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By admin: May 20, 2022

PM Modi to attend to third edition of Quad leaders' summit in Tokyo

Tags: Latest Summits


Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Quad Leaders Summit in Tokyo on May 24 at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

  • US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will attend the summit.

  • The summit in Tokyo is the fourth meeting of the Quad Leaders since the first virtual meeting in March last year.

  • During the visit, Modi will participate in business programs with Japanese business leaders.

  • He will also address and interact with the Indian community in Japan.

  • He will also hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.

  • The two leaders will review the India-US Strategic Partnership and act on discussions held during the bilateral meeting of the Prime Minister of India with the US President last September.

  • Modi is also likely to hold bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart.

  • Purpose of the meeting

  • To review progress of Quad Initiatives and Working Groups, identify new areas of cooperation and provide strategic guidance and vision for future collaborations.

  • The meeting will provide an opportunity to both the leaders to take forward the mutual dialogue after the 14th India Japan Annual Summit held in New Delhi in March this year.

  • About Quad

  • This is known as the 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue' (QSD).

  • It is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations - United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan. 

  • It aims to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

  • The first meeting of the Quad was held in 2007 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

  • The Quad Summit provides an opportunity for leaders to exchange views on the development of the Indo-Pacific region and current global issues of mutual interest.

  • Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first to consider the formation of the Quad in 2007.

GeM inks MoU with Self Employed Women's Association

Tags: National News


Government eMarketplace (GeM) and Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for, outreach, mobilisation and capacity-building of women-led micro and small enterprises, women entrepreneurs etc as sellers and service providers in public procurement.

  • The MoU was signed by GeM Chief Executive Officer PK Singh and SEWA Vice President Rehana Riawala in New Delhi.

  • GeM will train SEWA members to assist women-led micro and small enterprises, women entrepreneurs, SHGs among others, with GeM processes related to seller registration and on-boarding on the platform, upload/ update of product/ service catalogues, acceptance of orders etc.

  • This will be done directly through the integrated online National Public Procurement Platform.

  • Training sessions will be conducted through individual and virtual training mode for SEWA members at district and block level.

  • About Government e Marketplace [GeM]

  • It is a one stop National Public Procurement Portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services.

  • It was launched in 2016, with the original objective of bringing transparency and efficiency in the government procurement process.

  • Its Nodal Ministry is the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

  • About Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)

  • It is a trade union based in India that organises women for informal employment.

  • It was founded in 1972 by Indian lawyer and social activist Ela Bhatt and a small group of other women.

  • Its primary goals are full employment and self-reliance of its members.

SC sentences Navjot Singh Sidhu to one-year rigorous imprisonment in road rage case

Tags: Person in news


The Supreme Court sentenced former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu to one year's rigorous imprisonment in the 1988 road rage case in which Patiala resident Gurnam Singh died.

  • The order was pronounced by a bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice SK Kaul.

  • The Supreme Court had earlier allowed review of its May 2018 order acquitting former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu in the 34-year-old road rage case.

  • Sidhu was earlier let off with a fine of Rs 1,000.

  • Now he has been given the maximum possible punishment under section 323 of the IPC.

  • What was the case?

  • On 27 December 1988, Sidhu got into an argument with Patiala resident Gurnam Singh over parking.

  • Sidhu and his associate Rupinder Singh Sandhu allegedly dragged Gurnam Singh out of their car and hit him.

  • He later died in hospital.

  • In 1999, a sessions court in Patiala acquitted Sidhu and his associate for lack of evidence and benefit of doubt.

  • The Punjab and Haryana High Court convicted Sidhu of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in 2006 and sentenced him to three years in prison.

  • In 2018, Sidhu approached the Supreme Court, which quashed the High Court order and convicted Sidhu of causing hurt to a senior citizen.

World Bee Day

Tags: Important Days


World Bee Day is celebrated every year on 20 May across the world.

  • The day is observed to raise awareness about the essential roles played by bees in supporting people and the environment.

  • Bees are known to be one of the hardest working organisms on the planet and bring immense benefits to the people and the natural ecosystem around them.

  • Bees carry pollen grains from flower to flower and help with the production of fruits, nuts and seeds, which contribute significantly to food security and nutrition.

  • Theme of the year 2022

  • ‘Bee Engaged: Celebrating the diversity of bees and beekeeping systems’.

  • It is organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). 

  • The event will focus on highlighting the importance of honeybees and sustainable beekeeping systems.

  • History and Significance of the day

  • World Bee Day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Slovenian beekeeper Anton Jansa, the pioneer of modern beekeeping.

  • He was born on 20 May 1734.

  • In 2016, Slovenia proposed celebrating World Bee Day on 20 May each year.

  • The first World Bee Day was observed on 20 May 2018.

  • Bees play a major role in maintaining the balance between humans, plants, animals and the environment.

Foodgrain production during 2021-22 is higher by 23.80 million tonnes than previous five years

Tags: National News


The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released the third advance estimate of production of major agricultural crops for the year 2021-22.

  • The production of food grains in the country is estimated to be a record 314.51 million tonnes which is higher by 3.77 million tonnes than the foodgrain production during 2020-21.

  • The production during 2021-22 is higher by 23.80 million tonnes than the average foodgrain production of the last five years (2016-17 to 2020-21).

