Why in news?

• Ministry of Rural Development launched 90 days AKAM campaign.
• The campaign aims to saturate 17 schemes of 9 Ministries in 75 selected districts across the country.
• Identified districts are aligned with birth place of 99 Freedom Fighters, who made the ultimate sacrifice for nation during India’s struggle for independence.
• Goal of campaign- To reach out to person at bottom of pyramid in rural areas by each of the participating ministries/departments.

Why in news?

• Hatti community of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh have been demanding for inclusion under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list since 1967 when Hatti from Jaunsar Bawar of Uttarakhand were included in ST list.
• The community in both the states are divided by Giri and Tons rivers but have similar traditions, and inter-marriages are commonplace.
• The Hattis are a close-knit community who got their name from their tradition of selling home grown vegetables, crops, meat and wool etc. at small markets called ‘haat’ in towns.

Why in news?

• The Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) launched a revamped ZED Certification Scheme (originally launched in 2016), with an aim to make Indian companies globally competitive and help them get easier access to capital.
• MSMEs will get subsidy as per the following structure, on the cost of ZED certification:
  • Micro Enterprises: 80%
  • Small Enterprises: 60%
  • Medium Enterprises: 50%
• There is also provision for additional subsidy for Women/SC/ST Entrepreneurs or MSMEs in NER/Himalayan/LWE/Island territories/aspirational districts.
• It will cover both manufacturing (first phase) and services sector (2nd phase).

Why in news?

• Department of Posts has started providing NPS services through online mode.
• Any Citizen of India in age group of 18 to 70 years can avail this online facility.
• Subscribers are eligible for a tax deduction in NPS as per declaration made by Ministry of Finance under section 80CCD 1(B).
• NPS is voluntary Pension Scheme, regulated by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), through its designated post offices since 2010.
• NPS Trust is registered owner of all assets under NPS.

Why in news?

• The city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh has become the first in India to adopt vacuum-based sewer. These vacuum sewers will be placed in public areas. The maintenance and complete care of the sewers for up to five years will be done by the Netherlands company.
• The vacuum sewer is expected to be deployed in Kochi Municipal Corporation in Kerala after a successful trial in Agra.
• This technology is presently being employed in low-lying areas. Agra Smart City Ltd. has connected roughly 240 houses in the low-lying area near the Taj Mahal to a vacuum-based sewer system for Rs. 5 crores, where traditional sewer systems cannot be utilized.
• In this area, 112 chambers have been built with Geographic Information System (GIS)- based sensors to help locate the chamber’s position and the problem.
• The sewer connection project is estimated to cost Rs. 100 crores. iv.A 53-km sewer pipe has been installed, connecting 60,000 houses.

Why in news?

• Jamtara in Jharkhand has become the only district in the country where all gram panchayats have community libraries. This district with a population of about eight lakh has a total of 118-gram panchayats under six blocks and each panchayat has a well-equipped library that is open for students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Career counselling sessions and motivational classes are also held free of cost here. Sometimes, IAS and IPS officers also visit these libraries to guide students. Everyone is welcome to visit these innovative sites.
• Gradually, libraries were set up in panchayats such as Chandradeep, Panjaniya, Menjhia, Gopalpur, Shaharpura, Champapur, and Jhilua.The villagers elected a President, Treasurer, and Librarian from amongst themselves, to run these libraries.

Why in news?

• The annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases The World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2022 focuses on enhancing social dialogue towards a culture of safety and health.
• World Day for Safety and Health at Work represents the awareness and promotion of ways that help prevent occupational diseases and accidents worldwide. It represents the development and maintenance of a robust Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management system. And ever since the pandemic, the OSH management system has gained more importance than it had before.
• This year’s theme of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is ” Participation And Social Dialogue In Creating A Positive Safety And Health Culture”
• The Annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work was first observed in 2003 by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).It stresses the importance of the prevention of accidents and diseases at work. The day is considered as a crucial tool for carving out a top-shelf political position for occupational safety and health.

Why in news?

• The Cabinet has approved the opening of a new Indian Mission in Lithuania in 2022.

About Lithuania

• Lithuania is an eastern European country situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea.
• Largest among the three Baltic states, it shares its borders Latvia on the north, Belarus on the east and south, and Poland and the Kaliningrad region of Russia on the southwest.
• It shares a maritime border with Sweden.
• Geographical Features:
  • Largest River: Neman (Nemunas).
  • Highest Point Location: Mount Juozapine.

Why in news?

• It is a report released by the World Bank.

Key findings are

• Increase in energy prices over the past two years has been the largest since the 1973 oil crisis.
• Price increases for food commodities and fertilizers, which rely on natural gas as a production input, have been the largest since 2008.
• Global food and fuel price shocks linked to the war are set to last until at least the end of 2024 and raise the risk of stagflation.

Why in news?

• The government is planning to revamp the Civil Registration System (CRS) to resolve the current issues of timeliness, efficiency, and uniformity, leading to delayed and under-coverage of birth and death.

About CRS

• It is a continuous, permanent, compulsory recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events, like births, deaths, and stillbirths.
• The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 provides for the compulsory registration of births and deaths.
• Chief Registrar is mandated to publish a statistical report on the registered births and deaths during the year.
• It is one of the main sources of data on vital events in India others are Sample Registration System (SRS) and Population Census.
• It is also linked to National Population Register.
• CRS is thus the only source for providing vital rates at the district level on regular basis, as the population Census is a decennial exercise and Sample Registration System is an annual exercise.
• CRS provide legal identity to individual and access to the rights of a citizen Including entitlements such as social benefits etc.
• The Registrar General of India (RGI) under Ministry of Home Affairs coordinates and unifies the activities of registration throughout the country. However, implementation is vested with the state governments.