Current Affairs 11th & 12th October 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

Indian Foreign Service Day

• IFS Day is celebrated on 9 October every year since 2011 to commemorate the day the Indian Cabinet created the IFS.
• Their work towards serving the nation and furthering national interests globally are commendable.

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)

• World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.
• The Day is celebrated bi-annually on the second Saturday in May and in October.
• This year it falls on 9May and 10th 
• This year thetheme of World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World” 

World Day Against the Death Penalty 

• Every year 10th October marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty.
• It is a day to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty and to raise awareness of the conditions and the circumstances which affect prisoners with death sentences.
• The day was first organised by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty in 2003.
• 18th edition theme is “Access to counsel – A matter of life or death.”

International Day of the Girl Child

• Every year on 11 October, the International Day of the Girl, UNICEF launches an annual campaign with girls to amplify their voices and stand up for their rights.It is celebrated since 2012.
• This year, under the theme, “My voice, our equal future”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Coal Ministry launches website for research endeavors in coal sector

• Ministry of Coal has launched the website to promote Research & Development (R&D) activities of the ministry and attract research institutes for R&D endeavors in coal sector.
• Shri Anil Jain launched the website (https://scienceandtech.cmpdi.co.in/) during the 56th meeting of Standing Scientific Research Committee of the Ministry. Coal India R&D arm, Central Mines Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDI) has designed and developed this website.
• The website will help in disseminating and promoting the knowledge and research work in the coal sector.
• MoC has been promoting R&D activities in Coal & Lignite sectors through its Coal Science & Technology (S&T) Plan for improvement in production, productivity, safety, coal beneficiation & utilization, protection of environment & ecology, clean coal technology & allied fields etc. MoC also provides funds to carry out research work on these subjects.

About MoC

• Minister of Coalwith additional portofolio Parliamentary Affairs and Mines: Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi
• Constituency: Dharwad, Karnataka

Narendra Modi launches physical distribution of property cards under SWAMITVA scheme

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the physical distribution of property cards under the SVAMITVA(Survey of Villages And Mapping With Improvised Technology In Village Areas) scheme via videoconferencing that enables rural masses to use the property as a financial asset.
• The move will pave the way for villagers to use property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.
• The launch will enable around one lakh property holders to download their property cards through an SMS link sent on their mobile phones, and this would be followed by the physical distribution of property cards by respective state governments.
• Prime Minister Modi also interacted with some of the beneficiaries during the event. Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar were present.

About Property Card

• A property card is the land record of ownership and history of ownership of the land in an urban area. Normally, when your land property is located in a municipal area and has got city survey number, the details of transfers of ownership/ transactions of such property are recorded in the property card. So, a property card basically provides information about the ownership of a property and the history of holdings of land located in an urban area. If you are planning to buy land in an urban area, it is essential that you check the property card of the seller and ensure his/her ownership of the land.

Details included in Property Card:

• Name of the landowner
• Survey number of land
• Area of the land
• Location
• Changes in ownership
• Details of loans taken by the owner from government agencies
• Details of pending litigations, if any
• Details of tax levied on the land. This includes paid and unpaid taxes

PM Modi releases Rs 100 commemorative coin in honour of Vijaya Raje Scindia

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative 100 rupee coin in the honour of Vijaya Raje Scindia. One of the founder members of BJP, Vijaya Raje Scindia is also popularly known as the Rajmata of Gwalior.
• The special commemorative coin was minted by the Finance Ministry as a part of these celebrations.
• She was a Jana Sangh leader and one of the founding members of the BJP.
• Coming from a royal family, Scindia was one of the major faces of the saffron party and vocal proponent of its core Hindutva issues.
• She was born on October 12, 1919. Her daughter Vasundhara Raje and grandson Jyotiraditya Scindia are senior BJP leaders.

