DAILY GK 3-4 MAY
1.
CREDIT CARD SPENDS RISE 27% TO RS
18.26TN IN FY24
·
According to the latest data from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI), credit
card spending surged by 27% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs
18.26 trillion in financial year 2023-24 (FY24) from nearly Rs 14
trillion in FY23.
·
During FY24, the top four credit card issuer’s in India: HDFC Bank, SBI Card, ICICI
Bank and Axis Bank, experienced a decrease in their market share, dropping
to 71.98% in March 2024 from 74.79% in March 2023.
·
HDFC
Bank led in credit card transactions with Rs
43,471.29 crore in March 2024, 8.57% higher than Rs 40,288.51 crore in
February 2024.
2.
OXFORD BOOKSTORE BOOK COVER PRIZE
2024
·
Designer
Bhavi Mehta won the 9th edition of the Oxford
Bookstore Book Cover Prize (2024) for creating
the book jacket of Pradeep Sebastian’s “The Book Beautiful.”
·
The award comprises of a trophy, a
certificate, and a one lakh rupee cash prize.
·
The Oxford
Bookstore Book Cover Prize 2023 was won by Paramita Brahmachari for creating the book jacket of Manindra
Gupta’s “Pebble Monkey”.
3.
NEW PRIME MINISTER OF SOLOMON ISLANDS
·
Jeremiah Manele,
former Foreign Minister of the Solomon Islands was sworn in as the new Prime Minister (PM) of the Solomon
Islands by winning the PM vote
in the secret ballot after the results of the 2024 national election failed to deliver a majority to
any political party.
·
The Solomon Islands conducted “joint elections” for the first time in
2024, holding simultaneous province, city council, and national elections.
·
Head of state of Solomon
Islands– King Charles III
·
Capital–
Honiara
4.
DRDO SUCCESSFULLY TESTS
LONG-RANGE SMART SYSTEM
·
Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested a long range Supersonic
Missile-Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Chandipur in Balasore, Odisha using a
ground mobile launcher.
·
Developed by DRDO, it is the
next-generation missile-based light-weight torpedo delivery system.
·
It should be noted that torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon
launched above or below the water surface which is self-propelled towards a
target with an explosive warhead.
·
The system includes a long-range
supersonic missile carrier with a range of up to 643 km and a
lightweight torpedo with a 20 km range and a 50
kg high explosive warhead.
·
It uses a parachute-based release
system for payload delivery.
·
DRDO is
the Research and Development (R&D) wing of Ministry of Defence (MoD).
·
Chairman –
Dr Samir Vankatpati Kamat
·
Headquarters–
New Delhi, Delhi
·
Establishment–
1958
5.
GRANDMASTER (GM) TITLE TO VAISHALI
RAMESHBABU
·
Indian
Chess Player Vaishali Rameshbabu has officially bestowed
with title of Grand Master(GM) by International
Chess Federation(FIDE).
·
Now, She and her brother GM Rameshbabu
Pragnanandhaa are the world’s 1st Grand Master
(GM) Brother-Sister duo.
·
FIDE President: Arkady
Dvorkovich
·
Deputy President: Vishwanathan
Anand
·
Headquarters: Lausanne,
Switzerland
·
Established: 1924
6.
BOOK ‘JUST
A MERCENARY?: NOTES FROM MY LIFE AND CAREER’
·
Dr. Duvvuri Subbarao,
former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), launched his memoir titled
‘Just A Mercenary? : Notes from My Life
and Career’
·
The book was published by Penguin Random
House India and narrates about Dr Subbarao’s career, which would help inspire
young professionals to navigate their career paths.
7.
WORLD IMMUNIZATION
WEEK 2024 – 24 TO 30 APRIL
·
World Immunization Week (WIW)
is annually observed across the globe in the last week of April to
highlight the crucial efforts required to protect individuals from
vaccine-preventable diseases.
·
World Immunization Week 2024 was
observed from 24 to 30 April 2024.
·
The theme of World
Immunization Week 2024 is “Humanly Possible: Immunization for All”.
8.
