Notes:
After the recent Monetary Policy Committee Meeting of RBI, the Central Bank cut the 2022-23 growth projection to 7 per cent from its previous estimate of 7.2 per cent.
RBI also made the fourth rate hike in this financial year, as the Repo rate was hiked by 50 bps to 5.9%. The standing deposit facility (SDF) rate stands adjusted to 5.65 per cent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.15 per cent.

Notes:
UNESCO released a list of 50 exclusive and iconic heritage textile crafts of India named ‘Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textile’.
It describes the processes behind their making, mentions the causes for their declining popularity and provides strategies for their preservation. Toda embroidery and Sungadi from Tamil Nadu, Himroo weaves from Hyderabad and Bandha tie and dye weaving from Odisha are some of the crafts included.

Notes:
The United States hosted a historic summit and signed a partnership agreement with more than a dozen Pacific island nations including Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga among others.
US President Joe Biden announce that the country was committed to increasing its presence in the region amidst growing concern about China’s growing military and economic influence. Australia and New Zealand also participated in the summit as observers.

Notes:
A new edible catfish species has been discovered in the river Cauvery near Mettur Dam named Pangasius icaria ( P. icaria).
As per Indian Council of Agricultural Research, which discovered the species, it belongs to the Pangasius genus. For nearly two centuries Pangasius is represented by one species in India as well as South Asia and is called Pangasius Pangasius.

Notes:
According to UNICEF report released recently, 80 percent of child marriages can fall down if higher education is provided to all girls.
It also noted that secondary education is a much stronger and more consistent protection against child marriage than primary school education. The most progress in the past decade was seen in South Asia, where a girl’s risk of marrying in childhood dropped by over a third to below 30 per cent.