DAILYGK 25-26 AUG 2024

 DAILYGK 25-26 AUG 2024 

1.       PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI VISIT TO POLAND AND UKRAINE

·         Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India, visited Poland at the invitation of Donald Tusk, PM of Poland.
He also visited Ukraine at the invitation of VolodymyrZelenskyy, President of Ukraine.

·         This marks the first visit by an Indian PM to Poland in the past 45 years since Morarji Desai in 1979.

·         Modi’s visit to Ukraine marks the first visit of an Indian PM to the country since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1992.

·         India and Poland have decided to upgrade the India-Poland bilateral relations as a “Strategic Partnership” to strengthen the cooperation across various sectors.

·         To implement the Strategic Partnership, both India and Poland have agreed to a five-year Joint Action Plan for 2024-2028.

·         Indian PM Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have formalised four key agreements focusing on agriculture, medicine, culture & humanitarian assistance.

·         Ukraine Capital – Kyiv

·         Currency– Ukrainian hryvnia

·         Poland Capital– Warsaw

·         Currency– Polish zÅ‚oty

 

2.       JAPAN-INDIA 2+2 FOREIGN AND DEFENCE MINISTERIAL MEETING

·         Third Japan-India 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting was held in New Delhi, Delhi.

·         The dialogue emphasised the importance of a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, with both countries confirming their commitment to strengthening their partnership.

·         The meeting further deepens the defence cooperation and brings greater depth to the ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership (SGSP)’ between India and Japan.

 


3.       RBI CANCELS REGISTRATION OF MARGDARSHAK FINANCIAL SERVICES 

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the Certificate of Registration (CoR) issued to the Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh, UP)-headquartered Margdarshak Financial Services Limited (MFSL) due to high net Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) and repayment defaults to lenders.

·         Company failed to maintain the required Net Owned Fund (NOF) of Rs 5 crore and a minimum Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 15% stipulated for the Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)-Micro Finance Institution (MFI).

 

4.       5 NEW DISTRICTS IN LADAKH 

·         The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), announced the creation of 5 new districts in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh, namely, ZanskarDrassShamNubra, and Changthang. With the formation of the new districts, Ladakh’s total number of districts has increased to 7.

·         Currently, Ladakh has only 2 districts, Leh and Kargil, both managed by its autonomous district council.

·         Ladakh has been demanding inclusion in the sixth schedule of the Indian Constitution to protect its tribal identity, culture, land, and resources.

·         Ladakh was previously part of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

·         In 2019, the Union government repealed Article 370, revoking J&K’s special status.

·         On 9th August 2019, the Parliament bifurcated the State of J&K into 2 UTs by passing the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

·         The 1st assembly elections of J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 are scheduled to be held in September 2024. Polling will occur in 3 phases: September 18, 25, and October 1.

 

5.       MORTH LAUNCHES VEHICLE SCRAPPING POLICY 

·         The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has launched the Vehicle Scrapping Policy or Voluntary Vehicle Modernization Program(VVMP) to create an ecosystem for phasing out unfit polluting vehicles across India.

·         This policy will be implemented through a network of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) and Automated Testing Stations (ATSs).

·         The policy notified state governments to offer a concession on motor vehicle tax of up to 25 % for non-transport vehicles, and up to 15 % on transport vehicles.

·         Vehicle Scrapping Policy: The manufacturers of Commercial and Passenger Vehicle have agreed to offer discounts for a limited period against a Certificate of Deposit (Scrappage Certificate).

·         The details of the scrapped vehicle to be linked in the Vahan system.

·         Vahan’ is the name of the national vehicle register, which aims to compile all information accessible from road transport authorities for easy access by citizens and regulators.

·         The only discount that applies is the scrappage discount because the car is only being scrapped and not traded.

 

6.       ‘SHE-BOX PORTAL’ TO ENHANCE WORKPLACE SAFETY FOR WOMEN

·         Union Minister Annapurna Devi, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) has launched the ‘SHe-Box portal’, a centralized platform for registering and monitoring complaints of sexual harassment of women at the workplace, during the launch event held in New Delhi

·         The She-Box Portal acts as a centralised repository for information about Internal Committees (ICs) and Local Committees (LCs) formed across India, covering both the public and private sectors.

·         The portal will allow women to file complaints, track their status, and ensure a time-bound processing of complaints by ICs.

·         It also includes a designated Nodal Officer to enable real-time monitoring of complaints, resulting in a faster and assured redressal process.