NATIONAL NEWS

PMAY-U Scheme Extended to Next Year

• Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri announced that the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) scheme has been extended up to next year, to complete all the houses sanctioned during the last financial year.

• The central government has sanctioned Rs 2 lakh crore under the scheme, out of which Rs 1.36 lakh crore has been released so far.

• The survey conducted by the States and Union Territories shows that there is a demand of 112 lakh houses under PMAY-U in the country.

• It was launched on 25 June 2015 by the Government of India and it is being implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• The scheme aims to provide pucca houses to all the eligible beneficiaries by 2022.

Haryana Vigilance Bureau Renamed as Anti-Corruption Bureau

• The Haryana state vigilance bureau has been renamed as Anti-Corruption Bureau.

• The change in name was announced by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar while chairing a meeting with the Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs)

• In 2022, Haryana’s State Vigilance Bureau had registered 246 corruption cases, the highest annual figure in the past 10 years.

• In 2022, Khattar had approved various initiatives of the bureau, including the setting up of a revolving fund to provide “trap money” to people lodging complaints against government officials who demand bribes.

Aarohini Training Programme for Girls

• Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Yogi Adityanath has launched the ‘Aarohini Initiative Training Programme’ for the safety and security of girls in all 746 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) in UP.
• The training will start in Lucknow.
• The campaign is being started to make the daughters of the underprivileged section capable and self-reliant.
• The main objective is to enable the girls to raise their voice for their rights.
• Training will be provided to full-time teachers of Kasturba Gandhi Schools.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Provided 50 Buses to Sri Lanka

• India has supplied 50 buses to Sri Lanka on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of independence.

• India provided 50 buses to Sri Lanka under the economic assistance scheme.

• Commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland has bagged a contract for the supply of 500 buses from the Sri Lanka Transport Board.

• Under the contract, 75 buses have been handed over to Sri Lanka in January 2023.
• The Indian Import-Export Bank is providing loans for these buses.

India Signs Agreement with US

• The US Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) plan to strengthen public-private collaboration in the chip ecosystem by forming a private-sector task force.

• It aims to develop a readiness assessment in order to identify near-term opportunities and help in the longer-term development of semiconductor ecosystems.

• NSA Ajit Doval co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) with his US counterpart Jake Sullivan at the White House in Washington.

• A new innovation Bridge will be established to connect defence startups on both sides.

• India and the US agreed to launch a public-private dialogue that will cover 5G and 6G and Open Radio Access Network (ORAN).

BANKING

New India Assurance (NIA) Launches ‘Pay As You Drive’

• New India Assurance (NIA) has launched a ‘Pay as You Drive’ (PAYD) policy, which offers a comprehensive motor insurance policy that charges a premium based on the usage of the vehicle.

• The policy has two components – third-party cover and own-damage cover.

• Discounts on renewals, coverage beyond distance limit and enhanced protections such as nil depreciation, roadside help, return to invoice, etc are provided.

• For instance, the customer can save money through discounts on renewal premiums, provided the vehicle runs within the specified kilometres.
• Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has allowed insurance companies to launch telematics-based motor insurance covers, like PAYD and pay how you drive (PHYD), enabling vehicle owners to decide how much to spend on their car insurance.

BOB Launches ‘Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman’

• One of India’s premier public sector banks, Bank of Baroda (BoB), announced the establishment of the ‘Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman’.

• The Bank launched this award to stimulate and promote literary works in Indian languages.

• The use of all Indian languages is crucial in a multilingual country like India since it adds to the nation’s diversity and rich legacy.

• The ‘Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman’ aspires to encourage mutual exchange among Indian languages and make the best Indian literature available to the entire audience in Hindi.
• The prize promotes literary translation in the country.
• This prize will be given to both the original author of the selected literary works and the translator who translated the book from the original regional language into Hindi.
• Every year, the original author and translator of the prize-winning book will receive Rs. 21.00 lakh and Rs. 15.00 lakh respectively, under this award.

SPORTS

Khelo India Youth Games

• Two national youth records were set in athletics events at the Khelo India Youth Games in Madhya Pradesh at the T T Nagar stadium in Bhopal.

• Delhi's Sonam set a new record in 200m steeplechase with a timing of 6.45.71 minutes.

• Siddharth Chaudhary of Rajasthan created a new record of 21.04 meters in shot put.

• Madhya Pradesh won the overall championship in athletics in the boys category and Maharashtra in the girls category.

• Maharashtra topped the medal table with 79 medals including 26 gold.
• Haryana is second with a total of 53 medals including 22 gold and host Madhya Pradesh is third with 21 gold medals.

National Ice Hockey Championship 2023

• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has won the National Ice Hockey Championship 2023 title.
• The12th edition of the competition has been organized in Ladakh, Leh.
• The championship was organized by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI).
• The ITBP team won the title for the third consecutive time by defeating Ladakh Scouts in the final with a score of 1-0.

AWARDS & PRIZES

WAN-IFRA Digital Media South Asia Awards 2022

• The Hindu Group has bagged four awards at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media South Asia Awards 2022 for its various products and services.

• TH Newsletters won silver in Best Digital Subscription initiative and The Hindu e-paper bagged gold in Best ePaper concept.

• In the Best Use of Short Form Video category, Trending and Current Affairs, The Hindu won gold award.

• World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) recognises outstanding digital media projects delivered by south Asian news publishers.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Coach of Nepal Cricket Team

• The Nepal Cricket Association has appointed former Indian cricketer Monty Desai as the head coach of the Nepal national cricket team.

• Monty Desai will replace another former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar, who resigned from his post in December 2022.

• Nepal Cricket Association has signed a two-year deal with Monty Desai.

• Monty has been the head coach of teams like West Indies, Canada, UAE.

• Monty has also served as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals team in the Indian Premier League (IPL).