. 101
STATE/CITY WISE RANKING ........................................................................................................................... 101
INTERNATIONAL RANKING ............................................................................................................................. 103
REPORT ................................................................................................................................................................... 108
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS .................................................................................................................................... 118
APPOINTMENTS ..................................................................................................................................................... 118
NATIONAL ........................................................................................................................................................... 118
INTERNATIONAL ............................................................................................................................................... 132
BRAND AMBASSADOR .......................................................................................................................................... 138
RESIGNATION ......................................................................................................................................................... 138
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 139
AWARDS .................................................................................................................................................................. 139
RECOGNITIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 153
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS ..................................................................................................................................... 157
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ......................................................................................................................................... 164
SATELLITES ............................................................................................................................................................ 164
NEW INITIATIVE/INNOVATION .......................................................................................................................... 167
DEFENCE...................................................................................................................................................................... 171
EXERCISES ............................................................................................................................................................... 171
MISSILES .................................................................................................................................................................. 176
COMMISSION/DECOMMISSION ........................................................................................................................... 177
IMPORTANT DEFENCE EVENTS .......................................................................................................................... 178
SPORTS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 183
APPOINTMENTS IN SPORTS ................................................................................................................................ 183
RETIREMENT .......................................................................................................................................................... 183
TENNIS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 184
CRICKET .................................................................................................................................................................. 184
BADMINTON ........................................................................................................................................................... 188
CHESS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 190
GRAND PRIX ........................................................................................................................................................... 190
OTHER SPORTS ...................................................................................................................................................... 191
APPS & WEB PORTAL ............................................................................................................................................... 194

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BANKING ................................................................................................................................................................. 194
OTHERS ................................................................................................................................................................... 194

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 BANKING & FINANCIAL AWARENESS
CURRENT RATES
Policy Bi- Bi- Bi-
rates monthly monthly monthly
Monetar Monetary Monetary
y Policy Policy Policy
Februar April 2023 June 2023
y 2023 (FY24) (FY24)
(FY23)
Repo Rate 6.50% 6.50 % 6.50%
Reverse 3.35% 3.35% 3.35%
Repo Rate
Marginal 6.75% 6.75% 6.75%
Standing
Facility
(MSF)
Standing 6.25% 6.25% 6.25%
Deposit
Facility
(SDF) Rate
Bank Rate 6.75% 6.75% 6.75%
Cash 4.50% 4.50% 4.50%
Reserve
Ratio
(CRR)
Statutory 18.00% 18.00% 18.00%
Liquidity
Ratio (SLR)

* Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will be held 6 times for a financial year as per RBI rules.

SMALL SAVING SCHEMES INTEREST RATE

The Minister of Finance under GOI revised the interest rate for the Four quarters on small saving schemes. It
will be revised three months once.
Instruments Rate of Rate of interest Compounding
interest (from April 2023 Frequency*
(from to June 2023)
January 2023
to March
2023)
Post Office Savings 4.0% 4.0% Annually
Account
1 Year Time Deposit 6.6% 6.8% Quarterly
2 Year Time Deposit 6.8% 6.9% Quarterly
3 Year Time Deposit 6.9% 7.0% Quarterly
5 Year Time Deposit 7.0% 7.5% Quarterly
5 Year Recurring 5.8% 6.2% Quarterly
Deposit Scheme
Senior Citizen 8.0% 8.2% Quarterly and
Savings Scheme paid

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Monthly Income 7.1% 7.4% Monthly and paid
Account
National Savings 7.0% 7.7% Annually
Certificate (VIII
Issue)
Public Provident 7.1% 7.1% Annually
Fund Scheme
Kisan Vikas Patra 7.2% (will 7.5% (will mature in Annually
mature in 120 115 months)
months)
Sukanya Samriddhi 7.6% 8.0% Annually
Account Scheme

INDIA’S GROWTH PREDICTION

Organization Year Predictions & Points to be Noted
JUNE 2023
Union Government of Q4 FY23 According to the official data released
India by the Union Government on May 30,
2023, the Indian Economy’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) growth in Q4
FY23 (Fourth Quarter of Financial Year
2022-23) i.e. from January to March
2023 is projected at 6.1% year-on-year
(YoY) when compared to the 4.5%
growth in Q3 FY23 and 4.1% in FY22.
• India’s growth rate for FY23
was projected
at 7.2% compared to 9.1%
GDP growth in FY22. Due to
this growth, the Indian
economy is now USD 3.3
trillion in size.
JP Morgan 2024 JP Morgan raised its forecast for
India’s annual growth by 50 basis
points to 5.5% for fiscal 2024,
following an increase in India’s gross
domestic product (GDP) growth to
6.1% in the March quarter of FY23
(Q4FY23).
• This growth was boosted by
government and private
capital spending.
• The economy also grew at a
better-than-expected 7.2%
for fiscal 2023.
Confederation of Indian FY24 Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Industry has projected the Indian economy to
grow in the range of 6.5-

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 6.7% in FY24 (Financial Year 2023-24)
supported by strong domestic drivers
and robust Capital expenditures
(CapEx) momentum of the government.
Organization for FY24 The Organization for Economic Co-
Economic Co-operation operation and Development (OECD)
and Development (OECD) Economic Outlook, has marginally
Economic Outlook increased India’s GDP (Gross Domestic
Product) growth forecast for 2023-24
(FY24) to 6%, from its earlier
projection of 5.9%.
• India’s GDP growth forecast
for FY23 was estimated
at 7.2% due to higher-than-
expected agriculture output
and strong government
spending.
Fitch Ratings FY24 Fitch Ratings has increased its forecast
for India’s GDP growth by 0.3% points
to 6.3% for the current fiscal year
2023–2024 (FY24) from its prior
prediction of 6% due to near-term
momentum and a stronger outturn in
the first quarter of FY24.
• The GDP growth of the
Indian economy was about
7.2% in FY23 and 9.1% in
FY22.
MAY 2023
International Monetary 2023 According to the International Monetary
Fund’s (IMF) Fund’s (IMF) Regional Economic
Outlook Asia and Pacific May 2023, the
Asia-Pacific region’s growth is
estimated to increase to 4.6% in c from
the 3.8% growth recorded in 2022. The
forecast for 2023 is an upgrade of 0.3%
from its October forecast (October 2022
World Economic Outlook) of 4.3%.
Asia and the Pacific region is expected
to contribute around 70% of global
growth in 2023.
Fitch Ratings FY24 Fitch Ratings has lowered India’s 2023-
24 (i.e. Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24))
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth
forecast to 6% from 6.2% of its earlier
projection, amid increased inflation and
interest rates along with subdued global
demand.

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 i. The projection for FY25 also
decreased to 6.7% from 6.9% projected
earlier.
United Nations (UN) 2023 According to the report World Economic
Situation and Prospects as of mid-2023, of
the United Nations (UN) released on
May 16, 2023, India’s economy, the
largest in the South Asian region, is
expected to grow by 5.8% in 2023 and
6.7% in 2024, supported by resilient
domestic demand
i. The report projected the world
economy to grow by 2.3% in 2023 (up
0.4% points from a January 2023
forecast) and 2.5% in 2024 (dropped
0.2% points from January 2023
projection).

State Bank of India’s FY23 According to the Ecowrap report of the

Ecowrap State Bank of India (SBI) released on
May 26, 2023, India’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) growth in the fourth
quarter (Q4) of Financial Year 2022-23
(FY23) is projected to be 5.5%. India’s
growth for FY23 is projected
at 7.1% due to growth in manufacturing
sector.
Goldman Sachs 2023 Goldman Sachs increased the Indian
economic growth forecast by 30 basis
points to 6.3% year-on-year (y-o-y) for
calendar year 2023 from its earlier
forecast of 6%, citing a boost in net
exports.
It has pegged GDP (Gross Domestic
Product) growth for the Jan-March 2023
quarter at 4.9%, 6.5% for April-June
2023, 5.9% for July-September 2023
and 8.1% for October-December 2023.

World Bank (WB) 2023 World Bank (WB) in its Global Economic
Prospects Report-June 2023 lowered
India’s growth outlook to 6.3% for
2023, a 0.3 percentage point downward
revision from 6.6% in January 2023.
However, India will remain the fastest-
growing economy (in terms of both
aggregate and per capita GDP) of the

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 largest EMDEs (Emerging Market and
Developing Economies).
• India’s growth to pick up
slightly through FY2025/26
as inflation moves back
toward the midpoint of the
tolerance range and reforms
payoff.
• For 2024, WB expects GDP
growth rate at 6.4%. While
for 2025 forecast, the growth
rate is expected at 6.5%.

APRIL 2023
World Bank (WB) FY23 WB lowered its fiscal year 2023-24
(FY24) growth projection for India to
6.3% in its “India Development Update”
(Spring 2023 Edition), down from 6.6%
in December 2022 (FY23).
i. The World Bank projected a 6.9%
growth in FY23.
Asian Development Bank FY23 The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB)
(ADB) Asian Development Outlook April 2023,
has reduced India’s GDP (Gross
Domestic Product) growth forecast for
the financial year 2022- 2023 (FY23) to
6.4% from 7% of its earlier projection.
i. India’s GDP growth forecast for FY24
was projected at 6.7% due to
improvement in private investment and
growth in the industry.
International Monetary 2023-24 The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Fund (IMF) in its bi-annual World Economic
Outlook (WEO) 2023 report with a title
‘A Rocky Recovery’ has downgraded
India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
forecast for the financial year 2023-24
by 20 basis points (-0.2%) to 5.9%
from 6.1% in January 2023 WEO
Update.
i. For FY25, India’s growth projections
are cut by 50 basis points (-0.5%) to
6.3% from 6.8% in January 2023 WEO
Update.
United Nations 2023 According to the “Trade and
Conference on Trade and Development Report Update: Global
Development (UNCTAD) Trends and Prospects” (April 2023)
report published by the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD), India’s economic growth is
projected to decline to 6% in 2023
from 6.6% in 2022.
Morgan Stanley FY24 According to the Morgan Stanley, India’s
gross domestic product (GDP) was

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 proposed to grow
at 6.2% in FY24 (Financial year 2023-
24) due to the contribution of a cyclical
recovery in consumption, increased
private sector capex (Capital
Expenditure), and acceleration on
government spending.
MARCH 2023
National Statistical Office Q3FY23 As per the data released by the National
(NSO) Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of
Statistics and Program Implementation
(MOSPI), India’s gross domestic product
(GDP) decelerated to 4.4% in the 3rd
quarter of 2022 i.e. October-
December(Q3FY23) due to a
contraction in the manufacturing
sector.
i. It was 6.3% in Q2FY23 (July-
September 2022).

Moody’s Investors 2023 Global credit rating agency Moody’s

Service (MIS) Investors Service (MIS)
increased India’s economic growth
projection for 2023 to 5.5% from 4.8%
in November 2022 in its “Global Macro
Outlook 2023-24 (February 2023
Update)”.
CRISIL FY24 As per the rating agency CRISIL annual
growth forecast, India’s GDP growth will
touch 6% in FY24 slower than the 7%
estimated by the National Statistics
Office (NSO) for FY2023.
Organisation for FY24 The Organisation for Economic
Economic Cooperation Cooperation and Development (OECD)
and Development (OECD) in its latest interim outlook report titled
‘Fragile Recovery’ has increased its
growth projection for India by 20 basis
points to 5.9% from 5.7% earlier.
India’s growth is projected to moderate
to about 6% in FY2023-24, amid tighter
financial conditions before picking up to
recover to around 7% in FY25
Global growth is projected to remain
low in 2023 and 2024, at 2.6% and
2.9%, respectively.

Ministry of Finance FY23 According to the “Monthly Economic

Review – February 2023” published by
the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the
Indian economy is projected to grow at
7% in the fiscal year 2022-2023 (FY23)
despite global challenges.
i. Retail inflation is anticipated to
decline in accordance with wholesale

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 inflation, which dropped to a 25-month
low in January 2023.
ii. The real GDP (Gross Domestic
Product) in Q3 FY23 registered a YoY
(Year on Year) growth of 4.4% which is
lower than that of 6.3 % in Q2 FY23.

RBI IN NEWS
JUNE 2023
➢ IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP), not for profit company promoted by the Indian Institute of
Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai, Tamil Nadu(TN) and IITM Incubation Cell (IITMIC) have joined
hands with Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI), to introduce voice-banking solutions to eliminate language barriers across India.
➢ RBI released its Annual Report 2022-23, a static report of the Central Board of Directors on the working
of the RBI for the year ended March 31, 2023 (i.e. FY23) submitted to the Central Government in terms
of Section 53(2) of the RBI Act, 1934.
• India has experienced macroeconomic and financial stability in FY23 with a steady growth.
• India has contributed more than 12% on average to global growth during the last five years.
❖ Highlights of the RBI’s Annual Report:
• Growth: According to the second advance estimates (SAE) of national income released by the
National Statistical Office (NSO) the Indian economy is expected to have recorded
a 7.0% growth in real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in FY23 from 9.1% in FY22.
• Inflation: Overall, headline inflation increased to 6.7% in 2022-23 from 5.5% in 2021-22.
• Inflation reached a peak of 7.8 per cent in April 2022 due to sharp increase in global prices of
crude oil, food, fertilisers and metals.
• Deficit and Debt:The general government deficit and debt moderated to 9.4% and 86.5% of
GDP, respectively, in FY23 from the peak levels of 13.1% and 89.4% in FY21, respectively.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): According to the RBI annual report, the total Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) flows into India reached a three-year low of USD 46 billion in FY23, which
is 26% lower than the previous fiscal year (FY22 USD 58.8 billion).
❖ Top 3 FDI Flows in India in FY23:
Source/Industry FY23 (FDI in USD billion)
Country Wise Inflows
Singapore 17.2
Mauritius 6.1
United States 6
Sector-wise Inflows
Manufacturing 11.3
Financial Services 6.8
Computer Services 5.6
• To protect the small investors, DICGC offers deposit insurance of Rs 5 lakh (including the
principal and interest amount) per depositor for each bank (within 90 days) in the event of the
bank being unable to fulfil its commitment due to liquidation or cancellation of the banking
licence.Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), which is
constituted under the DICGC Act, 1961 is wholly-owned by the RBI.

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 • India’s merchandise exports at USD 450.4 billion recorded a growth of 6.7%in FY23 as
compared with 44.6% in FY22.
• In FY23, as per the assessment of bank group-wise fraud cases over the last three years private
sector banks reported the maximum number of frauds, whereas the public sector
banks continued to contribute maximum to the fraud amount.
• Balance sheet of RBI in FY23: The size of the RBI’s balance sheet increased by Rs 1,54,453.97
crore, i.e., 2.50% from Rs 61,90,302.27 crore in FY22 to Rs 63,44,756.24 crore in FY23.
❖ RBI’s Income, Expenditure, and Surplus Statement in FY23:
FY22 FY23
(Amount in Rs crore) (Amount in Rs crore)
Income
1,60,112.13 2,35,457.26
(increased by 47.06%)
Expenditure
1,29,800.68 1,48,037.04
(increased by 14.05%)
Surplus payable to the Central Government
30,307.45 87,416.22
(increased by 188.43%)
➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, Shaktikanta Das, launched a financial inclusion dashboard
named ‘Antardrishti‘, Hindi means “Insight”.
➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) assigned additional responsibilities to three deputy governors after the
exit of Mahesh Kumar (MK) Jain from the post of deputy governor. His term expired on June 21, 2023.

MAY 2023
➢ The report released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Report On Currency And Finance 2022-23 on
May 03, 2023, recommends India to introduce a broad-based carbon pricing system in line with
emerging global best practices to meet the country’s climate goals.
• The theme of the report is –‘Towards a Greener Cleaner India’,
• The report does not represent the views of the RBI, inturn it is based on the findings,
views and conclusions of the contributors from the Department of Economic and Policy
Research (DEPR).
❖ Key Recommendations of the Report to India:
• The carbon tax was suggested to be accompanied by complementary redistributive
policies due to its regressive nature, in view of the inability of the weaker sections of the
society to move to eco-friendly modes of production and patterns of consumption.
• The report also recommends introduction of an Emissions Trading System (ETS) linked
to green taxonomy, covering all sectors of the economy, which can partly balance
subsidy (less polluting industries getting carbon credits for trading) and tax (more
polluting industries that should have to buy carbon certificates).
• According to the data released by RBI on 2nd May 2023, India’s services exports
increased by a record 26.6% in 2022-23 (FY23) to US$ 322 billion.
• Services imports grew 22.2 % to US$179.7 billion, leading to a services trade surplus of
US$142.5 billion.
• Merchandise exports rose by only 6% to US$ 447 billion in FY23.
• With a US$267 billion merchandise trade deficit in FY22, India has a cumulative trade
deficit (or net exports) of US$124.5 billion.
• While software exports continue to dominate India’s services exports.
• The ‘other business services’ exports have increased accounting for 24% of total
services exports in the first nine months of FY23 (April-December, 2022), up from 19%
in FY14.

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 The Union government has set a goal of US$ 2 trillion in combined goods and services exports by 2030.
➢ Under India’s G20 presidency, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the BIS Innovation Hub (BISIH)
of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) jointly launched G20 TechSprint 2023, the 4th edition of
the global technology hackathon for innovators to promote innovative solutions aimed at ‘Transforming
cross-border payments’.
• The competition is open to developers from around the world for submitting applications from
May 4, 2023, to June 4, 2023, and it will conclude in Q3 2023 (i.e. around August/ September
2023).
• The winners for each problem statement will receive an award of Rs 40 lakh (~USD 50,000).
➢ RBI updated its instructions in the Master Direction (MD) on Know Your Customer (KYC) related
to wire transfers and also aligned the same with the relevant recommendation of the Financial Action
Task Force (FATF).
• Through the amendment, RBI mandates all banks, and financial institutions in the country to
ensure all wire transfers such as domestic as well as international contain complete information
about the originator and beneficiary to prevent them from being used as a channel for money
laundering, and terrorist financing platforms.
❖ Key Updates over wire transfers:
• In case of domestic wire transfer, where the originator is an account holder of the
ordering RE (Regulated Entities), the transfer should be accompanied by the originator
and beneficiary information, as indicated for cross-border wire transfers.
• Domestic wire transfers of Rs 50,000 and above, where the originator is not an account
holder of the ordering RE, should also be accompanied by the originator and beneficiary
information as indicated for cross-border wire transfers.
• Note – ‘Ordering RE’ refers to the financial institution which initiates the wire
transfer and transfers the funds on behalf of the originator.
• RBI has directed the REs to make available all the information on the wire transfers to
appropriate law enforcement and/or prosecutorial authorities as well as FIU-IND
(Financial Intelligence Unit – India) on receiving such requests with appropriate legal
provisions.
• Note – The wire transfer instructions are not intended to cover any transaction
carried out using a credit card/debit card / Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) for
the purchase of goods or services.
➢ Profectus Capital Private Limited, a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) backed by
Actis, received the Certificate of Registration (CoR) under the Factoring Regulations Act, 2011 from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to provide factoring services to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs).
• Factoring is a financial tool that provides the seller of goods (client) with an advance against the
accounts receivable.
➢ RBI mandated Rupee (INR)-only settlement of fees charges levied by ‘Authorised Persons’ on
International Debit Cards, Store Value Cards, among others, and payable in India.
• The instruments also include Charge Cards/Smart Cards or any other instrument that can be
used to create a financial liability as ‘currency’.
➢ 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.
➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued an advisory to banks and other RBI-regulated entities to
ensure a complete transition from the international benchmark reference rate US$ London Interbank
Offered Rate (LIBOR) or the Mumbai Interbank Forward Outright Rate (MIFOR) from July 1, 2023.

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 • After June 30, 2023, Financial Benchmarks India Pvt. Ltd. (FBIL) will cease to publish Mumbai
Interbank Forward Outright Rate (MIFOR).
• Banks / Financial Institutions (FIs) have been advised to ensure that no new transactions
undertaken by them or their customers rely on or are priced using the US$ LIBOR (including
transactions that reference MIFOR).
• In this regard, banks/FIs will develop systems and processes to manage the complete transition
away from LIBOR. RBI will continue to monitor for ensuring a smooth transition from LIBOR.
➢ In consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Ministry of Finance, Government of India
(GoI) omitted Rule 7 of the Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transactions) Rules, 2000
under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and included the international credit cards (ICCs)
spendings outside India under the RBI’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) and also be subjected
it to a higher rate of 20% Tax Collected at Source (TCS) effective after July 1, 2023.
❖ Key Points
• Prevailing Rules: Only debit cards, forex (Foreign exchange) cards, and bank transfers
were included in the LRS limit and the usage of ICCs for making payments for fulfilling
expenses during travel outside India was not included in the LRS limit.
• Now due to the amendment the privilege provided for ICCs will no longer be available
and now the spending by ICCs will also be treated at par with other money transfer
instruments.
❖ Applicability of TCS:
• TCS is the tax the seller collects from the buyer at the point of sale so that it can be
deposited with the tax authorities. Banks deduct TCS on foreign remittances.
• The amendment of FEMA was made in accordance with the announcement made in
budget 2023-23 and the TCS for foreign remittances under LRS was raised from 5% to
20% on overseas tour packages and funds remitted under LRS (other than for education
and medical purposes).
• Till July 1, 2023, a 5% TCS would be levied on ICCs transactions.
• To eliminate procedural ambiguity, it was decided that individual payments up to Rs 7
lakh per financial year made using international debit or credit cards would be excluded
from the LRS limits and therefore not subject to TCS.
• Medicine and Education: TCS of 5% will be levied towards medical treatment expenses
exceeding Rs 7 lakh. A lower TCS rate of 0.5% would be levied above the Rs 7 lakh
threshold for those availing loans for overseas education.
❖ What is LRS scheme:
• LRS is a scheme which allows Indian Resident Individuals (including minors) to remit
funds outside India up to USD 250,000 or its equivalent in any freely convertible
foreign currency per financial year (April-March) for any permissible capital or current
account transaction or a combination of both without any prior approval from the RBI.
➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) notified the withdrawal of Rs 2000 denomination banknotes from
circulation and directed banks to stop issuing this banknote with immediate effect.
• As a result of this notification, the public needs to deposit and/or exchange Rs 2000
banknotes with bank branches or 19 Regional Offices (ROs) of RBI within 4 months i.e.
from May 23, 2023, to, on or before September 30, 2023.
• The limit for the exchange facility is Rs 20,000 at a time to ensure operational
convenience and prevent any disruption to the regular activities of bank branches.
❖ Reasons behind its Withdrawal:
• Sufficient Supply of Alternatives: The stock of banknotes in other denominations is
adequate to meet the currency requirement of the public.

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 • Concluding Timeframe: Approximately 89% of the Rs 2000 banknotes were put into
circulation before March 2017. These banknotes are approaching the end of their
projected lifespan of 4 to 5 years.
• Diminishing Circulation: The cumulative value of these banknotes in circulation has
declined from Rs 6.73 lakh crore as on March 31, 2018 (37.3% of notes in Circulation) to
Rs 3.62 lakh crore, as compared to on March 31, 2023, representing 10.8% of notes in
Circulation.
• This means, that people are hoarding this high-value currency. So, the decision will help
in curbing black money to a great extent.
• Clean Note Policy: This withdrawal is also in pursuance with RBI's Clean Note Policy
which ensures the availability of good quality banknotes to the public.
❖ The Story of Rs 2000 Banknote:
• Rs 2000 denomination banknote was introduced in November 2016 under Section
24(1) of RBI Act, 1934.
• Its intended objective was met as an adequate quantity of other denominations became
available. Therefore, its printing was halted in 2018-19.
• Additional info: The Magenta coloured Rs 2000 note was a part of the Mahatma Gandhi
New Series of banknotes. The reverse side features a motif of the Mangalyaan,
representing India’s first interplanetary space mission
➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the exercise of powers conferred on it under Section 45-IA
(6) of the RBI Act, 1934 has cancelled the Certificate of Registration (CoR) of seven Non-Banking
Finance Companies (NBFC).
• With this, the notified companies are barred from transacting the business of a Non-
Banking Financial Institution (NBFI), as defined in clause (a) of Section 45-I of the RBI
Act, 1934.
• The 7 NBFC are as follows:
NBFC Registered Office (City/State)
Coorg Tea Company Limited Bengaluru, Karnataka
Trimurthi Finvest Limited Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
East West Finvest India Limited Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
J.V.Modi Securities Limited Indore, Madhya Pradesh (MP)
K K Patel Finance Limited Gwalior, MP
Purvi Finvest Limited Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
Genfin Capital Private Limited Bengaluru, Karnataka
• The 14 NBFCs have surrendered the Certificate of Registration (CoR) granted to
them by RBI. Thus, RBI, in exercise of powers conferred on it under Section 45-IA (6) of
the RBI Act, 1934, has therefore cancelled their CoR.
• Under this, 7 companies surrendered their licence because of exit from business while
two surrendered due to meeting the criteria prescribed for unregistered Core
Investment Company (CIC) that do not require registration.
• Remaining five surrendered permits due to NBFC ceasing to be a legal entity due to
amalgamation/merger/dissolution/ voluntary strike-off, etc.

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 ❖ The 14 NBFCs are as follows:
• Due to exit from NBFI business:
NBFC Registered Office (City/State)
Lunia Trading & Investment Private Limited Kolkata, West Bengal (WB)
Swastik Goods and Suppliers Pvt. Ltd. Kolkata, WB
Icseva Finance Private Limited Aurangabad, Bihar
Gipsy Management Pvt Ltd Kolkata, WB
Shiba Fabspin Pvt. Ltd. Kolkata, WB
Esar Entrade Ltd Kamrup, Assam
Maba Corporate Services Private Limited Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Due to meeting the criteria prescribed for unregistered Core Investment Company (CIC)
that do not require registration:
NBFC Registered Office (City/State)
L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Limited Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN)
Josan Deposits and Advances Limited Kolkata, WB
• Due to NBFC ceasing to be a legal entity due to amalgamation/ merger/dissolution/
voluntary strike-off, etc.:
NBFC Registered Office (City/State)
Melinex Investment and Finance Private Limited Ludhiana, Punjab
Casablanca Broking & Agency Pvt. Ltd. Kolkata, WB
Janpragati Syntex Pvt Ltd Kolkata, WB
Nalimbur Mercantile Pvt Ltd Kolkata, WB
Wondermax Mercantile Pvt Ltd Kolkata, WB

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 ➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sanctioned the merging of Maratha Sahakari Bank Ltd., Mumbai
(Maharashtra) with the Cosmos Co-operative Bank Ltd, Pune (Maharashtra), the second largest
urban cooperative bank of India through Voluntary scheme of amalgamation from May 29, 2023, in
exercise of its powers conferred under Sub-Section (4) of Section 44A read with Section 56 of the
Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949.

APRIL 2023
➢ According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, India’s Bank credit increased by 15% year-on-
year (YoY) in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23), against 9.6% YoY in 2021-22 (FY22).
• FY23 credit growth is the highest since FY12 when it was 19.3%.
➢ According to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Report (April 2023), credit
growth continued to outpace deposit growth in financial year 2022-23 (FY23) at an eleven-year high,
despite banks fully transmitting lending rates linked to external benchmarks [250 basis points (bps)],
which now account for nearly half of floating-rate loans.
• In FY23, bank loans increased 14.6% while deposits increased just 9.6%.
• The rate of credit growth in FY23 was the greatest since FY 2011–12, when credit increased
17%.
• Significantly, lending rates surged the most in FY23.
➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the directions named RBI (Outsourcing of Information
Technology Services) Directions, 2023 for the outsourcing of Information Technology (IT) services by
banks, NBFCs (Non-bank financial companies) and Regulated Entities (REs) to ensure that such
arrangements do not undermine their responsibilities and obligations to customers.
• The Directions shall come into effect from October 1, 2023 to provide the REs with adequate
time to comply with the requirements.
➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) notified an enclosed Framework for acceptance of Green Deposits
for the Regulated Entities (REs) to promote and develop a green finance ecosystem in India.
• The framework will come into effect from June 1, 2023.
❖ Purpose: The framework was set up with the intent to encourage REs to offer green deposits to
customers, protect interests of the depositors, support customers to achieve their sustainability
agenda, address greenwashing concerns and help augment the flow of credit to green
activities/projects.
❖ Applicability: The provisions of the framework would be applicable to the following entities
(i.e. collectively referred to REs):
• Scheduled Commercial Banks including Small Finance Banks (excluding Regional Rural
Banks, Local Area Banks and Payments Banks) and
• All Deposit-taking Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) registered with the RBI,
including Housing Finance Companies (HFCs).
➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted an Authorised Dealer(AD) category-I licence to AU
Small Finance Bank (SFB) under Section 10 of FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act), 1999 to deal
in foreign exchange.
• Equitas SFB: On April 19, 2023, Equitas Small Finance Bank also received an AD Category-I
licence from RBI.
➢ Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) is set to launch a gold-backed digital currency to serve as legal
tender in Zimbabwe. This is an initiative of the government of Zimbabwe to stabilize the local currency
from continued depreciation against the United States (US) dollar.
➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted a non-banking financial company (NBFC) licence to
the Neobanking platform Jupiter enabling the latter to scale up its lending business.
• Earlier, Jupiter was lending in partnership with an NBFC under the Loan Service Providers
(LSP) model.
• It will be offering the loan under Amica Financial Technologies, the private entity which
operates Jupiter.
• With the new NBFC licence, Jupiter will look at offering loans from Rs 50,000 up to Rs 1 lakh.

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 ➢ RBI has cancelled the banking licence of the Adoor Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd, Adoor, Kerala
(initiated on January 3, 1987) to carry on banking business in India under Section 22 read with section
56 of the Banking Regulation Act,1949 with effect from the close of business on April 24, 2023.
• However, it is allowed to function as non-banking institution under Section 36 A(2) read with
section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) removed restrictions on resident individuals from opening interest-
earning Foreign Currency Accounts (FCA) in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) for making
investments under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).
• RBI also removed the condition of repatriating any funds lying idle in the FCA account for up to
15 days.
• This move by the RBI will help the banks at IFSC mobilise liabilities and also give them cheaper
access to funds and in turn, allow them to lend at more competitive rates.
➢ According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data on ‘Sectoral Deployment of bank Credit- March
2023′, Scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) reported a robust credit growth of 15.4% in FY23 as
compared to the 9.7% in FY22.
• Personal loans registered a growth of 20.6% in FY23 as compared with 12.6% in FY22, driven
by housing loans.
• Credit growth to services sector accelerated to 19.8% in FY23 from 8.7% in FY22 due to the
improved credit to Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and trade.

MARCH 2023
➢ As per the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) ‘Quarterly Statistics on Deposits and Credit of SCBs
(Scheduled Commercial Banks): December 2022’ report, the year on year (y-o-y) Bank credit
growth in Q3FY23 (October – December 2022) was about 16.8% as compared with 17.2% in Q2FY23
and 8.4% in Q2FY22.
➢ RBL Bank Limited, formerly known as Ratnakar Bank, and Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim
Bank) signed a Confirming Bank agreement thereby onboarding RBL bank under India Exim Bank’s
Trade Assistance Programme (TAP) to support cross-border trade transactions.
➢ According to the “Sectoral Deployment of Bank Credit — January 2023” data from the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI), significant offtake from retail and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) led to
a rise in credit to services of 21.5% year over year (YoY) in January 2023 compared to 5.7% in January
2022.
• Loans to retail climbed by 21.8% in January 2023, up from 6.9% in January 2022.
• Loans to NBFCs climbed by 31% in January 2023, compared to 9.9% in January 2022.
➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the March 2023 round of its 2 surveys: Inflation Expectations
Survey of Households (IESH), and Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS). Data gathered from these
surveys, which are regularly done by RBI, will provide useful inputs for RBI’s monetary policy.
➢ RBI imposed Restriction on Musiri Urban Co-operative Bank; caps withdrawals at Rs 5,000 per
customer
• considering the deteriorating financial condition of Musiri Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd., Musiri,
Tamil Nadu, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a Rs 5,000 cap on withdrawals by
individual customers.
• The directions were issued by RBI in exercise of powers vested under sub section (1) of Section
35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act,
1949.
➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC) to the Indian
Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) enabling the latter to take higher exposure in RE
(Renewable Energy) financing.
• This IFC status will also help the company to access a wider investor base for fund mobilization.
• Earlier IREDA was classified as an ‘Investment and Credit Company (ICC)’.
➢ A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been inked between Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and
the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) to
promote collaboration and facilitate innovation in financial products and services.

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 ➢ RBI has approved trading between India and Tanzania in national currencies, i.e., the Indian Rupee
(INR) and Tanzanian Shilling (TSh), by enabling authorized banks in India to open Special Rupee Vostro
Accounts (SRVAs) with correspondent banks in Tanzania, a step that will benefit the business
community.
• It is also reported that Bank of Baroda (BoB), which has branches in Tanzania, has acquired RBI
approval to open SRVAs for its foreign branches and subsidiaries in various countries, including
Tanzania.
➢ RBI has granted 60 applications from correspondent banks in 18 different countries to open
Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) in order to settle payments in Indian rupees (INR).
• These 18 countries that are currently covered under this arrangement: Tanzania, Kenya,
Uganda, Botswana, Fiji, Germany, Guyana, Israel, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand,
Oman, Russia, the Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom (UK).
➢ According to data released by the RBI, in its monthly bulletin for March, outward remittances under
the RBI’s liberalized remittance scheme (LRS) stood at $22.08 billion during the April 2022–January
2023 period, surpassing the all-time high of $19.61 billion in FY22.
• In January 2023, the amount remitted overseas totalled $2.72 billion. This is the highest amount
remitted under the scheme in a month during FY23. On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, these were
up 35.17%.
• In its bulletin of March 2023, RBI’s data showed that it purchased $12.90 billion in January
2023, while selling $13.29 billion.
➢ The CRIF Connect Private, a subsidiary of Bologna (Italy)-based CRIF S.P.A, has received the
Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) approval to commence operations as an Non-Banking Financial Company
(NBFC) Account Aggregator (AA).

SBI IN NEWS
JUNE 2023
NIL

MAY 2023
NIL

APRIL 2023
➢ Godrej Capital Limited, the financial services arm of the Godrej Group, and State Bank of India
(SBI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their partnership, where the
bank would provide various financial products and offerings.

MARCH 2023
➢ State Bank of India, an Indian multinational public sector bank, completed its 1st non-dollar
transaction with Sri Lanka by paying for exports in Sri Lankan rupees to bring countries that lack US
(United States) dollars into the trade mechanism.

MOU SIGNED BY BANKS

JUNE 2023
➢ The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed an MoU with HDFC Bank
Limited under which both entities will work together to provide complete financial product and
services to the customers under MSMEs in a seamless manner.

MAY 2023
➢ Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Kanpur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with YES Bank to provide financial support to
the startups incubated at SIIC.

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APRIL 2023
NIL

MARCH 2023
➢ Axis Bank collaborated with ITC Limited to offer lending products and services to farmers who are a
part of ITC’s agriculture eco-system.
• This partnership is aimed at reaching out to the unserved and under-served farmers in rural
areas, in line with Axis Bank’s Bharat Banking mission to extend its reach in remote regions
by opening new bank accounts and providing seamless customer experience in FY22-23.
➢ Punjab National Bank (PNB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Central
Warehousing Corporation (CWC), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution,
(MoCAF&PD), to facilitate financing under e-NWR (Electronic Negotiable Warehousing Receipt).
➢ Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K Bank) signed a Corporate Agency Agreement with the Life Insurance
Corporation of India (LIC), India’s largest insurer, for servicing and soliciting life insurance products
through J&K Bank’s Branch Network.
• The agreement will be operational or effective from 1st April 2023.

SEBI RELATED NEWS

JUNE 2023
➢ Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued guidelines for transactions in Corporate
Bonds (CBs) through the Request for Quote (RFQ) platform by stock brokers (SBs) in order to
increase liquidity on the platform and to enhance the transparency and disclosure pertaining to trading
in the secondary market in corporate bonds.
❖ SEBI has asked SBs to undertake at least 10% of their total secondary market trades by value in
CBs in that month by placing/seeking quotes through one-to-one (OTO) or one-to-many (OTM)
mode on the RFQ platform of stock exchanges.
• The instruction would be applicable for all the trades in a proprietary capacity with effect from
July 01, 2023.
❖ The value would be increased by 25% of their total secondary market trades from April 1, 2024,
onwards.
❖ Note – This circular is issued by SEBI in the exercise of powers conferred under Section 11(1) of the
SEBI Act, 1992, to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development
of, and to regulate the securities markets.
➢ Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed Mutual Funds (MFs) to invest/participate
in repo transactions in securities such as Commercial Papers and Certificate of Deposits (CDs) to
improve the growth of the corporate bond market.
• SEBI issued a circular over modification of the previous guidelines and introduces new provisions
for MFs and asset management companies to participate in repo transactions.
• As per the new guidelines, the MFs are now allowed to participate in repo transactions only on
corporate debt securities rated ‘AA’ and above and Commercial Papers (CPs) and CDs.
• In case of transactions where settlement is guaranteed by a clearing corporation, the exposure
would not be considered for the purpose of determination of investment limits for the single issuer,
group issuer and sector level limits.
• The credit rating of exposure on repo transactions would be considered on a look-through basis for
various purposes, including the potential risk class (PRC) matrix, liquidity ratios, and risk-o-meter.
➢ Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced a regulatory framework for
online investment (Execution Only) Platforms that facilitate investments in direct
(commission-free) plans of schemes of mutual fund (MF) w.e.f. September 01, 2023.
➢ Based on the recommendation of the Mutual Fund (MF) Advisory Committee,The Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently updated its 2019 circular, which outlines the standardized

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 procedures to be followed by Asset Management Companies (AMCs) regarding investments made in the
name of a minor (i.e. children about 10 to 18 years of age) through a parent/guardian.
• All AMCs are advised to make the necessary changes to facilitate the above changes in MF
transactions with effect from June 15, 2023.
➢ Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced a timeline of 3
months for ‘Listed Entities’ to fill up the vacancies of their Key Managerial Personnel
(KMPs) such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Managing
Director (MD), Wholetime Director, Manager and Compliance officer to ensure smooth
functioning of listed companies.
• An amendment to this effect has been made in the SEBI’s Listing Obligations and Disclosure
Requirements (LODR) regulations based on the consultation paper issued by SEBI in
February 2023.
➢ Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) required ‘listed entities’ to follow a stricter
framework for the disposal of ‘undertaking’ and prescribed an approval requirement, through the
introduction of regulation 37A by making amendments to the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure
Requirements (LODR)) Regulations, 2015 called the SEBI (LODR)(Second Amendment) Regulations,
2023.
• Currently, companies make the disposal or lease of their undertakings through two routes of
Scheme of Arrangement (prescribed under the Companies Act and/or LODR Regulations) and
by way of slump sale/Business Transfer Agreement (outside the Scheme of Arrangement
framework).
• Existing Framework: Disposal (other than by way of a scheme of the arrangement), requires
approval of the shareholders by way of special resolution and it has so far been regulated as
per section 180(1)(a) of the Companies Act, 2013 (‘Act’).
• There was no explicit framework for protecting the interest of minority shareholders.
• The sale of undertakings or their substantial part was being allowed to be executed outside the
scheme of arrangement framework without being approved by the National Company Law
Tribunal (NCLT).
➢ The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has made the manager and key management
personnel of the Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) responsible for appointing an ‘independent
valuer’ of assets and ascertaining true and fair valuation of the investments of AIF schemes.
➢ The SEBI has barred Eros International Media Limited, its promoters and chief executive officer
(CEO) Pradeep Kumar Dwivedi from the securities market until further notice over alleged breach of
trade practice regulations.
• The Vice Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Arjan Lulla was also barred by SEBI from
holding any directorial position in any listed company, including Eros International or its
subsidiaries.

MAY 2023
➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed stock exchanges to extend Direct
Market Access (DMA) facility to foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) for participation in Exchange
Traded Commodity Derivatives (ETCDs) with immediate effect.
• This notification was SEBI is issued in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 11(1) of
the SEBI Act, 1992 to protect the interests of investors in securities and to
promote the development of the securities market.
• DMA facilitates the clients of a broker to directly access the exchange trading system through
the broker’s infrastructure to place orders without manual intervention by the broker.
• It also provides certain advantages to brokers such as direct control over orders, faster
execution of orders, reduced risk of errors associated with manual order entry, maintaining

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 confidentiality, lower impact costs for large orders and implementing better hedging and
arbitrage strategies.
➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced a risk disclosure
framework for individual traders for trading in the equity Futures & Options (F&O) segment. The risk
disclosure framework would come into force with effect from July 01, 2023.

APRIL 2023
➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) took a number of decisions at its board meeting
on March 29, 2023, with the goal of protecting investors’ interests and bolstering the market
infrastructure to handle disruptions.
• The announcements at the meeting, which included 17 items, were by far the largest number in
recent history.
• 17 announcements include 16 major decisions and approval of SEBI budget estimates for the
fiscal year 2023–2024 (FY24). The 16 Major Decisions and Their Implications.
➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) decided to establish the Corporate Debt
Market Development Fund (CDMDF) in the form of an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) with an
initial corpus of Rs 3,000 crore to act as a backdrop facility for the purchase of investment-grade
corporate debt securities during times of stress. This decision was made at the SEBI board meeting in
March 2023.
• The Government of India (GoI) has permitted a 10 times utilisation of this corpus, bringing the
total available capital to Rs. 30,000 crore, and this new corpus is further guaranteed by the
Central Credit Guarantee Corporation.
❖ Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF):
• CDMDF is an initiative aimed to assist mutual funds (MFs) in navigating liquidity issues
in the debt market in the event of a large credit emergency or market disruption.
• The fund, structured as an AIF, will be backed by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee
Company (NCGTC) and will be able to generate funds for the purchase of corporate debt
securities during market downturns.
• The initial funding of Rs 3,000 crore will be contributed by asset management
companies (AMCs), with Rs 2,700 crore coming from MF debt schemes and the
remainder borrowed from the market as needed.
➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) unveiled a new logo on the occasion of its 35th
Foundation Day. The function for the same was held at SEBI Head Office, Mumbai (Maharashtra).
• Madhabi Puri Buch, Chairperson of SEBI, formally unveiled the logo in the presence of
former Chairpersons and former & present Whole Time Members of SEBI.
➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) released a new framework for the upfront
collection of amounts as charges from eligible issuers at the time of allotment of debt securities to build
the Settlement Guarantee Fund of the Limited Purpose Clearing Corporation (LPCC).
• The new framework will come into force from May 1, 2023.
➢ Emkay Global Financial Services has received in-principle approval from the Investment
Management Department of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for sponsoring a Mutual
Fund (MF) business and incorporating an Asset Management Company (AMC).
• Emkay Global Financial Services was established in 1995 and it presently offers services
such as equity broking, commodity broking, currency broking, lending, depository
participant, portfolio/wealth management services, investment banking and global
investing.
• Currently, there are 44 MF players with total assets under management of about Rs 40
lakh crore with top 10 players accounting for major share of business.
➢ Nexus Select Trust, the retail-focused real estate investment trust, sponsored by private equity
firm Blackstone, has received the final observations, and approval from the SEBI for its Real Estate
Investment Trust (REIT) Initial Public Offering (IPO) of units.
• The Nexus Select Trust’s Rs 4,000-crore REIT IPO consists of a fresh issue of Rs 1,600
crore while the remaining Rs 2,400 crore is through an offer of sale from its main
sponsor Blackstone and other small holders.

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MARCH 2023
➢ GST (Goods and Service Tax) Council, chaired by Nirmala Sitaraman, Union Minister of Finance, has
agreed to reduce the GST rate on pencil sharpeners, liquid jaggery and examination institutions during
its 49th meeting on February 18, 2023.
➢ Bajaj Finserv received in-principal approval from SEBI to begin its mutual fund (MF) operations.
The total count of MF houses in India increased to 42 due to the addition of Bajaj Finserv Mutual Fund.
➢ The National Stock Exchange (NSE) received approval from SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of
India) to launch the rupee-denominated NYMEX WTI crude oil and natural gas futures contracts in its
commodity derivatives segment.
• The approval would enable NSE to trade rupee-denominated Nymex WTI crude oil and natural
gas derivatives contracts for Indian market participants.
➢ The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) have designated 15 trading
platforms as Qualified Stock Brokers (QSBs) w.e.f. July 1, 2023 following a direction by the Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in February 2023.
S. No. Name of the Stock Brokers

1 5 Paisa Capital Limited

2 Anand Rathi Share and Stock Brokers Limited
3 Angel One Limited
4 Globe Capital Market Limited
5 Hdfc Securities Ltd
6 ICICI Securities Limited
7 IIFL Securities Limited
8 Jainam Broking Limited
9 Kotak Securities Ltd.
10 Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited
11 Nextbillion Technology Private Limited
12 Nuvama Wealth and Investment Limited
13 RKSV Securities India Private Limited
14 Sharekhan Ltd.
15 Zerodha Broking Limited

➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in exercise of its powers conferred under Section
11 (1) of SEBI Act, 1992 issued ‘SEBI (Grant of Reward to Informant Under Recovery Proceedings)
Guidelines, 2023’ w.e.f. March 8, 2023.
• Under this, there is a reward system up to Rs 20 lakh to informants for sharing
credible information/tips about the assets of defaulters under recovery proceedings
w.e.f. March 8, 2023.
• The interim reward amount will not exceed two and a half per-cent of the reserve
price of the asset regarding which tips was provided or Rs 5 lakh, whichever is less.
• The final reward amount will not exceed 10% of the dues recovered or Rs 20 lakh,
whichever is less.
➢ Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) provided 60 days initial relaxation to all ‘Registrars
to an Issue and Share Transfer Agents’ (RTAs) to comply with enhanced responsibilities through
adoption and implementation of an internal policy framework and periodic reporting requirements
specified by SEBI.

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 ➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), capital markets regulator, has extended the
deadline for updating ‘choice of nomination’ by existing investors with trading and demat accounts to
September 30, 2023, from the previous deadline of March 31, 2023.
➢ Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) postponed the decision to freeze Mutual Fund (MF)
folios without nomination to September 30, 2023 instead of March 31, 2023.
• On the recommendations of Secondary Market Advisory Committee (SMAC) chaired by
Gurumoorthy Mahalingam, SEBI introduced a framework for ‘Scheme of Arrangement by
unlisted Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs)‘ to bring uniformity in the norms in line
with provisions currently applicable to listed MIIs.
• MII include Stock Exchanges, Clearing Corporations and Depositories.
• The framework will be applicable from April 27, 2023.

OTHERS
JUNE 2023
➢ On May 23, 2023, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) rolled out its ‘India Country Partnership
Strategy (CPS) 2023-2027: Catalyze Robust, Climate resilent, and inclusive growth’ to assist India in its
efforts to achieve sustainable, climate-resilient, and inclusive growth for the next five years.
❖ Aim of CPS: To support India to catalyze robust, climate-resilient, and inclusive growth. The
CPS is well aligned with India’s national development priorities to be achieved by 2047, when
India marks 100 years of independence.
• Pillar 1: Accelerate Structure Transformation and Job creation through convergence of
logistics–industry–urban–skilling programs, coupled with support for Micro, Small, And
Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs).
• Pillar 2: Promote Climate Resilient Green Growth: Under this, climate-resilient growth will
be promoted with customized engagements in climate change mitigation and adaptation
through the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP), as well
as integrating environment and disaster risk management.
• Pillar 3: Deepen Social and Economic Inclusiveness: The social and economic
inclusiveness will be improved by rebalancing ADB’s portfolio more towards human
development in health, social protection, and education; basic urban services; and
agriculture and rural development.
➢ RBL bank Ltd introduced a new fixed deposit scheme named ‘ACE Fixed Deposit scheme’ with an
interest of up to 8.50% to provide better saving options for its customers.
➢ Kotak Private Banking, a division of Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited, has launched a savings
programme named ‘Réserve’ exclusively for its UHNIs (Ultra High Net Worth Individuals)
and HNIs (High Net Worth Individuals) comprising entrepreneurs, business families, and professionals.
➢ Bank of Baroda (BoB) launched the Interoperable Cardless Cash Withdrawal (ICCW)
facility which would enable a customer to withdraw cash using UPI (Unified Payments Interface) from
the bank’s ATMs (Automated Teller Machine) without using the physical debit card.
• BoB became the 1st public sector bank(PSB) to launch the ICCW service.
➢ JPMorgan Chase & Co, the largest bank by assets under management in the United States (US), has
joined forces with six leading Indian banks to launch a pilot program designed to test a blockchain-
based platform for the settlement of interbank US Dollar transactions.
• The 6 Indian banks to be joining in the pilot program to test the new blockchain-based
platforms include HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Yes Bank
and IndusInd Bank and JPMorgan’s own banking subsidiary at Gujarat International Finance
Tec-City (GIFT City).
• Under the pilot, the six Indian banks will open on-chain Nostro accounts with JPMorgan’s
branch in Gift City.

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 • Nostro Account –A nostro account, derived from the Latin word for “ours,” is an account held by
a bank in a foreign currency at another bank. These accounts are commonly utilized to facilitate
foreign exchange and trade transactions.
• A vostro account is an account held by a foreign bank in the local currency at another bank.
Vostro accounts, derived from the Latin word for “yours”.
➢ Bajaj Finserv Limited (BFS) launched its new mutual fund (MF) business under Bajaj Finserv
Mutual Fund.
• This will be India’s 43rd Asset Management Company (AMC) and 6th company to enter the MF
industry post-2021.
• This MF will be headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra.
➢ HDFC Bank introduced a new credit card named ‘Millennia Credit card’ which offers cashback over
e-commerce platforms and multiple benefits.
➢ Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) launched
mission EVOLVE (Electric Vehicle Operations and Lending for Vibrant Ecosystem) in a tie-up with the
Niti Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), World Bank, Korea-World Bank partnership
facility, and Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to finance MSMEs (Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises) in the electric vehicles (EV) space.
• The objective of mission EVOLVE is to provide affordable commercial financing for EV loans to
MSMEs, including hosting telematics and reducing financing costs.
• Under the partnership, SIDBI would receive technical support from Niti Aayog whereas the
financial assistance would be provided by the World Bank, the Korea-World Bank partnership
facility and the Korean EDCF.
➢ Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) received in-principal approval from SIDBI for
designing and structuring a sustainable and scalable NBFC (Non-Banking Finance Company) Growth
Accelerator Program (NGAP).
➢ The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) plans to
set up a Common Platform for Balance Confirmations which will be jointly controlled by both entities.
• The platform’s development and maintenance will be handled by Mumbai (Maharashtra)-
based PSB Alliance Pvt. Ltd. (PSB Alliance) in collaboration with Hyderabad (Telangana)
based Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT).
➢ SBM Bank (India) Limited (SBM Bank India) launched SBM World Elite Metal Debit Card, Powered by
Mastercard, for exclusive, on-invitation access to the world of luxury for the Uber-affluent Indian.
➢ Punjab National Bank (PNB), has become the first public sector bank to launch an Interactive Voice
Response (IVR)-based Unified Payments Interface (UPI) solution, UPI 123PAY, in accordance with the
Digital Payment Vision 2025 of a cashless and cardless society.
➢ RING (Onemi Technology Solutions Private Limited), India’s leading digital credit platform, has
partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to integrate Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) Plug-in capabilities into RING’s existing digital services.
• This collaboration will enable RING to provide ‘Scan & Pay’ choices to its existing clients and
new customers who choose UPI as a payment method.
➢ South Indian Bank (SIB) introduces SIB SWIFTe, a customer-centric digital account opening platform
that eliminates paper-based documentation and on-boards customers in five minutes for opening
Savings Accounts, resulting in a hassle-free process.
• It targets new-to-bank users above 18 years with valid Aadhaar and/or PAN (Permanent
Account Number).
➢ Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has introduced a new deposit scheme named ‘Vikas
Ashadeep 400 days’. The scheme was launched by Shreekant M Bhandiwad, Chairman of KVGB.

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 ➢ Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) launched ‘My Account My Name’, a scheme to enable its Savings Bank
(SB) account customers to choose any easy to remember 7 Digit/Character Account Name as their
saving account number.
➢ Fino Payments Bank Ltd. has partnered with Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based fintech company Hubble
Money to introduce India’s and world’s first spending account aimed at helping customers manage their
finances, track expenses, and earn rewards on purchases.
➢ According to the data released by MFIN (Microfinance Institutions Network), the Gross loan portfolio
of the microfinance industry increased by 22% in FY23 to Rs 3.5 lakh crore, serving 6.6 crore unique
borrowers.
• The number of active microfinance loan accounts increased by 14.6% to 13 crore as on March
2023.
• NBFC-MFIs (Non-Banking Finance Companies – Microfinance institutions) continued to be the
largest provider of micro-credit in terms of loans outstanding, with their share of the total
industry portfolio rising to 40% in FY23 from 35.2% in FY22.
➢ Union Bank of India launched four bank account schemes named Union Unnati, Union Samriddhi,
Union Samman, and Union SBCHS (SB Account For Co-Operative Housing Society), targeting women,
women entrepreneurs and professionals, pensioners and cooperative housing societies (CHS).
➢ PhonePe officially launched the PhonePe Payment Gateway new MSME (Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises) merchants by offering a limited-period deal of free onboarding with no hidden charges,
setup fees, or annual maintenance fees.
➢ Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd (KMBL) has launched a facility named ‘Active Money’ or Flexi Fixed
Deposit, which provides Current/Savings Account holders with fixed deposit (FD)-like interest rates of
up to 7% per annum.
➢ IndusInd Bank announced its partnership with Wise, the global technology company which is
specialising in moving and managing money around the world, to offer online inward
remittance services to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) residing in the United States of America (USA)
and Singapore.
➢ Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company Limited (MOAMC) has launched open
ended Motilal Oswal Nifty Microcap 250 Index Fund which is India’s first-ever passively
managed micro-cap fund to replicate/track the performance of Nifty Microcap 250 Total Return Index
(TRI).
➢ Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) launched the non-linked, non-participating, individual,
savings, single-premium, close-ended life insurance plan, named ‘Dhan Vridhhi’ to offer a combination
of protection and savings.

MAY 2023
➢ Bank of India (BoI) 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.
➢ HDFC Bank has launched ‘HDFC Bank Smart Saathi’, a digital distribution platform (DDP) which will
help in connecting Business Correspondents (BCs) and Business Facilitators (BFs) to the bank.
➢ Pine Labs India, the Merchant commerce platform, announced the acceptance of the digital Rupee
(e-Rupee- e₹) or central bank digital currency (CBDC), on its PoS (point-of-sale) terminals across key
retail outlets in Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Bengaluru (Karnataka) in partnership with ICICI Bank.
➢ Bharti Airtel Limited (Airtel), an Indian multinational telecommunications services company,
and Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s largest telecommunications service provider, signed a binding term
sheet for the merger of their Sri Lankan subsidiaries.

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 • The binding is to combine the operations of Bharti Airtel Lanka (Private) Limited,
Airtel’s wholly-owned subsidiary, with Dialog, a subsidiary of Malaysian multinational
telecommunications conglomerate Axiata Group Berhad.
• The new entity is set to become the largest telecom provider in Sri Lanka.
➢ 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.
➢ Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, and India Shelter Finance Corporation Ltd
(IndiaShelter), a Gurgaon (Haryana)-based Housing Finance Company, have entered into a strategic
partnership under the co-lending model to offer secured MSME loans to middle and low-income
borrowers in semi-urban areas.
➢ In the recently held high-level Internal Governmental Commission meeting on Trade, Economic,
Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), India and Russia discussed and agreed
to explore the possibility of accepting RuPay (India) and Mir cards (Russia) in each other’s country
for hassle-free payments.
• The meeting was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russia
Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.
➢ The AU Small Finance Bank (SFB) partnered with RuPay to introduce the Business Cashback RuPay
credit card, a solution tailored to meet the financial requirements of self-employed (i.e. Micro, Small
And Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs)) customers and promote financial inclusion.
➢ Yes Bank Limited announced the launch of a solar financing scheme named ‘YES KIRAN’ to offer
financial assistance to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) manufacturers who wish to install
solar panels at their premises.
➢ RazorpayX, the business banking platform of Razorpay, introduced an automated ESCROW+ solution,
powered by Axis Trustee Services Ltd, RBL Bank, and ICICI Bank to support merchants and enables
Instant & Secure Money Transfers for Businesses.
➢ Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) has launched a premium banking programme, Privy League
targeting High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNI).
• 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.
• It also offers Premium Metal Debit Card, designed by artist Arunanshu Chowdhury for the Privy
League black tier, offering luxury deals and complimentary airport lounge access, among many
other benefits.
➢ The National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE India) launched the rupee-denominated New York
Mercantile Exchange’s (NYMEX) West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude Oil and Natural Gas futures
contracts in its commodity derivatives segment.
➢ The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) directed all insurers to
provide comprehensive insurance coverage for surrogate mothers and oocyte donors in compliance
with the provisions of the two Acts, Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, and Assisted Reproductive
Technology (ART) Act, 2021.
❖ Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021:
• Section 4 (iii)(a)(III) of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 states that insurance
coverage of the amount may be prescribed in favour of the surrogate mother for a
period of 36 months (3 years) covering postpartum delivery complications from an
insurance company or an agent recognised by the IRDAI.
• Rule 5 of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules, 2022 states that the intending woman or
couple shall purchase general health insurance coverage in favour of the surrogate
mother for 36 months. The Insurance coverage should be for an amount sufficient to
cover all expenses for all complications arising out of pregnancy and also cover post-
partum delivery complications.

