1. Privatisation in Railways :
Ministry of Railways has invited private participation for operation of passenger train services.
• Over 109 Origin Destination (OD) pairs of routes using 151 modern trains on existing rail infrastructure.
• A Committee recommended for privatisation into both freight and passenger train – Bibek Debroy Committee in 2015.
• Tejas were first trains allowed to be run by a ‘private’ operator.
2. Funding of MSME Sector :
World Bank and Government of India recently signed a $750 million Agreement for Emergency Response Programme for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• MSME in India classified on the basis of investment in Plant & Machinery/equipment and Annual turnover –
+ For Micro : Investment not more than Rs. 1 Crore and Turnover less than Rs. 5 Crore.
+ For Small : Investment not more than Rs. 10 Crore and Annual Turnover less than Rs. 50 Crore.
+ For Medium : Investment not more than Rs. 50 Crore and Annual Turnover less than Rs. 250 Crore.
• Presently, employment in India in MSME sector – 124 million people employing.
• MSME accounts for 29% of India’s GDP and 45% of export.
3. Smart City Hackathon :
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2020 on 1st August via video conferencing. He will also be interacting with students on the occasion.
• It provide students with a platform to create innovation and a mindset of problem-solving.
• The first edition of Smart India Hackathon 2017 saw participation of 42000 students which increased to 1 lakh in 2018 and to 2 lakh in 2019.
• The first round of Smart India Hackathon 2020 saw participation of more than 4.5 lakh students.
• More than 10,000 students will be competing to solve 243 problem statements from 37 central government departments, 17 state governments and 20 industries.
4. Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project :
• Prime Minister Modi dedicated this project to the Nation via Video Conference.
• It is Asia’s largest power project.
• This project will supply pure and clean energy to Delhi Metro, along with the entire region surrounding Rewa (Madhya Pradesh).
• This would be benefited to the poor, the middle class, the tribals and the farmers of the Madhya Pradesh.
• PM said – “Solar power is sure, pure and secure”.
• It will produce 760 MW.
• Rewa Solar project will reduce carbon emission equivalent approx. 15 lakh ton Carbon Dioxide per year.
5. What is “Vaartavali” ?
• It is a Sanskrit Magazine.
• Prime Minister Modi congratulated on completion of its five years on continuous broadcast on DD News.
6. “My Life – My Yoga” :
• It is a video blogging international yoga contest.
• By the joint effort of Ministry of AYUSH and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
• On the occasion of the 6th International Day of Yoga (21st June 2020).
• Winner Categories :
1. Professional :
+ Male – Ashwath Hegde
+ Female – Rajni Gehlot
2. Adult (above 18 years old) :
+ Male – Rajpal Singh Arya
+Female – Shailee Prasad
3. Youth (under 18) :
+ Male – Pranay Sharma
+ Female – Navyaa S.H.
7. PM-SAVNidhi Portal :
• Launched by – Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Developed by SIDBI.
• Provide loan to Street Vendors, who can apply directly or with the help of Common Service Centers / Urban Local Bodies / Self Help Group.
8. Agricultural Infrastructure Fund :
• Central Sector Scheme
• To provide a medium-long term loan for investment in projects for post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support.
• For Financial Year 2020 to 2029.
• Financial assist to Market Cooperative Society, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS), Self Help Group (SHG), farmers, Joint Liability Group (JLG).
• Loans will have interest rate of 3% per annum up to a limit of Rs. 2 Crore.
9. Two New Species of Butterfly in Arunachal Pradesh :
1. Striped Hairstreak – found in Vijayanagar village of Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. It also found in China and North America (at Rocky mountain).
2. Elusive Prince – found in Miao on the periphery of the Namdapha National Park.
10. Covaxin :
• Vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 virus.
• Developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology.
References
Yojana
PIB
E-book