Current Affairs 15 May 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 15 May 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture Ministry allocates INR 2250 Crore for Horticulture sector for FY 2021-22

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) has allocated INR 2250 Crore for the FY 2021-22 for ‘Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture’ (MIDH), a centrally sponsored scheme. It aims at developing the Horticulture sector in the FY 2021-22.

• It will help in realizing the potential of the sector and also help in increasing Farmers income.
• Interventions by the Government have helped the horticulture sector to surpass agriculture production in India.
• During the FY 2019-20, India recorded its highest ever horticulture production of 320.77 Million Tonnes (MT) from an area of 25.66 million hectares.

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)

• It has been implemented since 2014-15, the main objective is to ensure holistic growth and development of Indian Horticulture sector.
• MIDH is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare
• Financial Structure – Central Government – 60% of total outlay, State government – 40% (except North East & Himalayas). In the case of North East & Himalayas, the Central Government contributes 90%.
• Under the scheme, area and production during the years 2014-15 to 2019-20 increased by 9% and 14% respectively.

About Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW)
Union Minister –  Narendra Singh Tomar (Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State – Parshottam Rupala (Rajya Sabha, Gujarat), Kailash Choudhary (Barmer, Rajasthan)
>>Read Full News

Real Estate Fund SWAMIH to benefit 1.16 Lakh Home Buyers – FM Nirmala SitharamanUnion Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman has stated that the Real Estate Fund – ‘Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) Investment Fund I’ will benefit 1.16 lakh home loan borrowers, whose housing projects were stalled due to funding issues.
i.On May 13, 2021, SWAMIH Fund Completed its 1st Residential Project.

• The residential project – ‘Rivali Park Wintergreens’ is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• It was also the 1st housing project in India to receive funding under the SWAMIH Fund.
• It was developed by CCI Projects Pvt Ltd (CCIPPL), an associate company of Cable Corporation of India Ltd.

SWAMIH Investment Fund I
Announced in 2019, It aims to provide last-mile funding to the stressed affordable and middle-income housing projects in India. SWAMIH is a category 2 Alternate Investment Fund (AIF).

• It is a INR 25, 000 Crore fund – Government of India holds 50% of the fund. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), State Bank of India (SBI) each hold 10%.
• The Investment manager of the fund – SBICAP Ventures Ltd (SVL).

About Ministry of Finance
Union Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman (Rajya Sabha –  Karnataka)
Minister of State – Anurag Singh Thakur (Lok Sabha – Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh)
>>Read Full News

Environment Appraisal Committee allows Great Nicobar Plan to AdvanceThe Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) – Infrastructure I of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recommended NITI Aayog’s project ‘Great Nicobar Plan’ for “for grant of Terms Of Reference (TOR)” for Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) studies.

• The grant is one of the first steps in the environmental clearance process.
• Earlier, EAC had flagged concerns about the ‘Great Nicobar Plan’.

Great Nicobar Plan

• Proposed by NITI Aayog, it aims to promote holistic development of Greater Nicobar and is estimated to cost ~ INR 75, 000 Crores.
• The proposal includes International container transshipment terminal (at Galathea Bay), a greenfield international airport, a power plant and a township complex spread over 166 Square Kms.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) is the nodal agency for implementation of the plan.

Concerns
EAC had highlighted several missing information in the township proposal.
i.Seismic and tsunami hazards, freshwater requirement details are missing.
ii.Details of impact on the Nesting site of Giant Leatherback turtle are missing.

• Galathea Bay is the site of the proposed port. The bay is also an nesting site of the Giant Leatherback, the world’s largest marine turtle.

iii.Absence of details on the number of trees to be felled  for the proposed plan.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
Union Minister – Prakash Javadekar (Rajya Sabha – Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)– Babul Supriyo (Lok Sabha– Asansol, West Bengal)
>>Read Full News

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India Hosted 1st BRICS Employment Working Group Meeting in Virtual FormatThe 1st BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting in virtual format was held on 11th – 12th May 2021 in Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi. The Meeting was hosted by India, which assumed the BRICS Presidency in 2021.
The meeting was chaired by Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Labour and Employment.
Key People:
Apart from the representatives of BRICS nations(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Agency (ISSA) participated in the meeting.
Discussions of 1st BRICS EWG Meeting:
i.The member of BRICS, ILO and ISSA discussed their initiatives and best practices along with their concerns and challenges.
ii.The agenda of the discussion were promoting Social Security Agreements(SSA) among BRICS Nations, participation of women in the labour force, formalisation of the labour markets, and Gig and platform workers – Role in the labour market.
About BRICS:
Members– Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa
Current Chair– India
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

