Current Affairs 28 August 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 28 August 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

Niti Aayog releases 1st of its Kind NER District SDG Index & Dashboard 2021-22; East Sikkim topsThe 1st Edition of North Eastern Region (NER) District Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index & Dashboard 2021-22 was released. The district of East Sikkim topped the rankings.

• It was prepared by Niti Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) & Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M/DoNER) with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Objective: It aims to rank the 103 districts of 8 NER states based on their relative performance across 15 SDGs (Goal 14-Life below Water & 17-partnerships to achieve the goals are not taken)
• The score ranges from O (bottom) to 100 (top).Each district is categorised into one of the four categories of Aspirant (score of 0-49), Performer (50-64), Front Runner (65-99) and Achiever (100).

Click here to view full report 
About Niti Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)
Founded in January 1st, 2015
Chairman – Prime Minister of India (Currently – Narendra Modi)
Vice Chairman – Rajiv Kumar
Headquarters – New Delhi
About Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M/DoNER)
Union Minister  – G.Kishan Reddy (Secunderabad, Telangana)
Minister of State (MoS)– B.L.Verma (Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh)
>>Read Full News

Niti Aayog, Cisco launched ‘WEP Nxt’ to boost Women Entrepreneurship in India

On August 26, 2021, NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog launched the next phase of its flagship platform Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) titled ‘WEP Nxt’ in partnership with Cisco.

• Under this, Cisco’s technology and experience of working with India’s startups will be utilized to foster women entrepreneurship in India.

About WEP:
i.Initiated in 2017 by NITI Aayog, it is a 1st of its kind unified portal for women from diverse backgrounds which offers them access to a multitude of resources.  It focuses on the needs of Indian women entrepreneurs across 6 verticals viz.

• Funding & Financial Management, Incubation Connects, Taxation & Compliance Support, Entrepreneur Skilling & Mentorship, Community & Networking, and Marketing Assistance.

ii.The platform currently hosts over 16,000 registered users and 30 partners.
iii.This platform not only aids in innovation but also helps in the creation of 170 million jobs by 2030 resulting in a rise in India’s annual GDP by 1.5%.
Key Points:
i.As a part of this initiative, Cisco, in collaboration with the Nasscom (National Association of Software and Service Companies) Foundation, Sattva Consulting, and the DeAsra Foundation will address the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs at individual and enterprise levels
ii.As per the 6^th Economic Census, women only constitute 13.76% of the total entrepreneurs, i.e., 8.05 million out of the 58.5 million entrepreneurs in India.
Participants during Launch:
Amitabh Kant (CEO NITI Aayog), Anna Roy (Senior Adviser NITI Aayog); Maria Martinez (EVP & COO, Cisco); Daisy Chittilapilly (President, Cisco India); and Harish Krishnan, (Managing Director, Public Affairs and Strategic Engagements, Cisco India)
About CISCO:
Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Chuck Robbins
Headquarters– San Jose, California, United States

India,UAE Signs Agreement to Send Visiting Professors at NYUADThe Indian Government on behalf of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has signed an Agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to send visiting professors in the field of social sciences at the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD).

• The agreement was signed between Pavan Kapoor, Indian Ambassador to the UAE & Mariet Westermann, Vice-Chancellor of NYUAD.
• It is the 1st such agreement signed between the ICCR and a Foreign University in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
• Under the agreement, faculty members from Indian universities will spend 6 to 10 months every year undertaking research and teaching Social Sciences in NYUAD.
• Through this partnership, NYUAD and ICCR will collaboratively appoint faculty members from Indian universities to the ICCR Visiting Professorship

About Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)
It was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
ICCR is involved in India’s External cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries & their peoples.
President – Dr.Vinay Sahasrabuddhe
Headquarters – New Delhi
About United Arab Emirates (UAE)
President –Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Capital –Abu Dhabi
Currency – UAE Dirham

