1) Arunabha Ghosh appointed by UN Chief to high-level expert group on net-zero emissions commitments
•United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres appointed Arunabha Ghosh (India) to a High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities. Arunabha Ghosh is the CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a climate and energy think tank. He has been appointed to the Government of India’s G20 Finance Track Advisory Group for India’s G20 Presidency in 2023. In 2021, he was appointed as Co-Chair of the T20 Task Force on climate and energy for Indonesia’s G20 2022.
•The group was launched by Antonio Guterres on 31 March 2022. Dr Ghosh will be among three Asians (and the only South Asian) serving on the expert group. It will be chaired by former Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna. The 16-member expert group comprises independent experts, drawn from different countries.
2) 4th edition of India Boat & Marine Show (IBMS) concludes in Kochi
•The 4th edition of the India Boat & Marine Show (IBMS) was held at Bolgatty Palace in Kochi in Kerala. IBMS is India’s only and most influential Boat and Marine industry related exhibition. The event is organised by Kochi-based Cruz Expo. The IBMS 2022 showcased leading international brands as well as indigenous boat manufacturers from across the country. Around 45 exhibitors from all over India and two international exhibitors participated in the expo.
•Several PSUs and agencies like Cochin Port Trust, Indian Cost Guard, Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard took part in the expo. The focus of the IBMS expo 2022 was the requirements for MSME in the marine and boating sector.
•The event showcase leading international brands as well as indigenous boat manufacturers from across the country. In addition to marinas, engines, navigational and other systems and equipment, mainstream craft such as motorboats, speed boats, jet skies, kayaks, water scooters, scuba diving and fishing boats & trawlers and other marine equipment will be on display.
3) India’s unemployment rate falls to 7.6% in March from 8.1% in Feb 2022
•As per the data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the overall unemployment rate in India fell to 7.6 per cent in March 2022. This rate was 8.10 per cent in February 2022. The report also stated that though the overall unemployment rate in the country is falling, it is still high for a “poor” country like India. The decrease in the ratio shows that the economy is getting back on track after being hit by COVID-19 for two years.
•Haryana recorded the highest unemployment rate in March 2022, at 26.7 per cent. It was followed by Rajasthan (25%) and Jammu and Kashmir (25 %), Bihar (14.4%), Tripura (14.1%) and West Bengal (5.6%). Chhattisgarh has registered an unemployment rate of 0.6 per cent this March, which is the lowest so far. CMIE is a Mumbai-based independent non-government entity that serves both as an economic think-tank as well as a business information company.
4) Ministry of Culture launches ‘Temple 360’ website
•The Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi has launched a website ‘Temple 360’. During an event organized by the Ministry of Culture at IGNCA Ampitheatre, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts, New Delhi under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
5) FICCI estimate India’s GDP growth rate for FY23 at 7.4%
•The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has estimated India’s GDP to grow at 7.4 per cent in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23). The Ficci’s Economic Outlook Survey was released on April 03, 2022. The report has stated that rising prices due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict is the biggest challenge to the global economic recovery.
•According to the survey, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to start a rate hike cycle in the second half of 2022, while a repo rate hike of 50-75 bps is expected by the end of the current fiscal. The RBI is expected to continue supporting the ongoing economic recovery by keeping the repo rate unchanged in its April policy review.
6) A new book “Crunch Time: Narendra Modi’s National Security Crises” by Sreeram Chaulia
•Dr Sreeram Chauliahas authored a new book titled “Crunch Time: Narendra Modi’s National Security Crises”. The book was released by Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs at the India International Centre in New Delhi, Delhi. The book highlights the much needed public faith in the state to protect the country from security threats posed by India’s external adversaries. The book analyses PM Modi’s series of decision-making moves during the crises with China and Pakistan.
7) Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement signed by India-Australia
•India and Australia signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA), hailing it as a watershed moment and one of the biggest economic doors there is to open in the world. It will provide zero-duty access to 96 per cent of India’s exports to Australia, including shipments from key sectors like engineering goods, gems and jewellery, textiles, apparel, and leather.
8) Four agreements and launch multiple projects signed between India- Nepal
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese colleague Sher Bahadur Deuba met in New Delhi, initiating a number of projects and signing four important agreements across a variety of fields. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) and Nepal Oil Corporation Ltd. signed agreements on Nepal becoming the 105th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), technical cooperation in railways, petroleum product delivery, and technical experience sharing in the petroleum sector.
9) Vikas Kumar named as Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
•Vikas Kumar has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). He succeeds Mangu Singh, whose tenure ended on March 31, 2022. Singh was the managing director of DMRC since January 1, 2012, and his famed tenure ended. Kumar is the third managing director of the DMRC after E Sreedharan and Mangu Singh. He will hold the post for a term of five years.
