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Contents

National News ............................................................................................................................................... 19

1.1 14th meeting of India-UK Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism ...................................................... 19

1.2 India’s first boat library launched in Kolkata along River Hooghly ............................................................. 19

1.3 Sports Minister launches 1st reference material synthesized by NDTL & NIPER ........................................ 19

1.4 PM pays tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai on his birth anniversary ..................................................................... 19

1.5 Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses event on Restoring Cross Border Mobility .................................................. 19

1.6 KVIC revives Assam’ oldest Khadi Institution ............................................................................................. 19

1.7 Tamil Nadu CM inaugurates memorial established at former CM’s residence ‘Veda Nilayam’ ................ 20

1.8 Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations held at MIRC, Ahmednagar .................................................................. 20

1.9 TCS becomes India's most valued firm by market capitalization ............................................................... 20

1.10 5th joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum ................................................................................. 20

1.11 L&T bags ₹2,500-cr order in bullet train project ........................................................................................ 20

1.12 Sustainable Development of Little Andaman Island .................................................................................. 20

1.13 SECR operated longest Freight train ‘Vasuki’ ............................................................................................. 20

1.14 India pledges US $1,50,000 to UN peacebuilding fund .............................................................................. 21

1.15 Theme of Tableau of ISLRTC at Republic Day Parade ................................................................................. 21

1.16 Ministry of AYUSH (MoA) formulates Common Yoga Protocol .................................................................. 21

1.17 Chauri Chaura Centenary celebrations held at Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur ............................................... 21

1.18 Ropeways and Alternate Mobility Solutions brought under MoRTH ......................................................... 21

1.19 CSIR-CMERI inaugurates Off-grid Solar Biodiesel Hybrid Minigrid ............................................................. 21

1.20 2nd CCTNS Hackathon and Cyber Challenge 2020-21 of NCRB launched ................................................... 21

1.21 8th India International Silk Fair held virtually .............................................................................................. 22

1.22 MUI urged government to consider Neptune Declaration for Maritime India Vision 2030 ...................... 22

1.23 Kerala gets its first Human Milk Bank ......................................................................................................... 22

1.24 Aatmanirbharta named Oxford Hindi word of the year 2020 .................................................................... 22

1.25 India’s first Amputee Clinic launched in Chandigarh .................................................................................. 22

1.26 Manufacturing Programme for Critical Power and Renewable Energy Equipment ................................... 22

1.27 A webinar series on Astro-Tourism held under Dekho Apna Desh ............................................................ 23

1.28 Symposium on Safer Roads organized by MoRTH ...................................................................................... 23

1.29 Prince of Arcot received the Tirukkural Arabic audio CD ........................................................................... 23

1.30 First Clone Train started from Ernakulam, Kerala ...................................................................................... 23

1.31 Apollo Hospitals launches hand print campaign ........................................................................................ 23

1.32 Eco-tourism project started in Gulf of Munnar .......................................................................................... 23

1.33 25th IFFK opened with Bosnian Film, Quo Vadis ......................................................................................... 23

1.34 Centre to fund Namma Metro Line in Bengaluru ....................................................................................... 23

1.35 Visakhapatnam Traffic police launches Special drive 'Surakshita Prayanam' ............................................ 24



1.36 Webinar on “Vocal for Local : Empowering Local Communities : Gujarat Experience” ............................. 24

1.37 Telangana to formulate a Space-tech policy framework ........................................................................... 24

1.38 Ernakulam Rural police launches project ‘Thousand Eyes’ ........................................................................ 24

1.39 Kempegowda International Airport bags ‘Voice of the Customer’ global recognition .............................. 24

1.40 ‘India Pharma & India Medical Device 2021 ‘ programme organized ........................................................ 24

1.41 INCA International Congress organized in Kolkata ..................................................................................... 25

1.42 Annual Convention of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) ..................................... 25

1.43 Odisha to get India’s first thunderstorm research test bed ....................................................................... 25

1.44 BCCI can deploy drones for aerial recording of Indian Cricket season in 2021 .......................................... 25

1.45 18th edition of BioAsia event organized ...................................................................................................... 25

1.46 Operation Dark Hunt by Rural Police in Ernakulam, Kerala ....................................................................... 25

1.47 Maritime India Summit 2021 ...................................................................................................................... 25

1.48 India’s first ever CNG tractor launched ...................................................................................................... 25

1.49 15th Centre for drone pilot training inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam ....................................................... 26

1.50 Telecom Ministry to set up a nodal agency ‘Digital Intelligence Unit’ ....................................................... 26

1.51 Cricket Stadium at Motera, Ahmedabad renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium ........................................ 26

1.52 Museum on dacoits set up at Bhind, Madhya Pradesh ............................................................................. 26

1.53 Vijaynagara became the 31st district of Karnataka ..................................................................................... 26

1.54 J&K collaborates with UK based space agency for impact-based flood forecasting .................................. 26

1.55 Geospatial Data Regulations liberalized ..................................................................................................... 26

1.56 ISRO and MapmyIndia to develop an indigenous mapping portal ............................................................. 27

1.57 PM laid foundation stone for Grand Anicut Canal System ......................................................................... 27

1.58 Two ro-ro vessels came up in Kerala .......................................................................................................... 27

1.59 International Cruise Terminal, Sagarika inaugurated at Cochin Port, Kerala ............................................. 27

1.60 Kerala keen on becoming a museum hub .................................................................................................. 27

1.61 ‘Namma Cargo’ services launched.............................................................................................................. 27

1.62 India & Ireland hold consultations on UN Security Council issues ............................................................. 27

1.63 Union Cabinet approves President’s rule in Puducherry ............................................................................ 28

1.64 China regained its position as India’s top trade partner in 2020 ............................................................... 28

1.65 19th Home Secretary Level Talks between India and Bangladesh ............................................................. 28

1.66 Finance Minister inaugurates CCI’s South Regional Office in Chennai ....................................................... 28

1.67 MPEDA & NCDC signs MoU for promotion of export-oriented marine products ...................................... 28

1.68 NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project damaged in Uttarakhand floods ................................... 28

1.69 Union Home Minister releases CRPF's book 'Nation First - The Golden Saga of 82 Years' ........................ 28

1.70 Union Home Minister Amit Shah attends 'Shauryanjali' programme ........................................................ 29

1.71 PM launched Mahabahu-Brahmaputra project ......................................................................................... 29

1.72 NIC launched an instant messaging platform “Sandes” ............................................................................. 29



1.73 Hyundai launched UMV “TIGER” ................................................................................................................ 29

1.74 Pi Beam launched an electric two-wheeler ................................................................................................ 29

1.75 4th edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2021’ to commence virtually in 2021 ................................................. 29

1.76 FAITH organized the 3rd India Tourism Mart .............................................................................................. 30

1.77 3 day national workshop organized at DRDO- MZU NESTC ....................................................................... 30

1.78 Kaladan Project between India and Myanmar to be completed soon ....................................................... 30

1.79 Projects launched by PM in Tamil Nadu ..................................................................................................... 30

1.80 Indian app Koo becoming popular ............................................................................................................. 30

1.81 India places Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite, 18 others in orbit ..................................................................... 30

1.82 PM inaugurates POWERGRID’s 320 kV 2000 MW Pugalur - Thrissur HVDC project .................................. 31

1.83 Exim Bank to provide USD 400 million to Maldives ................................................................................... 31

1.84 UP becomes first state to present a paperless budget .............................................................................. 31

1.85 Hoshangabad to be renamed as Narmadapuram ...................................................................................... 31

1.86 UP to export 20 tonnes of 'Kala Namak' rice to Singapore ........................................................................ 31

1.87 Indian Oil signs agreement with Norway’s Greenstat for centre of excellence on Hydrogen ................... 31

1.88 Integration of DigiLocker platform with Passport Services ........................................................................ 31

1.89 India & Ethiopia signs agreements on visa facilitation & leather technology ............................................ 31

1.90 Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Atal Paryavaran Bhavan ....................................... 32

1.91 Coronil gets Ayush Ministry certification ................................................................................................... 32

1.92 Agri ministry allowed to use drones for remote sensing data collection ................................................... 32

1.93 Hyderabad gets recognition as 2020 Tree City of the World ..................................................................... 32

1.94 RBI clears acquisition of DHFL by Piramal group ........................................................................................ 32

1.95 Fossils of ‘Dickinsonia’ found at Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh .................................................................. 32

1.96 24th India-USA Executive Steering Group (ESG) Meeting .......................................................................... 32

1.97 Incredible India Mega Homestay Development & Training Workshop ...................................................... 32

1.98 Indian Railways to reactivate the facility of UTS ON MOBILE App ............................................................. 33

1.99 IIT Council sets up four working groups related to NEP implementation .................................................. 33

1.100 Mumbai will be home to India's first undersea tunnel by 2023 ............................................................. 33

1.101 3-patents filed by NMPB as part of sponsored research projects .......................................................... 33

1.102 Chenab bridge, world's highest rail bridge taller than Eiffel Tower, completes 'engineering milestone'

33

1.103 Amazon, Directorate General Resettlement sign MoU for hiring ex-servicemen .................................. 33

1.104 Asia’s largest Livestock Research Centre in Salem, Tamil Nadu ............................................................. 34

1.105 External Affairs Minister launched India’s website for BRICS ................................................................ 34

1.106 PM addresses WEF’s Davos Dialogue ..................................................................................................... 34

1.107 AGRI INDIA HACKATHON ........................................................................................................................ 34

1.108 India signed MoC with Japan for providing training to workers ............................................................ 35



1.109 High Level Committee under Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah approves Rs.

1,751.05 crore of additional Central Assistance to five States ............................................................................... 35

1.110 India gets its first Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management ................................................ 35

1.111 State Business Reform Action Plan ......................................................................................................... 36

1.112 KAPILA' for patent awareness ................................................................................................................ 36

1.113 FICCI, TISS, Azim Premji University proposes to setup Udyog Sahayak Enterprises Network ............... 36

1.114 Cumulative Issuance of Global Green Bonds Crosses 1 Trillion US$ Mark in 2020 ................................ 37

1.115 Economic Survey Suggests that Base Year of CPI Needs to be Revised ................................................. 37

1.116 Combined Social Sector Expenditure by Centre and States as Per Cent of GDP has Increased in 2020-

21 38

1.117 Finance Minister proposes revamped reforms- based result-linked power distribution sector Scheme

39

1.118 Centre announces launch of Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) scheme ................................... 40

1.119 FM proposes 9 measures for Agriculture & Allied Sectors ..................................................................... 40

1.120 Govt. to provide additional capital infusion to SECI and IREDA ............................................................. 41

1.121 MCA revises threshold for paid up capital and turnover for Small Companies ..................................... 41

1.122 MCA amends One Person Companies (OPCs) rules ............................................................................... 41

1.123 Government to another 8,500 kms of roads under Bharatmala Pariyojana .......................................... 42

1.124 Government to Introduce Single Securities Markets Code .................................................................... 42

1.125 Union Budget 2021-22: Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) to get access to

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund .............................................................................................................................. 43

1.126 Conciliation Mechanism to be Set Up for Quick Resolution of Contractual Disputes with

Government/CPSEs ................................................................................................................................................. 44

1.127 FDI limit in Insurance sector increased from 49% to 74% and Foreign Ownership and control allowed

with safeguards ...................................................................................................................................................... 44

1.128 Government to step up Funding for National Infrastructure Pipeline Development Financial Institution

(DFI) 44

1.129 1st India-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting in Renewable Energy ................................................. 45

1.130 Benefits to startups under Startup India Seed Fund Scheme ................................................................. 45

1.131 PM launches ‘Asom Mala’ and lays Foundation Stone of two Hospitals in Assam ................................ 46

1.132 TN CM launches free internet data card scheme ................................................................................... 46

1.133 National Rail Plan for India ..................................................................................................................... 46

1.134 Rare bird species sighted in wetlands: Asian Waterbird Census – 2021 ................................................ 47

1.135 Government slashes sports budget ........................................................................................................ 47

1.136 Government to privatize seven major ports .......................................................................................... 47

1.137 Ministerial Panel to decide CPSE count in strategic sectors ................................................................... 48

1.138 Dept. of Expenditure releases grants to states for rural local bodies .................................................... 48

1.139 Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare addresses World Pulses Day organized by Indian

Pulses Research Institute (IIPR) .............................................................................................................................. 49



1.140 TIFAC unveils two new initiatives of Technology —SAKSHAM (Shramik Shakti Manch) ....................... 49

1.141 Attracting International Retailers for Textile Requirements .................................................................. 50

1.142 Allocation of Funds to Swadhar Greh ..................................................................................................... 50

1.143 NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission & Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research

Organisation kick-start the India-Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon, 2021 ....................................... 51

1.144 RoDTEP: Centre examining first part of GK Pillai panel report to see if caps needed ............................ 51

1.145 Maharashtra cabinet approves water conservation programme .......................................................... 51

1.146 “AyuSamvad”, the Public Awareness Lecture “Ayurveda and Covid 19 Pandemic” series of AYUSH

Ministry 52

1.147 Significance of Ayush in Boosting Immunity ........................................................................................... 52

1.148 National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA): Towards the Mission of Digital Agriculture ....... 52

1.149 Utilization of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund ........................................................................................ 53

1.150 Over 56 lakh school teachers to be trained through NISHTHA in 2021-2022 ........................................ 54

1.151 Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to organise “Hunar Haat” at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New

Delhi from 20th February ....................................................................................................................................... 54

1.152 Family pensions ceiling enhanced from Rs 45,000 to 1,25,000 per month ........................................... 54

1.153 Establishment of IISC for employment opportunity to the youth abroad ............................................. 55

1.154 Government of India has launched an initiative SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for

Employment Support) to conduct skill mapping of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM)

55

1.155 Modernisation of Anganwadis ................................................................................................................ 55

1.156 UP govt announces 16-digit Unicode to identify landholdings .............................................................. 56

1.157 Government blocked 296 mobile apps since 2014 under Section 69A of IT Act 2000 .......................... 56

1.158 High Level Committee under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister approves Rs 3,113.05 crore of

additional Central Assistance to five States/Union Territories .............................................................................. 57

1.159 Noon meal scheme launched in Bharathidasan Government College for Women ............................... 57

1.160 Special Economic Zone Policy ................................................................................................................. 57

1.161 NASSCOM unveils e-learning platform for Telangana students ............................................................. 58

1.162 Anganwadi beneficiaries dropped by 2 crore in 7 years ........................................................................ 58

1.163 Agri Export Policy .................................................................................................................................... 58

1.164 Karnataka digital economy mission office inaugurated ......................................................................... 59

1.165 National Coal Index ................................................................................................................................. 60

1.166 Industrial Corridor Projects .................................................................................................................... 60

1.167 World Bank signs Project to Support CHIRAAG ...................................................................................... 61

1.168 Waste Generation from Animal Husbandry Sector ................................................................................ 61

1.169 Government Measures to regulate e-Commerce Platforms .................................................................. 62

1.170 Government measures to increase core sectors output ........................................................................ 62

1.171 Two new agri produces included for the subsidy through Kisan Rail Scheme ....................................... 62



1.172 ‘Specialty Steel’ included under the PLI Scheme .................................................................................... 63

1.173 PM inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit 2021 ........................................................... 63

1.174 SIDBI and COWE launched the Swavalamban Sashakt- Mega Campaign............................................... 63

1.175 NDB announced a commitment of $100 million into the NIIF FoF ........................................................ 63

1.176 Indian suffered crop loss on 18.176 million hectares ............................................................................. 64

1.177 57,000 water structures inaugurated under ‘Jalabhishekam’ campaign ............................................... 64

1.178 NPCI launched ‘NPCI PayAuth Challenge’ ............................................................................................... 65

1.179 Certified Jute seeds Distribution Plan and Jute Farmers Awareness Workshop virtually organized ..... 65

1.180 Recykal selected for WEFs Circulars Accelerator programme ................................................................ 66

1.181 Ministry of Tribal Affairs bags Award of Appreciation - 18th CSI SIG E-Governance Awards 2020 ....... 66

1.182 External Affairs Minister attends 3rd Quad Ministerial Meeting ........................................................... 66

1.183 Union Telecom Minister chairs high level meeting to make digital transactions secure ....................... 67

1.184 Government announces liberalised guidelines for geo-spatial data ...................................................... 67

1.185 Stakeholders discuss the implications of liberalised guidelines for geo-spatial data. ........................... 67

1.186 MSDE launches Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship ......................................................................... 68

1.187 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala becomes first woman, African to lead WTO ........................................................ 68

1.188 Preeti Sinha to lead UN Capital Development Fund ............................................................................... 68

1.189 3rd edition of Indian Sign Language dictionary released ......................................................................... 69

1.190 Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launches Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan ............................................ 69

1.191 Amazon India to manufacture electronic products in India ................................................................... 70

1.192 Union Petroleum Minister addresses Joint Conference of 11th World PetroCoal Congress and World

Future Fuel Summit ................................................................................................................................................ 70

1.193 Italy creates ecological transition ministry ............................................................................................. 71

1.194 E-Daakhil portal for consumer grievance redressal now operational in 15 states, UTs ......................... 71

1.195 Transport Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari launches ‘Go Electric’ Campaign ................................................ 71

1.196 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India sign MoU to

promote health research ........................................................................................................................................ 72

1.197 Eleventh India-EU Macroeconomic Dialogue ......................................................................................... 72

1.198 Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Granted Drone Use Permission ......................................... 72

1.199 Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar distributes awards to top-performing states and districts

under the PM-KISAN scheme ................................................................................................................................. 72

1.200 India hosts First Meeting of BRICS Finance and Central Bank Deputies ................................................ 73

1.201 India-Maldives Workshop on Good Governance Practices in a Pandemic............................................. 73

1.202 Shri Vijay Sampla assumes charge of Chairman National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) ... 74

1.203 12th Technical Group Meeting of National Statistical Offices(NSOs) of BRICS Countries for Preparation

of Joint Statistical Publication 2021 ........................................................................................................................ 74

1.204 Union Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister inaugurates a four-day Global Investors meet: India Pharma

2021 & India Medical Devices 2021 ....................................................................................................................... 74



1.205 Minister of Commerce and Industry addressed the 6th International Conference on Pharmaceutical &

Medical Device Sector ............................................................................................................................................ 74

1.206 MCA & CBIC sign MoU for exchange of data for enhancing Ease of Doing Business in India and

improve overall regulatory enforcement ............................................................................................................... 75

1.207 Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurates the latest technology Integrated Bamboo Treatment

Plant near Guwahati ............................................................................................................................................... 75

1.208 Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank,’ delivers inaugural address at the 16th

FICCI Higher Education Summit 2021 ..................................................................................................................... 75

1.209 Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman attends virtual G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank

Governors Meeting ................................................................................................................................................. 75

1.210 Second Advance Estimates of National Income, 2020-21 ...................................................................... 76

1.211 Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India and Municipal Corporation of

Faridabad Launch Project to Clean Urban Drainsof Faridabad .............................................................................. 77

1.212 Union Health Secretary and Chairman, Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration (Co-WIN) chair

meet on COVID vaccination of Age-Appropriate Groups with States and UTs ...................................................... 77

1.213 National Bamboo Mission organized a National Conference on Opportunities and Challenges for

Bamboo in India ...................................................................................................................................................... 77

1.214 India Toy Fair-2021 ................................................................................................................................. 77

1.215 Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses the Global Indian Physicians Congress .................................................... 77

1.216 HP, NSDC join hands to support learning with free content .................................................................. 77

1.217 ICICI Lombard Corporate India Risk Index to help India Inc. manage risks effectively amid COVID-19 . 78

1.218 Government notifies Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code)

Rules 2021 .............................................................................................................................................................. 78

1.219 International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams &

River Basins inaugurated ........................................................................................................................................ 80

1.220 GoI & AIIB sign agreement for $304 million to improve power transmission network in Assam .......... 81

1.221 GoI and World Bank Sign Project to Improve Quality of Education in Nagaland .................................. 81

1.222 Jal Jeevan Mission: Special Campaign to provide potable piped water supply in Schools & Anganwadi

Centres extended ................................................................................................................................................... 81

1.223 Ministry of Housing launches National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) ................................................. 82

1.224 Achievements of Smart Cities Mission ................................................................................................... 82

1.225 Five more states undertake partial Power Sector Reforms.................................................................... 83

1.226 Union Rural Development Minister chairs 22nd Meeting of the Central Employment Guarantee

Council 84

1.227 PM chairs Sixth Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog .................................................................... 84

1.228 Cabinet approves Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Pharmaceuticals ....................................... 84

1.229 Cabinet approves Production Linked Incentive Scheme for IT Hardware .............................................. 86

1.230 65.90% of prisoners in jails belong to SC, ST and OBC category ............................................................ 86

1.231 India aims to reduce deaths due to road accidents by 50% by 2025 ..................................................... 87

1.232 ‘India Energy Outlook Report 2021’ by IEA released .............................................................................. 87



1.233 41.75 crore accounts opened under PMJDY so far ................................................................................ 87

1.234 Science Scholarships for 1000 students by Delhi Government .............................................................. 87

1.235 Punjab Government launched the ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ Mission.......................................... 88

1.236 Rs. 712.13 crore allocated to Corporate Affairs Ministry ....................................................................... 88

1.237 Rs. 830 crore allocated for the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) ........................................................... 88

1.238 Rs. 4472 crore allocated for India’s first RRTS Project ........................................................................... 89

1.239 Star Health Insurance partners with PhonePe to offer Digital Health Insurance ................................... 89

1.240 National Productivity Day 2021 .............................................................................................................. 89

1.241 MapmyIndia gets CoWin app integration to help find nearby Covid-19 vaccination centres ............... 89

1.242 Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Flipkart to promote wooden toys, local artifacts, handicrafts ....... 90

1.243 Haryana signs MoUs with 3 e-commerce firms, to conduct training, workshops for entrepreneurs .... 90

1.244 JKEDI inks MoU with HED, 'We HUB' for promoting startups, entrepreneurs ....................................... 90

1.245 Assam flags off Uberization Scheme ...................................................................................................... 90

1.246 Jammu Municipal Corporation Signs MoUs With IPCA, UNDP To Make Jammu Plastic-Free................ 90

1.247 Stellapps, IPPB tie up to drive financial inclusion for dairy farmers ....................................................... 90

1.248 City Innovation Exchange platform was launched ................................................................................. 91

1.249 12 sites chosen by Ministry of Jal Shakti under Swachh Iconic Places initiative .................................... 91

1.250 CSIR-CMERI organized its first Farmer’s meet ........................................................................................ 91

1.251 LPG gas to be transported through National Waterways ...................................................................... 91

1.252 Global Bio-India 2021 organized ............................................................................................................. 92

1.253 ISA to launch World Solar Bank .............................................................................................................. 92

1.254 Smart Anganwadis Scheme by Kerala Government ............................................................................... 92

1.255 SWAMIH Fund for stalled housing projects to deliver 4000 homes ....................................................... 93

1.256 Operational Guidelines for integration of NAFLD with NPCDCS launched............................................. 93

1.257 Rajasthan Government launched the Universal Health Scheme ........................................................... 93

1.258 Saras Aajeevika Mela 2021 inaugurated at Noida Haat ......................................................................... 93

1.259 National Conference on Opportunities and Challenges for Bamboo in India ........................................ 94

1.260 Life Imprisonment for food adulterators in Madhya Pradesh ................................................................ 94

1.261 Sustainable Development Plan in Coal Sector ........................................................................................ 94

1.262 Trai issues recommendations on regulatory framework for platform services ..................................... 95

1.263 Carbon Watch, India’s first app to assess one’s carbon footprint .......................................................... 95

1.264 Himachal CM launches ‘e-Parivahan Vyavstha’ to provide online services ........................................... 95

1.265 Assam CM Sonowal lays foundation of first skill university of eastern India ......................................... 95

1.266 MCA21 Version 3.0 to be launched in Fiscal 2021-22 ............................................................................ 95

1.267 Union Budget 2021: Asset reconstruction company, AMC to manage NPAs ........................................ 96

1.268 SEBI bans Kishore Biyani securities mkt for one year ............................................................................. 96

1.269 15th Finance Commission keeps tax devolution to states FY22-26 at 42% ........................................... 97



1.270 SEBI to be notified as gold exchange regulator ...................................................................................... 98

1.271 IRDAI advises all Insurance companies for issuance of Digital Insurance Policies via DigiLocker .......... 98

1.272 Federal Bank launches ‘FedFirst’ savings account scheme for children ................................................. 98

1.273 Financial Literacy Week .......................................................................................................................... 98

1.274 CDSL becomes India's first depository to open 3-crore active demat accounts .................................... 99

1.275 LIC IPO: Up to 10% of issue size to be reserved for policyholders ......................................................... 99

1.276 State Bank of Sikkim under Reserve Bank of India's regulatory purview ............................................... 99

1.277 IRDAI notifies guidelines for standard personal accident insurance .................................................... 100

1.278 e-Kuber payments system launched in J&K.......................................................................................... 100

Art and Culture ............................................................................................................................................ 100

1.279 47th Khajuraho Dance Festival begins .................................................................................................. 100

1.280 Webinar on ‘International Mother Language Day’ ............................................................................... 100

1.281 75 years of Shri Ram Chandra Mission ................................................................................................. 100

1.282 Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahostav in Cooch Behar concludes ..................................................................... 101

1.283 The India Toy Fair, 2021 held virtually .................................................................................................. 101

1.284 Minority Affairs ministry to organise “Mushaira” in New Delhi ........................................................... 101

1.285 Navadina Japams launched in Andhra Pradesh .................................................................................... 101

1.286 Ancient idol of Vishnumurthy found in Udupi ...................................................................................... 101

1.287 ASI establishes six new circles .............................................................................................................. 101

1.288 India co-chaired the 8th meeting of ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers ................................................... 101

1.289 17,000 years old kangaroo painting identified in Australia .................................................................. 102

International News ...................................................................................................................................... 102

1.290 China became the world's largest FDI recipient in 2020 ...................................................................... 102

1.291 Chad becomes 1st country to ask for debt overhaul under G20 common framework ......................... 102

1.292 13th edition of All India Conference of China Studies organized .......................................................... 102

1.293 China empowers its coastguards to fire on foreign vessels ................................................................. 102

1.294 UK launches new platform to identify new variants of Covid-19 virus ................................................ 102

1.295 Google employees formed an international union “Alpha Global” ..................................................... 103

1.296 Myanmar to have a new State Administrative Council ........................................................................ 103

1.297 Pakistan test fires missile Ghaznavi ...................................................................................................... 103

1.298 Smart Wall Concept on US-Mexico Borders ......................................................................................... 103

1.299 1st High Level Dialogue on trade and Investment held between India and EU .................................... 103

1.300 ICC convicted Dominic Ongwen of war crimes ..................................................................................... 103

1.301 India and Afghanistan sign MoU for construction of Lalandar Dam in Afghanistan ............................ 103

1.302 Denmark to build first Energy Island in North Sea by .......................................................................... 103

1.303 Russia will launch around 40 satellites from 18 countries in march .................................................... 103

1.304 United States to rejoin UNHRC ............................................................................................................. 104



1.305 Pakistan Navy organizes a multinational maritime exercise “Aman-21” ............................................. 104

1.306 Pakistan test fires Babar missile ........................................................................................................... 104

1.307 Yoshiro Mori resigned from the post of Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief ................................................... 104

1.308 ‘Jidar-ul-Hadeed’, an exercise by Pakistan Army .................................................................................. 104

1.309 An unmanned Russian Cargo Ship delivered supplies to International Space Station ........................ 104

1.310 New Covid-19 variant “B.1.526” spotted in New York City .................................................................. 104

1.311 FATF decides to keep Pakistan on its terrorism financing “grey list” ................................................... 104

1.312 Australia passes “News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code” ........................... 104

1.313 Japan appoints Minister of Loneliness ................................................................................................. 105

1.314 Bangladesh becomes 1st country to ban all known Vulture-Toxic Drugs ............................................ 105

1.315 India joins ‘Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021’ ........................................................................... 105

1.316 Bangladesh Naval Ship “Prottoy” visited Mumbai ............................................................................... 105

1.317 CECPA signed between India and Mauritius......................................................................................... 105

1.318 Alok Sharma interacted with PM Modi about COP26 to be hosted by UK in Glasgow ........................ 105

1.319 Turkey plans to establish its first contact with moon in 2023 .............................................................. 106

1.320 US officially re-joins Paris climate agreement ...................................................................................... 106

1.321 Israel developing new Arrow-4 ballistic missile shield with U.S ........................................................... 106

1.322 Facebook blocks news sharing in Australia .......................................................................................... 106

1.323 UK PM Boris Johnson to host virtual meeting of G7 leaders ................................................................ 106

1.324 World's $281 trillion debt pile set to rise again in 2021 ....................................................................... 106

Appointments.............................................................................................................................................. 107

1.325 Keshav R Kranthi appointed as the chief scientist of ICAC ................................................................... 107

• Recently, Global cotton research and advisory body, International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), has

elevated Keshav R Kranthi as the chief scientist. ................................................................................................. 107

1.326 RS Sharma appointed as Chief Executive of Ayushman Bharat Scheme .............................................. 107

1.327 Praveen Sinha appointed as acting CBI chief ........................................................................................ 107

1.328 Shri S.N. Subrahmanyan appointed as Chairman of National Safety Council ...................................... 107

1.329 Bhavya Lal appointed as the acting Chief of Staff of the US space agency “NASA” ............................. 107

1.330 C P Mohanty appointed as Vice Chief of Army Staff ............................................................................ 107

1.331 Pushpa Virendra Ganediwala appointed as Additional Judge of Bombay High Court ......................... 107

1.332 Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar appointed as Chief Justice of Manipur High Court ................ 107

1.333 India’s Ajay Mathur to take over as ISA chief ....................................................................................... 107

Persons in News .......................................................................................................................................... 108

1.334 Lloyd J. Austin becomes first Black Pentagon chief .............................................................................. 108

1.335 Social scientist & economist Shaibal Gupta passes away ..................................................................... 108

1.336 Artiste Vandse Narayana Ganiga passes away ..................................................................................... 108

1.337 Ace cinematographer P.S. Nivas passes away ...................................................................................... 108



1.338 Former IWLF secretary Gopal Khanra passes away .............................................................................. 108

1.339 ‘The Little Book of Encouragement’ ..................................................................................................... 108

1.340 Centenary Birth Celebrations of Pandit Joshi, a classical singer took place ......................................... 108

1.341 Sridhar Vembu became part of the National Security Advisory Board ................................................ 108

1.342 Captain Tom Moore, a World War II veteran passed away.................................................................. 109

1.343 Andy Jassy to be the CEO of Amazon ................................................................................................... 109

1.344 Actor-producer Rajiv Kapoor passes away ........................................................................................... 109

1.345 Steven Spielberg won Israel’s Genesis Prize 2021 ................................................................................ 109

1.346 VLCC Femina Miss India competition held ........................................................................................... 109

1.347 Hima Das appointed as DSP in Assam .................................................................................................. 109

1.348 Mario Draghi sworn in as Italy’s PM ..................................................................................................... 109

1.349 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first woman and the first African to head WTO ............................. 109

1.350 Jiya Rai created history after swimming for a distance of 36 Km in around 8 hours ........................... 109

1.351 Rajnish Kumar appointed as exclusive advisor for KIAL’s Special Fund ............................................... 109

1.352 Founder of Bumble, Whitney Wolfe became world’s youngest female billionaire ............................. 109

1.353 Arora Akanksha announces candidacy for post of Secretary General of UN ....................................... 110

1.354 Rashmi Samant elected as the president of Oxford University Student Union ................................... 110

1.355 Saima Ubaid secured gold medal in a power lifting competition in Srinagar ...................................... 110

1.356 Christopher Plummer, oldest Oscar winner in his 80s, dies at 91 ........................................................ 110

1.357 Virat Kohli is India's top celebrity endorser for fourth consecutive year ............................................. 110

1.358 India's youngest female pilot - 25-year-old Ayesha Aziz from Kashmir ............................................... 110

1.359 Natalia Mikhailovna Vodianova becomes new UN goodwill ambassador ........................................... 110

1.360 Dushyant Chautala re-elected as TTFI president .................................................................................. 110

1.361 Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ memoir named ‘Unfinished’ released .................................................. 110

1.362 Papua New Guinea’s first PM Michael Somare dead ........................................................................... 110

1.363 “Kamala's Way: An American Life”- The new biography of Kamala Harris released ........................... 111

1.364 A Sakthivel appointed as president of FIEO .......................................................................................... 111

1.365 Indian-American Swati Mohan led the NASA’s Mars 2020 mission ..................................................... 111

1.366 ‘Bare Necessities: How to Live a Zero Waste Life’ ................................................................................ 111

1.367 Georgian Prime Minister announced his resignation ........................................................................... 111

1.368 ‘Agriculture Acts 2020’: A book by A.K. Rajan ...................................................................................... 111

1.369 ‘Runway to Skill India’: A book by Dr Darlie O Koshy ........................................................................... 111

1.370 ‘Leadership Lessons from 22 Yards’- A book by Srikanth Ram ............................................................. 111

1.371 ‘They Found What/They Made What’-A book by Shweta Taneja ........................................................ 111

Science and Technology ............................................................................................................................... 112

1.372 UAE’s Hope Probe approaches Mars .................................................................................................... 112

1.373 China’s Tianwen-1 sent first image of Mars ......................................................................................... 112



1.374 Vice President inaugurated two new facilities at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex ..................... 112

1.375 Gas-Giant planets form more easily than previous revelations ........................................................... 112

1.376 Saturn Moon Titan’s largest sea is 1000 ft deep near its centre .......................................................... 112

1.377 BARC designed the first PPP Research Reactor for nuclear medicines ................................................ 112

1.378 A new logo of FIST launched at FISTAB................................................................................................. 112

1.379 ‘Hum’ of the universe detected by NANOGrav .................................................................................... 112

1.380 Two Giant Radio Galaxies discovered under MIGHTEE Survey ............................................................ 113

1.381 Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project .................................................................................................. 113

1.382 SpaceX announced launch of Falcon 9’s Inspiration4 .......................................................................... 113

1.383 India’s first geothermal power project to be established in Ladakh .................................................... 113

1.384 Small Black Holes discovered at the heart of NGC 6397 ...................................................................... 113

1.385 A new AI Ramanujan Machine .............................................................................................................. 113

1.386 NASA’s Perseverance rover makes historic Mars landing .................................................................... 114

1.387 Observation of Sun’s rotation over a century ...................................................................................... 114

1.388 ISS resupply mission named after Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician ................................... 114

1.389 GSI launches National Baseline Geoscience Data Generation Programmes ........................................ 114

Environment ................................................................................................................................................ 115

1.390 2021 to be Indo-French Year of Environment ...................................................................................... 115

1.391 Periyar Tiger Reserve trained a tiger’s cub ........................................................................................... 115

1.392 Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance started a campaign to protect fishing cat ...................................... 116

1.393 Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve becomes 5th tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu State .................... 116

1.394 Mandarin Duck spotted in Assam after 118 years ............................................................................... 116

1.395 New alpine plant species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh ................................................................ 116

1.396 Reliance Industries gets world's first 'carbon-neutral' oil from US ...................................................... 116

1.397 Teeth from Siberian mammoths yield oldest DNA ever recovered ..................................................... 116

1.398 Mass migration of blue earthworms in Meghalaya .............................................................................. 116

Days in News ............................................................................................................................................... 116

1.399 World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day: 30th January ......................................................................... 116

1.400 International Day of Human Fraternity: 4 February ............................................................................. 117

1.401 INCOIS celebrates 23rd Foundation Day ................................................................................................ 117

1.402 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation .................................................... 117

1.403 World Radio Day celebrated on 13 February ....................................................................................... 117

1.404 World Pulses Day: 10 February ............................................................................................................. 117

1.405 Tribal Artisan Day celebrated at Tribes India Adi Mahotsav ................................................................ 117

1.406 TIFAC celebrated its 34th Foundation Day ............................................................................................ 118

1.407 18th edition of Safer Internet Day celebrated on 09th February 2021 .................................................. 118

1.408 Diplomats’ Day organized ..................................................................................................................... 118



1.409 China celebrated Lunar New Year on 12th February ............................................................................. 118

1.410 World Unani Day ................................................................................................................................... 118

1.411 Bhakti Movement Saint Guru Ravidas Jayanti observed on 27th February .......................................... 118

1.412 32nd Foundation Day of Institute of Life Sciences celebrated .............................................................. 118

1.413 Department of Biotechnology celebrates 35th Foundation Day ......................................................... 118

1.414 World Day of Social Justice: 20 February ............................................................................................. 119

1.415 World Pangolin Day: 20 February ......................................................................................................... 119

1.416 World Thinking Day observed on February 22 ..................................................................................... 119

Defence in News .......................................................................................................................................... 119

1.417 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches e-Chhawani portal ............................................................. 119

1.418 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches revamped version of Gallantry Awards Portal .................. 119

1.419 Indian Armed Forces conducts exercise “KAVACH” along with “AMPHEX-21” .................................... 119

1.420 16th edition of India-U.S. joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ ........................................................... 119

1.421 Global Chiefs of Air Staff Conclave in Bengaluru .................................................................................. 119

1.422 Indian Ocean Region Defence Minister’s Conclave .............................................................................. 120

1.423 Events alongside Aero India 2021 ......................................................................................................... 120

1.424 NETF launched in Bengaluru ................................................................................................................. 120

1.425 HAL and MIDHANI signed a MoU for development of composite raw materials ................................ 120

1.426 Anti-Access Area Denial Capabilities (A2/AD) to be built for India ...................................................... 120

1.427 HAL handed over ALH Mk III to Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard .................................................. 120

1.428 IAF-HAL e-Portal operationalized ......................................................................................................... 120

1.429 iDEX Start-up Manthan organised ........................................................................................................ 121

1.430 HAL’s second plant for Tejas LCA in Bengaluru .................................................................................... 121

1.431 Final production batch Of LRSAM Missiles flagged off In Hyderabad .................................................. 121

1.432 DRDO signs a MoU with IISc Bengaluru for JATP-CoE .......................................................................... 121

1.433 SC puts on hold the dismantling of INS Viraat ...................................................................................... 121

1.434 Contract signed between Defence Ministry and BEL for SDR-Tac ........................................................ 121

1.435 MoU signed between Indian Navy and IIT Delhi .................................................................................. 121

1.436 TROPEX 21 ............................................................................................................................................ 122

1.437 First contingent of CRPF women personnel inducted into CoBRA ....................................................... 122

1.438 PM handed over Arjuna Main Battle Tank (Mk-1A) to Indian Army in Chennai .................................. 122

1.439 Contract between Indian Navy and M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd, Kolkata for DSCs ................................ 122

1.440 Divya-Drishti 2021, a webinar cum seminar organized by CLAWS ....................................................... 122

1.441 ‘Charter of Affiliation’ signed ................................................................................................................ 122

1.442 INS Karanj commissioned in Indian Navy ............................................................................................. 122

1.443 Indian Army to procure ARHMD System .............................................................................................. 123

1.444 Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar assumes command of the Western Fleet ................................................. 123



1.445 IAF to participate in 70th Anniversary Celebrations of SLAF ................................................................ 123

1.446 Indian Army to be equipped with Software Defined Radio .................................................................. 123

1.447 Budgetary allocations increased for Border Road Organizations ......................................................... 123

1.448 Delegation of Financial Powers under Capital Procurement to Command and Deputy Chiefs ........... 123

1.449 India & Pakistan agrees to observe 2003 ceasefire .............................................................................. 123

1.450 Indian and Indonesian navies conduct PASSAGE exercise in Arabian sea ............................................ 123

1.451 DAC approves proposals worth Rs 13,700 crore .................................................................................. 124

1.452 Successful launche of VL-SRSAM Missile System ................................................................................. 124

1.453 Successful user trials of ‘Helina’ and ‘Dhruvastra’ ............................................................................... 124

1.454 INS Pralaya arrives in Abu Dhabi to participate in NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21 ........................................ 124

1.455 Raksha Mantri inaugurates DRDO Skill Development Centre for Fire Safety Training......................... 124

1.456 10th round of commander level talks between Indian Army and China’s PLA begins ......................... 124

Sports .......................................................................................................................................................... 125

1.457 BCCI to not hold Ranji Trophy for first time in 87 years ....................................................................... 125

1.458 Ashoke Dinda announces retirement ................................................................................................... 125

1.459 Ajay Singh re-elected as President of Boxing Federation of India ........................................................ 125

1.460 Tamil Nadu won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy .................................................................................... 125

1.461 Ashwin became the second highest wicket-taker in tests played in India ........................................... 125

1.462 Sports Ministry restores recognition of Gymnastics Federation of India ............................................. 125

1.463 Byju’s became Global Partner of ICC until 2023 ................................................................................... 125

1.464 PM inaugurates Khelo India Winter Games ......................................................................................... 125

1.465 Karnataka to host Khelo India University Games 2021 ........................................................................ 126

1.466 Manika Batra wins National Table Tennis title ..................................................................................... 126

1.467 Yusuf Pathan announces retirement from all forms of cricket ............................................................ 126

1.468 Novak Djokovic won the ninth Australian Open Title........................................................................... 126

1.469 Philips Island Trophy Tennis Tournament 2021, Melbourne ............................................................... 126

Awards ........................................................................................................................................................ 126

1.470 Republic Day 2021 Awards ................................................................................................................... 126

1.471 Brand Finance’s Global 500 ranking ..................................................................................................... 126

1.472 Awards at 51st IFF’s Closing ceremony held at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Goa ....... 127

1.473 Padma Awards announced on Republic Day ........................................................................................ 127

1.474 H.S. Shivaprakash won the Ambikatanayadatta National Award ......................................................... 127

1.475 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Media Awards ........................................................................................................ 127

1.476 Mahatma Awards ................................................................................................................................. 127

