NATIONAL NEWS

World's Largest RE Storage Plant

• Hyderabad-based Greenko Group announced to set up the world's largest renewable energy storage plant in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

• The 5,230-megawatt (MW) project is being set up at a cost of USD 3 billion and Arcelor Mittal has announced to give USD 600 million for the project.

• Out of 5,230 MW, 3,000 MW is solar, 550 MW wind and 1,680 MW is pump storage capacity for 6 hours.
• The project is expected to be commissioned by 2023.

Hyundai India Partners with Tata Power

• Hyundai Motor India has announced a strategic partnership with Tata Power to build a robust EV charging network and boost EV adoption in India.
• It aims to achieve national goal of carbon neutrality.
• The partnership will power-up the nations’ electric mobility mission by offering end-to-end EV charging infrastructure.
• The charging stations at Hyundai Dealerships will be open for all-electric vehicle customers and accessible through Hyundai and Tata Power EZ Charge Mobile App.
• Tata power will install Tata power EZ Charge fast chargers at HMILs existing 34 EV dealer locations across 29 cities.

NSAC To Focus on Tier-2, 3 Cities to Promote Startups

• On 17 May 2022, the fourth meeting of National Startup Advisory Council was held in New Delhi.

• During the meeting, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has asked National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC) to focus on tier-2 and tier-3 cities for VC funding, capacity building and awareness generation on government schemes that promote startups.
• He also emphasized the need for capacity building and generating awareness about various initiatives of the government to promote startups in such cities.
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade had constituted the National Startup Advisory Council to advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large-scale employment opportunities.

'Lok Milni' for Redressal of Public Grievances

• Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched first-of-its-kind public interaction programme, 'Lok Milni’.

• The programme aims to deliver on the spot redressal of the people’s grievances.

• People from different parts of the state came with several complaints regarding encroachment of panchayat land, land dispute, pending of Shagun scheme among others.
• The matter flagged by people are immediately resolved in a time bound and result oriented manner.
• Earlier the programme was named as Janta Darbar.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

COP-15 on Combating Desertification

• Environment Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav will lead an Indian delegation at the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-15) of the UNCCD at Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire.

• Mr Yadav will address the high-level segment, including a Heads of States Summit.

• India had hosted the fourteenth session of Conference of Parties of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification from 2nd to 13th September 2019 in New Delhi.
• COP-15 is expected to enhance sustainable solutions for land restoration and drought resilience, with a strong focus on future-proofing land use, adopted by UNCCD’s 197 Parties.

ECI to lead Democracy Cohort on ‘Election Integrity’

• Election Commission of India will lead Democracy Cohort on ‘Election Integrity’ in partnership with one hundred democratic countries.

• A four-member US delegation led by Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights called on the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi.

• During the meeting, Chief Election Commission and Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey shared the experiences of Election Commission.
• They shared the new initiatives taken by the EC and use of new information technology.
• Leaders of more than 100 countries including India, civil society organizations, private sector, media and others participated in the first summit.

BANKING

ICICI Lombard Launched Professional Indemnity Insurance

• ICICI Lombard has launched professional indemnity insurance for doctors.
• It is to provide support to medical practitioners against the scope of various human errors that can happen while rendering professional services to patients.
• Professional Indemnity insurance safeguards doctors against all professional risks such as legal defense costs, compensation claims, injury among others, as well as against invalid claims.
• It supports doctors both legally and financially in the event of a law suit, as per the company.

World Bank Approves USD 350 Million to Gujarat

• The World Bank has approved USD 350 million aid for the Systems Reform Endeavors for Transformed Health Achievement in Gujarat -SRESTHA-G project.

• The SRESTHA-G project will be a 500 million dollars project out of which  350 million is contributed by the World Bank.

• The programme will focus on four key result areas to improve quality, equity and comprehensiveness of primary healthcare, services for adolescent girls and the capacity of disease surveillance systems.
• The programme was implemented through the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Gujarat Government.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

RBI Appoints Two New Executive Directors

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the appointment of two new Executive Directors.

• They are Dr. Rajiv Ranjan and Dr. Sitikantha Pattanaik.
• Dr. Ranjan as Executive Director will look after the Monetary Policy Department (MPD). He will also serve as an ex-officio member of the Monetary Policy Committee.
• As Executive Director, Dr. Pattanaik will look after the Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR).
• Prior to this Dr. Pattanaik has worked in the areas of economic research and monetary policy in RBI’s Monetary Policy Department and Department of Economic Policy and Research.

Chairman of BSE

• Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has appointed SS Mundra, Public Interest Director as the Chairman of the board of directors of the company.

• The appointment is subject to approval by market regulator SEBI.

• Prior to this, he was Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
• In a banking career spanning over four decades, Mundra held several important positions including that of Executive Director of Union Bank of India, Chief Executive of Bank of Baroda (European Operations) amongst others.

New Ambassador to Nepal

• India has appointed Naveen Srivastava as its new Ambassador to Nepal.

• Mr. Srivastava is currently an Additional Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry.

• He succeeded Vinay Kumar Kwatra.
• Srivastava is an additional secretary handling the East Asia desk at the Ministry of External Affairs

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2022

• World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2022 is observed every year on 17 May.

• It is to commemorate the creation of the International Telecommunication Union and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865.

• It is observed every year to raise awareness of the benefits that the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can offer to society and economies as well as initiatives to close the digital gap.
• World Information Society Day and World Telecommunication Society Day have been combined to establish World Telecommunication Day and Society Day 2022.

World Hypertension Day

• World Hypertension Day is celebrated every year on 17 May.

• It aims to raise the public awareness about the hypertension, its preventive measures and complications.

• It was first celebrated on 14th of May in the year 2005 organized by the World Hypertension League (WHL).
• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control it, Live Longer’.

International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

• International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is observed every year on 17 May.

• It aims to highlight the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex people and all other people with diverse sexual orientations and sex characteristics.

• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights’.