NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
PMKSY extended till March 2026 with an allocation of Rs 4,600 crore: The
‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)’ has been extended till March 2026
with an allocation of Rs 4,600 crore. The scheme is administered by the
Ministry of Food Processing Industries. The scheme aims for the overall growth
and development of the food processing sector. In May 2017, the Central
Government had launched SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and
Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) with an allocation of Rs 6,000 crore.
The scheme was renamed as PMKSY in August 2017.
About
the scheme: The scheme will boost the growth of the food
processing sector but also help in providing better prices to farmers and
creating huge employment opportunities. PMKSY is an umbrella scheme
incorporating ongoing schemes of the ministry like Integrated Cold Chain and
Value Addition Infrastructure, Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Infrastructure, Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, Creation
/Expansion of Food Processing and Preservation Capacities and Operation Greens.
2.
J&K topped in India Press Freedom Report 2021: The India
Press Freedom Report 2021 was recently released by the Rights and Risks
Analysis Group. According to the report, 13 media houses and newspapers were
targeted in the country, 108 journalists were attacked, and 6 journalists were
killed. Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura topped the
list of States and Union Territories where journalists and media houses were
targeted in 2021.
24 journalists were
attacked physically, obstructed, threatened, and harassed for doing their work.
All these attacks were made by public officials. This includes police attacks
as well. 17 of these attacks were police attacks. 44 FIRs were registered
against journalists in 2021. Of this 21 were registered under Section 153 of
IPC.
India
Press Freedom Report 2021: The highest number of journalists or
media organisations targeted was in J&K (25), followed by Uttar Pradesh
(23), Madhya Pradesh (16), Tripura (15), Delhi (8), Bihar (6), Assam (5),
Haryana and Maharashtra (4 each), Goa and Manipur (3 each), Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu and West Bengal (2 each), and Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala (1
each),” the report stated.
3.
Salesforce Global Index: India leads in digital skills readiness: Salesforce,
a leading player in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), published the
Global Digital Skills Index 2022 which highlights the growing global digital
skills crisis and the need for action. India has scored 63 out of 100, leads
the digital skills readiness, and has the highest readiness index among the 19
countries. The average global readiness score was 33 out of 100.
About
the Global Digital Skills Index 2022:
(1) The 2022 Global
Digital Skills Index, is based on a survey on around 23000 workers across 19
countries about digital skills, including their impact on the future of work,
concerns about job readiness, and the significance of continuous learning.
(2) Three major
skills gaps were identified in the 2022 global index: The everyday skills gap,
The generational skills gap, and The leadership and workforce skills gap.
4. S
R Narasimhan takes additional charge as CMD POSOCO 2022: S.
R. Narasimhan, Director (System Operation) has assumed the additional charge of
the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Power System Operation
Corporation Limited (POSOCO) w.e.f. 1st February 2022 at New Delhi. He has a
Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master in Business
Administration (MBA) in Finance. He has over three decades’ experience in Power
System Operation spread across CEA, POWERGRID and POSOCO after an initial stint
with BHEL.
SR Narasimhan has
contributed to several Expert Committees at the Government and regulatory
levels in different areas ranging from system operation, grid integration of
Renewable Energy (RE) resources and optimization to institution building.
Note: POSOCO
Founded: March 2010; POSOCO Headquarters: New Delhi, India.
5.
Dr Unnikrishnan Nair named as New Director of VSSC: Scientist
and launch vehicle specialist, Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair took charge as the
director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). VSSC is a keyspace research
centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and specialises in
rocket and space vehicles for satellite programs. Nair, who started his career
in VSSC Trivandrum in 1985, has made significant contributions in launch
vehicle mechanisms, acoustic protection systems and payload fairing areas
during his tenure.
Note: Vikram
Sarabhai Space Centre Founded: 21 November 1963; Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
Parent organization: ISRO; Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala.
6.
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit named as first woman Vice Chancellor of JNU: The
Ministry of Education (MoE) has appointed Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit as the
new Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). She is the first
women Vice-Chancellor of JNU. The 59-year-old Pandit has been appointed for a
period of five years. Pandit replaces M Jagadesh Kumar, who has been appointed
as Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Before this appointment,
Pandit was serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Savitribai Phule University in
Maharashtra.
7.
National Deworming Day: 10th February: National Deworming
Day is observed on February 10, to make people aware of the importance of
deworming, particularly for children from 1 to 19 years of age, who are the
most vulnerable. The Day was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare in 2015. The main aim of the Day is to raise awareness on intestinal
worms and to attain complete eradication of Soil-Transmitted Helminths in
children. Around 24% of the world’s population is infected with
soil-transmitted helminths (worms).
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Instagram encourages people to ‘Take a Break’ from social media: Instagram
has announced the launch of ‘Take a Break’ in all countries, including India,
to empower people to make informed decisions about the way they are spending
their time. This feature will be promoted in India through a campaign, in
partnership with ‘We The Young ’, called ‘Break Zaroori Hai’. ‘Take a Break’
was first launched in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia,
and it is now available for everyone globally.
What
is ‘Take a Break’:
(1) Take a Break’
is a feature that will show up for people, as they have been scrolling for a
certain amount of time. They will be asked to take a break from Instagram and
suggest that they set reminders to take more breaks in the future.
(2) They will also
be shown expert-backed tips to help them reflect and reset. To make sure that
young people are aware of this feature, they will be shown notifications
suggesting they turn these reminders on.
