Current Affairs 26 May 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 26 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

India & Israel sign three-year Work Program for development in Agriculture cooperationIndia & Israel have signed a three-year 5th Indo-Israel Agriculture Action Plan (IIAP) 2021-23 agreement for development in Agriculture cooperation. Under the work program, both countries will implement two initiatives namely  ‘Indo-Israel Agricultural Project Centre of Excellence’ & ‘Indo-Israel Villages of Excellence (IIVoE)’.It will benefit local farmers through the Centers of Excellence and the Villages of Excellence.

• Till now 4 action plans have been completed successfully.
• Objective – To grow existing Centres of Excellence (CoE), establish new centers, increase CoE’s value chain, bring CoE into the self-sufficient mode, and encourage private sector companies and collaboration.
• Implementing partners – National Horticulture Mission (NHM) under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), India, and Israel’s Agency for International Development (MASHAV) and CINADCO under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

INDO-ISRAEL Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence

Under the IIAP, 29 CoEs have been established across India in 12 states.The COEs established under these Israeli-based action plans are playing an important role in doubling farmers’ income. The exchange of technology between India and Israel will greatly improve the productivity and quality of horticulture.

Indo-Israel Villages of Excellence (IIVoE)
i.It is a new concept aimed at creating a model ecosystem in agriculture across 8 states in India (alongside 13 already existing CoE in 75 villages).
ii.The CoEs will generate knowledge, demonstrate best practices and train farmers and will focus on Modern Agriculture Infrastructure, Capacity Building, and Market linkage.
About Israel
Prime Minister – Benjamin Netanyahu
Capital – Jerusalem
Currency – Israeli Shekel
>>Read Full News

Anurag Singh Thakur launches 1st Phase of ‘MCA21 Version 3.0’ PortalMinister of State for Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur virtually launched the 1st phase of the ‘Ministry of Corporate Affairs 21 Version 3.0 (MCA21 V3.0)’ portal.

• MCA21 online portal is providing easy and secure access to Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) services to corporate entities, professionals, and the public. It helps companies to submit various documents as part of compliance requirements under the company act 1956.
• The MCA21 V3.0 portal is being updated in two phases, the fully revamped MCA21 portal is expected to be launched within the FY 2021-22.
• The first phase of MCA21 V3.0 comprises a newly rebuilt website, new email services for MCA Officers, and 2 new modules e-Book and e-Consultation.

Features introduced in 1st Phase of MCA21 V3.0
The features of the newly launched MCA21 V3.0 are

• Reducing the need for the requirement of attachments.
• Inclusion of e-Consultation module to hold a virtual public consultation.
• Use of AI for compiling, grouping, and categorizing comments/inputs received from stakeholders
• New email service for officers of MCA –

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

TRIFED, NITI Aayog partner to Implement Van Dhan Vikas Kendra in 39 Tribal Districts

TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India), Ministry of Tribal Affairs is set to partner with NITI Aayog for implementation of Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) initiative under Van Dhan Yojna in 39 Tribal Aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog.

Van Dhan tribal start-ups or VDVK is a programme for value addition, branding & marketing of Minor Forest Produces by establishing Van Dhan Kendras to facilitate the creation of sustainable livelihoods for the forest-based tribes.

Key Points
i.A dedicated team consisting of members from TRIFED and NITI aayog will be for implementation of Van Dhan Yojana.
ii.An additional 9900 VDVKs (subsumed into 659 VDVK Clusters) have been proposed to be established in the 39 tribal aspirational districts.
Van Dhan Yojna or Van Dhan Scheme
i.It was launched on 14th April 2018 and is implemented by TRIFED.Van Dhan startups help the socio-economic development of the tribal population of the country by establishing Van Dhan Kendra.
ii.It is a component of the ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP’.
iii.The idea is to set up tribal community owned Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Clusters (VDVKCs) in predominantly forested tribal districts.

• The move will boost the employment generation to nearly 2 lakhs tribal families.

About TRIFED
It comes under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Managing Director – Pravir Krishna
Head Office – New Delhi
>>Read Full News

Cheetah to be re-introduced into India at Kuno National Park, MPCheetah, declared extinct in India in 1952 is set to be re-introduced into India in November, 2021 at the Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh (MP). It is the 1st time in the world that a large carnivore will be relocated from one continent to another.

• As per the plan, 10 African Cheetahs will be brought from South Africa & Namibia and reintroduced in India.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has approved a budget of INR 1, 400 Lakh for the 2021 Fiscal under ‘Project Cheetah’.
• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will release money for the project to Madhya Pradesh and the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in June, 2021.
• India’s last Cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947.

