NATIONAL NEWS

Ministry of Textiles Launches “Paat-Mitro” Application

The Ministry of Textiles launched “Paat-Mitro”, a mobile application to provide important information about MSP and agronomy to jute farmers.

Rachna Shah, Assistant Secretary, Textiles Ministry, has launched it, which is available at 6 beaches.

This mobile application was developed by the Jute Corporation of India Limited (JCI) during the ‘Jute Symposium’. It is available in six languages.

It will provide information about the latest agronomic practices and Minimum Support Prices (MSP); Jute Gradation Parameters, Farmer-centric schemes like ‘Jute-ICARE’, weather forecasts, etc.

Through this application, farmers will also be able to track the status of their payments for the raw jute sold to JCI under MSP.

Many latest features like Chatbot are included in this application for resolving queries.

To create awareness and popularize Jute based technical textiles, the ‘Jute Symposium’ was organized.

Ministry of Rural Development Signs MoU with Reliance Retail’s JioMart

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Reliance Retail’s JioMart as part of its efforts to enhance the outreach of the products of self-help groups (SHGs) of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

This will bring SHGs under MoRD’s SARAS collection brand onto JioMart offering a range of handlooms and handicrafts products from traditional textiles to pantry, home décor and beauty products.

This initiative will further boost MoRD’s provision under the SARAS collection to be available to a larger consumer base.

JioMart will also help set-up and support them to navigate and operate their account on the marketplace.

Additionally, JioMart will jointly participate in trainings and workshops facilitated by MoRD to enable sellers to familiarise selling experience on the portal.

National Conference of Chief Secretaries

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the conference of Chief Secretaries in Delhi from 27 December to 29 December 2023.

This is the third such conference. The first conference was held in Dharamshala in June 2022 and the second in Delhi in January 2023.

This conference is inspired by the Prime Minister's vision to implement the principle of cooperative federalism.

The National Conference of Chief Secretaries is organised to encourage participatory governance and partnership between the Central and State Governments.

This conference will further strengthen the delivery mechanism of government interventions at both rural and urban levels.

This conference will form the basis for cooperative action to achieve a better quality of life.

The main focus of the National Conference of Chief Secretaries is 'Ease of Living'.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India-Russia Signed Kudankulam Plant Agreement

India and Russia signed agreements related to the construction of future power generation units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu on 26 December 2023.

KNPP is being built in Tamil Nadu with technical assistance from Russia.          

Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar is on a five-day visit to Russia.

In the presence of both leaders, agreements regarding nuclear energy, medicine and medical equipment were signed.

Both sides have agreed that the teams will meet by the end of January to begin talks on a free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Zone.

Jaishankar will meet his counterpart Sergei Lavrov on 27 December 2023 to discuss bilateral, multilateral and international issues.

World Economic Forum Meeting

World Economic Forum meeting will be held in Switzerland in January 2024.

It will be organized in Daos, Switzerland.

This meeting will be held from 14 to 20 January.

Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Hardeep Singh Puri and Shri Ashwani Vaishnav will represent India at the World Economic Forum meeting.

A delegation of Uttar Pradesh government will also attend the World Economic Forum meeting.

This will be the first time that the state pavilion will be displayed in the North World Economic Forum meeting.

 

BANKING

ADB to Boost Tourism Infrastructure in the State of Tripura

The Government of India (GoI) signed an agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to avail a USD 100 million loan to improve urban services and tourism facilities in the northeastern state of Tripura.

The objective is to enhance urban services and tourism facilities in Tripura, focusing on improving municipal infrastructure, public services, and key tourism sites.

The project includes capacity building for 12 urban local bodies, covering planning, infrastructure operations, financial management, gender equality, social inclusion, and project management.

The state government will update building regulations to incorporate spatial planning and green building principles, ensuring climate and disaster resilience.

Through this project, ADB will help upgrade tourist destinations, such as the Chaturdash Devata Temple, Kasba Kalibari, and Neermahal Palace, by improving the amenities, rooms, landscaping, and making them more visitor- and gender-friendly destinations.

It will establish a digital museum and a new adventure park.

U Gro Capital Raises ₹250 Crore from Dutch Development Bank

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) lender U Gro Capital has raised ₹250 crore from Dutch development bank through rupee-denominated non-convertible debentures (NCDs).

The association will help strengthen the fund’s commitment towards greater financial inclusion in India.

The MSME-lending-focused NBFC has provided credit to more than 80,000 small businesses.

Prior to this, it had raised ₹240 crore from Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) in May 2023.

NABARD and ADB

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has teamed up with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help the farming sector tackle the adverse impact of climate change.

The two organisations, in association with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will tap climate capital to fund agricultural, natural resources and rural development (ANR) initiatives.

The collaboration is aimed at enhancing food security and climate financing in India’s ANR sector.

NABARD will also receive support to formulate a climate financing policy and its adoption.

The firm has experience in managing large-scale programmes in agriculture and other allied sectors, with a focus on climate adaptation and mitigation.

The partnership will identify and support food security and climate financing programmes in the ANR sector.

The support can also be extended to NABARD’s ongoing and future projects, the ADB and other public and private funds can add value.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

India Skills Report 2024

As per the India Skills Report 2024, Kerala is the most preferred State to work in India.

Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram have emerged as premier employment destinations for the youth in the country.

According to this report, in urban areas, both men and women prefer to work regardless of their age.

This report has been published by talent assessment agency Wheebox in collaboration with AICTE, CII, AIU, Google, and Tagged.

88 lakh youth have been surveyed through a National Employability Test conducted nationwide.

This report shows that employability in India has improved and 51.25% of the youths have been found employable with the required skills.

In overall employability among the 18-21 age group, Kerala secured second position.

Thiruvananthapuram leads in providing computer skills.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Chairman of Bombay Stock Exchange

Pramod Agarwal has been appointed as the chairman of Bombay Stock Exchange.

The appointment of Pramod Aggarwal has been approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Pramod Aggarwal has been the former chairman of Coal India Limited.

Agarwal Will replace S.S. Mundra as Chairman of BSE.

Pramod Aggarwal's tenure will start from January 17, 2024.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO to Launch India's First Polarimetry Mission

ISRO will launch the country's first polarimetry mission, XPoSat, from Satish Dhawan Space Center Sriharikota on 01 January 2024.

It will be launched from Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C58.

XPoSat is also India's first and the world's second polarimetry mission.

 XPoSat stands for X-ray Polarimeter Satellite.

EXPOSAT is developed in collaboration with ISRO and Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, Karnataka.

According to ISRO, "XPoSat will study the various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources under extreme conditions".

XPoSat aims to study the 50 brightest sources in the universe.

This satellite will be installed in a low earth orbit of 500-700 km.

The satellite is expected to have a life of approximately five years.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Epidemic Preparedness

International Epidemic Preparedness Day is observed every year 27 December.

The day aims to increase awareness about the pandemic.

This is done by exchanging information, sharing scientific knowledge and exchanging best practices internationally.

Governments have the primary role and responsibility when responding to pandemics.

International Pandemic Preparedness Day helps people get ready for pandemics by educating them and raising awareness.

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on 7 December 2020.

The resolution declares 27 December as International Epidemic Preparedness Day.

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