Current Affairs 19th April

National Affairs

1. India Acquires Weapons Worth USD 300 Million from US for Indian Navy

The Indian Navy’s MH 60 “Romeo” multi-role helicopters, which will enhance its capabilities to combat enemy warships and submarines, are expected to be armed with armaments worth more than $300 million from the United States of America (USA). India is expected to approve the proposal to acquire these armaments from the USA.

 

The fleet of 24 choppers will receive Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes and additional Hellfire missiles as a result of this.

 

Hellfire missiles are a potent anti-shipping weapon that can also be used to destroy targets like command posts and tanks.

 

Lightweight Mk 54 torpedoes are a powerful weapon against submarines. Additionally, they are equipped on the P8I maritime aircraft.

 

Note: The Foreign Military Sales route will be used to conclude negotiations for the $300 million deal.

 

Background:

 

In February 2020, India agreed to purchase 24 MH 60 Romeo naval multi-role helicopters from Lockheed Martin for USD 2 billion (or more than Rs 16000 crore).

 

Under the first agreement endorsed with the USA, a restricted measure of combat hardware.

 

In addition to being armed with missiles, torpedoes, and other precision-guided weapons, the 24 MH-60 Romeos were also outfitted with night-vision equipment and multi-mode radars.

 

By 2025, it is anticipated that all 24 anti-submarine helicopters will have been delivered.

 

The first batch of MH 60 Romeos was delivered to the Indian Navy in 2022 at Kochi, Kerala, to fill a critical capability gap.

 

Sea King choppers will be replaced by the MH-60, which can operate from aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, and frigates.

2. Indian Navy conducts offshore security exercise ‘Prasthan‘ in Mumbai

 

On April sixth 2023, Indian Naval force directed the seaward security practice Prasthan, a

half-yearly co-ordinated practice alongside other guard, state and non military personnel organizations on the Greatdrill Chaaya stage around 30 nautical miles South West of Mumbai

harbor, Maharashtra.

 

Every six months, the exercise is held to check the policies and procedures for dealing with potential emergencies on oil production platforms.

 

The previous “Prasthan” exercise was held in the Krishna Godavari Basin Offshore Development Area (ODA) in Andhra Pradesh on October 11 and 12, 2022, under the direction of Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, Vishakapatnam.

 

About Prasthan work out:

 

It aims to integrate the efforts of all maritime stakeholders involved in offshore defense and ensures security off the coast.

 

Moves were initiated all through the reproduction to plan for a few circumstances,

counting an oil stage fire, a man over the edge, an oil slick nearby, helicopter

crises, a perilous gas spill, helping a crippled vessel in the seaward region

also, clinical departure of the stage group.

 

The Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation), and Directorate General of Shipping all sent a number of ships and helicopters to participate in the exercise.

 

Staff from Maharashtra Police, Customs, Fisheries Division, Mumbai Port

Authority, JN (Jawaharlal Nehru) Port Power and other concerned state and

focal regular citizen organizations likewise took part in it.

3. Union Minister Giriraj Singh launches ‘Sangathan se Samriddhi’ Campaign to Bring Marginalised Rural Women into SHGs

The “Sangathan Se Samriddhi” campaign was launched by Union Minister Giriraj Singh, Minister of Rural Development (MoRD), on April 18, 2023. It will engage underestimated country families by bringing all qualified provincial ladies into Self improvement Gatherings (SHGs).

 

The public authority is focusing to bring 10 crore ladies under the domain of SHGs

from the current 9 crores. Since 2014, when the number of members was just over 2.3 crore, it has now reached 9 crore.

 

Additionally, the government has established the objective that each SHG-associated woman should be able to earn Rs 1 lakh annually.

4. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju releases 1st Edition of Dogri version of Constitution of India

At the University of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Union Minister Kiren Rijiju of the Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) released the first edition of the Dogri version of the Indian Constitution.

 

Kiren Rijiju said that the translated document was very important for getting people justice.

As per Kiren Rijiju, it is important to comprehend the law and it can’t be

shown improvement over arranging it in one’s primary language.

 

One of the 22 official languages recognized by the Indian Constitution is Dogri, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Jammu region of J&K.

International Affairs

1. Exercise Orion: IAF Participated in Multilateral Military Exercise at Mont-deMarsan Airbase in France 

At Mont-de-Marsan, a French Air Force base belonging to the French Air and Space Force (FASF), a multilateral military exercise was launched on April 17, 2023.

 

From April 17 to May 5, 2023, the Indian Air Force and FASF will participate in an exercise.

Additionally participating in the exercise are the Air Forces of Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America (USA).

 

Key Points:

 

There are 165 air warriors and four Rafale, two C-17, and two IL-78 aircraft in the Indian Air Force Contingent.

 

This is the IAF Rafale aircraft’s first overseas exercise. It is regarded as one of the most potent fighter jets in use by any Asian military.

 

The IAF will improve their employment philosophy by incorporating other Air Forces’ best practices by participating in this exercise.

