Daily Current Affairs- 28 April

Today's Current Affairs 28th April 2023

NATIONAL

Arjun Vajpai Summits Mt. Annapurna, becomes first Indian man to do so

Indian professional mountaineer Arjun Vajpai, roped in as a Fit India Champion earlier this year has become the first Indian man to summit Mt. Annapurna 1, which is also the 10th highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres (26,545 ft) above sea level in Nepal.

Arjun made the climb to the 7x8000m summits on April 17 and has now become the first Indian mountaineer to scale 7x8000m peaks. Mt. Annapurna happens to be the most dangerous mountain out of the 14x8000m Summit Mountains.

Bestowed the title of a Fit India Champion, Arjun is already a record holder by becoming one of the youngest mountaineers to climb Mount Everest.

This year, Mt. Annapurna lived up to its reputation for being one of the most difficult and dangerous mountains. While Arjun summited Mt. Annapurna and was back at Camp 4, two Indian climbers were missing by that point and one fellow climber from Ireland died at Camp 4. On the morning of April 18, Arjun and his team decided that the mountain was unsafe for descending all the way up to the Base Camp. They had run out of resources at the lower camps while several attempts were made to find the missing climbers. Arjun was eventually brought back to base camp with the help of a long-line helicopter.

Finance Ministry approves Navratna status to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Ministry of Finance ( MoF ) gave its approval to upgrade Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE). RVNL, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, will be the 13th Navratna amongst CPSEs.

RVNL is currently categorised as a Miniratna Central Public Sector Enterprise. Incorporated in 2003, RVNL is engaged in the planning, development, and implementation of railway infrastructure projects. The discussions regarding the upgrade to Navratna status was initiated on the back of multiple orders that RVNL recently won from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Railways.

According to the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) RVNL, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways (MoR), has become the 13^th Navratna amongst CPSEs.

About: Navratna CPSE in India -

The term ‘Navratna’ refers to a select group of top-performing CPSEs that have been granted greater autonomy and financial powers by the Indian government in recognition of their superior performance.

The term ‘Navratna’, meaning nine gems, is used metaphorically to suggest that these companies are like the nine precious gems that shine brightly in the crown of Indian PSEs.

OBITURY

Boxing Champion, Padma Shri Awardee Kaur Singh passes away

Boxing champion Kaur Singh breathed his last on Thursday, April 27 in Haryana's Kurukshetra at the age of 74. He had been undergoing treatment for quite some time due to multiple health issues.

Singh garnered loads of laurels in his career. He won six gold medals in international competitions, which included the Asian Games in 1982. He won gold in heavyweight boxing at the Asian Games.

In the same year, Singh got the prestigious Arjuna Award, followed by the Padma Shri in 1983. Thereafter, in 1988, he won the Vishisht Seva Medal, also.

Back on January 27, 1980, Singh also took part in an exhibition match with the legendary Muhammad Ali that took place in New Delhi.

Earlier in April, the Punjab government announced that life stories of four great sportsmen will be included in school curriculum. Textbooks of Class 9 and 10 will have their stories. Singh is one of the four players along with Balbir Singh Sr, who represented India in three Olympics, athlete Milkha Singh and Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, who was India’s very first Arjuna Awardee.

Uttarakhand Minister Chandan Ram Das passes away

ttarakhand’s Minister for Transport and Social Welfare Chandan Ram Das died of a heart attack on Wednesday in Bageshwar, The 65-year-old was brought to the district hospital this afternoon after he complained of suffocation in the chest, Bageshwar’s Chief Medical Officer DP Joshi said.

He was shifted to the ICU as his condition worsened. Despite all efforts, he could not be saved, The minister could not be taken to some other hospital in an air ambulance as his condition did not allow it,

The BJP leader represented Bageshwar in four consecutive assemblies since 2007, but he became a minister for the first time in the Pushkar Singh Dhami's cabinet.

About: Chandan Ram Das - Chandan Ram Das was an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Das was a member of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly from the Bageshwar constituency in Bageshwar district from 2007 until his death.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

RBI approves re-appointment of N Kamakodi as CUB MD & CEO

The Reserve Bank of India has given its consent for the re-appointment of N Kamakodi as Managing Director and CEO of private sector bank City Union Bank, the Tamil-Nadu-based lender said on Wednesday. The tenure of his re-appointment would be for a period of three years with effect from May 1, 2023.

Dr. N. Kamakodi is serving as MD & CEO of the Bank from May 2011. He joined the Bank as DGM in the year 2003 was elevated to the post of GM in 2005 and later as Executive Director in 2006. He has excellent academic background and also acquired hands on experience on the overall operations of the Bank, He has a degree in Bachelor ofTechnology in Chemical Engineering, an MBA from Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ph.D. in e-Banking and a CAIIB.

About: City Union Bank – The City Union Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank headquartered in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. The bank was initially named Kumbakonam Bank Limited, and was incorporated on 31 October 1904

IMPORTAN DAYS

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Every year on April 28, World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated. The day is dedicated to promoting awareness and reducing occupational diseases and accidents worldwide. The emphasis is on the creation and upkeep of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management system.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) first observed World Day in 2003 with the objective of avoiding workplace accidents and diseases. The day overlaps with the International Day of Remembrance for the Dead and Injured Workers, which has been observed by the labour movement since 1996.

The day has significance in increasing awareness of ways to make work safe and healthy, as well as the necessity to enhance the political profile of occupational safety and health.

The primary goal for this day is to maintain high standards of safety and health, which should be distributed equitably throughout all sectors of society.

This year's World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2022 theme is "A safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work". The focus of the theme is to provide highlights on fostering excellent workplace health through a safe and healthy work environment.

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Himachal Pradesh government signs MoU with Oil India to develop new renewable energy sources

To explore the state's solar potential, the Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Oil India Ltd to establish a framework for cooperation in harnessing and developing new and renewable energy sources in the state.

The pact was signed by Harikesh Meena, Director (Energy), on behalf of the state government, and Pankaj Kumar Goswami, Director (Operations), Oil India Ltd, in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu.

The Chief Minister said the company would explore the possibilities of setting up floating solar power plants in water reservoirs, besides establishing ground mounted solar power projects.

He said the Oil India can also set up a plant for producing green hydrogen and green ammonia on a pilot basis.

Himachal Pradesh has abundance in green energy and opportunity in producing green hydrogen, and the state government has taken various initiatives to harness this potential, the Chief Minister said, as he asked Oil India to send a team of experts next week to inspect the sites for implementing these projects.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

14th Dalai Lama Gets 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award In Person After 64 Years

The 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award was presented to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at his residence here by members of the award foundation personally after 64 years

It was the first international award given to "His Holiness for Community Leadership in recognition of his leadership of the Tibetan community's gallant struggle in defense of the sacred religion that is the inspiration of their life and culture" by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation in the Philippines in August 1959, the Dalai Lama's office said.

Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation president Susanna B Afan and Foundation Trustee Emily A Abrera met with the Dalai Lama, the Nobel Peace laureate, to personally present the 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award after 64 years.

About: Ramon Magsaysay Award - The Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called the "Nobel Prize of Asia", is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society, the Dalai Lama's office said. The prize was established in April 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund based in New York City with the concurrence of the Philippine government.

Alessandra Korap from Amazon wins Goldman Environment Prize

Munduruku leader Alessandra Korap has been awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her work fighting against illegal mining and large-scale projects aimed at facilitating soybean exports in the Tapajos River Basin.

The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The award is given by the Goldman Environmental Foundation headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is also called the Green Nobel. The Goldman Environmental Prize was created in 1989 by philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman.