1. Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf attends Paris Infra Week
Tags: International News
Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf attended the Paris Infra Week inaugural on October 3.
Important facts
In this event, he highlighted India's infrastructure, digitization, logistics support growth, inclusion, sustainability, sovereignty, strategic autonomy and resilience.
The event was attended by various dignitaries.
India - France relations
India and France have always had traditionally close and friendly relations.
In 1998, the two countries entered into a Strategic Partnership, which marks the convergence of their views on a number of international issues, apart from the close and growing bilateral ties.
There are more than 1000 French businesses in India in diverse sectors like Defence, ITeS, Consultancy, Engineering Services, Heavy Industries etc.
France is the 7th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative FDI stock of USD 9 billion from 2 April 2000 to December 2020, representing 2% of the total FDI inflows into India.
During the second wave of COVID-19 in India, France supported India with a massive solidarity mission.
The mission was implemented by the Embassy of France in India led along with IFCCI and Team France.
During this mission, 29 state-of-the-art French-built oxygen-generating plants were set up in Indian hospitals across the country and 55 crores (6.1 million Euros) were raised from 55 French and Indian groups.
About France
Prime minister - Élisabeth Borne
Capital - Paris
President - Emmanuel Macron
Currency - euro
Official Language - French
Official Name - French Republic
2. Indian Railways converts 500 Mail Express trains to Superfast category
Tags: National National News
Indian Railways converted 500 Mail Express trains to the Superfast category on 4 October.
Important facts
In addition, 130 services (65 pairs) have been converted into superfast category.
The speed of trains has been increased from 10 minutes to 70 minutes.
Overall the average speed of all trains has increased by about 5 per cent, leaving about 5 per cent additional routes available for operation of more trains.
Indian Railways has released its new All India Railway Time Table known as 'TRAINS AT A GLANCE'.
This new timetable is effective from October 1, 2022.
Punctuality of Indian Railways during the year 2022-23
The punctuality of Indian Railways for Mail Express trains during the year 2022-23 is around 84%.
This is about 9 percent more than the nearly 75 percent punctuality achieved during the year 2019-20.
In addition, around 3,000 passenger trains and 5,660 suburban trains also operate on the Indian Railways network.
About 2.23 crore people travel by trains every day.
3. Indian Railways converts 500 Mail Express trains to Superfast category
Tags: National National News
Indian Railways converted 500 Mail Express trains to the Superfast category on 4 October.
Important facts
In addition, 130 services (65 pairs) have been converted into superfast category.
The speed of trains has been increased from 10 minutes to 70 minutes.
Overall the average speed of all trains has increased by about 5 per cent, leaving about 5 per cent additional routes available for operation of more trains.
Indian Railways has released its new All India Railway Time Table known as 'TRAINS AT A GLANCE'.
This new timetable is effective from October 1, 2022.
Punctuality of Indian Railways during the year 2022-23
The punctuality of Indian Railways for Mail Express trains during the year 2022-23 is around 84%.
This is about 9 percent more than the nearly 75 percent punctuality achieved during the year 2019-20.
In addition, around 3,000 passenger trains and 5,660 suburban trains also operate on the Indian Railways network.
About 2.23 crore people travel by trains every day.
4. India's second Adarsha Veda Vidyalaya inaugurated by Dharmendra Pradhan in Puri
Tags: State News National News
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated India’s second ‘Rashtriya Adarsha Veda Vidyalaya’ (National Model Vedic School) on the premises of Central Sanskrit University in Odisha’s Puri on 4 October.
Important facts
Adarsh Vedic Vidyalaya has been constructed in the Sri Sadashiv campus of the University.
Free education will be provided in this residential school.
The Puri campus will be the first Vedic school outside the main campus of Maharishi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Vidya Pratishthan in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
Four more such schools will be opened in Badrinath in Uttarakhand, Sringeri in Karnataka, Dwarka in Gujarat and Guwahati in Assam.
The academic session of the new school will start from 2022-23.
Admission on the basis of merit will be done to Veda Bhusan fourth (Class-IX), Veda Bhusan fifth (Class-X), Veda Vibhusan first (Class-XI) and Veda Vibhusan second (Class-XII).