MoE’s Innovation Cell, BPR&D & AICTE launched Manthan 2021 Hackathon for National SecurityNeeraj Sinha Additional Director General of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) launched the MANTHAN-2021, a first of its kind Hackathon focused on National Security.
Manthan- 2021 is organized by BPR&D in coordination with the Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Education and AICTE over a virtual platform.
About MANTHAN-2021:
MANTHAN-2021 is a national initiative to identify innovative concepts and technology solutions to address the security challenges of the 21st century faced by the intelligence agencies of India.
Challenge Statements:
i.The BPR&D has released 20 challenge statements that offer an opportunity for the youngsters to develop innovative solutions for the challenges faced by the security agencies.
ii.The participants have to develop a digital solution under the 6 themes for 20 challenge statements using technologies like artificial intelligence, deep learning, augmented reality and machine learning.
iii.The participants can register for the 36-hour hackathon on the official website of MANTHAN-2021 from 26th August 2021.
MANTHAN 2021 selection: 
i.The MANTHAN 2021 will have 2 phases, in 1st phase, the participants will submit their solutions for the challenge statements.
ii.The submitted solutions will be evaluated and selected for the grand finale scheduled from 28th November and the best ideas will be declared as winners.
iii.The winning team will receive prize money of Rs 40 Lakh.
About Innovation cell of MoE:
The Innovation Cell was established by the Ministry of Education(MoE). 
Chief Innovation Officer(CIO)– Dr Abhay Jere
Headquarters– New Delhi
About Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D):
BPR&D was established under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Director-General– V.S.K. Kaumudi, IPS
Headquarters– New Delhi

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

FM Nirmala Sitharaman chairs 2nd BRICS Finance Ministers, Central Bank Governors meetingFinance Minister(FM) of India, Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 2nd meeting of BRICS(Brazil,Russia,India,China,and South Africa) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) along with the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das under the Indian BRICS chairmanship.
Objective-
To maintain cooperation and maintain macroeconomic and tackle  uncertainties arise due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Areas of discussion

• Emerging issues in the field of healthcare and building resilient infrastructure to fight against pandemics.
• Discussion on sharing of knowledge about building strong social infrastructure, enhancing digital technology and service delivery.

Highlights

• The participants discussed the policies, experiences and measures provided in the Global Economic Outlook report.
• Technical Report on Social Infrastructure: Financing and Use of Digital Technologies was given acceptance.
• The text of Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance(CMAA) related to custom matters was also negotiated.
• RBI Governor, Shaktikanta Das chaired the discussion of issues related to Banks and their outcomes such as financial inclusion, Contingent Reserve Arrangement(CRA) and Information Security Cooperation.

About the BRICS
Members- Brazil,Russia, India, China, and South Africa
2021 chair– India

India elected to Council of Administration and Postal Operations Council at 27th UPU Congress in AbidjanIndia has been elected to the Council of Administration (CA) and Postal Operations Council (POC) at 27th Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

• For CA Indian gained 134 votes, the highest ones in CA elections from South Asia and Oceania region. For POC, it garnered 106 votes out of 156 countries.
• The UPC meets every four years.

What is the Council of Administration?
CA is made up of 41 countries and meets once a year at the headquarters of the UPU in Berne. It oversees the UPU’s activities, provides continuity between Congresses, and researches regulatory, administrative, legislative, and legal concerns.

• It has the authority to approve recommendations by POC for the adoption of new processes until the next Congress.

What is the Postal Operations Council?
It is UPU’s technical and operational authority with 40 member countries that are elected during Congress. It meets once a year at Berne. It aims at assisting Posts in modernizing and upgrading their postal products and services.
About Universal Postal Union:
Member Countries – 192
Director General – Bishar Hussein
Headquarter – Berne, Switzerland

India Could Contribute USD 500 billion to The Global Economy by 2030; WEF- Kearney ReportKearney in association with WEF(World Economic Forum) released a report titled,   ‘Shifting Global Value Chains: the India Opportunity’ states that Coordinated action between the government and the private sector can help create globally competitive manufacturing companies in the country.
i.The report said India’s manufacturing sector exports can help drive more than USD 500 billion in annual economic impact for the global economy by 2030.
ii.Manufacturing sector’s share towards India’s GDP in 2030 could potentially reach 19-20%.
iii.The $500 billion estimate is based on India’s real GDP of $2.869 trillion in 2019, a GDP forecast for 2030 of between $8 and $9 trillion despite the pandemic. Therefore the estimated growth rate of approximately 10% and share of India’s Manufacturing sector to GDP would be around 14-16%.
About World Economic Forum (WEF)
Founder and Executive Chairman– Klaus Schwab
Headquarters – Cologny, Switzerland
>>Read Full News

Smriti Irani Addressed 1st Ever G20 Ministerial Conference On Women’s EmpowermentOn 26th August 2021, Italy (2021 G20 Presidency) hosted the first-ever G20 Ministerial conference on Women’s Empowerment at Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy in Hybrid format.
Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Women and Child Development(WCD), Government of India virtually represented India and addressed the G20 Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment.

• The conference was chaired by Elena Bonetti, Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family.

Participants:
The gender equality Ministers from the G20 countries and host countries, representatives of United Nations(UN) Women, International Labour Organization(ILO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD), and representatives of the business community, civil society and academia.
G20 Ministerial conference on Women’s Empowerment:
The participants of the G20 Ministerial conference on Women’s Empowerment discussed 2 specific areas,

• STEM, financial and digital literacy, environment and sustainability
• Labour and economic empowerment and work-life balance.

The conference on women’s empowerment focuses on

• Access to better quality jobs for women.
• Policies to enhance women’s talents and skills.
• Increasing women’s representation in leadership.
• Definition and protection of women rights.
• Tackling gender-based violence.

The results of the discussions will be collected by the Italian Presidency and will be brought to the attention of the G20 leaders ahead of the 2021 Rome Summit which will be held on 30-31 October 2021.
Gist of Smriti Irani’s Address:
i.Union Minister Smriti Irani reaffirmed India’s commitment to addressing gender and women-centric issues through mutual cooperation.
ii.She also highlighted the various initiatives of the Indian government towards fostering gender equality, ensuring better healthcare and strengthening women’s safety and security.
About Group of Twenty(G20):
2021 Presidency– Italy
Members– 20 (19 countries + European Union)
Established in 1999

BANKING & FINANCE

Afcons Signed a $530-million Infrastructure Project in MaldivesAfcons Infrastructure Ltd, an infrastructure arm of Shapoorji Pallonji Group from India signed an agreement with the Republic of Maldives for a $530 million infrastructure project named ‘Greater Male Connectivity Project’ (GMCP).

• GMCP project is the largest infrastructure project in the Maldives.
• Funding: The project will be funded by the Exim Bank of India under the Indian grant and Line of Credit (LoC) scheme.
• The project will connect Male, the capital city of Maldives with adjoining islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi through a 6.74-km-long bridge and causeway link.

About Maldives:
Capital – Male
Currency – Maldivian rufiyaa
President – Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
>>Read Full News

RBI: PIDF scheme Extended to Street Vendors under PM SVANidhi in tier 1, 2 centres; Imposes penalty on 2 co-op banks, 1 NBFCi.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has included street vendors part of the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi Scheme) in tier-1 and tier-2 centres as beneficiaries under the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme.The decision is taken to promote the digital transactions at the grass root level.
ii.PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi Scheme) which facilitates collateral-free working capital loans of up to Rs 10,000 for 1 year to approximately 50 lakh street vendors. It was launched in June 2020.
iii.RBI imposes monetary penalty on Seyad Shariat Finance Limited, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu; The Muslim Co-operative Bank Limited, Pune, Maharashtra; and Jijamata Mahila Sahakari Bank, Pune, Maharashtra.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Established– April 1, 1935
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors– Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
>>Read Full News

