IE Analysis:https://youtu.be/j7fjat_bmps?si=sB7Ww75Ge8D5ZisN
JN Analysis:https://youtu.be/va-cmOcFzGs?si=NjShda3YdCK_4lgM
1 .Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) Scheme: Rs. 7,980 crore has been committed to 99 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) and Rs. 3,400 crore has been disbursed to 72 AIFs which have in turn made investments of Rs. 14,077 crore in 791 startups, the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash said in his reply to a Parliament Question today. As reported by SIDBI, FFS has played an important role in wealth creation, employment generation, inclusive growth and recognition for startups.
The Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) Scheme was approved and established in 2016 with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore, with contribution spread over the 14th and 15th Finance Commission cycle based on progress of implementation, to provide much-needed boost to the Indian startup ecosystem and enable access to domestic capital.
Under FFS, the Scheme does not directly invest in startups, instead provides capital to SEBI-registered AIFs, known as daughter funds, who in turn invest money in growing Indian startups through equity and equity-linked instruments.
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has been given the mandate of operating this Fund through selection of suitable daughter funds and overseeing the disbursal of committed capital. AIFs supported under FFS are required to invest at least 2 times of the amount committed under FFS in startups.
Such Schemes support startups at various stages of their business cycle to enable startups to graduate to a level where they will be able to raise investments from angel investors or venture capitalists or seek loans from commercial banks or financial institutions.
The Government also implements flagship annual exercises and programs including States’ Startup Ranking, National Startup Awards and Innovation Week which play an important role in holistic development of the startup ecosystem.
2 .Houthis Rebellion:The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are a Zaydi Shia Islamist political movement and armed organization based in Yemen. They hold significant influence in the country, particularly in the north.
The Houthis' ideology is a blend of Zaydi Shia Islam, Zaidism, and revolutionary rhetoric. They advocate for social justice, economic equality, and an end to foreign intervention in Yemen.
The Houthis' future remains uncertain, as the Yemeni Civil War continues and regional tensions persist. Their influence in Yemen is undeniable, and their actions will likely continue to shape the country's trajectory.
The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia in Yemen, have significantly escalated their conflict with Israel. This includes a series of missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli civilians and military installations. Israel has responded with airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Houthis have also disrupted global trade by targeting commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea.
This escalation coincides with the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, with the Houthis expressing solidarity with Hamas and threatening further attacks on Israel. The conflict poses a significant threat to regional stability and has drawn international condemnation.
3 .Coffee Production: India has emerged as the world’s seventh-largest coffee producer, with exports reaching $1.29 billion in FY 2023-24, almost double the $719.42 million recorded in 2020-21, according to a press release from the Commerce Ministry.
India’s coffee exports have grown significantly due to the increasing global demand for its rich and unique flavors. In the first half of January 2025 India exported over 9,300 tonnes of coffee with top buyers including Italy, Belgium, and Russia.
Approximately three-fourths of India’s coffee production consists of Arabica and Robusta beans. These are primarily exported as unroasted beans
4 .The World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, held in Davos, Switzerland, is a prestigious gathering of global leaders from various sectors, including heads of state, business executives, economists, and civil society representatives.
This influential event serves as a platform for discussing and addressing critical global challenges such as climate change, economic inequality, geopolitical tensions, and technological advancements. The meeting fosters high-level networking and collaboration, and its discussions often shape global policy debates and influence the international agenda.
The 2024 meeting, themed "Rebuilding Trust," is expected to focus on key issues like artificial intelligence, geopolitical uncertainties, climate change, and the slowing pace of China's economic growth.
5 .18th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival to begin from January 30: The Jaipur Literature Festival, the world’s largest literary event, is set to mark its 18th edition from January 30 to February 3, 2025.
6 .Beto Bachao Beti Padao: The Ministry of Women and Child Development is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme, a flagship initiative dedicated to protecting, educating, and empowering the girl child in India.
In 2015, the Indian government introduced the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme to address concerns about gender discrimination and women empowerment in the country. The name Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao translates to ‘Save the girl child, educate the girl child’.
The scheme aims to educate citizens against gender bias and improve the efficacy of welfare services for girls. It was launched with initial funding of Rs. 100 crore (US$ 13.5 million).
Objectives:
The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana aims to achieve the following goals:
1. Improve the child sex ratio
2. Ensure gender equality and women empowerment
3. Prevent gender-biased, sex-selective elimination
4. Ensure survival and protection of the girl child
5. Encourage education and participation of the girl child
The scheme is divided into three components:
(1) advocacy campaigns were launched to address the issue of declining CSR and SBR;
(2) multi-sectoral interventions were planned and are being implemented in gender-critical districts across the country; and
(3) a financial incentive-linked scheme—Sukanya Samriddhi scheme—was launched to encourage parents to build a fund for female children.
Key beneficiaries under the BBBP initiative:
1. Primary Segment: Young and newly married couples; pregnant and lactating mothers; and parents.
2. Secondary Segment: Youth, adolescents (girls and boys), in-laws, medical doctors/ practitioners, private hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostic centres.
3. Tertiary Segment: Officials, PRIs, frontline workers, women SHGs/collectives, religious leaders, voluntary organisations, media, medical associations, industry associations and the people at large.
Programmes and interventions designed to incentivise improvements in the CSR and SRB ratios are being implemented in the shortlisted gender-critical districts.
The scheme outlines measurable outcomes and indicators to monitor progress in these 640 districts. The performance targets are as follows:
1. Improve SRB in select gender-critical districts by 2 points per year
2. Reduce gender differentials in the under-five child mortality rate metric by 1.5 points per year
3. Provide functional toilets for girls in every school in select districts
4. Increase first trimester antenatal care registration by 1% per year
5. Improve nutritional status by reducing the number of underweight and anaemic girls (under five years of age)
Key Developments:
1. The National SRB Index has shown an upward trend from 918 (2014-15) to 934 (2019-20), an improvement of 16 points in five years.
2. 422 districts out of the 640 districts covered under BBBP have shown improvement in SRB from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
3. The National Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of girls in secondary schools improved from 77.45 (2014-15) to 81.32 (2018-19)—3.87 points in four years.
4. Proportion of schools with separate, functional toilets for girls rose from 92.1% in 2014-15 to 95.1% in 2018-19.
5. 1st trimester ANC registration rate increased from 61% in 2014-15 to 71% in 2019-20.
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