Certified Jute Seed Distribution Plan

• Certified Jute Seed Distribution Plan will expand usage of certified seeds to over 55% area under Jute Cultivation.
• The Ministry of Textiles has launched a Certified Jute Seed Distribution Plan under Jute ICARE Program.

Jute ICARE Program

• Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise for Jute (Jute ICARE) was launched in 2015.
• The programme was initiated by the National Jute Board (NJB) in association with Central Research Institute for Research in Jute and Allied Fibres (CRIJAF) & Jute Corporation of India (JCI).
• It aims mechanization in jute farming in a farmer-friendly way and accelerated retting using microbial consortium for improved income for jute farmers.

Housing Finance Companies

• A HFC has been defined to mean a non-banking financial company engaged in the housing finance business and which fulfills the following conditions:
• Its financial assets (in the business of providing finance for housing) constitute not less than 60% of its total assets; and
• Out of the total assets (netted off by intangible assets), not less than 50% should be by way of housing financing for individuals.
• Banks are mandated by the RBI, to follow the repo rate-based lending rate for all loans but loans by HFCs and NBFCs are linked to the prime lending rate (PLR).
• The banks cannot lend at rates below the Repo Rate but there is no such restriction on PLR-linked loans.
• The provisions for the regulation of HFCs are provided under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987 with the National Housing Bank being the regulatory authority for HFCs.
• Recently, the RBI has issued directives to housing finance companies (HFCs) on maintenance of liquidity coverage ratio, risk management, asset classification and loan-to-value ratio.

Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge

• It is an initiative of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) and technical partner WRI India
• It is a 3-year initiative aimed at supporting early childhood-friendly neighbourhoods under the government’s Smart Cities Mission.
• It aims to address the need for early childhood amenities in government office premises, bus shelters and transit hubs.
• The selected cities for the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ will receive technical assistance, capacity building and scale-up support to experiment, and implement trials and pilots over the next six months

India Energy Outlook Report

• The India Energy Outlook 2021 is a new special report from the International Energy Agency (IEA’s) World Energy Outlook series.
• It explores the opportunities and challenges ahead for India as it seeks to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable energy for a growing population.
• Presently, India is the fourth-largest global energy consumer behind China, the United States and the European Union.
• India's share in the growth in renewable energy is the second-largest in the world, after China.
• Highlights of the report are

1. India will make up the biggest share of energy demand growth at 25% over the next two decades, as it overtakes the European Union as the world's third-biggest energy consumer by 2030.
2. India’s oil demand is seen rising by 74% to 8.7 million barrels per day by 2040 under the existing policies scenario.
3. A five-fold increase in per capita car ownership will result in India leading the oil demand growth in the world.
4. India will become the fastest-growing market for Natural gas, with demand more than tripling by 2040.
5. Coal currently dominates India's electricity sector, accounting for over 70% of overall generation.
6. Coal demand is seen rising to 772 million tonnes in 2040 from the current 590.

Giant Leatherback Turtle

• It is the largest of the seven species of sea turtles on the planet.
• It is most long-ranging turtle which are found in all the oceans except the Arctic and the Antarctic Oceans.
• It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• They are also listed in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• The large numbers of Giant Leatherback Turtle have been recorded nesting on the long and wide beaches at the mouth of the Dagmar and Alexandira Rivers on the west coast and at the mouth of the Galathea River along its south eastern coast of Andaman Nicobar Islands