Government launches full-fledged Green Skill Development Programme

  • The Union Environment Ministry launched its full fledged Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP).
  • The programme will train over 5.5 lakh workers in environment and forest sectors in the country through 30 courses by 2021.
  • The GSDP was launched last year as a pilot project in 10 districts and 154 youths were trained as parataxonomists and biodiversity conservationists.

Government announces national wind-solar hybrid policy

  • The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced a national wind-solar hybrid policy which will boost the generation of renewable power.
  • The total installed capacity of power from renewable sources in India was 70 gigawatt (gw) last financial year.
  • The government plans to increase this to 175gw by the year 2022. This includes 100gw from solar power and 60gw from wind power.

4th meeting of South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) held in Kolkata, India

  • The South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network held its 4th meeting in Kolkata in India.
  • This is the first time that the SAWEN is held in India.
  • SAWEN is an inter-governmental wildlife law enforcement agency.
  • During the meet, proposals of tracking of wildlife smuggling routes and reviewing of existing laws were tabled.

4 states, 1 UT sign MoUs to implement Ayushman Bharat scheme

  • Four States and one Union Territory signed MoUs with the National Health Mission of the Government of India for implementing Ayushman Bharat scheme.
  • Ayushman Bharat aims to provide free treatment to the poor.
  • Ayushman Bharat scheme hopes to promote wellness centres for preventive and curative care, benefiting over 10 crore families living below the poverty line in the country.

First all-woman Post Office Passport Seva Kendra opens in Phagwara, Punjab

  • The Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) in Phagwara, Punjab is the 192nd POPSK in the country, but the first one to be operated by an all-woman team.
  • The POPSK in Punjab started on May 14th, 2018.
  • It is part of the government’s initiative for women empowerment.
  • This newly opened POPSK can accommodate 50 applications daily.

Retail inflation surges to 4.58%, WPI at 4-month high in April

  • April 2018 has seen both retail (Consumer Price Index or CPI) and producer (Wholesale Price Index or WPI) inflation surge.
  • An increase in fruit and vegetable prices, coupled with egg prices, has pushed CPI to 4.58% in April, from 4.28% in March.
  • The WPI increased to 3.18% in April due to a surge in fuel prices.
  • Inflation in the housing segment also increased to 8.5% in April (from 8.31% in March).