Airtel Payments Bank Launched a Digital Platform for Gold Investment – ‘DigiGold’On May 13, 2021, Airtel Payments Bank in partnership with SafeGold, a digital gold provider, launched a digital platform called ‘DigiGold’ – for its customers to make an investment in gold.
Features of DigiGold platform:
i.Under this, Airtel Payments Bank’s saving account customers are enabled to invest in 24K gold using the Airtel Thanks app.
ii.Storage: The gold purchased under the platform will be stored by SafeGold at no additional cost.
iii.Later it could be sold through the Airtel Thanks app at any time.
Points to be Noted:

• In line with RBI guidelines, Airtel Payments Bank increased its savings deposit limit to Rs 2 lakh and it offers an increased interest rate of 6 percent on deposits between Rs 1-2 lakh.

About Airtel Payments Bank:

• It was India’s 1st payment bank.

Establishment – January 2017 (by Bharti Airtel)
Headquarters – New Delhi
MD & CEO – Anubrata Biswas
>>Read Full News

RBI Cancelled the Licence of United Co-operative BankThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the license of United Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bagnan, West Bengal in May 2021, as the bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects to pay its present depositors in full.

• The bank also does not comply with the provisions of section 11(1) and section 22 (3) (d) read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• Following the cancellation of the licence, the bank is prohibited from conducting the ‘banking’ business (including acceptance of deposits and repayment of deposits) (From May 13, 2021) as defined in Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Paying back the depositors (Under DICGC Act, 1961):
i.All the depositors of the United Co-operative Bank Ltd. will receive the full amounts of their deposits from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).
ii.After Liquidation, every depositor would receive a deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to a monetary ceiling of Rs 5 lakh from the DICGC (as per the provisions of the DICGC Act, 1961).
About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):

• RBI was established in 1935 and nationalised in 1949
• The 1st headquarters of RBI was located in Kolkata
• The cash reserve Ratio (CRR) is the amount of funds that the banks have to keep with the RBI
• Reverse Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI borrows money from commercial banks
• Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends money to commercial banks

>>Read Full News

OneWeb partners with SoftBank  to promote Satellite Communication ServicesOneWeb (a venture backed by Sunil Mittal) has signed an Cooperative agreement with SoftBank Group Corp, a Japanese multinational holding company to promote its satellite communication services in the Global and Japan markets.

• The two entities will promote satellite communication services through a combination of OneWeb’s satellite services & SoftBank’s Digital Transformation (DX) platform services.
• They will also engage in technical and product development to enhance their competitiveness in these markets.
• The agreement encompasses obtaining regulatory approvals & setting up of ground stations in Japan.
• OneWeb currently has 182 of the 648 planned LEO satellites of its constellation in space.

About One Web
CEO – Neil Masterson
Executive Chairman – Sunil Bharti Mittal
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom
About SoftBank Group Corp
Chairman & CEO – Masayoshi Son
Headquarters – Tokyo, Japan
>>Read Full News

IOB Got Shareholders’ nod for Rs 4,100 crore Infusion by GovtOn May 13, 2021, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) obtained approval from its shareholders through an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) for the issuance of 246,54,23,932 equity shares to the Government of India (GoI) on a preferential basis for a capital infusion of Rs 4,100 crores by GoI in the bank.
Key Points:
i.After the capital infusion, the GoI’s shareholding in IOB increased from 95.84 percent to 96.38 percent.
ii.Out of Rs 4,100 crore an amount of Rs 2,465.42 crore will be credited to the share capital account and Rs 1,634.58 crore will be credited to the share premium account.
Background:
On March 31, 2021, GOI has infused Rs 14,500 crore ($1.98 billion) in 4 weak Public Sector Banks (PSBs) under Zero-Coupon Recapitalisation Bonds with maturities between March 31, 2031, and March 31, 2036. Out of the 4 banks, IOB was provided with 4,100 crores. Click here to know more
About Indian Overseas Bank (IOB):
Establishment – 10th February 1937
Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Tagline – Good people to grow with
MD&CEO -Shri Partha Pratim Sengupta
>>Read Full News

