Current Affairs August 25th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Mr. Darshana Jardosh inaugurates Silk Mark Expo:

• Darshana Jardosh, the Union Minister of State for Textiles, formally inaugurated the Silk Mark Expo in New Delhi.
• The Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles, and the Silk Mark Organization of India together conduct the Silk Mark Expo.
• The Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav has reached this milestone, according to the Union Minister of State for Textile.
• To help India’s textile industry grow, the Textile Ministry has introduced several initiatives, including the Silk Mark Expo.
• The Silk Mark calls attention to the product’s qualification requirements, which will eventually increase customer confidence in both domestic and international markets.
• In addition to the stakeholders in the silk value chain, the Silk Mark Expo aspires to safeguard the interests of all silk consumers.

65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference to be hosted by Canada:

• Amos Masondo, the head of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), and a distinguished group of MPs will serve as the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference’s (CPC) leaders.
• From August 22 to 26, 2022, Halifax, Canada will host the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC).
• Delegates from Commonwealth parliaments and legislatures can discuss changes to the parliamentary system and global political concerns during the 65^th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which will be held this year.

Delegates:

• Winnie Ngwenya, a member of the Commonwealth Women’s Parliament
• Phoebe Noxolo Abraham
• Dikeledi Gladys Mahlangu
• Siviwe Gwarube, a member of the Democratic Alliance

Dr. Jitendra Singh approved an initial loan of Rs 1.15 crore for the StartUp with an alternative solution to Single-Use Plastic:

• Union Minister of State (Independent Representative) for Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Representative) for Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh approved an initial loan of Rs 1.15 crore to M/s TGP Bioplastics for commercialization of ‘compostable’ plastics and thereby reduce the use of single-use plastics (SUP).
• An MoU has been signed between the Technology Development Board, a statutory body of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and M/s TGP Bioplastics Private Limited, Satara, Maharashtra, for the production and commercialization of compostable plastics.
• Jitendra was informed that StartUp has come up with an alternative solution to Single Use Plastic (SUP) with a prototype compostable plastic material that decomposes as compost in the soil without affecting the environment.
• This unique project received seed funding from NIDHI Prayas (DST), Niti Aayog, and UNIDO for prototype development.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Nominates Garba To Be Inscribed On UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List

• The Government of India (GoI) has nominated the dance form Garba to be inscribed on United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) intangible cultural heritage list.
• The Director of UNESCO announced that after the inclusion of Durga Puja as the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage representative in 2021, India has now nominated Garba for 2022.
• The next meeting of UNESCO will be held in November 2022.
• A total of 14 elements from India are inscribed on UNESCO’S list of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Humanity.
• Garba is a dance form which has originated in Gujarat, India.
• India was elected by UNESCO to serve on the distinguished Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) 

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in India :

• Buddhist Chanting.
• Chhau Dance.
• Kumbh Mela.
• Ramlila
• Sankirtana
• Ramman
• Traditional Brass and Copper Craft of Utensil making
• Vedic Chanting
• Durga Puja
• Yoga

About UNESCO :

• Founded: 16 November 1945
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Director General- Audrey Azoulay

Aim :

• To promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture.

IMD, the Government of Japan, and UNDP launch a project to accelerate climate action in India

• India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Government of Japan, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced a new initiative to accelerate climate action in 10 states and Union Territories (UT) across India.
• The initiative will support Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to achieve net-zero emissions and ensure climate-resilient development.

Key Highlights :

• Under the initiative, UNDP will work with IMD to promote climate resilience and the Ministry of New Renewable Energy (MNRE) to promote climate mitigation by:
• Deploying clean energy infrastructure and low-emission technologies in key sectors including Transport, Health, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and Agriculture.
• This includes solarizing 150 healthcare facilities, and 20 micro-enterprises, and installing 85 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations and 30 solar cold storage systems across the 10 states.
• Demonstrating resilient climate planning at the grassroots through climate information flow systems for 30 Gram Panchayats.
• Promote green jobs and green entrepreneurship in sectors like Renewable Energy by providing skilling and training to 2000+ people.
• Japan has extended USD 5.16 million in climate grant to UNDP India for the project.
• This is part of Japan’s global support to 23 countries through UNDP’s ‘Climate Promise – From Pledge to Impact’ program for scaling up its support to turn NDCs into concrete action.
• The project will be rolled out in the states and Union Territories of Bihar, Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh between 2022-23.
• At the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November 2021, India pledged to cut the country’s total projected carbon emission by 1 billion tonnes by 2030, install 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030, reduce the carbon intensity of the nation’s economy by less than 45% by the end of the decade and net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.

About IMD :

• Established: 1875
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Director General: Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra
• IMD is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the GoI.

About Japan :

• Prime Minister : Fumio Kishida
• Capital: Tokyo
• Currency: Japanese yen

About UNDP :

• Established: 22 November 1965
• Headquarters: New York City
• Head: Achim Steiner
• UNDP is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

GoI grants GI Tag to Bihar’s Mithila Makhana

• The government has awarded a geographical indication (GI) tag to ‘Mithila Makhana’, from Bihar in a bid to help farmers get the maximum price for their premium produce.
• Over 5 lakh farmers of the Mithila region of Bihar will be benefited from this decision.
• As per the certificate, GI has been registered in the name of Mithilanchal Makhana Utpadak Sangh.
• This tag helps establish the assurance of quality and uniqueness of the agricultural/natural/handicraft/industrial product, available in a particular region.
• Mithila Makhana is makhana (fox nuts) grown in the Mithila region of Bihar.
• This is the 5th product from Bihar which is awarded to GI tag including

1. Bhagalpur’s Jardalu Mango
2. Katarni Dhaan rice
3. Nawads’s Magahi Paan
4. Muzaffarpur’s Shahi Litchi

Note :

• As many as 400 products in India have been awarded the GI tags
• Karnataka has the maximum number of GI-tagged products in India
• Darjeeling tea was the first product to obtain a GI tag in October 2004.

About GI Tag :

• A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• GI tags are not only limited to agricultural products, foods, wine, and spirit drinks but also extend to handicrafts, specific manufacturing skills, and traditions.

List OF Newly Added GI Tags In 2022 :

	GI Tags
	Products	Categories	States/UTs
1.	Kashmir Saffron	Agriculture	Jammu & Kashmir
2.	Manipuri Black Rice	Food Stuff	Manipur
3.	Kandhamal Haladi	Agricultural	Odisha
4.	Rasagola	Food Stuff	Odisha
5.	Kodaikanal Malai Poondu	Agricultural	Tamil Nadu
6.	Pawndum	Handicraft	Mizoram
7.	Ngotekherh	Handicraft	Mizoram
8.	Hmaram	Handicraft	Mizoram
9.	Palani Panchamirtham	Food Stuff	Tamil Nadu
10.	Tawlhlohpuan	Handicraft	Mizoram
11.	Mizo Puanchei	Handicraft	Mizoram
12.	Gulbarga Tur Dal	Agricultural	Karnataka
13.	Tirur Betel Leaf (Tirur Vettila)	Agricultural	Kerala
14.	Khola Chilli	Agricultural	Goa
15.	Idu Mishmi Textiles	Handicraft	Arunachal Pradesh
16.	Dindigul Locks	Manufactured	Tamil Nadu
17.	Kandangi Saree	Handicraft	Tamil Nadu
18.	Srivilliputtur Palkova	Food Stuff	Tamil Nadu
19.	Kaji Nemu	Agricultural	Assam

Uttar Pradesh govt sets to build India’s first education township

• First, the Government of Uttar Pradesh is set to build an education township that will be developed on the idea of ‘Single Entry, Multiple Exit’.

The focus of this township :

• It will be on high-end education, which will cater to students from not only the country but also African, Latin American, and Central Asian countries.
• He had recently directed authorities to prepare a comprehensive action plan for setting up five education townships in the state during a meeting with the representatives of consultancy firm Deloitte India to explore ways to make Uttar Pradesh a $1 trillion economy.

Key Highlights :

• The private sector will play an important role in this education township.
• Besides, primary and secondary schools like Atal Residential Schools will be established.
• Universities and colleges will be established for undergraduate and postgraduate studies wherein studies and research works related to management, technology, law, and medicine will be carried out.
• It will feature skill development universities & many other coaching institutes like Abhyudaya will be started in these education townships.

About UP :

• Governor : Anandiben Patel
• Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
• Capital: Lucknow

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

HDFC Bank opens first all-women branch in Kerala’s Kozhikode

• Private sector bank major HDFC has opened its first all-women branch on Cherootty Road, Kozhikode, north Kerala region.

Aim :

• To advance gender and diversity initiatives in the banking sector.
• The branch was inaugurated by city Corporation Mayor Beena Philip.
• HDFC Bank is driving diversity and inclusion within the organization with a special focus on enhancing gender diversity.
• As of March 31, 2022, women constituted 21.7% of the workforce and the target is to increase it to 25% by 2025.

