Latest Current Affairs For Monday 24th April, 2023

Gallantry Medal presented to Wing Commander Deepika Misra.

On 20 April, Wing Commander Deepika Mishra made history by becoming the first female officer in the Indian Air Force to be honored with a gallantry award.

In 2022, Deepika was among the awardees announced for the Vayu Seva Medal for Gallantry on Independence Day.

On April 20, 2023, the medal has been conferred on Deepika by Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari at an investiture ceremony held in New Delhi.

In August 2021, Deepika Mishra was deployed to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in response to flash floods in northern Madhya Pradesh.

She was the first and only responder to reach the affected area and saved the lives of 47 people.

IAF chief presented the award to two IAF officers were awarded Yudh Seva Medal, 13 officers, and air warriors received Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), 13 officers Vayu Sena Medal and 30 Vishisht Seva Medal.

The IAF chief awarded a total of 58 personnel with gallantry awards, of which 57 are from the IAF and the remainder from the Indian army.

L Murugan becomes 1st Union Minister to visit India’s first village

Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry L Murugan on 22nd April became the first central minister to visit  India’s first village Avangkhu, a village along the India-Myanmar border in Nagaland’s Phek district.

An overview:

The Union Minister visited the International Trade Center at Awangkhu, Phek.

He recalled the Centre’s commitment towards developing the north-east, including the border areas of the region.

Highlighting India’s seriousness towards the Act East Policy, the Minister announced that the two lane road upto Avangkhu border has already been sanctioned and work will start soon.

He hoped that the International Trade Center at Awangkhu would witness an increase in business activities due to increase in trade volume and better connectivity.

On the development of piggery in the state, Dr. Murugan said that the National Livestock Mission (NLM) is supporting the entrepreneurs of the state and strengthening the agriculture infrastructure and technology.

He also announced that a grant of Rs 14.99 lakh has been allocated to Phek district for screening children's films in the district.

About Nagaland:

Nagaland is a state located in Northeast India, bordering Myanmar.

Formation - 1 December 1963

Capital - Kohima (Executive Branch)

Language - English

River - Longleng, Peren, Varkha, Kiphire, Mokokchung, Phek, Zunheboto, Kohima, Mon, Tuensang

Festivals - Hornbill Festival, The Motsu Mong Festival

National Park - Intanki National Park

Wildlife Sanctuaries - Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary, Puli Baij Wildlife Sanctuary, Rangapahar Reserve Forest

Chief Minister - Neiphiu Rio

Governor - La Ganesan

Official Bird -Blyth's Tragopan

Official Animal -Gayal

Official Flower - Rhododendron Arboreum

Legislative Assembly - 60 seats

Rajya Sabha -1 seat

Lok Sabha - 1 seat

Largest city - Dimapur

District -16

NHAI to develop 10,000 kms of ‘Digital Highways’ in India by 2025

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is preparing to develop around 10,000 km of optic fiber cable (OFC) infrastructure across India by the financial year 2025.

An overview:

This move is aimed at providing internet connectivity to remote locations and expediting the roll-out of new-age telecom technologies like 5G & 6G.

The NHAI’s fully-owned special purpose vehicle, the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), will be implementing the network of digital highways by developing integrated utility corridors along the national highways to develop OFC infrastructure. 

The pilot routes for the ‘digital highway’ development have been identified as 1,367 kilometres on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and 512 km on the Hyderabad-Bangalore corridor.

3-meter utility corridor on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. 

Recently, the 246-km Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway was inaugurated, with a dedicated utility corridor of three meters used for laying optical fiber cables.

It will serve as the backbone for the roll-out of 5G networks in the region.

OFC laying along National Highways has started and is targeted to be completed in about a year.

Importance of 'Digital Highway'. 

The creation of a 'Digital Highway' will not only have a positive impact on the country's growth and development, but will also contribute to its digital transformation.

The OFC network will facilitate internet connectivity in remote areas across India and help the country move towards modern age telecom technologies like 5G and 6G.

About National Highways Authority of India (NHAI):

It is an independent organisation established in 1995 by the Government of India.

NHAI manages and maintains a vast network of more than 50,000 km of National Highways across India, which represents about 40% of the total length of National Highways in the country.

NHAI is responsible for maintaining and upgrading the quality of National Highways in India and ensuring their smooth operation for the benefit of road users.

As a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, NHAI plays a vital role in formulating policies related to highways and implementing them effectively.

Establishment -1988

Headquarters - New Delhi

Chairman - Santosh Kumar Yadav

12-hour duty bill passed in Tamil Nadu assembly

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed the Factories (Amendment) Act 2023 on 21 April.

An overview:

The Bill seeks to increase the daily work shift of factory workers from the current 8 hours to 12 hours, meaning they can choose to work four days a week.

'The rest three days will be paid leave and the existing rules on leave, overtime, pay etc. will not change.

The revised 12 hours of daily work has not been extended to all companies and factories, but will be implemented 'only where workers prefer it'.

The Bill will have no impact on the current 48-hour work-week.

The law was passed amid strong opposition from various opposition political parties.

In May 2020, 10 states – Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, Assam, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh – had amended labor laws to propose 12-hour working hours during the pandemic.

TheUttar Pradesh government had also issued an order increasing the daily working hours from 8 hours to 12, but withdrew it in May 2020.

About Tamil Nadu State:

The state was formed on 26 January 1950 but its boundaries were redrawn on 14 January 1969.

Tamil Nadu is located at the mouth of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.

Bharatanatyam is a very popular and famous dance form of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of bananas and flowers, the second largest producer of mango, rubber, groundnut, coconut and the third largest producer of coffee.

Governor- Ravindra Narayan Ravi

Chief Minister- M.K.Stalin

Assembly seats 235 seats

Rajya Sabha Seats -18

Lok Sabha seats- 39

Air Marshal Sandeep Singh appointed Military Advisor to National Security Council

Former Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Sandeep Singh (Retd) has been appointed as the new Military Advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS). He will assume charge on April 24.

An overview:

He will replace General Anil Chauhan, who was appointed Chief of Defense Staff in October last year.

Sandeep Singh retired as the Vice Chief of the Air Force on January 31, 2023, after a military career of four decades.

Sandeep Singh, an alumnus of the National Defense Academy, who was appointed as the new military advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat, was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in December 1983 as a fighter pilot.

He has flown a number of aircraft, and has close to 4,900 hours of operational and test flying experience on Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, MiG-21, AN-32, Avro, Jaguar and Mirage 2000.

He also played a key role in the induction, production and arming of the Su-30 MKI aircraft in India.

In recognition of his services of an exceptionally high order, he was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2013 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.