NATIONAL NEWS

LPG Cylinder at Rs 500 Per Cylinder

• The Rajasthan Government will provide 12 LPG cylinders per year to the poor families at Rs 500 per cylinder from 01 April 2023.
• This was announced by the Rajasthan Chief minister Ashok Gehlot at the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Alwar on 19 December 2022.
• ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ (PMUY) was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 01 May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.
• Under the scheme a poor household headed by a woman is provided with a free LPG gas stove and free first LPG Cylinder.
• Under the scheme the beneficiaries have to buy the subsidized LPG cylinder.

IICA Launches ESG Impact Leaders Program

• Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India has launched a programme to create Impact Leaders in the areas of Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG).
• Impact Leader programme is designed as a comprehensive course on ESG giving a holistic understanding of the philosophy of ESG, its principles, its relevance and its implication.
• IICA has also created the 'National Association of Impact Leaders' which is a membership-based association exclusively for ESG professionals.
• The association will provide a platform for professional advancement and engagement to its members.
• In future this association may also act as a regulatory body to strengthen the ESG Profession in India.

Tamil Nadu Government Makes Aadhaar Mandatory

• The Tamil Nadu government has announced that all those who are eligible for benefits under various government schemes will have to submit proof of having an Aadhaar number or get an Aadhaar identification.

• Aadhaar is mandatory for government employees, government pensioners and beneficiaries of various schemes implemented by the state government through various departments through their implementing agencies.

• The Treasury and Accounts Department through its implementing agency will provide Aadhaar enrollment facilities for those beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled.

Wayanad Rice Festival Promotes Climate-Resilient Crops

• The Kerala-based Organisation named Thanal in an experiment has planted 300 climate-resilient varieties of traditional rice on 5 acres of land at its agroecology center in Panavally in the Wayanad district.

• It is to sensitize people to the significance of conserving traditional crops that can withstand harsh climatic conditions.

• The Thondy variety, a traditional and popular rice among the people in Wayanad a few decades ago could compete with any hybrid rice in terms of productivity.

BANKING

Bandhan Bank to be a Service Center for Defence Ministry

• The Defence Accounts Department of the Union Ministry of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bandhan Bank to onboard them as Service Centers under the System for Pension Administration Raksha (SPARSH) initiative.
• The service to the defence personnel will be provided under the System for Pension Administration Raksha (SPARSH).
• SPARSH is a web-based system for processing the pension claims and crediting the pension directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners without any external intermediary.
• This system is administered by the Defence Accounts Department through the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), Prayagraj and support all the three Services and allied organizations.
• The Bandhan Bank started as an NGO and later it was converted into an NBFC -MFI (Micro Financial institution). It was converted into a private sector bank in 2015.

RGICL Launches ‘Reliance Health Infinity Policy’

• Reliance General Insurance Company Limited (RGICL) has launched the first-of-its-kind premium health insurance product – ‘Reliance Health Infinity Policy’ that offers limitless benefits.
• The policy is available in individual and family floater, covering up to 8 members and categories and offers sum-insured options starting from ₹5 lakh to ₹5 crores.
• It also rewards customers for being fit both financially and physically by offering India’s first credit score-based discount and Body Mass Index (BMI)-based discount on the premium
• The Reliance Health Infinity policy can be bought for a 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year policy tenure.
• Children above 90 days of age and adults between the age of 18 to 65 years are covered in this policy.

SIDBI Partners with M1xchange

• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the principal financial institution engaged in the promotion, financing and development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has partnered with M1xchange as the financier.
• This move is expected to bring liquidity to MSMEs at competitive interest rates.
• This is a highly effective and efficient solution for addressing the issue of the delayed payment of MSMEs.
• M1xchange offers early liquidity to MSMEs within 24 hours through its online bidding platform through the end-to-end digital process.

HDFC Securities Launches ‘Roots’

• Leading Indian stock brokerage firm, HDFC Securities has launched Roots, a dedicated platform providing comprehensive investor education and market analysis.

• The site offers multiple forms of valuable information, including articles, bite-sized tips, podcasts by experts, video tutorials and explainers and live social media feed on the Indian financial markets.
• The biggest USP of the platform is that it produces content that is being searched on Google by current or prospective investors and traders.
• The Blog section of Roots is updated with articles addressing all aspects of investing in the Indian financial markets, from intraday trading to ETFs, and more.
• The portal also includes a UGC section (User Generated Content) where investors and traders can suggest topics, they want to learn more about.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

The Publication of Scientific Papers

• According to a survey by America’s National Science Foundation, India has risen from seventh to third in global scientific publications and academic output, according to Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh.
• India ranked third in the world in terms of the number of PhDs produced annually.
• In a similar rising trend, the number of patents awarded by the India Patents Office to Indian scientists has more than doubled in just the last four years.
• India’s scholarly production climbed from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1, 49,213 papers in 2020.
• China tops the world in the publication of the highest number of scientific articles followed by The United States of America.

DEFENCE

Scorpene Submarine ‘Vagir’ Delivered to Indian Navy

• The fifth submarine of the Project -75, Kalvari Class submarines, Yard 11879 (Vagir) was delivered to the Indian Navy on 20 December 2022.
• Project -75 includes indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene design.
• These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group, France.
• The construction of these submarines in an Indian yard is another step towards 'Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Human Solidarity Day

• International Human Solidarity Day 2022 is observed every year on 20 December.

• IHSD highlights the goal of the United Nations and its member states to create awareness about poverty and the need to reduce poverty in independent nations.

• The day serves to remind governments, civil society members and other institutions that poverty can tackled and eradicated only through a united effort.