National News
National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Bengaluru campus inaugurated by Amit Shah
Home Minister, Amit Shah inaugurates the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) campus in Bengaluru.
According to Home Minister Amit Shah, the Narendra Modi government has had a zero-tolerance attitude toward terrorism since the beginning.
Mr Shah remarked during the inauguration of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) premises in Bengaluru that security requirements have increased dramatically in terms of data, scope, and complexity compared to past issues.
According to him, legal and security authorities require automated, secure, and quick access to data gathered from credible sources.
Important Days / Weeks
World Portuguese language day2022: 05th May
The date of 5 May was officially established in 2009 by the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) – an intergovernmental organization that has been in official partnership with UNESCO since 2000, and which brings together peoples with the Portuguese language as one of the foundations of their specific identity – to celebrate the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures. In 2019, the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference decided to proclaim 5 May of each year as “World Portuguese Language Day”.
Science and Technology
IIT Bombay and IMD signed MOU to develop user-friendly weather forecasting app
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) has partnered with the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ India Meteorological Department (IMD) to develop climate solutions for stakeholders at the village, city, and district levels.
The partnership will aid the institute in the development of sensors and drone-based smart monitoring systems, climate-smart agriculture technology for water and food security, intelligent and automated early warning systems, climate and health, smart power grid management, wind energy forecasting, and heat wave forecasting.
Important Days / Weeks
International Firefighter’s Day 2022
International Firefighter’s Day is observed every year on May 4th to pay respect to those firefighting experts who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The main aim of this day is to recognise and honour professional firefighters across the world.
They keep the community and the environment safe by sacrificing their lives for the riskiest jobs.
State News
Rajasthan turns out as the First 10 GW Solar State
According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Rajasthan became the first state in India to reach 10 GW of cumulative large-scale solar installations.
The state has a total installed power capacity of 32.5 GW, with renewables accounting for 55 percent, thermal energy for 43 percent, and nuclear energy accounting for the remaining 2%.
Solar is the most common energy source, accounting for roughly 36 percent of total capacity and 64 percent of renewables.
Important Days / Weeks
World Press Freedom Index 2022: India ranked 150th
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released the 20th World Press Freedom Index 2022, which assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories.
The Index highlights the disastrous effects of news and information chaos – the effects of a globalised and unregulated online information space that encourages fake news and propaganda.
Business / Economics
RBI Monetary Policy: RBI hikes Repo Rate by 40 bps to 4.40 percent
In an unscheduled meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee, the central bank, however, retained the accommodative monetary policy. The sudden RBI move — the first hike after August 2018 — is expected to push up interest rates in the banking system. Equated monthly instalments (EMIs) on home, vehicle and other personal and corporate loans are likely to go up. Deposit rates, mainly fixed term rates, are also set to rise
All six members of the MPC unanimously voted for a rate hike while maintaining the accommodative stance. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the decision was taken in view of rising inflation, geopolitical tensions, high crude oil prices and shortage of commodities globally, which have impacted the Indian economy
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held between May 2-4, 2022 has decided to increase the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 40 basis points (bps) to 4.40 per cent with immediate effect from 4.00% earlier. RBI has also hiked the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basis points to 4.50 per cent effective from May 21, 2022.
Sports
World Snooker Championship Title 2022 won by Ronnie O’Sullivan
Ronnie O’Sullivan (England) has won the 2022 World Snooker Championship by defeating Judd Trump (England) against 18-13 in the finals, which were held from April 16 to May 2, 2022 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.
The tournament was organised by the World Snooker Tour and sponsored by sports betting company Betfred. The Total prize money is 2,395,000 Euros and the Winner gets a share of 500,000 Euros.
O’Sullivan (Aged 46) becomes the oldest world champion in Crucible history, eclipsing Ray Reardon, who won his sixth title aged 45 in 1978. It was Ronnie O’Sullivan’s seventh World Snooker Championship title, previously in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2020, equalling Stephen Hendry’s modern-day record of seven world titles (Hendry won all of his in the 1990s).
Sports
Khelo India University Games 2021 won by JAIN University
JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) with 20 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals has won the 2nd edition of the Khelo India University Games 2021.
Lovely Professional University (LPU) with 17 golds has placed second and Punjab University placed third with 15 gold medals. Siva Sridhar has emerged as the star swimmer by winning 11 gold.
The closing ceremony of KIUG was held at Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium, Bengaluru. Veera was the mascot of KIUG 2021.
A total of 20 games were played and participated by 3900 students from 210 Universities in the second edition of the Khelo India University Games. The Games introduced indigenous sporting competitions such as Yogasana and Mallakhamba for the first time in the history of national sports.
Ranks and Reports
Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2022: India ranked 4th
The Times Higher Education (THE) has released the 2022 edition of its Impact Rankings. 8 Universities from India are placed in the top 300 universities in the world.
The ranking is topped by Western Sydney University (Australia); followed by Arizona State University (The US), Western University (Canada).
his year, a record 1,524 institutions from 110 countries participated in the rankings. Australia’s Western Sydney University secured the top position globally in the overall ranking.
Important Days / Weeks
Coal Miners Day 2022
Coal Miners Day is observed on 4th May every year to honour the coal miners.
The day is celebrated to highlight the contributions of coal miners in meeting our energy demands.
Below, we share a bit of the history of coal mining, the current energy scenario, and the role of coal miners in India.
History of the day:
The day honours the accomplishments and sacrifices made by coal mine workers so far. While the first-ever coal mine was opened in 1575 by one George Bruce of Carnock, Scotland.
India, the coal mining business began in 1774. It was when the East India Company exploited the Raniganj coalfield which is located in the Asansol and Durgapur It falls along the bank of River Damodar that crosses Jharkhand and West Bengal.
