1) Odisha Day or Utkal Divas is celebrated on 1st April 2022
•Utkal Divas or Utakala Dibasha or Odisha Day is celebrated on April 1st every year to remember the formation of the Odisha state after a struggle to be recognised as an independent state. The state was originally called Orissa but the Lok Sabha passed the Orissa Bill, and Constitution Bill (113rd amendment), in March 2011 to rename it Odisha.
2) Cabinet approves increase in Dearness Allowance/Dearness Relief by 3% to 34%
•The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has approved a hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners by 3 per cent to 34%, over the existing rate of 31% of the Basic Pay/Pension. The hike announced will be effective from January 1, 2022, to compensate for the price rise.
•The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be Rs. 9,544.50 crore per annum. This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. The hike will benefit about 47.68 lakh Central Government employees and 68.62 lakh, pensioners.
3) 20th India-France Bilateral Naval Exercise ‘VARUNA -2022’ kicks-off
•The 20th edition of the Bilateral Naval Exercise between the Indian Navy and French Navy named ‘VARUNA’ is being conducted in the Arabian Sea from March 30 to April 03, 2022. The Bilateral Naval Exercises between the two Navies is being held since 1993 and the exercise was christened as ‘VARUNA’ in 2001. Various ships, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, fighter aircraft and helicopters of the two navies will be participating in the VARUNA-2022 exercise.
4) The government of Karnataka has introduced the Vinaya Samarasya initiative
•The Basavaraj Bommai government announced the Vinaya Samarasya Yojana as a public awareness campaign against caste prejudice in the state’s gramme panchayats. It will be formally launched on April 14, the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
5) Two battalions of the Dogra regiment were presented with the President’s Colours by the army chief
•During an amazing Color Presentation Parade held at the Dogra Regimental Centre, Faizabad (UP), General MM Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff, gave the prestigious President’s Colours to two battalions of the Dogra Regiment, namely 20 DOGRA and 21 DOGRA.
6) Maharashtra launches scheme to offer personal loans for prisoners
•The Maharashtra government has introduced a scheme that allows prisoners to obtain personal loans from banks of up to Rs. 50,000 to help their families improve their living conditions and meet expenses related to their legal matters. It will be a first of its kind initiative in our country. The Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank would provide loans up to 50,000 under the scheme at a 7% interest rate. The scheme would be implemented in Yerawada Central Jail in Pune, Maharashtra, on a pilot basis. This type of loan is called a “khavti” loan, and benefits approximately 1,055 prisoners.
•Under the scheme, the loan facility will be decided on the basis of the prisoner, prisoner’s loan limit, duration of punishment, possible relief from it, age, estimated annual working day and minimum daily income. The loan will not require a guarantor. There will be no need for a guarantor. It will be disbursed on a personal bond. The bank will decide the amount based on earnings, skill, daily wages.
7) Manipur govt tie-up with Samsung to start Sports Digital Experience Centre
•The state government of Manipur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung Data System India Pvt Ltd and Abhitech IT Solutions Pvt Ltd for setting up a world-class “Sports Digital Experience Centre” as a domain of Manipur Olympian Park and Khuman Lampak Sports Complex. The MoU was exchanged in the presence of chief minister N Biren Singh at the cabinet hall of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
•With the setting up of the Digital Experience Centre, various achievements of Olympians from Manipur will be digitally displayed making the public aware about their achievements. Such initiatives will help in improving and enhancing the performance of sporting talents through the latest technologies like sports analytics, virtual reality and mixed reality among others, he maintained, adding that it will also motivate younger generations to opt for sports as a career.
8) NV Ramana, the Chief Justice, launches a software named FASTER
•Chief Justice of India NV Ramana unveiled the ‘Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records’ (FASTER), a digital platform that allows the supreme court to send interim orders, stay orders, and bail orders to the appropriate authorities via a secure electronic channel. The online introduction of the FASTER programme was attended by CJI Ramana, Justices AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud, and Hemant Gupta, as well as Chief Justices and Judges of High Courts.
9) Vishwas Patel re-elected as chairman of Payments Council of India
•Vishwas Patel has been re-elected as the Chairman of Payments Council of India (PCI) for the second time in 2022, previously he was elected as a Chairman of PCI in the year 2018. In 2013, he served as Co-Chairman of PCI. PCI is a payment ecosystem industry body and is a part of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). PCI aims to promote a cashless transaction society and vision to grow digital payment in India.
10) GoI keeps interest rates on Small Savings Schemes unchanged for Q1 (April-June 2022)
•The Ministry of Finance has decided to keep the interest rates unchanged on small savings schemes or post office schemes for the Quarter -1 of FY2022-23 (April-June 2022). The interest rates on the various instruments for April-June 2022 range from 4.0 per cent to 7.6 per cent. It must be noted that the Government notifies the Interest rates for small savings schemes on a quarterly basis. This is the eighth consecutive quarter when the interest rates on small savings instruments remained unchanged.
11) RBI extended the deadline for banks to utilise lockable cassettes in ATMs by a year
•The Reserve Bank of India has delayed the deadline for banks to use lockable cassettes in their ATMs that can be swapped during cash replenishment by a year, till March 31, 2023. The decision was made after the RBI received representations from various banks and the Indian Banks’ Association noting difficulty in achieving the deadline, according to a notification released yesterday.
12) Adidas Unveils Official Al Rihla FIFA World Cup Ball for Qatar 2022
•Al Rihla – the Official Match Ball for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been revealed by Adidas. It is Adidas’ 14th World Cup ball, and it is designed to accommodate the fastest game speeds possible, since it flies quicker in flight than any other World Cup ball.
