• Information technology (IT) industry body the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) has appointed President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft India Anant Maheshwari as its chairperson for 2023-24.
• He takes on the new role from his previous role as Vice Chairperson succeeding Krishnan Ramanujam, President, Business and Technology Services, Tata Consultancy Services, who served as Chairperson for 2022-23. NASSCOM also announced the appointment of Rajesh Nambiar, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Cognizant India, as its Vice Chairperson for 2023-24.

• Owing to the economic crisis led by political and geopolitical uncertainties, Pakistan has become the largest recipient of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded programmes/projects in the year 2022
• According to the ADB Annual Report 2022, released , out of total disbursement of over $31.8 billion to 40 countries, Pakistan received loans of $5.58 billion, Geo News reported.It should be noted that out of the total lending of $5.58 billion, Pakistan received concessional funding of $2.67 billion from the bank in last year. In Pakistan, extreme floods damaged over one-third of the Kharif (summer) seasonal cropping area, curtailing food supply and driving up prices.

• Enrolments under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) have crossed the 5.20 crore mark as of March 31, 2023, marking a significant milestone for the scheme. The APY enrolled over 1.19 crore new subscribers in the financial year 2022-23, reflecting a more than 20% growth compared to the previous financial year.
• The total assets under management (AUM) in APY, which was launched in 2015, are now over Rs. 27,200 crores, and the scheme has generated an investment return of 8.69% since its inception. Under the scheme, members have to contribute between Rs 42 to Rs 1,454 a month to receive a guaranteed monthly pension between Rs 1000 to Rs 5000.

• Rajasthan Chief Minister (CM) Shri Ashok Gehlot inaugurated ‘Mehangai Rahat Camp’ at the Mahapura village of Sanganer in Jaipur district, Rajasthan.This initiative has been taken with the aim to provide the people of the State relief from inflation.
• The State government aims to connect common people in the State with information on public welfare schemes of the state government.These camps will be organised in the state from April 24 to June 30, 2023.These camps are being organised at the gram panchayat and ward levels.

• INOX Air Products (INOXAP), India’s largest manufacturer of industrial and medical gases, has commissioned a 21.3 MWp Open Access Captive Solar Power Plant at Bangarmau in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh (UP). INOXAP’s first dedicated Solar Power Plant is also the largest investment made by the Company in renewable energy.
• The plant has been commissioned by one of India’s leading solar energy power developers, Sunsure Energy. It is built with an investment of ₹100 crore, the solar power plant will supply over 3.1 crore units of green power to INOXAP’s units in Uttar Pradesh, enabling an offset of 28,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, for the next 25 years.

• Young Indian racing star Jaden Pariat of Argenti Motorsport displayed his immense talent with a podium in the first round of the ROKiT British F4 Championship at Donington Park here. He is only the second Indian to get an international podium in a Tatuus F4 car after Kush Maini's podium in 2017.
• The podium is being hailed as a big milestone for the younger generation looking to break through to higher levels of Formula racing.

• Kanpur (UP), C3iHub, a cybersecurity Technology Innovation Hub at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), supported by the Department of Science and Technology, under NM-ICPS Mission, along with its incubated start-ups Threat Guardians Pvt Ltd and Worker Union Support, has launched its Cybersecurity Skilling Programme.
• The programme aims to provide learners with a deeper understanding of the technical basics of cyberspace and cyber issues, introduce real-time cybersecurity techniques and methods, and focus on the models, tools, and techniques for enforcing security.

• Amitav Ghosh's new non-fiction book, "Smoke and Ashes: A Writer's Journey Through Opium's Hidden Histories", will be published by HarperCollins Fourth Estate on July 15, 2023. The book is a combination of memoir, travelogue, and cultural and economic history, which explores the often overlooked effects of opium on society and history.
• Based on Ghosh's extensive research conducted while writing his trilogy of novels between 2005 and 2015, "Smoke and Ashes" takes a personal look at the author's engagement with the hidden history of opium. This book explores how opium has shaped the modern world and continues to play an important role in making it now.

• Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tatahas received the Order of Australia (AO), Australia's highest civilian honour.The award was announced by Barry O'Farrell, Australia's High Commissioner to India.
• The award was given to Ratan Tata for his contribution in strengthening bilateral relations between India and Australia.Ratan Tata has been a strong supporter of the 2022 India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement.Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a subsidiary of Tata Sons, has the largest workforce of any Indian company in Australia with around 17,000 employees.

• Author, IAS officer, and senior bureaucrat Ashish Kundra's new book on the history of Northeast India and its people, ‘A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of Change’, was released on April 21, 2023, at an event in New Delhi.
• The book was launched in the presence of Kiren Rijiju- Union Minister of Law and Justice; Hardeep Singh Puri- Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and of Housing and Urban Affairs; Pema Khandu- Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh etc.

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