NATIONAL AFFAIRS

India’s First Multi-Purpose Green Hydrogen Pilot Project Inaugurated

• It is inaugurated at in Himachal Pradesh’sJhakri.

• India takes a significant step in renewable energy with the inauguration of its first multi-purpose green hydrogen pilot project at the 1,500 MW NathpaJhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS).

I• The project aims to produce green hydrogen through renewable energy sources.

APPOINTMENT

Papua New Guinea Names Colonel Edison Napyo as Its First Defence Adviser to India

• Colonel Edison Napyo has been appointed as the first Defence Advisor to India from Papua New Guinea (PNG).

• This is a key step towards improving defence cooperation between India and PNG.

• In August 2023, the Prime Minister of PNG, James Marape, visited two Indian Naval ships that made a call at Port Moresby.

•India is strengthening its engagement with Pacific Island nations through FIPIC, focusing on regional cooperation and partnerships..

WFI Athletes Commission

• Narsingh Yadav Elected Chairman of WFI Athletes Commission.

• The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has completed the process mandated by the United World Wrestling (UWW), the global governing body for the sport.

Axis Bank Re-appoints its MD & CEO

• Axis Bank’s board has approved the re-appointment of Amitabh Chaudhry as Managing Director & CEO for another three years, effective January 2025, subject to RBI approval.

• Alongside Chaudhry, Independent Directors Meena Ganesh and Gopalaraman Padmanabhan have also been re-appointed for four years each.

RBI Deputy Governor:

• Rabi Sankar Re-appointed RBI Deputy Governor.

• His duration is one-year.

•Sankar, a seasoned central banker with a career spanning over three decades at the RBI, was initially appointed as Deputy Governor on May 3, 2021, for a three-year period.

AWARDS

Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award:

• This ceremony was held at Mumbai’s Dinanath Mangeshkar Natyagrih.

• Actor Randeep Hooda was bestowed with the Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award.

• This honor recognizes his remarkable contributions to Indian cinema and his recent film “Swatantrya Veer Savarkar”

77th Cannes Film Festival:

• “Sunflowers were the first ones to Know”, a film by Chidanand Naik, a student of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), has been selected in the 'La Cinef” Competitive section of 77th Cannes Film Festival, France.

• The festival is to be held from 15th to 24th May 2024.

• This is the only Indian film selected in ‘La Cinef’ section of Cannes.

• It is a story of an elderly woman who steals the village's rooster, which throws the community into disarray.

Padma Shri Award

• Bangladeshi Singer Rezwana Choudhury received the Padma Shri Award.

• She received the award for her contribution to the field of Art. She is a practitioner of Rabindra Sangeet.

• She sang “Vaishnav Jan To” to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

• She runs ‘Shurer Dhara’, a prestigious music school in Dhaka. She has also written many books on Rabindra Sangeet.

Winners At the 2024 Laureus Awards

• Novak Djokovic, Simone Biles, Aitana Bonmatí, and Jude Bellingham were honoured at the 2024 Laureus Sports Awards ceremony held in Madrid.

• Novak Djokovic, the world's top-ranked tennis player, was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for the fifth time, matching Roger Federer's record for the most decorated male athlete in this category.

• Bonmati became the first footballer to win the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award, after a golden year that included Liga F and Champions League titles with Barcelona, and a World Cup with Spain.

•USA’s Simone Biles, meanwhile, was honoured with the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Intellectual Property Day 2024

• Every year April 26 is celebrated as World Intellectual Property Day to learn about the role that intellectual property rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity.

• Theme: “IP and the SDGs: Building Our Common Future with Innovation and Creativity.”

• World Intellectual Property Day 2024 recognizes the huge potential of young people to find new and better solutions that support the transition to a sustainable future.

International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day 2024:

•• Every year, on April 26th, we observe the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day.

• • This day is dedicated to remembering the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and raising awareness about this catastrophic event.