Correct Answer :   Sri Lanka

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In a move to assist Sri Lanka in its recovery from a severe financial crisis, India has extended a credit line of one Billion USD to its neighbouring country by one year.

* The credit line which was a part of the 4 billion USD emergency assistance provided by India during the peak of Sri Lanka's crisis last year(2022), was originally set to end in March but has now been extended until March 2024.
 
* The extension will provide Sri Lanka with backup funds to pay for essential imports, according to Sri Lanka's Deputy Treasury Secretary, Priyantha Rathnayake.

* The initiative to extend the credit line, in which almost 350 million USD is still unutilised, denotes India’s continued commitment to stand with the people of Sri Lanka in facing the challenges of economic crisis and moving towards sustainable economic recovery.
 
* Sri Lanka, which faced its worst financial crisis in decades, experienced slump in its forex reserves last year and struggled to pay for crucial imports such as fuel, cooking gas, and medicine.

* However, the situation has improved since then, with Sri Lanka securing a nearly 3 billion USD bailout package from the International Monetary Fund in March and initiating debt restructuring talks with key bilateral creditors including India, Japan, and China..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Parminder Chopra

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The Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) has recommended the name of Parminder Chopra to succeed as the next Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of India’s largest NBFC by networth (all reserves), Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

* Chopra will be the first woman to be appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Maharatna company. Her name was recommended by the PESB on Monday (8th May 2023).

* She has been with the company since 2005 and has been serving as the Director (Finance) and CFO since 2020, as well as a member of the board of directors, said the non-banking financial company (NBFC) for the power sector.

* Chopra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and is a qualified Cost Accountant and MBA and has over 35 years of experience in the power sector, including the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation of India (NHPC) and the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL).

* In her new role as CMD, Chopra will be responsible for driving the strategic initiatives at PFC, spearheading the organization’s growth trajectory, and further strengthening its position as a leading Maharatna PSU.

* Her extensive experience in project financing and infrastructure development, coupled with her visionary leadership, is expected to propel PFC to new heights of success.

* The selection of Chopra as the CMD sets a new precedent for women professionals in the nation and serves as a source of inspiration for many emerging leaders.

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Correct Answer :   794.64

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) added 34.22 metric tonnes of gold in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2023, taking the total gold reserves to 794.64 metric tonnes.

* RBI held 760.42 metric tonnes as of March 31, 2022, compared to 695.31 metric tonnes as of March 31, 2021.

* The gold reserves as of March 31, 2023, included gold deposits of 56.32 metric tonnes, according to the RBI’s half-yearly report on Management of Foreign Exchange Reserves- October 2022 – March 2023.

* “While 437.22 metric tonnes of gold is held overseas in safe custody with the Bank of England and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), 301.10 metric tonnes of gold is held domestically,” the report said.

* As of March 31, 2023, the country’s total foreign exchange reserves stood at $578.449 billion, and gold reserves were at $45.2 billion.

* In value terms (USD), the share of gold in the total foreign exchange reserves increased from about 7 per cent at end-March 2022 to about 7.81 per cent as at end-March 2023. The share of gold reserves to the country’s total forex reserves stood at 7.06 per cent as of end-September 2022.

* A recent World Gold Council (WGC) report showed that the RBI added 7 metric tonnes of gold in January-March 2023..

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   State Bank of India

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Agritech firm Rukart, which sells 'Subjee Cooler' to enhance shelf life of fruits and vegetables, has tied up with State Bank of India (SBI) to help potential customers in getting easy loan options to buy the product.

* Founded in May 2019, Rukart manufactures Subjee Cooler, a cold chain storage system that requires only 20 liters of water a day to function. It increases the shelf life of fruits, flowers and vegetables by 4-6 days.

* The cost of the product is Rs 50,000 each and one Subjee Cooler has a storage capacity of 100 kg.

* Rukart is mentored by the Powering Livelihoods program, jointly run by Council On Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and Villgro Innovations Foundation.

* Rukart said in a statement that it has partnered with India's largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) aiming to mitigate distress sales among marginal/small farmers and retailers.

* Farmers and retailers can now buy Rukart's Subjee Cooler with ease through SBI's affordable EMIs, it added.

* In the past four years, RuKart said it has deployed more than 1,000 Subjee Coolers across 10 states in the country including Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

* In the year of its inception, Rukart has done business of around Rs 63 lakh by selling 126 Subjee Coolers in Maharashtra.

* Sharayu S Kulkarni, Co-Founder, RuKart, said, the tie-up will assist farmers and retailers in adopting clean energy-based cold chain solutions..

Source : Devdiscourse

Correct Answer :   Rajasthan

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth over 5500 crore rupees at Nathdwara in Rajasthan  10th May 2023.  These include four national highways and three rail projects.

* The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for redevelopment of Udaipur railway station, Gauge conversion project, and a new line from Nathdwara to Nathdwara town.

