SBI seeking lower CRR on green deposits says chairman Dinesh Khara

About Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR):

• Under CRR, commercial banks have to hold a certain minimum amount of deposits as reserves with the RBI.
• The percentage of cash required to be kept in reserves against the bank''s total deposits is called the CRR.
• The RBI decides the amount and is kept with them for financial security. 
• The bank cannot use this amount for lending and investment purposes and does not get any interest from the RBI. 
• The CRR applies to scheduled commercial banks, while regional rural banks and NBFCs are excluded.
• The following are the critical objectives of the CRR:
• CRR helps control inflation. In a high-inflation environment, the RBI can increase CRR to prevent banks from lending more.
• CRR also ensures banks have a minimum amount of funds readily available to customers, even during huge demand.
• CRR serves as the reference rate for loans. Also known as the base rate for loans, banks cannot offer loans below this rate.
• Since the CRR regulates the money supply, it boosts the economy whenever required by lowering the CRR.
• How is the CRR Calculated?
• There is no CRR formula. In technical terms, CRR is calculated as a percentage of Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL).
• NDTL for banking refers to the aggregate savings account, current account, and fixed deposit balances held by a bank.
• In case a bank fails to maintain its CRR, it will have to pay fines to the RBI because of that default. The fine is charged for the shortfall.

Bihar: Families Affected by Kosi River Floods March 12 Days to Patna to Lodge Protest

About Kosi River:

• It is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal, and India.
• It is a prominent tributary of the Ganges.
• Origin: The river Kosi is formed by the confluence of three streams, namely the Sun Kosi, the Arun Kosi, and the Tamur Kosi, all of which have their origin in the Himalayan region of Nepal and Tibet.
• Course:
• About 30 miles (48 km) north of the Indian-Nepalese frontier, the Kosi is joined by several major tributaries and breaks southward through the Siwalik Hillsat the narrow Chatra Gorge. 
• The river then emerges on the great plain of northern India in Bihar state on its way to the Ganges River, which it enters south of Purnea after a course of about 450 miles (724 km). 
• The Kosi drains an area of 74,500 sq. km, of which only 11,070 sq. km lie within Indian Territory. 
• The Kosi River valley is bounded by steep margins that disconnect it from the Yarlung Zangbo River to the north, the Mahananda River to the east, the Gandaki to the west, and the Ganga to the south.
• It is well known for its tendency to change course generally in the westward direction. During the last 200 years, the river has shifted westwards for a distance of about 112 km and has laid waste large tracts of agricultural land.
• Kosi is known as the "sorrow of Bihar", as it has caused widespread human suffering in the past due to flooding and very frequent changes in course when it flows from Nepal to Bihar.
• Tributaries: It has seven major tributaries: Sun Koshi, Tama Koshi or Tamba Koshi, Dudh Koshi, Indravati, Likhu, Arun, and Tamore or Tamar.

Water detected on the surface of an asteroid for the 1st time ever

About SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy):

• SOFIA was a telescope mounted on a Boeing 747 SP aircraft that studied infrared light, essentially heat, emitted by objects in the universe. 
• SOFIA was operated jointly by NASA and the German space agency.
• It is the world''s largest airborne astronomical observatory, complementing NASA’s space telescopes as well as major Earth-based telescopes.
• The observatory, fitted with an 8.9-foot-wide (2.7 metre) telescope with a nearly 20-ton mirror, used a door in the side of the aircraft to peer at the sky. 
• Flying into the stratosphere at 38,000-45,000 feet put SOFIA above 99 percent of Earth’s infrared-blocking atmosphere, allowing astronomers to study the solar system and beyond in ways that are not possible with ground-based telescopes. 
• SOFIA could observe the universe in the widest range of infrared light.
• The aeroplane is capable of ten-hour flights, with flight paths chosen to keep ahead of the sunrise and maximise the amount of darkness.
• The observatory’s mobility allowed researchers to observe from almost anywhere in the world and enabled studies of transient events that often take place over oceans, where there are no telescopes. 
• For example, astronomers on SOFIA studied eclipse-like events of Pluto, Saturn’s moon Titan, and Kuiper Belt Object MU69, the next flyby target for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, to study the objects’ atmospheres and surroundings.
• The SOFIA project prematurely ended in 2022 after operating for 12 years.

Absconding murder convict with Interpol Red Notice brought back from UAE: CBI

About Interpol’s Red Corner Notice:

• Criminals or suspects often flee a country to evade facing justice.
• A Red Corner Notice, also called a Red Notice (RN), is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest such fugitives.
• It alerts the police forces across the world about these fugitives who are wanted internationally. 
• A red notice contains information that helps identify the wanted person, including name, date of birth, nationality, and physical attributes like colour of hair, eyes, etc., along with pictures and biometric information.
• It also includes information about the crimes that they are wanted for. 
• Interpol issues an RN at the request of a member country.
• The country which issues the request need not be the home country of the fugitive.
• Interpol acts at the request of the country where the alleged crime is committed.
• An RN request can also be raised by International Criminal courts and Tribunals.
• It is not an international arrest warrant. It is a request to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.  
• Interpol cannot compel the law enforcement authorities in any of the countries to arrest someone who has an RN issued. Each member country determines on the legal value it gives to an RN. 

Key Facts about Interpol:

• The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO), commonly known as Interpol, is an intergovernmental organisation that facilitates international police cooperation to control crime.
• It has 195 member countries, with its headquarters in Lyon, France. 
• Each of the member countries has an Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB).
• They facilitate the respective country’s national law enforcement with other countries and with the General Secretariat, which is Interpol’s body that coordinates its policing and administrative activities. 
• CBI represents Interpol in India as the country''s NCB.''
• Interpol helps coordinate police networks & experts in different crime areas to control crime.
• All the member countries are connected through Interpol’s communication system, called I-24/7.
• This secure network is used by member countries to contact each other and allows them to access Interpol’s databases. 
• Interpol manages 19 databases, which include information on varied crimes and criminals and are available in real-time to countries.
• It offers investigative support, including forensic analysis, locating fugitives across the world, etc.