Current Affairs 22nd July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

Pi Approximation Day

• Pi Approximation Day is observed on 22 July every year because of the value of Pi that is 22/7.
• Whereas Pi Day is celebrated on 14 March which is similar to the approximate value of 3.14 and also coincides with Albert Einstein’s birthday.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Employees’ Welfare Scheme Launched In Arun Jaitley’s Name In Rajya Sabha

• The Rajya Sabha secretariat has launched an Employees’ Welfare Scheme in the name of former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, who was also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.
• The scheme has been formulated and approved based on the decision of Sangeeta Jaitley, wife of the senior leader who passed away in August last year.
• “Shri Arun Jaitley Financial Assistance for Group C Employees” scheme seeks to benefit group “C” employees of the secretariat by awarding their children three scholarships for higher technical and professional education.
• The employees will be extended financial support in case of death and medical emergency.

About Rajya Sabha

• Chairperson: M. Venkaiah Naidu
• Deputy Leader of the House: Piyush Goyal, BJP
• Deputy Chairman: Harivansh Narayan Singh, JDU

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

India, Maldives sign agreement for establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’ in Male

• India and Maldives have signed an agreement for establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’ in capital Male.
• It is one of the several small and medium projects that are being financed by India under a grant assistance of around 20 million US dollars for the neighboring country.
• The emergency medical service unit will enhance timely access to quality emergency care.
• It will increase collaboration between healthcare facilities and disaster response agencies, especially during critical times of need.

About Maldives

• Capital: Malé
• Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
• President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

EU approves biggest green stimulus in history with $572-billion plan

• The plan is part of Europe’s bid to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050
• European governments approved the most ambitious climate change plan to date, agreeing to pour more than €500 billion ($572 billion) into everything from electric cars to renewable energy and agriculture.
• At a marathon five-day summit in Brussels, heads of government reached a deal on an unprecedented economic rescue plan and seven-year budget for the region worth €1.8 trillion ($2 trillion). Almost a third of that is earmarked for climate action, offering the bloc’s 27 nations a chance to develop clean energy resources, stimulate the market for emissions-free cars, invest in budding technologies, and promote energy efficiency.
• The plan is part of Europe’s bid to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050, putting it ahead of other major emitters such as the US, China, and India in the global fight against unstoppable temperature rise. The proportion of the European package earmarked for climate projects illustrates that contrast dramatically.
• Only $54 billion of the trillions of dollars of recovery funds pledged globally will be channelled into green policies, while $697 billion has been allocated for carbon-intensive sectors such as air travel and fossil fuel extraction, according to a Bloomberg NEF report released prior to the EUs stimulus deal.
• Germany’s recovery plans are among the greenest so far, with about a third of the €130 billion ($145 billion) recovery budget going into areas such as public transport and development of green hydrogen.
• The UK’s plan has fallen short of previous climate-related promises and is far behind its European neighbours. The country has so far announced £5.4 billion ($6.8 billion) in measures such as boosting green homes and supporting carbon capture technology.
• China will invest 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in electric vehicle chargers and will support new renewable energy plants, though it has also cleared the way for new coal projects.

About European Union:

• President of the Commission: Ursula von der Leyen
• Capital: Brussels

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Banks sanction over Rs 1.27 lakh cr loans under Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme

• There is an increase of over 4,237 crore rupees in the cumulative amount of loans sanctioned and over 9,301 crore rupees in the cumulative amount of loans disbursed by both public and private sector banks till now as compared to 15th of July.
• As of 20th of July, the total amount sanctioned under the 100 percent Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by the banks stands at over 1.27 lakh crore, of which over 77,613 crore rupees have already been disbursed.
• Finance Ministry stated under the 100 percent ECLGS, the loan amounts sanctioned by Public Sector Banks increased to over 70,894 crore rupees of which over 45,797 crore rupees have been disbursed.

About Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS):

• Emergency credit line guarantee scheme (ECLGS) or Guaranteed emergency credit line scheme (GECL) is a part of COVID Loan by the Government of India for MSME units in the current scenario of COVID 19. This is a pre approved loan of Rs Three Lakh Crore designed for the revival of MSME units.

LIC-UBI announce corporate agency pact

Current Affairs 21st July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Chess Day

• The International Chess Day is celebrated on July 20 every year as the founding day of the FIDE (World Chess Federation). This year will mark FIDE’s 96th
• On July 20, 1924, at the eighth summer Olympic games in Paris, France, the FIDE (World Chess Federation) was founded. International Chess Day began as the founding day of the FIDE on the same day July 20 in 1966.

• FIDE’s motto for 2020 celebrations is, “Teach someone how to play chess.”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

HRD Minister to launch Manodarpan initiative to provide psychosocial support to students

• Union Human Resource Development Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal will  launch the Manodarpan initiative of the HRD Ministry. The initiative under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, aims to provide psychosocial support to students for their mental health and well-being.
• Minister of State for HRD, Secretaries of the Department of Higher Education and the School Education and Literacy, and senior officials of the ministry will also be present on the occasion.
• Pokhriyal informed that  during the COVID pandemic, the HRD Ministry felt the need to focus on continuing education on the academic front and the mental well-being of the students.
• He further informed that the Ministry has, therefore, taken up an initiative, named, ‘MANODARPAN’ covering a wide range of activities to provide Psychosocial Support to students for their Mental Health & Well-being during the COVID outbreak and beyond.
• The HRD Ministry also stated that the ‘Manodarpan’ initiative has been included in the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, as a part of strengthening human capital and   increasing productivity.

About Ministry of Human Resource Development:

• Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Cabinet Minister
• Constituency: Haridwar
• Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State

Current Affairs 19th & 20th July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

117th birthday Anniversary of Ex CM of Tamil Nadu state K Kamaraj, celebrated as Educational Development Day

• The former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Shri Kamaraj ji’s 117th birth anniversary has been observed as Tamil Nadu’s Educational Development Day.
• It aims to remind people about his contribution to boost the school education facilities of Tamil Nadu state.
• In the year 2006, The Tamil Nadu state Govt brought a development and celebration bill that highlighted 15th july as “Educational Development Day” in order to remember Perunthalaivar Kamarajar’s contributions.
• Perunthalaivar Kamarajar was born on 15th July 1903 in Virudhunagar, Madurai, Tamil Nadu India. He served as 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and stayed at post for three consecutive tenures between 1954 and 1963.
• He was honoured with highest civilian award of India Bharat Ratna award in the year 1976.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

PM SVANidhi app launched to help street vendors apply for micro loans

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) App.
• It aims to provide a user-friendly digital interface for lending institutions (LIs) and their field functionaries for sourcing and processing loan applications of street vendors under the scheme.
• PM SVANidhi Mobile App is a step towards boosting the use of digital technology and will enable field functionaries of LIs like Banking Correspondents (BCs) and Agents of Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)/ Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs), who have proximity with the street vendors, to ensure maximum coverage of the Scheme.
• The ministry has already launched the website on June 29, 2020 and the app has all the features similar to the web portal of PM SVANidhi. The features include vendor search in the survey data, e-KYC of applicants, processing of applications, and real-time monitoring.
• PM SVANidhi was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, on June 01, 2020, for providing affordable working capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown.

About PM SVANidhi scheme

• This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh Street Vendors who had been vending on or before 24 March, 2020, in urban areas including those from surrounding peri-urban/ rural areas. Under the Scheme, the vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.
• On timely/ early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on a quarterly basis.
• There will be no penalty on early repayment of loan. The scheme promotes digital transactions through cash back incentives up to an amount of Rs. 100 per month. Moreover, the vendors can achieve their ambition of going up on the economic ladder by availing the facility of enhancement of the credit limit on timely/ early repayment of loan.

