NATIONAL NEWS

Scheme for providing Drones to the Women Self Help Groups

· The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved Central Sector Scheme for providing Drones to the Women Self Help Groups (SHGs), with an outlay of Rs. 1261 Crore for the period from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

· The scheme aims to provide drones to 15,000 selected Women SHGs from 2023-24 to 2025-2026 to provide rental services to farmers for agriculture.

· The scheme seeks to empower women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and bringing new technologies through drone services in agriculture sector.

· The scheme approves holistic interventions by converging the resources and efforts of Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Department of Rural development (DoRD) and Department of Fertilizers (DoF), Women SHGs and Lead Fertilizer Companies (LFCs).

· Central Financial Assistance of 80% of the cost of drone and accessories/ancillary charges up to a maximum of Rs. Eight Lakh will be provided to the women SHGs for purchase of drones.

Smriti Zubin Irani Launches ‘Guide On Gender-Inclusive Communication’

· Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development (MWCD) launched a ‘Guide on Gender-Inclusive Communication’ in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

· The guide, titled “Gender-Inclusive Communication”, was prepared by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in collaboration with UN WOMEN and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

· Guide provides recommendations and examples on use of Gender-Inclusive language that avoids bias towards a particular sex or social gender and is less likely to convey or amplify gender stereotypes.

· The guide covers the use of language in English, Hindi, and other Regional languages, based on the “Handbook on Combatting Gender Stereotypes” by Supreme Court of India and other national and global best practices customized to suit the requirements of the Indian citizens.

· The guide also includes a checklist for gender-related revisions and key resources for further reference.

· The guide is intended to assist in gender-inclusive writing, review, and translation of documents and communications by government officials, civil servants, media professionals, educators, and other stakeholders.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Nepal Registers First Legal Same-Sex Marriage

· Nepal has become the first South Asian country to formally register same-sex marriage after the Supreme Court legalized it.

· The marriage of 35-year-old  woman Maya Gurung and 27-year-old gay Surendra Pandey has been legally recognized and their marriage has been registered in Dordi Rural Municipality of Lamjung district in western Nepal.

· Same-sex marriage was permitted by the Supreme Court of Nepal in 2007.

· In this regard, the Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, also clearly states that there can be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

COP-28 on Climate Change

· The joint world climate conference under COP-28 will be held in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December under the presidency of the Arab Emirates.

· Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, has been appointed as the President of COP28.

· Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is also the first CEO to be appointed as COP President.

· The conference is expected to see intense discussions among the representatives of 200 countries on issues like adverse effects of climate change, use of fossil fuels, financial assistance to reduce methane and carbon emissions and compensation to be given from rich countries to developing countries.

· The conference will attempt to address the issue of economic assistance to developing and poor countries who are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis despite contributing less to the climate crisis.

 

BANKING

SEBI to Implement Regulatory Framework for Index Providers

· Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved providing flexibility to Not for Profit Organisations (NPOs) in raising funds through the social stock exchange and also decided to introduce a regulatory framework for index providers.

· SEBI will provide flexibility for fundraising by NPOs through the social stock exchange.

· In this regard, the minimum issue size in case of public issuance of Zero Coupon Zero Principal Instruments (ZCZP) for NPOs on the social stock exchange will be reduced to Rs 50 lakh from Rs 1 crore.

· Among other decisions, a regulatory framework will be introduced for the index providers to foster transparency and accountability in governance and administration of financial benchmarks in the securities market.

· Starting from September 2024, all fresh investments made by Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs) will be required to be held in dematerialized (demat) form.

· SEBI has announced its intention to regulate online platforms that offer fractional ownership of real estate assets.

· These platforms will be registered under the framework for small and medium Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

Indraprastha Gas Limited Partnered with IndusInd Bank

· IndusInd Bank has partnered with Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) to introduce digital rupee transactions in Delhi NCR.

· The collaboration enables customers at selected IGL stations to make payments using the Digital Rupee, the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2022.

· Through UPI interoperability, customers can scan any UPI QR using their Digital Rupee App across all IGL stations.

· The bank is focused on contributing to the broader acceptance of Digital Rupee and fostering a ‘cashless’ economy.

· The Digital Rupee solution is available on both iOS and Android platforms, ensuring a user-friendly experience.

· It offers various features such as peer-to-peer (P2P) and peer-to-merchant (P2M) payments with complete UPI QR interoperability.

 

SPORTS

Men's National Hockey Championship

· Punjab claimed the Gold medal after their penalty shootout triumph over defending Champions Haryana in the Final.

·  13th Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship 2023 was held at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, Chennai.

· Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu overcame Karnataka in penalty shootouts to claim the Bronze Medal.

· Punjab defeated Haryana 2-2 (9-8 SO) to clinch the title.

· Punjab started the match strong, scoring the first goal in the 13th minute by Harjeet Singh.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award

· Renowned Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas was honoured with the prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

· Douglas said that Cinema has the power to unite and transform the people with cross cultural artistic expressions.

· The award was conferred during the festival’s closing ceremony by Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana and Pramod Sawant, chief minister of Goa.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

President of Maldives

· Mohamed Muizzu took the oath as the 8th President of the Republic of Maldives in a ceremony held at the Republic Square in the capital, Male’.

· Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef also took the oath of office during the ceremony, with the oath administered by Chief Justice of the Maldives, Ahmed Muthasim Adnan.

· Muizzu had defeated outgoing President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the elections.

· Union Minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju attended the oath-taking ceremony.

 

SCIENCE & TECHOLOGY

North Korea Achieves Successful Launch of Military Spy Satellite

· North Korea has achieved a successful launch of a military spy satellite on its third attempt within a span of six months.

· The rocket was launched from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station.

· In a parallel development, South Korea is also gearing up to launch its first spy satellite into orbit.

· This initiative is scheduled to take place later in December and involves utilizing a SpaceX rocket.

 

OBITUTARY

Renowned Art Historian BN Goswamy

· Renowned art historian and critic Brijinder Nath Goswamy passed away in Chandigarh at the age of 90.

· N. Goswamy was renowned for scholarship on Pahari painting and Indian miniature paintings.

· He initially joined the Indian Administrative Service (1956), and resigned in 1958 to pursue art studies​​.

· He has been a member of the Governing Committee of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and has chaired the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi.

· The Government of India awarded him the 4th highest civilian award of the Padma Shri in 1998 and followed it up with the third highest honour of the Padma Bhushan in 2008.