SPORTS

Sabeera Haris won the bronze medal in the Shotgun Junior World Cup in Italy.

• She shot 29 out of 40 targets in the final.

• Gold Medal Winner: Carey Garrison from the US clinched the gold medal, hitting 40 out of 50 targets.

• Silver Medalist: Italy’s Sofia Gori secured the silver with 39 hits out of 50 targets.

• Bhavya Tripathi's Performance: Bhavya Tripathi finished in 26th place, scoring 102 in the junior women’s trap event.

• Rajkuwar Ingle's Standing: Rajkuwar Ingle ended up in 33rd place with 100 points.

• The competition took place in Porpetto, Italy, showcasing young shooting talents from around the world.

APPOINTMENTS

Rajat Sharma was elected president of the News Broadcasters and Digital Association

• Rajat Sharma, a veteran television journalist and India TV chairman, was elected president of the News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA).

• His election as president was unanimous at a board meeting.

• He replaces Avinash Pandey, the former CEO of ABP Network.

• The NBDA is the largest organization of news broadcasters and digital media in India.

• Formerly Known as NBA: Previously, the association was called the News Broadcasters Association.

• It is a private body comprising various current affairs and news television broadcasters in India.

• Established in 2007: The association was founded in 2007.

• The NBDA currently includes 27 leading news and current affairs broadcasters as members.

RANKING AND INDEX

NITI Aayog's SDG India Index Released

• The SDG India Index 2023-24 was released by NITI Aayog.

• India's overall SDG score increased to 71 in 2023-24 from 66 in 2020-21.

• Progress in poverty reduction, economic growth, and climate action contributed to the score improvement.

• State scores now range from 57 to 79, with UTs scoring between 65 and 77.

• Top-Performing States: Uttarakhand and Kerala topped the index with scores of 79, followed by Tamil Nadu (78) and Goa (77).

• Lowest-Performing States: Bihar (57), Jharkhand (62), and Nagaland (63) were the lowest performers.

• Top-Performing UTs: The leading union territories were Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Delhi.

• Fastest Progressing States: Uttar Pradesh, J&K, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Haryana, Assam, Tripura, and Punjab showed the fastest progress between 2018 and 2023-24.

• Highest Score Increases: Punjab, Manipur, West Bengal, and Assam recorded the highest score increases of 8 points compared to 2020-21.

• Indicators Used: The index ranks states and UTs on 113 indicators aligned with the National Indicator Framework (NIF).

• The SDG India Index computes scores for each state and UT on 16 SDGs.

BANKING, ECONOMY AND FINANCE

Government hiked interest rate EPF annual interest rate to 8.25% for FY 2024-25.

• The government has increased the EPF annual interest rate to 8.25% for FY 2024-25, up from 8.15%.

• The Union Finance Ministry approved the proposal for this rate hike.

• This decision will benefit millions of EPF members across the country.

• The revised interest rates have been disbursed to retiring members as part of their final PF settlements.

• The interest rate for EPF members is not declared on a quarterly basis.

• EPFO has settled 23,04,516 claims, disbursing Rs. 9260,40,35,488 to members.

• The Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) manages and regulates provident funds in India.

• Universal Account Number: A Universal Account Number (UAN) for employees covered by EPFO was launched by the Government of India on October 1, 2014.

MISCELLANEOUS

India and Bhutan agreed to work together in the field of environment and climate change.

• India and Bhutan agreed to collaborate on environment and climate change initiatives.

• The cooperation includes climate change, air quality improvement, forest conservation, wildlife management, and capacity building in environmental sectors.

• A Bhutanese delegation led by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jam Tshering met with Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh in New Delhi.

• Minister Tshering highlighted Bhutan's carbon-negative status and reliance on hydropower for energy.

• Discussion Topics: The leaders discussed air quality, climate change, forests, natural resources, wildlife, and renewable energy.

• Future Meetings: India proposed holding a meeting of the Joint Working Group to further these discussions.

• Both nations committed to enhancing cooperation for sustainable environmental and climate practices.