All eight beaches recommended by Govt gets coveted International Blueflag Certification: Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar

• Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar stated that all eight beaches recommended by the Government has got the coveted International Blueflag  Certification.
• The beaches which got International Blueflag Certification are Shivrajpur beach in Dwarka Gujarat, Ghoghla beach in Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden Beach in Odisha and Radhanagar beach in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The iconic Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognised voluntary awards for beaches, marinas.
• In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria is met and maintained.
• A world-renowned award trusted by millions around the globe, the Blue Flag programme is operated under the auspices of the Foundation for Environmental Education, FEE and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.

About Blue Flag:

• The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE which is a not-for-profit non-governmental organisation consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries.

Nirmala Sitharaman announces major schemes to boost demand in country by Rs 73,000 Cr

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced major schemes to boost demands in the country by nearly 73 thousand crore rupees.
• Sitharaman informed that the new proposals aim at giving a thrust of around 36 thousand crore rupees to the consumer demands by the Leave Travel Concession LTC Voucher and Festival advance scheme. Additionally she stated, 37 thousand crore rupees will be infused in the capital expenditure by the Centre and the State Governments.
• The Finance Minister informed that the new proposal is likely to cost nearly 5 thousand 675 crore rupees to the Central Government. In her announcement towards special assistance for states for utilisation under capital expenditure, the Finance Minister informed that special interest free loans with a 50 year repayment term and amounting to 12 thousand crore rupees will be disbursed. Under the assistance scheme, 2 thousand 500 crore rupees will be given to the North Eastern States and Northern States Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Seven thousand 500 crore rupees will be given to other states in proportion to their share in Finance Commission devolution.
• The Minister also announced that an additional amount of 25 thousand crore rupees will be provided by the Centre through capital expenditure on roads, defence infrastructure, water supply, urban development and domestically produced capital equipment.

About Ministry of Finance:   

• Nirmala Sitharaman, Cabinet Minister
• Constituency: Karnataka
• Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Finance

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

RBI to discontinue system-based automatic caution-listing of exporters

• In an effort to provide flexibility to exporters in the realisation of export proceeds, the Reserve Bank has decided to discontinue the system-based automatic caution-listing of exporters.
• As part of automation of the Export Data Processing and Monitoring System, the ‘Caution/De-caution Listing’ of exporters was automated in 2016. Accordingly, the exporters were to be caution-listed automatically, if any shipping bill against them remained outstanding for more than two years.
• After contracting for six months in a row, India’s exports grew by 5.27 percent year-on-year to 27.4 billion dollars in September while the trade deficit narrowed to a three-month low of 2.91 billion dollars.

ACC extends tenure of 3 Executive Directors of PSU banks

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of the term of three Executive Directors (EDs) in various Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
• The Department of Financial Services in the Finance Ministry had made these proposals based on the recommendations of the Banks Board Bureau (BBB).

Current Affairs 10th October 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Post Day

• World Post Day is celebrated on October 9 every year to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) which was started in 1874 in Switzerland.
• The day aims to spread awareness about the Post’s role in the everyday lives of people and businesses and its contribution to global social and economic development.

World Egg Day

• World Egg Day celebrated on second Friday in October every year.
• This year is celebrated on October 9.
• The day is celebrated in order to raise awareness about the benefits of eggs and their importance in human nutrition. The day was established at IEC Vienna in 1996 conference.

National Postal week

• India Post commenced celebration of the National Postal Week from Oct 09 to Oct 15 , starting with World Post Day which is celebrated each year on 9thOctober, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in Berne.

Date	Day	Description
9th October 2020	Friday	World Post Day
10th October 2020	Saturday	Banking Day
12th October 2020	Monday	PLI Day
13th October 2020	Tuesday	Philately Day
14th October 2020	Wednesday	Business Development Day
15th October 2020	Thursday	Mails Day

National Postal Day

• National Postal Day is celebrated in India on 10 October every year.
• The day is observed to commemorate the role played by the Indian postal department for the past 150 years.