Income Tax Department rolls out new Form 26AS

• Income Tax Department has rolled out new Form 26AS with an aim to assist Tax payers in filing quick and correct Income Tax Return (ITR). The new form will carry some additional details on taxpayers financial transactions as specified in the Statement of Financial Transactions (SFTs) in various categories.
• The additional details will facilitate voluntary compliance, tax accountability and ease of e-filing of returns. In a media statement, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has stated that these SFTs will handhold the taxpayers while filing their ITR.
• It stated, the new form will also calculate the correct tax liability based on these entries. The new Form 26AS is expected to bring in further transparency and accountability in the tax administration.

About Income Tax Department:

• Head Quarters: New Delhi
• Pramod Chandra Modi, IRS: Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes

India establishes bilateral air bubbles with US, France and Germany

• India has established bilateral Air bubbles with the United States of America, France and Germany. The Civil Aviation Ministry stated talks with the United Kingdom are in an advanced stage and similar arrangement in place with UAE till 26th July of this month.
• Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that bilateral Air Bubbles will be the way to resume international travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic with certain conditions. Mr Puri stated the government’s negotiations with three countries are at an advanced stage for establishing bilateral air bubble mechanisms.
• He informed that Air France will operate 28 flights from 18th July to 1st of August between Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and  Paris. He stated, in case of the United States, there is an agreement with United Airlines to operate 18 flights between India and US between 17th to 31st July but this is an interim one. He stated we  have also received  a request from Germany and  an agreement with Lufthansa is almost done.

About France:

• Capital: Paris
• President: Emmanuel Macron
• Currencies: Euro, CFP franc

About Germany:

• Capital: Berlin
• Currency: Euro
• President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Current Affairs 18th July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Nelson Mandela Day

• Nelson Mandela International Day is an annual international day in honour of Nelson Mandela, celebrated each year on 18 July, Mandela’s birthday.
• The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, with the first UN Mandela Day held on 18 July 2010.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Pakistan and China signed for the 700 MW Azad Pattan hydel power project

• Pakistan and China signed an agreement for the 700 MW Azad Pattan hydel power project on the Jhelum river in Sudhoti district of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• The $ 1.5-billion project is the second power project under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), for which an agreement has been signed in the last two months. The first agreement, for the 1,100 MW Kohala project, was signed on June 23. That project, worth $ 2.3 billion, too will come up on the Jhelum near Muzaffarabad.
• The project is a run-of-the-river scheme with a reservoir located near Muslimabad village, 7 km upstream from the Azad Pattan bridge, in district Sudhnoti, one of the eight districts of PoK.
• The Azad Pattan project is one of five hydropower schemes on the Jhelum. Upstream from Azad Pattan are the Mahl, Kohala, and Chakothi Hattian projects; Karot is downstream. Like Kohala and Azad Pattan, Karot too, is being developed under the CPEC framework.
• India has protested the construction of dams and other infrastructure in PoK and Gilgit Baltistan, which are territories claimed by it as part of Jammu & Kashmir.

About Pakistan

• Capital: Islamabad
• Currency: Pakistani rupee
• Prime minister: Imran Khan

About China

• Capital: Beijing
• President: Xi Jinping
• Currency: Renminbi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launches the revamped Scheme for PM’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2020 

• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh launched the revamped PM’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration and the web portal www.pmawards.gov.in
• The Scheme has been revamped in tune with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s governance model of citizen participation.
• Jitendra Singh acknowledged the extraordinary work done by District Collectors in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Scheme Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2020, has been revamped to recognize the performance of the District Collectors towards outcome indicators, economic development, peoples’ participation and redressal of public grievances.
• The Innovations category of the Scheme has been broad-based to provide separate award categories for innovations at National, State and District level. The period of consideration for the awards is 1stApril 2018 to 31st March 2020. In all 15 Awards would be conferred under the Scheme in 2020.
• Online applications shall be invited from 17th July till 15th August 2020 through the portal www.pmawards.gov.in from Districts / Implementing Units / Organizations under the various categories in the prescribed format detailing out the achievements highlighting any path-breaking innovation undertaken by any functionary/organization.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Bank of Maharashtra launches OD facility against fixed deposits

• Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has launched an overdraft facility (OD) against fixed deposits (FDs) for its individual customers holding a savings bank account.
• Under this facility, up to 90 per cent of the FD value can be availed as OD. The interest rate on this facility will be 2 percentage points over and above the FD rate.
• The bank has also decided not to charge any processing fee. Additional documentation is not required to avail this facility.
• The OD facility can be availed from the comfort of home in three simple steps using Bank of Maharashtra’s Mahamobile App.

About BOM

• Headquarters: Pune
• CEO: A. S. Rajeev
• Tagline: One Family One Bank

NABARD sanctions ₹795 cr to re-construct infra damaged by cyclone in Bengal

• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned ₹795 crore for reconstructing infrastructure damaged by cyclone Amphan that ripped through West Bengal in May.
• The state government had sought ₹1,028 crore from NABARD for repairing impaired embankments under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
• The amount of ₹795 crore was sanctioned following the appeal of the government.
• NABARD has already provided ₹145 crore under RIDF to the state as special liquidity support for boosting rural infrastructure in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About NABARD

• Founded: 12 July 1982
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairman: Govinda Rajulu Chintala

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

UNICEF India and SAP India partner to improve employability of young people

• On World Youth Skills Day, UNICEF India announced its partnership with SAP India to provide career counselling to young people in the country that will improve their employability skills in a COVID-19 and post COVID-19 era.
• UNICEF is collaborating with YuWaah (Generation Unlimited) under this initiative to provide digital education and occupational skillset to the underserved young people of the Country.Under the collaboration UNICEF – YuWaah – SAP will strengthen the following:
• Improve digital skills and life skills for young people
• Provide young people with career options.
• Reimagine the model in other states with the Government of India
• Impacting one million young people by the end of 2022

About UNICEF India

• UNICEF Representative in India– Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque
• Head Quarters- New Delhi

About SAP SE

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Christian Klein
• Headquarters– Walldorf, Germany

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Gabon appoints first woman prime minister Ossouka Raponda

• The president of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has appointed the country’s first female prime minister, Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda.
• Ossouka Raponda, 56, was promoted from the defence ministry and takes over from Julien Nkoghe Bekale, who was appointed prime minister in January 2019.
• She is an economist by training who graduated from the Gabonese Institute of Economy and Finance, specialising in public finance.
• In 2012, she first became budget minister and then the first female mayor of the capital Libreville in 2014, as a candidate for Bongo’s Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG).

About Gabon

• Capital: Libreville
• Currency: Central African CFA franc

Current Affairs 17th July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Day for International Justice

• Every year on17 July is celebrated as World Day for International Justice because this day is the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute in 1998.
• It is also known as International Criminal Justice Day or International Justice Day.
• The aim of the day is to promote international criminal justiceand as a way of supporting the work of the ICC.

World Emoji Day: July 17

• Since the time social media apps have become popular among the masses, the use of emojis has increased rapidly. Emojis have now become a part of our day-to-day life, as we all use one or many emojis to express our emotions during the day.
• An emoji, a small digital picture representing an idea, expression, look or reaction is now used widely to express a variety of our emotions.
• Keeping in mind the importance of these digital pictures representing our emotions to someone, July 17 is celebrated as the World Emoji Day. The World Emoji Day 2020 is celebrated across the globe since 2014.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

HRD Minister Launches First Online NISHTHA Programme For 1,200 Key Resources Persons Of Andhra

• Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched virtually the first online National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) programme for 1,200 key resources persons of Andhra Pradesh, in New Delhi.
• NISHTHA is organised at the elementary stage under Samagra Shiksha, a Centrally sponsored flagship programme of MHRD to improve learning outcomes.
• Thereafter, 33 states and union territories launched this programme in collaboration under Samagra Shiksha.
• Andhra Pradesh is the first state for which the government is launching the online NISHTHA programme for 1,200 key resources persons through the NISHTHA portal. These resource persons will help in the mentoring of teachers of Andhra Pradesh, who will take online NISHTHA training on DIKSHA later on.
• The modules developed under NISHTHA focus on the holistic development of children and hence include curriculum and inclusive education health and well-being, personal social qualities, art integrated learning, initiatives in school education, subject-specific pedagogies, ICT in teaching-learning, leadership, pre-school education and pre-vocational education. All the modules are centered around learning outcomes and learner-centered pedagogy.
• These modules are made interactive with reflective and engaging activities for teachers providing space to educational games and quizzes for joyful learning by the teachers and school heads, which in turn will motivate teachers to implement this in their classroom for enhancing students’ learning outcomes.

About AP

• Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
• Chief minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy

Current Affairs 16th July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal releases PRAGYATA guidelines on digital education

• Union HRD Ministry released the guidelines for Digital Education.
• The ministry has recommended a cap on the screen time for students. As per the guidelines, online classes for pre-primary students should not be for more than 30 minutes. It further mentions that two online sessions of up to 30-45 minutes each should be conducted for classes 1 to 8 and four sessions for classes 9 to 12.
• The HRD minister informed that PRAGYATA guidelines have been developed from the perspective of learners, with a focus on online/blended/digital education for students who are presently at home due to lockdown.
• The PRAGYATA guidelines include eight steps of online education that is, Plan, Review, Arrange, Guide, Yak(talk), Assign, Track, and Appreciate.
• The guidelines outline suggestions for administrators, school heads, teachers, parents, and students in the following areas:  1. Need assessment; 2. Concerns while planning online and digital education like duration, screen time, inclusiveness, balanced online and offline activities, etc level-wise; 3. Modalities of intervention including resource curation, level-wise delivery, etc.; 4. Physical, mental health, and wellbeing during digital education; 5. Cyber safety and ethical practices including precautions and measures for maintaining cyber safety and 6. Collaboration and convergence with various initiatives.

About MoHRD

• Minister of Human Resource Development: Ramesh Pokhriyal
• Constituency: Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
• Minister of State– Sanjay Dhotre

Indian Railways’ 1st cable-stayed rail bridge, Anji Khad bridge

• The country’s “first cable-stayed” Indian Railways bridge – the magnificent Anji Khad Bridge will soon connect Katra and Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir.
• The country’s first cable-stayed railway bridge is being developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, which is a Government of India undertaking. The cable-stayed railway bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
• The Anji Khad Bridge has a single pylon, standing at a height of 331 metres above the river bed. The total length of the Anji Khad Bridge is 473.25 metres. The length of the viaduct is 120 metres and the central embankment has a length of 94.25 metres. It has support of 96 cables. The Anji Khad Bridge has been designed to handle heavy storms of strong winds.
• Also, Pump Concreting System arrangement was used to increase efficiency, providing higher safety for workers and saved the construction time by about 30 per cent. The Anji Khad Bridge will have an integrated monitoring system by means of numerous sensors installed at various locations on the bridge.
• The USBRL project also involves the Chenab river bridge. The Chenab bridge, once completed, will become the world’s highest rail bridge.

About Indian Railway

• HeadQuarters: New Delhi
• Chairman: V K Yadhav

Coal Ministry plans to link mining plan portal with PARIVESH website

• The coal ministry plans to link the mining plan portal with Parivesh website.
• PARIVESH is a single-window hub for online submission, monitoring, and management of proposals submitted to the Environment Ministry by project proponents to seek various types of clearances.
• Auction of coal mines for commercial mining organised by Ficci.
• The government may go for an investment of 50,000 crore in eastern part of the country in the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha to ramp up coal evacuation.
• Last month, the government launched the auction process for 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, a move that opens India’s coal sector for private players, and termed it a major step in the direction of India achieving self-reliance.

