Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the digital payment system that rides on smartphones and increased internet connectivity, has shown a quantum jump and is now a preferred mode of payment.
The Economic Survey released on 31st January said “the progress of UPI has been remarkable”. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, UPI accounted for 52 per cent of the total 8,840 crore financial digital transactions. “In December 2022, UPI touched its highest-ever mark with Rs 12.8 lakh crore worth of transactions,” the survey said.
It showed that UPI transactions touched a new high in December with 782 crore transactions worth Rs 12.8 lakh crore. On an average, over 2019-22 calendar years, the growth in UPI-based transactions in value and volume terms has been 121% and 115%, respectively.
This was the most controversial and debated word that became a trend this year.
Meaning: “Moonlighting” refers to doing many jobs in addition to one’s regular job. In simpler words, it means a ‘side job’.
Metaverse
Meaning: A virtual reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users.
Finfluencer
Meaning: Finfluencers are people with public social media platforms offering advice and sharing personal experiences about money and investment in stocks
Cockroach Startup
Meaning: A cockroach startup is the one which keeps struggling, going forward in spite of changing environments, market conditions and investment scenarios, just like a cockroach.
Stagflation Meaning: Stagflation is defined as an economy that is suffering both an increase in inflation and a stagnation in economic output at the same time.
A proposal to extend PLI scheme benefits to different sectors such as toys and leather is at advanced stages of finalisation and there is a likelihood that it may figure in the Budget, expert says.
The 14 sectors are mobile manufacturing, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles and auto components, pharmaceuticals, drugs, specialty steel, telecom & networking products, electronic products, white goods (ACs and LEDs), food products, textile products, solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery, and drones and drone components.
The key objective of the PLI schemes is to make domestic manufacturing globally competitive by boosting existing capacities in manufacturing for sunrise (new businesses) and strategic sectors, creating global champions in manufacturing and curbing cheaper imports, while also reducing import bills, enhancing export capacity and generating employment.
An online learning platform is a webspace or portal for educational content and resources that offers a student everything they need in one place: lectures, resources, opportunities to meet and chat with other students, and more. It is also an excellent way for the student and the teacher to monitor student progress. Whether you want to learn a new language or obtain career-advancing certifications, signing up for an online course could be just the perfect solution. The online class is typically provided through online learning platforms.
Online learning has numerous advantages over traditional learning methods. Some of these include the possibility for students to make use of self-paced learning and to choose their own learning environments through chinese enrichment class. Additionally, e-learning is both cost-effective and cost-efficient, as it removes the geographical obstacles often associated with traditional classrooms and education. The benefits of an online course platform are that both students and teachers can track the students’ progress through the course material, and everything is neatly organized in one place. Additionally, students may also have an option of interacting with each other on the platform.
Some of the popular Online learning (e-learning) platforms.
Coursera isn’t just a place to take classes that are like college courses—it actually offers real academic courses from real professors and universities at a fraction of the cost of getting an online degree. The platform partners with over 200 universities and companies to provide real learning experiences that can connect to real-world benefits. In some cases, you can even earn certifications or degrees entirely through Coursera, which can then potentially lead to professional benefits like raises, promotions, and more.
Course Hero.
Course Hero is home to study resources, 24/7 homework help and textbook guides to provide students across top institutions with tailored reinforcement of the courses in which they are enrolled. The library of materials uploaded to Course Hero’s platform can be searched by either school or textbook to find the exact resource a student needs, with tutors available to provide total support.
Edx.
Generally, this online learning platform has a high-end pedigree. edX was established by graduates from both MIT and Harvard University. Real college courses that are generated and taught by real college tutors are available in a vast array of topics and fields. They have a slight leaning toward the Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Engineering fields. Nonetheless, there are plenty of topics in the humanities, arts, and languages as well. By partnering with the universities, this course provides professional degree certificates as well as the “micro” degree programs at both the bachelor’s and the master’s levels. In this sense, they largely serve as tools for professional development.
Skill Share.
