In News: Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda virtually addressed at National Dialogue on Manufacturing Excellence and Innovation for Competitiveness and Sustainability of Chemicals Manufacturing in New Delhi .

Key takeaways:

• Union minister said that the Chemicals and Petrochemicals sector will play an important role in achieving the goal of 5 trillion-dollar economy.
• The Indian chemicals industry stood at 178 billion dollar in 2019 and is expected to reach 304 billion dollar by 2025 and the demand for chemicals is expected to expand by 9% per annum by 2025.
• The Minister hoped that United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) will support domestic industry with international best practices and policy & technical assistance.
• The Minister thanked UNIDO for taking the initiative for raising dialogue on transforming the chemical industry sector of India into a more efficient, effective and competitive ‘growth engine’.
• UNIDO organised a dialogue under ‘Clean Manufacturing in India’ (Swachh Udyog) and hosted National Dialogue on ‘Excellence and Innovation for Competitive and Sustainable Chemicals Manufacturing in India’.
•  The dialogue discussed opportunities and challenges for chemical manufacturing growth and garner momentum among policy makers, industry sector and other stakeholders on need for knowledge and skill-based transformative change to safeguard and future proof chemicals manufacturing in India.

Significance of chemical industry in INDIA:

• The chemical industry occupies a pivotal position in meeting basic needs and improving quality of life.
• The chemical sector, which is knowledge- and capital-intensive, is the mainstay of industrial and agricultural development, and provides building blocks for downstream industries such as textiles, papers, paints, soaps, detergents, and pharmaceuticals, among others.
• The fertilizer and agrochemical industries ensure food security, and are thus vital to India’s developing and agrarian economy.
• The synthetic fiber industry is crucial to providing affordable clothing, and the pharmaceutical industry gives the country’s vast population access to low-cost drugs.

Important information:

UNIDO(United Nations Industrial Development Organization)

• UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations.
• 170 States are Members of UNIDO as of 1 April 2019
• Mandate: To promote and accelerate Inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
• It was established in 1966 by the UN General Assembly.

SOURCE:PIB (April 7th current affairs)

2. Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

In News:

The Vice President, Sh M. Venkaiah Naidu  graced the colourful closing ceremony of the 25-day long commemorative Dandi Padyatra as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav near National Salt Satyagraha Memorial , Dandi, Gujarat.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Gandhi’s iconic Dandi Salt March was a watershed moment in our freedom struggle.
• It altered the course of history.
• Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”—a 75 week festival to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence, was flagged off by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi from Sabarmati Ashram, on March 12, 2021.
• The festival celebrates the rapid strides India has taken in the past 75 years.

BASIC:

About the 1930 Dandi March:

• The Dandi March, also known as the Salt March and the Dandi Satyagraha was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
• The march lasted from 12th March, 1930 to 6th April, 1930 as a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly.
• On 12th March, Gandhiji set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241-mile march to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. There, Gandhi and his supporters were to defy British policy by making salt from seawater.
• At Dandi, thousands more followed his lead, and in the coastal cities of Bombay and Karachi, Indian nationalists led crowds of citizens in making salt.
• Civil disobedience broke out all across India, soon involving millions of Indians, and British authorities arrested more than 60,000 people. Gandhiji himself was arrested on 5th May, but the satyagraha continued without him.
• On 21st May, the poet Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works, some 150 miles north of Bombay. The incident, recorded by American journalist Webb Miller, prompted an international outcry against British policy in India.
• In January 1931, Gandhiji was released from prison. He later met with Lord Irwin, the viceroy of India, and agreed to call off the satyagraha in exchange for an equal negotiating role at a London conference on India’s future.
• In August 1931, Gandhiji traveled to the conference as the sole representative of the nationalist Indian National Congress. The meeting was a disappointment, but British leaders had acknowledged him as a force they could not suppress or ignore.

SOURCE:PIB (April 7th current affairs)

3. First Meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors

In News:

• India hosted a Meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors virtually today on April 6, 2021.
• The meeting was jointly Chaired by Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Shri. Shaktikanta Das. Participants included Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the BRICS countries.

Key takeaways:

• As 2021 BRICS Chair, India’s approach is focused on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation based on Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus.
• This was the first meeting of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under India Chairship in 2021.
• BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors discussed financial cooperation agenda set by India for 2021 –
  • Global Economic Outlook and Response to COVID-19 pandemic,
  • New Development Bank (NDB) Activities,
  • Social Infrastructure Financing and Use of Digital Technologies,
  • Cooperation on Customs related issues,
  • IMF reforms,
  • Fintech for SMEs and Financial Inclusion,
  • BRICS Rapid Information Security channel and BRICS Bond Fund.

BASIC:

About BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa)

• On November 30, 2001, Jim O’Neill, a British economist who was then chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, coined the term ‘BRIC’ to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
• Established in 2009, BRICS represents the collective voice of the Global South with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as its members.
• After its establishment more than a decade ago, BRICS became the first-ever compact non-Western, inter-continental multilateral club.
• It was lauded as a unique experiment to bring together politically, economically and culturally diverse countries who share a range of concerns and interests with regard to the functioning of the western liberal international order.
• BRICS has been driven by the idea to challenge, if not dismantle, western hegemony and bring new ideas on the table for global governance.
• The BRICS is mainly portrayed as a grouping of fast-emerging economies with huge market potential.
• Bilateral relations among BRICS nations are conducted on the basis of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.
• There are two components that make up the financial architecture of BRICS:
  • New Development Bank (NDB) (BRICS Development Bank)
  • Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).

Source:PIB (April 7th current affairs)

4. National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021

In News:

Recently a news article in a newspaper stating that patients of rare diseases will get treatment under Ayushman Bharat scheme of the Government.

