Why in news?

• RailTel has bagged the ICAI award for excellence in financial reporting for the year 2020-21 in Public Sector Entities Category. The company was adjudged as the winner in the category “plaque”.
• Financial Reporting includes the preparation and presentation of financial information. Effective Financial Reporting plays a significant role in accelerating the economic growth of a country as the information provided through annual reports enables the management and other relevant stakeholders in taking various effective business, investment, regulatory decisions.
• The award was given by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI),the premier accounting body which has been holding the annual competition for these awards since 1958.
• This award has been instituted with a view to promote better standards in the preparation and presentation of information in the financial statements.

Why in news?

• World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region (SEAR) has launched a ‘Quit Tobacco App’.
• This application helps people to give up the use of tobacco in all forms, including smokeless and other newer products.
• The App was launched by Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO-SEAR, during WHO’s year-long ‘Commit to quit’ campaign, which is the latest tobacco control initiative by the WHO South-East Asia Region.
• The app, the first such by WHO, and the first that targets all forms of tobacco, helps users to identify the triggers, set their targets, manage cravings, and stay focused to quit tobacco.
• Tobacco is the world’s leading cause of preventable death and kills nearly 8 million persons every year. It claims 1.6 million lives in the WHO South-East Asia Region which is amongst the largest producers and consumers of tobacco products.

Why in news?

• Education Minister of Himachal Pradesh announced  the second state university, SardarVallabh Bhai Patel University, at Mandi will start functioning from April 1.
• Addressing a gathering today on Thakur Ram Singh’s birth anniversary celebrations at Vallabh Government Degree College, Mandi.

Why in news?

• Dabur India has become the first Indian consumer goods company to become completely plastic waste neutral.
• It has done this by collecting, processing and recycling around 27,000 metric tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste during FY21-22.
• Dabur has achieved the landmark of surpassing its plastic packaging usage with recycling. Dabur’s Plastic Waste Management initiative was launched in 2017-18 as part of the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rule.

Why in news?

• Recently, Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned 2.26 Crores rupees for Meda ram Jathara.

About Medaram Jathara

• It is the second-largest fair of India, after the Kumbh Mela.
• It is celebrated by the tribal community of Telangana for four days.
• It is biennially celebrated and organized by the Koyas tribes in collaboration with Telangana government
• It is a festival with no Vedic or Brahmanic influence.
• Jampannavagu river (a tributary to river Godavari) is worshiped as one of the parts of rituals.
• It assists the tribals to preserve their unique tribal traditions, culture and heritage.

Why in news?

• Recently one of the three persons diagnosed with Lassa fever in United Kingdom, died.
• Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever that is primarily transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces from Mastomys rats.
• Lassa fever is zoonotic disease caused by Lassa virus.
• It was first discovered in 1969 in Nigeria.
• It is endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria.
• Symptoms include bleeding, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, facial swelling, pain in the chest, etc.
• It spreads through infected rats, rarely spread via direct contact with a sick person’s body fluids.
• Ribavirin an antiviral drug that is used for its treatment and maintaining hydration, oxygen levels etc.

Why in news?

• Israel becomes the first-ever country to allow drone flights in civilian airspace. The certification was issued to the Hermes Starliner unmanned system by the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority and was manufactured and developed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence electronics company.
• The UAVs will be used for the benefit of agriculture, the environment, public welfare, economic activity and against crime. For safety reasons, international aviation regulations prohibit uncertified aircraft from flying in civilian airspace, limiting the operation of UAVs to unsegregated airspace.

Why in news?

• German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been re-elected for a second term of five years by a special parliamentary assembly. This is also the final term for Steinmeier, which he won with 71% of the vote.
• The special assembly was made up of the members of parliament of the lower house and representatives of Germany’s 16 states. Steinmeier was first elected as the president on February 12, 2017, with 74% of the vote.

Why in news?

• Under the Saubhagya scheme, Rajasthan has the maximum number of households electrified through the solar-based standalone system. In hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir had nil beneficiaries under the initiative. Under the Saubhagya Scheme, 817 crore households were electrified up to March 31 last year, including 4.16 lakh through solar-based standalone systems.
• Under the Saubhagya scheme, as many as1,23,682 households were electrified through the solar-based standalone system in Rajasthan, followed by Chhattisgarh (65,373), Uttar Pradesh (53,234), Assam (50,754), Bihar (39,100), Maharashtra (30,538), Odisha (13,735), Madhya Pradesh (12,651), Power Minister R K Singh told the LokSabha.

About Pradhan MantriSahajBijliHarGharYojana –“Saubhagya”

• SAUBHAGYA is one of the largest household electrification drives in the world. SAUBHAGYA was announced by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 25th September 2017.
• Pradhan MantriSahajBijliHarGharYojana –“Saubhagya” is a scheme to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas.
• The objective of the ‘Saubhagya’ is to provide energy access to all by last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all remaining un-electrified households in rural as well as urban areas to achieve universal household electrification in the country.
• The beneficiaries for free electricity connections would be identified using Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data.
• However, un-electrified households not covered under the SECC data would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on payment of Rs. 500 which shall be recovered by DISCOMs in 10 instalments through electricity bill.
• The solar power packs of 200 to 300 Wp with battery bank for un-electrified households located in remote and inaccessible areas, comprises of Five LED lights, One DC fan, One DC power plug. It also includes the Repair and Maintenance (R&M) for 5 years.
• For easy and accelerated implementation of the Scheme, modern technology shall be used for household survey by using Mobile App.
• Beneficiaries shall be identified and their application for electricity connection along with applicant photograph and identity proof shall be registered on spot. The Gram Panchayat/Public institutions in the rural areas may be authorised to collect application forms along with complete documentation, distribute bills and collect revenue in consultation with the Panchayat Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies.
• The Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) will remain the nodal agency for the operationalisation of the scheme throughout the country.

Why in news?

• Every year, February 15 is observed as International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) to raise awareness about the evil that entails this issue and the ways to deal with the same.
• The day is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.
  • The most common types of childhood cancers include leukemias, brain cancer, lymphomas, solid tumours, such as neuroblastoma, Wilms tumour and bone tumours.
• The day promotes increased appreciation and deeper understanding of issues and challenges relevant to childhood cancer and impacting children/adolescents with cancer, the survivors, their families and the society as a whole. It also spotlights the need for more equitable and better access to treatment and care for all children with cancer, everywhere.
• This annual event was created in 2002 by Childhood Cancer International, a global network of 176 parent organizations, childhood cancer survivor associations, childhood cancer support groups, and cancer societies, in over 93 countries, across 5 continents.