The Mantle Matrix

What is Foreign Exchange Reserve? Foreign exchange reserves are important assets held by the central bank in foreign currencies as reserves. They are commonly used to support the exchange rate and set monetary policy. In India’s case, foreign reserves include Gold, Dollars, and the IMF’s quota for Special Drawing Rights. Most of the reserves are usually held in US dollars, given the currency’s importance in the international financial and trading system. Some central banks keep reserves in Euros, British pounds, Japanese yen or Chinese yuan, in addition to their US dollar reserves.  Importance of Forex Reserves All international transactions are settled in US dollars and, therefore, required to support imports. More importantly, they need to maintain support and confidence for central bank action, whether monetary policy action or any exchange rate intervention to support the domestic currency. It also helps to limit any vulnerability due to sudden disturbances in foreign capital f...

World Humanitarian Day – Extending the hand of help World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is a collective endeavor to grow global appreciation of humanitarian work. If it was not for humanitarian work, several nations would not be able to survive the challenges. India’s Vaccine Maitri is one of the biggest humanitarian acts that helped fight the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this is not the only time a humanitarian effort has taken place to ease a crisis, the Haiti earthquake, the recent crisis in Sri Lanka, and more have been occasions when several countries came together to address a crisis. As is rightly said, it takes a village to raise a child. Similarly, it takes a village to support a person in a humanitarian crisis. World Humanitarian Day 2022 The 2022 World Humanitarian Day (WHD) campaign highlights the efforts of thousands of volunteers, professionals, and crisis-affected people who deliver urgent health care, shelter, food, protection, water, and more. This year’s celebration is witnes...

Inflation in India Retail inflation rate based on Consumer Price Index (CPI), on an annual basis raised to 7.79 percent in April 2022. Point to point rate of inflation based on the Consumer Price Index – AL (Agricultural Laboures) and CPI-RL ( Rural labourers)  stood at 6.44% & 6.67% in April, 2022 compared to 6.09% & 6.33% respectively in March, 2022. The same inflation rate stood at 2.66% and 2.94% respectively during the April of the previous year. After implementation of GST by Gov on common daily items as Milk,Rice,Grains,Pen,Ink,Paper etc the condition of common man is about to become worse.

World Food Safety Day: 4th State Food Safety Index Released Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on the occasion of World Food Safety Day on June 7, released the 4th State Food Safety Index. The report has been prepared by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to measure the performance of States across five parameters of food safety. The Health Minister also felicitated the winning State/UTs based on the ranking for the year 2021-22 for their impressive performance across five parameters of food safety. 4th State Food Safety Index The 4th State Food Safety Index (SFSI) will help in providing safe and nutritious food to the citizens and indicates the efforts of States and the Union Territories in ensuring it. Started in 2018-19, the SFSI aims of creating a competitive and positive change in the food safety ecosystem in the country. This year, among the larger states, Tamil Nadu was the top-ranking state, followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra. On the other hand, amon...

World No Tobacco Day 2022: Protect The Environment! May 31 is observed globally as “World No Tobacco Day” to create awareness against the ill effects of tobacco consumption and motivate people to commit to quitting the habit. The theme for 2022 celebrations is “Protect The Environment”. The theme aims to raise public awareness about the environmental impact of the entire tobacco cycle. Tobacco consumption leads to health complications such as respiratory infections, mouth cancer, etc. However, according to studies, it may also impact one’s social and mental life. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 65% of the world’s population is covered by at least one comprehensive tobacco control measure. On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, let’s take a look at why quitting tobacco is important for good health and India’s effort at tackling the issue. About World No Tobacco Day The World Health Organisation in 1987 introduced World No Tobacco Day to draw global attention to...

International Museum Day: National Council of Science Museums bridging the scientific gap Museums have the power to transform the world around us. As incomparable places of discovery, they teach us about our past and open our minds to new ideas and several steps in building a better future. Every year, on 18 May the world celebrates the power of museums as International Museum Day. On similar lines, the Ministry of Culture is organizing a week-long celebration for ‘International Museum Day’ across all its museums in the country. On this occasion, visitors will get free entry to all the museums under the Ministry from May 16 to 20, 2022. The Indian museums play a significant role in showcasing and preserving India’s cultural heritage, while also educating the coming generation. A lot around us also depends on science. How things work and how the ecosystem has transformed from the existence of humankind, science has all the answers, maybe not all but many. To encourage scientific tem...

National Dengue Day: World's half of population at risk, awareness & preventions are best solutions National Dengue Day celebrated on 16th of May every year, is a novel initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to raise awareness about dengue in India. A number of celebrations are organized on this occasion, where symptoms and signs of dengue, effective measures to prevent the disease and government's plan and preparedness to control its spread before transmission season starts, are discussed and disseminated.The World Health Organization (WHO) produces alarming picture in this regard, saying dengue incidences have risen exponentially globally and about half of the world's population are at risk. The organization also estimates 100-400 million cases of infections every year globally. In India, too, dengue occurs especially in rainy season, causing upheavals in social sector.Haryana, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi ...

International Museum Day: National Gallery of Modern Art to host special programs The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi is organizing a number of educational activities and programs to celebrate International Museum Day (May 18). The programs will be based on the theme 'Power of Museums’, which is International Museum Day's theme this year.   Every year since 1977, International Council of Museums (ICOM) has been organizing an International Museum Day (IMD) representing a unique event for the international museum community. The objective of the IMD is to raise awareness of the role that museums play as an ‘important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.’ The Planned Events The National Gallery of Modern Art will run the programs during the weeklong celebrations from May 16–20. Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy will inaugurate the two seminal exhibitions focusing on the modern...

  Read Part One For More .......     Laws like Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling), Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 govern various aspects of tobacco production and consumption in the country. National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) In addition to the laws, the Government of India in 2007 launched the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP)to create awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption, help people quit tobacco use, and facilitate the implementation of strategies for the prevention and control of tobacco advoc...

 World Asthma Day 2021: With the right treatment and right care, Asthma can be controlled Every year World Asthma Day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma to raise awareness about asthma and its management in the world. It is celebrated on the first Tuesday of May. On this day, many activities are done around the world to motivate asthma patients to keep their asthma under control. 2021 Theme: "Uncovering the misconceptions of asthma" In view of the current Covid-19 pandemic, the Global Initiative for Asthma appealed to people suffering from the disease to wash their hands well, maintain proper social distance, and continue with asthma medicines prescribed by their doctor. The theme of this year's World Asthma Day is to "uncover the misconceptions of asthma". Some common misconceptions relating to asthma are: • Asthma is a childhood disease; As age increases, people will come out of it. • Asthma is contagious. • Asthma sufferers should not exercise. ...