1. Rajasthan Government to provide LPG cylinder at Rs 500 per cylinder; Ashok Gehlot
Tags: Person in news State News
The Rajasthan Government will provide 12 LPG cylinders per year to the poor families at Rs 500 per cylinder from 1 April 2023. This was announced by the Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Alwar on 19 December 2022.
He said the decision was taken to provide relief to the people suffering from unprecedented inflation and unemployment.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ (PMUY) was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 1 May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.
Under the scheme a poor household headed by a woman is provided with a free LPG gas stove and free first LPG Cylinder.
However under the scheme the beneficiaries have to buy the subsidized LPG cylinder.
The target of the PMUY was to release 8 crore LPG connections by March 2020 which was achieved on 7 September 2019.
PMUY 2.0
It was launched virtually by PM Modi on 10 August 2021 at Mahoba, Madhya Pradesh.
It aims to provide additional 1.6 crore LPG connections with special focus on migrant households.
Connection is provided to an adult woman belonging to a poor household.
The beneficiaries should belong to any of the following categories:
- Eligible as per Socio Economic Caste Census 2011 list,
- Belongs to SC/ST households, be a beneficiary of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Forest dwellers, Most Backward Classes (MBC), Tea and Ex-Tea Garden Tribes, People residing in river Islands.
2. Fifth Scorpene Submarine ‘Vagir’ delivered to Indian Navy
Tags: Defence National News
The fifth submarine of the Project -75, Kalvari Class submarines, Yard 11879 (Vagir) was delivered to the Indian Navy on 20 December.
Important facts
Project -75 includes indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene design.
These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
Launched on 12 Nov 20, Vagir commenced sea trials from 1 Feb 2022 and has completed all major trials, including weapon and sensor trials, in less time than earlier submarines.
The construction of these submarines in an Indian yard is another step towards 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and instills confidence in the region.
What is also a remarkable achievement is that this is the third submarine delivered to the Indian Navy in a span of 24 months.
Project- 75
Project- 75 intends to build six diesel-electric attack submarines of the Kalvari class that are based on the Scorpene-class, which are being built at MDL (Mazagon Dock Limited).
Project 75 (I), approved in 2007, is part of the Indian Navy’s 30 year Plan for indigenous submarine construction.
3. India’s largest and fourth business jet terminal commissioned at Cochin International Airport
Tags: State News
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the country's first and biggest charter gateway – the Business Jet Terminal -- at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on 10 December 2022. Cochin airport has become the 4th airport in India after Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad with dedicated private Jet terminals.
According to the CIAL Managing Director, S Suhas “The Business Jet Terminal is going to be India's first Charter Gateway, which will serve as a platform to integrate business jet service, tourism and business conferences,
The business jet terminal inaugurated today was built at a cost of 40 crore rupees by renovating the old domestic terminal. It covers an area of 40,000 sq feet with comfortable lounges, customs and immigration counters, a business centre and other modern facilities.
Cochin International Airport was the first airport in the world to run on solar power. It is the largest airport in Kerala and the seventh largest in India.
International Airports in Kerala
Kerala has the highest number of operational international airports in India. It has 4 international airports. They are:
- Trivandrum International Airport ,
- Cochin International airport ,
- Calicut International Airport and
- Kannur International Airport.
4. RBI allows blocking of funds for multiple auto-debits in UPI, expanded BBPS to non-recurring payments
Tags: Economy/Finance
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has announced that the scope of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions will be expanded to allow 'single-block-and-multiple-debits'. Also the scope of Bharat Bill Payments System (BBPS) will now be expanded to handle both recurring and non-recurring payments for both businesses and individuals. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will implement these changes for both UPI and BBPS in the next six months.
These were announced as part of the monetary policy announced by the governor on 7 December 2022.
Proposed changes in the UPI
- UPI currently includes functionality to process payment mandates for recurring as well as single-block-and-single-debit transactions.
- The new facility will enable a customer to block funds in his/her account for specific purposes, which can be debited whenever needed.
- It means that customers can now allot a certain amount to a specific purpose or merchant by giving their consent.
- For future transactions, money can be debited by the merchant without the additional requirement of authentication, making payments faster.
