NATIONAL NEWS

Conservation Plan for Great Indian Bustards

• The ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is taking various measures for conservation and protection of Great Indian Bustard in the country, including in Rajasthan.

• The Great Indian Bustard is listed in Schedule-I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Highest degree of legal protection from hunting.

• Important habitats of Great Indian Bustards have been designated as National Parks/Sanctuaries for their better protection.

• This species has been identified for conservation efforts under the centrally sponsored scheme 'Species Recovery Programme'.

Government Approves Installation of ‘Statue of Knowledge’

• The ‘Statue of Knowledge’ installation dedicated to Ambedkar was approved by Govt.

• The construction of a 75-foot-tall “Statue of Knowledge” dedicated to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in the city of Latur has received approval from the Maharashtra government.

• The state government issued an order regarding the beautification of the statue and Ambedkar Park in the city.

• Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned for this entire project.

• On April 14, the foundation stone laying ceremony for the project will be performed on Dr. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary.

BANKING

Axis Bank Launches 'Micropay' on 'PIN On Mobile' Technology

• Axis Bank launched a groundbreaking payment solution called "Micropay" by Razorpay and MyPinpad in association with technology partners Ezetap.

• Micropay is a "Pin on mobile" solution that enables a merchant's smartphone to act as a Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal, providing a unique customer experience and simplifying digital payments.

• This solution has the potential to revolutionise digital payments in India, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities where retail and grocery stores often have limited working capital and need cost-effective payment options.
• The launch of Micropay by Axis Bank is expected to have a significant impact on small businesses, making digital payments more accessible and cheaper.
• The new Pin on mobile technology offers merchants an affordable way to accept payments through cards, UPI and BAR codes while maintaining high security standards.

Employees' Provident Fund Organization Increased the Interest Rate

• Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has fixed the interest rate on Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) deposits at 8.15% for the financial year 2022-23, which is higher than the previous year's interest rate of 8.10%.

• EPFO has sought approval from the Finance Ministry for the new interest rate.

• The CBT will also review the annual accounts of EPFO along with the interest rate on EPF deposits for the financial year 2022-23.

• EPFO has given four months’ time to the subscribers of Employees' Pension Scheme 1995 to opt for higher pension as per the order of the Supreme Court.
• Members can opt for higher pension till 03 May 2023.

YES Bank Issues First Electronic Bank Guarantee (E-BG)

• YES Bank has issued its first electronic-Bank Guarantee (e-BG) in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).

• The API integration with the Digital Document Execution (DDE) platform of NeSL has enabled complete digitisation of the existing paper-based process for issuance and maintenance of Bank Guarantee (BG).

• This includes digital stamping and signing, which significantly reduces the issuance turnaround time (TAT).

• The NeSL portal will manage the entire lifecycle of the bank guarantee including issuance, amendment, invocation and cancellation, enabling trade finance stakeholders to access the documents from this secure repository.
• YES Bank’s integration with NeSL is consistent with its efforts to work with public digital utilities such as Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Account Aggregator (AA), and Government e-Marketplaces (GEM), to accelerate digitization and enabling ease of doing business for our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and corporate customers.
• An e-BG issued through NeSL’s 24X7 platform becomes instantly available and the beneficiary can access it on completion of a simple and one-time registration process.

South Indian Bank partners with Central Board of Direct Taxes

• South Indian Bank is associated with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for direct tax collections from retail and corporate taxpayers.

• The payment facility will allow taxpayers to remit Direct Taxes under ‘Over the Counter Mode’.

• The bank’s customers can make payments via ‘Over the Counter’ as well as ‘Internet Banking’ modes.

• CBDT is a statutory body established as per the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.
• It is India’s official financial action task force unit.
• It is administered by the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.

ECONOMY

Surcharge for Google Pay and Other Payment Apps

• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued a circular suggesting "Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI)" charges on merchant transactions on Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

• NPCI has introduced an interchange charge of up to 1.1 per cent on merchant UPI transactions done using prepaid payment instruments from April 1.

