• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced the second edition of Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Under the Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman 2023, 33 Sammans will be given out under 3 categories viz Print, Television and Radio in 22 Indian languages and English.
• Acknowledging the positive role & responsibility of media in disseminating the outreach of Yoga in India and abroad, the Ministry of I&B had instituted the first Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman (AYDMS) in June, 2019. The first edition of the awards was conferred on 7th January, 2020.
• The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015.
• The idea of International Day of Yoga was first proposed by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.

• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched the “Addiction Free Amrit Kaal” campaign to promote a healthier & addiction-free India.
• The campaign is organized by the NCPCR in partnership with Tobacco Free India, a citizens group.
• The campaign aims to protect children’s rights to have a tobacco and drug-free environment through initiatives, and outreach activities.

ABOUT NCPCR:

• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR was established in March 2007 under an Act of Parliament (December 2005) under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.
• The commission’s mandate is to ensure that all laws, policies, programs and administrative systems conform to the vision of the rights of the child as enunciated in the Constitution of India as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• A child is defined as a person falling in the age group of 0 to 18 years.

• The Karnataka government has launched ‘Shakti smart cards’ to Provide free travel to women in state-run buses, starting from June 11.
• The government has already issued a set of guidelines on the ‘Shakti’ scheme, which is one of the major poll promises by the Congress party in Karnataka.
• According to the transport department of Karnataka, women can apply for Shakti smart cards through sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in from June 11.
• Government buses in Karnataka ferry about 40 lakh women daily.
• The number is expected to rise by 10 percent under the free travel scheme, which will cost the government about Rs 4,700 crore per year.

OTHER SCHEMES LAUNCHED BY KARNATAKA

• ‘Gruha Jyoti’ offering 200 free units of electricity to domestic consumers will be launched from Kalaburagi from July 1.
• ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme offering 10 kg scheme offering 10 kg free rice or food grain to the BPL families will be launched from Mysuru.
• ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme (Providing monthly financial assistance of Rs.2,000 to the head woman of a house), the Chief Minister said it will be launched on August 16 from the district headquarter town of Belagavi.
• ‘Yuva Nidhi’ scheme offering unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 to the graduates and Rs 1,500 to the diploma holders, Siddaramaiah said those graduates and diploma holders who passed the exams in 2022-23 will get the allowance for 24 months if they do not get job within six months of passing their exam.

• Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) has introduced a new facility DigiYatra to make travel easier.
• DigiYatra allows passengers to enjoy the benefits without having to download the mobile application.
• The initiative has been launched at Terminal 3 and it simplifies the registration process for the passengers into three steps.
• Passengers can use this facility by scanning the boarding pass and face along with presenting identification proof to the security staff deployed near the registration desk.
• Once registered successfully, passengers will be able to experience seamless travel within the terminal, which includes the security check area and the boarding gates.

ABOUT DIGIYATRA

• DigiYatra is an initiative that uses facial recognition technology to make terminal entry & security clearance at the airport a seamless, hassle-free, and paperless process.
• The platform uses facial recognition technology to verify the identity of flyers.
• It is a decentralised mobile-based ID storage platform where air passengers can save their IDs and travel documents.
• Passengers can use the facility seamlessly, inside the terminal, security check area, and at the boarding gates.
• DigiYatra is a faster, safer, and smoother way of travel.

• The Railway Protection Force (RPF) conducted a successful operation named “Amanat,” resulting in the retrieval of lost or left-behind luggage and valuable articles.
• The operation, carried out in May 2023, saw the RPF recovering belongings belonging to 119 passengers, with an estimated total value of approximately Rs 51.13 lakh.

ABOUT MISSION AMANAT

• It aims to track the lost luggage of the passengers while traveling.
• Through this operation, Indian Railways wants to develop a sense of trust among the passengers and allow them to travel without worrying about the luggage.
• Passenger can easily track their lost luggage through the mission.
• The mission is taken up by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Western Railways.
• The passengers will be able to check the details of their lost luggage from the images and photos which will be posted under the web link of the ‘Mission Amanat-RPF’

ABOUT RAILWAY PROTECTION FORCE (RPF)

• The contingent of RPF is an Armed Force of the Union of India. It is a security force under the ownership of Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways.
• It entrusted with protecting railway passengers, passenger area and railway property of the Indian Railways.
• It was established by the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957.
• This is only central armed police force (CAPF, commonly known as Para-Military force) which has power to arrest, investigate and prosecute criminals.

OTHER OPERATIONS BY RPF

• Operation Upalabdh
• Operation AAHT

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG) framework, allowing fintech to partner with banks and non-Banking financial companies (NBFCs).

ABOUT FLDG FRAMEWORK

• The First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG) framework is also known as Default Loss Guarantee (DLG).
• FLDG is a lending model between fintech firms and their partner banks and non-banking finance companies where the initial hit on a default is taken by the fintech firm that originated the loan.
• Under these agreements, the fintech originates a loan and promises to compensate the partners up to a pre-decided percentage in case customers fail to repay.
• The bank or NBFC partners lend through the fintech but from their books.

RBI GUIDELINES

• The RBI, after examining FLDG, permitted the arrangements between banks and fintechs or between two regulated entities (REs).

