- Person in news
Jual Oram launches book on economic awareness in India
Jual Oram, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Defence and MP, has launched ‘Turn Around India: 2020-Surmounting Past Legacy’, a book on creating economic awareness among masses.
The book is authored by R P Gupta.
The book provides a practical and viable option for reviving Indian economy for creating new jobs and enlarging public income and also, the structural reforms such as fiscal and monetary stimuli for overcoming economic crisis arising due to pandemic.
Quick Fact: In Indian Parliament, a Standing committee is a committee consisting of Members of Parliament.
- National Affairs
Meghalaya police inks MoU with SBI for e-Challan
A Memorandum of Understanding is signed between the Meghalaya police and the State Bank of India (SBI) for the implementation of the e-Challan within the jurisdiction of the Shillong Traffic Police (STP).
Via the e-Challan system imposing penalties on violators of traffic rules and generating challan will be done digitally.
The system has been integrated with VAHAN & SARTGI applications and will enable the Traffic Officials to fetch the details of the traffic violator such as vehicle and driver’s details through these applications, thereby reducing the time taken to issue challan.
Quick Fact: Meghalaya’s Capital is Shillong.
- Government Schemes
The Government will organise the first Toy fair of India
The Government of India will organise the first toy fair of India, “The India Toy Fair, 2021, from 27th February to 2nd March 2021, on a virtual platform.
The official website for India Toy Fair-2021 is www.theindiatoyfair.in
The initiative is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a global hub for the toy industry.
It is the first ever digitally accessible exhibition in India and platform which will provide an opportunity to not only explore and buy a variety of toys from over 1,000 exhibitors across states and union territories.
- Economy
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched the Financial Literacy Week (FLW)
The Reserve Bank of India has launched the Financial Literacy Week from 8th to 12th February 2021, with the objective to propagate financial education.
The theme for Financial Literacy Week (FLW) is “Credit Discipline and Credit from Formal Institutions”
Banks have been advised to disseminate the information and create awareness among its customers and the general public.
Quick Fact: The 25th Governor of RBI is Shaktikant Das.
- Economy
New Development Bank to Invest 100 million USD in NIIF Fund of Funds
The New Development Bank (NDB) has committed to invest 100 million USD (Rs.727.6 crore), into the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIF) Fund of Funds (FoF).
The Investment marks NBD’S first equity investment into India and its first-ever investment into a Fund of Funds.
Currently, the Government of India, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are the investors in the FoF. Now NBD has joined the group.
Quick Fact: The FoF was established in 2018 with the objective of providing homegrown Indian private equity fund managers access to an India focused institutional investor that operates at scale.
- Government Schemes
TIFAC launches SAKSHAM portal and Seaweed Cultivation Mission
The Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) have launched a job portal called SAKSHAM to map the skills of workers as required by the MSMEs.
Seaweed Cultivation, or kelp farming, is the practice of cultivating and harvesting seaweed. The process comprises management of naturally found batches in the simplest form.
As per the estimate of the department, if seaweed cultivation is done in 10 million hectares or 5% of the Exclusive Economic Zone area in India, it would help in providing employment to 50 million people.
The TIFAC will showcase a model, in collaboration with other in-line ministries, of the commercial farming of seaweeds and its processing.
Quick Fact: TIFAC is an autonomous organisation. It works under the Department of Science and Technology. It was set up in1988.
- Environment
Mandarian duck spotted after 118 year in Assam
The Mandarian duck which is a colourful duck from eastern Asia was spotted in Assam recently after 188 years.
Spotting of the Mandarian Duck has raised hopes for the wetland which was affected by a blowout and inferno at a natural gas well in the year 2020.
The duck was spotted by the team of avian specialists in the Maguri-Motapung Beel of Tinsukia district in eastern Assam.
The last Mandarian Duck was spotted in Assam in 1902. Mandarian duck is the habitat of eastern China and southern Japan.
Quick Fact: The scientific name of Mandarian Duck is Aix galericulata.
- Science and Technology
Concentration of small Black Holes discovered in Cluster NGC 6397
The astronomers have discovered a concentration of smaller black holes in cluster NGC 6397.
NGC 6397 is also known as Caldwell 86. It is a globular cluster lying in the constellation Ara. The Globular clusters are a dense stellar system that host the closely packed stars.The cluster is located around 7,800 light years from Earth.
It comprises around 4,00,000 stars. The cluster can be observed with a naked eye under the good observing conditions. The cluster is one among the 20 globular clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy.
