• The Congress secured 43.90 per cent vote share as it wrested Himachal Pradesh from the BJP, winning 40 seats in the 68-member Assembly in the hill state which maintained its tradition of voting incumbent government out of power since 1985.
• Despite getting 43 per cent vote share, the BJP could only manage to win 25 seats, with many segments witnessing lower victory margins.
• Three Independents also emerged victorious in the assembly polls, results for which were declared on Thursday.
• The vote share was up for the Congress as against previous assembly elections.
• The BJP and the Congress contested on all 68 constituencies, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielded its candidates on 67 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on 53 and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on 11 seats.
• The AAP failed to open its account and the CPI-M also did not win any seat while its sitting MLA from Theog also lost.
• The AAP received 1.10 per cent votes, the CPI-M 0.66 per cent, the BSP 0.35 per cent, and Independents and others got 10.39 per cent, while 0.59 per cent went to NOTA.

• Biodiversity parks are unique landscapes which consist of the form of diverse communities and provide ecological, cultural & educational benefits to the urban society.
• About 420 acres of Biodiversity Park will be developed in three villages — Damdama, Khedla and Abhaypur — of Gurugram. The project was formally started by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
• Damdama Lake will be restored to about 80 acres.
• Apart from the development of a Biodiversity Park and Lake, it is also proposed to make a jungle safari in about 10,000 acres in the Aravalli hills in Gurugram and Nuh districts.
• This will also promote tourism and employment opportunities will be available to the people.
• The Biodiversity Park will be developed in four phases. In the first phase, along with studying the plants and soil of the area, the construction of a nursery and cleaning of the lake will be done.
• In the second phase, watershed management and tree plantation will be started, in the third phase the lake will be developed and in the fourth phase, the plantation will be done.
• The renovation of Damdama Lake would be completed in four years and the work of developing Biodiversity Park would be completed in 10 years.

• Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 19th Asian Art Biennale in Dhaka. The month-long art show being held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) premises in Dhaka will showcase 712 pieces of artwork created by 493 artists from 114 countries including 149 Bangladeshi artists.
• The art event will exhibit a variety of art forms including paintings, prints, photographs, installation, performance art, sculpture and new media art created by the participating artists from across the globe.
• A two-day seminar is also being held as part of the Biennale on the theme of ‘Home and Displacement’. A number of art critics, jury and observers from Bangladesh and abroad will take part in the deliberations of the seminar.
• In addition to the exhibition at the BSA, paintings from 42 master artists of Bangladesh will also be exhibited as part of the event.
• The Biennale is dedicated to the memory of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who conceptualised BSA which has been holding the event for several years.

• Indian Navy ships Kochi, Kavaratti and Sumedha arrived in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh to participate in the maiden International Fleet Review (IFR) being conducted by the Bangladesh Navy (BN).
• The ships are taking part in a variety of activities being conducted as a part of BN IFR-22 from 06 to 09 December 2022.
• IFR-22 is being conducted by BN this year, to commemorate the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh.
• The Chief Guest for the Fleet Review scheduled was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Mrs Sheikh Hasina.
• The visiting Indian Navy ships Kochi, Kavaratti and Sumedha are the latest indigenously designed and developed guided missile stealth Destroyer, anti submarine Corvette and Off-shore Patrol Vessel respectively. INS Kochi is a part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet based at Mumbai, whilst INS Kavaratti and INS Sumedha form part of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam.
• All three ships are equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors, carry multi-role helicopters and symbolise India’s warship building capabilities, keeping in line with the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’

• Ircon International Limited has bagged an order in Sri Lanka worth 14.89 million dollars on competitive bidding basis.
• The Miniratna Public sector enterprise was awarded the work for procurement of Design, Installation, Testing, Commissioning and Certifying of Signalling and Telecommunication system by Sri Lanka Railways.
• The project will be carried out under Indian Line of Credit equivalent to approximately122 Crore Rupees or 14.89 million dollars.
• The contract period will be of 24 months from the date of signing of the Agreement.
• IRCON had previously completed 2 other major railway development projects in the island nation.

About Indian Railway Construction Limited (IRCON):

• It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Indian Railways , Ministry of Railways , Government of India. It is an engineering & construction corporation, specialized in transport infrastructure.
• The subsidiary was established in 1976, by the Indian Railways under the Indian Companies Act 1956. IRCON was registered as the Indian Railway Construction International Limited, a wholly owned entity of the Indian Railways.
• Its primary charter was the construction of railway projects in India and abroad. Ircon has since diversified into other transport and infrastructure segments and with its expanded scope of operations around the world, the name was changed to Indian Railway International Ltd. in October 1995.
• The Ircon is well known for undertaking challenging infrastructure projects, especially in difficult terrains in India and abroad. Ircon has completed over 1650 major infrastructure projects in India and over 900 major projects across the globe in more than 31 countries.

What are Miniratnas?

• Miniratna CPSEs are those which have made profits in the last continuous three years and have positive net worth, which can be considered to be eligible criteria for granting Miniratna status.
• At present, there are 74 Miniratnas in total. The Miniratnas are divided into two categories – I and II.

