What is Atal Innovation Mission?

• The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of the country.
• Objectives –
• To create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country at school, university, research institutions, MSME and industry levels.
• Functions-
• Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilization
• Innovation promotion
• Atal Tinkering Labs
• Atal Incubation Centers
• Scale-up support to Established Incubators

CBSE Partners With Facebook to Launch Augmented Reality & Digital Safety Curriculum

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Facebook have partnered to launch curriculum on digital safety and online well-being and Augmented Reality for students and educators.
• The curriculum will cover aspects such as safety, privacy, mental health and Instagram’s guide for building healthy digital habits.
• The partnership between CBSE and Facebook has two categories.
• First, this category will be for the introduction of Augmented Reality in the CBSE curriculum in India.
• Under this Facebook will be conducting training for 10,000 CBSE teachers in India.
• These teachers further will teach 30,000 students.
• Under the second category of the partnership, a new curriculum has been introduced by CBSE. The name of the curriculum is ‘Facebook for Education’.

Indian Railways to transform itself as ‘Net Zero’ Carbon Emission Mass Transportation Network by 2030.

• The Ministry of Railways has decided to install solar power plants on its vacant unused lands on mega scale.
• Demands would be fulfilled by the solar projects being deployed, making it the first transport organisation to be energy self-sufficient. This would help in making Indian Railways green as well as ‘Atma Nirbhar’.
• In order to achieve this, the Indian Railways have already floated tenders for 2 GW of solar projects on unutilized railway lands. Also, there are plans to erect solar panels on either side of Railway lines.
• Around 100 MW of rooftop solar systems have already been commissioned in the buildings of railway stations.
• Pilot project in Bina getting operationalised soon and under extensive testing and trial.
• This is the first of its kind project in the world commissioned by Indian Railways in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

World Bank and Government of India signed $750 million Agreement

• The agreement is to support increased flow of finance into the hands of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), severely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
• This will address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of some 1.5 million viable MSMEs to help them withstand the impact of the current shock.
• The World Bank Group, including its private sector arm – the International Finance Corporation (IFC), will support the government’s initiatives to protect the MSME sector:
• Unlocking liquidity
• Strengthening NBFCs and SFBs
• Enabling financial innovations

Kuwait approves expat quota bill

• Draft expat quota bill seek to reduce the number of foreign workers in the Gulf country.
• According to the bill, Indians should not exceed 15% of the population. 
• Under this Eight lakh Indians may be forced to leave Kuwait, as the Indian community constitutes the largest expat community in the country, totaling 1.45 million.
• The current population of Kuwait is 4.3 million, with 1.3 million Kuwaiti population, & expats accounting for 3 million.
• The majority of Indians (5.23 lakh) are employed in private sectors.
• Kuwait is a top source of remittances for India. In 2018, India received nearly $4.8 billion from Kuwait as remittances.

World’s largest COVID care centre Inaugurated

• World’s Largest COVID-19 Treatment Facility Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) Inaugurated in New Delhi.
• 10,000-bed facility was created in a record time of 10 days.
• The facility is created on an emergent basis by the South Delhi District Administration with full support of the ministry of home affairs
• This will function as an isolation centre for mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 positive patients.
• At least 10% of the beds have oxygen facility in case the patient develops severe breathlessness and requires tertiary hospital care.
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is chosen as the nodal agency for operating the center.

Current COVID19 Situation in India

QUIZ TIME

CBSE has partnered with which company to Launch Augmented Reality & Digital Safety Curriculum?

1. Jio
2. Facebook
3. Google
4. Microsoft

Answer – B

Indian Railways has planned to transform itself as ‘Net Zero’ Carbon Emission Mass Transportation Network by

1. 2022
2. 2023
3. 2030
4. 2025

Answer – C

Which of the following country is a top source of remittances for India?

1. Saudi Arabia
2. Bahrain
3. Kuwait
4. Singapore

Answer – C

World’s Largest COVID-19 Treatment Facility Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) has been created in a record time of

1. 10 days
2. 20 days
3. 30 days
4. 40 days

Answer – 10

Question of the Day

What is Smart city scheme?

Answer in next session…