1.477 Four Young Women Fellows of National Science Academies awarded with SERB Women Excellence

Award 128

1.478 PM Modi to receive CERAWeek global energy and environment leadership award ........................... 128



1.479 Anjali Bhardwaj to be honoured with International Anti-corruption Champions Award .................... 128

1.480 S Theodore Baskaran won Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020 .................................................... 128

1.481 10th National Awards for Technology Innovation in Petrochemicals & Downstream Plastics Processing

Industry (2019-20) ................................................................................................................................................ 128

1.482 Bharat Biotech wins Genome Valley Excellence Award 2021 .............................................................. 129

Banking ....................................................................................................................................................... 129

1.483 ICICI Bank signs MoU with MUFG Bank ................................................................................................ 129

1.484 Indian Bank signs MoU with IISc arm for funding start-ups & MSMEs ................................................ 129

1.485 Paypal to stop its domestic payment services in India ......................................................................... 129

1.486 Kotak Mahindra Bank launches Kotak Remit on mobile ...................................................................... 129

1.487 RBI put restrictions on withdrawals from Independence Co-operative Bank Limited, Nashik ............ 129

1.488 Bank of India acquired 49% stake each in BAIM and BATS .................................................................. 130

1.489 SBI launches ‘YONO Super Saving Days’ carnival ................................................................................. 130

1.490 Exim Bank to fund $130 million Maldives project ................................................................................ 130

1.491 Kotak Standard Multicap Fund renamed as Kotak Flexicap Fund ........................................................ 130

1.492 SBI payments launched the YONO Merchant App ............................................................................... 130

Polity ........................................................................................................................................................... 130

1.493 President Ram Nath Kovind removes Kiran Bedi as Puducherry L-G ................................................... 130

1.494 Mallikarjun Kharge to replace Ghulam Nabi Azad as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha ................ 131

1.495 Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah presided over the 69th meeting of the North East Council (NEC)

in Shillong ............................................................................................................................................................. 131

1.496 Parliament passes Port Authorities Bill,2020 ....................................................................................... 131

1.497 Parliament gives nod to Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2021 .................................... 132

1.498 PM chairs 36th PRAGATI Meeting ........................................................................................................ 132

Social Issues ................................................................................................................................................ 133

1.499 FDI inflows in food processing sector increased to USD 904.7 Million in 2019-20 .............................. 133

1.500 Eradication of Tuberculosis .................................................................................................................. 133

1.501 Medical Research for Treatment of Infectious Disease ........................................................................ 134

1.502 Government Policy for Child Nutrition ................................................................................................. 135

1.503 Maternal Mortality Rate ....................................................................................................................... 135

1.504 Social Security Schemes for Tea Garden Workers ................................................................................ 136

1.505 Government proposes to develop National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW) .................. 136

1.506 National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme ..................................................................................... 136

1.507 Administrative measures for providing Life Certificate with ease ....................................................... 137

1.508 Average dropout rate of girls recorded at 17.3% at secondary level in 2018-19:................................ 138

1.509 Budgetary Allocations to Health Sector increased to Rs. 2,23,846 cr .................................................. 138

1.510 NABARD to install more sanitary pad making machines under “My Pad My Right” Project ............... 139



1.511 27.37% prison inmates in India are illiterate ........................................................................................ 139

1.512 West Bengal CM launches ‘Maa’ Scheme ............................................................................................ 139

1.513 West Bengal CM inaugurates study on the creative economy around Durga Puja festival 2019 ........ 140

1.514 Union Health Minister launches Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0...................................... 140

1.515 Union Education Minister chairs the 54th Meeting of the Council of IITs ........................................... 140

1.516 Union Health Minister addresses ‘Population versus Planet’ Conference ........................................... 141

1.517 India’s first digital university inaugurated ............................................................................................ 142

1.518 Uttarakhand Government gave co-ownership rights to women in their husband’s ancestral property

142

1.519 UN Secretary General urged G20 nations to set up a task force for a Global Vaccination Plan against

Covid-19 142

1.520 NITI Aayog prepared a draft national migrant labor policy .................................................................. 142

1.521 Odisha CM launches various initiatives of state WCD and Mission Shakti Dept .................................. 143

1.522 Manipal Technologies to help UP rural women to provide banking services ...................................... 144

1.523 Andhra govt to provide Rs 15,000 to upper-caste women under EBC Nestham scheme .................... 144

1.524 State of School Feeding Worldwide Report 2020 released by WFP ..................................................... 144

1.525 Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addresses the British Association of Physicians of Indian

Origin (BAPIO) Wales Annual Conference on India’s success in battling COVID-19 ............................................. 145

1.526 Union Education Minister addresses the inaugural ceremony of the ASEAN India Hackathon ........... 145

1.527 India celebrates the National Girl Child Day ......................................................................................... 146

1.528 Union Health Minister addresses “Family Planning 2020” event......................................................... 146

1.529 Budget announcements for Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment ............................................. 147

1.530 Union Budget proposes to set up 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership with NGOs/private

schools/states ....................................................................................................................................................... 147

1.531 Centre announces Rs 50,000 crores for National Research Foundation .............................................. 148

1.532 Task force to examine age of marriage to women ............................................................................... 148

1.533 Measures for Population Control ......................................................................................................... 149

1.534 High Level Committee under Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah approves Rs.

1,751.05 crore of additional Central Assistance to five States ............................................................................. 149

1.535 Percentage of school students owning a smartphone increased from 36.5% in 2018 to 61.8% in 2020

in Rural India: Economic Survey ........................................................................................................................... 150

1.536 Senior Citizens to be exempted from Filing Tax Return ....................................................................... 150

1.537 340 deaths due to manual scavenging ................................................................................................. 151

1.538 ‘Project Heal’ launched for underprivileged women ........................................................................... 151

1.539 NITI Aayog constituted a sub-group to prepare a National Action Plan for Migrant Workers ............ 151

1.540 Gender Ratio in the Armed Forces ....................................................................................................... 151

1.541 I&B Minister launches state wide awareness campaign in Pune ......................................................... 152

1.542 Government relaxes norms for family pension to disabled survivors .................................................. 152



1.543 World Food Price Index rises in January 2021 ...................................................................................... 153

1.544 Union Budget places AYUSH Sector on a sustainable path of growth ................................................. 153

1.545 Women & Child Development Ministry in association with MyGov launches online campaign to

celebrate Women in science ................................................................................................................................ 154

1.546 Complaints received through POCSO e-Box ......................................................................................... 154

1.547 Measures to Boost Earning of Handloom Weavers and Artisans ......................................................... 154

1.548 ‘In-Country Adoptions .......................................................................................................................... 155



1 GA in News:

National News

1.1 14th meeting of India-UK Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism

• In the meeting, The two sides exchanged ideas for further strengthening bilateral cooperation

in the sphere of counter-terrorism including –

• countering radicalisation and violent extremism, combating financing of terrorism,

preventing exploitation of the internet for terrorism, law enforcement cooperation,

information sharing, aviation and maritime security and capacity building.

1.2 India’s first boat library launched in Kolkata along River Hooghly

• Recently, the West Bengal Transport Corporation has introduced India’s first boat library on

Hoogly River in association with a heritage book store.

• The Young Readers’ Boat Library features 500 and more perfectly-curated collections of

books in Hindi, English and Bengali across several genres, and will take visitors on a three-

hour trip along the river from Millenium Park to Belur Math and back to its original site.

1.3 Sports Minister launches 1st reference material synthesized by NDTL & NIPER

• Recently, Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju has launched a Reference

Material for use in chemical testing in the field of anti-doping.

• The reference material has been synthesized by collaborative efforts of National Dope

Testing Laboratory (NDTL) and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research

(NIPER), Guwahati.

• It would be used to strengthen anti-doping measures in all World Anti Doping Agency (WADA)

accredited laboratories.

1.4 PM pays tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai on his birth anniversary

• Recently, Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai ji on his

Jayanti which is observed every year on 28th of January.

1.5 Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses event on Restoring Cross Border Mobility

• Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare has recently addressed the

event on Restoring Cross Border Mobility by World Economic Forum’s Common Trust

Network.

• The event has been organized to discuss the policies, practices and partnerships needed to

reopen borders and enable essential travel, tourism, and commerce in a safe and sustainable

way.

1.6 KVIC revives Assam’ oldest Khadi Institution

• Recently, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has revived the Assam’ oldest

Khadi Institution vandalized by Bodo insurgents 30 years ago.

• The Khadi workshed is located at village Kawali in Baksa district of Assam, has been revived

as a Silk reeling center by KVIC.



1.7 Tamil Nadu CM inaugurates memorial established at former CM’s residence ‘Veda Nilayam’

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has recently inaugurated the memorial

established by the Tamil Nadu government at former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s residence

‘Veda Nilayam’ in Poes Garden in Chennai.

1.8 Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations held at MIRC, Ahmednagar

• India is celebrating 50th anniversary of the spectacular victory of Indian Armed Forces in the

1971 Indo-Pak War as Swarnim Vijay Varsh.

• Recently, a Commemoration cum Felicitation function has been organised at the Mechanised

Infantry Regimental Centre (MIRC), Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.

1.9 TCS becomes India's most valued firm by market capitalization

• Recently, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has surpassed Reliance Industries Ltd to become

India's most valued firm by market capitalisation.

• TCS has also surpassed the US-based IT major Accenture to become the world's most valuable

information technology (IT) company.

1.10 5th joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum

• Recently, the 5th joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum has been held recently and

reviewed progress of various ongoing projects in the Northeastern region in areas of

connectivity, hydropower, sustainable development and harnessing of water resources.

• The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Japanese

Ambassador Suzuki Satoshi.

1.11 L&T bags ₹2,500-cr order in bullet train project

• The Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has recently announced that it has bagged ₹2,500-crore contract

of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor.

• The order is to procure, fabricate, assemble, paint and transport 28 bridges.

• The project has been secured through a consortium of L&T and IHI Infrastructure Systems

(IIS) of Japan.

1.12 Sustainable Development of Little Andaman Island

• Recently, NITI Aayog’s plan of “Sustainable Development of Little Andaman Island - Vision

Document” for the sustainable and holistic development of the 680 sq km, fragile Little

Andaman Island in the Andaman and Nicobar group has raised the alarm among environment

conservationists.

1.13 SECR operated longest Freight train ‘Vasuki’

• Recently, Indian Railways' South Eastern Central Railway (SECR) zone has created another

record when it operated the longest freight train ‘Vasuki’ from Bhilai to Korba.

• SECR Raipur division amalgamated five rakes of freight coaches for the first time. The total

length of Vasuki became 3.5 Km after joining the rakes.



1.14 India pledges US $1,50,000 to UN peacebuilding fund

• Recently, TS Tirumurti, permanent representative of India to the United Nations has

announced a pledge of US $150,000 to activities of the United Nations (UN) peacebuilding

fund as a token of engagement.

1.15 Theme of Tableau of ISLRTC at Republic Day Parade

• Recently, the Tableau of Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC),

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice

and Empowerment was presented at the this year’s Republic Day Parade.

• It will showcase the theme ‘Bhartiya Sanketik Bhasha– Ek Rashtra, Ek Sanketik Bhasha’.

1.16 Ministry of AYUSH (MoA) formulates Common Yoga Protocol

• Recently, the Ministry of AYUSH (MoA) has started the preparations for International Day of

Yoga (IDY) - 2021 with a high quality online training programme on Common Yoga Protocol.

• The Common Yoga Protocol includes safe practices to improve physical, mental, emotional,

and spiritual health of the population.

• Ministry of AYUSH (MoA), Government of India (GoI), in association with the Morarji Desai

National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), has been organizing the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) -

Yoga Appreciation Programme(YAP) to promote and disseminate the knowledge and practice

of Yoga, among the general public, at the national level.

• International Day of Yoga is being celebrated on 21st June every year.

1.17 Chauri Chaura Centenary celebrations held at Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur

• Recently, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chauri Chaura Centenary

Celebrations at Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, on 4th February 2021.

• The day marks 100 years of the ‘Chauri Chaura’ incident.

• Prime Minister released a postal stamp dedicated to the Chauri Chaura centenary during the

event.

1.18 Ropeways and Alternate Mobility Solutions brought under MoRTH

• Recently, an amendment to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 has

been notified and development of Ropeways and Alternate Mobility Solutions has been

brought under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

• This means that the Ministry will have responsibility for construction, research, policy making,

formulation of institutional, financial, and regulatory framework for the Ropeways and other

Alternate Mobility Solutions.

1.19 CSIR-CMERI inaugurates Off-grid Solar Biodiesel Hybrid Minigrid

• Recently, Prof. (Dr.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR - CMERI has inaugurated the Off-grid Solar

Biodiesel Hybrid Minigrid of 50kW peak capacity system developed by CSIR-CMERI (Central

Mechanical Engineering Research Institute), Centre of Excellence for Farm Machinery.

• It will provide 24X7 power to Center for Excellence in Farm Machinery (CoEFM) Residential

Colony at Gill Road, Ludhiana (Punjab).

1.20 2nd CCTNS Hackathon and Cyber Challenge 2020-21 of NCRB launched

• Recently, 2nd CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems) Hackathon and

Cyber Challenge 2020-21 of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has been launched.

• It aims to enhance analysis and deepen understanding of police personnel.



• The Mobile App, “Locate Nearest Police Station” has been launched during the function.

1.21 8th India International Silk Fair held virtually

• Recently, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the 8th India International Silk Fair

Virtually on Indian Silk Export Promotion Council’s virtual platform.

• It aims to celebrate the beauty and vibrancy of Indian silk.

Additional Information:

• India is the only country in the world which produces all the four major varieties of silk -

Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and Muga.

• India is the 2nd largest producer of Silk.

1.22 MUI urged government to consider Neptune Declaration for Maritime India Vision 2030

• Recently, Maritime Union of India (MUI) has urged the government to consider the 'Neptune

Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change' while formulating the Maritime India

Vision 2030.

• The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India will be formulating 'Maritime India

Vision'.

About Neptune Declaration:

• It was released by the global maritime industry which focuses on recognizing seafarers as

key workers by all governments worldwide.

• It is in line with the UN General Assembly resolution adopted on December 1, 2020.

1.23 Kerala gets its first Human Milk Bank

• Recently, Kerala's first Human Milk Bank (HMB), a state-of-art facility was opened at the

Ernakulam general hospital with the support of the Rotary Club of Cochin Global.

• The milk bank will ensure breast milk for newborn babies, who are not being breastfed by

their own mothers.

1.24 Aatmanirbharta named Oxford Hindi word of the year 2020

• ‘Aatmanirbharta’ implying self-reliance has been named by Oxford Languages as its Hindi

word of the year 2020.

1.25 India’s first Amputee Clinic launched in Chandigarh

• Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh launched

‘PGI Amputee Clinic’, the first in India.

• The clinic strives to provide social, mental and physical support to its patients.

1.26 Manufacturing Programme for Critical Power and Renewable Energy Equipment

• Under the scheme titled 'Manufacturing Zones under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package', the

Ministry of Power will launch a domestic manufacturing programme for critical power and

renewable energy equipment at an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore in the coming financial year.

• These zones are divided into three categories– coastal, land-locked, and hilly states.

• The Union power ministry has released a list of close 80 items which are imported despite

sufficient domestic capacity.


• The equipment testing facility would be set up by Central Power Research Institute (CPRI)

for power equipment and for renewable equipment.



• National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) would

set up testing.

1.27 A webinar series on Astro-Tourism held under Dekho Apna Desh

• Recently, the Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series titled “Astro- Tourism:

The Next Frontier of Nature-based Tourism” has been held.

• The ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ Webinar Series is presented in technical partnership with National e

Governance Department, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.


• Astrotourism is any kind of tourism that involves the night sky or visiting facilities related to

astronomy like observatories.

1.28 Symposium on Safer Roads organized by MoRTH

• Recently, a symposium on “Safer Roads/Blackspots and discussion on Plan for Rectification

of Black Spots during Next One Year” has been organised by Ministry of Road Transport &

Highways (MoRTH) at Media Centre of Transport Bhawan, New Delhi.

1.29 Prince of Arcot received the Tirukkural Arabic audio CD

• Recently, a ‘Tirukkural’ Arabic audio CD has been released by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

Edappadi K. Palaniswami and was received by the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul

Ali.

• Event Organised By: Tamil Language Development and Tamil Culture Department.

• The CD has been produced by the International Institute of Tamil Studies, Government of

Tamil Nadu.

1.30 First Clone Train started from Ernakulam, Kerala

• Recently, southern railways started its first weekly clone train from Ernakulam, Kerala to

Okha, Gujarat.

• Clone trains are a replica of the original trains on a route, aimed at meeting high demand.

1.31 Apollo Hospitals launches hand print campaign

• Recently, Apollo Hospitals has launched the hand print campaign on the occasion of World

Cancer Day at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Tharamani, Chennai.

• Objective: To encourage all agencies involved and show appreciation to all involved in

process of treatment and care of Cancer.

1.32 Eco-tourism project started in Gulf of Munnar

• Recently, the Forest division in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu has started a community-

based eco-tourism project (tourism in undisturbed natural areas) at Pichaimoopanvalasai

near Erwadi in Gulf of Mannar.

1.33 25th IFFK opened with Bosnian Film, Quo Vadis

• Recently, Bosnian film Quo Vadis became the opening film of the 25th International Film

Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

1.34 Centre to fund Namma Metro Line in Bengaluru

• Recently, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that Centre’s funding will

be provided for the Outer Ring Road - Airport Metro line.

• The 58.19 km Namma Metro line will be built at an estimated cost of Rs. 14,788 crore.



• Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), a joint venture of Government of India

and Government of Karnataka is a Special Purpose Vehicle entrusted with the responsibility

of implementation of Bangalore Metro Rail Project.

1.35 Visakhapatnam Traffic police launches Special drive 'Surakshita Prayanam'

• Visakhapatnam Traffic police (Andhra Pradesh) has recently launched a Special drive

'Surakshita Prayanam'.

• Aim- To make roads more safe and to ensure free flow of traffic.

• Under this drive, the traffic police would encourage use of certified helmets, regulate, and ask

people to follow lane discipline, conduct drive against drunken driving and a few others.

1.36 Webinar on “Vocal for Local : Empowering Local Communities : Gujarat Experience”

• The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series held its 76th webinar recently with

title “Vocal for Local : Empowering Local Communities : Gujarat Experience.”

• Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series is presented in technical partnership with National e

Governance Department, Ministry of Electronics, and Information Technology.

1.37 Telangana to formulate a Space-tech policy framework

• Telangana has recently decided to formulate a Space-tech policy framework.

• Aim- To make Telangana a commercial hub for all space-related products and services.

1.38 Ernakulam Rural police launches project ‘Thousand Eyes’

• Recently, Ernakulam Rural police has launched a project ‘Thousand Eyes’.

• The project aims to install cameras across the district in such a way that they can be accessed

from the command and control centre of the Ernakulam Rural Police in Aluva, Kerala.

• Under the project, 50 CCTV cameras have been installed in rural areas.

1.39 Kempegowda International Airport bags ‘Voice of the Customer’ global recognition

• Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has secured global recognition for being the

‘Voice of the Customer’.

• Voice of the Customer is an initiative by the Airports Council International World, recognises

airports that prioritised their customers and remained committed to ensuring that their voice

was heard during the COVID-19 pandemic.

1.40 ‘India Pharma & India Medical Device 2021 ‘ programme organized

• Recently, the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, along with

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) & Invest India organized the

6th edition of annual program on Pharmaceuticals & Medical Device sector i.e. ‘India Pharma

& India Medical Device 2021’.

• Theme for India Pharma: ‘Indian Pharma Industry: “Future is Now”

• Theme for India Medical Device: “India MedTech Future: Innovate & Make in India through

Global Alliance”.



1.41 INCA International Congress organized in Kolkata

• Recently, National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO), under Ministry of

Science & Technology, has organized a 40th Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA)

International Congress in Kolkata.

• Theme: ‘Digital Mapping Innovations in Make India Initiatives’.

1.42 Annual Convention of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI)

• Recently, the Union Minister of State (IC) for Tourism & Culture, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel

inaugurated the Annual Convention of ADTOI which is being held at Kevadia in Gujarat.

• Organized by- Ministry of Tourism and Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India

(ADTOI)

• Theme: ‘Domestic Tourism – Hope for the revival- Dekho Apna Desh’

1.43 Odisha to get India’s first thunderstorm research test bed

• Odisha’s Balasore will get the country’s first thunderstorm research test bed, as per the India

Meteorological Department (IMD).

• Aim- To minimize human fatalities and loss of property due to lightning strikes.

• A first-of-its-kind monsoon test bed is also being planned near Bhopal.

1.44 BCCI can deploy drones for aerial recording of Indian Cricket season in 2021

• Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation

(DGCA) granted a conditional exemption to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for

the deployment of drones for live aerial cinematography of the India Cricket season in 2021.

• M/s Qujdich has been chosen as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) operator by BCCI.

1.45 18th edition of BioAsia event organized

• Recently, 18th edition of BioAsia, an annual event focusing on biotechnology and bio

industries, has been held recently.

• The event focussed on Covid-19, global health, and how it has led to various changes in the life

sciences industry.

• Theme: ‘Move the Needle’.

1.46 Operation Dark Hunt by Rural Police in Ernakulam, Kerala

• Recently, the Ernakulam Rural Police, Kerala increased its action under Operation Dark Hunt,

an ongoing campaign to crack down on anti-social elements due to their impact on crime

rate.

1.47 Maritime India Summit 2021

• 2nd edition of Maritime India Summit (MIS) 2021 to be held virtually on 2nd March.

• The event is being organized by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways

(MoPSW) jointly with FICCI as Industrial Partner and Ernest and Young as Knowledge Partner.

• It is going to provide a powerful platform for international collaboration and bring in partner

countries for mutual exchange of knowledge and opportunities.

1.48 India’s first ever CNG tractor launched

• Recently, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Sh. Nitin Gadkari launched India’s

first-ever CNG tractor converted from diesel tractor.



• The conversion was carried out jointly by Rawmatt Techno Solutions & Tomasetto Achille

India.

1.49 15th Centre for drone pilot training inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam

• Recently, the Indian Institute of Drones in association with the Electronics Sector Skill Council

of India inaugurated the 15th Centre for drone pilot training and service & maintenance of

drones in Guwahati, Assam.

• The Indian Institute of Drones is headquartered in Noida. It is a training wing of Johnnette

Technologies Pvt Ltd.

1.50 Telecom Ministry to set up a nodal agency ‘Digital Intelligence Unit’

• Recently, the Telecom Ministry has announced to set up a nodal agency, ‘Digital Intelligence

Unit’ (DIU).

• The agency will coordinate with various LEAs (law enforcement agencies), financial

institutions and telecom service providers in investigating any fraudulent activity involving

telecom resources.

• Ministry will also create Telecom Analytics for Fraud Management and Consumer Protection

system at License Service Area level to address digital fraud cases in the country.

1.51 Cricket Stadium at Motera, Ahmedabad renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium

• Recently, the world’s largest cricket stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad, Gujarat has been

renamed as the Narendra Modi Stadium.

• It was earlier known as Sardar Patel Stadium, or Motera stadium.

1.52 Museum on dacoits set up at Bhind, Madhya Pradesh

• Recently, a unique museum themed on stories of dacoits has been set up at the police

headquarters in Bhind, located in Madhya Pradesh.

1.53 Vijaynagara became the 31st district of Karnataka

• Recently, the Karnataka government has issued a notification demarcating boundaries of the

newly-formed Vijayanagara district carved out of Ballari under the Karnataka Land Revenue

Act, 1964.

• The state now has 31 districts.

1.54 J&K collaborates with UK based space agency for impact-based flood forecasting

• Recently, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has joined hands with a UK-based space

agency for a collaborative project on impact-based flood forecasting.

• The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), undertaken by HR Wallingford in

collaboration with Oxford University, Sayers & Partners (SPL) and D-Orbit, is an initiative that

supports collaborative projects between UK-based organisations and international partners.

1.55 Geospatial Data Regulations liberalized

• Indian government has recently liberalized regulations on geospatial data and maps to

achieve a $5 trillion economy and the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India.

• The government aims to make the geospatial data and modern mapping technologies

available to Indian companies.



1.56 ISRO and MapmyIndia to develop an indigenous mapping portal

• Recently, Indian Space Research Organisation and MapmyIndia, a location and navigation

technology solutions provider announced an initiative to partner together and to offer fully

indigenous, mapping portal and geospatial services.

1.57 PM laid foundation stone for Grand Anicut Canal System

• Recently, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the extension, renovation and modernization

of the Grand Anicut Canal System that will be taken up at a cost of Rs. 2640 crore.

• The canal is important for irrigation in the Cauvery Delta districts of Tamil Nadu.

1.58 Two ro-ro vessels came up in Kerala

• Recently, two roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) vessels of the Inland Water Authority of India (IWAI) will

start to ferry container-laden lorries from Willingdon Island to Bolgatty Island augmenting

connectivity between the two isles.

• The vessels (MV Adi Shankara and MV CV Raman) were built by Cochin Shipyard at ₹12.50

crore a piece.

1.59 International Cruise Terminal, Sagarika inaugurated at Cochin Port, Kerala

• Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated the country's first full-fledged international cruise

terminal, Sagarika at Cochin Port, Kerala and Marine Engineering Training Institute of Cochin

Shipyard Ltd.

1.60 Kerala keen on becoming a museum hub

• Recently, a District Heritage Museum in Palakkad, Kerala was opened, 150 km north of Kochi.

This museum highlights the region’s arts, music and agriculture.

• The Bastion Bungalow at Fort Kochi will now be seen as the Ernakulam District Heritage

Museum.

1.61 ‘Namma Cargo’ services launched

• Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has recently launched the ‘Namma Cargo’ services.

• Under this service, the State road transport corporations will transport parcels to generate

more revenue.

• The service is being implemented across 109 bus stations in Karnataka and select locations

in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu

1.62 India & Ireland hold consultations on UN Security Council issues

• India and Ireland have recently held the bilateral consultations on the UN Security Council

issues.

• During the meet, the two countries discussed a wide range of issues on the UNSC agenda and

agreed to work closely together during their innings at the UNSC in 2021-2022.

About Ireland-

• Capital- Dublin

• Currency- Euro



1.63 Union Cabinet approves President’s rule in Puducherry

• The Union Cabinet has recently approved a proposal by the Home Ministry to dissolve the

Puducherry Assembly and impose President’s rule in the Union Territory.

• The decision has been taken as no party claimed to form a government following the

resignation of the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.

1.64 China regained its position as India’s top trade partner in 2020

• China has regained its position as India’s top trade partner in 2020 displacing the United

States.

• Two-way trade between India and China stood at $77.7 billion in 2020 while it was $75.9

billion with the United States.

1.65 19th Home Secretary Level Talks between India and Bangladesh

• The 19th Home Secretary Level Talks (HSLT) has been held recently between India and

Bangladesh in the backdrop of ‘Mujib Barsho’ and 50 years of Bangladesh Liberation War and

establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

• During the talks, both countries committed to further expand and strengthen mutual

cooperation in the security and border related issues.

• Note: Mujib Basho is the birth centenary year of Bangladesh’s founder president Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman.

1.66 Finance Minister inaugurates CCI’s South Regional Office in Chennai

• Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman has recently

inaugurated the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) Regional Office (South) in Chennai.

1.67 MPEDA & NCDC signs MoU for promotion of export-oriented marine products

• The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the National Cooperative

Development Corporation (NCDC) have inked an MoU.

• Aim- To work jointly in the interest of export promotion of marine products for bringing better

value to the stakeholders through a variety of activities in line with the policies of the

government.

1.68 NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project damaged in Uttarakhand floods

• The State-run NTPC Ltd’s Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project site has been damaged by

the floods caused by glacier broke off near Raini village above Rishiganga river in

Uttarakhand.

• The Tapovan Vishnugad power plant is a 520 MW run-of-river project which is being

constructed on Dhauliganga River in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand.

1.69 Union Home Minister releases CRPF's book 'Nation First - The Golden Saga of 82 Years'

• The Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has recently released the Central Reserve Police

Forces's (CRPF’s) book, 'Nation First - The Golden Saga of 82 Years'/ ‘Rashtra Pratham – 82

Varshon Ki Swarnim Gatha’.

• The book has been compiled by Delhi University historian Dr Bhuwan Kumar Jha.



• CRPF is also celebrating the first-ever CRPF Veterans Day (Ex-Servicemen's Day) which shall

be celebrated on the third Friday of February each year.

1.70 Union Home Minister Amit Shah attends 'Shauryanjali' programme

• The Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has recently attended the 'Shauryanjali' programme

which has been organized to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash

Chandra Bose.

• It has been organized at National Library in Kolkata, West Bengal.

1.71 PM launched Mahabahu-Brahmaputra project

• Recently, PM Modi has launched the Mahabahu-Brahmaputra inland waterway project,

which aims to improve connectivity in the eastern states.

• It is an initiative worth Rs 3200 crore.

• It will be marked by the inauguration of the Ro-Pax vessel operations between Neamati Ghat-

Majuli Island, North Guwahati-South Guwahati and Dhubri-Hatsingimari.


• The PM laid the foundation stone for a 19-km-long four-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra

which will be India’s longest bridge over a river, connecting Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in

Meghalaya, to be constructed at the cost of Rs 5,000 crore.

• A bhumi pujan, or ground-breaking ceremony, was performed for a 6.8-km-long two-lane

bridge that would connect Kamalabari in Majuli, the world’s largest river island to

Neematighat in Jorhat.

1.72 NIC launched an instant messaging platform “Sandes”

• Recently, National Informatics Centre (NIC) has launched an instant messaging platform

called “Sandes” on the lines of WhatsApp.

• Like WhatsApp, the new NIC platform can be used for all kinds of communications by anyone

with a mobile number or email id.

1.73 Hyundai launched UMV “TIGER”

• Recently, Hyundai has launched the ultimate mobility vehicle (UMV) “Transforming

Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot (TIGER)” that can transform into a four-legged walking

machine from a four-wheeler.

• It can carry different payloads while traveling across challenging terrain.

• TIGER is Hyundai’s second UMV after the first version of TIGER dubbed X-1.

1.74 Pi Beam launched an electric two-wheeler

• Recently, IIT Madras-incubated start-up Pi Beam has launched an electric two-wheeler that

can charge faster than a smartphone and comes with a range of 50 km.

• It can operate at a top speed of 25 Km/hr.

1.75 4th edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2021’ to commence virtually in 2021

• Recently, Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has announced the

commencement of the registration process of the fourth edition of Prime Minister’s

Interaction Programme with school students, teachers and parents “Pariksha Pe Charcha

2021”.

• Pariksha Pe Charcha is an annual event where the Prime Minister responds to questions

related to examination stress and related areas posed by students.



1.76 FAITH organized the 3rd India Tourism Mart

• Recently, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has addressed the

inaugural ceremony of the Third India Tourism Mart, organized by the Federation of

Associations in India Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH).

1.77 3 day national workshop organized at DRDO- MZU NESTC

• Recently, a national workshop cum orientation programme at DRDO-MZU North East Science

and Technology Center (NESTC), Mizoram University, Aizawl has been inaugurated.

• Objective: Understanding the futuristic research and technology requirements of defence &

security.


• NESTC has been jointly established by DRDO and Mizoram University to facilitate basic and

applied research.

1.78 Kaladan Project between India and Myanmar to be completed soon

• Recently, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar mentioned that the Kaladan Multi-Modal

Transit Transport Project is in the final stages.

About Kaladan Project:

• The $484 million Kaladan project connects the Kolkata seaport with Sittwe in Rakhine State

of Myanmar by sea.

• The project was jointly initiated by India and Myanmar to create a multi-modal platform for

cargo shipments from the eastern ports to Myanmar and to the North-eastern parts of the

country through Myanmar.

1.79 Projects launched by PM in Tamil Nadu

• Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of 9 million metric

tonnes per annum (mmtpa) Cauvery Basin refinery at Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.

• It will be set up through a Joint Venture of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Chennai

Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) at an estimated cost of Rs. 31,500 crore.

• It will produce Motor Spirit and Diesel meeting BS-VI specifications, and Polypropylene as a

value-added product.


• PM Modi has also dedicated the 143 km long Ramanathapuram – Thoothukudi natural gas

pipeline section, and Gasoline Desulphurisation Unit at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

1.80 Indian app Koo becoming popular

• Indian social-media app “Koo” is witnessing a surge in popularity after US rival Twitter Inc

refused to follow a government order to block certain content on its platform.

About Koo:

• Koo is a Twitter-like micro-blogging platform which allows users to post multimedia content,

including audio clips.

• It was founded by Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka.

1.81 India places Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite, 18 others in orbit

• PSLV-C51 carrying Amazonia-1, an optical earth observation satellite from Brazil, and 18 other

satellites lifted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

• The launch of the 637kg Amazonia-1 was the first by India of a Brazilian satellite.



• It is the first dedicated commercial mission of New Space India Ltd (NSIL), the Indian Space

Research Organisation’s commercial arm set up in 2019.

1.82 PM inaugurates POWERGRID’s 320 kV 2000 MW Pugalur - Thrissur HVDC project

• Recently, Prime Minister inaugurated POWERGRID’s 320 kV 2000 MW Pugalur (Tamil Nadu) - Thrissur (Kerala) HVDC project.

• POWERGRID project to enable transfer of 2,000 MW of additional power to Kerala.

1.83 Exim Bank to provide USD 400 million to Maldives

• The Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) will provide USD 400 million to Maldives to fund

Greater Male Connectivity Project.

• The 6.7 km Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) will be the largest civilian infrastructure

project in Maldives.

About Maldives-

• Capital- Male

• Currency- Maldivian Rufiyaa

1.84 UP becomes first state to present a paperless budget

• Recently, Uttar Pradesh government has become the first Indian state to present a digital

budget.

1.85 Hoshangabad to be renamed as Narmadapuram

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has recently announced that

Hoshangabad city in the state would be renamed as Narmadapuram.

1.86 UP to export 20 tonnes of 'Kala Namak' rice to Singapore

• According to the Uttar Pradesh government, the state will export consignment of 20 tonnes

of Buddha Rice, popularly known as "Kala Namak" Rice to Singapore.

1.87 Indian Oil signs agreement with Norway’s Greenstat for centre of excellence on Hydrogen

• Indian Oil has signed a preliminary agreement with Norway’s Greenstat to set up a centre of

excellence on hydrogen.

• It will be a vehicle for promoting R&D projects in green and blue hydrogen between

Norwegian and Indian R&D institutions/universities.

1.88 Integration of DigiLocker platform with Passport Services

• Minister of State for External Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan has recently launched a new

scheme by which an applicant can leverage the DigiLocker platform of Government of India

while applying for passport related services from anywhere in India.

• Applicants applying for passport services can provide link to their specific documents

uploaded in the DigiLocker. It will enable citizens to submit various documents required for

Passport Services through DigiLocker in a paperless mode.

1.89 India & Ethiopia signs agreements on visa facilitation & leather technology

• India and Ethiopia have recently signed agreements related to visa facilitation and leather

technology.



• The two countries have also agreed to expand India and Ethiopia bilateral agenda especially

defence, economic, S&T, digital and cultural cooperation.

1.90 Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Atal Paryavaran Bhavan

• The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar has

recently inaugurated the Atal Paryavaran Bhavan at Lakshadweep.

1.91 Coronil gets Ayush Ministry certification

• Recently, Patanjali Ayurveds’ “Coronil” has received the Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product

(CoPP) from the Ayush section of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation as per the

WHO certification scheme.

• Coronil is developed by Patanjali Research Institute and can now be exported to 158 countries

under CoPP.

1.92 Agri ministry allowed to use drones for remote sensing data collection

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation have granted

conditional exemption for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) usage to Ministry of

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW).

• This will allow MoAFW to use drones for remote sensing data collection in agricultural areas

of 100 districts of the country for gram panchayat level yield estimation.

1.93 Hyderabad gets recognition as 2020 Tree City of the World

• Recently, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Arbor Day

Foundation have recognized Hyderabad as a 2020 Tree City of World, for its commitment to

growing and maintaining urban forests.

• Hyderabad is the only city from India to have been recognized as a Tree City.

1.94 RBI clears acquisition of DHFL by Piramal group

• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cleared the Rs 34,250-crore acquisition of Dewan

Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) by the Piramal group.

1.95 Fossils of ‘Dickinsonia’ found at Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh

• Recently, the researchers have discovered three fossils of the earliest known living animal,

the 550-million-year-old ‘Dickinsonia’, on the roof of the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, about 40

km from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

1.96 24th India-USA Executive Steering Group (ESG) Meeting

• The 24th edition of the India-USA Executive Steering Group (ESG) meeting has held at New

Delhi.

• The forum is an Army to Army engagement that meets every year alternately in India and USA

to discuss Army to Army cooperation.

1.97 Incredible India Mega Homestay Development & Training Workshop

• Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (I/C) Shri Prahlad Singh Patel has recently

inaugurated the Incredible India Mega Homestay Development & Training Workshop in

Darjeeling, West Bengal.



• Organized by- Ministry of Tourism’s India tourism Kolkata, Regional Office in association with

Eastern Himalayas Travel and Tour Operator Association and IIAS School of Management.

1.98 Indian Railways to reactivate the facility of UTS ON MOBILE App

• Recently, Indian Railways has decided to reactivate the facility of UTS ON MOBILE App.

• Aim- To decongest ticket booking counters & to ensure smooth compliance of social distancing

norms.

1.99 IIT Council sets up four working groups related to NEP implementation

• The IIT Council headed by education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has recently set up four

working groups to look at greater autonomy for the elite institutions, in line with the National

Education Policy recommendations.

• Four Working Groups are-

o Group-1: Graded Autonomy, Empowered and accountable BoG and Director

o Group-2: Grooming distinguished academics for directorship of IITs

o Group-3: Reform and restructuring of the Academic Senate

o Group-4: Innovative funding mechanisms

• The council has also decided to go for “rationalisation of staff from current standard to a

lower number".

1.100 Mumbai will be home to India's first undersea tunnel by 2023

• Mumbai will be home to India's first undersea tunnel by 2023.

• The twin tunnels, which have a length of 2.07 km of which a kilometre will be under the sea,

are being built as part of the city's Rs 12,000 crore Coastal Road project.

• The Coastal Road project is an under construction 22.2-kilometre freeway that would run

along Mumbai's western coastline connecting Marine Lines in the south to Kandivali in the

north.

1.101 3-patents filed by NMPB as part of sponsored research projects

• The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH has initiated a special drive

to identify the patentable projects sponsored under the ‘Research and Development

Component’ of Central Sector Scheme (CSS) on “Conservation, Development and Sustainable

Management of Medicinal Plants”.

• Under these sponsored / financially supported research projects, NMPB so far identified three

unique projects.

1.102 Chenab bridge, world's highest rail bridge taller than Eiffel Tower, completes 'engineering

milestone'

• The length of the Chenab Bridge will be 1,315 metres with 17 spans, of which the span of the main arch across Chenab River will be 467 metres.

1.103 Amazon, Directorate General Resettlement sign MoU for hiring ex-servicemen

• Amazon India signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), to provide ex-service personnel with work opportunities across its growing operations network, in India.



• DGR assists Ex-Servicemen to train and acquire additional skills with a strong emphasis on evolving requirement of corporate and industry and facilitate their resettlement through a second career.

1.104 Asia’s largest Livestock Research Centre in Salem, Tamil Nadu

• Recently, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami inaugurated the Advanced Institute of

Integrated Research in Livestock and Animal Science (AIIRLAS), the largest in Asia, near

Thalaivasal, Salem, Tamil Nadu.

• The facility was constructed at Rs 1,023 crore and spans 1,100 acres.

1.105 External Affairs Minister launched India’s website for BRICS

• Recently, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar launched India's website for BRICS (Brazil-

Russia-India-China-South Africa) at a ceremony at BRICS Secretariat at Sushma Swaraj

Bhawan in Delhi.

• Under the theme ‘BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation’ for 13th BRICS Summit, India's

approach is focused on strengthening collaboration through continuity, consolidation and

consensus.

• India will chair the BRICS Summit 2021.

1.106 PM addresses WEF’s Davos Dialogue

• Recently, Prime Minister has addressed the World Economic Forum’s Davos Dialogue.

• The Davos Dialogues agenda has launched WEF’s Great Reset Initiative in the post Covid

world.

About WEF’s Great Reset Initiative

• It has been conceptualized by the founder and executive chairman of the WEF ‘Klaus Schwab.’

• It is based on the assessment that the world economy is in deep trouble.

• Schwab has also argued that situation has been made a lot worse by many factors, including

the pandemic’s devastating effects on global society, the un- folding technological revolution,

and the consequences of climate change.

• He has also demanded that “the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our

societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions.

o In short there should be a ‘Great Reset’ of capitalism.

• The agenda of The Great Reset touches on many key issues facing the world and among them

three important that stands out is

o Reforming capitalism - WEF has been at the forefront of calling for “stakeholder

capitalism” that looks beyond the traditional corporate focus on maximising profit for

shareholders.

o Focus on the deepening climate crisis

o Growing difficulty of global cooperation

1.107 AGRI INDIA HACKATHON

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has organized “KRITAGYA”- a National level

hackathon in August, 2020 to promote innovation in agriculture and allied sectors in India.

About KRITAGYA Hackathon



• KRI-TA-GYA stands for KRI for Krishi (Agriculture), TA for Taknik (Technology) and GYA for

Gyan (Knowledge).

• Theme – “Women Friendly Farm Machinery and Equipment”

• Planned under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP).

• Planned to promote potential technology solutions for enhancing farm mechanization with

special emphasis on women friendly equipments.

Key Highlights of the Program

• In one group maximum 4 participants can compete, with not more than one faculty and / or

more than one innovator or entrepreneur.

• Rs 5 lakh has been awarded to the winner followed by Rs 3 lakh for runners up and Rs 1 lakh

for second runners up.

