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Daily Current Affairs 26 August 2020 With Video Lecture

What is Electoral Bond Scheme?

  • An electoral bond is like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated in India from select branches of State Bank of India.
  • Electoral bonds allow donors to pay political parties using banks as an intermediary.
  • The electoral bonds were introduced with the Finance Bill (2017).
  •  On January 29, 2018, the NDA government notified the Electoral Bond Scheme 2018.
  • Introduced to promote transparency in funding and donation received by political parties.
  • They do not carry any interest.
  • The bonds are issued in multiples of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 10,000, Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore without any maximum limit.
  • These bonds are redeemable in the designated account of a registered political party

Dedicated debt and credit guarantee scheme for NBFCs – MFIs

  • The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has introduced, ‘Structured Finance and Partial Guarantee Program for Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC)-Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs)’.
  •  The scheme is to ensure the flow of credit in COVID-19 affected rural areas.
  • The program entails to provide a partial guarantee on pooled loans extended to small and mid-sized MFIs.
  • Initial funding: Rs 2,500 crore.
  • Expected to cover over 1 million households across 28 states and 650 districts.
  • NABARD has signed an agreement with Vivriti Capital and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank to formulate the credit guarantee program.
  • NABARD:
  • It is the apex banking institution to provide finance for Agriculture and rural development.
  • Statutory body established in 1982 under Parliamentary act-National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981.
  • Headquarter – Mumbai

AIIB & India signs loan agreement to improve Mumbai suburban railway system

  • The Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have signed a loan agreement.
  • Loan is of USD 500 million for Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III.
  • MUTP-III is supervised and implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority to enhance the network capacity, service quality and safety of Mumbai’s suburban railway system.
  • Project is expected to increase network capacity in the region and thus will improve mobility.
  • Including reduction in journey time and fatal accidents.

Draft report flags concerns over DNA bill

  • The parliamentary standing committee on science and technology has raised few concerns over the DNA Bill.
  • Bill allows DNA sampling and profiling of citizens accused of crime or reported missing and storing their unique genetic information for administrative purposes.
  • Draft report flags concerns over DNA bill
  • Concerns:
  • Can reveal extremely sensitive information
  • Could be misused for caste or community-based profiling.
  • There is a threat to an individual’s privacy.
  • The Bill refers to consent in several provisions, but in each of those, a magistrate can easily override consent
  • DNA Technology (Use And Application) Regulation Bill, 2019
  • Provides for establishment of national and regional DNA data banks
  • Each databank will maintain crime scene index, suspects’ or undertrials’ index and offenders’ index separately.

Healthcare workers to get COVID-19 vaccine after senior citizens: WHO

  • World Health Organization announced that the health care workers are to receive COVID-19 vaccine after senior citizens.
  • Data collected by Amnesty International shows that, globally, over 3,000 healthcare workers have died from COVID-19.
  • It is 196 in India according to Indian Medical Association.
  • WHO said, investing in the COVAX facility is the fastest way to end this COVID-19 pandemic and ensure a sustainable economic recovery.
  • COVAX facility will ensure equitable access of the vaccine to all countries.
  • There are more than 172 countries engaging in COVAX facility.
  • Aim to launch this initiative is to avoid Vaccine Nationalism.
  • Vaccine Nationalism:  when countries starts developing and securing vaccines for its own citizens before they are made available in other countries.

26 August: Women’s Equality Day

  • The day is celebrated to commemorate the right of women to vote in the United States.
  • Also marks women’s advancements toward equality with men.
  • On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted.

Current COVID19 Situation in India

covid 1
covid 2 1

QUIZ TIME

For the credit guarantee program NABARD has signed an agreement with:

  1. Vivriti Capital
  2. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
  3. Both A and B
  4. Neither A nor B

Answer – C

DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 provides for establishment of:

  1. National DNA data banks
  2. Regional DNA data banks
  3. Village DNA data Banks
  4. Only A and B

Answer – D

Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on:

  1. 24 August
  2. 25 August
  3. 26 August
  4. 27 August

Answer – C

Question of the Day

What is INTERPOL?

Answer in next session…

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