About India Post

• Headquarters: New Delhi

World Mental Health Day

• World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.
• According to World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) the theme for World Mental Health Day 2020 is ‘Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access’.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

World Economic Forum shifts annual meeting 2021 from Davos to Lucerne

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) will hold its Annual Meeting 2021 in Lucerne-Burgenstock, Switzerland, from May 18 to 21.
• It was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• 2021 Davos summit, themed as “The Great Reset”.
• The meeting will focus on the solutions required to address the world’s most pressing challenges.
• The WEF aims to be back in Davos for 2022.

About WEF

• Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland
• President: Borge Brende

Argentina becomes 1st nation to approve genetically modified wheat

• Argentina has approved HB4 drought–resistant GMO wheat by biotechnology firm Bioceres, making it the first country in the world to approve a strain of GMO wheat.
• It will only begin marketing HB4 once it’s approved for importation by Brazil.
• The HB4 technology provides seeds that are more tolerant to drought and helps minimize production losses.

About Argentina:

• Capital: Buenos Aires
• Currency: Argentina Peso
• President: Alberto Fernández

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Dr Harsh Vardhan Inaugurates DBT-BIRAC Clean Tech Demo Park In Delhi

• Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the “DBT-BIRAC Clean Tech Demo Park” at Barapullah drain site, New Delhi in a virtual event.
• Clean Tech Demo Park at Barapullah drain site is a Department of Biotechnology (DBT) initiative that will demonstrate innovative waste-to-value technologies.
• This Clean Tech Demo Park would be a good attraction not only for Innovators, Investors but also for students and common public for awareness and popularization of clean technological solution for waste management.
• The novel indigenous technologies developed for the treatment of sewage and industrial wastewaters should be promoted and given wide publicity to ensure their commercialization and adoption for achieving Swachh Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat goals.
• The DBT-BIRAC Clean Tech Demo Park will be used to demonstrate innovative Waste-to-Value technologies with support from Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Government of India, and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a DBT PSU.
• This park will be managed by the Clean Energy International Incubation Centre (CEIIC), a public-private-partnership incubator set up jointly by DBT, BIRAC and Tata Power.

About MoH&FW

• Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of Earth Sciences: Harsh Vardhan
• Constituency: Chandni Chowk, New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launches Saur Swarojgar Yojana to generate self-employment for youth, migrants

• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched the Mukhya Mantri Saur Swarojgar Yojana for self-employment by solar energy farming at the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali auditorium in
• The Yojana aims at creating self-employment for nearly 10,000 youths in the state.
• The beneficiaries will be allocated solar plants of 25 kilowatts each. 10,000 people will get self-employment under this scheme.
• The installation of solar panels for integrated farming, fruits, vegetables and herbs can be produced on the same land. Seeds of climate-based medicinal and spongy plants will be provided free of cost on the land to be set up.
• The targeted beneficiaries, including the youth and migrants who have returned home after leaving their jobs in various parts of the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Current Affairs 09th October 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Sight Day

• World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October, to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment.
• This year, World Sight Day will take place on 8 October 2020 with the theme:Hope In Sight.

CURRENT AFFAIRS:

Union Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurates virtual “International conference on Mental Health: Looking Beyond COVID 19”

• Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurated the virtual “International conference on Mental Health: Looking Beyond COVID 19” through video conferencing.
• Delivering the inaugural address, Mr. Gehlot spoke about the rising trend of mental health concerns across the globe.
• He also spoke about the recent initiatives of the government including setting up of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation at Sehore in Madhya Pradesh and KIRAN mental health rehabilitation helpline for addressing mental health issues.
• Craig Jeffrey, Director of Australia-India Institute co-chaired the conference.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually inaugurates Gyan Circle Ventures

• Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually inaugurated the Gyan Circle Ventures, a MeitY funded Technology Business Incubator (TBI) of Indian Institute of Information Technology, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh through Video Conference.
• Speaking on the occasion Mr. Pokhriyal stated that Innovation is the engine that powers the progress of the nation.
• He stated innovation and entrepreneurship needs to be fostered to ensure self-sustainability and remain a global leader.
• The Minister stated that centers like ‘Gyan Circle ventures’ instill entrepreneurship in young minds and steward them to become successful innovators.