Whereas many online class platforms do confer college-style classes, Skillshare is not formal and is mainly targeted at boosting creative skills. Some business and marketing classes exist on this online education platform. Most of the courses though tend to have a focus on the creative fields and are administered by practicing experts in various fields. Common examples of these fields are interior design, visual arts, animations, films, and photography.
LinkedIn Learning.
Formerly called Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning is an educational platform that confers professional course training in the fields of technology, business, creative fields, and technology-related areas mainly in the form of videos. The online learning marketplace is largely available as a premium service for the users of LinkedIn and has so far provided well over 16,000 courses in a whopping 7 languages. Its focus is mainly to aid individuals in investing in their professional development.
Udemy.
If you want to learn something, it’s probably on Udemy. The site is less of a unified platform and more of a portal or repository where students can access well over 100,000 courses on every topic imaginable. There’s not one standard format for a Udemy course—the platform allows instructors to design multimedia lectures with audio, video, and text elements, plus readings, quizzes, and other activities. Udemy allows students to preview classes they’re interested in and does offer a 30-day refund if you’re dissatisfied.
FutureLearn.
FutureLearn lets you learn online from universities and companies all over the world, including Anglia Ruskin University, King’s College London, Monash University, and the University of Wollongong. On top of their university partnerships, they also partner with specialist organizations such as Accenture, Amnesty International, the British Library, and UNESCO. From personal development video lessons to employment-related course content, FutureLearn definitely deserves its place near the top of our best online learning platforms list.
Google has been making the headlines with hefty fines imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in recent months, alleging the company of abusing its position as a market leader with Android, and not allowing other companies to grow on the platform. Google has been legally battling these accusations in the country but it seems the company is ready to comply with the terms issued by the antitrust body.
Having limited choices of apps as an alternative to Chrome, Pay and Drive among others has worked in Google’s favour in India, but the ruling means other app developers might finally get the chance to catch your eye and allow it to be used on Android devices.
Google makes Chrome the default search option for Android users in India, but soon that will not be the only option for users. Android devices will give you a choice screen through which you can select which search engine is going to be your default option. The details are not clear for now, but it is likely that people will have the freedom to choose between Chrome, Bing or any other search option compatible on Android.
Benchmark equity indices BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty extended their losses for the second straight session on 27th January amid heavy selling in index heavyweights including Reliance Industries, Adani Enterprises and Adani Ports among others. The 30-share index Sensex traded over 1,800 points down at 59,108 against the 60,978.75 mark on January 24, 2023. Likewise, the 50-share NSE Nifty index retreated more than 550 points to 17,566 from 18,118 during the same period.
Selloff in Adani Group companies’ stocks, that was triggered by the Hindenburg Research report, which disclosed that the company was short on Adani Group companies could be factor behind the market crash. Sentiments came under pressure after the United Nations on 25th January cut down India’s growth forecast by 20 basis points to 5.8 per cent for the ongoing calendar year due to higher interest rates and risks of recession in the developed world weighing on investment and exports.
If you wish to learn more about stock market, then explore wiki-360.com
An investor’s portfolio consists of various financial instruments like stocks, exchange traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds and bonds. However, the Options are altogether different. Options are used in different ways depending upon investors’ goals and how they plan to use them. Investors often use options to reduce the risk associated with the stock they have in their portfolio. Similarly, others may use options to earn additional income. Most importantly, options provide an opportunity to traders or investors to benefit from the price movement without paying the full price of a security or taking delivery.
In India, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) launched index options on 4 June 2001, and stock options were launched on 4 July 2001. In the year 2020, NSE also surpassed America’s Chicago Mercantile Exchange to become the world’s largest derivatives market exchange by volume.
What are options?
Options are defined as derivatives instruments that enable the buyer (holder or owner) of the instrument to buy or sell the underlying asset. The right to buy or sell is without any obligation. The seller of the option is, however, obligated to buy or sell, should the buyer exercise his or her right.