Jana SFB Partnered with HCBL, Mysore Merchants Co-operative Banks to Offer Digital, Payment ServicesJana Small Finance Bank (Jana SFB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HCBL Co-operative Bank and Mysore Merchants Co-operative Bank under the bank sponsorship programme of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• Objective:  To provide digital infrastructure and payments services to the Co-operative banks.
• This partnership marks the Jana SFB’s 1st partnership with co-operative banks to provide IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) services.
• The partnership enables the HCBL Co-operative Bank and Mysore Merchants Co-operative Bank to extend ATM, point of sale (PoS) and e-commerce services to its customers through Jana SFB.

About Jana Small Finance Bank (Jana SFB):
Establishment – 2008
Headquarters –  Bengaluru, Karnataka
MD & CEO – Ajay Kanwal
>>Read Full News

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

HCL Foundation Launched My e-Haat Portal to Support Handicraft Sector

HCL Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of HCL Technologies, launched an online portal named ‘My e-Haat‘ to empower artisans and strengthen the value chain of the handicraft sector in India.

• The portal will enable artisans to list their products to conduct their business. The portal also offers e-payment options, cash on delivery (COD), integrated logistic support, and real-time product tracking.
• Presently, more than 30 partners from 8 states with over 600 products were listed on the portal.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Took Charge as Chairperson of Stop TB Partnership BoardMansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare has taken charge as the Chairperson of the Board of Stop TB partnership. He will hold the responsibility of the chairman of the board with immediate effect until 2024.
He took over the responsibility from Dr Harsh Vardhan, former Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

• The Stop TB Partnership is a United Nations(UN) hosted partnership program that aims to fight against tuberculosis collectively.

Responsibilities as Chairman:
As the chairperson of the board of stop TB partnership, Mansukh Mandaviya will lead the efforts of the Stop TB partnership secretariat, partners and the TB community towards reaching the UN TB targets by 2022, a milestone of the efforts to end TB by 2030.
Note:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an aim to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) in India by 2025.
Additional info:
i.The Stop TB partnership board has appointed Austin Arinze Obiefuna, Founder and Executive Director of Afro Global Alliance, as the Vice-Chair of the board.
ii.He will take over as the Vice-Chair on 1st January 2022 for a period of 3 years.
iii.He has represented the Developing Country NGOs, the biggest constituency on the board.
About Stop TB Partnership:
Stop TB Partnership has been administered by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) since 2015.
Earlier, it was hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Executive Director– Dr. Lucica Ditiu
Secretariat–  Geneva, Switzerland
Founded in 2001

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Bhupender Yadav launches e-Shram Portal for Registration of Unorganised Workers in IndiaUnion Minister for Labour & Employment, Bhupender Yadav has launched e-Shram Portal for registration of Unorganised workers across the country. The portal is the 1st of its Kind initiative  for the Unorganised workers in India.

• The portal aims to register about 38 crore Unorganised workers such as Construction labourers, Migrant workforce, Street vendors, Domestic workers & others.

Key points:
i.It aims to build a comprehensive National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW) in the country.
ii.e-SHRAM portal is totally free and workers need not to pay for his or her registration at Common Service Centres(CSCs) or anywhere.
iii.After registration, the workers will be issued an e-Shram card containing a 12-digit unique number.
iv.The card will be helpful in delivering various social security schemes of the Central government and State governments.
About MInistry of Labour & Employment
Union Minister – Bhupender Yadav (Rajya Sabha, Rajasthan)
Ministry of State (MoS) – Rameswar Teli (Dibrugarh, Assam)
>>Read Full News

SPORTS

Overview of World Athletics U20 Championships, 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya The World Athletics Under20 Championships, 2021 held in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. The tournament was held from 18th-22nd August, 2021.

• India finished at the 21st place by winning 3 Medals (2-Silver & 1-Bronze).Kenya ranked 1st place by winning 16 Medals (8-Gold, 1-Silver & 7-Bronze)

Shaili Singh wins Silver in Long jump 
Shaili Singh (Uttar Pradesh) wins the Silver Medal in Women’s long jump event with 6.59 metres. She missed the Gold Medal by just 1 Centimeter (cm) to Maja Askag of Sweden.
Amit Kumar won Silver in Men’s 10,000 m Race
Amit Kumar (Haryana) wins Silver Medal at the debut International event in the Men’s 10,000 m Race by finishing with a time of 42 minutes 17:94 seconds.
India’s 4×400 Mixed Relay Team Won Bronze Medal 
The Indian Mixed Relay team comprising Bharath Sridhar, Priya H Mohan, Summy & Kapil won the Bronze Medal in the 4×400 event with a time of 3:20:60s.

• It was India’s 1st-ever medal in a relay event at the global level.

About World Athletics
President –Sebastian Coe
Headquarters –Monaco
>>Read Full News

India’s GM Sethuraman wins 26th Ciutat de Barcelona Chess Open, 2021Indian Grand Master (GM) SP Sethuraman won the 26th Ciutat de Barcelona Chess Open, 2021. The tournament was held from 18th-26th August, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain.

• Sethuraman & Yuffa Daniil (2nd Spot) of Russia Scored 7.5 points but Sethuraman emerged winner on the basis of better tie-break score.
• He remained undefeated throughout the tournament by winning 6 games & drawing 3 matches.
• Sethuraman was born in 1993 at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Grand Master (GM) is a title awarded to chess players by the World Chess Organisation, FIDE (World Chess Federation Internationale)

Other Indian Players performance:
i.Indian GM Karthikeyan Murali finished in 3rd spot by winning 6 games, drawing 2 & losing 2 matches.
ii.GM Arvind Chidambaram finished 5th, followed by Arjun Kalyan & Visakh.N.R at the 9th & 10 places respectively.
About All India Chess Federation (AICF)
Founded – 1951
President – Sanjay Kapoor
Headquarters – Chennai,Tamilnadu

Indian Army Organised 400 Km “Jazbaa-E-Tiranga” Relay Marathon at J&K

The Indian army has organised a 400 Km “JAZBAA-E- TIRANGA” Relay Marathon in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) as a part of the Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, celebrating the 75th year of independence.
The relay was flagged off and led by Major General Rajeev Puri, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Ace of Spades Division.

• More than 300 troops participated in the Relay marathon carrying the Indian Tricolour flag along the line of control(LoC).
• The soldiers carried the national flag across the Area of Responsibility(AoR) and handed it over to other units.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book Titled ‘Battlefield’ Authored by Vishram Bedekar, Translated by Jerry PintoA new book titled “Battlefield”, a novel authored by Vishram Bedekar is the translation of the Marathi original titled “Ranaangan” by Vishram Bedekar published in 1939.
The book was translated from Marathi into English by author and translator, Jerry Pinto. 
The book is published by Speaking Tiger Publishing Pvt Ltd
About the book:
The book features the love story of Chakradhar Widhwans, a Marathi man and Herta a German Jewish woman, who are fleeing from Europe before the Second World War.

• Marathi original Ranaangan was the first and only novel written by Vishram Bedekar.

About Vishram Bedekar:
i.Vishwanath Chintamani Bedekar, professionally known as Vishram Bedekar was a popular marathi writer, playwright and filmmaker.
ii.He has authored several plays like Bramhakumari, Naro Va Kunjaro Va, Vaje Paul Apule and Tilak ani Agarkar.
iii.He has directed more than 15 films in Hindi and Marathi.
He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985 for his autobiography titled “Ek Zhaad Ani Don Pakshi”.
About Jerry Pinto:
i.Jerry Pinto is a Mumbai based poet, novelist and translator.
ii.He has translated several Marathi works into English which includes, ‘Baluta’ by Daya Pawar; ‘Strike a Blow to Change the World’ by Eknath Awad; ‘I Want to Destroy Myself’ by Malika Amar Shaikh; ‘I, the Salt Doll’ by Vandana Mishra; ‘Cobalt Blue’ by Sachin Kundalkar; and ‘Half-Open Windows’ by Ganesh Matkari.
Other Book:

• Murder in Mahim
• Em and the Big Hoom
• Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb – won the National Award for the Best Book on Cinema.

