Vanik’s MONTHLY ISSUE JUNE 2021 72th Current Affairs EDITION Banking | Railway | Insurance | SSC | UPSC | OPSC | PSU
FDI INFLOW TOUCHES $82 BN IN FY21 Contents
Topics of the Month ------1 Economy ------17 RBI in News ------17 SBI in News ------17 Other Banks in News ------18 Financial News ------21 Corporate and business ------24 Rating and Survey ------25 Merger, Acquisition and Partnership ------25 Fund Allocation ------27 Committee and Its Head ------29 State News ------29 National ------38 International ------48 Bilateral ------51 International and National Summits ------54 Person in News/Newly Appointed ------56 Award ------60 Sports ------65 Science and Technology ------69 Start-up and New Lunch ------72 Defence ------72 Index and Ranking ------74 Book and Author ------75 Day and Days ------75 Obituary ------78 Miscellaneous ------80 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE – 2021
MAJOR ISSUES OF THE MONTH
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TRACEABILITY 1 PROVISION IN NEW IT RULES 2021 Recently, messaging platform WhatsApp has moved the Delhi High Court to challenge the traceability provision in the New IT Rules 2021.Earlier the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) had sent a notice to WhatsApp asking it to withdraw a controversial update to its privacy policy which might be a threat to Data Protection of Indians. Key Points Traceability Provision: It requires intermediaries to enable identification of the first originator of information on their platforms. Rule 4(2) of the Intermediary Rules states that a significant social media intermediary providing services primarily in the nature of messaging shall enable the identification of the first originator of the information on its computer resource as may be required by a judicial order or an order passed by a competent authority under the Information and Technology (IT) Act 2000. Failure to comply with this requirement would take away the indemnity provided to social media intermediaries under Section 79 of the IT Act. Concerns Raised: Infringes Rights to privacy and freedom of speech: 1. This breaks end-to-end encryption and impermissibly infringes upon users’ fundamental Rights to privacy and Freedom of speech. 2. Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and expression. 3. The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution (Puttaswamy Judgement 2017). 4. States throughout the world have recognised the “important benefits” of end-to-end encryption and the dangers of undermining that security protocol. Discourages Free Expression: 1. Freedom of Speech and Right to Privacy encourages users to express their ideas and opinions, report unlawful activities, and challenge popular views without fear of reprisal, whereas enabling the identification of the first originator of information in India subverts privacy and discourages free expression of views. Will Curb Freedom of Media: 1. Such a requirement would put journalists at risk of retaliation for investigating issues that may be unpopular, civil or for discussing certain rights and criticizing or advocating for politicians or policies. 2. Clients and attorneys who could become reluctant to share confidential information for fear that the privacy and security of their communications are no longer ensured. Traceability not Effective in Finding Originator: 1. Traceability would not be effective in finding the originator of a particular message because people commonly see content on websites or social media platforms and then copy and paste them into chats. It would also be impossible to understand the context of how it was originally shared.
2 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE – 2021 NEW RULES FOR 2 INCREASED FDI IN INSURANCE SECTOR Recently, the Ministry of Finance amended Indian Insurance Companies (Foreign Investment) Rules, 2015 and clarified on the final rules for increased FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in the Insurance Sector.Parliament had passed the Insurance Amendment Bill 2021 to increase the FDI limit in the insurance sector to 74% from 49%.The Ministry of Finance has notified 'Indian Insurance Companies (Foreign Investment) Amendment Rules, 2021’. Key Points Highlights of New Rules: Management Persons to be Resident Indian Citizens:For an Indian insurance company having foreign investment - majority of its directors, key management persons, and at least one among the chairperson of its Board, its managing director and its chief executive officer - will be a resident Indian citizen. Meaning of Foreign Investment:Total foreign investment here would mean the sum of both direct and indirect foreign investment.Direct investment by a foreigner will be called Foreign Direct Investment, while investment by an Indian company (which is owned or controlled by foreigners) into another Indian entity is considered as Indirect Foreign Investment. Significance: 1. The increase in foreign ownership to 74% can result in inclusion of global best practices in terms of insurance products going forward. It will also help in bringing down the cost of insurance products in India. 2. It is good for Indian Promoters, it will let them keep control of management and board, the additional capital inflow will help them with funds to push for growth. 3. It will benefit small insurance players or the ones where the sponsors don’t have the ability to put in more capital and hence it will benefit in strengthening them and increasing competition across the industry. 4. It is likely to help local private insurers grow fast and expand their presence across India, which has one of the lowest insurance penetration levels globally. Insurance Penetration in India: Insurance penetration in India is currently at 3.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) compared to the world average of 6.31%. Growth in the life insurance sector has slowed to 11-12% currently from 15-20% until fiscal 2020, as the pandemic pushed customers to save cash instead of spending on stocks or life insurance policies. As of 31st March, 2021, there were only 24 life and 34 non-life direct insurers in India, whereas there were 243 life insurance companies (1956) and 107 non-life insurance companies (1973) at the time of nationalisation. Other Related Step (Model Insurance Villages): The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has mooted the concept of ‘Model Insurance Village (MIV)’ to boost insurance penetration in rural areas. The idea is to offer comprehensive insurance protection to all the major insurable risks that villagers are exposed to and make available covers at affordable or subsidised cost. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India: Following the recommendations of the Malhotra Committee report, in 1999, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) was constituted as an autonomous body to regulate and develop the insurance industry.
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The IRDA was incorporated as a statutory body in April 2000. The key objectives of the IRDA include the promotion of competition so as to enhance customer satisfaction through increased consumer choice and lower premiums while ensuring the financial security of the insurance market. It is headquartered in Hyderabad. Way Forward There should be sufficient appetite for investment from long term investors including sovereign wealth funds, global pension funds and insurance firms. The sector needs capital and larger participation of the international partner for evolution and availability of global products in India and for better penetration. HATE SPEECH 3 As there is no clear definition of what constitutes a “Hate Speech” in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws constituted by the Union Home Ministry to suggest reforms to the British-era IPC, is attempting for the first time to define such speech. Key Points Hate Speech: In general, it refers to words whose intent is to create hatred towards a particular group, that group may be a community, religion or race.This speech may or may not have meaning, but is likely to result in violence. The Bureau of Police Research and Development recently published a manual for investigating agencies on cyber harassment cases that defined hate speech as a language that denigrates, insults, threatens or targets an individual based on their identity and other traits (such as sexual orientation or disability or religion etc.). In the 267th Report of the Law Commission of India, hate speech is stated as an incitement to hatred primarily against a group of persons defined in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief and the like. In order to determine whether a particular instance of speech is a hate speech or not, the context of the speech plays an important role. Major Reasons of Hate Speech: Individuals believe in stereotypes that are ingrained in their minds and these stereotypes lead them to believe that a class or group of persons are inferior to them and as such cannot have the same rights as them. The stubbornness to stick to a particular ideology without caring for the right to co-exist peacefully adds further fuel to the fire of hate speech. Indian Penal Provisions Related to Hate Speech: Under Indian Penal Code: 1. Sections 153A and 153B of the IPC: Punishes acts that cause enmity and hatred between two groups. 2. Section 295A of the IPC: Deals with punishing acts which deliberately or with malicious intention outrage the religious feelings of a class of persons. 3. Sections 505(1) and 505(2): Make the publication and circulation of content which may cause ill-will or hatred between different groups an offence. Under Representation of People’s Act: 1. Section 8 of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951 (RPA): Prevents a person convicted of the illegal use of the freedom of speech from contesting an election.
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2. Sections 123(3A) and 125 of the RPA: Bars the promotion of animosity on the grounds of race, religion, community, caste, or language in reference to elections and include it under corrupt electoral practices. Suggestion for Changes in IPC: Viswanathan Committee 2019:It proposed inserting Sections 153 C (b) and Section 505 A in the IPC for incitement to commit an offence on grounds of religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability or tribe.It proposed punishment of up to two years along with Rs. 5,000 fine. Bezbaruah Committee 2014:It proposed amendment to Section 153 C IPC (promoting or attempting to promote acts prejudicial to human dignity), punishable by five years and fine or both and Section 509 A IPC (word, gesture or act intended to insult member of a particular race), punishable by three years or fine or both. Way Forward For a country like India with a massive population of diverse backgrounds and culture, subjects like hate speech become a complex issue to deal with as it is difficult to differentiate between free and hate speech. Several factors are to be considered while restraining speeches like the number of strong opinions, offensive to certain communities, the effect on the values of dignity, liberty, and equality. Certainly, there are laws for such atrocities but a major part of work is still left. Therefore giving a proper definition to hate speech would be the first step to deal with the menace and other initiatives such as spreading awareness amongst the public is the need of the hour. 4 WHO BIOHUB INITIATIVE The World Health Organization (WHO) and Switzerland have launched a BioHub facility that will allow pathogens sharing between laboratories and facilitate “analysis and preparedness” against them. Key Points About BioHub Facility: The facility will help in safe reception, sequencing, storage and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, so as to facilitate global preparedness against these pathogens. It will enable member states to share biological materials with and via the BioHub under pre- agreed conditions, including biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations. In parallel, WHO will broaden its BioHub System for the use of biological materials by qualified entities – such as manufacturers – for the development of medical by-products for fair allocation to countries. Significance: The Covid-19 pandemic and other outbreaks and epidemics have underscored the importance of rapidly sharing pathogens to help the global scientific community assess the risk and develop countermeasures such as diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.Pathogens have been shared bilaterally between countries: A process that can be sluggish and deny the benefits to some. This will ensure the timely sharing of epidemiological and clinical data as well as biological materials. The move will help contribute to the establishment of an international exchange system for novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging pathogens. Pathogens Definition:A pathogen is a biological agent that causes disease or illness. Zoonotic pathogen refers to pathogens naturally transmitted between animals and humans.
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Types of Pathogens: Virus:Viruses are made up of a piece of genetic code, such as DNA or RNA, and protected by a coating of protein. Viruses invade host cells within the body. They then use the components of the host cell to replicate, producing more viruses.Examples of diseases caused by viruses: Chickenpox, Flu (influenza), Covid-19, Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS), Mumps, measles and rubella. Bacteria:Bacteria are microorganisms made of a single cell. They are very diverse, have a variety of shapes and features, and have the ability to live in just about any environment, including in and on the body.Examples of diseases caused by bacteria: Cholera, Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Plague, Syphilis, Anthrax etc. Fungi:Fungi can be found just about everywhere in the environment, including indoors, outdoors, and on human skin. They cause infection when they overgrow.Examples of Fungal Infection: Mucormycosis, White Fungus, Yellow Fungus. Parasites:Parasites are organisms that behave like tiny animals, living in or on a host and feeding from or at the expense of the host. Though parasitic infections are more common in tropical and subtropical regions, they can occur anywhere.Diseases caused by Parasite: Malaria, African trypanosomiasis, babesiosis, leishmaniasis, and toxoplasmosis etc. Antimicrobial Resistance: It is the resistance acquired by any microorganism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, etc.) against antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics) that are used to treat infections. INDIA-ISRAEL AGREEMENT 5 ON AGRICULTURE COOPERATION India and Israel have signed “a three-year work program agreement” for development in agriculture cooperation. Key Points Three-year Work Program: The programme aims to grow existing Centres of Excellence, establish new centers, increase CoE’s value chain, bring the Centres of Excellence into the self-sufficient mode, and encourage private sector companies and collaboration. Both countries are implementing the “INDO-ISRAEL Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence” and “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”. Indo-Israeli Agriculture Project: Indo-Israeli Agricultural Cooperation Project started in 2008 following the signing of a three-year Action Plan based on a Government to Government Agreement. Both started an agricultural fund worth $50 million that focused on dairy, farming technology and micro-irrigation. By March 2014, 10 centres of excellence operated throughout India offering free training sessions for farmers on efficient agricultural techniques using Israeli technological expertise. Vertical farming, drip irrigation and soil solarization are taught at the centres. INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence (IIVOE): This is a new concept aimed at creating a model ecosystem in agriculture across eight states, alongside 13 Centers of Excellence within 75 villages. The program will promote the increase of net income and better the livelihood of the individual farmer, transforming traditional farms into modern-intensive farms based on Indo-Israel Agriculture Action Plan (IIAP) standards.
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Large-scale and complete value chain approach with economic sustainability, embedded with Israeli novel technologies and methodologies will be tailored to local conditions. The IIVOE program will focus on: (1) Modern Agriculture infrastructure, (2) Capacity Building, (3) Market linkage. Indo-Israel Bilateral Cooperation Historical Ties: 1. The strategic cooperation between the two countries began during the Sino-India War of 1962. 2. In 1965, Israel supplied M-58 160-mm mortar ammunition to India in the war against Pakistan. 3. It was one of the few countries that chose not to condemn India’s Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998. Economic Cooperation: 1. From US$ 200 million in 1992 (comprising primarily trade in diamonds), bilateral merchandise trade stood at US$ 5.65 billion (excluding defence) in 2018-19, with the balance of trade being in India’s favour by US$ 1.8 billion.Trade in diamonds constitutes close to 40% of bilateral trade. 2. India is Israel's third largest trade partner in Asia. 3. Israeli companies have invested in India in energy, renewable energy, telecom, real estate, water technologies, and are focusing on setting up R&D centers or production units in India. 4. The first recipients of grants from the Israel-India Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) were announced in July 2018, including companies working to better the lives of Indians and Israelis through efficient water use, improving communications infrastructure, solar energy use, and life-changing surgeries.The fund aims to help Israeli entrepreneurs enter the Indian market. Defence Cooperation: 1. Israel has been among the top four arms suppliers to India for almost two decades now, notching military sales worth around USD 1 billion every year. 2. The Indian armed forces have inducted a wide array of Israeli weapon systems over the years, which range from Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems) and Heron, Searcher- II and Harop drones to Barak anti-missile defence systems and Spyder quick-reaction anti-aircraft missile systems. 3. The acquisitions also include a host of Israeli missiles and precision-guided munitions, from Python and Derby air-to-air missiles to Crystal Maze and Spice-2000 bombs. Covid-19 Response: 1. In 2020, an Israeli team arrived in India with a multi-pronged mission, codenamed Operation Breathing Space to work with Indian authorities on the Covid-19 response. FDI INFLOW TOUCHES 6 $82 BN IN FY21 In 2019-20, India had received $74.39 billion in FDI, with almost $50 billion coming in the form of equity investments.In the Financial Year 2020-21, India sees growth of 10% (to $82 bn) in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). FDI equity investments rise 19% to $60 billion. Key Points Top Investors:Singapore emerged as the top investor with almost a third of all investments, followed by the US which accounted for 23% of FDI and Mauritius from where 9% of the foreign capital flows originated. Sharpest Growth from Saudi Arabia:The sharpest growth among the top 10 FDI-origin countries was recorded from Saudi Arabia.Investments jumped from $90 million in 2019-20 to $2.8 billion in 2020-21. FDI Equity:FDI equity flows from the US more than doubled during the year compared with 2019-20, while investments from the UK surged 44%. Top FDI Destinations:Gujarat was the top FDI destination in 2020-21, accounting for 37% of the foreign equity inflows, followed by Maharashtra (2nd) which got 27% of the equity inflows.Karnataka (3rd) accounted for another 13% of the equity investments.
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Top Sectors:Computer software and hardware has emerged as the top sector during 2020-21 with about 44% share of the total FDI equity inflow.These are followed by construction (infrastructure) activities (13%) and services sector (8%), respectively. Foreign Direct Investment Definition: 1. FDI is the process whereby residents of one country (the home country) acquire ownership of assets for the purpose of controlling the production, distribution and other activities of a firm in another country (the host country). 2. It is different from Foreign Portfolio Investment where the foreign entity merely buys stocks and bonds of a company. FPI does not provide the investor with control over the business. Three Components: 1. Equity capital is the foreign direct investor’s purchase of shares of an enterprise in a country other than its own. 2. Reinvested earnings comprise the direct investors’ share of earnings not distributed as dividends by affiliates, or earnings not remitted to the direct investor. Such retained profits by affiliates are reinvested. 3. Intra-company loans or intra-company debt transactions refer to short- or long-term borrowing and lending of funds between direct investors (or enterprises) and affiliate enterprises. Routes through which India gets FDI: 1. Automatic Route: In this, the foreign entity does not require the prior approval of the government or the RBI. 2. Government Route: In this, the foreign entity has to take the approval of the government. 3. The Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal (FIFP) facilitates the single window clearance of applications which are through approval route. 4. It is administered by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Government Measures to Promote FDI: 1. In 2020, factors such as a swift response in combating the Covid crisis, favourable demographics, impressive mobile and internet penetration, massive consumption and technology uptake, played an important role in attracting the investments. 2. Launch of Schemes attracting investments, such as, National technical Textile Mission, Production Linked Incentive Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana, etc. 3. The government has elaborated upon the initiatives under the Atmanirbhar Bharat to encourage investments in different sectors. 4. As a part of its Make in India initiative to promote domestic manufacturing, India deregulated FDI rules for several sectors over the last few years. CONFERENCE OF PARTIES 7 (COP 28) Recently, the United Arab Emirates announced an offer to host the 28th session of Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC in Abu Dhabi in 2023.COP 26 was postponed in 2020 and will take place in Glasgow, UK in November 2021. Key Points About UNFCCC: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development also known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Summit or the Rio Conference. India is among the select few countries to have hosted the COP of all three Rio conventions on climate change (UNFCCC), biodiversity (Convention on Biological Divers ity) and land (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification). The UNFCCC entered into force on 21st March 1994, and has been ratified by 197 countries.
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It is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement. It is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) is the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change. It is located in Bonn, Germany. Objective:To achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous repercussions within a time frame so as to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally and enable sustainable development. The Conference of the Parties (COP): COP is the apex decision-making authority of UNFCCC. The COP meets every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise. The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany in March, 1995. The COP meets in Bonn, the seat of the secretariat, unless a Party offers to host the session. The office of the COP President normally rotates among the five United Nations regional groups which are - Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe and Others. The President is usually the environment minister of his or her home country. S/he is elected by acclamation immediately after the opening of a COP session. COP’s with Significant Outcomes 1. 1995: COP1 (Berlin, Germany) 2. 1997: COP 3 (Kyoto Protocol): It legally binds developed countries to emission reduction targets. 3. 2002: COP 8 (New Delhi, India) Delhi Declaration. : Focuses on the development needs of the poorest countries and the need for technology transfer for mitigating climate change. 4. 2007: COP13 (Bali, Indonesia): Parties agreed on the Bali Road Map and Bali action plan, which charted the way towards a post-2012 outcome. The Plan has five main categories: shared vision, mitigation, adaptation, technology and financing. 5. 2010: COP 16 (Cancun): Resulted in the Cancun Agreements, a comprehensive package by governments to assist developing nations in dealing with climate change.The Green Climate Fund, the Technology Mechanism and the Cancun Adaptation Framework were established. 6. 2011: COP 17 (Durban)Governments commit to a new universal climate change agreement by 2015 for the period beyond 2020 (Resulted in the Paris Agreement of 2015). 7. 2015: COP21 (Paris) : To keep global temperature well below 2.0C above pre-industrial times and endeavor them to limit them even more to 1.5C.It requires rich nations to maintain USD 100bn a year funding pledge beyond the year 2020. 8. 2016: COP22 (Marrakech) : To move forward on writing the rule book of the Paris Agreement.Launched the Marrakech Partnership for Climate Action. 9. 2017: COP23, Bonn (Germany)Countries continued to negotiate the finer details of how the agreement will work from 2020 onwards.First set of negotiations since the US, under the presidency of Donald Trump, announced its intention earlier this year to withdraw from the Paris deal.It was the first COP to be hosted by a small-island developing state with Fiji taking up the presidency, even though it was being held in Bonn. 10. 2018: COP 24, Katowice (Poland) : It finalized a “rulebook” to operationalise the 2015 Paris Agreement.The rulebook covers climate financing facilities and the actions to be taken as per Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). 11. 2019: COP25, Madrid (Spain) : It was held in Madrid (Spain).There were no concrete plans regarding the growing climatic urgency. DATA PROTECTION IN 8 INDIA Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has sent a notice to WhatsApp.
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Asking it to withdraw a controversial update to its privacy policy which might be a threat to Data Protection of Indians. Key Points About the Issue: According to WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy, users would no longer be able to stop the app from sharing data (such as location and number) with its parent Facebook unless they delete their accounts altogether. Its privacy updates are designed to make the business interactions that take place on its platform easier while also personalising ads on Facebook. That is how it will have to make its money. According to the Government, the messaging app discriminates against Indian users vis-à-vis users in Europe on the matter of a choice to opt-out of the new privacy policy. WhatsApp users in Europe can opt-out of the new privacy policy owing to the laws in the European Union (EU) called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which shield them from sharing data from Facebook or grant them the power to say no to WhatsApp’s new terms of service. Data Protection (Meaning): Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, compromise or loss.Data is the large collection of information that is stored in a computer or on a network. The importance of data protection increases as the amount of data created and stored continues to grow at unprecedented rates. Need: According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)'s Digital in India report 2019, there are about 504 million active web users and India’s online market is second only to China. Large collection of information about individuals and their online habits has become an important source of profits. It is also a potential avenue for invasion of privacy because it can reveal extremely personal aspects.Companies, governments, and political parties find it valuable because they can use it to find the most convincing ways to advertise to you online. Laws for Data Protection across the Globe: European Union: The primary aim of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is to give individuals control over their personal data. US: It has sectoral laws to deal with matters of digital privacy such as the US Privacy Act, 1974, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act etc. Initiatives in India: Information Technology Act, 2000: 1. It provides for safeguard against certain breaches in relation to data from computer systems. It contains provisions to prevent the unauthorized use of computers, computer systems and data stored therein. Personal Data Protection Bill 2019: 1. The Supreme Court maintained the right to privacy as a fundamental right in the landmark decision of K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India 2017 after which the Union government had appointed Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee for proposing skeletal legislation in the discipline of data protection. 2. The Committee came up with its report and draft legislation in the form of the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018. 3. In 2019, Parliament again revised the Bill and much deviation from the 2018 Bill was evident. The new Bill was named as Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.The purpose of this Bill is to provide for protection of privacy of individuals relating to their Personal Data and to establish a Data Protection Authority of India for the said purposes and the matters concerning the personal data of an individual. Concerns Related to Personal Data Protection Bill 2019: It is like a two-sided sword. While it protects the personal data of Indians by empowering them with data principal rights, on the other hand, it gives the central government with exemptions which are against the principles of processing personal data.The government can process even sensitive personal data when needed, without explicit permission from the data principals.
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Way Forward In this digital age, data is a valuable resource that should not be left unregulated. In this context, the time is ripe for India to have a robust data protection regime. It is time that requisite changes are made in the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019. It needs to be reformulated to ensure that it focuses on user rights with an emphasis on user privacy. A privacy commission would have to be established to enforce these rights. The government would also have to respect the privacy of the citizens while strengthening the right to information. Additionally, the technological leaps made in the last two to three years also need to be addressed knowing that they have the capacity of turning the law redundant. CHINA'S NEW STRATEGIC 9 HIGHWAY Recently, China has completed construction of a strategically significant highway enabling greater access to remote areas along the disputed border with Arunachal Pradesh in India. Key Points About: The construction began in 2014 and is part of a wider infrastructure push in border areas in Tibet. The highway passes through the Grand Canyon of the Brahmaputra river (Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet). The Brahmaputra is the longest river in Tibet and its valley is the world's deepest with a 7,000- metre drop from the highest mountain peak to the lowest basin. It connects Pad Township in the city of Nyingchi and Medog County. Nyingchi and Medog County both are located in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), China. Medog is the last county in Tibet, which is located close to the Arunachal Pradesh border. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Highway will shorten the road length connecting the city proper of Nyingchi and Medog County and will reduce the travel time by eight hours. Other Strategic Constructions by China: Railway Line:In 2020, China had begun work on a strategically significant railway line that will link Sichuan province with Nyingchi in Tibet, which lies close to Arunachal Pradesh border.It is the second major rail link to Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet railway that opened in 2006. New Villages:In January 2021, there were reports of Chinese construction of three villages in Arunachal Pradesh 5 kilometres from the Bum La pass.In 2020, satellite images emerged showing a new village called Pangda built 2-3 km into what Bhutan sees as its land.In 2017, the TAR government launched a plan to build moderately well-off villages in border areas.Under this plan 628 first line and second line villages — referring to those right on the border and others in remote areas slightly further within — would be developed in the prefectures of Ngari, Shigatse, Shannan and Nyingchi, along China’s borders with India, Bhutan and Nepal. Concerns for India: The highway is also expected to play a key role in the surveying of and planning for the mega Yarlung Zangbo hydro-power project that China is planning to build at the canyon in the same Medog county, triggering unease among downstream countries like India. A highway connecting the border will largely improve the efficiency and convenience of military personnel and material transportation and logistical supplies in the border area. Steps Taken by India: India will spend 10% funds of the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) only to improve the infrastructure along the China border. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructed the Daporijo bridge over Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh.It links roads leading upto the LAC between India and China.
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Foundation of a tunnel at Nechiphu in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh has been laid down which will shorten travel time for troops till the LAC through Tawang, which China claims to be its territory. A tunnel is being constructed under the Se La pass in Arunachal Pradesh which connects Tawang to the rest of Arunachal and Guwahati. The state government of Arunachal Pradesh has advocated selection of 10 census towns along the India-China border as pilot projects for infrastructure development in order to stop people living along its international borders, specifically with China, from migrating to faraway urban centres in the State. Sisseri River Bridge, located at lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, connects Dibang Valley and Siang. In 2019, the Indian Air Force inaugurated resurfaced runway at India’s easternmost Village- Vijaynagar (Changlang district) in Arunachal Pradesh. In 2019, the Indian Army conducted exercise ‘HimVijay’ in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with its newly created Integrated Battle Groups (IBG). Bogibeel bridge, which is India’s longest road-rail bridge connecting Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh was inaugurated in 2018.It will facilitate quicker movement of troops and equipment to areas near the India-China border. Way Forward India needs to be vigilant enough for any new development in China near its border to protect its interests efficiently. Further, it needs to build robust Infrastructure in difficult border areas in its territory to ensure movement of personnel and other logistical supplies in an efficient manner. SOCIAL SECURITY CODE 10 2020 The SS Code 2020 subsumes nine regulations relating to social security, retirement and employee benefits.The effectiveness of the Social Security Code (SS Code) 2020 in helping the informal workforce is questioned by many. Key Points Major Provisions of SS Code 2020: Enhanced Coverage:The Code has widened coverage by including the unorganised sector, fixed term employees and gig workers, platform workers, inter-state migrant workers etc. National Database and Registration:With the aim of making a national database for unorganised sector workers, registration of all these workers would be done on an online portal and this registration would be done on the basis of Self certification through a simple procedure.All records and returns have to be maintained electronically. Social Security Fund:It will be created on the financial side in order to implement social security schemes. Uniform Definitions:There is uniformity in determining wages for the purpose of social security benefits.It has provided a wide definition for wage.Specific exclusions with ceilings have been provided for discouraging inappropriate structuring of salaries to minimise social security benefits. Consultative Approach:It has brought in a facilitating approach by the authorities. Unlike the existing role of inspectors, the Code provides for an enhanced role of inspector-cum-facilitator whereby employers can look for support and advice to enhance compliances. Career Centre:To enable that demand for human resources is met and to monitor employment information, career centres will be established. Stringent Penalties:Any failure to deposit employees’ contributions not only attracts a penalty of Rs. 1,00,000, but also imprisonment of one to three years. In case of repeat offence, the penalties and prosecution is severe, and no compounding is permitted for repeated offences.
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Concerns: Online Registration Process:The onus lies on informal workers registering as beneficiaries, further they do not have digital literacy and connectivity.Also, there is a lack of awareness among informal workers regarding social security schemes. Lack of Inter-State Arrangement and Cooperation:Unorganised workers are spread across the length and breadth of India. Implications of this code would be too varied across States to be administered. Complicated Processes & Overlapping Jurisdiction:Providing holistic social security cover for the unorganised workforce in a simple and effective manner is lost in the Centre-State procedural complications and jurisdictional or institutional overlap. Maternity Benefit:Women engaged in the unorganised sector remain outside the purview of maternity benefit. Employees Provident Fund:For informal sector workers, access to employees’ provident fund remains unfulfilled too in the new code. Payment of Gratuity:Although payment of gratuity was expanded in the new Code, it still remains inaccessible for a vast majority of informal workers. Way Forward The SS Code 2020 merges existing social security laws and attempts to include informal workers within the ambit of social security administration. However, an examination of the code reveals that universalisation of social security remains an unfulfilled aspiration. At a time when India chairs a BRICS meeting that is focused on issues of labour, especially informality, it fails to even recognise that India is ageing without social security, and the demographic dividend of the young workforce that could support the ageing ends in 15 years. The provision of social security could be used to formalise the workforce to a certain extent. Employers should be made to own up to the responsibility of providing social security to their workers.As the state has a responsibility but the primary responsibility still lies with employers since they are taking advantage of workers’ productivity. 11 TIANWEN-1 CHINA became the third country to land on Mars after the US and Soviet Union.Recently, China’s spacecraft Tianwen-1 landed on Mars carrying its first Mars rover named Zhurong. Key Points About the Tianwen-1 Mission: Launch:The Tianwen-1 Spacecraft was lifted off on a Long March 5 rocket, from the Wenchang launch center in July 2020. Three Parts:The Spacecraft consists of three parts - the orbiter, the lander and the rover - which separated in Mars orbit.The orbiter will remain in the orbit for scientific operations and to relay signals while the lander-rover combination has made an autonomous descent and landing.The lander from Tianwen-1 has touched down on Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars. Objectives:To conduct scientific investigations into the planet’s soil, geological structure, environment, atmosphere and water.The mission will be the first to place a ground-penetrating radar on the Martian surface, which will be able to study local geology, as well as rock, ice, and dirt distribution. China’s Other Space Programmes: 1. Chang’e-5 (Moon) 2. Tianhe (Permanent Space Station) Other Mars Missions: 1. NASA’s Perseverance Rover
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2. UAE’s Hope Mars Mission (UAE’s first-ever interplanetary mission) India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan:It was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh by Indian Space Research Organisation in November 2013.It was launched on board a PSLV C25 rocket with the aim of studying Martian surface and mineral composition as well as scan its atmosphere for methane (an indicator of life on Mars). 12 ELECTORAL BONDS The Electoral Bonds worth Rs. 695.34 crore were sold during elections to the Assemblies of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala.The amount sold was the highest-ever for any Assembly elections since the scheme started in 2018. Key Points Electoral Bond is a financial instrument for making donations to political parties. The bonds are issued in multiples of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 10,000, Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore without any maximum limit. State Bank of India is authorised to issue and encash these bonds, which are valid for fifteen days from the date of issuance. These bonds are redeemable in the designated account of a registered political party.Political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which have secured not less than 1% of the votes in the last general election to an Assembly or Parliament, are eligible to open current accounts for redemption of electoral bonds. The bonds are available for purchase by any person (who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India) for a period of ten days each in the months of January, April, July and October as may be specified by the Central Government.A person being an individual can buy bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals.Donor’s name is not mentioned on the bond. There are two key problems with it - one, lack of transparency as the public do not know who is giving what to whom and what they are getting in return; two, that only the government, through ministries, has access to this information. However, the Election Commission of India has said that the scheme is one step forward compared to the old system of cash funding, which was unaccountable. Also, recently, the Central Information Commission (CIC), the lead body for implementing the Right to Information Act 2005, has ruled that the disclosure of identity of electoral bond scheme donors will not serve any larger public interest and will violate provisions of the Act itself.
