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Gymnast Dipa Karmakar Handed 21-Month Ban After Failing Dope Test

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar Handed 21-Month Ban After Failing Dope Test

 

Why In News

 

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been handed a 21-month ban for failing a dope test conducted by the International Testing Agency.

 

Key Points

 

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been handed a 21-month ban for failing a dope test conducted by the International Testing Agency. Dipa Karmakar’s dope sample collected out-of-competition by the ITA, which is an independent organization that manages the anti-doping program of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) was found to contain Higenamine which is a prohibited substance under World Anti-doping Agency Code.

 

The ITA confirms that Dipa Karmakar has been suspended for 21 months, effective until 10th July 2023 after testing positive for higenamine.

 

The positive sample was collected on behalf of the FIG in the scope of an out-of-competition control on 11th October 2021.

 

The Switzerland-based non-profit organization works under the supervision of WADA and the International Olympics Committee to implement Anti-doping programs for various international federations.

 

The ITA further informed Karmakar’s dope issue was resolved under a case resolution agreement under article 10.8.2 of the FIG Anti-Doping Rules and an equivalent provision in the WADA.

 

 

Dipa Karmakar is an Indian Gymnast from Tripura State. She is the first gymnast from India who competed in the Olympics. In her debut 2016 Summer Olympics in the final, she reached 4th position. At the Rio Olympics, she lost an Olympic medal by just 0.15 points due to her historic achievement at Rio Olympics, she became a well-known Gymnast as well as the face of gymnastics in India.

 

In the final, she performed a difficult Prodonova Vault and competed against the world’s top Gymnasts such as Simone Biles of the United States, Maria Paseka, and Giulia Steingrubber who won gold, silver, and bronze medal respectively.

 


Kerala wins inaugural champions of National Beach Soccer Championships

Kerala wins inaugural champions of National Beach Soccer Championships

 

Why In News

 

Kerala has crowned to their bulging cabinet of national football trophies, putting on a show in the final of the National Beach Soccer Championships and overwhelming Punjab 13-4.

 

Key Points

 

Kerala has crowned to their bulging cabinet of national football trophies, putting on a show in the final of the National Beach Soccer Championships and overwhelming Punjab 13-4, to win the title, at Dumas Beach, Surat. In the third place game played earlier in the day, Delhi beat Uttarakhand 3-1.

 

The game was a rematch of the group stage, where Punjab had won a close affair 6-5. On this occasion though, Kerala left them no chance, dominant from the first minute to the last. Kerala captain Kamaludheen opened the scoring for Kerala, blasting in a shot from the right 24 seconds after kick off to give them the lead. For the crowd that had arrived to watch this final, it was a precursor for the goal rush to come.

 


Reliance Retail to Accept Digital Currency for Payments

Reliance Retail to Accept Digital Currency for Payments

 

Why In News

 

In the process of the adoption of the Central Bank of Digital Currency (CDDC), Reliance Retail started accepting digital rupees or e-rupee for payments at its store.

 

Key Points

 

In the process of the adoption of the Central Bank of Digital Currency (CDDC), Reliance Retail started accepting digital rupees or e-rupee for payments at its store. The payment through digital currency has been started in Reliance Retail’s Freshpik store in Mumbai but will soon be expanded to other 17,000 stores of India’s largest retailer.

 

The initiative of pioneering digital currency acceptance at the Reliance stores is in line with the company’s strategic vision of offering the power of choice to Indian consumers.

 

 

Reliance Retail has partnered with Innoviti Technologies, ICICI Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank to enable acceptance of the digital rupee.

 

Customers using their choice of digital rupee app powered by ICICI Bank or Kotak Mahindra Bank need to simply scan the QR code in the terminal and enter their passcode to authorize payment through e-rupee.

 

Cashiers and consumers get instant confirmation of the e-rupee transfer from the consumer to Reliance Retail.

 

E-rupee is an innovative strategy in the digital revolution unleashed in the country.

All customers having e-rupee wallets will be able to enjoy an effortless, safe, and instant way of digital transactions at Reliance Retail stores.

 

On 1st December 2022, the digital rupee was first introduced by the Reserve Bank of India for retail markets across select Indian cities in a pilot mode with access limited to consumers of certain identified banks.

 

Initially the idea was limited to four cities including Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Bhubaneswar.

 

It was later extended to nine other cities. Eight banks including ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank have been identified for phase-wise participation.

 

Customers of these banks will be able to transact with e-rupee through a digital wallet offered by them.

 



Payment acceptance devices under PIDF increase to 1.87 crore till Dec 2022

Payment acceptance devices under PIDF increase to 1.87 crore till Dec 2022

 

Why In News

 

Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme: Around 1.87 crore payment acceptance devices deployed under the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme as of December 31, 2022.

 

Key Points

 

Coverage of Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme

About Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme

 

Payment acceptance devices under PIDF Increase

 

According to the RBI’s most recent status report, there were approximately 1.87 crore physical and digital payment acceptance devices deployed under the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme as of December 31, 2022.

 

 

As of September 30th, 2021, there were 4,85,415 physical devices (PoS, mPoS (mobile PoS), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), etc.) and 1,82,88,974 digital devices (inter-operable QR code-based payments such as UPI QR, Bharat QR, etc.).

 

The Reserve Bank will begin implementing the PIDF Scheme on January 1, 2021, and it will subsidise the installation of Points of Sale (PoS) infrastructure in tier-3 to tier-6 cities as well as the northeastern states of the nation.

 

Government Approved Conversion of Rs 16,133 Crore Interest dues of Vodafone Idea into Equity

 

Coverage of Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme

 

Beneficiaries of the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi Scheme) in Tier-1 and Tier-2 centres were also covered as of August 26, 2021.

 

Additionally, starting on June 9, 2022, the J & K and Ladakh regions were special emphasis areas.

 

As of December 31, 2022, the PIDF corpus was 788.20 crore (up from 613.89 crore in November 2021).

 

The Reserve Bank, authorized card networks, and card-issuing institutions all contribute to the PIDF.

 

Reliance Retail to Accept Digital Currency for Payments

 

The Reserve Bank announced the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme on January 5, 2021.

 

The scheme’s goal was to promote the implementation of physical and digital Points of Sale (PoS) infrastructure in tier 3 to tier 6 cities and north eastern states.

 

The Reserve Bank has now decided to count street vendors who have been designated as beneficiaries of the PIDF Scheme under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi Scheme) in tier-1 and tier-2 centres.

 

The Scheme will continue to cover street sellers in Tier-3 to Tier-6 cities as it has in the past.

The Reserve Bank’s efforts to support the promotion of digital transactions at the grassroots level will gain momentum as a result of this decision to broaden the targeted beneficiaries under the PIDF scheme.