Three-Member Panel formed by Supreme Court
i.In January 2020, the Supreme Court set up a three-member committee,  composed of Ranjit Singh, Former Director of WII; Dhananjai Mohan, Director of WII; DIG, Wildlife, MoEFCC to guide the NTCA on the reintroduction process.
Conservation Status of Cheetah
They are listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
About Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
An Autonomous Institution of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
Chairman – Secretary, MoEFCC (R P Gupta)
Headquarters – Dehradun, Uttarakhand
>>Read Full News

Ministry of Power to set up a National Mission on the use of Biomass in Thermal Power PlantsThe Ministry of Power is set to establish a National Mission on the use of Biomass in coal-based Thermal Power Plants.
i.It will address the issue of air pollution caused by farm stubble burning and reducing carbon footprints of thermal power generation.

• It will help India’s energy transition & help in meeting India’s Clear energy targets (450 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy by 2030).
• The proposed National Mission will have a minimum duration of 5 years & will also contribute to the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

Objectives of National Mission on use of Biomass
i.To increase the level of co-firing from the present 5% to a higher level to have a larger share of carbon-neutral power generation from the thermal power plants.
ii.To take up Research & Development activity in Boiler design for handling the high amount of silica, alkali in the biomass pellets.
iii.To facilitate overcoming the constraints in the supply chain of biomass pellets and agro-residue and its transport up to to the power plants.
iv.To consider regulatory issues in biomass co-firing.
About  Ministry of Power
Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Raj Kumar Singh (Lok Sabha – Arrah, Bihar)
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI Issued Guidelines for Amalgamation of District Central Co-op Banks with State Co-op BanksOn May 24, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) notified the guidelines for the Amalgamation of one or more District Central Co-operative Banks (DCCBs) in a State with State Co-operative Bank (StCB) or amalgamation of one DCCB with another.

• RBI issued the guidelines as some of the State governments approached RBI for amalgamation of DCCBs with the StCB as a two-tier Short-term Co-operative Credit Structure (STCCS).

Background:
i.On December 23, 2020, the Government of India has notified the Banking Regulation(BR) (Amendment) Act, 2020 (39 of 2020) for the DCCBs and StCBs with effect April 1, 2021, onwards.
ii.As per the notification, the amalgamation of the DCCBs and StCB has to be sanctioned by RBI in terms of the provisions of Section 44-A read with Section 56 of the BR Act, 1949.
Two- Stage process examination:
The proposal for amalgamation of DCCBs with the StCB will be examined by RBI in consultation with NABARD and the sanction/ approval will be a two-stage process as follows.

• 1st stage: In this stage, an in-principle approval will be granted subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions.
• 2nd stage: At this stage, NABARD and RBI will provide the final approval along with a compliance report.

About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, and M Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
>>Read Full News

NPCI Onboards PayCore to Develop SoftPoS Solutions for RuPayOn May 24, 2021, The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has onboarded PayCore, Turkey’s global payment solutions company as one of the certified partners for ‘RuPay SoftPOS’ to drive cashless payments across the country.
Objective: Along with PayCore, NPCI aims to reduce the investment cost required by banks to reach over the MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and intends to increase the spread of ‘RuPay SoftPOS’ across India with its network of banks.
About Rupay SoftPoS:
On March 05, 2021, NPCI partnered with SBI Payments and launched ‘RuPay SoftPoS’ to transform NFC enabled smartphones into Point of Sale (POS) terminals for merchants and retailers. Click here to know more
Key points:
i.Under the partnership, NPCI has authorized PayCore’s SoftPOS solution for RuPay, which will enable smartphones and tablets to be used as POS terminals without any additional devices.
ii. Using SoftPoS merchants can use their Near Field Communication(NFC)-enabled smartphones as PoS machines to accept contactless payments.
Note – PayCore’s SoftPOS technology is also used by Hitachi Payment and SBI Payment
About National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI):
It is an organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, it is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.
Establishment – 2008
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO -Dilip Asbe
>>Read Full News