Note :

• With this opening, there are a total of 245 bank branches in

About HDFC Bank :

• Founded: August 1994
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• CEO : Sashidhar Jagdishan

ADB to provide USD 96.3 mn loan to improve water supply & sanitation services in HP

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a USD 96.3-million loan agreement to provide safe drinking water and improve water supply and sanitation services in Himachal Pradesh.

Signatories :

• Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs
• Takeo Konishi, Country Director for ADB in India.

About the agreement :

• The ADB project will connect 75,800 households to the service, providing an uninterrupted water supply to about 3,70,000 residents across 10 districts.
• The project is aligned with the objectives of the Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission which aims to provide piped water to all rural households by 2024.
• It will upgrade water supply infrastructure and strengthen institutional capacity to ensure safe, sustainable, and inclusive rural water supply and sanitation services.
• To improve water supply and sanitation services, the project aims to construct 48 groundwater wells, 80 surface water intake facilities, 109 water treatment plants, 117 pumping stations, and 3,000 km of water distribution pipelines.
• A pilot fecal sludge management and sanitation program will also be implemented in Sirmaur District, benefiting 250,000 residents.
• It will strengthen the capacity of the Jal Shakti Vibhag of the Government of Himachal Pradesh and gram panchayat (local government) village water and sanitation committees.

About ADB :

• Founded: 19 December 1966
• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines
• President : Masatsugu Asakawa
• Membership: 68 countries

Muthoot Finance launches Milligram Gold point program for customers

• Muthoot Finance Limited has launched Milligram Reward Programme for its customers wherein transactions with the company will be rewarded with a certain amount of milligram reward points.
• With this, Muthoot Finance Limited has emerged as the first gold loan Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) to launch a new reward program.

Aim :

• To strengthen the relationship between customers and bring back the inactive customers.

Key Highlights :

• Customers can participate in this 2-year-long program wherein, for the first time in India, a loyalty program will be run in 24-carat gold.
• Every customer referral transaction with the company will earn 20 mg of gold as well.
• Annually, ₹50 crores worth of gold (100 kg) is expected to be paid off through the program.
• It also offers a chance to their existing customers 20-milligram gold points per referral for referring new customers to Muthoot Finance.

About Muthoot Finance Limited :

• Founded: 1939
• Headquarters: Kochi, Kerala, India
• MD: George Alexander Muthoot
• Muthoot Finance Ltd. is an Indian financial corporation and the largest gold loan NBFC in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

HPCL starts its first cow dung-based compressed biogas project:

• The HPCL Compressed Biogas Project makes use of the industry’s first waste-to-energy portfolio, which utilizes 100 tonnes of dung per day to produce biogas that can be utilized as fuel for vehicles.
• The HPCL Compressed Biogas Project project should be operational in a year.
• The GOBAR-Dhan strategy, which the Indian government unveiled in April 2018 as a part of the Grameen Biodegradable Waste Management component of the Swachh Bharat Mission, serves as the foundation for the HPCL Compressed Biogas Project effort.
• With the help of livestock and organic waste, the HPCL Compressed Biogas Project initiative hopes to increase hygiene while generating income and energy.

In India, 7.3% of the Population Owned Digital Currency in 2021:

• According to the UN trade and development organization UNCTAD, 15 of the top 20 economies in terms of the percentage of the population that owns cryptocurrencies are from developing nations in 2021.
• Ukraine led the list with 12.7%, followed by Russia with 11.9%, Venezuela with 10.3%, Singapore with 9.4%, Kenya with 8.5%, and the US with 8.5%. (8.3 percent).
• In 2021, 7.3% of the population in India owned digital currency, placing it seventh out of the top 20 economies in the world in terms of population ownership.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

IREDA and MAHAPREIT sign an MoU to provide loans for green energy projects:

• A memorandum of understanding was signed by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) and the Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd. (MAHAPREIT), a fully owned subsidiary of MPBCDC (49% owned by the Government of India and 51% owned by the Government of Maharashtra).
• IREDA will provide MAHAPREIT with financing options for the renewable energy projects that will be developed for public utilities, local governments, and the infrastructure of renewable energy parks.
• IREDA will also do techno-financial due diligence on MAHAPREIT‘s initiatives involving renewable energy and energy efficiency and conservation.
• It will help to assist the Indian government in achieving its goal of obtaining 50% of its energy from non-fossil fuels by 2030.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEXES

International Astronomy & Astrophysics Olympiad: India ranks 3^rd

• In the medal standings of the 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Indian team placed third (IOAA).
• Students from India and Singapore shared third place after earning three gold and two silver medals.
• India and Singapore were tied for third place in the medal count, just one point behind Iran’s official squad (5 golds) and the visiting team (4 golds, 1 silver).
• Georgia’s Kutaisi hosted the 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2022 from August 14 to August 21.
• This year’s IOAA had 209 students among 37 main and 6 guest teams.
• Additionally, 24 students from 6 different nations took part in the online mode.
• The IOAA is an annual event to encourage astronomy among students.
• Originally slated to take place in Kyiv, Ukraine, this year’s tournament was moved to Kutaisi, Georgia in March 2022 as a result of the conflict in that country.

