NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh releases Rural Connectivity GIS Data in Public
Domain: Giriraj
Singh, who is the Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, has
released the Rural Connectivity GIS Data in Public Domain. This data includes
the GIS data for more than 8 lakh rural facilities which have been collected
and digitised using the GIS platform developed for the PM-GSY scheme. Other
than Giriraj Singh, other Union Ministers like Faggan Singh Kulaste and Sadhvi
Niranjan Jyoti, were also present at the release event.
On this event, Giriraj Singh
recalled that since the inauguration of this scheme:
a)
An
estimate is that more than 6.90 lakh km of roads have been constructed, which
connects 1,61,508 habitations with an expenditure of about 2.69 lakh crores of
Indian rupees.
b)
Speed
of the construction of rural roads under the PMGSY has seen massive growth
during the last few years and the use of new technology has been emphasized
which has resulted in a saving of about 5000 crores of Indian rupees.
c)
The
data which has been made available in the public domain can be beneficial to
the startups, entrepreneurs, businesses, civil society, academics and other
government departments to build products, conduct research, and plan
investments for a quicker disaster response.
PM-GSY: Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is a scheme that was launched in the year 2000, with an
objective to provide all-weather road connectivity to all the unconnected
habitations throughout the nation which lie under the eligibility criteria. The
plan was upgraded later. Since then, 7.83 lakh Km roads have been sanctioned
and 6.90 lakh Km have been constructed with an expenditure of about 2.69 lakh
crores of Indian rupees.
Gati Shakti: Gati Shakti is a
national master plan and digital platform which aims at the planning and
execution of infrastructure projects in India to reduce logistics costs and
enhance infrastructure.
2.
PM-Kisan 3rd Anniversary, transferred Rs 1.80 lakh to farmers accounts
directly: About
11.78 crore farmers as of February 22, 2022, have been benefitted under the PM
Kisan scheme. The amount worth Rs1.82 lakh crore have been disbursed to
eligible beneficiaries across India in various intervals. During the current
Covid 19 epidemic period, Rs. 1.29 lakh crore has been released.
About the PM Kisan scheme: PM-KISAN is a
centre sectored scheme which was launched on 24th February 2019 to substitute
monetary needs of landholding farmers. The monetary benefit of Rs 6000/- per
year in three equal instalments, every four-month, 3 times a year, it is
transferred into the bank accounts of the families of the farmers across the
country through Direct Benefit Transfer or DBT mode. The scheme was in the
starting meant for small and marginal farmers having landholding upto 2
hectares but then the scope of the scheme was extended to cover all landholding
farmers with effect from 01.06.2019.
3. PM
CARE for Children scheme extended by the Centre till 28th Feb 2022: The PM Cares for
Children Scheme has been extended by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development of the Government of India till February 28, 2022. Previously, the
scheme was applicable till December 31, 2021. A letter has been written in this
respect to all Principal Secretaries/ Secretaries, Women and Child Development,
Social Justice & Empowerment Departments of all States and UTs, with a copy
to all District Magistrates/District Collectors. To be eligible for the scheme,
the child must be under the age of 18 at the time of their parents’ death, to
be considered eligible for payments under this plan. All children who have
suffered the following losses are covered under the scheme:
a)
Lost
both parent due to COVID-19 Pandemic,
b)
Legal
guardian/adoptive parents/single adoptive parent, from 11.03.2020, the day on
which WHO proclaimed and defined COVID-19 as pandemic.
Those who are eligible can now be
registered in the PM CARES for Children Scheme until February 28, 2022 via the
website https://pmcaresforchildren.in.
What is PM CARES?
The PM CARES for Children Scheme on May 29,
2021 was announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for the
children who have lost the parents or legal guardians, adoptive parents, or
surviving parents as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic onset on March 11, 2020.
The scheme intends to assist these children by providing them the long-term
comprehensive care and protection, through a convergent strategy, gap financing
for education and health, a monthly stipend begins at the age of 18, and
prepare them for self-sufficiency with financial assistance of lump sum payment
of Rs. 10 lakhs once they reach the age of 23.
4.
IIT Roorkee launched ‘KISAN’ mobile app in Uttarakhand: The Indian
Institute of Technology Roorkee has organized a regional farmers’ awareness
programme as part of the ‘Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa’ (GKMS) project and
launched KISAN mobile application for the farmers. The app will provide
agro-meteorological services to the farmers. Farmers from Haridwar, Dehradun,
and Pauri Garhwal districts participated in the program.
About the app:
a)
KISAN
app provides farmers with easy access to weather forecasts and weather-based
Agrometeorological Advisory Bulletins for all six blocks of Haridwar district
through phones.
b)
The
app was developed by Dr Khushboo Mirza, Senior Scientist, Regional Remote
Sensing Centre (RRSC), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO), New Delhi under the guidance of Dr C S Jha, an
Outstanding Scientist and Chief General Manager at RRSC, NRSC, ISRO, Hyderabad.
c)
The
Agrometeorological Advisory Services are offered jointly by the AMFU (Agromet
Field Unit Roorkee) IIT Roorkee and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
5. A
book title ‘The Great Tech Game’ penned by Anirudh Suri: Indian author,
Anirudh Suri has come out with his new book titled “The Great Tech Game:
Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations.’ It has been published by
HarperCollins India. In this book, the author lays out a roadmap for how any
country must develop its own strategic plan to succeed in this
technology-dominant era.