Flexiloans Ties With Up Vivriti Capital To Disburse Rs 300 Crore Loans To MSMEsFintech lender FlexiLoans.com has partnered with financial services company Vivriti Capital to provide working capital financing to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by disbursing loans worth Rs 300 crore.
Key Points:
i.The partnership will be powered by FlexiLoans.com’s technology and credit underwriting platform ‘BiFrost’, which has been integrated with Vivriti’s Co-lending platform ‘CredAvenue’.
ii. The aim of this initiative is to reach out to more than 10,000 MSMEs in the next 12-18 months.
iii. These Loans can be applied online and can be received with in-principal approval within 24-48 hours digitally without any manual intervention.
About FlexiLoans:
FlexiLoans was launched in 2016 by Abhishek Kothari, Deepak Jain, Manish Lunia and Ritesh Jain.
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

PayNearby, Centrum Microcredit tie-up to Offer Unsecured SMB Loans to RetailersPayNearby, branchless banking and digital payments network, tie-up with Centrum Microcredit, wholly-owned subsidiary of The Centrum Group to offer unsecured Small Medium Business (SMB) loans to its retailers.
Objective: Aimed to strengthen the business growth of PayNearby’s retailers (who often need small short-term working capital) under COVID-19 by providing credit facilities to them at affordable interest rates.
Key points:
i.Under the partnership, the loan requirements will be sourced through PayNearby’s vast network of retailers and will be disbursed by Centrum Microcredit Limited.
ii.PayNearby is currently funding small-ticket, unsecured loans between Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh with tenure ranging from 6 months to 24 months.
iii.The loan turn-around time is about 48 hours, and the entire life cycle of the loan is completely digital.
iv.Centrum will improve the efficiency of PayNearby’s lending business and harness its rich data acquired through processing billions of transactions per day.
About PayNearby:
Establishment – April 2016
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founder, MD & CEO –  Anand Kumar Bajaj
About Centrum Microcredit Limited:
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Executive Director & CEO – Prashant Thakker

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

India Records Highest Ever FDI Inflow of US$81.72 Billion in FY21As per the data released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, India has attracted the highest ever total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow of US$81.72 billion during FY21, which is 10 percent more than FY20 of US$74.39 billion.

• FDI equity inflow grew by 19 percent in FY21 (US$ 59.64 billion) compared to FY20 (US$ 49.98 billion).

i.Top Investing countries in FY21: 
Singapore is the top investing country with 29 percent of total investment, followed by the U.S.A with 23 percent and Mauritius with 9 percent.
In terms of Percentage Increase:

• In terms of percentage increase in investment in FY21 compared with FY20, among the top 10 countries, Saudi Arabia is the top investor as it invested US$ 2816.08 million in FY21 when compared with US$ 89.93 million in FY20.

ii.Top Investment Sectors in FY21:

iii.Top Recipient States in FY21:
Gujarat is the top recipient state for the 4th consecutive year with a 37 percent or US$ 30.23 billion share of the total FDI equity inflows followed by Maharashtra 27 percent and Karnataka 13 percent.
About Ministry of Commerce & Industry:
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal (Rajya Sabha – Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS) Independent Charge (I/C) – Hardeep Singh Puri(Rajya Sabha – Uttar Pradesh),
>>Read Full News

SBI Reported India’s Real GDP for Q1FY22 to Grow in the Range of 10-15%; Icra Forecasted Q4FY21 GDP Growth at 2%State Bank of India’s (SBI) research report ‘Ecowrap’ stated India’s Real gross domestic product (GDP) growth for Q1 FY22 to be in the range of 10-15 percent as against RBI’s forecast of 26.2 percent. It also forecasted Real GDP loss in the range of Rs 4-4.5 lakh crore for Q1 FY22.

• SBI has developed a ‘nowcasting model’ with 41 high-frequency indicators associated with industry activity, service activity, and global economy in collaboration with State Bank Institute of Leadership (SBIL), Kolkata

Key points of the Report:
i.As per the model, it predicts India’s GDP to grow at 1.3 percent in the Q4 FY21 with a contraction of around 7.3(-7.3) percent in FY21 compared to its earlier prediction of 7.4 (-7.4) percent).
ii.The report stated India as a fifth-fastest-growing country among the 25 nations that have released their GDP numbers so far.
iii.It expects nominal GDP loss of up to Rs 6 lakh crore in Q1 FY22 as compared to Rs 11 lakh crore of Q1 FY21 and Estimated real GDP loss between Rs 4-4.5 lakh crore.
Icra Forecasted Q4fy21 GDP growth at 2%
Domestic ratings agency ICRA Limited (Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited) forecasted India’s GDP growth in the Q4FY21 at 2 percent, with a 7.3(-7.3) percent contraction for FY21.

• From GVA (gross value added) perspective, ICRA forecasts Q4FY21 growth at 3 percent with the contraction at 6.3(-6.3) percent in FY21.