RBI Excluded Lakshmi Vilas Bank from the Second Schedule of the RBI ActReserve Bank of India(RBI) has excluded Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd.(LVB) from the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934 after it was merged with DBS Bank India Ltd (DBIL) in 2020.
Background:
i.On November 17, 2020, the Government(Govt) (on the advice of RBI), imposed a 30-day moratorium for LVB with restricted cash withdrawal at Rs 25,000 per depositor.
ii.RBI appointed the former non-executive chairman of Canara Bank, T N Manoharan as an administrator of LVB for those 30 days.
iii.On November 27, 2020, Govt allowed the merging of LVB (bank under crisis) with DBS Bank India Ltd. (under Section 45 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949), and removed the restrictions imposed over LVB. On the same day, it was excluded from the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934.
About Second Schedule of RBI Act:
i.All banks which are included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 are Scheduled Banks. It includes Scheduled Commercial Banks and Scheduled Co-operative Banks.
ii.Paid-up Capital requirement: Commercial banks with paid-up capital and reserves not less than Rs.5 lakhs are eligible for inclusion under the Second Schedule of RBI Act 1934.
Note – In 2020, LVB became the second private sector bank under moratorium after Yes Bank which was rescued by Govt through State Bank of India’s Rs 7,250 crore capital infusion and 45 percent stake acquisition from the bank.
About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael DebabrataPatra, M Rajeshwar Rao, and T Rabi Sankar

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

EAMPL Signs MoU with Beowulf Mining to Set Up JV in FinlandEpsilon Advance Material (EAMPL), a subsidiary of Epsilon Carbon, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Beowulf Mining plc to set up a Joint Venture(JV) company in Finland.
Objective:

• The main objective of this JV is to become a prominent player in the European Lithium-ion Battery ecosystem
• And to become a potential future supplier of the raw materials that Finland and Europe need for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries

About Beowulf Mining:
Beowulf Mining plc is an exploration and development company, listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and the Spotlight Exchange in Sweden.
Chief Executive Officer:Kurt Budge
Headquarters:London,United Kingdom
About Epsilon Advance Materials Pvt Ltd (EAMPL):
EAMPL ,subsidiary of Epsilon Carbon,has been formed to develop and manufacture innovative, high performance and quality carbon products for anode components of lithium-ion Batteries (LIB).
Managing Director(MD):Vikram Handa
Headquarters:Mumbai,Maharashtra
>>Read Full News

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Nepali Mingma Tenji Sherpa Sets World Record by climbing  Mount Everest Twice

On May 13, 2021,Nepali mountain guide, Mingma Tenji Sherpa, a 43-year-old, had created a world record by climbing 8848.86-meter-high Mount Everest(world’s highest peak) twice in the shortest span of just four days.

• Previously, Indian mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa had held the record for fastest dual ascents on Mount Everest in 118 hours and 15 minutes in 2017 and still holds the record for fastest dual ascent on Mount Everest by a woman
• On May 8, Nepali mountain guide Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record of the most ascents of the world’s highest peak for the 25th time.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

K P Sharma Oli Re-appointed as Prime Minister of NepalKP Sharma Oli, (69 years old) Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) was re-appointed as the Prime Minister(PM) of Nepal by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

• KP Sharma Oli has previously served as the PM of Nepal from 2015 to 2016 and from 2018 to 2021.

Key points:
i.KP Sharma Oli was reappointed since the opposition parties failed to secure majority seats in the House to form a new government.
ii.President Bidhya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to KP Sharma Oli at the ceremony at Shital Niwas.
iii.KP Sharma Oli has to take a vote of confidence at the house within 30 days, failing which the attempt to form a government under Article 76(5) will be initiated.
iv.At present he needs 136 votes to form a majority government.
About Federal Parliament of Nepal:
i.The house has 275 members of which 165 were elected from single-member constituencies and 110 elected through a proportional electoral system, considering the whole country as a single electoral constituency.
ii.In the lower house of the Parliament, the Nepali Congress and Maoist Centre have 61 and 49 seats respectively.
iii.Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) has 32 seats in the lower house.
About Nepal:
Currency– Nepalese Rupee
Capital– Kathmandu
The Flag of Nepal is the world’s only non-quadrilateral flag that acts as both the state flag and civil flag of a sovereign country.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

Groww Acquired Indiabulls MF for Rs 175 croreGroww, an online investment platform, operated by Nextbillion Technology Pvt. Ltd made an agreement with Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd (IBHFL) to acquire the mutual fund(MF) business of its subsidiaries Indiabulls Asset Management Company Ltd (IAMCL) and Trustee Company of IAMCL, for Rs 175 crore (including cash and cash equivalents of Rs 100 crore).

• By this deal, Groww became one of the 1st fintech companies to enter the Rs 32-trillion Asset Management Business.
• Groww’s agreement with Indiabulls MF will be limited only to the mutual fund part of the business, Alternate Investment Fund (AIF) and Portfolio Management Service (PMS) businesses will be demerged from the existing IBAMC structure, and remain under Indiabulls Housing Finance.