WHITLEY GOLD AWARD 2024
·
Wildlife biologist from Assam, Dr Purnima Devi Barman has been
honoured with Whitley Gold Award 2024 aka ‘Green Oscar’ by the Whitley Fund for
Nature (WFN) at a Royal Geographical Society awards ceremony in London, United Kingdom (UK).
·
The award acknowledged her conservation
efforts of the endangered Greater Adjutant Stork (known
locally as ‘Hargila‘ in Assamese) and its wetland habitat.
·
The award, worth GBP 100,000 for
project funding, supports grassroots conservation leaders from around the
world.
·
She received the trophy from charity
patron Princess Anne – the Princess Royal, the sister of King
Charles III.
9.
PRESIDENT OF GSTAT
·
The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
has approved the appointment of Sanjaya Kumar Mishra, the
former Chief Justice (CJ) of the High Court (HC) of Jharkhand, as
the President of Goods
and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT).
·
The Government of India established the GSTAT to facilitate the resolution of disputes within the business sector.
·
GSTAT aims to commence the operations from
1st July 2024.
·
It is the forum of the second appeal in GST laws and the first common forum
of dispute resolution between the Centre and States.
·
Uttar Pradesh(UP) will have 3 Benches, the
highest in any given State in India.
10.
‘CHANG’E-6,’ WORLD’S 1ST MISSION TO
BRING SAMPLES FROM MOON
·
China National Space Administration (CNSA) successfully
launched an uncrewed lunar probe, namely
“Chang’e-6,” through Long March- 5 Y8 carrier rocket from
the Wenchang Space Launch Center in
the southern province of Hainan, China.
·
It
is the world’s first mission to
collect and bring back samples from the far side of the moon.
·
The name of the mission ‘Chang’e’ is inspired from the name of Chinese Goddess moon.
·
The spacecraft will land at Apollo Basin(an oldest known impact crater), located in
South Pole –Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon.
·
The spacecraft has 4 main components which
are: an orbiter, a lander, a ascender and a
returner.
·
It also carries a miniature satellite
named “ICUBE-QAMAR cubesat” from Pakistan.
11.
INDIA TO HOST BWF WORLD JUNIOR
BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS 2025
·
India is set to host the Badminton World
Federation (BWF) World Junior Championships
2025 at the Badminton Association of India’s (BAI) National Centres of
Excellence (NCOE) in Guwahati, Assam.
·
This marks the return of the World Junior Championships to India for the
first time since 2008.
·
Men’s
& Women’s World Team Championships 2026 (Thomas Cup & Uber Cup) will be hosted by Horsens, Denmark.
·
Thomas Cup and Uber Cup have been
conducted every two years since 1982 and 1984 respectively.
12.
WORLD TUNA DAY 2024 – MAY 2
·
The United Nations (UN)’s World
Tuna Day is annually observed across the globe on 2nd
May to spread awareness of the importance of tuna, one of the most economically important fish species.
·
FAO Director-General–
QU Dongyu
·
Headquarters–
Rome, Italy
·
Established in–
1945
13.
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY 2024 – MAY
3
·
The United Nations (UN)’s World
Press Freedom Day is annually observed across the globe on 3rd
May to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and
evaluate press freedom worldwide.
·
3rd May 2024 marks
the 31st anniversary of World Press Freedom Day.
·
2024
theme: “A Press for the Planet: Journalism is
the Face of the environmental crisis”.
·
The Palestinian journalist
covering Gaza have been named the laureates of the 2024
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
·
The Award Ceremony was held on 2 May 2024
during the World Press Freedom
Conference in Santiago, Chile.
14.
ITALY'S
MOUNT ETNA VOLCANO ERUPTS
·
Mount Etna is sometimes referred to simply
as Etna, is an active volcano on the east
coast of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
·
Etna’s
peak
is the highest in Italy south of the
Alps, and it is Europe’s largest and one of the most active volcanoes.
·
It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013.
·
Italy
President : Sergio Mattarella
·
Prime Minister
: Giorgia Meloni
·
Capital
:
Rome
·
Currency
:
Euro
15.
INDONESIA
MOUNT RUANG VOLCANO ERUPTS
·
Mount Ruang has erupted, sending an ash
cloud over a mile high into the sky, indicating significant volcanic activity.
·
It is a stratovolcano located in
Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province.
