1) Government Launches Biodegradable Sanitary Pads 'Suvidha'
•The biodegradable pad will ensure 'Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha' for the underprivileged women. The government is introducing the Suvidha pads at a time when there has been an increasing demand from women across the country to waive off the 12% GST on sanitary pads.
2) Haryana’s 1st Cyber Police Station Opened In Gurugram
•Haryana’s first cyber police station, equipped with a digital forensic laboratory, was inaugurated in Gurugram. It will have a dedicated team of 35 specially trained cops, including two inspectors.
•V. Umashankar, CEO of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), inaugurated the station. The police station will have modern equipment to deal with crimes in the cyber world.
3) Diu Becomes First UT To Be 100% Powered By Solar Energy
•Diu has become the first Union Territory in India to run 100 percent on solar power generated energy. Diu has managed to generate surplus solar power for its residents, reducing their electricity costs, in a span of just three years.
•Diu, which is one of the least populated territories in India, marking an area of 42 square kilometres, has witnessed the installation of solar power plants in over more than 50 acres of its land. Of this, about 3 megawatts is generated by the rooftop solar plants, while the other 10 megawatts is produced by other solar power plants.
4) Prakriti To Be 1st ITBP Woman Combat Officer
•In another first for women, 25-year-old Prakriti has been inducted as the first direct-entry combat officer in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
•The ITBP is the last of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to induct women officers in combat roles after the government first allowed it to enrol them in 2016.
5) Prince Charles Appoints Sanjeev Gupta As UK Skills Ambassador
•Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has been appointed by Britain's Prince Charles as an official ambassador for the Industrial Cadets programme designed to nurture manufacturing skills.
•Mr Gupta was appointed to the flagship programme to give children and young people direct structured experience of the industry while still at school or college. The Industrial Cadets annual awards ceremony was held in London. Mr Gupta is an Executive Chairman of UK-based GFG Alliance.
6) RBI Slaps Rs 40 Lakh Penalty On SBI For Flouting Fake Note Norms
•The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 40 lakh on State Bank of India for non-compliance of its directions on detection and impounding of counterfeit notes. An RBI notification issued from Mumbai informs that the action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance found at two of the bank’s currency chests.
•The regulator had carried out an inspection of currency chests at two branches of the country’s largest lender and noticed certain violation, following which a show cause notice was issued in the first week of January.