Medal Tally:

• Mehul Board from Hyderabad, Sahil Akhtar from Kolkata and Raghav Goyal from Chandigarh all won gold in the competition.
• Goyal was also given a special award for coming up with the best answer to the trickiest theoretical problem.
• Malay Kedia from Ghaziabad and Atharva Nilesh Mahajan from Indore are the silver medalists.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Disney appoints Mr. Sajith Sivanandan as head of Hotstar

• Disney’s international content and operations group has appointed Sajith Sivanandan as executive vice president and head of Disney+ Hotstar.
• He will take the reins over from Sunil Rayan who quit in June 2022.
• He will start working with Disney+Hotstar in October 2022 with a dual reporting line of Disney Star.
• In his new role, he will report to Disney’s International Content and Operations Group Chairman Rebecca Campbel and Disney Star President K Madhavan.

About Mr. Sajith Sivanandan :

• Sivanandan was Managing Director (MD) and Business Head of Google Pay and the Next Billion User Initiatives for the APAC region.
• Earlier, he was the Head of Google Pay India.
• He started his career in 1996 at Star TV, working for Channel V’s North India market.
• He also worked for organizations like The Gallup Organisation, Affle UK Ltd, and XA Network.

Mr. Debasisa Mohanty was appointed as director of the National Institute of Immunology

• Senior Odia scientist Debasisa Mohanty was appointed as the Director of the National Institute of Immunology (NII).
• Currently, he is working as a staff scientist at NII.
• The post fell vacant after Rajesh Verma, a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Odisha cadre, was appointed as the Secretary to President Droupadi Murmu on August 18.

Other Appointments :

• Also, Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj has been given additional charge as Corporate Affairs Secretary.

About NII :

• Established: 24 June 1981
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• The NII is an autonomous research institute under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for research in immunology.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

MCA approves Bharat Gas amalgamation with BPCL

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) approved the amalgamation of Bharat Gas Resources Limited (BGRL), a 100% subsidiary of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).
• The main business of BGRL is gas sourcing and
• It had been set up to implement city gas distribution networks in different geographical areas and this exercise was pursued to streamline the corporate structure and consolidate the assets and liabilities of BGRL with BPCL.
• The equity shares of BGRL are not listed in the stock exchanges.

About BPCL :

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman & MD: Arun Kumar Singh
• BPCL is an Indian government-owned oil and gas explorer and producer.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India’s 1st Observatory To Monitor Space Activity To be set up in Uttarakhand

• India’s first commercial space situational awareness observatory, to track objects as small as 10 cm in size orbiting the earth, will be set up in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand by a space sector start-up, Digantara.

Key Highlights :

• Currently, the United States (US) is a dominant player in monitoring space debris with observatories in multiple locations and commercial companies providing additional inputs from across the world.
• This will improve the effectiveness of tracking and identifying pre-existing resident space objects (RSO).
• It will result in the formation of a hybrid data pool that will serve both the commercial and the defense sectors of the space industry
• With this, Digantara will be able to supplement its space-based sensors in its mission to monitor satellites and debris in orbits ranging from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO).
• With this data, it would be able to reduce the potential for collisions between satellites and other spacecraft by making more accurate predictions of their location, speed, and trajectory.

About Digantara :

• Founded: 2018
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
• CEO: Anirudh Sharma

About Uttarakhand :

• Governor: Gurmit Singh
• Chief Minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami
• Capital: Bhararisain (summer), Dehradun (winter)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

India’s first-ever U-20 world champion in wrestling:

• The first Indian woman to hold this title is Antim Panghal, a 17-year-old wrestler from Haryana who won the Under-20 world championship by defeating Kazakhstan’s Atlyn Shagayeva 8-0.
• In Sofia, Bulgaria, the U-20 World Wrestling Championship was held.
• Antim Panghal won the first round with an 11-0 victory over German Amery Olivia thanks to her better technical abilities.
• By winning the gold, Antim Panghal makes history by becoming the first U-20 women’s wrestling champion.
• Antim Panghal comes from the Haryana hamlet of Bhagana, which is part of the Hisar district.
• 2022 Asian Junior Championships gold medalist Antim Panghal also took home bronze in the Cadet World Championships (2021).

