CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Ministry of Culture to reprint 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under NMM
- The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manus, NMM.
- The first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur published under the NMM was presented to the President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of Guru Purnima, also known as Dharma Chakra Day, on 4th July.
- A set was then handed over to Mr. Gonching Ganbold, Ambassador of Mongolia to India by Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.
- The National Mission for Manus was launched in February 2003 by the Government of India with the mandate of documenting, conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in the manus.
- One of the objectives of the mission is to publish rare and unpublished manus so that the knowledge enshrined in them is spread to researchers, scholars and general public at large.
- It is expected that all the 108 volumes of the Mongolian Kanjur will be published by March, 2022.
- Mongolian Kanjur, is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia. In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha.
About Mongolia:
- Capital: Ulaanbaatar
- Currency: Mongolian tögrög
18th meeting of high-level Group of Ministers on COVID-19 held in New Delhi
- The 18th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers, GoM on COVID-19 was held in New Delhi through video conferencing under the chairpersonship of Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
- The GoM was briefed on the current status of COVID-19 in India. The global comparison between the five most affected countries clearly depicted that India has one of the lowest cases per million which is 538 and deaths per million which is 15 compared the global average of 1453 and 68.7.
- Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that as we move forward, the focus shall be on the management of COVID-19 through strict containment measures and surveillance; utilizing full testing capacity and focus on monitoring of co-morbid and elderly population.
- He pointed out that the aim is to reduce the Case Fatality Rate low by early identification and effective clinical management.
- Dr Harsh Vardhan was joined by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Shipping and Chemical and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya, Member Health in NITI Aayog Dr. Vinod Paul joined the meeting through video conference link.
PM Modi inaugurates Asia’s largest solar energy project in MP’s Rewa
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that solar energy is going to be a major source of energy needs not only today but in the 21st century as well, because solar energy is Sure, Pure and Secure.
- While inaugurating through video conference Asia’s largest solar energy project in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, the Prime Minister stated that Rewa has really created history. Rewa has been identified as Ma Narmada and a white tiger. Now the name of Asia’s largest solar power project has also been added.
- The Prime Minister stated that the people of Madhya Pradesh and the industries will get electricity from this solar plant, even the metro rail in Delhi will get its benefits. Like Rewa, work is going on on big solar power plants in Shajapur, Neemuch and Chhatarpur, he added.
- Referring to the energy needs of the country, Mr Modi stated that as India is moving towards the new era of development, our hopes and aspirations are increasing, so our energy and electricity needs are also increasing. In such a situation, self-sufficiency of electricity is very important for a self-reliant India.
- The Solar Park has been developed over a total area of 1500 hectares, by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL). RUMSL is a Joint Venture of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Madhya Pradesh UrjaVikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN).
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL
WHO to set up independent panel to review handling of COVID-19 pandemic
- The World Health Organization (WHO) was setting up an independent panel to review its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response by governments.
- Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have agreed to head the panel.
- The announcement follows strong criticism by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration of the global agency’s role in the crisis.
- The panel will provide an interim report to an annual meeting of health ministers in November and present a “substantive report” next May.
About WHO
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Director: Tedros Adhanom
Bangladesh govt launches ‘Digital Haat’ for sacrificial animals before Eid-Ul-Azha
- The government of Bangladesh has launched a ‘Digital Haat’ for online sale and purchase of sacrificial animals ahead of the festival of Eid-Ul-Azha.
- The initiative has been taken to save the cattle farmers and traders from financial loss amid the Corona pandemic and also to stop further transmission of the infection in the country.
- The government is going to promote this haat through its website and social networking sites at its own cost. The site is free for use by the interested people.
- The government has also decided to transport sacrificial animals from the north and west of the country to Dhaka and Chattogram through the rail route.
About Bangladesh
- Capital: Dhaka
- Currency: Bangladeshi taka
- PM: Sheikh Hasina
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
BSE partners with LIC Mutual Fund for BSE eKYC services
- BSE has now partnered with LIC Mutual Fund to power its eKYC services on BSE StAR MF, the market leading MF platform.
- The digital KYC process will facilitate our Members to ensure zero contact, hassle-free customer on boarding process, especially during this COVID situation.
- The entire process is very user friendly and simplifies the user experience to perform the entire KYC process seamlessly.
- BSE had launched its eKYC platform during lock down period as a service for IFAs, DFIs, Mutual funds and stock brokers to add new investors in their customers list without physically going to meet the investors.
About BSE
- HQ: Mumbai
- Vikramajit Sen, (Chairman); Ashishkumar Chauhan, (MD & CEO)
About LIC Mutual Fund
- HQ: Mumbai
- Chairman: V. K. Chopra
Karur Vysya Bank partners with Tata Motors to offer car loans at attractive terms
- Karur Vysya Bank has entered into an arrangement with Tata Motors to fund buyers of Tata passenger vehicles.
- The Bank informed the exchanges that both existing and new customers will be eligible to avail loans from KVB.
- KVB is offering a special product for buyers of Tata Motor passenger vehicles under which 100% on-road finance with a 6 month holiday period is provided at attractive interest rates. The scheme is applicable only for 3 models, viz., Tata Tiago, Tata Nexon and Tata Altroz. The loans are available to both the salaried and self-employed.
- Loans are offered for both salaried and self-employed persons and repayment period is upto 60 months with attractive rates of interest.
About KVB
- Headquarters: Karur
- CEO: P. R. Seshadri, K Venkataraman
IRDAI forms panel on ‘Indian Pandemic Risk Pool’
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has formed a working group to examine the feasibility of ‘Pandemic Risk Pool’.
- Suresh Mathur, Executive Director, Irdai, will be the Chairman for the 9-member working group with industry representatives as members.
- Apart from studying the need for such as pool, the group will also recommend the structure and operating model.
- The Covid-19 pandemic, which started as a public health crisis, has led to a significant disruption in the economic activity mainly due to measures taken to stop the spread of the disease.
About IRDAI
- Headquarters: Hyderabad
- Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia
SEBI rejigs advisory committee on mutual funds
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has revamped its committee that advises the capital markets regulator on matters related to regulation and development of mutual fund industry.
- The 20-member advisory committee on mutual funds is headed by Usha Thorat, former deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a latest Sebi update showed.
- Earlier in 2013, the panel had 15 members and was headed by Janki Ballabh, former Chairman of SBI.
- The members of the committee include officials of various fund houses like Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd President Sanjay Sapre, Kotak Mahindra AMC MD Nilesh Shah and Canara Robeco AMC CEO Rajnish Narula, SBI Mutual Fund Independent Trustee Sunil Gulati and Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund Independent Trustee Director Brij Gopal Daga.
- Moreover, the committee comprises representatives from the government, media and a SEBI official.
- The advisory committee is mandated to advise the regulator on issues related to regulation and development of mutual fund industry.
- It can advise the regulator on disclosure requirements and measures required for a change in the legal framework to introduce simplification and transparency in mutual fund regulations.
About SEBI:
- Founded: 12 April 1992
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi
