Daily Current Affairs- 30 May 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 30th May 2024

INTERNATIONAL

India Assumes Chair of Colombo Process for 2024-26

• India takes the Chairmanship of the Colombo Process for 2024-26, for the first time since its inception. India looks to promote safe, orderly and legal migration.
• India has been an active participant in the Colombo Process since its inception. It has engaged in ministerial consultations, senior officers’ meetings, and Thematic Area Working Groups (TAWGs). India has also contributed to various studies under the process, including those on remittance frameworks, recruitment agency ratings, and social protection for migrant workers. 

NATIONAL

Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences Launches “PRAGATI-2024”, initiative

• The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Ayush, launched “PRAGATI- 2024” (Pharma Research in AyurGyan & Techno Innovation). It offers a very useful opportunity for collaborative research in the field of Ayurveda.
• The launch event was attended by prominent figures including Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush; Rabinarayan Acharya, DG, CCRAS; and Koustubha Upadhaya, Advisor (Ayu.), Ministry of Ayush. 

DRDO Successfully Tests RudraM-II Missile

• The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested the RudraM-II air-to-surface missile. The missile was fired at 11:30 AM from a Su-30 MK-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) off the coast of Odisha.
• RudraM-II is a solid-propelled air-launched missile designed for air-to-surface operations, capable of neutralizing various enemy assets. It incorporates advanced technologies developed by several DRDO laboratories. 

Indian Army and IOCL Partner for Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Trials

• In a significant step towards sustainable transportation, the Indian Army and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) have joined forces to pilot the use of hydrogen fuel cell buses for heavy-duty e-mobility.
• The collaboration was solidified with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Monday at the National War Memorial in Delhi. The ceremony, attended by Army Chief General Manoj Pande, IOCL Chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, and senior officials from both organizations, marked the handover of the first hydrogen fuel cell bus to the Indian Army. 

SPORTS

ICC Player of the Month awards for April 2024

• The West Indies captain, Hayley Matthews has been named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for her exceptional all-round performances that spearheaded the West Indies’ success in Pakistan across both ODI and T20I series.
• The UAE skipper, Muhammad Waseem has been named as the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for April for his prolific run with the bat, He became the first-ever player from UAE to win the ICC Player of the Month, after beating off competition from Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and Namibia’s Gerhard Erasmus in the men's category. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Sony Pictures Networks India appoints Gaurav Banerjee as its new CEO

• Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has appointed Gaurav Banerjee as its new chief executive officer (CEO), Banerjee will succeed N.P. Singh who recently announced his intention to step down after more than two decades at SPNI.
• Banerjee’s appointment comes after his resignation from Disney’s India unit, where he held pivotal roles as the Head of Content for the popular streaming service Hotstar and the Head of Business for the company’s TV channels catering to the Hindi-speaking markets. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Goa Statehood Day

• Every year, Goa Statehood Day is observed on May 30. This year, Goa Statehood Day will be celebrated on Thursday.
• Goa used to be a Portuguese colony for over 450 years. In the year of 1961, Goa was liberated by India. Goa was given the status of a union territory along with Daman and Diu in 1987. Later in 1987, Goa was given the status of a state – Goa became the 25th state of the Indian union that year. Panaji was declared the capital of the state and Konkani was announced to be the official language of Goa. Since then, Goa Statehood Day is observed every year on May 30. 

International Potato Day - by United Nations

• The first ever International Potato Day, observed this year ( 2024 ) . It will be celebrated on May 30, which is a Thursday.
• In December 2023, The UN General Assembly announced that May 30 will be observed as International Potato Day every year.
• The theme for the first International Potato Day is “Harvesting Diversity, Feeding Hope.” This highlights how potato biodiversity can address food insecurity and malnutrition around the world. 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

2023 UN Military Gender Advocate of Year Award for Major Radhika Sen

• The United Nations has selected the Indian Army Major Radhika Sen for the prestigious 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year award. The award will be conferred to Major Radhika Sen by the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the occasion of the International Day of the UN Peacekeepers. The International Day of the UN Peacekeepers is observed on 29 May every year since 2003.
• The United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award was created by the Office of Military Affairs within the Department for Peace Operations of the United Nations in 2016. 

BANKING AND ECONOMY

Poonawalla Fincorp Partners with IndusInd Bank to Launch Co-Branded eLITE RuPay Credit Card

• Poonawalla Fincorp Limited announced the launch of a co-branded credit card in collaboration with IndusInd Bank on May 28. The IndusInd Bank Poonawalla Fincorp eLITE RuPay Platinum Credit Card is aimed at redefining and elevating the banking experience for customers.
• Key Features and Benefits of the card -
• Reward Points: Earn rewards for every ₹100 spent, with 2.5 times points on e-commerce transactions.
• No Fees: No joining or annual fees charged
• Additional Perks: Buy-one-get-one movie tickets, 1% fuel surcharge waiver, and milestone rewards, etc. 

RBI Imposes Penalty on ICICI Bank and YES Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) penalized ICICI Bank and YES Bank for violating various regulatory norms. ICICI Bank was fined Rs 1 crore, while YES Bank was penalized Rs 91 lakh.
• ICICI Bank was penalized for sanctioning term loans to certain entities as substitutes for budgetary resources for specific projects, without conducting proper due diligence to verify the viability and revenue streams of these projects. RBI inspections found that the loans were serviced using budgetary resources instead of project revenues. ICICI Bank did not ensure that the loans were for specific, monitorable projects.
• YES Bank was penalized for charging customers for not maintaining minimum balances in certain savings accounts that had insufficient or zero balances -- a contravention of RBI guidelines. Additionally, the bank operated internal accounts under customers' names for unauthorized purposes, including parking funds and routing transactions.