* Mr Modi dedicated three national highway projects to the nation, including 114 km long six-lane Udaipur to Shamlaji section of NH-48, 110 km long widening and strengthening of Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur Section of NH-25, and two lane with paved shoulder section of NH 58E.
 
* Addressing the programme, Mr Modi said that these projects will take connectivity of Rajasthan to new heights..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Ministry of Health

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Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Ministry of Health launched (10th May 2023) the SAKSHAM (Stimulating Advanced Knowledge for Sustainable Health Management), a Learning Management Information System (LMIS) of MoHFW.

This digital learning platform has been developed by the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi.

SAKSHAM is a dedicated and unified platform for providing online training and medical education to all health professionals in the country. This digital learning platform will ensure inclusive capacity building of health professionals from primary health centres located in rural and remote areas all the way up to tertiary care and corporate hospitals in metropolitan cities.

Currently SAKSHAM : LMIS is hosting more than 200 public health and 100 clinical courses through online mode. Health professionals can register themselves for these courses on the portal through url:  https://lmis.nihfw.ac.in/ and get the certification after undergoing requisite training and qualifying the required assessment criteria.

Shri. S. Gopalakrishnan, Special Secretary (Health), Dr. Manashvi Kumar, Joint Secretary (Health), Dr. Dheeraj Shah,  Director NIHFW, Ms. Nidhi Kesarwani, Deputy Director NIHFW, Dr. V K Tiwari, Dean NIHFW, Dr. Sanjay Gupta,  Dr. Pushpanjali Swain, Dr. D K Yadav and senior officials of the Health Ministry and NIHFW were present on the occasion..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Telangana

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The Telangana government on Tuesday (9th May 2023) launched State Robotics Framework, a first-of-its-kind policy in India.

Aim : At creating a sustainable robotics ecosystem and to position the state as a leader in the field of robotics.

* The framework is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the state's vision for the development of the robotics ecosystem in the state and contributing to the growth of the industry in the country.

* The framework was developed by the Emerging Technologies Wing of the ITE&C Department of Telangana in collaboration with the All India Robotics Association and inputs from academia, industry experts and stakeholders.

* The framework focuses on leveraging robotics technology to drive growth and development across four key domains - agriculture, healthcare, industrial automation and consumer robotics.

* The state will set up a Robo park equipped with testing facilities, co-working options, and co-production/manufacturing options either at sites owned by the state or in partnership with the industry, academia, and incubators, at competitive rates.

* The state will establish a robotics accelerator to provide startups with the necessary incubation, infrastructure, authorisation support, market insights, investor connect, and mentorship support, the release said.

* Launching the framework, K T Rama Rao, minister for IT and Industries, said as Telangana continues to strive towards technological advancements and development, the state is committed to embracing new technologies and promoting innovation across sectors, ensuring a better tomorrow for all..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   37

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President Droupadi Murmu conferred 8 Kirti Chakras, including five posthumous, and 29 Shaurya Chakras, including five posthumous, upon the personnel of the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State or Union Territory Police during Defence Investiture Ceremony (Phase-1) in New Delhi on Tuesday (9th May 2023).
 
* The Gallantry awards were given to the personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty.

* Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur were also present during the event..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   6%

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Fitch Ratings has predicted India's GDP growth forecast for FY - 2023-24 to 6% from 6.2% and 6.7% in FY - 2024-25.

* Reason : Headwinds from elevated inflation, interest rates, and subdued global demand

* The rating firm has also reaffirmed India’s long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating at ‘BBB-’ with a stable outlook

* ‘BBB’ issuer default rating indicates that expectations of default risk are currently low and payment capacity to meet financial commitments is considered adequate..

Source : Fitchratings

Correct Answer :   Tamil Nadu

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The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has launched a Talent Scout Program for women to unearth new talents. The Talent Scout Wing (TSW) which will comprise of former men and women first-class cricketers and coaches will help in identifying the talent across the state in the trials scheduled to begin from May 13, 2023.

For the program, the TNCA has formed four groups of four members each who will cover all the 37 districts in Tamil Nadu. Once the TSW shortlists the talent pool, they will be assembled for training camps that will happen across the year, said Sudha Shah, who is the chairman of Cricket Advisory Committee.

Any player who is above 13 years of age can attend the trials. Shah said that while a maximum of 22 players from each district, there is no cap on the number. “If we find more talents, we would accommodate them as well. The selected players will undergo a camp at the respective venues and based on the inputs of the coaches, we will host an inter-district tournament after two years.

A total of 20-25 players from the 37 districts will be called to Chennai to train at the TNCA Academy,” Shah said.

The selected players will be also be pooled in with the rest of the cricketers who are featuring in the Freyer Cup. With the talent pool expected to increase, the TNCA has also decided the number of participating teams in the Freyer Cup from 6 to 7 or 8. The Freyer Cup will also be held for T20s and 50-overs.

With the talent pool set to increase over the next couple of years, the TNCA revealed that it has plans to launch the women’s version of the Tamil Nadu Premier League, a franchise-model T20 League, that has become a huge success..

Source : Indian Express