1. Solomon PM told Australia, no Chinese military presence in the country
Tags: place in news International News
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogaware assured Australia on 7 October that his country would not allow a Chinese military presence in its territory.
Important facts
The island nation has been at the centre of a diplomatic conflict in the southern Pacific Ocean between the United States, Australia and their allies on the one hand and China on the other.
Earlier this year, the Solomon Islands struck a security agreement with China, saying it needed Beijing's assistance with its domestic security situation.
The agreement shook the US and Australia.
There was concern that the deal could potentially lead to a Chinese military base and power test on the island nation.
The United States and its regional allies fear that China could open a Chinese naval base, which would significantly increase China's military reach in the South Pacific.
About Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands is a nation located in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of more than 990 islands.
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
It does not include the Santa Cruz Islands and the outlying islands such as Rennell and Bellona.
Its capital is Honiara, which is located on the island of Guadalcanal.
2. PM Modi to declare Gujarat’s ‘Modhera’ as India’s First Solar-Powered Village on 9 October
Tags: place in news Science and Technology State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare Gujarat’s village Modhera as India’s first solar-powered village on October 9, 2022. The village is supplied electricity during the daytime through the rooftop solar panels installed in the village and during night the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) provides power supply to the houses.
In 2019 the Central government and the state government started the joint project to power the Modhera village in Mehsana district with solar power.
The Gujarat government had allotted 12 hectares of land for development of this project and an amount of Rs 80.66 crore was spent on a 50:50 basis by Centre and state government in two phases,
More than 1,300 1 kW rooftop solar systems have been installed on houses which generate electricity. And electricity is supplied free of cost to the villagers .
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate a solar-powered 3-D projection facility for the Modhera’s Sun Temple.The solar-powered 3-D projection will educate visitors about the history of Modhera.
Gujarat Chief Minister : Bhupendra Patel
3. Amit Shah inaugurates the Eastern and North-Eastern Cooperative Dairy Conclave 2022 in Gangtok, Sikkim
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Summits State News
The Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Amit Shah inaugurated the Eastern and North-Eastern Cooperative Dairy Conclave 2022 in Sikkim capital, Gangtok, on 7 October 2022.
Speaking on the occasion the minister said that “milk production is the only way for women empowerment, poverty alleviation and doubling of farmer's income.
Lauding the achievement of the Sikkim dairy farmers he said that “ Sikkim state, which is called the Switzerland of the Northeast, should not be known only for its beauty, but also by enriching every village, a prosperous and developed state’.
Operation Flood
To increase the production of milk and dairy products in the country, Operation Flood was launched in the country in 1970 with the help of the European Union and World Food Programme.
Operation flood was based on the cooperative model where farmers formed dairy cooperatives.
In this cooperative model of development, a pioneering role was played by Verghese Kurien who was instrumental in setting up Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL) in Anand, Gujarat in 1950. This successful model was replicated all over India and now India is the largest producer of milk in the world.
Verghese Kurien is also called as the milk man of India, Father of white revolution (Dairy revolution)
Uttar Pradesh is the largest milk producing state in India.
4. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates the 3rd Regional center of CCI in Mumbai
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Person in news
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) Regional Office (West) in Mumbai, on 6 October 2022, in a virtual event.
The Regional Office (West) in Mumbai is the third regional office opened by CCI, after Regional Office (South) in Chennai (inaugurated in February 2021) and Regional Office (East) in Kolkata (inaugurated in April 2022).
Competition Commission of India (CCI)
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established under the Competition Act, 2002 for the administration, implementation and enforcement of the Act.
It was constituted in March 2009.
The following are the objectives of the Commission.
- To prevent practices having adverse effects on competition.
- To promote and sustain competition in markets.
- To protect the interests of consumers and
- To ensure freedom of trade.
Headquarter - New Delhi
Current Chairman - Ashok Kumar Gupta
5. NPCI to launch Rupay Debit Card in Oman
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance International News
Oman has become the latest country in the world where National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) will launch its RuPay Debit card.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on 4 October 2022 between the Central Bank of Oman and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for cooperation in digital payment systems.
The agreement was signed during the visit of the Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan to Oman. He was on a two day (3-4 October) visit to Oman.
This was his second visit to Oman and he met Oman’s foreign minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi .
Rupay Card
RuPay is an Indian payment gateway like Visa or MasterCard and is increasingly being expanded to India's neighbouring countries or nations with a huge Indian diaspora.
Rupay card was officially launched for public in India on 8 May 2014
Singapore was the first foreign country where it was launched in May 2018, followed by Bhutan and the Maldives.
In West Asia, UAE was the first country where RuPay was launched during PM Modi's August 2019 visit.
Agreement has also been signed with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, France and Nepal for its launch in the respective countries.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
- NPCI, an umbrella organization for operating retail payment and settlement systems in India, has been initiated by the 'RBI' and the 'Indian Banks' Association' (IBA) under the 'Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007'.