1.108 India signed MoC with Japan for providing training to workers

• Recently, the Government of India and the Government of Japan signed a Memorandum of

Cooperation (MoC) on a basic framework for partnership for proper operation of the system

pertaining to “Specified Skilled Worker”.

• Under this MoC, skilled Indian workers from fourteen sectors have been identified for

enhanced job opportunities for those workers in Japan.

1.109 High Level Committee under Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah approves

Rs. 1,751.05 crore of additional Central Assistance to five States

• Recently, High Level Committee (HLC) under the Chairmanship of the Union Home Minister

has approved additional Central assistance of Rs. 1,751.05 crore to the five States from the

National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), which were affected by floods/ landslides during

South-West monsoon 2020 and hailstorm during Rabi 2019-20.

• The assistance has been provided to the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha,

Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

1.110 India gets its first Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management

• Recently, on the occasion of World Wetlands Day Minister of State for Environment, Forest

and Climate Change has announced the establishment of a Centre for Wetland Conservation

and Management (CWCM) as a part of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal

Management (NCSCM).

• He has also released publications relating to Faunal Diversity of all the Ramsar sites in India

and a brochure on Designation of Ramsar sites.

Relevance

• India has nearly 4.6% of its land as wetlands, covering an area of 15.26 million hectares and

has 42 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface

area of 1.08 million hectares.

About World Wetlands Day

• It has been celebrated on 2nd February 2021.

• Theme – Wetlands and Water

About National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM)

• It works under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.



• Vision - Promote sustainable coasts through increased partnerships, conservation practices,

scientific research and knowledge management for the benefit and well being of current and

future generations.

• Headquarter – Chennai

1.111 State Business Reform Action Plan

• Recently, Ministry of Commerce & Industry has informed that Department for Promotion of

Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has released the rankings of States and Union Territories

(UTs) under State Reform Action Plan (SRAP), 2019 in September 2020.

Key Highlights

• The Action Plan has included 187 reform points covering 12 business regulatory areas of -

Access to Information & Transparency Enablers, Labour Regulation-Enablers, Construction

Permit Enablers, Single Window System, Sector Specific, Inspection Enablers, Paying Taxes,

Environment Registration Enablers, Obtaining Utility Permits, Land Administration/Transfer of

Property, Contract Enforcement and Land Availability and Allotment.

• The assessment of States/UTs under SRAP, 2019 was based on feedback obtained from

users/professionals against 180 out of 187 reform points, which is compatible with the

methodology followed by the World Bank in its global Doing Business rankings.

• DPIIT has prepared a 301-point State Reforms Action Plan, 2020 which is spread across 15

reform areas and seeks to promote sector-specific approach so as to create an enabling

business environment across various sectors in the country.

• The various sectors include Trade License, Healthcare, Legal Metrology, Fire License/NOC,

Cinema Halls, Hospitality, Telecom, Movie Shooting and Tourism.

1.112 KAPILA' for patent awareness

• Recently, Ministry of Education has informed that total 46,556 users have been registered

for Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness (KAPILA) campaign.

About KAPILA

• It will provide information to students pursuing higher education in the country through their

respective institutions.

• Students pursuing education in higher educational institutions will get information about the

correct system of application process for patenting their invention and they will be aware of

their rights.

• 15th to 23rd October 2020 was celebrated as ‘Intellectual Property Literacy Week’.

1.113 FICCI, TISS, Azim Premji University proposes to setup Udyog Sahayak Enterprises Network

• Recently, The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), in

collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai and the Azim Premji

University, Bengaluru has submitted a report to the Prime Minister titled – “Creating Udyog

Sahayak Enterprises Network (USENET) for Employment Generation and Scale-up in the

MSME Sector”.

• It is the first-of-its-kind initiative that has proposed the establishment of 18 lakh USENET

centres in three phases at the national level, for a period of 10 years.



• Objective: To create a support system to improve the ease of doing business for informal nano,

micro and small entrepreneurs (MSE)

Key Findings:

• Out of over 63 million enterprises in the MSME sector, 62 million are informal micro and very

small enterprises (MSEs).

• 107.6 million Workers (97% of all employment in the MSME sector) are in MSE segment.

Key Highlights of USENET:

• Each USENET centres will be headed by an Udyog Sahayak, to help and monitor the growth

of 15 to 50 enterprises.

• Creation of an additional 1 crore (10.3 million) jobs over five years, 6 crores (56.9 million)

over 10 years

• Assuming 12% nominal rate of growth in GVA (gross value added), these jobs represent an

additional economic value of Rs 2,16,000 crore at the end of 5 years and over Rs 19 lakh crore

at the end of 10 years.

• Functions on the lines of Common Service Centres, will act as one-stop-shop for all the needs

of MSMEs.

• Centre likely to sanction upto Rs 5,000 crore to part-fund Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) to set

up USENET centres.

Background:

• The report has been developed for the Working Group of Ministers (WGoM) on Employment

and Skill Generation, convened by MoS Home Affairs in October 202S0.

1.114 Cumulative Issuance of Global Green Bonds Crosses 1 Trillion US$ Mark in 2020

• According to Economic Survey, Cumulative Issuance of Global Green Bonds has crossed 1

Trillion USD Mark in 2020.

• It has informed that the year 2020 was supposed to be the year by which developed country

Parties were to fulfill the goal of jointly mobilizing US$ 100 billion a year for climate finance,

an essential component of the commitments made by the developed countries, which has

remained elusive.

• The postponement of COP26 to 2021 also gives less time for negotiations and other evidence-

based work to inform the post-2025 goal. But it is clear that issue of achieving consensus on

the definition of climate finance, transparency mechanism, common time frames and a long-

term climate finance will continue to remain top priority in COP 26.

1.115 Economic Survey Suggests that Base Year of CPI Needs to be Revised

• Recently, Economic Survey has suggested that the base year of CPI Needs to be Revised.

• It has highlighted that sole focus on CPI-C inflation may not be appropriate for four reasons

o Food inflation which contributes significantly to CPI-C, is driven primarily by supply-side

factors.

o Changes in CPI-C anchor inflation expectations which might occur despite inflation in CPI-

C being driven by supply-side factors that drive food inflation.

o Several components of food inflation are transitory, with wide variations within the food

and beverages group.



o Food inflation has been driving overall CPI-C inflation due to the relatively higher weight of

food items in the index while food habits have undergone revisions over the decade since

2011-12, which is base year of CPI, the same is not reflected in the index yet.

1.116 Combined Social Sector Expenditure by Centre and States as Per Cent of GDP has Increased in

2020-21

• Recently, The Economic Survey 2020-21 has stated that the combined (Centre and States)

social sector expenditure as per cent of GDP has increased from 7.5% in 2019-20 (RE) to 8.8%

in 2020-21 (BE).

Impact of Covid 19 on Labor Market

• About 63.19 lakh migrant workers have travelled through Shramik Special trains from May-

August 2020.

• COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerability of urban casual workers.

Note – According to Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), urban workforce comprises of 11.2 per cent

of the All India workforce between January-March, 2020.

Status of Employment

• The Survey has observed that the size of labour force in 2018-19 was estimated at about 51.8

crore persons of which about 48.8 crore employed and 3.0 crore unemployed.

o The size of the labour force increased by about 0.85 crore between 2017-18 and 2018-19,

it comprises of 0.46 crore from urban sector and 0.39 crore from rural sector.

o The gender composition of the increase in the labour force comprised about 0.64 crore

males and about 0.21 crore females.

• It has observed that about 1.64 crore additional employment has been created during 2018-

19 comprise of about 1.22 crore in rural area and 0.42 crore in urban area with gender

composition of 0.92 crore females and 0.72 crore males.

o Female LFPR has increased to 18.6 per cent in 2018-19 from 17.6 per cent in 2017-18.

Industry-wise Employment Estimate

• Agricultutre – 21.5 crore persons (42.5 per cent)

• Other services – 6.4 crore persons (13.8 per cent)

• 'Manufacturing' and ‘Trade, hotel & restaurants’ – About 5.9 crore persons with the share of

nearly 12.1 per cent and 12.6 per cent

• ‘Construction’ sector - About 5.7 crore persons in 2018-19 with share of 12.1 per cent.

• Employed persons have significantly increased in Agriculture, Manufacturing and Transport

• Unemployment rates at all India level, for all ages, as per usual status, declined marginally

to 5.8 per cent in 2018-19 from 6.1 per cent in 2017-18.

Youth Unemployment

• States on High extreme - Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur, and Bihar

• States on the lower extreme – Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal and Sikkim.

• Youth unemployment rate in urban areas is almost equal to the unemployment rate in rural

areas - Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.

• India has also emerged as one of the largest country for flexi staffing in the world.

Gig Economy in India



• Gig economy have been popular amongst the workers in India as the lockdown period has seen

employers preferring 'Work from home' of their employees, cutting down on staff strength

and engaging freelancers or outsourcing tasks to reduce overhead costs as well as to hire

skilled services. Drivers engaged in platforms like Uber/Ola, Swiggy, Big Basket, Pizza Hut etc

has shown potential as well.

• Benefit

o It allows flexibility in employer-employee relationship to both service seeker and service

provider employment opportunities.

1.117 Finance Minister proposes revamped reforms- based result-linked power distribution sector

Scheme

• Recently, the Union Minister for Finance has proposed an outlay of Rs 3,05,984 crore over 5

years for a revamped reforms- based result-linked power distribution sector Scheme in the

Union Budget 2021-22.

• To provide a green and sustainable future, Finance Minister has also proposed to launch a

comprehensive National Hydrogen Energy Mission in 2021-22.

About National Hydrogen Energy Mission

• In November 2020, the Prime Minister of India proposed National Hydrogen Energy Mission

while inaugurating the 3rd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo (RE-INVEST

2020).

• It put forward specific strategy for short term (4 years), and broad strokes principles for long

term (10 years and beyond).

• Aim: to develop India into a global hub for manufacturing of hydrogen and fuel cells

technologies across the value chain.



1.118 Centre announces launch of Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) scheme

• Recently, the Union Minister of Finance has proposed scheme of Mega Investment Textiles

Parks (MITRA),in Union Budget 2021-22, in addition to the Production Linked Incentive

Scheme (PLI).

• Government also announced uniform deduction of the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) rates on

caprolactam, nylon chips and nylon fiber and yarn to 5%.

• Aim: to enable the textile industry to become globally competitive, attract large investments,

boost employment generation and exports.

Key highlights:

• 7 textile parks will be established over 3 years.

• It will create world class infrastructure with plug and play facilities to create global champions

in exports.

Relevance:

• Indian textile sector - sixth-largest exporter of textiles and apparels in the world

• Out of the 59 sanctioned textile parks, 22 have been completed.

1.119 FM proposes 9 measures for Agriculture & Allied Sectors

• Recently, under the pillar of Inclusive Development for Aspirational India, the Union Finance

Minister has proposed 9 measures for Agriculture & Allied Sectors, Farmers’ Welfare and

Rural India Development in Union Budget 2021-22.

Key proposals:

• SWAMITVA Scheme to be expanded to all states.

• Agricultural credit target to farmers for FY22 increased to Rs 16.5 lakh crores.

• Allocation to Rural Infrastructure Development Fund increased to from Rs 30,000 crores to

Rs 40,000 crores (33% increase).

• Micro Irrigation Fund to be doubled: with a corpus of Rs 5,000 crores under NABARD, plus

new infusion by another Rs 5,000 crores.

• Operation Green Scheme – ‘TOPS’ to include 22 more perishable products.

• To integrate 1,000 more mandis with e- National Agriculture Market (e-NAM); so far around

1.68 crore farmers are registered and Rs 1.14 lakh crore of trade carried out through e-NAMs.

• 5 major fishing harbours - Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and Petuaghat.

• Establishment of Multipurpose Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu

• Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMCs) to get access to Agriculture Infrastructure

Fund.

Key Information Shared:

• Detail of Procurement amount paid to farmers:



o Payment to cotton farmers: Rs 90 crore in 2013-14; Rs 25,974 crore in 2020-21 (as on

27th January 2021).

• About 1.80 lakh property-owners in 1,241 villages provided cards under SWAMITVA Scheme.

1.120 Govt. to provide additional capital infusion to SECI and IREDA

• Recently, in the Union Budget 2021-22, the finance minister has announced to provide

additional capital infusion of Rs 1,000 crores to Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and

Rs 1,500 crores to Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA).

• Objective: To promote the non-conventional energy sector.

Key Highlights:

• Additional capital infusion to SECI will attract investment of more than Rs. 60,000 crores, and

reduce emissions of 28.5 million tons of CO2 per year, enable SECI to set up innovative

projects of around Rs.17000 crores.

• Additional capital infusion to IREDA will help in financing projects worth Rs 18,000 to 19,000

crores and reduce emissions of 8.55 million tons of CO2.

1.121 MCA revises threshold for paid up capital and turnover for Small Companies

• Recently, Ministry of Corporate Affairs has revised the definition for Small Companies under

the Companies Act, 2013 by increasing the thresholds for Paid up capital from “not

exceeding Rs 50 lakh” to “not exceeding Rs 2 crore” & Turnover from “not exceeding Rs 2

crore” to “not exceeding Rs 20 crore.”

1.122 MCA amends One Person Companies (OPCs) rules

• Recently, Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the Companies (Incorporation) Rules to

allow One Person Companies (OPCs).

• The changes will come into effect from 1st April 2021.

Key Highlights

• The amendments to the Rules governing OPCs will cover the following, w.e.f 01st April

• Allowing Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to incorporate OPCs in India - Any natural person, who

is an Indian citizen, whether resident in India or otherwise would be allowed to form an OPC.

• Reducing the residency limit for an Indian citizen – It has been proposed to be reduced to 120

days from 182 days for NRIs.

• Rule relating to voluntary conversion unless OPC has completed two years from the date of

incorporated is proposed to be omitted and with effect from 01.04.2021,

• Allowing conversion into any other type of company at any time - A One Person company

may be converted into a Private or Public Company other than a company registered under

section 8 of the Act, after increasing the minimum number of members and directors to two

or minimum of seven members and three directors as the case may be.

• Remove restrictions on paid up capital and turnover – Limitation of paid up share capital of

fifty lakhs rupees and average annual turnover during the relevant period of two crore rupees

has been done away with so that there are no restrictions on the growth of OPCs in terms of

their paid up capital & turnover.



• Rationalization of e-forms applicable for OPCs by omitting e-Form No.INC-5 and modification

of e-form INC-6 (application for conversion from OPC to a Private company or a Public

company and also Private company to OPC)

About One Person Companies

• As the name suggests, a one-person company is a company that can be formed by just one

person as a shareholder.

• These companies can be contrasted with private companies, which require a minimum of two

members to get going.

One Person Companies vs Sole Proprietorship

One Person Company Sole Proprietorship

Nature Person and the company are considered

separate legal entities

Owner and the business are considered

the same

Liability Limited to person’s investment Unlimited liability

1.123 Government to another 8,500 kms of roads under Bharatmala Pariyojana

• Recently, in Union Budget 2021-22, the Union Finance Minister has announced several

measures to augment road infrastructure in India.

Key Announcements:

• Total Outlay for Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: Rs 1,18,101 crore, of which Rs

1,08,230 crore allocated for capital, the highest ever.

• 13,000 km roads, at a cost of Rs 3.3 lakh crore awarded under Rs 5.35 lakh crore Bharatmala

Pariyojana Project.

• 3,800 kms completed under Bharatmala Pariyojana Project.

• Government targets to award another 8,500 kms of roads under Bharatmala Pariyojana by

March 2022.

• Additional 11,000 kms of national highway corridors to be completed by March 2022.

• Proposed Economic Corridors:

1.124 Government to Introduce Single Securities Markets Code

• Recently, in the Union Budget 2021-22, the Union Finance Minister has announced to

consolidate the provisions of SEBI Act, 1992, Depositories Act, 1996, Securities Contracts

(Regulation) Act, 1956 and Government Securities Act, 2007 into a rationalized single

Securities Markets Code.



Key Proposals:

• Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will be notified as the regulator and Warehousing

Development and Regulatory Authority & regulated gold exchanges in India.

Background:

In Union Budget 2018-19, Government proposed to establish a system of regulated gold exchanges

in India.

1.125 Union Budget 2021-22: Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) to get access to

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

• Recently, Finance Minister has announced in Budget 2021-22 that Agricultural Produce

Marketing Committees (APMCs) will become eligible beneficiaries to utilize the 1 lakh crore

financing facility under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) to enhance infrastructure at

regulated markets, commonly known as Mandis.

About Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs)

• These are state controlled markets that are setup to provide market linkages to farmers.

About Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

• It is a medium - long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-

harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest

subvention and credit guarantee.

• Duration - FY2020 to FY2029.

• Under the scheme, Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans

with interest subvention of 3% per annum and credit guarantee coverage under CGTMSE for

loans up to Rs. 2 Crore.

• Beneficiaries - Farmers, FPOs, PACS, Marketing Cooperative Societies, SHGs, Joint Liability

Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Start-ups, and

Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public-Private Partnership Projects, and now

APMC mandis.



1.126 Conciliation Mechanism to be Set Up for Quick Resolution of Contractual Disputes with

Government/CPSEs

• Recently, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs has outlined the plans for reforms

in one of the six pillars of the budget i.e. of Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.

Key steps taken in Budget for Governance Reforms

• Census 2021 has been allocated Rs. 3,768 crore in the year 2021-2022.

• She has proposed to set up a Conciliation Mechanism and mandate its use for quick resolution

of contractual disputes which will instill confidence in private investors and contractors.

• Government has introduced the National Commission for Allied Healthcare Professionals Bill

with a view to ensure transparent and efficient regulation of the 56 allied healthcare

professions.

• National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill will be introduced to bring about

transparency, efficiency and governance reforms in the nursing profession.

• It has granted Rs. 300 crore to Goa for celebrating the diamond jubilee year of the state’s

liberation from Portuguese rule.

1.127 FDI limit in Insurance sector increased from 49% to 74% and Foreign Ownership and control

allowed with safeguards

• According to Union Budget 2021-22, Government will be amending the Insurance Act, 1938

to increase the permissible FDI limit from 49% to 74%.

• Under the proposed new structure, the majority of Directors on the Board and key

management persons would be resident Indians, with at least 50% of Directors being

Independent Directors, and specified percentage of profits being retained as general reserve.

Important provision for Banking Sector

• Finance Minister has announced that Asset Reconstruction Company Limited and Asset

Management Company would be set up to consolidate and take over the existing stressed

debt and then manage and dispose off the assets to Alternate Investment Funds and other

potential investors for eventual value realization.

• Government has proposed recapitalization of Rs. 20,000 crore for Public Sector Banks during

the fiscal 2021-22.

• Government has proposed to lower the threshold of loan defaults to Rs 20 lakh as compared

to Rs 50 lakh for NBFCs with minimum asset size of RS 100 crore to initiate recovery

proceedings against loan defaulters under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial

Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002.

1.128 Government to step up Funding for National Infrastructure Pipeline

Development Financial Institution (DFI)

• Recently, Union Finance Minister during her budget speech has proposed three steps in

order to achieve the target of National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP).

o Creation of institutional structures

o A big thrust on monetizing assets

o Enhancing the share of capital expenditure in Central and State budgets

Key Information shared



• NIP launched in December 2019 with 6835 projects has now been expanded to 7,400 projects

and around 217 projects worth Rs. 1.10 lakh crore under some key infrastructure ministries

have been completed.

Other Important Initiatives to boost Infrastructure Sector

• A sum of Rs. 20,000 crore has been provisioned in the Union Budget to capitalise Development

Financial Institution (DFI).

o A Bill will be introduced to set up DFI which will act as a provider, enabler and catalyst for

infrastructure financing with an ambition to have a lending portfolio of at least Rs. 5 lakh

crore for in three years time.

• Announced launch of a “National Monetization Pipeline” of potential brownfield

infrastructure assets stating that Monetizing operating public infrastructure assets is a very

important financing option for new infrastructure construction.

o Asset Monetization dashboard will be created for tracking the progress and to provide

visibility to investors.

1.129 1st India-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting in Renewable Energy

• Recently, the 1st meeting of the Joint Working Group in the field of Renewable Energy

between India and Bahrain has been held virtually.

Key Highlight:

• Both countries agreed to forge deeper engagement in capacity building and focused

cooperation between concerned agencies as well as the private sector , particularly in the field

of solar, wind and clean hydrogen.

Background:

• In 2018, India and Bahrain signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for promoting

bilateral cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy.

1.130 Benefits to startups under Startup India Seed Fund Scheme

• Recently, the MoS, Ministry of Commerce and Industry has briefed about the various

initiatives announced by the Government to promote startup ecosystem in India.

Key Highlights:

• Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS):

o approved for four years from 2021-22; effective from 1st April 2021

o Total Outlay: Rs. 945 Crore for 4 years

o Aim: to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype

development, product trials, market entry and commercialization.

• Benefits under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ for Startups:

• Rescheduling of Payments – Term Loans and Working Capital Facilities:

o Loan Moratorium Period during 2020 for all term loans: March 2020 to August 2020

o Loan Moratorium period for working capital facilities: March 2020 to August 2020

• RBI announced 5 specific financial ratios and the sector-specific thresholds for each ratio in

respect of 26 sectors to be taken into account while finalizing the resolution plans, as per the

findings of Kamath Committee under ‘Resolution Framework for Covid19-related Stress’.



1.131 PM launches ‘Asom Mala’ and lays Foundation Stone of two Hospitals in Assam

• Recently, Prime Minister has laid the Foundation Stone of two hospitals two new medical

colleges in Biswanath and Charaideoand launched ‘Asom Mala’, a programme for state

highways and major district roads, at Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur District, Assam.

• ‘Asom Mala’ has been started in line with ‘Bharat Mala Project”.

Key Information shared by PM

• Janaushadhi Kendras , Atat Amrit Yojna and Prime Minister dialysis programme have brought

positive change in the lives of the common man of the state.

• Crores of rupees have been transferred to the accounts of 7.5 lakh workers of tea gardens

under Dhan Puruskar Mela Scheme.

About Assam Chah Bagichar Dhan Puraskar Mela Scheme

Launched by Assam government in 2017- 18

Feature • Launched to encourage people to open bank accounts in tea

garden areas.

• Workers of the tea community will receive Rs. 2500 in their

bank accounts.

1.132 TN CM launches free internet data card scheme

• Recently, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has launched free 2GB/day data cards, benefiting

9.69 lakh students studying in the govt. and govt.-aided arts and science colleges,

polytechnic, engineering colleges and scholarship-funded private colleges, self-financed

institutions from Jan-April, 2021, to attend online classes.

• Data cards under the scheme will be issued by Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT).

1.133 National Rail Plan for India

• Recently, Indian Railways received an outlay of Rs 1,10,055 crore, of which Rs 1,07,100 crore

is for capital expenditure during the Union Budget 2021-22. Indian Railways prepared a

National Rail Plan for India – 2030 to create a ‘future ready’ Railway system by 2030.

• The Finance Minister announced that Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and Eastern

DFC will be commissioned by June 2022.

• Further, the Finance Minister proposed the following additional initiatives to be taken up:

o The Sonnagar – Gomoh Section (263.7 km) of Eastern DFC will be taken up in PPP mode

in 2021-22.

o Future dedicated freight corridor projects namely East Coast corridor from Kharagpur to

Vijayawada, East-West Corridor from Bhusaval to Kharagpur to Dankuni and North-South

corridor from Itarsi to Vijayawada will be undertaken.

o 100% electrification of Broad-Gauge routes will be completed by December, 2023.

o Electrified Broad Gauge Route Kilometers (RKM) is expected to reach 46,000 RKM i.e.,

72% by end of 2021.

o Aesthetically designed Vista Dome LHB coach on tourist routes.

o Indigenously developed automatic train protection system to eliminate train collisions

due to human error.



1.134 Rare bird species sighted in wetlands: Asian Waterbird Census – 2021

• Recently, many rare bird species have been spotted in Andhra Pradesh (AP), during the Asian

Waterbird Census -2021 organized in January 2021.

Key Highlights:

• Number of Wetlands in Andhra Pradesh -27.

• It has highlighted the Bird sanctuaries of Nelapattu, Kolleru lake, Uppalapadu, Coringa

• India Post and the Forest department have jointly launched posters / special postal covers

on protected wetlands in AP at Pulikat, Krishna, Kolleru, Coringa, Nelapattu on World

Wetlands Day.

About Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) – 2021:

• Annual event- takes place every January.

• Part of the global International Waterbird Census (IWC).

• In India, it is coordinated by the Bombay Natural history Society (BNHS) and Wetlands

International.

• Aim: To monitor wetlands and waterbirds in the designated areas.

Note: Kolleru is the largest fresh water lake in India.

1.135 Government slashes sports budget

• Recently, in the Union Budget 2021-22, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been

allocated Rs. 2,596.14 crore witnessing a reduction of 8.16% by Rs. 230.78 crores compared

to FY21 Budget.

• In Budget 2020-21, initial allocation was Rs 2826.92 crores, later revised to Rs 1800.15 crores.

• Budget allocation for FY22, Rs 795.99 crores more than the revised budget of 2020-21.

Key allocations:

• Khelo India – Rs 657.71 crores, as against Rs. 890.42 crores in FY 21 budget

• 2010 Commonwealth Games-SAI stadia renovation - Rs 30 crores, from Rs 75 crores in FY21.

• National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) – Rs 25 crores, as against Rs 50 crores in FY21.

1.136 Government to privatize seven major ports

• Recently, the Union Finance Minister has announced in the Union Budget 2021-22 about

Central Government’s proposal to privatize seven major ports worth Rs 2,000 crores in 2021-

2022, through Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

Key announcements:

• Subsidy scheme of Rs. 1,624 crore for five years for Indian shipping companies to encourage

more merchant ships with Indian flags.

• Proposal to recycle ships at Alang in Gujarat.

Other Important Information

• 12 major ports in India handle 60% of total cargo traffic

• India has enacted Recycling of Ships Act, 2019 and acceded to the Hong Kong International

Convention (HKC).

o capacity of recycling shipyards would be doubled from 4.5 million light displacement tons

by 2024.

• India’s share in global recycling business – 30%



• India’s Target in global recycling business – 50%

1.137 Ministerial Panel to decide CPSE count in strategic sectors

• Recently, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has stated

that a Group of Ministers (GOM) as an Alternate Mechanism to take final decision on the

number of central public sector companies (CPSE) that will be retained in each of the

strategic sectors.

• The panel comprises Union Finance Minister and Union Transport Minister.

• NITI Aayog would prepare preliminary list of CPSEs, which could be taken up for strategic

disinvestment; CPSEs, other than strategic sectors, will be privatized.

Other Important Announcements for Disinvestment Sector

• Government has introduced Disinvestment/Strategic Disinvestment Policy in Union Budget

2021-22.

• Groups/Strategic sectors under Disinvestment Policy:

o National Security - Atomic energy, Space and Defence

o Critical Infrastructure - Transport and Telecommunications

o Energy and minerals - Power, Petroleum, Coal & other minerals

o Financial Services - Banking, Insurance and financial services

• As a part of the policy, only the bare minimum to be retained.

• GoI has budgeted Rs 1.75 lakh crores from stake sale in CPSEs and financial institutions,

including two PSU banks and one general insurance company from April 2021.

o Out of 1.75 lakh crores, Rs 1 lakh crore will come from selling government stake in public

sector banks/ financial institutions. & Rs 75,000 crore from CPSE disinvestment receipts.

• For 2020-21, revised target set at Rs 32,000 crores, lower than Rs 2.10 lakh crores in the BE

2020-21.

• In FY21, GoI has absorbed Rs 19,499 crores from CPSE stake sale and share buyback.

1.138 Dept. of Expenditure releases grants to states for rural local bodies

• Recently, the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has released the second

installment of Rs. 12,351.5 crores to 18 States to provide grants to the Rural Local Bodies

(RLBs).

• It is the second installment of basic grants for FY21.

Key Highlights:

• Grants released to 18 States that provided the Utilisation Certificate for the first instalment

on the recommendation of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj

Background:

• Grants to RLBs are released based on the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission,

in addition to allocations under Centrally Sponsored Schemes for sanitation/drinking water.

• Objective: to create community assets and improve financial viability of the RLBs.

• Grants provided to 3 tiers of the Panchayat Raj viz, Village, Block and District.

• Types of Grants as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission:

o Basic: Used for location specific needs except salary/ other establishment expenditure.



o Tied: used for sanitation and maintenance of Open Defecation Free status, supply of

drinking water, rain water harvesting/water recycling.

• States should transfer the grants to the RLBs within 10 working days of receipt from the

government. In case of delay, transfer should be made with interest.

1.139 Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare addresses World Pulses Day organized by Indian Pulses Research Institute (IIPR)

• Recently, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has addressed the event on

World Pulses Day organized by Indian Pulses Research Institute (IIPR).

Key Information Shared

• India has increased its pulses production from 140 lakh tonnes to 240 lakh tonnes in the past

six years.

• Minister has inaugurated office and laboratory buildings at IIPR's regional centers Bhopal and

Bikaner, as well as laid the foundation stone of IIPR's regional center Khordha (Odisha).

• Seminar titled "On Self-reliance and Nutrition Security" has been conducted on pulses and

nutritional security.

Steps taken by government for Doubling Farmers Income

• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has been implemented in a modified form so that the

farmers can get safety cover and they can be free from risk.

• Schemes of Kisan Rail and Krishi Udaan have been introduced to protecting agriculture and

horticultural produce from damage.

1.140 TIFAC unveils two new initiatives of Technology —SAKSHAM (Shramik Shakti Manch)

• It has also launched ‘Techno-economic feasibility on Indian bamboo as Wood Substitute’ and

‘Opportunities for Fruit and Vegetable Processing in North Eastern region of India’

About SAKSHAM

• Key Features

o A dynamic job portal - opportunity for Shramiks and MSMEs

o Facilitate creation of 10 lakh blue collar jobs

o Direct connect between Shramiks and MSMEs, no middleman in between

o Minimise migration of Shramiks – job opportunity in proximate MSMEs

About Seaweed Mission

• It is launched for commercial farming of seaweeds and its processing for value addition towards boosting national economy.

Mission Envisages Following

• Establishing model demonstration farms over one hectare for cultivation of economically

important seaweeds in nearshore and onshore along the Indian coast.

o Proposed Demonstration Sites: Gujarat / Tamil Nadu / Andhara Pradesh / Odisha /

Karnataka

o Stakeholder Organizations: CSMCRI,

• Establishment of seaweed nurseries for supplying seed material for large scale farming of

economically important seaweeds in the country.

o Onshore cultivation for (i) Seedling supply facility (ii) Seaweed cultivation for processing o Implementing Organisation: TIFAC



• Establishment and demonstration of processing technologies/recipes for edible seaweeds in

line with consumer acceptability or cultural food habits.

• An activity on seaweed cluster development including value chain development, supply chain

development, collection of data on environmental, economic and social impacts of seaweed

projects in the country.

Note

• Out of the global seaweed production of around 32 million tons, fresh weight is valued around

12 billion USD.

• China produces ~57 %, Indonesia ~28%, whereas India is having a mere share of ~0.01-0.02%.

1.141 Attracting International Retailers for Textile Requirements

• Recently, Union Minister of Textile has informed about the initiatives mentioned under

Consolidated FDI Policy Circular 2020 to attract leading international retailers for sourcing

their garment and home textiles requirements from India.

Single Brand Product Retail Trading

• Equity/FDI Cap - 100% through automatic route.

• In respect of proposals involving foreign investment beyond 51%, sourcing of 30% of the value

of goods purchased will be done from India preferably from MSMEs, village and cottage

industries, artisans and craftsmen, in all sectors.

Multi Brand Trading

• Equity/FDI Cap - 51% through government route.

• At least 30% of the value of procurement of manufactured/ processed products purchased

shall be sourced from Indian micro, small and medium industries, which have a total

investment in plant & machinery not exceeding US$ 2.00 million.

1.142 Allocation of Funds to Swadhar Greh

• Recently, Union Minister of Women and Child Development has informed that The number

of rehabilitation centres established under Swadhar Greh scheme till the end of 2020 is 362.


• Fund Allocation

• Maximum Beneficiaries – Odisha has the maximum number of beneficiaries followed by

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

About Swadhar Greh scheme

Type Centrally Sponsored Scheme



Ministry Ministry of Women and Child Development

Key Features • The scheme covers women who are deserted and without any social and

economic support, women victims of domestic violence, family tension and

natural disaster in order to bring a paradigm change in accessing the data

related to farmers.

• It envisages providing shelter, food, clothing and health as well as economic

and social security for the women victims of difficult circumstances which

includes widows, destitute women and aged women.

Funding Share

with effect

from

1.01.2016

• Centre and the States – 60:40

• North Eastern and Himalayan States – 90:10

• UTs - 100%

Launched in 2010-11 in 7 pilot stattes

1.143 NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission & Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation kick-start the India-Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon, 2021

• Recently 1.9 NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission & Commonwealth Scientific and

Industrial Research Organisation has kick started the India-Australia Circular Economy (I-

ACE) Hackathon, 2021.

• Aim - To enable students and start-ups/MSMEs from both countries to present innovative

solutions for the development of a circular economy across the food system value chain.

• Under the hackathon, students and start ups of both the nations will work together on

Innovative ways of boosting Circular Economy on four themes.

• Four themes:

o Innovation in packaging - reducing packaging waste

o Innovation in food supply chains - avoiding waste

o Creating opportunities for plastics waste reduction

o Recycling critical energy metals and e-waste

1.144 RoDTEP: Centre examining first part of GK Pillai panel report to see if caps needed • Recently, The Centre has examined the rates of input duty refunds proposed by the GK Pillai

committee under the new (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) scheme,

which include items of leather, textiles, made-ups, automobile parts and iron & steel.

Why Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS) has been discontinued?

• It had to be discontinued as a World Trade Organisation panel following a complaint from the

US has ruled that the scheme was not in accordance with multilateral trade rules.

• Although incentives were provided under the scheme to off-set input taxes (which is allowed

in WTO), the rates fixed between 2 and 5 per cent were not directly linked to the taxes paid

by exporters on intermediates.

1.145 Maharashtra cabinet approves water conservation programme

• Recently, The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the implementation of Chief Minister

Water Conservation Programme.



• Under the programme, water sources would be repaired, which will enhance the State’s

irrigation capacity.

• Tenure - April 2020 to March 2023

• Implemented by - Soil and Water Conservation Department of Maharashtra.

1.146 “AyuSamvad”, the Public Awareness Lecture “Ayurveda and Covid 19 Pandemic” series of AYUSH Ministry

• Recently, Ministry of AYUSH has informed that the AyuSamvad Lecture Series campaign will

specifically focus on the role of Ayurveda in the Preventive, Promotive, Curative and

Rehabilitative Management of COVID 19.

• It ensures the uniformity of information through structured training inputs delivered to

approximately one crore target audience across India through five Lakh lectures.

• It is expected to be beneficial in conveying the potential role of Ayurveda in the management

against COVID 19 and also for Post Covid Management.


• The All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) under Ministry of AYUSH has organized public

awareness campaign program on “Ayurveda and Covid 19 Pandemic” with the objective to

create awareness among common people.

o Under the campaign, it has organized an online “Training of Trainers” programme.

1.147 Significance of Ayush in Boosting Immunity

• Recently, Ministry of Ayush has informed about various steps taken by the ministry to boost

immunity.

• It has promoted use of ready-made Ayush formulation i.e. ‘Ayush Kwath’(Ayurveda) or ‘Ayush

Kudineer’(Siddha) or ‘Ayush Joshanda’ (Unani) in the interest of health promotion to the

masses.

• It has released “National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga for

management of COVID-19” prepared by National Task force wherein guidelines for post-covid

care have been mentioned.

o It is based on – Knowledge from Ayurveda literature and clinical experience, Empirical

evidences and Biological plausibility and Emerging trends of ongoing clinical studies.

• It has launched a three-month campaign called “AYUSH for Immunity” that aimed to increase

awareness among the masses, regarding the effective home care solutions and recommended

AYUSH practices, to help them to enhance their immunity.

o It was a theme-based campaign, covering the Aahara, Vihaara, and Nidra themes, for the

months of September, October, and November 2020.

1.148 National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA): Towards the Mission of Digital Agriculture

• Recently, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has informed about a Centrally

Sponsored Scheme namely National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) .

About National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA)



Aim To achieve rapid development in India through use of Information &

Communication Technology (ICT) for timely access to agriculture related

information to the farmers.

Funding Funds were released to the States in order to carry out the activities such as:

• Site preparation of offices to install the hardware

• To establishment of computer training labs

• Procurement, installation and accounting of the system software.

• To back-up power arrangements.

• To set-up the State Project Management Unit (SPMUs) and

• To hire manpower on contractual basis

• Data Digitization Customization of applications as per the requirement in the

State and UTs.

Recent

Development

• The guidelines have been amended in 2020-21 and funds were released for

sanctioning projects for customization / shifting of web & mobile

applications already developed by the States, to the platform to be

developed using digital/emerging technologies.

• Several States have come forward to utilize the amended policy and

accordingly pilot projects have been sanctioned in various States to make

use of emerging technologies.

• Initiatives such as Unified Farmers Service Platform (UFSP) was launched in

order to bring a paradigm change in accessing the data related to farmers.

Launched in 2010-11 in 7 pilot stattes

Benefits

• Improve access of farmers to timely and relevant information & services throughout crop-cycle.

Relevance

• Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income (DFI) has recommended further expanding and

augmenting of the digital agriculture initiatives of Government of India and has focused on

modern management of agriculture viz. Remote Sensing; Geographical Information System;

Data Analytics and Cloud Computing; Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning; Internet of

Things; Robotics, Drones & Sensors and Block-chain.

About Unified Farmer Service Platform (UFSP)

• It is a combination of Core Infrastructure, Applications & tools and Data.

• The platform helps in seamless interoperability of various public and private IT systems in the

agriculture domain.

• It acts as a central agency in the agri ecosystem such as UPI in the e Payments does. It also

enables the Registration of Service Providers.

1.149 Utilization of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

• Recently, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has informed Commercial

Banks have sanctioned Rs.267.3 Crores loan in respect of total 261 projects of entities other

than Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) for construction of warehouse/cold storage

under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.



• Out of the total, Rs. 58.9 crores loan amount has been disbursed so far.

• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rs. 686.2507

Crores loans for total 1342 projects for construction of warehouse/cold storage under PACS.

• NABARD has sanctioned Rs. 2991 crores loans to PACS under AIF.

About Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

Ministry Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

Type Central Sector Scheme

Objective

To provide a medium – long term debt financing facility for investment in viable

projects for post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming

assets through interest subvention and financial support.

Duration FY2020 to FY2029

Key Features

• Rs. One Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as

loans.

• Loans will be disbursed in four years starting with sanction of Rs. 10,000

crores in the current year and Rs. 30,000 crore each in next three financial

years.

Launch Year 2020

1.150 Over 56 lakh school teachers to be trained through NISHTHA in 2021-2022

• Recently, Ministry of Education has informed that Over 56 lakh school teachers to be trained

through NISHTHA in 2021-2022.

Other Important Information shared

• All 18 modules of NISHTHA were made online and translated in 10 regional languages of

Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Odia, Telugu and Urdu.

• It has informed that 27 states and 7 autonomous organisations under MoE and Ministry of

Defence - CBSE, KVS, NVS, AEES, Sainik Schools, CTSA and CICSE have begun conducting online

NISHTHA courses in 10 languages for approximately 24 lakhs elementary school teachers

which will be completed by teachers by April 2021.

1.151 Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to organise “Hunar Haat” at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi from 20th February

• Recently, Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has organized 26th “Hunar Haat” of indigenous

artisans and craftsmen at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

• Theme - “Vocal for Local”

Benefit

• “Hunar Haat” has become “Employment and Empowerment Exchange” of indigenous artisans

and craftsmen, on the other hand it has also proved to be an effective platform to provide

national and international market to artisans and craftsmen.

1.152 Family pensions ceiling enhanced from Rs 45,000 to 1,25,000 per month

• Recently, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances& Pensions has informed

that the upper ceiling of family pensions has been raised from Rs 45,000 to Rs 1,25,000 per

month.

Key Provisions



• In case both wife and husband are Government servants and are governed by the provisions

of that rule, on their death, the surviving child is eligible for two family pensions in respect of

the deceased parents.

• The amount prescribed in Rule 54(11) of CCS (Pension) Rules has also been revised to Rs

1,25,000 per month being 50% of Rs.2,50,000 and Rs 75000 per month being 30% of Rs.

2,50,000.

Benefit

• It will bring “Ease of Living” for the family members of the deceased employees and would

provide adequate financial security to them.

1.153 Establishment of IISC for employment opportunity to the youth abroad

• Recently, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has launched India International

Skill Centre (IISC) Network as a nodal platform to facilitate international workforce mobility

opportunities for Indians.

About NSDC

• It is a fee based, market driven model, determined by global workforce supply and demand

dynamics.

• It comprises of Member Organizations involved in activities related to overseas workforce

mobility like incremental skill training on international standards or testing/assessment of

skills for overseas employment, operating through several fixed centres called as IISCs.

1.154 Government of India has launched an initiative SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) to conduct skill mapping of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM)

• More than 30,500 citizens have registered for SWADES Skill Card in January 2021, out of which

more than 24,500 (80%) citizens have returned from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

(UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain).

About SWADES

• Joint initiative of – Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Civil

Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs.

• Aim - To create a database of returning citizens based on their skill sets and experience.

• Under the initiative, returning citizens were required to fill up an online SWADES Skill Card,

containing details related to the work sector, job title, employment and years of experience.

• The registrations under the campaign have been integrated with Skill India’s ASEEM

(Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping) portal.