Key points:

• It is clarified that under National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021 there is a provision for financial support upto Rs. 20 lakhs under the Umbrella Scheme of Rastriya Arogya Nidhi for treatment, of those rare diseases that require a one-time treatment (diseases listed under Group 1 in the rare disease policy).
• Beneficiaries for such financial assistance would not be limited to BPL families, but the benefit would be extended to about 40% of the population, who are eligible under Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
• This financial support for treatment of rare diseases is proposed under the Umbrella Scheme of Rastriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) and not under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY.
• Besides, the Rare Diseases Policy also envisages a crowdfunding mechanism in which corporates and individuals will be encouraged to extend financial support through a robust IT platform for treatment of rare diseases.
• Funds so collected will be utilized by Centres of Excellence for treatment of all three categories of rare diseases as a first charge and the balance financial resources can also be used for research.

IMPORTANT INFO:

National Rare Disease Policy 2021.

Aim:

• To increase focus on indigenous research and local production of medicines.
• To lower the cost of treatment of rare diseases.
• To screen and detect rare diseases early at early stages, which will in turn help in their prevention.

Major Provisions of the Policy:

Categorization:

The policy has categorised rare diseases in three groups:

Group 1: Disorders amenable to one-time curative treatment.

Group 2: Those requiring long term or lifelong treatment.

Group 3: Diseases for which definitive treatment is available but challenges are to make optimal patient selection for benefit, very high cost and lifelong therapy.

Rare Diseases

• There are 6,000-8,000 classified rare diseases, but less than 5% have therapies available to treat them.
• Example: Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD), Pompe disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, haemophilia etc.
• About 95% rare diseases have no approved treatment and less than 1 in 10 patients receive disease-specific treatment.
• These diseases have differing definitions in various countries and range from those that are prevalent in 1 in 10,000 of the population to 6 per 10,000.
• However broadly, a ‘rare disease’ is defined as a health condition of low prevalence that affects a small number of people when compared with other prevalent diseases in the general population. Many cases of rare diseases may be serious, chronic and life-threatening.
• India has close to 50-100 million people affected by rare diseases or disorders, the policy report said almost 80% of these rare condition patients are children and a leading cause for most of them not reaching adulthood is due to the high morbidity and mortality rates of these life-threatening diseases.

SOURCE: PIB (April 7th current affairs)

5. Shri Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana appointed as Chief Justice of India

Key points:

• The President of India, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, appointed Shri Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India.
• He will be 48th Chief Justice of India.
• He is first-generation lawyer, having agricultural background, and hails from Ponnavaram Village, Krishna District in Andhra Pradesh.
• He is an avid reader and literature enthusiast. He is passionate about Carnatic music.

Important info:

Procedure for Various Judicial Appointments:

For CJI:

• The President of India appoints the CJI and the other SC judges.
• As far as the CJI is concerned, the outgoing CJI recommends his successor.
• In practice, it has been strictly by seniority ever since the supersession controversy of the 1970s.

For SC Judges:

• For other judges of the SC, the proposal is initiated by the CJI.
• The CJI consults the rest of the Collegium members, as well as the senior-most judge of the court hailing from the High Court to which the recommended person belongs.
• The consultees must record their opinions in writing and it should form part of the file.
• The Collegium sends the recommendation to the Law Minister, who forwards it to the Prime Minister to advise the President.

For Chief Justice of High Courts:

• The Chief Justice of High Court is appointed as per the policy of having Chief Justices from outside the respective States.
• The Collegium takes the call on the elevation.
• High Court judges are recommended by a Collegium comprising the CJI and two senior-most judges.
• The proposal, however, is initiated by the outgoing Chief Justice of the High Court concerned in consultation with two senior-most colleagues.
• The recommendation is sent to the Chief Minister, who advises the Governor to send the proposal to the Union Law Minister.

Related Constitutional Provisions

• Article 124(2) of the Indian Constitution provides that the Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President after consultation with such a number of the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Courts in the States as the President may deem necessary for the purpose.
• Article 217 of the Indian Constitution states that the Judge of a High Court shall be appointed by the President consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the State, and, in the case of appointment of a Judge other than the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of the High Court.

SOURCE:THE HINDU

April 7th current affairs

The post April 7th current affairs appeared first on Vignan IAS Academy.

April 6th current affairs

1. INS VIRAAT
   INS Viraat, the Navy’s decommissioned aircraft carrier, has become the “private property” of a ship-breaker who has already torn down 40% of its body, chiefly for scrap, the Supreme Court told a private company, that wants to turn the vessel into a maritime museum-cum-adventure centre.
   About:
   On February 10, the court had ordered a stay on the process of dismantling the ship.
   The carrier was bought by the Gujarat-based Shree Ram Group, a ship-breaking firm, in a bid. The 67-year-old iconic warship was towed to the breaking yard after over three decades’ service in the Navy.
   Important Info :
   Do you know?
   INS Viraat was a Centaur-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.
   INS Viraat was the flagship of the Indian Navy before INS Vikramaditya was commissioned in 2013.
   The ship was completed and commissioned in 1959 as the Royal Navy’s HMS Hermes, and decommissioned in 1984. It was sold to India in 1987. INS Viraat was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1987 served till 2016 when it was decommissioned.
   Source : The Hindu
   Defence & Security   (April 6th current affairs)

CHENAB BRIDGE

• The Prime Minister has lauded the completion of Arch closure of the Chenab Bridge, World’s highest Railway Bridge in Jammu & Kashmir by Indian Railways.
  About:
  The length of the Chenab bridge will be 1,315 metres with 17 spans, of which the span of the main arch across Chenab river will be 467m.
  The bridge is part of an ambitious 272-km rail link project and is being constructed by the Northern Railway at an estimated cost of ₹28,000 crore.
  The bridge will be able to withstand earthquakes with a magnitude of up to eight and high-intensity blasts.
  The bridge, which will include a 14-metre dual carriageway and a 1.2-metre-wide central verge, will have a design speed of around 100 kilometres per hour with a lifespan of 120 years.
  Source : PIB
  Geography (April 6th current affairs)

• TRIBUNALS REFORMS (RATIONALISATION AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE) ORDINANCE, 2021
  The President of India has promulgated the Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance, 2021, by which the appellate authorities under nine Acts have been done away with and the right to hear appeals under the statute has been conferred to High Courts.
  About:
  Section 184 of the Finance Act, 2017 has been amended to empower the Central Government to make rules for qualifications, appointment, term of office, salaries and allowances, resignation, removal and other terms and conditions of service of Members of Tribunals.
  The Ordinance omits following Tribunals/ Appellate Authorities from the purview of Finance Act:
  Airport Appellate Tribunal established under the Airport Authority of India Act, 1994
  Appellate Board established under the Trade Marks Act, 1999
  Authority for Advance Ruling established under the Income Tax Act, 1961
  Film Certification Appellate Tribunal established under the Cinematograph Act, 1952
  
  Further, it substitutes the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission established under the erstwhile Consumer Protection Act, 1986 with a National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission established under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
  Source : The Hindu
  Polity & Governance (April 6th current affairs)

• CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (CBI)
  The Supreme Court told the government that interim appointments to the post of CBI Director cannot go on.
  About:
  The remark came during the hearing of a petition filed by Common Cause, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, objecting to the appointment of Praveen Sinha as interim CBI Director following the retirement of Rishi Kumar Shukla on February 2.
  The petition said the government had failed to appoint a regular Director through the high-power selection committee of the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India and Leader of Opposition.
  The Common Cause has argued that an interim appointment through an executive order was not envisaged in the statutory scheme of the 1946 Act.
  The agency should function independently outside the pale of the Executive or political powers. This was exactly why a high-powered committee selects the CBI Director.
  Important Info :
  Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)?
  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India.
  It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
  (India), Originally set up to investigate bribery and governmental corruption, in 1965 it received expanded jurisdiction to investigate breaches of central laws enforceable by the Government of India, multi-state organised crime, multi-agency or international cases.
  The CBI headquarter is located in New Delhi.
  Source : The Hindu
  Polity & Governance (April 6th current affairs)

• SADABAHAR
  Shrikishan Suman (55 years), a farmer from Kota, Rajasthan, has developed an innovative mango variety which is a regular and round-the-year dwarf variety of mango called Sadabahar, which is resistant to most major diseases and common mango disorders.
  About:
  The fruit is sweeter in taste, comparable to langra and being a dwarf variety, is suitable for kitchen gardening, high-density plantation, and can be grown in pots for some years too.
  Besides, the flesh of the fruits, which is bourn round the year, is deep orange with sweet taste, and the pulp has very less fiber content which differentiates it from other varieties.
  The innovative attributes of the variety have been verified by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), India, an autonomous institution of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
  NIF has also facilitated the plantation of Sadabahar mango variety in the Mughal Garden at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
  Source : PIB
  Economy

INTEGRATED HEALTH INFORMATION PLATFORM (IHIP)

• The Union Minister of Health, Harsh Vardhan launched the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP).
  About:
  The Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) is the next generation highly refined version of the presently used Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
  According to the minister, India is the first country in the world to adopt such an advanced disease surveillance system.
  The new version of IHIP will house the data entry and management for India’s disease surveillance program.
  In addition to tracking 33 diseases now as compared to the earlier 18 diseases, it shall ensure near-real-time data in digital mode, having done away with the paper-mode of working.
  Terming this as the world’s biggest online disease surveillance platform, he stated that it is in sync with the National Digital Health Mission.
  Source : PIB
  Health (April 6th current affairs)

• CHAFF TECHNOLOGY
  Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an Advanced Chaff Technology to safeguard the naval ships against enemy missile attack.
  About:
  Defence Laboratory Jodhpur (DLJ), a DRDO laboratory, has indigenously developed three variants of this technology namely Short Range Chaff Rocket (SRCR), Medium Range Chaff Rocket (MRCR) and Long Range Chaff Rocket (LRCR) meeting Indian Navy’s requirements.
  Chaff is a passive expendable electronic countermeasure technology used worldwide to protect naval ships from enemy’s radar and Radio Frequency (RF) missile seekers.
  The importance of this development lies in the fact that very less quantity of chaff material deployed in the air acts as decoy to deflect enemy’s missiles for safety of the ships.
  Source : The Hindu
  Defence & Security

LA PEROUSE

Indian Navy Ships INS Satpura and INS Kiltan along with P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft are participating, for the first time; in multi-lateral maritime exercise La Pérouse, being conducted in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region from 05 to 07 April 2021.

• About:
  The Indian Navy ships and aircraft will exercise at sea with ships and aircraft of French Navy (FN), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) and United States Navy (USN) during the three day exercise at sea.
  The exercise La Pérouse is led by French Navy.
  Exercise La Pérouse will witness complex and advanced naval operations including surface warfare, anti-air warfare and air defence exercises, weapon firing exercises, cross deck flying operations, tactical manoeuvres and seamanship evolutions such as replenishment at sea.
  Source : LiveMint
  International (April 6th current affairs)
•  
• SPICES BOARD INDIA
  Spices Board India and UNDP India’s Accelerator Lab signed a MoU, with the aim to build a blockchain based traceability interface for Indian spices to enhance transparency in supply chain and trade.
  About:
  The project will be piloted with over 3,000 farmers engaged in chilli and turmeric farming in select Districts of Andhra Pradesh.
  Blockchain is a decentralized process of recording transactions on an open and shared electronic ledger. This allows for ease and transparency in data management across a complex network, including, farmers, brokers, distributors, retailers and consumers, thus simplifying the supply chain.
  Important Info :
  About Spices Board?
  Spices Board is one of the five Commodity Boards functioning under the Ministry of Commerce &Industry.
  It is an autonomous body responsible for the export promotion of the 52 scheduled spices and development of Cardamom (Small & Large).
  Source : PIB
  Economy

• GLOBAL GENDER GAP REPORT
• India has fallen 28 places in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021, and is now one of the worst performers in South Asia, trailing behind neighbours Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
• About:

1. India is now ranked 140 among 156 countries.
   South Asia incidentally is one of the worst performing regions, followed only by the Middle East and northern Africa.
   many countries have fared worse in this year’s rankings compared to last year’s, on account of economic performance.
   On its current trajectory, it will now take 135.6 years to close the gender gap worldwide.
   The gender gap in political empowerment remains the largest: women represent only 26.1 per cent of some 35,500 parliament seats and just 22.6 per cent of over 3,400 ministers worldwide, according to the report.
   In 81 countries, there has never been a woman head of state, as of January 15, 2021.
   Source : Indian Express
   Social Issues (April 6th current affairs)

The post April 6th Current Affairs appeared first on Vignan IAS Academy.

