NATIONAL NEWS
LEADS Report 2021: Gujarat is the best performing state and UP the top improverUnion Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal launched the 3rd edition of the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) report, 2021.
- As per the report, Gujarat has been adjudged as the Best Performing State while Uttar Pradesh is the top improver. Gujarat occupied the first position, Haryana second while Punjab got the third position as per the report.
- The Union Minister said that the inputs were given by Logistics Ease Across Different States Report 2021 can lead the way to bring down logistics costs by five percent over the next 5 years. He said India is committed to build modern infrastructure for the 21st century, at a pace never seen before. Referring to the recently launched PM GatiShakti Master Plan, he said that it would revolutionize the next generation of multimodal infrastructure development in the country.
The Punjab Cabinet approved the 'Punjab Tissue Culture Based Seed Potato Rules-2021' to develop Punjab as a standard potato seed centre.
- The centre would further help in achieving the target of agriculture diversification of the state government by increasing the potato acreage with the production of 4 LMT of potato from 1 lakh hectare, the cabinet said.
- With this decision, Punjab has become the first state in the country to have the facility of tissue culture-based certification, which would further lead to developing the Jalandhar-Kapurthala belt as the export hub of potato.
education courses to soldiers In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Army signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Kashmir enabling the soldiers posted in J&K to seek admission in various courses.
- According to PRO (Defence) Srinagar, Col Emron Musavi, the MoU has been signed between Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of Army and Directorate of Distance Education, University of Kashmir.
- He said that it is a decision taken to establish a long-term relationship for the provision of distance education courses to soldiers presently serving in Kashmir.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Global Drug Index shows how most countries fail drug policy test, India ranks 18A first of its kind global drug policy index 2021 that ranks 30 countries drawn from across regions on how humane and health-driven their drug laws and policies are, gives India a score of 46 out of 100 with Norway at the top with 74 and Brazil at the bottom scoring 26. In terms of ranking India is at 18.
- The index highlights that the global dominance of drug policies based on repression and punishment has led to low scores overall, with a median score of just 48 out of 100 for all 30 countries which is assessed as a “drug policy failure” and a sign for urgent measures to deal with the situation.
- Reflecting a long-standing global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty, the report highlights that only three out of these 30 countries - India, Indonesia and Thailand retain capital punishment for certain drug offences.
- The inaugural edition of the index released by the Harm Reduction Consortium shows that Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, the UK and Australia are the five leading countries on humane and health driven drug policies. Brazil, Uganda, Indonesia, Kenya, and Mexico are the five lowest-ranking countries.
UNESCO has included Srinagar city of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in its coveted list of Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
- The announcement was made by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay through a press release describing the list of 49 cities selected " in recognition of their commitment to placing the culture and creativity at the heart of their development and to sharing knowledge and good practices".
- The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is a project of UNESCO launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which recognized creativity as a major factor in their urban development. As of 2017, there are 180 cities from 72 countries in the network.
BANKING & FINANCE
PhonePe, Liberty General Insurance partner to offer motor insuranceLiberty General Insurance Ltd has partnered with PhonePe to offer motor insurance digitally.
- Through PhonePe, Liberty General Insurance’s motor insurance policy provides easy accessibility to the motor insurance cover, especially to the digitally savvy generation.
- With this partnership, Liberty General Insurance strengthens its tie-up with PhonePe to empower their customers with the best protection cover in today’s digital era.
ESAF Small Finance Bank has launched State Level Local Sustainable Economic Development Training Programme in Kerala in collaboration with NABARD.
- Initially, this project will benefit 300 panchayats across Kerala, the Bank said, adding that it was aimed at bringing financial empowerment and economic independence at the local level.
- This Project is aimed at bringing financial empowerment and economic independence at the local level through training and enabling the elected representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions to meaningfully intervene and build the well-being of the people in the constituencies they represent.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
India's GDP likely to grow at 10-10.5% in FY2022: Brickwork RatingsDomestic rating agency Brickwork Ratings revised its growth estimate for the country's gross domestic product (GDP) to 10-10.5 per cent in the current financial year from an earlier expectation of a 9 per cent growth.
- Many economic growth indicators are suggesting a faster-than-expected revival in economic activities, it said.
- It expects the GDP growth for Q2 FY22 to be at 8.3 per cent (year-on-year), on the back of a 7.4 per cent contraction in Q2FY21. The country's GDP grew at 20.1 per cent in the first quarter of fiscal 2022.
Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue collections in October (for sales in September) rose 23.7 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1,30,127 crore, the second highest revenue collection under GST ever since its rollout in July 2017 and the fourth consecutive month when collections crossed the Rs 1 lakh mark.
- This comes on the back of a pickup in economic activity, alongside the imposition of multiple compliance measures by tax authorities for curbing evasion.
SPORTS
Rashid Khan becomes the youngest bowler to take 400 T20 wicketsAfghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan became the youngest bowler to take 400 T20 wickets during his team's crucial Super 12 encounter against New Zealand in Dubai. Rashid joined an elite list of cricketers as he picked up his 400th wicket in the ongoing New Zealand vs Afghanistan T20 World Cup game.
- Martin Guptill became Rashid's 400th victim in T20 cricket. He is the 4th bowler to enter the 400 club after Dwayne Bravo (553), Sunil Narine (425) and Imran Tahir (420).
- Rashid has 103 wickets for Afghanistan and 93 scalps for Sunrisers Hyderabad while the rest have come for the teams he plays for in different T20 tournaments around the world.
The day after ensuring he finishes No. 1 for a record seventh year, Novak Djokovic beat No. 2 Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Paris Masters final for a record 37th Masters title.
- Djokovic moved one clear of fellow 20-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal for Masters trophies, and nine ahead of Roger Federer, the other tennis great with 20 majors.
- It also gave Djokovic a record-extending sixth Paris Masters title and put him 6-4 up overall against the No. 2-ranked Medvedev, who is pushing hard to dethrone him in world tennis.
APPOINTMENTS
Morinari Watanabe reelected as international gymnastics presidentMorinari Watanabe was re-elected to a new three-year term as president of the International Gymnastics Federation after seeing off a challenger.
- Watanabe, from Japan, won the vote 81 to 47 against Farid Gayibov of Azerbaijan at a conference in Turkey, the federation said.
- Watanabe has a background in business and was first elected FIG president in 2016 for a four-year term. That was extended by one year when the coronavirus pandemic caused the Tokyo Olympics to be postponed.
18-year-old Sankalp Gupta from Nagpur became India’s 71st Grandmaster after he completed the third and final norm at the GM Ask 3 round-robin event in Arandjelovac.
- Sankalp secured the three required GM norms in just 24 days by playing three back-to-back tournaments, in which his rating performances were over 2599 and even touched the 2500 Elo rating mark.
Bandhan Bank has announced Popular Assamese & Bollywood singer Zubeen Garg as the brand ambassador for the Bank in Assam.
- This association is a landmark one for Bandhan Bank as this is the first time ever that the Bank has associated with a brand ambassador since its inception six years back.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Astronaut Wang Yaping becomes first Chinese woman to walk in spaceAstronaut Wang Yaping, a crewmember of China's Shenzhou-13 mission, became the first woman from the country to walk in space.
- The astronauts of China's Shenzhou-13 mission to the Tiangong space station module Tianhe took their first spacewalk.
- Wang Yaping, 41, took part in the mission's first extravehicular activity with mission commander Zhai Zhigang.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Aseem Chawla's book 'Finding A Straight Line Between Twists and Turns' unveiledIndia's leading tax lawyer and well known international tax and policy expert, Aseem Chawla announced the release of his new book titled 'Finding A Straight Line Between Twists and Turns - An Imperfect, Yet Honest Reflections on the Indian Tax Landscape'.
- The book, which has been published by Matrix Publishers, provides in-depth analysis of key recent milestones/landmark events, which have influenced Indian tax landscape, in particular, over the last decade or so.
- The cross border influences on the tax ecosystem and what it means for policymakers and the judicial response have been deliberated in the book.
The Bangla version of the book ‘Operation X’ about the naval commando operation jointly launched by the Indian Navy and the Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh was launched in Dhaka.
- The book is written by Capt MNR Samant and Sandeep Unnithan. Bangladesh Minister of Liberation War Affairs AKM Muzammel Haq was the Chief Guest on the occasion.
- The book has been compiled from personal notes of Capt MNR Samant and first hand accounts of Indian Naval Personnel and Muktijoddhas who participated in the operations. It was co-written by noted author and journalist Sandeep Unnithan in a readable, excitingly paced language.
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