NATIONAL:
1. “NET Zero” Innovation Virtual Centre
Why in news - India and United Kingdom would jointly create India-UK "NET Zero" Innovation Virtual Centre.
Key Points –
• “Roadmap 2030” - Provide a framework for UK-India relations across health, climate, trade, education, science and technology, and defence.
• UK is India’s 2nd largest international research and innovation partner.
• The joint research program of both countries has gone from an almost zero base to close to £300-400 million.
• MOES-NEKTON - Joint research program towards exploration and conservation of marine Biodiversity.
2. Joint Development of Nuclear Power Plants (NPP)
Why in news - NTPC signed a joint venture agreement (JV) with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) for the development of NPP.
Key Points –
• Joint venture name – ASHVINI.
• Initially, the Joint Venture company shall develop two Pressurized Heavy-Water Reactor (PHWR) projects –
(a) Chutka Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Project (2x700 MW)
(b) Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (4x700 MW).
• These reactors would be set up in “fleet mode” by the year 2031 at a cost of Rs. 1,05,000 crores.
• A total of 7,000 MW or 7 GW is expected from these reactors.
Value Addition –
• NTPC is India's largest power producer.
• India’s aim - to start generating 2,000 MW of nuclear energy by 2032, 4,200 MW by 2035 and 20,000 MW by 2050.
3. Ganga-Pushkaralu Utsav
Why in news - The 12-day Pushkaralu festival of Telugu-speaking people began on April 22 in Varanasi.
Key Points –
• Frequency - Once in 12 years.
• Worship - 12 sacred rivers i.e., Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Bhima, Tapti, Narmada, Saraswati, Tungabhadra, Sindhu, Pranhita.
• Festival is based on the position of Jupiter at the time.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. The Big Catch-Up
Why in news - “The Big Catch-Up” was launched to restore immunisation progress lost during pandemic.
Key Points –
• Launched by - World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, along with Immunization Agenda 2030.
• India is among the 20 countries where around 75% of children have missed essential immunisation in 2021, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• It would pay special attention to the 20 countries — Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Cameroon, Chad etc.
2. Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET)
Why in news - The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched PRET to be better prepared for future outbreaks.
Key Points –
• Aim – to provide guidance on integrated planning for responding to any respiratory pathogen such as influenza or coronaviruses.
• It was announced at the Global Meeting for Future Respiratory Pathogen Pandemics held on 24-26 April 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.
• In Feb 2023, WHO published a “Zero-Draft” of the Pandemic Treaty to bring in Global and National-Level Pandemic Preparedness.
ECONOMY:
1. CBDC e-Rupee
Why in news - Reliance General Insurance became the first insurer to accept RBI's CBDC e-Rupee for premium payments.
Key Points –
• It has tied up with Yes Bank to facilitate the collection of premiums.
• eRupee is a digital token that is equivalent to a banknote i.e., legal tender, and is a sovereign currency backed by the RBI.
SCIENCE – TECHNOLOGY:
1. GigaChat
Why in news - Russian lender Sberbank unveiled its chatbot GigaChat as a rival to OpenAI’s sensational ChatGPT.
Key Points –
• Features - Answer questions, hold conversations, write program code to develop software, and even generate images.
• ChatGPT is not available in Russia over concerns about its potential misuse.
About ChatGPT –
• GPT - Generative Pre-Trained Transformer.
• A prototype dialogue-based AI chatbot capable of understanding natural human language and generating human-like written text.
• Uses - Digital marketing, online content creation and answering customer service queries.
ENVIRONMENT:
1. CORSIA and LTAG
Why in news - Indian airline is set to join the sustainable aviation bandwagon from 2027.
Key Points –
• India would join –
(a) CORSIA - Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.
(b) LTAG - Long-Term Aspirational Goals.
• Both CORSIA and LTAG are initiatives of International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO).
• ICAO has adopted the aspirational goal of 2% annual fuel efficiency improvement through 2050, carbon neutral growth from 2020 onwards, and net zero by 2050.
Value Addition –
• National Policy on Bio Fuels 2018 aims ethanol blending of 20% in petrol by 2025-26.
• The Bureau of Indian Standard has issued Indian Standard for Bio-Jet ATF in January 2019.
• Spicejet operated a flight with 25% SAF (Biofuel produced from Jatropha seeds) blended with ATF from Dehradun to Delhi in August, 2018.
• Indigo carried out its first international ferry flight with 10% blended fuel from Toulouse to Delhi on February 2022.
• Vistara carried out 30% blended SAF ferry flight from Seattle to Delhi in March 2023.
AWARDS & HONOURS:
1. World Green Award 2023
Why in news - Chennai Metro Rail has received the Green World Award, an environmental award for the year 2023.
Key Points –
• International Green World Awards ceremony took place on April 24 in the city of Miami in the United States.
2. Leipzig Book Prize 2023
Why in news - Maria Stepanova has been awarded the prestigious Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding in 2023.
Key Points –
• Honored for - Girls Without Clothes (volume of poetry).
• Her novel “In Memory of Memory” was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2021.
BOOKS & AUTHORS:
1. “Reflections”
Why in news - Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman launched the book titled “Reflections”.
Key Points –
• Author - Narayanan Vaghul.
• It provides a detailed account of his experiences in the financial landscape of India.
POINTERS:
• Which airline has unveiled world's first robotic check-in assistant named Sara – Emirates.
• The 2 day Sinthan Snow Festival-2023 was hosted by which state/UT involving a variety of activities like Bike Rally, Paragliding, Snow Kayaking etc - Jammu and Kashmir (Kishtwar).
• The Indian Army inducted its first batch of “Five Women Officers” into which regiment – Artillery.
• Who has been appointed as the Chief Technical Officer of Air India - Sisira Kanta Dash.
• Who has launched the world’s first Nano DAP (Liquid) - Amit Shah.
• Who has launched a book titled “Saurashtra Tamil Sangam Prashasti” authored by Somnath Sanskrit University – PM Narendra Modi.
• Which country has become the largest recipient of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded programmes/projects in the year 2022 – Pakistan.
• The Chief Minister of which state has launched the third phase of 5T School Transformation Initiative – Odisha.
• Which state has launched "Inflation Relief Camps" – Rajasthan.
• Which state has created a world record by making 3700 KG khichdi - Madhya Pradesh.