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 ❖ ART Act, 2021:
• Section 22(1)(b) of ART Act, 2021 has stipulated insurance coverage for 12 months
from an insurance company or an agent recognised by the IRDAI in favour of the oocyte
donor by the commissioning couple or woman, for an amount sufficient to cover all
expenses for complications arising due to oocyte retrieval.
➢ The Union government has appointed the three merchant bankers IDBI Capital Market &
Securities Ltd, BOB Capital Markets Ltd and SBI Capital Markets Ltd to manage the Initial Public
Offering (IPO) of the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA). IDBI Capital is the lead
banker for the transaction.
• Separately, Saraf and Partner was appointed as the legal adviser for the IPO.
➢ HDFC Asset Management Company (AMC) Limited, investment manager to HDFC Mutual Fund (HDFC
MF) 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.
➢ Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) relaxed norms for ‘surety
bonds’, which protect parties in transaction financial losses due to a breach of contract or other types of
non-performance.
• Surety bonds are a type of insurance that provides financial protection and assurance
to parties involved in a contract or agreement.
• A surety bond involves three parties: the principal (contractor), the obligee ( the
person hiring the contractor), and the surety company (the insurer). The principal
obtains a surety bond from the surety company, which guarantees to the obligee that if
the principal fails to fulfill their obligations, the surety will step in and provide
compensation.
❖ What are the relaxations:
• The solvency requirement for surety bond products has been lowered by the
IRDAI.Previously, insurance companies had to hold capital 1.875 times their liabilities,
but now they only need to hold 1.5 times their liabilities.This change is meant to help the
surety insurance market grow.
• Solvency requirement refers to the amount of capital that an insurance company must
hold in relation to its liabilities.This requirement ensures that the insurance company
has enough money set aside to fulfill its promises and pay for any claims or obligations it
may have.
• The previous 30% exposure limit on each contract underwritten by an insurer was also
removed.Now insurers have more flexibility and can take on a higher percentage of the
risk or liability on individual contracts.
• The exposure limit is a rule that sets a maximum level of risk or liability that an
insurance company can take on for each contract they underwrite.It is like a safety
measure that puts a cap on the amount of risk or responsibility the insurance company
can handle for each individual contract.
➢ Paytm in partnership with SBI Card and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), launches
the next-generation co-branded RuPay Credit Card named ‘Paytm SBI Card’ on the RuPay network.
➢ Godrej Agrovet Limited’s (GAVL) Oil Palm Business announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind
finance offering for oil palm farmers in partnership with the State Bank of India (SBI).
➢ JCB International Co. Ltd., Japan’s international payment brand, partners with the National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to offer 40% cashback to RuPay JCB cardholders on in-store
purchases in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Thailand, Malaysia, and Spain.
➢ YES BANK partnered with Mastercard and Worldline India, and launches YES PAY EASY, a mobile
app for small-scale merchants to enable them to accept card and digital payments from their customers’
smartphones.

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➢ RuPay, the Indian payment network developed by the National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI), has rolled out a new feature that enables its cardholders to make Card Verification Value (CVV)-
less payments if they have tokenized their debit, credit or prepaid cards on the merchant application or
webpage, supporting this feature.
➢ The 12 Public Sector Banks’ (PSBs) cumulative profit crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark in FY23 by
touching Rs 1,04,649 crore.
• They witnessed a 57% increase in total profit compared to Rs 66,539.98 crore earned in
FY22.
• In the March 2023 quarter, the PSBs’ profit cumulatively increased more than 95% to Rs
34,483 crore as compared to Rs 17,666 crore in March 2022.
• In percentage terms, Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) had the highest net profit growth
with 126% to Rs 2,602 crore.
• It is followed by UCO Bank with a 100% rise to Rs 1,862 crore, and Bank of Baroda
(BoB) with a 94% increase to Rs 14,110 crore.
• In absolute terms, the State Bank of India (SBI) has reported an annual profit of Rs
50,232 crore in 2022-23, showing an increase of 59% over FY22.
➢ Google pay has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to enable the
integration of RuPay credit cards with Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
➢ As per the announcement of Red Hat, Inc., the world’s leading provider of open-source solutions,
YES BANK has adopted Azure Red Hat OpenShift to transform their next-generation mobile banking
applications for efficient mobile banking experience for its customers.
➢ The Union government has ended paper-based communication and introduced a digital
communication mechanism between Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) banks and Central Economic
Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) to check the defaults on loans.
• Under the digital mechanism, the CEIB will digitally send a report regarding borrowers
to the PSU banks for a loan amount of Rs 50 crore or higher at the pre-approval stage
within 15 days of request.
➢ The Union government has ended paper-based communication and introduced a digital
communication mechanism between Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) banks and Central Economic
Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) to check the defaults on loans.
➢ As per the data of banks, Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the best bank as far as
management of bad loans is concerned with its net Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) decreased to 0.25%
during FY23.
• This is the lowest ratio among all banks having total business above Rs 3 lakh crore
including both Private Sectors Banks and Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
• With respect to NPAs, BoM is followed by the HDFC Bank with net NPA falling to 0.27%
at 2nd spot and Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) at 3rd spot with 0.37% of net advances.
➢ Yes Bank, headquartered in Mumbai(Maharashtra) has unveiled a new logo and brand identity. The
new identity is designed to resonate with the evolving needs and aspirations of customers and enable
people to live each day to the fullest.
➢ Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited (SFB) collaborated with IBM Consulting, the professional
services and consulting arm of IBM (International Business Machines Corporation), to design and build
a digital banking platform that delivers a modern and highly secure experience to the bank’s customers
and partners.
➢ Razorpay has launched India’s fastest one-step UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payment
solution namely ‘Turbo UPI’ allowing customers of online merchants to make UPI payments directly
without getting redirected to a third-party UPI app during checkout.
• This Solution was developed in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
and Axis Bank.
• Through this app, the payment steps are reduced from 5 to 1.

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APRIL 2023
➢ Axis Bank, the third largest private sector bank in India, and Shriram Housing Finance Limited
(SHFL) announced a partnership under the co-lending model through the Yubi Co.Lend platform.
• Through this partnership, the lenders will each provide secured home loans and MSME (Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprise) loans to borrowers in the middle and low-income segments based in
rural and semi-urban areas.
➢ The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has announced three new
regulations that are anticipated to have major economic implications on market participants, including
insurers and intermediaries. The three new rules are as follows:
❖ IRDAI (Expenses of Management of Insurers transacting General or Health Insurance
business) Regulations, 2023
• Objective: To enable and provide flexibility to insurers in managing their expenses
within the overall limits based on their gross written premium and optimally utilizing
their resources for boosting policyholder benefits.
• These regulations will take effect on April 1, 2023, and will be in force for 3 years.
❖ Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Payment of Commission)
Regulations, 2023
• Objective: To provide insurers the flexibility to control their expenses based on their
growth objectives and the constantly shifting insurance needs in order to increase
insurance penetration.
• These regulations will take effect on April 1, 2023.
❖ IRDAI (Expenses of Management of Insurers transacting life insurance business)
Regulations, 2023
• Objective: To enable and provide flexibility to insurers in managing their expenses
within the overall limits based on their gross written premium and optimally utilizing
their resources for boosting policyholder benefits.
• These regulations will take effect on April 1, 2023, and will be in force for 3 years.
➢ India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), under the ownership of the Department of Post, the Ministry of
Communications, partnered with New Delhi (Delhi)-based Bharti Airtel Limited to launch banking
services through WhatsApp for its customers.
➢ Union Bank of India (UBI) became the first Indian Bank to open its ‘Special Rupee Vostro Account
(SRVA)’ in Malaysia to facilitate transactions between India and Malaysia in the Indian rupee. This will
be done through the UBI’s corresponding bank in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia i.e. India International Bank
of Malaysia (IIBM).
• The total trade between India and Malaysia reached US$19.4 billion in FY22, as per UBI.
➢ IDBI Bank, a private sector lender, has revised its interest rates for fixed deposits (FDs) under Rs.
2 crore, effective April 1st, 2023.
• In response, IDBI bank has introduced the “Amrit Mahotsav FD” scheme for its retail
investors, which provides returns of 7.65% for senior citizens and 7.15% for the general
public.
➢ Axis Bank, has collaborated with Visa and announced the launch of “Digital Dukaan”, a
comprehensive digital offering that would allow merchants to accept payments through a number of
digital modes and conduct day-to-day business digitally.
➢ Karur Vysya Bank Limited (KVB) signed an agreement with SBI Life Insurance Company Limited(SBI
Life) to market the insurance scheme of SBI Life Insurance through the branches of the KVB.
➢ PhonePe, a Walmart-owned fintech firm, has announced the introduction of ‘Pincode,’ an e-
commerce consumer app that would be integrated into India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce
(ONDC) framework.
• The Pincode app will be initially made available in Bengaluru (Karnataka) in six major
categories, including groceries, food, pharmaceuticals, electronics, home decor, and
fashion.
➢ Canara Bank has introduced a “Premium Payroll Package” for Salary account holders with
competitive features. It has multiple features, including free term life insurance, instant overdraft, and
free personal air accident insurance coverage.

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➢ According to the data from the Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based National Securities Depository
Limited (NSDL), Norway, and Singapore gained as the FPI (Foreign Portfolio Investment) destinations
for India in FY23 while Mauritius witnessed the sharpest decline.
• Now, Singapore is the second biggest jurisdiction for FPI flows in India after the United
States of America (USA).
• Singapore is followed by Luxembourg at 3rd place, and Mauritius’ ranking has dropped
to 4 in FY23 (from 2nd in FY22), Norway ranked at 8th Place.
➢ HDFC Bank signed a ‘Master Inter Bank Credit Agreement’ with Export Import Bank of Korea
(KEXIM) for a USD 300 million line of credit. The agreement was signed by the representatives of HDFC
Bank and KEXIM at GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec) City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• HDFC Asset Management Co. Ltd., investment manager to HDFC Mutual Fund (HDFC
MF) launched three schemes viz. HDFC S&P BSE 500 Index Fund, HDFC NIFTY Midcap
150 Index Fund & HDFC NIFTY Smallcap 250 Index Fund allowing investors to diversify
their portfolio to large, mid and small-cap segments.
• These schemes opened for public subscription on April 6, 2023 and will close on April
18, 2023.
➢ Canara Bank and NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL) in co-ordination with Musandam Exchange, Oman
have launched cross-border inward bill payment services for Indians based in Oman.
➢ The ‘Singara Chennai Card’ [National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)] was introduced by Chennai
Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) in collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI), its banking partner, in order to
facilitate seamless transportation for passengers.
➢ Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has announced the launch of a pilot scheme
‘Mission 50K-EV4ECO‘ to unlock the electric vehicle market by providing better financing terms and
understanding other solution bouquets needed to address the better adoption of electric vehicle (EV).
➢ According to the report by Worldline India titled ‘India Digital Payments Annual Report 2022‘Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) continued to be the most preferred medium for digital payments in 2022 in
India with a 70% increase in the number of transactions to 74 billion and a 54% increase in the value of
transactions to Rs 126 trillion.
• A total of 8,792 crore digital payments were undertaken in 2022 worth Rs 149.5 lakh
crore.
• The UPI volume and value market share was 84%. It recorded 91% increase in volume
and over 76% increase in value in Year 2022 as compared to Year 2021.
• The increased usage of UPI is driven by the expansion of Quick Response (QR) codes i.e.
the UPI QR stood at 237.94 million, registering an increase of 65% as compared to
December 2021 whereas Bharat QRs were 4.96 million.
• The Toppers of UPI Usage (As of 2022):
Top 5 UPI Apps in terms of volume and value Top 5 UPI Remitter Banks Top 5 UPI Beneficiary Banks
PhonePe State Bank of India (SBI) Paytm Payments Bank
Google Pay HDFC Bank YES Bank
Paytm Payments Bank App Bank of Baroda SBI
Amazon Pay Union Bank of India (UBI) Axis Bank
Axis Bank ICICI Bank ICICI Bank
• The number of POS terminals at the end of 2022 was 7.55 million, a growth of 37% YoY
(Year-On-Year).
• In 2022, there were 1.02 billion credit and debit cards in circulation, accounting for 7%
of transaction volume and 14% of transaction value.
➢ As per the data by Worldline Report, Bengaluru (Karnataka) recorded 29 million transactions
valued at Rs 6,500 crore, the highest number of digital transactions across 12 cities in India in 2022.
• It is followed by New Delhi (Delhi) at 2nd with 19.6 million transactions amounting to
Rs 5,000 crore, Mumbai (Maharashtra) followed with 18.7 million transactions
amounting to Rs 4,950 crore at 3rd position, Pune (Maharashtra) with 15 million

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 transactions amounting to Rs 3,280 crore at 4th, and Chennai (Tamil Nadu) with 14.3
million transactions amounting to Rs 3,550 crore at 5th place.
• Top 10 states & UT with the highest number of transactions at physical touch points in
2022 for Worldline India: Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh,
Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat, West Bengal and Punjab.
• Top 10 cities with the highest number of transactions at physical touch points in 2022
for Worldline India: Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Coimbatore.
➢ HDFC Bank launches Regalia Gold Credit Card, for travel and lifestyle needs. It is a super-premium
credit card launched under the bank’s Regalia range of credit cards with multiple features and benefits.
➢ RBL Bank launched an innovative Digital Fixed Deposit (FD) Scheme available to new-to-bank
customers. Customers can book the Digital FD within minutes without having to visit a branch or
opening a savings account with the Bank.
➢ The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has constituted a four-member working group on Asset
Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) which will operate on various issues and report them to the IBA, the
RBI (Reserve Bank of India) and the Union government.
❖ The four-member of the working group include
• Hari Hara Mishra,Secretary, Association of ARCs in India.
• Purshotam Agarwal, Chief investment officer, National Asset Reconstruction Company
Limited (NARCL).
• Mythili Balasubramanian, Executive Director, Edelweiss.
• Tarun Kumar, Director, Encore Asset Reconstruction Company.
➢ South Indian Bank (SIB) launched two flexible saving products namely, SIB SEAFARER and SIB
PULSE for its non-resident Indian (NRI) customers specifically for mariners and healthcare
professionals.
➢ IndusInd Bank signed a USD 100 million long-term credit deal with the Japan Bank for
International Cooperation (JBIC) to assist Indian firms interested in purchasing Japanese construction
equipment.
• The loan agreement was signed by GIFT City branch of IndusInd bank, an IFSC Banking
Unit (IBU) of the bank.
• This is the first of its kind lending by JBIC through any IFSC Banking unit at GIFT City.
• This facility will also be co-financed by Mizuho Bank of Japan, Shizuoka Bank of
Singapore, and Joyo Bank of Japan.
➢ The Federal Bank entered into a Banking Correspondent agreement with Chennai-based
Agriculture fintech start-up Kisan Vikas (KiVi), to scale and expand its agriculture lending portfolio in
Tamil Nadu.
➢ A whitepaper has been jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI (National
Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
which is aimed at making India a global leader in Agri-Tech innovation and expanding these
innovations to the least developed countries in Asia and Africa.
• It is prepared by experts from AIM, NITI Aayog, and UNCDF.
❖ What is in the whitepaper?
• The whitepaper provides practical solutions to support the growth of Agri-Tech start-
ups at both national and international levels, by addressing the challenges they face.
• It contains important insights and recommendations aimed at promoting sustainable
agricultural practices and addressing issues such as food security, supply chain
inefficiencies, and climate change concerns, particularly in developing economies.
➢ InPrime Finserv (a brand owned by STK Credit Private Limited), a financial services start-up
catering to the informal economy, has obtained a Certificate of Registration (COR) from the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC).
➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) provided a relaxation of 3 years for HDFC Bank, India’s largest
private sector lender, to meet Priority Sector Lending (PSL) requirements after its merger with
Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Limited.

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 • The RBI has refused to make any exceptions on Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory
Liquidity Ratio (SLR) requirements as sought by HDFC Bank.
➢ Mastercard collaborates with India’s M1xchange to offer a digital invoice discounting solution to
farmers, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and agri-MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises)
through Farm Pass, its agritech platform.
➢ HDFC Bank and Axis Bank signed the definitive agreements with insurance technology startup Go
Digit Life Insurance to pick up each a 9.94% equity stake of the insurance firm for a payment of
each Rs 69.90 crore, which will be made in two tranches.
➢ Canara Bank, in collaboration with the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), announced the
launch of a new customer-friendly service termed ‘Digitalised Submission of Form 15G/15H’.
• Form 15G (Individual and HUF (Hindu Undivided Family)) and Form 15H (Individual-
Senior Citizen) are self-declaration forms that an individual submits to the bank
requesting not to deduct TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) on interest income as their
income is below the basic exemption limit.
➢ NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL) has developed and launched the NOCS platform to provide
reconciliation and settlement services for transactions undertaken on the Open Network for Digital
Commerce (ONDC) network.
• NOCS will help ONDC by providing a population-scale solution for the challenges of high
transaction volume among different entities on the network.
➢ Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance (MoF), approved the upgradation of Rail
Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) from a Category-I
MiniRatna CPSE.
• According to the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), RVNL, a public sector
undertaking under the Ministry of Railways (MoR), has become the 13th Navratna
amongst CPSEs.
➢ NPCI International Payments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of
India (NPCI), signed a definitive agreement with digital payments infrastructure provider PPRO to
facilitate global e-commerce payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
➢ Razorpay, a fintech payments and banking platform for businesses joined with the e-commerce
network Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a non-profit company set up by the Department
for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), as an
alternative for internet shopping.
• With this, Razorpay becomes the first payment gateway to launch a Payment
Reconciliation Service for Network Participants (NPs) like buyers, sellers, and logistic
partners on ONDC.
➢ Arya.ag, India’s largest Grain commerce platform of Aryatech Platforms Private Limited, made
partnership with Shivalik Small Finance Bank (SFB) to drive financial inclusion for farmers and FPOs
(Farmers Producers Organisations) through offering loans via Shivalik SFB under warehouse receipt
finance.

MARCH 2023
➢ ESAF Small Finance Bank has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Electric
equipment manufacturer V-Guard Industries Ltd to provide financing options including loans and
installment payment plans to customers who opt for installing V-Guard’s solar rooftop Power System.
➢ To encourage feature phone users to use “UPI123Pay” to make digital payments, private sector
lenders IDFC FIRST Bank Ltd. and The Federal Bank Ltd will collaborate with the association of
microfinance institutions (MFIs) Sa-Dhan and Delhi-based fintech solutions vendor NextGen.
➢ Angel One Limited (formerly Angel Broking Limited), an Indian stockbroker firm, has received in-
principle approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to sponsor a Mutual Fund.
➢ Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC), a provider of catering services
backed by the Indian Railway, partnered with HDFC Bank Ltd, India’s largest private sector lender, to
introduce the “IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card,” one of India’s most rewarding co-branded travel credit
cards.
• The “IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card” will be available in a single variant exclusively on the Rupay
network of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

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 • HDFC Bank, India’s largest card issuer, is the first private sector bank to collaborate with the IRCTC
to improve the user experience for train passengers beginning with ticket booking.
➢ Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with ShowReel to develop an online digital platform to support innovators and promote
Entrepreneurship in India.
➢ Axis Bank Limited (formerly UTI Bank), a private-sector lender, completed the acquisition of
Citibank India(Citi India)’s consumer Banking which includes loans, credit cards, wealth management
and retail banking operations. The Axis Bank has paid a total purchase consideration of Rs 11,603 crore
(USD 1.4 billion) to Citibank India.
➢ New India Assurance Co Ltd, India’s largest general insurer, has become the 2nd insurance
company to get into the surety bonds business, which is being pushed by the Government as an
alternative to bank guarantees for government procurement.
➢ A meeting was held between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency (IREDA) to explore partnership on financing of renewable energy and green
hydrogen projects in India.
➢ City Union Bank (CUB), a private sector lender, has announced the launch of its first-ever credit card
service, the “Dhi CUB Visa Signature Credit Card,” in collaboration with 42 Card Solutions Pvt Ltd, a
provider of credit card management services.
➢ On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2023, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company
Limited launched a digital campaign named ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality‘
to promote digital literacy among women.
• The campaign calls for the digital inclusion of all with the hashtag, #IncludeAll.
➢ Yes Bank and Aadhar Housing Finance Ltd entered into a strategic co-lending partnership to offer
housing loans to homebuyers.
➢ Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (Ujjivan SFB) has launched the “Unpause Initiative” as part of its
commitment to promote workplace diversity and inclusion.
• The “Unpause Initiative” is a programme designed to assist women who, for any reason, took
a career break and are now prepared to rejoin the workforce.
➢ Indian bank has introduced a Special Retail Term Deposit Product named “IND Super 400 Days,”
with 0.05% higher interest rate to women investors and fixed maturity tenor of 400 days in the form of
FD/MMD (Fixed deposits/Money Multiplier Deposits).
➢ Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SFB) launched a new savings account ‘Blossom Women’s Savings
Account’, designed for women customers with up to a 7% interest rate per annum.
➢ Canara Bank, in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has launched
the Rupay Credit Card through UPI (Unified Payments Interface) using the BHIM (Bharat Interface for
Money) app.
➢ Bandhan Mutual Fund (MF) renamed the recently launched India’s First US Debt Exchange-Traded
Fund (ETF) ‘IDFC US Treasury Bond 0-1 year Fund of Fund’ as ‘Bandhan US Treasury Bond 0-1 Year
Fund of Fund’.
• Bandhan MF has also announced the name change of all its scheme following the rebranding of
the fund house IDFC MF as Bandhan MF.
➢ HDFC Bank and Flipkart Wholesale, the B2B (Business To Business) platform of Flipkart Group,
launched an industry-first co-branded credit card exclusively for Flipkart Wholesale members.
➢ ICICI Bank Limited (ICICI Bank) has unveiled “Startup Ecosystem Banking,” a comprehensive suite
of digital and physical solutions to meet all of the banking needs of startups at various stages of
development.
➢ Bank of Baroda (BoB) partnered with the Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) to offer co-branded
RuPay Platinum Debit Card to the beneficiaries of the state government’s ‘Pudhumai Penn’ scheme.
➢ Axis Bank and Gurgaon-based Autotrac Finance Limited (AFL), a Non-Banking Financial Company,
entered into a strategic partnership under the co-lending model through the YubiCo.Lend platform.
➢ The South Indian Bank (SIB) has joined hands with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for
direct tax collections from retail and corporate taxpayers.
➢ National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced that the Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) transactions of above Rs 2000 made using Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) such as wallets or
cards will attract an interchange fee ranging from 0.5% to 1.1%.

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 • The changes will come into effect from 1st April 2023.
• The lowest interchange fee of 0.5% would be applied to fuel payments.
• An interchange fee of 0.7% would be applied for transactions above Rs2,000 related to telecom,
utilities, post office, education, and agriculture.
• The fee would be 0.9% and 1% for UPI transactions at supermarkets and for mutual funds,
government, insurance and railways, respectively.

FUNDS
Funded By Amount Highlights
JUNE 2023
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has
approved a USD 148 million loan to support West Bengal,
India, in improving irrigation practices in rural areas. The
loan will help the region harness(utilize) the surface and
groundwater resources more effectively for agricultural
World Bank USD 148 million purposes.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and The Government of
India signed a USD 130 million loan for the Himachal
Pradesh Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation, and Value
Addition Project to increase agricultural productivity,
improve access to irrigation and promote horticulture
agribusinesses to raise farmers’ income in Himachal
Asian Development Bank USD 130 million Pradesh.
SMBC Bank of
Japan (Sumitomo Mitsui
Banking Corporation),
Intermediate Capital Group
Amp Energy India has secured up to USD250 million (about
(ICG), and Asian
Infrastructure Investment Rs 2,061 crore) funding from SMBC Bank of Japan, ICG, and
Bank (AIIB). USD250 million AIIB.
one of the World Bank’s institutions International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) granted a USD
255.5 million loan to India with a maturity period of 14
years, including a grace period of five years, to improve the
quality of technical education and expand career
World Bank USD 255.5 million opportunities for students.
The World Bank (WB) through its lending arm International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has
approved an additional USD 150 million loan to support the
Resilient Kerala Program to strengthen Kerala’s
preparedness against natural disasters, climate change
World Bank USD 150 million impacts, disease outbreaks, and protect lives.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD 295
million loan to improve transport connectivity in Bihar.
• The loan amount will be utilized towards the
widening and upgradation of around 265
kilometres of state highways, improving
Asian Development Bank USD 295 million transport connectivity and safety in Bihar.

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 • The Government is contributing USD 156.6
million for the same.

MAY 2023
India has extended a USD 1 billion credit line for Sri Lanka
by one year until March 2024 thus providing a backup
infusion of dollars for essential imports.
i. The credit line is part of about USD 4 billion in emergency
assistance extended by India during the peak of Sri Lanka’s
financial crisis in 2022, which was scheduled to end in March
2023.
India USD 1 billion
For Animal Health System Support for One Health Program
(AHSSOH) that will support India’s Livestock Health and
Disease Control Program, which seeks to control animal
diseases by adopting global best practices for animal health
management and to prevent, detect, and respond to
endemic zoonotic diseases.
i. The loan has a maturity of 11.5 years with a grace period
of 4.5 years.
ii. The loan will be disbursed from the International Bank
World Bank USD 82 million loan for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
For the project to set up an integrated road safety
enforcement system in the Shimla and Nurpur police
districts of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and develop the
Palampur-Sheela Chowk in Kangra (HP) as a “safe
World Bank Rs 51 crore corridor”.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government
of India signed a US$141.12 million loan agreement to
support the development of high-quality internal
infrastructure such as roads, water supply systems and
electricity distribution network in three industrial clusters
Asian Development Bank
(ADB) and the Government US$141.12 in the state of Andhra Pradesh (AP).
of India million
APRIL 2023
IIFL Finance Limited has received a total of $100 million in
long-term funding from Export Development Canada (EDC)
and Deutsche Bank, with $50 million from each. In this deal,
Deutsche Bank acted as the mandated lead arranger, book
runner, and co-financier.
Export Development Canada i. IIFL is a non-banking financial company (NBFC) backed by
(EDC) and Deutsche Bank $100 million Fairfax.
Japanese lender Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) has partnered with Citibank to provide a $125 million
funding line to domestic private sector lender Indusind
Japanese lender Japan Bank.
International Cooperation Indusind Bank will be utilising the co-finance funding for
Agency (JICA) and Citibank $125 million onlending to the agricultural sector in India.

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 i. The funding to Indusind Bank includes a JPY 13 billion
(approx USD 97.45 million) loan from the JICA and another
$30 million from Citibank.
India has made a contribution of USD 500,000 (Rs 4.09
crore) to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and
the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, for
women empowerment.
i. The cheque for the same was handed over by Ruchira
Kamboj, the Permanent Representative of India to the UN,
supporting UN Women’s core voluntary budget.
ii. The donation was received by Sima Sami Bahous, the
Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN
India USD 500,000 Women.
MARCH 2023
The World Bank (WB) Board of Executive Directors has
approved a USD 100 million loan from the International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to the
Indian state of Odisha.
Objective: To boost Odisha’s early forecasting systems
for better disaster response and to expand social protection
coverage for poor and vulnerable households via digital
platforms.
Loan Details
i.The IBRD loan of USD 100 million has a maturity period
of 12.5 years and a grace period of 3 years.
World Bank (WB) USD 100 million
World Bank (WB) Board of Executive Directors has
approved a USD 363 million loan from the IBRD to the
southern Indian state of Karnataka.
Objective: To install piped water connections in the 2
million rural households in the state and supply them
World Bank (WB) USD 363 million with clean drinking water.
Japan committed Rs 7,084.5 crore to India for three
infrastructure projects viz. one each in Patna (Bihar), West
Bengal, and Rajasthan. Notes in this regard were exchanged
between Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary,
Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance
and Suzuki Hiroshi, Japan Ambassador to India.
Japan Rs 7,084.5 crore
World Bank’s (WB) Executive Board of Directors has
approved USD 108 million loan (Rs 8,896,517,496) for
‘Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project
(AIRBMP)’ to improve disaster preparedness and enhance
flood forecasting in Assam.
i. This funding will be disbursed by the International Bank of
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), administered by
WB, and has a maturity of 11.5 years with grace period of 4
USD 108 million years.
World Bank (WB) loan
Government of India (GoI) and World Bank (WB) signed 2
complementary loans of $500 million Public Health Systems
World Bank (WB) USD 500 million for Pandemic Preparedness Program (PHSPP) and $500

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 million Enhanced Health Service Delivery Program (EHSDP)
to support and improve India’s healthcare infrastructure.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed
loan agreements with the Government of India (GoI) in Delhi
to offer Japanese Official Development Assistance ODA
loans totaling 40,673 million yen for the following two
projects:
i. Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Project (III) (Loan Amount:
30,755 Million Yen)
ii. Project for Establishing a State Super-Specialty Cancer
and Research Center in Mizoram, with 164 beds (Loan
Japan International Amount: 9,918 Million Yen)
Cooperation Agency (JICA) 40,673 million yen
ADB has agreed in principle to provide Rs 1,311.20 crore
under Phase-1 of the proposed Infrastructure Development
Investment Programme in Himachal Pradesh (HP).
i. This funding will be utilized to strengthen the tourism
infrastructure in HP.
Asian Development Bank The total cost of the project is Rs 2357 crore.
(ADB) Rs 1,311.20 crore
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways (MoRTH), briefed about the loan agreement
signed between the Government of India (GoI) and the
World Bank for the construction of the Green National
Highway Corridors Project (GNHCP) in four States such as
Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra
Pradesh in an aggregate length of 781 km with loan
Government of India (GoI) & assistance of US $ 500 million against the total project cost of
World Bank US $ 500 million US $ 1288.24 million (Rs. 7,662.47 crore).

INSURANCE
JUNE 2023
➢ Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co. Ltd., the private life insurer, launched first of its kind insurance plan
in the Indian life insurance industry designed for Type 2 diabetic and pre-diabetic individuals,
named ‘Bajaj Allianz Life Diabetic Term Plan Sub 8 HbA1c’.
➢ mooPay Private Limited, the fintech arm of Stellapps Technologies Private Limited, in partnership
with IBISA Network, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Ltd., and Insurtech startup
Gramcover, has launched India’s first heat Index-based insurance plan to provide financial
compensation to mooMark dairy farmers in case of income loss due to a fall in milk productivity
during heat waves in summer.
➢ The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) identified SBI Life
Insurance Company Limited (SBI Life) as the acquirer–insurer of the business of Sahara India Life
Insurance Co. (SILIC).
• In this regard, SBI Life shall take over the policy liabilities of around two lakh policies of SILIC,
backed by the policyholders’ assets, with immediate effect.
• Note: This decision has been taken by IRDAI in exercise of its powers under sub-section (2) of
Section 52B of the Insurance Act, 1938
➢ Max Life Insurance Company Ltd launched a non-linked participating individual life
insurance savings plan named ‘the Smart Wealth Advantage Growth Par Plan‘ with
four income variants.

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 ➢ Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) introduced
some modifications to the existing “Use and File” Procedure for Life Insurance
Products.
• Objective: To expand the scope of the Use and File procedure to facilitate the insurance industry in
promoting penetration and improving the accessibility of life insurance products.
• The modifications are issued by IRDAI in the exercise of its powers under the Insurance Regulatory
and Development Authority Act, 1999.
• Key Modifications: IRDAI has included individual and group unit-linked life and health insurance
products and allowed insurers to use and file the products under the modified procedure.
• IRDAI has also introduced ‘Combi products’, which allow the filing of Combi products where the life
insurer is the lead insurer.
• The current Standardized File Identification Number (SFIN) clearance process by IRDAI is
dispensed.
• IRDAI allows the addition of new unit-linked funds to existing unit-linked products.
➢ Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited (ABSLI), the life insurance subsidiary of Aditya
Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), has announced the launch ‘Nishchit Pension Plan‘ a comprehensive
retirement solution. It is a non-linked, non-participating individual pension plan for retirement.

MAY 2023
➢ ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited launched a new debt fund ‘ICICI Pru Constant
Maturity Fund’ which will be available for investments with the Company’s flagship Unit Linked
Insurance Plans (ULIP) offerings like ICICI Pru Signature, ICICI Pru Smart Life and ICICI Pru LifeTime
Classic.
➢ ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited announced a strategic partnership
with actyv.ai, a Singapore-based enterprise SaaS (Software as a service) platform with embedded B2B
(Business-to-business), BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) and insurance to co-create comprehensive
insurance offerings for Small and Midsize Enterprises (SMEs) the entire supply chain ecosystem,
encompassing distributors, retailers, and suppliers.
➢ Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Ltd launched India’s first small-cap fund in the ULIP (Unit
Linked Insurance Plan) segment 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.
• It will invest a minimum of 60% in small-cap stocks, and market-cap exposure is
based on equity exposure re-scaled to 100%.
➢ SBI General Insurance (SBIG), the non-life insurance arm of State Bank of India (SBI), launched
‘General Surety Bond Bima (Conditional & Unconditional)’ insurance product for infrastructure
projects.
➢ Plotch, the SaaS (Software as a Service) firm, in collaboration with IDFC FIRST Bank Limited, has
launched an Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)-focused payment solution NodePe.
➢ Axis Bank Ltd has launched ‘Sarathi’, a first of its kind digital onboarding platform to enable easy
installation of Electronic Data Capture (EDC) or Point of Sale (POS) for merchants.

APRIL 2023
➢ Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co Ltd (ABHICL), a part of Aditya Birla Capital Ltd (ABCL), is a joint
venture between Aditya Birla Group and MMI Holdings of South Africa, inked a bancassurance
partnership with UCO Bank, for the distribution of its health insurance products.
• This partnership will enable ABHICL to utilize UCO Bank’s widely distributed network of
3,164 branches and reach out to more than 40 million customers of the bank across
India.
➢ The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India Limited
(GIC Re), and New India Assurance continued to be identified by the Insurance Regulator and
Development Authority of India (IRDAI) as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) for the
financial year 2022-23.

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 ➢ The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), granted a certificate of
registration to two new entities namely Acko Life Insurance Limited and Credit Access Life Insurance
Limited to commence the life insurance business.
➢ According to provisional statistics released by the General Insurance Council (GIC), India’s non-
life insurers recorded growth in the high teens in fiscal year 2023 (FY23) due to strong performance
across sectors.
• In FY23, non-life insurers have underwritten a gross premium of Rs 2.6 crore, a 16.4%
increase over FY22.
❖ Performance of The Three Listed Non-Life Insurers from India in 2023:
➢ ICICI Lombard General Insurance
• Revenue increased 17% year-on-year at Rs. 21,025 crore.
• In March 2023, market share was 8.18%, up from 8.14% in March 2022.
➢ The New India Assurance
• In March 2023, gross premium reached Rs. 34,487 crore, an increase of 6% from
March 2022.
• Market share declined to 13.42% in March 2023 from 14.75% in March 2022.
➢ Star Health & Allied Insurance
• Gross premiums for the standalone health insurer increased 13% year-on-year to
Rs. 12,951 crore.
• Compared to 5.19% in March 2022, market share slightly decreased to 5.04% in
March 2023.
➢ According to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), the four
public sector general insurance companies – New India Assurance Co. Ltd, United India Insurance
Company Ltd, Oriental Insurance Company Ltd., and National Insurance Company Limited– have lost
803 basis points (bps) in market share to their private counterparts in the past five years.
➢ SBI General Insurance Company Limited announced the launch of a fully customizable digital-only
health insurance plan named ‘Health Edge Insurance’. It is a Single Comprehensive Plan variant with 9
Basic indemnity Covers and 18 Optional covers to stand in need of medical exigency.
➢ Reliance General Insurance, a subsidiary of Reliance Capital, has become the first company to
accept eRupee(e₹)/ Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) for premium
payments.
• Reliance General Insurance accepts the eRupee through a partnership with Yes Bank to
enable its customers to make premium payments digitally using the bank’s platform.

MARCH 2023
➢ Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI) Limited, the life insurance subsidiary Aditya Birla Capital
Limited (ABCL) launched a non-linked non-participating individual savings life insurance plan ‘ABSLI
Nishchit Aayush Plan’.
❖ Key Features:
• The maximum entry age is 55 years and the minimum age is 30 days (long term income
option) and 30 years (whole life income).
• The minimum annualised premium is Rs 30,000.
• Premium payment term options – 6, 8, 10, and 12 years.
The minimum sum assured under this plan is Rs.300,000.
➢ Bharti AXA Life Insurance Limited has entered into a bancassurance partnership with Unity Small
Finance Bank Limited (Unity Bank), a new-age, digital-first bank, to distribute life insurance products
through the bank’s Pan-India network of 111 branches and 206 offices.
➢ Max Life Insurance Company Limited (Max Life) has partnered with Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
(Ujjivan SFB) to provide comprehensive life insurance products to the bank’s customers.
• Max Life Insurance will provide a variety of savings, protection, retirement, and group
life insurance plans to more than 73 lakh customers of Ujjivan SFB through this
partnership.

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 ➢ Go Digit General Insurance has launched 3 new plans under the Digit Health Insurance policy –
‘Digit Double Wallet plan, Digit Infinity Wallet plan, and Digit Worldwide Treatment plan’ to cater to the
post-pandemic health needs of people.
➢ Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) executed an agreement as an additional bancassurance partner in the life
insurance category with SBI Life, the insurance arm of the State Bank of India (SBI).
➢ ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd (ICICI Lombard) has introduced an industry-first
programme for its health insurance policyholders called the “Anywhere Cashless” feature, which enable
customers to use cashless facilities at any hospital, even if it is not currently a part of ICICI Lombard’s
hospital network.

ECONOMY
JUNE 2023
NIL

MAY 2023
➢ 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).
➢ According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) data, the
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India declined by 22% to USD (United States Dollar) 46.03
billion in FY23 as compared to USD 58.77 billion during FY22.
• Singapore emerged as the top investor with USD 17.2 billion in FDI. It was followed by
Mauritius (USD 6.13 billion), the US (USD 6 billion), the United Arab Emirates (USD 3.35 billion),
the Netherlands (USD 2.5 billion), Japan (USD 1.8 billion), United Kingdom (USD 1.73 billion),
Cyprus (USD 1.27 billion), Cayman island (USD 772 million), and Germany (USD 547 million)
• The FDI inflows have contracted in FY23 from Mauritius, the United States (US), the
Netherlands, the Cayman Islands, and Germany.
• Top Investing State: Maharashtra continued to be the most favoured destination for investors.
• It received USD 14.8 billion worth of investments, although inflows declined from USD 15.44
billion in FY22.
• It is followed by Karnataka at 2nd with around USD 10.43 billion in FY23, up from USD 22.01
billion in FY22.

APRIL 2023
➢ The Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoC&I), Government of India(GoI), released the Foreign
Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 which aims to increase India’s exports to USD 2 trillion by 2030 by shifting
from incentives to remission and entitlement based regime.
• FDI inflows into Maharashtra went up by 19% year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs 85,186 crore
during the April-December of FY23 as compared to Rs 71,858 crore of FDI inflows during
April-December of FY22.
• Union Minister Piyush Goyal, (MoC&I) released the FTP 2023 during an event held in New
Delhi, Delhi.
• The FTP 2023 is set to become effective from 1st April 2023.
• India is set to end the FY 2023 with a total export of USD 760-770 billion compared to the
USD 676 billion in 2021-2022.
❖ About FTP 2023:
• Unlike the usual 5 year-FTP, the FTP 2023 does not have an end date and it will be
updated as and when needed.
• The previous FTP came into force on 1st April 2015 and was later extended in the
wake of COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent disruption in economic activities.

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 • The last extension was given in September 2022 till 31st March 2023.
➢ The National Stock Exchange(NSE)’s subsidiary, NSE Indices Limited, has introduced new
guidelines for retaining a demerged entity in its respective index.
• Under the new norms, a demerged company will only remain a part of the index if
the exchange conducts a Special Pre-Open session (SPOS) for the spun-off entity.
• The change will be applicable to scheme of arrangement of all companies involving
demerger which may be approved by equity shareholders of respective companies
on or after April 30, 2023.

MARCH 2023
➢ According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) data,
Maharashtra and Gujarat recorded positive growth during the 3 quarters of the current fiscal (FY23) –
April 2022 to December 2022.
• FDI inflows into Maharashtra went up by 19% year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs 85,186 crore
during the April-December of FY23 as compared to Rs 71,858 crore of FDI inflows during
April-December of FY22.
• FDI inflows into Gujarat during April-December of FY23 more than doubled to Rs 32,349
crore compared to Rs 15,321 crore in April-December of FY22.
• In April-December of FY23, FDI inflows into Karnataka were Rs 70,015 crore, 2nd highest
FDI equity inflow after Maharashtra, but it declined by 45% from Rs 1.28-lakh crore during
April-December of FY22.
➢ According to the “Index Numbers of Wholesale Price in India for the Month of February 2023
(Base Year: 2011-12)” released by the Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of
Industry And Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry Of Commerce & Industry(MoCI), the Wholesale Price-
Index (WPI) based inflation rate eased to a 25-month low of 3.85% (Provisional) in February 2023
(over February 2022) against 4.73% recorded in January 2023.
• The Retail Inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined to 6.44% in February
2023 against 6.52% in January 2023 and 6.07% in February 2022.

BUSINESS
JUNE 2023
NIL

MAY 2023
➢ Garuda Aerospace Private Limited, a Chennai (Tamil Nadu)-based Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) startup
and Uttar Pradesh (UP) based Naini Aerospace engineering limited (NAeL), a wholly owned
subsidiary of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)- under the Ministry of Defence (MoD), has signed a
joint development partnership to manufacture indigenous drones for various applications.
➢ India and the 13 other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity
(IPEF), the Economic initiative led by the United States, announced the substantial conclusion of the
negotiations of a first-of-its-kind international ‘IPEF Supply Chain Agreement’ at the IPEF Ministerial
Meeting which was held in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America(USA).

APRIL 2023
➢ Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), an Indian multinational
information technology services and consulting company, has been selected by Bane NOR, the
Norwegian government agency responsible for maintaining, operating, and developing the Norwegian
railway network, to enable secure access to the latter’s digital systems.

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 ➢ NBCC (India) Limited (formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation) signed
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Scirocco Enterprises Ltd. of Zambia for the
construction of 1 lakh low and medium-cost houses to mitigate an acute shortage of housing in Zambia.
➢ ITC Limited has overtaken Infosys Limited, an Indian multinational information technology
company, to become India’s 6th largest company, as per market capitalization(m-cap). ITC’s market
cap stands at Rs 5.11 lakh crore (as of April 24, 2023) while the market cap of Infosys (7th place) stands
at ~Rs 5.08 lakh crore

MARCH 2023
NIL

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
CABINET APPROVALS
JUNE 2023
➢ On May 31, 2023, The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi
approved the following proposals:
❖ On the lines of the Central Government’s plan to expand the foodgrain storage capacities in
India, the Union Cabinet has approved the constitution and empowerment of an Inter-
Ministerial Committee (IMC) for the facilitation of the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in
the Cooperative Sector.
• The Government will infuse approximately Rs 1 Lakh Crore (Rs 1 trillion) for this
plan in order to increase foodgrain storage capacity by 700 lakh tonne in the
cooperative sector from about 1,450 lakh tonne presently to 2,150 lakh tonne in the
next five years by constructing a godown capacity of 2000 tonnes in every block.
❖ To further expand the Smart Cities Program, the Union cabinet approved the ‘City Investments
to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0)’ to 18 more cities which will run for a
period of four years, from 2023 to 2027.
• CITIIS 2.0 is an initiative developed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
(MoHUA) in collaboration with the French Development Agency (AFD),
Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the European Union (EU), and the National
Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
• Funding: The funding for CITIIS 2.0 will include a loan of Rs 1,760 crore (EUR 200
million) from AFD and KfW (EUR 100 million each) and a technical assistance grant
of Rs 106 crore (EUR 12 million) from the EU.
➢ On June 07, 2023, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved
the following proposals.
• The cabinet has approved the third revival package for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) with a
total outlay of Rs 89,047.82 crore that includes allotment of 4G/5G spectrum through equity
infusion.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by PM Narendra Modi has
approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Kharif Crops for
Marketing Season 2023-24.
• The CCEA chaired by PM Narendra Modi also approved the continuation of the central sector
plan ‘Exploration of Coal and Lignite scheme’ with an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,980
crore with extension of time period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 co-terminus with the 15th
Finance Commission cycle.
• Union Cabinet headed by PM Narendra Modi also approved the extension of Metro
Connectivity from HUDA City Centre on the Delhi Metro’s Yellow Line to Cyber City in

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 Gurugram (Haryana) spanning a distance of 28.50 km and encompass a total of 27 stations
along the route.

MAY 2023
➢ On May 17, 2023, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi
has approved the following:
• The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of the Project Collaboration Agreement
(PCA) between India’s Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for promoting
access to high quality affordable assistive technology.
• After the success of PLI for mobile phones, the Union Cabinet also approved the
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme 2.0 for Information Technology (IT)
Hardware with an outlay Rs 17,000 crore. It will cover covers laptops, tablets, all-in-
one PCs (Personal Computers), servers and ultra small form factor devices.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and The Chartered
Accountants of the Maldives (CA Maldives).
• The Union Cabinet approved the signing of MoU between the Competition Commission
of India (CCI) and the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) to promote and strengthen
cooperation in competition law and policy through exchange of information, technical
cooperation, sharing of best practices as well as through various capacity building
initiatives.
• The Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for revision in
Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for various nutrients i.e. Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus
(P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) for Rabi Season 2022-23 (from 01.01.2023 to
31.03.2023) and approved NBS rates for Kharif Season, 2023 (from 1.4.2023 to
30.09.2023) for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers to make available 25 grades of
Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers to farmers at subsidized prices.

APRIL 2023
➢ The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has approved the following
proposals:
❖ Cabinet gives nod to Indian Space Policy 2023:
• The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra
Modi has approved the Indian Space Policy 2023 that will enable the private sector to
participate in various space activities, such as constructing satellites, rockets, and launch
vehicles, as well as collecting and sharing data.
❖ Cabinet approves revised Domestic Gas Pricing Guidelines:
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by PM Narendra Modi has
approved a mechanism to fix pricing for domestic natural gas in India. It has revised
domestic natural gas pricing guidelines for gas produced from nomination fields of Oil
and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)/Oil India Limited (OIL), New Exploration Licensing
Policy (NELP) blocks and pre-NELP blocks, where Production Sharing Contract (PSC)
provides for Government’s approval of prices.
❖ Govt approves Army proposal to induct woman officers in Artillery:
• In March 2023, the Central Government approved the Indian Army’s decision to induct
women officers in the artillery regiments. In this regard, the first lot of women will be
commissioned in the Army’s artillery regiments by the end of April 2023 when they pass
out of the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
➢ The Union Cabinet of the Government of India headed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi
approved the LIGO-India (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory in India) mega science
proposal for research on gravitational waves.
• The LIGO-India project will establish a state-of-the-art gravitational wave observatory in
Hingoli, Maharashtra (India) in collaboration with the LIGO Laboratory in the United
States of America (USA).

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 • The LIGO project is piloted by the Department of Atomic Energy(DAE) and the
Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The project worth Rs 2600 crore is estimated to be built by 2030.
• Note: LIGO Laboratory is a consortium of the California Institute of Technology
(Caltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
➢ Cabinet Approvals on April 19, 2023
❖ The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has approved the
following proposals:Cabinet approves National Quantum Mission to scale-up Scientific &
Industrial R&D for QT
• The Union Cabinet has approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) with an outlay of
Rs.6003.65 crore for 8 years (from 2023-24 to 2030-31). With this, India will join the
top 6 nations (the United States of America (USA), Canada, China, France, Austria, and
Finland who are involved in the R&D in the QT.
❖ Cabinet approves Cinematograph Amendment Bill 2023, aims to tackle problem of film piracy
• The Union Cabinet also approved the Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2023 proposed
by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to amend the Cinematograph
Act, 1952. It will be introduced in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
• The proposed amendments would make the certification process more effective, in tune
with the present times.
➢ The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the National Medical
Devices Policy, 2023, which is expected to help the Medical Devices sector expand to USD 50
billion(~Rs 4 lakh crore) by 2030.
• In 2020, the market size of the medical devices sector in India is estimated to be USD 11
billion (~Rs 90,000 crore) and its share in the global medical device market is estimated
to be 1.5%.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the establishment of 157
new nursing colleges in co-location with existing medical colleges established since
2014. The outlay for the same will be Rs 1,570 crore.
• Uttar Pradesh (UP) will have the maximum number of colleges (27), while Rajasthan
will have 23 and Madhya Pradesh, 14.

MARCH 2023
➢ The Union Cabinet has approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft for the
Indian Air Force (IAF) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a cost of Rs. 6,828.36 crore. The
aircraft will be delivered over a six-year period.
➢ The Union Cabinet has given its assent to the signing of a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited
(L&T) for the acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships for Rs. 3,108.09 crore under the “Buy Indian-
IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured)” category.
• The ships will be designed, developed, and built indigenously in India at the L&T
shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
• The delivery of ships is anticipated to commence in 2026.
➢ Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
granted an exemption to NTPC Limited from the extant guidelines of delegation of power to Maharatna
CPSEs (Central Public Sector Enterprises) for making investments in NTPC Green Energy Limited
(NGEL), a subsidiary company of NTPC Ltd.
• The CCEA also exempted NGEL’s investment in NTPC Renewable Energy Limited (NREL)
and its other JVs (Joint Ventures)/subsidiaries subject to a ceiling of 15% of its net
worth beyond the monetary ceiling of Rs 5,000 crore to Rs. 7,500 crore, towards
achieving a target of 60 GW Renewable Energy (RE) Capacity by NTPC Limited.
• The CCEA also approved the listing of the Indian Renewable Energy Development
Agency Ltd (IREDA), the CPSE under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE),
on stock exchanges through an initial public offer (IPO) by the part sale of the
government’s stake in the public sector entity.

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 ➢ The Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), headed by Prime
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, have approved the following proposals:
• Release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to GoI employees and
Dearness Relief to pensioners, due from January 1, 2023
• Approval for the MSP of raw jute for the 2022-23 season
• Approval for Targeted Subsidy to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) Consumers

PM’s LAUNCHES/INAUGURATIONS
JUNE 2023
➢ On World Environment Day 2023 (June 05, 2023), Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi launched
two schemes named Amrit Dharohar Yojana and MISHTI Yojana (Mangrove Initiative
for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change (MoEFCC), to revive wetlands and mangroves across India.
• As per the statement of PM, the number of wetlands and Ramsar sites in India have increased
almost three times in the past nine years.

MAY 2023
➢ Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi dedicated and laid the foundation stone of infrastructure
projects costing over Rs 5,500 crore during an event in Nathdwara in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district.
The development projects focus on promoting the infrastructure and connectivity in Rajasthan where
the railway and road projects will facilitate the movement of goods and services and promote trade and
commerce in the region.
❖ Foundation stone laid for three Rail Projects:
• Redevelopment of Udaipur railway station to provide enhanced amenities for the public.
• Gauge conversion project: Setting up a new line from Nathdwara to Nathdwara town in
Rajsamand
• It will connect Mewar with Marwar and will help the sectors like Marble, granite and
mining industries.
• A foundation stone for road construction project for upgradation to two-lane in
Rajsamand and Udaipur was also laid.
❖ Dedicated three national highway projects to the nation
• 114 km long six-lane Udaipur to Shamlaji section of NH-48. It will benefit Udaipur-
Dungarpur and Banswara.
• 110 km long widening and strengthening to 4 lanes with paved shoulder of Bar-Bilara-
Jodhpur Section of NH-25.
• It will make access to the border easier. The distance from Jaipur to Jodhpur will also be
reduced by three hours, and the world heritage sites like Kumbhalgarh and Haldi Ghati
will become more accessible.
• 47 km long two lanes with paved shoulder section of NH 58E.
➢ The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) set up the Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate
Exit (C-PACE) to centralise the process of striking off companies from the MCA Register.
• Harihara Sahoo, Indian Corporate Law Services (ICLS), was appointed as the first
Registrar of C-PACE.
➢ Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation, several
railway projects worth more than Rs 8000 crores in Odisha through video conferencing.
❖ During the event, the PM flagged off the Vande Bharat Express between Puri(Odisha) and
Howrah (West Bengal).
• This vande bharat express reduced the travel time between Puri and Howrah to only 6
hours 30 min.
• The train covering around 500 kilometres (Km) will pass through Khordha, Cuttack,
Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts in Odisha and Paschim Medinipur, and
Purba Medinipur districts in West Bengal.

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 • Note: 15 Vande Bharat Trains are already running in various states of India giving a
push to the economy of India.
❖ He also laid the Foundation Stone for the Redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations:
• Puri railway stations:
• The new design of the Puri station is inspired by the Odisha’s temple architecture
and the redevelopment is expected to be completed in 36 months.
• With a budget of Rs 162 crore, the station is being equipped with world-class
amenities, including environmental and waste management systems, aesthetic
lighting, and comfortable waiting and retiring rooms.
• This station is designed as a green building, adhering to gold and platinum
standards
• Its sustainable features of the station will enable it to withstand wind speeds of up
to 250 mph.
• Cuttack Railway Station:
• The budget for the renovation of Cuttack Railway Station is set at Rs 303 crore.
• The station is designed through a public poll on Twitter.
• The station will feature a range of amenities, including waiting rooms,
dormitories, a food court, retiring rooms, lifts, escalators, and a dedicated baby
feeding room.
➢ Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi virtually flagged off Uttarakhand’s 1st semi-high-
speed Vande Bharat Train connecting Dehradun with Delhi.
• This will be the 6th Vande Bharat train connecting Delhi from a different state.
• This also marks the 18th Vande Bharat train in India.
➢ 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.
❖ Features of New Parliament Building:
• The new parliament building includes the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Central Lounge,
Central Hall for joint session, Constitutional hall, open courtyard and Offices.
• The new building is 4- storey triangular shaped and it is a part of a 20,000-crore
central vista project built by TATA Group.
• Seating Capcity:The new Lok Sabha has a seating capacity of 888 members,
almost thrice the number compared to the current chamber of 552 seats.
• The new Rajya Sabha complex have a seating capacity of 384 members compared
to 245 seats of the current chamber.
• The Parliament premises have the national tree Banyan. The interiors of Lok
Sabha are themed on the national bird peacock and Rajya Sabha on the national
flower lotus.
• The building features the Ashoka Chakra on the exterior and inside the Lok Sabha
and the Rajya Sabha chambers.
• Present Parliament House: India’s present Parliament House is a colonial-era
building, Originally called the Council House, was designed by British
architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, and it took six years to
construct (1921-1927).
❖ PM Narendra Modi placed the historic sceptre ‘Sengol’ near the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair in
the newly built Parliament building. PM decided to adopt it as a national symbol of the Amrit
Kaal.

