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CURRENT AFFAIR BOOSTER : 25th & 26th JUNE 2023
Current Affairs
25th & 26th June 2023
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
1) National Energy Data: Survey and Analysis 2021-22 Report, Released by MNRE
On 23rd June 2023, The report
titled National
Energy Data: Survey and Analysis 2021-22 was released by Raj Kumar Singh, Union Minister for
Power, New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) at Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi,
Delhi.
·
This report is produced by the
Energy Data Management Unit under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency(BEE),
Ministry of Power in collaboration with NITI Aayog(National Institution
for Transforming India) which provides detailed insights into energy supply and
consumption patterns across various sectors of the Indian economy.
Key highlights of the report:
Value Addition:
i.The report provides detailed fuel-wise energy consumption data for
various sectors which enables to understand their energy profiles.
ii.The use of distinct conversion factors for domestic coal and imported
coal, based on different calorific values, provides a realistic picture of
coal-based energy supply and consumption in the country.
About Ministry of New and Renewable Energy(MNRE):
Union Minister– Raj Kumar Singh (Constituency-Arrah,Bihar)
State Minister– Bhagwanth Khuba (Constituency-Bidar,Karnataka)
2) Women and Child Development Ministry discontinued its Autonomous Bodies RMK & CSWB
The Ministry of Women and
Child Development (MWCD) discontinued its two autonomous bodies, Rashtriya
Mahila Kosh (RMK) and Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB), as
well as its internal division namely Food and Nutrition Board
(FNB).
·
This decision is a part of the
Ministry of Finance’s rationalization exercise to shut down departments and
sections that no longer have relevance in the current scenario.
About RMK:
Launched in 1993 to extend collateral-free credit to women in the informal
sector, it was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In
November 2020, the ‘Rationalisation of Government Bodies’ report by the Chief
Economic Adviser (Then- Krishnamurthy Subramanian) recommended its closure,
citing the availability of alternative credit options like microcredit schemes
such as Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and PM Mudra Yojana. The
move will help in avoiding duplicity.
About CSWB:
Formed in 1953 as a charitable company, it was one of the first efforts by the
Indian government to build a body on the principle of voluntarism, and aims to
function like a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). It was registered under
the Indian Companies Act 1956 to promote social welfare organizations, study
their needs, and provide aid to Panchayati Raj institutions. It has been mostly
inactive for some time now.
About FNB:
Set up in 1964, is an attached office of the MWCD. Originally with the Ministry
of Food, the FNB was shifted to MCWD in 1993 as technical support wing. It has
four regional offices and quality control laboratories at Delhi, Mumbai
(Maharashtra), Kolkata (West Bengal) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu), in addition to
43 Community Food & Nutrition Extension Units (CFNEUs) in 29 states and
UTs.
Key Points:
i.RMK and CSWB are among the six autonomous bodies under the WCD
ministry; the others being the National Institute of Public Cooperation and
Child Development (NIPCCD), National Commission for Women (NCW), National
Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and Central Adoption Resource
Authority (CARA).
ii.The budgetary allocation for CSWB in 2023-24 (FY24) was Rs 40.06
crore. For the FNB, Rs 18 crore was set aside in FY24. There has been no
allocation for RMK in FY24.
3) India’s first, Hydrogen-Powered Trains to run from Jind district of Haryana
Indian Railways is set to
introduce its first hydrogen train, expected to start operating from Jind
district in Haryana by March 2024.The first prototype of the hydrogen train is
scheduled to run between the Jind-Sonipat (Haryana) Section of Northern Railway
in the fiscal year 2023-2024.
·
India’s first hydrogen plant
is being established near the railway junction in Jind (Haryana) district, in
order to support this initiative.
·
The hydrogen plant is in its
final phase of development and is expected to be completed by December 2023.
·
The hydrogen plant will
produce hydrogen from water and will play a pivotal role in powering the
hydrogen trains.
Note: Currently, trains in India run
on diesel and electricity and it is claimed that hydrogen powered trains have
been running only in Germany.
Key Points:
i. Hydrogen trains use hydrogen fuel cells instead of diesel engines,
and those cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen and water, which
generates electricity used to power the train’s motor.
