Current Affairs in English – May 4 2023

National Events:

Share of innovative companies:

Among the manufacturing companies surveyed from total states, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu lead in share of innovative companies at 46.18 per cent, 39.10 per cent and 31.90 per cent respectively.
In the DST rankings, Karnataka is in the high innovation category, followed by Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Haryana. Uttarakhand scored highest in the hill states followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Union Territories in the category.

Geetha Karmikula Bhima:

The Telangana government has announced a new insurance scheme for toddy tappers called ‘Geetha Karmikula Bhima.’
The scheme is similar to the ‘Rythu Bhima’ program for farmers and is aimed at providing financial assistance to the families of toddy tappers who die due to accidents while collecting toddy from palm trees in the fields.

Incentive of Rs 1,500:

The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, has announced a monthly incentive of Rs 1,500 for women in the Spiti Valley. The incentive will be provided to all eligible women, including Buddhist nuns, above the age of 18 years.
This initiative is called the Indira Gandhi Mahila Samman Nidhi. The decision was made during a Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, 3 April 2023. Apart from the incentive, the Cabinet also approved several other measures to improve the financial condition of the state.

Microsoft India:

Microsoft India has introduced 2 new initiatives, an SMB (small and medium businesses) focused website and a dedicated helpline.
The website Microsoft for Small and Medium Businesses, aims at bringing together business owners and entrepreneurs in India.
Digital Transformation Helpline (1800-102-1147) offers SMBs dedicated support to navigate their digital transformation journey seamlessly.

Innovative state:

A survey on the degree of innovation among manufacturing firms found that Karnataka, overall, is the most “innovative” state.
It was followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu (DNH&DD), Telangana, and Tamil Nadu. Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu had the highest share of innovative firms at 46.18%,39.10% and 31.90%, respectively.

India & Maldives:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Didi laid the foundation of a harbour for the coast guard of Maldives at Sifavaru to boost its maritime security capabilities.
India and the Maldives had signed a pact for the development of the coast guard facility in 2021 when New Delhi also extended a $50 million line of credit to the Maldives for defence projects.

21-volume Braille version of an Assamese-English dictionary:

A 21-volume Braille version of an Assamese-English dictionary, has become the world’s largest lexicon. The authorities of the Guinness World Records handed over a certificate to Jayanta Baruah, the publisher of the Braille version of Hemkosh.
The 123-year-old Hemkosh is the 1st etymological dictionary of the Assamese language based on Sanskrit spellings, compiled by Hemchandra Baruah.

Nagaland Government:

Nagaland Government has created a new Directorate of Minority Affairs under the Planning and Transformation Department.
The new Directorate will manage the various schemes and programmes under the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Among others, the Directorate will deal with scholarship schemes such as Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Schemes.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Mayor program:

In order to directly listen to the grievances of the public and solve them, the mayor program has been launched in Chennai on May 03.
Chennai Mayor Priya has said that under this scheme, the public can directly submit complaints to the Mayor and the complaints will be resolved immediately.

Kidney Stone Removal Treatment Center:

Tamil Nadu Health Minister M. Subramanian inaugurated the Rs 2.30 Crore Kidney Stone Removal Treatment Center at Kilipakkam Government Hospital in Chennai on May 02.
The minister said that the recently opened “Electromagnetic Resonance Kidney Stone Removal Treatment Center” has state-of-the-art medical equipment and in this center, kidney stones can be removed without surgery, blood transfusion or anesthesia.

International Events:

International Firefighters’ Day: 4 May

International Firefighters Day is observed on 4 May every year. It honours and pays tribute to the great work done by the firefighters while protecting the life and property of people.
International Firefighters Day was established in 1999 to honour the sacrifices and bravery of firefighters worldwide. The day was inspired by the tragic event that took place in Australia on 2 December 1998.

A report released by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre:

A report released by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has put India and Brazil as among the most dangerous places in the world for human rights and labour activists.
As per the report, Brazil topped the list with recorded 63 attacks against activists in 2022, followed by India with 54 attacks and Mexico with 44 attacks. Other countries included are Cambodia, Philippines, and Honduras.

RSV – vaccine:

The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the world’s first Respiratory Syncytial Virus – RSV – vaccine that is meant for older adults.
However, the vaccine still needs approval from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before it can be rolled out to the public. The vaccine was found 83 percent effective against diseases caused by RSV.

Cannes Film Festival:

The Cannes Film Festival will honor Michael Douglas with an honorary Palme d’Or for his outstanding career and contributions to cinema. The 78-year-old actor will be celebrated during the festival’s opening ceremony on May 16.
Douglas has had a diverse career, starring in numerous acclaimed films like The China Syndrome, Basic Instinct, Falling Down, and Behind the Candelabra, all of which have previously been shown at Cannes.

Ajay Banga:

Ajay Banga, who is of Indian origin, has been officially selected as the 14th President of the World Bank.
The 25-member executive board of the World Bank elected Ajay Banga, who previously served as the CEO of Mastercard, to hold the position for a period of five years, starting from June 2.

Sports Events:

Nepal:

Nepal have qualified for the Asia Cup 2023 after winning the ACC Men’s Premier Cup.
The team, led by Rohit Paudel defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by seven wickets in the final that was played across two days at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.