 

One of France’s most recent large-scale military exercises, Exercise Orion involved approximately 12,000 North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops across four phases.

 

Several sections of military drills have been carried out by the French armed forces, which include the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The activities have likewise elaborate a few unified

countries, like the US and UK, before.

Banking and Finance

1. UPI remains the Preferred Medium for Digital Payments in 2022; Bengaluru tops with Rs 6,500cr digital transactions: Worldline Report

 

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) continued to be the most preferred medium for digital payments in India in 2022, with a 70% increase in the number of transactions to over 74.05 billion and a 54% increase in the value of transactions to Rs 126 trillion, according to the “India Digital Payments Annual Report 2022” report from Worldline India.

 

In 2022, a total of 8,792 million digital payments worth Rs 149.5 lakh crore were made.

 

84% of the volume and value market was dominated by UPI. In comparison to 2021, it saw a 91% increase in volume and a 76% increase in value in 2022.

 

Debit card issuance increased slightly by 0.2 percent to 939.4 million from 938 million, while credit card issuance increased by 18% to 81.1 million.

 

Worldline Report’s data show that Bengaluru had the most digital transactions among India’s 12 cities in 2022, with 29 million transactions totaling Rs. 6,500 crore.

2. HDFC Bank launches Regalia Gold Credit Card

HDFC Bank, India’s biggest confidential bank, dispatches Formal attire Gold Charge card, for

travel and way of life needs. It is a super-premium credit card with a lot of features and benefits that was released under the Regalia credit card range of the bank.

 

Key Points:

 

Customers can use the Regalia Gold catalogue to access a selection of premium brands and redeem rewards for worldwide travel as part of the card’s Travel and Lifestyle benefits.

 

Additionally, the credit card was created to meet the requirements of high-income individuals and provides cardholders with complimentary access to airport lounges around the world.

 

The Regalia Gold Credit Card also lets you turn larger purchases into EMIs.

 

The Credit Card can be used to make contactless payments, which makes it easier to make quick, easy, and safe payments at stores.

 

Note that for a maximum of Rs 5,000 per transaction, contactless payment has been permitted by the Government of India (GoI) without requiring you to enter your Credit Card PIN.

 

Extra data: With over 1.65 million credit cards and a total card base of over 6 million, including credit, debit, and prepaid cards, HDFC Bank leads the Indian payment ecosystem.

3. India gives USD 500,000 to UN Women for Women Empowerment 

In support of women’s empowerment, India has given the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, USD 500,000 (Rs 4.09 crore). Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, presented the check in support of UN Women’s core voluntary budget.

 

The UN Women Executive Director and Under Secretary General, Sima Sami Bahous, accepted the donation.

 

Key Points:

 

This financing features India’s responsibility towards orientation balance and

strengthening of ladies, as well as the public authority’s help towards UN Ladies’

exercises.

 

UN Women’s efforts to promote gender equality and empower women worldwide will benefit from the donation.

 

India right now fills in as an individual from the Leader Leading body of the UN Ladies and

Ladies drove Improvement is one of the needs of India’s G20 administration.

 

Women-led initiatives, entrepreneurship, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education are at the core of India’s development model.

Science and Technology

1. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh launches ‘YUVA PORTAL’ to Identify Potential Young Start-Ups

The “YUVA Portal” and One Week-One Program were launched on April 17, 2023, by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in New Delhi, Delhi, to assist in connecting and locating potential young Start-Ups.

 

YUVA-Youthful, Impending and Adaptable Creators.

 

Key Features:

 

Dr. Jitendra Singh cited India’s 37 Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) Labs as examples of the country’s superior technology, innovation, and startup industries.

 

The CSIR labs will have the chance to showcase the work they are doing as part of the One Week – One Lab program so that others can benefit from it.

 

In the campaign, each of the CSIR labs is showing the people of India their unique innovations and technological breakthroughs.

One Lab Program for a Week:

 

From April 17 to April 21, 2023, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) will organize the One Week-One Lab program.

 

The goal of the One Week – One Lab program is:

 

To make mindfulness about the accessible innovations and administrations present at NPL

among possible partners,

 

To give answers for cultural issues,

 

To sharpen the majority about the significance of exact estimations

 

To foster the logical demeanor among the majority, particularly among

understudies who are the fate of India.

 

Start-up/Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME)/Industry Meet will take place over three days in April 2023.

 

This event aims to showcase the various NPL services offered to industries.

 

Additional Details:

 

Dr Jitendra Singh likewise noticed the send off of the stargazing lab that has come up in

Karnal, Haryana, that it will give a level-battleground to all and even Divyangs

(people with handicaps) could succeed in different types of expertise, workmanship and specialty.

 

The office in various dialects will empower hearing-impeded understudies to study

the sun, moon, and stars alongside fundamental to muddled thoughts of room

 

Indian Communication via gestures AstroLab has 65 bits of hardware, including a huge

telescope, intuitive models, general media helps, and so forth.