·
The by-products are water and
a little heat.
ii. The hydrogen fuel based train of eight bogies will
be environment friendly, as hydrogen fuel does not produce harmful emissions.
iii. The introduction of hydrogen-powered trains will not only reduce
carbon (CO2) emissions but also pave the way for a cleaner and greener future.
Note: Senior officials have also visited the site to assess the
requirements for setting up a hydrogen pump in Jind (Haryana) and establishing
the necessary infrastructure.
4) India and UAE signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Authorized Economic Operators
On 23rd June 2023, India and
United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA)
for authorised economic operators (AEOs) of both countries on sidelines
of the 141st/142nd sessions of World Customs Organization(WCO) Customs
Co-operation Council meeting, in Brussels, Belgium.
·
The agreement is signed to
promote greater trade facilitation and ease of doing business between the 2
countries.
By recognizing the AEO status
India and the UAE seek to streamline and quicken customs procedures, reducing
administrative burden and costs for authorised businesses.
Background:
i.The MRA comes as the continuation of historic India-UAE Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was signed between the two
nations on 18 February 2022, officially came into force on 1 May 2022.
ii.CEPA is expected to increase the total value of bilateral trade in
goods to over USD 100 billion and trade in services to over USD 15
billion within five years.
Note: In September 2021, India and the US had signed a MRA AEO.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
5) World Bank unveils debt payment pause, IMF touts $100 bn for poorest
On 22nd June 2023, during the
Summit for a New Global Financial Pact held in Paris, France, World Bank
announced a new and expanded toolkit to support the countries towards crisis
preparedness, response, and recovery.
The tool kit includes:
·
Offering a pause in debt
repayments for the most vulnerable countries in times of crisis or catastrophe.
·
Redirecting financing – Giving
countries new flexibility to quickly redirect a portion of their funds for
emergency response.
·
Linking crisis preparedness
and financing – To allow more countries to build emergency systems and have
quick-disbursing finance available in times of crisis.
·
Backstopping development
projects with private sector support. – This will enable businesses to sustain
operations and protect jobs, building resilience and long-term sustainability.
·
Building enhanced catastrophe
insurance for providing resources without adding to the debt.
IMF hit USD 100 billion target
of special drawing rights for vulnerable countries
During the summit, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva announced that IMF has reached its target of making USD
100 billion in special drawing rights (SDRs) available for vulnerable nations.
Key Points:
i.In 2021, the rich countries
decided to rechannel their unused IMF special drawing rights(SDRs), an
international reserve currency, to poor countries.
ii.The plan was to make USD 100 billion available by lending the SDRs
back to the IMF so that it could in turn lend the funds at below-market rates
to low-income countries.
iii.This target was one of the key announcements of the Paris Summit
that aimed to help poor countries to cope with debt burdens while making more
climate financing available.
About Summit for a New Global
Financial Pact:
i.The summit aims to give
impetus to a new global finance agenda.
ii.The Summit aims to boost crisis financing for low-income states and
ease their debt burdens, reform post-war financial systems and free up funds to
tackle climate change by getting top-level consensuses like G20(Group of 20),
COP(Conference of the Parties (COP)), IMF-World Bank and United Nations(UN) on
how to promote a number of initiatives.
6) Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2023: Bengaluru ranked 20th & Silicon Valley Topped the Global List
According to the Global
Startup Ecosystem Report 2023 (GSER 2023) released by policy advisory
and research firm Startup Genome, Indian ecosystems continue to rise,
with Bengaluru (Karnataka) startup ecosystem has positioned to the 20th
spot, moving two places from 2022 and Mumbai (Maharashtra) moved up five places
to 31st position and Delhi moved up two places to 24th position respectively in
the Global Startup Ecosystem list 2023.
·
Among the emerging ecosystems,
Pune (Maharashtra) has moved into the 31-40 range in 2023, from 51–60 in 2022.
·
Silicon Valley remaining at
the top ecosystem in the GSER 2023 followed by New York City and London tied at
2nd position. They are maintaining the top three position from 2020.
Key Points:
i.Los Angeles and Tel Aviv were at 4th and 5th position, whereas Boston
and Beijing were at the 6th and 7th position respectively.
ii.Miami being ranked as 23rd has made impressive progress by making it
into the top 30 ecosystems, an improvement of 10 positions from 2022.