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16 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE – 2021 ECONOMY RBI RBI sets up an advisory group to assist regulatory review authority The Reserve Bank said an advisory group has been constituted to assist the second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0) which was constituted by the central bank earlier to streamline regulations and reduce the compliance burden of regulated entities. SBI Managing Director S Janakiraman is the head of the advisory group. It has five members. S. Janakiraman, Managing Director, State Bank of India (Chairman of the advisory group) T. T. Srinivasaraghavan, Former MD & Non-Executive Director, Sundaram Finance (Member) Gautam Thakur, Chairman, Saraswat Co-operative Bank Ltd. (Member) Subir Saha, Group Chief Compliance Officer, ICICI Bank Ltd. (Member) Ravi Duvvuru, President & CCO, Jana Small Finance Bank (Member) Abadaan Viccaji, Chief Compliance Officer, HSBC India (Member) The RBI has set up the second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0), initially for a period of one year from May 01, 2021, with a view to streamline regulations and reduce the compliance burden of regulated entities. Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao was appointed as the Regulations Review Authority. First Regulations Review Authority was set up by RBI in 1999.In 1999, the RBI had set up a Regulations Review Authority (RRA) for reviewing the regulations, circulars, reporting systems, based on the feedback from the public, banks, and financial institutions. T Rabi Sankar named as Deputy Governor of RBI The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of T. Rabi Sankar as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He has worked as in-charge of the payments system, fintech, information technology, and risk management at the RBI. He will be the fourth deputy governor of the RBI. Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Patra, and Rajeshwar Rao are the others deputy governor of the RBI. He will take the place of B.P. Kanungo, who had retired on 2 April. Central government to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds in six tranches The Central government in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India has issued Sovereign Gold Bonds in six tranches between May and September 2021. The bond will be on sale through commercial banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices, National Stock Exchange (NSE), and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Sovereign Gold Bond 2021-22: Sovereign Gold bond scheme was launched in November 2015. The bond will be restricted for sale to resident individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities, and Charitable Institutions. The tenor of the bond will be for eight years with an exit option after the fifth year to be exercised on the next interest payment dates. The minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold. The maximum limit of subscription shall be 4 Kg for individuals, 4 Kg for HUF, and 20 Kg for trusts and similar entities per fiscal (April-March). RBI announces on-tap liquidity window of Rs 50,000 cr for healthcare infra, services firms The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) unveiled a host of measures to boost fund flow to the healthcare sector and ease the pain of small borrowers and units. The RBI has opened an on-tap liquidity window of Rs 50,000 crore with tenors of up to three years at the repo rate – four per cent — till March 31, 2022 to boost provision of immediate liquidity for ramping up Covid-related healthcare infrastructure and services in the country. RBI Governor said that CPI Inflation reached up to 5.5% in March 2021 from 5% a month ago. The Governor said that RBI has also decided to conduct special three-year long-term repo operations (SLTRO) of Rs 10,000 crore at repo rate for the small finance banks. This facility will be available till October 31, 2021.
SBI SBI, EIB to invest up to €100 mn in Indian SMEs focused on climate change
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The European Investment Bank and the country's largest lender SBI on Friday entered into a pact to jointly pump €100 million in equity financing into Indian small businesses focused on climate change and sustainability. SBI already invests in a vehicle called Neev Funds for its impact investing objectives, and the two entities have created 'Neev Fund II' for taking ahead this partnership. This is one of the EIB's first private equity investments in India. Yono by SBI Joins Hands with Shivrai Technologies, to Launch Small Farm Accounting App, Farmizo Khata Shivrai Technologies, Indian AgTech company, recently announced the launch of their B2C Farm accounting mobile application, Farmizo Khata. Joining hands with Yono by SBI, they aim to help farmers across the country to manage their accounts efficiently, thus cutting down on losses. Shivrai also owns their own B2B brand, FarmERP. MHA permits FCRA accounts to open account in SBI New Delhi The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has permitted existing Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) account holders, including NGOs and associations, to open their “FCRA Account” in the New Delhi Main Branch (NDMB) of the State Bank of India up to June 30, 2021. After that date they shall not be eligible to receive foreign contribution in any account other than the “FCRA Account” opened in the NDMB.
OTHER BANKS RBI excludes Lakshmi Vilas Bank from second schedule of RBI Act The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday said it has excluded Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) from the Second Schedule of the RBI Act after it was merged with DBS Bank India Ltd (DBIL). “Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd” has been excluded from the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 with effect from November 27, 2020, vide Notification DOR.PSBD.No.1849/16.01.067/2020-21 dated December 17, 2020, which is published in the Gazette of India (Part III - Section 4) dated January 16 – January 22, 2021. The government had approved the merger of crisis-ridden Lakshmi Vilas Bank with DBS Bank India. The RBI had also superseded the board of the LVB and appointed T N Manoharan, former non-executive chairman of Canara Bank, as the administrator of the bank for 30 days. LVB is the second private sector bank after Yes Bank which has run into rough weather during this year. In March, capital-starved Yes Bank was placed under a moratorium. The government rescued Yes Bank by asking the state-run State Bank of India to infuse Rs 7,250 crore and take a 45 percent stake in the bank. Airtel Payments Bank launches DigiGold for Digital Gold Investment The Airtel Payments Bank has launched “DigiGold” in collaboration with SafeGold. DigiGold is a digital platform where customers can make investments in gold. DigiGold Features: The Airtel Payments Bank’s savings account holders can invest in 24K gold through the Airtel Thanks app. Airtel Payments Bank has launched “DigiGold”, a digital platform for customers to make investments in gold. This has been rolled out in partnership with SafeGold, a provider of digital gold. With DigiGold, Airtel Payments Bank’s saving account customers can invest in 24K gold using the Airtel Thanks app. Customers can also gift DigiGold to their family and friends, who have a savings account with Airtel Payments Bank. The gold purchased by customers is stored securely by SafeGold at no additional cost and can be sold through the Airtel Thanks app at any time in a matter of few clicks. There is no minimum investment value requirement and customers can start with as low as one rupee. Airtel Payments Bank recently increased its savings deposit limit to Rs.2 lakh in line with RBI guidelines. It now offers an increased interest rate of 6% on deposits between Rs.1-2 lakh. Bank of Baroda launches microsite to support employees amid COVID-19 pandemic State-owned Bank of Baroda said it has launched a micro-website that will serve as an emergency networking platform for all employees amid the second wave of COVID-19. The microsite will offer vital data, including a network of plasma donors to employees who are in need of. Recovered employees can also enrol themselves voluntarily as donors. CCI approves sale of YES Bank's MF subsidiaries to GPL Finance Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of Yes Asset Management (India) Ltd and Yes Trustee Limited by GPL Finance and Investments Ltd. The proposed combination envisages the acquisition of 100 per cent equity shares of the two entities by GPL, as per a release. GPL Finance is a non-deposit-taking and non-systemically important non-banking financial company.
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RBI cancelled the licence of United Co-operative Bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it has cancelled the licence of the United Co -operative Bank Ltd, Bagnan in West Bengal as the bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. The Registrar of Cooperative Societies, West Bengal has also been requested to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the bank. IOB receives shareholders’ nod for Rs 4,100-crore infusion by govt Shareholders of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) have given their approval for issuance of 246,54,23,932 equity shares to the government of India on a preferential basis for the capital infusion of Rs 4,100 crore. The EGM was conducted through virtual mode. Accordingly, the shareholding of the government of India will increase from 95.84 percent to 96.38 percent. DBS Bank launches Asia’s first bank-backed crypto trust service Singapore-based DBS Bank launches Asia’s first bank-backed trust solution for cryptocurrencies as demand for digital assets increases. The bank is offering its clients the ability to invest and manage up to four assets through the bank’s wholly- owned, licensed trust company DBS Trustee. The service applies only to cryptocurrencies hosted on the digital exchange: Bitcoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash and XRP. OneWeb partners with SoftBank to roll out satellite communication services SoftBank Corp partnered with OneWeb to promote OneWeb’s satellite communication services in the global and Japanese markets. The partnership will promote satellite communication services through the combination of OneWeb services and SoftBank’s Digital Transformation (DX) platform services. Jana Small Finance Bank has announced the launch of the “I choose my number” Jana Small Finance Bank has announced the launch of the “I choose my number” feature for all its customers across India. This new feature gives the bank’s existing and new customers the option to select their favourite numbers as their savings or current account number. The bank will allow its customers to choose their favourite numbers as the last 10 digits of their bank account, savings or current. The allocation of the account number chosen by the customer will be subject to the availability of the requested number. Jana Small Finance Bank Limited (Jana Small Finance Bank) is one the leading Small Finance Banks of India in terms of assets under management and deposit size as at March 31, 2020. Jana Small Finance Bank, one of the 10 entities that received the small finance bank (SFB) licence in 2015, filed its draft red herring prospectus with the markets regulator for an initial public offering (IPO). Geojit sign an ink pact with PNB to offer three-in-one account Geojit Financial Services has entered into an agreement with Punjab National Bank to provide a three-in-one account to the latter’s customers. The new service gives customers who have a savings account with PNB, a PNB Demat account and a Geojit trading account. Saving and Demat accounts can be opened online in PNB with a hassle-free approach. RBI cancels licence of West Bengal’s United Co-operative Bank over inadequate capital and regulatory non-compliance The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of the United Co-operative Bank Limited, Bagnan in West Bengal as the bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. All the depositors will receive the full amount of their deposits from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). RBI extends restrictions on Karnataka-based Millath Co-operative Bank by 3 months The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the restrictions on Karnataka -based Millath Co-operative Bank by three months, till 8 August 2021. The bank would also not enter into any compromise or arrangement and sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets. HDFC Bank partners with CSC to offer Chat Bot EVA’s support to village level entrepreneurs Private lender HDFC Bank partnered with Common Services Centers (CSCs) jointly announced the launch of chatbot ‘Eva’ on CSC’s Digital Seva Portal to support Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) in providing banking services for last-mile rural consumers. CCEA gives in-principle approval for strategic divestment and transfer of management control in IDBI Bank The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its in-principle approval for strategic disinvestment along with transfer of management control in IDBI Bank
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Ltd. The extent of respective shareholding to be divested by GoI and LIC shall be decided at the time of structuring of transaction in consultation with RBI. Government of India (GoI) and LIC together own more than 94% of equity of IDBI Bank (GoI 45.48%, LIC 49.24%). LIC is currently the promoter of IDBI Bank with Management Control and GoI is the co- promoter. LIC’s Board has passed a resolution to the effect that LIC may reduce its shareholding in IDBI Bank Ltd. through divesting its stake along with strategic stake sale envisaged by the Govt. with an intent to relinquish management control and by taking into consideration price, market outlook, statutory stipulation and interest of policy holders. The disinvestment will bring new technology and best practices to IDBI bank. It will help in the growth of IDBI bank. The money from strategic disinvestment will be used for the finance developmental programmes of the Government. Kotak Mahindra Bank to to facilitate digital transactions on eNAM platform Kotak Mahindra Bank announced that it has been selected as a digital payments partner by the National Agriculture Market (eNAM), a pan-India electronic trading portal for farm produce. KMBL will enable and facilitate online transactions for all stakeholders on the eNAM platform, including farmers, traders and farmer producer organisations (FPOs). Under this initiative, Kotak will provide payment, clearing and settlement services on the eNAM platform to facilitate trade between a buyer and seller of Agri produce. Axis Mutual Fund launches ‘Axis Global Innovation Fund of Fund’ Axis Mutual Fund has announced the launch of their new fund, ‘Axis Global Innovation Fund of Fund’. The fund will provide investors with an opportunity to invest in Schroder International Selection Fund Global Disruption, an equity fund that aims to provide long-term capital growth by investing in companies worldwide that benefit from disruption. Schroder ISF (International Selection Fund) Global Disruption seeks to provide capital growth by investing in innovative companies. KVG Bank bags PFRDA awards Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB), a regional rural bank, has bagged five awards (Lead to Leap, APY Makers of Excellence, Game Changers, Leadership Capital and Amazing Achievers) under various campaigns held for enrolment of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) from the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). Indian Bank and BSNL sign an MoU. Indian Bank and BSNL have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Under the MoU, BSNL will provide telecom services to Indian Bank at competitive rates. Indian Bank is already using the services of BSNL and its subsidiary MTNL for its Wide Area Network. RBI imposed monetary penalty of Rs.3 crore on ICICI Bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs.3 crores on ICICI Bank for non- compliance with its directions in the matter of shifting of securities from one category to another. The monetary penalty has been imposed on the Bank for contravention of certain directions contained in its Master Circular on ‘Prudential Norms for Classification, Valuation and Operation of Investment Portfolio by Banks.’ This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (the Act). RBI Imposes Rs 10 Cr Penalty on HDFC Bank Over Irregularities in Auto Loan Portfolio The Reserve Bank has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 crore on HDFC Bank for deficiencies in regulatory compliances with regard to its auto loan portfolio. The penalty has been slapped after examining a complaint by a whistleblower regarding irregularities in the auto loan portfolio of the lender. ICICI’s pockets become the first e-wallet to be linked to UPI network ICICI Bank announced the launch of a unique facility of linking a UPI (Unified Payments Interface) ID to its digital wallet ’Pockets’, marking a departure from the current practice that demands such IDs be linked with a savings bank account. New users, including those who are not customers of ICICI Bank, can now instantly get a UPI ID, which is automatically linked to ‘Pockets’. Further, customers who already have a UPI ID, will get a new ID when they log on to the ‘Pockets’ app. This initiative enables users to undertake small value everyday transactions directly from their ‘Pockets’ wallet using UPI in a safe and secure manner.
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YES Bank implements TransUnion’s onboarding solution Private sector lender YES Bank announced the implementation of TransUnion’s onboarding solution, which will enable it to onboard its credit card customers seamlessly. The solution has been uniquely designed to enable a digital, streamlined onboarding process that delivers the experience consumers prefer such as fewer customer information fields to input, no physical paperwork, and comparatively lesser time required for completing the credit card application. Equitas Small Finance Bank offers online process for NRI account opening Equitas Small Finance Bank has now become the first Small Finance Bank to offer its NRI customer segment the ease of account opening online. The company will also be the only one in the Small Finance Bank sector to have Virtual Relationship Managers based on time zones. The online process of account opening for NRIs can done via smart phone or computer connected to Internet. The applicants will have a span of 90 days to courier documents after account opening.
FINANCIAL NEWS SIDBI launches SHWAS and AROG Loan Schemes for MSMEs The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), has launched two loan products for MSMEs to help them with the required financial support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. These two new quick credit delivery schemes will facilitate funding for production and services related to the supply of oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, oximeters and essential drugs by MSMEs. The two new loan products are: SHWAS – SIDBI assistance to Healthcare sector in War Against Second wave of COVID19. AROG – SIDBI Assistance to MSMEs for Recovery & Organic Growth during COVID19 pandemic. SWAS and AROG schemes envisage 100 % funding up to an amount of 2 crore to an MSME unit. They have been launched to provide funding for production and services related to the supply of oxygen cylinders and essential drugs. SIDBI Assistance to Facilitate Emergency response against corona virus (SAFE) scheme was launched by SIDBI last month. India gets more than $83 billion in remittances in 2020. India has got more than $83 billion in remittances in 2020, as per a World Bank report. India’s remittances in 2020 have shown a decline of just 0.2 % from the previous year. In 2019, India had received USD83.3 billion in remittances. China stood at second place in terms of global remittances for 2020. China received USD59.5 billion in remittances in 2020. The decline in India’s remittances is mainly due to 17% decline in remittances from UAE. In terms of remittances, India and China are followed by Mexico (USD42.8 billion), the Philippines, Egypt, Pakistan (USD26 billion), France and Bangladesh. As per the World Bank, remittances outflow from India was USD7 billion in 2020. It was USD7.5 billion in 2019. Remittance outflow was the maximum from US (USD68 billion), followed by UAE (USD43 billion), Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany, and China. Edelweiss General Insurance launches IPOS, an end to end partner onboarding solution Insurtech startup Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI), has launched its IPOS (Integrated Partner On- boarding Solution). This is a fully automated onboarding solution for all its existing and prospective partners including agents, brokers and web aggregators. EGI and its partners stand to gain through improved throughput and enhanced efficiency using this digital platform, which would entail minimal manual intervention. IPOS will enable the sales workforce to create or upload any number of prospects in real time, with the ability to scrutinise, approve and digitally process them with greater efficiency. Bajaj Finserv launches assistance programme for families of its deceased employees Bajaj Finserv, the holding company for the financial services business of Bajaj Group, announced a new comprehensive family assistance programme to extend support and financial assistance to families of employees who have passed away due to the COVID pandemic. This programme ‘Together as One’ aims to support their children’s education till graduation, provide financial assistance to such families as well as extended medical insurance coverage. The Centre has already waived integrated GST (IGST) till June 30 on the import of Covid-related relief material donated or received from outside India for free distribution.
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SEBI proposes a framework for gold exchange and suggests trading in e-gold receipt Markets regulator SEBI proposed an elaborate framework for setting up a gold exchange wherein the yellow metal will be traded in the form of electronic gold receipts and will help in having a transparent domestic spot price discovery mechanism. Also, the proposed denominations — reflecting underlying physical gold — of Electronic Gold Receipts (EGRs) are 1 kilogram, 100 grams, 50 grams and subject to conditions, those can also be even for 5 and 10 grams. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)Headquarter: Mumbai, MaharashtraChairman: Ajay Tyagi IDRBT building a next-generation National Digital Financial Infrastructure (NADI) The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) is building a next-generation Digital Financial Infrastructure named National Digital Financial Infrastructure (NADI). The NADI would grant a roadmap for future digital financial services growth in India. It will be based on 5G/Edge Cloud with SDNs (software defined networking) which will connect critical data centre infrastructure at the back-end. IDRBT is an arm of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Google Pay users in US can now transfer money to India, Singapore Alphabet Inc's Google has launched international money transfer partnerships with remittances firms Wise and Western Union Co for users of its U.S. payments app. Google Pay users in the United States can now transfer money to app customers in India and Singapore, with plans to expand to the 80 countries available via Wise, and 200 via Western Union by the end of the year. RBI grants PPI authorisation to Eroute Technologies The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted authorisation to Eroute Technologies to operate as a prepaid payment instruments (PPI) company. The RBI issued authorisation to Eroute Technologies Pvt Ltd with perpetual validity to commence issuance and operations of semi-closed pre-paid instruments in the country. Prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) help facilitate the purchase of goods and services, including financial services, remittances and fund transfers to family and friends against the value stored on such instruments. These instruments are generally pre-loaded cards and, in some cases, have a pre-defined purpose of payment. Some of the examples of PPIs include Paytm and GPay (semi-closed system PPIs), gift cards (closed system PPIs) and debit or credit cards (open system PPIs). In today’s piece, we take a look at three types of prepaid payment instruments. Closed system PPIs You cannot withdraw cash from such kinds of PPIs. These PPIs help in facilitating the purchase of goods and services from that entity only. Besides, these instruments cannot be used for payments or settlement for third-party services. The issuance and operation of such instruments are not classified as a payment system and do not require approval or authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Semi-closed system PPIs These payment instruments do not allow you to make a cash withdrawal, irrespective of whether they are issued by banks or non-bank institutions. For instance, PPIs such as HDFC Bank’s PayZapp and State Bank of India’s YONO are approved by the central bank and non-bank PPIs such as Paytm and GPay are authorized by RBI for the purchase of goods and services, including financial services, payments, money transfer, remittance facilities, etc. They can normally be used at any merchant location that has a specific contract with the issuer to accept the PPIs as payment instruments. Open system PPIs The most commonly used PPIs are debit and credit cards. You can make a cash withdrawal from these PPIs. However, be cautious while withdrawing cash from a credit card because by doing so, you will be charged a high interest rate from the day of cash withdrawal. These PPIs issued by banks (approved by the central bank) can also be used at any merchant for the purchase of goods and services, including financial services, remittance facilities, etc. Cash withdrawal at ATMs, point of sale terminals and business correspondents is permitted through these PPIs. PayPal introduces digital foreign inward remittance advice Digital payments provider PayPal has introduced an automated process to obtain monthly foreign inward remittance advice (FIRA), allowing Indian merchants to download their monthly digital FIRA issued by banks.
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The automated process will not require sellers to place manual and individual requests, thereby reducing the time taken to file the paperwork. The initiatives at zero cost are aimed to empower Indian MSME exporters to seamlessly grow their business internationally. Asian Development Bank launches tax hub to enhance international tax cooperation The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a hub to create an open and inclusive platform to promote strategic policy dialogue, improve knowledge sharing and strengthen coordination on tax policy and administration among ADB members and development partners. The Asia Pacific Tax Hub will maximise regional and international resources to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation and international tax cooperation in ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs). ADB to end coal, gas financing The Asian Development Bank will no longer finance coal mining or oil and natural gas production and exploration, it announced in a draft policy statement on Friday, a move welcomed by environmental groups. The multilateral development bank, which focuses on eradicating poverty in Asia, provided no timeline for its commitment. It also laid out conditions under which fossil fuel projects would continue to receive funding, such as where no other cost-effective technology was available. COVID-19 Relief Paytm Launches Vaccine Finder Tool That Sends Real-Time Availability Alerts Digital payments platform Paytm has announced the launch of ‘COVID-19 Vaccine Finder,’ an integrated platform to help citizens check the availability of vaccination slots – on its Mini App store. The platform will help citizens to check the availability of vaccination slots for a specific date by individually entering different pin codes or district details along with age group (18+ or 45+). Notably, if slots are unavailable, users can select the option for real-time alerts from Paytm once there’s availability. Bajaj Finance gets RBI nod for prepaid payment business The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), granted an authorization to Bajaj Finance for issuance and operation of semi-closed prepaid payment instruments with perpetual validity. Bajaj Finance is engaged in lending and allied activities. It focuses on consumer lending, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) lending, commercial lending, rural lending, fixed deposits and value- added services. Bajaj Finserv launches ‘Savdhan Rahein, Safe Rahein’, a public awareness campaign on financial fraud risks Bajaj Finserv launches ‘Savdhan Rahein, Safe Rahein’, across digital and social media platforms, to educate customers and public at large on financial fraud risks and how to stay protected. Through this awareness initiative, Bajaj Finserv aims to convey a very important message to its customers and prospects to strictly avoid making any refundable advance payments in the name of loan processing fee, bank charges, GST, verifications etc. EPFO can invest up to 5% in alternate investment funds to support infra push The labour ministry has notified the adjustments in the investment sample of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), paving means for the retirement fund physique to invest up to 5% of its investible surplus in alternate investment funds (AIFs) that support infrastructure, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), enterprise capital funds and social enterprise capital funds.The new investment pattern will be effective from March 15, 2021. With this, EPFO will have the option to invest in AIFs whose corpus is equal to or more than Rs 100 crores with maximum exposure to a single AIF capped at 10% of the AIF Size. Further, at least 51% of the funds of such AIF shall be invested in either of the infrastructure entities or SMEs or venture capital or social welfare entities. The EPFO manages more than Rs 12 lakh crore of retirement savings of over six crore subscribers. Brand Finance Insurance report 2021: LIC Among Top Ten Most-Valuable Insurance Brand Globally The state-owned insurance behemoth ‘Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)’ has emerged as the third strongest and the tenth most valuable insurance brand globally, in Brand Finance Insurance 100 report for 2021. The annual report is released by London-based brand valuation consultancy firm Brand Finance, to identify the most valuable and strongest insurance brands globally. The brand value of LIC increased by almost 7 per cent to $8.65 billion in 2021. Chinese firm ‘Ping An Insurance’ emerged as the world’s most valuable insurance brand, despite recording a 26 per cent drop in brand value in 2021 over the previous year. GST revenues touch high of Rs.1.41 lakh crore in April Gross revenues from the Goods and Services Tax hit a record high of Rs.1.41 lakh crore in April 2021 in India, suggesting economic activity may not yet be as badly affected amidst the ongoing second wave of the C-19 pandemic, as last year.
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April’s GST collections surpassed the previous highest collections of Rs.1.24 lakh crore in March 2021 by 14%, and mark the seventh month in a row since October that GST revenues have crossed Rs.1 lakh crore. Paytm Plans to Launch $3-Billion IPO; Biggest Ever in India Digital payments giant Paytm is planning to come out with an initial public offer worth USD 3 billion later this year. The proposed Initial Public Offer (IPO), if successful, would be the largest such offer. Coal India’s Rs 15,200 crore-IPO in 2010 is the country’s largest one till date. The SoftBank and Alibaba-backed company is looking at raising about USD 3 billion (over Rs 21,700 crore) at a valuation of well over USD 25 billion. Finance Ministry notifies rules for increased FDI in the insurance sector The Finance Ministry formally notified the amendment to the Indian Insurance Companies (Foreign Investment) Rules, 2015 and clarified on the final rules for increasing the foreign direct investment limit in the insurance sector to 74% from the existing 49%,which came into effect on May 19, 2021. SEBI doubles overseas investment limit of AIF, VCF to $1,500 million Markets regulator SEBI doubled the overseas investment limit of alternative investment funds and venture capital funds to USD 1,500 million. This move would allow greater Indian participation in global companies and would accelerate the growth of the Indian AIF industry overall. Currently, Sebi-registered alternative investment fund (AIF) or venture capital fund (VCF) are permitted to invest overseas, subject to an overall limit of USD 750 million.
CORPORATE AND BUSINESS Mahindra Group Chairman, Anand Mahindra launched Project ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ The Mahindra Group Chairman, Anand Mahindra has rolled out a project titled ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ to ease the transportation of oxygen from producing plants to hospitals and homes, following acute oxygen shortage amid a severe second wave of coronavirus. The ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ initiative will bridge the gap between oxygen production and its transportation in India, especially in Maharashtra. TCS beats Accenture to become world's most-valued IT company Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) has once again become the world’s most-valued information technology company with a market capitalisation of $169.25 billion. The company surpassed Accenture to hold the top spot once again. While the Tata Group flagship's valuation close of trade stood at $169.25 billion, Accenture’s m-cap was at $168.68 billion, according to Bloomberg data. Wipro regained its position as the third largest Indian IT services company by market capitalization.Wipro has also announced its commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040, in line with the objective of the Paris Agreement to cap temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius. The country’s third- largest largest software services company has set an intermediate target of 55 per cent reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 in absolute emission levels compared to its base year of 2016-17 (April-March). Crypto-exchange ZebPay launches lending platform ZebPay launched a lending platform where investors can lend their coins to the cryptocurrency exchange and earn returns depending on the token and the time period it is loaned for. Lending facility will be available in two options — open term and fixed term. The exchange has started off the facility with bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), tether (USDT) and dai (DAI). Zeta becomes 14th Indian unicorn in 2021 Banking technology solutions provider Zeta has become the 14th startup to join the unicorn club this year after it raised $250 million from Japanese investment giant SoftBank for its series-C round. The SoftBank investment pushed up Zeta’s valuation by more than three times. The company, which counts several banks including HDFC Bank, RBL Bank, IDFC First Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank among its clients, raised the funds from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 at a valuation of nearly $1.5 billion. Tata Communications launches ‘S.H.E’ to promote entrepreneurship, education and wellbeing of women Tata Communications, a global digital ecosystem enabler has announced the launch of the ‘School of Hope and Empowerment’ (S.H.E.) at the 2021 UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development. S.H.E., a multi-media, multi-stakeholder impact communications initiative is designed in collaboration with The Better India, an impact driven Indian digital media platform, to support and educate women from small towns in India to overcome key barriers to entrepreneurship. S.H.E. includes a series of short films highlighting challenges faced by women in becoming entrepreneurs, such as gender stereotypes, family commitments, financial and societal constraints, and lack of self-belief.
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Facebook launches vaccine finder tool for India. Facebook has partnered with the Indian government to launch a vaccine finder tool on its mobile app in India. It will help people in finding the location of a nearby vaccination center. It will also provide information about their working hours of operation. It will also display walk-in options for 45 years and above people and also provide a link to register on the Cowin portal. It will be available in 17 languages. OLA to launch e-scooter internationally Ola Electric is looking at taking its electric scooter to international markets, including countries like France, Italy and Germany, this fiscal. The company, which is working on setting up a 'Hypercharger Network' for its electric vehicle, is slated to launch its electric scooter in India in July this year. Last year, Ola had announced a Rs 2,400-crore investment for setting up its first electric scooter factory in Tamil Nadu. Upon completion, the factory will create nearly 10,000 jobs and will be the world's largest scooter manufacturing facility that will initially have an annual capacity of 2 million units.
