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KHARAI CAMEL

●Name origin: From Gujarati “Khara” (saline) — denotes its adaptation to saline desert–coastal ecosystems. ●Unique feature: Only camel breed...

• भारत और फिनलैंड ने 13 दिसंबर 2022 को अधिक गतिशीलता की सुविधा के लिए और अनियमित प्रवासन से निपटने के लिए व्यवस्था और सहयोग के एक सामान्य ढांचे को विकसित करने की दिशा में संयुक्त रूप से काम करने के लिए प्रवासन और गतिशीलता पर संयुक्त घोषणा पत्र पर हस्ताक्षर किया।
• इस घोषणा पर केंद्रीय विदेश राज्य मंत्री वी. मुरलीधरन और फिनलैंड की रोजगार मंत्री सुश्री तुउला हैटेनेन ने हस्ताक्षर किए।

Agreement between India and Finland:-
• India and Finland signed a Joint Declaration on Migration and Mobility on 13 December 2022 to work jointly towards developing a common framework of arrangements and cooperation to facilitate greater mobility and to combat irregular migration Did. best study channel-study for civil services
• The declaration was signed by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan and Finland's Minister of Employment Ms. Tuula Hattinen.

दिसंबर 2022 में उत्तर प्रदेश के मिर्जापुर जिला के एक टीवी मैकेनिक की बेटी सानिया मिर्जा को भारतीय वायु सेना में लड़ाकू पायलट बनने के लिए चुना गया है। 

27 दिसंबर से सानिया वायुसेना पायलेट के रूप में प्रशिक्षण लेने के लिए पुणे में एनडीए खडकवासला में शामिल होंगी।

सानिया प्रशिक्षण पूरा करने के बाद वह देश की पहली मुस्लिम लड़की और राज्य की पहली वायुसेना पायलट बन जायेंगी।

🔴BF.7 mainly causes upper respiratory infection, meaning congestion in the higher parts of the chest and near the throat. Fever, sore throat, runny nose and cough are other common symptoms.

🔴Some people may get stomach-related symptoms like vomiting and diarrhoea. Doctors advise that getting tested immediately is important as it can help stop the spread by ensuring early decisions on isolation and recovery drugs.

😷India has been reporting fewer than 200 cases a day for several days now. As for BF.7, all four cases confirmed so far came up between July and October -three in Gujarat, one in Odisha - and the patients were isolated, treated and have recovered.

🔴⚠️🚸China is currently struggling with possibly the biggest Covid outbreak the world has seen since the coronavirus was first detected in 2019. Though official data from China is scarce, news agency Bloomberg has cited a study to say it may be recording 10 lakh cases and 5,000 deaths a day.
🌘 21 December

🌍winter solstice, also called hibernal solstice, the two moments during the year when the path of the Sun in the sky is farthest south in the Northern Hemisphere (Dece..21 or 22) and farthest north in the Southern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21)

🌍At the winter solstice the Sun travels the shortest path through the sky, and that day therefore has the least daylight and the longest night. 

🌍When the winter solstice happens in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted about 23.4° (23°27′) away from the Sun.

🌍 Because the Sun’s rays are shifted southward from the Equator by the same amount, the vertical noon rays are directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn (23°27′ S). 

🌍Six months later the South Pole is inclined about 23.4° away from the Sun. On this day of the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the Sun’s vertical overhead rays progress to their northernmost position, the Tropic of Cancer (23°27′ N).
The census provides information on size, distribution and socio-economic, demographic and other characteristics of the country’s population.

The Census was first started under British Viceroy Lord Mayo in 1872. It helped in framing new policies, government programs to uplift areas of improvement in the community.

The first synchronous census in India was held in 1881. Since then, censuses have been undertaken uninterruptedly once every ten years.
 
Who conducts census?
Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

Historical Significance:
‘Rig-Veda‘ reveals that some kind of population count was maintained during 800-600 BC in India.
Arthashastra by ‘Kautilya’ written in the 3rd Century BC prescribed the collection of population statistics as a measure of state policy for taxation.
During the regime of the Mughal king Akbar, the administrative report ‘Ain-e-Akbari included data on population etc.
• यह एक केंद्र प्रायोजित योजना है। 
• ICDS को प्रारंभिक बाल्यावस्था देखभाल और विकास करने के लिए 2 अक्टूबर 1975 को शुरू किया गया था। 
• इसमें संबंधित गांव से आंगनवाड़ी और संबंधित कार्यकर्त्ताओं को जोड़ा जाएगा। 

उद्देश्य- 
• छोटे बच्चों (0-3 वर्ष) में अल्पपोषण को कम करना।
• बच्चे के समुचित मनोवैज्ञानिक शारीरिक एवम् सामाजिक विकास की नींव रखना।
• मृत्यु, रूग्णता, कुपोषण, स्कूल छोड़ना आदि घटनाओं को कम करना। 
• बाल विकास प्रोत्साहन हेतु विभिन्न विभागों के मध्य नीति और कार्यान्वयन का समन्वय।

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
• ICDS was launched on 2 October 1975 to provide early childhood care and development.
• In this Anganwadi and related workers will be connected from the respective village. 

Objective-
• Reducing undernutrition in young children (0-3 years).
• Best study channel in india is study for civil services 
• To lay the foundation for proper psychological physical and social development of the child.
• To reduce the incidence of death, morbidity, malnutrition, school dropout etc..
• Coordination of policy and implementation among various departments for promotion of child development.
The Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002 provides the legal basis for the setting up of ARCs in India.

Minimum Net Owned Funds of ARCs: 

As per amendment made in the SARFAESI Act in 2016, an ARC should have a minimum net owned fund of Rs. 2 crore.
The RBI raised this amount to Rs. 100 crore in 2017. The ARCs also have to maintain a capital adequacy ratio of 15% of its risk weighted assets.

Objectives of ARCs:

⏺ It is a specialized financial institution that buys the Non Performing Assets (NPAs) from banks and financial institutions so that they can clean up their balance sheets.

⏺ This helps banks to concentrate in normal banking activities. Banks rather than going after the defaulters by wasting their time and effort, can sell the bad assets to the ARCs at a mutually agreed value.
"Money laundering is the illegal process of concealing the origins of money obtained illegally by passing it through a complex sequence of banking transfers or commercial transactions."

Money laundering typically includes three stages: placement, layering and integration stage.

