1. Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates NATGRID premises at Bengaluru
Tags: Latest National News
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) complex in Bengaluru which will help to prevent crimes and warn against any danger.
He said the security requirements today have changed significantly as compared to the security challenges in the past in terms of data, scope and complexity.
Therefore, legal and security agencies need automatic, secure and immediate access to information obtained from reliable sources.
The Government has entrusted the task of developing and operating a state-of-the-art and innovative information technology platform for accessing information from the data collection organisations to NATGRID.
The central government will soon develop a national database to monitor hawala transactions, terrorist funding, counterfeit currency, narcotics, bombing threats, illegal arms smuggling and other terror activities.
C-DAC is implementing NATGRID in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a self-reliant India.
About National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)
NATGRID is an intelligence sharing network that links data from standalone databases of various agencies and ministries of the Government of India.
It will also have access to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems, a database that links crime information, including first information reports, across 14,000 police stations in India.
NATGRID came into existence after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
It links intelligence and investigation agencies and is exempted from the Right to Information Act, 2005.
2. Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
Tags: National Government Schemes
%20Scheme%20copy.jpg)
The government will review the norms of the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) program, which is envisaged to support 100 companies involved in product design in the semiconductor space, as part of the Rs 76,000 crore plan for development of the electronic chip ecosystem in the country.
About Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
This was announced by MeitY in December 2021.
Aims - to provide financial and infrastructural support to companies setting up fabs or semiconductor making plants in India.
The scheme is expected to provide a globally competitive incentive package to companies in semiconductor and display manufacturing as well as design.
Chip Design infrastructure support,The Product Design Linked Incentive,The Deployment Linked Incentive are the components of the scheme.
3. Linkage of e-Shram portal with the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
Tags: Government Schemes National News
Discussions are going on to link the e-Shram portal with the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana.
The government is working on a mechanism to process accident insurance claims by unorganised workers registered on the e-shram portal, which has seen over 27 crore registrations so far.
In the Budget Speech 2022-2023, the Finance Minister had announced the linking of four portals - National Career Service, e-Shram, Udyami (for those interested in starting MSMEs) and Aseem (Atmanirbhar Skilled Employer Employer Mapping).
The inter-linking of the NCS and e-Shram portals had been completed recently.
So far more than 26,000 e-shram beneficiaries have registered on NCS and are benefiting from this linkage.
About e-Shram portal-
The Ministry of Labor and Employment has developed an eSHRAM portal to create a national database of unorganised workers.
It was launched in 2021.
Its aim is to welfare of workers in the unorganised sector who are not members of the EPFO or ESIC.
Registered members will be eligible for a range of benefits after signing up for Shramik Yojana and getting the e-Shram Card.
This will allow workers to receive Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) through e-Shramik Unique ID Number.
4. National Open Access Registry (NOAR) goes live successfully
Tags: National News
%20goes%20live%20successfully%20copy.jpg)
National Open Access Registry (NOAR) has successfully gone live from 1st May 2022.
This is a centralized online platform through which the short-term open access to the inter-state transmission system is being managed in India.
It is an integrated platform that is accessible to all stakeholders in the power sector, including open access customers (both sellers and buyers), electricity traders, power exchanges, national/regional/state LDCs and others.
It provides automation in the workflow to achieve shorter turnaround time for the transactions.
The platform also has an integrated payment gateway for making payments relating to interstate short-term open access transactions.
The NOAR platform provides transparent and seamless flow of information between open access stakeholders.
5. Retired General Tej Kaul has been awarded the Nirmala Deshpande Memorial World Peace Prize
Retired General Tej Kaul has been awarded the Nirmala Deshpande Memorial World Peace Prize by the All India Creative Committee (ABRS).
General Tej Kaul was given this honour for his various incomparable efforts and for establishing peace with neighbouring countries like Pakistan and humanitarian services done during the Corona period.
General Kaul has also served in Army Headquarters as Assistant Military Secretary, Deputy Director General Military Intelligence and General Officer Commanding Gujarat and Goa Region.
The name of General Kaul is recorded as the first officer to be released from Officers Training Academy, Chennai, who has received PVSM (Param Vishisht Seva Medal).
He has also been honoured with Saraswati Puraskar for humanitarian and social services by the Government of Maharashtra.
Who was Nirmala Deshpande?
Nirmala Deshpande was a famous social worker associated with Gandhian ideology.
Born- 19 December 1929 Nagpur, Maharashtra
Died - 1 May 2008
He was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award and Padma Vibhushan in the year 2006.
Nirmala Deshpande contributed by joining Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement in 1952 and then with Mahatma Gandhi's message of 'Gram Swaraj', walked around 40,000 kilometres across the country.
He played an important role in organising a peace mission in Kashmir in 1994 and India-Pakistan meet in 1996.
6. DRDO successfully test-fired Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System
Tags: National Defence Science and Technology
The longest range indigenous artillery gun i.e. 155mm/52 Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) was successfully test fired at Jaisalmer's Pokhran Firing Range (PFFR) from 26 April to 2 May 2022.
