Current affairs 18 November 2023

JSW Bags Award to Develop Greenfield Port in Karnataka For Rs 4,119 Crore.

• JSW Infrastructure has received a letter of award to develop an all-weather, deep-water, greenfield port at Keni Port in Karnataka on a public private partnership basis for Rs 4,119 crore.
• Keni Port would have modern environment-friendly mechanised facilities for handling cape-size vessels.
• Keni Port is envisaged for handling all types of cargoes on the west coast to serve the industries in the area covering Bellary, Hosapete, Hubballi, and South Maharashtra.

RBI Directs Bajaj Finance to Halt Loans for "eCOM" and "Insta EMI" Products.

• Bajaj Finance, a leading non-banking finance company (NBFC), faced a setback as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed restrictions on its lending activities under two key products.
• Following the RBI directive, Bajaj Finance shares declined by 3.97% to ₹6,937.15 in early trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
• The central bank specifically instructed the NBFC to cease the sanction and disbursal of loans under its eCOM and Insta EMI Card products.

Federal Bank introduces UPI lite for small-value digital payments.

• Federal Bank has launched UPI Lite to power small-value digital transactions in India.
• NPCI introduced UPI Lite a simplified version of the Unified Payments Interface system to cater to the growing demand for faster and more efficient small-value payments.
• Benefits include a reduction in transaction time, a ready-to-access bank statement, a higher payment success rate, and enhanced security.
• It can be created within the existing UPI app without downloading a new app.

Amit S Telang appointed as Indian envoy to the Caribbean Community.

• The Ministry of External Affairs has announced that Amit S Telang has been concurrently accredited as the Indian Ambassador to the Caribbean Community and High Commissioner to the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.
• Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, Anil Kumar Rai has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

India-Sri Lanka joint exercise Mitra Shakti – 2023 begins.

• The ninth edition of India and srilanka Joint Military exercise Exercise MITRA SHAKTI-2023 held in Pune conducted from 16th to 29th November 2023.
• Aim: To jointly rehearse conduct of Sub Conventional operations under Chapter VII of United Nations Charter.
• The Scope of the exercise includes synergising joint responses during counter-terrorist operations.
• The exercise will also foster strong bilateral relations between the two neighbouring nations.