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By admin: June 17, 2022

U.S. to fund 3 Indian research institutions

Tags: Science and Technology National News

The United States of America has announced $122 million in funding to the top three Indian medical research institutes to help prevent preventable pandemics, early detection of disease threats, and prompt and effective response.

• A total amount of US$ 122,475,000 will be disbursed to three top Indian health research institutes over a period of five years.

• These three research institutes are Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune and National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai.

• The fund will accelerate progress towards India that protects against infectious disease threats by focusing on emerging pathogens.

• The fund will help in detecting and controlling zoonotic disease outbreaks through a ‘one health’ approach, evaluate vaccine safety monitoring systems, capacitance of the public health workforce in epidemiology and outbreak response.

• Starting from September 30, 2022, eligibility for funding is limited to ICMR, and ICMR institutions, which are the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai.

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

• It is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world headquartered in New Delhi for the coordination and promotion of biomedical research.

• It works under the Department of Health Services (DHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

• It was established in 1911 as Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA).  

• Later in 1949 its name was changed to ICMR.

• National Institute of Virology (NIV)

• It is one of the major institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

• It was established at Pune, Maharashtra in 1952. 

• It was established as Virus Research Center (VRC) under the aegis of ICMR and Rockefeller Foundation (RF), USA.

• National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE)

• It is a permanent premier institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) established on 2 July 1999.

• It was established by merging the Central JALMA Institute for Leprosy (CJIL Field Unit), Avadi with the Institute for Research in Medical Statistics (IRMS), Chennai.

• The objectives of the Institute are conducting epidemiological studies, development of human resources in epidemiology and bio-statistics etc.

PM to dedicate to nation Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project on 19th June

Tags: National News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the main tunnel and five underpasses of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project to the nation on June 19.

• About Integrated Transit Corridor Project

• It is an integral part of Pragati Maidan Redevelopment Project. 

• The project has been built at a cost of over Rs 920 crore.

• It aims to provide hassle free and easy access to the new world class Exhibition and Convention Centre being developed at Pragati Maidan.

• The main tunnel connects Ring Road to India Gate via Purana Qila Road passing through Pragati Maidan.

• Along with the tunnel, there will be six underpasses these are- four on Mathura Road, one on Bhairon Marg and one at the intersection of Ring Road and Bhairon Marg.

• This project will ensure hassle free vehicular movement thereby saving time and money of the commuters.

• It is part of the central government's broader vision to make people's lives easier with changes in urban infrastructure.

India-Japan hold finance dialogue in New Delhi

Tags: International Relations

India and Japan held a Finance Dialogue on 16 June 2022 in New Delhi to exchange views on the macroeconomic situation, financial system, financial digitization and investment environment in both the countries.

• Japan's Finance Minister for International Affairs Masato Kanda and Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, held the first India-Japan Finance Dialogue.

• The Japanese delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Financial Services Agency and financial institutions.

• On the Indian side, representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India and financial institutions participated in the discussion.

• Participants confirmed that the two sides will continue to work closely together as they preside over the G20 and G7 next year.

• The two sides agreed to continue discussions to promote financial cooperation and strengthen bilateral ties, and agreed to agree on the possibility of holding the next round of talks in Tokyo.

• Importance of Japan for India 

• Japan is the fifth largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India after Singapore, USA, Mauritius, Netherlands (April 2014 to August 2021). 

• It has invested $36.2 billion in India since 2000.

• Japan is the largest provider of assistance to India amongst all countries.

• There are 1,455 Japanese companies in India. Eleven Japan Industrial Townships (JIT) have been established, with Neemrana in Rajasthan and Sri City in Andhra Pradesh having the maximum number of companies.

• Japan is helping in setting up a High Speed Rail corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

• Important fact about Japan 

• Japan is also called as Nihon or Nippon

• It is an archipelago in the western pacific ocean in East Asia.

• It is composed of four main islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Honshu is the largest island of Japan.

• It is separated from the Asian mainland by the Sea of Japan.

• Its highest mountain is Mount Fuji.

• It is the third largest economy in the world after the United States and China.

• It is the only country in the world where atom bomb was dropped. In 1945 the U.S. dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6 August (bomb name Little Boy) and Nagasaki on 9 August (Bomb name Fat Man).

• The capital of Japan : Tokyo 

• Currency of Japan : Yen

For more information please visit 21 march 2022 news

Centre approves Rs.1,043 crores as Disaster Response Fund to Rajasthan and Nagaland

Tags: State News National News

A high-level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 17 approved additional central assistance of Rs 1,043 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to Rajasthan and Nagaland, which were affected by drought during 2021-22.

• The committee approved additional central assistance of ₹ 1,043.23 crore, of which ₹ 1,003.95 crore would be received by Rajasthan and ₹ 39.28 crore for Nagaland.

• During the financial year 2021-22, the central government has released Rs 17,747.20 crore to 28 states in their SDRF and Rs 7,342.30 crore from NDRF to 11 states.

• National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)

• It is a fund managed by the Central Government.

