Heavy Freezing in Himachal Pradesh, Keylong being Coldest at -10.3° Celsius

 

Though skies were clear, penetrating cold waves flounced across Himachal Pradesh with the minimum and maximum temperatures dipping several gashes below freezing point on 29^th Dec 2020. The administrative centre of Lahaul and Spiti – Keylong, continued to be the coldest place in the state at -10.3° Celsius, a significant dip of over 3°compared to the minimum temperature of -6.7°C on Dec 28. The minimum temperature at Kalpa in Kinnaur (HP) was -6° C. The region shivered at -3.1°C the day before. The maximum temperature at Keylong and Kalpa was -1.5°C and 0.1° C, respectively.

A low of -2.9°C and maximum of -0.5°C was recorded at Dalhousie. The minimum temperature at Manali was -2.6°C, while state capital Shimla and the hill stations of Kufri, Dharamshala and Palampur recorded lows of 1.6°C, -0.2°C, 1.4°C and 1°C, respectively.  Nahan was the warmest place in the state of Himachal Pradesh and recorded a high of 17.9°C.

Beginning of snowfall from January 4^th 2021 has been predicted by the weather department when a western disturbance becomes active over the area. A yellow weather warning of thick ground frost and intense cold wave in the lower hills, including Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Kangra, on Dec 30^th and Dec 31^st.

Around 300 roads and some major highways in Himachal Pradesh remained closed for traffic due to the intemperate weather, causing disruption of 211 bus routes of Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC). Ninety-seven buses have been stuck at various places across the state. Maximum number of roads are closed in the tribal Lahaul-Spiti district of HP.

Leaves of the employees and thousands of workers, deployed in the field to remove snow from various stretches, have been cancelled by the HP Public works department due to the predictions of heavy snowfall.

Shailja Sharma, Wife of Former Himachal CM Shanta Kumar Dies of COVID-19

 Shailja Sharma, wife of former Himachal CM Shanta Kumar, died of COVID during the early hours today on 29^th December 2020, at Tanda Medical College (Kangra).  She was 75 years old.

After being tested positive for coronavirus infection, the former CM Shanta Kumar and his wife Shailja were admitted to the college on December 27 for treatment. The authorities had tried to shift Shailja Sharma to Medenta Hospital in Gurgaon on 28^th December, but it could not be done. She suffered cardiac arrest on Tuesday early morning. Authorities are now preparing for her cremation as per covid protocols.

Shailza was undergoing treatment at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. She was admitted to the facility after testing positive for COVID-19 a few days ago. The Chief Minister of HP and many other leaders have prayed for peace to the departed soul and strength to the family members to bear the loss, through individual facebook posts.

Shanta Kumar was also admitted to the Tanda hospital on Saturday, a day after he tested positive for the disease. Four other family members, his personal secretary, security officer and driver have also tested positive for COVID-19.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him on Sunday to enquire about his and his family members’ health.

Inauguration of Driverless Train and National Common Mobility Card today on 28th December 2020

 

The country's first-ever fully-automated driverless train service is going to be flagged off on 28^th December 2020 by the PM of India. Fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services will also be launched on the Airport Express Line.  The inauguration is being held via video conferencing since 11:00 am today on 28^th Dec. The driverless metro train will run on the 37-km Magenta Line, connecting Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden.

 

 

The DMRC will enter the elite league of "7% of world's Metro networks" with the commencement of these new-generation trains, which can operate services without drivers, according to DMRC.  It has also been informed that by mid-2021, another major corridor of the Delhi Metro - 57 km Pink Line (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) - will also have driverless operations. Once the driverless trains are operationalized on the Pink Link too, the DMRC will have a driverless network length of about 94 km which will be approximately 9% of the world's total driverless metro network.

 

Features of Driverless Train

Primarily, drivers will be allocated for operating the trains, formerly they would be gradually withdrawn to move to Unattended Train Operation (UTO). The driverless train will have six coaches along with several advanced features.

Current operational network of Delhi Metro spans about 390 km with 285 stations across 11 corridors (including NOIDA Greater NOIDA line). On regular days, the average daily ridership of the Delhi Metro is over 26 lakh. The metro rail scenario in the entire nation has undergone a massive transformation in the last six years. While in 2014, only 248 km of metro lines were operational in five cities, presently 702 km are operational in 18 cities in India.

 

National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)

The NCMC services on the Airport Express Line are being launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.  After the launch, travelers will be able to use the NCMC on any corridor of the Delhi Metro.  PM Modi in March 2019 had launched the indigenously-developed NCMC to enable people to pay multiple kinds of transport charges, including availing of metro and bus services across the country.  Branded as 'One Nation One Card', the inter-operable transport card allows commuters to also pay for their bus travel, toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping and even withdraw money.

The NCMC will be fully operationalized on the Airport Line and will also be a major milestone as anyone carrying a RuPay-Debit Card issued in the last 18 months by 23 banks from any part of the country will be able to travel on this line using that card. (All these are NCMC compliant as per directions of the Department of Financial Services, Government of India). The same facility will become available on the entire Delhi Metro network by 2022.

Protesting Farmers Observed ‘Kisan Divas’ on 23rd December 2020

A huge number of farmers protesting at Delhi against the three agriculture reform laws enacted by the Indian government observed December 23, 2020 as 'Kisan Divas' and hold a day-long hunger strike.

Protesting farmers have forbidden people for cooking their lunch to show their solidarity with the initiative.  Shiromani Akali Dal advised its cohorts to back the appeal of organisations of farmers to show cohesion with farmers.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has urged all party workers to participate in the mass-one-day hunger strike to send out a clear message that Punjabis are one against the black agri-laws which would destroy future generations if they are not repealed.

