1.National Affairs
Manoj Sinha appointed as new LG of Jammu and Kashmir
Girish Chandra Murmu has resigned from his position of Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
He will be succeeded by Manoj Sinha
Manoj Sinha has represented the parliamentary constituency of Ghazipur, eastern Uttar Pradesh, thrice in the Lok Sabha and has also served as a junior railways minister.
2.Miscellaneous
New Book Release: RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations: Authored by Yatish Yadav
Yatish Yadav is an investigative journalist and author
He has authored the book RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations
The book is about the covert operations carried by Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s external spy agencyÂ
Quick Fact: Samant Goel is the Chief of RAW
3.Economy
RBI announces Monthly Monetary Policy Rates for 2020-21
As per the second meeting of 2020, the current rates have been decided as:
- repo rate under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF): 4%
- reverse repo at LAF: 3.35%
- Marginal standing facility(MSF) rate: 4.25%
- Bank Rate: 4.25%
- CRR: 3%
- SLR: 18%
Quick Fact: Policy rates are decided to achieve medium-term target for consumer price index inflation of 4% within a band of +/- 2%
4.Economy
India slips to 4th position in Hurun Global Unicorns 2020 list
Hurun Global Unicorn List, of Hurun Research Institute, is a global ranking of world’s billion-dollar technology startups which have been established in 2000s and not yet listed on public exchange
The top 3 countries on the list are US, China and UK
India, with 21 unicorns, has slipped to 4th rank in 2020 from 3rd in the previous year
Quick Fact: A Unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion
5.India and the World
India grants $15.46 million to India-UN Development Partnership Fund
The India-UN Development Partnership Fund supports sustainable development projects across the developing world, with a focus on least developed countries and small island developing states.
India-UN Development Partnership Fund is managed by United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC)
India has contributed under its commitment to support developing nations across all the Sustainable Development Goals
6.Environment
First Snow Leopard Conservation Centre of India to be developed in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand State Government will develop India’s first Snow Leopard Conservation Centre in its state
It will be developed by the Uttarakhand forest department and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
The main of the centre would be to conserve and restore Himalayan ecosystems along with conserving the snow leopards
Quick Fact: Snow Leopard is classified as Vulnerable in IUCN list