April 1st current affairs – vignan ias

India-Mauritius
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement.

Context: India and Mauritius signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) on 22 February 2021. The CECPA is the first trade Agreement signed by India with a country in Africa. Both sides have completed their internal legal procedures and the India-Mauritius CECPA will enter into force on Thursday, 01 April 2021.

Key takeaways:

·        It is a limited agreement, which will cover Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Dispute Settlement, Movement of Natural Persons, Telecom, Financial services, Customs Procedures and Cooperation in other Areas.

·        CECPA providesfor an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two
countries.

·         The CECPA between India and Mauritius covers 310 export items for India. 

·      Indian exporters have to obtain a Certificate of Origin (CoO) from the authorised Indian agencies to avail the preferential benefits under the CECPA.

 Important value addition:

CECPA(Comprehensive Economic
Cooperation and Partnership Agreement.)

v It is a kind of free trade pact that aims to provide an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two countries.

v Under this agreement, countries reduce or eliminate the duties on the products. The countries also give relaxation in the norms to promote the services trade.

Types of Trade Agreements

Free Trade Agreement (FTA):  A free trade agreement is an agreement in which two or more countries agree to provide preferential trade terms, tariff concession etc. to the partner country. India has negotiated FTA with many countries e.g. Sri Lanka and various trading blocs as well e.g. ASEAN.

Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA): In this type of agreement, two or more partners give preferential right of entry to certain products. This is done by reducing duties on an agreed number of tariff lines. Tariffs may even be reduced to zero for some products even in a PTA. India signed a PTA with Afghanistan.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): Partnership agreement or cooperation agreement are more comprehensive than an FTA. CEPA covers negotiation on the trade in services and investment, and other areas of economic partnership. India has signed CEPAs with South Korea and Japan.

Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA): CECA generally covers negotiation on trade tariff and TRQ (Tariff Rate Quotas) rates only. It is not as comprehensive as CEPA. India has signed CECA with Malaysia.

SOURCE:PIB 

April 1st current affairs – vignan ias 

SMALL SAVINGS INSTRUMENTS
The government has sharply slashed the rates on all small savings instruments
for the first quarter of 2021-22.

About:
It has brought the rate of return on the Public Provident Fund down from 7.1% to 6.4% and effecting cuts ranging from 40 basis points (0.4%) to 110 basis points (1.1%) through a notification. The sharpest cut was seen in the quarterly interest rate paid on one-year term deposits, from 5.5% in the January to March quarter to 4.4% in this quarter. The rate of return on the Senior Citizen Savings’ Scheme was cut from 7.4% to 6.5%, while the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme’s return was reduced from 7.6%
to 6.9%.
The interest rate paid on National Savings Certificate and Kisan Vikas Patra were also reduced significantly, from 6.8% to 5.9%, and from 6.9% to 6.2%, respectively. Consequently, the Kisan Vikas Patra, which used to mature in 124 months, will now mature in 138 months. While savings deposits earned the lowest rate of 4% till now, that return has now been further slashed to 3.5%. Among time deposits, the return on five year deposits has been reduced from 6.7% to 5.8%. For savers, the option with the highest returns at this point is the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, followed by the Senior Citizens’ Savings Schemes and the Public Provident Fund.
Important Info :
Comment – While the government resets the interest rate on small savings instruments every quarter, this round of rate cuts assumes significance as the government is keen to lower interest rates to make it easier to execute its borrowing plans for the year and spur growth. The government plans to borrow ₹12.05 lakh crore in 2021-22, on the back of a record gross borrowing of ₹13.71 lakh crore in 2020-21. High small savings rates have been cited by the central bank as a major impediment in ensuring policy rate cuts get transmitted into the banking system.

Source : The Hindu
Economy

April 1st current affairs – vignan ias

Mi;itary Farms:

Iindian Army Formally closes Down Military Farms

About:
Military Farms were set up with sole requirement of supplying hygienic cow’s milk to troops billeted in various garrisons across British India.
First Military farm was raised on 01 Feb 1889 at Allahabad.
After independence Military Farms flourished with 30,000 heads of cattle in 130 Military Farms all over India. Military Farms were even established in Leh and Kargil in late 1990s, with the role of supply of fresh and hygienic milk to troops at their locations on daily basis.
Another major task was management of large tracts of defence land, production and supply of Baled Hay to animal holding units. Military Farms are credited with pioneering the technique of Artificial Insemination of cattle and introduction of organised Dairying in India. In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, they established “Project Freiswal”, credited to be the world’s largest cattle cross-breeding program. They also teamed up with DRDO in development of Bio-Fuel.
After 132 years of glorious service to the nation, curtains were drawn on this organisation.

Source : PIB
Defence & Security

ARTICLE 244(A) OF THE CONSTITUTION:
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi promised to implement Article 244 (A) of the Constitution to safeguard the interests of the people in Assam’s tribal-majority districts.
About:
Article 244(A) allows for creation of an ‘autonomous state’ within Assam in certain tribal areas.
Inserted into the Constitution in 1969, it also has a provision for a Legislature and a Council of Ministers.
Information:
How is it different from the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution?
The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution — Articles 244(2) and 275(1) — is a special provision that allows for greater political autonomy and decentralised governance in certain tribal areas of the Northeast through autonomous councils that are administered by elected representatives.
In Assam, the hill districts of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong and West Karbi and the Bodo Territorial Region are under this provision.
Article 244(A) accounts for more autonomous powers to tribal areas. In Autonomous Councils under the Sixth Schedule, they do not have jurisdiction of law and order.

