Current Affairs - Miscellaneous

The Bhopal Mahila Thana, located in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, is the first women's police station in India to be ISO-certified. It achieved this recognition in October 2023.

The Indian Army has concluded 70 schemes under Emergency Procurements-4 (EP-4) worth nearly ₹11,000 crore. The schemes were completed between September 2022 and September 2023, and were used to fill up "critical capability voids" in the Army. The schemes cover a wide range of areas, including: Weapon systems, Protective equipment, Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), Drones and counter-drones Communication and non-communication equipment, Survivability and training.

The government has decided to keep the interest rate on General Provident Fund (GPF) savings unchanged at 7.1% for the October-December 2023 quarter. This marks the 15th successive quarter where the government has maintained the status quo, ensuring stability for government employees’ retirement savings. The GPF is a government-sponsored provident fund scheme for central government employees. It is a voluntary scheme, and employees can contribute up to 12% of their basic salary to the GPF. The government contributes an equal amount to the GPF account of the employees.

In the ATMAN 2023 program, experts have suggested supporting 24 start-ups with technical and financial aid from a specialized fund of Rs 20 crore, aiming to enhance the agri-tech sector.

Sankalp Saptaah is a week-long initiative launched by the Prime Minister of India (on 30th September 2023 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi) to improve governance at the block level. The program aims to bring about positive change in the lives of people living in aspirational blocks.