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• The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) notified all banks in December 2022 that the Padho Pardesh Interest Subsidy Scheme would be phased out during 2022-23.
• Existing beneficiaries (as on March 31, 2022) will remain entitled to the interest subsidy during the moratorium period of the loan, subject to compliance with the existing guidelines.
• On December 11, 2022, MOMA notified that the “Maulana Azad National Fellowship” (MANF) scheme has also been discontinued since it overlaps with various other government schemes for higher education.
• This resolution will recognize the importance of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
• It also encourages member states to integrate education for democracy into their education standards.
• In 2015, a similar resolution was passed at the Assembly encouraging all UN entities to use education to promote peace, human rights, and democracy.
• Among low-income countries, only 11% of public education funding goes to the poorest learners, while 42% goes to the richest.
• compared to the children from the poorest households, the children from the wealthiest households benefit from more than 6 times the amount of public funding for education.
• In middle-income countries, the richest learners receive around four times more gets more than 4 times the spending compared to the poorest.
• In high-income countries, the richest usually benefit from 1.1 to 1.6 times as much public education spending as the poorest.
• The report discovered that just a 1% increase in the allocation of public education resources to the poorest learners could lift 35 million primary school-aged children out of learning poverty.
• The report stated that children living in poverty are less likely to have access to school and drop out sooner.
• The education system across the globe was largely failing since millions of school-going children did not grasp basic reading or mathematics skills.
• It is estimated that around two-thirds of all 10-year-olds across the globe cannot read or understand a simple story.
• Byju’s has topped the list of highest funding raised in 2022 with over USD 1.2 billion from existing investors.
• This amounted to almost 50% of the total funding received in the edtech sector.
• There were 22 unicorns in 2022, compared to 46
in 2021, and average funding before the unicorn
round was around USD 160 million.
• It is now taking an average of 5.1 years from Series A funding to the Unicorn round for the Indian startups.
• A total of 11 tech IPO (Initial Public Offering) were launched in 2022.
• LetsVenture, AngelList, and Y Combinator have topped the list of most active investors in 2022 to date.
• The MoU between CMAI and AREAS will ensure a regular exchange of knowledge, information, innovation, policy and regulatory developments in the carbon market.
• Both CMAI and AREAS will work towards enhancing the development of Renewable Energy (RE) projects to reduce emissions with a focus on community development.
• Under this MoU, both entities will work towards end-to-end carbon offset management of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation projects and generate carbon finance by guiding their associates about carbon neutrality and net zero goals with collaborative recommendations for a structured roadmap towards a net zero future.
• The Jaga Mission is an ongoing project in Odisha aimed at improving the lives of slum dwellers. It uses a
comprehensive strategy to combat poverty, focussing on three key issues.
• The Government of Odisha has set an aspirational target of becoming the first slum-free state in India, and
it is leading the Jaga Mission to upgrade all 2,919 slums in the state.
• Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a note to the 193 General Assembly members nominating Inger Andersen for reelection.
• Russia circulated a “draft decision” that required Antonio Guterres to present candidates for the position of executive director of UNEP.
• The assembly defeated the Russian proposal by a vote of 13-77 with 62 abstentions.
• The secret ballot on Inger Andersen’s nomination was approved by a majority of 136-0 with 31 abstentions.
• Archaeologists in Norway have found the oldest runestone in the world. The inscriptions are up to 2,000 years old and date back to the earliest days of the enigmatic history of runic writing in Oslo, Norway.
• The runestone, which measures 31 by 32 centimetres, has numerous inscriptions that include runes and letters related to the Germanic alphabet. Eight runes on the front of the stone read “idiberug”.
• The runestone was discovered in 2021 during the excavation of a grave at Tyrifjord, west of Oslo, Norway, in a region known for many monumental archaeological finds.
• Items found in the cremation pit, such as burned bones and charcoal, indicate that the runes were most likely inscribed between A.D. 1 and 250.
• According to the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway, the carved scribbles on the flat, square slab of brownish sandstone could be the earliest example of words ever found in writing in Scandinavia.
• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day is annually observed across India on January 19 to commemorate the establishment of the NDRF, under the Ministry of Home Affairs on 19th January 2006.
• 19th January 2023 marks the observance of the 18th NDRF Raising Day.
• The 1st ever NDRF Raising Day was observed on 19th January 2006.
• The NDRF is a specialist force that is prepared to respond to various disasters, including man-made disasters (chemical spills and terrorist attacks) and natural disasters (floods, cyclones, and earthquakes).