Types of Miniratnas

• The Miniratnas can be divided into two categories I and II.
• Category – I: It includes the PSUs that have made profits in the previous three years or have generated a profit of Rs 30 crore or more in one of the preceding three years.
• Category – II: It includes the PSUs that have made profits in the preceding three years and have a positive net worth in all three preceding years.

Significance of Granting a Company Miniratna Status

• For a miniratna belonging to category I a financial autonomy of up to Rs. 500 crore or equal to their net worth, whichever is lower is granted.
• A category II miniratna financial autonomy of up to Rs. 300 crore or up to 50% of their net worth, whichever is lower is granted.

Govt cancelled over 6600 FCRA License of various NGOs across country.PIC

• The Government has cancelled over six thousand six hundred Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) License of various NGOs across the country during the 2017 to 2021. The highest FCRA licenses were cancelled in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra as over seven hundred. While, over six hundred licences had been cancelled in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and west Bengal. The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust are also included in the list.
• In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed this yesterday.
• The government said, These NGOs were violating the various provisions of the FCRA Act. It said, the NGOs whose FCRA registration has been cancelled under the FCRA, will not be eligible for registration or grant of prior permission for a period of three years from the date of cancellation of registration.

 What is the FCRA?

• The “Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act” (FCRA) regulates foreign donations and ensures that such contributions do not adversely affect internal security.
• First enacted in 1976, it was amended in 2010in which a slew of new measures was adopted to regulate foreign donations.
• The FCRA act is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Under the new rules notified by MHA in 2015, NGOs are required to give an undertaking that the acceptance of foreign funds is not likely to prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of Indiaor impact friendly relations with any foreign state and does not disrupt communal harmony.

Applicability:

• The FCRA is applicable to all associations, groups and NGOs which intend to receive foreign donations. It is mandatory for all such NGOs to register themselves under the FCRA.

Provisions of the Act:

• The FCRA requires every person or NGO wishing to receive foreign donations to be registered under the Act.
• To open a bank account for the receipt of foreign funds in State Bank of India, Delhi is mandatory.
• These funds can be utilised only for the purpose for which they have been received, and as stipulated in the Act.
• The receivers of foreign funds are also required to file annual returns, and they must not transfer the funds to another NGO.

More than 8,40,000 jobs created by Startups in country.

• More than eight lakh 40 thousand jobs have been created by the Startups in the country. These jobs have been generated by 84 thousand government recognized start-ups. This was stated by Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
• He said, these start-ups are spread in 640 districts with 45 percent of them being from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. He said, more than 100 Indian start-ups have achieved the status of Unicorn.
• The Minister added that the government has taken a comprehensive approach under the Startups initiative which has helped the country to become the third largest start-ups ecosystem in the world.

Startups in India

• Startup India Initiative: Since the launch of the initiative in January 2016, more than 69,000 startups have been recognized in the country till May2022.
• Sectors: They were launched across 56 diverse sectors, including:
  • 13% from IT services,
  • 9% from health and life sciences,
  • 7% from education,
  • 5% from professional and commercial services,
  • 5% from agriculture, and
  • 5% food and beverage.
• Government Data:As per data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the number of people employed in start-ups covered under the Start-up India initiative stood at about 1.74 lakh in 2021.

Initiatives for Promoting Startups

• Atmanirbhar Bharat: Digital India Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge.
• Make in India: Promotion to indigenously made goods and services under the initiative.
• Start-Up India Programme: A flagship initiative, intended to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and start-ups in the country to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.
• Start-up India Digital Platform: It is the world’s largest virtual incubator with over 300,000 registered start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Start-up Grand Challenge: It channelizes the entrepreneurial capacity between Indian and Korean start-ups to work together and build solutions for the challenges facing the world.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM): Launched by NITI Aayog as a flagship programme, it aims to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
• Some initiatives of AIM are AIM iCREST and Mentors of Change.
• Project Chunauti: It is a start-up challenge under the Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS) initiative. Selected startups are provided human resources, legal, intellectual property rights (IPR) and Patent matters guidance as well as other incubation and mentorship facilities.
• National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI): It is an umbrella programme for nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful startups.
• Other Reforms: Reforms such as opening up sectors like space-tech for private participation, tax holidays for startups fulfilling certain eligibility criteria such as annual turnover and year of incorporation to tide over working capital requirements, and creation of state-run incubators, among many, are lowering the odds of establishing successful startups and helping them grow.

Registration of women-owned MSMEs increased more than 86 % during last financial year.

• The registration of women-owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has increased more than 86 per cent during the last financial year.
• The number of registration was four lakh 89 thousand 470 by the end of financial year in 2021 which increased to nine lakh 10 thousand 973 in the financial year 2022.
• This was stated by the Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. He said the government has taken a series of measures to support the MSMEs in the country.
• He said, Udyam Registration Portal was launched for MSMEs for promoting ease of doing business.
• He said, steps have been taken to provide five lakh crore rupees collateral free automatic loans under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme for businesses including MSMEs.

What are MSMEs?

• The Government of India enacted the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006in terms of which the definition of micro, small and medium enterprises is as under
  • Enterprises engaged in the manufacture or production, processing or preservation of goods as specified below:
    • A micro-enterprise, where the investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment does not exceed one crore rupees and turnover does not exceed five crore rupees.
    • A small enterprise, where the investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment does not exceed ten crore rupees and turnover does not exceed fifty crore rupees.
    • A medium enterprise, where the investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment does not exceed fifty crore rupees and turnover does not exceed two hundred and fifty crore rupees.

Significance of MSME Sector

• Employment Generation: MSMEs are the second largest employer after the agriculture sector, giving employment to about 11 crore people with low capital and technology requirements.
• Boost to GDP and Exports: They account for almost 30% of the country’s GDP and half of the country’s exports come from products and services within this sector.
• The Ministry of MSME has set a target to increase its contribution to GDP to 50% by 2025 as India becomes a USD 5 trillion economy.
• Promotion of Industries and Innovation: They help in the promotion of industrial development in rural areas, capacity building, local resource mobilization and also an opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to build creative products.
• Inclusive Society: They create an inclusive and sustainable society through the creation of non-farm livelihood. They promote balanced regional development, gender equity and create opportunities for people to use banking services and products.
• Considering the above points, they are called ‘Growth Engine of the Nation’.

More than Rs 34 thousand crore released for 100 smart citiess

• The government has released more than 34 thousand crore rupees for 100 smart cities, out of which 30 thousand 400 crore rupees have been utilized. This was stated by the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. The Minister said, the government has launched Smart Cities Mission in 2015 and 100 smart cities have been selected.

About the Mission Smart City Mission (SCM)

• Smart Cities Mission was launched by the Hon’ Prime Minister on 25 June, 2015.
• The main objective of the Mission is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environment and give a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.
• The Mission aims to drive economic growth and improve quality of life through comprehensive work on social, economic, physical and institutional pillars of the city.
• The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development by creation of replicable models which act as lighthouses to other aspiring cities.
• 100 cities have been selected to be developed as Smart Cities through a two-stage competition.
• Among its strategic components is ‘area-based development’, which includes city improvement (retrofitting), city renewal (redevelopment) and city extension (greenfield development), plus a pan-city initiative in which ‘smart solutions’ are applied covering larger parts of the city.
• Key focus areas of the scheme include construction of walkways, pedestrian crossings, cycling tracks, efficient waste-management systems, integrated traffic management and assessment.
• The scheme also assesses various indices to track urban development such as the Ease of Living Index, Municipal Performance Index, City GDP framework, Climate Smart Cities assessment framework, etc.
• Some main characteristics of smart cities are:–
• Artificial Intelligence

• • Introduction to ICTs
  • IT connectivity
  • Digitalization

• e-Governance

• • e- Panchayat
  • e- Chaupal

• Good Infrastructure

• • Good water supply
  • Electricity for all
  • Proper Sanitation
  • Solid waste management system
  • Urban Mobility

• Adequate public transportation

• • Affordable living conditions like Housing
  • Sustainable environment

• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has approved a proposal submitted by Parvati division, HP Forest Department, for the creation of a ‘Nagar Van’ (urban forest) in Shamshi area of Kullu. It will eventually be extended up to Mohal Nature Park along the Beas next year.
• Giving details, IFS Aishwarya Raj, Deputy Conservator Forest (DCF), Parvati division, Kullu, said this area in Shamshi was also home to office complexes, housing colonies and riverside areas. “Unfortunately, a few parts of this area are being used for dumping waste by nearby localities for a long time. The brunt of this is being borne by the Beas, its banks and local inhabitants,” he added.
• Biotic stress and the frequenting of anti-social elements were also a cause for concern, he added.
• The DCF said a small part of the total area had already been converted into a ‘Sangam Swarnim Vatika’ in March 2021, which was welcomed by locals and tourists alike. “The space wherein only anti-social elements were found loitering in late evenings earlier, the vatika is now frequented by regular walkers, elderly people and youngsters in a safe, green and conducive environment,” he added.
• Raj said expanding this concept further and merging it with the Nagar Van Yojana would be a classic example of dovetailing of the government schemes in the field of environment conservation.
• He added that focus would be on upcycling techniques and using local material for landscaping and signage purposes. “Nature awareness boards and messages will form an important part of bringing environmental consciousness closer to people.”
• The DCF further said preparation had already begun, as linear and regional models of planting and recreational avenues, including eco-restoration, would be created.
• “Thematic forests such as ‘arogya van’ (highlighting ethnobotanical richness of Kullu flora), Miyawaki plantation zones, birding trails, oriental zone and butterfly breeding zone, etc, would be developed.
• Planting species will highlight the local floral diversity. A riverside walking trail starting from the Shamshi complex till the SSB will be developed along the Beas with Victorian lighting and seating facilities.”
• He said the idea was to blend an entire living area into the concept of city forest rather than only working on a vacant patch of land.