The essence of the book: In this book, the
author provides a coherent framework outlining the key drivers that will
determine the ability of a nation to succeed in this technology-dominant era.
He lays out a roadmap for how any country must develop its own strategic plan
for success. Leaders must develop a new set of capabilities to understand and
take advantage of these trends and create enabling environments for their
nations to not be left behind. A particularly challenging aspect will be the
ability of countries to define and manage the roles of state and non-state
actors in a global race for technological leadership
and success.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
International IP Index 2022: India ranks 43rd: India has improved
its overall IP score from 38.4 per cent to 38.6 per cent, and the country is
ranked 43 out of 55 countries on the International Intellectual Property Index
2022. This index was released by the Global Innovation Policy Center of the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In July 2021, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on
Commerce released a Review of the Intellectual Property Rights Regime in India.
This review is a welcome development and offers a comprehensive and detailed
study of the strengths and weaknesses of India’s national IP environment.
The top five countries in the
ranking are:
Rank 1- United States
Rank 2- United Kingdom
Rank 3- Germany
Rank 4- Sweden
Rank 5- France
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
SAAF & National Cross Country Athletics Championship to be held in
Nagaland: Nagaland
is all set to host the South Asian Athletic Federation (SAAF) cross country
championship and 56th National Cross-Country athletics championships from 26th
of next month in Kohima. Meanwhile, the official mascot of the South Asian
Cross Country Championships and 56th National Cross Country is a joyous happy
running ‘Hornbill’. The name of the Mascot is Akimji – a connotation of the
word AMBITION derived from Sumi dialect of Naga tribe which exemplifies the
ambition of the new generation of Naga youth.
This event is going to be perhaps
Nagaland’s biggest sporting event in our 50 plus years of statehood and
expressed optimism that the event will propel the image of Nagaland and the
state’s sporting dream towards national and international platforms. On this
occasion, the official team Nagaland kit was also launched.
Note: Chief Minister of Nagaland: Neiphiu
Rio; Governor of Nagaland: Jagdish Mukhi.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
RBI announces dollar/rupee two-year sell buy swap auction: The Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) has announced a US Dollar/Rupee two-year sell-buy swap auction with
a view to elongating the maturity profile of its forward book and smoothening
the receivables relating to forwarding assets. The Central bank will undertake
a sell/buy swap auction of $5 billion, which will enable access to a wider set
of market participants.
RBI will conduct a spot sale to sell USD 5
billion to banks in exchange of rupees, through this auction on March 10, 2022.
On March 11, 2024, it will make a forward purchase from banks in two years. The
forward purchase will help in reducing RBI’s current foreign exchange reserves
and increase its two-year forward USD purchases.
Swap auction:
a)
Under
the swap auction, a bank sells US dollars to the RBI. It is also agreed to buy the
same amount of US dollars at the end of the swap period. It is different from
Open Market Operations (OMOs), materially.
b)
Under
OMOs, the central bank buys and sells government securities in the open market.
While in swap transactions only authorised dealers are allowed to deposit US
dollars in exchange for rupees.
c)
Swap
Auction is done with the objective of meeting the durable liquidity needs of
the system. It injects rupee liquidity for a longer duration by means of
long-term foreign exchange Buy/Sell swap. Swap Auction helps in bridging the
liquidity deficit.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Paytm Payments Bank is now official acquiring partner for e-RUPI vouchers: Paytm Payments Bank
Limited has announced that it is an official acquiring partner for ‘e-RUPI vouchers’.
e-RUPI, which is a government initiative, is a cashless prepaid voucher that
beneficiaries can present via SMS or QR Code. Paytm’s merchant partners can
then scan, enter the amount to be paid and receive the payment directly in
their bank account. This will benefit beneficiaries (users), even those who do
not have access to formal banking services or smartphones to avail the
convenience of digital payments.
Benefits:
a)
With
this, merchants will be empowered with another digital payment collection method
that will help them further increase their digital footprint and onboard more
customers.
b)
PPBL
is empowering merchants to accept e-RUPI vouchers, which gives it an
opportunity to tap into a larger user base that is a beneficiary of this
initiative. This will further encourage more merchants to embrace cashless
transactions, leading to an increase of digital payments.
Note: Paytm Payments Bank Founded: 2015;
Paytm Payments Bank Headquarters: Noida, UP; Paytm Payments Bank Founder &
CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
DEFENCE
1.
India receives three more Rafale Fighter Jets from France: Three more Rafale
fighter aircraft landed in India from France, with Indian specific
enhancements. With this new arrival of the three jets, the total Rafale fleet
with Indian Air Force (IAF) has reached 35. The 36th and final aircraft will
arrive in India from France by March- April 2022, and will be a trainer
aircraft.
India-France Rafale Deal: In September
2016, India exchanged a Rs 59,000 crore deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter
jets. The first batch of five Rafale jets had arrived in India on July 29 last
year. India and France had signed the inter-government agreement in 2016, under
which Paris agreed to provide 36 Rafale fighter jets to New Delhi.
About the Rafale: The twin-engine Rafale jets are capable of carrying out a variety of missions: ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance, and nuclear strike deterrence. The planes equipped with the Hammer missiles have enhanced India’s capability to carry out air-to-ground strikes like the one in Balakot.
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