✏️Placement is the first step of money laundering which is the process of moving the money into the legitimate source via financial institutions, casinos, financial instruments etc. and at the same time, hiding its source.

✏️The second stage is “layering”, also referred as “structuring stage”. It breaks the funds into small transactions and makes it difficult to detect and find out about the laundering activity. It usually entails international money movement, so the law enforcement agencies won’t be able to track the financial gains from illegal proceedings so easily.

✏️The third stage is Integration stage, In this stage, money is now returned to the criminals legitimately after it has been placed in the financial system, often breaking it into different multiple smaller financial transactions. Criminals can now retrieve their illicit funds in a legal way after fully integrating them into a legitimate source, and are able to use them for any purpose.

"Anti-money laundering (AML) refers to the laws, regulations and procedures intended to prevent criminals from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income."

⏺Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted by the government to prevent money-laundering and to provide for confiscation of property derived from money-laundering. PMLA and the Rules notified there under came into force with effect from July 1, 2005.
✏️In order to further speed track Financial Inclusion in the country, Two Working Groups were constituted by RBI on MicroATM standards and Central Infrastructure & Connectivity for Aadhaar based financial inclusion transactions with members representing RBI, Unique Identification Authority of India, NPCI, Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology and some special invitees representing banks and research institutions. 

✏️The working group on MicroATM standards & Central Infrastructure & Connectivity has submitted its report to RBI. As a part of the working group it was proposed to conduct a Lab level Proof of concept (PoC), integrating the authentication & encryption standards of UIDAI, to test the efficacy of MicroATM standards and transactions using Aadhaar before they are put to actual use. The PoC was successfully demonstrated at various venues.

✏️AePS is a bank led model which allows online interoperable financial inclusion transaction at PoS (MicroATM) through the Business correspondent of any bank using the Aadhaar authentication.AePS allows you to do six types of transactions.

✏️The only inputs required for a customer to do a transaction under this scenario are:-
⏺ Bank Name 

⏺Aadhaar Number

⏺ Fingerprint captured during enrollment.

Objectives:

▪️To empower a bank customer to use Aadhaar as his/her identity to access his/ her respective Aadhaar enabled bank account and perform basic banking transactions like cash deposit, cash withdrawal, Intrabank or interbank fund transfer, balance enquiry and obtain a mini statement through a Business Correspondent

▪️To sub-serve the goal of Government of India (GoI) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in furthering Financial Inclusion.

▪️To sub-serve the goal of RBI in electronification of retail payments.

▪️To enable banks to route the Aadhaar initiated interbank transactions through a central switching and clearing agency.

▪️To facilitate disbursements of Government entitlements like NREGA, Social Security pension, Handicapped Old Age Pension etc. of any Central or State Government bodies, using Aadhaar and authentication thereof as supported by UIDAI.

▪️To facilitate inter-operability across banks in a safe and secured manner.

▪️To build the foundation for a full range of Aadhaar enabled Banking services.

Banking Services Offered by AePS:

🔷Cash Deposit
🔷Cash Withdrawal
🔷Balance Enquiry
🔷Mini Statement
🔷Aadhaar to Aadhaar Fund Transfer
🔷Authentication
🔷BHIM Aadhaar Pay

Other Services offered by AePS:
🔷eKYC
🔷Best Finger detection
🔷Demo Auth
🔷Tokenization
🔷Aadhaar Seeding Status
Explanation:

Neo banks are virtual banks. They are the banks that are only operable online. The bank is not physical but is completely digital. Neo Banking is a technique to provide a complete banking experience but through digital platforms like a mobile application.
Depending upon the range of increase, and its severity, inflation may be classified into three broad categories.

□ LOW INFLATION.

⏺Such inflation is slow and on predictable lines, which might be called small or gradual 
 
⏺ Low inflation takes place in a longer period and the range of increase is usually in ‘single digit’.
 
⏺ Such inflation has also been called as ‘creeping inflation’.

□ GALLOPING INFLATION.

⏺ This is a ‘very high inflation’ running in the range of double-digit or triple digit (i.e., 20 per cent, 100 per cent in a year)

⏺ Other names to this inflation are hopping inflation, jumping inflation and running or runaway inflation.

□ HYPER INFLATION.

⏺ This form of inflation is ‘large and accelerating’ which might have the annual rates in million or even trillion.
◇ PMI or a Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity — both in the manufacturing and services sectors.

◇ It is a survey-based measures that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before.

◇ It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.

◇ A figure above 50 denotes expansion in business activity. Anything below 50 denotes contraction.

◇ Higher the difference from this mid-point greater the expansion or contraction.
● The Finance Minister in the Union Budget for 2022-23 announced Parvatmala project to improve connectivity in hilly areas.

● Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH)

● Aim: Enhance connectivity in hilly regions for both commuters and tourists

● The scheme will be taken up on PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode

● The scheme is being presently started in regions like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir and the other North Eastern states.

● Ropeways will be a preferred ecologically sustainable alternative in place of conventional roads in difficult hilly areas.

● It refers to an accused criminal negotiating with the prosecution for a lesser punishment than what is provided in law by pleading guilty to a less serious offence.

● It involves pretrial negotiations between the accused and the prosecutor.

● Plea bargaining was introduced in CrPC in 2006 

● Plea bargaining is not allowed for:
 - a person charged for an offence that attracts the death sentence, life sentence or a prison term above seven years
 - offences affecting the “socio-economic conditions” of the country
 - offences committed against a woman or a child below the age of 14.

●
Aka Nilgiri Ibex, a State animal of Tamil Nadu

● Schedule 1 of WPA 1972, IUCN :- Endangered

●
Adult males species develop a light grey area or “saddle” on their backs, hence called “Saddlebacks"

● Habitat :- Open Montage Grassland, endemic to Nilgiri Hills & southern portion of Western Ghats (TN, Kerala)
● Scientist recently freeze Great Barrier Reef coral in world –first trial.

● Scientists used the cryomesh technology to freeze coral larvae

● Cryogenically frozen coral can be stored and later reintroduced to the wild. This could eventually help to rewild reefs threatened by climate change.

Cryomesh
● Cryomesh is a specially fabricated mesh used as substrate in cryopreservation. 

● Mesh technology will help store coral larvae at -196°C (-320.8°F).

● This is lightweight and can be manufactured cheaply. 

● It better preserves coral and has the properties of cryoplates.

