NATIONAL NEWS

Solar Rooftop Project at Tata Motors’ Plant in Chikhali, Pune

• Tata Power and Tata Motors announced partnership on a project to develop 7 MWp solar rooftop project at Tata Motors’ plant in Chikhali, Pune which is India’s largest on-site solar project.

• This is the third phase of a joint MWp on-site solar project developed by the two companies.

• The two have also signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the project.
• The installation is expected to generate 23 million units of electicity which decreases 5.23 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide.
• Tata Motors has been working towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve Net Zero Emission goal.

Maharashtra Partners with WEF

• Maharashtra has partnered with the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) to advance regional efforts to fight plastic pollution.

• The pact was announced during the WEF Annual Meeting 2022 which is held in Davos, Switzerland.
• The partnership will bring together Maharashtra's leading policy-makers, business leaders, civil society organizations and experts to formulate a state-level plan to eradicate plastic pollution.
• The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Maharashtra will work with GPAP to launch a National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) in Maharashtra as a platform to tackle plastic waste pollution.
• The GPAP-Maharashtra partnership is the first in India.

BioRRAP

• Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State has launched a “Single National Portal for Biotech researchers and start-ups” named Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP).
• The portal will be supporting to the needs of all those seeking regulatory approval for biological development and research in India.
• This is a portal developed by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Ministry of Science & Technology.
• This portal is in line with the government’s “ease of start-ups” and “ease of doing science and scientific research.”
• This portal is only for research-related activities and cannot be used for the purpose of product development.
• Through this portal, researchers will be able to check the stages of approval of their respective applications for the purpose of getting regulatory clearance.
• It will also bring transparency, accountability, and efficacy to the functioning of various agencies.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Investment Incentive Agreement

• The Government of India and the Government of the United States of America has signed an Investment Incentive Agreement (IIA) at Tokyo, Japan.

• The IIA was signed by Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary Government of India and Mr. Scott Nathan, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).

• IIA has been signed, to keep pace with the additional investment support programmes, offered by the DFC, such as debt, equity investment, investment guaranty, investment insurance or reinsurance, feasibility studies for potential projects and grants.
• Agreement is the legal requirement for DFC to continue providing investment support in India.
• DFC agencies are active in India since 1974 and have so far provided investment support worth $5.8 billion.
• It is expected that signing of IIA would lead to enhanced Investment support provided by DFC in India, which shall further help in India’s development.

BANKING

RBI Approves Transfer of Rs 30,307 Crore as Surplus

• The Reserve Bank of India has approved the transfer of Rs 30,307 crore as surplus to the Central Government for the accounting year 2021-22.

• The board approved the Annual Report and accounts of the Reserve Bank for the year 2021-22 at the 596th Meeting of the Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India which was held in Mumbai under the Chairmanship of Governor Shaktikanta Das.

• The board also decided to maintain the Contingency Risk Buffer at 5.50 per cent.
• Inflation is at its greatest level in years.
• The April wholesale price index was 15.05 percent and consumer price index were 7.8 percent.

SPORTS

Spanish Grand Prix

• Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya in Spain.

• Sergio Perez (Red Bull) secured second place in the race and George Russell (Mercedes) secured third place.

• Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was forced to retire with power unit failure.

First Player to Hit 700 Fours in IPL

• Punjab Kings opening batter Shikhar Dhawan has become the first player to hit 700 fours in the history of the IPL.

• Dhawan reached this feat during the last league stage match of IPL 2022, between PBKS and Sunrisers Hyderabad, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
• Dhawan has now a total of 701 IPL fours.
• He is followed by David Warner and Virat Kohli, with 577 and 576 fours, respectively.

Manchester City Crowned 2021/22 Premier League champions

• In Football, Manchester City have been crowned 2021/22 Premier League champions which is their fourth title success in the last five seasons.
• Manchester City’s 3-2 win over Aston Villa in the final game of the season sealed the title.
• In 38 league matches this season Manchester City have won 29 matches, drawn six, scoring 99 goals in the process.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

New Lieutenant Governor of Delhi

• Vinai Kumar Saxena has been appointed new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

• Saxena will succeed Anil Baijal who resigned from the post.

• Mr. Saxena is currently the Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission.

MD & CEO of Infosys

• The board of IT services Infosys has approved the reappointment of Salil Parekh as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of the company for five years, till 2027.

• This is based on the recommendations of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC).

• Parekh, has been the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Infosys since January 2018.
• He has more than thirty years of global experience in the IT services industry of driving digital transformation for enterprises.

MD and CEO of Paytm

• Digital payment company Paytm had re appointed its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma as managing director and chief executive officer till May 2027 for five years.

• The appointment was based on the recommendations of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and subject to the approval of Shareholders.

• Additional director Madhur Deora was also appointed as a whole-time director of Paytm.
• Vijay Shekhar Sharma is an Indian technology entrepreneur who has played an instrumental role in revolutionizing the digital payments and financial services in India.

Personal Secretary to PM Modi

• Indian Forest Service (IFS) Officer, Vivek Kumar was appointed as the Personal Secretary (PS) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Joint Secretary level.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal for the appointment of Vivek Kumar as Personal Secretary.
• Vivek Kumar is an IFS officer of 2004 batch, who joined the Prime Minister's Office as a Deputy Secretary in 2014.
• He completed his B.Tech in chemical engineering from IIT Bombay and has served in diplomatic positions in Russia and Australia.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day for Biological Diversity

• International Day for Biological Diversity is observed every year on 22 May.
• It is celebrated to raise awareness about biodiversity is essential for sustaining the balance of the planet.
• The theme for this year is ‘Building a Shared Future for All Life’.
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted May 22 as International Day for Biological Diversity in December 2000, to mark the adoption of the Convention at the Rio Earth Summit on May 22, 1992.
• The theme emphasizes the importance of biodiversity in handling several sustainable development challenges.

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula

• International Day to End Obstetric Fistula is observed every year on 23 May.

• The day is observed to raise awareness about preventing obstetric fistula which is caused by child birth labour that is prolonged and unattended, leading to damage of the soft tissues.

• In 2003, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners launched the global Campaign to end fistula.

World Turtle Day

• World Turtle Day is celebrated every year on 23 May.

• It is commemorated to promote awareness among humans about the importance of helping turtles live and prosper in their natural habitat.

• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘Shellebrate, Asks Everyone to Love and Save Turtles’.
• The day was founded by the American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), a non-profit organisation, in the year 1990.
• The main objective of this day is to also educate people about the things to do to protect the habitats of turtles as well as tortoises.