23th Dec Daily current affairs for UPSC Civil Service Exam 2017

Mission Antyodaya

• Under the mission, Department of Rural Development in partnership with State Governments has involved in ranking 50,000 Gram Panchayats.
• The ranking is based on parameters of physical infrastructure, human development and economic activities.
• It facilitates identification of gaps in a quest for poverty free gram panchayats and drive economic activities.
• Public institutions like Krishi Vigyan Kendras, MSME Clusters will be involved for enhancing productive employment and economic activities.

Pare Hydroelectric Plant

• The Pare hydro electric project is a run-of-the-river scheme on the Dikrong River in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Dikrong River is one of the tributaries of Brahmaputra originates from Dafla hills and it passes through Itanagar.
• The project is being implemented by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO).
• Earlier in 2008, Germany had signed a loan agreement with NEEPCO for providing Euro 80 million under Indo-German Bilateral Development Cooperation.
• A loan agreement was recently signed for providing additional funding of Euro 20 million for this project.

Rewa Mega Multi Power Project

• Rewa Mega Multi Power project with the capacity of 750 MW is located in Madhya Pradesh.
• Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is signed between Delhi Metro Railways Corporation (DMRC) & Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company (MPPMC).
• Thus it becomes the first power project to conduct interstate sale of solar power to Delhi Metro.
• It will supply 24 per cent of its power to Delhi Metro during the power project lifetime.
• International Finance Corporation (IFC) is the transaction adviser in the project and the World Bank is funding the internal infrastructure of the project.

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)

• PMVVY is a Pension Scheme under the Ministry of Finance, exclusively for the senior citizens aged 60 years and above.
• It provides social security to protect senior citizens against a future fall in their interest income due to uncertain market conditions.
• Life Insurance Corporation of India is the implementing agency.
• It enables assured pension/return linked to the subscription amount based on government guarantee to LIC.
• It provides an assured return of 8% p.a. payable monthly for 10 years and is exempted from Service Tax/ GST.
• The ceiling of maximum pension is for a family as a whole, the family will comprise of pensioner, his/her spouse and dependants.
• The shortfall owing to the difference between the interest guaranteed and the actual interest earned shall be subsidized by the Government of India and reimbursed to the Corporation.

Hamesha Vijayee

• It is a major exercise carried out by Indian Army in the deserts of Rajasthan to evaluate the capability of the armed forces to strike deep into enemy territory.
• The exercise is being conducted in an integrated air-land battle scenario.

IT Campus for Persons with Disabilities

• The Telangana government has announced that it will set up the world’s first IT campus for Persons with Disabilities.
• It entered in to agreement with Vindhya E-Infomedia Private Limited which will provide employment opportunities to PWD.

Source: PIB, BusinessLine