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 •The name of the historical sceptre, ‘Sengol’ was derived from the Tamil word
‘semmai,’ meaning ‘righteousness/full of wealth’. Note – Sceptre is the Symbolic
ornamental staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch.
• Features: The sceptre Sengol,which is Constructed by Vummidi Ethirajulu and
Vummidi Sudhakar, is made of gold and silver and is decorated with many
precious stones.
• The sceptre measures 5 feet in length and carries a golden orb at the top. The orb
has a carving of Nandi, the bull (that is precious to Lord Shiva) symbolising justice.
• In the ancient South Indian kingdom, the great Chola empire, the Sengol holds
great significance and it was seen as a symbol of power, authority, the path of
service duty and nation.
• It was claimed that Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam,a Saivite mutt based in the
town of Thiruvaduthurai in Mayiladuthurai District, Tamil Nadu gifted the ‘Sengol’
to Jawaharlal Nehru in August 14, 1947 during India’s Independence.
❖ PM unveiled a commemorative stamp and a special Rs.75 coin during the inauguration of the
new Parliament building.
• The weight of the coin would be around 34.65-35.35 grams. and it will bear the
inscription of the Parliament complex and have the image of the new Parliament
building.
• The coin will be Circular in shape with a diameter of 44 mm and have 200
serrations along its edges.
• The Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar and the phrase ‘Satyamev Jayate’ will appear
on one side of the coin.
• Bharat’ and ‘India’ will be written in English (left) and Devanagari script (Right),
respectively.
• The rupee symbol and the denomination value of 75 will be written on the coin
beneath the Lion Capital. The value of 75 in international numerals will also be
written below.
➢ Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi virtually flagged off
the Northeast region’s first Vande Bharat Express which will connect Guwahati (Assam) with New
Jalpaiguri (West Bengal).
• This is also the first “Made in India” Vande Bharat Express of Assam and the 3rd Vande
Bharat Express connecting West Bengal.

APRIL 2023
➢ Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various
development projects worth over Rs 11,300 crore in Telangana during his visit to Telangana on 8th
April 2023.
❖ He also flagged off the prestigious Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express train
connecting Secunderabad and Tirupati.
• This is the second Vande Bharat train for the two Telugu States, Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh.
• This will reduce the travel time between Hyderabad to Tirupathi to about 8 hours 30
minutes (around 3 hours less than the usual travel time) with limited stops at Nalgonda,
Guntur, Ongole, and Nellore.
❖ Other Highlights:
• PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the re-development of Secunderabad railway
station, taken up at a cost of around Rs 720 crore.
• He also dedicated the completed parts of the Secunderabad-Mahabubnagar doubling
project (stretching 85.24 km) to the nation.

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 • He also inaugurated the 13 new Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) services during
his visit.
• He also laid the foundation stone for the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
Bibinagar in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Telangana. This will be built at a cost of around Rs
1350 crore.
• He also laid the foundation stone of the national highway project worth Rs 7850 crore.
• This will provide connectivity to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and contribute to the
socio-economic development of the region.
➢ On 8th April 2023, during his visit to Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi
laid the foundation stone and dedicated several projects to the nation at the event held in Alstrom
Cricket Ground, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
• He also inaugurated the New Integrated Terminal Building (Phase- 1) of Chennai
International Airport and flagged off the Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express in
Chennai during his visit.
• The PM inaugurated the Rs 1,260 crore New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB- Phase
1) aka ‘Golden Terminal’ of Chennai International Airport which will boost passenger
handling. It will increase the passenger serving capacity of the airport from 23 million
Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) to 30 MPPA.
• The PM has inaugurated TN’s second Vande Bharat train namely ‘Chennai–Coimbatore
Vande Bharat Express’ that will ply from Chennai to Coimbatore.
• The PM also inaugurated the newly gauge-converted Thiruthuraipoondi-
Agasthiyampalli section by flagging off a Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) service.
• The 37-km section of new broad gauge has been built at a cost of Rs 294 crore.
• The PM also participated in the celebrations commemorating the 125th Anniversary of
Sri Ramakrishna Math at Vivekananda House in Chennai.
• The PM presided over a public programme at Alstrom cricket ground, Chennai, where he
inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of road projects worth about Rs 3700 crores.
➢ On April, 9, 2023, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the program ‘Commemoration
of 50 years of Project Tiger’at Mysuru University in Mysuru, Karnataka, the first of its kind in India,
organised to mark 50 years of Project Tiger.
❖ Other Major Initiatives:
• The PM launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) for the conservation of 7
major big cats.
• He released the publications ‘Amrit Kaal Ka Vision For Tiger Conservation’, a summary
report of the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves,
declared tiger numbers and released the summary report of All India Tiger Estimation
(5th cycle).
• He also released a commemorative coin on the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger.
❖ The Government of India (GoI) launched the “Project Tiger” in 1973 for conserving the
national animal, the tiger (Panthera tigris). Thus 2023 marks the 50th year of Project Tiger.
• From 9 tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has increased
to 51 at present, spread out in 18 of tiger range states. This amounts to around 2.23% of
the geographical area of India.
• As of 2022 Tiger Census, India’s tiger numbers stand at 3,167 in the wild. The 2018
Tiger Census, released in July 2019, established the presence of 2,967 tigers in India.
• The PM launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) for the conservation of
seven major big cats – tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah in
collaboration with 97 countries which contain the natural habitat of these big cat
species.
➢ Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various
development projects worth more than Rs 3200 crores at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala.

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 • The development projects include India’s 1st Water Metro in Kochi (Kerala) and Kerala’s
1st Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod, which were
inaugurated by PM.
❖ Kochi Water Metro is a Made in India project and the ports for the project were developed by
the Cochin Shipyard.
❖ PM laid the foundation stone for the India’s first Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram
which will give a boost to Digital India.
❖ Kerala’s Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod will link North
Kerala with South Kerala.
❖ Vishu is a cultural festival celebrating one of the two harvest seasons in Kerala of India. Vishu
falls on the first day of the month of Medam in the Malayalam Calendar (April 14 or 15 in the
Gregorian calendar).
➢ Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various
development projects related to health, housing, tourism, education and urban development, worth
more than Rs 4850 crore in Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Union Territory (UT) of Dadra and
Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
• The development projects include the inauguration of the new campus of NAMO Medical
Education & Research Institute in Silvassa, and Laying the foundation stone of 96
development projects in the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
• PM inaugurated the new campus of NAMO Medical Education & Research Institute, the first
and only medical college in the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. He was
accompanied by Praful Patel, the Administrator of UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman
and Diu and Lakshadweep.
• The PM laid the foundation stone and dedicated 96 projects worth more than Rs. 4850
crores to the nation at Sayli ground, Silvassa.
➢ Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated All India Radio’s (AIR) 91 new 100W FM
Transmitters which have been installed in 85 districts across 18 States and 2 Union Territories (UTs) to
a give a further boost to radio connectivity in India.
• The States and UTs which are covered include Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal,
Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra
Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Ladakh
and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

MARCH 2023
➢ PM Inaugurates & Lays Foundation Stone of Multiple Development Projects in Shivamogga and
Belagavi, Karnataka
• PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated numerous development
projects totaling more than Rs. 3,600 crore at Shivamogga, Karnataka.
• He also inaugurated the Shivamogga Airport, a new airport built at a cost of around Rs. 450
crore. The Shivamogga airport is the 9th domestic airport in Karnataka
➢ PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated several development projects worth
over Rs. 2,700 crore in Belagavi, Karnataka, and also distributed the 13th instalment amount of around
Rs. 16,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through direct benefit
transfer (DBT) to over 8 crore beneficiaries.
• The PM-KISAN scheme provides eligible farmer families with a grant of Rs. 6,000 per year,
provided in three equal installments of Rs. 2000 each.
➢ The 3rd session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR), with the
overarching theme of “Building Local Resilience in a Changing Climate,” was inaugurated by Prime
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on March 10, 2023, in New Delhi, Delhi.
• During the event, the PM honoured the winners of the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda
Prabandhan
• Puraskar 2023: The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) and the Lunglei
Fire Station in Mizoram.

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 ➢ PM Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the world’s longest railway platform at “Shree
Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Station” in Hubballi-Dharwad, Karnataka, which was recently
acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records.
• The railway platform is 1507 metres long and built at a cost of around Rs 20 crore.
➢ The two-day Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference 2023 was formally inaugurated by Prime
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi at Subramaniam Hall, National Agriculture Science Complex (NASC),
Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Campus, PUSA New Delhi, Delhi, to promote millets
exports from India and give producers access to the market.
• Indian millets are popularly referred to as “Shree Anna” in the international market.
• The conference was organised by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI).
• Following this, the PM launched a digital compendium of Indian millet (Shri Anna) startups
and a millet book, “Shree Anna: A Holistic Overview,” based on millet standards developed
by the FSSAI.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) formally declared 2023 the International
Year of Millets (IYM) following sustained efforts by India.
• In 2011-12, the major importing countries were the United States (US), Australia, Japan,
and Belgium.
• In 2021-22, the top three importers of millets from India are: Nepal (USD 6.09 million), the
United Arab Emirates (USD 4.84 million), and Saudi Arabia (USD 3.84 million).
➢ Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM, Sheikh Hasina jointly
inaugurated (virtually) the 131.5-kilometre-long India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP), the first
cross-border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh. This marks the 2nd cross-border energy
pipeline between India and its neighbouring country.
➢ Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s new International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) Area office and Innovation Centre at a programme in Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi, Delhi.
• Other initiatives: The PM unveiled the Bharat 6G (6th Generation) Vision Document and
launched the 6G Research and development (R&D) Test Bed.
• PM also launched the ‘Call before u Dig’ App, which will reduce the instances of
unnecessary digging and damage.

LAUNCHES/INAUGURATIONS
JUNE 2023
➢ Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, launched the Unified Registration
Portal for Biogas/ Compressed Bio Gas (CBG)/ Bio CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) plants under
Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) scheme.
• The portal, developed by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under
the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the nodal agency of GOBARdhan, will ensure Ease of Doing
Business (EODB).
➢ Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of state (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology
inaugurated the two-day “Lavender Festival” in Bhaderwah Valley of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
• While inaugurating the festival, Jitendra Singh stated that Bhaderwah has emerged as
the Lavender capital of India and a prominent Agri-Start-up destination.
• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM),
Jammu, has organised the event as part of its One Week One Lab Campaign.
➢ Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW),
launched “Sagar Samriddhi – Waste to Wealth”, an online dredging monitoring system as part of
the ‘Waste to Wealth’ initiative of the MoPSW.
• The system is developed by National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts
(NTCPWC), the technological arm of MoPSW, and it replaces the previous Draft & Loading
Monitor (DLM) system.

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 ➢ Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), inaugurated Project Gajapati to
Gabon and flagged off Gabon’s first Agriculture Special Economic Zone (SEZ)
Project & Power Transformers (T&D) Project from New Delhi, Delhi.
➢ Union Minister Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI)
unveiled the ‘Dugdh Sanakalan Sathi Mobile App’ or ‘Milk Collection Partner Mobile
App’ from Mussoorie, Uttarakhand for the Indian Dairy Industry.
• It is designed and developed by Jaipur (Rajasthan)-based Rajasthan Electronics &
Instruments Limited (REIL), a“Mini Ratna Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) under MHI.

MAY 2023
➢ Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) collaborated with National Agricultural
Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) has launched the first ever ‘Millets
Experience Centre’ (MEC) at Dilli Haat, INA (Indian National Airways), New Delhi in Delhi, in order to
enhance the public awareness on Millets and encourage the utilisation of Millets.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared the year 2023 as the International
Year of Millets (IYM 2023), in response to India’s proposal, which was supported by 72
countries.
➢ The Union Minister Narayan Rane, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), launched
the India Health Dialogue (IHD) platform in New Delhi, Delhi (at Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR), AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) Delhi) for enhancing MSMEs in healthcare and
boost the export development in Health domain to make India the global manufacturing centre and self-
reliant (AtmaNirbhar Bharat).
➢ The 3rd phase of Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY) was launched by the Minister of State
(MoS) Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to commemorate the
World Thalassemia Day on May 8, 2023.
• TBSY is an imitative of MoHFW and which is being supported by Coal India Limited (CIL) as
part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
• The Minister also launched Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana Portal and released the
Standard Treatment Workflow for Sickle Cell Disease, developed by ICMR (Indian Council of
Medical Research), during the event.
➢ Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has
launched SAKSHAM (Stimulating Advanced Knowledge for Sustainable Health Management), a learning
management information system (LMIS) of MoHFW.
• SAKSHAM was developed by the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW),
New Delhi, Delhi.
➢ Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry (India) hosted the CEOs (Chief Executive
Officers) roundtable in Toronto, Canada, along with Mary Ng, Canada’s Minister of International Trade,
Export, Small Business and Economic Development.
• The CEOs Roundtable was organized by the FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry), a non-government, not-for-profit organisation,) and the BCC
(Business Council of Canada).
➢ Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH (Ayurveda,
Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homoeopathy), launched ‘Harit Sagar Guidelines – 2023’, the
Green Port Guidelines, in New Delhi, Delhi.
• The guidelines were prepared by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways to meet the
larger vision of achieving the Zero Carbon Emission Goal.
• On May 10, 2023 at ‘Harit Sagar Guidelines – 2023’ launch event, the ‘Sagar Shreshtha
Samman Awards 2023’ were also conferred to major ports for their all-time best
performance on select operational and financial parameters during FY 2022-23.

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 • Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) (Andhra Pradesh) received Sagar Shrestha Samman
Award 2023 from Sarbananda Sonowal. VPA’s chairman M Angamuthu received the award.
• Other Recipients of Sagar Shreshtha Samman Awards 2023:
Port Category
Awarded as best port for the year 2022-23
Awarded for best incremental performance for attaining the highest cargo
growth rate of 16.56% in FY23
Paradip Port, Jagatsinghpur
(Odisha) Received a performance shield on Ship Berth Day Output
Awarded for the best Absolute Performance for the year FY23 for handling
Deendayal Port, Kandla (Gujarat) the highest cargo of 137.56 MMT
Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai
(Maharashtra) Awarded for achieving major milestone in Turn Around Time
Kamarajar Port, Chennai (Tamil
Nadu) Awarded for pre-berthing detention time
Cochin Port (Kerala) Received a performance shield in turn-around time (non-container port)
➢ 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).
• The programme was launched during the national event organised by MoWCD on key
initiatives for strengthening ECCE at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi.
➢ Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology,
graced the valedictory ceremony of the 4-day long event “National Technology Week 2023” (11th to
14th May 2023) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Delhi.
• The National Technology Awards 2023 was conferred to 11 winners following the two-tier
evaluation process.
• National Technology Award (Main):
• Winner: MyLab Discovery Solutions Private Limited, Maharashtra
• National Technology Award (MSME):
• Prize: Rs. 15 lakhs each and a trophy
• Winners:
Winners Reason
Developed indigenous Fixed-wing VTOL UAV- SWITCH UAV that can fly at
Ideaforge Technology diverse terrains and harsh environments, ranging from -30 °C to +55 °C for a
Limited, Maharashtra variety of security and surveillance applications.
Electronics Devices
Worldwide Private Limited, Developed Zero-ventilated induction cap sealing device with the improved
Maharashtra spatial distribution of optimized power loss.
XIOTZ Private Limited,
Karnataka (Women led
MSME) Developed Managed Cyber Assurance Platform.
➢ National Award Under Technology Start-Up:
➢ Prize: Rs 15 lakh each and trophy
➢ Winners:
Winners Reason
Kanpur Flower Recycling developed Fleather- an animal free sustainable alternative to conventional
Private Limited, Uttar Pradesh leather made from flower waste.
Sascan Meditech Private Developed an Oral Scan handheld device to screen for early-stage cancers and
Limited, Kerala for biopsy guidance.

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 Produced a Novel Multi-Point and Multi-Parameter Sensing to withstand
Xyma Analytics Private Limited., extreme environment in Industrial applications using Patented Ultrasonic
Tamil Nadu, Waveguide based Technology.
WellRx Technologies Private Developed ‘Oil and Gas Wells Rejuvenation Technologies to “Revive” the shut
Limited., Haryana wells and “Increase” the Oil and Gas Production’.
Qzense Labs Private Limited, Developed Early spoilage detection and shelf-life prediction for fresh food
Karnataka (Women led Start up) using artificial olfaction.
➢ Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Communications (MoC) launched the Sanchar
Saathi portal – ‘https://sancharsaathi.gov.in‘ to prevent fraud by misusing mobile phones.
• Developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), MoC, it is citizen-centric
to empower mobile subscribers, strengthen their security and increase awareness about
citizen-centric initiatives of the Government.
➢ 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 the culmination of MoPSW’s second Chintan Shivir held in Munnar,
Kerala.
❖ What is in the Panch Karma Sankalp?
• MoPSW to provide 30% financial support for the promotion of Green Shipping
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Mumbai, Maharashtra), VO Chidambaranar Port (Thoothukudi,
Tamil Nadu), Paradip Port (Jagatsinghpur, Odisha) and Deendayal Port (Kandla, Gujarat)
will procure two tugs each Under the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP).
• Nodal agency of GTTP: National Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping
(NCoEGPS).
➢ The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched its massive campaign programme
“Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar” to promote the RRRs (3Rs) of waste management: Reduce, Reuse, and
Recycle.
➢ The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) launched the Regional Connectivity
Scheme (RCS) – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) 5.1 to enhance connectivity to remote areas of the
country and achieve last-mile connectivity through helicopters.
• For the 1st time, UDAN 5.1 is designed in consultation with all stakeholders including
helicopter operators.
➢ Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha
and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), visited Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy
(PCIM&H), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and inaugurated “e-Office portal of PCIM&H” and “Online
portal”.
➢ Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science and
Technology, and R. K. Singh, the Union Minister of Power, New & Renewable Energy, jointly launched
the Website and Logo of the Joint 14th Clean Energy Ministerial and 8th Mission Innovation meeting
(CEM-14/MI-8).
• The CEM14/MI-8 will be held in Goa from 19th to 22nd of July 2023.
• This is scheduled on the margin of the G20(Group of 20) Energy Transition Ministerial
Meeting which will be held on July 22, 2023.
• The theme for CEM-14/MI-8 is “Advancing Clean Energy Together”.
➢ A Campaign on Promoting Digital Transactions in 50000 Gram Panchayats
namely ‘SAMARTH’ under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was launched in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP)
by the Union Minister Giriraj Singh, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) & Panchayati Raj.
➢ Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), unveiled
the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023, and launched the Export Promotion Council for
Medical Devices during the inaugural event of the 8th International Conference on Pharma and
Medical Device Sector in New Delhi, Delhi.

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 • Mansukh Mandaviya also launched a scheme titled ‘Assistance for Medical Devices clusters
for Common Facilities (AMD-CF)’ to establish and strengthen common infrastructure
facilities in the medical devices clusters and fortify testing facilities for medical devices.

APRIL 2023
➢ The Ministry of Textiles launched 2 Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for 31 items which marked the
first technical regulation from India for the Technical Textiles industry.
• These QCOs consist of 19 Geo Textiles and 12 Protective Textiles in the Phase-I.
• The information for the same was provided by Joint Secretary, Rajeev Saxena, Ministry of
Textiles in a press conference in New Delhi, Delhi.
• These two Geo Textiles and Protective Textiles QCOs will come into effect in 180 days
immediately after the date of the publication of the orders in the gazette and both, domestic
manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their products to
India.
• In Phase-II, the Ministry of Textiles plans to issue two more QCOs for 28 items that will
cover 22 agro textile products and 6 medical textile items. In Phase-III, it plans to bring over
30 technical textile items under the QCO.
➢ The Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, Ministry for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
(MoFAHD), launched projects, ‘Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative’ (APPI) and World Bank
(WB)-funded ‘Animal Health System Support for One Health’ (AHSSOH), under the aegis of National One
Health Mission to improve India’s preparedness and response to potential animal pandemics.
• AHSSOH is India’s first animal pandemic response plan in collaboration with the World
Bank.
➢ Union Minister Giriraj Singh, Minister of Rural Development (MoRD), launched the “Sangathan Se
Samriddhi” campaign. It will empower marginalised rural households by bringing all eligible rural
women into Self Help Groups (SHGs).
➢ The Ministry of Finance announced that the Government will release a new commemorative coin
of Rs 100 denomination on 30th April 2023, for the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
radio show Mann Ki Baat.
❖ About the coin:
• Shape: Circular
• Diameter : 44 millimetres along with 200 serrations
• Weight : 35 grams
• Metal and composition: Quaternary alloy composed of 50% silver, 40 % copper, 5 %
nickel, and 5 % zinc.
❖ Design – Front Side:
• The coin’s obverse side will have the Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar at the centre with
“Satyamev Jayate” inscribed below it. “Bharat” in Devanagari script and “INDIA” in English
will be inscribed on the left and right peripherals, respectively. The coin will also feature the
Rupee symbol “₹” and “100” denomination.
❖ Design – Backside:
• On the reverse side, the logo for the 100th Episode of Mann Ki Baat will be displayed,
featuring a microphone with sound waves and the year “2023” inscribed on it. “Mann Ki
Baat 100” will be written above and below the microphone image in Devanagari and English.
➢ Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Environment, Forest and Climate Change,
Bhupender Yadav, launched new features in eShram Portal to improve the utility of the portal and
facilitate ease of registration for unorganised workers.
• The new version also has a Data Sharing Portal (DSP) and a Data Analytics Portal.
➢ Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Cooperation, launched “IFFCO
Nano DAP(liquid)”, the world’s first liquid Nano DAP(Diammonium phosphate), developed by Indian
Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) at NewDelhi, Delhi.
• The launch of IFFCO Nano DAP (Liquid), a nano fertiliser product containing nitrogen and
phosphorus is intended to make India self-reliant in the field of food production and
fertilizers.

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 ➢ The Union Minister Narayan Tatu Rane, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (M/o
MSME) launched the revamped Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE)
Scheme in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• This launch was on the lines of an additional corpus support of Rs 9,000 crore in the Union
Budget for FY 2023-24 to CGTMSE to revamp its Scheme to provide guarantee for additional
Rs 2 lakh crore to MSEs.
• Reduction in guarantee fees for loans upto Rs 1 crore by 50% bringing the minimum
guarantee fee to the level of 0.37% pa only.
• Raising of ceiling for guarantee from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore
• Enhancing the threshold limit for claim settlement without initiation of legal action to Rs 10
lakh.
• CGTMSE will collaborate with National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(NI-MSME), Hyderabad (Telangana) for setting up a Centre of Financial Inclusion for MSME.
➢ The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the ‘City Beauty Competition’ portal
for participation of all urban local bodies (ULBs) across the country through an online process.
• The City Beauty Competition was launched by the MoHUA in December 2022.
• Objective: To encourage and recognize the transformational efforts made by cities and
wards across the country to create beautiful, innovative and inclusive public spaces.
• Knowledge partner: Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) as the knowledge partner
will provide handholding support to the Wards / ULBs / States in this exercise.
• The last date for participating in the ‘City Beauty Competition’ is July 15, 2023.

MARCH 2023
➢ On the occasion of National Science Day (28th February 2023), Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of
Science and Technology, launched the Vaibhav Fellowship Scheme for Indian Diaspora abroad at Vigyan
Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
➢ The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) approved the launch of Indian Farmers
Fertilizer Cooperative Limited’s (IFFCO) nano DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) fertilizer in the market.
• In this regard, DAP manufactured by IFFCO is notified in the Fertilizer Control Order (FCO).
• FCO is an act that regulates the sale, pricing, distribution and other formalities of fertilizers
in India.
➢ The Union Minister Raj Kumar (RK) Singh, Ministry of Power launched the South Asia Distribution
Utility Network (SADUN) to modernize distribution of utilities in South Asia via knowledge sharing
among the region’s discoms (Distribution Companies), and to enable utility-to-utility (U2U) connect.
➢ Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways, inaugurated the
first of its kind business to business (B2B) Conference and Expo on Traditional Medicine under the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Guwahati, Assam.
➢ The world’s first 200-meter-long Bamboo Crash Barrier named “Bahu Balli” has been installed on
the Vani-Warora Highway in Vidarbha, Maharashtra. This offers an alternative to steel and addresses
environmental concerns and their aftermath. This marks an accomplishment towards
achieving AatmanirbharBharat.
➢ Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, released the book “India’s
Vaccine Growth Story – From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri” authored by Sajjan Singh Yadav, Additional
Secretary in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, at the World
Book fair 2023, in New Delhi, Delhi.
➢ Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Communications and Electronics & Information
Technology released a unique cover of the Department of Posts, ‘Go Green, Go Organic’ for Sikkim.
➢ Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched
‘Swachhotsav‘, a 3-week women-led swachhata campaign, under the Swachh Bharat Mission
Urban[SBM(U)] 2.0. It was launched ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2023.
• He also launched the 1st edition of Women Icons leading Sanitation & Waste Management
(WINS) Challenge-2023 during the event.

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 ➢ Union Minister Narayan Tatu Rane, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MoMSME),
launched the MSME Competitive (LEAN) Scheme (MCLS) and National Scheduled Castes
(SC)/Scheduled Tribes (ST) Conclave under MSME Champion Scheme in the event organised at the
NDMC Convention Centre, New Delhi, Delhi.
About MSME Competitive (LEAN) Scheme (MCLS):
Aim: To provide a roadmap to global competitiveness for the MSMEs of India.
Objective: To enhance the Domestic and Global Competitiveness of MSMEs through the application of
various Lean Techniques like
i. Reduction In – Rejected Rates; Product and Raw Material Movements & Product Cost
ii. Optimization Of – Space Utilization; Resources like Water, Energy, Natural Resources etc.
iii. Enhancement Of – Quality in Process and Product, Production & Export Capabilities, Workplace
Safety, Knowledge & Skills Sets, Innovative Work Culture, Social & Environmental Accountability,
Profitability, Introduction & Awareness to Industry 4.0, & Digital Empowerment
Implementation agency– Quality council of India(QCI) and National Productivity Council (NPC)
➢ Raj Kumar Singh (R K Singh), Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched
the Voluntary Star Labelling Programme for multi-door refrigerators, table and wall-mounted fans,
pedestal fans, and induction hobs during the event organised on the occasion of the 21st Foundation
day of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) (1st March 2023) in New Delhi, Delhi.
• He also launched the iDEEKSHA(Industrial Decarbonization and EE Knowledge-Sharing)
Portal, iDEEKSHA Newsletter and a flyer during the event.
➢ Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH) unveiled India’s
first and world’s second 100% methanol-powered 10-tonne prototype truck in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
➢ The 24th issue of the publication “Women and Men in India 2022” was released in New Delhi,
Delhi, by Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge [I/C]) for the Ministry of Statistics
and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
➢ Ganesh Joshi, Agriculture Minister of Uttarakhand, launched ‘Resham Keet Bima’ scheme, India’s
first programme to safeguard sericulturists. With this launch, Uttarakhand became the first Indian state
to launch a Silkworm Insurance Scheme under which crop insurance will be provided to all farmers
cultivating silkworms to produce silk.
➢ The Government of India (GoI) launched the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) for
rabies prevention and control, and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare (MoHFW), released the NRCP strategies, which are as follows:
• Provision of rabies vaccine & rabies immunoglobulin through national free drug initiatives
• Training on appropriate animal bite management, prevention and control of rabies, surveillance
and intersectoral coordination
• Strengthening surveillance of animal bites and rabies deaths reporting
• Creating awareness about rabies prevention
• Other GoI Efforts for Rabies Prevention and Control:The MoHFW and the Ministry of Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry & Dairying jointly launched the “National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated
Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) from India by 2030.”

FIRST IN INDIA
JUNE 2023
➢ India conducted Asia’s first demonstration of performance-based navigation for helicopters. The
flight from Juhu (a suburb of Mumbai), Maharashtra to Pune, Maharashtra was made
using GAGAN (GPS(Global Positioning System) Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) satellite technology,
which allows high-quality of air traffic management.
• The GAGAN technology was jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
➢ The Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) in Jaipur, Rajasthan and the National Dam
Safety Authority (NDSA), Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) to establish India’s first-of-its-kind National Centre for Earthquake Safety of Dams which will
focus on studying seismic hazards, developing new dams, and enhancing the protection of existing ones.

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 • MoJS has recognised the National Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management
(NCDMM) of MNIT to be the National Center for Earthquake Safety of Dams and has
approved a Financial Grant of Rs 30 crore for establishing and running the centre for the
next 5 years.
➢ SAMCO Asset Management Private Limited, Investment Manager of SAMCO Mutual Fund, launched
India’s first actively-managed momentum fund – SAMCO Active Momentum Fund, an open-ended equity
scheme following momentum theme with Benchmark Index of Nifty 500 Index TRI.
• The New Fund Offering (NFO) from SAMCO Active Momentum Fund commences on June 15,
2023, and concludes on June 29, 2023.
➢ Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has
started delivering the first units of the Armado to the Indian armed forces. The Armado is India’s 1st
Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV), designed and developed by Mahindra.
➢ Indian Railways is set to introduce its first hydrogen train, expected to start operating from Jind
district in Haryana by March 2024.The first prototype of the hydrogen train is scheduled to run
between the Jind-Sonipat (Haryana) Section of Northern Railway in the fiscal year 2023-2024.

MAY 2023
➢ During his visit to Chandigarh on May 08, 2023, the Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of
Defence, has inaugurated India’s first-of-its-kind Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage
Centre in Chandigarh’s Sector 18 to highlight the IAF’s various aircraft and its contributions in various
wars.
➢ Telangana government (Govt) 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.
• The framework was developed by the Emerging Technologies Wing of the ITE&C
(Information Technology, Electronics and Communications) Department of Telangana in
collaboration with the All-India Robotics Association.
➢ 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.
➢ R. Bindu, Minister of Higher Education of Kerala, formally launched the 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.
• With this launch, Kerala become India’s 1st state to establish a State-specific ranking
framework for its higher education institutions.
➢ Kerala became the first state in India to launch a welfare fund for Mahatma Gandhi Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers in the State.
➢ Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (MP) launched An Agenda for Action:
Sustainable Urban Transformation in Bhopal, India’s first city-level Voluntary Local Review (VLR).
• Through the launch, Bhopal, the Capital of MP, 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).
➢ AirAsia India flight i5-767 became India’s first commercial passenger flight to successfully take off
using an indigenously produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blended Aviation Turbine Fuel
(ATF) from Pune (Maharashtra) to New Delhi (Delhi).
• SAF was supplied by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) in partnership with Praj Industries
Ltd. (Praj).
➢ Tide, United Kingdom-based fintech, in partnership with Transcorp International
Limited, launched India’s first recycled Polyvinyl Chloride (rPVC) Rupay card, along with MCT Cards &
Technology Pvt. Ltd. and NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India).

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 ➢ Uttarakhand Metro Rail Corporation (UKMRC) unveils Rapid Transit Systems; Dehradun gets India’s 1st
Neo Metro & Hardiwar gets Pod Taxi
➢ 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.
• A single-window portal named e-Sevanam was launched by the state government to
offer 900 government services online. It was further set to be extended to taluk-level
offices.

APRIL 2023
➢ Telangana launched “Telangana Cool Roof Policy 2023-2028” for all types of buildings to reduce
temperatures in Hyderabad and other urban areas in Telangana. With this launch, Telangana became
the India’s first state to introduce Cool Roof Policy.
➢ The NSE Indices Limited, a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), launched India’s first
index to track Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs)
called Nifty REITs and InvITs Index.
• The Nifty REITs and InvITs index will track the performance of REITs and InvITs that are
publicly listed and traded or not listed but permitted to trade on NSE.
• Currently, the index comprises three listed REITs and three listed InvITs (total 6 securities).
• The Nifty REITs & InvITs Index has a base date of July 01, 2019, and a base value of 1000.
➢ National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has named India’s first semi high-speed
Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) as RAPIDX as it is easy to read and simple to pronounce in
various languages.
• RAPIDX, with a design speed of 182kmph, will connect Delhi with National Capital Region
(NCR), including Meerut, Alwar and Panipat.
➢ Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL) successfully conducted the trial run of India’s 1st
underwater metro train under the river bed of Hoogly through a tunnel of 32 meters below water level.
• The trial runs of the metro from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade will be conducted for the next
7 months and after that regular services on this stretch will begin.
• The commercial services on this stretch are expected to begin in 2023.
➢ Kerala became the first state in India to adopt a water budget to tackle water shortage in summer.
Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister (CM) of Kerala, unveiled the details of the 1st phase of the Water
Budget in Kerala covering 94 grama panchayats in 15 block panchayats.
➢ Himachal Pradesh (HP) has become the first Indian state to develop a DNA database for
unidentified bodies. The process of creating this database started in April 2022. So far, the records of
150 DNA samples of unidentified bodies had been stored in the database.
➢ Log9 Materials, a Bengaluru (Karnataka) based nanotechnology company backed by Amara Raja
Group, inaugurated India’s first lithium-ion cell manufacturing facility at its campus in Jakkur,
Bengaluru, Karnataka. Log9’s commercial Li-ion cell production facility will have an initial capacity of
50 Megawatt hours (MWh).
➢ India’s and Asia’s first mobile biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory named ‘Rapid Action
Mobile BSL-3 Advanced Augmented Network (RAMBAAN)’, designed to investigate emerging viral
infections was showcased at the second G-20(Group of 20) Health Working Group meeting held in
Panaji, Goa.

MARCH 2023
➢ Arti Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), e-launched the Employees’
Provident Fund Organisation’s (EPFO) district outreach program “Nidhi Aapke Nikat 2.0” in all the
districts of the country.
➢ India’s 1st Container Feeder Service launched Between Chennai-Puducherry ports; Hope Seven
flagged off from Chennai
• A short-haul coastal container feeder service, first of its kind in India, was launched between
Chennai – Puducherry ports. The container feeder ship, Hope Seven, with a container capacity
of 106 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), was flagged off by service between Chennai and
Puducherry ports flagged off by Sunil Paliwal, Chairman of Chennai Port Trust at D P World
Terminal at the Chennai Port.
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 • The coastal feeder service is a step forward towards the ambitious Sagarmala Project of the
government of India.
➢ Deakin University from Australia is set to become the first foreign university to set up a campus in
India. The independent campus will be established in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City)
in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
➢ The government of Uttarakhand is set to establish India’s first government mother milk bank, a
facility that can ensure to provide the nutritional elements of mothers’ milk to newborns.
• This announcement was made by Uttarakhand Health Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat during
the Emerging Leaders of Garhwal program of Amar Ujala.
➢ NTPC Limited (NTPC), India’s state-owned power company, has installed the nation’s first Air-
Cooled Condenser (ACC) at its North Karanpura supercritical thermal plant in Jharkhand, which would
aid in water conservation.
• On March 1, 2023, NTPC started commercial operation of the first unit of 660 MW in North
Karanpura (3 X 660 MW), in Jharkhand.
• With this, the standalone and group commercial capacity of NTPC will become 58979 MW and
71594 MW respectively.
➢ India’s 1st quantum computing-based telecom network link is now operational between Sanchar
Bhawan and the National Informatics Centre(NIC) office located in Central Government Offices (CGO)
Complex in New Delhi, Delhi.
➢ National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), the Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise
(CPSE), under the Ministry of Mines and India’s leading manufacturer and exporter of alumina and
aluminium, has released the Bauxite Certified Reference Material (CRM) – BARC B1201 the 1st of its
kind CRM in India and 5th in the World, in NALCO Research & Technology Centre, Bhubaneswar,
Odisha.
• BARC B1201 was jointly developed by NALCO in collaboration with the National Centre for
Compositional Characterization of Materials (NCCCM), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(BARC),
Hyderabad(Telangana).

LONGEST, LARGEST, HIGHEST

JUNE 2023
NIL

MAY 2023
➢ The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), a
Public Sector Undertaking of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), are joining hands to set up
Asia’s largest bio-gas plant in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The upcoming plant will be able to scientifically
treat the segregated 1000 tonnes of wet-waste per day into compressed bio-gas (CBG).

APRIL 2023
➢ Mr. Ajit Kumar Thakur, CEO of Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL), announced that the
company has completed the construction of Asia’s largest underwater hydrocarbon pipeline.
• This pipeline, with a diameter of 24 inches, has been laid below the Brahmaputra River,
connecting Jorhat and Majuli in Assam by using the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD)
method.
• The total length of this single HDD crossing is 4,080 metres across the main water channel of
the Brahmaputra River, making it the longest river crossing by any hydrocarbon pipeline of size
24-inch diameter and above in Asia and the second longest in the world.

MARCH 2023
NIL

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
JUNE 2023
NIL
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MAY 2023
➢ The National Level Steering Committee (NLSC) at its fourth meeting held in New Delhi, Delhi has
made a decision for the continuation of the Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal), India’s Central Sector water
conservation Scheme for an additional two years beyond its original 2025 end date.
• The Atal Bhujal Yojana Scheme is facilitating sustainable ground water management
since April 2020, as a Central Sector Scheme under the Department of Water Resources
(DoWR), River Development (RD) and Ganga Rejuvenation (GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti.

APRIL 2023
➢ 8th April 2023, the Ministry of Finance marked the 8th anniversary of the launch of the Pradhan
Mantri MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Yojana (PMMY).
• PMMY was launched on 8th April 2015 by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in New
Delhi, Delhi.
❖ Features of PMMY:
• Food Subsidy to Food Corporation of India (FCI) for NFSA
• The loans have been divided into three categories based on the need for finance and the
stage in the maturity of the business.
Shishu – loans up to Rs 50,000
Kishore – loans above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakh
Tarun – loans above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10 lakh
• The rate of interest is decided by lending institutions in terms of Reserve Bank of
India(RBI) guidelines.
• In the case of a working capital facility, interest is charged only on money held overnight
by the borrower.
• As of 24th March 2023, around Rs 23.2 lakh crore has been sanctioned in 40.82 crore
loan accounts.
• Around 68% of the accounts under the scheme belong to women entrepreneurs and
51% of accounts belong to entrepreneurs of Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribes
(ST) and other backward classes (OBC) categories.
• The loans under this scheme are provided by Member Lending Institutions (MLIs):
Banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs)
and other financial intermediaries.

MARCH 2023
NIL

OTHERS
JUNE 2023
➢ The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has approved the acceptance of e-Bank
Guarantee (BG) and Insurance Surety Bonds as a bid security and performance security in standard
documents (Request for Proposal (RFP) and Model concession Agreement (MCA)) of Engineering,
Procurement, and Construction (EPC), Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)
(Toll) projects.
• This decision follows recent amendments by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of
Finance in General Financial Rules (GFRs) 2017 relating to inclusion of e-BG and Insurance
Surety Bonds as means to accept bid security and performance security.
➢ Galaxeye Space Solutions Pvt Ltd (Galaxeye Space), a space-tech startup incubated by the Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, (Chennai, Tamil Nadu), is developing the world’s first multi-
sensor earth observation satellite namely ‘Drishti‘ incorporating a visible spectrum camera that allows
synchronized imaging, capable of capturing multiple images simultaneously.
• The startup is going to launch “Drishti mission”, its first satellite, in 2024.
• It will be India’s first and the world’s highest-resolution multi-sensor imaging satellite.

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➢ The Government of India has taken 5 important decisions revolving around Primary Agricultural
Credit Societies (PACS), a basic unit and the smallest cooperative credit institution in India that works
on the grassroots level (gram panchayat and village level).
• 5 decisions: There are about 1 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies present
across India. On the basis of mapping, PACS which are not functioning as fertiliser retailers will
be identified and encouraged to function as retailers on the basis of feasibility in a phased
manner.
• PACS which are not currently functioning as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendras (PMKSK)
will be brought under the scope of PMKSK.
• PMKSK will serve the needs of the farmers in India and provide agri-inputs (fertilisers, seeds,
implements) including testing facilities for soil, seeds and fertilisers.
• PACS will be connected with the marketing of organic fertilisers, especially Fermented organic
Manure (FoM) or Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM) or Phosphate-enriched Organic
Manure (PROM).
• PACS can also be employed as drone entrepreneurs for spraying fertilisers and pesticides.
Drones can also be used for the survey of the property.
• Fertiliser companies will act as an aggregator for small bio-organic producers to market the end
product, under the Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme of the Department of
Fertilisers. PACS will also be included as wholesalers/retailers in this supply and marketing
chain of bio-organic fertilisers.
➢ On the event organised as a part of the Global Wind Day 2023 (15th June 2023) in New Delhi, Delhi,
Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy(MoNRE) felicitated
Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu (TN) for being the top achiever during the financial year(FY) 2022-
2023.
• Rajasthan was honoured for achieving the highest wind capacity addition.
• Gujarat was honoured for achieving the highest wind capacity addition through open access.
• Tamil Nadu was honoured for initiating the repowering of wind turbines.
➢ Jettwings Airways, a Guwahati (Assam)-based airline received the No objection certificate (NOC) from
the Ministry of civil Aviation (MoCA) to operate as ‘Schedule Commuter Air Transport Services‘ in
the North eastern regions of India and aims to begin its services from October 2023.
• With this, Jettwings becomes the first-ever company from the Northeast region to start airline
operations in India.
➢ ‘Government of India – United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation
Framework 2023-2027’ (GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027) was signed between the National
Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and United Nations (UN) office in India.
• Aligned with India’s national development vision, GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027 is a collaborative
effort of the UN Development System (UNDS) for India to achieve the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) while promoting gender equality, youth empowerment, and human rights.
• It is structured around four strategic pillars: People, Prosperity, Planet, and Participation.
• These pillars are inspired by the 2030 Agenda.
• The framework focuses on six outcome areas derived from above mentioned four interlinked
pillars.
• These outcome areas are Health and Well Being, Nutrition and Food Security, Quality Education,
Economic Growth and Decent Work, Environment, Climate, Water, sanitation and hygiene
(WASH) and Resilience, and Empowering People, Communities, and Institutions.
• To deepen cooperation, the GoI-UNSDCF will emphasize SDG localisation and South-South
cooperation for the first time.

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 • This approach aligns with India’s commitment to accelerating the SDGs and its leadership in
promoting South-South cooperation and showcasing Indian development models on a global
scale.
➢ Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has collaborated with Falguni Shah (Falu), an Indian-
American singer-songwriter, who is also a Grammy Award winner for a special song
named ‘Abundance in Millets’ to promote the benefits of millet and its potential to alleviate world
hunger.
• The single track ‘Abundance in Millets’ which was performed by Falu along with her husband
(singer) Gaurav Shah was released on June 16, 2023, on every streaming platform.
• The song which highlights the benefits of millet was written in English and Hindi and made
accessible to everybody.
• Falu received the Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album in 2022 for her album ‘A Colorful
World’.
➢ Government of India(GoI) withdrew the draft of the Live-stock and Live-stock Products [Importation
and Exportation] Bill, 2023, based on the objections from the section of the people including animal
activists and religious groups.
• This Bill was “re-enactment” of the present Live-stock importation Act (1898), and Live-stock
Importation (Amendment) Act of 2001.
➢ The Department of Justice (DoJ) under the Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India (GoI)
has partnered with National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and Common Services Centres (CSC)
electronic governance (e-Governance) Service India Limited for mainstreaming legal aid to the
marginalised communities through the system of Tele–Law.
➢ The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published IS 18267: 2023 on ‘Food Serving Utensils
Made from Agri By-Products – Specification’, aimed at reducing plastic pollution and promoting
sustainability.
• The IS 18267: 2023 lays down the norms to make disposable utensils free from harmful
additives and contributes towards environmental safety, conserve natural resources, promote a
circular economy.
➢ Government of India (GoI) has introduced two changes to the prevailing power tariff system,
through an amendment to the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020.
• The changes are: introduction of Time of Day (ToD) Tariff, and rationalization of smart
metering provisions.
• Under the ToD Tariff system, Tariff during solar hours (duration of eight hours in a day as
specified by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission) of the day shall be 10%-20%
less than the normal tariff, while the tariff during peak hours will be 10 to 20 percent higher.
• ToD tariff would be applicable for Commercial and Industrial consumers having Maximum
demand of 10 KW and above, from 1st April, 2024 and for all other consumers except
agricultural consumers, latest from 1st April, 2025.
• ToD tariff should be made effective immediately after installation of smart meters, for the
consumers with smart meters.

MAY 2023
➢ Union Government has extended the deadline for obtaining the mandatory electric vehicle (EV)
battery safety test certification from the Ministry of Heavy Industries by six months till October 1, 2023
from April 1, 2023.
➢ Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of Science & Technology (MoST)
and Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), Ministry of Defense of the State of
Israel, signed a Multi-Sectoral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Industrial Research and
Development Cooperation focusing on several key technology areas.

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➢ The Department of Expenditure (DoE), Ministry of Finance, has launched the scheme, ‘Vivad se
Vishwas I – Relief to MSMEs’ for providing relief to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for
COVID-19 period.
➢ The NITI Aayog (National Institute for Transforming India) 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 highlight the theme ‘Achievement@75’
at the grassroot levels.
• The compendium was also framed to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence.
• The case studies have been sourced from the 28 States and 8 Union Territories (UTs)
and over 30 Ministries and Departments of the Government of India.
➢ 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 with an IMII score of 33.41, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli
& Daman and Diu (DNH&DD) (32.88), Telangana (32.86), and Tamil Nadu-TN (32.54).
• The survey was conducted for a period of financial years 2017-2020 in 28 states and 6
Union Territories (UTs), covering manufacturing and related service sector and MSMEs
(Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises). It was a follow-up of the DST’s first National
Innovation Survey held in 2011. The survey had two specific components: the Firm-
Level Survey and the Sectorial Systems of Innovation (SSI) survey.
• The responses obtained from the firm-level survey have been converted into an index,
the India Manufacturing Innovation Index (IMII) for comparison across the 28 states
and 6 UTs of India.
• The Indian manufacturing sector has an overall IMII score of 28.17.
➢ The Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India, has set a
target of 332 million (3320 lakh) tonnes of production of foodgrains for the 2023-2024 crop year (July
2023-June 2024).
• MoA&FW’s target includes the production of 29.25 MT of pulses, 44 MT of oilseed, and
17 MT of millets.
➢ The nationwide AHDF KCC Campaign for 2023-24 has been launched by Parshottam Rupala, Union
Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (FAHD) to provide Kisan Credit Card (KCC)
facility to all eligible farmers engaged in Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fishery (AHDF) Farmers.
• The Nationwide AHDF KCC Campaign is organised by the Department of Animal
Husbandry and Dairying in association with the Department of Fisheries (DOF) and the
Department of Financial Services (DFS) from 1st May 2023 to 31st March 2024.
➢ The Union Ministry of Finance notified changes in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),
2002, widening its ambit to include the financial transactions facilitated by the Chartered
Accountants(CA), Company Secretaries(CS), and Cost and Works Accountants (CWA).
➢ The NITI Aayog (National Institute for Transforming India) 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.
• Out of the 75 initiatives, 14 have been launched by the Union government, two are joint
initiatives by the Centre and the state governments, while the rest are from 26 states
and UTs.
• Number of Best Practices in Social Sector:
Union Government 14

Union and State Government Joint initiatives 2

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 Karnataka 6

Assam, Madhya Pradesh 5 each

NCT of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh 4 each

Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan 3 each

Andaman and Nicobar, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana,

2 each
Uttarakhand, Manipur

Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Chandigarh, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh,
1 each
Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Tripura, Nagaland
➢ 9th May 2023 marks the 8th anniversary of the three major social security (Jan Suraksha)
schemes, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima
Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
• Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman stated that till 26th April 2023, 16.2
crore, 34.2 crore and 5.2 crore enrolments have been done under PMJJBY, PMSBY & APY
respectively. The total enrollment under all three schemes are 55.6 crore.
➢ The Ministry of Finance (MoF) reduced the threshold of the turnover of the companies that are
mandated to generate electronic or e-invoicing for all business-to-business (B2B) transactions to Rs
5 crore (from Rs 10 crore) with effect from August 1, 2023.
• Prevailing Case: Currently, businesses with a turnover of Rs 10 crore and above are
generating e-invoice for all B2B transactions.
• The e-Invoicing system under Goods and Services Tax (GST) law was implemented from
1st October 2020 for taxpayers with an aggregate turnover exceeding Rs.500 crore.
➢ 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).
• So far more than 2.96 lakh villages have declared themselves ODF Plus, which is a
significant step towards achieving the SBM-G phase II goals by 2024-25.
• The top performing states in terms of percentage of ODF Plus villages are as follows:
• 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.
➢ Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, co-chaired the 6th India-Canada Ministerial
Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) along with Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export
Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of Canada, in Ottawa, Canada.
• During the meeting, the Ministers highlighted the trade and economic relationship
between Canada and India and recognised the significant opportunity to deepen
bilateral ties and economic partnership.
• 6th India-Canada MDTI was focused on various themes such as strengthening the
Bilateral Trade Relationship between India and Canada, Investment Promotion and
Cooperation, Green Transition including Critical Minerals discussion and New Areas of
Cooperation such as promoting B2B (Business-to-Business) engagements.
• In 2022, the India-Canada bilateral trade in goods reached about USD 8.2
billion, registering a 25% growth compared to 2021.

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➢ Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has secured the second position among 66
ministries with an score of 4.7 (out of 5) in the highly influential ‘Data Governance Quality Index
(DGQI) assessment for 2022-2023 Q3 (Third Quarter of FY23)’.
• DGQI Assessment for FY23 was conducted by Development Monitoring and Evaluation
Office (DMEO), an attached office of NITI Aayog.
➢ The members of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) unanimously adopted India’s
proposal to support the development and adoption of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) like
Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and DigiLocker.
• The proposal was adopted during the meeting between the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Ministers of SCO member states chaired by Union
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.
➢ Union Government (Govt) plans to develop the Indian Carbon Market (ICM) where a national
framework will be established to decarbonise the Indian economy by pricing the Green House Gas
(GHG) emissions through trading of the carbon credit certificates.
• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency, under the Ministry of Power (MoP), along with the
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change(MoEF&CC) is developing the Carbon
Credit Trading Scheme for the ICM.
➢ 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 and
expand youth and entrepreneurial cooperation.
➢ Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (M. K. Stalin) inaugurated a
570 metres long and 4.2-metre wide Skywalk Bridge connecting the Mambalam railway station and T
Nagar bus terminus in Chennai, TN.
• The inaugurated sidewalk bridge is the longest skywalk in Tamil Nadu and it is
considered one of the longest skywalks in India.
➢ The Government of India (GoI) has formulated rules under the provision of section 40 of the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 to establish the standards of accessibility for persons
with disabilities (Divyangjan or PwDs).
• Under this provision of section 40 of the RPwD Act 2016, 20 ministries are involved in
making Accessibility guidelines/standards for their respective sector.
• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), under the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), will regularly monitor the
formulations of these guidelines or standards.
• Regular review meetings are undertaken at various levels. A recent review of the
progress was conducted by the MoSJE.
➢ The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced a new initiative titled ‘NEP
SAARTHI (Student Ambassador for Academic Reforms in Transforming Higher Education in India)’ to
involve students in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• Objective: To create an environment where students could engage and participate to
make effective use of the provisions of NEP 2020.
• UGC has instructed all vice-chancellors, directors and principals of Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) to nominate 3 students from their institutions to be considered as
NEP SAARTHIs along with a brief write-up justifying the nomination.
• The UGC will select 300 NEP SAARTHIs from among the nominees and the selected
students will be given orientation and guided on how to carry out their roles effectively
in hybrid mode.
• Nominations are open till June 2023. The NEP SAARTHIs will be announced in July 2023.

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 ➢ Ladakh’s annual five-day group prayer camp of Buddhist monks and nuns
named ‘Ladakh Monlam Chenmo 2023’ which is also called as Great Prayer Festival was held from
May 11 to 16, 2023 in Leh (Ladakh) for world peace and happiness.
➢ Union Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the 6
States Governments of Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar
Pradesh (UP) to initiate the digital crop survey.
• The agreement was signed during the National Conference of State Agriculture
Secretaries & State Revenue Secretaries on Digital Crop Survey, which
was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) in New
Delhi, Delhi to discuss with the state governments for the implementation of digital crop
survey plan.
• A manual for web portal and mobile application for digital crop survey was also
unveiled.
➢ The Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) has received the National Programme for Organic
Production (NPOP) certificate for the coffee and pepper GCC purchases from the tribal coffee farmers
of the Chintapalli division, Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• The certificate was granted by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA) of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI).
➢ National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)
released its 18th quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) bulletin for January-March 2023
(Q4FY23).
• As per it, India’s urban unemployment rate (UR) in Current Weekly Status (CWS)
terms for persons aged 15 years and above declined to 6.8% during Q4FY23 from 7.2%
in Q3FY23.
• The unemployment rate was 8.2% during January-March 2022.
• UR in CWS among the male population in urban areas declined to 6% as compared to
6.5% in Q3FY23.
• For all age groups, the highest UR was seen in Himachal Pradesh (HP) which stood at
15.2%.
• It is followed by Chhattisgarh at 12.5% in 2nd place, and Jammu and Kashmir-J&K
(12.4%) at 3rd place.
• The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in CWS for males was 73.5% from 73.3%
in
Q3FY23.
• The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in % in CWS for males increased to 69.1% as
compared to 68.6% Q3FY23.

APRIL 2023
➢ Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, approved the amendments of the Competition Act, 2002,
that seek to cover global deals by digital multinational companies (MNCs) under local laws.
• The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed after Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman moved as many as 13 official amendments to the Bill.
• Following the amendment, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) will now have the
power to impose penalties on MNCs for violations based on their international revenue.
• The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 aims to regulate transactions made by
international digital companies, provided that the entities involved have a strong
business presence in India.
• The amendments also provide for the settlement of minor violations.

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 • According to the bill, entities are expected to seek approval from the Competition
Commission if the deal value exceeds Rs 2000 crore and if both companies (acquiring
and the target) have substantial business operations in India.
➢ Nirmala Sitharaman, the union minister of finance, announced in the union budget for 2023–
2024, the revamping of the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro & Small Enterprises (MSE) with effect
from 1st April 2023.
• It is revamped with an infusion of Rs 9,000 crore to the corpus to enable an additional
Rs 2 lakh crore in collateral-free guaranteed credit and the reduction in the cost of the
credit by about 1%.
• On 30th March 2023, Rs 8,000 crore was infused into the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust
for Micro & Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) corpus. CGTMSE created a new landmark by
approving guarantees totalling Rs 1 lakh crore during the financial year (FY) 2022–23.
• The limit on the ceiling for guarantees has been enhanced from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore.
➢ The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) celebrated the 5th Poshan Pakhwada
nationwide from 20th March to 3rd April 2023 to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition
and promote healthy eating habits through Jan Andolan (People’s Movement) and Jan Bhagidari
(People’s Participation).
• The theme of Poshan Pakhwada 2023 is “Nutrition for All: Together Towards a Healthy
India”.
• The Ministry of Women & Child Development will be the nodal Ministry for coordinating
activities during the Poshan Pakhwada.
➢ India becomes the first country in the world to estimate tuberculosis (TB) burden in-country and
launch its country-level mathematical model to estimate the prevalence of TB cases in India.
• The mathematical model to estimate TB cases was launched in the 36th Stop TB
Partnership Board meeting (participated by delegates from 40 countries) at the One
World TB summit 2023 which was held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh from 23- 26 March
2023.
➢ The Government of India (GoI) has given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to 33 new products
from different states, including Bihar (1), Uttar Pradesh (10), Madhya Pradesh (1), Chhattisgarh (1), and
Tamil Nadu (11), as well as the Union Territories (UT) of Ladakh (1) and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) (8).
• The total number of GI Tags in India has risen to 465.
• Products that have received the GI Tag :
Geographical Indications Goods/Products State
Marcha Rice (Mircha Rice) Agricultural Bihar
Banaras Pan (Betel Leaf) Agricultural
Banaras Langda Aam (Mango) Agricultural
Ramnagar Bhanta (Brinjal) Agricultural
Adamchini Chawal (Rice) Agricultural
Aligarh Tala Handicraft
Bakhira Brassware Handicraft
Banda Shazar Patthar Craft Handicraft
Nagina Wood Craft Handicraft
Pratapgarh Aonla Agricultural
Hathras Hing Food Stuffs Uttar Pradesh
Rewa Sunderja Mango Agricultural Madhya Pradesh
Ladakh Shingskos (Wood Carving) Handicraft Ladakh (UT)
Nagri Dubraj (rice) Agriculture Chhattisgarh

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 Manapparai murukku Food Stuffs
Cumbum panneer thratchai (grapes) Agriculture
Marthandam honey Natural Goods
Ooty varkey Food Stuffs
Manamadurai pottery Handicraft
Salem sago (javvarisi) Food Stuffs
Authoor vetrilai Agriculture
Negamam cotton saree Textiles
Myladi stone carvings Handicraft
Thaikkal Rattan craft Handicraft
Sholavandan Vetrilai Agriculture Tamil Nadu (TN)
Basohli painting Handicraft
Basohli Pashmina Woolen Products Textiles
Rajouri Chikri wood craft Handicraft
Bhaderwah rajmash Agriculture
Mushqbudji Rice Agriculture
Udhampur Kaladi (Dairy Product) Food Stuffs
Ramban Sulai Honey Agriculture
Ramban Anardana Agriculture Jammu & Kashmir

➢ The Government of India (GoI) has announced a plan to install 250 gigawatts (GW) of renewable
energy (RE) capacity over the next 5 years in order to meet its target of 500 GW of clean energy by
2030.
➢ Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, announced that the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has entered into a partnership with Amazon India in
the field of media, entertainment and public awareness.
• The Letter of Engagement (LoE) between MIB and Amazon India will lead to a
multidimensional partnership between various organizations under MIB and various
verticals of Amazon.
• This includes the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), Prasar
Bharati, Publications Division, and the media training institutions of the Film &
Television Institute of India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI)
under MIB.
• Amazon Prime Video (APV), Alexa, Amazon Music, Amazon e-marketplace, and IMDb of
Amazon.
➢ According to a list published by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the Ministry of Power,
West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) has ranked best performing power
generation company in the country for the financial year 2022-23 (FY23).
• WBPDCL has been ranked India’s best power generation corporation with PLF (Plant
Load Factor) of 85.23% followed by Odisha Power Corporation with 76.93 % , NTPC
(coal based station)- 75.9% and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) at 73.42%.
• Top 5 Power plants of India:
o Birbhum’s Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station (TPS) of WBPDCL has been
ranked number one (PLF- 92.38%), Purulia’s Santaldih TPS has been ranked
second (PLF-91.37%) followed by Murshidabad’s Sagardighi TPS at fifth position
(PLF-89.39%).

