Today in History (Apr 29th, 1916)
During World War I, a British and Indian force of around 11,000 soldiers were forced to surrender on 29th April, 1916, during the siege of Kut-al-Amara which occurred in the town of Kut in the present-day Iraq between December, 1915 and April, 1916.
Summary of Today’s News
Core sectors output dipped to 5-month low.
According to data released by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the core sector in India, which includes industries such as electricity, cement, coal, crude oil, natural gas, steel, and fertilizers, fell to a five-month low of 3.6% in March 2023. This is a significant drop from 7.2% in February 2023. The decline was mainly due to a slip in electricity, cement, and crude oil, and slowdown in natural gas, steel and fertilizers sector.
Siddhartha Mohanty appointed as the LIC Chairman and first CEO.
The Appointment Committee of the Union Cabinet approved the appointment of Siddhartha Mohanty as a Chairperson of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) till June, 2024. Thereafter, he has been named as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director till June, 2025.
Hate Speech
The Supreme Court of India directed States to suo moto register FIRs on hate speech incidents and proceed against offenders without waiting for someone to lodge a complaint. The court highlighted the penal provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) such as Section 153A, Section 153B, Section 505, Section 295A to book hate speech offenders. The order would apply to all hate speech offenders irrespective of religion.
IMD predicts more heatwaves in eastern India.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), large part of the Eastern India but Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat will see increased rain and limited heatwaves. Normal to above-normal rainfall is expected over north-west India, parts of west-central India and northern peninsula.
India airlifts 754 more stranded citizens from Sudan.
India airlifted 754 more stranded citizens from war-torn Sudan which included several members of Hakki Pikki tribe of Karnataka. As per official estimates, the total number of Indians in Sudan is around 3,400 with around 1,000 Person of Indian Origin (PIOs.)