Source: Indian Express
Polity & Governance

April 1st current affairs – vignan ias

ECLGS 3.0
In recognition of the continuing adverse impact of COVID-19 pandemic on certain service sectors, the Government has now extended the scope of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) through introduction of ECLGS 3.0.
About:
ECLGS 3.0 will cover business enterprises in Hospitality, Travel & Tourism, Leisure & Sporting sectors which had, as on 29.02.2020, total credit outstanding not exceeding Rs. 500 crore and overdues, if any, were for 60 days or less, on that date i.e., 29th Feb 2020.
ECLGS 3.0 would involve extension of credit of upto 40% of total credit outstanding across all lending institutions as on 29.02.2020. The tenor of loans granted under ECLGS 3.0 shall be 6 years including moratorium period of 2 years.
Further, the validity of ECLGS i.e., ECLGS 1.0, ECLGS 2.0 & ECLGS 3.0 have been extended upto 30.06.2021 or till guarantees for an amount of Rs. 3 lakh crore are issued. Last date of disbursement under the scheme has been extended to 30.09.2021.
The modifications introduced in the scheme, while providing an incentive to MLIs to enable availability of additional funding facility to the eligible beneficiaries will go a long way in contributing to economic revival.
The revised operational guidelines in this regard shall be issued by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC).
Source : PIB
Economy

FOREIGN TRADE POLICY 2015-2020
The Union Commerce and Industry Ministry announced extension of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) of Government of India.
About:
The present Policy which came into force on 1st April 2015, was for 5 years and was extended thereafter upto 31st March, 2021.
In view of the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has decided to continue benefits under various export promotion schemes by extending existing Foreign Trade Policy by another six months i.e., up to 30th September, 2021.
Exemption from payment of IGST and Compensation Cess on the imports made under Advance/EPCG Authorisations and by EOUs etc. has also been extended up to 30.09.2021.
Similarly, validity period of the Status Holder Certificates is also extended. This will enable the Status Holders to continue to avail the specified facilities/benefits.

Source : PIB
Economy

April 1st current affairs – vignan ias

JAL JEEVAN MISSION
The Ministry of Jal Shakti has decided to use sensor-based IoT devices to effectively monitor the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in more than six lakh villages.
About:
For this, National Jal Jeevan Mission in collaboration with Tata Community Initiatives Trust (TCIT) and Tata Trusts recently completed pilot projects in several remote villages of five States i.e., Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Himachal Pradesh.
The Internet of Things (IoT) based remote monitoring provides near real-time information without any manual intervention by using sensors.
This would not only allow effective monitoring and management on-ground, but also enable real-time visibility to State water supply/ PHED officials, and citizens.
Several types of sensors have been deployed including flow meters, ground water level sensors, chlorine analyzers, pressure sensors, pump controller etc. to measure all the relevant aspects of water service delivery.
Important Info :
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Union Government’s flagship programme, is implemented in partnership with States/ UTs to provide tap water connection to every rural household by 2024.
It envisions creating a Digital Wall and Remote Command & Control Centre for monitoring and managing supply of prescribed quality water in adequate quantity (55 Liters Per Capita per Day – LPCD) every day through household tap connections across all rural villages.

Source : LiveMint
Water

PRIME MINISTER’S YOGA AWARDS (PMYA)
The nomination process for this year’s Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards (PMYA) will begin from 30/03/2021, with the last date for the submission of the entries being 30/04/2021.
About:
One of the key initiatives of the Ministry of AYUSH (MoA), the International Day of Yoga (IDY), has gained international recognition.
PM Narendra Modi, on the second International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2016,had announced two categories of Yoga awards – one being International and other being National – to be announced on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga (IDY).
The purpose of the awards is to recognize and felicitate the individual(s)/organization(s) who/which have made a significant impact on the society, for a sustained period, by the way of promotion and development of Yoga.

Source : PIB
Awards and Recognitions

April 1st current affairs – vignan ias

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March 28th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS Academy

UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING:
India delivered on its promise of 2,00,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the
United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) worldwide, sending a shipment bound
for Copenhagen.
UN Peacekeeping:
UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to
help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.
Principles: UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:
Consent of the parties;
Impartiality;
Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.

Role of Security Council: The United Nations Charter gives the United Nations
Security Council the responsibility to maintain international peace. For this
reason, the international community usually looks to the Security Council to
authorize peacekeeping operations through Chapter VII authorizations.
Present status: There are currently 12 UN peacekeeping operations deployed.
For its services, UN Peacekeeping has also received the Nobel Peace Prize.
UN peacekeepers are often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of
their light blue berets or helmets.
Source : The Hindu
International

HYPNEA INDICA; HYPNEA BULLATA:
Two new species of seaweed have been discovered by a group of marine biologists
from Central University of Punjab, Bathinda.
About:
Named Hypnea indica (after India) and Hypnea bullata (because of the
blisterlike marks on its body – bullate), the seaweeds are part of the genus
Hypnea or red seaweeds.
While Hypnea indica was discovered Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Somnath
Pathan and Sivrajpur in Gujarat, Hypnea bullata was discovered from Kanyakumari
and Diu island of Daman and Diu.
They grow in the intertidal regions of the coast, namely the area that is
submerged during the high tide and exposed during low tides.
The genus Hypnea consists of calcareous, erect, branched red seaweeds. There
are 61 species of which 10 were reported in India. With our two new species,
the total number of species now would be 63.
Source : The Hindu
Environment

CHINA, IRAN SIGN 25-YEAR ‘STRATEGIC PACT’:
China and Iran signed what was described as a 25-year “strategic cooperation
pact”.
About:
While details of the new 25-year pact were not immediately available, it
includes “political, strategic and economic” components.
This document can be very effective in deepening relations and would establish
a blueprint for “reciprocal investments in the fields of transport, ports,
energy, industry and services”.
Background: Nuclear Deal and Sanctions
The agreement comes amid a major push from China to back Iran, which counts on
Beijing, its largest trading partner, as it deals with the continuing weight of
sanctions re-instated following then U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to
withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal.
Earlier this week, China and Russia called for the U.S. to “unconditionally
return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as soon as possible
and revoke the unilateral sanctions against Iran”.
In this context, they proposed “the establishment of a regional security
dialogue platform to converge a new consensus on resolving the security
concerns of countries in the region”.
Important Info :
China and West Asia
This was signed during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s ongoing six-nation
tour to West Asia. Mr. Wang is visiting Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the UAE,
Bahrain and Oman.
Five-point initiative: In Riyadh, Mr. Wang proposed “a five-point initiative on
achieving security and stability in the Middle East” advocating “mutual
respect, upholding equity and justice, achieving non-proliferation, jointly
fostering collective security, and accelerating development cooperation.”
Source : The Hindu
International