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 o NTPC Korba has ranked third with 91.15 percent PLF and NTPC Vindyachal
ranked fourth with 89.54 percent PLF.
➢ The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the amendment of the
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021[IT
Rules 2021], related to online gaming and spread of false and misleading information regarding
government business.
• The amended rules will be known as the Information Technology (Intermediary
Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 [IT Amendment
Rules, 2023].
• In accordance with the 2023 amendment, MeitY is given the authority to establish a
“fact-checking unit” with broad power to ascertain what is “fake, false, or misleading” in
relation to “any business of the Union Government.”
• The fake, false or misleading information will be identified by the notified Fact Check
Unit of the Central Government.
• Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State(MoS) for MeitY stated that the fact-
checking unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) is the “preferred agency” for the
task and other government-appointed fact-checking organisations may also be notified
in future.
➢ Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre (JCBC), the world’s 1st conservation and breeding
centre developed exclusively for the conservation of the Asian king vulture in Maharajganj district in
Uttar Pradesh (UP) is set to be inaugurated by UP Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath on the occasion
of International Vulture Awareness Day (first Saturday of September).
• The Asian king vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), often known as the red-headed
vulture (also known as the Indian black vulture or Pondicherry vulture and it is
critically endangered and protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
➢ According to data presented in parliament on March 27, 2023 by the Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Gujarat had the highest utilization-to-released fund ratio of
Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds in the fiscal year 2022-23
(FY23), while Rs. 66 crores were allocated to the state; it utilized Rs. 95.77 crore, or 145.11%.
• Other major states with the greatest utilisation-to-released-fund ratios are Jharkhand
(128.45%), Karnataka (127.76%), Kerala(122.33%), West Bengal (113.54%), and Tamil
Nadu(112.86%).
➢ President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023,
which aims to amend the Competition Act, 2002, that regulates competition in the Indian market and
forbids anti-competitive practices like cartels, mergers, and acquisitions that might have a negative
impact on competition.
• This Act may be referred to as the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023, and it will go
into effect on the date that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) “appoints” for the
amended law to take effect.
❖ Highlights of the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023
• The Competition Amendment Bill 2023 suggests a number of amendments to the
Competition Act of 2002, including reducing the window for evaluating combinations,
broadening the scope of anti-competitive agreements, and changing the penalties.
• Under the new bill, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As) for more than Rs. 2,000 crore
must be reported to the CCI, if the acquired entity has significant business operations in
India.
• The amended law calls for the CCI to appoint a Director General (DG) [Investigation] in
addition to shortening the M&A clearance timelines (from 210 days to 150 days). The
DG (Investigation) has so far been appointed by the GoI.
• The bill proposes to define ‘turnover’ for the purposes of the penalty as global turnover
resulting from all products and services provided by a person or an entity.
➢ The Geographical Indication (GI) Tag has been granted by the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry (MoC&I) to several products of Madhya Pradesh (MP), which include 5 handcrafts product, 1
Agricultural product, 1 Food stuff, 1 Textile product.

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 • The 5 handicraft products include Gond Painting of Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior Handmade
Carpet, Bhedaghat stone craft (Jabalpur), wrought iron crafts (Dindori), and Waraseoni
handloom sarees & Fabrics (Balaghat).
• Sharbati Gehu (wheat which is also called The Golden Grain), registered by the GI
Registry in the agricultural product category.
• Morena Gajak, a kind of sweet, has received the GI tag in the food ingredient category.
• Ujjain Batik print has received the GI tag in the textile category.
➢ The Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) was accorded the status of Miniratna Category-I
Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).
• A communication to this effect has been issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE).
• It is the only CPSU dedicated to the Solar Energy Sector.
➢ As per the data by the Centre of Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) Private Limited, India’s
employment rate has been increased to 36.9% in March 2023 quarter from 36.6% in December 2022
quarter.
• Between July-September 2022 and January-March 2023, about 15 million people joined
the labour force.
➢ The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), and
the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) agreed to connect Atal Tinkering Labs
(ATLs) with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) and Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMAs)
under the initiative.
➢ The Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) increased the
guarantee coverage ceiling under its Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for MSEs from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5
crore per borrower for credit facilities extended by lending institutions to Micro and Small Enterprises
(MSEs).
➢ Union Minister Arjun Munda, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) launched MoTA’s new Central
Sector Scheme (CSS) – ‘Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from
North -Eastern Region (PTP-NER)’ for the benefit of Scheduled Tribes (STs) of NER, during a function at
Auditorium of Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) in Imphal, Manipur.
• For the implementation of the scheme, a substantial Budget of around Rs. 143 Crore has
been allocated.
❖ Aim of Scheme:
• To strengthen livelihood opportunities for NER’s artisans from Scheduled Tribes (STs)
through increased efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing of tribal products
from North Eastern states.
❖ Coverage:
• Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and
Sikkim are among the states that will be covered by the programme.
❖ Partners of Scheme:
• North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC), a
corporation under the administrative control of the Ministry of Development of North
Eastern Region (MDoNER).
• India Post under the Department of Posts
• North Eastern State Government Departments/ Agencies
➢ The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has launched the fifth phase of the Regional Connectivity
Scheme (RCS) – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) or UDAN 5.0, to improve the connectivity of the
country’s regional territories, after four successful rounds of bidding.
➢ On the occasion of International Mother Earth Day (Earth Day) 2023 (22nd April 2023), the
Forest Department, Government of Rajasthan announced 3 new conservation reserves that will protect
the rare and endangered wildlife of Rajasthan.
• The 3 new wildlife conservation reserves are Sorsan in Baran, Khichan in Jodhpur, and
Hamirgarh in Bhilwara.
• With the declaration of 3 new conservation reserves, the total number of reserves in
Rajasthan has now reached 26.

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MARCH 2023
➢ GST (Goods and Service Tax) Council, chaired by Nirmala Sitaraman, Union Minister of Finance, has
agreed to reduce the GST rate on pencil sharpeners, liquid jaggery and examination institutions during
its 49th meeting on February 18, 2023.
• GST rate on pencil sharpeners has been reduced to 12% from 18% earlier, with effect
from March 1, 2023.
• GST rate on liquid jaggery will attract GST at the rate of 5% from 18% earlier.
➢ Tamil Nadu (TN) Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to develop a comprehensive Urban Cooling programme in
Tamil Nadu to meet the objectives under the TN State Action Plan on Climate Change.
➢ United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and NITI (National Institution for Transforming
India) Aayog organized a hybrid hackathon, called ‘LIFEathon’ to promote sustainable living and
climate-positive behavior by creating a pro-planet network.
• It was inaugurated by UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner and NITI Aayog Vice
Chairperson Suman Bery.
➢ GSTN empanels 4 private Companies to provide e-Invoice Registration
• On the recommendation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, the Goods and
Service Tax Network (GSTN) has launched e-Invoice Registration Services through
multiple private Invoice Registration Portals (IRPs) as another step towards further
digitization of the business process flow.
• The Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) has enlisted 4 private companies.
• Enlisted Firms:
• Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY), Clear (formerly ClearTax), Cygnet Infotech Pvt. Ltd.,
and IRIS Business Services Limited; were enlisted for providing e-invoice (electronic
invoicing) registration services to all GST taxpayers of India.
• GST e-Invoice:
• GST e-invoice is the introduction of the development of the digital invoice for goods and
services rendered by the business firm and produced at the official GST portal.
• Businesses must create electronic or e-invoices for all business-to-business (B2B)
transactions if their annual revenue is Rs 10 crore and above.
➢ DCA Issues “Endorsements Know-Hows!” Guidelines to Hold Celebrities, Influencers, And Virtual
Influencers on Social Media Platforms Accountable
• A set of guidelines titled “Endorsements Know-Hows!”: For Celebrities, Influencers &
Virtual Influencers on Social Media Platforms, has been released by the Department of
Consumer Affairs (DCA), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution (MoCA, F&PD).
➢ The Indian School of Business (ISB) is collaborating with the National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC), under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), as a
knowledge partner for the G-20 Education Working Group (EWG).
➢ The Ministry of Power (MoP) has mandated that new coal/lignite-based thermal plants either
establish renewable energy capacity equivalent to at least 40% of the plant’s capacity or procure that
much green energy under a Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).
➢ Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has become the 1st metro in India to accept the Central Bank
Digital Currency (CBDC) issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
➢ Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister (CM) of Madhya Pradesh (MP), announced the formation of a
new district named Mauganj, with this the total number of districts in MP becomes 53.
➢ Department of Consumer Affairs announced that the sale of hallmarked gold jewellery or gold
artefacts without a 6 digit alphanumeric HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification) number, consisting of
alphabets and numbers, will not be allowed after 31st March 2023 i.e, from 1st April 2023 onwards.
Following this, the sale of jewellery with a 4-digit HUID number will also be stopped on April 1.
➢ The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI), Government of India (GoI), in its 78th round survey, carried out the ‘Multiple Indicator Survey
(MIS)’ for the 1st time to cater the requirements of various national indicators of SDGs (Sustainable
Development Goals).

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 •
The key findings of the survey have been incorporated into a report titled ‘Report on
Multiple Indicator Survey, 2020–21″ (NSS Report No. 589).
➢ Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog,
Government of India (GoI), launched ATL Sarthi, a comprehensive self-monitoring framework, to
strengthen the ever-growing ecosystem of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL).
• As the name suggests, Sarthi is a charioteer and ATL Sarthi will enable the ATLs to be
efficient and effective.
• ii. It has 4 pillars: Cluster-based Approach, Performance Enablement (PE) Matrix
Framework, MyATL Dashboard, and ATL Compliance Guidelines
• Cluster-based Approach- To enable better monitoring the on-ground and sustainable
way of assessing ATLs.
• Performance Enablement (PE) Matrix Framework- To enable self-evaluation of the ATL.
• MyATL Dashboard- It enables ATLs to regularly report their tinkering activities online.
• ATL Compliance Guidelines- AIM has set up a detailed standard operating procedure
(SOP) to be followed by AIM to guide schools to comply with both financial and non-
financial guidelines.
➢ According to the ‘Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2022’, the 23rd series of annual publication of
the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry &
Dairying (MoFAHD), India’s milk production increased to 221.06 million tonnes (MT) in the financial
year 2021-22 (FY22) from 209.96 MT in FY21 registering an annual growth of 5.29%.
Top 5 MLPs Production States and their contribution:
Rank Milk Egg Meat Wool
Andhra
Rajasthan Pradesh Maharashtra
1 (15.05%) (20.41%) (12.25%) Rajasthan (45.91%)
Uttar Pradesh Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir
2 (14.93%) (16.08%) (12.14%) (23.19%)
Madhya Pradesh Telangana West Bengal
3 (8.60%) (12.86%) (11.63%) Gujarat (6.12%)
West Bengal Andhra Pradesh
4 Gujarat (7.56%) (8.84%) (11.04%) Maharashtra (4.78%)
Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Himachal Pradesh
5 (6.97%) (6.38%) Telangana (10.82%) (4.33%)
5 states Contribution in India’s
total production 53.11% 64.56% 57.86% 84.32%

➢ Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (Ministry of
Ayush) and the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) signed an MoU to collaborate in developing
skilled personnel by providing training to rural poor youth and women for the Ayush Healthcare
system under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY).
➢ According to a report entitled “Lion at 2047: A Vision for Amrutkal” prepared by the Wildlife
Institute of India (WII) for the Gujarat government, the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) has been
identified as a suitable location for relocating a population of 40 adult and sub-adult Asiatic lions from
Gir National Park (NP).
➢ Government of India (GoI) announced the sites for setting up of 7 PM Mega Integrated Textile
Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks for the Textile industry in the states of Tamil Nadu (TN),
Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Maharashtra.
➢ ‘Kashi’ has been declared the First Tourism & Cultural Capital of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) at the Meeting of Heads of SCO Tourism Administrations held in Kashi, Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh.
➢ Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister (CM) of Rajasthan announced the state government’s decision for the
formation of 19 new districts and 3 new divisional headquarters in the State.

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 • Key Points: New Districts: The 19 new districts include Anoopgarh (Ganganagar);
Balotra (Barmer); Beawar (Ajmer); Kekri (Ajmer); Deeg (Bharatpur); Deedwana-
Kuchaman (Nagaur); Dudu (Jaipur); Gangapur City (Sawai Madhopur); Jaipur North;
Jaipur South; Jodhpur East; Jodhpur West; Kotputli-Behror (Jaipur-Alwar); khairthal
(Alwar); Neem kaThana (Sikar); Phalodi (Jodhpur); Salumber (Udaipur); Sanchore
(Jalore); and Shahpura (Bhilwara).
• 3 new divisional headquarters: Banswara, Pali and Sikar
➢ Gujarat Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) ruled that Tobacco coated with natural edible gum and
sold in personalised gunny bags would attract 28% Goods and Services Tax (GST) and 71%
compensation cess.
➢ The Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, Government of Odisha has issued a
notification declaring the Gandhamardan Hill Range in Bargarh and Balangir district as a Biodiversity
Heritage Site (BHS).
• This is the 3rd BHS of Odisha after Mandasuru Gorge , Kandhamal district in 2019 and
Mahendragiri Hill Range ,Gajapati district in 2022.
• Gandhamardan Hills has become the 37th biodiversity heritage site of India.
➢ According to the notification dated 27th March 2023, the Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority (PFRDA) has amended the PFRDA (Redressal of Subscriber Grievance)
Regulations 2015 and increased the upper age limit of the Ombudsman from 65 to 70 years.
➢ The Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the apex decision-making body of the Employees’
Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), has proposed a new interest rate of 8.15% for Provident Fund
deposits for the current fiscal year 2022-23 (FY23), to nearly 6 crore subscribers.
• This proposed interest rate (8.15%) is 0.05 % higher than the 8.10% interest rate of
FY22, which is the lowest in four decades.
➢ Uneecops Technologies Limited, a Delhi-based company specialising in green hydrogen and solar
development, announced its plans to set up the First green hydrogen microgrid project in Leh Region
(Ladakh). This is a pioneering initiative that is expected to revolutionise sustainable energy solutions in
the region and pave the way for similar projects in the future.
• The project involves setting up a 25kWe(Kilowatt-electric) green hydrogen-based fuel
cell microgrid for a guest house located at the Power Station in Alchi, Leh, which is one
of the most challenging terrains in India.

IMPORTANT ONE LINER

JUNE 2023
➢ Google announced a collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY) to enhance MeitY’s ‘G20-Stay Safe Online’: A Campaign for Cyber Safety’ to create citizen
awareness on online cyber safety in India.
➢ Raja Parba of Odisha, also known as Swing Festival, is an annual 3 day festival celebrated during the
month of Asadha (usually starts on 14th June and ends on 16th June) dedicated to honouring Earth
and celebrating womanhood.
➢ The Minister of State (MoS) Shantanu Thakur, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways flagged
off MV-ITT LION (V-273) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (West Bengal), a first shipment to
operationalize the Sittwe Port in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.
➢ The Urban Development Department and Lucknow Smart City launched the ‘School Health
Program’ making Uttar Pradesh (UP) the first Indian state to make digital health cards for children.
➢ Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) interacted with the
representatives from the Indian Footwear Industry in New Delhi, Delhi, and decided to implement
‘Footwear Made from Leather and Other Materials (Quality Control) Order, 2022’ on 24 footwear
products (those made with rubber and polymeric material and other components) from July 1, 2023.
➢ Tangsa, the traditional tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh (AP) celebrated the annual festival
‘Wihu Kuh’ in June 2023.
➢ United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnered with the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-
National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to empower women to make well-informed career
choices in the field of entrepreneurship.

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 ➢ Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) extended the deadline for ‘Development of Solar
Parks and Ultra-Mega Solar Power Projects’ by two years i.e. till 2026.
➢ The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) discontinued its two autonomous
bodies, Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) and Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB), as well as its
internal division namely Food and Nutrition Board (FNB).

APRIL 2023
➢ Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra Tea got a European Union (EU) Geographical Indication Tag (GI Tag).
This will offer an opportunity for the Kangra tea to enter the European Market. The Kangra tea received
the Indian GI tag in 2005.
➢ Chennai (Tamil Nadu) based Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is set to establish its first
international campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania and plans to start the classes in October 2023. This will be
the first IIT established in Africa.
➢ RINL (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited), also known as Vizag Steel, bagged the Ministry of Steel’s
“Ispat Rajbhasha Samman” First Prize for the year 2021-22.

MARCH 2023
➢ Himachal Pradesh (HP) has become the 1st state in India to begin the commercial cultivation of
Liquorice (Mulethi) (Glycyrrhiza glabra) with the distribution of planting material among the farmers
by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)- Institute of Himalayan Bioresource
Technology (IHBT).
➢ Yaoshang Festival, one of the major festivals of Manipur, very similar to Holi, is annually celebrated
during the full moon of Lamta month of the Meitei lunar calendar. Yaoshang Festival 2023 is celebrated
from 7th March to 11th March 2023.
➢ BhumChu festival (Buddhist festival) 2023 is celebrated at the Tashiding Monastery in West Sikkim
on 7th March 2023.
➢ Prasadi Lal Meena, Minister of Medical & Health, announced that the Rajasthan Assembly had
cleared a bill named ‘Right to Health’ (which was passed in September 2022), becoming the first state in
India to do so.

TARGET
➢ The Government of India (GoI) advanced its target to achieve 20 percent ethanol blending in
petrol from 2030 to 2025-26.
• While addressing the Global CBG (Compressed BioGas) Conference of the Indian Federation of
Green Energy (IFGE) – CBG Producers Forum, Union Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) stated regarding GoI’s initiative to increase the usage of
biofuels in the energy and transportation sectors via National Policy on Biofuels, 2018.
• The GoI has set a target to increase the share of gas in the energy mix up to 15 per cent in 2030
to make India a Gas based economy.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
JUNE 2023
➢ United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected five countries Algeria, Guyana, Republic of
Korea (South Korea), Sierra Leone and Slovenia as non-permanent members of the UN Security
Council (UNSC) for 2-year period beginning from January 2024 to December 2025.
• The newly elected 5 countries will replace the outgoing non-permanent members of Albania,
Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), whose two-year terms end on 31st
December 2023.

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 ➢ The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted draft resolution which was
introduced by India to establish a memorial wall to honour fallen peacekeepers.
• India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj revealed the draft
resolution which titled as ‘Memorial wall for fallen United Nations peacekeepers’ at UN General
Assembly hall,United Nations Headquarters in New York.
➢ The US Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc.
(GBCI) have notified that the India as a global leader with Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Zero green building projects outperforming both
the United States and China.
➢ A Kerala-based startup, Farmers Fresh Zone (FarmersFZ), has been selected for
the United Nations (UN) Accelerator Programme hosted by the UN’s Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
➢ India, Nepal, and Bangladesh have finalised the draft of a tripartite power trade
agreement, the first of its kind initiative for development to create greater energy
connectivity across the neighbourhood.
➢ United Nations(UN) adopted the first-ever legally binding international treaty,
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty (BBNJ treaty), also known as the “High
Seas Treaty”, to protect the high seas and preserve marine biodiversity in international
waters.
➢ According to the 2023 World Drug Report released by the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse
and Illicit Trafficking 2023 (26th June 2023), globally around 296 million people used
drugs in 2021, a 23% increase over the previous decade.
➢ 3 Multilateral Development Banks(MDB) — the African Development Bank (AfDB),
European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), have
partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to launch the new Health Impact
Investment Platform.
• This aims to strengthen and invest in climate and crisis-resilient Primary Healthcare
Services (PHC) in low- and low-and-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs).
➢ The Ministry of Defense (MoD), Governmnet of India(GoI) and the Department of
Defense (DoD), government of the United States of America(USA) officially launched
the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) at an event held in
Washington DC, USA to expand the strategic technology partnership and defence
industrial cooperation between governments, businesses, and academic institutions.
➢ According to Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings
2023, released on 22nd June 2023, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru
(Karnataka) has emerged as the highest ranked Indian Institute. IISc is ranked 48th on
the overall list.
• Among the 75 Indian Institutes featured on the list, only 18 are featured in the top 200,
while 4 are in the top 100 and only 1 in the top 50.
❖ THE Asia University Rankings 2023: Asia’s Top 5
2023 rank Institution Country/region Overall score
1 Tsinghua University China 88.2
2 Peking University China 87.8
3 National University of Singapore Singapore 87.2
4 University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 80.1
5 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Singapore 79.2

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 ❖ THE Asia University Rankings 2023: India’s Top 5
2023 2023 Overall
Rank Institute Rank
1 Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Karnataka 48
2 JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru, Karnataka 68
3 Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Bajhol, HP 77
4 Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala 95
International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H),
5 Telangana 106
➢ The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations (UN)’s
agency for Telecom has approved the Bharat 6th Generation (6G) vision framework
named “IMT-2030” at its 44th meeting of the ITU-R WP 5D (ITU- Radiocommunication
sector Working Party 5D) held in Geneva, Switzerland from June 12 to June 22, 2023.
➢ During the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact held in Paris, France, World Bank
announced a new and expanded toolkit to support the countries towards crisis
preparedness, response, and recovery.
• During the summit, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva announced that IMF has reached its target of making USD 100
billion in special drawing rights (SDRs) available for vulnerable nations.

MAY 2023
➢ According to the report titled “Global Fintech 2023: Reimagining the Future of Finance”, jointly
produced by Boston Consulting Group(BCG) and QED Investors, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is
expected to outpace the United States of America(USA) and become the world’s top fintech market by
2030 with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27%.
• The fintech sector, which currently holds around 2% share of global financial services revenue,
is estimated to reach USD 1.5 trillion in annual revenue by 2030(a 6-fold growth), with banking-
related fintech representing 25% all banking valuations.
➢ WHO (World Health Organisation) 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.
➢ In May 2023, 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.
• The announcement was made by Masatsugu Asakawa, President of ADB on the first day of the
ADB’s 56th Annual Meeting in Incheon, South Korea.
• What is IF-CAP: As Asia and the Pacific is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as
hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, floods, and sea-level rises. There is an immense climate
financing gap that must be filled to win the battle against climate change.
• Initial Partners: IF-CAP’s initial partners are Denmark, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden,
the United Kingdom, and the United States.
➢ Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has been ranked as the World’s Top Public/Private Business
Incubators in the 2nd edition of the UBI Global World Rankings of business incubators and
accelerators (World Ranking Report 21/22). KSUM was honoured for its role in making Kerala a vibrant
Startup hub.
• This report presents the Rankings and Recognitions derived from the World Benchmark Study
2021-2022 conducted by UBI Global, a Swedish-based innovation intelligence company and
community. This is the 6th iteration of the study.
• Other 1st Rankers:

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 Category Winner
Public/Private Business Incubator Kerala Startup Mission(KSUM), India
Public/Private Business Accelerator EIT Health Accelerator, Europe
University Business Incubator İTÜ Çekirdek, Türkiye
University Business Accelerator Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) Belgium
➢ According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations
(UN), India has witnessed 573 disasters related to extreme weather, climate, and water events between
1970 and 2021. These disasters resulted in 1,38,377 death and caused economic losses amounting to
USD 18.3 billion.
• A high-level dialogue on accelerating and scaling up action to ensure that early warning services
reach everyone on Earth by the end of 2027 was held during the event.
➢ The World Health Organisation (WHO) 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.

APRIL 2023
➢ Finland became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on April 4,
2023, when it presented its instrument of accession to the ‘North Atlantic Treaty’ (Washington Treaty)
with the United States (US) at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
• The accession of Finland coincides with the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATO’s founding
treaty i.e. the ‘Washington Treaty’(which was signed on April 4, 1949).
➢ The Accession Working Group (AWG) of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for
Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) agreed on the accession of the United Kingdom (UK) as the 12th
member of CPTPP.
• With this UK became the first European nation and the first non-founding country to join
CPTPP.
➢ India was elected to the United Nations (UN) Statistical Commission and 3 other key subsidiary
bodies of the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• During the elections held for the membership of 14 subsidiary bodies of ECOSOC, India was
elected as a member of the UN Statistical Commission.
• India was elected unopposed (elected by acclamation) to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs for
a term of 4 years starting from 1st January 2024 and Committee for Programme and
Coordination for a term of 3 years beginning on 1st January 2024.
• India was also elected to the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
➢ According to a survey published by London (United Kingdom) based global magazine ‘Time Out’,
India’s Financial Capital Mumbai (Maharashtra) was ranked 19th in the list of ‘Best public transport in
the world 2023‘.
• Mumbai is the only Indian city to feature in the list.
• Top 5 cities on Time out’s list:
Rank City Country
1 Berlin Germany
2 Prague Czech Republic
3 Tokyo Japan
4 Copenhagen Denmark
5 Stockholm Sweden
➢ India, Japan, and France announced a common platform for talks among creditors to address the
debt restructuring programme of Sri Lanka, the country which was hit by an unprecedented financial
crisis in 2022.

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➢ According to the data of the Ministry of Commerce, the United States (US) has emerged as India’s
biggest trading partner in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23) at USD 128.55 billion followed by China in
the second position at USD 113.83 billion.
• The bilateral trade between India and the US has increased by 7.65% in FY23 due to increasing
economic co-operation as against USD 119.5 billion in FY22. It was USD 80.51 billion in FY21.
• Followed by the US and China, the UAE with US$76.16 billion, was the third largest trading
partner of India. It was followed by Saudi Arabia (US$52.72 billion), and Singapore (US$35.55
billion).
➢ According to the State of World Population (SOWP) 2023 titled “8 billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities:
the case for Rights and Choices” published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), India
overtakes China to become the most populous nation in the world, the population of India has grown by
1.56% in the past year and it is estimated to be 142.86 crore.
• The population of China is estimated to be 142.57 crore.
➢ Mongolia’s first greenfield oil refinery, built in the South Gobi on the outskirts of the capital city -
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and funded with Indian assistance, will be completed by 2025.
• Its first stage of Mongol Oil Refinery, built with a USD 1.2 billion Indian soft loan, will be
completed at the end 2023 while its Stage-2 (Open Art Units, Utilities & Offsites, Plant Buildings)
and Stage-3 (Captive Power Plants) at a cost of USD 790 million will be completed by 2025.
• It is being developed by the Hyderabad (Telangana)-based Megha Engineering and
Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) which received the letter of authorization for this project in
2022.
➢ According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) Fact Sheet April 2023
‘Trends In World Military Expenditure, 2022’, World military expenditure grew for the 8th consecutive
year in 2022 by 3.7% in real terms (i.e. when adjusted for inflation) to an all-time high of US$2240
billion.
• With a military expenditure of US$81.4 billion, India was the fourth largest spender in the world
in 2022. Its spending increased by 6.0% from 2021 and 47% from 2013.
• The United States, China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia, were the five biggest spenders in
2022, which together accounted for 63% of world military spending.
• Top 11 Countries with Highest Military Expenditure in 2022:
Spending (in US$ billion)
Rank Country 2022 Rank in 2021
1 United States 877 1
2 China [292] 2
3 Russia [86.4] 5
4 India 81.4 3
5 Saudi Arabia [75.0] 8
6 United Kingdom 68.5 4
7 Germany 55.8 7
8 France 53.6 6
9 South Korea 46.4 10
10 Japan 46 9
11 Ukraine 44 36
➢ In a major boost for energy cooperation between Nepal and India, private entities and companies
of India and Nepal signed an agreement for selling and buying energy directly. Previously, this power
was only used by the government of India and Nepal or government-owned entities.

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MARCH 2023
➢ For the first time, United Nations members agreed on a legally binding ocean treaty ‘High Seas
Treaty’ to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity that lie outside
the national boundaries (i.e. the international waters). The agreement was reached by delegates of the
Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).
➢ Airbus Corporate Helicopters (Airbus) has received an order for two ACH160 helicopters in India,
marking the first sale of any helicopter in the H160 range in the region.
➢ Singapore Changi Airport has been named the “World’s Best Airport” in 2023 at the World
Airport Awards 2023 ceremony held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on
March 15, 2023. The rankings were based on the 2022–2023 World Airport Survey and released by
Skytrax, a renowned airline and airport review and ranking site based in the United Kingdom (UK).
Skytrax World Airport Awards 2023: Indian Airports
➢ Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is awarded a 4-star rating and named the ‘Best Airport
in India and South Asia’ and is ranked 36th in 2023. (Rank 37 in 2022).
• It is also awarded The Cleanest Airport in India & South Asia.
• Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad (Telangana) is ranked 65th in 2023
(Rank 63 in 2022).
• RGIA has been awarded the ‘Best Regional Airport in India and South Asia,’ as well as an award
for the ‘Best Airport Staff in India and South Asia’.
• Bangalore (Karnataka) Airport is ranked 69th in 2023 (Rank 61 in 2022),
whereas Mumbai (Maharashtra) Airport is ranked 84th in 2023 (Rank 65 in 2022).
➢ India’s Mayurbhanj District in Odisha and the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh were listed among
TIME Magazine’s list of “World’s Greatest Places of 2023,” which is highlighting 50 extraordinary
destinations across the globe to explore.
• The Mayurbhanj and Ladakh have been selected for their ‘rare tigers and ancient temples’, and
‘adventures and eats’, respectively.
➢ African-Arab Nation, Egypt became a member of the New Development Bank (NDB), formerly
referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS
states(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
• Members: Apart from Egypt, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries, the
UAE, Bangladesh, and Uruguay are the members of the NDB.
➢ Azerbaijan and Tajikistan have been certified as “malaria-free” by the World Health Organization
(WHO) for having eradicated malaria in their territories after making a consistent, century-long effort
to eliminate it.

VISITS
INDIAN VISITS
JUNE 2023
➢ President of India, Droupadi Murmu, paid a visit to Suriname and Serbia from 4th to 9th June
2023. She visited Paramaribo, Suriname at the invitation of Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the
Republic of Suriname and Serbia at the invitation of Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia.
• This mark’s her first state visit after assuming office in July 2022 and this also marks President
Droupadi Murmu’s first visit to Europe.
• President Murmu’s visit to Serbia is the first-ever visit by an Indian President to Serbia.
• During her visit, Suriname President honoured President Murmu with the “Grand Order of the
Chain of the Yellow Star” the highest civilian honour of Suriname.
• The Order was instituted in 1975 at the independence of Suriname and replaced the Dutch
Order of the Netherlands Lion. the award is presented to individuals recognising their
meritorious service to the Surinamese people or nation.

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 ❖ MoUs & Work plan signed Between India & Suriname:
• Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation of India (CDSCO) under the Directorate General of
Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare(MoH&FW), and Ministry of Health of
Suriname signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of medical
products regulation.
• MoH&FW signed an MoU with the government of Suriname to extend the recognition to Indian
Pharmacopoeia.Pharmacopoeia is a book containing directions for the identification of
compound medicines, and published by the authority of a government or a medical or
pharmaceutical society.
• Joint Work plan for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied sectors for a period of
2023-2027 under an existing MoU was also signed during the event.
➢ Minister of National Defence of Vietnam, General Phan Van Giang was on a 2-day visit to India
from 18th to 19th June 2023.
• A bilateral meeting was held between Union Minister Rajanath Singh, India’s Ministry of
Defence (MoD), and General Phan Van Giang to enhance India-Vietnam cooperation in defence
industries, maritime security and multinational cooperation.
• During the meeting, the Indian side gifted an indigenously-built in-service missile corvette INS
(Indian Naval Ship) Kirpan to Vietnam to enhance the capabilities of the Vietnam People’s
Navy.

MAY 2023
➢ Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Ministry of State (Independent Charge (IC)) Science & Technology made
a 6-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) from April 26 to May 1, 2023, to hold a series of meetings
with his counterpart Ministers in the Government of the UK as well as with the Indian diaspora,
StartUps and academicians.
❖ India-UK ‘Net Zero’ Innovation Virtual Centre
• Jitendra Singh chaired the India-UK Science & Innovation Council meeting co-chaired by
George Freeman, UK Science Minister.
• At the council meeting, Jitendra Singh announced the joint establishment of the India-
UK ‘Net Zero’ Innovation Virtual Centre focusing on industrial decarbonisation and
launching the first-ever India-UK scientific deep-sea voyage.
❖ India, UK Signed Agreement to Collaborate on Science and Innovation
• The resolution is co-sponsored by India.
• On April 26, 2023, India and the UK signed a landmark agreement to collaborate on
science and innovation that will drive economic growth, create skilled jobs and improve
lives in the UK, India, and worldwide.
• Both Jitendra Singh and Freeman called for newer collaborations for joint Research and
Development Projects.
• Other agreements between UK and Indian institutions in research and innovation
include: Funding 10 new UK-India Fisheries Research Fellowships and a programme of
UK-India university partnerships, including one between Aston University and the
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, on
sustainable biofuels.
➢ External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S. Jaishankar paid an official visit to Guyana, Panama, Colombia
and the Dominican Republic between 21st April to 29th April 2023. This marks his first-ever official
visit to all these Latin American countries and the Caribbean as a Union Minister of External Affairs of
the government of India.
❖ EAM’s 3-day Visit to Guyana:21st to 23rd April 2023:
• On 22nd April 2023, EAM Dr S. Jaishankar co-chaired the 4th India- CARICOM
Ministerial Meeting with Kamina K Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
of Jamaica at CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana.

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 • On 22nd April 2023, India and Guyana signed an Air Services Agreement (ASA) to
facilitate easier travel between the two nations.
• Dr S Jaishankar joined Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana in the commissioning ceremony of
the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE)-built ocean-going
passenger-cum-cargo ferry MV ‘Ma Lisha’ at Georgetown, Guyana.
• During his visit to Guyana, EAM Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, accompanied by the
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Guyana, Charles Ramson, visited the monument
to Indian arrival in Berbice, Guyana.
❖ EAM’s 2 day Visit to Panama from 24th to 25th April 2023
• During his 2 day visit to Panama, Dr S. Jaishankar, EAM of India was hosted by Panama’s
Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney Mencomo.
• This is the 1st time in 60 years that an Indian External Affairs Minister was visiting
Panama.
❖ EAM’s Visit to Colombia from 25th to 27th April 2023
• During his visit to Colombia, EAM Dr S. Jaishankar met Alvaro Leyva Duran, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Colombia and discussed the ways to boost bilateral cooperation and
exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
• On 27th April 2023, He participated in and addressed the India-Colombia business
forum held in Bogota, Colombia during his visit.
❖ EAM’s Visit to the Dominican Republic from 27th to 29th April 2023
• During his visit to the Dominican Republic, EAM Dr S. Jaishankar met with the Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Alvarez, in the framework of the
High-Level Political Dialogue on 28 April 2023 and discussed on bilateral, regional, and
multilateral issues of mutual interest.
➢ Union Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh, paid an official visit to Maldives from 1st to 3rd May
2023. During his 3 day visit, he held bilateral talks with Mariya Ahmed Didi, Minister of Defence of the
Maldives and Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives.
❖ During the Visit, Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the 2 naval vessels, Fast Patrol Vessel
(FPV) and a Landing Craft Assault ship to the MNDF.
• The defence minister highlighted the handing over of these vessels as the symbol of the
shared commitment of India and the Maldives towards peace and security in the Indian
Ocean Region(IOR).
• The FPV, capable of coastal and offshore surveillance at high speeds, was commissioned
as the MNDF Coast Guard ship Huravee.
❖ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Mariya Ahmed Didi, Minister of Defence of the Maldives
laid the foundation stone for the MNDF Coast Guard ‘Ekatha Harbour’ in Male, Maldives.
• The development of the Coast Guard Harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru is one of the
biggest grant-in-aid projects in India.

APRIL 2023
➢ Union minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) visited African
nations – Uganda, Ethiopia and Mozambique for 6 days from April 10 to 15, 2023 to strengthen India’s
bilateral relationship with the countries.
❖ Visit to Uganda
• The External Affairs Minister (EAM), S. Jaishankar visited Uganda for 3 days from April
10 to 12, 2023.
• Launch of Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project:
• During his visit to Kampala, Uganda, the External Affairs Minister (EAM), S. Jaishankar
launched the ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project‘ of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), a project
funded by the Indian community of Uganda.

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 ❖ Inaugurated Piped Drinking water supply System:
• EAM S. Jaishakar and Sam Cheptoris, the Minister of Water and Environment, Uganda,
participated in the virtual groundbreaking event of the solar-powered piped drinking
water supply system in Uganda.
• The project will supply safe drinking water to 5 million people in 20 rural districts of
Uganda.
• The project is being funded by India Exim Bank.
• EAM inaugurated the first foreign campus of India’s National Forensic Sciences
University (NFSU) in Jinja, Uganda.
❖ Visit to Mozambique
• EAM visited Mozambique from April 13 to 15, 2023, the first visit by an external affairs
minister of India to Mozambique since 2010.
• Inaugurated Buzi Bridge in Mozambique: He also virtually inaugurated the Buzi Bridge
constructed as part of the 132 km Tica-Buzi-Nova-Sofala Road project. The bridge is
being constructed by India through Indian LoC.
❖ Visit to Ethiopia
• EAM S Jaishankar made a short transit visit to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on
April 13, 2023, and had talks with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs
Minister of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen.
• They shared views on strong multilateral cooperation between India and Ethiopia,
including in the African Union and the UN.

MARCH 2023
➢ At the invitation of Vice President (VP) Jagdeep Dhankhar, Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik André
Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth visited India for 4 days from February 27 to March
2, 2023, to strengthen and enhance the friendly relationship between India and Denmark.
• Tamil Nadu (TN) government Water Resources Department and the Municipal
Administration and Water Supply Department have signed a letter of intent with the
Danish Environmental Protection Agency for sharing technology and cooperation in the
water sector.
• Under the ‘Indo-Danish Green Strategic Partnership’, the Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT)-Madras signed an agreement with the Denmark government to initiate research
projects on next-generation fuels and energy systems.
➢ Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister (PM) of Japan, paid a two-day visit to India and held the ‘Japan-India
Summit Meeting 2023’ with PM of India Narendra Modi, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral
cooperation in a number of fields, including defence and security, trade and investment, and high
technology.
• India & Japan Sign 2 MoU On Cooperation On Japanese Language & Bullet Train
• In conjunction with Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida visit to India on March 20, 2023, two
agreements were signed between India and Japan. They are as follows:
i. Exchange of Notes concerning the FY2022 Yen Loan for the “Project for Construction
of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (IV)” [loan provision of up to 300 billion yen]
ii. India-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the Field of Japanese Language
Education in India

FOREIGN VISIT
JUNE 2023
➢ The Prime Minister (PM) of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda, was on a 4-day official
visit to India from May 31 – June 3, 2023, at the invitation of the PM of India Narendra Modi for regular
high-level exchanges between both nations in furtherance of India’s Neighbourhood First policy.
• The Nepal PM was accompanied by his daughter Ms Ganga Dahal; and included a delegation
comprising Ministers, Secretaries, and senior officials of the Government of Nepal.

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 • This was his 1st official trip abroad since assuming office in December 2022 and his 4th
visit to India as the Prime Minister(PM) of Nepal.
❖ India and Nepal sign seven agreements in various fields
• Renewal of India-Nepal Transit of Treaty, 1992, Through this, a provision has been made for the
people of Nepal to use the inland waterway facility of India, for the first time, along with new
rail routes.The India-Nepal Treaty of Transit (1992), renewed every 7 years, provides for port
facilities to Nepal at Kolkata/Haldia and Visakhapatnam and specifies different transit routes
between Kolkata and Vishakhapatnam and the India-Nepal border.
• MOU for the development of ICP at Dodhara-Chandani
• MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Petroleum Infrastructure.
• MOU between the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) of Nepal and Sushma Swaraj Institute of
Foreign Service (SSIFS) of India
• MOU for the Development of Phukot-Karnali 480 MW (Mega Watt) Hydro-electricity Project
• Project Development Agreement (PDA) of Lower Arun 669 MW (Mega Watt) Hydro- electricity
Project
• MoU between National Clearing House Limited Nepal (NCHL) and National Payment Company
India Limited (NPCIL) for faster cross-border payments that will benefit businesses, students
and tourists of both Nepal and India.
• Both sides had reached an agreement on long-term power trade, under which India will import
10,000 MW from Nepal in the next 10 years. This is a major development in enhancing
cooperation in this area based on the Joint Vision Statement that the two PM issued in April
2022.
❖ Under a trilateral agreement, India agreed to allow Nepal to sell power to Bangladesh using
the Indian transmission network. Both India and Nepal have agreed to export up to 50 MW of power
from Nepal to Bangladesh via India.
❖ The Nepal PM also addressed the Nepal-India Business Summit in New Delhi jointly organized
by Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII) and interact with business leaders of both countries.
• He also interacted with the Nepali community in India over a welcome reception being hosted
by the Ambassador of Nepal to India, Shankar Prasad Sharma.
➢ United States (US) Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was on a two-day visit to India from June 4 to 5,
2023, to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation between both nations, especially in areas of transfer
of critical technologies for co-development of military hardware.
• Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence, Government of India and Lloyd Austin
discussed General Electric’s proposal to share technology with India for fighter jet engines and
New Delhi’s plan to procure 30 MQ-9B armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion from US’s
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
• During the meeting between Rajnath Singh and Lloyd Austin both nations decided to launch
negotiations for two crucial agreements related to the security of Supply Arrangement and a
Reciprocal Defence Procurement in an effort to establish stable supply chains of arms and
equipment.
• On June 05, 2023, India and the US concluded a roadmap for defence industrial cooperation to
fast-track technology tie-ups and co-production of military platforms such as air combat and
land systems.
• Both US and India have signed key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including
the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 which will allow their
militaries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

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 ➢ The Federal Minister of Defence of Germany, Boris Pistorius was on a 4-day official visit to India
from June 5-8, 2023 for facilitating bilateral defence cooperation and exploring avenues for strategic
partnership.
• This is the first visit of a German Defence Minister to India since 2015.
• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and India’s Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence
hold talks to enhance bilateral defence cooperation, particularly industrial partnership.
• German defence major Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and state-run Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Indian Navy’s
(IN) P-75 India (P75I) Submarine Project in Mumbai, Maharashtra in the presence of German
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

MAY 2023
➢ Foreign Minister of Israel Eli Cohen has arrived in New Delhi, Delhi, for his first official three-day
visit to India from May 9 to 11, 2023.
• Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen launched the project World on Wheels (WoW)
Bus, by the Embassy of Israel in India.
• Under the meeting, both ministers signed an agreement that will allow 42,000 Indian
workers to work in the Jewish state of Israel in the fields of construction and nursing.
• New agreements were also signed by both nations in the area of mobility, water, and
agriculture.
• The ministers Jaishankar and Cohen discussed ways to strengthen the Indo-Israel
relationship by adding direct flights, continuing cooperation in agriculture and water
management, and expanding cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence and cyber
defence.
• Both Jaishankar and Cohen discussed the progress in the I2U2 (India, Israel, United
States, and United Arab Emirates) grouping as well as cooperation in multilateral
forums.
➢ Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Japan from May 19 to 21, 2023 at the invitation of
Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan.
• The 49th G7 summit was held from 19 to 21 May 2023 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima
Prefecture, Japan.
• As India has been invited as a guest country for the G7 summit, PM Narendra Modi
participated in the annual summit of the G7 advanced economies in Hiroshima under
the Japanese Presidency on May 20 2023. He talked about challenges facing the globe,
including food, fertiliser and energy security.
• Group countries reaffirm the shared commitment to the G7 Partnership for Global
Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and to working together and aiming to mobilize
up to $600 billion by 2027.
• Initiatives that are intended to support clean energy transition in countries around the
world, such as Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative, the Powering Past Coal
Alliance (PPCA),2050 Pathways Platform, Net Zero World (NZW), and the Global Carbon
Pricing Challenge and discussions included commitment to the Paris agreement, keeping
a limit of 1.5°C global temperature rise within Goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions by 2050 with highlighting the increased urgency to reduce global GHG
emissions by around 43 percent by 2030 and 60 percent by 2035.
• Initiative including such domestic policies that are designed to achieve 100 percent or
the overwhelming penetration of sales of light duty vehicles (LDVs) as zero emission
vehicles (ZEV) by 2035 and beyond; to achieve 100 percent electrified vehicles in new
passenger car sales by 2035.
• The summit also highlighted the commitments to the developed country Parties’ goal of
jointly mobilizing $100 billion annually in climate finance by 2020 through to 2025 in
the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation.

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APRIL 2023
➢ From April 3–5, 2023, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, visited
India on an official trip at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu.
❖ His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was accompanied by Lyonpo Dr. Tandi Dorji,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, and other top Royal Government of Bhutan
officials.
❖ While in India, His Majesty the King of Bhutan met with Droupadi Murmu, President of India,
and held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was also visited by External Affairs
Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
• India and Bhutan have agreed on a number of new measures to strengthen their
cooperation in sectors such as hydropower, trade, and space, including the finalization
of a joint plan of action to deepen their partnership in space technology.
• India decided to increase its support for Bhutan’s upcoming 13th Five-Year Plan (2023-
28), has agreed to an increase in the tariff on the Chhukha hydroelectric power (HEP)
project, and is negotiating an additional standby credit line for Bhutan.
• India and Bhutan also agreed to work together on developing the Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail
link project, which would be the first-ever rail link between India and Bhutan.
• India and Bhutan have planned to establish the first integrated check post (ICP) along
the border in Jaigaon and Phuntsholing, the busiest commercial hubs between the two
countries.

MARCH 2023
➢ Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese visited India for four days from March 8 to 11,
2023, with the objective of enhancing overall bilateral engagement in a number of fields, including
trade, investment, and critical minerals.
• This was the first official visit he made to India since becoming PM in May 2022 and the
first visit by an Australian PM in six years.
❖ The 4th Commemorative Cricket Test Match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between the
Indian and Australian cricket teams were inaugurated at Narendra Modi Stadium in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, by the Prime Ministers of India and Australia, marking the beginning of the
visit.
❖ ECTA signed between India & Australia to Unlock the Next Level of Potential in Trade &
Investment
• On March 9, 2023, Australian PM Anthony Albanese addressed the ‘India-Australia CEO
Forum’ in Mumbai (Maharashtra), stating that the Economic Cooperation and Trade
Agreement (ECTA) agreed upon between the two nations is a transformative pact that
will unleash the next level of potential in trade and investment.
❖ India and Australia have inked a significant bilateral Audiovisual Co-production
Agreement under which private, quasi-government, or governmental institutions from the two
nations enter into contracts to produce films together.
❖ Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India),
and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s
national research agency, signed a letter of intent (LoI) to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas
of national challenge and shared goals of both countries.
❖ Australian PM Albanese Receives Guard of Honour During INS Vikrant Visit
• During his recent visit to India, Australian PM Anthony Albanese paid a visit to India’s
indigenous aircraft carrier, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant, and was accorded a
Guard of Honour on the carrier, which was commissioned into the Indian Navy in
September 2022.
❖ India & Australia sign a Framework Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Qualifications
• On March 2, 2023, India & Australia signed a Framework Mechanism for Mutual
Recognition of Qualifications, which will facilitate student and professional mobility
between the two countries.

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 • The agreement was signed by Dharmendra Pradhan, India’s Education Minister, and
Jason Clare, Australia’s Education Minister.

COMMITTEES
COMMITTEES FORMED
Name of the Committee Head Facts about the Committee
JUNE 2023
Employees Provident Fund EPFS 2023 -Sanjay The Employees Provident Fund Organisation
Organisation (EPFO)’s Kumar (EPFO) has formed 3 committees to frame
committees EPS 2023- Rajiv Bhist draft schemes for pension, provident fund
EDLIS 2023 - and insurance under EPFO, in line with the
Vaishali Dayal provisions of the Code on Social Security
2020.
❖ The three schemes are:
• The committee for framing
Employee’s Provident Fund
Scheme (EPFS) for provident fund
consists of 11 members which will
be co-chaired by Sanjay Kumar,
ACC (Patna, Bihar) and Pankaj
Raman of ACC (HQ).
• The committee for framing
Employee’s Pension Scheme (EPS)
for pension consists of 8 members
which will be chaired by Rajiv
Bhist, ACC (HQ).
• The committee for framing
Employees Deposit Linked
Insurance Scheme (EDLIS) for
insurance consists of 5 members
which will be chaired by
Vaishali Dayal, ACC (Zonal Office,
Hyderabad, Telangana).
Department of Legal Affairs ‘s T K Viswanathan Department of Legal Affairs in the Ministry of
member Law & Justice (MoL&J) constituted a 16-
member expert committee chaired by the
Former Secretary of the Department of Legal
Affairs and Padma
Shri awardee (2017 – Civil Service) T
K Viswanathan to recommend reforms in the
Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
MAY 2023
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) - The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) set up
‘s Ad-hoc committee a two-member ad-hoc committee comprising,
Bhupender Singh Bajwa, IOA executive
council member and Suma Shirur, former
Indian shooter of outstanding Merit of IOA, to

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 overlook the operations of the Wrestling
Federation of India (WFI), the governing
body of wrestling in India.

Union Government ‘s High-level Sanjay Garg, Additional The Union Government has formed an 11-
committee Secretary (AS) of the member high-level committee to restructure
Department of the 94-year-old ICAR, which was established
Agricultural Research in 1929, to meet the objective of Amrit Kaal.
and Education (DPRE) & i. The committee was formed on April 24,
Secretary, Indian Council 2023, and it would submit the report within
of Agricultural Research 30 days.
(ICAR),
IRDAI’s 5-member expert Pratima Murthy, To provide advice and inputs to IRDAI on
committee Director of the National matters related to mental health and
Institute of Mental insurance.
Health and
Neurosciences
(NIMHANS)
11-member Cheetah Project Rajesh Gopal, Secretary- National Tiger Conservation
Steering Committee General of Global Tiger Authority (NTCA), under the Ministry of
Forum Environment, Forests, and Climate Change
has constituted an 11-member Cheetah
Project Steering Committee to oversee the
implementation of ‘Project Cheetah’
i. This move comes following the death of six
cheetahs, including three newborn cubs,
within a period of two and half months at
Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya
Pradesh.

SEBI’s 21 members S Ravindran, a former The committee will advise SEBI on changes
Intermediary Advisory SEBI Executive Director in legal framework and increasing
Committee (ED) transparency in the functioning of market
intermediaries like stock exchanges,
depository participants, clearing
corporations, among others.

APRIL 2023
Ministry of Housing and Urban Amitabh Kant, India’s The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Affairs (MoHUA)’s committee G20 (Group of Twenty) (MoHUA) has set up a 14-member committee
Sherpa for 2023 to examine stalled real estate projects and
recommend ways to complete them, and
hand them over to homebuyers in a time-
bound manner.
i. The committee will submit its report within
six months from the date of its first meeting.

Ministry of Finance’s committee T. V. Somanathan, The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has formed a
Finance Secretary 4-member committee led by Finance

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 Secretary T. V. Somanathan to examine the
pension system for government employees.
i. The panel will also include Deepak
Mohanty, Chairman, Pension Fund
Regulatory and Development Authority
(PFRDA); Annie Matthew, Special Secretary,
Department of Expenditure (DEA), MoF; and
Radha Chauhan, Secretary, Department of
Personnel & Training (DoPT), Ministry of
Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

MARCH 2023
International Financial Services Former RBI executive To design a road-map to attract or onshore
Centres Authority (IFSCA)’s director G Padmanabhan Indian start-ups domiciled abroad for setting
committee up their base in GIFT (Gujarat International
Finance Tec-City) City in Gujarat.
Government of India (GoI)’s Finance Secretary TV GoI has decided to form a committee led by
committee Somanathan Finance Secretary TV Somanathan to
recommend ways to reform the National
Pension System (NPS) for government
employees.
Department of Consumer Affairs Nidhi Khare, Additional To monitor the stock of Tur (Arhar) held by
(DoCA)’s committee Secretary, DoCA importers, millers, traders, and other such
entities.
Ministry of Electronics and Bhuvnesh Kumar, To make India a ‘product developer and
Information Technology (MeitY)- Additional Secretary manufacturing nation’.
9-member task force (MeitY), Members of the task force:
Member convenor: Amitesh Kumar Sinha,
joint Secretary (Electronics)

MEETING
JUNE 2023
➢ The 76th annual World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 21 to 30 May 2023 with
the theme of WHO at 75: Saving lives, driving health for all.
❖ Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, represented India in
the 76th World Health Assembly.
❖ The World Health Assembly not extended Taiwan an invitation to the event and it was excluded
due to the Chinese opposition.
• China and Pakistan urged members to reject Taiwan’s inclusion while Eswatini and the
Marshall Islands supported Taiwan’s inclusion.
❖ Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya delivered the keynote address at a side event session
on ‘Heal in India & Heal by India’ and ‘Together we fight against TB’ at the 76th World Health
Assembly, reiterating India’s contribution in the field of Medical Value Travel and India’s resolve to
eliminate Tuberculosis from India by 2025.
❖ The World Health Assembly delegates discussed progress against the Global Strategy for
Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent Health (2016-2030).
❖ Member States of WHO agreed to the WHO’s Programme Budget of USD 6.83-billion for the next
two years 2024-2025, which shows a historical 20% increase in assessed contributions
(membership fees).
➢ The 3rd Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting under the G20 (Group of Twenty) Indian
Presidency was successfully held from May 31st to June 2nd, 2023, at the International Labour
Organization (ILO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It was chaired by Ms. Arti Ahuja, G20 EWG Chair, and Secretary, Labour and Employment.

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 • The Ministry of Labour & Employment’s international knowledge partners i.e. International
Labour Organisation ILO), Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD),
International Social Security Association (ISSA), World Bank (WB) and a domestic
knowledge partner i.e. Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of
India, attended the meeting to provide their technical expertise to the group.
• Note: The fourth and final meeting of the EWG and the Labour and Employment Ministers
Meeting is scheduled for 19th -21st July, 2023 at Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The 2nd EWG
meeting was held at Guwahati, Assam.