·
Its summit stands 10,932 feet above sea
level, with a caldera that is about 2 miles wide.
·
Stratovolcano
is a tall, steep and cone-shaped type of volcano. Unlike flat
shield volcanoes, they have higher peaks.
·
Indonesia
President : Joko Widodo
·
Capital
: Jakarta
·
Currency
:
Indonesian rupiah
16.
INDIA
WOMEN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM COACH
·
Former player Langam Chaoba Devi is set to take over as the national women’s
football coach after the I M Vijayan-led AIFF technical committee recommended
her name for the position.
·
The 51-year-old Devi, who captained the
national side in the 1999 Asian Championships in Philippines,has earlier been
an assistant coach of the Indian team.
17.
RBI MAINTAINS FPI LIMIT IN GOVERNMENT SECURITIES
AT 6%
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced
that the investment limits for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in government
securities, state development loans (SDLs), and corporate bonds will remain
unchanged for FY25.
·
The limit for FPI investment in government securities (G-secs) is 6% of
the outstanding stocks of securities.
·
The limit
for state development loans is 2%.
The limit for corporate bonds is 15%.
·
Fully
Accessible Route (FAR):As of now, all investments by
eligible investors in the 'specified securities' will be reckoned under the
fully accessible route (FAR).
18.
KRAS
RELEASE GUIDELINES TO SIMPLIFY THE KYC PROCESS
·
In a bid to ease the Know Your Customer (KYC) process for investors due to new
guidelines that came into effect on April 1, 2024
·
The 5 KYC registration agencies (KRAs) - CDSL Ventures (CVL), NSDL Database Management (NDML), CAMS, Karvy, and Dotex have come with guidelines to simplify the process.
·
KRA
is an agency registered with SEBI under the Securities and
Exchange Board of India [KYC (Know Your Client) Registration Agency]
Regulations, 2011.
·
The
KRA will maintain KYC records of the investors
centrally, on behalf of capital market intermediaries registered with SEBI.
19.
TCS
WORLD 10K BENGALURU
·
Kenyan runners Peter Mwaniki (28:15) and
Lilian Kasait (30:56) cruised to the international elite men’s and women’s
titles respectively in the 16th edition of the Tata Consultancy Services World
10K Bengaluru.
20.
15
INDIAN COMPANIES IN THE WORLD’S TOP EDTECH LIST
·
Emeritus
has secured the top spot in TIME Magazine’s “World’s Top EdTech Companies of 2024” ranking.
·
Founded in 2015 by Ashwin Damera and
Chaitanya Kalipatnapu, Emeritus offers courses from global universities such as
the University of Cambridge, Harvard Business School, the University of
Pennsylvania, MIT Sloan, Indian School of Business, Indian Institutes of
Management (IIMs), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the University of
Western Australia, John Hopkins, NTU Singapore, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley
Executive Education, INSEAD and Wharton Executive Education, among others.
·
There 14
more Indian edtech firms on the TIME list.
·
At the 26th position is Miko, which makes
AI-powered robots for kids, followed by the competitive exam preparation app
Unacademy at the 54th position.
·
The US-headquartered upGrad that was founded in India is at the 69th rank, followed by Univariety at 82nd position (it offers technology-backed solutions
for educational institutes).
21.
RBI
REVOKES ACEMONEY (INDIA'S) NBFC LICENSE FOR BREACHING GUIDELINES
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
cancelled the license of Acemoney (India), a Delhi-based non-banking
Financial
company (NBFC), due to irregular lending practices and violation of RBI
guidelines.
·
The cancellation was based on multiple
factors, including Charging excessive interest rates, Failing to ensure
confidentiality of customer information.
22.
RBI
RELEASES DRAFT FRAMEWORK FOR ELECTRONIC TRADING PLATFORMS
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
proposed a revised regulatory framework for Electronic Trading Platforms (ETPs)
due to increased integration of the onshore forex market with offshore markets.
·
Market makers too have been requesting the
Reserve Bank to allow access to offshore ETPs offering Indian Rupee (INR)
products.
·
An
Electronic Trading Platform (ETP) is any electronic
system, other than a recognized stock exchange, on which transactions in
eligible instruments are contracted.
