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Current Affairs English

Daily Current Affairs 9th April, 2024

Daily Current Affairs 9 April 2024 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

India aim to generate 1 lakh MW of nuclear power by 2047

India aim to generate 1 lakh MW of nuclear power by 2047

  • India aims to produce 1 lakh MW of nuclear power by 2047, a massive increase from the current production of over 8,000 MW, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman A K Mohanty said. 
  • Mohanty was speaking at the release of a report, ‘Synchronising Energy Transitions Towards Possible Net Zero for India: Affordable and Clean Energy for All‘, largely funded by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India.
  • Mohanty said a vision document for ‘Amrit Kaal’ was being prepared by the Department of Atomic Energy which envisages reaching a nuclear capacity of about 100 GW by 2047.
  • He said the breeder reactors would contribute 3 GW of nuclear power, while 17.6 GW would come from light water reactors built with international cooperation and another 40-45 GW would come from the pressurised heavy water reactors.

Centre to develop plant for recycling lithium-ion batteries, e-waste in Uttarakhand

Centre to develop plant for recycling lithium-ion batteries, e-waste in Uttarakhand

  • The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), said it has partnered with startup Remine India to develop a commercial plant for recycling lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries and e-waste using indigenous technology in Uttarakhand.
  • Through the agreement signed recently, the TDB pledged financial assistance of INR 7.5 crore out of the total project cost of INR 15 crore, said the Ministry of Science & Technology. 
  • TDB supporting this initiative would help to engage informal recyclers to connect with formal recyclers thereby contributing towards a circular economy,” TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Zimbabwe launches ‘gold-backed’ currency to replace collapsing dollar

Zimbabwe launches ‘gold-backed’ currency to replace collapsing dollar

  • Zimbabwe has replaced its collapsed local dollar with a new gold-backed currency, the latest move by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to tackle decades of monetary chaos.
  • John Mushayavanhu, governor of the southern African nation’s central bank, admitted that money printing had wrecked the five-year-old Zimbabwe dollar as he launched the ZiG, its replacement.
  • The ZiG, which stands for Zimbabwe Gold, will have an initial value of 13.56 to the US dollar, Mushayavanhu said, after the former currency lost over three-quarters of its value this year alone to trade at Z$36,000 to the dollar.


BANKING & FINANCE

Prepaid payment instruments can now make payments and deposit cash via UPI

Prepaid payment instruments can now make payments and deposit cash via UPI

  • Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has proposed permitting linking of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) through third-party UPI applications, thus allowing PPI wallet holders more flexibility to make UPI payments. 
  • At present, UPI payments from bank accounts can be made only by linking a bank account through the UPI application of the bank or using any third-party UPI application. 
  • However, the same facility is not available for PPIs, and wallet holders can make UPI transactions only by using the web or mobile application provided by the PPI issuer.

SINE, IIT Bombay collaborates with Canara Bank for financing of startupSINE, IIT Bombay collaborates with Canara Bank for financing of startups

  • A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Canara Bank and Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, (SINE), IIT Bombay for extending financial assistance to Start-ups.
  • Canara Bank is extending financial assistance for the establishment, promotion, diversification, and modernization etc. of industrial units all over India under its Canara Start-Up Scheme. 
  • SINE is a technology business incubator that provides start to end incubation and acceleration support for technology startups. 

Mudra loans see record surge, top ₹5-lakh-cr mark in FY24

Mudra loans see record surge, top ₹5-lakh-cr mark in FY24

  • Small business loans under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) witnessed record growth in disbursals in FY24 and also crossed the milestone of ₹5 lakh crore, according to the latest Government data. 
  • Loans sanctioned in the last financial year were higher at ₹5.28 lakh crore. Disbursals in the year ended March 2024 stood at ₹5.20 lakh, as against ₹4.40 lakh crore in the previous financial year. 


