Greater Hyderabad was the attainment of a five-star rating for sanitation. This marks the first instance of a Telangana city, with a population surpassing one lakh, receiving such a prestigious certification.
The city also garnered a recertification as a ‘water+’ city.
Siddipet, a city in Telangana, proudly clinched the national award for being the cleanest city in south India within the 50,000-1 lakh population category.
Economic Affairs
Economic Initiatives, Schemes & Projects
2. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced the UPI-PayNow linkage, facilitating direct remittances between which countries? – India and Singapore.
This collaboration between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Third-party applications and additional banks, including Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and more, are expected to be integrated into the UPI-PayNow linkage soon.
3. New Development Bank (NDB) commits a substantial $500 million loan for infrastructure of which Indian state? – Gujarat
Shanghai-based New Development Bank (NDB) inked an agreement during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, pledging a substantial $500 million loan to the Gujarat government.
This financial infusion is earmarked for the Mukhayamantri Gram Sadak Yojana, a pivotal project in the state.
Science & Technology
4. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched H-IIA rocket carrying “Optical-8” spy satellite of which country – Japan
The decision to observe 2024 as the Year of Technology Absorption follows the 2023 declaration of the “Year of Transformation.”
A notable aspect of this initiative is Project SAMBHAV, an end-to-end secure, network-agnostic mobile ecosystem that operates on state-of-the-art 5G technology. It is designed to provide secure communication with instant connectivity on the move.
Exercise & Operations
6. Where did Joint Exercise ‘Sahyog Kaijin’ conducted between Indian and Japanese Coast Guards – off the coast of Chennai.