Government to launch Ayurveda and Yoga protocols for management of Covid-19

• The National Clinical Management Protocol based on ayurveda and yoga for the management of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will be jointly released by Union health and family welfare minister Harsh Vardhan and minister for Ayush (ayurveda, yoga & naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy) Shripad Yesso Naik. The event will be held virtually.
• The government has been promoting medicinal herbs under the Ayush system for people to improve their immunity levels to be able to fight off infections.
• Last month, the Union health ministry issued guidelines on managing post-recovery symptoms of Covid-19 such as fatigue, body ache, cough, sore throat, breathing difficulty, etc., which largely promoted medicinal herbs for the purpose.
• “Take immunity promoting Ayush medicine to be practiced and prescribed by a qualified practitioner of Ayush. If health permits, regular household work to be done. Professional work to be resumed in graded manner. Depending on the physical condition, mild to moderate exercise daily such as yogasana, pranayama and meditation… breathing exercises as prescribed by treating physician and daily morning or evening walk at a comfortable pace as tolerated,” the ministry’s guidelines advise.
• The Ayush ministry also approved a clinical study last month to assess the role of medicinal herbs vasa and guduchi in the therapeutic management of symptoms in Covid-19 cases.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin gives country’s top job to a teenager for a day

• Finish Prime Minister Sanna Marin stepped aside to let 16-year-old take her place, with the young campaigner Aaava Murto using the platform to decry online violence and gender stereotypes about technology.
• The teenager also warned of online violence that restricts girls’ access to information.
• This swap was part of an international campaign dubbed Girls Takeover, which comes ahead of the UN Girls Day on Oct 11th .
• During her brief tenure as the country’s top leader, Murto met with Marin, as well the minister for development and trade and the country’s chancellor of justice.

About Finland

• Capital: Helsinki
• Currency: Euro
• President: Sauli Niinistö

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

RBI keeps key interest rates unchanged

• The Reserve Bank of India in its bi-monthly Monetary Policy statement issued has maintained a status quo keeping the key interest rates unchanged.
• The reverse repo rate remains unchanged at 3.35 per cent, the repo rate at four per cent.
• The Monetary Policy Committee has also decided to maintain its accommodative stance as long as necessary at least through the current financial year and next year as Indian economy is entering into decisive phase in its fight against coronavirus.
• He stated, the RBI stands ready to undertake further measures as necessary to assure market participants of access to liquidity and easy finance conditions.
• The new housing loans risk weights to be linked to Loan-to-value ratio and also rationalize risk weights for all new housing loans until March 31, 2022.
• Also the bank will extend scheme for co-lending to all NBFC, HFC. As for GDP, the growth may break out of contraction and enter positive zone by fourth quarter of current fiscal.

World Bank projects India’s GDP to contract 9.6% in FY21

• The World Bank projected India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to plunge in FY21 by 6% revised down since its June forecast of 3.2% drop, reflecting the impact of the nationwide lockdown and the income shock experienced by households and small urban service firms.
• “However, there is substantial uncertainty related to the course and duration of the pandemic; the speed at which households and firm behavior will adjust to the lifting of lockdowns; and a possible new round of countercyclical fiscal policy,” the World Bank stated in its latest South Asia Economic Focus report.
• While the government has signalled it is prepared to support the economy, there is no clarity about the timing or the extent of the next round of stimulus.
• The Indian economy contracted a record 23.9% in the June quarter, underlining the extent of economic damage brought about by the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. Many forecasters now expect Indian economy to contract in double digits in FY21.