BUSINESS & ECONOMY

China pips India in buying sea-borne Russian crude

China pips India in buying sea-borne Russian crude

  • According to a report from energy cargo tracker Vortexa, China has overtaken India as the primary importer of Russian crude oil via sea routes. In March, China imported 1.82 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude by sea, surpassing India’s 1.36 million bpd. Additionally, China also receives Russian oil through pipelines.
  • India’s recent slowdown in Russian crude imports is attributed to various sanctions and rising prices. While India had been the leading importer of seaborne Russian crude for around eighteen months, China’s February imports of 1.3 million bpd marginally exceeded India’s 1.27 million bpd, with the gap widening significantly in March.
  • Despite this shift, India’s imports of Russian oil increased by 7 per cent month-on-month in March, indicating a growing inclination towards acquiring discounted barrels. 
  • Media reports suggest that India’s Russian imports surpassed those from other countries, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Overall crude oil imports for India rose to 4.89 million bpd in March from 4.41 million bpd in February, according to data from Vortexa.

Central Coalfields limited unveils new logo

Central Coalfields limited unveils new logo

  • Coal India’s Arm, Central Coalfields Limited unveiled it’s official brand-new logo with tagline: “Fuelling Sustainable Growth.”
  • Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a Coal India subsidiary, has posted a record output of 76.09 million tonne (MT) in 2022-23 fiscal, registering 11 per cent growth over the previous fiscal’s production of 68.85 million tonne. Achieving the fiscal year target was a first since 2018-19. CCL also recorded 4.5% growth in off-take and 7% growth in overburden removal. 


SPORTS

Sumit Nagal Becomes First Ever Indian To Win Main Draw Match In Monte Carlo Masters

Sumit Nagal Becomes First Ever Indian To Win Main Draw Match In Monte Carlo Masters

  • Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal stuns 35th ranked Matteo Arnaldi and becomes first ever Indian to win main draw match at Monte Carlo Masters . He defeated Arnaldi in the thrilling three-set 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 at the ATP Masters event.
  • The unseeded 95th-ranked Nagal, is only the third Indian to feature in the main draw in Monte Carlo after Vijay Amritraj in 1977 and Ramesh Krishanan in 1982. He also becomes the first-ever male Indian singles player to win a Masters 1000 match on clay.

Indian Shuttlers Anupama Upadhyaya, M Tharun Clinch Their Singles Titles At Kazakhstan International Badminton Challenge Tournament

Indian Shuttlers Anupama Upadhyaya, M Tharun Clinch Their Singles Titles At Kazakhstan International Badminton Challenge Tournament

  • Indian shuttlers Anupama Upadhyaya and M. Tharun have clinched Women’s and Men’s singles titles, at Kazakhstan International Badminton Challenge tournament in Astana.
  • Anupama defeated Isharani Baruah 21-15, 21-16 in an all-Indian women’s singles final. 
  • In the Men’s final, Tharun beat eighth-seeded Malaysian Soong Joo Ven 21-10, 21-19.
  • However, in mixed doubles, Sanjai Srivatsa Dhanraj and Maneesha K pair lost to Malaysia’s Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien 21-9, 7-21, 12-21 in the summit clash


APPOINTMENTS

Manoj Panda is new member of the XVI Finance Commission

Manoj Panda is new member of the XVI Finance Commission

  • The government of India has appointed eminent economist Manoj Panda as a member of the 16th Finance Commission. Manoj Panda will replace Niranjan Rajadhyaksha, who resigned recently due to personal circumstances.
  • Manoj Panda is an eminent economist. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, United States of America.
  • He served as director of the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad, as a professor and associate professor at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai.

Chandra Shekhar Ghosh to retire as MD & CEO of Bandhan Bank upon completion of tenure in July

Chandra Shekhar Ghosh to retire as MD & CEO of Bandhan Bank upon completion of tenure in July

  • Shares of Bandhan Bank tanked over 9 per cent after the private sector lender said its founder, managing director and CEO Chandra Shekhar Ghosh has decided to demit office after the completion of his tenure.
  • Ghosh will retire from the services of the bank as MD and CEO upon completion of his current tenure on July 9, 2024, the bank said in a regulatory filing. 
  • As per RBI guidelines, the tenure of MD and CEO of private banks cannot be more than 15 years. Bandhan Bank was launched on August 23, 2015, with 501 branches and 50 ATMs spread across 24 states.


