NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM
Modi launches 5,000-crore ‘Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission’: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has launched the “Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission”
from his parliamentary constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Ayushman
Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is one of the largest pan-India schemes
for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country and is in
addition to the National Health Protection Mission (Ayushman Bharat Yojana). About
the scheme:
(1) Total outlay of the scheme: Rs.
5,000-crore
(2) Purpose: to address gaps in public
health infrastructure, with a focus on critical care facilities and primary
care in both urban and rural areas.
(3) Benefit: The scheme shall strengthen
India’s ability to fight and contain outbreaks of diseases in the future.
(4) Under the scheme, 17,788 rural health
and wellness centres in 10 high focus states will get the support of the
scheme. For urban areas, 11,024 urban health and wellness centres will be
established in all the states. Apart from this, a national institution for one
health, four new national institutes for virology, a regional research platform
for WHO South-East Asia Region, nine biosafety level-III laboratories, five new
regional national centres for disease control will also be set up.
2.
Centre plans to form empowered group of secretaries under Cabinet secretary to
review implementation of PM GatiShakti: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) has decided to set up an institutional framework to implement, support
and monitor the entire programme of PM GatiShakti– the national master plan for
‘multi-modal connectivity’. Under this, the government will constitute an
empowered group of secretaries (EGOS), a network planning group and a technical
support unit.
(1) EGOS: This will have the cabinet
secretary as the Chairperson, the head of the commerce ministry’s logistics
division as convenor and secretaries of 18 ministries as members.
(2) Term of Refenerence of EGOS: Review
implementation of the programme and prescribe norms for undertaking any
subsequent amendments to it.
(3) Network Planning Group: This group will
assist the EGOS and consist of heads of such wings of respective infrastructure
ministries.
(4) Technical support unit: It will have
experts from various infrastructure sectors, including aviation, maritime,
rail, roads and highways, ports, etc, to oversee the complexities involved in
the overall integration of networks.
3.
Central Government notifies Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules,
2021: The
Department of Telecom (DoT) has notified the Indian Telegraph Right of Way
(Amendment) Rules, 2021 on October 21, 2021, by amending the Indian Telegraph
Right of Way Rules, 2016. The new rules have been introduced to ease the Right
of Way (RoW) related permission and procedures for establishment and
augmentation of Digital Communications Infrastructure across the country. Amendments
notified are as follows:
(1) The one-time compensation for
establishment of overground telegraph line has been fixed at maximum Rs 1000
per kilometre.
(2) No fee will be charged other than
Administrative fee and Restoration charges for establishing, maintaining,
working, repairing, transferring or shifting the underground and overground
telegraph infrastructure.
(3) Besides, Documentation for Right of Way
(RoW) application for overground telegraph line has also been simplified.
4.
GAIL to build India’s largest green hydrogen plant: State-owned GAIL
(India) Ltd will build India’s largest green hydrogen-making plant as it looks
to supplement its natural gas business with
carbon-free fuel. GAIL Chairman and Managing
Director Manoj Jain said the company is looking at building a
10-megawatt (MW) electrolyzer capable of generating 4.5 tonnes of green
hydrogen daily. The firm has already floated a global tender to buy the
electrolyzer and is hoping to get delivery in 12-14 months. It will be double
the size of the one announced by state electricity producer NTPC.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
India, UK and Australia to jointly launch IRIS initiative at COP26: India, Australia,
and the UK in collaboration with small island developing states (SIDS), have
planned to launch a new initiative “Infrastructure for Resilient Island States
(IRIS)”, on the sidelines of the Conference of Parties (COP26). The IRIS platform
aims at creating an infrastructure that can withstand disasters and lessen
economic losses in island nations. The IRIS initiative will be launched with
initial funding of $10 million from Australia, India and the UK. The 2021
United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) is scheduled to take place
from October 31 to November 12, 2021.
2.
International Animation Day: 28th October: International Animation Day is
observed every year on October 28 to celebrate the art of animation and also
recognise the artists, scientists and technicians behind animation. This year
marks the 20th International Animation Day. The day was created in 2002 by
International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), an International Animated Film
Association, a member of UNESCO.
History of International Animation
Day:
ASIFA created the International Animation Day (IAD) in 2002, honouring the
birth of animation, recognized as the first public performance of projected
moving images: Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique in Paris, on the 28th October
1892.
Note: President of ASIFA: Sayoko Kinoshita;
ASIFA Founder: John Halas; ASIFA Founded: 1960, Annecy, France.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Viktor Axelsen and Akane Yamaguchi won Denmark Open 2021: Danish Olympic
champion Viktor Axelsen won the Mens’ single 2021 Denmark Open Badminton held
at the Odense Sports Park, Denmark. He defeated world number one Kento Momota
of Japan. Akane Yamaguchi of Japan won her second title in the women’s category
defeating An Se-young (South Korea).
