1) Punjab CM Launches Benefits Under 'Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Vikas Yojana'
•He appealed to the state's debt-ridden farmers not to commit suicide since his government was committed to the total implementation of its farm debt waiver scheme by November 2018.
2) Govt allows Small Finance Banks & Payments Banks to offer Atal Pension Yojana
•The Banks include Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, Janalakshmi Small Finance Bank, Suryoday Small Finance Bank, India Post Payment Bank and Paytm Payment Bank. The Ministry said, given the strength, expertise and reach of these new age banks, they can play a pivotal role in outreach of subscribers under APY.
•The Ministry said, participation in APY not only builds a pensioned society but also adds sustainable fee income to Banks by way of attractive incentive for mobilizing 120 to 150 rupees for each APY account. At present, over 84 lacs subscribers are registered under the APY scheme with an asset base of more than 3,194 crore rupees.
3) India to host informal WTO Ministerial gathering in March
•Trade ministers from various countries including Australia, Japan and Switzerland met today for an informal WTO ministerial gathering in Davos to discuss the way forward for the global trade organisation, with India offering to host another such meeting in March.
•It was also felt that the WTO is facing significant challenges and fundamental reflections are required at the political level on major issues of divergence.Beside, the ministers reaffirmed their willingness to pursue their engagement on WTO and to address key issues.
4) India, Vietnam Release First-Ever Commemorative Stamps
•India and Vietnam released first ever set of commemorative postage stamps to mark the long-term friendly bilateral relationships between the two countries.
•The stamp was released by AN Nanda, Secretary, Department of Posts. The two set of stamps released carry picture of Sanchi Stupa and Thien Mu Pagoda.
5) Small Finance And Payments Banks To Offer Atal Pension Yojana
•The Ministry of Finance has announced that "Payments Banks and Small Finance Banks" will offer social security scheme Atal Pension Yojana (APY) to their subscribers. It was done to strengthen the existing channels of APY distribution.
•According to the Ministry, currently, there are 11 Payments Banks and 10 Small Finance Banks that have received the license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start their operations.
6) Veteran Bengali Actress Supriya Devi Passes Away
•Veteran Bengali film actress and Padmashri awardee, Supriya Devi, passed away in Kolkata, following a severe cardiac arrest. She was 83.
•Supriya Devi made her debut in the Uttam Kumar-starrer Basu Parivar in 1952. She was also awarded the Banga Vibushan - the highest-ever civilian award given by the Bengal Government, and a Life Time Achievement Award by Filmfare during their eastern India version of the award show.
