Correct Answer : Option (A) - Federal Bank

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Federal Bank has entered into a Banking Correspondent agreement with Chennai-based KiVi, an agri fintech start-up operated by Agrosperity Tech Solutions, with a view to scaling and expanding its agri lending portfolio in Tamil Nadu.

Federal Bank launched the instant KCC platform in September 2022. Claimed to be the first of its kind in agriculture lending, it offers farmers convenience and turnaround time.

Aim : It aims at providing small-value loans to small and marginal farmers, and is designed to facilitate efficient credit flow to underserved rural populations, a spokesman said here.

Phygital model : 
KiVi employs a phygital model that combines features of the lending technology platform and the last-mile channel to serve farmer households and MSMEs such as input retailers, output aggregators or other village entrepreneurs. It provides a frictionless and secure customer experience through seamless API integrations with bureaus and other service providers, along with user-friendly WhatsApp journeys.

Under the agreement, KiVi will acquire, service and augment Federal Bank’s underwriting capability. Mohan K, Senior Vice-President and Country Head, Agri, Micro and Rural Banking, Federal Bank, said the bank has been a pioneer in agri lending and has now sharpened its focus with technology and a partnership model.

Bank-fintech collaboration :
We have experimented many products suitable for the agri sector and will continue to bring more innovative products that can be scaled to more farmers and agri value chain partners. We found KiVi to be the right partner because of their farmer and agri MSME focus and their tech-driven approach. The founding team’s experience in last mile rural lending gave us a lot of confidence.

Joby CO, Founder and CEO of KiVi, said the start-up is excited to partner with a leading bank with agri- lending focus. This partnership is a significant milestone in our journey to bring affordable, timely and convenient credit to farmers and agri MSMEs. We believe that collaboration between banks and agri fintechs will be crucial for India to achieve its budgeted agriculture credit of ₹20 lakh crore.”

In the initial phase of this partnership, KiVi aims to serve 10,000 farmers in Tamil Nadu,” Joby added...

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Correct Answer : Option (D) - Royal Sundaram General Insurance

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Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Ltd. has unveiled three add-on covers for private car and two-wheeler insurance policies.

* Smart Save
* Roadside assistance
* Return-to-invoice

The Smart Save add-on, which comes at zero cost, would help the customer to get an upfront discount in own damage insurance premium for repairing their cars at Royal Sundaram’s identified trusted repair shops and garages in the event of a claim, the company said.

For two-wheelers, the company’s Roadside Assistance policy covers 11 emergency services for an immobilised vehicle. The services can be requested for electrical, mechanical, or accidental breakdown.

The company’s Return to Invoice cover comes with two plans which will protect the customers to get their invoice value of the vehicle in case of a total loss, including theft of the vehicle. As per the plan chosen, road tax, registration charges and insurance cost are also covered for the customer, Royal Sundaram said in a statement..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer : Option (C) - SpaceX

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Elon Musk’s new space vehicle Starship was fuelled up and ready to go. All eyes were on the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, as it was set to take off from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. People gathered at the launch site to witness history in the making. But minutes after the liftoff, it exploded.

The nearly 120-metre spaceship carried no people or satellites.

This futuristic rocket built by Musk’s private spaceflight company SpaceX is touted as a game-changer for space travel. It’s in this vehicle that NASA will fly its astronauts for the Atremis 3 Mission to the moon’s south pole in 2025. Someday Musk wants to use it to transport people to Mars. For now, that seems aeons away.

Why did Starship explode?

* SpaceX’s launch vehicle is made up of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. Together, they are known as Starship.

* Its first flight lasted a little less than four minutes.

* Thirty of its 33 engines fired and the “Super Heavy” boosters lifted off its launch pad. About a minute later, the vehicle passed through a period of maximum aerodynamic pressure, a key moment for the launch of any rocket.

* Two minutes on, the rocket had reached an altitude of 20 kilometres and was travelling at 1,600 kph. But by now two of its engines had shut down.

* Into the third minute, it was clear something was amiss. The rest of the engines had not separated at the expected time and the rocket appeared to be changing its course.

* The separation of the second stage, the prototype spaceship called Starship, from the Super Heavy was not progressing as intended, according to a report in The Economist. The rocket began to tumble and burst into flames over the Gulf of Mexico.

* The explosion came after an earlier attempt to launch the rocket on Monday was aborted because of a frozen valve.

* If the launch was successful, the rocket was supposed to reach 223 km above the Earth. SpaceX had planned for it to last for an hour and 30 minutes..

Source : First Post

Correct Answer : Option (B) - Deepika Misra

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Wing Commander Deepika Misra on Thursday (20th April 2023) became the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force to be presented a gallantry award.

* According to an IAF, Wing Commander Misra, a helicopter pilot who hails from Rajasthan, was conferred a Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for an act of "exceptional courage" displayed during a flood relief operation in Madhya Pradesh.

* IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari presented the Yudh Seva Medal and other awards to several officers and air warriors at an Investiture Ceremony held at the Air Force Auditorium in Subroto Park here.

* While two IAF officers were awarded Yudh Seva Medal, 13 officers, and air warriors received Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), 13 officers Vayu Sena Medal and 30 Vishisht Seva Medal, the spokesperson said.

* A total of 58 persons, 57 from the IAF and one from the Army received the awards, he said.

* For devotion to service, women from the IAF have received awards in the past, but this is the first time that a gallantry award has been conferred on a woman officer of the IAF, he added.

* According to information shared by the IAF, Wing Commander Misra was "detailed to undertake humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in response to flash floods" in northern Madhya Pradesh in August 2021.

* The rescue operation that included low hover pick-ups and winching lasted for an exhaustive eight days and she saved the lives of 47 people, including women and children...