List of all winners of Denmark Open 2021:
|
Category |
Winner |
|
Mens’ single |
Viktor Axelsen
(Denmark) |
|
Womens’ single |
Akane Yamaguchi
(Japan) |
|
Men’s double |
Takuro Hoki, and Yugo
Kobayashi (Japan) |
|
Women’s double |
Huang Dongping and
Zheng Yu (China) |
|
Mixed double |
Yuta Watanabe and
Arisa Higashino (Japan). |
2.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins United States Grand Prix 2021: Max Verstappen (Red
Bull – Netherlands) has won the 2021 United States Grand Prix held at the
Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, United States. This is the 8th win
for Verstappen in this season. The race was the 17th round of the 2021 Formula
One World Championship. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) stood second
while Sergio Perez (Mexico- Red Bull) came third.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
RBI introduces Scale Based Regulation (SBR) for NBFCs: The Reserve Bank of
India has put in place a revised regulatory framework for NBFCs which is a
Scale Based Regulation (SBR). These guidelines shall be effective from October
01, 2022. Now for regulation of NBFCs under the new Scale Based Regulation
(SBR), RBI has categorized NBFCs into four layers (or 4 scales) based on their
size, activity, and perceived riskiness. These are: NBFC – Base Layer
(NBFC-BL), NBFC – Middle Layer (NBFC-ML), NBFC – Upper Layer (NBFC-UL) and NBFC
– Top Layer (NBFC-TL).
(1) The Top Layer will ideally remain
empty: This layer can get populated if the Reserve Bank is of the opinion that
there is a substantial increase in the potential systemic risk from specific
NBFCs in the Upper Layer.
(2) Minimum Net Owned Fund Requirement:
Regulatory minimum Net Owned Fund (NOF) for NBFC-ICC, NBFC-MFI and NBFC-Factors
will be increased to Rs. 10 crore (from Rs 2 crore at present). For NBFC-P2P,
NBFC-AA, and NBFCs with no public funds and no customer interface, the NOF
shall continue to be Rs. 2 crore.
(3) Ceiling on IPO Funding: There will be a
ceiling of Rs. 1 crore per borrower for financing subscription to Initial
Public Offer (IPO) of NBFCs. This IPO ceiling will come into effect from April
01, 2022.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Siddhartha Lal reappointed Eicher Motors MD for 5 years: Eicher Motors Ltd
passed the resolution to reappoint Siddhartha Lal as the Managing Director of
the company for five years, starting May 1, 2021. The board also approved a
revised remuneration structure for the Managing Director, with a maximum cap of
1.5 per cent of profits as per Section 198 of the Companies Act. The proposal
for reappointment was cleared with almost 93.8 per cent of the total 226
million votes casted going in favour of the resolution.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Dr. Rajiv Nigam Selected for 2022 Joseph A. Cushman Award: Former Chief
Scientist at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Dr. Rajiv Nigam has
been selected for the 2022 Joseph A. Cushman Award for Excellence in
Foraminiferal Research. Dr. Nigam is the first Indian Citizen to be selected
for the prestigious award. He has been chosen for his outstanding lifetime
contributions to the field of foraminifera (microfossil) research. Dr. Nigam
will receive the award at the Cushman Reception during the 2022 Geological
Society of America meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA, from October 9-12-2022.
The Joseph A. Cushman Award was established by USA based Cushman foundation for
foraminiferal research in 1979.
DEFENCE
1.
India-UK conducts maiden Tri-Service exercise ‘Konkan Shakti 2021’: The Armed Forces of
India and the United Kingdom (UK) are undertaking the sea phase of the maiden
Tri-Service exercise ‘Konkan Shakti 2021’ off the Konkan coast in the Arabian
Sea from October 24 to 27, 2021. The harbour phase of the seven-day exercise
was held in Mumbai from October 21 to 23, 2021. The exercise Konkan Shakti 2021
aims at further strengthening the cooperation between the two countries.
The two forces integrated within their groups with exercises such as replenishment at sea approaches, air direction and strike operations by fighter aircraft (MiG 29Ks and F35Bs), cross control of helicopters (Sea King, Chetak and Wildcat), transiting through war-at-sea scenarios, and gun shoots on expendable air targets. The simulated induction of Army troops was also undertaken and was followed by the setting up of a joint command operations centre. The two forces thereafter effected a rendezvous at sea with advanced air and sub-surface exercises.
No comments:
Post a Comment