NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM CARES Fund: Govt appoints Industrialist Ratan
Tata as Trustee: According to the prime minister’s office, Veteran
industrialist Ratan Tata, former Supreme Court judge KT Thomas, and former
deputy Lok Sabha speaker Kariya Munda have been nominated as trustees of the PM
CARES Fund. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Board of
Trustees of the PM CARES Fund, which was attended by Union Home Minister Amit
Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Both Shah and
Sitharaman are the Trustees of PM Cares Fund. During the meeting, Ratan Tata,
Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons; Justice KT Thomas, former SC judge, and Kariya Munda,
former Deputy speaker appointed as the newly nominated trustees of the PM CARES
Fund.
As per
the PMO: The trust further decided to nominate other
eminent persons for the constitution of the Advisory Board to the PM CARES
Fund. These eminent personalities included: Rajiv Mehrishi, Former Comptroller
and Auditor General of India; Sudha Murthy, Former Chairperson, Infosys
Foundation, and Anand Shah, Co-founder of Teach for India and Former CEO of
Indicorps and Piramal Foundation.
2. Cabinet Approves an Additional PLI Plan For
Solar Cells: The Union cabinet approved the second tranche of
the Performance Linked incentive (PLI) scheme on ‘National programme on High
Efficiency Solar PV Modules’ for achieving manufacturing capacity of Giga Watt
(GW) scale to boost manufacturing of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules in India,
Union minister Anurag Thakur announced in a press briefing. Key Points:
a) With the second tranche of the PLI scheme the government is hoping that
about 65GW per annum manufacturing capacity of fully and partially integrated,
solar PV modules would be installed in the country.
b) The second tranche of the PLI scheme for the national programme on ‘high
efficiency solar PV modules’ has been approved with an outlay of Rs.19,500
crore.
c) The government has also set a target of 500GW of installed electricity
capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030 would roughly mean a capacity of
280-300GW of solar energy.
3. Maharashtra to establish an institution similar
to NITI Aayog: The state’s deputy chief minister, Devendra
Fadnavis, revealed in a meeting that the Maharashtra government intends to
create an organisation along the lines of Niti Aayog. The organisation would be
in charge of doing thorough data analysis and coming to informed choices about
various state sectors. Key Points:
a) The Chief Minister of Maharashtra met with representatives from NITI
Aayog to discuss a number of issues, including asset monetisation and
blockchain in agriculture.
b) The discussion covered topics in the meeting are: alternative fuels,
electric automobiles, drone healthcare, agribusiness including others.
c) According to Devendra Fadnavis, the NITI Aayog has also conducted a
thorough investigation into connected issues and created a technology that
allows for the analysis of interrelated data from many departments in order to
improve decision-making.
d) Devendra Fadnavis used the circumstance where the first department has
information on a disease outbreak and another department has information on
contaminated water as an example. He said that if the two departments shared
data, things would be much simpler.
4. Delhi
Lt General V K Saxena launched ‘We Care’ community policing initiative: Lt General V K Saxena inaugurated ‘We Care’ a community policing
initiative here aimed at spreading awareness about various schemes of the Delhi
Police among people. This initiative is inaugurated at an event organised at
Kartvaya Path at India Gate on the occasion of ‘Sewa Divas, which is being
celebrated to mark the 72nd birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The aim of this initiative is to spread
awareness among people about different schemes of the Delhi Police to maintain
coordination and establish a police-public interface. Under the ‘We Care’
initiative:
a) In the ‘We Care’ initiative, all DCPs will hold community policing
activities in their respective areas on every Saturday and Sunday for the next
three months.
b) They will also arrange visits of school children and RWA members to the
police stations at 30 selected locations and interact with them through quiz
sessions and by disseminating information through community discussion.
c) These initiatives help in providing protection to children, women,
senior citizens and foreign tourists.
5. Antyodaya Divas: 25th September: Antyodaya Diwas is celebrated annually on 25th September in India. It
marks the birth anniversary of Indian leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and is
celebrated in his honour to remember his life and legacy. He was one of the
most prominent personalities in the history of Indian politics. This year, the
Antyodaya Diwas marks the 105th birth anniversary of Upadhyaya. He was the
co-founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) thinker.
Antyodaya means
uplifting the poorest of the poor, the special day aims at reaching the weakest
section of the society. On this day, Upadhyaya is remembered for his
contribution to society and politics that he played in the upliftment of the
poor.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India, Egypt sign MoU to bolster defence
cooperation in mutual interest sectors: India and
Egypt have signed an MoU to bolster defense cooperation and decided to enhance
joint military exercises, training, co-production, and maintenance of
equipment. The MoU was signed by Defence Ministry of India Rajnath Singh and
General Mohamed Zaki from Egypt at a meeting in Cairo. Key Points:
a) The MoU will enhance defense cooperation across all the sectors of
mutual interest.
b) The ministers of both countries exchanged views on regional security and
acknowledged the contribution of their countries to peace and stability.
c) The Egyptian counterparts were also invited to the India-Africa Defence
Dialogue and Indian Ocean Region Defence Ministers’ conclave to be held as part
of the 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar.
d) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh acknowledged Egypt as it is among the
most important trading partners of India in Africa and that the bilateral trade
has expanded.
e) Egypt is among the several countries that have shown interest in
acquiring arms produced by India, including the Akash Missile System capable of
intercepting hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones, and subsonic cruise
missiles at a range of 25 km.
2. Project “Saaras” for menstruation health
launched by Israeli embassy in Ghaziabad: The women of
Arthala village in Ghaziabad are fond of 27-year-old Uzma Kazmi; it was she who
gave them better coping mechanisms for those “uncomfortable days” of the month
by bringing affordable and environmentally friendly sanitary napkins, “Saraas,”
within their grasp. As part of project “Saraas,” an initiative of the Israeli
embassy in India in conjunction with NGO Khushii, which aims to raise awareness
about menstruation health and cleanliness and improve skills and capacity for
women, the centre was opened by Naor Gilon, the Israeli ambassador to India. Project
“Saaras”:
a) About 20 kilometres from the national capital of Delhi, the densely
populated Arthala hamlet, with its little roads and winding byways
crisscrossing its length and breadth, is home to an estimated 200,000
inhabitants, the majority of whom are from lower socioeconomic classes.
b) With assistance from MASHAV, Israel’s organisation for foreign
development cooperation, this industrial facility was constructed.
c) The facility can already produce 10,000 sanitary pads every day and
currently has a workforce of 15 women, the most of whom are from Arthala.
d) The cost of each pack of 10 is £20, which is significantly less
expensive than the equivalent product’s lowest price on the market.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Czech
Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova won Chennai Open 2022 title: Czech Republic’s 17-year-old, Linda Fruhvirtova scripted a brilliant
comeback to win the Chennai Open 2022 WTA 250 tennis singles. The teenager beat
Magda Linette of Poland, the third seed, in the final. At 17 years and 141 days
old, she is the youngest titlist of the season on the WTA Tour so far. She is
the youngest singles champion on tour since Coco Gauff won Parma last year at
17 years, 70 days old. In doubles, the top-seeded pair of Brazil’s Luisa
Stefani and Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski defeated Russian Tennis Federation’s
Anna Blinkova and Georgia’s Natela Dzalamidze 6-2, 6-1 in the one-sided final.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. RBI
Governor Launches 3 key Digital Payment Initiatives at Global Fintech Fest
2022: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, Shaktikanta
Das, launched three key digital payment initiatives at the Global Fintech Fest
2022. The three digital payment initiatives that were launched by the RBI are
RuPay Credit Card on Unified Payments Interface (UPI), UPI Lite, and Bharat
BillPay Cross-Border Bill Payments. Key Points:
a) UPI Lite will provide users with a convenient solution for faster and
simpler low-value transactions, the National Payments Corp Of India (NPCI) said
in a statement.
b) Now that UPI Lite on BHIM App will be enabled, the users will be able to
make small-value transactions in a near-offline mode.
c) The launch of the UPI Lite will reduce the debit load on the core
banking system, thereby improving the success rate of transactions further,
enhancing the user experience, and taking us one step closer to processing a
billion transactions a day on the UPI platform.
d) The upper limit of a UPI Lite payment transaction will be ₹200.
e) The total limit of the UPI Lite digital payment mode on the wallet on a
device would be ₹2,000 at any point in time.
f)
Customers of these eight banks would be able to use
UPI Lite digital payment system. These are Canara Bank, HDFC Bank, Indian Bank,
Kotak Mahindra Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India (SBI), Union
Bank of India and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. Asian
Development Bank pares 2022-23 GDP growth forecast for India to 7%: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pared its 2022-23 growth projection
for India’s economy to 7% from 7.5% estimated in April, terming it a “modest
downward revision” driven by higher-than-anticipated inflation and monetary
tightening. The Bank also raised its inflation forecast for India to 6.7% for
this year, while widening its current account deficit (CAD) estimate to 3.8% of
GDP. The CAD is expected to drop to 2.1% of GDP in 2023-24 while inflation will
moderate to 5.8% as demand pressures from strengthening economic activity are
tamped down by easing supply bottlenecks, the Bank reckoned.
2. Jio Cinema’s OTT merger with Viacom18 Media
approved by CCI: Jio Cinema’s OTT merger with Viacom18: The merger
of Jio Cinema OTT and Viacom18 Media received approval from fair-trade
regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI). The CCI announced in a tweet
on Monday that, following investments from BTS Investment and Reliance Projects
& Property Management Services, it has approved the merger of the Jio
Cinema OTT platform with Viacom18 Media. Key Points:
a) Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) and Viacom18 announced a strategic
partnership with Bodhi Tree Systems in April.
b) Bodhi Tree to invest Rs 13,500 crore in Viacom18, and Reliance Projects
& Property Management Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RIL, will
invest Rs 1,645 crore in the broadcaster as part of the tripartite partnership,
creating one of the largest TV and digital streaming firms in India.
c) Reliance’s well-liked Jio Cinema OTT app will be moved to Viacom18 as
part of the cooperation.
d) IT support services are provided by Reliance Projects & Property
Management Services. Through its roster of channels and streaming service
“Voot,” Viacom18 Media engages in the business of offering media and
entertainment services.
DEFENCE
1. Abhyas
drill: India & U.S coast guards showcase maritime ties: The Coast Guards of India and the United States participated Off the
coast of Chennai in the massive Abhyas drill or the Abhyas joint drill. The
United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Midgett’s four-day visit came to an
end. The USCG ship and the Indian Coast Guard discussed best practices for
search and rescue operations while they were in port. Key Points:
a) The joint training exercises aimed to promote a “free and open”
Indo-Pacific region and familiarise the coast guards of the two nations with
one another’s capabilities.
b) Fleet manoeuvres, which simulate the hijacking of a ship and subsequent
rescue of its crew in a planned cooperative anti-piracy operation, are the
show’s high points.
c) The exercise’s other high points included the interception of a pirated
ship, a well-organized combined boarding operation, a SAR demonstration, and
external fire-fighting to save burning ships.
d) The USCG ship engaged in professional exchanges with Indian Coast Guard
counterparts during visit-board-search-seizure operations, cross-deck visits,
and a pleasant volleyball match.
2. Patrol vessel Samarth commissioned with Indian
Coast Guard: Patrol vessel Samarth commissioned: The new ship
for the Indian Coast Guard in Kochi will unquestionably improve the operational
capability of the Indian Coast Guard at sea. The ship was operating under the
operational control of Coast Guard District Headquarters-4 while it was
headquartered in Kochi from Goa. To improve the coastal security system, the
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) added Patrol Vessel Samarth to its fleet. The
105-meter-long ICGS Samarth can travel at a top speed of 23 knots (approx 43
Kmph). About Patrol Vessel Samarth:
a) Patrol Vessel Samarth is a ship which is outfitted with a high power
external fire fighting (EFF) system, an integrated bridge management system
(IBMS), an integrated platform management system (IPMS), and a power management
system (PMS).
b) A twin-engine helicopter and four high-speed boats, including two
inflatable boats for boarding operations, search and rescue operations, law
enforcement, and maritime patrol, are all intended to be carried by the ship.
c) The ship is equipped with a cutting-edge surveillance system and has the
ability to control marine oil spills.
3. Indian Army activates satellite-based internet
service on Siachen Glacier, world’s highest battlefield: The Indian Army has achieved a remarkable achievement, activating
satellite-based Internet service on the Siachen Glacier, which is the world’s
highest battlefield. On the same day, the domestic defense industry was invited
to offer critical equipment for emergency procurement in consonance with its
commitment to ‘fight future wars with Indigenous solutions’. Key Points:
a) The Indian Army has collaborated with Bharat Broadband Network Limited
(BBNL), which is a fully government-owned broadband infrastructure provider
company. BBNL helps in providing internet services to the soldiers.
b) BBNL is working on Bharat Net scheme which aims to provide internet connectivity
using satellites to rural remote areas including 7000-gram panchayats. More
than 4000 of these gram panchayats have already connected to the internet with
BBNL.
c) The internet is wireless internet, beamed down from satellites orbiting
the earth.
d) A few private companies are providing different satellite-based Internet
services to the Indian Army in sensitive places in border areas like Eastern
Ladakh.
OBITUARIES
1. Sanskrit scholar Padmashree Acharya Ramayatna Shukla passes away: Padma Shri awardee, Prof Acharya Ram Yatna Shukla, a Sanskrit scholar and former President of Kashi Vidwat Parishad, passed away at the age of 90 years. He is popularly called as “Abhinav Panini” due to his contribution towards inventing new methods of Sanskrit Grammar and Vedanta teaching and modernisation. He was the founder of UP Nagkoop Sastrath Samiti and Sanatan Sanskriti Samvardhan Parishad, which are engaged in the uplifting of Sanskrit language and moral values of society.
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