1.155 Modernisation of Anganwadis

• Recently, Union Minister of Women and Child Development has informed about the

measures that have been taken for upgradation of facilities at Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).

o Revised joint guidelines were issued by Ministries of Women & Child Development, Rural

Development and Panchayati Raj for construction of 4 lakh AWC buildings across the

country under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

(MGNREGS) in convergence with Anganwadi Services (ICDS Scheme).



o Under Swachhta Action Plan, Rs.10,000 per AWC has been provided for drinking water

facilities and Rs.12,000 per AWC for toilet facilities.

o Grants are sanctioned for purchase of water filter, furniture, equipment, etc.

o Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) have been provided with Smart Phones for efficient service

delivery.

• She has also informed that Anganwadi workers have been empowered with the provision of

smart phones procured through Government e-Market (GeM) for efficient service delivery.

• A total of 8.66 lakh smart phones have been procured by 32 States/UTs including Rajasthan

and Maharashtra. Of these, 6.42 lakh have been provided to Anganwadi Workers across 27

States/UTs.

• Highest procurement – Maharashtra.

1.156 UP govt announces 16-digit Unicode to identify landholdings • Recently, Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a system of issuing a unique 16-digit

Unicode to mark all kinds of landholdings in the state.

o First six digits based on the population of the land, the next 4 digits determining the unique

identity of the land, 11 to 14 will be the number of the division of the land last 2 digits will

have the details of the category, through which, the agricultural, residential and

commercial land will be identified.

Benefit

• It will put an end to fake registries of disputed land.

1.157 Government blocked 296 mobile apps since 2014 under Section 69A of IT Act 2000

• Recently, Government has informed that a total of 296 mobile applications have been

blocked by government since 2014, under the provisions of section 69A of IT Act 2000 and

its rules in the interest of sovereignty & integrity of India, security of the State and public

order.

• Reason – Ministry of Home Affairs has received report about some apps being misused for

stealing and transmitting user data such as financial data, permission for accessing of all

possible data available in device, etc and real-time activity surreptitiously to servers located

outside India.

• Steps taken by government –

o Government has moved the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 in Parliament which

provides for safeguards of privacy and interests of the Indian citizens.

o Government has also drafted Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules,

2018 and published all the suggestions and comments received on the proposed draft rules

About Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019

Key Provisions

• The Bill includes exemptions for processing data without an individual’s consent for

“reasonable purposes”, including security of the state, detection of any unlawful activity or

fraud, whistleblowing, medical emergencies, credit scoring, operation of search engines and

processing of publicly available data.



• It calls for the creation of an independent regulator Data Protection Authority, which will

oversee assessments and audits and definition making.

• Each company will have a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who will liaison with the DPA for

auditing, grievance redressal, recording maintenance and more.

• It has proposed “Purpose limitation” and “Collection limitation” clause, which limit the

collection of data to what is needed for “clear, specific, and lawful” purposes.

• It also grants individuals the right to data portability and the ability to access and transfer one’s

own data. It also grants individuals the right to data portability, and the ability to access and

transfer one’s own data.

• It has legislated the right to be forgotten which allows an individual to remove consent for

data collection and disclosure.

• Penalties: Rs 5 crore or 2 percent of worldwide turnover for minor violations and Rs 15 crore

or 4 percent of total worldwide turnover for more serious violations.

• Company’s executive-in-charge can also face jail terms of up to three years.

Benefits

• Data localisation can help law-enforcement agencies access data for investigations and

enforcement.

• Instances of cyber attacks and surveillance will be checked.

• Data localisation will also increase the ability of the Indian government to tax Internet giants.

• A strong data protection legislation will also help to enforce data sovereignty.

1.158 High Level Committee under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister approves Rs 3,113.05 crore of additional Central Assistance to five States/Union Territories

• Recently, The High Level Committee (HLC) under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to

five states, which were affected by floods/ cyclones (Nivar and Burevi)/ Pest attack during

2020.

• It has approved additional Central Assistance of Rs. 3,113.05 crore to five States/ Union

Territories from the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF).

1.159 Noon meal scheme launched in Bharathidasan Government College for Women

• Recently, The Bharathidasan Government College for Women, Puducherry has launched a

free noon meal scheme called ‘Amudham’, for poor students.

• It has been launched by the alumni association of the college along with, Arutprakasa Vallalar

Samarasa Sanmarkka Sathiya Sadhanai Sangam, a charitable Organisation.

• Beneficiaries: About 500 students.

1.160 Special Economic Zone Policy

• Recently, the MoS, Ministry of Commerce and Industry has shared the key elements of the

Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Policy.

• Objective: Promote Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India; provide an internationally

competitive environment for exports.

Key Features:

• A designated duty free enclave to be treated as a territory outside the customs territory of

India for the purpose of authorised operations in the SEZ.



• No licence required for import.

• Manufacturing or service activities allowed.

• The Unit shall achieve Positive Net Foreign Exchange to be calculated cumulatively for a

period of five years from the commencement of production

• Domestic sales subject to full customs duty and import policy in force

• Freedom for subcontracting

• No routine examination by customs authorities of export/import cargo

• SEZ Developers /Co-Developers and Units enjoy tax benefits as prescribed in the SEZs Act,

2005:

o 100% Income Tax exemption on export income for SEZ units under Section 10AA of

the Income Tax Act for first 5 years, 50% for next 5 years thereafter and 50% of the

ploughed back export profit for next 5 years.

1.161 NASSCOM unveils e-learning platform for Telangana students

• Recently, the Information Technology (IT) and IT enabled services (ITes) Sector Skills Council

of The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) in association

with Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) and Telangana Academy for Skill

and Knowledge (TASK) has unveiled ‘Future Skills PRIME Platform’, benefiting students,

faculty and the management of education institutions.

Key Highlights:

• It is a robust online platform to encourage remote and self-paced learning, in various

emerging technologies like AI, Internet of things, Big Data Analytics, etc, at free of cost.

• Aims to reach 4.12 lakh learners

1.162 Anganwadi beneficiaries dropped by 2 crore in 7 years

• Recently, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development has shared a data stating

Anganwadi beneficiaries through the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) dropped

by 2 crore in 7 years.

Key Findings:

• In 2014-25, 10.45 crore pregnant women, lactating mothers and children in the age group of

six months to six years enrolled at nearly 14 lakh anganwadi centres, which has been

declined to 8.55 crore by March,2020

• The number of children dropped from 8.49 crore in 2014-2015 to 6.86 crore in March 2020.

• The number of pregnant women and lactating mothers decreased from 1.95 crore in 2014-

15 to 1.68 crore in March 2020.

1.163 Agri Export Policy

• Recently, Ministry of Commerce and Industry has shared the key activities undertaken by

the Government of India under Agri Export Policy (AEP), 2018 to promote agricultural

produce exports.

Key Highlights:

• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has

signed MoUs with AFC India Limited and National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) in

August 2020.



o MoU with AFC India Limited: cooperation in critical technology intervention

requirements for organic as well as chemical/ residue free production systems;

development of Common Processing Centres; supporting the value chain system in

clusters identified under AEP.

o MoU with NCUI: cooperation in the areas of engaging cooperatives involved in

agricultural production to improve the quality of agri-produce, consolidation and export

for better price realization; facilitating certifications for agri-produce/ organic produce;

capacity development of agri-processing and allied cooperative societies/SHGs;

showcasing the products/ services in the Indian and global markets, etc.

• The MoU with AFC India Ltd and NCUI will facilitate the development of clusters identified

under the AEP.

About Agri Export Policy

• Objective

o To diversify our export basket, destinations and boost high value and value added

agricultural exports, including focus on perishables.

o To promote novel, indigenous, organic, ethnic, traditional and non-traditional Agri

products exports.

o To provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access, tackling barriers and

dealing with sanitary and phytosanitary issues.

o To strive to double India’s share in world agri exports by integrating with global value

chains.

o Enable farmers to get benefit of export opportunities in overseas market.

1.164 Karnataka digital economy mission office inaugurated

• Recently, the office of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) and "Beyond

Bengaluru" report has been inaugurated by the deputy CM of Karnataka

• Objective: increasing digital economy contribution to Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) to

30 %.

Key Highlights of KDEM:

• It aims to attract investments for the IT/ITeS sector to create 10 lakh jobs by 2025 in

Karnataka.



• Allows 51 % stakes to industry associations and 49% retained by KDEM.

• Facilitates Karnataka Government’s Goal of 150 billion dollars in IT exports and to become a

300 billion dollars economy by 2025.

• In order to strengthen the digital economy, focus will be on improving connectivity even to

remote parts, providing 24/7 electricity, and reducing the rural-urban divide by establishing

needed infrastructure.

About Beyond Bengaluru Project:

• Launched as a part of “Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020”, in November 2020.

• Out of 25% GSDP from IT Sector, Bengaluru alone accounts for 98%.

• Hence, to increase the participation from other regions, the project has been launched.

1.165 National Coal Index

• Recently, the Union Minister of Coal has shared important information about the activities

taken by the GoI to promote commercial coal mining on revenue share basis in India through

National Coal Index.

About National Coal Index (NCI):

• Launch Year: June 2020

• NCI is a price index which reflects the change of price level of coal on a particular month

relative to the fixed base year: FY 2017-18

• Purpose: The amount of revenue share per tonne of coal produced from auctioned blocks

would be arrived at using the NCI by means of defined formula

• Prices of coal from all the sales channels of coal, including imports, as existing today are taken

into account for compiling the NCI.

• NCI consists of set of five sub-indices:

o Three sub-indices for Non-Coking Coal: used to calculate Index for Non-Coking Coal.

o Two sub-indices for Coking Coal: used to calculate Index for Coking Coal.

• Based on the grade of coal of a particular mine, appropriate sub-index is used to arrive at the

revenue share.

1.166 Industrial Corridor Projects

• Recently, Ministry of Commerce and Industry has informed about the progress of Industrial

Corridor Projects as part of the National Industrial Corridor Programme.

• Aim: Development of Greenfield industrial cities in India to compete with the best

manufacturing and investment destinations in the world.

Key information shared:

• National Industrial Corridor Development & Implementation Trust (NICDIT) apex body for

unified development of Industrial Corridors in India, established in 2017, under the

administrative control of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

• Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is the first Industrial Corridor in India, which is

under implementation.

• GoI approved development of 11 Corridors (32 projects) in four Phases upto 2024-25 as part

of National Master Plan to provide multimodal connectivity to economic zones



• As part of Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC), Bihar has identified a site at Gamhariya,

Dobhi block, Gaya district for establishment of Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC).

About Plug and Play Infrastructure:

• Refers to ready facilities in terms of building, power-water-sewage connectivity, road

connectivity, other basic things including clearances in hand required to start the industry.

About National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICDC)

• It aims to:

o Develop new industrial cities as "Smart Cities", converge next generation technologies

across infrastructure sectors, expand industrial output, increase employment

opportunities.

o To enhance India’s competitiveness in manufacturing through creation of quality

infrastructure & position India as a strong player in the Global Value Chain

o provide multi modal connectivity with complete “plug and play” infrastructure

• During 2018-19 and 2019-20, employment generated through NICDC (direct & indirect) are

9,000 and 8,000 respectively.

1.167 World Bank signs Project to Support CHIRAAG

• Recently, the Government of Chhattisgarh and the World Bank have signed a $100 million

project to develop sustainable production systems allowing tribal households in remote

areas to practice round-the-year production of diversified and nutritious food, through

CHIRAAG - Chhattisgarh Inclusive Rural and Accelerated Agriculture Growth Project.

• Loan Maturity: 17.5 years, including grace period: 5.5 years.

About CHIRAAG:

• Implemented in eight southern tribal districts in Chhattisgarh, benefiting 180,000 tribal

households from about 1000 villages.

1.168 Waste Generation from Animal Husbandry Sector

• Recently, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has shared the initiative

taken by the government regarding the waste generation from the Animal Husbandry

Sector.


• As per data from National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), total dung production

(assuming 15 Kg Dung per animal per day) in India from bovines is about 1,655 million tonnes

per year.

• Under Phase II of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), GoI has launched a multi-

ministerial programme named as ‘Galvanising Organic Bio Agro Resources (GOBARDHAN)

waste to wealth’.

• Under GOBARDHAN, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation included the small holder

based Manure Management Model by NDDB as one of the solid waste management models,

where bio-degradable waste is envisaged to be managed through composting and bio-gas

plants.



1.169 Government Measures to regulate e-Commerce Platforms

• Recently, the MoS, Ministry of Commerce and Industry has shared information about the

measures by the GoI to control and regulate the e-commerce platforms.

Key Acts to regulate e-commerce activities:

• Information Technology Act, 2000

• Competition Act, 2002- Provides regulatory framework, not having adverse effect on

competition; Section 3 deals with anti-competitive agreements & Section 4- abuse of

dominant position.

• E-Commerce entities/platforms with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are presently regulated

under Schedule 1, Foreign Exchange Management (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules, 2019.

• Finance Act 2020: Under Section 194-O, an e-Commerce operator has to deduct TDS for

facilitating any sale of goods or providing services through an e-Commerce participant.

• Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, under Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

Key initiatives:

• GoI is in receipt of the representations submitted by Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT)

against e-commerce companies, which are forwarded to Enforcement Directorate.

• Under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 the investigative powers are vested with

Enforcement Directorate (ED).

• Complaints received from CAIT, against biased practices by banks to provide cash backs/

discounts for purchases through e-commerce websites are examined by the Competition

Commission of India (CCI).

1.170 Government measures to increase core sectors output

• Recently, the MoS, Ministry of Commerce and Industry has shared some of the key initiatives

taken by the Government to increase the core sectors output in India.

Key initiatives:

• In September, 2019 the corporate tax rate reduced to 15 % for new domestic manufacturing

companies.

• Offering steel to MSMEs that are members of Engineering Export Promotion Council at

export parity price under the Duty Draw Back scheme of Directorate General of Foreign Trade

(DGFT).

• Cement Industry de-controlled in 1989 and de-licensed in 1991 under the policy of economic

liberalization.

• Cement (Quality Control) Order, 2003 mandates the quality of cement in India to be

compliant with the BIS standards laid down for particular type of cement.

1.171 Two new agri produces included for the subsidy through Kisan Rail Scheme

• Recently, two new agricultural produce viz, Mandarin (orange variety) and Turmeric (raw)

have been added in the list of eligible Fruits and Vegetables for 50% transportation subsidy

through Kisan Rail scheme under Operation Greens – TOP to TOTAL.

• Objective: To incentivize farmers and boost farmers’ income.



1.172 ‘Specialty Steel’ included under the PLI Scheme

• Recently, the Union Minister for Steel, has announced that the Central Government has

approved the inclusion of Specialty Steel Sector under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI)

Scheme.

• Aim: to promote the manufacturing of 'Specialty Steel' within India by attracting capital

investment, generate employment and promote technology up-gradation in the steel sector.

Key Highlights:

• Financial Outlay: Rs 6322 Crores for five years.

1.173 PM inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit 2021

• Recently, the Prime Minister of India has inaugurated the 20th edition of the World

Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2021, from 10th to 12th February 2021.

• The focus is on bringing voices of women/youth in the forefront, and the discussions to be

carried forward from Global South to the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties

in Glasgow to be held in November 2021.

• Theme: ‘Redefining our common future: Safe and secure environment for all’.


• Sustainable Development can be achieved only through togetherness and Innovation.

• India committed to reduce emissions by 33% -35 % of GDP from 2005 levels by 2030.

• Commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030.

• India on track to setup 45GW of RE generating Capacity by 2030.

• In March 2019, India achieved nearly 100% electrification

• Jal Jeevan Mission- connected over 34 million house-holds with tap connections in 18 months

• GoI aims to increase the share of natural gas in India's energy basket from 6 % to 15%.

• PM Ujjwala Yojna–More than 80 million families below poverty line provided with clean

cooking fuel.

About World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS):

• Annual summit organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi.

• It brings together governments, business leaders, academicians, climate scientists, youth,

and the civil society in the fight against climate change.

1.174 SIDBI and COWE launched the Swavalamban Sashakt- Mega Campaign

• Recently, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), with the Confederation of

Women Entrepreneurs of India (COWE) launched the ‘Swavalamban Sashakt – Mega

Campaign’, which is a 20 webinar series to give a fillip to ‘Stand Up India’ scheme.

• Under the scheme, the bank will advance loan between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore to at least one

Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and at least one woman borrower

per bank branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services or the

trading sector.

1.175 NDB announced a commitment of $100 million into the NIIF FoF

• Recently, New Development Bank (NDB), the multilateral development bank established by

the BRICS states announced a commitment of $100 million into the NIIF (National Investment

and Infrastructure Fund) Fund of Funds (FoF) making the total funds in FoF at $800.



• This investment marks NDB’s first equity investment into India and its first ever investment

in a FoF.

• With NDB’s investment, it joins the Government of India (GoI), Asian Infrastructure Investment

Bank (AIIB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) as an investor in the FoF.


• The FoF was established in 2018 with the objective of providing homegrown Indian private

equity fund managers access to an India-focused institutional investor that operates at scale.

1.176 Indian suffered crop loss on 18.176 million hectares

• Recently, India suffered a huge crop loss on 18.176 million hectares (mha) of land, roughly 8.5

per cent of the total gross cropped area due to floods from 2017-2019, according to data

shared by the government in the Lok Sabha.

• Of this, 10.68 mha was affected in 2019 alone. In 2018 and 2017, 2.515 mha and 4.973 mha

of cropped area was lost in India.

Key Findings:

• The flood-prone states of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh saw extreme floods.

• Floods were also witnessed in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,

Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to ‘excess’ or ‘large

excess’ rainfall in these states, combined with extremely heavy rainfall in a short span of time.

• Madhya Pradesh was the hardest-hit among all. It had zero crop loss in both 2017 and

2018. However, it suffered the highest loss of 6.047 mha among all states in 2019 due to

extreme rainfall.

• In 2019, the state also saw the second highest claims, after Maharashtra, by farmers for crop

insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.


• Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) scheme for flood management

worked in the entire country. River management activities and works related to border areas,

with an outlay of Rs 3,342 crore, was under implementation from 2017-18 to 2019-20 and

later extended upto March, 2021.

• Central assistance amounting to Rs 6,409.96 crore had been released till March, 2020 under

this programme.

1.177 57,000 water structures inaugurated under ‘Jalabhishekam’ campaign

• Recently, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated more than 57,000 water

structures constructed in Madhya Pradesh under 'Jalabhishekam' campaign.

• These water structures were created during COVID era by linking the work with the MNREGA

scheme.

• It is fulfilling the intention of 'water for every farm and work for every hand'. This will prove

to be helpful in the betterment of the villages.

• These water structures costing over Rs 2,000 crore have been inaugurated under Mahatma

Gandhi NREGA and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Irrigation Scheme. They will irrigate 2.50 lakh

hectares of land without submerging an inch of land.



1.178 NPCI launched ‘NPCI PayAuth Challenge’

Recently, National Payment Corporation of India announced the launch of a Global level

Hackathon - ‘NPCI PayAuth Challenge’, to find solution for alternatives for authorising UPI

transaction through options like Biometrics.

• This challenge is supported by the world's first cross-border, open architecture API

marketplace and sandbox platform – APIX.

1.179 Certified Jute seeds Distribution Plan and Jute Farmers Awareness Workshop virtually

organized

• Recently, Union Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani

inaugurated the Certified Jute Seeds Distribution Plan and Jute Farmers Awareness

Workshop virtually organised at Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Research

Institute for Jute and Allied Fibers (ICAR-CRIJAF) Institute at Barrackpore, West Bengal.

• Ministry of Textiles through its field offices viz; O/o Jute Commissioner, National Jute Board,

Jute Corporation of India and the ICAR-CRIJAF under Ministry of Agriculture &Farmers Welfare

has organized the Jute Seeds Distribution Program and Jute Farmers Awareness Workshop on

Jute ICARE Initiative.

• JCI would be distributing 10,000 quintals of certified jute seeds. The move would benefit

about 5.00 lakh Jute Farmers.

About ICAR-CRIJAF:

• ICAR-CRIJAF established in 1953 as Jute Agricultural Research Institute (JARI), is only research

institute on jute & allied fibres crops in India and is a constituent unit of Indian Council of

Agricultural Research (ICAR) an Autonomous Body under Department of Agricultural

Research & Education (DARE) under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers

Welfare Government of India.

Additional information:

• Various initiatives taken for Jute Industry

o Under ICARE Initiative which started in 2015, the certified jute seeds distribution

increased to over 600 MT in 2017. Government has supported 2.60 lakhs farmers under

ICARE Program.

o Government increased the MSP for Jute from Rs. 2400 in 2014-15 to Rs. 4225 in 2020-21.

o Government of India approved construction of 46000 Retting Tanks for increasing

productivity, quality and income of Jute Farmers

o Government has approved a Technical Textiles Mission which includes Jute Geo-Textiles.

o Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has approved standards for Jute Geo-Textiles (JGT)

which will help promotion of JGT under the Technical Textile Mission.

o Jute is included in the National Food Security Mission will help to increase the income of

the Farmers.



1.180 Recykal selected for WEFs Circulars Accelerator programme

• Recently, Hyderabad based Recykal, a digital ‘waste-commerce’ startup has become the first

member from India selected for World Economic Forum’s (WEF) The Circulars Accelerator

Program 2021.

About Circulars Accelerator Programme 2021

• Initiative of Accenture in partnership with Anglo American, Ecolab, Schneider Electric, UpLink

and WEF.

• Connects industry leaders with 17 circular-economy entrepreneurs

• Mission: Accelerate the global circular transition; Create value & impact for our innovators,

partners & network; Drive action-focused collaboration through the ecosystem.

About Recykal:

• India’s first digital waste-commerce (w-commerce) company to connect waste generators

with waste processors and recyclers, and brand owners.

• Target: to scale and influence upwards of 2 million metric tonnes of plastic annually by 2025.

1.181 Ministry of Tribal Affairs bags Award of Appreciation - 18th CSI SIG E-Governance Awards 2020

• Recently, the Ministry of Tribal affairs has won Award of Appreciation in the Project

Category-Central Government Entity in the 18th Computer Society of India Special Interest

Group (CSI SIG) eGov Awards 2020 for their ‘Performance Dashboard Empowering Tribals

Transforming India through various ICT initiatives”.

Relevance:

• In January 2021, Ministry of Tribal Affairs received SKOCH Challenger Award for “Best

Performance in eGovernance”.

• Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ Performance Dashboard- ‘Empowering Tribal - Transforming India’

is part of Digital India Initiative, updates real time information of 11 schemes of the Ministry.

About CSI SIF E-Governance Awards:

• Constituted by Computer Society of India, and conducted by CSI-SIGegov, to recognize efforts

in e-governance at the State, Department, District and Project levels.

1.182 External Affairs Minister attends 3rd Quad Ministerial Meeting

• Recently, the Indian External Affairs Minister has attended the 3rd India-Australia-Japan-

USA Quad Ministerial Meeting or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the respective foreign

ministers.

Key Highlights:

• Focus on climate change and furthering cooperation in maritime security, supply chain

resilience , counter-terrorism & Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)

• Emphasis on rules-based international order, supported by respect for territorial integrity /

sovereignty, rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in international seas and

peaceful resolution of disputes.

• Common vision for a free, open/ inclusive Indo-Pacific region, with clear support for ASEAN

cohesion and centrality.



• Recent Political Conditions in Myanmar & Temporary Waiver in Trade Related Intellectual

Property Rights (TRIPS) for smooth delivery of critical medicines reiterated by India.

About Quadrilateral Security Dialogue:

• Established in 2007 & restarted in 2017.

• 1st & 2nd Quad Ministerial Meetings took place in New York(2019) & Tokyo(2020).

1.183 Union Telecom Minister chairs high level meeting to make digital transactions secure

• Recently, the Union Minister for Electronics, Information Technology & Communications has

chaired a high level meeting to discuss various initiatives to make digital transactions secure

in India.

• Objective: To address the issues over unsolicited text messages, repeated harassment through

SMS & fraudulent loan transactions.

Key Takeaways:

• Web/ mobile application & SMS based system to be developed to handle Unsolicited

Commercial Communication (UCC) and financial frauds.

• Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) to be set up as nodal agency to coordinate with stakeholders

in investigating fraudulent activities using telecom resources.

• Telecom Analytics for Fraud Management and Consumer Protection (TAFCOP) system to be

created at License Service Area level.

• Blocking telecom operations to curb fraud activities in Jamtara & Mewat regions.

• Proposal for penalization for telecom operators for repeated violations.

1.184 Government announces liberalised guidelines for geo-spatial data

• Recently, the Ministry of Science & Technology has drafted the liberalized guidelines for geo-

spatial data.

• Target: to make India a One Lakh Crore Rupees Geo-Spatial economy by 2030 & to achieve

the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat and a 5 trillion-dollar economy.

Key Highlights:

• Under the new guidelines, the geospatial sector will be deregulated and made public for the

first time

• For Indian entities, except for classified data, there will be complete deregulation with no

prior approvals, security clearances, licenses, to acquire/ produce geospatial data and

services, including maps.

• High spatial accuracy geospatial data finer than 1m horizontally and 3m vertically can now

be acquired/owned only by Indian entities and stored in servers physically located in India.

Background:

• Earlier, any individual /company seeking geopspatial data should get approval under

Geospatial Information Regulation Act, 2016.

1.185 Stakeholders discuss the implications of liberalised guidelines for geo-spatial data.

• Recently, a stakeholder meeting has been organized by the Ministry of Science & Technology

to discuss the implications & implementation of the Guidelines for acquiring & producing

Geo-Spatial Data and Geo-Spatial Data Services including Maps.

Key Advantages:



• Enabling Indian innovators to make advanced maps, empower small businesses, and

increases the ease of living.

• Empower Indian industry and surveying agencies without diluting security concerns.

• Full liberalization of the cartography and geo-spatial mapping sector.

• Every segment and sector of the economy to be benefited.

• No security clearances are required for acquisition of Geospatial data for SWAMITVA Project.

1.186 MSDE launches Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship

• Recently, the Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has chaired a

function ‘Transforming skilling through strategic partnerships under SANKALP (Skills

Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion).

Important initiatives launched for Skilling

• Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF), a 2 year academic programme with nine IIMs

in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Visakhapatnam, Udaipur, Nagpur, Ranchi and

Jammu as academic partners.

• MSDE has partnered with Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) to conduct capacity

building programmes for District officials from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and

Lakshadweep.

• Takes on board IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur as evaluation partners for Awards for Excellence

in District Skill Development Planning (DSDP Awards).

• “Skill training on Gender Sensitisation and Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) at the

workplace” in partnership with Management and Entrepreneurship and Professional Skill

Council (MEPSC) as the Implementation Agency – 6 months project implemented in 15

districts in Rajasthan, Haryana & Punjab.

• SANKALP programme will also support in Training of Trainer (Tot) system in Public Private

Partnership (PPP) mode in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

ecosystem, where:

o Cluster approach is adopted;

o GIZ-developed automotive cluster in Aurangabad selected for the pilot.

o Strategic Partnership formed between MSDE, Automotive Skill Development Council

(ASDC), Indo-German Programme for Vocational Education and Training (GIZ-IGVET)

and Maharashtra State Skill Development Mission for project implementation.

1.187 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala becomes first woman, African to lead WTO

• Recently, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigerian Economist has been appointed as the 7th Director

General of the World Trade Organization.

• She is the first woman and the first African to hold the post.

About WTO:

• Establishment: January 1995; Total Members: 164; Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

1.188 Preeti Sinha to lead UN Capital Development Fund

• Recently, the United Nations Capital Development Fund has appointed Indian Origin Preeti

Sinha, an investment and development banker as its Executive Secretary to focus on



providing micro-finance assistance to women, youth, small and medium-sized enterprises in

under-served communities.

About UN Capital Development Fund:

• It provides micro-finance access to least developed countries (LDCs)

• Establishment: 1966; Headquarters: New York.

1.189 3rd edition of Indian Sign Language dictionary released

• Recently, the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment has released the “3rd

edition of the Indian Sign Language (ISL) Dictionary with 10,000 terms (including 6,000 earlier

terms)” prepared by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).

• The terms are of everyday use, academic terms, legal & administrative terms, medical terms,

technical terms and agricultural terms & regional signs used in different parts of India.

Background:

• 1st Edition was released in March 2018 with 3000 terms & 2nd edition in February 2019 with

6000 terms (including earlier 3000 terms).

About ISLRTC:

• Autonomous Institute under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

(Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

1.190 Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launches Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan

• Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan

under Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban (JJM-U).

• The pilot study will ascertain equitable distribution of water, reuse of wastewater and

mapping of water bodies with respect to quantity and quality of water through a challenge

process.

Key Highlights:

• Launched in 10 cities viz, Agra, Badlapur, Bhubaneswar, Churu, Kochi, Madurai, Patiala,

Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur.

• Based on Findings, to be extended to all Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban

Transformation AMRUT cities.

• Funding to be provided in three tranches in the ratio of 20:40:40.

About JJM (U):

Launch Year February 2021

Ministry Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

Total Budget • Rs 2,87,000 crore, including 10,000 crore for continuing financial support to AMRUT Mission.

Objective • to provide universal coverage of water supply to all households through functional taps in all 4,378 statutory towns in accordance with SDG-6.

Focus Area • Estimated gap in urban household tap connections is 2.68 crore and sewer connections/septage in 500 AMRUT cities is 2.64 crores

• 20% of water demand to be met by reused water with development of institutional mechanism.



Key Targets • City Water Potability Index, reduction in non-revenue water, municipal finance reforms, rain water harvesting, recycle water to meet at least 20% total water demand by 2025

• rejuvenating three water bodies per ULB

Funding Mechanism

• Central Government will provide: o 90% - North East/ Hill States o 100% - Union Territories o 50% - cities with 1 lakh to 10 lakh population o 25% - cities with million plus population.

• Cities having million plus population to take up PPP projects worth minimum of 10 % of total project fund allocation.

1.191 Amazon India to manufacture electronic products in India

• Recently, Amazon India’s Country Head had a virtual meeting with the Union Minister of

Electronics & Information technology and announced the decision to manufacture electronic

products in India, starting from manufacturing Amazon Fire TV sticks by setting up a

manufacturing plant in Chennai.

• Amazon India will commence manufacturing efforts with contract manufacturer Cloud

Network Technology, a subsidiary of Foxconn in Chennai.

1.192 Union Petroleum Minister addresses Joint Conference of 11th World PetroCoal Congress and World Future Fuel Summit

• Recently, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas has addressed the Joint

Conference of the 11th World PetroCoal Congress and World Future Fuel Summit & Expo in

New Delhi.

• Theme: Petroleum-Coal-Gas- Towards a Win-Win strategy for Producer and Consumer.


• India is creating a global model of energy justice by balancing accessibility and affordability.

• India’s Energy demand would increase at about 3% per annum till 2040.

• LPG Customers increased to almost 29 crores in 2021

• LPG coverage has increased in less than 7 years from 56% to almost 99.5%

• Provision for additional 1 crore LPG connections under "Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

(PMUY) announced in Budget 2021-22.

• Oil PSUs invested Rs 34,000 crore to upgrade plants for producing BS-VI fuel.

• 60 billion USD is underway for developing gas infrastructure.

• 5000 Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) from Biomass Plants with a target of 15 MMT equivalent

per year will be set up.

• 37 crores LED bulbs under UJALA scheme & more than 1 crore smart LED street lights,

reduced around 43 Million tons of carbon emission annually

• Talcher coal gasification-based plant -India’s first coal gasification-based fertilizer plant with

pet coke blending.

Key Targets:

• Achieving 40% electricity generation from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.

• Achieving 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2025.

Relevance:



• According to recent reports released by IEA, OPEC and British Petroleum world total primary

energy demand would increase at less than 1% per annum till 2040.

• India moved from BS-IV to BS-VI emission standards April, 2020.

About 11th World Petro Coal Congress:

• Annual Event organized by Energy & Environment Foundation, supported by GoI, Ministries

of Coal, Power, Science and Technology & NITI Aayog, in partnership with RAGA.

• World’s only Congress on Petroleum-Coal-Gas Industry with a focus on Synergy for Energy.

About World Future Fuel Summit & Expo 2021:

• Annual Event organized by Energy & Environment Foundation, supported by the Ministry of

Petroleum & Natural Gas.

1.193 Italy creates ecological transition ministry

• Italy has created ecological transition ministry, to ensure a transition to renewable energy

to drive economic recovery.

• Under the drive, Physicist Roberto Cingolani will lead the new ecology transition ministry.

• Funds - Euro 82 billion share of EU recovery funds earmarked for green projects in Italy

Background:

• In December 2020, European Parliament and EU member states allocated coronavirus

recovery fund, by unlocking €265 billion of the total €672.5 billion available for the green

transition in EU countries.

• Under the agreement, 37% of the money must be dedicated to the transition to a low carbon

economy.

• Italy is the largest recipient of recovery fund amounting Euro 222 billion (30% of the whole

package).

Note: Italy to Host G20 Leaders Summit in Oct 2021 & youth leaders climate summit in Sep 2021.

1.194 E-Daakhil portal for consumer grievance redressal now operational in 15 states, UTs

• Recently, The government has informed that the 'E-Daakhil' portal for consumer grievance

redressal has been operationalized in 15 states and Union Territories (UTs).

About E-Daakhil Portal

• It is a web application for e-filing of consumer complaints which empowers the consumer and

their advocates to file the consumer complaints along with payment of requisite fees online

from anywhere for the redressal of their complaints.

• Launched by - National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC)

• Delhi was the first state to implement the portal.

1.195 Transport Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari launches ‘Go Electric’ Campaign

• Recently, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways has launched ‘Go Electric’

Campaign to spread awareness on the benefits of e-mobility and EV Charging Infrastructure

as well as electric cooking in India.

• Aim – To create awareness at PAN-India level and is expected to boost the confidence of

Electric Vehicle manufacturers.

• During the campaign, panel discussions on “Scaling up of e-mobility Infrastructure in India and

Role of different Stakeholders in e-mobility” has taken place.



• Note: Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the aegis of the Ministry of Power has been

mandated to undertake an awareness drive for promoting Public Charging, e-mobility & its

ecosystem.

1.196 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India sign MoU to promote health research

• Recently, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

(CSIR), India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the

development, conduct and promotion of health research in India.

• Areas of research collaboration would include - Genetic diseases that impact infant and

neonatal mortality; New diagnostics and devices for infectious disease and environmental

surveillance; Development of cost-effective processes for drug, vaccines, biologics, and

diagnostics manufacturing; Novel microbiome-directed foods; Socio-economic impact of

science and technological tools etc.

1.197 Eleventh India-EU Macroeconomic Dialogue

• Recently, Ministry of Finance has informed about Eleventh India-EU Macroeconomic

Dialogue.

• It has covered all dimensions–political, economic, security, trade and investment,

environment, research and innovation.

1.198 Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Granted Drone Use Permission

• Recently, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

has granted conditional exemption for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) usage to the

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoAFW).

• It has allowed drone deployment by the MoAFW for remote sensing data collection in

agricultural areas of 100 districts of India for Gram Panchayat level yield estimation, under

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

• Validity - One year from the date of issue of the permission letter or until the

operationalisation of the Digital Sky Platform, whichever is earlier.

1.199 Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar distributes awards to top-performing states and districts under the PM-KISAN scheme

• Recently, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has awarded the top-

performing States and Districts for their exemplary work with respect to the implementation

of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKISAN)

• PMKISAN has scheme has completed two years of implementation. Key Information Shared

• The benefits amounting to Rs. 1,15,638.87 Crore have been transferred to more than 10.75

Crore beneficiaries since the inception of the Scheme.

• Rs. 17,793 crores were released for 8.89 crore farmer families during March-April 2020.

• In Dec 2020, Rs 18,000 crores have been credited to 9 crore farmer families through Direct

Benefit Transfer (DBT) under the 7th instalment of benefits under PM KISAN.

• All three installments amounting Rs 58,600 crores were released by 25th December 2020.

Important Awardees (State Wise)



Category States North eastern and Hilly

States

Highest % of Aadhar

authenticated

beneficiaries

Karnataka Arunachal Pradesh

Good Performance in

Physical verification and

Grievance Redressal

Maharashtra Himachal Pradesh

1.200 India hosts First Meeting of BRICS Finance and Central Bank Deputies

• Recently, India has hosted the First Meeting of BRICS Finance and Central Bank Deputies.

• During the meet, India has shared priorities under financial cooperation agenda and issues

for discussion during 2021 such as Global Economic Outlook and Response to COVID-19, Social

Infrastructure Financing and Use of Digital Technologies, New Development Bank (NDB)

Activities, Fintech for SME and Financial Inclusion, BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement

(CRA) etc.

Relevance

• India has assumed the BRICS Chairship in 2021 under the theme “BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS

Cooperation, India’s approach is focused on strengthening collaboration through Continuity,

Consolidation and Consensus”.

1.201 India-Maldives Workshop on Good Governance Practices in a Pandemic

• Recently, Union Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions has addressed India-

Maldives Workshop on Good Governance Practices in a pandemic in New Delhi.

• As part of the India-Maldives Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019, India is

committed to capacity building of 1000 Maldivian civil servants over a period of 5 years.



1.202 Shri Vijay Sampla assumes charge of Chairman National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)

• Recently, Shri Vijay Sampla has assumed as the charge of Chairman National Commission for

Scheduled Castes (NCSC).

• He has earlier served as Chairman of Punjab Dalit Vikas Parishad.

1.203 12th Technical Group Meeting of National Statistical Offices(NSOs) of BRICS Countries for Preparation of Joint Statistical Publication 2021

• Recently, The 12th Technical Group Meeting of National Statistical Offices of BRICS (Brazil,

Russia, India, China, South Africa) Countries has taken place.

• Organized by - Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)

• During the meeting, The draft Joint Statistical Publication (JSP) and JSP (Snapshot) have been

discussed which will be released in August 2021.

• It has also discussed draft proposals by ROSSTAT, Russia on cooperation between BRICS

Countries, vision document on cooperation and statistical system development of BRICS NSOs

and proposal regarding New Development Bank for project funding.

1.204 Union Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister inaugurates a four-day Global Investors meet: India Pharma 2021 & India Medical Devices 2021

• Recently, Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister has inaugurated Global Investors meet:

India Pharma 2021 & India Medical Devices 2021 organized by FICCI along with Department

of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Invest India.

• Goal – To identify ways to realize the potential of the industry such that we can emerge an

even stronger supplier of quality drugs and medical devices, through solving challenges and

plan for continued growth.

Important Highlights

• EY-FICCI report titled ‘Indian Pharmaceutical Industry 2021: future is now’ has been released.

• Key Highlights of the report

o The opportunities that have emerged to accelerate the growth of Indian pharmaceutical and

healthcare industry are - innovation led research and development, healthcare delivery

(R&D), manufacturing and supply chain, and market access.

o The report has discussed about

✓ Accelerating research and innovation:

✓ Achieving equitable and sustainable healthcare

✓ Strengthening manufacturing and supply base in domestic and global markets:

✓ Improving access to medicines

• Minister has informed that The medical devices industry in India has the potential to grow at

28% p.a. to reach $50 billion by 2025.

1.205 Minister of Commerce and Industry addressed the 6th International Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Sector

• Recently, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry has addressed he 6th International

Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Sector.



• Minister has informed that India along with South Africa has been at forefront, in a proposal

introduced in October 2020, before the WTO in the TRIPS council, for a waiver during COVID-

19 to allow more countries to get equitable access to medicines.

• He has also informed that the Pharmaceutical industry provided 3 V's : - Ventilators - Vaccines

- V-shaped recovery, which are reflective of the strength of the industry.

1.206 MCA & CBIC sign MoU for exchange of data for enhancing Ease of Doing Business in India and improve overall regulatory enforcement

• Recently, The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and

Customs (CBIC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for data exchange

between the two organisations in line with the vision to harness data capabilities to ensure

effective enforcement.

Important Initiatives Taken for Ease of Doing Business

• CBIC has launched ADVAIT (Advanced Analytics in Indirect Taxation) a 360-degree taxpayer

profiling tool.

1.207 Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurates the latest technology Integrated Bamboo Treatment Plant near Guwahati

• Recently, Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has inaugurated

the latest technology Integrated Bamboo Treatment Plant in the premises of North East Cane

and Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC).

• During the conference he has informed that government has exempted home grown bamboo

from the purview of Indian Forest Act to help in bringing ease of doing business in the bamboo

sector for the young entrepreneurs.

• He has also informed that the import duty on Agarbatti coming from other countries has been

hiked to nearly 35%.

1.208 Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank,’ delivers inaugural address at the 16th FICCI Higher Education Summit 2021

• Recently, Union Education Minister has delivered the inaugural address at the 16th FICCI

Higher Education Summit 2021.

• Organised by – Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with

Ministry of Education and Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

• Theme – ‘‘Higher Education @ 2030: R.I.S.E. - Resilience. Innovation. Sustainability.

Enterprise.’

• During the conference, FICCI- EY report ‘Higher Education in India: Vision 2040’ has been

released which has highlighted the significant emerging trends within the higher education

sector and drawn learnings and highlighted global best practices.

1.209 Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman attends virtual G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting

• Recently, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs has attended the First G20 Finance

Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG).

• Presided by – Italy.



1.210 Second Advance Estimates of National Income, 2020-21

• Recently, National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the Second Advance Estimates of

National Income, 2020-21 as well as Quarterly Estimates of GDP for the quarter October-

December (Q3), 2020-21 along with the corresponding quarterly estimates of expenditure

components of GDP both at Constant (2011-12) and Current Prices.

Key Estimations

Component Second Advance

Estimates (2020-21)

First Revised Estimate

(2019-20)

Growth

Real GDP ₹ 134.09 lakh crore ₹ 145.69 lakh crore Estimated at -8.0

percent as compared to

4.0 percent in 2019-20.

Nominal GDP ₹ 195.86 lakh crore ₹ 203.51 lakh crore Growth rate of -3.8

percent

Per Capita

Income in real

terms

₹ 85,929 ₹ 94,566 -9.1 percent during

2019-20, as against 2.5

per cent

Per Capita

Income in

nominal

terms

₹ 127,768 ₹ 134,186 4.8 percent

GDP at

Constant

(2011-12)

Prices in Q3 of

2020-21

₹ 36.22 lakh crore ₹ 36.08 lakh crore 0.4 percent



1.211 Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India and Municipal Corporation of Faridabad Launch Project to Clean Urban Drainsof Faridabad

• Recently, The Waste to Wealth Mission of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and

the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) has launched a pilot technology to clean the

Gaunchi Drain at Sanjay Colony, Faridabad.

