Aadhaar-based authentication framework for Cooperative Banks
UIDAI unveiled framework after consultations with Ministry of Cooperation, NABARD and other stakeholders.
About the Framework
- Objective: To enable co-operative banks to leverage Aadhaar-based authentication services for customer onboarding and Aadhar Enabled payment System (AePS) for delivery of financial service to underserved populations.
- Process: Only the State Cooperative Banks (SCB) will be registered with UIDAI as Authentication User Agencies and eKYC User Agencies.
- A new identification is proposed to be given to District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) called as ''DCB-ID'’ which will act as internal identifier for the SCBs
- Tags :
- UIDAI
- Aadhar Enabled payment System (AePS)
Articles Sources
International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)
India has extended privileges and immunities (legal safeguards) to the IBCA and its officials which are normally granted to representatives of UN organisations.
About IBCA
- Genesis: It was launched in 2023 in India during the event ‘Commemorating 50 years of Project Tiger’.
- Establishment: by Government of India, through National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC)
- It is a multi-country, multi-agency coalition of 95 big cat range countries and non-range countries with an interest in big cat conservation.
- Objective: Conservation of 7 big cats - Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma .
- Headquartered in India.
- Members: 12 countries (including India).
- Tags :
- International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)
- 7 big cats
Indo – Dutch Strategic Water Partnership
Union Government informed the Rajya Sabha about the ongoing Strategic Partnership on Water (SWP) between India and the Netherlands.
About Indo-Dutch Strategic Water Partnership
- Signed: In 2022 between Ministry of Jal Shakti (India) and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Netherlands).
- Objective: To intensify and expand bilateral cooperation between India and the Netherlands in water management, focusing on water safety, availability, and quality.
- Centre of Excellence (CoE): An Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence on Water has been established in collaboration with IIT Delhi and the Government of Netherlands.
- Key Focus Areas: Urban water and river management, Artificial Intelligence and Geospatial Technologies, water quality, and river economy.
- Tags :
- Strategic Partnership on Water (SWP)
- India and the Netherlands
Articles Sources
SMILE scheme
Government of India launched a 15-day Entrepreneurship Development Programme under the SMILE scheme to empower transgender persons through self-employment and livelihood opportunities.
About SMILE scheme
- It stands for Support for Marginalized Individual for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme
- Type: Central Sector Scheme
- Ministry- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
- It encompasses two subschemes:
- Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons &
- Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging
- Measures taken - rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counseling, education, skill development, economic linkages etc
- Tags :
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
- SMILE scheme
Articles Sources
Registrar General of India
RGI asked States to take steps towards achieving universal registration of births and deaths.
About RGI
- Appointed under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.
- Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Key Responsibilities
- Housing & Population Census: Under Census Act, 1948.
- Civil Registration System (CRS): Under the Registration of Births & Deaths (RBD) Act (1969) which provides for the compulsory registration of births and deaths.
- Others: Sample Registration System, National Population Register, Mother Tongue Survey, etc.
- Tags :
- Civil Registration System (CRS)
- Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
NATO
NATO is considering establishing a logistics base in Sweden.
About NATO
- It is a political and military alliance of countries from Europe and North America.
- Founded: in April 1949 with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty
- Headquarter: Brussels, Belgium
- Members: 32 at present
- The last member to join NATO was Sweden (2024).
- Objectives: Formed to provide collective security against the Soviet Union then, presently Its members are committed to protecting each other from any threat.
- Article 5: It says that an armed attack against one or more members will be considered an attack against all.
- Tags :
- NATO
- North Atlantic Treaty
Dal Lake
Dal Lake is hosting first-ever Khelo India water games.
About Dal Lake
- Location: Eastern part of the Srinagar city in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, on the right bank of Jhelum.
- It covers an area of 18 square kilometers and is part of a natural wetland which covers 21.1 square kilometers including its floating gardens.
- It is fed by the “Arrah” river, flows in a northerly extremity through a dark and deep channel called Tel Bal.
- The wetland is divided by causeways into four basins - Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal, and Nagin.
- Tags :
- Wetland
- Dal Lake
Uniform Renewable Energy Tariff (URET)
URET Mechanism has been scrapped by Ministry of power.
About URET
- URET aimed to provide a uniform tariff to consumers by averaging competitive bid tariffs of similar renewable energy projects within central pools.
- It aimed to address potential impacts on procurers resulting from declining bid-discovered prices.
- Reasons for revocation
- Procurers were reluctant to sign Power Sale Agreements due to the uncertainty of tariffs over the three-year fixed period.
- This reluctance resulted in stalled projects.
- To facilitate transparent price discovery between producers and consumers and speed up renewable energy deployment across the country.
- Procurers were reluctant to sign Power Sale Agreements due to the uncertainty of tariffs over the three-year fixed period.
- Tags :
- Renewable Energy
- Uniform Renewable Energy Tariff (URET)
