Daily Current Affairs March 30 2023 | Latest News | Download PDF

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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Axis Bank launches India’s first pocket-sized swipe machine ‘MicroPay’                                  

• Private sector lender Axis Bank launched ‘MicroPay’, first pocket-sized swipe machine of India, based on ‘Pin on Mobile’ technology for accepting digital payments.
• The bank launched ‘MicroPay’ along with Ezetap by Razorpay and MyPinpad as the technical solution partners.

About ‘MicroPay’ : 

• ‘MicroPay’ is a revolutionary ‘PIN on Mobile’ solution that converts a merchant’s smartphone into a Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal, thereby simplifying digital payments and delivering a unique customer experience.
• It will be beneficial for businesses across India, especially for the retail and kirana shops in Tier-2 and 3 cities that operate on limited working capital and would prefer cost-effective payment solutions.
• The pocket-sized device is a small low-cost card reader which supports “insert” and “tap” options for debit and credit cards.
• The security of the PIN is ensured by being compliant with PCI standards for Software-based PIN Entry on COTS (SPoC) phones.

About Axis Bank : 

• Founded : 3 December 1993
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Amitabh Chaudhry

IDFC First Bank Partners with Crunchfish to Demonstrate Offline Retail Payments

• IDFC First Bank has partnered with Swedish company Crunchfish to participate in the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) pilot programme to facilitate offline retail payments.
• This initiative will provide access to digital payments even when there is no network.

Key Highlights : 

• The Crunchfish introduced this one-of-a-kind digital payment system for merchants and customers as part of the RBI’s Regulatory Sandbox Program.
• This project will allow offline retail payments in India’s payment ecosystem using a Digital Cash platform.
• IDFC FIRST Bank will be one of the first few banks to participate in HDFC Bank’s pilot initiative.
• The RBI authorised the proposal to demonstrate offline payments between two banks.
• IDFC First Bank has signed a non-commercial Development and Demonstration Agreement to access the Digital Cash SDK.
• The terms of deployment will be regulated in a Software Licence Agreement.

About IDFC First Bank : 

• Founded : October 2015
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO: V. Vaidyanathan
• IDFC First Bank is an Indian private sector bank formed by the merger of the banking arm of Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) and Capital First, an Indian non-bank financial institution.
• It is the first universal bank to offer monthly interest credit on savings accounts, lifetime free credit cards with dynamic and low annual percentage rates.

About Crunchfish : 

• Founded : 1 January 2010
• Headquarters : Malmö, Sweden
• CEO : Joachim Samuelsson

EPFO fixes 8.15% interest rate on employees’ provident fund for 2022-23

• Retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) fixed 8.15% rate of interest on employees’ provident fund (EPF) deposits for 2022-23 at its meeting.
• The decision has been taken by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation’s apex decision-making body Central Board of Trustees (CBT).
• After the CBT’s decision, the interest rate on EPF deposits for 2022-23 will be sent to the Ministry of Finance for concurrence.

Key Highlights : 

• After ratification, interest rate on EPF for 2022-23 will be credited into the accounts of over 5 crore subscribers of EPFO.
• In March 2022, interest rate on EPF deposits for 2021-22 was lowered to four decade low level of 8.1% from 8.5% in 2020-21.
• This was the lowest rate since 1977-78.
• In 1977-78, EPF interest rate stood at 8%.
• In March 2020, interest rate on provident fund deposits was lowered to a 7 year low of 8.5% for 2019-20.

About EPFO : 

• Established : 4 March 1952
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• EPFO is a statutory body that was established under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
• The organisation works under the aegis of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
• It helps the central board of trustees in the administration of the Provident Fund Scheme, Pension Scheme and Insurance scheme for the organised sector workers.

SEBI Extends Nomination Deadline For Existing Trading & Demat Account Holders Till September 30, 2023

• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has extended the deadline till September 30, 2023 for existing trading and demat account holders to provide choice of nomination or opt out of nomination.
• Earlier the deadline was March 31, 2023.
• In July 2021, the SEBI asked all existing eligible trading and demat account holders to provide choice of nomination on or before March 31, 2022, failing which the trading and demat accounts would have been frozen for debits.
• Later, this was extended by one more year till March 31, 2023.
• Also, the SEEBI has asked stock brokers and depository participants to encourage their clients to update ‘choice of nomination’ by sending a communication on fortnightly basis by way of emails and SMS to all such UCCs/demat accounts wherein the ‘choice of nomination’ is not captured.

About SEBI :

• Established : 12 April 1988 as an executive body and was given statutory powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman : Madhabi Puri Buch
• SEBI is the regulatory body for securities and commodity markets in India under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance, GoI.

CRIF receives the RBI licence to operate as NBFC account aggregator                                

• CRIF Connect Private Limited, a subsidiary of credit bureau company CRIF S.p.A  has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to begin operations as a Non-Banking Financial Company- Account Aggregator (NBFC-AA).
• With CRIF’s legacy, knowledge, and experience, CRIF Connect is uniquely positioned to benefit both consumers and financial institutions.

Key Highlights : 

• Based on RBI-approved guidelines, it is an end-to-end encrypted platform that securely fetches and transfers a consumer’s financial data based on their explicit consent between financial institutions, making data sharing extremely safe.
• The CRIF Connect application will be available on the web and on mobile devices, allowing users to view all their financial information in one place and to customise the information they want to share with the financial institution in real time.
• The services are used by more than 82,000 companies and 10 lakh consumers.
• CRIF is a global company specialising in credit bureau and business information, outsourcing and processing services, and credit solutions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Union Cabinet extends subsidy of 200 rupees per cylinder for 12 refills annually for Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries for one year

• Subsidy of two hundred rupees on twelve cylinders per year extended for one year for beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has extended the subsidy of Rs 200 per LPG cylinder under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana for one year.
• As on March 1, 2023, the total number of beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is nine crore 59 lakh.
• Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies Namely Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited are giving this subsidy from 22 May 2022.
• The average LPG consumption of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana consumers has increased by 20 per cent from 3.01 refills in 2019-20 to 3.68 in 2021-22.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has fixed MSP for Raw Jute at ₹5,050 per quintal for the 2023-24 season.
• CCEA has fixed the Minimum Support Price (MSP) based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• The new MSP of raw jute is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times of all India’s weighted average cost of production.
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched in May 2016 with the objective of providing LPG gas in rural areas and to the underprivileged.
• Under this, free LPG connections are provided to poor women.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairs Regional Conference on Drug Trafficking and National Security in Bengaluru

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a regional conference on ‘Drug Trafficking and National Security’ in Bengaluru.
• Representatives from 5 Southern States and 3 UT s attended the conference.
• During the meeting, emphasis was laid on various aspects like ways to curtail drug trafficking through maritime routes, stringent punitive action on drug traffickers, etc.
• The government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against drugs to make a Drug-free India.
• Ministry of Home Affairs has adopted a three-pronged formula to deal with this menace, including strengthening the institutional structure, empowerment and coordination of all narcotics agencies and a comprehensive awareness campaign.
• The government is also considering for using la test technology in the fight against drugs.
• Satellite mapping will be used for the identification of areas cultivating opium.
• The cases of drugs will be investigated thoroughly from their source to destination to find out the entire network.

CCEA approves MSP for Raw Jute at 5,050 rupees per quintal for 2023-24

• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has fixed MSP for Raw Jute at ₹5,050 per quintal for the 2023-24 seaso
• Farmers will get a return of 63.20% over the all-India weighted average cost of production.
• The new MSP of raw jute is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times of all India’s weighted average cost of production.
• This principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times of all India’s weighted average cost of production was announced by the government in the Budget 2018-19.
• It assures a minimum of 50% as the margin of profit.
• CCEA has fixed the Minimum Support Price (MSP) based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• The Jute Corporation of India will remain Central Government Nodal Agency to carry out Price Support Operations.
• A minimum support price (MSP) is a minimum price for any crop that the Government considers as remunerative for farmers and hence deserving of “support”.
• It is also the price that Government agencies pay whenever they procure a particular crop from the farmers.
• There is currently no statutory backing for these prices, nor any law mandating their enforcement.
• Crops covered under MSP: At present, the Central Government sets MSP for 23
• 7 cereals (Bajra, wheat, maize, paddy barley, ragi and jowar);
• 5 pulses (tur, chana, Masur, urad and moong);
• 7 oilseeds (sunflower, mustard, niger seed, soya bean, groundnut, sesame and sunflower);
• 4 commercial crops (raw jute, cotton, copra and sugarcane)

Shri Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates ‘Sagar Manthan’

• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the real-time performance monitoring dashboard, Sagar Manthan, of MoPSW.
• Sagar Manthan is a digital platform for all the integrated data related to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW).
• This platform has been developed by MoPSW under the guidance of Shri Sudhanshu Pant in less than 1.5 months.
• The launch of the ‘Sagar Manthan’ Dashboard is a step towards digitalization and transparency in the maritime transport sector.
• It will promote real-time project tracking, risk management, resource allocation, and progress reporting.

Important features of ‘SAGAR MANTHAN’ dashboard are given below:

1. Data visualization.
2. Real-time monitoring.
3. Improved communication.
4. Data-driven decision making.
5. Increased accountability.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

First Citizens Bank acquires Silicon Valley Bank’s deposits & loans from FDIC

• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has entered into a purchase and assumption agreement for all deposits and loans of recently failed United States (US)-based Silicon Valley Bridge Bank by First-Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Key Highlights : 

• The 17 former branches of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank will open as First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company.
• The depositors of Silicon Valley Bank will automatically become depositors of the First–Citizens Bank.
• All deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC up to the insurance limit.
• Till March 10,2023 the Silicon Valley Bank had total assets of $167 billion and about $119 billion in total deposits.
• Around $90 billion in securities and other assets will remain in the receivership for disposition by the FDIC.
• Recently, Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by United States regulators due to irregularities.

About First-Citizens Bank and Trust Company : 

• Founded : 1898
• Headquarters : Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S
• CEO & Chairman : Frank B. Holding Jr

About FDIC : 

• Founded : June 16, 1933
• Chairman : Martin J. Gruenberg
• The FDIC is a United States government corporation supplying deposit insurance to depositors in American commercial banks and savings banks.

CCI approves acquisition of share capital of NSPIRA Management Services Private Limited by Mr. Puneet Kothapa, Ms. Ponguru Sindhura and Ms. Ponguru Sharani

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of the share capital of NSPIRA Management Services Private Limited by Mr. Puneet Kothapa, Ms. Ponguru Sindhura and Ms. Ponguru Sharani under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
• The proposed combination pertains to acquisition by Mr. Puneet Kothapa, Ms. Ponguru Sindhura and Ms. Ponguru Sharani (collectively referred to as the Acquirers), for the acquisition of, inter alia,

• 18.23% of the total issued and paid up share capital (fully diluted basis) of NSPIRA Management Services Private Limited (NSPIRA/Target) from NHPEA Minerva Holding BV
• 2.24% of the total issued and paid-up share capital (fully diluted basis) of the Target from Banyantree Growth Capital II, LLC (Proposed Combination).

• The Acquirers presently collectively hold 79.48% of the shareholding in the Target.

About NSPIRA : 

• NSPIRA is a management service provider, established in 2013.

Objective : 

• To provide management services to educational institutions, majorly run by Narayana Group (viz. the Narayana Educational Society (NES), the Narayana Education Trust, the Narayana Educational Trust).
• The management services include, inter alia, administrative support, content development, exam and admission, infrastructure management, IT solutions, and housekeeping and security, renting and leasing of assets.

About CCI :

• Established : 14 October 2003 (Functional from 2009)
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman : Sangeeta Verma
• The CCI  is the chief national competition regulator in India.
• It is a statutory body within the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

TDS on royalties, technical fees of foreign firms doubled to 20%

• Tax rate on royalties and technical fees of foreign firms have been doubled from 10% to 20%.
• Withholding tax rate on royalties and fees for technical services earned by non-resident companies has been raised from 10% to 20%.
• This step is a part of the 64 amendments moved to the Finance Bill 2023 by the FM Nirmala Sitharaman.
• Foreign companies will now be required to avail tax treaty shelter to reduce the withholding tax rate.

Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill 2023 after Minister moves over 60 amendments

• Lok Sabha passed Finance Bill 2023 after Finance Minister moved more than 60 amendments.
• Government proposed 64 amendments to the Finance Bill 2023.
• Finance Minister requested RBI to bring payments for foreign tours through credit cards within the ambit of Liberalised Remittance Scheme.
• Under the amendments, securities transaction tax (ST T) on options and futures trades has been hiked by up to 25%.
• As part of the amendment, long–term capital gains treatment with indexation benefits for debt mutual funds have been removed.
• Investments in mutual funds in which not more than 35% is invested in debt funds will now be deemed to be short-term capital gains.
• This proposal will apply to investments made on or after April 1, 2023.
• Indexation benefits will be provided to debt funds held for more than three years.
• Finance Bill 2023 also contains amendments for setting up of a GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT).
• It proposes GSTAT with one Principal Bench and a number of state benches.
• Government has extended tax holiday for banking units in IFSC from 100% in first five years and 50% in next five years to 100% for entire 10-year period.
• Any bond listed on an exchange and issued by an IFSC unit will subject to a lower withholding tax of 9%.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

Luis Caffarelli Has Been Awarded The 2023 Abel Prize

• Luis Caffarelli has won the 2023 Abel prize for solving equations with geometry.
• He got the award for his work on nonlinear partial differential equations.
• Caffarelli started work on partial differential equations (PDEs) in the late 1970s and published hundreds of papers.
• He is known for making connections between seemingly distant mathematical concepts.
• The award comprises a prize of 7.5 million Norwegian kroner.
• It is often described as the equivalent of the Nobel prize.

About Abel’s prize:

• Abel prize is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
• It is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.
• It was started in 2002.
• The first Abel Prize was awarded in 2003 to Jean-Pierre Serre.
• Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan is the only person of Indian origin to have won this prize.
• He won it in 2007.
• Karen Keskulla Uhlenbeck is the only woman mathematician to win this prize.

President Biden Awards 2021 National Humanities Medals

• US President Joe Biden presented the 2021 National Humanities Medals, in conjunction with the National Medals of Arts.
• Indian-American Vera Mindy Chokalingam, professionally known as Mindy Kaling will awarded the 2021 National Humanities Medal among others.
• The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists, arts patrons, and groups by the US government and honors exemplary individuals and organisations that have advanced the arts in America and offered inspiration to others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage.
• Mindy Kaling is an Emmy-nominated writer, producer, New York Times best-selling author, director, and actor.
• She has also co-created and co-written the popular Netflix show Never Have I Ever, the series about a first-generation Indian American teenager.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

US and Canada reach a deal on decades-old asylum agreement

• The US and Canada have reached an agreement on a decades-old asylum accord that will restrict some migrants from seeking protection in Canada.
• As part of the deal, Canada will create a new refugee programme for 15,000 migrants fleeing violence in South and Central America.
• The deal is an amendment in the 2004 Safe Third Country Agreement between the US and Canada.
• The new arrangement will close the loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement that prevents Canada from turning away those crossing the border at unofficial crossing points.
• The accord is expected to allow both sides of the border to turn back such asylum seekers heading in either direction.
• The discussions on the agreement were going on over the years but after the sharp increase of people crossing into Canada from the US, this decision has been taken.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

IAEA Board of Governors Reappoints Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi as Director General for 4-year Term

• The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reappointed Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi as Director General (DG) for a second four-year term in office beginning in early December 2023.
• His second term starts on 3 December, 2023 and runs until 2 December 2027.
• He is the sixth Director General since the IAEA was established in 1957.
• He took up his first term of office on 2 December 2019, following the General Conference’s approval of his appointment by the Board.

About IAEA : 

• Founded : 29 July 1957
• Headquarters : Vienna, Austria
• Membership : 176 member states (As of March 2023)

President appoints 3 New Chief Justices for High Courts of Allahabad, Patna & Chhattisgarh

• President of India Droupadi Murmu has approved the appointment of 3 new Chief Justices (CJ) for the High Courts (HC) of Allahabad, Patna and Chhattisgarh.

Appointments : 

• Justice Pritinker Diwaker, Judge of the Allahabad High Court (HC), has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad HC succeeding Justice Rajesh Bindal.
• Justice Ramesh Sinha, Senior Judge of the Allahabad HC,Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh HC succeeding Justice Goutam Bhaduri.
• Justice K Vinod Chandran, Senior Judge of the Kerala High Court (HC), has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Patna HC succeeding Sanjay Karol.
• The Chief Justice and Judges of the High Courts are to be appointed by the President under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

World’s First 3D Printed Rocket ‘Terran 1’ Launched in 3rd attempt

• The world’s first 3D-printed rocket Terran 1 launched successfully on its third attempt, but failed to achieve orbit during second-stage separation.
• It was launched from Complex 16 at Canaveral’s US Space Force Station.
• Despite sustained efforts, it failed to achieve orbit during second-stage separation & it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

