National News
Maharashtra launched loan scheme ‘Jivhala’ for inmates serving sentences in jails.
- A loan scheme named Jivhala has been launched by the Maharashtra Department of Prisons for the inmates who are serving sentences in various jails across Maharashtra.
- Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank is offering this newly launched credit scheme that has been named Jivhala. This credit scheme is a first-of-its-kind scheme that has been launched for prisoners in India.
- The pilot for this scheme was launched for the prisoners who are in the Yerawada Central Jail, Pune. This scheme will be implemented in around sixty prisons in Maharashtra.
- In the initial phase of this scheme, a Rs 50,000 loan will be given. The interest rate that will be applicable is 7%. Out of the interest that will be earned by the bank, 1 percent will be contributed by the bank to the prisoners’ welfare fund. For issuing this loan no guarantor or mortgage is required.
Recent Maharashtra Schemes:
- ‘Mission Kavach Kundal’
- ‘Maharashtra Gene Bank Project’
RailTel & WHO inaugurated Mobile Container Hospital at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
- RailTel Corporation of India Limited has designed and established a “Health Cloud”, a Mobile container Hospital at the Visakhapatnam premises of Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), Andhra Pradesh.
- AMTZ is the world’s first integrated Medical Device Manufacturing Hub situated in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- The “Health Cloud” at AMTZ has been inaugurated by Ms. Louise Agersnap, Head of World Health Organisation (WHO) Innovation Hub, WHO-Geneva, Switzerland.
- The Health Cloud is a dedicated “Data Centre” catering to the specific and idiosyncratic needs of the Health sector ready to operationalise in remote areas.
About Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ):
- Headquarters: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
- MD and CEO: Jitendra Sharma
RPF launched focused effort under “Operation Satark” from 5th to 30th April 2022
- Railway Protection Force (RPF) has recently started “Operation Satark”.
- Focused effort under “Operation Satark” was launched from 5th April to 30th April 2022 wherein 26 cases of transportation of illegal tobacco products were detected with seizure of tobacco products worth more than Rs 44 Lakhs and arrest of 14 persons involved.
- Being aware of its responsibility as the first responder in cases of smuggling through rail, RPF took concerted action in such cases and seized smuggled items worth about Rs. 3.18 crores during 5th to 30th April 2022.
- Aim: For taking action against illicit liquor, fake currency circulation,illegal tobacco products, unaccounted gold or cash orprecious items, and any other items being transported through railway network for the purpose of tax evasion or smuggling or commission of crime or acts of terror.
About Railway Protection Force (RPF):
- Founded: 27 July 1872
- Headquarters: New Delhi, India
- Director-General: Sanjay Chandar
Telangana extended insurance coverage to handloom & power loom weavers under ‘Nethanna Bima’ scheme.
- Telangana Government has announced the extension of insurance coverage to handloom and power loom weavers under ‘Nethanna Bima’ (Weaver’s Insurance) Scheme.
- The State Government has extended the insurance coverage of 5 lakh rupees for weavers under the Insurance Scheme on par with Rythu Bima insurance scheme. The insurance coverage would be extended to weaversin the age group of 18 to 59 years.
- Over 29 crore rupees have been sanctioned for implementing the scheme during the current year.
Recent Telangana govt schemes/apps/portals:
- ‘Urban Forest Park’ Mobile App
- Mana Ooru Mana Badi programme
International News
India and Germany signed joint declaration of Intent on “Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force” & Forest Landscape Restoration
- India and Germany inked a joint declaration of intent on Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force.
- India has huge ambitions in energy transition. It will add 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. India is also coming out with bids for green hydrogen.
- Germany has made an advance commitment to provide 10 billion euros of new and additional developmental assistance in India until 2030 under the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Green and Sustainable Development Partnership signed between the two countries.
- India also signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Forest Landscape Restoration with Germany to strengthen their partnership in areas like climate protection and conservation of biodiversity.
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock and signed an agreement on a direct encrypted connection between the two foreign offices.
About Germany:
- Capital: Berlin
- Currency: Euro
- President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier
The State of the World’s Forests 2022 by FAO: 10% of total forest area on Earth lost in 30 years
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations released its flagship publication “The State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) 2022: Forest Pathways for Green Recovery and Building Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable economies”. This is part of The State of the World series of the FAO.
- The report states that since 1990, around 420 million hectares (Mha) of forest have been lost through conversion to other land uses. The rate of deforestation has decreased over the last 30 years but it was still 10 Mha per year from 2015 to 2020.
- Forests cover around 31% (4.06 billion ha) of the Earth’s land surface. The publication was launched during the XV World Forestry Congress (WFC 2021) being held in Coex, Seoul, the Republic of Korea from 2nd to 6th May 2022.
About United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO):
- Founded: 16 October 1945, Quebec City, Canada
- Headquarters: Rome, Italy
- Director-General: Qu Dongyu
Bangladesh discovered a new gas field of 20 MMCFD capacity at Koilastila Gas field
- Bangladesh has uncovered a new gas field with the capacity to produce 20 million cubic feet of gas per day (MMCFD) at the Koilastila Gas field.
- Koilastila Gas Field is one of the five gas fields which was purchased from the Shell Oil company by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.
- Now, it is possible to supply 17-19 million cubic feet of gas daily to the national grid from the newly discovered well number 6 by May 10.
About Bangladesh:
- Capital: Dhaka
- Currency: Bangladeshi taka
- President: Abdul Hamid
- Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
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Appointment and Resignation
Arvind Krishna elected to the Board of Directors of Federal Reserve Bank of New York
- Canara Bank has launched ‘skill loans’ in association with the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP), Kerala, the government company under the Higher Education Department. Under this facility, the loan is ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹1.5 lakh.
