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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Union Minister Jitendra Singh Launches Web Portal To Monitor Special Swachhata Campaign 4.0 Progress
Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (MoPP&P) has virtually launched a web-portal for monitoring progress of Special Campaign 4.0 for Swachhata and reducing pendency.
- The launch event was attended by all Nodal Officers for Special Campaign 4.0, Nodal Officers of Public Grievances and Appellate Authorities in all 84 Ministries/Departments of the Government of India (GoI).
About Special campaign 4.0:
i.The Special campaign 4.0 is scheduled to be held from 2nd to 31st October, 2024 and will be preceded by preliminary phase from 16th to 30th September, 2024.
- The aim of the Special Campaign is to institutionalise cleanliness (Swachhata) in all central government offices through a saturation approach.
ii.It will focus on saturation approach in all field and outstation offices responsible for service delivery or having public interface, in addition to the Central Ministries and Departments and their attached or subordinate offices.
iii.Previously, the three Special Campaigns in 2021, 2022 and 2023 covered 4,04,776 Cleanliness Campaign Sites, freed up 355 lakh square feet (sq.ft) of area for productive use, and earned Rs. 1162 crore in revenue by scrap disposal.
iv.The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions(MoPP&P) will coordinate the campaign and the best practices will be presented during the Good Governance Week 2024 from 19th to 24th December, 2024.
About the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST):
Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge, IC) – Dr. Jitendra Singh (Constituency – Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, J&K)
Union Minister Piyush Goyal Launches ‘BHASKAR Portal’ To Boost India’s Startup Ecosystem 
Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I) has launched the ‘Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry (BHASKAR – Rising Sun) Portal’ in New Delhi, Delhi to boost India’s startup ecosystem.
- The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), MoC&I through its flagship program ‘Startup India’, hosted the launch event of BHASKAR portal.
About BHASKAR Portal:
i.BHASKAR Portal is a one-stop digital platform for data dissemination, exchange, and interaction for the startup ecosystem, using simple, easy-to-use connectivity and technology to navigate the growth and success of the startup ecosystem across India and beyond.
ii.The objective of BHASKAR is to build the world’s largest digital registry for stakeholders within the startup ecosystem.
iii.It also aims to challenge incubators, policymakers, and other startup ecosystem stakeholders under a single roof for easier access and traceability.
iv.Through this portal, every stakeholder will be assigned a unique BHASKAR ID for ensuring personalised interactions and tailored experiences across the platform.
v.It will act as a catalyst for innovation and enhance connectivity among startups, particularly in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, ensuring that innovation is inclusive and opportunities are available to all.
vi.It will enable regional startups to collaborate, expand, and contribute to India’s economic growth.
About the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I):
Union Minister – Piyush Goyal (Constituency – Mumbai North, Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS) – Jitin Prasada (Constituency – Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, UP)
Highlights of the 54th GST Council Meeting
The 54th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting chaired by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MoCA) was held on 9th September, 2024 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi.
i.Among several recommendations by the GST Council, the most notable was the reduction of the GST rate on cancer drugs Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib and Durvalumab from 12% to 5%.
ii.The GST Council has decided to reduce the GST rate of extruded or expanded products, savoury or salted food products falling under HS 1905 9030 from 18% to 12% at par with namkeens, bhujia, chabena (pre-packaged and labelled) and similar edible preparations in ready for consumption form which are classifiable under HS 2106 90.
iii.On 15th September 2024, the GST Council headed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman constituted a 13-member Group of Ministers (GoM) to suggest GST rate on various health and life insurance products. It has also directed GoM to submit its report by October 30, 2024.
About Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council:
GST Council is a constitutional body introduced through 101st Amendment Act, 2016 in the constitution. It was constituted under Article 279-A of the constitution.
Chairperson- Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister (Rajya Sabha member- Karnataka)
>> Read Full News
MoPSW Conducted 20th Meeting of MSDC in Goa to Boost India’s Maritime Sector
The 20th Meeting of the Maritime States Development Council (MSDC) was held under the chairmanship of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) from 12 to 13 September 2024 in Benaulim, Goa, addressing several key maritime initiatives critical to India’s maritime future.