MAY 2023
➢ The 3rd Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting (ETWG) under India’s G20 Presidency was
held in Mumbai, Maharashtra on 15th May 2023.Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Secretary, the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy (MNRE), announced that India is committed to an accelerated, responsible and
just energy transition through international cooperation and collaboration.
• This was announced during the official side event “Low-cost Finance for New & Emerging
Energy Technologies” organised as a part of the 3rd ETWG.
• The side event was organised by the MNRE along with Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency (IREDA), and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
• 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.
• A report titled “Low-Cost Finance for Energy Transition” prepared by IRENA in
collaboration with the MNRE was also released during the side event of 3rd ETWG.
• During the event, 2 other reports titled “Financing Needs for New Age Critical
Technologies: CO2 Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS)” and “Financing Needs for
New Age Critical Technologies: Battery Energy Storage (BES)” were also released.
• These reports were developed by the Ministry of Power, in collaboration with the
Indian Institute of Management(IIM), Ahmedabad(Gujarat) and NETRA(NTPC
Energy Technology Research Alliance).

APRIL 2023
➢ The Department of Consumer Affairs, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public
Distribution, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action signed the new
Work Plan for 2023 during the 9th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality
Infrastructure (QI) in Berlin, Germany.
• This year’s Annual Meeting marks the 10th anniversary of the Working Group.

MARCH 2023
NIL

SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE

JUNE 2023
➢ The Global DPI Summit 2023 was held as the part of the side event of third meeting of G20 (Group of
Twenty) Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) in Pune, Maharashtra.
• The event saw the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the four
countries of Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, and Antigua and Barbuda on sharing INDIA
STACK i.e. successful digital solutions implemented at population scale.
• India Stack is a set of digital infrastructure components that enable the delivery of various
digital services to Indian citizens by utilizing Aadhaar, eSign, Digilocker, and Unified Payments
Interface (UPI).

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MAY 2023
➢ As a part of his visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia from May 19 to 24, 2023 Prime
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi participated in the third in-person Quad (Quadrilateral Security
Dialogue) Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on 20 May 2023, along with Anthony Albanese, PM
of Australia, Fumio Kishida, PM of Japan and Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America
(USA).
• 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.

APRIL 2023
➢ During the European Union (EU)-India Aviation Summit 2023 held from 20th to 21st April 2023 in
New Delhi, Delhi, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India
(DGCA India) signs a deal with European agencies to deepen the ties between India and European
Union (EU) in the aviation sector.
❖ Eurocontrol signed the Declaration of Intent with AAI to establish a framework of
cooperation to enhance Air Traffic Management (ATM) for the benefit of aviation in Europe and
India.
• Through this partnership, Eurocontrol and AAI aims to improve the performance and
long-range predictability of flights between their respective airspace.
❖ DGCA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have signed a letter of intent for
technical cooperation & developing a common understanding of Unmanned Aircraft Systems
and Innovative Air Mobility.

MARCH 2023
NIL

MOU’s & AGREEMENTS

MOU'S WITH OTHER COUNTRY
MoU between Field
JUNE 2023
India & Philippines The Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government
of India and the Department of Finance (DOF), Government of Philippines,
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Financial
Technology (fintech) cooperation.
MAY 2023
Embassy of India, For distribution of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Stoves & Cylinders in
Kathmandu (Nepal) Mahottari District, Nepal with the Indian grant assistance of ~ Nepalese Rupees
and Sushila Thakur Me (NRs) 50 million under India-Nepal Development Cooperation.
morial Health
Foundation (STMHF)
Indian Institute of To build an “India-Israel Center of Water Technology” (CoWT) in Water
Technology Resource Management and Water Technologies at IIT Madras
(IIT) Madras &
Israel government
Embassy of India in For undertaking two High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs)
Nepal & Ministry of in Nepal under the grant assistance of the Indian Government.
Federal Affairs and

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 General Administration, i. The 2 projects are the construction of the Malagiri Shanti Yogashram in
Government of Nepal Ramechhap District, Nepal and the Kedar Jyotipunja Multiple Campus, Doti
District, Nepal.
i. The 2 projects, one each in Health Care and Education Sectors, will be
developed at a total estimated cost of Nepalese Rupees (NRs) 80.33 million.

APRIL 2023
India and Romania The defence cooperation agreement was signed during the bilateral meeting on
defence cooperation held between Giridhar Aramane, Secretary, Ministry of
Defence and Simona Cojocaru, State Secretary and Chief of the Department for
Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations of Romania in New Delhi,
Delhi.
i. This is the first defence cooperation agreement between India and Romania.
MARCH 2023
India and Mexico A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked between India and Mexico
on research, technology and innovation collaborations.
It was signed in the presence of Union Minister of State (Independent
Charge) Dr Jitendra Singh, Ministry of Science and Technology; Marcelo Ebrard,
Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; and High-Level Delegations from both the
sides at the India Science Centre, Lodhi Road in New Delhi, Delhi.
Focus Areas of MoU:
The focus will be on several key technology areas like Aerospace, Electronics
Instrumentation & Strategic Sectors; Civil, Infrastructure & Engineering;
Ecology, Environment Earth & Ocean Sciences and Water; Mining, Minerals,
Metals & Materials; Chemicals (including leather) and Petrochemicals; Energy
(Conventional & Non-Conventional) and Energy Devices; Agri, Nutrition &
Biotech and Healthcare.
India & Nigeria The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the proposal for the signing
of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India’s Narcotics Control
Bureau (NCB) and Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
on the prevention of illicit trafficking in ‘Narcotic Drugs’, psychotropic
substances and precursor chemicals.

MOU’S WITH STATE

State MoU with Field/Purpose
JUNE 2023
NIL
MAY 2023
Telangana IIT (Indian Institutes To enhance the robotics ecosystem in Telangana and
government of Technology)- promote innovation, research, and growth in the field.
Hyderabad, ART
PARK(AI & Robotics
Technology Park)
Indian Institute of
Science (IISC), GMR
Hyderabad
International Airport
Limited (GHIAL),
AgHub (Professor
Jayashankar

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 Telangana State
Agricultural
University(PJTSAU))
and All India
Robotics Association
(AIRA).

APRIL 2023
Kerala State German state-owned The Union Cabinet has provided the approval for the signing
government, and development bank of a tripartite agreement by the Kerala State government, and
the Kerala State KfW (formerly KfW the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) with the German
state-owned development bank KfW (formerly KfW
Electricity Board Bankengruppe)
Bankengruppe) for securing a loan for the Kerala Green
(KSEB) Energy Corridor (GEC) project, which is being implemented by
KSEB.
i. At the current rates, the project will be eligible for a KfW
loan of €102.11 million (approximately Rs 916 crore) at 3% to
4% interest.
ii. A sum of Rs 138.71 crore will be available as a Central
government grant. Both the Law and Finance departments had
provided the approval for the proposal.

MARCH 2023
NIL

MOU’S BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONS

Organization MoU with Field/Purpose
JUNE 2023
International National Bank for IFC, a part of the World Bank Group, and NaBFID signed an
Finance Financing MoU on June 2, 2023, to develop a pipeline of investment-
Corporation (IFC) Infrastructure and ready public-private partnership (PPP) projects in
Development infrastructure across India.
(NaBFID) • The MoU would support India’s target of achieving a
USD 5-trillion economy while fostering low-carbon
and climate-resilient growth.
• The MoU was signed by Rajkiran Rai G, Managing
Director, NaBFID and Thomas Lubeck, Manager, Asia
Pacific Public-Private Partnership, Transaction
Advisory Services, IFC.
Microsoft Ministry of Skills An MoU has been signed between Microsoft and Ministry of
Development and Skills Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), to train
Entrepreneurship 6000 students and 200 educators at government-led
(MSDE) Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and National Skills
Training Institutions (NSTIs).
• Microsoft will offer a wide range of courses for the
training including in Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud
computing, web development and cybersecurity skills.

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 • This training is being conducted under
the CyberShikshaa programme and will be expanded
to students and educators at 10 NSTIs for women.
Ministry of Power Ministry of New and MoP and MNRE have jointly launched a national mission
(MoP) Renewable Energy named “Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research”
(MNRE) (MAHIR) to quickly identify emerging technologies in the
power sector and leverage them indigenously, at scale, for
deployment within and outside India.
• By identifying emerging technologies and taking them
to the implementation stage, the mission seeks to
support them as the main fuel for future economic
growth and make India a manufacturing hub of the
world.
• The mission has been planned for an initial period of
five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28 and will follow the
technology life cycle approach of Idea to Product.
Ministry of United Nations The Ministry of Tourism and the UNWTO signed an MoU to
Tourism World Tourism enhance cooperation and identify areas of mutual interest.
Organisation • It was signed during the 4th and final G20 (Group of
(UNWTO) Twenty) Tourism Working Group Meeting and G20
Tourism Ministerial Meeting being held from June 19-
22, 2023 in Goa.
Bharat Electronics HFCL Limited BEL and HFCL Limited signed a Memorandum of
Limited (BEL), (formerly known as Understanding (MoU) to indigenously develop and deploy
Himachal Futuristic emerging technologies and technical solutions to address the
Communications requirements of Defence, Telecom and Railway sectors.
Ltd), • The non-exclusive MoU, signed for 2 years, aims to
promote ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India)
initiative and make in India initiative.
Indian Railways United States Agency IR and the USAID, an independent agency of the United States
(IR) for International (US) federal government, signed a Memorandum of
Development Understanding (MoU) to combat climate change and achieve
(USAID) Indian Railways’ target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
• According to the projected estimates, in order to
achieve Net Zero Carbon Emission, Indian Railways
would need an expected renewable capacity of
around 30,000 MW (megawatts) by the fiscal year
2029-30.
MAY 2023
Indian Army’s Indian Institute of To convert IA’s stations/cantonments into carbon-neutral
(IA) Military Technology Kanpur, campuses.
Engineer UP (IIT-K)
Services (MES)
Jhansi in Uttar
Pradesh (UP)
Ministry of Rail India Technical For technical assistance for Solid Waste Management (SWM) &
Housing and and Economic Used Water Management (UWM) under Swachh Bharat
Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0.

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Urban Affairs Service Limited, i. The Technical Support Unit (TSU) of RITES will assist SBM-U
(MoHUA) (RITES Limited) for a period of 3 years.
Bharat Emjay Control BEL signed an MoU with Bengaluru (Karnataka) based Emjay
Electronics Ltd Systems Pvt Ltd Control Systems to jointly manufacture and develop business
for state-of-the-art, electro-mechanical bollards for use in
various defence, homeland security, paramilitary, and export
projects.
India Post Confederation of All A tripartite MoU was signed to benefit small and medium
India Traders (CAIT) traders as they will be able to use India Post as a logistics
(an apex body of service provider across the country.
trading community
of India) & Tripta
Technologies Private
Limited
Ministry of Japan International For develop ‘Station Area Development along Mumbai-
Housing & Urban Cooperation Agency Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (Project-SMART)’.
Affairs (MoHUA) (JICA) i. It was inked for four High Speed Rail Stations viz. Sabarmati,
& Ministry of Surat in Gujarat and Virar and Thane in Maharashtra; out of 12
Railways (MoR) stations in-route.
ii. Surat, Virar and Thane are Green fields while Sabarmati is a
Brown field development.
Ministry of AYUSH Indian Council of To promote and collaborate on integrative health research,
Medical Research explore possibility to work on public health research, and take
(ICMR) initiatives for addressing diseases of national importance.
United States Indo-American Both organisations renewed their MoU for 5 years to enhance
Agency for Chamber of collaboration between the American and Indian business
International Commerce (IACC) communities across sectors including health, climate change,
Development economic growth, education and women empowerment.
(USAID)
APRIL 2023
Tata Power Delhi Asian Development A Rs 150 crore (USD 18.2m) agreement has been inked
Distribution Bank (ADB) between the Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL),
Limited (TPDDL) the distribution arm of The Tata Power Company Limited (Tata
Power), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to boost Delhi’s
power distribution.
i. Under this, ADB will subscribe to non-convertible debentures
worth 150 crore. The funds will be utilized for grid
enhancements.
ii. Additionally, TPDDL will receive a USD 2 million grant from
ADB to partially finance the purchase and integration of a pilot
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). This grant is provided
by Goldman Sachs and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Climate
Innovation and Development Fund (CIDF) and administered by
ADB.
iii. The 10-megawatt-hour (MWh) BESS is South Asia’s first
grid-scaled energy storage project at the distribution
transformer level. It will enable electricity to be stored and
delivered on demand, reducing grid instability, and providing
the flexibility to integrate intermittent solar and wind energy
resources.

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Federation of Business Russia Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), Apex body of
Indian Export Indian Exporters, signed a Memorandum of Understanding
Organizations (MoU) with Business Russia, to promote trade and Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) between the two countries.
(FIEO)
i. The MoU was signed during the visit of 50-member
delegation of the agriculture and food processing sector from
India, led by N K Kagliwal, Board Member of FIEO, to Moscow
and St. Petersburg, Russia.
MARCH 2023
NAFED (National Ministry of To extend its support to Millet’s initiatives.
Agricultural Agriculture &
Cooperative Farmers Welfare
Marketing (MoA&FW)
Federation of
India Ltd)
Representative Green Climate Both Organisation have signed a new Accreditation Master
for the United Fund(GCF) Agreement (AMA) launching a new 5 years of partnership
Nations (from 2023-2027) to provide vital climate finance to countries
in the critical decade for action.
Development
Programme
(UNDP)
Amazon Pay Bharat BillPay As part of its efforts to enhance user experience and safety,
Amazon Pay has teamed up with Bharat BillPay, the biller
platform of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI),
to bolster its loan repayment service.

Asian
Development
Bank (ADB) &
To promote the generation of biomass energy using
SAEL Industries agricultural residue, helping diversify India’s energy mix and
Limited Rs 754 Crore reduce carbon intensity.
PFC Limited, a state-owned and a leading Non-Banking Finance
Power Finance
Company (NBFC) in the Indian power sector signed a loan
Corporation Japanese Yen (JPY) agreement for Japanese Yen (JPY) 2.65 billion (~Rs 165 crore)
(PFC) Limited 2.65 billion with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s
International private investment arm, is set to invest USD 73 million (Rs
6020 crore) in an Indian automaker, Mahindra and Mahindra
Finance
(M&M) Limited’s last-mile electric mobility unit. This
Corporation investment is the IFC’s 1st investment in an electric vehicle
(IFC), USD 73 million maker in India.

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 INDEX
RANKING
STATE/CITY WISE RANKING
Index/Survey Name Released by State or City in the rank
JUNE 2023
8th edition of India Rankings Ministry of Education According to the 8th edition of India Rankings
(India Ranking 2023) (MoE) on parameters (India Ranking 2023), prepared by Ministry of
defined by National Education (MoE) based on parameters defined
Institutional Ranking by National Institutional Ranking Framework
Framework (NIRF) (NIRF), Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Madras (IITM), Chennai, Tamil Nadu(TN),
has topped the list for the 5th consecutive time.
• IITM is followed by the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru,
Karnataka ranked 2nd and IIT Delhi
at 3rd.
• IIT Madras has also topped among
the Engineering institutes for the 8th
consecutive year.
• IIT Madras is also ranked 2nd among
research institutions and ranked 2nd
best for Innovation.
• Under the best university
category, IISc Bangalore has topped
the list followed by Jawaharlal Nehru
University (JNU) (New Delhi, Delhi)
and Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi,
Delhi) in 2nd and 3rd rank
respectively.
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) Delhi has topped among the
medical colleges in India followed by
Post Graduate Institute of Medical
Education and Research (Chandigarh)
and Christian Medical College
(Vellore, TN)

MAY 2023
NIL
APRIL 2023
State Energy Efficiency Index Bureau of Energy During the RPM (Review, Planning, and
(SEEI) 2021-2022 Efficiency (BEE) & Monitoring) meeting of States and State Utilities
Alliance for an Energy- in New Delhi, Delhi, Union Minister R. K. Singh,
Ministry of Power, released the report of the
Efficient Economy
State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2021-2022.
(AEEE).
i. Five states are in the Front Runner category
(>60 points) in SEEI 2021-22: Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, and Telangana.

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 ii. Four states are in the Achiever category (50–
60 points): Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, and
Punjab.
iii. The best-performing states in their
respective state groups are: Chandigarh, Andhra
Pradesh, Assam, and Karnataka.
iv. The two states that improved the most from
the last index are: Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh.
v. The SEEI 2021-22 index is developed by the
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory
entity under the Ministry of Power, in
collaboration with the Alliance for an Energy-
Efficient Economy. (AEEE).
MARCH 2023
2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich Hurun According to the ‘2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich
List List,’ India is ranked 3rd in terms of the number
of self-made billionaires, with a total of 105 on
the list.
i. These 105 self-made billionaires have a
cumulative wealth of USD 381 billion.
2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List: Top 10
Countries Ranked by Number of Self-Made
Billionaires
Ra Count Number of Self- Cumulative
nk ry made billionaires wealth (USD)
1 China 891 3,014 Billion
2 USA 496 3,093 Billion
3 India 105 381 Billion
4 UK 99 368 Billion
5 Russia 70 374 Billion
Switze
6 rland 41 167 Billion
Germa
7 ny 38 137 Billion
Austra
8 lia 32 122 Billion
Franc
9 e 29 123 Billion
Canad
10 a 28 80 Billion

i. 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich List: Mumbai

leads all Indian cities with 66 billionaires,
followed by Delhi & Bengaluru

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INTERNATIONAL RANKING
Index /Survey Name Released By Ranks of India & Top 3 Ranks
JUNE 2023
Times Higher Education (THE) Times Higher Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University),
Impact Rankings 2023 Education Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, has emerged as the top Indian
(THE) university on the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact
Rankings 2023. 2023 Impact Rankings is the 5th
edition of THE Impact ranking.
• Globally, Amrita University is ranked 52 among
the 1,591 universities from 112 countries.
• Western Sydney University in Australia has
topped the overall ranking for the second year in
a row followed by the University of Manchester,
in the United Kingdom(UK) and Queen’s
University in Canada
Global Slavery Index 2023 Walk Free According to the Global Slavery Index 2023, an
Foundation assessment of modern slavery conditions in 160
countries, released by Australia-based Rights
group Walk Free Foundation in May 2023, Globally,
around 50 million (49.6 million) people were living in
conditions of modern slavery in 2021, a 25% rise over
the last five years.
• Among the G20 nations, India tops the list
with 11 million people working as forced
labourers, followed by China, Russia,
Indonesia, Türkiye and the United States of
America (USA).
• ⅔ of people in modern slavery were in India,
China, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia,
Indonesia, Nigeria, Türkiye, Bangladesh and
the USA.
• Asia and Pacific region have the largest
number of modern slavery with 29.3 million
people.
Most Prevalent Least Prevalent
1 North Korea 160 Switzerland
2 Eritrea 159 Norway
3 Mauritania 158 Germany
4 Saudi Arabia 157 Netherlands
5 Türkiye 156 Sweden
Global Gender Gap Report 2023 World According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF)
Economic annual Global Gender Gap Report 2023, released on June
Forum (WEF) 20 2023, India has closed 64.3% of the overall gender
gap and ranked 127th out of 146 countries in terms of
gender parity at the Global Gender Gap Index 2023

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 whereas Iceland Topped the index followed by
Norway and Finland at 2nd and 3rd rank.
• Thus India has improved by 1.4% points and 8
positions in 2023 compared with the 2022
edition. (India was ranked 135th in the 2022
Index).
❖ The Global Gender Gap Index 2023 rankings:
Rank Country Score 0-1
127 India 0.643
1 Iceland 0.912
2 Norway 0.879
3 Finland 0.863
4 New Zealand 0.856
5 Sweden 0.815
Global Liveability Index 2023 Economist According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU)
Intelligence Global Liveability Index 2023 released on June 21,
Unit (EIU) 2023, Vienna, the capital of Austria, has topped the
index as the world’s most liveable city. Vienna has
secured the top spot for the second consecutive year
excelling in all the categories of the index.
City liveability index, March 2023:
Most
liveable Least liveable
Ra Ran City Index
nk City (Country) k (Country) value
Damascus(S
1 Vienna(Austria) 173 yria) 30.7
Copenhagen(De Tripoli(Leba
2 nmark) 172 non) 40.1
Melbourne(Aust Algiers(Alge
3 ralia) 171 ria) 42
Sydney(Australi Lagos(Niger
4 a) 170 ia) 42.2
Vancouver(Can Karachi(Pak
5 ada) 169 istan) 32.5
MAY 2023
Most Innovative Companies 2023: Boston The report’ showcasing top 50 companies in 2023 that
Reaching New Heights in Consulting are most innovative in their operations. In this, Tata
Uncertain Times Group (BCG) Group is the only Indian company to feature in this list
at 20th position.
The list has been topped by Apple Inc., and followed
by Tesla Inc., and Amazon.com, Inc. at 2nd and 3rd
rank.

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 Table showing Top 5 most innovative Companies of
2023

Ran
k Company Country

California, United States

1 Apple Inc. (US)

2 Tesla Inc. Texas, US

3 Amazon.com, Inc. Washington DC, US

4 Alphabet Inc. California

Microsoft
5 Corporation Washington DC

Mumbai (Maharashtra),
20 Tata Group India
APRIL 2023
Top 10 Busiest Airports Airports Delhi Airport [Indira Gandhi International Airport
Worldwide for 2022 Council (IGIA)] ranked as the 9th busiest airport in the world in
International 2022, surpassing Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport
in France.
(ACI) World
i. IGIA improved from its previous positions of 13th in
2021 and 17th in 2019, registering a footfall of 5,94,907
(5.94 crore) passengers in 2022.
ii. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
(ATL, 93.7 million passengers) in the US is ranked first
on the list of the world’s top 10 busiest airports for
2022.
iii. IGIA, operated by Delhi International Airport Limited
(DIAL), is the only airport in South and Southeast Asia to
make the top 10 list.
iv. DIAL is a joint venture (JV) established by the
consortium between GMR Group (54%), Airports
Authority of India (26%), Fraport AG & Eraman
Malaysia (10% each).
World’s ‘most criminal countries’ World of According to the ranking of the world’s ‘most criminal
Statistics countries’ released by the World of Statistics, Venezuela
ranked first in the list followed by Papua New Guinea
and Afghanistan. India was at the position 77th on the
list of criminal countries.
i. The US (United States) and the UK (United Kingdom),
have ranked 55th and 65th, being ahead of India in the
criminal ranking country.
ii. Turkey, Germany, and Japan were among the least
criminal countries, ranking at 92nd, 100th, and 135th
ranks.
iii. The top 10 most criminal countries list include
Venezuela (1), Papua New Guinea (2), Afghanistan (3),
South Africa (4), Honduras (5), Trinidad (6), Guyana (7),
Syria (8), Somalia (9) and Jamaica (10).

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 iv. As per the World Population Review’s (WPR) ‘Crime
Rate by Country 2023’, Venezuela ranked as the country
with the highest crime rates globally with a crime Index
of 83.76.
v. India was ranked 71 with a crime index of 44.43.
Global Unicorn Index 2023 Hurun According to the Global Unicorn Index 2023 published by
Research Hurun Research Institute, India is ranked 3rd on the
Institute index with 68 unicorns (up 14 compared to
2022). Online educator BYJU’S worth USD 22
billion topped the list of Indian Unicorns, followed by
on-demand delivery start-up Swiggy and fantasy sports
platform travel-stay finder Dream11 (USD 8 billion
each).
i. The United States of America(USA) topped the index
with 666 unicorns, up 179 compared to 2022, followed
by China in 2nd spot with 316 unicorns (up 15).
ii. BYJU’S is the only Indian Unicorn among the list of
the top 10 biggest rises in valuation since pre-Covid.
Top 5 Countries & Cities with Most Unicorns:
Ra Number of Number of
nk Country Unicorns City Unicorn
San
Francisco(U
1 USA 666 SA) 181
New
2 China 316 York(USA) 126
Beijing(Chi
3 India 68 na) 79
The United Shanghai(C
4 Kingdom 49 hina) 66
London(UK
5 Germany 36 ) 42
Top 5 Global Unicorn Index 2023:
Ran Valuation (USD Countr
k Unicorn billion) y Sector
ByteDan Social
1 ce 200 China Media
2 SpaceX 137 USA Aerospace
Ant
3 Group 120 China Fin Tech
E-
4 Shein 65 China Commerce
5 Stripe 50 USA Fin Tech
iii. San Francisco (USA) has retained its title as
the ‘World Unicorn Capital’ with 181 unicorns, up 30.
New York (USA) is at 2nd position with 126 unicorns.
San Francisco, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and
Bengaluru are the cities with high number of start-ups
and ought to have more Hurun Global 500s within 5
years.

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 MARCH 2023
City Index 2023 - India has the fifth-highest number of female billionaires
in the world, according to a new International Women’s
Day study report from City Index 2023, which was based
on the analysis of Forbes’ live billionaire tracker (March
2023).
City Index 2023: Countries with The Most Female
Billionaires (as of March 09, 2023)
Rank Country No. of female Billionaires
1 United States (US) 92
2 China 46
3 Germany 32
4 Italy 16
5 Australia 9
5 India 9
5 Hong Kong 9
8 Spain 8
8 Switzerland 8
10 Brazil 7
10 Sweden 7
QSWorld University Rankings by QS Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, (Mumbai,
Subject 2023. (Quacquarelli Maharashtra)and IIT-Delhi(New Delhi, Delhi) are
Symonds) featured among the top 50 in the subject of Engineering
and Technology in the QS(Quacquarelli Symonds) World
University Rankings by Subject 2023. IIT Bombay is
ranked 47th and IIT Delhi is ranked 48th.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT)(Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
of America(USA)) topped the Engineering and
Technology ranking followed by Stanford
University in 2nd and the University of
Cambridge(Cambridge, England) in 3rd rank.
Passport Index 2023 Arton Capital India’s Mobility score (MS) has reduced by three places
to 70 from 73 in 2022. India’s Individual Passport Power
Rank also fell by six places to 144 (out of 199 countries)
from 138 in 2022.
i. India ranks 71 in the Global Passport Power Rank
2023 due to the MS of 70
ii. UAE ranks 1st in both the Global Passport Power
Rank 2023 & Individual Passport Power Rank 2023 with
a Mobility Score of 181. Afghanistan is ranked last
(Global Passport Power Rank 2023 – 97 and Individual
Passport Power Rank 2023 – 199)with a Mobility Score
of 38.
Individual Passport Power Rank 2023:
Rank Country MS
144 India 70
1 United Arab Emirates 181

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 2 Sweden 174
3 Germany 174
4 Finland 174
5 Luxembourg 174

REPORT
JUNE 2023
➢ According to the ‘Hunger Hotspots: FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity, June to November
2023 Outlook’ report released on May 29, 2023, by the United Nation (UN) agencies of Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), globally Hunger is set to worsen
in 18 ‘hotspots’ comprising a total of 22 countries including the regions in India’s neighbours countries
of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar.
❖ Hotspots are places where acute hunger is at a high risk of worsening from June to November 2023.
❖ The report has assessed 22 countries where acute food insecurity can potentially increase in
magnitude and severity for 18 areas.
❖ Highest Concern Nations: Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen remain at the
highest concern level
• Haiti, the Sudan and Sahel region (Burkina Faso and Mali) and Sudan have been elevated to the
highest concern levels.
❖ Very High Concern Nations: Pakistan, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Syrian Arab Republic are hotspots with very high
concern.
• The warning is also extended to Myanmar.These hotspots have many people facing critical acute
food insecurity.
❖ Lebanon has been added to the list of hotspots, joining Malawi and Central America (El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) that remain hotspots.
➢ According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s 11th edition ‘World of Work’, the global
unemployment is projected to fall below pre pandemic levels to 191 million, corresponding to an
unemployment rate of 5.3% in 2023.
• The report highlighted that the low-income countries may remain far behind in the recovery
process.
• The report also calls for global financial support for job creation and social protection.
• In 2023, the global jobs gap is projected to at 453 million people or 11.7%, which is more than
double the unemployment count.
➢ National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), under the Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways (MoRTH), has published its inaugural ‘Sustainability Report for FY 2021–22: Building A
Sustainable Road Infrastructure’, which highlights the effectiveness of various efforts undertaken by the
NHAI toward the conservation of environment and energy.
• The report, prepared as per the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting guidelines, was
released by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, MoRTH.
❖ Gist of the report:
❖ Between FY 2019-20 and 2021-22, the direct emission has been reduced by 18.44% and 9.49%
due to less fuel consumption.
• NHAI is also working towards reducing indirect emissions, by transiting towards clean and
green energy sources.
❖ Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions from energy consumption, operations, transport and travel
measured in Metric Tonnes (Carbon dioxide) CO2 equivalent (MTCO2eq)/Kilometer(Km)
constructed have witnessed a decline of 9.7% in FY 2020-21 and 2% in FY 2021-22.
• GHG Emission Intensity was at 22.23 in FY 2019-2020, 12.47 in FY 2020-21 and 10.50 in FY
2021-2022.

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 ❖ NHAI has also reduced its dependency on fuel for energy consumption. The Energy Intensity of
NHAI in Giga Joules (GJ)/km by 37% in FY 2020-21 and 27% in FY 2021-22, while the kilometres
constructed through the reporting period have been rising steadily.
• The coverage of electronic toll collection through FASTag (with 97.5 % penetration) has
contributed to reducing carbon footprint.
❖ NHAI has been using recycled materials (Recycled Asphalt (RAP) and Recycled Aggregates (RA))
for National Highway (NH) construction. In the past 3 years, the use of fly ash and plastic waste in
construction was also increased.
❖ As a part of its efforts to ensure wildlife protection and conservation and to reduce the man-
animal conflict across India, more than 100 Wildlife Crossings were created in 3 years across 20
States.
➢ According to the report titled “Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress 2023” released on 6th June
2023, around 2.3 billion people across the globe are still using polluting fuels and technologies for
cooking and around 675 million people did not have access to electricity in 2021.
• The report states that the world is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development
Goal (SDG) 7 for energy by 2030.
➢ According to the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s “Global oral health status report Towards
universal health coverage for oral health by 2030 Regional summary of the Western Pacific Region” around
800 million people, or 42% of people in the Western Pacific Region, suffer from oral diseases such as
untreated dental caries, gum disease, or tooth loss.
➢ According to the new study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes
(ICMR-INDIAB), India has around 101 million people living with diabetes and 136 million people with
pre-diabetes.
• The study showed that Goa has the highest population of diabetic patients. Around 26.4% of the
Goan population has diabetes.
• As a part of this study, the researchers of ICMR-INDIAB studied the prevalence of major
metabolic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol,
obesity and pre-diabetes from 31 states and Union Territories (UTs) of India.
• Goa recorded the highest prevalence, around 26.4% of type 1 and type 2 diabetes cases.
• The UT of Puducherry stands 2nd with 26.3% followed by Kerala at 3rd place with 25.5% of
cases.
• Uttar Pradesh recorded the lowest prevalence, around 4.8%, of diabetes cases.
➢ Vivek Johri, Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) released the
National Time Release Study (NTRS) 2023 report which offers the port-category wise average release
time for 2023.
• The data on the NTRS 2023 is based on the sample period- 1st week of January 2023, from 1st
to 7th January 2023 (both dates included).
• According to the study, the average import release time has improve in 2023 compared to 2022.
achieving 20% reduction in release time for ICDs; 11% reduction for ACCs; and 9% reduction
for seaports.
In absolute terms, the import release time for seaports, ICDs, ACC and ICPs is 85:42 hours(Hrs) ,
71:46 hrs, 44:16 hrs and 31:47 hrs, respectively.
The measure of standard deviation has lowered which indicates a certainty of expeditious
release of imported Cargo.
➢ According to the ‘Oil 2023′ Analysis and forecast to 2028 report released by International Energy
Agency (IEA), India will surpass China as the main driver of global oil demand growth by 2027 as
consumption expands in fast-growing developing economies and contracts in the developed world.

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 ➢ The report titled National Energy Data: Survey and Analysis 2021-22 was released by Raj Kumar Singh,
Union Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) at Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi,
Delhi.
• This report is produced by the Energy Data Management Unit under the Bureau of Energy
Efficiency(BEE), Ministry of Power in collaboration with NITI Aayog(National Institution for
Transforming India) which provides detailed insights into energy supply and consumption
patterns across various sectors of the Indian economy.
➢ According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2023 (GSER 2023) released by policy advisory
and research firm Startup Genome, Indian ecosystems continue to rise, with Bengaluru (Karnataka)
startup ecosystem has positioned to the 20th spot, moving two places from 2022.
• Mumbai (Maharashtra) moved up five places to 31st position and Delhi moved up two places to
24th position respectively in the Global Startup Ecosystem list 2023.
• Among the emerging ecosystems, Pune (Maharashtra) has moved into the 31-40 range in 2023,
from 51–60 in 2022.
• Silicon Valley (United States) remaining at the top ecosystem in the GSER 2023 followed by
New York City(United States) and London(United Kingdom) tied at 2nd position. They are
maintaining the top three position from 2020.

MAY 2023
➢ According to the “Report on Optimal Generation Capacity Mix for 2030 version 2.0” published by the
Central Electricity Authority(CEA) under the Ministry of Power, in April 2023, India is projected to have
41 Gigawatt (GW) of energy storage capacity along with 777GW of total installed power capacity by
2029-30.
• The report was prepared by the CEA team headed by Chief Engineer Ammi Ruhama Toppo.
• The study is an exercise to assess the least cost generation capacity mix to meet the projected
Electricity Demand for 2029-30.
➢ According to the report ‘Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth’, published on May 10, 2023,
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.
• The report alarms ‘silent emergency’, as for every 10 babies born, 1 is preterm, and every 40
seconds, 1 of those babies dies.
• The report was created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) together with PMNCH, the world’s largest alliance for women,
children, and adolescents.
➢ According to the ‘Global Report on Internal Displacement 2023 (GRID 2023): Internal Displacement and
Food Security’ released jointly by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Internal Displacement
Monitoring Centre (IDMC), the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) around the globe
reached 71.1 million in 2022, an increase of 20% from 2021.
➢ United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s report “Turning off the Tap: How the world can end
plastic pollution and Create a circular economy” states that global plastic pollution can be reduced by up to
80% by 2040 if the companies and countries make policies and market shifts using existing technologies.
• The report released ahead of the second round of negotiations in Paris, France, is aimed at
agreeing to a world-first international plastics treaty to beat plastic pollution.
➢ According to the report titled “The Wealth Report 2023” published by Knight Frank, India’s Ultra-
High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWI) are estimated to increase 58.4% in the next 5 years from 12,069
in 2022 to 19,119 individuals in 2027.
• UHNWI is someone with a net worth of USD 30 million or more, including their primary
residence.
• The report stated that India’s billionaire population is expected to increase from 161 individuals
in 2022 to 195 individuals in 2027.

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 •The report also stated that the high-net-worth individual (HNWI) population will also rise by
around 107% in a five-year period. The HNWI population is expected to increase from 797,714
persons in 2022 to 1.65 million in 2027.
➢ According to the World Bank’s (WB) annual report ‘State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2023’ released
on May 23, 2023, revenues collected from carbon taxes and Emissions Trading Systems (ETS)
globally have reached a record high, about US$95 billion in 2022 despite the challenging context for
governments facing high inflation, fiscal pressures, and energy crises.
• The revenues collected from carbon taxes and ETS in 2021 was about US$ 84 billion.
• The report was launched at Innovate4Climate (I4C), the World Bank Group’s flagship climate
action event which held in Bilbao, Spain, from May 23 to 25 2023.
➢ India’s AI (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.
• AIRAWAT or AI Research Analytics and Knowledge Dissemination Platform is installed at C-DAC
(Centre for Development of Advanced Computing), Pune (Maharashtra) under National
Program on AI (NPAI) by Government of India.
• The list has been topped by the United States (US) Frontier. This HPE Cray EX system is the first
US system with a performance exceeding one Exaflop/s (EXA Floating point Operations per
Second).
• Note: AIRAWAT stands as India’s largest and fastest AI supercomputing system, with a
remarkable speed of 13,170 teraflops (Rpeak).
• Table Showing World’s Top 5 Supercomputers:
Rank System Country
1 Frontier, HPE Cray EX235a US
2 Supercomputer Fugaku, A64FX Japan
3 LUMI, HPE Cray EX235a Finland
4 Leonardo, Xeon Platinum 8358 32C Italy
5 Summit, IBM Power System AC922 US
• Table Showing India’s Supercomputers in Top 500 List::
Rank System Installed At
AIRAWAT – PSAI – NVIDIA DGX A100, AMD EPYC 7742 64C
2.25GHz, NVIDIA A100, Infiniband HDR, Netweb
75 Technologies C-DAC
PARAM Siddhi-AI – NVIDIA DGX A100, AMD EPYC 7742 64C
131 2.25GHz, NVIDIA A100, Mellanox HDR Infiniband, Atos C-DAC
Pratyush – Cray XC40, Xeon E5-2695v4 18C 2.1GHz, Aries Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
169 interconnect , HPE (IITM), Pune
National Centre for Medium-Range
Mihir – Cray XC40, Xeon E5-2695v4 18C 2.1GHz, Aries Weather Forecasting, Noida, Uttar
316 interconnect , HPE Pradesh
➢ The World Bank(WB)’s report titled “Thriving: Making Cities Green, Resilient, and Inclusive in a
Changing Climate” highlights the role of cities in both reducing the effects of climate change on Food,
water, biodiversity and protecting people from its impacts. This also provides guidance for local and
national policymakers to make cities greener, more resilient and more inclusive.
➢ The World Meteorological Congress, the supreme body of World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
approved a new Green House Gas (GHG) watch, a global GHG monitoring initiative to support urgent
action to reduce heat-trapping gases which are fuelling temperature increase.

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 • New Global Greenhouse Gas Watch approved by WMO will support mitigation action taken by
the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the
Paris Agreement.
• 193 countries of WMO have unanimously approved the creation of a new GHG monitoring
mechanism to have a stained, internationally coordinated GHG monitoring.
➢ According to report ‘ Levels and trends in child malnutrition: United Nations Children’s
Fund/World Health Organization/International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The
World Bank Group: the Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates’s (UNICEF/WHO/The World Bank Group:
JME) key findings of the 2023 edition’ released on May 23, 2023, 18.7% of Indian children were
affected by wasting in 2020 due to poor nutrient intake and/or recurrent illnesses.
• In 2022, globally, 148.1 million children under the age of 5 years were stunted, 45 million
wasted, and 37 million overweight.

APRIL 2023
➢ According to the World Bank (WB) report “Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health
in South Asia,” concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM) like soot and small dust (PM 2.5) in some
of South Asia’s most densely populated and underdeveloped areas are up to 20 times higher than the
World Health Organization (WHO) threshold of 5 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/mᶾ).
• According to the report, South Asia is home to 9 of the top 10 polluted cities in the world,
including Dhaka (Bangladesh).
• Nearly 60% of the population in South Asia lives in areas where concentrations of PM2.5 exceed
an annual mean of 35 μg/m3.
➢ According to the 3rd edition of India Justice Report (IJR 3) 2022 released on 4th April 2023,
Karnataka has topped the overall ranking among the large and mid-sized States (states with a
population over 1 crore).
• Karnataka is followed by Tamil Nadu (TN) in 2nd position and Telangana in 3rd position.
• In this category, Uttar Pradesh (UP) is at rank 18th which is the lowest.
• Sikkim topped the overall ranking among Small States (states with a population up to 1 crore).
• Sikkim has been followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 2nd and Tripura at 3rd place. Goa is at rank
7th which is the lowest.
• Only Arunachal Pradesh reports having CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) cameras in all 14 spots
(as directed by the Supreme Court) in all its 24 police stations.
➢ According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, ‘Infertility prevalence estimates 1990-
2021’ released on April 03, 2023, Around 17.5% of the adult population (roughly 1 in 6 ) worldwide
experience infertility in their lifetime.
• The report, the first of its kind in a decade, provides estimates of the global and regional
prevalence of infertility by analyzing all relevant studies from 1990 to 2021.
• As per the report, the Overall pooled Lifetime prevalence of infertility is estimated to be 17.5%
and the Period prevalence of infertility is estimated to be 12.6%.
➢ The “World Energy Transitions: Outlook (WETO) 2023: 1.5°C Pathway” released by International
Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Berlin (Germany), shows that the global energy transition is off-
track, aggravated by the effects of global crises and calls for a fundamental change of course in the
energy transition.
• The report stated that significant progress has been made in the power sector where
renewables account for 40% of installed power generation and contributes to 83% of global
power additions in 2022.
• Despite the progress, the global energy transition is still off-track and falls short of the 1.5
degrees Celsius (°C ) pathway.
➢ According to the “Global Trade Outlook and Statistics” report released by the World Trade
Organization (WTO) the merchandise trade volume is expected to grow by 1.7% in 2023, up from the
October 2022 estimate of 1.0%.
• The volume of world merchandise trade had a 2.7% growth in 2022, which was weaker than the
WTO’s October 2022 forecast of 3.5%.

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 • According to the WTO’s trade forecasts, real global GDP growth at market exchange rates is
projected to be 2.4% in 2023.
➢ According to the summary report of the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of
Tiger Reserves in India in 2022, by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Periyar
Tiger Reserve(TR) in Kerala has reserve topped the list of best-managed tiger reserves in India with a
Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) score of 94.38%.
• Periyar TR is followed by the Satpura TR (Madhya Pradesh) and Bandipur TR (Karnataka) with
an MEE score of 93.18% and Nagarhole TR with 92.42%.
• 12 Tiger Reserves under Excellent Category:
Tiger Reserves State TR notification year MEE Score
Periyar Kerala 2007 94.38
Satpura Madhya Pradesh 2007 93.18
Bandipur Karnataka 2007 93.18
Nagarhole Karnataka 2007 92.42
Kanha Madhya Pradesh 2007 91.67
Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple (BRT Hills) Karnataka 2007 91.67
Anamalai Tamil Nadu 2007 91.67
Pench (MH) Madhya Pradesh 2007 90.91
Bhadra Karnataka 2007 90.91
Kali (Dandeli-Anshi) Karnataka 2007 90.3
Similipal Odisha 2007 90.15
Mudumalai Tamil Nadu 2007 90.15

➢ According to ‘Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2023’, the 6th edition of the annual Artificial
Intelligence (AI) index report published by Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
(HAI), India is ranked 5th in terms of private investments received in 2022 by startups offering AI-based
products and services with a total investment of US$3.24 billion.
• In 2022, the United States (US) led the world in terms of total AI private investment with
US$47.4 billion investment followed by China (US$13.4 billion), United Kingdom (US$4.4
billion), Israel (US$3.24 billion).
• India which stood in 5th place was ahead of South Korea, Germany, Canada and Australia,
among others.
• In case of analysis over Private Investment in AI by Geographic Area during the period 2013-22,
AI startups in India received a total funding of US$7.73 billion, making it the 6th leading country
with the most AI investments. Nearly 40% of this investment was made in 2022.
• In this category also US topped the list followed by China, United Kingdom, Israel, Canada.
➢ The investment migration firm Henley & Partners released its annual ‘World’s Wealthiest Cities
Report 2023‘which is again topped by New York, United States of America (USA) with 340,000
millionaires, 724 centi-millionaires, and 58 billionaires in 2022.
• New York followed by Tokyo (Japan), California’s Bay Area (USA), London (United Kingdom)
and Singapore.
• Table Showing Top 5 Wealthiest Cities around the world
Rank City Country No of Millionaires
1 New York USA 340,000
2 Tokyo Japan 290,300
3 The Bay Area USA 285,000

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 4 London UK 258,000
5 Singapore Singapore 240,100

• The US has emerged as the leader in the number of wealthy cities, with 10 out of the top 50
cities in the world.
• It is followed by China with five and Australia with four.
➢ According to the new report titled “State of the World’s Children 2023: For Every Child,
Vaccination” published by United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF), the routine vaccination coverage
for the children has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• According to the report, around 67 million children missed out on one or more vaccinations
over 3 years with vaccination coverage levels decreasing in 112 countries.
➢ According to the “Water Bodies – 1st Census Report” released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, West
Bengal (WB) has topped the list of states with the most number of ponds and reservoirs. Tamil Nadu
has highest number of lakes, Andhra Pradesh (AP) has the highest number of tanks and Maharashtra is
the leading state with water conservation schemes.
• India has 24.24 lakh water bodies such as ponds, tanks and lakes with West Bengal accounting
for the most (7.47 lakh) and Sikkim the least (134).
• With 3.55 lakh waterbodies, South 24 Parganas of West Bengal is ranked as the top district with
the highest number of waterbodies across India.
• The top 5 states (in number of water bodies) are, West Bengal (30.8% i.e., 747480) followed by
Uttar Pradesh (10.1% i.e., 245087), Andhra Pradesh(7.9% i.e., 190777), Odisha 7.5% i.e.,
181837) and Assam (7.1% i.e., 172492).
➢ As per the report on Enhanced Access & Service Excellence (EASE) Reforms Index for Q3 FY23
published by Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), the Union Bank of India, for the first time, secures 1st
rank among all PSB (Public Sector Banks) for adopting various reforms prescribed for PSBs.
• EASE is an initiative by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, as part
of the PSB Reforms Agenda and is currently under its 5th iteration which focuses on Enhanced
Digital experience, Data – driven, Integrated and Inclusive Banking.
• The performance of PSBs is measured on 5 themes under EASE 5.0, in which, Union Bank of
India has set the benchmark under the four themes i.e., ‘Digitally – enabled customer offerings’,
‘Big data and analytics’, ‘Modern Technology Capabilities’ and ‘Employee development and
Governance’ secured 1st rank amongst PSBs.
➢ According to the World Bank’s (WB) report titled Connecting to Compete 2023: Trade Logistics in an
Uncertain Global Economy – the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and its indicators” released on April 21,
2023, India’s rank increased by 6 places to 38 in the index, from 44 in 2018.

• Singapore topped the ranking followed by Finland at second, and Denmark at third.
• This is the 7th edition of Connecting to Compet, a report that summarize the findings from the
new dataset for LPI and its component indicators.

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 • Top 5 Economy over LPI 2023:
LPI
Economy Grouped Rank Score
India 38 3.4
Singapore 1 4.3
Finland 2 4.2
Denmark 3 4.1
Germany 3 4.1
Netherlands 3 4.1

➢ NITI Aayog (National Institution For Transforming India) released a report titled “Promoting
Millets in Diets: Best Practices across States/UTs of India” which presents a collection of good and
innovative practices adopted by state governments and organisations in various aspects of the millet
value chain.
➢ According to the World Bank’s (WB) annual report ‘World Development Report 2023: Migrants,
Refugees, and Societies’, there are 184 million people (i.e. 2.3 % of the world’s population) are
migrants (i.e. they lack citizenship in the country in which they live) in which the largest share of 43%
of them was living in low- and middle-income countries.
➢ According to the 2023 Special 301 Report, on the adequacy and effectiveness of the United
States(US) trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights, released
by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), India is retained in the Priority Watch
list of 2023 due to its inconsistency in its progress on IP protection and enforcement.
• Along with India, Argentina, Chile, China, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela are placed on
the Priority Watch list in 2023.
• The countries on the priority watch list will be the subject of particularly intense
bilateral engagement during the coming year.
• In India: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has
taken initiatives to reduce trademark application examination to less than 30 days.
• 22 trading partners of the USA are on the Watch list and merit bilateral attention to
address underlying IP problems.
• The 22 countries are Algeria, Barbados, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada,
Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay,
Peru, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

MARCH 2023
➢ As per the Brand Finance Telecoms 150 2023, an annual report of the strongest telecoms brand,
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, an Indian Telecommunications company & subsidiary of Jio Platforms,
is Asia’s strongest and World’s 2nd strongest telecoms brand having a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score
of 90 out of 100 and earning an elite AAA+ rating.
❖ List of the World’s Strongest Telecom Brands:
Rank Brand Country BSI Score
1 Swisscom Switzerland 92
2 Reliance Jio India 90
3 Etisalat by e& United Arab Emirates (UAE) 89.1
4 MTN Group Africa 88.7
5 Telcel Mexico 88.5

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Top 5 Telecoms 150 Ranking 2023:
Rank Brand Country
1 Verizon United States of America (USA)
2 Deutsche Telekom Germany
3 AT&T USA
4 China Mobile China
5 NTT Group Japan

Note:
Indian companies featured on the 2023 ranking are, Bharti Airtel (21), Reliance Jio (27), Vodafone Idea (VI)
(89), Tata Communications (131), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) (148).
➢ The second ILO–UNICEF (International Labour Organization – United Nations International Children’s
Emergency Fund) joint report on social protection for children titled ‘More than a billion reasons: The
urgent need to build universal social protection for children’ was released on March 01, 2023.
➢ According to the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute’s report titled, “Democracy Report
2023: Defiance in the Face of Autocratization,” India has been ranked 97th in the Liberal Democracy
Index (LDI) (2022) and 108th in the Electoral Democracy Index (EDI) (2022).
Top 10 Democracies in The World: Country Scores for The LDI & EDI, 2022
Liberal Democracy Index (LDI) 2022
Country Rank Score
Denmark 1 0.89
Sweden 2 0.87
Norway 3 0.86
Switzerland 4 0.85
Estonia 5 0.85
New Zealand 6 0.83
Belgium 7 0.83
Ireland 8 0.82
Costa Rica 9 0.82
Finland 10 0.82
India 97 0.31
Electoral Democracy Index (EDI) 2022
Country Rank Score
Denmark 1 0.92
Switzerland 2 0.9
Sweden 3 0.9
Norway 4 0.9
Estonia 5 0.89
Belgium 6 0.89
Ireland 7 0.89
New Zealand 8 0.89

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 Luxembourg 9 0.88
France 10 0.88
India 108 0.4

➢ According to the 9th edition of the World Bank’s “Women, Business, and the Law 2023” report,
women across the world only have 77% of the legal rights that men do, and nearly 2.4 billion women of
working age live in countries that do not provide them the same rights as men.
❖ Furthermore, the global pace of reforms towards equal treatment of women under the law
slowed to a 20-year low in 2022.
• From 2021 to 2022, the global average score on the Women, Business, and Law index
increased just by half a point to 77.1.
➢ The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Report On Sodium Intake Reduction states that
nations must make “massive efforts” to get people to consume less salt, which can lower their risk of
developing cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
The WHO remarked in its first-of-its-kind global report on sodium intake reduction that the world is
falling short of its global target of reducing sodium intake by 30% by 2025.
➢ NITI Aayog(National Institution for Transforming India) released a task force report titled
“Production and Promotion of Organic and Bio Fertilisers with Special Focus on Improving Economic
Viability Of Gaushalas” which states that the gaushalas should be liberally financed for making a capital
investment and working expenses at concessional rates of interest.
The report was released by Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog in the presence of
task force members, senior government officials and representatives from gaushalas.
➢ As per the report “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2022“ released by Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)(a Swedish think tank), India continued to remain the
world’s top arms importer for the five years between 2018 and 2022 despite 11% decline in its imports
of arms between 2013-2017 to 2018-2022.
India’s arms import % and their main suppliers, 2018–22:
Share of global arms % change Main suppliers and their share of importer’s
imports (%) from total imports (%) 2018–22
2013–17 to
Rank Importer 2018–22 2013–17 2018–22 1st 2nd 3rd
1 India 11 12 -11 Russia 45 France 29 USA 11
Largest exporters of major arms and their main recipients, 2018–22:
Main suppliers and their share of importer’s total imports
Share of global arms
(%) 2018–22
imports (%)
Rank Exporter 2018–22 1st 2nd 3rd
India China Egypt
2 Russia 16 31 23 9.3
India Qatar Egypt
3 France 11 30 17 8.0
South Philippines India Thailand
9 Korea 2.4 16 13 13
India
10 Israel 2.3 37 Azerbaijan 9.1 Philippines 8.5
South UAE USA India
21 Africa 0.3 27 21 15
Russia China India
30 Myanmar 0.8 42 29 14

➢ According to the 5th edition of the annual global survey report of IQAir, ‘World Air Quality
Report 2022’, Lahore (Pakistan), become the city with the worst air in the world in 2022, (up from

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 15th in 2021). Chad in central Africa replaced Bangladesh as the country with the most polluted air in
2022 with PM2.5 levels of 89.7 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter).
Top 5 most polluted cities in 2022:
Rank City PM2.5 Levels (µg/m3)
1 Lahore, Pakistan 97.4
2 Hotan, China 94.3
3 Bhiwadi (Rajasthan), India 92.7
4 Delhi, India 92.6
5 Peshawar, Pakistan 91.8

➢ The ‘Synthesis Report (SYR) of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Climate Change 2023′
(Summary for Policymaker)’ released on March 21, 2023, by the United Nations’ (UN)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), underscores the immediate need to take more
ambitious climate actions as the current global climate action plans in the last 5 years are not enough
i.e. “insufficient” in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C) above pre-industrial levels.
➢ According to the “2023 Global Payments Report” by global financial technology pioneer FIS, India’s
e-commerce (e-com) sector is projected to grow from USD 83 billion in 2022 to USD 150 billion in 2026,
as cash transactions continue to drop and Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based transactions
continue to set all-time highs.
➢ According to a report by the economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), India’s
merchandise imports for the fiscal year ending March 2023 (FY23) are projected to exceed USD 710
billion, up from USD 613 billion in FY22 (2021-2022), a 15.8% increase over last year.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

APPOINTMENTS
NATIONAL
Name Appointed As Entity/Place Points to Be Noted
JUNE 2023
Ashwani Kumar Managing Director UCO Bank Ashwani Kumar is Executive
(MD) and Chief Director of Indian Bank
Executive Officer appointed as Managing Director
(CEO) (MD) and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of UCO Bank.
i. Ashwani Kumar succeeding
Soma Sankara Prasad, who has
been the MD & CEO from 2021 is
set to retire on 31st May 2023.

Ajay Yadav Managing Director Solar Energy Ajay Yadav succeeded Suman
(MD) Corporation of India Sharma, former MD of SECI, who
(SECI) relinquished the post of MD of
SECI with effect from 19th May
2023.

• He joined as a
member of the Union
Public Service

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 Commission (UPSC)
on 25th May 2023.

K Krithivasan Chief Executive Tata Consultancy He succeeds Rajesh Gopinathan,

Officer (CEO) and Services (TCS) who stepped down from the post
Managing Director on 31st May 2023.
(MD) • K Krithivasan
became the 5th
Chief Executive
Officer of TCS

Atul Verma Director General Competition The Government of India (GoI)

Commission of India has extended the tenure
(CCI) of Atul Verma as the Director
General of the Competition
Commission of India (CCI)
for three months beyond May 31,
2023.
• Atul Verma, a
1991 batch IPS
officer of the
Himachal Pradesh
cadre, was
appointed as DG at
CCI in June 2020
for 3 years.

Amarendu Prakash Chairman Steel Authority of India Prior to this appointment, he has
Ltd (SAIL) been servings as the Director (In-
charge) of SAIL’s Bokaro steel
plant(BSL), in Bokaro, Jharkhand,
since 2020.
• He succeeds Soma
Mondal, who
retired from the
post on April 30,
2023.

Sanjay Swarup Chairman and Container Corporation Public Enterprises

Managing of India Limited Selection Board (PESB)
Director (CMD) (CONCOR), recommended Sanjay Swarup for
the post of Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of
Container Corporation of India
Limited (CONCOR), Public Sector
Undertaking (PSU) under the
Ministry of Railways.

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 • Currently, Sanjay
Swarup is serving as
the Director
(International
Marketing &
Operations) at
CONCOR, India’s
biggest rail hauler of
containers.
• The recommendation
of PESB is yet to be
signed off by the
Appointments
Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC).
• V Kalyana Rama, the
current CMD, is set to
be step down from the
role in September
2023.
Amit Agrawal Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer The Appointments Committee of
(CEO) (CEO) the Cabinet (ACC) as part of a
bureaucratic reshuffle effected by
the Centre appointed Senior
Indian Administrative Service
(IAS) officers namely Amit
Agrawal as Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Unique
Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI) and Subodh Kumar
Singh as the Director-
General (DG) of the National
Testing Agency (NTA).
• Amit Agrawal succeeds
Saurabh Garg, whose two-
year term has ended and
was also appointed as
Secretary, Department of
Social Justice and
Empowerment.
Nitin Agarwal Director General Director General Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC) has
appointed Nitin Agarwal, an
Indian Police Service (IPS) officer
of the 1989 Batch Kerala cadre,
as the new Director General (DG)
of the Border Security Force
(BSF) from the date of joining the
post and up to 31st July 2026, his

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 date of superannuation, or till
further orders whichever is
earlier”.
• Nitin Agarwal will
succeed Sujoy Lal
Thaosen, who has been
holding the additional
charge as the DG of BSF
since December 2022.
• Nitin Agarwal is currently
serving as the Additional
DG(ADG) (Operations),
Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF)
headquarters in Delhi.

