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Friday, October 30, 2020
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Daily Current Affairs, 29th October 2020
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1) PM Modi Inaugurates 4th edition of India Energy Forum
•PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 4th India Energy Forum by CERAWeek organised by HIS Markit. The theme of this edition is “India’s Energy Future in a World of Change”. India is the third-largest and the fastest-growing aviation market in terms of domestic aviation and Indian carriers are projected to increase their fleet size from 600 to 1200 by 2024.
•According to PM, India’s Energy Plan aims to ensure energy justice while fully following India’s global commitments for sustainable growth. This means more energy is needed to improve the lives of Indians with a smaller carbon footprint. He envisioned India’s energy sector to be growth-centric, industry-friendly and environmentally conscious.
2) Odisha CM launches ‘Sumangal’ & Student Scholarship web portals
•Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik has launched two web portals named ‘Odisha State Scholarship Portal’ and ‘Sumangal Portal’. The former portal is to help eligible students of the state to avail scholarship benefits in a seamless and transparent manner, while the latter one is to help people avail inter-caste marriage incentives.
3) Kerala becomes the first state to fix floor price for vegetables
•Kerala becomes the first state in the country to fix the floor price for vegetables. The floor price will be 20 per cent above the production cost of the vegetable. Even if the market price goes below the floor price, the product will be procured at the floor price from the farmers. This is the first time in the country that the floor price is being fixed for vegetables produced in the state.
4) Young Advocates Welfare Fund launched in Tamil Nadu
•The Young Advocates Welfare Fund has been launched in Tamil Nadu. The Young Advocates Welfare Scheme is aimed at helping such fresh candidates to withstand the initial challenges. It provides monthly financial assistance of three thousand rupees each for two years to the lawyers who just come out of law colleges.
•Normally a fresher from law colleges takes three to four years to begin practice as an advocate in the court as the registration in the Bar Council, and the mandatory practicing under a senior advocate takes time. Unable to sustain themselves during the initial period, many from poor and rural backgrounds shifted their profession.
5) Vice President launches virtual festival of ‘Parampara Series 2020
•Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the virtual festival of “Parampara Series 2020-National Festival of Music and Dance” organised by Natya Tarangini in partnership with the United Nations. Natya Tarangini has been organising this for the past 23 years.
•This dance and music festival as the normal life has been disrupted by lockdowns, economic downturns and lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic. It may be noted that this festival has been organized to coincide with the World Day for Audio-visual Heritage.
6) A book titled “Night of the Restless Spirits” authored by Sarbpreet Singh
•A book titled “Night of the Restless Spirits: Stories from 1984″ authored by Sarbpreet Singh. The author Sarbpreet Singh’s recounts the Sikh massacre of 1984 in this book. The book is a fictionalised version of real happenings comprising just eight chapters. It shows the events of 1984 through the prism of many lives & impact on Sikhs. The book is published by Penguin Publication.
7) India Post, US Postal Service sign pact for electronic exchange of customs
•Indian Posts & US Postal Service entered into an agreement for the electronic exchange of customs data related to postal shipments. It will enable to transmit & receive electronic data of international postal items prior to their physical arrival.
The HINDU Notes – 28th October 2020
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📰 India-U.S. 2+2 dialogue | U.S. to support India’s defence of territory
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo raises security threat from China after 2+2 talks.
•The United States will support India to defend its territorial sovereignty and liberty, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said on Tuesday. Addressing the media at the end of the 3rd India-US 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi, Mr. Pompeo also said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is “no friend to democracy”.
•The observations about the threats to Indian sovereignty came as New Delhi announced the signing of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on geospatial cooperation (BECA) with the U.S.
•“The United States will stand with the people of India as they face threats to their sovereignty and their liberty,” said Mr. Pompeo hinting at the ongoing tense scenario in eastern Ladakh where Indian and Chinese forces in a standoff since May. Mr. Pompeo also referred to the greater threats posed by China in the Asia-Pacific region and the COVID-19 pandemic.