- The two day meeting concluded with resolutions of over 80 critical issues between the Central Government, States, and Union Territories (UTs), covering areas like port infrastructure modernisation, connectivity, maritime tourism, port security, etc.
- The meeting witnessed the keel-laying ceremony of India’s largest dredger, a 12,000 Cubic Meter (Cu. M.) Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD), at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi, Kerala, built in collaboration with IHC Holland.
About the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW):
Union Minister– Sarbananda Sonowal (Constituency: Dibrugarh, Assam)
Minister of State (MoS)- Shantanu Thakur (Constituency: Bangaon, West Bengal,WB)
>> Read Full News
Union Minister Amit Shah Announced Renaming of Port Blair as ‘Sri Vijaya Puram’
Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced that Port Blair, the Capital city of the Union Territory (UT) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be renamed as ‘Sri Vijaya Puram’.
- Sri Vijaya Puram represents India’s victory in the freedom struggle, and also the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ unique role in it.
- The decision to rename has been inspired by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s vision to free the nation from colonial imprints.
Significance:
i.Andaman and Nicobar Islands have an unparalleled place in the freedom struggle and history of India.
ii.The place hosted the inaugural unveiling of Tiranga by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It also houses the cellular jail where freedom fighters who fought for the independence of India were imprisoned.
Additional info:
i.Andamans are well known for its pristine natural beauty, abundant marine life, flora and fauna spread around 836 islands, islets and rocks.
ii.In January 2023, the Ross Island, an island of the Andaman Islands was renamed to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep.
iii.In 2018, the Neil Island and Havelock Island of Andaman were also renamed as Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep.
About Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
Lieutenant Governor (LG) – Devendra Kumar Joshi
National Parks – Campbell Bay National Park, Galathea Bay National Park
Airport & Seaport – Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair Port
CSTT Launches Website with Technical Terms in 22 Official Indian languages
The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT) under the Department of Higher Education (DoHE), Ministry of Education (MoE), has launched a unique website ‘https://shabd.education.gov.in/’, which serves as a central repository for technical terms in all 22 official Indian languages.
- The portal is a data server that features all the glossaries of CSTT in digital searchable mode. Currently, it hosts 322 glossaries with around 2,200,000 words. The goal is to eventually make 450 glossaries available.
- Through this platform, users can search for equivalent terms of scientific and technical terminology in Indian languages and provide feedback on existing translations.
- The search can be customised based on languages, subjects, dictionary type, or language pairs and the user can choose to search in a specific glossary or through the entire collection.
- This initiative is part of a broader effort to provide technical education, including medicine and engineering, in Indian languages.
Note: CSTT, established in 1961, has compiled over 350 dictionaries with a total of more than 3 million cumulative head-word counts from the scientific and technical domains in 22 scheduled languages of India
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India Participated in BRICS Literature Forum 2024 in Russia
India participated in BRICS Literature Forum 2024 which commenced on 11th September, 2024 in Kazan, Russia. The forum was inaugurated by Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan. The forum provided the common platform to writers, poets, philosophers, artists, scholars from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries.
- Theme of 2024 BRICS Literature Forum: “World literature in the new reality. Dialogue of traditions, national values and cultures”.
Indian Delegation: India was represented by Madhav Kaushik, President of the Sahitya Akademi; and Dr. K. Sreenivasarao, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi at the forum.
Key Highlights:
i.While addressing the plenary session, the 1st event of the forum, Madhav Kaushik emphasized on the importance of literature specially in today’s world which help to promote unity and cooperation among various societies across the world.
ii.During the 2nd event of the forum titled “Meet the Authors from India,” with the topic, “Volga to Ganga: Celebration of Tradition and Multiculturalism, Moderator: Evgeniy Abdullaev”, Dr. K. Sreenivasarao highlighted how the river-based cultures across the world promoted multiculturalism which further promotes unity and drives social progress.
- While, Madhav Kaushik underscored the traditional literature of India and Russia which contained various cultural values.
