27th & 28th AUG, 2023

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MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI RELEASES THE 6TH CENSUS REPORT ON MINOR IRRIGATION
(MI) SCHEMES

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Census has been conducted under the centrally sponsored scheme “Irrigation Census” of Ministry of Jal Shakti.
MI schemes are defined as those structures either in groundwater or in surfacewater category having Culturable Command Area

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(area which can be irrigated from a scheme and is fit for cultivation) up to 2,000 hectares.
MI schemes can be categorized broadly into following types: Dugwell, Shallow tubewell, Medium Tubewell, Deep tubewell,
Surface flow schemes, and Surface lift schemes.
Advantage of MI projects: Short gestation period, require smaller investment and benefits reach the farmers immediately.

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Key Highlights
23.14 million MI schemes have been reported, out of which 94.8% are Ground Water schemes.
UP possesses largest number of MI schemes followed by
Maharashtra, MP and Tamil Nadu.
Increase of about 1.42 million in MI schemes during 6th census as

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compared to 5th Census.
96.6% of MI schemes continue to remain under private ownership.

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18.1% of all individually owned schemes are owned by women.
Initiatives taken for MI
Centrally sponsored Plan Scheme Rationalization of Minor
Irrigation Statistics (RMIS).

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MI sector as a whole is implemented by State Governments and states have state-specific schemes.

BUSINESS 20 (B20) SUMMIT HELD IN NEW DELHI

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Theme of summit is R.A.I.S.E – Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable and Equitable Businesses. B20 summit brought
together policymakers, business leaders and experts from across the world to deliberate and discuss B20 India Communique.
B20 was established in 2010 as the official G20 dialogue forum with global business community.

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Key Recommendations/Policy actions
Areas Recommendations/ Policy Actions
Global Economic Creation of Global SDG Acceleration Fund (GSAF) for financing Global Public Goods and bridging SDG
Recovery financing gap.
GSAF is proposed as a global multi-donor fund where G20 countries and next ten largest countries by
GDP would allocate and contribute a fixed capital.
Inclusive GVCs for Facilitate FDI flows towards green, sustainable, and circular business model.
Resilient
Global Trade and Identify niche opportunities with competitive advantages for less represented segments.
Investment
Financial Inclusion for Provide incubation/mentorship assistance to small businesses to enable them access to right resources.
Economic
Empowerment
Digital Set unified standards and metrics for digital literacy.
Transformation
Technology, Set up Virtual Digital Lab and Library as a platform for cross-border collaboration.
Innovation and R&D Establish 'Council for Earth Observation' to leverage space technology with focus on water conservation etc.
Future of Work, Develop Universal Labour Information Management System that provide centralised data on employment
skilling and mobility trends, job vacancies etc.
Energy, Climate Develop harmonised international carbon markets.
Change and
Resource Efficiency

 

 

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SOLAR ORBITER SPACECRAFT SHEDS LIGHT ON THE SOLAR WIND'S ORIGIN

Solar Orbiter is a mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA.
Spacecraft has detected numerous relatively small jets of charged particles (called picoflare jets) that could be a major source to
sustain solar wind.
Picoflare jets are expelled intermittently from structures on corona (outermost layer of sun's atmosphere) called coronal holes
where sun's magnetic field stretches into space rather than back into it.
Solar wind continuously flows outward from Sun and consists mainly of protons and electrons in a state known as plasma.

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Different regions on Sun produce solar wind of different speeds and densities.
Activity on Sun's surface——such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections (CMEs)——can greatly enhance total energy carried by
solar wind, as well as its speed.

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While Earth's magnetosphere deflects most solar activity carried by solar wind, some charged particles seep through and cause
magnetic disturbances, classified as either geomagnetic storms or substorms.

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These storms can be benign, as when displayed in auroral light shows.
However, they can also hit operations of space-dependent services like GPS, radio, and satellite communications, damage
satellite electronics, expose astronauts to increased levels of radiation etc.

PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJANA (PMJDY) - APPLE BACKS CALIFORNIA

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NATIONAL MISSION FOR FINANCIAL INCLUSION RIGHT-TO-REPAIR BILL IN MAJOR
COMPLETES NINE YEARS POLICY SHIFT
PMJDY was launched in 2014 under Ministry of Finance to ensure access to Bill would require manufacturers such as Apple
financial services, namely, Basic Savings Bank Account (BSBD), remittance, credit,

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to allow customers to fix their broken or
insurance, pension in an affordable manner. damaged devices. Apple has historically
Under the scheme, a BSBD account can be opened in any bank branch or opposed right-to-repair efforts.

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Business Correspondent (Bank Mitra) outlet, by persons not having any Right to repair refers to the concept of allowing
other account. end users, consumers as well as businesses, to
Features included in PMJDY from 2018 repair devices they own or service without any
manufacturer or technical restrictions.
Focus shifted from Every Household to Every Unbanked Adult.

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It has been recognised in many countries
Free accidental insurance cover on RuPay cards increased from Rs. 1 lakh to including UK and European Union.

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Rs. 2 lakhs for PMJDY accounts.
Significance of right-to-repair
Overdraft (OD) limit doubled and Increase in upper age limit for OD from 60
to 65 years. Address issue of ‘planned obsolescence’ i.e.
devices are designed specifically to last a
Achievements under PMJDY limited amount of time and to be replaced.

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Number of PMJDY accounts has tripled between 2015-2023. Contribute to a circular economy by
55.6% Jan Dhan account holders are women and 66.7% Jan Dhan reducing e-waste and focusing on
accounts are in rural and semi-urban areas. sustainable consumption as enshrined by
LiFE movement
Average Deposit per PMJDY account has increased over 3.8 times between
2015- 2023. Give consumers a chance to repair their
products at an optimal cost.
6.26 crore PMJDY account holders received Direct Benefit Transfer from
Government Harmonize trade between original equipment
under various manufacturers and third-party buyers and
schemes. sellers.

Number of Boost business for small repair shops, which

UPI financial are an important part of local economies.
transactions In India, Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MCA)
h a v e 6 Pillars has developed a right-to-repair portal to
increased of PMJDY provide easy access to necessary information on
from 92 crore repair and maintenance of products to
in FY 2017-18 consumers.
to 8,371
crore in FY It covers four key sectors: farming
2022-23. equipment, mobiles and electronics, consumer
durables and automobile equipment.

 

 

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GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING INCLUSION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES (EVs) IN PRIORITY

SECTOR TO HELP FUNDING ACCESS
As per RBI guidelines, it is mandatory for banks to extend 40 percent of their adjusted net bank credit to priority sector.
Priority Sector means those sectors which Government of India and RBI consider as important for the development of basic
needs of the country.
At present, seven sectors i.e. agriculture, MSME, export credit, education, housing, social infrastructure, and renewable energy are
considered for Priority-Sector Lending (PSL).

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Need for EV Finance
Banks and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) are not lending due to the emergence of EV technology and adoption.
Low-cost and increased financing will be critical to drive EV sales in the country.
Potential of PSL to Scale EV Finance

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Inclusion can directly incentivise banks to enhance lending to EVs.

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Allowing NBFCs to leverage their greater on-ground presence to provide loans to EVs while benefiting from banks.
Increase investor confidence by providing an additional market signal that complements central and state governments’ existing
planning and policies.
Institutionalising the importance of EVs in India’s financial industry.
Other government steps for EV finance: FAME II, Production-Linked Incentive scheme for advanced chemistry cell battery etc.

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ALSO IN NEWS
A Goldilocks scenario in an economy refers to an ideal situation where there is a steady growth.

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Economic growth is neither too high (hot) to trigger inflation and nor too low (cold) for a
slowdown.

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Key feature under Goldilocks scenario
Low rate of unemployment
Steady GDP growth rate
Goldilocks Scenario
Relatively low retail inflation and interest rates

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Goldilocks phase is usually temporary in nature and sets in typically after an adverse shock to the
economy, during the recovery and growth period.

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BITs are reciprocal agreements between two countries to promote and protect foreign private
investments in each other’s territories.
BITs establish minimum guarantees regarding the treatment of foreign investments, such as
National treatment (treating foreign investors at par with domestic companies).

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Fair and equitable treatment (in accordance with international law).
Bilateral
Investment Till 2015, India had signed BITs with several countries based on the Indian Model BIT of 1993.
Treaty(BIT) India revised its Model BIT text in 2015 and since then has signed four agreements of which two
are in force.

