1) MoUs signed between India-Bangladesh: MoU includes
- Cooperation in digital payment mechanisms between National Payments Corporation of India and Bangladesh Bank.
- Cooperation between Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council.
- Renewal of a bilateral cultural exchange programme for 2023-25
2) Incremental Cash Reserve Ratio (I-CRR): RBI decided to discontinue I-CRR in a phased manner.
- I-CRR is an additional cash balance that RBI can ask banks to maintain over and above CRR for a specific period.
- CRR is the minimum amount of total deposits that banks have to keep with the central bank.
- Earlier RBI mandated banks to set aside an additional 10% of net demand and time liabilities to absorb surplus liquidity.
- Surplus was caused by return of ₹ 2,000 banknotes to the banking system, surplus transfer to government by the RBI, etc
3) Hallmarking: Centre has notified the third phase of mandatory hallmarking vide Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2023.
- Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles.
- Objective: Protect public against adulteration and obligate manufacturers to maintain legal standards of fineness.
- Hallmarking Scheme is developed by Bureau of Indian Standards, which assigns a unique HUID (Hallmarking Unique ID) number to all hallmarked gold jewellery item.
- Mandatory hallmarking order is applicable on 14, 18 and 22 carats of gold jewellery/artefacts only.
4) Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) Scheme: SGB Scheme was launched in 2015 to reduce the demand for physical gold and shift a part of domestic savings, used for gold purchase, into financial savings.
- SGB are government securities and issued under Government Securities Act, 2006.
- Bond is issued by Reserve Bank on behalf of Government of India.
- SGBs are restricted for sale to resident individuals, Hindu Undivided Family (HUFs), Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions.
- Tenor: Period of eight years with an option of premature redemption after 5th year.
- Minimum investment: One gram of gold.
- Maximum limit: 4 Kg for individual, 4 Kg for HUF and 20 Kg for trusts per fiscal year.
Places in News:
1) Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary: Researchers discovered ‘white’ sambar in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Leucism is a condition in which the pigmentation of an animal’s skin is missing, causing white or pale skin.
- Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary spread over three districts – Chamarajanagar, Mandya and Ramanagara of Karnataka.
- It provides a vital link between Bannerghatta National Park in north and Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve and Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in the south.
- Forest is primarily of dry deciduous and scrub types.
- Animals found in sanctuary are tiger, elephant, leopard, bison, wild dog, sambar, spotted deer, etc.
2) Timor-Leste (Capital: Dili)
- India has announced the opening of an embassy in Dili.
- Political Boundaries
- Location: It is an island country in the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands, at the southern end of the Malay Archipelago.
- Border: Timor Sea (southeast), the Wetar Strait (north), the Ombai Strait (northwest), and western Timor (part of the Indonesian province, in southwest).
- Geographical features
- Highest Peak: Mount Tatamailau.
- Major River: Laclo river