• It will be levied on UPI payments above Rs 2,000 made to online merchants, large merchants and small merchants.

• NPCI has clarified that there will be no charges for UPI payment from bank account to bank account or normal UPI payment.

• With UPI, customers will have the option of using any bank account, RuPay credit card and prepaid walleton a UPI-enabled app.

SPORTS

Stadium Named After Hockey Star Rani Rampal

• Rani Rampal becomes the first women’s hockey player to have a stadium named after.

• The Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli has renamed the hockey stadium as ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf’.

• Earlier this year, Rani Rampal made a comeback to the Indian team during the tour of South Africa.

• Rani Rampal is the former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team.

• Under his leadership, the team reached the final of hockey tournament at the Tokyo Olympics.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

India’s ‘Most Valued Celebrity Of 2022’

• According to the report, titled “Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022: Beyond the Mainstream” Actor Ranveer Singh has become the ‘Most valued celebrity of 2022’,

• He with a brand value of $181.7 million surpassed cricketer Virat Kohli.

• Kohli is in second position with a brand value of $176.9 million.

• Actor Akshay Kumar is in the third position with a brand value of $153.6 million.
• Alia Bhatt retained the fourth position and is the most valued female celebrity in India.
• Deepika Padukone with a brand valuation of $82.9 million is on the fifth spot.
• The overall brand value of the top 25 celebrities in 2022 is estimated at $1.6 billion.
• For the first time, South Indian stars Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna got a place in the top 25 celebrities of India.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Children's Champion Award

• The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights conferred the Assam-based Tapoban NGO with the Children's Champion Award 2023.

• The award was presented in the Health and Nutrition category.

• Kumud Kalita, founder-president of Tapoban and a political science teacher at a junior college of the school, received the award from Justice S Muralidhar, Chief Justice of Odisha High Court in New Delhi.

• This NGO focuses on supporting children with special needs and autism.
• The Children's Champion Award recognizes individuals and organisations for their significant contribution to the welfare of children in areas such as education, justice, health, nutrition, sports and creative arts.
• Tapoban has been recognized in the Health and Nutrition category for its remarkable contribution to the welfare of children with special needs and children with autism.

'Lifetime Achievement Award' by University of Texas

• Jindal Steel and Power Chairman Naveen Jindal conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the University of Texas.

• Jindal, an alumnus of UT Dallas 1992 batch, received the award for his outstanding achievements in industry, politics and academia.

• Jindal is the second person after Nobel laureate Aziz Sansar to receive this prestigious award from the University of Texas, Dallas.

• As a student at UT Dallas, Jindal served as both vice president and president of the student government and was honoured with the Student Leader of the Year award and also received the university's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2010.
• The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented by the University of Texas (Dallas) to individuals who have made significant contributions in a variety of fields over a distinguished career of at least 25 years.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

New President of BRICS New Development Bank

• Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been elected as the new President of the New Development Bank (NDB), also known as the BRICS Bank.

• She replaced Marcus Troyjo as the President of NDB.

• Rousseff is an economist who served as the President of Brazil for two consecutive terms from January 2011 to August 2016.

• During her presidency, Rousseff prioritised social policies, including poverty reduction and increased access to education and healthcare.
• The NDB has so far approved $23 billion in loans for projects including renewable energy and transportation infrastructure in its member countries.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Device to Detect Adulteration in Milk

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Researchers have developed a three-dimensional (3D) paper-based portable device that can detect adulteration in milk within 30 seconds.

• This new technology can be used at home and only one milliliter of liquid sample is required to test for adulteration.

• The device can detect various commonly used adulterant agents such as detergent, soap, hydrogen peroxide, urea, starch, salt, and sodium-hydrogen-carbonate.

• The traditional methods to test the purity of milk which are expensive and time consuming, this new technology is cost effective.
• This new technology can also be used to test other liquids such as water, fresh juices and milkshakes.
• Only one milliliter sample of any liquid will be sufficient to test for adulteration.