AUSINDEX-23 is a biennial maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy.
BRIGHT STAR-23 is a biennial multilateral tri-service exercise held in Egypt. For the first time,
Indian Air Force is participating in it.
Other participating countries include US, Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Qatar.
Military Exercises
ITHCP has launched a Call for Concept Notes for Phase IV of Program.
Phase IV will expand its focus to include other Pantherine species, in particular leopards and
clouded leopards.
ITHCP, launched in 2014, is a strategic funding mechanism supported by German Federal Ministry
for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
IUCN’s Integrated Tiger
It is contributing to Global Tiger Recovery Programme, a global effort to double tiger numbers
Habitat Conservation in wild by 2022.
Programme (ITHCP) or
Additionally, MoEFCC cleared the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)’s in-principle
Tiger program
approval to declare Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (in Rajasthan) as a tiger reserve.

 

 
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Several native species of trees are being planted in Assam to secure a major elephant habitat
and mitigate conflicts between humans and tuskers.
Species include Amla (Phyllanthus emblica), Bel (Aegle marmelos), Gamhari (Gmelina arborea),
Jamun (Syzygium cumini), Bhumura (Terminalia bellirica), Arjun (Terminalia arjuna) etc.
Most of these plants are important for the elephants’ diet.
Mitigating
Restoring degraded areas with tree species preferred by the elephants would help secure its
Human-Animal Conflict habitat and facilitate elephant movement.
Patient safety is defined as the freedom of a patient from unnecessary harm or potential harm

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associated with the provision of healthcare.
Patient safety provisions in India include
First idea of patient safety is enshrined in Hippocratic Oath.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019 deals with medical negligence and deficiency of services.
Patient safety

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Legal rights of patients are set out in Clinical Establishment Act, 2010.
provisions in India National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority and Drugs Controller General of India have

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mechanisms to see that patients are not overcharged in terms of medication and devices.
Prime Minister declared August 23 as National Space Day to commemorate India’s achievement
of Chandrayaan-3 (Soft landing on moon’s southern hemisphere).
The place where ‘Vikram’ lander touchdown on lunar surface is to be referred as “Shiv Shakti Point”.
The place where Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on Moon's surface in 2019 now named “Tiranga”.

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Meanwhile, Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) payload, onboard Vikram
Lander, has noticed a variation from 70 degree Celsius to minus 10 degree Celsius temperature
National Space Day
on lunar surface.
An outcome document named “Kashi Culture Pathway” was released by G20 Culture ministers meeting
which reaffirmed the role of culture as an enabler and driver for sustainable development.

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‘G20 Culture: Shaping the Global Narrative for Inclusive Growth’ Report was launched during
the meeting which highlights four priority principles i.e.

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Protection and Restitution of Cultural Property.
G20 Culture Ministers’ Harnessing Living Heritage for a Sustainable Future.
Meeting concluded Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries and Creative Economy.
Leveraging Digital Technologies for Protection and Promotion of Culture.

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Seethakali is a centuries-old folk art form that is believed to have originated at Perinad in
Kollam district Kerala.

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It is performed as part of the harvest festival Onam.
It is based on certain episodes taken from the epic Ramayana and portrays characters such as
Rama, Seetha, Ravana and Hanuman.
Seethakali It’s a blend of songs, storytelling and fast movements.

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folk art Props and instruments used during performances are all made of natural materials like
bamboo and palm leaves.
Zimbabwe (Capital: Harare)
Current President was re-elected in the recently
concluded election.
Political boundaries
Landlocked country in south-central Africa.
Bordered by Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique,
and South Africa.
Geographical Features
Places in News Highest Point: Mt.Nyangani
Lake Kariba, located on border between
Zambia and Zimbabwe, is the world's largest
man-made lake by volume.
Major rivers: Zambezi, Pungwe, Buzi, Save, Limpopo etc.

Errata: In News Today Dated 18th August, 2023, under subheading ‘Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (or ALS)’ of ‘Also in News’, it was
incorrectly mentioned that "ALS is a ‘rare disease’ in India, as per the definitions stated in the National Policy for Rare Diseases".
Correct information is ‘ALS currently is not a rare disease as per National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021’.

 

 
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