Simply put, option trading includes:
A right to buy or sell, but not an obligation
Buy or sell at predetermined price
Buy or sell on or before predetermined date
Types of options
There are two types of options: Call and Put. A call option gives the buyer the right to “buy” the underlying security but not the obligation to do so at a predetermined price and date. A put option gives the buyer the right to “sell” the underlying security but not the obligation to do so at a predetermined price and date.
How does options trading work?
Before we come to the options trading guide, a beginner must understand the two essential derivativesconcepts — long and short. When a trader goes long on an index or a stock, it means he or she believes that the price of the underlying will increase. On the contrary, if the trader goes short on any index or a stock, it means he or she believes that the price of the underlying will fall.
The study published in Nature Geoscience states that the globally consistent pattern suggests that inner-core rotation has recently paused. The rotation came to a grinding halt in 2009 and then it surprisingly turned in an opposite direction. Researchers have long believed that the inner core rotates, relative to the Earth’s surface, back and forth, like a swing.
“This globally consistent pattern suggests that inner-core rotation has recently paused,” they wrote. “We show surprising observations that indicate the inner core has nearly ceased its rotation in the recent decade and may be experiencing a turning-back.”
With a radius of almost 2,200 miles, Earth’s core is about the size of Mars. It consists mostly of iron and nickel, and contains about one-third of Earth’s mass.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) announced on January 05th 2023 the draft regulations for ‘Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India’. This is in pursuance of the New Educational Policy 2020, which stipulates that, “A legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India”
Establishing universities and campuses is a challenging proposition, not to mention developing courses, creating research facilities, hiring faculty workers and relocating international workers, among other considerations. On the other hand, despite the glamour of foreign universities, the cost factor will pose a challenge to them. It is also doubtful that the campuses set up by them in India will match the original campus back home in their home country.
In a bid to modernise and upgrade its capabilities, the Indian Army is seeking to acquire jetpack suits and robotic mules through fast-track procedures for emergency procurements under the Buy Indian category.
The Army has floated Request for Proposal (RFP) for 48 jetpacks with modern propulsion system including Turbine engines, Electric and Hybrid systems.
Jet Pack suit is a turbine based individual mobility platform, which can lift a man safely across varied terrain.
The suit must provide controls for safe ascent, safe descent, take off and landing and movement in all directions, the Army said in the RFP document.
Five billion people globally are exposed to harmful trans fat, increasing their heart disease and death risk, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
At this point, 43 countries have put best-practice regulations against trans fat in food, covering 2.8 billion people worldwide, showed the Countdown to 2023 – WHO report on global trans fat elimination, released January 23, 2023.
However, despite significant progress, this still exposes five billion people to the devasting health effects of trans fat, making the 2023 target unattainable.
The World Health Organization is calling for the total elimination of trans fat – responsible for over 500,000 premature deaths each year.
In its annual status report, Countdown to 2023 WHO Report on global trans fat elimination 2022, WHO says governments need to do more to ban industrially-produced fats, which clog arteries and are commonly found in cooking oils, spreads, packaged foods, and baked goods.
Gold futures on the Multi Commodity Exchange hit an all-time high of Rs 57,099 per 10 grams on 24 January. Gold prices jumped tracking gains in overseas markets and a depreciation in the rupee currency. However, the surge dampened demand in the world’s second biggest consumer of the precious metal.
Gold prices have inverse correlation with the dollar index. The index has fallen nearly 15% in the past three months, which has pushed up the prices of gold. A rise in index value denotes that the dollar is gaining against its counterparts and a fall in index value denotes a depreciation in the dollar’s value.
Naatu Naatu’ from SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ nominated for Best Original Song in Oscars.
Director SS Rajamouli’s historical epic RRR has scored a nomination in the Best Original Song category at the upcoming 95th Academy Awards, more popularly known as the Oscars.
It’s the first Indian feature film to be nominated for anything other than best international film at the Academy Awards, which take place in March.
The song has been a favourite at award ceremonies and has already won a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award.
It will be up against heavyweights Lady Gaga and Rihanna, whose songs are nominated in the same Oscars category.