  • Record production of rice, maize, pulses, oilseeds, gram, rapeseed, mustard and sugarcane is estimated.

  • Estimated production of major crops during 2021-22 is as follow

  • Foodgrains 314.51 million tonnes 

  • Rice 129.66 million tonnes 

  • Wheat 106.41 million tonnes 

  • Nutri / Coarse Cereals 50.70 million tonnes 

  • Maize 33.18 million tonnes 

  • Pulses 27.75 million tonnes 

  • Tur 4.35 million tonnes

  • Gram 13.98 million tonnes 

  • Oilseeds 38.50 million tonnes 

  • Groundnut 10.09 million tonnes 

  • Soyabean 13.83 million tonnes 

  • Rapeseed and Mustard 11.75 million tonnes 

  • Sugarcane 430.50 million tonnes 

  • Cotton 31.54 million bales (each 170 kg) 

  • Jute & Mesta 10.22 million bales (each 180 kg)

Centre decides to lift price capping on raw jute

Tags: National News


The government has decided to remove the price cap of Rs 6,500 per quintal on raw jute from May 20 this year.

  • The removal of the cap will help farmers, mills and the jute MSME sector, in which more than 7 lakh people depend on the jute trade, apart from around 40 lakh jute farmers.

  • The price cap was fixed on September 30 2021.

  • The declining trend in prices will also benefit the exports of jute goods, which account for about 30 percent of the turnover of the industry in value terms.

  • Some important facts 

  • Jute is an important natural fibre crop after cotton in India.

  • Raw jute plays an important role in the economy of the country.

  • Jute cultivation is mainly concentrated in eastern and north eastern India.

  • India is the world's largest producer of jute, followed by Bangladesh.

  • It is primarily grown in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh.

  • West Bengal leads jute cultivation.

  • The jute industry of India is 150 years old.

  • There are about 60 jute mills in West Bengal.

  • Jute can be used for geotextiles, activated carbon powder, wall coverings, floors, textiles, rugs, ropes, sacks, handicrafts, curtains, carpet backings, papers, sandals, carry bags and furniture.

  • In October 2020, the government decided that 100% food grains and 20% sugar would be compulsorily packed in jute bags.

Centre, states have equal power to make laws on GST: Supreme Court

Tags: National News


The Supreme Court on May 19 held that the Centre and state legislatures have "equal, simultaneous and unique powers" to make laws on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the recommendations of the GST Council are not binding on them.

  • The Supreme Court ruling confirms a decision of the Gujarat High Court which held that the Centre cannot levy Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) on ocean freight from Indian importers.

  • The Central Government vide Notification No. 8 of 2017 notified in June 2017 that IGST at the rate of 5% shall be levied on the service of carriage of goods in a ship.

  • This notification was rejected by the High Court.

  • Basis of the Judgement

  • The court said that Article 246A of the Constitution empowers the states to make laws with respect to GST.

  • It empowers (the union and the states) together to make laws on GST.

  • It treats the Union and the States equally.

  • Article 279A states that neither the Centre nor the states are dependent on each other in the constitution of the GST Council.

Amritsar-Jamnagar Greenfield corridor to be completed by September 2023

Tags: National News


Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the target is to complete the Amritsar-Jamnagar Greenfield Corridor by September next year.

  • The Amritsar-Jamnagar Greenfield Corridor is one of the most important greenfield corridors being developed by the National Highways Authority of India.

  • Gadkari said that the Bikaner to Jodhpur section of 277 kilometres is targeted to be completed by the end of this year.

  • About Amritsar-Jamnagar Greenfield Corridor

  • It is being developed at a total capital cost of Rs 26,000 crore. 

  • This corridor will connect the economic towns of Amritsar, Bhatinda, Sangaria, Bikaner, Sanchore, Samakhiyali and Jamnagar across the four states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. 

  • It will connect the northern industrial and agricultural centres of the country with major ports of western India such as Jamnagar and Kandla.

  • This will significantly reduce fuel, transit time and logistics costs and help it to stay in the competitive global export market for a longer period of time.

BRO conducts final break through blast of Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh

Tags: National News

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) conducted the final "Break Through Blast" on May 20, 2022 to mark the successful completion of the Nechiphu Tunnel excavation work in Arunachal Pradesh.

  • BRO Director General Lt Gen Rajeev Choudhary operated it from New Delhi virtually.

  • The foundation stone of the project was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on October 12, 2020.

  • About Nechiphu Tunnel

  • It is a 500 metre long “D-shaped, Single Tube Double Lane Tunnel”.

  • It is situated on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) Road in West Kameng District.

  • The tunnel will accommodate two-way traffic and will be equipped with modern lighting and security features.

  • The tunnel has been conceived to eliminate the extreme foggy conditions around the Nichifu Pass, which have hindered normal traffic and military convoys for several decades.

  • Nichifu Tunnel Project as well as BRO's Vartak Project has also completed the excavation work on another strategic tunnel "Sela Tunnel Project" on the same road on January 22, 2022.

  • About Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

  • It is a road construction executive force of India. 

  • It is a part of the Indian Armed Forces. 

  • It develops and maintains the road network in India's border areas and friendly neighbouring countries. 

  • Founder  - Jawaharlal Nehru

  • Founded  -  7 May 1960

  • Headquarters  - New Delhi

  • Purpose - To provide infrastructure to the Armed Forces of India and the Allied Nations

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