- This loan can be availed of by students who are pursuing skill training programmes which are offered by ASAP Kerala or any other Central or State government-recognised agencies.
- Collateral free loans will be provided to students and have a repayment period of three to seven years. Students can also avail themselves of a moratorium on repayment for the duration of the course and for an additional 6 months.
About Canara Bank:
- Establishment: 1 July 1906
- Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka
- CEO & MD: Lingam Venkat Prabhakar
- Tagline: Together we can
RBI Monetary Policy (2-4 May, 2022): RBI hiked Repo Rate by 40 bps to 4.40%
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held an off cycle-meeting between May 2 and May 4 amid high retail inflation.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held between May 2-4, 2022 has decided to increase the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 40 basis points (bps) to 4.40 per cent with immediate effect from 4.00% earlier.
- Standing deposit facility (SDF) rate stands adjusted to 15%. Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate stand adjusted to 4.65%.
- RBI has also hiked the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of banks by 50 basis points to 4.50% of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) effective from May 21, 2022.
- The sudden RBI move, the first hike after August 2018, is expected to push up interest rates in the banking system. Equated monthly instalments (EMIs) on home, vehicle and other personal and corporate loans are likely to go up. Deposit rates, mainly fixed term rates, are also set to rise.
Repo Rate 4.40% Reverse Repo Rate 3.35% Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate 4.65% Bank Rate 4.65% Standing deposit facility (SDF) rate 4.15% Cash reserve Ratio (CRR) 4.50%(Effective from May 21, 2022) Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 18.0% Appointment and Resignation
Arvind Krishna elected to the Board of Directors of Federal Reserve Bank of New York
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IBM Arvind Krishna was elected to the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, New York, United States of America, to fill the vacancy in the office for the remaining period of a 3-year term which ends on 31st December 2023.
- He has been elected as a Class B director, representing the public with due but not exclusive consideration to the interests of agriculture, commerce, industry, service, labour and consumers.
- Arvind Krishna has been serving as the Chairman and CEO of IBM Since January 2021 succeeding IBM Executive Chairman Virginia M. Rometty.
- Previously, he served as the CEO and a member of the board of IBM. He also holds 15 patents and founded the security software business of IBM. He has also served as the senior vice president of Cloud and Cognitive Software.
About Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed):
- Created: 1913
- President & CEO: John C. Williams
- Headquarters: New York, USA
Awards
India will be ‘Country of Honour’ at Cannes Marche’ Du Film in France
- India will be the official Country of Honour at the upcoming Marche’ Du Film in France, as per the announcement of the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur.
- Festival will be organised from 17th May 2022. It is the first time the Marché du Film has an official Country of Honour and India is chosen as the first country.
- R Madhavan’s film ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’, based on the life of Nambi Narayanan will also
- The theme of the India Pavilion 2022 is ‘India the Content Hub of the World’.
- India got the opportunity to pitch the following 5 movies at the “Goes to Cannes Section”:
- Baghjan by Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia – Assamese, Moran
- Bailadila by Shailendra Sahu – Hindi, Chhattisgarhi
- Ek Jagah Apni (A Space of Our Own) by Ektara Collective – Hindi
- Follower by Harshad Nalawade – Marathi, Kannada, Hindi.
About France:
- Capital: Paris
- Currency: Euro
- Prime Minister: Jean Castex
- President: Emmanuel Macron
Defence
Indian Coast Guard commissioned its 2nd ALH Mk III Squadron in Kochi
- Indian Coast Guard has commissioned its second Air Squadron, 845 Squadron (CG)at the Coast Guard Air Enclave at Nedumbassery in Kochi. The new Air Squadron was commissioned by Coast Guard Director General V S Pathania.
- It is equipped with indigenously developed Advanced Mark III (ALH Mark III) helicopters. This second squadron of these choppers will boost the security of the western seaboard and enhance India’s search and rescue capability.
About Indian Coast Guard (ICG):
- Founded:1 February 1977
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Director General: Virender Singh Pathania
- Motto: Vayam Rakṣāmaḥ (We protect)
Sports
Real Madrid won 35th Spanish League title
- Real Madrid clinched a record-extending 35th Spanish league title after its reserve squad comfortably defeated Espanyol 4-0.
- Rodrygo scored twice and Marco Asensio and substitute Karim Benzema added a goal each to give Madrid its second league title in three seasons, and third in six years.
- With the title, Carlo Ancelotti became the first coach to lift trophies in the top five European leagues. The Italian manager won with AC Milan in Serie A, Chelsea in the English Premier League, Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
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Dhanush Srikanth won gold in men’s 10m air rifle at 24th Deaflympics in Brazil
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- Shooter Dhanush Srikanth has won gold and Shourya Saini has won the bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle competition in the 24th Deaflympics at Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
- Later, the Indian badminton team also won gold after beating Japan by 3-1 in the final to make it a double celebration for the country. Ukraine is leading the chart with 19 gold, six silver and 13 bronze medals.
- With two gold and one bronze medal, India has placed eighth on the medals table.
Olympian discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur provisionally suspended
- Olympian discus thrower player, Kamalpreet Kaur has been suspended by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for testing positive for a banned substance.
- The AIU has found the presence/use of the prohibited substance anabolic steroid called stanozolol in her sample. Kaur had finished sixth with a throw of 63.7m in the Tokyo Olympics final.
Important day
5 May: World Portuguese language Day
- Every year on May 5th, World Portuguese Language Day is observed to highlight the important role this language plays in preserving human civilization and culture.
- The date of 5 May was officially established in 2009 by the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), an intergovernmental organization that has been in official partnership with UNESCO since 2000, and which brings together peoples with the Portuguese language as one of the foundations of their specific identity.
- In 2019, the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference decided to proclaim 5 May of each year as “World Portuguese Language Day”.