AWARDS

British man claims the crown of the world’s oldest man at age 111

British man claims the crown of the world's oldest man at age 111

  • British man John Alfred Tinniswood, 111, has been confirmed as the world’s oldest man by Guinness World Records.
  • It follows the death of the Venezuelan record-holder, Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, who died weeks before his 115th birthday.
  • Tinniswood was presented with a certificate by Guinness World Records where he lives in a care home in Southport, northwest England. 

Kremlin critic Navalnaya to receive Freedom Prize of the Media

Kremlin critic Navalnaya to receive Freedom Prize of the Media

  • Kremlin critic Yulia Navalnaya and her husband Alexei Navalny, who died a few weeks ago in a Russian prison, are to receive this year’s “Freedom Prize of the Media”. 
  • The award ceremony is to take place on 19 April at the Ludwig Erhard Summit, named after the former German chancellor, at Bavaria’s Tegernsee lake. 
  • Navalnaya will accept the award in person. Navalnaya and her husband are to be honoured for their brave and non-violent battle against a brutal dictatorship in Russia. 


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX launches first mid-inclination dedicated rideshare mission

SpaceX launches first mid-inclination dedicated rideshare mission

  • SpaceX launched the first in a new line of dedicated rideshare missions, delivering 11 commercial and military satellites into mid-inclination orbits. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A . Eastern on the Bandwagon-1 mission. The rocket’s first stage, making its 14th flight, landed back at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1 seven and a half minutes after liftoff.
  • In a step forward for the Indian private space sector, SpaceX has launched an Earth-Imaging satellite assembled and tested in India, by a Tata Group firm. The ‘TSAT-1A’ satellite was launched on the Bandwagon-1 mission.
  • The launch was the first for a new series of dedicated rideshare missions intended to complement SpaceX’s existing Transporter missions. Unlike Transporter missions, which launch payloads into sun-synchronous orbits commonly used by remote sensing satellites, the Bandwagon missions are intended to send payloads to low Earth orbits at inclinations of about 45 degrees. 
  • Bandwagon-1 carried 11 satellites, with the largest likely to be a “425 Project” satellite for South Korea’s military. The government’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced in 2022 it would launch five satellites, four with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads and one with an optical/infrared payload, with SpaceX through 2025. 

Indian Army gets Igla-S air defence system from Russia

Indian Army gets Igla-S air defence system from Russia

  • The Indian Army has received the first batch of 24 Russia-made Igla-S Man Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS), along with 100 missiles, as part of a larger deal which will see the rest being made in India, ThePrint has learnt. 
  • The system is being procured to shore up Indian Army’s Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) capabilities. The Igla-S systems are under procurement for the new authorised air defence formations for high mountainous terrain along the northern border.
  • The Igla-S system consists of a single launcher and a missile. India signed the contract with Russia in November last year for 120 launchers and 400 missiles. 
  • While the first batch has come from Russia, the rest of these systems will be made in India through Transfer of Technology (ToT) from Russia by an Indian company.


OBITUARIES

Cinematographer Gangu Ramsay of iconic Ramsay Brothers passes away at 83

Cinematographer Gangu Ramsay of iconic Ramsay Brothers passes away at 83

  • Cinematographer-filmmaker Gangu Ramsay, one of the seven Ramsay Brothers known for cult horror films such as ‘Purani Haveli’ and ‘Tehkhana’, died at a hospital. He was 83. 
  • Gangu Ramsay was a renowned cinematographer and filmmaker who was part of the iconic Ramsay Brothers banner. He contributed to over 50 iconic films under their production house.
  • Gangu Ramsay made a significant impact on the television industry with his groundbreaking Zee Horror Show, which entertained audiences for over eight years.
  • His other notable works on Zee TV include Saturday Suspense, Naagin, and Zimbo, showcasing his versatility as a filmmaker.

Former Indian football team coach Joe Kinnear passes away

Former Indian football team coach Joe Kinnear passes away

  • Former Tottenham Hotspur defender and Wimbledon manager Joe Kinnear has died aged 77. 
  • The ex-Ireland international, who won 26 caps, had been living with dementia since 2015 and finished his managerial career in 2009 with Newcastle United.
  • In 10 years at Spurs, Kinnear won the League Cup twice, FA Cup and UEFA Cup before leaving in 1975 for Brighton & Hove Albion. He retired at 30 the following year after a knee injury. 


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