Andhra Pradesh is one of the top states in the implementation of Aadhaar-based payment systems (ABPS) with 99.1% of all registered workers and 99.8% of active workers eligible for it.

• With only 1.07 lakh registered and 0.2 lakh active workers remaining to be eligible, the State stands out a leader in ABPS compliance nationwide, says a report titled ‘Navigating MGNREGA: Assessing Implementation and Impact in AP (2019-2024)‘ by the public policy watchdog group LibTech India.
• While national-level figures show a lower eligibility rates, with only 69% all registered workers and 92% active workers being eligible for the ABPS.
• As many as 7.9 crore registered workers and 1.04 crore active workers are yet to comply with ABPS requirements.

The Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival, also known as Chithirai Tiruvia or Meenakshi Kalyanam, is an annual Tamil Hindu celebration in the city of Madurai during the month of April.

Chithirai Festival in Madurai celebrates the celestial union of Lord Sunderswarar (Lord Shiva) and Goddess Meenakshi, considered to be Lord Vishnu’s sister.

• The festival also known as Chithirai Thiruvizha, Meenakshi Thirukalyanam or Meenakshi Kalyanam falls at the beginning of April or the Tamil month Chithirai.
• It is a 15-day celebration that brings harmony to everyone, irrespective of caste and religion. The festival also sees a union of the two Hindu sects, Shaivites and Vaishnavites, the devotees of Shiva and Vishnu respectively.
• This year the festival started on April 12.
• One of the highlights of the festival is the procession of the deities.
• The Digvijayam procession was taken out on the ninth day of the annual Chithirai festival, on Saturday. Goddess Meenakshi mounted on ‘Indira vimana,’ was taken out on a procession on the Masi streets.
• Lord Sundareswarar along with Goddess Piriyavidai were also taken out on a procession. Thousands of devotees witnessed the procession.

April 21 is observed as the National Civil Service Day by the Government of India every year.

• This day is celebrated to acknowledge the exemplary work done by civil servants across the country. The day also acts as a reminder for civil servants to run the administration of the country with dedication.
• The first National Civil Service Day was celebrated on April 21, 2006 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. 
• The date April 21 was chosen because on this same day, in the year 1947, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel – the first Home Minister of Independent India – addressed the Civil Servants at the All India Administrative Service Training School at Metcalfe House, Delhi. 

India's net direct tax collections surged by a massive 17.7 per cent year-on-year to Rs 19.58 Lakh Crore in the fiscal year ended March 2024.

• Net collections of income and corporate taxes, which make up for most of the direct taxes, in 2023-24 financial year exceeded the Budget estimates by Rs 1.35 lakh crore (7.40 per cent) and the revised estimates by Rs 13,000 crore.
• The gross tax collection target as per the revised estimate stood at Rs 34.37 lakh crore for FY24.
• While gross direct tax collections (provisional) for the FY 2023-24 rose 18.48 per cent to Rs 23.37 lakh crore, net proceeds (after accounting for refunds) surged 17.7 per cent to Rs 19.58 lakh crore, reflecting buoyancy in the economy and rise in income levels of individuals and corporates.

Surinder S Jodhka, Jawaharlal Nehru University, has been selected for the Malcolm Adiseshiah award and Vikas Kumar, Azim Premji University, for the Elizabeth Adiseshiah award. 

About Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 

• It is one of the most prestigious national awards in India that recognizes and honours the outstanding contributions of social scientists to the field of development studies.
• It was instituted in 2000 by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust.
• The award is given annually to an outstanding social scientist selected from nominations received by a specially constituted national jury.
• Malcolm Sathiyanathan Adiseshiah (1910 – 1994), was an Indian development economist and educator. In 1976 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Chinese Language Day celebrated on April 20 every year. A number of varied cultural events were recently held all around the globe to celebrate the 2024 UN Chinese Language Day. 

• Chinese Language Day was initiated in 2010.
• It aims to celebrate Chinese, one of the six official languages of the UN, as well as to promote global multiculturalism by creating a bridge between Chinese culture and the rest of the world. 
• Liu Limin, president of the China Education Association for International Exchange, attended the event. He told the Global Times that since 2020 there have been more than "3,000 events" held all around the globe to promote the Chinese language.