DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Aug. 3, 2024

RBL Bank Launches India's First RuPay Credit Card with UPI and NCMC Integration

Tags: Economy/Finance

RBL Bank (formerly Ratnakar Bank Limited), a leading Indian private sector bank, has launched a new RuPay Credit card.

An Overview of the News

• The card integrates Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) features.

• RBL Bank becomes the first private sector bank to offer these comprehensive payment capabilities in a single card.

Key Features:

• Instant and Secure Payments: Credit cardholders can make instant and secure payments through UPI.

• Hassle-free Travel: The NCMC features enable seamless travel.

Significance:

• New Benchmark in Digital Payments: The integration of UPI and NCMC features with the RuPay card sets a new benchmark for the digital payments industry.

• Flexibility and Ease of Payments: Users can enjoy flexibility and ease of making payments for daily expenses or during travel.

• Vast Acceptance: The wide acceptance of the RuPay card network enhances the utility and usability of these cards across various platforms and services throughout India.

About UPI:

• Instant Real-Time Payment System: The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is an instant real-time payment system launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016, facilitating inter-bank transactions through mobile phones.

• Growth in Transactions: According to the Worldline India Digital Payments Report H2 2023, UPI transaction volume in the second half (H2) of 2023 (July to December) increased by 56%, reaching 65.77 billion transactions, up from 42.09 billion in H2 2022.

About RBL Bank:

• MD and CEO: R. Subramaniakumar

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra

• Tagline: Apno ka Bank

• Established: 1943

About NCMC:

• Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 4, 2019, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

• An interoperable transport card conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), enabled through the RuPay card mechanism.

Curaçao Becomes 6th Associate Member of CARICOM

Tags: National News

Curaçao has become the 6th Associate Member of Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

An Overview of the News

• The agreement was signed by CARICOM Chairman Dickon Mitchell (Prime Minister of Grenada) and Gilmar Simon Pisas (Prime Minister of Curaçao) during the 47th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in St. George's, Grenada.

CARICOM Membership Detail:

• CARICOM now comprises 15 full member countries and 6 associate members.

• The 5 other associate members are Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos.

Curaçao's Commitments:

• Curaçao is dedicated to supporting CARICOM's initiatives in renewable energy, new forms of agriculture, climate resilience, and other areas.

Background on CARICOM:

• Established as The Caribbean Community and Common Market by the Treaty of Chaguaramas on July 4, 1973, with Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago as the founding members.

• The Treaty was revised in 2002 to enable the creation of a single market and economy.

India and WHO Sign $85M Deal for Global Traditional Medicine Centre

Tags: National News

On July 31, 2024, the Ministry of Ayush (India) and the World Health Organization (WHO) signed a donor agreement in Geneva, Switzerland.

An Overview of the News

• Signatories:

  • H.E. Arindam Bagchi, Permanent Representative of India to the UN in Geneva, represented India.

  • Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage and Life Course, represented the WHO.

About the Donor Agreement:

• Purpose: Part of a USD 250 million investment from India to support the establishment of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in 2022.

• Donation: India will contribute USD 85 million over 10 years (2022-2032) for the GTMC's operations in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

• Objective: The agreement supports the GTMC as a key hub for evidence-based Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) to enhance human and environmental health.

About GTMC:

• Establishment: Officially established on March 25, 2022, as the first global center for traditional medicine.

• Operations: The interim office is operational, offering capacity-building and training programs, including campus-based, residential, and web-based training in collaboration with the WHO Academy and other partners.

Key Collaboration Points:

• Documentation and Training: Development of benchmark documents and training for Ayurvedic, Unani, and Siddha systems, and establishment of WHO terminology.

• ICD-11: Introduction of a second module to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11’s Traditional Medicine Chapter.

• Apps and Pharmacopoeia: Development of the M-Yoga app and support for the International Pharmacopoeia of Herbal Medicine (IPHM).

Ministry of Ayush:

• Minister of State (Independent Charge): Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao

• Constituency: Buldhana, Maharashtra

World Health Organisation (WHO):

• Director-General: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

• Established: 1948

Kamala Harris Becomes First Black and South Asian Woman to Win Democratic Presidential Nomination

Tags: International News

Kamala Harris has won the Democratic presidential nomination. Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison announced her win.

An Overview of the News

• Harris secured the support of 2,350 delegates. She ran unopposed after President Joe Biden endorsed her.

Voting Process

• The nomination was decided through a five-day electronic vote.

• Nearly 4,000 party convention delegates participated.

• Harris was the sole candidate on the ballot.

Official Nomination

• Harris will be officially nominated at a convention in Chicago later this month.

• She expressed her honor in being the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Historical Significance

• Harris is the first Black and first South Asian woman to be a major US political party's White House nominee.

• If she wins against Republican nominee Donald Trump in November, she will be the first female president of the United States.

NCGG Successfully Concludes 4th Capacity Building Program for Sri Lankan Civil Servants in New Delhi

Tags: International News

NCGG successfully concluded the 4th Capacity Building Program for Sri Lankan civil servants on August 3, 2024, in New Delhi.

An Overview of the News

• 40 senior civil servants from Sri Lanka attended the program.

• Participants included Assistant Divisional Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, Directors, Senior Assistant Secretaries, Assistant Directors, and Deputy Directors.

• Key ministries represented: Commission of Local Government, Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Ministry of Provincial Council and Local Government, and Ministry of Justice, Prisons Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms.

Group Presentations and Topics

• Geogoviya Programme: Focus on using geographical information systems to enhance agricultural productivity.

• Agriculture Modernization Project: Aim to transform Sri Lanka's agriculture through innovative practices.

• Aswasuma Programme: Welfare benefit initiative providing comprehensive social security support in Sri Lanka.

• PPP Success in India: Demonstrated how India's Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model can aid in improving Sri Lanka's infrastructure.

Program Overview and Institutional Visits

• Dr. A.P. Singh, Associate Professor and Course Coordinator, provided an overview of the program, emphasizing the sharing of India's successful governance models through interactive sessions.

• Participants visited various institutions and sites: Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Forest Research Institute, District Administration in Panchkula, Cyber Crime Centre in Chandigarh, National Institute of Solar Energy, International Solar Alliance, Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, and the Taj Mahal.

• Program supervised by Dr. A.P. Singh and Dr. M.K. Bhandari, with assistance from Shri Sanjay Dutt Pant and team.

• Prisca Poly Mathew, Consultant and Chief Administrative Officer, NCGG, was present during the occasion.

• NCGG has successfully trained 135 senior and mid-level civil servant officers from Sri Lanka through its capacity-building programs.

V. Srinivas, Director General of NCGG and Secretary of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG)

National Organ Donation Day - 3 August 2024

Tags: Important Days

India observed the 14th Organ Donation Day on August 3, 2024.

An Overview of the News

• The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) organized an awareness program in New Delhi.

• The theme for Organ Donation Week 2024 is "Leave Them Certain," which promotes having conversations with loved ones about organ donation.

Key Figures:

• Anupriya Patel (Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare) honored families who donated organs, organ recipients, and doctors for successful transplants.

• Dr. V K Paul (NITI Aayog Member, Health) emphasized the importance of organ donation awareness and encouraged multi-specialty hospitals to offer organ transplantation facilities.

• Apurva Chandra (Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) and Dr. Anil Kumar (NATTO Director) were among the senior officials present.

Impact: The organ donation rate has increased fourfold over the last decade, reaching 18,378 donations.

Purpose of the Day: Since 2010, Indian Organ Donation Day aims to raise awareness about brain stem death and organ donation, address myths and misconceptions, and encourage citizens to donate organs and tissues after death.