• The project has deployed a RISE (Research Initiative For Scientific Enhancement) machine from

DESMI EnviRo-CLEAN A/S (Danish company) which will collect and remove up to 300 Kgs of

floating waste and debris from the drain daily.

1.212 Union Health Secretary and Chairman, Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration (Co-WIN) chair meet on COVID vaccination of Age-Appropriate Groups with States and UTs

• Recently, Dr. R. S. Sharma, Chairman of Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration (Co-

WIN) along with Union Health Secretary and member National Expert Group on Vaccine

Administration of COVID-19 (NEGVAC) chaired a high-level meeting with Health Secretaries

and MDs (NHM) of States and UTs on the vaccination of age-appropriate groups.

1.213 National Bamboo Mission organized a National Conference on Opportunities and Challenges for Bamboo in India

• Recently, National Bamboo Mission along with NITI Aayog and Invest India has organized

conference on ‘National Consultation on Opportunities and Challenges for Bamboo in India.’

Key information shared

• 40 Bamboo FPOs have been approved under the new scheme of 10,000 FPOs.

• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will develop curriculum for Bamboo

Engineering and Design in Technical Colleges.

1.214 India Toy Fair-2021

• Recently, Prime Minister has inaugurated The India Toy Fair-2021 which aims to bring

together all stakeholders of the Indian toy industry on a virtual platform to create

sustainable linkages and promote dialogue for the holistic development of the industry.

• He has informed that government has prepared a National Toy Action Plan which includes 15

ministries and departments to make the industry competitive, ‘Aatmanirbhar’.

1.215 Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses the Global Indian Physicians Congress

• Recently, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has addressed the Global Indian

Physicians Congress, organized by the Global Association for Physicians of Indian Origin

(GAPIO).

About Global Association for Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO)

• GAPIO is a non-profit organization established in 2011.

• Aim – To bring together 1.4 million physicians of Indian origin in the world on one professional

platform.

1.216 HP, NSDC join hands to support learning with free content

• Recently, HP India has joined hands with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

to provide scientifically designed worksheets and content to support home learning.

• Under the agreement, NSDC will host content from HP's Print Learn Center on its digital skilling

platform -- eSkill India -- and make it available for millions of potential users, free of cost.



About eSkill India

• It is a digital skilling initiative that aggregates e-learning resources through various Indian and

global knowledge partnerships.

About Print Learn Center

• It is an initiative by HP that provides printable learning modules, created by education and

skilling experts. It is designed to promote universal learning and will supplement the regular

school curriculum.

• The content will be made available in English and seven Indian languages (Kannada, Tamil,

Telugu, Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi) that will enable the development of modern

skills like problem-solving, analytical ability, computing, and leadership abilities among young

students.

1.217 ICICI Lombard Corporate India Risk Index to help India Inc. manage risks effectively amid COVID-19

• Recently, ICICI Lombard has unveiled 'Corporate India Risk Index 2020' with the help of Frost

and Sullivan

• Aim – To help firms understand the level of risk their business is facing and current level of

preparedness.

• It has measured risk across four parameters - awareness, probability, criticality and

preparedness; bifurcated into risk exposure and risk management.

• Five Corporate Categories

o Below 30 (Ineffective): The corporate has very high exposure or very poor risk

management practices

o Between 30-50 or sub-optimal: Not all risks are handled effectively. Risk management

practices are likely dated or inefficient.

o Between 50-60 (Optimal): Most current risks are being handled effectively. Emerging

risks associated with strategic initiatives need more diligence.

o Between 60-80 (Superior): Very effective and efficient risk management practices. Well

positioned to handle current and future risks across dimensions.

o Over 80 (Over-prapared): Very effective and efficient risk management practices. Well

positioned to handle current and future risks across dimensions.

1.218 Government notifies Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021

• Recently, Government has notified Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and

Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 under section 87 (2) of the Information Technology

Act, 2000.

• The rules have broadly dealt with social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

New Guidelines for Social Media/Intermediaries:

• Categories of Social Media Intermediaries:

o Social media intermediaries.

o Significant social media intermediaries.

• Due Diligence to be Followed by Intermediaries:



o In case, due diligence is not followed by the intermediary, safe harbour provisions will not

apply to them.

o The safe harbour provisions have been defined under Section 79 of the IT Act, and protect

social media intermediaries by giving them immunity from legal prosecution for any

content posted on their platforms.

• Grievance Redressal Mechanism is Mandatory:

o Intermediaries shall appoint a Grievance Officer to deal with complaints and share the

name and contact details of such officers.

o Grievance Officer shall acknowledge the complaint within twenty four hours and resolve it

within fifteen days from its receipt.

• Ensuring Online Safety and Dignity of Users:

o Intermediaries shall remove or disable access within 24 hours of receipt of complaints of

contents that exposes the private areas of individuals, show such individuals in full or

partial nudity or in sexual act or is in the nature of impersonation including morphed

images etc.

o Such a complaint can be filed either by the individual or by any other person on his/her

behalf.

• Appointments: Chief Compliance Officer would be appointed as a Nodal Contact Person and

a Resident Grievance Officer, all of whom should be resident in India.

• Compliance Report: Need to publish a monthly compliance report mentioning the details of

complaints received and action taken on the complaints as well as details of contents removed

proactively.

• Enabling Identity of the Originator:

o Significant social media intermediaries providing services primarily in the nature of

messaging shall enable identification of the first originator of the information.

• Removal of Unlawful Information:

o An intermediary upon receiving actual knowledge in the form of an order by a court or

being notified by the Appropriate Govt. or its agencies through authorized officer should

not host or publish any information which is prohibited under any law in relation to the

interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, public order, friendly relations with

foreign countries etc.

Rules for News Publishers and OTT Platforms and Digital Media:

• For OTT:

• Self-Classification of Content:

o The OTT platforms, called as the publishers of online curated content in the rules, would

self-classify the content into five age based categories- U (Universal), U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A

16+, and A (Adult).

• Parental Lock:

o Platforms would be required to implement parental locks for content classified as U/A 13+

or higher, and reliable age verification mechanisms for content classified as “A”.

• For Publishers of News on Digital Media :



o They would be required to observe Norms of Journalistic Conduct of the Press Council of

India and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act 1995

thereby providing a level playing field between the offline (Print, TV) and digital media.

• Grievance Redressal Mechanism:

• A three-level grievance redressal mechanism has been established under the rules with

different levels of self-regulation.

o Level-I: Self-regulation by the publishers;

o Level-II: Self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the publishers;

o Level-III: Oversight mechanism.

• Self-regulation by the Publisher:

o Publisher shall appoint a Grievance Redressal Officer based in India who shall be

responsible for the redressal of grievances received by it.

o The officer shall take decision on every grievance received by it within 15 days.

• Self-Regulatory Body:

o There may be one or more self-regulatory bodies of publishers.

o Such a body shall be headed by a retired judge of the SC, a High Court or independent

eminent person and have not more than six members.

o Such a body will have to register with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

o This body will oversee the adherence by the publisher to the Code of Ethics and address

grievances that have not been resolved by the publisher within 15 days.

• Oversight Mechanism:

o Ministry of Information and Broadcasting shall formulate an oversight mechanism.

o It shall publish a charter for self-regulating bodies, including Codes of Practices. It shall

establish an Inter-Departmental Committee for hearing grievances.

1.219 International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams & River Basins inaugurated

• Recently, International Commission on Large Dams(INCOLD) in collaboration with Central

Water Commission (CWC), Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP) and National

Hydrology Project (NHP) has organised Symposium on “Sustainable Development of Dams

and River Basins” under the aegis of ICOLD at New Delhi.

• It has been organized to provide an excellent opportunity to Indian Dam Engineering

Professionals and Agencies to share their experiences, ideas and latest developments in new

materials and construction technologies, advancement in investigation techniques, best

engineering practices, dam safety issues etc.

About Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP)

• Implemented by – Ministry of Jal Shakti

• It has been launched to improve the safety and operational performance of large dams and

its appurtenances structures in addition to institutional strengthening and National Hydrology

Project (NHP) with the World Bank assistance will be the presented to the Global Dam

Community who are keen and looking forward to India’s development and successful

implementation of DRIP as well as NHP.



• There will also be a Special Sessions on “Innovative Financing in Dam Projects, Use of Geo-

synthetics in Dam Engineering besides six workshops on Numerical Analysis of Dams, Roller

Compacted Concrete Dams, Reservoir Operation for Handling of Extreme Events, Life

Extension Technologies and Strategies for Aging Dams, Sedimentation Management in

Reservoirs in Sustainable Development and Seismic Analysis of Dam Design and Safety

Evaluation of Existing dams”

1.220 GoI & AIIB sign agreement for $304 million to improve power transmission network in Assam

• Recently, the Government of India and Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB) have

signed a loan agreement for USD 304 million for Assam Intra-State Transmission System

Enhancement Project

• Aim: to improve reliability, capacity and security of the power transmission network in the

State of Assam & to ensure 24*7 power.

• Loan Tenure: 24 years Maturity Period+ 5-year grace period.

• Project implemented by Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Limited (AEGCL)-the sole

transmission utility in Assam

• Under the project 10 transmission substations to be constructed and 15 existing substations

to be upgraded.

1.221 GoI and World Bank Sign Project to Improve Quality of Education in Nagaland

• Recently, Government of India and the World Bank have signed USD 68 million project for

the “Nagaland: Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project”.

• Aim: to enhance the governance of schools across Nagaland; to improve teaching practices

and learning environments in selected schools.

• Under the project, Nagaland’s Education Management and Information System (EMIS) will

be strengthened to support the project.

• Loan Maturity: 14.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.

1.222 Jal Jeevan Mission: Special Campaign to provide potable piped water supply in Schools & Anganwadi Centres extended

• Recently, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has announced that the 100-day special campaign to

provide tap water connections in schools, anganwadi centres (AWCs) and Ashramshalas

under the Jal Jeevan Mission, has been extended till 31st March, 2021, owing to good

response & to cover all schools/AWCs/Ashramsalas in India.

Key Highlights:

• During the campaign period Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Tamil Nadu

and Telangana reported provision of tap water in all schools and AWCs; Punjab reported

provision of piped water supply in all the schools.

• 1.82 lakh grey water management structure, 1.42 lakh rain water harvesting structures

constructed in schools and anganwadi centres, so far.

• 5.21 lakh schools & 4.71 lakh anganwadi centres provided with piped water supply, so far.

• 8.24 lakh assets in these schools and anganwadi centres have been geo-tagged.

Background:



• In October 2020, Union Minister of Jal Shakti has launched a special mission mode campaign

to provide potable piped water supply in all Schools, Anganwadi Centres and Ashramshalas

across India.

1.223 Ministry of Housing launches National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM)

• Recently, the Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs has launched the National Urban

Digital Mission (NUDM) and several other digital Initiatives for transforming urban

governance, enabling local solutions for local problems.

• Objective: to create a shared digital infrastructure for urban India, to provide holistic support

to cities and towns and to enhance the ease of living in cities and towns, leveraging IT &

associated technologies and support the existing urban ecosystem systems in a ‘citizen-centric’

approach.

Key Highlights of NUDM:

• Total cities to be covered: 4400

• Three Key Pillars: People, Processes & Platforms.

• Target: institutionalize a citizen-centric and ecosystem-driven approach to urban governance

and service delivery in 2022 cities by 2022, and across all cities and towns in India by 2024.

• NUDM has articulated a set of governing principles, & inherits the technology design

principles of the National Urban Innovation Stack (NUIS), released by MoHUA in February,

2019.

Key Platforms released under NUDM:

• India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX):

o Developed in partnership between the Smart Cities Mission and the Indian Institute

of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

o An open-source software platform, facilitating secure/authenticated exchange of

data between data producers and data consumers across urban India.

• Smart Code- Powered by NUIS:

o The Open Smart code repository for various source codes on urban applications to

promote urban governance; available at free of cost to the users.

o Designed to address the challenges faced by ULBs in the development/ deployment

of digital applications to address urban challenges, by customizing existing codes and

customizing to suit local needs.

• New Smart Cities Website ver. 2.0 and Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS):

o New Smart Cities Website ver 2.0 to serve as a single stop for all Smart Cities initiatives.

o GMIS is integrated with the website.

o It aggregates all mission related information/initiatives from various platforms & show

automated mission updates to the public user.

1.224 Achievements of Smart Cities Mission

• Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has shared the major achievement of

the Smart cities Mission launched in 2015.

Key Achievements:

• Total Investment as per approved smart cities plan: Rs 2,05,018 crores.



• 2,255 projects (18% of total) worth Rs 36,652 crore completed as on 21st February 2021.

• Outcome and performance assessment frameworks to measure quality of life and city

performance, rolled out in 114 Cities via the Ease of Living Index and Municipal Performance

Index.

• Under, Urban Learning and Internship Program (TULIP) over 280 ULBs have posted over

14,240 internships & 195 students have completed internships.

• Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) rolled out in 100 Smart Cities in Sep,

2020.

• Climate Centre for Cities (C3) established in National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).

1.225 Five more states undertake partial Power Sector Reforms

• Recently, as a part of power sector reforms, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan and

Uttarakhand have successfully met the target by the Ministry of Power for reduction in

Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses or achieved the targeted reduction in

Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realisation (ACS-ARR) gap.

Key Additional Borrowing details under Power Sector Reforms:

• Successful implementation of the reform has enabled these five states to avail additional

financial resources of Rs. 2,094 crores by Department of Expenditure, Finance Ministry.

• 7 states have been granted additional borrowing permission of Rs. 5,032 crores for

undertaking power sector reforms.

Key Highlights:

• Uttarakhand achieved the targets for reduction in both AT&C losses and ACS-ARR gap:

o AT&C losses reduced to 19.01 % against the target of 19.35 %; ACS-ARR Gap reduced

to Rs. 0.36 per unit against the target of Rs.0.40 per unit.

• Goa reduced the AT&C losses to 11.21 % against the target of 13.53 %.

• Karnataka surpassed the ACS-ARR Gap target of Rs. 0.50 per unit by reducing the gap to Rs.

0.44 per unit.

• Rajasthan, achieved the ACS-ARR Gap reduction target, by reducing the gap to Rs. 1.16 per

unit against the target of Rs. 1.40 per unit.

• Bihar achieved the ACS-ARR Gap reduction target by 10 % reductions in the ACS-ARR Gap.

Status of Completion of Citizen centric reforms as on 19th Feb 2021:

Reform Total States Completed

one nation one ration card system 16

ease of doing business reforms 18

local body reforms 6

power sector reforms 7

at least one of the four reforms 21

Note: Total reform linked additional borrowing permission issued so far to the states stands at Rs

91,667 crores as on 19th Feb 2021.



1.226 Union Rural Development Minister chairs 22nd Meeting of the Central Employment Guarantee Council

• Recently, Union Minister for Rural Development has chaired the 22nd Meeting of the Central

Employment Guarantee Council, constituted under Section 10 of the Mahatma Gandhi

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), 2005.


• Total Amount allocated for MGNREGA in 2020-21: Rs. 1,11,500 crore

• Total Amount released: Rs 93,000 crores.

• During 2020-21, 344 crore person days, the highest ever employment generated so far under

MNREGA, with 44% increase from 2019-2020.

• Out of total person days, 52% women person days generated during 2020-21.

• 1.69 crore new job cards issued during 2020-21, as against 69 lakhs in previous years.

• 72 lakhs durable and useful assets created.

• 4.29 crore assets geo tagged with the coordinated efforts of States and Central Government.

• Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan (PMGKRA), 50.78 Crore Person days

employment generated with an expenditure of Rs 39,293 crores.

1.227 PM chairs Sixth Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog

• Recently, the Prime Minister of India has virtually chaired the sixth meeting of the Governing

Council of NITI Aayog.

Key Agenda of the meeting:

• Making India a Manufacturing Powerhouse

• Reimagining Agriculture

• Improving Physical Infrastructure

• Accelerating Human Resources Development

• Improving Service Delivery at Grassroots Level

• Health and Nutrition

Key information shared:

• Cooperative and Competitive Federalism - essential pillars for successful achievement of

national aspirations.

• Over 3.5 lakh rural houses provided with piped drinking water within 18 months of the

launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission.

About NITI Aayog Governing Council:

• Constituted in February, 2015

• It is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national development priorities,

sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States.

• Chairman: The Prime Minister of India.

1.228 Cabinet approves Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Pharmaceuticals

• Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by the PMO has approved Production Linked Incentive

(PLI) Scheme for Pharmaceuticals.

• It will be part of umbrella scheme for the Development of Pharmaceutical Industry.



• Objective: To enhance India's manufacturing capabilities by increasing investment/

production and contributing to product diversification to high value goods in the pharma

sector; to create global champions with potential to grow in size and scale using cutting edge

technology and thereby penetrate the global value chains.

Key Highlights:

• Estimated Investment under the Scheme to Pharma Sector: Rs.15,000 crores

• Total incremental sales of Rs 2,94,000 crore and total incremental exports of Rs.1,96,000

crore have been estimated during six years from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

• Estimated Employment Generation: 20,000 direct and 80,000 indirect jobs.

• Scheme Duration: FY 2020-21 to FY 2028-29

Key Features:

• Manufacturers of pharma goods registered in India will be grouped based on their Global

Manufacturing Revenue (GMR), the qualifying criteria for the three groups are:

o Group A: GMR (FY 2019-20) more than or equal to Rs 5,000 crore.

o Group B: GMR (FY 2019-20) between Rs 500 (inclusive) crore and Rs 5,000 crore.

o Group C: GMR (FY 2019-20) less than Rs 500 crore. A sub-group for MSME industry will

be created within this group, given their specific challenges and circumstances.

• Incentive allocation among the Target Groups is as follows:

Category Incentive Allocated (Rs in Crores)

Group A 11,000

Group B 2,250

Group C 1,750

Total Incentive under the scheme

15,000

• Category of drugs under Scheme:

Category 1 Biopharmaceuticals, Complex generic drugs, Patented drugs or drugs nearing patent expiry, Cell based or gene therapy drugs, Orphan drugs, Special empty capsules like HPMC, Pullulan, enteric etc, Complex excipients, Phyto-pharmaceuticals: Other drugs as approved.

Category 2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients/Key Starting Materials/Drug Intermediates.

Category 3 Repurposed drugs, Auto immune drugs, anti-cancer drugs, anti-diabetic drugs, anti-infective drugs, cardiovascular drugs, psychotropic drugs and anti-retroviral drugs; In vitro diagnostic devices, Other drugs as approved; Other drugs not manufactured in India.

• Rate of Incentives:

o 10% (of incremental sales value) for Category 1 and Category 2 products for the first

four years, 8% for the fifth year and 6% for the sixth year of production under the

scheme.

o 5% (of incremental sales value) for Category 3 products for the first four years, 4% for

the fifth year and 3% for the sixth year of production under the scheme.



• Breakup of Scheme Duration:

o Period for processing of applications (FY 2020-21)

o optional gestation period of one year (FY 2021-22)

o Incentive for 6 years

o FY 2028-29 for disbursal of incentive for sales of FY 2027-28.

Note

• Indian pharma industry - 3rd largest in the world by volume, worth $40 billion in terms of

value.

• India contributes 3.5% of total drugs and medicines exported globally.

1.229 Cabinet approves Production Linked Incentive Scheme for IT Hardware

• Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by the PMO has approved the Production Linked

Incentive (PLI) Scheme for IT Hardware.

• The scheme will enable India to be positioned as a global hub for Electronics System Design

and Manufacturing (ESDM) on account of integration with global value chains, thereby

becoming a destination for IT Hardware exports.

Key Highlights:

• Total cost: Approximately Rs 7,350 crore over 4 years

• Target Segments: Laptops, Tablets, All-in-One PCs, Servers.

• Incentives: 4% to 2% / 1% on net incremental sales (over base year i.e. 2019-20) of goods

manufactured in India and covered under the target segment, to eligible companies, for a

period of four years.

• Beneficiaries: 5 major global players and 10 domestic champions.

• Benefits under the scheme:

o Employment generation of over 1,80,000 (direct and indirect) over 4 years.

o Impetus to Domestic Value Addition for IT Hardware, expected to rise to 20% - 25%

by 2025.

Background:

• Vision of National Policy on Electronics, 2019: to position India as a global hub for ESDM by

encouraging and driving capabilities, for developing core components, including chipsets, and

creating an enabling environment for the industry to compete globally.

• Laptop and tablet demand in India is met through imports valued at $4.21 billion and $0.41

billion respectively in 2019-20.

• Market for IT Hardware is dominated by 6-7 companies globally accounting 70% of the world's

market share.

1.230 65.90% of prisoners in jails belong to SC, ST and OBC category

• Recently, the prison statistics were presented by Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan

Reddy based on a compilation of data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) updated

till December 31, 2019.

• According to Reddy's response, there were 4,78,600 prisoners across jails in the country of

which 3,15,409 (65.90%) belonged to the SC, ST and OBC categories, while 1,26,393 fell in the

'Others' group.



• A detailed break-up of the figures showed that 1,62,800 prisoners ( 34.01%) belonged to the

OBC category, 99,273 (20.74%) to the SC category and 53,336 (11.14%) to the ST category.

• Of the total 4,78,600 prison inmates in the country, 4,58,687 (95.83%) were men and 19,913

(4.16%) women, the data showed.

• Among states and union territories, Uttar Pradesh had the overall highest number of

prisoners – 1,01,297 (21.16%) followed by Madhya Pradesh (44,603) and Bihar (39,814).

1.231 India aims to reduce deaths due to road accidents by 50% by 2025

• Recently, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari called for efforts by key

stakeholders such as corporates, engineering institutes, and NGOs to ensure that deaths due

to road accidents drop by 50% by 2025.

• According to official data, as many as 1.5 lakh people die, and more than 4.5 lakh people are

injured in road accidents every year in India. Out of this, more than two-third of the deaths

is in the age group of 18 to 45.

• India witnesses the maximum number of road accidents in the world, ahead of

the US and China.

1.232 ‘India Energy Outlook Report 2021’ by IEA released

• Recently, The International Energy Agency (IEA) has forecasted India’s energy demand to

grow at the fastest pace globally over the next two decades in line with the country’s

economic expansion.

• As per IEA, rapid expansion of solar power combined with favourable policies is transforming

India’s electricity sector, allowing the country to offer clean, affordable and reliable power to

a growing number of households and businesses.

• Based on India’s current policy settings, 60% of its CO2 emissions in late 2030s will be coming

from infrastructure that does not exist today.

• As per IEA, additional funding of $1.4 trillion, or 70% more than the current estimates, will be

needed in clean-energy technologies to place India on a sustainable path over the next two

decades and the country’s combined import bill for fossil fuels is projected to triple during

the period with crude oil as the largest component.

• Domestic production of oil and gas continues to fall behind consumption trends and net

dependence on imported oil may rise above 90% by 2040, up from 75% at present, the report

noted.

1.233 41.75 crore accounts opened under PMJDY so far

• Recently, the government stated that a total number of 41.75 crore accounts have been

opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) out of which 35.96 crore accounts

are operative.

• Total number of PMJDY accounts opened by PSBs (including sponsored RRBs) and 14 major

private sector banks are 40.48 crore and 1.27 crore respectively.

• Accounts opened under PMJDY are Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) accounts.

1.234 Science Scholarships for 1000 students by Delhi Government

• Recently, Delhi government approved a science scholarship scheme for Class 9 students.

• Under the 'Mukhyamantri Vigyan Pratibha Pariksha' scheme, 1,000 students in schools in

Delhi will be given a scholarship of ₹5,000.



• Students of Class 9 of government, government-aided and recognized schools of Delhi, who

have secured 60 per cent or more marks in their previous class, will be eligible to appear for

the scholarship examination.

• Students belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and physically handicapped or

other backward classes categories will be given a relaxation of up to five per cent of marks.

1.235 Punjab Government launched the ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ Mission

• Recently, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh virtually launched the 'Har Ghar

Pani, Har Ghar Safai' mission as part of the government's campaign to accomplish the goal of

100 per cent potable piped water supply in all rural households by March, 2022.

• The Chief Minister also inaugurated one Mega Surface Water Supply Scheme covering 85

villages in the Moga district, 144 new water supply schemes for 172 villages, 121 Arsenic, and

Iron removal plants.

• It further informed that the scheme is being funded by the World Bank, Jal Jeewan Mission

of GoI, NABARD, and State Budget.

• The Congress government has spent an average of ₹920 crore annually on water supply and

sanitation schemes, as against a mere ₹219 crore expended by the previous SAD-BJP

Government.

• A total of Rs. 1450 crore had been spent on rural sanitation and rural drinking water supply

since taking over in March 2017.

• The Chief Minister also formally launched 10 new large multi-village surface water supply

schemes at a cost of ₹1,020 Crore. The scheme will cover 1,018 villages in the water quality

affected areas of districts Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and Tarn Taran.

1.236 Rs. 712.13 crore allocated to Corporate Affairs Ministry

• Recently, the Corporate Affairs Ministry has been allocated ₹712.13 crore for the financial

year 2021-22, slightly higher than the revised allocation in the current fiscal.

• As per the Budget document, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has been

allocated ₹39 crore, while the amount is ₹46 crore for the Competition Commission of India

(CCI).

• An amount of ₹5.5 crore has been allocated for Corporate Data Management (CDM) scheme.

1.237 Rs. 830 crore allocated for the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS)

• Recently, the government has allocated ₹830 crore for the Fund of Funds for Startups in the

Budget 2021-22.

• The government has set up a Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) with a corpus of ₹10,000 crore.

The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the operating agency for the FFS.


• On the other hand, the government has earmarked ₹300 crore for credit guarantee fund.

• The cumulative allocation for the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

(DPIIT) has been hiked to ₹7,782.24 crore for 2021-22 as against the revised estimate

of ₹7,583.06 crore in 2020-21.

• Similarly, the cumulative allocation for the department of commerce has also been increased

to ₹4,986 crore for 2021-22 as against the revised estimate of ₹4,600 crore in 2020-21.



• The total allocations to export promotion schemes, such as Market Access Initiative and

Interest Equalisation Scheme, have been increased to ₹2,365 crore for 2021-22 as against the

revised estimate of ₹2,175 crore in 2020-21.

1.238 Rs. 4472 crore allocated for India’s first RRTS Project

• Recently, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation, which is executing the country's

first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, has been allocated Rs 4,472 crore.

• The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, the first RRTS project has 24 stations and two

depots at Duhai and Modipuram.

• This RRTS corridor originates from Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station in Delhi and ends at

Modipuram (Meerut) in Uttar Pradesh.

• The priority section of the corridor is targeted to be operationalized by 2023 and the full

corridor by 2025.


• The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry was allocated Rs 54,581 crore

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a ₹18,000 crore scheme to augment

public transport in urban areas.

• The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme has been

allocated Rs 7,300 crore.

• The government has allocated 23,500 crore for the projects related to Mass Rapid Transit

System (MRTS) and Metro services in the country.

• The Smart Cities Mission, another flagship programme of this government, has been given Rs

6,450 crore.

• The Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban has been given Rs 2,300 crore.

1.239 Star Health Insurance partners with PhonePe to offer Digital Health Insurance

• Recently, Star Health and Allied Insurance has announced the launch of its Arogya Sanjeevani

policy which will be offered on PhonePe.

• The policy will provide a sum insured of Rs 1 lakh and will cover anyone up to 65 years with

sum insured options up to Rs. 10 lakh.

1.240 National Productivity Day 2021

• Recently, National Productivity Day has been observed every year in India on February 12.

• Objective of National Productive Council - To stimulate and promote productivity and quality

consciousness across all sectors in India.

1.241 MapmyIndia gets CoWin app integration to help find nearby Covid-19 vaccination centres

• Recently, MapmyIndia has integrated with India’s official vaccination registration website,

cowin.gov.in to help find nearby Covid-19 vaccination centres.

• Under the integration, MapmyIndia has put all the vaccination centres across India on

MapmyIndia’s maps.



1.242 Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Flipkart to promote wooden toys, local artifacts,

handicrafts

• Recently, Maharashtra government has signed MoU with Flipkart to promote wooden toys,

local artifacts, handicrafts.

• Under the agreement, Flipkart will provide free training for packaging and branding to all the

manufacturers.

1.243 Haryana signs MoUs with 3 e-commerce firms, to conduct training, workshops

for entrepreneurs

• Recently, Haryana’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) department has signed

MoUs with three e-commerce companies – eBay, Power2SME and Tradeindia.com to

conduct training, workshops for entrepreneurs in the state.

1.244 JKEDI inks MoU with HED, 'We HUB' for promoting startups, entrepreneurs

• Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) has signed a

memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Higher Education Department (HED) to promote

the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.

• It has also also signed an MoU with 'WE HUB' of Telangana to promote women

entrepreneurship and startup culture.

1.245 Assam flags off Uberization Scheme

• Recently, Chief Minister of Assam has flagged off buses under the Uberization scheme.

• Under the scheme, the state government has decided to add 339 buses in the first phase with

the goal to achieve the public transport in Assam at par with the rest of the country.

• Funding - Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) would share 25 percent of the total cost

of the bus and 65 percent would be shared by SBI.

o Out of the 25 percent, the state government would provide a subsidy of 10 percent and 15

percent would be in the form of an interest-free loan payable in 5- year period.

• He has also launched the Center for Perishable Cargo at LGBI Airport in Guwahati.

1.246 Jammu Municipal Corporation Signs MoUs With IPCA, UNDP To Make Jammu Plastic-Free

• Recently, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) on Saturday signed two Memorandums of

Understanding (MoUs) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and

Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) to make Jammu plastic-free.

1.247 Stellapps, IPPB tie up to drive financial inclusion for dairy farmers

• Recently, Dairy-tech start-up Stellapps has tied up with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to

digitise the milk procurement value chain and promote banking at milk collection centres.

• Aim – To bring dairy farmers in the financial mainstream across villages in Tamil Nadu, Odisha,

Bihar and Rajasthan.

• It has also launched a fully automated digital direct farmers payment product for dairy

processors, including cooperatives called “mooPay”.



1.248 City Innovation Exchange platform was launched

• Recently, the City Innovation Exchange (CiX) platform was launched by Shri Durga Shanker

Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

• It was designed on the philosophy of ‘everyone is an innovator’, the platform will bring

together Citizen Organisations-Academia- Businesses- Government to co-create for the

future of Urban India in a transparent and sustainable manner.

• The Smart Cities Mission will partner and effectively collaborate with Startup India, Atal

Innovation Mission, AGNIi and other initiatives in the Indian Innovation ecosystem.

About City Innovation Exchange (CiX)

• The City Innovation Exchange (CiX) will connect cities to innovators across the national

ecosystem to design innovative solutions for their pressing challenges.

• The platform will ease the discovery, design& validation of solutions through a robust,

transparent and user centric process that will reduce barriers for innovators and cities to

discover fitting solutions.

1.249 12 sites chosen by Ministry of Jal Shakti under Swachh Iconic Places initiative

• Recently, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti has

announced the selection of the following Twelve (12) iconic sites for transforming iconic

heritage, spiritual and cultural places in the country as ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations’ under

Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G).

• The initiative aims at enhancing the experience of both domestic and foreign visitors by

improving the sanitation and cleanliness standards at and around the sites.

• This project is being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS),

Ministry of Jal Shakti in association with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA),

Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and the concerned State/UT governments.

1.250 CSIR-CMERI organized its first Farmer’s meet

• Recently, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- Central Mechanical Engineering

Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI) organized its first-ever Farmer’s Meet to expedite the pace

of Farm Mechanization to help create an India for AtmaNirbhar Krishi and double the income

of the Farmers.

• The first-ever CSIR-CMERI Farmer’s Meet witnessed the inauguration of the Farm Machinery

Training & Testing Centre, Compact Tractor and the CSIR-CMERI Football Complex.

• Demonstration of e-Tractor, Farm Power & Farm Machineries, Waste Water treatment for

Agricultural Usage, Smart Lighting and Smart Parking, World’s Largest Solar Tree and Bio-

Char production from waste Bio-Mass were also done to the participating Farmers.

1.251 LPG gas to be transported through National Waterways

• Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Inland Waterways

Authority of India (IWAI) and MOL (Asia Oceania) Pvt. Ltd for transportation of LPG (Liquefied

Petroleum Gas) through barges on National Waterways-1 and National Waterways-2.

• It will help reduce the carbon footprints, lowering the overall logistics cost, which in India

stands approx. 13 to 14% of GDP, compared to global average of 8% and contributing to

Government social schemes like “UJJAWLA” for LPG supply.



• IWAI will provide support for:

o Handling of LPG cargo on IWAI terminals

o Providing Lease Available Depth (LAD) information on fortnightly/ monthly basis

• MOL Group is the world’s largest gas carrier company and will invest for construction and

operation of dedicated LPG barges under Make-in-India initiative of the Government of

India.

1.252 Global Bio-India 2021 organized

• Recently, the second edition of Global Bio-India 2021 has been organised on digital platform.

• The theme for this year is “Transforming lives” and tag line “Biosciences to Bioeconomy”.

• Global Bio-India is one of the largest biotechnology stakeholders’ conglomerates that is being

co-organised by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology,

Government of India along with its Public Sector Undertaking, Biotechnology Industry

Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in partnership with industry association Confederation

of Indian Industry (CII), Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) and Invest India.

• Global Bio-India 2021 had Switzerland as the partner country and Karnataka as its state

partner till date.

• Global Bio-India may facilitate recognition of India as emerging Innovation Hub and Bio-

manufacturing Hub for the world.

1.253 ISA to launch World Solar Bank

• Recently, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) announced its plan to launch the World

Solar Bank (WSB) and Green Grid Initiative (GGI) at the United Nations Climate Change

Conference in Glasgow, a development that will support India’s attempt to secure leadership

in the climate arena.

• World Solar Bank is aimed to pool resources from across the globe and use them to fund

solar power projects in ISA member countries.

• GGI is a joint effort of ISA and Climate Parliament to showcase the Green Energy Corridor

(GEC) of India as an example to the world and encourage all member countries to emulate

India’s GEC and integrate them to One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG).

• ISA is the nodal agency for implementing India’s global electricity grid plan OSOWOG that

seeks to transfer solar power generated in one region to feed the electricity demands of

others.

1.254 Smart Anganwadis Scheme by Kerala Government

• Recently, Kerala government has sanctioned ₹9 crore to covert the conventional anganwadis

into "smart" structures with better amenities.

• The aim is to make the facility more child-friendly to nurture the mental and physical

development of children.

• The smart anganwadis are being designed and constructed as part of the Integrated Child

Development Scheme (ICDS).

• Under the Smart Anganwadi scheme of Kerala Government, the Department of Women and

Child Development has granted 48 anganwadis in the state to construct new buildings.



1.255 SWAMIH Fund for stalled housing projects to deliver 4000 homes

• Recently, a 250-billion-rupee ($3.5 billion) fund i.e. SWAMIH Fund set up by India’s

government to complete stalled housing projects is set to deliver 4,000 homes in the financial

year starting April 1 in 2021.

About SWAMIH Fund:

• The ‘Special Window for Completion of Construction of Affordable and Mid-Income Housing

Projects’ (SWAMIH) fund was announced in November 2019.

• SWAMIH INVESTMENT FUND is an Alternate Investment Fund to provide priority debt

financing for the completion of stalled housing projects.

• The Sponsor of the Fund is the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of

Finance, Government of India.

• The Investment Manager of the Fund is SBICAP Ventures Ltd., an asset management company

that is a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Capital Markets Ltd.

1.256 Operational Guidelines for integration of NAFLD with NPCDCS launched

• Recently, Dr Harsh Vardhan launched the operational guidelines for Integration of NAFLD

(Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) with NPCDCS (National Programme for Prevention &

Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke).

About NAFLD:

• NAFLD, the abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver not caused by alcohol.

• The prevalence of NAFLD is around 9% to 32% of the general population in India.

• Researchers have found NAFLD in 40% to 80 % of people who have type 2 diabetes and in

30% to 90 % of people who are obese.

• Studies also suggest that people with NAFLD have a greater chance of developing

cardiovascular disease.

1.257 Rajasthan Government launched the Universal Health Scheme

Recently, CM of Rajasthan, Shri Ashok Gehlot while presenting the Congress government’s first

paperless budget announced the launch of a universal health care scheme worth ₹3,500 crore

stipulating medical insurance of ₹5 lakh to every family in the State.

• Universal Health Coverage will be implemented in any state for the first time in India.

1.258 Saras Aajeevika Mela 2021 inaugurated at Noida Haat

• Recently, the Saras Aajeevika Mela 2021 has been inaugurated at Noida Haat by Union

Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

• The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has started the initiative of Saras Ajeevika Mela

2021, in association with Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission

(DAY-NRLM).

• The event is organized by 'Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology

(CAPART)' which is the marketing arm of the ministry.

• More than 300 rural self-help groups and craftsman from 27 states are participating in the

Mela which is being organized by the Ministry of Rural Development.

Objective:

• The event was launched with the objective of bringing the rural women Self Help Groups

(SHGs), which are formed with the help and support of DAY-NRLM, under one platform.



• Under the event, workshops are conducted for the rural SHG women in book keeping,

product design, GST, packaging, communication skills and marketing or e-marketing.

• The platform provides the SHG Women to showcase their skills and sell their products, which

eventually helps them to build their linkages with bulk buyers.

1.259 National Conference on Opportunities and Challenges for Bamboo in India

• Recently, the National Bamboo Mission at the Department of Agriculture Cooperation &

Farmers Welfare organized a two day conference ‘National Consultation on Opportunities

and Challenges for Bamboo in India’ virtually.

• NITI Aayog and Invest India also joined hands with the National Bamboo Mission to conduct

the event.

• The aim of the brainstorming session was to deliberate on the bamboo ecosystem for

promoting the holistic growth of the sector across the entire value chain. .

• Some important ideas/challenges that emerge from the discussions were as follows:

o Adoption of agro-forestry models by the farmers, especially to tide over the initial 3-4

years of gestation of bamboo plantation; Intercropping with ginger, pulses, lemon grass,

etc were suggested as a viable option.

o Use of good credible planting material and improved agronomic practices to increase

yields were considered to be absolutely vital for the sector.

o Plantations on culturable wastelands should be encouraged on a large scale to provide

feed stock to industry.

1.260 Life Imprisonment for food adulterators in Madhya Pradesh

• Recently, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet approved a Penal Law (Madhya Pradesh Amendment)

Bill, 2021 to give life imprisonment to food adulterators.

• The legal standards of the food are regulated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

under “The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954”.

1.261 Sustainable Development Plan in Coal Sector

• Recently, Ministry of Coal has launched its comprehensive Sustainable Development Plan

and has initiated its speedy implementation.

• It aims on making immediate social impact through Out of Box (OoB) measures besides

regular environmental monitoring and mitigation during mining operation.

• These OoB measures include:

o Use of surplus Mine Water for irrigation & drinking purpose in and around mining areas

o Promoting Eco-Mine Tourism by setting up 10 new Eco-Parks in different mining areas

o Encouraging Bamboo Plantation

o Extraction of sand from Over Burden (OB) for use as construction

o First Mile Connectivity (FMC): This process eliminates movement of coal through road and

thus not only minimizes the environmental pollution, but also reduces the carbon

footprint.

o Establishment of 3 GW of Solar PV projects by FY24 to become self-reliant in electricity. In

addition, 1 mega SPV Project with 1000 MW capacity will be set up in joint collaboration

of Coal India Limited & NLCIL with an investment of Rs. 4000 Cr.

o Bio-Reclamation of degraded lands and massive tree plantation



1.262 Trai issues recommendations on regulatory framework for platform services

• Recently, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has given its recommendations on a

back reference from the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry on TRAI’s earlier

guidelines on the regulatory framework for platform services offered by direct-to-home (DTH)

and cable operators.

• It had released a consultation paper in December 2020 seeking views on regulatory guidelines

recommended for DTH services, cable and Multi-System Operators (MSOs), who offer their

own set of channels in addition to broadcaster-owned options.

Key Recommendations

• Any entity desirous of providing local news and current affairs as platform services, or is

already providing such services, must be incorporated as a company under the Indian

Companies Act, 2013.

• A maximum of 15 platform services channels may be offered by MSOs, IPTV operators and

HITS operators.

• TRAI has agreed that the platform services may be defined as programmes transmitted by

DPOs exclusively to their own subscribers and do not include Doordarshan channels and

registered TV channels.

Background

• Trai had first issued recommendations for cable and MSO services in 2014.

1.263 Carbon Watch, India’s first app to assess one’s carbon footprint

• Recently, Chandigarh has become the first state or Union Territory in India to launch Carbon

Watch a mobile application to assess the carbon footprint of an individual.

• The application will allow persons to fill details in four parts — Water, Energy, Waste

Generation and Transport (Vehicular movement).

1.264 Himachal CM launches ‘e-Parivahan Vyavstha’ to provide online services

• Recently, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh has launched ‘e-Parivahan Vyavstha’ of the

state transport department to provide online services to the people of the state regarding

Driving Licence/Registration Certificates/ Permits etc.

1.265 Assam CM Sonowal lays foundation of first skill university of eastern India

• Recently, Assam Chief Minister has laid the foundation of the first skill university of eastern

India in Darrang district.

• Aim - To impart training to over 10,000 students in 12 disciplines.

• Financial outlay – ₹1,000 crore.

• Expected Completion - 2026

1.266 MCA21 Version 3.0 to be launched in Fiscal 2021-22

• Recently, Ministry of Corporate Affairs has announced that it will launch data analytics

driven MCA21 Version 3.0 in fiscal 2021-22.

About MCA21 Version 3.0

• It is the first Mission Mode e-Governance project of Government of India.

