NATIONAL NEWS

Employment Guarantee Scheme

• The Government of Rajasthan is set to launch Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme to provide employment to the residents of the city.

• It is in line with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme run by the Central Government.

• This Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme will be started in Rajasthan from 09 September 2022. A budget provision of Rs 800 crore has been made for this scheme in the financial year 2022-23.
• More than 2.2 lakh families have been registered under this scheme.
• Under this scheme all the family members of a job card holder, whose age is between 18 to 60 years, will be eligible to get work under the scheme.
• The scheme will provide employment in the areas of environment and water conservation, sanitation and hygiene and other areas.

Long-Term Leasing of Railway Land

• The Union Cabinet has approved policy on long term leasing of Railway Land for implementing PM Gati Shakti framework.

• Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur announced that the policy will bring more revenue to Railways and generate about one lakh 20 thousand jobs.

• Three hundred PM Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals will also be developed over next five years.

• Under the new policy, railways have also cut down land lease fee from 6 per cent to 1.5 percent.
• The Cabinet has also approved the implementation of the phase two of Kochi Metro Rail project from Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium to Infopark through Kakkanad.
• Over 11-Kilometer-long metro route will have 11 stations and the project cost will be over one thousand 957 crore rupees.

GoI Announces to Rename the Rajpath

• According to the Indian government, Rajpath and Central Vista lawns will now be known as Kartavya Path.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kartavya Path on 08 September 2022.

• From the Netaji Statue to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the entire route and surroundings are referred to as the Kartavya Path.

• He also unveiled the Statue of Netaji Subhash Bose at India Gate on the occasion.
• The National Stadium in Delhi is reached through a path that passes through Vijay Chowk, India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill.

3 Day Conference and Public EXPO Called ‘Manthan’

• Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate a three-day conference and public EXPO called ‘Manthan’ in Bengaluru.

• The theme of Manthan is ’Ideas to Action’: Towards a smart, sustainable, road infra, mobility and logistics ecosystem.

• It aims at anchoring discussions across multiple issues and opportunities in the roads, transport and logistics sector.

• It will engage the States, Union Territories and other key stakeholders from the industry for sharing best practices, policy support and capacity development.
• The public EXPO organised alongside the conference is aimed at showcasing technologies and materials in highway development and new programmes like Bharatmala, Parvatmala and Electric Vehicles

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India-Japan 2 + 2 Ministerial Dialogue in Tokyo

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will participate in the 2nd India-Japan 2 + 2 Ministerial Dialogue in Tokyo.
• This year marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
• India and Japan are pursuing a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The 2 + 2 Dialogue will review bilateral cooperation across domains.
• The Defence Minister will separately hold bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart to further strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries across various sectors.

BANKING

IDFC First Bank Joins ONDC

• Private sector lender IDFC First Bank has signed up as participant in the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

• ONDC is an initiative of the ministry of commerce and industry, to enable early adoption of the network among its customers.

• The bank has enabled a platform for buyers which will help them discover sellers in the ONDC network as it develops over time.

• The bank has started onboarding small merchants, who are its current account customers, on to a partner app registered with ONDC.
• The app is expected to help small merchants carry out transactions over ONDC’s electronic network.

‘Rainbow Account’ for Transgender Community

• ESAF Small Finance Bank Limited launched ‘Rainbow Savings Account’ especially for transgender community.

• It offers a range of features including high savings rates and advanced debit card features.

• Kerala-based ESAF Small Finance Bank announced that a trans-friendly or inclusive labor culture is the need of the hour and it is a big step towards inclusive revolution.

• It serves primarily the underserved and underserved people with a focus on financial inclusion and its vision to be India’s leading social bank, providing universal financial access and equal opportunities by encompassing livelihoods and economic development.
• The Reserve Bank of India in 2015 directed banks to include a separate column ‘third gender’ in all their forms and applications.

The Direct Broking Licence from IRDAI

• Lord’s Mark Insurance Broking Private Limited, the insurance division of Lord’s Mark Industries has received direct insurance broking licence from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

• It is for selling life and general insurance products.

• Lords Mark Insurance Broking is already in talks with a few leading insurance firms to formalise collaborations with them for launching life and general insurance products on its platform called ‘Policy King’.

• Policy King will function on an innovative operating model and will offer its customers facilities to compare all available insurance offers apart from assistance and expert guidance to choose the right life insurance, term life insurance, health insurance, motor insurance, etc.

SPORTS

Mastercard Replaces Paytm as BCCI Title Sponsor

• American financial company Mastercard has replaced Paytm as the new title sponsor of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) of the Indian cricket team for their home matches.
• Mastercard will be the title sponsor of Indian men's and women's cricket teams' matches at home along with all the domestic tournaments ranging from the Ranji Trophy to the Irani Trophy.
• Mastercard will be the title sponsor for all international matches (both women and men) scheduled in India.
• Paytm has the rights for 7 years as the sponsor of BCCI.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Home Secretary in UK Cabinet

• Indian-Origin barrister Suella Braverman is the new Home Secretary of United Kingdom.

• She has been appointed as the new Home Secretary by Prime Minister Liz Truss.

• She succeeded her colleague of Indian Origin Priti Patel.

• She had served as the Attorney General in the earlier government led by Boris Johnson.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A Book by Saumya Saxena

• Saumya Saxena, a British Academy Fellow in the faculty of history at the University of Cambridge, authored a book titled ‘Divorce and Democracy: A History of Personal Law in Post-Independence India’.

• It discusses the Indian state’s challenging conversation with divorce, which is mostly resolved through religion.

• It investigates the dynamic interactions between law, religion, family, minority rights and gender in Indian politics by charting the evolution of marriage and divorce laws in post-colonial Hindu, Muslim and Christian groups.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Clear Air for Blue Skies

• International Day of Clear Air for Blue Skies is celebrated every year on 07 September.
• It is observed to recognise the value of clean air in our health and daily lives.
• The day was designated by the UN General Assembly in 2019 and was first observed on 07 September 2020.
• UN member states observe this day by holdings events around the world on the effects of air pollution.
• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘The air we share’.

International Literacy Day

• International Literacy Day (ILD) is celebrated every year on 08 September.

• It is observed to make people aware of the meaning and importance of literacy for individuals and societies.

• UNESCO established this day in 1966 and it was first celebrated on 08 September 1967.

• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces’.