Source : NDTV

Correct Answer : Option (D) - Greece

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The Indian Air Force (IAF), on Thursday (20th April 2023), announced that it will take part in Exercise INIOCHOS-23 in Greece.

* Exercise INIOCHOS-23 is a multi-national air exercise hosted by the Hellenic Air Force. The exercise will be conducted at the Andravida Air Base in Greece from April 24, 2023, until May 4, 2023.

The Indian Air Force will participate with four Su-30 MKI and two C-17 aircrafts.

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russia's Sukhoi and built under license by India's Hindustan Aeronautics. While the C-17 Globemaster III is a strategic transport aircraft, able to airlift cargo close to a battle area.

Other nations are also expected to take part. It will include Cyprus with an AW139 Helicopter; France with Rafales; Italy with Tornados; Jordan with F-16s; Saudi Arabia with F-15s; Slovenia with PC-9s; Spain with EF-18s; and the USA with F-16s and MQ-9s. Additionally, Austria will participate with INTEL personnel and Canada with Air Battle Managers.

Aim : The aim of the exercise is to enhance international cooperation, synergy and interoperability among the participating Air Forces..

Source : CNBC

Correct Answer : Option (B) - South Indian Bank

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South Indian Bank has introduced SIB SEAFARER and SIB PULSE, two flexible saving accounts, for NRI customers.

SIB SEAFARER :

* Flexibility to maintain a minimum balance of Rs.10,000/- in linked accounts

* No minimum balance is required for the maintenance of the NRI Term Deposit of Rs.2 lakh and above

SIB PULSE :

* Flexibility to maintain a minimum balance of Rs.10,000/- in linked accounts

* NR Term Deposit above Rs.2 Lakh or RD with minimum monthly installment above Rs.20,000/-.

Source : Mint

Correct Answer : Option (D) - Harmanpreet Kaur

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The Indian team captain "Harmanpreet Kaur", created history on Tuesday (18th April 2023) by becoming the first-ever Indian woman to be named among the Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2023.

* The Wisden Cricketers of the Year is a prestigious honor awarded by the Wisden Almanack, one of the most respected cricketing publications in the world, dating back to 1889.

* The award recognizes the most exceptional cricketing performances by players from around the world. Harmanpreet Kaur is the only woman in this year’s (2023) list, alongside four men who made significant contributions to the sport during the English summer.

* Harmanpreet Kaur’s exceptional performance in the second ODI of the series against England at Canterbury earned her a place in the coveted list.

* She played a crucial role in leading India to their first ODI series win on English soil since 1999, smashing an impressive 111-ball-143. This knock was instrumental in helping the Indian women’s team whitewash the hosts, demonstrating her exceptional skills as a captain and player..

Source : Female Cricket

Correct Answer : Option (A) - AU Small Finance Bank

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AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) has integrated with the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) to launch bill payment services through video banking.

Aim : The primary aim of this initiative is to promote digital accessibility and enhance economic capability, leading to greater financial inclusions.

* Ankur Tripathi, CIO, AU Small Finance Bank said, For our bank customers, we have already been catering to over 400+ services through video banking.

* Now, with the introduction of bill payment services on video banking, we aim to offer our customers the comfort of a face-to-face interaction while paying their bills at their convenience. We thank National Payments Corporation of India and other dignitaries for supporting this innovation.

* AU SFB’s video banking service underscores its commitment to providing innovative solutions to its customers. This platform enables customers to pay bills without the need to visit a branch, which is particularly beneficial for those with mobility issues or residing in remote areas and senior citizens.

* With the aid of expert banking representatives, customers can make payments to 20K+ billers across 20+ categories, from their AU account.

* People can make payments likeFASTag, loan repayment, insurance, investments, education fees, municipal taxes, utility payments including gas, electricity, mobile, landline, water, DTH bills, and others through AU SFB’s video banking service..

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Correct Answer : Option (C) - Utsa Patnaik

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Utsa Patnaik, a renowned economist of national and international repute, has been selected for the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023.

* The award is given every year by the Malcolm & Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust. The prestigious national award honours outstanding social scientists selected by a national-level jury specially constituted for this purpose, from the nominations received.

* This year (2023), the jury unanimously selected Prof. Utsa Patnaik.

* The award will be given with a citation and a prize money of ₹2 lakh at a function to be held in Chennai. The date of this event will be announced shortly by the Trust..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer : Option (A) - Toyota

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Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) recently introduced a new platform for its Bangalore customers - Wheels on Web. It is an online retail sales platform that offers a seamless virtual experience to the customers by enabling them to book, purchase and get delivery of their preferred Toyota models at the comfort of their home.

* The company said that the "Wheels on Web" is a Business to Customer (B2C) platform that reflects the company’s core commitment to enhance customer experience in its digital space, enabling hassle-free car buying with innovative features and services.

* Along with the ability to book, buy and enjoy the vehicle delivery at the comfort of their home, the platform provides digital viewing of the car exteriors, interiors, colour, and variants.

* Toyota customers can select a host of value-added services – Accessories, Service Packages and Extended Warranty via the platform.

* Toyota’s Wheels on Web also enables customers to trade-off his/her existing car. They can also choose easy and multiple finance options through selected financial institutions. In addition, they can pay the booking amount/full payment or downpayment online.

* Toyota customers will receive auto communication via WhatsApp and e-mail at every stage from booking to delivery. Further, they can also check the status of booking details via individual login or account access.

* Atul Sood, Vice President, Sales and Strategic Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said "In line with our core philosophy of ‘Customer First’, we are continuously striving to deliver ever-better services to the consumers.

* We believe that our newly launched ‘WOW’ (Wheels on Web), online retail platform, will revolutionize the car buying experience in India"..

Source : Mint