• It will have additional modules for e-Adjudication, e-Consultation and Compliance

Management.



• Key components

o e-Scrutiny: A Central Scrutiny Cell will be set up to scrutinise certain Straight Through

Process (STP) Forms filed by the corporates on the MCA21 registry and flag the companies

for more in depth scrutiny.

o e-adjudication: It has been conceptualised to manage the increased volume of

adjudication proceedings by Registrar of Companies (RoC) and Regional Directors (RD)

and will facilitate end to end digitisation of the process of adjudication, for the ease of

users. It will provide a platform for conducting online hearings with stakeholders and end

to end adjudication electronically.

o e-Consultation: It will provide an online platform wherein, proposed amendments/draft

legislations will be posted on MCA’s website for external users/ comments and suggestions

pertaining to the same in a structured digital format and will also facilitate AI driven

sentiment analysis, consolidation and categorization of stakeholders’ inputs and creation

of reports on the basis for reference of MCA.

o Compliance Management System (CMS): It will assist MCA in identifying non-compliant

companies/LLPs, issuing e-notices to the defaulting companies/LLPs, generating alerts for

internal users of MCA and will serve as a technology platform/solution for conducting rule

based compliance checks and undertaking enforcement drives of MCA wherein e-notices

will be issued by MCA for effective administration of corporates.

o MCA Lab: An MCA LAB is being set up, which will consist of corporate law experts. The

primary function of MCA Lab will be to evaluate the effectiveness of Compliance

Management System, e-consultation module, enforcement module, etc. and suggest

enhancements to the same on an on-going basis. The Lab will help MCA in ensuring the

correctness of results produced by these key modules in view of the dynamic corporate

ecosystem.

Benefits

• It is a technology-driven forward looking project, envisioned to strengthen enforcement,

promote Ease of Doing Business, enhance user experience, facilitate seamless integration and

data exchange among Regulators.

• It will have Micro-services architecture with high scalability and capabilities for advanced

analytics.

1.267 Union Budget 2021: Asset reconstruction company, AMC to manage NPAs

• Recently, Union Finance Minister during her Union Budget 2021-22 has proposed to set up

an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) to be set up by state-owned and private sector

banks.

• Objective – It is a specialized financial institution that buys the Non Performing Assets (NPAs)

from banks and financial institutions so that they can clean up their balance sheets.

1.268 SEBI bans Kishore Biyani securities mkt for one year

• Recently, SEBI has banned Kishore Biyani and certain other promoters of Future Retail Ltd.

from the securities market for one year for indulging in insider trading in the shares of the

company.



1.269 15th Finance Commission keeps tax devolution to states FY22-26 at 42%

• Recently, The 15th Finance Commission has recommended that the states be given 42 per

cent of the divisible tax pool of the Centre during the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 same as in

14th Finance Commission.

• The tax devolution share suggested by the Finance Commission is 41 per cent of the total

divisible pool excluding the Union territories of Ladakh and J&K.

o Horizontal Devolution - 12.5% weightage to demographic performance, 45% to income,

15% each to population and area, 10% to forest and ecology and 2.5% to tax and fiscal

efforts

Key Recommendations

• Post-devolution revenue deficit grants amounting to about Rs 3 lakh crore over the five year

period.

o The number of states qualifying for the revenue deficit grants decreases from 17 in FY22,

the first year of the award period to 6 in FY26, the last year.

o It has recommended higher grants to states at Rs 1.3 lakh crore in eight sectors, including

health, school education, higher education, agriculture, maintenance of Pradhan Mantri

Gram Sadak Yojana roads, aspirational districts and blocks, judiciary, statistics.

• Performance Based Incentives and Grants to States:

o The grants revolve around four main themes.

o Social sector – Focus on health and education.

o Rural economy – Focus on agriculture and the maintenance of rural roads.

o Governance and administrative reforms – Recommended grants for judiciary, statistics and

aspirational districts and blocks.

o Performance-based incentive system for the power sector, which is not linked to grants

but provides an important, additional borrowing window for States.

✓ It has dedicated non-lapsable Modernisation Fund for Defence and Internal Security

(MFDIS) of ₹2,38,354 crore for 2021-26 and the maximum recommendation is ₹51,000

crore per annum to bridge the gap between projected budgetary requirements and

allocation for defence and internal security.

• Grants to Local Governments:

o Along with grants for municipal services and local government bodies, it has included

performance-based grants for incubation of new cities and health grants to local

governments.

o In grants for Urban local bodies, basic grants are proposed only for cities/towns having

a population of less than a million. For Million-Plus cities, 100% of the grants are

performance-linked through the Million-Plus Cities Challenge Fund (MCF).

• Fiscal Sector

• Fiscal deficit should be 6 per cent in 2021-22, 5.5 per cent in 2022-23, 5 per cent in 2023-24,

4.5 per cent in 2024-25, and 4 per cent in 2025-26.

• Taxation

o GST - 12 per cent and 18 per cent slabs under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) be merged

into one standard rate and GST be rationalised to a three-rate structure, complemented

by the 5 per cent merit rate and 28-30 per cent de-merit rate.



o Gross tax revenues for a five-year period is expected to be – Rs 135.2 lakh crore.

✓ Out of that, divisible pool (after deducting cesses and surcharges and cost of

collection) is estimated to be Rs 103 lakh crore.

1.270 SEBI to be notified as gold exchange regulator

• Recently, The Union Finance minister has announced that Securities and Exchange Board of

India (SEBI) will be the designated regulator for gold exchanges to infuse transparency in

gold transactions.

• She has also informed that Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority would be

strengthened to set up a commodity market ecosystem arrangement including vaulting,

assaying and logistics in addition to warehousing.

Background

• During Budget of 2018-19, the government had announced its intent to establish a system of

regulated gold exchanges in India.

• Ramesh Chand committee in 2018 has suggested that Sebi should be the regulator for spot

commodity exchanges.

1.271 IRDAI advises all Insurance companies for issuance of Digital Insurance Policies via DigiLocker

• Recently, IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory Authority of India) has advised all Insurance

companies for issuance of Digital Insurance Policies via DigiLocker to promote the adoption

of Digilocker in the insurance sector.

Key Highlights

• IRDAI have advised all the insurers to enable their IT systems so as to interact with Digi locker

facility.

• Necessary technical guidance and logistic support to facilitate the adoption of Digi locker will

be provided by the Digilocker team in National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under MeITY.

About Digilocker initiative

• It is an initiative under the Digital India program by the Ministry of Electronics & Information

Technology (MeitY) where citizens can get authentic documents/ certificate in digital format

from original issuers of these certificates.

• Aim - To eliminate or minimise the use of physical documents and will enhance effectiveness

of service delivery, making these hassle free and friendly for the citizens.

1.272 Federal Bank launches ‘FedFirst’ savings account scheme for children

• Recently, Federal Bank has launched ‘FedFirst’ savings account scheme for children below 18

years of age.

• It has been designed to enable children to learn the importance of money management.

• It provides contactless Debit Card with a daily cash withdrawal limit of ₹2,500 and Point Of

Sale/e-com limit of ₹10,000.

1.273 Financial Literacy Week

• Recently, Reserve Bank of India has launched the Financial Literacy Week from 8-12 February

2021.



• Theme - 'Credit Discipline and Credit from Formal Institutions' which is one of the strategic

objectives of the National Strategy for Financial Education 2020-2025.

• Focus on - Responsible borrowing; Borrowing from formal institutions and Timely repayments.

• During the week, Banks have been advised to disseminate the information and create

awareness among its customers and general public.

Note: RBI has been conducting Financial Literacy Week 2016 to propagate financial education

messages on a particular theme across the country.

1.274 CDSL becomes India's first depository to open 3-crore active demat accounts

• Central Depository Services Limited (CDSL) has become India's first and only listed depository to open three crore plus (30 million) active demat accounts.

• CDSL is currently the largest depository in the country in terms of active demat accounts. About CDSL

• Central Depository Services (India) Ltd (CDSL), is the first listed Indian securities depository based in Mumbai.

• CDSL is promoted by Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd (BSE Ltd) - the Asia's Oldest Stock Exchange. Other shareholders include HDFC Bank Ltd, Standard Chartered Bank and Canara Bank.

About Demat Account

• Demat Account is an account that is used to hold shares and securities in electronic format. The full form of Demat account is a dematerialized account.

1.275 LIC IPO: Up to 10% of issue size to be reserved for policyholders

• In the Finance Bill 2021-22, it has been proposed to have a reservation on a competitive basis, to an extent of up to 10 per cent of the issue size, in favour of life insurance policyholders of LIC.

o Government has introduced amendments to the Life Insurance Corporation Act 1956 to facilitate this.

• The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), which manages the government's equity in state-owned companies, has already selected actuarial firm Milliman Advisors for ascertaining the embedded value of LIC.

• Deloitte and SBI Caps have been appointed as pre-IPO transaction advisors.

• Currently, the government owns a 100 per cent stake in LIC. Once listed, LIC is likely to become the country's biggest company by market capitalisation with an estimated valuation of ₹8-10 lakh crore.

1.276 State Bank of Sikkim under Reserve Bank of India's regulatory purview

• RBI has brought State Bank of Sikkim under its regulatory purview. Background

• RBI had flagged concerns that State Bank of Sikkim operated in a sort of regulatory vacuum.

• In the current statutes, neither the Banking Regulation Act 1949, under which public sector banks operate, nor the Companies Act, under which the private sector banks operate, apply to State Bank of Sikkim.

• The bank’s special status owes to Article 371F of the Indian Constitution, which wrote in a set of special provisions for the north-eastern state.

Reason for RBI’s Concern

• RBI’s concerns stem from the fact that even basic safety measures for depositors like provisions of the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation that offers an insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh does not apply to the bank.



About State Bank of Sikkim

• The bank, established in 1968, provides treasury operations for the state government.

• It only operates within Sikkim (Headquarter: Gangtok) and is wholly-owned by the state government.

1.277 IRDAI notifies guidelines for standard personal accident insurance

• Recently, IRDAI has directed all general and health insurance companies to mandatorily offer a standard personal accident insurance policy by 1 April, 2021.

• The policy will be named Saral Suraksha Bima, succeeded by name of the insurance company. Key Highlights of Policy

• Minimum entry age to buy such a policy shall be 18 years and the maximum age at entry at least 70 for insured members.

• Dependent child will be covered from the age of three months to 25 years subject to the definition of ‘family’ and underwriting policy

• The minimum sum insured shall be ₹2.5 lakh and the maximum sum insured shall be ₹1 crore. Sum insured offered shall be in multiples of ₹50,000.

1.278 e-Kuber payments system launched in J&K

• Recently, Jammu and Kashmir has formally rolled out e-Kuber payments system of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• The new payments system of RBI would replace the existing system for the purpose of government payments.

• J&K is the first Union Territory to implement version 2.9 of e-Kuber payments system. About e-Kuber

• The e-Kuber is the Core Banking Solution of the RBI which enables each bank to connect their single current account across the country. Core Banking Solutions (CBS) is a facility or arrangement that helps banks to offer large number

of customer-centric services on a 24×7 basis from a single location.

Art and Culture

1.279 47th Khajuraho Dance Festival begins

• The week-long 47th Khajuraho Dance Festival began on 20th Feb 2021 in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh which is based on the Indian classical dance tradition.

• The festival is being organized by the Culture Department through Ustad Alauddin Khan Music and Arts Academy Bhopal.

• The event is being held in the temple complex of the Western Temple Group of Khajuraho after a gap of 44 years.

1.280 Webinar on ‘International Mother Language Day’

• Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has recently inaugurated the Webinar on the

occasion of ‘International Mother Language Day’.

• The Webinar on ‘Fostering Multilingualism for Inclusion in Education and Society’ is being

organised jointly by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and IGNCA.

1.281 75 years of Shri Ram Chandra Mission

• Recently, the Prime Minister has addressed the event organized to commemorate 75 years of

Shri Ram Chandra Mission.

• It teaches the practice of “Sahaj Marg” or “Heartfulness Meditation”.



1.282 Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahostav in Cooch Behar concludes

• The 11thRashtriya Sanskriti Mahostav has recently concluded in Rajbari of Cooch Behar, West

Bengal.

• Organized by- Ministry of culture and the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre Kolkata

• The second and third leg of the program has taken place at Darjeeling, West Bengal and

Murshidabad, West Bengal.

1.283 The India Toy Fair, 2021 held virtually

• Recently, Government of India organized 'The India Toy Fair, 2021' virtually.

• The Fair aims to achieve underlying themes of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “vocal for local”

campaigns, launched by the Government to promote indigenous toy industries.

1.284 Minority Affairs ministry to organise “Mushaira” in New Delhi

• Union Ministry of Minority Affairs will organise “Mushaira” on the theme of “Ek Bharat,

Shreshtha Bharat” in New Delhi.

• During the event, the renowned poets will present their poetry full of commitment to “Ek

Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

1.285 Navadina Japams launched in Andhra Pradesh

• ‘Navadina Japams’ has been launched for Gunadala Matha Utsavams at the famous Gunadala

shrine in Andhra Pradesh.

• Gunadala temple is the second largest Catholic church in the country.

1.286 Ancient idol of Vishnumurthy found in Udupi

• Recently, the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology in Udupi district of Karnataka,

has found an ancient idol of Vishnumurthy or Janardhana.

• The idol belongs to the 12th Century AD and is a pre-Madhwa sculpture belonging to the

Bhagavatha cult.

1.287 ASI establishes six new circles

• Recently, Archaeological Survey of India, an attached office of Ministry of Culture established

has Six new Circles by bifurcation of its existing Circles as per details given below:-

o Rajkot Circle, Gujarat – by bifurcation of Vadodara Circle.

o Jabalpur Circle, Madhya Pradesh – by bifurcation of Bhopal Circle.

o Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) Circle, Tamil Nadu – by bifurcation of Chennai & Thrissur Circle.

o Meerut Circle, Uttar Pradesh – by bifurcation of Agra circle

o Jhansi Circle, Uttar Pradesh – by bifurcation of Lucknow Circle.

o Raiganj Circle, West Bengal – by bifurcation of Kolkata Circle.

• Hampi Mini-Circle has been upgraded as full-fledged Circle and Delhi Mini-Circle merged with Delhi Circle.

1.288 India co-chaired the 8th meeting of ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers

• Recently, the Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel co-

chaired the 8th Meeting of ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers meeting with Minister of Tourism

of Cambodia H.E. Dr. Thong Khon.

• The Meeting was in conjunction with the 24th Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers (M-

ATM).

About ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations):



• Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia

About Cambodia

• Capital: Phnom Penh

• Capital: Riel

1.289 17,000 years old kangaroo painting identified in Australia

• Recently, a kangaroo painting created over 17,000 years ago by Aboriginal artists has been

identified as Australia's oldest intact rock art.

• According to the research, the two-metre-long (six-feet) artwork on the sloped ceiling of a

rock shelter in Western Australia's Kimberley region was painted in an early naturalistic style.

International News

1.290 China became the world's largest FDI recipient in 2020

• China has overtaken the United States as the world's top destination for foreign direct

investment (FDI) in 2020.

• According to a report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

(UNCTAD), flows to China has increased by 4% to 163 billion U.S. dollars, while the U.S.

economy has been struggling since the COVID-19 outbreak last year.

1.291 Chad becomes 1st country to ask for debt overhaul under G20 common framework

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently announced that Chad has officially

requested a debt restructuring and hence become the first country to do so under a G20

common framework.

About Chad-

• Capital: N'Djamena

• Currency: Central African CFA franc

1.292 13th edition of All India Conference of China Studies organized

• Recently, 13th edition of All India Conference of China Studies (AICCS) was organised virtually

by the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-

M).

• It is organized with the principal objective of spreading interest in and strengthening research

on China and East Asian Studies in India.

• Theme: “China at the Crossroads: New Directions in Politics, Environment and Economy”.

1.293 China empowers its coastguards to fire on foreign vessels

• Recently, China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress Standing Committee

passed a law that gives power to its coastguard to fire on foreign vessels and demolish

structures built in disputed waters.

1.294 UK launches new platform to identify new variants of Covid-19 virus

• Recently, United Kingdom has launched a New Variant Assessment Platform which will

identify new variants of the virus that causes Covid-19 to countries.

• The platform is led by Public Health England (PHE) and World Health Organisation’s (WHO)

SARS-CoV-2 Global Laboratory Working Group.



1.295 Google employees formed an international union “Alpha Global”

• Recently, Google workers from across the globe have formed an international union in

coordination with UNI Global Union (headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland) called the Alpha

Global.

• The new union is named after Google’s parent company Alphabet and is meant to help build

a more ethical and accountable company.

1.296 Myanmar to have a new State Administrative Council

• Recently, Myanmar military has announced new State Administrative Council.

• The council will be headed by the Army Chief General Min Aung Hlaing and comprises of 11

members out of which 8 are from the military.

1.297 Pakistan test fires missile Ghaznavi

• Recently, Pakistan test-fired the nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi.

• The ballistic missile is capable of delivering nuclear and conventional warheads up to a range

of 290 kilometres.

1.298 Smart Wall Concept on US-Mexico Borders

• Recently, United States President Joe Biden proposed a ‘smart’ wall on US-Mexico borders.

• The ‘smart wall’ technology will help solve border security issues with the use of sensors,

radars, and surveillance technology to detect and track border against infiltration of people.

1.299 1st High Level Dialogue on trade and Investment held between India and EU

• The 1st High Level Dialogue (HLD) was co-chaired by the Minister of Commerce and Industry

Shri Piyush Goyal and the European Union Executive Vice-President & Trade Commissioner

Mr. Valdis Dombrovskis.

• The Ministers emphasized the importance of global cooperation in a post COVID-19 era.

1.300 ICC convicted Dominic Ongwen of war crimes

• Recently, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted an Ugandan child soldier-

turned-Lord’s Resistance Army commander, Dominic Ongwen of war crimes and crimes

against humanity.

1.301 India and Afghanistan sign MoU for construction of Lalandar Dam in Afghanistan

• Recently, a signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the

construction of the Lalandar (Shatoot) Dam in Afghanistan was held as a part of the New

Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan.

• The $250 million (approx. Rs 3,000 crore) Shatoot Dam project is set to be built on Maidan

River, a tributary of Kabul River.

• It is the second major dam being built by India in Afghanistan after the Salma Dam.

1.302 Denmark to build first Energy Island in North Sea by

• Recently, Denmark approved a plan to build an artificial island in the North Sea.

• The Island will serve as a hub for electricity generation from surrounding offshore wind farms.

1.303 Russia will launch around 40 satellites from 18 countries in march

• Russia plans to put into orbit around 40 satellites from over a dozen different countries using

the Soyuz-2 carrier with the South Korean CAS500-1 (Compact Advanced Satellite 500) space

vehicle rocket in March 2021.



1.304 United States to rejoin UNHRC

• Recently, the Biden administration reengaged with United Nations Human Rights Council

(UNHRC) that former President Donald Trump withdrew from almost three years ago.

1.305 Pakistan Navy organizes a multinational maritime exercise “Aman-21”

• Recently, the multinational maritime exercise Aman-21 has been organised by

the Pakistan Navy in the Arabian Sea with the commitment to make the seas safer.

• Forty five countries, including the US, Russia, China, and Turkey, participated in the exercise,

which is hosted biennially by the Pakistan Navy since 2007.

1.306 Pakistan test fires Babar missile

• Recently, Pakistan has conducted a successful training launch of a surface-to-surface cruise

missile, the Babar missile which can strike targets up to 450 kilometers.

1.307 Yoshiro Mori resigned from the post of Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief

• Recently, Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned following his sexist remarks that

sparked a global outcry.

1.308 ‘Jidar-ul-Hadeed’, an exercise by Pakistan Army

• Recently, the Pakistan Army held a month-long exercise code-named ‘Jidar-ul-Hadeed’ in the

Thar Desert, located in the Sindh province, to prepare for conflict in extreme desert

environments.

1.309 An unmanned Russian Cargo Ship delivered supplies to International Space Station

• Recently, the Progress MS-16 cargo ship, an unmanned Russian cargo ship delivered water,

propellants and other supplies to the International Space Station.

• The Progress MS-16 cargo ship was blasted off from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch

facility in Kazakhstan.

1.310 New Covid-19 variant “B.1.526” spotted in New York City

• A new variant of the coronavirus “B.1.526” has been spotted in New York City.

1.311 FATF decides to keep Pakistan on its terrorism financing “grey list”

• Global money laundering watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has recently

decided to keep Pakistan on its terrorism financing “grey list”.

• Pakistan has been on the grey list since June 2018.

About Pakistan-

• Capital- Islamabad

• Currency- Pakistani rupee

1.312 Australia passes “News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code”

• Recently, the government of Australia has passed the “News Media and Digital Platforms

Mandatory Bargaining Code”.

• The law will require global digital platforms to pay for showing Australian news content on

their platforms and hence, will ensure that news businesses "are fairly remunerated for the

content they generate, helping to sustain public interest journalism in Australia".

About Australia-



• Capital- Canberra

• Currency- Australian dollar

1.313 Japan appoints Minister of Loneliness

• Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has appointed Tetsushi Sakamoto as the

Minister of Loneliness.

• The minister has been appointed to deal with the growing suicide rate in the country amidst

the Covid-19 pandemic.

About Japan-

• Capital- Tokyo

• Currency- Japanese Yen

1.314 Bangladesh becomes 1st country to ban all known Vulture-Toxic Drugs

• Recently, Bangladesh has banned the drug “ketoprofen” and hence became the first country

to ban any of the drugs now known to be toxic to vultures.

• Diclofenac and Ketoprofen are the drugs responsible for the catastrophic 99.9% declines of

white-rumped vultures in the south Asian region.

About Bangladesh-

• Capital- Dhaka

• Currency- Bangladeshi Taka

1.315 India joins ‘Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021’

• Recently, India has joined the Iran and Russia in a two-day navy exercise dubbed "Iran-Russia

Maritime Security Belt 2021" in the northern part of the Indian Ocean.

1.316 Bangladesh Naval Ship “Prottoy” visited Mumbai

• Recently, Bangladesh Navy Ship (BNS) Prottoy visited Mumbai.

• This visit of BNS Prottoy to Mumbai is significant in the backdrop of celebration of 50 years

of Bangladesh independence recently.

1.317 CECPA signed between India and Mauritius

• Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved signing of the Comprehensive Economic

Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) between India and Mauritius.

• It will be the first trade Agreement to be signed by India with a country in Africa.

• The Agreement will cover Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services, Technical

Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Dispute Settlement,

Movement of Natural Persons, Telecom, Financial services, Customs Procedures and

Cooperation in other Areas.

1.318 Alok Sharma interacted with PM Modi about COP26 to be hosted by UK in Glasgow

• Alok Sharma, is a UK minister and the President-designate of the 26th UN Climate Change

Conference of the Parties (COP26).

• COP refers to the decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC).

• The 26th session of COP will be hosted by the UK in November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland.



1.319 Turkey plans to establish its first contact with moon in 2023

• Recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unveiled an ambitious 10-year space

program that includes mission to the moon in 2023, sending Turkish astronauts into space

and developing internationally viable satellite systems.

1.320 US officially re-joins Paris climate agreement

• Recently, the United States (US) has officially rejoined the Paris Agreement.

• The US had officially exited the agreement late 2020 on the order of the then President Donald

Trump.

1.321 Israel developing new Arrow-4 ballistic missile shield with U.S

• Recently, Israel has recently announced that it is developing a new ballistic missile shield the

“Arrow-4”, with the United States.

About Israel-

• Capital- Jerusalem

• Currency- New Israeli Shekel

1.322 Facebook blocks news sharing in Australia

• Facebook has recently announced blocked Australians from viewing or sharing any domestic

or international news on its platform in response to the country’s “Media Bargaining law”.

• Facebook users in Australia can still publish news on Facebook but other users, including those

outsides of its borders, will not be able to view or share it.

1.323 UK PM Boris Johnson to host virtual meeting of G7 leaders

• United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to host fellow G7 leaders for a virtual

meeting ahead of its presidency of a summit in June 2021 of the Group of Seven countries (G-

7).

1.324 World's $281 trillion debt pile set to rise again in 2021

• According to the Institute of International Finance, the global debt total to reach an all-time

high of $281 trillion by the end of 2020, or more than 355% of global GDP.

• Governments with big budget deficits are set to increase debt by another $10 trillion this year

as political and social pressures make it hard to curb spending, pushing this group’s debt load

past $92 trillion by end-2021.



Appointments

1.325 Keshav R Kranthi appointed as the chief scientist of ICAC

• Recently, Global cotton research and advisory body, International Cotton Advisory

Committee (ICAC), has elevated Keshav R Kranthi as the chief scientist.

1.326 RS Sharma appointed as Chief Executive of Ayushman Bharat Scheme

• Recently, the National Health Authority (NHA) has appointed RS Sharma as the new Chief

Executive to head its health insurance scheme – Ayushman Bharat or Pradhan Mantri Jan

Arogya Yojana.

• He will replace Indu Bhushan.

1.327 Praveen Sinha appointed as acting CBI chief

• Recently, CBI Additional Director Praveen Sinha has been appointed as the acting chief of the

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

• He will succeed Rishi Kumar Shukla.

1.328 Shri S.N. Subrahmanyan appointed as Chairman of National Safety Council

• Recently, Ministry of Labour & Employment appointed Shri S.N. Subrahmanyan, CEO and

Managing Director of L&T Ltd, as the Chairman of the National Safety Council.

1.329 Bhavya Lal appointed as the acting Chief of Staff of the US space agency “NASA”

• Recently, the Indian-American scientist, Bhavya Lal has been appointed as the Acting Chief of

Staff of the US space agency i.e. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

1.330 C P Mohanty appointed as Vice Chief of Army Staff

• Recently, Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty has been appointed as the Vice Chief

of the Army Staff.

• He took over the appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from Lt Gen SK Saini.

1.331 Pushpa Virendra Ganediwala appointed as Additional Judge of Bombay High Court

• The President of India has recently appointed Smt. Pushpa Virendra Ganediwala as an

Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court for a period of one year.

1.332 Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar appointed as Chief Justice of Manipur High Court

• The President of India has recently appointed Shri Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar,

Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to be the Chief Justice of the Manipur High

Court.

1.333 India’s Ajay Mathur to take over as ISA chief

• Ajay Mathur is set to become the next director general of the International Solar Alliance

(ISA).

About International Solar Alliance-

• Headquarter- Gurugram, Haryana.



Persons in News

1.334 Lloyd J. Austin becomes first Black Pentagon chief

• Recently, Lloyd J. Austin has won the Senate confirmation to become the nation's first Black

secretary of defense.

• Avril Haines has been confirmed by the Senate as the first woman to serve as director of

national intelligence.

• The Senate has also confirmed Antony Blinken as the nation's 71st secretary of state. He will

succeed Mike Pompeo.

1.335 Social scientist & economist Shaibal Gupta passes away

• Recently, social scientist and popular economist from Bihar, Shaibal Gupta has passed away.

1.336 Artiste Vandse Narayana Ganiga passes away

• The Yakshagana artiste and the recipient of the Rajyotsava Award, Vandse Narayana Ganiga

has passed away recently.

• He was from the state of Karnataka.

1.337 Ace cinematographer P.S. Nivas passes away

• Recently, the national award-winning cinematographer P S Nivas has passed away.

• He was from the state of Kerala.

1.338 Former IWLF secretary Gopal Khanra passes away

• The Former Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) secretary and the West Bengal State

Weightlifting Association (WBSWA) president Gopal Khanra has passed away recently.

1.339 ‘The Little Book of Encouragement’

• Recently, the Tibetan Spiritual leader, Dalai Lama launched his new book 'The Little Book of

Encouragement' that comprises of 130 quotes.

1.340 Centenary Birth Celebrations of Pandit Joshi, a classical singer took place

• To mark the occasion of birth centenary celebrations of the Maestro Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,

following events have been organized-

o SwarBhaskar 100 started with Jayateerth Mevundi’s interpretations of Pandit

Bhimsen Joshi’s (a great classical maestro) compositions.

o Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal has organised a musical programme called 'Abhivadan'

at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch in Pune, Maharashtra.

o The prestigious Akashvani Music Festival, has been named after Bharat Ratna Pandit

Bhimsen Joshi.

• Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was born on February 4, 1922.

1.341 Sridhar Vembu became part of the National Security Advisory Board

• Recently, Sridhar Vembu has become a member of the reconstituted National Security

Advisory Board (NSAB) led by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

• Sridhar Vembu is one of the Padma Shri awardees.



1.342 Captain Tom Moore, a World War II veteran passed away

• Recently, Captain Tom Moore, the World War II veteran who raised money for health care

workers, died in UK after testing positive for COVID-19 at an age of 100.

1.343 Andy Jassy to be the CEO of Amazon

• Recently, Billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon will step down from the post of CEO of

Amazon to take over as Amazon's executive chairman.

• Andy Jassy will replace Jeff Bezos as the new CEO of Amazon.

1.344 Actor-producer Rajiv Kapoor passes away

1.345 Steven Spielberg won Israel’s Genesis Prize 2021

• Recently, Steven Spielberg has been awarded Israel’s prestigious 2021 Genesis Prize in

recognition of his contribution to cinema, his philanthropic works and his efforts to preserve

the memory of the Holocaust.

1.346 VLCC Femina Miss India competition held

• Recently, Manasa Varanasi, an engineer from Telangana has won VLCC Femina Miss India

World 2020 title.

• While Haryana’s Manika Sheokand was declared VLCC Femina Miss Grand India 2020 and

Uttar Pradesh’s Manya Singh was crowned VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 runner-up.

1.347 Hima Das appointed as DSP in Assam

• Recently, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal appointed World Championship sprinter

Hima Das as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the state.

1.348 Mario Draghi sworn in as Italy’s PM

• Recently, former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi was formally sworn in as Italy's

new Prime Minister (PM).

• He replaced Giuseppe Conte.

1.349 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first woman and the first African to head WTO

• Recently, Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed as the seventh Director-General of

the World Trade Organization (WTO) making her the first woman and the first African to

head the multilateral trade body from March 1, 2021 to August 31, 2025.

• She is the former Finance Minister of Nigeria and World Bank economist.

1.350 Jiya Rai created history after swimming for a distance of 36 Km in around 8 hours

• Recently, Miss Jiya Rai, a 12 year old daughter of a Naval sailor Madan Rai, created history by

swimming from Bandra-Worli Sea Link to Gateway of India, a distance of 36 Km in 08 hrs and

40 minutes. She is a known case of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

• The swimming event was conducted under Swimming Association of Maharashtra. The event

was also associated with FIT India Movement by Ministry of Youth and Sports Affair.

1.351 Rajnish Kumar appointed as exclusive advisor for KIAL’s Special Fund

• Recently, Kotak Investment Advisors Limited (KIAL) announced that Rajnish Kumar would be

exclusive advisor for its US$ 1 billion Special Situation Fund.

• Rajnish Kumar was the chairman of SBI for tenure of three-year.

1.352 Founder of Bumble, Whitney Wolfe became world’s youngest female billionaire

• Recently, a dating app, Bumble’s Chief Executive Officer and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd

became the world’s youngest female billionaire at an age of 31.



1.353 Arora Akanksha announces candidacy for post of Secretary General of UN

• Recently, Arora Akanksha, an Indian-origin employee at United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) has announced her candidacy to be its next Secretary-General against

incumbent Antonio Guterres, who is seeking a second five-year term beginning January

2022 as chief of the UN.

1.354 Rashmi Samant elected as the president of Oxford University Student Union

• Recently, Rashmi Samant, an Indian woman created history by being elected the president

of the Oxford University Student Union (SU).

• She is a graduate student at Linacre College.

1.355 Saima Ubaid secured gold medal in a power lifting competition in Srinagar

• Recently, Saima Ubaid has secured a gold medal in a power-lifting competition in Srinagar.

She became the first woman from Kashmir to choose a career as a power-lifter.

• A power-lifting competition for women was organised for the first time by Jammu and

Kashmir Powerlifting Association.

1.356 Christopher Plummer, oldest Oscar winner in his 80s, dies at 91

• Christopher Plummer, the Canadian actor who won awards for performances on stage and screen during a career that spanned six decades, has died. He was 91.

1.357 Virat Kohli is India's top celebrity endorser for fourth consecutive year

• Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli retained the top celebrity endorser rank for the fourth consecutive year despite the covid-19 disruption in the 2020 Duff & Phelps celebrity brand valuation report, maintaining his brand value at $237.7 million.

• Akshay Kumar retained the second position with a brand value of $118.9 million.

1.358 India's youngest female pilot - 25-year-old Ayesha Aziz from Kashmir

• Ayesha Aziz, the 25 -year-old from Kashmir, is the youngest female pilot in the country and

acting is a source of inspiration and a beacon of empowerment for numerous Kashmiri women.

1.359 Natalia Mikhailovna Vodianova becomes new UN goodwill ambassador

• Russian supermodel, entrepreneur, public speaker and philanthropist Natalia Mikhailovna

Vodianova has become a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) goodwill ambassador.

1.360 Dushyant Chautala re-elected as TTFI president

• Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has been unanimously re-elected as the

president of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

1.361 Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ memoir named ‘Unfinished’ released

• Actor-producer, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, officially turned author with the release of her first book, “Unfinished: A Memoir”

1.362 Papua New Guinea’s first PM Michael Somare dead

• Mr. Somare was Papua New Guinea’s longest-serving leader after it became independent of Australia in 1975.

About Papua New Guinea

• Currency: Papua New Guinean kina

• Capital: Port Moresby



1.363 “Kamala's Way: An American Life”- The new biography of Kamala Harris released

• The new biography was written by veteran California journalist Dan Morain who covered the new vice president Kamala Harris of USA.

1.364 A Sakthivel appointed as president of FIEO

• Recently, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) elected A. Sakthivel as its new

president.

• He has replaced S K Saraf.

1.365 Indian-American Swati Mohan led the NASA’s Mars 2020 mission

• Recently, Indian-American scientist, Swati Mohan led the guidance, navigation, and control

operations of the NASA’s Mars 2020 mission.

1.366 ‘Bare Necessities: How to Live a Zero Waste Life’

• Recently, a book ‘Bare Necessities: How to Live a Zero Waste Life’ authored by

environmentalist Sahar Mansoor and sustainability consultant Tim De Ridder was published.

• It aims to push people to make a positive change in their life and to the environment in a fun

and interactive way.

1.367 Georgian Prime Minister announced his resignation

• Recently, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia announced his resignation following a

court ruling that ordered the arrest of a man who leads the top opposition party.

1.368 ‘Agriculture Acts 2020’: A book by A.K. Rajan

• Recently, Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani released a book, ‘Agriculture Acts 2020’,

written by Justice A.K. Rajan, former judge of the Madras High Court.

• The book is about the three controversial farm laws.

1.369 ‘Runway to Skill India’: A book by Dr Darlie O Koshy

• Recently, Dr Darlie O Koshy's new book titled 'Runway to Skilled India' was unveiled at the

India Craft Week being held at Bikaner House, New Delhi.

• He introduced a 'RUN' (Re-skilling, Up-skilling, New-skilling) strategy in his book.

1.370 ‘Leadership Lessons from 22 Yards’- A book by Srikanth Ram

• Recently, Srikanth Ram amalgamated his two passions i.e. business and cricket in his book

"Leadership Lessons from 22 Yards".

• It talks about ways to build high performing teams and a winning culture.

1.371 ‘They Found What/They Made What’-A book by Shweta Taneja

• “They Found What/ They Made What” was published by Hachette and has been written by

author Shweta Taneja.

• The book introduces children to rare discoveries of Indian scientists.



Science and Technology 1.372 UAE’s Hope Probe approaches Mars

• Hope Probe is the Arab world’s first mission to Mars. Hope Probe was developed by UAE

scientists in the United States.

• It was launched in July 2020 from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan aboard a Mitsubishi

Heavy Industries’ H-II A rocket.

• The spacecraft is on an orbital mission that will help scientists understand why Mars’s

atmosphere is decaying into space.

1.373 China’s Tianwen-1 sent first image of Mars

• Recently, China's Tianwen-1 probe sent back its first image of Mars.

• The five-tonne Tianwen-1 is China’s first independent mars mission and includes a Mars

orbiter, a lander and a rover that will study the planet's soil.

1.374 Vice President inaugurated two new facilities at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex

• Recently, the Vice President inaugurated two new facilities at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile

Complex in Hyderabad.

• The two facilities are-

o Missile System Review Hall

o Air Commodore V Ganesan Integrated Weapon System Design & Development Centre

1.375 Gas-Giant planets form more easily than previous revelations

• Recently, University of Montreal’ scientists exploring space revealed that gas-giant planets

such as Jupiter and Saturn form more easily than previously thought.

• Researchers revealed it on basis of investigation of WASP-107b, a giant exoplanet.

1.376 Saturn Moon Titan’s largest sea is 1000 ft deep near its centre

• Recently, astronomers have estimated Kraken Mare, the largest sea on the surface of Saturn’s

moon Titan, to be at least 1,000 feet deep near its center and nearly the size of all five Great

Lakes combined.

• Kraken Mare is a huge body of liquid ethane and methane near Titan’s North Pole.

1.377 BARC designed the first PPP Research Reactor for nuclear medicines

• Recently, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Department of Atomic Energy, has evolved

a design for the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) Research Reactor for production of

Nuclear Medicines.

1.378 A new logo of FIST launched at FISTAB

• Recently, during the Fund for Improvement of Science & Technology Advisory Board (FISTAB)

meeting, a logo of FIST was launched to represent the face of FIST in a new avatar.

• Designed by- Ms. Nikita Malhotra of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

1.379 ‘Hum’ of the universe detected by NANOGrav

• Recently, the scientists may have heard the gravitational wave background or the resonant

'hum' that permeates the Universe for the first time.



• According to the findings published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, the sound was

detected by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves

(NANOGrav).

1.380 Two Giant Radio Galaxies discovered under MIGHTEE Survey

• Recently, two giant radio galaxies have been discovered with South Africa’s

powerful MeerKAT telescope, a part of International Gigahertz Tiered Extragalactic

Exploration (MIGHTEE) survey located in the Karoo region, South Africa.

• These giant galaxies are much bigger than most of the others in the universe.

1.381 Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project

• Recently, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) Council has approved the

establishment of the world’s largest radio telescope.

• The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is an international effort to build the world’s largest

radio telescope.

o The telescope will be located in Africa and Australia whose operation, maintenance

and construction will be overseen by SKAO.

• SKAO is a new intergovernmental organisation dedicated to radio astronomy and is

headquartered in the UK.

1.382 SpaceX announced launch of Falcon 9’s Inspiration4

• Recently, Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced the launch of its first all civilian mission to space,

Falcon 9’s launch of Inspiration4, the world’s first all-commercial astronaut mission to orbit.

• It will be launched from the Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

1.383 India’s first geothermal power project to be established in Ladakh

• Recently, India's first geothermal power project will be established at Puga village of eastern

Ladakh.

• Puga has been identified as the hotspot of geothermal energy in the country by the scientists.

• A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation

(ONGC), LAHDC, Leh and the Power Department of UT Ladakh has been signed for the

establishment and implementation of the first phase of project.

1.384 Small Black Holes discovered at the heart of NGC 6397

• Recently, astronomers have discovered a concentration of smaller black holes lurking at the

heart of the globular cluster NGC 6397 instead of a single massive black hole.

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) states that the cluster resides 78,000

light-years away making it one of the closest globular clusters to Earth.

• The NGC 6397 is also known as a “core-collapsed cluster” due to its immensely dense nucleus.

1.385 A new AI Ramanujan Machine

• A new Artificially Intelligent (AI) "mathematician" known as the Ramanujan Machine can

potentially reveal hidden relationships between numbers.

• Scientists from Technion — Israel Institute of Technology developed the Ramanujan Machine.

It is not really a machine but an algorithm, and performs very unconventional function.



1.386 NASA’s Perseverance rover makes historic Mars landing

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA's) rover Perseverance, after sailing

through space covering 293 million miles (472 million km) before piercing the Martian

atmosphere at 12,000 miles per hour (19,000 km per hour), has recently landed safely on

Mars.

• The rover will begin its search for traces of ancient microbial life on Mars.

1.387 Observation of Sun’s rotation over a century

• Recently, the researchers from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences

(ARIES), under Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, along with

the collaborators from Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goettingen, Germany,

and Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, USA have studied the solar rotation by tracing

sun spots from century-old digitalized films and photographs.

• The old films and photographs were taken at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO)

located in Tamil Nadu, of Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).

1.388 ISS resupply mission named after Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician

• Recently, the uncrewed Cygnus cargo ship, which will launch on a resupply mission to the

International Space Station (ISS), has been named the Katherine Johnson by an aerospace

company Northrop Grumman.

1.389 GSI launches National Baseline Geoscience Data Generation Programmes

• Recently, the Geological survey of India has launched the National Baseline Geoscience Data

Generation Programmes (2020-2024), to speed up exploration activities in the country.

• It has also initiated the flagship initiative - National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR) for

collation of all the geoscience data of India involving GSI & other organizations focusing on

geoscience.

• It has also planned to adopt sophisticated deep penetration geophysical techniques such as

Magneto-Telluric Surveys and Deep Seismic Reflection Surveys (DSRS) to define the crustal

architecture for deep seated mineral targeting.

Key Highlights:

• GSI is in consultation with Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Application and

Geoinformatics (BISAG-N) a national institute under Ministry of Information & Technology for

development of NGDR.

• Details of Surveys under National Baseline Geoscience Data Generation Programmes:

Survey Name Key Details

National Geochemical

Mapping (NGCM)

• It covers the entire surface area of the country by geochemical

sampling.

• Will generate distribution pattern of 62 elements (samples

collected at 1km x 1km grid).

• 11.72 lakh sq.km completed till March 2020.

• It also includes coverage of 7.44 lakh sq.km of accessible part

of Obvious Geological potential’ (OGP) (8.13 lakh sq.km).