RATING AND SURVEY Care Ratings revises India’s GDP forecast to 9.2% for FY22 Care Rating agency revised India’s GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal year (2021–2022) to 2 per cent from 10.2 per cent. This is the fourth revision by the rating agency in its GDP growth forecast for FY (2021-22) since March 2021. HDFC Bank cuts FY22 growth projection to 10% from 11.5% HDFC Bank has cut India’s growth projection to 10 per cent from 11.5 per cent for the current financial year, citing the adverse effect of the second Covid-19 wave. In the worst-case scenario, growth could be further lower at 8 per cent, it said in a report. Forex Reserves Surge by $32.29 Billion in Six Months: Reserve Bank of India The country’s foreign exchange reserves surged to USD 576.98 billion as on March 31, 2021 from USD 544.69 billion at September-end last year, an RBI report said. On balance of payments basis (excluding valuation changes), foreign exchange reserves increased by USD 83.9 billion during April-December 2020 as compared with USD 40.7 billion in the year-ago period. Foreign exchange reserves in nominal terms (including valuation changes) increased by USD 108 billion during April-December 2020 as against USD 47 billion in the corresponding period of 2019-20. Care Ratings revises downward GDP forecast to 9.2% for FY22 Domestic rating agency Care Ratings revised its GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 9.2 per cent from 10.2 per cent it had estimated earlier. This is the fourth revision by the rating agency in its GDP growth forecast for FY2021-22 since March this year. India Projected To Grow At 10.1% In 2022 But 2021 Outlook "Highly Fragile": UN India is forecast to grow at 10.1 per cent in 2022, becoming the fastest growing major economy in the world. The United Nations, in its mid-year update of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) which was first released in January 2021, projected that the Indian economy would grow at 10.1 per cent in the calendar year 2022, nearly double the 5.9 per cent growth forecast for the country in the January report. At a growth rate of 10.1 per cent in 2022, India will be the fastest growing major economy in the world, ahead of China, which is projected to grow at 5.8 per cent, a slowdown from 8.2 per cent in 2021. The mid-year update said that India will register a 7.5-per cent growth rate in calendar year 2021. Nomura revises India’s GDP growth forecast to 10.8% for FY22 Japanese brokerage Nomura revised India’s GDP growth estimate for the current 2021-22 fiscal to 8 per cent from the earlier 12.6 per cent due to the impact of the second wave-induced lockdowns. Goldman Sachs forecasted 11.1% GDP growth for FY 2022. Goldman Sachs has lowered India’s economic growth from 11.7% to 11.1%. It has taken this decision due to lockdown in many cities and states of India. RBI has projected FY22 GDP growth at 10.5 percent, while World Bank has predicted the growth of 10.1% for FY22.
MERGER ,ACQUISITION AND PARTNERSHIP EIB and India sign $182m finance contract for Pune Metro Rail project
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The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a $182m (€150m) finance contract with the Indian Government for the Pune Metro Rail project’s second portion in Maharashtra through a virtual signing ceremony.EIB had approved the total loan of Euro 600 million to fund the Pune Metro Rail project. The contract was signed between EIB vice-president Christian Kettel Thomsen and the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Indian Government. The funds will be utilised for carrying out the construction and operation of Corridor 1 (North-South) from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to Swargate, as well as Corridor 2 (West -East) from Vanaz to Ramwadi. The total length of both corridors will span around 31.25km. In addition, the EIB’s financing will aid in the acquisition of a related fleet of metro cars. This project is expected to offer urban mobility to a large population, including the working class. PayPoint, Digit General Insurance Tie Up to Grant Health Cover in Rural India PayPoint India has partnered with Digit General Insurance to bring affordable health insurance for its customers in the under-served regions of India, enhancing access to insurance, and helping rural masses cushion themselves against any major financial losses due to the surging Covid-19. India’s Adani Green to buy SoftBank-backed SB Energy in $3.5 billion deal Indian renewable energy company, Adani Green Energy Ltd (ADNA.NS) would buy SoftBank Group Corp-backed (9984.T) SB Energy Holdings Limited for an enterprise value of $3.5 billion. It would buy the 80% stake held by SoftBank Group Capital Limited and the rest owned by Indian conglomerate Bharti Global Limited in a cash deal. The deal would allow Adani Green to achieve its targeted renewable portfolio of 25 gigawatts (GW) four years ahead of its expected timeline. Adani Group opens regional headquarters in Singapore The Adani Group has opened its regional headquarters office in Singapore with focus on the energy, infrastructure and technology portfolios. Zensar to acquire US-based digital engineering firm M3bi Zensar Technologies has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire M3bi, an Arizona-based data and digital engineering firm. Zensar Technologies Limited will acquire the entire share capital of M3bi Private Limited (M3bi India) for $21.60 million. Piramal receives nod from CCI for DHFL acquisition Piramal Enterprises (PEL) said its subsidiary Piramal Capital and Housing Finance (PCHFL) has received an approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to take over Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL). The approval brings Piramal a step closer to acquire DHFL, as PCHFL’s Rs 34,250-crore bid has already been approved by the Reserve Bank of India in February 2021. Groww acquires Indiabulls’ mutual fund for Rs. 175 crore Online investment platform Groww signed an agreement with Indiabulls Housing Finance to acquire its asset management company for 175 crores, paving the way for the Bengaluru-based fintech startup to enter the mutual fund business. The Groww-Indiabulls Mutual Fund deal was approved by the capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as well as other regulators. Muthoot Finance partners with NIRA to provide personal loans The Muthoot Finance Limited announced its collaboration with fintech NIRA as part of its strategy to strengthen its digital footprint. Through this partnership, salaried customers can avail personal loan of up to 1 lakh from Muthoot by downloading the NIRA app from Google’s Play store. Federal Bank ties up with Mashreq Bank to offer instant money transfers from UAE to India Federal Bank has partnered with Mashreq Bank, one of the leading financial institutions in the UAE, to facilitate money transfers from the UAE to India. The partnership will support Mashreq’s faster payment product, Quick Remit, which was launched in 2017. Mashreq is one of the oldest banks in the UAE and has a presence in twelve countries across Europe, the US, Asia and Africa. HDFC Bank acquires 10% stake in CSC Grameen, launches AI Chatbot Eva HDFC Bank has acquired a 10% stake in CSC Grameen e-Store, a special purpose vehicle run by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, for an undisclosed amount. The partnership between the country’s largest private bank and CSC Grameen aims to deliver and scale access to financial services and banking products to semi-urban and rural customers. Gemini Partners with Mastercard to Launch new crypto rewards credit card
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Gemini, a cryptocurrency platform announced its first-of-a-kind cryptocurrency rewards credit card partnership with Mastercard and WebBank. The partnership will allow clients to earn up to 3% back for dining and 2% back for groceries. CtrlS Datacenters partners with Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance for strategic technology solutions CtrlS Datacenters, Asia’s largest rated-4 hyperscale data center and managed services player collaborated with Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance as a strategic technology partner to enhance their overall technology infrastructure. PayNearby ties up with Centrum Microcredit to facilitate Unsecured Business Loans to Retailers PayNearby, India’s leading branchless banking and digital payments network, has tied up with Centrum Microcredit Limited, the micro finance arm of the Centrum Group, to facilitate unsecured business loans to its retail partners. As part of the tie-up, loan requirements will be sourced through PayNearby’s vast network of retailers and will be disbursed by Centrum Microcredit Limited. FlexiLoans ties-up with Vivriti Capital to disburse Rs 300 crore to MSMEs Fintech startup FlexiLoans has partnered with Vivriti Capital to disburse working capital loans of more than Rs 300 crores to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Businesses will be able to apply for these loans online and receive in-principal approval within 24- 48 hours digitally without any manual intervention. FlexiLoans said that the partnership has targeted reaching out to over 10,000 MSMEs in the next 12-18 months. NPCI partners PayCore to help merchants accept contactless payments The National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) announced it has onboarded Turkey’s global payment solutions company PayCore as one of the certified partners for RuPay SoftPOS to drive cashless payments across the country. RuPay SoftPOS enables merchants to accept payments securely from contactless cards, mobile wallets, and wearables just with their mobile phones. Millions of merchants now can convert their near filed communication-enabled (NFC) smartphones into a POS machine to accept contactless payments through RuPay SoftPOS. Mahindra Rural Housing Finance, IPPB tie up for cash management solution Mahindra Rural Housing Finance and India Post Payments Bank announced a strategic partnership for cash management solution. As part of the tie-up, IPPB will be offering cash management and collection services to MRHFL through its access points and postal service providers.
FUND ALLOCATION Credit Suisse gives USD 1 million in COVID medical aid to India Credit Suisse has extended USD 1 million (Rs 7.5 crore) to two non-profits to procure emergency drugs and other medical equipment in major cities to support India's fight against COVID-19 that has killed nearly 2.75 lakh people and infected about 2.5 crore so far. The funds will be utilised to procure critical medical supplies, oxygen concentrators, and ICU equipment in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi and Bengaluru, the Swiss brokerage said in a note on Monday. Last year, Credit Suisse had given Rs 4.5 crore (USD 6,00,000) grant to Concern India Foundation and United Way Mumbai to procure essential equipment at seven hospitals in Mumbai and Pune. The bank has also raised an additional Rs 2.8 crore through internal staff fundraising for GiveIndia's COVID response fund. The fresh funding will be extended to the Concern India Foundation and GiveIndia Foundation to procure critical medical supplies, as well as oxygen and ICU equipment for the COVID hospitals in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, and Bengaluru. NABARD provides Rs. 1,236 crores from its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for Assam in FY21 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has provided Rs. 1,236 crores from its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) through the monetary 12 months 2020-21 with Rural Connectivity Projects (Roads & Bridges) as the main target space in the state of Assam. NABARD has additionally sanctioned 1150 crores to the Government of Assam throughout 2020–21 underneath RIDF XXVI for the creation of the latest infrastructure initiatives.
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NABARD extends financial support of Rs. 9162 crores to West Bengal The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has extended financial support of 9162 crores to West Bengal during the year 2020–21 for the development of agriculture and allied sectors despite challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NABARD has estimated a credit potential of 2.21 lakh crores for West Bengal to be disbursed by various banks for the priority sector activities. ADB commits record $3.92 billion loan to India in 2020 The Asian Development Bank said it has committed a record USD 3.92 billion in sovereign loans for 13 projects to India in 2020, including USD 1.8 billion in COVID-19 related projects to support the government's pandemic response. As part of the pandemic support to India, the Manila-headquartered multilateral agency said it has provided emergency assistance to contain the disease and establish social protection measures for relief to the poor and other vulnerable groups. Asian Development Bank (ADB) Founded: 19 December 1966, Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines President: Masatsugu Asakawa, Chief Economist: Yasuyuki Sawada Vedanta’s Anil Agarwal pledges Rs 150 Cr to support India in tackling COVID-19 Crisis, Accenture pledges USD 25 million Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta, India’s leading producer of metals and oil & gas, has pledged Rs. 150 Cr to help the country in its fight against the rapidly spreading second wave of COVID-19. This is over and above Rs. 201 Cr that was spent by the Vedanta group last year. Meanwhile, Hindustan Zinc, ESL and Sesa Goa iron ore business have stepped in to augment oxygen supplies to COVID patients as part of the Vedanta Cares initiative. Global IT and professional services company Accenture said it has pledged USD 25 million (about Rs 185 crore) for pandemic relief efforts in the country. This is in addition to the company’s ongoing investments in people and communities. AstraZeneca Pledges $250,000 as Humanitarian Aid to Covid-Ravaged India Drug major AstraZeneca said it has pledged $250,000 (over Rs 1.8 crore) in humanitarian aid to India to support relief activities amid the second wave of COVID-19 sweeping across the country. The aid to India is part of the USD 1 million which the British-Swedish multinational has earmarked for relief initiatives across communities which have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Twitter Donates USD 15 Mn for Covid-19 Relief in India Microblogging giant Twitter has donated USD 15 million to help address the Covid-19 crisis in India which is battling the unprecedented second wave of the deadly pandemic. The amount has been donated to three non-governmental organisations Care, Aid India and Sewa International USA. While CARE has been given USD 10 million, Aid India and Sewa International USA have received USD 2.5 million each. This grant will support the procurement of lifesaving equipment such as oxygen concentrators, ventilators, BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pre ssure) machines as part of Sewa International’s Help India Defeat COVID-19′ campaign. Serum Institute to invest 240 million pounds in UK, expand vaccine business Serum Institute of India (SII) is expanding its vaccine business in the United Kingdom with an investment of £240 million. The serum has already started phase one trials in the UK of a one-dose nasal vaccine for C-19, in partnership with Codagenix INC. This was a part of the £533 million of new Indian investment in the UK in growing sectors such as health and technology. Amazon buys James Bond owner MGM for 8.45 billion dollars Amazon.com Inc said that it is buying MGM, the fabled US movie studio home to the James Bond franchise, for 8.45 billion US Dollars. The deal will give Amazon a huge library of films and TV shows and ramp up competition with streaming rivals led by Netflix and Disney. IIT Madras collaborates with MPFI to boost digital money transactions in India Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras researchers will collaborate with members of the Mobile Payment Forum of India (MPFI) to develop voice-based solutions in multiple vernacular languages to enable larger adoption of digital money transactions in India. These initiatives are being taken up by MPFI towards bringing 500 million active users by 2025. IIT Madras will also be to provide thought leadership in driving digital payments in India to the next level.
28 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE – 2021 COMMITTEE AND ITS HEAD 1st BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting chaired by Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Labour and Employment. 1st BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting was chaired by Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Labour and Employment. The Meeting was held on 11-12 May 2021 in Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi, in virtual format. India has taken over BRICS Presidency this year. In addition to the representatives of member nations i.e Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the representatives of International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Social Security Agency (ISSA) also participated in Meeting. IFSCA constitutes an expert committee on Investment Funds The International Financial Services Centres Authority, IFSCA has constituted an expert committee on Investment Funds. The Committee under the Chairmanship of Nilesh Shah, Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd, will recommend the road map for the funds industry in the International Financial Service Centres,IFSCs. The Committee comprises leaders from the Fund Management sector. RBI appoints Rajesh Bansal as head of its innovation hub The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Rajesh Bansal, an expert in electronic cash transfers and digital financial services, as the Chief Executive Officer of the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub with effect from May 17. PR Sreejesh appointed FIH Athletes’ Committee member India goalkeeper Pr Sreejesh has been re-elected as a member of the FIH Athletes’ Committee during the virtual meeting of the world body’s Executive Board. He has been a member of the panel since 2017. The EB confirmed the appointment of four new members for the Athletes’ Committee. Sreejesh Parattu (IND), Marlena Rybacha (POL), Mohamed Mea (RSA) and Matt Swann (AUS) are now joining the Committee. Steve Horgan (USA), the new chair of the FIH Rules Committee, succeeding David Collier. Sunder Pichai, Punit Renjen and Shantanu Narayen join the global Covid task force to help India Three Indian-American CEOs Sunder Pichai from Google, Punit Renjen from Deloitte and Shantanu Narayen from Adobe have joined the steering committee of the Global Task Force on Pandemic Response, which is overseeing an unprecedented corporate sector initiative to help India successfully fight COVID19. Others who were added to the list are Mark Suzman, CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Joshua Bolten, president and CEO, Business Roundtable and Suzanne Clark, president and CEO, US Chamber of Commerce. The task force is a newly formed public-private partnership organised by the US Chamber of Commerce and supported by Business Roundtable. It is working with the Chamber's US-India Business Council and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum to take immediate actions to help address the COVID-19 surge in India. The US corporate sector so far has committed more than 25,000 oxygen concentrators for India. The first 1,000 oxygen concentrators, provided by Deloitte, arrived in India on April 25, with critical logistical support from FedEx. STATE NEWS ANDHRA PRADESH Andhra Pradesh Govt Switches Liquor Policy from Prohibition to Restriction Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced a major shift in his government’s liquor policy, moving away from prohibition (nishedham) to restriction (niyantrana). The state will implement restrictions on liquor in a phased manner to protect the families from the evil.\
ASSAM Online flood reporting system launched in Assam An online flood reporting and information management system was launched in Assam, which faces severe deluge every year.
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The online system developed jointly by Assam State Disaster Management Agency and UNICEF will replace the existing manual flood control mechanism. Daily flood reporting between May 15 and October 15 has been made mandatory in Assam.Driven by web- cum-mobile application technology, the new system will help delivery of relief and rehabilitation grants to flood-affected people.
Biodegradable yoga mat developed by 6 young girls from Assam A biodegradable and compostable yoga mat called ‘Moorhen Yoga mat’ developed from water hyacinth by six young girls from the fishing community in Assam could turn this water plant from a nuisance to wealth. The girls belong to the fishing community living in the fringe of the Deepor Beel, a permanent freshwater lake in the southwest of Guwahati city, recognised as a Ramsar Site and a bird wildlife sanctuary. Assam appoints ‘guardian ministers’ for its various districts The Assam Cabinet appointed ministers who would act as guardians for different districts in the state.The guardian ministers will be responsible for administration in the districts under their charge. But they won’t be directly involved with people from those districts.
BIHAR Bihar government launched ‘HIT Covid App’. Bihar government has launched an app for monitoring and tracking home isolated Covid-19 patients. The App has been named as ‘HIT Covid App’. Here ‘HIT’ stands for home isolation tracking. It has been launched to help health workers in regular monitoring of home isolated Covid-19 patients. The App has been developed by the Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation (BELTRON).
CHANDIGARH Chandigarh-based startup Jupitice launches online dispute resolution platform Chandigarh-based Jupitice Justice Technologies has launched the country’s first private digital platform to conduct virtual arbitration, conciliation, mediation and other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms. The startup has launched an online service marketplace for the dispute resolution sector that provides a platform to find arbitrators, mediators and other justice service providers and also provides an end-to-end ADR mechanism completely online, without any physical interaction. Co-founded by husband and wife duo Raman and Anju Aggarwal, the startup’s advisory board comprises Justice Ranjit Singh, former judge of Punjab & Haryana High Court and Justice SL Bhayana, former judge of Delhi High Court among others. Chandigarh startup Jupitice Justice Technologies develops the world’s first private digital court A Chandigarh-based startup Jupitice Justice Technologies had developed the world’s first private digital court under the Private Justice System (Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR Mechanism), which brings India to the forefront of innovation in legal technology. The platform is designed to find arbitrators, mediators and other justice service providers.
CHHATTISGARH Chhattisgarh develops CGTeeka web portal for systematic vaccination of people Making Covid vaccination registration quick, convenient and hassle-free, the Chhattisgarh government has developed a web portal ‘CGTeeka’ for systematic vaccination of people in the age group 18-44 years. This web portal, developed by CHiPS, was launched by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Harley-Davidson launches all-electric motorcycle brand ‘LiveWire’ Harley-Davidson Inc. has launched an all-electric motorcycle brand “LiveWire,” the latest effort by the company to ramp up bets on the rapidly growing electric vehicle market. The company would create a separate electric vehicle-focused division, as it aims to attract the next generation of younger and more environmentally conscious riders. Chhattisgarh Govt to Fund Education of Children Orphaned Due to Covid-19 The Chhattisgarh government said it will bear education expenses of the children who have lost parents to COVID-19. The state government has decided to launch the ‘Chhattisgarh Mahtari Dular Yojna’ for such children. Under the scheme, a stipend of Rs 500 per month will be paid to such children from Classes 1 to 8 and Rs 1,000 per month from Classes 9 to 12. Children studying in both government and private schools will be entitled to this stipend.
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The state government will also fund the education of the children who have lost breadwinner of the family to COVID-19.
DELHI Delhi Police launched vehicle helpline ‘COVI Van’ for senior citizens Delhi Police has launched a helpline number for senior citizens who are struggling with their essential needs amid C-19-19. South District Police of the national capital has launched a COVI Van Helpline (012- 26241077) for senior citizens in the neighbourhood amid the coronavirus situation here. The information of commencement of COVI Van has been disseminated in the Greater Kailash -1 area through beat officers and Residents Welfare Association (RWA). All the precautions including – sanitisation, gloves, masks and social distancing – will be taken while and after every visit. Delhi government announces free education for children whose both parents died due to Covid-19. Delhi government has announced free education for children whose both parents died due to Covid-19. Further, Delhi Government will provide Rs 50,000 ex gratia to each family that has lost a member due to Covid-19. In addition to ex-gratia of Rs 50,000, Delhi Government will provide a monthly pension of Rs 2,500 if the deceased was an earning member. Monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 will be given to children up to the age of 25 years if children have lost parents or single parents due to COVID-19. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said that free ration would be given to the poor and needy even if they do not have a ration card.
GOA Statehood Day of Goa: 30 May. 30 May is the statehood day of Goa. Goa was conferred statehood on 30 May 1987. In 1961, Goa, along with Daman and Diu, was acquired from the Portuguese. They were made union territory by the 12th Constitutional Amendment Act 1962. On 30 May 1987, Goa was made a state. Daman and Diu was made a separate union territory in 1987.
GUJARAT Gujarat governor gave assent to Freedom of Religion Amendment Bill 2021 Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2021 was passed by the legislative assembly of Gujarat in April. Governor Acharya Devvrat has given his assent to the bill. It has provision of more stringent punishment against forced religious conversions through marriage. It has amended the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003. Governor also gave his assent to many bills including The Gujarat Private Universities (Amendment) Bill 2021, Gujarat Panchayat (Amendment) Bill 2021, etc. Gujarat becomes the third state to make a law against the ‘love jihad’. The term ‘love jihad’ has not been defined by the existing law. PM Modi announces Rs 1,000-crore package for cyclone hit gujrat Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas in Gujrat and announced a relief package of Rs 1,000 crore for immediate relief activities. 53 people killed in Gujarat as Cyclone Tauktae left a trail of destruction across several districts in the state, and damages estimated at over Rs 3,000 crore. He also announced ex gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured. Gujarat: All MLAs must allot Rs 50 lakh for health infrastructure All MLAs in Gujarat will have to allot a minimum of 50 lakh rupees compulsorily from their local area development fund to upgrade facilities at hospitals. Gujarat government took the decision at a meeting of the Core Committee for Covid Control. Gujarat: ‘My Village – Corona Free Village’ campaign helped in checking spread of Covid-19 in rural areas In Gujarat, ‘Maru Gam – Corona Mukt Gam’ or My Village – Corona Free Village – campaign launched by the state government has helped in checking the spread of Covid-19 in rural areas. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had launched this 15-day campaign on the occasion of the state’s foundation day.
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‘My village – Corona Free Village’ campaign was launched with the aim to check the spread of Covid19 infection in the villages.
HARYANA Karnal administration (Haryana) rolled out ‘Oxygen on wheels’ to tackle oxygen crisis In wake of the acute oxygen shortage across the country, the Karnal administration (Haryana) has rolled out ‘Oxygen on wheels’ to assist hospitals in the fight against the C-19 pandemic and oxygen crisis. The purpose is to ensure a smooth supply of medical oxygen to hospitals treating C-19 patients. Under this initiative, a carrier vehicle called a Mobile oxygen bank loaded with 100 Oxygen Cylinders reaches out to any district hospital which requisitions its urgent supply. This Round clock service has been able to cater to the demands of various hospitals in the area. The initiative is functional 24*7 for all hospitals in the Karnal district. Anti-Covid “Sanjeevani Pariyojana” launched by Haryana government. Anti-Covid “Sanjeevani Pariyojana” has been launched by Haryana government.Sanjeevani Pariyojana will provide supervised and quick medical care for people with mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19 in rural areas. Under the initiative, an Integrated Command and Control Centre will manage critical resources such as availability of hospital beds, oxygen supply, ambulance tracking and door-to-door awareness campaign. Haryana allows reimbursement of GST on Covid items’ donations The Haryana government has allowed reimbursement of goods and service tax paid by companies, non- governmental organisations and individuals on purchase of 15 items including Covid vaccines, remdesivir injections, ventilators and oxygen cylinders that they have donated free of cost to the state government or state-run hospitals. Haryana is the first state to give such a relaxation.
HIMACHAL PRADESH Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launches dedicated COVID-19 ‘Mukhyamantri Sewa Sankalp Helpline 1100’ in Shimla Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur launched dedicated COVID-19 Helpline ‘Mukhyamantri Sewa Sankalp Helpline 1100’ for facilitating the people regarding COVID related issues in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The callers can call on toll-free number 1100 from 7 am to 10 pm for seeking help regarding COVID- related issues. This initiative will help various issues such as tests, vaccination, home quarantine, medicines, ambulance and Oxygen. Himachal Pradesh Government launches ‘Ayush Ghar-Dwar’ wellness program for home isolated COVID-19 patients AYUSH Department of the Himachal Pradesh Government had launched a state-wide wellness programme ‘AYUSH Ghar Dwar’ for COVID-19 patients in Sloan district, Himachal Pradesh. The initiative aims to provide a holistic healthcare approach through AYUSH to ensure not only physical but also mental, social and spiritual wellbeing to COVID-19 patients. Haryana Government has Declared Black Fungus A Notified Disease Black Fungus has been categorised as a notified disease in Haryana, making it imperative that government authorities be informed about each case. This will allow in the tracking and management of an outbreak. The C-19 pandemic in India has catalysed the spread of black fungus or mucormycosis, which can disfigure people even when it is not fatal. Declaring a disease notifiable helps collate information and lets authorities monitor the disease and set off early warnings. “Black fungus” mainly affects people on medication for other health problems that reduce their ability to fight environmental pathogens, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research. The C-19 pandemic in India has catalysed the fungal infection into a dangerous disease disfiguring scores and even killing some.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR J-K admin to provide special pension, scholarship to families of Covid victims under Saksham scheme The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council headed by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha approved the grant of financial relief through the Special Assistance Scheme for Covid mortalities (SASCM/Saksham) to the families of victims. The scheme aims to ensure sustenance of families who have lost their sole breadwinner due to coronavirus.
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Under the new scheme Saksham, the surviving spouse and one eldest surviving member of affected families would receive a special monthly pension of Rs 1,000 through Direct bank transfer (DBT), p rovided that they are not otherwise receiving any pension under other schemes, the spokesman said. The scheme would also provide special scholarships to children who lost their earning parent(s)/ sibling(s)/ guardian(s) to COVID-19. The special scholarship would be paid annually at the rate of Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000 through DBT to children studying up to class 12 and higher education, respectively Three common incubation facility centres sanctioned for J&K In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, establishment of three Common Incubation Facility Centres worth Rs. 7.81 crore at Anantnag, Baramulla and Jammu has been sanctioned by the Government of India. These three Incubation Facility Centres will be completed in one year’s time and will be helpful in processing and marketing of Agricultural, Horticulture, Dairy and Fish products in Jammu & Kashmir.
JHARKHAND Jharkhand clinched first position in implementing Smart City Mission schemes. Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has released the ranking of states on the progress of the implementation of the Smart City Mission’s schemes. Jharkhand has topped among all States and Union Territories in implementing Smart City Mission schemes.Rajasthan is in the second position in implementing smart city projects across the country. Delhi is in the 11th position among States and Union Territories and New Delhi Municipal Corporation is on the 41st spot in the ranking of 100 cities.
KARNATAKA India’s first city-wide environmental surveillance platform for COVID launched in Bangalore. A city-wide sewage surveillance system has been launched in Bangalore. It will help scientists in tracking viruses at an early stage. It is India’s first city-wide environmental surveillance platform for the COVID virus. It will collect samples from 45 wards of Bangalore by the next week. The surveillance platform has been launched by COVIDactionCollab (CAC) in collaboration with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Skoll Foundation. Karnataka: Yediyurappa launches comprehensive online portal on CSR activities ‘Akanksha’ A portal that provides comprehensive details on all the CSR activities in Karnataka was launched by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in Bengaluru. Named as Akanksha, the portal will help the corporate sector, government and the donors to utilise CSR funds for Government programmes.
LADAKH Plan of Rs. 167.25 crore approved for Samagra Shiksha in Ladakh Advisor Ladakh, Umang Narula chaired the governing body meeting of ‘Yountan Society’ Single Implementing Society (SIS) for Samagra Shiksha at the UT Secretariat. On Samagra Shiksha achievements, the meeting was informed about various initiatives taken by the department including mega community campaign on enrolment drive in the catchment area of 27 Higher Secondary School and 57 High School and 9 zones of UT Ladakh, 99 per cent of teaching faculties of UT Ladakh completed NISHTHA program on DIKSHA in which around 4,500 teachers completed all the 18 modules, conducted 2049 online classes for students and inaugurated three girls hostels-two in Leh and one in Kargil. It was further informed in the meeting that career counselling and student helpline portal was launched in all High and Higher Sec Schools. Further, the meeting was informed that a training programme- ‘IMPACT’ for capacity building of teachers was conducted by NCERT which was attended by 3600 teachers of UT Ladakh. Apart from this, 542 schools of Kargil and 302 of Leh district were provided funds under the School Grant. Regarding the vacant post, it was informed that 23 vacancies of principles, 145 lecturers and 5 ZEOs were filled up. Director School Education was asked to expedite the process of hiring manpower under Samagra Shiksha. Besides, School Education Department was directed to take up the matter of untrained teachers with IGNOU for allocating the slots for B.Ed/D.El.Ed. It was also informed that online classes/community classes be reviewed and assessed by respective Deputy Commissioners/CEO LAHDCs.
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In the end, the annual work plan and budget for the year 2021-22 amounting to Rs. 167.25 crores was approved for submission to the Project Approval Board (PAB-2021), Ministry of Education, New Delhi for their consideration. Earlier Mohd. Mumtaz Ali, Director School Education/ Additional Project Director Samagra Shiksha Ladakh gave a detailed presentation of the activities and AWP&B 2021-22.