R Praggnanandhaa defeated world chess champion Magnus Carlsen: FTX Crypto Cup

• Magnus Carlsen, the current world chess champion, was defeated by Indian chess expert Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami.
• The Chinese fighter Quang Liem Le ended Praggnanandhaa’s winning streak in the fifth round.
• After losing against Poland’s Jan-Krzystof Duda on the tie-break in the sixth round, he suffered his second defeat.
• Magnus Carlsen was defeated by Praggnanandhaa for the third time in a year.
• When he was 16 years old, Praggnanandhaa defeated the world champion in the eighth round of the Airthings Masters, an online competition for quick chess players.
• On May 20, he shocked the Norwegian champion in the Chessable Masters online fast chess competition, earning him his second victory over Carlsen.

Tamara Walcott lifts 737.5 kg to break powerlifting Guinness World Record:

• According to sources in the investigating agency, Tamara Walcott, a female powerlifter from Maryland in the United States, broke the record for the heaviest cumulative lift for bench/squat and press in competition (female) after lifting a combined total of 737.5 kg across three compound lifts—the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift.
• In Manassas, Virginia, last month, she received recognition in the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation American Pro.
• GWR contrasted the amount of weight she lifted with an adult female giraffe, which weighs around 680.3 kg. Walcott began powerlifting four years ago after realizing she couldn’t devote the necessary time to baseball or basketball.
• She didn’t initially set out to break any world records; instead, her goals were weight loss and overall fitness.

Daily CA on August 25:

• Darshana Jardosh, the Union Minister of State for Textiles, formally inaugurated the Silk Mark Expo in New Delhi.
• Amos Masondo, the head of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), and a distinguished group of MPs will serve as the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference’s (CPC) leaders.
• Jitendra Singh approved an initial loan of Rs 1.15 crore to M/s TGP Bioplastics for the commercialization of ‘compostable’ plastics and thereby reducing the use of single-use plastics (SUP).
• The HPCL Compressed Biogas Project makes use of the industry’s first waste-to-energy portfolio, which utilizes 100 tonnes of dung per day to produce biogas that can be utilized as fuel for vehicles.
• According to the UN trade and development organization UNCTAD, 15 of the top 20 economies in terms of the percentage of the population that owns cryptocurrencies are from developing nations in 2021.
• A memorandum of understanding was signed by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) and the Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd. (MAHAPREIT).
• In the medal standings of the 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Indian team placed third (IOAA).
• The first Indian woman to hold this title is Antim Panghal, a 17-year-old wrestler from Haryana who won the Under-20 world championship by defeating Kazakhstan’s Atlyn Shagayeva 8-0.
• Magnus Carlsen, the current world chess champion, was defeated by Indian chess expert Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami.
• Tamara Walcott, a female powerlifter from Maryland in the United States, broke the record for the heaviest cumulative lift for bench/squat and press in competition (female) after lifting a combined total of 737.5 kg
• The Government of India (GoI) has nominated the dance form Garba to be inscribed on United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) intangible cultural heritage list.
• India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Government of Japan, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced a new initiative to accelerate climate action in 10 states and Union Territories (UT) across India.
• The government has awarded a geographical indication (GI) tag to ‘Mithila Makhana’, from Bihar in a bid to help farmers get the maximum price for their premium produce.
• First, the Government of Uttar Pradesh is set to build an education township that will be developed on the idea of ‘Single Entry, Multiple Exit’.
• Private sector bank major HDFC has opened its first all-women branch on Cherootty Road, Kozhikode, north Kerala region.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a USD 96.3-million loan agreement to provide safe drinking water and improve water supply and sanitation services in Himachal Pradesh.
• Muthoot Finance Limited has launched Milligram Reward Programme for its customers wherein transactions with the company will be rewarded with a certain amount of milligram reward points.
• Disney’s international content and operations group has appointed Sajith Sivanandan as executive vice president and head of Disney+ Hotstar.
• Senior Odia scientist Debasisa Mohanty was appointed as the Director of the National Institute of Immunology (NII).
• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) approved the amalgamation of Bharat Gas Resources Limited (BGRL), a 100% subsidiary of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).
• India’s first commercial space situational awareness observatory, to track objects as small as 10 cm in size orbiting the earth, will be set up in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand by a space sector start-up, Digantara.