NATIONAL NEWS

DD Changes Logo Colours from Red to Orange

The central government-owned news television channel DD News has undergone a makeover by changing the colour of its logo from bright red to beaming saffron.

The transformation of the logo came with the launch of its new studio channel.

The change in the branding, set design, logo and general visual aesthetics was announced in social media posts on April 16.

The first Doordarshan logo, which was selected by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and broadcast for the first time along with the theme music composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Ahmed Hussain Khan on April 1, 1976, was an orange logo against a green background.

Government Notifies Specifications of IFFCO's Nano Urea Plus

The government has notified specifications of a new product 'Nano Urea Plus' fertiliser to be manufactured by cooperative IFFCO in the country in the next three years.

Nano Urea Plus is a new version of nano urea meant for meeting crop nitrogen requirements at critical growth phases.

According to a gazette notification, the government has approved Nano Urea Plus in liquid form with 16 per cent nitrogen content in weight by weight, and pH value of 4-8.5 and viscosity of 5-30.

This product will be manufactured by the cooperative major IFFCO for three years

Currently, IFFCO offers 'Nano Urea' which has 1-5 per cent weight by weight nitrogen content.

The Nano Urea Plus has more nitrogen.

IFFCO launched the world's first 'Nano liquid urea' fertiliser in June 2021. Thereafter, it came up with 'Nano DAP' fertiliser in April 2023.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

ReNew partners with JERA

ReNew Energy Global (ReNew) signed an initial agreement with JERA, Japan’s largest power generation company, to jointly evaluate developing a green ammonia production project in India.

Under the agreement, ReNew, through its subsidiary ReNew E-Fuels, and JERA will jointly evaluate the development of a green ammonia production project in Paradip, Odisha.

The project will utilize around 500 megawatts (MW) of high-capacity utilisation factor (CUF) renewable energy to produce green hydrogen, a key feedstock for green ammonia.

The project will likely have a production capacity of around 100,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually by 2030.

JERA will have the right to offtake this green ammonia for Japan.

There will be a joint study to evaluate the commercial viability of the project.

The two companies have built a strong relationship during the past seven years and the project will leverage ReNew’s proven capabilities in renewable energy development and solutioning, and JERA’s expertise in building full value chains.

 

BANKING

RBI Fines 5 Cooperative Banks Rs 60.3 Lakhs for Violating Regulations

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed penalties totalling Rs 60.3 lakhs on 5 cooperative banks for contravention of various regulatory norms.

A penalty of Rs 43.30 lakh has been imposed on Rajkot Nagarik Sahakari for non-compliance with RBI directions on 'ban on loans and advances to directors and their relatives, and firms/concerns in which they are interested', 'prohibition on opening of saving bank accounts in the names of certain bodies/organizations' and 'maintenance of deposit accounts'.

The Kangra Co-operative Bank (New Delhi), Rajdhani Nagar Sahkari Bank (Lucknow), and Zila Sahakari Bank, Garhwal (Kotdwar, Uttarakhand), Each of these banks has been fined Rs 5 lakh.

District Co-operative Bank (Dehradun) was imposed a penalty of Rs 2 lakh.

The penalties are based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance, such as non-compliance with RBI directions, but they are not intended to pass judgment on the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the banks with their customers.

NPCI Bharat BillPay Collaborates with State Bank of India

NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited. (NBBL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), in association with State Bank of India (SBI), has onboarded SBI National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) on its Bharat BillPay platform for the convenience of travellers.

The category is already live with SBI NCMC cards for Noida Metro, Nagpur Metro, Chennai Metro, Kanpur Metro, and Parliament Canteen via the bank’s Bharat BillPay-enabled application, SBI Unipay, and more platforms will go live with the service soon.

The introduction of NCMC Recharge as a biller category will enable customers to recharge/top-up their cards online, avoiding long queues and ensuring a hassle-free experience.

Customers can recharge their NCMC cards online with amounts of up to ₹10,000 through Bharat BillPay-enabled platforms, using various payment methods such as prepaid, debit, and credit cards.

After the recharge, customers only need to tap their NCMC card on the terminal to update their balance, ensuring a hassle-free experience for users.

 

SPORTS

Former World No. 1 Kento Momota Announces Retirement At 29

29-year-old former world champion Kento Momota announced that he was retiring from badminton, citing mental and physical issues amid a lean patch at the highest level.