RTGS to be available 24×7 from December

• The Reserve Bank of India announced that the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), which is used for large value fund transfers, will be available round the clock from December this year.
• At present, RTGS, which has a minimum fund transfer of 2 lakh, is available for customers from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm on all working days of a week (except second and fourth Saturdays of the month).
• “With this, India will be one of the very few countries globally with a 24x7x365 large value real time payment system,” RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das stated.
• In December last year, the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system was made available on a 24x7x365 basis.
• Meanwhile, in another measure aimed at easing digital payments, the RBI also announced that it has been decided to grant authorisation for all Payment Service Operators (PSOs) – new applicants as well as existing players, on a perpetual basis, subject to certain conditions.
• This will “reduce licensing uncertainties and enable PSOs to focus on their business and optimise utilisation of scarce regulatory resources,”it noted.
• Authorisation (including renewal of authorisation) of such PSOs has been largely for specified periods up to five years.

LIC Housing launches ‘Project RED’ to improve efficiencies

• LIC Housing Finance Ltd (LICHFL) launched “Project RED” (Reimagining Excellence through Digital transformation) to improve efficiencies at every level of the organisation.
• Project RED aims to create value across the entire spectrum of stakeholders that includes employees, shareholders, business associates, existing and potential customers of LICHFL, as per the housing finance company’s statement.
• To be implemented over the next 21 months, the company stated the initiative is expected to bring transformational changes by organically linking LICHFL’s work culture, strengthening processes across all verticals, deepen customer engagement and adopting the best-in-class technology to build capacity.
• LICHFL has engaged Boston Consulting Group as its consultant for this project and will be setting up a high-level Project Implementation Group which will approve and monitor capacity building plans of every constituent in the company, it added.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Meghalaya partners with Israel to set up centre of excellence on high-value vegetables

• The Meghalaya government has decided to partner with Israel for establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on high value vegetables in the state.
• The CoE is vital to tap the diverse bio-diversity and resources available in the State in terms of its soil and agro-climatic conditions.
• It will also act as an impetus for further research and expansion into multi-fold aspects, including tourism potential considering the State has a gene pool of important vegetables, fruits and plants such as the Citrus fruits in Nokrek, East Garo Hills District.

Current Affairs 08th October 2020| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

Ganga River Dolphin Day

• India celebratesOctober 5 every year as the ‘Ganga River Dolphin Day’
• As this day Ganga Dolphins were declared national aquatic animals in

Indian Air Force celebrates its 88th Anniversary

• The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October Its first ac flight came into being on April 1 1933. It possessed a strength of six RAF-trained officers and 19 Havai Sepoys (literally, air soldiers). The aircraft inventory comprised of four Westland Wapiti IIA army co-operation biplanes at Drigh Road as the “A” Flight nucleus of the planned No.1 (Army Co- operation) Squadron, IAF stated
• Air Force Day 2020 celebration has begun at 8 am at Air Force Station Hindan. The air display will commence with flag bearing skydivers of the famous AKASH GANGA Team dropping out of an AN-32 aircraft in their colourful canopies. The flypast would include the vintage aircraft, modern transport aircraft and frontline fighter aircraft. The ceremony will conclude at 1052 hours with a spellbinding aerobatic display

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Govt launches online startup discovery platform ‘Startup India Showcase’

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) launched an online discovery platform for startups called “Startup India Showcase”.
• The website will feature startups handpicked by experts that have gone through multiple rounds of screening and evaluation.
• The website will also feature companies that have won national competitions, are successful sellers on the Government e-Marketplace portal, are solving critical problems, and have shown exceptional innovation in their sectors.
• The website will include startups from across sectors such as fintech, enterprise tech, social impact, healthtech, and edtech, among others.