MADHYA PRADESH MP govt launches new COVID-19 treatment scheme to help people The Madhya Pradesh government announced the launch of the ‘Mukhyamantri COVID Upchar Yojana’ amid a rise in cases in the state. The scheme has been divided into three sections. ‘Under the first section, hospitals run by state medical colleges, district and civil hospitals and community health centres will give free treatment to COVID-19 patients. In the second section, 20 per cent ICU/HDU and isolation beds will be reserved in hospitals run by private medical colleges to give free treatment,’. In the third section of the scheme, 20 per cent beds will be reserved for free treatment in hospitals accredited under Ayushman scheme for economically weaker sections of the society holding Ayushman cards. Madhya Pradesh launched Corona Warriors Scheme. The Madhya Pradesh government has launched the Corona Warriors Scheme. Under this scheme, the government will take responsibility for those health workers' families who have died on Corona duty. The affected families will receive financial assistance of Rs 50 lakhs from the government. Madhya Pradesh CM transfers Rs. 112. 81 crore under COVID-19 assistance scheme into account of Rs. 11. 28 lakh construction workers In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan transferred the amount of Rs. 112. 81 crore under the COVID-19 assistance scheme into the account of Rs. 11. 28 lakh construction workers of the state. Meanwhile, the state Cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Choauhan decided to implement ‘Mukhya Mantri Covid-19 Anukampa Niyukti Yojana’ to provide compassionate appointment to eligible dependents of those who died while serving in government service during COVID-19 pandemic including daily wage earners, ad hoc , contractual. Madhya Pradesh government launches scheme to award people for planting trees The Madhya Pradesh government announced the launch of Ankur, a scheme under which citizens will be awarded for planting trees during monsoon. People who take the initiative to plant saplings will be given the Pranvayu Award for their participation. People who wish to participate in the tree plantation drive can register themselves on Vayudoot app, the official said.Participants need to upload a picture while planting the sapling and upload another photograph after taking care of the sapling for 30 days. Madhya Pradesh to provide free medical consultation at home through “Vaidya Aapke Dwar Yojana” The Department of AYUSH launched the “Vaidya Aapke Dwar” scheme, through which free AYUSH medical specialists can be consulted through live video call from home. The Minister of State for AYUSH, Shri Ramkishore Kaware, had launched the scheme virtually on May 7. The three disciplines of AYUSH, Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani, can be availed under the scheme. Citizens can take advantage of this facility by downloading the AyushQure App from the Google Play store on Android phones.
MAHARASHTRA Pune ranked first on health infra Parameters Pune is ranked first while Delhi-NCR is at the lowest position among eight major cities in health infrastructure-related parameters, including number of hospitals beds, air-water quality and sanitation, according to a report by Housing.com. The real estate portal, which is owned by US-based News Corp and its Australian group firm REA, on Wednesday released its report titled ‘State of Healthcare in India’. Nation’s first ‘Drive in Vaccination Center’ unveiled in Mumbai (Maharashtra) The Nation’s first ‘Drive in Vaccination Center’ was inaugurated by MP Rahul Shewale in Mumbai. This center has been set up in the parking lot of Kohinoor Square Tower at Dadar. This first of its kind ‘Drive-in
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Vaccination Center’ facility has been made available to the citizens at a time when people with disabilities are facing difficulties in getting to the vaccination center. The center also provides transportation facilities to the citizens who do not have their own vehicles. The vaccination has been started and the facility is available for all sections of society. India’s first Agriculture Export Facilitation Centre set up at Pune The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) recently launched the first Agricultural Export Facilitation Centre. The Centre will aid in boosting the agricultural and food exports of the state of Maharashtra.The centre will act as a one-stop shop to export agricultural food productions. Why is the Agricultural Export Facilitation Centre important? In 2018, India launched Agri Export Policy. The policy aims to double the agricultural exports, that is, to increase the agricultural exports to 60 billion USD by 2022. The Agricultura Export Facilitation Centre will help India achieve this target. Maharashtra govt launches “Mission Oxygen Self-Reliance” Maharashtra government has launched the “Mission Oxygen Self-Reliance” scheme to meet the state’s oxygen needs.Special incentives will be given to oxygen producing industries under this scheme. SC strikes down Maharashtra law granting quota to Marathas The Supreme Court struck down the Maharashtra law granting quota to Marathas in admissions and government jobs, terming it as “unconstitutional", and held there were no exceptional circumstances to breach the 50 per cent reservation cap set by the 1992 Mandal verdict. The top court also refused to refer the Mandal judgement to a larger bench for reconsideration, saying it has been upheld time and again by its various verdicts. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan concurred on three major issues, framed during the hearing, and said the MC Gaikwad commission report which was the basis for the Maratha quota did not highlight any exceptional circumstances for grant of reservation to the community.
MANIPUR Manipur CM launches MHIM Mobile App for home isolation patients Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh launched Manipur Home Isolation Management (MHIM) Mobile Application for home isolation patients. The Mobile App can be downloaded from mhim.in from the midnight will also be available on Google Play Store soon. The Mobile App has been developed with a mission to avail real time health data and information of Home Isolation COVID-19 patients at monitoring level. Manipur government launched a mobile app for delivering vegetables. Manipur government has launched a mobile app for the delivery of vegetables at home. The ‘MOMA market’ mobile app will help in the delivery of fresh vegetables at the doorstep in the lockdown districts. Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) is a unit of the state horticulture and soil conservation department. Farmers Producer Companies (FPCs) and Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) will procure vegetables from the different farms of the state.
MEGHALAYA 100-million-year-old Sauropod Dinosaur Bones discovered in Meghalaya Researchers have identified fossil bone fragments of Sauropod dinosaurs dating back to about 100 million years from an area around West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya. The fossil bone fragments of Sauropod dinosaurs have been found by researchers from the Geological Survey of India’s (GSI) Palaeontology division in the NortheEast.
ODISHA Odisha government announced Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana for journalists Odisha government has announced Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana for journalists. Odisha has declared the journalists as frontline Covid warriors. It will benet more than 6500 journalists of the state. Under the Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana, a health insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to each Journalist. Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 15 lakh will be provided to the families of journalists who died from C-19 while performing duty. Odisha announces international literary award in memory of Manoj Das
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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the state government will present ‘Manoj Das International Literary Award’ in memory of eminent litterateur Manoj Das. The award will be conferred on litterateurs from Odisha for their creative contribution to English literature every year. It will carry a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh.
PUDUCHERRY Puducherry becomes ‘Har Ghar Jal’ UT Puducherry has achieved the target of 100% piped water connection in rural areas under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Earlier, Goa, Telangana and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have provided tap water supply to every rural home under Jal Jeevan Mission. So, Puducherry is the fourth State/UT to provide assured tap water supply to every rural home under Jal Jeevan Mission. Jal Jeevan Mission is being implemented in partnership with States/ UTs to provide safe tap water to every rural home by 2024. The State of Punjab and the UTs of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have covered over 75% of rural homes with assured tap water supply. Puducherry becomes ‘Har Ghar Jal’ UT by ensuring every rural home gets a household tap connection Puducherry has become the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Union Territory by ensuring that every rural home gets a household tap connection. Puducherry has now become the fourth state or UT after Goa, Telangana and Andaman and Nicobar Islands to provide assured tap water supply to every rural home under Central Government’s flagship programme, Jal Jeevan Mission, JJM. Despite challenges faced due to CoVid-19 pandemic, Jal Jeevan Mission is being implemented in partnership with States/ UTs to provide safe tap water in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long-term basis to every rural home by 2024.
PUNJAB Rs 22,215 crore and Rs 12,384 crore transferred directly into farmers’ accounts in Punjab and Haryana respectively against sale of their Wheat crop The Centre has said that nearly Rs 22,215 crore in Punjab and Rs 12,384 crore in Haryana have been transferred directly into farmers’ accounts so far against sale of their Wheat crop. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in a statement said, in the ongoing Rabi Marketing Season 2021-22, the Government of India is continuing to procure Rabi crops at MSP from farmers as per existing Price Support Scheme. It said, wheat procurement is going on smoothly in the procuring States and Union Territories of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other States. So far over 341.77 Lakh Metric Tonnes of wheat have been procured against 252.50 Lakh Metric Tonnes during the corresponding period of last year. Punjab CM announces ‘Corona Mukt Pind Abhiyaan’ to tackle COVID spread in villages The Punjab government unveiled a unique “Covid Fateh programme“, as part of the “Corona Mukt Pind Abhiyaan” to tackle the spread of COVID-19 infections in rural areas amid the ongoing second pandemic wave. The Health and Rural Development Departments have been given a task to spearhead the campaign with large-scale mobilisation of the community in the villages. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh declares Malerkotla as its 23rd district Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh announced Malerkotla as the 23rd district of Punjab. Malerkotla is 35 km from the Sangrur district of Punjab. Punjab to join global COVAX alliance to procure anti-Covid vaccines Facing an anti-Covid vaccine “shortage”, the Punjab government decided to join the global COVAX alliance for sourcing the immunisation shots at the best price.By doing so, Punjab will become the first state in the country to take the initiative of addressing the vaccine shortage amid the deadly second wave of the pandemic. Abbreviated as COVAX, the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access is a worldwide initiative aimed at providing equitable access to anti-Covid vaccines. COVAX is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi and the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside key delivery partner UNICEF.
RAJASTHAN Mahesh Nagar is the New Name of ‘Miyon ka Bara’ station in Jodhpur
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The name of Miyon ka Bara railway station in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur has been changed to Mahesh Nagar after getting an approval from various departments. Earlier, in August 2018, the name of the village was officially changed from Miyon ka Bara to Mahesh Nagar. The Union Home Ministry had approved the change of name and conveyed the decision to the Rajasthan government in 2018.
TAMIL NADU Two consignments of ‘village rice’ exported from Tamil Nadu to Ghana & Yemen. A start-up, Udaya Agro Farm, has exported two consignments of patented “village rice” from Tamil Nadu. The rice has been exported to Ghana & Yemen via air & sea routes. ‘Village rice’ is enriched in protein, fiber, and minerals. It has been exported from Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu. APEDA assisted the Udaya Agro Farm in the export of ‘village rice’. APEDA aims to increase the export of non-basmati rice from India. In March, the ‘red rice’ was also exported from Assam to the USA. The government has formed the Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF) to promote the export of rice. It works under the aegis of the APEDA.
TELANGANA NHA signed an MoU with Telangana Govt for implementing Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya Yojana. The National Health Authority (NHA) and Telangana government have signed an MoU for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). Ayushman Bharat scheme has been integrated with the ‘Aarogyasri’ scheme of the Telangana. This merged scheme is being called Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Aarogyasri. Telangana is the 33rd States and Union Territories to join the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme. The National Health Authority and the State Health Agency will implement this scheme in the state. Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana: It was launched in 2018 in Ranchi, Jharkhand, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will provide free healthcare coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year. The implementation cost of the scheme will be shared between the centre and state government. The beneficiary households are identified based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census of 2011. Telangana government selected 16 (PHCs) for ‘Medicine from the sky’ pilot at Vikarabad area hospital The Telangana government has selected 16 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) spread around Vikarabad area hospital for pilot testing the ambitious ‘Medicine from the sky’, the first-of-its-kind project involving delivery of medicines through multiple drones. The area hospital has been selected as the central point owing to the presence of cold chain facilities and the selected PHCs are both within the Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) range. A consortium of seven operators headed by Blue Dart Med-Express had been selected for the project to be launched in the VLOS range of 500 metres initially and will be scaled up gradually to a 9 km range. Johnson and Johnson Joins Hand with Telangana-based Biological E to Manufacture Covid Vaccine US pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson has joined hands with Telangana-based Biological E Limited for the manufacturing of the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine named, Janssen Covid-19 vaccine is currently approved in US, Europe and other nations including Thailand and South Africa. Biological E is to produce Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine along with its own vaccine. This is to boost the overall vaccine production of the country. Background A new Vaccine partnership was unveiled at the first Quad Summit. The four Quad countries namely India, Australia, US and Japan decided to pool their resources. They also decided to roll out 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines by 2022. According to the plan, the United States International Development Finance Corporation is to assist the Biological E.
UTTARAKHAND Uttarakhand Police launches ‘Mission Hausla’ to help covid patients The Uttarakhand Police has launched a drive called “Mission Hausla” to help people get oxygen, beds, ventilators and plasm India begins exports of organic millets grown in Uttarakhand. India started export of organic millets grown in Uttarakhand. These organic millets will be exported to Denmark.
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This export of organic millets has been initiated by Uttarakhand Agriculture Produce Marketing Board (UKAPMB) & Just Organik, an exporter, in partnership with APEDA. a for COVID-19 patients. The Uttarakhand Police will also help the public get medicines meant for COVID-19 management as part of the mission and rations. Uttarakhand government announces Vatsalya Yojana. In Uttarakhand, the state government has launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Vatsalya Yojana’. It has been launched for orphaned children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19. Under the scheme, the government will take all responsibility for the orphaned children. The government will make arrangements of their maintenance, education and training for employment up to the age of 21 years. The orphaned children will also receive a maintenance allowance of 3000 rupees per month. They will also get 5 percent horizontal reservation in government jobs of the state. The state government will also make laws related to the selling of the ancestral property of these orphans. No one will be allowed to sell the ancestral property of these children until they become adults. Uttarakhand govt announces Vatsalya Yojana for children orphaned due to Corona Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has announced Chief Minister Vatsalya Yojana for orphaned children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19.Under the scheme, the State Government will make arrangements for their maintenance, education and training for employment up to the age of 21 years. Chief minister said that such orphaned children of the state will be given a maintenance allowance of 3000 rupees per month. Uttarakhand Police launched ‘Mission Hausla’ for COVID Patients. The Uttarakhand Police has launched ‘Mission Hausla’ for helping COVID-19 Patients. It has been launched to help people in getting Oxygen, beds, and Plasma for COVID-19 patients. Under this mission, Police will also help those Senior citizens who are living alone. Every Police station of the state will work as the nodal police station for the mission.
WEST BENGAL NABARD extends financial support of Rs. 9162 crores to West Bengal The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has extended financial support of 9162 crores to West Bengal during the year 2020–21 for the development of agriculture and allied sectors despite challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NABARD has estimated a credit potential of 2.21 lakh crores for West Bengal to be disbursed by various banks for the priority sector activities. West Bengal government approved setting up of Legislative Council. The West Bengal cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has approved the formation of the Legislative Council. At present, only Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh have Legislative Council. Previously, West Bengal had a bicameral legislature but it was abolished by the United Front government in 1969. About the State Legislative Council: The State Legislative Council is the Upper house of the state legislature. It is established under Article 169 of the Indian Constitution. The size of the State Legislative Council cannot be more than one-third of the members of the State Legislative Assembly. Parliament of India can create or abolish the State Legislative Council of a state if that state’s legislature passes a resolution for that with a special majority. NATIONAL NEWS Government launches first of its kind six- month CBID Program on rehabilitation of Divyangjan Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Dr Thaawarchand Gehlot virtually launched a 6- month Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Program on rehabilitation of Divyangjan in the presence of Union Minister of State, SJ&E, Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar ; Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr.
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Barry O’Farrell; High Commissioner of India to Australia, Shri Manpreet Vohra; Secretary DEPwD, GoI , Ms. Anjali Bhawra; and Vice Chancellor of Melbourne University Professor Duncan Maskell . The course for programme has been developed in collaboration with Melbourne University. Rehabilitation Council of India and University of Melbourne have co-designed the programme as a joint initiative under MoU signed between Government of Australia and the Government of India on 22nd November, 2018. The Central Government has enacted the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 which envisions a society inclusive of persons with disabilities. Rehabilitation Council of India was established as a registered society in 1986. In 1992, Parliament enacted RCI Act and RCI became a statutory body in June 1993. So, RCI is a statutory body. Centre brings changes in Custom Rules, IGCR 2017 to boost trade facilitation The Central Government has brought changes in the existing Customs (Imports of Goods at Concessional Rate of Duty) Rules, IGCR 2017 in order to boost trade facilitation. The changes were introduced by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs through the Customs (Imports of Goods at Concessional Rate of Duty) Amendment Rules, 2021. The Custom Rules, IGCR 2017 lay down the manners and procedures in which an importer can avail the benefit of a concessional Customs duty on the import of goods that are required for the domestic production of goods or for providing services. Earlier, the importers who did not have in-house manufacturing capability doesn’t get the benefit of importing goods at concessional customs duty. According to the new rule, manufacturing industries without in-house manufacturing capability can import the goods at concessional customs duty. The new rule has allowed trade and industry to send imported goods out for ‘job work’. It has also allowed the import of capital goods at concessional customs duty. However, the new rules will not apply to gold, jewellery, precious stones, and metals industries. GI certified Gholvad Sapota (chikoo) exported to United Kingdom. A consignment of Dahanu Gholvad Sapota (chikoo) has been exported to the United Kingdom from the Palghar district of Maharashtra. Dahanu Gholvad Sapota (chikoo) is a registered GI product in Maharashtra and it is famous for its sweet and unique taste.It is mainly grown in the 5000 hectares of land in the Palghar district of Maharashtra. Recently, GI certified Banganapalli & Survarnarekha mangoes of Andhra Pradesh were also exported to South Korea. ICMR gives approval to CoviSelf kit for home testing. ICR has approved a home-based testing kit for Covid-19. It is a home rapid antigen testing (RAT) kit, which is advisable only for symptomatic individuals and people who have come in contact with lab-tested Covid positive people. Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions announced that it has received the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) approval for the country’s first self-use rapid antigen test for covid-19, CoviSelf. So far, only one company --- Mylab Discovery Solutions Ltd --- has been approved in India. The test can be purchased for Rs 250 without a prescription from local pharmacies and online channel partners Six Indian places added to tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites. Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel announced that Six Indian sites had been added to the tentative list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. The nomination of these sites was proposed by the Archaeological Survey of India. The six sites are as follows: Kanchipuram is one of the most ancient cities of southern India. Temples of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu Kanchipuram is also known as the Golden City of Temples. Varanasi has more than 80 ghats. Ganga ghats in Varanasi Manikarnika and Harishchandra are important ghats for cremation. It has the largest tiger population. Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh It is rich in biodiversity. Hire Benkal in Karnataka is one of the important Megalithic Megalithic site of Hire Benkal sites of India.
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Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra There are 12 forts in Maharashtra related to Maratha. Bhedaghat-Lametaghat in Narmada Valley- It is located in Madhya Pradesh. Jabalpur It is also known as the Grand Canyon of India. As of now, India has 48 sites in the tentative list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Google launched of its global licensing programme News Showcase in India Google has announced the launch of its global licensing programme News Showcase in India. Google has sealed agreements with 30 Indian publishers to offer access to some of their content. Amid mounting pressure from the global media fraternity asking for a fair price and advertising share from technology platforms. In February, the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) had also asked search engine Google to compensate newspapers for the use of content published by them and sought a larger share of its advertising revenue. The content from these publishers will begin to appear in dedicated News Showcase story panels in Google News and on Discover pages in English and Hindi. The support for more local languages will be added in the future. It will also pay participating news organizations to give readers access to a limited amount of paywalled content. Reliance Jio to construct largest international submarine cable system. Reliance Jio will construct the largest international submarine cable system in India. Reliance Jio will complete this project in partnership with many global partners and submarine cable suppliers. It will construct Asia-Xpress (IAX) and India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) cable systems for providing better connectivity. India-Asia-Xpress (IAX will connect India to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, while India-Europe- Xpress (IEX) will connect India to the Middle East and Europe. These submarine cable systems will provide a capacity of 200 Tbps. It will be used for connecting countries for the flow of internet and telecom services. IAX will be constructed by mid-2023 and the IEX system will be ready for service by early 2024. These two systems will also be connected to the Reliance Jio Global Fiber Network. Reliance Jio is a completely owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL). MyGov Launches Innovation Challenge To Develop Indian Language Learning App MyGov, the citizen engagement platform of the Government has launched an Innovation Challenge for creating an Indian Language Learning App. This Innovation Challenge has been launched to take forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of celebrating India’s cultural diversity through greater interaction. MyGov has launched the Innovation Challenge to create an app that will enable individuals to learn simple sentences of any Indian language and acquire working knowledge of a language. The objective is to create an app that will promote regional language literacy, and create greater cultural understanding. Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Microsoft to expand digitisation in schools in the tribal belt For creating a skill-based economy, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to support the digital transformation of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) and Ashram schools. The initiative will help students in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Coding and Data Science. Under the program, Microsoft has adopted 250 Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS). Out of 250 EMRS, 50 EMRS Schools will be given intensive training and 500 Master trainers will be trained in the first phase. Microsoft is an American multinational technology company. It is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United States. Its CEO is Satya Nadella. GoI increases Fertilizer Subsidy by 140% The Government of India increased fertilizer subsidies to Rs 1,200 per bag. Earlier, it was Rs 500 per bag. Thus, the subsidies have been increased by 140%. GoAir rebrands as Go First after 15 years of flying After being in the skies for 15 years, Wadia Group-owned GoAir has rebranded itself as 'Go First' as the airline focuses on ultra-low-cost business model amid the aviation industry grappling with pandemic headwinds. The announcement also comes amid reports that the airline was preparing for an initial share sale to raise funds for its ambitious expansion plans. The Go First as ULCC (ultra-low-cost carrier) would operate single aircraft type across its fleet, which currently has both Airbus A320 and A320Neos (new engine option) planes in operation.
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Go First CEO Kaushik Khona Aadhar card not mandatory for C-19 treatment Aadhaar is not compulsory for availing of vaccines, medicines, hospitalisation or treatment, and no one should be denied any service for want of the 12-digit number, the Unique Identification Authority of India said on Saturday. The clarification came after reports said people were denied hospitalisation, vaccination and oxygen if they did not show their Aadhaar. Indian railways commissions Wi-Fi facility at 6,000th station With the commissioning of Wi-Fi at Hazaribagh Town railway station falling under Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand in Dhanbad Division of East Central Railway, the Indian Railways commissioned Wi-Fi at 6,000 railway stations. The first railway station with which the Indian Railways started its journey of providing Wi-Fi facility was that in Mumbai in January 2016. Adding that a railway station in Midnapore of West Bengal was the 5000th station and yesterday it reached the 6,000 mark with the Hazaribagh Town railway station. The Indian Railways further stated that Jarapada station in Angul district of Odisha was also provided with Wi-Fi the same day it was provided in Hazaribagh. PM releases 8th installment worth over Rs 20,000 cr to 9.5 cr farmers under PM-KISAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the eighth installment of over Rs 20,000 crore to more than 9.5 crore farmer beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme via video- conferencing. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who was present on the occasion, said West bengal has joined the scheme with more than 7 lakh farmers of the state getting the benefit. Under the PM-KISAN scheme, the government is providing Rs 6,000 in three equal installments to 14 crore farmers annually. The amount is directly transferred into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode. An amount of over Rs 1.15 lakh crore has been transferred to farmer beneficiaries so far under the PM- KISAN scheme, launched on February 24, 2019. Cabinet approves MoUs between ICoAI, ICSI with Foreign Countries The Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) between the Institute of Cost Accountants of India and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India with Foreign Countries. Both institutes have signed MoUs with many foreign organizations including the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA), Australia, Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment, UK (CISI), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), UK, etc. The main objective of the memorandum is to exchange knowledge, experience, and technical cooperation. The MoU will help in achieving the goal of public accountability and innovation among member countries. Govt says, over 4.17 crore rural households have been provided with new tap water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission The Government has said that more than 4.17 crore rural households have been provided with new tap water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced this mission on 15th August, 2019, which aims to provide tap water connections to every rural household in the country by 2024. At the time of announcement, about 3.23 crore rural households were having tap water connections. Jal Shakti Ministry said, now more than 7.41 crore rural households in the country are getting assured tap water in their homes. The motto of Jal Jeevan Mission is Building Partnership and Changing Lives. A webinar was organized today by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation with the Sector Partners selected for National Jal Jeevan Mission. Union Agriculture Ministry has allocated Rs 2250 Crore for realizing the huge potential of horticulture sector in 2021-22 Keeping in view the huge potential and role of the horticulture sector in increasing farmer’s income, the Government of India has allocated Rs. 2250 Crore for development of horticulture sector during 2021-22. To further promote and for holistic growth of the horticulture sector in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has provided an enhanced allocation of Rs. 2250 Crore for the year 2021- 22 for ‘Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture’ (MIDH), a centrally sponsored scheme. The Ministry is implementing MIDH with effect from 2014-15, for realizing the potential of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew and cocoa. Government intervention in the horticulture sector has led to the situation wherein horticulture production has surpassed the agriculture production in the country. During the year 2019-20, the country recorded its
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highest ever horticulture production of 320.77 million tonnes from an area of 25.66 million hectares. As per the 1st Advance Estimates for 2020-21 the total horticulture production in the country is 326.58 lakh MT from an area of 27.17 lakh ha. There is tremendous scope for enhancing the productivity of Indian horticulture which is imperative to cater to the country’s estimated demand of 650 Million MT of fruits and vegetables by the year 2050. Govt fund for stalled housing projects to benefit for 1.16 lakh home buyers Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) Fund will benefit 1.16 lakh home loan borrowers whose housing projects were stalled due to last mile funding issues. The residential project - Rivali Park, located in suburban Mumbai, was the first housing project in India to have received funding under the SWAMIH Fund. The Rs 25,000 crore-SWAMIH fund SWAMIH Fund was launched by Sitharaman in November 2019 to help complete over 1,500 stalled housing projects comprising 4.58 lakh housing units. The project is “Rivali Park Wintergreens” developed by CCI Projects Pvt Ltd (CCIPPL), an associate company of Cable Corporation of India Ltd. The Fund so far has given its final approval to 72 projects that will complete 44,100 homes, while 132 projects have received preliminary approval, which will complete an additional 72,500 homes. Thus, the Fund is targeting to complete an aggregate of 1,16,600 homes. WHO Classified Indian Coronavirus Variant as a “Global Variant Of Concern” The World Health Organization has classified a coronavirus variant found in India as a global “variant of concern”. This variant has been named B.1.617. According to World Health Organization, this variant is already spread to more than 30 countries. It is more transmissible than other variants. This variant is also called the “double mutant variant”. It was 1st identified by the United Kingdom health authorities. Cabinet approves production-linked incentives for battery storage India approved a 18,100 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for building Tesla-style giga factories to manufacture batteries. The proposal, approved by the Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, comes as the country accelerates steps to switch to electric vehicles to curb rampant pollution in its major cities and cut reliance on costly oil imports. The plan is to set up 50 giga watt hour (GWh) manufacturing capacity for advance chemistry cell batteries by attracting investments totaling 45,000 crore, according to the government. One GWh (1,000-megawatt hour) of battery capacity is sufficient to power 1 million homes for an hour and around 30,000 electric cars. The scheme titled the National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage, under the department of heavy industry, may boost India’s green energy credentials. It is among the PLI schemes worth 1.97 trillion announced by the government last year for 13 sectors. The goal is to create global manufacturing champions in the country and attract firms exploring a China-plus-one strategy for production. Yash Raj Films launched relief scheme Bollywood production house Yash Raj Films has announced a relief scheme under the 'Yash Chopra Saathi Initiative,' named after the founder filmmaker, to help daily wagers employed on movie sets. This would include ration kits to families of four and Rs. 5000 to accounts of women, and senior citizens. DCGI approves anti-COVID drug developed by DRDO for emergency use An anti-COVID oral drug developed by the DRDO has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe coronavirus patients. Clinical trials of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) showed that it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence. The anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of 2-DG drug has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a leading laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad. NITI Aayog and Mastercard release report titled 'Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat' NITI Aayog and Mastercard have released a report titled 'Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat'. The report identifies challenges in accelerating digital financial inclusion in India and provides recommendations for making digital services accessible to its 1.3 billion citizens. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana launches a mobile app ‘Indicative Notes’ for journalists to cover proceedings of the apex court Chief Justice of India NV Ramana has launched an official mobile application called ‘Indicative Notes’ for Journalists to cover proceedings of the apex court.
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This new feature is aimed at providing concise summaries of landmark judgments in an easy-to-understand format. The mobile application will help journalists to cover the Supreme Court proceedings in a responsible and fair way from the comfort and safety of their homes, in view of the growing concerns of the COVID pandemic. The Chief Justice also informed that the Supreme Court is also contemplating to telecast live proceedings of the court cases in the apex court, for which the process of further considerations and consensus is already underway. ESIC installed oxygen generation plant The Employees State Insurance Corporation, under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, has installed oxygen generation plants at its two hospitals in Delhi NCR area. These include a 440 litres per minute (LPM) capacity plant at the ESIC Hospital and Medical College in Faridabad and another plant of 220 LPM capacity at ESIC Hospital in Jhilmil, New Delhi. Labour Ministry said this will enable these hospitals to augment the availability of ICU and Ventilator beds. The Corporation is actively helping fight the battle against Covid-19 by quickly converting its 30 hospitals all over the country into Covid dedicated facilities. These hospitals have around 4200 beds, including 300 ICU beds and 250 ventilator beds. Oil and Gas PSUs sign MOU for redevelopment of Badrinath Dham as 'Spiritual Smart Hill Town' To redevelop Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand as a 'Spiritual Smart Hill Town', a Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the Oil and Gas PSUs and Shri Badrinath Utthan Charitable Trust. The Oil and Gas PSUs include Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and GAIL. According to the MOU, the Oil and Gas PSUs will be contributing Rs 99.60 crore in the first phase of the developmental activities, including river embankment work, building all-terrain vehicular path, building bridges, beautifying existing bridges, establishing gurukul facilities with accommodation, creating toilet and drinking water facilities, installing streetlights and mural paintings. Badrinath is one of the most sacred places for Hindus in India. It was re-established as a major pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the 8th century. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri are part of Char Dham in Uttarakhand. Government granted exemption to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) experimental flights of drones. Ministry of Civil Aviation has exempted 20 entities from Unmanned Aircraft System {UAS) Rules, 2021 to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) experimental flights of drones. The main objective of exemption is to develop a framework of UAV rules related to Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations. BVLOS trials will help in creating a framework for future drone deliveries and other major applications of drones. The government has set up a BVLOS Experiment Assessment and Monitoring (BEAM) Committee for inviting Expression of Interest (EOI) to undertake BVLOS experimental flights of drones. The exemption will be given for a period of one year or until further orders. Government gives permission for conducting trials of 5G technology and Spectrum. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, approved, permissions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for conducting trials for use and applications of 5G technology. The applicant TSPs include Bharti Airtel Ltd., Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd., Vodafone Idea Ltd. and MTNL. These TSPs have tied up with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers which are Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-DOT. In addition, Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd. will also be conducting trials using its own indigenous technology. The permissions have been given by DoT as per the priorities and technology partners identified by TSPs themselves. The experimental spectrum is being given in various bands which include the mid-band (3.2 GHz to 3.67 GHz), millimeter wave band (24.25 GHz to 28.5 GHz) and in Sub-Gigahertz band (700 GHz). TSPs will also be permitted to use their existing spectrum owned by them (800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2500 MHz) for conduct of 5G trials. The duration of the trials, at present, is for a period of 6 months. This includes a time period of 2 months for procurement and setting up of the equipment. The TSPs are encouraged to conduct trials using 5Gi technology in addition to the already known 5G Technology. It will be recalled that International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has also approved the 5Gi technology, which was advocated by India, as it facilitates much larger reach of the 5G towers and Radio networks.The 5Gi technology has been developed by IIT Madras, Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT) and IIT Hyderabad.