(3) The ‘Take a
Break’ reminders build on Instagram’s existing time management tools including
Daily Limit, which lets people know when they’ve reached the total amount of
time they want to spend on Instagram each day, and offers the ability to mute
notifications from Instagram.
Note: Instagram
launched: 6 October 2010; Instagram Owner: Meta; Instagram Founder Kevin
Systrom.
2. World Pulses Day: 10th February: The United
Nations designated World Pulses Day is observed every year on 10 February. The
day has been established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the
United Nations to recognize the importance of pulses (dry beans, lentils, dry
peas, chickpeas, lupins) as a global food. This year World Pulses Day’s theme:
“Pulses to empower youth in achieving sustainable agrifood systems”.
History of the day: In 2018, the UN
General Assembly decided to mark 10 February as World Pulses Day. The first WPD
was held on February 10, 2019. On 20 December 2013, the UN General Assembly
adopted a resolution (A/RES/68/231) proclaiming 2016 as the International Year
of Pulses (IYP). The celebration of the year, led by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), increased the public awareness of the
nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food
production.
Note: Food and Agriculture Organization
Head: Qu Dongyu; Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters: Rome, Italy;
Food and Agriculture Organization Established: 16 October 1945.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Gujarat Titans unveiled as name
for new Ahmedabad IPL franchise: Gujarat Titans is the official name of the
new Ahmedabad franchise owned by CVC Capital as Hardik Pandya is all set to
lead the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. The naming of the
Ahmedabad franchise comes days after Lucknow, owned by RPSG Group, announced
its official name as Lucknow Super Giants. The Lucknow team will be led by KL
Rahul.
Key points:
(1) Debuting in the 15th season of the IPL,
the Gujarat Titans will pay tribute to the state’s rich cricketing legacy,
which has seen it produce countless Indian international cricket legends over
the years.
(2) The franchise is inspired by the
opportunity to represent and build on this deep cricketing heritage, as well as
build on its future success on the pitch.
(3) Gujarat Titans drafted in Hardik Pandya
as their captain for Rs 15 crore and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan for Rs
15 crore. They also got young India opener, Shubman Gill, for Rs 8 crore.
(4) The Titans will head into the mega
auction with a budget of Rs 52 crore. The Gujarat Titans brought on board
former England cricketer Vikram Solanki as the Director of Cricket.
(5) Ashish Nehra will be the head coach of
the franchise while former World Cup-winning coach and South Africa opener Gary
Kirsten will be the Head of Cricket Operations and the batting coach for IPL
2022.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. RBI reopens Voluntary Retention
Route with investment limit of Rs 2,50,000 cr: The Reserve Bank of
India had introduced the Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) for investments by
Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in debts in 2019 with an investment limit of
Rs 1,50,000 crore. Out of this, around Rs, 1,49,995 crore have been availed so
far in three tranches. Now RBI has increased this investment limit in VRR from
Rs. 1,50,000 crore to Rs. 2,50,000 crore.
The increased investment limits shall be
open for allotment from April 01, 2022 as per the following details:
(1) The investment limit under VRR has been
increased to Rs 2,50,000 crore.
(2) The investment limit available for
fresh allotment shall accordingly be Rs 1,04,800 crore (net of extant
allotments and adjustments); and shall be allotted under the VRR–Combined
category.
(3) The minimum retention period shall be
three years.
(4) Investment limits shall be available
‘on tap’ and allotted on a ‘first-come, first-served basis.
(5) The ‘tap’ shall be kept open till the
limit is fully allotted.
(6) FPIs may apply for investment limits
online to Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL) through their respective
custodians.
(7) CCIL will separately notify the
operational details of the application process and allotment.
Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikanta Das;
Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. RBI
2nd largest buyer of gold in 2021: The largest
buyer, the Central Bank of Thailand, bought 90 metric tonnes of gold while RBI
bought 77.5 metric tonnes taking its total gold reserve to 754.1 tonnes at the
end of December 2021. When it comes to gold buying, the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) emerged as the second-largest buyer of yellow metal among the world’s
Central Banks in 2021. As per Goldhub, India’s official gold reserves is the
ninth-largest in the world. Goldhub is the official website of the World Gold
Council that maintains all the data regarding precious metals. At the end of
December 2021, RBI gold reserves stood at 754.1 tonnes, which amounts to 6.22
per cent of India’s forex reserves. As per RBI data, India’s total reserves at
the end of December 31, 2021, stood at $633.61 billion, including gold reserves
worth $39.405 billion.
Note: World Gold
Council CEO: David Tait; World Gold Council Headquarters: London, United
Kingdom; World Gold Council Founded: 1987; World Gold Council President: Kelvin
Dushnisky.
2.
Razorpay buys majority stake in Malaysian startup “Curlec”: Razorpay has expanded into South-East Asia with the acquisition of a
majority stake in a Malaysian fintech firm Curlec, valuing the company between
$19-20 million. Razorpay expects to complete the full acquisition in the next
one-and-a-half years. The Kuala Lumpur-based, Curlec builds solutions for
recurring payments for businesses. This marks Razorpay’s fourth acquisition
overall and its first in the international markets. This acquisition will allow
us to quickly ramp up and start scaling in Southeast Asia as a market. Curlec
has been powering recurring payments for multiple companies in the Malaysian
market. With them as part of this team, we will have a local team that
understands the nuances of the market in Malaysia and Southeast Asia at large.
Note: Razorpay CEO: Harshil Mathur; Razorpay Founded: 2013; Curlec was founded by Zac Liew and Steve Kucia in 2018.
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