Note: The 16th BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held in Kazan, Russia in October 2024.
About BRICS:
i.It was initially formed as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) forum in September 2006.
ii.Later, in 2010, it was renamed as BRICS following the inclusion of South Africa as its 5th member.
iii.In January 2024, 5 countries namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially joined BRICS bloc. Thus, number of member countries of BRICS increased from 5 to 10.
About Russia:
President– Vladimir Putin
Capital– Moscow
Currency– Russian Ruble
World Bank Report: Healthy Longevity Could Save 150 Million Lives by 2050, transform developing countries
According to the World Bank (WB)’s report titled “Unlocking the Power of Healthy Longevity: Demographic Change, Non-Communicable Diseases and Human Capital”, investing in healthy longevity could save 150 million lives in Low-and-Middle Income Countries (LMICs) and extend millions more by 2050, which would result in significant economic benefits.
- However, the report cautioned about the rapid increase of aging population which will impact labor, immigration, health care, social protection systems and economies.
- As per the report, at least 1/3rd (33%) of the world population will be over 60 years of age by 2050.
Note: The World Bank Group (WBG) has set the target of reaching 1.5 billion people with better health services by 2030.
Key Findings:
i.As per the report, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes. Respiratory diseases, heart diseases, cancers, among others account for over 70% of all deaths and a significant portion disease and disability in LMICs.
ii.The report emphasized that healthy longevity interventions also support gender equity.
- Though, women generally outlive men, they experience longer periods of disease and disability, and have lesser resources than men to address these challenges, and also, responsibility for caregiving reduces their employment prospects and can compromise their well-being.
- The report suggested that alternative care options such as: community-based care can help countries to contain costs, respect dignity, and help women to remain in the workforce.
Key Recommendations:
i.The report has outlined strategies for governments that can improve health, reduce poverty, address gender inequity, and enhance productivity in LMICs.
ii.The report has recommended certain actions to reduce the risks of NCDs including integrating cost-effective clinical services and long-term care into primary healthcare, excise taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages to mobilise additional revenue and promote healthy behaviors.
About World Bank:
President– Ajay Banga
Headquarters– Washington, DC, the United States of America (USA)
Established– 1944
India Participates in G20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting held in Brazil & Held Bilateral Meetings with 7 Countries
The Indian delegation was led by Minister of State (MoS) Ram Nath Thakur, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India(GoI) attended the Group of Twenty (G20) Agriculture Ministerial Meeting (AMM) held in Cuiabá, Brazil from 12-14 September 2024.
- On the sidelines of the G20 AMM, Ram Nath Thakur, held a series of bilateral meetings with the United States of America (USA), Brazil, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), Spain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to strengthen India’s agricultural ties globally.
G20 Presidency:
Brazil holds the presidency of the G20, until 30th November 2024. G20 brings together the world’s largest economies – 19 countries, the African Union and the European Union.
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW):
Union Minister– Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Constituency- Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh (MP))
Ministers of State (MoS)– Ram Nath Thakur (Rajya Sabha- Bihar); Bhagirath Choudhary (Constituency- Ajmer, Rajasthan)
>> Read Full News
UNDP and ISO Launch World’s 1st Guidelines to Accelerate SDG Contributions
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have launched ‘ISO/UNDP PAS 53002‘, the world’s first international guidelines to accelerate contributions toward the United Nations (UN)’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The guidelines was introduced at the ISO Annual Meeting 2024 held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
- This provides a valuable resource for organizations to place SDGs into their core operations and increase their positive impact.
Key Points:
i.The guidelines help organizations understand and enhance their contributions to the SDGs.
ii.They offer a structured framework to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative ones, particularly benefiting vulnerable groups.
iii.The guidelines promote a balanced approach to economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
iv.They are applicable to organizations of all types and sizes, globally, across both public and private sectors.
v.The guidelines align organizational strategies with SDGs, enhance stakeholder engagement, improve sustainability reporting, and support risk management related to sustainability issues.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Administrator– Achim Steiner
Headquarters– New York, United States of America (USA)
Establishment– 1965
BANKING & FINANCE
US International Development Finance Corporation Invests USD 70 Million in India
The United States (US) International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has announced an investment of USD 70 million in India’s private sector to strengthen key priorities of both governments.
