In men’s javelin throw, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in Federation Cup 2024 in Bhubaneswar. The 26-year-old superstar struggled in the initial rounds of competition as he was second after three rounds. He took the lead in the fourth round with an effort of 82.27m.
Neeraj Chopra last took part in a domestic competition at the same event in 2021, when he won a gold with a throw of 87.80m. Since then, he has won a historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics, became Diamond League champion in 2022, world champion in 2023 and defended Asian Games gold in China.
On May 15, PhonePe announced that it has enabled UPI payment acceptance in collaboration with LankaPay. Earlier in February, India's instant payment technology service, the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), was launched in Sri Lanka and Mauritius in a virtual event that was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India’s total exports of merchandise and services in April 2024 is estimated to be 64.56 billion dollars against 60.40 billion dollars in April 2023. The data shows a positive growth of 6.88 percent on a yearly basis. As per the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Country’s merchandise exports grew by 1.08 percent at 34.99 billion dollars in April 2024
as compared to 34.62 billion dollars in April 2023. Main drivers of merchandise exports growth during April 2024 include Electronic Goods, Organic & Inorganic Chemicals, Petroleum Products and Drugs & Pharmaceuticals.
Electronic goods exports increased by 25.8 percent from 2.11 billion dollars in April 2023 to 2.65 billion dollars in April 2024. As per the data, Merchandise imports in April 2024 were 54.09 billion dollars, as compared to 49.06 billion dollars in April 2023.
Unemployment rate in urban areas for persons aged 15 and above has decreased to 6.7 per cent during the previous quarter January to March 2024. The unemployment rate was 6.8 per cent during the corresponding period of last year. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey quarterly bulletin (January to March 2024), the female unemployment rate decreased to 8.5 per cent.
According to the survey, the Labour Force Participation Rate in urban areas has shown an increasing trend from 48.5 per cent to 50.2 per cent from January to March 2024 in comparison to the corresponding period of last year.
In the same period, Female Labour Force Participation Rate in urban areas rose from 22.7 per cent to 25.6 per cent.
The survey highlights an increasing trend in the worker population ratio for persons of age 15 years and above to 46.9 per cent from 45.2 per cent. The female worker population ratio in urban areas also rises from 20.6 per cent to 23.4 per cent during the survey period.
Indian Air Force has tested BHISHM Cube, a state-of the-art indigenous mobile hospital, for airdrop in Agra. This innovative technology is a great leap forward in providing rapid and comprehensive medical aid during emergencies anywhere.
This cube is a part of the broader initiative named Project BHISHM – Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri, is tailored to treat up to 200 casualties. These cubes are robust, waterproof, and light, designed for various configurations, making them ideal for diverse emergency scenarios.
The International Day of Living Together in Peace is observed on 16 May every year. The United Nations General Assembly established this day to support the international community’s efforts to promote peace, unity, and solidarity. 16 May was officially declared as the 'International Day of Living Together in Peace' by the UN General-Assembly, in its resolution 72/130.
The International Day of Light is an annual celebration established by UNESCO to recognise the significance of light and light-based technologies in revolutionising our society and various aspects of our daily lives.
May 16th is annually observed as International Day of Light, which commemorates the first successful operation of the laser by physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman in 1960. The first-ever IDL was held on May 16, 2018. The origin of the day can be traced back to 2015, when the UN observed the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies in 2015.
Energy firm ReNew announced that it has signed an initial pact with European bank Societe Generale for up to $1 billion financing as debt and advisory solutions over the next three years.
The MoU aims to support the financing and development of the company's various strategic energy transition projects both in India and globally.
Both parties will leverage their respective expertise to strengthen the collaboration on utility-scale energy projects including solar, wind, complex renewables, green hydrogen, energy storage and solar modules manufacturing. ReNew has a clean energy portfolio of 15.6 GW on a gross basis as of May 9, 2024.
Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri announced his decision to retire from international football after the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6, bringing the curtains down on a glorious two-decade career. Chhetri had made his 150th appearance for India in March and scored on the occasion against Afghanistan in Guwahati.
Chhetri, who made his debut in 2005, has scored 94 goals for the country. He will leave the scene as India's all-time top scorer and most-capped player. He is also third in the list of goal scorers among active players behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Moody's Ratings projected a 6.6% growth rate for the Indian economy in the fiscal year ending March 2025 (FY25).
The forecast attributes the growth to strong credit demand and robust economic performance, which will support the profitability of non-bank finance companies (NBFCs).
In comparison to Moody's forecast, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other agencies have higher growth projections. The RBI, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Fitch Ratings each estimate a 7% growth rate for FY25, while S&P Global Ratings and Morgan Stanley predict a 6.8% growth rate. Moody's also projects a 15% growth in loans at NBFCs over the next 12 to 18 months.
P Shayaamnikhil became India’s 85th Grandmaster by completing his third and final GM norm in the just-concluded Dubai Police Masters chess tournament, ending a 12-year-wait for the player who took to the sport as an eight-year-old. He had completed the necessary 2500 Elo rating points - mandatory to become a GM - to secure two Grandmaster norms all the way back in 2012.
India has set up its pavilion at the 2024 World Hydrogen Summit, currently underway in Rotterdam, Netherlands from May 13-15. Organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the India Pavilion stands as one of the largest at the event, showcasing the country’s advancements in green hydrogen technology and facilitating engagement with stakeholders.
ndia launched its National Green Hydrogen Mission in January 2023 with an overall outlay of Rs 19,744 crore. It targets to achieve green hydrogen production capacity of 5 million tonnes by the end of 2030. Additionally, scheme guidelines have been notified for utilizing green hydrogen in key sectors such as steel, transportation, and shipping.
Union Power Minister RK Singh recently highlighted that approximately 44 percent of India’s energy needs are currently met by non-fossil sources. This is projected to surge to around 65 percent by 2030, surpassing the commitments made by the country at the COP summit in 2021.