Apart from imparting education on the four Vedas – Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda, courses such as Science, English, Mathematics, Vedic Mathematics, Social Science, Computer Science and Agriculture will be offered in this school.
Central Sanskrit University, Puri
It is established by an act of Parliament.
It is a Premier University for promoting Sanskrit studies in India and abroad.
It is currently the largest Sanskrit university in the world.
It was established on 15th October, 1970.
5. Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers concludes
Tags: National Summits National News
The three day "Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers" began on 1st October 2022 concluded on 3rd October in New Delhi.
Important facts
The Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers, along with the sixth edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC 2022) was inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
On the first day, detailed discussions were held with the States and Union Territories on the key priority areas of the Digital India initiative, chaired by the Minister of Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnav.
In his concluding remarks, Ashwini Vaishnav said that connectivity is the key to Digital India and its reach to every nook and corner of the country.
He said that Rs 26,000 crore has been sanctioned by the government for setting up 25,000 new towers in the next 500 days.
He congratulated all the States and Union Territories for swiftly joining PM Gati Shakti.
On the second day of the conference MeitY organized three sessions on important aspects like ‘IT Rules, Online Gaming and Data Governance’, ‘Digital India Bhashini & Digital Payment’, and ‘MyScheme and Meri Pehchaan’.
On the third day, MeitY organised five panel discussions.
The title of discussions were ‘Attracting Startups to Tier 2 Cities and Sustaining Them’, ‘Use of Emerging Tech in Public Services’, ‘Making India Talent Nation’, ‘Realization of Digital Government in States’, and ‘Make-in-India for the Globe – India as Semiconductor Nation’.
6. Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers concludes
Tags: National Summits National News
The three day "Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers" began on 1st October 2022 concluded on 3rd October in New Delhi.
Important facts
The Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers, along with the sixth edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC 2022) was inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
On the first day, detailed discussions were held with the States and Union Territories on the key priority areas of the Digital India initiative, chaired by the Minister of Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnav.
In his concluding remarks, Ashwini Vaishnav said that connectivity is the key to Digital India and its reach to every nook and corner of the country.
He said that Rs 26,000 crore has been sanctioned by the government for setting up 25,000 new towers in the next 500 days.
He congratulated all the States and Union Territories for swiftly joining PM Gati Shakti.
On the second day of the conference MeitY organized three sessions on important aspects like ‘IT Rules, Online Gaming and Data Governance’, ‘Digital India Bhashini & Digital Payment’, and ‘MyScheme and Meri Pehchaan’.
On the third day, MeitY organised five panel discussions.
The title of discussions were ‘Attracting Startups to Tier 2 Cities and Sustaining Them’, ‘Use of Emerging Tech in Public Services’, ‘Making India Talent Nation’, ‘Realization of Digital Government in States’, and ‘Make-in-India for the Globe – India as Semiconductor Nation’.
7. External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar to visit New Zealand ,Australia from 5 October
Tags: Person in news International News
The External Affair Minister S. Jaishankar will be on an official visit to New Zealand and Australia from 5-11 October 2022. The minister will be visiting New Zealand for the first time as an external affairs minister while he will be visiting Australia for the 2nd time this year.
Visit to New Zealand
According to the Ministry of External Affairs S.Jaishankar will meet the New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and will discuss the whole spectrum of relations between India and New Zealand.
On 6 October he will join New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to honour members of the Indian community for their outstanding achievements and contributions.
According to the ministry “"Both leaders will release India@75 postage stamps to commemorate and showcase Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in New Zealand,"
'Heartfelt - The Legacy of Faith,' a book highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's special bond with the Sikh community, will also be released on the occasion. Jaishankar will also launch the book 'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery'.
He will also meet with several other leaders of New Zealand like Priyanka Radhakrishnan, Minister for Community and Voluntary Sector, Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities and Youth.
Priyanka Radhakrishnan, is the first person of India-origin to become minister in New Zealand.
Australian Visit
During his Australian visit he will hold the 13th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.