Background:
i.This agreement came after the Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) eased the norms to become a Mutual Fund Sponsor through the SEBI (Mutual Funds) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021.
ii.Under which, SEBI allowed sponsors who do not fulfil profitability criteria at the time of making an application will also be considered to be eligible to sponsor a Mutual Fund(MF).
iii.The new sponsors need to have a net worth of not less than Rs 100 crore for the purpose of contributing towards the net-worth of the Asset Management Company (AMC) and his net worth of the AMC has to be maintained till the time AMC makes a profit for 5 consecutive years.
iv.The new amendments allowed new-age fintech companies and even private equity players to start a mutual fund. Click here to know more
Note – The existing sponsors of MF having a net worth of Rs 50 crore will continue and the amendments are made only for new players entering the mutual fund.
About Indiabulls Mutual Fund:
Indiabulls Mutual Fund has been established as a Trust with Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Whole-time Director & CEO – Ambar Maheshwari
About Groww:
Commenced Operation– 2017
Headquarters – Bangalore, Karnataka
Co-founder & CEO – Lalit Keshre

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NITI Aayog set up CovAid – portal to track COVID-19 related aid NITI Aayog has set up the CovAid portal, a dedicated platform to monitor all the COVID-19 aid received by the Government of India.
The portal will enable donors to do end to end tracking till the ultimate beneficiary.
Objective:
To track all the relief aids coming through the missions and individual organisations.
About CovAid:
i.The Indian Red Cross Society is financially responsible for all the consignments of donations from foreign countries which are received through the mission.
ii.HLL Lifecare Limited and Concor has been engaged to provide logistical support.
iii.HLL Lifecare acts as the customs agent for the processing of customs and other regulatory clearances.
iv.The mission forwards the list of aid to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) which is also shared with the ministry of Health for allocation of aid.
Features:
i.CovAid is a transparent system to distribute foreign aid with a detailed SOP (standard operating procedure).
ii.The SOP ensures that the states with high active cases will receive supplies on a priority basis.
About NITI Aayog:
National Institution for Transforming India, also called NITI Aayog was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet on January 1, 2015.
CEO– Amitabh Kant
Headquarters– New Delhi

NASA, Axiom sign pact to send 1st Private Astronaut Mission to ISSUS Space Agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has signed an agreement with Axiom Space to send the 1st private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by  January 2022. The mission has been designated as ‘Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1)’.

• The mission will consist of a crew of 4 astronauts, they will be launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, US.
• SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Capsule will carry the crew to the ISS.

Key Points

• The crew will stay in the ISS for a period of 8 days.
• The 4 crew members are Michael Lopez-Alegria (Spanish-American) – Mission Commander, Larry Connor (US), Mark Pathy (Canada), and Eytan Stibbe (Israel).

About National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Administrator – Bill Nelson
Headquarters – Washington DC, USA
About Axiom Space
President, CEO – Michael T. Suffredini
Headquarters – Texas, USA
>>Read Full News

SPORTS

Rugby World Cup-New Zealand to Hold Women’s Rugby on October 2022

World Rugby announced that, New Zealand is set to host the Women’s Rugby Tournament, Rugby World Cup from 8th  October 2022 to 12th November 2022.

• The Tournament was originally to be held in 2021, but was officially postponed by a year in March 2021 due to COVID-19.
• The tournament has been extended from 35 to 43 days, allowing all teams a break of at least five days between matches.
• Venues-Auckland’s Eden Park, Northlands Events Centre in Whangarei and Waitakere Stadium.

Kazakhstan Tennis player Roman Khassanov given 10-year ban for corruption

The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced that Roman Khassanov a tennis player who represented Kazakhstan in the Davis Cup has been banned for 10 years after admitting to a string of corruption charges. the offenses that took place from 2014 through 2018. He has been banned from attending any official tennis events and fined $100,000, with all but $25,000 of that sum suspended.

OBITUARY

Assamese Writer and Veteran Journalist Homen Borgohain passed awayEminent Assamese writer and Veteran journalist Homen Borgohain has passed away at the age of 88 after suffering cardiac arrest  in Guwahati, Assam.He was born on December 7, 1932 in Lakhimpur district,Assam
About Homen Borgohain:
i.Homen Borgohain was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978 for Assamese language for his novel ‘Pita Putra’, but he returned his award in 2015 in protest against intolerance being created in the Indian society.
ii.He worked as an Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer. He also wrote several novels, poetry and short stories.
iii.Later he started a career in journalism and was associated with several newspaper and finally he became the Chief editor of Assamese daily Niyomiya Barta
iv.He was also the President of Asam Sahitya Sabha.
v.His other notable literary works are Saudor Puteke Nao Meli Jay, Halodhiya Soraye Baudhan Khai, Astarag, Timir Tirtha, Matshyagandha, Subala, Nisongota, Aatmanuxandhan, Gadyar Sadhana, Progyar Sadhana, etc.

