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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has recently launched the ‘Gau Samridhi Plus scheme’ or ‘Cow Samridhi Plus Scheme’ to offer insurance coverage to dairy farmers in Kerala. The government subsidized scheme will give insurance coverage to dairy farmers at low premium rates. The farmers belonging to the general category will receive 50% subsidy on premiums while those belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) category would get 70% subsidy on the premium.

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Induslnd Bank has recently launched the India’s first interactive credit card with buttons called the IndusInd Bank Nexxt Credit Card. The card provides customers with the flexibility of 3 payment options at a Point of Sale (POS) terminal – credit, converting transactions into EMIs with 4 tenure options (6, 12, 18 and 24 months) or using accumulated reward points, by simply pushing a button on the card. The card has been created in partnership with Dynamics Inc, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, USA. It indicates a customer’s desired payment choice using LED lights associated with the three options. With this card, the customer does not need to fill any paperwork, or call their bank, or log in to any banking channel to convert their POS transactions into EMIs, or to redeem their rewards points. It gives customers the freedom to pay the way they want, by giving them payment options like EMI, Rewards and Credit, at the push of a button.

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India’s first specialized hospital for elephants has opened by NGO Wildlife SOS (WSOS) in Mathura at Farah block’s Churmura village. The first-of-its-kind hospital has unique facilities including wireless digital X-ray, laser treatment, dental X-ray, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, hydrotherapy and quarantine facilities. The hospital is strategically located near elephant conservation and care centre. It is designed to treat injured, sickor geriatric elephants and is equipped with a medical hoist for lifting elephants, as also an elephant restraining device with a dedicated indoor treatment enclosure for long duration medical procedures.

Notes:
The Oxford Dictionaries has been chosen “toxic” as its ‘Word of the Year 2018’. Traditionally, the word “toxic” has been used to describe harmful chemical substances e.g. toxic waste and toxic gas. The dictionary defines “toxic” as “poisonous” with its roots derived from the medieval Latin term “toxicus,” meaning poisoned or imbued with poison. But, it has recently developed wider social meanings in light of the #MeToo movement and the increasingly volatile political landscape fostered by the Brexit vote.

Notes:
Alyque Padamsee (90), the veteran ad film maker and theatre personality, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on November 17, 2018. He was widely called the Brand Father of Indian advertising. During his active years in ad industry, he remained the brain behind several iconic and memorable Indian ad campaigns such as Lalitaji for Surf, Cherry Charlie for Cherry Blossom Shoe Polish, the MRF Muscle Man, the Liril girl in the waterfall, Hamara Bajaj and the TV detective Karamchand. He also created many public service campaigns on topics, including eve-teasing, AIDS and sexual molestation. He served as a social activist for the Citizens for Justice and Peace Committee, the Citizens Action Group, and was also on the advisory council of IIT Bombay. He was also a part of the Prime Minister’s AIDS Task Force. Mr Padamsee was also best known for his role as Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1982 historcial drama “Gandhi”. For his contributions to the creative field, he was honored with Padmashri in 2000 and was named Advertising Man of the Century by The Advertising Club in Mumbai.

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The Government of India (GoI) has set up a tribunal for adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the two Tripura-based militant outfits – National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) – as unlawful associations under the law. The decision has been taken by the Home Ministry exercising the powers conferred under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act . The tribunal will be headed by Delhi High Court Judge Justice Suresh Kait. The rebel outfits, formed in 1990 with the objective of “expulsion of all foreigners who entered the state after 1956”, were first banned in 1997 following riots involving tribals and non-tribals in Tripura’s Khowai subdivision, in which the outfits intervened on behalf of tribals. Tripura shares an 856-km boundary with Bangladesh.

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In New Delhi, the Government of India (GoI) has signed a $300 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) that provides long-term finance to infrastructure projects. The move is expected to enhance the availability of long-term finance for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, improve operational capacity of IIFCL, and expand the portfolio of infrastructure financing instruments available to the company. The $300 million ADB loan is expected to help catalyze the financial closing of $2.4 billion in investments. In addition, the attached technical assistance will support IIFCL capacity development and will focus on IIFCL’s financial management and social and environmental safeguards.

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In Himachal Pradesh, the 26th edition of Central and State Statistical Organizations(COCSSO) Conference was held at Dharamshala with theme “Quality Assurance in Official Statistics” on 15th and 16th November 2018. It was organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in collaboration with Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Himachal Pradesh. The COCSSO is an annual conference which provides a platform for the Central and State statisticians to exchange views and discuss common issues relating to statistical activities.

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The National Education Day (NED) is celebrated every year in India on 11th of November to commemorate the birth anniversary of great freedom fighter, educationist & social reformer Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was also the independent India’s first education minister (served from 1947 to 1958). In 1912, he started a weekly journal in Urdu called Al-Hilal to increase the revolutionary recruits. For his contribution – both as an educationist as a freedom fighter – he was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1992. He is also responsible in establishing most of the major cultural and literary academies including the Sangeet Natak Academy, Lalit Kala Academy, Sahitya Academy as well as the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The first IIT, IISc, School of Planning and Architecture and the University Grants Commission were established under his tenure. The day also observes to strengthen India’s educational institutions and to raising the quality of education.

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William Goldman (87), the Oscar-winning screenwriter and novelist, has passed away in New York on November 16, 2018. He was best known for his works such as ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, ‘All the President’s Men’ and ‘The Princess Bride’.