About ‘Terran 1’ : 

• Terran 1’s engines are powered by liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas.
• It is built by California aerospace startup Relativity Space.
• 85% of its mass is 3D printed with metal alloys, including the engines.
• It is made with the world’s largest 3D metal printers.
• The rocket is 110 feet (33.5 metres) tall with a diameter of 7.5 feet (2.2 metres).
• It hasn’t carried any payload in its first flight but it can carry a payload of 2,755 pounds (1,250 kilograms) into low Earth orbit.
• 3D printing builds the shapes of objects with the layers of aluminium powders or beads.
• It also allows for the rapid iteration of designs and reduces the wastage of raw materials.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Pankaj Advani Beats Brijesh Damani to Retain Asian Billiards Title

• Star Indian player Pankaj Advani defeated compatriot Brijesh Damani 5-1 in the final to retain his Asian Billiards title in the 100-up format at Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation (QBSF) Academy.
• In the women’s category, China’s Bai Yulu won the title beating Panchaya Channoi of Thailand 3-0 in the final.

About Pankaj Advani

• This is the eighth Asian Billiards title for Advani.
• Last year, Advani had won the same title in Doha.
• Pankaj Advani had clinched his 25th gold medal on the world stage at the 2022 IBSF World Billiards Championship in Kuala Lumpur.
• Advani has also won gold medals in English Billiards singles in the 2006 and 2010 Asian Games.
• He has been bestowed the Arjuna Award in 2004, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2006, Padma Shri in 2009 and Padma Bhushan in 2018.

Sergio Perez wins the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

• Mexican racing driver Sergio Perez has won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 title.
• In the same Red Bull, his partner Max Verstappen secured the second position in the race.
• Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz came in sixth place.

Daily CA One- Liner: March 30

• Subsidy of two hundred rupees on twelve cylinders per year extended for one year for beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a regional conference on ‘Drug Trafficking and National Security’ in Bengaluru
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has fixed MSP for Raw Jute at ₹5,050 per quintal for the 2023-24 season
• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the real-time performance monitoring dashboard, Sagar Manthan, of MoPSW
• Tax rate on royalties and technical fees of foreign firms have been doubled from 10% to 20%.
• Lok Sabha passed Finance Bill 2023 after Finance Minister moved more than 60 amendments
• Luis Caffarelli has won the 2023 Abel prize for solving equations with geometry
• US President Joe Biden presented the 2021 National Humanities Medals, in conjunction with the National Medals of Arts
• The US and Canada have reached an agreement on a decades-old asylum accord that will restrict some migrants from seeking protection in Canada
• Star Indian player Pankaj Advani defeated compatriot Brijesh Damani 5-1 in the final to retain his Asian Billiards title in the 100-up format at Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation (QBSF) Academy
• Mexican racing driver Sergio Perez has won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 title.
• Private sector lender Axis Bank launched ‘MicroPay’, first pocket-sized swipe machine of India, based on ‘Pin on Mobile’ technology for accepting digital payments.
• IDFC First Bank has partnered with Swedish company Crunchfish to participate in the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) pilot programme to facilitate offline retail payments.
• Retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) fixed 8.15% rate of interest on employees’ provident fund (EPF) deposits for 2022-23 at its meeting.
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has extended the deadline till September 30, 2023 for existing trading and demat account holders to provide choice of nomination or opt out of nomination.
• CRIF Connect Private Limited, a subsidiary of credit bureau company CRIF S.p.A  has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to begin operations as a Non-Banking Financial Company- Account Aggregator (NBFC-AA).
• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has entered into a purchase and assumption agreement for all deposits and loans of recently failed United States (US)-based Silicon Valley Bridge Bank by First-Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Raleigh, North Carolina.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of the share capital of NSPIRA Management Services Private Limited by Mr. Puneet Kothapa, Ms. Ponguru Sindhura and Ms. Ponguru Sharani under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
• The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reappointed Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi as Director General (DG) for a second four-year term in office beginning in early December 2023.
• President of India Droupadi Murmu has approved the appointment of 3 new Chief Justices (CJ) for the High Courts (HC) of Allahabad, Patna and
• The world’s first 3D-printed rocket Terran 1 launched successfully on its third attempt, but failed to achieve orbit during second-stage separation.