HIMACHAL PRADESH
Public sector banks sanction 2,212 crore loans to MSMEs
The public sector banks in the region have sanctioned a loan of over Rs 2,212 crore under the central government’s Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) to help 60,327 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to cope up with the cash crunch suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic period.
Punjab alone has around 2.8 lakh MSMEs, which had incurred loss of over Rs 4,169 crore in two months of the lockdown. Out of the total sanctioned 100% collateral-free loan amount, public sector banks have already disbursed over Rs 1,136 crore to 32,197 MSMEs in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh till June 11.
As part of the economic stimulus, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on May 13 announced the ECLGS for MSME. This loan is provided by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) to banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and financial institutions for further disbursement.
According to the records of the public sector banks in the region, Punjab has the highest number of MSME units — 30,467 — that have availed benefit of loans under the ECLGS till date. Loans of as many as 17,952 MSMEs in Haryana have also been sanctioned till date. Similarly, 10,006 MSME units have taken the benefit of these loans in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh and 1,902 MSMEs in UT Chandigarh.
Under the ECLGS, MSMEs having total outstanding loans across various banks, NBFCs and financial institutions up to Rs 25 crore as on February 29,are eligible for loans.
INTERNATIONAL
World Blood Donor Day: 14 June
Every year on 14 June, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD).
The significance of this event is to celebrate and thank all the blood donors in the world who have selflessly donated blood and thus saved a life unknowingly.
It also helps to raise awareness and thus gather more donors to be part of the good deed.
2020 theme: Save Blood Save Lives
NATIONAL
Central Railway launches Robotic ‘CAPTAIN ARJUN’ to intensify screening, surveillance
Railway Protection Force, Pune has launched a Robotic ‘CAPTAIN ARJUN’ (Always be Responsible and Just Use to be Nice) to intensify the screening and surveillance.
This Robot is launched to screen passengers while they board trains and keep a watch on anti-social elements.
Captain ARJUN is equipped with a motion sensor, one PTZ camera and one Dome Camera.
The Cameras use Artificial Intelligence algorithms to track suspicious and antisocial activity.
It also has an inbuilt siren, motion activated spotlight, with an in-built internal storage for recording in case there is a network failure.
Captain ARJUN does thermal screening and records the temperature in a digital display panel.
Union Agriculture Minister launches ‘Sahakar Mitra’ Internship programme to provide paid internship to youth
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched Sahakar Mitra Internship programme to provide paid internship to youth and ensure availability of assured project loans to young cooperators.
Launching the scheme, Mr. Tomar said that, National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), has embarked upon a series of initiatives in the cooperative sector entrepreneurship development ecosystem, through capacity development.
Sahakar Mitra Scheme will provide the young professionals an opportunity of practical exposure and learning from the working of NCDC and cooperatives as a paid intern.
Under the scheme, professionals in disciplines including Agriculture and allied areas, IT, Agri-business, Cooperation, Finance, International Trade, Forestry, Rural Development, Project Management will be eligible for the paid internship.
Loss of smell, taste included as new symptoms of Coronavirus
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued the clinical management protocol for Covid-19.
Loss of smell and loss of taste are included as new symptoms of coronavirus amongst others.
The Health Ministry suggested that investigational therapies and drugs-Remdesivir, Convalescent Plasma Therapy, Tociluzimab and Hydroxychloroquine should only be used in a defined subgroup of Covid patients.
The Health Ministry also suggested that use of Tocilizumab may be considered in patients with moderate disease with progressively increasing oxygen requirements and in mechanically ventilated patients, not improving despite use of steroids.
Govt launches AarogyaPath portal for healthcare supply chain
AarogyaPath, a web based solution for the healthcare supply chain was launched to serve manufacturers, suppliers and customers to effectively deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
This national healthcare supply chain portal will remove supply chain bottlenecks during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The vision of this initiative is to set up an information management and forecasting database platform at national level.
It will capture demand and supply scenarios for key healthcare needs items.
This public platform will help healthcare users like hospitals, pathology laboratories, research institutes, medical colleges and patients.
It will also provide seamless access to suppliers, manufacturers and importers for prevailing needs and demand related to medical equipment, diagnostic instruments, drugs, Personal Protective Equipment, respiratory assistance devices.
India remains 108th in the FIFA Rankings
India retained in the 108th spot in the latest FIFA world rankings which was revealed for the month of June. India has 1187 points.
Belgium has topped (remains) the FIFA Rankings.
Not many changes were noted in the FIFA ranking as international matches have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The men’s national teams in association football are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest.