1. PM Modi inaugurates three National Ayush Institute of eminence in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy and Unani
Tags: place in news National Summits
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated virtually three National Institutes of eminence in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy and Unani on 11 December 2022. The PM inaugurated the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Goa, National Institute of Unani Medicine in Ghaziabad, and National Institute of Homoeopathy at Delhi from Goa. All the three institutes will be under the Union Ministry of Ayush.
PM Modi was in Panaji, Goa to participate in the Valedictory ceremony of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress. The 9th World Ayurveda Congress was organised by the Union Ministry of Ayush in Panaji from 8-11 December 2022.
The theme of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress was: Ayurveda for All
According to the Ministry of Ayush, these satellite institutes will further strengthen the research, international collaborations and facilitate affordable Ayush services for a larger community. These institutes will help to provide affordable healthcare to every citizen and every region of the country.
National Institute for Ayurveda
All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) is an apex institute for Ayurveda which is being set up in New Delhi. It has been set up to make Ayurveda an evidence based treatment and standardize the Ayurveda drugs.
National Institute for Ayurveda Goa is the branch of the AIIA, New Delhi.
National Institute of Unani Medicine
The National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) was set up in Bengaluru in 2004 as an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH,
The National Institute of Unani Medicine, Ghaziabad will be the satellite center of the NIUM Bengaluru. It will be the first such institute in Northern India and cater to patients around Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and other states of India.
National Institute of Homoeopathy at Delhi
National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH), Delhi is the first of its kind to be established in Northern India for developing the Homeopathic system of medicine and to provide health care facilities.
It will be the satellite center of the National Institute of Homoeopathy, Kolkata. The National Institute of Homoeopathy, Kolkata was set up in 1975 as a premier research and academic institution for Homoeopathy.
AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy)
- The Ministry of AYUSH was set up on the 9th of November 2014 to revive the knowledge of traditional Indian systems of medicine.
- It focuses on education and research in the fields of Ayurveda, Yoga Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy.
- Minister of AYUSH: Sarbananda Sonowal
2. Prime Minister Modi flags off 6th Vande Bharat train in Maharashtra
Tags: National State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is on a two day (11-12 December 2022) visit to Maharashtra , Goa and Gujarat inaugurated a number of projects in Maharashtra including the 6th Vande Bharat Express train on 11 December 2022.
Important Highlights of PM Modi’s Maharashtra Visit
- He inaugurated the 6th Vande Bharat Express which will run on Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh)-Nagpur (Maharashtra) route. This is the second Vande Bharat express in the state after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat express. Vande Bharat is an indigenous semi-high speed train developed by Indian Railways. Government proposes to run 75 Vande Bharat express trains in the country by 15 August 2023.
- He inaugurated the ‘Nagpur Metro Phase I’, and laid the foundation stone of ‘Nagpur Metro phase- II’ at Khapri Metro Station. The Phase I has been developed at a cost of Rs 8650 crore while the Phase II will be developed at a cost of more than Rs 6700 crore.
- He inaugurated the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg connecting Nagpur and Shirdi. Built at a cost of ₹55,000 crore, it is one of the longest expressways in the country that passes through 10 Maharashtra districts, including Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik.
- He also inaugurated Rail projects worth ₹15,000 crore, AIIMS Nagpur, Nagpur and Nag river pollution abatement project, Centre for Research, Management and Control of Hemoglobinopathies, Chandrapur, Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Chandrapur,
Governor of Maharashtra: Bhagat Singh Koshiyari
Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Eknath Shinde
3. US prints first banknotes with women's signatures
Tags: Economy/Finance Person in news International News
The U.S. The Treasury (United States of America's Finance Ministry) has printed the first US banknotes (currency notes) with two women's signatures. The new currency notes of $1 and $5 value carry the signature of the Secretary of Treasury (American Finance Minister) Janet Yellen and Lynn Malerba. The United States currency notes are popularly called as Greenback.
Lynn Malerba is Native American and is the chief of the Mohegan Tribe, who holds the position of Treasurer of the United States within the Department of Treasury, United States government.
Janet Yellen is a former chairman of the United States Central Bank, Federal Reserve of New York. She was the first female head of the Federal Reserve.
In the United States the currency notes are printed by the Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Federal Reserve decides how much currency notes will be printed.
The Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing has note printing facilities at Fort Worth, Texas and another in Washington.
India
In India the government of India issues currency notes of one Rupees and the Coins under the Coinage act 1906(as amended in 2011).
Notes in the denomination of Rs 2 to Rs 10,000 are issued by the Reserve Bank of India under the Reserve Bank of India act 1934.
In India Currency notes issued by the RBI are called bank notes. The Bank notes are signed by the governor of RBI. Till date there has been no women governor in RBI.
The One rupee note is signed by the Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
Printing of notes in India
Bank notes are printed at four currency presses, two of which are owned by the Government of India through its Corporation, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd. (SPMCIL) and two are owned by the Reserve Bank, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd. (BRBNMPL).
The currency presses of SPMCIL are at Nasik (Maharashtra) and Dewas (Madhya Pradesh).
The two presses of BRBNMPL are at Mysuru (Karnataka) and Salboni (West Bengal).
4. India ranked 5th in the 2022 Hurun Global 500 list of valuable companies
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
According to the recently released Hurun Global 500 list 2022, India, with 20 most valuable companies in the world, has moved into the fifth position among countries that are home to the world’s top 500 firms. Last year India was ranked 9th with 8 companies.
The list, released by the Hurun Research Institute, is a compilation of the 500 most valuable non-state-controlled companies in the world. Companies were ranked according to their market capitalization (for listed companies) and valuations for non-listed companies.
Top ranked Indian companies
The top ranked Indian companies in the Hurun 500 list are as follows;
- Reliance Industries Limited was the top ranked Indian company. It was ranked 34th in the world.
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was ranked second , and
- HDFC bank was ranked third.
For the first time, 4 Adani group companies also made to the list. These companies are; Adani Transmission, Adani Green Energy, Adani Enterprises and Adani Total Gas.
Top ranked company in the world
US based Apple was the top ranked company followed by Microsoft, Alphabet (owner of Google), Amazon and Tesla.
Country wise ranking
- The United States of America with 260 companies came at the top. It was followed by
- China with 35 companies,
- Japan with 28 companies,
- The United Kingdom with 21 companies ,
- India and Canada were at the 5th position with 20 companies each.
Of the 20 Indian companies featured on the list this year, 11 are based in Mumbai, four in Ahmedabad and one each in Noida, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
Hurun
It was set up in the United Kingdom by Rupert Hoogewerf in 1999. Hurun is a research, media and investments group, which publishes a series of research reports.
The Company is headquartered in Shanghai, China.
5. IIT Delhi organised 4th edition of Industry Day
Tags: Important Days National News
IIT Delhi's flagship industry-academia partnership event, Industry Day 2022, held on December 10, 2022.
Important facts
K Ananth Krishnan, Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer, Tata Consultancy Services, who is an IIT Delhi alum, was the chief guest on the occasion.
The fourth edition of the daylong event gives an opportunity to the industry to witness how IIT Delhi is working to develop technologies that will benefit both the industry and society.
The event was attended by top leadership of more than 15 large corporate and business houses.
The event was attended by industry leaders, scientists, IIT Delhi faculty, research scholars, and students.
Over 70 cutting-edge technologies developed by the researchers of IIT Delhi were showcased as product demonstrations on the Industry Day.
Themes of Industry Day 2022
Industry Day 2022 was focused on four themes that have been built into India's commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
These topics are healthcare, electric vehicles, communications technology, and clean energy and the environment.
6. Skill Development Ministry to hold Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela on December 12
Tags: National News
The Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela (PMNAM) will be organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on December 12, 2022 at 197 locations in 25 states and union territories.
Important facts
The main objective of this program is to encourage companies to hire more apprentices.
The goal of the government is to raise apprenticeship opportunities in India to 10 lakhs by the end of 2022 and to 60 lakhs by 2026.
Several local businesses have been invited to be a part of the fair to provide an opportunity to the local youth to shape their career through apprenticeship training.
The event will witness the participation of various companies from different sectors.
Participating companies will have the chance to meet potential apprentices on a single platform and choose applicants on the spot.
Candidates who have passed Class 5 to 12 and have skill training certificates, or ITI Diploma holders or graduates can apply during this apprenticeship mela.
About Apprenticeship mela
Apprenticeship melas are hosted in the country every month, wherein selected individuals receive a monthly stipend in accordance with government criteria for gaining new skills.
Apprenticeship is considered the most sustainable model of skill development, and it has been getting a big boost under the Skill India Mission.
The government is trying to train one million youth every year through apprenticeship training.
7. More than 3 crore 60 lakh pregnant women receive comprehensive antenatal care under PMSMA
Tags: Government Schemes National News
The Government has said that more than three crore sixty lakh pregnant women have received comprehensive antenatal care under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) programme across all States and Union Territories.