On February 1st, a comet named C/2022 E3 (ZTF) with a bright green color will come close to Earth for the first time in 50,000 years. It will pass by at a distance of 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) from Earth, providing a unique night sky view that hasn’t been seen since the time that modern humans roamed the Earth alongside one of the many extinct human species, the Neanderthals.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the green comet should be visible just before dawn in late January, according to NASA. Amateur astronomers have already begun photographing the green comet to show what you could see.
Comet ZTF will pass about 26 million miles from Earth — the closest it will get — on February 2. That’s nearly 109 times the average distance of the moon, but the comet is burning so bright that it could still be visible in the night sky.
Many tech firms have announced layoffs for more than 70000 employees in the last year. And the names include major tech giants like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Google, and others, which are the dream company for millions of people to work with. So, the question arises what is the actual meaning of layoff? A layoff is a termination of employment initiated by the employer for reasons other than the actual work performance. In simple terms, it is the downsizing of an organization’s workforce by suspension or permanent termination of a worker or group of workers.
Let’s take a view at some of the biggest layoffs announced:
Amazon, the world’s largest online retail platform has announced 18000 layoffs.
Google’s parent company Alphabet announced a layoff for 12000 of its employees.
Meta announced 11000 layoffs.
Microsoft announced a layoff of 10000 employees.
Salesforce announced a 10% job cut which will affect around 8000 employees.
Elon Musk owned social media handle Twitter has laid off 3700 employees.
These firms and many other firms even from the non-tech field will further announce more such layoffs in the coming months. And the reasons stated for such a massive termination by companies include over-hiring in the past 2 years from 2020 to 2022, the number of job opportunities has skyrocketed. Many companies increased the number of people in the sector to handle the many projects. But post pandemic, the demand for tech services have been seen a downward turn and companies found themselves in a situation to reduce their operating cost and they see layoff as a solution. Also, another major reason is the alarming recession. As with the mark of the new year 2023, World Bank and IMF have published reports stating that the chances of many economies heading toward recession are high. Recession will lead to low aggregate demand and result in low revenue for companies. So, companies in order to reduce their costs so as to be profitable are looking for laying off their employees.
With the advent of the smartphone era, majorly two OS (Operating System) which are Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have been dominating the market. India has a population of more than 140 crore people and smartphone users account for more than 75 crores and we are dependent on the big tech giants for OS services. Also, the problem with renowned names such as android and iOS is that they come primarily with pre-installed apps and users have limited alternatives to switch to, which creates the issue with user privacy. So, there is a need for our own indigenous OS for Indian smartphone users. An IIT Madras Incubated organization has developed BharOS, a made in India Operating System.
BharOS is an AOSP (Android Open Source Project) Operating System based on the Linux kernel. It is developed by JandKops (JandK Operations Private Limited), which is a non-profit organization incubated at Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
BharOS is basically a really clean fork of AOSP that provides an NDA (No Default Apps) setting, which means that users do not have to keep or use pre-installed apps in this mobile operating system. NDA is key as many pre-installed apps that currently ship with other smartphones can slow down the device or take a toll on battery life by acting as bloatware. Going with an NDA design for BharOS was intentional as it will let users have more control over the apps on their mobile phones based on the user’s trust in the app and the kind of data they store on their phone.
BharOS also provides access to a Private App Store Service called PASS, which is a list of apps that have been thoroughly vetted and have been verified to comply with businesses’ privacy and security needs.
BharOS would offer NOTA (Native Over the Air) updates, meaning that security updates and bug fixes will be automatically installed rather than users having to check for updates and implement them on their own.
As of now, BharOS is not rolled out for public use but developers claimed that they have given access to the OS to certain organizations with stringent privacy and security requirement. BharOS developers claim that BharOS is better than both Android and iOS in terms of features and security. On top of that, they also claim that BharOS could even improve the battery life of the device. It will also allow users to install apps of their interest and will ship with an India-based app store. BharOS is a contribution towards the idea of a self-reliant India or ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ by creating a secure OS environment for India-based users.
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