V Anantharaman Non-executive TransUnion He takes over from M V

chairman CIBIL Limited Nair, who stepped down from
the post after 11 years of
chairmanship.

Sudhansh Pant Secretary (Officer on Department of Health He is currently serving as the

Special Duty – OSD) and Family Welfare Secretary in the Ministry of Ports,
(DoH&FW) under the Shipping and
Ministry of Health and Waterways(MoPSW).
Family Welfare • He will succeed the
(MoH&FW). incumbent Rajesh
Bhushan, who is set to
retire on 31st July 2023.
• Chanchal Kumar, a 1992
batch IAS Officer of the
Bihar cadre, has been
appointed as the
Secretary (OSD), Ministry
of Civil Aviation (MoCA).
• He is currently serving as
the Managing Director
(MD) of National
Highways and
Infrastructure
Development Corporation
Limited (NHIDCL).
• He will take charge as the
Civil Aviation Secreatry
on 1st August 2023
succeeding Rajiv Bansal,
who is set to retire from
the post on 31st August
2023.

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Pieter Elbers Chief executive officer IndiGo Pieter Elbers,the Chief executive
(CEO) officer(CEO) of InterGlobe
Aviation Limited (IndiGo), has
been elected as the chair-elect of
the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) Board of
Governors. He will succeed the
current chairman Yvonne
Manzi Makolo, the CEO of
Rwandair, in June 2024.

Ramaswamy Naray Chairman and General Manager, The Financial Services Institution
anan Managing Director General Insurance Bureau (FSIB) has
(CMD) Corporation of India selected Ramaswamy Narayanan,
(GIC Re) General Manager, General
Insurance Corporation of India
(GIC Re), as the next Chairman
and Managing Director (CMD)
of GIC Re.
• He will
succeed Devesh Srivastav,
the current CMD of GIC Re,
who is set to retire in
September 2023.

P N Vasudevan Managing Director Equitas Small Finance The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
(MD) and Chief Bank (SFB) has approved the re-appointment
Executive Officer of P N Vasudevan as the
(CEO) managing director (MD) and chief
executive officer (CEO)
of Equitas Small Finance
Bank (SFB) for a 3-year term
with effect from July 23, 2023.

Swaminathan Jana Deputy Governor (DG) Reserve Bank of India Appointments Committee of the
kiraman (RBI). Cabinet (ACC) approved the
appointment
of Swaminathan Janakiraman,
Managing Director
(MD) (Corporate Banking and
Subsidiaries) of the State Bank of
India (SBI) to the post of Deputy
Governor (DG) of the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI).
• The appointment of
Swaminathan Janakira
man is for a period of
three years from the
date of joining the

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 post or until further
orders.
• He will
succeed Mahesh
Kumar Jain, whose 5
years tenure ends on
June 22nd 2023.

Hasmukh Adhia Chairman GIFT City Ltd (Gujarat Hasmukh Adhia, former union
International Finance finance & revenue secretary, has
Tec-city co. ltd.) been appointed Chairman of GIFT
City Ltd (Gujarat International
Finance Tec-city co. ltd.), in
Gandhinagar, Gujarat,
replacing Sudhir Mankad, who
has been serving as the Chairman
of GIFT City since 2007.
• Hasmukh Adhia was
also appointed as the
non-executive
Chairman of the
Vadodara(Gujarat)
based Gujarat Alkalies
& Chemicals Ltd
(GACL) and
Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
based Gujarat Mineral
Development
Corporation Ltd
(GMDC).

MAY 2023
Siddhartha Managing Director Life Insurance Appointments Committee of the
Mohanty (MD) and interim Corporation of India Cabinet (ACC) approved the
chairperson (LIC) proposal of the Department of
Financial Services (DFS), Ministry
of Finance for the appointment of
Siddhartha Mohanty, MD and
interim chairperson, LIC as
Chairperson till June 29, 2024.
i. After this, he will be named as
the first Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) and Managing Director till
June 7, .2025, i.e. up to the date of
his attaining the age of 62 years,
or until further orders, whichever
is earlier, in the pay scale of Rs
2,25,000 (fixed).

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Shantanu Roy Chairman & Managing BEML Limited (fomerly Shantanu Roy has been chosen to
Director (CMD) known as Bharat Earth become the new CMD of BEML
Movers Limited), Limited, a Miniratna Public
Sector Undertaking (PSU) under
the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
i. Current CMD of BEML Limited
is Amit Banerjee, Director (Rail &
Metro), Additional Charge.
Currently, he is serving as
Director (Mining & Construction
Business) in BEML Limited.
Rajiv Dhar Interim Chief National Investment and Rajiv Dhar succeeds Sujoy Bose,
Executive officer (CEO) Infrastructure Fund who has been serving as the MD
and Managing Director Limited (NIIFL) and CEO of NIIFL since its
(MD) inception in 2016.

Praveen Sood Director Central Bureau of The outgoing CBI Director

Investigation (CBI) Subodh Kumar Jaiswal’s two-year
tenure will end on May 25 2023.
Ravneet Kaur Chairperson Competition She has been appointed for a
Commission of India period of 5 years with effect from
(CCI) the date of assuming the charge
or till the date of attaining the age
of 65 or until further order.
i. Ravneet Kaur becomes the first
woman and non-secretary
bureaucrat to be appointed as a
CCI Chairperson.
ii. She will replace CCI
Member Sangeeta Verma who
has been serving as the interim
(acting) chairperson of CCI since
October 2022 after Ashok Kumar
Gupta demitted office.

Anil Kumar Jain Chairman Petroleum & Natural He has been appointed for a
Gas Regulatory Board period of 5 years from the date of
(PNGRB) assumption of charge of the post
or till attaining the age of 65
years, or until further orders
Manoj Soni Chairman Union Public Service Manoj Soni, a former Vice-
Commission (UPSC) Chancellor of two universities in
Gujarat, sworn in as
the Chairman of the Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC). The
Oath was administered by Smita
Nagaraj, a senior most Member of
UPSC.

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Arjun Union minister Ministry of Law and Arjun Ram Meghwal, has
Ram Meghwal Justice replaced Kiren Rijiju with the
independent charge as Minister
of State in the Ministry of Law
and Justice in addition to his
existing portfolios.
i. The existing portfolios of
Meghwal are the Minister of State
for Parliamentary Affairs and the
Minister of State for Culture.

Kiren Rijiju Union minister Ministry of Earth Kiren Rijiju was assigned with
Sciences the portfolio of the Ministry of
Earth Sciences which was earlier
handled by Union minister
Jitendra Singh.

Siddaramaiah Chief Minister Karnataka This marks Siddaramaiah’s 2nd

term as the CM of Karnataka. He
previously served as the CM from
2013 to 2018. He became the
24th CM of Karnataka.
S P Singh Baghel Union Minister of State Ministry of Health and This decision was made after the
(MoS) Family Welfare recent cabinet reshuffle of Arjun
Ram Meghwal who was allotted
as independent charge of the
Ministry of Law & Justice, while
the Union Law Minister Kiren
Rijiju was moved to Minister of
Earth Sciences.
i. Previously, S P Singh Baghel
was working under the Ministry
of Law and Justice as MoS.

Vijay Shekhar Part-time Chairman Paytm Payments Bank Vijay Shekhar Sharma was as
Sharma part-time Chairman of PPBL for a
period of 1 year starting from
23rd May 2023. This mark’s his
3rd term as the chairman of
PPBL.
i. Noida (Uttar Pradesh)-based
One97 Communications Limited
(OCL), the parent entity Paytm,
holds a 49% stake in PPBL.
ii. Vijay Shekhar Sharma holds
the rest of the stake (51%) in
PPBL

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R Dinesh President Confederation of Indian National Council of the
Industry (CII) Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) elected R Dinesh, executive
vice-chairman of TVS Supply
Chain Solutions (TVS SCS), as the
new President of CII for the year
2023-24.
i. R.Dinesh succeeds Sanjiv Bajaj,
the Chairman and Managing
Director of Bajaj Finserv Limited,
who served as CII President for
2022-2023.
Parminder Chopra Chairman and Power Finance Parminder Chopra is set to
Managing Director Corporation (PFC) become the first woman CMD of
(CMD) the PFC, India’s largest non-
banking financial company
(NBFC) and a Central Public
Sector Undertaking(PSU) under
the Ministry of Power.
The Public Sector Enterprise
Board (PESB) has recommended
Parminder Chopra for the role of
CMD of PFC.
i. She will succeed Ravinder
Singh Dhillon, who is set to
retire on 31st May 2023.

Srikrishnan Hariha Managing Karnataka Bank Karnataka Bank, one of the

ra Sarma Director (MD) and leading South Indian Private
Chief Executive Officer sector banks,
(CEO) appointed Srikrishnan Harihara
Sarma as its new MD and CEO
for a period of 3 years with effect
from the date of his assuming
charge.
i. He succeeds Sekhar Rao, who
has been serving as the Interim
MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank
since April 2023.

Praveen Kumar Central Vigilance Central Vigilance Vigilance Commissioner Praveen

Srivastava Commissioner Commission (CVC) Kumar Srivastava (PK Srivastava)
was appointed as the Central
Vigilance Commissioner, chief of
the anti-corruption watchdog
Central Vigilance
Commission (CVC).

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Girish Chandra External Auditor World Health Comptroller and Auditor General
Murmu Organization (WHO) of India Girish Chandra Murmu
was re-elected as the external
auditor of the World Health
Organization (WHO) for a four-
year term from 2024 to 2027.

APRIL 2023
Chandra Shekhar Non-executive IL&FS (Infrastructure The Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Rajan (C S Rajan) chairman Leasing & Financial (MCA) has extended the term of
Services Ltd) Chandra Shekhar Rajan (C S
Rajan) as non-executive
chairman of IL&FS(Infrastructure
Leasing & Financial Services Ltd)
up to 30th September 2023.
i. MCA has also extended the
term of Nand Kishore as
Managing Director (MD) of IL&FS
up to March 31, 2024.
Sanjay Agarwal Managing Director AU Small Finance Bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
(MD) and Chief (AU SFB) has approved the re-appointment
Executive Officer of Sanjay Agarwal as Managing
Director (MD) and Chief
(CEO)
Executive Officer (CEO) of Jaipur
(Rajasthan)-based AU Small
Finance Bank (AU SFB) for 3
years with effect from 19th April
2023.
i. Uttam Tibrewal was also re-
appointed as the Whole Time
Director of AU SFB for 3 years
with effect from 19th April 2023.

Sekhar Rao Interim Managing Karnataka Bank Karnataka Bank had appointed
Director (MD) and Sekhar Rao as the interim
Chief Executive Officer Managing Director(MD) and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO), following
(CEO),
the completion of M S
Mahabaleshwara’s term as the
incumbent CEO.

Kaizad Bharucha Deputy Managing HDFC Bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Director (DMD) has approved the appointment of
Kaizad Bharucha as Deputy
Managing Director (DMD) and
Bhavesh Zaveri as Executive
Director (ED) of HDFC Bank
Limited, one of India’s largest
private sector lender, for a period
of 3 years with effect from 19th
April 2023.
i. On 24 November 2022, HDFC
Bank’s Board of Directors made
its recommendation to the RBI
for redesignation.

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Anurag Jain Secretary Ministry of Road Anurag Jain, the current
Transport and Highways Secretary of DPIIT (Department
(MoRTH) for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade), Ministry of
Commerce and Industry, has
been appointed as the Secretary
of the Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways (MoRTH).
i. The Appointments Committee
of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra
Modi made a bureaucratic
reshuffle of the following 12 high-
level officials in the government.
Shreekant M Chairman Karnataka Vikas Shreekant M Bhandiwad took
Bhandiwad Grameena Bank charge as the new Chairman of
the Karnataka Vikas Grameena
Bank (KVGB), an Indian Regional
Rural Bank sponsored by Canara
Bank headquartered in Dharwad,
Karnataka.
i. Prior to the appointment,
Shreekant M Bhandiwad was
heading the Patna circle of
Canara Bank, Bihar.
ii. He succeeds, Puttaganti
Gopikrishna, who was serving as
the Chairman of KVGB from 2019
to 2023. P Gopikrishna,
repatriated to Canara Bank as
Circle Head, Bengaluru, in
Karnataka.
Hari Hara Mishra Chief Executive Officer Association of Asset Hari Hara Mishra takes charge as
(CEO) Reconstruction the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Companies (ARC)s. of the Association of Asset
Reconstruction Companies
(ARC)s.
Anant Maheshwari Chairperson National Association of The National Association of
Software and Service Software and Service Companies
Companies (NASSCOM) (NASSCOM) appointed Anant
Maheshwari, who is the President
of Microsoft India, as its
Chairperson for the year 2023-
24.
i. Anant Maheshwari, who was
Nasscom’s vice-chairperson,
succeeds Krishnan Ramanujam,
the President of Business and
Technology Services at Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS).
Krishnan Ramanujam was served
as Chairperson of Nasscom for
2022-23.

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N Kamakodi Managing director City Union Bank (CUB) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
(MD) & Chief Executive approved the re-appointment of
Officer (CEO) N Kamakodi as the Managing
director (MD) & Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of a Kumbakonam
(TamilNadu) based private sector
bank City Union Bank (CUB) for a
period of three years with effect
from May 1, 2023.
i. Dr. N. Kamakodi is serving as
the MD & CEO of the CUB from
May 2011
A Madhavarao Chairman and Bharat Dynamics A Madhavarao, Director
Managing Director Limited (Technical) of Bharat Dynamics
(CMD) Limited (BDL) has been selected
for the Post of Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD), Bharat
Dynamics Limited BDL
recommended by Public
Enterprises Selection Board
(PESB).
i. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)
is a Public Sector Undertaking
(PSU) under the Ministry of
Defence, Government of India to
be the manufacturing base for
guided missile systems and allied
equipment for the Indian Armed
Forces.
Debadatta Chand Managing Director Bank of Baroda The Appointments Committee of
(MD) & Chief Executive the Cabinet (ACC) headed by
Officer (CEO) Prime Minister (PM) Narendra
Modi, has approved the
appointment of Debadatta Chand,
Executive Director of Bank of
Baroda (BoB) as the new
Managing Director (MD) & Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of BoB
with effect from the date of
assumption of office on or after
1st July 2023 for a period of three
years.
i. He will succeed, Sanjiv Chadha,
the incumbent MD & CEO of BoB,
who is set to retire on 30th June
2023.
Rajneesh Karnatak Managing Director Bank of India The ACC has also approved the
(MD) & Chief Executive appointment of Rajneesh
Officer (CEO) Karnatak, Executive Director of
Union Bank of India as the MD &
CEO of Bank of India (BoI) for a
period of three years from the
date of assumption of office or
until further orders.

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 He succeeds Atanu Kumar Das
whose tenure as MD and CEO of
BoI ended in January 2023.
MARCH 2023
Shailesh Pathak Secretary General Federation of Indian Federation of Indian Chambers of
Chambers of Commerce Commerce and Industry (FICCI),
and Industry (FICCI) India’s apex business chamber,
announced the appointment of
Shailesh Pathak as the new
Secretary General of FICCI with
effect from 1st March 2023.
• Shailesh Pathak succeeds
Dilip Chenoy, who
stepped down as
Secretary General of
FICCI in October 2021.

Rashmi Shukla Director-General (DG) Sashastra Seema Bal Rashmi Shukla, a senior Indian
(SSB) Police Service (IPS) officer, has
been appointed Director-General
(DG) of the Sashastra Seema Bal
(SSB). She will succeed Anish
Dayal Singh, IPS.
Pankaj Gupta Managing Director Pramerica Life -
(MD) and Chief Insurance Limited
Executive Officer
(CEO)
Conrad Kongkal Chief Minister (CM) Meghalaya Conrad Kongkal Sangma (Conrad
Sangma K. Sangma), President of the
National People’s Party (NPP),
was sworn in as the Chief
Minister (CM) of Meghalaya, to
lead a coalition government for
the second consecutive term.
Neiphiu Rio Chief Minister (CM) Nagaland Neiphiu Rio, leader of the
Nationalist Democratic
Progressive Party (NDPP) of
Nagaland, was sworn in as Chief
Minister (CM) of Nagaland for the
5th time in the presence of Prime
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi at
the Capital Cultural Hall, Kohima,
Nagaland.
Taditui Rangkau Zeliang and
Yanthungo Patton took oath as
Deputy Chief Ministers of
Nagaland in Kohima, Nagaland.

Manik Saha Chief Minister (CM) Tripura Dr. Manik Saha, a 70-year-old
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
leader, was sworn in as Chief
Minister (CM) of Tripura for the
second time and his oath of office
was administered by Governor
Satyadeo Narain Arya, at a

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 ceremony held at Vivekananda
Stadium in Agartala, Tripura.
Note: Dr. Manik Saha was named
CM of Tripura in May 2022,
replacing Biplab Deb.

S.S. Dubey Controller General of - S.S. Dubey, a 1989-batch Indian

Accounts Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
officer, took charge as the
Controller General of Accounts
(CGA), Ministry of Finance (MoF),
with immediate effect. He is the
28th CGA of the Government of
India.
Before taking over as CGA, S.S.
Dubey was the Additional CGA in
the Public Financial Management
System (PFMS).

Ram Chandra President Nepal Ram Chandra Poudel (79 years

Poudel old), a senior leader of the Nepali
Congress, was elected as the 3rd
president of Nepal. He will
succeed incumbent President
Bidya Devi Bhandari whose
tenure will end on 12th March
2023.
Sumant Kathpalia Managing Director Induslnd Bank RBI has approved reappointment
(MD) and Chief of Sumant Kathpalia as MD and
Executive Officer CEO of Induslnd Bank for another
2 years, with effect from March
(CEO)
24, 2023.
Mohit Joshi Managing Director Tech Mahindra Limited Mohit Joshi, Former President of
(MD) and Chief Infosys, was appointed as the MD
Executive Officer and CEO designate of Tech
Mahindra Limited, India’s 5th -
(CEO)
largest Information technology
(IT) services and consulting
company for a period of 5 years
with effect from 20th December
2023 to 19th December 2028.
Siddhartha Interim Chairman Life Insurance He has been appointed as the
Mohanty Corporation of India Interim Chairman for a period of
(LIC) 3 months or till the assumption of
the charge by the regular
appointee with effect from 14th
March 2023.

Tablesh Pandey Managing Director Life Insurance -

(MD) Corporation of India
(LIC)
Deepak Mohanty Chairperson Pension Fund The order of appointment was
Regulatory and issued by the Department of
Development Authority Financial Services (DFS), Ministry
of Finance.
(PFRDA)

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 i. He succeeds Supratim
Bandypadhyay whose tenure as
Chairman of PFRDA ended in
January 2023.
Note: PFRDA Chairperson holds
office for 5 years or till the age of
65 years.

K. Krithivasan Chief Executive Officer Tata Consultancy The Board of Directors of Tata
(CEO) Services (TCS) Consultancy Services (TCS) has
appointed K. Krithivasan as Chief
Executive Officer (CEO)
designate, effective March 16,
2023. He will be appointed as
Managing Director (MD) and CEO
in the fiscal year 2023-24, subject
to shareholder approval.
i. Krithivasan will succeed Rajesh
Gopinathan, the current MD and
CEO, who unexpectedly resigned
and whose request was accepted
by the board.

G Krishnakumar Chairman and Bharat Petroleum The Appointments Committee of

Managing Director Corporation Ltd (BPCL) the Cabinet (ACC) has approved
(CMD) the proposal of the Ministry of
Petroleum & Natural Gas
(MoP&NG) for the appointment
of G Krishnakumar as the new
Chairman and Managing Director
(CMD) of the Bharat Petroleum
Corporation Ltd (BPCL), an oil
marketing company (OMC).
i. He is currently serving as its
Executive Director.
ii. He will succeed Arun Kumar
Singh, who retired as chairman in
October 2022.

INTERNATIONAL
➢ India has assumed the presidency of the 13th assembly of the International Renewable Energy
Agency (IRENA), the first international organisation solely dedicated to renewable energy, which was
held from January 13–15, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
➢ During the 12th Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group (ITWG) on Animal
Genetic Resources (AnGR) at Rome, Italy from January 18-20, 2023, India was elected as the Vice-Chair
and represented the Asia & Pacific region.

PRESIDENTS OF INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES

Name Country Points to be noted
JUNE 2023
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was re-elected as the President
of Türkiye for his third consecutive term. He has been
serving as the 12th President of Türkiye since 2014.

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 MAY 2023
Santiago Peña Paraguay Former International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist,
Santiago Peña, candidate of the ruling conservative Colorado
Party won the Paraguay presidential election 2023.
i. Santiago Peña will take office as the 52nd President of
Paraguay on 15th August 2023. He will become the
youngest Paraguay President since the return of democracy
in 1989.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu Republic of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 71, the former governor of Lagos
Nigeria (Nigeria), was sworn in as the 16th President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
i. He succeeds Muhammadu Buhari, who was ineligible to run
again after 2 four-year terms that began in 2015.
ii. He is also the 5th President of Nigeria since the return of
democracy in 1999.

APRIL 2023
Miguel Diaz-Canel Cuba The National Congress of Cuba re-elected Miguel Diaz-Canel
as president for a second term as the country faces one of the
biggest social and economic crisis since Fidel Castro’s 1959
revolution.

Mohammed (Md) Bangladesh A former judge, freedom fighter Mohammed (Md)

Sahabuddin Sahabuddin was sworn in as the 22nd president of
Bangladesh in Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban, Dhaka in
Bangladesh.
i. The 21st President of Bangladesh Md Abdul Hamid, the
longest-serving president of Bangladesh will go on
retirement after spending 10 years and 41 days as President
for two consecutive terms, and according to the Constitution
of Bangladesh, he cannot hold a third term.
MARCH 2023
Vo Van Thuong Vietnam The National Assembly(NA) of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam elected Vo Van Thuong(Võ Văn Thưởng) (52 years
old), a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of
Vietnam, as the new President of Vietnam for a term running
until 2026.
Vo Van Thuong succeeds Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who resigned
from the post of President in January 2023.

Xi Jinping China Xi Jinping, the 69-year-old Chinese politician, was

unanimously appointed as President of China for the 3rd
time, making him China’s longest-serving leader since
founding father Mao Zedong (1954-1959).

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PRIME MINISTER’S OF INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES
Name Country Points to be noted
May 2023
Ludovit Odor Slovakia He was appointed as Interim Prime Minister of Slovakia
and will head the 15-member cabinet of till the elections,
which will be held in September 2023.
i. Prior to this appointment, Ludovit Odor served as
Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia from
2018 to 14th May 2023.

Ioannis Sarmas Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of Greece, has appointed

Senior Judge Ioannis Sarmas (66 years old) as the caretaker
Prime Minister(PM) of Greece to lead the caretaker
government until the repeat election on 25th June 2023.
i. He replace outgoing PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the
inconclusive ballot.

APRIL 2023
NIL
MARCH 2023
Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Kuwait Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah,
Ahmad Al Sabah issued the decree re-appointing Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al
Ahmad Al Sabah as Prime Minister(PM) of the state of Kuwait
Government.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was sworn in
Abdulrahman Al Thani as the prime minister (PM) of Qatar at the Amiri Diwan of the
State of Qatar, in Doha, Qatar in the presence of Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of Qatar.
He succeeds Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al
Thani, who served as the PM and interior minister of Qatar
since 2020.

OTHER INTERNATIONAL APPOINTMENTS

Name Appointed as Entity/place Points to be noted

JUNE 2023

Celeste Saulo Secretary- World Prof Celeste Saulo, a leading

General (SG) Meteorological meteorologist from Argentina, was
Organization appointed as the first female SG of
the WMO.
• Celeste Saulo, who is
currently serving as 1st Vice-
President of WMO, will take
over as SG of WMO on 1st
January 2024.

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 • She will succeed Prof
Petteri Taalas of Finland,
who has been the SG of
WMO (for 2 terms) since
2016.
Dennis Francis President United Nations Dennis Francis, Trinidad and
General Assembly Tobago’s Ambassador to the United
(UNGA) Nations (UN), was elected as
the President of the 78th session of
the United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) in the General Assembly Hall
at UN Headquarters in New York,
United States of America (USA).
• Dennis Francis will take
charge as President of
UNGA at the beginning of
the 78th session in
September 2023.
• He will succeed Csaba
Kőrösi of Hungary,
President of the 77th
session of the UNGA.
Aalok Kumar Member Asian Development Aalok Kumar, Corporate
Bank’s (ADB) High- Officer and Senior Vice President (VP),
level Advisory Head of the Global Smart City
Group on Digital Business, NEC (formerly known as
Technology Nippon Electric Company, Limited)
Corporation India, has been appointed
as a member of the Asian Development
Bank’s (ADB) High-level Advisory
Group on Digital Technology for
Development in Asian countries with
effect from May 1, 2023.
Aalok Kumar is also the President and
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NEC
Corporation India.
Aalok Kumar replaces Katsumi Emura,
a former officer of NEC Corporation
and one of the founding members of
the group.
MAY 2023
Ajay Banga President World Bank Vice Chairman of General Atlantic
Ajaypal Singh Banga, known as Ajay
Banga, (63) was appointed as the 14th
President of the World Bank (WB) by
the 25-Executive Directors of the WB

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 for a five-year term beginning June 2,
2023.
i. He will succeed incumbent
President David Malpass and become
the first-ever Indian-American
President of WB.
ii. He is also the first-ever Indian-
American and Sikh-American to head
either of the two top international
financial institutions: the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the WB.

King Charles III King United Kingdom King Charles III was crowned as
(UK) the King of the United Kingdom(UK)
and sovereign of 14 Commonwealth
realms at the coronation ceremony
held at Westminster Abbey (formally
titled the Collegiate Church of Saint
Peter at Westminster) in London, the
UK.
i. The Queen Consort (the wife of a
reigning king) Camilla, was crowned
the Queen beside King Charles III
during the coronation. She became the
29th Queen Consort to be crowned at
Westminster Abbey.
Linda Yaccarino Chief Executive Officer Twitter Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) (CEO) of Tesla and SpaceX (Space
Exploration Technologies
Corporation), officially
announced Linda Yaccarino, as the
new CEO of Twitter, and she would
succeed Elon Musk as the CEO of both
Twitter and X Corp, a technology
company.
i. Linda Yaccarino is the current head
of New York (United States of America)
headquartered NBC (National
Broadcasting Company) Universal’s
advertising sales and is set to begin her
role as a CEO of Twitter in six weeks.
ii. Yaccarino is the first female Twitter
CEO and also the first to come from a
non-tech background
Mukesh Ambani A member of the 28th Session of the Mukesh Ambani is the only Indian,
Advisory Committee Conference of the other than Sunita Narain, Director
to the President Parties (COP28) to General, Centre for Science and
the United Nations Environment, on the Advisory
Framework Committee to the President of COP28.

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 Convention on i. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will
Climate Change host the COP28 Advisory Committee
(UNFCCC). from November 30 to December 12,
2023 in Dubai, UAE that brings
together the climate expertise of
thought leaders from countries across
6 continents.

APRIL 2023
Sheikh Khaled bin Crown Prince Abu Dhabi, United Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al
Mohamed bin Arab Emirates (UAE) Nahyan (Known by his initials MBZ),
Zayed Al Nahyan President of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) and the ruler of Abu Dhabi,
appointed his eldest son Sheikh Khaled
bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (UAE),
i. President Sheikh Mohammed also
appointed his brother Sheikh
Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan as
Vice President of the UAE.
Margherita Della Permanent Chief Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone), a
Valle Executive Officer British multinational
(CEO) telecommunications company,
appointed Margherita Della Valle,
Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
(Interim) and Chief Financial Officer
(CFO), as the permanent CEO of
Vodafone. She is the first permanent
female CEO of Vodafone.
She has been serving as the CFO of
Vodafone since 2018 and also took up
the charge as interim CEO of the
organisation on 1st January 2023 after
Nick Read stepped down from the CEO
role.

MARCH 2023

Kavilmadam UN Resident Tajikistan The United Nations (UN) Secretary-

Ramaswami Coordinator General Antonio Guterres has
Parvathy (K. R. appointed Kavilmadam Ramaswami
Parvathy (K. R. Parvathy) of India, as
Parvathy)
UN Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan
with the approval of the host
government.
Gianni Infantino President International He is Swiss football administrator, was
Federation of re-elected as the president of the
Football Association International Federation of Football
Association (FIFA – Fédération
(FIFA – Fédération
Internationale De Football Association)
Internationale De for the 3rd time at the 73rd FIFA
Football Association) Congress held in Kigali, Rwanda.
i. He has been re-elected as president
of FIFA for a 4 year term from 2023 to

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 2027 after running unopposed at the
73rd FIFA Congress.
Dilma Vana President New Development Dilma Rousseff will be president of the
Rousseff Bank (NBD) BRICS’s New Development Bank until
2025.
i. Dilma Rousseff(75 years old),
succeeds Marcos Troyjo, who stepped
down as the President of NDB on 24th
March 2023.
Rafael Mariano Director General(DG) International Atomic He was appointed for a second four-
Grossi Energy Agency year term. His second term starts on 3
(IAEA) December 2023 and runs until 2
December 2027.

Humza Yousaf First Minister Scotland Pakistani-origin Humza Yousaf (37),

the new leader of the Scotland National
Party (SNP), was legally sworn in as
the new First Minister of Scotland at
the Court of Session, Edinburgh.
Humza Yousaf is the 1st Muslim to lead
a democratic western European
nation(Scotland).
i. Humza Yousaf succeeded Nicola
Sturgeon, former First Minister of
Scotland, who resigned from her post
in February 2023.

BRAND AMBASSADOR
Name Entity/Organization Points to be Noted
JUNE 2023
NIL
MAY 2023
NIL
APRIL 2023
Rishabh Pant Star Sports Network India Star Sports Network India, also known as Star Sports
India, owned by Walt Disney Company, has signed
Indian Cricketer Rishabh Pant as its brand
ambassador.

MARCH 2023
NIL

RESIGNATION
Name Resigned as Imp points to be Noted
JUNE 2023
NIL
MAY 2023
NIL
APRIL 2023
NIL

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 MARCH 2023
NIL

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

AWARDS
JUNE 2023
➢ Damodar Mauzo, an eminent Konkani writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner, received
the 57th Jnanpith Award from P S Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Goa, at an event held at the Raj
Bhavan, Panaji, Goa.
• He is the 2nd konkani writer after Ravindra Kelekar to receive the award. Ravindra Kelekar
was the recipient of the 42nd Jnanpith Award.
➢ Jagdish Sudhakar Bakan, wildlife warden and District Forest Officer
(DFO) of Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu (TN) has been selected for United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s 2023 Michel Batisse Award for Biosphere Reserve
Management.
• He is the first Indian to win Michel Batisse Award.
➢ Dutch Research Council (NWO) has named Indian-origin Scientist Joyeeta
Gupta, Professor of Environment and Development in the global South at the University
of Amsterdam, as the recipient of the 2023 NWO Spinoza Prize, the highest scientific
awards in the Netherlands, for her scientific work promoting a fair and sustainable
world.
➢ Hyderabad Headquarters Geological Survey of India Training Institute
(GSITI),under the Ministry of Mines, received accreditation from National Accreditation
Board of Education and Training (NABET) for its outstanding Earth Science training.
• Team from Capacity Building Commission (CBC), NABET and Quality Council of India(QCI)
awarded the Certificate of Accreditation with the grading of Athi Uttam following the on-site
assessment.
➢ Shaktikanta Das, the 25th governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been
honoured with the title the “Governor of the Year” at the Central Banking Awards 2023
in London, for his role during Covid-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the fight against
inflation.
➢ Indian writer Arundhati Roy was awarded the 45th European Essay Prize for lifetime
achievement by the Charles Veillon Foundation for the French translation of her
compilation of essays titled “Azadi” (2021).
➢ Salman Rushdie, an Indian born British-American writer was awarded the 2023 Peace
Prize of the German Book Trade for his literary work and for his resolve and positive
attitude in the face of constant threat to his life.
➢ The 1st edition of UNESCO–Al Fozan International Prize 2023 was conferred upon five
exceptional young scientists from Argentina, Cameroon, China, Egypt and Serbia during
a ceremony at UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) headquarters in Paris, France.
• Dr Federico Ariel (40 years old, Argentina): He established the basis for the use of RNAs
(Ribonucleic acid) to deliver information to plants that avoids recourse to Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs).
• Professor Abdon Atangana (37 years old, Cameroon): He has made significant contributions
to mathematics, specifically in fractional calculus, differential equations, and mathematical
modeling.

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 • Professor Qiaomei Fu (39 years old, China):She retrieved ancient DNA from human remains
and sediments, constructing an evolutionary map of Eurasian populations, particularly East
Asian, spanning 100,000 years.
• Dr Hesham Omran (38 years old, Egypt):He has led the development of a toolbox that
revolutionizes the creation of efficient semiconductor chips which will save significant time in
creating efficient chips for electronic devices like computers, phones, and electric vehicles.
• Dr Jelena Vladic (37 years old, Serbia): She has developed innovative ecological
extraction processes to obtain products from aromatic and medicinal plants and add
value to food and agricultural waste.
➢ On 22nd June 2023, the Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National
Academy of Letters, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Culture chaired
by Madhav Kaushik, President, Sahitya Akademi declared a list of 22 recipients of
its Bal Sahitya Puraskar and 20 winners of its Yuva Puraskar for the year 2023.
❖ Table of Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2023:
S.No. Awardee Language Title
Short stories
1 Suryanath Singh Hindi Kotuk App
2 Jugal Kishore Sarangi Odia Jejenka Gapa Ganthili
3 Gurmeet Karyalvi Punjabi Sachi Di Kahani
4 Mansing Majhi Santali Nene-Pete
5 D.K. chaduvula Babu Telugu Vajrala Vaana
6 Late Mateen Achalpuri (Posthumous) Urdu Mamta Ki Dor
7 Pratima Nandi Narzaree Bodo Gosaini Gwjwn Nwjwr
Novels
1 Rothindranath Goswami Assamese Powalmoni Aru Chichingar Duhxahaxik Abhijan
2 Shyamalkanti Das Bengali Eroplaner Khata
3 Vijayashree Haladi Kannada Surakki Gate
4 Tukaram Rama Shet Konkani Jaann
5 Priya A.S. Malayalam Perumazhayathe Kunjithalukal
6 Radhavallabh Tripathy Sanskrit Manavi
7 Udhayasankar Tamil Aadhanin Bommai
Poetry
1 Balwan Singh Jamoria Dogri Kanjkan
2 Akshay Anand ‘Sunny’ Maithili Ol Katra, Jhol Katra
3 Eknath Avhad Marathi Chhand Dei Aanand
4 Dholan Rahi Sindhi Vanganmal Ji Shaadi
Stories
1 Sudha Murty English Grandparent’s Bag of Stories
Play
1 Madhusudan Bisht Neplai Bal Ekanki Natakharu

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 Memoir
1 Kiran Badal Rajasthani Tabran Ri Duniyan

❖ Table of Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2023:

S.No. Awardee Language Title
Short Stories
1 Jintu Gitartha Assamese Mon Mora Tora
2 Hamiruddin Middya Bengali Mathrakha
3 Sagar Shah Gujarati Get Together
4 Manjunayak Challur Kannada Phoo Mattu Ithara Kathegalu
Tanvi Kamat
5 Bambolkar Konkani Shots
6 Bapi Tudu Santali Dusi
7 Monika J. Panjwani Sindhi Glamour
8 Ram Thangam Tamil Thirukarthiyal
9 Tauseef Bareilvi Urdu Zahan Zaad
Poetry
1 Mainasori Daimary Bodo Som, Jiu, Arw
2 Nighat Nasreen Kashmiri Lalli Nilvath Tchali Na Zanh
3 Ganesh Puthur Malayalam Achante Alamara
4 Vishakha Vishwanath Marathi Swatahala Swataviruddh Ubhe Kartana
5 Naina Adhikari Nepali Ghat-Pratightka Udgarharu
6 Sanddep Punjabi Chitt Da Jugraphia
7 Deilal Mahiya Rajasthani Atas Ro Olmo
Plays
1 Dheeraj Bismil Dogri Ahlada
Historical
Lords of the Deccan: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the
1 Anirudh Kanisetti English cholas
Criticism
1 Johny Takkedasila Telugu Vivechani
Novel
1 Atul Kumar Rai Hindi Chandpur Ki Chanda
➢ An Indian documentary film titled “When Climate Change Turns Violent” has won a special prize in
the ‘Health for All’ category at the 4th Annual Health for All Film Festival (HAFF) held at the World
Health Organisation (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Vandita Sariya from Rajasthan had directed the film which deals with gender-based violence &
climate change that runs for 4.32 minutes.She is the only Indian winner among the the winners.
• Two movies from the WHO South-East Asia Region were recognized and received awards at 2023
Health for All Film Festival (HAFF).

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 • Another film from South East Asia Region to be awarded is Bangladesh documentary film, ‘One in
36 million: Story of Childhood Lead Poisoning in Bangladesh’ under the category Better Health
and Well Being.It was directed by Arifur Rahma and Mitali Das and produced by Pure Earth
Bangladesh.
➢ Skytrax 2023 World Airline Awards in Paris Air Show 2023, Paris, France, Star Alliance
is named the World’s Best Airline Alliance Award for Singapore Airlines for the 5th year,
and the Star Alliance Lounge at Los Angeles (LA) International Airport wins the top award
as the Best Alliance Lounge for the 7th year.

MAY 2023
➢ 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 during the event
organised to mark the birth centenary celebrations of Madhu Limaye, a socialist ideologue and ace
parliamentarian, in New Delhi, Delhi.
• He was elected once to the Lok Sabha in 1977 and 4 times to Rajasthan Assembly (1962, 1967,
1974 and 1990).
➢ 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.
• The Three Journalists were imprisoned at the Evin Prison which is located in Tehran, Iran. Evin
Prison has been accused of committing “serious human rights abuses” against its political
dissidents and critics of the government.
• The annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was created in 1997 to
honours a person, organization or institution which has made an outstanding contribution to
the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this
has been achieved in the face of danger.
• The award was named after Guillermo Cano Isaza, the Colombian journalist who was
assassinated in Bogotá, Colombia, on 17 December 1986.
➢ The three student teams from India won the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) 2023 competition which was held
near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in Huntsville, Alabama, USA (United States of America).
• Project Review Award: College/University Division: Birla Institute of Technology and
Science, Pilani, Rajasthan.
• Social Media Award:High School Division: Young Tinker Educational Foundation,
Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• College/University Division: KIET Group of Institutions, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
➢ Two students from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh (AP) such as Sai Akshara Vemuri and Chittineni
Akarsh were part of the six-member under-19 Indian team (Young Tinker Educational Foundation)
which won the NASA HERC 2023 competition under Social Media Award Category.
• The Two student winners from Vijayawada were felicitated by Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident
Telugu Society (APNRTS) president and Adviser to the government Medapati S. Venkat and CEO
P. Hemalatha Rao.
➢ Maria Stepanova, a Jewish author from Russia now living in exile in Germany, has been awarded
the Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding 2023 for her volume of poetry
entitled “Mädchen ohne Kleider“ (Girls Without Clothes).
➢ Ram Nath Kovind, a former President of India, honoured 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, during the ceremony held at Shanmukhananda Auditorium in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
➢ The winners of the 2023 Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism; Books, Drama and Music; and Special
Citations were announced.
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 • Associated Press won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism under the Public Service
category. Associated Press’ journalists Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka, Vasilisa
Stepanenko and Lori Hinnant were recognized for reporting from the besieged city of Mariupol
that bore witness to the slaughter of civilians in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• 2023 Pulitzer Prize winners in different Categories:
2023 Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism:
Category Winners
Associated Press, for the work of Mstyslav
Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka, Vasilisa
Public Service Stepanenko and Lori Hinnant
Breaking News Reporting Staff of the Los Angeles Times
Investigative Reporting Staff of The Wall Street Journal
Explanatory Reporting Caitlin Dickerson of The Atlantic
Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today, Ridgeland,
Miss.
Local Reporting (There were two winners under this John Archibald, Ashley Remkus, Ramsey
category. They don’t share the category, each receive the full Archibald and Challen Stephens of AL.com,
prize amount of US$15,000) Birmingham
National Reporting Caroline Kitchener of The Washington Post
International Reporting Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing Eli Saslow of The Washington Post
Commentary Kyle Whitmire of AL.com, Birmingham
Criticism Andrea Long Chu of New York magazine
Nancy Ancrum, Amy Driscoll, Luisa Yanez,
Isadora Rangel and Lauren Costantino of the
Editorial Writing Miami Herald
Illustrated Reporting and Commentary Mona Chalabi, contributor, The New York Times
Breaking News Photography Photography Staff of Associated Press
Feature Photography Christina House of the Los Angeles Times
Audio Reporting Staff of Gimlet Media, notably Connie Walker
➢ 2023 Pulitzer Prizes – Books, Drama & Music:
Category Winners
Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper)
Fiction Trust, by Hernan Diaz (Riverhead Books)
Drama English, by Sanaz Toossi
Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power, by Jefferson Cowie
History (Basic Books)
G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century, by Beverly Gage
Biography (Viking)
Memoir or
Autobiography Stay True, by Hua Hsu (Doubleday)
Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020, by Carl Phillips (Farrar, Straus and
Poetry Giroux)
His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice, by Robert
General Nonfiction Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa (Viking)

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 Music Omar, by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels
➢ There were no Special Citations for 2023 Pulitzer Prizes.
➢ Lionel Messi, Argentine professional footballer and forward of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain(PSG),
was honoured with the Laureus World Sportsman Of The Year 2023 at the 2023 Laureus World
Sports Awards.
• Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican track and field sprinter, won the Laureus World
Sportswoman Of The Year 2023.
• This is the 2nd time that Lionel Messi has been honoured with the Laureus World Sportsman Of
The Year Award. In 2020, he shared the award with British race car driver Lewis Hamilton.
• He also became the first person to win the team and individual award in the same year(2023).
• Winners of the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards:
Category Winner Sport
Lionel Messi
Laureus World Sportsman Of The Year (Argentina) Football
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Athletics – track and field
Laureus World Sportswoman Of The Year (Jamaica) sprinter
Argentina Men’s Football
Laureus World Team Of The Year Team Football
Carlos Alcaraz
Laureus World Breakthrough Of The Year (Spain) Tennis
Christian Eriksen
Laureus World Comeback Of The Year (Denmark) Football
Laureus World Sportsperson Of The Year With A Catherine Debrunner Para Athletics – wheelchair
Disability (Switzerland) racer
Eileen Gu
Laureus World Action Sportsperson Of The Year (China) Freestyle Skiing
Laureus Sport For Good Teamup Global
➢ 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.
• Professor Jayant Vishnu Narlikar is the founding director of Inter-University Centre for
Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) Pune, Maharashtra.
• In 2004 he was awarded Padma Vibhushan in the field of Science & Engineering and in 1965, he
received the Padma Bhushan award from the Indian Government for his research work.
➢ Nigerian writer Arinze Ifeakandu, 28 years was announced as the winner of 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 language.
➢ Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, was honoured with the Chevalier de la Légion
d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), the highest French Civilian award, for his substantial
role in developing and fostering commercial links between India and France.
• In 2022, he was honoured with Padma Bhushan by the Government of India for his excellence
in Trade and Industry.
➢ The Tiruchirappalli International Airport project(Trichy Airport Project) of ITD Cementation
India Limited has been awarded the International Safety Award under the 1st- class merit category
by the British Safety Council.
• ITD Cementation India Limited, engaged in the construction of the new terminal building in
Trichy, Tamil Nadu, received the award on 10th May 2023.
➢ The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA), the
2 airports from Karnataka, have bagged the Platinum Category award in the Airports Council

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 International (ACI) Asia-Pacific’s Green Airports Recognition 2023, for demonstrating outstanding
accomplishments in their sustainability projects.
➢ The regional winners of the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize have been announced. The
Commonwealth Foundation named the winning writers from five continents such as Hana Gammon
(South Africa, Africa) Agnes Chew (Singapore, Asia), Rue Baldry (United Kingdom, Canada and Europe),
Kwame McPherson (Jamaica, Caribbean) and Himali McInnes (New Zealand, Pacific).
Winners List:
Winner Name Region Story
Hana Gammon South Africa (Africa) The Undertaker’s Apprentice
Agnes Chew Singapore (Asia) Oceans Away From My Homeland
Rue Baldry United Kingdom (Canada & Europe) Lech, Prince, and the Nice Things
Kwame McPherson Jamaica (Caribbean) Ocoee
Himali McInnes New Zealand (Pacific) Kilinochchi
• Indian writer Vidhan Verma’s story named A Groom like Shahrukh took place on the list of
shortlisted stories
➢ Bulgarian Writer Georgi Gospodinov and translator Angela Rodel won the International Booker
Prize 2023 for the dark comic novel titled “Time Shelter”. This becomes the first book originally written
in Bulgarian (and translated into English) to win the International Booker Prize.
➢ 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.
• Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN, received the medals on behalf of
the Indian Peacekeepers from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
➢ The 23rd edition of NEXA International Indian Film Academy (IIFA 2023) Awards was held on
26th & 27th May 2023 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan won Best Actor in a Leading Role (male) for his performance
in Vikram Vedha and Alia Bhatt won Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) for her role in
Gangubai Kathiawadi.
➢ The 76th annual Cannes International Film Festival was held from May 16 to 27 2023 in Cannes,
France. French film director Justine Triet’s French courtroom thriller ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ has won the
top award of the 2023 – ‘Palme d’Or’ for best feature film.
• Justine Triet is the third woman director to win Cannes’ top honour (the second in three
years), following Julia Ducournau, who received the Palme d’Or award for Titane in 2021. Jane
Campion was the first-ever female Palme d’Or winner in 1993 for ‘The Piano’.
• Feature Films 2023 winners’ list:
Award Category Winner
Palme D’or Anatomie D’une Chute (Anatomy Of A Fall) Directed By Justine Triet
Grand Prix The Zone Of Interest Directed By Jonathan Glazer
Best Director Tran Anh Hùng For La Passion De Dodin Bouffant (The Pot-Au-Feu)
Best Performance By An Merve Dizdar For Kuru Otlar Ustune (About Dry Grasses) Directed By Nuri
Actress Bilge Ceylan
Best Performance By An
Actor Koji Yakusho For Perfect Days Directed By Wim Wenders
Best Screenplay Sakamoto Yuji For Kaibutsu (Monster) Directed By Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Jury Prize Kuolleet Lehdet (Fallen Leaves) Directed By Aki Kaurismäki

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 ➢ Vice President (VP) of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, conferred the 4th National Water Awards, 2022 at
Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi on 41 winners in 11 categories for their exemplary work in the field
of water conservation and management.
• Madhya Pradesh (MP) tops the Best State category which is followed by Odisha at 2nd position
and Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Bihar at 3rd position jointly.
• Table showing the list of winners:
Rank Winner
Best State
1 Madhya Pradesh (MP)
2 Odisha
3 AP and Bihar.
Best District
1 Ganjam District, Odisha
2 Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu (TN)
3 Adilabad District, Telangana
Best Village Panchayat
1 Jagannadhapuram Village Panchayat, Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana
Kadavur Village Panchayat, Karur district, Tamil Nadu and Manickal Village Panchayat,
2 Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala
Kadegaon Village Panchayat, Jalna district, Maharashtra and Mawkyrdep Village Panchayat, Bhoi
3 Rymbong Block, Ri Bhoi district, Meghalaya.
Best Urban Local Body
1 Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh,
2 Indore Municipal Corporation, Indore, MP
Surat Municipal Corporation, Surat, Gujarat and Malkapur Municipal Council, Karad, Satara,
3 Maharashtra
Best Media
1 Advance Water Digest Private Limited Gurugram, Haryana
Centre For Environment And Sustainable Development, Srinagar, Jammu And Kashmir and Regional
2 News Unit, All India Radio, Guwahati, Assam w
3 Network Eighteen, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Best School
1 Jamiyatpura Primary School, Mehsana, Gujarat
2 KGBV School, Chagalamarri, Nandyal, AP
3 Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Baori, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
Best Institution for Campus usage
1 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir
2 Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, Telangana
3 Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab
➢ The Ministry of Culture has named Gita Press, Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), a publishing house, as an
awardee of Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 in recognition of the work done by the institution in

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 community service. This decision has been taken after due deliberations by the jury headed by Prime
Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi.

APRIL 2023
➢ Aaliya Mir, a wildlife conservationist working for India-based charity Wildlife SOS, has been
honoured with the Wildlife Conservation Award for 2023 by the administration of the Union Territory
(UT) Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), for her conservation efforts in the region.
• She became the first Woman from J&K to receive the Wildlife Conservation Award.
➢ In its 63rd Literature Festival, the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL)
bestowed the SAARC Literature Award 2023 (Special Literary Award) to Bangladesh’s Father of the
Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. [SAARC stands for South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation].
• The SAARC Literary Award for 2023 was bestowed to him for his great literary excellence
through his trilogy: The Unfinished Memoirs, The Prison Diaries, and The New China as I Saw It
(1952).
• The award was handed over to his daughter, Bangladesh Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina.
➢ Kiran Nadar, Philanthropist and an art collector, was conferred with “Chevalier de la Légion
d’Honneur” (Knight of the Legion Honour), the highest French civilian award, by Emmanuel Lenain,
French Ambassador to India in a ceremony held at the Residence of France in New Delhi, Delhi.
➢ Pathsala (Assam)-based Tapoban, a non-government organisation (NGO), which supports children
with special needs has been honoured with the prestigious Children’s Champion Award 2023 in the
Health and Nutrition category at a function held in Triveni Auditorium, Delhi.
➢ The Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) presented Maharashtra Bhushan
Award for 2022 to Dr. Appasaheb Dharmadhikari during a public function at Kharghar area in Raigarh
district, Maharashtra.
• In 2017, he was recognized with Padma Shri for his outstanding contributions to society.
• About Maharashtra Bhushan Award: Instituted in 1995, it is a highest civilian award presented
annually by the Government of Maharashtra State. This award acknowledges the person who
has contributed to the social life of Maharashtra.
• Some of the notable recipients of the award include Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Bhimsen
Joshi, Ratan Tata and Sachin Tendulkar.
➢ The President of India, Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Panchayat Awards 2023 and
inaugurated the ‘National Conference on Incentivisation of Panchayats’ in New Delhi, Delhi.
❖ The President also inaugurated the National Panchayat Awards Week which was celebrated
by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) from April 17 to 21, 2023 as part of Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav (AKAM) 2.0.
❖ The National Panchayati Raj Day is annually observed across India on 24th April to celebrate
the constitutional status accorded to the Panchayati Ray system.
❖ Categories:Awards at National Level will be given to Gram, Block and District Panchayats under
4 categories as
• Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP) (for the performance
under LSDG themes).
• Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar ( for the aggregate
performance under all 9 LSDG themes and green initiative-related Special Categories).
• Gram Urja Swaraj Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar
• Carbon Neutral Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar
❖ Ngopa ( Mizoram) was awarded the Best Gram Panchayats/Equivalent Bodies, Ganjam
(Odisha), was awarded the best district panchayat or zilla parishad and Hinjilicut (Odisha) was
awarded the best block panchayat or panchayat samiti in India. Click here to know the full list of
Awardees
❖ The youngest Panchayats in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir have made
commendable efforts towards the goal of achieving Carbon Neutrality by the year 2030.
➢ Utsa Patnaik, a renowned economist of national and international repute, has been selected for
the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023 by the Malcolm & Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust (MEAT) based in
Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).

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 • The award will be given with a citation and a prize money of Rs. 2 lakh at a function which will
be held in Chennai, TN.
• MalcolmAdiseshiah Award is annually presented by the MEAT to honour the contributions of
outstanding social scientists in the field of development studies.
➢ An Indian-American Raj Subramaniam, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FedEx
Corporation, the world’s largest express transportation company, has been awarded the Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman Award 2023, by Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s Ambassador to the US, for his
contribution to Business.
• The award was conferred by Droupadi Murmu, President of India, on 10 January 2023, as a part
of the celebration of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2023 at Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
• Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is the highest civilian award given by the Government of
India to persons of Indian origin and the Indian diaspora.
• Note: 27 Indians living abroad received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award in 2023.
➢ In a first, Karnataka has bagged the national award for the best implementation of Pradhan
Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a crop subsidy insurance scheme, for the year 2022-23.
➢ The National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme of the Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare (MoH&FW) received the Prime Minister’s (PM) Award for Excellence in Public Administration
2022 under the Innovation (Centre) category.
• Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, MoH&FW received the award for National COVID-19 Vaccination
Programme from PM Narendra Modi at a function organized on the occasion of 16th Civil
Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
• Winners of PM’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2022:
Category Winner
National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme – Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare
PM GatiShakti Master Plan – Department for Promotion of
Innovation (Centre) Industry and Internal Trade(DPIIT)
Mission Youth – Jammu and Kashmir
Innovation (State) State Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation(SOTTO) – Gujarat
Operation Parivartan – Solapur, Maharashtra
Innovation (District) Sanvardhan (Vocal for Local) initiative – Rampur, Uttar Pradesh
Latur – Maharahstra
for promoting ‘Swasth Bharat’ under Ayushman Bharat
Anakapalli – Andhra Pradesh
for promoting ‘Swasth Bharat’ through many Health and
Ayushman Bharat Health & Wellness Centre Wellness Centres
Dr M Aarthi (2012 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu Cadre)
Deputy Commissioner of Kancheepuram District in Tamil Nadu
Promoting Swachh Jal (Clean Jal) through Har Bhavya Mittal (2014 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh Cadre)
Ghar Jal Yojana: District Magistrate of Burhanpur district in Madhya Pradesh,
Abhishek Anand (2014 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh
Cadre)
Promoting quality education with an District Magistrate of Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh
equitable and inclusive classroom M Nagarajan(2009 batch IAS officer of Gujarat Cadre)
environment through Samagra Shiksha: Deputy Commissioner Mahesana district in Gujarat
Prithviraj BP
Deputy Commissioner of Latur district in Maharashtra
Ravi Pattanshetti(2013 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh
Promoting Swasth Bharat (Healthy Bharat) Cadre)
through Health & Wellness Centres: Deputy Commissioner of Anakapalli district in Andhra Pradesh

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 Dr Om P Machra(2016 batch IAS officer of Gujarat Cadre)
– awarded for the best performance to the Team for Promoting
People’s Movements – Jan Bhagidari through Swachh Bharat
Mission (Gramin) of Mehsana, Gujarat.
Dr Syed Sehrish(2023 batch IAS officer of AGMUT Cadre)
Holistic Development through Aspirational Deputy Commissioner of Baramula district in Jammu & Kashmir
District Program – overall progress with Sushant Gaurav(2014 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand Cadre)
special focus on saturation approach: Deputy Commissioner of Gumla district in Jharkhand

➢ Winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize 2023 were announced at the War Memorial Opera
House in San Francisco, California, the United States of America (USA).
• 6 winners of the 2023 prize are Alessandra Korap Munduruku from Brazil, Chilekwa Mumba
from Zambia, Delima Silalahi from Indonesia, Diane Wilson from the USA, Tero Mustonen from
Finland, and Zafer Kızılkaya from Türkiye.
• 2023 marks the 34th anniversary of the Goldman Environmental Prize which honors one
grassroots activist from each of the six inhabited continents.
• The award is also known as the “Green Nobel Prize”.
• The ceremony for the same was hosted by Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro, an organization
dedicated to celebrating Black connections and leadership in nature.
➢ Ratan Tata, Indian industrialist, philanthropist, and chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, was
awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), Australia’s highest civilian honour, in recognition of
his contribution to strengthening the bilateral ties between India and Australia particularly in trade,
investment, and philanthropy.
• The announcement was made by the Australian Ambassador to India Mr. Barry O’ Farrell.
• In March 2023, Ratan Tata was appointed as an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the
Order of Australia.
➢ During a programme organised on the 53rd Foundation Day of Housing and Urban Development
Corporation Limited (HUDCO), the HUDCO Awards of 2022-2023 were announced in New Delhi,
Delhi.
• The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) Uttar Pradesh has been awarded the HUDCO Award (2022-
2023) for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment 2022-23 category for Sanitation.
• The award was given for the campaign practice ‘Swatchh Virasat’. The campaign was conducted
by the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) Uttar Pradesh from January 14 to 24.
• Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Bank was conferred with the award from the HUDCO for its
outstanding contribution towards the housing sector of the country under the Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojana (Urban) – Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) through various innovative
initiatives.
➢ The 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award was presented to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in
person after 64 years in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, by Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
president Susanna B Afan and foundation trustee Emily A Abrera.
• The 1959 Ramon Magsaysay award was given by the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Foundation in the Philippines in August 1959.
• It was the first international recognition given to the 14th Dalai Lama for his leadership
in the preservation of Tibet’s society, religion and culture and way of life during a critical
time
❖ About The Ramon Magsaysay Award:
• It is often called the “Nobel Prize of Asia”, is an annual award established to preserve
former Philippine seventh President Ramon Magsaysay’s example of integrity in
governance, courageous service to the people, and practical idealism within a
democratic society.