New book Titled ‘An Invitation to Die: A Colonel Acharya Mystery’ Authored by Tanushree Podder

A new book titled ‘An Invitation to Die: A Colonel Acharya Mystery’ authored by Tanushree Podder was released in August 2021. The book which is published by HarperCollins Publishers India is the story of a murder mystery investigation by Colonel Arjun H. Acharya, a retired army officer and an amateur private investigator.
Tanushree Podder, an author and a traveller, has authored several books including, A Closetful of Skeletons, Before You Breathe: A Colonel Acharya Mystery.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Women’s Equality Day 2021 – August 26Women’s Equality Day is annually celebrated across the United States of America(USA) on 26th August to mark the achievements and advancements made by women across various fields.
The day celebrates and recognises the efforts of women to achieve an equal standing in society.

• The day also marks the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution in 1920 which granted all American women the right to vote.

Background:
i.United States Congress Representative Bella Abzug introduced the bill to commemorate the 26th August of every year as Women’s Equality Day in 1971.
ii.In 1973, the United States Congress and Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States formally recognised the 26th August of every year as Women’s Equality Day and issued the first Official proclamation of the day.
On Women’s Equality Day, NTPC recruits all Female Engineers batch:
On the occasion of Women’s Equality Day, the NTPC Ltd, India’s largest energy conglomerate, has recruited its first all-women Engineering Executive Trainees(EETs) batch to reaffirm its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

SIDBI provides first approval under SCDF to TN GovernmentSmall Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has provided the first approval under SIDBI Cluster Development Fund (SCDF) to the Tamil Nadu (TN) state government.

• The in-principle approval letter was handed over by Sivasubramanian Ramann, Chairman and Managing Director, SIDBI at the assembly in the presence of TN chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin.

Key Points:
i.This fund will be utilized for direct benefit of the MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) in Tamil Nadu.
ii.Under this, SIDBI will provide its customized direct lending products.
iii.On a need basis SIDBI will also  support soft infrastructure issues in select clusters relating to technology, skilling/upskilling, energy efficiency, market and credit connect
iv.A pilot project under SCDF has been launched in Ambattur, Chennai leather cluster.
Background:
The expert committee on MSMEs headed by Upendra Kumar Sinha has recommended an engagement of SIDBI with state governments for MSME development using Priority Sector Shortfall (PSS) funds to create a low-cost lending window for State Governments for infrastructure projects in clusters.

• Accordingly, SIDBI has set up Project Management Units (PMUs) in 11 states viz. Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu.

About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI):
Establishment- 1990
Headquarter– Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Puducherry CM N.Rangasamy Presents Budget Estimates for FY 2021-22 Union Territory (UT) Puducherry, Chief Minister (CM) N.Rangasamy who also holds the Finance Portfolio has presented the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year (FY) 2021-22. It was a tax free Budget presented in the UT assembly
Fiscal Indicators:

• The total outstanding debt of the UT as of 31st March 2021 is INR 9334.78 crore, which is 22.17% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2020-21 is within the Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management (FRBM) norms.
• The average growth rate of the UT is 10%

Major Announcements in the Budget:
i.Crop loan waiver: The crop loan availed by farmers through Co-operative banks to be waived off.
ii.Petrol price Reduced by INR 2.43 per litre due to the Reduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol by 3 per cent.
iii.Tourism:

• The development of Yacht Marina in Puducherry and development of an entertainment zone in Manapet under the technical expertise of NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India).
• “Industrial Status” to be provided to the Tourism Sector to encourage private investors/entrepreneurs and to create employment for youths in tourism-related business.