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5G technology is expected to deliver improved user experience in terms of data download rates (expected to be 10 times that of 4G), up to three times greater spectrum efficiency, and ultra low latency to enable Industry 4.0. Applications are across a wide range of sectors such as agriculture, education, health, transport, traffic management, smart cities, smart homes, and multiple applications of IOT (Internet of Things). CBSE launches new mobile application for psycho social wellness of students, parents Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has launched a new mobile application for psycho social wellness of students and parents. The new app namely CBSE Dost for Life has been designed for students of classes 9 to 12 and it can be used for counselling sessions. The students and parents can choose any of the two time slots - 9.30 AM to 1.30 PM or 1.30 PM to 5.30 PM and connect through a chat box as per their convenience. The app will also provide students information on suggestive course guides after ten plus two, tips on mental health and well-being, a corona guide and rap songs. Petroleum Minister flags off 1st supply of Used Cooking Oil-based Biodiesel from Indian Oil’s Tikrikalan Terminal Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan remotely flagged off the first supply of UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel under the EOI Scheme from IndianOil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, Delhi. Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Tarun Kapoor and Chairman, IndianOil Shri S M Vaidya were also present on the occasion. Centre had initiated Expressions of Interest for “Procurement of Bio-diesel produced from Used Cooking Oil” on the occasion of World Biofuel Day on 10 August 2019. India has set an indicative target of 20% blending of ethanol with gasoline and 5% blending of biodiesel with diesel by 2030. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar releases the new framework for implementation of SVAMITVA Scheme Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar released the new framework for implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme and Coffee Table Book (CTB) to mark the nationwide roll-out of the SVAMITVA Scheme. The SVAMITVA Framework developed by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj provides a detailed roadmap and guidelines for the various States in terms of the Scheme objectives, coverage, various components involved, year-wise funding pattern, survey approach and methodology, stakeholders involved and their roles and responsibility, monitoring and evaluation, and deliverables. SVAMITVA, a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj was nationally launched by the Prime Minister on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April 2021 after successful completion of the pilot phase of the Scheme in 9 States. SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide property rights to the residents of rural inhabited areas in India by using Drone survey and CORS Networks which provides mapping accuracy of 5 cms. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is the Nodal Ministry for implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme. In the States, the Revenue Department/Land Records Department will be the Nodal Department and shall carry out the scheme with the support of State Panchayati Raj Departments. Features: The demarcation of rural inhabited areas would be done using Drone survey and CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) Networks which provides mapping accuracy of 5 cms. This would provide the ‘record of rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited rural areas in villages. It will cover around 6.62 Lakh villages of the entire country during 2021-2025. Objectives: To bring financial stability to the citizens in rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits. Creation of accurate land records for rural planning. Determination of property tax. Creation of survey infrastructure and GIS (Geographic Information System) maps that can be leveraged by any department for their use. To support in preparation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) by making use of GIS maps. To reduce property related disputes and legal cases Centre launches Yuva scheme to mentor budding writers The government launched YUVA — Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors, an author mentorship programme to train 75 selected young and budding authors (below 30 years of age) with an aim to promote reading and writing.
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The launch of YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) is in tune with PM’s vision to encourage young authors to write about India’s freedom struggle. It has been launched as part of the India@75 Project (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav). It will encourage young generation writers to write on the Unsung Heroes, Freedom Fighters, Unknown and Forgotten Places and their role in National Movement. It will be implemented by the National Book Trust under the Ministry of Education. Under this Mentorship Scheme, a scholarship of Rs.50,000 per month will be provided to authors for six months. IFFCO to launch Nano Urea in the market. Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) will launch Nano Urea in the market. It will be equivalent to 45kg of normal urea, and it will cost 480 rupees per kg. It will help in increasing the productivity of the crop by 18-35% and reduce the burden of cost for cultivation. It is eco-friendly urea and reduces the consumption of normal Urea. NEERI developed a fast method for performing RT-PCR coronavirus test. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has developed a fast method for swab collection and processing for RT-PCR coronavirus test. It is a cost-effective method with minimal infrastructure requirements. It will help in ramping the RT-PCR coronavirus test in rural and urban areas. National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) is a Nagpur-based laboratory of CSIR. The Saline Gargle RT-PCR test is an instant and patient-friendly method. The sample is collected in a tube filled with saline solution. RT-PCR: The full form of RT-PCR is Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction. It is a technique in which RNA is converted to DNA through reverse transcription. Indian Broadcasting Foundation to be renamed as Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation. The Indian Broadcasting Foundation to be renamed as Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF). The renaming of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation has been done to bring broadcasters and OTT (over- the-top) platforms under one roof. Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation will form a subsidiary to handle all matters related to digital media. Education Ministry to provide monetary assistance to 11.8 crore students (118 million students) through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Education Ministry to provide monetary assistance to students through DBT under mid-day meal scheme approved the proposal to provide monetary assistance to 11.8 crore students (118 million students) through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of the cooking cost component of the mid-day-meal scheme, to all eligible children, as a special welfare measure. The assistance is in addition to the Government of India’s announcement of distribution of free-of-cost food grains at 5 kg per person per month to nearly 80 crore beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY). The central government will provide additional funds of about Rs 1200 crore to state governments and UT administrations for this purpose. This one-time special welfare measure of the union government will benefit about 11.8 crore children studying in class 1 to 8 in the 11.20 lakh government and government aided schools across the country. Mid-Day Meal Scheme: It was launched on 15 August 1995. Under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, a one time meal is provided to children enrolled in government or local body schools. India to launch mobile tech platform for UN peacekeepers. India will launch a mobile tech platform for improving the security of the United Nations Peacekeeper. The name of this mobile platform has been given as ‘Unite Aware’. ‘UNITE AWARE’ platform will provide terrain-related information to United Nations Peacekeepers. It has been developed by India in collaboration with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Operational Support. Recently, India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. India will preside over the UN Security Council in August 2021. Ayush Minister will launch repository portal & Ayush Sanjivani App. Ayush Minister Kiren Rijiju will launch the Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) portal and the third version of the Ayush Sanjivani App today.
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The Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) portal will bring Ayush practitioners and the general public on one platform. It will provide information about the clinical outcomes achieved by Ayush practitioners. It will also make the public aware of the scientific base of all streams of Ayush. It will also provide information about Covid 19 cases treated through Ayush Systems. Government asks social media firms compliance status for IT rules The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked all social media intermediaries to share their compliance details over the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The government had issued guidelines and digital media ethics code for social media platforms, digital channels, and OTT platforms. The new rule has come into force on 25 May. According to the new rule, any social media platform with more than 50 lakh users will be considered as a significant Social Media Intermediary. The rules require significant social media intermediaries, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter etc. to create means to track the first originator of posts, tweets and texts within the country. They also require intermediaries to appoint Indian citizens in compliance roles, create automated processes for taking down pornography, set up mechanisms to respond to complaints, and remove offending content within 36 hours of receiving a legal order. Social media platforms have to remove the content related to nudity or morphed images of women within 24 hours of complaints. Apart from the overall compliance status for these rules, the government asked companies to provide the contact details of their new chief compliance officer, nodal officer, grievance redressal offer. Cabinet approves creation of post of director at NDRF Academy in Nagpur. The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of a post of Director at the National Disaster Response Force Academy in Nagpur. The NDRF academy was established in 2018 at Nagpur. It imparts training to National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Civil Defence (CD) volunteers, and other stakeholders. The post of director at the NDRF academy will help in better command and control over the institution. Ministry of Power decides to set up a National Mission on use of Biomass in coal based thermal power plants In order to address the issue of air pollution due to farm stubble burning and to reduce carbon footprints of thermal power generation, Ministry of Power has decided to set up a National Mission on use of Biomass in coal based thermal power plants. This would further support the energy transition in the country and our targets to move towards cleaner energy sources. The "National Mission on use of biomass in thermal power plants" will have the following objectives; (a) To increase the level of co-firing from present 5% to higher levels to have a larger share of carbon neutral power generation from the thermal power plants. (b) To take up R&D activity in boiler design to handle the higher amount of silica, alkalis in the biomass pellets. (c) To facilitate overcoming the constraints in supply chain of bio mass pellets and agro- residue and its transport upto to the power plants. (d) To consider regulatory issues in biomass co-firing. Children impacted by Covid-19 Pandemic being provided Tele Counselling through SAMVEDNA With an objective of providing psychological first-aid and emotional support to children affected during the pandemic, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is providing tele-counselling to children through SAMVEDNA (Sensitising Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance) – a toll-free helpline. Tele-counselling is provided to children under three categories: children who are in quarantine/isolation/Covid care centres, children who have Covid-positive parents or family members, and children who have lost their parents to the virus. This tele-counselling service is available on a toll-free number, 1800-121-2830, from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 8 pm, and is exclusively for children who are willing to talk and are in need of counselling. Govt to give assistance of Rs 1500 to each Transgender person in view of COVID-19 pandemic Government has decided to provide assistance of Rs 1500 to each Transgender person as immediate support to meet their basic requirements in view of Covid pandemic. Any transgender person or Community-based Organisations on behalf of the Transgender Person can apply for financial assistance after providing basic details like Aadhar and Bank Account number. Centre releases nearly Rs.9,000 crore to panchayats in 25 states
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The Department of Expenditure has released an amount of 8,923.8 crore in advance to 25 states for providing grants to the Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) because of the coronavirus pandemic. The amount released is the first instalment of the ‘Untied Grants’ for the year 2021-22. It may be utilised by the RLBs, among other things, for various prevention and mitigation measures needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it will augment resources to the three tiers of Panchayats for fighting the contagion. The grants are meant for all the three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions -- village, block, and district. According to the data released by the finance ministry, Uttar Pradesh's panchayats have received the highest grants of Rs.1,441.6 crore, followed by Maharashtra (Rs.881.4 crore), Bihar (741.8 crore), and West Bengal (Rs.652.2 crore). Panchayats of states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu have received grants of Rs.588.8 crore, Rs.570.8 crore, and Rs.533.2 crore, respectively. Government of India to provide Rs 15,000 crore to States for Capital Expenditure The Ministry of Finance, Government of India has decided to provide an additional amount of uptoRs 15,000 crore to Statesas interest free 50 year loan for spending on capital projects. The Department of Expenditure has issued fresh guidelines in this regard on the “Scheme of Financial Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure” for the financial year 2021-22. Capital expenditure creates employment, especially for the poor and unskilled, has a high multiplier effect, enhances the future productive capacity of the economy, and results in a higher rate of economic growth. Under the Scheme, financial assistance is provided to the State Governments in the form of 50-year interest free loan. An amount not exceeding Rs.12,000 crore was earmarked for the scheme for the financial year 2020-21, and a sum of Rs.11,830.29 crore was released to the States. This helped to sustain state level capital expenditure in the pandemic year. The Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure for 2021-22 has three Parts: Part-I: This part of the scheme is for the North-East and Hill States and an amount of Rs.2,600 crore has been earmarked for this part. Out of this, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will get Rs 400 crore each while remaining States in this group have been allocated Rs 200 crore each. Part-II: This part of the scheme is for all other States not included in Part-I. An amount of Rs 7,400 crore is earmarked for this part. This amount has been allocated amongst these States in proportion to their share of central taxes as per the award of the 15th Finance Commission for the year 2021-22. Part-III: This part of the scheme is for providing incentives to States for monetization/recycling of infrastructure assets and disinvestment of the State Public Sector Enterprises (SPSEs). An amount of Rs.5,000 crore is allocated for this part of the scheme. Under this part, States will receive interest free 50 years loan ranging from 33% to 100% of the amount realised by them, through assets monetization, listing and disinvestment. Government releases Rs 1605 crore to 8 North Eastern States under Jal Jeevan Mission The Union Government has released Rs 1605 crore to eight North Eastern states under Jal Jeevan Mission to provide tap water supply to rural homes in the current financial year. Jal Shakti Ministry said, this is the first tranche of the four to be released in this financial year. There are about 90 lakh rural households in all the North East States, with a maximum 63.35 lakh in Assam. Centre expands scope of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme to aid MSME sector amid disruption caused by 2nd wave of COVID-19 The Centre further expanded the scope of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) amid the economic disruption caused by the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic to aid Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. The ministry said, Under ‘ECLGS 4.0’, 100 percent guarantee cover will be extended to loans of up to two crore given to hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, medical colleges for setting up on-site oxygen generation plants. The finance ministry said, interest rate has been capped at 7.5 percent for the same. It said, Civil Aviation sector to be eligible under ECLGS 3.0. The ministry said, Validity of ECLGS extended to September 30 this year or till guarantees for an amount of 3 lakh crore rupees are issued. Disbursement under the scheme has been permitted up to December 31 this year. PM-CARES for Children scheme: Govt announces Rs 10 lakh fund, free education for kids orphaned due to COVID Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced a special “PM-CARES for Children” scheme for all those orphaned due to COVID-19, which will include a corpus of 10 lakh for each child till he or she reaches 18. Children who have lost both parents or their lone surviving parent or their legal guardian or adoptive parent due to COVID-19 will be supported under the scheme.
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When a child turns 18, he or she will draw a monthly stipend from the corpus of 10 lakh in order to meet expenses for personal needs and higher education. On reaching 23, the child will get the entire 10 lakh. The government will also assist such children with school education. They will be given admission in the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school as a day scholar. Department of Atomic Energy to build India’s first research reactor on PPP model The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) will construct India’s first research reactor on the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Department of atomic energy (DAE) will build this reactor in association with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. The research reactor will be designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). It will produce radioisotopes. Radioactive isotopes are used in various fields including agriculture, food industry, and medicine. At present, all major radioisotopes are produced by BARC from the Trombay campus. Supreme Court committee releases manual for e-Courts Mobile services app. The E-Committee of the Supreme Court has released a manual for the "e-Courts Services Mobile app" in 14 languages. The manual has been released in English and other regional languages. The “e-Courts Services Mobile app” has been launched by Supreme Court for providing e-Courts services to Litigants, Citizens, Lawyers, Police, Government Agencies, and other Institutional Litigants. Ayush Ministry will organize series of five webinars under "Be with Yoga, Be at Home" theme. Ayush Ministry will organize series of five webinars under the theme of “Be with Yoga, Be at Home”. These webinars will be organized as part of the celebration of International Yoga Day 2021. Ayush Ministry will organize a series of five webinars in collaboration with five renowned organizations of the country. The first among the webinars series will be organized by the Art of Living on 24 May under the theme of “Finding inner strength amidst outer crisis.” International Day of Yoga is celebrated every year on 21st June to raise awareness about the benefits of Yoga. Govt announces scheme to provide pension for dependents of Covid victims The government announced a string of measures, including a pension for dependents of those having lost their lives due to COVID-19, among other benefits for the families who lost their earning members to the pandemic. Besides family pensions, insurance benefits under the Employees’ Deposit-Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme have been enhanced and liberalised. Dependent family members of such persons will be entitled to the benefit of pension equivalent to 90 per cent of the average daily wage drawn by the worker as per the existing norms. This benefit will be available retrospectively with effect from March 24 last year and for all such cases till March 24, 2022. INTERNATIONAL NEWS New ocean observation satellite Haiyang-2D launched by china China has successfully sent a new ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit as part of its effort to build an all- weather and round-the-clock dynamic ocean environment monitoring system that would provide early warning on marine disasters. The satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket carrying the Haiyang- 2D (HY-2D) satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. The HY-2D will form a constellation with the HY-2B and HY-2C satellites to build an all-weather and round-the-clock dynamic ocean environment monitoring system of high frequency and medium and large scale. The Haiyang-2D satellite has been developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, and the carrier rocket by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. Recently, China has become the second country to land a rover on Mars after US. China’s rover “Zhurong” had successfully landed on Utopia Planitia on Mars. US Congress passes Anti-Asian hate crimes bill. The United States parliament has passed the Covid-19 Hate Crimes bill. It was introduced by Grace Meng and Mazie Hirono. The bill has been approved to combat the hate crimes against Asians during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Last year, the cases against racially motivated crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders had increased. Around 3,795 incidents of hate crimes were reported between March 2020 and February 2021. Iran launched its most powerful supercomputer ‘Simorgh’. Iran has launched its most powerful supercomputer ‘Simorgh’. At present, it has a processing power of 0.56 petaflops, but it will attain one petaflop performance capacity in the next two months. It has been developed by Tehran’s Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT).It will be used for the analysis of artificial intelligence, traffic and weather data, and image processing. It will be used for cloud hosting for some local private firms. Atlas V Rocket carrying SBRIS Geo-5 Missile Warning Satellite launched for US Space Force The United Launch Alliance launched the Atlas V Rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The Atlas V rocket carried SBRIS Geo-5 Missile Warning Satellite. The satellite will provide key capabilities in missile warning, battle space, missile defence. The full form of SBRIS is Space Based Infrared System. It is designed for missile warning, missile battlespace and defence characterization. China becomes the world’s first country to ban all synthetic cannabinoids substances China will become the world’s first country to ban all synthetic cannabinoid substances. The ban is likely to come into effect on July 1. The move comes as China tries to curb the manufacturing & trafficking of the drug. The synthetic cannabinoids are highly camouflaged, as some are found in e-cigarette oil, and some are found in cut tobacco made from various flower petals, or plant stems and leaves. In Xinjiang, it has a commonly known nickname of “Natasha.” Synthetic cannabinoids are highly camouflaged, as some are found in e-cigarette oil & some are found in cut tobacco made from leaves, flower petals, etc. China’s First Mars Rover ‘ZhuRong’ Successfully Lands on Mars China successfully achieved the feat of landing its first Mars Rover ‘Zhu Rong’ on the red planet, on May 15, 2021, becoming the only second nation to do so. Till date, only the United States has successfully landed its rover on Mars. All other countries that have tried have either crashed or lost contact soon after reaching the surface. Zhurong, which means God of Fire, was carried to Mars on the Tianwen-1 orbiter. Mayflower 400: World’s First Artificial Intelligence Ship A team of researchers from the marine research organization ProMare in collaboration with IBM built the world’s first Artificial Intelligence(AI) ship named ‘Mayflower 400’. Mayflower 400 is an unmanned and completely autonomous ship. It is powered by Artificial Intelligence and the Sun’s energy via solar panels. Main aim of this ship is to study marine pollution and analyze plastics in the water. It will also track the aquatic animals. The ship is set to sail on a transatlantic voyage. CCAC and UNEP release Global Methane Assessment. Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have released Global Methane Assessment. It shows that human caused methane emissions can be lowered by up to 45% this decade. This would avoid nearly 0.3 °C of global warming by 2045. 45% reduction of emissions of methane would prevent premature deaths, asthma-related hospital visits and 25 million tonnes of crop losses annually. Methane is a key ingredient in the formation of ground-level ozone (smog). It is a powerful greenhouse gas. Methane remains in the atmosphere for a decade. It has a much shorter lifetime than carbon dioxide. Sources of Methane emission: 40% of methane comes from natural sources (wetlands and termites). Anthropogenic sources (e.g., ruminants, rice agriculture, fossil fuel exploitation, landfills and biomass burning) emit 60% of methane into atmosphere. Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations. Its secretariat is within UN Environment in Paris. PESCO: Canada, Norway and the United States will be invited to participate in the project Military Mobility The Council of the European Union approved inviting the United States, Canada and Norway to participate in the bloc’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) defense initiative. The EU project on military mobility is designed to facilitate the movement of troops across Europe, something NATO deems as crucial in the event of a conflict with Russia. The PESCO’s Military Mobility project aims at enabling quick movement of military personnel and assets across the bloc by rail, road, sea or air.
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INTERPOL launches app to better protect cultural heritage The Interpol has launched a mobile phone application (app) which will help identify stolen cultural property, reduce smuggling and increase the possibility of recovering stolen works and artefacts. The ‘ID-Art’ app enables users — from law enforcement agencies to the general public — to get mobile access to the Interpol database of stolen works of art, create an inventory of private art collections and report cultural sites that are potentially at risk, said the Interpol. It is available for both Android and Apple devices. The app’s users can immediately cross-check if an object is among the over 52,000 items registered as stolen in the Interpol’s “Stolen Works of Art” database. Rich nations’ climate targets will mean global heating of 2.4C – study New climate targets announced by the US and other rich nations in recent weeks have put the world on track for global heating of about 2.4C by – the end of the century. That is a 0.2C improvement on the previous forecast of 2.6C, but still substantially above the Paris goal of holding temperature rises to no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels, with an aspiration to limit heating to 1.5C. China is the world’s largest Greenhouse gas emitter and it is followed by the USA. India, EU, Russia, and Japan are the major emitter of Greenhouse gases in the world. World’s largest aeroplane by Stratolaunch completes test flight The world’s largest aeroplane, designed to transport hypersonic vehicles and facilitate easy access to space, soared into clear skies over California’s Mojave Desert. The company Stratolaunch designed it to transport hypersonic vehicles and facilitate easy access to space. The aircraft named ‘Roc’ features a twin-fuselage design and the longest wingspan ever flown, at 385 feet (117 m), surpassing the Hughes H-4 Hercules flying boat of 321 feet (98 m). The Stratolaunch is intended to carry a 550,000-pound payload and will be able to launch rockets from high altitude. Globally electric vehicles numbers will reach up to 145 million by end of the decade. According to International Energy Agency, the number of electric vehicles will reach up to 145 million by 2030. As per the IEA’s Global Electric Vehicle Outlook, the number of electric vehicles can reach up to 230 million if governments push their efforts to meet their climate target. These electric vehicle numbers don’t include the two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles. Around 3 million new electric cars were registered last year, which is an increase of 41% compared to last year. At present, about 10 million electric cars are running on the road around the world. Many countries government is promoting the low and zero-emission cars through subsidy. These cars will help in tackling the problem of air pollution. The United Kingdom has announced to stop selling diesel and petrol (gasoline) cars by 2030. World’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge opened in Portugal. The world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge opened in Portugal on 29th April. It has been opened in Arouca in northern Portugal. It is a 516-meter-long bridge over the Paiva River. It is located in UNESCO-recognised Arouca Geopark. It will encourage people to live in this region. Parker Solar Probe detected a natural radio signal from Venus. The Parker Solar Probe has detected a natural radio signal from the atmosphere of Venus. The FIELDS instrument of the Parker Solar Probe has detected this low-frequency radio signal. The Parker Solar Probe was launched as a solar mission in 2018. It was launched to study the Sun’s atmosphere. During its travel to Sun, it has taken amazing images of Venus and also gathered information about Venus. UK: World’s First country to allow Driverless cars on roads The United Kingdom has become the first country to announce regulation for the use of self-driving vehicles at low speeds. The UK wants to be at the forefront in rolling out autonomous driving technology. The Government of the UK forecasts that around 40% of UK cars will have self-driving capabilities by 2035. This will create 38,000 jobs in the country. The speed limit of the ALKS is to be set at 37 miles per hour. The ALKS shall drive itself in a single lane. A self-driving vehicle is fully autonomous. No driver is required for the safe operation of the vehicle. Self- driving technologies have been developed by Uber, Google, Nissan, Tesla. Most of the self-driving systems maintain an internal map. They use lasers, sensors and radars to map their surroundings. Based on the map created, instructions are delivered to the actuators of the vehicle.
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Nigeria restricts visitors from India, Brazil Nigeria will ban entry to non-Nigerian passengers who travelled to India, Brazil, and Turkey in the last two weeks because of concerns over the rapid spread of coronavirus in those three nations. The travel ban announced on Sunday does not apply to passengers who transited through those countries, Nigeria’s presidential steering committee on C-19. Russia Produces First Batch 0f Covid Vaccine for Animals Russia has produced the world’s first batch –17,000 doses – of COVID-19 vaccines for animals. Russia registered Carnivac-Cov in March after tests showed it generated antibodies against COVID-19 in dogs, cats, foxes and mink. The first batch will be supplied to several regions of Russia. Microsoft collaborates with Nigeria to create about 27,000 new digital jobs over the next 3 years Tech giant Microsoft and the Nigerian government are collaborating intending to create about 27,000 new digital jobs over the next three years. Microsoft President Brad Smith stated in a joint statement with the Nigerian government that they will use 1,700 trainers to train five million Nigerians. They are also planned to improve internet connectivity by installing high-speed internet infrastructure in six regions of the country. WHO and Switzerland launch BioHub for pathogen storage and analysis. The World Health Organization (WHO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Swiss Confederation to launch the first BioHub Facility. The BioHub Facility has been launched for Pathogen storage, sharing, and analysis. It will help in the sharing of viruses and other pathogens between laboratories across the world. UK launches plan for ‘Global Pandemic Radar’ UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the United Kingdom will work with the World Health Organization, other partners and nations to develop an advanced international pathogen surveillance network to identify COVID-19 variants and emerging diseases. The prime minister also claimed that the “Global Pandemic Radar,” as the network was called, will ensure the early detection of new variants and emerging pathogens, so vaccines and treatments needed to stop them can be rapidly developed. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson pledge to donate 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines. At Global Health Summit in Rome, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have pledged to donate 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines on a non-profit basis to low and middle income countries. 100 million doses will be donated by European Union to low and middle income countries. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen co-hosted the Global Health summit with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. BILATERAL India and Oman renew MoUs on military cooperation and maritime issues. The Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on military cooperation and maritime issues have been renewed between India and Oman. The MoUs were signed between the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense of Oman and Ambassador of India to Oman. The military cooperation MoU was signed at Muscat and MoU on cooperation on maritime issues was signed at the Maritime Security Centre. ONGC-discovered Farzad-B gas field: Iran wanted to involve India at later stage India lost the Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) Videsh Ltd-discovered Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf after Iran awarded a contract for developing the giant gas field to a local company. The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has signed a contract worth USD 1.78 billion with Petropars Group for the development of Farzad B Gas Field in the Persian Gulf. ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of state-owned (ONGC), had in 2008 discovered a giant gas field in the Farsi offshore exploration block. OVL and his partners had offered to invest up to USD 11 billion for the development of the discovery, which was later named Farzad-B. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Iran wanted to involve India at a later stage of the project.
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Culture Ministers of India and Mongolia discuss various issues under Cultural Exchange Programme. Minister of State for Culture & Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel and his counterpart Mongolian Minister of Culture Chinbat Nomin discussed various issues under the Cultural Exchange Program. The Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) between India and Mongolia stands renewed until 2023. Both country’s leaders also agreed on cooperation in the different fields. India is historically connected with Mongolia due to Buddhism. India has offered 10 dedicated ICCR scholarships for studying ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ in the institutes of CIBS, Leh, and CUTS, Varanasi. India will also digitalize the Buddhist manuscripts of the Gandan monastery and all 108 Mongolian Kanjur manuscripts will be published by March 2022. Shilpa Medicare arm signs agreement with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. Shilpa Medicare arm, Shilpa Biologicals Pvt Ltd (SBPL), has signed an agreement with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories for manufacturing of Russian Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V. Shilpa Medicare has entered an agreement for the production supply of Sputnik V vaccine from its integrated biologics R&D cum manufacturing center at Dharwad, Karnataka. Shilpa Medicare is also exploring options to manufacture Sputnik Light. Sputnik Light is a single dose version of Sputnik V. First consignment of imported doses of Sputnik V vaccine reached India on 1 May. It is first foreign made vaccine to be used in India. Cabinet clears MoU between ICAI, Qatar Financial Centre Authority The Union Cabinet approved signing of a pact between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA). The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would enhance cooperation between the institutes to work together to strengthen the accounting profession and entrepreneurship base in Qatar The MoU would provide an additional impetus to prospects of the ICAI members in the entire Middle East "to have better recognition, together with working to support Indian businesses desirous of doing business in Qatar Government of Japan and UNDP have joined hands to boost oxygen supply in North Eastern Region in India Amid a devastating second wave of coronavirus in India, the Japanese government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have partnered to provide oxygen generation plants to the North Eastern Region in India. Japan and UNDP India will be installing eight Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants in the States of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura. 4th India-Swiss Financial Dialogue virtually held in New Delhi The 4th India-Swiss Financial Dialogue was held virtually in New Delhi. Secretary Economic Affairs Ajay Seth led the Indian delegation. Daniela Stoffel led the delegation from the Swiss side. Cabinet approves MoU between India and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island on Migration and Mobility Partnership The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Migration and Mobility Partnership between the Government of the Republic of India and Her Majesty’s Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island. The MoU is aimed at Liberalising issuance of visas promoting mobility of students, researchers and skilled professionals and strengthen cooperation on issues related to irregular migration and human trafficking between the two sides. India, France and Australia hold Foreign Ministerial Dialogue The first-ever India-France-Australia Trilateral Foreign Ministerial Dialogue was held in London, UK, on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar from India, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian and Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Marise Payne. India, Israel and UAE sign first-ever trilateral cooperation agreement India, Israel and the UAE have signed their first-ever trilateral pact, the first such association since Israel and UAE established diplomatic ties. A trilateral partnership has been initiated by the International Federation of Indo-Israel Chambers of Commerce (IFIICC). An Israel-based firm, Ecoppia, is producing a modern robotic solar cleaning technology in India for a project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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India and United Kingdom will hold a virtual Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a virtual summit with his British counterpart Boris Johnson. During this summit, both leaders will launch ‘Comprehensive Roadmap 2030’ for strengthening bilateral relations. Comprehensive Roadmap 2030 will help in enhancing the cooperation in the field of people-to-people relationships, trade and prosperity, defense and security, climate action, and healthcare. Nepal Govt closes 22 entry points with India The Nepal government has decided to close 22 border points with India amid a sharp surge in C-19 cases in India. The decision came after the C-19 Crisis Management Coordination Committee (CCMC) on Friday recommended to the Council of Ministers to shut down 22 out of a total of 35 border points between Nepal and India. Now only 13 border points between Nepal and India will remain operational. India and Russia to established a ‘2+2 ministerial dialogue’ India and Russia have agreed to establish ‘2+2 Ministerial Dialogue’ at the Foreign & Defence Minister level between the two countries. Russia is the fourth country and first Non-Quad member country with which India has established the ‘2+2 Ministerial dialogue’ mechanism. India has such a mechanism with the US, Japan and Australia. It is expected to boost the bilateral strategic partnership between India & Russia. India will open a new Consulate in Maldives. The Union cabinet has approved the proposal of opening a new Consulate General of India in Addu City, Maldives. It will help in augmenting diplomatic relations between both countries. Maldives is part of India’s 'Neighbourhood First Policy' and the 'SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiatives. India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious, and commercial relations. Both countries share a good bilateral relationship. Rolls-Royce and HAL Sign MoU for Supporting Engine Business Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Rolls-Royce have signed an MoU to establish packaging, installation, marketing, and services support for Rolls-Royce MT30 marine engines in India. Through this MoU, Rolls-Royce and HAL will expand their long-standing partnership in India and work together in the area of marine applications for the first time. This partnership will leverage the rich experience of HAL’s IMGT (Industrial and Marine Gas Turbine) Division that works on marine gas turbines with Indian shipyards. PepsiCo Foundation partners SEEDS to set up COVID care centres, launch vaccination drive PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo said it has partnered with not-for-profit organisation, Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) to launch a community COVID- 19 vaccination drive and set up COVID care centres. Under the partnership, over 1 lakh vaccines doses will be provided to communities, to be administered through the local healthcare system, while five COVID care centres will be set up for three months that will be equipped with beds and medical facilities, including oxygen cylinders. The entire community relief program will be rolled out across the country with a special focus on five states -- Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. NDDB inks MoU with EESL to offer energy efficient solutions to dairy industry National Dairy Development Board said it has signed an agreement with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) to promote efficient renewable technologies in the dairy industry. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on May 5 at Ananda, Gujarat by NDDB Executive Director Meenesh Shah and EESL Director (Projects) Venkatesh Dwivedi in the presence of senior officials. TRIFED and The LINK Fund collaborated to work towards tribal development. TRIFED and The LINK Fund have collaborated to work towards tribal development. They exchanged MoU for a project titled “Sustainable Livelihoods for Tribal Households in India”. Sustainable Livelihoods for Tribal Households in India is a collaborative project between TRIFED and The LINK Fund. TRIFED and The Link Fund signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 29 April 2021. The LINK Fund is a philanthropic operational foundation. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It works to end extreme poverty and mitigate the effects of climate change. NITI Aayog to partner with TRIFED to implement Van Dhan Yojana in districts identified as aspirational TRIFED will now be partnering with NITI Aayog to implement the Van Dhan Yojana in the districts that have been identified as aspirational by NITI Aayog.It has been decided that a dedicated team from TRIFED
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along with the NITI Aayog team will work out the follow-up-plan for the implementation of the Van Dhan Yojana in each of the 39 Tribal Aspirational Districts. These identified districts are in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Telangana and Tripura. A special focus will be on these aspirational districts where tribal population constitutes more than 50 per cent. India Set to Get Four Heron Long-endurance Drones from Israel India is expected to acquire four Heron long-endurance drones from Israel on lease in the next few months to primarily crank up its surveillance capabilities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. IIM Indore joins hands with GIZ to help businesses tackle post-Covid challenges Indian Institute of Management Indore has joined hands with The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), to connect the dots across myriad sectors to understand how they grappled with COVID-19 for forthcoming pandemic preparedness.The institutions will now work together on documenting the challenges faced by these business sectors and their ways of tackling challenges. India and Israel signed a three-year work program for cooperation in agriculture. India and Israel have signed a three-year joint work program to enhance cooperation in the field of agriculture. Under this three-year work program, Centres of Excellence (CoEs) will be set up to train farmers about Israeli farm and water technologies. Centres of Excellence (CoEs) will set up in 75 villages and Villages of Excellence (VoE) - a model ecosystem in agriculture will be created across eight states. INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL SUMMIT India participated in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial meeting India participated in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial- the global platform for discussing research and cooperation in the Arctic region. The first two meetings of the Arctic Science Ministerial were held in the USA and Germany. The 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial was jointly hosted by Iceland and Japan between 8-9 May 2021. The theme for this year’s meeting is ‘Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic’. Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' participated in this meeting from the Indian side. PM Modi virtually participates in meeting of European Council held in Portugal Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually joined in the meeting of European Council, as a special invitee at the invitation of European Council President, Charles Michel. The India-EU Leaders’ Meeting is being hosted by Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa. Portugal currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. PM Modi Participates in Virtual India-EU Leaders’ Meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting, held in a hybrid format. The India-European Union Leaders’ Meeting is hosted by Portugal. Portugal currently holds the chair of the grouping. PM Modi attended the event at the invitation of the President of the European Council Mr Charles Michel. The leaders of all the 27 EU Member States, as well as the President of the European Council and the European Commission, participated in the meeting. This is the first time that the EU hosted a meeting with India in the EU+27 format. European Union: It is a political and economic union of 27 member states which are mainly located in Europe. It was founded on 1 November 1993. It is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/c) Prahlad Singh Patel Virtually participates in G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/c) Prahlad Singh Patel participated virtually in G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting held in Italy.
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Patel conveyed India’s support for the Principles for the transition to a green travel and tourism economy submitted by UNWTO as a further contribution to the policy area “Green Transformation” to embrace sustainability in tourism. The Minister concluded with the thanks to the Italian G20 Presidency for its leadership and India will continue its support and cooperation to ensure further progress under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022. Union Minister S Jaishankar virtually participates in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar participated in the G-7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting through video conference. The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Union Agriculture Minister inaugurated National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign-2021. Recently, Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated ‘The National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign-2021.’ It has been organized to discuss the challenges and strategies for crop management during the Kharif season. India has produced 303.34 million tonnes of food grains in 2020-21, which is 1.96% higher than previous years. The share of agriculture in GDP has increased from 17.8% to 19.9% in 2020-21. The government has set a target of 307 million tonnes of food production for the year 2021-22. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participates in Governor’s Seminar Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participates in Governor’s Seminar as part of Asian Development Bank’s annual meeting 2021 Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs and Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Governor for India Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the Governor’s Seminar on “Cooperation for a Resilient Future”, held as part of ADB’s annual meeting 2021. Other participants included Japan, Georgia, China, the Philippines, and the Netherlands. The virtual seminar was attended by delegates from 68 member nations of the ADB. Second BRICS Sherpas' and Sous Sherpas' meeting convened under India's Chairship concludes Under India's Chairship, BRICS countries held second Sherpas and Sous Sherpas' meeting for four days from May 25 to May 28, wherein they discussed the preparations for the upcoming meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers, which is scheduled to be held on June 1. The meeting was chaired by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Sanjay Bhattacharyya and Additional Secretary (Economic Relations), P. Harish, as India's BRICS Sherpa and Sous Sherpa respectively. BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) partners appreciated the positive leadership of Indian Chair in advancing intra-BRICS cooperation, despite challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. First anniversary of National AI Portal (INDIAai) celebrated on 28th May The first anniversary of the National AI Portal (INDIAai) has been celebrated on 28 May 2021. A virtual event has been organized on the occasion of the anniversary. National AI Portal was launched by the Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad on May 30, 2020. On the occasion of the anniversary, a new look of the website homepage has been also unveiled and a report titled ‘One year of INDIAai’ is also released. An event ‘AI PeCharcha’ based on the theme of ‘Implementing Trustworthy AI Solutions’ was also organized. Italy hosts the Global G 20 Health Summit The Global G20 Health Summit was co-hosted by European Commission along with Italy as part of its G20 presidency amid the surge and spread of the coronavirus cases. The summit adopted the agenda to overcome Covid-19 pandemic. It also decided to develop and endorse a Rome Declaration of principles. ACT-Accelerator is used for “Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator”. It is also called Global Collaboration to Accelerate Development, Production and Equitable Access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. This initiative was announced and started by the G20 grouping in April 2020. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 74th World Health Assembly Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chairman of WHO Executive Board, Dr Harsh Vardhan, chaired 74th World Health Assembly in virtual mode. Director-General of World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros, also participated in the event. Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 33rd Conference of Health Ministers of Commonwealth Countries Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan chaired the opening session of the 33rd meeting of Health Ministers of Commonwealth countries through video conferencing.
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The theme of the conference was “Commonwealth Response to COVID-19: Ensuring Equitable Access to Vaccines and Building Resilience for Health Systems and Emergencies”. Global Health Summit ended with signing of Rome declaration. The participants of Global Health Summit committed to make tangible progress towards the principles of the Rome Declaration by the G20 Summit in Rome in October 2021. Global Health Summit 2021 was held on 21 May in Rome. It has been organized by Italy in partnership with the European Commission. Indian Handicrafts and Gift Fair inaugurated in New Delhi 51st edition of Indian Handicrafts and Gift Fair has been inaugurated in New Delhi.Indian Handicrafts and Gift Fair is India’s largest fair in the Home, Fashion, Lifestyle, Textiles, and Furniture sector. Chairman of Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts Ravi K. Passi inaugurated this fair. 12th Annual Day of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) commemorated on 20 May. 12th Annual Day of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) was virtually commemorated on 20 May. On occasion, she released the ‘CCI Journal on Competition Law and Policy’. CCI was established under the Competition Commission Act, 2002, but it became fully functional in May 2009. Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS) – 2021 Indian Navy hosted ‘Goa Maritime Symposium GMS-21)’, a forum towards fostering friendly relations with the maritime neighbours, virtually due to the prevailing situation of COVID pandemic. The two-day event was concluded under the aegis of Naval War College in Goa. The theme for GMS-21 was focused on “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR Navies,” with emphasis on capacity building amongst the IOR Navies to tackle emerging common maritime threats. Dr Harsh Vardhan chaired the 26th meeting of the Group of Ministers on C-19 The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan chaired the 26th meeting of the Group of Ministers on C-19. CoWIN platform-the government developed a website for the registration and booking of vaccine appointment- will be soon accessible in Hindi and 14 other regional languages, informed in the 26th GOM meeting. Around seventeen more laboratories will be added to the INSACOG (Indian SARS CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) network. These laboratories are being added to monitor C-19 variants. Currently, there are ten laboratories in the network. NAIMISHA 2021 to start from 17th May 2021 National Gallery of Modern Art will start a month long online summer workshop- NAIMISHA 2021 from 17th May 2021. The idea behind designing and delivering online interactive programmes is to provide a creative outlet to children, and indeed all interested adults. PERSON IN NEWS Himanta Biswa Sarma Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken the oath as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam. He was elected as leader of the BJP Legislature Party. Governor Jagdish Mukhi administered the oath. In the recently held election, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has won 75 seats while INC has won 50 seats. The total strength of the Assam Legislative Assembly is 126 seats. Article 164 states that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other ministers shall be appointed on the advice of the Chief Minister. Mamata Banerjee takes oath 3rd consecutive time as CM of WB Mamata Banerjee was sworn as West Bengal Chief Minister for the third time in the shadow of C-19 and post-poll violence in parts of the state. The oath ceremony took place with C-19 protocols in place at the “Throne Room” at the Raj Bhavan. The rest of the cabinet and the council of ministers will be sworn in on May 9, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Mamata Banerjee won a landslide victory in the Bengal election to secure a third straight term. The Trinamool won 213 of 292 seats while its strongest rival, BJP, finished second with 77 seats. Mamata Banerjee will head to her office Nabanna, where she will be given a guard of honour by the Kolkata Police.
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M.K. Stalin DMK leader M.K. Stalin (Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin) has taken oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu’s Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered him the oath of Chief Minister. Governor also administered oath to the 33 cabinet ministers. DMK has recently won 16th Assembly election. It has formed government in Tamil Nadu for the 6th time. N Rangasamy AINRC chief N Rangasamy has taken the oath of Chief Minister of Puducherry. He became the Chief Minister for the fourth time. Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan administered the oath of N Rangasamy. In the recently conducted election, AINRC bagged 10 seats while BJP has won six seats. The total strength of the Puducherry Assembly is 30. BJP and AINRC will form the coalition government in Puducherry. Union Territory Delhi, Jammu Kashmir, and Puducherry have an elected Legislative Assembly. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tops Fortune’s List of Greatest Leaders New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden topped Fortune’s list of the world’s 50 greatest leaders. CEO of Serum Institute of India, Adar Poonawalla is placed at the 10th He is the only Indian among the top 10 list. Jacinda Ardern was followed by mRNA Pioneers and Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal. Neera Tanden Indian-American Neera Tanden was appointed as the senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, two months after she withdrew her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget due to stiff opposition from Republican senators. She is currently the President and CEO of a progressive think-tank, Center for American Progress (CAP). Rajesh Agrawal India-born entrepreneur Rajesh Agrawal was re-appointed as London’s Deputy Mayor for Business International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS) appoints Manisha Kapoor as its Vice- President Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) announced that its General Secretary Manisha Kapoor has now been appointed to the executive committee of the International Council for Advertising Self- Regulation (ICAS). She will be one of the four vice-presidents to serve on the executive committee of the global body. ICAS is a global platform of self-regulatory organisations that was set up by the European Advertising Standards Alliance in 2008. Elisabetta Belloni named as first woman to head Italy secret service A former ambassador has been named as the first woman to lead Italy’s secret services. Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced Elisabetta Belloni as head of the Department of Information Security (DIS). Gautam Adani becomes Asia's second richest person Adani Group founder and chairman Gautam Adani has now become the second richest man in Asia after overtaking China's Zong Shanshan. Gautam Adani's net worth stands at $67.6 billion, making him the second richest Asian and the 14th richest businessman in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. China’s Zhong was the richest Asian till February when he lost the crown to Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest person and chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd. However, while Ambani lost $175.5 million this year, Adani’s wealth surged by $32.7 billion to touch $66.5 billion, against Zhong’s $63.6 billion. Pinarayi Vijayan Pinarayi Vijayan becomes the Chief Minister of Kerala for the second successive time.According to Article 164 of the Indian constitution, the Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor and the other ministers are appointed on the advice of the Chief Minister. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administered the oath of office to Pinarayi Vijayan. Kerala Legislative Assembly has a strength of 140 members. In the recently held election, CPI (M) has won 99 seats while INC has won 41 seats. Sir David Attenborough as ‘People’s Advocate for Climate Change’ for COP26 95-year-old Sir David Attenborough has been elected as the “People’s Advocate” of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). He will play the role of “inspiring people” in order to act on climate change and protect the planet for future generations. The Conference (COP26) will be conducted in Glasgow in November 2021.United Kingdom will chair the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). Ram Karan Ram Karan Verma has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Central African Republic.
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Arun Kumar Singh The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), the government’s head-hunter, has picked Arun Kumar Singh as the chairman and managing director of state-run oil refining and marketing firm Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). Kami Rita Sherpa climbed Mt Everest for the 25th time. Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa climbed Mt Everest for the 25th time. He breaks his own record of climbing Mt Everest maximum number of times. Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal were the first people to climb Mt Everest in 1953. Junko Tabei of Japan was the first woman to reach Mount Everest in 1975. First Sikh elected in Scottish Parliament: Pam Gosal Fifty-three-year-old businesswoman Pam Gosal created history by becoming the first Sikh to be elected to the Scottish Parliament. Gosal was elected as a Conservative Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) via the West of Scotland list. Sally Buzbee The Washington Post has named longtime journalist Sally Buzbee of the Associated Press as its executive editor, marking the first time a woman has been appointed to lead the 143-year-old news organization. Jose J Kattoor The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Jose J Kattoor as Executive Director (ED). Martin Griffiths Veteran British diplomat Martin Griffiths has been appointed as the new Chief at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), for a period of five years. Yoweri Museveni Uganda’s 76-year-old president Yoweri Museveni was sworn in for a sixth term. Padmakumar Nair Padmakumar M Nair has been appointed as the CEO of the proposed National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd. Presently Padmakumar is the Chief General Manager of Stressed Assets Resolution Group at SBI. National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL), the name coined for the bad bank announced in the Budget 2021-22, is expected to be operational in June. Bad bank refers to a financial institution that takes over bad assets of lenders and undertakes resolution. Ajanta Neog Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma allocated the finance portfolio to Ajanta Neog, making her the first woman Finance Minister of Assam. She was elected to the state Assembly from the Golaghat assembly constituency in eastern Assam and also hold the social welfare portfolio. McDonald’s India (North & East) appoints Rajeev Ranjan and Rajeev Goel as its COO and CFO Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Limited (CPRL), the master franchisee for McDonald’s India (North & East), has announced the appointment of Rajeev Ranjan as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Rajeev Goel as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company. Sudhir Sitapati Godrej Consumer Products has appointed Sudhir Sitapati as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company for five years with effect from 18 October 2021. Ujjwala Singhania Ujjwala Singhania was appointed as the National President of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the oldest women-led & women-centric business chamber of Southeast Asia. Bill Nelson Former Senator Bill Nelson was sworn in as the 14th NASA Administrator by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Ceremonial Office in Washington. Indranil Pan Private sector lender Yes Bank said it has appointed Indranil Pan as its chief economist.Pan joins the bank from rival IDFC First Bank.Pan and his team will provide strategic and policy-level inputs for the bank, based on macroeconomic developments at global and national level. Sankar Ghosh An eminent and award-winning Indian-origin immunologist, Sankar Ghosh was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Vijay Goel Tehri Hydro Power Complex India limited(THDCIL) has appointed Vijay Goel as CMD V Irai Anbu Senior bureaucrat V Irai Anbu was appointed as the chief secretary of Tamil Nadu.
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RM Sundaram Raman Meenakshi Sundaram was appointed as the Director of the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), an arm of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Amitabh Chaudhry Axis Bank board has approved the re-appointment of Amitabh Chaudhry as the Managing Director and CEO of Axis Bank for three years. Vaishali S Hiwase Vaishali S Hiwase,First woman officer for a road project along the border with China has been appointed by BRO.She comes from Wardha in Maharashtra. She will command a Road Construction Company (RCC), which is tasked to provide connectivity in a high- altitude area along the India-China border. Justice P C Pant Justice P C Pant has been appointed as the acting chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).National Human Rights Commission is a statutory body that was established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It is the watchdog of human rights in the country. Niraj Bajaj Bajaj Auto has announced the appointment of Neeraj Bajaj as its new Chairman of the Board with effect from May 1, 2021. The automaker has also announced Rahul Bajaj as its Chairman Emeritus. This will be taken up at the ensuing annual general meeting for the approval of the shareholders. Mahesh Balasubramanian Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Limited (KLI) on 1st May announced it has appointed Mahesh Balasubramanian as managing director of the company. Daniel Smith Top American diplomat Daniel Smith has taken charge as the US interim envoy to India amidst the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country. The Biden administration had deputed him to spearhead close cooperation between the two countries. Samy Bengio Apple Inc has hired former distinguished Google scientist Samy Bengio, who left the search giant amid turmoil in its artificial intelligence research department. Randeep Hooda Actor Randeep Hooda has been removed as the ambassador of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).He has been removed as ambassador after a video went viral where he was making a joke on the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals: It is also known as Bonn Convention. It is an environmental treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. It was signed in 1979 under the United Nations Environment Programme. Jagjit Pavadia Former Narcotics Commissioner of India, Jagjit Pavadia, has been elected as the President of the International Narcotics Control Board. B V R Subrahmanyam The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of B.V.R. Subrahmanyam as Commerce Secretary. Bashar Al-Assad After winning the election, Bashar Al-Assad has become the President of Syria for the fourth time. Andy Jassy Andy Jassy will officially become CEO of Amazon on 5th July 2021.Jeff Bezos is currently CEO of Amazon. He will become Executive Chairman of Amazon Board. Anatole Collinet Makosso Anatole Collinet Makosso is appointed as Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo. Subodh Kumar Subodh Kumar Jaiswal has been appointed as Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Aashritha V Olety Squadron Leader Aashritha V Olety has become the first female flight test engineer in the Indian Air Force. Subodh Kumar Jaiswal IPS officer Subodh Kumar Jaiswal took charge as director of the CBI Sanjay Dutt receives UAE’s golden visa Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt said he has received a golden visa for the UAE. The Golden Visa system essentially offers long-term residency to people with outstanding talents.
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Shahid Jameel Senior virologist Shahid Jameel has resigned as chairman of scientific advisory group of Indian SARS- CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). INSACOG is a forum established by the union government in December last year for surveillance of circulating strains of COVID-19 in India. Out of the six variants of concern of coronavirus, India is dealing with three variants. They are B.1.1.7 (UK variant), B.1.351 (South Africa variant), and P.1 (Brazil variant). Last year, traces of double mutants - an Indian version called B.1.617 - appeared for the first time in cases of Maharashtra. Abhay Tewari Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd has announced the appointment of Abhay Tewari as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. P Sitaram The Board of Directors of IDBI Bank has approved the appointment of P Sitaram, Executive Director (ED), as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Key Managerial Personnel with effect from June 1, 2021. Sunit Sarkar IDBI Bank’s board approved the appointment of Sunit Sarkar, ED (In -Situ) as Internal Auditor of the Bank with effect from June 1, 2021 in place of MV Phadke, ED & Internal Auditor. Baljeet Kaur, Gunbala Sharma Become First Indian Women Mountaineers To Summit Mount Pumori Amid COVID-19 Women mountaineers, Baljeet Kaur from Himachal Pradesh and Gunbala Sharma from Rajasthan became the first Indian women to summit Mount Pumori (7,161 meters) in Nepal. The duo was a part of a 12-member team that will attempt to conquer all four peaks that are part of the Everest Massif. Samir Seksaria Tata Consultancy Services has announced that Samir Seksaria will take over as the company’s Chief Financial Officer Penpa Tsering Penpa Tsering, the former speaker of Tibet’s parliament-in-exile, was elected the new president of the Tibet exile government. Moctar Ouane Moctar Ouane Reappointed as Prime Minister of Mali Satoshi Uchida Suzuki Motorcycle India has appointed Satoshi Uchida as the new Company Head. Gunjan Shah Footwear major Bata India has appointed Gunjan Shah as its new chief executive officer. He has been serving at Britannia Industries as its chief commercial officer. He replaces Sandeep Kataria, who was elevated as the global CEO of Bata Brands. Martha Koome Martha Koome has been appointed as Kenya’s first female chief justice. She is appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Reema Jain Vodafone Idea appointed Reema Jain as CFO Gunjan Shah Footwear company Bata India has taken a decision to appoint Gunjan Shah as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Sunil Jain Financial Express managing editor Sunil Jain passed away at the age of 58. He started his journalistic career as a reporter in India Today. KP Sharma Oli KP Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepal’s Prime Minister for the third time after he lost a vote of confidence in Parliament. He was served as the Prime Minister of Nepal from 2015 to 2016 and from 2018 to 2021. AWARD Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021
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The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021 were announced on February 20, 2021, for honouring the best in television, film, and music. This year's awards also included the OTT category keeping in view its rising popularity and immense talent showcased on the platform. Late Actor Sushant Singh Rajput was awarded the ‘Critics Best Actor’ award for his performance in the latest release ‘Dil Bechara’. Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards were introduced by the Government of India in 1969 to commemorate the Father of the Indian Cinema Dadasaheb Phalke. Complete list of winners:
Category Winners
Deepika Padukone Best Actor (Female) (Chhapaak)
Best Actor (Male) Akshay Kumar (Laxmii)
Sushant Singh Rajput (Dil Critic’s Best Actor Bechara)
Critic’s Best Actress Kiara Advani (Guilty)
Tanhaji: The Unsung Best Film Warrior Best International Feature Parasite Film
Most Vesatile Actor Kay Kay Menon
Best Director Anurag Basu (Ludo)
Best Actor in Supporting Vikrant Messy Role (Chhapaak) Best Actress in Radhika Madan (Angrezi Supporting Role Medium)
Best Actor in Comic Role Kunal Kemmu (Lootcase)
Best Actor (Web Series) Bobby Deol (Aashram)
Best Actress (Web Series) Sushmita Sen (Aarya)
Best Web Series Scam: 1992
Album of the Year Titliyaan
Best Television Series Kundali Bhagya
Best Actress in Television Surbhi Chandna Series Best Actor in Television Dheeraj Dhoopar Series
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Photographer of the Year Daboo Ratnani
Style Diva of the Year Divya Khosla Kumar
Performer of the Year Nora Fatehi
Outstanding Contribution to the Indian Film Dharmendra Industry Outstanding Contribution to Literature in Indian Chetan Bhagat Cinema Best Short Film Khayali Pulao Jungle Cry won the Best Film (Jury) award at the 11th Dada Saheb Phalke International Film Festival 2021. Based on the inspiring true story of 12 students from Kalinga Institute (KISS) ‘Jungle Cry’ follows their triumphant journey to the International Junior Rugby Tournament held in the UK in 2007. Shakuntala Hark Singh of Indian origin receives World Food Award 2021 Indian-origin global nutritionist, Dr Shakuntala Hark Singh Thilstad has received the “World Food Award” of the year 2021. She developed a holistic and nutritionally sensitive approach to seafood and food systems and has received an award for his research. The award is also known as the Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture. IREDA conferred with the Green Urja Award Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA) has been conferred with the “Green Urja Award” for being the Leading Public Institution in the Financing Institution for Renewable Energy this year by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). IREDA gets the award for the pivotal and developmental role it plays in Green Energy Financing. Despite the pandemic time, IREDA has ended the year 2020-21 ended on a strong note and disbursed the second-highest (from the date of inception) amount of loan amounting to Rs. 8827 crore, which indicates that IREDA has the ability to translate this problem into an opportunity. Mumbai-born Dr Tahera Qutbuddin first Indian to win Arab World Nobel Prize Dr. Tahera Qutbuddin has become the first person from India to win the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Book Award. The Mumbai-born professor won the honour for her book ‘Arabic Oration: Art and Function’, which was published by Brill Academic Publishers of Leiden in 2019. Sheikh Zayed Book Award is popularly known as the Arabic world’s Nobel Prize.The award aims at showcasing the most powerful, stimulating and challenging works representing the Arab world. 19-year-old Becomes Youngest Pakistani To Climb Mt Everest A 19-year old man became the youngest Pakistani to summit Mt Everest, the world’s highest peak. Shehroze Kashif, who hails from Lahore, has earlier climbed Broad Peak (8,047m) in the Karakoram range when he was 17 years old. Justice Gita Mittal Conferred Arline Pacht Global Vision Award. Justice Gita Mittal, former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, has been conferred the Arline Pacht Global Vision Award for 2021 by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ). She has shared this award with Justice Margarita Luna Ramos of Mexico. She has been honoured with this award at IAWJ’s Biennial Conference. She has been awarded for her effort in raising awareness about the right to equality for every human being. She was the first woman Chief Justice of J&K High Court. At present, Gita Mittal is the Chairperson of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC). Singer Pink bags Icon Award at Billboard Music Awards Singer Pink will be honoured with the Icon Award at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs). The award aims to recognize artists who have achieved success on the Billboard charts and left an indelible impact on music. Pink joins previous honourees that include Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Cher, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Garth Brooks. Maria Ressa conferred UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize 2021 Maria Ressa has been named as the 2021 laureate of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. The $25,000 prize “recognizes outstanding contributions to the defence or promotion of press freedom
62 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE – 2021 especially in the face of danger,” according to UNESCO. The prize was named after Guillermo Cano Isaza, the Colombian journalist. Japanese Government awarded Shyamala Ganesh the “Order of Rising Sun” The Japanese Government recently awarded the “Order of Rising Sun” to a Bengaluru based Japanese teacher, Shyamala Ganesh. She is a Japanese teacher at the Septuagenarian institution and also at the Ohara School of Ikebana in RT Nagar, Bengaluru. She has tutored more than hundreds of students since its inception 38 years ago. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. The award is presented to those who have made distinguished achievements in the promotion of Japanese culture, achievements in international relations, advancements in their field and conservation of the environment. Karishma Dube's ‘Bittu’ and Tamil film ‘Seththumaan’ bagged top prizes at IFFLA 2021. Thamizh's debut film 'Seththumaan' and Karishma Dube's short film 'Bittu' have bagged top prizes at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) 2021. The 19th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) has been organized from May 20-27. Tamil film 'Seththumaan' won Grand Jury Award for Best Feature film and Karishma Dube's short film 'Bittu' won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film. The Audience Award for Best Short film was given to ‘The Song We Sang’. ‘Fire InThe Mountains’ has won the Audience Award for the Best Feature film. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen conferred with Spain’s Princess of Asturias Award in the social sciences category. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has been conferred with Spain’s Princess of Asturias Award in the social sciences category.Dr Amartya Sen’s best-known work is ‘Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation (1981)’. He was conferred Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998.