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 ❖ Awards- Dalai Lama
• In 1989 Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts towards
the liberation of Tibet and the efforts taken by him for a peaceful resolution instead of
using violence as a key
• In 2007, he received the United States Congressional Gold Medal for his work with peace
and human rights.
• In 2022, he received the Gandhi Mandela Award for promoting the values and ideals of
Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela in the interest of global peace and freedom.
➢ The 68th edition of the Hyundai Filmfare Awards (Filmfare Awards 2023) took place at the Jio
World Conventional Centre in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Filmfare Awards 2023 were presented in
collaboration with the Maharashtra Tourism, Government of Maharashtra.
• The event was co-hosted by Salman Khan, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Maniesh Paul.
• Complete list of winners of Filmfare Awards 2023:
Category Winner
Best Film Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Film (Critics’) Badhaai Do (Harshvardhan Kulkarni)
Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) Rajkummar Rao For Badhaai Do
Best Actor (Critics’) Sanjay Mishra For Vadh
Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female) Alia Bhatt For Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Actress (Critics’) Bhumi Pednekar For Badhaai Do
Best Actress (Critics’) Tabu For Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Best Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali For Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male) Anil Kapoor For Jugjugg Jeeyo
Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female) Sheeba Chaddha For Badhaai Do
Best Music Album Pritam for Brahmastra Part One: Shiva
Amitabh Bhattacharya For Kesariya From Brahmastra Part One:
Best Lyrics Shiva
Best Playback Singer (Male) Arijit Singh For Kesariya From Brahmastra Part One: Shiva
Best Debut Female Andrea Kevichusa For Anek
Best Dialogue Prakash Kapadia, Utkarshini Vashishtha For Gangubai Kathiawadi
Akshat Ghildial, Suman Adhikary And Harshavardhan Kulkarni for
Best Screenplay Badhaai Do
Best Story Akshat Ghildial, Suman Adhikary for Badhaai Do
Best Action Parvez Shaikh for Vikram Vedha
Best Background Score Sanchit Balhara And Ankit Balhara for Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Choreography Kruti Mahesh for Dholida from Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Cinematography Sudeep Chatterjee for Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Costume Sheetal Iqbal Sharma for Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Editing Ninad Khanolkar for An Action Hero
Best Production Design Subrata Chakraborty And Amit Ray Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Sound Design Bishwadeep Dipak Chatterjee for Brahmastra Part One: Shiva
Best VFX (Visual effects) Dneg, Redefine for Brahmastra Part One: Shiva

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 Lifetime Achievement Award Prem Chopra
R D Burman Award For Upcoming Music
Talent Jahnvi Shrimankar (Dholida – Gangubai Kathiawadi)

➢ Green Organization, London, United Kingdom (UK), presented the Green World Awards 2023, at
Miami International Airport in the United States of America (USA).
• India’s Vedanta Limited, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), and Chennai
Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) received awards in various categories.
➢ Indian-American Neeli Bendapudi, 59-year-old, the president of Pennsylvania University, United
States of America (USA) was honoured with the American Immigration Council’s 2023 Immigrant
Achievement Award for her contributions to American higher education.
➢ The United Kingdom (UK) based Saskrit Scholar, Dr M.N. Nandakumara, Executive Director of the
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan centre in London, UK has been awarded the honorary MBE (Member of the
Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by King Charles III.
• The honorary MBE has been granted “for services to the teaching, performance and accessibility
of Indian classical arts in the UK”.

MARCH 2023
➢ The Fédération Internationale De Football Association (FIFA) announced the winners of the 2022
Best FIFA Football Awards at the award ceremony held in Paris, France.
• Argentina and Paris St-Germain forward Lionel Messi was named Best FIFA Men’s player
2022 and Spains midfielder Alexia Putellas was named Best FIFA Women’s player 2022
awards.
➢ Indian Short story writer, novelist, poet, and essayist, Vinod Kumar Shukla, one of the greatest
contemporary writers in the Hindi language won the 2023 PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in
International Literature, the award is conferred annually by PEN America.
• The award will be presented during the 59th Annual PEN Literary Awards on 2nd March 2023
at The Town Hall, New York, United States of America (USA).
➢ Marconi Society has awarded Hari Balakrishnan, an Indian-born Computer scientist, with the 2023
Marconi Prize for his fundamental discoveries in wired and wireless networking, mobile sensing, and
distributed systems.
• Hari Balakrishnan is a Fujitsu Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence(AI) in
the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), United States of America (USA).
• Hari Balakrishnan was born in 1972 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, and was raised in Bombay
(Mumbai), Maharashtra, and Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Since 1998, he has been at MIT.
➢ The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India was conferred with the
Porter Prize 2023 in recognition of its efforts in health sector and especially COVID-19 management.
➢ Droupadi Murmu, President of India, conferred the ‘Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023’ under
several categories of the Swachh Bharat Mission—Grameen (SBM-G), Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), and
National Water Mission (NWM) in New Delhi, Delhi.
The “Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman (SSSS) 2023″ was organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in
preparation of International Women’s Day (March 8, 2023) and was attended by Union Minister
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman programme honours women who have made remarkable
contributions to the field of rural water and sanitation. Click here to see the list of winners
➢ Indian Weightlifter, Padma Shri Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, who became the 1st Indian weightlifter to
win the silver medal at Tokyo Olympic Games, has won the 4th edition of the “British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) Indian Sportswoman Of The Year (ISWOTY) 2022”.
➢ Pritam Siwach, a former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team and coach, received the “BBC
Lifetime Achievement Award 2022” in recognition of her contributions to Indian sports and for
inspiring generations of players. She was the 1st woman hockey coach to be given the Dronacharya
Award, the highest national award for coaches.

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➢ Dr L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (I&B), presented the 8th
National Photography awards in New Delhi, Delhi. In total, 13 individuals were recognised in different
categories.
Winners of the 8th National Photography Awards in Table:
S.No Category Awardee Cash Prize
1 Lifetime Achievement Award Sipra Das Rs 3 lakh
2 Professional Photographer of the Year Award Sasi Kumar Ramachandran Rs.1 lakh
Dipjyoti Banik
Manish Kumar Chauhan
R S Gopakumar
Sudipto Das
3 Special Mention Awards in the Professional category Umesh Harishchandra Nikam Rs.50,000
4 Amateur Photographer of the Year Award Arun Saha Rs 75,000
C S Sreeranj
Mohit Wadhawan
Ravishankar S L
Subhadip Bose
5 Special Mention Awards in the Amateur category Tharun Adurugatla Rs.30,000

➢ Sir David Alan Chipperfield (David Chipperfield), a 69-year-old British Civic Architect, urban
planner and activist, won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2023, the architect’s most prestigious award,
for his timeless modern design that confronts climate urgencies, transform social relationships and
reinvigorates cities.
David Chipperfield is the 52nd winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, which is
considered the most significant award in international architecture.
➢ Airports Council International (ACI) announced the winners of the 2022 Airport Service Quality
(ASQ) Awards recognizing the best airports for customer experience worldwide. Indira Gandhi
International Airport (IGIA) – Delhi Airport, has been adjudged as one of the Best and Cleanest Airports
in the Asia Pacific region.
IGIA operated by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a consortium of the GMR Group won the
2022 ASQ award under Best Airports by Size and Region – Over 40 million passengers per year.
The airport has also won the 2022 ASQ award under Cleanest Airport (Asia Pacific Region) category
➢ Highlights of 95th Academy Awards 2023 held in Los Angeles, US: India’s ‘Naatu Naatu‘ song , ‘The
Elephant Whisperers’ won.
It has honoured movies released in 2022 in 23 categories. The ceremony for the same was held by the
US’ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Indian Actress Deepika Padukone was one of the presenters at Oscars 2023.
She is the third Indian ever to present an Oscar after Persis Khambatta in 1980 and Priyanka Chopra in
2016.Table showing the full list of Winners at 95th Academy Awards 2023
➢ Pagalkhana, a satirical Hindi novel authored by Dr Gyan Chaturvedi, a renowned Hindi Writer and
Padma Shri Awardee (2015), has been selected for the 32nd Vyas Samman (2022).
i. The book was published by Rajkamal Prakashan in 2018.
➢ The World Economic Forum (WEF) has announced the newest members of its ‘Young Global
Leaders Class of 2023’ to its Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGLs), and six Indians have made the list,
including Aaditya Thackeray, Leader of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray – UBT) and
Madhukeshwar Desai, National Vice President, Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) [BJP Youth
Wing] (who were listed under the category of Public figures).

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 ➢ Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), was named the “Governor of the Year”
for 2023 at the Central Banking Awards 2023 by Central Banking, the international economic research
journal.
➢ Bengaluru (Karnataka) was honoured with the 2023 Partnership for Healthy Cities Award, along
with Montevideo, Uruguay; Mexico City, Mexico; Vancouver, Canada; and Athens, Greece at the
inaugural Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit held in London, United Kingdom (UK).
➢ Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited has been honoured with the ‘Innovation in Consumer Tech’
award at the 13th Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA) for its Hello Ujjivan app, India’s 1st visual-voice-
vernacular banking app.
➢ Isha Ambani, the Chairperson of Reliance Retail, the retail unit of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL),
won the GenNext Entrepreneur Award at the Forbes India Leadership Awards 2023 at the Grand Hyatt,
Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• 2023 marks the 12th edition of the Forbes India Leadership Awards.
• A M Naik, Group Chairman of Larsen and Toubro Ltd.(L&T), received the FILA 2023 Lifetime
Achievement Award.
➢ Abel Prize 2023 for Mathematics was awarded to Luis Ángel Caffarelli, an Argentine-American
mathematician and an expert in “partial differential equations” which can explain phenomena ranging
from how water flows to population growth, at the University of Oslo, Norway.
• Luis Caffarelli, a 74-year-old professor at the University of Texas, was honoured for his seminal
contributions to regularity theory for nonlinear partial differential equations.
• Luis A Caffarelli is the 26th Abel Prize Laureate and he is the 1st Latin American mathematician
to receive the award.
➢ Dhanya Rajendran, Co-founder and editor of the news website “The News Minute”, was awarded
the Chameli Devi Jain Award for ‘Outstanding Woman Mediaperson 2022’ at the event at the India
International Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.

RECOGNITIONS
JUNE 2023
➢ Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bengaluru, Karnataka, named its 0.5 Meter Diameter enclosed free-
jet Hypersonic Wind Tunnel after Late Professor Roddam Narasimha, an aerospace scientist, to
recognise his pioneering efforts in experimental hypersonics in India.
➢ The brand valuation firm Brand Finance released its INDIA 100 2023: The annual report on the most
valuable and strongest Indian brands- June 2023 report in which the Tata Group has retained its 1st
position as India’s most valuable brand at USD (United States Dollar) 26,381 Million in 2023.
❖ Table showing Top 5 India’s Most Valuable Brands:
Rank Brand Valuation (in USD Million)
1 Tata Group 26,381
2 Infosys 13,010
3 LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) 9,756
4 Airtel 7,527
5 Reliance Group 7,357
❖ Table Showing Top 5 India’s Strongest Brands:
Rank Brand Overall Rank
1 Taj 78
2 AMUL (Anand Milk Union Limited) 16
3 Britannia 29
4 Jio Group 11
5 Royal Enfield 46

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 ❖ Table Showing Most Valuable Indian Brands in 2023 in Different Categories:
Category Brand
Most Valuable Banking Brand SBI (State Bank of India)
Most Valuable IT Services Brand TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)
Most Valuable Food & Drink Brand AMUL
Most Valuable Automobile Brand Mahindra
Most Valuable Telecoms Brand Airtel
Most Valuable Oil & Gas Brand Reliance
Most Valuable Insurance Brand LIC
Most Valuable Mining & Metals Brand Tata Steel
Most Valuable Building Materials Brands Ultratech Cement
Most Valuable Hotel Brand Taj
Most Valuable Tyre Brand MRF
Most Valuable Clothing Brand Raymond
➢ Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) climbed eight spots to the 45th
rank, the highest for an Indian company in the 2023 edition of the Global 2000 list of public
companies published by Forbes’.
• Reliance held the 53rd position in the 2022 edition of the Global 2000.
• JPMorgan, America’s biggest bank is at the top of the list for the first time since 2011; Saudi
Aramco, Saudi Arabian Oil Company in the 2nd followed by 3 state-owned banks of China (ICBC,
China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank of China).
➢ Meesho and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), two Indian companies have been featured
on the “TIME 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023“, the TIME Magazine’s annual list under the
‘pioneer’ category
• The TIME 100 Most Influential Companies List described Meesho as an “Innovative Retailer”
and NPCI as “Connecting Commerce“.
➢ According to the “2022 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500: a Six Month Update” released on 20th
June 2023, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) topped as India’s most valuable company with a value
of Rs 16.37 lakh crore followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with Rs 11.76 lakh crore and HDFC
Bank with Rs 9.41 lakh crore.
• The report, featuring 500 most valuable non-state-owned companies in India, was released
by Burgundy Private, Axis Bank’s Private Banking Business and Hurun India.
• Top 5 of Burgundy Private Hurun India 500-Special Report:
Value (INR Change
Rank Company Cr) (%) Headquarters
Reliance Industries Mumbai
1 Limited (RIL) 16,37,327 -5.10% (Maharashtra)
Tata Consultancy Services Mumbai
2 (TCS) 11,76,385 0.70% (Maharashtra)
Mumbai
3 HDFC Bank 9,41,386 12.90% (Maharashtra)
Mumbai
4 ICICI Bank 6,41,930 1.40% (Maharashtra)
Kolkata (West
5 ITC 5,29,682 22.50% Bengal)

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MAY 2023
➢ According to Forbes’ World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023, Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
has become the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2023 after he moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in
January 2023, after his exit from Manchester United, nearly doubling his annual salary to an estimated
USD 75 million.
• He topped the list with a total earning of USD 136 million – USD 46 million on-field and USD 90
million off-field.
• He has topped the list for the first time since 2017.
• Table Showing Top 5 in The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023:
Rank Name Nationality Sports Total Earnings On-Field Off-Field
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal Soccer $136mn $46mn $90mn
2 Lionel Messi Argentina Soccer $130 mn $65mn $65mn
3 Kylian Mbappe France Soccer $120mn $100mn $20mn
4 LeBron James United States (US) Basketball $119.5mn $44.5mn $75mn
5 Canelo Alvarez Mexico Boxing $110mn $100mn $10mn
➢ 76 entries from India are featured among the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Class of 2023. The Indian
winners includes Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra(25), Co-founders of
Genrobotic Innovations(Kerala) Arun George(29); Vimal Govind MK(28); Rashid Karimbanakkal(28);
Nikhil NP(29), and Elwinder Singh(29), cofounder of Connect and Heal.
• India ranked first with 76 entries, followed by China (34), Japan (33), Singapore (30) and South
Korea (28).
• Notable Indian entries on the list:
Category Name Age Title/Company
Entertainment & Sports Siddhant Chaturvedi 29 Artist
Entertainment & Sports Neeraj Chopra 25 Athlete
Industry, Manufacturing & Arun George; Vimal Govind Mk; Rashid 29; 28;
Energy Karimbanakkal; Nikhil Np 28; 29 Cofounders, Genrobotics
Entertainment & Sports Ambika Nayak aka Kayan 28 Musician
Co-Founder, Connect and
Healthcare & Science Elwinder Singh 29 Heal
➢ London home of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, a suffragette Indian princess, Red Cross nurse, and
critic of British rule in India, was honoured with the English Heritage’s commemorative Blue Plaque in
London, the United Kingdom (UK).
➢ The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach presented the Olympic
Order to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus in an award
ceremony held at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• During the event, IOC also honoured The World Health Organisation (WHO) with the Olympic Cup
for 2021 in recognition of its exceptional contribution to the success of the Olympic and Paralympic
Games Tokyo 2020.

APRIL 2023
➢ The Modern Coach Factory (MCF) Stadium in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh (UP), has been renamed
the ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf’ in honour of former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team Rani
Rampal.
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2020 (now Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna) and Padma Shri awardee
(2020) Rani Rampal became the 1st Indian woman hockey player to have a stadium named
after her.

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 ➢ Forbes released its 37th Annual World Billionaire List 2023 in which Mukesh Ambani regained
his spot as the richest person of Asia and India. With a net worth of USD 83.4 billion, he was ranked
at No. 9 on the world billionaire list.
• Bernard Arnault, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis
Vuitton) topped the list for the first time with a net worth of USD 211 Billion followed
by Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX & Tesla, ranked 2nd with net worth of USD 180 Billion and Jeff
Bezos, founder of Amazon at 3rd rank with net worth of USD 114 Billion.
• This is the first time a French citizen has led the World’s Billionaires ranking, which began in
1987.
• 2023 World Billionaire List:
Rank Person Net Worth (USD) Source Citizenship
1 Bernard Arnault & Family 211 Billion LVMH France
2 Elon Musk 180 Billion Tesla, SpaceX United States (US)
3 Jeff Bezos 114 Billion Amazon US
9 Mukesh Ambani 83.4 Billion Diversified India
24 Gautam Adani 47.2 Billion Infrastructure, commodities India

➢ Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) based at the Lord’s Cricket Ground (since 1814) in London, the
United Kingdom(UK), has awarded honorary life membership of the Club to 17 World’s finest
cricketers, including 5 Indian cricketers(3 men and 2 women): Mahendra Singh Dhoni(MS Dhoni);
Suresh Raina; Yuvraj Singh; Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami.
• 8 of the 12 Test Playing countries are represented on the 2023 Cohort of new Honorary Life
Memberships.
➢ India’s Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan won the 2023 TIME100 Reader Poll, the 100th edition of
TIME’s readers’ poll in which readers voted for the individuals/groups that they think deserve a spot on
the Time’s annual list of the most influential people.
➢ Nandini Gupta, a 19-year-old, from (Kota)Rajasthan, won the 59th edition of Femina Miss India
World 2023 crown in the grand ceremony held at Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal, Manipur.
Femina Miss India 2022 winner Sini Shetty of Karnataka crowned Nandini Gupta.
• Nandini Gupta will now represent India at the 71st edition of Miss World (2023), which is to be
held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Runners-Up– Shreya Poonja of Delhi became the 1st runner-up and Thounaojam Strela Luwang
of Manipur was crowned the 2nd runner-up.
➢ Tata Steel has been recognised as one of the 2023 Steel Sustainability Champions by the World
Steel Association (worldsteel) and the announcement was made at the Worldsteel Special General
Meeting of the Board of Members held in Vienna, Austria.
• Recognised for the sixth consecutive year this year, Tata Steel has been a champion every year
since the programme’s launch in 2018.
➢ Wing Commander (Wg Cdr) Deepika Misra became the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force
(IAF) to be presented with Vayu Sena Medal(VM) for Gallantry.

MARCH 2023
➢ Sashidhar Jagdishan, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HDFC Bank
(since October 2020), has been named the Business Standard (BS) Banker of the Year 2022.
➢ Shaliza Dhami, Group Captain of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been selected to command a
frontline combat unit of the force along the western sector.
➢ Colonel Geeta Rana of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) is the 1st woman
officer to take over command of an independent field workshop in the Eastern Ladakh sector with
China, after the Indian Army’s clearance of 108 positions for female officers to assume command of
independent units in the Corps of Engineers.

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 •
Colonel Geeta Rana has taken over the ordinance, EME, and other branches of the Corps of
Engineers.
➢ Surekha Yadav, hailing from Satara, Maharashtra, Asia’s 1st female loco pilot, became the 1st
woman to drive the recently launched semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express train.
➢ According to the 2023 M3M Hurun Global Rich list released by Hurun India and M3M India, Gautam
Adani has dropped 11 places to the 23rd rank among global billionaires. According to the report,
Gautam Adani saw a 35% decline in wealth year-on-year. He lost Rs 3,000 crore every week over the
last year.
• Bernard Arnault, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (known
as LVMH), which owns fashion brands including Sephora and Louis Vitton, tops the list as the
Richest Person in the World with a worth of USD 202 billion.
• Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and Twitter, with a total wealth of USD 157 billion, is number two
on the list.
• World’s Top 10 Billionaires:
Rank Person Net Worth (USD) Source Citizenship
1 Bernard Arnault & Family 211 Billion LVMH France
2 Elon Musk 180 Billion Tesla, SpaceX United States (US)
3 Jeff Bezos 114 Billion Amazon US
9 Mukesh Ambani 83.4 Billion Diversified India
24 Gautam Adani 47.2 Billion Infrastructure, commodities India

➢ Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro), Nagpur, Maharashtra, which have
been awarded Guinness World Records (2022) and 2 Asian Book of Records(2022), was honoured with
the prestigious “Asia Book of Records” certification under 3 different categories.
• Longest Length of Metro Rail Corridor Construction in the Shortest Time.
• First Solar photovoltaic (PV) system in a Metro Rail Project for Integrated Consumption.
• Heaviest Single Span Double Decker Steel Bridge Truss over Railway tracks in Urban Area.
➢ Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United
Nations(UN) recognised Mumbai (Maharashtra) in the ‘2022 Tree Cities of the World’ for its
contributions and commitment towards growing and maintaining the urban forest.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

ACQUISITION BETWEEN AMOUNT KEY POINTS
JUNE 2023
Manipal Health Enterprises Pvt - The Competition Commission of
Limited (MHEPL) India (CCI), a fair-trade
and Manipal Education and regulator, cleared the proposed deal
Medical Group India Pvt involving Manipal Health
Limited (MEMG India). Enterprises Pvt Limited (MHEPL)
and Manipal Education and Medical
Group India Pvt Limited (MEMG
India).
• The proposed combination
entails the: (a) acquisition
of equity shares capital of
the Manipal Health
Enterprises Private

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 Limited (MHEPL/ Target)
by Kangto Investments Pte.
Ltd.(Kangto), Kabru
Investments Pte. Ltd.
(Kabru), Manipal Research
& Management Services
International (MRMSI),
Manipal Global Health
Services (MGHS), MEMG
International India Private
Limited (MEMGIIPL) and
TPG SG Magazine Pte. Ltd.
(TPG SG); and
(b) acquisition of
optionally convertible
debentures of MEMG India
by MEMGIIPL from
National Investment and
Infrastructure Fund – II
(Proposed Combination).
Lenskart Solutions, Dove - CCI has approved the minority stake
Investments, Defati Investments acquisition in Lenskart Solutions by
Holding BV and Infinity Partners Dove Investments, Defati Investments
Holding BV and Infinity Partners
under the green channel route.

Acko Technology and Services - CCI approved the acquisition of an

Private Limited (Acko Tech) & additional 4.04% shareholding of
General Atlantic Singapore ACK Acko Technology and Services Private
Pte. Ltd. (GASACK). Limited (Acko Tech) by General
Atlantic Singapore ACK Pte. Ltd.
(GASACK).
• The CCI has approved the
proposed combination
subject to compliance with
amendments jointly
provided by GASACK and
GAP Bermuda, LP pursuant
to Regulation 19(2) of the
Rules of the Competition
Commission of India
(Procedure in Commercial
Transactions Related to
Combinations), 2011.
SBI Mutual Fund (SBIMF) & ICICI - Insurance Regulatory and
Lombard General Insurance Development Authority of India
Company Limited (IRDAI) gave its approval to SBIMF to
acquire upto 10% of the total paid up

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 equity share capital of ICICI
Lombard through market purchase.
Ambit Private Limited (APL) & - The Competition Commission of India
Daiwa International Holdings Inc (CCI) has approved the acquisition of
a certain shareholding (Minority
Stake) in Ambit Private Limited (APL)
by Daiwa International Holdings Inc
through a combination of primary
subscription of shares and secondary
share purchases from existing
shareholders.
Life Insurance Corporation of Rs 649 crore Life Insurance Corporation of India
India (LIC) & NMDC Lmited (LIC) sold over 6.06 crore shares or
2.07% stake in iron ore producer
NMDC Lmited (formerly National
Mineral Development Corporation)
between March 14 and June 20 for
around Rs 649 crore at an average
price of Rs 107.59 a share via open
market sale.
Now the LIC’s shareholding in NMDC
has decreased from 11.69% to 9.62%.
MAY 2023
Brookfield Asset Management & 4 - Canada-based Brookfield Asset
commercial properties Rostrum Management has acquired a 51%
Realty Private Limited stake in 4 commercial properties
Rostrum Realty Private Limited, a real
estate joint venture (JV) firm, in which
Bharti Enterprises Limited will hold
the balance of 49%.
Sanjay Chamria (SC) of certain - The CCI approves acquisition by
equity shares of Jaguar Advisory Sanjay Chamria (SC) of certain equity
Services Private Limited (Jaguar) shares of Jaguar Advisory Services
& Magma HDI General Insurance Private Limited (Jaguar), resulting in
Company Limited an indirect acquisition of certain
equity shares of Magma HDI General
Insurance Company Limited (Magma
HDI).
Tower Vision India Private - The Competition Commission of India
Limited (Tower Vision) & Ascend (CCI) approves the acquisition of the
Telecom Infrastructure Private shareholding of Tower Vision India
Limited and GIP EM Ascend 2 Pte. Private Limited (Tower Vision) by
Ltd (GIP EM). Ascend Telecom Infrastructure
Private Limited and GIP EM Ascend 2
Pte. Ltd (GIP EM).
Edelweiss Alternative Asset - Competition Commission of India
Advisors (EAAA) and ESOF III (CCI), a Fair-trade regulator, has
cleared the proposal of EAAA and

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Investment Fund & Biocon ESOF III Investment Fund to subscribe
Biologics Ltd (BBL). to certain compulsorily convertible
debentures issued by BBL.
i. The Proposed Combination is
notified under Section 5(a) of the
Competition Act, 2002.
SBI Funds Management Ltd & - Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
HDFC Bank Ltd. approved SBI Funds Management
Ltd’s (SBIFML) application for
acquiring up to 9.99% of the paid-up
share capital or voting rights of HDFC
Bank Ltd.
i. SBIFML has to acquire the major
shareholding in the bank within a
period of six months i.e.
by November 15, 2023.

UBS Group AG (Aktiengesellschaft) Competition Commission of India

(UBS) & Credit Suisse Group AG (CCI) approved the UBS Group AG
(Credit Suisse) (Aktiengesellschaft) (UBS)’s proposed
acquisition of Credit Suisse Group AG
(Credit Suisse) by way of an
absorption merger with UBS being the
surviving legal entity.
i. The proposed transaction is
notifiable to the CCI under the Section
5(c)(i)(A) of the Competition Act,
2002.

Compulsorily Convertible - The Competition Commission of India

Preference Shares(CCPS)of Acko (CCI) approved the acquisition of
Technology & Services Private additional Series E Compulsorily
Limited by Multiples Private Convertible Preference
Equity Fund III (Multiples Fund Shares(CCPS)of Acko Technology &
III) and CPP Investment Board Services Private Limited by Multiples
Private Holdings (4) Inc (CPHI-4) Private Equity Fund III (Multiples
Fund III) and CPP Investment Board
Private Holdings (4) Inc (CPHI-4).
i. The Proposed Transaction is an
acquisition of shares and falls under
Section 5(a)(i)(A) of the Competition
Act, 2002.
ii. The proposed transaction relates to
the subscription of additional CCPS of
Acko Technology & Services Private
Limited by Multiples Fund III and
CPHI-4.

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 APRIL 2023
Koninklijke DSM N.V. (DSM) and - CCI approved the merger of equals
Firmenich International SA between Koninklijke DSM N.V.
(Firmenich) (“DSM”) and Firmenich International
SA (“Firmenich”) to form DSM-
Firmenich, a Swiss domiciled
company whose shares are proposed
to be listed on Euronext Amsterdam
and falls under Section 5(c) of the
Competition Act, 2002. CCI approved
this merger under Section 31(1) of the
Competition Act, 2002.
C-Flex India Entities & SBP from C- - CCI has approved a share swap for the
Flex acquisition of the entire shareholding
of Constantia Flexibles Sales B.V.
(CFlex) in CFlex India entities by S.B.
Packagings Private Limited
i. The C-Flex India entities include the
following entities:
Parikh Packaging Private Limited
(Parikh Packaging)
Creative Polypack Private Limited
(Creative Polypack)
Aparna Paper Processing Industry
Private Limited (Aparna Paper)
Vibgyor Printing and Packaging
Private Limited (Vibgyor)
Parikh Flexibles Private Limited
(Parikh Flexibles).
Demerger of FMCG business of - CCI also approved the proposed
Haldiram Snacks and Haldiram combination involving the demerger
Foods into Haldiram Snacks Food of the FMCG business of Haldiram
Pvt Ltd. Snacks Pvt Ltd (HSPL), and Haldiram
Foods International Pvt Ltd (HFIPL)
into Haldiram Snacks Food Pvt Ltd
(HSFPL) through a National Company
Law Tribunal (NCLT)-approved
scheme of arrangement.
i. Currently, HSPL and HFIPL are
engaged in the manufacturing and
distribution of packaged foods
products.
SREI Infrastructure Finance - CCI has approved the acquisition of
Limited, National Asset shares and control over SREI
Reconstruction Company Limited Infrastructure Finance Limited by
(NARCL) and India Debt National Asset Reconstruction
Resolution Company Limited Company Limited (NARCL) and India
(IDRCL) Debt Resolution Company Limited
(IDRCL) under Section 5(a) of
Competition Act, 2022.
BTS Investment 1 Pte. Ltd. (BTS - The Competition Commission of India
Investment) and Bodhi Tree (CCI) approves the acquisition of
Systems VCC (BTS VCC) by NBC certain shareholdings of BTS
Universal Media, LLC (NBC Investment 1 Pte. Ltd. (BTS
Investment) and Bodhi Tree Systems
Universal),
VCC (BTS VCC) by NBC Universal

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 Media, LLC (NBC Universal), a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Comcast
Corporation, under Section 31(1) of
the Competition Act, 2002.
Mukand Sumi Special Steel - The CCI approves the acquisition of
Limited (MSSSL) by Jamnalal 5.51% of the equity share capital in
Sons Private Limited (JSPL) & Mukand Sumi Special Steel Limited
Mukand Limited (Mukand) (MSSSL) by Jamnalal Sons Private
Limited (JSPL) from Mukand Limited
(Mukand) and its nominees.
i. JSPL has acquired 25,71,150 equity
shares having a face value of Rs 10
each fully paid up by MSSSL from
Mukand.
Norwegian Government Pension Norwegian Government Pension Fund
Fund Global & Bajaj Electricals Global has increased its stake in Bajaj
Electricals by 1.73% (20 lakh shares)
through bulk deals, bringing its total
shareholding in the electrical
appliances company up to 3.03%
i. As per the Bombay Stock Exchange
(BSE) data, the Government Pension
Fund Global already holds a 1.30%
stake in Bajaj Electricals.
i. Meanwhile, California-based
venture capital firm Small Cap World
Fund, which holds 5.3% in Bajaj
Electricals, has offloaded 22 lakh
shares or 1.94% stakes in the
company, reducing its holding to
3.36%.
Suven Pharmaceuticals - The Competition Commission of India
Limited & Berhyanda Limited (CCI) approves the acquisition of up to
76.10% of the voting share capital
of Suven Pharmaceuticals
Limited by Berhyanda Limited, by way
of a share purchase agreement dated
26th December 2022.
i. This acquisition is pursuant to the
mandatory open offer in compliance
with the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) (Substantial
Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers)
Regulations, 2011.
Emerson Electric Co & BCP - The Competition Commission of India
Emerald Aggregator LP under (CCI), has approved the acquisition of
climate technologies’ business of
Emerson Electric Co by BCP Emerald
Aggregator LP under the green
channel route.
HDFC Investments Limited and - The Monetary Authority of Singapore
HDFC Holdings Limited & Housing (MAS), the central bank and financial
Development Finance Corporation regulatory authority of Singapore,
(HDFC) Limited. approved the merger of HDFC
Investments Limited and HDFC
Holdings Limited with parent Housing

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 Development Finance Corporation
(HDFC) Limited.
As a part of the composite scheme of
amalgamation, MAS has also approved
the acquisition of 20% or more stake
in Griha Pte. Limited by HDFC Bank.

MARCH 2023
Board of Directors of Bank of - The Board of Directors of Bank of
Baroda (BoB) & BoB Financial Baroda (BoB), a public sector bank,
Solutions Ltd (BFSL) has approved the divestment of up to
49% stake in its wholly-owned
subsidiary, BoB Financial Solutions
Ltd (BFSL), formerly known as BoB
Cards Ltd.
i. At present, BoB holds 100% of the
total equity share capital of BFSL

Life Insurance Company (LIC) & - LIC reported that it has sold 2% of its
NMDC Limited equity stake in the state-owned NMDC
Limited (formerly National Mineral
Development Corporation), taking its
total shareholding in the public sector
unit to 11.69% as of March 14.
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority’s - Competition Commission of India
(ADIA) & Lenskart Solutions (CCI) approved, under the green
Private Limited (LSPL). channel route, the Abu Dhabi
Investment Authority’s (ADIA)
acquisition of a stake in Lenskart
Solutions Private Limited (LSPL).
i. Competition Commission of India
(CCI) approved the proposed
investment by Qatar Investment
Authority (QIA) in BTS Investment 1
Pte (BTS1), a Singapore-based pooled
vehicle.
NSPIRA Management Services - The Competition Commission of India
Private Limited &NHPEA Minerva (CCI) approved the acquisition of
Holding BV share capital of NSPIRA Management
Services Private Limited from NHPEA
Minerva Holding BV which holds
18.23% and Banyantree Growth
Capital II, LLC which holds 2.24% by
Puneet Kothapa, Ponguru Sindhura
and Ponguru Sharani.
i. CCI approves the acquisition of
certain shareholding of JM Baxi Ports
and Logistics Limited by HL Terminal
Holding B.V., a wholly owned
subsidiary of Hapag Lloyd
Aktiengesellschaft.

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 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
SATELLITES
NAME OF THE SATELLITE LAUNCHED BY PURPOSE
JUNE 2023
ABA First Runner (AFR) satellite Azista BST Aerospace Azista BST Aerospace (ABA), a
(ABA) Ahmedabad (Gujarat)-based
aerospace firm, launched its 1st
satellite “ABA First Runner
(AFR)” onboard the SpaceX (Space
Exploration Technologies
Corporation)’s Falcon 9 rocket as part
of the Transporter-8 Mission from
Space Launch Complex 4E at
Vandenberg Space Force Base in
California, the United States of
America (USA).
SATRIA-1 (Satellite of the Republic SpaceX SpaceX successfully deployed a
of Indonesia) new Indonesian communications
satellite named SATRIA-1 to
geosynchronous transfer orbit.
• SATRIA-1 will be operated
for the Indonesian
Government by the
Indonesian company
Pasifik Satelit Nusantara
(PSN) into orbit.
• SATRIA-1
telecommunications
satellite lifted off atop
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket
from Cape Canaveral Space
Force Station in Florida,
the United States of
America (USA).
MAY 2023
3U Satellite Orbital Deployer (DSOD- Dhruva Space Private Dhruva Space Private Limited
3U), 6U Satellite Orbital Deployer Limited announced the successful test and
(DSOD-6U) space qualification of its 2-satellite
orbital deployers – 3U Satellite Orbital
Deployer (DSOD-3U), 6U Satellite
Orbital Deployer (DSOD-6U) and its
orbital link Dhruva Space Orbital Link
(DSOL) launched aboard Indian Space
Research Organisation’s (ISRO) PSLV-
C55 mission.
i. The Dhurva Space’s payload utilised
the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch

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 Vehicle) Orbital Experimental Module-
2 (POEM-2) which was launched as a
part of the PSLV-C55 mission.
ii. PSLV-C55 mission was launched on
22nd April 2023 from the first launch
pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre
(SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh
(AP)
Next Generation Small Satellite 2 South Korea South Korea successfully
launched ‘Next Generation Small
Satellite 2(NEXTSat-2), the first
commercial-grade satellite aboard
Korean Satellite Launch Vehicle
Two (KSLV-II), nicknamed Nuri, from
the launch pad at Naro Space Centre
in Goheung, South Jeolla Province,
South of Seoul, South Korea.
Arabsat BADR-8 SpaceX SpaceX (The Space Exploration
Technologies Corporation) launched a
big telecommunications satellite
named Arabsat BADR-8, Saudi
Arabia’s leading satellite service
provider from Cape Canaveral Space
Force Station in Florida, the United
States of America (USA) into Earth’s
orbit.
i. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off
with the BADR-8 communications
satellite for Arabsat.

NVS-01 Indian Space Research Indian Space Research Organisation

Organisation (ISRO) (ISRO) successfully launched
the GSLV-F12/NVS-01 mission and
placed a second-generation
Navigation Satellite, NVS-01, into
geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
The satellite was carried through a
51.7-metre-tall, 3-stage
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle (GSLV) rocket with a
cryogenic upper stage and lifted off
from the Satish Dhawan Space Center
(SDSC)-Sriharikota Range(SHAR),
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh(AP).
i. ISRO launched NVS-01 to augment
the continuity of Navigation with
Indian Constellation (NavIC) services
with the launch of the satellite.

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 APRIL 2023
Ofek 13 Israel Israel successfully launched the Ofek
13, a new Israeli spy satellite onboard
the Shavit launch vehicle into space
from Palmachim Airbase spaceport,
located near the cities of Rishon
LeZion and Yavne, Israel.
i. This would enhance around-the-
clock regional monitoring as Israel
braces for a possible showdown with
Iran.
ii. The Ofek-13, manufactured by the
state-owned Israel Aerospace
Industries (IAI), is the latest in a series
of Israeli-produced satellites first put
into orbit in 1988.

Fengyun-3G(FY-3G) China China launched Fengyun-3G(FY-3G),

its first satellite allowing scientists to
monitor the Earth’s precipitation from
space.
i. It was launched by China’s Long
March 4B rocket from the Jiuquan
Satellite Launch Center in Northwest
China’s Gansu Province.
ii. With a lifespan of 6 years (2023 –
2029), FY 3G is dedicated to
monitoring heavy rainfalls during
catastrophic weather conditions in
global regions of low- and mid-
latitude i.e. it will forecast global
meteorological disasters through its
powerful tool.
iii. FY 3G was developed by Eighth
Research Institute under China
Aerospace Science and Technology
Corporation (CASC), and its ground
system is built and operated by the
China Meteorological Administration
(CMA).
Taifa-1 Kenya Kenya successfully launched its
inaugural operational 3U Earth
Observation Satellite (EOS) ‘Taifa-1’
(Nation-1, in the Swahili language),
using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from
Vandenberg Base in California, United
States of America (USA).
i. Taifa-1 is designed and developed
by SayariLabs and EnduroSat. Created
by a team of nine Kenyan engineers, it
is designed to gather environmental
and agricultural data, such as flood,
drought, wildfire, forest and
urbanization changes data, which will
be employed by authorities to manage
disasters and tackle food insecurity.

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 PSLV-C55 with two Singaporean Sriharikota, Andhra Indian Space Research Organisation
satellites – TeLEOS-2 as the primary Pradesh (ISRO) launched PSLV-C55 with two
satellite and Lumelite-4 as a co- Singaporean satellites – TeLEOS-2 as
the primary satellite and Lumelite-4
passenger satellite
as a co-passenger satellite, as a part of
the PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2 mission,
from Satish Dhawan Space
Center(SDSC)-Sriharikota
Range(SHAR), Sriharikota, Andhra
Pradesh.
i. The 2 satellites, TeLEOS-2 and
Lumelite-4 were intended to be
launched into an Eastward low-
inclination orbit.
ii. This marks the 57th flight of the
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV)
and the 16th mission using the PSLV
Core Alone configuration (PSLV-CA).
MARCH 2023
NIL

NEW INITIATIVE/INNOVATION
JUNE 2023
➢ Chinese astronauts, Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu, returned to Earth on board
the Shenzhou-15 manned spaceship after completing their 6-month mission to build China’s Tiangong
space station. Shenzhou-15 touched down at Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region.
• Manned spaceship Shenzhou-15 was launched on November 29, 2022.
➢ Tata Elxsi, a leading global design and technology company has partnered with the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) to design and develop Crew Module Recovery Models (CMRM) for
recovery team training of the Gaganyaan Mission.
• The project marked Tata Elxsi’s entry into mechanical design for space.
• This is the first time ISRO has outsourced the mechanical design and development work to an
external partner for a critical system.
• Currently, two Recovery-Models CMRM and Ground Support Fixture (GSF) have been delivered to
Naval training teams at Kochi (Kerala) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) to train the recovery
teams.
➢ China has finished constructing the world’s most powerful largest and fastest wind tunnel JF-22, in
the mountainous Huairou district of northern Beijing, China. The JF-22 wind tunnel is owned by
the Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS) and is expected to play a crucial
role in China’s pursuit of hypersonic technology.
➢ Skyroot Aerospace, Hyderabad (Telangana) based private Indian Space company, successfully
conducted the Flight Qualification Test of the Raman-I Engine at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
(LPSC) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• ‘Raman’ is a series of engines or thrusters which uses the Earth storable
hypergolic (MMH/N2O4) propellants for upper stage engine and attitude or reaction control
in Skyroot’s Vikram-1 launch vehicle (rocket).

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MAY 2023
➢ Dubai-based airline Emirates unveiled the world’s 1st robotic check-in assistant named “Sara”,
at its newly launched City Check-in and Travel Store, at the ICD Brookfield Place of Dubai International
Financial Centre (DIFC), Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
➢ Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the first integrated test on an
intermediate configuration of the 2000kN (Kilonewton) thrust Semi-cryogenic Engine at the newly
commissioned Semi-cryogenic Integrated Engine & Stage Test facility at the ISRO Propulsion
Complex (IPRC) in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
• The design and development of a Semi-cryogenic Engine were undertaken by the Liquid
Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of ISRO with Indian industry participation, and it works on a
Liquid Oxygen (LOX)-Kerosene propellant combination which willpower the booster stages of
future launch vehicles.
➢ A BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired from the Indian Navy’s frontline
guided missile destroyer INS (Indian Naval Ship) Mormugao.
• The indigenous ship (INS Mormugao) and weapon (BrahMos supersonic cruise missile), mark
the symbol of ‘AatmaNirbharta’ and the Indian Navy’s firepower at sea.
• This marks INS Mormugao’s first BrahMos Supersonic cruise missile firing.
➢ Vast, a California (United States of America) based Space startup, has announced a plan to launch
the world’s first commercial space station, called Haven-1 in partnership with SpaceX (Space
Exploration Technologies) using the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to low-Earth orbit as soon as August 2025.
• Haven-1 will initially act as an independent crewed space station before connecting as a module
to a larger Vast space station.
➢ Spacex Falcon 9 Rocket launched the Crew of 4 astronauts (including the 2 Saudi Arabian
Astronauts) with the Dragon Capsule spacecraft on the all-private Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) chartered
flight to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the United
States of America (USA).
• One of the crew members Rayyanah Barnawi, became the first woman Astronaut from Saudi
Arabia to go to space. She was accompanied by Ali al-Qarni, a fighter pilot with the Royal Saudi
Air Force.
• Ali al-Qarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Government, were the first
from Saudi Arabia to ride a rocket since a Saudi prince launched aboard shuttle Discovery in
1985.
• The 4 astronauts are namely:
i. Peggy Annette Whitson- retired NASA astronaut and former NASA Chief Astronaut;
ii. RayyanahBarnawi- a stem cell Researcher;
iii. Ali al-Qarni- a fighter pilot with the Royal Saudi Air Force;
iv. John Shoffner- former driver and owner of a sports car racing team that competes in Europe
from Tennessee, USA.
➢ China successfully launched the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship, sending three astronauts,
including the first civilian to its Tiangong space station for 5-month mission. It was launched onboard
Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gobi Desert in northwest
China.
• For the first time, China has included a civilian in its rotating crew for the space station.

APRIL 2023
➢ Scientists from India and the United Kingdom (UK) have developed a real-time Early Warning
System to help reduce the destructive effects of flooding on people and property, particularly in
mountainous areas where extreme water events are a major problem.
• The team worked on integrating science, policy and local community-led approaches to create a
so-called SMART approach that better fits the local context.
• Team: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee (Uttarakhand),
Imperial College London (UK), University of Birmingham (UK), and People’s Science Institute,
Dehradun (Uttarakhand).

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➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the Reusable Launch
Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX) at the Aeronautical Test Range(ATR) in Chitradurga,
Karnataka.
• The mission was performed in collaboration with the Defence Space Research Organisation
(DRDO), and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• The test involved a winged body lifted to an altitude of 4.5 km by an Indian Air Force (IAF)
Chinook helicopter, subsequently freed to execute an independent high-speed (350 kmph)
landing on a runway, and achieved the landing parameters.
➢ NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and Canadian Space Agency(CSA)
announced the four astronauts crew for the Artemis II mission which includes 3 United States of
America (USA) nationals and one Canadian astronaut.
• For the first time, the lunar mission crew includes a woman astronaut, Christina Koch, a person
of colour (African American) astronaut, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Canadian astronaut
Jeremy Hanse.
• The four-member crew was chosen to fly as early as 2024. Artemis II would be the first crewed
voyage around the moon in more than 50 years.
➢ The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in India has partnered with
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a new computer model that
combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) and satellite data to sound alarms for dangerous space weather.
• The team of researchers at the Frontier Development Lab applied an AI method “deep learning”
and developed a computer model called DAGGER (formally, Deep Learning Geomagnetic
Perturbation).
➢ Skyroot Aerospace, the Private space technology startup based in Hyderabad, Telangana
successfully test-fired advanced fully 3D-printed ‘Dhawan-II’cryogenic engine for 200 seconds at Solar
Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra, using Skyroot’s indigenously developed
mobile cryogenic engine test pad.
• The engine will be used in the upper stage of their Vikram II rocket, which is set to be launched
in 2024.
• The Dhawan-II engine was built upon the foundation laid by Skyroot’s first privately developed
fully-cryogenic rocket engine, the 1.0 kN thrust Dhawan–I, which was successfully test fired in
November 2021.
➢ Space Pioneer (also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology Company Limited), a Chinese
aerospace company developing reusable orbital rocket technology, launched its Tianlong-2(TL-2) Yaoyi
carrier rocket, a liquid-fueled rocket, from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwest China.
• With this launch, Space Pioneer becomes the 1st Chinese aerospace company(private) to launch
a liquid-fueled rocket into orbit and this also marks the first time a startup company has
successfully reached orbit on its 1st attempt.
• The rocket launched a small satellite named Ai Taikong Kexue or “Love Space Science”,
developed by Hunan Hangsheng Satellite Technology Co., Ltd, into a Sun-synchronous orbit,
which will test its remote sensing capabilities.
➢ The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
performed its 49th flight, breaking two records: the highest altitude and the highest speed achieved by
any self-propelled aircraft outside of Earth.
• The little rotorcraft (Ingenuity) made its 49th flight during which it flew up to a height of 16
metres and clocked a high speed of 23.4 kilometres per hour.
➢ The first series production Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas trainer (LT 5201) aircraft,
manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), successfully completed its maiden flight,
marking a major milestone in the LCA Tejas programme.
• The 1st-ever Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) trainer (LT 5201) built to series production standards
took off from their airfield and successfully completed a 35-minute flight test before landing.
• The trainer plane was piloted by Group Captain Venu and Wing Commander Awasthi.
➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully completed two significant tests for
Gaganyaan—the Human Space Flight Programme—at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in
Mahendragiri, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu. The two key tests are as follows:

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 ❖ Human-Rated Vikas Engine Test Campaign for the L110 Stage:
• The final long-duration hot test of the Human-Rated L110-G Vikas Engine for the
planned qualifying duration of 240 seconds was successfully accomplished at the IPRC,
Mahendragiri.
❖ SDM (System Demonstration Model) tests for the Crew Module Propulsion System:
• The hot test of the Crew Module Propulsion System for demonstrating nominal re-entry
for 650 seconds was successfully completed at the IPRC, Mahendragiri.
• This system was designed, developed, and realized by Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
(LPSC), located in Valiamala, Kerala.
➢ SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument from Space Launch Complex 40
(SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States (US).
• The instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and integrated onto satellite Intelsat 40E by
Maxar.
➢ The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE),
via the Ariane-5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport from Kourou, French Guiana.
• Juice, a robotic explorer’s, mission was to make detailed observations of the solar system’s
biggest planet, Jupiter and three ice-encrusted moons which scientists believed to have
underground oceans where sea life could exist.
• Juice is expected to reach Jupiter in 2031 and has a mission lifespan of about three years which
could be extended by 200 or more days.
• The 1.7-billion-dollar spacecraft is armed with a suite of remote-sensing, geophysical and in-situ
instruments.

MARCH 2023
➢ SpaceX launched its Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) with 4 astronauts on
board reusable SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from the NASA(National Aeronautics and
Space Administration)’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States of America(USA).
• The Crew-6 launch is carrying 2 NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen and
Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg along with the UAE’s Sultan Al-Neyadi, and Roscosmos
cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists for a space station science
expedition.
➢ In a new study published in Nature Communication on 21st February 2023 by Thanh-Son Phạm and
Hrvoje Tkalčić, the researchers have confirmed the existence of a 5th new layer – the innermost inner
core, which lies at the Earth’s centre within the inner core.
• The 4 known layers of the earth are the crust, mantle, outer liquid core and inner solid core.
➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out an extremely challenging
controlled re-entry experiment of the decommissioned orbiting Megha-Tropiques-1 (MT-1) satellite in
an uninhabited area in the Pacific Ocean between 5 degrees south(°S) to 14°S latitude and 119°
West(W) to 100°W longitude.
It was carried out from the Mission Operations Complex in ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and
Command Network), Bengaluru (Karnataka).
➢ NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) (NISAR), an Earth-observation satellite, was handed
over to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California, United States of America(USA).
i. NISAR arrived in Bengaluru, Karnataka on a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
ii. NISAR, Earth-observing mission, was jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
➢ Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) successfully launched ‘LVM3-M3 OneWeb India-2
Mission’ from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) Sriharikota Range
(SHAR) in Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• Under this, ISRO launched its heaviest rocket, LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark Three)
carrying 36 OneWeb Gen-1 satellites with a total payload of 5,805 kg. These satellites
belong to London, United Kingdom (UK)-based OneWeb Group.
• OneWeb Gen-1 is a 150 kg class satellite.

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 • LVM3 placed these satellites in their intended 450 km circular orbit with an inclination
of 87.4 degrees.

DEFENCE
EXERCISES
Name of the Participating Venue KeyPoints
Exercise Countries
JUNE 2023
Arctic Challenge Finland, - Finland, and Norway, the North Atlantic Treaty
exercise 2023 Sweden Organization (NATO) member countries, along
and Norway with Sweden hosted
the 6th multinational Arctic Challenge exercise
2023 (ACE 23), which is scheduled to be held
from 29 May to 9 June 2023.
• In addition to the hosts (Finland,
Norway, and Sweden), the Netherlands,
Belgium, the United Kingdom (UK), Italy,
Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland,
Denmark, the Czech Republic and the
United States of America (USA) are also
participating in the ACE 23.

Sudarshan Shakti India Rajasthan and South Western (Sapta Shakti) Command of the
2023 Punjab Indian Army (IA) conducted a 4-day
exercise “Sudarshan Shakti 2023” from 22nd to
25th May 2023 along the Western borders in
Rajasthan and Punjab.
• Exercise ‘Sudarshan Shakti 2023’,
was designed to validate operational
preparedness of the Indian Army in a
network-centric environment.
• C-130J Super Hercules, C-17
Globemaster and AN-32 aircraft were
used to insert troops and specialised
equipment into designated areas in
the obstacle-ridden terrain with
clinical precision.

Ekatha India and Maldives The 6th edition of the annual Naval
Maldives Exercise ‘Ekatha’ between India and Maldives
was scheduled to be conducted from 4th June to
3rd July 2023, in Maldives to enhance
interoperability in diving and special
operations.
• The 5th edition was held in Maldives
from September 5 to October 3,
2022.

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Trilateral Maritime India, France Gulf of Oman The First edition of the India, France and the
Partnership and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Trilateral
Exercise United Arab Maritime Partnership Exercise was held in
Emirates the Gulf of Oman from 7th to 8th June 2023.
(UAE) • Indian Navy’s INS (Indian Naval
Ship) Tarkash (a second Talwar-class
frigate commissioned in 2012), French
Navy’s French Ship (FS) Surcouf both
with integral helicopters, French Rafale
aircraft and UAE Navy Maritime Patrol
Aircraft are participating in the exercise.
Ex Ekuverin India and Chaubatia, Uttara The 12th edition of “Ex Ekuverin”, a bilateral
Maldives khand joint military exercise between the Indian
Army and the Maldives National Defence
Force commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand on
11th June 2023. The exercise will continue till
24th June 2023.

Komodo ASEAN Indonesia Indian Naval ship (INS) Satpura participated in

(MNEK 2023) countries the 4th edition of Multilateral Naval Exercise
“Komodo” (MNEK 2023) held in and around
Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia from June
4 to 8 2023.
• INS Satpura participated in the
exercise as part of the Indian Navy’s
deployment to ASEAN (Association
of Southeast Asian Nations)
countries.

Ex Khaan Quest Mongolia Ulaanbaatar, Mon The 19th edition of Multinational Peacekeeping
golia Joint Exercise, Ex Khaan Quest 2023, was
inaugurated by the President and Commander-
In-Chief of the Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF)
Ukhnaagiin Khurelsuk at the Five Hills Training
Area, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Agneyastra 1 India Ladakh Indian Army’s Northern Command conducted
“Exercise Agneyastra 1” on 19th June 2023, in
eastern Ladakh to showcase India’s fire power
supremacy.
MAY 2023
ASEAN (Association Navies of Singapore The opening ceremony of the inaugural ASEAN
of Southeast Asian Brunei (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-India
Nations)-India Darussalam, Maritime Exercise (AIME-23) was held at the
Changi Naval Base in Singapore which was
Maritime Exercise Cambodia,
inaugurated and co-officiated
(AIME-23) Indonesia, Lao by Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar, Chief of
PDR, Malaysia, the Naval Staff (CNS), Indian Navy (IN) and Rear
Myanmar, the Admiral Sean Wat, Chief of Navy
Philippines, (CNV), Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and
Singapore, senior dignitaries from ASEAN.

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 Thailand, and The inaugural edition of AIME is being co-
Vietnam hosted by the RSN and IN.
(ASEAN
Nations), and
IN

Buland Bharat - Arunachal Indian Armed Forces

Pradesh 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.
i. Objective: To add coordination and speed
towards the detection, destruction and
depletion of the enemy’s war-waging
capabilities.

Agni Daman-23 - Pune, A mutual firefighting Exercise named ‘Agni

Maharashtra Daman-23’ was conducted to raise awareness
and train the personnel of both civil and military
agencies on firefighting at 29 Field Ammunition
Depot, Dehu Road under the aegis of
Headquarter Southern Command, Pune
(Maharashtra).
Samudra Shakti-23 Indian Navy Batam, Indonesia Samudra Shakti-23, the 4th edition of India-
and Indonesia Bilateral Naval Exercise between the
Indonesian Indian Navy (IN) and Indonesian Navy (IDN) is
Navy being held at Batam, Indonesia from May 14-
19, 2023.
i. IN– INS (Indian Naval Ship) Kavaratti, an
indigenously designed & built ASW (Anti-
Submarine Warfare) Corvette; Dornier Maritime
Patrol aircraft, and Chetak helicopter
ii. IDN– KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, CN 235
Maritime Patrol Aircraft and AS565 Panther
Helicopter
iii. KRI stands for Kapal Perang Republik
Indonesia, or Naval Vessel of the Republic of
Indonesia.

