Daily News

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Facebook launches Blood Donations Centre

Facebook has launched a new Blood Donations Centre on its platform to encourage its users in India to donate blood for the needy by showing opportunities to donate blood in their city, including blood donation events and requests for blood donors.

Did you Know

Every year, 14th June is celebrated as World Blood Donor Day.
The host country for World Blood Donor Day 2018 events was Greece.

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DRDO's Pinaka rocket developed into Pinaka Mark II

The initial version of the Pinaka rocket was further developed into Pinaka Mark II, which has an enhanced range of 70 to 80 km compared to Mark I, with a range of 40 km.

Pinaka rocket system is known for firing a salvo of 12 rockets in just 44 seconds.

Did you Know

Defence Research and Development Organisation is charged with the military's research and development.
DRDO works under Department of Defence Research and Development of Ministry of Defence.
It is headquartered in New Delhi

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Journalist Shujaat Bukhari is no more

Senior journalist and the editor of Rising Kashmir newspaper was shot dead.

He was also part of the "Track II" or alternate channels dialogue process with Pakistan.

Did you Know

Shujaat Bukhari was instrumental in organising several conferences for peace in the Kashmir valley and mentored several young journalists.

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Museums on tribal freedom fighters

The Centre will set up six museums dedicated to tribal freedom fighters in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala with an estimated cost of Rs 250 crore.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs will contribute Rs 130 crore, while an equal amount will be spent by the respective states for the museums.

The biggest among these six museums in the first phase are the ones coming up in Gujarat’s Garudeshwar, at a cost of Rs 102 crore, and the one dedicated to Birsa Munda in Ranchi, at Rs 37 crore.

Did you Know

Minister of Tribal Affairs- Jual Oram
Minister of State,Tribal Affairs- Jasvantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor

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Wholesale price index-based (WPI) inflation soars

Wholesale price index-based (WPI) inflation jumped to 4.4 per cent in May, from 3.2 per cent in April, the highest level in 14 months.

Fuel inflation was the main driver, jumping up over 330 basis points (bps) on-month, while core inflation crept up 30 bps and closed in on 2 per cent.

Did you Know

The base year of All-India WPI was revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12 by the Office of Economic Advisor (OEA), Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Core inflation using the CRISIL Core Inflation Indicator (CCII). It reduces volatility by excluding base metals from the manufacturing index, is, therefore, more stable and captures demand-side pressures on prices more accurately than other core inflation measures.

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Reduced investments in Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme

Commitments from companies under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS, launched in 2012) had reduced to Rs 914 billion as of end-April 2018, against earlier proposals for a combined Rs 1.57 trillion.

M-SIPS promises a subsidy to companies for capital expenditure - 20 per cent for investments in special economic zones and 25 per cent in other places. For some high capital investment projects, it provides for reimbursement of central taxes and duties.

Did you Know

M-SIPS was launched to encourage investment and production in the electronic goods sector. The policy was aimed to create an indigenous manufacturing eco-system for electronics in the country.
The scheme was originally designed for three years, but was later extended till 2020.

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States to implement National Health Insurance scheme

Twenty states have signed memorandums of understanding with the Centre to implement the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS).

Twelve states have decided to take the insurance route for payments to hospitals. These include Uttarakhand, Haryana, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya.

Gujarat, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have decided to adopt the hybrid model where a part of the payment will be made through insurance and the rest through trusts.

Did you Know

The scheme has the benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. The target beneficiaries of the proposed scheme will be more than 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population based on SECC database. It will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes -Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS)

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Dematerialisation of shares of unlisted companies

The government plans to make it compulsory for unlisted companies to get their shares dematerialised by September 2019.

The corporate affairs ministry wants all unlisted companies with paid-up capital of more than Rs 50 million to digitalise shares.

The National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) and the Central Securities Depository Ltd (CDSL) will have pre-verified shares in electronic mode, which will help settle transactions in an effective manner.

Did you Know

Dematerialisation, or demat, involves conversion of physical stocks into electronic form.
The NSDL and the CDSL are registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

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Jason Kothari appointed President of Infibeam Incorporation Ltd

Infibeam Incorporation Ltd has appointed Jason Kothari as President, strategy, corporate development, international operations, and investor relations.

He was the chief investment and strategy officer at Jasper Infotech.

Did you Know

In 2015, he was appointed chief executive officer of Housing.com.
He was also instrumental in disinvestment process of Snapdeal.

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Solar Power Projects of NLCIL inaugurated

Three Solar Power Projects, 100 MW each, of Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited (NLCIL) were inaugurated for commercial operation.

The projects were erected at a cost of Rs.1300 Crores, which includes Operation & Maintenance cost for 15 Years. The power produced from these units will be given to Tamil Nadu Power Generation and Distribution Company (TANGEDCO) at a cost of Rs.4.41/- per unit.

Did you Know

NLCIL is a 'Navratna' profit making, Government of India Enterprise engaged in mining of lignite and generation of power through lignite based thermal power plants. NLCIL was established by GoI in 1956, following the discovery of lignite deposits in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu.
Union Minister for Coal- Piyush Goyal