1. Over 38 crore loans provided since launch of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
Tags: National Economy/Finance Government Schemes National News
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on March 14, Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad said that since the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana in April 2015, more than 38 crore loans have been disbursed so far.
An overview of the news
He informed that out of this, more than 26 crore loans have been given to women entrepreneurs.
About 20 crore loans have been disbursed to SC, ST and OBC borrowers.
The Ministry of Labor and Employment had conducted a large sample survey at the national level to assess the employment generation under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.
According to the results of the survey, 1 crore 12 lakh net additional employment has been generated in the country from2015 to 2018 by this scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
It was launched on 8 April 2015.
Under the scheme, the people of the country are given loans up to a maximum of 10 lakhs to start their own small business.
Any person who wants to further his business can take a loan under this scheme.
People are issued a Mudra card to avail loans under this scheme.
The loans are provided through Banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), Micro Financial Institutions (MFIs), and other financial intermediaries.
More than64 per cent of the loan accounts opened under the scheme are of women.
Three types of loans under Mudra Yojana
Shishu- Loans up to Rs.50,000.
Kishor - Loans above Rs.50,000 and less than Rs.5 lakh.
Tarun- Loans above Rs.5 lakh and up to Rs.10 lakh.
2. Over 38 crore loans provided since launch of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
Tags: National Economy/Finance Government Schemes National News
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on March 14, Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad said that since the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana in April 2015, more than 38 crore loans have been disbursed so far.
An overview of the news
He informed that out of this, more than 26 crore loans have been given to women entrepreneurs.
About 20 crore loans have been disbursed to SC, ST and OBC borrowers.
The Ministry of Labor and Employment had conducted a large sample survey at the national level to assess the employment generation under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.
According to the results of the survey, 1 crore 12 lakh net additional employment has been generated in the country from2015 to 2018 by this scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
It was launched on 8 April 2015.
Under the scheme, the people of the country are given loans up to a maximum of 10 lakhs to start their own small business.
Any person who wants to further his business can take a loan under this scheme.
People are issued a Mudra card to avail loans under this scheme.
The loans are provided through Banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), Micro Financial Institutions (MFIs), and other financial intermediaries.
More than64 per cent of the loan accounts opened under the scheme are of women.
Three types of loans under Mudra Yojana
Shishu- Loans up to Rs.50,000.
Kishor - Loans above Rs.50,000 and less than Rs.5 lakh.
Tarun- Loans above Rs.5 lakh and up to Rs.10 lakh.
3. Centre signs Rs 934 crore deal with HSL to Refit INS Sindhukirti Submarine in Visakhapatnam
Tags: Defence National News
In a further boost to achieve 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', the Ministry of Defense on March 13, 2023 signed a contract for General Refit of Sindhukirti Submarine at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam at a total cost of Rs 934 crore .
Overview of the News
Sindhukirti is the third Kilo class Diesel Electric Submarine.
The project involves over 20 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and will generate employment of 1,000 man-days per day for the project duration.
INS Sindhukirti Submarine
It is a diesel-electric submarine.
It was commissioned on June 7, 1990 and since then has been serving the nation in various capacities.
It has a displacement of 1860 tonnes when submerged and is 67.5 metres in length.
The submarine has a maximum speed of 20 knots (about 37 km per hour) when submerged and can dive to a depth of 300 metres.
It is armed with six 533 mm torpedo tubes and can carry up to 18 torpedoes or missiles.
About Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL)
The shipyard 'Hindustan Shipyard Limited' is located in Visakhapatnam.
It is the country's first shipbuilding yard.
Establishment - 21 June 1941
Construction - Walchand Hirachand
4. First meeting of Supreme Audit Institution (SAI20) begins
Tags: Summits National News
The 1st Supreme Audit Institution 20 (SAI20) Senior Officers' Meeting (SOM) began on 13 March 2023 in Guwahati, Assam.
Overview of the News
The themes of this meeting are 'Blue Economy' and 'Responsible Artificial Intelligence'.
SAI20 aims to bring together an ecosystem wherein SAIs are active participants in governance, promoting transparency and accountability.
The SAI-20 meeting will be chaired by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Girish Chandra Murmu and also attended by senior representatives of equivalent institutions from G-20 countries.
Around 44 delegates from G-20 member countries, guest countries and other international organisations participated in the SAI-20 event.
Countries like Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Oman, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE participated individually.
The SAI-20 meeting will conclude on March 15.
5. International conference on “Shared Buddhist Heritage”
Tags: Summits National News
An international conference on "Shared Buddhist Heritage" will be held on March 14-15 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
An overview of the news
The conference will focus on India's civilizational connection with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) nations 2023.
It is the first of its kind event under India's leadership of SCO (for a period of one year - from September 17, 2022 to September 2023).
It will bring Central Asian, East Asian, South Asian and Arab countries on a common platform to discuss the "Common Buddhist Heritage".
Conference organiser
The two-day event is being organized by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of External Affairs and the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC-as a grantee body of the Ministry of Culture).
Many Indian scholars of Buddhism will also participate in this program.
Aim of the Conference
To re-establish the trans-cultural link between Buddhist art, art styles, archaeological sites and antiquity of Central Asia in the collections of various museums in SCO countries.
6. Chinese parliament appoints Li Qiang as the country's new prime minister
Tags: Person in news International News
Li Qiang was appointed as the new Premier or Prime Minister of China by the Chinese Parliament on March 11, 2023.
Overview of the News
Li Keqiang, who had held the position for the past ten years, was replaced by Li Qiang.
Li Qiang's nomination was approved at the annual meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC), the official body that adopts the resolutions of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
About China
it is an east asian country
It is the third largest country in the world in terms of total land area.
President – Xi Jinping
Capital - Beijing
National language - Mandarin
Currency - Renminbi
7. ISRO drops 12-year-old satellite Megha Tropiques into Pacific Ocean
Tags: Science and Technology National News
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently successfully carried out a controlled descent of its 12-year-old low earth orbit satellite Megha Tropiques-1 (MT-1) into the Pacific Ocean.
An overview of the news
ISRO has informed that it is planning to bring this satellite back to Earth.
Dropping this satellite on the earth was a very challenging task for ISRO, which ISRO successfully carried out.
ISRO has been steadily reducing the distance of the satellite from Earth since August, 2022.
For this, he was spending about 120 kg of fuel present in the satellite.
The booster of the satellite was turned on twice before reaching the earth.
This process is called de-boost. The satellite started burning rapidly as soon as it entered the Earth's atmosphere and was completely destroyed by the time it reached the sea.
About Megha Tropiques Satellite
This satellite was launched in October 2011 by ISRO in collaboration with the French space agency CNES.
The satellite was designed to provide weather information for three years, but it served for more than 10 years.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
It was established on 15 August 1969.
It is the national space agency of India. It launches its space rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Chairman: S Somnath
8. Saudi Space Commission discussed with ISRO
Tags: International News
From March 6 to 10, a high-level delegation from the Saudi Space Commission, led by Dr. Mohammad Saud Al-Tamimi, CEO, visited India to discuss space cooperation.
News Overview
The delegation interacted extensively with various entities in India, including the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Indian space companies such as New Space India Limited and Centum Electronics.
ISRO Chairman Dr. Al-Tamimi has been invited to attend the G20 Space Economy Leaders' Meeting in Bengaluru in July 2023.
Dr. Al-Tamimi invited ISRO Chairman to attend the Space Economy Forum later this year in Saudi Arabia.
The visit is viewed as a positive step towards strengthening the two countries' space partnership.
About Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
Establishment -1969 (by Vikram Sarabhai)
Headquarters –Bengaluru
Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space (DOS) – S. Somnath
About Saudi Arabian Space Commission (SSC)
Established - 27 December 2018
Space Agency President – Abdullah Alswaha
CEO - Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi
About Saudi Arabia
It is a country located in West Asia.
It is the largest country in Asia and the second largest country in the Arab world.
The Gulf of Aqaba separates Saudi Arabia from Egypt and Israel to the northwest.
King - Salman
Crown Prince and Prime Minister - Mohammed Salman bin
Capital - Riyadh
Currency - Saudi Riyal
National language - Arabic
9. Defence forces halt ALH Dhruv fleet operations in wake of Navy accident
Tags: National Defence National News
Due to the crash of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv fleet of the Indian Navy, the defense forces have halted the operation of ALH Dhruv helicopters till the investigation report comes.
An overview of the news
The Army, Navy and Air Force along with the Indian Coast Guard operate the ALH helicopter.
ALH Dhruv helicopters are used by the Indian Defense Forces in a number of roles including transport of men and material.
ALH Dhruv is one of the vital parts of the helicopter missions used by the three forces, which are deployed in different terrains.
About Dhruv
Advanced Light Helicopter or ALH-DHRUV is an indigenously developed aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with a twin-engine.
This helicopter was first flown in 1992, but was put into service in2002 after certification.
The aircraft is certified for military operations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
The major variants of Dhruv are classified as Dhruv Mk-I, Mk-II, Mk-III and Mk-IV.
10. Defence forces halt ALH Dhruv fleet operations in wake of Navy accident
Tags: National Defence National News
Due to the crash of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv fleet of the Indian Navy, the defense forces have halted the operation of ALH Dhruv helicopters till the investigation report comes.
An overview of the news
The Army, Navy and Air Force along with the Indian Coast Guard operate the ALH helicopter.
ALH Dhruv helicopters are used by the Indian Defense Forces in a number of roles including transport of men and material.
ALH Dhruv is one of the vital parts of the helicopter missions used by the three forces, which are deployed in different terrains.
About Dhruv
Advanced Light Helicopter or ALH-DHRUV is an indigenously developed aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with a twin-engine.
This helicopter was first flown in 1992, but was put into service in2002 after certification.
The aircraft is certified for military operations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
The major variants of Dhruv are classified as Dhruv Mk-I, Mk-II, Mk-III and Mk-IV.