About DPIIT

• Founded: 1995
• Parent organization: Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• MoC&I: Piyush Goyal

Union Cabinet approves signing of Memorandum of cooperation in field of cyber-security between India & Japan

• The cabinet also gave its approval for signing a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the field of cyber-security between India and Japan.
• The MoC will enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest, which in­cludes capacity building in the area of cyberspace, protection of critical infrastructure, cooperation in emerging technologies, sharing information on cyber security threats and malicious cyber activities. Another MoU was signed between Zoological Survey of India and its Canadian Counterpart on bar coding of faunal Genomes.
• The Cabinet also approved the ratification of seven chemicals listed under Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and environment from POPs, which are identified chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate in living organisms, adversely affect human health and have the property of long-range environmental transport

About Japan:

• Capital: Tokyo
• Currency: Japanese yen
• Prime minister: Yoshihide Suga

PM Modi launches ‘ Jan Andolan’ campaign for COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a campaign by way of a Tweet on Jan Andolan for COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour. The campaign has been launched in view of the upcoming festivals and winter season as well as the opening up of the economy.
• In a tweet, Mr Modi appealed to the people to unite to fight Corona. He urged the people to always remember to wear a mask, wash hands, follow social distancing and practice ‘Do Gaz Ki Doori.’  He stated, together, we will succeed and win against COVID-19.
• The Prime Minister stated, India’s COVID-19 fight is people driven and gets great strength from our COVID warriors. He stated,  our collective efforts have helped saved many lives. Mr Modi stated, we have to continue the momentum and protect our citizens from the virus.

Smriti Irani launches first ever Brand & Logo for Indian Cotton on 2nd World Cotton Day

• Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani launched the first ever Brand and Logo for Indian Cotton on Second World Cotton Day through video conferencing
• Now India’s premium cotton would be known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world cotton trade. The Kasturi Cotton brand will represent Whiteness, Brightness, Softness, Purity, Luster, Uniqueness and Indianness.
• The Minister recounted the importance of cotton in Indian economy. She stated, cotton is one of the principal commercial crops of the country and it provides livelihood to about six million cotton farmers. She stated, India is the second largest cotton producer and the largest consumer of cotton in the world.
• It produces about six million tonnes of cotton every year which is about 23 per cent of the world cotton. She stated, India produces about 51 per cent of the total organic cotton production of the world, which demonstrates India’s effort towards sustainability.
• Ms Irani also stated that Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) made ever highest Minimum Support Price (MSP) operation of cotton. She  hoped that during the new cotton season, the procurement under MSP will be increased. She stated, CCI has opened 430 procurement centres in all cotton growing states and payments are being made digitally to farmers’ account within 72 hours.

About Ministry of Textiles:    

• Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Textiles
• Constituency: Amethi

NITI Aayog, MNRE and Invest India hold symposium on solar PV manufacturing

• NITI Aayog, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), and Invest India organized a symposium on solar PV manufacturing, “India PV Edge-2020“, on 6 October to inform the global PV industry of opportunities in India.
• In addition to the vision of 450 GW installed renewables capacity by 2030, India has a plan not only for grid-connected solar and renewables but also an ambitious vision for mobility, followed by electricity-based cooking. As a result of the government’s measures to achieve Aatmanirbhar Bharat, already EoIs for 20 GW of the module and cell manufacturing have been issued. India will continue to be the fastest and largest-growing market for investment in renewables.”
• Around 60 prominent Indian and global CEOs attended the event, along with a number of global PV manufacturers, developers, investors, think tanks, and top policymakers. An investor’s roundtable was also organized after the pitching sessions to deliberate on ways to mobilize affordable capital into solar manufacturing.
• India now has the third-largest solar installed capacity in the world. It is one of the few countries on track to meet its three key NDC targets – achieve 40% non-fossil-fuel-based installed power capacity, reduce 33%–35% emissions, and create a carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide – by 2030. India is likely to achieve these goals much earlier.

About Niti Aayog:

• Headquarters:New Delhi
• Narendra Modi, (Chairperson)
• Rajiv Kumar, (Vice Chairperson)
• Amitabh Kant, (CEO)

About Ministry of New and Renewable Energy:

• Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge)
• Constituency: Arrah
• Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, IAS, Secretary