•“Our leaders and our citizens see with increasing clarity that the CCP is no friend to democracy, the rule of law, transparency, nor to freedom of navigation, the foundation of a free and open and prosperous Indo-Pacific. I am glad to say that the U.S. and India are taking steps to strengthen cooperation against all manner of threats and not just those posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” said Mr Pompeo addressing the media at the Hyderabad House here.
•In his opening remarks, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid out the challenges before India. Speaking in Hindi, Mr Singh said, “We are meeting today at an extraordinary time. This pandemic is something that we have never experienced in our lifetime.. ..our partnership is becoming stronger because of the challenges that we are facing at present.” The Minister’s comments were taken forward by Mr Pompeo, promising American support.
•U.S. Secretary of Defence Mark Esper said, “BECA will enable greater sharing of geospatial information between our armed forces”.
•Apart from BECA, India and the U.S. also sealed an MoU on Technical Cooperation in Earth Observations and Earth Sciences, and an agreement to extend duration of the MoU regarding the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership. The two sides also signed an agreement on electronic exchange of customs data and a letter of intent regarding cooperation in traditional Indian medicines.
•A Joint Statement issued following the conclusion of the visit of the American dignitaries highlighted shared Indo-U.S. goals in the Asia-Pacific region and “emphasised that the Code of Conduct in the South China sea should not prejudice the legitimate rights and interests of any nation in accordance with international law”. The two sides also decided to expand joint capacity building activities with partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
•Mr. Pompeo also referred to the loss of lives of Indian soldiers in the clash with the Chinese PLA troops in June and said India and the U.S. are committed to upholding common values against threats.
•“Today morning we have been to the National War Memorial to pay homage to the brave men and women of the Indian armed forces who have sacrificed for the world's largest democracy including 20 that were killed by the PLA forces in Galwan valley in June,” Mr Pompeo said.
•Chinese rejection
•Responding to the comments of the U.S. Secretary of State, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Mr. Pompeo's comments are groundless.
•“These are groundless accusations which reflect he is clinging to Cold War mentality and ideological biases. We urge him to abandon the Cold War and zero sum game mentality, stop sowing discord between China and regional countries as well as undermining regional peace and stability,” said Mr. Wang.
‘Security convergence’
•Explaining the “2+2” dialogue, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said the discussions had a political military content. “Our national security convergences have obviously grown in a more multipolar world. We meet today to not only advance our own interests but to ensure that our bilateral cooperation makes a positive contribution in the world arena,” he said.
•Speaking about the conclusion of BECA ahead of the U.S. presidential election, a highly placed government source said that the presence of the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defence in India despite the election season in the U.S. is a sign of the importance that the U.S. attaches to India.
•“It is a demonstration to the world at large,” said the official about the discussions between the two sides. Apart from Indo-Pacific region, the two sides also discussed the status of Afghanistan and supported an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
Information exchange
•BECA enables exchange of geospatial data and information between the two countries and will improve the accuracy of India’s missiles in future during precision strikes.
•BECA will help share geospatial maps and charts between U.S. and India, which may have been acquired from multiple sources like satellites, UAVs, reconnaissance aircraft, aerostats among others, said Captain (IN) Vikram Mahajan (Retd), Director, Aerospace and Defence at U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum.
•“Data shared from BECA will help in identifying, updating and tracking of various types of target and their position, both on land and sea,” he told The Hindu.
•Terming the signing of BECA a “significant achievement,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the U.S. accepted an Indian request for “cooperation in the advanced field of maritime domain awareness.” As part of measures to enhance military to military cooperation Mr. Singh said now Liaison Officers at each other's establishments could be leveraged to enhance “information sharing architecture” while in the joint statement both sides “reiterated their intent to assign additional Liaison Officers.”
📰 Kerala government fixes base price for 16 agricultural produce
[Update] Extra attempt for UPSC, 2021 under consideration
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While disposing of the plea, SC asked petitioners to take up the issue of extra attempt with the competent authorities.
Recently, SC disposed of another plea by UPSC candidates (Of 2020 exam) that sought an extra attempt in the UPSC examination in 2021 and asked the competent authorities to assuage the grievance of the petitioners.