- This investments focus is on enhancing health systems, increasing access to affordable housing, and supporting small businesses.
About Investments:
i.It was announced by Nisha Biswal, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of DFC, during his visit to India from September 10-14, 2024.
- She attended the USIBC’s India Ideas Summit 2024 in New Delhi(Delhi). The theme of the summit is “Partnership and Prosperity in the Era of AI and Critical Technologies”
ii.During the visit, a ceremonial commitment for a USD 20 million loan was signed with Panacea Biotec Limited to expand production of its hexavalent vaccine, which protects children against six diseases viz. diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type B.
- The loan will help Panacea produce 70 million doses of the vaccine annually.
iii.A USD 50 million loan agreement was also signed with Vastu Housing Finance Corporation Limited to expand mortgage and home lending in India.
- This project is expected to provide over 2,200 affordable home loans, with 95% supporting women as sole or co-borrowers, and roughly 1,000 small business loans, mainly for women-owned businesses.
Note: India is DFC’s largest market, with approximately USD 3.8 billion invested as of Financial Year 2022-23(FY2023), including USD 820 million in new investments made last year.
About the United States of America (USA):
President – Joe Biden
Capital– Washington, D.C.
Currency – US Dollar
RBI Imposes Monetary Penalty of Rs 2.91 Crore on Axis Bank & HDFC Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty totalling Rs 2.91 Crore on Mumbai (Maharashtra) based Axis Bank Limited and Mumbai (Maharashtra) based HDFC Bank Limited for certain deficiencies in statutory and regulatory compliance.
i.Axis Bank has been fined Rs 1.91 crore for violating certain provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, as well as failing to comply with certain directions on Interest Rate on Deposits, Know Your Customer (KYC), and Credit Flow to Agriculture-Collateral-free agricultural loans.
ii.HDFC Bank has been fined Rs 1 crore for failing to comply with certain directions on Interest rates on deposits, recovery agents engaged by banks, and customer service in banks.
iii.The fines imposed are related to regulatory and compliance issues and will not impact the legitimacy of any transactions or agreements between the banks and their customers.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Moneyview Became India’s 6th Unicorn Startup by Raising Funding at USD 1.2 Billion
Moneyview, a Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based Financial technology (fintech) lending platform operated by WhizDM Innovations Private Limited, has turned Unicorn after securing Rs 38.6 crore (USD 4.6 million) in equity funding from Accel India and Nexus Venture Partners.
- Moneyview becomes the 6th Indian startup to achieve the unicorn status in 2024 after Krutrim, Perfios, Porter, Rapido, and Ather.
- Through the deal, Moneyview was valued at around Rs 10,086 crore (approximately USD 1.2 billion), thereby attaining Unicorn status.
- The shares have been issued at Rs 64.15 each with the intent to raise around USD 4.65 million.
- Backed by a series of investors including Tiger Global, Moneyview has also acquired Jify, an employee benefits startup, in a deal that involved a share swap.
- It enables Moneyview to further enhance its financial services by expanding into employee-focused solutions.
- Accel India and Nexus Venture, the existing investors of Jify invested Rs 29 crore, and Rs 19 crore respectively.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
MoR Awarded NSG-1 Status To Vijayawada Railway Station in AP 
The Ministry of Railways (MoR) has awarded the Non-Suburban Group-1 (NSG-1) status to Vijayawada Junction Railway Station (BZA), Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh (AP).
- It was announced by Narendra Anandrao Patil, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Vijayawada, South Central Railway (SCR).
- Vijayawada railway station is the second station in SCR to achieve NSG-1 status after Secunderabad Junction Railway station .
Note: The NSG-1 status is given to stations where annual revenue is more than Rs 500 crore or the number of passengers per year is more than 20 lakh.