C.N.R. Rao will be conferred International Eni Award 2020. Renowned Professor C.N.R. Rao will be awarded the International Eni Award 2020 for research into renewable energy. He has been awarded for his research on metal oxides, carbon nanotubes, and two-dimensional systems. He has been working on hydrogen energy. He has been working on the Hydrogen storage, photochemical and electrochemical production of hydrogen, and solar production of hydrogen. SpiceHealth wins Gold Stevie Award 2021. SpiceHealth has won the Gold Stevie Award at the 2021 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. It has been awarded under the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) response category as ‘Most Valuable Medical Innovation’. SpiceHealth played a crucial role in doing Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing of Covid patients at low cost. It has introduced mobile testing laboratories for remote areas. Hockey India honoured with prestigious Etienne Glichitch Award Hockey India won the prestigious Etienne Glichitch Award in recognition of its contribution to the growth and development of the sport in the country. The awards was announced by the game’s governing body FIH during the HockeyInvites virtual conference as part of its 47th FIH Congress which concluded with the FIH Honorary Awards. The Pablo Negre Award was presented to the Uzbekistan Hockey Federation and The Polish Hockey Association picked up the Theo Ikema Award. Among individuals, England striker Sam Ward was named as the recipient of the Super Fair Play Trophy René G Frank.The Guust Lathouwers Memorial Trophy – for an individual who has made a significant mark on the development of umpiring – went to Croatia’s Ivona Makar.Sharon Williamson of New Zealand was named as the winner of the HRH Sultan Azlan Shah Award Odisha CM’s aide VK Pandian conferred with FIH Presidents award V Karthikeyan Pandian, an IAS officer, and private secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, was conferred with President’s award by International Hockey Federation during the 47th FIH Congress. Karthikeyan was awarded for his contribution towards the development and promotion of hockey in Odisha. Shergaon BMC bags best Biodiversity Management Committee award in Arunachal Pradesh The Shergaon Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh was awarded the best such panel in the country at the fifth edition of the India Biodiversity Award.The award was given by the National Biodiversity Authority at a virtual programme on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity(May 22). Robert Lewandowski wins Europe’s Golden Shoe award
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For the first time in his career, Robert Lewandowski has won the European Golden Boot. The Bayern Munich striker scored an incredible 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances to claim the top scorer spot in Europe. Dr D Nageshwar Reddy becomes first Indian to receive Rudolf V Schindler Award The American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has honoured Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, AIG Hospitals, with the renowned Rudolf V Schindler Award. The award was presented at the ASGE’s annual Crystal Awards virtual ceremony. With this, Dr Reddy becomes the first Indian medical practitioner to win this award. Rudolf V Schindler Award is the highest category in the prestigious Crystal Awards named after Dr Schindler who is considered as “the father of gastroscopy.” Breathe Applied Sciences was awarded TDB National Award 2021. A Bangalore-based startup, Breathe Applied Sciences, has received the TDB National Award 2021. Breathe Applied Sciences has developed a method for converting CO2 to methanol and other chemicals. It has developed a method to increase the production of chemicals and fuels from anthropogenic CO2 generated from the steel industry, cement industry, and coal and natural gas power generation plants. Shaji N M bags India Biodiversity Award 2021. Shaji N M, a farmer from Kerala, has won the India Biodiversity Award 2021 in the individual category of ‘Conservation of domesticated species’. He has been awarded this prize on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) 2021. He is also known as the ‘Tuber Man’ of Kerala. He is famous for cultivating more than 200 species of the tuber. Suresh Mukund, has won the 10th Annual ‘World Choreography Award 2020’ The Emmy Award-nominated Indian choreographer Suresh Mukund, has won the 10th Annual ‘World Choreography Award 2020’, (also known as Choreo Awards), becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious honour. He won the award in the ‘TV REALITY SHOW/COMPETITION’ category, for his work on the hit American TV reality show ‘World of Dance’. The World Choreography Awards, famously known as the “Oscars of Dance”, takes place every year, in Los Angeles, to showcase the most innovative and original works by the world’s best choreographers featured in television, film, commercials, digital content, and music videos. Winners of the 2020 Millennium Technology Prize are declared. Chemists Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman were declared winners of the 2020 Millennium Technology Prize. They got this award for the development of the Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) techniques. It will help in determining the DNA sequence in less time. Millennium Technology Prize is awarded by Technology Academy Finland (TAF). Classical musician Pandit Rajeev Taranath, scientist Dr K Kasturirangan to get Basavashree awards Sarod Maestro Pandit Rajeev Taranath of Mysuru and renowned Space Scientist Dr. K. Kasturirangan have been selected for the prestigious Basavashri Award for the year 2019 and 2020 respectively , given by Chitradurga’s Murugha Mutt. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh and a citation. Pt. Taranath is a renowned Sarod Maestro, who has achieved big in Hindustani music through sheer excellence. Dr. Kasturirangan headed the country’s premier Space Agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for more than nine years and also served as a Member of the Planning Commission. Miss Mexico Andrea Meza wins Miss Universe 2020. Miss Mexico Andrea Meza has won Miss Universe 2020. Adline Castelino represented India. She came fourth. She was crowned as Miss Diva Universe 2020. Union Education Minister receives ‘International Invincible Gold Medal’. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has been conferred the ‘International Invincible Gold Medal’ award of 2021. He has been honoured with this award for his outstanding service to humanity through his writings, social and public life. NBA creates social Justice Award The NBA has announced the creation of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, named after the Los Angeles Lakers icon and all-time leading scorer. The new award will recognize one NBA player for his ongoing pursuit of social justice and values of equality, respect and inclusion. Nagaland’s Nuklu Phom wins prestigious Whitley Award 2021 for his ‘biodiversity peace corridor’ Nagaland conservationist, Y Nuklu Phom has won the prestigious ‘Whitley Awards 2021’ for his efforts towards creating the “Biodiversity Peace Corridor”, a network of community-owned forests in Nagaland.
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He is the only Indian to win the prestigious award — awarded annually to individuals from the Global South by UK-based charity the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN). UN Chief honours Indian peacekeeper Yuvraj Singh, who died in line of duty in 2020 An Indian peacekeeper, who lost his life in the line of duty in 2020, was honoured at a solemn memorial service that paid tribute to over 300 United Nations personnel who died last year, the highest number of UN colleagues lost in a single year. Corporal Yuvraj Singh was among the 336 UN personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty and due to the COVID-19 and related circumstances between January 1 and December 31, 2020. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres led the annual memorial service honouring the United Nations personnel. SPORTS Aryna Sabalenka won Madrid Open 2021 by defeating Ashleigh Barty Aryna Sabalenka won Madrid Open 2021 by defeating Ashleigh Barty by 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 in the women’s singles final. This is the first defeat of Ashleigh Barty on clay since 2019. Australia’s Ashleigh Barty is on the first rank in the WTA Women’s Tennis Rankings, while Aryna Sabalenka is on the 7th Position. In the men’s singles final, Alexander Zverev defeated Matteo Berrettini by 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. It is his second Madrid title. Manchester City crowned Premier League champions for the 3rd time in four seasons Manchester City has crowned Premier League champions for the third time in four seasons after Manchester United crashed to a 2-1 defeat against Leicester. Manchester City has already won the League Cup (2020 – 2021). Arzan Nagwaswalla First Parsi in Indian cricket team after Farokh Engineer Arzan Nagwaswalla, a 23-year-old left-arm seamer from Gujarat, has been picked as a reserve player in the Indian Test squad for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton. Arzan Rohinton Nagwaswalla, hailing from a Parsi community in a village near the Maharashtra border, is the first Parsi cricketer to break into the national team since 1975 and the only active Parsi cricketer. Farokh Engineer played his final Test for India in 1975, while Diana Edulji’s last game in the women’s team came in July 1993. The youngest member of a Parsi community from the village of Nargol, Nagwaswalla is the first Parsi cricketer to break into the Indian men’s team since 1975. BJ Watling New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling has announced he would be retiring from international cricket after the three Tests, including the World Test Championship Final against India to be held in England.He has played 73 Tests, 28 ODIs and 5 T20Is. Babar Azam and Alyssa Healy named the ICC players of the month for April 2021 Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for April 2021. Australian women’s team wicketkeeper-batsman Alyssa Healy was bagged the ICC Women’s Player of the month for her incredible performances in April. Two Indian rowers, Arjun Jaat and Arvind Singh, qualify for Tokyo Olympics. Two Indian rowers, Arjun Jaat and Arvind Singh succeeded in qualifying for Tokyo Olympics. They qualified for the Men’s Double sculls event. Jakar Khan finished fourth in the Men’s Singles sculls final. Arjun Lal and Arvind will be the only Indian rowers in the Tokyo Games that would open on 23rd July. In sailing, four Indians have already qualified for the Tokyo games. Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian female sailor to qualify for the Olympics. International Olympic Committee (IOC) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pfizer Inc and its partner BionNTech SE to donate doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Games participants from National Olympic and Paralympic Committees all over the world. Mark Selby becomes World Champion for 4th time in snooker. English professional snooker player Mark Selby has become World Champion for the 4th time in snooker. Mark Selby defeated Shaun Murphy by 18-15 victory at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. He has now achieved the second spot in world rankings, next only to Judd Trump. PV Sindhu and Michelle Li selected as athlete ambassadors for ‘Believe in Sports’ campaign of IOC. PV Sindhu and Canada’s Michelle Li have been selected as athlete ambassadors for ‘Believe in Sports’ campaign of the International Olympic Committee.
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Since April 2020, they are global ambassadors for ‘I am badminton’ campaign of Badminton World Federation. ‘Believe in Sports’ campaign was started in 2018. It was started to raise awareness among athletes, coaches and officials about the threat of competition manipulation. Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) won the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, held on 09 May 2021. This win is the fifth successive Spanish Grand Prix title of Lewis Hamilton and the third win of this season. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Netherlands) came second followed by Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes- Finland) at third position. The race was the fourth round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Japan’s Naomi Osaka wins 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards World number two tennis player Naomi Osaka of Japan has been named “Sportswoman of the Year” at the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards. This is Osaka’s second Laureus Sports Awards. In 2019, she won the “Breakthrough of the Year” award. In the men’s category, World number two Rafael Nadal of Spain won the 2021 “Laureus Sportsman of the Year” title. This is the second title for Nadal, who also claimed the prestigious award in 2011. ICC Banned, Former Sri Lanka player Nuwan Zoysa for 6 years Former Sri Lanka player and coach, Nuwan Zoysa has been banned from all cricket for six years after an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of breaching the ICC anti-corruption code. The ban for Zoysa is backdated to 31 October 2018, when he was provisionally suspended. Thisara Perera Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perera has announced retirement from international cricket. Pooja Rani wins gold medal in 75kg Women’s category at Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai. Pooja Rani has won gold medal in the 75kg Women’s category at Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai. Legendary pugilist MC Mary Kom, Lalbuatsaihi and Anupama won silver medals at Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai. Six-time world champion Mary Kom lost to two-time world champion Kazakhstan’s Nazym Kyzaibay in the final of the 51kg category. Anupama won a silver medal after losing to Kazakhstan’s Lazzat Kungeibayeva in the Women’s 81kg final. 31st edition of the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships is being held from 24 to 31 May 2021 in Dubai, UAE. Achinta Sheuli wins silver medal (73 kg) at Junior World Weightlifting Championships 2021. Indian weightlifter Achinta Sheuli bagged a silver medal in the men’s 73-kilogram category of the Junior World Weightlifting Championships 2021. Junior World Weightlifting Championships 2021 is scheduled to be organized in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from May 23 to 31. Max Verstappen wins Monaco Grand Prix. Max Verstappen has won the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time in his career. It is his second victory of this season. Atletico Madrid clinch La Liga title Atletico Madrid pipped city rivals Real Madrid to the La Liga title after Luis Suarez fired them to a 2-1 comeback win at Real Valladolid. Atletico finished top of the standings on 86 points while Real, who snatched a late 2-1 win over Villarreal, came second on 84. Valladolid finished 19th and were relegated to Spain’s second division. Barcelona beats Chelsea to win Women’s Champions League final Barcelona put on a brilliant display to beat Chelsea 4-0 to win the Women’s Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history. Barca is the first team from Spain to win Europe’s top club competition, which had been dominated recently by seven-time champions Lyon. Sports Ministry gives approval to open 143 Khelo India Centres across 7 states in country The Sports Ministry has given its approval to open 143 Khelo India Centres across seven states in the country with a total budget estimate of Rs 14.30 crore. The states include Maharashtra, Mizoram, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur Australia’s Jack Miller wins rain hit French MotoGP Ducati’s Jack Miller held his nerve in a crash-filled MotoGP race in rainy conditions to win the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, with the Australian finishing ahead of local hopes Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo. Germany’s FIFA World Cup-winner Sami Khedira announces retirement Germany’s World Cup-winning midfielder Sami Khedira said he will retire following his club Hertha Berlin’s final match of the Bundesliga season against Hoffenheim. Ashok Kumar, the only Indian referee to officiate in wrestling in Tokyo Olympics
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Ashok Kumar will be the only referee from the country to officiate in wrestling matches of the Tokyo Olympic Games. He was named in the list of officials released by the United World Wrestling (UWW). Ashok, who will officiate in his second consecutive Olympics, has officiated in more than 100 international events, including the World championships, Asian championships and Commonwealth Games. He is a UWW referees’ educator as well. Phil Mickelson wins PGA Championship American professional golfer, Phil Mickelson has created history by winning the 2021 PGA Championship, at the age of 50. With this victory, Mickelson became the oldest player to win a major title in the history of the PGA Tour. This is his sixth major title. European Shooting Ch’ship: Tejaswini Sawant tops MQS section of 50-m rifle prone event In the European Shooting Championship in Croatia, former world champion Tejaswini Sawant topped the Minimum Qualification Score section of the 50-m rifle prone event. The 40-year-old Tejaswini shot 622.7 to finish ahead of three other compatriots and six Iranians. She will represent India in the 50-m rifle 3 positions event at the Olympic Games — her maiden Olympics — in July-August. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar shot 620.3 to finish second in the field of nine shooters while Sanjeev Rajput scored 619.7. Novak Djokovic clinches Belgrade Open title In Tennis, world number one Novak Djokovic clinched the Belgrade Open title after defeating Slovakia’s Alex Molcan in Serbia. Serbian maestro Djokovic outclassed first-time ATP Tour finals Molcan 6-4, 6-3 in 88 minutes. With this win, Djokovic has so far captured three titles at his home nation and over all he secured 83 singles titles in his career. UAE to host remainder IPL 2021 tournament in September-October The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that the remaining matches of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will be played in the United Arab Emirates in September-October this year. The dates for the IPL are yet to be announced. There are 31 remaining matches in this year’s IPL. India will host U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022. The U-17 Women’s World Cup will be organized in India from October 11 to 30, 2022. The FIFA Council announced the date in the 71st FIFA Congress. Earlier, FIFA had cancelled the 2021 Women’s Under-17 World Cup due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was supposed to be hosted by India. FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will be held in Costa Rica from 10 to 28 August 2022 Asia Cup 2021 postponed due to C-19 The Asia Cup T20 tournament, which was scheduled to be held in June in Sri Lanka, has been postponed indefinitely due to the C-19 pandemic. The tournament which was originally scheduled to be held in September 2020 in Sri Lanka was moved to June 2021 due to C-19. With all the teams planning for their Future Tour Programs (FTPs) for the next two years, the tournament is likely to happen only after the 2023 ICC 50-over World Cup. Ashleigh Barty wins the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Ashleigh Barty won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2021. The world number one defeated Aryna Sabalenka 3: 6, 6: 0 and 6: 3 in the final. International Table Tennis Federation ties up with Stupa to provide performance analytics The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has entered into a tie-up with an Indian start-up company, Stupa Sports Analytics to provide Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled real-time match and practice solutions to leading players in all its 226 member associations. This collaboration also helps in strengthening the performance of ITTF’s “With the Future in Mind” scholarship holders for the upcoming Olympic and Youth Olympic Games. International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF): Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland, President: Thomas Weikert Harry Gurney England fast bowler Harry Gurney had announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The 39-year-old left- arm pacer represented England in 10 ODIs and two T20 Internationals picking 11 and 3 wickets He also represented Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League. Arjan Bhullar becomes the first Indian-origin fighter to win a world title at a top-level MMA event Arjan Bhullar became the first Indian-origin fighter to win a world title in a top-level MMA promotion when he beat Brandon Vera to become the heavyweight world champion at the Singapore-based One Championship. He had won a gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in 120kg freestyle wrestling held in New Delhi.
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AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships 2021 to be held in Belgrade, Serbia The International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced that the world championship of boxing for men will be held from 26 October to 6 November in Belgrade, Serbia. The previous edition of the championship was hosted by Ekaterinburg, Russia in 2019. International Boxing Association (AIBA) Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland, President: Umar Kremlyov Ramesh Powar Ramesh Powar has been appointed as head coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team. He has been appointed by the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of BCCI. Madan Lal, Sulakshana Naik, and RP Singh are members of the Committee. Rafael Nadal clinched Italian Open by defeating Novak Djokovic. Rafael Nadal has won the Italian Open by defeating Novak Djokovic by 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the final of men’s singles. Now, Rafael Nadal has equaled the record of Novak Djokovic of winning the most number of Masters 1000 titles. Italian Open: It is a tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is played on Clay court. India’s Tejaswini Shankar wins consecutive high jump titles in the USA Representing Kansas State University, India’s Tejaswini Shankar won back-to-back men’s high jump titles in the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Manhattan, USA. He had also won the men’s high jump title in the 2019 edition of the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He is the third Indian to compete in the highly competitive USA circuit. Kobe Bryant was inducted posthumously into the basketball Hall of Fame 2020 American professional basketball player Kobe Bryant was inducted posthumously into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 2020. He was the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008. He was in the United States team that won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012. North Korea withdraws from 2022 FIFA World cup The Asian Football Confederation confirmed the withdrawal of North Korea from the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Prior to their withdrawal, North Korea ranked fourth in Group H after five matches, just one point behind group leaders Turkmenistan. The group also includes South Korea, Lebanon and Sri Lanka Shiv Sunder Das Shiv Sunder Das appointed as batting coach of Indian women’s cricket team Kazakhstan tennis player Roman Khassanov banned for corruption The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced that Roman Khassanov, who represented Kazakhstan in the Davis Cup has been banned for 10 years after admitting a string of corruption charges. Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win Italian Open title In tennis, Rafael Nadal beat world number one Novak Djokovic to win a 10th Italian Open title. Second seed Spaniard Nadal won through 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 against the defending champion. Nadal also equalled Djokovic’s record of 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles in his 12th Rome final. The Women’s Singles title has been won by Polish teenager Iga Swiatek. 15th seed Swiatek defeated ninth seed Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0. In the men’s doubles, the second-seeded Croats Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic powered their way to their sixth Italian Open trophy, beating fifth-seeded Rajeev Ram of the USA and Briton Joe Salisbury the final 6- 4, 7-6. Women’s Doubles title has been clinched by Sharon Fichman and Giuliana Olmos after defeating Kristina Mladenovic and Markéta Vondroušová in the final, 4-6, 7-5, 10-5. 2021 Rugby World Cup: New Zealand to host postponed women’s tournament in October and November 2022 World Rugby has announced that New Zealand will now host the postponed 2021 Rugby World Cup (RWC) more than one year after it was initially scheduled, following confirmation of a new masterplan for the women’s tournament. In March, World Rugby announced it would postpone the 2021 RWC until next year due to ongoing concerns over the “uncertain and challenging” global COVID-19 situation. The rugby union showpiece was due to be held from September 18 to October 16, but has now been granted a fresh position in the calendar of October 8 to November 12, 2022 Leicester beat Chelsea to clinch maiden FA Cup title Leicester won the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s 137-year history last night as Youri Tielemans’s sensational strike beat Chelsea 1-0 in front of 22,000 fans at Wembley.
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Mohali International Hockey Stadium renamed after Balbir Singh Sr. Mohali International Hockey Stadium was renamed after Balbir Singh Sr. Punjab Sports Minister announced renaming on the occasion of the first death anniversary of Balbir Singh Sr. He was a three-time Olympic gold medalist. All India Chess Federation launches ‘Checkmate Covid Initiative’ to help chess community fight COVID- 19 All India Chess Federation (AICF) launched the ‘Checkmate Covid Initiative’ to help the chess community affected by the pandemic. The initiative was launched at an online event in the presence of FIDE (World Chess Federation) president Arkady Dvorkovich, Viswanathan Anand (five-time world champion), World Rapid Chess Champion Koneru Humpy, AICF president Sanjay Kapoor and Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IIT Madras developed a blockchain-based healthcare information system for mobile apps BlockTrack, a Blockchain-based healthcare information system, has been developed by IIT Madras. BlockTrack is a blockchain-based secure medical data and information exchange system for a mobile phone application. BlockTrack is currently field tested at IIT Madras’s Hospital. BlockTrack project is supported by Infosys through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). BlockTrack aims to securely digitize healthcare information systems. It also aims to protect sensitive personal information and medical records by decentralizing ownership of patient data through a blockchain- based innovation. SpaceX will launch ‘DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon’ Elon Musk-owned SpaceX is set to launch the “DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon”, the first-ever commercial lunar payload, paid entirely in the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. The satellite is scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 2022 onboard the Falcon 9 rocket. The dogecoin-funded mission is led by the Canadian company Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC). This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce ISRO develops 3 cost-effective ventilators, oxygen concentrator The Indian Space Research Organisation’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, said it has developed three different types of ventilators and an oxygen concentrator at a time when a shortage of these critical medical equipment resulted in deaths of many Covid-19 patients across the country. Based on designs, features and specifications, we have named them, Prana, VaU and Svasta. All three are user-friendly, fully automated and with touch-screen specifications, meeting all safety standards. Technology transfer will be done for the commercial production of these three ventilators and the one oxygen concentrator by this month itself. Likely to be priced around 1 lakh, the ventilators developed by the ISRO were cost-effective and easy to handle compared to the mini conventional ventilators that are currently priced around 5 lakh. SpaceX Starship rocket prototype achieved first safe landing. SpaceX has conducted a test launch of its starship prototype rocket from Texas on 5 May 2021. The rocket successfully landed after the test flight. It is the first successful landing of SpaceX’s Starship rocket prototype. It is the most remarkable achievement in the development of the reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle. The reusable rocket will be used to carry astronauts and large cargo payloads to the moon and Mars. The rocket has been launched on the 60th anniversary of the first spaceflight of America. SpaceX: It is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company founded by Elon Musk in 2002. Scientists discover lightest known type of Uranium. Scientists have discovered the lightest known type of Uranium, Uranium-214. The discovery of the lightest known Uranium could help us know more about alpha particles that are released from the decay of certain radioactive elements. Uranium-214 is an isotope of Uranium. It is much lighter than more common uranium isotopes, including Uranium-235. Uranium-235 is used in nuclear reactors.
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The new Uranium isotope has been created at Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou, China, by shining a beam of Argon at Tungsten. The half-life of Uranium-214 isotope is just half a millisecond. U-238 has a half-life of about 4.5 billion years. Isotopes are atoms of the same element. They have the same atomic number but different mass numbers. Protium, deuterium and tritium are three isotopes of Hydrogen. IBM unveils the world’s first 2-nanometer chip technology IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) has unveiled a breakthrough in semiconductor design and process with the development of the world’s first chip with 2 nanometers (nm) nanosheet technology. It is projected to achieve 45 per cent higher performance or 75 per cent lower energy use than today’s most advanced 7 nm node chips. Semiconductors play critical roles in everything from computing to appliances, to communication devices, transportation systems and critical infrastructure. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched another 60 Starlink internet satellites. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched another 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit on April 28. Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This marked company’s 10th launch of the year. First stage of the rocket returned to Earth and touched down on SpaceX’s drone ship “Just Read the Instructions”. SpaceX has two operational drone ships, Just Read the Instructions and Of Course I Still Love You. Starlink is a project under which SpaceX aims to send 12,000 satellites to provide space based internet. Scientists Developed New High-yielding, Pest-resistant Soybean Variety ‘MACS 1407’ Scientists in India have developed a high-yielding & pest-resistant variety of soybean ‘MACS 1407’. This new variety is suitable for cultivation in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam and Northeastern states. The seeds of MACS 1407 will be made available to the farmers for sowing during the 2022 Kharif season. The near isothermal forging technology developed by DRDO. The near isothermal forging technology for aeroengines has been developed by DRDO. Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a metallurgical laboratory of DRDO at Hyderabad, has developed this technology. The technology can produce all five stages of high-pressure compressors (HPC) discs out of difficult-to- deform titanium alloy by using the isothermal forge press facility available at DMRL, Hyderabad. The technology has been transferred to M/s MIDHANI through a licensing agreement for technology transfer to meet bulk production requirements. NASA planning to land its first mobile robot on the Moon in late 2023. NASA is planning to land its first mobile robot on the Moon in late 2023 under its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The robot will search for ice and other resources on and below the lunar surface. The name of the Robot is Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). It will go to the South Pole of the moon. DRDO develops antibody detection-based kit ‘DIPCOVAN’ Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO has developed an antibody detection-based kit ‘DIPCOVAN’, the DIPAS-VDx COVID-19 IgG Antibody Microwell ELISA for sero-surveillance. The kit will be very useful for understanding COVID‐19 epidemiology and assessing an individual’s previous SARS‐CoV‐2 exposure. The kit can detect both spike as well as nucleocapsid proteins of SARS- CoV-2 virus with a high sensitivity of 97 per cent and specificity of 99 per cent. The kit has been developed in association with Vanguard Diagnostics Private Limited, a development and manufacturing diagnostics company based at New Delhi It requires just 75 minutes to conduct the test without any cross reactivity with other diseases. The kit has a shelf life of 18 months and it is expected to be available at about 75 rupees per test. NASA joins hands with ISRO to develop Earth Observatory to mitigate climate change, better disaster management A new system to be developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aided by radar systems from the Indian Space & Research Organisation (ISRO) will provide key information to guide efforts related to climate change and disaster mitigation. As part of the Earth System Observatory, each satellite will be designed uniquely to work together and create a 3D, holistic view of Earth, from bedrock to atmosphere.
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The observatory follows recommendations from the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which lays out ambitious but critically necessary research and observation guidance. IIT Ropar develops unique detector ‘FakeBuster’ to detect imposters attending a virtual conference The Indian Institute of Technology in Punjab’s Ropar said that the institute along with Australia based Monash University has developed a unique detector named ‘FakeBuster’ to detect imposters attending a virtual conference without anybody’s knowledge. The detector can also find out faces manipulated on social media to defame or make joke of someone. A professor of IIT Guwahati developed materials for smart window. Dr. Debabrata Sikdar and Ashish Kumar Chowdhary of IIT Guwahati have developed material for the smart window. The smart window will control the amount of heat and light that passes through it. It will help in developing efficient automatic climate control systems in buildings.The smart window will help in maintaining the ambient indoor temperature and it can become an alternative to central air-conditioning systems. SCTIMST, an Institute of National Importance under DST, develops new multiplex RT-PCR kit. Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an Institute of National Importance under Department of Science and Technology (DST), has developed a new multiplex RT-PCR kit. The new kit has been developed with novel gene targets to facilitate detection across various mutant strains of COVID-19. The new kit targets two SARS CoV2 genes: RdRp and ORFb-nsp14. It has the human RNAse P gene as the internal control. The ORFb-nsp14 is one of the least mutated genes in Covid19. As of now, no other kit in the market targets ORFb-nsp14. The new kit uses multiplex Taqman chemistry. It simultaneously amplifies all three genes in a single reaction. The amplification time for the assay is 45 minutes. This excludes the time required for the RNA isolation from nasopharyngeal swab samples. On 14th May 2021, SCTIMST has signed a non-exclusive license MoU with Huwel Lifesciences, Hyderabad, to commercialize the kit. RT-PCR: The full form of RT-PCR is Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction. It is a technique in which RNA is converted to DNA through reverse transcription and DNA targets are amplified by using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). DRDO develops AI tool for COVID detection in chest X-rays DRDO has developed an Artificial Intelligence algorithm that can detect the presence of COVID-19 disease in Chest X-rays. Named ATMAN AI, the tool was developed by DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), with the support of 5C Network & HCG Academics. This would be utilised by 5C Network, the country’s largest digital network of radiologists, with support of HCG Academics, the statement said. Triaging COVID suspect patients using X-ray is fast, cost-effective and efficient. Google Cloud and SpaceX signed a deal for providing internet service through satellite Google Cloud and SpaceX signed a deal for providing internet service through Starlink satellite. Google will provide the Cloud infrastructure for this connectivity Project, while Space X will install ground terminals in Google’s cloud data centres for connecting Starlink satellites. It will help in providing fast internet service to the rural areas. This service will be available to customers before the end of 2021. The first Starlink terminal will be established in a Google data centre in Ohio, United States. Earlier, Microsoft has also signed a similar agreement with SpaceX to connect its Azure cloud to Starlink. Starlink is a project under which SpaceX aims to send 12,000 satellites to provide space-based internet. NASA and Axiom ink deal for 1st private astronaut mission to space station NASA and Texas-based company Axiom Space have agreed on terms for the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, which will launch as soon as January 2022. The agreement, which was announced includes only a portion of the assorted exchanges required to make a flight like this a reality, but it will result in a net payment from NASA to Axiom of $1.69 million. The agreement will allow Axiom to send a retired NASA astronaut and three passengers to the orbiting laboratory aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for a journey of about a week in the first crewed space station mission for exclusively private interests.
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DRDO develops an Oxycare system to regulate oxygen in patients body The Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO has developed an Oxycare system to regulate oxygen being administered to the patients based on the sensed values of oxygen saturation in the body. STATRT UP AND NEW LUNCH Amazon launches miniTV, a free video streaming service Amazon has launched its miniTV in India which is a video streaming platform that includes web series, comedy shows, and many genres of videos to stream for free, as per a blog post. IIT Ropar developed portable Eco-friendly system IIT Ropar has developed a portable eco-friendly electric cremation system. It is one of its kind of technology that produces no smoke despite using wood for cremation. It is based on wick-stove technology. The cart has been developed in collaboration with the company Cheema Boilers Limited. SPOT (Scalable and Portable Testing)-New COVID-19 Saliva Test invented using RT-LAMP Technology The US scientists has invented a new COVID-19 Saliva Testing method called SPOT. SPOT is Scalable and Portable Testing. SPOT was invented by a research team from the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. The SPOT gives COVID-19 test results in thirty minutes. The test is very much similar to that of the RT-PCR. But it uses Reverse Transcriptase Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP). However, it does not need complex machinery or expertise. It can be completed quickly and is more accurate. CovAid portal set up for real-time monitoring of relief All Covid-19 related foreign aid received by the government can be tracked online end-to-end till distribution by the donors. The NITI Aayog has set up a dedicated portal – CovAid – for tracking all aid coming via missions or by individual organisations.CovAid will help individuals and organisations to do end-to-end tracking till the ultimate beneficiary.A detailed SOP has been laid out to ensure that the states with high active cases receive supplies on a priority basis. DEFENCE Indian and Indonesian Navies conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the southern Arabian Sea The Indian and Indonesian Navies conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the southern Arabian Sea with a focus on further improving their interoperability. The exercise was aimed at improving interoperability and understanding between both the friendly navies. From the Indian Navy, INS Sharda, an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) with a Chetak helicopter participated in the exercise. From the Indonesian Navy, KRI Sultan Hasanudin, a 90m Corvette took part in the exercise. Indian Naval Ship Tarkash brings medical oxygen to Mumbai from Qatar under operation ‘Samudra Setu II’ Indian Naval Ship Tarkash brought two containers with 20 MT liquid medical oxygen each and 230 oxygen cylinders from Qatar to Mumbai under operation ‘Samudra Setu II’. The French Mission facilitated the Oxygen containers as part of the “Oxygen Solidarity Bridge” and Oxygen cylinders were gifted by the Indian diaspora in Qatar. BRO celebrates 61st raising day on 7th May The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was formed on 7 May 1960, with the primary goal of securing India’s borders and developing infrastructure in remote areas of India’s north and northeastern states. On 7 May 2021 BRO celebrated its 61st Raising Day (foundation day). Indian Army Launched First Solar Plant in Sikkim The Indian Army recently launched the first Green Solar Energy harnessing plant in Sikkim. It was launched to benefit the troops of the Indian army. The plant uses Vanadium based battery technology. It was built at an altitude of 16,000 feet. The capacity of the plant is 56 KVA. It was completed in collaboration with IIT Mumbai. In January 2021, Vanadium was discovered in Arunachal Pradesh. This was the first discovery of Vanadium in India. India consumes 4% of global vanadium production in the world. It is found in sixty different minerals and ores that includes carnotite, vanadate, roscoelite, patronite.
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United States approved sale of six P-8I patrol aircraft to India. The US administration has approved the sale of six more P-8I patrol aircraft to India. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has cleared this deal. India had procured eight P-8I patrol aircraft in 2009 and it had given an order of four more P-8I patrol aircraft in 2016. It will help Indian Navy in expanding its maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) capability. P-8I patrol aircraft is manufactured by Boeing. It has been designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Armed forces launch Operation CO-JEET to fight COVID-19 in India. Armed forces have launched Operation CO-JEET to fight COVID-19 in India. Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Medical) Lieutenant General Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar is working to strategize and monitor steps to fight COVID-19. She is the third woman to become a three-star general in the armed forces. She is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM). Under Operation CO-JEET, personnel of the Army, the Indian Air Force and the Navy are working to help restore oxygen supply chains, set up COVID beds and help civilian administration. Indian Coast Guard rescues missing Tamil Nadu fishing boat ‘Mercedes’ Indian Coast Guard, in yet another successful search and rescue operation at sea, has rescued the missing Tamil Nadu fishing boat ‘Mercedes’. in a massive search operation launched on 24 April at a distance of about 1,100 km (590 miles) from Goa. With 11 crew, the fishing boat had sailed for deep-sea fishing West of Kerala on 6 April 2021 for 30 days voyage from Thengapattanam Fishing harbour in Tamil Nadu. the Tamil Nadu Fisheries authorities intimated regarding the sighting of debris by other fishing boats operating in the area presuming ‘Mercedes’ to be sunk. NATO military exercises “DEFENDER-Europe 21” launched in Albania NATO has launched joint military exercises “DEFENDER-Europe 21” in Albania with thousands of military forces from the United States and other countries in the first such large-scale drills since World War II. ‘DEFENDER-Europe’ is an annual large-scale multinational exercise led by US Army-led. It is an annual exercise held between US and NATO Countries to build readiness and interoperability. Indian Coast Guard commissioned Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sajag. Indian Coast Guard commissioned Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sajag.Sajag’ is constructed by the Goa Shipyard Limited. It is the third vessel in a series of five offshore patrol vessels to be built under the vision of ‘Make in India’. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches OPD portal to provide telemedicine services to armed force personnel ‘Services e-Health Assistance & Tele-consultation (SeHAT) OPD portal was launched by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on 27 May. SeHAT OPD portal will provide tele-medicine services to the serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families. This is the final version of the SeHAT OPD portal with advanced safety features. The trial version was made functional in August 2020. INS Rajput decommissioned on May 21 After 41 years of service, the first destroyer of the Indian Navy, INS Rajput, decommissioned on May 21 at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.The Kashin-class destroyer, built by the erstwhile USSR, was commissioned on May 4, 1980. INS Rajput was built by Russia in the 61 Communards Shipyard. Its Original Russian name was ‘Nadezhny’. The ship participated in several key missions in the last four decades, including operation Aman off Sri Lanka that was launched to assist the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) and Operation Cactus to resolve a hostage situation off the Maldives. In addition, the ship participated in numerous bilateral and multi- national exercises. Indian Navy sets up COVID Care Centre at Bheemunipatnam As part of the Indian Navy’s efforts to assist the general population of Bheemunipatnam in dealing with the second COVID wave, a 60-bed COVID Care Centre has been set up at INS Kalinga, Bheemunipatnam.
Page | 73 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE – 2021 INDEX AND RANKING Global Prime Residential Index released by Knight Frank London-based property consultant Knight Frank has ranked New Delhi and Mumbai in 32nd and 36th positions respectively in the Global Prime Residential Index. While Bengaluru moved down by four places in Q1 2021 and is ranked 40 Three Chinese cities – Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou lead the index this quarter. Global Powers of Retailing The list is topped by US giant Walmart Inc, which retains its position as world's top retailer. Amazon.com Inc improved its position to rank second. Costco Wholesale Corporation of US slipped a rank to be placed third followed by Schwarz Group of Germany. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail Ltd has been ranked second fastest growing retailer in the world in the 2021 ranking of global retail power houses by Deloitte, down from top rank secured the previous years. It has been ranked 53rd in the list of Global Powers of Retailing, improvement from 56th earlier, according to the Deloitte report.
Jadavpur University Ranks 18th Among Indian Higher Educational Institutions in CWUR Rankings Jadavpur University occupies the 18th ranking among all Indian higher educational institutions in World University Rankings 2021-22 in the Centre for World University Ranking (CWUR). India Moves to 3rd in Latest Renewable Energy Attractiveness Index released by Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY) India’s rank on 57th EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) has moved up a place to 3rd position. US and China respectively occupy first and second positions on EY’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index. The observations are as per the 57th EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) released by EY globally. In 2020, global renewable energy capacity investments grew 2 per cent to USD 303.5 billion, the second- highest annual figure recorded to date despite the impact of the pandemic. EY RECAI 57 estimates that future development to achieve net zero will require a further investment of USD 5.2 trillion and highlights the role institutional investors in financing the energy transition. India also committed to setting up 450 GW for renewable energy power capacity (installed) by 2030 in the recent climate summit hosted by the US. The US retains top position on RECAI 57 and is expected to hold its position under President Joe Biden. The reacceptance of the Paris Accord, coupled with the recent announcement to cut green house gases (GHG) levels by 50-52 per cent as early as 2030 and achieve 100 per cent carbon free power by 2035, will likely see increased investment interest in the US. Pune ranks 1st, Delhi-NCR at backside amongst high 8 cities on well being infra parameters: Report Pune is ranked first while Delhi-NCR is at the lowest position among eight major cities in health infrastructure-related parameters, including number of hospitals beds, air-water quality and sanitation, according to a report by Housing.com. The real estate portal, which is owned by US-based News Corp and its Australian group firm REA, released its report titled ‘State of Healthcare in India’. The report ranks health infrastructure in India’s most urbanised eight cities — Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai Metropolitan Region(MMR) and Pune — on the basis of Housing.com’s City Health Card. These rankings are benchmarked against parameters such as number of hospital beds per 1,000 people, air quality, water quality, sanitation, liveability index and 40 per cent weightage has been given to number of hospital beds. 43 of world's 100 cities at greatest environmental risk in India Asian cities are at the greatest risk from environmental concerns comprising natural disasters and air pollution, according to a report by research firm Verisk Maplecroft. Ninety-nine of the 100 most vulnerable cities are in Asia, as per the report released on Thursday, May 13. Of those, 43 are in India and 37 in China. Both China and India are the world's first and third biggest emitters of greenhouse gases respectively.
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Around 1.5 billion people dwell in 414 cities worldwide that are at high risk from natural hazards, pollution, physical impacts of climate change, water shortages, and extreme heat, according to the report, Bloomberg reported. Indonesia's capital Jakarta topped the list of combined risks contingent on all nine factors assessed by Verisk Maplecroft. India has 13 of 20 high-risk cities in the world, because of its excessive levels of water and air pollution. China's flood-prone Guangzhou and Dongguan topped the list of cities exposed to the threats from natural hazards. Lima, the capital city of Peru, is the only city outside Asia that is among the top 100 riskiest cities overall. Jacinda Ardern is the Tops Fortune’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders 2021 New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has topped the ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list for 2021, released by Fortune Magazine. The ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list for 2021 is the eighth edition of the annual list which celebrates leaders, some well-known and others who aren’t so familiar, who made a difference amid the “truly unprecedented times” of the C-19 pandemic. From India, Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Serum Institute of India (SII) is the only Indian among the top 10 names. He is placed in the 10th spot. BOOK AND AUTHOR BOOK AUTHOR “Elephant” Paul Pickering “Sikkim: A History of Intrigue and Alliance” Mohan Singh Malik ‘1971: The Beginning of India’s Cricketing Greatness’ Boria Majumdar and Gautam Bhattacharya “Klara and the Sun” Kazuo Ishiguro All Time Favourites for children Ruskin Bond
‘Elephant In The Womb’ Actress Kalki Koechlin
“Savarkar: A contested Legacy (1924-1966)” Vikram Sampath ‘Sach Kahun Toh’ Neena Gupta “Nehru, Tibet and China” Avtar Singh Bhasin “India and Asian geopolitics: The Past, Present”. Shivshankar Menon
‘The Spiritual CEO’ S Prakash
7 Lessons from Everest; Expedition Learnings for Life Aditya Gupta and Business “Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020” Salman Rushdie Life in the Clock Tower Valley Shakoor Rather DAY & DAYS World No Tobacco Day: 31 May The theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day is ‘Quit tobacco to be a winner’. International Day of UN Peacekeepers: 29 May Theme for International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2021 is "The road to a lasting peace: Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security." World Hunger Day: 28 May. This year, World Hunger Day is focused on ‘Access Ends Hunger’. International Day of Action for Women’s Health: May 28 The International Day of Action for Women’s Health (International Women’s Hea lth Day) is observed every year on May 28 raise awareness on the issues related to women’s health and well being. Vesak Day 2021:May 26 Vesak Day 2021 is observed globally on 26 May. International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories: 25-31 May
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World Thyroid Day 2021: May 25 “Mother-Baby-Iodine: The Importance of Iodine on the Woman and her Baby” is the theme of World Thyroid Day (WTD) 2021. International Missing Children’s Day 25th May World Thyroid Day takes place on 25th May each year. Commonwealth Day: 24 May The theme of Commonwealth Day 2021 is ‘Delivering a Common Future’. World Turtle Day 2021: 23 May The theme for this year’s World Turtle Day is “Turtles Rock!”. International Day to End Obstetric Fistula: May 23 The theme of this year’s observance is “Women’s rights are human rights! End fistula now!”. International Day for Biological Diversity:May 22 “We’re part of the solution” International Tea Day 21 may National Anti Terrorism Day 2021: 21st May National Anti Terrorism Day is observed on May 21 to commemorate the death anniversary of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. Mr Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, by a human bomb. May 20: World Metrology Day The World Metrology Day is celebrated jointly by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML). The theme for World Metrology Day 2021 is ‘Measurement for Health’. Metrology is the branch of science related to measurement. World Bee Day is observed on 20 May It is the day on which Anton Jansa was born. Anton Jansa is known as the pioneer of beekeeping. On World Bee Day 2021, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organized a virtual event under the theme “Bee engaged – Build Back Better for Bees”. International Museums Day is observed every year on 18 May. On the occasion of International Museums Day 2021, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) has launched the Audio-Visual Guide App. The app will enable museum viewers to listen to anecdotes and stories related to the Indian modern art exhibited at the Gallery. World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development 2021: 21st May In the year 2001, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the ‘Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity’ as a result of the destruction of the Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2001. World AIDS Vaccine Day/HIV Vaccine Awareness Day: May 18 The full form of AIDS is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. It is a viral disease. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a global epidemic that infects humans and, with time, causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS damage the immunity system of the body. International Museum Day – 18 May 2021 Theme: “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine” World Telecommunication and Information Society Day: 17 May The theme of 2021 is “Accelerating digital transformation in challenging times”. International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia: May 17 The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia is observed on May 17 across the world. The aim of the day is to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBT rights work worldwide. 6th UN Global Road Safety Week 2021: 17 to 23 May. Streets for Life #Love30 is the theme for 6th UNGRSW. The theme calls for 30 km/h default speed limits at places where people and vehicles mix. One objective of the 6th UNGRSW is to build momentum towards the launch of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 in late 2021. Recently Iindia has celebrated road saftey month on january 17 to february 18. World Health Organization (WHO): It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.It was established on 7 April 1948. Its current President is Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. World Hypertension Day 2021: 17 May World Hypertension Day is celebrated every year on 17 May by World Hypertension League (WHL).
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The main aim of this day is to spread awareness about high blood pressure among people across the world. The theme for World Hypertension Day 2021 is “Measure Your Blood Pressure, Control It, Live Longer”. Blood pressure range 120/80 mm Hg is considered to be normal. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day – 17 May The day was proclaimed in November 2006 by the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey. 2021 Theme: “Accelerating Digital Transformation in challenging times” Sikkim Statehood Day: 16 May Sikkim became the 22nd state of India through the 36th Amendment Act in 1975. In 2021, it is celebrating its 46th foundation day. National Dengue Day: 16 May International Day of Light – 16 May The message of the International Day of Light 2021 is “Trust Science”. International Day of Living Together in Peace – 16 May International Day of Families – 15 May The International Day of Families is observed on 15 May every year. The day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families. 2021 Theme: “Families and New Technologies” International Astronomy Day 2021: 15 May International Nurses Day 2021 : 12 May This day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. She was also known as Lady with the Lamp. She was the founder of modern nursing and was a British social reformer and statistician. The theme of 2021 International Nurses Day is ‘Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare’. Florence Nightingale was put in charge of nursing British and allied soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean War. She is renowned for setting up the Nightingale School of Nursing, at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London (opened 1860) in order to formalize nursing education. She was the first woman awarded the Order of Merit (1907). National Technology Day 2021: 11th May Every year, National Technology Day is celebrated across India on 11 May to memorize the anniversary of Shakti, the Pokhran nuclear test held on 11 May 1998. Shakti also knows as the Pokhran Nuclear Test was the first nuclear test code-named ‘Smiling Buddha’ was carried out in May 1974. International Day of Argania 2021: 10 May International Film Festival New York: Anupam Kher Won best actor award Anupam Kher won the Best Actor award for his performance in the short film Happy Birthday at the New York City International Film Festival. The film has been directed by Prasad Kadam and produced by FNP Media. Besides Anupam, Happy Birthday stars Aahana Kumra. The film also won the Best Short Film award at the festival. International Mother’s Day 2021 – 9 May International Mother’s Day is celebrated second Sunday of May every year. This year the day falls on 9 May. The day is to honour mothers and motherly bonds within the family. World Red Cross Day is celebrated every year on May 8. 08 May is the birthday of Henry Dunant, the founder of ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross). Henry Dunant was awarded Nobel Prize in 1901. The first Red Cross Day was celebrated on May 8, 1948. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was founded in 1919. Red Cross is headquartered in Washington DC in US. The theme for World Red Cross Day 2021 is ‘Together we are #unstoppable!’. World Thalassemia Day or International Thalassemia Day: 8 May Addressing Health Inequalities across the Global Thalassaemia Community” is the theme for World Thalassemia Day 2021 or International Thalassemia Day 2021. Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that significantly reduces the amount of hemoglobin. Thalassemia patients have at least one parent as a disease carrier. World Migratory Bird Day: 8 May It is celebrated bi-annually on the second Saturday in May and in October.. In 2021, it has been celebrated on 8 May. The theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day is “Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a bird!” Hemoglobin is a protein molecule present in red blood cells, which helps the RBCs carry oxygen and circulate it throughout the body.
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World Athletics Day – 7 May International No Diet Day: 6 May World Asthma Day: 5 May 2021 The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) organizes World Asthma Day (May 5, 2021). The theme for World Asthma Day 2021 is “Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions”. World Hand Hygiene Day: 5 May “Achieving hand hygiene at the point of care” is the theme of World Hand Hygiene Day 2021. The slogan for this day is “Seconds save lives – clean your hands!”. International Midwives’ Day – 5 May The idea of having a day to recognize and honor midwives came out of the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives conference in the Netherlands. 2021 Theme: “Follow the Data: Invest in Midwives” World Maths Day – 5 May World Maths Day is an online international mathematics competition, powered by educational resource provider 3P Learning Smaller elements of the wider Mathletics program effectively power the World Maths Day event. The first World Maths Day was held on 14 March 2007 (Pi Day).
National Cartoonists Day – 5 May Coal Miners Day- 4 May Coal Miners’ Day is observed on 4 May to recognise the hard work of some of the great unsung heroes of the Industrial Revolution. Coal miners spend most of the days digging, tunnelling and extracting coal from the mines. International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD): 04 May 2021 World Press Freedom Day: 3rd May It marks the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration for the Development of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press. In 1991, a UNESCO conference was held in Windhoek, Namibia. It also aims to create awareness regarding the importance of freedom of the press, which is part of the Right to freedom of expression under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. Theme for World Press Freedom Day 2021 is ‘Information as a Public Good’. World Tuna Day: 2nd May Every year This day is established by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness about the importance of tuna fish. World Laughter Day 2021: 2 May World Laughter Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of May. International Labour Day/Workers Day is celebrated every year on 1 May. Statehood Day of Gujrat & Maharashtra – 1 May Maharashtra and Gujarat celebrated their statehood day on 1st May 2020. On the occasion, the Prime Minister and other leaders praised the contribution made by the two states to the development of the country. OBITUARY V. Chandrasekar Three-time National table tennis champion and former International paddler V. Chandrasekar passed away due to C-19-related complications. He was the current president of Tamizhaga Table Tennis Association (TTTA).The 63-year-old Chandrasekar, a 1982 Arjuna Award winner. Anup Bhattacharya Freedom fighter and Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra musician, Anup Bhattacharya passed away. During the liberation war of Bangladesh, he worked as the composer and music director at Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. He is also a founder member of the Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangstha. Madampu Kunjukuttan Malayalam actor Madampu Kunjukuttan Passed Away. Gouri Amma The senior-most communist leader of Kerala, KR Gouri Amma, who was the first Revenue Minister in the first communist ministry of the state in 1957, has passed away due to age-related ailments. She was 102. She was the second longest-serving MLA in Kerala Legislative Assembly and also the last surviving member of the first Kerala government.
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Raghunath Mohapatra Eminent sculptor, architect, and Rajya Sabha member, Raghunath Mohapatra has passed away while undergoing treatment for C-19. Hailing from Odisha, Mohapatra was awarded Padma Shri in 1975, Padma Bhushan in 2001 and Padma Vibhushan in 2013 for his pioneering contributions to the world of art, architecture and culture. Homen Borgohain Noted Assamese litterateur and journalist Homen Borgohain breathed his last at a private hospital. Fortunato Franco Former India international footballer Fortunato Franco breathed his last at the age of 84 in Goa. Thummala Narsimha Reddy Film journalist and actor Thummala Narsimha Reddy passed away in Hyderabad. He was also popular for his YouTube show, Frankly with TNR. Vinesh Kalra Vinesh Kalra, India’s Consul General in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif, passed away at a hospital in Kabul. Vanraj Bhatia Padma Shri awardee music composer Vanraj Bhatia has passed away. V Kalyanam V Kalyanam, Mahatma Gandhi’s personal secretary from 1943-1948, passed away in Chennai. Ajit Singh Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and former union minister Ajit Singh passed away.Ajit Singh is the Son of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. Shesh Narayan Singh Veteran senior journalist Shesh Narayan Singh has passed away while undergoing treatment for C-19. Jagmohan Malhotra Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Jagmohan Malhotra has passed away. Jagmohan served two terms as Jammu and Kashmir Governor, once from 1984 to 1989, and then from January 1990 to May 1990. He had also served as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Goa and Daman & Diu. Gutha Muniratnam Social Activist Gutha Muniratnam passed away at the age of 85. He was a member of the National Planning Commission of India and the founder of Rashtriya Seva Samithi (RASS). He was honored with the fourth highest Indian civilian award, the Padma Shri by the Union Government of India in 2012. Subhadra Sen Gupta Well-known author Subhadra Sen Gupta passed away due to COVID-19. She wrote over 50 children’s books in different genres. She won the Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2015. Olympia Dukakis Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis passed away at the age of 89. Bhaskar Maiya Renowned writer and Kendra Sahitya Akademi awardee Bhaskar Maiya passed away in Udupi. He was awarded the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award for his book “Ajanabeepan Ek Saiddanthik Anushilan”. Soli Sorabjee Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee died at the age of 91.He was the Attorney General of India from 1989- 90 and then from 1998-2004. Michael Collins The American astronaut, Michael Collins, who was the command module pilot for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, has passed away, after losing his battle to cancer. Rohit Sardana Renowned TV journalist and news anchor, Rohit Sardana, has passed away, due to a heart attack, following the deadly C-19 infection. Kanupriya Passed A known face on India’s national television network, Kanupriya died of C-19. Chandro Tomar Shooter Chandro Tomar, nicknamed ‘Shooter Dadi’ passed away at the age of 89 due to Covid-19. She won many awards in the senior citizen category including Stri Shakti Sanman presented by the President of India. Manas Bihari Verma The Indian aeronautical scientist Manas Bihari Verma passed away at the age of 78. He played instrumental role in the development of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) – Tejas. H S Doreswamy Freedom fighter H S Doreswamy died at the age of 103.He is known for participating in the Quit India and the Bhoodan movement. He joined India’s freedom struggle movement in June 1942.
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Yuan Longping Yuan Longping, a Chinese agricultural scientist whose breakthroughs in hybrid rice brought food security to China and transformed agriculture worldwide, died.Mr. Yuan, who is celebrated in China as the “father of hybrid rice” . Alka Raghuvanshi Artist, curator and art critic Alka Raghuvanshi passed away in Delh K Rajanarayanan K Rajanarayanan, renowned Tamil writer and novelist popularly known as Ki Ra, passed away in Puducherry at the age of 98.He was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi award. He won Sahitya Akademi award in 1991 for his novel 'Gopallapurathu Makkal'. J K Dutt Former National Security Guard (NSG) Director-General JK Dutt died at the age of 72. National Security Guard (NSG) It was founded on 22 September 1986 under the National Security Guard Act, 1986. It is an elite counter-terrorism unit under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). National Security Guard personnel are sometimes referred as ‘Black Cats’. Ranjana Nirula Activist Ranjana Nirula, working committee member and former Treasurer of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), died in Delhi. Narasimhan Famous mathematician professor MS Narasimhan passed away at the age of 88. He was known for the Narasimhan-Seshadri theorem. He was the only Indian to receive the King Faisal International Prize in the field of science & the First Chair of the National Board for Higher Mathematics. RL Bhatia Former Governor of Kerala and Bihar, Raghunandan Lal Bhatia passed away at the age of 101. He was elected as the Member of Parliament from the Amritsar constituency. Dr. KK Aggarwal Renowned cardiologist and former national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr KK Aggarwal, has passed away battling with C-19. Rajeev Satav The senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Rajeev Satav has passed away, day after recovering from a C- 19 infection. M. S. Narasimhan Distinguished mathematician M. S. Narasimhan died at the age of 88. Rajendrasinh Jadeja Rajendrasinh Jadeja, one of the most remarkable cricketers of Saurashtra, passed away. Anjan Bandyopadhyay Eminent journalist and popular TV anchor Anjan Bandyopadhyay, who tested positive for Covid-19 around a month ago, died at a private hospital in Kolkata. MISCELLANEOUS Birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Maharana Pratap, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale celebrated. Rabindranath Tagore, Maharana Pratap, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s birth anniversary were celebrated across the country. The birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore is also called Pachishe Boishakh in Bengali. Rabindranath Tagore: He was born on 7 May 1861 He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. He has written more than 2000 songs, which are known as ‘Rabindra Sangeet’. Gandhiji gave the title of “Gurudev” to Rabindranath Tagore. He wrote the national anthem of India and Bangladesh. Gitanjali is Tagore’s best-known collection of poetry. Maharana Pratap: He was born on 9 May 1545. He was the king of Mewar. He had fought the Battle of Haldighati on 18 June 1576 against Akbar. He is remembered for his bravery and his loyal horse, Chetak.
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Gopal Krishna Gokhale: He was born on 9 May 1866. He was a political leader and a social reformer. He was the founder of the Servants of India Society. He was the mentor of Mohammed Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi 400th Birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur celebrated across the country. Guru Tegh Bahadur 400th Birth anniversary has been celebrated across the country on 1 May. He was the 9th Guru of the 10 Gurus of the Sikh religion. He was killed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1675. To mark the 400th anniversary, Sri Akhand Path inaugurated Gurdwara Guru Ke Mahal at the birthplace of Guru Tegh Bahadur. A snake has been named after Herpetologist Deepak Veerappan. A tiny size snake has been found in the Western Ghats. It has been named after Indian herpetologist Deepak Veerappan. IIM-A, BITS Grads Launch One Million USD Fund to Support & Invest in Student Startups Abhishek Sethi and Prateek Behera, graduates from IIM-A and BITS Pilani, respectively, have launched a USD one million fund to support and invest in startups founded by college students. Their venture, gradCapital, based, said it would invest USD 25,000 in each of the 20 start-ups they select over the next year. gradCapital, also being supported by’CIIE.CO – The Innovation Continuum’, based out of IIM Ahmedabad, would host an eight-week, intensive programme for companies founded and run by college students. Global average temperature could pass 1.5° Celsius within the next 5 years There’s about a 40% chance that the global average temperature for at least one of the next five years will be 1.5º Celsius higher than in pre-industrial times—and the odds are only going up. That level of temperature increase would most likely be temporary, according to an annual climate update led by the U.K. Met Office and published by the World Meteorological Organization. But the figure is significant because most global leaders committed to taking actions that would limit global warming to 1.5ºC and well below 2ºC by the end of the century when they signed the Paris Agreement in 2015. Jio tops in 4G download speed, Vodafone in upload in April Reliance Jio topped the 4G speed chart with data download rate of 20.1 megabit per second, while Vodafone was ahead of others in upload speed at 6.7 Mbps in April, according to the latest data from telecom regulator Trai. Jio has almost three times higher download speed compared to its closest competitor Vodafone. Though Vodafone and Idea Cellular have merged their mobile business as Vodafone Idea Ltd, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) still releases separate network speed data of both the entities. Antarctica heads towards Climate Tipping Point by 2060 A new study states that Antarctica ices sheets are headed towards Climate Tipping Points by 2060. There are several ice shelves in Antarctica. As these ice shelves break up, the towering ice cliffs may not be able to stand on their own. The study found that these ice shelves are breaking at a faster rate. Climate Tipping in Antarctica The ice sheets and shelves of Antarctica are grounded on the bed rocks that slope inwards towards the centre of the continent. The warming of ocean waters is melting their lower edges. This might destabilize them creating open fractures. Open fractures speed up the melting process as more ice areas are exposed to warmer temperatures. Thus, it is concluded that Antarctica is moving towards irreversible climate changes, that is, it is moving toward its Climate Tipping Points. Climate Tipping Point Climate Tipping Point is the threshold that leads to large changes in the state of the system. The fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defined Climate Tipping Point as the irreversible change in the climate system. It is often referred to as runaway Climate Change. However, it is not same as that of the Runaway Greenhouse Effect. Runaway Greenhouse Effect It occurs when the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of the planet prevents the planet from cooling. It is an extreme Green House Effect. It creates irreversible climate state. The Runway Greenhouse effect is so extreme that the oceans boil away and renders the planet uninhabitable. It is an irreversible climate state. This happened in Venus. WWF on Snow Leopard: More than 70% of habitat unexplored
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The World Wildlife Fund recently claimed that more than 70% of snow Leopard habitats are unexplored. The organisation recently released its report “A spatially explicit review of the state of knowledge in the snow leopard range”. Most of the snow leopard researches have been conducted by Nepal, India and China followed by Mongolia and Pakistan. There could be only four thousand snow leopards left in the world. They are facing continuous threats due to increased habitat loss and degradation, conflict with communities and poaching. GSLEP: GSLEP is Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme. It was launched by twelve snow leopard range countries such as India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Russia. In India, snow leopards are found in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir. These regions contribute to 5% of global snow leopard range. Government is running Project Snow Leopard since 2009. Cyclone Taukate hits many states of India Cyclone Taukate has obtained its maximum intensity in the wee hours of Sunday and has now become a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (wind speed of 118 to 166 km/hr). The latest cyclone alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that this storm would reach close to Gujarat coast, Maharashtra, Goa. Light to moderate intensity rainfall is expected to continue over coastal Karnataka and Kerala. Mucormycosis Fungus complication found in COVID-19 Patients. Mucormycosis or black fungus complication has been found in COVID-19 Patients. It is caused by a fungal infection. It is caused by micro-organisms known as mucormycetes. It starts as a skin infection, and then it spreads to the eyes, lungs, and brain. Discoloration over the nose, Vision loss, Chest Pain, breathing difficulties, and coughing of blood are some of the symptoms of this disease. It mainly affects those patients whose immune system is not functioning properly. The micro-organisms mucormycetes is generally found in soil and decaying organic matter like leaves, and compost.
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