Punjab School Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla has also tweeted on the occasion of National Kisaan Diwas in protest against @BJP4India Govt’s unfair farm laws. He tweeted that he would also sit on a hunger strike on December 23, 2020.

Digital Payments: Their Functioning, Benefits and Complications

Digital Payments:

Their Functioning, Benefits and Complications

All of us have heard extensively, in recent past, about the “war on cash”, the move to make India and other countries “cashless economies” and the general trend among policymakers worldwide to move the economies of the world to a digital and information enabled paradigm.  It is worth noting, in this framework, that the emphasis laid on digital payments and the digitization of commerce has implications for individuals, businesspersons, governments, and everyone who is a participant in the economy.

Consequently, it is very-very important to understand what digital payments are and how they work and how they benefit the economy as well as the associated problems that ensue from using such modes of transactions and commercial dealings. Digital Payments are payments that are conducted over the internet and mobile channels and hence, any payment that is sent online or through mobile computing and internet-enabled devices can be called digital payments. For digital payments to take place, the sender of the payment must have a bank account, an online banking method, a device from which he or she can make the payment, and a medium of transmission meaning that either he or she should have signed up to a provider or an intermediary such as a bank or a service provider. We will come to the last part in a bit.

The receiver of the payment too must have these ways to accept payments, apart from the sender having such means. This means that there must be a medium of transmission between the sender and the receiver wherein the former instead of paying the latter in cash and physical format pays in digital format meaning that the transaction happens over eCommerce or mCommerce modes of transmission. Thus, what is important in any digital payment is the “via media” through which the payments happen which means that the intermediary and the modes of transmission are indeed the keys to making the transaction or the digital payment successful.

Let us first think, coming to the intermediary,  about what happens when we pay cash in the physical format. We first need to withdraw the cash from the bank or get it from someone who is likewise using cash obtained from the bank. Thus, without banks and banking channels, there is no way we can access cash or transact for commercial dealings. Similarly, the digital payments need the intermediary as well and considering the fact that the payment still involves money though not in physical format and in digital format means that there must be infrastructure that connects the flow of digital cash across the payment value chain.

Value of Indian Rupees against that of Other Countries

Value of Indian Rupees against that of Other Countries

 

In this article, we are going to break down the top currencies of the world in terms of their value in the world, and also show the highest currency in the world against Indian rupees, discussing how they compare to the Indian Rupee and how their given economies allow them to be so strong.

Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)

The leader of the Top 10 currencies of the world for a long long time. KWD is the most valuable currency in the world. KWD is the official currency of Kuwait. One KWD is equal to a whopping 212.262 Indian Rupees. 

Kuwait actually possesses the fourth highest per capita income in the world, largely thanks to the country’s massive oil reserves.

Bahraini Dinar (BHD)

The Bahraini economy was the first post-oil economy to exist in the Persian Gulf. The bulk of its economy relies on banking, financial services, and tourism. In 2006, Bahrain actually had the fastest growing economy in the Arab world. 

The value of the dinar has benefited from this stable, diversified economy. One Bahraini Dinar is equal to 170.63 Indian Rupees. Bahrain is the only country that uses the Bahraini dinar.

 

Omani Rial (OMR)

Oman is the only country that used the Omani Rial. 

Oman’s economy is very stable because of powerful oil and gas industries. One Omani Rial is equal to 167.16 Indian Rupees.

 

Jordanian Dinar (JOD)

The Jordanian dinar is the currency of Jordan. 

West Bank used Jordanian Donar and the Israeli shekel as well. 1 Jordanian Dinar is approximately equal to 90.93 in INR

Great Britain Pound (GBP)

GBP is one of the world’s most frequently traded currencies. One pound is worth approximately 84.238 Indian Rupees. Not only that, but the pound also holds the honor of being the oldest currency in the world that is still currently in use. 

Its use can be traced back as far as Anglo-Saxon Britain, which would make the pound around 1200 years old

 

Gibraltar Pound (GIP)

The Gibraltar pound is the currency of Gibraltar. It is pegged to – and exchangeable with – the British pound sterling at par value. 

The central bank controlling the GIP, with the responsibility of minting coins and printing notes, is the Government of Gibraltar. One GIP is equal to 84.238 in Indian Rupees

 

Caymanian Dollar (KYD)

The Cayman Islands Dollar is the currency of the Cayman Islands. Currently, KYD is the 7th-highest-

value currency unit in the world, as of 15 July 2017. One KYD is equal to 78.438 in Indian Rupees

Euro (EUR)

Although it may not be the most valuable currency on this list, the euro is definitely one of the biggest currencies on this list.  

26 countries of the European Union use the euro including Austria, France, Germany, and Italy. 1 Euro is equal to 73.74 in Indian Rupees

 

Swiss Franc (CHF)

The Swiss franc uses different colors in its banknotes, which are yellow, red, green, blue, brown, and purple. Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Campione d’-Italia uses CHF as an official currency. 

The strength of the Swiss franc is almost a no-brainer. Switzerland is one of the wealthiest countries in the entire world. It is home to a massive technology sector and a host of different major corporations, like The Swatch Group and Nestle. One CHF is equal to 66.70 in Indian Rupees

United States Dollar (USD)

Surprisingly at the bottom of the list even though it is the most traded currency in the world. Over the last few years, USD value has depreciated but the strength hasn’t. USD is valued at 64.31 in Indian Rupees. 

Many consider this as the most valuable currency in the world ( Asian ) owning to US as a super power nation.