- It is a 'not-for-profit' company established under the provisions of Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956 (as amended in 2013), with the objective of providing physical and electronic payment infrastructure to the entire banking system in India.
6. Union Minister Murugan addresses the Global News Forum in New Delhi
Tags: place in news Summits
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan delivered the keynote address at Global News Forum 2022 meeting in New Delhi on 4 October 2022. The three day (3-5 October) meeting is being organized by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union with DD (Doordarshan) India in New Delhi.
The theme of the Global News Forum 2022 is: Truth and Trust at times of Crisis’
Worlds leaving news media channels like Al Jazeera, CNN, NHK, ABC and CNA and other international organisations like Reporters without Borders, the World Food Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Zero Risk International are participating in the Forum meeting.
Asia -Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)
ABU was established in 1964 as a non-profit, non- governmental, non-political, professional association with mandate to assist the development of broadcasting organisations in the region.
It has over 253 members in over 67 countries in Pacific region, Asia (South east, North, And South, and Central), West Asia,East, Europe, North Africa and North America.
Doordarshan (DD) & All India Radio (AIR) both are Full Members of ABU. All India Radio was a founding member of the ABU in 1964 while Doordarshan joined ABU in 1976.
Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
7. 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.
8. 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
9. Indore adjudged the cleanest city in India for the consecutive sixth time: Swachh Survekshan Awards 2022
Tags: place in news National Government Schemes
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs announced Indore as the cleanest city of India for the consecutive sixth time in its 7th Swachh Survekshan Awards 2022’ ,announced on 1 October 2022.
The award was presented to the winner State and the cities by the President Droupadi Murmu at a function held in New Delhi on 1 October 2022.
The Madhya Pradesh City of Indore was followed by Surat of Gujarat and Navi Mumbai of Maharashtra,who were ranked second and third respectively.
Best Clean State
Madhya Pradesh was ranked the cleanest State followed by Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra at the second and third place respectively.
Cities having a population of less than one lakh
In the category of cities having a population of less than one lakh, Maharashtra’s Panchgani was ranked number one, followed by Chhattisgarh’s Patan (NP) and Maharashtra’s Karhad.
Cities having a population of more than one lakh along Ganga River
Haridwar was adjudged the cleanest Ganga town in the category of more than 1 lakh population, followed by Varanasi and Rishikesh.
Cities having a population of less than one lakh along Ganga River
Bijnor of Uttar Pradesh adjudged the cleanest Ganga town in the category of less than 1 lakh population, followed by Kannauj and Garhmukhteshwar, all of Uttar Pradesh.
Cleanest cantonment board.
Deolali in Maharashtra was adjudged the cleanest cantonment board.
Cleanest State having fewer than 100 urban local bodies.
Tripura has bagged the top rank among the states having fewer than 100 urban local bodies.
SWACHH SURVEKSHAN
Swachh Survekshan is the world’s largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey which has been conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs since 2016. The aim of the Swachh Survekshan is to foster a spirit of healthy competition among towns and cities so as to improve their service delivery to citizens and towards creating cleaner cities.
In the first Swachh Survekshan 2016, 73 major cities were surveyed. However in the 7th edition of Swachh Survekshan 2022, 4,355 cities were surveyed making it the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey
This year’s survey with a “People First” theme received over an unprecedented 9 crores, feedback, a marked increase from last year’s 5 crores.
Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs: Hardeep Singh Puri
10. Government’s ambitious ONDC platform launched in Bengaluru
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance
The Government of India ambitious Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) started its live beta testing on 30 September 2022 across 16 pin codes in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
In April 2022, the Government launched the pilot phase of the open network for digital commerce in five cities – Delhi, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Shillong and Coimbatore.
ONDC is being launched to take on the multinational e-commerce giant Amazon and Flipkart which control around 60 % of the Indian e- commerce market.
What is ONDC?
What is Open Network for Digital Commerce(ONDC)
It is an ecommerce platform built by the government of India to enable the small kirana stores to access processes and technologies that are typically deployed by large e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart.
Unlike Amazon or Flipkart which is a closed system, ONDC is an open system with interoperability.
Who has set up the ONDC?
Open Network for Digital Commerce is a private non-profit company established by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Union Ministry of Commerce and industry to develop open networks for e-commerce. It was founded in April 2022.
Many companies like Microsoft, Paytm, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Bank of India, Phone Pe and others have invested in the project.
Target of the ONDC
The government wants to raise the e-commerce reach in the country to 25% of the population in the next 2 years as compared to 8% at present. ONDC will play a key role in achieving the target.
It is targeting to sign 900 million buyers onboard and targeting 1.2 million sellers on the shared network within the next 5 years, while achieving a gross merchandise value of 48 billion dollars.
