PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme
PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme for higher education gets nod
- Objective – Provide financial support to meritorious students for higher education.
- Eligibility – Students admitted to Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs) with an annual family income up to Rs. 8 lakhs.
- Offers Collateral-free, guarantor-free loans up to Rs. 10 lakhs with a 3% interest subvention during the moratorium period.
- Loan Guarantee – 75% credit guarantee by the Government of India for loans up to Rs. 7.5 lakh.
- Interest Subvention – Payment through E-voucher and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallets.
MAHASAGAR (Maritime Heads for Active Security And Growth for All in Region)
Third edition of high-level virtual interaction MAHASAGAR conducted
- Launched by – Indian Navy in 2023
- A bi-annual initiative promoting cooperation and high-level interactions among Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries.
- Includes leaders and maritime officials from Bangladesh, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
- Aligns with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision
TULIP (Traditional Artisans’ Upliftment Livelihood Programme)
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has inaugurated ‘TULIP’ brand
- A Digital Platform for Craft and Community Empowerment.
- Aim to empower marginalized artisans (SCs, OBCs, sanitation workers, and persons with disabilities) by providing an exposure to e-marketing.
LignoSat
LignoSat been launched.
- World’s 1st wooden satellite
- Made from honoki wood, a type of magnolia tree native to Japan.
- Developed by – Japan
- Objective – To study how wood withstands space’s extreme conditions.
- Advantages – Wood can better withstand space conditions than metal, as there’s no water or oxygen to cause decay.
- Wooden satellites burn up without releasing harmful pollutants, unlike metal ones.
Titanium
India and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to establish Indo-Kazakh Joint Venture Company- IREUK Titanium Limited
- Hard, shiny, light and strong refractory metal.
- Occurs naturally in chemical combinations, usually with oxygen and iron.
- Ores – Rutile and ilmenite
- Properties – Low thermal conductivity, Non-magnetic and Resists corrosion.
- Application – Its alloys are used in aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, ships, etc.
- Titanium oxide used in paints, sunscreens, toothpastes etc.