March 28th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS Academy

MOITREE:
On the occasion of the birth centenary of the founding father of Bangladesh
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, renowned vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty has composed a
new Raag named ‘Moitree’ as a tribute to the Bangabandhu.
About:
The new Raag is dedicated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with elements of
‘maitree’ or India Bangladesh friendship.
It is a newly composed Raag incorporating the classical rules for the
composition of Raag.
Three compositions will be presented which are written in Sanskrit, Hindi and
Bengali languages.
Source : All India Radio
Culture

INDIA-BANGLADESH RELATIONS:
India and Bangladesh signed 5 MoUs in the fields of Disaster Management, trade,
NCC, ICT and setting up of sports facilities during the official visit of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh.
About:
Foundation stone was laid for infrastructure development for power evacuation
facilities from the Rooppur Nuclear power plant.
The Bangladesh leg of the Banagabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition was inaugurated
by the two Prime Ministers. It will be taken to other parts of the world
including the UN.
Both the leaders also unveiled the foundation stone for the construction of a
memorial at Ashuganj honoring the martyrs of Indian armed forces in the 1971
Liberation War of Bangladesh.
India gifted 109 life support ambulances to Bangladesh and also 1.2 million
doses of the Covishield vaccine.
Three border haats were also opened along the India-Bangladesh border.
During the visit a number of announcements were made.
A direct passenger train named ‘Mitali Express’ will run between Dhaka and New
Jalpaiguri.
Prime Minister Modi invited 50 young entrepreneurs from Bangladesh to connect
with India’s start up ecosystem.
1000 Subarno Jayanti Scholarships were announced for the Bangladeshi students
to study in India at the Undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
A Bangabandhu Chair will be established at Delhi University to facilitate
Bangladesh studies.
Both countries agreed to start a new area of cooperation in the Civil nuclear
and space sectors.
Important Info :
Places visited
Prime Minister also visited the birthplace of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
at Tungipara and placed a wreath at his mausoleum to pay tribute to the father
of the nation of Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Modi visited the Jeshoreshwari temple in Satkhira. He announced
that a cyclone shelter cum community hall will be built at the temple for use
by the people.
He also visited Orakandi where he was given a community reception. He paid
respect at Harimandir in Orakandi and addressed the representatives of the
Matua community.
Source : All India Radio
International

March 28th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS Academy

RESOLUTION 46/L1:
India abstained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) that makes a wide-ranging and damaging commentary on the human
rights situation in Sri Lanka.
About:
Resolution 46/L1 has decided, among other things, to “strengthen” the Office of
the High Commissioner on Human Rights to collect evidence and develop possible
strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human
rights in Sri Lanka.
It refers to “persistent” lack of accountability for rights abuses committed
through the years by “all parties” in Sri Lanka, including the LTTE.
Most seriously, it expresses a lack of confidence in the ability of the present
government in Colombo to address the shortcomings.
Among the 14 countries that abstained were Japan, Indonesia, Bahrain and Nepal.
Among the 11 that voted against were China, Cuba, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia,
and Venezuela.
Important Info :
Comment
This is the eighth resolution on Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council since
the end of the war against the LTTE in 2009.
India’s record of voting on these resolutions shows the ups and downs of New
Delhi-Colombo relations, the pressures on coalitions in India, the influence of
politics and parties in Tamil Nadu, and the ebb and flow of regional and
international geopolitics.
Source : Indian Express
International

CRYPTOCURRENCY:
The corporate affairs ministry has announced companies will have to disclose
any holding or dealings in cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies in their
financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).
About:
All companies will now have to disclose in their statutory financial filings to
the RoC
any profit or loss on transactions involving cryptocurrency,
the amount of cryptocurrency held on the reporting date, and
any deposits or advances received from anyone for the purpose of investing in
cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies.

Some experts have said these disclosure requirements indicated the government
is open to regulating cryptocurrencies instead of banning them.
Important Info :
View of Government on Cryptocurrency
The government’s new bill – Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital
Currency Bill, 2021 — aims to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies while
setting the stage to roll out the legal framework for an “official digital
currency”.
However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the Centre will
take a calibrated approach to cryptocurrencies and will not close the window on
experimentation with cryptocurrencies.
Source : Indian Express
Economy

BIHAR SPECIAL ARMED POLICE BILL, 2021:
The Opposition in Bihar has called a statewide bandh on March 26 to protest the
passed of the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 by the Bihar Assembly.
About:
The bill aims to develop the Bihar Military Police into a well-trained and
fully equipped armed police force with multi-domain expertise to cater to the
development needs and the larger interest of the state.
At present, the Bihar Military Police is entrusted with the security of the
Mahabodhi Temple in Gaya, the Darbhanga airport, and other industrial and
commercial establishments.
The new Bill renames the Bihar Military Police as the Bihar Special Armed
Police, and gives the force more teeth, on the lines of the Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF), so it can better secure the commercial and industrial
assets of the state.
Mandate of the force will be the “maintenance of public order, combating
extremism, ensuring the better protection and security of specified
establishments in such manner as may be notified and perform such other duties,
as may be notified.”
It empowers Special Armed Police officers to carry out searches and arrests
without warrant, and courts being able to take congnizance of certain offences
by the officers only after government sanction.
The mahagathbandhan in Bihar has called the Bill “draconian”.
Source : Indian Express
Defence & Security

 

INDIAN RHINOCEROS:

With the BJP frequently invoking Assam’s
world-famous one-horned rhino to connect with the people of the state, the
animal has now become a part of poll rhetoric, with promises to save “the pride
of Assam”.

 

About:

The projection of rhino as the pride of Assam began during the
Assam Movement (1979-85).

Rhino started emerging as a player in the political narrative of
Assam as “its poaching was linked to the control of indigenous people over
land, resources and influx of immigrants”.

According to the rhino census of 2018, there are 2,413 rhinos in
Kaziranga alone.

It is common for every party contesting in Bokakhat and Kaliabor,
the two constituencies that cover most of Kaziranga (the park spreads over
six constituencies), to say that they will protect the rhino.

Important Info :

•The
Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is also called the Indian rhino,
greater one-horned rhinoceros or great Indian rhinoceros.

It is a
rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent.

 

Subject: Environment

March 28th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS Academy

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The salient features of the Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 are as under:

• The Bill is more compact in comparison to the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 as the number of sections has been reduced to 76 from 134 by eliminating overlapping and obsolete Sections.
  
• The new Bill has proposed a simplified composition of the Board of Port Authority which will comprise of 11 to 13 Members from the present 17 to 19 Members representing various interests.
  
• The role of Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) has been redefined. Port Authority has now been given powers to fix tariff which will act as a reference tariff for purposes of bidding for PPP projects. PPP operators will be free to fix tariff- based on market conditions.
  
• The Board of Port Authority has been delegated the power to fix the scale of rates for other port services and assets including land.
  
• An Adjudicatory Board has been proposed to be created to carry out the residual function of the erstwhile TAMP for Major Ports, to look into disputes between ports and PPP concessionaires
  
• The Boards of Port Authority have been delegated full powers to enter into contracts, planning and development, fixing of tariff except in national interest, security and emergency arising out of inaction and default. In the present MPT Act, 1963 prior approval of the Central Government was required in 22 instances.
  
• The Board of each Major Port shall be entitled to create specific master plan in respect of any development or infrastructure.
  
• Provisions of CSR & development of infrastructure by Port Authority have been introduced.
  
• Provision has been made for safeguarding the pay & allowances and service conditions including pensionary benefits of the employees of major ports
  

Source : The Hindu

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India has launched Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission (ASIIM) under Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (VCF-SC) on 30th September 2020

About:

• Objective is to boost entrepreneurship and innovation among the SC students/SC Divyang youth.
  
• The companies/entrepreneurs owned by Scheduled Castes enrolled /registered with Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) are eligible to get maximum capital of Rs.30 lakhs over a period of 3 years i.e. Rs.10 lakhs every year.
  
• Financial support of up to Rs.10 lakhs per year for a period of 3 years aggregating to Rs.30 Lakhs shall be provided to eligible applicants as equity funding.
  

Source : PIB

NITI Aayog has constituted a sub-group to prepare a National Action Plan for Migrant Workers

• The sub-group comprises the members from various Ministries of Govt. of India, subject experts, NGOs and civil society organisations, to prepare a tangible action plan to address issues related to migrant workers.
  
• In order to safeguard the interest of the migrant workers, the Central Government had enacted the Inter-state Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979.
  

Important Info :

OSH Code

• This Act has now been subsumed in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code has been notified on 29.09.2020.
• The above mentioned code, commonly known as OSH Code, provides for decent working conditions, minimum wages, grievances redressal mechanisms, protection from abuse and exploitation, enhancement of the skills and social security to all category of organised and unorganised workers including Migrant workers.
• The relevant provisions of the Code are applicable to every establishment in which 10 or more inter-state migrant workers are employed or were employed on any day of the preceding 12 months.

Source : PIB

Union Agriculture Minister graces the occasion as chief guest on World Pulses Day

• The UN General Assembly in 2019 decided to dedicate a day to Pulses to increase awareness and access to pulses globally known as World Pulses Day.
  
• The World Pulses Day falls on February 10 every year and recognised Pulses as a global food.
  
• On World Pulses Day, people make efforts in creating awareness about the importance of Pulses in sustainable food production.
  
• The UN General Assembly after recognizing the value of pulses in 2013, adopted 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP).
  
• World Pulses Day 2021 theme is #LovePulses.
  

Source : PIB

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs accorded approval to the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for Grant-in-aid of Rs.100 crore to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corporation Limited (BVFCL), Namrup (Assam) to sustain operations of it’s urea manufacturing units

• BVFCL, Namrup is a Public Sector Undertaking formed as per Companies Act, under the administrative control of the Department of Fertilizers (DoF), Government of India.
  
• At present, the Company is operating its two vintage plants viz. Namrup-ll and Namrup-lll in the premises of BVFCL in Namrup, Assam.
  
• The grant in aid of Rs. 100 crore to BVFCL will restore the urea production capacity of 3.90 Lac MT per annum and ensure timely availability of Urea to Tea Industry & Farming Sector in the entire North Eastern region specially Assam.
  

Source : PIB

Days After the Centre asked Twitter to “suspend or block” nearly 1,200 accounts, citing “misinformation and provocative content” on the farmers’ protest, several ministers and departments of the Union government have started flocking on Koo App — a homemade version of the social networking platform

• The microblogging site was co-founded by entrepreneurs Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidwatka. Radhakrishna had founded online cab booking service TaxiForSure, which was subsequently sold to Ola Cabs.
  
• While the app was launched in early 2020, its participation and the subsequent winning of the government’s Atmanirbhar App Innovation Challenge brought it under the limelight.
  
• The app, along with other India-made apps like Zoho and Chingari — the local version of TikTok, won the challenge, which was launched by the Centre close on the heels of banning scores of apps with Chinese links citing national security concerns.
  
• Following the outcome of the Atmanirbhar App Innovation Challenge, the app was also mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address.
  

Source : Indian Express

The United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars entered the orbit of the red planet, seven months after the Emirati-built ‘Hope Probe’ was launched from Tanegashima in Japan

• With this, the UAE has become the fifth country after the US, Russia, China, the EU, and India, to reach the Martian orbit.
  
• The unmanned spacecraft is called ‘Al-Amal’ — the Arabic word for hope. The historic event was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the unification of the UAE’s seven emirates.
  
• First announced in July 2014, the Emirates Mars Mission was developed and operated by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in collaboration with the University California, Berkeley, Arizona State University and the University of Colorado-Boulder in the United States.
  
• In July 2020, it was launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan aboard a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H-II A rocket.
  
• Carrying three instruments, including a high-resolution camera and a spectrometer, the spacecraft is on an orbital mission to collect data on Martian climate dynamics and help scientists understand why Mars’s atmosphere is decaying into space.
  
