Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana:
- The Union Ministry has said that 48 crore people have registered for the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana accident insurance scheme so far.
- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Accident Insurance Scheme is an accident insurance scheme of India guaranteed by the Government of India.
- The objective of the scheme is to reduce economic needs and reduce the gap between urban and rural people in terms of healthcare and rehabilitation costs.
- Individuals between the ages of 18 and 70 who have a personal bank or post office account can register under the scheme.
- The scheme provides insurance to those who die or are injured in an accident.
- The PMSBY scheme is a 1-year accident insurance plan that is renewable annually through the auto debit facility.
States with the highest number of road accidents:
- 78 lakh people die every year due to road accidents, 60 per cent of which are in the age group of 18-34, said Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
- The top 4 states with the highest number of road accidents are Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
- The top 3 cities with the highest number of road accident deaths are New Delhi, Bengaluru and Jaipur.
Prime Minister’s Atma Nirbhaya Fund for Street Vendors:
- PM SVANidhi stands for Prime Minister’s Street Vendors’ Atma Nirbhaya Fund.
- This is a central government scheme launched in June 2020.
- It aims to provide micro-credit facilities to street vendors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Providing access to affordable working capital loans to vendors to help them restart their livelihood activities post the nationwide lockdown (due to the pandemic).
- Encouraging proper repayment of loans through provisions such as cash withdrawal, higher loans on subsequent demands.
December: 15 International Tea Day
- Every year on December 15, tea-producing countries celebrate International Tea Day.
- Tea significantly supports the global economy and trade, with the top 10 tea-producing countries in the world being China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Indonesia and Japan.
- China is the largest tea producer in the world.
- Assam is the largest tea-producing state in India.
- Tea is grown in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.
- The Tamil Nadu Tea Estates Corporation was started in 1968 for the rehabilitation of hill people who returned from Sri Lanka.
Important Facts:
- India has sent about 60 tonnes of medical and disaster relief supplies to the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica.
- Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
- Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is on a 3-day visit to India.
- The ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha.
- A high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Govind has been formed to study the ‘One Nation, One Election’ scheme.
- It is likely that elections to the Lok Sabha and all state and union territory legislative assemblies will be held in the same year in 2034.
- Former football player Mikheil Kavelashvili has been elected as the new President of Georgia.