He is also scheduled to meet Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, as well as the officers from the Australian Navy.
8. Inter- Ministerial meeting held in Delhi to review Parali management
Tags: place in news National Government Schemes
With the onset of the harvesting season for Kharif crops an Inter-Ministerial meeting under the co-chairmanship of Union Minister of Power R.K Singh and Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, was held on 3 October 2022, in New Delhi to review the progress of biomass co-firing in thermal power plants along with Parali management in National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining states.
The meeting was also attended by Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh along with senior officers.
Background to the meeting
Farmers in Haryana, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh burn their Parali in order to clear their harvested paddy fields and prepare for the Rabi season.
This burning of fields usually leads to heavy air pollution and toxic air in and around NCR during the winter season.
The meeting was held to take stock of the situation and the preparedness of the concerned government.
To encourage the farmers not to burn the parali and provide them an incentive, the government of India launched the SAMARTH mission.
Sustainable Agrarian Mission on use of Agro Residue in Thermal Power Plants (SAMARTH)
Sustainable Agrarian Mission on use of Agro Residue in Thermal Power Plants (SAMARTH) was launched by the Government of India in 2021.
Under SAMARTH the Union Ministry of power launched the National Mission on Use of Biomass in coal based thermal Power Plants.
AIM of the Scheme :
- It was launched by the Government of India to reduce stubble (parali) burning and to reduce carbon footprint of Thermal Power Plants while increasing the income of farmers.
- The farmers are encouraged to sell their crop residues, stubble to the power plants and earn extra income instead of burning in the field which increases pollution.
- Thermal power plants are encouraged to use crop residue along with coal for production of power. It will reduce the use of coal for power generation and consequently lesser amounts of carbon will be produced.
- The Ministry of Power's policy on “Biomass Utilization for Power Generation through Co-firing in Coal based Power Plants” issued in October 2021 mandates all thermal power plants in the country to use 5 to 10% biomass along with coal for power production.
Present Status of the SAMARTH mission
- Giving the achievement of the SAMARTH mission the government said that at present 39 thermal power plants had co-fired biomass pellets.
- In the NCR region, 10 thermal power plants have started co-firing.
- As on date, 83066 MT of biomass has been co-fired in 39 thermal power plants across the country totalling to a capacity of 55390 MW.
- In the NCR region, the biomass co-fired is 22,696 MT out of which 95% has been done by NTPC.
9. Union Minister Narayan Rane inaugurates Khadi Fest – 2022 exhibition in Mumbai
Tags: place in news National Summits
The Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Narayan Rane inaugurated the Khadi fest – 2022 Exhibition in Mumbai on 3 October 2022. The Khadi Fest – 2022 has been organized by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti and will be held till 1 November, 2022.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission has been organizing Khadi Fest every year to mark the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. However, this time the exhibition has been organized after a gap of two years.
Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC)
- The Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC) was set up in 1957 under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956.
- It is under the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises.
- It is responsible for planning, promotion, organisation, and implementation of programs for the development of Khadi and other village industries in the rural areas along with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.
Chairman of KVIC: Manoj Kumar
10. Ketanji Brown Jackson appointed as the first black woman Judge of the United States Supreme Court
Tags: Person in news International News
Ketanji Brown Jackson has been appointed as the first Black woman judge of the United States Supreme Court. Jackson is the sixth woman to become the Judge of the United States of America’s Supreme Court.
About the United States of America Supreme Court
- In the United States of America there are two Supreme Courts. Every state in the US has its own Supreme Court which interprets the constitution of the respective state.
- There is a Federal Supreme Court also known as the US Supreme Court which interprets the constitution of the United States of America.
- In the United States all the 50 states have a constitution of their own and the Federal government (United States Government) has a constitution of its own.
- It was set up in 1789.
- It has one Chief Justice and eight other judges.
- The Judges of the Supreme Court are for life. It means they have no retiring age (In India the Supreme Court Judge retires after reaching the age of 65 years)
- The Supreme Court of the United State has a police of its own which enforce its decision (In India supreme Court has no separate police force)
- It is located in Washington D.C