🛑 मिसेज वर्ल्ड का खिताब जीतकर देशवासियों का नाम रोशन करने वाली सरगम कौशल जम्मू कश्मीर की निवासी हैं. वो एक शिक्षक और मॉडल हैं. सरगम की शादी 2018 में हुई थी. शादी के बाद से ही उनके दिल में ब्यूटी पेजेंट जीतने का जुनून सवार था. इसके बाद उन्होंने मिसेज वर्ल्ड प्रतियोगिता में हिस्सा लिया.कॉन्फिडेंस और सुंदरता साथ लेकर अमेरिका के लास वेगास पहुंची सरगम कौशल जीत कर ही भारत वापस लौटीं. सरगम कौशल मिसेज इंडिया 2022 में भी हिस्सा ले चुकी हैं. उन्होंने  मिसेज इंडिया का खिताब जीता भी था. शादी के बाद पहले सरगम ने मिसेज इंडिया का ताज जीता. वहीं अब उन्होंने मिसेज वर्ल्ड बन कर साबित किया कि अगर सपनों की उड़ान ऊंची हो, तो फर्क नहीं पड़ता कि आप शादीशुदा हैं या नहीं. सरगम कौशल को दिल से बधाई.
● Launched by: G7 and Vulnerably Twenties (V20) launched at COP 27, Sharm El-Sheikh.

● It is pre-arranged financial support that established for the needs of poor and vulnerable countries facing increasing risks of losses and damages from climate change.

● It is a social protection and insurance-based finance mechanism for loss and damage outside the UNFCCC process.

● It will be supported by the World Bank under Global Shield Financing Facility.

● Pakistan will be among the first recipients of funding from the G7 ‘Global Shield’ initiative.

● V20 is a dedicated cooperation initiative of economies systemically vulnerable to climate change.It was established in 2015 at Lima,Peru
Government Schemes
✍️ 24 फरवरी, 2019 (नरेन्द्र मोदी ने गोरखपुर, उ.प्र. से)

✍️ लघु एवं सीमांत कृषकों को निवेश एवं अन्य आवश्यकताओं हेतु एक सुनिश्चित पूरक आय उपलब्ध कराने के साथ-साथ फसल कटाई मौसम से पूर्व किसानों की आकस्मिक आवश्यकताओं को भी पूरा करने में मदद करना।

✍️ प्रधानमंत्री किसान सम्मान निधि योजना के तहत पात्र परिवारों को प्रति वर्ष 6000/- रु. की आर्थिक सहायता हर चार महीने में (2000रु.) की तीन किश्तों दी जाएगी।

प्रधानमंत्री किसान पेंशन योजना
✍️ शुरुआत - 31 मई, 2019

✍️ 60 वर्ष की आयु प्राप्त करने पर, कुछ विशेष मानदंडों के अधीन, लघु और सीमांत किसानों को रु 30,000 / - की न्यूनतम निश्चित पेंशन प्रदान करना।

✍️ 18 से 40 वर्ष के बीच की उम्र के छोटे और सीमांत किसान इस योजना में शामिल होने के लिए पात्र हैं। इस योजना के तहत किसानों को हर महीने औसतन 100 रुपये का योगदान करना होगा।

PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi

✍️ Launched - 24 February, 2019 (Narendra Modi from Gorakhpur, U.P.)

✍️ Helping small and marginal farmers to provide an assured supplementary income for investment and other requirements, as well as meeting the contingent needs of farmers before the harvesting season.

✍️ Under the PM Kisan Yojana, income support of Rs 6000 per annum is provided to all eligible farmer families across the country in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 each every four months.

Pradhanmantri Kisan Pension Yojana
✍️ Launched - 31 May, 2019

✍️ A minimum fixed pension of Rs.3,000/- is provided to the small and marginal farmers, subject to certain exclusion criteria, on attaining the age of 60 years.

✍️ Small and Marginal Farmers between the age of 18 to 40 years are eligible to join this scheme. Under this scheme, farmers will have to contribute an average of Rs 100 per month.
● CBT It is a duty on imports based on the amount of carbon emissions resulting from the production of the product in question, that have not been carbon-taxed at source 

● carbon intensive sector such as cement, steel etc. will be included in it.

● It is proposed by European Union, with effect from 2026

● At COP-27, BASIC group comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China, opposed the carbon border adjustment mechanism.
🧑🏻‍💻 संपूर्ण बीमा ग्राम योजना –

✍️ 13 अक्टूबर, 2017 (तत्कालीन दूरसंचार राज्य मंत्री (स्वतंत्र प्रभार) मनोज सिन्हा द्वारा शुरु की गई।

✍️ उद्देश्य – योजना के तहत प्रत्येक जिले से कम-से-कम एक गांव जिसमें न्यूनतम 100 परिवार हों, को चिन्हित कर उस गांव के सभी परिवारों को कम-से-कम एक ग्रामीण डाक जीवन बीमा पालिसी से आच्छादित करना।

✍️ इस योजना के अंतर्गत सभी सांसद आदर्श गांवो को भी लाया जाएगा।

📌 प्रधानमंत्री कृषि सिंचाई योजना

✍️ शुरुआत - 1 जुलाई

✍️ उचित प्रौद्योगिकियों एवं पध्दतियों के माध्यम से जल का दक्ष उपयोग एवं क्षेत्रीय स्तर पर सिंचाई में निवेश संवर्धन।

✍️ इस योजना को 5 वर्षों (2015-16 से 2019-20) की अवधि के लिए ₹ 50,000 करोड़ के परिव्यय के साथ अनुमोदित किया गया था।

✍️ 15 दिसंबर‚ 2021 को आर्थिक मामलों की मंत्रिमंडलीय समिति ने वर्ष 2021-26 के लिए प्रधानमंत्री कृषि सिंचाई योजना (पीएमकेएसवाई) के क्रियान्वयन को मंजूरी प्रदान की।

✍️ योजना हेतु इस अवधि तक के लिए 93,068 करोड़ रुपये का प्रावधान किया गया है।

✍️ इसके “Per Drop More Crop” Component का कार्यान्वयन “Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW)” कर रहा है।

✍️ 1 जुलाई, 2015 को "हर खेत को पानी" के आदर्श वाक्य के साथ लॉन्च किया गया।

🧑🏻‍💻 Government Schemes -

📌 "Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana"

✍️ Launched - 13, October 2017 (By the then Minister of State for Telecom (Independent Charge) Manoj Sinha

✍️ Objective - Under the scheme, at least one village having a minimum of 100 households will be identified in each of the revenue districts of the country and cover all households of that identified village with a minimum of one RPLI (Rural Postal Life Insurance) Policy each.

✍️ All Sansad Adarsh Gram will also be brought under this scheme.

📌 Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

✍️ PM Narendra Modi unveiled the scheme on 13 January 2016. Commencement - effective from Kharif year 2016.

✍️ It aims to reduce the premium burden on farmers and ensure early settlement of crop assurance claim for the full insured sum.

✍️ Goal - To provide financial support to farmers in the event of damage to crops as a result of natural disasters, pests and diseases.

✍️ Crop coverage - Rabi, Kharif, commercial and horticultural crops have been included under this.
17th NOVEMBER

👩🏻‍🏫 International Students Day
      
🧑🏻‍🏫 To remember the courage of student activists during the 1939 Nazi attack at the University of Prague. 

👩🏻‍🏫The first observance took place in 1941 at the International Students’ Council in London.There students decided to introduce 'International Students’ Day.

🟢 NEWS

🔶UGC Guidelines: HEIs Must Add 25% More Seats For International Students

🔷ISRO Organized Young Scientist Programme “YUVIKA” For Students

🔶Gujarat CM Launched Student Start-Ups And Innovation Policy 2.0

🔷Telugu Film ‘Street Student’ Wins NHRC’s Short Film Award

🔶Tamil Nadu Government Launched “Pudhumai Penn Scheme” For Girl Students

🔷Tamil Nadu Launched Nalaya Thiran Skilling Programme For College Students

🔶Haryana Govt Launches ‘E-Adhigam’ Scheme To Distribute Tablets To Students

Note : World Students day is different from International Students Day 2022.
• South China Sea is an arm of western Pacific Ocean in Southeast Asia.

• Countries bordering the South China Sea: Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand (via the Gulf of Thailand), Singapore, as well as East Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia on Borneo (Kalimantan).

• Two major archipelagos are known as the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands, controlled by China.

• The entire Spratly Islands are claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam, and China, while Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines claim part of the archipelago.

• It is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
In_News: During the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the UAE and Indonesia announced the "Mangrove Alliance for Climate."

• It includes UAE, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain.

• It seeks to educate and spread awareness worldwide on the role of mangroves in curbing global warming and its potential as a solution for climate change.

• Intergovernmental alliance works on a voluntary basis which means that there are no real checks and balances to hold members accountable.

• Instead, the parties will decide their own commitments and deadlines regarding planting and restoring mangroves.

• The members will also share expertise and support each other in researching, managing and protecting coastal areas.

• Hope Spot Network is a joint initiative of Mission Blue & IUCN. 

• A hope spot is an area of an ocean that needs special protection because of its wildlife & significant underwater 
habitats.

• They are chosen for their contributions to biodiversity, the carbon sink, and important habitat.

• They can be Marine Protected Area’s (MPA – defined by IUCN) that need attention or any new sites

Hope Spot Sites from India
• Lakshadweep Islands
• Andaman Nicobar Islands
-Bioprospecting is defined as a systematic and organised search for useful products derived from bioresources including plants, microorganisms, animals, etc., that can be developed further for commercialization and overall benefits of the society.

Biopiracy 
-Biopiracy is defined as the privatisation and unauthorised use of biological resources by entities (including corporations, universities and governments) outside a country which has pre-existing knowledge of rare biological resources. Biopiracy is the theft or usurpation of genetic materials especially plants and other biological materials by the patent process. 

- Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) is planning the 200th successful launch of the Rohini RH-200 sounding rocket.

● RH-200 ➔ Part of the Rohini-sounding rocket family used by the ISRO for atmospheric studies.

● It is a two-stage rocket capable of climbing to a height of 70 km.

● The 200 in the name denotes the diameter of the rocket in mm.

● The first and second stages of RH-200 are powered by solid motors.

ExtraShots - 

Sounding Rocket - 

●One or two-stage solid propellant rockets.

● Serves as platforms for testing prototypes of new components or subsystems.

❇️ 16 November

🤝 International Day For Tolerance
  
🤝 The International Day for Tolerance is an annual observance day declared by UNESCO in 1995 to generate public awareness of the dangers of intolerance.

🗓 TIMELINE
1915
A human rights icon returns
Gandhi returns to India from South Africa to help his homeland fight for freedom through non-violence and tolerance.

1963
A dream is born
Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

1964
The Civil Rights Act is Enacted
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, is established.

🔶 United Nations Educational Scientific And Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
🔹Founded - 4 Nov 1946
🔹HQ - Paris France
🔹DG - Audrey Azouley
🔹MC -193
✍️ 101वें संशोधन अधिनियम, 2016 ने देश में एक नई कर प्रणाली का मार्ग प्रशस्त किया (अर्थात् वस्तु एवं सेवा कर, जीएसटी)। 

✍️ संशोधन द्वारा संविधान में एक नया अनुच्छेद-279ए जोड़ा गया है। यह अनुच्छेद राष्ट्रपति को एक आदेश के द्वारा जीएसटी काउंसिल की स्थापना के लिए शक्तिमत करता है। इसी के अनुसार राष्ट्रपति ने 2016 में अपने आदेश द्वारा काउंसिल की स्थापना की।

✍️ काउंसिल का सचिवालय दिल्ली में स्थित है। केंद्रीय राजस्व सचिव काउंसिल के पदेन सचिव हैं। 

✍️ काउंसिल केन्द्र एवं राज्यों का एक संयुक्त फोरम है, जिसके निम्नलिखित सदस्य होते हैं –
 
A.केन्द्रीय वित्त मंत्री, अध्यक्ष
B.राजस्व अथवा वित्त के प्रभारी केन्द्रीय राज्यमंत्री तथा 
C.प्रत्येक राज्य के वित्त अथवा करारोपण के अथवा राज्य सरकार द्वारा नामित अन्य विभाग के मंत्री।

✍️ काउंसिल के राज्यों से नामित सदस्य आपस में से किसी को काउंसिल का उपाध्यक्ष चुनते हैं। वे उसके कार्यकाल को निर्धारित कर सकते हैं।

GST के अंतर्गत आने वाले कर – 
✍️ केंद्रीय कर - केंद्रीय उत्पाद शुल्क, अतिरिक्त उत्पाद शुल्क, सेवा कर, अतिरिक्त सीमा शुल्क (काउंटरवेलिंग ड्यूटी), विशेष अतिरिक्त सीमा शुल्क, अधिभार एवं उपकर

✍️ राज्य कर – राज्य मूल्य संवर्धन कर (VAT)/बिक्री कर, मनोरंजन कर (स्थानीय निकायों द्वारा लागू करों को छोड़कर), केंद्रीय बिक्री कर (केंद्र द्वारा आरोपित एवं राज्यों द्वारा संग्रहीत), चुंगी और प्रवेश कर, क्रय कर , विलासिता कर, लॉटरी, सट्टा और जुए पर कर 

Important Facts related to Goods and Services Tax Council –

✍️ The 101st Amendment Act, 2016 paved the way for a new tax system in the country (ie Goods and Services Tax, GST).

✍️ A new Article 279A has been added to the Constitution by amendment. This article empowers the President to establish the GST Council by an order. Accordingly, the President established the Council by his order in 2016.

✍️ The Secretariat of the Council is located in Delhi. The Union Revenue Secretary is the ex-officio Secretary of the Council.

✍️ The Council is a joint forum of the Center and the States, consisting of the following members -

A.Union Finance Minister, Chairman

B.Union Minister of State in charge of Revenue or Finance and 

C.Ministers of Finance or Taxation of each State or any other Department nominated by the State Government.

✍️ Nominated members from the Council's states choose from amongst themselves the Vice-Chairman of the Council. They can determine his tenure.

Taxes covered under GST –
✍️ Central Taxes - Central Excise Duty, Additional Excise Duty, Service Tax, Additional Customs Duty (Countervailing Duty), Special Additional Customs Duty, Surcharge and Cess

✍️ State Taxes – State Value Addition Tax (VAT)/Sales Tax, Entertainment Tax (excluding taxes levied by local bodies), Central Sales Tax (levied by the Center and collected by the States), Octroi and Entry Tax, Purchase Tax, Luxury Tax Taxes on Lotteries, Betting and Gambling
✍️ GST को 101वें संविधान संशोधन अधिनियम 2016 के माध्यम से पेश किया गया था। यह देश के सबसे बड़े अप्रत्यक्ष कर सुधारों में से एक है। इसे ‘वन नेशन वन टैक्स’ (One Nation One Tax) के नारे के साथ पेश किया गया था। GST में उत्पाद शुल्क, मूल्यवर्द्धित कर (VAT), सेवा कर, विलासिता कर आदि जैसे अप्रत्यक्ष करों को सम्मिलित किया गया है। जीएसटी कर के व्यापक प्रभाव या कर के भार को कम करता है जो उपभोक्ता पर भारित होता है।

✍️ वस्तु एवं सेवा कर (जी.एस.टी.) घरेलू उपभोग के लिये बेचे जाने वाले अधिकांश वस्तुओं और सेवाओं पर लगाया जाने वाला मूल्यवर्द्धित कर है।

✍️ जीएसटी का भुगतान उपभोक्ताओं द्वारा किया जाता है, लेकिन यह वस्तुओं और सेवाओं को बेचने वाले व्यवसायों द्वारा सरकार को प्रेषित किया जाता है। 

✍️ जीएसटी, जिसने लगभग सभी घरेलू अप्रत्यक्ष करों (पेट्रोलियम, मादक पेय और स्टांप शुल्क प्रमुख अपवाद हैं) को एक मंच के अंर्तगत समाहित कर दिया, शायद यह स्वतंत्र भारत के इतिहास में सबसे बड़ा कर सुधार है। 

✍️ 1 जुलाई 2017 को भारत के ऐतिहासिक संघीय अप्रत्यक्ष कर जी.एस.टी को सरकार द्वारा पूरे देश में लागू किया गया। 

✍️ 101वां संविधान संशोधन अधिनियम भारतीय अप्रत्यक्ष कर प्रणाली को सरल, मितव्ययी, कुशल एवं व्यावहारिक बनाने हेतु वस्तु एवं सेवा कर का प्रावधान करता है।

✍️ जीएसटी एक अप्रत्यक्ष कर है, जिसने अपने पूर्ववर्ती अधिकांश अप्रत्यक्ष करों को प्रतिस्थापित कर एकल कर संरचना (अप्रत्यक्ष कर के संदर्भ में) को स्थापित किया है।

✍️ वस्तु के निर्माण या वस्तुओं की बिक्री या सेवाओं के प्रावधान पर पुरानी अवधारणा के विपरीत वस्तुओं या सेवाओं की 'आपूर्ति' पर जीएसटी लागू है।

✍️ जीएसटी पूरे देश में एक समान दर से लागू होने के कारण संपूर्ण भारत को एकीकृत साझा बाजार बनाने, स्वस्थ प्रतिस्पर्धाओं को बढ़ावा देने तथा उपभोक्ता एवं उत्पादकों के हितों का संरक्षण भी करता है।

✍️ भारतीय संघीय ढांचे के दृष्टिगत GST के दो घटक हैं – केंद्रीय जीएसटी (CGST) तथा राज्य जीएसटी (SGST)।

✍️ किसी राज्य क्षेत्र में हुए लेन-देन पर केंद्र और राज्य दोनों एक साथ मूल्य श्रृंखला पर वस्तु एवं सेवा कर लगाते हैं।

✍️ केंद्र CGST लगाता है और कर संग्रह करता है, जबकि राज्य SGST लगाते हैं और उसका संग्रहण करते हैं।

✍️ CGST, SGST व IGST केंद्र और राज्यों द्वारा पारस्परिक रूप से सहमत दरों पर लगाए जाते हैं। जीएसटी परिषद की सिफारिश पर दरें अधिसूचित की जाती हैं। बेस्ट स्टडी चैनल-स्टडी फॉर सिविल सर्विसेज

✍️ GST मूल-आधारित कराधान के सिद्धांत के विपरीत गंतव्य-आधारित उपभोग कराधान के सिद्धांत पर आधारित है।

✍️ वस्तुओं एवं सेवाओं के अंतरराज्यीय व्यापार पर अनुच्छेद 269 (1) के तहत एकीकृत वस्तु एवं सेवा कर (IGST) लगाया जाता है। यह CGST एवं SGST के योग के बराबर होता है। IGST केन्द्र द्वारा लगाया और संग्रही किया जाता है तथा यह केंद्र एवं राज्यों के मध्य वितरित कर दिया जाता है।