About Startup Genome:
Founder & CEO – JF Gauthier
Headquarters – San Francisco, California, United States
BANKING & FINANCE
7) LIC – launches close-ended ‘Dhan Vridhhi’ plan and Sold 2.07% stake in NMDC for Rs 649 crore
On June 23, 2023, the Life
Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) launched the non-linked, non-participating,
individual, savings, single-premium, close-ended life insurance plan, named
‘Dhan Vridhhi’ to offer a combination of protection and savings.
·
The plan was being available
for sale from June 23 to September 30, 2023.
·
The plan provides financial
support for the family in case of the unfortunate death of the life assured
during the policy term.
·
As the plan is being a single
premium plan, there is no future premium obligation and no lapsation.
– LIC Sold 2.07% stake in NMDC
for Rs 649 crore
LIC sold over 6.06 crore shares or 2.07% stake in iron ore producer NMDC
Limited (formerly National Mineral Development Corporation) between March 14
and June 20 for around Rs 649 crore at an average price of Rs 107.59 a share
via open market sale.
Now the LIC’s shareholding in NMDC has decreased from 11.69% to 9.62%.
About Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India
Headquarters -Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment -1956
Interim Chairman – Siddhartha Mohanty
8) Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance launches ‘Nishchit Pension Plan’
Aditya Birla Sun Life
Insurance Company Limited (ABSLI), the life insurance subsidiary of
Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), has announced the launch ‘Nishchit
Pension Plan‘ a comprehensive retirement solution. It is a non-linked,
non-participating individual pension plan for retirement.
·
It helps in accumulating 100%
guaranteed corpus, to secure an uninterrupted income.
Key points:
i.ABSLI’s Nishchit Pension Plan enables the policyholders to
customize the plans according to their retirement goals, by providing Premium
Payment Term (PPT) & Policy Term (PT) options.
ii.It will offer returns on premiums invested, loyalty additions
depending on premium and its term, provided the policy is in-force and
all due premiums have been paid.
Features:
i.Policyholders can choose from multiple PPT options, ranging from 5,
6, 8, 10, and 12 years & Regular Pay options.
ii.The maximum entry age to avail ABSLI Nishchit Pension Plan is 65
years, while the minimum entry age is 30 years.
iii.The minimum annualized premium is Rs. 20,000 and there
is no limit on the maximum premium that you can pay.
iv.The maximum age to avail the vesting benefit is 75 years,
while the minimum vesting age is 45 years.
Note – Vesting: The age at which the insured starts to receive the
pension is called the vesting age. Once the vesting age is reached, the policy
begins to release the annuity payout amount in the frequency mentioned in the
policy
About Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance:
MD & CEO- Kamlesh Rao
Established- 2000
Headquartered- Mumbai
9) Manipal Technologies partners with Indian Bank to offer Customised Banking Solutions
On 22nd June 2023, Manipal
Technologies Limited (MTL), a multi-business enterprise, partnered with Indian
Bank, a public sector bank to promote financial inclusion by offering
customised banking products to empower millions of underserved individuals
across India.
As part of this association, MTL will work closely with Indian Bank to
offer tailor-made banking products in rural locations and unlock their economic
growth potential.
Objective:
i. The partnership aims to build a sustainable network of Corporate
Business Correspondents (CBCs) that will enhance the availability,
affordability and accessibility of financial services, particularly in
underserved markets and rural areas.
Features of the alliance:
i. The initial focus will be serving more than 600 locations and
eventually extending the presence in newer regions in states such as Tamil Nadu
(TN), Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Kerala, Maharashtra, Haryana, and
Punjab.
ii. The Indian Bank’s alliance with MTL will further enable the Bank to
extend its reach beyond existing branches and serve the unbanked and
underbanked customers of India.
iii. The Indian bank also aims to empower individuals with seamless
access to financial services, ranging from account opening, withdrawals,
deposits, lead generation, opening FDs, and applying for loans.
iv. The extensive network of MTL’s trained Field Business Correspondents
(FBCs) will enable Indian Bank in reaching out to individuals in remote areas
to ensure convenient access to financial services.
v. MTL’s business portfolio across domains, includes fintech, financial
inclusion, doorstep banking, fraud risk management, gold loans, digital
solutions, print management, cards, commercial print, and secure solutions.
Additional Info:
The Indian Bank recorded a 47% rise in net profit for the March quarter (the
period of 3 months beginning on 1 January 2023) to Rs.1,447 crore, helped by a
decrease in bad loans and a rise in interest income.