About Ministry of Coal

• Union Minister of coal: Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi
• Constituency: Dharwad, Karnataka

Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Minister e-inaugurates NSTI, Extension Centre in Imphal

• Union Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, e-inaugurated a National Skill Training Institute (NSTI), Extension Centre located at the campus of Government ITI in Imphal through a Video conference.
• The inaugural was held during the Digital Conclave held on the occasion of the World Youth Skills Day and the fifth anniversary of ‘Skill India’ mission, organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India.
• The NSTI, Extension Centre, Manipur, at the  campus of Govt. ITI, Takyel will facilitate training of Trainers in the Crafts Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) trades of  Motor Mechanic Vehicle , Carpentry and Electrician  initially by making  use of  existing  infrastructure & Equipment in the ITI for the benefit of ITI Passed outs in the Northeast Region.
• The NSTI, Extension Centre, Manipur was e-inaugurated in the presence of the Minister of State for Power, New & Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, R. K. Singh, Manipur State Labour & Employment Minister, Dr. Thokchom Radheshyam and other top officials of New NSTI meet future demand to the existing 21,768 CITS trained instructors of 17,683 & 4,085 in both Engineering & Non Engineering trades respectively in the North Eastern region of 7 states.

About Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship:         

• Mahendra Nath Pandey, Cabinet Minister
• Constituency: Chandauli
• Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State

Current Affairs 15th July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Youth Skills Day

• The United Nations, at its General Assembly in November 2014, declared15 July as World Youth Skills Day. World Skills is proud to be part of a global recognition and promotion of skills.
• This year’s theme is Skills for a Resilient Youth in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Govt approves Rs 107 cr for fire-fighting facilities at Haldia Dock

• The government has approved Rs 107 crore for modern fire-fighting facilities at Haldia Dock Complex of Kolkata Port to ensure safe cargo operations, especially petro-chemical goods.
• Kolkata Port is one of the top 12 major ports in the country.
• It was approved by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Shipping Shri Mansukh Mandaviya.
• The modern fire-fighting facility will enable Haldia Dock Complex in safe handling of the movement of petro-chemical products.
• The existing fire-fighting facility does not support the handling the LPG and other petroleum products as per the guideline of Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

About Ministry of Shipping

• Union Minister of State for Shipping and Union Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizers: Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya
• Constituency: Gujarat

Indian Railways on mission mode of becoming ‘Green Railway’ by 2030

• The Ministry of Railways is on a mission mode with the goal of transforming Indian Railways into Green Railways by 2030 and has taken a number of major initiatives towards mitigation of global warming and combating climate change.
• Railway Electrification, improving the energy efficiency of locomotives and trains and fixed installations, green certification for installations/stations, fitting bio-toilets in coaches and switching to renewable sources of energy are parts of its strategy of achieving net-zero carbon emission.
• Indian Railways has completed electrification of more than 40,000 Route km (RKM) (63 per cent of Broad Gauge routes) in which 18,605 km electrification work has been done during 2014-20. Previously, only 3,835 km electrification work was completed during the period 2009-14. Indian Railways has fixed a target of electrification of 7000 RKM for the year 2020-21.
• All routes on Broad Gauge (BG) network have been planned to be electrified by December
• Indian Railways has also taken a number of initiatives to promote solar energy. Indian Railways is working to harness the potential of 500 Mega Watt (MW) energy through rooftop Solar panels (Developer model). Already awarded for 245 MW and target for completion of these plants is December 2022.
• One project of 7 MW at Bina (Madhya Pradesh) in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has already been installed and is presently under extensive testing. This is First of its kind of solar project in the world.
• In the wind energy sector, 103 MW wind-based power plants have already been Among them, 26 MW is in Rajasthan (Jaisalmer), 21 MW is in Tamil Nadu and 56.4 MW is in  Maharashtra (Sangli). Indian Railways has also planned to set up 200 MW wind energy plants in next 2 years in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka.
• In the field of Green Initiatives, a total of 69,000 coaches have been fitted with more than 2,44,000 bio-toilets in Indian Railways.

About Ministry of Railways

• Piyush Goyal (Minister), Suresh Angadi (Minister of State)
• Constituency: Maharashtra

Indian Railways creates Post Covid Coach for passenger safety