India’s Rhythm Sangwan has won the bronze medal in the women’s 10-metre air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2023 for rifle and pistol shooters in Baku, Azerbaijan.

• She scored 219.1 in the final to finish third behind Anna 2016 Rio Olympic champion Anna Korakaki of Greece and 2004 Athens Olympics gold medallist Olena Kostevych of Ukraine.
• It was Sangwan’s first individual senior medal at the shooting World Cup.

The All India Football Federation will celebrate June 23, the birthday of legendary player Pradip Kumar Banerjee, India’s captain in the 1960 Rome Olympics and popularly known as Pk, as ‘Aiff Grassroots Day’ to promote the sport throughout the country.

• The Aiff Grassroots Day is in keeping in line with the Strategic Roadmap ‘Vision 2047’, which seeks to increase grassroots participation in the country. The aim is to engage 35 million children in football by 2026 and up to 100 million by 2047, the federation announced on Friday.
• Explaining the reason behind choosing Pk’s birthday, Aiff Secretary General Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran said it is a well-known fact that Pk was an exemplary footballer, who played a pivotal role in India’s historic gold medal triumph in the 1962 Asian Games.
• “However, we often forget Pradip da was a teacher par excellence too. Once he hung up his boots, he took up coaching and for the next 30 years.

India’s ambitious goal of achieving 30% sales penetration of electric passenger cars by 2030 has paved the way for the emergence of the e-retrofitment industry.

• This innovative concept involves transforming traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles into electric vehicles (EVs) by replacing their powertrains.
• Indian Army Cell, in collaboration with IIT Delhi and start-up Tadpole Projects, showcased the successful conversion of Military Gypsies into electric vehicles.
• This collaboration highlights the country’s determination to leverage expertise from different sectors to drive the adoption of EVs through retrofitment.

Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, is gearing up to host the fifth edition of the Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF 2023).

• The festival is set to take place from December 1 to 5, the event will be held at the Greenfield International Stadium in Karyavattom.
• GAF 2023 aims to highlight the emerging challenges in healthcare and the renewed significance of Ayurveda as a holistic healing system.
• GAF 2023 will revolve around the focal theme of ‘Emerging challenges in healthcare and a resurgent Ayurveda.’ 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently issued a directive to banks and financial institutions, urging them to adopt an Alternative Reference Rate by July 1.

• This transition comes as part of a global effort to move away from the scandal-ridden London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and Mumbai Interbank Forward Outright Rate (MIFOR).
• LIBOR, which was used as a benchmark rate for raising funds abroad by banks and private companies, played a detrimental role in exacerbating the 2008 Financial Crisis.
• It played a major role in setting interest rates for adjustable-rate loans, mortgages, and corporate debt.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 12 announced a ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign for banks to trace and settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of every bank in every district of the country within 100 days.

• An unclaimed deposit is one which does not see any activity like the infusion of funds, withdrawal, etc. from the depositor for 10 years or more, and is deemed as an inactive deposit.
• Earlier, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, who surprised everyone by holding interest rates, on April 6 also announced a centralised web portal for the public to search unclaimed deposits.

PUMA has appointed Global Director Retail and e-Commerce Karthik Balagopalan as the new Managing Director of PUMA India.

• Karthik has been with PUMA since 2006. Prior to leading PUMA’s global DTC business, he held management positions in retail operations and business development at PUMA India.
• Karthik replaces Abhishek Ganguly, who worked for PUMA’s Indian business for 17 years, and has been the Managing Director of PUMA India since 2014. Abhishek leaves PUMA to pursue a career as an entrepreneur in his own venture.

 National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), a quasi-sovereign wealth fund, on Thursday said its board has appointed Rajiv Dhar as interim managing director and CEO.

• The appointment is effective May 11, NIIF said in a statement.
• The planned succession follows Sujoy Bose's request to relieve him from his current responsibilities as MD and CEO, it said.
• Dhar, executive director and chief operating officer, has been part of NIIF since 2017.
• The government had set up the Rs 40,000-crore NIIF in December 2016 as an investment vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled projects. It was envisioned as a mother fund with several sectoral feeder funds.
• Government capital in NIIF covers three funds -- Master Fund, Fund of Funds, and Strategic Opportunities Fund (together referred to as NIIF) -- all managed by the same investment manager (NIIF Limited).

Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh has become the first city in India to adopt the localisation of the United Nations-mandated sustainable development goals (SDG).

• MP’s capital city will now have voluntary local reviews (VLR) demonstrate local government’s capacity and commitments.
• Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan launched an Agenda for Action: Sustainable Urban Transformation in Bhopal on May 12, 2023, the UN said in a press release. 
• The SDGs localisation is translating the agenda, Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (known as Agenda 2030), into local actions and impacts that contribute to the global achievement of the goals. 

The ASI Govind Swarup Lifetime Achievement award for Astronomy and Astrophysics has been instituted by ASI and is awarded to senior scientists of eminence once in two years for notable and important contributions to the areas of Astronomy and Astrophysics in the country.

• Prof. Govind Swarup, FRS, widely regarded as the father of Indian radio astronomy, conceived of and led the construction of the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) .
• He was a visionary and one of the strongest early proponents of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). 
• He was the recipient of many prestigious national and international awards and honours in his lifetime. 

The South Korea Air Force recently commenced the Soaring Eagle exercise, a large-scale training program aimed at enhancing its combat capabilities and ensuring the country’s defense posture.

• The exercise comes amidst heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea’s firing of a purported solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.
• The Soaring Eagle exercise began at the Cheongju air base, situated 112 kilometers south of Seoul.
• Over 160 personnel and nearly 60 warplanes, including F-35A stealth fighters, F-15Ks, KF-16s, and KC-330 tanker transport aircraft, were mobilized for the exercise.
• The Soaring Eagle exercise plays a vital role in equipping the South Korea Air Force with swift response capabilities against increasing enemy provocations and threats.
• It allows the Air Force to verify its strike capabilities against various threat targets, ensuring optimal operational readiness.

In a significant move, the United Kingdom has agreed to provide long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine to strengthen its defense capabilities against invading Russian forces.

• The provision of these missiles is part of the continuous military aid extended by Western allies to Ukraine, which has been facing aggression from Russia since February 2022.
• Storm Shadow cruise missiles are manufactured by MBDA Missile Systems and possess remarkable capabilities. These conventionally armed, long-range missiles have a range of over 250 km.
• They are designed for deep-strike missions and can target high-value assets, including airbases, radar installations, communications hubs, and port facilities. Equipped with advanced navigation systems, Storm Shadow missiles offer high precision and are capable of operating in all weather conditions

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for lapses in addressing a “safety sensitive issue" during an incident that occurred on flight AI-915 (Delhi-Dubai) on February 27.

• The licence of the pilot has been suspended for three months for allowing a female friend in the cockpit.
• The incident involved the pilot in command of the flight allowing a female friend, who was an Air India staff member traveling as a passenger, to enter the cockpit during the cruise phase, which is a violation of DGCA regulations.
• The aviation regulator has criticised Air India for “not promptly and effectively addressing the safety-sensitive issue".
• Reacting to the DGCA’s order, Air India spokesperson said, “We acknowledge and accept the DGCA’s ruling. However, we reject the assertion that no action was taken by Air India in response to the complaint.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways honoured the Cochin Port Authority (CPA) with the Sagar Shreshtha Sammaan for the best turnaround time in non-container category during 2022-23. Minister for Ports and Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal presented the award to Cochin Port Authority Chairperson M. Beena in New Delhi. 

• The award is in recognition of the ‘excellent performance of the Cochin Port in handling dry bulk and liquid bulk cargo vessels’.
• The port recorded 48 hours in turning around vessels of an average parcel size of 43,800 MT. The turnaround time is an important performance parameter. 
• This award is in recognition of the excellent performance of Cochin Port in handling dry bulk and liquid bulk cargo vessels at Cochin. The port recorded 48 hours in turning around vessels of an average parcel size of 43,800 MT that arrived at the Port. 

Marking India’s first city-level Voluntary Local Review (VLR) of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the city of Bhopal has joined the growing global movement on the localization of the ambitious targets for the prosperity of the planet.

• In this connection, an ‘Agenda for Action: Sustainable Urban Transformation in Bhopal’ was launched today by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and some other dignitaries here.
• It was in 2015 that all 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (known as Agenda 2030) comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets as a plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity.