NSIC signs MOU with Ministry of MSME
The National Small Industries Corporation Limited, NSIC today signed an MoU with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises for the year 2019-20. The MoU envisages provision of enhanced services by NSIC under its marketing, financial, technology and other support services schemes for MSMEs in the country.
The Corporation projects to increase revenue from operation by 22 per cent from two thousand 540 crore rupees in the year 2018-19 to three thousand 100 crore rupees in the year 2019-20. The Corporation also plans to enhance its activities in the areas of imparting entrepreneurship and skill development training by targeting 45 per cent growth in the number of trainees.
US removes India, Switzerland from its currency monitoring list
The Donald Trump-led US administration on Wednesday removed India from its currency monitoring list of major trading partners after certain developments and steps were taken by the country to avert concerns surrounding foreign exchange irregularities.
In its semi-annual foreign exchange report presented to Congress, the US administration left dropped the names of India and Switzerland from its currency monitoring list. The list currently includes China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
India moves up to 43rd in competitiveness; Singapore tops chart
India has moved up one place to rank 43rd most competitive economy in the world on the back of its robust economic growth, a large labour force and its huge market size, while Singapore has toppled the US to grab the top position, a global study showed.
Singapore has moved up to the top, from the third position last year, while the US has slipped to the third place in the 2019 edition of the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings. Hong Kong SAR has held onto its second place, helped by a benign tax and business policy environment and access to business finance.
Record 78 women MPs elected to 17th Lok Sabha
The highest-ever number of women have been elected in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Out of 542 MPs who will take oath as members of the lower house in the next few days, 78 are women with Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal leading at 11 each.
A total of 724 women candidates contested from across the country with Congress fielding the maximum women at 54 followed closely by BJP at 53.
RBI extends timings for RTGS from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm
The Reserve Bank of India has extended the last cut-off timing for customer transactions through Real Time Gross Settlement Systems (RTGS) from 4.30pm to 6pm on all working days, effective June 1, 2019.
Effectively, the transactions will now take place under three windows: 8am to 11am, 11am to 1am and 1am to 6pm. While customers who conduct transactions in the first window won’t have to pay any additional fee over and above the fixed processing charge, the additional fee for the second and third window has been set at Rs.2 and Rs.5 respectively.
Corporation Bank launches loan scheme for MSME sector
State-owned Corporation Bank has launched 'SMESuvidha' scheme to provide loans to the GST-registered MSMEs at affordable interest rates. The product is designed as a part of the lender's efforts to improve service and provide best products to MSME sector, the bank's MD P V Bharathi said in a statement Monday.
This is a unique product for GST-registered Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It provides a competitive interest rate structure in the industry and also has various concessions suiting the developing entrepreneur.
Saudi Arabia lifts export ban on fruits and vegetable from Kerala
As Kerala marks one year of its successful battle against the Nipah outbreak, exporters from the state have got a shot in the arm with Saudi Arabia lifting the ban on imports of fruits and vegetables from the state imposed in June, 2018 following the Nipah scare.
Exports of vegetables and fruits to the Saudi airports of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam are already back in full swing through the state’s airports after Saudi authorities recently lifted the ban.
Naveen Patnaik takes oath as Odisha CM for 5th term
Naveen Patnaik has taken oath as Chief Minister for the consecutive fifth time.
Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal has administered the oath-taking ceremony at exhibition ground in Bhubaneswar today.
11 Cabinet Ministers and 9 other Ministers also have taken the oath.
BJP leader Pema Khandu sworn-in as Arunachal CM
Pema Khandu was sworn- in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for a second term.
Along with Pema Khandu, 11 other ministers of the cabinet were also sworn in.
Governor Dr. BD Mishra administered the oath of office and secrecy to the council of ministers.
Scott Morrison sworn in as Australia’s PM
Scott Morrison was sworn in as Australia’s Prime Minister on Wednesday, 11 days after retaining the position in the country’s general election.
Along with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Mr. Morrison was sworn in by Queen Elizabeth’s official representative in Australia, Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, at a ceremony in the capital, Canberra.
Horticulture award for TNAU V-C
N Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, has been conferred the lifetime recognition award by the Confederation of Horticulture Association of India. The award has been conferred for his outstanding contribution in the field of horticulture and academic leadership focussed on human resource development in agriculture.
Walmart Appoints Suresh Kumar as Chief Technology Officer
US-based retail chain Walmart on Tuesday said it had appointed Suresh Kumar, an IIT-Madras graduate and former Google executive, as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer. He will directly report to President and Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon
Sri Lanka signs tripartite agreement with India and Japan
Sri Lanka has signed a tripartite agreement with India and Japan for development of eastern terminal of Colombo port. The Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed in Colombo by Sri Lankan ports minister Sagala Ratnayake, Indian high commissioner to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu and a Japanese representative. As per the agreement, Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) will hold 51 per cent majority stake in the port development while Japan and India will have combined stake of 49 per cent.
The three governments have decided to work out details at joint working group meetings and advance their cooperation towards early commencement of work and operation of the terminal. SLPA said the joint project reflects the longstanding goodwill and cooperation among the three countries. It said Sri Lanka, Japan and India will work together for further development of the Colombo Port and contribute to further regional prosperity and stability of global trading networks.
ICC launches criiio campaign on eve of World Cup
The ICC launched the criiio campaign on the eve of the men's World Cup, bringing together 460 million people playing cricket globally to celebrate the magnificent diversity of cricket.
The ICC asked the fans to join the social cricket tribe by sharing pictures and videos of where and how they play cricket across the world using the newly launched hashtag #criiio and visiting the site criiio.com.
Saurabh Chaudhary wins 10m Air Pistol gold; beats own World record
In ISSF shooting World Cup, in Munich Germany, India's Saurabh Chaudhary has won 10m Air Pistol Gold beating his own World Record.
The 17-year old Chaudhary scored 246.3 bettering his previous best of 245 points that was set in New Delhi World Cup Shooting in February this year.
Chaudhury has already secured a berth for the Tokyo Olympics. This is India's second Gold in the championship.
India elected to Executive Board of first UN-Habitat Assembly
India has been elected to the Executive Board of the first UN-Habitat Assembly. Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in a tweet said the nation's global clout continues to grow significantly.
Pema Khandu to take oath as Arunachal Pradesh CM for 2nd term
Pema Khandu will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh tomorrow for the second time.
After having a landslide victory in the Assembly elections with 41 seats in the 60-seat house, the BJP yesterday held it's Legislature Party Meeting in Itanagar.
Madhya Pradesh to tentatively have new UNESCO heritage site
Orchha town in Madhya Pradesh has a plethora of historical sites with the Bundela dynasty architectural style. The Archaeological Survey of India has included that heritage town of Orchha in a tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites. It was included in the proposal sent by the ASI to the UN body in April 2019.
UNESCO’s rules state that to be a part of the World Heritage sites, the heritage or historical site must first be on the tentative list. After making it to that list, yet another proposal is sent to the UNESCO. In their initial proposal, the ASI had requested that Orchha be included as a cultural heritage site.
India’s first all-women medium-lift chopper crew flies the battle mission
Three women Indian Air Force officers were part of the country's first all-women crew to fly a medium lift helicopter Mi-17 V5 on Monday.
Flight Lieutenant Parul Bhardwaj (Captain), Flying Officer Aman Nidhi (co-pilot) and Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal (Flight Engineer) flew the chopper, which took off from a forward air base in South Western air command
Govt sets up tribunal for adjudicating ban on LTTE
The government has constituted the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to adjudicate whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as an unlawful association.
The Tribunal is comprised of sitting Judge of Delhi High Court Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal. Earlier, the Home Ministry had issued a notification extending ban on LTTE in India for a further period of five years. The notification said, Government of India under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 declares LTTE as an unlawful association. LTTE was banned in India after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
New version of Akash missile test-fired successfully
The DRDO on Monday successfully test-fired the new version of the Akash surface-to-air defence missile system with a new indigenously-developed seeker in Balasore off the Odisha coast.
This is the second successful test of the missile following another on Saturday.
The medium range multi-target engagement capable missile was developed as part of the Integrated Guided-Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) other than Nag, Agni, Trishul, and Prithvi missiles.
The supersonic missile has a range of around 25 km and up to the altitude of 18,000 metres.
Maldives Ex-Leader Mohamed Nasheed Tipped As New Speaker
The former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed has been nominated as the country's parliamentary speaker and is set to be sworn in Tuesday, a party official said.
Nasheed was unanimously chosen to head the People's Majlis, or the parliament, by his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) which won a near three quarter majority in the 87-member assembly in April.
Indian Army officer appointed the commander of UN Mission in South Sudan
UN Secretary, General Antonio Guterres, has appointed Indian Army officer, Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, as the new Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
The UN chief made the announcement on Friday that 57-year-old Lieutenant General Tinaikar will succeed Lieutenant General Frank Kamanzi of Rwanda who completes his assignment on May 26.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ousted in the no-confidence vote
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Europe’s youngest leader, has just been removed from power, giving him the shortest tenure in charge of his nation since World War II.
Russia launches new nuclear-powered icebreaker in bid to open up Arctic
Russia launched a nuclear-powered icebreaker on Saturday, part of an ambitious programme to renew and expand its fleet of the vessels in order to improve its ability to tap the Arctic’s commercial potential.
The ship, dubbed the Ural and which was floated out from a dockyard in St Petersburg, is one of a trio that when completed will be the largest and most powerful icebreakers in the world.