National

Right to Vote From Home

• Election Commission of India has given the right to vote from home to voters above 85 years of age and differently-abled persons with more than 40 per cent disability in the ensuing parliamentary elections.

RBI Retail Direct Mobile App

• The central bank announced the launch of mobile app for RBI Retail Direct portal for investing in government securities.
• This will make it easier for retail investors to buy, sell and invest in central government bonds, state government bonds, treasury bills, Sovereign Gold Bonds via Retail Direct Portal.

International

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• NATO is celebrating 75 years of collective defence across Europe and North America.
• The treaty was signed on April 4, 1949, in Washington.

Economy

Repo Rate Unchanged

• Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee kept repo rate unchanged at 6.5%.
• Repo Rate is the interest rate at which the central bank of a country lends money to commercial banks.

Central Bank Digital Currency

• Reserve Bank of India has proposed that CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) or, the eRupee, to be accessible to broader sectors of customers by enabling non-bank payment system operators to offer CBDC wallets.
• CBDC is a legal tender issued by the Reserve Bank of India.
• It is a sovereign currency in an electronic form.

Defence

Agni-Prime Missile

• Agni-Prime Missile has been successfully flight-tested in Odisha.
• The flight-test was conducted by Strategic Forces Command, along with Defence Research and Development Organisation from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

Sports

Kazakhstan International Challenge

• Young Indian badminton player Anmol Kharb advanced to the women’s singles quarterfinals along with four other Indian players at the Kazakhstan International Challenge in Astana.

Person in News

Shashwat Goenka

• The vice chairman of Kolkata-based RPSG Group Shashwat Goenka is joining the 2024 Class of Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum.
• Other class members from India Inc for this year include FSN E-Commerce Ventures (NYKAA) CEO Adwaita Nayar, Jubilant Group director Arjun Bhartia and Vedanta Limited non-executive director Priya Agarwal Hebbar.