Current Affair 1:

Five States Account for Close to 60% of DPIIT-Recognized Start-ups

 

Start-ups recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are eligible to avail the benefits like as tax exemptions, self-certification, and relaxation in norms. Further, it was seen that the number of startups that gained recognition of DPIIT has increased by more than 50 times to almost 24,000 as of November 2022 from 452 in 2016 when the initiative was rolled out.

5 states accounted for almost 60% of the DPIIT-recognized start-ups

As of 30 November 2022, a total of 84,012 startups were recognized by DPIIT since the inception of the scheme, as per a Lok Sabha response from 07 December 2022. The data also reveals that there is at least one DPIIT-recognized startup from each of the 36 States and Union Territories.

The majority of the recognized startups, about 18.5%, were in Maharashtra.

 

31 out of 36 States/UTs have their own startup policy

Of the 36 States and Union Territories in India, 31 of them have a dedicated Startup Policy. Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh are among those without a dedicated policy.

Current Affair 2:

Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (MM Hills)

 

News:

The Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (MM Hills) in Karnataka is an important elephant corridor and home to longstanding tribal communities and their livestock.

• Researchers reconstructed the diet of wild and domestic herbivores in MM Hills, Karnataka, using environmental DNA to understand dietary niche overlap.
• This method of study is expected to generate a detailed diet of herbivores, analyse their fecal matter in a non-invasive way and remove the difficulties in traditional methods, according to the authors.
• The study finds that an increase in the spread of Invasive Alien Species is increasing the competition between domestic and wild herbivores in resource sharing and partitioning.

Previous reports from the study area have highlighted the potential impact of livestock grazing in MM Hills, creating the risk of food shortage and spreading diseases. “Resources for wild and domestic herbivores have reduced because of the invasion of Lantana camara in the MM Hills region.

Current Affair 3:

What is the Resilience and Sustainability Facility?

 

The Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) complements the existing IMF lending toolkit by helping low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries address longer-term challenges, including those related to climate change and pandemic preparedness.

What are the focus areas of the RSF?

RST loans would initially support measures addressing climate change and enhancing pandemic preparedness given their global public goods nature; other challenges could be added over time.

Current Affair 4:

Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS)

 

The Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS), jointly convened by the Group of Seven (G7) Presidency and the World Bank Group to catalyze an immediate and concerted response to the unfolding global hunger crisis, was launched.

The Alliance’s supporters include not only the UN Crisis Response Group, the World Bank, the G7 countries and the EU Commission but also like-minded governments, the African Union, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The Alliance is also open to the private sector and to civil society organisations.

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