What is ATAGS ?
The Advanced Artillery Gun System Project is a modern 155 mm artillery gun developed by DRDO.
This gun is manufactured by Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems Limited.
It weighs 18 tonnes and has a firing range of 48 km.
The 155mm ATAGS developed by DRDO was first fired in 2016.
It took almost four years to develop the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System, the Indian Army currently has seven Advanced Towed Artillery Guns available.
7. India and Germany ink agreement for cooperation in agro-ecology
Tags: International Relations Latest
India and Germany agreed to sign a Joint Declaration on Agro-Ecology and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Agriculture Sector.
A declaration in this regard was signed by India's Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Germany's Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Svenja Schulz in a virtual meeting.
Through this MoU, both the countries have agreed to promote joint research, knowledge sharing and innovation between academic institutions and agricultural people including farmers.
Under this agreement, Germany will provide coordinated support to India for this initiative by supporting the agro-ecosystem transformation process through the Technical Cooperation Project.
Under this initiative, Germany's Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development intends to provide 300 million euros by the year 2025 to provide financial and technical support to the projects.
About Germany
Germany is a country located in the continent of Europe.
Capital - Berlin
President- Frank Walter Steinmeier
Currency - euro
Chancellor- Olaf Schultz
8. No one can be forced to get vaccinated: SC
Tags: National News
The Supreme Court said that no person can be compelled to vaccinate against COVID-19, but it also said that "so long as there is a danger of spreading the disease, the rights of the people can be restricted in the wider public interest.
Right not to get vaccinated
The bench upheld a person's right to physical integrity and personal autonomy in the light of vaccines and other public health measures.
Physical integrity is protected under Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution and no person can be forced to vaccinate.
The court struck a balance between the individual's right to bodily integrity and denial of treatment with the government's concern for public health.
Vaccine Hesitancy
People's reluctance to receive safe and recommended available vaccines is known as 'vaccine hesitancy'.
There are five main reasons for vaccine hesitation-
Confidence
Complacency
Convenience (or constraints)
Risk calculation
Collective responsibility
What was challenged in the petition?
Dr Jacob Pulial, a former member of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), had filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the mandatory requirement of the vaccine.
The petition has also sought to make public the clinical data of vaccination.
The petition said that the Centre says that getting the vaccine is voluntary, but the states have made it mandatory.
Instructions to the central government
The Supreme Court directed the Central Government to make public the reports received from the public and doctors regarding the incidence of side effects of vaccines without compromising on the confidentiality of personal data.
9. The debate on the national language
Tags: Popular National News
A remark by a Hindi actor to the effect that Hindi is the national language of India has recently sparked controversy over the language's status under the Constitution.
What is the status of Hindi in the constitution?
Under Article 343 of the Constitution, the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.
The international form of Indian numerals will be used for official purposes.
Constituent Assembly debate
The Constituent Assembly was divided on this question.
The supporters of Hindi were insisting that English is the language of slavery and it should be abolished at the earliest.
The opponents were against the abolition of English as they feared that Hindi might dominate in areas where Hindi is not spoken.
There was a demand to make Sanskrit the official language, while some argued in favour of 'Hindustani'.
It was decided that the Constitution would talk only of 'Official Language'.
English will continue to be used for a period of 15 years.
The Constitution states that after 15 years, Parliament may by law decide on the use of English and as Devanagari for specified purposes.
What is the Eighth Schedule?
The Eighth Schedule lists the languages of the country.
Initially, there were 14 languages in the schedule, but now there are 22 languages.
There is no description of the type of languages to be included in the Eighth Schedule.
The Official Languages Act, 1963 was passed in anticipation of the end of the 15-year period during which the Constitution originally permitted the use of English for official purposes.
The three language formula
Since the 1960s, the Centre's education policy documents talk of teaching three languages - Hindi, English and a regional language in Hindi-speaking states, and Hindi, English and an official regional language in other states.
In practice, only a few states teach both their major language and Hindi in addition to English.
In states where Hindi is the official language, third language is rarely taught as a compulsory subject.
Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the three-language formula and has stuck to teaching Tamil and English.
10. PM Modi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz co-chair sixth edition of IGC in Berlin
Tags: Summits International News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz co-chaired the 6th edition of the India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations-IGC in Berlin.
The two leaders highlighted key aspects of bilateral relations as well as shared perspectives on regional and global issues.
PM Modi emphasised that the India-Germany partnership can serve as an example of success in a complex world.
He also invited German participation in India's Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
It was the prime minister's first IGC with Chancellor Scholz and also the first government-to-government consultation of the new German government, which took office in December last year.
The biennial IGC is a unique dialogue format with the participation of several ministers from both sides.
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi held bilateral discussions with the German Chancellor.
The two leaders reviewed the full range of bilateral relations between India and Germany, including promoting trade as well as cultural ties.