Key Points:
i.The Vijayawada railway station had a revenue of Rs 528 crore and handled over 16.84 million passengers in 2023-24.
ii.It has also joined the list of the top 28 elite stations of the Indian Railways(IR).
iii.In addition to this status, Vijayawada railway station has been given the Platinum rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
iv.It has also been awarded the Best tourist-friendly station by the AP state government.
About the Ministry of Railways (MoR):
Union Minister – Ashwini Vaishnaw (Constituency – Rajya Sabha,Odisha)
Minister of State (MoS) – V. Somanna(Constituency – Tumkur, Karnataka) ;Ravneet Singh (Constituency – Ludhiana, Punjab)
Prasanthi Ram Won Singapore Literature Prize 2024 for ‘Nine Yard Sarees’
Prasanthi Ram, Indian-origin lecturer at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore has won the Singapore Literature Prize(SLP) 2024 for the English fiction debut short story ‘Nine Yard Sarees’, which was published in 2023.
- The short story cycle is about the generations of a Tamil Brahmin family dispersed spread over Singapore, Sydney, New York, and Connecticut.
- A total of 17 writers, translators and comic artists were awarded the SLP for the year 2024.
Note: The SLP is a biennial award in Singapore that recognizes excellent published works by Singaporean authors in any of the 4 official languages: Chinese, English, Malay, or Tamil.
i.Shubigi Rao, an Indian-origin artist, won the award for best English creative nonfiction for her work ‘Pulp III: An Intimate Inventory Of The Banished Book’ (2022).
ii.The best English debut prize went to Peter Ellinger, National University of Singapore Professor Emeritus, who became the Singapore Literature Prize’s oldest winner for ‘Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger’s Memoirs’ (2023).
iii.The winners in the Tamil section are Mathikumar Thayumanavan for poetry: Yaamakkodangi (2023), Kanagalatha K for Fiction: Cheenalakshumi (2022), Azhagunila for Creative Non-fiction: Appan (2023), and Tamilselvi Rajarajan for Best Debut: Kaatralalyll (2023).
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Jordan’s King Abdullah names Jafar Hassan as new Prime Minister
On 15th September 2024, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has appointed Jafar Hassan as the new Prime Minister (PM) of Jordan replacing the outgoing PM Bisher Khasawneh, who has been serving as the PM of Jordan since October 2020.
- Bishr Khasawneh resigned from the post in accordance with the constitutional norms after the 2024 parliamentary elections.
About Jafar Hassan:
i.Jafar Hassan is a seasoned diplomat and politician with significant experience in high-ranking roles, including director of His Majesty’s Office and Deputy Prime Minister.
ii.He served as planning minister of Jordan before becoming King Abdullah II’s chief of staff.
iii.As Jordan’s planning minister he has represented Jordan in international institutions like the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank.
iv.He was awarded Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun in 2020 for strengthening bilateral relations.
iv.He is also the author of a book on Jordan’s political economy, published in Arabic in 2020.
Note:
Jordan’s Parliament is bicameral, with members of the House of Representatives elected every four years, while the king appoints all 65 members of the Senate.
About Jordan:
Head of State– King Abdullah II
Prime Minister– Jafar Hassan
Capital– Amman
Currency– Jordanian Dinar
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day for Interventional Cardiology 2024 – September 16
The United Nations (UN)’s International Day for Interventional Cardiology is annually observed across the globe on 16th September to raise public awareness about Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), and interventional cardiology procedures.
- 16th September 2024 marks the 2nd International Day for Interventional Cardiology.
Background:
i.On 2nd September 2022, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/76/302, proclaiming the 16 September of every year as International Day for Interventional Cardiology.
ii.The first-ever International Day for Interventional Cardiology was observed on 16th September 2023.
Why 16 September?
16 September commemorates the first coronary angioplasty performed by Dr. Andreas Roland Grüntzig, a German physician-scientist, in 1977, at the University Hospital Zürich (USZ) in Zürich, Switzerland.
About World Health Organisation (WHO):
Director-General (DG)– Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
Founded– 1948
>> Read Full News
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