·       Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana is a government scheme meant for old age protection and social security for Small and Marginal Farmers (SMF).

·       The scheme is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for the entry age group of 18 to 40 years.

·       It is administered by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare in partnership with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).

·       It is a Central Sector Scheme that was launched by Narendra Modi in 2019.

Eligibility Criteria:

·       Small and Marginal Farmers, between the age from 18 to 40 years.

·       Cultivable land up to 2 hectares as per land records of the concerned State/UT.

·       Benefits – Once they reach the age of 60, enrolled farmers receive a monthly minimum assured pension of Rs. 3,000.

·       Pension fund – Small and marginal farmers can enrol by paying a monthly subscription to the Pension Fund.

·       The fund is managed by the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).

·       Farmers aged between 18 and 40 years need to contribute between Rs. 55 to Rs. 200 per month until they turn 60.

·       Enrolling Agency or Enrollment Agency – Means the agency chosen by the Government for enrolment of subscribers.

·       Presently, CSC-SPV and State Nodal Officers (SNOs) or agency chosen / nominated by them is the enrolling agency.

·       Family Pension – If a subscriber passes away while receiving their pension, their spouse will be entitled to a family pension equal to 50% of the amount the subscriber was receiving (Rs.1500 per month as Family Pension).

·       This is only applicable if the spouse is not already a beneficiary of the scheme.

·       The family pension benefit is exclusively for the spouse.

·       Under the scheme, Bihar leads with over 3.4 lakh registrations while Jharkhand ranks second with over 2.5 lakh registrations.

·       The International Cooperative Alliance was founded in London, England on 19 August 1895 during the 1st Cooperative Congress.

·       Members – The delegates from cooperatives includes Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, India, Italy, Switzerland, Serbia, and the USA.

·       India is a member of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) since 1895 by delegates from many countries, including India.

·       India has never hosted the general assembly for the International Cooperative Alliance.

·       It is one of the oldest non-governmental organisations and one of the largest ones measured by the number of people represented.

·       It is the premier body for the global cooperative movement.

·       The ICA’s goals include developing international trade, defining and defending cooperative principles, and providing information.

·       The Ukai Dam, constructed across the Tapti River, is the second largest reservoir in Gujarat after the Sardar Sarovar.

·       It is also known as Vallabh Sagar.

·       Constructed in 1972, the dam is meant for irrigation, power generation, and flood control.

·       The storage capacity of Ukai dam is almost 46% of the total capacity of all the other existing dams in Gujarat if put together.

·       Having a catchment area of about 62,255 km2 and a water spread of about 52,000 hectares, its capacity is almost the same as that of the Bhakra Nangal Dam.

·       Ukai dam is an earth-cum-masonry dam, the embankment wall of which is almost 4,927 meters long.

·       Its earth dam is 80.77 meters high, whereas the masonry dam is 68.68 meters high.

Key Facts about Tapti River:

·       It is one of the major rivers in peninsular India.

·       It is one of the three major rivers (the other two being the Narmada River and Mahi River), which flows in east-to-west direction.

Course:

·       Origin: It rises in the Gawilgarh Hills of the central Deccan plateau in south-central Madhya Pradesh state.

·       It flows westward between two spurs of the Satpura Range, across the Jalgaon plateau region in Maharashtra state, and through the plain of Surat in Gujarat state to the Gulf of Khambhat(an inlet of the Arabian Sea).

·       Total Length: 435 miles (700 km).

·       Its total catchment area is around 65145 sq. km., out of which 80% lies in the Maharastra region.

·       It was established under the provisions of section 125 of the Companies Act, 2013.

·       It also make refunds of shares, unclaimed dividends, matured deposits/debentures and so on to investors and to promote awareness among investors.

Key initiatives include:

·       Awareness Programmes in the urban and semi-urban areas.

·       The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs will also conduct some awareness programmes and research activities for the Authority.

·       Joint Awareness Campaign is usually launched with Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India & Department of Consumer Affairs.

The functions of IEPF include:

·       The refund in respect of unclaimed dividends, matured deposits, matured debentures, the application money due for refund and interest.

·       Promotion of investors’ education, awareness and protection.

·       Distribution of any disgorged amount among eligible and identifiable applicants for shares or debentures & shareholders.

·       Reimbursement of legal expenses incurred in pursuing class action suits under sections 37 and 245 by members, debenture-holders or depositors as may be sanctioned by the Tribunal.

·       The Committee is chaired by the Union Home Minister.

·       It has 30 members with 20 members from Lok Sabha and 10 members from Rajya Sabha.

·       The purpose of the Committee is to:

·       To review the progress made in the use of Hindi for official purposes, and

·       To make recommendations to increase the use of Hindi in official communications.

·       Under the provisions of the 1963 Act, the panel submits its report to the President, who then lay it before each House of Parliament, and sent to all the State Governments”.

The Official Language policy of the Union has been explained in detail in the following articles:

·       Article 120 (Part-5),

·       Article 210 (Part-6),

·       Article 343, 344 and

·       From Articles 348 to 351.