• The central bank said an RE can enter into DLG arrangements only with an LSP or other REs with which it has entered into an outsourcing (LSP) arrangement.
• The LSP-providing DLG must be incorporated as a company under the Companies Act, 2013.
• The RBI has allowed banks to accept DLG in digital lending only.
• if the guarantee is in the form of a cash deposit, or fixed deposits in a bank with a lien in favour of the RE, or a bank guarantee in favour of the RE.
• Banks and NBFCs should ensure that the total amount of DLG cover on any outstanding portfolio does not exceed 5% of the amount of that loan portfolio.

• Recently, the United Nations World Food Programme has said it is temporarily suspending food aid to Ethiopia because its supplies are being diverted.

ABOUT WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

• The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.
• It was founded in 1961 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with its headquarters in Rome, Italy.
• It is also a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), a coalition of UN agencies and organizations aimed at fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The international community has committed to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by

OBJECTIVES:

• The World Food Programme (WFP) focuses on emergency assistance as well as rehabilitation and development aid.
• Two-thirds of its work is in conflict-affected countries, where people are three times more likely to be undernourished than elsewhere.
• It works closely with the other two Rome-based UN agencies:
  • The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which helps countries draw up policy and change legislation to support sustainable agriculture
  • The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which finances projects in poor rural areas.
• To end hunger by protecting access to food.
• Improving nutrition and achieving food security.
• Supporting the SDG implementation and partnering for its results.

• The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) and Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has launched the ‘SAGAR SAMRIDDHI’ – online dredging monitoring system.

ABOUT SAGAR SAMRIDDHI

• The online dredging monitoring system shall accelerate the “Waste to Wealth” campaign of the MoPSW bringing in transparency & efficiency.
• The new system is in line with the Prime ministers’ vision of Zero Defect and Zero Effect to minimize human error.
• It is developed by National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) the technological arm of MoPSW.
• The new technology shall bring in marked improvement against the old system of Draft Loading Monitor system.
• The new systems shall be used in the major ports to bring about significant change in project implementation and bring down cost of dredging through use of dredged materials. This shall help in environment sustainability and bring down operational costs and improve transparency and efficiency.

CAPABILITIES OF ‘SAGAR SAMRIDDHI’ INCLUDE:

1. Real time dredging progress report
2. Daily and monthly progress Visualisation
3. Dredger performance and downtime monitoring
4. Easy location track data with snapshot of loading, unloading and idle time

ABOUT DREDGING:

• It is the act of removing silt, sediments, debris and other material from the bottom of lakes, rivers, harbors and other water bodies.
• It is a routine necessity that is essential to maintain and increase the depth of navigation channels, anchorages or berthing areas to ensure the safe passage of boots and ships.
• The water bodies have a tendency of sedimentation, the natural process of sand and silt washing downstream that gradually fills channels and harbors.

IMPLEMENTATION:

• At present, the Cochin Port (Kochi, Kerala) and Mumbai Port Mumbai, Maharashtra), have adopted the Sagar Samriddhi system.
• The New Mangalore Port (Mangaluru, Karnataka) and Deendayal Port (Kutch, Gujarat) it is running the system on a trial basis.
• The MoPSW has mandated all Major Ports and Inland Waterways Authority of India (lWAl) to monitor the dredging activity through this system with customisation from NTCPWC.

ABOUT NTCPWC

• National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) was set up as an incubation centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai during 2018.
• It was established under the Sagarmala Programme of MoPSW with the total investment of ₹ 77 Crores at IIT Madras.
• The aim of the centre is to enable research & development for the marine sector, enabling solutions towards achieving the ultimate goal of building a robust marine industry in the country.
• It functions as the technological arm of the Ministry of Shipping and provides scientific support to ports, IWAI, and other institutions.
• This state-of-the-art centre has world class capabilities for undertaking the 2D & 3D investigations of research and consultancy nature for the Port, Coastal, and Waterways sector.

• The researchers at IIT Kanpur have successfully developed India’s first 100% Dimethyl Ether (DME)-fuelled tractor/vehicle for both on- and off-road applications.

ABOUT DIMETHYL ETHER:

• It is a synthetically produced alternative to diesel for use in specially designed compression ignition diesel engines.
• It can be produced indigenously, and several countries, like Japan, USA, China, Sweden, Denmark, and Korea, are already using DME to power their vehicles.
• The DME-fuelled engine emitted extremely low particulate and soot emissions and almost no smoke without using expensive exhaust gas after-treatment devices and advanced engine technologies.
• It can be a viable alternative fuel and engine technology to adapt to conventional diesel engines used in India’s economy’s agricultural and transport sectors.

PROPERTIES OF DIMETHYL ETHER

• It has a very high cetane number, which is a measure of the fuel’s ignitibility in compression ignition engines.
• Under normal atmospheric conditions, DME is a colourless gas.

APPLICATION OF DIMETHYL ETHER

• It is used extensively in the chemical industry and as an aerosol propellant.
• It is used in chemical industries and also to produce dyes and plastics.

• Noted Author, Shantanu Gupta, who has written two bestseller titles on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, launched his new graphic novel – “Ajay to Yogi Adityanath” for the young readers.
• The graphic novel was launched in 51+ schools of Uttar Pradesh on the 51st birthday of Yogi Adityanath.

OTHER BOOKS BY SHANTANU GUPTA

• Yogi Adityanath- The Monk Who Transformed Uttar Pradesh and
• The Monk Who Became Chief Minister.