RBI amends Gold Monetisation Scheme to make it more attractive

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made a few changes to the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS), in order to make it more attractive.
  • The changes are aimed at making it easier to open a gold deposit account.
  • The RBI said that short-term deposits should be treated as bank’s on-balance sheet liability.

Short-term subsidised crop loan to be under DBT mode: RBI

  • Interest subsidy scheme on short-term crop loans of up to Rs 3 lakh will be implemented through the DBT mode from the current financial year, the RBI has said.
  • The government has set aside Rs.15,000 crore for 2018-19 towards interest subvention for short-term crop loans.
  • According to the scheme, farmers will be able to avail of short-term crop loans of up to Rs.3 lakh at the subsidized interest rate of 7%, which could go down further to 4% on prompt repayment.

Sports Ministry approves upward revision of pension to meritorious sportspersons

  • The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Rajyavardhan Rathore, has approved the increased in pension to meritorious sportspersons.
  • Under the revision, the rate of pension on winning medals in international sports events has been doubled.
  • Medallists at the Olympic/Para-Olympic Games will get Rs.20,000, while a gold medallist at World Cup/World Championship in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines will get Rs.16,000.

Mithali Raj becomes first Indian cricketer to score 2,000 T20I runs

  • Mithali Raj has become the first Indian cricketer to score 2,000 runs in T20I cricket.
  • She achieved the feat during India’s Women’s T20 Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka in Kuala Lumpur.
  • On her way to scoring 2,015 runs in 74 T20Is, she has hit 14 half-centuries.
  • In contrast, Virat Kohli hasn’t even managed the feat, with 1,983 T20I runs to his name.

Government extends timeline of Dam Rehabilitation & Improvement Project

  • The government has extended the deadline for the completion of the Dam Rehabilitation & Improvement Project (DRIP).
  • It has also approved the revised cost estimate of Rs.3,466 crore for the project.

Indian Navy successfully evacuates 38 stranded Indian nationals from Yemen

  • Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sunayana successfully evacuated 38 Indian nationals from cyclone-hit Socotra island in Yemen.
  • The rescue operation was done under the swift Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operation (HADR) code named Operation NISTAR.
  • The Indian nationals were stranded for nearly 10 days after severe cyclonic storm Mekunu devastated area around Socotra Island.