A new detailed geologic map of the moon has been issued by China. | Based on data from the Chang’e project, Chinese scientists have generated a high-resolution topography map of the moon. There are 12,341 impact craters, 81 impact basins, 17 rock kinds, and 14 structural types on the map. The scale of the latest complete geologic map of the moon is 1:2,500,000. The project was directed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Geochemistry, as well as other institutions. On the moon, the new map will aid scientific research, exploration, and landing site selection. Previously, in the year 2020, the USGS Astrogeology Science Centre issued a lunar map at a scale of 1:5,000,000. |
In Goa, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman opened the “Dharohar” National Museum of Customs and GST. | The National Museum of Customs and GST, known as ‘Dharohar,’ is located on the banks of the Mandovi River in Panaji. She also took part in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Iconic Week celebration’s concluding event. Not only will the national museum display artefacts confiscated by Indian Customs, but it will also educate visitors on fundamental Customs operations. It will depict the development of the Goods and Services Tax, India’s most significant indirect tax reform. |
Nirmala Sitharaman announces the EASE 5.0 ‘Common Reforms Agenda’ for PSBs. | From FY19 through FY22, four versions of Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (EASE) have been released. The EASENext program’s EASE 5.0 ‘Common Reform Agenda’ was established for public sector banks and was inaugurated through video-conferencing by the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs. In April 2022, the PSB Manthan was held with the functional chiefs of Public Sector Banks, paving the ground for the creation of EASENext, a comprehensive and daring initiative. EASENext will be divided into two parts: EASE 5.0 (Common PSB Reform Agenda) and Bank Specific Strategic 3-Year Roadmap (based on the business priorities of the individual bank). For changing customer requirements, competition, and the technical environment, PSBs will continue to invest in next-generation capabilities and deepen existing advancements under EASE 5.0. The digital client experience, as well as integrated and inclusive banking, will be the emphasis of EASE 5.0. |
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appoints Amandeep Singh Gill as ambassador for technology. | Maria-Francesca Spatolisano was succeeded by Indian diplomat Amandeep Singh Gill. Gill works at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva as the Chief Executive Officer of the International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) project. From 2016 to 2018, Amandeep Singh Gill served as India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Gill formerly served as the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation’s Executive Director and Co-Head (2018-2019). |
Prasar Bharti’s CEO, Mayank Agrawal, has been appointed. | Mayank Kumar Agrawal, the Director-General of Doordarshan and Doordarshan News, has been given the additional responsibility of becoming the CEO of Prasar Bharati. Shashi Shekhar Vempati, the Prasar Bharati’s CEO for the previous five years, was followed by Agrawal. In November 1997, Prasar Bharati was founded. The organization’s headquarters are in New Delhi. |
For the 11th year in a row, MIT is ranked first in the QS World University Rankings 2023. | The QS World University Rankings 2023 were announced by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a global higher education think tank. For the 11th year in a row, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been named the best institution in the world. There isn’t a single Indian university on the top-100 list. The only three Indian colleges to rank within the top 200 for the sixth year in a row are IISc Bengaluru (Rank 155), IIT Bombay (Rank 172), and IIT Delhi (Rank 174). |
Despite the decline, India’s FDI rating increased by one spot. | According to the UNCTAD’s World Investment Report for 2021, India would be one of the top receivers of foreign direct investment. Despite the drop in inflows, India is ranked seventh in terms of getting foreign direct investment. The amount of foreign direct investment flowing into India has decreased from $64 billion in 2020 to $45 billion in 2021. The United States remained the leading FDI recipient ($367 billion). The second and third places, respectively, were taken by China ($181 billion) and Hong Kong ($141 billion). India’s FDI outflow has surged by 43% to $15.5 billion in 2021. In India, a total of 108 new international projects have been announced for the year 2021. Renewable energy initiatives accounted for the most (23) projects. According to UNCTAD, global FDI flow has reached pre-pandemic levels of $1.6 trillion in 2021, but the outlook for this year is bleaker. |
In the interest of customers, the Union Government has issued new principles for fair advertising. | The Consumer Affairs Ministry has issued new advertising standards to safeguard customers from deceptive product and service advertising. The recommendations will take effect on June 10, 2022. Surrogate advertising would be prohibited, and there will be pre-conditions for bait advertisements and children’s commercials. The restrictions will apply to all types of ads, including print, television, and internet. The revised standards define the term “misleading advertisement” and clarify what constitutes “bait” advertising. It will not only safeguard customers, but it will also educate the advertising business about the authenticity of commercials. The Central Consumer Protection Authority will take strict action against anyone who violates the criteria. Surrogate advertising is a sort of marketing in which companies utilise obfuscated adverts to promote regulated items such as cigarettes and alcohol. Bait advertising is a sort of marketing that attracts customers by offering low-cost items. |
For the first time in a decade, the European Central Bank will raise interest rates. | For the first time in more than 11 years, the European Central Bank (ECB) intends to raise interest rates by 0.25 percentage point. The hike in interest rates will take place in July, according to ECB President Christine Lagarde. On July 1, the European Central Bank’s bond-buying stimulus programme will come to an end. The ECB’s main policy interest rate is now at -0.50%, but it might reach zero or higher by the end of September. Because of the rise in energy prices, several central banks have boosted interest rates to manage inflation. The European Central Bank has also lowered the eurozone’s growth outlook for 2022 from 3.7 percent to 2.8 percent. |
The Rashtriya Puruskar Portal was inaugurated by the Union Government. | It was created to solicit nominations for a variety of prizes given out by various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. It was created to bring all of the awards together on a single digital platform. It would ensure openness and public participation, as well as make it easier for residents to submit people or organisations for numerous prizes. Nominations for the Padma Awards are now being accepted till September 15, 2022. |
WayCool will build India’s first ventilated cold storage facility for onions. | WayCool is a Chennai-based startup with a leading agri-commerce platform in India. It will first construct a pilot plant. Onions are currently kept in ventilated warehouses. The onion bulb rots fast if it is kept in cold storage and then removed. However, technology now exists to keep it dry. WayCool has teamed up with Mooji Agro in the Netherlands to convert cold storage to ventilated cold storage in order to preserve crops such as potatoes and onions. The crop’s shelf life is extended thanks to the ventilated cold storage. Farmers will gain from supply chain innovation, which will lessen price volatility. WayCool’s farmer consulting platform, Outgrow, employs AI to anticipate and identify illness early. |
According to a research, India is one of Asia’s leading marketplaces for fintech apps. | The total downloads of worldwide financial, fintech apps reached a new high of 1.74 billion in the first quarter of 2022, according to Sensor Tower’s State of Fintech and Crypto Apps 2022 study. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial app business grew, with app downloads surpassing 6.1 billion in 2021. In Asia, the top markets for fintech apps are India and Southeast Asia. In North America, Latin America, and Europe, quarterly downloads have increased. The majority of the applications downloaded are linked to payment, cryptocurrency, and banking. Southeast Asia has the potential to be an emerging market for cryptocurrency apps, with downloads rising from 6 million in 2020 to 21 million in 2021. Crypto applications accounted for 7% of the top 50 financial app downloads in Southeast Asia in Q1 2022. Every year, the global crypto app industry expands. The most popular cryptocurrency apps are Binance, Crypto.com, and Coinbase. CoinSpot is the most popular cryptocurrency app in Australia. According to the Affle’s MAAS analysis, India’s fintech business would be worth $150-160 billion by 2025. |
In Navsari, the PM launched a number of development projects as part of the Gujarat Gaurav Abhiyan. | He officially opened seven projects and established the groundwork for another twelve. These initiatives will aid in the improvement of the region’s water supply. It will improve the state’s connection. He cut the ribbon on the Astol regional water supply project, which is based on the Madhuban dam. The citizens of Surat, Navsari, Valsad, and Tapi districts would have access to safe drinking water. He dedicated the Virpur Vyara substation, which would deliver power to Tapi district inhabitants. The Prime Minister launched ‘Nal Se Jal’ projects totaling 163 crores. In the Valsad area, a sewage treatment facility with a capacity of 14 MLD was also launched for wastewater treatment. |
Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland were all chosen as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. | On January 1, 2020, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland will replace India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Norway. For the two-year period 2023-24, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland have been chosen. In December 2022, India’s two-year stint as a non-permanent member would come to an end. Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates are the UNSC’s other non-permanent members. From the seats in Western Europe and other States category, Switzerland (187 votes) and Malta (185 votes) were elected. From the Latin American and Caribbean States category, Mozambique (192 votes) and Japan (184 votes) were chosen. |