About ICRA Limited (Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited):
Establishment – 1991
Headquarters – New Delhi
MD & CEO – N. Sivaraman
>>Read Full News

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Shree Malani Foams Won the Star Export House Award 2021 from the MoCI

Shree Malani Foams Private Limited, Hyderabad in Telangana won the Star Export House Award 2021 from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoCI). The certification is valid for 5 years between 2021 to 2026. Shree Malani Foams became the first and only mattress and mattress components company to win the award in the past 5 years.

• Shree Malani Foams is the only company with AEO Tier 2 compliance for Supply Chain Security and Process Management.
• Shree Malani Foams is the largest exporter of mattresses and mattress components from India with supplies to Russia, Europe, the United States, the Middle East, South Korea and others.
• The company is in line with the Make in India initiative of the government of India.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa Became the 1st Female PM of SamoaFiame Naomi Mataʻafa, the leader of Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (Fast) party was sworn in as the first female Prime Minister(PM) of Samoa at a ceremony conducted in a makeshift tent outside the parliament. She replaces Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi of Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) the incumbent Male PM of Samoa.
General Election of Samoa:
i.The General Election of Samoa conducted in April ended in a 25-25 tie between Fast party and HRPP with one independent candidate who chose to side with FAStT party which made the results 26-25.
ii.The electoral commissioner appointed another HRPP candidate to conform to the gender quotas.
About Fiame Naomi Mata’afa:
i.Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is a former member of the HRPP who has served as the first female Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa from 2016 to 2020.
ii.She was also the first female cabinet Minister of the country.
About Samoa:
Prime Minister– Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa
Capital– Apia
Currency– Samoan Tālā

BAI President Himanta Biswa Sarma Elected As BWF Council MemberThe Badminton Association of India (BAI) president Himanta Biswa Sarma was elected to the Badminton World Federation(BWF) council for the period of four years i.e 2021-25.
i.Himanta Biswa Sarma is an Indian politician and the current Chief Minister of Assam.
ii.He is also the vice president of Badminton Asia.
Note:

• BWF President Paul-Erik Hoyer was re-elected unopposed.
• Similarly, Deputy President Khunying Patama of Thailand and Vice President Paul Kurzo of Switzerland were also elected unopposed.

About Badminton World Federation (BWF):
It’s the Governing body of Badminton recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Founded – 1934
Headquarters – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
President – Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen

ENVIRONMENT

Didymocarpus vickifunkiae: New Species of the African Violet plant Discovered in Northeast IndiaResearchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh has discovered a new species Didymocarpus vickifunkiae of the African Violet plant from Mizoram and adjacent areas in Myanmar.

• The new species is named after the late Dr. Vicki Ann Funk, a renowned Botanist of Smithsonian Institute, United States.
• The discovery of the new species has been published in the reputed journal Systematic Botany, a peer viewed journal of the American Society for Plant Taxonomists.

About Didymocarpus vickifunkiae:
i.The new species Didymocarpus vickifunkiae belongs to the plant family Gesneriaceae which is commonly known as African Violets. 
ii.The members of this genus are distributed across the Western Himalayas to Sumatra.
Out of the 106 known species of this genus, 26 species are found in the northeastern states of India.
iii.The species is considered an endangered species. 

SPORTS

Palak Kohli And Parul Parmar Became The First Indian Para Shuttlers To Qualify For Tokyo Paralympics 2021
Indian women’s pair of Palak Kohli (Jalandhar, Punjab) and Parul Parmar (Gujarat) have qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics 2021. They are the first Indian para shuttlers to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics. Palak Kohli is ranked no.11 in the world and she is becoming the youngest para-badminton player in the world to qualify for Tokyo 2021 Paralympics
Key points:
i.The pair is currently ranked number 6 in the world and has won a total of four titles together since 2019. The top six pairs in the BWF ranking are qualified for the event.
ii. They achieved the qualification for the SL3-SU5 women’s doubles event that is making its debut in the Tokyo Games.
iii. Palak Kohli will represent India in the two Paralympics events. Along with the doubles event, she will also represent the SU5 singles category.

Asia Cup 2021 Postponed to 2023 by ACC
The 2021 edition of the Asia Cup has been postponed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to be held in 2023 due to COVID-19.
Background: ACC had postponed the 2020 edition of the Asia cup successively for 2 years, as initially it was postponed to June 2021 and allotted to Sri Lanka(shifted from Pakistan) and now again postponed to 2023 as there is already an Asia Cup in 2022 which will be hosted by Pakistan. There has been no Asia Cup since 2018.
Recently, Barcelona, Spain gave its citizens the chance to vote for building a cricket ground and the ‘building of cricket ground’ got the most votes.

