1) Google introduces 'Solve for India' campaign
•Google has announced the new "Solve for India" initiative, especially for tier-2 cities such as Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi, Indore, Nagpur, Nashik, Madurai, Kanpur, and Chennai.
•This program will aim to support entrepreneurs and developers of the country. Entrepreneurs will now have the opportunity to learn directly from Google engineers. Some of the areas will include agri-tech, healthcare, transportation, education, sanitation and more.
•The Launchpad program comes with a 6-month mentorship program along with $50,000 equity-free investments. The company also stated that it would provide over $20,000 of Google cloud credits as well.
2) The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2017 (RERA) comes into effect from today
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2017 (RERA) has come into force today, aimed to protect the interests of homebuyers across the country and bring transparency.
Here are some key features of the Act-
•It aims to protect the interests of homebuyers across the country and bring transparency.
•The real estate developers will not be allowed to take advances and booking amounts from customers in yet to be launched projects till they are registered with RERA.
•According to the current guidelines, developers have to register their under-construction projects along with all the relevant details with RERA by July 31.
•In case a customer makes three consecutive defaults in payments, the developer will have to give three weeks’ notice to the customer, and if no response is received, the developer can cancel the agreement.
•So far around 13 states and Union Territories (UTs) have reportedly notified their rules. These include Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Delhi.
3) International Labour Day: 01st May
•International Labour Day, also known as International Worker's Day or May Day is observed on 01st of May every year to promote and encourage the international labour associations. The day marks the victory of workers' movement for eight hours of work. It also aims to pay tribute to workers sacrifices in achieving economic and social rights all over the world.
•In India, Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya will chair International Labour Day function in New Delhi. Several Trade Union Organisations are observing the Day with the commitment of welfare of the Labourers.
4) Kerala's Aymanam Becomes Country's First Digitised Panchayat ward
•Aymanam ward in the Kerala district on became India’s first digitalised panchayat ward. Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar inaugurated the website of the first digitalised panchayat ward number 15 of Aymanam gram panchayat.
•The minister launched the website www.digitalaymanam.com at the function. This small panchayat ward in Kerala has become the first one to go digital in the country, taking a very important step in fulfilling PM Modi’s dream of transforming India into a digitally empowered society.
5) Yusra Mardini appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
•The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has appointed Syrian refugee and Olympic athlete Yusra Mardini as a Goodwill Ambassador.
•Ms. Mardini, who has settled in Germany, participated in the first ever Olympic refugee team at the Rio de Janeiro games in 2016. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people.
6) Russian Grand Prix 2017: Valtteri Bottas wins his first F1 race
•Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) claimed his first Formula One victory, taking the flag at the Russian Grand Prix after a tense final few laps as he was chased down by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
•In the race, Sebastian Vettel finished in second and Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton stood fourth.