Padma Bhushan Indu Jain, Chairperson of Times Group Passed Away at 84Padma Bhushan Indu Jain, Chairperson of Times Group, passed away at the age of 84 due to COVID-19 complications in Delhi. She has been described as a philanthropist, a proponent of Women’s right and a patron of the arts.
She was born on 8th September 1936 in Faizabad, United Provinces, British India (present Uttar Pradesh).
About Indu Jain:
i.Indu Jain became the Chairman of Times Group in 1999.
ii.She established the Times Foundation in 2000 with an aim to achieve sustainable development and transformational changes.
iii.The foundation manages the Times Relief fund to provide support during natural disasters and other crises.
iv.She has served as the founder president of the FICCI Ladies Organisation(FLO) established in 1983.
v.She served as the Chairperson of Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust, founded by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain in 1944 to promote Literature in Indian languages.
vi.She has addressed the United Nations at the Millennium World Peace Summit held in 2000.
Awards:

• Padma Bhushan in 2016 for Trade and Industry.
• Lifetime achievement award from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India in 2019
• Award for lifetime contribution to media by the All India Management association in 2018.
• Lifetime achievement award by the Indian Congress of Women.

STATE NEWS

Punjab set to become 1st Indian state to join Global COVAX AlliancePunjab is set to become the 1st Indian state to join the Global COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) Alliance. Joining the Alliance will help Punjab to address the Anti-Covid-19 vaccine shortage & to procure vaccines at the best price.

• The decision to join the Global COVAX Alliance was taken during a virtual Cabinet meeting headed by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

COVAX
i.It is an global initiative co-led by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation), World Health Organization (WHO), and key delivery partner UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).

• Its main objective is to accelerate the development & manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines & guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.
• In October 2020, WHO had stated around 180 countries had joined the COVAX program.
• Its aim is to deliver 2 billion doses of effective, approved COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.

Punjab Cabinet approves Punjab Prison Rules, 2021
The Punjab Cabinet has approved the ‘Punjab Prison Rules, 2021’ under the Prisons Act, 1894. It will replace the Punjab Jail Manual, 1996.
i.The new rules will give emphasis on safe and secure custody of prisoners, it will also ensure welfare, corrections, aftercare (rehabilitation & social reintegration of released inmates), and educational programmes for prisoners.
About Punjab
Chief Minister – Amarinder Singh
Governor – V. P. Singh Badnore
Capital – Chandigarh
>>Read Full News

Puducherry Becomes 4th ‘Har Ghar Jal’ State/ UTPuducherry has become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Union Territory(UT) by achieving the target of 100% piped water connection in rural areas under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
With this, Puducherry becomes 2^nd ‘Har Ghar Jal UT and the fourth State/UT after Goa, Telangana and Andaman & Nicobar Islands to provide assured tap water supply to every rural home
Key Points:
i.Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is a flagship programme of the Union Government, which aims to provide tap water connection to every rural household of the country by 2024.
ii.In 2021-22 Union Budget, Rs 50,000 Crore has been allocated for JJM
iii.It has to be noted that the State of Punjab and the UTs of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have covered over 75% of rural homes with assured tap water supply.
About Puducherry:
It was merged with the Indian Union on 1^st November 1954
Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
Chief Minister: N Rangasamy

Maharashtra CM Introduced “Mission Oxygen” to Combat 3rd Wave of COVID-19 

Maharashtra Chief Minister(CM) Uddhav Thackeray introduced “Mission Oxygen” to combat the third wave of COVID-19. The state government is working towards increasing India’s Oxygen producing capacity to combat the 3rd wave of the COVID-19 infection.

• The state government aims to ensure the production of 3000 metric tons of Oxygen per day.
• The cabinet of Maharashtra has sanctioned special incentives to industrial units under the Maharashtra Mission Oxygen Swavalamban. 
• The incentives include a 150% waiver in GST in Marathwada and Vidarbha and 100% in the rest of the State.

Swastha Aahar Yojana-Healthy Food Scheme for Covid patients in Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh’s Medical Education Minister Vishwas Kailash Sarang has launched the Free Swastha Aahar Yojana (Healthy Food Scheme) for the corona patients in Bhopal.

• Under this scheme,the patients will get nutritious food free of cost in the hospital where they are admitted.
• This scheme has been started in 110 hospitals in Bhopal. On its success, this scheme will be started in other cities of the state as well.
• A helpline number for a free healthy food service scheme will also be started soon.

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