• Target year :2024



National Geophysical

Mapping (NGPM)

• It systematically generates basic and derived maps of Bouguer

(Gravity) Anomaly and IGRF corrected magnetic total field

maps of the country.

• Conducting ground gravity and magnetic surveys in 1: 50,000

scale with an approximate observation density of one station

in 2.5 sq. Km., with preference to Obvious Geological Province

(OGP) areas.

• The anomaly maps provide framework to design exploration

strategies.

National Aero Geophysical

Mapping Program (NAGMP)

• First of its kind project in India to delineate concealed, deep

seated structure/ litho-units capable of hosting mineralization,

delineate extension of the existing mineralized zone and

understating of shallow crustal architecture in the context of

mineral occurrence.

• For the first time, multi-sensor aero-geophysical surveys

(magnetic gradiometry and spectrometric) are carried out by

adopting large regional scale survey parameters of 300 m

traverse line spacing with aircraft flown at 80 m above

ground level.

• Phase I - collection of data over selected areas (12 Blocks) of

Obvious Geological Potential (OGP).

• Status - data acquisition over Blocks 1 to 4 is completed;

resulted in carving out of more than 100 potential mineral

exploration areas.

• Based on the results, 10 more blocks (Blocks 13 to 22) to be

covered.

Environment

1.390 2021 to be Indo-French Year of Environment

• The Indo-French Year of the Environment over the period 2021-2022 will be coordinated by

Ministry of Environment along with the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Housing and

Urban Affairs, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy from the Indian side, and the Ministry

of Ecological Transition along with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs from the French

side.

• Objective- To strengthen Indo-French cooperation in sustainable development, increase the

effectiveness of actions in favor of global environment protection and give them greater

visibility.

1.391 Periyar Tiger Reserve trained a tiger’s cub

• Recently, the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Kerala, took up the training of a tiger cub to equip

it to naturally hunt its prey in the forest environment.



• The training was given as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India (NTCA)

guidelines.

1.392 Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance started a campaign to protect fishing cat

• Recently, the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance started a worldwide campaign to ensure

survival of the fishing cat.

• They are listed as ‘vulnerable’ on International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

1.393 Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve becomes 5th tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu State

• Recently, the Tamil Nadu State government has declared the Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger

Reserve (SMTR) as the fifth and largest tiger reserve in the State.

• Other four tiger reserves in the state are- Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Kalakad Mundanthural

Tiger Reserve, Anamalai Tiger Reserve, and Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve.

1.394 Mandarin Duck spotted in Assam after 118 years

• Recently, a colourful duck from eastern Asia i.e. the Mandarin Duck has been spotted at the

Maguri-Motapung Beel in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district after 118 years.

• This has raised hopes for a wetland that was affected by a blowout and inferno at a natural

gas well in May-June, 2020.

1.395 New alpine plant species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

• Recently, a new species of alpine plant has been discovered by a group of scientists in

Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang district.

• The new species belongs to the family of Himalayan sunflower has been named as

Cremanthodium indicum.

1.396 Reliance Industries gets world's first 'carbon-neutral' oil from US

• Reliance Industries Ltd has sourced the world's first consignment of 'carbon-neutral oil' from the US as it looks to become a net zero-carbon company by 2035.

• Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV), a division of US oil Major Occidental, delivered carbon-neutral oil to Reliance.

1.397 Teeth from Siberian mammoths yield oldest DNA ever recovered

• The scientists have recently recovered the oldest DNA on record, extracting it from the molars

of mammoths that roamed northeastern Siberia up to 1.2 million years ago.

• The researchers have recovered and sequenced DNA from the remains of three individual

mammoths, elephant cousins that were among the large mammals that dominated Ice Age

landscapes.

1.398 Mass migration of blue earthworms in Meghalaya

• Recently, the Scientists have observed mass migration of blue earthworms in Meghalaya,

migrating about 300 metres up and down the steep slopes in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills

Days in News

1.399 World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day: 30th January

• January 30, 2021 will mark the second annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day.

• The day highlights the global community’s commitment to end Neglected Tropical Diseases

that cause immeasurable suffering among the world’s most marginalized communities.

Additional Info-



• On World NTD Day i.e. on 30th January 2021, more than 50 landmarks representing 25

nations across the world will be lit up to celebrate how far we have come together in beating

NTDs.

• India has joined the world to Light Up Qutub Minar as a sign of unity to combat the Neglected

Tropical Diseases.

1.400 International Day of Human Fraternity: 4 February

• International Day of Human Fraternity has been celebrated for the first time and aims to

underline the importance of raising awareness about different cultures and religions, or

beliefs, and the promotion of tolerance.

• Theme for year 2021: A Pathway to the Future

1.401 INCOIS celebrates 23rd Foundation Day

• Recently, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth

Sciences, Government of India has celebrated its 23rd Foundation Day on 3rd February.

• On the occasion, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO Vladimir Ryabinin delivered the

lecture on “United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (Ocean

Decade)”.

1.402 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

• International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is being celebrated

worldwide on 06th February every year.

• Theme for 2021: No Time for Global Inaction, Unite, Fund, and Act to End Female Genital

Mutilation

1.403 World Radio Day celebrated on 13 February

• World Radio Day is celebrated worldwide on 13 February every year.

• On World Radio Day 2021, UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate this event’s 10th

anniversary and the more than 110 years of radio through three sub-themes.

o Evolution

o Innovation

o Connection

1.404 World Pulses Day: 10 February

• World Pulses Day is being celebrated every year on 10th of February to raise awareness and

recognize the contribution of pulses to sustainable food systems and healthy diets.

• Theme for 2021: #LovePulses

• Additional information- India accounts for 23.62% of world’s total pulses production in 2019-

20.

1.405 Tribal Artisan Day celebrated at Tribes India Adi Mahotsav

• The Aadi Mahotsav is an annual event that was started in 2017.

• It is an attempt to familiarise people with the rich and diverse craft, culture of tribal

communities across the country, at one place.



• Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) under the Ministry of

Tribal Affairs, acts as the nodal agency working towards tribal empowerment.

1.406 TIFAC celebrated its 34th Foundation Day

• Recently, Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), an

autonomous organisation of Department of Science & Technology, celebrated its 34th

Foundation Day on 10th February.

• Theme: “Technology, Innovation and Economy for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat”.

1.407 18th edition of Safer Internet Day celebrated on 09th February 2021

• Safer Internet Day is observed every year on the second day of the second week of February

with an aim to provide safer and better internet.

• Theme: “Together for a better internet”.

1.408 Diplomats’ Day organized

• Recently, Diplomats’ Day was organized by TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of

External Affairs at Tribes India Aadi Mahotsav at Dilli Haat.

• It was organized on 12th February.

1.409 China celebrated Lunar New Year on 12th February

• Recently, China has celebrated Lunar New Year on February 12th, as it entered into the ‘Year

of the Ox’.

• It is one of the most important Chinese festivals, also known as the Chinese New Year or

Spring Festival.

1.410 World Unani Day

• World Unani Day is being observed every year on 11th February to mark the birth

anniversary of great Unani scholar and social reformer Hakim Ajmal Khan.

• The main objective of World Unani Day is to spread awareness about Unani system of

medicine.

1.411 Bhakti Movement Saint Guru Ravidas Jayanti observed on 27th February

• The Guru Ravidas Jayanti has been celebrated all over India on 27th February 2021.

1.412 32nd Foundation Day of Institute of Life Sciences celebrated

• Recently, Dr. Harsh Vardhan addressed the 32nd Foundation Day event of the Institute of Life

Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, an autonomous institute of Department of Biotechnology (DBT).


• Dr Harsh Vardhan laid the foundation stone for the Animal Challenge Study platform at DBT-

ILS for undertaking evaluation studies of potential drug and vaccine candidates.

• He inaugurated the Biorepository for the COVID-19 clinical samples at ILS.

• The ILS-IBSD (ILS-Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development) partnership

centre that aims at skill and capacity development of scientific communities of North East

region in the area of advanced biotechnology was also dedicated by him.

1.413 Department of Biotechnology celebrates 35th Foundation Day

• The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has celebrated its 35th Foundation Day on 26th

February 2021.

• The e-book "DBT Fights COVID- From Virus to Vaccine" has been unveiled on the occasion.



• The celebrations also marked giving away of prestigious BRITE (Biotechnology Research

Innovation and Technology Excellence) Awards in various categories.

1.414 World Day of Social Justice: 20 February

• United Nations celebrated World Day of Social Justice on 20th February every year.

• Theme for 2021: A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy.

1.415 World Pangolin Day: 20 February

• World Pangolin Day is being celebrated on the third Saturday in February. In year 2021, the

day has been celebrated on 20th February.

1.416 World Thinking Day observed on February 22

• World Thinking Day was observed on February 22.

• Thinking day is celebrated by the girl guides and girl scouts to speak out on issues that affect

women.

• The theme of 2021 is ‘Peace Building’.

Defence in News 1.417 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches e-Chhawani portal

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has recently launched e-Chhawani portal.

• Aim- To provide online municipal services to more than 20 lakh citizens across 62 Cantonment

Boards through a multi-tenancy central platform.

• The portal will allow residents of Cantonment areas to register their complaints regarding civic

issues and resolve them while sitting at home.

1.418 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches revamped version of Gallantry Awards Portal

• This will be a one-stop virtual platform to honour the immortal contribution of the fearless

Gallantry Awardees of India.

• The portal provides information about gallantry awards in India and their recipients since

Independence.

1.419 Indian Armed Forces conducts exercise “KAVACH” along with “AMPHEX-21”

• Recently, the Indian Armed Forces has conducted a large-scale conjoint military training

exercise “KAVACH” along with “AMPHEX-21”.

• Location- Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.

1.420 16th edition of India-U.S. joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’

• Recently, the 16th edition of India-U.S. joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ has commenced

in Rajasthan.

• It aims at enhancing cooperation and interoperability between the two armies.

1.421 Global Chiefs of Air Staff Conclave in Bengaluru

• Recently, the Indian Air Force hosted the Global Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS) Conclave at Air Force

Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru.

• The Conclave involved Chiefs of Air Staff from various countries who discussed about current

issues related to aerospace power strategy and technological developments.

• Theme of conclave: Leveraging Aerospace Power for Security and Stability



1.422 Indian Ocean Region Defence Minister’s Conclave

• Recently, India hosted Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ Conclave on the margins

of Aero India 2021.

• Theme: ‘Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean’.

• The conclave is an initiative to promote dialogue in an institutional, economic and

cooperative environment that can foster the development of peace, stability and prosperity

in the Indian Ocean region.

1.423 Events alongside Aero India 2021

• Indian Navy conducted a seminar on Building Collective Maritime Competence towards

Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).

• International Seminar was organized by Defence Research & Development Organisation

(DRDO).

• The theme of the seminar “Energising the R&D Capabilities of Industry for Atmanirbhar

Bharat”.

1.424 NETF launched in Bengaluru

• Recently, the Naval Environmental Test Facility (NETF), a Defence Testing Infrastructure has

been launched in Bengaluru by Vice Admiral MS Pawar, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.

• It will help in qualifying the equipment for turbulence experienced by ships and submarines

at higher sea states.

• These test facilities are open for use by the Defence and Aerospace industry, including

MSMEs and Start Up firms.

1.425 HAL and MIDHANI signed a MoU for development of composite raw materials

• Recently, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI)

signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for development and production of

composite raw materials during the Aero India 2021 in Bengaluru.

• Composites raw materials, mainly in the form of prepregs (carbon, aramid, glass types, etc)

used in various aircrafts which are imported currently.

1.426 Anti-Access Area Denial Capabilities (A2/AD) to be built for India

• Recently, Defence Minister proposed the enhancement of A2 (Anti Access) and Area Denial

(AD) capabilities as counter measures against risks posed by Pakistan and China and to pose

threats to them in land and sea.

1.427 HAL handed over ALH Mk III to Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard

• Recently, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over three Advanced Light Helicopters

(ALH) Mk III to Indian Navy and two ALHs to Indian Coast Guard as part of its 16 ALHs contract

during the ongoing Aero India 2021 at Air Force Station Yehalanka, Bengaluru.

• The ALH Mk III is fitted with state-of-the-art glass cockpit and powerful Shakti engine. This

will enhance coastal security.

1.428 IAF-HAL e-Portal operationalized

• Recently, Indian Air Force (IAF) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) operationalised an

e-Portal as part of Inter-Organisational Information Sharing System (IOIS) during the Aero

India 2021.



• This will facilitate smooth, safe and secure data transfer and increase efficiency in

productivity and availability of spares to IAF and reduce repair and overhaul cycle time.

1.429 iDEX Start-up Manthan organised

• Recently, Start-up Manthan was organised at Aero India 2021.

• Start-up Manthan is organised under the iDEX banner annually.

About iDEX (Innovation for Defence Excellence):

• The iDEX was launched in April 2018 with an aim to create corporate models for Indian

Defence needs and allow the defence sector to harness start-ups.

1.430 HAL’s second plant for Tejas LCA in Bengaluru

• Recently, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s

(HAL’s) second dedicated Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) plant in Bengaluru.

1.431 Final production batch Of LRSAM Missiles flagged off In Hyderabad

• The final production batch of Long Range Surface to Air Missiles (LRSAM) has been flagged off

recently at DRDL,APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, Hyderabad.

• LRSAM is jointly developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and

IAI Israel.

1.432 DRDO signs a MoU with IISc Bengaluru for JATP-CoE

• Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru.

• Aim- For creation of Joint Advanced Technology Program–Center of Excellence (JATP – CoE)

in the premises of IISc.

• DRDO will support JATP in equipping it with advanced and unique research facilities.

1.433 SC puts on hold the dismantling of INS Viraat

• Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) put on hold the further dismantling of INS Viraat, the iconic

aircraft carrier decommissioned by the Indian Navy in 2017 following a plea by a Thane-based

group, M/s Envitech Marine Consultants Private Limited which wants to buy it and convert it

into a maritime museum.

1.434 Contract signed between Defence Ministry and BEL for SDR-Tac

• Recently, Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Defence Public Sector Undertaking, Bharat

Electronics Limited (BEL) have signed a contract for procurement of Software Defined Radio

Tactical (SDR-Tac) worth over Rs 1,000 crore in New Delhi.

• The SDR-Tac was designed and developed by Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory

(DEAL) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

• The SDR-Tac is intended to serve ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and ship-to-air voice and data

communication for network centric operations.

1.435 MoU signed between Indian Navy and IIT Delhi

• Recently, Indian Navy and IIT Delhi signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further

research in underwater domain.

• Key technologies for Navy in the field of underwater electronics have been developed by the

Centre for Applied Research in Electronics (CARE) at IIT Delhi.



1.436 TROPEX 21

• Recently, Indian Navy’s largest war game, the biennial Theatre Level Operational Readiness

Exercise (TROPEX 21) is being conducted in the Indian Ocean Region.

• Operational units of Indian Navy as well as units of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and

Coast Guard participated in the exercise.

• The exercise aims to test combat readiness of the Navy in a complex multi-dimensional

scenario.

• Theme- ‘Combat Ready, Credible and Cohesive force’.

1.437 First contingent of CRPF women personnel inducted into CoBRA

• Recently, the first contingent of 34 CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) women personnel has

been inducted into a specialised jungle warfare commando force “CoBRA”.

• The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was raised under the CRPF in 2009 for

undertaking intelligence-based jungle warfare operations.

1.438 PM handed over Arjuna Main Battle Tank (Mk-1A) to Indian Army in Chennai

• Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A)

to the Army built at Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi, Chennai.

• The Battle Tank has been indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by Combat

Vehicles Research & Development, DRDO along with 15 academic institutions, eight labs

and several MSMEs.

1.439 Contract between Indian Navy and M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd, Kolkata for DSCs

• Recently, a contract for construction of five Diving Support Craft (DSC) was signed by Indian

Navy with M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd, Kolkata.

• It will meet the mission needs of Command Clearance Diving Teams (CCDTs) which are

involved in providing diving assistance to all ships inside and close to harbour for underwater

repair, maintenance and salvage.

1.440 Divya-Drishti 2021, a webinar cum seminar organized by CLAWS

• Recently, Indian Army’s National Seminar-cum-Webinar, named as “Divya-Drishti 2021” on

Multi-Domain Operations: Future of Conflicts was organised by Centre for Land Warfare

Studies (CLAWS).

• It aimed to bring together national and international experts and practitioners to deliberate

on the complex and emerging subject of multi-domain operations (MDO).

1.441 ‘Charter of Affiliation’ signed

• Recently, the historic ‘Charter of Affiliation’ of Assam Regiment and Arunachal Scouts of

Indian Army with 106 Air Force Squadron has been formally signed at a ceremony at Tezpur

(Assam).

• It will assist them in development of mutual understanding of joint ethos, capability,

limitations and core competencies of other services.

1.442 INS Karanj commissioned in Indian Navy

• Recently, Indian Navy got its third Scorpene submarine, which will be commissioned as INS

Karanj, of Project P-75.

• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, one of the India's leading shipyards delivered

three Scorpene submarines named Khanderi, Kalvari and now Karanj.



1.443 Indian Army to procure ARHMD System

• Recently, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that the Indian Army is in the

process of procuring 556 Augmented Reality Head Mounted Display (ARHMD) Systems under

Make-II Category.

• ARHMD serves as a capability enhancement to land-based air defence weapon systems such

as the IGLA shoulder-fired Infrared Homing Air Defence Missile System and the ZU 23mm 2B

AD Gun System.

1.444 Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar assumes command of the Western Fleet

• Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar has recently taken over as the Flag Officer Commanding Western

Fleet (FOCWF) from Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan.

1.445 IAF to participate in 70th Anniversary Celebrations of SLAF

• The Indian Air Force will participate in the 70th Anniversary Celebrations of the Sri Lanka Air

Force (SLAF).

• The Suryakirans, Sarang and LCA Tejas will participate in an Air Show at Galle Face, Colombo

as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of SLAF.

1.446 Indian Army to be equipped with Software Defined Radio

• Present radios will be replaced soon by indigenously developed Software Defined Radio

(SDR), which have enhanced data transmission capability, enhanced voice clarity and data

transmission accuracy, greater system security to meet the operational requirements of the

Indian Army.

1.447 Budgetary allocations increased for Border Road Organizations

• Under Union Budget 2021-22, allocation for road development projects in border areas has

been raised from Rs 5,586.23 crore to Rs 6,004.08 crore for Financial Year 2021-22.

• The budget for maintenance of border roads has gone up from Rs 750 crore to Rs 850 crore.

• The capital works allocation has been revised upwards to Rs 2,500 crore for Financial Year

2020-21.

1.448 Delegation of Financial Powers under Capital Procurement to Command and Deputy Chiefs

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved enhanced delegation of Financial Powers under Other

Capital Procurement Procedure (OCPP) of Defence Acquisition Procedure-2020.

• Financial powers up to Rs.100 crore have been delegated to Command Chiefs of Armed

Forces.

• Powers up to Rs. 200 crore have been delegated to Deputy Chiefs of Armed Forces.

1.449 India & Pakistan agrees to observe 2003 ceasefire

• Recently, India and Pakistan have agreed to a “strict observance of all agreements,

understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors” with

effect from the midnight of 24th/25th February 2021.

1.450 Indian and Indonesian navies conduct PASSAGE exercise in Arabian sea

• The Indian and Indonesian navies have recently carried out PASSAGE Exercise (PASSEX) in the

Arabian sea.

• Aim- To to enhance operational interoperability and overall cooperation.

• Participating ships- Indian naval ship INS Talwar and Indonesian Navy's multirole corvette KRI

Bung Tomo.



1.451 DAC approves proposals worth Rs 13,700 crore

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri

Rajnath Singh, has recently approved capital acquisition proposals of various weapons,

platforms, equipments, & systems required by the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air

Force, in New Delhi.

• Three Acceptance of Necessities (AoNs) for an overall cost of Rs 13,700 crore were accorded.


• The defence ministry cleared the acquisition of 118 Arjun Mark-1A tanks for the Indian Army.

• The Arjun has been designed by the DRDO's Combat Vehicles Research and Development

Establishment (CVRDE).

1.452 Successful launche of VL-SRSAM Missile System

• Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has recently conducted two

successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM).

• The launches were carried out from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of

Odisha.

1.453 Successful user trials of ‘Helina’ and ‘Dhruvastra’

• Recently, the Joint User Trials for Helina (Army Version) and Dhruvastra (Air Force Version)

Missile Systems have been carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform in

desert ranges.

• The missile systems have been designed and developed indigenously by Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO).

• Helina and Dhruvastra are 3rd generation, Lock on Before Launch (LOBL) fire and forget Anti-

Tank Guided Missiles.

1.454 INS Pralaya arrives in Abu Dhabi to participate in NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21

• Indian Naval Ship Pralaya has recently arrived at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to

participate in the NAVDEX 21 (Naval Defence Exhibition) and IDEX 21 (International Defence

Exhibition).

1.455 Raksha Mantri inaugurates DRDO Skill Development Centre for Fire Safety Training

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has recently inaugurated Skill Development Centre (SDC)

for Fire Safety Training of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at

Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh.

• It is aimed at developing trained human resources, fire safety technology and products to

save precious human lives and valued assets.

• Created by- DRDO laboratory Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES).

1.456 10th round of commander level talks between Indian Army and China’s PLA begins

• The 10th round of commander level talks between Indian Army and China’s People’s

Liberation Army has commenced recently at Moldo on China side of Line of Actual Control.

• The meet focused on the further disengagement of Army from the friction points like at

Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang Plains in the Eastern Ladakh region.



Sports

1.457 BCCI to not hold Ranji Trophy for first time in 87 years

• Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to not conduct the

premier first-class domestic tournament “Ranji Trophy” for the first time in 87 years.

• In 2021, the truncated season would comprise only three tournaments namely-

o Vijay Hazare Trophy, Women's national 50-over tournament and the Vinoo Mankad

Trophy for under-19 boys.

1.458 Ashoke Dinda announces retirement

• Recently, the Indian cricketer Ashoke Dinda has announced his retirement from all forms of

cricket.

1.459 Ajay Singh re-elected as President of Boxing Federation of India

• Recently, Ajay Singh has been re-elected as the president of the Boxing Federation of India

(BFI).

• Hemanta Kumar Kalita has been elected as the secretary while Digvijay Singh has taken the

treasurer’s post.

1.460 Tamil Nadu won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

• Recently, Tamil Nadu defeated team Baroda by seven wickets and won its second Syed

Mushtaq Ali Trophy (cricket) at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad.

1.461 Ashwin became the second highest wicket-taker in tests played in India

• Recently, senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin surpassed Harbhajan Singh to become the

second highest wicket-taker in Tests played in India.

• Ashwin took 265 wickets in India at an average of 28.76.

1.462 Sports Ministry restores recognition of Gymnastics Federation of India

• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has recently decided to restore the recognition of

the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) as a National Sports Federation (NSF).

• The recognition has been granted for the period till 31st December 2021 and the ministry has

also recorded the elections of two office bearers namely Sudhir Mittal (President) and Kaushik

Bidiwala (Treasurer) for the term 2019- 2023.

• The GFI was de-recognised by the ministry in 2011.

1.463 Byju’s became Global Partner of ICC until 2023

• Recently, International Cricket Council (ICC) has signed edtech platform Byju's (Bengaluru-

based education and learning app which is owned by Think and Learn Private Limited) as global

partner until 2023.

1.464 PM inaugurates Khelo India Winter Games

• Recently, Prime Minister inaugurated the second Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg.

• The event is a step towards making Jammu and Kashmir a hub of winter sports.

• Athletes from 27 states and Union Territories are competing in the Games which will conclude

on March 2.



1.465 Karnataka to host Khelo India University Games 2021

• Recently, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has announced that Karnataka will be the host

state of the second Khelo India University Games (KIUG) 2021.

• The games will be held in Bengaluru's Jain University and other venues in the state, in

partnership with Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

• Yogasana and Mallakhamb have been added in the University Games 2021.

1.466 Manika Batra wins National Table Tennis title

• Manika Batra has recently won her career's second National table tennis title after defeating

Reeth Rishya in the final match.

1.467 Yusuf Pathan announces retirement from all forms of cricket

• Recently, Yusuf Pathan has announced his retirement from all formats of the cricket.

1.468 Novak Djokovic won the ninth Australian Open Title

• Recently, Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev to capture a record winning

ninth Australian Open title in Melbourne.

• He is a tennis player from Serbia.

1.469 Philips Island Trophy Tennis Tournament 2021, Melbourne

• Recently, Ankita Raina along with Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova, captured her first WTA 250

doubles title, beating Anna Blinkova and Anastasia Potapova of Russia in the final of the Phillip

Island Trophy tennis tournament.

Awards 1.470 Republic Day 2021 Awards

• Recently, the Minister of State (MoS) for Youth Affairs & Sports (I/C) and MoS, Minority Affairs

Shri Kiren Rijiju has distributed awards and prizes to participants of the Republic Day Parade

2021.

• The tableau of Uttar Pradesh, based on the theme “Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar

Pradesh”, has been adjudged the best tableau among the 32 tableaux.

o Tableau of Tripura has been adjudged the second best while the tableau of

Uttarakhand, based on the theme ‘Dev Bhoomi’ - ‘The Land of the Gods’, has been

named third among the states and UTs.

• The tableau of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the theme ‘Amar Jawan’, has bagged the special prize for paying tribute to the fallen heroes of the Armed Forces.

1.471 Brand Finance’s Global 500 ranking

• Recently, Brand Finance’s Global 500 ranking of the strongest brands and most valuable

brands globally were released. The strongest brands are as follows:

1. WeChat

2. Sber, Russian Bank

3. Coca Cola

4. Jio

• According to the 2021 ranking, Apple is the most valuable brand followed by Amazon and

Google.



• Mastercard’s Ajay Banga best among top 100 CEOs in Brand Finance Brand Guardianship Index 2021, as commitment to technological innovation pays off.

1.472 Awards at 51st IFF’s Closing ceremony held at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium,

Goa

• Recently, The epic World War II film Into the Darkness (De forbandede år) won Golden

Peacock Award at the 51st edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

• Silver Peacock for the Best Director: Taiwanese Director Chen-Nien Ko, for her 2020 Mandarin

drama film The Silent Forest.

• Silver Peacock for Best Actor – Male: Tzu-Chuan Liu.

• Silver Peacock for Best Actor – Female: Polish actor Zofia Stafiej, for her role in Piotr

Domalewski’s I Never Cry/ Jak najdalej stad.

1.473 Padma Awards announced on Republic Day

• Recently, Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, conferred by

President of India in three categories:

o ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service.

o ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order.

o ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.

• This year the President has approved conferment of 119 Padma Awards. The list comprises 7

Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri Awards.

o 29 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of

Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI, 16 Posthumous awardees and one transgender awardee.

1.474 H.S. Shivaprakash won the Ambikatanayadatta National Award

• Recently, Kannada Border Development Authority’s Chairman C. Somashekar presented the

Ambikatanayadatta National Award to H.S. Shivaprakash, a poet, critic and columnist.

• The award is instituted by the Da Ra Bendre National Memorial Trust and is given to eminent

writers.

1.475 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Media Awards

• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Media Awards were instituted by the SC-ST Development Department for

efficient reporting on SC-ST issues. The awards given are:

o Madhyamam chief sub-editor R.K. Bijuraj won the award in print category.

o Samakalika Malayalam weekly correspondent Rekha Chandra and Desabhimani senior

news editor Satheesh Gopi won the special jury award.

o Mathrubhumi News senior chief reporter G. Prasad Kumar won the award in television

reporting.

o Jeevan TV reporter Sijo Varghese and News 18 Kerala senior correspondent S. Vinesh

Kumar won the special jury award.

o Amrita from 90.4 FM won the award for radio reporting.

1.476 Mahatma Awards

• Recently, Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital and Research Institute (MGCHRI),

Visakhapatnam, bagged the “Mahatma Award” on the 73rd death anniversary of Mahatma

Gandhi for ‘social good in cancer care’ in recognition of its distinguished services in the field

of oncology.

About Mahatma Award:



• The Mahatma Award was founded by social entrepreneur and philanthropist Amit

Sachdeva. The award is hosted by Liveweek Group.

1.477 Four Young Women Fellows of National Science Academies awarded with SERB Women

Excellence Award

• The award was given by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body

of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) supporting basic research in the frontier

areas of science and engineering.

The four women scientists selected for the awards include –

• Dr. Shobhna Kapoor, Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

• Dr. Antara Banerjee, Scientist B from National Institute for Research In Reproductive Health,

Mumbai, Maharashtra

• Dr. Sonu Gandhi Scientist D from National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad

• Dr. Ritu Gupta, Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

1.478 PM Modi to receive CERAWeek global energy and environment leadership award

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek global energy and environment

leadership award.

• He will also deliver the virtual keynote address at the CERAWeek Conference-2021 to be

organised by IHS Markit.

1.479 Anjali Bhardwaj to be honoured with International Anti-corruption Champions Award

• The United States government will honour the Right to Information (RTI) activist Anjali

Bhardwaj with a new International Anti-corruption Champions Award.

• The award recognises individuals “who have worked tirelessly, often in the face of adversity,

to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries”.

• She is among 12 people who will be honoured with the award.

1.480 S Theodore Baskaran won Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020

• Recently, Sanctuary Nature Foundation has honored conservation hero S Theodore Baskaran

with Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020.

• He has been awarded for his role in wildlife conservation and his continuing legacy of writings

in Tamil and English.

1.481 10th National Awards for Technology Innovation in Petrochemicals & Downstream Plastics

Processing Industry (2019-20)

• Aim- To incentivize meritorious innovations and inventions in the field of polymeric materials,

products, process areas of national and social importance.

• The award have been given for:

o “Preparation and scale-up of Disentangled Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene: A

material 11 times stronger than steel” under the category of “Innovation in Polymeric

Materials”.

o “Indigenous development of polymer - ceramic based porous bed for separation of

mixed ion-exchange resins” under the category of “Innovation in Polymeric Products”.

o “Multi Colour / Material Injection Moulding Machine for Anti-Counterfeit article

production” under the category of “Innovation in Polymer Processing Machinery,

Equipments, Robotics & Automation”.



o “Development of bio-active, radiopaque, non-cytotoxic, bone cement based on a novel

in-situ polymerizable oligomer for orthopedic applications” under the category of

“Polymers in Medical and Pharmaceutical Applications”.

1.482 Bharat Biotech wins Genome Valley Excellence Award 2021

• Recently, Bharat Biotech has been bestowed with the Genome Valley Excellence Award 2021

for its “breakthrough, pioneering research, development and commercialisation of vaccines,

including COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin.

• Bio Asia’s Genome Valley Excellence Award 2021 was instituted by Government of Telangana

in 2004. It recognizes and honor eminent individuals and organizations for their contribution

to Life sciences research and public health.

Banking

1.483 ICICI Bank signs MoU with MUFG Bank

• Recently, the Indian private sector bank, ICICI bank has signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with Japan’s MUFG Bank for collaboration towards catering to the

banking requirements of Japanese corporates present in India.

• The MoU establishes a framework of partnership between the banks across various domains

including trade, investment, treasury, corporate and retail banking.

1.484 Indian Bank signs MoU with IISc arm for funding start-ups & MSMEs

• Recently, Indian Bank has entered into an MoU with Society for Innovation and Development

(SID), an initiative of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

• Aim- To extend exclusive credit facility to start-ups and MSMEs.

• The initiative is a part of the bank’s scheme “Ind Spring Board for financing Start-ups”.

• Additional information- Indian Bank had also recently launched “MSME Prerana” programme

to empower MSME entrepreneurs through skill development and capacity building workshops

in local languages.

1.485 Paypal to stop its domestic payment services in India

• Recently, the Digital payment solutions provider Paypal has announced to stop offering

domestic payment services within India from April 1.

• The US-based company will focus on enabling more international sales for Indian businesses.

1.486 Kotak Mahindra Bank launches Kotak Remit on mobile

• Kotak Mahindra Bank has recently launched its outward forex remittance service “Kotak

Remit” allowing its users to directly send money abroad from their phones.

• By entering transfer details and beneficiary details, customers can remit up to USD 25,000 or

equivalent per day and up to USD 250,000 or equivalent in a financial year through Kotak

Remit.

• Kotak Remit offers remittances in 15 currencies.

1.487 RBI put restrictions on withdrawals from Independence Co-operative Bank Limited, Nashik

• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put restrictions on withdrawals from

Independence Co-operative Bank Limited, Nashik because of the lender's present liquidity

position.



1.488 Bank of India acquired 49% stake each in BAIM and BATS

• Recently, Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved Bank of India's acquisition of 49%

stake each in BOI AXA Investment Managers (BAIM) and BOI AXA Trustee Services (BATS).

1.489 SBI launches ‘YONO Super Saving Days’ carnival

• Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the launch of its unique shopping carnival - ‘YONO Super Saving Days’ from February 4, 2021.

• The carnival was live till Feb 7 and offered an exclusive range of discounts and cashbacks to SBI's banking and lifestyle platform YONO's users.

• To offer an ultimate shopping delight to its over 34.5 million users during this shopping festival, YONO has partnered with some of the top merchants including Amazon, OYO, Pepperfry, Samsung, and Yatra.

1.490 Exim Bank to fund $130 million Maldives project

• India Exim Bank will provide funding of $130 million to finance 2,000 Housing units in

Maldives.

• The Exim Bank had exchanged a Letter of Intent with Fahi Dhiriulhan Corporation of Maldives

for the design and construction of 2,000 dwelling units in Hulhumale.

About Maldives-

• Capital: Malé

• Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa

1.491 Kotak Standard Multicap Fund renamed as Kotak Flexicap Fund

• Recently, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company renamed Kotak Standard Multicap

Fund as Kotak Flexicap Fund.

• This comes in line with SEBI's categorisation mandate where multicap funds had to invest at

least 25% of their corpus in large, mid and small cap stocks each.

• Flexicap funds, however, have to have a minimum of 65% of their assets in equity and equity-

related investments with no cap on how much should be invested in large, mid, or small caps.

1.492 SBI payments launched the YONO Merchant App

• Recently, SBI Payments, the Subsidiary of State Bank of India (SBI) has launched YONO (You

Only Need One) Merchant App to expand the digitization of merchant payments in the

country.

• It aims to enable millions of merchants to accept digital payments through mobile led

technology.

• The launch is in line with RBI’s recent announcement of creating a Payments Infrastructure

Development Fund (PIDF) to encourage acquirers to deploy Point of Sale (PoS) infrastructure

(both physical and digital) in lesser penetrated areas of the country.

Polity

1.493 President Ram Nath Kovind removes Kiran Bedi as Puducherry L-G

• Recently, President Ram Nath Kovind has removed Kiran Bedi as Lieutenant Governor of

Puducherry.

• Telangana Governor Tamilsai Soundararajan has been given additional charge to discharge

the functions of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry.



1.494 Mallikarjun Kharge to replace Ghulam Nabi Azad as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha

• Recently, Congress suggested veteran party leader Mallikarjun Kharge's (from Karnataka)

name as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha following the exit of another

veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad (from J&K).

1.495 Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah presided over the 69th meeting of the North East Council

(NEC) in Shillong

• Recently, Union Home Minister has chaired the 69th meeting of the North East Council (NEC)

in Shillong.

• He has informed about Bru-Reang Agreement

About Bru-Reang Agreement

• The agreement was signed between Union Government, Governments of Tripura and

Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives in 2020 to end the 23-year-old Bru-Reang refugee

crisis.

Highlights of the agreement

o Under the agreement, the center has announced a package of Rs. 600 crore.

o Bru tribes would be given land to reside in Tripura.

o A fixed deposit of Rs. 4 lakh will be given to each family as an amount of government aid.

They will be able to withdraw this amount after two years.

o Each family will be given Rs. 5,000 cash per month for two years.

o Each displaced family will also be given free ration for two years and aid of Rs. 1.5 lakh to

build their houses.

1.496 Parliament passes Port Authorities Bill,2020

• Recently, the Parliament has passed the Port Authorities Bill, 2020 and forwarded to the

President of India for his assent.

• The bill empowers Major Ports to perform with greater efficiency on account of full

autonomy in decision making and by modernizing the institutional framework.

• Aim: reorienting the governance model in central ports to landlord port model in line with the

successful global practices; decentralizing decision making and to infuse professionalism in

governance of major ports to promote port infrastructure and facilitate trade and commerce.

Key Features:

• Compact bill as compared to Major Port Trusts Act, 1963; number of sections reduced to 76

from 134.

• Proposal of a simplified composition of the Board of Port Authority comprising 11 to 13

members from the present 17 to 19 members representing various interests, to strengthen

decision making and strategic planning.

• Provision for inclusion of representatives of State Government where Major Port is situated,

Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and Customs, Department of Revenue as Members

in the Board apart from a Government Nominee Member and a Member representing the

employees of the Major Port Authority.



• The role of Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) has been redefined, where Port Authority

has now been given powers to fix tariff, as a reference tariff for purposes of bidding for PPP

projects; PPP operators can fix tariff- based on market conditions

• The Board of Port Authority has the power to fix the scale of rates for other port services

and assets including land.

• Proposal for creation of an Adjudicatory Board to carry out the residual function of the

erstwhile TAMP, address disputes between ports and PPP concessionaires, to review stressed

PPP projects and suggest review measures, to scrutinize complaints regarding services

rendered by the ports/ private operators operating within the ports.

• Boards of Port Authority provided with full powers to enter into contracts, planning and

development, fixing of tariff except in national interest, security and emergency arising out

of inaction and default.

• The Board of each Major Port shall be entitled to create specific master plan in respect of

any development or infrastructure; whereas in the MPT Act, 1963 prior approval of the

Central Government was required in 22 instances.

• Provisions of CSR & development of infrastructure by Port Authority have been introduced.

• Provision for safeguarding the pay & allowances and service conditions including pensionary

benefits of the employees of major ports.

1.497 Parliament gives nod to Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2021

• Recently, the Lok Sabha has given nod to Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2021

to replace Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) ordinance issued in November, 2020

that enabled certain arbitral awards to be “unconditionally stayed”.

• The bill contains provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration and defines

law for conducting conciliation proceedings.

• Objective: to make India a Domestic/International Arbitration hub & simplify arbitration

process.

Key Amendments:

• Deletion of the 8th Schedule of the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996, that dealt with the

qualification/ experience of arbitrators.

• Deletion of the 8th Schedule will enable foreign practitioners to act as arbitrators in India-

seated arbitrations.

• Amendments to Section 36(3): if the award is given for an agreement based on fraud or

corruption, then the court will not impose a condition to stay the award and grant an

unconditional stay during the pendency of the appeal if it has been challenged under Section

34 of the Arbitration law

• The changes to the law are made effective from 23rd October 2015.

About Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996:

• It regulates domestic arbitration in India; amended in 2015.

1.498 PM chairs 36th PRAGATI Meeting

• Recently, the Prime Minister of India has chaired the 36th Pro-Active Governance and Timely

Implementation (PRAGATI) meeting.



Key Highlights:

• Ten agenda items taken up for review including eight projects, grievance relating to one

scheme and one programme.

• Details of the 8 projects reviewed:

o Cumulative Cost: Rs 44,545 crores

o Total states involved: 12

o Ministries involved- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (3 projects) , Ministry

of Railways (2), Ministry of Power (1) , Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (1) and

Ministry of Home Affairs (1).

• Programme for elimination of single use plastic was reviewed

• Grievances related to Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana were taken up.

• Total Cost of projects reviewed under previous 35 PRAGAT interactions: Rs 13.60 lakh crores.

Note: India aims to eliminate single-use plastics (SUPs) by 2022.

About PRAGATI:

• Launch Year : 2015

• It is a multipurpose/ multimodal/ interactive platform.

• Aim: addressing common man’s grievances, and simultaneous monitoring/ reviewing

important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by

State Governments.

Social Issues

1.499 FDI inflows in food processing sector increased to USD 904.7 Million in 2019-20

• According to a recent data shared by the MoS, Ministry of Food Processing Industries

(MoFPI), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in food processing sector increased from

USD 628.24 Million in 2018-19 to USD 904.7 Million in 2019-20.


• 100% FDI is permitted under the automatic route in the food-processing sector.

• MoFPI has set up a dedicated Investment Facilitation Cell with Invest India to facilitate all

investment interests received in the food processing sector.

Relevance:

• As per the World Investment Report 2020 of United Nations Conference on Trade and

Development (UNCTAD), India’s position among top economies attracting FDI inflows

improved to 9th position in 2019 from 12th in 2018.

• India received highest ever FDI inflows of USD 74.39 billion (provisional) during 2019-20.

• Total FDI inflow during April-November 2020: USD 58.37 billion.

1.500 Eradication of Tuberculosis

• Recently, the Mos, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has shared the measures taken by

the government to eradicate Tuberculosis from India.


• The National Strategic Plan (NSP) (2017-25) with the goal of Ending TB by 2025.

• Under the NSP 20%, 22% and 24% of the funds, earmarked for social welfare assistance in

years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively.



• Key activities under National TB Elimination Programme:

o Rs 750 provided to all TB patients in tribal notified blocks towards travel support.

o Treatment Supporters’ honorarium - provided to Community treatment Supporters

leading to a successful outcome @ Rs.1000 for Drug Sensitive TB, Rs 2000 for

completion of Intensive Phase and Rs.3000 on completion of Continuation Phase of

treatment for Drug Resistant TB.

• Key Schemes:

o Nikshay Poshan Yojana: Rs 500 per month provided to All TB patients for nutritional

support during treatment period,

o Incentives for Private sector Providers notifying TB patient on Nikshay are provided

Rs. 500 on notification and another Rs.500 for updating the patient’s treatment

outcome.

• Creation of an Inter-Ministerial Coordination committee under the chairpersonship of

Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) with representation from 18 Ministries for smooth

linkages between the TB programme and various ministries.

