31st edition of Arabian Travel Market 2024

• The Indian Ministry of Tourism is taking part in the Arabian Travel Mart 2024, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai from May 6–9, 2024.
•  The occasion is a major step toward enhancing India's standing in the Middle Eastern travel industry.
• The Incredible India pavilion was opened by India's consul general in Dubai, Satish Kumar Sivan.
•   With an intention to take in the whole UAE market, the pavilion has created a big splash.
•  In charge of a delegation that includes travel agencies, 5-star hotels, spas, and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, India is ready to present itself as a year-round travel destination.
• The Ministry of Tourism has launched the "Cool Summers of India" campaign at Arabian Travel Mart, showcasing lesser-known but refreshing travel spots.
•  This digital ad highlights India's offerings in hill resorts, such as the Himalayas, and refutes the idea that the country is too hot for summer travel.
• The ad aims to showcase India as a year-round, all-encompassing travel destination.

India’s First BFSI Focused Large Language Model

• Setu, a prominent fintech enterprise in India and a member of the Pine Labs Group, introduced ‘Sesame’, the country's inaugural Large Language Model (LLM), on May 9, 2024.
•  This breakthrough effort, developed in conjunction with indigenous AI research business Sarvam AI, represents a huge step forward in the deployment of advanced AI technology in the financial services industry.
• Sesame was unveiled at Adbhut India, a non-profit event produced by People+AI.
• Setu and Sarvam AI have referred to this discovery as a "ChatGPT moment" for the BFSI sector, emphasizing its potential to transform financial services.
• Setu and Sarvam AI established a domain- and region-specific solution by integrating a domain-specific LLM with delivery methods, tailoring it to the unique requirements of India's BFSI sector.

Parivartan Chintan-2 (Defence)

• A 2-day conference on the unity and integration of the armed forces was titled "Parivartan Chintan-2" and was presided over by General Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Defence Staff, in New Delhi on May 9, 2024.
•  The goal of the ground-breaking Parivartan Chintan conference, which brings together the leaders of all Tri-Services Institutes, is to produce fresh, innovative concepts and projects.
•  The 3 Service Chiefs, the CDS as its permanent chairman and members of all the subcommittees of the apex Chiefs of Staff Committee brainstormed on the necessary reforms to reach the desired end state towards transformation through jointness and integration.
• They will also review the progress made in various domains.

8th Technology Council Meeting of DRDO

• The 8th Technology Council Meeting was held in New Delhi on May 9, 2024, by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The purpose of the meeting was to assess the progress of integrating DRDO technologies into the Ministry of Home Affairs's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Police, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
• As part of the meeting, a variety of DRDO-developed goods were on display, showcasing the newest technologies in a range of fields including weapon systems, communications, internal security, VIP security, and sustenance.
• Virtual participation from DRDO laboratories across was available for the meeting. The meeting was well-attended and was effective in solidifying the accomplished results.
•  It also provided a schedule of events for the following half-year.

New Liquid Rocket Engine

• The Indian Space Research Organization, (ISRO), successfully tested a new liquid rocket engine made using additive manufacturing technology on May 9, 2024.
•  The test was successfully carried out at the ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
•  This freshly rebuilt PS4 engine has reduced the number of pieces from 14 to a single piece, eliminating 19 weld connections.
•  This will considerably reduce raw material consumption per engine, reduce metal powder from 565 kg to 13.7 kg, and cut production time by 60%.
• This newly modified engine will power the 4th stage of the PSLV launch vehicle, as well as the first stage's Reaction Control System. ISRO intends to include this PS4 engine into the regular PSLV program.