Al Mohed Al Hindi Indian Navy Saudi Arabia The second edition of India-Saudi Arabia
23 and Royal Bilateral Naval Exercise designated as
Saudi Naval “Al Mohed Al Hindi 23“, a series of exercises
Force RSNF undertaken by the Indian Navy and Royal Saudi
Naval Force RSNF on land and at sea concluded.

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 i. The 5 days bilateral naval Exercise between
India and Saudi Arabia was held from May 21,
2023 to May 25, 2023 in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
ii. The INS (Indian Navy Ship) TARKASH, the
flagship frigate of the Indian Western Naval
Fleet, and the INS SUBHADRA, an offshore
patrol vessel, and IN (Indian Navy) Dornier, one
maritime patrol aircraft took part in the naval
exercise.
APRIL 2023
SLINEX (Sri Lanka- Sri Lanka & Colombo, Sri It is 10th edition of annual India-Sri Lanka
India Naval India Lanka bilateral maritime exercise – SLINEX (Sri Lanka-
Exercise) 2023 India Naval Exercise) 2023, between Sri Lanka
Navy (SLN) and India Navy (IN) commenced in
Colombo, Sri Lanka.
i. IN: INS Kiltan (Advanced Anti Submarine
Warfare Corvette) and INS Savitri (Offshore
Patrol Vessel)
Participant: Chetak helicopter and Dornier
Maritime Patrol Aircraft
ii. SLN: SLNS Gajabahu (Advance Offshore Patrol
Vessel) and SLNS Sagara (OPV)
Participant: Sri Lanka Air Force Dornier and
BEL 412 helicopters
Exercise Cope India India & United Panagarh, West The first phase of Exercise Cope India 23(CI23),
23 States Bengal a bilateral Air Exercise between the Indian Air
Force (IAF) and the United States Air Force
began on 10th April 2023 at Air Force Station
Arjan Singh (Panagarh Air Force base) in
Panagarh, West Bengal(WB).
i. The 11-day exercise is scheduled to be held in
Panagarh, Kalaikunda(West Bengal) and Agra
(Uttar Pradesh)air force stations.
ii. Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF)
aircrew will also participate in the capacity of
observers.
Exercise Orion France France Exercise Orion, a Multilateral Military Exercise,
was initiated at Mont-de-Marsan, an Air Force
base of the French Air and Space Force (FASF)
in France. Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent will
take part in the exercise which will be
conducted from 17th April 2023 to 5th May
2023.
i. Along with IAF and FASF, Air Forces from
Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, United
Kingdom, Spain and the United States of
America (USA) also participates in the exercise.
ii. The Indian Air Force Contingent comprises
four Rafale, two C-17, two IL-78 aircraft and 165
air warriors.
Ajeya Warrior 2023 India and the United Kingdom Ajeya Warrior 2023, The 7th edition of India
United and the United Kingdom (UK) bilateral training
Kingdom (UK) exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ commenced at the
Salisbury Plains, UK on 27th April 2023.

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 i. The exercise will culminate on 11th May,
2023.
ii. The UK Soldiers of the 2 Royal Gorkha
Rifles, a rifle regiment of the British Army, and
Indian Army soldiers from the BIHAR Regiment,
an Indian Army infantry regiment, are
participating in the exercise.
MARCH 2023
International - Gulf region Indian Navy Ship (INS) Trikand is participating
Maritime Exercise/ in the International Maritime Exercise/ Cutlass
Cutlass Express Express 2023 (IMX/CE-23) being held in the
Gulf region from 26 February to 16 March 2023
2023 (IMX/CE-23)
This marks Indian Navy’s 1st IMX participation
and also marks the 2nd occasion in which INS
participates in an exercise conducted by
Combined Maritime Forces.
FRINJEX-23 India & France Thiruvananthapu FRINJEX-23, The first edition of the Joint
ram, Kerala Military Exercise between the Indian and
French Army was conducted at Pangode
Military Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
on March 7-8, 2023.
Theatre Level - Arabian Sea The 2023 edition of Indian Navy’s Largest War
Operational Game and operational-level biennial exercise,
Readiness Exercise” “Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise”
(TROPEX-23), which took place across the
(TROPEX-23)
Indian Ocean Region (IOR), culminated in the
Arabian Sea.
The recent overall exercise program of Indian
Navy which include Coastal Defence Exercise
Sea Vigil 2022, Amphibious Exercise 2023
(AMPHEX 2023), and TROPEX-23 held for 4
months from November 2022 to March 2023.
Exercise La Perouse India, Japan, Indian Ocean It is the 3rd edition of France-led multilateral (5
2023 Australia and region (IOR) nation) naval exercise was held from 13th to
the United 14th March 2023 in the Indian Ocean region
(IOR). La Perouse 2023 witnessed the
States of
participation of personnel, ships and integral
America helicopters of the navies of Quad countries –
(USA); and the India, Japan, Australia and the USA; and the UK.
United
Kingdom (UK)
Exercise Bold India and the Jodhpur Military It is the 13th edition of a bilateral armour
Kurukshetra 2023 Singapore Station, training exercise between India and the
Rajasthan Singapore army, was held from March 6 to 13,
2023.
SEA DRAGON 23 - Guam, USA The Indian Navy is participating in the 3rd
(United States of edition of anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
America) exercise SEA DRAGON 23 with A P8I aircraft.
The Exercise is scheduled to be held from March
15 to 30, 2023 in waters off Guam, USA (United
States of America).
Africa-India Field India and 23 Aundh, Pune, The 2nd edition of the AFINDEX-2023 between
Training Exercise African Maharashtra India and 23 African nations began on March 21,
(AFINDEX-2023) nations 2023.

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Konkan 2023 Indian Navy Arabian Sea It is annual bilateral maritime exercise between
(IN) & Royal the Indian Navy (IN) of India and the Royal Navy
Navy of the of the United Kingdom (UK).
United
Kingdom (UK)
Exercise Cobra - United Kingdom Indian Air Force(IAF) participated in “Exercise
Warrior (UK) Cobra Warrior”, which was conducted at the
Waddington Air Force Base of the Royal Air
Force (RAF) in the United Kingdom (UK) from
March 6–24, 2023.
Along with India, Finland and Saudi Arabia
joined the Exercise Cobra Warrior for the first
time.

MISSILES
Name of the Missile Testing Location Other Key facts

JUNE 2023
Agni-1 Odisha India carried out a successful training
launch of a nuclear-capable Medium Range
Ballistic Missile (MRBM), Agni-1 from APJ
Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
• Agni-1 was fired as a user training
launch by Strategic Forces
Command (SCF), which controls,
manages and administers the
nuclear forces in India.

Fattah Iran The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

of Iran unveiled the first Indigenously-made
Hypersonic ballistic missile, “Fattah” with a
range of 1,400 kilometres (km).
• This missile was named by the
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei.
• ‘Fattah’ in Farsi (Persian) language
means ‘Conqueror/opener’.

Agni-P Odisha Agni Prime or Agni-P, a New

Generation Ballistic Missile was successfully
flight-tested by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) from
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast
of Odisha.
• This was the first pre-induction
night launch conducted by users
after three successful
developmental trials of the missile,

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 validating the accuracy and
reliability of the system.
MAY 2023
Kheibar Iran Iran successfully test-launched a new surface-
to-surface 4th generation of Khorramshahr
ballistic missile, a medium-range precision-
guided projectile named Kheibar.
i. It was developed by the Aerospace
Industries Organization (AIO) under Iran’s
Ministry of Defense.
APRIL 2023
Amogha-III - Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) successfully
conducted a field firing test of its indigenous
third generation man-portable Anti Tank
Guided Missile (ATGM), Amogha-III.
i. Amogha-III has been developed under
Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme (IGMDP) by the Research and
Development (R&D) Division of BDL.

MARCH 2023
BrahMos supersonic missile Arabian Sea Indian Navy (IN) successfully test fired the
Ship launched version of the BrahMos
supersonic missile in the Arabian Sea. The test
was carried out from a Kolkata-class guided
missile destroyer warship.
S-400 `Triumf’ Surface-to-air - Indian Air Force (IAF) received the third
defence missile system squadron of the S-400 `Triumf’ Surface-to-air
defence missile system from Russia which will
be deployed along the western sector,
bordering Pakistan.
In October 2018, India and Russia signed a
deal of $5.43 billion for the procurement of 5
units of S-400 air defence systems to India by
2025.

Very Short-Range Air Chandipur, Odisha Defence Research and Development

Defence System Organisation (DRDO) conducted two
(VSHORADS) missiles consecutive successful flight tests of
VSHORADS missiles at the Integrated Test
Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.
i. DRDO also successfully conducted a maiden
flight-test of the Power Take off (PTO) Shaft
on Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) Limited
Series Production (LSP) -3 aircraft in
Bengaluru (Karnataka).

COMMISSION/DECOMMISSION
JUNE 2023
NIL

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MAY 2023
➢ The 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. It was commanded
by CDR Hemant V Salunkhe.
• INS Magar was launched on November 16, 1984 by Meera Tahiliani and commissioned on July
18, 1987 at Garden Reach Shipyard and Engineers (GRSE) Limited, Kolkata (West Bengal) by
late Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani.

APRIL 2023
NIL

MARCH 2023
NIL

IMPORTANT DEFENCE EVENTS

JUNE 2023
➢ Indian Navy’s MH-60 ‘Romeo’ (MH-60R) helicopter, known for its anti-surface and anti-submarine
warfare capabilities, successfully landed for the first time on the Indian Naval Ship (INS) NS Vikrant, an
indigenously designed and constructed aircraft carrier.
• The MH-60R, stationed at the Naval air station INS Garuda in Kochi, Kerala, made the landing on
the indigenously designed and constructed aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in the Arabian Sea.
• MH-60R helicopter manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation,an American aerospace
technology corporation.
➢ The Indian Navy and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully engaged
an underwater target with an indigenously developed heavyweight Torpedo, named Varunastra.
• ‘Varunastra’, the advanced Heavy-Weight anti-submarine Torpedo, was inducted by the Indian
Navy in 2016 and is developed by the Indian Navy and the Naval Science and Technology
Laboratory (NSTL) of DRDO and is manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL).
➢ QuNu Labs Private Limited (QNu Labs), a leading quantum technology startup company, partners
with the Indian Navy for the procurement and deployment of Quantum Key Distribution
(QKD) based systems.
• With this collaboration, Indian Navy becomes India’s 1st agency to procure large-
scale Quantum-based encryption systems.
• The procurement order for the QKD systems was signed by the Indian Navy in May 2023.
• Indian Navy will procure and deploy QKD systems in a Hub & Spoke configuration across
multiple locations, with QNu Labs as the partner of choice for delivering and integrating these
state-of-the-art systems.
➢ The Indian Army signed a contract with Astrome Technologies Private Limited, Bengaluru
(Karnataka)-based start-up company to procure the indigenously-developed “Tactical LAN (Local area
network) Radio” for reliable and interference-free communication in remote and difficult terrain.
• It is the second procurement contract that the Indian Army has signed in order to furthering its
commitment to the “Make in India” Campaign through Innovations for Defence Excellence
(iDEX).
• Tactical LAN Radio is a state-of-the-art high bandwidth backhaul wireless radio equipment
designed to provide reliable and fail-safe communication.
➢ The Defence Acquisition Council(DAC), the highest decision-making body in the Ministry
of Defence(MoD), has approved the deal to acquire the MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B)
drones from the United States of America(USA).

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 ➢ Indian Navy Launched “Julley Ladakh” (Hello Ladakh), an outreach programme to
Ladakh with an aim to increase awareness about the naval service and to engage with youth
and civil society members.
• Motorcycle expedition conducted in partnership with TVS Motors. Riders took part in this
expedition with TVS Apache RTR and RR 310.
➢ Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy collaborated
successfully and demonstrated the transfer of command-and-control capabilities of
the TAPAS 201 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
• The TAPAS took off at 7.35 a.m. from a remote ground station to onboard Indian Naval Ship
(INS) Subhadra, 148 km from the Karwar naval base, Karnataka.
• The UAV was seamlessly (smoothly) flying around an altitude of 20,000ft, Above Mean Sea Level
(ASML).
• Tapas UAV, developed by DRDO, is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE)UAV. The
indigenously developed TAPAS 201 UAV has been designed and developed by the Bengaluru
based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE).

MAY 2023
➢ 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.
➢ The Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in Exercise INIOCHOS-23, a multi-national air exercise
hosted by the Greece Air Force at its Andravida Air Base in the western Peloponnese from April 24,
2023 – May 4, 2023.
• Hosted by the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) of Greece, IAF participated with four Su-30 MKI and
two C-17 aircraft.
• INIOCHOS a major air exercise in Europe and the Mediterranean, capable to provide high level
training and a unique participation experience.
• Participants: India with 4 Su-30 MKI and two C-17 Aircraft.
➢ 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.
• It is developed by 3 DRDO laboratories viz. Naval Science & Technological
Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh); Aerial Delivery Research &
Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra (Uttar Pradesh) and Aeronautical Development
Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru (Karnataka).
• The Design Validation Trial Vertical Shaft based Underground Ammunition Storage Facility was
conducted successfully by detonating 5,000 kgs of Trinitrotoluene (TNT) in one of the chambers
of the underground facility.
• This facility was designed and developed by the Centre of Fire, Explosive and Environment
Safety (CFEES), a Delhi-based laboratory of DRDO.
➢ The Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved 4th Positive Indigenization
List (PIL) of 928 strategically-important Line Replacement Units (LRUs)/Sub-systems/Spares &
Components including high-end materials & spares.
• The import substitution value of this list is worth Rs 715 crore.
• Details of these items are available on SRIJAN Portal.
➢ The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence
(MoD), signed its 250th contract (1st under Mission DefSpace) with Thane (Maharashtra) based
InspeCity Space Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., and 100th SPRINT (Navy) contract with Pune (Maharashtra)
based Siliconia Technologies Pvt Ltd in New Delhi, Delhi.

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 • Contract with InspeCity(Mission DefSpace contract): It is a first contract under Mission
DefSpace which was signed by Additional Secretary-Defence Production (AS-DP) and CEO (Chief
Executive Officer) Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) T. Natarajan; and CEO of
InspeCity, Arindrajit Chowdhary.
• Contract with Siliconia Technologies Pvt Ltd(100th SPRINT (Navy) contract): It is the
100th SPRINT (Navy) contract which was exchanged between CEO-DIO T. Natarajan; and
CEO, Sushil Eknath Ghule, Siliconia Technologies Pvt Ltd.
➢ Indra Sistemas, S.A.(Indra), Madrid (Spain) based Information Technology and Defense System
Company, and TATA Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has installed the naval version of Lanza-N
3D on one of the Indian Navy’s Destroyer Ship.
• This is the first of the 23 radars that will be equipped in the Indian Naval Ships. Indra will
deliver the radars to the Indian Navy by over the next decade.
➢ The 6th Scorpene Submarine of Project-75, Yard 11880, Indian Navy’s Kalvari class “Vaghsheer”
commenced its sea trials. The submarine was launched on 20 April 2022 from the Kanhoji Angre Wet
Basin of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), formerly known as Mazagon Dock Limited.
• Vagsheer is scheduled for delivery to the Indian Navy in early 2024 after the completion of
these trials.
➢ 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.
• Sea skimming is a technique that is used by anti-ship missiles and some fighter or strike
aircraft to avoid radar or infrared detection during their approach to the target.
• INS Mormugao is the second ship of the Visakhapatnam-class Project 15B stealth-guided
missile destroyers of the Indian Navy.
• It was designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai (Maharashtra) to offer new design concepts for improved
survivability, seakeeping, and manoeuvrability.
➢ Indian Navy (IN) MiG-29K fighter jet landed on the indigenous aircraft carrier Indian Naval Ship (INS)
Vikrant for the first time at night when the ship was sailing in the Arabian Sea.
• INS Vikrant: Commissioned in September 2022, INS Vikrant is currently sailing in the Arabian
Sea.The aircraft carrier is presently undergoing air certification and flight integration trials with
rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft to achieve combat-ready state.
• The 45,000-tonne Vikrant is the first to be built in India and was constructed by the Cochin
Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kerala at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore.
• The namesake Vikrant is a tribute to India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant which was operated
by the navy from 1961 to 1997.
➢ Indian Navy along with ISRO released Indian Navy (IN) MiG-29K fighter jet landed on the
indigenous aircraft carrier Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant for the first time at night when the ship was
sailing in the Arabian Sea.

APRIL 2023
➢ The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed multiple deals worth ~ Rs 32,000 crore for the Indian Armed
forces- Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Army (IA) to boost ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence.
• MoD has signed contracts for the acquisition of 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NG-
OPV) and 6 Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV), equipment and BrahMos supersonic
missiles for coastal defence for the Indian Navy and improved Akash Surface to Air missile
(SAM) system and 12 Swathi Weapon Locating Radars (WLR) (Plains) for the Indian Army.
• The contracts are as follows:
• Contract for acquisition of 11 NG-OPVs: It was signed with Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata (West Bengal), at a total cost of Rs

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 9,781 crore. It was signed under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and
Manufactured)} category.
• Contract for acquisition of 6 NGMVs: MoD signed a contract worth Rs 9805 with Cochin
Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the acquisition of 6 Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV), and
delivery is scheduled to commence from March 2027.
• MoD has also signed a contract worth Rs 1700 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru,
Karnataka for the procurement of 13 Lynx-U2 Fire Control Systems which will be installed on
the NGOPVs.
• MoD has also signed a contract worth Rs 1700 crore with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited
(BAPL) for procurement of Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (NGMMCB)
(Long range) and BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
❖ The delivery of NGMMCBs is scheduled to commence in 2027.
• Contract for Procurement of AWS: The contract for procurement of improved AWS for 3rd and
4th Regiments of Army Air Defence, comprising live missiles and launchers with upgrades,
ground-support equipment, vehicles and infrastructure was signed with Bharat Dynamics
Limited (BDL), worth over Rs 8,160 crore.
• The contract for WLR Swathi (Plains) was signed with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at a
cost of over Rs 990 crore.
➢ The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Ultra Dimensions Private Limited (UDPL),
Visakhapatnam for the modernisation of Naval Aircraft Yards (NAYs) at Goa and Kochi (Kerala), at a
cost of approximately Rs 470 crore.
• The NAYs would service and repair Naval Aircraft, Aero Engines, Rotables and Test Equipment
at Goa and Kochi, Kerala.
• The MoD has also signed a contract with Mecon Ltd, Ranchi, Jharkhand, as Project Monitoring
Consultant, at a cost of Rs 24 crore.
➢ The Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane, inaugurated the third LCA (Light Combat Aircraft)
production line of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s (HAL) and handed over the 100th Sukhoi-30 MKI Repair
and Overhaul (ROH) aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) at HAL’s Nashik Division in Nasik,
Maharashtra.
• The Signal Out Certificate (SOC) of the 100th ROH aircraft was handed over by Saket Chaturvedi,
CEO (MiG Complex), HAL, to Air Vice Marshal Sarin in the presence of HAL CMD C.B.
Ananthakrishnan and other senior officials.
• The new production line will enable HAL to enhance LCA MK1A ‘Tejas’ Fighter jets production
capacity from 16 to 24 aircraft per year.
• HAL already operates two LCA manufacturing facilities in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
➢ Extended Range Anti-Submarine Rocket (ER-ASR) designed by two Pune(Maharashtra)-based
facilities of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) were successfully test-fired
for the 1st time from the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Chennai.
• The ER-ASR was designed and developed by The Armament Research and Development
Establishment (ARDE) and the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) – DRDO
facilities located in Pune, Maharashtra.
• The ER-ASR is intended to replace the existing Russian-origin Rocket Guided Bombs (RGBs)
rockets already installed on ships, as well as to intercept submarines at specific depths.
• The RGB has a range of 5 kilometers (Km), whereas the ER-ASR has a range of more than 8 Km.
➢ Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, officially unveiled ‘TCG Anadolu’, the
country’s largest warship and the world’s first unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) carrier.
• It is an amphibious assault vessel of the Turkish Navy that can be configured as a
landing helicopter dock (LHD) and a drone carrier.
• TCG Anadolu was built as part of the ‘Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship Project’ and began
trials in March 2022.
• It was built in Istanbul (Türkiye) by the Ottoman company Sedef Shipbuilding and is based on
the L-61 aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I.
• Both vessels were designed by the same manufacturer, Spain’s Navantia.

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 ➢ Earlier on March 23, North Korea made a claim of conducting a test of an underwater nuclear
attack drone, which notably had the ability to unleash a “radioactive tsunami”.The “Unmanned
Underwater Nuclear Attack Craft” was the name given to the drone, also known as “Haeil” (meaning
tsunami).
• As a sequel, Haeil-2, which is the second underwater nuclear attack drone of North Korea was
tested from April 4 to April 7.
➢ India is set to clear the proposal to acquire armaments worth over USD 300 million from the
United States of America (USA) to arm the Indian Navy’s MH 60 “Romeo” chopper, the multi-role
helicopters which will enhance its capabilities to counter enemy warships and submarines.
• Under this, the fleet of 24 choppers will get additional Hellfire missiles and Mk 54 lightweight
torpedoes.
➢ Nagpur (Maharashtra)-based Solar Industries India Limited has bagged an order to supply 400
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) ‘Nagastra – I’ to the Indian Army. Solar Industries won the contract
defeating competitors from Israel and Poland.
• The 1st indigenous man-portable loitering munition (LM), Nagastra-1(a fixed-wing electric
UAV), has been designed and developed by Economics Explosives Ltd (EEL), a wholly owned
subsidiary of Solar Industries, in association with Zmotion Autonomous Systems Private
Limited(Z-Motion) based in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
➢ Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy (IN) successfully
conducted a maiden flight trial of sea-based endo-atmospheric Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD)
interceptor off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal.

MARCH 2023
➢ The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) inked a contract for the
procurement of six Dornier-228 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of Rs. 667 crores.
i. The aircraft was employed by the IAF for communication and route transport roles, and it was also
used to train IAF transport pilots.
➢ The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract for Normal Refit of INS Sindhukirti (S61)
Submarine at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP), at an overall
cost of Rs 934 crore.
➢ Indian Naval Ship (INS) Androth, the second in a series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow
Water Craft (ASW SWC) was launched in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• INS Androth was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), Kolkata, West
Bengal.
• They are 77.6 m long, have a displacement of 900 tons with a maximum speed of 25 knots.
• The ship was named Androth to signify the maritime importance accorded to the island of
Androth, which is located about 170 Nm north-west of Kochi, in the Union Territory of
Lakshadweep.
• The contract for building 8 ASW SWC ships was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD)
and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on 29 April 2019.
• The first ship of the series, the INS Arnala, was launched in December 2022. The Arnala class of
ships will replace the in-service Abhay class ASW Corvettes of the Indian Navy.
➢ Ministry of Defence signed 2 separate contracts with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at a total cost
of over Rs 3,700 crore to procure ‘Arudhra’ Medium Power Radars (MPR) and 129 DR-118 Radar
Warning Receivers (RWR) for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
➢ North Korea has tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone known as “Haeil,” (a Korean word for
tidal waves or tsunamis), the first weapon of its kind capable of generating a massive radioactive
tsunami that can destroy naval strike groups and ports.
➢ Ministry of Defence(MoD) signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hyderabad,
Telangana, for procurement of 2 Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems ‘Project Himshakti’ at an
overall cost of approximately Rs 3,000 crore.

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 ➢ Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed three contracts worth ∼ Rs 5,400 crore for Indian Army (IA),
and Indian Navy (IN) under the Buy {Indian – IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and
Manufactured)} to boost defence capabilities of India.
❖ Two contracts are signed with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) worth Rs 2,400 crore viz.
Procurement of Automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System ‘Project Akashteer’ for IA worth
Rs 1,982 crore
• Acquisition of Sarang Electronic Support Measure (ESM) systems along with associated
Engineering Support Package from BEL, Hyderabad at an overall cost of Rs 412 crore for the
Indian Navy.
• One contract is signed with the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Central Public Sector
Enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Space, Bengaluru (Karnataka) for Rs 2,963 crore for
an advanced communication satellite, GSAT (Geosynchronous Satellite System) 7B, for IA.
❖ MoD signed a contract worth Rs 1,700 crore with BEL for the procurement of 13 Lynx-U2 Fire
Control Systems for Indian Navy. The contract is signed under Buy Indian – IDMM category.

SPORTS
APPOINTMENTS IN SPORTS
Name Appointed as Association Points to be noted

JUNE 2023
NIL
MAY 2023
NIL
APRIL 2023
NIL
MARCH 2023
Salima Tete Athletes Ambassador Asian Hockey Federation Salima Tete, an Indian Women’s
(AHF) Hockey team midfielder, was
appointed the AHF Athletes
Ambassador from India for a
term of 2 years, with effect from
25th March 2023.
Other AHF Athletes
Ambassadors are: Lee Jong Jun
(South Korea); Abdul Hannan
Shahid (Pakistan) and Asai Yu
(Japan)

RETIREMENT
Name of the Person Sport, they belong to/ Country Points to be Noted

JUNE 2023
NIL
MAY 2023
NIL
APRIL 2023
NIL
MARCH 2023
NIL

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TENNIS
JUNE 2023
➢ French Open 2023, the 127th edition of the French Open, was held from 22nd May to 11th June 2023.
• Novak Djokovic, Serbian professional tennis player, won his 23rd Grand Slam title (Men’s singles
category) in the French Open 2023 also known as 2023 Roland-Garros, held at Court Philippe-
Chatrier in Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France.

Category Winners Runners

Men’s Novak Casper Ruud

singles Djokovic(Serbia) (Norway)

Women’s Iga Karolína Muchová

singles Świątek(Poland) (Czech Republic)

Ivan Dodig
Sander Gillé and
Men’s (Croatia) and
Joran Vliegen
doubles Austin Krajicek
(Belgium)
(USA)

Hsieh Su- Leylah

Women’s wei(Taiwan) Fernandez(Canada)
doubles and Wang Xinyu and Taylor
(China) Townsend (USA)

Bianca Andreescu
Miyu Kato
Mixed (Canada) and
(Japan) and Tim
doubles Michael Venus
Pütz (Germany)
(New Zealand)

MAY 2023
➢ 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, defeating Jesper de Jong
of the Netherlands. The 2023 Roma Garden Open was held in Rome, Italy, from 24th to 30th April 2023.
• This marks his 3rd Challenger title and his 1st title since 2019(Buenos Aires, Argentina). He
won his maiden Challenger title at Bengaluru Open 2017.
• Sumit Nagal is the first ever Indian to win a challenger trophy title on European clay.

APRIL 2023
NIL

MARCH 2023
NIL

CRICKET
JUNE 2023
➢ Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MS Dhoni)-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won their fifth Indian Premier
League (IPL) title by defeating the reigning champions Gujarat Titans (GT) led by Hardik Pandya
by five wickets in the finals of the 16th edition of IPL (IPL 2023) at Narendra Modi Stadium (the largest
cricket stadium in the world) in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Complex, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

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 • The 16th edition of IPL (IPL 2023 or IPL 16), also known as Tata IPL 2023 for sponsorship
reasons, is a franchise Twenty20(T20) cricket league in India.With this win, CSK equals the
Mumbai Indians (MI) record of most trophies.
• CSK became the most successful team in the tournament. The team won 5 titles in 14
editions breaking the record of MI which has won 5 titles in 16 editions.
❖ Virat Kohli becomes 1st batter to cross 7,000 runs in IPL:
• On 6th May 2023, Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB)’s Virat Kohli became the first batter
to get to 7000 runs in IPL, a T20 Tournament.
• He achieved the feat during the 46-ball 55 in a match against the Delhi Capitals(DC) in
Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
• He also holds the record for the most runs scored in a single edition of IPL. He achieved the
feat in 2016 with 973 runs.
• Virat Kohli slams record 7th IPL hundred (against GT), most by any batter in tournament’s
history by surpassing Chris Gayle, who scored 6 centuries.
❖ Other achievements by Virat Kohli:
• During a match against MI at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Virat Kohli also became the
first Indian to score a half-century of fifties in IPL.
• David Warner of Australia, the captain of leading DC tops the list of players with the most
half-centuries or more in the IPL. He has crossed the 50-run mark 61 times in IPL and has
four centuries in his name.
• On 15th April 2023, Virat Kohli became the first batter to score 2500 runs at a single
venue. He achieved the feat during the match against DC at M.
Chinnaswamy Stadium(Bengaluru, Karnataka).
• He is also the player with the most runs at a single venue in an IPL Season. He scored 597
runs at Chinaswammy Stadium in Bengaluru in 2016
❖ MS Dhoni completes 5,000 runs, seventh-highest run scorer in IPL history
• On 3rd April 2023, MS Dhoni crossed the 5,000 run mark in IPL during the match against
LSG in CSK’s home ground MA Chidambaram Stadium.
• He has scored 5082 runs at an average of 39.09 in 250 matches.
• Dhoni has represented CSK in 219 games, scoring 4508 runs in 190 innings. Overall, in 250
matches Dhoni has scored 5082 runs at an average of 39.09 and a strike rate of 135.96 in
217 innings.
• He has scored 24 half-centuries and is also the 7th-highest run scorer in the IPL.
• Dhoni becomes the first player in the history of IPL to play 250 matches.
❖ RR’s Yuzvendra Chahal becomes 1st Indian bowler to take 300 wickets in T20:
• Yuzvendra Chahal, spinner of Rajasthan Royals, became the first Indian bowler to take 300
wickets in T20 cricket.
• He took 4 wickets for 17 runs in 4 overs during the match against the Sunrisers
Hyderabad.
• With this, he has a record of 303 wickets in 265 matches.
• He is now ranked 15th on the all-time highest T20 wicket-takers list surpassing Andrew
Tye of Australia.
• DJ Bravo of West Indies tops the list with 615 wickets in 558 matches.
• Having taken 170 wickets in IPL, He equalled Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga’s record for the
2nd most IPL wickets.
• Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal became the highest wicket-taker in
history of IPL, going past Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo by picking 187
wickets in match against KKR at the Eden Gardens.
❖ MI’s Piyush Chawla becomes the 5th-highest wicket-taker in IPL
• On 22nd April 2023, During MI’s match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Wankhede Stadium
in Mumbai, MI spinner Piyush Chawla overtook Ravichandran Ashwin to become the
bowler with the fifth-highest wickets in the history of the IPL.

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 • During his IPL career, he has played for CSK, PBKS, Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) and MI
and has taken 166 wickets in 171 matches at an average of 26.86 and an economy rate of
7.84. His best bowling figures are 4/17.
❖ Punjab Kings’ Sikandar Raza became the only Zimbabwe Player Score 50 In IPL
• On 15th April 2023, Punjab Kings’ Sikandar Raza scored his first-ever IPL fifty against LSG
in Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. With this, he
became the only Zimbabwe Player to score a half-century in IPL.
❖ Shubman Gill scored the highest IPL playoffs score – 129
• Shubman Gill of Gujarat Titans (GT) scored 129 runs in the 1st inning against MI in
Qualifier 2 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. This is the highest by a batter in the IPL
playoffs.
• He overtook Virender Sehwag’s 122 for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) against CSK in
2014.
• During the IPL 2023, Gill also became the player with the second-highest number
of runs in a single IPL season at a single venue. He scored 572 runs in 9 innings, with 2
centuries and 3 fifties and a best score of 129.
❖ RR’s Yashasvi Jaiswal breaks IPL record of fastest half-century:
• On 11th May 2023, Yashasvi Jaiswal of RR broke the record for the fastest half-century (50
runs) during the game against KKR.
• He scored 50 runs in 13 balls breaking the previous record KL Rahul and Pat Cummins for
scoring 50 runs in 14 balls.
• He has now scored 625 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 167.
❖ Sai Sudharsan becomes 1st cricketer to be ‘retired out’ in an IPL playoff match
• On 26th May 2023, during the Qualifier 2 between GT and MI, Sudharsan scored 43 runs in
31 balls and remained unbeaten, before being replaced by Rashid Khan ahead of the 20th
over.
• He became the first cricketer to be ‘retired out’ in an IPL playoff match.
• He also became the only 3rd player in IPL history to retire out, after Ravichandran Ashwin
and Atharva Taide.
• Ravichandran Ashwin was the 1st batter to lose his wicket by ‘retire out’ in IPL. He lost
his wicket in IPL 2022 against RR.
➢ The Australia men’s cricket team captained by Pat Cummins defeated Indian men’s cricket team
captained by Rohit Sharma by 209 runs in the finals to win the 2nd edition of International Cricket
Council (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23. The finals of the ICC WTC 2021-2023 was held
at The Oval, London, the United Kingdom.
❖ Australian left-hander Travis Head becomes the first batsman to score a century (163 runs in 174) in
the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
• Head’s strike rate of 81.91 in the 2021-23 cycle is the highest among batters with at least 500 runs.
• His score in the final is the second-best individual score by any Australian batter at a neutral venue
in Test cricket history.
❖ Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane becomes first indian to score a half-century in ICC World Test
Championship final.He scored 89 runs in 129 balls. He became the 13th Indian batter to surpass 5000
runs in Tests.
❖ Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja surpassed Bishan Singh Bedi to become India’s most successful
left-arm spinner in Test cricket. Ravindra Jadeja took 267 wickets in 65 matches at an average of 24.25.
Bishan Singh Bedi has 266 wickets in 67 matches.
• Jadeja is the world 4th successful left arm-spinner in Tests. The top three in the list are Sri Lanka’s
Rangana Herath (433 in 93 matches), Daniel Vettori (362 in 113 matches) and England’s Derek
Underwood (297 wickets in 86 matches).
❖ Indian captain Rohit Sharma became the third-fastest opening batter to record 13,000 international
runs across all formats in his 307th innings. He is behind Matthew Hayden (293 innings) and Sachin
Tendulkar (295). He scored (15 runs in 1st and 43 runs in 2nd innings)

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 ❖ Virat Kohli becomes India’s highest run-scorer in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 cycle
with 932 runs in 17 matches.
❖ World Test Championship (WTC) Final match played with Duke Ball. This ball is preferred for the test
matches in England and the West Indies. It is Manufactured by British Cricket Balls Limited and these
are hand-stitched and more durable than other ball types.
❖ Top 4 on the points table of ICC WTC 2021-23

Rank Team Matches Won Lost Drawn Points

1 Australia 19 11 3 5 152

2 India 18 10 3 5 127

South
3 15 8 6 1 100
Africa

4 England 22 10 8 4 124

MAY 2023
NIL

APRIL 2023
➢ The 160th edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2023, the cricket reference book published
annually in the United Kingdom (UK), has announced the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2023.
• Tom Blundell (New Zealand), Ben Foakes (England), Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Daryl
Mitchell(New Zealand) and Matthew Potts (England) were named the Five Wisden Cricketers of
the Year 2023.
• Indian Women’s cricket team Captain Harmanpreet Kaur becomes the 1st India Women’s
cricketer to be named a “Wisden Cricketer of the Year”.
• England’s Ben Stokes and Australia’s Beth Mooney have been named the Leading Cricketers in
the World.
• Australia batter Beth Mooney has been named the Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World
(Women) for the 2nd time in 3 years.
• India’s Suryakumar Yadav picked up the Leading Twenty20 (T20) Cricketer in the World title.

MARCH 2023
➢ India has clinched the four-match Test series of India vs Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy
(BGT) 2023 by 2-1 for the record 11th time. With this, India booked their place into the final of the
World Test Championship.
• Ravichandran Ashwin becomes second-fastest bowler to take 450 wickets in Test cricket
history
• Virat Kohli become second-highest run-getter against Australia in international cricket & the
fastest batsman to score 75 International Centuries
• Axar Patel Becomes the Fastest Indian Bowler To Take 50 Test Wickets In Terms Of Balls
Bowled
• Ravindra Jadeja becomes second Indian player to take 503 wickets, score 5,527 runs in
international cricket
• Ravichandran Ashwin moves to number one spot in the ICC Men’s Test bowling rankings
➢ Rest of India cricket team captained by Mayank Agarwal won the Z R Irani Cup 2022-2023(59th
edition of Irani Cup) defeating Madhya Pradesh, 2021-2022 Ranji Trophy Champions, captained by

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 Himanshu Mantri, in the final day of the season-ending match held in Captain Roop Singh Stadium,
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh from 1st to 5th March 2023.
➢ Mumbai Indians(MI) team captained by Harmanpreet Kaur(India) defeated the Delhi Capitals(DC) led
by Meghann(Meg) Lanning (Australia) to win the inaugural TATA Women’s Premier League(WPL)
2023 championship. MI defeated DC by 7 wickets in the finals held in Brabourne Stadium at
Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharastra on 26th March 2023.
• Tata Women’s Premier League 2023 held from 4th to 26th March 2023 in Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
• Player of the March(finals): Natalie Ruth Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians)
• Awards TATA WPL 2023:Prize money: MI, the winning team received the prize money of Rs 6
crores and the runner up, DC, received a cash prize of Rs 3 crore.

BADMINTON
JUNE 2023
➢ Indian badminton players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (World no 5) won the Men’s
doubles title at the Kapal Api Group Indonesia Open 2023 (Indonesia Open 2023) by defeating 2022
world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik (World no 3) from Malaysia.
• This was Satwik-Chirag’s first ever men’s doubles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF)
World Tour Super 1000 event and they also became the 1st doubles pair from India to win a title at
Super 1000 event.
• Winners of Indonesia Open 2023:
Championship Winner Runner
Viktor Axelsen
Men’s Singles (Denmark) Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (Indonesia)
Women’s Singles Chen Yufei (China) Carolina Marin (Spain)
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik
Men’s Doubles (India) (Malaysia)
Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota
Women’s Doubles (South Korea) (Japan)
Zheng Si wei and Huang Ya Qiong
Mixed Doubles (China) Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino (Japan)

MAY 2023
➢ Indian pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the men’s doubles title at the 2023
Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) defeating Malaysian pair Teo Ee Yi and Ong Yew Sin. They
became the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win the title at the BAC.
• 2023 BAC was held at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates (UAE) from 25th to 30th April 2023.
• This also marks India’s 2nd ever title at the BAC after Dinesh Khanna, who won India’s first
gold, in men’s singles, at BAC in 1965.
• The 2023 BAC is the 40th edition of the Badminton Asia Championships. The event
washosted by the United Arab Emirates Badminton Federation with sanctions from
Badminton Asia.
❖ Winners of 2023 Badminton Asia Championships
Category Winners (Gold) Runners (Silver)
Men’s singles Anthony Sinisuka Ginting(Indonesia) Loh Kean Yew(Singapore)
Women’s singles Tai Tzu-Ying(Chinese Taipei) An Se-young(South Korea)
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
Chirag Shetty
Men’s doubles (India) Teo Ee Yi Ong Yew Sin(Malaysia)

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 Women’s doubles Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota(Japan) Baek Ha-na Lee So-hee(South Korea )
Mixed doubles Jiang Zhenbang Wei Yaxin(China) Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong(China)
• With this win, the Indian doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
Chirag Shetty has jumped a place in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings
to regain the 5th rank.
➢ Indian Shutler Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar (HS Prannoy) (World no 9) won the Men’s
Singles Title at the Perodua Malaysia Masters 2023 by defeating China’s Weng Hong Yang.
This mark’s his maiden Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Title.
• Malaysia Masters 2023, 14th edition of the tournament, was held from 23rd to 28th May
2023 in Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Winners of Malaysia Masters 2023:
Championship Winner Runner
Men’s Singles Prannoy HS (India) Weng Hong Yang (China)
Women’s Singles Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (Indonesia)
Man Wei Chong & Kai Wun Tee
Men’s Doubles Seo Seung-jae & Kang Min-hyuk (South Korea) (Malaysia)
Women’s Tan Pearly & Thinaah Muralitharan
Doubles Baek Ha Na & Lee So Hee (South Korea) (Malaysia)
Dechapol Puavaranukroh & Sapsiree Taerattanachai Huang Dong Ping & Feng Yan Zhe
Mixed Doubles (Thailand) (China)

APRIL 2023
➢ Indonesian badminton player Gregoria Mariska Tunjung won the Women’s singles title at the
Madrid Spain Masters 2023 finals defeating India’s Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (PV Sindhu).
• This also marks Gregoria M Tunjung’s first Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour title
and her first victory over PV Sindhu in 8 matches.
• Madrid Spain Masters 2023, a part of the Spain Masters championship, was held in Centro
Deportivo Municipal Gallur, Madrid, Spain from 28th March to 2nd April 2023.

MARCH 2023
➢ The Yonex Swiss Open 2023, a BWF World Tour Super 300, was held from 21st to 26th March 2023 in
St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, world no. 6 Men’s
doubles badminton players, won Men’s doubles title defeating China’s Ren Xiang Yu and Tan Qiang,
World’s No 21 doubles pair, at Yonex Swiss Open 2023.
Winners of YONEX Swiss Open 2023:
Category Winners Runners
Men’s Singles Koki Watanabe(Japan) Chou Tien Chen(Chinese Taipei)
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag
Men’s Doubles Shetty(India) Ren Xiang Yu & Tan Qiang(China)
Women’s Singles Pornpawee Chochuwong(Thailand) Mia Blichfeldt(Denmark)
Women’s
Doubles Rena Miyaura & AyakoSakuramoto(Japan) Yuki Fukushima & Sayaka Hirota(Japan)
Goh Soon Huat & LaiShevon
Mixed Doubles Jiang Zhen Bang & Wei Ya Xin(China) Jemie(Malaysia)

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CHESS
JUNE 2023
➢ Indian chess grandmaster (GM) Aravindh Chithambaram (aged 24) of India wins the 23rd Dubai
Open 2023 (Dubai Open Chess Tournament 2023) for the second consecutive year which was held at
Dubai Chess & Culture Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirate(UAE) from 27th May – 4th June 2023.
• He was followed by GM Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan at 2nd, and GM Arjun Erigaisi (India)
at 3rd.
❖ Table Showing Top 3:
Ranking Name Country Rating
1 Aravindh Chithambaram India 2633
2 Javokhir Sindarov Uzbekistan 2661
3 Arjun Erigaisi India 2701

MAY 2023
➢ Chinese chess grandmaster Ding Liren (32 years old) has become the 17th world chess
champion and China’s 1st Male World Chess Champion by defeating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi at
the FIDE World Chess Championship 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
• The Global Chess League (GCL), a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra Limited, a
part of the Mahindra Group, has announced Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the venue for
its inaugural edition which is set to be held from 21st June to 2nd July 2023.
➢ 16-year-old Vuppala Prraneeth from Telangana, has become India’s 82nd GrandMaster (GM) by
defeating GM Hans Niemann from United States of America (USA) in the penultimate round of the Baku
Open 2023, which took place from May 4-12, in Baku Crystal Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan.
• He is the sixth Grandmaster from the Telangana State.

APRIL 2023
➢ 16 year old Indian Grandmaster (GM) Gukesh Dommaraju(Gukesh D) defeated World Rapid
Champion GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan to win the Armageddon Championship Series
2023: Asia & Oceania held in Berlin, Germany from 3rd to 9th April 2023. He won a prize money of
18,000 EUR.
• It was the second regional tournament of the Armageddon Championship Series 2022-2023
which is organised by World Chess Events Limited in cooperation with World Chess Europe
GmbH.

MARCH 2023
NIL

GRAND PRIX
JUNE 2023
➢ Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch racing driver) won the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix(GP),
officially known as Formula 1 (F1) AWS Gran Premio de España 2023, at Circuit de Barcelona-
Catalunya in Montmeló within Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain.
• He was followed by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (British Racing Driver) at 2nd
place and Mercedes’ George Russell (British Racing Driver) at 3rd rank.
• The 2023 Spanish GP marks the 63rd edition of Spanish GP and the 8th round of the 74th
season of F1 world Championship.

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MAY 2023
➢ Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (Mexican racing driver) won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (GP) Title at
the Formula One (F1) 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix held from 28th to 30th April 2023 at the Baku
City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the Dutch-Belgian driver, secured 2nd position on the podium and
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, a Monacan driver secured 3rd position.
• Sergio Perez became the 1st-ever repeat winner of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. His 1st Azerbaijan
Grand Prix victory was at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
➢ Dutch-Belgian racing driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Formula 1(F1) Miami Grand
Prix (GP) 2023 title, the 5th round of the 2023 F1 World Championship, at the Miami International
Autodrome, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the United States of America(USA).
• This marks Max Verstappen’s 38th career win, tying him with Sebastian Vettel for most
victories for Red Bull.
• Mexico’s Sergio Perez (Red Bull) finished 2nd and Spain’s Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
finished 3rd in Miami GP 2023.
➢ Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, a Dutch-Belgian racer, won the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix (GP) held
at Circuit de Monaco in Monaco. This mark’s his 2nd ever Monaco GP title, he previously won the title in
2021.
• Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso (Spain) finished 2nd and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (France)
finished 3rd in Monaco GP 2023.

APRIL 2023
➢ Red Bull’s Max Verstappen(Belgian-Dutch racing driver) won his first ever Australian Grand Prix
(GP) Title at the Formula 1(F1) Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2023 held in the Albert Park Circuit,
Melbourne, Australia. This is Red Bull’s first victory in Melbourne since 2011 with Sebastian Vettel.

MARCH 2023
➢ Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, a Belgian-Dutch motorsports racing driver, won the 2023 Season-
Opener Bahrain Grand Prix, which was held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain
(officially the Kingdom of Bahrain).
➢ Red Bull’s Sergio Perez(33 years old), Mexican racing driver, won the Formula 1 (F1) Saudi
Telecommunication Company (STC) Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023, held in the Jeddah Corniche Circuit,
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with 25 point.

OTHER SPORTS
JUNE 2023
➢ India won the Dhofar Municipality Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 defeating Pakistan in the finals
held in Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex Stadium in Salalah, Oman. This marks India’s 4th Men’s
Junior Asia Cup title.
• The tournament organised by the Asian Hockey Federation and hosted by Oman Hockey
Association was held from 23rd May 2023 to 1st June 2023 in Salalah, Oman.
❖ Top 5 on KIUG 2022 Medal Tally:
Rank University Total Gold Silver Bronze
1 Panjab University (Chandigarh) 69 26 17 26
2 Guru Nanak Dev University, (Punjab) 68 24 27 17
3 Jain University (Karnataka) 32 16 10 6
4 Punjabi University (Patiala, Punjab) 34 12 14 8
5 Guru Kashi University 28 9 10 9

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 ❖ KIUG 2022 Records:
Old New
Athlete (University) Event record record
Men’s 400m medley
Siva Sridhar (Jain University, Karnataka) (swimming) 4:38.98 4:37.21
Yoonus Shah (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand
University) Men’s 1500m (athletics) 3:52.54 3:51.61
Tanya Chaudhary (Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Women’s hammer throw
Meerut) (athletics) 54.40m 60.61m
Women’s discus throw
Shalini Chaudhary (Barkatullah University) (athletics) 47.07m 50.60m
Pragyan Prasant Sahu (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Women’s 100m hurdles
Technology) (athletics) 13.77s 13.63s
Vikrant Malik (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) Men’s javelin throw (athletics) 76.64m 80.00m
Samardeep Singh Gill (Barkatullah University) Men’s shot put (athletics) 17.98m 18.75m
Kushal Kumar Mohite (Shivaji University) Men’s decathlon (athletics) 6333 pts 6389 pts
Women’s javelin throw
Harita (Chaudhary Bansi Lal University, Bhiwani) (athletics) 48.42m 50.14m
Pooja (Chaudhary Bansi Lal University, Bhiwani) Women’s heptathlon (athletics) 4748 pts 4991 pts
Sidharth AK (Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam,
Kerala) Men’s pole vault (athletics) 4.80m 4.90m

MAY 2023
➢ Commander 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 Les Sables-d’Olonne in France. He came in 2nd taking 236 days 14 hrs and 46
mins to complete this feat.
• The 2022 Golden Globe Race is the 3rd edition of the original Sunday Times Golden Globe Race.
• South African Kirsten Neuschäfer has become the 1st woman ever to win a solo around the
world race, finishing 1st in the Golden Globe Race. She took 235 days, 5 hours, 44 minutes and 4
seconds to complete.
➢ India’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in Javelin Throw men’s event of the Doha
Diamond League 2023 (officially known as Wanda Diamond League) by registering a distance of 88.67
metres(m).
• Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic finished second with a best of 88.63 m and reigning
world javelin champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished 3rd with a best of 85.88 m.
• The Doha Diamond League was held at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on May 5,
2023.
• This was his second win in a Diamond League Meeting. He became the first Indian to win a
Diamond League Meeting in 2022 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• Neeraj Chopra became the 1st Indian athlete to be crowned Diamond League champion by
winning the grand final in Zurich, Switzerland in September 2022.
• The 2023 Diamond League is the 14th season which is being held from May 5, 2023 –
September 17, 2023 through 14 meetings.
➢ Indian weightlifters concluded the Asian Weightlifting Championships Jinju 2023 in Jinju, South
Korea, with a total of 3 silver medals. Asian Weightlifting Championships Jinju 2023 was held from 03 to
13 May 2023 in Jinju, South Korea.
• Jeremy Lalrinnunga from Aizawl, Mizoram, won silver in snatch under the men’s 67kg.

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 • India’s Bindyarani Devi (24-year-old) clinched a silver medal in the women’s 55kg category
with a combined lift of 194kg (snatch 83kg and 111kg in clean & jerk) at the Asian Weightlifting
Championships 2023 in Jinju, South Korea. Bindyarani Devi also won the silver in the Clean and
Jerk section.
• China’s Chen Guan Ling won the gold medal with a combined lift of 204 kg (snatch 90kg +
clean & jerk 114kg).
➢ 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).
• India finished 2nd in the overall medal tally with 4 medals. China topped the medal tally with 7
medals (4 Gold; 1 Silver and 2 Bronze) while the Islamic Republic of Iran finished 3rd with 2
medals (1 Gold and 1 Silver).
• Indian Winners of ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol 2023 :
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
➢ Indian athlete (Long Jumper) Shaili Singh bagged a Bronze medal as she finished in 3rd at the Seiko
Golden Grand Prix 2023 athletics meet in the women’s long jump event held in Yokohama, Japan.
• She also recorded jumps of 6.59m, 6.35m, 6.36m, and 6.41m at the Yokohama meet, a World
Athletics Continental Tour gold label event.
• German athlete Maryse Luzolo, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, won the Gold medal
with an effort of 6.79m.
• Two-time Commonwealth Games silver medallist Brooke Buschkuehl, an Olympic long jumper
from Australia, bagged the Silver medal with a 6.77m leap.

APRIL 2023
➢ India finished 2nd in the overall medal tally at the 2023 Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 1 held
in Antalya, Türkiye, with 4 medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze). The United States of America (USA)
topped the medal tally with 4 medals (2 gold and 2 silver).
• 2023 Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 1, held from 18th to 23rd April 2023, is a part of the
2023 Archery World Cup (Officially Hyundai Archery World Cup).
• Top 3 on overall Medal Tally:
Rank Country Total Medals
1 USA 4 (2 gold, 2 silver)
2 India 4 (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
3 China 3 (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
• Indian Medal Winners:
Event Medal Winner
Compound women Gold Jyothi Surekha Vennam,
Compound mixed Team Gold Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Ojas Pravin Deotale
Recurve men Team Silver Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das and Dhiraj Bommadevara,
Recurve Men Bronze Dhiraj Bommadevara

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 • Indian Medal Winners: Jyothi Surekha Vennam matched the record qualifying score of 713
points to top the leaderboard in the season-opening World Cup Stage 1. She landed the arrow on
target 66 times out of 72 shots to match Sara Lopez’s world record score that she had achieved
during the 2015 Colombian National selections.

MARCH 2023
➢ ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) Football Club(FC) captained by Pritam Kotal, won their first Indian
Super League (ISL) title by defeating Bengaluru FC captained by Sunil Chhetri in the finals of Hero
Indian Super League (ISL) 2022–23 held in Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Margoa, Goa.
• Hero ISL 2022-2023, the 9th season of the Indian Super League was held from 7th October 2022
to 18th March 2023.
➢ India topped the medal tally of the Mahindra International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s
World Boxing Championship (WWBC) 2023, the 13th edition of the championships, with 4 gold
medals. The 13th edition of the WWBC was hosted by India from 15th to 26th March 2023 at K.D.
Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi, Delhi.
Table Showing Top 3 Rankers in the Tournament:
Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 India 4 0 0 4
2 China 3 1 3 7
3 Russia 1 1 1 3
Indian Gold Medal Winners:
Category Winner
Minimumweight (48Kg) Nitu Ghanghas
Light Flyweight (50Kg) Nikhat Zareen
Middleweight (75Kg) Lovlina Borgohain
Light heavyweight (81 Kg) Saweety Boora

APPS & WEB PORTAL

BANKING
JUNE 2023
NIL

MAY 2023
NIL

APRIL 2023
NIL

MARCH 2023
NIL

OTHERS
JUNE 2023
➢ Infrastructure Finance Secretariat (IFS) under the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of
Finance has launched its revamped website of Public Private Partnership(PPP) in India

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 (PPPININDIA) for its enhanced value to the stakeholders involved in PPP (Public–Private Partnership)
projects.
➢ Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW)
launched the PM-Kisan Mobile App with Face Authentication Feature during an event organised by the
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), MoAFW at Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi (Delhi).
• It was launched under the scheme for income support to farmers i.e.
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN).

MAY 2023
➢ Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying,
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, Delhi.
➢ Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change launched a mobile
application named Meri LiFE (My life) in New Delhi, Delhi to activate the youth action for climate
change.
• This app is inspired by the concept of LiFE, envisioned by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi
at COP (Conference of the Parties) 26, which emphasises mindful and deliberate utilisation
instead of mindless and wasteful consumption.
➢ The University Grants Commission (UGC) launched a new portal named “UTSAH”, short for
“Undertaking Transformative Strategies and Actions in Higher Education”, to monitor the
implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs).
• The new portal was launched by Professor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of UGC.
• On the same occasion, the UGC also launched the Professors of Practice (PoP) portal and
revamped its main website.

APRIL 2023
➢ The Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)
launched a mobile application – “SAGAR SETU”, the app Version of National Logistics Portal (Marine)
in New Delhi, Delhi.
• The app offers features such as Login Module, Service Catalogue, Common Application Format,
Letter of Credit, Bank Guarantee, Certification, Track and Trace, etc. that provide real-time
information on activities which are out of reach for importers, exporters, and customs brokers.
➢ Union Minister of Panchayati Raj of India, Giriraj Singh launched a mobile application GS NIRNAY
(National Initiative for Rural India to Navigate, InnovAte and Resolve PanchaYat decisions), for
empowering rural communities during the National Conference.
➢ Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, launched
the “YUVA Portal” and One Week- One Programme at National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in New Delhi,
Delhi, to help in connecting and identifying potential young Start-Ups.
• YUVA- Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors.
• CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is going to organise the One Week- One Lab program
from 17 to 21 April 2023.
➢ The Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
(MoA&FW) launched the first phase of SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic
Inventory) portal and mobile application. It is a centralized online system to address seed production
challenges, seed quality identification, and certification.
• It has been developed on the theme of Uttam Beej – Samriddh Kisan.
• It was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in collaboration with the Union
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

MARCH 2023
➢ Central Government has launched a High Price Day Ahead Market-HPDAM and Surplus Power
Portal (PUShP) – an initiative to ensure greater availability of power during the peak demand season.

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 ➢ Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)
virtually launched ‘Sagar Manthan’, a Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard of MoPSW, in New
Delhi, Delhi.
➢ The National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY), has developed a mobile software application called “Maaptol Grievance” to
facilitate online registration and time-bound redress of consumer grievances connected to the Legal
Metrology Act and rules framed under it.

GA Questions Asked in Exams

• Affairscloud’s Self Analysis for General Awareness Section

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