The former World No. 1 confirmed that he will not represent his country again after the Thomas and Uber Cup, scheduled to be held in Chengdu in China from April 27.

Kento Momota acknowledged that he has not been able to get back to the level he was playing before his near-fatal car accident in 2019.

Momota won the World Championships title in 2018 and 2019, a glorious year in which he won as many as 11 titles on the tour.

However, ever since his return to action in the following year after recovering from injuries, Momota managed to win only 3 titles.

Momota last played in the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam in January before which he failed to qualify for the main draw at Indonesia Masters.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Report of S&P Global Market Intelligence

Three Indian banks, SBI, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, have been included in the top 50 banks of the Asia-Pacific region according to a report of S&P Global Market Intelligence released on 18 April 2024.

SBI was ranked 20, HDFC Bank 33 and ICICI Bank 48 on the list.

The aggregate assets of these three top Indian lenders rose sharply by 50.5 percent to $1.51 trillion in 2023.

The government-owned SBI improved its ranking from 20 in 2023 to 21 in 2022. In 2023, SBI's assets increased to $780.05 billion.

The reason for HDFC Bank's rank jump was the merger of the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) with HDFC Bank in 2023. HDFC Bank's assets jumped to $464.34 billion in 2023.

The second largest private sector bank in India, ICICI Bank, was included for the first time on the list of the top 50 Asia Pacific banks. ICICI Bank was ranked 48th.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

Surinder S Jodhka wins Adiseshiah Awards 2024

Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust has announced the annual Dr Malcolm Adiseshiah National Award 2024 for two professors.

Professor Surinder S Jodhka, School of Social Sciences, JNU, was selected for the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award.

Vikas Kumar, associate professor, Azim Premji University, will get the Elizabeth Adiseshiah Award.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

New Chief of National Security Guard

Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Nalin Prabhat has been appointed the Director General of the National Security Guard (NSG), the country's counter-terrorism and counter-hijack force.

Nalin Prabhat is a 1992 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. Nalin Prabhat is currently serving as the Additional Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the order issued by the Personnel Ministry, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Nalin Prabhat as NSG Director General till August 31, 2028.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) chief Daljit Singh Chaudhary was holding additional charge of NSG.

MD of Dhanlaxmi Bank

According to the Dhanlaxmi Bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Ajith Kumar K.K. as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the bank for a period of three years.

The name of Ajith Kumar K.K. was proposed by the Dhanlaxmi Bank to the RBI.

The Department of Banking Operations and Development of RBI approved the name of Ajith Kumar K.K. as MD and CEO of the Dhanlaxmi Bank.

Ajith Kumar K.K. has more than 36 years of banking experience. He is presently the chief human resource officer in the private sector Federal bank.

 He has worked in various verticals of Federal banks, such as credit, human resources, business, branch banking, etc.

 

DEFENCE

DRDO Delivers 1st Batch of Indigenous Parts For LCA Tejas Mk1A to HAL

The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) handed over the first batch of indigenous Leading Edge Actuators and Airbrake Control Module for LCA Tejas MK1A to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on 19 April 2024.

It has been handed over to HAL by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).

This is an important achievement towards self-reliance in aeronautical technologies. HAL, Lucknow has already made preparations for production of these to meet the existing order of 83 Light Combat Aircraft Tejas MK1A.

The secondary flight controls of LCA-Tejas include state-of-the-art leading edge slats and airbrakes.

The components feature advanced servo-valve-based electro-hydraulic actuators and control modules.

These are equipped with high pressure, featuring control modules, amazing design, precise manufacturing and testing. It also symbolizes the Aeronautical Development Agency's continued research into indigenous technical skills.

Indian Army Commemorates 40th Anniversary of 'Operation Meghdoot'

The Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated the 40th anniversary of Operation Meghdoot (Cloud Messenger), which commenced on April 13, 1984.

Indian Army and Indian Air Force had advanced to the Siachen Glacier to secure heights dominating the northern Ladakh region.

Following Operation Meghdoot, the Siachen Glacier remains under Indian control.

17 days prior to Operation Meghdoot, the Indian Army launched Exercise Walnut Cracker to occupy certain heights around the Siachen Glacier.

Siachen is located at a height of around 20,000 feet in the Karakoram Mountain range, the Siachen Glacier is known as the highest militarised zone around the world.

 

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