Current affairs 04 July 2023

HM approves release of ₹6,194 crore disaster relief fund to 19 States.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah approved the release of Rs 6,194.40 crore to 19 states under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
• The amount includes Rs 1,209.60 crore as a central share of the SDRF to four states (Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh) for 2022-23.
• Rs 4,984.80 crore will also be given to 15 states (Andhra Pradesh, AP Assam, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, HP, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, TN, and Tripura)

Former world champions West Indies fail to qualify for 2023 World Cup in India.

• Two-time champions West Indies failed to qualify for 2023 ODI World Cup in India after suffering a shock seven-wicket defeat against Scotland in a Super Six match of the qualifier in Harare.
• The champions of 1975 and 1979 editions, this is the first time in the 48 years of tournament history that West Indies won't feature among the top 10 teams in limited overs cricket.
• It was also Scotland's first-ever win over the Caribbean side in the ODIs.

Nine Nano Urea plants to be set up across the country by 2025.

• Chemical Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has said that the country is aiming to manufacture 44 crore bottles of Nano Urea annually by the year 2025.
• He highlighted the merits of Nano Urea saying that the urea absorption rate by crops is 80% in the case of Nano Urea whereas the traditional urea absorption rate is only 30%.
• Nano Urea is cost-effective and demonstrated an increase in crop yield.
• America and several other countries have evinced interest in Nano Urea.

Indian wins Gold and Bronze medals at the Asian Squash Mixed Doubles 2023.

• India's squash players, Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Harinderpal Singh Sandhu, showcased their excellence by clinching the gold medal at the Asian Squash Mixed Doubles Championships in Huangzhou.
• India's campaign at the championship saw another shining moment as Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh partnered together to claim a bronze medal.
• They faced a tough semifinal battle against Malaysia's Ivan Yuen and Rachel Arnold.

India's External Debt reaches $624.7 billion in End-March 2023.

• India's external debt has increased marginally to $624.7 billion annually in end-March 2023, although the debt-GDP ratio declined.
• The external debt increased by $5.6 billion from $619.1 billion at end-March 2022.
• Valuation gains due to the appreciation of the US dollar compared to the Indian rupee and major currencies were placed at $20.6 billion.
• Excluding the valuation effect, external debt would have increased by $26.2 billion instead of $5.6 billion in March 2023.