Note: For the year ended March 2023, the profit of the Indian Bank
increased by 34% to Rs 5,282 crore against Rs 3,945 crore in FY2022.
About Indian Bank:
Incorporated on– March 5, 1907
Commenced on– 15 August 1907
MD & CEO– Shanti Lal Jain
Headquarters– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Tagline– Your Own Bank/ Apka Apna Bank
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
10) Sahitya Akademi announced winners of Bal Sahitya Puraskar and Yuva Puraskar Awards 2023
On 22nd June 2023, the
Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of
Letters, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Culture chaired by
Madhav Kaushik, President, Sahitya Akademi declared a list of 22
recipients of its Bal Sahitya Puraskar and 20 winners of its
Yuva Puraskar for the year 2023.
·
The works were selected on the
basis of recommendations made by the Jury of 3 members each in concerned language
in accordance with rules and procedure laid down for the purpose.
Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar
2023:
i. It is an annual award established in 2010 for the most outstanding
book by an Indian author, first published in any of the languages recognized by
the Akademi during the five years prior to the year, immediately preceding the
year of the award, i.e. books published between 2017 and 2021 are considered.
ii. The Akademi announced 22 winners in the category and the award will
be given for 1 Stories, 7 Short stories, 7 Novels, 1 Poetry and Stories, 1
Play, 1 Memoir and 4 Poetry.
Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2023:
i. It is an annual award established in 2011 to recognise young writers
of the age 35 years and below in Indian languages.
ii. The Akademi announced 20 winners in the category and the award will
be given for 9 Short Stories, 7 Poetry, 1 Plays, 1 Criticism, 1 Historical, 1
Novel.
About Ministry of Culture:
Union Minister- Gangapuram Kishan Reddy (Constituency:
Secunderabad, Telangana)
Minister of State (MoS)- Arjun Ram Meghwal (Constituency: Bikaner,
Rajasthan )Meenakashi Lekhi (Constituency: New Delhi, NCT of Delhi)
11) India’s Harish Bhat ranked 10th on Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs List 2023; Walmart’s William White Tops
According to The Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs(Chief
Marketing Officers). List: 2023, Harish Bhat, Brand Custodian of the Tata Group, was ranked among
the top 10 most influential CMOs for the 2nd consecutive year.
·
In the 2023 list,
Harish Bhat is ranked 10th and previously in 2022, he was ranked
9th.
·
The 2023 list, the 11th
edition of Forbes’ top 50 CMO list, is topped by William White, CMO
of Walmart(United States of America-USA) followed by Marcel Marcondes,
global CMO of Anheuser-Busch InBev (Belgium) at 2nd spot and Conny Braams,
Chief Digital and Commercial Officer of Unilever (England).
Note: The list was announced at a
special luncheon event held at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, France.
About Harish Bhat:
Bhat has been a part of the Tata Group since 1987. He is also chairman of Tata
Coffee Ltd and Director on the Boards of Tata Companies, like Titan Company
Ltd., Trent Ltd., Tata Starbucks Pvt. Ltd., Infiniti Retail Ltd., Tata Unistore
Ltd., and Tata AIA Life Insurance Company.
Highlights:
i.Sumit Virmani, CMO of Infosys(India) was ranked 41 on the 2023 list.
He joined Infosys in 2004 and took charge as the Executive Vice President (EVP)
and Global CMO in 2019.
ii.Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, L’Oreal (France),
was ranked 21st on the 2023 list. Asmita Dubey is an Indian national with
a background in economics and statistics.
Key Points:
i.The list recognizes 50 chief-marketers whose influence on their
brands, businesses, culture, people, and the global marketing community, stand
apart.
ii.Of this year’s 50 honorees, 28 make the list for the first time.
Assessment:
With primary research partner, Sprinklr, and with key supplemental data
and analysis provided by LinkedIn, Forbes analyzed over 11 billion individual
data points to get to the 50 CMOs.
·
2,892 brands or companies that
appeared in one or more of seven distinct and authoritative data sources
(including The Forbes Global 2000 and Brand Finance 500) were assessed on 22
indicators and proxies for CMO influence.