• It is used to meet the expenses of emergency response, relief and rehabilitation for any disaster situation.

• It was earlier called National Disaster Contingency Fund (NCCF).

• In 2005, the Disaster Management Act was enacted and its name was changed to National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

• NDRF was established in accordance with Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

• In June 2020, the Finance Ministry approved a proposal to allow individuals and institutions to contribute directly to the NDRF.

• State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF)

• It has been constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

• It was constituted on the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.

• It is the primary fund available with the State Governments to meet the expenditure for providing immediate relief for the response to notified disasters.

• The Centre contributes 75% of the SDRF allocation for general category States and Union Territories. 

• The Centre contributes 90% for special category States and Union Territories (northeastern States, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir).

• Disaster covered under SDRF are Cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves.

Iraq's 'Pearl of the South' Lake Sawa dry due to water crisis

Tags: International News

Iraq's famous and prominent Lake Sawa has dried up for the first time in its centuries-old history.

• Locals believe that the lake has dried up due to mismanagement by local investors, neglect of the government and climate change.

• About Sawa Lake 

• It is a biodiversity-rich wetland located near the city of Samwa, south of Iraq's capital, Baghdad.

• Sawa Lake is mentioned in some old Islamic texts.

• It is said that the lake was created miraculously on the day Prophet Muhammad was born in 570 AD

• Thousands of religious tourists come every year to take a dip in the holy waters of this lake.

• In 2014, Lake Sawa was designated a Ramsar Site, an international designation for significant wetlands, recognized as a rare area in need of conservation.

• This lake was known as the pearl of the south.

Biden nominates Indian-American Radha Iyengar to top Pentagon position

Tags: International News

President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American Radha Iyengar Plumb to the top post at the Pentagon.

• She is currently serving as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Minister of Defence.

• She has now been nominated for the post of Deputy Under Secretary, Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment.

• Prior to her appointment as Chief of Staff, she was the Director of Research and Insights for Trust and Security at Google and led the team in business analytics, data science and technical research.

• She has also served as the Global Head of Policy Analysis at Facebook.

• She has also served in several senior positions on national security issues in the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Energy and the White House National Security Council.

• Ms. Plumb was also a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, where she focused on improving the measurement and evaluation of preparedness and security efforts at the Department of Defence.

• Early in her career, she was an assistant professor at the London School of Economics and did her postdoctoral work from Harvard.

• She received her PhD in Economics from Princeton University.

Government extended the upper age limit for the Agnipath scheme from 21 to 23

Tags: National News

The central government has increased the upper age limit for the Agneepath Recruitment Scheme from 21 years to 23 years.

• As per Defence Ministry the age waiver will be given only "one time" for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022.  

• The decision has been taken as there has been no recruitment in the last two years.

• Preference will be given to Agniveers in the recruitment of Central Armed Police Forces and State Police.

• Those aspiring to become entrepreneurs after the service will get financial packages and bank loans.

• Agniveer who wants to study further will be given a 12th class equivalent certificate.

• Agneepath scheme will increase opportunities for youth to serve in the armed forces.

• In the coming years, the recruitment of Agniveers will be almost three times the current recruitment in the Armed Forces.

• Under this scheme more than forty six thousand youth will be recruited this year.

For more information please visit 14 June 2022 news

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought -2022

Tags: Important Days

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year on 17 June.

• The day focuses on converting poor land into healthy or fertile soil to combat desertification.

• The desertification of land is mainly caused by human activities and climate change.

• This is due to dry land ecosystems that are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate use of land.

• The day highlights the need for an early measure to avoid any disastrous consequences for humanity and the planetary ecosystem.

• Theme of 2022 - Rising up from drought together.

• History and Significance of the day

• In December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly resolved to observe 17 June as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

• Since then, the United Nations, NGOs and various countries have been organizing events to spread awareness to combat desertification and drought.

• The purpose of this day is to convert degraded land into healthy land.

• To combat this threat, groups and communities are working together to convert arid, semi-arid and arid wetlands into fertile soils.

Net Direct Tax collections for the Financial Year 2022-23 grown at over 45%

Tags: Economy/Finance

Net direct tax collection till mid-June of this fiscal grew by 45 per cent to over Rs 3.39 lakh crore.

• The net direct tax collection of over ₹3.39 lakh crore includes Corporation Tax at over Rs 1.70 lakh crore and Personal Income Tax, including Security Transaction Tax, at over Rs 1.67 lakh crore.

• Advance tax collection in the first quarter of the current fiscal stood at Rs 1.01 lakh crore as against Rs 75,783 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, showing a growth of over 33 per cent.

• This comprises corporation tax at  ₹78,842 crore and Personal Income Tax at ₹22,175 crore. 

• What Is a Direct Tax?

• Direct tax is a tax that is paid by an individual or company directly to the implementing entity.

• An individual taxpayer pays direct taxes to the government for various purposes.

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes deals with matters relating to the levy and collection of direct taxes.

• A taxpayer pays direct taxes to the government for various purposes, including real wealth tax, personal wealth tax, income tax, gift tax, capital gains tax, etc.