·
Eligible
instruments include securities, money market
instruments, foreign exchange instruments, derivatives, or other instruments of
similar nature.
23.
UNCTAD
REBRANDS AS "UN TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT"
·
The United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) has been rebranded as "UN Trade and Development"
to mark its 60th anniversary.
·
Themes
and Areas of Emphasis:The theme for the 60th anniversary is
"Charting a new development course in a changing world."
·
UNCTAD Established : December 30,
1964
·
Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
·
Secretary
General : Rebeca Grynspan
·
The UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental organization that promotes the
interests of developing countries in world trade.
24.
WORLD
TRADE ORGANIZATION CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
·
The World Trade Organization (WTO)
commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Marrakesh
Agreement, a significant milestone in global trade history.
·
The Marrakesh Agreement establishing the
WTO was signed by 123 countries on 15April 1994, leading to the birth of the
WTO on 1 January 1995
·
WTO
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
·
Director
General : Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
·
Total
members: 164 members (160 UN member states, the European
Union, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan)
·
The
WTO is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and
facilitates international trade.
25.
INTERNATIONAL
LABOR DAY: MAY 1
·
International Labor Day is celebrated
every year on May 1.
·
International Labor Day 2024 is also known as May Day.
·
International Labour Day originated in
1889 when a group of socialist parties inEurope decided to designate May 1 as a
special day for workers, which they called International Labour Day or Workers
Day.
26.
G7
AGREE TO PHASE OUT COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS BY 2035
·
Energy ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy countries
reached a deal to shut down their
coal-fired power plants by 2035 at the latest, in a significant step
towards the transition away from fossil fuels.
·
The accord will be included in the G7
energy ministers' final communique to be released at the end of a two-day meeting in Turin.
·
The
Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental organization
consisting of the world's largest developed economies: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United
Kingdom, and Canada.
27.
PRESIDING
OFFICER OF SECURITIES APPELLATE TRIBUNAL
·
Justice (retired) Dinesh Kumar has been
appointed as the Presiding Officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT).
·
He
will serve a 4-year term after retiring as Chief Justice of
the Karnataka High Court in February 2024.
·
SAT
is a statutory and autonomous body created as per
provisions of section 15K of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
Act, 1992
·
Functions
of SAT -
The tribunal's primary function is to hear appeals against orders and rulings
from various financial regulators, including Securities Exchange Board of India
(SEBI)., Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority (PFRDA),
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
·
The SAT is designed to replace the High Court for these appeals.
·
The SAT consist of a Presiding Officer and other judicial and technical members
·
The central
government has the power to prescribe the total number of members of the
SAT, which currently consists of three members, including the Presiding
officer.
·
Qualifications
for Presiding Officer:
The Presiding Officer must be A
retired or sitting judge of the Supreme Court. Or a Chief Justice of a High
Court.
28.
CHIEF
OF INDIAN AIR FORCE'S TRAINING COMMAND
·
Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor was appointed as
the Air Officer Commanding-in- Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Training Command (TC)
for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
·
Defence
Minister : Rajnath Singh
·
Minister
of State : Ajay Bhatt
29.
GST
COLLECTION BREACHES RS 2 LAKH CRORE-MILESTONE IN APRIL 2024
·
The goods and services tax (GST)
collections reached a record-breaking high of Rs 2.10 lakh crore in April 2024,
marking a 12.4% increase from the previous year.
·
The
detailed components of the GST revenue include Rs
43,846 crore collected through the Central GST, Rs 53,538 crore through the
State GST, and Rs 99,623 crore through the Integrated GST, with Rs 37,826 crore
coming from levies on imported goods.
·
In
terms of state-wise GST collections, Uttar Pradesh has overtaken Tamil Nadu by recording a 19 per cent
increase in tax revenues in April, becoming the fourth-largest contributor after Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat.
30.
ASIAN
CARROM CHAMPIONSHIP
·
Rashmi
Kumari outplayed Shainy Sebastian to clinch the women's
title in the 6th Asian carrom championship which concluded in Maldives.
·
In
the men's final, Mohd.
Ghufran beat reigning National champion K. Srinivas.
·
India swept all the gold medals in
singles, doubles, team championships apart from the Swiss league.