• Hope is the UAE’s fourth space mission and first interplanetary one. The previous three were all Earth-observation satellites.
  
• Its overall mission life is one Martian year, which is about 687 days on Earth.
  

Source : Indian Express

The Union Budget has announced the privatisation of two public sector banks (in addition to IDBI Bank) and one general insurance company in the upcoming fiscal

• It also announced a strategic sale/disinvestment policy for four strategic sectors — including banking, insurance and financial services — in which it will have a “bare minimum presence”.
  
• In 2015, the government had suggested privatisation but the then RBI Governor did not favour the idea.
  

Important Info :

Arguments sighted for privatisation

• Years of capital injections and governance reforms have not been able to improve the financial position of in public sector banks significantly.
• Many of them have higher levels of stressed assets than private banks, and also lag the latter on profitability, market capitalisation and dividend payment record.
• The government front-loaded Rs 70,000 crore into government-run banks in September 2019, Rs 80,000 crore in in FY18, and Rs 1.06 lakh crore in FY19 through recapitalisation bonds.
• In 2019, the government merged ten PSU banks into four.
• private banks’ market share in loans has risen to 36% in 2020 from 21.26% in 2015, while public sector banks’ share has fallen to 59.8% from 74.28%.

Source : Indian Express

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Assam and West Bengal, where he will address a community vital to upcoming Assembly elections in both states — the Koch Rajbongshis

• They are a community that traces its roots to the Kamata kingdom, which comprised parts of Assam, West Bengal and adjoining territories.
  
• In the medieval period, the community was dominant and ruled their territory of Kamatapur, which comprised a large part of Bangladesh, West Bengal, Bihar and India’s north-east.
  
• After Independence, the princely state of Cooch Behar became part of West Bengal.
  
• Today, Koch Rajbongshis are found in Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Bihar, and in Bangladesh, Nepal and some parts of Bhutan.
  
• They are estimated to number over 33 lakh in West Bengal, mostly the northern districts, and have a large presence in Assam.
  

Source : Indian Express

Capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in connection with its three-year investigation in the co-location case

• The NSE is facing allegations that some brokers got preferential access through the co-location facility at the stock exchange, early login, and ‘dark fiber’, which can allow a trader a split-second faster access to the data feed of an exchange.
  
• Even this infinitesimally sooner access is considered to result in huge gains for a trader.
  
• Few brokers were able to log into the NSE systems with better hardware specifications while engaged in algorithmic trading, which allowed them unfair access and advantage.
  
• The unfair access issue pertains to 2012-14 when NSE used to disseminate price information through a unicast system. In such a system information is disseminated to one member after another.
  

Source : Indian Express

World Unani Day was celebrated on February 11, 2021 to spread awareness about health care delivery through Unani system of medicine through its preventive and curative philosophy

• World Unani Day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan.
  
• He was an eminent Indian Unani physician who was a versatile genius, a great scholar, a social reformer, a noted freedom fighter, a Unani medical educationist and founder of scientific research in Unani System of Medicine.
  
• He was one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.
  

Important Info :

• Principles of Unani System: The Unani system postulates the presence of four humours in the body: dam (blood), balgham (phlegm), safra (yellow bile) and sauda (black bile), a parallel to kapha, vata and pitta, the three doshas in ayurveda. The quality and quantity of four humors affect the state of health and disease in the body.
• Origin: Unani system originated in Greece. The theoretical framework of Unani medicine is based on the work of Hippocrates (460-377 BC).
• Role of Arabs: The system owes its present form to the Arabs who not only saved much of the Greek literature by rendering it into Arabic but also enriched it with their own contributions.
• Indian scenario: In India, it was introduced by Arabs and Persians sometime around the eleventh century.
• Revival by Hakim Ajmal Khan: It saw the beginning of its revival during the freedom struggle due to the efforts of Hakim Ajmal Khan. He established Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College and Hindustani Dawakhana a pharmaceutical company for manufacturing of Ayurvedic and Unani medicine in Delhi in 1916.

Source : PIB

Prime Minister Modi initiated a scheme for development of commercial organic farming in the region during 2015 which later became to be known as “Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region” (MOVCDNER)

• The scheme started with an average annual allocation of Rs. 134 crore during last five years has so far covered 74,880 ha area.
  
• To double the impact the allocation has now increased to Rs. 200 crore per year with a target to cover additional 1.00 lakh ha area under 200 new FPOs over a period of 3 year period.
  
• The scheme besides growing and value adding the traditional crops is also aiming to bring in high-value crops under contract farming models.
  
• Transformation of farmer clusters into Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) ensures emergence of new breed of organic agri-enterprises.
  

Source : PIB

Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) has launched a Seaweed Mission for commercial farming of seaweeds and its processing for value addition towards boosting national economy

The Mission envisages the following activities:

• Establishing model demonstration farms over one hectare for cultivation of economically important seaweeds in nearshore and onshore along the Indian coast
  
• Establishment of seaweed nurseries for supplying seed material for large scale farming of economically important seaweeds in the country
  
• Onshore cultivation for (i) Seedling supply facility (ii) Seaweed cultivation for processing
  
• Setting up of processing plant for integrated production of plant growth stimulants (sap) along with industrially important cell wall polysaccharides (phycocolloids) such as agar, agarose, carrageenan and alginates from fresh seaweeds
  

Important Info :

Background:

• Out of the global seaweed production of ~ 32 million tons fresh weight valued around 12 billion US dollars.
• China produces ~57 %, Indonesia ~28% followed by South Korea, whereas India is having a mere share of ~0.01-0.02%.
• Despite several advantages, commercial seaweeds cultivation has not been taken place in the country at an appropriate scale, as being practiced in South-East Asian countries.
• By an estimate, if cultivation is done in ≈10 million hectares or 5% of the EEZ area of India, it can provide employment to ~ 50 million people; set up new seaweed industry; contribute to national GDP; ocean productivity; abates algal blooms, sequesters millions of tons CO2; Healthier ocean; bio-ethanol of 6.6 billion litres. 

Source : PIB

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