IEPFA is set to launch its Integrated Portal, a unified digital platform designed to streamline claim processes and enhance accessibility for both investors and companies.

About IEPFA:

• Established: in 2016, under the provisions of sub-section 5 of Section 125 of the Companies Act, 2013
• Functioning under: the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• Functions:
  • administration of the Investor Education Protection Fund (IEPF), 
  • making refunds of shares, unclaimed dividends, matured deposits/debentures etc. to investors, 
  • promoting awareness among investors, and protecting the interests of the investors. 
  • advancing financial literacy nationwide. 
• Initiatives taken: Niveshak Didi, Niveshak Panchayat, and Niveshak Shivir.

71st National Film Awards for the year 2023 were announced  in different categories.

About National film award

• Established: 1954
• Aim: To highlight films that contribute significantly to Indian cinema and culture.
• Presented by: President of India (annually)

Awards for the year 2023 

• Best Feature Film:12th Fail
• Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (12th Fail)
• Best Actress: Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway)
• Best Short Film: Giddh The Scavenger
• Best Non-Feature Film: Flowering Man

The Ministry of Mines has recognized 7 institutes as Centres of Excellence (CoE) under the NCMM. They include:

• IIT Bombay
• IIT Hyderabad
• IIT - ISM Dhanbad
• IIT Roorkee
• CSIR – IMMT, Bhubaneswar
• CSIR – NML, Jamshedpur
• NFTDC, Hyderabad
• These CoEs will operate in a hub and spoke model and leverage R&D in critical minerals.
• Critical minerals are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, India launched the NCMM to ensure their long-term availability and processing.

India launches projects with the UN under Global Capacity Building Initiative for Asia, Africa and Caribbean countries.

About Global Capacity Building Initiative

• Genesis: India and the United Nations jointly launched it in September 2023 .
• Objective: Share India’s development experiences, best practices, and expertise with Global South nations through capacity-building and training programs for accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Implemented through the new UN India SDG Country Fund as well as the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC).

New UPI rules will be implemented from August 1. 

• Unified Payments Interface is an instant real-time payment system developed by NPCI to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones.

About new rules

• New rules will apply to all payment service providers like Google Pay, PhonePe, or Paytm.
• The new rules will regulate activities like checking bank balance, processing autopayments and accessing bank details.

It allows users to find the link of accounts linked to their mobile by a particular account provider. 

Odisha has launched a new roadmap to integrate Landraces, into formal seed systems. 

About Landraces

• Meaning: Traditional seed varieties or Landraces are genetically diverse crop populations, evolved over generations with traditional farmer practices through a combination of natural adaptation and human selection. 
• Significance: Tuned to local agro-climatic conditions with traits like climate resilience, yield stability, pest tolerance, and nutritional richness, etc. 
• Threat: Genetic Erosion due to changes in agricultural practices, land use, use of pesticides, etc. 

Central Zoo Authority (CZA)  report revealed a mix-up in identifying Alpine musk deer for conservation breeding, mistaking it for its Himalayan counterpart. 

About Alpine Musk Deer

• Habitat: Temperate climate in alpine meadows, shrub lands, birch, blue pine and fir forests from 3,000-4,500m above sea level. 
  • Native species of India, Nepal, Bhutan and China.
• Key Characteristics: Solitary and shy, herbivorous, with a gestation period 180-200 days.
  • Musk Deer is unique with fangs and without antlers and gall bladder. 
• Threat: Poaching for  muskpod used in perfumes and traditional medicines.
• Conservation Status: Endangered (IUCN); Schedule I (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972). 

Prime Ministry released the 20th instalment of PM-KISAN. 

About PM-KISAN

• Genesis: 2019
• Type: Central Sector Scheme
• Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
• Objective: Provide income support to all landholding farmers' families, which have cultivable landholding in their names. 
• Exclusion Criteria: All institutional Land holders; and Farmer families with members holding former and present constitutional posts, employees of central/state governments, professionals like Doctors, engineers, etc. 
• Financial Benefits: Rs.6000/- per annum per family payable in three equal instalments of Rs.2000/- each, every four months through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has launched Aadhaar-Based Face Authentication. 

• Developed under the framework of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India).
• Enables customers to perform banking transactions through facial recognition, eliminating fingerprints or OTPs causing inclusive banking, fast transactions, etc.

About India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)

• Genesis: 2018  
• Ministry: Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication 
• Aim: Leverages the extensive postal network to bring banking services to the doorstep of every citizen. 
• Equity: 100% owned by Government of India.