- Over the past year, the RBI expanded the scope of UPI to allow transactions in offline mode as well as through feature phones.
- In June this year, RBI allowed linking of RuPay credit cards to UPI.
BBPS scope expanded to non-recurring payments
- RBI also said that the scope of Bharat Bill Payments System (BBPS) will now be expanded to handle both recurring and non-recurring payments for both businesses and individuals.
- At present, BBPS handles recurring bill payments (like fess, water bill, telephone bills etc.) for merchants and utilities and does not cater to non-recurring bills.
- It also does not cater to bill payments or collections such as payment of fees for professional services, education fees, tax payments, rent collections, etc. for individuals even if those are recurring in nature.
- Now BBPS is being enhanced to include all categories of payments and collections, both recurring and non-recurring, and for all categories of billers (businesses and individuals).
On Know Your Customer
- The RBI governor Shaktikanta Das also said customers do not need to visit the bank to update their KYC (Know Your Customer) details.
- He said that customers can re-KYC (know your customer) online except where there is a change of address. He said that if the banks are forcing the customer to come to the branch then the customer can complain against the bank with the RBI.
- As per RBI’s KYC norm guidelines, banks need to periodically update customer identification documents of their account holders.
5. RBI allows NRI to pay utility bills through Bharat Bill Payment System
Tags: Economy/Finance
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed the Non Resident Indian (NRI) to pay their utility bills in India through the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) from 15 September 2022.
Till now only resident Indians were allowed to use the BBPS.
It means that the Non-Resident Indians (NRI) will be able to make utility, education and other bill payments for their families in India by using the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).
The circular was issued by the RBI on 15 September 2022.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
What Is BBPS :
- It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the NPCI (National Payment Corporation of India).
- It offers interoperable and accessible bill payment service to consumers via digital (bank channels) as well as through a network of agents & bank branches.
- These banks or agents are called as operating units of the Bharat Bill Payment System.
- Bharat Bill Pay offers all recurring payments like electricity, telecom, DTH, Gas, water bills, Insurance, Loan repayments, Education fees, FasTag Recharge, Municipal taxes, Housing society, Subscription fees etc. at one single window.
- "National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has been authorised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit (BBPCU).
- The BBPCU undertakes clearing and settlement activities related to transactions routed through BBPS."
6. African swine fever confirmed in Kannur, Kerala
Tags: State News
Recently, African Swine Fever has been confirmed for the first time in a private pig farm in Kerala, in the last ten days more than 15 pigs died on the farm due to the disease.
About African Swine Fever
African swine fever is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild boars.
It was first found in Africa in the 1920s.
Historically, infections have been reported in Africa and parts of Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.
However, since the year 2007, the disease has been reported in domestic and wild pigs in several countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.
It has a mortality rate of around 95-100% and there is no cure for this fever, so the only way to stop its spread is to kill animals.
African swine fever does not pose a threat to humans, as it only spreads from animal to animal.
African swine fever is a disease listed in the Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
World animal health organisation
It is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for improving the health of animals around the world.
It currently has a total of 182 countries as its members. India is one of its member countries.
It develops standard documents relating to the rules by which member states can protect themselves from diseases and pathogens. One of these is the Regional Animal Health Code.
Its standards are recognized by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as reference to the organisation's International Sanitation Rules.
Its headquarter is located in Paris (France).
7. Defence Ministry launches 75 newly Artificial Intelligence products in New Delhi
Tags: Defence National News
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the first-ever ‘Artificial Intelligence in Defence’ (AIDef) symposium and exhibition, organised by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 11 July.
Important facts
The event featured an exhibition showcasing the latest AI-enabled solutions developed by research organisations, industry and start-ups and innovators and the launch of AI products for the market.
This is a major event where 75 newly developed AI products/technologies in Defence were launched as part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
These products will promote the ‘Aatmanirbharta’ initiative in Defence.
These products are being tested and will soon be deployed in the security of the nation.
Apart from the 75 products being launched, another 100 are in various stages of development.
Panel discussions on 'Deploying AI in Defence', 'GenNext AI Solutions' and 'AI in Defence - Industry Perspective' were also held at the event.