Important facts
Dr. Bharti Praveen Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, said this in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on 9 December.
The program was launched with the objective of providing free, assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care to all pregnant women universally on the 9th of every month.
The percentage of institutional deliveries in public facilities has increased from 52 per cent in 2015-16 to around 62 per cent in 2019-21.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan
This is a programme under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
It aims to provide free antenatal services (ANC) and essential treatment to pregnant women on 9th of every month.
The scheme is applicable only for the pregnant women in their pregnancy period of 3 to 6 months.
Objectives of the scheme
Provide healthy life to pregnant women.
Lowering the maternal mortality rate.
Making pregnant women aware of their health issues and diseases.
Making sure safe delivery and healthy life of the baby.
8. 10th meeting of Empowered Task Force of Clean Ganga Mission
Tags: Government Schemes National News
The Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat chaired the 10th meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on 8th December 2022.
Important facts
The Minister reviewed the progress of various components under the Namami Gange Programme.
The Union Minister directed the States and Central Ministries/Departments to expedite the work being done for the overall rejuvenation of river Ganga.
The minister urged the states and central ministries to achieve the targets in a time-bound manner.
Ashok Kumar, Director General, NMCG, briefed the task force about the activities undertaken by Arth Ganga over the past months.
Kumar added that the Ghat Mein Haat initiative was launched under Arth Ganga in the Ganga Basin among other activities.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare informed of the steps taken to build organic farming and natural farming corridors along River Ganga.
National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG)
It was registered on 12 August 12, 2011 as a society under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
It serves as the implementing arm of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986.
It was established to address pollution challenges in the Ganga river.
The operational area of the project covers the Ganga basin and all the states through which the river flows, including Delhi.
The objective is to reduce pollution and ensure rejuvenation of the Ganga river.
9. Centre allows 100% WFH for IT units in SEZs till December 31, 2023
Tags: National Economy/Finance
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry in a notification issued on 8 December 2022 has allowed information technology (IT) companies operating in special economic zones (SEZs) to permit 100 per cent work from home (WFH) or any place outside such zones till December 31, 2023.
The government has amended the rule 43A under the SEZ law to allow WFH for employees of IT and information technology enabled services,
In July 2022, the Central government had allowed 50 per cent of the employees in SEZs, including contractual workers, to work from home. Till now, WFH was permitted for a maximum period of one year in an SEZ unit.
Special Economic Zone (SEZ)
Special Economic Zone in India has been set up under the Special Economic Zone act 2005 which was implemented on 10 February 2006. There are 270 operational SEZ in India as on 22 November 2022.The concept of SEZ was taken from China.
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the nodal body of SEZ in India.
The objective of the SEZ as per the SEZ act 2005 are as follows:
(a) Generation of additional economic activity; (b) Promotion of exports of goods and services; (c) Promotion of investment from domestic and foreign sources; (d) Creation of employment opportunities; (e) Development of infrastructure facilities
10. Delhi HC seeks Centre's response on plea by Ashok Swain against cancellation of OCI card
Tags: National News
The Delhi High Court on 8 December sought response of the Central Government on the plea of Ashok Swain against the cancellation of the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card.
Important facts
Justice Prathiba M Singh issued notice on the petition by the Sweden resident and granted four weeks' time to the Centre to state its stand.
The petitioner is a professor at Uppsala University in Sweden.
He said in his petition that as per the show cause notice issued in 2020, his OIC card was arbitrarily stopped on the alleged grounds that he was involved in inflammatory speeches and anti-India activities.
Subsequently, on February 8 this year, the authorities cancelled the OCI card of the petitioner, which was in violation of his right to free movement.
The petition alleged that the order of cancellation of OCI card is illegal, arbitrary and illegal.
The petition states that a scholar has an important role in the society to discuss and criticise the policies of the government through his work.
Mere criticism of the policies of the present ruling dispensation does not amount to anti-India activity under Section 7D(e) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
Who is an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)?
OCI is defined as a person who was a citizen of India on or after 26th January, 1950 or eligible to become a citizen of India on that date or belonging to any territory that became part of India after 15th August, 1947 or a child or grandchild of such a person, who fulfils the other eligibility criteria.
The OCI category was introduced by the Government of India in the year 2005.
An applicant shall not be eligible for an OCI card if he or his parents or grandparents, great-grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh or any other country notified by the Government of India in the Official Gazette.
OCI cardholders can enter India, obtain a Multipurpose Lifelong Visa to visit India and do not even need to register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