✍️ 101वें संविधान संशोधन अधिनियम की धारा 18 में जीएसटी के लागू होने के कारण राज्यों को हुए राजस्व नुकासन की भरपाई के संदर्भ में प्रावधान किया गया है।
✍️ 15वें वित्त आयोग ने जीएसटी शासन में कर दरों की बहुलता, पूर्वानुमान के मुकाबले जीएसटी संग्रह में कमी, जीएसटी संग्रह में उच्च अस्थिरता, रिटर्न दाखिल करने में असंगति, मुआवज़े को लेकर केंद्र पर राज्यों की निर्भरता आदि विभिन्न क्षेत्रों पर प्रकाश डाला था।

Most Important Facts related to Goods and Services Tax (GST)

✍️ GST was introduced through the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act 2016. This is one of the biggest indirect tax reforms in the country. It was introduced with the slogan 'One Nation One Tax'. Indirect taxes like Excise Duty, Value Added Tax (VAT), Service Tax, Luxury Tax etc. have been subsumed in GST. GST reduces the cascading effect of tax or the burden of tax which is passed on to the consumer.

✍️ Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a value-added tax levied on most goods and services sold for domestic consumption.

✍️ GST is paid by consumers, but it is remitted to the government by businesses selling goods and services.

✍️ The GST, which subsumed almost all domestic indirect taxes (petroleum, alcoholic beverages and stamp duty being the major exceptions) under one platform, is perhaps the biggest tax reform in the history of independent India.

✍️ Goods and Services Tax became effective across the country from 1st July 2017.

✍️ The 101st Constitutional Amendment Act provides for Goods and Services Tax to make the Indian indirect tax system simple, economical, efficient and practical.

✍️ GST is an indirect tax, which has established a single tax structure (in the context of indirect tax) by replacing most of its predecessor indirect taxes.

✍️ GST is applicable on 'supply' of goods or services as opposed to the old concept on manufacture or sale of goods or provision of services.

✍️ GST being implemented at a uniform rate across the country, makes India a unified common market, promotes healthy competition and also protects the interests of consumers and producers.

✍️ In the Indian federal structure, GST has two components – Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST).

✍️ Goods and Services Tax is levied on the value chain by both the Center and the states together on transactions done in a territory. best study channel-study for civil services

✍️ The Center levies and collects CGST, while the States levy and collect SGST.

✍️ CGST, SGST and IGST are levied by the Center and the States at mutually agreed rates. The rates are notified on the recommendation of the GST Council.

✍️ GST is based on the principle of destination-based consumption taxation as opposed to origin-based taxation.

✍ Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) is levied under Article 269 (1) on inter-state trade of goods and services. It is equal to the sum of CGST and SGST. IGST is levied and collected by the Center and it is distributed between the Center and the States.

✍️ In section 18 of the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, a provision has been made in respect of compensation for the loss of revenue to the states due to the implementation of GST.

✍️ The 15th Finance Commission had highlighted various areas in the GST regime, such as multiplicity of tax rates, lower GST collections than forecast, high volatility in GST collections, inconsistency in filing returns, dependence of states on the Center for compensation, etc.
● Quark ➔ fundamental constituent of matter and is defined as an elementary particle.

● Quarks ➔ combine to produce composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are neutrons and protons which are the components of atomic nuclei.

● Interact with the strong nuclear force.

● Protons and neutrons belong to the category of Quarks.

● Plant tissue culture ➔ technique of in vitro growing cells, tissues, organs, etc.

● Through tissue culture whole plants could be regenerated from explants, i.e., any part of a plant taken out and grown in a test tube, under sterile conditions in special nutrient media. 

● This capacity to generate a whole plant from any cell/explant is called totipotency.

● Even if the plant is infected with a virus, the meristem (apical and axillary) is free of virus. 

●Hence, one can remove the meristem and grow it in vitro to obtain virus-free plants. 

● Scientists have succeeded in culturing meristems of banana, sugarcane, potato, etc.

An account that can be opened with an Indian bank by a Non Resident Indian or a Person of Indian Origin in foreign currency is FCNR (B) account. The letter B in FCNR (B) stands for the word ‘Bank’. It is an account that allows the NRI to keep his deposits in foreign currency. Hassles of conversion can be reduced through such types of accounts.

✍️Features of FCNR account

➖The account is maintained in foreign currency. Pound sterling, Australian dollar, Canadian dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, United States dollar are few currency types in which an FCNR account can be opened today.
➖The account can be opened by a Non Resident Indian or Person of Indian origin and only an NRI or PIO can be joint holder to this account.
➖Only term deposit schemes are available to this account type and the period can be more than a year and a maximum of 5 years. If the account holder so wishes these accounts can also be transferred to other NRE/➖FCNR accounts before maturity period. Such transfers are subjected to penalties that are charged for premature withdrawals of the deposit.
➖Currency in the account is convertible to Indian currency freely.
➖Overseas corporate bodies (OCB) with at least 60% of the corporate body owned by NRIs were allowed to avail FCNR deposit schemes (prior September 2003). As on today the already existing FCNR accounts of OCBs can run till maturity but further renewal may not be possible.
➖Reserve Bank of India states that interest rate on term deposit schemes are to be fixed by board of directors of the bank (subject to RBI regulations).
➖Interest rate on term deposit is payable after the end of first year and the interest from there on is compounded half yearly.
➖Premature withdrawals of term deposit is allowed in this type of account and loss on interest earned, charges for swapping etc in the name of penalty is fixed by the bank where the term deposit is held. Instructions related to such penalties are mentioned by the bank in terms and conditions before the person opens an FCNR account. The same is applicable for account transfers from existing FCNR to other NRE/FCNR account.
➖Renewal of term deposits is possible on maturity and the person who is willing to renew has to renew the account within 14 days after maturity. If not then the bank will have the flexibility to fix interest rate on further renewal and also if such renewed accounts are withdrawn before a fixed overdue period of scheme, then the banks can take back the interest paid in overdue period.
➖Loans can be purchased against FCNR accounts and banks will have the right to change interest rate on term deposit schemes when a loan is taken against this account.
➖Loans from Indian banks in foreign currency are permissible against this account for an investment purpose in India. 