Products are in the following domains-
Automation/unmanned/robotics systems
Cyber security and human behaviour analysis
Intelligent monitoring system
Logistics and supply chain management
Control, Communication, Computer and Intelligence
Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems
Operational data analytics
Artificial Intelligence in defence
The AI Task Force on Defence was set up in 2018 to provide a road map for promoting AI in defence.
A Defence AI Council, headed by the Defence Minister, is working in this direction.
The Defence Minister had announced that "25 defence-specific AI products" would be developed by 2024.
A Defence AI Project Agency (DAIPA) has also been created under the defence production secretary for AI-enabled projects.
The Navy is also building an AI Centre of Excellence at INS Valsura in Jamnagar, which already has a modern laboratory on AI and Big Data analysis.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
It is a broad branch of computer science that deals with the creation of smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence.
8. Sunil Chhetri becomes joint 5th highest goalscorer in international football history
Tags: Sports News
Indian men's football team captain Sunil Chhetri has become the joint fifth highest goalscorer in international football history.
Sunil Chhetri scored his 84th international goal against Hong Kong during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 Qualifier and achieved the feat by equaling the record held by Real Madrid and Hungarian football legend Ferenc Puskas.
He is now behind only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi among active footballers.
He is at number three after Ronaldo and Messi in the list of active footballers with international goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list of highest goalscorers in international football.
Top 5 International Goal Scorers in the World
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 117 goals
Ali Dei (Iran) - 109 goals
Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia) - 89 goals
Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 86 goals
Sunil Chhetri (India) and Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) - 84 goals
9. YSR Yantra Seva Scheme launched by Andhra Pradesh
Tags: Government Schemes State News
YSR Yantra Seva Scheme has been launched by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
About the Scheme
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy started this scheme from the village of Chuttugunta.
Under this scheme, tractors and combine harvesters will be provided to the farmers at low rates.
The total cost of this scheme is 2016 crores.
The government will give a 40 percent subsidy on all machinery and loans will also be provided to the farmers.
Apart from this, it was also decided by the state government to set up custom hiring centres in the entire state.
In this program, an amount of Rs 175 crore was sent to the accounts of 5260 farmers under the Ritu Bharosa scheme.
The Andhra Pradesh government aims to set up a total of 10,750 YSR Yantra Seva Kendras (CHCs).
About Andhra Pradesh State
Historically, Andhra Pradesh has been called the "Rice Bowl of India".
Andhra Pradesh was formed on 1 November 1956.
Kuchipudi is the most famous classical dance form of the state.
Capital- Amravati
Official language - Telugu
Governor- Biswa Bhushan Harichandan
Chief Minister- Jagan Mohan Reddy (Congress)
Legislative Assembly seats- 176
Rajya Sabha Seats - 11
Lok Sabha seats - 25
10. Ministry of Textile inaugurated the 'Lota Shop' at National Crafts Museum, New Delhi
Tags: National News
The Ministry of Textile inaugurated the 'Lota Shop' at National Crafts Museum, New Delhi on 14 June.
Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Limited (CCIC), popularly known as Central Cottage Industries Emporium, has opened 'Lota Shop'.
It displays the finest handicrafts, souvenirs, handicrafts and textiles based on the traditional craft forms of India.
It has immense potential to attract foreign tourists and buyers.
It will give a new direction to the handicrafts sector as well as the artisans in the light of the 'One Nation One Product' initiative launched by the Centre.
The centre is also working towards one district one product which will give impetus to the handicrafts sector as well as the artisans.
The museum provides accommodation facilities and also provides audio-visual facilities for the visitors.
What is One District One Product scheme?
It aims to realize the true potential of a district, promote economic development and generate employment and rural entrepreneurship.
The Ministry of Food Processing had entered into an agreement with NAFED to develop 10 brands into one district one product brand.
Of this, six brands have been launched till now.
All products will be available across NAFED markets, e-commerce platforms and leading retail stores across India.
It was launched by the Uttar Pradesh government in January, 2018, and was later adopted by the central government after seeing its success.
Its aim is to identify, promote and brand a product from one district.
