Chhattisgarh
- BRPL & IRCON ink MoU for laying railway line in C’garh.
- State-owned NMDC Ltd today said that Bastar Railway Private Ltd (BRPL) and IRCON have signed a project execution agreement, under which the latter will construct a 140-km long railway line between Jagdalpurto Rawghat in Chattisgarh.
- BRPL is a joint venture company formed by the NMDC Ltd, SAIL, IRCON and CMDC Ltd, with NMDC being the major shareholder with 43 per cent equity stake.
- According to a press release issued by the miner, the railway line will have 13 new Railway stations and the estimated project cost of this Rail corridor is Rs 2,538 crore approximately.
INTERNATIONAL
- IMF approves conditional $1.8 billion loan to Greece.
- The International Monetary Fund’s board approved a $1.8 billion loan to Greece but will only release the money if the country gets debt relief from its European creditors.
- The IMF has praised Greece for taking steps to reduce its budget deficits, including expanding its tax base and cutting spending on pensions. But the lending agency is pressuring Greece’s eurozone lenders to provide enough relief to ensure the battered country can pay its bills.
- If an agreement on debt relief is reached, the IMF will join the eurozone lenders in an ongoing bailout.
NATIONAL
- Ram Nath Kovind elected India’s 14th President.
- Ram Nath Kovind was declared elected as India’s 14th President polling 65.6% of the vote defeating the Opposition’s joint candidate, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who secured 34% of the vote.
- Kovind will be the second Dalit President of India after late President K.R. Narayanan
- Also, he will be first from Uttar Pradesh and the first person from the BJP to hold the office of President since Independence.
- He entered politics in 1994 when he became a member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh and served as an MP for two consecutive terms till 2006.
- He had represented India in the United Nations in New York and addressed United Nations General Assembly in October 2002.
- On August 8, 2015, Kovind was appointed governor of Bihar.
- Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yoja is launched.
- The Union Minister for Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs has formally launched the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) in the national capital.
- PMVVY is a Pension Scheme announced by the Government of India exclusively for the senior citizens aged 60 years and above which is available from 4th May, 2017 to 3rd May, 2018.
- The Scheme can be purchased offline as well as online through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this Scheme.
- Scheme provides an assured return of 8% p.a. payable monthly (equivalent to 8.30% p.a. effective) for 10 years.
- Indian Army inks MoU with DRDO to raise MRSAM defence system regiment
- The Indian Army has signed MoU with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to raise one regiment of the advanced Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles (MRSAM) defence system.
- The Indian Army is planning to have a total of five regiments of MRSAM defence system, which will be deployed opposite to China and Pakistan. Each regiment consists of four launchers with three missiles each. So five regiments will have total 60 missiles.
- Earlier the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by PM Narendra Modi had approved proposal for procuring MRSAM system for the army.
- MRSAM– The MRSAM is an advanced, all weather, mobile, land-based air defence system.
- It can shoot down enemy ballistic missiles, aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance aircraft and AWACS aircraft. It is capable of engaging multiple aerial targets at ranges of more than 50 km.
- Rural Development to launch Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana.
- The Ministry of Rural Development will launch a new sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) which will be named as “Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AEGY)”.
- It aims to provide an alternative source of livelihoods to members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM by facilitating them to operate public transport services in backwards rural areas.
- The States have informed about the number of blocks allocated to them to take up this sub-scheme in the pilot phases.