Forbes list of most
influential CMOs 2023: Top 5
|
Rank |
Name |
Brand |
|
1 |
William White |
Walmart |
|
2 |
Marcel Marcondes |
Anheuser-Busch/InBev |
|
3 |
Conny Braams |
Unilever |
|
4 |
Greg Joswiak |
Apple |
|
5 |
Dirk-Jan van Hameren |
Nike |
|
10 |
Harish Bhat |
TATA |
|
21 |
Asmita Dubey |
L’Oreal |
|
41 |
Sumit Virmani |
Infosys |
The Forbes CMO Hall of Fame: Class of 2023
In 2023, Morgan Flatley, EVP (Executive Vice President), Global Chief
Marketing Officer, and Head of New Business Ventures at McDonald’s, inducted
into the Forbes CMO Hall of Fame 2023 Class. Morgan Flatley is the only
inductee of 2023.
·
The Forbes CMO Hall of Fame
was initiated in 2022 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Forbes World’s Most
Influential CMOs list.
· It recognizes those chief marketers who have appeared, or would have, on the list at least five times since its inception.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
12) IIT Kanpur successfully conducts Test Flight for Cloud Seeding/Artificial Rain
On 21st June 2023, The Indian
Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K), Uttar Pradesh (UP) successfully
conducted a test flight/experiment for their cloud seeding project. It was a
test of artificial rain through cloud seeding. The experiment was conducted
with due approval from DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation).
·
Cloud seeding is the process
of enhancing the chance of precipitation by using different chemical agents
like silver iodide, dry ice, salt, and other elements.
Note: Initiated in 2017, IIT-K Cloud Seeding Project is
led by Professor Manindra Agarwal of the Department of Computer
Science and Engineering.
About Experiment:
i.In the experiment, a Cessna aircraft of IIT-K was flown from the
airstrip of the Flight Laboratory of IIT Kanpur with cloud-seeding attachments
and came back to the Flight Lab airstrip, after successfully completing the
test ride.
ii.The test flight went up to an approximate height of 5000 feet.
iii.The test flight spread the agents using a flare as is standard
practice.
Note: Prof. Manindra Agrawal stated that they did not fire the flares
into the clouds, and the experiment was a trial for the equipment only.
·
The cloud seeding attachments
used in the experiment were procured from a manufacturer in the United States
of America (USA), and the necessary modifications to the aircraft were approved
by both the US-based Cessna and the DGCA. Following the completion of the procedure,
the test flight safely returned to the IIT-K Flight Lab airstrip.
Key Points:
i.This achievement opens up possibilities for creating rainfall in
drought-prone regions of UP mainly Bundelkhand, and benefit agricultural
communities facing water scarcity.
ii.The cost of cloud seeding is roughly Rs 2 to Rs 5 lakh for an hour of
the exercise.
13) SpaceX launches 47 Starlink satellites, lands rocket at sea
On 22nd June 2023, SpaceX
(Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) launched 47 Starlink internet
satellites by Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base,
California, United States of America(USA).
·
The Falcon 9’s first stage
returned to Earth, landed on the SpaceX droneship ‘Of Course I Still
Love You’, stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
As of now SpaceX has launched
more than 4,600 Starlink satellites, most of them are currently
operational.
Note: Starlink satellites are equipped with optical space lasers to
create a global broadband internet network that provides high speed connectivity
even to the remote corners of the Earth.
SPORTS
14) Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur launched IOA ‘Bharat in Paris’ campaign
On 23rd June 2023, Union
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur flagged off Indian
Olympic Association’s (IOA) “Bharat in Paris” campaign with a short
marathon of 7 km at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, Delhi.
About Bharat in Paris Campaign:
i.The “Bharat in Paris campaign” aims to create awareness and promote
sports across India ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics games.
ii.The campaign aims to combine sports and sustainability exhibiting
India’s inclusivity towards today’s youth, spirit of sportsmanship and
sustainability for an eco-friendly environment.
iii.The campaign also highlights the commitment of the government of
India and IOA towards Digital India and Sustainable Garments.
iv.As a part of the campaign, the participants’ jerseys are made from a
blend of hemp, bamboo and beechwood.
v.Every participant was presented with a digital certificate, adapted by
the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for the Khelo India Games.
Initiatives of India for Paris Olympic 2024:
i.The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS) launched the Target
Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in September 2014, with an aim to support
India’s top athletes for all their expenses of boarding, lodging and
training in India and abroad.
ii.TOPS was revamped in April 2018 to establish a technical support team
for managing the TOPS athletes and providing holistic support.