✍️Documents required for opening an FCNR (B) account:-

➖Photocopy of passport of the account proposer
➖Photocopy of Visa of the account proposer
➖Statements from bank accounts held overseas
➖A proof of current residence (foreign)
While FERA is an Act of the Parliament introduced in the year 1973, with an intent to manage and conserve India’s foreign reserves, the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) is an extension to the already existing law. The purpose behind the enactment of FEMA was not only to regulate and facilitate foreign exchange but also for promoting foreign trade and payments along with escalating the size of foreign exchange reserves in India. Promulgated in the year 1999, FEMA, unlike the erstwhile law, liberalised the foreign exchange controls and restrictions on foreign investments to a significant extent.

Not only this, but the latter also laid stress on systematic development and proper management of the forex market in the country. Unlike FERA, the violation of FEMA is a compoundable offence, the charges of which can be removed. Besides this, there are different retributions for contravening the provisions of FERA and FEMA.
Exchange Earners’ Foreign Currency Account (EEFC) is an account maintained in foreign currency with an Authorised Dealer Category – I bank i.e. a bank authorized to deal in foreign exchange. It is a facility provided to the foreign exchange earners, including exporters, to credit 100 per cent of their foreign exchange earnings to the account, so that the account holders do not have to convert foreign exchange into Rupees and vice versa, thereby minimizing the transaction costs.

You can open an EEFC account in the following currencies:
➖United States Dollar (USD)
➖EURO
➖Great Britain Pound (GBP)
➖Japanese Yen (JPY)
➖Swiss Franc (CHF)
➖Singapore Dollar (SGD)
➖Canadian Dollar (CAD)
➖Australian Dollar (AUD)
➖United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)
➖New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
➖Swedish kroner (SEK)
➖Saudi Riyal (SAR)
➖Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
➖Thai Baht (THB)
➖Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)
➖South African Rand (SAR)
➖Norwegian Kroner (NOK)

Who can open an EEFC account?
All categories of foreign exchange earners, such as individuals, companies, etc., who are resident in India, may open EEFC accounts.

Can interest be paid on these accounts?
An EEFC account can be held only in the form of a current account. No interest is payable on EEFC accounts.

How much of one’s foreign exchange earnings can be credited into an EEFC account?
100% foreign exchange earnings can be credited to the EEFC account subject to the condition that the sum total of the accruals in the account during a calendar month should be converted into Rupees on or before the last day of the succeeding calendar month after adjusting for utilization of the balances for approved purposes or forward commitments.

Is there any Cheque facility available?
Cheque facility is available for operation of the EEFC account.

 What are the permissible credits into this account?

 i) Inward remittance through normal banking channels, other than remittances received on account of foreign currency loan or investment received from abroad or received for meeting specific obligations by the account holder;

ii) Payments received in foreign exchange by a 100 per cent Export Oriented Unit or a unit in (a) Export Processing Zone or (b) Software Technology Park or (c) Electronic Hardware Technology Park for supply of goods to similar such units or to a unit in Domestic Tariff Area;

iii) Payments received in foreign exchange by a unit in the Domestic Tariff Area for supply of goods to a unit in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ);

iv) Payment received by an exporter from an account maintained with an authorised dealer for the purpose of counter trade. (Counter trade is an arrangement involving adjustment of value of goods imported into India against value of goods exported from India in terms of the Reserve Bank guidelines);

v) Advance remittance received by an exporter towards export of goods or services;

vi) Payment received for export of goods and services from India, out of funds representing repayment of State Credit in U.S. Dollar held in the account of Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs, Moscow, with an authorised dealer in India;

vii) Professional earnings including directors’ fee, consultancy fee, lecture fee, honorarium and similar other earnings received by a professional by rendering services in his individual capacity;

viii) Re-credit of unutilised foreign currency earlier withdrawn from the account;

ix) Amount representing repayment by the account holder’s importer customer in respect of trade related loan/advances granted by the exporter (subject to compliance with the extant guidelines) holding EEFC account; and

x) The disinvestment proceeds received by the resident account holder on conversion of shares held by him to ADRs/GDRs under the Sponsored ADR/GDR Scheme approved by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board of the Government of India.

What is a Bad Bank? 

Banks drive the nation’s economy, however many times the borrowers find it difficult to service their loans. It requires the lenders to set aside the capital to cover the losses. This is when the bad bank comes into the picture to help them free up to start lending. A bad bank is an Asset Reconstruction Company in other words.

👉🏻Key Points: Bad Bank

➖The bad bank does not involve itself in lending and taking deposits, but it helps to make commercial banks clear their balance sheets and resolve bad loans.

➖The process of taking over bad loans is generally below the book value of the loan

➖Bad bank tries to recover as much as possible from those bad loans

➖Mellon Bank based in the USA was the first one in this field. It is referred to as the first bad bank in 1988. 

➖A bad bank aids a bank to segregate its good assets from the bad ones which make it easier to raise capital through equity or debt.

👉🏻What is the Significance?

The toxic assets separation helps in generating some confidence among potential investors so that they can then clearly examine the financial health of the lender. Sour loans when transferred to a bad bank can help lenders prioritize their financing business and the specialized institution deals with maximizing loan recovery.

👉🏻The requirement of bad bank :

➖The lockdown that was imposed due to pandemic to curb covid spread has crimped the earnings of the businesses and individuals. It impaired their ability to repay loans which caused a hike in non-performing assets of banks. The corporate sector has come under the debt of INR 15.52 lakh crore.

➖Despite the regulatory forbearance as a loan moratorium, borrowers are finding it difficult to service their loans. This then requires lenders to set aside their capital to cover such losses. A bad bank can provide them with the freedom to restart lending.

➖The RBI in its recent FSR informed that the gross NPAs in the banking sector was expected to shoot up to 13.5% of advances by September 2021, from 7.5% in the previous year.

👉🏻Challenges of Bad Bank:

➖The major issue would be of finding buyers in the pandemic hit economy. The government is itself facing fiscal deficits at present

➖Without governance reforms, the Public sector banks would continue doing business in the same way as in the past. It may also end up piling-up bad debts again.

➖Union Government has already infused almost 2.6 lakh crore in banks through recapitalisation so now bad banks would do no better as per many economists. 

➖Bad banks can also ease off the banks of their moral responsibility and let them lend without any commitment to clear their NPAs.

