World Bank Approves $500 mn Program to Help Boost MSME Sector of India

Board of Executive Directors of has accredited a USD five hundred million programs to support Indias nationwide initiative to revitalise the MSME sector, which has been heavily impacted by way of the COVID-19 crisis.

The MSME area is the spine of Indias economy, contributing 30% of Indias GDP and 4% of exports. The USD 500 million Raising and Accelerating Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Performance (RAMP) Program is the World Banks 2d intervention in this sector, the first being the USD 750 million MSME Emergency Response Program, authorised in July 2020 to tackle the instantaneous liquidity and deposit desires of hundreds of thousands of manageable MSMEs severely impacted by using the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The nation marked the 37th anniversary of Operation Blue Star.

About Operation Blue Star:

It is the code name for an Indian military operation to remove the separatists who were hiding inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on June 5, 1984.

The operation was ordered by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, with the primary goal of regaining control of the Harmandir Sahib Complex in Amritsar (popularly known as the Golden Temple).

The Indian military entered the temple grounds to evict Sikh extremist religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers.

The operation was divided into two parts: Operation Metal, which involved an invasion of the temple complex, and Operation Shop, which was limited to the state’s countryside.

This operation aided in the elimination of Khalistani terrorism.

Internet through LEO Satellites

OneWeb, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications operator, has launched its next batch of 36 Russian satellites. With the latest launch, OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation now stands at 218 satellites. These would be added to OneWeb’s fleet of 648 LEO satellites.

Using LEO satellites, OneWeb hopes to provide connectivity throughout the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, the Arctic Seas, and Canada.
The service is expected to go live before the end of the year, according to the company.
This programme is known as the ‘Five to 50’ service, and it provides Internet connectivity to all regions north of 50 degrees latitude.

World Ocean Day is on 8th June

World Ocean Day is found globally on eighth June each and every year. This day is discovered to raise world attention about the importance of the ocean in our lives and the ways thru which we can shield it.

Theme 2021: The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods as properly as an announcement of intentions that launches a decade of challenges to get the SG14 ( Goal 14), Conserve and sustainably use the Oceans, seas and Resources“>Marine Resources, via 2030.

This years theme is specifically applicable in the lead-up to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for the Sustainable Development, that will run from the year 2021 to the year 2030.

NTCA Constitutes New Committee to Oversee Cheetah Project

(NTCA) has established an 11-member Cheetah Project Steering Committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate-change”>Climate Change, and Rajesh Gopal, secretary general of Global Tiger Forum, has been appointed as its chairman. The decision was taken after six cheetahs, who were brought as part of the translocation project, died in the last two months. The other 10 members include RN Mehrotra, former principal chief conservator of forest of Rajasthan; PR Sinha, former director of the Wildlife Institute of India; HS Negi, former APCCF, Wildlife; and PK Malik, former faculty at WII.

GS Rawat, former dean of the WII; Mittal Patel, an Ahmedabad-based social worker; Qamar Qureshi, WII scientist and Inspector General of NTCA; and the MPs Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, and Chief Wildlife Warden are the other members.

Mission Amrit Sarovar: Rejuvenating Water Bodies Nationwide for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

A high-level meeting was held to review theprogress, monitor, and ensurethe quality ofMission Amrit Sarovar, chaired by Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, the Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development. The meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, and Secretary of Rural Development from all States/Union Territories (UTs), the State Nodal officer for the Mission Amrit Sarovar, DM/DC/CEOs of over 700 districts, and District Nodal officers of the Mission.

As part of the celebration ofAzadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Amrit Sarovar Mission was launched on24th April 2022with the objective ofdeveloping and rejuvenating 75 water bodiesin each district across the country. The mission aims to create atotal of 50,000 water bodies, each spanning an area of about an acre or more, contributing to the preservation and enhancement of Resources“>Water Resources.

Goa Signed MoU with Uttarakhand for Strengthening Tourism Cooperation

The Government of Goa and the Government of Uttarakhand have come together and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the tourism landscape of both Goa and Uttarakhand. The MoU signing ceremony was held in the presence of Rohan Khaunte, the Minister for Tourism, IT, E & C, Printing and Stationary, Government of Goa, and Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

The MoU signed between Goa and Uttarakhand aims to promote bilateral cooperation in the travel and tourism sector and facilitate travel between the states.

It is aimed to increase the number of tourists visiting Goa and Uttarakhand respectively.

The initial batch of 10 start-up companies participating in the50 start-ups exchange programbetweenIndia and Bangladeshhave returned to Dhaka after a successful visit to India from May 8-12. These start-ups operate in various sectors, including e-commerce, health, transport and logistics, energy, education, and skill development.

The exchange program facilitates visits between 50 start-ups from Bangladesh and 50 start-ups from India, aiming to foster partnerships, expand business relations, share experiences and knowledge, and promote collaboration among young entrepreneurs. The framework of this program was established during recent bilateral summits between the Prime Ministers of both countries.

INS Vikrant gets back its original 1961 bell

The bell was given by Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, who recently retired as the Vice Chief of Navy Staff, to the commanding officer of INS Vikrant on March 22.

The INS Vikrant is expected to exhibit the original bell at the carrier to motivate current and future officers and sailors about the warships significant HISTORY. In 1961, the bell was installed on the first INS Vikrant carrier after India acquired a British aircraft carrier, HMS Hercules, and renamed it. The original bell was then transferred from the decommissioned carrier, INS Vikrant, to the designated residence of INDIAN NAVY Vice Chief located at Motilal Nehru Marg.

Project Tiger: Indias tiger population was 3,167 in 2022

According to the latest tiger census data released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the tiger Population in India has reached 3,167 in 2022, which is a significant increase compared to the previous census figures of 1,411 in 2006, 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014, and 2,967 in 2018. During the inauguration of the commemoration of 50 years of , the Prime Minister also launched the International Big Cat Alliance that aims to protect and conserve seven major big cats worldwide, including tigers and lions. The Prime Minister emphasized that wildlife protection was a universal issue and that the IBCA was Indias contribution to protecting and conserving big cats. Additionally, he released a booklet named Amrit Kaal Ka Tiger Vision, which outlines the vision for tiger conservation in the next 25 years

Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in India on April 1, 1973, to protect and increase the tiger population in the country. Initially, the project covered nine Tiger Reserves spread over 18,278 sq km. currently, there are 53 tiger reserves spanning more than 75,000 sq km, which is approximately 2.4% of Indias geographical area.

India become worlds second-largest solar manufacturer by 2026

India has been making significant strides toward in recent years, with a focus on Solar Energy. The country has set ambitious targets to increase its solar energy capacity and has been taking various steps to achieve them. In line with this, India is expected to become the worlds second-largest solar manufacturer by 2026

According to a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India is poised to become the second-largest solar manufacturing country in the world by 2026, overtaking Japan and trailing only China. The report states that Indias solar manufacturing capacity is expected to increase from 10 GW in 2020 to 50 GW by 2030. This increase in capacity is expected to create around 3 lakh (300,000) direct jobs and 9 lakh (900,000) indirect jobs

Indias solar manufacturing Industry has received a boost due to the governments focus on renewable energy and initiatives like the National Solar Mission. The government has also introduced various policies and schemes to promote domestic solar manufacturing, such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Under this scheme, the government has earmarked a budget of Rs 4,500 crore ($600 million) for the solar PV segment, which is expected to create manufacturing capacity of 10 GW

Indias solar manufacturing industry has also received a boost due to the global demand for renewable energy. As countries around the world are looking to shift towards clean energy, the demand for solar panels and other solar equipment is expected to increase. This presents an opportunity for Indian manufacturers to tap into the global market