GUJARAT
At Rs 18,996 crore, Gujarat third in loans to MSMEs
Loan amount worth Rs 18,996 crore was extended to MSMEs in Gujarat under the
Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) till January 21, 2021, according to data
tabled in the lower house of the Parliament. This makes Gujarat the third-highest borrower
under the scheme, lagging behind Maharashtra (Rs 30,324 crore) and Tamil Nadu (Rs 20,903
crore).
However, even as the value of borrowing is higher, merely 2.84 lakh borrowers have availed
sanction under this scheme, according to the data by Union ministry of finance. This means,
fewer MSMEs have availed loans under ECLGS, rolled out as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat
Abhiyan.
Experts said Gujarat being a manufacturing-heavy state and being home to several MSMEs,
which reeled from liquidity crisis, the borrowings in the state were high. Primary borrowers
include those from textiles, engineering goods and even chemical sector.
INTERNATIONAL
ISRO to launch Brazil’s Amazonia-1 by month-end
In its first dedicated commercial mission of the newly-formed NewSpace India Limited
(NSIL), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISO) will launch the PSLV-C51/ Amazonia-1
Mission at the end of the month.
Amazonia-1 is an optical earth observation satellite developed by National Institute for
Space Research (INPE), Brazil.
This will be the first launch of a Brazilian satellite from India.
NATIONAL
Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2021 Passed on 12th February
Minister of Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the bill in Lok Sabha on February 4, 2021,
but the terms of the bill have passed a decree issued on November 4, 2020.
The Minister of Law emphasized India wants to be an excellent hub for arbitration.
Therefore, the government has passed the bill and is working hard to make India an
important hub for domestic and international arbitration.
Provisions of the Bill: The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2021 involves
domestic and international arbitration. It also defines the law for conducting mediation
procedures. It replaces the decree containing the same provisions issued on November 4,
2020. The bill will amend the 1996 Arbitration and Settlement Act.
Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996: The bill regulates domestic arbitration in India. The
bill was amended in 2015. Another amendment was passed in Lok Sabha in August 2019.
Arbitration is a form of ADR (alternative dispute resolution). Under this mechanism,
disputes are resolved outside the court. Disputes are decided by one or more people called
"arbitrators."
Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav on 14th February
Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is the flagship festival of the Ministry of Culture. Since 2015,
the event has been carried out with the active participation of Seven Zonal Culture Centres.
These festivals have always played a pivotal role in bringing the vibrant Indian culture to the
public, rather than confining it to auditoriums and galleries.
It showcases the folk and tribal art, dance, music, food and culture of one state in other
state, thus reinforces the stated goal of "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat", and also provides an
effective platform for artists and craftsmen to support their livelihood.
The 11th edition will be organized in West Bengal, in Cooch Behar, Darjeeling and
Murshidabad. These festivals are organized under the initiative of Ek Bharat Shreshtha
Bharat.
Meri Saheli Initiative by Indian Railways
The Indian Railways launched the "Meri Saheli" initiative, focusing on women’s safety, with
the aim of providing safety for female passengers travelling by train.
According to this initiative, a team of ladies and staff has been established. The team will
visit all passenger coaches including female coaches to identify female passengers.
The team will record their travel details, including coach number and seat number,
especially if a lady travels by train alone.
Passengers will be informed about RPF security hotline 182, GRP security hotline 1512 and
other precautions, such as not taking food from strangers, only buying food from IRCTC
authorized stalls and taking care of luggage.
The convoy will also advise them to contact the train escort and dial 182 at any time in any
emergency.
Passenger details will be transmitted to the districts and areas en-route to meet them at
their convenience until they reach their final destination.
The "Meri Saheli" initiative was initiated by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in a pilot
project on the Southeast Railway in September 2020. After the positive response of female
passengers, the initiative has been extended to all regions.
Child Protection Services Scheme Supports the Children
The Ministry of Women and Child Development, implements the Centrally-sponsored Child
Protection Services (CPS) scheme (formerly the Integrated Child Protection scheme) under
the protection of the Integrated Child Development Services scheme, to provide support for
children in difficult circumstances in all states/UTs.
The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) is a centrally sponsored scheme
implemented by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development 2009-10.
The objective of ICPS is to create a safe and secure environment for children who violate
the law and children who need care and protection.
The scheme is based on the basic principles of “protection of child rights” and the “best
interest of the child”. This is an all-inclusive scheme that brings several existing child
protection programes under one roof and improves norms.
The scheme includes other basic interventions aimed at addressing issues that have not
been covered by earlier schemes so far.
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