About Puducherry
Lieutenant Governor – Tamilisai Soundararajan
Chief Minister – N.Rangasamy
>>Read Full News

MoU signed Between NRL and Inland Waterways Authority of India for Transportation of Cargo ShipsA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in Assam and Inland Waterways Authority of India(IWAI) for transportation of over-dimensional cargo and project cargo.
Highlights

• The MoU will provide smooth navigation of rivers throughout the year by IWAI and assistance to bring large cargoes and other major equipment.
• It will facilitate trade and commerce and generate huge employment opportunities in the north eastern region.

i.Under the government of India ‘Hydrocarbon Vision 2030’ project,  NRL is under process to expand refining capacity from 3 MMTPA (Million Metric Tonne Per Annum)to 9 MMTPA.
ii.Around 1000 equipment will be exported abroad and several equipment will fall under the category of Over Dimensional  Consignment (ODC) and Overweight Consignment (OWC).
iii.NRL is going to implement multi modal transportation services via road and waterways in order to get secure delivery of equipment
iv.NRL will use Self Derrick Vessels for the transportation upto to Haldia Port.
v.RORO (Roll-on Roll-off) facility will be implemented at the NRL jetty.
vi.MoU was signed in the presence of Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Rameshwar Teli, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas at Kunjakanan-NRL Township via video conferencing.
About Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI):
Vice Chairman – Jayant singh
Secretary – Manish Pathak
Headquarter – Noida, Uttar Pradesh(UP)

Punjab to Launch ‘Mera Kaam Mera Maan’ Scheme to Hone the Skills of Unemployed YouthsThe cabinet of Punjab, chaired by Chief Minister(CM) of Punjab, Amarinder Singh, has approved the new scheme titled “Mera Kaam Mera Maan (MKMM)” scheme to help the unemployed youths of Punjab to enhance their skills and increase the chance of getting a job.
Objective:
To support the unemployed youth of Punjab to hone their skills and enhance employability in their chosen field through free short term skill training.
MKMM Scheme:
i.The scheme will be introduced from the current fiscal on a pilot basis for construction workers and their wards. The workers must be registered with the Construction Workers Welfare Board, Department of labour.
ii.The eligible workers shall contact the District Bureau of Employment and Enterprise to apply for the benefits of the MKMM scheme.
iii.At a cost of Rs 90 crores, 30000 beneficiaries have been approved under the pilot project.
Features of MKMM Scheme:
i.Under the MKMM Scheme the free short-term skill training will be provided to the unemployed youths of Punjab.
ii.The scheme will also provide an employment assistance allowance of Rs 2500 per month for a period of 12 months from the start of the training course under the short term skill training programmes in Punjab skills development mission training centers.
About Punjab:
Governor– VP Singh Badnore
Wildlife Sanctuary– Bir Dosanjh Wildlife Sanctuary; Bir Bhadson Wildlife Sanctuary
Zoological parks– Bir Motibagh, Bir Talab, Neelon

Sonu Sood Appointed as Brand Ambassador of Delhi Govt’s ‘ Desh Ke Mentors’ ProgramBollywood Actor, Sonu Sonu will be appointed as  brand ambassador of the programme of Delhi Government ‘’Desh Ke Mentor” by the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal. It’s a mentorship programme where around 3 lakh experts and professionals will guide the 10 lakh Delhi government school students.
Highlights

• It’s a welfare initiative , which will encourage children to enroll in the government schools of Delhi.
• The students will be guided in making career choices.

About Sonu Sood
i.Sonu Sood hails from Moga, Punjab.He is an Indian actor, film producer, model, humanitarian, and philanthropist
ii.He has supported to provide food and travel assistance to thousands of migrants who were stranded across India and helped them.

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