·
As of June 2023, this scheme
supports 105 TOPS Core Group Athletes across 13 sporting disciplines. It
includes both men’sHockey and women’s Hockey teams and 269 TOPS Development
Group athletes across 12 sports disciplines.
·
The Athletes including Mirabai
Chanu, PV Sindhu and Neeraj Chopra benefited from this scheme.
Paris Olympic 2024:
Paris Olympics 2024 is scheduled to be held from 26 July 2024 to 11 August 2024
in Paris, France.
Paris 2024 Mascot: Olympic Phryge – based on the traditional
small Phrygian hats that the mascots are shaped after.
·
The name and design were
chosen to represent symbolic figures of the French Republic as well as emblems
of liberty.
Official Slogan: Games Wide Open(French: Ouvrons Grand les Jeux).
STATE NEWS
15) ONDC & Kerala Govt signed MoU for better market access to PSU products
On 23rd June 2023, the Open
Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with the Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of
Kerala,
to increase access and business opportunities in various sectors in Kerala by
facilitating digital transformation.
·
This collaboration holds huge
potential for improving the growth and visibility of public sector units (PSUs)
offerings and facilitating increased accessibility for consumers across Kerala.
·
Nine PSUs have already signed
an agreement with ONDC and currently around 200 products of PSU’s are available
on ONDC platform.
Key People:
Suman Billa, Principal Secretary, (Industries & Norka), Government of
Kerala and Thampy Koshy, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ONDC exchanged the
MoU.
Antony Raju, Minister of Transport, Kerala; P. Rajeeve, Minister of Law,
Industries & Coir, Kerala; Dr. VP Joy, Chief Secretary, Government of
Kerala were some of the key people involved.
Highlights:
i. In the next phase of the collaboration, the products of Micro, Small
& Medium Enterprises (MEMEs) will be made available on ONDC platform.
ii. Workshops will be conducted in all taluks to create awareness onthe
possibilities offered by ONDC.
iii. The agreement with ONDC will bring momentum for PSUs MSMEs and the
industries to market their products widely and assist Kerala industries go
globally under the tag of ‘Kerala Brand’.
Note: The transport department will also be engaged in a pact with the
ONDC.
Shiprocket seller app integrates with ONDC onboarding
Shiprocket, India’s 106th unicorn and an e-commerce enablement platform
has announced the integration of the “Shiprocket seller” app with Open
Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to facilitate the onboarding of
sellers on the ONDC network.
·
With the help of Shiprocket’s
seller app, the Shopify-powered stores of merchants will be discoverable on the
network.
·
This integration aligns with
Shiprocket’s mission to standardise e-commerce for merchants in BHARAT (India).
Note: Shiprocket plans to enable five categories on ONDC including beauty and personal care, fashion, electronics and appliances, health and wellness and home and kitchen.
16) Paytm Signs MoU With Arunachal Pradesh to Develop Startup Environment
On 22nd June 2023, Paytm
Payment Services Limited (PPSL) signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with Arunachal Pradesh Innovation and Investment Park (APIIP) to develop
a startup environment for the youth in Arunachal Pradesh.
·
To support the business of
young people, Paytm Incubation Centre will offer free credits through the Paytm
Startup toolkit and its product at a subsidised rate to early-stage
firms.
The MoU was signed in the
presence of its CEO Tabe Haidar, at the APIIP, the first
state-owned marquee incubator.
NOTE: On 18th May 2023, Paytm partnered with the State Bank of India (SBI)
Card to launch Paytm SBI Card on the RuPay network.
17) The IT department in Himachal Pradesh has been renamed as the Digital Technology Department.
The Himachal Pradesh(HP)
government has renamed its Department of Information Technology(IT) as
the Department of Digital Technologies and Governance and the approval to this
effect was given by the state cabinet of HP. Himachal Pradesh has
become the first state in India to have this nomenclature to transform the
state into a digitally advanced state.
·
This renaming aims to reflect
the expanded focus of the department and its role in driving digital
transformation and effective governance.
·
It ensures accessibility and
affordability of digital services for all citizens.
· The department will implement policies for four areas such as Artificial Intelligence(AI), drones, cloud computing, and big data analytics.
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