▪️First bank in India- Bank of Hindustan (1770)

▪️First Bank managed by Indians- Oudh Commercial Bank

▪️First Bank with Indian capital- Punjab National Bank (Founder of the Bank is Lala Lajpat Rai)

▪️First Foreign Bank in India – HSBC

▪️First bank to get ISO certificate – Canara Bank

▪️First Indian bank outside India –Bank of India

▪️First Bank to introduce ATM – HSBC (1987, Mumbai)

▪️First Bank to have joint stock public bank (Oldest) – Allahabad Bank

▪️First Universal bank – ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India)

▪️First bank to introduce saving account – Presidency Bank (1833)

▪️First Bank to introduce Cheque system – Bengal Bank (1833)

▪️First bank to give internet banking facility – ICICI

▪️First bank to sell mutual funds – State Bank of India

▪️First bank to issue credit cards - Central Bank of India

▪️First Rural Regional Bank (Grameen Bank) – Prathama Bank (sponsored by Syndicate Bank)

▪️First bank to get ‘in principle’ banking license – IDFC and Bandhan Bank

▪️First Bank to introduce merchant banking in India – Grind lays bank

▪️First bank to introduce block chain technology – ICICI

▪️First bank to introduce voice biometric – Citi Bank

▪️First bank to introduce robot in banking service- HDFC

✔️ Miscellaneous points:

▪️Largest public sector bank in India – State Bank of India

▪️Largest private sector bank in India – ICICI

▪️Largest foreign bank in India – Standard Chartered Bank

▪️Bank with more branches in India – State Bank of India

✅Bancassurance✅

In India banking and insurance sectors are regulated by two different entities. The banking sector is governed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the insurance sector is regulated by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA).

RBI recognized the need of an effective method to make insurance policies reach people of all economic classes in every corner of the nation. Insurance companies proposed to bring insurance products into the lives of the common man by making them available at the most basic financial point, the local bank branch, through Bancassurance.

Bancassurance, i.e., banc + assurance, refers to banks selling the insurance products. Bancassurance term first appeared in France in 1980, to define the sale of insurance products through banks’ distribution channels (SCOR 2003).

According to IRDA, ‘bancassurance’ refers to banks acting as corporate agents for insurers to distribute insurance products.

Advantage :-
➖Through this new distribution network, the insurance company significantly extends its customer base and enjoys access to customers who were previously difficult to reach. An insurance company can establish itself more quickly in a new market, using a local bank’s existing network.
➖The bank sees bancassurance as a way of creating a new revenue flow and diversifying its business activities. The bank becomes a sort of “supermarket”, a “one-stop shop” for financial services, where all customers’ needs – whether financial or insurance- related – can be met.

RBI Guidelines for the Banks to enter into Insurance Business

Following the issuance of Government of India Notification dated August 3, 2000, specifying ‘Insurance’ as a permissible form of business that could be undertaken by banks under Section 6(1)(o) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, RBI issued the guidelines on Insurance business for banks.

1. Any scheduled commercial bank would be permitted to undertake insurance business as agent of insurance companies on fee basis, without any risk participation. The subsidiaries of banks will also be allowed to undertake distribution of insurance product on agency basis.

2. Banks which satisfy the eligibility criteria given below will be permitted to set up a joint venture company for undertaking insurance business with risk participation, subject to safeguards. The maximum equity contribution such a bank can hold in the joint venture company will normally be 50 per cent of the paid-up capital of the insurance company. On a selective basis the Reserve Bank of India may permit a higher equity contribution by a promoter bank initially, pending divestment of equity within the prescribed period (see Note 1 below).

The eligibility criteria for joint venture participant are as under:

i. The net worth of the bank should not be less than Rs.500 crore;
ii. The CRAR of the bank should not be less than 10 per cent;
iii. The level of non-performing assets should be reasonable;
iv. The bank should have net profit for the last three consecutive years;
v. The track record of the performance of the subsidiaries, if any, of the concerned bank should be satisfactory.

3. In cases where a foreign partner contributes 26 per cent of the equity with the approval of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority/Foreign Investment Promotion Board, more than one public sector bank or private sector bank may be allowed to participate in the equity of the insurance joint venture. As such participants will also assume insurance risk, only those banks which satisfy the criteria given in paragraph 2 above, would be eligible.

4. A subsidiary of a bank or of another bank will not normally be allowed to join the insurance company on risk participation basis. Subsidiaries would include bank subsidiaries undertaking merchant banking, securities, mutual fund, leasing finance, housing finance business, etc.

✅Bancassurance✅

5. Banks which are not eligible for ‘joint venture’ participant as above, can make investments up to 10% of the net worth of the bank or Rs.50 crore, whichever is lower, in the insurance company for providing infrastructure and services support. Such participation shall be treated as an investment and should be without any contingent liability for the bank.

The eligibility criteria for these banks will be as under :

i. The CRAR of the bank should not be less than 10%;
ii. The level of NPAs should be reasonable;
iii. The bank should have net profit for the last three consecutive years.

6. All banks entering into insurance business will be required to obtain prior approval of the Reserve Bank. The Reserve Bank will give permission to banks on case to case basis keeping in view all relevant factors including the position in regard to the level of non-performing assets of the applicant bank so as to ensure that non-performing assets do not pose any future threat to the bank in its present or the proposed line of activity, viz., insurance business. It should be ensured that risks involved in insurance business do not get transferred to the bank and that the banking business does not get contaminated by any risks which may arise from insurance business. There should be ‘arms length’ relationship between the bank and the insurance outfit.

For banks it just acts as a means of product diversification and additional fee income; for insurance company it acts as a tool for increasing their market penetration and premium turnover and for customer it acts as a bonanza in terms of reduced price, high quality products and delivery to doorsteps. So every body is a winner here.
● Common Herb of the Himalayas, locally called as Nagchatri. 

● IUCN status : endangered

● Found in temperate and sub-alpine zones of the Himalayas at an altitude from 2,400-4,000 metres above sea level. 

● Application : traditional medicine to cure diseases like dysentery, wounds, skin boils, inflammation, sepsis, as well as menstrual and sexual disorders.

The Punjab government recently announced incentives for farmers opting for Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR).

● Traditional Way - the paddy seeds are first sown in the nurseries and raised into young plants.

● Direct Seeding of Rice (DRS): No nursery preparation or transplantation. The seeds are instead directly drilled into the field.

● DSR technique ➔ less time consuming and labour intensive than the conventional practice.

● Helps in saving irrigation water, lesser weed problem,reduced incidence of nutrient deficiency, lesser leaching of nutrients and deeper root development.

ExtraShots - 

Rice - 
● Staple food for most of the population in India.

● Kharif crop - requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.

● About one-fourth of the total cropped area in India is under rice cultivation.

● India is the second-largest producer of rice after China.

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