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The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has proposed a guaranteed return scheme, Minimum Assured Return Scheme (MARS), which will provide savers and people from the salaried class an option for their investments. This will be the first scheme from the pension regulator that will offer a guaranteed return to investors. India’s pension assets under …

The evacuation of thousands of Indian students in Ukraine (Operation Ganga) is the most immediate impact of Russia’s war over Ukraine on India. However, the Russia-Ukraine conflict will have long-term implications too. For example, negotiating its relationships with the United States and other Western nations on one side, and the historically deep and strategic ties with Russia on the other. This will …

Recently, Ukraine has filed an application before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), instituting proceedings against Russia. Ukraine has accused Russia of falsely claiming that “acts of genocide have occurred in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of Ukraine”, and of using that as a pretext to recognise the independence of these regions and of going to war …

Recently, a Joint Military Exercise, “Exercise Dharma Guardian-2022”, between India and Japan will be conducted at foreign training node, Belagavi (Belgaum, Karnataka) from 27th February to 10th March 2022. Exercise Dharma Guardian-2022 is an annual training event which is being conducted in India since 2018. The scope of this exercise covers platoon level joint training on operations in …

Recently, India has improved its overall International Intellectual Property (IIP) score from 38.4% to 38.6%, and the country is ranked 43rd out of 55 countries on the International Intellectual Property Index. International Intellectual Property Index is an annual report compiled by the US Chambers of Commerce. This year (2022) the index is topped by the US with 95.4%. …

Recently, the Prime Minister greeted India’s scientific community on the occasion of National Science Day (28th February). National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated annually on 28th February to commemorate the discovery of the Raman Effect by Nobel laureate and Physicist CV Raman on this day in 1928. In 1986, the National Council for Science & Technology asked …

Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), under the aegis of Department of Pharmaceuticals is going to celebrate their 4th Jan AushadhiDiwas All the activities will be organised within the spirit of “AzadiKaAmritMahotsav” and several events have been planned at 75 locations. This will generate awareness about the usages of generic medicines and benefits of Jan AushadhiPariyojana. The theme …

Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the countrywide implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) with the budgetary allocation of Rs 1,600 crore for five years. Under the mission, citizens will be able to create their Ayushman Bharat health account numbers, to which their digital health records can be linked. Ayushman Bharat is …

Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released the second part of its sixth assessment report. This second part of the report is about climate change impacts, risks and vulnerabilities, and adaptation options. The first part of this report on the physical science of climate change in 2021. It had warned that 1.5 degree Celsius warming was likely to …

Recently, the Government has approved the continuation of the Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme for a period till 31st March 2026 with a financial outlay of Rs.1,364.88 crore. It seeks to interlink and optimise functions relating to immigration, visa issuance, registration of foreigners and tracking of their movements in the country. Its core objective is modernisation and …

The MInistry of Social Justice and Empowerment will distribute 4,800 daily living aids and assistive devices among 895 senior citizen beneficiaries under RashtriyaVayoshriYojana (RVY). It was launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It is a central sector scheme funded from the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund. The fund was notified …

The Russia-Ukraine conflict may give India an opportunity to ship more wheat in the global markets. More than a quarter of the world’s wheat export comes from Russia and Ukraine. Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, accounting for more than 18% of international exports. In 2019, Russia and Ukraine together exported more …

Every year, 27th February is observed as the World NGO day all over the world. India has over three million Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) that work across a range of arenas and play important roles of facilitator, catalyst or partner in bringing social transformation. What is the History of World NGO Day? The day assumed its official status when 12-member …

Recently, the United Nation Security Council voted on the draft resolution by the US and Albania that sought to condemn Russian aggression and called for the immediate cessation of violence and withdrawal of Russian military from Ukraine. The Council’s resolution reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. …

The Indian Navy’s multilateral Exercise MILAN 2022 is scheduled to commence from 25th Feb 2022 in the ‘City of Destiny’, Visakhapatnam. 2020 edition of MILAN was postponed to 2022 due to Covid-19. MILAN 22: MILAN 22 will witness its largest ever participation, with more than 40 countries sending their warships/ high level delegations. This …

In the three years, benefits under Pradhan MantriKisanSamman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) have been provided to about 11.78 Crore farmers and funds amounting to Rs 1.82 lakh crore in various installments have been released to the eligible beneficiaries of this scheme across India. PM Kisan It was launched on 24th February, 2019 to supplement financial needs of …

The Ministry of Education launched a campaign ‘Bhasha Certificate Selfie under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB). In 2021, the Ministry of Education launched the BhashaSangam initiative under EBSB. Key Points It was launched to encourage cultural diversity and promote multilingualism and to foster the spirit EBSB. It aims to promote the BhashaSangam mobile app, developed by the Ministry of …

Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated “Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant” in Indore with the aim of removing lakhs of tonnes of garbage that is occupying thousand acres of land and causing air and water pollution leading to many diseases. It has been established under the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-U 2.0). The …

Recently, Maharashtra Government issued a government resolution which will allow sugar mills to pay the basic Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) in two tranches. The first installment would have to be paid within 14 days of delivery of cane, and would be as per the average recovery of the district. Farmers would get the second installment …

Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Air Force of Oman began a five-day bilateral exercise at the Jodhpur air force station. The exercise is named Eastern Bridge VI, as is in its sixth edition. The exercise seeks to promote professional interaction, exchange of experiences and enhancement of …