Today in History (April 12th, 1961)
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first to orbit outer space aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft. He made a single orbit around the Earth in 108 minutes before re-entering the atmosphere and safely landing back on Earth. The International Day of Human Space Flight is annually celebrated on April 12 to commemorate this event and highlight the importance of international cooperation and collaboration in peaceful space exploration.
Summary of Today’s News
India is set to grow by 5.9% this fiscal: IMF.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that the Indian economy will grow 5.9% in the current financial year 2023-24, a downward revision of 0.2% from the January forecast. It has estimated a 6.3% economic growth rate for India for the next fiscal year, a downward revision of 0.5% from the January forecast. The growth numbers were released as part of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook: A Rocky Recovery report.
Data Protection Bill in the Monsoon session.
The Data Protection Bill 2022 aims to balance the rights of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process it for lawful purposes. It will replace the existing Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011. The Supreme Court recognized privacy as the Fundamental Right in the K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, 2017, and highlighted the need to protect online personal data.
Youth 20 Summit-2023
Youth20 is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20 to consult the nation’s youth on ideas for a better tomorrow and draft an agenda for action. It will provide a platform for youth to express their perspectives and ideas on G20 priorities. The meeting of the Youth 20 Summit-2023 will be held in Leh, Ladakh from April 26 to 28, 2023. It will be organized by the Department of Youth Affairs under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Mission DefSpace
Mission DefSpace was launched during DefExpo in October 2022 to develop innovative solutions for the space domain for the defense forces through industry and startups participation. It includes 75 challenges classified into five buckets: Launch System, Satellite System, Communication and Payload System, Ground System and Software System.