India Wins at World Wrestling Olympic Qualifier

• India started their Campaign the World Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers held in Istanbul, (Turkey) on May 9, 2024.
• In the Men's 67Kg Greeco Roman category, India's Ashu qualified to the round of 16, defeating Norway's Haavard Joergensen 5-4 in qualifying.
• Five additional Indian grapplers are also scheduled to compete this evening. Sumit in the 60 kg category, Vikas in 77 kg, Sunil in 87 kg, Nitesh in 97 kg, and Naveen in the 130 kg category will compete for a spot in the pre-quarterfinals.
• 14 Indian wrestlers, including Aman Sehrawat and Deepak Punia, will compete for Paris 2024 quotas. Each weight class will be allocated 3 Olympic quotas in Paris in 2024.

India-Bangladesh Women’s T20 Series

• After defeating Bangladesh by 21 runs in the 5th and final game of the series at Sylhet, India finished with a 5-0 series sweep in women's T20 cricket on May 9, 2024.
•  In the allotted 20 overs, Bangladesh scored 135 runs for 6 against a target of 157 runs. Because of her excellent bowling, Radha Yadav was named Player of the Match.
•  Her 3 wickets were significant. Additionally, she received Player of the Series.
• Prior to this, India scored 156 runs for 5 in 20 overs, which was their highest total of the series.

John Swinney

• John Swinney was chosen to serve as Scotland's First Minister on May 9, 2024.
• He was chosen to be the new head of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and is a seasoned member of the organization.
•  As the only candidate in the competition to select a new premier, John Swinney cemented his standing as a major player in Scottish politics.
• When John Swinney took over as the SNP's leader in September, 2000, he began his tenure as the party's leader from Alex Salmond.

R. Shankar Raman

• R. Shankar Raman, who is currently L&T's CFO and Whole-time Director, was promoted to President on May 9, 2024.
• Raman will keep his current positions as the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Whole-time Director after receiving this promotion.
• In November, 1994, R Shankar Raman became a part of the L&T Group and helped to form L&T Finance Ltd, an entirely owned subsidiary of the business.
•  In October, 2011, he was appointed to the board of the company and later took on the position of CFO at L&T.

Manika Batra

• Manika Batra lost to world No 5 Hina Hayata in the quarterfinals of the Saudi Smash table Tennis Tournament on May 9, 2024.
• . The tournament was held in Jeddah. To go to the semifinals, Japan's Hayata defeated World No 39 Manika Batra 4-1 (7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 13-11, 11-2).
•  Manika Batra defeated Romania's Andreea Dragoman 3-0 (11-6, 13-11, 11-8) to start her career.
• She defeated World No. 14 Nina Mittelham of Germany 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-7) in the round of 16 after shocking 2nd-ranked Wang Manyu of China 3-1 (6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10) in the second round.

 Padma Awards 2024 Conferred

• President Droupadi Murmu delivered the Padma Awards at the 2nd Civil Investiture Ceremony, held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on May 9, 2024.
• In April 2024, the President gave out 55 Padma Shri Awards, 8 Padma Bhushan Awards, and 3 Padma Vibhushan Awards.
• One of the nation's highest civilian honours, the Padma Awards is given out in 3 categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
•  Art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service are among the disciplines and sectors of endeavor in which the Awards are granted.

Padma Vibhushan Winners:-

Padma Bhushan Winners:-

Padma Shri Winners:-

India’s First Accelerated Programme for Farmer Producer Organization in Bengaluru

• In Bengaluru, a non-profit group called Krishikalpa has started the Farmer Producer group's first-ever Accelerator Programme in India on May 9, 2024.
• Financial assistance for the effort has been extended by NABARD, the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development.
• By converting Farmer-Producer Organizations (FPOs) into long-term rural enterprises, Krishikalpa will improve the agricultural ecosystem.
• It will facilitate FPOs' access to resources and markets.
• Additionally, Krishikalpa will assist in the development of supply chain management, entrepreneurial abilities, and market orientation training for FPO members.
•  NABARD will contribute financially viable business plans to close important gaps in the value chain of agriculture.
• This will support farmers' incremental revenue development, knowledge sharing, and risk minimization for FPOs.