1 Five countries became full members of BRICS, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE got place.
The BRICS grouping of top emerging economies including India, Russia and China has announced the inclusion of five full members in an effort to enhance its strategic power in the backdrop of Western dominance in global affairs. As soon as Russia took over the chairmanship of BRICS, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the grouping has now become an organization of 10 countries , in which Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have joined as new members. At the grouping’s summit in Johannesburg in August, top BRICS leaders approved a proposal to include six countries, including Argentina, in the grouping from January 1. However, Argentina ‘s new President, Javier Miley, last week announced the withdrawal of his country’s proposal to become a member of BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) .
2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays the foundation stone of development projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crore in Tamil Nadu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several development projects worth more than Rs 20 thousand crore in Tiruchirappalli , Tamil Nadu . These include projects related to aviation, rail, road, oil and gas and shipping and higher education. He also inaugurated the new terminal building at Tiruchirappalli International Airport built at a cost of over Rs 1,100 crore.
3 Indian scientists develop eco-friendly solar cell material
Indian researchers have created a novel solar harvesting material that uses green magnesium in place of toxic lead . This marks a significant breakthrough for affordable and sustainable photovoltaics . Perovskite solar cells have shown tremendous efficiency at low cost. Mainstream versions use formulations containing toxic lead – hazardous to health and the environment. Scientists from the International Advanced Research Center for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials in Hyderabad solved this challenge. They synthesized a new perovskite material by swapping half the lead for abundant, non-toxic magnesium while maintaining efficiency.
4 Uttar Pradesh tops in use of criminal justice data platforms: Report
Uttar Pradesh ranks first for the third consecutive year in recording the highest usage of India’s Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) . This digital platform enables seamless data sharing across courts, police, prisons and forensic laboratories. Uttar Pradesh has recorded more than 1.56 crore ICJS entries. Widespread adoption allows police to use advanced analytics to predict and control crime. Prosecutions and courts also benefit from ready data access.
5. 37 more technical products have been brought under Saral Certification Scheme by the Department of Telecommunications from January 1 this year.
The Department of Telecommunications has brought 37 more technical products under the Saral Certification Scheme from January 1 this year . This will reduce the time taken for certification from eight weeks to two weeks and will encourage ease of doing business. These technology products include media gateways, IP security equipment, IP terminals, optical fiber and transmission terminal equipment etc. The total number of technical products covered under this scheme has increased from 12 to 49. A statement from the Ministry of Communications said that only administrative charges will be levied by the technical wing, Telecom Engineering Centre. The Ministry has informed that the assessment fee has been completely waived off. This is a big relief for Original Equipment Manufacturers or applicants as this will reduce the application fee by 80 percent.
6. More than one crore people have been screened under the National Mission to Eradicate Sickle Cell Anemia
More than one crore people have been screened under the National Mission to Eradicate Sickle Cell Anemia . The Health Ministry has said that the objective of this mission is to screen seven crore people in three years . Sickle cell disease is a blood-related genetic disease that affects the entire life of the patient. It is commonly seen in the tribal population of the country, but now it is also being seen in areas other than tribal areas. The National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 1 last year from Shahdol , Madhya Pradesh . This program is being run on mission mode in tribal areas and other areas prone to this disease. Under this, patients with sickle cell anemia are examined, prevented and managed. Under the mission, the focus is on 278 districts in 17 states where the risk of sickle cell disease is very high.
7 Lithium-deal with Argentina
The Ministry of Mines , Government of India , through state-owned Mineral Videsh India Limited (KABIL) entered into a draft exploration and development agreement with Argentine miner CAMYEN for the possible acquisition and development of five-odd lithium blocks. Is. The company has also entered into a non-disclosure agreement with Chilean miner ENAMI for “ potential exploration, extraction, processing and commercialization ” of the mineral. Lithium is an alkali mineral, also known as ‘white gold’. It is a soft, silvery-white metal, the lightest metal in the periodic table.
8 Kerala government launches K-Smart app
Recently, the Government of Kerala has launched the Kerala Solutions for Managing Administrative Reformation and Transformation ( K -SMART ) application, which provides all the services of the three-tier local self-government institutions in an integrated digital platform. Will provide the platform. It aims to bridge the existing digital gap and benefit migrants especially by eliminating the need for physical visits to government offices. Specifically, K-SMART’s technology framework covers a range of cutting-edge topics such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, GIS, chatbots, machine learning and IoT.
