According to WHO’s latest World malaria report, there were an estimated 241 million malaria cases and 627 000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2020. This represents about 14 million more cases in 2020 compared to 2019, and 69 000 more deaths.
More malaria cases and deaths in 2020 linked to COVID-19 disruptions.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) launched the PNB Pride-CRMD module tool, an android-based application for differently-abled employees, to monitor and effectively follow up with the special mention account (SMA) borrowers. SMA accounts are stressed loans that are recognized early, which enables banks to initiate remedial action in time.
According to PNB, the device will be compatible with iOS very soon.
To improve the leadership skills of grassroots women political leaders, the National Commission for Women (NCW) launched a pan-India capacity building program, ‘She is a Changemaker’ for women representatives at all levels, gram panchayats to parliament members and political workers including office bearers of National/State political parties.
The program was launched by Ms. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, NCW.
Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India Sunil Arora has joined the Board of Advisors for International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). The institute is assisted by a 15-member Board of Advisors that consists of eminent personalities from various fields. Arora was the 23rd CEC of India and held office from Dec 2, 2018, to April 12, 2021.
IDEA is an inter-governmental organization based in Stockholm, Sweden.
In the fifth Indian Ocean Conference in Abu Dhabi, Dr. S Jaishankar has stressed the importance of respecting and facilitating freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce in a globalized world. He stated that the consequences of China’s growing capabilities are profound because of the extrapolation of its domestic seamlessness to the world outside.
The theme of IOC 2021 is “Ecology, Economy, Epidemic”.
Karnataka Bank has been conferred with two DigiDhan awards instituted by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The bank received these awards for achieving the target with the highest percentage in BHIM-UPI transactions under the private sector bank category consecutively for two years – 2019-20 and 2020-21.
IPPB and NPCI Bharat BillPay announced the facilitation of doorstep cash-based assisted bill payments across India. The platform will enable bill payments, utility, and other recurring services for non-IPPB customers as well. The service is expected to benefit millions of unbanked and underserved customers in remote locations with access to doorstep payment solutions.
Bharat Bill Pay is a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of India.
Rajasthan government has come up with a ‘Back to Work’ scheme for women who sometimes have to quit their jobs due to family circumstances.
The scheme targets to provide jobs to 15,000 women with the help of the private sector in the next three years. Priority will be given to widows, women who have been abandoned, divorced and victims of violence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rs 9,800-crore Saryu Nahar National Project at Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh. The project was pending for the past 40 years. The project began in 1978, but due to issues like lack of continuity of budgetary support, interdepartmental coordination, and adequate monitoring, the project was delayed.
In 2016, the project was brought under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.
Balkrishna Doshi - has been awarded the UK's top design honor: the Royal Institute of British Architects Royal Gold Medal for 2022. Already an awardee of India's top civilian honors - Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan - Doshi also won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2018, the first Indian to do so. His memorable designs include IIM campuses in Bangalore.
He helped Le Corbusier build the city of Chandigarh in the 1950s
Bureau of Energy Efficiency virtually launched “Certification Course on Home Energy Audit (HEA) ”, during "National Energy Conservation Week: 8th–14th Dec 2021", marked as Iconic Week under "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav". HEA enables appropriate accounting, quantification, verification, monitoring, and analysis of energy use of various energy-consuming equipment in the home.
Energy Management Centre, Kerala has been identified as Mentor SDA for the initiative.
India co-chaired Global Methane InitiativeSteering Leadership Meeting. The emission of methane is a big concern as it is a greenhouse gas having 25-28 times harmful effects than carbon dioxide.
Global Methane Initiative (GMI) is a voluntary Government and an informal international partnership having members from 45 countries including the United States and Canada.
The forum was created in 2004.
DRDO and Indian Air Force (IAF) flight-tested the indigenously designed and developed Helicopter launched Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile from Pokhran ranges. The missile is equipped with a state-of-the-art MMW seeker which provides high precision strike capability from a safe distance. The weapon can neutralize targets in a range up to 10 km.
The SANT missile has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad.