1) Automatic ‘Status Holder’ certificates: Ministry of Commerce & Industry unveils system-based automatic ‘Status Holder’ certificates under Foreign Trade Policy 2023.
- Now certificate will be provided by the IT system based on available Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics merchandise export electronic data and other risk parameters.
- Status Holders are business leaders who have excelled in international trade and have successfully contributed to the country’s foreign trade.
- Privileges of certificate
- Provides credibility to the Indian exporters in the international markets.
- Priority custom clearances and certain exemptions (like exemption from compulsory negotiation of documents through banks).
2) District Mineral Foundation Funds: Rs. 82370.79 Crore collected under DMF till August 2023.
- DMF is a trust, setup as a non-profit body established under Mining and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, 2015 in all mining affected districts.
- It implements Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) from DMF fund.
- Mining companies are required to contribute to DMFs between 10% and 30% of the royalty, in addition to the royalty paid to state governments.
- About PMKKKY
- Objective: developmental and welfare programs in mining affected areas
- Utilisation of fund: 60% for high priority works such as drinking water, health, education etc.
3) Kudumbashree: “Back to school” campaign was launched under Kudumbashree by Kerala govt.
- Under this, 46 lakh women will attend classes on adapting to the digital age, and training in financial transactions and entrepreneurship.
- This will enable moving from poverty alleviation to enhancing the income of households.
- Kudumbashree is the poverty eradication and women empowerment programme of Kerala.
- It is essentially a community network that covers the entire State of Kerala
4) SHRESHTA Scheme: Till now in FY 2023-24 the expenditure under SHRESHTA (Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas) is Rs. 14.94 cr.
- Ministry: Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment
- Type: Central Sector Scheme
- Objective: To fill the gap in service-deprived SCs (Scheduled Castes) dominant areas, provide an environment for socioeconomic upliftment of SCs, etc.
- Benefits: High quality free residential education to poor and meritorious scheduled caste (SC) students from class 9th to class 12th.
- Implementing agency
- Mode 1: District Administration
- Mode 2: Voluntary organisation (VO)/ Non-Government Organisation (NGO)/ Other organisation
Places in News:
1) Spain (Capital: Madrid) –
- Mass protests were organised in Barcelona against possible amnesty for Catalan separatists.
- Catalonia is an autonomous region in the northeastern Spain.
- Political boundaries of Spain
- Bordered Portugal (West); France (North east), Andorra.
- Bounded by Mediterranean Sea (east), Atlantic Ocean (northwest), and Bay of Biscay (north).
- Canary Islands (in the Atlantic Ocean), and Balearic Islands (in the Mediterranean), and two enclaves in North Africa also are parts of Spain.
- Geographical features
- Occupies about 85% of the Iberian Peninsula.
- Major mountain ranges: Central Sierra, Cantabrian Mountains, Sierra Morena, Pyrenees.
- Major river: Ebro River
