NATIONAL NEWS
NaBFID to be regulated as AIFI under RBI Act
Reserve Bank of India has announced that National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) will be regulated and supervised by it as an All India Financial Institution (AIFI) under the RBI Act, 1934. NaBFID will be regulated and supervised by RBI as an AIFI under Sections 45L and 45N of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Presently RBI has four AIFIs under it namely EXIM Bank, NABARD, NHB and SIDBI. NaBFID will be the fifth AIFI under RBI. NaBFID has been set up as a Development Financial Institution (DFI) to support the development of long-term infrastructure financing in India.
Prime Minister Modi chairs meeting to review Ukraine situation
Prime Minister Modi chaired a meeting to review the Ukraine situation. The meeting was attended by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and S. Jaishankar. The other officials present in the meeting were the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and other senior officials. Prime Minister Modi, two days ago, had also held a review meeting on the Ukraine crisis to go through the evacuation situation of Indian students. Prime Minister has been continuously holding high-level meetings on the Ukraine crisis since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Government approves modernization scheme to equip CAPF with modern state-of-art- weapons
The Central Government has approved the Modernisation Plan-IV scheme for the Central Armed Police Forces. It will equip the force with modern state-of-the-art weapons and equipment. The scheme for CAPF with a total outlay of Rs. 1,523 crores will be implemented by the Home Ministry from February 2022 to March 2026. The implementation of the scheme will equip the Central Armed Police Forces to improve the overall operational efficiency and preparedness which will benefit the internal security scenario in the country. The scheme will also bolster Government’s ability to address the challenges being faced on the international border as well as in different areas.
Sunith Francis Rodrigues, Former Army Chief General and Punjab Governor passes away at 88.
General (retd) Sunith Francis Rodrigues passed away on March 4, 2022, at the age of 88. Rodrigues headed the Indian Army between 1990 and 1993 and had also served as the Governor of Punjab between 2004 and 2010. The Indian Army expressed grief on the demise of Sunith Francis Rodrigues via Twitter and said, General MM Naravane, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), and all ranks of the Indian Army express heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of General Sunith Francis Rodrigues, who passed away. Prime Minister Modi also expressed grief over the demise of SF Rodrigues. In a tweet, Prime Minister noted that the nation will remain indebted to General Rodrigues for his exceptional service and his contribution towards making India stronger. He also added that General Rodrigues was respected for his deep strategic knowledge.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
French President Emmanuel Macron to run for second term
The President of France Emmanuel Macron announced that he will run for the second term in April’s presidential election in France. Macron, 44-year-old, had long indicated that he wanted to run in the election which is scheduled to be held in two rounds- April 10 and April 24, 2022. However, his initial campaign plans changed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron, in a letter to the French published in the local media, stated that he seeks their trust again. He is already leading the polls. Valérie Pécresse, the conservative candidate and two far-right figures, Marine le Pen and Eric Zemmour, are expected to be his main challengers.
ASEAN Envoy Confirms Mission to Myanmar Later This Month.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will make his first official mission to the country as envoy on March 20-23. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will pay a four-day visit to Myanmar later this month for talks with top representatives of the country’s military government, his first official trip as special envoy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). A ministry spokesperson announced yesterday that the trip would take place on March 20-23. While details of the Sokhonn’s agenda have apparently not been finalized, he is set to inch forward the implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus peace plan, which it reached at a special summit last April. The Consensus aims to a achieve an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and a peaceful solution involving all parties, in addition to the delivery of humanitarian aid. But the ruling military junta has dragged its feet on the implementation of the plan, redoubling its efforts to quash the rising armed resistance to its rule.
