• International

Konkan Railways signs contract agreement with Nepal to supply two 1600 HP DEMU train sets

• Konkan Railways Corporation Ltd has signed a contract agreement with Nepal’s Department of Railways to supply two 1600 HP DEMU train sets.
• These trains will be used to operationalise railway link (34 kms) between Jayanagar in India and Kurtha in Nepal.
• Each train set will comprise of one driving power car, three trailer cars with one air-conditioned, one driving trailer car with standard accessories.

• International

Ireland declares climate emergency

• Ireland has become only the second country in the world to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency.
• It happened after the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) report on Climate Action was accepted by the government and opposition parties without a vote.
• The United Kingdom became the first country to declare the emergency on 1 May 2019.

• Economy and Business

Bharatpe Launches India’s 1st UPI Bahi Khata For Merchants

• BharatPe – India’s first Fintech start-up enabling payments for merchants through interoperable UPI QR codes, has announced its foray into merchant services with a new app.
• Along with UPI payments, the app now allows merchants to manage their entire Bahi Khata and even note receivables and payables seamlessly.

• Appointments

Dia Mirza appointed as SDG Advocates of UN

• The United Nations appointed 17 global figures including Indian actress Dia Mirza and Alibaba chief Jack Ma as the new advocates for Sustainable Development Goals.
• SDG Advocates are influential public figures committed to raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition and pushing for faster action on the SDGs.
• SDGs were adopted in September 2015.

• Important Days

National Technology Day being celebrated in India

• The ‘National Technology Day’ is observed every year on the 11th of May in India, acting as a reminder of the anniversary of Shakti.
• On May 11, 1998, India successfully test fired the Shakti-I nuclear missile at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range (in Rajasthan) in an operation led by aerospace engineer and late President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
• India conducted five underground nuclear tests at Pokhran test range in Rajasthan, on 11th and 13th of May in 1998.
• The first nuclear test Pokhran with a codenamed as ‘Smiling Buddha’ was carried out in May 1974.

• Science and Tech

NASA to crash spacecraft into an asteroid in 2022

• The US space agency ‘NASA’ revealed its plan to hit a small moonlet target in a double asteroid system with a spacecraft in 2022.
• It is its first mission to demonstrate a planetary defence technique.
• The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will get one chance to hit its target.
• The asteroid, called Didymoon or Didymos B, is a moon asteroid around 150 meters tall orbiting a larger body Didymos A.

• Science and Tech

NDDB developed 1st genome assembly of buffalo

• National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has developed the world’s first complete parent-wise genome assembly of buffalo.
• Named as ‘NDDB ABRO Murrah’, the genome assembly of riverine buffaloes would provide more insights about buffalo genome.
• The estimated population of buffaloes in the world is 224.4 million, of which 219 million (97.58%) are in Asia.

• Defence

IAF gets first Apache Guardian attack helicopter

• The first Apache Helicopter AH-64E (I) formally handed over to Indian Air Force (IAF) at Boeing production facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA.
• The first batch of the helicopters is scheduled to be shipped to India by July this year.
• The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF’s future requirements and would have significant capability in mountainous terrain.
• It has the capability to carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile Airspace with threats from the ground.
• They have the ability to transmit and receive battlefield picture to and from the weapon systems through data networking.

• Obituaries

Acting Guru Roshan Taneja passes away

• Roshan Taneja (87-years) known as the ‘pioneer of method acting’ in India passed away in Mumbai.
• Roshan Taneja trained scores of Hindi film actors like Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Jaya Bachchan and Anil Kapoor
• He had been training talent first at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune and later at his private school in Mumbai, the Roshan Taneja School of Acting.

• Obituaries

ITC’s Non-Executive Chairman YC Deveshwar Passes Away

• The Padma Bhushan awardee and ITC’s Non-Executive Chairman YC Deveshwar passed away at the age of 72.
• He spearheaded the diversification of ITC to an FMCG company.
• He stepped down as chief executive of ITC in 2017.
• Between 1991 and 1994, he led state-owned carrier Air India as the Chairman and Managing Director.

• Obituaries

Tamil Novelist and Sahitya Akademi Awardee Thoppil Mohamed Meeran Passes Away

• Noted Tamil novelist and Sahitya Akademi awardee Thoppil Mohamed Meeran, passed away in Pettai, Tamil Nadu.
• Saaivu Naarkkaali (The Reclining Chair), released in 1995, bagged him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1997.
• In recognition, he received 8 awards including Tamil Nadu Kalai Ilakkiya Perumantram Award in 1992.

• States

BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta to be new Maharashtra chief secretary

• BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta (1984 batch officer) will be Maharashtra’s new chief secretary.
• Out-going chief secretary UPS Madan will be the chairman of SICOM and would be also an advisor to chief minister.
• Meanwhile, Additional chief secretary Praveen Pardeshi will be appointed as the new BMC chairman.