1.501 Medical Research for Treatment of Infectious Disease

• Recently, the MoS, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has briefed about the various

initiatives taken by the GoI to promote Medical Research for the treatment of Infectious

diseases.

Key Initiatives:

• Grant-in-aid scheme for Inter-sectoral Coverage & Coordination for Promotion and Guidance

on Health Research

• Human Resource Development for Health Research to create talented health research

personnel by their upgrading skills.

• Establishment of Network of Laboratories for Managing Epidemics and Natural Calamities

through establishment of Viral Research & Diagnostics Laboratories across India.

• Establishment of Multi-Disciplinary Research Units (MRUs) in Government Medical

Colleges/Institutes to strengthen medical research in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

• Establishment of Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRUs) in States, near the PHCs/CHCs

to undertake medical research, to transfer technology to the rural level for improving quality

of health services.

• Health Technology Assessment in India (HTAIn): to provide evidence based guidelines on

cost-effectiveness of technologies, to provide access to quality healthcare at affordable cost.

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) & its 26 research institutes, are engaged in

Medical/Health research and funding of extra-mural research projects.



1.502 Government Policy for Child Nutrition

• Recently, the MoS, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has briefed about the various

policies and initiatives by the GoI to promote child nutrition.

Key Schemes:

• Anganwadi Services under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)

scheme, by the Ministry of Women and Child Development:

• Supplementary Nutrition is provided to the different categories of beneficiaries under ICDS:

• All children from Classes, I-VIII in Government &Government-Aided Schools, Special Training

Centres including Madarsas and Maqtabs, supported under Samagra Shiksha are covered

under Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS).

Key initiatives:

• To ensure safe and wholesome food for school children India (FSSAI) has notified Food Safety

and Standards (Safe food and balanced diets for children in school) Regulations, 2020.

• Rashtriya POSHAN Maah - celebrated annually in September, to create awareness about

nutritious healthy food.

• POSHAN Pakhwada - celebrated annually during 8th to 22nd March from 2019, to celebrate

the anniversary of POSHAN Abhiyaan.

• “Eat Right School” campaign by the FSSAI, to create awareness about ‘Eating Healthy’ ‘Eating

Safe’ and ‘Eating Sustainably ‘.

1.503 Maternal Mortality Rate

• According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) report by Registrar General of India (RGI)

for the last three years, Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has reduced from 130 per

100,000 live births in SRS 2014-16 to 122 in SRS 2015-17 and to 113 per 100,000 live births in

SRS 2016-18.

Key Findings:

• Top 3 States with High Maternal Mortality Rate:

o 2014-16: Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan

o 2015-17: Assam Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh

o 2016-18: Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh (173)

• Top 3 States With Low Maternal Mortality Rate:



o 2014-16: Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu



1.504 Social Security Schemes for Tea Garden Workers

• Recently, the MoS (I/C), Ministry of Labour and Employment has briefed about the various

measures taken by the government for the welfare of Tea Garden Workers.

Key Highlights:

• Government subsumed the Plantation Labour (PL) Act, 1951 in the Labour Code on

Occupational, Safety, Health and Working Conditions, 2020 and Social Security Code, 2020.

• The Code on Social Security 2020 envisages the option to plantation owners to enroll its

workers as member of ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation) to avail various social

security benefits like medical and sickness benefits, unemployment allowance, maternity

benefit etc.

• Plantation Commodity Boards under their respective schemes during Medium Term

Framework (MTF) period are also extending welfare measures to the plantation workers.

Background:

• The Plantations Labour (PL) Act, 1951 regulates the workplace conditions in plantations and

provide welfare for plantation labourers.

• The act envisages employers to provide social security benefits to labourers and provisions

for educational facilities, drinking water, canteens, etc in and around tea estates.

• Implemented through State Governments.

• Temporary workers are provided the benefits as applicable under the Acts- Employees

Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Act 1952, the Payment of Gratuity Act 1972, the

Employees Compensation Act 1923, etc.

1.505 Government proposes to develop National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW)

• Recently, the MoS (I/C), Ministry of Labour and Employment has informed about the

Government’s proposal to National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW)- a

comprehensive database of the unorganized workers and migrant workers.

• Seeded with Aadhar, it will have details like name, occupation, address, occupation type,

educational qualification, skill types and family details etc. of the migrant works for optimum

realization of their employability and extending social security schemes.

Relevance:

• In November 2020, Ministry of Finance approved the proposal to set up National Database

of Unorganized Workers (NDUW), at an estimated cost around Rs 650 crores.

1.506 National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme

• Recently, the MoS (I/C), Ministry of Labour and Employment has briefed about the National

Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme for rehabilitation of child labour in India.

Key Highlights:

• The NCLP Project Societies headed by District Magistrate/Collector, are required to conduct

survey within 3 years since the last survey.

• Amount provided by GoI per survey, per district: Rs. 4.00 Lakh



• Children in the age group of 9-14 years, rescued are enrolled in the NCLP Special Training

Centres (STCs), and provided with bridge education, vocational training, mid-day meal,

stipend health care, etc. before enrolling into formal education system.

• Stipend increased from Rs 150 to Rs 400 per month, per child in 2017.

• In 2017, M/o Labour and Employment has increased the honorarium paid to the volunteers:

o Volunteer Training (Initial) – from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per volunteer training

o Volunteer Training (Refresher) – from Rs 150 to Rs 200 per volunteer training

• Mandatory use of Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour PENCil Portal-for

effective implementation of the scheme.

• As per the information from PENCiL Portal, In India there are, at present:

o 76 active District Project Societies

o 2422 Special training centres.

About PENCiL Portal:

Launch Year September 2017

Ministry Ministry of Labour and Employment

Aim • Involving Centre, State, District, Governments, civil society and the

general public in achieving the target of child labour free society.

Components • Child Tracking System

• Complaint Corner

• State Government

• National Child Labour Project and Convergence

Features • District Nodal Officers (DNOs) will be nominated by the Districts who

will receive the complaints.

• The genuineness of the complaint will be checked within 48 hours

from the receipt of the complaint and indulge in rescue measures with

the help of police dept.

1.507 Administrative measures for providing Life Certificate with ease

• Recently, the MoS, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions has briefed about

the various administrative measures undertaken by the GoI for providing Life Certificate

with ease the old age pensioners.


• For the benefit of pensioners aged 80 years and above, an exclusive window from 1st October

2020 has been provided to avoid the general rush from the opening date 1st November 2020.

• “DLC from home campaign” expanded to 24 cities and continued up to 2021, with the help

of Registered Pensioners’ Associations.

• Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare started “Door step Delivery” of Digital Life

Certificates in collaboration with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), through the huge network

of Postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks in November 2020.

• Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare entered into alliance comprising 12 Public

Sector Banks involved in “Doorstep Banking” in 100 major cities under Ease of banking

reforms, enabling the introduction of collection of Life Certificates under the umbrella of

Doorstep Banking.



• IRIS enabled devices have been provided by this department to Pensioners’ Associations to

authenticate Digital/Life Certificates.

• Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare has directed Banks to resort to Video based

Customer Identification Process for obtaining a Life Certificate within the guidelines of RBI,

to avoid using bio-metric enabled devices

About “DLC from home campaign”:

• Initiated by Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare in 2018 in 7 cities through

Pensioners’ Associations.

• Objective: to extend support to aged and infirm pensioners in submission of Life Certificate

digitally from home.

1.508 Average dropout rate of girls recorded at 17.3% at secondary level in 2018-19:

• According to a recent data released by the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, the

average dropout rate of girls was 17.3% at the secondary education level and 4.74% at the

elementary level in 2018-19.

Key Findings:

• Average annual dropout rate of girls:

FY Secondary

Education (%)

Elementary

Level (%)

2014-15 17.79 4.3

2015-16 16.88 4.09

2016-17 19.81 6.34

2017-18 18.39 4.1

• During 2014 to 2019 Karnataka, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura recorded high

drop-out rates among girls.

• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights registered 111 complaints of child

marriage during 2020.

1.509 Budgetary Allocations to Health Sector increased to Rs. 2,23,846 cr

• Recently, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that “The Union Budget 2021-22 is a ‘Bold Budget’ and a

‘Health Budget’ where the total allocation to Health Sector has increased to Rs. 2,23,846 cr

from Rs. 94,452 cr the previous year (BE 2020-21).

• There has been a consistently increasing trend in the budgetary allocation and expenditure in the health sector over the years as depicted in the bar graph below:

• The Health Minister pointed to the Government’s commitment to strengthen the fight

against COVID19 throughout the previous year through consistent allocation of funds. The

actual expenditure related to Covid-19 has been Rs. 9683.52 crore

• With an outlay of Rs. 64,180 crore over 6 years, the newly announced centrally sponsored

Scheme PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana will develop capacities of primary, secondary

and tertiary care, strengthen delivery health care systems, develop institutions for detection

& cure of new and emerging diseases and strengthen the existing

• The Pradhan Mantri AtmaNirbhar Swasthya Bharat Yojana will give a tremendous boost to

India’s public health infrastructure.



1.510 NABARD to install more sanitary pad making machines under “My Pad My Right” Project

• Recently, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) announced its

plans to install more sanitary pad making machines in an effort to enhance the livelihood of

needy women under “My Pad My Right” project.

About “My Pad My Right” Project

• The “My Pad My Right” project is a pan India initiative launched by Union Minister for

Women and Child Development Smriti Irani in October, 2020 to create awareness among

women on menstrual hygiene.

• It aims to empower two million women and create livelihood opportunities for thousands

of them.

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the Nabfoundation

and Coimbatore-based Jayaashree Industries came together for this project.

• Jayaashree Industries will install the machines and train the women, who can, in turn, train

others. The pad-making units, like cottage industries, will provide livelihood opportunities to

women. This will spread awareness and empower them.

1.511 27.37% prison inmates in India are illiterate

• Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has released the prison statistics compiled by the

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), updated till December 2019.

Key Findings:

• State with maximum number of prisoners – Uttar Pradesh.

• Out of 4,78,600 prison inmates, 1,32,729 (27.37%) are illiterate.

• Around 5,677 inmates (1.18%) are techies, holding a technical degree or diploma.

• Education

o 41.55 % are educated below class 10 level.

o 21.52% studied beyond class 10 but below graduate level.

o 6.31% were graduates

o 1.68% were post graduates.

• State wise, Uttar Pradesh, houses the maximum prison inmates, who are:

o Illiterate, educated up till class 10, beyond class 10 but below graduation, graduates,

post graduates, techies.

1.512 West Bengal CM launches ‘Maa’ Scheme

• Recently, the Chief Minister of West Bengal has launched the 'Maa' scheme to provide meals

at a nominal cost to poor people.

Key Features:

• Total Outlay: Rs 100 crores; Government will bear subsidy of Rs 15/plate.

• A platter of rice, dal, a vegetable and egg curry will be provided for Rs 5/-.

Other Initiatives by West Bengal Government:

• Didir Rannaghar launched in September 2020 to provide meals at Rs 5 to migrant workers.

• Duare Sarkar (government at doorsteps) programme launched during December 2020 to

February 2021 to deliver govt. schemes via camps organized at gram panchayat/ municipal

ward level.



1.513 West Bengal CM inaugurates study on the creative economy around Durga Puja festival 2019

• Recently, the Chief Minister of West Bengal has inaugurated a study on the creative economy

around Durga Puja festival 2019 commissioned by the British Council on behalf of the state

department of tourism.

Key Finding:

• The worth of the creative economy during Durga puja in 2019- Rs 32,377 crores (2.58% of

GSDP).

1.514 Union Health Minister launches Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0

• Recently, Union Health Minister has launches Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0.

Key Highlights

• It has been rolled out to cover children and pregnant women who missed routine

immunisation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

• It will have two rounds starting from February 22 and March 22, 2021 and will be conducted

in pre-identified 250 districts/urban areas across 29 States/UTs in India.

• Districts have been classified to reflect 313 low risk; 152 as medium risk; and 250 as high risk

districts.

• Objective: To reach the unreached population with all the available vaccines under Universal

Immunisation Programme (UIP) and thereby accelerate the full immunization and complete

immunization coverage of children and pregnant women.

• Coverage:

o It will have two rounds this year which will be conducted in 250 pre-identified

districts/urban areas across 29 States/UTs.

o The districts have been classified to reflect 313 low risk, 152 medium risk and 250 high risk

districts.

• Beneficiaries from migration areas and remote areas would be targeted as they may have

missed their vaccine doses during the pandemic.

1.515 Union Education Minister chairs the 54th Meeting of the Council of IITs

• Recently, the Union Education Minister has chaired the 54th Meeting of the Council of Indian

Institutes of Technology (IITs) & hoped that IITs will strive to achieve the global rankings by

2022.

Key Highlights:

• Committee headed by Dr K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Standing Committee for IIT Council

constituted to suggest recruitment of faculties in IITs (Industry interaction and mobility of

faculty).

• Based on recommendations of the Chairman of Standing Committee for IIT Council, four

Working Groups were constituted on the following issues related to NEP-2020:

o Graded Autonomy, Empowered and accountable BoG and Director

o Grooming distinguished academics for directorship of IITs

o Reform and restructuring of the Academic Senate

o Innovative funding mechanisms.



• Proposal to develop an Institute Development Plan under National Educational Policy 2020

to improve the mobility of faculty between institution and Industry, to promote

collaborations between industry and academia

• IITs to adopt ‘One IIT – One Thrust area’ based on local needs.

• Leveraging Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Cloud Computing for

digital transformation of IITs.

• Proposal to constitute a working group to review use of technology at all IITs and to

undertake rationalization of staff from current standards to a lower number.

• Proposal to organize Online IIT R&D fair to showcase the research work by IITs.

1.516 Union Health Minister addresses ‘Population versus Planet’ Conference

• Recently, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has addressed the ‘Population

versus Planet’ Conference, part of a year-long campaign called 'Mission Sustainability:

Population vs. Planet'.

• Conference and Campaign Organizer: WION, in partnership with Mobius Foundation & ZEE

media.


• India's population increased from 1 billion in 1800, 36 crore in 1951 to 121.02 crore in 2011

to 7.8 billion, at present.

• Crude birth rate: 40.8 per 1000 in 1951 declined to 20.0 in 2018.

• Total Fertility Rate (TFR): 6.0 in 1951 to 2.2 in 2015-16.

• Death rate - declined from 7 in 2012 to 6.2 in 2018.

• Family Planning Logistics Management and Information system- developed under the Digital

India initiative for ensuring last mile availability of the contraceptives.

• Provision of modern contraceptive access to 14.2 Crore beneficiaries and thus averting 5.6

Crore unintended pregnancies, 18.6 lakh unsafe abortion and 30 thousand maternal deaths

in 2019.

• Population projection for India and States 2011-2036, released in July 2020, indicates that

the TFR is expected to decline from 2.37 during 2011-2015 to 1.73 during 2031-35.

• The population in the age group 15-24 years is projected to decline from 233 million in 2011

to 227 million in 2036.

• Working age population is expected to increase from 61% in 2011 to 65% in 2036.

• India is adding 12 million people to the working age population each year.

• Teenage marriages reduced from 47% to 26.8% and teenage fertility from 16% to 7%.

• Govt. ensures inclusive growth for all through Aspirational Districts Program where Health,

Nutrition and Education forms important pillars.

Relevance:

• According to NFHS-5, 20 out of 22 States, so far showed an increase in modern contraceptive

use; 21 showed a decline in unmet needs for contraception & 19 states showed a decline in

fertility.

• India to achieve the replacement Total Fertility Rate with 28 out of 36 states & UTs, having

already achieved the replacement Total fertility rate of 2.1.



• India joined Family Planning 2020 partnership in 2012, and added more than 1.5 crore

additional users for modern contraceptives thereby increasing the use to 55%.

• In July 2017, under FP2020 goals, India committed to invest USD$3 billion by 2020.

• Two new contraceptives, Injectable Medroxy Progesterone Acetate (MPA) and Centchroman,

added in the National contraceptive basket.

1.517 India’s first digital university inaugurated

• Recently, The Governor of Kerala has inaugurated India’s first Digital University in the state.

• It has been named as “Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (Digital

University)” and is established by upgrading the Indian Institute of Information Technology

and Management Kerala (IIITM-K).

• It has been started with five schools covering science, technology and humanities aspects of

the Digital world

o School of Computer Science and Engineering

o School of Digital Sciences

o School of Electronic Systems and Automation

o School of Informatics

o School of Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts

1.518 Uttarakhand Government gave co-ownership rights to women in their husband’s ancestral

property

• Recently, the Uttarakhand government has brought an ordinance giving co-ownership rights

to women in their husband's ancestral property. The ordinance has been brought keeping in

view large-scale migration of men from the hill areas of the state in search of livelihood.

• The ordinance aims to provide economic independence to women who are left behind and

have to depend on agriculture to sustain themselves.

1.519 UN Secretary General urged G20 nations to set up a task force for a Global Vaccination Plan

against Covid-19

• Recently, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed that the

Group of 20 (G20) set up an emergency task force to prepare a "Global Vaccination Plan"

against Covid-19.

• The world urgently needs a Global Vaccination Plan to bring together all those with the

required power, scientific expertise as well as production and financial capacities, to ensure

the equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines in countries affected by conflict and insecurity.

• This task force should include all countries capable of developing vaccines or to produce

them if licenses are available, together with global vaccination organisations, other relevant

technical organisations and international financial institutions.

1.520 NITI Aayog prepared a draft national migrant labor policy

• Recently, NITI Aayog, along with a working subgroup of officials and members of civil society,

has prepared a draft national migrant labour policy.

• Key Points mentioned in draft:



o The draft describes two approaches to policy design: one focussed on cash transfers,

special quotas, and reservations; the other includes enhancement of the capabilities of

the community.

o Institutional mechanisms to increase coordination between Ministries, states, and local

departments to implement programmes for migrants.

o It identifies the Ministry of Labour and Employment as the nodal Ministry for

implementation of policies, and asks it to create a special unit to help converge the

activities of other Ministries.

o The draft recommends steps to curb migration.

o The draft calls for a central database to help employers fill the gap between demand and

supply” and ensure.

o It asks the Ministries and the Census office to be consistent with the definitions of

migrants and subpopulations, capture seasonal and circular migrants, and incorporate

migrant-specific variables in existing surveys.

o The policy draft describes a lack of administrative capacity to handle issues of

exploitation.

• Specific recommendations

o The draft asks the Ministries of Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, and Housing and

Urban Affairs to use Tribal Affairs migration data to help create migration resource

centres in high migration zones.

o It asks the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to focus on skill-building

at these centres.

o The Ministry of Education should take measures under the Right to Education Act to

mainstream migrant children’s education, to map migrant children, and to provide local-

language teachers in migrant destinations.

o The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs should address issues of night shelters, short-

stay homes, and seasonal accommodation for migrants in cities.

o The National Legal Services authority (NALSA) and Ministry of Labour should set up

grievance handling cells and fast track legal responses for trafficking, minimum wage

violations, and workplace abuses and accidents for migrant workers.

1.521 Odisha CM launches various initiatives of state WCD and Mission Shakti Dept

• Recently, Chief Minister of Odisha has launched various initiatives in pursuit of the Odisha

government's 5T (Teamwork, Technology, Transparency, Time leading to Transformation)

mantra.

• He has also signed between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Regional

Medical Research Centre (RMRC) to conduct an annual nutrition survey.

Key Initiatives launched

• 'Mo-Chhatua App' for streamlining supply chain management of Take Home Ration (Chhatua)

• e-Kalika – for monitoring creches for children under three.

• 'Mo Sishu portal', comprehensive web-based information management and monitoring

system exclusively for child protection services



• 'MAMATA App & MIS', making the flagship conditional cash transfer benefit scheme for

pregnant women hassle-free, paperless and citizen centric.

• 'e-manadeya' portal – For seamless, paperless transfer of honorarium to 1, 34,758 Anganwadi

workers, mini Anganwadi workers and helpers.

1.522 Manipal Technologies to help UP rural women to provide banking services

• Recently, The Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM) has engaged Manipal

Technologies Limited (MTL) to train and onboard 8,000 women from self-help groups (SHGs)

as banking correspondent (BC) Sakhis.

• It has been a part of UPSRLM’s mission to train and onboard around 58,000 rural women as

BC Sakhis or banking agents across 75 districts of the state, out of which 8,000 will be trained

and onboarded by MTL.

• These Sakhis will be the change-agent to deploy the use of digital payments in rural India and

offer several new services at the doorsteps.

• It will be provided specific training along with an integrated PoS (point-of-sale) device, cash

box, fake-currency detector device etc. to deliver seamless banking services in her village.

Relevance

• Under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) initiative, each BC Sakhi will receive

financial support of Rs 24,000 for the first six months.

• The initiative by NRLM is a big step towards empowering local women to provide banking and

other digital payment services in village gram panchayat so that villagers do not need to travel

long distances to access basic banking and payment services.

1.523 Andhra govt to provide Rs 15,000 to upper-caste women under EBC Nestham scheme

• Recently, Andhra government has announced Economically Backward Classes (EBCs)

Nestham scheme to provide Rs 15,000 as financial assistance per annum to women in the

age group of 45-60 from Economically Backward Classes (EBCs).

• The women would belongto upper castes such as Brahmin, Vysya, Velama, Kshatriya,

Kamma, Reddy, and Muslims among others on the lines of Kapu Nestham and YSR Cheyutha.

• Allocation – Rs 670 crore and for the next three years.

1.524 State of School Feeding Worldwide Report 2020 released by WFP

• Recently, the State of School Feeding Worldwide report 2020 was published by United

Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

• A report on the State of School Feeding Worldwide was first published by WFP in 2013.

• It describes key aspects of coverage, implementation practices and costs of school-based

health and nutrition programmes worldwide.

• It described the impact of COVID-19 on school feeding around the world and presents what

can be done to restore this global safety net.

Findings of the report:

• One in two schoolchildren, or 388 million children worldwide, were receiving school meals

when the pandemic struck. By April 2020, 199 countries had closed their schools and 370

million children were suddenly deprived of what for many was their only nutritious meal of

the day.

• Over 90% of funds for school feeding programmes come from domestic funds.



• 80% of countries have a school feeding policy.

An Analysis of 2013 and 2020 report:

• The number of children receiving school meals grew by 9 percent globally and 36 percent in

low-income countries, as governments expanded their programmes and made school

feeding the world's most extensive social safety net.

• The proportion of countries that have a school feeding policy increased from 20 percent to

75 percent.

• Over the same period, low-income country governments have also increased their budgets:

the share of domestic funding in overall spending for school feeding increased from 17

percent to 28 percent, reducing reliance on international donors.

• The proportion of schoolchildren receiving meals in low income countries increased from

13 percent to 20 percent over the same period.

• In middle and high-income countries, school feeding programmes are almost universally

supported through domestic funds, with overall domestic investment exceeding 95 percent

of total costs.

• The median cost of school feeding remains unchanged in 2020 at US$57 per child per year.

Data indicate a cost of US$55 (up from US$50 in 2013) in low-income countries and US$41

(down from US$46) in lower middle-income countries

1.525 Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addresses the British Association of Physicians

of Indian Origin (BAPIO) Wales Annual Conference on India’s success in battling COVID-19

• Recently, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has addressed the British Association

of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) Wales at their Annual Conference.

• His talk has been titled as “COVID in India- A success story.”

• He has informed that Prime Minister has released the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the world’s

largest vaccination drive in which 35,00,027 Health Care Workers have been vaccinated across

more than 68,000 sessions on first day.

1.526 Union Education Minister addresses the inaugural ceremony of the ASEAN India Hackathon

• Recently, Union Education Minister has addressed the inaugural ceremony of the ASEAN

India Hackathon.

• Organized by - Ministry of Education in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs.



• Implemented by - The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with the support of

nodal agencies from all ten ASEAN countries

• Two broad themes - of “Blue Economy” and “Education”

• It has been enactment of six fundamental virtues of our civilisation: Respect, Dialogue,

Cooperation, Peace, Prosperity and Innovation.

Key Initiatives Taken by India for boosting ties with ASEAN nations

• Indian universities like IIT-Delhi and Tezpur University host students from our ASEAN partner

countries.

• The Government of India has launched 1000 ASEAN PhD Fellowships exclusively for ASEAN

citizens.

1.527 India celebrates the National Girl Child Day

• Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has celebrated the annual National

Girl Child day to mark the anniversary of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) sche

• Objective for 2021: Raising awareness on the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR)

About National Girl Child Day:

• Launched in 2008, by the Ministry of Women and Child Development

• Celebrated annually on 24th January.

• Aim: to promote awareness about the rights of the girl child; to increase awareness on the

importance of girl’s education, health and nutrition.5

Key Highlights:

• #DeshKiBeti – twitter campaign to celebrate the accomplishments of women in various fields.

• Various campaigns organized under Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save the girl child, Educate the

girl child) Scheme.

Important Women Centric Initiatives taken by Various Ministries

Ministry of Education:

• “Gender Inclusion Fund” constituted under National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 to focus on

ensuring 100% enrollment of girls in schooling, participation rate in higher education, decrease

gender gaps, practice gender equity, inclusion in society, etc.

• Samagra Shiksha- an Integrated Scheme for School Education (ISSE): Bridging gender and

social category gaps at all levels of school education is one of the major objectives of the

scheme. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) sanctioned in Educationally Backward

Blocks (EBBs).

1.528 Union Health Minister addresses “Family Planning 2020” event

• Recently, the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare has addressed the event “Family

Planning 2020: Celebrating Progress, Transforming for the future”, to celebrate Family

Planning 2020 (FP2020) partnership & release the Annual Progress Report for 2019-20.


• India - one of the first countries to formulate a National Family Planning Program in 1952.

• India achieved Family Planning 2020 goal with adoption of modern contraceptive use

estimated at 55%.

• More than USD 3 billion invested by 2020 for strengthening Family Planning services.



• Mission Parivar Vikas launched in 2017 to stabilize population in high fertility districts.

• Contraceptives baskets enhanced with the addition of injectables and the drug ‘Centchroman’

and 4 million doses of injectables administered cumulatively so far.

• More than 10 million pregnant women benefiting from Post-partum Intra-uterine

contraceptive device.

• Government targets reduce the unmet need for contraception by 2030.

• Overall Vision: Every child is wanted, every birth is safe, and every girl and woman is treated

with dignity.

About FP 2020 partnership:

• An outcome of the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning.

• Aim: To enable 120 million more women and girls to use contraceptives by 2020.

1.529 Budget announcements for Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

• Recently, in Union Budget 2021-22, Rs. 10517.62 Crore as against the outlay of Rs. 8207.56

Crore approved for the revised Budget Plan 2020-21 for the department of Social Justice and

Empowerment.

Key announcements:

• 76% of annual budget is allocated for States under Centrally Sponsored Schemes for FY22.

• Allocation for Welfare of Scheduled Castes for all Ministries increased by 51.65% from

around Rs 83256 crores in FY21 to Rs 126259 crores in FY22.

• Sector wise breakup:

• 31 schemes implemented till 2020-21, restructured into 19 schemes.

• Central Govt. funds allocated for Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Castes increased by

5 times; Budget allocation: Rs 35,219 crores till 2025-2026.

1.530 Union Budget proposes to set up 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership with NGOs/private

schools/states

• Recently, Union Budget for 2021-22 has proposed to set up 100 new Sainik Schools in India

to provide schooling opportunities in ‘CBSE Plus’ type of educational environment in

partnership with NGOs/private.



• Aim – To prepare children academically, physically and mentally for entry into the National

Defence Academy and to develop qualities of body, mind and character which will enable the

young boys to become good and useful citizens.

• All 100 schools have been proposed to be affiliated to Sainik Schools Society.

• From the academic session 2021-22, girl candidates have also been made eligible for admission

to Class VI in all 33 (at present) Sainik Schools.

1.531 Centre announces Rs 50,000 crores for National Research Foundation

• Recently, in the Union Budget 2021-22, the Union Finance Minister has announced new

initiatives to promote the holistic development of research ecosystem in India.

Key Announcements:

• Rs 1,500 crores proposed to boost digital payments.

• National Language Translation Mission (NTLM) to digitise governance-and-policy related

knowledge on the Internet and be made available in major Indian languages.

About National Research Foundation (NRF):

• Initially proposed in Union Budget 2019-20.

• NRF will fund research projects across four major disciplines: Sciences, Technology, Social

Sciences, Arts & Humanities.

1.532 Task force to examine age of marriage to women

• Recently, the Union Minister of Women and Child development has informed that a task

force has been created to identify the correct age of marriage and motherhood to women.

Key Highlights:

• The task force will examine correlation of age of marriage and motherhood with:

o Health, medical well-being and nutritional status of mother and neonate/ infant/ child,

during pregnancy, birth and thereafter.



o key parameters like Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Total

Fertility Rate (TFR), Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB), Child Sex Ratio (CSR) etc

o Any other relevant points pertaining to health and nutrition in this context.

Background

• In June 2020, Jaya Jaitley task force has been set up by the Ministry of Women and Child

Development to relook the marriage age of women.

1.533 Measures for Population Control

• Recently, the MoS, Health and Family Welfare, has briefed about the various measures taken

by the Government of India for population control.

Key Highlights:

• National Population Policy: formulated in 2000; objective: attaining population stabilisation

by 2045. Various Initiatives under National Population Policy are:

o New Contraceptive Choices: comprising Condoms, combined oral contraceptive pills,

etc. and sterilization expanded with inclusion of two new contraceptives- Injectable

contraceptive (Antara programme) and Centchroman (Chhaya).

o Post-partum Intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) incentive scheme.

o Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors

o National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS)

o Family Planning Logistics Management Information System (FP-LMIS): software to

ensure smooth forecasting, procurement and distribution of family planning

commodities.

o Mission Parivar Vikas: substantial increase in access to contraceptives and family

planning services in 7 high focus states having TFR of more than 3, viz, Uttar Pradesh,

Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Assam.

o Scheme for Home Delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs at doorstep.

o Scheme for provision of Pregnancy Testing Kits in the drug kits of ASHA.

• National Family Planning Programme provides technical support and guidance to states to

implement National Population Policy 2000.

• Schemes to promote private sector partnership in family planning services:

o Accreditation/ Empanelment of private facilities/providers.

o Clinical Outreach Teams (COT) Scheme: provides family planning services through

mobile teams from accredited organizations in remote and underserved areas in the

Mission Parivar Vikas states.

1.534 High Level Committee under Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah approves

Rs. 1,751.05 crore of additional Central Assistance to five States

• Recently, High Level Committee (HLC) under the Chairmanship of the Union Home Minister

has approved additional Central assistance of Rs. 1,751.05 crore to the five States from the

National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), which were affected by floods/ landslides during

South-West monsoon 2020 and hailstorm during Rabi 2019-20.

• The assistance has been provided to the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha,

Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.



1.535 Percentage of school students owning a smartphone increased from 36.5% in 2018 to 61.8%

in 2020 in Rural India: Economic Survey

• Recently, Economic Survey 2020-21 while quoting Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)

2020 Wave-1 (Rural) released in October 2020 has stated that the percentage of enrolled

children from government and private schools owning a smartphone has increased

enormously from 36.5 per cent in 2018 to 61.8 per cent in 2020 in rural India.

• It has also highlighted several initiatives taken by government to make education accessible to

children.

o Manodarpan

o PRAGYATA Guidelines

o PM eVIDYA

Key Highlights

• According to U-DISE 2018-19, the physical infrastructure of more than 9.72 lakh government

elementary schools has improved.

o Out of these, 90.2 per cent have girls’ toilet, 93.7 per cent have boys’ toilet, 95.9 per cent

have provision of drinking water facility, 82.1 per cent have wash (drinking water, toilet

and hand wash) facility, 84.2 per cent have medical check-up facility, 20.7 per cent have

computer and 67.4 per cent have electricity Connection and 74.2 per cent have ramps

among other essential services.

• The Survey has also stated that India has attained a literacy level of almost 96 per cent at the

elementary school level.

• According to the National Sample Survey (NSS), the literacy rate of persons of age 7 years

and above at the All-India level stood at 77.7 per cent.

1.536 Senior Citizens to be exempted from Filing Tax Return

• Recently, in the Union Budget 2021-22, the Union Finance Minister has announced various

measures to simplify the Tax Administration, Litigation Management and ease the

compliance of Direct Tax Administration.

Key Proposals:

• Senior Citizens above 75 years of age, having only pension & interest Income exempted from

Filing Tax Return.

• Proposal to pay dividend to Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) / Infrastructure investment

trusts (InvIT) exempt from Tax Deducted at Source (TDS).

• Deduct tax on dividend income at lower treaty rate for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs).

• Extend the eligibility period for claim of additional deduction for interest of Rs. 1.5 lakh loan

for purchasing an affordable house to 31st March, 2022 under Section 80EEA, Income Tax Act

• Extension of eligibility period for claiming tax holiday for affordable housing projects to 31st

March, 2022.

• New tax exemption for the notified affordable rental housing projects, under Section 80IBA,

Income Tax Act.



1.537 340 deaths due to manual scavenging

• Recently, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment has shared the

deaths due to manual scavenging, while cleaning septic tanks/sewers in the past five years.

• Highest number of deaths have been reported - Uttar Pradesh followed by Tamil Nadu, Delhi,

Maharashtra and Gujarat & Haryana (each).

• He has also informed that a national policy for mechanized sanitation ecosystem has been

formulated in consultation with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Department of

Drinking Water and Sanitation.

o It envisages appointment of responsible sanitation authority in every district, setting up of

sanitation (SRU) response unit in each municipality and 24x7 helpline to receive complaints

regarding blockage of sewers and septic tanks among others.

1.538 ‘Project Heal’ launched for underprivileged women

• Recently, ‘Project Heal’-a mobile mammogram and cervical cancer screening unit for

underprivileged women, has been launched in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

• Organizers: Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH) and Rotary Club of Mettupalayam

(Rotary District 3202).

• Aim - To offer free screening and surgery for breast cancer and cervical cancer among

underprivileged women.

1.539 NITI Aayog constituted a sub-group to prepare a National Action Plan for Migrant Workers

• Recently, Ministry of Labour and Employment has informed that NITI Aayog has constituted

a sub-group to prepare a National Action Plan for Migrant Workers

• It comprises members from various Ministries, subject experts, NGOs and civil society

organizations.

Background:

• To protect the interest of migrant workers, Centre enacted Inter-state Migrant Workmen

(Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979

Relevance:

• Inter-state Migrant Workmen act subsumed into Occupational Safety, Health and Working

Conditions Code, 2020 has been notified in September 2020

• Applicable to every establishment in which 10 or more inter-state migrant workers are

employed or were employed on any day of the preceding 12 months.

1.540 Gender Ratio in the Armed Forces

• Recently, the MoS, Ministry of Defence has shared the Gender Ratio in the Armed Forces in

India.

Key Highlights:

• Total Women Officers in Armed forces: 9118

• There is an increase in women personnel in 2020, as compared to 2019.

• GOI sanctioned 1700 women in Military Police Corps in a phased manner.

• Government of India has announced grant of Permanent Commission to Women Officers in all

other Arms/ Services in which they are eligible for commission.



1.541 I&B Minister launches state wide awareness campaign in Pune

• Recently, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting has launched a mobile

exhibition awareness campaign on covid vaccination and AatmaNirbhar Bharat in Pune.

• Theme: Creating proper awareness about vaccination.

• Objective: Curbing misinformation/ rumors about vaccines and create awareness about

Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

• Implemented by-Regional Outreach Bureau, Pune, Ministry of I&B, in collaboration with the

World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund

(UNICEF) and, Information, Education Communication (IEC) Division -Maharashtra Health

Department.

Key Highlight:

• 16 specially designed vans will travel across 36 districts of Maharashtra to spread awareness.

1.542 Government relaxes norms for family pension to disabled survivors

• Recently, Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has relaxed the income criteria for

eligibility of a child/sibling of a deceased Government servant/pensioner for grant of family

pension under Central Civil Services (CCS) (Pension) Rules, 1972.

Key Highlights:

• Child/sibling of a deceased Government servant/pensioner, with mental or physical

disability, can avail family pension for life, if his/her overall income, other than family pension,

is less than the entitled family pension at ordinary rate i.e. 30% of the last pay drawn by the

deceased Government servant/pensioner plus the Dearness Relief admissible thereon.

• In case the child/sibling with mental/physical difficulty, presently not in receipt of a family

pension due to non-fulfilment of the earlier income criteria, family pension shall be granted

to him/her, if he/she fulfils the new income criteria and also fulfilled the other conditions at

the time of death of Government servant /pensioner/previous family pensioner.

• In the latter scenario, financial benefits accrue prospectively and no arrears for the period

from the date of death of Government servant/ pensioner/previous family pensioner is

admissible.

Background:



• Rule 54(6) of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 - a child/sibling of a deceased Government servant

or pensioner, suffering from a mental or physical disability, is eligible for family pension for

life, which renders him unable to earn his livelihood.

• Presently, family member, including a child/sibling suffering from a disability, is deemed to

be earning his livelihood, if his/her income from sources other than family pension, is equal

to or more than the minimum family pension i.e. 9000/- and the Dearness Relief admissible

thereon.

1.543 World Food Price Index rises in January 2021

• Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Food Price Index (FFPI) has been

released for January 2021.

• Food Price Index has increased, at the highest level since 2014.

Key Findings:

• International maize prices increased 11.2% and Wheat prices increased 6.8%

• FAO revised forecast for the 2020 cereal season to 2.744 billion tonnes, compared to 2.742

billion tonnes in December 2020.

• Forecast for world cereal utilisation in 2020-21: 2.761 billion tonnes, against previous

estimate of 2.744 billion.

• World cereal stocks forecasts: 802 million, against previous 866.4 million tonnes.

• World stocks-to-use ratio of cereals would decline from 29.7 % in 2019-20 to 28.3 % in 2020-

21.

• World cereal trade forecast: increased by 10.6 million tonnes to 465.2 million tonnes, with

5.7% estimated increase compared to previous forecast.

1.544 Union Budget places AYUSH Sector on a sustainable path of growth

• Recently, the Ministry of Ayush has organized a discussion panel titled "Implications of Union

Budget 2020-21 for the AYUSH Sector" to understand the impact of Union Budget 2021-22.

Key Allocations:

• Budget Allocation to Ministry of Ayush: Rs 2,970.30 crores, from Rs 2,122.08 Crore for FY21,

showing an increase of 40%.

• Revised Allocation for FY21: Rs. 2322.08.

• Budget Allocation for FY22, is 28% higher than the revised allocation for FY21.


• Rs 4000 crores was recently earmarked for the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) for

backward integration projects dealing with medicine plants.

• Around, 7% increase in outlay for the healthcare sector year by year.

• Rs 10,000 crores earmarked for National Research Foundation for 5 years.

• Spending on AYUSH delivery systems has increased from Rs 122 Crores to Rs 299 Crores.

• Allocation to Champions Sector increased to Rs 150 crores from Rs 15 crores.

• Allocation to AYUSH increased 300% during the last decade.



1.545 Women & Child Development Ministry in association with MyGov launches online campaign to celebrate Women in science

• Recently, Ministry of Women & Child Development in association with Ministry of Education

and MyGov, Ministry of Electronics and Information technology have launched an online

campaign to celebrate women who have carved a niche for themselves in the field of

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) on International Day of Women

& Young Girls in Science.

• It has been launched as per the Prime Minister’s vision of “Seeding the powers of idea and

innovation in school children will broaden the base of our innovation pyramid.”

• The second phase of Vigyan Jyoti programme has also commenced on the day.

Important Women centric Initiatives taken by Government in Science & Technology Sector

• Women Scientists Scheme to help women with career-break,

• Indo-US Fellowship for Women in STEMM (WISTEMM) program where women scientists can

work in research labs of USA,

• Consolidation of University Research for Innovation and Excellence in Women Universities

(CURIE) programme for improving R&D infrastructure and establishing state-of-the-art

research facilities in order to create excellence in S&T in women universities

• Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) program in pilot mode ushers a

new intervention programme for gender equality in science and technology in India.

About International Day of Women and Girls in Science

• It is celebrated on 11th February 2021 to promote full and equal access to participation in

science for women and girls.

• Theme - ‘Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 ’.

About Vigyan Jyoti

• It is a new initiative to encourage girls to take interest in science and build career and to create

a level-playing field for the meritorious girls to pursue STEM.

• Started at school level for meritorious girls of Class IX to Class XII

• It has been running successfully in 50 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV) since December

2019 and has now been expanded to 50 more JNVs for the year 2021-22.

1.546 Complaints received through POCSO e-Box

• Recently, Union Minister of Women and Child Development has informed that National

Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has received 354 complaints through

POCSO e-Box during 2017-18 - 31st January, 2021.

• Highest number of cases are reported in Uttar Pradesh followed by Delhi and Bihar.

1.547 Measures to Boost Earning of Handloom Weavers and Artisans

• Recently Union Minister of Textiles has informed about measures to boost earning of

Handloom Weavers and Artisans.

Important Measures

• Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) and Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts

(EPCH) have participated in the Bharat Parv Festival organised by Ministry of Tourism.

• Social Media campaign “ #Vocal4handmade” was launched on the 6th National Handloom Day

on 7th August.



• Design Resource Centres (DRCs) have been set up in Weavers Service Centres (WSCs) of Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bhubaneshwar and Guwahati with the help of NIFT.

• 12 Crafts Villages have been identified in both handicrafts and Handloom sector in India

wherein craft promotion and tourism are being taken up simultaneously.

1.548 ‘In-Country Adoptions

• Recently, Union Minister of Women and Child Development has informed that Government

has put in place a centralized online system CARINGS (Child Adoption Resource Information

and Guidance System) to facilitate adoption in India.

Provisions for adoption in India

• As per section 38 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the

orphaned and abandoned children are required to be declared legally free for adoption within

2 months in case of a child upto the age of two years and within 04 months in case of a child

above the age of two years.

• Surrendered children are required to be declared legally free for adoption after 2 months

(reconsideration period) from the date of surrender of the child.


• Maximum number of adoptions have been witnessed in the age group of 0-2 years.


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