OBITUARY

Ex Union Minister Babagouda Patil Passed AwayFormer union minister and eminent farmer leader Babagouda Patil,76 passed away in Karnataka. He was born on 6th January 1945 in Belagavi district,Karnataka.
About Babagouda Patil:
i.Babagouda Patil served as Minister of State for Rural Development (independent charge) and also as Union Minister in Atal Behari Vajpayee’s cabinet
ii.He was one of the founder members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and was always concerned about the farmers and worked towards their well-being.
iii.He was the first leader of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha to win assembly elections from Belagavi and Dharwad rural seats in 1989.
iv.He was elected to Lok Sabha from Belagavi constituency in Karnataka in 1998 as a BJP nominee.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Thyroid Day 2021 – May 25World Thyroid Day is annually observed across the globe on 25th May to create awareness about the importance of Thyroid and educate about the prevention and treatment of Thyroid diseases.
Background:
i.The World Thyroid Day was established in 2008 and the first World Thyroid Day was observed on 25th May 2008.
ii.The day was launched by European Thyroid Association(ETA), the American Thyroid Association(ATA), the Asia-Oceania Thyroid Association(AOTA), and the Latin American Thyroid Society(LATS).
International Thyroid Awareness Week:
i.The International Thyroid Awareness Week is annually observed across the globe on the 4th Week of May as declared by the 11th European Congress of Endocrinology in April 2009.
ii.The International Thyroid Awareness Week 2021 is observed from 25th May 2021 to 31st May 2021.
iii.Department of Health (DOH) observes the International Thyroid Awareness Week (ITAW) and World Thyroid Day (WTD) 2021, with the theme “Mother-Baby-Iodine: The Importance of Iodine on the Woman and her Baby”.
>>Read Full News

International Missing Children’s Day 2021 – May 25International Missing Children’s Day(IMCD) is annually observed across the globe on 25th May to create awareness about the issues of child abduction and educate the parents about the measures to protect and safeguard their children.
‘Forget me not flower’ is the official emblem of the International Missing Children’s Day.
Background:
i.The day was initiated as the National Missing Children’s Day in the United States by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
ii.In 2001, 25th May was first formally recognized as the International Missing Children’s Day, as a result of a joint effort by the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Missing Children Europe, and the European Commission.
About International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC):
Chairman– Dr. Franz B. Humer
CEO – Bob Cunningham
Headquarters– Alexandria, Virginia, United States
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Prashant Kumar Mishra Appointed As Chief Justice Of Chhattisgarh High CourtJustice Prashant Kumar Mishra has been appointed acting Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court and will take charge from June 1, 2021.The appointment was made in view of the impending retirement of Justice PR Ramachandra Menon who is set to demit office on May 31, 2021.
i.He also served as Advocate General and became a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court in December 2009.
ii.In exercising the powers conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, President Ramnath Govind appointed Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court.
Note:
Chief justices and judges of high courts retire at the age of 62, while the Chief Justice of India and other judges of the Supreme Court retire at the age of 65 years.

West Bengal Cabinet Approves to Implement Three welfare Schemes The West Bengal (WB) Cabinet headed by Mamata Banerjee approved 3 Welfare projects for implementation are Lakshmi Bhandar Project, a student credit card initiative, and ‘Duare Ration’ home delivery of ration scheme.

• The schemes will be implemented by Committees headed by Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

i.Lakshmi Bhandar Project – It is a Basic Income scheme for Female heads of households.

• Under the scheme, female heads of the General Category will be provided a monthly allowance of INR 500, whereas families from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families will receive INR 1000.

ii. Student Credit Card initiative – To help students receive low-interest loans up to INR 10 Lakh for higher education. It has an interest rate of only 4% and also has easy repayment options.
iii.Duare Ration  – It ensures Free doorstep delivery of monthly ration to 1.5 crore households.
Alapan Bandyopadhyay gets Extension as Chief Secretary of WB
Alapan Bandyopadhyay was granted extension as Chief Secretary of West Bengal for a period of three months

• Bandyopadhyay is a 1987-batch IAS officer.
• He was appointed as Chief Secretary of West Bengal in September, 2020. He succeeded  Rajiva Sinha.

About West Bengal
Chief Minister – Mamata Banerjee
Governor – Jagdeep Dhankhar
Capital – Kolkata
>>Read Full News

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