9 Felix Tshisekedi elected as President of the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is once again in the headlines as President Felix Tshisekedi has won a closely contested election on December 20. However, the results have been condemned by various opposition candidates, who have described the election as a “sham” and called for re-election. President Tshisekedi emerged victorious with almost 73% of the vote, beating his nearest rival, Moise Katumbi, with 18% of the vote.
10 Haryana Government has announced to provide cashless medical facility for government employees and their dependents on the occasion of New Year.
Haryana Government has announced to provide cashless medical facility for government employees and their dependents on the occasion of New Year . Governor Bandaru Dattatreya inaugurated this medical facility under the Ayushman Bharat scheme . Chief Minister Manohar Lal was also present on this occasion . During the inaugural programme, the Governor and the Chief Minister also symbolically distributed Ayushman cards to the beneficiaries. The state government had started this program as an experiment in November last year. Initially this facility was provided to the employees of Fisheries and Horticulture Departments. This has now been extended to all regular employees. According to the existing provisions, six major life-threatening diseases will be treated in this scheme. These include treatment facilities for heart disease, cerebral palsy, coma, electric shock, cancer and all types of accidents.
11 Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of 100% shareholding of GVK Power (Goindwal Sahib) Limited by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed acquisition of 100 per cent shareholding of GVK Power (Goindwal Sahib) Limited by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited . Punjab State Power Corporation Limited is a wholly owned undertaking of the Government of Punjab. GVK Power (Goindwal Sahib) Limited, incorporated in December 1997, is a wholly owned subsidiary of GVK Energy Limited which in turn is a subsidiary of GVK Power & Infrastructure Limited.
12 ITC ties up with Microsoft and Skymet to protect tobacco farmers from climate challenges
ITC has joined hands with Microsoft and Skymet to address the growing challenges faced by tobacco farmers in India due to climate change . The adverse effects of climate change on agriculture are well known, and the tobacco sector is no exception, leading to an estimated loss of ₹800-900 crore in export revenue. Highlighting the seriousness of the situation, H N Ramprasad, chief executive of ITC’s tobacco business, points to the real impacts on farmers in Karnataka. Their tobacco production fell to 60 million kg, well below the limit of 90-100 million kg set by the Tobacco Board in both 2021 and 2022.
13 Rashmi Govil will be the next Human Resources Director of IOC
Rashmi Govil will be the new Director (Human Resources) of public sector Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) . According to the notification of the government employer Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), his name has been recommended for this post. The notification said that PESB interviewed a total of 11 candidates including five IOC employees for this post and after this Rashmi Govil was appointed. He is currently the Executive Director (HRD & ER) in IOC. Govil will replace Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra. She joined IOC in 1994 and has been with the company for almost three decades.
14 UPI did record transactions of ₹18 lakh crore in 2023, up 42% year-on-year
In December , UPI transactions reached a staggering Rs 18 lakh crore, an impressive growth of 42% year-on-year . A significant increase of 54% was observed in transaction volume, which totaled Rs 1,202 crore. Notably, the month-on-month growth in UPI transaction volume was 7%. Despite missing the target of 100 crore daily transactions set by NPCI at the beginning of the year, UPI still achieved an impressive average of 40 crore daily transactions in December. This marks significant progress in the adoption of digital payments.
15 Record growth of ₹3 lakh crore in Mudra loans in Q3FY24
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) hit a record ₹3 lakh crore in loans in December 2023 , showing a strong growth of 16% year-on-year . Women entrepreneurs play an important role by securing 70% of the loans . In a promising development of the new year for small businesses, loans disbursed under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) have increased to an unprecedented ₹3 lakh crore in December 2023, showing a remarkable growth of 16% year-on-year. Is. The latest data shows that sanctioned loans have reached ₹2,99,457 crore, a week before the third quarter of the current financial year ends on December 22, 2023. This has crossed the figure of ₹2.58 lakh crore during the same period of the last financial year. Provisional data indicates that the ₹3 lakh crore milestone was crossed by December 29, marking a strong performance